Robin and Regina had just gotten Roland tucked into bed when the call from the hospital came - something strange was going on with Zelena. With only a small glance at each other and a wave of Regina's hand, Little John appeared in the mansion living room to watch over Roland and Robin and Regina appeared in the ward where Zelena was being kept. The nurse led them down the hall where Zelena's cell was.
"What's wrong? What happened?" Robin's voice was laced with concern. Regina's eye went wide when they could hear screams from down the hall.
"A bit difficult to explain." The nurse herself appeared spooked as she reached out to open Zelena's cell door. "You better see for yourselves."
Regina's senses were on alert, for she'd learned that when it came to her sister nothing was ever as it seemed. The screaming inside Zelena's cell also stopped, replaced with a dead silence. "Careful. It could be another one of her tricks." She held her breath, grasping for Robin's arm as the nurse turned the key and opened the door. Robin reached behind, his fingers clutching the fabric of Regina's coat.
On the floor in the middle of the cell, Zelena lay still and silent with her arms wrapped around her abdomen. "What is she doing?" Robin breathed out. The nurse simply shrugged.
"It's gone." Zelena's voice was quiet down on the floor. Regina let out a gasp, her hand on her mouth. She held on tighter to Robin's arm and he leaned back slightly against her.
"What!?" Robin looked to the nurse. "What does that mean?"
"I'm sorry, but I'm really not sure." The nurse told him. "Like I said, it's hard to explain."
"I don't see any blood." Regina swallowed, her stomach feeling slightly queasy at the thought.
"And I'll say it a third time - it's hard to explain." The nurse scowled.
"Excuse me," Regina rounded on her. "There's no need to be rude here. If you would just tell us what the hell happened-"
"With all due respect Madame Mayor, I don't think you understand." The nurse sighed. "I heard screaming, I came to check and found her curled on the floor like you see her now. And before you ask, yes I did examine her."
"And!?" Regina spit out.
"There was no evidence of a miscarriage." The nurse told them. Regina raised an eyebrow, scrunching her face in confusion.
"So the baby's alive?" Robin's hand shook where it held the fabric of Regina's coat hostage. "But she said-"
"Oh what she said is true." The nurse confirmed. "It's gone."
"But…." Regina's mouth hung open for a moment. "You're not making any sense. Did she or did she not lose the baby?"
"There was no baby." The nurse told them. Suddenly Zelena shot up, lunging for the doorway of the cell shouting about lies. Regina shot her hand out and closed it with a burst of magic and the nurse immediately locked it.
Regina stared at the closed door and then turned to the nurse, concern washing over her as she saw the ghostly white skin of Robin's face. "Okay, listen. Obviously we're missing something here. So you're saying Zelena wasn't ever really pregnant?"
"Oh no, she was - the last ultrasound was yesterday after all. There was definitely a baby in there." The nurse scratched her head.
"Then how the hell can you say there was no baby!?" Regina snapped.
"You misunderstand me, Madame Mayor. There was a baby yes, and she did not have a miscarriage. However, upon examining her after she started screaming in pain - I found there was no baby. I really don't understand it myself, to be honest." The nurse raised an eyebrow.
"It was the bloody Dark One!" Zelena's voice raged from inside the cell. "She took my baby! I'll have her head for this!"
Regina opened her mouth to speak but paused. None of this made any sense at all. What would Emma - even as Dark Swan as she now was - want with an unborn child? Even spells that required something of a child all asked of a child already born.
"R-Regina - why would she do this? What's the Dark One want with my child?" Robin looked up at her, his eyes pleading and starting to water.
Even as much as it hurt that he shared a child with her sister and not her, Regina couldn't deny that one of the many reasons she'd fallen in love with him was because he was a such a loving, caring, and devoted father. Seeing him in such distress, terrified for a child he hadn't even met but already loved both destroyed her and endeared her to him all at the same time. She shook her head, though she wished she had the answer if only to ease his suffering. "I'm sorry, Robin - I really don't know. But I promise you, we will do everything we can to find out where the baby is."
"Why Regina, you haven't figured it out yet."
Regina, Robin, and the nurse all jumped as the Dark Swan appeared just beyond where they stood outside Zelena's door. She was in full Dark One mode with the white hair, leather outfit, and deep, dark voice to match - plus the blank stare of evil on her face. Zelena pounded on the other side of the door, peering through the small opening. "You bitch, you give me back my baby!"
