Chapter Thirteen
Baby Jail Lockdown
When the kids finally did get down the stairs the looks on Rowan's face was everything they imagined, Darien didn't quite understand, but the big smile she gave them whenever they smiled at her was all that mattered. Although before the present opening started Emma needed to get the baby under the tree in a Christmas box.
"You planned this didn't you?" Regina asked her.
"I may have talked to the baby and begged her to come on Christmas," Emma giggled as she took photos. She made sure to get Darien sitting next to her in Christmas pajamas smiling big with her curls falling into her face. Before she added in Henry and finally Rowan. She got them all alone in front of the tree too.
"All right can I unwrap my Christmas baby now?" Regina asked sitting on the floor with her quilt spread out ready to swaddle her.
"Ha yeah, unwrap your Christmas baby love," Emma told her. Regina pulled on the tail of the bow aware of Emma snapping photos. She was glad she had managed to look somewhat presentable, these photos would never be public, but at least she wouldn't think she looked like death walking even with her curls pinned back. As she pulled, she noticed a letter on the ribbon first it was an X.
"Emma what did you…" Regina started as she pulled the entire ribbon and the name Xaviére Reina Mills was on it.
"Her name!" Henry exclaimed. Regina let some tears fall as she remember Xavier, she didn't often let thoughts of him creep into her mind.
"He deserves to be remembered, and she's going to be just as happy and healthy as he was meant to be." Regina hugged Emma.
"I love you," Regina told her.
"I love you too."
"How do I even say that?" Henry asked.
"Zav-yer, it's French!" Emma grinned. Regina snickered and corrected their pronunciation until they were all saying it correctly.
"You really should have picked a name you could pronounce," Regina chuckled.
"I reasoned you would actually say it correctly and with time the rest of us would too," Emma laughed.
"Figures."
"Oooh what's she doing?" Henry asked once Regina had her unwrapped from some silk that looked like wrapping paper and she was now laying on her quilt."
"That's your magic not hers," Regina said as white smoke swirled over her baby.
"What, but I'm not doing anything I swear," Emma said as they watched their baby split into two.
'Oh, fuck no,' Regina thought as that second baby then began to split. It just kept going. "Emma, I swear to God, no, no you make this stop now this is insane, reverse this. I will kill you to end your magic!"
"It's not me!" Emma cried. "I don't know what to do!"
"Too many babies," Henry cried as they were just piling on top of one another and crying.
"Shit," Rowan said. Darien giggled.
"Shit." Regina put a hand on her head. Her first born was a curser and the other one was going to multiply itself out of existence or something, as the babies continued to form, they were less and less complete.
"The numbers vary!" Regina cried. "Sometimes it's more and sometimes it's less. Emma you need to choose a number this is your magic!"
"I just want the baby that was born this morning!" Emma yelled. In a puff of smoke, they were left with two identical copies of their baby and they were both smaller."
I think the other baby was inside the original baby after my magical fuck up, I made you tare, I'm so sorry."
"Oh, sweet Jesus, I was so happy with one baby, Emma, now you've brought twin terrors into this house."
"I mean twice the blessing it's great you know we'll get through this, I mean bright side it's not the fifteen hundred babies that were suddenly like piling up in front of us."
"That's your spin on this?" Regina asked her. "We are not prepared, and it was going to be hard enough adjusting an eight-month-old to one baby, but now she's got to adjust to two. I'm worried about Darien and Henry, poor Henry when is he supposed to get time with us, none of this was planned."
"Okay valid concerns."
"Henry will feel a lot better about this if he gets naming rights since he was not allowed to give any of his ideas for Darien or Xaviére whomever that is now." Regina sighed as she managed to bring some purple nail polish to herself and gently painted all of Xaviére's nails which was the original baby. "Oooh and make a quilt!"
"No, quilt is on me, but we will listen to your naming choices if it helps."
"Yes!" Henry yelled as he danced. "Best Christmas ever!" Regina handed Emma a baby and she picked up the second one kissing her forehead Emma noted even though she was upset at Emma. She used her magic to make two blankets, but the colorful side she separated the colors.
