Storybrooke Hospital...
"GINA, I'M LOSING IT! I'm losing her!" She yelled, distraught and shaking.
"Emma, calm! It may be nothing like that. It's just a little bit of spotting, everything's probably alright." She did her best to sound calm but even Regina felt awful. "Let's just be calm and get you to the hospital, okay? Here let me…" she twirled her fingers, and the Saviour now wore fresh, lined, underwear. Emma, too traumatised to use magic herself, merely nodded her thanks and slowly stood, still shaking.
"I admit it, I'm frightened! What if it's-"
"Don't finish that sentence! I'm sure it's alright. Let's just get you to a doctor. I'll dress and teleport us over there."
"NO! Don't poof us! You know how it knocked you out last time you did that? Merlin specifically told us not to use that much magic when we're like this. I can't risk yours too. Just phone and get someone over?" she begged.
"Okay..." Within moments she was clad in a loose cotton top and jogging bottoms. She pulled up her speed dials on her phone, first trying Robin's number. Straight to voicemail. Obviously, he was in the forest! She thought about calling Whale, before finding Caroline's number. She usually left it on and breathed a small sigh of relief when the trained paramedic, Robin's cousin, answered.
"Hello! Regina, how are you?"
"Emma's bleeding Carrie! She not even five months pregnant, and she's bleeding! We can't use magic to get over there. What do I do?"
"Just keep her lying down and we'll get to you! Have you contacted Robin?"
"Only his voicemail. He's in the Forest somewhere!"
"All right, look. I'm in Sherwood clinic right now. Professor Sage is downstairs, so I'll run down to talk to him. We need to get her here, or into Storybrooke Hospital, for a scan, but either way, we will! Just tell Emma to lie still and I'll call you in a couple of minutes? If Robin's in the forest, I'll get someone to find him. I'll be back shortly…"
The phone clicked, as Regina reassured her that help was on its way. Sure enough, within a minute the phone rang back. "Carrie? Thanks for being so quick!"
"Regina? It's Merlin. How's Emma? Where is she?" she could tell from his wobbling voice he seemed to be moving?
"Frightened and in bed! MERLIN, HELP HER? PLEASE?"
"I'm on my way. Just walking out of the building with Caroline as we speak. Having a magic-free clinic is all very well, until you need to leave it in a hurry! May I apparate straight into your house? I'll bring her with me."
"Of course – come straight in. I'll see you downstairs." She breathed in relief. "Emma, he'll be with us shortly!" Surely enough, in less than a minute she felt a powerful magical pulse close by and stepped out just in time to see Merlin and Caroline fully apparate at the foot of the staircase.
"Up here!" she yelled.
~oOo~
It took but a minute for the pair to assess the situation, looking at the bloodied bottom sheets and a white-faced Saviour. Merlin took her hand to calm her, massaging the palm with his thumb.
"Emma, please listen. There's only a small amount of blood and this isn't uncommon. I think it's just a bit of breakthrough bleeding, but we're going to get you on the scanner, just to be sure. I don't want you using any magic for this, so I'll apparate you both in a moment. Regina, is there anything you would like to take? Anyone else in the house you need to tell?"
"Merlin – is my baby safe?" The normally feisty, fearless Saviour looked broken. However, whatever the Sorcerer was doing with his thumb, was oddly helping to calm her. "The truth? Please?"
"I won't lie to you. It's a concern, but let's keep our fingers crossed!" Moments later, a gold flash from his eyes brought a full-size hospital gurney next to the bed. Another flash and Emma lay on it. A moment later they were engulfed in a large golden swirl, before apparating into a side room in Storybrooke Hospital. They rolled her swiftly to one of the ultrasound rooms, as Caroline swung into action, preparing the scanner and Emma, lifting clothing and applying gel. As Regina walked to be by her side, Emma clamped her hand. "Don't leave!"
"Never," she answered, as the machine's lights came to life, followed by a sound of the speaker coming to life. Until now, Emma had been resigned about the course of the pregnancy, as she had all those years ago in prison, expecting Henry. However, this had really jolted her out of her complacence. I could be about to lose her! Tears pooled in her eyes, a couple falling down her cheek.
"Please, little one, stay there? Stay with mummy?" she croaked, now unafraid to show how terrified she truly was.
As the paramedic's gentle but sure hand silently coursed over her abdomen, a matter of seconds which to Emma felt like hours, the speaker roared into life, making blooping and swooshing noises. Was that good or bad? Merlin said nothing, studying the small screen with no expression on his face, just intense concentration.
