Surprise! Well, I know I have been promising the resurrection of King & Queen on twitter, but inspiration struck for this little story and I had to get it out. Fear not, an extra length, multi-chapter update is still coming for KQ.
So, back to this one - please go back and re-read the first chapter (I know you'll likely have to anyways considering it's been 87 years since it was posted) but I did do some tweaking and refining to it after outlining my plot and timeline for the story.
To give more background, this story starts when Regina is about 5 months along. The idea being that she became pregnant just shortly before Robin's death. Everything after his death happened according to canon for the most part. Regina splits from the EQ, they defeat Hyde, the EQ is redeemed and with Wish Robin, Zelena and Regina make amends, Regina breaks the Snowing sleeping curse, the Dark Fairy starts the final battle and Emma wins it. My story picks up roughly two months after everyone gets their happy endings in season 6 (season 7 doesn't exist) and settles into life in Storybrooke.
Let me know if you're still interested in reading more of this one! I've got another chapter ready to post if anyone will still read:) xxx
Two months prior...
"It's probably what I needed to move on..." Emma sighed and kept her gaze downcast towards the bar room napkin she held as Regina stood beside Snow watching her. Regina hated Emma hurting and she knew the feeling all too well. It was the reason she had insisted on her and Snow taking Emma out to the bar to loosen her up and possibly confront some of her feelings about Hook being gone.
Up until this point, Snow had been the only one who seemed to do any 'loosening up'. Regina had spent most of her night sitting beside a silent Emma at the bar and keeping a watchful eye on Snow's high stakes game of darts with the surly men she challenged. It wasn't until she'd been forced away to diffuse an argument between her former step-daughter and the biggest man of the group that the bartender had seemed to trigger Emma into admitting how she felt.
Snow leaned in to hug her daughter then and Regina followed suit, leaning in behind them and putting a comforting hand to Emma's back, "It's going to be okay, Emma."
"Yeah, yeah I know-" The blonde avoided Regina and Snow's gaze as she quickly wiped her face and took a deep breath, "Can we go home now? I'm kind of tired..."
"Of course-" Regina nodded, feeling tired herself. Her feet ached in her heels and the mocktails she'd been drinking weren't agreeing with the ever-present nausea in her stomach. Nausea she'd thought had been from grief and stress for nearly three months until recently.
"I'd call Charming to pick us up, but you know-" Snow had sobered since her knife throwing but her eyes were droopy and her speech was still a hint slow, "Once he's out for the night there's no waking him up-" She referenced the sleeping curse and shrugged.
Regina raised an eyebrow at the unusually dark humor from the woman before glancing between her and Emma, "It's fine, I can drive you both home."
"You've been drinking-" Snow's face scrunched up and she shook her head quickly, causing Regina to expel an impatient breath through her nose and roll her eyes.
"Not that much."
"Regina, you've matched us round for round and martinis are a hell of a lot stronger than beer-" Emma raised a brow, setting her own empty glass down, "We can call someone else."
"Thank you for the concern but I can assure you I'm entirely sober," Regina replied tiredly, opening her clutch to pull out her keys before looking up to see their firm expressions. Snow reached out then and grabbed the keys from Regina's hands, causing her to clench her jaw in irritation. "Give me my keys, Snow White. I am ready to go home and I am completely fine to drive us all to our destinations-"
"Come on, Regina. If I had as many cocktails as you had right now I'd be on the floor-'' Emma tried to reason with her less abrasive than Snow who held her hand with Regina's keys behind her back, "It's not worth it-"
"What about Zelena, have you taught her to drive yet?" Snow perked a brow and the mention of her sister made Regina growl.
"No, she doesn't know how to drive yet and I do not need my sister to drive us-" Regina snapped, "Alright, fine. Stand still and I'll just poof us all to our own homes. Will that work?"
"Oh, noooo way-" Snow shook her head quickly, "I know what happens when the two of you try to poof under the influence," She turned her head to Emma and gave a laugh that was interrupted by a hiccup, "-remember that time you had the flu and took too much cold medicine and when you tried to poof Henry back to Regina's on Sunday he ended up at the Mayor's Office?"
"What?" Regina's mouth dropped at the mishap they'd clearly made a point not to tell her before.
