A/N: ***Trigger warning: brief mention of past sexual assault***
Chapter 7
"I should probably get going," Emma said sadly as she slowly detangled herself from Regina's arms, unwrapping herself from her blanket. She was exhausted and she could tell Regina was ready to go to sleep as well.
"Don't go," Regina said, her voice sounding so soft, with a hint of sadness. "I don't want you to go."
"I don't want to either, but the sun is already starting to rise, which means you need to get to bed soon before you get sick," Emma said, kissing Regina softly. "And I will not have you getting sick because you don't want to say goodbye to me," Emma added. She could tell Regina was already starting to feel the effects of the sun, even if she wouldn't admit it.
"What would you say if I asked…" Regina said, taking a deep breath before finishing her statement. "…if I asked you to stay over today?" Regina asked finally, her gaze shly fixed on the ground.
"You want me to stay over today?" Emma asked, a little shocked. "I've never stayed over before."
"I know…I just…I don't want you to leave. But you're right, I need to get to bed. I'm already starting to feel sick," Regina said. "I know it's a big step, so if you're not ready, I understand," Regina added.
"I am most definitely ready to spend the day, Regina. But I don't have anything to sleep in, and these jeans aren't very comfortable. Could I borrow a pair of pajamas?" Emma asked.
"Of course!" Regina said, springing into action to grab a pair of pajama pants and a T-shirt out of her dresser, handing them to Emma.
"Perfect. I'm just going to go pee and change and I'll meet you in bed. You need to lay down right away. I'll make sure everything is locked up before I join you," Emma said, kissing Regina softly before retreating to the bathroom to get ready for bed.
Regina quickly changed her clothes and crawled into bed, laying in the darkness her blackout curtains provided, listening for sounds of Emma emerging from the bathroom. She could hear Emma walking around, checking the door to make sure it was locked before pulling back the curtain ever so slightly and climbing into bed next to Regina, making sure the curtains were repositioned just right.
"Hey," Emma said in the darkness. "I can't see you." She chuckled.
"I can see you," Regina said, reaching out to cup Emma's face with her cold hands. "Vampires can see in the dark," she added.
"Nifty trick." Emma chuckled again before turning to her side to face toward the sound of Regina's voice. Regina shifted next to her as well, and suddenly her fleece blanket was being draped over her body. "Thanks," Emma whispered.
"I don't want you to get cold," Regina said, settling down next to Emma again, this time a little closer, her head resting over Emma's blanketed shoulder.
"You need to go to sleep," Emma said after a few minutes. "You're going to get sick."
"I know…" Regina said, losing her fight against a large yawn. "There's one thing I want to ask before I do…" Emma could tell she was nervous about something, so she stayed quiet and let Regina collect her thoughts. "Can you…hold me…?" Regina asked so quietly Emma almost didn't hear it.
"You never have to ask that," Emma said, pulling her arms out of her blanket and opening them to Regina. She didn't have to see her to know Regina had a wide smile on her face as she shifted into Emma's arms, her head pressed against Emma's chest. "Good day, Regina," Emma whispered as she held onto Regina as tight as she could, her hand instinctively rubbing Regina's back.
"Good night, Emma," Regina whispered sleepily. A few minutes later, Emma felt Regina's body relax in her arms and her breathing slow, indicating that she had fallen asleep.
"I love you, Regina," Emma whispered, kissing the top of Regina's head lightly, not wanting to wake her. "I just wish I was brave enough to tell you that when you're still awake," she added before yawning once more and closing her eyes, falling asleep a few minutes later.
Hours passed in the blink of an eye, and suddenly Regina was waking up as the sun set behind the horizon. But it wasn't the sunset that woke her up. It was the shivering body next to her. She immediately unwrapped herself from Emma's arms and tucked her blanket around her, attempting to warm her up.
"You went away…" Emma pouted, reaching out for Regina.
"You were shivering," Regina said sadly. "You need to warm up."
"I'm fine," Emma said, her voice still deep and hoarse from sleep. "Come back please," she pleaded.
"I'm too cold. You'll get sick," Regina said, her voice sounding sad again.
"I'll take a hot shower in a little while and warm up. I promise," Emma said, her arms opening wide for Regina to crawl back into them.
"Fine. But the moment you start shivering again, it's shower time, okay?" Regina asked. Emma nodded quickly as Regina shifted closer, Emma's arms wrapping around her as soon as she was next to her.
