Her mind is buzzing from the mix of pure exhaustion along with the anxious energy of finally meeting Henry. Her son. Their son. Her head rests against the glass for just a moment as the driver quietly escorts her through Catania in the dead of the night.
Her eyes are pleading for sleep, offering up anything for just a few minutes of shut eye, but her mind is running about a mile a minute. She always wanted children, ever since she was a little girl and she knows it has everything to do with the bond her parents created with her. She wants to be able to carry on that type of unconditional love and she's known for quite some time now that Emma is the one that she wants to build that loving family with.
Of course, she was angry when she first found out about Emma's pregnancy, but she knew when she left New York to find her ex, that she was in search of her future. She told Robin, quite bluntly, that Emma was the one she wanted to spend the rest of her life with, not him. So, when she discovered Emma in the barn, seven months pregnant, it was almost impossible to stay mad. Emma wanted her to be a part of that baby's life and wanted to share her life with her and there was no more doubt in Regina's mind.
They are soulmates.
The car slowly rolls to a stop in front of her parent's cabin. She quickly pays the man for his services and climbs out of the vehicle with her luggage and a stuffed monkey in hand. She inhales sharply, admiring the warmer air than New York City has to offer in the first week of March. She takes a moment to breathe through her anxious nerves and prepares herself for the next life altering moment of her life.
Her feet tingle with nervous energy as she climbs the steps of her parent's front porch. She pulls out her key and slowly unlocks the front door, so she doesn't create too much noise. The moment she steps inside, she notices a small glow from the kitchen to her right is softly radiating around her mother.
The older woman is sitting at the kitchen table snuggled in her fluffy white robe and her matching slippers as she sips her herbal tea. The corner of Regina's mouth deepens as she studies her intently, examining the way she somehow grew older in the past few months. Maybe she hasn't truly been paying attention, but now she sees it. She sees her. There are a few more gray hairs peeking out through her chestnut colored tresses. Without any makeup, the dark circles under her eyes are more prominent along with the wrinkles near her eyes and etched around her mouth.
Regina sighs and places her bag off to the side. She kicks off her boots and subconsciously hugs the monkey closer as she trudges toward her mother. She's not sure if her mind is fully aware that her life is about to change forever, but in the moment, she feels like a small child once again. She's vulnerable and in need of her mother's attention.
"Regina, darling," her mother whispers gently into the night, conscious of a sleeping baby in the living room. "How was your flight, dear?"
Regina slips into the chair next to the woman, who has done everything in her power to make sure she will be the best mother possible. She places a loving kiss to her cheek and sits back in her seat with the monkey pressed against her chest.
"It was fine. I'm exhausted. Did you wait up for me?"
"Of course, my dear," Cora concludes without any emotion, like the answer is so obvious and her daughter is a foolish girl for even asking. Her mother's tired eyes drift toward the clock on the wall, the hand slowly ticking by and echoing into the silence. "It's almost three, Henry should be waking up in a few minutes for his nighttime feeding."
"Yes, he should," she agrees, knowing her son's schedule already, even though she hasn't been there the first week...and there's that sharp pain of guilt once again.
"Oh, Regina, you are just going to love him."
"I already do."
"I know," Cora smiles apologetically and brushes some hair away from Regina's face just as she always does. "He's just the sweetest little thing. He loves to snuggle close and hardly ever cries. Such a good boy."
Regina's lips move on their own accord, grinning ecstatically as her mother gushes over her first grandson. Blood doesn't matter, not in this household. Her parents already look at Emma and see a second daughter, knowing in their hearts she will be their daughter-in-law someday. Henry is their grandchild no matter what, just like he is Regina's son and she would do anything for him.
"How's Emma doing? Is she exhausted? Is she struggling? Is she still sore?" Her mouth just spews all her worries and trepidation about being absent as of recently.
"Regina, calm down," her mother coos, resting her warm palm on top of Regina's hand. "Stop worrying, Emma is just fine. She's a wonderful mother. You need to stop beating yourself up, it's only three months and then the rest of his life you will be there."
"I know," she sighs heavily, fighting against the wobble in the back of her throat. "I just wish she would have told me. We could be in New York together right now."
"Honey, you have to let it go. Emma still wants to raise the baby here, but she's moving for you. So you can pursue your dreams."