"Now Xaviére has purple and green and this baby has the yellow and green together. But the fur side is identical." Emma nodded.
"How long do I have to come up with a name?" Henry asked as he typed on his phone.
"Twenty seconds to give me ideas," Regina said too annoyed to give him more time.
"Ah Dianna with two n's after wonder woman, and uh uh Okoye from Black Panther or Natasha who's the black widow."
"You want me to name her after marvel characters?" Regina asked him. "Did Emma hit you in the head last night?"
"Oh, mom come on I threw one DC character in there," Henry grumbled.
"Don't oh mom me, Darien and Xaviére have thoughtful names so it would be nice if you gave your sister a thoughtful name." Henry looked properly chastised.
"Guess I'm calling her kid until she has a name," Emma grinned. Regina glared at her until a ripping sound was heard. They looked at Rowan who was starting a present.
"Oh, that's not yours sis, come on I think we've been patient enough for presents. Once both babies were swaddled. Each child got their presents. Emma took pictures and Regina helped Darien make it through her pile. Eventually Ruby asked if they could bring food and soon Kathryn was over with Ruby, Belle, Granny, and Kimberly she had sent the widow granger and Anton home. They were just as shocked to see two babies and just as horrified as Emma said the entire living room had been filled with copies of Xaviére.
"Funny I don't quite remember that many," Regina told her. Emma gave her a big grin and shrug as she held both girls. Since Darien was most possessive over Regina, they tried to give her as much time as possible being held by one of them alone or with only one other baby. However, the new babies loved Emma, so there were no problems for now.
"Oh, Regina I should remind you twice the baby, twice the seclusion time. Everything is doubled." Regina looked ready to cry.
"But Darien needs her daily walk," Regina whined.
"Yes, and Emma or Henry or Ruby or I can take her, but you just sleep and feed, do you want healthy babies or sick babies?" Granny asked her.
"Healthy babies," Regina huffed even as she yawned. She refused to go to bed though as it was Christmas and she'd be damned if it wasn't spent enjoying her family. The phone rang, and Ruby happily took a baby as Emma answered her phone.
"Ah shit, I'm sorry I completely forgot, I thought she'd be released by now. I'll be over in a minute David sorry."
"What happened?" Ruby asked.
"Mary Margaret was here last night before everyone else, I had to have Mulan take her in, and she was supposed to release her this morning, but I'm betting she heard the news and kept her longer. Problem is David's been in bed all day and apparently Mary Margaret never went shopping or anything to prepare for the holidays."
"God that woman needs a hospital," Ruby grumbled.
"It's fine, I'll grab some food, Rowan and I can head over to spend time with him.
"I'll go too," Henry chimed. "That way mom can get some rest today." Regina grinned at him. She was exhausted, and she knew Granny would take care of the babies so she could get some sleep.
"Looks like I got my little pups all to myself Queenie," Ruby grinned taking the other baby happily.
"Ruby I will fight you," Kathryn told her.
"Same here," Belle said. "Logic dictates since you have already claimed Darien, we get dibs on the twins, specifically I want Xaviére because we both have French names. I can already tell she'll love to read."
"That's fine, I hope Henry will include me in the naming process," Kathryn said looking at Henry, who grinned at her. Ruby however was not having it.
"Um…no logic dictates that Ruby has three pups and all of them hers," Ruby argued as her eyes narrowed.
"No, it's not even fair that you got chosen as Godmother to Demi after we found out that Emma was disqualified as she was her mother!" Kathryn cried. "And it was favoritism from Emma that got you the spot."
"Oh, you're just mad because Regina didn't favor you," Ruby told her. "And nothing is official, they never said I was her Godmother."
"Bullshit, anyone can see that Emma has chosen the great wolf," Belle told her. "Now these two cuties are just for us, a blessing really that there is two, it's what we were hoping for."
"See Regina it's obviously their fault you had twins," Emma grinned. "You can't kill me now." Regina chuckled.
"Not a chance this is all on you," Regina told her stifling a yawn.
