Hey everyone! sorry for the long wait, Just got back from vacation and have been trying to catch up on everything. Hope this was worth the wait. Let me know what you think!
I do not own these characters blah blah blah. But I do like to have fun with them :)
Enjoy!
Six. Roll a six. Six. Six. Six. Emma shook the dice in her fist repeatedly, hoping the chant would encourage the dice to roll a higher number. Biting her lip she tossed the dice on the board and watched them roll excitedly away from her.
"YES!" She threw her hands up in the air and pumped them repeatedly in victory."Free Parking!" She took an arm down to move her piece the six places onto the red car in the corner of the board. Yes this was one intense game of monopoly.
Regina rolled her eyes at the scene in front of her, as she grabbed the dice from the board, mentally counting the spaces she needed to skip from landing on one of Emma's hotels. Four. Roll a four. Four. Four. Chuckling she looked up at Emma who's eyes seemed to be dancing but focused, and threw the dice. They tumbled across the board. Come on four.
The news of their predicament slowly made it's rounds throughout the ship, effectively leaving everyone on edge. Everyone seemed to be dealing with it in their own way. The charmings had holed up in their cabin below deck after seeking out Emma to check on her. After finding her in the company of Regina, and expressing their dislike for the arrangement, Emma had not so gracefully told them to back off and worry about themselves. Hook had been attached to the Ship's wheel, eyes constantly searching the horizon for any tell tale signs of where they were. And Rumple had refused to concede to the idea that magic would not be able to get them out of this mess and fix the compass.
So here Regina and Emma were. Up in a lifeboat that was attached to one of the main masts of the ship. Far enough away to feel alone, but close enough to feel secure. The sun was beating down on them, but the sails would shift providing temporary shade, and a constant breeze. A few hours had already gone by as they passed the time with various board and card games, finally settling on mononoply this round. The board was littered with get out of jail free passes, houses, and hotels. Nobody was going bankrupt. Yet.
Regina smiled triumphantly as she bounced her piece away from Emma's row of houses, landing safely on a nuetral space. Leaning back on her hands she turned her face towards the sun and closed her eyes, basking in it's heat and letting out a content sigh. Their legs were touching but she didn't even mind in this heat. She liked it. As she heard the dice roll across the board she heard an excited gasp. The mayor cracked open an eye to peak out at what happened and saw Emma flipping through the property cards and finding the third railroad. Crap I wanted that. She quickly let out a sigh and continued enjoying the sun as Emma took her sweet time buying the property and counting out her money.
"What's your favorite board game?" Regina asked, still not bothering to open her eyes.
Emma briefly stopped counting her money to mull over her answer,"Hmm, that's a good question. She idly thumbed through her colorful money, "I'd probably have to say either the game of life, or scrabble. Actually it's scrabble. One of my foster parents would go to work early in the morning so they would be home in the afternoon by the time I got off the bus. Most of the time we would just sit in the living room playing scrabble and eating poptarts. We would just spend hours sitting next to the big dictionary and listening to the air conditioner kick on. I don't know if she was going easy on me, but it was always a close game. And any time I won, we would walk to the local ice cream stand down the street and buy some of those sandwiches. They were so good. They were the half chocolate half vanilla ones you know?" She looked up at Regina expectantly, but half in the daze of the memories. " I loved figuring out words that I had no idea were actual words. Those were the best. I'd try to throw them into a random essay at school. Never helped though, " She laughed at the thought, but then her eyes grew somber and she took a deep breath, "Well eventually her job ended up closing and the unemployment ran out so the foster home took me back, but when I was leaving she gave me our scrabble board. I kept every single peice. I still have it packed in my trunk somewhere." She shrugged at the thought and looked up into the sails, willing herself to rid the memory.
Regina stayed quiet for the moment, studying the blonde and feeling guilty about the past she now carried with her because of her. She was just about to speak up when Emma's green eyes found hers.
"I went to eleven foster homes in nine years. " she paused. "Most were bad, but some were good" she stated. "I learned to pack light and be able to adapt to scenery changes quick. Although I have to say with all my moving nothing has quite prepared me for either fairty tale land or never land." She grinned trying to lighten up the mood. She nudged Regina with her leg as the woman was still quiet but studying her.
"That definitely had to be tough growing up like that, I never imagined your life would be so hard." She hesitated before saying the next part, "I didn't really grow up with a family either. My mother was all about power and control in the worst way. I didn't get to see her much, and when I did it was all business all the time. My father wasn't strong enough to go against her. I mainly grew up with the help of the house. Like that professor I played with in the afternoons. But even once that was found out, that was taken away from me. Everything that was mine was. I didn't have any friends either. That's how I discovered I loved riding horses so much. They kind of became my reprieve, having loyal companions was not something I was used to. And then I met Daniel. He was..." She looked around the clouds for the right words, "He was everything my mother was not. Kind, gentle, caring...loving. He was... everything to me. Daniel gave me hope of another life, hope for good, and hope for a family. When my mother found out she made sure to take him away from me." She looked up into emerald eyes and did not find the judgement she expected. Instead she found concern and something else she couldn't put her finger on.
Feeling vulnerable she looked down at her hands.
"Well through it all, I really like the woman you've become, and Daniel must have been one special man to be able to capture your heart. As for your mom? Sometimes you have to be or find your own family in time."
Regina nodded her head lightly taking in Emma's words, "You are a very strong woman, I knew that from the second I met you when you walked up my door step. You know how to handle yourself and you carry yourself with great confindence, " She looked Emma deep in the eyes, "I saw a lot of me in you that day Henry brought you to Storybrooke. I knew if you stuck around you would be a threat just by being you. But... I am really glad you did."
