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Regina brought herself home immediately, appearing inside of her bedroom, where the sob that had been itching at the back of her throat finally escaped. Regina cupped her hand over her mouth as tears streamed down her face, crawling into bed and curling into the fetal position beneath her blankets. She reached for her pillow, clutching it to her chest as she sobbed against the soft cotton. She was devastated, heartbroken, and terrified. She ached, Emma's words replayed in her head as she tried to calm her devastated heart.

I have the right to know these things!

I don't know if I want more kids.

I don't know if this is what I want.

Regina buried her face into the pillow, nails digging into her pillowcase as she heaved a breath of air into her starving lungs before she was once again gripped by sobs.

You're never going to be happy about this, are you? Emma's haunting response played like a broken record in her mind. I don't know. I don't know. I don't know. I don't know.

Why the hell didn't you tell me this before?

Regina wept into her pillow. She felt so utterly defeated. She couldn't even muster the strength to lift her head to blow her nose, instead wiping it against her sleeve before turning back to the dampened pillowcase and crying some more. She couldn't think, her mind overrun by Emma's words, her angry looks, the obvious upset she felt at Regina's news. Regina was devastated, and she wept for what felt like hours against her pillow. Eventually exhaustion took over, and Regina succumbed to her body's need for rest.

For the three days following Regina's confession, Emma felt as though she were on an emotional roller coaster. One moment she was feeling angry, the next confused, then hurt, or worried, or unbelievably sad. And every once in a while, as the days progressed, she (very briefly) would felt a spark of excitement. But more often than not, her feelings were overwhelmingly negative. More than once, she had found herself wiping tears she hadn't even realised she had shed, feeling the tickle of something wet sliding down her cheek as she paced around. She couldn't eat, couldn't sleep, could barely concentrate on anything. She was having trouble processing and accepting the news that she had been given, utterly lost as to what to do. She needed to talk to Regina eventually, and a pang of guilt ate at her every time she thought of the woman and the devastated look on her face. Right now though, Emma couldn't. She couldn't talk when she was this… whirlwind of emotion. She needed time, she needed space, and she needed to process her thoughts and her feelings. She needed to think about what was happening.

"Ma? You're gonna wear a hole in the floor if you keep pacing around like that. Sit down. You're making me dizzy."

"Sorry, kid."

He'd been telling her that for the last three days. Henry had been staying at her place ever since she and Regina had talked, and he'd been on her to talk to him, to stop pacing, to tell him what was going on.

"You gonna tell me what's going on or are you going to lie to me again and say you're just thinking?"

"I'm not lying," Emma said, biting her thumbnail. "I am thinking."

"Well, I can hear you thinking from across the room. You're obviously thinking about something big."

Emma snorted. You have no idea.

"Don't you have things to do?"

Henry shrugged.

"I'm fifteen. School's out. The only thing I have to do is eat your food and watch your tv. And give you laundry."

"You can do your own damn laundry."

"Mom doesn't let me do laundry at home because I accidentally flooded the bathroom once when I was washing my clothes. I still don't know how I did it."

Emma barked out a laugh, shaking her head.

"Yeah, you're definitely my kid."

Henry grinned at her proudly then.

"Yep. Got the best of both my moms. Your semi-cool personality – I'm way cooler by the way - and mom's good looks."

"And her brains."

"Yep, which is why I'm smart enough to know you're avoiding answering my questions. Something's going on with you. And with mom. She's barely talking to me and she doesn't want me to go over. You're gonna have to tell me what's happening sooner or later because I won't buy she's not feeling good, Henry for much longer. I wanna see her. And I'd like to know why you're so upset too."

Emma sighed.

"I know you do, kid. But remember that thing we talked about, about respecting your mom and my's requests? You might not agree with what we're asking. Hell, you might hate it, but you still have to respect it. And right now, I'm asking you to respect her need for space and the fact that I've asked you to leave her alone for a bit."

"Fine, but will you at least admit there's something going on? I'm not dumb. I know there is."

Emma took a deep breath, letting it out slowly.

