Chapter Eighteen
As it turned out, being friends with Regina was exactly what Emma needed. They pretty much had lunch everyday and had even also had breakfast multiple times.
The more time that she spent with her True Love, the better Emma felt about everything.
The future may still be hazier than she would have liked but it no longer felt quite as dire as they had before.
Her parents had even stopped telling her how evil the woman was at every possible opportunity. Granted, this meant that they didn't talk about her at all, but it was certainly an improvement.
There was one area that was not improving, however.
Growing a person outside of prison turned out to be more exhausting and Tamsin appeared to be unwilling to allow her to rest no matter what position she took.
Despite excusing herself from dinner early to attempt to catch up on sleep, it had already been an hour with very little success.
She'd already researched remedies for hours days before but none of them were viable with their current living arrangements nor did Tamsin accept any pillow available to them.
This led her to staring at the ceiling thinking about a certain hand on her bump. It would be awkward to ask but there was no doubt in Emma's tired mind that she was going to have to be the brave saviour that everyone thought she was.
With a huff, she threw her blanket off and took an extra second than she would have months ago to gain enough balance to find her jacket and boots.
She very nearly considered changing out of her PJs but thought back to Regina chewing the grilled cheese. If she truly would do anything then this shouldn't be a big deal.
She didn't give her parents or son a chance to see her bizarre outfit as she announced that she was going for a walk over the sounds of Henry's Playstation.
Her mind remained blank throughout the route towards Milfin Street. She was knocking at the door before she could change her mind.
She may see Regina Mills on a daily basis, but this was different, much more intimate even before Emma asked for what she wanted.
As the proceeding seconds flowed by, Emma's throat constricted as something hit her.
What was she going to do if Baron Samdi answered the door? What would she say to her True Love's boyfriend?
Thankfully the door opened to reveal the house's owner, alone.
If it wasn't for the jeans, Emma might have flashed back to the pristine mayor goading her until their lips crashed together and they went on to conceive a baby in the absence of magic.
If she allowed herself to recall that night, she was liable to become too distracted to tell her what she needed.
It was unfortunately a side effect of having a baby with an incredibly hot woman who she was not currently in a relationship with.
Fantasies were par for the course and not what she was here for.
Regina's gaze flicked down to the bump, stricken with concern, but her brow soon pinched upon also taking in the PJs underneath the patent red jacket.
"Emma? Is everything okay?" she asked.
Emma bit the inside of her cheek, waiting a moment or two as she covertly tilted her head in an effort to try and hear if there was anyone else in the mansion.
"I…can't sleep," Emma replied.
"It's 8pm," Regina pointed out and the saviour huffed.
"I haven't slept properly for a few days and it's your daughter's fault!" she exploded. Regina bit her lip in an attempt to hide her amusement and Emma deflated to add, "I've tried everything, I can't get comfortable."
"I see," Regina replied, "And how can I help with that?"
Emma scratched the back of her neck and brandished her phone like it would evidence her point.
"I found some…things to try but they take two people and I'm related to everyone I know well enough to ask…"
Regina nodded along until Emma unlocked her phone to show her what she was referring to. The former Evil Queen took the device to peruse the images with her brow pinched, making Emma hold her breath.
Finally, Regina put it down, not appearing as scandalised as Emma had envisioned.
"Perhaps you could join me for dinner first?" Regina asked, indicating inside the mansion.
Not thinking, Emma launched over to hug the other woman, holding her tightly to excuse her gratitude.
Regina returned the embrace until Emma ripped herself back, embarrassed despite what she'd already asked for.
The saviour cleared her throat and mumbled, "Sorry."
Regina cut her off by passing her palm over the bump as she said, "You have nothing to apologise for, darling."
If the woman hadn't turned on her heels at that exact moment, Emma may have pushed her against the wall and kissed her with all of her pent up passion.
Instead, she followed her towards the kitchen, suddenly hungry in a way that she hadn't been back at the loft.
