A/N: Thank you all for your encouraging reviews. :D


"Why did your mother insist on dinner tonight again?"

It had to be the fourth time Regina had asked the question, and Emma resisted the urge to roll her eyes only barely as she, her fiance, and Henry made their way up the walkway to the Charming household. Purchased only a week prior, it was an intimate, two-story cottage in a nice, family-friendly neighborhood. Emma had been to the home once before by herself to visit her parents, and it always made her smile as she approached it. It was so... her parents. Cute and, yes, charming. Pun intended. The neighbors were were all welcoming, and many had children of their own close in age to Neal. No doubt about it, Emma was happy for her parents and brother, but she couldn't help a bittersweet taste in her mouth each time she walked up the few steps to the door. A tinge of jealousy. The thought never failed to streak through her mind.

She would've really loved to have grown up somewhere like this.

"She wanted all of us over to the new house," Emma sighed, tossing her long curls out over her shoulder. "She and Dad are super excited about this place, and it really is very nice. And she didn't insist on anything. I told her we'd be happy to come. Y'know, because you told me it was no problem when I asked."

"I was obviously being sarcastic," Regina shook her head with a huff.

"Well, sometimes it's impossible to tell with you." Emma looked over at her son. "Back me up on this, kid."

Henry raised his hands in surrender. "Hey, no way. Don't bring me into this mess. You might be alright with digging your own grave, but I'd rather be left out of it."

"Smart boy," Regina beamed at him.

"Traitor," Emma mouthed back at him, and he stuck his tongue out at her with a grin.

"So, are you guys going to tell Gran and Gramps now?" Henry asked.

"I don't know," Emma answered and looked to Regina. "Are we, babe?"

Regina gave a coy smile. "I've made my decision. Tonight we'll tell them... that we're running away to elope and never return."

Emma shot her as stern a look as she could manage. "Regina."

The brunette quieted down her laughter and rolled her eyes at the sad attempt at an admonishment. "Fine, spoil sport. I think we should tell them about the engagement tonight. Not the baby yet, though. Since you've decided to force me here tonight against my will, we will wait to tell them that secret."

Emma groaned. "Gina, it's one dinner, and we don't have to stay long, I promise. If you start to feel tired or sick or anything, I will totally fake an injury, and we can leave. Sound good?"

They stopped in front of the door, and Regina offered her a smile. "You'd lie to your parents for me?"

"Babe, I've lied to my parents so often for you," Emma shrugged. "Not well, but I do lie for you a lot. There shouldn't even be a question anymore."

Leaning forward, Regina kissed her sweetly. "And I do love you for it."

Emma grinned into the kiss, offering no resistance whatsoever. While Regina's nausea seemed to have ebbed away-she hadn't gotten sick in a whole week-the mood swings were a constant. And the affection and intimacy-displayed in public settings that normally the brunette would've never allowed-weren't showing any signs of letting up either. Hormonal Regina was, as Emma was finding, was a real roller coaster. Not that she was complaining.

The door opened just as Regina locked an arm behind Emma's neck and pulled her even further into the kiss.

"Hi- whoa!" Snow staggered backwards in shock at the sight of her daughter engaged in a less-than-decent position with her former arch nemesis. No. No. Snow corrected herself. Not nemesis. That wasn't Regina anymore. She was Emma's... girlfriend now. Dark green eyes widened as neither Emma nor Regina showed any signs of letting up despite her presence. "Oh, my."

"Yeah," Henry said with a roll of his eyes and made his way inside past his grandmother. "Try living with him." He pecked her cheek as he walked inside. "Hey, Gran. Congrats on the house."

"Thank you, Henry," Snow breathed, still quite shocked. Emma, though she would've rather done anything else, extricated herself from her fiance's arms and faced her mother with a flushed, grinning expression.

"Hi, Mom," she said without even an ounce of shame in her eyes. "Happy housewarming." She lifted the covered dish in her hand. "We brought cobbler-and it isn't apple this time, I swear."

"Good to know," Snow said.

"Yes, I tried to talk Emma into letting me make you one of my legendary apple crisps, but she wouldn't allow it," Regina said, sauntering forward with a devilish smile. "Don't worry, though. My blackberry cobbler is to die for."

