Chapter Text
Early in the morning in Storybrooke, Emma wakes up feeling very happy. Life in Storybrooke is finally normal again and this so expected moment must be cherished. Everyone can finally put their mind to rest.
The first thing she does after taking her morning shower is to get her sheriff's badge inside her closet. She has missed normalcy so much that the feeling of picking it up again is overwhelming.
After a happy breakfast with her parents and little brother, she heads to the station with her dad. When she sits on her designed chair, her phone buzzes with a text from Henry:
Mom just dropped me at the bus stop and I had the best idea ever!
Emma smiles at her son’s excitement.
What’s up, kid?
Did you know that Mom’s birthday is coming up?
What, really? When is it?
This Saturday, February 1st!
Oh, wow. You’ve never told me that. Neither did she…
I’m not surprised about that, though. Anyway, I was thinking we could throw her a surprise party this Saturday. Maybe it could cheer her up!
A big grin breaks on her face as she thinks about the amazing idea. Regina really needs some fun and happiness in her life.
That’s a great idea, kid! I love it!
Awesome! Can we meet up at Granny’s after school? I need to tell you my ideas.
Sure!
“Why are you smiling so much, kiddo?” David asks, showing her a curious expression.
“Henry just texted. He said Regina’s birthday is this Saturday and wants to throw a surprise party for her. I think it’s a great idea.”
“It is indeed. Regina needs a bit of distraction from the whole Robin debacle, I guess.”
“She does,” Emma replies, her mind wandering to a few nights ago when they followed Henry into the hidden library of the author and found that there’s a chance to write Regina a happy ending.
She promised Regina she would help, and maybe this surprise party is a part of that, too. Emma really wants Regina to be happy. She doesn’t know everything Regina’s been through, but she imagines already how fucked up her life must have been. Emma has dealt with Cora and realized how insanely psychologically abusive she can be. And then, there was Robin who appeared in Regina’s life when Emma was not around. It certainly came out as a shock to the blonde when she came back to Storybrooke and realized that they were… sort of… together. Not that Emma has anything against… them. Just him—Emma didn’t trust Robin. She never did and probably never will. But if he’s Regina’s soulmate, and now she’s suffering because of him, Emma feels the need to try and help Regina get her happy ending. She really deserves to be happy.
At 3:10 pm, Emma sits on the booth at Granny’s, watching as Henry steps inside the diner a few minutes later with an excited smile on his face. Emma also feels eager to start planning this party for Regina. Hopefully, the brunette will like it.
“Hey, Ma! I’m so glad you agreed to help me.”
She smiles at him. “Of course I’d agree, kid. Your Mom deserves it.”
“Great! She hasn’t mentioned anything about her birthday, and trust me, she never does. She kinda pretends it doesn’t exist.”
“Really? Even when you were little, she didn’t talk about it?”
“I don’t remember much, but as I was getting older, I realized she never expected anything big or even a surprise for her birthday. Maybe she’s had bad experiences with it.”
Emma shows him a pained smile. “That must be it. And, unfortunately, I can relate.”
He sighs. “I’m sorry you had to go through most of your life by yourself.”
“It’s okay, kid. We’re past that.” He nods vehemently. “So, how should we plan this?”
“I spoke to Mary Margaret during recess and she agreed to help me decorate. I’m sure David will want to help too.”
Emma blinks at him, then asks, “And what am I supposed to do?”
“You’ll have the most important job: take Mom out of the house, distract her, and bring her back at the time of the party.”
“Whoa, kid… why me?”
Henry laughs. “You guys are friends.”
“We are certainly on that path… but since I brought Marian back, things haven’t been a bed of roses.”
“I know. But you were drinking shots together at Granny’s the other day, and inside the library, she smiled at you so big her eyes were shining!” Henry says, sounding very excited about his ‘arguments’ and her friendship with Regina.
Emma can feel her cheeks blushing, and she doesn’t know exactly why any of what Henry said makes her feel… giddy. Or as if butterflies are having a party inside her stomach. The blonde remembers very well how beautifully Regina had smiled at her at the library when she said she was ‘in’ their operation too.
“I’m in.”
“You are?”
“I made you a promise I intend to keep. Everyone deserves their happy ending.”
And Regina’s eyes started shining as she gazed at Emma, a smile slowly forming into a grin on her dark crimson, red lips.
“Mom?” Henry calls her attention, causing her to blush even more.
She laughs awkwardly. “Sorry, uh… I know Regina and I are on good terms now, but she still gets very irritated with me.”
Henry rolls his eyes. “Mom gets irritated with everyone in this town.”
Emma chuckles. “That’s right.”
“Okay, so you have to figure out what you’re going to do to distract her for four hours.”
Emma’s eyes turn wide. “Four hours? Kid, she won’t believe me. She's gonna get suspicious.”
He lifts a finger as if to lecture her, and says, “Not if you pretend well enough.”
The blonde sighs, defeated, knowing that she won’t be able to make him change his mind about this. “Fine, I’ll think of something. So, what about the food and decorations—what do you have in mind?”
“Grandma is crazy with ideas. You know how she is. But we have to be careful with her because it’s Mom we’re talking about.”
Emma chuckles, imagining Regina’s reaction if her surprise party were full of pink decorations and cute, princess things, just the way Snow likes.
“Yeah, make sure to control Snow. And who are you going to invite?”
“Mom’s closest friends, I guess. Do you want me to invite Hook?”
“Uh…” Honestly, Emma knows that Regina is not fond of Hook and would rather he didn’t go to her party. But what would Emma tell him if he weren’t invited? “I’ll see if he wants to.”
“O-okay. I think the party could be at 4 pm?”
“All right. When, exactly, do I have to start distracting her?”
“You’ll have to keep her occupied after lunch.”
Emma’s eyes bulge at the news. “Holy shit, Henry! That’s a lot of time until 4 p.m. And what am I supposed to do with her? Why don’t we switch places? I’m good at planning parties too, you know?”
“She’ll know right away if I’m the one distracting her. But I’ll stay with her during the morning, and then I’ll tell her I have an important group assignment to do at Nick’s house. I guess she won’t bother much because it’s her birthday, and she will pretend it’s just any other Saturday. But if I were the one to stay with her the whole day, she would guess I have something up my sleeve. You know she’s super smart.”
Emma nods, slowly scratching her scalp as many different possibilities to distract Regina go through her head. “So… you’re sure she likes to be alone on her birthday?”
“No one likes to be alone on their birthday, Emma,” Henry responds skeptically. “But… but Mom is used to it, and she thinks she doesn’t have any friends. That’s why it’d be better for you to distract her. She’ll know that she has a friend. A best friend, even. I think she needs to be sure she has you, Emma.”