"It was back when I was still new at the whole magic thing," Emma looked up at her with wide eyes before shooting a glare at Snow who quickly lost the amusement to her expression at the look on Regina's face. "He was fine! Dad picked him up and dropped him off-"
"I really do not know how I ever agreed to share custody of my son with you fools," Regina grit out with a sigh, "Now please can you pay your tab and gather your things so I can send us home? I have had mock-tails all night, there was no alcohol in my drinks."
"Regina," Emma's tone was a little firmer then and she frowned, "Don't lie about it. I saw the bartender make most of them and he definitely put vodka in yours."
Regina closed her eyes briefly and clenched her jaw, trying to keep her temper under control. She was tired and she was stressed and she had barely processed the news she realized she was going to have to tell them. It was a miracle she'd been able to hide it for this long and her body would likely give her away soon anyway. "I used magic to turn them into water once the bartender gave them to me."
Snow looked at her confused and Emma raised a brow before speaking, "What are you like an alcoholic or something?"
"Regina, what's wrong?" Snow tilted her head and squinted at her as if she were analyzing her expression.
"Nothing...nothings wrong," Regina pinched the bridge of her nose before bringing her hand down to rest against the bar and looking away from them, "I'm pregnant..."
"You're-" Emma's eyes grew wide when Regina looked back at her, watching the blonde's gaze dart down to her stomach.
"Oh my - oh my god!" Snow sputtered, her own eyes full of joy as her mouth cracked into a wide smile, "Oh my goodness, Regina! When did you find out? How far along-" The woman babbled before stepping up to her and pulling Regina's blazer apart that camouflaged the gentle slope of her bump.
"Snow White, do you mind?" Regina's eyes widened and she snapped, quickly pulling her blazer back over the midsection of her printed dress and looked around to make sure no one was paying attention. "It's not exactly news I would like to spread yet. Do you understand?!"
"Oh, oh of course," Snow's eyes were watery now and she gave a blubbery smile before pulling Regina into an obnoxiously tight hug, "I'm so happy. Oh, Regina, I'm so happy this happened for you."
Regina sighed and stiffly brought her hands up to Snow's back to hug her back briefly, giving a look to Emma for help only to watch her shrug and smile in amusement, "Congrats, Regina..." Emma said quietly but was being respectful to the fact she had not expressed how she herself felt about it yet. Swan had enough life experience to know that not every marriage or pregnancy or announcement of this sort was a happy one, unlike her mother who had only known these to be causes for celebration.
"Why didn't you tell us sooner?" Snow pulled back, still looking at Regina in wonderment. "How long have you known?!"
"Not long...only since the Queen was here," Regina admitted and bit down on her bottom lip, glancing down to toy with the latch on her clutch, "After we fought in my office we talked and she pointed it out-"
"How did she know and you didn't?" Emma raised an eyebrow curiously.
Regina rolled her eyes with a stifled smirk of amusement when recalling the Queen's observation, "She was looking at me strangely and then asked if my chest had gotten bigger or if I'd just gained weight. I became defensive, to tell you the truth, I hadn't even been paying attention to my body-" She sighed, "I wasn't taking care of myself, I was too caught up in trying to get rid of her and keep everyone safe and avoid my grief. The changes were still so subtle, no one would've noticed but someone who knew my body like myself or my counterpart, she seemed to sense it..."
Snow's expression softened from sheer joy to a gentler, more compassionate one, "That's entirely understandable, Regina. Do you know how far along you are?" She asked, touching Regina's forearm briefly.
She swallowed thickly, "I think, if my calculations are correct, around three months-" Regina avoided making eye contact with them, still not feeling entirely comfortable with sharing something so personal despite how close she'd become to the two women, "I think it happened not long before Robin..."
"Thanks for telling us," Emma said quietly and stood from her stool, "We won't say anything until you've had time to get used to the idea."
"Of course," Snow nodded adamantly and smiled softly at Regina when Emma walked over to grab her coat from the other side of the bar, "It's happening, Regina."
"What is?" Regina swallowed hard and looked at the woman, searching her expression for a clue as to what she was referring to.
"You said you were going to start a new story. One with a better ending than your last-" Snow reached out and briefly squeezed Regina's hand, "I think it's off to a wonderful start. Don't you?"
"Hmm," Regina hummed and glanced down, still too raw and unsure of things to find the appropriate response.
