The following morning, Emma and Regina were up early. They were gonna meet Alessandra and Sofía for breakfast on a nearby café. It was an old appointment between Regina and the two women and Emma had decided that she wanted to tag along even before they went to Spain. She was very curious about meeting the parents of the baby Regina was expecting. Regina had said so many times that she wanted Emma to meet them, and now she finally could. The young brunette was excited about that. So was Emma. Of course she was, but to be perfectly honest, she did have a bit of an ulterior motive too. She wanted to put Alessandra and Sofía under her personal microscope. She wanted to make sure that they really were good people. Of course she didn't doubt it when Regina said that they were very good people, but she wanted to see it for herself. That was all. That wasn't so bad, was it? Regina was her girlfriend. Emma was only looking out for her. That was all. She had heard quite a lot about Alessandra and Sofía. Alessandra was a lawyer and Sofía was a pediatrician. Solid jobs to say the least. Solid jobs that paid good money. That part of it was covered. Emma felt as though Regina had been trying to prove some sort of point by choosing two people who had such hotshot jobs and "solid" lives. So very different from Regina's own job and life. Emma had often thought to herself that Regina somehow had tried to compromise. Following her own beliefs and choosing a gay couple for the baby but still chosen a couple with impressive jobs and good income. Had she thought of Cora when she did that? Had she hoped that if she chose a couple with impressive jobs, Cora wouldn't resent her as much for it? Emma was tempted to answer her own question with a "yes". Because it really did feel like that was exactly what Regina had tried to do. Make Cora proud by choosing a couple with a good and steady income and following her own belief by choosing a gay couple. Emma found it to be heartbreaking, that even in such a stressful situation, in such a situation where she had been under so much pressure, one of her first thoughts had still been that she wanted to make Cora proud. That only added to the tale of how much of an influence Cora had on her daughter. Emma hated her for it. Plain and simple. Even more so now that she had met Cora. She wanted to believe that Regina was far better off without her, but even though Cora most definitely deserve a daughter like Regina, thinking that Regina would do better without her left a sour taste in Emma's mouth. This wasn't just an 'onwards'-situation. This was something that would affect Regina in the long run, she was sure of that. Maybe Regina claimed that she would do just fine without her, but this was a particularly vulnerable time for her and eventually Regina would suffer under it. She would start to need her mother. Emma could have strangled Cora for the ultimatum she had given her daughter. That wasn't fair. The decision about the baby was ultimately Regina's and instead of spewing venom, Cora should have respected that.

Emma's train of thoughts were interrupted when Regina appeared in the bedroom. Her hair was a bit damp from the shower, and she was wearing a red leather miniskirt and a black tanktop. She looked awesome. Her tanktop was clinging so cutely to her baby bump. Emma couldn't help but smile. "Hi, fake-fiancée."

Regina grinned a little. "Hello yourself, prometida falsa."

Emma's smile widened. Fake-fiancée. Prometida falsa. That was what she and Regina jokingly had called each other since yesterday where Emma had given her the swan ring. On their way home from the flea market, Regina had jokingly claimed that she was disappointed Emma hadn't gone down on one knee, and when they came back to the apartment, Emma actually HAD gone down on one knee. Had solemnly taken Regina's hand in her own. And asked if she would do her the honor of having lunch with the blonde. Regina had laughed her head off and happily accepted the lunch-proposal. And since then they had been calling each other "fake-fiancée". Holy lunch-matrimony, Regina had added with a grin, and Emma had found that description to be awesome. Together in holy lunch-matrimony. If that wasn't funny, she didn't know what was.

"Are you ready to head out for brunch, querida?" Regina asked, stretching her arms above her head and almost reaching the ceiling with her fingertips.

"Sí-sí," Emma half-joked distractedly. She was more busy observing Regina. "Does your back hurt?"

"No," Regina said a tad surprised and flashed a grin. "I'm just stretching."

"Oh... Well, I definitely appreciate it," Emma said warmly, thoroughly enjoying the way Regina's tanktop rode up and bared a strip of caramel colored skin.

"Oops," Regina said and smoothened the tanktop over her swelling abdomen again. "That's not decent. I don't think anyone would appreciate if I went for brunch like this."

"I would?" Emma half-chuckled.

Regina rolled her eyes and shook her head in response. "Come on. We're going to be late if we don't leave now. I don't want to keep Alessandra and Sofía waiting."

"Right-o," Emma said, standing from the edge of the bed. "Let's get going."

Regina elegantly fluffed up her hair which she had let hang loose for once and then she grabbed a little red cardigan that matched the shade of her red skirt perfectly.

