A/N: lots of time jumps because who wants to know about Emma's time inside without Regina? Therefore this is just a collection of different visitation conversations.
Oh and it may also be the penultimate chapter…
October
"And he's sleeping ok?" Emma asked, smiling down into her son's face. He was looking back up at her, his eyes wide.
"Not too bad," Regina replied, covering a yawn.
"Unconvincing," Emma declared, reaching across the table in the visitation area and squeezing the brunette's hand. "How is he really?"
"Ok, it's not easy. I'm up several times every night. I know it's normal but it's just hard being unable to share the strain with anyone."
"I'm sorry," Emma offered.
Regina shook her head. "It's not you fault. And as soon as I pick him up, he quietens really quickly. He's feeding well and I find it rather relaxing once he's got the bottle and we can just recline in the bed together."
"I wish I could see you guys like that," Emma said.
"Soon," Regina said.
"Not soon enough," Emma declared.
"Agreed. But I'll bring Henry every weekend to see you, I promise."
Emma smiled as she heard her girlfriend say their son's name. "It suits him, doesn't it," she said.
"Perfectly," Regina nodded. "Thank you so much Emma. My father would be so honoured."
Emma grinned. "You're welcome."
"How are you feeling anyway?" Regina asked, looking into her girlfriend's face with concern. The dark circles under her eyes were back and her face looked thinner.
"I'm ok," Emma lied. Regina raised an eyebrow. "It's hard," she admitted. "All I want is to be with you and Henry but I can't. I have another three and a half months left until I can actually be the mother he deserves."
"You know he won't remember any of this, Emma," Regina said. "He'll never know you weren't the one picking him up when he cries and changing his diaper and rocking him to sleep. For the time that really matters, you'll be there every step of the way."
"I know," Emma nodded. "It's just hard."
"Are Snow and your friends looking out for you?" Regina asked.
Emma nodded. "They've been great. Making me join them for meals and inviting me to the tv room every evening. Trying to keep me distracted basically."
"Good," Regina smiled. "Hang in there and you'll be out before you know it."
"Two minutes left!" Hunter announced.
Emma looked up at the clock panicked. "Why does time go double speed in this room?" she asked, moving Henry closer to her and placing a kiss on his forehead. He had fallen asleep in her arms as she and Regina spoke.
"I know," Regina nodded. "But we'll be here again next week. Promise."
Emma sighed and nodded. She slowly got to her feet, partly so she wouldn't wake her son, and partly because she was still a little tender from the labour. Carefully handing over the sleeping boy, Emma couldn't help but smile as Henry made a little gurgling noise at the movement before settling into his other mother's arms.
"Goodbye love," she whispered, placing another kiss to the crown of Henry's head, inhaling his unique baby smell. "And goodbye my other love," she said, leaning in to kiss Regina softly on her lips.
"I love you," Regina said as they broke apart. The brunette hesitated for a split second before turning and walking away. Emma watched them go, not returning to the main prison until the door had closed firmly behind her family.
"Happy birthday to you! Happy birthday to you! Happy birthday dear Emma. Happy birthday to you!"
Emma burst out laughing as she watched Regina waltz into the visitation room, Henry securely in one arm and her other hand holding a huge bunch of helium balloons.
"How the hell did you persuade the guards to allow those in here?" she asked as she hugged the brunette tightly, careful not to squash their son in the middle.
"Let's call it feminine whiles," Regina said with a wink.
"You flirted you way to bringing your girlfriend birthday balloons?" Emma asked as she took Henry from the brunette's arms. "Who fell for that?"
"Nolan," Regina shrugged as she tied the balloons to Emma's chair and sat in the one opposite.
"Of course he did," Emma laughed.
"And how's my little man?" she asked, turning her attention to Henry who was following the movement of the balloons behind the blonde's head.
"Great," Regina smiled. "We've got his feeding into a vague routine, he hardly ever cries and journeys in the car send him straight to sleep. He was a little grumpy when I woke him as we arrived just now but he seems to have gotten over that now he's with his mother."
"HIs other mother," Emma amended, smiling as Henry's tiny fist grasped the finger she had been stroking his stomach with.
"How was your birthday?" Regina asked. "I'm sorry I had to go when you phoned but I've learned that not cleaning up projectile milky vomit straight away is a bad move."
Emma wrinkled her nose. "Gross! Is he ok now?"
"Yeah he's fine," she smiled. "I think it was just because I didn't manage to burp him properly. Sometimes he's just too wriggly and I eventually give up. I've learned my lesson though. From now on I will persist!"
Emma laughed. "Are you making a mess for mummy?" she asked. Henry's brown eyes slid from the balloons to the blonde's face. His tiny fist tightened as he stared up into her green orbs.
"Did the girls do something for you yesterday?" Regina asked.
"There may have been a cake and some hooch," Emma said with a wink.
"Typical prison birthday party then," Regina smiled. "I've got something to make your 19th a little bit special actually," she said, reaching into her bag and pulling out an envelope and a small, wrapped parcel.
Emma grinned as she shifted Henry so she could open the card. She gasped as she saw a tiny handprint in red paint on the front, Regina's beautiful handwriting underneath spelling out Happy Birthday Mummy. Emma's eyes filled with tears as she looked up at her smiling girlfriend.
"I tried to get him to write his name but-," Regina joked.
"Thank you," Emma said through a watery smile as she opened the card and read the brief message of love and good wishes inside.
Placing the card on the table, she moved to pick up the present. Unwrapping it, she smiled widely as she saw a picture of Regina and Henry in an intricately carved wooden frame. Regina wore the widest smile Emma had ever seen, her short hair perfectly styled as always, and Henry was looking right into the camera lens wearing an adorable onesie covered in tiny horses.