Snow had no time to offer a rebuttal before Regina brushed past her unceremoniously, one hand still clinging to Emma's. The blonde offered an apologetic smile to her mother as she was pulled inside the house. She barely had time to cough out, "She's being figurative" before Regina dragged her all the way inside.

"Geez," she muttered as they made their way to the dining room. "Take it easy there, killer. No need to come in guns blazing like that."

"Can't help it," Regina said back softly. "Just knowing that we have these two very large secrets lording over your mother makes me ecstatic." She offered a smug grin. "I cannot be blamed for my over zealous actions tonight."

Emma smiled. "Is that so? What about your actions later on? Like back home in our bedroom? You can be as overly zealous as you want there."

Leaning forward, Regina smiled and placed a closed-mouth kiss on her lips. "Mhm. You don't know what over zealous means, do you?"

"Not a clue, but it sounds freaky."

Neither were aware of Snow coming up beside them. "Sounds freaky? What does that-" Her eyes widened with realization. "Emma Swan!" Emma jumped at her mother's screech and turned with a bright red face and innocent smile on her lips as she faced the short, pixie-haired woman with her arms crossed. "That is not how a princess speaks, young lady."

"Good thing I'm not a princess," Emma mumbled, rubbing the back of her neck uncomfortably.

"Oh, yes, you are, dear," Regina said with a smug look that the blonde knew immediately was a sign of trouble.

Her voice barely came out as a hiss. "I don't need your help here, woman."

"Don't let her fool you, Snow," the former queen continued on, combing her fingers affectionately through long, blonde curls. "Your little girl is quite the pillow princess." Both Snow's and Emma's eyes widened in shock, and Regina planted a kiss on Emma's cheek. "And I should know, shouldn't I, darling?" That said, she grabbed the cobbler from Emma's hands and carried it to the kitchen.

"Hey!" Emma called in outrage once she regained the sense to speak. "That's not even accurate, and you know it! I'm crazy active in bed-you're the one who expects the royal treatment, your Majesty!"

"Emma!" Snow squeaked, her cheeks a permanent shade of scarlet. "Not helping."

Pale green eyes skittered down to her feet. "Oh. Sorry, Mom. What if we just eat, and I stop talking?"

"Sounds like an amazing plan, sweetie." Placing a hand on her daughter's back, Snow led her into the dining room. It was there Emma's spirits rose again when her brother, not quite two-years-old, teetered up and immediately latched himself to her legs in a hug.

"Emmy!" he cried out with a big grin that revealed the dimples he and Emma shared. At first, the resemblance between the two wasn't that noticeable-mostly because Emma had no baby pictures to speak of-but the older Neal got, the more their likeness grew. Aside from the difference in the eyes, Emma's being her mother's green and Neal possessing his father's sparkling blue, they were practically identical.

"Who's that wrapped around my leg?" Leaning down, Emma scooped her brother up in her arms and held him close. "Who is this little munchkin calling my name?"

"It me, Emmy," he answered. "It Neal."

"What? Neal? My Neal? It can't be."

"Uh-huh."

"You look like you've grown a whole foot since I saw you last. And look at this new haircut! Are you sure you're Neal?"

He giggled. "Emmy, stop."

She tapped her chin thoughtfully. "Well, if you are my Neal, then I'll just have to do... this!" She lifted his shirt up over his stomach quickly, dropped her mouth to the soft skin there, and blew a big raspberry that got him howling with laughter. Just as she did every time she saw him.

"Stop it!" He could barely breathe for laughing so hard. "Stop, Emmy!"

She drew back and covered his chubby cheeks in kisses. "I can't hear you!" She tickled his ribs, and he squirmed in her arms while he laughed uncontrollably. "My little brother Neal loves it when I do this-are you an impostor?"

"I-not-a-postor!" he gasped for breath, and Emma relented at last. Looking at her with serious eyes, Neal put his hands on either side of her face, holding her firmly. "I Neal, Emmy."

She narrowed her eyes suspiciously. "Hmm. I suppose I'll take your word for it." She flashed him a grin. "Piggy back ride?"

"Yeah!" She lifted him up on her shoulders, wincing when his chubby hands grabbed tight hold of her hair but saying nothing otherwise.

