I just really wanted a fic where Emma played piano (played this song. I know it's been overdone, but I swear this song was written for SwanQueen!) and a clingy Regina with a hug involved. I think I overdid it, but hey! I hope you guys like it :) Also, kudos to anyone who gets my references! Happy reading! The song is All Of Me by John Legend, thank you to DanielleSmileyFace for saying I should mention that :)
Emma wandered into the hidden room at the back of the hall. Regina had left her a key to get into any of the locked rooms and this was the last one she had to explore. She couldn't help but get that fluttery feeling in her stomach again. Delight and dread running through her. Every room so far had been simply another bedroom, or a storage room, that had been locked to preserve heating but Emma could tell this room had been used more than others.
The handle was slightly worn and there were several scratches by the keyhole. Secretly she was hoping for some torture chamber or an incredible throne room- something ridiculous that she knew couldn't possibly exist in Regina's house.
But still. It was the child within her.
She shakily unlocked the door and found herself holding her breath as it creaked open. Emma slipped in and closed the door behind her, feeling for a light switch. The room was pitch black and it was only adding to her anticipation.
"Found it!" Emma exclaimed in a whisper to herself as she felt the light switch on the wall. She clicked it and couldn't help the gasp that followed.
It had not been what she was expecting at all, and yet it made perfect sense. It was something so Regina, and so perfect... it was beautiful.
A music room.
Electric and acoustic guitars lined the room, a cello in the corner and a violin hanging from the wall. What Emma found the most perfect though was the black grand piano perfectly placed in the corner of the room.
She tiptoed over and lightly ran her hand over the keys, shuddering at how wonderfully smooth the instrument was.
Ever since she was a little girl Emma had wanted one. She had only ever seen these pianos on TV and once in a shop window- but she had been shooed out before she could even touch it. Every foster home and orphanage had had some form of piano. Be that a breaking Yamaha with four keys missing, a flashy keyboard or a child's plastic one. Emma had used them all, anything for an escape.
She'd learnt the classics- one of her foster parents had paid for piano lessons for her. She'd learnt chords and scales, sheet music and ear playing.
She adored playing.
Emma bit her looked and looked round nervously. No one noticed when she practised before, but she still hated playing when people listened. It made her nervous and she would mess up- and that would always end in relentless teasing or shouts that she wasn't good enough.
She hovered for a moment, just admiring the piano, gazing at it's beauty, before she finally sat at the stool. Emma ran her fingers lightly over the keys before she finally played a scale.
And another, and another.
It only took a few minutes before she finally felt the music flow through her, and that she could finally play the way she had used to.
She chose a simple melody, and then moved on to something more complex. Her fingers danced over the keys as though they'd finally found their home, with Emma humming along with them, completely lost in her own little world of Mozart.
When the notes finished Emma took a deep breath and her face broke into a massive grin. She hadn't felt this good in a long time. It was perfect. She vowed to move into this room whenever Regina or Henry wasn't around. The piano was her solace no matter what.
She pulled her iPod out and opened up her new playlist of songs she had yet to figure out how to play. Emma gasped at the first one, amazed at how perfect it fit her new life.
Figuring it out came much easier than she expected, and she played and played. She edited the initial chords and added a few arpeggios and melodies. After an hour of intense playing and working and scribbling on a scrap piece of paper, she had finally figured out the whole song.
"I wondered when you'd find this room," Emma jumped out of her skin when she heard the voice.
Regina chuckled and came into the room, closing the door behind her. "Regina! I- I was only looking and I-" Emma was so flustered she didn't even notice what her girlfriend was wearing.
Regina shook her head, silencing Emma's rambling, and slid onto the seat with her.
"I don't mind, dear. I don't use the room as much as I used to," Regina said quietly, glancing at the keys and Emma's scribbles. "Show me."
Emma's eyes widened and she raised her hands. "Oh no, it's not good and I'm working on it and I mean-"
"Emma," Regina whispered, resting her head on the blonde's shoulder, placing a kiss there. "Please?"
Emma swallowed nervously, but she knew she couldn't say no to Regina when the woman said please. No one could deny Regina when she said please.
She shakily raised her hands to the keys and took a deep breath. "You know, Regina, don't like... don't be offended or whatever or get sad or angry-" Emma began to say quickly, but when Regina squeezed the woman's thigh, the blonde stopped and took the hint.
Emma took a deep breath and began, gently hitting the chords for the start of the song.
"What would I do without your smart mouth?
Drawing me in, and you kicking me out...
You've got my head spinning, no kidding, I can't pin you down.
What's going on in that beautiful mind?
I'm on your magical mystery ride.
And I'm so dizzy, don't know what hit me, but I'll be alright..."
And she played, and everything else melted away. Regina didn't make her nervous. The soft breaths hit Emma's neck as she played but for once she didn't mind.
As she played and sang the world around her dissolved to nothing until it was just her fingers hitting her keys and her sweet voice echoing her fingers' notes.