"I know. I know. I just hate being apart. I want to help her with Henry."
"I know, baby girl," her mother consoles her just as a sharp shriek echoes from the living room to interrupt their conversation.
Regina jumps right to her feet and scurries into the living room where she finds Henry in a small bassinet near the couch. Emma's already popping up like a pop tart from the toaster while she bends down to pick up the fussy baby, placing the stuffed monkey in his spot.
"Regina?" Emma blurts out in shock as Regina shushes their son and holds him close to her chest. "I'll grab his bottle," she murmurs through her thick sleepy voice while the brunette focuses on the most precious little baby ever.
Her heart flutters and fills with a warmth she can't truly describe. She gazes upon his red, scrunched little face as he whines for his bottle. His little button nose is crinkled up tight reminding her so much of his blonde mother. She bends down and kisses the tip of his nose while her feet slowly rock back and forth to soothe him.
"Hi, my handsome prince," she tenderly greets her baby for the first time as Emma prepares the bottle.
Henry's cries slowly dissipate as his eyes peer up at her curiously. She laughs lightly, watching the expression upon his face and somehow, she just knows he recognizes the sound of her voice from all her daily calls. She kisses his forehead and snuggles him in even closer, breathing in his baby scent.
"Do you want to feed him? Or do you want me to?" Emma tiredly questions, running her free hand over her face to wake herself up.
"I'll feed him," she confirms, already holding out her hand to accept the bottle.
"He's a good eater, so don't let him chug the whole thing. Do like half, burp him and then the other half. Watch him, he's quick, he'll slurp down that whole thing in less than a minute if you don't stop him," Emma muses, smiling wildly down upon their son.
"Okay," she agrees, even though Emma has told her this a few times by now, but she knows her girlfriend is just overly tired.
Regina carefully takes a seat on the couch as her girlfriend follows her lead. The adorably tired blonde snuggles into her side and rests her head against Regina's chest, so she can still watch their son happily eat. Regina gently places the tip against Henry's lips and observes as he quickly sucks the bottle into his mouth.
"He's a little chunker," Cora playfully teases as she enters the living room and claims a seat on the other couch. "He will guzzle that bottle quite fast."
"So, I've heard," Regina hums softly not to disturb the precious baby.
She notices right away how this greedy little boy is halfway done, so she delicately pulls the bottle from his mouth, eliciting a desperate cry for more. She whispers softly, gently placing him against her chest and softly patting his back.
"Ignore his cries, he'll burp," Emma lazily explains through a yawn while Henry proceeds to beg for more.
"Well, I'm off to bed, you two have a nice evening." Her mother bends down and places a gentle kiss to each one of their foreheads. "Try and get some rest, both of you."
"Goodnight," Emma and Regina reciprocate together as Cora disappears into her room.
Henry's little cries slowly fade away as his mouth releases the burp, they both knew was sure to come. Regina carefully settles him back into her arms and offers him the rest of his bottle. His eyes widen with excitement as he quickly sucks the bottle back into his mouth. His little noises fill the calm night as her and Emma both study their son in awe.
"Emma, he's so beautiful. I'm so proud of you. I'm so sorry I'm not here every day," she whines from the emotions beginning to outweigh her logical thinking, most likely from the lack of sleep as well as meeting Henry for the first time.
"Regina, stop," Emma softly commands, placing her index finger beneath Regina's chin to slowly guide her face, so she can gaze into her eyes. Those stunning green irises sparkle with love while a smile graces her dainty lips. "Please stop worrying, we are fine. You're not doing anything wrong. I am so proud of you for working hard to become a doctor. You need to stay focused because we will be home before you know it, okay?"
Regina doesn't bother with words, the emotions are pulling too hard at her heartstrings, so instead she just captures those lips, persuading a soft moan to fall from Emma's mouth. She swallows the sexy little whimper, but refrains from deepening the kiss due to their son nuzzled against them.
"I love you," Regina breathes, resting her forehead against her girlfriend's.
Emma slips her fingers through dark hair and kisses the tip of Regina's nose. "I know, I love you so much," she declares as her thumbs stroke her cheeks lovingly.
