Happy New Year, my lovelies! Make it a great one!
The story has almost 200 follows already, I can't believe! Thank you so much for that, and the reviews as well, and I really hope you'll keep enjoying this story!
This chapter is a little shorter again, I'm sorry, but I have so much stuff to do for uni that I'm glad I managed to write anything.
And now please enjoy a horrified Snow White!
xx
"You're an idiot," Regina laughed, and threw a grape towards Emma, before popping another one in her mouth.
"Tell me something I don't know, woman." The blonde smiled, adjusting her sunglasses, before she turned around to lay on her stomach.
It was a pretty warm day for the end of March, which is why Emma and Regina had spent most of it on a tiny blanket out in the mansion's backyard, sipping homemade lemonade, and discussing what was a necessary acquisition for the baby, and what wasn't.
Emma wanted to get everything and more, which, Archie would tell her, probably had something to do with guilt and making up for past failures, while Regina was obsessed with gadgets that helped monitor the baby in every possible situation (talk about control freaks).
Henry was spending the day, and the night as well, at a friend's place to play some new video game, eat tons of sweets Regina didn't allow him to eat, and, most likely, talk about girls, or whatever it was teenage boys did when they were alone. (Emma didn't really know, even though she thought and acted like one more often than not.)
With Henry away, they had decided to have dinner at Granny's later, because Regina had a serious craving for Fettuccine Alfredo in combination with chicken nuggets at the moment, and, as most times, Emma was too lazy to cook on a Saturday night.
The sun was slowly beginning to set, when they packed the things they had had in the garden with them away, and started to make their way over to the diner by foot.
Because of the nice weather, Regina, who was actually showing quite a bit already now, was wearing a rather form-fitting long sleeved shirt, and Emma thought she looked absolutely stunning.
For some weird reason, she had always found pregnancy really, really attractive on women, and, of course, Regina, who was gorgeous 24/7 anyway, was no exception. Damn it.
As they walked up to Granny's, they were discussing who's fault it was that their son was a horribly early riser (who had woken them up at 6.30 on a fucking Saturday morning, much to Emma's dismay). The blonde, of course, found Regina completely guilty of the too short night, because, first of all, she had raised Henry for the first 10 years, and, secondly, as opposed to Regina, the sheriff never got up before at least 12pm of her own accord.
Laughing, the brunette swatted the other woman's arm and muttered something along the lines of "too much Lion King," as Emma held the door open for her and they entered the diner together.
It was pleasantly empty for a weekend night, and they were already heading for their usual table by the window in the back, when a voice they both knew all too well disturbed the moment they were having.
"Emma! Regina!" Snow was wearing one of her larger than life smiles on her lips as she waved the two women over to the booth she was occupying with baby Neal, and Emma sighed internally; the quiet night alone with Regina was over before it had even begun.
Automatically, the savior put her hand on Regina's lower back to guide her to her mother's table, and also give her something to anchor her and keep calm.
Although they all had found a truce of sorts, and could, most likely, even be considered a family, sometimes, Regina still reacted hostile to Snow's presence. Really, Emma couldn't blame her. She loved her mother, and was incredibly happy to finally have found her parents, but, sometimes, Snow was complete overkill.
The pixie haired woman was in the middle of saying something about Henry, David, and fishing, when her eyes suddenly grew wide and her gaze went from Regina's belly to Emma and back to Regina. "Regina?! Are you pre…? How…?"
"Seeing as you are a mother of two, I would like to think you know that babies don't appear out of thin air," the mayor said cooly, face void of emotion.
"But… oh my God! You slept with Robin?" It was loud enough for some of the other patrons sitting in the diner to turn around, interested in what was happening. "You didn't even know him for two weeks! Two weeks!" Snow looked absolutely horrified.
"Mom…" Emma's tone was low, a warning. She didn't need this unnecessary fuss right now (or ever, for that matter). All she wanted was to spend a nice evening with Regina, but, most probably, that wasn't going to happen. Not after this.
"But it's true! And he is married!"
"Just stuff it, okay? It's not ideal, but we're trying to make the best of it," the blonde said in an attempt at being diplomatic, which, unfortunately, completely backfired.
"W-what? You two…?" If it was possible, her eyes grew even wider, and Emma didn't want to know what exactly her mother was thinking right now. She was probably imagining that the former queen was corrupting her sweet, innocent daughter with magic and kinky lesbian sex. If only, Emma thought, and instantly blushed at her inappropriate thoughts. Get your act together, Swan!
"We are co-parents; it doesn't matter if it applies to one kid or more," the blonde said confidently, although she and Regina had never actually discussed what would happen after the baby was born. If she was completely honest, she would love to be a part of the baby's life, would love to see it grow up.
