Whatever This Is (Once Upon a Time; Regina/Emma)
TITLE: Whatever This Is
CHAPTER 21: Basking
FANDOM: Once Upon a Time
PAIRING: Swan Queen (Regina/Emma)
SPOILERS: AU from beginning of "The Cricket Game"
RATING: PG-13
SUMMARY: Part of all this feels surreal - like it hasn't actually happened. Like they didn't spend all of last night making up for lost time and lolling in ecstasy.
*****
With sore, strained muscles and a deep sense of regret, Emma drags herself out of bed. She stretches her arms and stares out the window, at the bright red apples dangling from the tree in the backyard, surrounded by rose bushes in full bloom. The entire yard is sprinkled with red and she feels drawn to it.
Turning over her shoulder, she takes a moment to stare at Regina. She's asleep on her side facing toward her. Her left arm is sprawled on the mattress, partway beneath her. Her right hand is resting just under the corner of her pillow, and there's a smile on her face.
Emma smiles at the sight, feeling her heart swell. Part of all this feels surreal - like it hasn't actually happened. Like they didn't spend all of last night making up for lost time and lolling in ecstasy.
She desperately wants to stay in bed with her, basking in the afterglow, but she knows she can't. She knows her parents are probably already worried that she's been out all night without a word -- she can't just show up in another four or five hours with no explanation.
That's when she gets a look at the clock. It's already past ten. With that, she starts throwing her clothes on, trying to be as quiet as possible, though it doesn't seem to matter -- Regina's pretty much comatose.
When she reaches the bottom of the stairs, she stops. She throws a look over her shoulder, up the stairs. She knows that she can't just leave with no explanation -- she's done so much running already, and she doesn't want Regina to think she regrets what happened.
So she heads out to the back yard with a pair of scissors. If Regina gets mad at her for this, she'll make up for it. She can add it to Emma's endless tab of "Things to Make Up to Regina." And she snips off the nicest looking rose she can find -- toward the back of the bush, so hopefully Regina won't find it for a while.
Then she takes it inside, puts it in a vase, and scrawls a quick note before heading out to the car. Just as she knew she couldn't leave Regina without a little reassurance, she also knows that she can't just waltz through the door of the loft with no explanation. Mary Margaret is going to be on her right away, expecting she's just spent the night with Neal.
That's when she spots him, walking down Main Street toward the pawn shop. Speak of the devil, she thinks.
Or... think of the devil. Whatever.
And she's all set to drive past him, when he turns and sees her, motioning to her.
"Shit," she whispers. Neal is really the last person she wants to see right now. She just wants to get home, and get the interrogation from her mother underway.
Still, she pulls the car over and climbs out, slamming the door. "Neal."
"Emma." He's got a certain tone in his voice -- a little bit amused -- and he's smirking. That can't mean anything good.
"What do you want?"
"Bumped into your dad this morning." He shoves his hands in the pockets of his jacket, looking way too damn pleased with himself. "He was looking for you -- said you didn't come home last night, and figured you were with me."
Then, he looks her up and down, and she shifts anxiously.
"Are you... wearing the same clothes from last night?"
She rolls her eyes. "Look, whatever you told David--"
"I just told him the truth," he shrugs. "I told him that we went to the bar last night, and you stormed out and I haven't seen you since."
Great. If David hasn't sent out a search party by now, then Mary Margaret certainly has.
She's probably got the dwarfs combing the mines.
"Where did you go, anyway?"
She shoots him a look. "None of your damn business."
But sometimes she forgets that Neal can, on the occasion, read her like a book. His grin just grows wider as a result, and if they weren't standing right in front of his sorcerer daddy's little shop she would've punched him by now.
"Regina?" he asks next, waggling his eyebrows, and seriously Gold is going to rue the day he made her find his stupid son.
And she's not going to answer him. It's not his business and he has no right to an answer. Oh fuck it, it'll make him jealous. "Y'know what, yeah." She holds out her arms in an exaggerated shrug. "I was with Regina, big friggin' deal. And y'know what else?" Leaning in, she gives him a little smirk in return and says, "Best sex I've ever had."
Then she hops in her car and peels out, leaving him staring open-mouthed at her as she drives away.
**
She makes it to the loft and actually gets inside long enough to take off her coat and boots before Mary Margaret materializes and begins the interrogation. "Emma, there you are! Thank goodness. Where were you? We were so worried about you!"
