Title: through leaves of green
Fandom: Once Upon a Time
Pairing: Swan Queen (Emma Swan/Regina Mills)
Spoilers: None.
Summary: Regina has a special place.
Disclaimers: This is purely fictional. I own none of it.

[…]

A/N: This fic is a testament to my laziness (or my muse's, you can take your pick). It was written in half a dozen increments over a course of several months. And it's puny! Hopefully you'll like it, and won't realize where one increment ends and the other begins. Feedback will be appreciated. Title from prompt (LJ's 2x5 Obsessions).

. through leaves of green

At the edge but not quite the edge of the forest, there was a clearing. There was a large, moss-covered rock beside a gnarled old tree where a person could sit and muse. The trees were ringed around it in a particular shape so that it was hard to view from outside, and when the wind blew through the leaves of green, some yellowed and some russet-brown, it was quite the pleasant sound. It sounded like the trees were sighing to each other like old and fulfilled lovers through the deepest, sweetest of nights. It was one of Regina's favorite places in Storybrooke to be. It was somewhere she could sit and let everything else be for a while at least.

That day the sun was dipping sleepily into the west and the pale sunlight filtering through the leaves was tinged with a greenish hue, and she sat on the rock trying to go through an accounts book. The wind suddenly blew the page astray and she was about to utter a curse when a twig snapped behind her and there was the crunch of a booted heel. A very typical booted heel, to be exact. She whipped around to see who it was and wasn't proven wrong.

"You sure like to play hard to get, don't you, Madam Mayor?" The Sheriff glared at her.

She couldn't help the smirk that crossed her lips at this rather interesting opening statement. "Chasing is half the fun, don't you agree, Sheriff?"

The downward tilt of Emma's lips increased somewhat exponentially. "You don't say."

"Though why would you chase me here," Regina continued, "somewhat eludes me. How may I help you, Sheriff?"

"Your secretary called screaming bloody murder about a missing accounts book. I am presuming it's the same one you're holding in your hand this very moment?"

Regina looked down at the accounts book she held in her hand.

"I suppose I might have neglected to mention to her that I was taking it home with me for today."

"I suppose you did." Emma turned around to leave when Regina called from behind.

"So how did you find this place?"

"Oh, I just followed my spidey-sense, you know."

"I see," said Regina, walking towards her slowly. "Did my son tell you about it?"

"Are you gonna ground him if he did?"

"Hardly. It's a public place, anyone can know about it or visit it."

"That's good to know," Emma nodded at her. "Good day to you, Madam Mayor."

"That's it? You're leaving?" Regina called out making Emma stop in her tracks.

"Why wouldn't I be, Regina?" Emma looked puzzled.

"The liberties you take with my name, dear," Regina was upon her now, "are not appreciated by me."

"What exactly is appreciated by you, my dear Regina?"

The look the mayor awarded her in turn, dark eyes raking from her head to her toes, made Emma blush faintly. Regina stepped closer, almost in her face. Emma stood her ground even though the urge to step back was overwhelming. The last rays of sun angled into dark eyes, giving them a lighter, brighter hue. The world was suddenly very warm, the forest around them suddenly very quiet. The wind sighed softly through the trees and a leaf spiraled down, tangling itself in Emma's hair. Before she could brush at it, Regina raised her hand, hesitated a moment before lightly plucking the leaf out of Emma's hair with two fingers, the remaining tucking the stray lock behind the Sheriff's ear. Emma shivered as Regina's fingers brushed over her earlobe.

"I should probably … go…" Emma said.

"You probably should," Regina agreed but neither woman moved. The unmoving silence was awkward, until Regina huffed out a frustrated sigh, rolled her eyes and, hooking fingers into the Sheriff's belt loops, pulled her forward. The accounts book fell to the ground with a soft thump as Regina raised her other hand to cup Emma's face. The wind made the pages of the accounts book flutter wildly and red leather clad arms snaked under the coat and around Regina's waist.

"We shouldn't," Emma breathed out, lips hovering inches from Regina's.

"Mmhm," Regina agreed wordlessly, eyes downcast, focused on the other woman's lips, her urge to take action ending there.

And then Emma swallowed and pulled Regina close with one arm, the other rising and sinking into the short, dark hair.

The first kiss was barely even a kiss, just a ghosting of Emma's lips over Regina's lower lip. The second was a little firmer, harder, more intent, making Regina shiver and try and lean into the light contact but it was gone before she could. Regina growled with impatience and pulled Emma's face closer, her other hand still keeping a firm grip on the Sheriff's belt loops.

The third kiss was much more than the previous two. It ended with both of them breathless, hands tangled in each other's hair, legs shaky, staggering a little. Emma moved closer and softly touched a finger to Regina's lips as she pressed her forehead against the other woman's.

"Regina…" Emma breathed out.

"Hm."

"You…"

"Yes?" Regina said just as softly.

"Your heel just decimated almost half of your accounts book."

"Dammit."

~fin~

A/N: I must say I can picture Regina's face at the end and it makes me smile. So what do you guys think?

Edit: Any typos (unless glaringly grammatical) are ffnet's which is hell-bent on messing up all my docx. Sorry about that, guys. It won't let me edit!