"I could get used to this," Emma said, planting a kiss on the top of Regina's head.
"I'm too cold, Emma. You were shivering when I woke up. What are we going to do in the winter when it's even colder?" Regina said, her voice sounding sad again.
"I'll wear an extra hoodie and two pairs of pants. I'll even wear gloves, a scarf and a hat if I need to. Because now that I have you in my arms, I'm never letting you go," Emma said, pulling Regina in for a sweet kiss.
"I guess I'd better get you a warmer blanket then." Regina chuckled.
As promised, once Emma started shivering again they got up for the night, Emma making her way to the bathroom to take a hot shower while Regina went out to get them something to eat, buying Human food for the first time in decades. By the time Regina returned from getting their meal, Emma was already out of the shower and dressed in the same clothes she wore yesterday, her long blonde hair wet against her back.
"I used your shampoo," Emma said as she greeted Regina at the door, followed by a deep kiss. "I hope you don't mind."
"Not even in the slightest." Regina chuckled, handing Emma a bag filled with a large sandwich and a bag of chips from the deli down the street.
They spent the night together, eating and snuggling on the couch, eventually finding themselves making out like they were a couple of horney teenages stealing kisses under the bleachers. Until about thirty minutes before sunrise, when Emma pulled away from Regina's lips.
"I need to go home. I have to work tomorrow night," Emma said, sadness in her voice.
"Okay…" Regina said, pouting slightly. Emma leaned down and kissed Regina's pout, causing her to smile widely.
"Maybe I should pack a bag next time I come over," Emma said, her face turning slightly red.
"Yes, please." Regina smiled, kissing Emma once more. A few moments later, Emma eventually pulled herself away from Regina long enough to find and put on her boots to prepare for her walk home.
"I'll see you soon," she said as Regina followed her to the door, kissing her softly before opening the door. "Good day, Regina." She planted one last kiss on Regina's lips.
"Good night, Emma," Regina said. Emma walked out of the apartment slowly, dragging her feet slightly as she started to walk down the hallway.
"Oh Emma, one more thing," Regina called from her doorway, causing Emma to stop dead in her tracks and spin around to face her, giving Regina her full attention.
"What's up?" Emma asked, taking a few steps closer to Regina.
"I love you too."
Weeks passed, and they quickly found themselves in a very comfortable routine. Emma would spend her nights off with Regina, sharing a meal and a cuddle on the couch until bedtime, where they would spend the day sleeping tangled up in each other. Before they knew it, Emma was spending almost every day with Regina, letting herself into Regina's apartment after she finished work.
Emma quietly let herself into Regina's apartment, happy to find that Regina had already gone to bed for the day. She gently climbed into bed to give Regina a soft kiss on the head before she settled into the couch a few feet away to work on her post-patrol reports. An hour later, she was finally finished and she was finally able to go to bed, the only place in the world she wanted to be. After brushing her teeth quickly, she changed into her pajamas, making sure to grab her oversized hoodie before finally crawling into bed with Regina, pulling her fleece blanket over her body. Before long, she was completely settled into bed with Regina in her arms, Regina moving closer to her in her sleep, as if her body instinctively knew that Emma was there. Another soft kiss on Regina's head and a very silent declaration of love, and Emma was sound asleep within minutes, Regina held tightly against her chest.
Life was perfect.
"Can I ask you a question?" Emma asked the following night as she laid in Regina's arms on the couch, an empty styrofoam box that once held her dinner sitting on the coffee table next to the empty mug of blood from Regina's meal.
"Of course," Regina said, squeezing her tighter.
"I read somewhere once, that if a Vampire bites you while you're having sex, it makes it even more intense. Is that true?"
"Yes. When a Vampire bites a Human, it creates a bond between the two that can last up to three hours before fading away. It's the bond that makes everything more intense between the Human and Vampire, not the bite itself." Regina explained.
"Can anyone do it? I mean, can any Human and Vampire pair create this bond?" Emma asked, curiosity in her voice.
"No, not everyone can create a bond with a Vampire. The bond can only occur if there is already an existing connection between them. Strangers can not experience this bond," Regina answered as Emma shifted slightly in her arms.
"What does it feel like? When you bond with a Human?" Emma asked curiously, looking up at Regina.
"I don't know. I've never bonded with a Human. You're the only Human I've ever been with."
"Since becoming a Vampire?" Emma asked.
"No. Ever," Regina said. Emma shot up and turned toward her suddenly.