"Is it all right if I take Darien since Henry is going?" Emma asked. Regina thought about it, David was pretty ill, and Darien's magic was a great defense until she could get there, not that she doubted that Emma couldn't and wouldn't protect her. "Not that he deserves to spend Christmas with Darien at all, I just don't want her to feel any different. If I let him create anymore difference it will just get worse even if he finally believes me."
"I agree he doesn't deserve it, but it's not about him, it's about Darien, Xaviére, and…baby girl I guess." The baby gave a cry of protest. "Or not, Henry what are you thinking you come up with anything?"
"All I got are boy names," Henry murmured.
"Yeah it's not off the table, I like boy names on girls sometimes," Regina told him.
"Uh Sydney?" Henry asked. Every adult at the table looked at him as if to ask if he were serious. "Right well… Ryan, Harry she could be Harry maybe so do Harri with an i." They shook their heads and the baby gave a cry of displeasure.
"Meaning something give me something," Regina told him.
"Abraham Lincoln he was a good American President, he ended slavery, just like you did in the White Kingdom," Henry cried out after thinking.
"Abraham really?" Emma asked Henry.
"No, not Abraham, but Lincoln," Regina said. She said it a few more times. "Xaviére and Lincoln, Lincoln and Xaviére." No protests came from the baby. "I'm thinking Lincoln Alice."
"Lincoln Alice Mills! Shut up, I was just thinking of calling her little lamb." Emma grinned. "Oh, I loved it."
"How have you literally come up with a nick name already?" Regina asked her. Emma just shrugged.
"Well I like it Xaviére and Lincoln," Emma got up and kissed each baby before plucking them both from Ruby's arms. "And Ruby be nice, they're right you've been chosen as replacement, and don't worry Regina was favoring you both for Xav, when we just thought it was one baby." Belle and Kathryn cheered, but Ruby just looked extremely pleased and yet extremely sour they had laid claim to the twins.
"No, not thought, replace that with before Emma messed up," Regina corrected. Emma gave her a big grin.
"It was a happy mess up," Emma reminded her as she kissed her forehead too before taking Darien. "You get some rest, and Darien you are going to come with Mama, Henry, and Rowan." Darien looked ready to cry, but Regina walked her to the door with Emma and put her coat on. She reluctantly waved goodbye, and as soon as they hugged their goddaughters. Regina nursed the girls before Granny forced her upstairs to sleep. The girls remained downstairs in their now decorated bassinets.
"So exhausted," Regina muttered. She had hardly closed her eyes it seemed, and Granny had sent the others out to celebrate loudly and properly when the girls were screaming. It was going to be a long first Christmas.
"Where's Regina?" Mary Margaret asked opening the door as soon as Rowan and Henry reached the door having raced up from the car. Emma frowned.
"At home resting she just gave birth to your granddaughters," Emma told her annoyed. "We came to see Dad seeing as you weren't caring for him in his time of need."
"I care for him, and anyway you should start looking for a new place with your children, once David gives me a divorce as true, true loves Regina will be filling the mansion with our own band of children. I wanted a whole castle and now it's clear why David could only give me two and so far apart at that. I should have been knocked up as soon as the curse broke."
"Wow can you get more delusional, you don't even know Regina," Emma told her pushing pass her. Darien glared at her even as she looked around the loft curiously. In Emma's opinion she was all her mother too seemingly eying the place with disgust. David made his way out of the bathroom slowly. He hugged Henry who asked him how he was and Rowan who remained silent as usual for the moment.
"We brought food," Emma told him as she gave him a one-armed hug. Darien eyed him but made no move to use her magic. David was definitely; more docile than she was used to seeing him. The food appeared on the table in a puff of white.
"Did you already eat?" David asked her. Emma nodded.
"We did a little, but nobody had Christmas dinner seconds, and it's from Granny before you ask, Regina had our babies last night well early this morning. We were up all night."
"So, I saw through text, but I thought it was just one baby girl?" David asked.
"We found out it was twins later after the announcement," Emma told him. They all sat down, and Mary Margaret huffed as she picked at her food waiting for a chance to slip out and go see Regina without Emma blocking her.
