"How long before your flight?"

"Still thirty minutes to go," Emma replied and crossed her ankles. The hard bench in the airport wasn't that comfortable to sit on. Her ass was actually asleep. Maybe it would be better for her to walk around, but she couldn't be bothered right now.

"At least it isn't delayed," Regina cleverly pointed out in the other end.

"That's true," Emma agreed. "Have they announced anything yet?"

"No, I'm still waiting."

"Ah, damnit. Has Lily been in touch?"

"Sí, but they haven't announced anything in the plane either. She's literally just sitting and waiting to be let out."

Emma chuckled. "Are you looking forward to hanging out with her?"

"Oh yes!" Regina said excitedly. "Very much so. I'm sure we'll have a ton of fun. What about you?" She chuckled. "Are you looking forward to hanging out with my dad?"

"Of course," Emma said lightly. "Henry's a gem. I adore him."

"Awww," Regina cooed. "That's so sweet. Don't forget to Skype me from the beach house, okay? I want to see everything!"

"You will. I'll give you a virtual house tour," Emma promised. "But what are we gonna do if your dad catches a glimpse of Lily?"

"We'll tell him that Lily is a friend that has come to stay with me for the week. Which almost is true." Regina sighed. "Thanks a lot, Cora."

"She still hasn't mentioned anything about…"

"No, nada. I'm actually temped to call her and ask, but…" Another sigh. "Nothing good has ever come from pressuring that woman. But at the same time, I can't help but wonder if she's ever gonna tell my dad the truth?"

"Don't you think that Malaina will act like some kind of voice of reason?" Emma asked. "She seemed very sensible the last time we met her."

"Si, she did. I have even considered calling and asking her to talk to Cora, but…"

"You want Cora to do this on her own," Emma finished the sentence.

"Yeah, I do. I want it to be her own decision, and not something that was influenced by me or Malaina or whatever. I want her to talk to my dad because she wants to."

"I get that," Emma said softly. "And I hope that she will decide to speak to your dad soon."

"Sí, me too." There was a bit of rustling in the other end. Then Emma heard her girlfriend speak softly to Blueberry. Emma's heart swelled at that. She liked listening in when Regina was talking to their baby. And she also loved this. Talking from each their airport. Regina was in Madrid Airport, waiting for Lily to arrive, and Emma was in Portland Airport, waiting to catch her flight to California where Henry would meet her in the airport. It was a quick trip. She would check out the beach house today and go back to Storybrooke tomorrow. Henry had booked a room in a hotel for her for the night. He had even offered to pay for the hotel room, but Emma had declined that. And made sure to tell him that she highly appreciated the offer.

"Our baby is kicking me again, querida," Regina jokingly complained. "Right in the ribs."

"Ouch," Emma cringed. "That doesn't sound nice. Have you told him to behave?"

"Sí, but it's not helping. I think he wants to show me how healthy and strong he is."

"Oh." Emma grinned from ear to ear now. "It's pretty hard to scold him for that, isn't it?"

"Sí. But he could dial it down a little during the night, though. I barely got any rest last night because he kept kicking me."

"Damn. Did you have to walk up and down the floor?" Emma knew that Regina sometimes did that.

"I did. Being pregnant is hard work." Regina chuckled softly in the other end. "But also very nice too. For all the aches and pains, I think I'm going to miss being pregnant when it's all over."

"Don't jinx it," Emma warned and laughed. "Remember how it went down for Rachel in Friends."

Regina made a groaning noise in the other end. "How long was she in labor for on the show? Forty hours?"

"Forty eight," Emma corrected.

"Right. I don't want that."

"I'm sure that's not going to happen," Emma soothed. She could hear some genuine unease in Regina's voice, and she didn't want her girlfriend to worry.

"Early labors can last for days," Regina groaned. "Days, Emma! ¡Es una locura! And active labors lasts from between four to eight hours!"

"And I'll be there through it all," Emma promised. "And so will my mom. We'll feed you ice chips and hold your hand and do whatever you want us to do."

"What if I can't do it?"

"You can do anything, beautiful girl. You're amazing. Everything will be okay."

"Mmm, women have been doing this for centuries, I know."

"That's not what I meant," Emma said softly and wondered if her wording had been clumsy, or if the anxiety was making Regina a little extra snappy.

"I know. Lo siento. I'm just prickly because the birth is getting closer and closer, and I feel like I still know so little about it."

"Good thing that the Lamaze class is coming up soon, then. And you don't have to apologize, by the way. I get it. Many new things happening. Lots of stuff you suddenly have to consider and all that."