"Professor, shall I prep the vaginal transducer?" Carrie asked, making Regina shudder. Something was seriously wrong!
"In a moment, perhaps. But first, let's raise the frequency? It may be we're just not picking it up properly. I also don't want to use magic at this stage, but I will if necessary." Carrie turned a few dials before applying more gel, and starting again. This time, within moments a new sound was heard amongst the rest. A fast, soft galloping. A heartbeat? The women noticed the relief on Carrie's face but said nothing, as Merlin still had a very serious look, studying the screen. "And…capture!" He instructed, as the image was frozen. He finally looked up. "Ladies, it appears all is well! The heartbeat is strong, and there doesn't seem to be any damage to the sac or anywhere else. Looks like a little breakthrough bleeding only."
Both women gasped in relief, tears from Emma.
"But Emma, I really must insist on bed rest for the next week, at least! No sheriff duties whatsoever! You've had a big scare, young lady, and you'd be wise not to tempt fate!"
Normally she'd give Merry hell to any man calling her 'young lady', but remembering the Sorcerer was nearly two millennia old, that makes anyone a baby compared to him. However, her wife answered for her. "You have MY word! I'll make sure of it! Thank you – both of you!"
Moments later, they felt another strong burst of magic close by, instantly recognizing its signature before the figure became solid. "Robin?"
"Emma!" The archer moved quickly around the bed, opposite Regina, to take her free hand. "Carrie sent Alan over to get me, and I came here as soon as he told me. What's happened? What's going on?"
"All is well, Robin!" Merlin gave a cautious smile. "We just had a bit of a scare. Emma's going to rest here for a little while, under observation, and hopefully you'll have her home tonight, but no promises. But I must stress the bed rest!"
"Are you okay?" He wrapped an arm around her shoulder, bringing her head to his chest, holding it there and pressing a kiss to it. "Sorry I wasn't here to help."
"Don't be silly. You took the kids off. In a way I'm glad; I wouldn't want them to have seen me like this!"
Regina watched the scene between them, with a smile and a small tear of her own. She was now more certain than ever that her current and past loves, all three of them, would be together more permanently.
Merlin watched the scene, remembering his visions. "Robin, you remember I said I was going to train you how to use your telepathy? And the mind-link?"
"Of course. What of it?"
"If you're all agreeable, I can train all three of you to access a form of magic, that allows all of you to communicate, but only with each other, telepathically. It might help in the months ahead."
"You can do that? I thought that was only for you 'Grade Ten Mages'?" There was definite sarcasm in Regina's voice.
"Not necessarily, provided you have magic already. You two won't be able to mind scan like Robin, but the three of you would be able to talk directly to each other's minds. It might have been useful today. It's how I communicate with my own children when we're apart."
Emma nodded. "I saw you do that in the pub! Anna mentioned that her sister's pregnant?"
"She is!" Merlin's smile only grew wider. "Rosie's about four months gone. She and Captain Jones are very happy, as am I!"
"Hook's the father?" Regina gasped. Emma hadn't told her about Anna's news.
"Please don't refer to my future son-in-law like that, Regina! You take offence at being called the Evil Queen sometimes, because you changed. Well so has Killian Jones. Time to grant him the respect Zeus felt he deserved?"
Emma watched him chastise her wife and intervened. "Well, I'm pleased. For Rosie, and for Killian. After everything he's been through, he deserves a happy ending. He'll make a great father!"
Mifflin Street
After a few day's rest, the risk to Emma's pregnancy passed. Regina and Robin treated her with kid gloves, and soon she was back on her feet.
Another two weeks passed before Mulan's waters broke in Granny's Diner. At eight months pregnant and unable to get comfortable, the former warrior had been restless, frustrated by her worsening mobility. She hated being inactive, and even found sitting to watch TV uncomfortable. So, waking early, she decided to take the short walk to the Diner, as Philip and Aurora lay asleep.
Supping contentedly on her ginger tea and teacakes while talking to Ruby, she suddenly felt a little dizzy before a hot flush overtook her. A small twinge in her stomach gave her the first indication something was wrong. The second was the warm damp feeling on her seat. As she looked down, she realized, thanks to the fairly detailed pre-natal classes at the clinic, almost immediately what had happened.
"Oh hell - Ruby!" She called over the wolf as she served. "Ruby - help?"