"I had to get a photo frame with a plastic cover in case you went psycho and killed someone with a glass one but I have the exact same picture on the mantel piece at home. I thought you might want a photo of Henry, of us, for the rest of your stay."
"It's perfect, Regina. You're perfect, both of you," the blonde smiled, reaching across the table to hold her girlfriend's hand.
November
"I hate fireworks," Regina grumbled as she handed a sleeping Henry to Emma and collapsed into the visitation chair.
"Oh dear," Emma said as she took in the exhausted appearance of her girlfriend. "What happened?"
"The neighbours had a party yesterday. Henry screamed all night. Even after the bangs stopped he wouldn't quieten down. I didn't sleep a wink and nor did he. Then morning came and he settled at last. And then I had to drive up here."
"I'm sorry," Emma said. "You didn't have to come."
"Of course we did," Regina scoffed. "We haven't missed a weekend yet and we're not about to start with only two months left of your sentence."
"Well thank you, and sorry on Henry's behalf," Emma smiled.
"It's a shame too," Regina added. "He's learnt a new trick."
"What?" Emma asked. She loved hearing about his progress.
"Smiling," Regina said, with a beam of her own.
"Really?" Emma gasped, looking down into her sleeping son's face and momentarily thinking of waking him. But she didn't. She knew he needed his sleep after the previous night.
"It's so beautiful Emma," Regina said. "It's so genuine and pure. I have some photos on my phone but Nolan wouldn't let me in with it."
"Did you flirt?" Emma asked.
"Yep," Regina replied. "But even he isn't that stupid."
"What do you do to get Henry to smile?" Emma asked.
"A few things. He likes it when I sing to him. And peek-a-boo sometimes gets a reaction. Oh and there's this one toy unicorn that he's obsessed with and he's always grinning right before he starts sucking on the rubber horn."
Emma laughed. "He sounds perfect," the blonde smiled. She felt like she wasn't really missing out so much when Regina told her the stories every weekend. She was getting to know her son's personality, likes, dislikes and temperament. She just couldn't wait to experience everything first hand.
"I am thankful for my family," Emma said, smiling happily at Henry who was grinning up at her as he lay in her arms, a rubber unicorn grasped in his pudgy fist. "I am thankful for my son who is the cutest baby in the world ever. I am thankful for my friends who have been supporting me over the past two months. I'm thankful for Booth and Fisher who've been there right from the start. And you," Emma said, looking up at her girlfriend. "I'm thankful for you Regina. Without you, I wouldn't have Henry in my arms today. Without you I wouldn't have my family. Thank you for loving me."
Regina smiled widely, her hand clasped in Emma's. The blonde beamed back before nodding her head, prompting the brunette to begin her own Thanksgiving speech.
"I'm thankful for my new family. I'm thankful for my father who showed me what love is and I'm thankful for him for the love he gave me every day of his life. I'm thankful for you, Emma. Thank you for giving your heart to me, and for giving me your son. I've always wanted a child and am thankful I can take care of Henry for you. I guess that means I'm thankful I was arrested when I was. It meant I met you, and it meant I was free when I needed to take care of Henry. Thank you Emma, for being my family."
December
"You dressed our son as an elf?" Emma asked as she took Henry from Regina and eyed the new onesie. It was Christmas Eve and FCI had changed the visitation day from Saturday to Thursday so the inmates could see their families before the holiday.
"He looks so cute!" Regina argued as she sat down.
"He's always cute!" Emma argued. "That doesn't mean you have to dress him up in a freaky outfit."
"You're scared of elves?" Regina asked, surprised.
Emma blushed slightly. "Maybe."
Regina bit back a laugh. "Why?"
"Their ears," Emma shrugged. "I don't like their ears."
This time the brunette couldn't hold back. A giggle tumbled from her lips and Emma's heart skipped at the sound. "Honey, our son doesn't have pointy ears, look," she said as she leaned over the table and pulled the little hat off Henry's head. His blonde mop of hair fell back into place.
Emma hesitated before tilting the boy's head gently to the left then the right side for inspection.
"Happy now?" Regina asked.
"Better," Emma nodded. "But next year, can he be Rudolph or Santa please?"
"Of course," Regina said with a laugh.
"What presents did you get for him?" Emma asked.
"Way too many toys, a new play mat, more books, a mobile to hang above his crib since I broke the other one last week. Oh and a new set of onesies."
"He's a lucky boy," Emma said, trying to remember a birthday when she had more than one present to unwrap. She couldn't.
"He's spoilt," Regina corrected. "But he's not even three months old yet so I don't think it matters. Anyway, he gets his real present in January. You, Emma," Regina added when the blonde frowned at her.
The smile that lit up Emma's face was dazzling.
"Twenty-two more days!" she exclaimed.
"I know. I bought a 2016 calendar months ago and your release date has been marked ever since. I can't wait to drive up here one last time and return to our home with you beside me."
"Can we celebrate Christmas again when I get out?" Emma asked.
"Of course," Regina nodded. "I'll save some of Henry's presents for you to give him."
"Thanks," Emma said. "I can't wait Regina. I can't wait to be a proper family with you. Henry is going to have the best mothers in the world ever."
"He already does," Regina pointed out.
"It's not the same," Emma argued. "I want to be there for the night time feedings. I want to change his diaper. I want to sooth him fevers. I want to hold him when he cries. And I want you right beside me when we do all of that."
"Twenty-two more days, my love. Twenty-two more days."
"Two minutes ladies and gentlemen," Fa called from the back of the room.
The blonde sighed. "Merry Christmas, Regina."
"Merry Christmas, Emma."
"Merry Christmas, Henry," the blonde said, placing a kiss to the forehead of her now sleeping son.
Twenty-two more days.