Chapter 5

The days turned into weeks and the mother and son duo found themselves falling into an easy routine. Regina and Emma alternated their time with Henry, one doing school drop off and the other collecting at the end of the day, Emma quickly settled into her job at the diner, and within two or three weeks was promoted, a very proud day for everyone.

Emma was blissfully happy, her divorce application was gaining traction, her job was going well, her son was excelling at his new school, and she had settled into domestic bliss with Regina. Everything was going very well as the pair began preparing for their first Christmas together as roommates.

Regina had never really enjoyed the holiday season before, it was a time that reminded her how truly lonely she was and how she detested feeling so hopeless when everyone else seemed so happy. Now though, she was like a different person.
Emma had repeatedly said that neither she nor Henry needed anything extravagant for their Christmas presents, just a nice day and maybe new pajamas would be lovely. Of course, Regina paid her no heed, rushing to buy Henry mountains of storybooks, toys, and smart designer clothes while Emma was gifted jewelry, a new smartphone, several thick jumpers, and new shoes.

Four days before the big day however, Emma noticed that she felt more tired than usual and had been for a few days, though she had initially chalked this up to the Christmas rush and a virus. Henry had come home from school a few days earlier complaining of a sore head and achy muscles, meaning that he must've caught a dreadful flu which he must've shared with her, though Regina was lucky enough to escape it. Sitting in bed beside Regina that night, Emma happened to glance at the calendar next to her bed, seeing a red circle beside the 12th of December. Today was the 21st. she was almost ten days late for her period, and she hadn't even noticed.

Her heart thudded and her brain began to race a mile a minute. Her throat felt tight and her stomach was.

Lurched uneasily. She wasn't thinking straight, surely. It was late at night, and she was just tired, and

Maybe a bit run down, it was cold and flu season after all. But Emma couldn't ignore the niggling.

feeling in the back of her mind that told her to do something about this. The last time that she

had been in any way intimate with a man had been just before she came to Storybrooke, and

she hadn't had her period since…

Please… please God, no!

Neal never used condoms, he hated them, so he had forced Emma to get the contraceptive injection,

She must've accidentally skipped a shot somewhere and she could feel her ex-husband laughing.

At her.

"Stupid cow" he sneered "You got yourself landed with a baby once, and here you are, making the

Same mistakes all over again. You will never be free of me completely, and I'll make you pay for

divorcing me. Your life will not be worth living when I get my hands around your neck. Regina will never want another of your fucking children cluttering up her home. If she even believes that you skipped your shot. Maybe she'll think you fucked someone else and she won't want anything to do with you anymore. Then what will you do Emma?"

Emma rushed into the bathroom and sat on the floor next to the toilet, wondering if she was going to vomit or not before bursting into hysterical sobs. Regina heard her crying and followed, seeing Emma in tears always broke her heart.

"Em, what's the matter?" Regina asked, sitting down next to the blonde.

"You're going to hate me, I know you will" Emma sobbed harder, and Regina wrapped her arm around her
"I could never hate you my Swan, you know I could never hate you. Now, what on earth have you so upset? I'm sure it is nothing we can't fix" Regina soothed until Emma was finally able to draw breath and calm herself down.

"Regina, I think I'm pregnant. I swear it's Neal's, I haven't cheated on you. I missed my shot because Henry and I left him and then I guess everything else just got in the way and I swear I'll understand if you never want to see me again, but I know…" Emma said all in a rush until she was cut off by Regina kissing her softly.

"I know you didn't cheat Em; do you know for certain if you are pregnant?" Regina asked.

"No, but I'm ten days late and the last time I was late, I was pregnant with Henry. My boobs kind of feel funny as well, so it's looking likely" Emma said, playing with her fingers.

"There are pregnancy tests in my cabinet Em, Use as many as you need. I bought them for my sister about a month before you arrived so they're still in date." Regina said calmly as Emma gulped and nodded before walking towards Regina's cabinet, her jaw clenched. This was never meant to happen!

Three minutes later, the two pink lines confirmed her worst fear: she was pregnant with her ex-husband's baby. A baby that was never planned, and the timing sucked for her. How on earth could Emma have been so stupid? She had missed an appointment to get her contraceptive injection and it seemed he had gotten his final sickening wish.

"Regina, how could this happen? I don't know how I'll cope with a newborn again, and Henry, and work, and how can I prove that I'm a fit and able parent to my son when I'm stupid enough to get pregnant halfway through a divorce from the man who made me run from him? Why is this whole situation such a shit show!" Emma cried, sinking to her knees.

Regina was scared by the outburst, She had seen Emma be frightened and anxious before, but she had never seen her like this before, so accepting of whatever she had imagined was going to happen.

"Em, slow down. This wasn't planned but you don't have to make any decisions right now. We can make an appointment tomorrow and have this confirmed and then go from there. If you decide to proceed, I'll be by your side. If you choose not to proceed, I'll be by your side. I will support you no matter what road you choose and I will always take care of you and Henry. You two are my family now, and whatever happens, we help, love, and support each other through everything and anything. Now, calm down and we can talk rationally about this" Regina soothed and Emma eventually calmed down.

