"Emma."
"Huh?" Emma hastily turned her head and looked at her mother. "What?"
"Time doesn't go any quicker just because you monitor the clock." Her mother chuckled at her own joke. Undoubtedly found herself to be hilarious.
Emma, however, did not. She narrowed her eyes at her normally so darling mother. "Very funny," she grumbled. And turned her attention back to the clock. She didn't care what her mom said. If she tried really hard, surely she could urge the little hand in the clock to move faster, right? Right?
"Don't tease her, Mary Margaret," Emma's father said, flashing Emma a loyal smile. "Of course she is excited. I reckon you and I would be too if we had been in the same situation."
"Thanks, dad," Emma said gratefully and shot her mom a disgruntled look. "I haven't seen my girlfriend in three weeks, mom! I'm basically dying here, okay? And I've missed out on so much pregnancy stuff! It's killing me!"
Her mom patted her hand gently. "I understand that, honey. But Regina is on her way right now. Remember that."
"There's still an hour to go," Emma more or less groaned as she plonked her head down on the table. For dramatic effect. But she actually ended up hitting her forehead pretty hard. "Ouch."
Her dad chuckled and patted her head as though she was a small child. No doubt he found her antics to be highly comical. "I am looking forward to meeting Henry. You've spoken so much about him."
"It's about time we meet Regina's father," Emma's mother chirped in. "You and Regina have known each other for a long time now!"
"Technically, we've only known each other for eight months. No. A bit longer than that." Emma frowned as she tried to figure out how long she and Regina had known each other. It was a bit confusing. And something Regina had said yesterday really fucked with her brain. 'I've been pregnant in all the time you've known me'. Although it was true, it was still a bit strange to think about. Emma wasn't sure why, but it was.
"Well, it feels like you've been together for much longer," her mom said firmly. "I think I speak for all of us when I say that it feels like Regina always has been a part of the family."
"That's true," Emma's dad nodded. "She fits right in."
"Aww," Emma cooed. "I'll tell her you said that."
"We would be disappointed if you didn't," her mother joked, and this time, Emma did laugh. And glanced at the clock again. Time didn't seem to have moved. How odd. That last fucking hour should have passed already, shouldn't it? She was so impatient. Just wanted to see Regina now. Wanted to hug and kiss her and triumphantly bring her back to Storybrooke and coax her into staying forever. Okay, she probably wouldn't succeed in that, but hey, pretty soon they were moving in together. No more distance and separation.
Emma retrieved her phone from her pocket and looked at the picture Regina had sent her from the airport. It was a picture of Regina smiling prettily with one hand on her round belly. Henry was in the picture too. He was standing with an arm around Regina's shoulder. It was a very cute photo indeed. Emma had already looked at it a million times.
"It's here!" Emma's mom suddenly exclaimed, giving Emma a shock. For one blissful moment, she thought that Regina and Henry had arrived in Storybrooke early by some miracle.
But of course it wasn't that. It was only the mailman. Emma was a little disappointed, but her mom jumped up from her chair and rushed out of the kitchen. Emma had never seen her move so fast.
"What has gotten into her?" she asked her dad. "Since when is the postman coming such an event?"
"I'm willing to bet my police badge that it's Regina's gift for the baby shower that finally arrived. The order was delayed, and your mother has been anxious ever since."
"But the baby shower isn't until next week," Emma cleverly pointed out.
"You and I know that. But you know your mother." Her dad chuckled and winked conspiratorially.
Emma grinned. That was true. Her mom easily became vexed if things were delayed. Things such as the mail.
It only took a moment before her mother came back. Now carrying a very large package.
"What the hell is that?" Emma asked and lifted an eyebrow. "Did you buy Regina a tent? I'm sure she'd smile and say 'gracias', but I'm honestly not sure tents are her thing."
"No, you silly duckling," her mother said overbearingly. "We didn't buy Regina a tent. We bought her something her back will love."
