Wow, guys, I cannot believe I made you wait this long for an update… I'm so sorry, but I'm trying to get back on track with this, and all my stories… it's been a long and busy and slightly rough couple/several months. But life is all ups and downs right? Gotta take the bad with the good.

Either way, at long last, an update!

Chapter Eighteen

"Uh, Regina, did you steal a car to get here?" Emma asked, eying the unfamiliar vehicle in Regina's driveway as they approached the Mifflin Street mansion.

"No, I just borrowed it. It's a rental," Regina said.

"Oh, so you're planning on returning it, then?" Emma asked, with a lopsided grin that Regina had missed while Emma was cursed.

"No…"

"So you stole it then. You badass."

"Can we not?" Regina asked, with an exasperated sigh as the unlocked the door.

"What? I'm just trying to lighten the mood a little," Emma replied, dejected.

"Emma… I'm sorry. This is just a lot."

"Yeah, I know. I was the Dark One twenty minutes ago. Regina, you helped me and I'm going to help you, alright? Everything's going to be fine."

Regina nodded, though she looked anything but convinced. She glanced back at the car once more as they entered the house. "I guess we can always give it to Henry when he's old enough to drive."

"See? Always gotta look on the bright side."

Regina nodded again, though she looked anything but convinced as the lead the way into the mansion. As much as she'd wanted to take the curse away from Emma, she knew better than anyone that the last thing she needed was more darkness in her own heart.

Emma had been a ramped up version of herself under the curse, and though she'd done things Regina was sure she never would have done otherwise, she wasn't even close to evil. Regina knew fighting the lure of darkness off herself a losing battle before it even started.

The curse hadn't begun to feel like it was taking over yet, and she was thankful it hadn't catapulted her into oblivion like it had Emma. Though she had no idea why it was playing out differently for her, she was grateful for the extra time for them to get down to solving it before it became a bigger issue.

And that was exactly what she planned to do.

"I still don't understand why it didn't work," Emma muttered, as she sat perched on the arm of Regina's sofa, looking down at the brunette who sat on the sofa, hunched forward, rubbing her temples. They had been pouring through books since they'd gone inside, somehow expecting the answers to be there this time even though they hadn't been in the past. Both women were at a loss as to what to do next.

"I don't know, Emma," Regina said, with an exasperated sigh. "Maybe it's not true love."

"Don't say that," Emma said, narrowing her eyes at Regina defensively. "Our kiss did something, just not the right thing."

Regina nodded. "Right. I didn't mean that Emma, I just sometimes wonder if maybe I'm out of chances for real, lasting true love. How many do-overs is one person allowed?"

"As many as it takes," Emma insisted, with a smile.

"What are we going to tell your parents?"

Emma shrugged. "The truth, I guess."

"And you think they'll just be okay with this?" Regina asked, raising an eyebrow. "They are just going to accept that their daughter is in love with the Evil Queen and the Dark One all at once?"

"Former Evil Queen," Emma corrected. "And up until a couple of hours ago, I was the Dark One. They can't hold it against you when they didn't hold it against me."

"No, I'm sure they can."

"Hey," Emma said, gently, sliding off the arm of the sofa and scooting over beside Regina, draping an arm around her shoulders. "This self-defeating line of thinking isn't going to get us anywhere. You didn't give up on me and I'm not going to give up on you, got it?"

"Okay," Regina conceded, with a nod. "Yes, okay. You're right."

"And, hey," Emma said, nudging Regina with her shoulder. "We don't have to tell them anything right now. They know I'm fine, and safe, and that Zelena and her posse are locked up, and Henry's with them for the rest of the day, so…"

"So?" Regina asked, raising an eyebrow.

"So," Emma said, again, with a sly smile, as she moved from her spot to slide over Regina, straddling her on the couch, before leaning in to kiss her hard on the mouth. She broke away with a grin. "So, I think we still have some unfinished business from Boston."

"Oh," Regina smiled, reaching to cup Emma's face in her hands, and bring her in for another long kiss. "So, I save you, we defeat the bad guys, one of whom I had been dating, transfer a curse, come home and make love?"

"Sounds good to me," Emma said, searching out Regina's lips again, only to be stopped by her hands.

"Emma," Regina said, with a small sigh.

"Regina, listen… there's a lot of shit we've got to deal with, but it's still going to be there tomorrow, you know. That curse isn't going to take over right away, it takes a few days. Trust me, I remember. And I finally feel like myself again. But what I want to feel, is you - and not as some lust-driven Dark One who needs an adrenaline fix, just as Emma."

"What about Hook?"

Emma rolled her eyes and smirked. "Who?"

"Emma!"

