A Thief and a Queen

Bath Time

4. "Admit it, I'm irresistible." Outlaw Queen, please? :)

            Regina was tired. Everything that could go wrong had since before the sun had come up. Power had gone down some time during the night and so she had woken up to a call from Emma asking for her help in fixing it. After they managed to get the power back on, David called to report a water main break on Main Street. Emma and Regina raced over there to find a river had formed. Regina half expected Ariel or Ursula to pop up from all the water gathering there.

            It had taken most of the morning to get everything straightened out. When she left, there was a small group working to drain the street. Most of them, she had noticed, were Merry Men. Robin led them and he had approached her before she had left to return to her office. "You've been up for a long time. Go home and catch a nap," he suggested.

            "That sounds tempting," Regina sighed. "But I can't. There's too much to do. I'll see you back at the house?"

            He nodded, kissing her. "Don't work too hard. Okay?"

            She wished she could keep her promise, but everything that had happened so far that day had required paperwork. Mary Margaret had managed to get her to choke down some lunch but soon she was chasing down some monster that was terrorizing town. Regina and Emma dispatched it easily, leaving her time to survey the damage.

            Now she dragged herself into her house, wanting nothing more than a bath and to fall asleep wrapped in Robin's arms. But there was still paperwork to do and she had to play with the budget to help pay for some of the damage inflicted by the day.

            Regina kicked off her shoes and shuffled to the kitchen. She planned to grab a quick dinner before settling into her study for a long night of work. But as she stood at the counter, she felt a strong pair of arms wrap around her waist. Robin pressed a kiss to her neck. "Welcome home, milady."

            "Mhmm. Quite the homecoming." She leaned against him, letting him continue peppering her neck with kisses.

            He smiled against her skin. "I still have more planned."

            "As tempting as that sounds, no. I have too much work to do."

            She felt his smile turn into a frown. "You need to rest. You look ready to fall asleep standing."

            "I'll rest later. Right now, I need to finish this work."

            "Regina." He turned her so she faced him. "You need to take care of yourself. Please."

            "I know. And I will. Just not today."  She turned back to her meal. "Did you eat?"