A/N
This story takes place during the events of 4x19 (or 4x20?) and pretty much diverges from canon after there, but is still within the realm of possibility. The story opens with Regina and Emma heading for NYC first and the whole finding Lily thing is a small plotline instead of the huge one it was in the show.
Also, this story was written before OUAT spoilers/previews were posted about how things went immediately after the darkness disappeared with Emma.
Hook and Hood are mentioned but ONLY as background characters!
Written for SQBB Summer 2015.
Many thanks to the lovely and talented JoanaCTeixeira for her artwork for this fic! Artists continually amaze me with their ability to create beauty from nothing, and Joana is no exception. To see the art, please visit A03 (her screenname is JoanaCTeixeira).
"What exactly happened between you two?"
Silence was rife in the Bug as Emma drove. Regina sighed. She shouldn't be bothered by the fact that Emma wouldn't open up about Lily, but she was, just a little. Weren't they sort of friends now? She turned her head towards the window and watched the endless trees pass them as the Bug made its way down the 95 to New York City and to Robin. Robin. She didn't really know what to think of the fact that Zelena had been impersonating Marian. How long had this been going on? Since before the freezing curse that she had helped save "Marian" from? God, the irony. Regina's jaw clenched as she thought about Zelena gleefully fucking poor blind Robin just because she was taking away something of Regina's. That fucking green bitch.
"Regina?" Pulled out of her reverie, Regina turned to look at Emma. "Are you alright?" the blonde asked quietly. "Yes, I am, but it's just so frustrating to have someone hate your guts so much and you don't really know why. I never did anything to her!" Emma couldn't help the smirk that formed on her face and the "I would know" that slipped out of her mouth, causing a red flush to creep up Regina's neck.
"Miss Swan, I never hated you as much as Zelena hates me" Regina said primly. "Yeah, and the poisoned turnover was your olive branch," chuckled Emma. Regina rolled her eyes and turned her head back to the window. After a few minutes, she felt a hand on her leg and, startled, her eyes met Emma's. Emma, with a serious look on her face, murmured "Regina. You know I've moved past that. It's just teasing. Please don't take it to heart." Regina sighed and patted the hand resting atop her leg, "I know. It's strange how far we've come, isn't it? I mean, look at us, riding in your ridiculous yellow Bug to New York to rescue the man who didn't choose me because you brought back his dead wife who is now actually my sister—" "Okay, let's not slander this poor innocent Bug that's working so valiantly to get us both to where we need to be!" grinned Emma. Regina smiled back, her leg still tingling from where Emma's hand had been.
As darkness fell, they were still about two hours out of New York. Regina wished they had left earlier in the day but she had taken too much time looking for the scroll that would let them back into Storybrooke among other things. Covering her yawn with her hand, she glanced over at Emma who was still looking grim, lost in her own thoughts. Regina sighed and wondered if she could get away with a catmap, she felt it would be rude to fall asleep and leave Emma without company even though they weren't exactly gabbing.
As she was losing the battle with her eyelids, she heard "Regina?" and her eyes snapped open. "Can we just stop? I know we're not that far off from New York, but I just, you know, tomorrow, everything will be different." Regina stared at Emma. Was that pleading she heard in the other woman's tone? Regina couldn't be sure. "Alright, Emma. I wouldn't mind stopping for the night also. I'm tired and I would like to be fully alert when we face Zelena."
As the Bug slowed down on the exit ramp, Emma gestured towards the row of hotels and her tone was ironic as she said, "Take your pick, Regina, I know the Days Inn simply won't do for you." Regina took in the multitude of hotels and turned to Emma, a mild sneer on her face, "In fact, any of those wouldn't do but I suppose the Holiday Inn Express will suffice." "That's my Queen" smirked Emma, and she never noticed Regina staring pensively at her as she steered the Bug towards the hotel. My Queen, indeed. She didn't quite understand why, but those words wormed their way deep inside her and brought warmth with them.
As they checked in, Regina noticed Emma checking out the hotel bar. Sure enough, Emma's duffel bag had barely bounced twice on the bed before the blonde declared her intentions of hitting the bar for a drink. Regina sighed as the door closed and turned back to her bag, unpacking the things she would need for the night and the next morning. After putting everything in its place, Regina sat down on the not-so-comfortable hotel sofa and clicked through the channels on the tv, finding nothing of interest. Why do nice hotels so frequently have standard definition channels on their flat screen televisions anyway? Regina, annoyed that she couldn't find anything to keep her occupied, decided that joining Emma downstairs would be the best option as a nightcap would probably help her sleep.
In the elevator ride down, Regina smoothed over her hair and made a face at her reflection via the metal doors. Why was she feeling nervous all of a sudden? Shaking it off, she stepped out of the elevator and headed in the direction she knew she'd find the blonde at.