Then she's throwing her arms around her and almost knocking Emma over and she kinda has to take a moment to get her bearings. patting her mother's back.
"Yeah, sorry. I meant to call, but my phone was being weird." Oh man, she hopes Mary Margaret knows as little about cell phones as she thinks she does.
"Oh." Frowning, she asks, "Well where were you?"
David comes through the door, then, with Henry in tow. Henry hugs her -- she thinks they're finally getting back to normal -- and asks her the same exact question. "Emma, where were you? You didn't come home last night."
"I know, kid," she sighs, tousling his hair. "I'm sorry."
She still hasn't explained a damn thing, and she figures that's why Mary Margaret is staring at her so much.
David looks down at Henry and tells him, "Henry, why don't you go make your bed."
"Okay," he shrugs. He's probably used to grownups around him needing to talk. It happens enough with her and Neal, and her and Regina, that Henry's probably given up on fighting it.
Once he's out of earshot, David turns to her. "I saw Neal this morning."
Mary Margaret gasps, looking to Emma with wide eyes. "You spent the night with Neal?!" she whispers.
But David is still looking at Emma as he replies for her, "No. She didn't."
Emma flicks her eyes to him; she's gotten to know him a bit since they were suddenly family. But even then, she has no idea whether or not he's pissed right now. It kinda seems like it, but... maybe not.
Mary Margaret takes a step in, drawing her attention. "Well then where were you?"
Shrugging, she widens her eyes a bit and asks, "Does it matter? Jeez."
"Yes, it matters." David folds his arms. "We were worried when you didn't show up."
"Well I used to just sleep at Regina's all the time and you guys didn't freak out!"
"But we know that things with you and Regina haven't exactly been friendly lately..." Her mother tilts her head.
Raising her brows, Emma sighs, "Well we sure were last night."
Squinting, Mary Margaret asks, "What does that mean?"
And Emma's starting to get tired of this conversation. It's stupid, but she misses Regina already and wants to get back.
Also when she gets back she'd prefer it if they got naked again, like, immediately.
"It means that I was with Regina last night."
"Oh." Mary Margaret looks relieved, and puts a hand over her heart. She really has no idea.
And maybe it's because she has a death wish, but Emma kinda wants to see the look on her face when she figures it out. So she helps her along. "No. Guys. I mean... I was with Regina last night."
Frowning, David asks, "In what way?"
Emma raises her eyebrows and thinks, in every way.
She thinks of the way Regina looked, with her head thrown back in ecstasy. She thinks of the sounds of pleasure that came from her lips and how amazing she looked slipping that silk robe off her shoulders in the kitchen.
She thinks of all the places in the house that they christened over the last twelve hours and how she'd very much like to get back to doing that, and then she can't help the ridiculous grin on her face.
"Emma?"
She looks up. Her eyes bounce between both of her parents, and she's still grinning like a complete moron. She takes a breath and decides she's had enough of tip-toeing around their history as she sighs out, "In a, uh... in a really, really naked way."
Then she waits for the other shoe to drop.
David's eyebrows fly up immediately -- so high, she almost wonders if they're gonna climb off his head. His stance shifts, but he still has his arms folded across his chest.
Mary Margaret looks like she's gonna faint. She sits down on the steps leading up to the loft, and her mouth is opening and closing, trying to form thoughts. She's not looking at Emma or at David or anybody -- just staring off into space.
And though David looks confused about her revelation, he seems more concerned about his wife's state of mind. Or that's what Emma figures, because instead of using her 'current' name, he calls out cautiously, "Snow?"
Mary Margaret makes a couple small noises -- like she's breathing really hard or trying to get out an 'H' sound. Then, she looks up at Emma and asks, "How?"
Emma stares at her dubiously. "You mean, like... a play-by-play?"
"God no. I just..." She stands, slowly if a little cautiously, just staring at Emma like she can't figure her out. "Regina? I mean she, she's..."
"My best friend," Emma tells her, quietly so as not to startle her or weird her out any further. "She's the best friend I've ever had, and I'm kinda in love with her."
Okay fine, a lot in love. Especially since last night. She thinks it might be a borderline addiction, and she's practically itching for another fix.
"I need time to think," Mary Margaret interrupts her thoughts, still not looking at anyone directly.
"Okay." Emma nods, expecting as much. She's just happy her mother's not screaming. Or crying. But then again, crying's not her first go-to coping mechanism anyway.