"Good, I'm glad they're all okay," David managed, but Emma could see it hurt him to include Regina in that statement. He could see that it was likely true that Darien was part of Emma physically, she seemed to already have the hallow legs that followed every charming. "Well I'm glad to see that Leo…I mean Rowan is eating unprompted now." Rowan eyed him wearily, but David just kept eating. "I'm glad she let you bring Darien, she eats like a Charming." Emma grinned at Darien who was chewing on a piece of meat.
"We're convinced she must keep a second stomach, we're really not sure where she puts it and how she manages not to throw up. We're always sure she must be overeating, but she's fine. It's amazing really how so much can fit in such a tiny body." Emma tickled Darien's stomach which prompted her to giggle and David couldn't help the smile that appeared on his face. While David was trying to take an interest in Darien as well as catch up with Henry and try to learn something about Rowan. Mary Margaret slipped out of the loft.
"Finally going to get Regina," Mary Margaret muttered. By the time she got over to the mansion it was lit up beautifully in the night by the Christmas lights, but the lights inside were being turned off. She noticed the forcefield was down, Emma must have forgotten it, and Regina was still tired.
"Regina!" Mary Margaret called out before she rang the doorbell. Mary Margaret began to bang on the door.
"You have got to be fucking kidding me," Regina groaned from her place in bed where she had just lay down again with her girls next to her. They weren't eager to be in a different part of the house from her unlike Darien who had loved napping near Granny. Since that was the case and they had figured that out rather quickly she had sent the old woman home to celebrate with Ruby. She had left more than enough food for Boxing day or Emma could handle a meal or two for once.
"REGINA!" Mary Margaret yelled pushing the doorbell twenty times. Regina placed her girls next to each other in their bassinet before she slowly made her way downstairs. Her body was aching, and she just need to get whatever rest she could. She opened the door and Mary Margaret fell into the foyer.
"Could you be anymore inconsiderate?" Regina asked her, but she wasn't really looking for an answer.
"Finally, my love, I'm sorry it's taken me so long, but I'm here now, you should raise the forcefield to keep Emma out. I'll help you gather her stuff and the kids stuff so we can start fresh with our family."
"Excuse me?" Regina asked as bile rose in the back of her throat.
"We're going to start a family because we're true loves, Emma and David they can't give us the castle full of children we desire."
"Honestly I'd rather slit my wrists than have a castle full of children that are too much like you. Emma is just enough and honestly thankfully she takes after David, even if he's a puppet wandering aimlessly because he lost his strings. She's thankfully got her own sense since your family is seriously rotten to the core."
"Baby come on you don't mean that, Emma's got you brain washed," Mary Margaret told her. Regina raised an eyebrow at her.
"Oh now it's Emma that's done the brainwashing, only a few weeks ago you were convinced that I had brainwashed her. You have lost it, and you need to get some help, but I am not sorry to tell you it will not and never will be from me." Regina pushed Mary Margaret back out of the house, she was rather weak it seemed in comparison.
'Huh thought she was a bit stronger,' Regina thought.
Regina slammed the door shut and locked it. Mary Margaret resumed her assault on the doorbell and pounding the door. Regina went to her home phone and called the Sheriff's department. The call was apparently rerouted to Emma's cell phone. She was the first on call.
"Sheriff Swan speaking, what's your emergency?" Emma asked.
"Em, it's your mother, she's here," Regina told her. "She won't leave, she seems to think that she's supposed to stay here and I'm supposed to send you and all the children packing."
"What, no, she just went to the bathroom…" Emma trailed off and Regina could hear her check the bathroom before she groaned. "I'll be right there baby don't let her in and sit tight."
"Regina open this door now, you know we don't have locked doors in this family!" Mary Margaret yelled. Regina frowned and she nearly dropped the phone. Hadn't Leopold said something like that to her once or twice, he didn't like locked doors that kept him out, but he loved locked doors that kept her in.
"Emma hurry, she's getting violent because I rejected her. Call me on my cell when you get here. I sent Granny home, because the girls wouldn't settle without me."