"You always look so put together," Emma said a tad enviously and smoothened a hand over her grey sundress which appeared to have become crinkled.

Regina snorted. "My hair is frizzy. I should have put it up before going to bed last night."

"Nah, you look great," Emma was quick to assure. "I like when your hair goes all frizzy. You look so alive."

Regina snickered. "Well I suppose that's a compliment of sorts." She stopped fussing over her hair and grabbed Emma's hand instead. "And I don't have time to do anything about it. Let's just go."

That was exactly what they did. Hand in hand they left the apartment, walked down the many stairs and out in the Spanish sunshine. Regina's purse was swinging from her left arm and she was humming a little. Emma smiled. Someone was in a good mood today. Maybe it had something to do with the way they had woken up earlier. All cuddled together. Regina's hair had been in Emma's face. The scent of apples had filled her nostrils, and it had been every bit a happy place. They had been laying in bed and quietly woken up together. Emma had ran her fingers through Regina's hair until Regina had threatened that she would fall asleep again if that continued. Eventually, they had gotten out of bed, realizing that they had less time than what they had planned. Regina had more or less tumbled into the bathroom to grab a shower, and Emma had thought to herself that all her mornings with Regina was one to remember.

"It's a beautiful day," Regina commented.

"It sure is," Emma agreed.

"We should do something later," the younger brunette continued, first frowning but then smiling as inspiration seemingly struck. "How about a picnic in El Retiro Park? We could make a nice basket with sandwiches and fruit and something to drink?"

"That sounds very nice. I'll bring my camera."

Regina snickered and clicked her tongue a little. "Sí, I'm sure you will. You always do."

"This reminds me of something!" Emma suddenly realized. "While you were in the shower, I checked my email, and you know what? I've been contacted by a woman who owns a gallery in New York, and guess what? She's seen the picture of you. Well, not you, but the picture of your tattoo and your hand. That picture where you're wearing red nail polish. She was very interested. Asked to see the rest of the series."

"Emma!" Regina exclaimed, stopping right in the middle of the street. "That's amazing! I'm so proud of you!" ignoring or forgetting that they were in the street, she flung herself at Emma and hugged her tightly. "Eres asombrosa!"

"Thank you," Emma laughed, wrapping her arms around Regina, hugging her right back. "But the rest of the series..."

"Yes?"

"Well..." Emma bit her lip. "They're of you. Your face. Your... body. Well, covered by the sheet, but still! It's you in the pictures!"

"So?" Regina laughed heartedly. "Emma, of course you have to send the rest of the series to the owner of the gallery! This is an amazing chance for you!"

"Yeah, but... Would you be okay with it? Your face being so... public?"

"Em. Ma." Regina scolded. "Don't be silly! Of course I'm okay with it! And of course you have to send the rest of the series to that woman! Imagine if your pictures could be exhibited in her gallery? What a chance that would be!"

Her unbridled enthusiasm made Emma smile. Regina was quite obviously excited for her, and that warmed Emma's heart. Neal had never taken her job particularly serious. At best, he had treated it as a hobby. And more than once, he had hinted that perhaps Emma should explore other options. Do something else with her life. A desk job, most likely. He was a snob, exactly like his parents. And even though he never said so directly, Emma had a feeling that he found it scandalous that the Mayor's daughter had chosen photography as her livelihood.

"True," Emma agreed with a squeeze of Regina's hand. "It would be an amazing chance, but would you come? To New York, I mean? If the pictures were exhibited, I mean?"

"But of course," Regina said immediately. "If everything continues to go so smoothly, I will come. I'd cross a million oceans for you."

Emma chuckled. "Let's settle for one, eh?"

"This is so exciting for you," Regina said dreamily.

"But it's all because of you," Emma reminded her. "It's your hand in the picture. Laura, the owner of the gallery called it both "mysterious and atmospheric". According to her, it makes one curious to see the woman's face."

Regina looked quite proud.

"My muse," Emma softly continued and squeezed Regina's hand again.

"Stop it," Regina laughed. "You're making me embarrassed."

"Tough. Because that's what you are. My muse. And a damn good one too."

Regina gave her a nudge. And rolled her eyes when Emma pretended to stumble. "You have to write to that woman, Laura, as soon as we get back to the apartment!" she said firmly. "And your parents! You have to tell your parents too!"

"Hold your horses, honey," Emma chuckled. "Nothing has been decided yet. She's only asking to see the rest of the series. That's all."

"And why wouldn't it turn into more?" Regina said plainly. "You're a brilliant photographer."

Emma found herself blushing at that. "Thank you. For being my inspiration."

"Stop it. All I did was putting my hand like you told me to," Regina laughed. "That's literally all."

