A/N: Well, here it is. The final chapter of The Rules of Love. I hope you enjoy it!
Chapter 11
"Emma, you can do it! I know you can do it! Push! Push!" Regina yelled, grasping onto Emma's hand, as Emma screamed.
"I can't." She breathed, collapsing back onto the bed. "I can't do this anymore."
"Yes you can, My Love. You can do it. Rest now." Regina said, kissing Emma's sweat covered forehead. "You can do this. I know you can."
"You're almost done, Emma. One more big push and you'll have your baby." The doctor said from between Emma's legs.
"You hear that, My Love. You're almost done. You're so close! One more push. You can do this." Regina encouraged, helping Emma to sit forward. Emma screamed out as she used whatever energy she had left to push, collapsing back into the bed, when the cries of a newborn were heard.
"Congratulations Mommies, you have a beautiful Baby Boy." The doctor said, holding up their baby for them to see. "Would you like to cut the cord Mommy?" She asked, looking at Regina. Regina peeled herself away from Emma for a second, taking the offered scissors, cutting the umbilical cord that connected their son to Emma, returning to Emma's side immediately.
"He's here, My Love. You did it!" Regina whispered, kissing the side of Emma's head, as tears ran down her face. "I Love You so much!"
A moment later, the doctor placed their newborn baby on Emma's chest as four hands eagerly embraced their son.
"He's perfect." Emma cried, looking up at Regina. Time seemed to stop as they held their son to Emma's chest, tears mixing with sweat, all the pain of the past fourteen hours all worth it when they finally held their son in their arms.
"You're perfect." Regina whispered, kissing Emma sweetly, before the nurse took their son away to clean him up and perform the necessary tests.
A half hour later, Emma and Regina were settled into Emma's bed in her hospital room on the maternity floor of Storybrooke General Hospital, waiting for the nurses to bring their son back.
"I'm so proud of you, My Love." Regina whispered, as Emma rested her head on Regina's shoulder.
"I couldn't have done it without you." Emma whispered, closing her eyes for a moment, completely exhausted. A few moments later a knock on the door startled her wake.
"Knock knock, Mommies! Are we ready to meet your son again?" The nurse said, pushing the little bassinet containing their sleeping son. Neither could formulate words as the nurse lifted the baby, handing him to Emma.
"No, wait." Emma said, stopping the nurse from placing the baby into her arms. Regina perked up, ready to attend to anything Emma might need. "I want Regina to hold him first." She said, smiling at Regina.
"It's ok. You can hold him first." Regina said, not wanting to take that moment away from Emma.
"No, I want you to." Emma said, cupping Regina's face. "I want him to bond with you just as much as he bonds with me. We've had nine months together, you need to catch up." Emma laughed, smiling at Regina, as tears fell from the brunette's eye. Regina simply nodded and reached out as the nurse placed their son in her arms for the first time.
"Have we decided on a name for this handsome little man?" The nurse asked, checking the IV attached to Emma's hand.
"We haven't been able to decide on anything yet. But I've been thinking…" Emma said, unable to tear her eyes away from the newborn baby in Regina's arms. "Henry. After your father." She whispered.
"Really?" Regina said, snapping her head to Emma, tears falling freely.
"Yeah. Henry Daniel Swan-Mills."
"Thank you." Regina said, her emotions getting the better of her.
"Welcome to the world, Mister Henry." The nurse said. "I'll give the three of you some time. I'll be by a little later with his birth certificate paperwork." She said, closing the door behind her, leaving the Swan-Mills family alone together for the first time.
"Happy birthday, my little Prince." Regina whispered, kissing Henry lightly on the head, causing his little eyes to open, looking directly at Regina for the first time. "Hi Henry. I'm your mommy Regina." She said, wiping the tears from her face, as fresh tears took their place.
"We need to figure out what he's going to call us. Calling you Mommy Regina is not acceptable." Emma laughed as she watched her Wife cradle their son. "Hey, are you ok? With everything that happened last year?" Emma asked, her demeanor turning serious. "I know how much you wanted to have a baby." Emma whispered, worried that if she spoke too loud it might hurt Regina.