"I'm already out the door baby," Emma told her. Regina was about to reply when Mary Margaret threw a rock through her front window. Regina went upstairs, she was too weak to put a shield up on the entire house, but she could damn sure protect her babies in her bedroom. Once in her room, she closed and locked the door. She tried her magic to raise a forcefield but as it formed in front of her and she tried to expand it, it fizzled out.
"Fuck," Regina whispered.
"Regina where are you baby?" Mary Margaret called. "I just wanna talk." Regina didn't believe her though, why of all people did Mary Margaret have to sound just like her fucking father, she would never forget what he had done to her. If she didn't know better she would swear Mary Margaret was possessed by the man. She went to her girls, but found only one really large baby.
"Okay you guys are weirding me out, but either way we need to get out of here," Regina muttered. She swaddled them in their quilts which had remerged together as well. Before she quickly slipped on a hoodie from Emma and some sneakers that were left in their bedroom.
"I know you're in there Regina let me in," Mary Margaret told her tightly. She started banging on the bedroom door. Regina retreated into the bathroom, and slipped into the nursery easily enough, now that the babies were quiet in her arms. She moved to the door and peaked out, she could just see Mary Margaret pounding on her door, but slipping by would be hard, no way she could move fast enough in her state to get to the garage. Not without slowing Mary Margaret down and that could mean accidentally injuring her babies, and that was not an option.
"Regina!" Mary Margaret exclaimed spotting her.
"Shit," Regina muttered as she slammed the door shut and pulled the changing table in front one handed. For logistical reasons the nursery door no longer had a lock on it from the inside. Mary Margaret began to try putting her weight on the door, so Regina retreated back to her room unable to pull the table all the way over the door. The bathroom door however did have a high lock from the inside, so that when they were intimate the girls couldn't get through, through the bathroom. She then locked her bathroom door as Mary Margaret was of course trying to throw her weight against the bathroom door. She didn't think she would get through that at least without help, but two doors between them couldn't hurt. The girls separated again in her arms as they cried, whatever they had done she realized it wasn't something they could sustain for long. The banging went on for so long Regina almost missed the feeling of Emma's magic entering the house.
"Oh it's going to be okay now, Mama's here and she's making her go away," Regina told the girls. She kissed their foreheads as she paced with them in her arms one against each shoulder. She wouldn't relax until Emma was there to reassure her that Mary Margaret was locked up in the psych ward.
"Go away Emma, this is between me and Regina, you're ruining us!" Mary Margaret yelled.
"There is no us between you two, you need professional help," Emma told her from the hallway. Regina heard a bit of a scuffle and then cuffs, and finally two sets of feet heading down the stairs as Mary Margaret yelled that she couldn't keep her apart from her true love. Regina let out a breath of relief as she lay Xaviére down as she was the calmest. She sat down next to her on the bed and grabbed her cell off the bedside table. She'd forgotten to grab the damn thing. Using her shoulder to hold the phone, she dialed Henry's cell number, she would bet anything Emma had left them with David seeing as Mary Margaret was clearly the bigger threat.
"Mom?" Henry asked. "Everything okay, Ma, ran out of the loft and left us well I should more say left Darien without a word."
"Yes, yes honey everything is fine now, I just wanted to check in on you and the girls."
"We're fine, but Darien is upset she's weary of David and now that Ma isn't here she's scared I think," Henry replied.
"I'm coming to get you all right, I want you all home safe, I'll be there in five minutes, ten maximum."
"Okay, we'll be here." Regina hung up. She stuck her phone in her pocket and gathered up both babies. She took them downstairs cautious of the fact that Blue might have been watching and see it as an opportunity to use Mary Margaret as a distraction. The only bright thought about that if she was attacking here she didn't notice a vulnerable Darien at the Charming Loft. She got the girls set up into their car seats, and into the tesla.
"Your mama is going to kill me, because this is your first car ride, but I don't care, we need your brother, sister, and Aunt home safe," Regina told them. Lincoln was still crying, but the driving of the car seemed to sooth her. She made it to the loft in seven minutes having had to take a moment to conjure up a second car seat. She carried them both up the stairs and knocked the door. It was David who answered with a howling Darien in his arms.
