Emma's fingers tightened around Regina's and she felt herself flooded with that warm tingling feeling.
Her lips reacted delicately to Regina's.
The slight movement sent a shock through Regina. She drew back gently and looked at Emma's face.
Emma smiled before she opened her eyes. Regina looked back, so overwhelmed by the tangle of feelings inside her. Fear and hope twisted together.
She watched Emma take her face in. No matter what she was doing, there was always something about Emma Swan. Her attitude, the way she moved she was...charming.
"Are you ok?" Regina asked, her fingers nervously picking at a loose thread they found on the sofa.
"Yeah" Emma replied "are you?"
Regina nodded slightly. The space between them felt so vast to Regina, she thought they would never reach across it again.
"Ma!" Henry appeared at Regina's side "you're ok!" He said to Emma
"Yeah, thanks to your mom" she replied. She tried to sit up but struggled.
"Careful, you hit your head" Henry said
"Oh" Emma said, touching the ice pack she had only just noticed.
"Let me" Regina slid the ice pack from Emma's grip and brushed her other had quickly over the purplish bump and it disappeared.
"Better?" She asked
"Oh Emma you're ok?" Snow rushed to her side before she could answer.
Regina stood and turned to David
"Are we expecting anyone else?" She asked sharply
"We're her parents, Snow has a right to be here" he replied
"She needs rest" Regina said "I would suggest away from the entire Charming Clan"
"Away from her family?" David rounded.
Right on cue baby Neal began crying. The glare Regina had fixed on David didn't falter. He sighed.
Emma touched her head and tried to sit up again, though this time she managed.
"She can stay with me" Regina said
David and Snow exchanged a glance and Regina looked at them both questioningly.
"Would you rather I took the baby?" She challenged
"No, no, of course not" Snow said
"Good, I got rid of Henry's changing table a long time ago." Regina said dismissively.
"Alright" David helped Emma onto her feet "I'll drive"
"Can't you just poof us over there?" Emma asked Regina, rubbing her head where she hit it. She didn't look quite steady.
"I don't want you throwing up in my front hall" Regina replied, but not unkindly
"Yeah seriously" Henry piped up "I just did it, it was weird"
It was settled. The Charmings left the station though Emma loitered slightly.
"Are you ok?" Regina asked, suddenly realising she hadn't asked Emma if she even wanted to stay with her. Internally she cursed herself for being so thoughtless.
"Yeah" Emma said as she walked up to Regina. "I get the feeling you're going to send me straight to bed when we get in, I'm not complaining!" She quickly added at Regina's look of mingled protectiveness and frustration.
"I just wanted to talk to you while we're both vertical" she said
"Ok" Regina said in the voice she only ever used with Emma.
Emma took a step closer to her and Regina held her breath. Emma leant into her space painfully slowly and kissed her.
Regina let the slightest noise slip from her. She felt Emma smile as she kissed her. Regina touched Emma's face, drawing her closer and Emma slid a hand around Regina's waist.
The flutter from Regina's stomach filled her up completely. It was like she reacted to Emma's touch and electricity crackled through her.
Emma held her tighter and her hands slid down from her waist to her hips and her thigh. Regina wanted to feel every part of her. She pulled at Emma's jacket, hated the stupid space and clothes that separated them.
"Are you coming?" Henry called from the foyer
They jumped apart, slightly out of breath.
"Just getting some stuff, kid, we'll be there in a second" Emma called
Emma turned back to her, with the shadow of Regina's kisses all over her lips.
"Come here" Regina said. She took a silk handkerchief from her pocket and wiped it all away, and was pleasantly surprised that Emma let her.
"How is mine?" She asked, wiping gently at the edges of her lips.
"Annoyingly fine. Pretty" Emma said "there's just one thing"
Regina lowered the handkerchief to let Emma get it, when she leant in and kissed her again. She stood back smiling, with fresh red on her lips.
