"You can't stay silent for three more hours, Emma. Come on." Regina sighed from the driver's seat, stealing a quick glance toward Emma.
It had already been an hour into their trip, and she hadn't uttered a single word. She knew what she was doing was clearly childish, but the annoyed looks from the brunette and the grunts of irritation that she had made were just too damned entertaining to pass up – especially for this long trip. And she wasn't about to break now.
"Emma." Her voice was a defeated sigh, which earned promise and a victorious smile – that was until Regina used her last resort, "I love you."
Now that was harsh and completely unfair. Emma didn't want to leave the older woman hanging with those three words thickening the air. She just couldn't bring herself to keep quiet, because every second that she went without repeating the words back burdened her with a heavy guilt.
"I love you, too," she whispered. Perhaps if she had done it quietly enough, Regina wouldn't hear her and wouldn't think that she had responded and broken her little quiet game. But they were in a car after all, and the radio had been turned off; no doubt that Regina was waiting for some sort of peep from her.
"A-ha! She speaks!" The Benz jerked as Regina had spoken, which ultimately caused Emma to have a mini heart attack. Luckily Regina had straightened them out before they flew off the road.
"Well, I won't any longer if you drive us off the fucking road!" Emma couldn't help but to reprimand, her heart still trying to come down from her throat.
"I'm sorry," Regina whispered, her eyes glued to the road. The smile that she had worn upon Emma's reply beforehand had now disappeared into a downturn of the lips.
When she had gazed over to see how Regina was doing after taking the recovery from their near off-road adventure, she felt her heart fall from its spot.
"Hey, Gina…" Emma reached over, her hand was gentle on the older woman's thigh. "Don't listen to me. I'm just an idiot, you know this by now. Sometimes I don't have a filter. I'm sorry I overreacted."
"I'm fine, Emma."
Emma narrowed her eyes at the brunette, but she hadn't taken a single glance to Emma. Nibbling on her lip, she gazed at the traffic around them, noticing there to be quite a few cars, but not enough to damper her new plan.
"Pull over," she quickly muttered.
"Excuse me?"
"Pull over," she repeated herself. Her eyes were back on the confused face of Regina's as the older woman reluctantly did what she had instructed.
"I don't know what inane reasoning you have-" But her words were cut off as Emma lunged forward and pressed her lips to her own, taking Regina by complete surprise, which had taken the woman a few heartbeats to register what was happening and even more before she had responded.
When Emma had pulled away, she was met with puzzled, chestnut eyes and parted, crimson lips.
"What was that for?"
"I'm sorry for snapping at you, Gina." Emma said, her voice was hesitant and the hand that still reside on the brunette's thigh was even more so as it lightly stroked the stocking covered skin. "And I really suck at trying to comfort people."
"Please do not fret, my love." Regina rested her hand on Emma's, stopping its movement. The contact had the hairs on the back of Emma's neck stand on end as pleasant electricity fueled them from her arm. "I don't blame you, dear. I would be, too, if my life were on the line." The smile she wore was soft and her eyes were warm, melting into her cheeks as the corners of her mouth had upturned. "I forgive whatever unnecessary apology that you are giving me just to sate your mind. We do need to get back on the road, especially if someone were to pull over or call another somebody because we are sitting on the side of the highway."
"Thanks. I'm glad you get me." Emma offered her a sheepish smile and quickly wrapped her arms around her girlfriend, intending to pull back shortly after, but had found herself entranced by the older woman's sweet perfume and her comforting warmth.
"You'll have to let go, Emma." She heard Regina's voice rumble, arms constricting for one last time around her before releasing. "Come on."
"I don't want to. I like it down here."
"Oh, I know you do, dear." The teasing lilt to her voice sent shivers down Emma's spine. She bit her lip and kept from moving.
"I do, you see. So, that means that you must let me stay down here, because I know you like it, too." That's when she smirked at the way Regina's cheeks had taken a lovely pink shade to them. "And maybe I can do something for you?"
"That is-" Regina's voice trembled as she spoke. "That is inappropriate, dear, and how much that I would like for that to happen, it cannot. I need to concentrate on driving, and you need to sit properly in your seat. I do not wish to get pulled over and delay our time home even further."
"Fine," she muttered, sitting up on her side of the bench seat once again, replacing the seat belt across her chest. "But you owe me cuddles when we get back."
"How about I take a rain check, dear?" The brunette pulled back onto the road, starting their journey home once again.
"You can't just-"
"I have to drop you off at your apartment. Hadn't you told your mother that we would be back early? It's already quite late now." Regina cut her off to elaborate.
Emma could only nod in agreement because she knew that it was true.
"Speaking of which, you should call her and tell her that you'll be arriving late. We still have about three hours left in the trip."
"Yeah, problem."
"Problem?"
Emma sucked her lower lip between her teeth and turned her attention to the scenery outside, her face resembling that of a cat who had gotten caught with their paw in the fish tank. "I sort of forgot my phone at home. I realized that when I went to text Mary Margaret yesterday before we got to the hotel. That's why I used yours."
"Emma," Regina spoke with an exasperated sigh. "What am I going to do with you?"
"Let me borrow your phone again?"
"Just don't text her." She sighed, using one hand to search for her purse on the floor between them. She soon found her mobile device and handed it to Emma.
"Why not?" The blonde quirked a brow, typing in her mother's cellphone number.
"Do you have a house phone?"
"Yeah?" Emma had now turned her full attention to the older woman.
"Does it have caller ID?"
"No. It's super old and we barely use it. Why?" She inquired again, her thumb hovering over the green call button.
"Mary Margaret has my number, and I don't think it's a wise idea for you to call her from my cell phone to tell her that you'll be coming back from Boston in under three hours." Regina hastily explained, worried eyes on Emma's hand that held the smartphone.
"Well, why the hell do you have her number?"
"Apparently, I am tutoring you now. In Government."
"Oh, yeah." Emma shrunk in her seat. "Well, I had to make up some excuse why I was gone after school for a couple days and I couldn't have Ruby or Belle cover for me, so I thought this was the safest plan."