Dark Swan held up her hands, looking around. "Silly little wicked witch, I don't have it."
"Emma, what the hell are you doing?" Regin's voice was overwhelmed with emotion, the whole situation too traumatic and tragic to bear. This was the Savior, Henry's mother, and one of Regina's best friends - how could she do such horrible things?
"What I have to." Dark Swan simply replied. "You more than anyone know that sometimes it takes Dark Magic to get things done."
"But why my child? Why must my child suffer for your sinister deeds?" Robin croaked, holding onto her jacket so hard Regina thought the fabric would tear.
"Who said anything about suffering?" Dark Swan regarded them with curiosity, if not disappointment. "I may be the Dark One but I am still a mother. A mother would do anything for their child - isn't that right Regina?"
"Leave Henry out of this," Regina snarled. "If you loved him you'd stop all this nonsense and stop putting him in the middle."
Dark Swan let out a chuckle. "Oh my dear Madame Mayor, how wrong you've got all this." Regina clicked her mouth shut in shock. "This has nothing to do with Henry - or Roland or Neal or Alexandra or any child in town. Well, except one that is."
"You'd really stoop to such darkness to use one of those spells that require a child? You say you're a mother but a mother could never harm another mother's child."
"And I don't intend to." Dark Swan smirked. "I was never after the child in the first place. And as to where you'll find her - oops, spoiler alert - well, she's in this very room, safe and snug. Really though, you should be *thanking* me for fixing your little problem - all of them really."
Regina stared at her in shock, her heart beating a mile a minute. She closed her eyes, tears falling down her face.
"As for my plan? Well...I think we've chatted long enough for today, Mayor. Tell your thief to stop mourning his child - she's fine. And as for this one…." The door to Zelena's cell flew open and she and Dark Swan disappeared in a cloud of light grey smoke.
"Well that was cryptic." The nurse looked between the cell door and Robin and Regina.
Regina's focus was solely on Robin though as he collapsed to his knees in shock. She knelt down beside him, her hands holding on to his. "Robin?"
"It was like she was speaking another language." Robin stuttered. "I don't understand any of this. Where's my child?"
Regina took one of his hands in both of hers, pulling it forward until it rested on her own stomach. Robin looked up at her, his eyes wide and his mouth open. "It's true." She whispered. A gasp escaped Robin's lips. "I don't know how and I don't know why - but it would seem that Dark Swan isn't as lost in the dark as we all thought."
Robin was still silent and Regina let out a nervous laugh. Now that she was actually aware of it, she found that she could feel it inside of her - almost as if it had been there the whole time. No, not it - she. Dark Swan had specifically said it was a she…
"The baby…" Robin swallowed, his eyes following his hand stroking the barely there hardened bump on the base of her stomach. He looked back up, meeting Regina's eyes. A grin broke out from ear to ear. "The baby's in there? In you?" Regina mirrored his smile, leaning forward to rest her head on his shoulder. "And Zelena, what did Emma want with her?"
"I really don't know." Regina shook her head. "If anything I'd have thought she'd want the baby for a spell but clearly-" She gestured toward her stomach. "-she has other plans."
"Excuse me, Madame Mayor," The nurse cleared her throat. "If it's really true, you should let me make sure you - both of you - are okay." Regina just stared at her, still in shock.
"Regina, milady - she's right." Robin pressed a kiss to her temple. "Let her check you over - and our daughter too."
Regina's heart skipped a beat, swelling with joy and love. This was all she'd ever wanted - a child with the man she loved. The child may not be her direct daughter, but she was her niece and Robin's daughter. Regina would carry her, this special little girl, in her womb until she was ready to come out. She would love her daughter and protect and take care of her. "Yes - we probably should. And then we need to figure out what Emma's up to with Zelena."
"We should probably thank her too." Robin smiled, kissing her. Regina raised an eyebrow. "She put our daughter where she belongs, safe and sound inside her mother." She stared at him, her heart bursting with love - though it could have been the sudden rush of hormones too. "Okay mommy, time for a doctor's visit." He rose to his feet, helping her to hers. "Then we'll find out what Aunty Dark Swan is up too."
