A/N: It's finally here! This is the sequel to my story One Fine Mess. I suppose if you're hell bent you could read it without reading that first, but there will be some gaping plot holes so I recommend you don't skip the first story.
This story will be Emma's POV following the baby's first year. There will be twelve chapters in total, each chapter covering one month. It's quite a different theme than its predecessor, but I hope you all enjoy it just as much. It's pretty nerve wracking to follow up such a successful story! So please let me know what you think!
Huge thanks to michealawaffles for editing, we worked really hard on this one lol she is a saint!
February
Emma Swan was in love.
Absolutely, unequivocally, irrevocably in love.
The precious, unfathomably tiny bundle at her breast was more perfect than she could have ever imagined. Every time she laid eyes on her baby girl, Emma's heart seemed to expand to fill her entire chest, pushing up against her throat until she was ready to burst into tears at the sight. Sometimes she actually did – the doctors said it would take a little time for her hormone levels to return to normal.
The love she felt for her daughter was entirely overwhelming. It was the very same love she felt for Henry, though with him things had happened a bit more slowly. It took time, getting to know the kid, the barrier she'd built around her heart to protect herself from those feelings of incomparable love being dismantled day by day, brick by brick.
This time it all felt so sudden, the wall shattering instantly like a hammer crashing through glass. She could have never thought it possible to love another human being this fully, so quickly. Love at first sight always seemed a ridiculous notion. You couldn't possibly love someone on sight, knowing absolutely nothing about who they are, what they like, how they feel. Yet the moment she laid eyes on Maria, Emma was positively, unquestionably head over heels.
"You're a natural with her," Regina commented from the doorway, leaning against the frame with an adoring smile, and Emma realized the woman had been watching them for a while.
"You think so?" she asked earnestly, aching so much to be the kind of mother this impeccable little being deserved, still fearing she was completely out of her depth.
Emma had missed all this with Henry and, besides her little brother, she wasn't really all that familiar with babies. It wasn't that she didn't like them, but she hadn't exactly had a lot of friends or family until recent years, and consequently very few children in her adult life. She managed to get the hang of things with Henry eventually, but the idea of this tiny life being completely dependent upon Emma knowing and tending to her every need was, to be honest, rather terrifying.
"Yes," Regina replied certainly, pushing off the wall and strutting towards the couch. She leaned down and Emma's heart fluttered when she felt the woman plant a tender kiss to the top of her head. Sitting down beside them, Regina stretched one arm out across the couch behind Emma, her free hand softly caressing their daughter's form as she nursed.
"Just look how content she is," Regina continued, gazing down at Maria with an unwavering sense awe that perfectly mirrored Emma's own. "That's because of you."
A familiar prickling began behind her eyes and Emma really couldn't wait for the day she wouldn't get so emotional over every little thing anymore. She didn't enjoy feeling this incredibly transparent. It exposed weakness to those who wanted to bring her down, and placed a burden on the few who wished to hold her up. As frightening as being vulnerable could be, placing that weight of responsibility on someone, even without meaning to, was sometimes worse. But it was Regina seated beside her, and at least she knew Regina didn't mind.
"Thank you," Emma whispered through quivering lips, hoping the woman understood she meant for so much more than the moment implied. There weren't enough words to convey all she was grateful for – the constant reassurance, this baby, their family.
Regina's love.
Emma couldn't believe how quickly everything changed. Just a few days ago so much of this seemed so far away, like grasping for a dream that fades too quickly upon waking. Yes, there would still have been their children and yes, they still would have all returned home together.
But there wouldn't have been this.
There wouldn't be Regina kissing her head and curling up on the couch next to her. There wouldn't be leaning into the solidarity and comfort of Regina's warmth. There wouldn't have been the knowledge that they weren't just some odd, hodgepodge sort of family thrown together by happenstance. This was real, and it was everything Emma ever hoped for.
Regina's hand lifted from its place on Maria's tiny cheek to find Emma's, thumb running delicately over the bone, eyes meeting with so much love and affection that it made the girl's heart roar within her chest. It was kind of funny, Emma thought fleetingly, that she should feel so nervous and giddy over a simple look from the mother of her children on the same day they brought their newborn daughter home. Most new parents would be far past this stage of butterflies by then. Though, she conceded, their circumstances were far from usual.
