Hey everybody! Chapter 21 is here and I wanna to say that it is a little funny and at the end... it will be... wait! I'm not telling you, go ahead and read!

Some people asked me about Cora and here is the thing, I swear I don't forgot her but I want to do some things first... She'll have her moment! Just wait.

To Beforethedawnbreaks; "Man! I wonder why more people don't like this pairing." Oh man, me too! Why? Now. all I have is this fanfiction since Archie isn't in the boat :/ my poor heart, my poor ship.

To Mirella Vieira; Me too! I love her in this way and I would love to see her like this on the show. How about it happening in season 6 maybe? ;)

To JolieQueen5; Thank you for your precious reviews! You always point my favorite parts :)

To singingtree54; haha Thank you so much! Really. It's wonderful to hear this, seriously. Thnx so much!

To Ailec-12; haha Thank you, that is something we don't agree, finally! Now I can keep writing without think you're reading my story before I post it... Pink! kkk LOL :) See you sweet *-*

To anapcmesquita; I can't write just romance... we all need adventure and drama :) buuuuut, you'll get what you want in this one, I'm sure! I need your review soon as you read it. I need to know what you thought.

To Marina Masterson; "You know, why you don't change to romance/family? That's a great idea haha" I don't want to do this... Really. Although you already know to where this story is going to... poor Regina :/ "Henry is so gossipy" Yep, he really is! "And as I always have access to information from "reliable sources" I don't know what you are talking about, really! Annnnnd thank you for the biggest review you gave me!

To itspb1; "Regina:WHY DID YOU SAY THAT? Like Archie's heart,i'm broken.I hope that Emma torture you so much." OMG Poor Regina hahahaha and about Cora? don't worry, I don't forgot her... she's just waiting for... ops, I'm not telling you! haha Wait! And thank you so much for folowing and favorited me:) I'm so grateful! Thank you.

To Annie; Thank you, my beta :) Sorry for boring you with my story! haha Thank you :)

Enjoy!

CHAPTER 21 – CAR TROUBLE

Regina and Archie were arguing if Regina could continue to drive her car or not. He was more than annoyed with her and ended up saying that she was very independent, that she liked to do everything by herself and never wanted anyone's help.

Regina, meanwhile, was upset with each word that Archie had said. Who does he think he is? I'm not sick and I can still drive my car. He wants me to call him any time I want to leave home? That will not happen, I'm an independent woman. I don't need anyone carrying me.

Regina knew that Archie wasn't so wrong when he told her to stop driving the car, but she always drove carefully and now more than ever. It was a fact that every day was harder to get in and out of her car and there were still more than three months for the girls arrive. She would need a bigger car, definitely.

Two days later, Henry was in Archie's office when Emma went to pick him up. They were talking when Archie's phone rang. Archie was astonished when he saw it was Regina who was calling. She was so mad at him. She never would back down in her opinion and call him, unless something had happened.

"Regina?" Archie answered the phone.

"It's me, I need to ask you a favor!" Regina said in a tearful voice.

"Anything but first, listen to me. I guess I wasn't very fair to you that day-" Archie began to speak, but he heard Regina sniffling. "Hey, are you okay? Are you crying?"

Regina sniffed again. "No! I'm not crying." She said a little irritated.

"So what? What favor do you need?"

Henry and Emma were silently watching Archie's conversation.

"You have to promise not to laugh." she said on the phone.

"Laugh? What has happened?" He asked starting to get curious.

"Promise!"

"I promise." He said with a smile.

"And you have to promise me you will not be saying 'I told you so'."

He paused for a moment and imagined a thousand funny things that could have forced Regina to be ashamed.

"I promise!" Henry and Emma heard Archie say and then only heard when Archie yelled "What? Where?" and ran toward the door.

Henry and Emma looked worried and ran behind Archie, thinking that something had happened to Regina.

"Archie?" Emma was able to reach him when he was about to leave the building. She sighed and then asked "What is happening?"

Only then, he realized he had forgotten everything, including an explanation for the two.

"Sorry, Emma." He breathed. "It's just... Regina, she is-" He stopped and looked into Emma and Henry in the eyes. "You promise me you will not tell Regina that I told you?"

"I promise!" They both answered in unison.

"She is trapped in the car and can't get out." he said a little worried.

"What?" Emma and Henry shouted at the same time. Archie could see where Henry had inherited every detail of his facial expressions.

