I'm so so so so sorry!! I was finishing up some other stories and completely forgot about the last time I updated this one! I won't stop this story until it's finished, though, even if it takes three years. At least since I last updated, I've come up with at least thousands more DragonQueen prompts, so that's good. I hope to make up with my absence with much more frequent updates. Please forgive me! Please send feedback, stay safe, and I hope you enjoy!
Regina's recent discovery of a pregnancy app was her saving grace. This way, both women could monitor Mal's symptoms, see how much they're child has grown, and keep track of the due date. Mal was a little self-conscious, knowing Regina would be aware of her symptoms, but Regina assured her that she had nothing to worry about, it was all a part of the natural process of birth.
"Oh, you're one of those women who think birth is a beautiful ritual," Mal deadpanned.
"'One of those women?' Really?"
"Yes. There are people who believe birth is this beautiful, natural experience."
"It is!"
"It's the opposite. You've never seen a birth before. There's blood and sweat and bodily fluids and pain and it's disgusting."
"A bit opinionated, are we?" Regina teased.
"I have experience. You, my love, do not." Regina sighed.
"I'll just have to see for myself and I'll determine who's right." Mal sighed.
"Fine."
Mal hated this stage of her pregnancy. She was five-and-a-quarter months pregnant and couldn't be more irritated. This was her worst month with Lily and it still remained her worst month. This was right when she had started passing out in her first pregnancy and she was fearful it would happen again. She was in the clear so far, but when she was taking more time off work and stayed home with Lily, she was terrified she would pass out with only Lily around and scare her. That's why a paranoid Mal taught Lily how to use her cellphone to call Regina in an emergency.
"Now honey, can you repeat the numbers for me?"
"Ummm, six three eight...five nine..."
"Two," Mal provided.
"Five nine two, seven six three six!"
"Very good. One more time and I'll make you lunch."
"Don't you think this is a little...extreme?" Regina asked from the doorway of the living room, holding a tray of food.
"Extreme, but necessary." Mal said, turning back to her daughter. Lily squeezed her eyes shut.
"Six three eight, five nine two, seven six three six."
"Very good."
"Lunch is served, Princess Lily." Mal saw Lily frown.
"I don't think I wanna be a princess."
"No? What do you want to be, then?"
"A knight! That protects the dragon Mommy and Queen Gina and Princess Zelda!"
"A knight, huh? You're the bravest knight I'd ever met."
"Yeah?"
"Of course." Regina ran a hand through Lily's hair and handed her the tray. "Dame Lily needs her lunch to get even stronger, though." Lily snatched the tray from Regina, thanked her, and sat down on Mal's lap. Regina sat down at Mal's side.
"Do you think teaching her how to call me is really necessary."
"Yes, I think it is. I don't want her to be scared and alone if I pass out, and even if she wasn't scared, it should still be important that you knew it happened, just in case."
"But-"
"-Even if I don't pass out, she should still know your number in case something else happens." Regina sighed and rubbed a hand over her girlfriend's knee.
"Okay. I think that's fair." She smiled and swept in to kiss her, intending for only a peck, but Mal held onto her cheek and kept her there. With Lily around them constantly and Mal's pregnancy, they've barely gotten enough time to themselves.
Mal was very self-conscious of her pregnancy. She always worried about her bump, the stretch marks starting to appear, nearly every symptom she felt guilty about. Regina didn't like how it got to Mal so easily. Regina pulled back from the kiss.
"How about we have a date this weekend? A few hours to ourselves."
"Really?"
"Of course. I miss being alone with you."
"Will we be able to find a sitter in time?"
"Ruby can 'sit me! Please? Please can she 'sit me?" Lily smiled at her mom and gave her best 'begging' face.
"We'll have to ask if she's free, but I think that can be arranged," Mal said. Lily grinned up at her and hugged her neck.
"Thanks, mommy! I love Ruby! She does good 'sitting." Mal laughed. Regina felt uneasy about leaving Lily behind while her and Mal had time alone, but those uneasy feelings were squashed easily by a reassuring hand on her jaw.
"It'll be for less than a few hours. She'll be fine with Ruby." Regina smiled, but it looked more like a grimace.
"I love you."
"I love you too." She sealed her proclamation with a kiss.
Regina was in her office, looking over a client's file, when her phone blared out through the room. She recognized that ringtone as Mal's and dropped everything to dig her phone out from stacks of paper.
"Hey, Baby. How's Lily?"
"Gina?" A voice too small for Mal responded.
"Lily? What are you doing? Is mommy okay?
"I can't find her. When is Ruby coming?"
"In one sleep, honey. Why can't you find mommy?"
"I-" a sharp sound on the other end of the phone caught her attention, followed by shuffling and her girlfriend's voice coming through the speaker.