A loud sucking noise grasps Regina's attention, so she turns toward their son to discover his bottle empty. She carefully pries the bottle from his reluctant lips, which Emma quickly takes from her. Regina maneuvers the full little boy to lay parallel with her legs while she holds him beneath his neck. She leans forward and examines every inch of his tiny face.
His little head bobs side to side as though he's trying to assess his brunette mother. His long eyelashes bat dramatically as his body squirms the slightest bit.
"I don't care what anyone says, you look like your mother," she whispers, generating a small gurgling sound from the infant.
"Ugh," Emma groans as she plops hazardously against the couch next to her. "Isn't he the cutest?"
"He really is," she confirms, crinkling her nose playfully at her baby. "He has your chin and your nose."
"You think?" Emma's head tilts to the side like a confused puppy and she studies her son. "I think he does have my mom's chin," she agrees as her eyes stay glued to the little boy.
"Which you inherited as well," she confirms as her shoulder bumps playfully into hers. "You, my little prince, need to go back to bed before you start thinking three thirty in the morning is play time." Henry agrees with a long, drawn out yawn, provoking Emma to slip her thumb and index finger inside his mouth. She rubs her fingers together lightly and removes her hand before he closes his mouth again. "What are you doing?" Regina inquires, completely puzzled by her actions.
"Oh," Emma's cheeks slowly turn into a soft pink color as she tucks her wild hair behind her ear. "I don't know, umm your mom does it all the time when he yawns. She says it's an old thing her grandmother used to do to all the babies, as well as her mother. I guess it's a superstition or something, so the baby's jaw doesn't stick like that or something." Her girlfriend nervously shrugs her shoulder becoming awfully embarrassed which she finds utterly endearing.
"You're adorable," she announces, enclosing the gap between them to peck her cheek. "I bet my mother is so proud of herself for teaching you that."
Emma shrugs again as though she's not affected by her words, but the brunette sees the smile growing and she knows Emma's happy to have a mother figure during this time.
"Okay, bedtime, kid," the blonde orders as she steals Henry from Regina's arms. She lifts him effortlessly and kisses his tiny cheek, instantly warming Regina's blood with love. "Ni-night," she coos in a soft baby voice as she lays Henry back inside his bassinet.
Regina examines as Emma places him inside a swaddling blanket and securely wraps him up like a burrito. She smiles with little hearts beating in her eyes as she places his pacifier between his lips and sweeps her fingers across his forehead.
"Did you bring him this stuffed animal?" Her girlfriend asks as she picks up the toy and squeezes the plush fur.
"I did," Regina proudly states just as Emma's about to place the stuffed animal back into the bassinet, but she stills her actions with a gentle hand against her forearm. "No stuffed animals in the crib with a newborn," she firmly instructs.
Emma rolls her eyes and places the monkey beneath Henry's feet. "He doesn't move when he's sleeping, he's too little, what's gonna happen? I'll keep it by his feet and away at the edge of the bassinet. He'll be fine."
"Goodnight, my sweet boy," Regina whispers, choosing not to argue with her girlfriend right now. Her finger lightly grazes his nose, causing his eyes to flutter closed.
"Goodnight Henry, I love you. See you when you wake up," Emma murmurs before they slowly step away, the soft sounds of Henry's steady breathing filling the air.
Emma glances at the couch, then back at her girlfriend, perplexed about something. "What?" Regina whispers, not wanting to bother Henry.
"I really want to sleep next to you, but this couch looks small now that I'm looking at it."
"Oh, we'll be fine, I don't care if I get a stiff neck, I miss you." Regina flippantly says, slipping her hand inside of Emma's and tugging her closer to the couch.
Regina lays down with her back pressing into the cushions as much as possible allowing her girlfriend enough room to lay in front of her. The cute blonde lays down and wiggles her bottom against Regina's front as she holds her close. She presses a small kiss behind Emma's ear and sighs as relief washes over her.
She's in her arms again.
Her girlfriend abruptly spins around in her arms though and wedges her leg between hers. They both smile adoringly, with sappy, love sick grins as they soak up the moment.
"You know, I used to be the big spoon," Emma teases as her eyes widen playfully.
"This is true," she hums, pretending to mull over the statement.
"As much as I love when you hold me close, I love it even more holding you, protecting you."
"Nobody is stopping you, dear," she mocks, earning an eye roll from those shining bright eyes.
