a/n: Sorry for the delay in updates. Muses don't cooperate, then life gets in the way. :/ blah. Anyway... don't want to delay the update any longer with my drabble so here you are. Hope you enjoy and reviews would be lovely. :3
Chapter 8
Emma's consciousness began to tug at her, coaxing her from her slumber even though she objected and wished to stay in the peacefulness of dreams. It was when she became more aware of her surroundings that she noticed the presence of a weight upon her chest. Scrunching her brow, she began to move but immediately stopped as a sound of protest traveled to her ear and an arm snaked around her more. Opening her eyes she found that at some point during the night they had reversed their sleeping arrangements and she now found Regina's head nestled on her chest, body splayed half upon her with their legs entwined.
A small smile played on Emma's face as her heart warmed at the sight. No one got to see Regina like this, no one got to see the unguarded and vulnerable frailness of the fierce woman. And somewhere deep inside, she grew even more protective of the brunette, not to mention a bit selfish as well in wanting for it to always be her that Regina would hold to for that.
Emma moved a wisp of hair from the sleeping woman's face. "Now who's the clingy one?" She mused in a faint whisper, thinking the brunette still fast asleep.
"I am a queen, I don't cling." Came a mumbled sleepy response from Regina as she began to wake. Emma froze and waited, expecting the brunette woman to push away from her when she realized their current situation. But the woman made no effort to move from their intimate position and Emma took that as a good sign and began to relax tense muscles.
"Right, says the one wrapped around me like a koala." The blonde mumbled, letting out a small nervous chuckle.
"Shut up, Miss Swan, before I have the inclination to kick you out of this bed." Regina remarked but knew it was a hollow threat the moment the words left her lips. She had no intention of letting the blonde go at the present.
"Yes, your majesty." Regina noted the amused, sarcastic tone in the blonde's words and smirked as she moved to pinch her. "Ouch! okay, okay." Emma grumbled and squirmed before adding, "more like a lobster than a koala."
At that remark Regina lifted her head to glare at the blonde, while Emma tried to stifle her laugh. "Perhaps I should have ravished you then kicked you out of my bed last night like all the rest of them after all." Regina stated with a quirk of her brow.
The blonde's amusement died down as she looked at Regina with a tenderness that threw the brunette off. "Well, I'm glad you didn't. Then I wouldn't have been able to wake to this." Emma commented softly as she reached and caressed the woman's jaw. Lost in taking in every detail of the brunette's face, Emma wasn't aware until it was too late the inner thought that she soon let slip from her lips. "I could wake every morning to this face." It wasn't until she felt Regina tense under her touch that she realized what she had said aloud.
A shot of panic struck the brunette but she tried to remain in control. "Well…" She started before clearing her throat, desperately wishing to keep her nerves hidden. "Someone is presumptuous so early in the morning."
"Or just wishful thinking." Emma gave a casual shrug, knowing she had spooked the other woman with her confession and wished to take it back, but not because she didn't mean it. They lay there staring at each other in silence until the blonde cocked her head slightly, a small cheeky grin playing at the corner of her mouth. "Do you still wish to kick me from your bed, your majesty?"
Regina rolled her eyes at the title. "I have no intention of kicking you out." She stated in the midst of laying her head back down on Emma's chest, trying to hide the fear left in her eyes. She hated to admit it to herself, the vulnerability, but all she wished at that moment was actually to simply cling to the blonde and not let go for fear she would be alone. Luckily the more reasonable voice within decided to speak before the emotions became too much. "As much as it pains me to say, I'm quite comfortable and kicking you out would only lead to disturbing it. Besides… you… make a good pillow as well." She mumble the last bit in a faint whisper.
"So long as you're comfortable." Emma smiled as she brought her fingers to comb through Regina's hair as they lay there, repeating the process over and over. She soon felt the brunette's breathing slow and become even, signaling the woman had found sleep once more. Emma sighed contently as she closed her own eyes continuing the motions with her hand until she too fell back into a state of slumber.
When Emma woke again a bit later, she found her arms empty of the warm body that she had been holding. She slowly sat up and looked around the room to find everything quiet and still. Rubbing her face with her hands, she twisted around and dropped her legs over the side of the bed. She could smell the faint aroma of breakfast and her stomach growled. She patted her stomach before gradually getting to her feet and padding her way over to her bag to grab some things, then made her way into the bathroom to freshen up.
Downstairs, Regina and Henry were enjoying their breakfast of waffles, bacon, eggs, and fruit. "So, did you sleep well?" Henry asked as he was cutting up his waffle. Regina stabbed one of the pieces of melon on her plate and eyed her son at the question, knowing well it was more than just a normal inquiry. When she didn't answer him, he looked up and saw the look on her face which caused him to grin back before taking a bite of his waffle.
