More Than She Wanted
-Due date:
Nine months pregnant. It seems almost impossible. Where did the time go? What did she do in those nine months? It seems like it was yesterday she found out she was pregnant, and here she is. Nine months pregnant with twins.
On her due date, Regina wakes up earlier than normal. Her body is on edge because she is nervous, but besides that, nothing feels strange. In fact, she feels perfectly fine. her normal self. Damn it. She would very much have liked for the babies to arrive today. Right on time. Oh well. It's only six in the morning. Anything could happen.
Regina really wouldn't mind if it happened today. She's very tired of being pregnant. She wants to meet her children. Wants to hold them in her arms for the first time.
Maleficent stirs in her sleep and her arms scrapples around in the bed. She quickly finds what she's looking for, and pulls Regina closer, resting a warm hand on her round belly.
Regina sighs contented. It doesn't matter how many times she wakes up like this. She will never get used to the feeling of being hold that close. It's like nothing bad can happen when they lie like this. The rest of the world goes completely silent around them, and she feels cocooned in a blanket of trust of security.
Regina places her hand on top of Mal's, and the dragon mumbles something incoherent in her sleep.
She could get another hour of sleep if she wanted too, but she's too awake already. Too warm.
And besides, she hears the sound of footsteps outside the bedroom. Apparently, Henry decided to be an early riser as well. Oh well. Regina glides out of the bed, careful not to wake her wife, and slips a bathrobe over blue pajamas.
She quietly tip toes out of the bedroom and closes the door quietly behind her. maybe Mal for once will sleep in instead of waking because Regina left the bed.
Regina ties the robe around her and sniggers a little at the way her stomach is sticking out. It's quite amazing that she's still capable of walking around.
She trots down stairs and finds her son sitting at the kitchen table. His hair is still mussed up from sleep, and honestly, he doesn't look like he's quite awake yet.
,,Good morning, sweetheart," Regina says and runs a finger through her own tousled hair.
,,'Morning, mom." Henry says and flashes her a smile.
,,You hungry?" Regina inquires and opens the fridge in the search for something edible.
,,Always," Henry chuckles.
,,Good. How does pancakes sound?"
,,Mmm," Henry says in approval.
Regina quickly whips out a frying pan, and it doesn't take long before she has made a plate full of golden, crispy pancakes with bites of chocolate in them.
,,How are you feeling?" Henry asks between mouthfuls of pancake.
,,Quite well," Regina replies and scarfs down another bite syrup covered pancake.
,,Do you think it's gonna be today?" Henry asks eagerly and glances towards his mother's bulging stomach.
,,The day has barely started, Henry," Regina laughs and takes a sip of her morning tea.
,,It could be kind of cool if they came today," Henry says.
,,It could. But maybe they're choosing to make a grand "sorry I'm late" entrance," Regina quips.
Henry chuckles. ,,Like mother, like daughters."
Regina laughs at that and eat half a pancake in one mouthful. After the birth she's definitely start eating healthy again.
,,Maleficent still asleep?" Henry half yawns.
,,Uh-huh," Regina confirms and swallows the massive piece of pancake. ,,Yes she is. What I wouldn't give to be able to sleep that long."
,,I bet she'll be here in five minutes asking why you got out of bed so early."
,,Maybe you're right about that. Why are you up this early today, Henry?"
Henry shrugs. ,,I couldn't sleep any longer. Maybe because the snow is making everything so bright. Why are you up so early?"
,,I couldn't sleep either," Regina admits.
,,Nervous?" Henry inquires and raises an eyebrow.
,,No. At least not right now. Maybe I will be later."
,,Everything will be fine," Henry says firmly.
,,I know. I'm just silly."
Regina and Henry continues their little breakfast séance, and it doesn't take long before Henry succeeds in convincing his mother to make hot chocolate to go with the pancakes.
Regina bites back all her comments about healthy eating as she makes the chocolate. What good would it do anyway?
They are halfway through their second cup of hot chocolate when there's a rustling, and Maleficent appears in the door, sleepy and with tousled hair.
,,You guys are up early," she observes and hides a yawn behind her hand.
,,Mhmm," Regina says noncommittally and takes a sip of her cinnamon sprinkled cocoa.
,,Some of us are early risers," Henry interjects cheekily.
,,Mmph," Maleficent grunts and rubs her eyes. Then, she looks at Regina.
,,How are you feeling, my dear?"
,,Quite well thank you," Regina says. ,,Cocoa?"
,,Why not?" Maleficent smiles and sits down next to them. ,,Do you think it's gonna be.. you know, today?"
,,Hard to say," Regina says and shrugs. ,,I can't feel anything right now so.."
,,Doctor Whale did say that it's fairly normal to be a bit late the first time, didn't he?"
,,He did," Regina confirms. ,,But hopefully it will happen in a couple of days. I don't think my back will be able to take this pressure much longer."
Maleficent nods pensively.
Regina offers her wife pancakes and all three of them chat cozily while they eat breakfast. At one point the babies wakes up and stretches. Regina receives a few solid kicks here and there, but nothing beyond the usual.
