"Holy fucking shit, that was amazing!" Emma groaned as she slumped back against the mattress and unsuccessfully tried to catch her breath.
"Sí, I have a very talented tongue," Regina drawled once she had emerged from in between Emma's thighs.
Emma laughed breathlessly. "Fuck, I love when you go all sassy. It's so sexy!"
"Mmm," was all Regina said as she nonchalantly wiped her mouth with her thumb. "¡Eso fue divertido!"
"Understatement," Emma croaked and let out a ragged breath. The muscles in her thighs were still clenching.
"And apparently, I'm your god," Regina smugly continued and snickered.
"Shut up," Emma groaned even though there was a teeny tiny chance she might have said that.
Naturally, Regina did not shut up. She kept laughing, and Emma would definitely have come up with some sort of creative way to make her shut up if she had had enough strength. But unfortunately, she didn't. And so Regina kept laughing. Until she didn't anymore. Suddenly, her face contorted in something that was very close to pain. "Urgh, I don't think this position is working anymore," she wincingly declared as she shifted to lie on her side instead.
"That's what she said," Emma chuckled and felt incredibly funny.
Regina on the other hand, looked completely unamused as she raised an eyebrow and just shook her head ever so slightly without even commenting on what Emma had just said.
"Aww, come on," Emma teased. "You totally sat yourself up for that one!"
"I really, really did not," Regina said flatly.
"Yes, you did."
"No, querida. I didn't. It would appear that your sense of humor disappears along with your strength. Maybe I'm a little TOO good."
"And maybe you're a smug asshole?" Emma innocently suggested.
Regina adopted an expression that was positively dangerous. "You've got some nerve to insult your pregnant girlfriend after she just made you this happy."
"You're right," Emma chortled. "A thousand apologies, Your Majesty."
"'Your Majesty?" Regina echoed and raised an eyebrow.
"Mmm. Your name means 'queen'," Emma said simply as though it was explanation enough.
And Regina didn't search for further clarification. She just said 'right', and then proceeded to do an odd little wiggly-dance on the mattress, not unlike the 'wiggly-dance' Emma had done a moment ago when Regina was between her legs.
"What are you doing?" Emma asked and tried not to laugh.
"My belly is itching," Regina stated. "And I have to pee."
Now Emma DID chuckle. "Alright then. Off you go. And bring that cream back here. I need to learn exactly how to apply it."
Regina rolled her eyes as she got out of bed. Maybe she had gotten up too fast, or maybe her balance was challenged, because she ended up doing a little stumble that almost sent her sideways into Emma's dresser. "Oops," she laughed.
"Careful!" Emma barked.
"Am I drunk or pregnant?" Regina joked as she regained balance and ran a finger through her hair. "This does remind me of the time where I was stumbling home one night..."
"No more stumbling, please. I want you back from the bathroom in one piece!" Emma ordered.
"Yes, ma'am," Regina said silkily and elegantly swayed her hips from side to side as she left Emma's room.
Emma grinned to herself and stretched out her long body. She gave a content sigh when she felt a joint pop satisfyingly somewhere. She needed that. She was a bit sore here and there. But in the best way possibly. It was hard to believe that Regina had been here for a week already. Tomorrow Emma's parents were coming home from their trip to Vermont. Emma had a plan of surprising them with a nice dinner when they came home. Well, actually it had been Regina's idea. She was the one who had suggested that they should make a nice dinner for Emma's parents when they came home, and Emma had of course fawned over how wonderfully considerate that was. Emma pouted a little. As always, she was not ready to say goodbye to Regina the day after tomorrow. As always, time had flown by way too quickly. They've had such a wonderful time. They had watched cheesy romcoms from the nineties. Regina had cried to a few of them. They had gone out for dinner. Stayed in for dinner. One night Regina had cooked for Emma. She had made a spicy paella with meat, fish and seafood. The warm, spicy flavor had made Emma's taste buds sing, and she had joked that she'd a foodgasm. Regina had taken that as the highest compliment, and she had looked utterly proud and satisfied with herself. Then she had stated (with a grin) that she liked playing house. Emma had laughed heartedly, but quietly acknowledged that that was in fact what she and Regina were doing. Playing house. And she enjoyed it immensely.
Emma rolled onto her side and pulled the covers with her. Goosebumps had started growing up her ass, and she wasn't interested in having them spreading any further. It was nine thirty in the morning, and they really should be getting out of bed. But Emma simply couldn't find the strength to get up. She couldn't be bothered to take a shower or get dressed. Perhaps she and Regina would just be enormously unproductive today. And maybe that was totally okay. Emma snickered to herself. Maybe she could even convince Regina to stay in bed all day. That would be glorious.