"You're a brat," Emma accuses as her thigh presses into Regina's neglected core.
"Ti piace," she taunts in a low growl, knowing her girlfriend won't understand that she just said, you like it.
"What does that mean?" Emma blurts out rather loudly, inspiring Regina's hand to fly up to cover her big mouth.
"Elegante come sempre," green eyes roll at the teasing phrase, elegant as always, that Regina has used since day one with this blonde. However, it's the one thing she loves most about her, how ungraciously dignified she is. Emma huffs her fake annoyance against a warm palm. "Ti amo," Regina whispers as her hand slips away and her lips replace its duty to keep her quiet.
"Does that mean I love you?" Emma mutters into their kiss as their eyes slowly flutter closed. Regina nods mindlessly and focuses on their kiss. "Ti amo," she repeats sending Regina's heart soaring.
XXXXX
"Emma, wake up," Regina softly whispers into her girlfriend's ear just to watch her squirm from her hot breath. Those green eyes remain closed while she fights desperately to hold back her smirk. "Time to greet the day sleepy head. I've allowed you to sleep long enough," she sternly states, even though she doesn't mind at all if Emma catches up on her sleep while she spends some alone time with Henry.
"No, I'm going to continue pretending to sleep just like you," Emma groans, stretching out her sleepy limbs.
"Don't be a brat," she husks into the blonde's ear for only her to hear.
"There's not enough room for two brats in this relationship. You've got it covered," Emma deadpans and the smile on her face tells Regina, she's proud of herself. Her hand quickly smacks that full bottom winning herself a loud yell of surprise in response. "Ow!"
"Get up," she strictly orders again.
Emma grumbles her annoyance, sitting up on the couch and Regina's right there, quickly handing over a fresh steaming cup of coffee. "Thank you," her girlfriend says as she inhales the rich aroma.
"You're welcome."
"So, what has you so eager to wake up and greet this day?" Emma inquires before she tentatively sips her hot coffee.
"It's sixty degrees out, I think we should take Henry for a stroll through town. The fresh air will do both of you some good."
"Alright, sounds fun," she flashes a cheeky smile that consumes her entire face and always melts Regina's heart instantly.
"Go get dressed. I just finished feeding Henry, I'll change him and then we will head out."
Emma nods enthusiastically before she takes another sip of coffee and leaps with joy pumping through her veins. She rushes to the bathroom while Regina takes a moment to admire her beautiful girlfriend. She still can't believe she's all hers.
"Henry, are you ready for a new diaper before we go bye-bye?" She softly questions, her index finger tickling his little tummy, producing the sweetest cooing sounds. "Alright, little boy, it's been some time since this momma has changed a diaper," she begins explaining, unsnapping his pajamas while he squirms around playfully. "But you're going to be good for me, right?" She slowly removes his tiny little legs from his pajamas and moves the garment out of the way. She places a new diaper underneath his bottom and slowly removes the old one. The minute she pulls the dirty diaper away, Henry decides this will be a perfect time to practice his aim. "No, no, no," she whines, fumbling to cover him back up.
"What happened?" Her mother yells from the kitchen as Emma comes bursting out of the bathroom with her shirt half buttoned.
"Nothing," Regina grumbles, aggressively pulling the wipes from the pouch to clean up the mess her son made.
"Did he pee on you?" Emma investigates with far too much amusement dancing mischievously in her eyes.
"Yes," she mumbles, avoiding those sparkling eyes like she's Medusa and will end with her quickly turning to stone.
"Awww, you're officially his mommy now," Emma proudly gushes as she wraps her arms around Regina's waist from behind. She rests her pointed chin upon the brunette's shoulder and sighs. "He peed on me too." Regina chuckles through her nose and continues cleaning up the mess. "Boys are squirters," she teases before she untangles herself from her back and retrieves a fresh new set of clothes.
"Roland never peed on me when he was a baby," Regina counters while placing the new diaper on Henry.
"He was older darling," her mother chimes into the conversation as she strolls into the living room. "By the time Henry's six months, he should stop," she educates the couple as she bends down and places a gentle kiss to his forehead. "Did you pee on your momma?" She playfully teases in an angelic baby voice that inspires Henry's little body to jerk and jump around with excitement. "That's my boy, you give your mommas hell."