Emma felt that excruciatingly sensational fluttering of wings in her stomach as Regina leaned forward, still gently holding Emma's face as she kissed her. Slowly, languidly, as if it had always been like this, so natural and pure. Emma had always been reluctant to leave her life up to the hands of fate, to believe that fate's pull carried more weight than her own decisions and actions. Despite these beliefs, when she was kissing Regina, Emma felt in her gut that it was always inevitable for them to end up here, together. It was in the essence of their beings, and in the choices they would always make. Maybe that's all really fate was.
The smile didn't leave Emma's face even once Regina sat back, and she would have felt ridiculous for it if the other woman hadn't looked so equally enamoured. Maria sighed softly and Emma's heart soared again, the tiny sound reminding her that this little girl, whom she'd loved and waited to meet for so long, was really finally in her arms.
"It's so weird having her home," Emma said, shaking her head in bemusement. "Like, all of a sudden she's just here, and we're supposed to keep on living life like that's totally normal."
Regina chuckled throatily. "It will be eventually," she assured, the hand behind Emma coming up to toy absently with luxurious strands of blonde hair. A simple gesture, though the familiarity of it was both comforting and exhilarating. "I felt the same way when I first brought Henry home."
"It seems unreal," Emma laughed as well. "It doesn't even feel like we should be allowed to take her out of the hospital. They just entrust us with the care of this tiny, little human like it's no big deal."
"She's our tiny human, my dear," Regina reminded her softly, letting the notion sink into Emma's heart once again. "Our daughter."
Emma grinned down at Maria with a dumbfounded shake of her head before looking to the woman beside her.
"We have a baby, Regina," she said like it was the most confounding thing in the world.
"I never said it wasn't mind-boggling," Regina chortled back.
"Moms!" Henry called from out of sight, not too loudly, and Emma appreciated the boy's consideration for is half-sleeping sister. He made himself scarce when Emma announced it was time for Maria to eat, hiding away in his room as he waited for feeding time to end. "Is she done yet?"
"Henry, just come in here," Emma called back amusedly. "You can't even see anything, I promise."
There was a beat of silence where he seemed to consider the idea, but in the end he declined.
"That's okay," he said awkwardly, voice fading as he drifted away again. "I'll just wait."
Both women snickered at their son's reluctance. The kid was in for a rough few months if he was going to continue getting squeamish every time Maria nursed.
"I should probably go get dinner started," Regina sighed, fingers dancing over the baby's capped head as if loathe to break contact. Emma knew the feeling well, and she couldn't help feeling guilty that Regina was the one who had to walk away, especially since it was to take care of Emma, and even more so because today was supposed to be Regina's day.
"I was going to cook for you," Emma said shyly and feeling a bit silly about it. "For your birthday. I had a whole thing planned."
She really wanted to make Regina's birthday special, even before telling the woman how she really felt about her. Emma wanted to give her this one night to show her just how much she appreciated everything Regina did for her. A night where Emma would take care of everything – including Regina, after Henry went to bed – with just the three of them together at home.
Until they unexpectedly become a family of four ahead of schedule, and all of Emma's big plans went out the window.
"That is incredibly sweet of you," Regina said, and Emma couldn't help smiling at the mirth she saw in those adoring brown eyes. "But your body needs rest and, in this case, I think it's most certainly the thought that counts more. You just worry about feeding her. I'll take care of the rest of us."
Regina pressed a quick kiss to Emma's lips, then another that lingered a bit longer before she moved to stand. Changing her mind at the last minute, she fell back against the couch again, stealing one final kiss that had Emma suppressing an uncharacteristic bout of giggles that bubbled jovially within her chest.
She was smiling so much that her cheeks were beginning to protest as she watched Regina rise and walk away. The woman stopped at the threshold, turning back just enough for Emma to see the warmth radiating in her features.
"I love you, Emma," Regina said softly, like she still wasn't used to being allowed to voice such a feeling, though her tone was strong and sure.