She heard the door to the bathroom being opened, but she was left deeply disappointed when she saw Regina's nude form slip past the door and further down the hallway. "Hey, where are you going?" she complained. "Come back!"
"¡Tengo hambre!"
"What?" Emma called when her ability to understand Spanish temporarily disappeared.
"I'm hungry," Regina translated, voice growing fainter and fainter as she ventured towards the kitchen.
"Oh. Come back to bed when you've found something to eat then," Emma ordered.
Regina snickered and her voice sounded almost a bit woolen coming from the kitchen as she said: "You are pretty clingy."
"Yep," Emma said simply. She would happily agree to that. She rolled onto her stomach and stretched her long body. Her back was a little sore. Maybe she had been straining a little too much. But oh well. The straining was totally worth it. She chuckled as she heard Regina potter around downstairs. She heard the fridge being opened. There was some Spanish muttering, and Emma grew curious: "are you finding anything good?"
"Onion rings!" Regina excitedly called. "I'll just eat this and then I'll come back to bed!"
"Nah, come back now!" Emma 'demanded'. "And bring the onion rings!"
"Back to bed?" Regina called up the stairs, and Emma could hear the disbelief in her voice. "Isn't that like... gross?"
"No," Emma laughed. "Come back to bed, babe! With the onion rings!"
"Alright, alright," Regina mumbled. "But don't say I didn't warn you!"
Emma laughed heartedly. She didn't give two shits about whether it could be deemed gross to eat onion rings in the bedroom or not. Regina was hungry. So of course she should have onion rings. And obviously, she should enjoy those onion rings in bed, so she didn't strain herself. Oh, so simple.
A few moments later, Regina came back to bed. Armed with a brown paper bag full of onion rings.
Emma snickered, and Regina glared at her. "Don't you dare judging me, Emma Swan!"
"I'd never dream of it," Emma assured and propped herself up on an elbow. "You are literally the image of perfection right now. Naked and carrying onion rings Did you walk naked into the kitchen?"
"God no," Regina grinned. "I borrowed your robe. But I took it off when coming back upstairs."
"Good. I don't want anyone peeping at you through the window," Emma said firmly.
"In this nice neighborhood?" Regina said and chuckled as she climbed back to bed, firmly holding onto the bag of onion rings the whole time. She lifted one of the greasy goods out of the bag and took a bite. Emma couldn't blame her girlfriend for look euphoric at the crunching sound.
"This is getting out of hand," Regina sighed as she shoved another onion ring inside her mouth. "As soon as I'm done being pregnant, I have to get back in the whole fitness thing. And we're not talking yoga."
Emma had in fact witnessed Regina doing some yoga during the week she had been here. A new habit, Regina had told her. Before getting pregnant, she had enjoyed going for runs, but seeing that she couldn't do that while pregnant, she had been forced to come up with something else. Something that was a bit gentler. So yoga it had been the preferred choice. Emma had hovered back every morning to watch Regina do it, and she marveled at how flexible Regina still was. Despite the big belly.
"You're gonna take up running again?" Emma inquired as she snatched an onion ring and shoved it inside her mouth. Yes, she was stealing food from a pregnant woman. And yes, she felt a little bad for doing so.
"Tal vez. But I've actually always wanted to try pole dancing."
Emma choked profusely on the onion ring and proceeded to almost hack up a lung as she attempted to clear her airways. Regina pole dancing. Oh dear lord, have freaking mercy!
"So it's true what they say. It really is dangerous to steal food from a pregnant woman," Regina observed and grinned as Emma's eyes started watering.
"Oh, very funny!" Emma croaked and wiped her eyes with the back of her hand.
Regina laughed shamelessly and rolled onto her back. She stretched out her body. Her toes were by Emma's head, and her head by Emma's feet. Her long dark hair was spilling onto the floor. "But seriously, I'd like pole dancing lessons when I'm not pregnant any longer," she said casually and stuffed another onion ring inside her mouth.
"I'll be present for every rehearsal then," Emma said, and she wasn't even kidding.
"I'm sure you will, querida," Regina hummed and groaned slightly as she stretched her arm and put her cellphone down on the nightstand. "Next time I'll remember to take that back to the bedroom."
Emma tried not to smirk. Regina's cellphone had been left downstairs overnight. She usually brought it back to the bedroom with her, but she had been pretty... distracted last night. In fact she had been VERY distracted. By Emma. And Emma was not sorry about that either.
