Operation Baby Dragon
What to expect...
They've finished today's work at the Town Hall and decided on going to Granny's to get lunch.
Regina is busy eating her sandwich, and Maleficent... Well, Maleficent is busy staring. At Regina.
And that's nothing new, but it has been going on for the past ten minutes or so. Time to get an explanation.
So Regina turns her head and looks at her life partner. "Is there something I can help you with, or...?"
"When is she gonna show up?" Maleficent asks and tilts her head curiously.
"When's who gonna show up?"
"Odile."
"In nine months," Regina says a bit flatly. "Surely, you do know tha..."
"Of course I know that," Maleficent interrupts and rolls her eyes. "I meant when can people tell that you're pregnant? When can people actually see it?"
"Oh," Regina says and puts her sandwich down. She actually isn't quite sure about that herself, but she has been doing some reading about it online. "I think when I'm around sixteen weeks pregnant."
"Really? it takes that long?"
"Usually, yes," Regina nods. "Why? Didn't it take that long with you?"
"I don't know," Maleficent admits. "I spend most of my pregnancy in Dragon form. One day I turned back into a human and Lily was just..." the blonde gestures to her abdomen. "There."
"I see," Regina says and chuckles. "I'm afraid you have to be a little patient this time around."
"It would appear so." Maleficent reaches across the table and takes Regina's hand. "But I can live with that."
"Good." Regina smiles.
"You are one week pregnant today," Maleficent says and grins.
"Has it been a week already? My, how time flies," Regina replies amusedly. One week since the Big Magic Show. One week since That Night. That night where she and Maleficent practically melted into one for a moment.
That was a special night.
The door to the diner opens and Henry comes in. He has spent the night and morning at his grandparents, as he so often does. Snow is trailing behind him.
"Hi, mom. Hey, Mal," the teenager says as he sits down next to them.
"Hi honey, how was school?" Regina asks. She wants to raise her hand and ruffles his hair, but she can't. And for two simple reasons. One: Henry has developed this habit of scowling at her whenever she ruffles his hair. And two: physically, she's much, much too warm to touch him right now. The "excess warmth" is still a problem. It hasn't gone away on its own, and Regina is currently considering whether something needs to be done about it. She isn't sure what, but she would like to be able to touch her son.
It might be awfully romantic that Maleficent is the only one who can touch her fully without being burned, but the poetic effect is wearing off. Regina isn't just the life partner of a Dragon. She's also Henry's mother.
"It was okay," Henry says with a light shrug. "How are you doing?"
"Fine. Just fine."
Henry grins as he very briefly reaches out and touches his mother's hand. "Dragon temperature," he comments. "Again."
"I know," Regina sighs and shoots Mal a glance. "Someone told me it would wear off, but clearly it hasn't yet."
"It will," Maleficent says. "I promise. It just needs to... settle in a bit."
"Right."
"Is that a fancy for not knowing when it will go away?" Henry asks cheekily.
Maleficent raises an amused eyebrow at that. "You know, where I come from, it's usually the dragons who carries the child. This is a bit different."
"Because you guys chose that Mom was the one to carry the baby."
"Chose?" Maleficent echoes. "Oh no, that was not a choice. That dream I had about Odile was a prophecy."
"Right. So you've said," Henry nods and his eyes sparkles. He's deeply interested in knowing everything about dragons.
Someone clears their throat, and when Regina looks up, Snow is standing by their table.
"I've got something for you," she says before Regina gets the chance to open her mouth.
"Okay?" Regina says and blinks a little in surprise. "And what is that then?"
Snow smiles broadly as she reaches within a bag and presents Regina with a book.
"Oh," Regina says and looks at the book. What To Expect When You're Expecting.
"That's very nice of you," Regina continues. "And I really appreciate it, but isn't that a little early?"
"It's never too early to prepare," Snow says briskly and shrugs. "And I had a hunch you didn't have many books about this particular subject."
"I don't have any books about this subject," Regina acknowledges. "Thank you."
"You're welcome," Snow smiles. "This was pretty much my bible when I was pregnant with Neal. Now it's yours. Keep it. I'm sure you'll find it just as helpful as I did."
And with that, the princess smiles at Maleficent and then walks over to the door to great her husband who just walked in with Neal in his arms.
"What's that?" Maleficent asks interested and looks at the book.
"A book that can answer all your questions."
"Pardon?"
"It's a book about pregnancy," Regina explains. "Snow seems to think I need it now."
"You do need it now, mom," Henry grins.
"I know," Regina quickly assures. But it actually hasn't quite sunk in yet. The fact that she's actually pregnant.
"Interesting," Maleficent says briskly as she snatches the book from Regina and opens it. "Let's see then."
She reads with great interest and makes little noises of excitement whenever she stumbles over a new fact.
Regina suffocates a smile. Watching Maleficent read is quite entertaining.
Henry seems to think so too. The teenager grins.
"You are supposed to get nauseous around week six," Maleficent informs Regina as she looks up from the book. "Did you know that?"
"Yes," Regina nods and tries not to cringe. "I did in fact know that. It's called morning sickness."