And there it is again: the butterflies that seem to appear and have a party in her stomach every time someone mentions Regina like that. Why is she feeling this way just by imagining she and Regina becoming best friends? How stupidly foolish is it to feel this way?
The blonde sighs. “You have a point.”
“I know I do.” He smiles. “Now that I’ve told you everything I’ve planned, can I order a milkshake, please?” His pleading eyes and pout make Emma laugh at his audacity.
“Fine, you can.”
Emma spends the following days thinking and wondering what she would do to distract Regina. It’s Friday already, and she doesn’t have anything concrete or good enough yet. She had met with Henry a few more times and listened to him talk about the ideas he and Mary Margaret were preparing. The blonde would rather be in their skin; it’d be much easier. How the fuck will she distract Regina for so long?
At first, Emma thought they could go out to eat something, or even drink goddamn alcohol during the afternoon. But she knows Regina would never do that. She probably wouldn’t even accept to go out with Emma to eat. Why the date word appeared in her head—she doesn’t know. She has a boyfriend. Well, speaking of him, Emma has been avoiding Hook at all costs. He’s been so clingy lately, and the only thing he does is distract her from her thoughts and ideas to distract Regina on Saturday.
Anyhow, Henry had mentioned that she can’t let Regina know that she knows it’s her birthday. If she does, the brunette will be way more suspicious. No one is supposed to know when Regina’s birthday is, except for Henry and Snow. And because of that, Emma has to come up with something that won’t give her away. Regina must accept whatever Emma comes up with, so the surprise party can work the way it’s planned.
It’s only later in the afternoon when Emma comes up with something good enough. Only because Henry had been sending her texts the whole day, pressuring her to tell him what her idea is. Emma would go over to Regina’s house after Henry leaves, ask the brunette if she is available during the afternoon, then ask her to teach her magic again. Even though Emma has more control of her magic now, she still needs to learn a lot more. And maybe Regina won’t be able to say no when Emma asks and shows interest in learning magic with her again. Plus, Emma will surely do her best for all of it to remain a surprise for Regina.
Regina shifts in bed and slowly opens her eyes. The morning light is bright and she has to put a hand in front of her face to see what time it is. Surprisingly, the clock shows 9 am. It’s Saturday, after all. February 1st. Her birthday.
She groans, covering her face on purpose with the duvet. Regina closes her eyes and takes a deep, calming breath. If there is one day of the year she loathes the most, is her birthday. It has never meant much to her, or at least she pretends it doesn’t when all her life it hasn’t been celebrated properly or the loving way she imagined it to. Since her father’s death, Regina hasn’t been enjoying her birthdays and loathes to feel like they must be celebrated. However, despite her feelings on this, every year, on Henry’s birthday, Regina loves to celebrate with him and does everything she can to please him. It certainly is a sore topic for her, but Henry, on the other hand, always deserves the best.
The thing is: Regina never expected much for her birthday because no one ever tried to make her feel special. At least Henry didn’t have to worry about that and Regina is glad for that.
There’s a quiet knock on the door that makes Regina sit up on the bed immediately. Her heart races inside her chest when she hears her son’s quiet voice coming through the door, “Mom?”
“Yes, dear?”
“Can I come in?”
“Of course, Henry.”
The door opens and he walks in awkwardly with a huge tray of breakfast that, from even afar, she can see that has her favourite breakfast food: Eggs Benedict. Her eyes instantly start watering at him and his small gesture that irrefutably means so much to her.
“Henry, what is this?” Regina asks, albeit there’s a huge smile on her face.
He gives her a bright, toothy grin that resembles his earlier age as a toddler. “It’s your birthday breakfast! I didn’t cook it, I promise. I asked Granny to make your favourite breakfast.”
“That’s amazing, my prince! Thank you so much!” She thanks him, moving to wrap her arms tightly around his scrawny body. It’s very heartwarming and it makes her feel giddy all over despite the hidden pain lingering in her heart.
“Happy birthday, Mom!” He exclaims, pulling away from the hug to grin brightly at her. “I hope you enjoy it.”
The reason why Regina is so emotional over Henry’s gesture is that, in the last few years, he hadn’t been so keen on pleasing her; he instead neglected her love due to all the fairytale stories he was discovering and living through. The past years have been like hell for them all, that’s for sure, and now, finally, it seems like there is a break, even if Regina feels like everything around her is falling apart. Robin is gone, the author needs to be found and there are so many other things to fix. However, she has to look on the brighter side of everything. Things have drastically changed for the better in the past few years. It’s important to acknowledge that, too.
As Regina starts eating her breakfast, Henry starts an eager conversation that isn’t, surprisingly, about anything fairytale-related, which Regina is very grateful for. It’s her birthday, therefore, an unusual day, and a day she’d like to forget about all things related to the past and just enjoy the simple things like the company of her son.
Unfortunately, though, it is not as good as she expected, of course. Henry said he has a science project to do with his partner, Nicholas, and will have to go to his house to do it. Regina quickly protested, telling Henry could invite Nicholas over and they could do the project at the manor, but Henry said he had already scheduled with his partner. It saddened Regina deeply, of course. When she thought the company of her son during the whole day was going to be the highlight of her birthday, dread and reality came crashing down her head like a pain in the ass.
She didn’t protest much because Regina doesn’t like to be vulnerable, even if it is with her son. It’s important to her that he thinks she is okay; that she is happy despite all the bad things constantly happening in her life.
Albeit feeling morose and upset, Regina tries as much as she can to enjoy Henry’s company until lunch. It’s fun, after all, because he helps her cook her favourite meal, for a change, and they enjoy the flavourful dish of butternut gnocchi. Before Henry’s about to leave, he comes downstairs with a wrapped-up gift that instantly calls Regina’s attention.
“Before I leave, here’s your gift, Mom.” He extends the package to her. “I didn’t know what to get for you, especially because you already have so many material things… but I wanted you to have something meaningful, something that could maybe make you forget about all the bad things and focus on only one: love and family.” He gestures to the wrapped-up box and Regina starts undoing the wrapping paper, holding back tears at his words.
She opens the gift and views a photo album. She takes it out of the box and opens it carefully.
“It's a collection of photos of our family,” Henry says. On the first pages are photos of Regina and him when he was younger. She remembers everything as it was yesterday. As he grows older, there are fewer and fewer pictures of them together and that makes Regina sad, but then, the pictures of their whole family begin. There are many pictures of Henry and Emma, but there are also a lot of Regina, Henry and Emma. And the whole Charming family, which is something so surprising for Regina to this day.