David's the crier.
So she dips her head, trying to get her mother's attention. "Is there anything I can say? Or do?"
She nods. "You can leave."
Now that, she wasn't expecting. Neither was David if the look on his face is any indication.
But Emma's in no mood to fight. So she throws her hands up and says, "You got it," before turning to leave.
She's halfway down the steps and almost to the front door when she hears loud, heavy footsteps trailing after her in quick succession.
"Emma!"
She spins in the lobby. "David?"
"I'm sorry... about--"
"It's okay," she tells him, shaking her head. "I get it. The past and everything."
"Right. It, um..." He throws a look over his shoulder, up the stairs as if Mary Margaret might hear him from two floors down. "It might take her awhile to accept."
Raising her eyebrows, with one hand on the door knob, she asks him, "And you?"
He meets her eyes. "I'll be fine." He must be able to read the look of 'bullshit' on her face, because he tilts his head. "Really. I certainly have my own issues with Regina, but... I can see how much she's changed. And I know that that's largely due to you."
He grabs her hand and holds her gaze, his own softening as a slight smile hits his face.
"Bottom line, Emma? You're my daughter, and I love you. Everything else will work out, in one way or another."
She smiles. "Right."
Still standing a few steps above her, David gives her hand a squeeze and leans forward, pressing his lips to her forehead. He then promises her he'll bring Henry to the house later and bids her farewell.
"Huh," she murmurs to herself when he's gone. "Guess that went better than I thought."
*****
Her first instinct when she gets in the car is to call Regina, but she doesn't pick up. And as badly as she wants to see her, she kinda feels like she should let her sleep. It's the least she can do -- or maybe she can count it toward her never ending list of things to make up to Regina for. Maybe if she lets her get extra sleep now, it can help to make up for some of the sleep Regina lost when Emma was being a moron.
So she stops off at Granny's. Ruby's already at the counter and gives her a smile. "Hey, Emma! Cocoa?"
"Yes please -- to go."
Ruby nods, filling up a Styrofoam cup and throwing a lid on. Turning over her shoulder, she asks, "How'd your date go last night?"
Emma's eyebrows fly up as she sidles onto a bar stool. "Well, it went better once I ditched Neal."
Ruby's eyes go immediately wide. "What?" she hisses. And she clearly knows something's up. "Tell me everything."
Emma plays dumb -- "About what?" -- simply because it's way too fun watching Ruby's eyes bug out of her head.
She gives Emma a look, sliding the to-go cup toward her. "Oh please. I'd know the 'I got laid' look on anybody. And if you weren't with Neal, then..." A weird screech comes out of her mouth, disturbing some of the other diner patrons, and Granny gives them both a look but it gets ignored by Ruby.
"Come on!" she pushes. "Spill!"
"I guess all I can say is..." She looks down at her hands, tracing indiscriminate patterns on the Formica. "When I saw you and her at the bar, I guess it kinda..." She shrugs. "Knocked some sense into me."
"So you saw us hugging?"
Emma nods.
Suddenly, Ruby looks proud. Almost... smug. And she says, "Well... good!"
"Wait a minute, wait." Something clicks into place, and she tilts her head downward, giving Ruby a look through her lashes. "Did you plan that?"
"Plan what?" And now Ruby's the one playing dumb, and it works about as well on Emma as hers did on Ruby. "I didn't plan anything."
"You're lying," she grins.
Ruby can't hide the smirk on her face, and she rolls her eyes. "Okay, fine. I knew you were looking and I hugged her on purpose to make you jealous."
"But... how did you know we'd show up there?" She asks. "Me and Neal, I mean."
Ruby shrugs. "I didn't," she says, and this time she's telling the truth. "But when you showed up, I saw how upset Regina was, and I just..." She gives a little impish smile. "Tipped the scales in her favor."
Emma shakes her head, still smirking in disbelief. "Why would you do that?"
"Because, believe it or not... I actually do really like Regina. I want to be her friend. And part of being a friend is wanting someone to be happy." Reaching across the counter, she gives Emma's shoulder a light shove. "And that goes for you, too. And neither of you look anywhere near as happy as you do when you're together." She shrugs again. "So... I did what I had to do."
Emma chuckles and reaches for her wallet, throwing down enough to cover her tab, as well as a generous tip. "Well... a thank-you drink is in order, I suppose."
