"We can't do that, Regina."
"I fail to see why not."
Emma shot her an incredulous look.
"You fail to see why telling my mother you're pregnant by renting out a giant billboard across from her classroom is a terrible idea? Are you trying to give her a heart attack?"
"That does not sound like something I would do."
Emma laughed, pulling Regina into her arms.
"It sounds exactly like something you would do."
"What about taking out an ad in the newspaper? Perhaps something on the front page? Deputy Sheriff Impregnates Naïve and Innocent Mayor of Small Town. Read more on page 6."
"Come on, Regina. Be serious."
"Who says I'm not serious?"
Emma sighed, pulling away. So far, trying to talk Regina into telling her parents about the pregnancy had proven fruitless. Every time Emma tried to discuss it, Regina would redirect the conversation, pull away, or outright refuse to talk about it. They had agreed that at 12 weeks they would tell her parents. And Emma had been eager, thinking of different ideas to announce the news, coming up with exciting ways to tell them, despite the fact that Regina didn't really participate in the planning. But Regina had promised that at 12 weeks, they would tell them, so Emma had waited patiently.
However, 12 weeks had come and gone, and now at 13 and a half weeks, Regina was still refusing to talk about it, refusing to decide how they would tell her parents. At least today she had engaged Emma rather than blatantly ignoring her, but all she did was joke about it, coming up with ludicrous ways to announce the baby's existence to its grandparents. No matter how hard Emma tried to be serious, Regina refused to be. Emma suspected the reason for Regina's reluctance was fear, which is why she'd been trying to be patient, but Emma was getting tired of waiting for the woman to open up.
"When you're ready to be serious, Regina, let me know. I'm tired of this game you're playing. I'm proud of you. And I'm proud of us. And I'm proud of this baby we created together. I know I didn't show it at first. I was scared. But I'm not anymore and I wanna tell my parents. I wanna tell this town. I wanna tell the world that Regina Mills is carrying my baby. But for whatever reason, she doesn't wanna tell anyone. Maybe you're ashamed or whatever-"
"It's not shame, Emma," Regina said quickly, suddenly realising how she'd upset Emma and cursing her own cowardice. She was afraid to announce the news, lest Snow ruin the bubble they'd been living in these past few weeks. Emma had been nothing but loving, supportive, affectionate. If her mother reacted badly, what would Emma do? Snow's opinion mattered greatly to her daughter, no matter how Emma tried to pretend it didn't. She craved Snow's approval, and when the woman reacted badly to the news, what would Emma do?
"If it's not shame, then what is it?"
Regina took a deep breath. Admitting weakness was not easy for her. Her mother had taught her to hide her weaknesses with everything that she was, punishing her severely as a child for any perceived failures. It was difficult to break from that instinct to hide any show of vulnerability.
"Fear," Regina finally admitted, whispering the word she'd been afraid to say aloud.
Emma took a step forward and cupped her cheek, understanding just how difficult it had been for Regina to be honest.
"Fear of what, baby?"
"Her reaction," Regina said softly, looking past Emma and then back into her eyes. "She won't be happy, Emma. And when she isn't, you… I'd understand if you-" Left. But Regina didn't say the word out loud. Instead, "I don't- I can't be the thing that keeps you from your parents. Not when you've finally found them. I know how much it means to you to have your parents in your life."
"Baby, she's not gonna be upset. She's gonna be so happy. This is Snow we're talking about. Miss perpetually happy. How's she gonna be unhappy that there's going to be a new baby born? And that it's going to be her grandkid? She's gonna be stoked."
"Perhaps that you've created this child, but not that it was with me, Emma. There is a lot of history between your mother and me."
"And it's in the past, sweetheart. They're really supportive of us. Remember camping with them? How stupidly excited they were the next morning when they realised we had slept together?"
Regina nodded, though her throat flushed and arousal churned in her belly as she thought of that particular night's activities.
"So? They're gonna be happy for us. Especially when they realise we're happy."
"Seeing their daughter is one thing. Carrying and raising her children is a very different story, Emma. They may not be pleased about this, particularly that this pregnancy wasn't planned. Add to that that it happened before we even officially went on a first date? I can't imagine they'll be very pleased about that."