“Oh, Henry,” she gushes, feeling the unstoppable tears wet her face. “This is really beautiful and very heartwarming. Thank you, my prince.” She cups his cheek, leaning in to place a kiss on the top of his head.
“I’m sorry I won’t be able to stay with you the whole day, but I’ll make it up to you when I come back tonight, okay?”
Regina nods despite the pain in her chest. “That’s okay, I’ll be fine, don’t worry.” As he moves to leave the house, Regina blurts out, “Text me if you need anything for the project!”
“Okay, Mom. See you soon!”
Trying to be undeterred by her lonely situation, Regina spends her time gushing some more over that beautiful album and analyzing each photo with great detail. She refuses to feel sad anymore. Her birthday finally means something and that’s what she should focus on now.
To say that her hands are sweating and her body is shaking would be an understatement. Emma feels like she will pass out on her steering wheel as she drives towards Regina’s house. It’s a few minutes after 1 p.m., and Emma knows she’s late. Henry had been texting her non-stop for her to go over quickly to Regina’s house and take her out of there. Emma had stalled, of course, due to her almost nervous breakdown. What if Regina didn’t want to teach Emma magic and sent her away? What if Regina didn’t want to spend her birthday with anyone but Henry? It certainly is a risk Emma will be taking and it’s honestly beyond her imagination as to why her family needs three whole hours to decorate Regina’s surprise birthday party. How hard can decorating be? Anyway, the time has come and she needs to pull her full-on distraction techniques so Henry is proud of her in the end. She cannot, under any circumstances, mess this up.
When she finishes parking the bug on Regina’s driveway, Emma takes deep breaths and goes over everything she needs to say to persuade Regina to leave with her. She will simply ask Regina to teach her magic at THE vault because she has been feeling less confident about her powers lately (which is a lie, but Regina can’t know that).
However, after Emma presses the doorbell of the manor, she is not expecting to wait five whole minutes to get a response. What the hell is Regina doing that could preclude her from listening to the doorbell?
Emma presses a second time, then a third right after, wanting to make the brunette hear her somehow and understand how impatient she is waiting here. It’s interesting how she hasn’t broken into another nervous breakdown right here, in front of this door. Emma doesn’t know exactly why she’s so nervous about this. It’s just Regina. It shouldn’t be that hard to persuade her to do something, even though her personality is one of a kind. Plus, it shouldn’t make Emma feel super important to Regina to have been assigned for this task for the surprise party… It’s just a party, and Regina deserves everything more. The hard part will be to lie to Regina’s face and pretend she doesn’t know it’s her birthday today. Hopefully, she isn’t feeling super alone after Henry left.
From inside the house, Emma suddenly hears the sound of Regina’s steps on the wooden floor. The door opens and reveals the brunette wearing what seems to be gardening clothes, her hair up in a short ponytail and hands covered with gloves that are dirty with mud. It’s honestly a sight Emma never thought she would see of Regina. It’s so casual, and something so unlike Regina all the same time.
“Emma?” The woman asks, appearing to be mildly surprised. Her brown eyes squint at Emma and she crosses her arms. “What are you doing here?” Regina questions, seeming highly suspicious, which instantly causes nervous jitters in Emma.
God, this is just their first contact today and it’s causing Emma everything she tried to keep under control.
“Uh, hi!” She greets sheepishly, flashing a lopsided smile to the brunette. “I’m glad you’re home, uh… it’s Saturday and I’m free today, so I thought we could… do… something?” Emma suggests, cursing herself in her head for speaking like a two-year-old.
That seems to only make Regina even more suspicious somehow. Great start, Emma! Great start!
“Did Henry send you here?” Regina asks, staring Emma down in a way that would make her squirm if she weren’t under the control of her body.
“No, why?” She retorts, then sighs and manages what she wants to say in her head. “I’m here today because I think I need help with my magic.” Regina’s eyebrows arch at that. “I know we’ve had plenty of disasters and villains to take care of since I first started using magic, but I still think I need to improve, you know?” She gesticulates with her hands, trying to look exasperated somehow.
Regina slowly nods but doesn’t say anything.
Emma continues, “I know Storybrooke has been quiet the past week, but it won’t remain this way for long, I guess. So, why not improve my magic with, you know… a great teacher?”
A small smile forms on the corner of Regina’s lips. Guess she liked the compliment, huh?
“Our first and only magic lesson happened a long time ago,” Regina says. “I’m surprised you only came to me now, on this specific Saturday.”
Of course, she’s still suspicious! However, now it’s time to make Regina believe that Emma doesn’t know anything about her birthday.
“Oh, it’s nothing specific,” she dismisses. “There is literally nothing to do today, and it’s unusual for Storybrooke—no monsters, no curses, nothing to celebrate… We just need to find the author, but we haven’t been lucky with that one, have we?” Emma says, invisibly tapping herself on the back for coming out with such a good excuse.
“Right,” Regina reluctantly agrees and Emma can see the way she is taken aback by the response.
Maybe she thought Henry would tell Emma about her birthday and that Emma would be here, on her doorstep, to congratulate her or something. Instead, something much better will happen behind the curtains and Emma is excited about it. Regina has to be completely surprised by everyone!
“Okay, let me change into normal clothes and we’ll start our magic lesson in the garden.”
Emma’s eyes bulge. “The garden? Why?”
“Because it’s right here and we don’t need-”
“Of course we need more space!” Emma interjects. “In our last lesson, you took me to a freaking falling bridge, Regina! Your garden has no space to practice magic,” she avidly protests, wanting the brunette to understand how much she needs their magic lesson to be somewhere else. This house needs to be empty very soon.
“We can just do less dangerous magic stuff, Miss Swan. No need to bristle.”
“But… but what if I want to learn something that can’t be taught here in your garden?”
Regina stares at her, crossing her arms again. “Like what?”
“Like… like… like potions!” Emma exclaims excitedly. “I bet you can only work with potions in your vault, right?”
“Why do you want to learn about potions, Miss Swan? I thought you wanted to improve your magic to defeat villains, but apparently, you have other reasons you’re not telling me.”
Emma sighs, shaking her head from side to side. “No, there’s no other reason. I just… find it interesting and would like to learn more; not just about defeating villains, but also learning the whole concept of the magical world I’ve been thrown into, you know?”
“This surprises me, Miss Swan. I never thought you’d be that interested in magic. You never were before,” the brunette points out.
Emma shrugs. “Well, people change, don’t they?”
