Chapter 9
After that first kiss, it was difficult for either woman to go to bed that night without interrupting their conversation to place the softest brush against the other's lips or trail their bottom lip against smooth knuckles just because they finally could. Emma couldn't believe she had denied herself this woman for as long as she did, and she vowed never again as their kiss deepened with an exploration of hands and tongue. Soon night turned into morning, and though they rarely awoke like those teenage romantic comedies, the air was still filled with the newly accepted intimacy and affection.
What surprised Emma the most was how little things changed between she and Regina. Their smiles had always been genuine, their touches always sincere, and the only added bonus was that when Henry would run in and out of the rooms, scampering between the living room and his playroom, they could finally indulge in the physical desire that had been plaguing them for weeks. Like clockwork, both women would turn their head toward the other less than a second after Henry would cross the threshold and as soon as the toddler was out of the room, the most knowing of smirks would be shared before they leaned their heads in, their lips seeking comfort with one another as their fingers intertwined expertly.
Every kiss with Regina seemed to light Emma on fire and cool her down all at once. Bittersweet was the only way she could describe it. Regina was like a sudden rainfall on a hot, sunny day – unexpected and refreshing and beautiful and maddening, and Emma had no problem kicking off her shoes and running carelessly through the puddles as the sun burned hotly against her back because every touch and every smile and every laugh from Regina was laced with the reminder that Emma was closer to leaving. Emma knew all good things didn't last, but this good thing, having Regina and Henry around, they were something she wasn't ready to let go, and if all she had was this one moment in the summer shower before the thunderstorm hit, then she was willing to stand outside and catch a cold if she had to.
It seemed Regina felt the same because for that week she had taken half-days and rescheduled all meetings that could afford to wait to be moved to the next. Regina and Emma would have lunch together, either at the mansion or at one of the quaint little bistros or cafés in town, and it pleased Emma whenever their foot would intentionally-accidentally brush the other, and neither kept it a secret when their palms would habitually rest over one another on top of the table.
They would pick up Henry afterwards and go to the park, visit an indoor playground, or have a movie night in, though the first day picking him up at daycare had delayed their plans some. The children had crowded around Emma to ask if she could fly or have special powers which gave both women pause, but understanding flooded their face when they realized that Henry had apparently told them she was a superhero. The endearment caused a pang in her chest, and she gave Regina a puppy dog look that rivalled Henry's own well-practiced pout. With a nod from Regina, they stayed as Emma entertained the kids with stories of her job, teaching them about safety and care, and of course she had to play with them because Emma herself acted like a child at times. Regina stayed against the wall, alternating between laughing at Emma who had crawled into the miniature home in the yard and struggled to get out and conversing quite happily with Ms. Bell.
It was like that every day for Emma's last week with the trio spending as much time together as possible, and Emma saying her goodbyes to the people who had grown to become her friends in her time there. Ruby and Tina had managed to steal Emma away for an hour one evening to buy her a goodbye drink at The Rabbit Hole but released her, much to Regina and Emma's delight, when the blonde kept eyeing her watch for the time. Every night she and Regina would fall into bed, talking until the morning light because sleeping seemed insignificant as time slipped through their fingers. The only witness to their time together was the stars as they shone their light through the parted curtains of Regina's window. During the night, nothing could touch them. Secure in their little bubble, there were no meetings to prepare for, no desert to be patrolled, just Regina and Emma, lying under the sky that joined the earth as one.
Within the blink of an eye it was Thursday, and Emma had a 3 AM flight the following day to head back to Fort Benning, and she wasn't ready to leave Storybrooke just yet.
The reality of the situation hit the blonde hard when she woke up that morning with Regina sleeping soundly on her side facing Emma, her hand still in the middle where she had fallen asleep drawing circles on Emma's palm. Their nightly conversations drifted to a close at the 4 AM mark when, despite her better efforts, Regina's eyes started to flutter shut yet she continued to insist she was awake. Like Regina, Emma didn't want the night to end, but watching Regina as she slept grew to be a favourite past time of the younger woman's, so Emma used her free hand to tuck errant strands of brown hair behind Regina's ear and rub soothing circles just under the lobe.
Awake, Regina was flawless, but asleep, Regina was something out of a fairy tale – a sleeping beauty she yearned to wake yet wanted to keep sleeping if only to admire her raw beauty for a moment longer. Emma took the small amount of time allotted to her to sear the brunette's image into her brain. Carefully, she shifted closer, removing the distance habitually set between them and brought her hand up to trail feather light touches down Regina's temple, tracing the scar along her lip, feeling the curve as her collarbone dipped, and watching the goosebumps rise on the flesh of her arm. Every bump, every scar, every soft patch of smooth skin, every shade of toned flesh Emma imprinted onto the back of her retina until the only thing her mind knew was Regina.
The brunette's faltered breathing signalled her consciousness, and Emma eased her to the land of the living with a few well-placed teasing kisses, her nose nuzzling against the older woman's cheek as her lips caressed the corner of her mouth. A breathy laugh hit her cheeks, and Regina's hand instinctively tightened around Emma's in the middle as her eyes fluttered open.
"Hi," the blonde whispered, pulling back so they lay face to face on the pillow.
"Hi," Regina responded in kind, chocolate eyes glowing a bright honey before a watery sadness etched into them so slowly it was as if time had paused. "It's your last day."
"I know," Emma said apologetically as if she had control over such matters. "But I don't want to talk about that right now. It's just like any other day."
Regina scoffed dryly though before Regina's token pessimism could take hold, Emma brushed her lips against the brunette's, distracting her from her thoughts. "Good morning," she said pointedly.
Regina rolled her eyes, but her lips quirked upwards in contentment of the moment. "Good morning."
"Sleep well?"
"Surprisingly so. You may be just as comfortable as my pillows."
"Only just."
"Well the goose-down does form to my body," the brunette reasoned.
"I'm sure I could too," Emma grinned saucily, winking for emphasis.
Regina barked out a laugh and shook her head, though the red staining her cheeks as she flushed hotly was evident that the image the blonde gave was playing through her mind in vivid detail. She sat up, shifting her legs out of bed to sit on the edge, her back to Emma as she rolled a bare shoulder from her fallen nightgown strap and glanced coyly behind her. "Perhaps we could find out when you return."
Emma's eyes widened as she choked on her words, managing only to get out a high-pitched "what?"
"Consider it incentive," Regina provided easily and walked to the bathroom with a sway of her hips.
With a grin, Emma sat up and rolled out of bed, hastily making the bed. "You get the kid and I'll make breakfast."