"I wish you would have told me, dear. I nearly denied it."
"Thank gods that you didn't."
"You better be thanking your lucky stars." The brunette's lips quirked up. "You need to call your house phone. And get off that screen. You're going to make me have a panic attack because I don't know how to explain my reason for calling her-"
"Shit," Emma muttered.
"What? What shit? What shit, Emma? Don't tell me you-"
"I did." The words were hollow coming out of the blonde's mouth, which had earned an apprehensive stare from Regina.
"You did not."
"I-I did!" She wailed, putting the phone on speaker.
"What the fuck am I going to say to her? Oh gods, it's ringing." Regina's voice had raised a few octaves as her cellphone rang, the sound deafening in the silence of the car.
"Maybe she won't pick up?" Emma had thrown the phone on the seat between them in her own panic, not trusting herself with the device any longer. She knew she should have exited the screen as soon as Regina had started to ask her questions. But, no, her goddamn thumb had to act on its own accord and press that call button.
"But she'd still return the call," Regina muttered numbly, and as soon as those words had left her lips, the ringing had ceased, and a voice was heard.
"Hello? Ms. Mills?"
Both Emma and Regina muttered obscenities under their breaths.
"Regina? Are you alright?"
"Yes!" Her voice was nearly a squeak as it had escaped her lips. "I do apologize for disturbing you. I must have pressed the wrong number."
"Oh! That's quite alright! I'm glad that you're alright. It happens all the time to me."
Regina chuckled, and gods, was it awkward.
"I'm glad that you understand. Again, I am sorry for disturbing you."
"It's okay! I wasn't really doing anything. I'm just waiting for Emma to get back home. Did she tell you that she was going to see her friend in Boston?"
"Oh, I do believe she had."
Emma blanched and shrunk further into her seat. Oh, gods, now she was talking about her and going to Boston, and what was she going to tell Regina? Why the hell was she even making conversation with the brunette when clearly Regina had supposedly dialed the wrong number? But that was just like Mary Margaret. Emma loved her dearly as a mother, but boy, did she just get under her skin sometimes. Although, the ill thoughts of her mother had her feeling twice as guilty.
"I'm a little worried, though. I mean, she went up there alone with him. It's not that I don't trust him, he's a good boy, but… I think they like each other. And she hasn't bothered to call me since she arrived yesterday." There was a pause, but it wasn't long enough for Regina to come up with a response. "I had called her only to realize she left her phone here, though. What a silly girl. I love her. And, oh! Am I sorry for rambling! I'm just so anxious for her to come back, I'm nothing but a bundle of nerves! You said you dialed the wrong number, so I'm sure you're meaning to do something."
"I am, actually. And do not apologize. I understand your concern. I'm sure that Emma is doing quite fine. She's a brilliant girl, and I have confidence that she knows better than to disobey anything that you might have said."
"I know. You're right. But it still worries me that she's up there all alone… well, perhaps not, but she's- An-and she hadn't bothered to call or text me from Graham's phone."
"She's a young girl in Boston, and without any parental supervision. I'm sure that it must have slipped her mind to ask her friend for his phone if she had realized hers was gone. Just give her your trust and I'm sure everything will be just fine." Regina soothed.
"You're right. I will. But I hope she'll be here soon."
"I'm sure she will be, Mary Margaret." Regina clipped, keeping her tone to the point.
"Right! I'm sorry, I ought to let you go. But, since you're here… I want to ask you something."
"What is it?"
"Will you be tutoring Emma tomorrow afternoon?"
"Only if that is alright with you, and Emma herself, of course."
"Oh, it's fine! I just wanted to know if I should save her a plate for dinner or wait for her."
"Of course."
"I suppose I should let you go. I'm sure you have things to do. I will see you at conferences!"
"Yes. I will see you then, dear. Do have a good night and I hope that your daughter will arrive safely home soon."
"Thank you, Regina. You have a good night yourself!"
"Thank you, and goodbye."
"Buh-bye!"
And then the line cut.
"Please do not make me go through that again." The teacher took her phone with shaking hands and exited out of the call.
"I'm so sorry. I really am." Emma was quick to apologize, her fingers knitting into blonde curls. "I-I'll definitely make it up to you, I promise."
"You better, my dear." Regina purred, and when the blonde had lifted her gaze with surprise to the brunette's face, she saw a devilish twinkle in her eyes.
"Tomorrow. I will. Trust me." Emma concluded, her confidence regaining in her words as she spoke them.
There was that smile again on her lips. "I do trust you, dear."
"Well, then, it's a plan. Locked in place."
"Locked in place, indeed." Regina echoed. "Why don't you call your house phone and inform your mother, alright? I assume that she is home, since she had said she was waiting for you."
"Yeah. Let's just hope our phone didn't magically get caller ID or anything." Emma mumbled, half to herself, as she retrieved the English teacher's cellphone and dialed in her home phone number. She was surprised that she had memorized the damn thing. They rarely had ever used it and she had so many other numbers in her lifetime, it was insane. But she had this one down, especially after the two-hour lecture from Mary Margaret in case of an emergency of some sort.
"Let us hope not, because I do not think I can bear another conversation with your wonderfully chatty mother. She's a nice woman, but she talks a little too much. No offense, dear." Regina kept one eye on the blonde, and she had noticed, for every time she had looked up, she saw the teacher's gaze on her.
"None taken, really. I know what you mean." Emma shrugged. Now, if it were someone else insulting Mary Margaret like that, and without a courteous apology, she would be wailing them to the ground. She really did love her parents and would defend them, if needed, and keep their honor set high.
"I probably shouldn't be saying such a thing, though. It is quite unprofessional, after all." She mended quickly. "Don't get me wrong, I like her; to an extent."
Emma quickly finished typing in her home phone number and set the device on her lap, careful not to call it just yet. "I get it, Gina. It's alright. There are people in life that we meet and that we don't really get along well with. I sorta felt the same when I first met her, and sometimes I still do. She's a little too optimistic for her own good."
"As long as you won't hate me for saying such a thing."
"You're an exception, Gina."