"Oh, thank God, I'm almost never been so happy to see you," he said letting her in.
"Why because it's not Mary Margaret wailing as a dwarf?" Regina asked. Once she had set the girls down, she immediately took Darien from him who calmed down.
"To be frank yes," He told her. He went over the couch and sat down, looking tired. "What did she do now, please tell me just yelled your name." Regina frowned as Henry helped her move the girls to the sitting area.
"You okay Row?" Regina asked her to check on her. Rowan nodded as she ate cake. "Okay good." She turned back to David. "To answer your question no, I rejected her again, and she broke into the house, and banged on my room door until Emma came. She got quite aggressive." David just covered his face.
"What happened to the good days where we just had battles and then regrouped without this psychotic nonsense she's doing. She must know you are not her true love, this was making more sense when she tried to be a toddler."
"All I know is she needs some serious help and you ought to call Archie," Regina told him. "Look we're both to physically weak to fight today, so I'm just going to take the children and go, I'd feel safer if they were at home. And frankly you look too exhausted to handle the needs of a three-year-old so I don't recommend Rowan sleeping over."
"Aren't you the kettle calling the pot black," David pointed out. "You look like you can barely stand on your feet let alone drive your car home."
"I'm fine, I assure you, and Emma will be home soon, I'll send her back here to check on you if she comes home first." David let out a breath.
"Thanks for the food," He said before he hugged Henry and Rowan. He patted Darien's head gently before he looked at the new babies, but Regina noted he wasn't threatening them.
"They look like Emma this time, she was just as hairless too." He caressed their cheeks with a finger, before taking a step back from them. "I'll do better with them even if I hate you, they're still my granddaughters. I thought you had faked it somehow, but I've never been more sure that they at least are real."
"Blue won't like that," Regina muttered.
"Blue doesn't think for me when it comes to family," David told her although he didn't add that he still wanted the secret DNA test he had asked from Emma to be absolutely sure. Well as sure as he could be, but than again whose to say Emma wouldn't still tell Regina.
"Good, maybe you could apply that to other things too," Regina quipped as she walked out with her girls. Darien in her right arms all bundled up, Lincoln in car seat in the other. Henry after securing his jacket picked up Xaviére, and Rowan after a last quick hug of her own initiation to David's surprise walked out ahead of her. Once Regina had the kids in the car she let out a breath of relief. They were all safe and it seemed for now at least that David was low on the threat list. She returned home to Emma freaking out that she was not home.
"Oh, thank God," Emma said when she came in, and practically clutched her chest as she pulled Regina close. "Did she hurt you at all?"
"No, no, she didn't physically touch me so much as freak me out when my magic wouldn't work. I was more afraid for the girls, she was saying things about getting rid of them so we could have our own castle full of God awful children." Regina gave a shudder.
"Did you tell her one of me was enough?" Emma asked.
"I did, no offense baby, but you stopped diving into their brand of b.s. so plus points for you," Regina told her kissing her cheek.
"I literally cannot with you," Emma told her. "Why did you leave, I'm sure David wouldn't have done anything to them."
"It wasn't David I was worried about, I considered that Blue might be watching for an opportunity as soon as I realized just how weak I was. I shouldn't have sent Granny home so soon that was my mistake."
"Would the Blue fairy still hurt us?" Henry asked concerned.
"She was pretty upset, we just should be weary and that means recognizing when things suddenly get weird like Mary Margaret today," Emma pointed out. Henry nodded.
"What did you do with her?" Regina asked.
"Jail cell for now, brought her up on charges," Emma said.
"She needs to see Archie asap, whatever she's thinking isn't right," Regina pointed out as she yawned and finally began to get Darien out of her outerwear. Once they were all comfortable Emma got the glass cleaned up and the window covered with some cardboard to keep the cold air out, she'd call someone to have it fixed. Before she knew it, news had spread about Mary Margaret she took several calls from Kathryn, Ruby, and Granny wanting to know if they should set up an around the clock guard.