The muscles in Emma's face burned as she grinned harder still.
"I love you, too," she beamed, Regina's wonderstruck gaze and the words that still hung in the air filling Emma with the sense of contentment and belonging that she once believed would forever sit just beyond her reach.
She couldn't do nothing for Regina's birthday. Emma knew the woman didn't expect or need more from the day that hadn't already been given, but that made it all the more important. Everyone deserved a little something extra once in a while. Something that says "I know you love me anyway, but I wanted to do this because I love you."
"Henry!" she called, careful not to startle the baby, who seemed to have fallen asleep mid-meal and only suckled intermittently now. Emma grabbed a nearby blanket, throwing it over her shoulder and Maria's head, hoping her son hadn't wandered off too far to hear. "Henry! Come here a second!" she called again. "Everything's covered, I swear. I need to ask you a favor."
Emma emerged from the en suite bathroom, toweling off her hair and wearing an old maternity nightshirt that had certainly seen better times. Despite being significantly smaller than she was just a few days ago, she was hardly going to be squeezing back into her skinny jeans anytime soon. The tattered garment was all that fit, and Emma didn't see any point in investing in a new one unless she ended up struggling to lose the baby weight.
She felt more refreshed than she had in days. Not only could Emma swear she lost at least a pound in hospital grime, but the warm bath had done wonders to help soothe her aching body.
The sight she walked into was enough to set her unsettled hormones ablaze, swallowing hard as she tried not to cry over the beautiful sight of mother and child curled up together in Regina's bed. Or their bed, Emma supposed it was now. No use in still pretending like they wouldn't be sleeping side by side every night.
The way Regina looked at their daughter, held so securely in her arms, made Emma's heart ache in a way that was almost bittersweet. This was the woman who raised Henry alone for the first ten years of his existence. While Emma would always regret missing that part of her son's life, watching Regina now reminded her just how much their children always were, and would always be, loved. That's what mattered most and she was incredibly grateful that, despite past hardships, never once was there a lack of love in Henry's life, nor would there be in Maria's.
"How is she?" Emma squeaked through her constricted throat, climbing into bed and kneeling next to her two favorite girls in the world.
"Just fine, Momma," Regina cooed back, in a tone sweet enough to calm both baby and hormonal mother.
"I missed her," Emma said, snuggling up close to Regina and stealing a soft caress of their slumbering child. "I know you guys were right here in the next room, but God, I just miss her all the time. Is that crazy?"
"Not at all, my dear," Regina replied, her tender voice flooding Emma with a sense of warmth and comfort once again. "How are you feeling?"
That was a loaded question. Emma was elated to have their baby girl home. She felt absolutely blessed by everything life bestowed upon her in these past few days. At the same time, she was completely overwhelmed, and there was a daunting fear hanging over her like a storm cloud threatening to rain down upon her joy.
"I'm starting to understand," Emma began, still trying not to get emotional about the words she would utter next. But she trusted Regina, and she wanted to be open with her. "How my mom felt when Neal was born. I don't want to spend one second away from her. I don't even want to blink in case I miss something."
"Would it help you to hold her?" Regina asked, with so much understanding, so much empathy, Emma felt like her heart would shatter.
"No, no," she replied with a vehement shake of her head. Emma desperately wanted the child in her arms at all times, but she also wanted Regina to have her chance to bond with Maria. She had to admit it was an internal tug-o-war, but Regina's time with Maria was important.
"Here," Regina said calmly, extending her arms until the child was resting in Emma's. "I'll have plenty of time with her," the woman continued compassionately. "You need this right now."
"Thank you," Emma sighed in relief, feeling rather selfish about how badly she needed to feel Maria close to her, but eternally grateful for Regina's understanding.
"No one is going to take this baby from you, Emma," Regina promised as Emma kissed the top of the child's head. "It's okay to be afraid, but you need to know that. I won't let anything bad happen. To any of you."
Emma didn't know what to say. Regina could read her every thought alarmingly well, yet for the first time that made Emma feel safe. She finally found someone who understood her completely, who loved her so unconditionally, and words alone consistently failed her in expressing how much that meant.
