She couldn't help but laugh fondly as she heard the grumbles from above, the Queen had risen and she was on her way down. Emma lifted her mug to her face slowly as she sipped the scent of coffee filling her up and preparing her for another day in the Swan-Mills household. The blonde had set her alarm earlier than usual in order to wake before Regina and clean through the mansion, she knew how mess annoyed the woman and having to clean up after her wife and son was just unfair.

The sunlight glinted from the diamonds of the ring sitting comfortably on Emma's left hand, she had often feared that such a thing would feel only like a lead weight, a shackle around her finger tying her down and keeping her prisoner in this house but as soon as she had realized Regina was in fact moving to kneel before her, something the woman would never do for any other person in the world, apart from Henry, she had known her answer could and would only ever be yes.

It still surprised her how much she enjoyed the domesticity of her life now, something she would have run to avoid only a few years ago but now, looking around her, waking up next to the most beautiful woman in the world every morning, she couldn't help but simply smile. It wasn't all sunshine and rainbows; they were Regina and Emma for Christ sake. It wouldn't feel right if they didn't argue, it was healthy and the phenomenal make-up sex was always a bonus.

Henry was nearing his 15th birthday now and had shot up in the past year, hugs were extremely rare and if given, slightly awkward due to the height differences. Emma missed the days she could wrap herself over him like some sort of protective barrier, now she was lucky if he managed a smile in her direction. It had been hard to adjust to his change in behaviour towards her, Regina had helped as she had first-hand experience but Emma couldn't help the guilt that rose because Henry's avoidance of her was due to his age, Henry's avoidance of Regina had been something different altogether and no matter how many times Regina reassured the blonde that it wasn't her fault, she couldn't help but feel that it was.

He spent a lot of time with his grandparents, which they both loved, and had formed a strong bond with their daughter through time spent together partaking in various activities and weekly sessions with Archie, which had now decreased to only a month. Emma was finally getting the life she had always hoped for, a good relationship with parents that loved her, her son back in her life and her heart and a beautiful wife that she would do anything for.

"I swear my feet have swelled to twice their size!"

Oh, and who was pregnant with their true love child…

"We already measured Regina, they just feel that way" Emma cooed as she walked over to the brunette who had just waddled into the kitchen, she instantly began rubbing a soothing circle on the woman's lower back. She knew how uncomfortable the last trimester of pregnancy could be but had been threatened with death if she should show any form of sympathy, Regina did not do pity in any shape or form.

"I swear, once this baby comes out it's grounded for life!"

Emma could only laugh as her wife, void of the brunette's usual grace, flopped herself down onto a breakfast stool. Emma had told her numerous times that she should be sitting on a chair with a back support but after she had become convinced that Regina could shoot fireballs from her eyes, due to the intense glare she received, she allowed the woman to do whatever the hell she wanted…she was going to anyway with or without the blonde's permission.

Regina's head was resting on her arms where they were folded on the countertop, dark hair had fallen forward over her shoulders revealing an inviting patch of skin to Emma's lips. She felt the woman shiver as she lay open mouth kisses on her neck, allowing herself to become lost in the sensation before pushing the blonde off.

"Emma…don't"

Her brow furrowed as she looked at the expression on Regina's face, she couldn't make it out because of the way her head was turned down but she didn't like it one bit.

"Hey," she called softly, her finger coming under the brunette's chin in order to lift and turn it so they could lock eyes, "what's wrong?"

"I just…" brown eyes flickered either side of Emma's head, looking for anywhere else to look as tears began filling them, her wife's concern only growing, "I just don't feel…" she let the sentence fade off again as a thumb brushed away the tear that had fallen.

"Don't feel what Regina?" Emma bent her knees now so that she was eye level with Regina and caught her eyes with a questioning look of her own as her hand moved up to stroke back the hair at the brunette's hairline.

She allowed herself to sigh at the feeling and be comforted by the woman she loved but she had to be honest, it was the foundation on which they had built this relationship and to ruin that now over something stupid would be foolish, "I just don't feel…like me okay?" a second tear escaped as she tried to drop her head once more but Emma wouldn't allow it.

