A/N Trigger warning for traumatic birth scenes and maybe slightly graphic depictions.
Best served icy
"You want my child to live with you?" Zelena asked when she had finally found her voice.
"And Henry and Roland and Emma" Regina confirmed.
"And what you'll raise her together while I'm stuck rotting away in here?" Zelena scoffed looking for conformation as much as anything because this had to be a joke, right?
"That's right" Regina nodded "Emma and I would like to adopt her."
"Like hell you will" Zelena spat back cradling her bump protectively.
"That's up to you of course" Regina shrugged "But please do consider our offer carefully, given your lack of choices or alternatives one would think that you would jump at the chance of your daughter being raised with her siblings as part of a loving family" she said.
"And what makes you think I have such a lack of options?" Zelena asked glaring at Regina.
"I've done my homework Zelena and a private detective confirmed my suspicions, you have nothing and no-one outside of these walls, so it's us or the system."
"She could still get adopted in the system" Zelena stated.
"She could" Regina agreed "But that takes time and things happen over time, look at Emma, found abandoned as a baby, she thought she'd found a forever home and then they gave her back when she was three, thrown out like the garbage because the couple managed to get pregnant and had no use for an adopted child anymore and adoption didn't exactly work out for you either did It?" she saw a flash of pain in Zelena's eyes as she was suddenly forced to relieve memories that she'd sooner forget, and the way that the woman's fingers flexed protectively over her bump of their accord and she knew that her words had , had the effect that she desired.
From what her private investigator had dug up Regina knew that Zelena had, had a very similar start to life as Emma had but where Emma had been only a couple of hours old when she had been found abandoned on the side of the highway, Zelena had been left under a park bench at around six months old.
She'd been five by the time she was adopted but the couple had been anything but kind to the pretty little red head, Regina had actually felt a deep sorrow for little Zelena as she had read through some of the things that the little girl had, had to endure and she knew that she was only seeing the tip of the iceberg, the details made public in the news at the time because Zelena's adoptive parents had been caught after the child had been questioned about some worrying bruises at school and confessed all to a trusted teacher when she was almost eight years old, they had been tried in the court of law and locked away for their crimes against the child in what had been a very public case at the time but with Regina being a child of a similar age as Zelena at the time it wasn't something that she would have followed or understood much about and as an adult researching Zelena's past Regina had only ever had the name Ozwald to go by, it had been her private investigator who had discovered that Zelena had changed her name in her teens, finally shedding her abusive adopted parents name and taking the surname of the kindly teacher that had saved her instead a Ms Poppy Ozwald.
Records had gone on to reveal that she had taken Zelena on and raised her but she as Regina had seen in the picture had been an older woman herself and she had passed just before Zelena's eighteenth birthday, still it explained Zelena's love for the woman that had her wanting to name her child after her.
But Zelena wasn't that innocent child anymore and as bad as reading about her past had made Regina feel she didn't feel guilty about bringing it up, this woman had threatened to destroy her whole life as she knew it and she was more than happy to do it too so no Regina didn't feel bad but she also didn't need to go into detail about everything that she knew to bring those painful memories to the surface and get Zelena thinking about them and how they might later relate to her unborn child either, so she didn't need to, she just let the mere mention of Zelena's past linger in the air and saw how it filled the red head with dread written all over her face.
"Anyway, the offer is there, and the choice is yours, think about it and let me know if you become agreeable to my terms" Regina smiled and pushed a small business style card with her number on it along with the scan photo that she found in Zelena's bedside drawer both of which she had obtained permission to bring with her into the room and give to the prisoner that she was visiting, across the table before rising to leave.
"Hey where are you going" Zelena called out picking up the photo in surprise.
"Home" Regina answered simply, "Because there isn't anything left for me to discuss with you right now" and with that she was gone leaving a shocked Zelena watching after her.
One week went by and then another without Regina hearing from Zelena, she hadn't really expected to here from her straight away but judging from the size of Zelena her due date wasn't far off which didn't leave her with much time to make a decision either way.
Regina knew that if she didn't hear something before Christmas then it could only mean that Zelena had decided to decline her offer, which was a real possibility and something that Regina started to believe may have already come to pass as the third week since her visit drew to its close.
But she couldn't think about what could be or what might have been, it had been her offer to extend but not her decision to accept and Regina just had to accept that, besides Christmas was just around the corner and that was keeping her plenty busy.
Regina didn't have to play the stepford wife this year, she didn't have to comply with Robins rules and strict Christmas criteria she could have Christmas the way she wanted for the first time in her children's lifetimes, and she was relishing in it.
Brightly wrapped packages were stacking up in one of the spare bedrooms, Regina was fighting not to go to overboard now that she was finally free to and failing in those attempts, still she thought as she added ribbons and bows to her perfectly wrapped parcels there was always next year for her to calm down, now she just wanted to enjoy her newfound festive freedom.
The aromas of home baked cookies, cakes and pies filled the house laced with ginger, cinnamon and other festive spices as Regina tested out some of her mother's old recipes, not only did this bring joy to the senses of everybody living in the household but it took Regina right back to her own childhood Christmas's which filled her heart with more festive joy than she could remember.
