Thanks for everyone who is sticking with this story, despite the infrequent updates. This chapter is just full of fluff. x

The next time Emma woke up she felt a million times better. She was also a million percent sure that she had been given an extreme amount of painkillers because she felt happier than she had in a long, long time.

"Gina." She slurred as she opened her eyes, grinning lazily as she saw the face peering down at her, dark eyes filled with relief.

"Good morning Emma." Regina said, rolling her eyes slightly at the glazed look in her green eyes. She was sure dealing with a drugged up Emma would prove to be... interesting.

"Good morning Emma." The blonde mimicked for no particular reason and then laughed loudly at her own antics.

Regina shook her head, trying to mask a smile.

"Ms Swan I am obligated to take you back to the hotel with me today and I'd appreciate it greatly if you could try and be a little sensible during our time together."

Emma blinked at her, the lazy smile stretching across her face. "I get to leave the hospital?"

"Yes. You're just on bed rest and oral medication so I was able to get you discharged." Regina replied, packing little containers of what Emma assumed to be her medication into a bag.

"Bed rest is boring." The blonde pouted, sitting up in bed.

"But necessary for a day or so." The doctor stated as she walked into the room, eyeing Emma.

"How are you feeling Ms Swan?" The doctor asked as she ran through a few quick tests which Emma happily complied with.

"Great!" Emma said enthusiastically. "'Gina is here!"

Regina tutted slightly at Emma's childish tone but couldn't keep the pleased look off her face.

The doctor shot Regina a knowing glance. "The medication she is on now is strong, she'll be a bit out of it for the first day and then the pills I've prescribed are more moderate." She explained to the brunette who nodded seriously.

"Just keep an eye on her today and make sure she takes her meds for the next week and she'll be okay."

"Of course." Regina replied, somewhat relieved to find out this silly behaviour would only be temporary.

"Any problems such as particularly painful headaches, hazy vision or delayed speech then she'll have to be back here straight away." The doctor continued, passing over the release forms to be signed.

"Right." Regina replied, signing the forms quickly and handing them back. "Thank you for all your help doctor." She smiled and the doctor nodded, smiling back.

"You're welcome. Goodbye Emma, take care." She said as she briskly exited the room.

"Bye doctor." Emma replied cheerfully, before turning and staring at Regina's face as if awestruck.

"What?" Regina asked with a frown.

"How comes she let you sign the papers? Because you're pretty?" The blonde asked Regina, clambering out of bed and glancing down disdainfully at the short hospital gown she had been placed in.

Regina dragged her eyes away from Emma's exposed legs as she answered. "There may be a chance... She ahem, believes me to be your significant other."

"'Gina!" Emma rebuked playfully, pulling her legs into tight jeans.

"To be fair I didn't even plan for that to happen, they just came in and assumed I was, and I didn't correct them because I thought it would come in useful for them to release you to me." Emma began to swing the hospital gown off her bra-less body unabashedly as Regina spoke and the brunette's eyes widened before she forced herself to turn away.

"Weird assumption to make." Emma muttered after pulling on a tank top and then slipping into the adjoining bathroom to brush her teeth.

"Were you trying to true loves kiss me better or something?" She asked through a mouthful of toothpaste when Regina was silent for a few moments too long.

Regina rolled her eyes. "No Ms Swan I was not."

Emma finished in the bathroom and came back out to Regina, appraising her slightly dishevelled appearance and dark circles under her eyes.

"'Gina have you been staying here the whole time?" Emma asked, blinking at the brunette who fidgeted awkwardly before nodding.

"And how long have I been here?" Emma asked, realising she had no idea. She remembered being awake a few times but couldn't tell if it was over one day or longer.

"Three days two nights." Regina replied and Emma stared at her.

"It doesn't feel like... God you stayed here for that long?"

Regina nodded wordlessly again and Emma gaped at her, before throwing herself in Regina's arms.

"I love you 'Gina." She mumbled happily when arms curled around her protectively, holding her in Regina's embrace.

"That's the drugs talking dear." Regina replied; sounding moved nonetheless.

"'S still true." Emma replied earnestly, slipping her hand into the brunette's after they parted from the lengthy hug and allowing her to lead her out of the hospital.

Drugged up Emma was incredibly interesting. It seemed she had no inhibitions and no filter and would not let go of Regina's hand for the whole cab ride to the hotel. Which... Regina didn't exactly hate.

(She didn't oppose to Emma telling the cab driver Regina was the most beautiful woman she had ever met either, though she had rolled her eyes accordingly and hidden her flushed cheeks from view.)