"Regina! What's going on?"
"Judging by the fact that you aren't passed out, I'd say Lily took advantage of those 'phone lessons' you gave her," she inferred, containing her amusement.
"Oh god, I'm so sorry."
"Don't worry, I'm in the office today. Could you hand Lily the phone for a second, please?" A little more shuffling.
"Gina!" Lily's loud voice echoed in her eardrums and she had to pull the phone away as she began speaking loudly and hastily.
"Lily, stop talking for a second. You can't call me right now, okay? Only if mommy's in trouble, you can call me. You made me very worried. You're lucky I wasn't in court."
"Sorry, Gina. I wanted to know when you were comin' home to mommy and me. I wanna watch Aladdin with you."
"In two hours. Do you think you can wait that long? When I get home, I can make my lasagna and we can watch Aladdin. Okay? I just need you to do one thing for me."
"Okay."
"You have to listen to everything mommy says. Do you think you can do it, my brave knight?"
"Yup. Bye Gina!"
"Bye, sweetie. I'll see you later." Before she could ask Lily to hand the phone back to Mal so they could talk, the dial tone filled the room with it's high-pitched shrill. She set the phone down and chuckled to her empty office.
Mal anticipated their date even more since Lily called Regina at work. She desperately needed a break from everything: Lily, thinking about the pregnancy, and the clinic was nearly harassing her with cases every day she didn't work. She was lucky she could make her own schedule, she couldn't imagine how things would be if she had a strict work schedule.
Regina was getting ready upstairs, while Lily and Mal were sitting on the couch watching television, waiting for Ruby to arrive.
"Mommy?"
"Yes, my little knight?"
"Can I still watch T.V. when Ruby's here?"
"Of course you can. Just remember you have to turn the T.V. off and do something else before bedtime. Okay?"
"'Kay mommy. I'm gonna miss you an' Gina."
"We'll miss you too, baby."
"Well I'm gonna miss you more!"
"I'm going to miss you most," Regina said from the doorway. She waltzed into the living room, adjusting an earring.
Mal ran her gaze up her girlfriend's body, lingering on toned legs and the tight curves her dress hugged.
"You look ravishing, my Queen." Regina bit her lip and leaned over so her face was inches away from Mal's.
"You are even more so. You know I love your pantsuits." She smirked and pecked Mal's nose, then stood back up. Mal pouted slightly.
"I want a kiss," she requested.
"I just gave you one," Regina said smugly.
"On my mouth." Regina grinned and bent down again, only to whisper in her ear.
"Patience, my love. You'll be getting more than you can imagine tonight." Regina bit her lip again, knowing what it did to Mal, and sashayed out of the room to grab the money to pay Ruby. Mal frowned for a moment, but smiled again as her eyes fell on the child sitting halfway on her lap.
The doorbell rang throughout the house. Regina and Mal simultaneously called that they would get it, but an eager Lily beat them both to it. Mal sighed and got up from the couch.
"Ruby! Hi!"
"Hi, Lily."
"Lilith Page, what have I told you about answering doors without me?"
"Sorry, mommy." Mal laid her hand on her daughters head and massaged.
"It's quite alright, as long as it doesn't happen again." Mal turned to Ruby. "Ruby, so nice to see you! Come in." She moved off to the side and let her in. She showed her to the kitchen, where Regina was finished writing down their phone numbers.
"Ah, Miss Lucas. Very nice to see you again. I'm sure I don't have to run through the rules with you again, but just in case, I wrote down Lily's bedtime, when the television gets shut off, and the book we're reading through at the moment, as well as our phone numbers. Call us if you need us, we'll be back later. I thought it was a little early for dinner, so I didn't make anything, but feel free to order takeout if you like."
"And Lily also knows she needs to go outside today," Mal added
"But-"
"--for more than two minutes, Lily. You are free to walk to the park or the playground if you wish."
"Yay, playground!" The two women chuckled. Mal kneeled in front of Lily.
"Behave tonight, Lily. And no asking for ice cream. Healthy snacks only after supper."
"But I had cookies last night after supper."
"If you are good, Ruby can give you one cookie, at her discretion." Lily looked determined and nodded. Mal smiled softly and raised a hand to her daughter's cheek. "I love you, my knight." She kissed her temple and got up.
"Thank you for doing this, Ruby. I left money for dinner on the counter, along with your payment."
"Thank you, Ms. Mills, Ms. Page."
"Have a good evening, you two!"
"Bye mommy, bye Gina!" Regina blew a kiss to Lily and wrapped an arm around Mal as they left.
"What would you like to do first?" Mal asked.
"Don't worry, I have an idea," Regina trailed off. Mal smirked. Regina opened the door for her and closed it again when Mal was inside. Before Regina could even start the car, Mal asked where they were going.
