The door banged opened as Emma rushed back into the bedroom, one hand still wet from testing the temperature of the water in the shower and the other engulfed in a fireball, ready to aim at a foe.
"Where are they?" She asked, looking around the room for any sight of Jacinda or Gothel.
Regina shook her head before shakily holding out the notepad. Realisation dawned on the blonde and she diminished the fireball and dried her wet hand on her dressing gown.
"Regina, I can explain," Emma implored as she took the notepad out of the brunette's hand. She placed it back on the bedside table before pulling Regina's hands into her.
"Who's pregnant?" Regina asked, her voice shaking.
Emma swallowed nervously. "Possibly no one," she replied, "but maybe you."
Regina let out a strangled noise before she fell back onto the bed. Her eyes were flickering side to side as she tried to comprehend what the blonde was saying but was failing miserably. "I don't understand."
With a reassuring smile, Emma crossed the space between then and crouched in front of Regina. She took hold of her hands once more. "Let's shower and then we can talk about this, yeah?"
Slowly, Regina nodded and allowed Emma to pull her into the bathroom. All while they showered, Regina was distracted. She didn't really speak but allowed Emma the lather the soap around her body, enjoying the feel of her hands slipping over her skin. She even sighed when Emma gave her a brief head massage while she washed her hair.
Once Regina was all washed, she returned the favour. She loved running her fingers through Emma's long hair, both wet and dry, and she loved the fact that Lennie had gotten that gene from her blonde mother.
Emma sighed at the ministrations before she turned around. When they were face to face, she gently placed her hands on Regina's cheeks and pulled her gently forward for a soft kiss.
"Ready?"
Regina nodded and the two of them stepped out of the shower. Both wrapped in soft warm towels, they headed back to their room to dress. They took their time as they pulled on their clothes, both choosing a pair of jeans, but Emma pulled on a thin jumper and Regina went with a black t-shirt and stole one of Emma's flannel shirts. As much as Emma missed seeing the brunette in her tight pencil skirts and borderline revealing blouses, she loved seeing Regina dressed so relaxed.
"Breakfast first or do you want to talk?" Emma asked nervously.
"Talk, please," Regina replied. "I need to know what's going on."
Emma nodded and swallowed nervously. She perched on the edge of her bed and pulled her knees up to her chin, her go to move when she was nervous. Regina stayed back to give her some space.
"We've pretty much established that I have wish magic, right?" Emma began and Regina nodded slowly. "Well the first night we, you know," she glanced up at Regina to make sure she was on the same page.
"I know," she confirmed with a small smile. She moved to sit beside her but still didn't reach out to her.
The blonde nodded absentmindedly and swallowed once more. "Well, I kinda wished we were making another baby. More specifically, I wished I was impregnating you, for want of a better word."
Regina released an audible breath before her eyebrows furrowed in confusion. "But there was no magic then, it wouldn't have worked." Then her face relaxed as she faked a smile and finally reached out and pulled on Emma's knee to get her to open up. "I won't be pregnant."
"But–"
"No, Em," Regina cut off, her voice was soft but there was an edge behind it. "Besides, I can't get pregnant, you know that. There was no magic when you made the wish. Even someone as powerful as you couldn't conjure something up like that." She kissed Emma's cheek. "We're fine." She then stood up rather suddenly. "I'll make some breakfast."
Without waiting for Emma to respond, Regina left the room, leaving Emma to her thoughts. She really wanted to know more about wish magic but there weren't any books she could read in Hyperion Heights about it. For the first time, she wished she could talk to Belle. The woman would be able to point her way to the right book but that would never happen.
With a sigh, she stood from the bed and followed Regina's trail of perfume to the kitchen.
"Morning, Mom!" Lennie greeted from the table, a bowl of cereal in front of her.
She was dressed in a green jumper and a pair of dark jeans. For once, her hair wasn't tied up in a ponytail, allowing the golden curls to rest around her shoulders. Emma realised then that she needed to her hair cut as it was getting a little tatty at the ends. She'd have to ask Cora to do it as she had a steadier hand with the scissors.
"Morning, monkey," Emma replied as she took a seat beside her daughter. Emma glanced around. "Where's your mom?"
"She said she needed to speak to Auntie Zee," Lennie revealed. "She made me breakfast and then left."
Emma stared at the door, willing it to open and Regina would walk in, but it didn't happen. Instead, she pulled the cereal box towards her. As she poured the cereal into her bowl, she realised that it was not the usual breakfast she had but Regina had swapped out her Cheerios for granola. Rolling her eyes, she sighed before digging in anyway. She was hungry.
When she finished, she picked up both her and Lennie's bowls and took them to the kitchen side. She leant against the counter, staring at the table in front of her, trying to figure out what was missing until it hit her.