When they made it to the suite Regina tried to guide an excited Emma straight to bed but the blonde resisted.

"'Gina I haven't showered in 4 days." She whined, dragging her feet towards the bathroom.

Regina paused. "No Emma, wait one more day until this medication wears off. You're too unsteady on your feet."

"No 'Gina." Emma frowned. "I need to shower so I don't smell and can do what I want in the bed."

Regina's eyebrow rose. "And what is it you want to do in the bed, other than sleep?"

"Need to cuddle with someone." Emma replied absentmindedly, while pulling her tank top over her head.

"Emma." Regina rebuked, averting her eyes from the sight of the blonde's toned abdomen and white bra.

"Oops." Emma chuckled, wobbling over to the bathroom.

"Emma you don't need to shower." Regina said quickly. "I'll... I don't mind cuddling with you like this." She said, her words surprising even herself as her heartbeat sped up slightly.

Emma ignored her and seconds later she heard the sound of the water being turned on.

"Oh for Gods.." Regina grabbed a chair from the table, barging into the bathroom, past a confused looking Emma standing by the shower in her underwear and placing the chair in the shower.

"If you're going to shower sit on that." Regina demanded, grabbing a towel and placing it on top of the toilet. "If you feel like you're going to fall over call me straight away. You have 5 minutes." She stared at a point directly above Emma's head as she spoke and Emma nodded seriously, hearing the severity of her tone.

"Okay 'Gina. Love you."

"Yes... Well. Have a nice shower." The flustered brunette fled the bathroom, squeezing her eyes shut and wondering when it was exactly Emma started having such an effect on her.

Emma sat down on the seat Regina had placed in the shower, her head spinning. She felt drunker than she had felt on her drunkest and she was battling with a part of her that desperately wanted to call Regina and pretend she needed help just to get her in the shower with her.

Regina won't cuddle with you if you do that. She told herself sternly.

She began humming softly as she washed her hair with an expensive looking shampoo, before pushing herself onto her feet with great effort, and tying a towel around her body with even more difficulty.

"Regina!" She called cheerfully, standing in the middle of the bathroom with her hair dripping on the floor.

The brunette rushed into the bathroom. "What happened?" She asked quickly and Emma pointed sombrely to the puddle forming by her feet.

"My hairs wet." She mumbled and Regina sighed, but it sounded more affectionate than annoyed.

Regina took a towel and began towel drying the wild tangle of blonde curls, running her fingers through it lightly and causing Emma to shiver.

When the hair was damp but no longer dripping, Regina directed Emma to the bedroom.

"Put on your pyjamas and call me when you're done okay?" She said in the stern but affectionate way she hadn't spoken to anyone since Henry was young.

"Kay." Emma said obediently, wandering off to the bedroom after patting Regina's cheek once and receiving an eye-roll in response.

When the blonde had not called after 20 minutes, a bemused Regina knocked on the door where she was sure she could hear Emma chattering happily to herself.

"Come in." Emma called, and Regina walked in to find Emma sprawled across the bed in shorts and a tank top on the wrong way round with the hotel phone pressed to her ear.

"...no I don't care what food it is I just want Jordan to bring it." The blonde was saying angrily down the phone and Regina frowned.

"Fine Mac n Cheese! Mac n cheese and Jordan!"

"Who's Jordan?" Regina asked from the doorway, raising an eyebrow.

Emma put down the phone and blinked up at Regina, who had also changed into her pyjamas and pulled her hair up into a ponytail.

"You're so pretty..." She mumbled, and Regina's cheeks heated.

"Jordan?" The brunette prompted.

"My friend! He works here and told me to ask you out." Emma replied happily, patting the space beside her on the bed.

Regina stared at her silently for a moment. "You have a friend who works here? And this friend randomly told you to ask me out?" She blinked at the blonde, unsure the extent to which this was the drugs talking.

Emma started laughing, covering her mouth with her hand. "Oops, wasn't supposed to tell you that, it's a secret."

"Oh Emma." Regina replied with a playful eye-roll, deciding it most definitely was the drugs speaking. "Time to sleep this off."

"I'm not tired." Emma replied though her body was already sinking into the bed.

"Emma." Regina said warningly in a tone usually used for a petulant child.

"Okay okay." Emma grinned before yawning audibly. "Come cuddle."

Regina bit her bottom lip. "Emma I don't know if-

Emma leapt up from the bed, grabbing Regina's hand and pulling her towards the bed.