"Regina, like I said, there's shit to deal with, but it can wait. I mean, it's not like I didn't already cheat on him, right? And where exactly was he when I was in danger? Plus, you really need the distraction right now."

"Good point," Regina agreed. "Let's go upstairs."

Emma revelled in her newfound calm, vowing to herself to make up to Regina how she'd spoken to her the night before. Of course, she knew she would never degrade Regina in her right mind, but she needed Regina to know as well.

The moment they were through Regina's bedroom door, Emma's hands were in her dark hair, and her mouth was on Regina's, her tongue seeking entrance that was quickly granted. Though she wanted nothing more than to just rip Regina's clothes off on the spot, she forced herself to slow down, take her time, and explore every inch of Regina's mouth, enjoying the low moans she was already invoking from the other woman.

"Emma," Regina said, in a husky whisper as Emma began kissing her way down Regina's jaw to her neck, suckling and nipping the skin there, without any the harsh biting from the night before. She wanted to be gentler, more like herself, and show Regina how she worshipped her.

"Emma, Emma," Regina kept breathing out, her eyes closed and her head tilting back, giving Emma easier access to her neck.

Emma mumbled incoherent sounds against Regina's skin as she made her way to her collarbone, her hands leaving Regina's hair to make quick work of the buttons on her blouse. Her blouse was on the floor moments before her black bra followed suit, and Regina let out a sharp gasp as Emma's hot mouth made contact with her hard nipple.

Emma's senses were overwhelmed with everything Regina - her scent, her taste, the softness of her skin - everything she'd missed the evening before. Everything had been heightened and diminished at the same time while she was cursed, and now everything just felt right.

Dark One or not, to Emma, the woman who stood before her now, her eyes closed and her chest flushed and her breathing quick and shallow, was just Regina. She understood her fear - She'd felt it herself as the curse began to take over - but she also understood how much worse it must be for Regina, knowing that so many people in this town still didn't trust her. So many still saw the Evil Queen, even after all this time.

And Emma knew she needed to make sure that Regina knew she didn't see her that way.

This was nothing like how it had been the night before. Their motions were more fluid, in sync, and without even realizing they were moving, Emma suddenly realized she had Regina backed up against the bed. Moments later, Regina was down on her back, Emma on top of her, kissing her mouth hungrily.

Using her mouth, she worked her way down Regina's body again, kissing and sucking and licking until she'd reached her navel, and she sat back on her heels, stradling Regina's legs, quickly undoing the button of Regina's pants. She hooked her fingers over the waistband of her pants and her panties, and shimmied back off the bed as she pulled them both off together.

For a moment, she stopped and just took in the sight of Regina, ready and waiting, her dark eyes hooded with lust as she stared back at Emma.

"You're so fucking beautiful," Emma murmured as she moved to part Regina's thighs with her hands, settling back onto the bed between Regina's legs. "I want to taste you again."

Without wasting even a second, Emma's mouth made contact with Regina's slick flesh, first with a tender kiss, followed by her tongue, as flat and wide as she could make it, making slow, deliberate strokes over the length of Regina's sex. She was so wet, and it drove Emma wild knowing that she was the one who had done this. Cursed or not, Emma revelled in how responsive Regina was to her touch. Prompted by the moans coming from above her, Emma got to work on Regina's clit, licking circles around it, slowly at first and picking up the pace.

She had her hands hooked around Regina's thighs, holding her in place, and as the other woman began to buck against her mouth, she felt Regina's hands seeking out her own, grabbing on and squeezing Emma's fingers tightly as she came hard against her mouth.

"Emma!" Reginas's voice was a breathy gasp, and Emma smiled against her slick flesh, giving her another kiss against her clit before lifting her head to meet Regina's eyes.

Regina smiled as Emma crawled up her body before laying down next to her and kissing her mouth again. Regina rolled onto her side, looking solemnly into Emma's eyes.

"We'll figure out a way to beat this, right?" Regina asked, her voice timid as the question held all the fears she was battling inside herself right now.

"Together, we will. We always do."

"I do love you Emma. I have for longer than you know. Probably longer and deeper than than I even realize."

Emma smiled again, running her fingers through Regina's dark hair, still damp with sweat. "I love you, too."

Before either of them could say another word, Regina pressed her lips hard against Emma's, letting go of all the fears and doubts and worries for just a moment as she let herself get lost in the feel of her lover's mouth against her own.

In spite of the fact that she couldn't let go of how unfair it was that they had this curse hanging over them in the midst of their awakening feelings, she still knew that no one else would have stuck with her right now, other than Emma.

And right now, that was everything.

To be continued…

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Until next time...