"It's not like it's going to be that big of a change from our lives right now, Regina. You're already raising my kid. You'll just be raising a second one. And maybe we didn't go on an official date before you got pregnant, but we've been seeing each other for a long time if you count all those movie nights we've been having. And I don't know about you," Emma said softly, nuzzling Regina's neck and placing a soft kiss at the nape of her neck, "but I sure do. Holding you was the highlight of my week."
Regina wrapped herself in Emma's embrace, sighing softly.
"I don't want this to divide you and your parents, Emma."
"It won't. And if she reacts badly, my dad'll talk to her. He's been gunning to wear that grandpa shirt ever since we told him you were pregnant. I think my mom'll be just as excited as him."
"And if she's not?"
"If she's not, well, she'll have to come around. And if she doesn't, then it's her loss. I'm not going anywhere, Regina. Regardless of how she reacts, I'm staying right here with you, our son, and our baby."
Regina let out a sigh of relief, the tension she'd been sporting in her shoulders fading almost instantly with the words. Emma, of course, noticed immediately.
"Was that what had you worried, baby? That I'd leave if she wasn't happy?"
Regina shrugged.
"Your mother's opinion means a lot to you, even though you like to pretend it doesn't."
"I mean, I want my mom to be proud of me and stuff. It's nice to have her approval, even if I feel like I'm selling my soul every time I wear a dress to make her happy. But it's kind of a small price to pay to please her. But this, you and I, it's different. Her opinion doesn't matter when it comes to you. I mean, yeah it's nice having her support, but I don't need it, Regina. All I need is you. And if I have you, if I have your support and your faith in us, then that's all I need. We'll face her together and if she reacts badly, we send her home or we go home depending on where we tell them, and we do this without her. I really don't think she's going to be upset, but if she is, we leave or we just kick her out."
Regina shook her head against Emma's shoulder.
"I don't want to break up your family."
"If she rejects this baby, then she'll be the one breaking up our family, Regina. Not you."
Regina pulled away enough to look up at Emma.
"Thank you."
Emma smiled at her, leaning forward and pecking her on the nose.
"You're welcome, baby. Thanks for being honest with me."
"I'm sorry for not saying anything earlier. I just… I thought this fear might go away. And then when it didn't, I felt ridiculous for feeling so insecure. I hoped by ignoring it, it would simply disappear."
Emma squeezed her tight, placing a soft kiss against her temple.
"It's never ridiculous to feel insecure. I'm always here to talk though, okay? You just have to reach out and be honest like you just were. I'll support you however I can."
Regina nodded and let herself be held, enjoying the feeling of Emma's strong arms around her before finally sighing and taking a small step back.
"Why don't we discuss your ideas for telling your mother?"
"We don't have to right this second if you aren't feeling up to it."
Regina gave her a small smile.
"You've been wishing to discuss this with me for some time now. You've been patiently waiting over a week. I think we've waited long enough to discuss the subject."
"Are you sure?"
"No. May I have a glass of brandy, please?"
Emma laughed, taking Regina's hand in her own and leading her to the couch. She sat down, pulling Regina into her side and draping a blanket over their laps. Regina felt safer with weight upon her, Emma knew, so she tucked the blanket around her and held her close.
"Okay?" Emma asked, rubbing her arm gently.
Regina nodded, closing her eyes and snuggling into Emma's side. She slipped her arms around her waist, resting her head on Emma's breast.
"Perfect," she sighed contently. "Now, what idiotic ideas have you come up with?"
Emma laughed against her temple.
"Well, some of the more idiotic ideas were a parade with a big banner proudly saying 'Regina fucking Mills is carrying my baby'. A blimp with a scrolling marquee saying something similar-"
"And yet I cannot have a billboard."
"No," Emma agreed, "you cannot have a billboard."
"You are so cruel to the mother of your children."
Emma smiled against her hair.
"I like the sound of that. Mother to my children. I always wanted six kids-"
"Then you had better find yourself another girlfriend. I am not doing this another four times."
"Two more?"
"Why don't we wait for this one to be born before we begin discussing additional children."
"That's not a no."
Emma let her hand drift down to the soft swell of Regina's stomach and rubbed it gently.
"What were your less idiotic ideas?"
Emma shrugged.
"I don't know. I kinda liked the idea of wrapping a onesie that said 'I love grandma' on it, or maybe a picture frame with the sonogram on it or shoving a bun in her oven and just smiling at her until she gets it."
"None of these ideas will induce a heart attack."