"What about this guy? He has blonde hair and green eyes like you." Regina said, handing Emma the file for an anonymous sperm donor.
"He's about the same height as I am too. I think he might be a good match." Emma said, reading the file. "I think we finally found our donor!"
"I'll call the sperm bank in the morning and order our sample." Regina smiled. "Thank you again, for letting me carry the baby." Regina said, as they started to clean up the paperwork.
"Of course, My Love. I know how much it means to you." Emma said, smiling at Regina. "But I get to cut the cord when they are born!" Emma said, declaring her "fatherly" duties.
Two weeks later, at their doctor's appointment, Regina was inseminated with the donor sperm, meticulously picked out to resemble Emma's features, the closest they could get to having a biological child that looked just like them.
"I can't pee if you're watching me." Regina said, holding the pregnancy test between her legs.
"Sorry." Emma said, turning around, twitching nervously until she heard the sound of Regina peeing. "What does it say?" Emma asked immediately.
"It's not ready yet. It takes a few minutes." Regina laughed, washing her hands, walking out of the bathroom, pregnancy test in her hand. "Come, let's sit in the bedroom while we wait. The bathroom is no place to find out we're pregnant." Regina smiled, leading Emma out of the bathroom. Emma immediately started pacing the room while Regina sat patiently on the bed, giving up trying to calm Emma's nerves.
"Is it ready yet?" Emma asked after a few minutes, nerves clearly shot.
"Let's look together." Regina said, standing in front of Emma, pregnancy test in her hand. Slowly, she brought her hand up, turning the test over to reveal the unmistakable plus sign on the window.
"YOU'RE PREGNANT!" Emma screamed, jumping up and down, hugging Regina close. Happy tears fell from Regina's eyes, as the reality of the situation fell on her, as she hugged Emma tight!
"We're having a baby!" She whispered, as tears of happiness drenched Emma's shirt.
"Emma, something doesn't feel right." Regina said, calling Emma in the middle of the day. "I made an appointment to see the OB/GYN at three o'clock. Can you come with me?"
"Of course, I'll be there." Emma said, concern filling her voice. Regina was roughly sixteen weeks pregnant, the beginning of a baby bump starting to show. "Do you need anything before then?" Emma asked.
"No. I have a lot of work to do. I'll see you at three." Regina said, sadly.
"Ok. Let me know if you change your mind. I Love You, Regina." Emma said.
"I Love You, too." Regina said, hanging up the phone.
A few hours later, Regina clung to Emma's hand, nervously twirling the ring she placed on Emma's finger six years prior during their wedding, as she sat on the exam table, waiting for Doctor Lucas, the paper gown making her feel even more exposed.
"Good afternoon ladies." Doctor Lucas said, as she peeked her head into the room, making her way over to the stool that sat in front of the table. "What brings you in today?"
"Something doesn't feel right." Regina said, fear in her voice. "I can't explain it. It just feels…off. Like something's wrong, I can feel it." Regina explained.
"I'm sure it's just new mommy jitters." Doctor Lucas said. "But in any case, let's have a look to make sure everything is ok." She said, scooting the stool over to the ultrasound machine in the corner. Regina lifts up the paper gown, exposing her pregnant belly, as Doctor Lucas squirts the blue gel on her skin, spreading it around with the wand before beginning the procedure.
"What's the matter?" Emma asked, as she noticed a subtle change in the Doctor's face.
"There's nothing to be alarmed about just yet." She said, keeping her eyes glued to the screen. "I'm just having a little trouble finding the heartbeat, that's all. This little one seems a little shy today." She said, moving the wand around. Emma and Regina's eyes didn't blink, as they all stared at the screen.
"Ok, I know it's not supposed to take THIS long to find the heartbeat!" Emma said, terrified.
"Regina…Emma…" Doctor Lucas said, taking a deep breath. "It appears that there is no longer a heartbeat."