"Have you heard anything from anyone?" Emma asked, nodding towards Regina's phone.
"My dad. Of course," Regina replied.
Yes, Henry always checked in with Regina to hear how she was doing, and Emma found it to be adorable. But however, that wasn't what she was focusing on today. "You haven't heard anything from Sofía and Alessandra?"
"No," Regina said, and the crunching onion-ring-eating sound stopped for a moment. "And I'm actually starting to wonder about that."
"Yeah, me too," Emma nodded. It was actually starting to become quite the mystery. Normally, Sofía and Alessandra checked in with Regina every week. Hell, sometimes she heard from them every other day. Usually, they would text back and forward, but now it had almost been a week since Regina last heard from them.
"Are you worried?" Emma softly asked her girlfriend because said girlfriend had ceased crunching completely.
"Sí, a little," Regina admitted. "I know it's probably just me being paranoid, but still..." she puffed out air. "No, you know what? They're probably just busy. Or maybe they're on one of their business trips to Barcelona. You know they do that a lot."
"Yeah, you told me. But don't they usually tell you?"
"Mmm, they do. But maybe they're just swamped on their jobs or something. I can imagine being a doctor and a lawyer makes you pretty busy."
"Yeah." Emma nodded in agreement, but she couldn't help but wondering. If it wasn't for Sofía and Alessandra's habit with either calling or texting to check how Regina was doing, this wouldn't have been strange at all. But this radio silence... Well, it was strange.
"So, do we have any plans today?" Regina asked.
Emma was brought out of her musings about Sofía and Alessandra and laughed because Regina certainly didn't sound like she was interested in doing anything. "Well... We could stay in bed all day and eat onion rings?" she suggested.
"Or we could put on some clothes and go for a walk?" Regina said dryly.
"After you've finished that bag of onion rings?"
"Yes, querida. After I've finished that bag of onion rings." Regina gave Emma a nudge with her foot and then she shoved her hand inside the bag and treated herself to a handful of onion rings.
"Onion rings after sex," Emma commented. "Why isn't that a classic yet?"
Regina flashed her a look that suggested that she thought Emma was ridiculous...
Eventually, they did actually manage to get out of bed. They showered. Got dressed. And even went outside. The air was cold and crispy, but they had spent the entire morning indoors, so a bit of fresh air wasn't too bad. And Regina looked mighty fine in her camel coat and big chunky scarf. Her belly pushed the coat out, and it was difficult for Emma to look away from the rounded curve. Regina just looked so goddamn adorable.
Together they walked down the street, arm in arm. And as Emma looked at the golden autumn colors on the trees, it suddenly reminded her of something. "When I was a kid, I always helped my parents with picking the apples."
"You did?" Regina smiled. "That's precious, querida."
"It's actually apple season right now. I bet my mom is freaking out in Vermont because she's not home to pick the apples," Emma chuckled. "This weekend has been her apple-picking' weekend for as long as I can remember. Dad and I have tried to tell her that it can wait a weekend or two, but she always refuses to listen. It has to be this weekend. Otherwise the apples will pale. Or so she says. I've no idea whether its true or not."
"Do you think she'd mind if we did it for her?" Regina asked with sparkling eyes.
"No, I don't think so at all. Why? You want to pick apples, beautiful girl?" Emma half-chuckled.
"Sí," Regina said softly. "That sounds like a perfectly domestic thing to do, doesn't it?"
"It sure does," Emma agreed. "And there's no one I'd rather pick apples with than you."
Regina snickered and considered: "I could use some of the apples to make something for tomorrow night. Do you think your parents would like that, querida?"
"Yeah. I think they'd love that. But you know you don't have to, right?"
"I want to," Regina scoffed and gave Emma's arm a playful little swat. "They're letting me stay in their house. It's the least I can do."
Emma snorted at the not very good joke. "Oh, please. They adore you. Favorite daughter-in-law and all that."
"Emma, darling," Regina said slightly overbearingly. "I'm their only daughter-in-law."
"And their favorite," Emma said goofily. "You wanna go into the woods?"
Regina sputtered. "How did you manage to make that sound so creepy?"
Emma was amused. "Am I scaring you, honey?"
"Oh, sí," Regina purred in her sweetest, most seductive voice. "I am absolutely terrified, querida."
Emma clicked her tongue and warned Regina never to use that tone in public again...