"Not cool, Cora," Emma deadpans as she hands over Henry's clothing for the day, or until he spits up or pees on that one as well.
Regina easily changes Henry into his new outfit and lifts him up to kiss his little cheek. "Okay mommy, we are all set. Do you have the stroller?" She asks, gently resting Henry against her chest.
With one arm slipping below his bottom, her other hand holds his wobbly head into place. Her lips stretch down to kiss the top of his head while Emma prepares the stroller. Automatically, her legs begin to sway from side to side to gently rock her precious newborn.
"Alright, load him up," her girlfriend cheerfully instructs, holding the straps aside for Regina. She carefully places him inside and Emma buckles him in safely.
"Where's his jacket?" Her mother inquires in a tone Regina's all too familiar with. A tone that expresses she can't believe they could be so careless.
"He doesn't have one," Emma shrugs completely unaffected by Cora's tone. "He doesn't need one anyways, we will put a thick blanket over him, and he'll be more than fine. It's nice out."
"Fine, but you have to put on a hat. You don't want that baby's head cold or the wind in his ears," Cora firmly explains while her eyebrows furrow in concern for the baby.
"Does he really need a hat?" Emma questions as she places his bag underneath the stroller. "I don't think it's necessary."
"You put a hat on that child, Emma Swan," the older woman quickly rebuttals in a tone that tells the couple she will not allow them to leave the house without a hat on his head.
"Alright, alright," the blonde holds her hands up in surrender and digs through Henry's stuff until she finds a hat.
"Okay, don't stay out too long," Cora commands, kissing her grandson's cheek once again with all the love and adoration in the world.
XXXXX
"So, how did Neal accept the news?" Regina inquires as she pushes Henry through the streets of Catania with Emma close to her side.
"He's happy, we each received the results in the mail yesterday and he's proud to be the father," she casually states as though none of this is a big deal or a life altering moment.
"So, what does this mean for us?" She timidly questions, gazing down upon their son, and wondering what the future holds for a solid relationship with Henry.
"It means that we will raise Henry together, you and I. Neal will help out when he can, but we are so far apart. He will probably only see Henry every other weekend, but we are his moms and together we will raise him. He's our son and Henry will grow up knowing that we are his parents. He will come to us equally, he will be mad at us equally and he will love us equally," Emma confidently declares without a doubt in her mind, which somewhat helps ease Regina's worries about the future.
"Okay," she softly whispers while her mind dreams of a time when they are married, and she won't have to fear the unknown so much.
"When can he see us?" Emma absentmindedly questions, her green eyes soaking up their adorable son snuggled up in his stroller.
"Probably in the next two weeks or so. He can detect light and motion right now," she answers and her girlfriend hums along. "I can tell he already is bonding with our voices."
"I really have no clue when it comes to babies. Everything I know now is because your mom taught me."
"Well, I must say you have a wonderful teacher, just look how well I turned out," she smugly retorts for fun, and to watch that mischievous grin slip across those pretty, pink lips.
"I mean...you're alright...kind of a brat and a little full of yourself," Emma mocks, her face remaining impassive, but that blank look upon her face brings a smile to Regina's.
This is who they are as a couple. They tease, they poke fun, they play, they laugh...they are perfect for one another. Emma is the sun that brightens up each one of her days and she's already dreading having to go back home without her and her son by her side.
Regina lightly shoves the woman, eliciting an adorable giggle to leak passed her lips. "Since, you're being so mean, I think you deserve a punishment," she firmly declares.
"Oh, yeah?" Emma muses, her eyebrows wiggling with delight and completely ignorant to what Regina is hinting at. "What kind of punishment? A spanking? A thorough medical exam?" She excitedly questions while the brunette attempts to keep her cool.
"Something even better?"
"Hmmm, I like where this is going?"
"Do you?" Regina confidently inquires as her chin thrusts a little higher from her smug attitude.
"Definitely."
"Well, we are here, your punishment," she proudly announces as Emma's eyebrows pinch together, puzzled by the statement. "We are visiting Rosalie, I'm sure she would love to see Henry."
This acknowledgment wins her an over exaggerated groan from her girlfriend.
"Seriously? Come on, the woman hates me. She's going to call Henry a medigan," she whines her objection while Regina simply smiles in response.
