17.
Regina settled back onto the couch and looked around her living room. The clock told her that it was barely past three in the afternoon and she had already taken care of all the cleaning and washing that needed to be done, as well as the paperwork she had taken home the day before. Henry would still be in school for another hour and Cora had retreated to the study to take a few calls and check up on work.
Part of her still couldn't believe that her mother had actually taken time off to come to Storybrooke but on the other hand it showed that they were still a family despite the many miles between them.
The house was quiet and she contemplated turning on the TV but the prospect of sitting around seemed so very unproductive. Around this time she was usually in the office, taking care of business, but Emma, her mother and Henry had convinced her to stay home for another day. And now she was bored. Simple as that.
Her eyes traveled around the living room again while she was trying to think of what she could do next when the doorbell rang, followed by a quick knock. She pushed herself up and off the couch, walking to the door with a furrowed brow. She would've remembered if she was expecting someone.
She opened the door and a smile stole itself across her features before she could even think about stopping it. Emma was standing in front of her, grinning, hands clasped behind her back. Regina raised her eyebrows at the blonde's attire. Her eyes traveled from dark boots, up shapely legs clad in black to a white dress shirt.
"Emma?"
"Hey."
"What are you doing here?"
"It's nice to see you too," Emma replied, "And I'm here to take you out."
"Excuse me?"
"I want you to come with me."
"What? Right now?"
"Yes right now."
Emma was still smiling brightly and Regina glanced down at herself. She was only dressed in what she considered to be her comfortable clothes. "I can't go out like this."
"You look amazing," Emma replied without missing a beat.
Regina made a quiet noise of protest and shook her head. "I can't. I still have paperwork to complete."
Emma narrowed her eyes and crossed her arms in front of her chest. "No you don't."
"Are you calling me a liar?"
"I'm pretty sure I am. Now, if you want to keep arguing that's fine but I'll stay right here until you come with me."
Regina glanced from Emma's stoic expression down at herself and back up again. She was tempted to simply close the door, but she was sure Emma would keep her word and stay on her front step all day.
They stared at each other for several silent seconds until Regina heaved a sigh. "Fine." She opened the door wider to let Emma inside. "Give me fifteen minutes."
The smile on Emma's face was almost worth it and Regina had to her hide her own smirk as she closed the door again.
She left Emma in the kitchen with a glass of homemade iced tea and ascended the stairs to the upper level of the house. Standing in front of her walk-in closet for solid five minutes, she berated herself for not having inquired what Emma was planning.
After looking through her various dresses, her eyes lingered on a blue dress that left a good part of her back exposed, but decided against it. She eventually settled on a dark red knee-length one with a simple cut that hugged her body in just the right places. It had been a while since she'd last had the chance to wear anything aside from her many business outfits and she crinkled her brow as she slipped into the dress. What could Emma possibly be planning? She was certainly overdressed if they only ended up going to Granny's.
She stopped in front of the mirror in her bedroom and breathed a silent sigh of relief about the fact that the large white band-aid that had been applied to the cut on her forehead was finally gone. The cut hadn't needed stitches and would heal all by itself. All that still remained of the incident was slightly raised pinkish skin.
After fussing with her hair and dabbing a little perfume against her wrists and neck, she slipped on a pair of black heels before grabbing her purse and descending the stairs again. Emma was exactly where she'd left her, sitting on a chair in her kitchen, sipping on her iced tea.
She looked up when she heard Regina enter and promptly chocked on the liquid in her mouth. Regina watched with a raised eyebrow as Emma tried to get her breathing back under control. After a few more coughs she got to her feet and smiled sheepishly before stepping closer.
"You…," she cleared her throat, "you look great."
"Thank you. I might've been inclined to return that compliment before I saw you suffocating on my kitchen floor Miss Swan."
She knew that a small smile belied the bite in her tone and Emma chuckled quietly.
"I admit that wasn't planned but I'm on my best behavior today, I promise."
"I'm still not convinced that I won't regret this," Regina answered as she turned and walked back into the foyer. Emma brushed past her and opened the door, stepping aside to let Regina step outside.
"Too bad since you do owe me a date."
Emma's yellow bug was waiting in her driveway and Regina eyed it apprehensively.
"It's all fixed now and cleaned from top to bottom."
"Good to know. But I do think we should take my car since it is –"
Before she could even finish speaking Emma had stepped behind her and was gently guiding her toward the bug with a hand at the small of her back. "Let me take care of you today, alright?"
