10.

Ruby woke up feeling dizzy, at first only registering cold metal and spots of bright light. Her eyes and mind didn't manage to grasp the place she was in, but she was definitively somewhere unfamiliar and overly sanitary.

The smell of bleach, betadine and dogs was just too strong for her wolf senses.

Right, she remembered going into wolf shape, and she remembered that something really awful preceded that event.

Emma.

And when she pictured the blonde, she remembered that it had been the last thought on her mind when she saw the truck coming at full speed in her direction. She gasped, her eyes snapping open as her body finally reacted.

She hollered in pain when her limbs spread out against metal bars. Her ribs were on fire, and she noticed she was completely naked, covered by a very smelly blanket, inside a cage.

And by the barks and bird chirps, there was only one place she could be.

"Hey, what's go- Holy mother of God, what the fuck are you doing there?" Dorothy Gale snapped when she came into the recovery room, realizing an entirely naked Ruby Lucas inside the cage she put the wolf last night.

"You did this to me? Because I'm gonna kill you!" Ruby snarled, letting out ragged breaths as her body ached like hell. She was sweating profusely even though she was absolutely shivering with cold.

Dorothy didn't look scared or nervous; in fact, she seemed curious as she approached the cage. Her steps were careful, and she was as gentle as she could to get Ruby out, her eyes trained on the tall and injured waitress as she unbolted the grates and held her hands to help her climb out.

She only averted her eyes as Ruby limped towards the nearest stool and the blanket didn't do a great job concealing her naked figure. Dorothy hurried to the metal cabinet in the back of the room and picked her jacket.

"Here," she muttered, staring away as she offered it to the other woman. "This blanket is for the animals I rescue on the side of the road. It must be stinking."

"You locked me into a cage!" Ruby hissed, snatching the jacket from her hands. She placed it around her shoulders and sniffed.

"You were the wolf," Dorothy said quietly, now looking at Ruby. "I'm sorry, I- I should probably take you to the hospital, you have two broken ribs-"

"I'm fine," Ruby snarled. "You can take me home."

"But your ribs-"

"You've already done enough, Gale," she interrupted her.

Dorothy sighed. "I'll go get you some clothes. Be right back. And I am really sorry about that."

When she was gone, Ruby pressed her jacket against her shoulders, taking in the scent from the fabric, realizing she kind of liked it, even though she felt angry enough to kill that girl.

What a week.

XXX

She had not expected Ruby to barge inside the Station with breakfast, she really didn't.

Emma had avoided the diner out of respect when Ruby refused to answer her calls for two days in a row, but now she was breaking her resolve on that 'giving space' bullshit. She needed bear claws and she needed to apologize to her friend.

However, it was a surprise to walk in the diner after a fifteen-minute pep talk to herself on the sidewalk and run into Dorothy Gale behind the counter. Granny was scolding her, and for a brief moment Emma thought she was hallucinating due to lack of glycose.

"Oh. It's you," the elder woman said when she noticed the blonde standing there with a look of confusion on her face. "Ruby's inside," she pointed over her shoulder, indicating the door behind her.

"What is she doing here?" Emma asked, eyes on Dorothy.

"She's replacing Ruby," Granny said.

"Why?"

"Ruby had an accident."

"And no one bothered to tell me?" Emma spat, eyeing Dorothy with a suspicious look as she walked around the counter and crossed the archway to their house.

Ruby looked surprised when she saw Emma on the doorway to her bedroom once again. She was stretched on her bed, her body in a strange, stiff angle. Emma noticed a cane and a pile of dvds on her bedside table.

"What the hell happened to you?"

"That idiot ran over me."

"She what?"

"I was in wolf form, and she didn't stop the truck fast enough. She took me to the animal shelter," she said with an eye roll.

Emma was so nervous about this encounter that she merely lost control when she burst out laughing. To her utter relief, Ruby started to laugh too.

"Fuck, don't do that," she groaned, wincing in pain. "I broke a couple of ribs-"

"Did you go see a doctor?"

"She forced me to," Ruby grunted, adjusting her pillows to get more comfortable. "Whale said the bandage she gave me was pretty much the same he would have done. I just need rest now, so it won't poke anything it's not supposed to."

"Good. I feel less inclined to punch her now," she said, sitting by the foot of the bed.

"Don't you dare. She's being incredibly nice, taking over all my shifts-"

"That's the least she could do after hitting you with her car!"

Ruby shrugged. "Granny's butchering her enough for that already."

"Well, she should."

"She's a really good person, you know. It was an accident."

