Well, literally everyone save for about two people voted the same way for the baby question I tossed in the last chapter and the winner is…well, go on, read it.
Two weeks after Emma and Regina had shared their news with Emma's parents, both women had decided that they were fast being forced to a place where they had to tell the rest of the town. Regina had just entered her fourth month of pregnancy and there was a noticeable bump that she was trying to hide under shirts that she had altered with magic to flow away from her midsection.
"I don't get it, I really shouldn't have this pronounced of a bump this early." Regina was sitting up in their bed, pouring over pregnancy books, trying to find an answer as to why she was showing this much at this point in her pregnancy. Emma exited the bathroom and slipped into her spot in the couple's bed and pulled the book away from Regina as she did.
"Hey, I was reading that." Regina reached to take the book back, but Emma let it fall to the floor next to her and instead wrapped her arms around Regina.
"Stop worrying. We made an appointment with Whale for next week. Until then, you would absolutely know if something was wrong. The fact that she is growing bigger is a good thing Regina." Emma let her hand wander to the baby bump and even Regina couldn't help but smile.
"You think everything is really ok?" Emma kissed Regina and snuggled her closer.
"I'd bet my life on it. Now, as much as I find you absolutely stunning in those glasses, take them off and get some sleep please." Regina complied, knowing that the next day they would be needing all their energy to tell the rest of the town that the First family was about to get bigger. Emma had convinced Regina that telling everyone at once would be best, so they had asked everyone to meet at Granny's under the guise of an early holiday party. October weather was in full swing and the holidays were fast approaching so it gave the couple a perfect opportunity to announce their pregnancy.
The next day Emma picked up Henry from school and then they both picked up Regina from work. They had agreed to help Ruby and Granny set up for the party and they wanted to arrive early enough to prepare things to Regina's standards. Henry walked in first with Regina right behind him, leaving Emma to carry a box of decorations from the car herself. Regina had offered to help, but Emma all but ripped the box from her arms, refusing to let Regina carry anything over five pounds. As Emma walked in the diner Regina was giving Ruby a hug and just as Emma set down the box, she could feel Ruby pulling at her arm and moving them both into the kitchen.
"Jesus Christ Ruby, what's with the aggression?"
"When were you going to tell me that you and the Mrs. are pregnant?"
Emma's face went white as she struggled for words to answer her friend. "How did you know that?"
"I can smell it on her. She hasn't been in the last few weeks and that fainting spell she had a while back…it was too early in her pregnancy for me to smell anything."
"Damn it, Ruby, I thought we had a deal. What is rule number one?" Ruby knotted her eyebrows and shrugged her shoulder, "don't stare at Regina's boobs when you or Henry are around."
"That is rule number 2 and you know it. What is rule number 1?"
Ruby kicked the ground like a five year old that got caught taking a cookie. "Don't smell Regina."
"Exactly, don't smell Regina. And do you remember why we made that rule?"
"Because after you two have gone at it for a few hours I can smell you on each other and it's weird."
"Good, you haven't forgotten, which leads me to ask, why did you smell my wife today?"
Ruby held up her hands in defense, trying to calm Emma. "I didn't mean to Emma, honest. The smell is kind of impossible to ignore. Regina on her own, doesn't have that powerful of a scent, but you add two other people into that mix and it would have been impossible for me to not smell it. I'm sorry, truly, it was a total accident."
"I'm not mad, not really anyway, it's just Regina wants…wait. What do mean two other people?"
"The babies. She's clearly far enough along that they each have their own scent." Emma leaned against the counter for support and Ruby was confused at Emma's reaction.
"Babies? As in more than one baby? Regina is pregnant with twins?" Ruby finally understood Emma's confusion; she had only expected Regina to be carrying one baby, not the two Ruby just told her about.
"Emma. I swear, I thought you knew. I never would have said anything otherwise."
"And you're absolutely certain?"
"Completely." Emma rubbed her hands over her face and tried to think. She had to tell Regina before the party, but what would she say, how would she explain it.
"Can you go tell Regina I need to see her for a second?" Ruby turned and left to go into the main part of the diner. A few moments later Regina returned totally alone and looking a little put off.
"Emma we really need to help set up, people will be arriving within the next hour and.." Emma stopped Regina's sentence by kissing her hard and effectively sucking the breath right out of Regina's mouth.
"Not that I am complaining, but what was that for?" Emma let her hands fall to Regina's stomach that was currently hidden under her coat.
"I know why you started showing so much so soon."
"Emma, I know you read those pregnancy books with me, but there is really a thousand reasons as to why I might be…"
"Twins."
"What?" Emma swallowed back tears and said it again. "Twins. You are having twins. That's why the bump got big faster: there is two babies fighting for room in there."
Regina's face was a mix of emotions and she wanted to believe what Emma said, but how in the actual hell did her wife know without a doctor there to confirm it.
"How could you possibly know any of this?"
"Ruby. She smelled the pregnancy the second you walked in and she picked up two scents that weren't yours. I guess she could be wrong, but she seemed so certain Regina." Regina held up her hand to stop the rambling that was about to come pouring out of Emma's mouth.
"Well, I can find out right now…if you want me to." Emma looked confused to say the very least and Regina continued to explain. "With very simple magic I can find out."
"Won't the magic hurt the…whatever is in there," Emma pointed to Regina stomach, "or hurt you?"
"Absolutely not, it's safer than a sonogram. I won't be able to see anything, but I will be able to detect heartbeats."
"Do it." Regina nodded and shut her eyes and tried to concentrate. She blew gently on her hands before gently placing them on either side of her belly. Emma watched as Regina's face stayed perfectly stoic for about a minute and then in an instant it changed. All of a sudden, Regina burst into tears with her hands still pressed to her baby bump. Emma reached out and put her hands on either side of Regina's head, trying to soothe her wife.
"Regina? Gina, talk to me, what's wrong?" Regina's eyes shot open and she quickly leaned forward enough to kiss Emma. Emma could taste the tears running down her wife's face and when Regina pulled back Emma wasn't sure why she was smiling and yet somehow still crying. Regina grabbed Emma's hands and placed them where her own had been moments earlier.
"Two heartbeats." That was all Regina could say; nothing poetic or sentimental, just the honest fact that Ruby was right. There were two babies, two heartbeats.
"Two heartbeats? Ruby was right? We're having two babies?" Regina couldn't do anything other than nod to affirm all of Emma's questions. The smile that spread across Emma's face was matched by the one on Regina's and tears were running down both women's cheeks. Regina all but melted into Emma's embrace and while they didn't know it, they were being watched from the window that connects the kitchen and the diner counter. Ruby smiled to herself, knowing that Regina had finally figured out what it took the wolf only seconds to learn.
"Two mini Regina's running around? Gods help us all." Ruby left the couple to be happy over their newest development, content that when they shared their news she'd get to say she knew about it first.