Chapter Eighteen

Emma blinked a few times against the harsh, bright morning light. It was coming from both sides, which was odd and unfamiliar. She closed her eyes, trying to remember where she was. When she heard slow breathing beside her, it started to come back to her: she was at Regina's. She had broken in the night before.

But that wasn't last night, was it? Emma was sure that had happened when she was sixteen.

Her eyes shot open with the sudden realization, and she leapt – ungracefully – from the bed, landing with a hard thud on the carpeted floor below, before scrambling back to her feet and running over to the mirror on Regina's vanity.

She sighed in relief. She was back to herself, finally.

"Emma?"

Emma spun around to find Regina sitting up in bed, looking as worried as she'd ever seen her, but Emma couldn't help but grin. "Hey."

"Hey," Regina replied, with a small smile, unsure of where they stood now. "It worked."

Emma scrunched up her nose in confusion, about to ask what worked, when she remembered the moments before she fell asleep the night before. "The kiss…" she said, her voice an odd mix of disbelief and wonder.

Without a second thought, she headed back over to the bed and sat back down next to Regina, trying to work through what had happened. "The kiss," she repeated, "what was that? Not like…."

"True love's kiss?" Regina suggested, earning her a look of complete shock from the blonde. "No, not exactly…but an act of love, none the less. I realized it when you told me about how you decided not to wake me up the other night because you didn't want me to suffer the consequences. That was an act of love."

"Yeah, but…. Why did that work? I mean, I do seem to recall several acts of love, including a hell of a lot of kisses," Emma said, blushing as she did so.

"Yes, but the act only counts if the feeling is there as well," Regina explained, and Emma sighed, absorbing the meaning in those words. She understood that it meant there was love behind the act, but did it mean they were in love? Emma wasn't sure.

"Um…" Emma started, not sure how to approach this situation. She was so sure of herself when she was sixteen, but now, sitting in Regina's bed, with Regina, she was faltering. "Sorry about all the shit I said about Robin."

Regina snorted and shook her head. That wasn't what she was expecting, in the least. "It's fine."

"No, it isn't," Emma disagreed. "Sixteen or not, I way overstepped."

Regina offered a small shrug. "You weren't exactly wrong in your assessment," she admitted.

"What?" Emma let out a small gasp. "I mean, you were right about the whole thing… the situation is complicated. The whole Zelena-thing is hardly Robin's fault."

"That may be so, but… you were right, I don't need baby mama drama in my life. Maybe if that were the only factor, that would be different, but I think I deserve better than always being Robin's second choice, don't you?"

Emma nodded. She had thought that for a while, but feeling like she was on thin ice since bringing 'Marian' back, she had decided to keep her opinion to herself. "You deserve much better than that."

"Yes, and I think I can finally see it that way. I used to think that after everything I've done, I should be grateful for anyone who actually wanted me. But I think I've redeemed myself, haven't I? I can't take back or fully atone for everything I've done, but how long should I be punished?"

Emma let out a long sigh. She hadn't expected this deep of a conversation, this early in the morning, and especially not with Regina. She supposed there was more truth that she had realized when Regina had told her their understanding had deepened. Regina was opening up in a way Emma didn't expect, and she didn't want to screw it up.

"The real question is, how long are you going to keep punishing yourself?"

Regina inhaled sharply. She could feel tears stinging at the corners of her eyes. She had never known someone who could see through her quite the way that Emma could. In many ways, they really were two sides of the same coin.

"Regina," Emma continued, when she realized Regina wasn't going to respond. "You know I've never seen you as the Evil Queen. Even when I went back in time and literally saw you as the Evil Queen, when I looked at her, all I saw was you. Even so, seeing you at sixteen really opened my eyes to a whole other side of you. My mother knew you when you were young, and now I can see why she's always so quick to forgive you, in spite of everything. You were a good person who got taken advantage of. It happens. I mean, you took it to the extreme, but still… you are still that girl, despite everything. I can see it in your eyes."

Regina wiped the tears that were now falling with the backs of her hands and took a deep breath. "You were an incredibly insightful teenager, you know. You were right, about the eyes. They don't change."

"So, now what?" Emma said, vocalizing the question that was on both of their minds.

"Now, you make a choice," Regina stated.

"Me? Don't we both have to make a choice, here?" Emma protested.

"I believe it's clear that I already did," Regina shrugged.

It didn't take much for Emma to find the meaning behind those words. Regina didn't want to be anyone's second choice. She wanted to be someone's first and only choice. Emma just hoped she wasn't overstepping in assuming she wanted to be Emma's first choice.

She took a deep breath and decided there was only one way to find out.

Regina was surprised but not at all shocked when Emma's lips crashed against hers. She had made up her own mind under the apple tree with Emma the day before. She had mentally prepared herself for the all-too-real possibility of rejection from the blonde when she returned to normal and remembered her pirate, though she had still hoped that her new-found feelings would remain the same.