Not necessarily because she had missed all that with Henry - no one could ever take his place in her heart, and, thanks to Regina, she actually had memories of him when he was younger anyway - but because she wanted to see Regina experience it all. She wanted to see Regina with a baby in her arms, with a toddler on her hip, with a first-grader next to her; she wanted to see Regina be a mother.
"And besides, stop being such a hypocrite! You got pregnant with me after like a day of being with dad, and before the curse broke you had a fuckin' affair with him while he was married! People who live in glass houses, you know," Emma continued, because sometimes Snow was so deluded, it was an insult to every rationally thinking person.
"I… Your father and I are True Loves, that is something completely different!" Of course that was her argument, the savior thought, having to be careful not to roll her eyes.
With her mother, that was what it always came down to, and, frankly, it was fucking annoying. Shoving her True Love bullshit in everyone's face was almost an obsession of the other woman. Maybe - maybe - Emma would find it less repulsive, if she had a True Love of her own, maybe she would understand, but since she didn't, and probably never would, she didn't give a flying fuck about her mother's constant talk about butterflies, puppies, and world peace.
"And Regina and Robin are like Pixie Dust certified soulmates. How is that any different?"
"Oh please! He is not her True Love," Snow scoffed, and Emma couldn't believe her ears. Was her mother actually serious about this? The woman who loved everything and everyone didn't allow the mother of her own grandchild love and happiness.
"Wow, that's rich, mom. Do you still hate her that much? You can't even not begrudge her her happy ending, after all she's been through? Don't you think she more than earned it by now? She saved all our asses ten thousand times already, and she has been miserable for so long; just give her a damn break, will you?"
At this point in the discussion, Emma was completely and utterly pissed. Nobody was allowed to talk about Regina like that, least of all the woman who, once upon a time, had cost the brunette her first love. For once in a long, long time, Regina had been happy, and - not least thanks to Emma herself - that happiness had been ripped from her again, before she could even actually enjoy it.
True, the blonde had never been particularly fond of that forest hobo and the fact that he was Regina's apparent happy ending, but, for Regina's sake, she had accepted it, and kept her mouth shut.
Personally, she thought that the other woman deserved so much better than that mumbling case of 'too stupid to be bearable'; she deserved someone who accepted her past and shared her present, who loved her unconditionally without putting her on a pedestal, who saw her flaws, but didn't think she was broken. She deserved someone who understood.
"That's not… I didn't…," Snow stuttered, desperate to make her daughter understand what she actually wanted to say. "Of course I want her to be happy! That's why she can't be with Robin! He's not her happy ending!"
"Excuse me?" Regina appeared to have finally found her voice again, and was in attack mode right away. In a desperate attempt to calm the other woman down a little, Emma reached for her forearm, giving it an affectionate squeeze.
"Regina, listen. Whether you like it or not, I know you; I know you really, really well. And I know that you weren't truly happy with Robin, I could see it in your eyes! You didn't look at him like you looked at Daniel, or how you look at E-…" All of a sudden, the former queen's complete body tensed, and for a second, Emma thought the brunette would punch Snow right in the face.
"I think that is quite enough of you interfering in my affairs, Snow; and without being asked, no less," she said in her best 'Hardass Mayor Mills'-voice, giving her former step-daughter a deathly glare, before she turned towards the blonde woman standing next to her.
"Can we please leave, Emma? I am not feeling too well."
"Yeah, sure," Emma stuttered, mildly confused that Regina was beating a hasty retreat, but knew better than to question her decision (she wasn't a complete idiot, after all).
They were at the door already, when Regina turned around one last time, and, with a fake smile, gave her not-anymore-but-maybe-again arch-nemesis the final blow: "Oh, and Snow; don't bother waiting up for your daughter later. She is not going to come home tonight."
The raven haired woman's jaw dropped in an almost comical way. It seemed like she was struggling to say something, but whatever it was, Emma didn't hear the reply because Regina had already taken her hand and was all but dragging her outside.
"Ookaaay, that was…" Emma let out a breath, accompanied by an awkward chuckle. She wanted to somehow lighten up the mood, ensure that this night wasn't a complete and utter train wreck. About to say something, she was more than surprised by Regina's next words.
"Thank you," the brunette muttered quietly without looking at the sheriff. Her hands were fidgeting in front of her baby bump, while she intently stared at the ground beneath her feet.
"For what?"
"For standing up for me." Finally, she looked up, and Emma directly in the eyes; her own brown orbs were filled with tears.
The savior's heart almost broke at the sight. She couldn't even imagine how hard it must have been for the other woman to hear all those horrible things thrown her way, and Emma wanted to slap herself for not simply grabbing Regina and leaving when Snow had started with her outburst.
"No need to thank me. It's what you do for people you lo-…like." Emma was sure she was blushing because of her almost slip up, but Regina only grinned knowingly.
"Well, I guess it is," she finally said with a smile, after simply looking at the blonde for a while, before she linked her arms with the other woman, rested her head against the savior's shoulder, and started walking back to the mansion.