The words were whispered into her ear and Regina's eyes closed for a brief moment. A small shiver ran down her spine and before she even knew what was happening, she was sitting inside the death trap.
Emma grinned after she'd gotten in as well and started the car. "Trust me, this will be fun."
A small smile crossed Regina's features at Emma's excitement and she settled into the seat, ignoring the odd noises the engine was making. "So where are you taking me?"
"It's a surprise."
She wanted to inquire further but the brilliant smile Emma sent her way silenced her. She glanced out of the windshield but her eyes were drawn to the woman next to her. Emma seemed genuinely happy, carefree almost, and Regina was starting to feel the same way.
Despite the many problems still weighing heavily on her mind, she felt the tension slipping away from her in Emma's presence.
"I just… I want you to know that I'm looking forward to spending time with you," Emma said.
"I am too."
Warm fingers moved to her thigh and Regina glanced down, cradling Emma's hand in both of her own. A comfortable silence settled over them as Emma's old bug rattled through Storybrooke and Regina kept a keen eye on their surroundings. There weren't that many places Emma could take her in such a small town and she furrowed her brow when they left the last couple of houses behind them.
Again she looked down at their entwined fingers in her lap and she couldn't help remember what they'd felt like on her skin. She took a quiet breath and closed her eyes.
Immediately Emma's fingers squeezed hers gently. "Hey, everything alright?"
"I… yes, everything's fine. But where are you taking me? There's nothing out here except for the… oh."
Regina looked at Emma who grinned as she turned onto the broad dusty road. "I thought this would be an appropriate surprise."
"A surprise perhaps," Regina answered, gazing through the windshield, "but appropriate? I would've guessed that you would want to stay away from here as far and as long as possible."
"Well yeah, that's true but I also know that this is a big part of Henry's life, and of yours, so I might as well get over it because I don't want to miss anything."
Regina had no idea what to say to that. The car stopped in front of the stables and she stared at the horses grazing in the distance. She had to bite down on her bottom lip to stop any kind of emotion from spilling out of her. How could Emma be so sincere and so sweet? It was almost scary how she always seemed to know what to say or do to erase any of Regina's doubts and fears. Well, almost all of them.
She snapped out of her thoughts when Emma opened the passenger door to help her out of the car. "Your Majesty," she said with a smile as Regina placed her hand into the blonde's.
Emma didn't let go as they were making their way across the lawn and a warm tingling sensation crawled from their joined hands up Regina's arm toward her chest. Her eyes widened when she saw what Emma had prepared.
She laughed and shook her head. There in the midst of a pile of hay and straw was a dark red blanket, a basket resting on top of it.
"A picnic?" she asked quietly as Emma dragged her toward it.
Her steps were slow and heavy. No one had ever done anything like this for her and she stopped in her tracks. Emma was forced to a halt as well and turned with a furrowed brow. "Are you –"
Before she could even get the sentence out of her mouth, Regina had stepped toward her and claimed it with her lips. She buried her fingers in Emma's blue leather jacket and pulled her closer, a tongue gently teasing her lips to part. Emma was pure heat, welcoming her slick and willing and she tore her mouth away with a small gasp when her lower stomach tightened delightfully.
They were breathing each other in, foreheads touching as Emma smiled. "And I thought this was for after the date."
"Are you complaining?"
"Oh no, no, not at all."
They settled on the blanket and Emma unpacked sandwiches, pieces of chocolate cake, a bottle of wine and some fruits. Regina watched her silently as she placed everything onto the blanket before beaming happily. She glanced at Regina. "Ruby helped prepare most of it, but I bought the wine. Would you like some?"
Emma sounded almost shy and all Regina wanted to do was gather her in a hug and kiss those marvelous lips. Instead she inclined her head and leaned back on her hands. "I'd love some."
Emma produced two crystal glasses and poured them both some wine before handing one glass to her. A sweet sound filled the air when they clinked the glasses.
It was a freeing feeling, sitting on the blanket like that, sipping wine. Regina couldn't imagine wanting to be anywhere else and she decided that she would enjoy this. Whatever the future might bring, she just couldn't deny herself this slice of happiness and she was tired of fighting.
Emma offered her a sandwich with a grin and they ate in companionable silence.
Ruby had outdone herself with the cake and the rich chocolate taste melted on her tongue. Emma was enjoying it just as much and she had dark chocolate icing smeared just underneath her bottom lip.
Regina put her own little plate aside and scooted closer to Emma who raised her eyebrows in question.
"You've got something, right here," she mumbled and leaned in close, cradling Emma's neck with her free hand.
