A few months passed and Regina's pregnancy blossomed. She was halfway through and she was both ecstatic and terrified. Happy because she was further in the pregnancy than she was before but also scared because it was still far from over. Things could still go horribly wrong.

Emma had been tasked with being in charge of nursery preparations. She was a little unsure why she had to be the one to take control, but she did it anyway. She had guards building the crib and painting the walls. They had decided to use gender neutral colours as they didn't know what gender the baby was going to be. The colours selected were pastel green and yellow with a floral design, painted by the royal artist advisor who was brought in especially. Regina had always been fond of his work and had no other person in mind.

The furniture was all coordinated with a light wooden crib and matching draws. In fact, the room didn't look like it belonged in the Queen's castle at all, it was so light and bright but then again, that's how the baby made her feel and it was reflected in the room.

When the doctor came when Regina hit 18 weeks, Emma was practically bouncing with excitement. She was the most excited during her pregnancy at this stage because she could find out the gender of the baby. She knew she was never going to keep her baby but finding out he was a boy made her happy in some way. She didn't know why, but knowing the baby growing inside her was a little boy made her content.

Regina was lying in bed, as usual, as the doctor started his tests. Emma was stood beside the Queen, holding her hand which had also become the usual stance.

"She's around 18 weeks now, yeah?" Emma asked, wanting confirmation for her thoughts.

"18 weeks and 3 days to be exact," the doctor agreed as he got on with his task. He was now perfectly aware that Emma was the father, well other mother, of the baby due to the announcement. He hadn't said much on it, simply congratulating the two of them when he'd come for the 12-week appointment.

"So, we can find out the gender now?" Emma asked giddily, looking between the doctor and the Queen. Her excitement started to fade as she took in their confused looks.

"And how would we go about doing that?" The doctor enquired in return. "We have no way of seeing the baby and any charm is just an old wife's tale." He scoffed at the idea. "I'm afraid, the only way to know what gender the baby is, is to wait until they arrive in around 20 weeks."

Emma looked puzzled but nodded. She didn't say anything further during the appointment, which was naturally noticed by the Queen.

Before long, the doctor gathered his belongings and confirmed once more that the baby was perfectly healthy before making his leave. Emma perched on the bed beside her love and started trailing her finger tips gently over Regina's bump. She'd started showing around 5 weeks ago and she was growing bigger every day. Emma thought it was the most beautiful sight she'd ever seen.

"Why did you ask about the gender?" Regina asked quietly as she watched the blonde thinking. She couldn't help but smile at the feeling on her tummy. The baby seemed to enjoy whenever Emma trailed her fingers on her belly. "Do you have a preference?"

The blonde looked up and smiled reassuringly before shaking her head. "No, of course not. I'll love them either way," she said quickly. "It's just, in the future, we have the technology to be able to see the baby and once you hit 16 weeks, you can see what gender the baby is," she explained. "I forgot that you don't have that technology here. I got a bit ahead of myself."

Regina nodded slowly, trying to comprehend what the blonde was saying. "But you still think it's going to be a girl?"

Emma winked. "You bet!"

The Queen giggled, a sound Emma loved hearing, especially when she brought it out of her. "I suppose it's about time we started thinking of names?" She suggested and Emma's eyes lit up once more in excitement.

"Definitely!" She hopped off the bed to fetch some parchment and some ink so that she could note down whatever they suggested that both of them liked.

She returned to the bed and left the now open ink post on the bed side table. She laid down so that she was facing the Queen who hadn't shifted from being propped up in bed. She folded the parchment in half so that they could have two separate lists for boys and girls names.

"What do you have in mind?" Emma asked.

She was a little nervous, she'd never had to think of names for Henry as she knew she was going to be giving him up since the moment she found out she was pregnant. After she'd given him away, she thought what he might be called and let herself think what she might have named him, but when she found out that he'd been named Henry, she couldn't think of a better name for him. And after having met his namesake, she couldn't be happier with his name.

"I name Henry, don't I?" Regina wondered aloud, something Emma didn't think she was going to say. The blonde nodded. "Then perhaps, you should name this one?" She rested her hand on her belly though it was impossible not to know who Regina was referring to.

