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Emma stomped her feet in the frigid Maine air, one singular thought keeping her going - at the end of the night she got to go home to Regina. This was the first night she was on patrol after they’d moved in together two weeks ago, and while neither of them were thrilled with the situation, Emma was so much more willing to take the night shift knowing that the few hours of sleep she got would be safe in Regina’s arms. Emma rolled her eyes at herself, but also grinned from ear to ear. Who knew she would turn into such a hopeless romantic? But she had, and she’d been glowing with pride since Regina had asked her to move in.
By the time she got home (home!) to Mifflin street, she could barely feel her toes. Even with the occasional break in the squad car to warm up, winter in Maine had gotten through all of the layers that Regina had bundled her in before she left that evening. Emma sighed as she closed the door to the windy street, taking in the comforting quiet of the house they now shared. She kicked off her boots, hung her coat, and dumped the rest of her stuff inside her closet in the hall. She could deal with it in the morning. Right now she wanted nothing more than to climb into bed and warm up next to her sleeping girlfriend.
Emma stopped herself from running up the stairs, and made sure to be as quiet as possible as she changed into pajamas, quickly used the bathroom, and crawled into her side of the bed. Regina sighed in her sleep as Emma snuck an arm around her waist, inhaling the faint scent of vanilla from Regina’s shampoo and conditioner. Her body immediately relaxed, and she shifted closer.
As soon her feet touched Regina’s legs, Regina made an incoherent noise of protest and started to pull away.
“Sorry,” Emma whispered, and tucked her frigid feet behind her.
“Why are you so cold?” Regina muttered without opening her eyes. But she found Emma’s hand with her own and interlaced their fingers while she complained, so Emma just smiled.
“It’s winter. It’s cold out,” she stated.
Regina huffed, and for a minute Emma thought she’d just gone back to sleep. But then she pulled her hand out of Emma’s, aimed it down towards their feet, and twitched it gently. A warm glow filled Emma’s veins as her body heated up from the inside out. Her limbs relaxed even farther into the soft mattress, and she took a deep breath as her frozen toes returned to normal. She sighed contentedly, and pushed her legs closer to Regina again.
“Thank you, babe,” she whispered.
Regina found her hand again as she mumbled, “trying to freeze me out of bed.”
Emma chuckled softly, and pretty soon they’d both drifted off to sleep.
***
The next night went pretty much the same, with the extra added bonus of it having snowed, so Emma’s hair was also wet. When Regina used her magic to warm her up, Emma’s hair steamed a little bit before it dried out. By the third night of her week of night shifts, Regina just sent her warming spell towards Emma’s feet the second she got into bed. But the fourth night, Regina rolled over when Emma got into bed, still shivering from outside despite having been home for at least 10 minutes.
“Why are you always so cold?” Regina demanded.
Emma burrowed farther under the blankets. “Because I’ve been outside for 8 hours in sub-zero temperatures?”
Regina shook her head, an amused smile on her face. “Haven’t you tried your own warming spell?”
Emma grinned sheepishly. “Well, yeah,” she said. “But it doesn’t work as well as yours.”
Regina rolled her eyes. “Fine. Come here.”
Emma shifted so she could lay on Regina’s shoulder while she sent her spell all over Emma’s body. Emma sighed and felt that familiar tingling of Regina’s magic make her warm in more ways than one. She sighed again, and she supposed it was a little more towards a moan than a sigh, but the look that Regina gave her was way out of proportion for the noise she made.
“What was that?” asked Regina. She was doing that thing where she sounded mad, but had a twinkle in her eye and a soft smile that told Emma she was actually just feeling playful.
“What was what?” Emma said innocently, smiling so Regina knew she was playing along.
“That noise you just made,” said Regina, and she quietly slipped her hands up under Emma’s sleep shirt.
Emma apparently made the same noise, because Regina hummed and added, “Yes, that one.”
“Mmmmm,” Emma said, no longer playing a game, but genuinely enjoying the feeling of her girlfriend’s hands softly caressing her back. “I like the way your magic feels in me.”
Regina’s hands stopped. Emma opened her eyes. Regina was looking at her, the playfulness gone from her eyes.
“Is that … OK?” Emma asked tentatively.
Regina bit her lip and nodded quickly. “Yes,” she said, her voice quiet.
Emma held her closer. “Are you alright?” she asked, kissing Regina’s cheek a couple of times in hopes that it would remind her that she was safe. Emma felt Regina’s smile bloom under her lips.
“Yes, I’m fine,” she said, sounding a little more calm. “I just … magic didn’t start as something pleasurable for me,” she said. “But I love the idea that it can make you feel so good.”
Emma nodded. She knew that magic had been used to harm Regina long before she’d had a thought of harming anyone else with it. Emma also knew that she was going to be it her mission to re-write Regina’s associations with her own magic, to help her find all the ways she could use it to show the love Emma knew filled Regina’s heart now. She snuggled closer, finding her own way under Regina’s shirt so they had some skin to skin contact.
“Do it again,” she whispered, and smiled at the way Regina shivered.
Regina spread her palms out on Emma’s back, and pretty soon Emma felt the magic coursing through her, a faint glow spreading from the point of contact all the way through her body. She closed her eyes, breathing deeply as the sensations got stronger. It was intimate, and loving, and gently erotic. Emma let out a series of breathy sighs, and then finally, as Regina’s magic started to let up, she whispered, “I love you.”
“And I love you,” Regina replied.
They didn’t say it often. Which meant that when they did, it mattered. And tonight, Emma had felt Regina’s love in her whole body, and knew that she was exactly where she wanted to be.