After a delicious helping of lasagna, she then followed, more tentatively, upstairs.
It felt like an unexplored land even though she had been up here once before.
Things had been so different back then, she categorically disliked the woman she was quietly kissing up the stairs, trying not to disturb the boy who no longer slept in his home.
At the time, she had been unable to think about what she was doing, all she knew was that there were too many clothes separating her and the annoying mayor and that there was a simple solution to that.
The added weight making it more difficult to ascend each step was a stark reminder of how not simple things were now.
She couldn't bow to her primal desire to kiss Regina Mills without also giving into a profound commitment.
Instead, she got to the master bedroom and kicked off her boots, but Regina was already heading to the en suite.
"Make yourself comfortable, Emma," she said over her shoulder, "I'll join you in a few minutes."
Emma inclined her head, eyeing the soft duvet, but some invisible barrier kept her standing.
The scent of spiced apple was at its strongest in this room, so much so that it could have been considered overwhelming, but it was oddly the opposite.
It didn't feel impossible that this could be the place that she slept every night. Surely Tamsin would prefer a mansion over her grandparents' overcrowded loft?
As she thought this over, it gave Regina enough time to reappear, refreshed and wearing a matching grey silk PJ set.
Emma blinked at the image, quickly disregarding how domestic this should have felt as she asked, "You wear a suit to bed?"
Regina scowled, naturally laying down onto her own duvet, while she replied, "If I had known you were her to mock me.."
Emma rolled her eyes, a smile tugging at her mouth before it dropped and she crossed her arms.
"You should know, I'm only here to sleep. I'm not ready…"
"You have made yourself perfectly clear, Emma. Please just tell me what you want me to do?" Regina replied.
Emma cleared her throat and slowly slid beside the other woman, holding the bump as she did.
As if she recognised that she was attempting to sleep, Tamsin immediately began to do her little dance.
"If I face this way, can you kind of just…put your hand under…it?" Emma stammered, pointing lamely at her stomach.
Regina reached over to place her hand below the bump and asked, "Like this?"
Emma's throat dried so she could only nod in response and slip into a lying position, facing away from the mother of her child, though she found herself moving back to allow herself to be more easily spooned.
In complete opposition to the last time Regina had touched her for an extended period, Tamsin settled down, like she found the contact to be as comforting as her mother did.
If the saviour didn't know any better, she might have postulated that the unborn baby was systematically finding ways to bring her parents together.
"Is this right?" Regina asked.
Emma closed her eyes and replied, dreamily, being pulled into sleep much more quickly than she normally would, "It's perfect, Gina. Thank you."
S
Emma Swan was not the kind of person to remember dreams, not that she would put much stock in them if she did.
As she woke up the morning after asking her sort of friend/one night stand/True Love to spoon her, she found that it didn't matter.
Nothing her subconscious could conjure could compare to the sight that met her.
Evidently, she had twisted around in the middle of the night so that she was facing her bedmate.
Regina remained fast asleep, emitting soft sores that would go a long way to discrediting claims that she was still the Evil Queen, as did the protective hand that remained atop their future child despite the change of position.
Emma blinked, doing her best to fully wake up and determine that this was real.
Once she had, she shifted to allow herself even more proximity as she yawned widely and touched the hand on her stomach.
In the low light and blissful quiet, she was able to get her first real look at her True Love. There was none of the mayoral bluster, the inherent terror of seeing her under a sleeping curse or the withdrawn tiredness of the post-curse stable woman waiting for her family to willingly return to her.
Rather, she was peaceful and undeniably beautiful in a way that made Emma's heart clench.
Experimentally, she thought of what it would be like to call Regina Mills her girlfriend.
As her heart fluttered again, she was distracted by the morning twilight hitting Regina's face, illuminating and accentuating the scar on her forehead.
Unbidden, wetness sprang to the saviour's eyes, remembering what was supposed to be a celebratory day for the denizens of Storybrooke.
