Told from Regina's POV
Disclaimer: I do not own OUAT. If I did, Emma would be wearing a white tank top, tight jeans, and mid-calf length laced up boots while executing that bodyslam we saw in the latest promo. In my mind, Regina's there watching and they end up making out because who can resist those green eyes, a sweaty tank top, and muscles that are dying to be licked? Yum.
A/N: Previous chapters have been edited for spacing reasons. Also, since 7 is a lucky number, here's what's been rolling around in my head this past week-the promised Hawtness ;) I'm recovering from a nasty bout of sickness so this chapter did not get finished when I thought it would be. Hopefully the old adage 'All good things come to those who wait' will come into play here.
"Just trust it".
As the Sheriff whispered those few words to me, I saw a hint of fear mixed with uncertainty in her eyes. I tilted my head up just a bit intending to kiss away those feelings when a raindrop landed on my forehead. We both glanced up at the same time to see dark clouds quickly covering up the twinkling night sky.
I looked at her and smiled and was getting ready to ask her if we should head back downstairs when a flash of lightning streaked across the sky. She grabbed my elbow and started pulling us towards the fire escape as the thunder started rolling in waves with one loud boom after another creating a deafening background for the lightshow above our heads.
We reached the side of the building and she helped me get a good grip on the metal ladder before warning "Get back inside as fast as you can before the rain starts. I'll be right behind you".
I quickly worked my way down and around the two flights of stairs and climbed inside the window managing to avoid the rain altogether. I stuck my head out the window and looked up to see how much longer my blonde date was going to be. I still didn't see her and by now, the wind had started howling and the rain was falling in sheets. I couldn't figure out what was taking the Sheriff so long.
Finally I saw movement on the ladder above me as a particularly large streak of lightning flashed. Within a minute, a drenched Ms Swan climbed through the same window I had used and slammed it shut to keep more water from soaking the floor. She turned to look at me and I couldn't help but laugh. If there was anyone who epitomized a drowned rat, it was the woman standing in front of me.
She tried unsuccessfully to blow a wet strand of hair out of her eyes while trying to glare at me. But it's kindof hard to look intimidating when you're standing in an apartment you share with your parents while creating your very own pool around your feet.
"Ms Swan, what on earth were you doing up there while I was climbing down to safety? You could have injured yourself by letting the storm pick up before you followed me."
"Well, Your Majesty, if you'd give me half a second to explain before jumping all over my case, you'd find out that I wanted to grab one thing before it got ruined".
It was then I noticed the woman standing in front of me had started shivering. I quickly stepped in front of her and started rubbing my hands up and down her arms to try to warm her. Those green eyes of hers started sparkling as her lips curved up in a smile and she pulled out a somewhat damp linen napkin that she had hidden under her shirt.
I arched an eyebrow before throwing in some good-natured teasing. "You risked your life and health for one used napkin? Are you that unaccustomed to nice things, Sheriff?"
"Oh hardy har har, Mayor. It's what's inside the napkin that had me risking my life and health. Here, I'm gonna change clothes really quick and take my contacts out. The wind blew something into my left one and it feels like tiny daggers are attacking my eyeball. While I'm doing that, you can look inside the napkin. Just be prepared to tell me how awesome I am when I come back out". With a wink and a slight slap on my rear, the drowned rat went upstairs in search of warm, dry clothes.
I walked over to the kitchen table and laid the damp napkin down before carefully peeling away the edges until it laid flat and I could see the contents. Scattered all over the large white square were the colored slips of paper that had previously been placed around my dinner plate. I felt my heartbeat increase as the thoughtfulness of the gesture warmed me from the inside out. Where had this woman been all of my life?
In all of my years, I had never had anyone treat me with as much tenderness as Emma Swan had. I had no idea the woman could be so romantic. I thought about how I felt towards her the first day we met compared to how I feel about her now. We had been through so much together and yet it was a drop in the bucket compared to how many more things we had yet to experience together. The woman could irritate me faster than anyone ever had and then turn around and evoke strong physical reactions out of me by sometimes whispering my name.
I looked down at the slips of paper with different sayings on them and felt my lips curling up into a soft smile. I shook my head and let my eyes slip closed as I thought about how much effort the dear Sheriff had put into our date. I felt this warmth in my chest expand outward as each tiny aspect pulled together to paint a picture of sweetness that, quite frankly, caught me off guard. For the first time in my life I felt utterly adored. I felt...I felt precious.