"No…" Regina whispered, sobbing.
"Check it again!" Emma yelled.
"There was no heartbeat detected, I'm so sorry." Doctor Lucas said, placing the ultrasound wand back on the cart.
"CHECK IT AGAIN!" Emma screamed, tears streaming down her face. "You can't sit there and tell us our baby is dead without checking it a second time. CHECK IT AGAIN!" Reluctantly, Doctor Lucas picked up the wand and placed it back on Regina's stomach, a picture of their unborn baby filling the screen once again.
"There is still no heartbeat detected." Doctor Lucas said after a few minutes. "I am so sorry."
"KEEP CHECKING!" Emma screamed, as Regina's body began to shake.
"We can stay here all day checking, but it's not going to make a heartbeat. I'm so sorry to say this, but it appears that you had a miscarriage." Doctor Lucas said, pausing a moment to let the information sink in. "I'll give you two a few minutes. Then we will need to discuss evacuation options." Doctor Lucas said, standing and walking to the door. "I'll be back in a few minutes." She said, leaving the room, closing the door on her way out.
As soon as the door closed, Emma jumped up and pulled Regina close to her, Regina's tears staining her shirt, as her own fell into Regina's hair. Their bodies shook together as they cried, unable to form words to describe their heartache.
"It's all my fault." Regina cried, grabbing Emma's shirt so hard she almost ripped it.
"No it's not! Don't you dare think that!" Emma said, pulling Regina away from her, gently holding her face between her hands. "This is NOT your fault!"
"How can it NOT be, Emma?" Regina asked. "The baby was growing inside ME! I failed." She cried.
"You didn't fail!" Emma said, pulling Regina's face to meet her own. "I don't EVER want to hear you talk like that again!" Emma said, locking eyes with Regina until she nodded in acknowledgment. They continued to cry together until Doctor Lucas returned, explaining the procedure that needed to be done to remove the dead fetus. It had quickly become the worst day of their lives, and all they wanted to do was get home where they could grieve the loss of their child.
By the time they finally made it home, both their respective jobs were informed of their absences for the next few days, and Katheryn was already there, in the kitchen, cooking comfort food, stocking their refrigerator with enough food to last them a week. The three sat in the kitchen in silence, as Regina drank glass after glass of wine, attempting to numb the pain with alcohol. That night, Emma clung to Regina tighter as they slept, needing to feel her close.
The next morning, Emma woke to find Regina was already downstairs, sitting at the island in the kitchen, profiles of sperm donors spread out in front of her.
"Oh good, you're awake." She said, handing Emma a profile. "I was thinking he could be a good match. He has dark hair and brown eyes like I do. He's a little taller than me, but he has a similar genetic make-up as I do."
"Regina. We don't have to do this now. We can try again in a few months for you to get pregnant." Emma said, sitting next to Regina.
"I don't know if I can do this again." Regina said, a sadness filling her voice. "You heard Doctor Lucas. I'm too old. Women over thirty-five have a higher probability for birth defects and miscarriages. I can't take the risk of having another miscarriage." Regina said, tears falling from her eyes.
"Regina, you're only thirty-six…" Emma started to say, before she was interrupted by Regina.
"Yes, and you're thirty-four. This may be our only chance. We can't risk it." Regina said.
"Ok. We don't have to make any decisions right this minute. I know how much being pregnant means to you, and I don't want to rush to any decisions. Let's take some time and think this over. If you still feel this way in a week, then we'll make an appointment to inseminate me." Emma said, rubbing Regina's back. "Deal?"
"Deal."
"I'm fine." Regina smiled, as she offered their son to Emma, transferring him seamlessly into her arms.
"You're not just saying that, right? You're really ok?" Emma asked, locking eyes with Regina.
"I'm more than fine. I'm great." Regina said, turning her gaze back down to the baby in Emma's arms. "This was how it was always meant to be." Regina smiled an impossibly wide smile, "And I wouldn't have had it any other way."