"Fine. There's something going on. Your mom and I… we're trying to work through something. Something important. And we both need some time to think."

"Are you guys breaking up?"

Henry turned to her then, suddenly looking so much younger than his fifteen years, frowning as he worried his lower lip with his teeth. Emma reached out and pulled him to her, wrapping her arm around his ever broadening shoulders.

"I don't know, kid. We weren't all that together before all this happened either."

"Please, you were practically married. You guys were always together and sharing food and keeping secrets and hanging out. You were always cuddling on mom's favourite chair on your date nights, and when we went camping you shared a tent, and you were kissing each other too."

"How do you know about all that?"

Henry gave her a look.

"Like I said, I'm not dumb, ma."

Emma sighed.

"No, you're not dumb," she acquiesced.

"Are you gonna talk to her?"

"I will, yeah. I just need some time to think."

"Do you think you guys'll fix whatever the problem is?"

Emma shook her head.

"I really don't know."

"Do you even want to fix it?"

Emma rested her cheek on his head, hugging him closer.

"Of course I do, kid. But things are really complicated right now, and the answer isn't so simple."

"Love conquers all, ma. If you love her, make it right. Fix it."

Emma sighed.

Three days of doing nothing more than lying in bed and crying left Regina feeling incredibly grimy. She had been unable to muster the strength to do anything as she worked through her mini depression, only getting out of bed to pee, to vomit (the damn morning sickness not giving her a break even through her sorrow), and to choke down something small to eat. Regina really hadn't wanted to eat at all, but she knew she needed to for the baby. So she'd dragged herself from bed and forced down dry toast, or yogurt, or a piece of fruit. Something so that the baby growing inside of her wasn't starving before she then crawled back into her bed. But now, on day four of being locked in her bedroom, Regina had had enough. Enough of the tears, enough of the sadness. She needed to get over this. She'd had her time to mourn and now it was time to roll up her pants and face the music. She couldn't stay hidden away forever. Besides, Emma hadn't said she was definitely out of the picture, the small, infinitesimal piece of hope within Regina reminded her. She had simply said she didn't think she wanted this. Perhaps she would change her mind.

Regina snorted.

"Yeah, right."

Sighing, Regina pulled the sheets from her bed, gathering them in a bundle and walking them to the washing machine. She shoved them inside, pouring in a generous amount of detergent before then turning on the machine. She stripped as she made her way to the en-suite, tossing her pyjamas into the hamper. Regina continued into the bathroom, halting as she caught a glimpse of herself in the full length mirror. She hesitated momentarily before slowly walking over, staring hard at her reflection. She knew it was silly to look at herself and wonder, she was only a few weeks along after all, but she couldn't help turning to the side and running her hand over her flat stomach. She looked no different than before, no bigger or smaller than she had a week ago, before she'd learnt she was pregnant, but she couldn't help but wonder if she'd look different next week, or the week after. How long would it take for her to notice the changes in her body? What would be some of the first? She really needed to acquire a pregnancy book, and soon. She had no idea what to expect, and that terrified her.

Tearing herself from the mirror, Regina padded into the bathroom and turned on the shower. She stepped inside when the temperature was right, heaving a sigh of relief as the first spray of hot water hit her body. Gods, did she ever need a good shower. She took her time washing her hair, her body, taking a razor to her stubbly legs and armpits. When she finished, Regina simply stood there beneath the spray of the water until her entire body felt pruned. She pulled away after what felt like an exorbitant amount of time (and wasted water), stepping out of the shower and wrapping herself in a towel. She stood before the bathroom mirror and inspected her skin, noting that the shallow wrinkles around her eyes were more prominent today, no doubt from the amount of crying she had done over the three days prior. But there would be no more of that, she vowed. She had cried enough, now it was time to move on.

