A/N: I'm a bit unsure about this fic, but would love to continue it if you guys like it. Reviews feed my writing flame.
Regina awoke to the feel of tiny fingers poking softly against her shoulder blade. "Mmm," she groaned, nuzzling her face against her pillow.
"Mom?"
Henry. Her eyes opened wide and she quickly sat up on her palms. The bright light of the morning sun trickled through the large window across the room and into her eyes, causing the brunette to squint. A sharp pain crept up the back of her neck and jabbed at her skull; her head spun. She brought one hand up to her temple and rubbed small circles against the pounding muscle.
"It's…uh…it's almost 7. The bus will be here soon," Henry said softly.
Regina turned her head slowly toward her son, opening her eyes just enough to catch a glimpse of him. Dressed in a pair of khakis, a white shirt and a blue vest with his hair brushed neatly to the side, he was the definition of handsome. She smiled weakly. "Go make yourself some breakfast and I'll be down in a minute to pack your lunch, ok?" Regina's voice was hoarse and sleep laden.
Henry nodded before walking out of the room and padding down the stairs.
In one swift motion – which she quickly regretted – Regina was upright, her legs dangling over the edge of the bed. A wave of nausea washed over her, only worsened by the constant thud at the back of her skull. Her throat was dry but her mouth watered; her heart raced. Grabbing at the bedside table, she moved to a stand and rushed toward the bathroom.
She dropped to her knees in front of the toilet and buried her face in the bowl, dry heaving several times before vomiting. Her body shook as she emptied the contents of her stomach repeatedly, coughing and sniffling as she did so. Exhausted, she rested her cheek on the cold porcelain and inhaled slowly.
When the wave of nausea passed, Regina grasped the toilet and slowly moved to a stand. She flushed the toilet and walked over to the sink. The sour taste of vomit sat in her mouth and she shuddered, reaching out to grab her toothbrush and toothpaste. She brushed her teeth and then her tongue. Satisfied that the bitter taste of bile was gone, Regina rinsed her mouth and then the sink. She'd have to clean the toilet too, but there wasn't enough time before the bus would arrive.
Despite having felt like she'd been hit by a truck, Regina forced a little smile for Henry's sake before slowly making her way out of her bathroom. She grabbed a dark blue robe from her dresser and, after putting it on, switched the lights off and made her way to the kitchen.
She found Henry sitting at the kitchen counter, munching on a bowl of cereal while engrossed in his book of fairytales. She rolled her eyes; even after all this time, with the curse broken and The White Knight having saved The Evil Queen (Regina scoffed at the thought; it wasn't so much saved as it was bedded), he still had a penchant for that storybook.
Regina walked over to the kitchen cabinet and pulled out a jar of peanut butter and lunch pack of potato chips. She placed them on the island and turned to one of the lower cabinets to grab Henry's lunchbox. The dull throb in her temples only intensified when she bent forward, blood rushing to her head. She could feel a rhythmic pounding behind her eyes sockets and in her teeth; this was like no headache she'd ever experienced before. She grabbed the lunchbox and very carefully returned to a stand. "I'm sorry about the late start. I'm not feeling very well today." Regina walked over to the breadbox and grabbed a loaf, then grabbed a butter knife from the drawer below it.
Henry smiled. "It's ok. Means everything's going alright."
Regina raised an eyebrow curiously. "What exactly does that mean?" she asked, opening the jar of peanut butter. She collecting a small scoop of it on her finger and brought the sweet spread up to her lips before grabbing the knife. She wrinkled her nose. She didn't even like peanut butter.
"I like the name Isabel," Henry continued, completely ignoring his mother's question. "Or Zooey. What names have you and Emma come up with?"
Regina laughed as she began to fix her son a peanut butter sandwich. "Names for what? If it's about a puppy again, Henry, the answer is no. I don't care what Emma said, the answer is still no." The brunette jabbed roughly into the jar of peanut butter with the knife. Emma always seemed to contradict her, made her out to be the bad parent, and it had only gotten worse since she'd moved in. She grumbled to herself as she spread the peanut butter over a piece of wheat bread.
"Names for the baby, duh," Henry replied, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.
Regina dropped the knife onto the counter and spun on her heels, her eyes wide as saucers. "What did you say?" she asked, her heart thundering in her chest.
"The baby," he smiled, poking at his book. "I'm excited. I hope it's a girl."
Regina let out a shaky breath. Another bout of nausea washed over her and she closed her eyes, willing herself not to vomit. "Henry, I don't know what you're talking about, but…"
"It's in the book. Look!" He tapped excitedly at the page before him.
Regina brought her index and middle fingers up to her temples and rubbed in hard circles. After a moment, she opened her eyes and stepped next to her son at the kitchen counter. She glanced down at the book; the image that sat before her made her heart jump in her mouth.
Illustrated in black and white were The White Knight and The Evil Queen in a loving embrace. The Knight had her hands protectively around the Queen's swollen belly, and they were both smiling warmly at one another.
Regina's eyes magnetized to the baby bump protruding beneath the Queen's lavish gown. She instinctively brought a hand to her own stomach and stared, her mouth slightly agape.
"See, I told you!" Henry exclaimed cheerfully. He turned his head toward his mother, who was staring forward, dumbfounded.
The sound of the bus horn blaring outside finally startled Regina out of her trance. She jumped, standing still while her son shuffled around the kitchen for his books, bookbag and lunchbox. "I- I didn't finish making your lunch," she stammered, walking over to her purse. She grabbed a ten dollar bill from her wallet and handed it to Henry. "Here, buy lunch at school. I'll make it up to you with a good dinner tonight, ok?" She flashed him a weak smile.
"Ok, bye!" Henry ran for the door and scurried down the driveway toward the bus.
Regina stumbled over to the kitchen counter once more and gripped the edge of the table, her legs shaking and her head spinning. 'It's just a book,' she tried to assure herself, maneuvering herself onto the chair. She blinked down at the image once more.
But it wasn't really just a book. However romanticized the stories were, everything in there did happen.
She glanced over at the next page where several paragraphs of text lay. Squinting – both from her headache and the fact her glasses were in the den – she began to read the story of her – supposed – unborn child:
The White Knight and the Evil Queen were blessed with wonderful news: the Queen was with child. This infant was special, however, having been conceived through the powers of true love and magic. While the powers of evil fought to destroy the happy couple, the White Knight vowed to protect her family, Prince Henry and the unborn child growing in the Queen's womb.
Regina rested her elbows on the countertop and buried her face in her hands. It made so much sense. The nausea, the headaches…she was a week late, but that wasn't particularly abnormal for her; she simply chalked it up to stress. But now…
She let her fingers ghost over the illustration, tracing over the Queen's large belly. They looked so happy, their eyes twinkling, large toothy grins spread across both of their faces.
She let her mind wander, trying to figure out when exactly this baby could have been conceived. Magical conception required…well, magic, and Regina was sure she would have remembered it; and then the visual came to the forefront: the purple haze in both of their eyes, the little tendrils of red and gold crackling from their fingertips. She smiled. If Regina was indeed pregnant with Emma Swan's baby, she recalled the night it had occurred vividly. Quite vividly.