Title: I Said Maybe, Baby, Please [2/5]
Author: jowritesfiction
Rating: PG (for a little bit of swearing)
Fandom: Once Upon a Time
Characters: Regina Mills, Emma Swan, Mary Margaret (eventual Swan Queen)
Summary: Regina Mills is acting out of character, so her son seeks out help from a very hesitant and slightly awkward Emma Swan.
Notes: This is an old piece of fic that I have revamped and (finally!) finished. It takes place way back in season 1, just after 1x07, and goes completely AU from there.
It had been nearly two weeks since she had said the words out loud.
Two weeks since she told Emma Swan that she was pregnant, and a lot in her world had changed since then. Not only was she now congratulated everywhere she went (even the damn grocery store) because apparently Emma couldn't keep her mouth closed, but even Henry had looked at her differently. Although she had first been hesitant to tell her son, as she knew that there was a possibility of a miscarriage, and didn't particularly want to explain her relationship with Graham, she knew that he deserved some kind of honesty from her.
It had been at Emma's insistence, and so Regina sat Henry down on an evening that Emma was making them both dinner and explained the situation. At first Henry had been unsure when he asked who the father was, but after a very G-rated version of her romance with Graham, Henry had beamed. It was when he wrapped his arms around her middle, looking up at her with more love than she was used to that she almost broke down right there and cried.
Emma had seen the tears threating to fall and quickly ushered him up to his room, claiming that he needed to go wash up before eating. Regina only offered a shy smile of appreciation before she slowly gathered her bearings and pushed her tears back as she began to riffle through the fridge for something to drink. One of the downsides of her pregnancy meant she couldn't have her Friday evening glass of wine – a luxury that she suddenly found that she had merely taken for granted before.
"What are you doing?" Regina huffed at Emma who was staring at her, before pouring herself a glass of water and pretending that it was a glass of wine.
"You need to go and see a doctor." Emma reminded her for the umpteenth time that week.
"Just because I'm too tired to fight you about Henry, doesn't mean you get to boss me around, Miss Swan." She replied with little sigh, before she settled onto the island stool with her water glass.
"I know, but I also know that this is your first time being pregnant, right?" Emma asked, pouring herself a glass of water from the pitcher.
"Yes, Miss Swan."
"Well then as someone who already birthed a child, I can tell you that I know what I'm talking about." Emma added triumphantly, as she watched Regina's response shift suddenly from defiance to acceptance.
Regina rolled her eyes then, before she started picking at the chicken sandwich that Emma had made her them both for supper. She carefully lifted one half of the sandwich, before taking a small whiff of it. Grimacing, she placed it back on the plate, before settling for another sip of her water and a bite from the pickle next to her sandwich.
"You gave birth to a baby behind bars." She pointed out after a pause.
"Yes, but I also delivered a healthy baby that you raised." Emma added with a sly grin before she took a bite of her own sandwich, while she wondered what was taking Henry so long.
"You may have a point there." Regina admitted, ignoring the smug smile from the blonde woman beside her.
"I do have a point there and so we need to get you to a doctor for a check-up and an ultrasound." She added, placing her pickle onto Regina's plate.
"Alright." Regina said finally, taking the last bite of her pickle, before she grabbed Emma's donated one.
"Alright, but not until you take a bite of your sandwich."
Regina practically snorted at her then, giving her a strong look of distaste as she glanced back down at the offending sandwich.
"Just one bite, Madam Mayor."
"Fine. One bite. If I start puking then you're going to have to hold my hair back." She snapped, with a hint of a smile on the corners of her mouth.
"Deal." Emma agreed before Henry came barreling into the room, and sat himself in the seat between them as he happily began to tell them about his day.
There was a heartbeat. It was only a tiny flutter, barely heard on the ultrasound, but with Henry's hand tucked into hers, she couldn't help but realize that this was really happening. She could no longer deny the symptoms or the multitude of positive pregnancy tests that had littered her bathroom for an afternoon weeks before. This wasn't a part of her plan, but it was happening.
And at least with Emma helping it was slightly easier to bare.
"Miss Swan." Regina drawled, holding her phone tightly to her ear, as she tapped her nails against the top of her desk.
"Yes. What can I do for you, Madam Mayor?" Emma responded on her phone.
Regina paused, pursing her lips as she wondered what really compelled her to contact Emma of all people. It wasn't as though the two women were close, but it was just the other day that Emma insisted on going to the doctor appointment with Dr. Whale. And it was Emma who sat beside her with her hand resting on Regina's shoulder while the baby's heartbeat echoed in the small room. Emma was in that room and somehow she had become Regina's unlikely support.
"Nevermind." Regina snapped, ready to put down the phone until Emma called out.
"No! Wait. You called me." She exclaimed, sounding confused through the receiver. "I'm just going on my lunch break. What can I do for you?"
She paused, debating if she really wanted to ask for the favor.
"I'm stuck at the office and was wondering if you could pick me up a grilled cheese from Granny's." She muttered all in one, flicking through countless emails.