"I know," Emma sighed. "I'm just mad 'cause… I feel responsible for that."

"It wasn't you driving the truck," Ruby said scoffing.

"You know what I mean, Ruby."

The young woman sighed and lowered her eyes to her lap.

"I knew what I was getting into when I asked you out, Emma. I just didn't know I wouldn't be able to… handle it. I had no idea this could go so wrong…"

"If it helps, I thought we would be okay, too," the blonde admitted. "I thought I… I thought that what I felt was…"

"We can't control that," Ruby shook her head. "We don't have a say in who we fall for."

Emma nodded, staring away for a moment. She looked back at Ruby. "I'm really sorry for this mess."

"Well, it was kinda fun, huh?"

"It was," Emma smiled sadly. "I just wish we could… go back to the way things were…"

"I guess time fixes pretty much everything, so…"

"Time," the blonde nodded again, standing on her feet and shoving her hands on the back pockets of her jeans. "Yeah. Time."

"Thank you for coming, though. It was-"

"The least I could do, Ruby," Emma interrupted her, feeling an odd emptiness on her chest. She felt like she was losing more than just a friend at the moment. "I am really sorry."

"I am sorry too," she sighed.

When Emma returned to the diner, she slumped down a stool by the counter. Dorothy came warily in her direction, wiping her hands in a piece of cloth.

"Bear claws and coffee to go," the blonde muttered, looking up only when the other woman smacked the paper bag on the counter in front of her.

"You need to step back," Dorothy said. "Give her time to heal."

Her voice sounded unpleasant. It was actually the first time she heard her speak. Emma really felt like punching her. As if it could make all the pain she was feeling go away.

The Sheriff grabbed her food and stormed away towards the door, turning around to look at the woman again. "You've been meaning to say that from day one, huh?"

Dorothy merely blinked. "Because I know from day one that she deserves better."

Emma scoffed, but well, she was right.

"Well, make sure you don't screw up, then," she shrugged, finally drawing a reaction from the other woman - Dorothy blushed violently. "Yeah, I noticed. Since day one," and with that, Emma left the diner, feeling extremely sad and relieved.

XXX

Regina entered the school courtyard with a heavy load of sarcasm and impatience. The fact that her breasts didn't fit her bra anymore put her on a bad temper. She huffed when she caught another parent looking at her, and she had to focus hard so her magic wouldn't leash out.

Hormones.

"I think we should make an official announcement," Snow said with a tentative smile as she approached the brunette. "These people come from the Enchanted Forest. They don't deal well with mouth to mouth information. I heard someone saying you keep the egg inside your office. Because it's a Swan baby," she added when Regina frowned.

"God," Regina rolled her eyes and let out a deep sigh. "These people need to find things to do, that's the problem."

"Regina, even if they do, gossip is not something you can stop."

She huffed again, following the pixie haired woman towards the conference room. It was incredible how people started to breed from a few years now. The school was packed with parents.

"I don't see why I should give them details about my personal life."

"Well, you are the Mayor-"

"That's not about being the Mayor," Regina spat as they continued to walk. "That's about your daughter. They think I bewitched her."

"Well, that's just stupid to assume. She acts like a fool around you from way back. We were cursed but we weren't blind."

Regina blinked, staring at Snow with genuine curiosity. "Way back? You think?"

Snow considered her answer. She couldn't interfere in that complicated relationship any more than she already had.

"Well, I'm sure Emma told you how she felt."

Regina blushed when memories of that night came back to her. She could hear Emma whispering in her ear.

You have no idea for how long I've wanted to do this.

"It doesn't matter," she spat, shaking her head. "This is between the two of us, and I don't think I have an obligation to do that just because they are a bunch of nosy idiots!"

"Just think about it like an announcement you'd make back home. Because we're royalty, Regina. People expect that from us."

The brunette didn't say anything, but the look on her face indicated that she was considering it, even if a little reluctantly. Snow and Regina parted ways when the teacher reached the group composed by her students' parents.

Regina carried on towards the group of more familiar faces. Henry had a lot of friends now, and she was surprised that she actually got to know most of their parents.

"Good afternoon, Madam Mayor," Michael Tillman said with a polite nod. "Congratulations on the baby!"

"Thank you."

"Well, hello everybody!" Henry's teacher called out. "Please, follow me. We're using classroom twelve for our PTA meeting-"

Regina walked through the hallways and corridors along the other parents, looking around frantically. Where the hell was Emma?

Late again, of course.

Idiot.

