A/N: So, there's only three more chapters left after this one :( Don't worry, our ladies will talk about their feelings before it ends!
Emma glanced around the room at the nursery furniture that needed to be built and the toys and clothes to put away. She then looked down at her watch. Regina was late. Things had been awkward between them the past few weeks. They had never talked about the kiss and Emma found herself feeling more confused with every day that passed. She felt like she was losing her friendship with Regina. Emma had wanted so much to ask what was going on between them but she never had the chance. They were barely alone together and Regina would always make her excuses to leave after a while. She couldn't understand what was going on.
They had arranged to put the nursery together. Emma didn't want to use magic, she wanted to put it together by hand. She wanted to do it all right. Regina had agreed to help and Emma thought it would be a good time for them to talk. They would have the distraction of the nursery to help with any awkwardness but they would be alone to talk. However, Regina was half an hour late. Regina was never late.
Emma chewed on a thumb nail as she paced back and forth in the room. Why was Regina late? She was always on time or if she was going to be late then she would call. Suddenly Emma stopped pacing and she realised why Regina was late. Regina no longer wanted to help her with the baby. She didn't want to be friends.
"Damn it, Swan, you should have known better," Emma cursed herself as angry tears began to spill down her cheeks. She should have known that Regina would leave her. Everyone else had. Emma was just destined to end up alone. She roughly wiped away her tears and once again dialled Regina's number, only to get the voicemail. Emma ended the call without leaving a message and sat down in the chair in the room as more tears began to spill down her cheeks.
xXx
Regina pursed her lips together as she tuned out of the town meeting she was currently stuck at. She was going to help Emma build the nursery later and she had to admit that she was excited. There was only two more months to go before the baby was born. That thought both scared and excited Regina. There was a chance that they could be a family together if only Regina could get up the courage to tell Emma exactly how she felt. Things had been awkward the past few weeks. Regina had tried to broach the subject a few times but something had always gotten in the way. The brunette had found herself avoiding Emma until she could tell her exactly how she felt. Regina had decided that she would tell Emma once they had put the nursery together. She had missed her friend and couldn't wait to spend some time alone. Regina hadn't realised just how much Emma had come to mean to her until they didn't see much of each other.
Regina's eyes glanced to the clock and she was shocked at the time. She was late for seeing Emma. She quickly ended the meeting and hurried to her office to grab her things. The mayor cursed as she saw the missed phone calls from the blonde. She quickly hit redial and waited for Emma to pick up.
"Emma, I'm so sorry. My meeting…"
"If you didn't want to do this then you never should have agreed to help!" Emma sobbed down the phone. "You should have told me that you had changed your mind! I've been sat here waiting for you when you've had no intention of showing up! You should have told me from the start that you didn't want this. You should have told me you didn't want to help. You've been avoiding me for weeks and I don't know what the hell I've done wrong here, Regina! You know what? Just don't bother anymore!"
Regina was shocked as Emma hung up the phone. She wasn't sure where the sudden outburst had come from. Emma had been sobbing as she yelled. Regina had never witnessed Emma sob like that before. Did she really think that Regina didn't want to be a part of their lives anymore? Had Regina already screwed up before anything had even started?
xXx
Zelena pushed Robyn's buggy through the park as she scanned the benches for Emma. Regina had gone straight over to Emma's after putting the phone down but had found the house empty. That was when Regina had called her sister and asked if she had seen Emma. Zelena could hear the panic in the mayor's voice and had volunteered to go look for Emma. She didn't think Emma would react too well to Regina finding her. So, now here Zelena was looking for Emma. It didn't take long for her to spot the blonde sat on a bench hugging herself. She didn't need to get close to see Emma's red, puffy eyes.
"Hey," Zelena spoke softly as she sat down on the bench. Emma glanced sideways and gave a nod in response. The two sat in a comfortable silence for a few moments before Emma broke it.
"Did Regina send you?"
"No. I offered to come find you. I thought you would talk to me rather than her." Zelena kept one hand on the handle of the buggy as she turned her body to look at the younger woman. "So, want to talk about it?" Emma glanced down at her lap and began to pick at her jeans. "Okay, fine, I'll talk. I'm going to say that your little outburst today was mainly down to hormones because we both know that Regina would not go back on a promise like this." Zelena paused to see if Emma was listening and the younger woman looked up at her.
"She's been so distant these past few weeks. I just thought." Emma gave a one shoulder shrug. Zelena sighed and silently cursed her sister for not telling Emma about her feelings.