Emma woke up in the middle of the night to an empty bed. Looking around the room for signs of Regina, she heard the faintest sound of humming coming from the baby monitor on the bedside table. Smiling, she slowly made her way down the hall, her body still very sore from giving birth, stopping in the doorway of the nursery. Inside the room she saw Regina, rocking slowly in the rocking chair, Henry nestled in her arms with a bottle, idly humming a song she quickly recognized as their wedding song. She watched for a few moments before Regina noticed her standing in the doorway.
"Did I wake you?" Regina whispered.
"No." Emma whispered, as she hobbled into the room, sitting on the footstool in front of Regina, wincing slightly.
"You should be resting." Regina whispered, shifting Henry slightly in her arms.
"And miss moments like this?" Emma smiled, gently running her fingers over Henry's head. "Not going to happen."
"Are you still sore?" Regina asked.
"Yeah. This little guy did a number on my crotch." Emma laughed quietly. "It's not pretty down there anymore. I wouldn't blame you if you never went down on me again." Emma joked.
"Hey." Regina said, as she stopped tapping Henry's back for a minute to grab Emma's hand. "That's never going to happen. I Love all of you, no matter what." Regina said, kissing Emma's hand, before returning to the task of getting their son to burp.
"I Love You, too." Emma whispered, as Henry let out a burp. "Do you want me to finish this one? You have to go back to work in the morning." Emma said, as Regina shifted Henry back into her arms to finish feeding him.
"It's ok. I'd like to get as much Henry time as I can." Regina said, falling into a comfortable silence for a few minutes. "I'm really going to miss him when I go to work. These last four weeks being home with you guys have been amazing. I can't believe it's over." Regina said, sadly.
"We're going to miss you too. Once I can move around a little better, we'll come have lunch with you."
"I'd like that." Regina smiled. "I'm going to try to get home as soon as I can. And I'm going to call a few times a day, just to make sure you guys are ok." Regina said, shifting to burp Henry one last time.
"We'd like that." Emma smiled, as Henry let out one last burp.
"I think this little Prince has a full belly and is back in his milk coma." Regina laughed, slowly getting off the rocking chair, placing Henry back into his crib. Grabbing Emma's hand, she gently helped her off the footstool. "Let's go back to bed." Regina said, walking slowly with Emma back to their bedroom, leaving Henry's door open a crack.
"Mama I do!" Henry said, reaching up for his little backpack, grabbing it from Emma's hands, struggling to put it on his back. The night before, he and Regina carefully packed his backpack full of toys and extra clothes. "Mommy, help." Henry called up to Regina, as she zipped up his lunchbox.
"Of course, little Prince. Let's put your lunchbox inside first." Regina said, kneeling down in front of the five year old, carefully putting his lunchbox in his backpack, alongside his trucks and stuffed penguin. As soon as everything was carefully stored inside, Regina helped him slip the backpack onto his back.
"Ok Mama, time to go! Mommy come too!" Henry said, his little backpack bopping up as he walked out of the kitchen towards the front door, stamping his little foot as he waited for his parents to meet him, the three of them leaving the house together, piling into Regina's car.
"No cry Mama." Henry said, as Emma strapped him into his booster seat in the backseat, silent tears falling from Emma's eyes. "Mommy, tell Mama no cry."
"Mama, Henry says no cry." Regina laughed, as Emma climbed into the passenger's seat, clicking in her seatbelt.
"Mama, why you cry?" Henry asked. "Is Mama sad?"
"No, I'm not sad, Henry." Emma said, turning around to look at Henry in the backseat, as Regina pulled out of the driveway.
"Then why you cry?" Henry asked, very confused.
"They are happy tears, not sad tears." Emma explained. "Mommy and I are just so proud of our little Prince that sometimes we cry happy tears." Emma said, turning to look at Regina, who had tears forming in her eyes as well.
"Liar." Regina whispered so only Emma could hear.
"Shhh." Emma smiled, turning back to face the front of the car, while they made the short drive.