Regina casually mentions how the babies kick this morning, and two hands is instantly pressed against her stomach. Mal and Henry are both fighting to feel the babies.
,,Hands off, Mal," Henry teases. ,,I want to feel them."
,,So do I, young man!" Maleficent says mock sternly.
,,She's my mother."
,,Well, she's my wife."
,,She is sitting right here," Regina pipes up. ,,No reason to cut me in half!"
Henry chuckles and after a few seconds of feeling his sisters move around, the teenager pushes his plate away and announces that he better go upstairs and get ready.
,,Do you want me to give you a lift?" Regina offers and gurgles down the rest of her cocoa.
,,No, but I do want you to keep your phone switched on while I'm at school," Henry says sternly. ,,I want to know if anything happens!"
,,Aye aye sir," Regina quips, and Henry kindly tells her that she sounds like Killian. How tragic.
Regina and Maleficent clears the table while Henry gets ready. Maleficent yawns again and rubs her eyes.
,,Isn't there anything I can do to make you come back to bed, my darling?" the dragon inquires as she washes the frying pan.
,,No," Regina says blithely. ,,I'm far too awake already."
,,Damn shame. I happen to be very tired still."
,,Why don't you go back to bed then?"
,,No," Mal says firmly and puts the now clean frying pan away. ,,I can't very well keep an eye on you if I'm asleep."
,,I don't need you to keep an eye on me. I am perfectly capable of feeling when my water breaks, thank you," Regina says and sticks her chin out in a haughty manner.
Maleficent wrinkles her nose. ,,I will never stop finding it strange that water is gonna come out of you. Nothing like that happened when I had Lily."
,,You laid an egg," Regina reminds her wife and shudders at the thought. ,,And that's fairly easy compared to what I have to do."
Maleficent nods slowly. ,,You're right. It can't be compared."
,,For once we agree on something," Regina says jokingly.
Henry returns downstairs, fully dressed and with school bag slung over his shoulder, and interrupts their little discussion. He wishes Mal a good day and then reminds his mother to call if something happens during the day. Regina promises to do so, and the teenager leaves the mansion to catch the school bus.
Regina and Mal spend a very quiet morning on the couch not doing much beside watching old movies and shooting insults at each other until they laugh. And then they kiss. For quite some time actually. They spend many mornings like this during Regina's maternity leave. When Henry isn't here, obviously. No reason to traumatize the boy.
They briefly pause the bantering/makeout session to get dressed. Regina chooses a red sweater paired with black pants, and Maleficent dresses in her usual "suit and tie" attire.
Regina remembers that grey tie quite fondly. That's the very same tie she found on her bedroom floor one morning long ago when she was confused, uncomfortable and not to mention, completely hungover.
Once they both are dressed and done up, they return to Alfred Hitchcock's The Birds downstairs. Maleficent frequently asks her how she's feeling, and Regina shrugs and tells her that she's feeling quite fine. Nothing unusual whatsoever.
Maleficent's phone beeps. It's Lily asking how Regina is feeling. Maleficent taps back that Regina is feeling like her normal, cocky self.
By lunchtime Regina promptly puts her foot down and insists that they go out and do something. If she's to stay cooped up inside one more minute, she'll go insane. Quite plainly.
Mal is reluctant but agrees to go to Granny's for lunch, so both women put on their warmest winter attire and heads towards the diner.
Granny's is already packed with people when Regina and Maleficent arrives. Snow is sitting in a nearby booth, and the moment she spots the two sorceresses, she promptly waves them over to the table.
Regina and Maleficent walks over to the booth and settles down at the table where Snow, David, Emma and Killian is already sitting. Emma looks rather queasy, and her plate with scrambled is untouched.
,,Morning sickness?" Regina asks calmly and notices how one of the twins stretches.
,,Yeah," the Savior says and wrinkles her nose. ,,I completely forgot how annoying it could be."
Snow gives her daughters arm a little squeeze, and then turns her attention to Regina.
,,How are you feeling, Regina? Any signs of anything?"
Regina groans silently. ,,Yes Snow, I'm having the babies as we're speaking."
Maleficent sniggers and rubs her foot against Regina's ankles.
,,Well, the birth could start today," Snow says and smiles broadly.
,,Doesn't really feel like it," Regina shrugs.
Maleficent yawns rather dramatically and quickly hides the yawn behind her hand.
,,Excuse me," the dragon mutters and rolls her shoulders.
,,Not awake yet, dragon?" Killian teases lightheartedly.
,,Not really. My darling wife decided to wake up at 6am!"
Regina shrugs. ,,It's hardly my fault that you wake up whenever I get up."
Maleficent scowls at her. ,,I can't sleep without you, you know that."
Regina doesn't comment on that statement. Instead she says: ,,Would it be terrible tiresome for you bring me some lunch?"
Maleficent instantly stands up and walks up to the counter.
Regina smiles rather self-satisfied. That worked very well.
Snow smiles softly at Regina. ,,Can't she sleep without you?"