I leaned over the counter and rested my chin on my closed fists. Yes, precious. That's exactly how the Sheriff made me feel tonight. How we managed to go from fighting like cats and dogs to sharing intimacies so profound they caused my head to spin was beyond me. I just knew I wanted more. I wanted to feel more of what I was feeling in this moment. I stood up, tilted my head up to the stairs spiraling up to the second bedroom, and bit my lip trying to decide if I wanted to actually voice what I was feeling inside or not.
"Just trust it, Regina". I tried giving myself a pep talk and then mentally scolded myself for such a schoolyard thing. The upstairs bathroom was apparently getting ransacked as my date tried to become more presentable and I took that opportunity to let all of that noise muffle the sound of me slipping up the stairs and into the doorway of the Sheriffs private space.
As my eyes moved around the room I had never seen before, I had to chuckle at how 'Emmafied' this room was. Clothes hung on every piece of furniture, the trash can was filled with what appeared to be makeshift basketballs, and the bed looked like a toddler had thrashed around in it. It was everything it should have been.
I turned my head towards the bathroom door just as it was pulled open. I took a deep breath and held it as I watched her start walking around the room looking for what I can only assume was a shirt of some kind because she was naked from the waist up. It was moments like this that caused my brain to fog up and coherent thoughts to fly away like grains of sand in the wind. No matter how many times I had seen her naked as a jaybird, it always made me pause in appreciation of such a fine speciman. Her ivory skin was exquisite.
Apparently the Sheriffs detective skills weren't in the on position because she had yet to notice me standing in the doorway drinking her in. I slowly released the breath I had been holding and paused just to run my eyes over every inch of her. She was still in her black dress pants and shoes but as she bent over to pick up a light grey tshirt, those pants did nothing to hide the curve of her ass that I knew once held the crescent shaped fingernail marks that I had put there during a particularly delicious encounter. I licked my lips remembering how her skin felt underneath my exploring fingers.
She stood up and arched her back trying to get it to pop as she simulateously rolled her neck to stretch it. She was turned slightly toward me and in the soft light from the open bathroom door, I could see the outline of her nipples reaching towards the ceiling. I saw the longer hair of her ponytail brush against her bare back. I saw raw sex appeal in its human form and I wanted to partake. I don't remember leaning my head against the doorframe and moaning but she said that's what she heard.
She turned to look at me with the shirt still in her hands and it was then I noticed she had put her glasses on. All thoughts I had about gushing and proclaiming my feelings to her went out the window because all I wanted to do was wrap my legs around her bare stomach and kiss her until she couldn't breathe.
We stared at each other for a split second before she dropped the shirt and we rushed towards each other, meeting in the middle of the room, directly in front of her messy bed. When my mouth met hers, it lit this consuming fire deep in my soul that only grew each time her tongue slid against mine. I knew I could kiss her a thousand times like this and it would never be enough. The hunger I felt for her would never be satiated. But hell if I wouldn't die trying.
My hands wound around her neck to play with the few loose strands coming loose from her ponytail as her hands wrapped under my arms and started a slow, torturous journey from my upper back down to my waist. I could feel the soft material of my dress rubbing against my upper thighs with each movement of those strong hands.
The hands gripping my hips loosened slightly before I felt myself spun around until I was facing the bed. I felt a hand grab the back of my neck and push my head down until it rested on the mattress. In this position I felt so exposed but couldn't help my hips from rolling back into the Sheriffs crotch. I needed any part of her to touch me. My heels dug into the carpet trying to steady myself as she moved closer to me.
I felt her lean over me until we were both curved against each other with her head resting on the back of mine. Each time I would roll my hips back against her she would slowly thrust forward, teasing me with just enough movement to frustrate me. I felt her move my hair to one side so she could bite all around the back of my neck each time her hips moved against me. It was the best kind of torture.
I moved my head to the side so she could have better access to the one spot at the base of my neck that was begging for her teeth. I could feel her bites getting closer and closer to that spot and with each imprint of teeth against my neck, I found myself moaning louder and louder.
Her right hand found the hem of my dress and started dragging it up until she felt bare skin at the top of my stockings. I felt her breath on my neck as she whimpered softly before sliding her hand around me to reach between my legs. She was immediately rewarded with hot moisture as she realized I wasn't wearing any panties.
