The tires skid roughly against the thick, white blanket of snow causing the truck to bounce in the process. Henry's foot repeatedly slamming against the brake echoes through the cabin while the back end of the truck drifts off the beaten path and pulls the rest of the truck down with it.
"Emma?" Regina's voice shrieks through the tires rumbling outside.
Cora and Emma hang on for dear life as the back of the truck slips further and further down the hill. Emma's heart beats fiercely in her chest as her mind pleads for the truck to stop skidding and for their lives to be spared. The back tires aggressively bump into something provoking the car to ricochet off the unknown item. The truck bounces a few times before they abruptly stop.
Not one person moves from the pure shock coursing through their trembling limbs. Their hot, frantic breaths fill the air along with Regina's hysterical voice in the background. Henry abruptly spins around to check on Cora and Emma with sheer panic and humiliation owning his face.
"Are you two alright? Emma? Are you okay?"
"I'm fine," she breathes out while her hand subconsciously reaches out for the phone abandoned on the floor. "I'm fine," she mutters again as she lifts the device for Regina to see her once again. "We're fine, we just hit a rough patch in the road," she quickly informs her girlfriend before she fires off questions in hysteria.
"Are you sure? You scared me."
"I know, we're fine though," she reassures her as Henry turns back around to proceed down the hill. Green eyes quickly snap to the older man, cursing under his breath as his foot smashes into the gas pedal over and over again. The wheels squeal their protest, while the truck refuses to budge. "Are we stuck?" She hastily investigates just as another contraction rips through her gut.
"Emma! What's wrong? Is the baby alright?" Regina shouts in a frenzy from the pained look upon Emma's face.
"It's just a contraction," she utters through a clenched jaw just as Cora softly rubs her back for comfort.
"It's alright, dear, just keep breathing," the older woman encourages while Henry's hands slam furiously against the steering wheel.
"Alright my dears, give me a few minutes," he grumbles as he unbuckles his seatbelt and angrily climbs out of the vehicle, slamming the door in the process.
"What's wrong?" Regina rapidly shouts, instantly grasping Emma's full attention once again.
Emma's face scrunches as the pain slowly slips away from her lower abdomen and fear strikes in her mind. "I-I think we are stuck," she mumbles, peeking around Henry's seat to watch as the man bends down in front of the car.
"Seriously? You need to call someone, Emma you need to get to the hospital," her girlfriend urges with her anxiety on full display which only causes the blonde more fear.
Not only is her girlfriend most likely losing her mind about them almost getting into an accident, she knows Regina is hating the fact that she is not there and cannot help in any way possible. She knows how Regina likes everything in a certain order and always wants to follow a strict plan, so her not having any control over this situation is only further infuriating her.
"Regina, your father will figure a way out," Cora sternly states, but her cold eyes are inspecting her husband's every move intently, only further agitating Emma's panic.
"Mother, call someone now," Regina demands as her face grows painfully serious.
"Who would you like me to call right now? Hmm, Regina?" Cora snips coldly, not once granting Regina her full attention.
"Marco. Augusto. I don't care. Call someone," Regina barks out names as sheer horror consumes her face entirely.
"Regina, calm down," Emma whispers, mustering up the best smile she can fake at a moment like this. "We will be just fine. Your dad will figure something out."
Just then, the driver's door squeals open allowing the cold wind to blow violently into the warm truck. Henry climbs up into his seat and slams the door a little too aggressively.
"Henry," Cora slowly drawls as if the woman already knows her husband's next choice of words.
"The back tires are stuck," he informs them as he physically deflates against the seat. He inhales a long deep breath before he breathes out his frustrations. "The tires are just spinning in the snow against the incline. I can't seem to get any traction, but I have an idea."
"Maybe I can just walk the rest of the way down and we can find a ride," Emma optimistically suggests, even though her mind is screaming its protest.
"No!" The entire car shouts at her, provoking her to flinch from their high volume.
"Daddy, call Marco or Augusto."
"I can't risk them driving up this hill with the snow, they would never make it in Augusto's tiny sports car," the older man huffs his annoyance for the fast car that's completely useless. "I'll be back," he sternly states and exits into the bitter cold once again.
Green eyes are solely focused on Henry as he makes his way to the back of the truck bed. He pulls out a shovel inspiring Emma's body to turn around quickly to study his next action. The older man begins digging the fresh snow mixed with dirt below and tossing it far away from the vehicle.