Snow glowed at her two children. "You two. He doesn't gets this excited for anyone but Emma."

"That's because I'm the coolest big sis ever," the blonde supplied. "Right, Neal?"

"Right, Emmy!"

Regina moved into the room fussing over the wrinkles in the shirt of a less-than-enthusiastic Henry.

"Gina!" Neal exclaimed at the sight of her, and the brunette looked up and smiled. While she may not have been fond of his parents, Regina had been a softie for Neal since the day he was born.

"Well, hello there, young prince," she greeted, walking towards them. Neal released Emma's hair and reached towards her excitedly.

"Traitor," she said as Regina took him in her arms. "I thought we had something special."

"Oh, you do," Regina assured her with a smile. "Just not as special as he and I have."

"How is it that both my children adore the Evil Queen?" Snow mused, watching how both Emma and Neal looked at Regina with practical hearts coming out of their eyes.

"Eh, fate's funny like that, I guess," Emma shrugged. "Where's Dad, by the way?"

"Yeah," Henry nodded. "I need some male bonding here. No offense, Neal, but you're not a man yet."

Regina hiked an eyebrow up at him. "And you are, mister?"

He grinned, puffing out his chest. "Absolutely. I'm fourteen, and I have armpit hair now. That means I'm a man." Emma, who had been edging along the wall slowly as he spoke, settled in behind him. With a mile-wide smile on her face, she moved directly behind him and clapped both hands on his shoulders hard. He let out a yelp, eyes wide in shock.

"Very manly, kid," she cackled while his cheeks burned red. "Chalk another one up for Swan."

"I thought that game was over now?" Regina groaned. "I can't take anymore of the screaming in my home."

"Well, we ended up tying at the end of October," Emma explained. "So, we've extended it an extra week." She grinned devilishly. "Guess who's in the lead?"

"I refuse to let you win," Henry glared at her.

"You'd better step your A-game up then, kid." She gave his cheek a kiss before releasing him, and he rubbed at where her lips had touched him stubbornly. She laughed. "Seriously, though, where is Dad?"

"Right here, little girl!" David appeared through the door behind his daughter and picked her up in his arms, lifting her totally off the floor with a maniacal laugh. Emma screamed out in shock, chest heaving as he finally replaced her on the ground.

"Heck yeah!" Henry laughed, high-fiving his grandfather.

"What the hell was that?" Emma demanded, looking between the two with wide eyes as she clutched at her chest.

"Language," Regina threw in, nodding her head down to Neal, who was too preoccupied with playing with her necklace to pay them any attention.

"Sorry. What the heck was that?"

"It's called a team-up," Henry grinned. "I enlisted Gramps for help."

"What?" the blonde squawked. "You can't do that!"

"There are no rules against it. We said we could use whatever resources we had. I used Gramps."

Emma gave her father a look of betrayal. "I can't believe this. All we've been through, and you'd hurt me so. Why, Father? Why?"

"That's for calling me a shit deputy yesterday," David grinned at her.

"Language." This time, it was Snow to reprimand the two.

David gave his wife a sheepish smile. "Sorry. A crap deputy."

"You took that to heart? You know I was only joking. That's our thing, Dad. We joke. I only do it out of love." He rolled his eyes at her. "I have been hurt beyond repair. You can just forget about all those hugs I give you. Never again." Crossing her arms, she turned her back towards him. "Consider yourself daughter-less from this day forward."

David cut his eyes over at Henry with a knowing smile. "Yeah? Nothing could persuade you to forgive me?"

"Nothing. My heart is broken."

"I have beer."

Emma's eyes lit up for only a brief moment before connecting with her fiance's and dimming again. They had decided when they discovered that Regina was pregnant that Emma would quit drinking with her in preparations for the baby. At least until it was born. So, though she really would've loved a beer, she knew she had to decline. The trick to it would be doing so without alerting her parents to anything suspicious. They all knew that it was very unlike Emma Swan to turn down a drink.

So, she devised a plan in her head quickly and spun on her father with an evil grin. He actually looked a little afraid of her.