I heard a low growl in my ear. "Do you know how hot that is to figure out the entire time you were sitting across from me you didn't have underwear on?"
I arched my neck as far to the side as I could get in a silent response before moving my left hand back to grip her ass and pull her towards me trying to get her to resume her thrusting. As she started moving her hips again, my hand slipped down to rest on her thigh and I could feel my nails digging into her through her pants, urging her on.
Each time her hips pushed into my ass, her finger glided up through my wetness to slide over the bundle of nerves begging to be touched. As she pushed into me from behind, I met each thrust with one of my own until our movements were in sync with each other. Every time I pushed back, it caused her finger to slide over the one spot that needed attention. As my hips moved up towards the bed, her finger would slip down and just the tip would slide inside of me causing me to almost lose my breath at the sensation.
Our movements because quicker and quicker until all I could feel is every inch of her pressed against me, inside of me, around me, over me. The side of my face was pressed into the mattress and the scent from her sheets invaded my nostrils. I inhaled deeply and felt my nipples harden as images of her naked above me as I tasted her and breathed her scent in came rushing into my field of vision.
Our thrusts became shorter and rougher until all I could do is move and pant. I could feel my orgasm building but just before I could fall into it, her mouth covered the spot on my neck that had cried out for her hostile bite and I felt her teeth sink into my flesh and her head move from side to side as she bit hard enough to almost draw blood.
"Harder". I could barely get the words out.
"Oh god, harder. Don't stop". I could feel tears sting my eyes as my hips moved at a frantic pace against her.
My left hand released her thigh to grab the tangled sheets under me trying to steady myself. Just as I crashed over the edge, I felt her left hand cover mine and our fingers entwine as she gave me her flesh to ground me. Every good thing I had ever felt couldn't hold a candle to the way she always made me feel.
I took one deep breath and felt our movements still as I tried to let my body ride out the high my explosion had left me with. I felt soft kisses covering the sore spots all down my neck as my breathing finally evened out.
As we stood, she turned me back around to face her and I caught a glimpse of that soft, adorable smile that I knew was reserved for me. I took a small step forward intending to wrap her in a hug but my jelly legs betrayed me and I felt them give out on me for a split second. Luckily, strong, naked arms latched onto my biceps and moved me backwards just a bit so I could sit down on the bed.
"Careful there, Madame Mayor. I have a tendency to make beautiful women go weak in the knees whenever they're around me"
As if to make a point, she winked at me and hooked her thumbs through her front beltloops as she rocked back and forth on her heels.
"You are exasperating, Sheriff. You bend me over, have your way with me, and then have the nerve to stand there and gloat about it? That doesn't seem very...gentlemanly of you." I ran my hand through my messed up hair trying to smooth it down as I teased the woman responsible for said messiness.
"Me. Awesome. You. Jelly legs. I believe the term your Mayoral mind can understand would be 'Case closed. Paperwork filed'. Ya feel me?"
"Mmmm, no, I don't 'feel you', Sheriff, but that's a problem I can fix that doesn't involve any paperwork at all." I leaned back on my elbows and pointed the toes of my shoes inward so they hooked just behind the blondes knees before gently nudging her towards me.
She immediately took the hint, slipped off her pants and shoes, and leaned her half-naked body over me as she planted her palms on either side of my head.
"Are you really trying to do the whole 'talk dirty in the bedroom' thing? Because if you are, lemme just give ya a heads up by telling you that the word 'paperwork' is never gonna be erotic no matter how you use it".
"I'll keep that profound advice in mind, Sheriff. Although I will point out that you used the metaphor first". I couldn't help but tease as wrapped my arms around her neck and brought my legs up and wrapped them around the bare waist I had been ogling before we attacked each other.
As my heels locked together, I saw her eyes flutter closed behind the black frames as she lifted her head upwards just the tiniest bit. At the same time, she released a low, long moan and pressed her body flush against mine. As she did that, I felt her forearms tremble from their spot near my face.
I found myself watching her closely, trying to figure out what caused such a delicious reaction. I tightened my legs around her midsection and her head dropped down to rest her forehead against mine as she started panting and slowly rubbing her nipples against mine.
I removed one hand from around her neck to lift her chin up so I could stare into the sea of green hidden behind those glasses that drive me wild every time she decides to wear them. Still trying to figure out the source of her apparent arousal, I rubbed my chest over hers but got no reaction except feeling her nipples harden as they came in contact again with mine.