“No. People gain new interests.” Regina narrows her eyes at the blonde and takes a step closer. “Why do you need to learn about potions, Miss Swan? Are you looking for something specific? Potions are as dangerous as the use of magic, dear.”
Emma rolls her eyes, taking in a deep breath. “As I said a minute ago, I’m just interested in the magic world. Is that too hard to believe?”
Regina scrunches up her nose and says, “A little.”
“Well, it’s the truth! Can we go to your vault now?”
“Demanding, are we?”
Emma chuckles, wanting to lighten the mood and send away any of Regina’s doubts. “I just want to learn, okay? And you’re the best of the best, so that’s why I came to you.”
To compliment Regina on her birthday is a good option, for sure. This needs to be very believable.
“Fine. I’ll go upstairs to change-”
“Can’t you do that with magic?” Emma quickly protests. This persuading moment has taken too long already; they need to leave the house, and that is punctuated by the way her phone has been vibrating all the time in her pocket. Henry must be impatient.
“I don’t use magic for mundane things, Miss Swan. Besides, you didn’t call in advance that you needed an impromptu magic lesson, so now just wait.”
“Yeah, sorry,” Emma apologizes and watches as Regina walks up the stairs, leaving her alone.
Right then, she checks her phone and reads endless texts from Henry:
How is it going?
Have you and Mom left??
What did you tell her??????
Ma????
Is the house free? We need to decorate! Grandma is super impatient holy moly
With a roll of her eyes, she types back that everything is fine and that she and Regina will go to the vault in a few minutes.
While she has to wait for the witch who, somehow, refuses to use magic for mundane things, Emma wanders through the house slowly, realizing it’s just as clean and pristine as usual. Regina probably maintains this whole mansion well-kept with magic, of course. There’s no way a house this big could be this tidy all the time.
As Emma steps into the kitchen, the first thing she sees is an open photo album on the center counter. It’s big and well-decorated and full of pictures of their family. Oh, wow. A smile blooms on her face as she goes over each page carefully, gathering all the simple details of each picture—some she didn’t even know existed.
Henry was definitely the one who gave Regina this gift. At least he made up a bit for lying and having to leave his Mom alone on her birthday. It’s a good thing Emma is here, then. Everything will fall into place in the end and Regina will enjoy her surprise. Hopefully.
Regina’s steps are, once again, heard against the linoleum as she makes her way down the stairs. Emma quickly comes back to the foyer and observes the brunette: she’s wearing a red dress with a skinny black belt; a black, tailored blazer on top, and pantyhose. Her freshly used perfume permeates the house, instantly deliciously inebriating Emma. Regina looks stunning and chic as always, completely unaware that she fits amazingly in a surprise birthday party that will happen soon.
“What were you doing in my kitchen, Miss Swan?” Regina asks, sounding the slightest bit irritated.
“Just wandering around. Let’s go!”
Emma heads for the door when Regina holds her wrist. “We’re not taking your car, dear. Let’s start our lesson with you teleporting us to the vault. Can you do that, Emma?” The brunette challenges.
“Well, I’ve never teleported two people at once. How do I do it without messing it up?”
“I won’t tell you. This one, I’d like you to figure it out by yourself.”
“Fine, I’ll just do it-”
“No!” Regina holds Emma’s hand when she’s about to do the ‘poofing’. “I want you to explain to me how teleporting works. If this is going to be a full-on magic lesson, you need to use the theory as well. I don’t want you messing anything up, Miss Swan.” Regina crosses her arms over her chest and looks expectantly at the blonde.
Emma sighs and thinks of a proper answer. “All right, uh… I know it is only possible to teleport somewhere else if I have the clear picture of the desired location in my mind, otherwise, it won’t work,” she says and Regina slowly nods, seeming content that Emma is getting this right, so far. “To teleport two people at once, maybe I’d have to touch you or… be close to you?”
“You don’t need to touch the person you want to teleport with, but it helps if your mind is set to the desired location you want to go. It takes great energy of your magic to teleport more than one person,” the brunette explains. “Now, as you are just starting, grab my arm and picture my vault in your head.”
Emma reaches out to Regina’s arm, stares into those deep, brown orbs, then does the process of picturing the location in her head. Three seconds later, she is standing at the vault with Regina’s arm still in her clasp.
She smiles at the other woman. “You’re still in one piece, so I guess it worked great, right?”
Regina gives her a small smile back. “Yes, dear. You did it.”
To be honest, Regina didn’t think she’d find herself here, in her vault, watching as Emma Swan peruses her detailed book of potions on the day of her birthday. She only accepted to teach Emma magic again because she had nothing better to do. And spending her birthday alone at her house didn’t feel like an option she’d choose. However, Henry could be back soon and spend more time with her, that’s for sure. So, this magic lesson with Emma doesn’t need to last long. The blonde probably has other things to do with her so-called boyfriend. Besides, Regina wasn’t surprised to realize that Emma doesn’t know that today is her birthday even though, deep down, a small part of her wanted Emma to be on her doorstep to congratulate her instead of asking for a magic lesson. Her birthday is a sore topic; it has always been, anyway. But it doesn’t surprise her that it hasn’t changed at all for the better.
“Wow! There are so many potions here!” Emma exclaims, eyes glinting in wonder at each page she turns. “Did you write them all by yourself?”
“Yes,” Regina responds. “I started writing it when I became Rumpelstiltskin’s apprentice.”
“This is really detailed, so it doesn’t surprise me it was written by you.”
Regina smiles despite herself, liking the way Emma is acting with her today. It is certainly for no other reason than her immense curiosity to learn more about magic… right?
“There are too many possibilities in the world of potion-making,” Regina says. “There’s too much to learn and many cautions to look out for along with it.”
“It’s really interesting, I confess.”
Regina’s eyes narrow at the blonde woman, wanting to gather if she’s telling the truth or if there is really another reason behind all this unforeseen interest in magic.
“Yes, they are.”
“What about love potions? Do they exist?” Emma asks, looking up from the book to meet Regina’s eyes.
“Of course, love potions exist. They work very meticulously, so be careful with them,” she points out.
“Have you ever done a love potion on someone, Regina?” Emma curiously asks.
“Of course not! I don’t have time for such frivolous kinds of potions.” Emma narrows her eyes at her, and Regina immediately gasps in outrage. “Do not doubt me!” Regina says as she points her index finger accusingly at the blonde. “Are you interested in a love potion, Miss Swan? I’m sure you don’t need that since that pirate is head over heels for you.”
Emma sighs. “I just asked a question, Regina. This is not about me.”