Entering the darkened atmosphere of the bar, Regina scanned her surroundings until she spotted long blonde curls, sitting up at the bar. Of course. Regina headed in Emma's direction and slid into the seat next to her, remarking "Come here often?" Emma turned her head and stared at Regina expressionless for a moment before breaking out in a chuckle. "I wouldn't have pegged you as a bad pick up line artist" Regina snorted "In what world is that a pick up line, Miss Swan? If I were trying to pick you up, I'd have said something much classier." Emma regarded her, still smiling, "Is that so? What would constitute a classy pick up line in your world?" Regina's eyes swept down Emma slowly before leaning over, her face inches away from Emma's, and whispered in a sultry voice, "Would you like to buy me a drink?" Emma, momentarily flummoxed by Regina's abrupt about-face, broke the eye contact and, clearing her throat, called for the bartender to come take Regina's order. She heard a throaty chuckle and flushed. Dammit.
"… and so, I let him go. I couldn't bear the thought that his two little girls would be without any family and I know I'm not supposed to play judge and jury, but this guy just seemed innocent or he was only guilty of a bad mistake." Emma looked down at the scotch she was nursing and Regina laid her hand upon Emma's arm. "You did the right thing. Bail bondsmen, fortunately, are actually not under obligation, legally, to bring in a fugitive. So don't be too hard on yourself, Emma." Emma smiled slightly and went back to studying her scotch.
Regina continued to watch the blonde, lost in thought. The more Emma tells me about herself, the more I see that she has so many layers and is much more than just the Savior. She's had a lot of pain and suffering in her life and she probably is the only one who could come close to understanding why I am the way I am. Then again, she's not the one who caused me my pain but I'm the one who did this to her. The woman was jolted back by a soft touch and a whispered, "Regina?" Regina focused her eyes and saw Emma staring, a look of gentle concern.
"You okay? You spaced out for a bit there." Regina nodded and threw back the remainder of her scotch. "Just can't believe we've reached this point. Why, Emma? I don't understand how you could look past what I've done to you."
Emma sighed, "Regina, how many more times do I need to tell you I don't blame you for the direction my life took?"
"Yes, but you do blame your parents. Why them and not me? I'm much more at fault than them."
Emma brought the bottle to her lips and took a long swallow. "I don't know. I guess… I can sort of see why you made the choices you did, not that they were the right ones, but you were just as much a victim of your circumstances as I was. You haven't told me much, but others have, and I don't know, temporary mental insanity does exist." Regina lightly slapped Emma's shoulder "Hey!"
Emma chuckled at that and continued, "But my parents, they made a conscious choice to dump a baby in a wardrobe, alone, that sent her to another realm under the guise of 'protecting' her. How the hell is that protecting a baby? They were gambling with my life to protect themselves!" Regina could see the rising anger in Emma and laid a soothing hand on Emma's arm.
They sat in silence for a few minutes before Regina broke the quiet, "I'm… glad you're able to look past the wrongs I've committed and be my… friend. I don't pretend I deserve it, but I'm still glad. Now, I'm going to retire to our room. Coming?" Emma nodded and stood up, tossing a twenty on the counter to cover their tab.
Regina exited the bathroom, combing though her damp hair. "All yours," she said to Emma, who was lounging on the sofa flipping through channels. As she turned, Emma let her eyes roam over Regina's back, down to her shapely ass. As they hadn't really thought ahead about how long this trip might entail, Regina hadn't packed any sort of pajamas, just a change of clothes, and so Emma had given her one of her tshirts. The tshirt hung about halfway down Regina's ass, and Emma was treated to a sweet view of her underwear as Regina walked over to the bed and lifted a leg to rub some of the complimentary hotel lotion into it. Realizing she was veering into inappropriate territory, Emma jumped up and rushed into the bathroom for her shower.
Slipping on a white tanktop along with red boy shorts, Emma stared at herself in the mirror. She wanted to take up her hair into a ponytail and damn the consequences, but she knew if she went to bed with wet hair, there'd be hell to pay in the morning tangle-wise. Sighing, Emma opened the bathroom door to let the hot, humid air escape and grabbed the hotel blowdryer off the wall. After a couple of minutes flipping her hair every which way with the blowdryer set on medium, Emma's eyes fell on the mirror and beyond her reflection was the room, showing Regina laying on her bed, watching her intently. Regina hadn't realized Emma was able to see her via the mirror, and Emma smirked inwardly. So, the mayor is human after all. Deciding on a whim to tease Regina a bit, she bent over to dry the underside of her hair for a bit, fully aware that the boy shorts would tighten over her butt and maybe ride up just a little. When she straightened back up and covertly checked the reflection, Regina's eyes were still focused on her ass and she was gently biting her lip. Emma felt a bolt of arousal shoot through her at the sight, and she closed her eyes, shutting out everything but the blowing heat of the blowdryer.