Emma gulped before smirking teasingly. "If that's the case, I'm going to name her Princess Periwinkle Rainbow Cake," she suggested, before laughing at herself. The next thing she knew was a pillow hitting her in the face which only made her laugh louder.

"Well if that's your suggestion, I'm going to change my mind," Regina backtracked but she was also laughing. "I do want a regal name though, something that has a powerful meaning."

Emma raised her eyebrows, as if she knew the meaning of names; she just went for one that sounded pretty. "Umm…" She tried to think of regal names and could only come up with the Queen of England. "Elizabeth?"

Regina tilted her head, considering the name. "Elizabeth," she repeated, testing the name on her tongue. She pressed her hand against her stomach. "What do you think of Elizabeth?" She asked her belly as if the baby would answer. "Kick once for no and twice for yes." She paused and looked up to see Emma was trying to not to laugh. "What?"

The blonde let out a laugh. "I don't think that's quite how it works, honey."

"It was worth a try," Regina shrugged. "I don't hate it, put it on the list." Emma did so. "Now, a boys name. Philip?"

"Definitely not," Emma said. "Whether said Philip or Phillipe, no way."

"Why not?" The Queen asked, positively offended that Emma had reacted to negatively to her suggestion. "It means lover of horses. I love horses and I'm sure our child will too."

Emma raised her eyebrow. "And if it's a girl?"

"Philippa, easy." The Queen smirked and raised her eyebrow in return, waiting for Emma to argue her point.

She didn't, instead she simply laughed. "Very true, but I still don't like it," she admitted. "Matilda?"

Regina shook her head. "No, it sounds, I don't know, too mischievous somehow."

Emma rolled her eyes at the excuse but couldn't help but agree. The Matilda in Roald Dahl's story was definitely mischievous.

"Fine." She paused for a second, trying to come up with another name. "Olivia?"

"No, Alicia?"

"Nah, Christian?"

"I don't like it, Peter?"

Emma's eyes widened at the suggestion. "Definitely not!" She shuddered remembering the time in Neverland.

"What's wrong with Peter?" Regina asked, her brows furrowed in confusion. "It means stone, clearly a strong name."

Emma glowered. "You'll find out in the future," she said simply, not wanting to reveal too much. She picked up her goblet of water to take a sip to avoid talking about it more.

The Queen paused for a few moments, taking in Emma's mood change before suggesting something different. "Archibald?"

At the sound of the name, Emma burst out laughing, spraying water everywhere. The mood was lifted in seconds. "Are you kidding me?"

"What? It means truly brave? There's nothing wrong with it!" Regina was starting to get a little offended now. Emma had rebuffed every name she'd suggested so far.

"It's a name for an old man," Emma argued as she sobered from her laughter. She took another quick sip of her water and put the goblet back down. She sighed. "This is going to be a lot harder than I thought."

Regina raised her eyebrow. "You think?"

Instead of replying, Emma simply put the parchment and quill on the bedside table and shifted down the bed, taking one of Regina's feet into her hands and massaging them. She knew it would make up for annoying her with their name suggestions. The Queen sighed at the feeling and relaxed, forgiving the blonde in seconds.

oOoOo

The two settled that night in bed as usual. Regina leaned on her left side and Emma spooned her from behind. It was vital that Regina got used to sleeping on her side and not on her back which could cause damage as the pregnancy continued. Besides, she could sleep anywhere, in any position, as long as Emma's arms were wrapped around her.

The only disturbances throughout the night were when Regina got up to go to the bathroom. The frequency of these depended where the baby was sitting. She rarely ever woke Emma up with her movements as the blonde slept like the dead, which was why she was confused when Regina was shaking her awake in the middle of the night.

"Emma, wake up, please!" The Queen cried desperately, shaking the blonde beside her.

"Ginny?" Emma muttered sleepily. "What's going on?"

"I'm bleeding," Regina replied, tears thick in her voice.

Hearing that, Emma's eyes snapped open in panic and she sprung into action. She pulled Regina to her. The Queen was crying, her body shaking in fear. "Lie on the bed, honey," Emma instructed calmly, trying not to panic her love. "Where are you bleeding? How much?"

