AN:: BOOM BOOM BOOM. We're having a baby everyone!

I'm so excited and I didn't want to say anything in the summary because it's not what this was supposed to be in the beginning, and especially not when I got the prompt, but the more I think about it and flesh it out in my head, the more I want it to happen. I have so much planned, and please hold on to your asses. Thank you for reading and all of your feedback. You are beautiful.

Thank you again to Sammichbatch because she is majestic and perfect and having all of the answers! Seriously, this thing is so much more polished and makes more sense because she's helping me. I give her so much credit.

Reviews make me smile. You are loved.

Cora grinned and opened the door for her daughter and grandson. "Hello dears!" She hugged them both and looked behind them.

Regina looked behind her and frowned, realizing the intention.

"No Graham? I thought you said he could make it today?"

Henry dipped his head down and continued back into the house.

The older woman looked back at her daughter with a scowl not meant for her. "What did he do?"

"Mother."

"Regina, what happened?"

She shook her head and put her purse and cardigan on the coat rack. "I was going to wait until after brunch."

"Too late now - come. Sit down." She swept some hair off of her shoulder and pat the sofa across from her, sitting on the decorative chair right next to it.

It took most of her composure not to droop her shoulders and drag her feet like a child, but she sat down and took a breath. "Graham and I aren't together anymore."

Cora nodded, trying her hardest to look understanding and not nosy, or honestly elated.

"I came home, he was reprimanding Henry-"

"For what? That's not his place! He-"

Regina closed her eyes and shook her head, waiting for her to stop.

She quieted herself and placed her hands in her lap. "What happened?"

"According to Henry, he'd just gotten home from school, and Graham had asked him to do the dishes, and he did. He was putting the wine glasses away and Graham came back in the Kitchen and thought he was trying to steal liquor-"

"Henry's eleven years old, what would he want with alcohol?"

Regina nodded, looking at the ground.

Cora put a hand on her arm. "Darling, you don't think he had any merit in what he was accusing Henry of?"

"Oh no." She shook her head. "Absolutely not." She blinked heavily for a moment. Her shoulders tensed. "I just... I'm disappointed in myself for letting him go through that. I never thought Graham would treat Henry that way, but it's my fault for not protecting him."

"Regina."

She shrugged.

There was a moment of silence, and Cora moved next to her daughter and took her hand, not saying a word, and not pressuring her to talk, even though it was all over Regina's expression there was so much more. She just waited, giving her room to gather her words.

Regina angled herself to look at her mother and made her face strong again. "He's leaving this week, for the FBI academy.. Even though I told him I was pregnant."

Cora's hand went over her mouth immediately. "Really?"

Regina nodded, smiling tearfully.

"That's wonderful!"

She laughed and rolled her eyes. "It is not!" She looked behind her, making sure Henry wasn't within an earshot. "It's stressful and overwhelming - I never planned on having another baby alone."

"You had Henry by yourself."

"That's different - I decided to have him. I signed papers and went through having to prove myself as worthy to be a parent. I had no intention of getting pregnant until after the wedding, if at all. Well.. there won't be a wedding now. I just-" She shook her head with another breath. "I'm just not prepared. I'm sure I will be by the time the baby's here, but thinking of it now just makes my head spin."

Cora brought her daughter in, and hugged her tight.

"Is this affection?"

She hit the back of Regina's head comically. "Stop it."

The younger woman rested her head on her mother's shoulder and sighed, leaving a bit of weight behind.

"When are you going to tell Henry."

She shrugged, still curled against Cora. "Emma's helping me with all of that. Reconnecting and explaining things to him on his level."

"Perfect. After all, they're intellectually similar aren't they? Assuming Henry hasn't passed her up yet."

"You're terrible." She pulled back, swallowing down another tiny bout of nausea.

"I'm sorry." Her hand went to Regina's knee. "She's been around a bit more than you planned."

Regina looked back toward Henry again. "I don't mind." Looking turned into staring at him before she smiled "Actually, I think she's becoming a wonderful friend. I.. I really do enjoy having her around."

Cora's eyebrows rose. But she simply squeezed Regina's knee and stood up. "Aright. Let's go eat."

"You wouldn't like to further delve into my sorrows?"

"Not for the moment. There will be plenty of time for that in your third trimester."

