The Only Exception (Swan Queen)

Chapter 15

Every cell in my body is telling me that you are my happily ever after. ~C.J. English.

#

They woke up on the couch in that same position. Regina still wrapped securely in Emma's arms with her head resting comfortably on the younger woman's shoulder and her face buried in her neck.

Emma's phone was buzzing violently on the table.

She couldn't help but smile at Regina; she looked so cute cuddled into her side. She looked so peaceful and she didn't have the heart to wake her.

Regina let out a soft groan. "Answer your phone, babe," she grumbled.

Emma chuckled. "Babe, huh?"

"Would you prefer Miss Swan?"

"Damn, you're snappy when you're tired," she joked light-heartedly, grabbing the phone. There were four missed calls and a text from Henry "meet me and Mr. and Mrs. Nolan at Granny's for dinner at 6!" It read.

Emma checked the time. It was 6.30pm. She laughed. "How would you like to join me for a dinner that I'm already half an hour late for?" she asked, raising an eyebrow playfully.

Regina was about to answer when the phone started ringing again. Emma quickly answered it. "Hello?"

"Mom, where are you?" Henry asked.

She bit her lower lip. "My phone was on silent," she made up quickly. "I'm still with Regina." She looked at the woman who was still sitting on her lap and smiled, placing a quick kiss on her cheek.

"Are you coming? We haven't ordered yet and I'm hungry," he complained.

"Yeah, Hen. We'll be there in a few minutes." The line went dead and she threw her phone off to the side. "So. Dinner?"

Regina chuckled as she started to kiss her neck. "Of course, darling." Her breath tickled Emma's ear as she spoke. She gave the lobe a soft nibble for good measure.

Emma cupped her cheek and pulled her in for a kiss. Regina let out a soft squeak in surprise at the action, tangling her fingers in her blonde hair, pulling herself closer. She bit down on Emma's bottom lip causing a loud moan to erupt from the woman's throat as they pulled apart.

"Good lord. You're going to be the death of me," she gasped.

Regina climbed off her lap and helped the other woman to her feet. "Come on. You know what Henry's like when he's hungry," she said with a fond smile.

#

"Hey, sorry we're late," Emma greeted the group as Regina and her took their seats.

"Did you find anything?" David asked, raising an eyebrow.

She and Regina exchanged a look and the brunette shot the man a reassuring smile. "Nothing so far, but we're close. Or at least, I'd like to hope we are," Regina explained.

Dinner went smoothly with a nice flow of conversation, there was nothing brought up that was too complicated to try and explain to Henry.

Emma went and got a room from Granny shortly after they finished. She handed the key over to Henry. "Here, kid. Why don't you go on up to the room while I talk to Mary Margaret and David?" She needed some time to speak to them about what was really going on without Henry hearing.

The boy didn't object but he didn't seem overly keen about it as he reluctantly took the key from her hand and sauntered down the hall.

Regina swapped seats and sat down next to her. Emma couldn't help but smile and tangled their fingers together under the table.

Mary Margaret was first to speak. "So, what were you really doing that made you late?" she asked.

Emma chuckled at the woman's concern. "We fell asleep shortly after you guys dropped off some lunch for us," she explained, a slight blush of pink appearing on her cheeks. 

"I was able to find something," David spoke up. "I came across a farmhouse on the outskirts of the forest, I didn't want to investigate alone but I did hear muffled yelling coming from the storm cellar," he explained.

"We can go and check it out in the morning," Emma confirmed.

Regina let out a soft sigh. "I should probably head home," she mumbled.

Emma nodded. "I'll walk you. Henry will be fine by himself for a few minutes."

They walked to the Mayoral Mansion hand in hand, neither of them saying anything. The silence that was lingering between them was peaceful. They walked up the gravel path towards her door.

Regina turned to Emma with a smile on her face. "Good night, baby," she whispered.

Emma couldn't stop the smile that spread across her face at the pet name. She placed a soft, loving kiss on the brunette's forehead. "Good night, Gina. If you need anything at any time please don't hesitate to call me," she told her as she rubbed her hand with her thumb.

Regina smiled. "I love you, Emma," she mumbled softly.

"I love you too," Emma whispered before giving her a quick kiss.

Regina reluctantly let go of her hand and headed inside.

#

Emma made her way back to Granny's where her parents were still waiting. She walked over to them and raised an eyebrow. "What's up? I thought you guys would have headed home?"

"I just wanted to ask you something. I thought it would be better in person," Mary Margaret started. Emma bit her lower lip anxiously. "What's going on between you and Regina?"

Emma froze, not because she was scared to tell them, but because she didn't know how to respond. Mary Margaret asking her straight out took her a bit by surprise.

"We knew that Regina had feelings for you after what happened in Neverland, but do you have feelings for her as well?" she continued.

Emma smiled. "Yeah, I do have feelings for Regina. I told her before the forgotten year and now we're seeing where it goes," she mumbled.

Her parents nodded, small smiles spreading across their faces. "Well, we're happy for you both," Mary Margaret said, pulling Emma close for a hug. "We'll see you in the morning, Emma."

Emma stood there in shock as she watched her parents leave the diner hand in hand. Did that really just happen? Her parents are happy that she's dating their worst enemy. A woman who was hellbent on destroying them for years. Sure, she's not like that anymore and everyone is aware of that, but the positive response was still surprising.

When Emma walked into the room, Henry was sitting playing his Gameboy. "I'm going to bed, kid. Don't be staying up all night," she ordered giving him a quick kiss on the head.

He nodded "Okay. Night, mom. Love you."

She pulled on a pair of shorts and an oversized t-shirt before climbing into bed. She let out a soft sigh. Waking up earlier that day with Regina still wrapped in her arms, cuddled up together was an amazing feeling and she found herself craving more of that.

#

Regina jolted awake, her breathing was ragged and her chest felt heavy. Her nightdress clung slightly to her skin with the soft layer of sweat that covered her body.

Flashes of the image kept shooting through her head. She clenched her eyes shut, shaking her head, trying to force it from her mind.

Why was she suddenly thinking about it? It obviously wasn't true. What has happened that's making her think about what she found out what seems like forever ago?

The man with the lion tattoo.