"Hey," Snow replied, forcing her to look back up, "You're not as alone as you think you are."
Regina let out a breath as she rolled from her side to her back in bed, staring at the ceiling of her bedroom and trying to find the motivation to get up and start the day. If she continued to lie there thinking back on the events of the last five months she'd soon make herself crazy. Snow had been telling the truth when she reassured her she was not alone. Her family had been nothing but supportive and helpful since finding out about the child.
But on quiet Sunday mornings such as these when the baby in her womb beckoned her awake, there was no one on the pillow beside her to share it with. There were no warm hands to reach for and press against her stomach to feel the way the tiny life inside of her moved and kicked. Her throat threatened to close on her when she thought of how happy Robin would be to experience such a thing. She was sure his blue eyes would light up and his mouth would break into the widest of smiles and he'd be entirely enthralled even though he had experienced it before with Roland.
"I feel you, little thief," She murmured out loud at the considerably more noticeable movement, reaching down to her belly to rub her fingers against the side where she felt the pressure. The baby wasn't big enough for the movements to be painful but she was sure that if it remained this active when she was further along that it might cause some discomfort. "You certainly have the energy of a Locksley, don't you?" She smiled faintly, finding herself talking to the child more when she was alone.
It hadn't been an easy thing for her to accept, despite the fact she'd craved having this experience her entire life. She had wanted nothing more than to have a house full of children with her stableboy and when she found love with Robin again she sorely regretted making herself unable to conceive. Watching her sister have a piece of Robin had been a tough pill to swallow and she couldn't say she didn't still resent her for it at times, but she loved her niece and kept the past where it belonged.
When the Evil Queen had pointed out the fact that her breasts had increased in size and her fitted dresses were somewhat snug around the waist, fear instantly spread throughout her body. She mentally calculated her last period with a sense of dread but proceeded to deny that it could even be a possibility. The Queen had pushed the issue, offering to simply wave her palm over Regina's abdomen to see if that may be the answer but she vehemently denied.
Regina reassured her that it couldn't be possible and had instead focused on recruiting Henry to help the Queen go to a place where she could find a fresh start. The Queen seemed to accept the fact that the idea of a pregnancy was not a reality Regina was prepared to face just a few months after Robin's death and did not mention it further. Still, Regina had seen the knowing glance the Queen gave her midsection before locking eyes with her in their final goodbye.
It wasn't until a few days following the Queen's departure that Regina faced her fear and allowed her palm to glow with purple magic. She had sat down on the edge of this very bed, taking a deep breath before running her glowing fingers over her abdomen. A choked sob escaped her when the magic allowed her to feel the quick, fluttering heartbeat of her baby against her palm. The knowledge that she carried a product of their love, the love she lost, made her fragile heart split wide open once more.
The onslaught of emotions that came with carrying the child of a man she still grieved had left her feeling as raw as she had right after he died. Everything she thought she had dealt with already came back to her tenfold and she spent the following days avoiding everyone, breaking things, screaming and crying and truly grieving. Grieving for the love she finally found and then lost. Grieving for the life they could've had together. Grieving for her child who would never get to meet their father.
It wasn't fucking fair. None of it was. Losing Robin almost broke her but she had forced herself to move forward. She had promised herself she would not backslide. She had declared that she was going to start a new story and remain hopeful it would have a better ending. She swore she would continue to do good. She had taken the beating life had dealt her and she tried to remain positive. But this? Finding out that life had finally given her something she yearned for, a little piece of the man that it had ripped away from her, well it had felt like a slap in the face.
"I'm sorry," She whispered as she rubbed her bump, thinking back on that dreadful week, "I'm sorry that you were ever met with anything but joy over your existence," She swallowed hard as she talked to her child, "I just...I was so angry. I have wanted you for so long, and your father, he would've been so happy, he would've wanted you so much-"
Regina swallowed down the tears that threatened to spill at the thought of him, "It wasn't that I didn't want you, I was just so heartbroken. I had just begun to piece my life back together and then you...you certainly surprised me," Her soft smile made a tear spill from where they pooled in her eyes and she bit down on her bottom lip, "But you, you and your big brother are what keep me going. You are going to be so loved."