"'I carried a watermelon,'" Emma teasingly quoted.

"Sí. Exactly." Regina's smile grew a bit mischievous as she patted her swelling belly. "I AM carrying a watermelon."

And just like that, the Dirty Dancing quote had been turned into an even better joke.

They made it to the café, a coffee house was the exact description, and Emma gallantly and jokingly held the door open for Regina, offering a respectful: "Milady."

Regina chuckled. "Thanks, querida."

Alessandra and Sofía hadn't arrived yet, so Emma and Regina found an available table near the window where they would be easy to spot. "Should we order something to drink while we wait?" Emma asked.

"Sí, that's a good idea," Regina nodded and pushed a strand of hair behind her ear.

"You want tea?" Emma asked as Regina whipped out her little mirror and checked her appearance in it.

Regina smacked the little mirror shut again. "I suppose so," she said as she gazed longingly at a waitress who walked past with a cup of coffee.

"Are you ogling the coffee or the waitress?" Emma teased.

"Dios mio," Regina said, shaking her head in protest. "I was ogling the coffee and absolutely nothing else."

"I know, I'm sorry. I was just teasing," Emma laughed.

"You suck," Regina mumbled a tad defiantly.

"Rude," Emma said and reminded herself that they were in a public place. Thus she couldn't make threats about punishing Regina. Shame. She did so enjoy seeing the way Regina's cheeks pinked , and the way she bit her lip whilst muttering something in Spanish. Something Emma was yet to convince her to translate. So far, Regina had plain refused. Emma smirked a little as she got the waitress' attention and ordered a cup of tea for Regina.

"I could have used a cup of coffee to wake up," Regina sighed, now sniffing into the air as though trying to inhale the smell of coffee. "I feel completely groggy."

"You slept fine last night, though, didn't you?" Emma asked and raised an eyebrow.

"Sí, I did, but I kept having weird dreams," Regina said with a wrinkle of her nose. "Including giving birth to a gigantic marshmallow, apparently."

Emma spluttered. "A marshmallow, really?"

"Oh yeah," Regina said and rolled her eyes a little. "As you can imagine I felt pretty disorientated when I woke up."

"Uhm, yeah, I can totally imagine that!" Emma laughed. Seriously, that sounded equally hilarious and a bit freaky at the same time.

"I've heard that pregnant women dream a lot, but this does takes it to an extreme," Regina said dryly.

Emma snickered and reached across the table so she could grasp Regina's hand and give it a little squeeze.

"And what's more, the doctor kept smiling and telling me that everything had gone completely according to plan," Regina continued and made a face.

"Well," Emma grinned. "At least you know what it's like to give birth to a marshmallow now."

"Sure do," Regina chuckled. "And I've never even wondered about it before."

Emma was amused and was just about to make some kind of marshmallow joke when Regina suddenly stuck a hand in the air and smiled broadly.

Emma turned her head to look at the door, and there she saw two women coming into the coffee house. It didn't take long before they spotted Regina. Both of them smiled and Regina stood from her chair. She exchanged hugs and air kisses and a string of 'Hola's' with them, and both Sofía and Alessandra were almost gushing over Regina. Their voices went a bit high pitched when they gestured towards Regina's belly and clearly expressed their delight over how much it had grown since the last time. Emma gave the two women a quick one over, and she couldn't help but feeling slightly surprised at what she saw. One of the two women, Emma wasn't quite sure whether it was Alessandra or Sofía, was tall and had bleach blonde hair while the other woman was shorter and had dark hair. Emma found that to be extremely curious. They looked... Well, the couple actually looked a bit like Emma and Regina. Was that intentional, Emma couldn't help but wonder. She found it to be very conspicuously how much Alessandra and Sofía represented herself and Regina. Tall and blonde. Short and brunette. It couldn't be a coincidence. Regina had to have seen it too, how much they looked like-

Emma shook her head. Or maybe she hadn't. Maybe it was just a big coincidence. "Em-ma, this is Sofía-" Regina introduced and smiled at the tall blonde woman. "And Alessandra." She smiled at the short brunette. "Alessandra, Sofía, esta es mi novia, Emma," she told the two women.

"Hola, Emma," Alessandra said in accented, but good English. "It is very nice to meet you. Regina's been speaking so much about you."

"Good things, I hope," Emma said, partially standing from her chair so she could shake hands with Alessandra and Sofía. "It's nice to meet you too."