So she kissed Regina with the softest, most gentle love and affection, desperate for the act to pour all of the emotion she couldn't vocalize into the woman's being. The kiss grew longer, and deeper, until they were completely lost in the sensation of one another.
Under any other circumstances there was no doubt where a kiss like that would lead, but not tonight. It was a little disappointing that she couldn't make love to Regina. They hadn't even had the chance to do so properly since confessing their true feelings. But Emma's battered body was nowhere near ready for such vigorous activity. As badly as she wished to fully experience that intimacy with the woman she loved, it would have to wait.
"Did you have a good birthday?" Emma whispered on winded breath, still nuzzling Regina's nose with her own. She relished in the feeling of closeness, deciding there were plenty of other ways for them to be intimate without having sex.
"It was perfect," Regina replied wistfully, smoothing blonde locks back behind Emma's ear to place a loving kiss on the girl's pale cheek.
"Even though you don't get any birthday sex?" Emma asked with a playful smirk.
"Even so," Regina chuckled. "The cake was very thoughtful of you," she quirked an eyebrow as she added, "and Henry."
"Well," Emma shrugged guiltily, "I was a little tied down with this one," she tipped her chin towards Maria, "and it's not like I could send you out to pick up your own surprise birthday cake."
"Fair enough," Regina conceded with a glint in her eye that belied her chiding. Emma saw the way Regina's face softened with tender affection as Henry presented the cake, and although the woman insisted she could only have one small slice, Emma felt victoriously confident that the gesture was more than appreciated.
She settled back against Regina, Maria sleeping gently in her arms, and basked in the quiet comfort of the moment. Emma felt so peaceful, like nothing in the world could touch them curled up in the sanctuary of this room. A room she wanted to share with the woman beside her forever, and she hoped more than anything that Regina wanted that as well.
"Do you think," Emma began, hesitating a little because this was all still so new. As much as she knew better, after so many years of being tossed around, there would always be that little voice in the back of her head whispering don't mess this one up. "Maybe, I mean if you want, I should move the rest of my things from the other room?"
"That's a pretty big step for us, don't you think?" Emma peered up at her incredulously, ready to point out that they already had a baby, not to mention they've been sleeping together for months. But before the words could even form behind her lips, she saw the crinkling around Regina's eyes and realized it was playful sarcasm that had fallen on deaf ears.
"You're an ass," Emma quipped, rolling her eyes more at herself than Regina, but Regina didn't need to know that.
The woman cackled playfully at Emma's remark but otherwise ignored it. "Yes, my dear," Regina replied. "I think moving your things is an excellent idea." There was a beat of thoughtful silence before Regina began again tentatively. "You realize tonight is our first real night together as a couple."
"Yeah," Emma nodded, feeling a dopey grin spread over her face at the thought. "It's kind of weird how it just... Doesn't feel weird."
"Eloquently put," Regina teased. "But I agree."
This was it, Emma thought, sinking deeper into the woman beside her. For the first time in her life, she felt like she was exactly where she was supposed to be. She was safe, she was loved.
She was home.
And it turned out that home wasn't a town, or a house or a room. It wasn't a place at all, but the people who held all the pieces of her heart. No matter where she may go, as long as Emma had her family, she would always be home.
"We should probably get some sleep before she wakes up again," Regina suggested after a while.
"I don't know how I'm going to get any sleep tonight," Emma replied, still wary of taking her eyes off the child for a moment, let alone being willfully unconscious. Staying in the hospital offered some sense of security, knowing there was always someone trained and alert to tend to her little girl while Emma slept. Now, she was entirely responsible for anything Maria might need, and the fear she might fail in that task of utmost importance was overwhelming.
The tips of Regina's fingers gently tracing her jawline soothed a bit of the inner turmoil Emma couldn't shake. She closed her eyes and sighed, allowing the sensation to flood her senses and ignite her trust.
"I told you, Emma," Regina said, voice firm but calm. "I won't let anything bad happen. You need to try to get some rest."
