Chapter 4

The Ghost of Love That is Yet to Come

"Regina? What are you doing here?" Emma asked, approaching the adoptive mother of her son. "And where the hell are we?"

"I was just going to ask you the same thing, Miss Swan." Regina answered, just as confused as Emma.

"You are both here because of me." the stranger said, forcing Emma's attention to the woman she's never met.

"And you are?" Emma asked, suddenly feeling like she's behind in the conversation.

"I am the Ghost of Love That is Yet to Come. I'm here to show you a possible future where you both find your happy endings. Where you both find your true loves."

"Of course you are." Emma said, rolling her eyes, not convinced. "How do we know what you're going to show us is real?"

"You have to believe." the woman said, holding out her hands for them to take.

"What do we have to lose?" Regina asked shyly, reaching out to take the woman's hand. Her eyes search for Emma's and Emma can see the yearning in them. She suddenly realized that no matter her own feelings, she needed to do this for Regina.

"Fine, I'm in." she said, taking the strange woman's hand.

"Now remember, what I am about to show you is a possible future. You must make the decision that will lead you to this moment. I can only show you. You must make the choice." the stranger said, before the world around then comes into view.

Regina was standing in the kitchen, her back to the door. The room was silent, except for the sound of her knife hitting the cutting board in a rhythmic motion. She stops for a moment to stretch her neck and back, before picking up her knife once more. The room smells heavenly, as it always does when Regina cooks. The sound of the front door slamming shut startles her slightly, causing her to cut her finger. She hisses loudly as she runs her finger under the water in the sink when Henry comes rushing in, crushing her side in a huge bear hug.

"I PASSED! I PASSED!" Henry screams, jumping up and down as he kisses Regina's cheek, causing her to pull her finger out from under the running water.

"It's true. Our son is now officially a licensed driver in the state of Maine." Emma says, walking into the room, a proud smile plastered across her face.

"Can I take the car? I told Violet I would come over after the test. How cool would it be if I drove there myself?" Henry asks, his attention shifting between Emma and Regina.

"Sure kid." Emma says, tossing Henry her keys from across the room.

"Absolutely not! You will not be driving that metal coffin on wheels! Take my car to Violet's. My keys are in the bowl in the foyer." Regina says over her shoulder.

"You heard the Lady. Get going before she changes her mind." Emma laughs.

"Thanks Mom! I'll be home later!" Henry says, kissing Regina's cheek before rushing towards the door, stopping short next to Emma. "Thanks for taking me for my road test, Ma." Henry says, kissing Emma's cheek quickly before rushing out of the room, slamming the front door again on the way out, causing Regina to jump slightly once more.

"I can't believe he's sixteen already. And now he can drive. I'm still trying to process all this." Emma laughs, pulling off her red leather jacket, hanging it over the back of one of the chairs against the island. "Me too." Regina says, wincing slightly, as the water once again runs over her bloody finger, turning the water red as it swirled down the drain. Emma perks up when she hears Regina wince, and rushes over to the sink to investigate.

"Regina, what happened?" she asks, her voice concerned and slightly fearful, as she reaches into the sink for Regina's injured hand.

"Henry startled me when he slammed the front door, causing me to cut my finger. It looks worse than it is, I promise."

"Regina, you have to be careful." Emma says, her voice filled with even more concern as she inspected the wound. "Regina, this looks bad." she frowns.

"It'll be fine. I've done far worse to myself over the years." she laughs.

"That's not funny. And you should be resting, not on your feet." Emma says, pulling Regina away from the sink, directing her to the chair that is currently holding Emma's jacket, revealing her very pregnant stomach.

Both women gasp and look at each other when they see the pregnant Regina.

"I'm pregnant." Regina whispered, clutching her still flat stomach, the idea of becoming pregnant bringing tears to her eyes.

"It appears so." Emma whispered, remembering her time being pregnant with Henry.

"You're carrying precious cargo, My Love." Future Emma says, leaning in for a sweet kiss, her hand resting on Regina's belly, as if it was the most natural thing in the world. "How is our little princess doing today?" she asks.

"She's good. Kicking up a storm. We might have ourselves a little soccer player on our hands." Future Regina says, placing her non-bleeding hand against Emma's, preventing it from leaving her belly.