Regina toweled off quickly, slathering on a generous amount of body cream before going to her bedroom and getting dressed. She was going to get Henry today, finally feeling like she was able to face the world. Guilt ate at Regina for practically ignoring her son for the past few days, but she truly had not been in a position to care for him. She'd been too consumed by her emotions, and Henry was no longer young enough to be fooled by her false smiles and clever distractions. He would see that she was not in a good place, and while she knew enough to know that Henry was aware of the fact that she wasn't doing well, she didn't want him to know just how not well she had been. She had allowed herself the time she had needed, and now that she had a handle on her emotions, she could move forward. She had a son who needed her and another child on the way. She didn't have time to let herself be consumed by her feelings of sadness any longer. Besides, even though her heart still ached, Regina did actually feel at least a little bit better.

As she prepared a decaffeinated tea, Regina called her son, who was incredibly pleased to hear from her. He was with his grandparents currently, and Regina was relieved to learn that Emma was working. She would have faced her if she had had to, but Regina was very glad that she would be spared that confrontation, at least for the time being. She wasn't sure she would have been able to hide behind her usual mask of indifference, especially not when it came to Emma and to this. Regina had slid on her mask, but she had a shaky hold upon it. She wasn't sure she'd be able to keep her grip on it if she came face-to-face with the mother of her unborn child.

"I'll be there soon, darling. I'm just going to have something to eat."

Regina made herself a piece of dry toast, one of the only things she was able to keep down these days. She ate slowly so as not to upset her stomach, putting her plate in the dishwasher before heading out the door. She decided to walk to the Charmings' home, taking in fresh air for the first time in over three days. It was a beautiful day, and Regina felt a small smile tug on her lips as the sun shone down on her. She loved the sun, loved the heat, and the warmth surrounded her like a soft blanket. It felt good, energising, and Regina could use all the energy she could get.

When she was finally on the stoop of the Charming loft, Regina heaved a deep breath for courage before knocking. She wasn't sure if Emma would have told them what was going on (actually, Regina was pretty sure Emma wouldn't have), but she was still worried. Besides Emma and their son, the two idiots were the only other two people in this town who knew her. Who knew her expressions, her moods, her ticks. Once upon a time, they had used this ability to read her in order to plot against her, to fight her, but now… well, now they used it to gather information and try to help (Regina shuddered) her.

"Regina!" Snow greeted, Boo on her hip. "So nice to see you."

"Auntie Gina!" the boy cried, immediately throwing himself towards the brunette.

Regina instantly grinned, the boy's enthusiasm lightening her mood considerably.

"Hi, Boo," Regina responded, pulling him into her arms. "How are you today?"

"Good! Playing cars with daddy and Henry!"

"Hi, mom."

Regina smiled warmly, a wave of motherly affection overcoming her at the sight of her precious boy. She held out her free arm, pulling Henry close. She took a deep breath, breathing in the smell of her favourite person, taking a moment to simply hold him.

"I love you."

"I love you too, mom," Henry replied immediately, though he did find it strange that it was the first thing she said to him. "You feeling better?" he asked softly.

Regina nodded against his head, pulling back after a moment and kissing his temple.

"Much better now that I've seen my two favourite boys."

Regina turned back to the little boy in her arms, tickling under his chin. Neal squealed with delight, his tiny fingers pushing her hand away.

"Did you miss me?"

"Ah-huh! Lots! Play cars, Auntie R'gina. Please?"

Regina tossed a questioning look at Snow, who simply shook her head and chuckled.

"You'd better indulge him or he'll never let you forget the time you didn't play with him."

"Mommy didn't play with me today."

"See?"

Regina laughed, heading to the living room, where Charming was laying on the floor. He was half lying on a rug which was decorated to look like a tiny city. There were roads, bridges, bodies of water, buildings, and even tiny animals all painted into the material of the rug.

"You can be the fire truck!" the small boy declared, wiggling from Regina's arms and racing to his line up of small toy cars. "It's the bestest one."

Regina struggled down onto floor. Gods, it had been way too many years since she'd played like this, so low to the ground… but she'd need to get used to it by the time the baby arrived (she flushed, refused to think about that when she was in the room with her unborn child's grandparents, who were still blissfully unaware that she was carrying their grandchild).

"Thank you," Regina said, clearing her throat. "I would love to be the fire truck."