"I won't turn that down," Ruby grins.
*****
She gets to Regina's and lets herself in, not bothering to knock. The silent pact she made with herself to let Regina sleep has been voided -- she really wants to see her, and doesn't mind incurring her sleepy wrath to do so.
The foyer is empty and so is the rest of the downstairs area. She peeks in the kitchen and doesn't see the rose or the note, so she smiles and heads for the stairs. "Regina?"
"Emma?" Her tone is full of surprise and totally awake, and soon she appears around the corner from the master bedroom.
In an instant, Regina's face lights up, and Emma herself feels like she's smiling so hugely and stupidly that her face is gonna fall off.
Yep, all of those things she's been thinking and feeling, about Regina? Definitely love.
"You came back," Regina sighs, and she almost sounds relieved.
Emma can't help the smirk. "Did you ever doubt I would?"
Then they're crashing together again, exchanging desperate kisses. Emma kisses her lips, then her chin and her jaw, then just under her ear before she snakes her arms around Regina's waist and squeezes her tightly, burying her face in her neck.
Instantly, she feels heady, like she's walking on air. She can feel pops and buzzes where Regina's skin touches hers and she wonders if it's always going to feel like that -- if it's always going to kick up magic.
"How did things go?" Regina asks, and it's like she knows that she's already spilled the beans.
"Later," Emma tells her, and kisses her again. "I told you -- I wanna make up for lost time."
And make up for it they do.
**
When she regains consciousness, it's almost dinnertime. She wakes up to an empty bed missing Regina, and she can hear the shower running in the other room.
She pulls her clothes on and makes her way downstairs, rummaging around in the cupboards. Regina joins her not long after and Emma smiles at the way her damp hair curls at the ends. They're just about to start bickering over what to eat when there's a knock at the door.
"That's probably David," Emma tells her. "He said he'd be bringing Henry by."
Regina nods and kisses her one more time, and the two of them head for the door. Emma reaches it first and readies herself for whatever exchange is going to take place between Regina and David.
Then the door swings open and instead of David, there's Mary Margaret, her eyes already centered on Regina.
And suddenly Emma can't think of anything more intelligible to say than, "...Oh."
TBC
{x-posted to onceupon_fanfic and regina_emma}
CHAPTER 21: Basking
FANDOM: Once Upon a Time
PAIRING: Swan Queen (Regina/Emma)
SPOILERS: AU from beginning of "The Cricket Game"
RATING: PG-13
SUMMARY: Part of all this feels surreal - like it hasn't actually happened. Like they didn't spend all of last night making up for lost time and lolling in ecstasy.
*****
With sore, strained muscles and a deep sense of regret, Emma drags herself out of bed. She stretches her arms and stares out the window, at the bright red apples dangling from the tree in the backyard, surrounded by rose bushes in full bloom. The entire yard is sprinkled with red and she feels drawn to it.
Turning over her shoulder, she takes a moment to stare at Regina. She's asleep on her side facing toward her. Her left arm is sprawled on the mattress, partway beneath her. Her right hand is resting just under the corner of her pillow, and there's a smile on her face.
Emma smiles at the sight, feeling her heart swell. Part of all this feels surreal - like it hasn't actually happened. Like they didn't spend all of last night making up for lost time and lolling in ecstasy.
She desperately wants to stay in bed with her, basking in the afterglow, but she knows she can't. She knows her parents are probably already worried that she's been out all night without a word -- she can't just show up in another four or five hours with no explanation.
That's when she gets a look at the clock. It's already past ten. With that, she starts throwing her clothes on, trying to be as quiet as possible, though it doesn't seem to matter -- Regina's pretty much comatose.
When she reaches the bottom of the stairs, she stops. She throws a look over her shoulder, up the stairs. She knows that she can't just leave with no explanation -- she's done so much running already, and she doesn't want Regina to think she regrets what happened.
So she heads out to the back yard with a pair of scissors. If Regina gets mad at her for this, she'll make up for it. She can add it to Emma's endless tab of "Things to Make Up to Regina." And she snips off the nicest looking rose she can find -- toward the back of the bush, so hopefully Regina won't find it for a while.
Then she takes it inside, puts it in a vase, and scrawls a quick note before heading out to the car. Just as she knew she couldn't leave Regina without a little reassurance, she also knows that she can't just waltz through the door of the loft with no explanation. Mary Margaret is going to be on her right away, expecting she's just spent the night with Neal.