Regina had been so close to death and yet opted to fight a dragon to protect the woman carrying her child.
Things so easily could have gone another way, which made Emma Swan much more emotional than was warranted in her current condition.
Just as her finger twitch to touch either the scar on her arm or forehead, Regina's brow scrunched, a telltale sign that she was waking up.
Emma's eyes widened, realising that she had essentially been watching her sleep, but Regina didn't notice as she began the process of coming round.
During this, she removed her hand to stretch and Emma had to push aside her objections to this withdrawal of contact.
Her voice, laced with sleep (but still sounding unfairly hot), Regina asked, "Did it work?"
While trying to sit up, Emma almost hissed thinking that the other woman was referring to the exercise of imagining that they were a couple.
"What?" Emma choked.
Regina frowned and clarified, "Did you sleep well?"
"Oh yeah," Emma said, blushing, "It was great."
Regina stared a second longer so Emma was certain that she was not at all hiding her reaction to all of this.
She didn't comment on it, though, dragging her fingers through her mussied hair as she said, "That's good, would you like to stay for breakfast? I believe you have some time before Henry will wake…"
Regina was moving off the bed throughout the offer but halted as the softness hit Emma and she spontaneously burst into tears.
"What's wrong?" Regina rushed out, falling back to the saviour's side.
No matter how ridiculous she felt, Emma was unable to stem the flow, either of the tears or words, "You have to stop!"
Bewildered, Regina replied, "Stop what? Have I done something wrong?"
"No!" Emma exclaimed, "That's the problem!"
"I'm afraid I don't understand…"
"You give me everything I ask for without complaining no matter how unreasonable I'm being," Emma sobbed.
"You're allowed to be unreasonable," Regina tried to reassure.
"But it's not fair to you, it's not like we're together!"
"I can wait, Emma," Regina promised, "Even if it never happens."
"What about your boyfriend?" burst out of the saviour, "What are you going to tell him?"
Returning quickly to bewilderment, Regina demanded, "What are you talking about?"
"The guy from the stables!" Emma said, pointing vaguely in a random direction, "Mary Margaret said…"
"Your mother may be the least qualified person to discuss my love life," Regina cut her off, visibly angered, "Samdi is a friend who I admit to having been with once decades ago. Now, though, I believe that his wife would be quite upset by the insinuation."
Jealousy burned hot but fizzled quickly.
It was not fair to be upset that anyone else had been with her True Love, as long as it remained firmly in the past.
Unsurely, and feeling very much like an idiot, Emma asked, "So, you're single?"
"I don't see much point in dating when I know who my True Love is."
Emma bit her lip to prevent a spontaneous kiss of gratitude. Regina had already told her that she couldn't do this while she was vulnerable and she hardly appeared exactly stable right now with the random, hormone-induced tears.
Swallowing hard, she said, "I have another unreasonable request."
"Anything," Regina encouraged.
"I'm still not ready…yet," Emma stumbled, "But…you can't be with anyone else until I figure it out. I know that's…"
"Okay," Regina said.
"Okay?" Emma repeated in disbelief.
"You are giving me another child," Regina said, touching the bump again and doing wonders for Emma's nerves, "I will give you anything."
Emma sniffed, dragging her PJ sleeve across her face to try and dry it, "You know, you make it really hard not to kiss you when you say stuff like that?"
"Well, when you are ready, let me know?" Regina replied, that smile gracing her lips that was almost too dazzling to comprehend. What would she do if Tamsin could smile like that?
"I will," she said, her face officially burning crimson now.
"Would you like breakfast?" Regina urged, changing the subject.
"Sure," Emma sighed, sinking back into the pillow, already deciding that this couldn't be the last time that she would sleep in this bed.
Regina nodded, still grinning as she made to stand again, but a snap decision made Emma pull her back so that she could brush her lips against the other woman's cheek.
"Please, be patient?" Emma implored.
"I promise, I will," Regina replied, filling Emma with a foreign sensation: hope for the future.