"Don't you have an assistant for that?" Emma asked with a mild grimace, knowing that she wasn't being the most helpful.
"I do, but I also want an ice cream sandwich and two pickles and I don't need to tell Kim that apparently I'm having pregnancy cravings because it's none of her business and I just thought maybe you would be heading there any way and my office is on your way back to the station and…"
Regina stopped suddenly. She was officially rambling. Well… that was happening.
"Regina. It's fine." Emma said finally, pushing open the door to Granny's. "I also grabbed a jar of peanut butter from the market earlier this morning. You mentioned the other night that you didn't have any in the house."
"Oh." She mumbled, astonished by Emma's actions. "I… Thank you. I keep forgetting to pick up a jar." Regina finally muttered, before exchanging goodbyes. "And I want some kind of battered chicken. Chicken wings… or chicken fingers?" She added, as an afterthought, the craving taking over the majority of her thoughts. "And a diet coke."
"I'll be there in ten."
"Emma, is that you?" Mary Margaret called out from the kitchen, with her knife clutched tightly in her hand.
"Yes. Sorry Mary Margaret. I didn't mean to scare you." Emma explained as she walked into the main area of their shared apartment.
"It's alright… I think it's just because I haven't seen you a lot lately." She said in an overprotective kind of way, with a small smile on her lips.
Emma groaned then, knowing that she deserved the little dig.
After spending almost every morning over at the Mills house, it would have been hard to explain to anyone, but especially someone so close to her. Therefore she had just snuck around the apartment, leaving early in the morning so she had enough time to make Henry and Regina breakfast (as Regina was far too tired and the morning sickness was so strong she didn't have the nerve to even cook anything) and then arriving long after Mary Margaret had gone to sleep (partially because Mary Margaret had the same sleeping patterns as an 80 year old woman, and because Emma enjoyed tucking Henry into bed as well as making sure that Regina didn't have any other chores before she too went to sleep).
"Yeah. I've been spending time with Henry and helping Regina out." Emma offered, her free hand playing with the hair on the back of her head as she gave a non-committal shrug of her shoulders.
"I think you need to be careful." Mary Margaret said softly, going back to cutting the vegetables for her dinner.
"Mary Mar-"
"No, Emma. I mean it. Regina has done nothing but make your life difficult and you've been there every single morning at the crack of dawn and you don't come home until long after I've gone to sleep most nights." Mary Margaret began, quickly cutting the vegetables as she stressed her words.
"I know what I'm doing…" Emma began, her hands flat on the small island of their kitchen.
"She's using you." She hissed, her voice low as she finally looked up at her friend.
"No, that's enough, Mary Margaret. You of all people… you are one of the sweetest people I've ever met and I can't believe you would judge her so harshly." Emma said, fed up with everyone giving her a hard time. She could understand it from Ruby (who liked to be in everyone's business) or Granny (who just wanted the new girl in town to be careful), but it was another thing completely coming from her closest friend.
"You know, I think maybe you're right. I'm just… I'm upset about David." The dark haired woman admitted then, her face falling into a look of embarrassment.
"Are you two still seeing each other?" Emma asked, before she took a piece of carrot and popped it into her mouth.
"Maybe. Kind of." She said with a squint of her eyes, before she shook her head and sighed. "Here you are being a sweet friend to Regina and I'm having an affair with a married man and telling you what you're doing is wrong…"
"Hey… hey, it's okay." Emma began, her hands in the air as a means of surrender.
"No, no it's not." She sighed back, grabbing a piece of carrot and shoving it into her mouth.
"Then just be honest with him. You can be honest with me, so just try it with him." Emma offered, a cocky grin on her face to be giving the woman any kind of relationship advice.
"Then you be honest with her." Mary Margaret said with an equally smug grin before she turned her back to Emma and grabbed a pot from the bottom cupboard.
The market was mostly empty, as Henry jumped from one sugary item to the next, wanting to put one of each in the cart. Regina wasn't sure if it was pregnancy-brain clouding her mind or Emma's presence beside her, but either way she was having a hard time saying no. Which lead to a very full cart of the sorts of things that often didn't make it in there.
"Thanks mom!" He exclaimed, his smile bright as he ran up ahead to grab his favourite kind of yogurt.
"You're being pretty lenient today." Emma noted, a hint of a smile, as she trailed along beside Regina.
"It's been a good day." She admitted, examining two bunches of romaine lettuce to find the best one.
"How was it – your day?"
"Good." She said, settling on the bunch on the left. "First day without morning sickness that I can remember and it was mostly simple fixes at work. Even Henry had a good day – he aced a math test we'd been working on for weeks. I think he deserves a little treat. Or well… I think we're up to seven now." Regina said with a genuine laugh, wondering if she ever thought this would be her life.