"Okay. And what's that?"
"A pregnancy pillow!" her mom said excitedly. "Don't you think she'll love that?"
"Oh wow, yeah, absolutely! She'll be so happy, mom. That's literally the perfect gift."
"Nothing will overtrump it." Her mom proudly lifted her chin.
"Uhm, mom, it's not a competition," Emma pointed out while laughing slightly.
"Please say it a bit louder," her dad faux whispered. "Because your mother most definitely thinks that this is a race to impress Regina."
"It has nothing to do with being competitive, David," her mother huffed. "It's about assuring that our daughter-in-law is comfortable!"
Emma could get on board with that. She was living for the moments where either of her parents referred to Regina as their daughter-in-law. It made Emma ecstatic every time it happened. And they both had a particular way of saying it. The word sounded soft. Like a fluffy blanket. They'd had a different way of saying son-in-law about Neal. There had been a very slight edge to the word. Emma couldn't blame them. Neal had been absolute thrash. Utterly useless. The type who placed themselves on the couch and did not get up to help with setting the table or whatever. Regina would never dream of not helping.
A quiet vibrating sound reached Emma's ears and had her snapping out of her thoughts. For a moment, she though it was her phone and immediately imagined that it was Regina texting her with disastrous news. That the plane had to turn around or whatever.
But it wasn't her phone at all. It was her dad's. And he grunted slightly upon looking at the screen.
"Is something wrong?" Emma asked.
"No, not really. Except that Neal is getting released from prison today. I suppose we couldn't keep him behind bars forever. Unfortunately."
"Oh," Emma said. Of course she had known that Neal was getting released today. She had just forgotten it momentarily. But her subconscience clearly hadn't. Hence why she had been thinking angry thoughts about him.
"But you have nothing to worry about, sweetie," her dad continued, patting her hand. "He won't be bothering you. The restraining order will make sure of that. If he violates it, he'll be thrown behind bars again." He gave a grim smile.
"Rumor has it that he's leaving town, though," her mom chimed in. "When I was in the hair salon, Honoria who's friends with Milah was there, and I overheard her saying that Neal was planning on going to New York once he got released. Apparently, he 'can't see a reason for sticking around anymore'. At least that's what Honoria said."
"Oh my god, does he mean me?" Emma eyes rolled so far back in her skull, she feared that they might stay there forever. "He can't still think that he has a chance, can he? I'm about to be a mom, for fu- flips sake! And I happen to be in a committed relationship with my child's other mother!"
"Thank god he's leaving," her dad said. "Not that I didn't enjoy cuffing him and throwing him behind bars. There was something really satisfying about that."
Emma laughed heartedly at that.
Finally, Emma was on her way. She was singing along to the radio loudly as she drove, and she kept reminding herself that she was the daughter of a sheriff and therefore had to be mindful of the speed limit. But my god, it was hard when she was on her way to the airport. Regina was within reach now. Or almost anyway. Soon they would be together again, and Emma could not wait. She was giddy with excitement to see her girlfriend again. It had been ages. Three weeks. Three long weeks. But now she was on her way to pick up Regina. And Henry too of course. Emma was also excited to see him. Excited for her parents to meet Regina's father. But she wasn't the slightest bit nervous. She already knew that Henry and her parents would hit it off. Her parents were delightful, and Henry was one of the sweetest people Emma ever had met. She had trouble seeing any reason why her parents and Henry shouldn't be the best of friends by the end of the week.
One week. Emma stuck out her bottom lip and pouted just a little. She didn't want to pout, but she was allowed to be a little dissatisfied with it only being a week, right? Many a time she had considered begging Regina to extend the stay with a couple of days. Or a week. But she hadn't done so. Because it wouldn't be fair to Regina.
And a week was better than nothing, right?
Emma tried her best to be satisfied. She didn't want to spend the following week being sad that it was only a week. She wanted this to be the best time ever for Regina. A relaxing, chill time with zero stress.