"Emma!" Regina was surprised but desperately pleased too. She hated silly things and silliness but she could not find it in herself to hate Emma's silliness, especially when she stood there, smiling with cheek and evidence of their kisses on her face.
"Come on" Emma said. She took Regina's hand and wiped the lipstick away with the sleeve of the other.
They held hands as they stepped out of the station. Regina caught Snow's surprised expression and David's smile. Her instinct was to snap her hand away, remove the spectacle and tell The Charmings to mind their own business, but she didn't.
Emma squeezed and let go to get in the car. Regina wanted physical contact back immediately but she followed Emma to the car.
"Well isn't this nice" came Gold's voice from not too far away. "Very domestic, if a little complicated"
Regina had a fireball in her hand in seconds and strode towards him.
"Shit" Emma said, climbing out of the vehicle she was only halfway in.
"Henry stay in the car" she said before running over to intercept before Regina decided Gold needed smelting.
She put a hand on Regina's arm. She stopped, though Emma could feel powerful magic under her grasp. The fireball didn't go out, but it also didn't move any closer to Gold, which was something.
"Why Regina, I didn't have you pegged as the lap dog in this relationship" he antagonised further
"Ok!" Emma turned to him before Regina wiped him from existence.
"What are you doing? What do you want?" Emma asked. She could feel the heat of Regina's fire behind her, she felt something similar but it was in her chest not her hands. If she wanted to kick Gold's ass it would be with physical not magical strength, and she wasn't far from wanting that.
"I want what was stolen from me" Gold replied
"Not only did you give the needle away, you have clearly demonstrated that you cannot be trusted with it. No way" Emma said
"Not the needle" Gold said "though it's good to know it still works"
"Then what?" Emma asked, resisting the urge to slap him for risking Regina's life so carelessly.
"A certain important artefact that, no doubt you have figured out, resides in Regina's vault" he said
"What?" Regina demanded
"You can put the fireball out, Regina" he patronised
"I'll put it on your face if you don't tell us exactly what you're up to" she retorted
"Down girl" he said.
"You, stop it!" Emma snapped at him and turned on her heel to see Regina.
"Don't rise to it" Emma placed a hand on the arm that hung by her side.
Regina was glaring at Gold who smirked over Emma's shoulder. He wouldn't smirk like that with a fireball melting his face off. She reluctantly pulled her eyes to meet Emma's. She felt the sharp rage inside her dissipate. How did she do that? Light magic?
Emma stared back at her. The unfamiliar physical contact pulled Regina back into reality. She noticed the hint of lipstick still on Emma's lip and almost blushed.
She crushed the fire in her hand and let her arm fall to her side. She sighed and looked back at Emma.
"Happy?" She asked, in the voice that was meant to snarky but came out far softer than she intended.
Emma slid her hand down to rest in Regina's.
"Very" she said quietly, with a slight sparkle in her eyes that only Regina saw. It was only for her. Her stomach somersaulted. Emma turned to Gold.
"What's in the vault that you want?" She asked
"That is none of your concern" he replied
"After cursing two people in this town almost into oblivion, I very much beg to differ" Emma said
"Two?" Gold asked. He looked between the two of them and raised his eyebrows in realisation "why Regina, I never kne-"
"Answer the god damn question" Emma interrupted. She was getting angry at his constant attempts to goad Regina into violence. What was his plan? Did he still want her blood?
"Does Belle know about all this?" Emma let go of Regina's hand and took a threatening step towards Gold. "Maybe you should start answering questions before you have to explain to her what you've been up to"
Gold set his jaw.
"Maybe we should go get her" David said.
Emma had forgotten he was there.
"Great idea" she said "we can wait, right?" She asked Gold.
Her head still hurt but she didn't want to show weakness in front of him by rubbing it.
