Making Exceptions (swanqueen)

Chapter 20: Special Delivery

Regina leaned back in her chair and sighed. Online shopping was so impersonal. There was no way to know what she'd look like in any of this lingerie until she tried it on, and she'd barely have enough time between the delivery of the items and Emma's two week check-up to do so. She knew what her body looked like, and was confident enough that she would look alright in whatever outfit she chose, but she wanted so badly to surprise Emma with something perfect after she was healed.

The squeak of the aforementioned blonde's crutches on the stairs broke Regina from her thoughts. Quickly, she saved the websites she had open and closed out of the browser just as Emma hobbled into the room.

"I'm glad to see you're taking to your crutches, dear," Regina smiled at the woman who leaned against the doorframe.

The blonde in question snorted. "I'm only taking to them because I've taken to you, dear," she threw the brunette's favorite word back at her with a smirk. "And I would hardly call stumbling around with these devil sticks 'taking to them'."

Regina's laughter bubbled forth as she stood and walked to the blonde. When she reached the woman, she snatched a crutch out from under the blonde's arm, causing a moment of unbalance and panic.

"What the hell, Regina?" Emma asked, brows furrowed in confusion.

"I was thinking you can lean on one crutch and myself, instead of leaning on both." A blush crept up the olive-toned cheeks as Regina took in her actions and the brief moment of uncertain panic that followed. "Perhaps I didn't go about it in the best of ways, though."

"It's the thought that counts," the blonde laughed out, leaning down to place a kiss on the top of the older woman's head. "Now let's go get some food. I'm starving."

"I should've known," Regina giggled as the two hobbled down the hallway. "And here I was thinking you just woke up to come talk to me. You really just wanted food." The brunette shook her head, squeezing Emma's waist where her arm wrapped tightly around it.

"You're right, Reggie," Emma agreed. "I woke up for food. Hearing your sexy voice was just a really big bonus."

"You know I'd hit you if you weren't already injured, correct?"

"Well, then I would have to call Dr. Zambrano and tell her she was right all along," the blonde joked, though the look she received in return was less than a joking matter.

"At this point I am seriously considering letting you make your own food right now, Ms. Swan," Regina threatened, "or maybe I can let you fall just outside of the kitchen and let you stay there while I make myself something, and I'll come out and eat it in front of you."

"First off, babe," Emma stopped in the middle of the living room to raise a finger and point it at the brunette, "I see why they call you the evil queen at school. Secondly, you would never do those things because you love me too much and Henry would be pretty upset if you did."

"I don't see Henry anywhere in this house, dear," Regina said with a devilish smirk. "And since when do you call me babe?"

"Oh... well..." Emma stuttered over her sentence as Regina's smirk grew. Emma's little ramblings were adorable in the brunette's eyes, and she was in for a big one. "You see.. Okay, here's the thing, Reggie. I know babe doesn't seem like it would fit you, but you didn't like Reggie at first and now you don't mind it. And I can't just call you Regina all the time because that's what everyone else calls you. And I can't call you Reggie all the time, either, because it'll lose its touch, right? Right! And I guess it just kind of slipped out, but I liked it and it felt right. If you didn't like it, you can say so, but I think it works."