Whatever This Is (Once Upon a Time; Regina/Emma)
TITLE: Whatever This Is
CHAPTER 20: Senses
FANDOM: Once Upon a Time
PAIRING: Swan Queen (Regina/Emma)
SPOILERS: AU from beginning of "The Cricket Game"
RATING: R
SUMMARY: She's so glad Emma has seemingly come to her senses.
*****
The door to her bedroom bangs open as they crash through it, and if she weren't fused to Emma by the lips, Regina thinks she would be a little more concerned about the integrity of her wall. But then they're falling onto the bed in a flurry of magic and passion and Regina decides she wouldn't care if the entire house fell apart around them.
Boots and pumps are hurriedly kicked aside and then Emma's sliding her up toward the pillows, crawling in on top of her. She settles in the cradle of her hips, just like that damned 'Never Have I Ever' debacle, only this time it's so much more wonderful.
She's so glad Emma has seemingly come to her senses.
The haze that swirls around them grows more vivid by the minute as their kisses grow more heated and desperate. Regina reaches for her and Emma pins her wrist down, sliding the palm of her hand up her wrist to her clenched fist. The lightest touch urges her hand open and their palms slide together, followed by their fingers, and the bright sparks of energy that leap between are pain and pleasure at the same time.
Regina struggles to breathe, her chest heaving against Emma's, whose focus has now gone to her shirt -- more specifically, to popping each tiny button from its mooring until Regina can feel a breeze against her skin.
It's hot and cold and there's a bluish haze swirling around her head when she looks up at Emma. This time, she's allowed to touch, and her fingertips ghost down the blonde's cheek before Emma looks up and grins at her, biting down on her lip.
Then Regina draws her in as she pushes herself up, her lips starving for another taste. When they meet it's like drinking nectar after a stint in the desert. Emma is sweet and strong and the taste goes right to Regina's head, to the point where she has to sink back against the pillows.
Everything twists and whirls around them and then Emma's peeling her own shirt away, crossing her arms over herself and pulling upward, flinging the pesky item aside when she's done. Her blonde hair tumbles around her face and shoulders - she hasn't curled it much this year but it still falls in unruly waves. Regina can't help reaching forward for another kiss.
This time, Emma's head knocks hers gently back against the pillow and their bodies slide together. The feel of denim on her bare leg feels wonderfully frustrating, and Regina reaches between them for the button on her jeans.
Emma pulls away with a chuckle. "Slow down there, where's the fire?"
She can't even begin to guess what that expression means, nor does she want to take the time to ask. She just huffs impatiently and Emma seems to indulge her, removing the confining article and flinging it onto the floor alongside her shirt. Then she goes to work on Regina's shirt, still resting open against her. She tugs at it until Regina sits up and then Emma's hands work their way under the shirt collar and down her arms, ridding her of the gray silk.
Her bra is the next item to go, and Emma struggles with the hooks for mere seconds before it opens and she pulls it away.
Then, they both stop. The enormity of what's happening seems to occur to them at the same time. Regina can even feel the magic between them slowing and stilling. She looks around to see whorls of violet and blue surrounding them, curling slowly around them as if waiting for passion to ignite again.
"Regina..." Emma breathes, and it's a labored sound. "I still have so many things I need to apologize to you for."
"I know," she murmurs. She's not about to let Emma off easy - so to speak - after what she's gone through, but for tonight? A moratorium on serious talk is in order. "We can talk about it in the morning."
"Okay," she nods, and reaches out to run a hand down Regina's sternum. "But you need to know how important this is to me. How important you are." Her eyes are bright blue in this light and they tell her everything she needs to know.
"I love you too," she answers without thinking, and then Emma swoops down, her lips insistent and hungry.
The magic kicks up again; the spinning in her head increases the longer and deeper the kiss gets. Her hands tangle in Emma's hair and run down her arms, cupping her breasts and teasing her until she can hear a soft giggle against her lips.
Emma's hands do a little wandering of their own; they start at Regina's neck and one fingertip traces downward, across her collarbone, the rest of her fingertips following as if they're traveling over braille. They find her heart and press inward hard; so hard that Regina wonders if Emma knows the heart-stealing trick.
Then her palm rests there and Regina can hear her own heartbeat as the kisses they exchange become fevered. Emma is panting against her and Regina places her hand over Emma's heart, their foreheads meeting.