"I don't think you realise just how much you mean to her, Emma. She's scared you're going to change your mind about her being in the baby's life." Zelena gently pushed the buggy back and forth slightly. "Regina has no right to being in your baby's life. You can easily stop her from being in your life and there's nothing she can do about that."
Emma looked at the redhead shocked. "I'd never stop her from seeing the baby. Never. If she's in this baby's life then she's in this baby's life, no matter what happens between us. I'm not going to change my mind. I thought she had changed hers." Emma sighed and looked down at her hands. She had been an idiot. She shouldn't have shouted at Regina and accused her.
"You two really need to talk." Zelena shook her head.
"She probably hates me." Emma let out a sigh and ran a hand across her bump.
"Regina doesn't hate you. She's upset and a little hurt right now. Emma, you, Henry and this baby mean a lot to her. You're family to her." Zelena smiled softly. She hadn't known her sister for long but she was sure no one had ever made Regina as happy as Emma made her, not even Daniel. "Go and talk to her, Emma."
"Okay." Emma gave a small nod and pushed herself up off the bench. She would get some muffins from Granny's first to apologise.
xXx
Regina paced back and forth in her living room with her phone clutched tightly in her hand. She was waiting for Zelena to call to say she had talked to Emma. Regina hated the fact that Emma believed she didn't want to be in her life anymore. That was the last thing she wanted. The brunette began to curse herself for her behaviour. She should have told Emma sooner just how she felt. Regina was pulled out of her pacing by the sound of the doorbell. She dropped her phone onto the table and made her way into the hallway where she opened the door.
"Emma," she whispered, surprised to see the blonde stood on her doorstep with a box of muffins in her hands. Regina could see that Emma's eyes were still a little red and puffy.
"Hey, can I come in?" The blonde shifted her weight from one foot to the other nervously. "I brought muffins." She held the box up a little higher. Regina stepped back to let Emma in and took the box of muffins from her.
"Emma, about earlier," Regina began as they made their way into the living room.
"I know," Emma interrupted her. "Zelena told me. I shouldn't have yelled at you. I'm sorry." She turned to face the mayor. "I got scared that you had changed your mind."
"You don't need to apologise." Regina shook her head and lowered herself down into a chair. "I was late without giving you notice."
"I over reacted. You've been distant these past few weeks and I got scared. I don't want to raise this baby alone," Emma admitted and leaned back against the cushions on the sofa. The past few days she had come to find that if she sat up straight the baby pressed against her bladder but by leaning back it released the pressure.
Regina bit down on her bottom lip and wrung her hands together as she pondered the next few words out of her mouth. She needed to tell Emma exactly how she felt. She needed to assure Emma that she would not change her mind and leave. Regina opened her mouth but then closed it. Emma watched her friend curiously and tried to figure out what was going on in the brunette's head.
"I'm scared you're going to change your mind," Regina finally said. It seemed to be the only words she could form but it seemed a good way to start.
"Me?" Emma frowned. "Why would I change my mind?"
Regina gave a small shrug and glanced down at the floor. "It's like you said before, I have no ties to this baby. There is nothing stopping you from deciding that I shouldn't be in the baby's life. You are the baby's mother and every decision is yours."
"Ours," Emma corrected. "All decisions are ours. This baby is our baby. That is never going to change, Regina. We made the decision that you will be in this baby's life and nothing is going to change that. We succeeded with Henry even when we wanted to kill each other so I'm sure no matter what we can raise this baby together. Regina, you are this baby's parent. You've been there through everything already. Please, you don't need to worry." Emma stood up from the sofa and walked over to the chair. She placed a hand on the mayor's shoulder and gave a gentle squeeze.
"Really?" Regina looked up at her friend unsure. She still couldn't shake the feeling that Emma would change her mind, especially after she finally told the blonde how she feels.
"Really." Emma nodded and smiled. "Even if I want to kill you again, I promise I will not take this baby away from you, Regina. We're in this together." Emma tilted her head slightly as she looked down at her friend and could see the scared look in her eyes. She wasn't sure if she had ever seen Regina look as scared. "Hey, feel this." She reached for the brunette's hand and placed it on the swell of her stomach. A smile spread across both women's faces as they felt the baby move. "I think they're saying hello."
"Hello in there," Regina spoke softly as she lightly ran her fingertips over Emma's stomach. "We can't wait to meet you."
"I can't wait to be able to see my feet again," Emma joked and both women laughed as they felt any tension between them disappear. They were okay again.