"I will not ask you again" came the stern voice from the living room, the very voice Emma knew not to ignore, 5 years of being with the brunette has taught her that much. Never cross a Mills woman and certainly never cross a Swan-Mills woman.
She rolled her eyes in amused annoyance whilst grabbing the glasses of water she had left Regina's side to get. As she moved into the hallway she moved, as she often did in times of reflection, to the photo collage hanging on the wall, Regina had made it for Emma in celebration of their first anniversary as a couple. It was probably one of the blondes favourite possessions.
"Why are you crying?" Regina's voice was filled with panicked concern as she noticed the tears bouncing from the glass frame protecting the collage. "Do you not like it?"
Watery green eyes found brown then, a beautifully soft smile gracing a fair face as Emma tried to put into words just how she felt. She'd never known her parents and her time in the foster system had left her wanting to remember as little as possible about her childhood meaning that the desire to keep things, savour memories with little souvenirs, was not something present within her at the present in her hands though, she was glad that Regina did think to.
With another tender smile she looked down once more, her fingers stroked over the glass as if wanting to touch the moments, to let the importance of such times soak into her skin for it was their own unique road to falling in love.
There were of course the movie stubs from the clichéd movie dates that simply resulted in a lot of making out and very little of anything else during the 2 hours in which the movie played on unnoticed by them.
Many feathers that Regina had collected throughout the changing seasons, all different shapes, sizes and colours, decorated various photographs. Candid shots taken by both, some together and some individually such as one of Emma's favourites, were dotted around in no particular order.
The one that had caught the blondes eye instantly was one she had taken herself, it showed her beautiful brunette only moments after waking, a soft smile playing on her features as amusement danced in puffy eyes. Her hair was fanned out behind her on the white pillow, a dark halo for a once troubled angel. A white sheet covered her modesty as the swell of her breasts was highlighted by the morning sunshine.
Photo booth silliness had been captured and kept by the sentimental brunette, little anecdotes from the corresponding days were written neatly with arrows drawn artistically pointing to and from the little square memories.
Various old style digital camera print outs also held notes and scribbles, Emma couldn't help but laugh at the words 'my idiot' written beneath a photo depicting a rather eventful day in which Regina's love of being right had only strengthened. The first shot showed an excited looking Emma crouching beside a pond, a wooly hat covering her ears and gloves to keep her hands warm as she attempted to entice a series of ducklings over to take the bread she was offering. Now, Regina had already warned her about leaning too far over and the next picture only aided the brunette's chants of 'I told you so' for many days after the incident…golden hair clung to the blondes face as her clothes had darkened in colour due to the amount of water they had absorbed when Emma had indeed fallen into the pond.
"It's nothing special" Regina's voice had cut through the blondes memories, her next words cut off by a tender kiss placed upon her lips before Emma moved to find a hammer and nail. Short moments later she found her head placed into the crook of Emma's neck as they stood looking up at the collage, the first piece of furniture to adorn the walls of the new house, their house.
"It's perfect," Emma had whispered, her arm tightening around Regina's waist, "it's us."
She smiled as she remembered the moment from so long ago, it had seemed so big then, such a huge commitment but look at them now, all grown up and more in love than ever.
"Emma Swan-Mills, I swear to whatever higher power there is, if you don't get your butt in here this instant-" Her rant was cut short when the woman in question finally re-entered the living room, placed the glasses of water on the table and a kiss to her temple as she sat down next to her once more, smiling when Regina automatically snuggled into the embrace offered by her wife.
"You're just using me for warmth," Emma whispered into dark hair before leaning in to place a tender kiss upon her head, she reveled in the soft laughter her comment received. Regina sat up then to look into her wife 's forest green gaze, amazed that after all this time she still felt butterflies whenever they were close. Her hand moved up to stroke golden strands away from her face before settling upon her cheek and helping to pull her forward in order to capture pink lips. They lingered for only a moment before Regina's parted in order to allow Emma's tongue entrance. The brunette tilted her head and deepened the caress, though lust was always something they would have for one another, love was simply overwhelming and so they allowed their feelings to pour through the slow, passionate exchange.
The need for air was becoming an issue but even more so was someone's need to be noticed. Both women laughed against the others lips as they felt the kicking sensation between them. "Our son's already cockblocking and he isn't even here yet!" Emma laughed, placing a chaste kiss on plump lips before rearranging their positions so that she was resting her head against her wife's swollen belly.
Regina ran her fingers through soft curls as she felt kisses being peppered all over the stretched skin beneath her maternity top. "How about Nathan?" She picked up the broken conversation they had started before Emma had moved to get drinks.
She thought for a moment before feeling a sharp kick to the cheek resting against Regina's stomach, "nope, I don't think that's his name Momma bear" Emma coed knowing that the brunette loved the title already, she was going to be such a Momma bear and the blonde couldn't wait
"I wish he'd tell us already" Regina played along, her laughter fading into a gentle smile as Emma looked up at her. Green eyes creased in the corners with the tenderness of her expression, they had been trying for this for so long, gone through so much just to get to the stage of actual pregnancy that the weight of what they were doing, what they were going to be doing, hadn't really crossed their minds until just recently.
"He will," Emma placed another kiss to the skin beneath her face, "he's a Swan-Mills baby, what else would you expect?"
Her hair hung limply around her reddened face as she strained once more, a scream tearing from her throat as she grasped Emma's hand harder than either thought possible for her size
"Okay Regina, a little more…he's almost here, good girl…annnnnnnd relax" and boy did she relax, the blonde took her weight easily as the brunette allowed her body to fall back into her wife's chest.
Emma was placing kisses on her sweat slicked forehead as lean hands scraped back damp hair, "you did it Regina, he's here…our baby's here!"
Her eyes were heavy as she allowed herself to come back from her exhaustion, the simple feeling of her wife's embrace all around her helped immensely. "…we have a baby" she breathed, still in complete shock that they had managed to do this, that they were actually at this moment in their lives, "we have a family…"
And this is what broke Emma, this is what opened the damn that she had worked so hard to plug up since childhood. A family…something she had always longed for yet never had…it didn't feel real, it didn't feel like hers, it was only when she felt a soft kiss pressed into the palm of her hand that she felt Regina sitting up and saw the doctor walking over with a wriggling bundle in his arms.
"Here you go Mommies," he smiled at the tears of happiness streaming down both faces as the instinctually leaned forward, eager to see their boy, "I think someone's anxious to meet you" Regina's hands moved up first to take a hold of their newborn son, Emma's arms fitting snugly underneath and taking some of the weight in order to hold their boy at the same time.
Her chin was resting on the brunette's shoulder, cheeks pressed together as they studied his features. It was always hard to tell who babies looked like when first born but as soon as round eyes opened to look up at them both, Emma was in awe staring into orbs just as captivating as the woman leaning against her "Do we have a name yet ladies?" Came the voice of a nurse bringing them out of their fascinated gaze.
Regina looked over at Emma and back at their son before she spoke, "his name is Henry" it was her father's name and the blonde, through Regina's hesitation to suggest something that Emma would never know about her own father, his name, had suggested it. Green eyes showed no hurt, only love as they looked into brown before she turned to face the nurse, her heart only growing with every sound of awe she heard falling from her wife's lips as they cradled their son…this was it, this was her family, her happy ending. "Henry Swan-Mills"