"Where's your grandmother?" Emma asked, realising that Cora had yet to make an appearance.
"Out," Lennie replied with a shrug. "She went to Grandpa's before Mom left." She nodded to the kettle. "She left you a note."
Emma headed to the kettle and picked up the small sheet of paper.
Girls,
I've gone to Rumple's to help him with Victoria. I'll be home for dinner.
Love,
Mother
Emma shook her head as she read the note. "It would be nice to get the information before they go." She sighed before pushing off the counter. "Anyway, it's Monday. Time for some work, young lady."
"But Mom!"
"No buts," Emma chuckled. She crossed the room and picked up three of Lennie's workbooks. "I'll be nice and let you choose. English, Maths or Science?"
"English, please."
Emma rolled her eyes. That was no surprise as she knew her daughter loved the subject as much as Henry had. Putting down the other books, Emma made her way over with the English textbook. She placed it on the table and turned to the last page they'd been working on before she started her lesson.
Throughout the morning, Emma was rather distracted, wanting Regina to turn up but she never did. She shot her a quick message, asking if everything was okay but it went unanswered. Panicked, she sent another through to Zelena, just to check that Regina hadn't lied to their daughter about her whereabouts, and the witched replied with a quick message.
She's here and safe. Don't worry.
That was all she got. Emma had no idea why Regina felt the need to rush off. She'd pretty much shut down the idea that she was pregnant, what was there to talk about? She sighed and flipped her phone so that the screen was resting against the table.
"Mom?"
Emma looked back at her daughter and saw that she was looking at her worriedly. "Yeah?"
"What's wrong?" Lennie asked. "Did you and Mom fight?"
The elder blonde gasped. "What? No, of course not."
"Then why did she leave?" Emma could sense the panic in her daughter's voice. Her eyes were wide with fear. "Is she staying away?"
"No," Emma assured her. She reached out and squeezed her daughter's hand. "She just needed to talk to Auntie Zee. Sometimes we just need to talk things through with people. Your mom loves us. She's not going anywhere."
As she said it, Emma was reassuring herself as well as her daughter. Regina loved her, she knew that, but her irrational fear of abandonment was kicking in again which was throwing her for a loop.
Emma's phone then buzzed once, indicating she had a new incoming text. With a breath, she flipped her phone over to the screen and saw a message from Regina.
I'm sorry, I needed to talk to Zee about things. I'll be home for lunch.
With a sigh, Emma read the message and shot back a quick, okay, before closing down her message app to reveal her background picture. It was a picture of her and Regina, taken sneakily a couple of days ago by Zelena. They'd been sitting on the sofa, cuddled into each other while watching a film. They happened to glance at each other at the same time and moved in for a kiss. Zelena took the opportunity to snap the image and sent Emma a copy of it later with a sick emoji but Emma had just chuckled.
Looking at the image, Emma could see the love they shared for each other as clear as day. She didn't need to be worried that Regina had left. She was an adult and could come and go whenever she wanted. It was just the fact she didn't tell her that she was going which was bothering her.
"Mom?"
For the second time, Emma glanced up at her daughter. "Yeah?"
"You're being weird today," Lennie commented. "Are you sure you're okay?"
Emma chuckled. "Who's the mother here?"
In response, Lennie just raised her eyebrow, ever Regina's daughter, and rolled her eyes.
"I'm fine," Emma said. "I promise. There's just a lot going on at the moment and I don't know what to focus on."
Lennie seemed to contemplate her mother's words for a moment. "Grandma always says make things smaller before putting them back together. Like with magic. Focus on one thing at a time."
"Wise words, monkey," Emma agreed. She stood from the table and kissed Lennie's head. She glanced up at the clock and realised that Lennie had been working for just over an hour. "Keep working for another half an hour and then we'll have a break. We can go to the park if you like?"
"Yes!" Lennie cheered. "Can I have some juice?"
Emma nodded and set to making her daughter a drink and herself a coffee before returning back to the table so she could answer any questions Lennie threw her way.
After the half an hour, the two put their coats on before heading out to the park. Emma left a note on the table should Regina come home before they came back but it was barely past half ten, so she wasn't due back yet.
Lennie reached for her mother's hand, making Emma grin happily, before they headed towards the door. Emma locked up behind her and the two began to make their way to the park. As they walked, Lennie greeted all the birds she walked past.
When they reached the park, it was deserted, the cool October weather clearly putting people off. However, neither Lennie nor Emma seemed bothered by it. Emma was wearing her typical red leather jacket and Lennie was wearing a black peacoat over her jumper.
As they entered the park, Lennie immediately ran over to the swings and settled herself in.
"Mom, push me!" She requested.