"Mmmm. I suppose that's- oh. Wait a second, I think they're announcing something over the speaker now."

Emma heard a slight shuffling and then a little groan that indicated that Regina had just gotten on her feet. Emma could also hear a metallic voice saying something in Spanish over the speaker, but she couldn't hear what.

"The passengers are being let out of the plane now. I should probably head over to the waiting area."

"Okay. Text me when you've found her?"

"Will do. And don't forget to text me when you board the plane. And when you've found my dad in California."

"You got it. See you, beautiful girl."

"Adiós, querida!"

There was a little click, and then she was gone. Emma put the phone away and glanced up at the big monitor. She still had a little while to wait, so she reached within her handbag and found the magazine she had bought in the airport earlier. It was actually a pregnancy magazine. Utterly ridiculous. But Emma had instinctively reached for it without thinking. And by the time she had paid for it, it was too late. Regina had laughed and laughed when Emma had told her about the blunder, and then she had asked Emma to read aloud from the magazine. Which Emma willingly had done. She had read articles about how to take care of your skin during pregnancy, tips and tricks for breastfeeding, and breathing techniques during the birth. Regina had gobbled up everything and been very interested in all of it. Of course they had also joked about some of the things Emma had read aloud. It had been very nice. Emma was glad that Regina had called her when she discovered that Emma was sitting and waiting in the airport. It had made the waiting time less dull. But it had also once again reminded Emma of how much she missed her girlfriend, and it didn't help that Regina was coming to Storybrooke in two weeks. Emma wanted to see her now, damnit. Receiving the 'bumpdates' from Regina's pregnancy app on her phone, was starting to make Emma feel sad because she was missing out on so much. Just this morning, the app had told her that Regina would be suffering from backaches a lot now that she reached week 30. The tip had been to 'have your partner give you a well-deserved back massage. Emma had actually cussed aloud when she read that. Because she wasn't fucking around to give Regina a well-deserved back massage. She couldn't do squat because she was in Maine and Regina was in Madrid.

Another of Regina's symptoms had been breathlessness because 'baby has started crowding the lungs', and honestly, that had freaked Emma out quite a bit.

Perhaps she was paranoid, but she was certain that she could hear it in Regina's voice. The breathlessness. When Regina first called her, she had been walking around in the airport, and Emma had been the annoying girlfriend who had asked Regina to 'slow down' and 'remember to rest'. It was very fortunate that Regina had laughed her head off instead of getting annoyed.

Even Emma considered herself to be a pain in the butt.

Finally, it was announced that all passengers flying to California should go to the gate. Emma got on her feet and grabbed her bag. She was traveling light. Hadn't found it necessary to bring a suitcase when she was only going to stay one day.

She made it to the gate just fine. Stood in line behind the others with her boarding pass in hand and waited patiently for it to become her turn to get on the plane.

While she was waiting, her phone suddenly vibrated in her pocket. Emma fished it out to see what that buzz had been about. There were two options: either it was her mom texting her to wish her a good flight, or it was Regina texting her to tell her that she had found Lily.

It was option number two. Emma smiled softly when she saw the picture Regina had sent her. It was one of her and Lily together in the airport. Lily was smiling a lot and so was Regina. Underneath the picture, Regina had written: 'found her!'

Emma looked at the picture a second time and shook her head. It was actually a bit jarring, how much Regina and Lily looked alike. It was almost like they were biologically related. Real sisters.

She was just about to write something in response to the picture when she received a second one. She actually laughed out loud when she saw the picture. It was one of Lily with a hand on Regina's round belly. Her mouth was in an exaggerated 'O' shape and her eyes were wide. It was a comical pictures. Very posed.

Underneath that picture, Regina had written: 'I don't think she was prepared for how much I have grown since she last saw me. Also, a kid walked by just when we had taken the picture, and he asked me if I had swallowed a watermelon. Made my day.'

Honestly, it made Emma's day too. She sent back a row of laughing emojis. And of course a row of compliments on how good Regina looked. Obviously. She took every opportunity to tell Regina that.

"Miss? Are you boarding the plane or not? If not, I'll have to ask you to step aside so the other passengers can board the plane, please. You are delaying us!"

Ooops. Emma hastily put her phone away and smiled sheepishly at the flight attendant standing in front of her. "I'm really sorry about that."

The flight attendant was not very forgiving. "Boarding pass, please," she said tightly.

Emma handed her the boarding pass, and once the flight attendant had inspected it, she handed it back to Emma with a crisp: "have a good flight, miss."

