Thank you for the lovely feedback!

This is entirely fluff.

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Chapter 9: bottles up

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"UmMa," the toddler's sing song voice broke through her mother's sleep-addled brain.

"Five more minutes…" the blonde huffed in response.

"Up mMa." The little voice repeated more urgently.

"I can get her," a gentle deep voice offered from under her chin, causing Emma to pull herself further from unconsciousness.

"Nah, it's alright. If I get her a bottle and her tablet, I can buy us another 30 minutes. Possibly more, if I change her." Emma responded as she tried to sit up but realized the brunette was in the way, most of her body weight resting on top of the blonde.

It also didn't appear like the Queen was willing to move, despite her earlier offer. Instead an arm rose in the air from under the covers and with a flick of her wrist, Hope was changed and laying back in her portacrib with a bottle in her mouth and her tablet in her hands.

The tell tale sounds of her favorite show were missing though. "Um, I don't think it's worki…"

"I blocked the sound," Regina interrupted Emma's thought as if reading her mind. Then, before the blonde could speak further, her fingers settled on the sheriff's lips in a gesture of shushing. "Sleep now."

Emma smirked. It was obvious the brunette was no longer accustomed to early mornings with toddlers.

Deciding to enjoy the respite for as long as it was available, Emma burrowed back down into the pillow and the warmth offered by the blankets and the woman currently cuddled on top of her. She felt so content she drifted off into a half-asleep haze.

Almost an hour later she was abruptly woken from her slumber by an empty bottle to the head and a cackling toddler.

"Owww!" Emma yelped as she reached up to rub her forehead, wincing at the tenderness.

"Let me see," a sultry voice rasped as gentle hands coaxed her head down.

Emma hissed in pain as soft fingers pressed gently on the forming bruise. Pulling away, she glared at Regina, "That hurts!"

"Hush! Let me see." The Queen reached for Emma again, but the blonde swatted at her hands.

Reaching up herself, momentarily forgetting the sensitivity, Emma poked her forehead and hissed again. This earned another cackle from her daughter and an incredulous smirk from Regina.

Glowering at both of them, Emma pouted.

Gently grabbing Emma's hands and moving them away from her forehead, Regina bit her lower lip in an attempt not to laugh at the ridiculous blonde. Hushing her again, she reached up and cupped her hands around Emma's forehead sending healing magic into the reddened skin.

Emma sighed in relief as the pain dissipated.

"Better?" Regina asked and Emma nodded slowly in response. Gently running her thumb across Emma's forehead, she hummed gently, "It appears your daughter has quite an arm."

"No kidding. It probably won't surprise you how often she does that to me." Emma responded trying to hold onto her anger but finding it dissipating under the gentle touch being applied to her skin.

"Maybe I should partner with her to take down the next monster to visit our kingdom?" Regina teased, earning her a grumpy huff from the blonde.

Enjoying the response, the brunette continued the teasing. "What do you think, Hope?" She asked, glancing at the toddler standing up in the porta crib rocking back and forth while gripping the edge. "Want to help Aunty Regina fight the baddies?"

The toddler shot a toothy grin at her favorite person before cackling and dropping back down onto her bottom. Picking up her tablet she laid back down and was quickly sucked into whatever had continued playing on the device.

"Well, she seems to be as easily distracted as you are, so might not be that big of a change partnering with your daughter," Regina smirked, turning back to the blonde.

"Funny. I'll have you know that really hurt." Emma groaned. "What kind of bottle was that anyway? It felt like I got hit by a brick."

Regina tilted her head sideways as if contemplating something, and then bit her lip. Magicking the bottle to her hand she held it out to Emma with a sheepish look on her face.

"What?" Emma asked suspiciously as she reached out for the bottle. Lifting it she noticed the weight. "Wait! Is this… glass?"

Regina's cheeks pinkened. "In my defense, I was half asleep."

"So I did get hit with a brick." Emma groaned.

"Oh hush, big baby. It's not like I didn't heal you." Regina rolled her eyes. "You'll live."

"What about my pain and suffering?" Emma pouted her lower lip out, wanting to tease the brunette in kind.

"Fine," Regina huffed playfully. Leaning over, she brought her hands up, cradling Emma's face and tilted it down so she could better reach the blonde's forehead. She placed a gentle kiss where Emma had been hit by the bottle, lingering a little, before pulling away. "Is that better now?"

Emma nodded, her cheeks turning a rosy color. She didn't trust herself to speak as she found her gaze captured by the Queen's deep chocolate orbs.

Regina's hands still cupped her face and the brunette was slowly running her thumbs back and forth across Emma's reddened cheek bones.

Emma's heart was beating too fast and it felt like someone had turned the heat in the room up to sweltering, making it difficult to breath normally. She swallowed hard, unable to tear her gaze away.

She felt a tug in her gut, a pull to move towards the brunette. Finding no reason to resist, she began to lean forward. Somewhere in her mind she registered that Regina was simultaneously moving towards her.

They were closer now. Emma could feel the small puffs of air from Regina's parted lips brush across her own mouth. She could almost count the dark lashes framing those beautiful umber eyes.

Those pretty eyes that briefly glanced down to Emma's lips before rising back up coyly, making the sheriff's insides squirm.

Emma's eyes darted down to Regina's mouth, and watched as the tip of a pink tongue darted out and over a luscious bottom lip. The blonde stifled a groan. She felt her own lips part in response.

They moved forward together. Lips so close to touching, when a frantic knock caused them both to jump apart.

Emma clutched her chest, not appreciating the shock to her system. It took her a moment to register that the knock was not coming from the door. She looked around in confusion.

"It's my room," Regina explained, appearing as though she just realized herself what was happening. "I set a spell last night in case someone went there to find me."

Nodding in understanding but frowning at the interruption, Emma looked down at her hands. "You should probably… see what they want." Though the words came from her mouth, and while they might be true, there was no desire behind them.

"I… yes, I suppose… I should…"

Lifting her head at the lack of composure and mirrored lack of desire in Regina's stuttering (so unlike her Queen), Emma took in the brunette's face. She looked disappointed and … torn.

Emma tried to smile. "It's ok…"

"It's not!" Regina shook her head before exhaling deeply.

The knocking had not ceased, in fact it had become more insistent. Shaking her head in frustration, Regina reached up and cupped Emma's face with one hand. "For what it's worth, I am sorry and I wish I didn't have to go."

Emma nodded in understanding, tilting her head into the soft hand.

Regina leaned forward and gently kissed Emma's cheek before sitting back and sighing. Removing her hand. She flicked her wrist and was enveloped by her signature magic field, transporting herself to her room, or so Emma assumed

As soon as she left the knocking ceased. Emma threw herself back on the bed in frustration. Hands dragging down her face, she wondered, 'What the fuck just happened?'

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