"Well, I am certainly glad to hear that." Emma could literally hear the smile in Regina's voice as she had spoken. It squeezed her heart knowing that she could make the older woman smile the way she did.
"Now, I gotta call her."
"I'll stay quiet, then."
"Thanks." Emma grinned and quickly leaned forward to press a kiss to an olive cheek, then proceeded to call the number still displayed on the screen after straightening out in her seat.
It had taken two and a half hours before their arrival back to Storybrooke, just as Emma had promised her mother when she had called her. When they had crossed the town line, reality had hit the blonde like an elbow to the face. Her weekend trip with Regina was nothing more than that and upon their return, they were back to where they were. They were teacher and student and their relationship had to be, once again, concealed.
That thought had Emma's heart sinking. She wanted to go back to Boston just so she wouldn't have to hide her relationship with her. But she knew that was something that could not currently happen, so she had to suck it up when Regina spoke.
"Emma, honey, we're here." The older woman's husky voice drew Emma from her thoughts. She whipped her head up to take a glance outside to see that they were, in fact, outside her apartment. It was dark out tonight. The streetlamp wasn't working again, which was fortunate for them since she could see Mary Margaret's silhouette in the loft window.
"Yeah," Emma muttered solemnly. "I should probably get inside before she comes out here, and knowing Mary Margaret, she probably will."
"I suppose you must." Regina's voice had taken a similar tone and there was a flash of something that crossed over her features before quickly disappearing when she offered a tight smile. "I shall see you tomorrow?"
"Yup! Same time, same place." Emma let a grin stretch across her face as she unbuckled the seatbelt and leaned over to give Regina a tight hug. She nearly melted against the teacher's body when she felt those warm arms embrace her in return. "And I'll bring you something special for lunch to make up for that little talk with my mom."
"I cannot wait to see what it is, dear." The brunette smirked, pulling away from the blonde teenager. "Now, you must hurry. She's no longer standing by the window."
"Oh, shit!" Emma quickly gathered her backpack and opened the passenger's door in a haste to get out. "Better not wait long enough for her to say hello to 'Graham.'"
"Indeed," she chuckled. "So, I'll see you tomorrow. Have a good night, Emma."
"I will, thank you. You, too, you hear?" Emma twisted her body to give Regina one last smile before sliding out of the vehicle. Her hand was on the door, ready to slam it shut, when she heard a voice from inside.
"And, Emma?"
"Yeah?" She ducked her head down to peek inside the car.
"I love you."
"I love you, too," she whispered breathlessly, an easy smile on her face. She swore she could hear Regina purr at the words.
"Good. Think of me tonight, will you? Think of our time together, because I know I will."
"Oh, I probably won't be able to sleep, I'll be thinking of it too much." Emma's cheeks burned.
"Good."
She smirked. "But for now, I gotta go because I'm scared Mary Margaret will come down here."
"Yes. You're right. Have a good night, darling."
"For the twentieth time," she mumbled, but forced a smile on her lips when Regina gave her a quirked brow. "You have a good night. And-I'm-closing-this-door-before-you-can-say-anything-else-to-prolong-my-staying-out-here." Emma quickly shut the door and whipped around to head toward her apartment, only to run into her mother who had just opened the outside door as Regina pulled off.
"Is Graham not going to stay?"
"He wants to get back before midnight. He has a class tomorrow." Emma shrugged nonchalantly.
"Oh. That's a shame. I wished he would have stuck around long enough so I could say hi to him." Mary Margaret wore a slight pout, but it had quickly disappeared as the two began to walk inside. "So, how was your trip? You should tell me all about it!"
Emma internally groaned as she followed her mother up the stairs and into their apartment where an awaiting David stood in the kitchen.
"Emma! It's good to see you back!" He greeted with a kind smile. "We've missed you!"
"I've missed you both, too-"
"Emma was just going to tell us about her trip!" Mary Margaret interrupted, guiding her daughter over to the living room. David had pushed himself away from the counter to follow, both wearing large, anxious smiles.
"Oh, was she now?" Emma's father grinned, perching on the couch next to his wife. The blonde, herself, took the chair next to it.
"Yeah, I guess."
"So, tell us, what did you do?" Mary Margaret chirped happily.
Emma ran her fingers through her hair, trying to hold back any of the guilt that she had been feeling since she had first lied to her parents about Boston. At least she could replace 'Regina' with 'Graham' when she spoke of what they had done.
"Did you buy a new perfume?" David leaned forward with a curious gaze, his nostrils flaring.
"David! I asked her a question first." His wife gave a slight whine, but she had also bent towards the blonde to give her a whiff. Her brows furrowed. "But did you buy new perfume?"
No. No I didn't. That's Regina's perfume you're smelling that had somehow infused itself into my clothing after spending the weekend with her.
"Yes and no. Graham gave it to me as a birthday gift."
"Well, that certainly was nice of him." Mary Margaret grinned, elbow bumping her husband. "Wasn't it, David?"
"Yeah," he mumbled.
"Now, I hope you two didn't do anything you weren't supposed to."
"Mom." Emma groaned and wiped her face with her hands. Of course, she would ask that, and at least Emma could answer her honestly, because the question orbited around Graham.
"What? It's a serious question to ask."
"No. Graham and I are literally just friends. I just really wish you would stop asking. He has a girlfriend, I think. Or a boyfriend. Someone that isn't me!" Emma lay limp in her chair.
"You don't know?" Mary Margaret quirked a suspicious brow.
"No. He said something about it, but we were talking about other stuff after that, and I forgot. Now can we just drop it? There's nothing between us."
"Well, I thought, since you would be moving in with him-"
"I thought the only reason you let me go on this trip was because we were just friends?" Emma dropped her hands onto her lap, avoiding the meticulous stare given to her by David when he next spoke.
"We did. At least, I had. Your mother was worrying all weekend over it. She had even told your teacher she was worried about you two." He husked, bringing a hand up to stroke his wife's back when she began to deny what he had just said.
"What do you mean? Why would she talk to one of my teachers about it?"
"Your English teacher, Ms. Mills, she called here by accident, and I may have said some things. It was earlier today, really, it was before you had called. Strange, is it?"
