"What did you just say?"

She grimaced at the sound of the blondes voice behind her, she had just turned back over and closed her eyes in order to fall into the same dreamlike state she had thought the blonde to be in. She worried her lip for a moment before pulling on her famed Mills mask and turning back around, a look of tired irritation colouring her features.
"I said goodnight Emma"

The younger woman's mouth fell open in shock, "you said no such thing!"

Panic welled deep in her gut, Emma wasn't going to let this go…
"I can assure you that-" she let out a yelp of surprise when she suddenly found herself being straddled by a, suddenly wide awake, Sheriff. "What the hell are you doing?"

Tanned wrists were pinned to the pillow either side of Regina's head as Emma leaned in close, her eyes wide in wonderment. "Just…just say it again" she whispered.

Dark eyes flicked between green as she allowed herself to be restrained for the moment. Slowly, so as not to startle to quiet woman above her, she leaned up, her eyes now trained on slightly parted lips. Emma didn't catch the smirk painted on perfect features as she leaned down to close the remaining distance between them and capture full lips in a tender caress. She gave full admittance when a hot tongue swiped at her lower lip, her head tilting in order to allow the kiss to run as deep as possible, her adoration for the woman completely evident in the way she trailed her fingers down soft skin and up to hold the brunette's head in place, she didn't want her moving anywhere…but Regina Mills followed her own rules.

It was Emma who cried out in surprise as her world tilted and she found her back to be pressed against the mattress, her arms pinned this time. "Regina!"

"I thought you would have at least seen that one coming dear," she laughed softly, her voice low so as not to wake their sleeping son down the hall.

Emma only huffed in annoyance, her arms would have been folded across her chest were it not for the hold the brunette still had on them. She repressed a shiver when Regina leaned in closer, her hot breath washing over pale skin, goosebumps revealing a trail along her chest and neck. The blonde only turned her head away further when Regina peppered kissed along her jaw, over her cheek and attempted to connect their lips once more.

She chuckled playfully but a small sniff from her bedmate had her sobering instantly, "Emma?" she sat up in order to fully study the blonde, her hands moving to tilt the woman's face towards her own, she gasped at the tears brightening green eyes. "Sweetheart, what is it? Did I hurt you?" She looked the woman over as if looking for any obvious sign of injury, they could get a bit rough in the bedroom sometimes but they had their safe words and shared limitations.

Emma sniffed once more, her eyes moving over to the window, a crack in the curtains allowing her to see through. She could feel the concern radiating off her lover, the fear of hurting her clear in the way she had placed most of her weight onto her knees now, barely straddling Emma.
"It's just…" turning, she found she had Regina's full attention, "no one's ever said it to me before…"

"But what about Nea-"

"No one that matters," she interrupted placing her warm palms on Regina's bare knees, pushing down so that the woman would lower herself once more. Automatically her hands began running up and down the smooth skin as she allowed her eyes to lock onto brown.

The brunette's head tilted as she regarded the woman below her, sometimes, with all of Emma's bravado, it was easy to forget that she'd had a hard life, that she'd been through so much and come out on top…yet her fears of abandonment still remained. "Oh Emma," she breathed out as she placed her own hands over the blonde's, lifting them in order to interlace their fingers before she brought them back over Emma's head, bringing her face within an inch of the younger woman's.

A soft kiss was placed upon waiting lips before she moved back once more in order to fully look into the eyes of the woman she…
"I love you," Regina whispered, the words moving through the air and surrounding them, encompassing them in the best way possible.

Emma leaned up to connect their lips once more, just a simple pressing together but no less passionate than anything else they had shared. As she pulled back and lay her head back down, she couldn't help but smile softly.
"I love you too…and psyche!"

Regina found herself pressed into the mattress once again with a grinning blonde looking down at her, her brow was furrowed in confusion until she finally grasped what the woman was getting at, "you…you tricked me into saying it first!?"

Emma only shrugged, the look of anger painting the brunette's features would have scared her were it not for their hands that remained interlocked. She hovered above pillow soft lips, her eyes completely focused on them as she continued to smirk, "I thought you would have at least seen that one coming dear" she mocked, her voice lowered and unnervingly like Regina's.

"I can't believe you would-"

She was silenced by the blonde's lips covering her own, she tried to deny her advanced for as long as possible before she realised what Emma knew already…they loved each other, they had finally said it…Emma had said it back!

Full lips slowly softened as she allowed herself to melt into her lover, tender kisses of adoration were shared as fingers traced paths along soft skin. They pulled apart when the need for air was a must, chests heaving as they studied one another. Emma, resting her weight on her forearms on either side of Regina, brushed dark hair back from the woman's face before she simply held it in place. "I love you," she whispered again, revelling in the bright smile emitted from Regina, saying it was freeing and it was right.

"I love you too, you idiot"