Emma is sitting astride her now, both of them naked save for their underwear, foreheads connected and hands on one another's hearts. They breathe together and Regina steals a glance up at the blonde, gasping at what she sees.
Stars (or what looks like stars) - thousands of them, orbiting around them slowly as if they're in their own galaxy. Their magic is mixed within; nebulae of violet and blue, and streaks of gold cutting through. She's never seen magic like this. She doesn't even know how they're conjuring it. It hovers around them like a cloud; almost as if they've found themselves in a plume of fairy dust, but... somehow this feels more pure and elemental.
In this moment, right now, they're fire and water and air and earth and every element in the universe, crashing and combining. Emma kisses her again and Regina feels just everything -- Emma's in her heart and her bloodstream and nothing has ever been this intense.
Underwear is discarded and Regina pulls the covers over them, further enshrouding them in the universe they've created in her room. Their legs tangle together beneath the sheets as they roll on their sides facing one another. More kisses are exchanged, though these are lighter. She touches Emma's face and feels the blonde's hands in her hair, and their foreheads touch once again.
"Gotta admit," Emma drawls, "I kinda thought when this started that 'quick-and-dirty' was gonna be your thing."
Regina can't help the chuckle. "It usually is." She searches Emma's eyes. "But... this time--"
"You wanna make it last?" Off Regina's nod, Emma nods back. "Me too."
She kisses her again; it starts out slow and tender. Then the passion catches up with them once more and the kisses deepen; hunger consumes her and starts an ache, low in her belly and sliding down to pool between her legs.
She squirms against Emma and the blonde rolls on top of her, slipping a hand between them. It touches down right where she wants it to and Regina calls out, her head lolling back. Emma leaves a trail of hot, wet kisses down her neck as her hand begins to rub in a circular motion. Regina gasps with every tingle that rockets through her and writhes against Emma's hand. She can feel the blonde smiling against her throat before she nips her collarbone and slides her lips lower.
Regina lets out a strangled moan as Emma teases her breasts with flicks of the tongue followed by long licks and kisses. She feels her hand retreating and whimpers, trying to reach for one of Emma's wrists.
"Where's the fire?" she teases again, kissing from the bottom of her ribcage down to the slope of her stomach.
"Down there," Regina chuckles, though her voice comes out throaty and practically strangled with desire.
"Relax, I'll get there," she soothes, but it's a tortuous sound. After a beat, she chuckles, "Remember I've never done this before?"
Regina's still not entirely sure she believes her, but indulges her nonetheless, nodding her consent for Emma to take her time. And take her time she does. She slides her hands down Regina's legs and kisses the indentation leading in from each hip bone. And Regina can do nothing but whine and whimper and squirm, trying to shimmy herself around so Emma's lips reach their target.
Eventually, Emma must decide to put her out of her misery. Regina feels a kiss at her center and her legs fall open. Emma is tentative and unsure - so unlike her usual cocky, arrogant attitude. And though Regina feels like she is literally going to burst, she gives Emma time to adjust and become comfortable.
Then, everything hits her at once. Emma's tongue starts performing some sort of voodoo and Regina feels sparks all over her skin. Every kiss sends off a vibration that shudders through her bones and brings her to new levels of ecstasy. She calls the blonde's name, the shortened version coming out when desire chokes her. Her head tosses back and forth on the pillow as the occasional curse word escapes or as she vocalizes her agreement with Emma's ministrations.
She grabs a handful of the pillow and then the sheet, then Emma's hair as she gets closer and closer. Her muscles tighten and lock and she's so very close. She calls out to Emma and, for a moment she feels as though she's going to pass out when suddenly everything releases.
She twitches and shakes and swears again, Emma's name laced within every other word. Wave after wave hits her and she sees those thousands of starts bursting open and creating supernovas behind her closed eyelids.
Then it all starts to ebb away, receding like the tide as she sinks against the mattress, sated and sweaty. It takes a full minute for her to be able to take in a full breath of air, and she can feel the mattress dipping and shifting as Emma slides up to lie beside her, propped on one elbow.
She gives herself time to recover, closing her eyes and tilting her head toward Emma's kisses making their way across her shoulder. She hears herself sighing, happily, and smiling when Emma's hand tightens around her waist.
Then she flips the blonde onto her back, relishing the look of surprise and excitement she gets in return. Her eyes flash and Regina can't help the devilish grin. She can give as good as she gets, and it seems that Emma's a lot less uncertain about receiving as she is about giving.
