Howdy, Folks. I'm not really sure why but this chapter feels a little odd to me... Like I wrote it funny or something... Probably because I have been super sick all week... Don't hold it against me. Anyway, here it is. Happy reading!
16.
A deafening roar of thunder rang through the otherwise silent house. Emma sat straight up in the bed, looking around. Next to her, loosely curled in the thick blanket and most definitely sound asleep, was Regina. The blonde smiled softly as the sound of her lover's breathing found her ears. As she began to lay back down, a sharp flash of lightning lit the room. She jumped, sitting back up. This isn't gonna work, she thought, wrapping her arms around her naked chest.
Carefully climbing from the bed, Emma tip toed around to where her clothes were neatly folded, sitting in a chair by the door. They hadn't been there when she fell asleep so she assumed that Robin had sent them up. As she pulled on the last article she intended on wearing; a thin grey tank-top, a sound from outside the door froze her movements. Straining her ears, she listened carefully for the sound to begin again. After a moment of silence, the sound; a soft whimpering, began once more. After quickly sliding the garment over her stomach, Emma straightened her boy-shorts and pulled the door open. Dull light flooded the room; she blinked rapidly with a scrunched up nose, waiting for her eyes to adjust. Finally able to see, Emma looked down to find the little, red headed boy, sitting curled up next to the door. He jumped when he saw that she had been standing there.
"Hey kid, are you okay?" She whispered, kneeling down at his side.
Oliver quickly wiped what Emma knew to be tears, off his face before looking back up to her. "I had a bad dream," he sniffled.
"You have a lot of those," she looked around, "why are you out here?"
"I couldn't come in."
"Why not?"
"Mom didn't like it very much the last time."
"That isn't true," Emma rubbed the boy's arm. "How bout we go downstairs and talk about your dream… that way we won't wake her up."
For a second, Oliver just stared at the blonde. After peaking in through the bedroom door and seeing that his mother was sleeping peacefully, he nodded. "I don't like storms."
"Me neither. Stay right here, okay?" she stood up. "I'll be right back."
Emma disappeared back into the room and when she returned, she was sporting a pair of red silk pants and had an arm load of blankets and pillows. "Alright," she smiled, "downstairs."
#
Dumping her arm load of sleeping supplies onto the sofa, Emma flipped on the light and snuck a look at the timer on the coffee pot; 4:14 in the morning. She sighed before plopping down next to the messy haired child. A rolling thunder made him cower beside her. After a few seconds, Emma smiled at the boy. "I have an idea," she said, jumping from her seat.
Oliver watched as the blonde moved the table away from the couch and pulled all six chairs from the kitchen table. She noticed the confused look on his face right away. "We are going to build a castle."
"What kind of castle?" he asked, looking around at the blankets and chairs.
"One to protect us from this storm."
"Have you ever done this before?" He asked, skeptically.
"Well yea," she looked down, crossing her arms. "How do you think I stay safe during storms?"
"You are an adult, you aren't really afraid… and I shouldn't be afraid either."
"Hey," she knelt down on the floor in front of him. "I am afraid, of lots of things, including storms. It is perfectly okay to be afraid of things, Oliver… you don't always have to be brave."
He nodded in silence and watched as Emma constructed a small fortress out of the blankets and chairs that she had pulled together. She lined the floor with a few pillows before she declared the job well done. "Your castle, my prince." She smiled, waving her hand at the small opening.
"I'm no prince." The boy sighed dramatically before crawling down into the fort.
"You are so a prince," she laughed, scooting in next to him.
"No, Papa says I'm a huntsmen… but I'm not that either."
Emma propped her head on her hand, laying on her side and narrowed her eyes. "Why do you think that?"
"Roland is brave and likes to do brave things like going on adventures and stuff, he is the huntsmen… I'm different." He fell silent, closing his eyes.
"I feel you there, kid. We are all different. That's the cool thing about being a person… there are no two alike… like snowflakes."
"Twins are the same." He said flatly.
"No, twins look the same but their personalities are different… they can like to do different things than the other… there are a million things that set one person apart from the masses."
"I guess so."