Emma studied the woman, waiting for her secret lie detecting power to ping, but it never did. Regina was being earnest and she couldnt help but feel a longing for the broken woman in front of her. "Your mother took everything from you and left you with nothing. I grew up with nothing for most of my life. You are so strong having to deal with all of that. But you know what? It brought us Henry, and he gave us both a new start for having a family." Emma took in a shaky breath, trying to control her emotions when talking about Henry, shaking her head lightly trying to keep her thoughts at bay. "When I chose to stay in Storybrooke, I knew I had met my match, "She smiled, "You are just as stubborn as me" She finished grinning at the brunette.
Regina's face quickly transformed from a look of sobriety at the mention of both Daniel and Henry to one of exasperation as she dramatically rolled her eyes at the other woman. "Please Emma, I don't know anyone more stubborn than you" she mused.
"Ha! You are just as bad as me Regina" She raised her eyebrows in challenge. Remembering the game she dramatically started to count out her money again to buy the property, grinning ear to ear as she saw Regina shake her head at her.
Regina turned her attention back to the sun and clouds above them, once again closing her eyes, unaware of the pair of green ones studying her. The way the sun was bathing her illuminated Regina in all the right ways, while the wind whispered through her hair lazily, leaving Emma captivated by the essence of beauty radiating off of Regina.
Emma was consumed by the moment in front of her. She took in a deep breath, trying to steady her breathing as her eyes slowly roamed over the image in front of her. Her chest tightened briefly at the thought of Daniel and Regina. Am I jealous of a dead guy? Now it was Emma's turn to get lost in her thoughts as she absentmindedly moved her leg along Regina's.
The smooth and comforting movement broke Regina out of her reverie as she looked down to see the cause. Emma was lost in thought looking between the sails up at the sky. Regina couldn't help but let a small smile grace her lips. She also couldn't help that her fingers had now found themselves to Emma's leg, tracing lazy circles across the soft pale skin. Biting her lip she fought the longing she suddenly felt for the woman sitting across from her. With her free hand she picked up the dice, and threw it across the monopoly board. The sound brought green eyes to meet hers and she smiled a mischievous smile as she moved her piece to the last open railroad to buy. Grinning ear to ear she shuffled through the property cards to buy her new property.
Emma couldn't help but frown at the loss of contact on her leg that she wasn't aware of until it was gone. The tingling sensation that had been left behind from it, had her curious as she saw Regina's mile wide smile, in turn having her smile back as well.
"Don't forget I still own the other two you know" Emma noted teasingly.
Honey eyes looked up at hers dancing and it was now Regina's turn to count out her money dramatically in victory.
Emma rolled her eyes as she studied the board. They were just about even. Of course she's good at this game. Why wouldn't she be? Her eyes once again traveled to the brunette in front of her.
"Favorite ice cream?' Emma asked.
Regina looked up at the question still smiling, "Hmmm, vanilla fudge swirl. Mmmm it is so good. Yours?"
Did she just moan? I am so going to lose this game. "Umm, the vanilla and chocolate swirl" Emma answered a bit dazed.
"Favorite snack?" Regina asked, handing over the dice to Emma.
Emma slowly took the dice from the offered hand, brushing finger tips as she answered, "Popcorn, definitely popcorn. You?"
"Popcorn," she grinned "The sweet and salty kind."
More time passed as they continued to play. Looks of longing were shared as fingertips subtly and gingerly traced over pale and olive skin.
"Ohh I've got a good one," Emma smirked, "Favorite movie?"
"Ohhhhh," the brunette narrowed her eyes and pursed her lips thinking, "That is a good one. When we first got to Storybrooke, all the tv shows and movies really fascinated me, I would spend most of the weekend and nights just watching everything. Umm…" She nibbled on her lip as she tapped her chin with a finger.
Emma watched, chin in her hand, the game forgotten.
"I'd have to say…" she paused looking at the sails in thought, "A good year. It's this movie about a guy who's job and company consume his life. He's really successful, really power hungry, but when the last of his family dies and leaves him an estate in France, it reminds him about the important things in life. He goes there and it ends up changing him. He finds family and love, and gets a second chance on life."
She looked deep into Emma's green eyes, taking in the thoughts dancing behind them, and something else she saw swirling in there. Something she hadn't seen in a very long time she thought. "You?"
Emma nodded, "Ah, I haven't seen that movie but it sounds good. Perhaps we can poof up a tv later and watch?" Emma teased, "hmmm I'd say mine is..." She let out a frustrated sigh as she tried to pick.
Regina watched distractedly as she watched Emma furrow her brow and scrutinize her choices. She's being kind of adorable right now. Her finger tips danced along the pale leg next to her. Her skin is so soft. She mused this thought as she traced the curve of her knee.
"There are so many to choose from, I'd probably have to say chocolat with Johnny Depp. There's this woman who's kind of a gypsy, doesn't fit into the new town she has just moved into, and he's a bit different himself. They end up falling in love and he gets her to stay and stop running and she gets to give him a family."
Regina smiled, "That is a great movie, good choice. Who knew the sheriff had such good taste?" She teased quirking an eyebrow at the blonde.
Emma smiled while shaking her head and taking in the relaxed brunette.
I could get used to this.
They sat there in comfortable silence, the wind pushing the sails forward, the game long forgotten. The ease between them had intensified to tension as both longed for more than stolen touches and long glances.
Emma dragged her nails lightly up olive skin while watching Regina bite her lip and do the same over hers.
"Regina," Emma said low and sultry.
"Emma," Regina said almost breathily. Surprising herself
Green eyes traveled to red lips while brown eyes traveled to pink.
A craving suddenly taking over both of them, they start to lean forward.
Close enough to feel their breath mingle with one another their eyes close.
The wind stops.
The ship lurches forward.
A roar from underneath swallowing the ship.
Off to the underwater kingdom we go!
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