"No, she's in jail right now, I've put the forcefield back up from my end, we should be fine until she's sentenced," Emma told them as she watched Regina explaining to Darien that she had to be patient now and wait her turn for milk while her sisters were nursing. Darien gave a cry of frustration as Emma scooped her up and rubbed her back. "All is fine, just Demi getting used to sharing, and I promise you Granny, Regina is heading straight to bed after all this. She can resume celebrating in the living room tomorrow morning." Regina made a face, but she was honestly desperate to get some rest. The babies weren't feeding long enough at all. She hoped that changed soon or they wouldn't put on weight.
"Maybe we should think about formula feeding Darien, she's such a good eater so she's getting more nutrients from food," Emma said as she took one of the babies and Darien got into nursing position."
"Honestly she's the better nurser right now, I need her at the moment but we can reevaluate later," Regina told her. Emma looked surprise.
"Wait no fight about breast is best?" Emma asked.
"No, fed is best, do you know how many babies died every year because they wouldn't get enough breast milk or something?" Regina asked. "Ideally if these two don't improve we'll try breast milk from the bottle, Darien should help keep the supply up, but I doubt my body will recognize that I need to produce more milk and not less milk, so they might end up formula fed and that's okay."
"Wow I so admire you, because even when I was pregnant with Henry, I was told so many people how evil it was not to breast feed my child."
"Those people are idiots and generally are believing too much in one direction without considering that breast feeding is hard and sometimes you just can't meet the demand of your child. And it's bad enough it feels like your body is betraying you."
"Hey it is not your body, the girls are just bad nursers," Emma shrugged. "Darien was nursing like a champ from day one."
"That's true," Regina said. Lincoln finished nursing first, and Darien grunted until Emma had put her into position. Regina sighed as Darien really was a champion at nursing. Xaviére finished and Darien nursed the longest and thankfully with equal time on both breasts before they took the girls upstairs. Regina managed to tell Rowan a bed time story with Emma. And then it was a little time with Henry before he stayed up with Emma a bit longer. Regina didn't sleep though as Lincoln was quite fussy and demanding she try to nurse, but it was so stop and go with her.
"Hey baby why didn't you call me," Emma said as Regina was wiping her tears and trying to calm Lincoln.
"I wanted Henry to spend time with one of us," Regina told her as Emma took Lincoln from her.
"I know they need the colostrum at least, but I'm gonna warm her a bottle you haven't rested at all." Regina nodded.
"She's not taking the bottle well either, should we call the midwife?" Emma asked.
"Maybe they just need time, we'll talk to her over the three-day checkup." Emma nodded. They were up most of the night trying to the feed the girls on the bottle or breast. Emma took them out though, so Regina could eventually sleep, and she tried them on the bottle a bit. That contented them long enough to get some sleep on their own.
"Seriously if it weren't for Darien, she'd have mastitis," Emma complained as the midwife checked her over. Regina had gotten very little sleep, her breasts were slightly painful, but thankfully she did not have mastitis yet, but she was producing more than enough milk it seemed, but the girls just couldn't get to it.
"Ah there's your problem, I should have been called back yesterday," Granny told her as she looked at the girls.
"What's the problem?" Emma asked alarmed turning her attention from her fiancé to her daughters.
"They're tongue tied, nothing a little snip can't fix, your breast-feeding experience will be much better." Regina looked relieved at that as did Emma. The midwife looked as well and agreed with Granny.
"I'll call Whale and let him know you need the procedure done today, the babies have dropped from their shared birth weight if I add the two together." Regina nodded.
"Great, I could really use some sleep if they would just feed once regularly." Emma rubbed her back and kissed her forehead. Emma felt bad she had managed a nap while Regina was just too tired to even get out of the room on the twenty-six. Emma had ended up napping with Rowan and of course Henry could entertain himself. Although he'd gone over to visit David for her. Once Regina had an otherwise clean bill of health Granny took all the girls downstairs to allow Regina to properly freshen up and even change her bed sheets.
"You know I'm so tired but I'm so happy today," Regina said.