Regina simply smiled and followed her into the dining room.

Everything started to slow down from then on.

Regina was right - when you go too fast in a quiet town everything rushes by you. It'd felt like fifteen minutes since she got her apartment in town, and that was over six months before. The five-hour drives between Brooklyn and Storybrooke went from twice a week to every other day, picking up Henry from school and more or less taking over at the station. By week two, Emma signed all of the necessary forms to end her lease in her old apartment, and moved the rest of her things to Maine.

Waking up in the morning suddenly meant a nine to five and supervising people that knew her name. And now that Graham had disappeared from the face of the earth, it was her job to be 'Acting Sheriff' until she was legally allowed to be promoted, pick up Henry from school and start him on his homework. Regina would get back from the office and go between her study, helping Henry with math and teaching Emma how to cook whatever it was they were having for dinner that night.

Which meant lasagna for the third time, because that was always Henry's answer when asked what he wanted.

A particularly tired looking Regina peeked back in the kitchen as Emma looked after the sauce that night. "How's it going in here?"

Emma crunched her face up. "You'd think I'd get the hang of this since it's all you guys ever eat."

"You'd think!" She smiled, taking a hair tie off of her wrist and handing it to the blonde. "Put that mop up. I would prefer not to pull long blonde strands out of my food, thank you."

She rolled her eyes. "I can't wait until you get fat."

Regina laughed, which slowly turned into a frown. Emma hated that look, not knowing if it was going to turn into a quiet Regina for the rest of the night, or her running for the bathroom again, or if she'd go back to smiling and being super woman again. Not that she'd ask what was wrong - the answer was written all around them in empty picture frames and half of the things Graham never picked up.

"Hey." She stepped closer and elbowed the brunette softly. "Go lay down. I'll come get you when dinner's ready."

Her eyebrows hit the ceiling. "And leave you to poison us all?"

"Shut up!" Emma shook her head and took over laying the... noodle sheets in the pan. Whatever those things were called. "See - worst comes to worst we move up left over night, and you know never to trust me with food again."

Regina looked at her.

"I mean it. You're exhausted. And this is me helping - go relax for half a second."

It took a moment, but she looked to Henry in the other room, and then the floor. "So you'll help with homework?"

"Yup."

"And finish dinner?"

Emma smiled obnoxiously.

"...Alright." She rolled her eyes with that smile that made Emma die a little bit inside. "Henry's almost done anyway. He knows the recipe fairly well."

"Excuse me? You think I need help from an eleven year old?"

Regina took her time getting to the hallway. "Oh, I think you need all the help you can get."

"I hope you're just talking about the food."

"Sure." And with a wink, she started up the stairs.

Emma had been right about the exhaustion - Regina would no sooner paint herself blue than admit that Emma being right was happening more and more often. She kicked off her heels and let her head hit the pillow.

Then out of nowhere, Emma was perched on the edge of her bed smiling lightly.

"You know you sleep with your mouth open?"

She felt her face wrinkle. "No, I don't."

"You absolutely do. Like all the way open. You were snapping up flies before I woke you up."

"Is dinner ready?"

The blonde looked away. "Sorta?"

"What's that supposed to mean?"

Emma shifted, bringing a knee up to her chin but Regina hit it away quickly.

"No shoes. Not on the comforter."

She kicked off her boots and crossed her legs. "So... somehow I managed to burn the edges but the middle wasn't cooked at all."

Regina covered her eyes as she laughed.

"Henry and I got pizza instead."

"Oh, good."

Her hand fell on to her stomach as it had been doing on what seemed like instinct, and Emma's eyes followed. It took a minute but she pointed awkwardly. "Is it all... weirdly firm yet?"

"My belly?"

Emma nodded.

"Yeah, I was thinking about it today actually. It is rather odd." She grabbed Emma's hand and pressed it into her flesh, demonstrating. "It's like my body started protecting it right away."

The younger woman tugged her hand away and shrugged. "I guess it does."

Regina looked at her skeptically. She hadn't really wanted to participate in baby-talk. Not that Regina did too much of it, but she didn't entirely understand. She sat up a bit and crossed her arms. "How long until it starts moving?"