"Okay," Emma sighed, nodding her head as she mustered up the willpower to let go of Maria. She placed several lingering kisses on the baby's tiny head before finally handing her to Regina. "You do it," Emma pleaded. "I'll never be able to walk away if I'm the one to put her down."
"Very well," Regina agreed, gladly accepting their daughter into her arms and rising from the bed. Like Emma, Regina pressed her lips to chubby cheeks more than once before depositing the slumbering child into her bassinet.
Emma ran her hands nervously down her sides, desperately trying not to fret over the prospect of falling asleep, until something odd caught her attention. She pulled her shirt away from her body, inspecting it with curious confusion.
"Regina," she said with some bemusement, "this shirt was ripped."
"What?" Regina inquired, looking thoroughly perplexed herself by the outburst as she observed the garment that was very much intact.
"There was a hole right here," Emma explained, pointing just off the center of her stomach. "I'm sure of it. It caught on a door handle when I was still pregnant and tried to squeeze through and it tore. But," she twisted the shirt, checking just one more time to be certain she hadn't missed it, "it's gone now."
"My dear," Regina said, somewhere between concerned and amused. "I think you are even more exhausted than you realize."
"Yeah," Emma nodded absently, not entirely convinced that was the case but not wanting to dwell on how crazy she felt right now. "Yeah, you're probably right."
A couple weeks passed and Emma was relieved to see Maria settle into a routine. Granted that routine included the baby being quite literally attached to her almost all the time, feeding every couple of hours for almost half an hour at a time. But Emma adored her bonding time with Maria, the long moments of silent love as she, and she alone, nourished her child's life. It was a truly incredible feeling.
Not only did she grow this human being within her body, but that same body could supply her baby girl with the sustenance she needed to survive. As much as she loved having Maria here in the world, it was sometimes hard for Emma not having her safely inside her belly, where she could always protect her and have her close. But this was something she could do, something good, something special and beautiful. After the initial soreness passed – which she had to admit was far more unpleasant than she would have imagined – feeding her child became one of the highlights of Emma's day.
As did Regina. They'd fallen into a routine of their own, with gentle kisses in the morning and cuddling up at night, and constant texts of amorous intention throughout the day that always left a girlish grin on her face. They cooked dinner together while Henry did homework at the kitchen table and Maria slept, then sat down to eat as a family. It was all so wonderfully and simply domestic.
Tonight would be different, though. It was their first Valentine's Day as a couple, and after her plans to celebrate Regina's birthday were thwarted, Emma was determined to make the evening a special one.
She arranged for Henry to spend the night at Hansel and Gretel's so they would have the house to themselves, besides Maria. Emma wasn't quite ready to start sporting sexy lingerie, and it would be a bit pointless since they couldn't have sex. The healing spell she'd been using to speed up the process served mostly to help fade stretch marks and other surface damage. Having a baby was brutal, and Emma's body had a ways to go before it was healed completely.
That didn't mean they couldn't have a romantic evening together.
Dinner was cooked and ready to eat, pork chops and roasted veggies served up and waiting underneath the fancy warming covers Emma found in the cupboard. Candles were lit. Maria was in her swing, dressed in red and prepped with the first part of Emma's gift. The second piece was on the table in a brown lunch bag decorated with paper hearts. Everything was set, and Emma thought she wasn't half bad at this romance business.
She bounced excitedly when she heard the front door open, positively giddy as she waited for Regina to appear. When she did, it was with a bouquet of roses in hand and a delightfully shocked expression on her face. Emma couldn't have been happier.
"You made me dinner," Regina said fondly, grinning as she strode up to Emma and kissed her hello.
"Ducky helped," Emma joked, wrapping her arms around the woman's neck. "And speaking of Ducky, I think she has a question for you."
"Our two-week old daughter has a question for me?" Regina quirked an eyebrow at the notion.
"Just go look," Emma replied, excitedly nudging Regina in the direction of their slumbering child.
The stubborn woman eyed her curiously but still complied. Emma was positively atwitter with excitement as Regina approached the swing and noticed the card clamped in the baby's tiny fist. She plucked it gently from Maria's grasp, careful not to wake her, a smirk forming at the edge of Regina's lips as she read it aloud.