Henry was so excited when they reached Storybrooke Elementary school that he jumped out of the car the minute Emma opened the door. They each held his hand, as they walked together into the school, making their way to Henry's kindergarten class. As soon as they got to the classroom door, Henry's demeanor changed drastically, pulling them away from the door.
"Don't want to Mama." Henry said, shaking his head and pulling away from the door.
"I know honey, but you have to. Mommy and I have to go to work. But you're going to have so much fun!" Emma said, turning to the teacher, Miss French, who was standing in the doorway, waiting to meet Henry.
"Mommy, don't want to. Want to stay with Mommy and Mama." Henry said again, his bottom lip beginning to quiver.
"I know. But like Mama said, you have to go to school. And Mama and I have to go to work. But I promise, you'll have WAY more fun at school than Mama and I will have at work." She laughed, wiping Henry's little tears."
"Yeah. Work no fun!" Henry said, starting to feel a little better.
"How does this sound, if you're a good boy at school, and listen to your teacher, we'll get some ice cream on the way home?" Emma said, looking up at Regina for permission, receiving a small nod from her Wife.
"YEAH!" Henry said, excited. "But no more crying for you Mama, or you don't get ice cream!" Henry scolded.
"Yes sir!" Emma said, standing up taking his little hand. Henry reached up for Regina's as well, and the three walked back over to the classroom door.
"Hi Henry! My name is Miss French, I'm going to be your teacher. It's so nice to meet you." The small woman said as they reached the door. "We are going to have so much fun!"
"Mama said if I'm a good boy, I can have ice cream." Henry said, shyly.
"Well then, we better make sure you're an extra good boy today." Miss French smiled, reaching for his hand. Henry tentatively went to take her hand, before turning around and rushing back to Emma, giving her a big hug and kiss on the cheek, turning to Regina, doing the same.
"You no cry too, Mommy, or you don't get ice cream." Henry scolded, as he discovered Regina was silently crying as well.
"I'll try, little Prince." She said, wiping the tears from her eyes. "Have a good day. We will be back to pick you up this afternoon."
"Promise?" Henry asked, sadness in his eyes.
"Promise!" Emma and Regina said together.
"Ok." Henry said, before taking Miss French's hand, allowing her to lead him into the classroom. Emma and Regina could no longer control their tears as Henry turned around at the last minute and gave them a little wave, before running to join the rest of his class.
"Where did the last five years go?" Emma cried, as they sat in their driveway.
"It feels like I blinked and suddenly he's already in school." Regina cried as well, holding tight onto Emma's hand. "You better get going, Sheriff. I'll meet you back here around two-thirty and we'll drive back together to pick him up at three. I want to make sure we're early." Regina added, as Emma pulled her into a sweet kiss.
"Our little boy is all grown up." Emma said, as the kiss ended.
"I know, My Love." Regina said sadly, as Emma climbed out of the car and made her way to the ancient Yellow Bug. Regina waited a moment to make sure the engine started before pulling out of the driveway, making her way to town hall. She would be counting the minutes until Henry was out of school. She also knew that Emma would be doing the same thing.
"Do we really have to do this now, Mom?" Henry sighed, rolling his eyes.
"Come on, it's your last first day of school. Just give me this, and you'll never have to do this again." Regina said, motioning for Henry to stand against the wall.
"Really Ma, you have to take pictures too?" Henry said, as Regina marked his height on the wall, writing "Senior Year" next to the fresh mark.
"Yes! And if you don't let us have our moment, we're going to do this in your dorm room next year when we drop you off at college. Now shut up and pose next to the wall." Emma laughed, taking a picture of Henry standing next to his height marks on the wall.
"Ok are you guys finished? If I don't leave soon I'm going to be late." Henry said, grabbing his backpack and walking towards the front door, stopping short and turning around. "I'll meet you guys at Any Given Sundae at three for our first day of school tradition." He said, walking over to his mothers.