"Oh god," she groans, her body involuntarily doubling over again, and she almost loses the phone in the process.
"Emma!"
"Breathe. Breathe. Breathe," Cora calmly chants as her tiny frame hovers over Emma's back and her warm palm soothes the tense back muscles.
"Mother, how far apart are her contractions?" Regina professionally inquires while her face is securely tucked into Emma's lap and the blonde tries to breathe through the excruciating pain.
"Still ten minutes darling."
"Good," her girlfriend firmly announces before her voice softens, so she can speak to her. "Emma, you're doing really well. I know my father, he will get you out in no time," she reassures her as Emma slowly lifts the phone to see those enchanting brown eyes once more.
The door creeks open once again before Henry begins gathering the floor mats. He reaches to the other side of the car to retrieve the other one as well before he disappears without another word, completely focused on his one task and ignoring everything else. Just like his daughter, when she is wrapped up in something.
"Do you think you can stay on the phone while I give birth?" Emma jokes even though she's actually dead serious.
"Are you sure you want my mother holding a phone in your face while you give birth?" Regina lightly teases, but Emma sees the way her eyes are lighting up and her girlfriend wants this just as much as she does.
"I rather have that than your mother staring at my who-ha the whole time."
Cora's eyebrows furrow while her lips purse to express that she doesn't care for the comment, but her and Regina laugh together anyways.
"Who-ha," Cora mutters under her breath, "what an odd name to call it. Why can't you say vagina?"
Emma's head whips abruptly toward the older woman as her nose crinkles in disgust. "Ew, don't ever say that word again."
"Why are you so disgusted by the word vagina? You two see more-"
"Mother!" Regina coldly snaps while Emma cringes from her own mortification.
"It's not that we mind the word, we just don't want to hear you saying it," Emma explains as the muscles in her face begin to ache from being so painfully pinched in disgust.
The front door pops open, revealing a sweaty, bright red face from Henry. His eyes dart toward Cora's and he is all too serious when he beckons her to the front seat.
"I want you to slowly hit the gas while I rock the back end of the truck. The mats are in place so hopefully that will be enough traction to get us back on the road," Henry dutifully explains everything to his wife while she nods along.
The tiny woman climbs into the front seat and waits for Henry's signal. The door is left wide open, instantly cooling the car down while Emma observes with great speculation. Henry shouts out to Cora, encouraging her foot to lightly step onto the pedal. The tires spin against the mat as Henry slowly rocks the back end of the truck to help the tires ease their way onto the rubber material.
"Good. Good," Henry chants sounding just as winded as Emma normally does as of lately. "A little more gas, Cora," he instructs while her and Regina wait in deafening silence, eager to shuffle out of the ditch. The car sputters for a moment while Henry screams for Cora to punch it. Cora presses her dainty foot harder onto the pedal, bringing the roar of the engine to life. The truck jolts forward as Henry jumps out of the way. "Very good!" He yells as the car climbs over the bump and they are finally back onto the road.
"I think he did it," Emma breathes as Regina follows her lead and exhales all her worries as well.
Cora scrambles into the back seat beside Emma once again as Henry claims his driver's seat. He peeks over his shoulder, sweat pouring from his forehead and his cheeks as bright as Rudolph's nose.
"All set, are you ready?" He questions while Emma simply nods in return. "Wonderful, let's go have a baby."
XXXXX
"Push!" The doctor encourages once again, but she's far too weak.
Emma gasps for air and falls back into the pillow as she violently shakes her head in defiance. She feels as though someone set a match to her skin and is allowing her to burn right in front of them. Sweat is pouring from every crevasse of her body while her lungs burn from the lack of oxygen.
"Emma, you've been pushing for far too long now. If you don't push him out now, we will have to take you back for a c-section," the doctor diligently informs her while his stern eyes never leave her aching center.
"I don't want a c-section," she hysterically cries out, slamming her eyes shut. "Just pull him out," she whines through her heavy breaths and uneven pants.
Cora runs her fingers over Emma's forehead and brushes those damp locks out of her face. "Honey, you have to try once more," she coos, trying to settle all the fears and pain just like a mother should.
