[Chapter 6]
Regina heard it through the wall. She'd been tossing and turning all night when muffled sobbing brought her out of her nightmare. Regina slipped on a robe and went next door to check on Emma.
"Emma?" Regina took the spare key Emma had given her and entered the apartment. Regina took to the stairs to the loft and found Emma curled up around her pregnant belly and crying her eyes out. "Emma, dear, what's wrong?" Regina sat next to her on the bed, wrapped her arms around Emma, and held her close.
"I wanna do it." Emma cried. "I want to keep the kid, but I'm so scared." Emma sniffed and tried to wipe away her tears, but more just streamed out. "It'll be impossible to do on my own."
"You won't be on your own." Regina kissed Emma's forehead. "I'll be right here for you and the baby." Regina caressed Emma's stomach as Emma had admitted she liked. There were several minutes of silence as Emma started to calm.
"I'm starting to feel contractions." Emma confessed. "And it scares me to know that soon, the kid's going to be here. I only have a month and a half left in the pregnancy. I... I don't even have anything he'll need!"
"We'll get things ready by the time he comes, mi amor. There's nothing to worry about." Regina ran a hand through Emma's hair and kissed her cheek.
"Mmm... I love when you talk Spanish to me." Emma kissed her girlfriend's lips, which then pulled up into a sultry smile.
"Oh, really?" Regina then started to softly sing a song in Spanish. Emma didn't recognize any of the words, but they put a calming spell on her mind, despite riling the kid up. He seemed to love Regina's voice more than her own, though he had more energy showing his affection. But the tune eventually got to him, too, as mother and son were swept off to sleep.
Regina didn't have the heart to leave Emma, only able to separate from her long enough to make sure both apartment doors were locked for the night before slipping out of her robe and snuggling into Emma's bed to hold her from behind. There wasn't much light in the room, but for a sliver of light coming through the blinds that outlined Emma's form. Emma had stayed relatively skinny throughout her pregnancy, only growing from her stomach and breasts. "Oh, man, why do they gotta hurt? I'm not even gonna breastfeed!" Emma had also voiced the wish for someone to massage them, then immediately turned red and stuttered her way out of the conversation.
Regina smiled at the memory. Emma had a certain... charm. The way she'd always blush when she said anything that could be taken as sexual... Regina once pointed it out, reminding her she was due to have a baby, so why on Earth did she glow red as a tomato every time? Emma then admitted she did it because she really liked Regina and it was more than whatever she felt for her "baby daddy". She didn't want to screw up.
Emma stirred in her sleep, moving one leg between Regina's and her head on Regina's shoulder.
Working for the Mayor was working out quite well. She needed only two more pay days and she'd have enough to fulfill Gold's bet. Hopefully, Emma's baby could wait long enough for Regina to get the second pay. And speaking of the baby, they still had so much to prepare for. There were clothes, diapers, a crib, and all the other things a baby would need. And Regina doubted Emma's nor Regina's loft would be enough room for all that. They would need a house. Maybe she'd need much more than $3000. But at this moment, all Regina wanted was to get lost in Emma's arms.
Emma was getting much needed sleep when the doorbell rang nextdoor. With the walls being so thin, Regina could easily hear it. She exited the apartment to see who it was. Mary Margaret nearly jumped in surprise as Regina appeared beside her.
"Were you looking for me?" Regina asked.
"Oh! Regina, I... yes. I was looking for you. Is... is Emma awake?" She asked, obviously intimidated by the regal woman.
"No. She needs her rest." Regina said, making it obvious she wasn't going to wake her.
"Good. I wanted to talk to you alone. Red and I, well, a bunch of us, really... We're going to throw Emma a surprise baby shower. It's going to be at noon on Friday at the Bed and Breakfast. Since you are with her most, could you keep her here until it's time to start?" Mary Margaret looked up at Regina with big eyes and an innocent look that sickened her, but this was for Emma.
"I can do that." Regina answered.
"Great. Remember: Friday at noon." Mary Margaret left, but not before thanking Regina. Regina returned to Emma's apartment, where the sleepy blonde was descending the stairs.
"Regina? Was that someone outside?"
"No," Regina lied. "I was just talking to myself. Wondering when my beautiful girlfriend would wake up and enjoy the day with me." The diversion was successful and Emma blushed.
"Aw, c'mon, Regina. I'm not beautiful. I look like a manatee." Emma looked down at her growing belly. Regina held Emma close and tipped her chin so she was looking Regina in the eye.
"Emma Swan, you are beautiful. And you do not look like a manatee. You are carrying a child in you and that is a natural and beautiful thing." Regina caressed Emma's cheeks.
"Doesn't always feel like it." Emma muttered. Regina held Emma close and kissed her forehead. Then her nose. Then her lips. Emma deepened the kiss, pulling Regina as close as she could with her baby belly in the way. Emma's hands threaded through brunette hair. Regina nipped at Emma's lip and pulled away.
