Twisted Fate
Chapter One- Surprise!
Regina rolled up the sleeves of her beige sweater not wanting any of the marinara sauce to spill on the sleeves. She had been stirring for a few moments lost in thought. She had been waiting on a promotion for years and was unsure if she were in a losing battle. When she turned the heat on the stove to the lowest for the sauce to simmer just a little bit, her landline phone rang. Only her family and work had that number. She had been on vacation for two weeks now so that left some member of the crazy Mills family to blow through. She picked up the cordless that was hung in the kitchen and place by her ear.
"Hello?"
"Gina! Hey." She heard her sister's voice. She was more confused than anything. She placed the wooden spoon in the sink and sat at a chair at the kitchen table.
"Zelena? What the hell?"
"Nice to hear your voice too."
"I haven't heard from you in year. Where have you been and why call now?"
"Okay relax. I was in London, doing a little this and a little that. Point is, I'm coming to visit."
"When?" Regina frowned, just then there was a knock on her door.
"Hold on." She muttered. It could have been her girls who were simply early.
Regina opened the door to find her sister damp from the rain. Red hair matted together and oh yeah, a huge baby bump.
"Miss me?" Zelena tried.
Regina sighed. Of all the messes she would clean up, this seemed to be bigger than her control.
"Can I get a hug before you judge me?"
Regina smiled and embraced her big sister. It had been too long.
"I did miss you." Regina released her. "Come on in. Let's get you changed out of that wet clothes."
Regina turned the fire off from under the marinara sauce then ushered Zelena to her bedroom.
When she was changed in one of Regina robes with her hair wrapped in a towel piled on top of her hair. Regina moved around her apartment as usual, like her missing in action sister wasn't in her living room about six months pregnant. She was bowling out pasta and topping them with parsley and parmesan cheese.
"Aren't you going to ask?" Zelena finally asked from the living room. "You know about the-"
"What the hell Zelena." Regina finally snapped. "What is going on. You're pregnant."
"I am."
"Who's the father?"
"I don't know." Zelena admitted.
Regina scoffed. "Of course not."
"Don't start Regina-" A brief knock on the door cut her off. Regina was thankful.
"It's open." Regina said reaching for her wine bottle. She took out an extra bottle for good measure.
"We're here." Mary Margaret called but froze when she saw Zelena sitting on the couch. Mary Margaret looked from Zelena to Regina who had poured herself a generous amount of wine.
"Zelena is back-and she's pregnant." Regina said, then gulped some wine.
"Ohh," Mary Margaret started. "Congratulations."
Zelena smiled but it was obvious that the room was filled to capacity with tension and awkwardness.
"I might have touched your neighbour's car." Emma said absent mindedly until she stepped into the house and noticed Zelena.
"Who's this?" Emma asked casually.
"That's Regina's sister." Mary Margaret said trying to jug Emma's memory of past conversations about said sister. "Zelena."
Emma's eyes grew as realization struck. "Ohhh, Zelena. Yes of course."
"I'm Emma, Regina's friend."
Regina nodded to herself. Mary Margaret and Emma looked at her carefully and she simply downed the rest of her wine.
The women were seated in the living room with bowls of pasta and wine- apple juice for Zelena.
"So," Mary Margaret started. "Do you know the sex? Girl? Boy?"
"I'm not sure. I haven't had time to get around to a doctor."
At the Regina took a large gulp of wine.
"So how long are you staying?" Emma asked.
"I dunno. Haven't quite thought about it yet."
Regina took another sip at that. Her passive aggressive drinking was not lost on the others.
"Well that's quite alright. What did you get up to this year Are you working now?"
"No, I uh, still haven't found my niche yet. But I did have a wonderful time. I'll tell you all about it."
Regina then topped off her glass until the bottle was empty.
"Okay could you stop." Zelena started.
"Me, I'm just drinking."
"That's so like you." Zelena said.
"And it's so like you to show up at my door step a mess and now pregnant. We both know damn well I'm the who's going to have to take of this baby."
"No- you're not."
"Zelena you can't take of yourself, muchless another helpless human being."
"Don't start with me you sanctimonious-"
"Okay," Mary Margaret stood up. "You two seem to have a lot to talk about. We're going to go." Emma was quickly behind her heading for the door.
When they left Regina began picking up the dirty bowls and heading to the kitchen to wash up.
"I'm tired of this." Regina said. "You can't show up here, pregnant and nothing to show for it. You don't know how this disrupts my life."
"Well sorry for being such a screw up-I'm scared Gina." Zelena sobbed. "I need my sister."
Regina sighed. This was her life. Picking up after Zelena. While she had plans tonight she knew she would spend the night consoling Zelena.