Once Upon A Time: Not Forgotten

"It's an antique!" Regina added. "It belonged to my grandmother."

Emma winced inwardly. Of course, Regina had no way of knowing that her grandmother was really a dragon or something, which Granny knew, and dragons and other fairy tale creatures couldn't own watches so, yeah... whatever Granny thought they were doing in the lake, now she knew they were lying about it.

"What are you doing?" Regina called out, like she was just making polite conversation.

"Gathering herbs for my potions."

"Are those FDA-approved?"

"My potions?"

"You really should see a doctor if you're experiencing any illness." Emma rolled her eyes at Regina. Leave it to her to have a PBS moment in the middle of skinny-dipping. "These alternative medicines and holistic remedies, they're just a bunch of scam artists. You might as well believe in unicorns."

"I do believe in unicorns!"

Emma forced a laugh. "That's nice, Granny, we really have to get back to the search now!"

Regina lowered her voice. "I think she means it. That woman is a caregiver."

"Drop it, Regina."

"Ruby depends on her, you know."

Granny was moving off, as ready to have the conversation over with as they were.

"And now she thinks we're a couple of perverts," Emma announced.

"She's half-right," Regina said.

"You mean there are three perverts here?" Emma asked innocently.

"Shut up and give me my bra. You've convinced enough people of my exhibitionist tendencies for one day." Regina was unamused in a very amused way.

Emma bit her lip. "Okay, you're going to laugh at this."

Regina smiled sweetly. "I bet I'm not."

"I dropped your bra, please don't kill me, I'm a cop, you'd get the death penalty." After all that, Emma stopped to take a very big breath.

Regina stared at her, arms at her sides to keep aloft, her breasts just below the rippling water.Don't look,Emma told herself.You definitely do not have looking privileges after grand theft bra.

"Alright," Regina said with a shrug. "You owe me a bra." And without a second look, she swam back to shore.

Nice breaststroke,Emma thought before wanting to slap herself.

***

Emma hated the princess-y stuff. Not that she was in love with being the sheriff of a town of fairy tales—feeding Ruby her steak during the full moon, keeping Peter Pan out of the elementary school, getting Sleeping Beauty her caffeine. But at least it was interesting. But this princess junk... she had to wear a dress. Not just any dress, like an evening gown, because she could deal with evening gowns. Her... monstrosity had petticoats.

And then she gathered in town hall while her parents sat on their thrones and a bunch of bluebirds flew around and they all sang together and it was just. So. Boring. She put up with a lot, but musical numbers? She was okay with her life being a bedtime story, just not Glee.

So, when her phone vibrated and it was Regina, Emma let her lyric be "I've gotta take this" (which did not rhyme with "Here in our village / there's no need for tears"), and left.

Outside, Emma plugged her other ear with her finger to keep out the karaoke. They were singing an 'I Want' song. So needy. "Hey Regina, what's up?"

"Sheriff Swan, come over. I made apple tarts and I have wine."

"Wow, okay, that was shot from the hip. Sorry, I can't. I have this town... meeting... thing."

"Those I don't miss. The wine is white, if that makes a difference."

"I really wish I could. But I have responsibilities and duties and all this dumb stuff. They haven't even gotten to the pitch change."

"The what?"

"It's a long story. Just... uggggh... I wish we could stay up late and have a sleepover or something, just in a really adult way."

"An adult sleepover, Sheriff Swan?" Emma couldhearRegina's grin. "I thought you'd never ask."

"Not what I meant!" Emma sighed, picturing Regina all alone and wondering how lonely she would have to be to reach out like this. They were friendly now, but still, she doubted Regina was the type of person to just casually drop a line to 'her girls'. "Are you going to be okay on your own?"

"I'll be fine. Enjoy your public humiliation. The trick is to remember that their taxes pay your salary, so technically you're getting away with robbing them."

"You have a twisted mind."

"Goes with your panties. Public humiliation,go."

"Fine, I'm on my way, I'm going."

Emma hung up. And gathered herself to go do some princess shit, but then she thought, apple tarts. She'd skipped breakfast and had a 'healthy' lunch. She deserved apple tarts. She could tell Regina about Jefferson's crusade to take back fedoras from men's rights activists. She could get out of this goddamn dress.

Emma went back inside and found herself telling Ruby that she didn't feel well and could she please tell Snow that she was heading in early?

***

Back in jeans and a tee, Emma drove up to Regina's place. She paused in her parked car to check her hair, wondered what the hell she was doing, and went to ring the doorbell.