When she finished though, the world came crashing back to her when she felt hot, wet lips hit her neck. Emma pulled back to see tears rolling down Regina's face. The blonde winced and tried to pull herself from Regina to stop her own tears.
"That bad, huh?" she tried to joke, but her voice cracked. Playing was so precious to her, and to make Regina cry because of it's awfulness- Emma had to stop herself.
But Regina only clung tighter to her, shaking her head. "Oh Emma, it was beautiful." The blonde froze.
"What?" she whispered.
Regina smiled shakily up at Emma, stroking her cheek softly. "Your playing. It's incredible, and moving and simply beautiful."
A tear fell down the blonde's cheek as she finally moved to wrap her arm around Regina's waist, allowing the brunette to snuggle into her side.
"Yeah? Really?" Regina nodded furiously.
"Really, really," Emma couldn't help but snort at that, shifting to bury her head into Regina's hair and squeeze her tightly. She finally realised that the brunette was clad only in Emma's blue shirt and a pair of black panties. Emma pulled her slightly closer. Regina only ever dressed like this when she was sad- and only ever wore Emma's clothes when she was devastated. But she would tell in her own time.
They stayed there for a moment, neither wishing to move, before Regina had to ask.
"Was that all true?" Emma frowned.
"What do you mean?" Regina pulled back to look up at her saviour's eyes.
"Those words. Did you mean them?" she whispered, her hand cautiously moving up Emma's cheek to tuck a strand of hair behind the blonde's ear.
Emma licked her lips and shrugged. "Um, well, I guess I suppose, but if you don't like, reciprocate or whatever then I-" Regina stopped Emma's endless words by pressing her lips tightly to hers. She moved her hands to cup the blonde's cheeks, pulling her closer.
"Emma," Regina breathed. "Emma I love you," she whispered. Tears fell from both women's eyes at Regina's confession and Emma gripped her waist tighter.
Emma couldn't help the grin that formed on her damp face, and she sniffed, rubbing her thumb over the small of Regina's back. "I love you too, Regina."
The brunette kissed her once more. "I gathered from your song." But Emma had to shake her head.
"Not mine, babe. John Legend's," she whispered, her head falling back to Regina's. The mayor frowned.
"But you played it so..." Emma smiled.
"I figured out how to play it. But I didn't write it." Regina gasped, looking up at Emma as though the blonde had just performed some incredible surgery.
"You're an exceptionally talented musician then, darling," Regina said, her voice full of awe.
Emma smiled and kissed her head again, lingering so her tears were hidden. "Thanks," she mumbled into Regina's hair.
A minute later and Regina was chuckling, pulling away from Emma to stand and stretch. The blonde stared at her. "What?"
Regina let herself smile, even if it didn't quite reach her eyes. She wasn't very good with snuggling and 'cute' like actions, but she was getting much better. "We're over emotional. I bet I can count on one hand the amount of times either of us have cried since being together this past year," Emma smiled and shrugged.
"You haven't heard me play before," Emma interjected, not wanting to look weak. Regina held out her hand for Emma to take.
"Fair point, dear," she mumbled as she pulled Emma's body close to her so she could wrap her arms tightly around the blonde, sighing happily when she felt Emma nuzzle her face into her hair.
"Bad day?" Emma whispered, and the brunette nodded.
"I missed you horribly," she teased, earning her a soft pinch in the side from Emma.
"What happened?" she dropped a kiss on the brunette's head and tried to step back so she could see her, but Regina clung tighter so Emma stayed holding her.
Regina took a breath. "Daniel," she whispered, deathly quiet. Emma nodded and rubbed the brunette's back. "It was on this day, all those years ago..." her voice tailed off and Emma continued to rub her back.
"Sorry, it's just... today's always hard..." Regina whispered, and Emma just nodded.
"I get it. You know what helps?" Regina shook her head. "Your apple cider does a good job- and your favourite mint ice cream might help a bit. And we can't forget pyjamas and a stupid movie," Emma said with a grin. She hadn't really meant it, but when Regina pulled her face from Emma's shoulder and looked so hopeful, Emma knew it was what she wanted.
"Really?" Emma nodded, kissing her forehead.
"Really, R. You go get into bed and pick a movie. I'll get us the stuff." Regina shook her head.
"Don't leave me," she whispered, and Emma's heart swelled. All she'd ever heard in her life was 'leave me'. She'd never been wanted, ever. And finally, finally she was. She was wanted by the most beautiful and wonderful human she could ever have had the fortune to meet.
Emma turned back and lifted Regina up, forcing the mayor to wrap her legs tightly round Emma's waist, but the brunette just giggled, hiding her face in Emma's hair.
"Never, baby," the blonde whispered, before nipping Regina's ear and carrying them to their room. She had been working on her magic, and Regina could always help her. She planned to hide the two of them in Regina's sheets until dawn broke- and Emma's plans never failed.