"You're doing wonderfully, dear. Now, do you want me to warm up your food?"
"Yes, please."
Black Widow Queen
by Sidney Glass
Regina Mills. Just what do we know about the mysterious, yet breathtaking woman? Where is she from? Why did she move to our quiet little town seemingly out of nowhere? Is Regina even her real name? Odds are, you don't have the answers to any of those questions. After months of painstaking research, I came across the true identity of this peculiar vixen.
Imagine: a small island country. The palm trees are swaying, the ocean is sparkling a clear aqua blue, and the fresh smell of sea salt and tropical flowers are on the breeze. This is La Isla del Encanto. It sounds like the perfect place, right? Well, this country is filled with riots and violence and it all starts with one girl.
Regina Mills, born Regina Maria Elana Molinos, wormed her way into the country's king's heart at the meager age of eighteen. For eight years, she seduced the king and had him wrapped around her little finger. She had him buy her gowns, jewels, horses, and everything she wanted, she got. He and his young daughter nearly worshipped the ground she walked on. Until one night, when the girl sent slithering assassins into their beds, killing them by snake bite. The citizens, enraged by the deaths of their beloved monarch, began a revolution. In an act of cowardice, the Evil Queen came here, to Storybrooke, to find a new target to satisfy her bloodlust.
Mr. Gold walked into Glass's office. Glass's rent was a day overdue and Gold was there to collect. Sidney walked out with a stack of tomorrow's newspapers when he spotted Gold.
"M-Mr. Gold! I-I-I'm sorry about the rent." Some of the papers slipped from his hands onto the floor. "I-I'll get it now." Glass set the stack on a table and entered his ofice in the back. Gold glanced at the newspaper stack and did a double-take. Regina's face was front cover. The headline further angered him. Glass was writing rebel propaganda and was going to spread it across Storybrooke! Glass came out of the office, only to be pushed back in by Gold. Mr. Gold slammed him against a cabinet.
"What the hell is this?!" Gold hissed, holding up the newspaper to Glass's face.
"I know a-all about R-Regina." Sidney stammered. "The people d-deserve to know."
"I will not have you spreading this propaganda!" Gold growled. "Where did you hear these lies?" By the end of the day, the newspapers were gone and so was Glass.
"Come on!" Regina laughed.
"Reginaaaaa!" Emma whined. "I don't wanna go! I'm hungry and tired and the kid is making me pee every five minutes." Emma was being dragged by Regina to a "nice lunch date" as Regina put it.
"There will be food and a toilet where we're going. And you're having a child - please don't act like one." They walked together to Granny's, but when Emma tried opening the door, Regina steered her towards the side, where the path to the bed and breakfast was.
"Regina? The food is that way." Emma said, pointing behind them.
"Not today, dear." Before Emma could question her further, Regina pushed her through the door, where a group of people were gathered.
"Surprise!" They all said simultaneously. Emma stood shocked for a moment, taking everything in. A banner saying "IT'S A BOY!" hung across one wall, while blue balloons floated in groups of threes from random furniture around the room. Ruby, Mary Margaret, Ashley with little Alexandra, and even Kathryn were there. Emma's eyes watered.
"Aw, you guys!" Emma sniffled. "You didn't have to..."
"We wanted to, Emma." Mary Margaret said.
"Yeah. So shut up and enjoy the party." Ruby added. Emma grinned and wiped away the tears from her eyes. "Come on, everyone else is in the back. Granny's making food aaaand... there's a chocolate fountain!"
"Lead the way." Emma said, entranced at the idea of a chocolate fountain. Regina followed them to the back, where plenty of people where mingling. Tables upon tables of food were set up, and Emma was already fawning over the chocolate fountain. Belle was talking to Graham, and Marco was laughing with Archie. Watching all of them, Regina knew how close this community was. Everyone knew each other, nearly everyone got along. And Regina was lying to them all.
"Not one for parties?" Kathryn asked.
"No, not really." Regina confessed. They stood there for a moment, watching the people.
"Emma's lucky to have you." Kathryn said.
"What?" Regina's insides twisted. Emma and she were unsure how the small town would take to their relationship, so they'd decided to keep it a secret.
"Emma. When she first came to Storybrooke, she was this skinny little thing who barely talked to anyone. She didn't trust anyone, especially after Glass leaked her life story on the front page. Mary Margaret was the only one to get through to her and even then... But I don't think I've ever seen her smile as much as she has since you came here." They watched Emma laughing with Mary Margaret and David. She then frowned and rolled her eyes before making her way back to the B&B.
"Another bathroom break?" Regina asked when she was near.
"It's like he's on a timer!" Emma said, exasperated before disappearing inside.