And maybe, if she was really, really lucky, her parents would make themselves scatter one of the evenings so they could get some privacy. Obviously, Emma missed being intimate with her girlfriend. But she also completely respected if Regina was not up for it. She had read that some women weren't interested in sex late in the last trimester. And that obviously was completely fine. There was more to their relationship than just sex. As far as Emma was concerned, they could cuddle all night long instead. She decided that she wouldn't suggest or hint at anything. She would take things slow. Regina had been in the hospital, after all. Sure, nothing had been wrong (thank god!) but still, it was a bit scary that Braxton Hicks could get so bad Regina had to go to the hospital for it. Emma would have to make sure that Regina didn't do anything strenuous while she was here. This visit was all about relaxation. Sleeping in. Hearty breakfasts. Solid lunches and as much dinner as she possibly could eat.
In short, Emma was going to pamper and spoil the hell out of her girlfriend when she arrived. And then of course there was the baby shower the day after tomorrow. Emma was very excited about that. She couldn't wait to see Regina's reaction when she walked in and saw the decorations and the guests and all the presents. Emma had at last finished the photo album she had created for Regina. She had chosen all the pictures carefully. From the first tiny little sign of Blueberry all the way up to now where Regina's stomach was the most prominent part of her. Safe for her pretty face, of course. She couldn't wait to see Regina's reaction to the photo album. She was sure that Regina was going to love it. Regina had often complained that most of her pregnancy had been chaotic, so Emma was looking forward to Regina seeing all the photographed moments of her pregnancy that had not been chaotic.
Emma switched on the radio and happily sang along to the upbeat number playing. It was quite the journey to the airport, and it was nice to have some 'company'.
"Woops," she mumbled under her breath when she accidentally used the wrong gear and made the car make a rather dubious noise in protest.
"Sorry, mom." She sure was glad that her mother wasn't in the car with her. She would undoubtedly have scolded Emma for this. Because the thing was that Emma wasn't driving in her faithful little yellow bug today. She was in fact driving her mother's car. A rarity. Her mother was incredibly fond of her car, and she didn't normally let anybody drive it. Not even Emma's father. But today was a special case. There was no way that both Regina and Henry could fit in the yellow bug. There wasn't a lot of leg room in the passenger's seat, and it would be cramped if they both had to sit in the backseat. Emma wouldn't expose Regina to that. Or her father for that matter. So she had been allowed to borrow her mother's car. Under many reminders to be careful.
Emma was careful. At least she had been until she did that thing that made the car go 'vrrr' in the wrong way. But she wasn't going to tell her mom about that. There was no reason to make her worried. The car was fine. As a fiddle. Absolutely fine. The engine didn't sound weird or anything.
"We won't tell anyone, though, right?" Emma patted the wheel. "That was just a one time thing. What happens in the car, stays in the car."
The car's engine purred like a panther in response, and Emma felt satisfied with that. What a great sound that was. A clear sign that nothing was wrong. She could continue onwards, thank god. For a moment she had feared that the car was going to break down or some shit. Which obviously wasn't gonna happen because this was her mom's fancy car and not the yellow Bug. Her mom's car never broke down. Emma was just antsy and impatient. Like it had been three years rather than just three weeks since she last saw Regina….
At last she stood in the airport. Stood and waited. Any moment now. Emma shifted her weight from one foot to the other. Stood on her tippy toes to look over the crowd. The airport was packed with people today. All of them going away.
Emma wasn't going anywhere. She was here to collect.
She had of course texted Regina that she was here, but Regina hadn't answered. Emma didn't take that as a bad sign though. Regina was probably occupied right now. Maybe she was finding her luggage or making her way through the crowd. Emma squinted slightly and wished she had been taller. Tall enough to peer over everyone's head. That would have been really useful right now. But it couldn't be long now. She had already been here for a little while. Her stomach growled. It was almost lunch time. And if she was hungry, Regina was bound to be too. She was more or less constantly hungry. Emma smiled at the thought. During their conversations the past week, Regina's opening line had been 'is it okay if I need while we talk?'. And yeah, that totally had been okay.
