My entry for day 3 of the Swan Queen Week, prompt "Grandmothers". Usual disclaimer applies. Thanks for reading!


It's snowing hard when Henry tells them they're going to be grandmothers. Emma and Regina are so happy to have him and his wife Sophie home for lunch; they don't see them as often as they'd wish, even with them having just moved back to Storybrooke after living in Boston for nearly a decade. Sarah and Alice, Emma and Regina's twelve-year-old twins, are overexcited to have their brother all to themselves for the day, even if they see him pretty much every day at school, where Henry teaches high school English.

From the minute Henry and Sophie step into the house on that cold winter Sunday, Regina can feel something is different. She observes the young couple throughout lunch and can't quite pinpoint what it is, but she knows something's up with her son. She mentions it to Emma as they're in the kitchen to plate the dessert. Emma shrugs it off, saying it's probably nothing and Regina is being her usual overbearing self, but Regina doesn't believe her. They bring dessert – Regina's apple pie, Henry's favorite – to the table, walking in on Sarah telling a joke and the rest of the table bursting into laughter. Even Sophie, who is usually so quiet, laughs along. For some reason she can't quite figure out, Regina looks at Sophie a while longer than she usually does: she studies her friendly smile and is reminded of how sweet her son's wife has always been and how easily she'd fit into the family, despite her initial shyness. Regina is truly happy that Henry found someone so perfect for him, and even though she had initial reservations about any girl marrying her little boy, she now has to admit they make an extremely well-fitted pair.

Regina snaps out of her thoughts by Henry clearing his throat.

"So, now that we're all together, Sophie and I have something we'd like to tell you…"

Anxiety settles into Regina's stomach and she can't help but grab Emma's hand under the table. Then Sophie gives Henry a bright smile and her eyes well up a bit, and Regina starts to slowly imagine what can be going on.

"We're having a baby!" Henry exclaims joyfully. There's a short stunned silence, and then everyone jumps up from their seats. Sarah and Alice are squealing and high fiving before rushing to envelope Sophie into a hug and bombard her with questions, while Emma yells "Yes!" and fist pumps in the air, exactly as she does when her football team scores. She goes to hug her son and congratulate the couple, smiling so widely Regina is afraid her face might tear in two. Regina, however, can barely stand up from her chair. She's gone completely numb and can't articulate a single thought. She should have known this was coming; she should have seen the reason why the young couple decided to move back here to be "closer to family". Her little boy is going to be a dad. Regina's not too sure if she's overwhelmed with happiness or if she wants to cry.

But then, all of a sudden, she realizes Henry has taken a step towards her and is reaching out to take her hand. He looks worried, and seeing the apprehension in her baby's eyes melts her heart completely. She doesn't take the hand he's holding out and hugs him with all her strength instead.

"Congratulations, my little prince. I'm just so happy."


It's the warmest day of summer when Sophie goes into labor. Regina's cell phone rings just as she was about to put a load of laundry in the washer, and she drops everything the moment she hears Henry's voice on the phone. She can feel his apprehension, and she's already grabbed her purse and rounded up Emma and their daughters by the time she promises Henry she'll be at the hospital as soon as possible.

The drive to the hospital is longer than Regina remembers it. Even when she'd gone as she was the one in labor, it hadn't felt that far. She doesn't give Emma a chance to park the car before getting out and running to the nurses' desk. She needs to see her son; she needs to hold him and tell him everything is going to be alright and he'll make an amazing dad. She catches sight of him as she walks into the maternity ward. He's pacing back and forth, nervously twisting his fingers, and for a split second all she sees is her little boy, four or five years old at most, trying to figure out the best way to ask if "please Mommy, can we go to the fair right now? I know we said tomorrow, but please Mommy I really need to go now!".

She practically runs to him and engulfs him in a tight hug, kissing his hair and rubbing his back like when he was little and used to have nightmares. They barely talk, as if his mothers' mere presence was enough for him to feel safe, and he's back in the hospital room with his wife before Emma arrives.

It takes hours, but Henry's daughter is born before midnight that day.

When Henry stumbles out of the room, disheveled but looking happier than ever before. His eyes are still filled with tears – happy tears, he assures them immediately – and he leads them into the room without adding a word.

Sophie is lying there, looking exhausted but unspeakably happy, and she's holding the baby. Regina can feel her insides twist at the sight, and something in her is screaming that she needs to hold her granddaughter, to see her this very minute. Henry takes her by the hand and gets her closed to the bed, taking his daughter from Sophie to place her into Regina's arms.

