A/N: This chapter takes place during the events of 3.12/3.13. Snow is pregnant.
Regina's awakened to feel the soft silk of her sheets, and her eyes flew open to see the dimpled ceiling of her bedroom in the house on Mifflin Street. She sat bolt upright in a panic. Unlike the last time she didn't feel an overwhelming sense of having finally won, but instead a sense of confusion and dread. She wasn't supposed to be here. Here wasn't even supposed to exist.
She scrambled out of bed to run to Henry's room, one he hadn't slept in since... well that had been Pan. Since the first curse broke. His bedroom was empty, neat and clean. Untouched as if the boy who's books and toys rested on the shelves hadn't been there in forever.
He hadn't.
Had she made some sort of mistake in undoing the curse... she couldn't have. The price was steep but the magic not complex. She didn't want to pay the price but she'd never have sabotaged it...
She told herself she'd dress and go out into the world to find out what happened, but she was still in her pajamas and robe when the doorbell rang.
Of course it would be a mob. She wasn't going to answer a mob in her pajamas. She started heading upstairs to change when she heard the lock in the door click. Whoever it was had a key... Henry?
But it was not. She saw the back of one of Snow's hideous mohair coats, "Regina?"
"I'm getting dressed, Miss. Blanchard, I'll be down in a minute."
She was prepared for the accusation. For the recriminations. It was Snow after all. She slipped into a pair of slacks and a white blouse, and ran a brush through her hair before she came back down. "I don't know what..." She stopped speaking when she saw Snow standing in the front hall, a hand on her swollen belly. "Well, I know what's happened to you. Been busy dear?"
"Please no jokes Regina," Snow said testily.
"Who said that was a joke. You weren't pregnant yesterday."
"I don't think yesterday was yesterday." Snow put her hands in her pockets, "Regina... did you ...?"
"If this is a new curse I couldn't have cast it."
"Regina..."
"Snow, I couldn't have cast it. I wouldn't cast it. To cast the curse you have to sacrifice the thing you love most... which for me... is Henry."
Snow looked at her for a moment before nodding. "It is Henry."
"Please don't tell me you were wondering if it might be you." Regina said with a snear.
"A girl can dream."
"That would be a very strange dream for you to be having. Where is your husband?"
"He's out checking the town with the dwarfs. Regina... can we sit and have this conversation."
"How far along are you?"
"Well given I have no memory of being pregnant..." Snow responded with a raised eyebrow, and Regina had to admit it was a stupid question.
"Tea?" Regina asked quietly.
"Please."
Regina was relieved. The accusations didn't last long, which rather surprised her. She was quiet while she filled the kettle and readied the pot.
"Regina... it happened right?"
"I've been trying to figure that out. I know I broke the curse. We should have ended up back in the Enchanted Forest. Your... rather sudden state either suggests that you took a sudden interest in sumo wrestling or at least seven or eight months has passed." Regina approached where she was sitting. "May I?"
"Since when have you asked about touching me?"
"I see we're forgetting who started that." Regina raised an eyebrow but did lay a gentle hand on her stomach. There was a warm glow. "Healthy and well along. I'd say eight."
Snow nodded.
"I had ... hoped you'd done it. That the answer would be easy."
"You believe me," Regina actually found herself surprised.
"My track record for knowing when you are lying isn't great, and I don't have Emma's gift, but yes."
"Emma doesn't actually have Emma's gift, you know that?"
"I do." Snow said quietly. "I wish I know where she and Henry were."
"Me too..."
"Regina seems just as confused as the rest of us, I'm not sure she was involved in this."
Snow was turning that over in her head all night while laying in bed next to David. She'd cuddled up to him and he'd put a hand around her, but she knew that was all he'd do. This happened the last time, with Emma, as soon as she was with child he suddenly treated her like a fragile flower that would wilt under any pressure. He'd even forbidden her to ride horseback long before Doc told her she needed. It had been one of their rare fights when they were newly married.
She knew there would be more now, given how... sudden things had occurred.
"...I'm not sure she was involved in this..." She kept turning that statement over in her head. She was sure of it, even with Emma's doubts. The thing you loved most...
Of course that was Henry, and even in her own most self deluded moments Snow could see that. And even if it were her, she was still here, so that must mean Regina was innocent. She kept thinking of the panicked look on her face that morning, and the shock at her condition. Admittedly not the only expression of shock at her condition that day.
Henry's going to break her heart.
She thought about slipping out of the covers and trying to call and warn her, but David turned in bed and lay a strong protective arm over her and that ended that idea. Explaining to her husband that she wanted to call her lover their once mortal enemy to warn her that her son was in town and didn't remember her would be ... quite a conversation.
The next morning though, when she saw the look on Regina's face in the middle of Granny's she wished she'd made the call. She started to get up but she didn't move very fast these days... still not used to that... and Emma was up faster guiding Regina into the back hallway.
Snow had been stuck babysitting Henry the rest of the day as Emma and Regina rushed around apparently playing Nancy Drew. Why didn't anyone invite her to play Nancy Drew. She'd be good at it. Well... maybe not right now she wouldn't.
For some reason she wanted to make a pie that evening. She knew she'd been thinking too much about Regina when she came home from the store with a bag of apples and David had given her a quizzical look. She was working on the pie crust when Emma had come in trailed by a slightly sheepish looking Regina.
David at least kept his hand from going for the sword, but perhaps only because Henry was there and they were still trying to keep it all from him. Except it soon became clear that there was no ill intent in the visit.
"This is Regina Mills, she's the mayor of this town..."
The conversation... the handshake... it broke Snow's heart and she couldn't figure out how Regina was managing to keep her own emotions in check. She was still thinking about it when Emma and Henry had left to go back to the B&B, and Regina had returned home after the revelation about who they were dealing with.
"I want to go check on Regina."
"Snow, there is a witch out there..."
"We've dealt with evil sorceresses before. It never stopped us from living our lives. Besides, there is no reason to think the Wicked Witch has any interest in me. I'll take my car so that I can't be picked off by a flying monkey."
"You know that's not reassuring." David remarked.
"Her son doesn't know who she is..."
"It's Regina," he reminded her.
"It's Regina and she loves that boy more than anything in the world."
"Just... be careful."
"I'll stay over there until sun up again, just to be safe." Snow smiled at him, and felt a little guilty about his reassured smile.
She let herself into the house without knocking, and quietly hung her coat up in the closet before slipping up stairs. "Regina, are you awake."
There wasn't an answer but there were quiet sobs coming from her bedroom and Snow entered, knowing that Regina would know it was her. She slipped into the bed with her quietly without asking permission and put an arm around her. "It's alright Regina. He's alive. We'll make him remember."
"What... what if it's better if he never remembers me."
The depth of self hatred that the queen could achieve, Snow reminded herself, were epic. "No one is best without knowing their mother. I promise. We'll fix this Regina. And for now... it's alright to just cry, my Queen."