The fingers on my left hand lightly danced across the sensitive skin on the back of her neck and even though I saw goosebumps break out all over her pale, ivory skin, that wasn't the reaction I was expecting. As I ran through a few more things that might elicit a smiliar response out of her, she moved slightly and thinking she was going to move off of me, I tightened my legs around her waist and voila!
Her back arched up like a cat stretching in the sunlight and made no attempt to hide the loud moan that bubbled up and out of her throat.
I could feel her hands ball into fists on either side of my head and finally it struck me. The spikes on the back of my shoes were digging into her back every time I moved my legs. To test my theory, I unhooked my legs and started to drop them onto the bed when suddenly the Sheriffs eyes opened wide and she pulled herself up, grabbed my legs, and pulled them back around her waist before leaning back over me and placing her palms back on either side of my head where they were.
"Don't you dare move them again" she growled.
I caught her gaze and slowly slid my right leg from where it was resting on her lower back all the way up as far as I could manage while letting the metal spikes lightly graze over her exposed flesh. I was rewarded with another loud moan and right then and there I was so grateful we were completely alone with no listening ears because I wanted nothing more than to have her throw all of her inhibitions out the window and succumb to the lust that I could practically feel pouring out of her.
I moved my left hand up to grab her ponytail and yanked it down so her face was centimeters from mine. "Are you enjoying the pain, Sheriff?"
She was having a hard time responding because every time she would open her mouth to respond, I would tighten the grip I had on her hair and press my heels a little deeper into her back. As much as she wanted to respond, her body's reaction to my movements was overwhelming her senses and forcing coherent thoughts far from her consciousness. I smirked while watching her, knowing I could return the favor.
Her face was so close to mine that every time she exhaled, I inhaled and took that breath as my own. We stayed like that for awhile. I teased her mercilessly by alternating legs and dragging the metal spikes across her back repeatedly until I felt slickness on the back of my calf. I didn't know if it was sweat or blood and, quite frankly, the thought of both turned me on more than I ever thought possible.
I lifted my right leg just a bit and craned my neck up to catch a glimpse of red smears on the back of my wet calf before wrapping it back around slim hips. I tried to suppress the groan threatening to escape me and dropped my head back onto the bed as I turned to look into green eyes that had almost disappeared because of the blown out pupils.
I wanted to ask her if she was in pain, ask her if she wanted me to stop, but I knew I wasn't going to stop no matter what she said. I removed my right leg once more, bent it and brought it as close to me as I could and reached out to swipe my finger through the red smears.
I could see the blonde trying to move her head away from the tight fist holding her tightly to me so I loosened my grip just enough for her to look over to see the back of my calf. I saw her breaths become uneven and shallow as she saw my finger coming towards her lips. I hesitated for a single moment before slipping my finger into her mouth.
I had heard her moan before but this was needy and primal. I started pulling my finger out only to have her chase it as she swirled her tongue around trying to clean every drop of red off. Every move she made towards my finger brought her mouth closer to mine so that when the finger was completely removed, it was just in time for our mouths to meet.
I wasted no time in sliding my tongue inside of her hot, waiting mouth and tasted the metallic flavor that came from the marks I had made down her back mixed with everything that was simply Emma. There was no word for how erotic it felt to drink every bit of her in. I was greedy and she was willing so I took and took until we were both breathless.
She shifted slightly until she was directly over me and I released her hair completely to slide both my hands down and pinch her nipples just as I dug both sets of metal spikes into her back. I felt them half drag, half slide through new flesh and fresh wounds.
I swallowed each moan, each small cry of pain mixed with pleasure as my ankles and fingertips teased her body into a state of blissfulness.
As our mouths pressed together, I started slowly sucking on her tongue and lifting my hips up to meet the small circles she hadn't even noticed she had been moving her center in. She was too caught up in that place where pain meets pleasure to even be aware of her actions.
I released her tongue just long enough for her to draw in some much needed oxygen before sliding my arms around her and biting her bottom lip. I started dragging my nails down her back as I moved my legs down to drag the dripping metal spikes down the back of her thighs.
As the metal dug into hot flesh, her head shot up and the room was filled with the sound of her cursing while thrusting over my center. I slid my left hand down between us and turned the palm up towards her to give her something tangible and firm to press against. I pulled my legs back up and hovered them right above her thighs and waited until her movements became quick and short.
