Chapter 22
Snow walked to the corner store slowly, taking in the crisp air. She was ecstatic, whistling the entire way there. Seeing Regina with a giant belly waddling down Main Street would bring her such happiness. In her mind, the tests had already been taken. Ruby smelled the hormone change and Regina felt fatigued and nauseous. The signs were all there. Snow was walking on cloud nine.
When she finally reached the pharmacy counter, Sneezy was snoozing on the counter, his nose red from aggressive wiping. Snow knocked on the counter and the infinitely sick man jumped, wide-eyed.
"Oh," He sneezed, "Snow! How could I help you?"
"I need," Another sneeze, "a pregnancy test."
"Oh!" A smile and a nasally snort, "Are possible congratulations in order?"
"Yes! It's not for me though. We just had Neal," Another sneeze, "Charming and I aren't that good."
Sneezy smiled shakily and pointed to the left, "Aisle 6."
"Thanks!" Snow traversed to the specified aisle and found the tests. There were at least a dozen of them, all different kinds, and Snow thought about calling Regina to ask if she had a preference but quickly shot that idea down. She didn't want to tip off Emma or Charming. She decided to get one box of the high-tech expensive ones and two boxes of the cheap brand. She picked up some flavored seltzer, hoping for a reason to toast later, a box of pre-packaged cupcakes, and milk.
Snow walked to register, finding no line, and placed everything on the counter. Dopey smiled goofily and began scanning the items. When he reached the tests, his eyes widened and he gaped at Snow's belly.
"Whoa! You work fast!" Dopey exclaimed before letting out a miniscule burp, "Whoa! I can still taste my lunch!"
"They're not for me, Dopey." Snow smiled widely. She loved his loopy behavior immensely. It never failed to make her cheery.
"Oh!" Dopey nodded quickly, his mouth hanging open. He grabbed the boxes and scanned them without further comment. Snow grinned as he bagged slowly, scratching his head. He handed her the bag and turned away. Snow smirked.
"Dopey!" He turned back and felt her thrust money into his hands, "Just keep the change."
Snow sighed happily as she entered the apartment. She was welcomed by Charming and Henry's squeals as they played Mario Kart. She took a cursory glance around.
"Where's Emma?" Snow questioned as she walked to the kitchen to put away the food and drinks. Charming turned his head while Henry picked a new avatar.
"She ran upstairs and then, like ten minutes later, Ruby raced out of here." Snow swore she got whiplash from snapping her eyes up the stairs. She smiled insincerely towards her husband.
"Weird." Snow laughed uncomfortably. Her husband, being the adorable goof he was, simply shrugged with a smile before turning back to the game. Snow furrowed her eyebrows, hoping that nothing horrendous happened during her absence. She doubled bagged the pregnancy tests and made her way upstairs slowly. When she reached Emma's door, she heard her daughter's laugh and smiled. She leaned towards the door, hoping to find out what was funny.
"Be nervous freaks together." Snow tilted her head in confusion.
"Exactly." She heard Regina chuckle. Snow was glad to hear them seemingly joking around. She heard shuffling.
"Hey, squishy. It's your Mama." Snow gasped as she felt tears gather in her eyes. Did Emma know? Snow peeked her head in inconspicuously. She saw that her daughter was speaking to Regina's abdomen and allowed a few tears to fall. Emma knew that Regina may be pregnant and they were smiling and laughing. Snow didn't stay longer, not wanting to infringe on the special moment.
The mother of two walked downstairs with a huge smile adorning her face. Everything was falling into place. She glanced at the couch, noticing that the boys were no longer present. She quirked a brow before shrugging and walking back into the kitchen to put away the tests. She hid them under the sink, next to the cleaning supplies, knowing none of slobs in that household would open that cabinet. God forbid they did some chores.
"So," Snow jumped, letting out a shriek, before smacking her husband's arm, "Pregnancy tests? Anything I should know?"
"Damn it," Snow clutched at her chest, "I need to put a bell around your neck. You are way too stealthy."
"Who needs those tests?" Charming smiled, already knowing the answer. Snow looked around to make sure Henry wasn't around.
"Regina." Snow whispered. Charming broke out into a blinding smile, his hands grabbing Snow's shoulders.
"My mom's pregnant!" Snow and Charming shrieked loudly. Henry stood by the couch with a large grin.
"Now I see why Regina says you can't keep a secret." Charming laughed. Snow groaned.
"It's been five minutes!" Charming yelled through the bathroom door.