"Emma," Regina's sultry voice booms through the chaos in the room and washes everyone away. Emma turns her head to meet those beautiful, shining eyes. "You can do this, Em. Just please give me one more, long, strong push. Let's meet our son," she whispers, kick starting Emma's heart once again and sending a shock of adrenaline to burst through her veins.
"Okay," she agrees wholeheartedly because every time her girlfriend says our son, she happily obliges to whatever she may request.
Emma perks right up and grits her teeth as she bears down and pushes with every ounce of energy she has rippling through her aching limbs.
"Keep going," the doctor instructs as Emma grips Cora's hand tighter and screams through the unbearable pain of being ripped in half.
"You got this Em, keep going," her girlfriend encourages while she proceeds to scream and ignore the soft words around her.
"Okay, his head is out, don't stop," the doctor sternly orders, eliciting another wave of adrenaline to wash over her because just knowing her son is almost there is enough to keep her motivated.
"Wonderful, dear, you're almost done," Cora states, discreetly moving the phone a little lower, so Regina can watch the birth of their son.
Tears fill Emma's eyes, because she just wants her girlfriend there beside her, but she continues pushing, despite the heavy sob lingering in the back of her throat. Then, all the pressure vanquishes from her body and she falls hazardously against the bed. The sound of her son's screeching cries fill the air and everything else evaporates from existence.
"Oh my god, Emma, he's so beautiful," Regina gasps while green eyes are locked onto her son.
The doctor slowly lifts her son up and smiles at the messy newborn. "Congratulations on your stubborn little boy," he chuckles lightly and turns his attention to the baby. "He's beautiful," he praises before he hands her son over to the nurse.
"Oh goodness, February baby," Cora laughs with fat tears filling her warm eyes as she gazes upon her first grandchild.
"Great Regina, he took after you, stubborn," Emma mutters teasingly while still attempting to regulate her breathing.
"He took after both of us," Regina laughs as sweet tears of joy roll down her cheeks, only persuading Emma's to free fall as well. "I love you, Emma. I'm so proud of you and I love him so much. I'm going to march down to the office right now and put my vacation time in."
They both laugh, wiping away their insistent tears just as the nurse walks over and places the baby upon Emma's chest. Her heart stops. The room falls silent and a warm tingling sensation erupts through her veins. Her lips instinctively pucker out to kiss his scrunched little forehead as her baby boy gazes up at her, full of curiosity. His blue-grey eyes stare at her expectantly and her heart completely melts.
She is his forever and she knows she will never be the same after this.
"Hi, my baby boy," she softly coos, gently rubbing his back and holding his tiny, wobbly head in place. He breathes heavily before his little head falls to her chest and he snuggles into her warm embrace and she melts all over again for him.
"So?" Regina begins. "Is he, Hunter or Flynn?"
"Neither," Emma murmurs absentmindedly.
"What?" Both Cora and Regina gasp, but Emma's too busy gazing down upon her newborn child.
"Henry," she breathes, pressing another delicate kiss to his forehead. "Henry Daniel. It's a strong name, for a strong, stubborn little boy. He deserves to be named after the man that did everything in his power to make sure we made it here, so he could be brought into this world in a safe environment. A man who kept us calm and safe and busted his ass to maneuver a truck out of a ditch, that's a strong man."
"He's going to be so ecstatic," Cora gushes through her thick tears and trembling voice.
"Emma, he's going to be so honored," Regina agrees, continuously wiping at her tears.
"I know," she murmurs and places another kiss to his little head.
"Emma, he looks just like you," Regina admires as Cora scoots a little closer for her daughter to inspect every detail of his beautiful little face.
"No," Emma mutters, her fingers moving on their own to rake through his jet-black hair. She examines his dark brown eyelashes that are thick and a mile long. She studies the shape of his eyes and his little button nose to his pointed chin. "He's identical to his father," she mindlessly mumbles and continues studying every inch of her son, comparing their features.
"What?" Regina gasps catching Emma's attention.
"I swear, he looks just like Neal," Emma confesses, her eyes slowly drifting to meet the perplexed cocoa irises staring right back at her. "Everything about him is Neal."
"How can you say that?" Regina laughs lightly and shakes her head dismissively. "He's all you."
"I'm telling you, this little boy is Neal's twin," she insists, her eyes falling back to the sleepy little boy curled upon her chest.