It was then she looked back down at me and was practically snarling when she said one single word... "Hard".
I used all of my strength to push my heels slowly down the back of her thighs, digging them into her tender flesh with no mercy. I watched her cry out in pain, pleasure, and release and it was the most glorious thing I had ever witnessed. I quickly leaned up and grabbed a nipple between my teeth and twisted it ever so slightly as she rode out her release, moaning incoherently before slumping against me, trembling as she tried to regain her breath.
I kicked my heels off and gently moved her off of me just a bit so I could wrestle the sheet over us as I laid her head on my chest and wrapped my arms around her still shuddering frame. My heart was pounding in my chest and my thoughts were racing because of the intensity of what we had just shared.
It seemed like we laid there for hours and we very well could have because I think we both dozed off at some point. As I came back into consciousness, I became aware of small, tender kisses being planted along my right shoulder. I opened my eyes and looked over to find green eyes searching my brown ones. A small sliver of fear caused my heart to sieze up and skip a beat because I became aware of just how carried away we both got in the heat of the moment.
My lips ached from the pressure we had put into our frantic kisses and when I swallowed, I caught a hint of the metallic residue before it slid down my throat. She must have been thinking some of the same things I was because she leaned up to place one of those soft kisses on my lips. I opened my mouth to explain what I was feeling but she placed a single finger over the very lips she had just graced with a kiss, and whispered "Don't. I wanted every single bit of it".
I wanted to sigh with relief, cry with frustration, pound on her chest in anger and collapse from exhaustion all at the same time. I wanted to tell her I couldn't wrap my head around the feelings I had experienced as I saw her in pain. How could I care for her so much but want to cause her agony and taste the result of the way I hurt her. I had wanted to swallow each moan of pleasure and hear each wince of pain that came from my own sadistic hand.
I hadn't felt such a rush of power in many years but even those times were different than the sexual dominance I had exerted over my blonde lover. As much as I had enjoyed inflicting my personal brand of torment on her, she had welcomed the suffering and encouraged me to continue. Black and white clashing together in a crescendo of masochistic ecstasy. We were created for each other.
My arms wound tighter around her as we cuddled together amid sheets stained with blood and release. We had taken each other to euphoric highs in the most primal of ways and were ending the night wrapped in each others arms like high school sweethearts. I wanted to throw my head back and laugh at the absurdness of it all but somehow it all fit together in the most amazing way to weave the beginning of a life I desperately wanted to continue.
I closed my eyes briefly and thought of how many wonderful things this single evening had blessed me with and my thoughts paused on the colored slips of paper the Sheriff had rescued from the downpour. I had been trying very hard to accept the growing fondness I had developed towards the woman lying in my arms but tonight had briefly caused me to doubt myself.
This incredible being currently sharing the same air as me had brought out the good and bad in me this evening and had matched me stride for stride. She always seemed to know the right thing to say when she sensed uncertainty in me and never once judged me for anything I had said or didn't say nor had she judged me for so blatently taking joy in dispensing severe afflictions on her unmarked skin.
In fact, she accepted every new development in our relationship without a second thought. There had never been anyone in my life who had allowed me to be me all of the time without trying to change me. I'm sure we would hit our rough patches in the future much as we had gotten through the ones in the past but realizing I was holding someone who genuinely adored me for me caused my heart to swell in that familiar way I had associated with my dear Sheriff.
I swear I thought she could hear my heart thumping out of my chest when I whispered into the room "Em, I just...*clearing throat*...I just want you to know that I do trust it. My head is telling me to slow down but my heart saw everything you created for us tonight and it, well, my heart is overriding my head. I have never been very good at expressing my feelings but I am trying when it comes to you."
My eyes fell into those familiar green ones which gave me the strength to continue. "I'm not really sure how to date someone or what the proper protocol is for what happens in the bedroom. I can tell you that after tonight, I want all of you. The soft, tender side of you as well as the...as the...as well as the side I saw tonight. I'd very much like to see that side again."
The sides of the Sheriffs mouth turned up in a mischievious grin as she winked and rubbed her thumb absentmindedly across my stomach.
I steeled my nerves for the next few sentences and tried to phrase things as best as I could. "I may not know how to go about those few things but I know what I want the end result to be. I'm not sure if it's too soon to say this but I know that whenever I have tried to picture the future here lately, you are in every single frame. I see us raising our son together in the same house. I see us celebrating special occasions for many, many years to come. I see us sitting on the front porch in rocking chairs waiting for our grandkids to visit."