"Dear Mommy, will you pretty please be my Momma's valentine?"
Regina turned around with a look that was trying to be incredulous, but her face-splitting grin gave her away.
"Could you be any cheesier?" she laughed as she returned to Emma's side.
"You didn't answer her question," Emma teased, ecstatic that everything was going off without a hitch.
"Yes," Regina replied, extending the bouquet of roses towards Emma. "So long as you'll be mine."
"Hmm," Emma pretended to think it over a moment. Laughing as Regina gave her a mock glare, she finally accepted the flowers with a kiss. "You've got yourself a deal."
Regina shook her head and rolled her eyes, trying to cover for the endearing smile on her lips as they made their way towards the table to eat. Just as she was about to take her seat, Regina noticed the brown paper sack with its little hand-cut hearts.
"Did Henry make this?" she asked, picking it up for inspection.
"I made it," Emma replied, taking mild offense to the comparison of her artistic skills. She had limited supplies to work with, after all. "It's the other part of your present."
"What's inside?" Regina inquired with a dubious glance.
"Kisses," Emma said brightly.
"Like the candy?"
"No, not candy. Real kisses."
Regina looked more baffled than ever, brow furrowed tightly as she looked from Emma to the bag and back again.
"It's a game," Emma explained, more excited than she'd like to admit about her clever idea. "For the rest of the night, any time you want a kiss, you have to pull a slip of paper out of the bag. Whatever type of kiss it says, that's the kiss you get. You have to use them all by the end of the night, and you don't get any other kisses until all the slips are gone."
Regina peered at her with a skeptical jeer, like Emma had totally gone off the deep end.
"I was wrong," she chortled. "You actually out-cheesed yourself."
"Come on, Regina," Emma pleaded, confident the woman was putting up a front and would go along with it in the end. "It'll be fun. Try one."
Regina sighed but unfolded the top of the bag, rolling her eyes extra dramatically as she retrieved a piece of paper. She looked even more exasperated when she saw the print of lipstick behind the written words, and anyone else would have thought she hated the entire ordeal. But Emma could see the slight purse of supple lips that said Regina really was enjoying herself.
"A peck on the lips," she read the slip, and Emma immediately complied with a soft, quick kiss.
"See?" the girl said hopefully. "Not so bad, is it?"
"Only because I love you," Regina almost yielded, not willing to give into the game.
"Lucky for me," Emma quipped.
Dinner went perfectly. Regina was more than impressed by the food, conversation was flirtatious and easy, and Maria was considerate enough to time her demand for her own meal with the completion of theirs. Leaving the dishes for later – only because it was a special occasion, of course – they relocated to the living room where Emma had a movie waiting for them.
"Would you like me to dish up some dessert?" Regina asked once Emma was settled on the couch and nursing their daughter.
"Sure, if you want," Emma replied. "I think there's still some ice cream in the freezer."
"Oh," Regina said, awkwardly apologetic. "I just assumed you made something."
"I can cook pretty well," Emma chuckled, "but baking is definitely not my forte."
Regina wore an odd frown, looking quite flummoxed, and Emma started to shift nervously. She never actually celebrated Valentine's Day before. It was just a commercial holiday after all – never mind that she never had anyone to share it with. One faux pas wasn't going to ruin the evening, but suddenly Emma couldn't help feeling like she dropped the ball by skipping the final course.
"Sorry," she grimaced. "You never really eat dessert so I just assumed."
"No need to apologize," Regina assured, snapping out of her confused stare. "You're absolutely right. But if you didn't make a dessert, then what smells so good?"
Emma sniffed the air, and the scent was certainly enticing. Like sweet, warm apples and spicy cinnamon, but in a supremely fantastic way that made Emma want to inhale continuously just so she could keep basking it. She only wished she could bake something that smelled like that.
"I assumed you lit a candle or something," Emma shrugged.
Regina shook her head.
"Strange," the woman whispered to herself, eyes shifting skeptically around the room.
"Regina?" Emma asked curiously. "What is it?"