A half an hour later, Emma and Regina were in Emma's parents backyard. A ladder had been propped up against the old apple tree, Emma had a big basket slung over her arm, and she was currently trying to prevent her girlfriend from doing something (in her mind) exceptionally stupid. "You could fall and break your leg! Or neck!" she hissed and even wagged a finger in warning at Regina.
"Oh, please," Regina scoffed as she fearlessly ascended the ladder. "Stop being so dramatic, querida!"
"Stop climbing ladders!" Emma retorted and curled her hands into fists. Seriously, the urge to just rip Regina right off that stupid ladder was overwhelming!
"Is this because I'm pregnant?" Regina asked and sounded somewhere between amused and resigned.
"No. I'd have a problem with you climbing unsteady ladders no matter what," Emma grumbled.
Regina chuckled. "Liar," she said sweetly. "Beautiful, adorable lying Emma Swan."
"It's not a lie," Emma mumbled. But that wasn't completely true. Regina's big belly was the biggest reason why Emma could feel nervous twitches upon seeing her climbing up that ladder.
Regina chuckled again and tested Emma's nerves further by climbing up higher. "Now then," she said lightly as she stretched one arm out. "Let's pick some apples, eh, querida?"
"Uh-huh. And let's do it completely quietly so you can focus on... standing."
"Beautiful, silly Emma," Regina hummed as she picked the first apple from a branch. It was a beautiful, red and shining apple, and even though Emma was nervous as heck over seeing Regina stand on that ladder, she was still every bit a photographer.
"Shit, that's a great motive," she acknowledged as she watched Regina bring the apple up to her nose and inhale. "It works really well with your dark hair and eyes and everything!"
"Sí, just call me Snow White," Regina quipped as she turned slightly on the ladder. "Basket, please."
"Stay still!" Emma barked as she held up the basket so Regina could dump the apple in it.
Regina was still amused. "You are so sweet," she hummed. "Try and relax, querida. Switch off your brain."
Emma was immediately distracted as she thought back to the very first time Regina told her to do that. That had been in a half-dimmed hotel room. They had been sitting on the bed. And soon they weren't sitting anymore... Oh yes, she had the fondest of memories of Regina on top of her.
Regina grinned on the ladder. She remembered too. "That was a good night," she said softly.
"Mm. The best," Emma willingly agreed.
"You were nervous," Regina teased.
"I was not!" Emma harrumphed. "I was just- anticipative."
"That's another word for nervous, mi amor," Regina told her. "But don't worry. I was nervous too."
"You... you were?" Emma blinked. This was brand-new information. Regina had seemed so confident that night. And sassy. "Why?"
"Because I wanted it to be good," Regina said simply as she dumped another apple in the basket.
"Oh. Well, believe me, it was good. It was more than good. It was fucking fantastic. And it has been ever since."
"Fucking fantastic," Regina repeated and snickered. "I can live with that."
"Good," Emma said a bit sardonically and winced when Regina reached high to pick another apple. "Is there any chance you wanna trade place with me?"
"No," Regina said, and Emma found that to be expected and disappointing. "Absolutely not. I refuse to be treated like some little doll," Regina continued and sounded both amused and annoyed at the same time.
"I'm not treating you as a doll," Emma immediately protested. "I'm just trying to look out for you. I don't want you to fall down that ladder!"
"Emma. Mi amor. I'm not gonna fall anywhere, okay?"
"Alright, alright," Emma surrendered. She didn't want to annoy Regina. But she silently vowed that she would not look away for a single second. If Regina DID loose balance and fell (god forbid it!) Emma was damn well gonna be there to catch her!
Regina hummed to herself as she picked another apple and dumped it in Emma's basket. "Your mother is right, querida. It is indeed apple-season."
"It sure is. Do me a favor and hold the next apple up to your lips," Emma requested.
Regina picked an apple and did as she was asked and raised an eyebrow. "Like so?"
"Exactly! Man, that's perfect," Emma almost groaned. The photographer in her was very, very excited. "We'll have to do some pictures before we go inside."
"And what will you call this picture?" Regina half-teased. Still with the apple close to her lips.
"Hmmm," Emma pretended to consider it as she looked at her delightfully saucy girlfriend who clearly was in the middle of flirting with an apple. "How about... 'Forbidden Fruit'?"
"And there goes my reputation as Snow White," Regina observed dryly, but with sparkling eyes. She glanced down at her baby bump. "But I suppose that reputation went out the window a long time ago..."
"Who wanna be Snow White anyway?" Emma asked quickly, because joking or not, she did not like it when Regina started talking about herself like that. A part of her still suffered under the many, many times Cora Mills had called her 'a bad girl'. "I mean, Snow White... didn't do much, did she?" Emma continued. "She was just..."