Her tongue peeked out and gently swiped across Emma's bottom lip. A tiny gasp escaped her and Regina's eyes closed. The heat of Emma's lips combined with the rich flavor of chocolate was more than delightful and Regina pressed closer for another taste.
She wasn't sure how exactly she ended up on her back, but somehow Emma managed to push the food aside to lower her down onto the blanket, their lips still firmly attached. The hay rustled beneath her and she pulled Emma down on top of her, wanting to feel the reassuring weight of the other woman.
For a moment Emma leaned back. She rested her elbows on either side of Regina's shoulders and gently cradled her face in her hands. It was such a simple gesture but Regina had to hold back a small gasp. She couldn't remember anyone ever looking at her this way – like she was something precious, something that needed to be handled with utmost care and affection.
She couldn't resist sliding her arms up and around Emma's back to pull her closer. Emma willingly closed the distance between them again, whispering against her lips. "Regina I –"
She couldn't let Emma continue. Whatever had been about to come out of her mouth would've shattered every single piece of composure still holding her together. Every bit of sanity. So she pulled her down the rest of the way and kissed Emma.
She just couldn't get enough of those lips.
Emma seemed to know how to flip her tongue or nip at her bottom lip in a way that made her entire back ache with the effort it took to keep her hips still.
One of Emma's hands moved down her throat, briefly skimming across her side and hip, and coming to rest against the exposed skin of her thigh. Her dress had ridden up from her knees and was now halfway bunched around her waist. She tried to take a deep breath because her head was starting to spin but Emma's hand moved upward and all she could do was gasp.
"God I've been wanting to do this…" she mumbled against Regina's lips. Her other hand traced a path down Regina's throat to her chest. Her warm hand closed over one of her breasts and Regina felt her nipple harden in response. She groaned quietly. Emma ended their kiss gently and moved her lips to her jaw down to her neck.
Regina opened her eyes, glancing down at Emma with her lips parted and her breaths coming in short uneven gasps. She reached out to brush Emma's tresses aside to watch her move against the skin of her throat.
Her brows furrowed when she saw something above Emma's collarbone, just above her shirt. She tucked a couple of blonde strands behind Emma's ear and squinted at the two white dots on her neck. "What…?"
Emma's head immediately snapped up and she regarded Regina with a hooded glance. "Hm?"
"What did you do? Had a meeting with a bloodsucking bat?" Regina asked, a small smile playing around her lips.
Emma looked absolutely confused but she still lifted her hand away from Regina's chest to her neck. "I have no idea what that is," she answered slowly.
Her nails began scraping across the raised skin and Regina watched the two white dots grow. Her eyebrows rose into her hairline and she realized that there was something decidedly itchy on both her legs. Realization dawned on her and she groaned quietly.
"What? What is it?" Emma asked, looking down at Regina with worried eyes. She was still scratching at her neck and Regina batted the hand away.
"It's mosquitoes. I completely forgot about them, they're really aggressive this year."
Emma's eyes widened and she scrambled away from Regina, looking down at the exposed skin on her legs. Several small red dots were decorating her skin.
"You seem to be a bit allergic," Regina added. She couldn't help but smile when Emma began scratching at her forehead.
"There never were many of those in the city... this sucks. God, I'm sorry."
"Don't be, it's not your fault."
Emma sat back on her haunches and looked around. The run was slowly starting to grow a bright orange and red color on the horizon and hundreds of little insects filled the warm air. She closed her eyes briefly and shook her head. "All I wanted was a nice date, and even that I mess up."
Regina immediately sat up and cupped Emma's chin with her hand, turning the blonde's head toward her. "Nothing is messed up. This…," she gestured around them with her other hand, "is perfect. I wouldn't want to be anywhere else."
"Even with the mosquitoes?"
"Even if snakes were crawling all over us," Regina replied with a smirk.
She tried not to jerk away when another mosquito settled on her hand. "But we should still get out of here."
Emma chuckled quietly and nodded. "Yeah, let's go."
She got to her feet and helped Regina stand, pulling her flush against her own body. She kissed Regina sweetly but ducked away suddenly. She was swatting at the air around her head. "Okay, this is getting annoying, let's move before I end up as living buffet."
"Oh well, quite a pity. I sure wouldn't mind a taste," Regina answered quietly, smirking.
A/N: the next chapter. finally! I guess I just needed some fluff to get past that little writer's block. I also want to thank those who left wonderful suggestions on the last part, they really helped, and I promise some significant progress in the next update. you guys rock.