Oops, Emma thought to herself and felt properly scolded as she stepped onto the plane and down the row to find her seat. She should probably have paid less attention to her phone and more attention to the line. Had she done that, she wouldn't have ended up being scolded by a girl younger than her. Oh well. What was done was done.

Emma found her seat. A window seat it was. She had always preferred the window seats. She stuffed her bag away under the seat and buckled her seatbelt even though it wasn't necessary yet. Might as well be prepared. Then she found her phone again. Couldn't resist texting Regina even though she knew that she was with Lily now. 'What are you guys gonna do today?' she typed and sent off the text. Justified it with reminding herself that she had to switch her phone off in a moment. Then she would stop interrupting Regina's time with Lily.

The answer came quickly. 'I promised Lily to show her Club 54.'

One of Emma's eyebrows went up and she ending up writing: 'Isn't that like a nightclub?'. She regretted it immediately, though. Felt like a disapproving mama.

'Sí.'

Crap, Emma thought. There was a good chance that the question had just annoyed Regina. Which obviously hadn't been intentional. She didn't have a problem with Regina going out. Of course not! A fun night in town with Lily. That was nice. Emma was just being silly and overprotective. And forgetting that apart from being pregnant and her girlfriend, Regina was also a twenty year old young woman, and of course she would want to go out and dance now and then. Pregnant or not. Why shouldn't she be allowed to go out and party? Regina wasn't stupid. She was street smart. Could take care of herself.

'That sounds fun! ' Emma tried to amend, knowing full well that she probably had shot herself in the foot with her 'isn't that like a nightclub'-crap. Stupid, stupid Emma!

'Yes, I'm sure it will be. I am looking forward to dancing again.'

Emma cringed. Regina still sounded a little too curt for her liking. 'I hope you guys will have a fun night! :D'

'Do you think they serve cream sodas?'

Emma smiled. That was better. 'Haha, they might not, but I'm sure there's something else you can drink.'

'Let's hope so… Shouldn't you be on the plane right now?'

'I am. The flight attendants are doing the whole security thing.'

'Querida! You should pay attention then!'

But it was too late for that. When Emma looked up, the staff had wrapped up their little security routine, and the seatbelt signs had started blinking to indicate that it was time to buckle up.

'I think we're about to take off. I'll text you when I have found your dad!'

'Okay. I'll text him to let him know that you're in the air.'

'Thanks :D'

'Have a safe flight, querida.'

'Thank you, beautiful girl.'

Finally, Emma switched off her phone and slipped it into her pocket. Then she leaned back in her seat and glanced out of the window as the plane started to roll down the landing strip. Faster and faster it rolled, and then whoosh, Emma's belly did a flipflop when the plane took off. The airport became smaller and smaller and turned into nothing more than a tiny dot far, far away.

Traveling was always exciting. Obviously, she would have preferred if she had been on her way to Spain right now, but this was the next best thing. She was on her way to see what potentially could be her and Regina's new home. Emma so hoped that it was perfect. She needed it to be perfect. Because if it was not, it meant that her and Regina would be back at square one. Apart. Long-distance until they had found something they loved. The thought of that nearly sent Emma into a state of panic. She couldn't bear anymore long distance. Not when Regina was this pregnant. Not when her due date was this close. Leaving Regina behind in Madrid was heartbreaking enough on its own. But leaving Regina and their baby?

No. Absolutely not. No way. Emma would rather pack her belongings and move in with Regina in her little apartment than she wanted to miss out on her baby's life.

She could only cross her fingers that the beach house would be perfect and that they both would fall in love with it immediately. Love at first sight. Almost like when Emma had met Regina the first time.

Okay, so maybe it hadn't been love at first sight entirely. More like… lust at first sight. Emma grinned quietly to herself. She certainly had been attracted to Regina right from the get-go. She would never forget when she first saw Regina walk on stage in her flamenco dress for the first time. That had been a life changing experience right there. Even if she hadn't known it at the time. She hadn't known what a flirtatious young woman dancing around her table could lead to. Emma had walked into a Spanish bar one evening and bam, here she was, having a girlfriend, a baby on the way, and a potential future home for all three of them on the line.

Life was funny sometimes, Emma sentimentally thought to herself as she leaned back once more and rested her eyes. She had been up super early this morning. If she was lucky, she could get some sleep on the plane…

Five hours later, Emma could step out of the plane and into the John Wayne airport. That was the one closest to Laguna Beach. She had slept through the entire flight, and now she felt a little ruffled. A little disheveled. Traveling, and especially sleeping on the plane did that to her.