"A prissy little princess?" Regina suggested with a grin.
"Yep. Something like that. You're way more badass."
"Hm," Regina nodded a little. "A badass. I can like with that." She turned back around on the ladder.
"A badass with a... nice ass," Emma said. She had completely trailed off when Regina bent slightly and gave her a perfect view of said nice ass.
"I can live with that too," Regina snickered as she dumped another apple in Emma's basket.
"Good," Emma drawled. "You pick those apples and I'll just be... enjoying the view."
"Oh god," Regina clicked her tongue as she turned around again and resumed the apple picking. She was clearly teasing because she was making a point of wiggling excessively whilst standing on the ladder.
"Would you be careful!" Emma hissed. "I'm serious, Regina! If you fall off that ladder so help me-"
"You'll explode and disappear in a cloud of smoke?" Regina finished the sentence. "Poof?"
"You are not one bit funny," Emma snipped. "Don't make me come up there!"
"And do what, mi amor?" Regina asked silkily. "Don't tell me you're planning on doing things to me while I'm standing on the ladder?"
"You are impossible!" Emma gave up. "Absolutely impossible!"
"And you like it," Regina grinningly accused.
Yes. Yes, Emma did like it. She liked it a lot. She liked when Regina was flirting so shamelessly with her. She liked how playful she was acting. And she liked that apple picking suddenly had turned into a seductive affair. Only Regina could make apple picking into something seductive. Only she could look so fucking good standing on a ladder. Although Emma did not like when she stood on a ladder, she had to admit that her girlfriend looked damn good up there. No one could complain about the view, and Emma thought to herself that they would have to sacrifice one or two of those red apples in the name of art. She simply had to put them in a picture with Regina. Something fairytale inspired. Yes. That would definitely work. She was a genius!
It actually took about a half an hour before all the apples were in Emma's basket. Emma was quite relieved when she finally could extend a hand out towards Regina and help her down from the ladder.
"Oops," Regina quipped as she pretended to miss a step.
"Stop it," Emma scolded. "I know I'm being overprotective, but please don't do that."
Sensing that Emma was not joking, Regina smiled softly and gave her hand a squeeze. "I'm sorry. I'll stop messing around."
"At least when it comes to that," Emma said and gently grabbed Regina around the waist and lifted her down. "Gotcha!"
"Do you realize this is the second time we're doing bridal style," Regina observed as she wrapped her arms loosely around Emma's neck.
"Yup," Emma said lightly. "It's nice, isn't it?"
"Well, you are my fake fiancé," Regina said and fiddled with the swan ring on her finger. "Are you gonna put me down or what?"
"Nah," Emma grinned. "I think I'm gonna carry you inside. You and the apples."
"Emma Swan! Put me down!" Regina jokingly squealed. But she kept holding on to Emma's neck.
"Regina Mills, I refuse," Emma retorted as she without further ado carried her girlfriend back through the garden. She was obviously being extremely careful while doing so. God forbid she should end up tripping after having spent the last half an hour lecturing Regina on the importance of not falling. It would be a tragic kind of irony if Emma was the one to loose balance all the sudden.
"You comfortable?" she asked Regina as she made it up to the porch.
"Sí, very," Regina hummed. "You are making arándano dance."
"Again?" Emma said softly.
"Sí, he's quite excited," Regina replied and adjusted a little.
He. Emma tried not to get distracted by that. It would appear that Blueberry now officially was a boy. Blueberry was never 'it' any longer.
Emma carried Regina into the hallway where she gently sat her down on the floor. Regina ran a hand through her hair and then slipped off her coat. Emma couldn't take her eyes off Regina's belly. It was difficult knowing that Blueberry was moving, and she wasn't yet able to feel it. "Still dancing?" she asked.
"Mmm. I swear, this kid will end up as a dancer," Regina quipped as she hung her coat on the hanger.
"Like you," Emma said before she could stop herself and immediately felt like she had just put her foot in her mouth.
But Regina just smiled a little. "Now let's see what I can do with those apples." She snatched the basket and carried it into the kitchen.
Emma followed her. "What are you thinking? Apple pie or something?"
"No. Apple turnover," Regina corrected and put the basket down on the table. "My dad's specialty. And now mine. He actually taught me to make it when I was about this side..." she gestured with her hands to indicate how small she had been.
"Aww," Emma cooed. Thanks to the pictures, she could easily imagine how cute pint-sized Regina had been. "Please tell me you were wearing an apron!"