"What do you want to do when you grow up?" Emma was doing her best to pull the conversation in a less serious direction.
"I want to work with animals." A small smile began pulling at his lips.
"What kind of animals? Like in a zoo?"
"No, I want to work with orphaned animals, ones that feel like no one wanted them, like they don't have anyone to love them… I want to be the one who shows them that they are loved, and that they can love again."
"Well." Emma looked around. "that's pretty deep, kid." She did her best to keep a straight face.
"I'm ahead of my time… too big for my pants… an old soul."
Emma laughed, nudging the boy. "No shit." Instantly she covered her mouth. "Sorry," she mumbled. "don't repeat that."
"Don't worry, Grace is my best friend, she taught me all about proper use of those words."
"Uh… don't ever use those words."
"You're funny."
"Any way," she huffed. "This dream?"
"Oh," he flipped on to his back and stared at the blanket hanging loosely above his head. "it's really weird."
"Story of my life… spill it."
"Only if you promise to not make fun of me." He said firmly, peered at her, making up his mind. "So, we were back in the woods."
"The same woods from last time?"
"yup, those woods."
"Okay."
"Well, we were all walking, you weren't there though. So, it was Roland and Mme, Mom, Papa, Mr. Gold's son, Miss Belle, and your friend Ruby."
"That is an interesting mix of people," she laughed. "But okay."
"Well, we were walking and out of nowhere, this giant flying monkey flew down and tried to grab Roland but mom picked him up and saved him by turning the monkey into a toy... with magic... Then all the sudden we were standing in the middle of a street and there were people that I had never met before, standing all around Mom and this other lady with a weird hat on. The lady was really mad at Mom, she was yelling at her. Mr. Gold was being mean too, he was threatening people and stuff."
"Is that all?"
"Well, Mom tried to throw a fireball at the woman but she used magic and put it out… and then she threw mom through a clock tower… I was frozen in place, I couldn't move and then there was green smoke everywhere and a giant boom of thunder that woke me up. I still don't know what happened to Mom."
"You have a very active imagination, kid. You saw that your mom was asleep in the bed… she is fine."
"I know but in my dream, she wasn't fine… and you couldn't stop the hat lady."
"Well, I don't know who the hat lady is but I promise that if something like that were to actually happen, I don't care who it was, I would do everything in my power to protect you and especially your mama." Emma sighed.
"Why?" Oliver looked her in the eye and waited. Without any thought at all, Emma was honest.
"Because I care about you guys."
"You love us." He smiled.
"I do."
"uh-huh. Yup, I knew there was something going on here." He said, sitting up.
"Do what now?"
"I have known for a while that Mom and Papa are different than other married people and now I know it's because you love her... That must be what that look that she gives you means."
"What does me loving your family have to do with anything?"
"She used to talk about this girl all the time… She would tell Papa about her… how beautiful and smart she was and how it didn't matter what kind of mood that Mom was in at the start of the day because as soon as she saw the girl, Mom was put into a good mood. She told him that she wished that she could see more of that girl."
Emma's face was rapidly flushing. "Did she now?" She stared straight up at the roof, trying not to hyperventilate. This was not a conversation that she wanted to have with this kid.
"Yes… and she said that the girl was a swan… I think that it was code."
"Well…" She paused, not really knowing what to say. "She said all this in front of you?"
"Not really. She doesn't know that I was actually listening… she would sit down and talk with him in the kitchen when she got home. I listen a lot."
The color in Emma's face began to drain. Shit, what all has he heard? she thought. "I'm sure you do."
"She was talking about you." He said flatly.
"Why would you think that?" Emma was half shaking; her nerves were just about shot. She was not used to this kind of thing, or the mix of emotions she was currently dealing with.
"Because she doesn't talk about the swan anymore… she talks about Emma."
"Must be a different Emma," she mumbled.
"Nope. It's you. I know it is… and I'm okay with that because you are really cool. I don't like or trust a lot of people… but there is something about you that I love… So I understand why Mom likes you so much."
"Uh… thanks."
"You don't treat me like I'm stupid… you give me time to think about things… It's cool."
"Well, you aren't stupid, Oliver."