"Excuse me," a sweet, young nurse interrupts their conversation as she places her hand upon Henry's back. "This little boy needs to try eating. What would you prefer, breastfeeding or formula?"
"Oh god, formula. Cora you owe me a coffee stat," she exasperates, producing light chuckles from everyone around the room.
Cora leans down and presses a gentle kiss to Emma's forehead. "I promise I will have Henry bring you one before he comes in." Her lips linger for just a little while longer and Emma closes her eyes to absorb the love. "I am so proud of you. Thank you so much for my first grandchild." A warm tear falls to Emma's forehead and Emma instantly smiles from the sweet sentiment while her eyes fill with loving tears. "Your mother would be so proud."
That's it. The waterworks kick in and all her hormones come rushing to the surface. Thick, heavy tears stream down her face uncontrollably as she pulls her son closer to her face and sobs. Her sweet boy isn't even phased as he continues to sleep calmly against her heaving chest.
"I love you so much, Henry."
XXXXX
"Henry, I would love for you to meet someone very special," Emma enthusiastically says, gently placing her son into the man's loving embrace. The older man smiles as wide as his chubby cheeks will allow. His eyes sparkle and his smile dances with nothing but love as he gazes upon his first grandson. He carefully rocks the baby boy from side to side as he coos sweet nothings into his tiny little face. "Henry...meet Henry," Emma proudly states.
Henry's eyes flick to Emma's, full of excitement, yet wonderment and maybe even confusion. His mouth pops open while Emma's spreads wildly with an over giddy grin, leaving him completely speechless. Cora struts over to the boys, full of pride and enthusiasm.
"It seems Emma has had a change of heart," she softly whispers, delicately rubbing her grandson's head.
"But why me?" Henry inquires out of pure shock.
"Because Henry is a strong man, who goes above and beyond for his family and friends and that's exactly the type of person I want my son to be," Emma proudly expresses while her eyes stay focused on her sweet baby boy.
"Emma, my dear," Henry breathes as his feet scurry closer toward her bed. "Thank you so much. This means the world to me, more than you'll ever know." The gentle man leans down and places a loving kiss to Emma's temple. "I love you," he confesses into her hair, tripping the air within her lungs and her heart to still.
Her bottom lip pokes out as she meets his kind eyes.
"I love you too, Henry," she says, out loud for the first time, ever, and revels in the overpowering sensation of love from two people who have quickly become her second parents.
"I think you should call your father," Henry firmly states, jumping from emotional and sappy, to strict father.
"I know," she concurs as Henry gentle rests her baby into her arms again.
"We will leave you alone for a few minutes," Cora offers before she kisses the baby on top of his head and exists the room, her husband mimicking her actions as well.
"So kid, should we call grandpa?" She playfully whispers, pulling out her phone with one hand and decides FaceTime is needed for this moment.
"Emma!" Her dad cheerfully answers, his crystal blue eyes sparkling with pure excitement. "Ems, you had your baby?" He squeals like a giddy little girl, inspiring a deep chuckle to wrack through her body.
"Yes! I would love for you to meet your grandson, Henry Daniel," she joyfully introduces the two as more tears spring to life. "Henry, this is your grandpa, David."
"Emma, he is beautiful. Look at that head of hair!"
"I know," she laughs lightly and sniffles to stop the persistent tears.
"He looks like Neal," he adds on and Emma knows in her heart he's right.
"I know, that's what I said. Regina says he's all me, but she never met Neal."
"He's the perfect mix of both of you to be honest," her dad says as he watches his first grandson sleep peacefully in her arms. "When are you coming home? I miss you so much, Emma, and I cannot wait to hold that precious little boy."
"I know dad, I miss you too, and I love you so much. I can't say thank you enough for being so loving and supportive during this past year. Even when I decided to stay in Sicily."
"That's what fathers are for Ems. Now, when are you coming home?"
"Well, the plan is to be back in New York around May, he'll still be very little," she reassures him before he can protest. "Regina and I could make the trip to Boston if you aren't up for traveling, but Regina can't take any more time off, so it would have to be a weekend trip," she rambles as her mind shifts through all the things her and Regina have discussed recently.
"Ems, relax, I'll come to you guys. I would love to spend more than a weekend with you. Besides, you don't need to be driving that far with a three-month-old. I'll get a hotel and stay a week. Is that okay?"
