Title: She Will Sing
Fandom: Once Upon a Time
Pairings: Swan Queen
Rating: T
Spoilers: No.
Summary: Bedtime Series 14: The door slammed behind Emma, leaving Regina standing in the middle of the entryway by herself, her mouth open not understanding what just happened. She thought Emma would be happy. She thought the blonde would see this as another chance, for both of them. Her gaze dropped to her belly, flat and not even close to showing the baby.
Author's Note: Prompt from Tumblr: Are you ever going to make a actual multi-chapter of bedtime series, I would like to read more about the time Regina was all by herself and pregnant, a little angst never hurt no one.
I'm so sorry this took so long. School and work have been hectic and, well…I'm really lazy. A lot of people are commenting on Emma being an ass. Emma will stop, but you have to understand that she's use to drawing the short straw and she's still getting use to magic. Henry will be a big help, I think, I just have to play it right. I don't want Regina or Emma to forgive each other too quickly. I want it to be gradual and as realistic as possible.
And remember, Regina had crazy mood swings with her pregnancy with Adeline. It will be sort of featured in this chapter. Regina is angry.
Also, yes I am aware the Charming's real name is David, but I'm not going to go back through all these stories to change it to David. The Bedtime Series will be finished with him as James.
Disclaimer: I own nothing.
/
"How come you don't believe Mom?"
Emma looked up from her phone to face her son who walked into her newly reclaimed room at her parents' apartment. The boy was dressed in his last pair of clean clothes, too small for him now that he was growing like a weed. Confusion was clearly painted on his face. "What was that, kid?"
He inched into the room. "Mom's telling the truth. Why don't you believe her?"
The blonde gave a sigh and put her phone down on her side table before patting the spot on her mattress next to her. "Come here, kid." Henry moved into the room slowly and when he finally sat down on Emma's bed, there was a noticeable gap between them. "This thing, happening between me and your Mom, you don't have to worry about that." She ducked her head to catch his eyes and put her hand on his shoulder, thankful that he didn't shrug it off. She knew she couldn't handle her son's careful sting of rejection.
"I do worry though. You're angry all the time, locked up here, cleaning your gun. Yeah, I know you do that." He commented when her jaw dropped. "You're here and Mom is at home." Henry stressed the last word so that it was clear to Emma. "Home, Emma. This is not home. This is Grandma and Gramps' home. Not ours." He stood and gave her a Mills glare. Emma felt her eyes water at the sight of her ex's characteristics. "Our home is with Mom."
"Your Mom-"
"-is having a baby! My sibling and your baby. Don't do to Mom what Neal did to you."
That was a different sting then she was expecting. She constantly fought to make sure she was never compared to anyone, let alone the man who knocked her up and sent her to jail for his own crimes, and to have her own child make the comparison shook her in a way she didn't want to admit. Guilt licked at her mind, but frustration and anger covered it quickly. She had nothing to feel guilty about. She was faithful to Regina. It wasn't her fault that the other woman didn't follow the same rule. Taking a cleansing breath, Emma caught his eyes. "How can you be so sure that she's not lying?"
"How can you be so sure that she is?" The boy shot back, his own frustration nearly overflowing. "She was happy, why would she ruin that? Isn't that everything Mom ever wanted? To be happy? She cursed an entire land to be happy, Emma. She told about the magic. Look it up or ask Mr. Gold. I know my Mom and she's not lying!" He shook his head and made to leave the room. "You need to figure it out because I'm going back. I want my house and real food. I want my room with my bed, not a lumpy couch. I want my shampoo and Mom's candles and my comics and toys. I want my home and I want my Mom." Henry stalked from the room, slamming the door behind him in a teenager-esque way, leaving a stunned Emma behind.
The blonde closed her eyes and breathed out slowly. "Maybe he's right." She mumbled to herself. She fell back onto her bed. "Looks like I'm making a trip to Gold's.
/
"Mom?" The boy called as he opened their front door.
"Henry?" Henry watched his Mom swiftly walk down the stairs, her eyes on him the whole time. He jumped up the small set of steps to meet her. She was different, Henry noticed as she got closer. Her clothes were different than the ones she was in earlier, looser for comfort, he figured. When she was close to him, she knelt in front of him. "Why are you here? Are you okay?" Her hands hovered over his arms as she checked for any visible injuries. Once she was satisfied that no harm had come to him, she met his eyes.
"I'm fine, Mom." He smiled wide. "I told you I was coming back, remember?"
"I didn't think you meant today, dear." She laughed through her sudden tears and he shrugged good naturedly.