Caroline Locksley had been on stand-by when the hospital received the call, racing to the diner. "Well my dear," she said as she examined the former warrior in Ruby and Dorothy's back room, "As you guessed already, your waters have broken, so I would expect him or her to make an appearance over the next 24 hours. Nothing to worry about though, you're near enough for a safe birth, but we need to get you to the hospital. We'll go in my car. You best call your husband and wife?"
And so, in Storybrooke General, about ten hours later, Mulan was safely delivered of a baby girl, with her two loves by her sides. It had been a textbook birth, despite being one month premature. As a result, mother and baby needed to stay for a couple of extra days in the refurbished Special Care Baby Unit, to build up her strength. The birth had been an emotional experience, and now the three proud parents passed the baby between them, all wanting a cuddle and none wanting to pass her over, although Philip now reluctantly did, gently draping her into Mulan's waiting arms, with a kiss to both foreheads, so she could be nursed. The tiny head latched on to her with barely any difficulty.
"You know, the countless hours I watched Rory nurse Pip, and now with you doing the same for our precious love here, I'm reminded it's one of the most beautiful sights I'll ever witness."
"Nice try Phil, but I still feel like a sweaty, overweight bag of yuck!"
"Don't say that, Ping! He's right, nursing is a beautiful thing. I'm so proud of you," Aurora leant across, pressing her lips against the new mother's. "Are you okay if I go tell Pip? He'll want to meet his new sister."
"He's outside? Yes, of course, bring him in! And Phil, could you call Rubes and Robin? I want our new godparents to hold her before anyone else. And if Carrie says it's okay, I need a shower to freshen up."
Later that morning, Mulan sat up in bed, her proud spouses again either side. Ruby and Dorothy stood nearby, the wolf cradling the new born as Dorothy stroked her little puffy cheeks. "Rubes, I can't believe this'll be us soon. She's utterly gorgeous! You three make truly lovely babies. Pip, are you pleased to be a big brother?" Dorothy asked Philip Junior.
"You bet! My sissy is the best there is!"
"She's certainly very beautiful!" said a deeper voice as someone entered the room.
"Robin! You took your time?" Mulan was delighted to see her best friend. "Get over here and meet your goddaughter!"
"Sorry I'm a little late Mu, I just had to stop off and get something. Congratulations! Here, Take this…dad?" He pulled out two bottles of champagne and a card, handing them to the mayor. "And well done, all of you!" he leant over the new mother, dropping a kiss on her forehead. "Sounds like you did a fantastic job."
Ruby had already walked around the bed, offering the tiny baby girl into his arms. "Oh my!" he said, his voice a little croaky. As if on demand, the premature baby opened her eyes as she heard the deeper voice. "Hello, gorgeous girl! I'm your new god-daddy, and you are simply enchanting. Let's see now, you've got one mum's beautiful almond eyes, and your other mum's lovely cheeks and head shape. Thank goodness you look nothing like your dad!"
That earned a laugh from the new mothers and an "Oi!" from Philip Senior. "I'll have you know she's got my beautiful chubby thighs, thank you very much!"
"I stand corrected. She's rather wonderful – can I take her home with me?"
"Only when she next screams – she's got a fine pair of lungs already!" Mulan looked across from Robin to the others. "After Pip, we wanted you three to be the first to see her. Thanks for agreeing to be godparents."
"We're honoured," said Dorothy as Robin passed the baby back. "Dot and I were wondering if you three would do the same thing for us when ours arrives? Sorry Robin, I would ask you too, but we'd already asked Snow and David. Two sets of godparents, maximum. Although I gather, you're now also a new godfather to Gideon Gold?"
"We would be delighted," Aurora, beamed at the pair.
"Good choice!" Robin agreed. "And yes, Belle and Rumple asked me a few weeks ago. It seems we have quite a few new babies coming down the production line."
"Including Emma and Regina's! That's five children you'll have, Rob. Planning to build a little army of your own soon?" Phillip joked.
"Yes, it's my cunning plan. I'm launching a slow takeover of Storybrooke. Very slow. Give me about another twenty years, and I'll be ready!"
As they continued making small talk, Robin was suddenly seized by an overpowering feeling. A magical wave. Someone shouting within his head. A young girl?
"Daddy! Help! Come quickly!" He instantly recognised the voice before Robyn's face materialized in his mind. "Help!" The other five adults in the room saw him flinch before dropping to his knees, trying to listen to something. Someone.