"She hasn't even tinkled yet!" Snow shouted back. The three women were in the bathroom, opening the boxes and preparing the area. Charming and Henry were camped right outside with snacks and handheld devices.
"You want to hurry it up mom?" Henry yelled, stuffing his face with popcorn. Regina groaned.
"She's having performance anxiety!" Emma chuckled before crying out when Regina pinched her forearm, "Ow!"
Snow chuckled, "Alright, alright. Let's do this. Regina, would you like some privacy?"
"Yes but," The older brunette looked at her lover, "You stay. You did this to me."
"Wow, is this what the next nine months is going to be like?" Emma joked, her excitement evident in her voice. Snow exited the bathroom, taking a seat next to her husband. She grabbed a bag of pretzels, chewing anxiously.
"We have tinkle takeoff!" Emma yelled. Snow and Charming clapped loudly so that the two women could hear them. Henry whistled. After a few minutes, Snow became antsy.
"How's it going?"
"We just finished the tinkle process. Now we wait." Emma opened the door, allowed Regina to exit, and then followed. They sat in front of Henry, smiling at him eagerly. Regina grabbed his hand.
"Henry, are you okay with this?" Emma asked timidly. She knew that when she was young, a new baby meant back to the system. She wondered if that fear of abandonment applied to adopted kids. She hoped that the boy would be okay. She wanted her children to be close and love one another, even if they would be about fifteen years apart in age.
"Totally!" Henry nodded enthusiastically, "I can't wait!"
"You'll retract that statement when the baby screeches bloody murder at 3 o'clock in the morning." Charming stated, chuckling when Henry's eyes widened.
"I may stay over here more often though," Emma ruffled his hair, "A growing dude needs beauty sleep."
"Please never refer to yourself as a dude ever again." Regina said, stealing a kernel of popcorn from Henry's bowl. The group smiled, the butterflies in their stomachs making them feel as if time was ultra slow. They heard the front door fly open and close with a bang. Ruby appeared at the top of the stairs.
"Did I miss it?" The wolf sprinted and plopped herself next to Emma. Snow smiled. She realized that the two must have buried the hatchet.
"No. We're waiting." Ruby sighed, scouring the pile of snacks for something sweet. She pulled out a box of chocolate and powdered donuts.
"How much longer?" She munched on a powdered donut, a white residue creating a mustache on her upper lip.
"A few minutes." Regina smiled, rubbing her knees. Ruby bounced excitedly and Snow squealed.
"So, are you girls excited?" Charming asked, resting his arm around Snow's shoulders. Regina nodded.
"I've been fantasizing about being pregnant for a very long time. I thought it would always be just that, a fantasy." Emma caressed the brunette's thigh lovingly before turning to her father.
"I've actually been thinking about this for weeks. I can't believing it's happening." The blonde blushed.
"Might be. We don't know for sure. Let's not get our hopes up." Regina sighed. She was afraid to disappoint her family and herself. She always believed that if you expected the worst than you would never be disheartened. That's how she lived her life. But the possible pregnancy was different. Regina was already thinking of names and outfits and colors to paint the room. She fantasized about life changes. Would Emma move into the mansion? Would Henry follow? Would they get married?
The incessant thoughts should've been harrowing but it made the brunette excited for the future. She begged every deity in existence to make this happen, to let her be pregnant, to not screw her over.
A small ding emanated from the bathroom and all the occupants jumped up. Emma stated unnecessarily, "That's the timer. The tests should be done."
Regina interlaced their fingers and moved into the bathroom, feeling everyone else follow. The small bathroom was crowded as Regina lifted the first test, the expensive one.
"Positive!" The combined scream of joy probably roused every Storybrooke citizen. Regina picked up the second, third, fourth, and fifth test. She began crying hysterically. Emma hugged her tightly, burying her face into Regina's hair.
"They're all positive!" Emma shouted happily, jumping up and down with tears streaming down her face. Snow was hysterically sobbing in Charming's arms. Ruby was smiling from ear-to-ear. Henry's eye's glistened as he ran over to his mothers and wrapped an arm around each one.
"I'm so happy!" Snow cried. Charming threw up a hand, urging Emma to high-five, "I'm so happy… I think I'm going to vomit!"
Everyone cleared the path to the toilet as Snow lurched forward causing everything in sight to tumble to the floor, including her husband and daughter.
A/N: Another sappy Charming-Swan-Mills family moment! I love writing them as a unit!