That's when she spots him, walking down Main Street toward the pawn shop. Speak of the devil, she thinks.
Or... think of the devil. Whatever.
And she's all set to drive past him, when he turns and sees her, motioning to her.
"Shit," she whispers. Neal is really the last person she wants to see right now. She just wants to get home, and get the interrogation from her mother underway.
Still, she pulls the car over and climbs out, slamming the door. "Neal."
"Emma." He's got a certain tone in his voice -- a little bit amused -- and he's smirking. That can't mean anything good.
"What do you want?"
"Bumped into your dad this morning." He shoves his hands in the pockets of his jacket, looking way too damn pleased with himself. "He was looking for you -- said you didn't come home last night, and figured you were with me."
Then, he looks her up and down, and she shifts anxiously.
"Are you... wearing the same clothes from last night?"
She rolls her eyes. "Look, whatever you told David--"
"I just told him the truth," he shrugs. "I told him that we went to the bar last night, and you stormed out and I haven't seen you since."
Great. If David hasn't sent out a search party by now, then Mary Margaret certainly has.
She's probably got the dwarfs combing the mines.
"Where did you go, anyway?"
She shoots him a look. "None of your damn business."
But sometimes she forgets that Neal can, on the occasion, read her like a book. His grin just grows wider as a result, and if they weren't standing right in front of his sorcerer daddy's little shop she would've punched him by now.
"Regina?" he asks next, waggling his eyebrows, and seriously Gold is going to rue the day he made her find his stupid son.
And she's not going to answer him. It's not his business and he has no right to an answer. Oh fuck it, it'll make him jealous. "Y'know what, yeah." She holds out her arms in an exaggerated shrug. "I was with Regina, big friggin' deal. And y'know what else?" Leaning in, she gives him a little smirk in return and says, "Best sex I've ever had."
Then she hops in her car and peels out, leaving him staring open-mouthed at her as she drives away.
**
She makes it to the loft and actually gets inside long enough to take off her coat and boots before Mary Margaret materializes and begins the interrogation. "Emma, there you are! Thank goodness. Where were you? We were so worried about you!"
Then she's throwing her arms around her and almost knocking Emma over and she kinda has to take a moment to get her bearings. patting her mother's back.
"Yeah, sorry. I meant to call, but my phone was being weird." Oh man, she hopes Mary Margaret knows as little about cell phones as she thinks she does.
"Oh." Frowning, she asks, "Well where were you?"
David comes through the door, then, with Henry in tow. Henry hugs her -- she thinks they're finally getting back to normal -- and asks her the same exact question. "Emma, where were you? You didn't come home last night."
"I know, kid," she sighs, tousling his hair. "I'm sorry."
She still hasn't explained a damn thing, and she figures that's why Mary Margaret is staring at her so much.
David looks down at Henry and tells him, "Henry, why don't you go make your bed."
"Okay," he shrugs. He's probably used to grownups around him needing to talk. It happens enough with her and Neal, and her and Regina, that Henry's probably given up on fighting it.
Once he's out of earshot, David turns to her. "I saw Neal this morning."
Mary Margaret gasps, looking to Emma with wide eyes. "You spent the night with Neal?!" she whispers.
But David is still looking at Emma as he replies for her, "No. She didn't."
Emma flicks her eyes to him; she's gotten to know him a bit since they were suddenly family. But even then, she has no idea whether or not he's pissed right now. It kinda seems like it, but... maybe not.
Mary Margaret takes a step in, drawing her attention. "Well then where were you?"
Shrugging, she widens her eyes a bit and asks, "Does it matter? Jeez."
"Yes, it matters." David folds his arms. "We were worried when you didn't show up."
"Well I used to just sleep at Regina's all the time and you guys didn't freak out!"
"But we know that things with you and Regina haven't exactly been friendly lately..." Her mother tilts her head.
Raising her brows, Emma sighs, "Well we sure were last night."
Squinting, Mary Margaret asks, "What does that mean?"
And Emma's starting to get tired of this conversation. It's stupid, but she misses Regina already and wants to get back.
Also when she gets back she'd prefer it if they got naked again, like, immediately.
"It means that I was with Regina last night."
"Oh." Mary Margaret looks relieved, and puts a hand over her heart. She really has no idea.
