Hey there ladies and gents and everyone else. This story is for frenchgirl1981. She got to pick a prompt for being my 100th review on Don't Let The Days Go By and this is the result. I hope y'all enjoy it.
Disclaimer: I don't own OUaT. I don't own the song either. (It's Hey Pretty Girl by Kip Moore.)
Life's a long and winding ride
Better have the right one by your side
Happiness don't drag its feet
And time moves faster than you think
Hey pretty girl, you did so good
Our baby's got your eyes
And a fighters heart like I knew she would
Hey pretty girl, you did so good
The whole thing was pretty ironic when Emma Swan really thought about it. After all, the first time they'd had sex, it was in this very supply closet. They'd been arguing about something, neither of them could even remember now, when Emma had gotten so frustrated she just kissed Regina. Regina had pushed her into the supply closet and very thoroughly satisfied the blonde.
So really, it all sort of made sense that they were back in that supply closet, a few years later. Of course it was less romantic or sexy at all given that Emma was just hitting the ninth month of her pregnancy and her mother was with them. Emma smirked as Regina pounded on the door again.
"Babe, there's no one out there. David isn't due for another four hours," Emma said.
"I am not spending the next four hours trapped in here with the pair of you," Regina replied.
"Regina, everything will be okay," Mary Margaret said.
"This is all your fault anyway! If you hadn't kicked that damn brick we would be stuck in here anyway," Regina cried.
"Yeah, well if you hadn't been fornicating with my daughter in a supply closet then I wouldn't have even come back here," Mary Margaret shot back.
"Well if you hadn't interrupted our fornicating it wouldn't have been a problem," Regina argued.
"Well if you hadn't been making noises that sounded like someone dying I wouldn't have interrupted."
"Well if you…" Regina began but was quickly cut off.
"Will you two quit it! And find me something to sit on please," Emma shouted.
Regina and Mary Margaret quickly began shifting things around in the storage area until they found a broken office chair. Regina quickly found a small box to wedge underneath it so it would be stable for her very pregnant wife. Regina helped Emma settle into the chair before taking up residence on a box of copier paper. Mary Margaret settled onto some tubs of spare uniforms and other stuff.
"Do either of you have your phone?" Mary Margaret asked.
"Yeah, mom, we have our phones. That's why we're still sitting in here instead of calling someone," Emma said sarcastically.
"Sorry, I just wanted to make sure," Mary Margaret said.
"Where's your phone?" Emma asked, arms resting on her belly.
"I forgot it at home," Mary Margaret said sheepishly.
"But you had it this morning when I called you," Emma remembered.
"I…uh…had lunch with David at home and left it," Mary Margaret's face slowly turned red.
"Lunch? What was on the menu?" Regina smirked.
"Eww! I do not need to hear about my parents' sex life," Emma cried.
"Well I didn't want to witness my daughter's sex life first hand! I can't believe you're still doing it on every available surface anyway. When I was that pregnant all I wanted were naps and foot massages," Mary Margaret exclaimed.
"That's why we were doing it!" Emma shouted.
At the confused look on Mary Margaret's face, Regina elaborated, "We read that sex can help induce labor. She also ate almost a whole jar of salsa yesterday."
"Yeah. I'm ready to freaking pop right now," Emma said, pointing at her rounded belly.
"And I'm tired of demanding attitude and hormones," Regina added.
"Is that any way to talk about your pregnant wife?" Emma cried, "Besides, you knocked me up anyway."
"Have you decided on a name yet?" Mary Margaret interrupted, trying to stop the brewing fight.
"Yeah, we decided on Finnegan David Swan-Mills for a boy and Aeryn Eva Swan-Mills for a girl," Emma replied.
Her excitement at being a grandma was annoying sometimes but most of the time Regina and Emma just let it go because truth be told, they were just as excited as she was. They already had Henry, but he was growing up so fast. He'd even gotten his permit and was driving anywhere Regina would let him.
Henry was very excited at the prospect of a little brother or sister. Emma and Mary Margaret were excited at the prospect of seeing a raising the baby as it grew, not just getting a half or full-grown kid. Regina was just excited to have a family that loved and appreciated her. Even though Emma had been cranky and somewhat difficult throughout her pregnancy, Regina was more than happy to care for the blonde.
