A/N: Surprise! I didn't plan on writing this chapter, but I woke up with an idea and quickly got this down on paper for you all. So, please enjoy this little bonus update, a Mother's Day flash forward full of Swan-Mills family fluff!
But first, thank you for your comments on the last chapter! It seems to have created a pretty strong divide between people totally loving the possible paternity thing and people hating it (which I kind of like that my writing has become controversial? That's a first, and it's kind of nice to spark such strong feelings, even though I obviously would have preferred it if everyone had been overjoyed about it). A few anon reviewers indicated that they'll no longer be reading because they don't want Robin [or Killian] to donate, and if they happen to read this note, I can understand that and I'm glad you were honest about it, so thank you. I truly appreciate that you were all polite and respectful about it in your comments, even though you disagreed with the direction it appears that I'm taking the story. I'm sorry to see you go, but thank you for reading up to this point, and I hope you'll give other stories I write a chance. I do want to say, though, that there are still a lot of unknowns – just because they proposed the idea of Robin/Killian during their conversation in the last chapter doesn't mean that will ultimately come to pass (a lot can still happen).
To assuage the worries of any readers who may be concerned that they're even considering using the guys, I want to reiterate that their relationships with the guys have always (and will always) be purely platonic. Regina never thought of Robin as her husband in any way that would undermine what she has with Emma, as she was never in love with him. Killian and Emma have never been involved in any sort of romantic relationship at any point in their history in this universe. I will not be using paternity as a point of angst or conflict between the women. In this case, it would literally a friend helping out a friend. And most importantly, it felt like something this Emma and Regina would at least consider given their friendship with their BroTPs in this verse, so I felt like I would be remiss and unrealistic to not include that as a possible option.
And, as will be discussed in the next chapter, in no way would any donor have a fatherly role to Emma and Regina's baby (nor would he play a role in the pregnancy experience. His involvement would end as soon as he makes his donation). If a baby comes along via donation, it will be 100% SwanQueen!baby in every way. (We'll see more of Regina's reasoning for not wanting to use a stranger in the next chapter, too. There's a more complex backstory to it than just wanting to use a friend, and she's even a little weirded out by the idea of using Robin). But if that's not your cup of tea, I totally understand that, too.
So, I hope you'll still stick around and give it a chance. Not every chapter will mention pregnancy-related things, since there are other things happening in their lives, too. They're still very much in the early discussion and planning stages of the whole having a baby together thing. I'd encourage you to keep reading, or if you're still hesitant right now but would otherwise be interested in seeing how this fic turns out if it weren't for the possible Robin sperm aspect, peek ahead to the AN at the end of Ch. 20, which reveals which path I chose. You can read that note and then decide if you want to keep going.
But if you do decide to end the story here, I do thank you for reading up to this point.
Sorry, that was so long-winded. But anyway, if you're still with me, enjoy this flash forward full of Mother's Day fluff, set 3 years in the future.
Mother's Day 2021, 8:45am.
"Crap!" Roland shouted as he frowned at the mess he made.
"Shhh," Henry scolded as he looked at his brother. "You're too loud. You're going to wake them up."
"You worry too much," Roland rolled his eyes as he returned to his task of cracking eggs, using a paper towel to clean up the egg he dropped on the floor. "They can both sleep through anything now."
"Are you almost done?" Henry asked, peering over the shorter boy's shoulder.
"Yeah, here you go," he said, handing the big bowl of eggs to his brother.
"Thank you." Henry quickly placed his finely-chopped bell peppers, tomatoes, and broccoli into the bowl, gave it a quick whisk, and then split it between two cast iron skillets on the stove. "It should just take a few minutes for the omelets to cook. Can you go grab the cheese out of the fridge?"
Roland nodded as he did walked over to the refrigerator, pulling out the pepperjack for his mom and the cheddar for Emma. Henry handed him the grater so he could get to work shredding the cheese to use in the omelets, while the older boy poured the hot water from the tea kettle into the French press, hoping that the eggs and coffee would be done at the same time so neither would get cold.
Henry watched as the eggs started to cook, and taking a spatula to loosen them around the edges, he expertly flipped the eggs with a flick of his wrist and the pan. Roland watched on in awe. "I still don't know how you do that. I tried it once and it splattered everywhere. Mom banned me from using the kitchen for a week."
Henry laughed as he repeated his actions with the second omelet, gesturing for Roland to hand him the cheese. "Dad taught me. It takes a lot of practice." He waited a few more minutes for the cheese to melt, and then plated the two large omelets alongside the edible flower that adorned each plate. Roland quickly added a few strips of bacon and a handful of fresh berries to each plate as well, and he poured the coffee into matching "I heart my Moms" mugs they had given the women the year before for Mother's Day.
"Can you go get the girls?" Henry asked as he set both plates and coffee cups onto a large wooden tray.