They settled down on the disposed desks, and the second Mr. Stevens started his opening speech, the classroom door burst open and Emma Swan appeared, panting.

Regina swallowed hard.

She was wearing one of those sloppy singlets and jeans, her hair a little messy. Regina was supposed to be seeing the usual walking frump.

But hormones.

The arm holes were too loose, allowing Regina to see a strap of black bra. Emma's arms were long, toned. She seemed slightly tanned, or maybe it was the light, which also emphasized muscles and protruding veins with accuracy.

Her blonde hair looked golden under that light as well, and Regina could smell the shampoo scent of her disheveled hair. And the scent in the curve of her neck, just as if she had just buried her nose there. Her eyes traveled down her stiff abdomen, the v line guiding to…

"Sorry I'm late," Emma gasped, waving at the parents, her green eyes boring a little longer on Regina. Was that a smirk on her lips? Regina felt an odd throb between her legs when she caught that.

"Not a problem, Sheriff Swan," Mr. Stevens beckoned her in. "Have a seat and let's begin-"

Emma pulled a chair and sat down close to the door, next to Sarah Bilson, so that she didn't have to move all the way across the back of the classroom and in front of everyone. Several rows away, Regina zeroed in on her when she realized Emma had grinned at that insufferable woman.

Mrs. Bilson was an attractive single mom whose son was very interested in pursuing the Law Enforcement career, and for that reason she always forced him to be friendly with Henry to get near Emma. The boy was always polite enough, but Henry and him had absolutely nothing in common, and the friendship never actually bloomed.

However, she was always around in school events and meetings, and once Regina caught her winking at Emma.

Not to mention that she was Katherine's yoga classmate. She told Regina that Sarah kept wondering out loud how Emma had yoga arms without attending classes. And that she not so discreetly would gurgle about the Sheriff's arms in kinky ways to anyone who would hear – even Snow, who once left the class traumatized after that.

Regina took in a deep breath and tried to focus her attention on Mr. Stevens, but she forgot about him within fifteen seconds, when she heard a low chuckle.

Emma was smirking, but Sarah Bilson was positively laughing at something stupid the Sheriff said – all her jokes were stupid, and Regina had no idea why that show off was going out of her way pretending to be amused.

Regina felt elated when Mr. Stevens cleared his throat. Sarah covered her lips with a stupid 'oops' face, but Emma looked annoyingly cute with that look similar to a naughty kid who got caught doing something wrong.

Cute, she scoffed. It's the hormones, Regina kept telling herself.

Her attention flew back to the blonde the second Henry's teacher began speaking again. Her eyes landed on Emma's veiny hands. She had long, slender fingers, and she absolutely knew how to use them-

Another hot wave hit Regina's lower belly, and by the quickening pulse she felt between her thighs, she realized she was… Oh God. And her nipples hardened when Emma bit her thumb and looked up at her with a discreet, innocent smile.

Regina could lose her skirt and drop her panties right then and there, on top of a school desk if Emma asked her to.

Damn it.

Hormones.

She crossed her legs slowly, groaning internally with the friction it caused.

Emma seemed to feel something was off with her, because she turned to Regina again the moment she adjusted on the uncomfortable chair.

You okay? she mouthed with a slight frown of concern that aroused Regina even more.

The brunette swallowed hard and nodded, leaping out of her seat and excusing herself from the classroom.

Sarah Bilson rolled her eyes in disappointment when Emma ran after her.

XXX

Regina closed her eyes as she splashed cold water on her face for the third time. She reached out for the paper towels dispenser and looked at herself in the mirror. Her cheeks were flushed, and her erratic breathing could suggest she just ran a marathon. She placed both hands on the wet surface of the sink, waiting for her heart to calm down, when a sudden wave of heat hugged her from behind.

All her pores stood on end, one by one.

When she looked to the right, she caught Emma's reflex behind her shoulder, cautiously approaching her.

"Are you sure you're okay?" Emma asked quietly, her voice coming out huskier than she obviously planned. She cleared her throat. "Are you and the baby alright?"

Regina swallowed hard at that. Her skin was goosebumped, and she actually felt a shiver go down her spine, just as if Emma's voice had the power to tickle the back of her neck. She turned around, only to prove herself delusional.

Emma stood several steps away from her, leaning her left shoulder on one of the cubicles with her arms folded. She offered a small, encouraging smile that made Regina's breath get caught on her throat.

"It's just… temperature," she stammered, wiping her face with the paper towels.

"Do you want some water?"