Now she stupidly looked around after Regina until she remembered that she was not in Spain but California and that she was supposed to find Regina's father. And not Regina herself.

"Emma! Over here!"

Well, that wasn't so hard, Emma thought to herself and smiled when she spotted Henry standing in the crowd with an arm raised to get her attention. He was smiling from ear to ear and looked so genuinely happy to see her. Emma found that to be amazingly sweet. She quite literally adored her father-in-law.

"Hey, Henry!" She called as she made her way over to him.

Henry immediately engulfed her in one of his big hugs. It was like being hugged by a bear. Not that Emma had any experience with that.

"Dear Emma! It is wonderful to see you again." Henry kissed her cheek before releasing her. Then he smiled at her, and the wrinkles around his warm, brown eyes became much more prominent.

Emma grinned spontaneously. Regina had inherited her dark eyes from her father.

"It's great to see you too, Henry," she said. "Have you waited a long time?"

"No, no, no, not at all. Here, let me take that." He reached for her bag.

"It's alright. It's not that heavy."

"Please. Let me be a gentleman," he insisted.

Emma let him take the bag. That dear man. She didn't want to take this opportunity from him. If he wanted to carry her bag for her, then by all means let him.

"We should get going," Henry said. "I have rented a car for us. It is parked just outside. I decided that we shouldn't bother with public transportation. You've already had such a long day."

"Thank you, Henry. I really appreciate that."

He smiled and motioned for her to follow him. Emma did just so. She was very relieved that she didn't have to deal with busses or metros or whatever. The idea of just getting into a car was very nice.

"Are you hungry or thirsty or anything, Emma?" Henry asked over his shoulder.

"No, I'm okay."

"Still, we will stop somewhere to get a bite to eat. Do you like McDonald's? Reggie and I always stop there whenever we are on a drive. However short it might be."

Emma grinned. "I love McDonald's."

"Excellent. Just like my Reggie then."

Aaaaw. Reggie this and Reggie that. Emma would definitely remember to tell 'Reggie' all about this later!

Coming outside, Henry lead her to a little silver grey car. Emma entered the car, but just as she had buckled her seatbelt, she remembered that she had promised Regina to be in touch when she and Henry had found each other. And seeing that she didn't want Regina to think that she was blundering about in the airport, she found her phone and prepared to shoot Regina a quick text.

"Are you about to text Reggie?" Henry asked with a small chuckle.

"I am, yeah," Emma confirmed and smiled when an idea popped into her head. "Would you by any chance like to take a selfie with me, Henry?"

"But of course," Henry said jovially and moved as close to her as the car seats allowed. He gallantly draped an arm around her shoulder as Emma held up the phone. Both of them smiled as Emma snapped the picture, and after having inspected the result and concluded that they looked 'cute'. Emma sent off the picture with the comment: 'look who I found in the airport!'.

It didn't take long before she received a picture in return. Regina was smiling a lot in the picture. Underneath she had written: 'this is now my favorite duo.' Emma found that to be adorable. But she was mostly busy looking at the picture Regina had sent of herself. Her eye makeup was dark. Her lips had been painted red. Her hair was hanging in loose and shiny curls around her pretty face, and she was wearing a black dress with a neckline that was slightly lower than normally. She was dressed up for a night out. And she looked fucking stunning. Emma wished that she could reach through the screen and pull Regina out of it.

'Thanks, beautiful girl. You look amazing!'

'Thank you, querida. I can reveal that I am very ballerina slippers though.'

'Good choice '

"Is that Reggie?" Henry asked. "Send her my love, will you?"

"Of course!" Emma quickly added: 'your dad sends his love. Reggie.'

'Tell him to stop calling me Reggie.'

'I'm not gonna do that. I love when he calls you that, it's so sweet!'

'Urgh. Lily says hi!'

'Tell her I say hi back. I hope you'll have a good time tonight, and I'm sorry if I was being weird about it earlier. I don't have a problem with you going out, I promise.'

'I know you don't, querida. But I appreciate you saying that. I know you're just worried, but I promise you, I'll take care of myself.'

'I know. You're always so goddamn clever!'

'I try my best '

Emma laughed quietly.

"My daughter is happy?" Henry guessed.

"Yeah," Emma confirmed. "She sure is."

"Good," he said satisfied as he maneuvered the car away from the airport. "That is how I prefer it."