"Yep," Roland smiled as he walked toward the stairs leading up to the second floor of the large Victorian-style home, while Henry walked carefully behind him, balancing the heavy tray in his hands. As soon as he had turned 15, he started helping out at his father's restaurants, bussing tables and occasionally hosting when it got crowded. He gradually moved into a server role when he gained a little more experience, and had even assisted with small tasks in the kitchen. He was quickly becoming interested in pursuing a career in the hospitality industry, hoping one day to continue the Locksley legacy. In his two years at the restaurants thus far, he had become quite coordinated when it came to balancing heavy trays and maneuvering around obstacles. But nonetheless, it was a special day and he would have hated to ruin the surprise, so he was extra careful navigating the stairs.
By the time he reached the top, Roland emerged from one of the bedrooms with his two little sisters flanking his sides. Ava had just turned two the week before, and she sleepily rubbed her eyes with one hand as she held onto her brother's hand with her other. The youngest girl, Bella, rested her head on her big brother's shoulder as he carried her on his hip. "Ready?" he asked looking at Henry.
"Yeah. Can you get the door?" he asked nodding toward the master bedroom. "Oh, and make sure you knock first," he said, his face distorting in distaste briefly as he remembered far too many times when he had burst into the room without giving the women fair warning.
Roland cringed, as he had been subjected to that fate as well on more than one occasion. "Ew." He temporarily let go of Ava's hand as he brought it to the door, knocking three times.
"Come in," he heard his mother's voice call through the door.
He slowly turned the knob, bringing his free hand to cover his eyes as he stuck his head through the door. "Is everybody decent?"
"Yes, dear," Regina laughed as she pushed herself to a seated position, the blonde next to her echoing her movements with a blush on her face. Emma was still embarrassed by the few times they had been interrupted, not used to having kids around that would barge in unannounced. Regina had assured her that scarring their children for life was simply a rite of passage for parents.
"Happy Mother's Day!" Henry called as he followed Roland into the room.
"What's all this?" Regina asked as she tried to see what was on the tray in Henry's hands.
"Your breakfast," Roland smiled. The younger boy helped put his two sisters up on the large bed, while he sat down on the end of the bed to make room for Henry and the tray.
The girls immediately started crawling toward the food, and Roland had to hold them back. "No, girls, that's for your mommies."
"Hungry," Ava said, pointing at the tray as Bella crawled back to her brother's lap.
"I'll share," Regina said, holding her hand out for the girl to take. The girl's blue eyes widened as she smiled, happily crawling toward her mother.
Bella watched on in wonder and confusion, still clinging to her brother's side.
"What about you, Bella?" Emma asked, laughing at the girl's curly blonde hair that was falling out of the braid they had put it in the night before. "Is it too early to introduce her to a hair straightener?" Emma joked.
"Don't you dare. I love her curls," Regina commented, sending a glare in Emma's direction before taking a bite of her omelet. "Oh my God, this is amazing," she said, genuinely.
"Thank you," Henry smiled.
"Seriously, your dad needs to use you in his kitchen more. I think his weekend brunch sous-chef is starting to slack off a bit. You should step in and show him how it's done," she said, breaking off a small piece of the egg to feed to her daughter.
"Your mom's right, kid," Emma added, already having devoured half of the omelet and all of her bacon. "This is incredible."
"Thank you," Henry said again. "So, is there anything you want to do on your big day?"
Emma looked over at Regina, unable to stop the smile from gracing her lips as she watched the brunette cuddle the still-sleepy toddler in her arms.
"Not in particular," Regina said, meeting Emma's eyes and smiling before looking over at their other daughter, who had finally left the safety of her brother's arms and was crawling toward the now-empty tray with curiosity, grasping for the fork.
Emma quickly grabbed it and moved it out of her reach before leaning forward and picking up the girl, who chuckled "Mama" as she was brought into the blonde's lap. It wasn't the first time Bella had said that word, but it still made her heart flutter every time she heard it. "I'm content just to stay here all day," Emma added. "Especially if you guys want to clean the house so that we don't have to do it," she said, wiggling her eyebrows.
"Oooh, yes," Regina confirmed turning to her boys. "I like the sound of that."
"Umm…" Roland started.
"How about a movie and pajamas day instead?" Henry quickly offered.
Regina laughed and looked around at her family. "That sounds perfect."
A/N: I hope you enjoyed the fluff! And a little spoiler, as now you know that Regina and Emma will still be together in 3 years (hopefully that was obvious anyway) and that they have two young daughters, though how that came to happen is still to be revealed.
The next chapter will return to the regular timeline and be full of awkward conversations and the contest results! I think you might be surprised by what happens with that, because I love a twist :D I'm also going to try to start updating this once or twice per week, because I have a lot planned for it and really want to wrap this up this summer, and my schedule is going to get insane very soon. I keep putting off starting a new fic, and I want to start working on that, so I think I need to get this one completely written before I do. So, expect more frequent updates.