Regina looked at her watch as Emma shifted uncomfortably in her chair. They had been stuck for about half an hour. Regina was hoping that the sickening love between Mary Margaret and David would get them out sooner, what with their "I'll always find you" trope, but it didn't seem to be working at the moment.
"How's Henry doing with all the new baby stuff?" Mary Margaret asked.
"He's really excited. He keeps planning all sorts of operations and stuff he's going to do with the baby," Emma replied happily.
"Yes, I'm constantly reminding him about infant appropriate activities," Regina laughed.
"He even made a baby blanket in his home ec class," Emma smiled.
"That's so sweet!" Mary Margaret cooed.
"He's a great kid," Emma smiled at Regina before grimacing in pain.
"Are you okay?" Regina asked, rushing to her wife's side.
"Yeah, yeah, just Braxton-hicks, I think," Emma replied as pain crossed her face again.
"Uh, I don't think so sweetie," Mary Margaret said, gesturing to a small puddle on the floor.
"Oh, crap," said Emma.
"Indeed," Regina agreed.
"Oh my god, what are we going to do?" Mary Margaret cried.
"First, you're going to stop shouting immediately," Regina said.
Emma watched as her wife transformed into Mayor Mills, effective, levelheaded, and business-like. Regina had relaxed a lot in the years since they started dating but Emma knew Mayor Mills was still under there, just waiting until she was needed. However, the Evil Queen was all but gone.
"Next, we're going to figure out how far apart Emma's contractions are so we know what sort of time frame we're looking at here," Regina explained.
Mary Margaret waited anxiously as Regina timed the length between and duration of Emma's contractions. She was obviously agitating Regina with her pacing in the small area but Regina kept it to herself for the moment.
"You're about fifteen minutes apart, so we still have some time," Regina explained, "Hopefully someone will notice one of us is missing and coming looking soon."
Mary Margaret looked at her watch, "David will be here in less than three hours."
"I don't know exactly how long we have, I'm not actually a doctor," Regina replied.
"Ugh, why did we have to get rid of the magic, you could have just poofed us out of here an hour ago," Emma whined.
"We probably wouldn't be here if we hadn't gotten rid of the magic," Regina replied.
"You know, you guys never told me how you ended up together anyway," Mary Margaret said.
"Is this really the best time, mom?" Emma said.
"It might help distract you from the pain," Regina offered.
"Alright then, it was right after we figured out how to get rid of the magic that Gold brought. I went to see Regina and tell her what we were going to do, even though you and dad told me not to…"
Emma slammed the door of her car shut and strode up the path to the mansion on Mifflin street. When she reached the door she raised her hand to knock but the door was abruptly pulled open. Emma was met with the sight of an angry looking former mayor.
"What are you doing here, Miss Swan?"
"I need to talk to you," Emma explained.
"I do have a phone, Miss Swan, I don't see why I must be forced to suffer your physical presence," Regina scowled.
"Yes, I'm aware you have a phone. I'd rather do this in person," Emma said, "Can I come in?"
"I suppose that would be fine, do try not to break anything."
Regina stepped back, allowing Emma to step into the foyer. Regina turned and headed back to her study. Emma took that as a sign to follow. She watched Regina pick up the book she'd clearly been reading before Emma's arrival and mark the page.
"Would you care for a drink?" Regina asked.
"Yeah, alcohol would probably make this easier," Emma mumbled.
Regina smirked at the uncomfortable blonde standing in her study. Regina made quick work of preparing two glasses of her famous cider. She handed Emma her glass and sat down in her chair. Emma quickly followed and found a seat on the couch.
"Well, Miss Swan, care to explain why you're in my home?"
"Uh, we, uh, found a way to get rid of magic in Storybrook," Emma said quietly.
"Good."
Emma's jaw dropped as Regina uttered that simple word then stood and walked out of her study. Emma took a few moments to recover before jumping off the couch and following the brunette. Emma heard sounds coming from the kitchen so she quickly made her way there.
"Regina, what are you doing?" Emma asked as the brunette dug through her refrigerator.
"I'm making a sandwich, Miss Swan, what does it look like I'm doing?"
"Seriously? I tell you we're getting rid of magic and you're going to make a sandwich?" Emma asked.