"Regina, were you a virgin when you were turned?" Emma asked, immediately regretting the question. They haven't talked about Regina's Human life, nor have they discussed Regina's turning.
"Technically, no. But my virginity was not lost by choice," Regina said, her voice suddenly sounding sad
"Regina…were you…?" Emma started to say, stopping as the emotions got caught in her throat.
"My Sire, Robin. He has been pursuing me for months, but I wasn't interested in him, and each time I turned him down, it only caused him to try harder. One night, he broke into my house, and drugged me. I came to when I felt him bite me, and by then he was already violating me. He was trying to produce that same bond we were just talking about, but since I wasn't emotionally connected to him, it never worked. By the time he realized that it wasn't going to happen, he had already drained me to the point of no return. That was when he decided to turn me instead, hoping I would fall in love with him once I was like him, which of course never happened. He eventually grew tired of my repeated rejections and left me."
"Regina, I'm so sorry! I…I don't know what to say," Emma said, her heart breaking for Regina's experience. Tears were rushing down her face unbeknownst to her.
"It's okay. That was a literal lifetime ago. I've moved on." Regina smiled, wiping Emma's tears. "So, to answer your question, I don't know how it feels." Regina chuckled, trying to lighten the mood.
"Does the same thing happen when a Vampire bites another Vampire?" Emma asked, trying to change the subject away from Regina's unpleasant experience.
"Only if the two are mates. Otherwise, if a Vampire feeds from another Vampire, they will both become sick," Regina answered. Emma fell silent for a moment as she tried to process the information Regina had just given her, willing her anger toward Regina's Sire to dissipate.
"Would you ever consider biting me, the next time we have sex?" Emma asked after a few minutes, her voice sounding very nervous.
"Yes. I would very much like to try that with you. But only if you are absolutely positive," Regina said without even missing a beat. Emma smiled and settled back against Regina, her mind racing to thoughts of taking that next step with Regina.
Two hours later, Emma was naked in Regina's bed, Regina nestled between her legs, her cold tongue thrusting inside her as her thumb slowly rubbed circles around her throbbing clit. Emma's entire body tensed as her orgasm came rushing through her, causing her eyes to roll to the back of her head as she screamed Regina's name. Regina climbed back up her body, placing soft kisses along the way, her cold lips practically making Emma's warm skin sizzle. In the almost six months they have been together, Regina had become an expert on all things Emma, including all the spots on Emma's body that made her scream, and Emma's silent need to be held after climaxing while her body recovers from her orgasm. Regina laid down next to Emma, holding her girlfriend tight in her arms as her body continued to twitch slightly.
"Hey," Regina whispered, kissing Emma softly as her eyes slowly began to open again.
"Hey yourself," Emma answered, turning her head toward Regina.
"Are you ready for round two? Because I'm nowhere near done with you tonight." Regina smirked, her smile reaching all the way up to her lust-filled eyes.
"I'm always ready for you." Emma smiled, pulling Regina close, her lips crushing against Regina's.
"Would you like to wear it tonight, or shall I?" Regina asked, offering the deep purple feeldoe.
"Neither," Emma said, grabbing the toy and tossing it to the side, rolling onto her side to face Regina. "I only want you tonight." She smiled, guiding Regina's hand between her legs. Regina smiled as she slowly inserted a single finger into Emma's already soaked core, twisting it around slowly before inserting a second one, causing Emma to moan slightly. Emma reached down, pulling Regina's leg up a little, giving her more access to Regina, slowly inserting her own fingers to Regina's dripping core. Slowly, they began moving together, their thrusts matching perfectly.
"Regina…" Emma whispered, her voice filled with desire. "…bite me." She turned her head to the side, giving Regina's access to the soft skin of her neck.
"Are you sure?" Regina asked, stopping her movements suddenly to look Emma square in the eyes. "This is a huge step. Are you sure about this?"
"I've never been more sure of anything!" Emma answered as her green eyes locked with Regina's brown, letting her eyes express how sure she was about this next step.
"Stop me if I hurt you too much, or if you feel light headed," Regina said, her eyes fierce. "Promise me you'll stop me"
"I promise." Emma smiled, kissing Regina softly. "I trust you."
Regina smiled impossibly wide as she suddenly removed her fingers from inside Emma, pushing her to roll onto her back. She positioned herself over Emma, straddling her waist as she slowly reinserted her fingers, causing Emma's back to arch off the mattress. Emma's hand moved between their bodies, quickly finding Regina's core, continuing where she left off. Regina dipped down and softly kissed Emma as their bodies slowly started to move together once again.