"Remember, no cry Mama." Henry said, hugging Emma, kissing her lightly on the cheek. "You no cry too, Mommy." Henry said, hugging Regina and kissing her lightly on the cheek as well "Or neither of you get ice cream." Henry smiled, waving as he ran out of the front door, leaving his mothers crying in the foyer.
"Where did the last seventeen years go?" Emma asked, tears falling from her eyes.
"I feel like I blinked, and all of a sudden he's a senior in high school." Regina said, wiping the tears from her eyes.
"Our little boy is all grown up." Emma said, checking the time on her watch.
"I know, My Love." Regina said sadly, pulling Emma into a kiss. "We better get going if we're going to leave work early today." Regina added, grabbing her purse and briefcase.
"Yeah. Plus, the big boss hates it when the Sheriff is late for work." Emma laughed, winking at Regina, handing Regina her keys.
"Yes. I have heard that the Mayor is quite strict." Regina laughed, as she followed Emma out of the house, locking the door behind her.
"I'll see you at three, My Love." Emma said, when they reached Regina's car, kissing her sweetly before opening the door for her. "Have a good day."
"You too, My Love. I'll see you at three." Regina said, climbing into her car and starting the engine, waiting a few moments until she heard the engine of the Bug start, before pulling out of the driveway and off to work.
Later that night, they all sat around the dinner table, talking and discussing their days, Regina and Emma hanging on Henry's every word and he described his new classes.
"So." Henry said, after a lull fell in the conversations. "Since I'm a senior in high school now, and I'm going to be eighteen in a few months, I think maybe it's time we all finally have 'The Talk'"
"Umm…didn't we do that already?" Emma asked, giggling slightly.
"Not THAT talk. The talk. About me. About which one of you gave birth to me." Henry said, as shock fell on his mothers' faces.
"Oh. THAT talk." Emma said, looking over at Regina.
"You always said you would tell me how I was born when I was older and more mature. But I figure I'm old enough to know now." Henry said. "And I figured out that I wasn't adopted because I have dark hair like Mom, and green eyes Ma. It would be too much of a coincidence to look that similar to you guys to be adopted. And it's possible to find a donor that has the same features of the other person to explain why I look similar to both of you. I am taller than both of you though, so I know that didn't come from you." Henry laughed at the end.
"He does make a point, My Love." Regina said, looking over at Emma. "Maybe he's right. Maybe it is time we told him."
"Everything?" Emma whispered, looking at Regina. "Like all of it?"
"I think so." Regina said, giving a small smile that had so much pain behind it that only Emma could see.
"Ok." Emma said, grabbing Regina's hand under the table, turning her attention back to Henry. "Are you sure you're ready for this?" Emma asked.
"Yes." Henry nodded, excitedly.
"Ok." Emma said, pausing "It was me." She said smiling, pausing again to let the information sink in. "And you're right. We chose a donor that had the same features of your mom, so you could look a little like her as well." Emma explained.
"How come you never told me?" Henry asked.
"Because we didn't want you to bond with me more than your mom. We thought if you didn't know, you wouldn't be compelled to want to be closer to me than your mom." Emma explained. "But. There's more." Emma said, looking over at Regina, and upon receiving a nod from her Wife, she quickly got up from the table and disappeared into the other room, returning a few minutes later with an envelope with the word "Hope" written on it. "Do you want to tell him?" Emma asked Regina.
"No. You go ahead." Regina said, clearly becoming emotional, attempting to hold all the tears back.
"You weren't our first baby." Emma explained, as she opened the envelope, pulling out a small stack of ultrasound photos. "Before I was pregnant with you, your mom was pregnant." Emma said, handing Henry an ultrasound. "This was taken about a week or two before she…before she…before we lost her." Emma said, struggling to get the words out.
"Mommy?" Henry said, looking at Regina, as a stray tear fell from her eye. "How…ummm….when….umm…" Henry started to say.
"She was about sixteen weeks along when she di…when we miscarried." Emma explained, grasping Regina's hand.
"And it was a little girl?" Henry asked.