"If you recall, Miss Swan, I cursed this insufferable town to a land without magic. And I was not the one who brought magic to this land in the first place."
"So, what? You don't care that we're getting rid of magic," Emma asked.
"Not in the least. In fact, I welcome it."
"Really?"
"Yes, Miss Swan, difficult though it may be for you to believe, I hate magic. I hate the things it does to good people," Regina noticed Emma scoff slightly, "And difficult though this may be for you to believe, I was good once."
"See, Regina, I don't know any of this stuff, because no one will talk to me. I only get the watered down Snow White and Charming version of every story," Emma said, suddenly angry, "That's why I stick my foot in my mouth every other word, I'm always running with half the information."
"Well Miss Swan, let me tell you a story. I'm sure you've heard that the reason I hate Snow White is because she betrayed my confidence. She told my mother about the man I loved and as a result of that, my mother killed him, before my very eyes. What you may not know is that before that, I loathed magic. I saw what it had done to my mother, what kind of horrible person it had made her. I swore I would never become like her. But after I lost Daniel and was forced to marry the king, I was left with few options. I asked for Rumplestiltskin's help because it was the only way out of the hell I was living in. And in my grief, quest for revenge and attempts at control over my own life, I became the very thing I hated."
"You're not your mother, you know," Emma said softly.
"Excuse me?"
"You're not your mother. You can't be. You love Henry so much and you'd never manipulate and use him the way that she did to you. You just want him to be happy, however that happens. You could have taken him from us a million times, but you haven't because you know he'd be miserable. And you've helped us. You helped me and Mary Margaret when it would have been easier just to let us die. Your mother never would have done that," Emma said.
"I…thank you."
"No problem, I should probably get going though, Mary Margaret doesn't know I'm here. She actually forbid me to come tell you," Emma smiled.
"Why did you tell me?" Regina asked.
"Despite what you think Regina, I care about you. I think you're capable of being good. I've seen how wonderful Henry is and I know you had a lot to do with that. An evil person couldn't have raised such a wonderful kid."
"Look…Emma, I know we haven't always seen eye to eye and I was awful to you when you first arrived here, but I was scared you were going to ruin everything I had so carefully built, and then you did, but you also protected me. You stood up for me when no one else would have," Regina said, unshed tears in her eyes.
"You deserved another chance. And it looks like I was right. Because since all of that happened, you've been good. You've helped us. You haven't hurt or cursed anyone. You haven't tried to kill my mother. You're good, Regina. There's good inside you. You just needed someone to show you the way back."
Emma moved forward to take Regina's hand but for some reason, she put her hand on the brunette's hip instead. Brown eyes locked onto green ones. Emma's other hand found purchase on Regina's shirt, pulling her closer. Regina's eyes fluttered shut at the feeling of Emma's body, pressed into her own. Emma's mouth pulled into a small smile before she leaned forward and pressed her lips against Regina's.
It was a fairly chaste kiss, but it held the promise of so many more. Emma pulled back, hands still resting on Regina's hips. She smiled at the brunette before her.
"So, uh," Emma mumbled.
"Yes, Miss Swan?"
"Do you want to, uh, go on a date sometime?" Emma asked.
"I would like that very much. But not until after the magic is gone," Regina said.
"What? Why?"
"Because that way there will be no doubt that you're with me simply because you want to be," Regina explained.
Emma smiled and pulled her in for another kiss.
"Awww, that's so cute," Mary Margaret said.
"Really? I thought you'd be pissed that I told her we were getting rid of magic," Emma said.
"Well, I can't really be that mad about it now, because nothing bad happened, and now I'm getting another wonderful grandchild because of it, but yeah, I suppose if Regina had tried to stop us, I would have been livid," Mary Margaret said.
"I cannot fathom what livid would look like on you," Regina smirked.
Emma began to laugh but it was cut short as another contraction tore through her body. She squeezed Regina's hand tightly and uttered a few choice words. Regina looked at her watch again as Emma's hand loosened its grip.
"Your contractions are getting closer dear, I'm afraid we don't have much more time," Regina said.
"How close?" Emma asked.
"Just under seven minutes," Regina said, frowning.
"Well, I guess we'll just have to prepare and then hope someone finds us," Mary Margaret said.