"Hmm. Interesting. I didn't have that," Maleficent says.
"You didn't?"
"No, I just wasn't hungry." Maleficent says with a light shrug. "Maybe it's because I was in dragon form."
"Yes, that's probably why."
"Hmm, what's next?" Maleficent continues as she flips a few pages forward. "Fatigue. Mood swings. Bloating."
"How delightful," Regina says a bit dryly as Henry chuckles next to her.
"What's wrong with that?" Maleficent asks and frowns. "You are supposed to get bigger."
"Yes, I know that," Regina says and decides to just agree with her life partner. Because said life partner has a point.
"And this book says that you'll get really tired in the first two months or so," Mal continues. "That does sounds familiar. I slept a lot when I was carrying Lilith."
"I can live with being a bit sleepy," Regina says.
Maleficent frowns as she flips forward in the book. "Darling, are you aware over how much stuff we're gonna need? Car seat. Bottles. Baby carriers. Stroller. A crib. A highchair. A baby monitor. Whatever that may be. Nursing pillows. Nipple cream..."
Next to them, Henry coughs rather loudly.
"A lot of stuff then," Regina interrupts and snatches the book out of Maleficent's hands. "Now give me that. Before you psych yourself out completely."
"Are you implying that I'll get cold feet?" Maleficent asks and narrows her eyes dangerously at Regina. "Because that is not very funny, little queen."
"I didn't say that," Regina quickly assures and opens the book to flip through it herself.
This could very possibly psych her out. She's practically being attacked by sentences such as: baby dropping. Cervix dilating. Cramps. Mucus plug. Strong contractions. Water breaking.
She tries not to grimace as she reaches the chapter about The Three Stages of Labor.
Phase 1: Early (latent) labor.
The first of the three stages of labor, called the latent phase, is usually the longest, but thankfully it's also the least intense by far. Over a span of time from several hours to several weeks, often without noticeable or bothersome contractions, or over a period of no-doubt-about-it contractions, your cervix will dilate (open) to 3 centimeters and efface (thin out).
Well, that sounds fun.
Stage 2 sounds even better. Active Labor.
The second stage, or active phase, of labor usually lasts from two to three-and-a-half hours (with a wide range of what's considered normal) as your cervix dilates to 7 centimeters. You'll usually be in the hospital or birthing center by this phase, or if you're delivering at home, your midwife should be with you by now.
Regina tries not to think too much of the "with a wide range of what's considered normal". And the word "dilates". She tries not to think too much of that either.
Your contractions will grow more concentrated and increasingly more intense — in other words, painful. As they become stronger and longer (typically lasting 40 to 60 seconds, with a distinct peak halfway through) and more frequent (coming every three to four minutes, though the pattern may not be regular), you can expect to feel all of the following (you won't feel pain if you've had an epidural by this point):
So basically, she'll just be in pain and unable to speak. Great. Wonderful. Maybe she can curse herself through labors or something like that.
There's a long paragraph about "breathing exercises". She'll have to memorize those for later. She'll most likely need them.
And then there's the epidural business. Does she want a medicated birth or an unmedicated birth?
Her first imminent response is that she wants and unmedicated birth. If Snow White could give birth to Emma in the middle of a Dark Curse...
The book also recommends walking around. But how's she supposed to do that if she's in pain?
Maybe the urge will come naturally.
Phase Three: Transitional (Advanced) Labor.
During the third stage, called transitional labor — the last, most intensive phase — your cervix will dilate from 7 to its final 10 centimeters. Fortunately it's also the shortest, generally lasting from 15 minutes to an hour (though it can sometimes take up to three hours).
Okay, now she's definitely psyched out. Three hours?!
Suddenly, the intensity of contractions picks up. They may become very strong and 60 to 90 seconds long, and with very intense peaks that last for most of the contraction. Some women, particularly those who have given birth before, may experience multiple peaks. Because they're spaced only about two or three minutes apart, it may seem as though you barely get to relax before the next contraction begins.
The list of things she'll feel in this next "phase" is long. And it includes: Strong pressure, crampy legs that might shake uncontrollably, drowsiness, a tightening sensation in throat or chest, nausea and/or vomiting, fatigue, rectal pressure, urge to push, burning sensation, etc. etc.
"Darling?"
"Hmm?" Regina looks up.
"You've gone quiet," Maleficent says. "You know I don't like when you go quiet."
"I was just reading about labor pains," Regina says with false enthusiasm. "That's gonna be so much fun."
"Oh," Maleficent says gently.
Regina closes the book. "I think I'm saving the Pushing The Baby Out chapter for tomorrow."
"Or for another day perhaps?" Maleficent suggests and flicks her wrist to make the book disappear.
Regina raises an eyebrow.
"I don't want you to get all nervous." Maleficent says plainly. "Start with the chapter First Signs of Pregnancy."
"Giving birth is a pretty crucial part of pregnancy," Regina does her best to joke.
"Yes, but not a relevant one yet. I don't want you to get nervous."
"She's right, mom," Henry chirps in.
"As I always am," Maleficent chuckles.
