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Chapter Fifteen: Operation Cheetah-Decision Day

Rewritten: 13/08/2020
Updated: 16/08/2021

Emma had slept a total of two hours, she had crashed after Regina had brought on orgasm after orgasm, but at around three AM, she had woken up. She had laid there listening to the soft snores coming from Regina, thinking about everything that had happened over the past two weeks.

The night Regina had found her sitting at the town line, she thought the answer was to leave; that night, there hadn't been much in Storybrooke for her. Yes, she finally had her parents, but she had never really felt the familial bond with them like she should have done; of course, then there was Henry, now she would move mountains for him, but she knew that even if she did leave, he would still have Regina.

Regina, Emma had no idea that the once-formidable Evil Queen had cared for her as much as she did, so much that she let the daughter of her former arch-nemesis sleep in her bed. The days, and nights, that they had spent together had been amazing, but it made Emma wonder; if she hadn't found her that night, would things still be the same between them?

Storybrooke had by far the longest she had ever stayed anywhere since getting out of the foster system; she was surprised that she hadn't left before now; she knew a lot of people were. Despite being the daughter of Snow and David, Emma knew that she would never be one of them.

The blonde turned on her side; Regina had rolled over in her sleep, taking the covers with her. She couldn't believe how perfect these last few weeks had been, she knew she wanted more, especially with Regina, but she couldn't bring herself to stay in a place that made her feel so uneasy.

She pressed a soft kiss on Regina's exposed shoulder and slipped out of bed, making sure not to wake the sleeping brunette. She gathered her clothes and dressed in the dark. Before she left the room, she took the note she had hidden in her jacket pocket and left it on the empty pillow.

The blonde left the room and walked down the hall to Henry's room. The door was cracked open, so she crept in. The teen was sprawled across his bed with the cover's kicked off him, so she took this last chance to pull the covers back over him. She put the second note she had kept on his nightstand.

"I love you, kid," she whispered. She pressed a soft kiss into his hair before leaving the room. She took one last look at her son, "I'm sorry."

+/+\+

Regina stirred and rolled over to snuggle back into Emma's body, but she was met with cold, empty sheets. Her eyes shot open and landed on the white envelope with her name scrawled on the front; she ripped the envelope open and scanned through the written words:

Regina,

The fact that I'm not next to you shows my choice. I need you to know that I never meant to hurt you; if I have, then I am so sorry. These past few weeks have been amazing, spending time with you and the kid, well for a minute, I thought my mind had been changed.
Getting to know you behind closed doors, seeing how much you care for Henry and me, I never thought anyone could care for me that much, but I'm glad it was you. I wouldn't have wanted it to be anyone else.
I'll never be able to thank you for the fantastic kid you've raised, I know he'll turn out amazing, and it'll all be because of you; just keep the card stealing to a minimum, okay.
I didn't have the chance to tell you, but I hope it's okay if I love you forever, Regina.

By the time she had finished reading the letter, Regina had tears rolling down her cheeks, and that's when she saw the photo's that had been slotted in behind the paper. They were from the photo booth from the day they went to the fair, her eyes landed on one photo where Emma was pulling a face, and she was looking at the blonde; it was that day that she realised she loved Emma deeper than she had loved anyone else.