“Good. Now, keep reading the other potions.” Regina points to the open book.
The blonde focuses back on the book until she turns to a page where there is a list of specific potions about personal needs.
“What is this for?”
“You can create a potion that can fulfill all your current needs-”
“My needs? How so?”
“Well, if you’re hungry, thirsty, whatever. It does the deal.”
“But that’s something frivolous, as you would say.”
Regina lets a hint of a smile appear on the corner of her lips at that. “Precisely.” Emma stares at her with amusement for a few seconds and Regina quickly feels the need to ask why the blonde is looking at her in such an idiotic way. “What?”
“Remember when Henry and I had just gotten back from New York and, you know, you and I were trying to create another memory potion for him and you threw it at the wall just because it didn’t work?” Emma recalls with a smile, and Regina stares at her with her eyebrows arched sarcastically. “Can I do that too if my mix doesn’t work at first?”
“No,” Regina resolutely responds, which only makes Emma laugh. “And who said you’re going to mix anything? We’re here for you to learn the theory of potion-making.”
Emma gasps at that, looking highly contradicted for a moment. “What? It makes no sense to learn the theory and not practice the actual magic.”
“Well, dear, I don’t have a lot of free time today.”
“Really? Why?” Emma asks, sounding curious.
“Henry is going to come back home soon, and I want to be at the house when he does.”
Emma’s expression goes from contradicted to thoughtful in seconds, making Regina wonder what she could possibly be thinking to contradict Regina herself.
“Henry told me how excited he was for that project he went to do at Nick’s house. He told me yesterday how important it was for him,” the blonde says. “I don’t think it’s going to be quick, though.”
Regina rolls her eyes, huffing with a certain indignation. “Still, I’d like to get home soon-”
“You’re no fun, Regina,” Emma says, looking annoyed. “I thought you wanted to teach me magic, but apparently, you’re just here obligated.”
Again, she rolls her eyes at the dramatic response. Emma is acting very differently today and Regina can’t quite pinpoint why. It’s unfamiliar, somehow, but she understands the blonde deep down. If she really wants to learn the concept of potion-making, Regina might give in just a little to oblige her.
“All right,” Regina acquiesces. “I can teach you how to make some potions today-” Emma starts talking, but the brunette raises her index finger to make her stop and continues, “But only if you can succeed with the first one.”
“Okay, that sounds good. How about I try the potion that fulfills someone’s needs, then? It sounds mundane and easy, I guess.”
“It is. What need would you like to fulfill?”
“I’m kinda hungry, so maybe that one?”
“So predictable,” Regina mutters under her breath and looks at the book page where that specific potion is located. “The potion of Plentiful Needs only requires apples, carrots and a bit of magic water.”
“That sounds simple.”
“It’s because it is simple. Certainly, you can’t mess this up, dear.”
“Hopefully not.”
“Now, conjure those specific ingredients with your magic and place them on the counter.”
Emma does as told smoothly, conjuring one ingredient at once and placing them on the counter.
“For the potion, you should strictly follow the book descriptions. Also, you have to do this by yourself without my help.”
Emma looks at her in slight alarm but then looks back at the counter where the ingredients, the book and the small cauldron are. “Fine, uh… it says here that I have to transform the ingredients into liquid form—the apples and carrots, actually. That’s easy!” Emma quickly turns the apples and carrots into sort of ‘juice’ and then stares at the water. “How do I turn water into ‘magic water’?”
“Just add a sprinkle of your magic to the flask and the water will be magical.”
The rest of the process goes effortlessly as Emma brews all the liquids together into the small cauldron, mixes them a few times and it’s done.
“Time to test the potion, Miss Swan.”
Emma eagerly drinks it all in one sip and looks expectantly at Regina. A minute later, a smile blooms on her face. “Wow! My stomach feels like it’s getting magically filled! I love this!”
Regina tentatively smiles back and asks, “What does it taste like?”
“It tastes like ice cream! Why, though?”
“Because you’re clearly thinking of ice cream, dear. The potion tastes like whatever you desire to eat at the moment. It’s one of its best perks.”
“That’s amazing! I’m not hungry anymore, so it works!”
Regina smiles. “Good job, Emma.”
The blonde stares at her for a few seconds, then says thoughtfully, “Don’t you need any needs filled right now, Regina?”
Something about that sentence makes her blush, but she hides it by looking away. Regina has plenty of needs she needs taken care of, but none of the potions would suffice. And the fact that Emma just said something like that, albeit innocently, her mind did its best to play with her to let her embarrassed by her own thoughts.
“No, I’m fine,” she curtly responds and fidgets with the book of potions while still feeling the heat of Emma’s stare on her.
The blonde suddenly clears her throat and looks away, also staring at the opened book on the high counter. “So… what if we each do a potion for each other now?” Emma suggests with a tentative smile, and Regina finally looks back at her with a frown.
“What do you mean?”
“Now that I’ve learned how to make a simple potion, what if we do a challenge with each other?” Emma suggests, seeming excited about this idea.
“A challenge?”
“You make a potion for me to drink, and vice-versa. It could be fun, you know? And I could learn more about potions if I actually create more of them.”
Regina rolls her eyes, overthinking if the idea is really a good one. “It could be dangerous, honestly.”
Emma lifts a finger and points out, “Not if we set a rule that the most dangerous potions cannot be used.”
Unimpressed, but slightly curious, Regina crosses her arms over her chest and stares with a quirked eyebrow at Emma when she asks:
“And which ones are the most dangerous to you, Miss Swan?”
“Uh… the sleeping potion, for sure, and… truth and liquid courage? Oh, and the love potion as well. That would be the most dangerous, I guess.”
Regina smirks and teases daintily, “Scared of love, Emma?”
“That’s not what I meant. You know how love potions could mess everything up.”
“Oh, I’m aware. So, the best potions are not available? What a shame!” Regina protests playfully.
“I know you wouldn’t hold back on using some of those on me,” Emma provokes back, causing Regina to roll her eyes even if there is a small smile on her lips.
“How is it I’m the one who’s no fun?”
Emma laughs. “It’s better if we start low at potions, okay? You probably don’t want me messing up and transforming you into an animal?”
“Miss Swan, even though that’s highly possible, I know I can trust you to mix the ingredients right without my supervision. You’re no beginner at using magic these days.”
Emma’s eyebrows arch in mild surprise at the implicit compliment. She crosses her arms over her chest and asks, “What has increased your faith in me, Madam Mayor?”
“I’m trying to be optimistic here, Miss Swan. Would you rather I judge you incessantly and put no faith in your abilities?”