"This is the love that you never see coming. The love that sweeps you off your feet, and heals all the broken parts of your heart and soul. This is your third and final love. The truest of all love. This is the love that lasts forever." the strange woman said, pulling their attention away from the sweet and intimate moment before them.

"True love?" Regina asked, turning towards Emma, their eyes meeting once again.

"True love." Emma whispered.

"You just need to be more careful. I don't know what I would do if something happened to you." Future Emma says, pulling their attention back to them.

"I will, I promise." Future Regina says, reaching to cup Emma's face gently. "I love you." she whispers, resting her forehead against Emma's.

"I love you too." Future Emma whispers in return.

"Can we really have that? How do we get to this point?" Emma asked, her voice full of desperation. She reaches for Regina's hand, lacing their fingers as they continue to watch their future selves.

"I can only show you the possibilities, you must travel the road towards it." the stranger says.

"You're her…" Regina said suddenly after a few more moments of silence, her face filled with shock. "You're her. Our daughter…" she whispered, pointing at the two women in front of them. The woman smiles wide.

"I hope to be." she replied. Emma and Regina gaze at each other, as the dream faded to black.

Emma woke up suddenly, her heart pounding in her chest. It all felt so real. She rolled to her side on the lumpy couch, as a tear landed on the pillow. Her dream had been so wonderful, that her heart ached to feel that way again.

Regina stood in the kitchen on Christmas morning, slicing fruit while she prepared breakfast for her family. She knew she should be in the living room, spending time with Henry, but she couldn't bring herself to be around Robin just yet. She had such vivid dreams the night before, dreams that left her heart yearning for the world her sleeping mind created. The sound of the front door slamming shut startled her, causing her to accidentally cut her finger. She sighed heavily as she dropped the knife and moved to the sink, trying to prevent the blood from dripping on the counter.

"Regina, what happened?" a familiar voice sounded behind her, as she winced slightly the moment the water hit her bloody finger. Emma rushed to her side, reaching for her injured hand.

"The front door slamming shut startled me, causing me to cut my finger." Regina said, her heart pounding slightly at the light and gentle touches from Emma. "It looks worse that it is I pro-" Regina started to say, dejavu flooding her mind. Emma's eyes shot up to meet hers as Regina's sentence trailed off.

"It was real, wasn't it." Emma said, her voice low. "The dream. It wasn't a dream at all. It was real." she said, knowing that Regina already knew what she was talking about.

"Yes. I suppose it was." Regina said quietly in shock, her hand moving to her flat stomach, imagining briefly the feeling of their child growing inside her.

"Do you really think we could have that? Married with a baby on the way?" Emma asked, her voice so soft and so full of hope, it caused Regina's heart skip a beat.

"I don't know…what about Killian?" Regina asked, glancing at Emma's left hand, suddenly realizing that Emma was no longer wearing her engagement ring.

"I'm leaving Killian. He's just too drunk right now to know it." Emma said, smiling a little at the feeling of freedom she felt now that she wasn't with Killian anymore. "What about Robin?" she asked, hope filling her voice.

"I'm leaving Robin as well. I just wanted to wait until after Christmas. Roland deserves a good holiday." Regina explained, a smile reaching across her face.

"I want that…" Emma said after a few moments of silence, her hands still cradling Regina's injured hand. "...what we saw last night. I want it all...and I want it with you…" she said, her gaze falling in embarrassment.

"I want it too…" Regina said, reaching out to lift Emma's face so their eyes met. "...as long as you'll have me." Emma took half a step closer, her hand gently cupping Regina's face, a wide smile forming over her face.

"As long as you promise to be more careful. You're going to be carrying precious cargo eventually." Emma said, leaning in to press her lips softly against Regina's.

Henry made his way through the house, wondering what was taking his mothers so long in the kitchen. He hadn't expected to see Emma until dinner at Granny's that night, so he was excited at the opportunity to spend extra time with her. He stopped dead in his tracks as he approached the kitchen. A wide smile formed across his face, as he caught the sight of his mothers sharing what was most likely their first kiss. It looks like his wish came true after all!

The End

A/N: I really hope you enjoyed my little story. This was so much fun to write. This idea had been bouncing around inside my head for months just waiting for the perfect opportunity to present itself. And when I discovered the SwanQueen Advent Calendar Collection I knew this was the right place for it.

Please let me know what you think! I love hearing from the readers!

And most importantly,

Happy Holidays Swen!