"Where is she?" Henry asked with wide eyes.

It took a little more than a few minutes for the three to have the first sight of the mayor's black Mercedes. Archie got out of Emma's yellow car and ran toward the black car.

"Regina? Regina?" Archie shouted as he approached the car.

"I'm here, Archie." Regina said, putting her arm out of the car to signaling that she was there.

He opened the car door while Emma and Henry approached. He glanced at Regina, which appeared to have been crying.

"Oh, my God! Are you hurt?" He asked, exasperated breathing.

"I'm just... stuck." she replied from inside the vehicle. "Just get me out of here."

"Okay." he replied as he passed one of his hands by her waist and helped her out of the car. "You sure you're okay?" He asked again, still worried.

"I am." she replied and Henry ran to hug her.

Only then she realized that Emma and Henry were there watching the scene. She wrapped her arms around Henry. Then she looked at Archie and punched his arm.

"Ouch!" He looked confused and yelled, rubbing the spot where Regina had hit.

"It's impossible for you to keep your mouth shut!"

"They were with me, Regina, would you want me to leave running without saying something?" He said.

"Are you okay?" Henry asked, moving away from Regina enough to look her in the eyes.

"Yes." she replied.

"They are fine?" Archie asked looking at Regina.

"Yes."

"Ok, Regina. I'm sorry... so sorry... about before and also by pressing you." Archie began to speak, so Henry came out Regina's arms.

She shook her head, knowing she was partly wrong. "No, Archie. I'm sorry that sometimes I don't care what you say, I'm sorry."

She said and threw herself into his arms, hugging him. He wrapped his arms around her, not caring who was watching.

Emma and Henry watched silently when Regina threw herself into Archie's arms. Both burst into laughter when Emma gave a slight push on Henry's shoulders, winking at him and telling him, silently, to go to the car.

Regina walked away and found Henry a few feet away talking to Emma, who surprisingly hadn't said anything.

Emma took Henry home and Archie took Regina. On the way to the mansion Archie couldn't help himself and had to comment.

"How did you get stuck in the car?" He asked, trying to hide his smile.

"I don't know, I'm so huge that I couldn't even get out of the car, I thin-" she replied absently.

"I should have taken a picture, you should have seen your face!" He answered and couldn't control his laughter.

"It wasn't funny!" She looked at him seriously.

"Well, it was a bit funny, you have to admit."

She just snorted irritably and turned her face to the window of the car.

Once they arrived at the mansion, Archie got out and ran to help her down. She refused the help and did it, with much effort, but she managed. Stubborn, Archie thought with a huge smile.

Archie gave the car keys to her, they said goodbye and he left.

It was around 2 am. Regina had one more of these nightmares and she couldn't go back to sleep. She was exhausted, but every time she closed her eyes, the images of her last suffocating nightmare invaded her mind and the tears fell again. She had already spent over an hour rolling in bed.

Tired, she got up, put on some clothes, grabbed her coat and put the leash on Perdita. She could not stand to stay in the house alone.

She left the house and walked toward her car. She gave up the idea of driving as she remembered what happened just a few hours ago. Whale says that walking is very important, so let's walk. Regina sat in the square and let herself be carried away by tears. That nightmare, like others, had frightened her. After a few minutes she had a strong feeling that someone was watching her.

A little afraid, she decided to go to the only place she knew she would not feel alone. Archie's. He was probably asleep, but Archie had begun to get used to Regina appearing at his door during the early morning.

I should have called him before, she thought and reached her hand into the pocket of her coat, to try to find her phone. Damn. She had forgotten her phone at home. She walked a little faster and after a few minutes she stood in Archie's doorway. Before knocking on the door, she wiped her face in an attempt to hide her red and swollen eyes from crying.

After a minute or two, there was Archie. With tired eyes, he tried to adjust his glasses only to find Regina on the other side of the door. Once he could see Regina properly, he realized that she was crying.

"Regina? What happened? Are you okay? Why are you crying?" Archie began asking a lot of questions, looking extremely worried.

Regina's only reaction was to hug him. She ran her hands around him and held him tightly, as if he were going to take her pain away, her fears. She was acting like a silly child, who clings easily to people and allow them to see her weaknesses. That was exactly what her mother would say if she saw this scene. The personification of weakness. No matter, Regina just wanted to feel safe and loved like she was feeling now, in Archie's arms. This feeling made her start crying again.