As if on cue, she heard a soft knock on the door and she pushed her hands on the mattress, scooting up against the headboard, "Come in-"
"I didn't know if you were awake or not," Henry smiled, his gangly teenage frame still clad in pajamas as he made his way over to her bed.
"Mhm, just being lazy," She smiled warmly, pulling back the covers for him and quickly swiping the tear from her face so he wouldn't notice.
"Mom you're growing another human, I don't think you staying in bed ten minutes past eight on a Sunday is exactly lazy," He laughed and plopped down beside her, pulling up the covers before leaning in and resting his head on her shoulder. "However, I am starving."
"Oh, so you do have an ulterior motive," Regina chuckled, wrapping her right arm around his shoulders and pulling him into her side, "I should've known," She smirked and pressed a kiss to his hair before resting her head against his, "What are we thinking? Pancakes?"
"Why don't we go to Granny's for breakfast? My treat," He lifted his head to look at her with a grin, "What?"
"I know your summer job at the library does not pay enough to feed both the appetite of a teenage boy and a pregnant woman," Regina teased though her chest ached with warmth at what a caring young man she'd raised, "I will agree to go to Granny's only if you let me pay-"
"Mom-" He raised an eyebrow, "Granny's prices have not raised since the eighties and while someone should probably tell her she can charge more, it kinda works out in my favor."
"Henry," She laughed and matched his raised eyebrow, "I'm serious. Don't you have a date with Violet tonight? Save your money for that-"
"You mean you finally approve of her?" Henry grinned at her testy expression.
"I never disapproved of her. I can't say I was a fan of her dragging you to New York city-"
"Mom, you know that wasn't her-"
"Not to mention the way she has you all googly eyed and daydreaming and distracted-" Regina continued to tease before letting out a rich laugh at the good humored groan he gave, "Okay, okay. I'll stop teasing. If we don't go get something to eat soon your sibling may kick me to death-"
"Are they kicking now?" Henry's eyes lit up and he sat up straighter, looking down at her bump curiously.
She smiled softly, finding it easy to acknowledge and share the baby with Henry. He was her baby, after all. Henry had been her entire heart from the moment she adopted him and he knew her better than anyone. When it came to him she was soft and vulnerable and the truest form of herself without fear.
"I don't know if they're exactly kicking, but I can feel them moving-" Regina nodded, "Rolling and pressing. They seem to really like the morning-" She smiled and ran her hands over her bump to feel for the soft hardness, "Here, press your hand here-"
Henry excitedly reached out and pushed his hand against the side of her abdomen and waited, staring at it intensely until he felt movement, "Holy crap! That's-" He looked up at her with wide eyes, "That's so weird. I mean, weird in a good way but-"
She beamed at his reaction and heart threatened to explode as she watched him experience feeling the baby move. Never in a million curses would she have believed she'd not only have a son as wonderful as Henry but that she'd also get to experience carrying a child. It seemed that something new each day left her struck by the reality and she felt guilty that she let fear dampen the experience in the beginning.
"Trust me, I know," She took a deep breath and looked at her son knowingly, vowing silently to try to push her fear and grief aside to make room for cherishing these moments, "Feeling them makes it all the more real."
"I'm excited, Mom."
"Me too."
"Neal and I are going to breakfast at Emma's," Snow looked up from packing a diaper bag on the kitchen table when David made his way down the stairs. The statement didn't seem like an invitation and he noted that she was already fully dressed as was Neal who crawled around her feet on the floor. He gave his son a smile before Neal crawled furiously for the living room and David proceeded to the counter for some assistance in waking up.
He noted she was watching him for a response and frowned, glancing down at his grey tee and pajama pants and ran a hand through his bed hair, "Some notice would be nice next time. I need a shower-"
"So you don't want to go?" She raised an eyebrow and pushed a stack of diapers down into the bag.
"I just woke up," He sighed and reached for a coffee mug from the cabinet, "I think I'll sit this one out."
"David, she's married to Killian and that's not going to change anytime soon. You need to get over it already-"
"Snow, I am well aware who our daughter decided to marry. I walked her down the aisle to Killian despite my good sense telling me not to," He groaned and glanced up at the ceiling as he pressed his hands against the counter. It was too early for this. "But this is my only free day and I kind of just want to spend it at home."
"Are you still irritated that I made you go with Regina last weekend?" She sighed and bent over to pick up a few of Neal's toys that were scattered on the floor.