"No, but some people think I am." He practically whispered. "Oh!" He put his hand on Emma's. "Speaking of stupid, Roland doesn't know about any of that stuff I told you."
"Oh come on." She chuckled. "Your brother isn't stupid."
"No, he is a… what did Grace call it?" He squinted in concentration. "A meat head."
"No. Don't say things like that… not about your family."
"I was just saying." Oliver sighed, lying back onto the pillows.
"Well, so am I."
"Okay, okay. I'm sorry."
"You should be."
There was a long silence between them. Oliver stared at the bottom of the castle ceiling while Emma laid on her back with her eyes closed. She couldn't stop thinking about what the boy had told her. She wanted to be happy that Regina had been interested in her for a long time but right now, hearing about it from an outside person, it made her nervous.
As if knowing that Emma was dwelling on his words, Oliver rolled over and stared at her. "You know… Mom has never let anyone stay the night with her."
"Okay." She kept her eyes closed, trying to shut him out.
"And she has never let us meet any of her friends… aside from Mr. Gold and Miss Belle and the people she works with."
"How about I tell you a story?" Emma peeked through one eye at the kid.
"What kind of story?" Anything to get you off this conversation, she thought to herself.
"What kind of story do you want to hear?"
"Anything, I like all kinds of stories."
"Hmm, okay. There once was a band of friends; A charming pirate, a woman warrior, a sleepy princess, a feisty queen and the savior…" She stared. The boy smiled as he buried his face into her arm, cuddling close to her body. "They were trapped together in a land that they all, but one, had once called home. While trying to get the savior back to her family, they went off in search of a magic compass. This compass would be able to open a magical portal and take the girl home, to her land. In order to find this compass, the friends would have to spit up. The savior and the pirate would have to climb a very tall bean stalk and face an angry giant…"
#
A wave of cold air floated over the sleeping brunette, causing her to pull her blanket tighter around her body. Half asleep, she realized that the warm body that had been next to her was no longer there. As she began waking fully, she could feel a strange bubbling of fear in her gut. Kicking off her blanket, she stepped onto the cool carpeted floor. The bright red lights of her bedside clock read 5:30 as she quietly made her way to the open door, flipping the switch that was mounted next to it. As the light illuminated the room, a frown formed on her lips; most of Emma's clothes were gone and the blanket that had been folded at the bottom of the bed was missing.
"Strange," she whispered, looking around.
Pulling on her robe, she looked out into the hallway. She could see that there was a light on, on the main level. Her brow arched in curiosity, she began her trek down the stairs. When she made it to the last step, she could clearly see that the source of light was coming from the kitchen. While walking, silently down the long hallway, she peered into the bedroom that the boy's shared. A knowing smirk formed on her face as her eyes were immediately drawn to Oliver's empty bed.
"Must be the storm," she whispered. Sneaking her way down the length of the hall, she listened carefully to the silence around her. A flash of light startled her, just as her bare toes touched the cold tile floor. The lights began flickering over her head. "Lovely." When the kitchen light finally stabled, the chairless table caught her eye. Just as she began to look past the couch, a firm hand on her shoulder nearly made her yell out in surprise. As she spun around, she was met by the smiling face of her husband.
"I could kill you." She hissed, gripping her chest dramatically.
"Could," He smiled charmingly. "My lights were being crazy, I came up to investigate and just couldn't help startling you."
"You are a child," she huffed, bringing a hand to rest on her hip. "Why are you up right now?"
"This storm is being a bit more wild than usual. I couldn't really sleep for worrying that the basement would flood."
"There is no way this place could flood." She turned, stepping further into the kitchen.
"Well, the chatter up here all night didn't really help my sleeping any."
"What?" She looked into the living room. As her eyes scanned across the makeshift tent, she cupped her mouth with a hand.
"They are right over the return vent. I could hear every word… and let me just say, Oliver is no longer allowed to eat junk food before bed."
"They made a tent?" Regina's eyes were wide with amusement as she turned back to her husband.
"Oh not a tent darling, a castle."
"That is precious," she smiled, looking back to the blanket mound in the middle of her floor. "Wait… junk food?"