Regina answered in a dress that made Emma instantly envious. It was all slim and classy and black, like she was going to perform a lounge song for a bunch of GIs or something.

"Sheriff Swan, I'm so glad you changed your mind," she said, favoring Emma with a large smile.

"First time for everything. Need a ride to the ball?"

"Oh, this? I was just checking to see if it still fit." Regina gave Emma a twirl. "What do you think?"

"Right now, I'm thinking 'did she seriously just twirl?'"

Regina laughed. "Come in. I'll get you some tea."

"I was told there would be wine," Emma faux-grumbled as she entered the premises.

As usual, her boots clomped on the marble floor and Regina smiled generously, leading Emma to one of the rooms with a name that only Downton Abbey people could figure out. There was a fire going and a bottle of wine in an ice bucket, along with a disc cued on the record player. Emma had always wanted to try one of those. She flicked a switch, got it spinning, and then managed to maneuver the needle into a groove. Silky music started playing, something acoustic. Emma couldn't place the decade. Older than her, that was for sure.

"Why, Regina, were you expecting company?"

"I invited you over, didn't I?"

"Yeah, but the dress, the music, the fireplace—you didn't hit DTF on some Craigslist ad when I turned you down, did you? Because I'd hate to think I'm throwing up cliterference."

"Cliter—oh, I get it. Very amusing." Regina pulled the needle up on the record player. "No, I was just going to enjoy a quiet evening at home. Here." She picked up a plate of apple tarts from the table that was also part of the room for some rich person reason. "You have one of these and I'll slip into something more comfortable."

"That looks very comfortable," Emma commented.

"It's, ummm..." Regina kneaded her hands together. "I'm going to change!" she announced.

Emma had no idea what that was all about. But the tarts were good. Emma restricted herself to two and held a staring contest with a third. She distracted herself by opening the wine, which possibly wasn't as disciplined as she was hoping to come across. She sat down on the couch, contenting herself with sniffing the wine like a very mannered, non-butch person. Then she felt fingers in her hair, adjusting it neatly and only occasionally touching her scalp.

"You have such lovely hair," Regina said. "You could really do a lot more with it."

Emma stood. "Thanks, I was thinking of wearing it up or something." Emma stood. Regina kept touching her, a finger running down the back of her neck and pausing in the collar of her T-shirt like Regina wanted itoff.

"Madame Mayor," Emma said, trying to fall back on old protocol before remembering Regina wasn't mayor anymore. She turned around.

Regina wasn't wearing her dress. She wasn't quite wearing underwear either. It was some kind of lingerie, two shadows that held fast over her breasts and crotch. Regina bit her lip nervously, then gave another little twirl. Emma swallowed.

"I've been thinking about kind of person I am—or want to be, really. There's a lot I want to change. I'd like to be more patient, more kind, all that stuff. But I don't want to be a person who wants something and doesn't go after it."

She took hold of Emma's hand and squeezed it with growing confidence. She brought it up as if to kiss it, then instead ran the fingers of her other hand over Emma's palm, down her wrist, even up to the muscles of her arm. It felt nice. Emma couldn't say it didn't feel nice.

"Do you want this?" Regina asked.

Emma couldn't think. She could barely breathe. She kept feeling those fingers, imagining them over her breasts, her lips, her belly—lower, deeper.

"Do you want me?" Regina asked.

"I..."

Regina's fingers ran down Emma's arm, back to her hand, locking with Emma's fingers. Squeezing so tight Emma wouldn't have believed she'd ever let go.

"I do want you," Emma said, because she couldn't lie, not with it at the forefront of her thoughts, not with every brain cell in her head picturing what it would be like: kissing Regina, lying with Regina. God, how could she be sostupid? "But we can't."

"Why?" Regina asked insistently, hiding her disappointment behind a sudden need to know. Her hand was now cold and clammy in Emma's. "I don't expect you to change your mind, but there must be some explanation, something—" Something we can work out.

"It's me. I'm not who you think I am. You don't know me."

Regina squeezed Emma's hand again. "You're a recovering drug addict slash ex-con slash bounty hunter. What else can therebe?"

"It's complicated."

"I'm good with complicated. Let me help. Please." Regina raised Emma's hand to her lips as if she were speaking into it and the feel of her breath on Emma's skin made her want to stop fighting, for one minute of one hour, and just rush into Regina's embrace.