"I was," Regina said and grinned a little. "Don't forget I'm the daughter of a chef, querida. Kitchen hygiene was always the most important thing."
"Did you have a little chefs hat too?" Emma asked innocently.
Regina grimaced as she picked up one of the apples and weighted it in her hands. "Maybe..."
"Oh my god," Emma pretended to swoon and clutched her heart. "Thank you so much for putting that image in my head!" seriously, baby Regina wearing an apron and a little chef's hat. How adorable was that?!
"I was proud of that hat!" Regina defended. "And my dad was proud of teaching me that recipe. 'This is the first step to become a chef, Reggie', he always said. And 'this is your first family tradition. I learned it from your grandfather who learned it from HIS grandfather. Now it's your turn to pass on the tradition and teach this recipe to...'" her voice dwindled as she trailed off. She looked at the apple in her hand without really seeing it.
"Honey?" Emma asked gently and put her hand on Regina's arm. "Are you alright?" Regina suddenly looked miles away, and Emma was eager to bring her back. She gave Regina's arm a soft squeeze, but Regina did not react to it. She just stared at the apple in her hand. Her expression was blank. She wasn't here, Emma could see that. She didn't want Regina to be sad, and right now Regina looked just that. Sad. There was a wrinkle between her dark eyes.
"Sweetheart?" Emma asked softly. "Regina, are you okay?"
"Right!" Regina said and her voice was much too sharp. "So, turnovers! Where was I?"
"I think you were telling me about the recipe," Emma murmured. Apparently, they were not gonna talk about what had just occurred. Emma had to respect that. No matter how much she wanted to.
"Oh yes," Regina said, voice all chirpy. "That's right. You see, to make a turnover you just gotta..."
Emma listened as her girlfriend explained how to make the perfect turnover, but now she was the one who wasn't really paying attention...
The following evening, Emma's parents arrived back home. Emma and Regina welcomed them home, and Mary Margaret gave them each a big hug. And thanked them for having picked the apples. "My knees are getting too old for that ladder anyway. The turnovers looks delicious, Regina."
Regina smiled proudly, and Emma felt equally as proud as she felt hungry. The turnovers did indeed look delicious. All golden brown and crispy and sprinkled with sugar on top. Regina was a kickass cook. Emma had told her that several times when she made the turnovers earlier today.
Emma smiled at her parents. It was nice having them back home again. "How was Vermont?" she asked curiously and a bit teasingly. "I barely heard from you guys."
"Oh, it was wonderful, wasn't it, David?" Mary Margaret chirped. "The hotel, the location, the spa, everything!"
"It was very nice," David agreed with his wife. "A well-deserved break. We haven't even been thinking about work, have we, honey?" he slipped an arm around his wife.
"Not even a little bit," Mary Margaret assured. "But I must admit that it will be good to get back to mayoring."
"You're hopeless, mom," Emma joked and rolled her eyes. "But I'm happy you guys had a nice time." Her parents certainly looked like they'd had a good time. Both of them looked so relaxed and comfortable, and Mary Margaret's skin was almost glowing. No doubt she had been given the full facial treatment at the spa hotel.
"And how about you two?" Mary Margaret asked. "What have you been up to? Apart from picking apples, of course."
Emma snickered and quickly banished the image of Regina in bed with the sheet pulled up to her lower back, dark hair spilling down her shoulders and a blood red apple only inches from her perfect lips. They had indeed been doing a photo shoot. 'Forbidden Fruit' was now a very official thing. Regina claimed that Emma should try and sell the pictures, but Emma refused. No way in hell she would sell images of a partly-dressed Regina. No sir!
"We've mostly just been hanging out, isn't that right, Regina?" Emma said.
"Sí," Regina nodded. "Oh, and the baby has started kicking!"
"It has?" Mary Margaret's eyes widened. "How terrific! How does it feel for you? With Emma it sort of felt like light tickles."
Regina chuckled softly. "It feels a bit like popcorn popping."
"And I'm super jealous that I can't feel it," Emma grumbled.
Mary Margaret lightly patted her arm. "It'll come soon enough, sweetie." Then she turned to Regina again. "Has the baby been very active, Regina?"
"Oh yes," Regina nodded. "Absolutely. It's nice to finally feel it, but at the same time it's a bit... strange."
"I understand that," Mary Margaret said eagerly. "I felt like that too. It took me some time to get used to."
"I think I already am starting to get used to it," Regina mused. "It's funny, really. It's almost like the baby is trying to be a part of the conversation."
Mary Margaret laughed and treated herself to another turnover. "Emma did that too. And she still wants the last word."