"Me, too." Emma sent a row of laughing emojis to Regina and stated that she was succeeding in her try's. Then she put her phone away and looked out of the window. The weather was beautiful in California. The sun was shining from a bright blue sky. It made Emma's heart happy. Maine had been cold and dreary. Living here where the sun always shone was a dream come true. Once again, Emma got excited and a bit nervous about the beach house. She so hoped that it would be amazing.

Henry had said that it would be. Henry was friends with the man selling the beach house. And as much as Emma wanted to trust Henry's opinion, she was still a bit nervous. She had only seen pictures of the house. Inside and out, and it had looked amazing. But a small, paranoid part of her feared that it was too good to be true. That she and Henry would stumble upon some hidden flaw that would make a move impossible.

"You look a bit concerned, Emma. Is everything alright?"

"Yeah," Emma said quickly. "I'm just a bit nervous about seeing the house."

"I can understand that. But I guarantee you, the house is perfect. I think you and Reggie and el pequeño bebé will be very happy there."

The mention of the baby had Emma smiling. "Yeah. Yeah, you're right. I'm sure the place is amazing. I'm just being silly."

"You are not being silly at all. You just want to find the perfect place to raise a family, isn't that right?"

"Yeah, that's right." Henry had hit the head on the nail.

"I know the feeling." Henry smiled without taking his eyes off the road. "I remember when Cora and I moved to La Moraleja, I was so nervous when she saw the house for the first time. I feared that she would not approve. That it somehow would be too small for her. Cora was- is- a refined woman. Used to large houses and fine things. I wanted to make it good for her." He irrupted in a short laughter. "Dios mio, sometimes I still wonder what she wanted with a simple restaurant owner such as myself. It was never quite in the cards that a refined American woman like her should be interested in a man like me. It didn't quite work the way I wanted it, but I do not regret it. How could I when she gave me Reggie? The most precious gifts of all."

Emma swallowed nervously. It wasn't possible that Henry Mills still was in love with Cora, was it? Because if that was the case…. Oh god. She didn't even want to think about it.

"Dios mio, listen to me babbling," Henry laughed. "Lo siento, Emma. I am an old fool."

"You are not," Emma said immediately. "Not at all."

"Cora was a fine woman, but I don't think she ever was happy," Henry mused, clearly getting lost in thoughts. "I feel sorry for her. And I hope that she is happy now."

Emma smiled neutrally. Because she had to. She feared that if she opened her mouth, she would end up blurting out something that could give away the truth. And it was not up to her to tell Henry the truth. Only Cora could do that. Damn Cora. Annoyance flickered within Emma. Why couldn't that woman just get off her ass and do the right thing for once in her life? She was glad Regina wasn't here. She would have overcome by guilt because of the secret she was keeping from her father.

"And that is enough nonsense from me," Henry said firmly. "What do you think of the view so far, Emma?"

"It's amazing," Emma said, even though they were just driving down an average road. But there were mountains around her. Emma liked that.

"We will be arriving soon," Henry predicted. "Are you sure you are not hungry or thirsty or anything?"

"No, I'm fine," Emma assured and smiled.

"Very well. Then we will stop and have something to eat on the way to the hotel," Henry decided. "Is that alright with you?"

"That's completely fine."

"Excellent." He stepped on the gas pedal, and Emma laughed when the car made a particular sound.

"Don't tell Reggie I did that," Henry chuckled. "She hates it. Calls me a reckless driver."

"Yeah, she always comments on it if I drive too fast." She immediately realized what she had just said. "Not that I ever would drive recklessly with your daughter in the car, obviously, that was not what I-"

"Emma," Henry interrupted and chuckled again. "You do not need to tell me that. I already know that you always take good care of Reggie. I can see that in the way she smiles. Before she met you, I was actually a bit worried about her."

"You were?" Emma tilted her head. "How come?"

"She just seemed quite… disheartened. That horrible business with that… that man and his despicable wife." Henry's face twisted in anger.

"Oh."

"But then she met you," Henry smiled now. "And she stopped being disheartened. Don't tell her any of this, by the way. She thinks that I do not notice."

"Of course. My lips are sealed."

Henry laughed. Then he nodded towards the car window. "Look, Emma. I believe we are seeing our first palm tree."

He was right. And a moment later, they had arrived at their destination. Laguna Beach. Emma's jaw hung open as she looked at the sandy beach, crystal blue water and bright blue sky. It was like stepping right into a dream, and as soon as Henry had parked the car, Emma unbuckled her seatbelt and leapt from the car. She simply couldn't wait.

Henry was right behind her, though, and together they walked along the beach to find the house Emma was there to look at. The beach was full of happy people. Children playing. Dogs playing fetch. The palm trees were swaying softly in the gentle breeze. What a magnificent place.