As Emma flopped on her bed, Regina looked up from the book she was "reading" and said snarkily, "Took you long enough." Emma grinned, "Well, if I didn't dry my hair before sleeping, you'd think I was a monster from the Enchanted Forest when you wake up in the morning. You have no idea how lucky you are to have that thick hair, all you have to do is brush it and it says 'Yes, your majesty', and submits to you." Regina tried to look annoyed, but the upturned corners of her mouth gave her away.
"So says the woman with the princess curls that everybody desires."
Emma tilted her head and said sweetly, "Oh, so you desire me?" Regina rolled her eyes and shifted her attention back to her book. Emma, smiling, turned her attention back to the TV. She did so enjoy their banter but the smile soon faded as she thought about how everything would change after tomorrow. Regina would unmask Zelena to Robin, and she would have her soulmate back in her life. Emma was happy for Regina, but she felt empty inside for some reason. She knew she had Hook in her life, but having Regina around added a piece that made her life feel more complete. The more Emma thought about it, the emptier she felt. She broke out of her thoughts to look over at Regina, who had fallen asleep still holding her book. Emma smiled softly at the sight and got up to turn off the TV and room lights, leaving the nightstand light on. She gently removed the book from Regina's grasp, set it on the nightstand, and pondered if she should do the same for her reading glasses. Deciding to go ahead, Emma tentatively gripped the glasses and slid it off Regina's face, and the sleeping woman murmured something Emma couldn't hear. She pulled up the blanket in order to cover Regina, and felt the sense of emptiness descend upon her even more fully. When would she ever spend time like this again with Regina, when her brand-new family—Robin and Roland—would be a daily presence in her life from tomorrow on? Emma turned off the last remaining light on the nightstand and got in her own bed. She stared up at the ceiling in the darkness for what felt like hours before sleep finally overtook her.
Emma jolted awake and gasped when she saw Regina sitting next to her, hand on her shoulder. "Regina?" "Emma, you were having a nightmare and you were… making noises and I thought I should come and wake you." Emma reached up and felt tear tracks on her face. "Fuck, I was crying, wasn't I?" Regina nodded. Emma stared at her face, discernibly visible from the light that spills over around the curtained windows from the streetlights. "I… thanks. Sorry I woke you up."
Regina's hand, still on Emma's arm, made soothing circular motions and she replied, "No problem. Well… I guess I'll go back to bed." Emma's hand shot out and held onto Regina, "Don't go. Would you stay?" Regina looked down at Emma and her first instinct was to say no, but she was touched that Emma would even ask.
"All right."
She slid down and lay beside Emma, both staring at the ceiling. After a few minutes, Regina rolled over to face Emma, "Do you want to talk about it?" Emma kept silent, but Regina could see her eyes blinking, as if she were holding back tears. Regina laid her head on her arm, waiting for Emma to either respond or for sleep to overtake her. Eventually, she closed her eyes, thinking about what tomorrow would bring. She had to admit she was feeling a bit nervous about facing Robin and Zelena. Well, not Zelena, but she had some conflicted feelings about Robin. She respected his code of honor, but if she was honest with herself, Robin didn't exactly always stick to his code. He slept with her while Marian was in the other room. It turned out to be Zelena after all, but he didn't know that at the time. That was a little bothersome. She also wondered at being destined for a soulmate who, while things felt good and comfortable, didn't exactly challenge her. Annoyed with herself for always over-thinking things, she let out a huff and opened her eyes to check on Emma. She was startled to find Emma on her side, facing her, eyes gazing at her. They stared at each other silently as the minutes ticked by, eyes never breaking contact.
Emma fidgeted a bit, then spoke. "Could… could we um, make, I don't know, a bubble?" Regina scrunched her eyebrows, "Explain." Emma let out a breath. "I… I want to know if tonight could exist in a bubble that pops tomorrow, like it never existed. I don't know what life's gonna be like after tomorrow, y'know, and I just wanted…" She falls silent, gauging Regina's reaction. Regina wore an impenetrable stare, and Emma was starting to regret asking. She didn't even have the excuse of being drunk. Emma was fighting the sense of rising panic and her body tensed, preparing to leap off the bed and go somewhere, anywhere, to hide her feelings of being rejected, Regina said quietly, "Okay."