Regina slides her lips down the center of Emma's body, venturing off here and there to lavish attention on her breasts, her navel and her hips. She tickles her fingers down Emma's leg and it seems that Emma is just as impatient as she. So she lifts her head and teases, "Where's the fire?"
But before Emma can respond, Regina dips her head between her legs and flicks her tongue against her. Emma gasps and jerks against her, tensing. Smiling, Regina kisses her gently and keeps going, giving her time to adjust. Before long, Emma is writhing against her, swearing when she hits a particular spot and occasionally lifting her hips.
Regina pins her down, enjoying the sounds she makes, even when her arm across Emma's hips conjures a frustrated growl.
Then it doesn't take long before Emma's flying; her hips raise sharply off the bed and her entire body stills and then shakes, loud cries escaping her mouth. Regina feels her fingers in her hair and smiles, waiting until she calms before she lifts her head and dusts kisses to Emma's inner thighs.
She looks up to see Emma's sweat-dusted chest heaving, her hand over her eyes. "God," she pants after a moment. "I think I saw stars."
Regina's heart skips briefly, wondering if Emma saw the exact same imagery and if that was part of whatever magic they've created, and slides up toward the pillows, blanketing Emma with her body. "Mine was like that too," she murmurs, kissing the blonde's neck.
Emma wraps a strong arm around her waist, hugging her tight for a moment before she turns them onto their sides, throwing a leg over Regina's hip. "As much as I wanna keep going, I think I might need to rest for a bit. That was too damn good."
Smirking, Regina leans in for a kiss. "Works for me."
*****
When she stirs again, the room is pitch black. A few errant sparks light up here and there - a quick flashbulb like a firefly; leftover remnants of their magic. She feels blindly beside her for Emma, and the sheets are cold.
Regina sits up sharply, looking around. Her sleep-addled mind disorients her and makes her question the events -- had all of that really happened? Or had it been nothing more than a spectacularly vivid dream?
Throwing the covers back, she reaches for the gray silk robe she keeps nearby and pulls it on, tying it around her. Given that she's naked, she's more inclined to believe that the events of the evening were, indeed, real. But still, one question remains -- where is Emma?
Did she panic and run back home? Was it too much for her and she had to sleep in another room?
She's almost to the door when she hears a metallic clatter coming from downstairs, followed by a distinct, sharply-whispered, "Shit! Shhhh."
Regina chuckles to herself, rolling her eyes, and quietly heads downstairs. She follows the noise to the kitchen, poking her head around the corner. Sure enough, there's Emma, swathed in Regina's silk blouse rifling through her freezer.
"Would you mind keeping it down?" she quips wryly, enjoying the way the blonde jumps and lets out a small shriek.
"Jesus!" She's got a spoon in her hand and the small pint of Regina's finest ice cream. She points to her with the spoon. "Don't do that!"
She chuckles, making her way over. "Then don't make so much noise." Pointing to the small container of ice cream, she arches a brow and asks, "And who said you could have that?"
Emma dips a spoon inside and takes a big bite, grinning around it. "I did."
Regina rolls her eyes, grabbing for a spoon. "Well, the least you could have done was wake me up so I could have some too."
"Didn't want to." Emma hops up on the counter and Regina eyes her position, considering shoving her off.
She refrains, inwardly deeming it a one-time allowance.
"You looked too peaceful, I just couldn't do it." Then, Emma begins to swing her legs, her heels periodically bashing into the cupboards, and Regina cringes at the sound, instead choosing to focus on the way the blonde brings out another spoonful of ice cream and flips the spoon upside down just as it gets to her mouth, grinning when she pulls it out. "Besides. I wanted the ice cream all to myself."
Regina glares, though it comes off as soft. She dips her own spoon inside the container and takes a bite of the caramel-swirl confection, savoring the smooth, cool taste as it slides down. "When I woke up and didn't see you, I thought you ran," she admits, voice quiet.
"I'm sorry," Emma apologizes. "I know that's all my fault. And that's one of the things I wanted to talk to you about earlier."
"Oh?" Regina dips her spoon in for more ice cream.