With a grin, Emma headed over and started pushing her daughter gently, enjoying her giggles as she got higher and higher.
Once Lennie got in the swing of it, quite literally, Emma stepped away, allowing her to take control. She walked over to the bench and took a seat. Pulling out her phone, she checked for any messages, preferably from Regina, but there were no notifications.
With a sigh, she put her phone away and looked up to check on her daughter. However, she was no longer on the swings. In fact, she was no longer alone. Lennie was now on the slide with a smaller brunette who Emma recognised immediately. Looking up, she saw the young girl's mother approaching.
"Fancy seeing you here," Emma commented with a smile. "How's Sophia?"
The two glanced over to see the two girls, chatting happily on the top of the slide. Both were giggling loudly, enjoying each other's company.
"She's good," Ivy replied. She tilted her head as she watched them interact. "Does Lennie know she's Sophia's auntie?"
Emma shook her head. "Not yet. I wanted the curse to be broken first so that both of them would understand what was going on."
"I guess," Ivy said with a sigh.
The two were quiet for a moment before a sudden thought came to Emma. "How are you even here?" She asked. "It's Monday. You should be at work and it's not one of your days with Sophia, right?"
"Right," Ivy affirmed with a tight-lipped smile. "Mother is acting very oddly. J was late dropping Soph off again, so Mother said she was still owed the full weekend time which then ate into my time with her. I started to get angry but then Mother said that she would extend my time with her and let me have today off work with her." She glanced over to her daughter who was now being pushed on the swing by Lennie. "So here we are."
Emma glanced over to the girls too and smiled fondly. Lennie clearly loved spending time with Sophia and getting to act like an older sister figure. It gave her hope for if Regina was pregnant or if she wasn't, for a later date when they tried for another, if Emma got her way that was.
A quiet cough was heard and Emma realised that she'd dozed off into space. Looking to her right, she saw Ivy looking at her expectantly, waiting for an answer.
"Sorry, dozed off," Emma murmured. "But I mean, that's great for you but also very odd. Rumple has been trying to meet with her but it's not working. Cora's helping him plan something today, but I don't know what it could be."
"A plan for what?" Ivy asked, her head tilted to the side in confusion.
"To get her on our side, I believe," Emma replied. "I just don't know how they'll do it."
Ivy sighed. "I have no idea. I can't tell how awake she is or if she even knows I'm fully awake. Well apart from not remembering how the curse was actually cast. Where's Regina?"
Emma didn't answer at first as she watched the two girls jump off the swings and start playing tig. Lennie was giggling with delight as she was able to run faster than the four-year-old, but Sophia was determined to catch the other.
Realising that she'd zoned out again, Emma turned back to the brunette beside her. "With Zelena apparently." She sighed. "Sorry for spacing out. I just have a lot going on in my head."
"I know the feeling," Ivy sighed. "You can talk to me if you need to, you know. I know we've not known each other long but it feels like I've known you for ever with the way Regina and Henry have spoken about you."
As Ivy brought up Henry, Emma was reminded of the conversation she had with him the night before. She hadn't yet had the chance to talk to Regina about it, but she knew that Ivy needed to know what was going on with him.
"Talking about Henry," Emma began quietly. "He came into the pub last night. He's having some issues with Jacinda."
"Really?"
Emma could hear the hope in Ivy's voice. She smiled encouragingly at her. "Yeah. Apparently, she's always home late because she'd out helping the lost girl get rehabilitated."
At that, Ivy raised her eyebrow. "So she's not even hiding what she's doing? They're clearly planning something."
"Exactly," Emma concurred before sighing. "The question is what is it and how do we find out?"
The two were silent as they thought about it. Neither knew how. They didn't have anyone they could really use as a spy because it would be too obvious to send anyone like Zelena or Regina in when they were definitely never going to have a change of heart.
"We really do need Mother on our side," Ivy murmured.
"That's what Rumple keeps saying," Emma replied.
"What does Regina say?" Ivy asked. She always liked to know Regina's opinion because she was nearly always right about something. Despite getting to know Rumple a little more in the last couple of weeks, Ivy was still a little apprehensive around her fiancé's grandfather.
Emma sighed. "I don't know."
Ivy took in Emma's reluctance to keep speaking about Regina. "Is everything alright between the two of you? You seem to shut down every conversation about her this morning."
Just as Emma was about to answer, Lennie and Sophia ran over, both giggling.
"Mom, I'm thirsty," Lennie stated.
Emma chuckled. "Hi Thirsty, I'm Mom."
"Moooom!" Lennie whined, tilting her head to the side. "I need a drink."
At that, Emma simply raised her eyebrow. "There's no one around, honey. You can use your magic."
"Really?"