Emma relaxed in silent relief and continued to lay there, getting lost in Regina's eyes. Slowly, tentatively, her fingers rose up to Regina's cheek and trailed down from her cheek line down to her jawbone. Regina reciprocated by tangling her fingers in Emma's curls and stroking her hair. Emma pulled closer and ran her thumb over Regina's lips, hesitating for a moment in case Regina changed her mind, but there was no protest, so Emma leaned over and pressed her lips against Regina's. When Regina didn't kiss back, Emma's heart dropped and she lifted her head, but Regina's hands reached up, clasped Emma's head and yanked her back down. The kiss started off soft then turned scorching, and Emma moved so her body was molded to Regina's, fitting together like they were made for each other. Losing herself in the kiss, Emma thought if she could pick one moment in her life to put on a repeating loop like a GIF, this would be it. Suddenly she saw bright light through her closed eyelids and opened her eyes. "What the fuck?" Small sparks were flying through the air and Emma looked down at Regina, who also wore an astonished expression.
"I've heard of this, but we're in a world without magic so how can this be happening?
Emma asked, "Is this magic?" Regina, still staring at the sparks, replied, "Yes. Our magic must be causing it." Emma's mouth quirked, "Guess we're pretty powerful together, wouldn't you say?" She didn't wait for a reply as she lowered her mouth back down on Regina's.
Regina's hands slid up under Emma's tanktop and fondled her breasts, thumbs circling the nipples. Emma broke the kiss to move down to Regina's neck, kissing and gently sucking at different spots. Regina evidently liked it as she let out a moan, making Emma suck harder. Regina grabbed Emma's hair and pulled her face up, "Mark me and you die." Emma grinned, "Too late" and started kissing her way down Regina's chest towards her abdomen. Emma lifted up Regina's shirt all the way until Regina shrugged out of it, and Emma took a moment to admire this goddess under her. With a groan, she bent to take one nipple into her mouth and several licks, flicks, and sucks later, Regina started rolling her hips slowly against the thigh Emma had inserted in between her legs. Regina's hands clutched at Emma's boy shorts, demanding it be taken off, and Emma rose up on her knees so the shorts could slide down. Emma bucked as Regina's finger slid up and through her folds and her breathing increased, inciting more sparks. Meeting Regina's eyes, Emma held their gaze as she thrust her hips into a grinding motion against Regina's finger. The sound of Emma's panting turned Regina on even more and she reached up with her hands and flipped Emma onto her back, leaving her on top. Regina smirked at Emma's surprised face, and shimmered out of her panties. She settled down on Emma, cowgirl style, and begin grinding their pussies together, making Emma gasp as she undulated her hips and leaned back. Emma's eyes were irrevocably drawn to the sight of Regina's landing strip grinding fiercely against her own, and she reached up to rub her thumb against the brunette's nub. Emma slid her hand down to try and slip a finger inside Regina, but the position was too awkward so she grabbed Regina's hips and rolled her to her side. Emma spooned her and lifted Regina's leg to drape over hers, hand sliding over her abdomen and downwards and teasing, teasing until she plunged two fingers inside, eliciting a loud gasp from the other woman. Regina clutched Emma's head closer and ravaged her mouth, moaning all the while as Emma continued her thrusts.
Emma tossed her head back, groaning, "God, you're fucking hot" and started humping against Regina's ass. Panting, Regina reached behind her, found Emma's pussy, and started fingering her. Moaning and gasping came from both women, and Emma felt Regina's thighs start trembling, so she knew Regina was close. Emma increased her tempo, slamming into Regina whose head was thrown back and eyes wrenched shut, slowing down only when Regina's mouth flew open in a silent scream. Emma nearly came from that sight alone, and her hand crept to her own pussy to finish the job, she was so fucking aroused. Regina flipped over, grabbed her wrist away from her slit and slid her thigh in between Emma's legs.
"No, Emma. Fuck me."
Emma moaned as she ground against Regina's thigh, the sensation on her clit was so delicious that she rocked faster and faster, grunting as she felt her orgasm building. She wanted to be kissing Regina when she came, so she lowered her head and took possession of Regina's mouth. Regina thrust her tongue against Emma's in sync with Emma's grinding and this unexpectedly passionate reaction from Regina sent Emma over the top, grunting as she came.
Regina folded her arms over Emma's back, letting her fingers trail up and down gently as Emma laid there for a few minutes, recovering. Finally, she rolled off to the side, gently voicing her apologies for being so heavy. Regina smiled at her and they gazed at each other in wonder until Emma broke the gaze and wriggled down slightly to rest her head on Regina's chest, arm encircling her abdomen. Regina buried her nose into Emma's hair and closed her eyes. Emma felt Regina's breathing slow and thought about happy endings and how they could be so different for everybody. She'd take being a family with Regina and Henry anytime as her happy ending and wished it to be so. Letting her eyes close, sleep found Emma almost instantly and neither woman awoke when a glow emanated for a time from where Emma's hand rested on Regina's abdomen.