"We don't know. It was too soon to tell. We both just always had a feeling it was a little girl." Emma said, looking over at Regina to make sure she was ok. "A few weeks after, we tried again, and nine months later, we had you." Emma smiled.
"Do you ever regret not having a baby of your own, Mom?" Henry asked, still processing.
"I do have a baby of my own." Regina said, looking directly at Henry. "Henry, just because you didn't come from my body, doesn't make you any less my son." Regina explained, reaching her hand across the table. "I never once regretted the way things happened. Of course I will always be sad that we lost our first baby, but if that never happened, we wouldn't have had you." Regina said, squeezing Henry's hand.
"Really?" Henry asked, suddenly feeling sadness for his mother's loss
"Of course." Regina said, standing from the table, moving to kneel in front of Henry's chair. "Henry, the day you were born, was the happiest day of my life. Even happier than the day I met your Ma. It never mattered to me that you didn't come from me. You were always my little boy. And I wouldn't change that for the world!" Regina explained, eyes filling with tears.
"I Love You, Mommy." Henry said, reaching forward to hug Regina tight.
"I Love You too, My Little Prince." Regina whispered.
"Are you nervous, Kid?" Emma asked, as she poured all three of them a glass of wine at dinner, as Regina served the chicken she had prepared. Now that Henry was twenty-one, drinking wine with his mothers at dinner had quickly become a regular thing, which would take some getting used to.
"A little, to be honest." Henry said, taking a sip of wine. "I'm glad I decided to come home to spend the first full moon here with you guys instead of in the dorms."
"We're always glad when you come home." Regina said, passing the potatoes.
"So, what's it like?" Henry asked, taking a big bite of food. "The first time? Do you like suddenly feel them when the sun goes down?"
"Well, at first it's just silence. And you won't feel them until after you hear their voice. But once you do, you suddenly just feel…this…" Emma started to say, trying to find the right word.
"Connection." Regina finished, looking over at Emma. "After that, you will feel them as soon as the sun sets, even if you're not asleep." Regina finished.
"Is it weird? Suddenly hearing someone else's voice in your head?" Henry asked.
"A little at first, but once you start talking it just feels…" Emma started to say.
"…right." Regina finished.
"And then what? You just go to sleep?" Henry asked, his nerves suddenly showing on his face.
"Yeah, basically. You lay down and close your eyes, and you'll be in a dream with them." Emma explained. "I promise, it won't feel weird at all, when it happens."
"Just remember, you can touch each other, but you can't kiss. Your lips can never meet until you meet in person." Regina reminded.
"Yeah I remember. No last names, or locations or jobs or anything that could help us find each other." Henry said. "Ok. But what if they aren't there?" Henry asked, nervously.
"Talk to your mom." Emma said, looking at Regina. "She waited over two and a half years for me to turn twenty-one."
"Was it hard, mom?" Henry asked.
"It was very difficult. Getting my hopes up each month, only to have silence. I started to give up hope that she was really out there. Until one month, as soon as the sun set, I said 'Hello' and suddenly there she was, and it made every month I spent waiting for her worth it." Regina said, smiling at Emma.
"What was it like the first full moon you two spent together?" Henry asked, shyly. He had never really been interested in hearing their full moon stories until now.
"It was magical, actually." Emma said, looking over at Regina.
"Your Ma was so shy, it was simply adorable. She grabbed my hand without realizing, and she apologized profusely for it." Regina laughed. "And during our second meeting, she smelled like vanilla, and I told her I liked it. So every full moon until we met in person, she made sure to take a shower before we met, so our dreams always smelled like vanilla." Regina remembered, kissing Emma sweetly on the cheek.
"That's why you like the smell of vanilla so much." Henry said, the lightbulb going off in his head.
"Yes. The smell of vanilla always reminded me of her." Regina said, finishing the last of her dinner.
"Ok. But what do I do if they aren't there tonight?" Henry asked, as they were cleaning up the kitchen, looking at the status of the sun.