"He is having wild dreams about flying monkeys and magic now."
"You gave our son junk food?!" Her eyes narrowed as she watched Robin shift under her gaze.
"No?"
"Robin, you know what that poison does to him."
"Chips Regina, not poison." He looked up from under his brow, hoping she would have mercy on him since he was making his best attempt at the 'Flynn Rider smolder face'.
"This is your fault,' she growled, ignoring him. A crash of thunder and a few intense lightning strikes later, they stood in complete darkness. "Fabulous," Robin sighed.
"Do you remember where the flash lights are?"
"Second shelf down, left hand side," she mumbled, groping around in front of her.
"Well, how specific."
"I put them there, Robin."
"Good for…" A sharp thump cut him off. "Sweet mother of the Queen." He mumbled, pained.
Regina chuckled quietly."What is it?"
"I stubbed my bloody toe on your stupid island." He hissed.
"You clearly need to spend more time in the kitchen, darling."
"Don't worry," he huffed, "I am uninjured."
"Well, that's a shame."
"Oh belt it, you milkmaid." He rummaged through the shelf, louder than necessary.
"Milkmaid?" she laughed. "Your insults are getting slightly ridiculous."
Regina was soon blinded by a white beam of light. Her face twisted in annoyance.
"That may be so, but it's better than calling you a harlot." He laughed from behind the light.
"Oh like you have room to talk," she hissed. "If you want to be able to continue your male adventures, I suggest you lower that light."
The light increased as he walked closer to where Regina stood. "Or what, Scarlett?"
Without hesitation, Regina popped him in the stomach with an open hand. The contact made a loud smack."Or I will make sure you can no longer identify as a man," she whispered as he leaned forward in pain.
#
Hearing the conflict taking place outside the walls of her fortress, Emma stirred awake. For a moment, she stared into the darkness, no really sure if her eyes were actually open. She was made aware of Oliver sleeping next to her when the familiar feeling of the boy's head on her shoulder registered in her sleepy mind. She listened carefully to the exchange between Robin and Regina for a few minutes before a light sweeping over where she was laying made her curious. Slowly, she began pulling her arm out from under the boy's head. Once she was free, she slid backwards out the doorway. Looking over the sofa, she saw Regina grinning widely while Robin frowned at her, flashlight in hand. For a few minutes, she wasn't sure what was happening. Silently, she sat in the floor and listened to them bicker.
"Also," Robin started, resting his free hand against the counter top. "Our youngest seems to have bat hearing because he has apparently heard you telling me about how amazing Emma is."
"What?"
"Mhm. I heard him tell her that you used to come home talking about how great she is… and to top it off, he told Emma that he knows that she loves you."
"Right… well, no shocker there." Regina furrowed her brows at the man.
"I am serious."
"I have no doubt."
"She handled it very well though." He smiled. "Oh, and I also heard him say that he has noticed that you and I don't seem like the usual married couple."
"Oh no."
"Oh yes."
"Great, well this will be fun conversation."
Emma shook her head, out of the couple's view. She slowly got to her feet and walked over to them. "Actually, he didn't seem too upset about it. I don't think it is a big deal…"
"Emma." Regina jumped at the start of the blonde's words. "You're awake."
"Uh, yea… you two are kinda loud," she smiled, nodding to Robin. "Why do you have a flashlight?"
"Power went out." Robin said as he waved the light across the ceiling. "I'm going to go check the fuses, how about you two have a seat." He lit up the sofa.
"Works for me." Emma sat on the edge of the couch, allowing herself to roll over the back and onto the cushions.
Regina shook her head and made her way around to sit next to the blonde.
"You are going to destroy my furniture that way," she whispered as Robin and the light disappeared back down the hallway.
"I can think of better ways to break this couch." Emma said quietly, running her hand up the brunette's leg, playfully.
"Oh, I can too." Her hand shot to grip the blonde's. Regina slid the woman's hand up her thigh and brought it to press harshly against her core. Her legs snapped shut on the blonde's hand, holding it in place.
Laughing awkwardly, Emma fought to pull her hand back. "Oliver is in the floor. I didn't mean we should do it right now."