"Sorry guys, I think little Robyn's in trouble! Sorry, gotta dash-" He closed his eyes, focusing on her face before allowing his magic to follow the signal. Within moments, he disapparated from them, in a mist.
Apparating seconds later, he recognised he was in the small copse at the back of the school, beside the playground. A couple of boys were laughing as they looked up into the branches of one of the taller trees. A much smaller girl, who he recognised as one of Robyn's friends, looked up too, although she was in tears.
Following their gaze, he was horrified to discover his daughter, twisted between a branch and its stem, completely trapped with an arm stuck behind her. Her right hand was on her chest, holding something, presumably the necklace she had used to call him?
"Help! Please!" she yelled once again, unable to look down and see her father.
Irritated at the boys' laughter, using his magic he froze them where they stood, determined to find out what happened later. "Robyn, it's dad!" He yelled up. "Just a second!" He applied his magic and the five-year-old disapparated from her trap, apparating straight into his arms. "Gotcha!" he cuddled her, pressing a kiss to her cheek. "You're safe now!"
"My arm, daddy! It hurts!" she wincing. trying to move the twisted limb.
"Don't worry, I'll take you to the clinic right away. What were you doing up there?"
"They threw Sophie's bag into the tree!" she said, pointed at the two frozen boys, both a few years older, one he recognised from Roland's class. A young thug his son tended to avoid. "I was trying to get it back! It's still stuck up there, daddy!" He looked up into branches and, sure enough, the brightly coloured schoolbag was nestled into branches, a good fifteen feet from the ground.
"Did they? Well I'll be dealing with them shortly."
Robin quickly teleported the schoolbag out of the trees and onto the ground in front of the smaller, sobbing girl, before kneeling down to collect it and hand it over, making her smile. "Thank you, Robin Hood!" She beamed, apparently knowing who he was by his reputation.
"You're very welcome, dear. Now you run along to your teacher? I need to take Robyn to hospital after I've had a word with these two…" he looking over at the two frozen, now terrified boys. The girl looked at the pair.
"I don't like them. They bully me!"
"Is that right? Okay, Sophie, go to your teacher and tell them I'm taking Robyn to hospital?" The little girl collected her bag, dropping a small kiss on Robin's cheek, then ran off.
His smile disappeared completely as he rose, Robyn still in his arm, and turned to the two boys. "Now, what am I to do with you two? You know, I really hate bullies? Anyone who picks on someone smaller than them is pond life to me. You remember Albert Spencer? He was a bully!"
The grisly story of how, months earlier, Robin had pushed his sword under the chin of the former King George, driving it straight up and into his brain, killing him instantly, was known by all the boys in the village. Word had also spread of how he used the same method to despatch the Black Fairy. So now, seeing the same man, killer of kings and evil fairies, looking at them in anger was absolutely terrifying. One boy started to weep.
"Please Sir, we didn't mean anything by it! We were just having a bit of fun!"
"Picking on little children is not fun! Throwing their bags up into the trees is not fun! Causing my daughter to get hurt is REALLY not fun! It's cruel and nasty and makes me angry! And you really wouldn't like me when I'm angry! What do you have to say for yourselves?"
"I'm sorry! Really, really sorry! Please, we didn't mean it!" sobbed the biggest one, Patrick.
"Very well. You will go and apologise to that little girl today, if she will see you. You will beg forgiveness and if you do not, I will be calling on your parents. I would hate to have to take my sword out of its scabbard. Now go!" He unfroze them and the terrified pair raced towards the school. Turning now to his injured daughter. "Ok, let's take to the clinic and have that arm looked at, okay?"
"I want to be called Margot, daddy!"
That threw him! "I'm sorry love? What do you mean?"
"My name. Robyn is your name too, but you had it first! I want everyone to call me Margot!"
"It's a nice name. Any particular reason for Margot? It it from a book or TV?"
"She was a famous ballet dancer. I was reading about her. I want to be like her!"
"Okay, well let's talk to your mother about it. If you want to change your name properly, or just be called Margot, I'm sure we can do something. Now let's see about that arm?"
Moments later, the familiar swirl took them both off to Sherwood Clinic.
Mifflin Street
"So, Robyn, that locket your father gave you, turned out to save you?" Regina was told all about the girl's visit to casualty, and why her arm was now in a sling. The former queen heard about the bullying that caused it and promised herself to have words with Snow to keep a closer eye on the miscreants.