All four of them sat down and ordered brunch. While Alessandra talked to Regina and asked her about the trip to Maine, Emma took the opportunity to study the two women. Emma knew that Alessandra was thirty while Sofía was twenty eight. Sofía was wearing cream colored slacks and blue top with a blazer over it. Alessandra had chosen a dusty blue dress. Both women looked very sharp. Very put together. Even though Alessandra only was two years older than Emma, Emma still felt like the other woman was several years older than herself. Maybe it was the figure fitting dress or the fact that she was wearing high heels when going to a casual coffee shop. Emma wasn't completely sure. But it didn't take her long to work out that Alessandra was the talkative one of them. Sofía seemed a bit more quiet and reserved. But nevertheless smiling. Her eyes was on Alessandra as she was eagerly chatting with Regina about how she was doing, how the baby was doing. "Our baby", Alessandra said, and that little "our" felt like a jolt going through Emma's body. But only for a second. Then she shook her head and concentrated on the conversation Alessandra and Regina had. Alessandra was asking Regina how much nausea she'd been feeling and about the next ultrasound scan. And something called MMS, which Emma found out meant Multiple Marker Screen Test. That test was typically done between week 15 and week 20 and had to do with chromosomal abnormalities. But Alessandra stated that she and Sofía wasn't interested in that test, and Regina wasn't particularly interested in getting poked and prodded too much either as she put it with a grin. So her next ultrasound scan would take place at week 18. And that was a pretty important scan.

"Have you guys decided whether you want to know the baby's sex?" Regina asked. Alessandra translated for Sofía, and the two of them had a brief chat in Spanish before Alessandra smiled and said: "no. We want it to be a surprise."

"La habitación del bebé será amarilla de todos modos," Sofía said quietly, and both Regina and Alessandra chuckled.

"She says that the baby's room will be painted yellow anyway," Regina translated for Emma.

"Oh," Emma chuckled too. "Great choice."

"We were talking about names until 2 o'clock last night," Alessandra eagerly chirped. "¿No es así, Sofía?"

"Sí," Sofía said, and Emma thought to herself that maybe she was just a bit quiet. Not that talkative. A bit more introverted than her partner was.

"¿Has decidido algo?" Regina asked casually and took a sip of her tea.

"Savannah if it's a girl, and Diego if it's a boy," Alessandra smiled.

"¡Creemos que va a ser un niño!" Sofía chirped in and smiled widely, and Alessandra flashed her a warm smile and put her hand over her partners.

"They think it's going to be a boy," Regina translated for Emma.

"Oh," Emma said again and thought about the names. That simple. The baby hadn't even been born yet, and they had already decided on a name. For some reason, Emma wasn't too sure what to think about that. It just seemed so quick, knowing what to name the baby. Had it been Emma, she would have waited until the baby was born. She had a sort of vague idea that it was easier to decide on a name when you had met the baby.

Their brunch arrived, and Regina's eyes began to shine. As they so often did when it came to food. They toasted and Alessandra eagerly talked about fatigue with Regina, and now Sofía added to the conversation. Emma breathed a quiet sigh of relief. There was nothing wrong. She had just been jumping the conclusion. As she so often did. Alessandra and Sofía were very nice people. And the fact that they already had chosen a name for the baby merely meant that this was something they had talked about for a very long time. Years, even. That was how long they had wanted a baby for. Diego and Savannah. Savannah and Diego. Those were good names. Perfectly good names. Nothing wrong with that at all. Emma thoughtfully took a sip of her orange juice. She did like the names. And she did like Alessandra and Sofía, of course she did, they were very nice people, both of them. But it still felt strange to know that the two women sitting across from her were the parents of the baby Regina was carrying. That Alessandra and Sofía were going to be the baby's moms.

Emma shook her head a little. She had to keep herself in check. This was something she had known for a long, long time. There was literally no surprises what so ever. Maybe she was just reacting because this was the first time, she was meeting Alessandra and Sofía. And this was a bit of an unusual situation. Let's be honest, it's not often that you go out for brunch with your girlfriend and the parents of the baby your girlfriend just so happens to be expecting. Yeah. That was probably it. Maybe it was totally okay for her to feel a little strange. It probably would have been weirder if she had been able to just breeze through this unusual meeting. Emma settled with that and concentrated on eating her bacon. Pretty good but not as good as Regina's. Her bacon always had a certain crunch to it, Emma fondly thought to herself. Regina's bacon was in a league of it's own and nothing could compare to it. Not even this brunch bacon.

Next to her, Regina was already halfway through her portion of scrambled eggs, and Emma couldn't help but chuckling a little.

Regina raised an eyebrow. "What's so funny, Señorita Swan?"

"Nothing. Those eggs just disappeared quickly, that's all."

"Well, I'm permanently hungry," Regina defended. "You know that."