That's when the door to the diner opens and Emma and Killian steps inside. Killian quickly heads for the counter, probably to order coffee, but Emma comes over to Regina, Mal and Henry, and the teasing is obviously in the blonde's voice when she greets her son with a: "hey kid, where's the girlfriend?"
"Mom." Henry says flatly and turns his gaze to the ceiling like Emma is completely ridiculous, but the pink tinge is obvious in his cheeks.
"Ohh, he looks exactly like you when he does that," Maleficent comments interested and grins at Regina.
"He does?" Emma asks and turns her attention to Maleficent.
"Oh yes, I've seen that expression on Regina's face many, many times. Haven't I, darling?"
"I can't imagine when," Regina dismisses. But she might have made that face quite a few times.
"Yes you do," Maleficent teases and snickers. "Your memory is as good as mine."
Regina just shrugs.
"How's Baby Dragon doing?" Emma asks and laughs a little.
"Baby Dragon is barely here yet," Regina scolds mildly.
"What nonsense," Maleficent interjects. "Of course Odile is here. Do you think that warm spot on your stomach is a joke?"
"No, of course not."
"Warm spot?" Emma asks puzzled. "What's that supposed to mean?"
"That's supposed to mean that there's a spot on my stomach that's warmer than the rest of me," Regina quickly explains. "A spot where we can feel the baby."
"Odile," Maleficent immediately corrects.
"Right. Odile."
"Seriously?" Emma asks. "You can feel her? Already?"
"Yes. Well, we can feel her warmth," Regina half-jokes.
"Wow. That's really..."
"Dragon-y?" Henry suggests and grins.
"Yeah. Something like that."
"Next thing might be scales," Regina jokes. "Or fire breath."
"Don't be silly, darling." Maleficent drawls. "You won't get scales. Or fire breath. But you might get a certain fondness for red meat."
Regina stares at her life partner. "Is that a joke?"
"No?" Maleficent says confused. "Why would it be?"
"I don't eat red meat," Regina says plainly. "I don't like it."
"You're going to," Maleficent says plainly.
"And you know that because...?"
"Because I've read it in one of the books I brought from my library."
Okay then. Regina takes a moment to digest that. She doesn't like red meat. She doesn't even like when her meat is medium rare. And now Maleficent tells her that she's going to like red meat?
"Am I going to transform into a dragon too?" she inquires and pretends to take this new information in strides.
"No, I don't believe so, sweet one."
Regina raises an eyebrow. "You don't believe so? Excuse me, but you don't sound very certain about..."
"You are not gonna transform into a dragon," Maleficent interrupts firmly, but looks ever so slightly hurt as she continues: "but even if you did, what would be so bad about it? I assure you, it's not horrible."
Regina softens slightly at that. "I never said it was. But I'm not used to having wings like you are."
Emma chuckles as she and Killian sits down at a nearby table.
"No, I guess you're not," Mal says with a chuckle. "I recall a certain someone who used to beg me to teach her how to transform into a dragon, though."
"You did?" Henry asks Regina and grins.
"Yes," Regina openly admits. "I was rather fascinated about the idea of flying."
"Exactly," Maleficent says with false sadness. "And now you're practically balking at the idea of being a dragon..."
"I am not," Regina says firmly. "I'm just saying it would be quite the shock if that was to happen."
Maleficent snickers lightly. "It's not gonna happen. I assure you."
"Very well then."
Maleficent snickers again as she moves from the chair to the bench Regina is sitting on. Within seconds, her hands are wandering to Regina's belly.
Regina raises an eyebrow.
"I'm talking to our daughter," Maleficent defends.
"I wish I could do that too," Henry says and pouts a little.
"I promise you, you will be able to," Regina assures. "I'll throw some extra fireballs to get rid of the excess warmth or something."
"Do that," Henry snickers. "I wanna feel Odile too."
Regina smiles at that and then turns to Mal: "we have to do something about that extra heat. I'm willing to give it one more week, but..."
"I'll search through every book I brought," Maleficent promises.
"Yes, please do," Regina jokes. "There are handprints everywhere on my desk at the town hall."
Maleficent smirks rather shamelessly, and Regina knows exactly why. The desk isn't the only thing she's been leaving handprints on.
That reminds me, we need new sheets. Thinking about it, maybe we should buy a stack.
Yes, that's probably a good idea. It's terribly difficult to "just" sleep at night, and quite a few sheets has already perished because of it.
Maleficent's grin widens, and Regina has a distinct feeling that the Dragon is listening in on her thoughts.
Regina frowns softly at her life partner. That's not a very nice thing to do. Stop reading my thoughts, dragon.
"Hey."
Both Regina and Maleficent looks up. Lily is standing at their table.
"Hi, honey," Regina greets their daughter before she can stop herself.
But Lily doesn't even roll her eyes at it. She just chuckles as she sits down next to them.
"Where's Esme?" Maleficent inquires.
"Working late at the animal shelter, so I was thinking about coming over for dinner later."
"That would be nice," Regina smiles.
"What are we having?" Lily teases.
"Red meat," Regina says sardonically.
Maleficent laughs wholeheartedly at that.
To Be Continued...