"Rafael!" Henry called and lifted a hand.

Just then, Emma spotted a man around Henry's age in shorts and a t-shirt. He was smiling widely at them, and when Henry came close enough, the man gave him a hug and a pat on the back. "Henry, my old friend," he said jovially. "You finally made it back to the beach." He released Henry and turned his attention to Emma. "And you must be Emma Swan."

"That's right," Emma confirmed, holding out her hand towards the man.

He shook it. "It's nice to meet you, Emma. My name is Rafael Wilson. Shall we head inside and take a look?"

"That sounds good." Emma had been so focused on greeting Rafael, but now she looked at what it was all about. The house. There it was. Right slap on the beach. A two storied house. Not too big, not too small. One of the downstairs room had a wall made solely of glass. Emma imagined using that as their living room. What an amazing view!

They walked up the little pathway towards the house, and Rafael directed Emma's attention to what looked like a rebuild shed. "It has been used as a guest house, but if you and your wife decides to move in, you could use it as a studio instead. I think it would be great for that."

"Yeah," Emma agreed. "I'm sure it will." Her cheeks pinked. Rafael had just referred to Regina as her wife. Emma hadn't wanted to correct the error because she didn't want to come across as rude, but it hadn't escaped her notice that Henry hadn't corrected the error either.

Emma whipped out her phone and announced that she would skype Regina now so she could get the full experience. Rafael encouraged her to do so. "It is important that both parties agrees," he said with a little chuckle.

Henry agreed with that.

It didn't take long before Regina appeared on the small screen with a smile on her lips and a cheerful: "Hola!"

"Hola," Emma smiled and hastily flipped the camera so Regina could get a look of the view and pathway leading up to the house. "What do you think so far?"

"¡Eso se ve increíble! What a view. And that guest house could be a perfect studio for you, querida!"

Emma grinned. "It absolutely could."

"Show me more," Regina demanded with a smile. "I can't wait to see the rest! Hi, dad!"

"Hello, Reggie," Henry said warmly, and teased his daughter: "How nice of you to notice me as well."

"Lo siento," Regina laughed. "I was busy falling in love with a house I've barely looked at."

"Same," Emma said. "Come on, let's head inside!"

Obviously, it would have been better if Regina had been here for real, but there was also something fun about bringing Regina 'with her' like this. Rafael unlocked the door and pushed it open, allowing Emma to head inside first.

Emma liked what she saw. The hallway was small, but honestly, they didn't need a huge hallway. Emma angled the phone a little so Regina could get a look of the stairs. "Should we start downstairs?" Emma asked.

"Sounds reasonable," Regina answered, and the connection crackled a bit. Emma hoped that the connection wouldn't disappear.

They started in the living room. Emma immediately loved the room. That amazing glass wall. The white walls and soft, sand colored carpet. It reminded her of the beach outside.

"Oh wow," Regina commented. "That is an amazing room!"

"Yeah, it really is," Emma agreed with her, making a point of rotating the phone so Regina could see every corner of the room. She was pretty sure she could hear Lily in the background, but she hadn't appeared on screen.

"It was renovated two years ago," Rafael told them. "We changed the carpet and had the glass wall made."

"It looks amazing," Emma said warmly. She had instructed herself to not come across as too eager too quickly, but damn, she was falling hard for this place already!

And judging by the Spanish words Regina said, she felt the same way.

They continued into the kitchen. A big, spacious kitchen it was. Airy and held in light colors like the living room. Emma's footsteps echoed as she walked around in the room. She could easily imagine herself cooking in here. Making pancakes for Regina. And when the time came, for their child. Emma asked all the relevant questions and tried to appear more business-like and skeptic, but it was hard not to get charmed by Rafael. He was a sweet man. And what's more, he was also Henry's friend. He would never scam them.

"Ten out of ten," was Regina's comment, and Emma agreed with her.

Next was the little guest bathroom. There was nothing to see there. A toilet. A sink. The essentials. Functional.

Upstairs they went. There were two guestrooms, a master bedroom and a bathroom. They started in the bathroom. It was considerably larger than the little guest bathroom downstairs.

"It has a bathtub!" Regina exclaimed, sounding utterly delighted. "That's definitely an added bonus!"

"Oh yeah, absolutely," Emma agreed with her. She couldn't go into detail as to why that was an 'added bonus'. Not with Henry present. She would have to settle for thinking it.