"Oh yeah," Emma chuckled. "That I do."

"You just need whatever baby need, Regina," Alessandra said warmly.

"Ahora mismo creo que estoy comiendo demasiado," Regina said jokingly, and both Alessandra and Sofía chuckled, but Sofía hastily added: "no-no-no" once done laughing.

"They don't think I'm eating too much," Regina translated for Emma with a chuckle. "Neither do I," Emma said firmly. "I'd rather see you eating than going hungry." Or refusing to eat, she quietly added in her mind, still remembering how Regina had neglected to eat when they came home from their "confrontation" with Cora. But thankfully, Regina had regained her appetite fairly quickly. At least that was something Cora couldn't take away from her, Emma thought a tad bitterly to herself. Another barista walked past with a cup of coffee, and Emma tried to keep her grin at bay when she saw Regina shoot a positively yearning glance at it. Regina was clearly missing coffee. And cigarettes, she had confessed to Emma during one of their Skype dates. She had been smoking since she was seventeen and a half, and yeah, giving it up was hard. Emma had never smoked, but she could imagine that quitting it was hard.

"Debes venir a cenar pronto," Sofía said and smiled at Regina.

"Sí," Regina said and told Emma that Sofía had asked her to come to dinner.

Emma put on a smile. That was nice of her. Of both of them. Alessandra and Sofía were kind people. Very kind people. They were so nice to Regina, almost doting on her. There was absolutely nothing wrong with this picture. Regina couldn't have chosen better people to adopt the baby. And yet here Emma was, feeling something she wasn't quite sure how to define. It was strange. She had absolutely nothing against Sofía and Alessandra, nothing whatsoever. It wasn't that. It was rather the fact that before meeting them, the baby growing inside Regina's belly had been "Blueberry", Emma and Regina's private little nickname for the kid. But now the baby was "nuestro precioso bebé", as Sofía said, and which Emma found out meant "our precious baby", or "pequeño Diego" as Alessandra kept calling Blueberry. She was clearly convinced that it was going to be a boy, and Emma couldn't quite explain why that made her feel strange. It literally shouldn't...

"They're sweet, aren't they?" Regina asked softly.

"They are," Emma confirmed with a slight hum. They had just come back to Regina's apartment and was sitting on the couch doing nothing. Regina had her feet in Emma's lap, and Emma was absentmindedly rubbing the younger woman's ankles in slow circles.

"And they're painting the nursery yellow," Regina continued. "Did you hear that?"

"Yup. Sure did."

"That's a good color," Regina said softly and a bit musingly. "I'm sure Diego or Savannah will like the color when they grow older, don't you think?"

"Well, who doesn't like yellow?" Emma half-chuckled.

Regina leaned back in the old couch and absentmindedly twirled a lock of hair between her fingers. Emma wondered what she was thinking about. Both Sofía and Alessandra had given Regina a hug when they parted ways. Alessandra had even asked if she could touch Regina's belly for a moment, and Regina had allowed her to do that. Alessandra had basically fawned over pequeño Diego, and once again Emma hadn't been completely sure what to think when Alessandra had talked softly to the baby and said that she couldn't wait to meet him.

"You think it's going to be a boy?" Regina asked nonchalantly.

"It could be," Emma replied. "What do you think?"

"I haven't really thought about it to be honest," Regina said, dragging a finger up and down her growing abdomen. "But I do think Diego is a good name, don't you?"

"It is," Emma agreed, noting that Regina had done nothing but making sure Emma was agreeing to everything ever since they had come home to the apartment. It was clearly important to her that Emma thought the same.

Emma shot her a sideway-glance. Regina looked fairly relaxed and comfortable, but obviously Emma couldn't see what was going on in her head. Couldn't possible know what she was thinking about right now. Emma did want to ask her, but before she could, Regina said: "I'm glad they're not interested in having all sorts of tests done."

"Yeah, that would have been a bit much," Emma agreed.

"Now all I have to do is attending the ultrasounds and then squeezing a baby out," Regina laughed. "That's going to be fun."

"You'll do great," Emma said automatically.

"Or maybe I'll faint," Regina said dryly. "I actually read a story about a woman who passed out right in the middle of giving birth-"

"What did I say about reading horror stories?" Emma interrupted and playfully put a hand over Regina's mouth. "It's not good for you!"

"I'm not reading horror stories. I'm just trying to stay on top of things," Regina defended.

"There is a different on staying on top of things and scaring yourself shitless."

Regina snickered. "I am not scared shitless. I'm completely fine."

"Good. Then let's make sure it stays that way. Or I'll take your computer," Emma threatened.

