Good news is there are a few extra chapters left in this story. All of what I wanted to include is not going to fit into the 33 chapters I'd originally planned. Bad news is this chapter's a little on the shorter side. The next chapter is underway, however, and should hopefully be a bit longer. And because a few of you have asked, the next chapter of BEL is in progress, and yes, I have another EC planned for when that one's close to done. Because I'm obsessed. And a little bit nuts. You guys are the best!

Holiday Spirit

Chapter 30

"David!" Regina shouted from upstairs. He dropped the cloth he'd been using to wipe down the kitchen counters and looked up at the concerned tone of her voice. It couldn't be about Henry. Derek had spent the last two weeks adapting to living in a real life fairy tale, spending all of his time with Snow, so Henry was spending the weekend with Emma and the two of them. "Can you come up here, please?"

It only took a minute for him to get up the steps, and entering the bedroom, he found her standing in the center of the room, pale as a sheet – not a color he was used to seeing on her. He was immediately worried.

"What's wrong? What is it? Are you okay?" He was by her side in an instant, feeling her forehead, looking her over. "Are you sick?"

She shook her head minutely and he breathed a little easier, at least knowing that there was nothing physically wrong with her. "What's the matter?" he asked again, brushing a hand across her cheek.

She leaned into the contact and took a deep breath.

"I think I might be pregnant," she told him, voice shaking.

He swallowed.

"David…" she prompted as he just stood there.

"Are you sure?"

She shook her head. "I took the test several times, and it explains the way I've been feeling lately, but it's so early. I'd need to see a doctor to be sure."

"We should go then," he said. "Do you want to go today?"

She nodded. "Please? Would it be alright if we went right now? I just…I need to know."

"Of course. Let's go." He led her down the stairs, helping her into her coat before throwing on his own and grabbing his keys, ushering her out the front door.

The car ride was silent, neither of them saying anything until they were at the reception desk of the hospital.

Regina checked in, not telling the receptionist why she was there, only informing her she needed to see a doctor as quickly as possible.

They drew a lot of attention sitting together in the waiting area, especially with the way Regina was bouncing her leg up and down nervously, the tap of her heels echoing in the sterile hallway. Every nurse and doctor that passed by watching them curiously, and Regina growing more and more impatient with each one that clearly wasn't there to help her.

A tall blonde doctor finally stopped as she reached them, looking between them with interest. "Mayor Mills?" she asked. She looked slightly nervous, but managed to hold her ground when Regina stood abruptly.

"It's about damn time!"

"If you'll just follow me," the doctor said, turning back the direction she'd come.

David stood as well and followed, hand resting on Regina's back to help calm her. "She's here to help you," he told her softly. "Try not to bite her head off."

Regina sighed in irritation, but nodded.

When they'd reached the exam room and the door was shut behind them, the woman turned back to Regina, hand held out to shake. "I'm Dr. Patterson. You can call me Jill."

Regina noticed the slight shake of the woman's hand when she took it and hoped that the woman didn't notice the same in hers before she'd quickly extracted her hand.

"Soo…" Dr. Patterson said, watching her. "I want to help you, but I can't really do much until you tell me the problem. Reception said you didn't give a reason for your visit."

"I don't need a bunch of nurses gossiping about my life," Regina snipped, and David sighed.

"Trying to help," he reminded her.

"Fine."

The blonde looked slightly perplexed by how Regina responded to David, but bit the inside of her lip nervously when Regina's dark, penetrating gaze fixed on her.

"I think I may be pregnant," Regina told her. "And I need to know for certain."

"Oh."

The woman looked bowled over, apparently not someone who'd seen the pair together during the spell; not with the way she was looking back and forth between them with shock.

"Is that your professionalism showing?" Regina asked snidely, apparently unable to follow David's advice for more than a sentence at a time. He just put a hand up to his face, rubbing it down his forehead tiredly, understanding that riding Regina about her nasty habits wasn't going to do any good in this situation.

Jill cleared her throat. "I'm sorry, ummm. I just wasn't expecting yo—" She shook her head, as if to clear the words she was about to say. "Sorry." She picked up her clipboard from the counter off to the side. "You took a home pregnancy test, I assume?"

"Four," Regina clarified, eyes narrowing as the blonde's eyes widened dramatically.

The doctor managed to reel in her reaction, however, only lightly clearing her throat again before asking, "And they were all positive?"

"Of course they were all positive! Why else would I be here?"

"Regina," David called, shaking his head, unable to continue to watch the poor doctor squirm under the intensity of his girlfriend.

She bit the inside of her cheek, glaring at David, but cutting off what was sure to have become a rant about the girl's insufferable incompetence.

"Alright," Jill said calmly. "Then I have some questions for you."

Regina managed to hold her tongue through most of the following questions, being poked and prodded and then made to wait what felt like an eternity. When Jill finally reappeared, Regina's stomach twisted up in knots until Jill told her they'd have to wait for the results.

"How long?" Regina asked anxiously.

"The lab usually takes about five hours."

"Five hours?!" Regina asked incredulously. "I'm meant to wait five hours to find out?"

"I'm sorry, that's just how long it takes. And that's with a rush on it. You can jump the line of tests, but you can't rush the actual process itself. That's the best I can do."

"There's no way to know more quickly than that?" she asked.

"Nothing that wouldn't yield the same results as the home test. The blood test will give us a more definitive answer. There's always an ultrasound, but that would only—"

"Yes!" Regina jumped in. "If that would get us an answer faster, let's do that."

Jill shook her head. "You didn't let me finish. An ultrasound would only show a pregnancy that has progressed more than five weeks, and even then sometimes it's too hard to see anything. It's only a few hours, and then you'll know. I will call you the second I have the results," she promised, wondering where the dire urgency stemmed from.

"There's really nothing you can do?" she asked, and Jill was surprised to hear the pleading in the woman's voice. Up until that point, she'd been rude, condescending, demanding, and not a little terrifying. It was the most human she'd ever seen the queen.

She shook her head silently, wishing she had a better answer to give, and was grateful when David stepped up behind Regina.

"She said she'll let us know the second she finds out. Let's go get some lunch. We'll find a way to distract ourselves until it's time."

"David," she said quietly, and he nodded.

"I know." Kissing her forehead he pulled her into a hug. "Five hours. We can do five hours."

She bit her bottom lip and nodded lightly against his shoulder. Standing back, she cleared her throat, straightened her jacket and looked at the doctor. "You will call the second you have the results," she commanded in a tone not to be messed with.

Jill nodded quickly. "Of course," she agreed.

Without another word, Regina strode past her, trusting that David would follow.

He marveled at the strength she emulated, walking down the hallway as if she owned the place, confidence and power radiating from her even though he knew it was the opposite of what she was feeling.

With a pang, he wondered just how much pain and fear she'd been hiding all of those years in the Enchanted Forest when he saw her as nothing but the powerful and evil queen. And the things she must have gone through to perfect such a convincing mask.

As they left the hospital, he matched her stride, allowing his hand to brush against hers in invitation. She accepted, sliding her hand into his. They didn't say anything, but he squeezed her hand in support as they headed to his truck, and smiled lightly when he felt her return it.

They could wait five hours.