"Hey!" Emma protested when she felt someone tap her on the shoulder. "I am not standing in the way here, mate! I am just waiting for-" she whirled around and immediately shut her mouth. Because it wasn't a rude airport-goer who had tapped her on the shoulder. It was Regina. Who happened to look gorgeous and perfect in a midnight blue knitted dress with long sleeves and round neckline. The dress was sitting snugly on her, showing off the baby bump in all its glory.
"Is that how you talk to me?" She drawled, voice all cold and deadly, and eyebrow dangerously raised. But then she laughed a sweet pearly laughter. "¿No me vas a besar?"
Emma laughed and immediately kissed her girlfriend soundly. Exactly as Regina had requested. "Oh my god, hi! There you are! Just like that!"
"Sí, here I am. Just like that," Regina chuckled and gave a little squeal when Emma lifted her off the floor for just a moment.
"Hi, oh my god, I missed you so much! You look so great! Look at you! Look at that belly! It's so beautiful!" Emma rambled and kissed her again. She lowered her hands and touched Regina's bump tenderly. Smiled into the kiss when she was rewarded with a kick against her palm. She probably could have kissed Regina for a few solid hours, but was interrupted by someone clearing their throat softly behind them.
Emma stopped kissing Regina and looked up. Saw Henry standing behind them and smiling jovially. Her cheeks heated up. She was cool about half of the airport seeing her and Regina kiss each other, but it was a different story when it was Regina's father.
"Hi, Henry," Emma said sheepishly and was pretty glad she hadn't gone for a full on snog with Regina.
"Hola, Emma," Henry said kindly and gave her a tight hug. "It's wonderful to see you again, dear."
"Likewise," Emma said and smiled when Henry kissed her cheek. "How was the flight?"
"It was fine," Henry said. "Very nice and calm. Isn't that right, Reggie?"
"Sí. Blueberry was very excited, though. He kept kicking away during takeoff and landing."
Emma chuckled. "I wish I could have been there for that."
"Mmm, me too. He was all about bouncing. Anyway…" Regina reached for the suitcase in her father's hand, but he made a point of taking a step away from her until she gave up.
The silent little 'You're not carrying the suitcase in your condition' from Henry had Emma chuckling.
Regina shook her head and rolled her eyes. "Should we get out of the… The, uhmm.." She frowned and seemed to consider it. "What's that word again? The…"
"Airport?" Emma helpfully suggested.
"Sí, that's the one. Exactly. Pregnancy brain is a real thing. Yesterday I nearly tore my apartment to pieces to find my keys only to discover that I had left them in the fridge! It was absolutely ridiculous. Anyway, should we get out of the airport?"
"Yes, let's do it. My parents are waiting with lunch." That was an understatement. Her mom had turned lunch into a big deal and had spend most of the morning preparing it.
"That sounds good. I'm pretty-" Regina was interrupted by a rumbling sound so loud it had Emma briefly wondering if some kind of animal had gotten into the airport. That was however not the case. Regina put a hand on her belly and muttered a low: "Quiet."
"I don't think that was the baby, beautiful girl," Emma pointed out. And did her utmost not to smile.
"Lo sé." Regina rolled her eyes again. "This is ridiculous. I literally just had some chocolate!"
"And now you're hungry again," Emma said softly. "Big deal. Let's go."
Regina shrugged on the coat she'd been carrying over her arm. Emma couldn't help but smile when she saw Regina button the coat across her belly. The coat was the correct size, but Emma still thought it looked adorably cute.
"Lead the way, mi belezza," she said gallantly, motioning for Regina to walk ahead of them.
"Why thank you," Regina half-drawled and did as requested.