"It concerns me how devious you are becoming." His mother stated, flicking her brow up.
Henry just shrugged it off as he went for another bite of his waffle. "I guess I learned from the best." He gave her his own version of a smirk causing Regina to raise both brows in surprise. Times like that he did seem truly both equal parts of her and Emma.
"Something smells good." A voice came from the bottom of the stairs causing both Henry and Regina to turn and look as Emma came walking into the dining room all dressed for the day.
"Morning, mom!" Henry greeted the blonde with a smile.
Emma returned the smile as she walked over to him. "Morning, kiddo." She bent slightly to kiss him on his head, then sat in the empty seat next to him and across from Regina. Taking in the state of the table she noticed there were only the plates in front of the other two. She furrowed her brow a moment and casually glanced around wondering if she had missed something.
"If you wish to eat with us, perhaps next time you'll get up in time to not miss out on breakfast." Regina commented as she snapped off a piece of bacon into her mouth.
Emma looked up at her, mouth agape at the woman's accusation. Henry watched the two of them and started laughing. "She's messing with you. She put yours in the oven to keep it warm." The blonde glanced at her son, taking in his words, then returned her attention to the brunette to give her a playful glare. Regina just gave a small victorious smirk and flick of her brow before getting up and heading into the kitchen to get the other plate.
Feeling her phone go off in her pocket, Emma furrowed her brow and shifted to pull it out, wondering who was bothering her this early in the morning. Seeing her mother's name across the screen she immediately cringed when she saw the message below it. 'Just talked to Killian. WE NEED TO TALK!'
"Shit." Emma blurted out at she fixated on the screen.
"Miss Swan, language!" Regina reprimanded with a scowl toward the blonde as she stepped back into the room with her plate. Emma just groaned in response, continuing to stare at her phone.
"What's wrong, mom?" Henry asked as he tried to lean forward to look at her phone in interest.
When Emma didn't respond to either of them, Regina moved to set the plate down in front of the other woman and placed a gentle hand on her shoulder. "Emma, is everything alright?" Worry flashing across her eyes.
"Stupid pirate went and ran his mouth." The blonde mumbled in an almost whisper.
Hearing the mention of the pirate again, a hint of annoyance arose within Regina and she felt her sympathy sliding away. "I'm sorry, what? I don't quite speak babbling idiot." She stated with a cock of her head.
Emma shot a glare up at her but was met with a gentleness in the brunette's eyes toward her. "I think you enjoy calling me an idiot."
"Perhaps." Regina smirked and brought her hand to hold the woman's chin with her thumb and index finger. "Not your fault, dear, that you have a predisposition to be such with two idiots as parents. Just think of it as… charming." A playfulness flashed across her eyes as she released her gentle hold and moved back around the table to take her seat. "So what was it again that had you worked up?"
Emma shook her head to clear the slight trance she had found herself in from Regina's presence a moment before. "Uh…" She glanced back down at her phone. "My mom knows… about us."
Regina merely quirked her brow. "Well, so much for getting to see the expression on her face when she found out."
Henry gave a light chuckle at his mom while Emma sat there irritated. "It's not funny." She shot a quick glare at her son.
"No, it's not." Regina's agreement caused the boy to stop laughing and look at her. Emma took a sigh of relief, which was short lived as the brunette continued. "I really did wish to be there when she found out. I'm sure the expression on her face was quite priceless." Henry erupted in laughter again before covering his mouth as Regina's lip twitched, trying to hold back her own chuckle.
Emma rolled her eyes and gave up on dealing with the other two as she decided to dig into her breakfast and ignore them both.
Once Henry settled down from his giggling, he sat there silently looking back and forth between his two moms. "So… 'us' huh? That means you two really are…" Regina and Emma looked up slowly at one another and then to their son.
"That was sneaky what you did last night with the bag." Emma was the first to comment, jabbing her fork in his direction as she narrowed her eyes at him.
Henry just shrugged nonchalantly as he gathered up his plate and utensils. "I don't know what you're talking about." The boy stood from the table and headed into the kitchen to drop off his dirty dishes. "Gotta go! Bus will be here soon!" He called out as he snatched up his backpack at the door and headed out before his moms could say anything back.
"He's your son." Emma commented as she glanced over at the other woman.
"Oh, so now he's my son when he does something devious?" Regina quirked her brow.
"Well you are the one that always seemed to shove it in my face that you were the one who raised him." She flicked her own brow in teasing challenge.