“Far from it. I actually feel more confident that I can pull this off without transforming you into an ogre.”
“An ogre, Miss Swan? Really?” Regina sarcastically quips, rolling her eyes for the tenth time already.
“Can we start? Let’s start!” Emma excitedly exclaims.
“Okay. Memorize your ingredients and conjure them inside this basket.” Regina gives her a small basket and grabs one for herself. “Do not let me see it, otherwise, I’ll know what you’re making.”
“Wow! You remember every single potion you scribbled on this book?”
“I know the most important ones by heart and I am watching you, Miss Swan,” she says, pointing an accusing finger at the blonde.
Emma rolls her eyes. “And I am watching you, Regina. Do not play with me, all right?”
Regina flashes her a mischievous smirk. “Why would I play with you, dear? I have never done such a thing.”
“Yeah, right,” Emma responds amid laughs. “Let’s give each other space because I need to concentrate now.”
“Beware of what you do, Miss Swan. Don’t go rogue on me.”
Emma scoffs. “And I should say the same!”
Emma stands before the middle counter with the small little cauldron on top of the magical heater, and the basket Regina had given her beside her feet. The book of potions is on the counter as well, opened on the page of the potion she has chosen for Regina: laughter. The reason is obviously to just make Regina happy on her birthday and hear her laugh because it rarely happens. Emma is actually lucky to have the opportunity to use a potion like this on Regina. Not everyone would have this chance. But the primary reason for this is to make Regina happy above anything else. She deserves to have fun on her birthday.
A minute ago, Regina reluctantly went upstairs around the crypt to make her own potion away from Emma’s curious eyes. The brunette was actually unsure if she should leave Emma here by herself, although the blonde made sure she is attentive enough not to wreak havoc today. Since Regina already knows most of the process of each potion, Emma kept the potion book with her so she can read every word carefully. This cannot go wrong, otherwise, Regina will kill her (especially if Emma unintentionally transforms her into an ogre).
They also agreed that the potion should last a maximum of fifteen minutes so there are no complications to deal with later—and to do that, Emma only needs to use her magic on the potion after it’s ready to set a type of ‘timer’.
Staring at the words in the book, Emma starts conjuring each ingredient for the laughter potion: spring water, Alihotsy leaves, Lemon, a Chrysanthemum pink flower and Watermelon sugar. At least the ingredients are easy. The only thing she had to search on the internet to find out about is the Alihotsy leaves, which belong to a magical tree that is also called the Hyena tree.
Next on the book is the clear list of processes and warnings Emma must follow meticulously:
†A potion to induce uncontrollable merriment. A finely balanced potion requiring delicacy of touch. If made incorrectly, the results can vary from hysterical mania to deep and inconsolable melancholy. Plus, timing is crucial in comedy, so be sure to stir it for exactly the right amount of time.†
∫Follow the processes below:
- Add clear spring water into your cauldron.
- Chop your alihotsy leaves and add them to the water.
- Stir slowly. If you stir too fast, you damage the leaves’ mirthful properties.
- Snigger at the potion.
- Squeeze your lemon juice inside the cauldron. Stir slowly.
- Add three petals of pink Chrysanthemum (no more, no less).
- Heat the mixture, then stir vigorously.
- VIII. Giggle at the potion.
- Heat the mixture once again.
- Shave the skin of your lemon and scatter it over the surface of your potion.
- Stir quickly and apply high heat.
- Laugh loudly and uncontrollably.
- XIII. Add a sprinkle of Watermelon sugar liquid.
- Stir the potion and heat for the last time.
- Finally, wave your hand with magic over the cauldron to finish the potion. It should turn a light colour of pink.
Emma carefully transfers the liquid inside a small flask and stares at it when she’s done. It smells faintly of lemon and the liquid looks pink just like it said in the book so that probably means it worked, right? Hopefully. Imagine wanting to make Regina laugh and instead do something wrong that will cause melancholy? God, no.
“Emma, are you finished?” Regina asks from upstairs.
She immediately makes all the mess and the ingredients disappear and closes the book. “Yes! You can come down now.”
Regina walks down the steps with her flask in hand that contains a dark blue colour inside. The fact that they’re really doing this hits right at that moment, causing butterflies to appear inside Emma’s stomach. The brunette looks around, probably looking for any mess or problems Emma might have encountered, but doesn’t find anything, of course. Emma cleaned well.
“Did you follow every rule of the process? Is everything okay?” Regina worriedly asks.
“Yes, Regina. Everything is fine. Here’s my flask for you.” Emma extends the pink coloured flask and the brunette hesitantly grabs it, to then give hers to Emma. The liquid inside is dark blue and smells like tart, which is slightly surprising.
“Smells good?” Regina asks with a smirk.
“Not like I expected, I confess. What about mine? Does it smell good?”
“Yes, like lemon, but I don’t recall a potion with lemons right now. Are you sure you did everything right, Miss Swan?”
“Yes,” Emma answers. “You can trust me.”
Regina’s brown eyes pierce into her soul right at that moment, making her fidget under her weight because of the deep connection. For the past months since Emma unintentionally brought Robin’s wife back from the Enchanted Forest, her relationship with Regina hasn’t been one of the best, but they sorted it out as of lately. It wasn’t easy to gain Regina’s ‘friendship’ back nor her trust, and here they are now—doing something Emma never imagined and back on track of their ‘friendship’ again, as it seems.
“Good. If you trust me as well, drink mine first,” Regina commands and Emma dutifully obeys, chugging the dark blue liquid. She wants Regina to trust her and she trusts Regina deeply.
She watches attentively as the brunette drinks the pink liquid quickly, closing her eyes right after to wait for the effects. A smile slowly forms on Regina’s lips and she opens her eyes to stare at Emma. Suddenly, Emma starts feeling warm and tingly as the potion works its way through her system. Then, the only thing she feels inside taking her whole body and mind is a constant need to please and do whatever Regina wants.
“What is going on?” She asks, trying to settle with the strange feeling permeating her body.
Regina slowly releases a laugh that she clearly wasn’t expecting to burst out from her mouth, and Emma laughs along with her, despite feeling her feet drag her closer to the brunette as if her aura is asking Regina to tell her something to do.
“What kind of potion is this?” Emma asks once more, beyond curious to know what is happening to her.
Regina laughs again, unable to hold herself. “Emma, you made me a laughing potion!” She exclaims through a funny giggle that only makes the blonde smile widely at the situation. “Of all potions, why did you choose this one?”
“Because I wanted to see you laugh! Isn’t that obvious?”
Regina grunts briefly, then it transforms into laughter, of course. Oh, this was the best idea ever!