And maybe it's because she has a death wish, but Emma kinda wants to see the look on her face when she figures it out. So she helps her along. "No. Guys. I mean... I was with Regina last night."
Frowning, David asks, "In what way?"
Emma raises her eyebrows and thinks, in every way.
She thinks of the way Regina looked, with her head thrown back in ecstasy. She thinks of the sounds of pleasure that came from her lips and how amazing she looked slipping that silk robe off her shoulders in the kitchen.
She thinks of all the places in the house that they christened over the last twelve hours and how she'd very much like to get back to doing that, and then she can't help the ridiculous grin on her face.
"Emma?"
She looks up. Her eyes bounce between both of her parents, and she's still grinning like a complete moron. She takes a breath and decides she's had enough of tip-toeing around their history as she sighs out, "In a, uh... in a really, really naked way."
Then she waits for the other shoe to drop.
David's eyebrows fly up immediately -- so high, she almost wonders if they're gonna climb off his head. His stance shifts, but he still has his arms folded across his chest.
Mary Margaret looks like she's gonna faint. She sits down on the steps leading up to the loft, and her mouth is opening and closing, trying to form thoughts. She's not looking at Emma or at David or anybody -- just staring off into space.
And though David looks confused about her revelation, he seems more concerned about his wife's state of mind. Or that's what Emma figures, because instead of using her 'current' name, he calls out cautiously, "Snow?"
Mary Margaret makes a couple small noises -- like she's breathing really hard or trying to get out an 'H' sound. Then, she looks up at Emma and asks, "How?"
Emma stares at her dubiously. "You mean, like... a play-by-play?"
"God no. I just..." She stands, slowly if a little cautiously, just staring at Emma like she can't figure her out. "Regina? I mean she, she's..."
"My best friend," Emma tells her, quietly so as not to startle her or weird her out any further. "She's the best friend I've ever had, and I'm kinda in love with her."
Okay fine, a lot in love. Especially since last night. She thinks it might be a borderline addiction, and she's practically itching for another fix.
"I need time to think," Mary Margaret interrupts her thoughts, still not looking at anyone directly.
"Okay." Emma nods, expecting as much. She's just happy her mother's not screaming. Or crying. But then again, crying's not her first go-to coping mechanism anyway.
David's the crier.
So she dips her head, trying to get her mother's attention. "Is there anything I can say? Or do?"
She nods. "You can leave."
Now that, she wasn't expecting. Neither was David if the look on his face is any indication.
But Emma's in no mood to fight. So she throws her hands up and says, "You got it," before turning to leave.
She's halfway down the steps and almost to the front door when she hears loud, heavy footsteps trailing after her in quick succession.
"Emma!"
She spins in the lobby. "David?"
"I'm sorry... about--"
"It's okay," she tells him, shaking her head. "I get it. The past and everything."
"Right. It, um..." He throws a look over his shoulder, up the stairs as if Mary Margaret might hear him from two floors down. "It might take her awhile to accept."
Raising her eyebrows, with one hand on the door knob, she asks him, "And you?"
He meets her eyes. "I'll be fine." He must be able to read the look of 'bullshit' on her face, because he tilts his head. "Really. I certainly have my own issues with Regina, but... I can see how much she's changed. And I know that that's largely due to you."
He grabs her hand and holds her gaze, his own softening as a slight smile hits his face.
"Bottom line, Emma? You're my daughter, and I love you. Everything else will work out, in one way or another."
She smiles. "Right."
Still standing a few steps above her, David gives her hand a squeeze and leans forward, pressing his lips to her forehead. He then promises her he'll bring Henry to the house later and bids her farewell.
"Huh," she murmurs to herself when he's gone. "Guess that went better than I thought."
*****
Her first instinct when she gets in the car is to call Regina, but she doesn't pick up. And as badly as she wants to see her, she kinda feels like she should let her sleep. It's the least she can do -- or maybe she can count it toward her never ending list of things to make up to Regina for. Maybe if she lets her get extra sleep now, it can help to make up for some of the sleep Regina lost when Emma was being a moron.
So she stops off at Granny's. Ruby's already at the counter and gives her a smile. "Hey, Emma! Cocoa?"
"Yes please -- to go."
Ruby nods, filling up a Styrofoam cup and throwing a lid on. Turning over her shoulder, she asks, "How'd your date go last night?"
Emma's eyebrows fly up as she sidles onto a bar stool. "Well, it went better once I ditched Neal."