"Yeah…" She bit her lip as memories of that conversation had relived in her head. She remembered nearly every word of it and the stiff, panicked way that Regina had responded to the babbling Mary Margaret on the other line.
"What did you- What did you tell her?" She asked quietly. She was curious as to what her mother would come up with if she weren't to tell the entire truth of the conversation.
"That I was just worried about you being in Boston all by yourself. She seemed to be quick to defend your actions, though. But I assume she's a mother, also, and maybe more experienced. She's as old as me, after all." The pixie-haired woman quickly elaborated.
And her words had struck Emma, causing her heart to stammer in her chest. That was true. Reality had, once again, slapped her in the face. Her teacher – her girlfriend – was as old as her mother. Mary Margaret and David were twenty-seven and thirty, respectively, and that had brought a whole new terror to the blonde. What would they even say if they had ever found out about their relationship? Regina was nearing thirty while Emma would be just starting her life, not that she minded.
"Emma?" Mary Margaret's hand found itself on Emma's knee and the blonde jumped slightly, her eyes immediately darting to her mother. "Are you alright?"
"Y-yeah. I was just thinking." Emma stuttered, rapidly trying to erase all burdening thoughts so she could think more clearly.
"Did you hear what I said?" She asked, tilting her head with brows creased in concern.
"I did. Yeah. And she doesn't have any kids, but she's like a big mom when people are actually nice to her." Emma's voice was nothing but a sigh.
"Oh. I thought she would be married by now or something. But I guess that I believe everyone should be married by my age since I am." The small brunette shrugged and offered Emma a sheepish smile. "I hope she finds a nice man, if she hasn't already. She's a really nice woman. I just hope, as I've heard you tell me, that her reputation with the students in the school won't ruin her image."
"She's attractive. She won't have any problems." Emma found herself saying, but immediately wanting to slap herself afterwards.
But luckily, Mary Margaret had thought nothing of it and readily agreed. "She is. Any man would be lucky to have her."
Yeah, but she wouldn't want any man.
"I'm sure." Emma muttered, hoping that Mary Margaret would soon drop the subject. She really didn't like lying to her mother, and if they continued about how Regina would be suitable with any bachelor in town, well, she might as well shoot herself.
"Anyways!" The pixie-haired woman suddenly said, jolting David upright in his spot. "How was your trip? What did you guys do?"
"I can honestly say that I enjoyed every minute of my trip." Emma smiled tentatively. "We went to the Paramount to watch a show and ate at the restaurant next to it. But that had its own entertainment."
"How so?" David queried before his wife could ask.
"There was a problem with two tables there. Two separate parties, I mean." Emma began. Since she honestly hadn't anything else to tell them that she wanted them to know, she might as well satisfy them with her and Regina's troubles. Also, that would be a great way to know how her parents would react to such a thing.
"What happened?" That was Mary Margaret this time.
Emma told the story, leaving it vague so she wouldn't have any difficult questions to answer from the two. "Then the manager came over."
"Oh, my!" The brunette gasped, David frowning in response. "What did the manager say?"
"Well, the middle-aged couple said that there was a problem, and it was the two women and their relationship and that they should be kicked out of the restaurant for disrupting their meal. The manager, I think, asked the women what was wrong, and they just told it how it went."
"Did those assholes get thrown out?" David's gruff voice finally spoke beside Mary Margaret.
"Yeah! They were really nice to the women, and I heard that they got their meals for free." Emma concluded, a smile on her face. David seemed to be satisfied with that, but his wife looked indifferent.
"Well, that's very nice of them, indeed. I'm glad that they put those rude people in their place." Mary Margaret finally spoke, and Emma could have wept. "I'm glad that there are still decent human beings on this earth."
"Me too. I probably would have kicked someone's ass if they would have kicked those women out. I mean, it's wrong to judge people for liking a certain gender, right?" Emma shrugged, leaning back in her seat with her backpack sat uncomfortably on her lap.
"You're correct, sweetheart." The pixie-haired brunette agreed, giving her daughter a look of concern. "Are you alright, dear?"
"Uh, yeah. I'm just tired and cramped up from sitting in the car for more than four hours." Emma shrugged.
"Why don't you go upstairs and rest, okay?" David suggested. "You have school tomorrow, and we don't want you to be too exhausted."
"Yeah, because that's a shame." Emma muttered underneath her breath, preparing herself to get up.
Both her parents stood as well, each giving her a hug and a kiss on the forehead.
"Listen to your father, honey. You look tired." Mary Margaret gave her a soft smile before kissing her on the forehead once again. "Have a good night's sleep and we'll see you tomorrow, okay? And don't let that phone keep you up all hours of the night."
"It won't… mom."
"Alright, would you like me to pick you up after your tutoring session? I heard that it is going to be chilly tomorrow and the wind will be picking up."
"Uh, I can walk home, or else Ms. Mills can give me a ride if it's too cold. I'll be fine."
"If you're sure, honey."
"I am. Don't worry." The blonde shrugged.
Satisfied, her mother nodded and gave Emma a hug once more. "Why don't you run off to bed, alright? You need your rest. We can talk more tomorrow after you return home."
"Alright." Emma mumbled as she slowly inched her way toward the stairs. "Goodnight, guys."
"Goodnight, sweetheart."
"Goodnight, honey."
It wasn't long before Emma was up the stairs and stripped to her undergarments and hidden underneath the sheets of her bed. She wasn't exactly as tired as she had claimed to be, but she could do with the extra sleep, and she already wanted to see Regina's smile again.
For the life of her, she could just not take her eyes off that woman. The way she glided elegantly across the room in her black pumps to the way her hips swayed from side to side as she moved down the aisle, her perfect raven hair bouncing with each step. Emma took every opportunity that she had to keep her eyes glued to the English teacher, not wasting a single second.
All she could think about while watching the brunette was that night in Boston. And by thinking about that night, she could imagine Regina wearing nothing but what she was born in and the noises that she had made when Emma touched her in the right places. Just so much as thinking about that made the blonde hot and bothered, and she could tell that she was having the same effect on the brunette herself.