Emma nodded. "Yes, but only when your mother or I are with you and when we say it's okay. Your grandparents too. Do you understand, Len?"
Lennie nodded emphatically showing she completely understood. She took a step back from her mother and future sister in law before turning to look at Sophia before grinning. She flexed her fingers, summoning her concentration and magic. Flicking her wrist, she produced a beaker of juice in each hand before passing one to Sophia. The youngster took it happily, both taking large sips before placing them back onto the floor and running back over to the slide.
"I'm so happy they get on so well," Ivy commented. "Sophia is so reserved and quiet but with Lennie, she thrives."
Again, the two watched their daughters play. They were back to playing tig and this time, Lennie was allowing Sophia to get within a foot before running away last minute.
Ivy took in Emma for a moment while she was distracted. It was more than just the recent events with Jacinda and Gothel that were worrying the blonde. She was family after all and she wanted to know what was going on with her. However, knowing just how closed off she could be, from tales shared by Regina and Henry over the past few years, she knew it was going to take a while to knock down her walls.
She did know, however, that she could be distracted and use a different conversation to weave into the deeper ones. What else better to talk to the blonde about to get her to open up than the main person they had in common. Henry.
"So, what was Henry saying about Jacinda?" Ivy asked, trying to pose the question as conversationally as she could.
Emma looked away from the girls and back to Ivy. She sighed before leaning back on the bench, the cold metal seeped through the leather, but she didn't seem to notice.
"He started off saying that he didn't understand why Jacinda was helping Gothel," Emma replied. "Then he started telling me the fake story of you two getting together in high school and you falling pregnant just after. Apparently, you cheated with Nick?" At that, Ivy nodded glumly but Emma continued. "Then he mentioned you going over the other evening and told him you missed him. That seems to have opened the can of worms. He misses you too and doesn't know what to do about it." She smiled at the brunette when she grinned with hope. "Even after what Ivy apparently did, I think Henry, the real Henry, is trying to get out because he's very much in love with Drizella."
Ivy chuckled. "You know, I think the only good thing about this curse is that I got a new name. Drizella really is awful."
Emma raised her eyebrow. "That's all you got from it?"
"It's just a side thought," Ivy said, still laughing quietly. She then sobered. "What do you think I should do?"
"Are you dropping Sophia off there later?" Ivy nodded. "If Jacinda isn't there, stay a while. Show him what it's like to be a family again. I think if we should Jacinda that she doesn't have his heart, she, at least, will get desperate."
Ivy considered the blonde's words before grinning. "Done."
She took a deep breath when she realised that her plan to use Henry to segue into what was really bothering the blonde had failed pretty badly. Instead, she decided to channel her inner Regina and just be blunt about it.
"Emma, what's going on with you and Regina that you don't want to talk about?" She asked.
The blonde's head snapped to the side at Ivy's bluntness. She didn't whether to be impressed or offended. Instead she just shook her head.
"We seem to have had a passive argument," Emma revealed with a sigh. "As in, there wasn't an argument at all, but Regina left the apartment."
Ivy's brows furrowed in confusion. "How come?"
Emma was silent for a moment. She didn't know if telling someone would help. She'd always been a suffer alone person. Snow had tried to get her to share what was going on, but she never really found that she wanted to share what was going on inside her head until Cora came along and pretty much forced her to speak about everything. Zelena too was just like her mother in that case. It seemed that the Mills' had always had a way with getting Emma to talk.
As she though about it, Ivy was in extension a Mills now. Well, she would be when the curse broke and she and Henry finally got married. Thinking of that too, she realised that Ivy was family. She didn't want to know what was going on in Emma's head to hurt her, she wanted to help.
With her decision made, Emma realised a long sigh. "I have wish magic," she began. "And I may have caused a problem."
When Ivy looked even more confused, Emma gave her a few examples. She told her what happened on the occasions when her wishes had been granted like the strawberry and wanting to know the keycode. She then told her that she'd spoken to Rumple who had confirmed her gift as she could see that on the tip of her tongue to ask. Finally, she got to telling Ivy about the latest development with Regina, speaking quickly to get it all out.
"So really, Regina might be pregnant, or she might not," Emma said with a sigh. "She didn't take it well, convinced herself that it would never be possible. She's clearly gone to Zelena's about it because she doesn't want to talk to me about it."
Once she finished, she slumped over and rested her head in her hands as she recalled Regina's disbelief over the whole thing.
As Ivy listened, she realised there was one aspect of the possible pregnancy that Emma hadn't addressed yet.
"Can I ask something?" She asked carefully.
Emma leant back and nodded. "Sure."
"Do you want Regina to be pregnant?"
At the question, Emma looked down as if trying to school her thoughts. After a few moments of silence, Emma finally looked back to the brunette.
"Yes."