"You think I can be bought so cheaply?" she said. "Oh, no. You've got to work for my forgiveness. Which means tomorrow at work, you get to fill out all the paperwork I put off over the weekend." His jaw dropped. "That's right. Emma's developed some self restraint. Deal with it."

He looked over her shoulder at Regina with faux outrage. "You've taught her how to be evil, haven't you?"

Regina smiled. "Guilty."

The table was set, and they all sat down together for dinner. With her arm around Regina's shoulder, Emma took a begrudging sip of her root beer as her dad popped the top off a beer and poured it slowly into a glass.

"He's rubbing it in," she whispered to Regina.

"I know," the brunette said back. "But that was a very impressive recovery earlier. They didn't suspect a thing."

"I'm a pretty quick thinker when I want to be," Emma said back.

Regina smiled sweetly to remove some of the sting from her words. "It's not very often that you want to be, is it then?" Emma frowned as her fiance pecked her lips affectionately. "Kidding, darling. Sort of."

"I just want to take a moment to thank you for coming here this evening," Snow said with a big smile at them. "It means so much to David and I to have you all here. Tonight, this new house has felt more like home than ever before."

"Congratulations, you two," Emma nodded to them. "Seriously. This place is amazing, and I know you will love it here." Smiling, she lifted her glass to them. "Welcome home, guys."

"Thank you, Emma," David winked at her. "Now, how about we eat?"

Regina cleared her throat a bit uncomfortably. "Well, actually, Emma and I have a bit of an announcement we'd like to make as well." The two shared a smile.

"Really?" Snow asked, trying and failing to cover her concern. It seemed like whenever those two had an announcement to make, it ended in life-changing alterations. While they'd only been in their daughter's life for a few years, she'd certainly given them a lifetime's worth of revelations to contend with. Mom, Dad, I'm gay. Mom, Dad, I'm in love with the Evil Queen. Mom, I genuinely hate that floral dress you got me for Christmas. Emma certainly kept things interesting. "What is it?"

"Well, you know we've been together a while," Emma started. "And things have been amazing. I think all three of us are happier than we've ever been living together. I know I am." She smiled at Henry and Regina. "I've spent a very long time searching for where I belong, and I've finally found it. I know exactly what my happy ending is. My family." She grinned. "So, we've decided to make it official.

David's brow knit in confusion. "Official? How do you mean?"

His wife, however, seemed to have caught on much faster than her husband. Her eyes widened. "Oh my God."

Regina smiled at the two of them widely. "A few weeks ago, Emma proposed, and I said yes." She gripped Emma's hand tighter. "We're getting married."

"Married?" David repeated. "Emma proposed?" The blonde nodded, looking between her parents apprehensively as she waited for their response. She didn't kid herself into believing this might not be a hard pill for them to swallow. They had only recently begun to accept Regina and Emma as a couple, and that had only been superficially. She knew deep down, below the forced smiles and pleasantries, that both her mother and father were silently hoping for the two to break up and for Emma to find someone with a less... checkered past to be with. Of course, they had no idea how blemished her own past was. No one did, except Regina.

Then, to everyone's shock, David grinned widely. "That's wonderful-congratulations!" Standing to his feet, he enveloped his daughter and future daughter-in-law in a hug. Emma's and Regina's eyes connected over his shoulders in surprise.

"Uh, thanks, Dad," Emma chuckled. "Glad you're as excited as we are."

"You're my baby girl," he said and kissed the top of her head. "All I want is for you to be happy, and it's obvious that Regina is your happiness. So, yes, I'm excited." He winked at Regina. "Welcome to the family, your Majesty."

"Oh, God." Regina nearly gagged.

Emma looked at her still shell shocked mother in concern. "Mom? You still breathing over there?"

"Yes." The word came out small and uncertain, as if Snow had to make sure she was in fact still breathing before responding. "Yes, I'm fine. Just... surprised. Though, I think that maybe a part of me expected this. I mean, Emma is a terrible liar, and she's been acting weird for a while now. I knew something was up. I just... I'm surprised." Then, she smiled. "Pleasantly surprised."

"Pleasantly?" the others all repeated incredulously. While David knew his wife had in many ways forgiven Regina for her past sins, he still wouldn't have expected her to take the news that her ex-evil stepmother would now be her daughter-in-law well.