"Yes, I was stuck so I just held it, thought about daddy and asked him to help me! Then he was there! He took me to hospital and the doctor there put this on me," she showed off her sling proudly. "Victor said I can take my sling off in two days' time, but I mustn't lift anything heavy for one week or get it wet. He also gave me a lollipop!" she gave a gummy grin.
"Did he? Well I…wait, Victor Whale? I thought he was in New York! What's he doing back?"
"He came back this morning, for a long weekend, mainly to see Caroline," said Robin. "He proposed to her last month and she said yes. I haven't seen her to congratulate her yet, though. I gather that while he's training, he's going to travel back and forth quite a bit."
"Good. I don't want him taking away the best damn paramedic we have!"
Robyn, wearing the small sling around her arm and shoulder, sat quietly as her father and mother moved on to discussing her request. Emma and Regina sat close on the nearby couch. The former Wicked Witch seemed a quite different figure in front of the three magic practitioners. Her former arrogance and acerbic nature seemed to be replaced by something else.
"Well, she did mention to me that she wanted to change her name. She started ballet classes a few weeks ago with a couple of friends who also wanted to do it. She's quite good, actually! She's been watching a few videos about it too. She seems obsessed with Rudolf Nureyev and Margot Fonteyn…"
"Margot Fonteyn? That's the name!" said Robin as he grabbed his phone to find details on her daughter's heroine.
"I have no problem with it," said Zelena. "I named her after you, but now you're no longer dead, if you're agreeable we can get a lawyer to do the paperwork. Basically, we have to ask a court's permission and put it to a judge. It's easier if she does it now than when she's older. However, you may want to sign this first…"
Zelena pulled out a thick envelope, passing it to Robin. "It's the legal stuff to have you legally recognised as her father. That Chamberlain chap drew it up for me. Get a lawyer of your own to check it over, sign it and then it's done?"
Robin was astonished, looking at the woman who, six years ago, had sexually assaulted him, disguised as Marian. "Thank you. I'll get it done a soon as possible." The redhead merely nodded, looking up at her sister who tilted her head toward the kitchen, indicating she wanted a word in private. The two stepped away on the excuse of carrying in more tea. The moment she entered the kitchen, Regina turned to face her, a suspicious look in her eye.
"You seem very…accommodating about all this? Anything I should know?"
"Not really. Her father's back, she wants him in her life, who am I to stop what's right? Besides, he's also now got more magic than anyone else around here, so it's not as though I could do anything about it even if I wanted to. It also means I could go on a break if I wanted, knowing she'll be looked after…"
"Ah-ha! So that's it? Ok, fess up sis, where you going? Don't tell me you're even considering Wonderland?"
"Don't be so dramatic! I would never leave Robbie – dammit, Margot – for too long. No, it's just I was hoping to take a little trip. Somewhere away from this godforsaken dump. Somewhere with no magic and nobody knows me as a green skinned bitch with a dodgy past."
"I know you Zee. You never do anything spontaneously. You're planning something! So come on, out with it?"
"It's not like that. I've been trying to make friends outside, in the real world. I'm on a few sites."
"Dating sites? Is that it? There's nothing wrong with that. How did you get on?"
"Pretty good. There's a lot of dross out there, but a few decent ones too. I was hoping to go on a little trip to California before the end of the year. Just a couple of weeks. I originally thought about taking…Margot…but, well with her father here, he's bound to assume I won't come back! So this kind of makes sense!"
"Sounds like a good idea. So you're going on what, a few dates with guys? Or girls?" Word had already reached her of some of Zelena's more recent liaisons, though the former witch didn't know how much her sister knew.
"There's about a dozen people I'd like to meet up with, plus a small friends group of men and women I've gotten to know. There's one guy in particular, Chad, who is bloody hot! We've been talking and, he seems really nice on web calls but, who knows? He may be a disappointment when face-to-face? Either way, I want to try, and I'd have more luck dating out there than here, that's for sure."
"Well good luck with that. Do any of them know you have a daughter?"
"All of them do. It's more of a friends site than a dating one. So, I'm not sure how this'll work, or if I get serious about Chad or anyone. One thing's for sure, they can't come back to Storybrooke now, can they? I guess I'll have to figure it out later."
"Well again, I wish you luck. Everyone deserves a fresh start, if they work for it."
~oOo~