More like a cold shower…

"Actually, I think I'll just go home. You can go ahead and hear Mr. Stevens compliment Henry," she added with a small smile that barely reached her eyes. "I know how you love to show off to the other parents."

Emma shook her head. "He can send us a report. I'll drive you."

Swoon.

Damn hormones.

Regina would probably jump on her lap if they got stuck together inside a car.

"That's not necessary," she shook her head. "I'm just a little uncomfortable."

Emma narrowed her eyes. Regina's lips looked redder, and she could sense the heat emanating from them. Her pupils were dilated, and her cheeks flushed.

"You're hiding something."

"I am not! It's just mild discomfort," Regina added.

"Right," Emma nodded, not entirely convinced, unfolding her arms.

Those damn arms. And her hands.

Regina needed to get away from her.

"Send me a message when you get home," Emma said.

"Take a seat far from Sarah Bilson," the brunette spat, unable to stop herself. She marched out of the bathroom before she could see Emma's face and hurried to her car.

Emma had a smug smile on her lips. She shook her head and walked back to the classroom.

XXX

At first it had felt like it was an eternity away, but when she realized it, Emma was pacing nervously behind her desk, waiting for Regina. They were going to see Doctor Whale for their second appointment, and Emma could not help feeling like that.

She was so, so happy with the perspective of having another child that the idea of something wrong finally hit her, and that was terrifying.

She waved a nervous goodbye to David as she hurried outside. Regina had just parked, and she looked surprised to see her walking towards the car.

The truth was, either Emma's sense of hearing was enhanced when it came to Regina's car's engines or it was her sense of smell that could detect the Mayor's perfume from miles away.

Or both.

But something sizzled around her body, and she just knew Regina and their baby were near.

"You didn't forget," Regina said once Emma slumped down the passenger seat. She sounded more relieved than arrogantly surprised, and that didn't go unnoticed by the blonde.

"Of course I didn't," she muttered, looking at the Mayor. Regina was wearing a dark red dress, black pantyhose and black heels. "Wow, you look gorgeous," she said, not even bothering to pretend that she didn't see what was in front of her.

Regina looked up at her; usually she would come up with a snarky comment or snob retort, but she just didn't have it in her this morning. The mere presence of the mother of her baby was making her body react very inappropriately to say the least.

"Thank you," she muttered, igniting the car.

Why Emma looked so good in leather jackets was beyond her, she mused as she drove, but there was something about those tight jeans and her long, lean legs today. The way her narrow hips just fit perfectly between Regina's legs. The way she pressed them to keep Regina against the wall over the headboard of her bed. Her soft butt cheeks, rocking back and forth, rubbing-

"Do you want me to drive?" Emma asked, making Regina snap back to reality violently. "You looked flushed and breathless again."

"Do I?" Regina hissed, opening the window on her side to get some air. "I feel fine."

"We should tell Whale about this. It's the second time you have trouble breathing-"

"I said I'm fine!"

"Fine," Emma conceded, looking at her with the corner of her eyes. Why did Regina have to be so hot? Because damn, she looked exactly like she did hours before they made that baby.

"I still think I should drive," she added, pushing the brunette's buttons.

"And I think you need to shut up," Regina spat, growing wet between her legs with each passing second next to that idiot. She tried to drive as fast as she could, respecting Storybrooke's ridiculous speed limits, scolding herself for being so rigorous about traffic rules.

When they parked in front of the hospital, Regina was seconds away from jumping the blonde and kissing her. The brunette got out of the car quickly, her heels clicking against the pavement as she marched towards the building.

Her body started to tingle as Emma caught up with her, and as they walked side by side, shivers ran down her spine and heat waves rolled over her abdomen.

It was that idiot's fault she was so full of hormones.

She was going to kill her.

When they arrived at the exam room, Emma took a step back so Regina could go inside with the nurse and change into the hospital gown.

"Good to see you again, Sheriff," Dr. Whale said, stopping next to Emma to wait.

"Hey," she nodded her head, staring uncomfortably at her hands. There was something in the way he looked at her, with that smug face, that got to her nerves. Maybe it was because he made her feel too self-conscious, just as if he had been there when they had sex.

"She's ready for you," the nurse said exiting the room.

Whale indicated the door to Emma. "Moms first."

Emma rolled her eyes and marched inside, finding Regina already on the exam gurney, wearing a blue gown and covered in white bedsheets from her waist down.

"Madam Mayor," he said politely, taking a stool next to bed and a clipboard from a metal tray. "How have you been?"

"Like a balloon," she snarled, hating to admit that in front of Emma.