"Does she?" Regina asked with faux surprise as she looked at Emma. "I haven't noticed."
"Hey, that is so not fair!" Emma protested. "Stop ganging up on me, damnit!"
The look Regina flashed her was absolutely annoying. All false innocence and mischief at the same time. And it was annoying because Emma couldn't kiss the breath out of her.
"Tell us about the hotel," Regina said eagerly. "I've never been to Vermont before."
David and Mary Margaret immediately threw themselves into describing the hotel and location and everything. They were constantly talking over one another, both of them wanting to be the first one to tell Regina what she wanted to know. Emma thought to herself that Regina was bringing that old myth about not getting along with her parents-in-laws to shame. There was no fake smiles here. All of it was genuine. Emma's parents adored Regina. And vice-versa. Yes, Emma had been a little excited about introducing Regina to her parents, everything considered, but she hadn't needed to worry.
"Hey," Regina said and gave Emma a light shove.
"Ouch!" Emma protested and huffed when her elbow accidentally was knocked off the table.
"You were staring at me," Regina laughed. "Do I have something on my face or what?"
"No, of course not," Emma said hastily and rubbed her elbow. "I was just... getting lost in thoughts, I guess."
"Oh. Is your elbow okay?"
"No, you've probably broken it," Emma said with faux sadness.
Regina laughed again. "I know I can do self-defense, but I think you're exaggerating a bit, mi amor."
"No, I'm not," Emma mock-grumbled and rubbed her elbow again. "Settle for punching the bad guys, will you?"
Regina's smile grew a bit wicked. She was probably thinking about that time she smacked Robin across the face. So was Emma. She would cherish the memory of Regina giving that douchebag what he deserved until her last breath.
Mary Margaret hummed in appreciation as she took a bite of her turnover. "Regina, this is wonderful! Can I have the recipe?"
"Por supuesto," Regina beamed. "That would only please my dad. First thing you have to do is-" she was interrupted by the sound of her phone going off noisily and scratching against the table. Regina glared at the device. "Que grosera," she said as she picked up the phone and looked at the screen.
"Is that your dad again?" Emma asked and chuckled good-naturedly. Seriously, bless that guy for calling Regina so often. It was positively adorable!
"No, it's Alessandra," Regina replied shortly.
Emma frowned. It was after nine here in Storybrooke. Meaning that it was three o'clock in the morning in Madrid. Why would Alessandra call Regina that late? It didn't make sense. She and Sofía were notorious for going to bed early because of their jobs.
"I better take this," Regina said. "Sorry."
"Don't apologize, dear," Mary Margaret said quickly and flashed Regina a reassuring smile.
Regina briefly returned the smile before bringing the phone up to her ear. "Hola, Alessandra," she said. "¿Como estas?"
For obvious reasons, Emma did not understand what Alessandra was saying in the other end, but she could hear the other woman say a bunch of things quickly. Her voice seemed to be slightly more high pitched and more breathy than usually.
"Ve más despacio, Alessandra," Regina said and frowned. "No entiendo lo que estás diciendo."
Okay, now Emma was REALLY curious. She tilted her head as she tried to determine exactly what was going on.
"¿Seriamente?" Regina's eyes widened slightly. "Sí, tienes razón, eso nos pone a todos en una posición difícil." She briefly glanced at Emma and her parents and mouthed a quick 'sorry' before standing from her chair and quickly walking into the living room to continue the conversation.
"Hmm," Emma said as she heard Regina speak rapid Spanish. Although Emma didn't understand the words, she knew that this was an important conversation. Otherwise Alessandra wouldn't have called Regina at three in the morning.
"What do you suppose that's about?" Mary Margaret asked quietly.
"I haven't gotten the faintest," Emma muttered. The curiosity was burning in her mind. "She hasn't heard a peep from them all week and now Alessandra is suddenly calling her after nine? What is up with that?"
"Strange," Mary Margaret agreed, and Emma was relieved. So she wasn't the only one who found this to be weird.
"Perhaps there's a rational explanation," David said.
"I suppose so," Emma agreed. "They COULD have been busy with work, but too busy to send a text or something?" she didn't buy that. You were never too busy to send a text.
Mary Margaret took a sip of her coffee. She was frowning too. And glancing through the door Regina had just disappeared through.
"¡Dios mío, lo siento mucho, Alessandra! ¡Realmente soy!" came Regina's voice from the living room.