"You just go on with your night like usual." Regina said, "You won't be able to feel them until they speak, so don't give up hope right away if you don't feel them. They might be a little shy. I used to wait a half hour before I decided you ma wasn't there."
"Ok." Henry said, clearly very nervous.
"You better get going kid, sunset will be here in a little bit." Emma said, checking the sky alongside her son.
"Yeah." Henry said, starting to shake nervously. "I think I'm going to stay in my room for the night, you know if they aren't there. I have some studying to do so I'm just going to stay in there until I go to bed." Henry said.
"That's what I did on my first full moon." Regina said. "Your Aunt Katheryn had already connected with Uncle Fredrick so she was with him all night. I studied and went to bed." Regina said, trying to calm Henry's nerves.
"You'll be fine, Kid. And remember, we're here if you need us." Emma said. "I'll make sure you mom doesn't try to peek in your room when we go to bed to see if you're sleeping." Emma added, winking at Regina.
"Jerk." Regina responded, flicking Emma's arm.
"Thanks." Henry laughed, moving to hug his mothers individually, kissing them each on the cheek. "Night Mommy. Night Mama." Henry said, as he ran out of the kitchen. A minute later, they heard his bedroom door close, as they finished cleaning up the kitchen.
A few moments before the sun had officially set, they quietly moved to sit outside, cuddling in each other's arms on the porch swing, as they watched the sun dip below the horizon, marking the beginning of Henry's first full moon night.
"I can't believe he's twenty-one already." Emma said, taking a sip of her wine. "Did you ever think we would get to this moment? Sitting here on our son's first full moon?"
"It has been a journey." Regina said, sipping her wine, pulling Emma closer to her.
"I was so nervous about our first full moon." Emma said, after a few moments of silence. "But as soon as I heard your voice, my nerves immediately disappeared. Like magic." Emma said, thinking back to that night, thirty-four years ago.
"I'll never forget that feeling, hearing your voice for the first time, after waiting for so long. And then feeling you, it was almost like I could feel your arms around me, before we ever touched each other." Regina shifts to look at Emma. "It was like magic."
"Even after all these years with you, Regina, you still make me feel…"Emma started to say, only to be interrupted by Regina.
"…complete." Regina said, finishing Emma's sentence. Emma smiled, and pulled her into a deep and passionate kiss.
Emma and Regina made Love that evening, under the light of the full moon, every touch, every caress, every kiss filled their bodies with love and electricity, their wine glasses long forgotten as they indulged in each other for hours, before retreating to bed, exhausted.
"Do you think he's with them right now?" Emma asked, as she cradled Regina in her arms, inhaling the scent of her shampoo.
"I hope so." Regina said, reaching behind her to lace her fingers through Emma's hair. "Waiting for your Soulmate is torture." She added.
"I hope so too." Emma said, with a yawn, "I'm still so sorry you had to wait so long for me." Emma whispered.
"I would wait a thousand years at the chance to be with you, Emma. You are worth the wait." Regina said, turning slightly in Emma's arms to give her one last kiss for the night.
"I Love You, Regina." Emma muttered, as they both fell fast asleep.
"MOMS! MOMS! MOMS!" Henry yelled, rushing down the hallway towards his mothers' room, flying through the door without knocking. It was a little after sunrise, his excitement filling the room. "It happened!" Henry screamed, as he dove into bed, Regina and Emma quickly untangled themselves from each other, sitting straight up in bed.
"Tell. Us. EVERYTHING!" Emma said, instantly wide awake.
"Moms…" Henry started to say, an impossibly wide smile on his face. "She's perfect."
The End.
A/N: Thank you so much for reading my story! This story means so much to me, I sincerely hope you enjoyed it! If you get a chance, please check out the artwork for it made by the talented butmaybeineedyou on AO3.
On a happy note, starting next week I will begin posting my second SwanQueen Supernova story, The Last Alpha. This story is my masterpiece and I really really hope you'll give that a read as well. I'm super excited for all of you to read that one as well!
Thank you again for all the follows and comments! I hope to see you all over on The Last Alpha.
Jen