"Regina, you need to tell me what happened, why are you crying?" Archie asked again when he felt the woman in his arms sobbing.

She did not move and he just let her cry a little more. After a while, she pulled away from him a bit and he closed the door behind him, looking worried.

"So? What is that?" He wanted to get an answer.

"It's nothing, Archie!" She tried her best to smile, but could not fool him. "I think it's those damn hormones and I'm so tired but I can't sleep." She immediately tried to change the subject. She did not need Archie worrying about her nightmares.

"You appear in the middle of the night, alone, with red swollen eyes and you tell me that it's just your hormones? Sorry, Regina, but I don't believe you." he said a little more seriously.

"You may not believe me, but it is what it is." She said quickly. As soon as she saw the disappointed look that Archie gave her, she backtracked. "Sorry, Archie, I just... I don't wanna talk about it." She told him and gave him a saddened look "Please?"

He nodded. He wanted to know what it was. Something was bothering her, but she did not tell him. He thought to insist again, but he did not want to upset her.

"So? What will we do today?" Archie asked, trying to break the uncomfortable silence that settled between them.

Regina smiled at him.

"I don't know, Archie. Can we watch a movie?" She asked.

He nodded and walked to the bedroom to get blankets and pillows. He also took some films for her to choose from.

Archie was sitting on the couch with Regina right beside him. She had her legs on a puff and beneath her back were some pillows. A blanket was involving the two. They were so close to each other. They liked that feeling, although not admitting this to anyone.

It was over half an hour that the film had started and Regina was getting sleepy. Occasionally, she yawned and opened her eyes suddenly, only to realize that she had fallen asleep on Archie's shoulder. When she was almost asleep, their girls decided to wake up.

Regina began massaging her belly while Archie totally forgot the film and turned his full attention to her. They were so busy as usual in the evening. Regina just wanted to get some sleep, but she knew, now that the girls had awakened, it would be difficult to sleep again. It was so almost every night.

"Isabella is calmer than Lillian, but when she wakes up first, it doesn't take much to also wake Lillian." Regina told Archie, knowing he was curious to know anything about them.

"Who is this?" He said putting his hand where he could feel some movement.

"This is Isabella." She smiled.

About twenty minutes later, Regina still could not calm them. They were just getting more agitated. Realizing that Regina was very tired, Archie put both hands on her belly, massaging it, and began to whisper.

"Hey, my little princesses, I see that you like to stay up late. We'll need to change that the moment that you are born." Archie began and Regina could not contain the smile that filled her mouth. "You have to let mom get some sleep." he said and looked smiling at Regina when he felt the movements toward his hand with a little more force. "That's right. It's me, your Dad!" He gave a few kisses on her belly as he continued whispering "I can't wait to meet you girls. You are our princesses. Now, you should go to sleep."

Archie did not take long to make the girls settle down. Archie's voice reassured them, Regina could feel it. When Henry spoke with the girls, they were much more active, but when Archie spoke, they stayed silent.

"How do you do that?" Regina said smiling at Archie.

"What?" he asked genuinely confused.

"That. They are so calm with you. Sometimes, I take the whole night to make them fall asleep and you only need a few minutes to talk with them and make them settle down and go back to sleep." she explained.

"I don't know... they like me." he said proudly, getting a smile from Regina.

A silence settled over them and Archie interrupted, feeling the need to talk about the fight they had a few days ago.

"Regina, I'm... I'm sorry. I'm sorry for... about before and also by pressing you and..." Archie began to speak, turning fully to face her.

"Actually you were right, Archie..." Regina interrupted "I'm sorry for being so stubborn, it's just..." she breathed, but was cut off by Archie.

"No, Regina. I mean everything, the way I acted towards you. I know you would never do anything that might harm our daughters and I know you can protect yourself alone very well, better than I." Right now, Regina sighed. She hasn't told Archie about her magic, or rather the lack thereof. She was losing her magic with the days and only Emma knew that. If Archie knew about that, he would freak out. "Because you have magic... it's just that... I... I want our daughters to know that I'm not like my parentes." Regina looked at him extremely confused, but he continued "I just want them to know that I was a good father, who gave them a real home, that I really loved them and that I care about them." he said earnestly, a small tear fell from his eyes and Regina realized that.

"Why didn't you tell me this before?" She looked at him a little more serious.

"I... I thought you wouldn't understand me."

She thought for a few seconds.