"I know. But I've never gotten to announce a pregnancy before and maybe I never will again. I'd kinda like to do something… I don't know, sweet."
Regina sighed.
"You ruin my reputation."
"You've ruined it yourself with all your heroic deeds over these last few years."
"I need to plot a new curse."
"Maybe I'll help you after the baby is born," Emma said brightly, placing a kiss on Regina's head.
"Promises, promises."
Emma chuckled, closing her eyes as she leaned her cheek against Regina's head. The women stayed quiet, enjoying their cuddling until Regina finally spoke.
"In the Enchanted Forest, it was tradition for the pregnant couple to make a gift for the grandparents-to-be from the baby. Often, it was an outfit or a blanket, and it was given to the grandparents so that they may store it in a special basket. This basket would have been woven by the would-be grandparents on the couple's wedding night in the hopes that it would soon store a gift from their future grandchild. The basket would usually be made from the bark of Minkst trees, that were said to be good luck because if they were boiled the right way, they had special healing properties.
"The gift from the grandchild would be stored in the basket for the entire duration of the pregnancy to ensure a healthy baby, and on the day it was born, the baby would wear the outfit or be wrapped in the blanket. Your blanket, your baby blanket, was the gift your mother made when she became pregnant with you. She had no grandparent to present it to, but your father made her a basket and she kept it there during her pregnancy."
Emma's eyes filled with tears, thinking of the blanket that was always kept under her pillow at night. Regina twisted in her arms and reached up, grazing her knuckles against her cheek.
"Your parents certainly haven't woven any baskets for this baby, but perhaps we could continue the tradition by presenting them with a gift from the baby in a basket of our choosing."
Emma's heart swelled at Regina's idea, excitement filling her belly as she eagerly nodded, blinking back her tears. She liked the idea of keeping the traditions from the Enchanted Forest alive, even though she didn't know a lot of them and hadn't grown up there. It was nice, having these traditions. It made her feel like she had roots.
"That's an awesome idea. What do you think the gift from our baby should be?"
Regina sighed as she reluctantly admitted she was truly going to do something nice for Snow White.
"A white knitted bonnet with matching white booties."
"That's oddly specific."
"Your mother's choice. It was the gift she wished to receive from her future grandchild. She used to discuss at length her ideas for the gifts she would make for her children and the ones she would receive from her grandchildren. A blanket for her children, and a bonnet and booties from her grandchildren. Always white, never a colour. I imagine it has everything to do with her name and not because of the idea that babies are born pure."
Emma chuckled.
"Okay. So. A white bonnet and white booties. Where are we going to find these things? Can you knit? I sure as hell can't."
"I suspect it would be rather amusing to watch you try."
"Oh it'd be a fucking nightmare."
"Then you're quite fortunate to have found a woman who can crochet rather well."
Emma smiled at her, tipping her chin to place a soft kiss on her lips.
"You're going to make the present?" Emma asked hopefully.
How can I say no when you look at me like that?
"Yes, darling. I'll make the gift."
"That's awesome. How long will it take you? If I invite them tonight, is that too soon?"
Regina chuckled.
"Yes, my love. Tonight is much too soon. Invite your parents for dinner on Friday evening. That will give me a few nights so that I'm not rushed to make their gift."
"Perfect. I'm so excited."
Regina yawned as she nodded in agreement.
"I'm glad, my love."
"Are you tired? You didn't nap today. It's not too late to sleep now if you want."
Rather than respond, Regina pulled away and pushed on Emma's sternum.
"Down."
Emma chuckled and complied, opening her arms for Regina to snuggle into her embrace.
"Yes, your majesty."
Regina slid easily into the comfort of Emma's warmth, eyes drooping closed as the blanket was readjusted to cover her completely. She yawned again, her breathing evening out and within seconds she was asleep.
Emma rubbed Regina's back as she slept, her own eyes feeling heavy soon after Regina had passed out. She reached for her phone and sent Henry a quick text to let him know to be quiet when he came home, not wanting him to inadvertently wake his slumbering mother. Regina had been exhausted lately, and the only way she had been able to function was by having these daily power naps. Emma, an avid sleeper herself, had eagerly joined her pregnant lover whenever she slept.
After texting their son, Emma put down her phone and wrapped both her arms around Regina. She placed a soft kiss on her forehead before falling asleep herself.
Currently working on the next chapter, should be up soon. Perhaps I will reward you with a bit of an M chapter?