After a few minutes, Regina slowly began to move to Emma's neck, leaving soft kisses along the way until she settled on the left side of Emma's neck. Regina could feel Emma's pulse as her blood pumped through the arteries in her neck. She placed another soft kiss on the side of Emma's neck before opening her mouth, the tips of her fangs gently pressing into Emma's skin. Regina hesitated for a moment until Emma nodded her head again as she wrapped her free hand around Regina's back to hold her close, silently giving Regina permission to bite. Regina bit down slowly, her fangs puncturing Emma's skin, her mouth filling slightly with Emma's warm blood. A pulse of energy shot through them like electricity the moment Regina swallowed Emma's blood, creating the very bond they were hoping to create. Regina stopped drinking the moment she felt the electricity shoot through them, not wanting to take more blood than was necessary out of respect for Emma.
Everything intensified from that moment on. Every touch, every kiss, every thrust sent shockwaves through their bodies. Regina's skin began to warm up, and for the first time in almost a hundred years, she was warm again.
Their hearts began to beat together as their bodies uniting, neither knowing where they ended and the other began. They climaxed together for the first time, their orgasm felt like fireworks exploding through their bodies, sending bright lights shooting across their closed eyes. Regina collapsed on top of Emma, her head falling into the crook of Emma's neck, their fingers still buried deep inside, the walls of their vaginas still quivering around them as they wrapped their free arms around each other to hold each other tight. The world could implode around them at that very moment and it wouldn't matter, because they were together in each other's arms, their bodies twitching slightly together.
"That was…" Emma whispered as she struggled to catch her breath.
"…extraordinary…" Regina answered, her voice hoarse from screaming.
"Hey, are you okay?" Emma asked suddenly, pressing her free hand against the skin of Regina's back. "You're warm."
"I've never been more perfect in my entire existence," Regina said into Emma's neck, unable to lift her head at the moment.
"No, seriously though. Your skin is warm. Like the same temperature as I am. You're never warm, Regina. Not even when we have sex. Are you alright?" Emma asked, panic rising in her voice.
"I'm perfect," Regina said, raising her head to meet Emma's gaze. Thick red tears ran down her face and dripped onto Emma's chest.
"Then why are you crying?" Emma asked, reaching up to wipe away Regina's tears, smearing her face with red.
"I've never felt this happy before, Emma. Never once in the hundred years I've been walking this earth have I ever felt this happy. Laying here, with your arms around me, bonded to you, I've never felt so complete. YOU make me feel complete. I can feel you inside me. But not your fingers. Your heart. I can feel your heart beating inside my chest. I can feel your lungs breathing as if they were my own lungs. It's as if your skin is my skin," Regina said, her voice quivering with emotions, as fresh tears ran down her face. "Can you feel it too, Emma? Please tell me you can feel it too."
"I can. I most certainly can," Emma said, her words getting caught in her throat. "That would explain why your skin is warm."
"Is it really warm?" Regina asked.
"As if we were the same temperature." Emma smiled, moving Regina's hand to press against her own stomach. "Do I feel hot?"
"No," Regina said, lifting her head in shock. "Emma, are you okay? You feel cold!"
"No, I don't feel cold, Regina. We're the same temperature." Emma smiled.
"We really do become one while bonded," Regina said, more tears threatening to spill out of her eyes.
"You're the only person on this planet that I would want to be bonded to," Emma whispered, kissing Regina's forehead.
"Have I told you how much I love you?" Regina asked, a stray tear escaping down her face.
"Every day." Emma smiled, wiping Regina's tear. "And more importantly, you show me even more."
"You too," Regina said, unable to say anything else without crying again.
"You said the bond lasts a couple hours right?" Emma asked after a few minutes, a devilish grin on her face.
"Yeah. It lasts longer the closer the couple is," Regina answered, lifting her head off Emma's chest, inspecting the look on Emma's face.
"Good, then we still have more time to have more literal mind-blowing sex before you have to drink more of my blood." Emma chuckled as she pushed Regina onto her back, straddling her waist. "What do you want me to do to you, Miss Mills?" Emma asked, her eyes sparkling with lust.
Hours later, Regina lay in Emma's arms once again, her head resting on Emma's chest, the soothing sound of Emma's heartbeat pounding against her ear. Her skin was gradually growing cooler as her bond with Emma slowly faded. She held on tighter knowing she would have to move to retrieve Emma's blanket soon once she started shivering from holding her too long.