They sat in the sitting room, both nursing cups of tea and thinking. Emma was terrified and Regina was trying to be logical. Emma was thinking about how she would be able to continue working in a fast-paced job that required her to be fit, healthy, and strong. Would she even be eligible for maternity leave or additional maternity pay? How would she explain this to Henry? He had always wanted a sibling but it had never been right. Did that mean that it was right now?

Emma was so deep in thought that she jumped when she felt Regina brush her arm.

"Em, are you okay?" Regina asked

"I'm okay. Just thinking about this whole situation" Emma replied, glad that her voice didn't wobble.

"What are you thinking?"

Emma took a deep breath, scared about saying what she was thinking but more scared of not saying it.
"I think, I want to keep the baby. I want to keep living here, in Storybrooke, and with you. Regina, I want to have a family with you because you listen to me when I need you, you hear me when I talk, you make me feel safe and loved and secure, and you are a fantastic parent to Henry. I know you said you wanted to have a baby one day, would you be okay doing this together?" Emma asked, her eyes shining and her palms sweating.

Regina was pleasantly surprised by Emma's response. She had fallen in love with the blonde the day they met and though they lived together and shared a room, they were roommates, friends. This was a huge step for them both and it would be awful if it didn't work out the way that Emma had pictured it, but was that a good reason to not try?

"Yes. Yes, Emma. I would so love to be a family and do this together. We are such a good team because we support and care for each other and will love our children the same way. Now all we have to do is tell Henry about the change in our relationship and then we can tell him about his baby brother or sister." Regina smiled and pulled Emma in for a hug.

Emma allowed herself to be pulled into the hug and when Regina brushed happy tears away from her own eyes, Emma leaned forward and sealed their deal with a tentative kiss. Much like their first kiss, it was shy and timid but left them both wanting more. Regina then recaptured the moment and they stood in the sitting room, their arms wrapped around each other, connected by love and hope. The future of their relationship burned as bright as the surges of electricity that surrounded them.

The next thing they knew, they were on the sofa with Emma struggling to get her top off. She paused for a second. Was she really ready for this? Once she took off her top, things were different. She and Regina hadn't taken this next step before and it was a bit daunting. Regina sensed that Emma was nervous and kissed her forehead to reassure her.

"We can go as fast or slow as you want Em, if you want to stop, we can stop, slow down, keep going, whatever you need. Just tell me, I won't get mad, or upset, or angry. We go at your pace. You are in control tonight darling." She whispered and Emma closed her eyes and nodded, pulling off her t-shirt, leaving her in her shorts and bra.

"Regina, can we maybe not go… all the way? Just this is amazing right now" Emma whispered back and Regina nodded, though she did remove her own shirt so that Emma wouldn't feel exposed or uncomfortable.

"God Em, you are so beautiful" Regina hummed as they continued to kiss, the kisses becoming more needed and passionate, sparks flying between the two women.

Regina kissed Emma's neck and felt the woman beneath her hitch and moan at the contact, Regina herself becoming more and more turned on.

"Regina, I've never done this before, not with a woman and I don't know what to do…" Emma started until Regina kissed her on the lips and she sighed happily until Regina broke the kiss.

"Me neither Em, You're my first as well. Let's just move slowly and figure this all out together" the brunette replied and Emma nodded eagerly, her hands skimming over Regina's taunt, tanned stomach and gripping her hips.

Regina kissed down the side of Emma's neck, pausing to give feathery kisses on her pulse point, eliciting a light moan from the blonde and a rush of blood to Regina's head. Still, she kept kissing the blonde who was beginning to writhe beneath her, and began to kiss down between Emma's ample breasts, over her bra, and down onto the blonde's stomach, which was still warm and toned.
Emma dragged her hands away from Regina's hips and allowed them to skim over the older woman's bra, settling on her broad shoulders and pulling herself up to kiss Regina's lips once again.

"More please, Regina, please more" Emma moaned and Regina unclasped her own red bra and Emma felt her breath catch in her throat. Regina was absolutely beautiful in every way but it was her confidence in her own body that Emma found most attractive.

"Explore Em, feel free" Regina whispered, kissing the point between Emma's neck and shoulder blades, so Emma tentatively pushed her hands towards Regina's breasts and lightly kneaded and kissed them, sending both of them reeling.

"Oh Em, that feels amazing, don't stop" Regina moaned as Emma continued lavishing attention upon Regina's domes.

Regina meanwhile had teased Emma into a sitting position and was kissing the back of her neck and her shoulders, her warm hands skimming up and down her back, kissing the delicate skin of her shoulders.

"Regina, my bra, take it off" Emma moaned and Regina did as she was asked. As her white lace bra fell to the floor, Emma immediately tried to cover her bare torso but with some gentle coaxing and reassuring, she slowly lowered her arms, Her body was almost statuesque in its beauty, and Regina felt her heart throb with love.

It was innocent fun, nothing serious and the pair didn't go much further than kissing topless, then cuddling together and appreciating each other's kindness and beauty. As they lay on the sofa together, clad only in their underwear, the two women took turns to vocalize their hopes and dreams.
Emma said that night that she was ready, and Regina took the younger woman's hand in her own, kissed her ring finger on the left hand, and said she was ready too. they were both prepared for this.
Ready to be a family.