"Have the doctors said anything?"

"She lost a lot of blood, but she's stable. It's just a waiting game until she wakes up."

"But she will wake up, right?" There was a long pause. "She has to. I mean, she can't die. She can't! Mom—do something! Use your magic to save her."

"Henry, I've tried, but there's not much I can do. We're just going to have to keep hope. One thing I knew about your mother is that she's a fighter. And I can promise that for you and your brother, she will fight harder than she ever has before. It's going to be alright."

"But, Mom—"

"Listen to your mom, kid." The voice was gruff and barely above a whisper, but it captured the entire room's attention. Emma pried her tired eyes open, wincing at the bright fluorescent lights above her. Whose idea was it to put fluorescent lights in a hospital room? The room was entirely white, of course. Somebody must've thought it appeared sterile, but to Emma, the combination did little more than give her one hell of a migraine. As if she didn't feel shitty enough as it was.

"Ma!" Her son's voice cracked, not just because of his hormones this time, as he raced to Emma's bedside. Throwing his arms around her, he buried his face in her shoulder, and she could feel him shaking slightly.

"Be careful, Henry," Emma's mother said from behind him, though she was smiling. "Your mother's still recuperating, and I'm sure she's sore." Snow stepped to Emma's side, David with her as they beamed down at their daughter. "It's good to see you awake, Emma."

"You gave us quite the scare, young lady," David jokingly teased as Snow combed her daughter's long hair back out of her face gently.

"Good to be awake," the blonde answered and looked down at Henry as he laid against her. His eyes were puffy, and his cheeks red. "Hey, what's with the waterworks?"

"I was so scared you weren't going to wake up," he sniffled. "I tried to talk to you and wake you, but it didn't work. You just laid there, and I… I can't lose you, Ma. I haven't even had you in my life that long."

"Hey, it's alright," she smiled at him. "Henry, I'm not going anywhere anytime soon, okay? I'm here. I'm alive and breathing. You don't need to worry about losing me." She kissed his forehead lovingly.

"E-Emma." The single word was breathed out in almost disbelief, and Emma looked up at the foot the hospital bed. Her wife stood there, glistening eyes wide as plates as she stared at the blonde with something mixed between shock and relief. Emma offered her a smile, then her eyes dropped to the bundle of blankets in Regina's arms. Her face fell, and her eyes widened as something jerked in her chest.

"That's… That's…"

"My baby brother," Henry beamed, standing with his grandparents. David placed a hand on his shoulder with a wide grin.

"Emma." Regina said it again, and half-ran to her wife's bedside. Reaching down, she cupped Emma's face with her free hand before kissing her tenderly as the tears fell freely from her eyes. "I was so afraid I might not see you again." She rested her forehead against the blonde's and took a deep breath, staring into those beautiful green eyes. Green eyes she had been terrified that she may never look into again.

"Hey, it's just like I told Henry," Emma whispered to her soothingly. "I'm not going anywhere. I'm right here. See?" She placed her wife's hand flat on her chest to feel her heartbeat. "Still going strong."

"Promise me," Regina cried. She knew her request was foolish, but she needed to hear it anyway. "Promise me that you won't ever scare me like that, Emma Swan-Mills. Swear to me right now that you won't ever leave me." She kissed Emma's palm that touched her cheek. "I need you, and I can't lose you. Not now. Not ever."

Emma smiled at her. "I promise, Gina." God. Regina never thought she'd actually miss hearing the stupid pet name that only Emma was allowed to call her. "I need you, too, and I love you." Regina smiled back. "But do you think I can see our baby now?"

Regina's eyes widened as she realized her wife had yet to even see the baby she had birthed properly yet, and Emma chuckled at the almost comical expression.

"Of course," she said, leaning back enough to pass the swaddled baby to Emma. "Here you go, little one. Meet your mother."

Emma looked down into slate gray eyes and felt something that she hadn't experienced in fourteen years: pure, unbridled love. It hit her like a Mack truck, just as it had before, and overwhelmed her completely. Big, joyful tears filled her eyes, and she didn't even attempt to stop them from flowing over. Smiling so brightly her cheeks ached, she reached down and brushed back soft, tawny brown curls. She tried to speak, but her voice was caught somewhere in the back of her throat. Words were not needed, though, when two tiny hands gripped her finger as tightly as they could, holding closely to it. She laughed through her tears and held her baby even closer.

"You're so beautiful," she finally managed to say in a voice drowned in loving tears. "I love you. Don't ever forget that, okay?" Regina perched herself on the bed beside of Emma, smiling down at her wife and their child.

"We need to decide on a name," she said softly, and Emma looked up at her.

"You waited for me?" She asked.

"Of course," the brunette scoffed as if it were the most ridiculous question in the world. "I wasn't about to name our son without your approval. I know we already pretty much decided on a name, but it didn't feel right to make it official without you."

"What name did you decide on?" Snow inquired.

Emma smiled down at the baby in her arms as he yawned. "Milo Christopher Swan-Mills."