Regina leaned into the kiss a little more, opening her mouth and running her tongue on Emma's bottom lip. She felt Emma's lips smile against hers, before the blonde opened them and allowed Regina's curious tongue entrance. Both women could feel the unbridled magic surging back and forth between them, deepening the kiss into levels neither of them had experienced before, even as awkward teenagers in Emma's bedroom.

Regina couldn't help but start laughing, forcing her to break away from the kiss. Emma stared at her with wide, confused eyes. "What?"

Regina shook her head for a moment, trying to regain her composure. "I just started thinking, what would your parents think if they knew about our teenage make out sessions in your bedroom?"

Emma started to laugh, too. "Well, I already kinda told my dad we were a thing," she said, with a wink.

Regina raised an eyebrow in surprise. "You did? And he was okay with it?"

"Yeah. He wants to be the 'cool dad', apparently," Emma shrugged, as she leaned in for another kiss. To her surprise, Regina stopped her, with two fingers against her lips.

"Wait," Regina said, shaking her head.

"What? Why?" Emma protested.

"You have a certain pirate situation you need to deal with, before we go any further," Regina explained.

"Right. And I guess you have a certain thief to rid yourself of, as well," Emma pointed out.

Regina smirked. "Already did."

"What? When?"

"Last night, after I left your parents' loft," Regina said, simply.

"Really? But you didn't know yet how everything was going to turn out."

"No, but I had to do it anyway, for myself. I knew even if you went back to Hook when it was all over, I was better off single than in the middle of that mess. You showed me that, Emma. You might have put it crudely, but you were right. Robin didn't miss me. He just missed… what was it you said? Oh, right, he wanted to bang me. I need more from a relationship than that."

Emma smiled. "Well, I'm glad my sixteen-year-old wisdom combined with my lack of a filter even in a social setting paid off."

"As am I, dear."

"And, hey, we get to skip the awkwardness of explaining it to the kid, since he already busted us anyway. And I talked to him last night, he's so on board with this."

Regina smirked and raised an eyebrow, but she didn't disagree with the blonde's assessment.

"So now what?" Emma asked again.

Regina picked up Emma's hand. "Now," she said, planting a kiss on Emma's palm, "I make us breakfast, and then you go end things with the pirate. I'll set up a lunch date with your parents and we can break the news to your mother."

Emma laughed. "She's going to go from your step-daughter to the mother of your girlfriend," she commented, earning herself a light swat on the arm.

"Stop that," Regina said, shaking her head. "Don't make me feel weird about this."

"Really? That's what would make this weird? Not a magical spell reverting us into teenagers?"

Regina shrugged. "You and I each have a friend who can turn into a dragon at will. No magic can make me feel weird."

"Good point," Emma nodded. "So… what are you making me for breakfast?"

Regina shook her head and smiled, well aware that for all the reasons they fit together, the fact that she loved to cook and Emma loved to eat shouldn't surprise her in the least.

Emma jumped up to hop into the shower as Regina headed downstairs. She supposed she shouldn't be surprised that the blonde instantly made herself at home, either. Not that she minded. Barely minutes into their relationship, and Regina already knew this was what was missing from every relationship she'd ever had: familiarity without expectation.

After about ten minutes, as Regina was just plating up scrambled eggs and bacon for Emma, and an egg white omelette for herself, she felt strong arms snake around her waist from behind, and a smiling face nuzzling into her neck. She lifted one hand, wrapping it around Emma's and holding her there, just for a moment, before turning to face her.

"Breakfast is served, my dear," she said, gesturing to the plates on the counter. Emma smiled and gave Regina a quick peck on the lips, before grabbing her plate and heading into the dining room. Regina followed and sat down beside her with her own breakfast.

Emma grinned a little as she reached her hand over to Regina's lap and grabbed onto hers, intertwining their fingers and holding her hand under the table as they ate.

"What are you doing? There's no one here," Regina pointed out, confused as to why Emma was hiding their hands.

"I know," Emma replied, with a cheeky grin. "I just kinda miss being a teenager with you. You know, being all secretive and sneaky and getting in to trouble."

Regina smirked and raised a playful eyebrow. "Just imagine the trouble we can get into as adults."

Emma almost choked at the expected words, before bursting out laughing. "Now who's corrupting who?"

"Whom, dear," Regina corrected, barely hiding her smile.

Emma rolled her eyes, and Regina gave her hand a playful squeeze under the table.

Emma dropped her fork on the plate the second the last bite was in her mouth. Regina gaped at her for a moment. "Did you even taste that?" she commented. She knew Emma could eat fast, but that was record speed, Regina was sure.

"Yup, delicious. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a break up to attend. See you at lunch?"

Regina smiled and nodded. "I'll text you when and where."

Emma grinned as she headed out the front door of the mansion. She couldn't remember ever being this happy about an impending break up, but she also couldn't remember a time where she was about to enter a relationship with so much potential for real happiness. Hook had told her she was his happy ending, but she knew in her heart she didn't feel the same.

Being with Regina, though, made her feel like maybe real happiness actually was possible, even for someone like her.

Either way, she was looking forward to finding out.

To Be Continued.