,,No," Regina shrugs. A rather irksome habit if you ask me."
,,Well, I think it's very sweet," Snow beams.
,,That's because you're not the one she clutches on to in her sleep when you're trying to leave the bed," Regina says darkly. They'll really have to work on that in the future.
,,Aww," Emma says and sniggers despite looking rather pale still.
,,Not funny," Regina says and shakes her head.
Maleficent returns to the table with a sandwich for Regina and a bagel for herself. ,,What's not funny?" she questions her wife.
,,The way you're clinging to me in the morning," Regina says flatly, and David chuckles.
,,Well, I couldn't very well cling to you when we first got together. That would probably have scared you off."
,,Uh, you did cling to me when we first got together," Regina coldly points out.
,,And you're still here," Maleficent observes and takes a bite of her bagel.
,,I don't have much of a choice now, do I?" Regina quips and gestures towards her bulging stomach.
Maleficent calmly swallows the piece of bagel. ,,Oh please, you would be here even if you weren't pregnant, my dear. You can't get enough of me."
,,Well now you're just talking mumbo jumbo," Regina shoots back and enjoys their little banter.
Maleficent scrunches up her nose and her brows knit together in confusion. ,,What is mumbo jumbo?" she questions. ,,I've never heard you say that before."
,,It's when somebody is talking utter nonsense, my dear," Regina drawls.
,,So you're saying that if you weren't pregnant, you wouldn't be here, is that is?"
,,Yes," Regina teases.
,,Now that sounds like mumbo jumbo to me, my love."
David shakes his head. ,,Don't you two ever get tired of insulting each other?"
,,No," Regina says blithely. ,,It's what we're best at."
,,Well…" Maleficent drawls and gives Regina a look. ,,We are pretty good at that, but I wouldn't say it's what we're best at."
,,That's quite enough," Regina says imperturbably. She's used to Mal's inappropriate comments by now.
,,Right. Sorry," Maleficent says and turns her attention back to her bagel.
,,There's a good dragon," Regina says blithely, and chuckles when Mal almost chokes on a piece of bacon.
Emma looks from Regina to Maleficent and sighs deeply. ,,Okay, are you done flirting now?"
Oh. Right. They're in a public place right now. Woops.
,,Done," Regina says awkwardly and takes a bite of her sandwich.
Killian sniggers. ,,Funny how you two claims that's arguing."
Regina shrugs. Killian is right though. There's a fine line between when their bantering turns into flirting. Often it happens so fast that Regina doesn't notice it. She simply goes along with it, she's so used to their way of communicating that she doesn't pick up on when their words change into something completely else.
Maleficent has finished her bagel, and now she pushes her plate away and gives Regina an impatient look.
,,Do you think there's any chance the babies will come today, little one?"
,,I don't know," Regina shrugs. ,,I'm not sure how quickly things moves along the first time."
Maleficent sighs deeply. ,,I'm sick of waiting."
,,Says the woman who is not carrying them," Regina deadpans.
,,I'll carry the next one."
,,We're not having this conversation again," Regina says firmly. ,,We're not having any more children."
,,Would it really be that awful if I got pregnant?" Maleficent questions, and Regina grits her teeth. Why is that stupid dragon so hellbent on having more children, and why does she insist upon having this conversation in public.
,,Would it?" Maleficent pushes.
,,Of course it wouldn't," Regina says strained. ,,But can we please wait with this conversation until after the twins are born?"
Maleficent beams. ,,So you are not completely dismissive of having more children?"
,,I'm dismissive of having this conversation in public, my dear," Regina growls warningly and rubs her stomach.
Snow giggles, and David's eyes sparkles with amusement.
Luckily, Regina is saved by the beeping sound coming from her cellphone. It's Henry asking if anything has happened yet. Sadly, Regina has to disappoint him and tell him no, nothing whatsoever has happened yet.
,,Was that our son?" Emma inquires and takes a tiny bite of her portion of scrambled eggs.
,,Yes," Regina sighs. ,,He's impatient as well. But unfortunately, I had to disappoint him."
,,I'm sure it will happen very soon, Regina," Snow says softly.
,,Can't come soon enough," Regina mutters, and Mal nods eagerly.
Regina and Maleficent soon finishes their lunch and heads back home. They spend a very quiet day in the mansion. The twins move about, stretches and kicks but absolutely nothing happens. By nightfall both women are equally impatient.
Maleficent huffs out a frustrated breath as they get ready to go to bed.
Regina fully shares her wife's frustration and she groans quietly as she pulls a nightgown over her head.
,,I can't believe you decided not to join us today," Mal says and gives Regina's stomach an affectionate rub when they lie cuddled together in bed.
,,Me neither," Regina says and shakes her head. ,,They're definitely teasing us on purpose."
Mal chuckles lightly and pats Regina's massive stomach. ,,Maybe."
,,If they don't come tomorrow, I'm phoning doctor Whale and complains!"
,,Is it his fault?" Maleficent teases and gives Regina's shoulder a kiss.
,,No, but I have to blame someone, and he seems like a good choice."
To Be Continued..