"Yeah." Emma swallows her spoonful. "Running is what I'm used to doing. It's how I can keep myself from getting close to people and, sorta, dealing with the aftermath of being close to someone." Looking up, she meets her eyes, and the sparkle in the moonlight. "I started attached to you and it scared the shit out of me. I wanted to be around you all the time, and I've never felt that way before. So I ran. And I'm sorry. That wasn't fair to you."
"It wasn't," Regina agrees, setting her spoon aside. "And it might take a bit of time for me to regain my trust in you."
Emma nods, legs still swinging away. "I know. I just... want you to know, that I'm done now. I don't wanna run from this." Reaching her leg out, she runs her toes along her thigh. "I wanna enjoy it, and I wanna love you." She smiles, the expression bashful under the silver light coming in through the windows. "I do love you."
Regina smiles back, a thousand watts, and slips between the blonde's legs as she leans up for a kiss. Emma is quick to kiss back, wrapping her legs around Regina to keep her close. And, as usual with the two of them, it doesn't take long for things to escalate.
Regina starts fumbling with the buttons on her silk blouse, opening it further to touch more of Emma. She can feel Emma smirking as she kisses her neck, teasing, "Are we really gonna do this here? Don't queens deserve a bed?"
"They do, but this queen is a tad impatient," Regina tells her, untying her robe and slipping it off her shoulders.
It falls onto the tile in a puddle of silk, she she looks up to meet Emma's appreciative stare. "God, you're gorgeous."
"Your seduction tactics are weak, Miss Swan," she teases, and pulls her in again.
*****
When Regina wakes for the final time, it's early afternoon. She and Emma thoroughly exhausted one another, several times in several different locations, until the sun began to rise. She sits up and begins to dress, remembering the way Emma had laid on top of her in the early morning, her blonde hair a curtain around them, lighting her like a sunburst.
Her muscles ache pleasantly and she hopes Emma is in a similar state of euphoria. When she reaches beside her, again the sheets are empty, only this time she suppresses the panic and dresses quickly, heading downstairs.
In the kitchen, she finds a single rose in a vase along with a note. Her heart flutters as she unfolds it:
Went home to change and get a little more sleep, then I'm coming back here. I'm not done making up for lost time.
-E
And Regina smiles to herself, giving the rose a sniff as she sighs aloud, "Thank God she came to her senses."
TBC
{x-posted to onceupon_fanfic and regina_emma}
CHAPTER 20: Senses
FANDOM: Once Upon a Time
PAIRING: Swan Queen (Regina/Emma)
SPOILERS: AU from beginning of "The Cricket Game"
RATING: R
SUMMARY: She's so glad Emma has seemingly come to her senses.
*****
The door to her bedroom bangs open as they crash through it, and if she weren't fused to Emma by the lips, Regina thinks she would be a little more concerned about the integrity of her wall. But then they're falling onto the bed in a flurry of magic and passion and Regina decides she wouldn't care if the entire house fell apart around them.
Boots and pumps are hurriedly kicked aside and then Emma's sliding her up toward the pillows, crawling in on top of her. She settles in the cradle of her hips, just like that damned 'Never Have I Ever' debacle, only this time it's so much more wonderful.
She's so glad Emma has seemingly come to her senses.
The haze that swirls around them grows more vivid by the minute as their kisses grow more heated and desperate. Regina reaches for her and Emma pins her wrist down, sliding the palm of her hand up her wrist to her clenched fist. The lightest touch urges her hand open and their palms slide together, followed by their fingers, and the bright sparks of energy that leap between are pain and pleasure at the same time.
Regina struggles to breathe, her chest heaving against Emma's, whose focus has now gone to her shirt -- more specifically, to popping each tiny button from its mooring until Regina can feel a breeze against her skin.
It's hot and cold and there's a bluish haze swirling around her head when she looks up at Emma. This time, she's allowed to touch, and her fingertips ghost down the blonde's cheek before Emma looks up and grins at her, biting down on her lip.
Then Regina draws her in as she pushes herself up, her lips starving for another taste. When they meet it's like drinking nectar after a stint in the desert. Emma is sweet and strong and the taste goes right to Regina's head, to the point where she has to sink back against the pillows.
Everything twists and whirls around them and then Emma's peeling her own shirt away, crossing her arms over herself and pulling upward, flinging the pesky item aside when she's done. Her blonde hair tumbles around her face and shoulders - she hasn't curled it much this year but it still falls in unruly waves. Regina can't help reaching forward for another kiss.