"Now there's something that could scare me," Regina said dryly, but her eyes nevertheless sparkled as she leaned in and pressed a kiss to Emma's cheek. "I'm glad you like Sofía and Alessandra, querida."

"Pretty hard not to like," Emma said softly, turning her head and pressing a quick kiss to the corner of Regina's mouth. "They're good people. Anyone can see that."

"Maybe that's what I'll tell Cora someday," Regina mused. She moved her feet away from Emma's lap.

"Have you... heard anything from her today?"

"From Cora?" Regina looked a tad surprised. "No, of course not. You thought that?"

"Hoping," Emma corrected. "I was hoping that she would get her head out of her ass and realize that she's been a massive idiot."

"Oh, Emma," Regina laughed. "You are sweet, but that is a scenario that isn't likely to ever happen. Cora and I are done."

"It isn't fair to you."

"She has her opinions and I have mine. Both of us rarely backs down. Maybe that's why we don't get along," Regina said simply.

"But she's the one who's in the wrong here."

"Yes," Regina said shortly. She stood from the couch, went through the living room and disappeared through the bedroom door.

"What are you doing?" Emma called a tad confused after her.

"I'm bringing you your iPad," Regina teased. "You have to email back to that gallery owner.

"Right now? But we're-"

"We're not doing anything, and this is important," Regina finished the sentence. She came back and handed Emma the iPad. "Here you go, querida. Now answer the lady."

"You're so bossy," Emma joked. "But I'll answer it. If you sit that pretty ass down."

And Regina did just that.

A couple of hours later found Emma and Regina arriving at the Retiro park. Emma had made sandwiches while Regina had cut up some fruit. They had made each other laugh when they stopped at a nearby grocery store, because they had ended up buying several of these little juice bricks. Pineapple, mango, apple, orange and pear. It had been ages since Emma last had bought a juice brick, and as silly as it was, it was pretty funny too.

They found a relatively empty spot in the park and Regina unfolded the big blanket they had brought for the outing. "Here?" she asked over her shoulder.

"Here is good," Emma smiled, setting the picnic basket down. "Here, I'll help you with the blanket."

"I am still capable of bending over, you know," Regina scoffed.

Emma spluttered. "Why did that sound so... suggestive?"

"Because you have a dirty mind?" Regina dryly suggested.

"Hey, I do NOT have a dirty mind!" Emma claimed.

"That's what every dirty minded person say, querida," Regina teased.

"Grr," Emma mock-growled.

Regina snickered as she sat down on the newly unfolded blanket laying on the ground. "You look like you're going to attack me. You can't rattle a pregnant woman. Remember that."

"That depends on how you'd define 'rattle'," Emma smirked, completely giving in to her apparent dirty mind. "Because I could think of several ways, I'd like to... rattle you."

A faint blush rose in Regina's tanned cheeks. "Let me rephrase then. You can't rattle me like you want to rattle me when we're in a public park."

"Damnit," Emma joked. "Too fucking bad."

"Sit down," Regina said with an eyeroll.

Emma did as instructed, and Regina thrusted a hand inside the picnic basket. "Now... what kind of juice do you want, querida?"

"Hmm..." Emma pretended to think about it for a moment before saying: "Pineapple."

"Pineapple. Bold choice," Regina chuckled as she handed Emma a pineapple juice brick. "Here you go."

"Thanks," Emma grinned as she freed the straw, used it to pop the juice brick open and then took a sip. "Mm. Not bad. Not bad at all."

"Good. Maybe I should buy a stash," Regina joked. She had found an apple juice brick and was now taking swigs of it through the straw. "This is pretty good too."

"Of course it is. It's apple. You love apple."

"Can't really run from that, can I?" she tipped her head back and closed her eyes against the sun. "Esta fue una buena idea."

"Mmm-hmm, it was a good idea," Emma agreed, eyes already wandering to her camera. Regina had taken off her cardigan, and the image of her sitting on the blanket in the grass with her eyes closed was definitely one that needed to be immortalized.

"Have you heard anything from that gallery lady from New York yet?" Regina inquired.

Emma chuckled. "No, not yet. I think we have to be a little patient on that one, beautiful girl."

"I don't want to be patient," Regina scoffed. "I want her to email you back this instant!"

"Maybe you should email her and tell her that," Emma joked.

"Yeah. Maybe I should." Regina took another and almost defiant sip of her juice through the straw.

"You been to New York before?" Emma inquired.

"Sí, a few times when I was younger. But it was mostly to go to the opera and practice the whole sit-still-and-act-like-a-lady routine," Regina said nonchalantly. "I've never really done any sightseeing there."