The bathtub was amazing, though. It had been incorporated directly into the floor. There was a large window they would have to cover if they spend time in the bathtub during the day, but during the night, Emma could easily imagine taking a bath. Maybe while enjoying a glass of wine. And Regina's company, of course. In the moonlight. Oh man… How amazing would that be!

Also, Rafael was really good at 'selling' the bathroom. That too had been renovated two years ago.

"There's plenty of room for a changing table in here," Regina said softly.

"There sure is," Emma said and scolded herself for having romantic daydreams when she should focus on practical stuff. Like where there was room for a changing table. Pull yourself together, Swan.

"I really like this room," Regina continued. "It's perfect!"

"I agree. Next room?"

"Sí, querida. Next room."

Regina's words were law. Next room.

That was the first of the two guest room. It was not too big and not too small. Emma could easily imagine inviting her parents or Ruby and Belle to stay here. Looking around in here only took a moment. They were quickly on to the next room.

Another guest room. Bigger. With larger windows. Light and airy. The window was cranked open slightly, and Emma could hear the sound of the waves. She moved her phone around so Regina could see every part of the room. Then she stopped in the middle of the room. The wheels in her head were turning, and she was grinning from ear to ear when she said: "couldn't this just be perfect for our baby?"

"Sí, I was just thinking the same," Regina chuckled. "It's right next to the master bedroom, isn't it?"

"Yes," Rafael confirmed. "The master bedroom is literally on the other side of the wall. You wouldn't even need a baby monitor to be able to hear the little one."

That made Henry smile.

"Perfecto," Regina said miles and miles away from Emma. "That's definitely a good thing, isn't it, querida?"

"Yep, absolutely."

"We could paint the walls yellow," Regina mused. "Don't you think that would look nice in here?"

"Definitely. I want our baby to wake up to the sun every single morning."

"Me, too. And that view. I mean, imagine waking up to seeing the ocean every day. Blueberry wouldn't know anything else. I like the idea of that, don't you?"

"Absolutely," Emma said softly and felt her heart swell. She saw the years pass before her inner eyes. Their child growing up in this room. Going from a tiny little baby to a teenager and- oh, man. She was getting emotional. Emma cleared her throat. "Next room?"

"Next room."

Emma had been the most excited about seeing the room they would use as nursery and the master bedroom.

And she did not get disappointed.

The master bedroom was incredible. Very spacious. Large windows. Cream colored walls. There was plenty of room for a queen sized bed. There was even a balcony. Not an overly big one, but they didn't need that either. A small one was just fine.

Imagine enjoying a morning cup of coffee here. As the sun rose above the ocean. Emma wanted that. She wanted to live here. With Regina and their baby. She wanted their kid to grow up on this beach, with this view.

She stepped out on the balcony to give Regina a look of the stunning ocean view. She hadn't said very much about the master bedroom. Only few Spanish exclamations Emma hadn't understood, but judging by the way Henry had smiled and chuckled, it had been good things.

"So…" Emma said and turned the screen, so she and Regina were face to face. Well, almost anyway. "What's the verdict, beautiful girl?"

"Es tan hermoso," Regina said softly. "I could imagine myself living there. I could imagine us living there. I could see our baby grow up in that house. Take the first steps in the living room Feel the water for the first time. Fall asleep in his stroller during evening strolls on the beach. I could see all of it, mi amor."

"Me, too," Emma said eagerly and looked at Rafael. "Is the price really… set?" she wasn't trying to be rude, she just couldn't believe that the house was so cheap. She could actually… afford it."

"It is," Rafael chuckled. "Are the two of you interested?"

Emma looked at Regina on the small screen. "What do you say, beautiful girl? Are we interested?"

"Sí!" Regina exclaimed. "We're very interested!"

Emma couldn't have said it better herself. She was actually ready to sign the papers right here and now.

But first the studio. Emma was excited about that too, and after having seen it and getting confirmed that it was just as amazing as the rest of the house, neither Emma nor Regina saw any reason to wait any longer. They had hit the jackpot. Emma told Rafael that they wanted the house, and he said that he would get the papers ready and send them to her.

"We're moving to California!" Emma half-shouted to Regina.

"Sí, we are!" Regina shouted back and laughed.

"Woo-hoo," Emma heard from somewhere behind Regina, and she smiled at Lily's enthusiasm.

After having congratulated each other, and after Regina had said goodbye to her father, Emma reluctantly ended the Skype call with Regina. She was also reluctant to leave the beautiful beach house. But it made it a bit easier when knowing that she would be coming back again. With Regina….