“Nothing is happening to me yet, I guess,” she comments. “What potion did you give me?”
The brunette sniggers. “Take off your jacket, Miss Swan.”
“What? Why? It’s cold here,” she quickly protests, then takes a look at her arms moving and doing exactly what she didn’t want to do. “Oh…”
“It’s an obedience potion, dear,” Regina says, then cackles amusedly. “I bet you didn’t see that coming, did you?”
Emma rolls her eyes to pretend she doesn’t care when, deep down, she’s worried that Regina might use this power over her to make her tell her the real reason why she’s here today. But maybe the potion doesn’t work like that. Remembering the book, Emma quickly starts searching the pages for the ‘obedience potion’ as she hears Regina’s steps toward her.
“What are you doing?”
When Emma finds it, she reads the rules out loud, “The Obedience Potion makes a person obey whatever they are told to do, whether it is good or bad. It can be used whether you want someone doing mundane stuff for you, or bad, bad deeds.” Emma’s nose scrunches up at that and she stares at Regina who is giggling beside her for no reason.
“You certainly love positions of power, don’t you, Regina?”
“You got that right,” the brunette responds, then lifts a finger and the book of potions is closed abruptly on Emma’s face. “Lay on the ground and do twenty push-ups right now, Miss Swan!” Regina orders, pointing to the hard floor.
“What? Why?” Emma complains, although her body is moving on its own accord to obey Regina.
The brunette lets out an evil laugh. “Don’t complain. You’re supposed to do whatever I want.”
Emma huffs as she flexes her arms and abs up and down on the cold, hard floor. “Are you really going to tire me out with stupid exercises?” She complains again, then grunts impatiently.
“Of course!” Regina sniggers. “I’ll just sit here and watch while you entertain me, dear. Making each other potions has been the best idea you’ve had in a while.” The brunette laughs, showing off her beautiful white teeth and sits down on the armchair in the corner.
“Yeah, because I went easy on you! Laughing is good for the soul,” Emma says.
Regina’s dark brows arch up. “I thought you liked to work out, Miss Swan?”
“I do, but I don’t want to right now!” She complains again. “It’s cold and I have no jacket.”
Regina says nothing as Emma continues to do the remaining push-ups. When she’s done, she stands up red-faced and stares at Regina’s amused expression and giggles she’s trying to keep inside. Besides being slightly annoyed and a bit cold without a jacket, Emma can’t help but laugh alongside Regina—her laugh is so beautiful, it enchants everyone who’s around.
“Emma, do the chicken dance!” Regina says and Emma rolls her eyes again despite the warmth in her chest at hearing the brunette’s laugh. Her body quickly obeys and she starts doing the embarrassing chicken dance for Regina who starts laughing hysterically, holding her stomach as she almost doubles over. It’s an attitude never seen before on Regina—laughing away as if nothing mattered, even if it’s at Emma’s embarrassing dance movements. That’s just exactly how she wanted to see Regina today: so happy she can’t contain herself.
“Come dance with me!” Emma says, already pulling on Regina’s wrist so she can come to the middle and dance with her.
“Emma-” Regina’s words are disrupted when Emma twirls her around a few times, making her giggle more and more. “Emma!” Regina complains although she’s laughing and easily allowing Emma to move her around in a weird dance.
This is such a happy moment. It feels amazing to see Regina like this, and even more when she’s letting herself act freely like this, twirling around in Emma’s arms as they do crazy dances.
“Oh my God, stop, stop!” Regina almost pleads as she cannot hold back her laughter and the delicious laughing pain it caused in her stomach. Emma stops but doesn’t let Regina go either, feeling the warmth of her clothed back against her front. “Too much laughing,” she mutters and giggles while Emma just holds her softly, eager to do whatever she wants and make her laugh impossibly more. “Put your jacket back on,” she orders, turning around to face the blonde. “Your arms are cold.”
“Yes! Whatever you want,” Emma agrees sarcastically and pulls her jacket back on.
Regina giggles funnily at Emma, then her hands find the collar of Emma’s red leather jacket to fix any crinkles she can find. It’s an affectionate move—one Regina always does with Henry and, well, with Emma too during the rare moments she touches her. It makes her feel special in such a strong way that a warm tingling in her stomach always begins when Regina comes a little bit close. Emma has actually felt this way ever since she met Regina but always tries to put it aside and not dwell on these weird sensations too much. It’s a dangerous road…
Trying to set her mind on the right track again, she suggests, “Wanna get some coffee at Granny’s?” Obviously with the primary reason is to distract Regina from making Emma do anything that might ruin the surprise.
The brunette snorts, then giggles. “Oh, Emma, there’s no way I’m leaving my vault while under a laughing potion. Do you think I’m crazy?”
“Crazy? Why are you saying this? You’re just laughing while I have to act like a puppy eager to please whatever you want,” she responds, crossing her arms over her chest to look amusedly at Regina.
“That’s right,” Regina says and imitates Emma’s crossing arms. “It’d be wise for you to stay inside too and not embarrass yourself around town. You’re still the sheriff!” She admonishes, then a chuckle escapes that destroys her serious image of the moment.
Emma grins, and presses on, “But I want to drink coffee at Granny’s. Maybe even eat a bear claw or something.”
Regina huffs then laughs swiftly. “I cannot allow the citizens of Storybrooke to watch me laugh uncontrollably at the diner. They’ll think I’ve gone soft, which I haven’t!” She lifts her authoritative fingers, then chuckles at the situation, completely unable to help herself.
“Yeah, right. Keep repeating that until you believe it,” Emma sarcastically quips. “But please, let’s go?”
The brunette rolls her eyes. “Fine! But not for long.”
“The potion only lasts 15 minutes, anyway,” Emma says with a winning smile.
“Teleport us to the sidewalk at Granny’s right now and don’t mess it up!”
Emma grins and responds, “Yes, Master!”
Of course, Regina wouldn’t have imagined spending her birthday with Emma, at Granny’s, drinking coffee and eating bear claws. She wouldn’t even let herself eat such a greasy treat, but she has been feeling happier since Emma invited her out of the house. The blonde’s motives to create a potion to make her laugh and have coffee together simply was not on her list of ideas that could happen on her birthday. Despite it all, it has been good and distracted her a bit from the fact that Henry had to leave her to do a school project.
Regina sips her coffee daintily, relishing the warmth it brings to her body. One of the reasons she also hated her birthday is that it’s in February, during winter. Regina loathes winter and the coldness of loneliness it brings. It’s a whole combo that she doesn’t particularly enjoy.