"I lied to you, okay? You have no idea how much I lied to you, how much Ihurtyou. I've been trying to make it up to you. That's... what this was."

"Youlied?" Regina asked, disbelievingly. "Emma, all you've done is be here for me. You haven't been telling me things. You've been listening. So I don't care what you kept from me, because I know you. You're someone..."

Regina let go of her hand and Emma let it drop to her side.

"You're the kind of person I dream of," Regina confessed. "So maybe you're something else too, but you can't expect me to care more about that part than aboutyou."

"I should go," Emma said, not moving. "I shouldn't have come here, I shouldn't have been here,you shouldn't—"

Emma managed to take a step, and another, brushing past Regina. She felt a hand clinging to hers, holding onto her, then needing arms wrapped around her from behind.

"I know you can't. But while you'renot, I want you to think about me. And think about this."

Emma felt her head turned, just a few inches, and Regina barely breathing, but the hot air running over her throat, and then Regina's lips against hers, gentle and insistent and over far too soon.

"Sheriff Swan," Regina said, her fingers trailing out of the other woman's. "Emma."

Emma started to breathe again. "I'm sorry. I'm really sorry."

***

Emma had never really thought about it before, but now that she had thought about it, she realized kissing was dumb. You did it once with a girl—once!—and you ended up thinking about that poster of Agent Scully you had over your bed in elementary school, or all those slumber parties you had with your best friend in high school, or that girl you went down on in college.

Which, she'd resigned herself to being slightly gay a long time ago. But gay for Regina Mills? She'd always wanted someone who was smart and proper and slightly naughty, but did it also have to be someone that was capable of mass cursing? She could handle guyliner, but a supervillain was a bit much. If Emma forgot to DVR Pretty Little Liars, what would Regina do, set something on fire?

Unless Regina had changed, as evidenced by her making a pass at Emma, which Emma still couldn't get over. Maybe Emma could just tell her some of the truth, the parts that were easy to explain, and if Regina understood, they could move on from there. Yes. That sounded good. Emma picked up her phone and dialed Regina. The fact that she didn't have the ex-mayor on speed dial was mitigated by how she'd memorized Regina's number.

"Emma?" Regina answered, in a voice that sounded like this call would cost Emma 3.95 a minute. "I didn't expect you to call so soon. I'm still in my underthings."

Would you stop? "Well, ya know, never go to sleep on an argument." Would I stop? "Yeah, so, I think we left some issues unresolved and we should—resolve them. Not over the phone. Face to face."

"I understand. So I'll see you later?"

"Absolutely. Nice talking to you!" Emma hung up before her palms got too sweaty. How could a lesbian relationship be so hard, you moved in together on the second date! The girl in college had never given Emma any problems.

***

Despite the closure, Emma couldn't sleep. That teensy conversation with Regina had filled Emma's head with scenarios. What if she came over tomorrow and Regina was wearing a leather fun-time outfit? Or a fur coat and nothing else? Or—

There was a knock at the door. Emma shook off the thought of Regina dressed as a cat to go answer it. It was Regina. Wearing a trench coat, not a fursuit.

"Regina!" Emma exclaimed. "What are you doing here?"

Regina flipped her hair alluringly. "I do still recall how to call a taxi. Although my driver seemed to have horns. I don't think they should be allowed to wear something so unprofessional on duty. May I come in?"

"Of course, anytime—I mean, right now."

Regina breezed past Emma, her long legs sneaking out of her coat's hem like the tide in deep water.

"I was kinda thinking we could have that talk tomorrow," Emma said, "at your place."

"We still can." Regina untied the belt of her coat. "I didn't come here to talk." She opened her coat and shucked it off in the same motion. Nothing, not even lingerie, underneath. That just wasn't fair.

The funny thing was, Emma didn't have any trouble holding Regina's gaze. "If you knew what I'd done, you wouldn't be here."

"If I cared, I wouldn't be here. Whatever happened between us, it must've been as much my fault as yours. If you can forgive me, I can forgive you. Let me show you how much I care for you. You can tell me your secret afterward, and you'll see that it changes nothing. Besides, I literally can't remember the last time I had sex. Are you really going to let that stand?"

Emma just shook her head. Regina wasted no time, her hands flying to Emma's face like she was going to choke her, but instead flattening along Emma's jawline. She was held steady as Regina approached, smiling apologetically for her own forcefulness; apprehensive again, Regina just licked Emma's mouth instead of kissing her. She listened to the sharp intake of Emma's breath.

