Author's Note: The last chapter was difficult to write. It was such an intense scene and I am still worried some of the intensity was lost due to me being in a hurry to post. This chapter wasn't any easier to write. There are some rather big things that occur in this chapter and I want to be sure I do them justice. I want to be sure the characters are true to themselves but still speak and behave in a way that flows with the storyline. I've walked a fine line with that since the start of this story and I will probably continue to do so right up until the end. I am still fairly new to writing for Once Upon A Time so I don't quite have a grasp on the characters. Which is why I am always saying I am open to critiques. I want to learn. The best way to learn is by having someone care enough to point out my mistakes. Enough of my senseless rambling though! You're here for the story. I hope you enjoy this chapter. It is sort of fluffy. You know, cause I owe you some fluff after the last 7 angst riddled chapters! Leave me a review letting me know you're thoughts.
Chapter Eight
Believe
The acidic taste of bile filled Regina's mouth as she stood just outside Granny's diner. She hadn't wanted to come but Snow, Emma, and Tinkerbell had insisted. There were things that needed to be discussed and Granny's was the perfect place to do it. Normally Regina would have agreed but lately there was something about the smell of the place that had her wanting to stand over a trashcan and wretch. She couldn't go in there. If she did she was going to lose the little bit of food she'd eaten earlier. What choice did she have? Telling the other women that she wanted to go home because she didn't feel well wasn't an option. They would all assume she was trying to keep her distance from Emma. While that was partially true, it wasn't why Regina wanted to go home. The last three weeks had been draining. Not just physically but emotionally as well. Even though Snow seemed hell bent on including her, Regina knew she wasn't needed. Snow, Emma, and Tinkerbell were capable of figuring out how to handle the Elsa situation on their own.
"You don't look so well," Snow observed. She hung back as the other two women hurried inside, her eyes fixated on Regina's face. Her blue eyes seemed to be searching for something. "Tinkerbell's worried that you're making yourself sick. She says you've been throwing up a lot. Mostly in the morning." Her gaze swung from Regina's face to her stomach. "Regina," she said softly, "is there any possibility that you're pregnant?"
Regina's first instinct was to remind Snow of the fact that she had been unable to bear Leopold a second child. Her lack of fertility hadn't been due to being barren though, but from a potion Rumple had concocted. She hadn't been able to afford the emotional risk of a child and she hadn't wanted to give Leopold the satisfaction of having a son. Since she hadn't gotten pregnant during her time with Graham, Regina had assumed whatever Rumple had given her had made it impossible for her to ever have a child. It was ridiculous to even think that one time with Robin had resulted in a child. "I'm not pregnant," she whispered. She didn't know if she was answering Snow or trying to remind herself it wasn't possible.
"So you and Robin never..." Snow raised one eyebrow, her cheeks flushing. Regina felt the blood rushing to her own cheeks. "So you did. Which means it is possible."
"No," Regina shook her head. She wasn't going to entertain false hope. The few times she'd allowed herself to dream of having a family with Robin it had all hinged on Rumple creating some spell that reversed the potion he had originally created for her. "It would be impossible."
"Impossible things happen every single day," her former step-daughter said softly, excitement ringing in her voice. "You just have to believe."
Believe in the impossible. Regina had done that once. She'd believed the grand-daughter of a king, a princess, could marry a stable boy because they loved each other. Her mother had shown her quick enough that believing in something didn't make it possible. It just made the person who believed heart broken. For a moment Robin had taught her she could believe in second chances but yet again she'd ended up with a broken heart. She couldn't risk believing there was a child growing inside her. If there wasn't it would be to painful of a let down. "I can't," she whispered, shaking her head.
"Well I can. I can believe enough for the both of us." Snow reached for one of Regina's hand, squeezing gently once she had it clasped within her own. "Come on." She tugged Regina away from the entrance to the diner.
"Where are we going?" Regina demanded as Snow pulled her along the slick side-walk. Her steps faltered when Snow said they were going to her apartment, where there was a pregnancy test sitting underneath the bathroom sink. "Why do you have a pregnancy test under your sink?"
"Well, when we first came back and we couldn't remember the last year I got a little freaked out. I made David buy a couple. Silly, I know. It was pretty obvious I was pregnant. I guess part of me just wanted to pee on that little stick and see those two little lines." A little giggle erupted from Snow as she tugged Regina up the stairs to her apartment.