"What do we need?" Emma asked, "I can tell you where to look."
"Blankets, water, some smaller cloths, a knife or scissors," Regina rattled off.
"Well, I don't know if there's any water, but I know there are some emergency blankets on the third shelf, right by the door, and there's some scissors in that box right next to you, mom. You can just cut up one of the blankets," Emma said.
Mary Margaret quickly set to work finding the blankets and scissors. She handed the blankets to Regina except for one, which she began cutting apart. Regina quickly spread one blanket on the floor then rolled a few up to serve as cushions. She helped Emma sit on the floor and lean against the blankets. Once Emma was comfortable Regina quickly began a search for any water that might be hiding in the small supply closet.
Emma contractions began to get closer and closer and Regina feared that she and Mary Margaret would have to deliver this baby. At least both women had given birth before. Regina was the only one who had no first hand experience. She was trying to keep her calm and collected 'Mayor face' on but it was becoming more and more difficult.
Regina advised Emma to try and rest as much as she could. Emma dozed off after a few minutes of arguing. Regina quickly made her way over to Mary Margaret.
"I don't know if I can do this," Regina said.
"What? Be a mom? You're already a mom, you've raised Henry for 14 years," Mary Margaret said, confusion on her face.
"No, not that. Help Emma have this baby. I've read book after book, but somehow I feel as though I'm still not prepared. At least you and Emma have given birth before, you know what to expect," Regina explained.
Mary Margaret smiled, "Don't worry Regina, we'll get her through this together and you two will have a beautiful healthy baby."
Fifteen minutes later and Regina was certain that she and Mary Margaret would be delivering Emma's baby. Her contractions were only a few minutes apart. Regina had helped Emma remove her maternity pants and underwear and covered her with a blanket while Mary Margaret moved boxes around so they'd have more room to maneuver.
"Emma dear, this isn't going to be easy, but I know you can do it, okay?" Regina said, kissing her wife's forehead.
"Next time, you're having the baby," Emma said.
"Next time? How big are you planning to make our family?" Regina smiled.
Emma's reply was cut off by another contraction, this one causing her to scream, curse Regina and her entire family, the world, anything she could think of. And then the door burst open.
"Mom!" Henry cried.
"Oh thank god," Mary Margaret screamed.
"Henry! Are you alone?" Regina asked.
"No, grandpa's with me," Henry said.
"Good, I need you to go call the hospital and tell them we're bringing Emma in and she's in very advanced labor," Regina explained quickly.
Henry ran off just as David appeared.
"David, I need you to help me carry Emma out to the car, we've got to get her to the hospital now," Regina said.
"Shouldn't we just call an ambulance," Mary Margaret suggested.
"It'll take too long, we'll be there in half the time if we just drive," Regina said.
She and David helped Emma stand while Mary Margaret secured the blanket around her waist. Henry rushed past to open doors and help.
"Dr. Whale said they'll have everything ready, just pull up to the ambulance bay," Henry explained.
Regina climbed into the back of her car with Mary Margaret and Emma while David hopped in the driver's seat and Henry in the passenger seat. It was the longest drive of any of their lives, despite it being only a few short minutes. When they arrived there was a flurry of activity. Emma was quickly placed on a stretcher and wheeled through the automatic doors. Regina hurried behind her while the rest of the Charming family stopped in the waiting room.
They took Emma into a room while Regina had to stop outside for sterile gear. She was sure she'd never dressed faster in her life. As she entered the room Whale announced that Emma was fully dilated and ready push. Regina quickly found Emma's hand and gave her a reassuring smile.
"Alright Emma, it's time to push," Dr. Whale announced.
"You can do this Emma," Regina said, pushing a damp hair away from Emma's face, "I love you so much."
And Emma did it. At precisely 7:00 pm Aeryn Eva Swan-Mills was born. She had Emma's green eyes and Regina's dark hair. She was the most beautiful little girl anyone had seen. Mary Margaret cried when she held her. David couldn't stop smiling. Even Henry's eyes began to well up when she grabbed his finger and held on for dear life.
Emma was sure they'd be telling the story of Aeryn's birth for years to come. But then again, nobody in the Charming-Swan-Mills clan ever did anything in a small, discreet way. It simply wasn't in their nature and Aeryn was no exception.