"I've never pictured my future with anyone because I was never sure of what I wanted but I know now that I want you in every part of my future. I want to grow old with you and make new memories to last a lifetime. I'm not sure how to get from point A to point B but I do know I want the entire journey to happen with you and I walking side by side."
As I waited for my words to sink in, I found myself completely at peace with the confession I had just made. I had all the confidence in the world that the woman staring back at me mirrored my dreams. As I stared into her eyes, a reflection in her glasses caught my attention and I turned my head around to catch a glimpse of the object.
There was a dresser with a long mirror placed on the wall next to the bed. Tucked into the corner of the antique mirror was a 5x7 picture of Henry and myself. I recognized it to be one when Henry was younger. We were sitting on a plaid picnic blanket and Henry was sitting on my lap as I wrapped my arms around him from behind. We looked happy and carefree. I could only assume Henry had given the picture to his mom but why he hadn't just given her a picture of himself puzzled me.
About that time, the right person to ask that question propped herself up on her elbow and opened her mouth to speak but stopped when she saw what I was looking at. A quiet whisper answered my unasked question.
"I told Henry I wished I had a picture of our family. He brought this one to me. I kept it in my nightstand for the longest time because I couldn't understand why he gave me a picture with the both of you in it. The more I looked at it, I realized he already heard how I always included you in our conversations whether you were there or not.
Emma moved closer to me and curled her arm around my stomach before continuing.
"So, I put the picture in here so I could look at it every morning when I got up and every night before I went to bed. Henry was right. I did think of the three of us as a family. I found myself wondering what it would look like if one day we went to that same spot and had a photographer take a similar photo with all of us posing on that same picnic blanket."
"There for a long time I didn't even realize I even wanted there to be a point A much less a point B. Somewhere along the way, this nagging little thing called affection wormed its way into my heart and before I knew it, this certain dark haired, orgasmically sexy Mayor started to consume my every thought."
I felt my body being turned back around to stare into the face of the woman who had walked into the darkest parts of my soul and brought her own special type of torch to light me up from the inside out. From that moment, the sweetest words ever spoken to me inscribed themselves on my fluttering heart.
"Ya see, Madame Mayor, the thing about love is, you're usually never looking for it until it shows up and winks at ya. Or in my case, until it shows up, tries to kill you, fails, redeems itself, makes out with you in a pool house and rocks your world every time it looks your way. In case you didn't get that metaphor, I'm talking about you. The one and only you.
"You're my heart, Regina. You're the one thing in my life that was missing and now that I found you, I don't want to go back to a world without you in it. I want to share the journey you talked about with you. I want to bring you coffee in bed and feed you soup when you're sick. I want to be there when you have a bad day and celebrate the happy ones, too. For the first time in my life, I'm learning what it feels like to have a real family. You, me, and Henry. The three amigos having wild and crazy adventures. For the first time in my life, I see the future, too, and my future includes you."
I felt one of those strong hands reach up and brush away a tear that I hadn't even realized had slipped down my face. As I looked into the eyes of the woman I wanted to spend the rest of my life with, I knew that even lying scraped up in a bed of blood and sex, we had a stronger foundation that any relationship in either of our pasts. If we could weather all of the storms that brought us to this moment, then we were prepared for anything life threw at us.
I caught myself before saying the three little words that people wait a lifetime to say to their one True Love. I knew they were there and she knew they were there. For now, it was enough. One day we would be strong enough to bare the last thing that we were holding onto. We had the rest of our lives to gather that courage.
As our eyes closed and we drifted off to sleep, I caught myself inhaling deeply before succumbing to dreamland. I grinned into the darkness because I smelled the familiar scent that I associated with My Emma. I snuggled just a bit deeper into the arms that the scent radiated from. People say memories are associated with scents and I would have to agree. But this scent signaled happiness for me. Because whenever I caught a whiff of it, I felt a sense of belonging. To me, it felt like home.
A/N: Congratulations and bonus points to your-arms-around-me for being the first to correctly identify the song our girls danced to. It was Glitter in the Air by Pink. Such a romantic song. For everyone who has paused to let me know how you feel about this story, I humbly thank you. It's always encouraging to know people appreciate the words you put out there. I hope your patience was rewarded with an extra long chapter with some hawtness. Hope you all have a fantastic week!