“These bear claws are so damn good,” Emma comments as she munches bite after bite of the pastry in front of her. Regina chuckles at her mannerisms and takes another bite of her bear claw because it is really good indeed.
“They certainly are.”
This moment right here reminds her of just a few days ago, when Robin left with his brought-to-life wife and Emma stopped by to drink shots with Regina. It had been one of the most trivial moments they shared in years. It was hard to forgive the blonde for bringing Marian back, but her eagerness to help Regina find the author and her eventual happy ending has been spot on. Despite everything they’ve been through, it means a lot to Regina that Emma still cares enough about her to continuously help her despite everything else happening around them.
By now, the obedience and laughing potion have worn off of their bodies and everything is back on its tracks. Even though Regina unexpectedly laughed a little too loud since they got to the diner, no one commented anything on it because they still don’t dare to. Plus, the way Emma always laughs alongside her makes her heart soar with contentment, and the long-present loneliness inside her heart dissipates bit by bit.
Undeterred, Regina still feels the need to go back home soon because she still wants to find Henry and spend the rest of the day with him. Maybe Emma can even come by too and they can share an apple pie—a pie Regina had on her "to do" list for today. It’s a treat she loves, and one of the good reasons it helped her get out of bed this morning. With that thought in mind, Regina decides it’s time to go back.
“Well, Emma, this was fun, but I should head back,” she says, already standing from the chair, watching with slight worry as Emma looks at her with alarmed eyes and almost chokes on her coffee.
“Already? Why? We still have tons of potions to learn!” Emma protests and Regina sighs, placing her hands on her waist.
“No, I think we’ve had enough for one day,” she responds, giving Emma a lopsided smile. “Besides, Henry is going back home soon and I want to spend time with him.”
“But… but Henry is busy at his friend’s house,” Emma says, which causes Regina to narrow her eyes at her.
So what if Regina needs Henry to spend the day with her because she needs some kind of attention that is fully directed to her birthday? She’s human, after all, and she can’t take more heartache or loneliness, especially today. She wants some affection, some love, for God’s sake. Regina doesn’t want to continue feeling like she’s a second option to everyone. It was deeply unfortunate that Henry had to do a school project today, of all days, but these things happen and she understood it. But now she wants to go back and feel wanted, for a change; she wants Henry to come back home, hug her tightly and share an apple pie. How is that too much to ask?
“He told me he would stay there basically the whole day because the project they’re doing is important,” Emma says again. “Besides, what would you do at home, anyway? Today is simply a normal day like any other. There is nothing interesting to do.”
Those simple words should not sting as much as it does. Regina is aware that Emma does not know today is her birthday, but there’s no need to act as if today doesn’t matter. This hurts and it hurts badly. Regina doesn’t need to remain here and listen to these kinds of things. Suddenly, a need to flee and hide starts in her body and her face contorts in dejection. She will leave right now, whether Emma wants it or not.
“Really, Regina… Henry told me it would take a long time. He knows today nothing is going on-”
“I get it, Miss Swan!” Regina angrily interrupts, closing her eyes the second after to try to contain her anger and her prompt glumness. “I know there is nothing important going on today. Just… stop repeating it.” She huffs impatiently and tries not to look at the crestfallen expression Emma is doing. “I’m leaving.”
As she’s about to teleport to her house, Emma screams for her to wait and holds her wrist tight to impede her. However, they still end up teleporting back to her house, just not where she had been planning on appearing. They’re on the pathway of the front door, and Emma’s arm is still holding Regina’s wrist and keeping her in place as if she’s terrified Regina will leave her.
“Why did you come with me, Emma?” Regina asks with annoyance. “I said I was leaving alone!”
Emma looks incredibly lost for a moment, sputtering out words that might make her stay, “No, Regina, don’t… I-”
“Even if Henry said he needs to be there, I’ll call him and make him come home. I don’t care anymore. I’m his mother and he will do as I say,” Regina confesses amidst a huff. “I don’t need you to keep reminding me that he’d rather spend time with someone else than his mother, okay?”
Emma shakes her head from side to side and stares at her with something Regina recognizes as pity, and she hates it immediately.
Fighting against tears, she snaps, “Goodbye, Miss Swan!”
When Regina’s about to shove her arm from Emma’s wrist, the blonde surprisingly grabs the other one and swiftly pulls her closer, making Regina gasp at the abrupt movement.
“Don’t, Regina, I…” Emma stutters, then swallows, seeming unable to say what she means, which just drives Regina even angrier.
“What, Miss Swan? You can’t just grab-”
Regina is instantly caught by surprise when Emma clasps her and presses their lips together, efficiently shutting her. Butterflies appear in her stomach and, what is supposed to feel like anger and disappointment, transforms into a delicious and smooth press of warm lips that makes Regina’s whole body tingle. Regina is suddenly incapable of pulling away when those pink lips feel so soft on hers and much more different from the man she had been kissing a few days ago—they’re warm, thin, and softly wet in a way that makes Regina desire more. The loneliness in her heart starts dissipating, again and again, making her feel warm all over due to the unexpected kiss.
And then, it hits her that it’s Emma kissing her. Emma, the infuriating blonde who crashed Regina’s life from the moment she stepped into town; the other mother of her son for whom she has been attracted to (albeit angry at herself for it) since the first day they’d met. She doesn’t know why Emma is kissing her all of a sudden, but she is loving the way Emma pulls on her waist to bring her body closer and makes her feel the warmth that emanates from her clothes.
Emma’s hand tightens around Regina’s waist, and her other hand cradles her face to quickly deepen this, entangling their tongues and, impossibly saying, bringing their bodies even closer in a marvellous way. The kiss intensifies and Regina can’t suppress a low whimper when Emma bites her lower lip and tangles her hands in her hair, her wet tongue tasting Regina so heavenly that makes her legs go weak.
Regina has never been kissed like this before, not even with Daniel. It’s so good, and so unexpected that the realization of that only brings goosebumps to her whole body. Never in her entire life did she think Emma would kiss her today, on her birthday, in front of her house where any noisy neighbour could spot them.
The kiss obliterates every thought in her head. For the first time in a long time, Regina’s mind is locked into the present. The worries of spending the rest of the day wrapped up with loneliness evaporates like a summer shower onto a hot car. Her usual mode of hurrying from one thing to the next is suddenly suspended as she has no wish for the kiss to end.
That’s when the front door opens and their lips part. Emma stares ahead, eyes wide, and Regina suddenly turns around to find Henry standing on the porch with the front door closed behind him and a beet-red shade on his face.
“Uh… what’s going on?”