"Please?" She whispered, gazing into her eyes.

"Fine, but I'll remind you of this tomorrow when you're upset about me randomly being in your bed." Regina sighed, allowing Emma to pull her into the soft bed.

"Upset?" Emma laughed heartily. "That sounds unlikely."

Regina harrumphed and lay on one side of the bed, not really sure what to do with her body.

"Big spoon or little spoon?" Emma asked, rolling over to Regina's side of the bed till they were face to face, sharing a pillow.

Regina blinked. "Whatever you want." She answered a little unsteadily.

"I want you to be a little spoon." Emma answered and Regina relented and turned her body around.

Emma shifted a little closer to the brunette till her hips were pressed around the curve of Regina's ass. Their legs pressed together and Emma slipped her arms tightly around the brunette, her face nuzzling into the nape of her neck.

"I think this is my new favourite place in the whole world." Emma whispered, her lips moving against the soft skin of her neck.

Regina said nothing. She could say nothing. She felt like every fibre of her being was alight and she had to use every ounce of her self-control to not moan at the sensation of Emma's lips moving against her neck.

Emma shifted her body to get comfortable and her breasts were pressed firmly against Regina's back. Arousal pulsed through her body and straight between her legs. No-one had ever had such an effect on her from simple cuddling, not even her soulmate Robin.

"Love you." Emma whispered into her hair and Regina squeezed her eyes shut, praying for sleep which she was sure would elude her.

Emma woke up lucid. She also woke up with the perfect ass she had admired time after time pressed firmly against her groin.

"Oh my God." She muttered to herself as the hazy memories from the day before began to re-emerge.

Her arms were wrapped tightly around Regina's middle and her hands had slipped under the brunette's pyjama shirt during the night so her palms were pressed against the soft skin of her stomach.

Emma's eyes widened at the position they were curled up in and she slowly began withdrawing her hands, trying her hardest not to wake the brunette.

"Em... Stay." Regina muttered in a voice that was clearly half asleep and Emma froze, her heart pounding wildly.

She remembered demanding that Regina cuddled with her and so immediately assumed the brunette had complied just to get her to go to sleep and probably hated it. But maybe... Maybe Regina liked it too. The way their bodies wrapped around each other's was so perfect and fitting and despite a certain amount of lust she was trying hard to ignore, Emma felt comfortable and at ease and right holding Regina in her arms.

"You... Want me to stay?" Emma whispered in the brunette's ear.

"Mmm." She murmured in response and Emma wound her arms around her once again, nuzzling back into her and closing her eyes.

The next time Emma woke she immediately felt the loss of Regina's body pressed flush against hers. She opened her eyes slowly, expecting to find an empty bed but Regina was right beside her, facing her, watching her, and the brunette instantly startled when she was caught staring.

"Morning." Emma croaked and then cleared her throat in embarrassment.

Regina was too busy looking embarrassed herself to notice anything and she lifted her palm, pressing it against Emma's forehead.

"How are you feeling?" Regina asked in a husky morning voice which immediately sent heat between Emma's legs.

"It hurts a bit but not terribly." Emma answered, eyes roaming across Regina's face and mussed hair and swallowing thickly at the unadulterated beauty of the woman before her.

Regina sat up, grabbing a bottle of water and a couple of pills and passing them to Emma.

"Will these make me go loopy again?" Emma asked suspiciously, taking the pills and chugging them down with the water.

"No, these are just moderate painkillers." Regina answered, and then she hesitated. "So.. Do you remember yesterday?"

Emma nodded glumly. "Yeah I'm sorry, I'm such a dork making you cuddle me and all that."

Regina smoothed down her hair, looking a little flustered. "Well you didn't make me. I chose to comply with your wishes."

Emma blinked at her. "That was very nice of you, considering you probably didn't want to..."

Regina gazed into emerald eyes for a short moment, as if searching for something. "I didn't mind." She said finally.

Emma felt like that statement was more weighted than it sounded, but she couldn't quite figure out what Regina was trying to say.

"You didn't mind?" She repeated, gawping at the brunette.

"No... It wasn't bad." Regina said, sounding more vulnerable than Emma had ever seen her.

"So you're saying you liked it?" Emma confirmed, her lips twisting into a tiny smile.

"I said it wasn't bad." Regina repeated firmly, looking away.

"So is it something you wouldn't mind doing again?" Emma asked slowly, trying to push down the hope that was soaring through her.

Regina's eyes flickered up to hers and then quickly away. "Maybe." She finally allowed, still looking embarrassed.