This time, Emma's head knocks hers gently back against the pillow and their bodies slide together. The feel of denim on her bare leg feels wonderfully frustrating, and Regina reaches between them for the button on her jeans.
Emma pulls away with a chuckle. "Slow down there, where's the fire?"
She can't even begin to guess what that expression means, nor does she want to take the time to ask. She just huffs impatiently and Emma seems to indulge her, removing the confining article and flinging it onto the floor alongside her shirt. Then she goes to work on Regina's shirt, still resting open against her. She tugs at it until Regina sits up and then Emma's hands work their way under the shirt collar and down her arms, ridding her of the gray silk.
Her bra is the next item to go, and Emma struggles with the hooks for mere seconds before it opens and she pulls it away.
Then, they both stop. The enormity of what's happening seems to occur to them at the same time. Regina can even feel the magic between them slowing and stilling. She looks around to see whorls of violet and blue surrounding them, curling slowly around them as if waiting for passion to ignite again.
"Regina..." Emma breathes, and it's a labored sound. "I still have so many things I need to apologize to you for."
"I know," she murmurs. She's not about to let Emma off easy - so to speak - after what she's gone through, but for tonight? A moratorium on serious talk is in order. "We can talk about it in the morning."
"Okay," she nods, and reaches out to run a hand down Regina's sternum. "But you need to know how important this is to me. How important you are." Her eyes are bright blue in this light and they tell her everything she needs to know.
"I love you too," she answers without thinking, and then Emma swoops down, her lips insistent and hungry.
The magic kicks up again; the spinning in her head increases the longer and deeper the kiss gets. Her hands tangle in Emma's hair and run down her arms, cupping her breasts and teasing her until she can hear a soft giggle against her lips.
Emma's hands do a little wandering of their own; they start at Regina's neck and one fingertip traces downward, across her collarbone, the rest of her fingertips following as if they're traveling over braille. They find her heart and press inward hard; so hard that Regina wonders if Emma knows the heart-stealing trick.
Then her palm rests there and Regina can hear her own heartbeat as the kisses they exchange become fevered. Emma is panting against her and Regina places her hand over Emma's heart, their foreheads meeting.
Emma is sitting astride her now, both of them naked save for their underwear, foreheads connected and hands on one another's hearts. They breathe together and Regina steals a glance up at the blonde, gasping at what she sees.
Stars (or what looks like stars) - thousands of them, orbiting around them slowly as if they're in their own galaxy. Their magic is mixed within; nebulae of violet and blue, and streaks of gold cutting through. She's never seen magic like this. She doesn't even know how they're conjuring it. It hovers around them like a cloud; almost as if they've found themselves in a plume of fairy dust, but... somehow this feels more pure and elemental.
In this moment, right now, they're fire and water and air and earth and every element in the universe, crashing and combining. Emma kisses her again and Regina feels just everything -- Emma's in her heart and her bloodstream and nothing has ever been this intense.
Underwear is discarded and Regina pulls the covers over them, further enshrouding them in the universe they've created in her room. Their legs tangle together beneath the sheets as they roll on their sides facing one another. More kisses are exchanged, though these are lighter. She touches Emma's face and feels the blonde's hands in her hair, and their foreheads touch once again.
"Gotta admit," Emma drawls, "I kinda thought when this started that 'quick-and-dirty' was gonna be your thing."
Regina can't help the chuckle. "It usually is." She searches Emma's eyes. "But... this time--"
"You wanna make it last?" Off Regina's nod, Emma nods back. "Me too."
She kisses her again; it starts out slow and tender. Then the passion catches up with them once more and the kisses deepen; hunger consumes her and starts an ache, low in her belly and sliding down to pool between her legs.
She squirms against Emma and the blonde rolls on top of her, slipping a hand between them. It touches down right where she wants it to and Regina calls out, her head lolling back. Emma leaves a trail of hot, wet kisses down her neck as her hand begins to rub in a circular motion. Regina gasps with every tingle that rockets through her and writhes against Emma's hand. She can feel the blonde smiling against her throat before she nips her collarbone and slides her lips lower.
Regina lets out a strangled moan as Emma teases her breasts with flicks of the tongue followed by long licks and kisses. She feels her hand retreating and whimpers, trying to reach for one of Emma's wrists.
"Where's the fire?" she teases again, kissing from the bottom of her ribcage down to the slope of her stomach.