"What? No, I'm just saying-" He turned and leaned back against the counter, "I'd like to be home. There's some work I'd like to get done around the barn if we still want to get horses like we had planned."
The answer seemed to please her and she nodded, scooping up Neal from the floor, "Did you hear that Neal? Daddy is going to fix the barn so we can get horsies-"
"Horsies!" Neal chirped with a one tooth grin, causing them to both laugh and share a brief but genuine smile.
"You never told me how it went with the class-" Snow perked up then, turning to sit Neal on the table top to put his shoes on him, "How did Regina do? I tried to call her this week but she only said she was too busy at work to meet up."
"She was fine," He nodded in amusement at the thought of Regina's surliness and turned to pour himself a mug of coffee, "I could tell she was anxious about the whole thing but she actually kept her temper in check. It's still amazing to see how much she's changed sometimes. Can you imagine the old Regina doing something like that?"
"Absolutely not," Snow laughed, "But that was mostly the Evil Queen. I'm seeing more and more of the Regina I once knew these days. She was so warm and sweet when I first met her. I think this baby will help bring more of that back."
"Yeah, I agree," David nodded and thought back on the class. Regina had agreed to go, had forced herself out of her comfort zone and faced her reality head on. He'd seen her take on enemies and defend the town against threats, but that came easily to her. Dealing with her emotional turmoil and fear of loss was an entirely different challenge for the woman who had spent years avoiding love completely. "I don't know how I would've handled a blow like that. When we were under the sleeping curse and wondering if that was the way it would be forever, I couldn't bring myself to even think about what it would be like raising Neal alone."
"I know," Snow shook her head, "I mean, she raised Henry alone for the most part but facing a first time pregnancy and everything that comes with it-" She sighed, "We really need to be there for her."
"We will be," He nodded and took a sip of his coffee as he turned around, watching her pick up Neal from the table.
"I mean it. I never thought I'd be sharing my husband with the queen, but-" Snow raised a brow and laughed, "You'll need to help out with certain things Robin would've done like putting together the crib and moving the furniture for the nursery and baby proofing the house-"
"Can't she do that with magic?" He asked absentmindedly and earned a frown from his wife.
"That's not the point, David," She chided and rolled her eyes, "It's all about having someone to do those things with. Emma and I will be helping out as much as we can but Henry's still a little young for the heavy lifting and what other man would she let in her house? Killian?" Snow's eyes widened, "She still barely acknowledges his existence. Besides, I know you and I are still trying to...find the new normal here and you're always looking for an excuse to be elsewhere. At least this way it's for a good reason."
"Snow, come on," He sighed and crossed his arms after setting his coffee down, "You can't say passive aggressive stuff like that and us not address it."
"At least if you're helping Regina I know where you are," Snow shrugged and frowned.
"I thought we talked about this-" He shook his head slightly, "This is what you wanted, right? To finally settle down and live life without a sense of impending doom. To have some independence from one another for the first time. To figure out who we are and what we want again."
"But you have to admit that lately it just feels like we are on different pages when it comes to that-" She frowned with an almost defeated expression, "We don't feel like us anymore."
"Babe, did we ever really know what 'us' meant here? Since the time we woke up from the curse we've been on the run, defending the town against enemies and just trying to survive-" David frowned, "We'll figure this out it's..it's just going to take some time, okay?"
"...Okay."
"So where do you plan to take Violet tonight?" Regina took a sip and smirked behind her mug at the way her teenager scrunched up his face at her question. She was relieved to find he was still boyish and awkward at the fact his mother knew he had a crush which at least gave her hope he would not get too serious when he was still so young. Emma was more lenient when it came to Henry with girls and she supposed it was because she had more of this world's experience when it came to dating compared to Regina with next to none.
"The movies," Henry shrugged with a smile.
"You mean people really do that?" Regina raised an eyebrow and saw Henry's look of confusion, "What? I thought that only happened in those classic movies we watch. I didn't know people still did that."
"It's kind of like, Dating 101," He laughed and shook his head, "You never went on a date to the movies before?"
"I have not," She smiled and set her mug down, cupping it with both hands to absorb the warmth, "I can't say I've really been on a real date."
"You're kidding, not even with Sheriff Graham?" He raised an eyebrow, seeing her lips part, "I was a little kid mom, not stupid. He was always around."