"Why?" Emma asked.
"Implant day, no more unexpected pregnancies," Regina told her as if she had just been given life. Emma smiled and went in to give her a kiss, but Regina blocked her.
"Later you have too much love in your eyes right now," Regina stated firmly. Emma chuckled but nodded. Soon they were downstairs, and all headed off to the hospital. Regina happily got her implant to her relief and confirmed she was not knocked up either just in case twins weren't the only surprise, and then the girls were treated for their tongue tie and had their usual three day checkup.
"They're deaf in at least one ear," Dr. Whale told them. Regina frowned.
"How, I did everything that I was supposed to," Regina cried.
"You probably shouldn't have taken those meds for your headache, they can cause deafness." He turned to leave again unconcerned.
"You're the one that told me it was fine!" Regina yelled after him.
"That son of a bitch," Emma grumbled as she rocked a crying Xaviére.
"Oh, you leave him to Ruby and I," Granny told them just as upset. The midwife came back with the results to speak more to them when she saw their angry faces. They explained to her that whale had said certain pain killers were fine when they weren't, and it had affected their hearing.
"What a bastard, he's lucky that's all that went wrong." To say the least Kathryn's gold mace had a date with Whale's car to his horror. But Regina had something in store for him as soon as her magic was back on full. She could still affect the curse and she was going to torture that son of a bitch.
"Do you think it's as bad as Darien's ears?" Regina asked Emma as she felt relieved, they were both finally nursing properly. She honestly didn't know if her nipples could continue to take it.
"I don't know, but as soon as the holidays are done, we can make an appointment with our outside doctor that sees Darien. Maybe it's just hearing aids, I don't want them to have surgery too." Regina nodded. Once the girls had their fill, Emma took over with them and Regina took Rowan and Darien upstairs for a nap, she was out with Darien.
"Hey baby, sorry to wake you," Emma said gently stroking Regina's face. Regina yawned.
"Time for another feeding?" Regina asked yawning as she looked at Emma.
"No, I split a bottle between them so you could pump if you need too, but Kimberly is here, and she has some things for you to sign." Regina nodded as she carefully detached Darien who was apparently using her as a pacifier. Darien gave a cry of protest.
"Oh, don't pretend like you were eating little one," Regina told her. Darien gave her a big smile which she couldn't help but return. "Great, she's getting your dopey grin."
"You love it," Emma grinned as she took Darien and gave her a kiss. "Besides I realized one thing lately."
"What's that?" Regina asked.
"She's always known I was her Mama, that's why she screamed until I was sleeping in here and therefore, she must love me more." Regina chuckled.
"Whatever you need to tell yourself at night Emma, but Darien is all mine, I gave you two very beautiful substitutes downstairs to love you best." They both laughed and Regina got up and changed to look presentable it was just Kimberly, but she liked to not look and smell like death in her opinion. When she came out of the bathroom, Emma had already taken Darien downstairs. Downstairs Kimberly was looking ashamed and Granny was glaring.
"I'm sorry all right, but I need it signed or they'll try to say Regina's not helping Kathryn and I and you saw yourself that they inserted themselves on the council as a truce, that the people agreed too, and they want her signatures and no one else's."
"Well maybe we can see about David changing his mind, now that Mary Margaret has been kicked off for being arrested," Emma pointed out coming out of the downstairs bathroom with Darien.
"I hope so," Granny said. She turned to Regina. "How are you feeling?"
"A lot better than yesterday, another few days of three hours of sleep I should be fully functional." Regina was in leggings and a hoodie, according to her nothing fit anymore. Once she had checked on Lincoln and Xaviére and Henry who was back from David's she was able to focus with Kimberly and sign what was needed and get an update despite Granny, but they were only three days out since Regina had been in the office so everything was stable. But then Granny kicked her out to Regina's displeasure.
"Six weeks you can do it."
"Emma it will be more like four months before Granny lets up. You remember how she was when Darien was two months."
"Aww, but our walks," Emma huffed.
"Yeah we're in baby jail lockdown," Regina sighed.
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