"I wanted to keep it a surprise." She started the car just as Mal huffed impatiently. Regina rolled her eyes mockingly and backed the car out of the driveway. They drove through the neighbourhoods of Storybrooke to end up on Main Street, where Regina parked the car in front of Granny's.
"The diner? Really?"
"What would you like?"
"A salad." Regina raised an eyebrow.
"We both know that's not true, you were talking about how terrible salads were, compared to burgers, just last week." Mal looked down at her lap. "You're allowed to eat unhealthy. Nobody is forcing you to eat something you don't want. Now, I'll ask again, what do you want?"
"A barbecue chicken wrap and onion rings," she blurted. "Please."
"What my dragon wants, she gets." She smirked as she left the car, leaving Mal to ponder alone why her daughter would pick her to be a dragon.
Regina came back quickly and put the paper bag in the back seat.
"Why do you think Lily thinks I'm a dragon?"
"A dragon is her favourite animal. They're beautiful creatures, so beautiful you wouldn't believe your eyes if you saw them, for they are so beautiful. They are protective of their young and the ones they love, and they're fiery. Very fiery, but that's what makes them spectacular." Mal smiled brightly, slightly teary-eyed.
"I can never believe my eyes whenever I look at you. I promise you, Lily only had a good reason for naming you the dragon." Regina smiled back, unable to keep a straight face when Mal smiled at her like that. Mal leant forwards and kissed Regina, sliding her tongue over the seam of her plump, red lips before digging her teeth into them and pulling back.
"That is now the kindest thing anyone has ever said to me. Second is everything else you have said to me."
"Get used to it," Regina whispered. She wanted to take a picture of Mal in this moment, tender smile gracing her perfect red lips and her sky-blue eyes sparkling. "Let's get going, if we're gonna make it in time."
"In time for what?"
"You'll see..." Mal raised a sculpted eyebrow and huffed once more.
"You're adorable when you do that, you know," Regina pointed out.
"I'm not, and never will be, adorable."
"I digress."
"If I'm adorable, you're annoying."
"Maybe, but you love me regardless."
"I do. I will never deny it." Regina grinned widely as she pulled out of the parking lot. They drove around town once more, but Mal had no idea were they were going. She had never been in the part of town they were in before. They turned onto a gravel road and down the road, stopped in a dirt lot.
"Seriously, Regina. Is this where you're taking me to have me murdered?"
"If you really need me to ease your nerves that much, we're at the stables."
"There are stables here? And farms?"
"Either that, or this is where I'm taking you to murder you." Mal gave her a disapproving look. "It was a joke." Mal rolled her eyes but contradicted that with her small smile. They got out of the car and Regina grabbed her hand, tangling them together. "Just trust me."
"I've never been murdered before." Regina led them down a path through a fence. She could see the stable just behind the barn.
"See? You can see the stable over there. I'm not here to slaughter you."
"Good. That would be an unexpected turn of events."
"A tragic end to a love story, if you will." Mal burst out laughing.
"You can say that." They walked down the path and to the stable, where a tall, elderly-looking man waited for them. He didn't say a word as he handed them the reins to their horses and left.
"Regina..."
"Yes?"
"Can I ride with you?" Regina chuckled.
"Why? I thought you said you rode before."
"Can't I just ride with you? Please? I want to."
"Of course. I'd like that too. Can you hold the lunch bag?"
"Of course."
"Don't eat until we get there!"
"Fine," Mal huffed mockingly.
"Still adorable," Regina muttered to herself as she hoisted Mal onto the horse.
"Are you comfortable?"
"More than." Regina nodded and hopped on in front of Mal. She started the horse at a steady pace, being sure not to go too fast for Mal and the baby.
"How's Zelda doing?"
"She's hungry, but she's great."
"Are you trying to guilt me into letting you eat?"
"No. Just stating a fact."
"Alright." A moment of silence passed by. "You can have an onion ring from the bag," she relented. "But we're nearly there." Mal dug through the bag and found a onion ring. She munched on it happily and passed one forward to Regina.
"Thank you." She guided their horse around a thicket of trees and to the front. Regina set up camp in the middle of that thicket and set out blankets, jackets, and even a tent. In front of the entrance to the thicket was a cliff overlooking the sea, where they could see the sun setting. "Do you like it?"
"Oh my god, Regina. You didn't have to do this."
"Trust me, I wanted to." Mal had a look of pure love that, normally, would've scared her senseless. Now that she's fallen in love, it makes her incredibly happy to have put that gleaming smile on her girlfriend's face.
"I don't deserve you."
"No, I don't deserve you, my love." Regina kissed her hand and pulled them both off the horse.
There may be some sexy times in the next chapter, maybe not, I don't know yet...