She leaned forward and placed a soft kiss on quivering lips before pulling back and looking at her, "well you certainly look like you…" she tilted her mouth up one side in mock thought as she revelled in the eye roll and small smile tugging at Regina's now steady lips, her fingers moved to trace the outsides of Regina's face, "yep, there are my wife's beautiful brown eyes that I could just drown in," they warmed with the compliment as Emma kissed both eyelids once Regina had closed them, opening them seconds later when the blonde moved her lips to kiss the end of Regina's nose, "yep, there's that nose that crinkles whenever she laughs at one of my absolutely hilarious jokes," and eyebrow was raised at this as Emma held back her own laughter.

Slender hands ran through dark hair, scratching lightly at her scalp as Regina allowed her eyes to flutter closed once more, "That hair I can't help but run my fingers through at every chance possible." She then moved closer and burrowed her face into the soft skin of the brunette's neck inhaling deeply, "mmm and you certainly smell like her," she felt the vibrations beneath her lips as Regina chuckled lightly, breaking character slightly she sighed with content as she remained in that spot, "I love the way you smell"

Regina couldn't deny the feelings of pure joy radiating throughout her as Emma ran her hands slowly over her baby bump before leaning down to place kisses all over the circumference and lying her head down on the top. The brunette's hands instantly came up to rest on the blonde's head, fingers threading through golden curls as they let the enormity of their situation take over. Sometimes it was easy, what with her discomfort and the way in which Emma could put her at ease with a simple look or touch, to forget what they had been through. The pain of their first miscarriage was something that still haunted them both, Regina had been so excited upon finding out that she had completely shut down when, at the first scan; they had been informed that they had lost the baby. Her first instinct was to blame herself and try to push the blonde away thinking that she would be better off without her but Emma didn't give up, didn't stop pushing her way back in until they were able to properly heal together.

Regina had been touched one morning to discover something different about the blonde upon waking in her arms.

The sun was streaming in through the window warming her skin and for the first time in months, she had awoken with a smile. She was pressed against the back of the blonde and instinctively brought her arms tighter around the woman who only rubbed her head further into the pillow in sleep, her hand coming to rest beside her head with her wrist showing…that was when Regina saw it, the tattoo.

She had seen the flower many times before but this was on the other wrist, her breath caught as she realized what it was. She couldn't help but sit up and reach over the touch the tiny black footprints covering the skin, they were beautiful. Emma must have felt the hot tears dripping onto her skin as she sat up instantly and looked to Regina for an answer as to why she was crying. Brown eyes never left the tattoo as soft fingers came to touch them.

"When?" she asked tenderly as she brought Emma's arm into her lap, never ceasing contact with the wrist.

"About a week or so after," she replied, her own tears falling now as she too looked upon the tribute to their lost child, "I just…I needed something…"

Regina nodded slowly, her heart hurt but it wasn't the pain of loss, merely of remembering and thinking of what could have been. "It's beautiful…" and it was upon looking at the black ink and realising that they were still here, they had survived, that Regina realized they could continue on, together.

The two were nervous upon finding out that Regina was once again pregnant and didn't allow themselves to fully believe in it until the brunette first started showing, and then it had hit them. This was real, this was happening, they were being given a second chance.

Emma called it luck but Regina liked to think it was their guardian angel watching over them, their lost child who would forever remain a part of their hearts no matter how little time they had to get used to the idea of it.

"You're beautiful," one kiss to her belly, "you're sexy," a kiss to her chest, "you're my wife," another to her nose, "and you are my soul mate" a final lingering kiss to her lips which Regina immediately reciprocated. Her mouth opening in invitation as they allowed their tongues to meet in the most familiar of dances, they kept it slow and full of the emotions they felt for one another.

They had made it through this much together and had remained strong; they would make it through a whole lot more in the future. Just them, their son and their little miracle girl, Maya.