OUATOUATOUATOUATOUAT
As it turned out, Emma's plan really did have nothing to do with the baby. They found out that Emma's plan was to transfer the Darkness over to Zelena and then kill her using the full Excalibur which would get rid of the Darkness altogether - the Darkness that not only resided within Emma but also Killian as well, something they'd been made to forget from Camelot. Henry, Snow, Charming, and Regina and Robin were able to convince Emma to find another way without killing Zelena and darkening her soul further. Emma rejected their help and took off on her own - intending to carry out a third option. Regina purposely left herself out of all discussion to spare the life that now grew within her.
In the end, Emma ended up using Excalibur on Killian which took the Darkness out of both of them. Once back to her old self, Emma was able to revive Killian was still on his last breath before death. The Darkness was gone - returned unfortunately to its old place within Rumplestiltskin but the old man wanted nothing but peace with Belle and brokered a deal to stay out of trouble as long as he was left alone as well.
Shortly after Regina and Robin announced their big change, Zelena now locked up with no baby or magic to bargain with. The expecting couple thanked the Savior endlessly who simply shrugged and said no baby should be subject to the Wicked Witch as a mother. They even declared Emma as godmother, with Henry to be their daughter's godfather. The town was overjoyed for them, sending gifts and trinkets to the Mills-Hood household by the dozens every day to show their excitement for the coming princess.
With the Dark Swan and Dark Hook out of commision the town was quiet again, allowing Regina and Robin - and everyone else - to live out their lives in peace. The two of them plus their boys anxiously awaited the birth of the child, reveling in each milestone of the pregnancy. A nursery was prepared right alongside their room, not an expense spared for their bundle of joy with pastels of pink and purple and green adorning the space along with a dark cherry crib carved by Geppetto himself.
All that was left to do was wait for the day their daughter was ready to be meet them, and then their family would be complete. Regina was more than ready as she sat in the nursery in a rocking chair also crafted by Geppetto. She rocked gently with her hand on her expanded waist, her eyes closed as she hummed something soft and soothing.
The house was quiet, with Henry and Roland spending the night with Emma and Killian and Robin out collecting groceries for the house. There wouldn't be many quiet days left before the baby came, so Regina was enjoying the silence she had left. The baby however wasn't so quiet today, the little princess very active inside her mommy's belly.
"What a sight you are, milady." The voice instantly sent a smile to her face, her eyes still closed. She continued to rock, her hand rubbing small circles on the bump. A voice whispered in her ear. "I love both of you so much."
"We love you too, daddy." She opened her eyes as a pair of lips pressed to hers.
"How are you feeling, mummy?" He leaned over beside her, his hand intertwining with hers.
"Mummy's tired." She sighed. "It turns out growing a person is exhausting."
He chuckled, "I could only imagine, my love. Shall I escort you to our chambers for some rest?"
"The Queen insists as decreed by her royal highness the Princess." Regina let out a deep breath as she allowed Robin to help her to her feet and down the hall to their room. As short and as small as she was, the belly took up a lot of room and made it increasingly difficult to walk.
She just couldn't wait to hold her little girl in her arms. She still didn't understand how it was all possible or how Emma had even thought to do it or why. Once the dust had settled and Emma was back to her old self, Regina had finally had the chance to really talk to her friend. Emma explained that as the Dark One, she had really only seen one logical plan to get what she wanted, especially when she'd been forced to turn Hook into a Dark One too to save his life. Emma had said she almost just sped up Zelena's pregnancy but decided instead to transport the baby to a different womb - Regina's - since she didn't think Zelena deserved to be a mother and the baby deserved to grow on her own time. At first Regina had been concerned something would happen since she cursed herself with that infertility potion years earlier in the Enchanted Forest but Emma assured her she fixed that too and the baby would be fine. Regina didn't think she'd ever be able to repay her friend for this gift, this chance to carry this special little girl.
"Anything for my ladies." Robin kissed the back of her head, the two of them just stepping into the master bedroom. He helped her lay down and she crawled under the covers. "Sleep well my Queen and I shall be here when you awaken."
"Love you…" Regina yawned, pulling the covers tight to her chin. She was so incredibly happy, despite the toll the baby took on her body. She had her two boys and Robin and soon a little girl to dote on - there wasn't anything else she could ever want. She vaguely heard Robin say he loved her from the doorway but it wasn't long before sleep overtook her body and she was out.
Well, she was out for at least a few hours before she woke up to go to the bathroom and discovered a damp spot on the bed. She called for Robin, beaming at him as he appeared breathless and panicked in the the doorway asking her what was wrong. She very calmly informed him that it was time to meet their princess very soon.
And meet her soon they did.