"Nothing, my dear," Regina replied, waving off whatever idea it was she wasn't voicing. "I'm sure it's nothing. Let's watch the movie."
They started the film but didn't get to watch very much of it since Maria was awake and happy after her meal, both women content to focus their attention on their daughter. And while next year they might seize the opportunity to pawn off both kids for a romantic evening alone, watching Regina cuddle and coo at their little girl only made this night that much more special to Emma.
Regina was reluctant to utilize the bag of kisses, save for one to her jawline she received post-meal because Emma insisted that "kissing the cook" wasn't a good enough reason to circumvent the game. Emma knew it was all a little whimsical for Regina's taste, but she also knew the woman's inner child enjoyed the chance to come out and play – with the right combination of coaxing and patience.
It wasn't until after Maria went back to sleep and Regina had a couple glasses of wine that, much as Emma predicted the woman might, Regina suddenly snatched the bag off the coffee table.
"On the cheek," Regina announced curtly, and Emma promptly kissed her there. Regina immediately drew another slip from the bag. "On the hand," she stated with a roll of her eyes, clearly hoping for more, but Emma just laughed and kissed the back of her fingers. "With tongue," Regina proclaimed victoriously this time, and Emma thought about torturing the woman with a tongue laden kiss to her clavicle. But Regina was finally playing along and so she gave her what she wanted, kissing those sweet, succulent lips and allowing her tongue to sneak between them.
"On the forehead," Regina said breathily after they parted and she drew another slip. Emma kissed her there. And on her neck, and with a bite, and in her hair, and on her nose, and in every which way imaginable until Regina was giggling – Regina, giggling – and they finally exhausted the deck.
"So," the woman said, smiling through her petulance, "now am I allowed to kiss you as I please?"
Emma nodded her approval with a dreamy grin and Regina seized the opportunity, placing a soft, unhurried kiss on the girl's lips as her fingers affectionately curled into golden waves in the way Emma loved.
"I hate to admit it," Regina said with a wistful sigh, "but you are one adorable idiot."
"Love you, too," Emma smirked, kissing the unwaveringly headstrong woman again.
"Thank you for tonight," Regina whispered sweetly as she dropped her vexed front at last. "It was absolutely perfect."
Maria was a good baby. She was quiet and mild tempered, and while of course she got fussy when she was hungry or tired or needing to be changed, she was easily soothed by either of her mothers.
She rarely cried – and certainly never like this.
At nearly four weeks old, Emma had yet to encounter a time when her daughter was absolutely inconsolable. Of course there were moments that tried her patience – caring for an infant was as challenging as it was rewarding – but there was always a solution and someone to lean on. Now, with Regina at work and Henry at school, Emma felt utterly helpless as her baby relentlessly continued to wail.
It wasn't her hungry cry, or her tired cry, or her "pick me up because I'm lonely" cry. Emma knew those cries, she knew her baby, and her heart was breaking with every second she was unable to provide the comfort Maria needed.
She was starting to worry that something was really wrong and, even as it made her feel a bit incompetent, Emma decided she needed to call for backup.
"Regina, Ducky's freaking out," she said frantically into the phone before the woman barely said "hello."
"What's wrong?" Regina asked urgently, certainly able to hear Maria screaming in the background.
"I don't know!" Emma practically shouted, her voice edged in barely withheld panic. "I've tried everything and she just won't stop crying! I need you here, please. I don't know what to do!"
"I'm on my way," Regina assured without a moment's hesitation.
The baby was crying so hard she was shaking, her tiny vocal cords vibrating with the force of her exertion. And, as if that weren't enough, all the lights suddenly began to flicker, thrusting the room in and out of a state of darkness unusual for this time of day, and making it that much harder for Emma to maintain any level of composure.
"And now something's wrong with the electricity," Emma groaned woefully. "Please hurry!"
She hung up the phone and scooped her child up off the bed, trying in vain to calm her with gentle shushing and swaying. It didn't help, but the lights settled down so at least that was one less thing to fret about.
Regina arrived in no time, and Emma thought she must have driven like a bat out of hell to get there so quickly. She didn't like the idea of Regina being reckless, but for the moment she was just grateful to have the woman present.
