"I'm trying to help you get out of the labyrinth," the blonde reasoned. "Is left a better option?"
"There is no left."
"Right it is."
Rolling her eyes Regina played along and headed down the corridor finding more familiar spaces. "How long do you have? I can quickly fetch Henry if you'd like to speak with him."
"Don't worry, he's having fun with August."
Regina narrowed her eyes again. "And how do you know that?"
"Because if he was with you, you'd be more frantic and he would have already grabbed the phone from you. Another right."
Regina turned, and from her viewpoint she could see tall glass windows that signalled that the garden patio was near which meant the sandwich shop wouldn't be too far off either. "Your deductive reasoning skills are flawless."
"Again, you sound surprised. Head down this hallway and there's food and decent coffee in that store."
Regina stopped completely in front of the glass windows, her breath slowing as she shook her head in disbelief, her heart pounding in her ears. "Emma. . ."
"Turn around."
Chapter 15
Chapter Notes
Disclaimer in Chapter One
AN: I don't know where the sudden need for cliffies came from, but you gotta admit, that's a good place to leave off ;)
See the end of the chapter for more notes
"Turn around."
Regina shook her head forcefully, as if the disbelief she was feeling was actively trying to stifle the hope in her gut. "Don't play games with me right now." It was stern, but the desperation in her tone couldn't be overlooked.
"Turn around," Emma insisted.
Swallowing the lump in her throat, Regina turned slowly on her heel, her heart beating loudly in her ears as she faced behind her. She held her breath.
The hallway was empty save for a vacant gurney lining the wall and a nurse passing through with her nose in a patient's folder. No red leather jacket or unruly blonde curls. No severe bun or camo uniform. No Emma.
Regina exhaled and shut her eyes, mentally kicking herself in the head for letting her hopes get too high, but her embarrassment was pushed aside for white hot anger. "I can't believe you did that," Regina hissed into her phone, yet the blonde had the audacity to chuckle. "That was the cruelest things you could have done, and honestly, what did you have to gain for that?" When the chuckle turned into full fledged laughter, Regina held a hand on her hip and all but shouted into the mobile. "So that was funny to you?"
"Regina–"
"Don't Regina me, Emma Swan." the brunette snapped. "What if I had Henry with me? Do you have any idea how devastated he would be?"
A few taps on her shoulder had her turning sharply, eyes blazing and tongue ready to lash out at whomever so dared to interrupt her. She gasped. Her phone fell to the floor with a loud clang. The battery popped out, and the pristine Motorola now held a few scratches, but Regina didn't care.
Deep brown leather with a fur-lined hood, blonde curls trapped in a ridiculous looking beanie, and the greenest eyes she had ever seen glittered mischievously at her.
"Emma," Regina gasped again.
Emma grinned so smug and so proud as she pocketed her Nokia then motioned to Regina's dropped cell phone. "I'd hate to be the person on the end of that line–"
Her quip was cut off when the brunette lunged forward, her arms weaving around Emma's neck so instinctively it was as if the last nine months hadn't been a torturous separation for either women. Regina's face was buried in Emma's neck, the Irish Spring soap and wild flower shampoo intoxicated her senses in the best of ways, but more importantly, Regina could feel Emma as the blonde hugged back just as fiercely, arms wrapped tightly around Regina's waist, bunching up the material of her blouse and breathing her in, as they nestled into one another.
It was long minutes before either pulled away, both comfortable to just stand there silhouetted against the tall glass panes as soft snow fell over the garden patio. They both pulled their heads back, eyes glassy and bashful and excited and happy as they grinned at one another before Emma leaned closer, pressing her forehead against the brunette's. "Hi."
Regina laughed, tightening her hold around Emma's neck before conceding. "Hey."
They laughed again, though what was the punch line was beyond them. They were happy and thrilled and content, so they laughed, pulling closer into one another so surely and so tightly as if proving to Father Time that the months apart couldn't hinder them.
"So am I still in trouble?" Emma asked with a grin.
"So much," she answered sincerely with a beaming smile on her face then smacked the blonde's shoulder. "Idiot." She pulled Emma in by the back of the neck and pressing their lips together in a firm kiss that was all pressure and all passion.
It had been too long since she had felt pink lips moving steadily over her own. Her dreams and imagination had been the next best thing on those nights when Regina was a little too lonely and a little more worked up than usual, but having Emma here, one hand pressing firmly between Regina's shoulder blades with the other slinking down the curve of her spine, fingers brushing against the cool skin exposed at Regina's waist before resting just shy of indecent on the Mayor's rump, the very real sensation of Corporal Emma Swan blew all her fantasies out of the water.
When Emma's lips parted invitingly, Regina was so desperate for more contact that she almost fell into the trap quite happily, but with a pained groan realizing where they were, she placed a tender kiss on the corner of Emma's lips, then again on her cheek, and another on her parted lips before pulling back, pleased at the half-lidden euphoria of contentment Emma found herself in. "That was a nice welcome home greeting," the blonde said when her eyes fluttered open and she had the sense to take a step back because being in such close proximity was way too enticing for either of them.
"It was certainly more entertaining than your little prank." Regina released her arms from around Emma's neck to give the blonde a half-hearted disapproving look, but Emma just rolled a shoulder, still grinning and still proud.
"You have to admit," Emma said as she stepped past Regina to pick up the forgotten cell phone and the battery. "I got you there."
Regina rolled her eyes, accepting the phone and the last minute kiss Emma placed just under her ear that made her shiver excitedly and step closer into Emma's warmth. The blonde pulled back and together they headed down the hallway, out of the labyrinth and into the common area where the hospital gift shop, rest rooms, and a few eateries were located.
"Not that I'm complaining," Regina began with a hand clasped around Emma's forearm as they entered the moderately busy sandwich shop. "But what are you doing here?"
"I got a message saying that my foster brother was going in for surgery, and if I wanted to I could come home for five days to be with him," Emma explained, moving her hand to squeeze Regina's waist. "I got on the next plane to Boston."
"You're here for a week?" Try as she may, the Mayor couldn't keep the schoolgirl excitement out of her voice.
The blonde frowned apologetically. "Including today, three days. August on morphine promised you'd be here ASAP, so I should just sit back and enjoy the show."
Regina cocked an eyebrow and repeated. "Sit back and enjoy the show?"
"Like I said, he and his pain meds are agreeable and the man likes his soaps." Emma ushered Regina to the front of the queue with a hand on her lower back. "He said he'd pull his own plug if I so much as picked up a phone."