"Down there," Regina chuckles, though her voice comes out throaty and practically strangled with desire.
"Relax, I'll get there," she soothes, but it's a tortuous sound. After a beat, she chuckles, "Remember I've never done this before?"
Regina's still not entirely sure she believes her, but indulges her nonetheless, nodding her consent for Emma to take her time. And take her time she does. She slides her hands down Regina's legs and kisses the indentation leading in from each hip bone. And Regina can do nothing but whine and whimper and squirm, trying to shimmy herself around so Emma's lips reach their target.
Eventually, Emma must decide to put her out of her misery. Regina feels a kiss at her center and her legs fall open. Emma is tentative and unsure - so unlike her usual cocky, arrogant attitude. And though Regina feels like she is literally going to burst, she gives Emma time to adjust and become comfortable.
Then, everything hits her at once. Emma's tongue starts performing some sort of voodoo and Regina feels sparks all over her skin. Every kiss sends off a vibration that shudders through her bones and brings her to new levels of ecstasy. She calls the blonde's name, the shortened version coming out when desire chokes her. Her head tosses back and forth on the pillow as the occasional curse word escapes or as she vocalizes her agreement with Emma's ministrations.
She grabs a handful of the pillow and then the sheet, then Emma's hair as she gets closer and closer. Her muscles tighten and lock and she's so very close. She calls out to Emma and, for a moment she feels as though she's going to pass out when suddenly everything releases.
She twitches and shakes and swears again, Emma's name laced within every other word. Wave after wave hits her and she sees those thousands of starts bursting open and creating supernovas behind her closed eyelids.
Then it all starts to ebb away, receding like the tide as she sinks against the mattress, sated and sweaty. It takes a full minute for her to be able to take in a full breath of air, and she can feel the mattress dipping and shifting as Emma slides up to lie beside her, propped on one elbow.
She gives herself time to recover, closing her eyes and tilting her head toward Emma's kisses making their way across her shoulder. She hears herself sighing, happily, and smiling when Emma's hand tightens around her waist.
Then she flips the blonde onto her back, relishing the look of surprise and excitement she gets in return. Her eyes flash and Regina can't help the devilish grin. She can give as good as she gets, and it seems that Emma's a lot less uncertain about receiving as she is about giving.
Regina slides her lips down the center of Emma's body, venturing off here and there to lavish attention on her breasts, her navel and her hips. She tickles her fingers down Emma's leg and it seems that Emma is just as impatient as she. So she lifts her head and teases, "Where's the fire?"
But before Emma can respond, Regina dips her head between her legs and flicks her tongue against her. Emma gasps and jerks against her, tensing. Smiling, Regina kisses her gently and keeps going, giving her time to adjust. Before long, Emma is writhing against her, swearing when she hits a particular spot and occasionally lifting her hips.
Regina pins her down, enjoying the sounds she makes, even when her arm across Emma's hips conjures a frustrated growl.
Then it doesn't take long before Emma's flying; her hips raise sharply off the bed and her entire body stills and then shakes, loud cries escaping her mouth. Regina feels her fingers in her hair and smiles, waiting until she calms before she lifts her head and dusts kisses to Emma's inner thighs.
She looks up to see Emma's sweat-dusted chest heaving, her hand over her eyes. "God," she pants after a moment. "I think I saw stars."
Regina's heart skips briefly, wondering if Emma saw the exact same imagery and if that was part of whatever magic they've created, and slides up toward the pillows, blanketing Emma with her body. "Mine was like that too," she murmurs, kissing the blonde's neck.
Emma wraps a strong arm around her waist, hugging her tight for a moment before she turns them onto their sides, throwing a leg over Regina's hip. "As much as I wanna keep going, I think I might need to rest for a bit. That was too damn good."
Smirking, Regina leans in for a kiss. "Works for me."
*****
When she stirs again, the room is pitch black. A few errant sparks light up here and there - a quick flashbulb like a firefly; leftover remnants of their magic. She feels blindly beside her for Emma, and the sheets are cold.
Regina sits up sharply, looking around. Her sleep-addled mind disorients her and makes her question the events -- had all of that really happened? Or had it been nothing more than a spectacularly vivid dream?
Throwing the covers back, she reaches for the gray silk robe she keeps nearby and pulls it on, tying it around her. Given that she's naked, she's more inclined to believe that the events of the evening were, indeed, real. But still, one question remains -- where is Emma?