"He wasn't always around," She replied with a testy tone he simply smiled at, "No, Henry. I didn't go on any dates with Graham. He was just a friend."
"What about Robin?"
"Well...in the beginning there was his wife's return and after that there was always something happening that didn't leave much time for dating," She shrugged and thought back on their time together, "I suppose we did come close. I'm not sure if you would call it a date. But we did spend time together one evening with wine and a fire. Would that be considered a date?"
"Did you go out anywhere?"
"No."
"Then I don't know that it's technically a date," He shrugged contemplatively, "But it could be different for adults, I guess."
"Could be," She smirked as she watched his wheels turning, always finding it amusing how his mind worked. He was a thoughtful and inquisitive child, always asking questions from the moment he could form a sentence.
"What about when you were younger?" Henry asked curiously.
"When I was younger?" She laughed a little at the question and leaned back against the booth thoughtfully, "Well...Daniel and I didn't have much time alone. My mother kept a very strict schedule for me. We did have secret...picnics," Her eyes darted up to see if Henry read anything more into her slight hesitation to find the right term. She did not need her teenage son realizing that she used to sneak out at seventeen years old to have sex in the woods. "But that was it. She did not allow me to leave the estate unless I was with her and after Daniel I was married to your great-grandfather."
Henry frowned slightly and she braced herself for the next question, not knowing where his mind was taking him. "How old were you when you married King Leopold? Was there nobody in between him and Daniel?"
"No...we - I was married to Leopold soon after Daniel passed," She said carefully, not wanting to give him too much insight on that traumatic time in her life. Despite how she had been wronged by Cora and Leopold forcing her into marriage, they were still the boy's grandparents. "I had just turned eighteen when we married."
"Oh..." Henry looked at her for a moment and her throat tightened at the empathy in his eyes. He was old enough now to understand the implications of an unwanted marriage between a heartbroken teenage girl and a man three times her age. She didn't want to explain it to him and she didn't need to with how mature and observant he was. "And after the King died, did you love anybody else?"
"No..." She glanced down at the mug in her hands. "I was too angry and too heartbroken and lost in the darkness to let myself love again. I was hellbent on revenge at that point." She'd leave out the part where she engaged in plenty of casual sex.
"So you didn't fall in love again until Robin?" His brows knitted together.
"I'm afraid not, at least not romantic love," She said and gave him a warm smile, "But I did fall in love with you the second I laid eyes on you."
Henry grinned and shook his head, "I'm not sure why, I was an ugly baby."
"Henry Daniel Mills, you were no such thing," Her mouth dropped with a laugh, reaching out to playfully smack the top of his hand. "You were adorable. You had these big eyes and pudgy cheeks. I couldn't believe you were mine."
"I know, I was kidding. I'm pretty cute huh?" He grinned mischievously, "What do you think this baby will look like?" Henry asked, looking back at her curiously as if he were giving her the opportunity to talk about the baby and become excited for it, but only if she were ready.
She appreciated his gentle inquiry and realized that they hadn't discussed the new addition to their family as most people normally did. They hadn't hypothesized who the baby would look or act like or which room should be the nursery or how they'd like to decorate it. Henry had only discussed the baby when she brought up the subject and she knew he was simply being considerate to the fact she was still sad that Robin would not be a part of these conversations. Still, it was past time that they had these kinds of talks about the new member of the family who would be arriving in four short months.
"Well, I know my genes will likely be more dominant," Regina smiled as she considered it, running her finger around the rim of her coffee mug mindlessly, "But I'm hoping the baby will have Robin's eyes. They were so blue and expressive. And maybe his dimples," her own smile widened at the image in her mind before she glanced back at Henry.
"Are we gonna find out if it's a boy or a girl?" He asked hopefully and Regina felt a little guilty that she hadn't considered Henry would want to be a part of that. "Half of me wants it to be a boy so I can teach him cool stuff like video games and dinosaurs and sword fighting, but half of me hopes it's a girl because I think I'd like looking out for a little sister and I kinda like the thought of being the only son," He grinned playfully.
"You know a little girl could be just as into video games and dinosaurs and sword fighting," Regina played devil's advocate with a smirk and he laughed.
"True, if she's anything like the rest of the women in this family she'll do it just to prove she can," Henry laughed, "How much longer until we can find out?"