Emma hadn't been sure at first, merely passing off the rosy cheeks or the awkward way she had tucked a piece of hair behind her ear for something else, but then she had stuttered, and Regina Mills never stuttered during class.
Regina had started in the front of the classroom, her body leaning against the podium to relieve the pressure on her feet from the heels. There was a PowerPoint presentation displayed on the Smartboard as she read from it, the notes they were to be taking for the chapter.
"I do recommend that you take these notes and wisely. You never know what will be on the test, and it's-" Then she had trailed off, her jaw slack as dark eyes met with Emma's light ones. Her entire face had instantly turned a lovely shade of pink, and even more so as she had tried to complete her thought, and coherently at that. "It's, uh, it's very important to know this, uh, in-information when you do an assignment. It's the key to success, please keep that in mind."
The students had noticed the blip in her speech, and they had even more so expressed their thoughts to one another. Emma amusingly caught parts of the conversational theories going on around her but chose to ignore most comments. But soon, the collective whispering had turned into a soft buzz about the classroom that had the teacher attempting to speak over the din.
"Can we quiet down, please?" But that hadn't seemed to phase them, or at least they just hadn't heard Ms. Mills' voice over their own.
Emma kept her eyes on Regina as she walked toward her desk, a hand pressed against her forehead. That had the blonde frowning. Did she have a headache? She always seemed to have one by lunchtime.
"Hey, are you gonna be alright?" Emma murmured to Regina who had popped the lid off her pill bottle now and threw back a couple capsules.
"I have a migraine." Regina replied, leaning against her desk as she faced Emma. "I believe I just have one constant migraine that never goes away and worsens each class period."
"Damn."
"Damn is correct and it's only getting worse." She whispered, her eyes clouding with moisture. "I just wish that they would shut the fuck up!" Regina's words were much louder this time, extending to the entire classroom. Her distressed voice had everyone at a standstill and Regina with wide eyes for the salty language that she had let slip.
Emma had a strong urge to take the older woman into her arms just then. She looked as if she were about to burst into tears at any given moment. But she knew that she couldn't until it was lunchtime. Hopefully, everyone would opt to remain quiet for now on. They had pushed Ms. Mills to her absolute limit and Emma knew how terrible migraines could get, and how irritable they could make someone if they couldn't rest.
"Thank you," she muttered, retaking her place back at the front of the room. "I would appreciate it if you would so kindly keep the noise level down. We do not have much time until the end of the semester and we need to finish the last chapters before the time arrives. These items will be on the finals."
When silence was met in reply, she gave a slight nod.
"Is everyone finished with this slide?"
No one had protested when she tapped the board for the next slide of notes to show up. The remainder of the class had progressively gotten better and had seemed to pass by quickly, which had Emma thanking whatever higher deity.
As soon as the last student had left the room and the door had clicked shut, Emma popped out of her seat and gave Regina – who had been standing by her desk now – a tight squeeze.
"I've been waiting to do that all period." She muttered, a sheepish smile on her face. "It looked like you really needed one."
"I did, thank you, darling." Regina's visage melted into something sweet as she returned the hug with a snug grip. "Can I have a kiss to make me feel better?"
"Of course." Emma purred, pulling slightly back to give the woman a smile. Regina had the same look on her face and appeared to be much more at ease than she had been the hour prior, but there was still a spark of something in her eyes that indicated that the migraine still wasn't gone.
"Thank you," she whispered, her lips ghosting slightly over Emma's own before fully pressing against them in a slow, tender kiss. Emma had eagerly responded, her eyes slipping shut as she let the electricity course through her veins and take over every sense.
As they breathlessly pulled away, tongues licking lips, Emma couldn't help the heat burning her cheeks, painting them a rosy pink. "You're welcome."
Regina chuckled richly, pulling the blonde tighter against her body in another embrace. They stay like that for a few moments, the brunette humming softly into Emma's ear before finally whispering.
"I really, truly care for you, Emma, and I hope that my feelings toward you won't scare you away. I do understand if they do, and you do not-"
Emma quirked a brow at the brunette's inane rambling, a slow smirk creeping on her face. She was still voicing her insecurities. Of course, Emma could understand that, since she had her own, but didn't everybody?
"Regina," she whispered calmly, finding the older woman's hand to lace their fingers together. "I won't walk away from this, Gina. Please, trust me on this."
"I know, dear. I just have too much going through my mind right now and I am utterly stressed out. It's no wonder that I have this terrible migraine. I just cannot keep my mind off anything, and most of everything that pops into my brain is you." Regina pulled away from the blonde to sink into her rolling chair, although trying her best to keep their hands together.
"Then I'll help you relax in any way that I can. How about a neck massage or something?" Emma suggested, her free hand's fingers skittering lightly across Regina's exposed upper back before disappearing underneath raven locks to continue up the nape of her neck. "And maybe a cold, damp paper towel will help the pain. I can turn the lights off in here on my way back in."
"Emma, you don't-"
"Yes, I do. It's my job to take care of you, isn't it? You have done the same for me. Just let me do this, okay? You still have two periods left and your head will only get worse." The blonde shook her hand from Regina's to quickly guide her feet toward the door before the teacher could protest. "I'll be back, then we can eat."
And with that, Emma had scurried out of the room as fast as she could to avoid any arguments from Regina. She quickly made do with a paper towel from the women's bathroom and dampened it underneath cool water. That should work for now and help ease some of Regina's migraine, or so she hoped. Cold and dark always helped her.
When she returned to the room, Emma had flicked the lights off, which had earned a slight gasp from across the room. The blonde nearly chuckled to herself as she made her way toward the teacher's desk, weaving through the smaller desks until she had reached Regina once again.
"Hey, baby. I tried to hurry." Emma offered her a small lilt of the lips. "Why don't you put this on your forehead, or all of your face if you need to, and I'll get the special lunch I promised."
"Well, I am certainly anxious to see what you have to offer." Regina mumbled after slapping the soggy paper towel on her forehead in a bunch.
"I hope you'll like it. I made it all by myself this time. It's not a day old from the diner."