As Regina released her grip on the blonde, she effortlessly found the woman's face in the dark."How… motherly of you." She whispered before pressing her lips to the blonde's cheek.
For a moment, Emma was silent. "wait… were you serious?"
The brunette pulled back and raised her brows. "you're joking, right?"
"yup." Emma snapped. Judging by the Regina's tone, she was nowhere near serious.
A light appeared back in the hall as Robin made his way back. "So, the power is out all over town… I took a look-see down the road, pitch black as far as I can see and the rain is coming down in gallons."
"Well, that is no good." Regina said, turning to look at him.
"I'll call Gold in a few hours and see what he knows." He said while extinguishing the light.
"Why would Mr. Gold know anything?" Emma asked, quietly.
Regina chuckled at the blonde.
"Well," Robin started. "Gold owns half of this town."
"I thought he just taught a few classes and ran that pawn shop or whatever…"
"No, no. He teaches because he has nothing better to do while Belle works down at the library… that he also owns. Gold practically owns this whole town."
"Just about everything that isn't a private residence or the University." Regina added.
"Wait… So, he is Mr. Gold as in, Gold's construction and reality, Gold?"
"Exactly." Robin nodded.
"Well… I had no idea. He owns my house then."
"And most other rental homes in the area."
"Anyway," Regina sighed. "We can probably sleep for a few more hours."
"Tired, darling? Did you have an eventful night?" Robin smiled in the dark.
"Can it, Robin." The brunette demanded.
"We went to bed." Emma whispered.
"Ha. The dark makes you brave, madam."Robin chuckled. "Go on up, I'll stay down here with the boys. I'll let you know what Gold has to say."
"Go get me the other flashlight, would you? I doubt I can maneuver in the dark." Regina said, dryly.
"Not true…" Emma blurted before she could stop herself.
"Oh?" Robin flashed the light onto the blonde's reddening face. She smiled before bowing her head, no longer interested in sharing the information she had hinted at.
"Well," he laughed, turning the light back to the kitchen. "At least she can make her way around someone's dark."
Regina stood up and began walking toward the island. "Why is everything so sexual with you?"
"I am a man, darling."
"Hardly."
#
The duo made their way back up into the bedroom in silence. Once in the room, the brunette laid the light on the bed, facing the now closed door. Slowly, Regina dropped her robe to the floor; exposing her naked body, covered only by black, silk bottoms. Emma did her best not to stare but the way that the light dance over her lover's skin was hypnotizing. Regina stopped midway to the bed and watched as the blonde blatantly stared at her body. A confident smirk pulled at her lips. "Do you see something that you like, Miss Swan?"
Emma's eyes traveled from the brunette's hips, up to her eyes. "I see something that is mine," she growled.
"Is that so?"
"mhm."
Regina made her way to the bed where Emma sat on her knees, waiting to pounce."I don't believe I ever became your property, dear."
"We can change that."
"The only thing we are changing today is your mindset. Regardless of what you have in mind for the rest of the morning, I am sleeping. Period."
Pulling her legs out from underneath her, Emma fell backwards against the mattress. "Hey, if you want to cuddle, we will cuddle. If you change your mind and want to have a few hours' worth of awesome sex, we can do that too."
Regina smiled as she reached for the flashlight. "We will have your sex…" she whispered, "After I get my sleep."
"I'm cool with that." Emma wrapped her arm around the woman at her side, pulling her down to the bed. Turning off the light, Regina set it down carefully on her bedside table. As she laid down, Emma began curling herself around the woman.
"I could get used to this." Emma sighed.
"You don't have much of a choice in the matter." "Oh, we will see about that."
Emma rolled onto the brunette, pinning her under her weight. Before the blonde had time to react, Regina had already rolled her over and was now straddling Emma's hips. "What did I say?"
"That you want me to spend hours pleasing you?" "I am fairly certain that I never said that." Regina laughed, leaning down to plan a soft kiss onto pale lips.
If there is something that you are just dying to see happen before the end of this story, shoot me your ideas. As always, thank you for all your love and support! -DR