"Well, we could find out at any time," Regina bit her lip with an unsure smile, "I...I hadn't given much thought to finding out the sex and I didn't even think it was something you'd be interested in knowing, I'm sorry Henry."
"What? Of course I am," He nodded quickly before his expression turned knowing, "I mean, if you want to. It's up to you, Mom."
"I suppose it wouldn't hurt," Regina replied and allowed a small bit of excitement to bloom in her chest at the idea of knowing. She had accepted this child's existence and was already madly in love with it but she had not allowed herself to truly become excited yet. There was still so much time left for something to go wrong and her instinct was to keep the reality of this child's impending arrival to herself until she was sure it was safe. Until the child was in her arms and she knew it could not be ripped away like almost everything good in her life had been. "I have an appointment next week for an ultrasound. Would you like to attend?"
"Obviously," Henry gave an excited grin before looking up when the bells on the diner door rang, "Grandpa!" He raised a hand and waved, causing Regina to look up from their conversation to see Charming coming through the door.
"Hey kid," David smiled when he clocked him and started to walk towards their booth, "Hey Regina, practiced that breathing?" He grinned and briefly touched her shoulder.
"Ha ha," She raised an eyebrow and suppressed a grin before picking up her coffee mug. "Where is the rest of the Charming army?"
"Emma and Killian's," David smiled and put his hands on his hips in his signature Charming stance. She had to stifle a smile at how heroic he appeared without even trying between his superman stance and his sheriff's badge and the sheer size of him that only added to his authoritative energy. "What are you two up to today?"
"Well, I woke up starving and talked Mom into coming here to get some breakfast instead of cooking," Henry gave Regina a grin before looking back up at his grandpa, "And luckily the baby makes her a little more lenient when it comes to dining out these days. Why don't you sit with us?"
"You sure? I was just gonna grab something quick," David glanced back at the counter full of patrons and raised an eyebrow, "Guess it'll probably be a little bit of a wait. You two don't mind?" He looked back between the both of them and Regina shook her head quickly.
"No, please, sit," Regina nodded reassuringly and Henry slid to the side to make room for him. "What's on your agenda, Charming? Not in the mood for dining with your new son?" She smirked.
"Son-in-law," David corrected with a quirk of his brow and let out a soft chuckle as he sat down beside of his grandson and leaned his forearms against the table, "No, I didn't get much done at the farm last weekend-"
"I didn't ask you to-" She cut in quickly, thinking he was referencing the class and immediately becoming defensive.
"What did I miss?" Henry raised an eyebrow.
"Your mother is referring to last Saturday when I accompanied her to a class for the baby-" David raised an eyebrow with a hint of a smile before glancing back to Regina, "But that's not what I meant. After that class I got called to the station and didn't get out of there until late and then the next day I had Neal so Snow could get her classroom ready for summer classes. So, like I was saying, I didn't get anything done and we've still got a lot to do at the farm-" He explained and smiled when he saw the tension leave Regina's shoulders when she realized he was not holding anything above her head.
"Snow said you were mostly unpacked and settled in," Regina asked, "Do you still need help?"
"We are, with the house," He laughed and gave a good humored roll of his eyes, "But the land is pretty run down and the barn needs some work."
"Is Prince Charming about to go Old McDonald on us?" She smirked and took delight in his baffled expression.
"Old McWho?" He raised an eyebrow and glanced at Henry for help.
"It's a nursery rhyme from this land," Henry explained with a laugh at his mother's jesting, "You shoulda heard mom sing it to me when I was younger. She learned it from the television and always got the words mixed up-"
"I did not," Regina let her mouth drop in a laugh and mocked hurt, making David smile at the relaxed way she reacted to her son's teasing. It was such a contrast to the snippy way she reacted to anyone else who poked fun at her.
"Old McDonald never had a cricket, Mom," Henry grinned and they both erupted in laughter, causing David to laugh even though he had no clue why it was funny. Watching the two of them laugh out loud at their own inside joke was amusing enough.
"Leave me alone and let your Grandpa finish-" Regina narrowed her eyes playfully at her son before looking back to David, her eyes still full of warmth and the easy smile still on her lips. It was so very different to the expression she'd reserved for him in the past and it was nice to see the soft side of her.
