As soon as they were alone in Emma's room, Regina flopped dramatically onto the bed and whined, "Emma, I want one."

This earned a burst of laughter from her lover as she replied, "I know, right?"

"No. I want one now."

"See what I mean? She's perfect."

"She really is. God, I don't want to leave you guys..."

"I wish we could just..."

"I know, babe. Me too..."

Regina sighed heavily and shut her eyes, folding her arms behind her head as she leaned back against the pillows. When Emma laid down next to her and curled against her body, she sighed again.

"Babe? You okay?" Emma asked cautiously, watching at the troubled expression on the brunette's beautiful face.

"That's it. That's fucking it. I'm fucking dropping out to be a stay-at-home Mom."

"Regina!" her lover cried. "You are not! Don't even joke about that!"

"But Babe. Please?"

"Absolutely not."

"But why?"

"Firstly, you've worked way too hard and spent way too much money on your education to give up now. Secondly, I... I can't support us both yet..."

"Oh, Em... Baby, I was just-"

"No, I know. I just... I wish I could, you know? But I'm... Anyway... Thirdly, I wanna be the one to stay home!"

Regina laughed at this, opening her eyes and placing a gentle kiss on her lover's lips.

"If you want to stay home, you can."

"What?"

"Well, if I go through with this, I'll be able to-"

"No way. I'm going to work and put in my fair share! There's no way you're going to support me while I sit on my ass and contribute nothing."

"Taking care of our kids isn't nothing, Emma. It's a difficult, full-time job. You know that."

"I know, I just meant... Financially."

"Well... You know... Day care is expensive. A lot of times, especially if you have more than one kid, it ends up being a wash."

"What?"

"Some people end up working and then spending all their income on day care. Which doesn't really make a lot of sense. If it's the same amount of money, you might as well spend the time with your kids, you know?"

Emma raised an eyebrow at this, looking surprised.

"You're serious?"

"If you want to stay home, I'll support you in that."

"I..."

"I mean that."

"How... How many kids are we talking here?"

"As many as you want..."

"Nine? Ten?"

"Nine or ten little trouble-makers running around destroying everything? You sure?"

"You said as many as I want!"

"Well, within reason."

"That is reason! Can't you just imagine it? Ten little munchkins waking us up every morning and making us want to tear our hair out?"

Regina's smile broadened as she kissed her lover's lips slowly and didn't pull away.

Eventually, she mumbled, "Maddy really makes me want kids, Em. I'm so excited, and I really just can't wait..."

"We have to wait."

"I know that, babe. I'm just saying it's... it's going to be hard."

"Ugh. Her mom is nice enough, but honestly. She never listens to Maddy when she talks. I've seen it. The way she talks to her, like she's just some... pawn to move in a game."

"Emma..."

"It's frustrating, okay? I want to take care of her. I want her to be around people who validate her thoughts and emotions and make her feel as important as she really is, not people who make her feel like a worthless piece of shit. She can't talk to her mom about anything. She had to nearly get expelled for her mother to even consider taking her to a doctor for medication!"

"At least she brought her."

"Stop taking her side! It's ridiculous!"

"Babe, come on. I'm not. I'm just saying."

"She'd be better off with me."

"Honey, you know that - as much as we both wish this wasn't true - we're both too young to raise a kid."

"She would though! As scared as I am to fuck everything up with her, I know I love her more than her mom does. I value her more than her mom does. I take better care of her than her mom does. I-"

"I know you do..."

"What?"

"I said, 'I know you do.' I know she'd be better off with you. I've been trying to make you feel better about her being stuck with her mom."

"But you said-"

"I know what I said. The truth is that you are an amazing big sister, and you're going to be a wonderful mother, when it's time. Right now, though, you just need to be her big sister, and take care of her that way."

"I know," Emma groaned, covering her face with a pillow. "I just want to make sure she's raised with love and compassion, you know?"

"I know. I do too. She's a wonderful girl, just like you said."

"Did you expect her not to be?"

"No! I was sure you were right. I just... I didn't realize exactly how wonderful she was. She's perfect. She's smart, and funny, and fun, and polite, and enthusiastic, and charming. Honestly, Em... She's..."

"She's what?"

"She's just like you."

"Huh?"

"She acts like your kid already."

"What? You really think so?"

"I do."

With a smile, the blonde cuddled closer to her lover and whispered, "She's as smart as you, though. Soon, I'm gonna need you to help me tutor her."

"I don't think so," Regina replied, smiling softly in return. "I think you've got this under control. You know more than you think you do. You did before too. You just had a hard time storing what you knew, retaining it, and recalling it. It doesn't mean you didn't know it, and that you won't be able to help her when it's time for more difficult work."

"I don't believe that."

"Please, Emma, just listen to me. You're so much smarter than you believe you are. You're exactly what Maddy needs."

"I hope you're right, Gina... I don't know what I'd do if I messed this up."

"You won't, baby. I promise."

With a sigh, Emma responded with, "I just wish you were going to be here to help me."

"I'm just a phone call away, hun. I know that's not good enough, but it's something. You're not alone."

After a long pause, the blonde said slowly, "Well, I'm certainly not alone right now..." and gently rubbed her hand over Regina's bare abdomen.

When Regina sucked in a sharp breath as Emma's palm slid over one of her breasts, her lover grinned at the response.

"Why don't you show me how much you missed me, huh?" Emma whispered. "And I'll show you how much I missed you."

"I thought we did that last night," the brunette replied with a wink, earning a scowl from her lover.

"I never want to stop showing you how much I miss you when you're gone. And I want to make as many memories as I can while you're here to hold onto when you leave."

"Fair enough," Regina chuckled. "Show me, then."