"Yes, more than okay," she breathes as her heart aches for the man. An overwhelming sensation stirs deep within her heart and she longs to hug her father once again. "I do miss you a lot, dad."
"I know, my baby girl. Soon. You look tired. Call the nurse to take Henry and you get some rest okay?"
"Well, actually the Mills are still here, so I'm sure Cora will want to hold him while I nap."
"Very good. Tell them I said thank you for taking care of my baby."
XXXXX
Her radiance shines brightly through the phone and in this moment, Emma knows this woman is the light at the end of each tunnel. She is the first thing on her mind when she wakes up in the morning, reaching for her warm embrace even though she knows in her mind that Regina's not there. The brunette invades her thoughts all throughout the day until nighttime, when she falls asleep dreaming of her once again.
When Regina came back to Sicily to work things out, she never held a grudge and Emma knows that's because of how much she truly loves her. Regina pushed away all her anger and doubt, so she could focus on fixing their relationship and supporting her during the rest of her pregnancy. The unconditional love she expresses every day is more than enough to know, she has found her soulmate and she will spend the rest of her life with Regina Mills.
"You look exhausted," Emma mumbles into the phone with her baby tucked securely into her side on the hospital bed.
"You don't look so good yourself," Regina muses, but the need for sleep is slowly overpowering her ability to express emotions.
"I'm fine," she hums, her eyes automatically drifting back down to her son and her fingers are magnetically pulled to his tiny back just to touch him. "Hey, there's something we need to discuss."
"Alright..." Her girlfriend drawls in a deep tone that Emma usually associates with her half-asleep voice.
"So, um...the nurse just brought me a sheet to fill out. It's for Henry's name, birth certificate, and social security card," she pauses, scrambling for some courage to ask what she really needs to while Regina stares intently at her. She can't seem to read her girlfriend's expression at all, either she's petrified or is way too sleep deprived to give a damn about what Emma needs to say. She clears her throat and tries to continue the conversation to the best of her abilities. "So...Henry Daniel..." she's hoping her girlfriend will pick up on what she's moving toward, but Regina just remains silent, staring with those intense dark eyes. "Ummm, his last name."
Regina quickly stiffens and straightens her posture as her eyes pop open a little wider. She swallows, a visible, audible gulp as her mind probably jumbles through every outcome of the topic.
"Okay...I assumed he would be Swan? Were you thinking Cassidy...because of Neal?" She timidly questions and she has never appeared so small and vulnerable in all this time they have known each other.
"Oh...um...well no," green eyes quickly avert toward her son, because her nerves have quickly swallowed her whole and she's not sure she can find the strength to ask anymore.
"Emma? What do you want his last name to be?" Regina sincerely inquires in the softest tone, helping to soothe all Emma's apprehension about the subject.
"Henry Daniel Swan-Mills?" She meekly responds, and immediately hates herself for how unsure she's sounding, even though she is certain this is what she wants.
"Swan-Mills? Seriously? You want my last name in there as well?" Regina curiously investigates, absolutely perplexed by the claim.
"Yes," Emma sighs heavily and suddenly her mouth pops open and words come pouring out like lava erupting from Mt. Etna. "Look, I know we have only known each other for barely nine months, but I know what I feel for you. I was with Neal for eight years and was engaged to the man and still wasn't sure if I should marry him, but I know what I want from you."
"Emma, what are you saying?" Her girlfriend whispers like she's too scared to hear what Emma might confess.
"I'm saying, that I know I want to spend the rest of my life with you. I know that I'm madly in love with you and I never want to live without you again. Henry is our son, we already promised that we would raise him together and I just need you to know that I promise, you are my future and one day I will marry you and maybe we can even have more children."
"Emma," Regina breathes with excitement filling her rich eyes and that terrified look instantly washes away.
"I want Henry to have both of our last names because we are in this together, for the long haul," she states with conviction and silently prays that she feels the same way.
"Okay."
"Okay?"
"Yes, I am so honored, Emma. I would love for him to have my last name as well. I just can't wait for us to be a family."
"I know. Soon."
"So, does that mean when we do finally settle down, we will be changing our last names to Swan-Mills as well?" Regina interrogates with a flirtatious glint shining in her eyes, provoking Emma's cheeks to burn crimson.
"Yes, can't you see our doormat now? Swan-Mills Family."