Emma couldn't sleep. She had been trying for quite a while, but hadn't succeeded so far. She was far too excited.

She was in her hotel room. Her head was buzzing with everything that had happened today.

But she was also a tiny bit anxious. Regina had promised that she would be in touch when she and Lily came home from the night club, and she hadn't texted yet. Emma had been on the brink of texting Regina several times already, but she didn't want to be a pain in the ass or give the impression that she disapproved of Regina being out. She didn't. Of course not. She loved that Regina was out dancing and having a good time with Lily.

But there was a good chance that she would go a little crazy if Regina didn't text her soon.

Then, as if Emma had psychological abilities, Regina's number lit up on her phone screen. Emma hastily snatched the phone and swiped a finger over the screen. "Hey!" she said and probably sounded way too enthusiastic for the late hour.

"Hi," Regina said in the other end. She sounded a bit tired.

"Is everything okay?" Emma asked and frowned.

"Sí, everything is fine. It was just a time."

"A bad time?" Emma was immediately alarmed. Had something happened? What had happened?! She immediately saw disasters. An attack. A group of guys cornering Regina and Lily.

"Lily took full advantage of the Spanish drinking rules and went for the hard stuff. I had to hold her hair while she puked in an alley. And I also had to partially carry her up the stairs. I had no idea she was such a rowdy kid. I doubt she'll be able to remember much tomorrow. And good thing."

"Oh, god." Emma wrinkled her nose. "Where is she now?"

"On an air mattress in my room. Out cold, poor thing. Maybe I should have told her not to drink so much, but I'm not her mom. It's not really my place to tell her what to do. Even if I am a year older than her."

"Lily is a big girl who can make her own decisions," Emma said firmly. "Do you regret having said yes to her staying with you?"

"No, no, of course not. She's very nice. I really like her. I just hadn't anticipated the night to turn out quite like this." She laughed dryly in the other end. "It made me realize that our baby eventually will become a teenager. Can you imagine that, querida?"

"No," Emma said truthfully. "Not right now. He'll be small for many years first!"

"Hopefully," Regina quipped. "And to top it off, Cora called me while we were in the nightclub. To announce that she's coming to Madrid next week."

"Holy shit, really?" Emma was honestly surprised. She hadn't expected Cora to actually have the balls to do it.

"Sí. And of course she heard the loud music and asked where we were…" Regina sighed gravely. "Seeing that we're both adults, I saw no reason to lie, so I told her that we were in a club. I don't think she liked that. She didn't say so directly, but I got the impression that she disapproved of me being in a nightclub while pregnant. Maybe she's right. Maybe it is inappropriate."

"Did you dance?" Emma asked simply.

"I- sí. I did." Regina sounded a bit thrown off because of Emma's sudden question.

"And did you have a good time?" Emma asked plainly.

"Sí. Before Lily got sick, it was a really good time. It was wonderful to dance again."

"Then there's nothing wrong about it," Emma said firmly. "If it made you happy, you have no reason to wonder whether it was the right thing to do or not. Of course it was."

"Thank you, querida. I appreciate that." There was a bit of shuffling in the other end. "Now I have to wrap my head around Cora coming to Madrid next week. Dios mio. I wonder how that's going to go?"

"Are you going to be there? When she talks to your dad, I mean?"

"Probably. Seeing that I'm involved, I think it's a good idea. I can be a buffer or whatever. God, this is weird. In the good old days, my dad was always the buffer when Cora and I were in the same room, and now it's up to me to be the buffer. Times are a-changing, querida."

"For the better, I hope."

"'You are the dancing queeeeeen! Young and sweet, only seventeeeeen!'"

Emma laughed. That was not Regina spontaneously bursting into song. That was Lily singing her heart out from the bedroom.

"Jesus Christ," Regina chuckled. "Ay, ay, ay. I better go see what's up with the dancing queen. Maybe she needs some water."

"You gonna be okay?" Emma checked. Just to make sure.

"Of course. I'll be fine. I'll call you tomorrow. Goodnight, querida. Get some sleep."

"Yeah. You too, beautiful girl. Night-night. Love you."

"Te amo." There was a 'mwah!' sound and then Regina was gone.

Emma sighed quietly as she put the phone down and laid her head down on the pillow. Beach house. Drunk Lily. Cora finally giving up her long-winded game of hide and seek and coming to Madrid. That was a lot of information in the same day.

Next week would be interesting for sure. She so hoped that everything would go well when Cora finally told Henry the truth about herself. No more conflict. And no more situations where Regina ended up getting caught in the middle!

To Be Continued…