"And I think I don't understand. I know that you aren't equal to your parentes." she said seriously looking at him "you're lovable, educated and already care so much about them. You'll be the best father they could have, I'm sure of that." she said.

He spent some time repeating Regina's last words in his mind. Damn! He had fallen in love with her, he fell in love with the mayor of Storybrooke, and he fell in love with the Evil Queen. Wait! She was no longer the Evil Queen, she was just Regina, the mother of his daughters and he was madly in love with her. How didn't he realize this before? He wanted to have her in his arms, comfort her, kiss her, and love her. He wanted to raise her daughters with her every day. Then he realized he wanted to sleep beside her with her scent invading his nostrils.

Regina was staring at Archie. After she spoke, he just stared into her eyes. He stayed like that for a few minutes, just looking beyond her. Regina knew he was thinking about something, but did not know what it was. She could spend hours looking at those green eyes ahead. His redhead eyebrows, his rosy lips. She wanted to memorize every line expression on his face. Both were lost in their thoughts. They did not know how much time had passed, but they could not break the connection that had been established between them.

Regina has one of her hands over his. He stroked her hand and they intertwined their fingers, wishing to never lose that precious contact. Then Regina's eyes returned to face Archie's. Not for a moment Archie had taken his eyes off Regina.

Slowly, he raised his hand that was not intertwined with Regina's fingers and with the back of his hand left his fingers running down her face that was smooth and soft. She shuddered at the touch. He was delicate, smooth, worried and she could almost say that love flowed through this touch. She closed her eyes and allowed herself to feel. Her breath was shaky. With eyes still closed, she felt Archie fingering her eyebrows, her closed eyes, her nose, her chin. An urge to cry came over her. She had never felt so loved as she was feeling now, not after Daniel. Archie continued with his fingers on Regina's face, as if trying to memorize every inch of her skin, each brand expression. Then he ran his fingers gently on her lips. A tear fell from her eyes still closed and made way across her cheek and was lost in the corner of the lips.

Archie was so involved in that moment that nothing could divert his attention. The softness of her skin, the delicacy of her features, her lips. He watched as a tear fell from her eyes and he knew what those tears meant. He felt the need to kiss her, to comfort her. Gently, he placed a kiss on her cheek, exactly where the tear had left its trail. She did not move. He dropped the hand that was intertwined with Regina's, and then wrapped her cheeks with his hands. She still had not moved. Gently, he moved closer to her and continued to stare at her. At that moment, more tears made their way down in her cheek. He went to kiss her tears, leaving a trail of passionate kisses, but extremely gentle, on her cheeks. After some time, he kissed the corner of her lips.

Feeling Regina's shaky breaths, he looked worried for a moment, but she was still with closed eyes. She had not moved since they had intertwined their fingers. He started stroking her face with his fingertips and placed a gentle kiss on her lips. He stopped and closed his eyes. He could spend the whole night like this and he found that it was exactly what he wanted. Still feeling Archie's breath so close, she leaned over and kissed his lips. They didn't need to do anything, the contact was enough to show the respect, care and beyond anything, what they expected, love.

The kiss lasted less than both wanted and needed, but the need for air was bigger. Both had their eyes closed and their foreheads were now glued. Shaky breaths. Tears. Joy.

"I know I shouldn't say it, but I love you..." Archie whispered and pressed a kiss on Regina's nose tip.

She said nothing. Archie was expecting it, but still was saddened. He knew he could not and should not expect anything in return from her.

When he had given up on hearing anything in exchange, she kissed him again. Another passionate kiss, soft, and delicate. And again, they were both lost in the taste of each other's lips. Regina broke the kiss and put her head on Archie's chest, listening to his heartbeat, relaxing from the up and down movement his chest was doing. Archie was there just savoring the smell of her hair and enjoying Regina in such proximity. He put his arm around her, pulling her closer to him and the other hand rested on her belly.

Thus, they were silent. After a few minutes, Regina's grip relaxed and Archie realized she had fallen aspleep in his arms. Not wanting to wake her, he turned off the TV and snuggled her. He wanted to protect and love her. He just wanted that moment to not end, ever. Thus, he too fell asleep.

So guys, what you thought? The next will be a little dark :/ But yet beautiful.

Please, leave me reviews and let me know what you thought about this chapter.

Go ahead and FOLLOW this story and (if it is worth of it) FAVORITE, please? *-*

See you,

Bárbara