"What's your favorite food?" Regina asked as she rubbed small circles around Emma's abdomen, savoring in the skin-to-skin contact they were sharing while it still lasted.
"Bacon cheeseburgers. Pizza. Oh and ravioli," Emma said, her stomach grumbling slightly. "What was yours…before…?" Emma asked, bringing up Regina's Human life for the first time.
"I don't remember," Regina said sadly. "It's been close to a hundred years since I last consumed real food. I don't even remember what food tastes like."
"I could try to describe it, if you want." Emma thought for a second. "Bacon is salty, and cheese can be creamy, depending on the type. I don't know how to describe the actual burger part," Emma said, straining to describe what a burger tastes like, but her postcoital brain was making it hard to focus.
"It's okay," Regina said, her voice still sounding sad.
"Do you miss it? Eating real food?" Emma asked.
"Yeah. A little. Sometimes your food smells so good, I wish I could just take a bite of it."
"What would happen if you did? If you ate just a little?" Emma asked.
"I would immediately become violently ill and start throwing up the moment the food hit my stomach. I tried to eat once, right after Robin left me. It was the worst experience of my entire Vampiric life," Regina answered, her voice still sounding very sad.
"I could stop bringing food with me when I come over. Or eat things that don't smell so strong so you not tortured by the yummy smell," Emma offered, squeezing Regina a little tighter.
"No, it's okay. I don't want you to stop eating your favorite foods because of me. I'm alright. Don't change because of me, please," Regina said, lifting her head to look at Emma.
"Okay." Emma smiled down at Regina, receiving a smile back from Regina before she returned her head to Emma's chest. "Can I ask you a personal question?" Emma asked after a few moments of silence.
"You can ask me anything, my love," Regina answered, reaching for Emma's hand, lacing their fingers together.
"Was your name always Regina Mills? Or did you change it when you became a Vampire?"
"Yes, it has always been Regina Mills." Regina smiled.
"What were you like…when you were still Human?"
"I don't remember much of it, to be honest. Other than how it ended," Regina said, her voice suddenly very low at the memory of her Human death. "I remember that I loved to read. I could spend hours devouring a book. I used to spend my weekends reading books cover to cover. The librarians of the local library used to laugh at me, because I would check out a book in the morning and return it by late afternoon, eager to start a new one." Regina started laughing at the memory, lightening her mood. "I was thirty-five when I was changed, and I was working as a teacher up until the end. There weren't many options for a single woman back then so that was all I could get. I lived in a small apartment with a coworker, another single woman. But she got married shortly before I disappeared, which is why it was so easy for my Sire to break in and drug me," Regina said, her voice sad once again.
"I bet you were a really great teacher," Emma said, trying to raise Regina's spirits again.
"I was!" Regina said, perking up again.
"I have a stupid question. Can you tell what blood type I am? What am I saying, of course you can," Emma said, laughing nervously at her stupid question.
"AB+," Regina said, not skipping a beat.
"Your favorite." Emma chuckled. She could feel Regina smile widen against the skin of her chest. They laid in each other's arms for a few more minutes until Emma broke the silence once again. "How do Vampires become mates?" she asked, her voice low and shy.
"Vampires need to share their blood to create their bond, which means they would need to feed from each other. But it needs to be done periodically and in small doses. If a Vampire feeds off another Vampire, they will both become very sick, so they need to feed in very small amounts to protect them from becoming ill. Over time, their bond is created. Once they are bonded, they are bonded for the rest of their lives, until one of them dies. The bond is better created between a Fledgling and their Sire, before the Fledgling has had their first feed. They are required to consume more of their mate's blood all at once, but since the Fledgling has never consumed blood, their stomachs are not as sensitive yet," Regina explained.
"Can a Vampire ever become mates with a Human?" Emma asked, her fingers dancing over the cool skin of Regina's back.
"No. No bond can be made between a Vampire and a Human, beyond what we just shared," Regina explained, with more sadness in her voice. "Can you stay over today?" Regina asked after a few moments of sad silence as her body began to detect the upcoming sunrise.
"Of course," Emma said, kissing Regina's forehead.
"Thank you," Regina said, climbing off Emma for a second to shut the thick curtains that surround her bed and cover Emma's naked body with her blanket before resuming her position against Emma's chest.