"You'll say it later," Regina predicted. "How much you want me. I'll make you say it."

Emma would've said it now if she could speak. Hell, she knew a little sign language, she would've signed it if she could move.

Stopping for a moment to just hold Emma in her hands, her thumbs coyly running along Emma's face, Regina broke into a smile. Larger this time. With a gentle forcefulness that seemed completely Regina, she lowered Emma to her naked breasts. Emma couldn't even open her mouth. She let herself be nuzzled against Regina's chest, the warm skin and its overwhelming softness filling her world.

And then, like a storm cloud suddenly breaking, Emma felt herself respond in kind to Regina's aggression. She wasn't in awe of Regina's beauty anymore—she wanted to claim it. She wrapped her arms around Regina's midsection, bit down on Regina's breast like a starving vampire. The two fell against the wall, Regina on her back, Emma practically mounting her. She moved up, trying to take the kiss Regina had denied her earlier, but Regina had a death-grip on her hair. Breathing hard and practically vibrating with excitement, Regina ushered her back down to her other breast. Her soft, unmarked breast.

"Emma," Regina moaned softly, as her hard pink nipple was utterly consumed by the sheriff's affection.

Emma didn't know how long she stayed there, treating Regina's body as her own personal playground, licking, biting, sucking, her hands never straying from the smooth length of Regina's back, never giving her the chance to remove her succulent cleavage from Emma's mouth. But long minutes, or maybe hours, later—

"Emma. Emma." Emma felt Regina's hands on her face once more, insistently forcing her head back to meet Regina's eyes. And, oh, her eyes. They weren't glazed with lust. They were sharpened by it, whetted, hungry for it. Regina looked like a woman in the middle of a rainstorm after a drought; Emma a tall glass full of cool water, needing to be used, to quench.

"It's time," Regina said, now stroking Emma's hair with a surprising tenderness. She pulled Emma up to her feet.

"Time?" Emma asked.

"No more foreplay. I think it's time we make our way to the bedroom."

"That was foreplay?"

"Yes." Regina suddenly cupped Emma's crotch. Emma hadn't realized how wet she was until she felt Regina's fingers, trying to get in but restrained by the denim of Emma's pants, the friction of the attempt lighting her up like a match in gasoline.

"I want you," Emma said. "I want you so fucking bad."

"Yes," Regina said again. "And now," she predicted, "you're going to show me."

***

Regina dropped on Emma's bed like a gift from heaven, arms spread but legs quickly crossing, hiding just how wet she was from Emma's eyes. Her whole body was slick with sweat, but her breasts practically glowed, licked clean by Emma until you could've built microchips on them. Her nipples seemed permanently hardened.

Biting a fingernail in a proven come-on pose, Regina gave Emma the eye. "Sheriff Swan, that's an awful lot of clothing you're wearing to our lovemaking."

"Oh, I—" Emma looked down at her ensemble of a wife beater and tattered jeans. Underneath, her underwear was a midnight-blue set from Dolce & Gabbana, something Mary-Margaret had insisted on picking up for Emma on a shopping trip.You never know when you may have to look your best for some lucky guy.Thanks, Ma, you were half-right.

"I can fix that," Emma concluded, opening her belt. Regina's eyes grew wide, putting the lie to the seductress act. They seemed to get wider as Emma worked the belt out of its loops, then cinched it in a circle. "Why, Regina, do you feel like you need to be punished?"

Regina bit her lip. "Put a pin in that for now. I want you all to myself. No leather."

"Oooh, leather." Emma tossed her belt aside and wiggled out of her jeans. "The plot thickens." Stepping out of her jeans, she reached for her panties.

"No!" Regina said rapidly. "Now your shirt."

"Oh, you..." Emma pinched her shirt between her thumb and forefinger, pulling it up her belly, "want me to take my shirt off now?"

Regina nodded with quite a bit of dignity for a woman watching a striptease.

"And not my panties?" Emma asked, pulling the waistband down just a little, allowing a little of her pubic hair to poke out.

"Sheriff Swan—" Regina breathed, annoyed, but her voice rougher than usual. Turned on.

Emma wondered how many times in the past she'd annoyed the hell out of Regina while, incidentally, moistening her panties like a pre-wash.

Feeling she'd tortured the control freak enough, Emma pulled her shirt over her head. In the space of the shirt obscuring her vision, Regina's legs went from crossed to... not. She was shaved, maybe even waxed, something Emma had never had time for.