When Emma returned, the party really started. They ate food - pasta salad, chicken, and ribs, not to mention the tables of blue frosted cookies and cakes, brownies, and the chocolate fountain Emma kept returning to. They played Ruby's ridiculous games like Guess The Baby Food Flavor and a Milk Drinking Contest, where participants had to chug all the milk from a bottle. The guests tried to stick to the rules, but the funniest moment was when David ripped off the nipple from his bottle and chugged the milk, getting it all down his front. Finally, it was time for the presents. Everyone gathered in the backyard, where a table was swamped with gifts. Marco's gift was first, as it was the most obvious one: a beautiful crib he made by hand. The railing twisted and split to look like tree branches and kings, queens, and other fairytale characters adorned the posts. The headboard had a carving of a swan wearing a crown with its wings raised and above that, hung a mobile with little wooden stars.
"It's so beautiful!" Emma admired. Marco really out-did himself.
Next was Ashley's gift: a pack of little onesies and some pacifiers.
"It may seem like a lot now, but he'll outgrow them faster than he can wear them." Ashley said. Ruby and Granny had the same idea, but the clothes were a little bigger, for when he grows. Belle gave a feather-soft plush lion and one of those plastic toys with all the different shapes cut out and corresponding plastic pieces.
"It's to help develop his problem-solving skills." she said.
A huge supply of diapers and clothing were added to the crib, where all the open gifts were being held. She also recieved a diaper changing mat, a car seat, a baby sling carrier, a stroller, a high chair, tiny shoes, bottles, toys, a towel set where the hood looked like a dinosaur, and a fairy tale book. Thanks were given and the party mostly wound down. Only David and Emma's closest friends were left. They lounged back and talked about nothing and everything.
"Have you thought of any names, yet?" Mary Margaret asked.
"Sort of." Emma said, picking at the half-eaten piece of cake on her plate. "I don't want to name him anything I can make fun of, 'cause if I can think of something, other kids can, too. And I don't want him to be bullied because of his name."
"I'm sure kids aren't that mean." Mary Margaret said.
"Are you kidding me? Charlie from second grade switched schools because the kids kept calling him "Up-Chuck". And in eigth grade, Suzy Peña got suspended for punching a guy who kept calling her "Pen-ass." Kids are cruel."
"How about Oliver?" Mary Margaret asked.
"No."
"Benjamin?"
"No."
"Jasper?"
"Hell no!"
Each woman took turns thinking of names for the baby and each time, Emma didn't like the name. They were about to give up when Regina mentioned a name.
"Henry?" Regina said it mostly to herself, but the rest of them heard.
"I... I kinda like Henry." Regina looked up from her glass of iced tea she had been sipping.
"Really?" Regina asked, surprised. "Henry is my father's name." She said a bit shyly.
"Yeah, that sounds nice." Kathryn agreed.
"What do you think, Kid? Do you want to be named Henry?" Emma asked her baby bump. There was a few seconds of nothing before they saw a bump shaped like a foot roll across her stomach.
"I think he likes it." All the women fawned over Emma's baby bump, feeling for another kick. Emma and Regina shared a look over their heads. Henry it was.
"Emma," David called. "I have everything packed in the truck. Just tell me when you want to go." The girls hugged and said goodbye. Emma carried plates piled with sweets with her into David's truck, while Regina stayed behind to help clean up. David drove Emma back to her apartment so he could help her unload the things into her home.
"This was really nice for you to do for Emma." Regina said to Ruby.
"She's like family. And I know how she was afraid she wouldn't be able to get any of these things for Henry. It was the least we could do."
"Still, it was a kind thing to do."
"It's what we do." Ruby shrugged. "This whole town... we're like one big family. Yeah, some of us may argue, but when it comes down to it, we help each other out."
Mary Margaret waited for Emma to come out of the Doctor's office. She was asking Dr. Whale if there was anything she could do to relieve the pain of contractions. Bored of waiting, Mary Margaret walked through the room filled with patients. She regularly volunteered in the hospital, so her presence was not unwelcome. Walking along, she noticed an old man she'd never seen before. He was sitting up in bed with a cast around one leg.
"Hello." She greeted, "I'm Mary Margaret. I've never seen you here before."
"I just arrived." He said. "I'm here to join my daughter, perhaps you know her?" His voice had a hint of a Spanish accent and the only person in town anywhere near Latin descent was none other than...
"Regina?" Mary Margaret asked. "You're Regina's father?"
"Yes, I am." Henry smiled.
"Oh! I'm sure Regina would be thrilled to know you're here. She's such a lovely woman."
"Thank you. She gets that from me." Henry joked.
"Okay, M&M." Emma exited Whale's office and made her way to her friend. "Let's..." Emma froze. That man... She recognized him from Regina's pictures.
"Henry?"