Emma sat at the bar at the Rabbit Hole, leg bouncing incessantly, and eyes glued on the clock. A tall glass of beer sat untouched before her on the bar as it had for the past twenty minutes. She was wondering how long was long enough. She'd been at that stupid bar for not quite an hour, but it'd felt much more like an eternity. If she slipped out and ran back home, would Regina let her in, or would she shut her out? She honestly wasn't sure, but she felt like she might just be okay with taking her chances.

"Emma, for God's sake." Ruby appeared beside the Sheriff, apparently returned from the bathroom. Emma wasn't sure for how long she'd been there—she had been far too lost in thought to pay any attention to her surroundings. Lost in her longing to get the fuck out of there and go home. "When someone is nice enough to buy you a drink, it's common courtesy to drink it."

"I told you I didn't want anything," the blonde returned with a roll of her eyes. "I'm not even thirsty. Besides, I'm breastfeeding."

"Oh, no," Ruby shook her head. "Don't try and give me that crap. Regina told me you've got enough milk stocked up to feed Milo for weeks. Your wife sent you with me expecting you to come home drunk, and I'll be damned if I'm going to disappoint that woman. She's fucking scary. So, Emma, drink."

Emma glared at her friend with furious eyes. "Fine! You want me to drink the goddamn beer? I'll drink it then!" Without a second's hesitation, she grabbed the pint of lager and downed the entire thing in a matter of seconds, gulping it down hastily. Slamming the glass back on the bar, she looked back at Ruby with glassy, slightly less focused eyes. "Can I go home now?"

"Emma," the brunette sighed exasperatedly. "You know we're doing this for your own good, right? You have to get out of the house. I know you love Milo and all, but it's not healthy to stay cooped up 24/7 with a baby." Emma squared her jaw angrily. She didn't understand why everyone thought she was so wrong for wanting to spend time with her son. What was so wrong with wanting to be a good mother? With wanting to get it right this time around? Regina and Ruby had been scheming behind her back for weeks to get her out that night. She was fairly certain Henry might have helped them, too. The little traitor. Even her parents were—her own mother who'd had severe separation anxiety when she had Neal—were against her. "You've got to get out. Breathe. Have fun."

"But this isn't fun for me anymore," Emma groaned, and Ruby frowned. "Not because of you. You're always fun, Rubes, and you know I love you. It's just… I want my baby." She hiccoughed, and the brunette smiled softly.

"I can't believe you're the clingy one," she laughed. "We all thought Regina would be the crazy mom—you know, considering how protective she always is of her family. You flipped the script on us, Em."

"I can't help it," the Sheriff said. "I've never had this before. I mean, I had Henry, but I never got to experience what it's like to have a baby. Regina did. This is all so new for me, and I love it." She smiled dreamily. "I love that baby. I love that he smells like vanilla and lavender. I love it when he smiles and giggles. I love holding him and feeding him. When he falls asleep in my arms. I even love his cry, even though it's fucking terrible." Ruby grinned. "And I love being home. With Milo and Henry and Gina. I just love my family, Ruby. I never thought I'd have something this beautiful, and I don't want to let it go."

"Nobody's asking you to," Ruby assured her with a hand on her shoulder. "You don't have to let go of anything, Emma. We're just saying that some time away from Milo will do you good."

"I get that," she said, then looked around the bar with a wrinkled nose. "Could we get out of here, Ruby? This is not really my scene anymore, and I'm hungry." Her face brightened. "Could we go to Granny's? I'd kill for a grilled cheese right now."

Ruby smiled. "Fine. Yeah, let's go. This place sucks anyway. Regina just told me to get you out of the house—she didn't care where I took you." Emma staggered down from the stool, and Ruby caught her keenly when she nearly tripped. She'd only drank the one beer, but it had been a while since she'd drank anything alcoholic and drinking it so quickly—on an empty stomach at that—made it hit her like she'd had four or five. "Well, Regina should be happy with your state when I take you home. You're definitely feeling good."

Emma leaned towards her with a smile. "I might be a little buzzed." The statement was punctuated with a hiccough, and the two women left the bar peeling with laughter. They made their way down the street towards Granny's Diner, Ruby's arm looped securely in Emma's to keep the blonde from falling on her face.

At barely seven o'clock, it was still fairly early, and the dinner crowd had yet to clear out from the diner. The two women entered, Emma giggling into Ruby's shoulder as she leaned on her for support. Ruby walked her to a booth and went straight back to the kitchen to get them food, not bothering to wait for a server. Granny, spotting Emma as she swayed in the booth, recognized her condition immediately and walked to the table with a pot of hot coffee in hand. She placed the mug on the table in front of the Sheriff, and Emma looked up at her with curious, slightly-crossed eyes.

"This is a family-friendly institution, Sheriff," Granny told her sternly as she filled the mug. "I don't care who you are, Savior or not, you sober up, or I'll boot you outta here."

Emma gulped under the older woman's hard gaze, feeling very much like a teenager again. "Yes, ma'am."

Granny smirked. "Good to see you out having fun, Emma. Can I get you something else? The special tonight is meatloaf with mac 'n' cheese and baby corn." The blonde stared down at her coffee cup with an almost comically sad expression, her eyes glistening and her lower lip trembling. "What's the matter?"