She made haste with grabbing her backpack and bringing it over to Regina's desk, setting it on top of a few papers. The brunette watched her with curious eyes as Emma unzipped the bag and brought out a container with two plastic wrapped sandwiches, two small bags of potato chips, and a package of snack cakes for a makeshift dessert. She set the container, opened, on Regina's lap before pulling out two bottles of apple juice and handing one to the brunette who seemed to struggle trying to hold a sandwich and keep the container from falling.
"Well, this certainly looks delicious, dear." She commented, her voice a stressed grunt after finally putting the items on her desk. "What kind of sandwiches did you make?"
"Take a bite and find out."
"As long as it isn't fish, I am perfectly fine." Regina muttered, concentrating on trying to remove the sandwich from the copious amount of plastic wrap that Emma had put on it. Finally, after a few grunts and a curse or two later, the brunette tossed the balled-up plastic wrap into the trash and took a bite of the sandwich itself.
"Peanut butter and jelly?" She blinked, licking jelly from her lips. "What…"
"But I made it. All by myself. It's special, isn't it?" Emma smiled innocently; bits of the sandwich's contents smeared across her lips.
"Of course, it is, dear." Regina's visage immediately melted upon sight of Emma's smile. "You've got yourself all messy, darling."
"I'm a messy eater. Sorry." Emma chuckled softly, taking another bite of her sandwich. "Maybe you can clean me up?"
"Oh, I most definitely wouldn't mind." Regina growled, daintily nibbling on her bread.
"Alright!" That was when the blonde stuffed the rest of her sandwich into her mouth and attempted to chew the large ball of bread and gooey peanut butter.
It had made Regina utterly speechless, and by speechless, she was completely immobile. Her jaw was slack, and her eyes were wide as they followed every movement that the blonde had made thereafter. And Emma just laughed.
"I'm also disgusting. I hope it's not a turn off."
"Holy- Emma." Regina managed to squeak, one hand dropping onto her lap as the other still froze in air. "Th-that was half a sandwich that you just stuffed into your mouth."
"I don't do it often, but I wanted you to lick me." Emma tightly crossed her arms over her chest, eyes dropping playfully to the ground.
"Emma." Regina brought her hand over to Emma's cheek, fingertips gracing the pale flesh. "I will lick you regardless. But I do not want you to choke on your food to quicken things up. If you wanted me- You could have just said, alright? You do know that I will do anything for you at any time you wish."
"You would?"
"Of course, honey." The brunette flashed that perfect smile of hers, melting Emma's heart like an ice cube in a mug of coffee. Then she was tilting her head up, her little pink tongue slipping from between her plump, red lips to slide across the blonde's pale, rose ones. Emma shuddered as pleasant tingles shot straight to her core, heat pooling in her lower belly at the thought of where else exactly that tongue had been.
"You taste yummy with that peanut butter and apple jam on your lips, dear. Or should I say that the sandwich tastes yummier with you mixed in it." Regina purred against the blonde's lips. "I can think of a place where it would taste even more delicious."
Emma's breath hitched at the thought of where Regina was insinuating. The way her voice had dropped a couple of octaves had the blonde's skin crawling and had caused funny things to happen to her insides. Oh, gods, her heart felt as if it were going to explode the way that it had sped up like that.
And when Regina had found her lips with her own, she thought her head was going to explode. It felt so wonderful, and the way that their lips seemed to mold so perfectly together was something of its own. She felt the brunette's body rise from her spot in the chair and it press tightly against Emma's lower half, pinning her to the desk behind them. Olive toned fingers toned curled into blonde tendrils, using her grip to tilt Emma's head to the side, deepening the kiss. Emma couldn't stop the moan that emanated in her throat, feeling something reverberate against her lips.
"Did you get all the peanut butter off?" Emma murmured after the two had broken apart, tilting her head ever so slightly.
"I do believe- oh, wait!" Regina dove forward and quickly laved her tongue across Emma's chin and cheek, the corners of her own mouth tilting upwards into a devious smirk. "Now I did."
A blush crept up Emma's neck from the older woman's action, causing her to fidget in her spot and look anywhere but at the brunette in front of her.
"That's good."
"Indeed. I might have to swing by the store after school today to pick up some peanut butter." Regina took her seat and bit into her sandwich once again, although, now, it had been crushed in her hand as jam oozed between her fingers. Emma had noticed, but Regina seemed to not, or she hadn't cared enough to take any actions.
"Uh, you sort of got some-"
"What, darling?"
"You've got some jam on your fingers, there."
"Oh, I know." Regina smirked, finishing off her sandwich with a few swift bites.
"You're- I know what you're doing." Emma narrowed her eyes and crossed her arms as if it were to be effective, although it had only made her look like an angry toddler.
"I am sorry that I had ever insinuated anything, then, dear." The brunette let her brows fly up for a moment before turning to crack open the bottle of apple juice.
"H-Hey! Wait." Emma squawked and made a grab for the teacher's sticky hand, bringing it soon up to her mouth to press a kiss to the back of it. "You taste like apples all over the damn place."
"Well, I do believe that is obvious since I have apple jam all over my fingers."
"Okay, smart ass." The blonde rolled her eyes playfully. "I meant before you had it on you. I think your apples are turning you into an apple."
"Well, that certainly is interesting, isn't it?" Regina watched as Emma trailed her tongue across the sun kissed skin, cleaning up spots of the jam there. Then she stopped by her index finger and licked between it and her thumb before taking the digit into her mouth to give it a good clean.
Emma could feel the brunette's heated gaze on her and the way that she shifted ever so slightly, attempting to press her thighs together. And the way that she had moaned when the blonde had shifted to her middle finger sent shivers down her spine and that aching throb between her own legs.
"They still smell faintly of you, don't they, dear?" Regina whispered, her eyes following every movement that Emma had made, her lower lip getting sucked into her mouth every so often and that tongue coming out to wet them beforehand.
Although, her words had made Emma pause and pull Regina's hand slightly away from her mouth. "What?"
"And I just could not help but to take every chance that I got to remind myself of what we did."