Lo siento. That meant 'I'm sorry', Emma knew as much. But exactly WHAT was Regina sorry about? And why did she suddenly sound so tired? God, if it had been acceptable to just barge in there and listen in, Emma surely would have done so. She impatiently drummed her fingertips against the table knowing full well that her mom would comment on it in a moment. She hated when Emma drummed her fingers against the table. It was one of the few things that had driven her crazy when Emma was a child. And Emma had of course weaponized it and done it to annoy her mother when she was mad at her.
"Si. No, no tienes que disculparte. Está bien. Bueno. Si. Adiós, Alessandra," Regina said, and the words sounded more like a sigh than anything else. Emma heard the floorboards creak slightly as Regina walked back and forward in the living room, and then...
"¡Maldita sea!" Regina growled.
Oh. Yeah, Emma had heard that sentence enough times to know exactly what that meant.
"¿Ahora que? ¿Ahora qué, ahora qué, ahora qué?" Regina mumbled. She was clearly walking back and forward. And clearly having a mini-breakdown.
Emma rose from her chair. Ready to head into the living room. She wasn't about to let Regina have a mini breakdown on her own. But before she could get the chance to go anywhere, the door to the living room opened and Regina emerged.
"Sorry about that," she offered. She didn't look sad. Just concerned. Her lips were a thin line, and her forehead wrinkled.
"What's up?" Emma asked immediately. "Was that Alessandra?"
"Sí, it was. And she was in tears," Regina said dully. "I almost couldn't understand what she was saying."
"And what DID she say?" Emma asked and put a hand on the small of Regina's back.
"She said..." Regina sighed. "Well, she said that she and Sofía had a major fight last weekend. Stuff was said, and it turns out that Sofía has been seeing someone else."
"Shit, really?" Emma said surprised. As ridiculously as it sounded, she had not expected this from Sofía at all. She had seemed so devoted to Alessandra. But you never knew what was going on behind closed doors, did you?
"Alessandra has moved out of the apartment and back to Barcelona where her parents lives," Regina continued. "I don't think she and Sofía will be able to work through it. It didn't sound like it. It actually mostly sounded like Alessandra wanted a divorce and wanted nothing to do with Sofía. Which I... Well, I understand that."
"Yeah. Me, too," Emma said grimly and thought of Neal and Tamara.
"And obviously it means that the adoption isn't happening either," Regina sighed. "They're getting a divorce, and of course none of them wants to throw a baby into that mix. That's what Alessandra called to tell me. And to say that she was sorry. And that Sofía is a bitch, apparently."
"Oh," Emma was stunned. She honestly had not expected that. "Then... then what?"
"Good question," Regina laughed dryly. "I suppose I'll have to contact the adoption agency again and... and find a new family. God, I have to go through the whole decision mill one more time!" she palmed her forehead. "Everything was going so well!"
"I'll go with you," Emma immediately offered. "I'll go back to Spain with you and we'll figure this out, okay?"
"Okay," Regina said without sounding very convinced. She put a hand on her growing belly. "I'm sorry, kid. I really thought they were the right ones!"
"We'll find somebody else," Emma said automatically and felt her mother's gaze burn a hole right between her eyes. Mary Margaret had kept quiet during it all, but Emma had a feeling that her mom knew what she was thinking. That Regina already had found the right one.
Emma looked down at Regina's hand that was still cradling her big belly. She reached out and gently placed her hand atop Regina's. And tried not to think about just how RIGHT this was. She absolutely could not think like that. If Regina wanted to find a new family for Blueberry, Emma would damn well help her if that was the last thing she did!
To Be Continued...
Spanish translations:
¡Eso fue divertido!= That was fun!
¡Tengo hambre!= I'm hungry!
Tal vez= Maybe.
Que grosera= How rude.
Hola, Alessandra= hello, Alessandra.
¿Como estas?"= How are you?
Ve más despacio, Alessandra= Slow down, Alessandra.
No entiendo lo que estás diciendo= I don't understand what you're saying.
¿Seriamente?= Seriously?
Sí, tienes razón, eso nos pone a todos en una posición difícil= Yeah you're right, that puts us all in a difficult position.
¡Dios mío, lo siento mucho, Alessandra! ¡Realmente soy!= Oh my god, I'm so sorry, Alessandra! I really am!
Si. No, no tienes que disculparte. Está bien. Bueno. Si. Adiós, Alessandra= Yes. No, you don't have to apologize. It's okay. Okay. Yes. Goodbye Alessandra.
¡Maldita sea!= God damnit!
¿Ahora que? ¿Ahora qué, ahora qué, ahora qué?= Now what? Now what, now what, now what?