Emma chuckled, slipping her hand into Regina's and holding it tightly.

"I would like that." Emma said earnestly, and Regina nodded quickly, heat finding its way to her cheeks.

"I was curious about something you said yesterday." Regina began, and Emma frowned at the sudden change in subject.

"Yes?" She asked.

"You were talking about a friend called Jordan?" Regina began and Emma laughed.

"Yes! Jordan the employee who hit on you. We made friends while I was waiting for you the other day." The blonde chuckled at the absurdity of that situation, but Regina was unsurprised. Emma was incredibly likeable in an odd sort of way, and people were usually drawn to her.

"Right..." Regina said, rolling her eyes slightly. "But you said... You said he told you to ask me out. Which… It seems a bit peculiar... Especially considering he hit on me." Regina trailed off as Emma froze, having completely forgotten about divulging that part of the story.

"I said that?" Emma muttered, chewing on her bottom lip.

Regina nodded, eyes roaming across a suddenly embarrassed looking face.

"Why would he tell you to do that?" Regina probed when Emma remained quiet.

Emma chuckled nervously. "I was just telling him about how great you are and he seemed to think that meant I should ask you out... Crazy guy." She shifted awkwardly, not making eye contact with Regina who was watching her carefully, a searching looking in her eyes.

"What did you say?" Regina asked quietly, folding her arms across her chest, clearly expecting the worst.

"I said the truth..." Emma replied quickly. "If I did ask you out, you would say no and it would make our friendship awkward..." She trailed off, eyes searching russet for confirmation.

"I see." Regina answered. "And would it not have been easier to just say that you didn't want to be with me romantically?"

"Maybe." Emma conceded. "If that..." If that were true. She thought, but just shook her head instead.

"And how exactly do you know what I would say?" Regina went on, her eyes narrowing.

"What?" Emma asked, startled at the anger in Regina's tone. "I know you don't like me like that, it's..." Emma chuckled self-deprecatingly. "You're out of my league."

Regina stared at her as if she was the stupidest thing she had ever seen. "You really don't see yourself clearly Ms. Swan." She answered, deeming their conversation over and sliding out of the bed.

Emma watched her leave, taking with her all the warmth from the bed. "Maybe not." She said quietly. "But I see you clearly; you deserve the whole world and nothing less."

Regina stared at the woman before her. The woman who had woken up wrapped around her like a monkey with blonde curls flying everywhere. The most impressive, strong, beautiful woman she had ever met, who treated Regina so much better than she deserved.

The woman Regina could no longer see her life without.

Regina edged back onto the bed, taking a soft palm into her own once again, and watching the long fingers immediately entwine with hers.

"But Emma what you don't see is," Regina began softly, her spare hand brushing across a pale cheek. "To me you are the whole world. You and Henry, my family."

Emma stared at her incomprehensibly.

"What are you saying?" She whispered, heart pounding erratically at the soft way Regina was looking at her, like she was indeed the whole world.

"Emma Swan you're an idiot." Regina said with an eye-roll, and before she could retort, Regina had slid closer to her on the bed, pressing their lips together in the softest, sweetest kiss Emma had ever experienced.

It was in complete contrast to the hot and heady way the Queen had kissed her, but the moment felt more intimate, more raw and full of emotion.

"Oh." She murmured as Regina stood up from the bed, beginning to tug clothes out of the closet like nothing out of the ordinary had just happened.

Emma opened her mouth to speak and then closed it. Regina's lips were soft and warm against hers and although the kiss was tentative, chaste almost, she felt the whole world shift beneath her feet.

She stood shakily from the bed, walking to stand behind the brunette who had stilted in her movements as Emma wound her arms around her.

"I shouldn't have..." Regina began but Emma shook her head slowly.

"Don't say you regret it already Regina, let me have this." Emma interrupted, and the brunette turned around slowly to gaze at her.

"Why do you want this?" Regina questioned her voice and eyes full of vulnerability.

"I think I've made it pretty clear how I feel about you." Emma responded casually, staring deeply into russet hues.

"Emma..." Regina responded softly.

Emma's lips tilted up into a small smile which she hoped conveyed all the reassurance and adoration Regina would need.

"Emma." Regina repeated. "I want... But this, it... We can't. I'm sorry." Regina broke away from the blonde, grabbing her clothes and fleeing to the bathroom.

Emma heard the sound of the lock turning and felt the familiar drop in her stomach. The feeling she got whenever she was pushed away, not wanted, not good enough. The sting and burn of rejection.