"Down there," Regina revealed pointing to her private area. "I think something is wrong with the baby." Emma nodded and bit her lip nervously, she had thought the same thing. "I knew something was going to go wrong!" The Queen practically screamed suddenly, and her tears started to flow once again, even more rapidly than before. "It's all my fault. I can't do this!"

Panicking, and downright terrified, Emma shot out of the bed, slipping her night gown on quickly, and rushed to the door of their bedroom where two guards were stationed at all times.

"I need the doctor," Emma instructed urgently as soon as the door was open. "I need him now."

"Yes, Princess," the guards nodded and one ran off immediately to contact the doctor.

That was another thing; everyone had started referring to the blonde as Princess despite her many attempts to get to them to stop, but right now was not the moment to argue her point. She turned away from the door and rushed back to the Queen.

Regina was completely distressed. She her eyes were scrunched shut and she started to hit her head against the bedframe behind her, muttering to herself. "It's my fault. I knew it! I'm not fit to be a mother."

Emma reached out and took Regina's hands in hers, pulling her forward, preventing herself from hitting her head any more.

"Ginny, please calm down," Emma begged. "Being this stressed will definitely not help the baby. The doctor is coming. He'll be here as soon as he can." She lifted Regina's hand to her mouth and kissed her knuckles. She didn't want to ask Regina why she thought what was going on was her fault. All she concentrated on was reassuring her that everything was going to be okay, though the Queen wasn't listening to her.

The wait for the doctor seemed endless, seconds felt like minutes and minutes felt like hours. By the time the guards rushed the doctor through the door, Emma was convinced at least two hours had passed when it had only been twenty minutes!

"What's the issue?" The doctor asked after bowing to the Queen and Emma.

"She said she's bleeding," Emma answered for the Queen who was still crying silently on the bed, her eyes shut tight as if trying to imagine nothing was going wrong.

The doctor nodded before walking up to the Queen. "Your Majesty, may I examine you?" He asked gently.

Slowly, the Queen nodded but still didn't open her eyes and the doctor got to work. Emma stood by Regina's head and held her hand though she was pretty sure Regina didn't really know Emma was there.

The doctor worked in silence as he ran his checks. Again, the time seemed to drag before he stepped back, his face neutral, and cleaned himself up.

"Your Majesty," he said softly and finally the Queen opened her eyes to look at the doctor. "Everything is okay with the baby. A little spotting can be normal, but I want you to spend tomorrow in bed to rest. Only get up for the bathroom. After that, everything should be okay. If you think there's anything else wrong, please don't hesitate to contact me."

Regina took in a shaky breath. "Everything is alright?" She asked quietly, Emma could see the flicker of hope in her eyes that was matched by doubt.

The doctor nodded and took Regina's free hand that wasn't being held by Emma. He glanced at the blonde for a second before looking back at the Queen. "This isn't like before, your Majesty," he said quietly, but Emma could still hear him. "It's not the same. You can do this."

"I'm trying," Regina whispered.

"Get some rest, your Majesty," the doctor instructed. "That's an order." He smiled at his joke and Emma smiled nervously too. "I'll be back in a few weeks for your next appointment."

"Thank you," Emma said. "I'll make sure she rests."

The doctor nodded and then bid his goodbye, leaving the two behind. The guards followed him out and shut the door behind them.

As soon as the door clicked shut, Regina blew out the candle that had been lit beside her and rolled over. At a loss as to what to do, Emma simple shrugged off her gown and slipped into bed beside the Queen. Instinctively, she wrapped her arm around her, but Regina shuffled forward a fraction, letting the arm drop between them. Frowning, Emma tried again, shuffling closer and wrapping her arm around her, but, once more, Regina shuffled forward.