"You're naughty." The sly look on the blonde's face could not be hidden.
All Emma could picture at that moment was Regina in class and the way she seemed to keep scratching her nose or lean against the podium with her hands by her face. That woman must have been taunting her then, or at least took some joy in watching Emma in the back of class with her scent. Whatever it may be, that woman was quite wicked and undeniably sexy.
"I know I am, love. You really have no idea what I hide. But you'll soon find out." And that wink that she gave sent Emma's heart fluttering.
"I think I'm terrified to find out."
"Oh, I don't think you will be, Emma." Regina offered her a subtle smirk.
"Oh, yeah?"
"Yeah. You'll just have to wait and see, dear. But I'll have to grade the remaining tests beforehand." She stuffed the remaining food in the container and shoved it into Emma's backpack. "Think you can handle the wait?"
"As long as I'm with you, I can wait for anything." Emma smiled, although it didn't quite reach her eyes, as she slung her bag over her shoulder.
"Well, if you're so sure." Regina stood, pressing a kiss to the blonde's cheek. "I'll see you after school, then. Take care, Emma, and have a good rest of the day."
"I'll try. Thanks, Gina. I, uh, I'll see you, yeah?" Emma quickly pecked Regina's lips just as the bell rang. Both made a noise of displeasure before the teacher replied.
"Yes, my swan."
Emma couldn't help the grin that easily spread across her face as she left the classroom, but not before giving Regina one last glance, in which was returned by the sweetest smile that could have very much given her cavities.
As she made her way to her government class in Mr. Glass' room, she just couldn't seem to erase the damned smile from her lips. She was anxious about what Regina had planned for her later that day. The next two periods would probably drag on with just her luck. Time was never fast enough when there was something she wanted to do.
After what had felt like more hours than it needed to be, the day was finally over. Regina was outside the classroom, waiting with her purse, a few folders, and a warm smile when Emma finally managed to find her way there. Emma immediately returned the smile and paced the distance in haste to reach the awaiting teacher.
"Sorry it took me so long."
"It had only taken you a couple of minutes, dear. And, besides, I was able to make a large dent in the tests. There are now less to grade, so that means more time to spend with you. But there's bad news." Regina spoke as the two headed outside and to the Mercedes parked by the other staff cars.
"Bad news?" Emma frowned, ducking her head to enter the passenger's side. Regina only nodded and handed the blonde the folders that she had before closing the door and rounding the vehicle.
"I found a neat stack of ungraded writing assignments from, I do believe, last week." She muttered disdainfully as she started the car, soon after pulling out of the parking lot. "I'll have to at least make a dent on that tonight."
"Damn. Can I help with something?"
"You can't grade the papers, or the written part of the tests, so there really isn't much. Perhaps we can see about the multiple choice. Alright?"
Emma shifted slightly in her spot and nodded. "Alright."
"And that will let me at least get a start on the papers." She concluded, parking the Mercedes in the driveway. "I want to at least get the tests done before anything, alright? I have things planned if you do not mind."
"'Course not. If I get to spend my time in the same vicinity as you, I am perfectly fine." Emma said as she and Regina exited the car and headed toward the house.
The blonde was nearly shivering by the time they had entered the house. It was damned cold out there and sitting in the car hadn't helped much. Thankfully Regina didn't keep it too cold in her home, or too hot for that matter. It was the perfect temperature and Emma was thankful for that.
"Perfect. Would you like anything to drink or eat before we sit down?" Regina shrugged her pea coat off and hung it up in a little closet by the stairs. She had Emma remove her red leather jacket to hang up as well before taking her hand and leading her to the sitting room after the blonde had murmured a negative response.
"Come, my dear, we shall sit and grade papers."
"Oh, joy."
"Welcome to the life of a teacher." The brunette chuckled, taking a seat on the cream couch, her purse hitting the floor next to her feet and the folders on the coffee table in front of her. Emma gladly occupied the space next to her and immediately got handed a sleek, black folder and a red ballpoint pen.
"I have the answer key on the front of the stack. There should be one class period's tests left which, if I am not wrong, will be underneath the key bound with a paperclip. You may check the other stacks in case I had missed any, but as far as I know, those are the only ones that are left." The teacher explained as Emma opened the folder and removed the stacks of paper from inside.
As she looked over the tests to make sure that the brunette was correct, Regina began pulling out the papers from her classes' writing assignments. She had also gained a red ballpoint pen and started to read through the paper on the top of the first stack. Emma, on the other hand, had started to grade the very first paper.
When she had checked what was incorrect and finished up with that, she proceeded onto the second page and did the same thing and continued with that for the rest of the answers until she hit the page where the short answers had come into play. She set that test aside and picked up the next, becoming concentrated with her work now.
It really wasn't so bad and quite easy at that. Perhaps she could help Regina often with grading tests. She wouldn't mind and it would be a lot quicker if she were to do this part, especially if there were no written response questions; although on Regina's tests, that was quite the impossibility.
Luckily, it had seemed like no time before she was done grading the tests in that stack, and ones that she had found that had been left ungraded. Seeing that there weren't any more tests to be graded, she kicked back on the couch and watched as the teacher read through the written responses on the tests.
Emma wanted so desperately to touch her, but she knew that the older woman was concentrated and needed to be so to finish her work. But, gods, did she look just so goddamn tempting. The blonde, for the most part, tried to keep her hands to herself, but let her eyes roam over the brunette's hunched form. She had spent what felt like hours watching Regina sift through the papers, stacking the finished ones beside her.
Emma knew how many assignments were in that stack and she also knew how many that the teacher had gone through, and it seemed as if things weren't getting done fast enough. Boy, did she wish that Regina would allow her to grade the written bits of the tests, because this sure as hell would be going by faster. But it didn't work that way, and there were still about seventeen more tests to grade before they were freed and allowed to spend time together doing something other than work for school.
Emma flopped on the couch beside Regina, grunting with each movement. She could feel the older woman pause her work momentarily before shooting her an annoyed glare, then go back to grading the assignments splayed before her on both the couch and coffee table.