In a second, Regina is in love. She's completely lost to the little girl in her arms, just as she's been wholeheartedly lost to Henry so many years ago. The little girl has the same chubby cheeks and the same nose, but she has her mother's coloring, slightly lighter than Henry's. Regina can't see beyond that as her eyes are filled with tears she tries her hardest to blink away.

"Her name's Evelyn. Evelyn Regina Mills." Henry sounds so proud to announce his daughter's name, and Regina can't fight the tears a second longer. She can't take her eyes off her precious granddaughter, even as she feels Emma step right behind her and ask her if she's okay.

"I'm just so happy."


It's early fall when little Evie stays for the first time for a whole week at her grandmothers'. She's just turned two years old, and she doesn't even cry when her parents leave. Regina and Emma are over the moon that they get to spoil their granddaughter for an entire week, with no interruptions whatsoever. They've taken time off from work and they've planned tons of things to do with her and the twins. They spend the week playing hide and seek and baking and going swimming and dancing in the living room and having tea parties and playing dress up and telling stories and laughing so much their stomachs hurt. The weather is amazing and they even teach her to pedal on her little tricycle. The little girl is curious, kind, smart and a real cuddle bug. She inherited Henry's eyes and his pouty mouth, which makes it impossible for Regina and Emma to deny her anything.

Evie's stay with them is a time for firsts: it's her first time sleeping away from home or staying without her parents for so long; it's also the first time she eats a bear claw – thanks to Emma – and the first time she tries to curtsey when playing princesses – thanks to Regina.

It's right before bedtime, on the Thursday, when Evie goes through yet another first. Emma's just finished telling her a story and Regina is tucking her in when Evie put her little hand on her arm.

"What is it, Evie? Is there something wrong?"

The toddler shakes her head. "Nuh-huh. Just… Love you, Nana 'Gina."

And with that, the little girl buries her head into her grandmother's neck. Regina is taken aback for a second until she meets Emma's amused smile over Evie's head.

"I love you too, Evie." She replies in a tear-filled voice. She mentally curses herself for becoming so emotional with time.

"Love you too, Nana Emma." Evie's voice is muffled by Regina's shoulder.

"Love you too, kid." Emma comes to kiss her granddaughter's hair.

Evie looks up and immediately notices the tears on Regina's face.

"Why you crying, Nana 'Gina? You sad?" She asks, pouting in concern.

"No, darling. I'm just so happy."


It's late spring when Regina and Emma are tasked to look after all their grandchildren while Henry and Sophie are invited to a wedding of a friend of theirs in Boston. Both grandmothers are of course delighted to have their grandkids over, even if it becomes slightly more complicated to look after everyone as they age and the number of grandkids increases. Henry has four kids now, but Sarah and Alice are both due with their first child for around Thanksgiving. Henry's kids are all beautiful, intelligent and kind, and their grandmothers adore each and every one of them.

The kids have spent most of the afternoon playing soccer in the garden, and they are now all roasting marshmallows in the garden. The kids are all laughing, the youngest covered in melted candy, as they beg their grandmothers to tell them stories about when their dad was little. Emma complies gracefully, always happy to embarrass Henry even indirectly, and Regina sometimes adds to her stories, trying to absorb as much of the ambient happiness as she possibly can. Evie winks at her over the fire, and Regina can feel a wave of warmth enveloping her. The moments spent with her grandchildren fill her with a feeling she could never really describe: it's joy and happiness, of course, but it's way more relaxed than when she was with her own children. She's always loved her children more than anything in her life, but her grandchildren have brought her a peace she never thought she could ever find: for the first time in her life, Regina feels like she truly belongs and she won't suddenly mess everything up. Her life is the closest to perfect that it could be.

When she and Emma go to tuck each of their grandchildren in, as they always do, Evie hugs her grandmother extra tight.

"Nana 'Gina?"

"Yes, darling?"

"I had a great day today. Thank you." Before Regina can answer, she continues. "Did you have fun too?" At only thirteen years old, she understands her grandmother perfectly and she is by far the most empathetic of their grandchildren.

"Of course I had fun. I always have fun with you all. But don't worry about it, okay? It's time to sleep now."

After kissing her granddaughter one last time, Regina walks out of the room with Emma.

"You okay, babe?" Emma asks. After all these years together, she still gets worried if Regina just as much as flinches.

"Of course I am, Emma. I'm just... so happy."