Emma's intention had indeed been to be gallant, but now that she saw Regina walk ahead of them, she discovered another perk of letting Regina lead the way. Waddle, waddle, she fondly thought to herself as she watched Regina walk. No. Not walk. Regina was definitely waddling more than walking now. And if that wasn't the freaking cutest thing in the world, Emma didn't know what was.
She and Henry followed Regina out of the airport. Regina expressed some confusion as to why Emma wasn't driving in the yellow bug, and Emma explained that her mom's car was much 'roomier'.
"Is that a hint to my size?" Regina joked.
"No. Absolutely not."
"I know. I was kidding. You should take the passenger's seat, daddy."
"Absolutely not," Henry said, echoing what Emma just had said. "You will take the passenger's seat, Cielo."
"Why?" Regina asked. "Your legs are longer than mine."
"Make your old dad happy and take the passenger's seat, Reggie."
"Only if you stop calling me 'Reggie'."
"Nunca."
"Muy divertido."
Emma wasn't sure exactly what they were saying, but it lead to Regina opening the door to the passenger's seat, so she was quite satisfied. Until Regina seemingly changed her mind and reached for her suitcase. She was just about to lift it when Henry snatched it from right under her nose and went: "I think not."
"That's very overprotective of you," Regina fondly observed. And then she climbed onto the passenger's seat.
Once she had closed the door, Emma opened the door to the backseat for Henry.
"Thank you, Emma," he smiled.
"You're welcome. I'm so glad you both are here." Seriously, Henry Mills was worlds away from Robert Gold, her previous father-in-law. Where he had been every bit a douchebag, Henry was so, so kind.
Once Henry had gotten onto the backseat, Emma carefully closed the door behind him, grabbed the two suitcases she had coaxed Henry to leave. As easy as one-two-three, she lifted the suitcases into the boot of the car and slammed it shut with a little thunk.
"There we go," she announced as she finally climbed onto the driver's seat She buckled her seatbelt and looked at Regina who also fiddled with her seatbelt. She had already buckled it, but she kept adjusting the strap.
"All good?" Emma asked with a slight head tilt.
"Sí, but it keeps climbing up my stomach, and it's not very comfortable." Regina yanked at the seatbelt again.
"I can see that. Let's try and see if we can do something about that." Emma tugged at the seatbelt too and made sure to put her hand in between the strap and Regina's body so it didn't snap back against her belly or anything. After a moment, she managed to position the strap underneath Regina's round belly. "There we go. Isn't that better?"
"Much. My hero. Gracias." She leaned to the side and kissed Emma lightly on the cheek.
"Well, are we ready to go?" Emma asked both of them. "Everyone got everything they need?" she was rewarded with a 'sí' in unison from Regina and Henry, and so off they went.
Regina happily babbled in Spanish with her father. Emma couldn't understand half of it, but she smiled every time she heard the word 'Storybrooke'. It sounded so good like that. The name of her dreamy little hometown became even dreamier when Regina said it in that particular way.
Henry was answering in Spanish. He sounded just as excited as Regina did. Emma was very satisfied with just listening to them. It didn't matter that she couldn't understand what they were saying. She could tell by their tone (and Regina's gesturing) that they were talking about something good. She liked that Storybrooke was mentioned several times. Regina had undoubtedly told her father all about Emma's hometown.
"Oh," Regina said, switching to English again. "I'm sorry, querida. We're just babbling away, aren't we?"
They totally were. But Emma absolutely didn't mind, and she was quick to tell Regina that.
"We're being very rude," Henry agreed with his daughter. "My apologies, Emma."
"Hey, no, you guys are not being rude! Not at all. I like Spanish. I like it a lot."
Both Regina and Henry laughed at that. Regina leaned back in the seat and rubbed her belly. Emma couldn't believe how much Regina's belly had grown in just three weeks. It hadn't even been that long since they last saw each other. For some reason, Emma was only able to be so rational now that Regina was in the car with her. Very convenient.