Did she panic and run back home? Was it too much for her and she had to sleep in another room?
She's almost to the door when she hears a metallic clatter coming from downstairs, followed by a distinct, sharply-whispered, "Shit! Shhhh."
Regina chuckles to herself, rolling her eyes, and quietly heads downstairs. She follows the noise to the kitchen, poking her head around the corner. Sure enough, there's Emma, swathed in Regina's silk blouse rifling through her freezer.
"Would you mind keeping it down?" she quips wryly, enjoying the way the blonde jumps and lets out a small shriek.
"Jesus!" She's got a spoon in her hand and the small pint of Regina's finest ice cream. She points to her with the spoon. "Don't do that!"
She chuckles, making her way over. "Then don't make so much noise." Pointing to the small container of ice cream, she arches a brow and asks, "And who said you could have that?"
Emma dips a spoon inside and takes a big bite, grinning around it. "I did."
Regina rolls her eyes, grabbing for a spoon. "Well, the least you could have done was wake me up so I could have some too."
"Didn't want to." Emma hops up on the counter and Regina eyes her position, considering shoving her off.
She refrains, inwardly deeming it a one-time allowance.
"You looked too peaceful, I just couldn't do it." Then, Emma begins to swing her legs, her heels periodically bashing into the cupboards, and Regina cringes at the sound, instead choosing to focus on the way the blonde brings out another spoonful of ice cream and flips the spoon upside down just as it gets to her mouth, grinning when she pulls it out. "Besides. I wanted the ice cream all to myself."
Regina glares, though it comes off as soft. She dips her own spoon inside the container and takes a bite of the caramel-swirl confection, savoring the smooth, cool taste as it slides down. "When I woke up and didn't see you, I thought you ran," she admits, voice quiet.
"I'm sorry," Emma apologizes. "I know that's all my fault. And that's one of the things I wanted to talk to you about earlier."
"Oh?" Regina dips her spoon in for more ice cream.
"Yeah." Emma swallows her spoonful. "Running is what I'm used to doing. It's how I can keep myself from getting close to people and, sorta, dealing with the aftermath of being close to someone." Looking up, she meets her eyes, and the sparkle in the moonlight. "I started attached to you and it scared the shit out of me. I wanted to be around you all the time, and I've never felt that way before. So I ran. And I'm sorry. That wasn't fair to you."
"It wasn't," Regina agrees, setting her spoon aside. "And it might take a bit of time for me to regain my trust in you."
Emma nods, legs still swinging away. "I know. I just... want you to know, that I'm done now. I don't wanna run from this." Reaching her leg out, she runs her toes along her thigh. "I wanna enjoy it, and I wanna love you." She smiles, the expression bashful under the silver light coming in through the windows. "I do love you."
Regina smiles back, a thousand watts, and slips between the blonde's legs as she leans up for a kiss. Emma is quick to kiss back, wrapping her legs around Regina to keep her close. And, as usual with the two of them, it doesn't take long for things to escalate.
Regina starts fumbling with the buttons on her silk blouse, opening it further to touch more of Emma. She can feel Emma smirking as she kisses her neck, teasing, "Are we really gonna do this here? Don't queens deserve a bed?"
"They do, but this queen is a tad impatient," Regina tells her, untying her robe and slipping it off her shoulders.
It falls onto the tile in a puddle of silk, she she looks up to meet Emma's appreciative stare. "God, you're gorgeous."
"Your seduction tactics are weak, Miss Swan," she teases, and pulls her in again.
*****
When Regina wakes for the final time, it's early afternoon. She and Emma thoroughly exhausted one another, several times in several different locations, until the sun began to rise. She sits up and begins to dress, remembering the way Emma had laid on top of her in the early morning, her blonde hair a curtain around them, lighting her like a sunburst.
Her muscles ache pleasantly and she hopes Emma is in a similar state of euphoria. When she reaches beside her, again the sheets are empty, only this time she suppresses the panic and dresses quickly, heading downstairs.
In the kitchen, she finds a single rose in a vase along with a note. Her heart flutters as she unfolds it:
Went home to change and get a little more sleep, then I'm coming back here. I'm not done making up for lost time.
-E
And Regina smiles to herself, giving the rose a sniff as she sighs aloud, "Thank God she came to her senses."
TBC
{x-posted to onceupon_fanfic and regina_emma}