"Yes, pleasantly," Snow chuckled. "While I'll admit that I'm still not entirely comfortable with your relationship, I agree with your father completely. All I want is for you to have your happy ending with your True Love, Emma." She beamed at Regina. "And that's what you have now." Regina's eyes widened at the acceptance she never expected to earn. "I'm ecstatic for you both, and I can't wait to start helping with the wedding plans."

Emma released a breathy, dazed chuckle, rubbing her neck a bit awkwardly. "Wow. This is... not what I expected at all, to be honest. I thought there would be screaming and crying. Maybe even a fireball or two. Thank you guys for being so accepting of this. You don't know what it means to me that we have your blessing." She smiled at the brunette beside her. "What it means to us. Right, babe?"

"Yes," Regina forced out, and she didn't know if the sudden queasiness came from the smell of the greasy chicken that Snow had laid out on the table before or from the loving look directed towards her from the hostess. "We... We're very... very... oh, God!"

She really did gag then as she bolted out of her seat and scrambled out of the dining room towards the bathroom. Silence fell over the table in her absence like a chilling, dark shadow, and Emma and Henry shared an uneasy look.

"Is... Is she alright?" David asked in a quiet, confused voice.

Emma cleared her throat uncertainly. "She's just... very excited."

A miserable moan sounded from behind the closed door of hallway bathroom. "Emma-now."

"I'd better go handle that," the blonde cleared her throat as she stood. "I'm going to help her, and then we'll just go back home. She's been a little under the weather recently." It wasn't a lie technically, so it came convincingly enough out of her mouth. She looked over at Henry. "Kid, maybe you just want to stay here with your grandparents and Neal? I've got a feeling it's going to be a long night with your mother."

He smiled back. "Sure thing, Ma."

Standing, she made her way to the bathroom, taking a deep preparing breath before entering. Regina was knelt over the toilet, and Emma smoothed her hair back soothingly.

"Hey," she said softly.

"I thought this was over," Regina hacked and grimaced. "God. I just got sick in front of your parents. They know now, don't they?"

Emma smiled at her. "No, they don't know. I convinced them it was a normal sickness, not a pregnancy one. Henry's going to stay here with them, but I'm taking you home, alright?"

"Hmm?" It came out as a groan.

"Yep. I'm taking you back home, and I'm going to make you a very big, very nice cup of tea to soothe your stomach. Then, I'm going to cocoon you in soft blankets and pillows until you're so comfortable you can barely keep your eyes open. I'm going to play your favorite music-softly, of course-and then you're going to fall asleep and forget about ever being sick."

Regina raised her pale head, and Emma brushed the wet curls matted on her sweat-drenched forehead gently. "That sounds lovely, darling."

"Good. Are you ready to go?"

"Yes, I think I'm through here." She stood to her feet with trembling knees and Emma helped her to the sink where she washed he mouth out. Grabbing a rag from the linen closet, Emma wet it as well and dabbed it across her forehead and neck. Regina sighed, eyes closed at the cool relief. "Perhaps I can make dinner at home for us as well? Not chicken."

Emma smiled. "I'll take care of it, Gina." Brown eyes shot over to her uncertainly. "Take it easy. I'm not going to cook-I'd rather not make you sick again. How does Chinese sound to you?" She already knew the answer before it was given. Unbeknownst to anyone but Emma and Henry, Chinese food was one of Regina's favorites.

"You know me so well," the brunette smiled, wrapping an arm around Emma. Her eyes closed as her head fell against her shoulder. "Your parents approve of our wedding, dear."

"They do."

"We're going to get married."

The blonde smiled widely. "We are."

"We're going to have a baby."

Emma laughed softly. "We are."

"I love you, Emma."

Pale pink lips pressed to Regina's temple delicately. "I love you, too, Regina. Come on. Let's go home." The two made their way out of the bathroom, bidding goodbyes to the others quickly before Snow could stop them with any question, and rushed outside the home.

"On the bright side," Emma mused as they walked to the car, "I held Neal earlier, and he didn't poop. That's a first."

"Oh no, he did," Regina smirked. "Smelled it as soon as you handed him over to me."

"Damn it!"