"Are you sure I shouldn't stay in the diner instead?" Regina asked. "I don't want to crowd your parents."
"Shush," Emma scoffed. "You're not crowding anything or anyone. You're staying at my parents place." She couldn't turn her head to look at Henry as she aimed the next comment at him: "I'm really sorry that we don't have a spare guest room, Henry. If we had, you obviously would have been welcome. You are welcome."
"I know that, Emma," Henry said with a slight chuckle. "But I am looking forward to staying in the diner, Reggie has told me so much about."
"It's such a nice place," Regina said warmly. "And their burgers…You have to try one, daddy!"
Emma grinned. What Regina didn't know was that she would get plenty of free burgers later. At the baby shower…
"Here we are," Emma announced a good while later as she parked the car in front of the house. "This is my childhood home."
"Mayor's daughter," Regina teased.
"Reggie," Henry half-scolded and even had the audacity to click his tongue once. "You have a beautiful home here, Emma."
"Yeah, growing up here wasn't so bad," Emma said modestly and unbuckled her seatbelt.
Regina did the same. Was about to get out of the car when her phone went off in her coat pocket. She paused to fish it out, and Emma automatically paused too. That was just a thing she did now. Stopped when Regina did.
Regina glanced at the screen for a moment. Then announced: "Cora sends her… greetings." The tiny hesitation fully illustrated how complicated her relationship with Cora still was.
"Thank you," Emma said.
"Yes, gracías. Send her one back. And to Malaina too." Henry's voice didn't waver
"I'll do that." Regina typed on her phone for a moment. Then put it away with a 'Sorry about that'.
"It's completely fine," Emma said. She would have liked to ask Regina if Cora had said more about wanting to be there for the birth, but she figured that it would better to wait.
They exited the car, all three of them. Emma lifted Regina's suitcase out of the car. Not Henry's. That one had to stay in the car until tonight where Henry would be driven to Granny's Diner.
Emma held Regina's hand as they walked up the little steps towards the house. She was eager to get Regina inside so she could take off her shoes and get comfortable.
Even before they had reached the front door, it was opened by Emma's mother who was smiling brightly at them. "There you are! We thought we heard the car. Welcome back, Regina!"
"Mary Margaret," Regina said, returning the smile tenfold. She did not stagger when Emma's mother gave her a hug, a kiss on the cheek and showered her in compliments: "look at you! You look magnificent, Regina!"
"Gracías, Mary Margaret!"
"I trust you're feeling well too? Emma told us about the hospital visit."
"Of course she did." Regina chuckled and shook her head. "But I feel very well. As fine as a fiddle."
"That's wonderful!" Once done fawning over Regina, Emma's mother turned to Henry. "And welcome, Mr. Mills. It is wonderful to finally meet you."
"Gracías, Senora Swan. I am very happy to be here." He smiled and stuck his hand out towards her.
"Please, call me Mary Margaret," she beamed as she shook his hand.
"Only if you will call me Henry instead of 'Mr. Mills'."
"That is a deal," Emma's mother chuckled. Then turned her head and called into the house. "David! Regina and her father are here now!"
Emma's dad appeared so fast, it was like he simply had materialized out of nowhere. It was his turn to smile and shake Henry's hand. That lead to a whole conversation on the porch between Emma's parents and Regina's dad. All three of them were talking and laughing, and Emma and Regina looked at each other. Emma did a little motion with her head to indicate that they should head inside, and Regina gave the slightest of nods. Perhaps she was tired of standing up.
As quiet as mice, they slipped inside the house and went upstairs to Emma's current bedroom. In there, Emma dumped Regina's suitcase on the floor and was about to say something when she noticed that someone- most likely her mom- had put up the spare bed for Regina. That was nice of her. But Emma laughed when she noticed something. The beds had been put together. That was a nice change.
Regina didn't seem to notice anything different, though. She just sat down on the edge of the bed with a little huff. She rubbed her belly.