"Don't" Gold held up a hand in David's direction as he moved towards the pawn shop "you don't need to bother her with all this"
"Then tell us what you're looking for" Emma said
Gold was quiet for a moment then, unable to provoke Regina into a fight that could end in bloodshed, seemed to resign himself to his predicament.
He walked towards Emma and she could have sworn she felt Regina grow tense behind her.
"It holds great sentimental value" he said quietly.
He looked over Emma's shoulder at Regina who raised eyebrow.
"I don't keep knickknacks in my vault, Rumple." Regina said sharply.
"It's" he started forcefully then composed himself "important. To me"
He shifted his position slightly. Emma looked over her shoulder at Snow and David, who looked concerned. Henry was standing by the car, just about touching it. No doubt he thought this fulfilled the criteria of 'saying in the car'.
"It's a teacup" he said, looking Emma dead in the eye when she turned back.
"A teacup?" She replied, breaking his eye contact to glance at Regina who still had her serious face on.
"You're right" Regina said "I do have a dusty old teacup in my vault. You're lucky I haven't thrown it away, it's cracked"
"-chipped" Gold corrected, almost involuntarily.
Emma was glad Regina knew what he was talking about. She was thoroughly confused.
"How about this" Emma began "you can have the cup back, once you've told Belle the whole story"
Gold looked furious.
"It's mine!" he spat
"Yeah, Regina's life is hers, you almost stole that from her. You almost stole mine from me" Emma said "tell Belle the truth"
"You have no business meddling in my marriage" he snarled
"No, but Belle is my friend and she would want to know" Emma said calmly.
For a moment all of them stood still in the quiet of the street. Snow and David exchanged a look of uncertainty. Regina looked over at Henry, noticing he had not stayed in the car at all, and somewhere in her mind made a mental note to tell him to listen to his mother later. Emma held Gold's glare until he agreed.
"Great" Emma said "we'll drop it by the shop…tomorrow?"
"Fine" he said and turned to leave.
"Why did you have the cup anyway?" Emma asked
"I don't remember. I just remember seeing it and thinking I should get rid of it" Regina said, hanging her coat in the hall.
Emma followed her to the kitchen.
"Drink?" she asked
"No thanks" Emma replied and rubbed her head again.
"It still hurts?" Regina asked and made her way over.
"Yeah" Emma said, and rubbed hard as if that would get rid of it. Regina pushed her hand gently away and looked at her skin. Emma breathed her perfume in. It was intoxicating. She felt the warmth of magic on her skin again, then Regina's lips touched the spot gently.
"Sorry" Regina said "habit. With Henry I always…or I used too" she flustered slightly and drew back from Emma. She leant on the counter and blushed.
Emma watched her. She seemed so uncertain. It was so unlike her. Emma stepped closer to her and tugged her jacket gently.
"Hey" Emma said "what are you sorry about?" she smiled and looked into Regina's eyes.
Regina's head buzzed with competing phrases like "wouldn't presume" and "unwanted contact" and "so beautiful". She could barely pull any of them into coherence.
She felt her heart hurt with all the things she wanted but was too scared, still too scared to say and do. They had shared true love's kiss twice and she was still afraid of being an imposition, unwanted, controlling and undeserving.
"Emma Swan" she said trying to compose herself. She looked up into those big blue eyes that sparkled for her sometimes "nothing in the world scares me more than you do" she said honestly.
Emma smiled widely.
"Well, nothing scares me less than you, Regina Mills" she said.
Regina gulped back the tears that threatened at the tip of her nose. She laughed with relief. Emma leant down and touched her nose to Regina's.
Regina's heart stopped. She felt Emma's breath on her lips. Time seemed to stop with them. Emma nudged her nose and she tipped her chin up in response.
Emma kissed her, gently at first, then deeply and slowly, like she wanted to make the most of everything Regina gave her. She coaxed her out of herself, met every movement with another.
Regina's heart beat again and she smiled. She gave in to vulnerability, to opening her heart to someone again, to Emma Swan.