"Looks like there's a pretty bad storm coming in," Regina said curiously as she discarded her coat. "I don't recall any rain in the forecast."
"Can we focus?" Emma snapped, her nerves completely shot by the situation at hand.
"Of course," Regina nodded, reaching her arms out for their baby. Emma readily obliged, running frazzled fingers through her hair as the other woman inspected the child for any signs of what might be causing her distress. "She's stiff as a board," Regina noted, observing her tense little legs, then chuckling quietly. "Take a deep breath, Emma. It's probably just gas."
"Gas," Emma repeated, shaking her head at herself for not thinking of that sooner. "So... what do we do?"
"Here," Regina motioned for Emma to follow her to the bed. She laid Maria on her stomach, gently sliding her fingers under the child's belly and rubbing in soft circles. "We just have to help her work it out."
Emma sat down beside them, her ears still ringing with Maria's shrill cries, but Regina was calm and determined and that helped set Emma's mind at ease. It seemed to take forever, but at last an alarmingly loud rip resounded from the tiny girl. The crying stopped instantly, and Emma could swear the room visibly brightened as she flopped back on the bed in relief.
"How does such a huge sound come out of such a little person?" Emma asked, sincerely awestruck that Maria could have given a grown man with a beer gut a run for his money.
"Trust me," Regina laughed as she lifted the baby into her arms again, "she'll have plenty more where that came from."
"I'm sorry I called you away from work for that," Emma said, feeling guilty she hadn't been able to solve such a simple problem on her own. It's not like Regina worked some arbitrary job. She was the mayor, and Emma couldn't have the woman come running every time their baby's digestive track acted up. She needed to be able to handle these things.
"I think we may have a larger issue," Regina said ominously, pulling Emma out of her self admonishment as the woman strolled over to the bedroom window and pushed the curtain aside to reveal a beautiful, sunny day. "The sky was practically black when I got here."
"So?" Emma asked, not seeing how the passing bad weather could possibly be an issue for them.
"So it wasn't supposed to rain today," Regina explained carefully. "And that storm disappeared as suddenly as it began." She looked down at Maria, now as perfectly content and calm as the blue sky outside. "Emma, I think she caused it."
No, Emma immediately thought, her heart dropping into her gut. There was absolutely no way. They'd discussed this before, and they knew Maria would have magic. Magic powerful enough to make even Rumpelstiltskin wary. But Emma was just barely getting the hang of taking care of an infant. She wasn't ready to deal with a magical one.
"She's just a baby!" Emma insisted, feebly praying for Regina to take it back.
"Yes, but she's our baby," Regina was equally adamant. "We knew this might happen."
Emma deflated, remembering the flickering lights and the way they'd suddenly stopped when Maria was back in her arms. At least she hadn't been entirely useless in comforting her child.
"Great," Emma groaned. "Just when things were starting to feel normal around here."
"Maria is normal," Regina bit defensively.
"Jesus, Regina," Emma snapped back. "I didn't say there was anything wrong with her."
"I'm sorry," Regina sighed, taking a cleansing breath, and Emma did the same. They were both anxious, but it wasn't going to do any good taking it out on each other. "There are people in this town who don't take too kindly to magic, and unbridled power like hers is likely to frighten even those that do. I just don't want her to be ostracized for something that's a part of who she is."
"So, what are we going to tell people?" Emma asked nervously, now fretting over their daughter's safety and future as well.
"Nothing," Regina said firmly. "We have to mitigate this ourselves."
"And how are we going to do that?" Emma pressed, feeling hesitant about this course of action and all the ways it could so easily come crashing down on them and their daughter. "Squirrel her away in an ice castle?"
"Elsa built the castle for herself when she ran away," Regina retorted. "Did you even watch the movie?"
Emma glared at her for missing the point, and Regina relented.
"We're not going to squirrel her away anywhere," the woman assured. "But for now we need to keep this quiet. Understood?" Emma nodded her compliance and, though still tense, Regina breathed a sigh of relief at their united front. "No one can have any idea what she's capable of."