"Regina?" Emma said softly. "What's going on?" The Queen remained silent, all that could be heard were sniffles as she tried to stop crying. "Ginny?" Emma tried again, reaching her arm out just for the Queen to shrug it off. Dejected, Emma rolled over, her back facing the Queen. A tear rolled down her face as she heard the Queen's breathing even out. However, she struggled to find sleep that night.

oOoOo

As per the doctor's instruction, Regina stayed in bed the next day, but Emma spent the day in the library. She had barely gotten a good morning out of the Queen and every time she tried a conversation, and god forbid the time that she tried to give the Queen a quick kiss, Regina just rebuffed her and ignored her. When Emma got close, Regina turned and started walking away. Helpless, Emma just did what she did best, she suffered alone. She turned her back and headed to the library.

It was mid-afternoon when she finally got some company, but it wasn't who she wanted. She'd been sitting by the fireplace, as winter was really setting in, with a blanket over her lap, hot chocolate in her mug and a book in her lap. This time she was reading about the adventures of a prince who had to fight a dragon. It sounded a lot like the Disney version of Sleeping Beauty but with different character names. She'd gotten half way through when a cough was heard before her.

Looking up, she saw the owner of the cough. "Henry? What's going on?" She asked before suddenly panicking. "Is it Regina? Is it the baby?" She folded the page in her book and was half out of her chair when Henry replied.

"No, no! Regina's fine and so is the baby. May I?" He pointed to the armchair beside Emma.

She nodded and settled herself back down in her chair before pulling her legs up underneath her, a nervous habit she had. She didn't speak, simply waited for Henry to begin.

"It's a beautiful day, isn't it?" He commented, nodding to the large window beside them.

Emma's brow furrowed at the casual conversation starter, but she had to agree. The sky was a pale blue that was threatening to snow, and the grounds were covered in a light layer of frost. The evergreen trees stood out with their bright leaves amongst the slightly bare ones that were housing robins. It did look beautiful, so Emma said as much. "Yeah, I guess."

"I went for a walk around the grounds this morning," Henry said. "I was ordered out of the libraries so that the new maid could clean," he chuckled.

Megara's replacement had started a couple of weeks ago and Henry adored her. She was a local girl, unmarried, rather young, but she showed promise. Her name was Lina. She was a little small for her age and Henry had fondly taken to calling her Thumbelina.

Emma didn't reply, she didn't know what to say. She was waiting for Henry to turn the conversation to the Queen. She didn't have to wait long.

The old man turned from gazing out the window and looked at Emma. "I've just been up to see Regina," he began. "She told me about what happened last night." He paused, trying to calculate how to say the next line. "I was surprised to see you not up there with her after a fright like that?"

Emma shifted nervously in her chair. "She ignored every attempt I've made to help or calm her down or even speak to her," Emma admitted. "I tried to hold her before we went to sleep and she rolled away every time. I wished her good morning and she barely said morning back. I tried to give her a kiss on the cheek as she walked past but she just walked away. I thought it would be best to get out her hair. She's clearly angry and I don't want to make it worse." She frowned, and her eyes started to water. "I don't know what to do, Henry." She blinked rapidly, trying to stop the tears from falling but was unsuccessful when two escaped. She reached up and wiped them away quickly. "I've never been so scared in my life as I was last night. She started chanting "it's all my fault", "I knew something was going to go wrong," over and over. It was terrifying."

At that, Henry frowned. "I think I know why that is." He sighed sadly. "But it's not my place to tell you. It has to come from Regina."

"I know about the miscarriage," Emma said quickly, hoping it would lead Henry to reveal what happened.

"It's still not my place, Emma."

"I just don't know what to do to help," she said sadly, not even bothering to stem her tears now. "I've tried what I thought would work but was just rebuffed. I don't think she understands that I'd be just as devastated if she lost the baby. I mean, it's my child too."

"Go tell her that," Henry said. "Show her that you're in it together." He sighed dejectedly. "She's always thought she was alone no matter how many times I've tried to tell her otherwise. She's not had the greatest life until she met you." He paused for a minute to try and word his next sentence without giving too much away. "She had to suffer alone last time, don't make her do that again."

"I don't know what to do or what to say," she admitted.

"Just be you," Henry suggested. "Now, go."

The blonde nodded slowly before standing up. She placed her book on the table beside her and started walking away, leaving Henry alone. The old man smiled, content that his task was done. He knew the only thing that would help his daughter was to have her love with her and to talk everything through. He just hoped Regina would open up.