"Well, I missed you." He wrapped his arms around her neck, much like he did when she was on the sidewalk crying. He was careful of the barely-there-bump he felt against his shins when his Mom pulled him closer. His Mom's body shook with silent snobs. Henry stayed silent for a moment, allowing his Mom the moment to cry, before he lifted his head from the top of her dark brown hair. "Are you wearing pajama bottoms?"
/
"Sheriff Swan," Mr. Gold crooned. "I was wondering when you'd be here to see me." The thin man grinned, sending a chill down Emma's spine. Bella rolled her eyes and left the front room where Gold and Emma stood. "I heard about you leaving our dear Queen. What, may I ask, happened to make such events line up?"
"I need to know about Witching Nights." She grumbled.
Gold's eyes only widened a fraction, but it was enough that it had Emma smirking, despite her current situation. "Is it true then? Her Majesty is with child?"
"Tell me about Witching Nights." Emma growled instead of answering his questions, though the look in his eye told Emma she gave a firm yes when she refused to give him an answer. Gold, aided by his cane, limped over to an overflowing bookcase. Emma felt the corners of her mouth lift at hearing his curses towards Belle for filling his space with her books. "Trouble in paradise?"
Gold shot her a dark glare. "I could say the same for you, dearie." The blonde's face smoothed into a cool mask, silent at his quip and waited for him to pull a dark blue bound book and lay it on the glass counter beside Emma. "A book about witches. In this book is all you'll ever need to learn about your Queen's magical genetic makeup."
She eyed the thick book. "How much?"
He let out a giggle that her Father tried to mimic awhile back to show her. It was funny when James did it, not so much when the former Dark One did. "For today? It's on the house."
Emma turned her suspicious eye to him. "Why?"
"Is it so surprising that I'll give you something without asking for something in return?"
"Yes."
"Let it go, Sheriff," He slid the book roughly into her hand, "and take it."
/
"What a pleasant surprise, Miss Swan." The woman who swung open the front door was different then the woman who dropped to her knees in tears just that afternoon. It was like a switch was flipped and the angry Evil Queen was let out of her carefully locked cage. "To what do I owe this visit?"
Emma crossed her arms, pressing the book against her chest, at the fake smile on Regina's face. Where had everything gone so wrong? A month ago they were, what Emma thought, in love or on their way to being in love. They had a family together, the two of them and Henry. They had family dinners and family game nights and family movie nights. The town and her parents were learning to tolerate Regina walking among them. They were learning to be more accepting of the Evil Queen and the Savior living under the same roof.
How did it go so wrong?
"Is Henry here? We got into an argument and he ran off." Emma finally asked, leaning to the side to look around Regina into the house.
"Yes, he's home, where he belongs."
Emma let out frustrated grunt. "Don't start this crap with me, Regina. I'm his Mother and I think-"
"Stop." Regina raised a hand and took a step closer to the blonde woman on her porch. "By biological markers, yes you are his Mother. But in the eyes of Maine and the state laws, I am Henry's legal Mother. You're lucky, Swan, that I did not call in outside forces when you removed Henry from his house without my consent."
"Who the hell do you think you are? Henry-"
"-is old enough to choose where he want to live. Why live on a couch when he can come home and have his own bed?"
Emma scowled deeply, stepping up so she was nose to nose with Regina. "He doesn't care about that stuff, it only matters if he's with his family. Me, Snow, and James. His family." The not so subtle hint that Regina was not family to Henry had the fire of anger burning brighter in the pit of Regina's stomach.
"Henry is staying here. This is his home and you will not take him again." She told Emma through gritted teeth after a moment, reminding herself that Queen's do not lose their temper.
"This is not his home. He's coming with me. If I have to fight you to get to him, I will."
"Stop it!" Both women were pushed apart from each other by Henry. The boy heard them fighting from the kitchen and slipped between them unnoticed. "Stop it, please!" Regina was the first to look away to look at Henry. "Mom, please stop. For me. For my brother or sister."
He held up a hand and she took it and stepped away from the woman. "You're right, Henry. I'm sorry." He nodded and looked back at Emma.
"I already told you that I was going home. Why are you trying to make me go back to Grandma's?"
Emma bent at the waist, a hand on her knee. "I don't think you're old enough to make this kind of decision Henry."
"What?" His face was enraged. The split second emotion change startled Emma who stood straight. "What? Are you kidding me? You thought I was old enough when I was ten, but now that I'm not picking you, I'm too young to make this choice for myself?"
"Henry, that's not what I mean and you know it." She breathed out, closing and rubbing her eyes in exasperation.
"I don't want to live with Grandma and Gramps." He spoke slowly. "I want to live with you and Mom. Like we were before, when we were a family." Henry shook his dark head and his eyes hardened. "You can't take me back there. I won't go. I'll keep running away and coming back here because this is where I belong, where we belong."
TBC