"You look in shape," he said, turning to Emma. "Doesn't she?"

"Of course she does," the blonde said, narrowing her eyes at him. Were OBGYM doctors supposed to be that complimentary or was it just Whale begging to feel Emma's fist on his nose?

"You haven't put on a single pound since our last appointment," Whale said to Regina, checking her former exams. "That's good news, because at some point you inevitably will, but for now it's good to keep it like this. The sensation of being bloated is bad enough without any additional weight. What do you usually do to alleviate?"

"Mostly I walk around the house until it goes away."

Whale nodded and turned to Emma again. "You can help her with a few exercises, and you can use pretty much anything you have in the house. Ironing boards, pillows, cushions-"

"Don't give her ideas," Regina grunted, leaning against the backrest.

She pictured Emma throwing a pillow on her couch in the living room. Bend over, Regina, she would say. Face down, ass up-

"If there are other things I can do other than hold your hand in six or seven months when you go in labor, I wanna know," Emma said, slightly annoyed.

Regina came back from her erotic two-second daydream and looked at the blonde. So Emma wanted to hold her hand when she gave birth to their baby. Regina had pictured the blonde outside of the room, pacing and yelling, passing out cigars to people.

"You need to accept help," Whale said to Regina, patting her forearm gently. "It must be upsetting at first, but it's always an advantage not doing it alone, Regina."

Emma's neck almost snapped when she heard that. So it was Regina now, huh?

"Are you okay?" Regina asked her with a frown.

Emma let out a deep breath and nodded. She needed to calm her tits. It was so not the moment to have an irrational jealous crisis.

They were not even a damn couple.

Because Regina didn't want it.

Even though they were fucking True Loves.

Emma tuned in again in their conversation, and the words breasts, libido and hormones were the only ones she registered. Whale started to handle her a bunch of pamphlets again, and then he brought the ultrasound machine closer.

"Okay, let's see how the baby is, now…" he said, pulling the probe. "Excuse me," he added, parting Regina's gown open so he could apply gel on her slightly round stomach.

Emma didn't realize it was starting to show, and something hit her straight in the chest when she saw the small baby bump. Her happiness was cut short when Whale adjusted the volume and the sound of uncoordinated heart beats filled the room.

Regina instinctively reached out for Emma's hand this time.

"What's wrong?" she whispered, sharing a quick glance with the blonde before turning to Whale. "What's wrong with the baby's heartbeat?"

He frowned, moved the probe around Regina's belly again and then after seconds that lasted a torturous eternity, he turned to both women with his eyebrows raised.

"Well, there's nothing wrong with the heartbeat because that was not a heartbeat."

"And what was that?" Emma asked impatiently, squeezing Regina's hand gently.

Whale's lips cracked into a small, enigmatic smile.

"Two heartbeats," he said.

"What?" Emma mumbled, looking at Regina like a lost puppy. "Why?"

"Look," he pointed at screen monitor. He isolated the sound after clicking a few buttons, rolling the probe over the brunette's abdomen. "Baby number one," he clicked other buttons and rolled the probe to the other side of the bump. "Baby number two. You're having twins," he grinned. "Congratulations!"

Emma felt like her heart had started beating for the first time when she looked down at Regina again.

"Two babies," she whispered to the brunette, smiling goofily at her, tears pooling the edges of her green eyes. "We're having two bab-"

Regina reached up for the lapel of her jacket and pulled her down, kissing her fully on the lips. She was so relieved that she didn't even think before doing it. For a second, she closed her eyes, taking in Emma's scent…

God, she missed it…

Emma was the one to break it when Whale chuckled in a very distant background. "I'll give you guys a moment."

They looked awkwardly breathless at each other when he left the room.

Regina tugged a loose strand of hair behind her ear, registering that Emma seemed a bit confused with her mixed signs.

"I'm sorry, I…"

"It's okay," Emma mumbled, touching her lips.

"No it's not," Regina said, thinking about Ruby. That wasn't right, no matter how much she had wanted it. "It's not right, and I am sorry."

"Don't worry about it," the blonde mumbled, sitting down on the nearest stool, looking at the monitor, never letting go of Regina's hand.

Then she looked at the Mayor. "I struggled for an entire night to come up with cool names for the baby. Now I'll have to start over, because there are two of them!"

Regina smiled broadly. "You made a list of names?" she whispered, oddly emotional with that information.

"What, are you gonna kiss me again for that?" Emma smirked at her, entwining their fingers over the bed.

Regina smacked her arm with her free hand, chuckling. "Of course not. Idiot," she added.