Emma shrugged. "I can't really remember." There was an odd look that passed over her features before her eyes moved up to the ceiling. "I remember that.. like a couple months before I had him, this really old Mexican lady was arrested. Nobody knew what she did - even the girls who spoke Spanish, she wouldn't talk to anyone. And she had those really awful drawn on eyebrows."

Regina hummed a soft laugh.

"At night she would sing these songs - they sounded like lullabies, in Spanish and the little shit kicked me all night long."

"Really?"

Emma nodded.

"I used to sing him lullabies in Spanish. It was the only thing that would calm him down."

She smiled bigger and tossed a look toward the door. "I guess that means he was always supposed to be yours."

"Yeah..." Her eyes went down to her stomach again. "I guess it does."

There was a soft silence between the two before Emma shifted a bit closer and brought her knees up to rest her chin on. "When are you going to tell him?"

"My mother asked me the same thing last weekend."

"AAaaaaand what did you say?"

Regina made a face, but didn't answer.

"Not that you have to tell him soon - I'm sure he won't notice for a while. But chances are he'll notice the beach ball under your shirt if you hold off too long."

She shrugged and gave another sigh. But it wasn't the usual weighted sigh that had been common over the past few weeks. Her eyes went to her fingers, tinkering with her nails. "Can I ask you something?"

"Yeah." Emma stayed quiet, leaving Regina the floor to voice whatever needed without pressure.

Her mouth popped out a bit, like her tongue was sliding over her teeth behind her lips. "I... I was wondering if you remembered the process of signing your rights away."

All Emma could do was raise her eyebrows.

Regina sat forward shaking her head. "I don't want to give the baby away- that's not-" Her fingers swept through her hair quickly. "I just think... Graham just left. He didn't-"

The tears came out of nowhere, and without being asked Emma crawled up the bed beside Regina and put an arm around her easily, running her thumb up and down the small section of bicep it could reach. The brunette wasn't really crying so much as whimpering, and Emma didn't mind. She'd have fun calling her 'preggers' or 'whiny' as soon as she started crying over something stupid, which was bound to happen here soon.

The older woman dabbed the tears away and just rested her head on Emma's shoulder.

"You want Graham to sign his rights over." Emma finished.

Regina nodded.

"I think it's a good idea."

"I think it's necessary. He's not ready to be a father... a fact I took much too long to realize."

Emma squeezed her a little. "Stop blaming yourself. He's an asshole. I guess he's a really responsible asshole... and he was attractive-ish."

Regina laughed.

"No. I didn't think he was hot at all. I don't know what you saw in him. Not even a little bit."

"He was just there." She shrugged. "No- He was there, and... as much as it didn't seem like it, he made me feel wanted. I haven't been in many relationships by any means, but he made me feel important to him. He made time for me." She had to gulp down the knot in her throat. "I'd been lonely for so long, and he filled a space I was sure I'd never find in this town. And I miss him."

Emma frowned at herself, but just wrapped her other arm around the brunette as soon as her lip curled under. This time she cried, but Emma didn't shy away like she was so sure she would.

"I don't know.. I don't think I miss him. I miss what I convinced myself he was. I made him perfect in my head so I could ignore all of the things that were wrong." A strangled laugh ripped out from behind the tears. "God, I hate it when you're right."

"What?"

She pulled back and wiped her face. "We had that fight - a couple weeks after Henry found you-"

"Right..." Emma pinched the bridge of her nose. "Shit, that was awful."

"You called it immediately - you saw how terribly everything was working, and I was right there. I couldn't."

"It's okay." She rubbed Regina's back carefully. "You were too close - you just had that picture of how everything could be and that kinda.. clouded everything that was really happening. It's not your fault."

"I keep trying to believe that."

"And keep trying. You won't get it immediately, but you'll see. It's okay."

Regina just smiled, looking at Emma and her kindness, giving even though she'd obviously been given so little.

"What?"

Regina shook her head. "I'm just really happy you're here."

"Mom?"

They both looked toward the door, Henry peeking in with marinara on the corner of his mouth.

She dabbed away the last of her tears with the back of her hand.

"You okay?"

Emma made a point of staring at Regina and then gave her a look - eyes to Henry and then down to her stomach, and Regina knew she was right. She even coached her through a deep breath before Regina looked back toward the little boy and patted in front of them on the bed.

He didn't waste any time hopping up and looking between the two, unassuming.