"Well," David smirked at the both of them before shaking his head, "I was just saying I wanted to get the farm in working order. At least enough to have some horses."
"I can help," Henry immediately piped in, "I want to learn how to ride the way you guys did back in the Enchanted Forest."
"Well I've got a good bit of work to do getting the stables in the barn ready and the fencing fixed before we can even get to that part kid," David smiled at Regina over Henry's excitement before glancing back to him, "But if your Mom says it's okay then you can come over this summer and help me and maybe we can get to that part faster."
"I think that would be a great summer project for you," Regina smiled at Henry with a nod. She quite liked the idea of Henry having someone like David to expose him to the outdoors and working with his hands and taking care of animals. Her younger self was quite adventurous and enjoyed exploring and getting her hands dirty but she couldn't say it was her cup of tea now. "Of course you'll have to run it by Emma."
"Hey, she's my kid, she has to listen to me," David teased with a wink towards Henry, "You're hired kid."
"I don't think that's how it works," Regina reminded with a quirk of her brows, "Between that and your job at the library you'll have quite a full schedule and Emma will be responsible for your transportation during half of that time."
"Can't you guys just poof him back and forth?" David shrugged, making Henry laugh.
"Are you going to pick him up from the Town Hall when Emma messes it up again?" She asked, being reminded of the story Snow admitted to about Emma's prior mishap with cold medicine and transporting their son.
"You told her about that?" David's mouth dropped accusingly at Henry.
"No!" Henry's own mouth dropped and they both turned wide eyes back to Regina.
"You must've forgotten," Regina leaned back in her booth and picked up her coffee mug with one hand, giving her best Evil Queen stare, "I know everything that happens in this town."
David watched her lean back and square her shoulders in an attempt to channel her old persona, except this time her free hand rested on her baby bump which immediately ruined any scary effect she tried to give. He broke into a wide grin when he lifted his gaze from her baby bump and she glanced down to see what he had been looking at, watching her try not to laugh herself when she realized how harmless she must've seemed. "Snow blabbed, didn't she?" He pressed his lips together to hold in a laugh.
"Entirely," Regina smirked, causing Henry and David to laugh. "Let's all agree that poofing my son around is off of the table."
"What's off the table?" Granny looked over her glasses as she sauntered over to their booth, "Sorry Charming, you snuck in on me. Are you all ready to order?"
Regina bit back a retort that they were more than ready after their long wait and simply looked at David and Henry in question, "Know what you want?"
"Pancakes!" Henry nodded, "With a side of bacon and eggs. Oh, and the hashbrowns!"
"A working man's breakfast, I like it," David smiled proudly and leaned back in his booth, crossing his arms over his chest, "I'll have the same."
Regina suppressed an eye roll at the way the two of them acted like eating three plates of food somehow spoke to their masculinity. Henry was at least a teenager and susceptible to the stereotypical ideas of what made him a man. Charming? He was just an idiot.
"And you Madam Mayor?" Granny looked over her glasses at her when she glanced up.
She smirked and gave a shrug, "Make that three, please."
"Coming right up," The wolf nodded with a subtle grin and took the menus from their table on her way back toward the kitchen. Regina had always kept a strict diet since the time she was a teenager thanks to Cora's instruction and it was something that carried over into this land. Most people had never truly seen her eat much of anything except for Henry who delighted in the rare times she would agree to burgers and cheese fries with him.
"What? I'm eating for two," Regina shrugged at Henry's smirk and David's surprised expression. "And he's a growing boy. What's your excuse?" She teased David and didn't know why she found the playful banter so rewarding. In the past they'd been unable to speak more than a sentence to one another without erupting into insults and arguments. Now she found she quite liked the back and forth with him and was surprised at how quick witted he could actually be.
"I like food," He shrugged simply and tilted his chin up in a mockingly defiant smile. "I miss Snow being pregnant. It was the only time someone's appetite actually kept up with mine and I could justify eating six meals a day."
"So this is where you and Miss Swan get it from," Regina glanced at Henry with a good humored eye roll.
"Hey, I didn't get this tall and handsome by starving myself," David gloated and chuckled at the way Regina's brow arched as if she were entirely over his obnoxious behavior but a smile still played on her lips.
Instead of responding to him she simply turned her head towards the kitchen, "Granny, please make David's to-go."