"Well, if we go there, we'll definitely do some sightseeing," Emma promised. "And you definitely don't have to act like a lady."

Regina laughed heartedly. "Thanks, querida. I'll start practicing sitting with my legs spread a few months prior."

"Okay," Emma said a bit strangled. Hearing Regina talk about spreading her legs was distracting no matter the context. Period.

And Regina was perfectly aware of it. She smirked at Emma, winked even. But she didn't say anything as she thrusted a hand inside the picnic basket again and found a sandwich. "For you, my sweet, sweet tourist," she drawled, voice dropping a few octaves as she handed Emma a sandwich.

"Thanks." Now Emma definitely had problems with concentrating. And problems with coordination too apparently. She damn nearly dropped the sandwich in the grass.

"Careful," Regina said and appeared to be biting back a chuckle. "It would be a shame if that delicious sandwich went down the grass..."

"One of these days..." Emma said through slightly clenched teeth.

"Sí?" Regina sweetly encouraged. "What's gonna happen one of these days, Em-ma?"

"I'm going to do something that'll wipe that smirk right off your face."

"And replace it with what?"

Emma leaned forward. "Something I unfortunately cannot say out loud in this very public park..."

Regina laughed and crawled forward on her knees, leaning over the picnic basket and kissing Emma sweetly on the lips. Not for long. But she did linger with her mouth close to Emma's ear for a second: "that sounds nice, mi amor."

"I'll give you nice, you little minx!" Emma grumbled under her breath and wished she could have done something terribly scandalous to Regina right here in this park. But that probably wouldn't sit well with the many other people in the park. There were actually a few children, and Emma felt a little horrified for having had such sordid thoughts when there were children nearby. She ought to be ashamed of herself, really. But when she told Regina that, Regina just laughed and thrusted a sandwich into her hand with the words: "have a sandwich, querida. And maybe some more juice. You look a bit warm."

"I wonder why that is," Emma grumbled and sucked the juice up through the straw.

Regina smirked as she took a bite of her own sandwich.

"You'll be the death of me," Emma said simply.

"So dramatic," Regina hummed in reply. She had whipped out her phone and was now busy snapping pictures of the picnic basket.

"You gonna send the pictures to someone?" Emma inquired.

"Sí. To daddy. He texted a bit earlier and wanted to know if we had any plans. Which was obviously just a clever way to check up on me, bless him."

"He just wants to make sure you're okay."

"I know. And I love him for it," Regina beamed. "I'm not sure what I would do without him. His support does make everything easier."

"He's an awesome father."

"I'll tell him that you said that. Right now." Regina bowed her head over her phone and began texting again.

"Feel free," Emma grinned. "I want my father-in-law to like me!"

"That's a job that's easy done, querida. You're very lovable."

"And bam, my ego just went through the roof. Again," Emma joked as she leaned back and inhaled the air. It was such a nice day. Having a picnic had been a damn good decision. She turned her head and glanced at Regina. She was still busy texting, so Emma took the opportunity to grab her camera, lift it and snap a picture of Regina as she sat there with her hair as a dark curtain covering her cheeks. It was the perfect photo opportunity, really, and Emma felt every bit satisfied as she put the camera down again.

Regina looked up. "Did you just photograph me?"

"No..."

"I think you did. Didn't you?"

"I've no idea what you're talking about, sweetheart," Emma claimed.

"You totally just took a picture of me!"

"Did I?"

"Em-ma." Regina scowled. "Stop teasing me!"

"Never," Emma laughed. "You're so fun to tease. And you make such a pretty picture."

"So you DID take a picture of me!"

"Guilty as charged, sergeant," Emma joked. "Whacha gonna do about it?"

"I swear to god-"

"H-hola?"

Both of them turned their heads, and Emma spotted a tiny girl, no older than five who was standing at the edge of their blanket. She was wearing a pale pink dress, had curly brown hair and big brown eyes and a bottom lip that seemed to wobble a little bit.

"Hola," Regina greeted and smiled at the little girl. She had clearly spotted the wobbly bottom lip as well, because her voice was laced with concern as she continued: "¿Estás bien?"

"No lo sé," the girl replied and now she definitely looked upset.

"Oh dear," Regina mumbled and then asked the child: "¿Dónde está tu mamá?"

The little girl shrugged, tears welling up in her deep brown eyes.

"¿No sabes dónde está ella?" Regina asked softly.

The little girl shook her head in response and sniffled.

"Looks like someone got lost," Regina told Emma and turned back to the girl: "Como te llamas, querida?"

"Giulia." Said the little girl.

"Giulia," Regina repeated softly and smiled at the child. "Ese es un lindo nombre. Mi nombre es Regina."