"Does it hurt?" Emma asked.
"No, not at all. But I might need the bathroom in a moment, though."
"Fair enough." Emma sat down next to her and slipped an arm around her. "Hey, you."
"Mmmm, hi," Regina cooed, turning her head and kissing Emma softly on the lips. "Te he echado de menos."
"I've missed you too, beautiful girl." Emma pecked her lips. Again and again. Until Regina turned her upper body and cupped her cheeks.
"Mmm, how long do you think they'll chat on the porch for?" Emma asked huskily, once again becoming acutely aware that three weeks was a long time.
"I'd rather not think or talk about our parents right now," Regina said simply. Then slotted their lips together in another kiss.
Emma was more than on board with that plan. She returned the kiss. Deepened it. Just because she could. She heard Regina make a tiny little sound and tangled her fingers into Regina's flowing locks. The scent of Regina's flowery perfume wafted into her nose. In the middle of the winter, Regina still smelled of summer flowers. Perfect. Emma was all for it. She was all for all of it, and she did not care that she was starting to feel a little breathless. She just wanted to keep kissing Regina. So much for going slow and follow Regina's lead. But to be fair, Regina was the one who had initiated this particular kiss.
Emma combed her fingers through Regina's hair again and again as they kissed each other. God, she had missed her so much! When they briefly broke apart to catch their breaths, Emma told her that.
"I know, it's been ages," Regina half groaned. Then she leaned in and kissed Emma again. With much vigor. Emma actually swayed a little bit as she sat on the bed, and as they kissed each other, Emma thought to herself that she wouldn't mind it if Regina ended up knocking her onto her back. No, she definitely wouldn't mind it at all. Only if Regina didn't perch herself on top of her. Then she would mind it.
But before they could get that far, there was a knock on Emma's bedroom door. Emma and Regina hastily broke apart. Emma wiped the corners of her mouth to make sure that her lipstick hadn't become smeared, and Regina fixed her hair, so it didn't look like Emma's fingers had just been in it.
"Yeah?" Emma called.
The door opened and Emma's mother poked her head inside. "We're about to have lunch. Are you two coming downstairs and joining us?"
"Sí," Regina said hastily. "Lo siento. I just needed to sit down for a moment."
Emma had to suffocate a laugh. This was quite possible the first time she had heard Regina use her pregnancy as an excuse.
"That's perfectly understandable, dear," Emma's mother said warmly. "Long journey. You just come downstairs when you're ready. You too, Emma."
"Yep," Emma said and felt sly like never before.
Her mom disappeared and the door closed behind her, but Emma could still clearly hear her father call up the stairs: 'did you find the kids?'
Her mom's answer drowned in Regina's sniggers. "Kids, huh," she said and grinned. "We're kids now."
"Crazy kids," Emma joked.
"Niños locos," Regina agreed and rubbed her belly. Then she made a face. "Oof. Now I need the bathroom. Again."
"Fair enough. Do you need help with getting up?"
"No. That's only when I lay down."
Emma frowned. "How have you managed on your own?"
"I have developed a whole rolling technique," Regina said cheerfully as she elegantly got on her feet and smoothened a hand over her baby bump.
"Okay, but that literally sounds so unsafe!" Emma huffed.
"It's worked so far. You worry too much, querida."
"Yeah," Emma admitted. "I guess I do."
Regina chuckled and grasped her hands, pulling her up. "Come on. Go downstairs and entertain my dad and your parents while I go to the bathroom."
"Am I horrible for saying that I'd rather entertain you?" Emma couldn't stop herself. The words just popped out of her mouth.
Regina shot her a rather delighted look. "Sí, querida. Eres extremadamente horrible. Pero todavía te amo." With that she turned around and left Emma's bedroom.
Emma heard her giggle all the way to the bathroom and thought to herself that that was the best sound in the whole world….
To Be Continued…..