"Come along, dear," she nods toward the front door of the small bed and breakfast, motivating her girlfriend to grumpily open the door, so she can push the stroller through. "Besides if it makes you feel any better, Henry was born in Sicily, so Rosalie will be ecstatic."
"Yippie," Emma groans in the most sarcastic tone imaginable, with a scowl set upon her face.
Regina leans forward and presses a featherlight kiss to her cheek as she walks right passed her. "You're making an old lady very happy. I promise," she whispers and ventures into the cozy building.
"Regina!" Rosalie squeals in pure joy as she rushes to her side, her cold hands already stretching out so she can roughly grab her face and kiss her cheeks.
"Ciao Rosalie," she happily greets the older woman while Emma stands awkwardly behind her. "Ti ricordi di Emma," she inquires if the older woman remembers her girlfriend as she points to the anxious blonde behind her.
Rosalie's dark eyes drift toward Emma and she offers her a weak smile. She mumbles, of course I remember the medigan, in Italian before she turns her attention to Henry. Regina explains to the elderly woman that Emma had a baby and he was their son.
Rosalie excitedly bends down to gaze upon the wide-eyed baby boy and gasps.
"Beddu. Beddu. Beddu," she chants as she lightly pinches his cheek.
Emma's warm embrace leans into Regina's side and the brunette instantly smiles from the contact alone. "What is she saying?" Emma whispers for only her girlfriend's ears.
"Beautiful boy."
"I thought beautiful is bella?" Emma innocently questions as Regina turns to meet her confused eyes.
"It does, in Italian." Emma's face morphs into painfully perplexed as she tries to understand what she's saying. "Italian's and Sicilian's speak in different dialects. I speak Italian because that's how I was taught, but if you notice some words are different when other people speak to me or there's a different sound to the words. I understand Sicilian because my grandmother spoke it all the time, but when my parents moved here, I learned how to read and write in Italian."
"Huh," Emma pauses as her mind becomes lost in thought. "Never noticed," she mumbles mostly to herself as she tries to think back on her time there.
"I know, unless you speak Italian or Sicilian you wouldn't notice," she explains before Rosalie interrupts with a question.
"Ovviamente," Regina happily responds to the older woman as Emma gapes at her, waiting for the translation. Regina bends down and removes Henry's blanket, passing it to his other mother. "She asked if she could hold him and I said, of course," she explains, unbundling the newborn and carefully lifting him up. She sneaks a peek at her girlfriend who is anxiously nibbling on her bottom lip. "Relax, he will be just fine," she reassures her and carefully passes their son over to the tiny woman, who is beaming with joy.
"Too, too, too," Rosalie chants some weird sounds over Henry and Regina swears it seems as though she's pretending to spit on him.
Emma's eyes double in size, so Regina gently asks the older woman what she is doing. Rosalie begins rapidly explaining that their baby is too cute for his own good. She says every time someone says he's beautiful, they must do the same action to him, so they do not jinx the baby. Regina quickly translates to Emma to settle her anxiety about the situation.
"Just superstitions," Regina softly responds and watches as her girlfriend quickly relaxes.
"Mmm, beddu!" Rosalie exclaims once again as she kisses his forehead and gently hands him back over, while strictly informing Regina that she needs to hold his head.
She simply shakes her head and laughs instead of the sarcastic comment tickling the tip of her tongue. She fastens her son safely back into his stroller as Emma drapes the blanket over his tiny body. They kindly say their goodbyes and quickly exit the bed and breakfast before Emma has a nervous breakdown.
"See, that wasn't so bad," Regina teases.
"The woman spit all over our baby," Emma deadpans, appearing very unamused by the visit.
"She didn't actually spit, Emma, she just made the noises with her mouth. You clearly believe in those superstitions otherwise you wouldn't have stuck your fingers in our child's mouth last night when he yawned," she mocks as they stroll back into town.
"Whatever," Emma grumbles as she readjusts Henry's hat. "You owe me for that visit. I'm talking lots of sexual favors."
"It's too soon. Doctor's orders, no sex right now," she gently explains, so her girlfriend understands that she wishes they could have some fun, but it's not wise.
"We're in a fight," Emma playfully quips as they turn the corner to make their way home again.