"I'm the ambulance," Charming said, half grin on his face. "Apparently there are car crashes in this place and people need to get to the hospital, which is suspiciously missing on this map. Haven't had too many survivors today."

Regina chuckled, rolling her eyes at the man. As much as she hated to admit it, she liked David. He was a good man, an honest person, hard-working, if not also a little annoying at times now that he'd been living with Snow for so many years. Some of her more annoying habits were rubbing off on him. His sense of humour, however, he seemed to have kept.

"And what were Henry's and mommy's jobs?" Regina inquired, when Boo returned with a helicopter in his hands.

"Henry is a police officer and mommy is making lunch."

Regina let out a soft laugh, looking back into the kitchen and sharing a quick smile with Snow.

"Ah."

"Yep. Today is pizza day," Boo declared before soaring the helicopter high in the air.

No longer interested in the conversation, the boy then turned to Henry and began explaining what his helicopter was doing (he's going to fly all the way to the moon and bring back pizza). Henry, bless him, humoured his uncle and ohh'd and ahh'd at all the right places, asking questions and encouraging the boy's story.

"So," Charming said, pushing away from the play area once the boys were engaged in conversation. "How are you?"

Regina forced a smile, hoping it wasn't too obviously fake.

"I'm fine. How are you doing?"

"Doing alright. We haven't seen you around much these last few days."

"Yes," Regina answered carefully. "I haven't been feeling well."

"Hmm," Charming responded, looking away briefly before turning back to her and asking pointedly, "Same thing that's got Emma staying away too?"

"I'm not sure what's wrong with Emma," Regina responded, and silently cursed herself. That had come out a lot cooler than she'd meant it to.

David nodded, looking like he just knew something had happened between them. Like he'd known all along. Damn him.

"I need to have a talk with her, don't I?"

Regina stayed quiet, looking at the boys (who were semi out of earshot) and debating whether or not she should answer. She shouldn't get him involved in this. This was between her and Emma. She should tell him to mind his own business, but he was looking at her with such kind eyes, so understandingly, and being so damn genuine that she couldn't bring herself to push him away.

"Yes," she finally sighed, "you probably should. She could probably use someone to talk to."

"And you?"

"I don't think she'd like to speak with me right now, nor I with her, despite the fact that we should at least be trying to communicate."

"No. Not what I meant. Could you use someone to talk to?"

The tone, so calm and kind, actually tugged at Regina's heart. She could use someone to talk to, yes, but that someone was currently very upset with her, just as Regina was very upset with Emma. And as much as she liked David, he really wasn't the person she wanted to confide in. Instead, she looked at him and forced a smile that didn't even begin to reach her eyes.

"As I said, I'm fine."

"Now I may be a man, and my gender has been known to be, at times, very dense and oblivious, but I'm going to go ahead and say that wasn't very genuine."

Regina let out a small laugh, looking down at the floor before meeting his eye again.

"I'm doing okay," she said, a little more conviction in her voice this time. "Much better than I was these last few days. Thank you."

"Do you want to talk about it?"

Regina took a deep breath and shook her head.

"No. If you're going to talk to anyone, it should be Emma. This… what's happening, you should hear it from her."

David nodded.

"Okay," he answered gently. "But if ever you need anything… I know we're not exactly your favourite people, but you're family, Regina. If you need something, just ask. We're here for you."

Regina looked away. There was no burning in her eyes, no gentle tugging in her belly. Those were figments of her imagination. She did not just get choked up at Charming's words. We're not exactly your favourite people. The problem was, lately, these last few months, they had started to become just that. Regina scowled internally, but it was a pathetic scowl. She was warmed by his words, she knew that she was, and she was touched by his sincerity.

"Thank you," she finally forced out, once she'd gotten control of her emotions.

"Any time. I'll talk to her. We'll fix this."

The words soothed Regina, allowing the anxiety she'd been feeling for the last few days to at least decrease a little. If anyone could reach Emma, it was her father.

"Thank you."

"Any time, Regina."

Their conversation was then brought to an end by Snow, who looked in their direction, holding up pizza with a wide grin.

"Who's hungry?!"