Her voice was thick with emotion when she spoke. "You said baby." She covered her face with her hands as the tears escaped. "I miss my baby!"

"Jesus Christ," Granny muttered, turning. "Ruby—tend to your friend before she scares off the paying customers!"

The brunette waitress returned with a plate of grilled cheese for Emma and delivered it to the table.

"What the hell did you say to her?" She asked her grandmother, hands on her hips. "She was fine when I left."

"She wants her baby," Granny rolled her eyes. "Just keep her quiet, and don't let her throw up on my floors—I just waxed them."

Emma looked up and began to nibble on her grilled cheese sandwich, sniffling. She took a gulp of her hot coffee and almost immediately began to sober up a bit. Between the strong dose of caffeine and the food, her vision focused in a bit more, and her feet seemed to touch the ground again.

"Feel alright?" Ruby asked, falling into the booth across from her friend.

Emma nodded. "Yeah. Food helps." She swallowed a mouthful of heavily-buttered bread and melted cheese. "I still miss Milo, though. And Henry. And Regina."

"Tough it out a little bit longer, and I promise I'll take you home," Ruby answered, caving at last. Her fear of the mayor was trumped by her sympathy for her friend. She'd never seen Emma look so forlorn before. Like a kicked puppy.

"Thanks, Ruby," Emma said, taking another generous drink of coffee. "Sorry about all this. I wish I was more fun tonight."

"Hey, you were pretty fun right after you drank that beer," the brunette teased with a shrug. "Before you got all sad again. I never took you for a drunk crier."

"I'm not," Emma said defensively, and Ruby grinned. She knew that would bring back some of the Sheriff's bite. "It's just the pregnancy hormones—they're still all crazy. I'm super emotional right now."

There was the ding of the bell over the door, and Emma looked up with wide, hopeful eyes. Surely it was them. It was Friday night after all. When two people walked in, one pushing a stroller ahead of her, the blonde grinned from ear-to-ear. Her plan had worked perfectly.

Cognac brown eyes burned into her angrily. "Emma Swan-Mills, what the hell are you doing here?"

Emma bolted to her feet excitedly, ignoring her wife's ire, and ran to her family at the front of the diner. She enveloped Henry in a hug, kissing his cheeks despite his groaned protests, then moved to the stroller. Lying inside it among a cocoon of blankets was her three-month old son, big eyes that had turned the exact same gorgeous brown as his mother's gazing around. His hair, its light brown color caught directly between Regina's black and Emma's blonde, was growing in thin, sleek waves. His eyes were just like Regina's, as was his mouth. But that nose with its dusting of freckles was all Emma. As soon as he saw his blonde mother, Milo grinned widely, showing off his pink gums, and let out a cackle of joy.

"Milo," Emma breathed, taking him into her arms and holding him close to her. She breathed him in, relishing in the delicious scent of her son, and kissed his forehead tenderly. "I missed you, baby boy." Then, she turned her eyes back to her wife, who looked as though she could chew nails at the moment and smiled crookedly. The nerve of her, Regina thought. "I missed you, too, Gina." She moved to peck the brunette on the lips, but Regina jerked away, arms crossed.

"Don't you 'Gina' me," the mayor snapped at her. "You're supposed to be out with Ruby having fun."

"We did go out," Emma told her. "I even got a little bit drunk. It wasn't fun, though. I was miserable the whole time without you guys. So, we came here."

"You played me!" Ruby exclaimed accusingly, jumping to her feet. "You said you were hungry—you knew they would be here, didn't you?"

Emma smiled innocently. "Maybe. The fact that we come and eat here every Friday night for dinner may have influenced my decision a little."

"You sneak," Ruby narrowed her eyes at her. "You tricked me."

"I really was hungry, though," the blonde said back to her before looking back to Milo with a smile. "See, Milo, that's what we call a con. Very important skill to learn." The baby giggled back, and Emma kissed his impossibly chubby cheeks.

"So, I guess the tears were fake, too?" Ruby growled.

"No, those were real," Emma shook her head. "I'm a terrible fake-crier."

"Tears?" Regina repeated with wide eyes, and Emma looked to her. "You were crying? You were that miserable?"

"Well, part of it was that I was drunk, and my hormones are still janky," the blonde answered, "but, yeah, I was. I missed you all, and I just wanted to come home. I know you think it's for the best that I get out, but I don't like leaving you. Any of you. Every time I do, I feel… I don't know, like I'm going to lose you." The few embers of Regina's anger that were still burning at her wife were dowsed out completely by the words, and her expression softened. Damn Emma. She made it so impossible for Regina to stay mad at her.

"Emma, you're not going to lose any of us," she said, and Henry nodded in agreement. "We're your family, and we always will be." Stepping forward, she reached out and cradled the blonde's face tenderly. Emma leaned into the touch, savoring the feeling of Regina's skin on hers. "This is forever."

Emma smiled before pressing her lips to Regina's softly, one of her sons cooing in her arms while the other placed a warm hand on her shoulder. "Forever, huh? I like the sound of that."