Regina licked her finger and smudged the sauce off of his face.

He batted her hand away, but couldn't stop her from being a mom.

"That's gross."

Emma flicked his wrist. "You're gross - she was getting shit off your face."

Regina looked at her.

"Crap. Crap off your face."

Henry laughed at them before turning back to his mother, raising his eyebrows gently. "Are you alright?"

"Yes, I'm fine." She nodded touching his nose. "I'm just emotional. I think I will be for a while, actually."

"Why?"

Emma's hand went to her back, and she took another breath.

"Henry.. you know I love you more than anything."

He nodded.

"And that I'll always love you, no matter what?"

"Yeah."

Regina touched his leg. "Honey... I'm going to have a baby."

"What?!"

He jumped off the bed and Regina immediately closed her eyes to the next downpour of tears.

"You're pregnant?"

Emma opened her mouth, ready to put out the fire but Henry's scream made them both sit back a bit. That and the smile that accompanied it took them both by surprise.

"Is it a boy or a girl? Can I have a little brother? I promise I'll clean my room forever - it'll always be clean. I just want a little brother, mom, PLEASE?"

They both collapsed into laughter, and Regina into another fit of crying. Only this time they were happy tears.

Henry kept bouncing around the room asking all of his ridiculous questions. Regina had to get up and hug him so he'd stay in one place. Though it only lasted a few seconds before he bent down and talked into Regina's belly.

"Baby - I think you should be a boy, okay? Can you come out a boy? I'll share all of my old toys with you? And we can build forts and-"

"Henry."

He looked up grinning.

"You're really happy about this?"

"Yeah! Duh! I get to be a big brother." His hands stayed on her sides as he looked up at her.

Regina brought him back in and squeezed him tight to her.

The whole time Emma just stared at them, wondering how she could be so happy and so sad at the same time. In some small way, she made what was happening in front of her - that tiny family was only because she gave Henry up, or that she'd gotten pregnant in the first place. But she wanted more than anything to be in that hug with them, and somehow it seemed just out of reach. Like she was welcome to be a close family friend, but not quite family.

Not that it mattered. This was as close to family as she'd ever come, and she wasn't about to start complaining now. She had her role in their life and it was more than enough.

Regina looked over and smiled at Emma before bending down to look Henry in the eye.

"You know what I think the baby wants?"

Henry shook his head.

"Some of that pizza."

"Yeah?"

"What kind is it?" She pushed him toward the door, throwing a glance behind her and nodding out the door for Emma to follow.

She slid off the bed and got her shoes, following the two out the door.

Regina turned around and wrapped her arms around Emma's neck. And Emma being the terrified, overgrown infant she was, all she did was laugh and pat Regina's shoulder in return.

"What's this for?"

Regina shrugged, not letting go. "For being here. And being wonderful to us."

She had to gulp down all of her anxiety before shimmying away. "I'm average on a good day." Emma smiled and pointed down the stairs. "We got you a veggie pizza... by the way."

Regina just looked at her for a moment, then gave up and squinted at the wall.

"Is it awful that I think that sounds amazing with some peanut butter?"

"Fucking. Ew. Oh my god. We're not friends. Don't talk to me."

Emma held the door open as Regina ushered Henry through the door.

"Mom, this looks just like where I get shots."

Regina threw a look toward Emma which could only read as 'this has happened before' or 'hit him.' And you bet your ass Emma wouldn't hit him - not after what had just happened when a dude Regina was going to marry raised his voice at him.

"Kiddo, we're here for your mom. I don't think she would lie to you."

Henry shook his head and pointed at the brunette as soon as his butt was in the chair up against the wall. "No. One time, I was little and she told me they were going to test me to see if I was a mutant." He looked at Emma with intent. "Mutants aren't real Emma. She lied."

"I did do that." Regina nodded, smiling to herself.

Emma just leaned against the wall, folding her arms across her chest as the nurse smiled and closed the door. Regina got on the doctor table... thing, and looked at them. "Are there any comic books you haven't read, then?"

"There has to be. I can't read every comic book. That's impossible."

"Is it impossible, Mr. Smarty-Britches? Are you the one who declares things are impossible?"

"I can do that."

Emma raised both of her hands in surrender. "Damn - I should just give you my badge now. You know way more than I do."