She huffed slightly and shifted once again, bringing her legs up underneath herself to lean her body toward Regina. It felt as if it had taken them three hours to get that far, even though she knew her brain was exaggerating, but it still had felt as if it had been forever, and the blonde was absolutely bored out of her skull. Why wasn't there a machine that could grade papers, instead?
In her new position, she attempted to brush raven strands aside to expose olive toned skin. Leaning even further, she pressed her lips to the soft flesh and started to trace patterns up and down the side of her neck.
Regina's breath hitched upon contact, and she tilted her head slightly to the opposite side, allowing Emma more access. The blonde couldn't help but to smirk against the older woman's skin. She was giving in. She must be just as bored and done with this work as she was.
"Emma," the brunette hummed, "we can't do this. I need to get work done."
"Oh, come on! It's boring as hell." The blonde slightly pouted but hadn't ceased her peppering kisses.
"I need to get these graded." Regina tried to straighten herself and continue to read the answers on the current page in her hand. But Emma, ever relentless, shifted onto her knees and swung one leg across Regina's own, ending up with a straddle on her lap. The brunette had gasped in surprise at the sudden movement and snapped her head up to meet Emma's gaze.
"Please, baby?" Emma bent her head down to capture the older woman's lips with her own. Regina had hesitated before returning the kiss and the blonde could feel the reluctance. But when she had made a home of the teacher's lap and pressed her mouth hungrily against the full red ones, she felt all sense of indecision melt away.
Regina had now eagerly slid her mouth against Emma's, her tongue slipping out to taste the teenager's pale lips. Her fingers dug pleasantly into the blonde's sides as the latter had tugged at brunette locks, earning a soft noise of content.
But then Emma was off Regina's lap before she knew it and looked up, dazed, at the brunette who now stood above her. Excitement shot straight to her core at the possibilities running through her head that the teacher might plan on doing next. All those core-burning thoughts immediately quenched upon seeing the brunette grab her purse and gesture toward the stairs.
"Fuck, fuck… Gina… I-I'm… I'm gonna…" Emma couldn't form the right words to say when her peak had hit her suddenly like a semi. Her hips bucked up one last time, slamming painfully into Regina's own, and her teeth sinking into olive flesh. She didn't know how hard, and barely cared, until she tasted blood and heard the sharp gasp from the brunette who had slowed her fingers to a sudden halt.
Then the two were soon slumped against the bed, Regina felt like a dead weight on top of Emma who was already struggling enough to breathe with her heart rapidly thrumming against her chest like a jackhammer.
"I hope you do realize that that bite-"
"Was too hard?" Emma frowned as she had noticed crimson trickling from the fresh wound on Regina's shoulder.
"No." The brunette lifted her brown gaze to meet with emerald, pink lips curving upwards. "It made me come again, my dear."
"No shit?"
"You are just amazing with your mouth, Emma. You are." She complimented, her voice husky, yet breathless, as she removed the little vibrator and switched it off before tossing it onto her nightstand.
"What can I say? It got me this far in life." Emma shrugged, a smug smile on her face.
"Well, I certainly am glad, dear." Regina laughed, light and airy, as she brushed a strand of golden hair behind Emma's ear. "Because that means you're here and I have you all to myself."
"Yeah. And I have you. I'm super glad that the Nolans took me in."
"I am, too, darling." Regina bent her head down slightly to press a kiss to the blonde's forehead, then moved down to peck her nose before sealing a kiss on her lips. Emma returned the kiss almost instantly, melting into the older woman as if she were her haven.
"I love you, Emma Swan."
"I love you too, Regina Mills." The blonde's words were said on a yawn, and she blushed, opening her mouth to apologize but Regina had interrupted her with a chuckle.
"Sounds like someone is worn out."
"Sure as hell am."
"Why don't you take a small nap, dear? I ought to clean up this blood and change before I can join you, if you don't mind?"
"Aw, I can wait?"
"If you wish, dear." The brunette chuckled and gave Emma a quick kiss on the lips before rolling off her and the bed to stand at the side with a warm smile. "I'll be back soon, okay?"
"Okay." Emma nodded and watched as Regina picked up a few things from the floor and headed off through one of the doors. That was the last thing she had seen before she dozed off.
Emma had woken up what felt like only five minutes later to a lamp light and scribbling. When she shifted, she felt the weight of Regina's comforters wrapped around her and saw the woman responsible sitting crisscrossed on the opposite side with a pen in her hand and her black, thick framed glassed resting halfway down the bridge of her nose.
She rapidly blinked her eyes, trying to shove the drowsiness away, and sat up, bringing the covers with her. It was chilly in here now that she had absolutely nothing on and Regina wasn't necessarily sharing the blankets with her. She was sitting on them, which aroused a problem, since only half the blankets went up with Emma. The blonde sat awkwardly, watching as the teacher read a piece of paper on her lap with a stack of papers underneath it.
"How long have I been out?"
"About an hour." Regina answered without taking her eyes off the paper.
"Didn't you nap, too?"
"No." The brunette pulled her glasses off and turned her head toward Emma, a brow quirked. "You were snoring not a minute after I went to change. So, I decided to do all my chores quietly and try to finish grading these papers. I've got most of them done except for three."
"I'm sorry I fell asleep." Emma mumbled, lowering her head. "I normally don't fall asleep so fast."
"It's fine, my swan. You were exhausted. Just be happy that you won't have to sit through an hour of watching me grade tests." Regina offered Emma a lopsided smile. "Why don't you come over here and snuggle me while I finish these off? Then we can get you home."
"What? I don't want to go home." The blonde's tone was petulant now as she crawled over to Regina and hooked an arm around her waist, her chin sitting on the woman's shoulder.
"You must, Emma. Your mother will be worried if you do not arrive soon. It's almost seven-thirty now. I don't think it would be appropriate if you were tutoring with me for this long." Regina explained soothingly, rubbing Emma's back in slow, circular motions.
Emma nodded and sighed without any further argument. She knew that she couldn't stay here late at all. It was strange enough that she was tutoring with Ms. Mills for government but arriving home so late at night was even more so.