Emma beamed back at her, that kind of crinkly smile that Regina couldn't help but mirror back, until Emma turned to a bag of baby carrots and plopped them into the cart. Ever since the blonde found ramen noodles and a couple packages of frozen meals in Regina's cupboard and freezer, she had been insistent that she come along for grocery day. Something about needing healthier food for the baby. And getting proper snack foods.
"Pregnancy really agrees with you." Emma said suddenly, as her hand brushed against Regina's when she passed her a carton of eggs.
"What?" Regina questioned, her brows skewed in confusion.
"I just mean… I can see what they mean when they say pregnant women have a glow. You just have a glow about you." Emma stumbled over her words, back-tracking as she tried to figure out how to explain what she meant.
"Can I get two flavours?" Henry interrupted, and Emma sighed in relief.
"Sure. Also go get your mom some string cheese. And cottage cheese." Emma interrupted, taking the yogurt from Henry to put in the cart. She then turned to Regina, "I think you should pick out a couple boxes of crackers you would like and then we're all done here."
"Okay." Regina said softly, her fingers tight on the handle of the cart, as she followed Emma's lead.
"Why are you even here?" Regina asked after she settled onto the couch after she tucked Henry into bed.
"Regina…" Emma began, using her first name before she even had time to correct herself.
"No, I mean it. You've been so nice during all of this and I just don't understand." She huffed, not quite able to meet her gaze, and instead turning her attention to the black and white movie playing on her television set. "I don't make it easy." She admitted quietly, blaming the hormones for the way her voice came off breathier than she meant.
"I just… it's what Graham would have wanted."
"Graham." She breathed, the name stuck somewhere on her lips.
"I just feel like he would want someone here for you and I can be that person for him and for you." Emma admitted with a sheepish grin on her face.
Regina glanced at her, taking in the flush of her cheeks before she offered her a smile back. It was then that Emma reached into her bag beside her, pulling out a small tattered shoebox and a digital camera. She took the lens off the camera, before standing up and reaching her hand out for Regina to take.
Regina inhaled deeply, a look of confusion on her face as she glanced at the other woman's hand. Sucking her bottom lip between her teeth, she reached her hands out and let Emma help her to her feet slowly. Regina placed one hand on her hip as she cocked an eyebrow, waiting to see what was up the Sheriff's sleeve.
"Here… take off your shirt." Emma said suddenly, with the camera still in her hand.
"Are you hitting on me and this is your version of dirty talk?" Regina asked with her eyes wide as Emma stared expectantly at her.
"No, Regina… here we can take a picture." Emma said with a wave of her hand and a nervous kind of chuckle.
"Yes, that's still not convincing me." She shot back with a half-smile and a roll of her eyes.
"You'll want a picture… for your baby book." Emma tried to explain.
"Am I starting to show?" Regina asked then, her hands immediately on her flat stomach.
"No." Emma responded immediately, practically cutting her off before she continued. "You just… trust me you'll want this picture."
Regina gave her another concerned look, before she grabbed at the bottom hem of her shirt and pulled it over her head. She watched with bated breath as Emma inhaled sharply, the green eyes lingering on her newly exposed skin. With a smug grin, Regina took a moment before she cleared her throat and felt Emma's eyes return back to her face.
"What's this about a baby book?" Regina asked.
"Oh… It's j-just something one of the guards helped me with. She had one when she had her first born… and it was just something good, you know? Something to remember about being pregnant and something to remember when he was… gone. Sorry." Emma said suddenly, her focus back on the camera as she pointed it towards Regina and clicked it a few times to give her options on the picture.
"Don't be." Regina said when the final click was taken from the camera.
Emma slid the camera back into the bag, before she ran her fingers over the tattered shoe box. She turned her attention back to Regina who had slipped her shirt back over her head and was once again settled back onto the end of the couch. Emma sat on the couch, with the box on her lap as she slowly took off the lid.
"Here… I actually have the book if you want to see." Emma offered, her voice closer to a whisper.
"You do?" Regina questioned, her dark eyes wide in curiosity.
Emma pulled the book out of the box, running her fingers over the cool, hard cover before she handed it to the other woman. She watched as Regina opened the first page, her fingers tracing the outlines of Emma's scrawl and old images before she was beginning to show. As she flipped through the pages, Regina stopped suddenly, her eyes tearing up when she saw Emma standing in front of a window with her belly large and a smile on her face.
"Regina… I'm sorry… I didn't mean to-" Emma began as soon as she saw the tears falling down her face.
"It's n-not me crying… It's this g-god d-d-damn fu-fucking ba-baby…" Regina spat back, her sobs choking out her words as she fought the urge to yell. "G-god d-d-damn fucking hormones…"
"Oh! Of course… here…" Emma said with a chuckle, as she wrapped her arms around the other woman, gently rubbing her back until her tears subsided.
"Thank you… for this book, for this picture, for everything." Regina said softly when Emma began to pull away from their awkward embrace.
"Can I take it that's the baby talking again?" Emma asked with a teasing lop-sided grin that Henry had practically mastered.
"It might be."
"Well I'll take it either way."