Ruby's eyes go immediately wide. "What?" she hisses. And she clearly knows something's up. "Tell me everything."
Emma plays dumb -- "About what?" -- simply because it's way too fun watching Ruby's eyes bug out of her head.
She gives Emma a look, sliding the to-go cup toward her. "Oh please. I'd know the 'I got laid' look on anybody. And if you weren't with Neal, then..." A weird screech comes out of her mouth, disturbing some of the other diner patrons, and Granny gives them both a look but it gets ignored by Ruby.
"Come on!" she pushes. "Spill!"
"I guess all I can say is..." She looks down at her hands, tracing indiscriminate patterns on the Formica. "When I saw you and her at the bar, I guess it kinda..." She shrugs. "Knocked some sense into me."
"So you saw us hugging?"
Emma nods.
Suddenly, Ruby looks proud. Almost... smug. And she says, "Well... good!"
"Wait a minute, wait." Something clicks into place, and she tilts her head downward, giving Ruby a look through her lashes. "Did you plan that?"
"Plan what?" And now Ruby's the one playing dumb, and it works about as well on Emma as hers did on Ruby. "I didn't plan anything."
"You're lying," she grins.
Ruby can't hide the smirk on her face, and she rolls her eyes. "Okay, fine. I knew you were looking and I hugged her on purpose to make you jealous."
"But... how did you know we'd show up there?" She asks. "Me and Neal, I mean."
Ruby shrugs. "I didn't," she says, and this time she's telling the truth. "But when you showed up, I saw how upset Regina was, and I just..." She gives a little impish smile. "Tipped the scales in her favor."
Emma shakes her head, still smirking in disbelief. "Why would you do that?"
"Because, believe it or not... I actually do really like Regina. I want to be her friend. And part of being a friend is wanting someone to be happy." Reaching across the counter, she gives Emma's shoulder a light shove. "And that goes for you, too. And neither of you look anywhere near as happy as you do when you're together." She shrugs again. "So... I did what I had to do."
Emma chuckles and reaches for her wallet, throwing down enough to cover her tab, as well as a generous tip. "Well... a thank-you drink is in order, I suppose."
"I won't turn that down," Ruby grins.
*****
She gets to Regina's and lets herself in, not bothering to knock. The silent pact she made with herself to let Regina sleep has been voided -- she really wants to see her, and doesn't mind incurring her sleepy wrath to do so.
The foyer is empty and so is the rest of the downstairs area. She peeks in the kitchen and doesn't see the rose or the note, so she smiles and heads for the stairs. "Regina?"
"Emma?" Her tone is full of surprise and totally awake, and soon she appears around the corner from the master bedroom.
In an instant, Regina's face lights up, and Emma herself feels like she's smiling so hugely and stupidly that her face is gonna fall off.
Yep, all of those things she's been thinking and feeling, about Regina? Definitely love.
"You came back," Regina sighs, and she almost sounds relieved.
Emma can't help the smirk. "Did you ever doubt I would?"
Then they're crashing together again, exchanging desperate kisses. Emma kisses her lips, then her chin and her jaw, then just under her ear before she snakes her arms around Regina's waist and squeezes her tightly, burying her face in her neck.
Instantly, she feels heady, like she's walking on air. She can feel pops and buzzes where Regina's skin touches hers and she wonders if it's always going to feel like that -- if it's always going to kick up magic.
"How did things go?" Regina asks, and it's like she knows that she's already spilled the beans.
"Later," Emma tells her, and kisses her again. "I told you -- I wanna make up for lost time."
And make up for it they do.
**
When she regains consciousness, it's almost dinnertime. She wakes up to an empty bed missing Regina, and she can hear the shower running in the other room.
She pulls her clothes on and makes her way downstairs, rummaging around in the cupboards. Regina joins her not long after and Emma smiles at the way her damp hair curls at the ends. They're just about to start bickering over what to eat when there's a knock at the door.
"That's probably David," Emma tells her. "He said he'd be bringing Henry by."
Regina nods and kisses her one more time, and the two of them head for the door. Emma reaches it first and readies herself for whatever exchange is going to take place between Regina and David.
Then the door swings open and instead of David, there's Mary Margaret, her eyes already centered on Regina.
And suddenly Emma can't think of anything more intelligible to say than, "...Oh."
TBC
{x-posted to onceupon_fanfic and regina_emma}