Fear wrapped around Regina's heart as she followed Snow inside. David stood in the kitchen preparing a bottle while Henry paced the living room with the whimpering baby. "That was a rather quick meeting," David teased as he walked over to Henry. He expertly shifted the newborn from Henry's arms into his own. The whimpering stopped as Neal's little mouth found the nipple of the bottle.
"Oh we haven't had the meeting yet. Regina and I just need to get something real quick and then we're heading back to the diner." Snow flashed him a brilliant smile before bowing her head to press a soft kiss to the brow of her son. "I love you, my sweet, darling little prince."
Emotion thickened in Regina's throat. She couldn't help but look at her son and remember a time when Henry had fit in the nook of her arm. She'd called him her precious boy. It wasn't until years later she realized just how precious he had been to her. By then Emma had come into the picture and Regina was forced to share the coveted title of 'mom.' "Mom?" Henry walked towards her, a smile on his face. "If its alright with you, I thought I might sleep at our house tonight. I kinda miss my old room." She closed her eyes as he wrapped his arms around her waist. She didn't know if he really missed his old room or not and she didn't really care. Her son was coming home.
"Of course," Regina said hoarsely, rubbing her thumb across the apple of his cheek. She couldn't resist smoothing her other hand over his hair. Behind Henry, Snow cleared her throat and nodded towards the bathroom. "I'll be right back," she murmured, pressing a kiss to his forehead, before following Snow into the bathroom. What they were about to do was pointless. The test would be negative. Crossing her arms, Regina watched as Snow dug beneath her sink. There were a few choice words muttered before Snow finally let out an exclamation of joy. A few seconds later Snow straightened her body and held a purple and white box towards Regina. Regina stared at it, her heart pounding. "This is ridiculous," she muttered, accepting the box. "It's going to be negative."
"Or," Snow said brightly, "it will be positive and in eight months Neal will have a new best friend."
Regina sank on to the side of the tub, the box cradled in box her hands. "Snow, he's married," she whispered, her eyes burning. "Even if this test is positive it won't change that."
Snow sat down next to her and wrapped an arm around her shoulders. She pressed her cheek against Regina's. "You don't know that," she whispered. Her voice was so full of hope that Regina wished she could believe her. "They're not happy, Regina. Surely you can see that. The rest of us do. They're going through the motions of what's expected of them." Regina shook her head. Robin loved Marian. He loved her enough that he would have walked through hell to get her back. He hadn't had to walk through hell. Emma Swan had done it for him. Regina wasn't going to be the one to ruin his second chance with his true love. He deserved to be happy and if being with Marian made him happy then Regina could learn to cope with the painful ache in her soul. "You know what, forget about how Robin will react. Forget about him period if that is what you want to do. Just take the test. And if it's positive, well, you don't need him. You have your family and we'll love this baby so much they won't know what to do with all the love!"
Regina felt her body start to shake as she silently sobbed. This wasn't the first time Snow had called her family but it was the first time the true meaning of the word pierced Regina's heart. All along she could have had this relationship with Snow. She took a deep breath and stood up. "Turn around," she directed as she opened the box. She waited until Snow had done as she asked before unzipping her black pants and shoving them, along with her lace panties, down. Her heart raced as she tried to concentrate on peeing on the little stick. It wasn't until Snow flicked on the sink facet and she heard the running water that she was able to wet the testing strip. She carefully put the lid back on and set the test face down on the side of the sink. And now the waiting began. Regina tried to focus on washing her hands and tucking her blouse back into her slacks but she mind was on the little bit of purple and white plastic.
The test said to wait five minutes before checking for results. Regina couldn't remember five minutes ever feeling so long. She took a deep breath, exhaled slowly and flipped the test over. Her eyes started to burn as she stared at the results. "This can't be right," she muttered, gripping the test so tightly the palm of her hand started to burn.
"They're ninety-nine point nine percent accurate, Regina. It isn't wrong." Snow smiled sweetly. Squeezing her eyes shut, Regina tried to swallow the lump of emotions that had formed in her throat. She didn't care what Snow said. The test had to be wrong. Slowly, she opened her eyes and looked down at the test one last time. Two lines. Two very distinct, life altering lines.