He smiled and looked at the ceiling. "I would look cooler in that badge anyway. I would be a way better Sheriff than you."

"I'm still deputy.. for now."

He nodded. "Yeah. You can't even get Sheriff yet, I should just do it now."

"Shut up. Your feet couldn't even reach the pedals in the cruiser."

"Bikes have pedals, Emma. Not cars."

"You two..." Regina spoke louder, turning both of their attention to her. "I'll put you both in the cruiser and see the baby all by myself." She winked at them and took a breath.

It was quiet for a moment before Henry got up and walked over to the sonogram machine, looking it over with his hands firmly in his pockets.

"Why couldn't your mom come?"

Regina turned her head toward Emma but didn't take her eyes off of her son. "She's meeting with some of our friends and spreading all of the... new gossip. Delicately I hope." She glanced back with the burdened stare that told her all of the gossip was about her. "I didn't want to be there for all of the fake sympathy and probing questions. I'd much rather deal with it in waves."

Emma offered a joyless smile. "Fun."

"How are we going to see the baby with this thing?"

"Henry, please don't touch anything."

He held up his hands and the bottom of his coat with it, having them still in his pockets.

"Sit back down please."

A moment after Henry was back in the chair, an older woman walked in the room with a warm smile. Her hair was up in a neat bun.

Emma didn't catch her name between her only nodding and introducing herself on her way to the machine like her heels would get chopped off if she didn't get there as soon as possible. She asked Regina to lay down and put a little plastic looking blue napkin thing on her lap and tucked it into her dress pants. It all made Emma want to kick her in the teeth - Regina looked uncomfortable and out of place. She could at least explain a little better. All she did was tell her the blue stuff was going to feel a little cold. But thank god for the blue gunk - if anything could make Regina's stomach area look less attractive it would be that. And Emma should have probably stopped staring at her stomach by now.

She turned to Emma and made a face.

All the blonde could do was nod. "I remember that shit."

Everyone looked at her.

"Sorry. I'm working on the swearing - I really am." She shrugged.

Regina smiled before the... fuck, nobody knows what that things called. Emma always thought it looked like an eyeball so sure. The mechanical eyeball pressed into her stomach and the weird static noise started from the machine.

"How far along are you?"

"Uhm.. Dr. Whale wasn't sure. I came in for blood work two weeks ago, and it came back that I was pregnant. I was told this was supposed to estimate the due date and such." She nodded.

A small gushing sound started going, softer and louder again at the same time a little ball started flickering, inside of a slightly bigger ball inside of a dark part of the screen.

"Where's the baby?" Henry asked, leaning forward in the seat.

Regina waved him over. "Stand on this side."

She grabbed his hand so he was well out of the way of the technician but could still see the screen.

The older woman pointed as she dragged and dropped a shape that zoomed in a bit. "Do you see this blob right here?"

Henry nodded.

Regina just squinted as she followed along as well.

"This is the baby. And this dot inside - with that little flap moving..." She moved her mouse over the part she just finished pointing to. "That's the baby's heart."

"It has a heart beat?" Regina's head turned.

Emma took her coat off carefully and slipped it under Regina's head.

Luckily she was too busy staring to pay attention and Emma could stay closer to look too.

They all sat there like they were watching Saturday morning cartoons as the lady took pictures of the little gummy bear looking thing. She kept pointing out features, but the head looked just like the feet only a little bigger, and everything kept shifting around anyway.

"I'd say you're a good seven to nine weeks."

"And everything's normal?"

She nodded. "Absolutely."

What looked eerily like a sigh of relief passed over Regina's face and Emma kept watching all of the emotion play out through her eyes. Like everything was setting in and becoming life. Not something that happened to her anymore.

And Emma didn't have a choice. She jumped in that moment and made a decision. Her hand went over Regina and Henry's clasped hands and squeezed carefully.

Regina smiled up at her for a moment.

It didn't last long, but Emma felt it. She was there, and there to stay. There's no reason Regina would have asked her here if she wasn't wanted or if it wasn't important. And just a small part of her well constructed defenses crumbled away in that moment.

This was her family, conventional or not.

It was something to be a part of, that she could care about and protect. She didn't need all of her feelings returned because she had them. And that was so much more than just her validation.