Regina narrowed her eyes playfully. "And you're an ex-thief that was dating a pirate. So who's the bad influence here?" She questioned and received a rolling of the eyes from the blonde sitting across from her. "What, no comeback? Guess that makes me right again." She smirked with a twinkle in her eyes before going back to her breakfast. "So… what did this text say again, exactly?"
Emma picked her phone back up and swiped the screen to repeat is back to the other woman. "Just talked to Killian. WE NEED TO TALK!." She turned it around to show the brunette the capped letters.
Regina took the phone and looked the words over before shrugging and handing it back to the blonde. "Who's to say she is speaking of us?"
"Seriously?" Emma raised her brows in surprise. "So it's just coincidence that I break the news to Killian yesterday, of my feelings for you, and now I get this text from my mom?"
"We also have a psychotic ice queen on the loose and you are the sheriff. You have been avoiding them for two nights now, perhaps they have found something and need to discuss it further with you."
Emma glared at her suspiciously. "You're being awfully positive. Besides, you're the mayor so if it was something that important wouldn't they contact you too?"
Regina rolled her eyes and sighed. "It's called being reasonable. And someone has to be while you carry on about a text that could mean any number of things. This is Mary Margaret we're talking about."
"And if it is about us?"
The brunette shrugged off the question and leaned back in her chair casually. "This town is small, and your mother is...well, a secret keeper she is not. So I am sure by now, IF it is about us, it has spread thanks to your filthy pirate. You knew this was bound to happen."
Emma groaned, knowing Regina was right. She dropped her head to the table. "I know, but could I not have a freaking week? At least more than 24 hours with you to sort this all out?!"
"I could erase her memory." Regina suggested with a small smirk. Emma raised her head and gave the brunette a look that was anything but amused. "I was merely offering."
"Ugh you're so not helping." Emma fell back in her chair and folded her arms.
Regina sighed in her own irritation of the matter. "And what exactly is it you wish me to do, dear? You are a grown woman, not some child. You don't have to do whatever your mommy dearest tells you."
"Really, Regina?" Emma snapped giving the woman a half glare. "This coming from the woman that would bend over backwards and do things she knew were wrong, just for her mother's love and approval." Emma saw the brunette's nose flare and immediately regretted her words, knowing she was now about to get it. I really am an idiot.
"That was highly uncalled for, Miss Swan." And there goes the name. "You can kindly leave my home now if you wish to continue. I know my mother may have been anything but kind or rational. But she was MY mother! And YOUR mother killed her by using me to do it. So don't go throwing your anger for your mother knowing your little secret, my way. If you're so ashamed to be in love with me then get… out."
The blonde sat there in shock, not expecting that big of a backlash. Their perfect morning turned to shit in an instant, thanks to her mouth. She pondered a moment, and could do one of two things: snap back at the other woman, which would only do way more harm than good, or…
"No." Emma came back defiantly, sitting up more in her chair. It was Regina's turn now to be in shock. "I'm not leaving and I'm not ashamed to be in love with you. Never." The blonde continued, searching Regina's eyes as she paused in thought.
Regina remained cautious, watching the other woman with a cold stare as the blonde got up and walked around the table to come next to her. As Emma bent toward her, Regina stopped breathing, not knowing what to expect from the intrusion into her personal space. However, when soft lips met hers, she slowly closed her eyes as she felt the anger being pulled from her; Emma's hand feathered through her hair and to the nape of her neck.
"We are both hard headed and irrevocably stubborn individuals, and say things we don't mean when it becomes too much." Emma confessed as she released the brunette from the kiss and crouched down to meet Regina's eyes once more. "I am no where near ashamed. That isn't what I intended for you to think I meant. I made a low blow and I'm sorry. I just wanted us to figure this all out before this town took it upon itself to interfere with its own thoughts." She brushed the woman's cheek with her thumb before moving her hand from the woman's neck and rested it instead upon her arm, stroking it gently. "If you want me to still go, I will. But I want to make it clear that it is only because you asked me to, not because I want to." She looked down as she stilled her hand. "I don't want to force you into being with me if that isn't what you want. I know you've had enough of that in your life."
Emma swallowed her fear and steadied her breathing, on the verge of losing the little sanity she had left that was keeping her together. She had put herself out there once again and hoped not to fall face first. When she felt she was ready, she slowly looked up to focus on Regina's silky, chocolate orbs, glistening with silent tears.
Regina remained silent through it all as they simply regarded each other. She saw the fear of loss in the other woman's eyes, a fear she herself knew all too intimately. She carefully reached out to touch the blonde's cheek, catching the lone tear upon her thumb before it fell upon Emma's cheek. "Don't go."