"Re-gi-na," Giulia said, now smiling a little bit. "Bonita!"

"Gracias. ¿Deberíamos intentar encontrar a tu mami?"

Giulia nodded.

"I'll try and see if I can find Giulia's mother," Regina said to Emma as she stood from the blanket. "I'll be right back. Watch our things?"

"You got it," Emma quickly confirmed.

"¡Una bebé, una bebé!" Giulia exclaimed, grinning widely as she suddenly pointed to Regina's stomach with a pudgy little finger.

"Sí. Una bebé," Regina confirmed, smiling a bit more tightly now. "Ven. A ver si podemos encontrar a tu mami."

They walked off, and Emma was pretty sure she could feel something tugging at her heartstrings when she saw Giulia put her little hand in Regina's. If that wasn't the most adorable thing, Emma wasn't sure what was. Her fantasy went haywire as she looked at the adorable, darkhaired kid. If one didn't know any better, one could accidentally think that Giulia was-

No. Emma firmly shook her head firmly. She couldn't think like that. Wasn't allowed to think of that. She had just been sitting too long in the sunshine. That was all. She took a big bite of her sandwich and observed as Regina and Giulia walk around in the park and look for Giulia's mother. After a moment, Giulia lifted a pudgy little hand and pointed whilst exclaiming: "¡mamá! ¡mamá!"

A tall, dark haired woman came rushing over to them. She took Giulia in her arms and hugged her tightly. Then she smiled warmly at Regina, and even though Emma was a bit too far away to hear it, she was sure that Giulia's mother was thanking Regina for bringing her daughter back.

"¡Una bebé, una bebé!" Giulia piped up from her mother's arms whilst pointing to Regina's belly again. "¡Regina está teniendo un bebé, mamá!"

Once again, Emma felt something tug at her heartstrings when she saw Giulia's mother smile warmly at Regina and then gesturing as she spoke. Regina nodded and smiled. Then she used her index finger to offer Giulia a silly little wave. Giulia's following laughter and "¡Adiós Regina! ¡Gracias!" could be heard in the entire park.

Emma pretended to be extremely busy eating her sandwich when Regina came back to their spot and sat down. "That has to be today's good deed," she joked.

"She was cute," Emma said lightly.

"She was," Regina agreed and took a sip of her juice.

"She liked you," Emma dared to say. Giulia's attention had only been on Regina.

"I have a friendly face," Regina quipped.

Emma chuckled slightly. But she had a feeling that Regina's friendly face wasn't the only reason why Giulia had chosen to go to her for help. It was the belly that had gotten the child's attention first. That was why she had chosen Regina. Emma studied her girlfriend for a moment. Her posture was relaxed. No tight shoulders or flickering eyes, but Emma immediately noticed that while Regina's right hand was holding the juice brick, her left hand had wandered up and settled on her belly. She was drawing random circles with her thumb, and once again, Emma would have paid a lot to know exactly what Regina was thinking. She was drawing random circles with her thumb, and once again, Emma would have paid a lot to know exactly what Regina was thinking. Asking would be fruitless. Because she knew that Regina simply would put on a smile and say 'nothing. Or she would-

"Fruit?" Regina asked spontaneously, reaching into the picnic basket and finding a piece of fruit for Emma.

"Yeah, thanks," Emma replied and thought to herself that Regina had just done the second thing she often did when thinking about something serious. Started talking about something else...

To Be Continued...

Spanish Translations:

esta es mi novia, Emma= this is my girlfriend, Emma.

¿No es así, Sofía?= Isn't that right, Sofía?

¿Has decidido algo?= Have you decided something?

¡Creemos que va a ser un niño!= We think it will be a boy!

Ahora mismo creo que estoy comiendo demasiado= Right now I think I'm eating too much.

Debes venir a cenar pronto= You must come to dinner soon.

¿Estás bien?= Are you okay?

No lo sé= I don't know.

¿Dónde está tu mamá?= Where is your mom?

¿No sabes dónde está ella?= Don't you know where she is?

Como te llamas, querida?"= What's your name, dear?

Ese es un lindo nombre. Mi nombre es Regina= That's a nice name. My name is Regina.

Bonita= Pretty.

Gracias. ¿Deberíamos intentar encontrar a tu mami?=Thank you. Should we try to find your mommy?

¡Una bebé, una bebé!= A baby, a baby!

Ven. A ver si podemos encontrar a tu mami= Come on. Let's see if we can find your mommy.

"¡Regina está teniendo un bebé, mamá!"= Regina is having a baby, mom!

¡Adiós Regina! ¡Gracias!= Goodbye Regina! Thank you!