"Gina?"
"WHAT ON EARTH?!" Regina stopped her movement abruptly, staring at the open doorway with her pantyhose halfway down.
"I couldn't sleep?" Barely containing a growl, the mayor slowly let her foot drop off the chair she had previously propped it on, suspecting that her short dress left nothing to the imagination of Emma Swan's rampant mind.
"Miss Swan you were fast asleep when I left you!" The blonde at least had the good grace to blush, but that was all. Instead of backing away and realizing her mistake, the obnoxious woman slowly entered the room, advancing towards Regina in tiny steps. Her tousled hair was framed by the light of the doorway, and Regina could not argue with the fact that the sheriff looked absolutely stunning.
"Yeah I dunno I woke up and couldn't fall asleep again…" It was obvious that her own personal intruder was exhausted, as small steps came to a halt at the wooden table near the middle of the room and shaky hands grabbed for the rough surface in an attempt to steady the weary body. Regina resisted the urge to offer help.
"It has hardly been five minutes, I'm positive you did not even try!" She moved quickly, bringing the bed between her and Emma's hands. "I have no idea what you think this is, Miss Swan, but I assure you, I am not spending the night with you simply because we shared a kiss!" That, at least, seemed to get the blonde's attention. Green orbs met hers and the instant Henry's mother saw the hurt reflected in those big eyes, she regretted her outburst.
"Miss Swan, I…" Blonde curls bounced when their owner turned around rather inelegantly.
"No, it's fine, you're right…" The faint voice of her counterpart made her heart clench in agony, and before she knew it, she had crossed the room, her hand on sagging shoulders.
Emma stopped dead in her tracks, keeping her back turned towards the mayor, trying to hide the sniffles coming from her nose. Regina's heart flew out to her despite the fact that she was beyond exasperated that the blonde had dared enter her bedroom unannounced.
Her hand massaged the stiff shoulder, reveling in the feeling of searing hot skin beneath her fingertips. She stared at the seemingly defeated frame of Emma Swan and that is when her years as a mother forced her into action.
"Alright then. Let's put you back into bed, just give me a moment here." She let go of the blonde – albeit hesitantly – and bent down to remove the rest of her pantyhose. It had come to rest tangled between her legs when she had run after the retreating woman, and now she could hardly remove the resistant fabric without causing a fuss. So focused was she on the task at hand that she barely noticed the slurred words directed at her.
"I don't wanna sleep alone."
"You will have to. As I have told you…"
"I'm not trying to do anything, I just…," Emma drifted off. The sheriff's green eyes were moist and avoiding hers at all cost. Regina could see the younger woman was only seconds away from bolting out the door, so she grabbed one of the strong hands that was cutting through the air with abandon and held it between her own.
"I'm listening."
A tiny whimper escaped Emma's lips, and the hand caught between her own held onto her for dear life.
"I don't wanna sleep alone, because…," and barely more than a whisper: "…I'm afraid you won't be here in the morning."
She should be hurt. Annoyed. Furious. However, Regina was none of these things. She accepted Emma's statement for what it was: a definite possibility. Torn between insisting on her privacy and accepting the young woman's presence as fact, it took her a while to realize that the blonde was slowly drifting off to sleep. Here, standing in the middle of the room. That was all it took, and with as much tender force as she could manage, she pushed Henry's birthmother towards the bed, ignoring the stumbling and mumbling along the way entirely.
When she had Emma Swan properly tucked in – again , she took off her dress, deciding that with the other woman completely dressed, sleeping in her underwear beneath a different blanket would be acceptable even to her.
She had just turned off the lights and slipped beneath the covers, when a faint voice addressed her:
"Will you still be here in the morning?" Regina sighed.
"Will you?"
"Emma, please don't test my patience." When no reply came, Regina finally relaxed into the soft mattress. Maybe her pesky companion had finally fallen asleep. She was on the verge of drifting off herself, when…
"You called me Emma." 1, 2, 3, 4, …10. To no avail. She still wanted to kill the sheriff.
"Yes, Miss Swan?" She knew she sounded irritated, but she couldn't help it. The blonde knew just how to push her buttons.
"I like it when you call me that."
"It is your name, is it not?"
"Yeah."
"How wonderful that we cleared that up. Can we go to sleep now?!"
"So will you?"
"Miss-"
"Emma."
"-Swan."
"I think I'll let you sleep."
"You should. I do however wonder. Just minutes ago you were ready to fall asleep standing in the middle of the room and now…"
"Yeah."
"Goodnight, Emma."
"I've never been in bed with a woman as beautiful as you."
"Miss Swaaaan." Regina resisted the urge to throw her hands in the air and just snap. Instead, she grabbed her pillow and buried her face in the soft downs. To her surprise and shock, Emma Swan's words still managed to catch up with her, albeit somewhat muffled.
"I dunno what to do, I mean…"
"Sleeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeep, Miss Swan! Sleep! THAT is what you're supposed to do! How hard can it be!?" Her heart was racing, she could feel it. Not long now before she would lose her patience and whack the other woman over the head with the next available object.
"But…"
"NO BUTS! SLEEP! NOW!" It wouldn't be surprising if she got a text from Kathryn now, asking her not to yell in the middle of the night. This whole situation was so ridiculous it was hard to stay serious. Her anger and drowsiness were soon brushed away by the tiniest of smiles when she heard the most awful fake snore behind her. She told herself to just ignore it, to stay quiet and at least get some sleep herself, but alas, apparently she had a masochistic streak…
"Finally the beast is sleeping."
"Hey!" A bump on her shoulder almost sent her flying out of the bed, but instead of being angry, a throaty laugh escaped her lips. She snapped her mouth shut. This was not appropriate behavio-
And then an arm came to rest around her. Tentative. Shy. Not even daring to slip beneath the covers. Still, her body stiffened instantly, resisting the warmth and comfort of the woman behind her. She wanted to say something, anything, to make the blonde disappear, but words were far from her mind now. Slowly but deliberately, the arm around her was tightening, and would have pulled the two of them flush against the other if it hadn't been for the blankets they were covered in.
"I don't want you to leave in the morning."
"I won't leave," she said, regretting her words instantly. Yet they rang true in her ears. She did indeed not wish to leave, however irritating and annoying this woman was.
"Then let me in."
"Miss Swan, you are currently in bed with me, what more do you want?"
"You know, if you insist on calling me 'Miss Swan' whenever I hit close to home or whenever you feel like you've opened up too much, then be my guest. Make it even easier for me to read you."
"I do not..." Regina sighed. The blonde was partially right. She knew she used the formal form of Emma's name as a means of distancing herself from her, yet up to this point it hadn't occurred to her that the sheriff might notice. Which was pure idiocy on her part, it seemed, because the young woman hadn't become sheriff for nothing. She was about to formulate an acceptable response, when she felt the body behind her sag into hers. So finally the wine and exhaustion had won over.
The brunette smiled vaguely, feeling herself drift off, fully aware of her hands clasping the paler one that had come to rest around her waist. Maybe this was not so bad after all.
TO BE CONTINUED.
So I hope you liked this chapter as well. It's not as long as the other one -not by a long shot-, but it definitely comes from the heart. I originally had planned on two chapters, and even though I can fit the rest of what I have planned into this one, I decided to instead update today and write the other chapter as soon as I find the time. Thanks so much for reading, and as always, reviews would be more than awesome :)