"Your happiness is contagious" Emma laughed as she came up behind Regina who was simultaneously trying to pipe icing onto the 3D gingerbread house that she had constructed and dance and sing along to the jolly Christmas tune that was blaring out of the stereo, it was the end of November, two weeks since her prison visit and already Regina was in the full swing of the festive season.
Her butt jigging rhythmically along to music while she fought to keep control of her icing.
Emma gently took the pipette from her hand placing it onto the kitchen table next to Regina's ginger masterpiece then before Regina could object, she spun her into her arms, and they began to move around the kitchen together laughing hysterically at the ridiculousness of it all until the song ended and Emma finally let Regina go back to her work.
A few days later December the first was upon them.
An excited Regina rummaged in some boxes until she found what she wanted then headed into the lounge where she knew her family were waiting to put on a movie carrying the items she had selected as she went.
"I want to start an old family tradition back up" she announced holding up the tinsel and lights that she taken from the boxes.
"When I was little, we always put the trimmings up on December first" she explained.
Her family looked at her for a moment in surprise and then three giant whoops ensued one after the other as they all jumped up and hurried to follow Regina to where the boxes of decorations sat waiting.
The house was large so they decorated over two consecutive days and then Regina got someone in to handle the parts that they couldn't.
The boys were thrilled by the end results, a large living tree now dominated the entrance hall which Regina explained to the boys would be collected and taken to a nearby woodland to be planted and live out its life in the ground once Christimas was over, so they had to look after it while it graced them with its presence. For now, it stood tall and proud draped in lights, tinsel and baubles, with a train circling its huge pot on a track.
A second smaller tree with an identical story sat in the lounge minus the train but with parcels starting to pile up underneath it instead.
Penguins slid down the banisters on cottonwool snow glowing with the light of clear fairy lights.
A huge green inflatable dinosaur wearing a Christmas hat, with a parcel at its feet sat on the lawn much to Roland's excitement and everywhere had just become a beautiful winter wonderland with a little bit of tack thrown in for good measure.
It was more than any of them had ever experienced, and they were all having the best time.
"But even if Robin hadn't died and I had divorced him instead as planned and ended up with no money at all, as long as we were all together, we'd still be having the most magical Christmas ever" Regina grinned at Emma as they sat together watching the credits from the movie they had just watched beginning to roll.
"You bet, we would" Emma agreed returning the smile and turning to kiss Regina lightly on the lips.
The third week since her visit to Zelena rolled to its end and with came the certainty that Roland and Henrys little sister would not be joining their family after all. Zelena can't have had that long left and so Regina had all but given up on the idea of having a third child with them for Christmas and she was thankful that she had restrained herself from buying anything for the little girl or telling the boys about her or hers and Emma's hopes of adopting her.
That had probably been the most difficult part of this whole thing, because a big part of her felt that she should have run it past them before extending the offer to Zelena but she knew her boys and they had already had enough upset for one year and she wouldn't be the cause of anymore.
Given how they had both come to her the chances of them not wanting to claim this baby as their own was slim at best, much greater was the possibility of disappointment and further heartache if they had gotten their hopes up and Zelena as was her right to do and as she appeared to have done, had chosen to decline their offer to adopt.
One thing that Regina had managed to do was put the name changes through for her sons, Roland had been so adamant that his name would be the same as Henry's that Regina had gone ahead and changed both figuring that it would be an easy enough process for him to change it back again should he change his mind when he was older and want the Locksley name back.
She was sat tying the dainty bows around the wrapped boxes that contained the documents for name changes which she intended to present to them on Christmas day when her phone rang.
Carefully setting the parcels to one side she slid the phone out of her pocket and glanced down at the unfamiliar number flashing across its screen.
"Hello" she said as she pressed the device to her ear.
Zelena:
The rattle of heavy keys clanging against one another followed by the click of the lock shooting back into the door had become all too familiar sounds to Zelena who was sat on the edge of the bed waiting for the prison guard to release her for breakfast.
They were late today and Zelena had been sat up ready for ages, she'd already been to the bathroom four times and she still felt like she could go again, she was hugely pregnant, uncomfortable and grouchy and at that moment totally famished although she was almost certain that two mouthfuls into breakfast she'd be leaning back in her chair declaring that she was stuffed because that seemed to be her norm of late.
She heaved herself awkwardly up onto her sore and puffy feet expecting the door to swing open any second now, she hadn't slept well due to her excessive size combined with the stupidly thin mattress in her cell and she wasn't in the mood for being messed about, the only real perk she had found from being pregnant whilst incarcerated was being given a cell by herself.
For theirs and their baby's safety pregnant women were either moved into their own cells or roomed together as they got towards the end of their pregnancies, but as nice as that was she was still feeling thoroughly fed up with her current situation.
What was so much worse though was the unknown of what would happen to her daughter after she was born, when Zelena could no longer protect her within the warm, safe confinements of her own body, when she was suddenly a tiny vulnerable person out in the world on her own.
She had mulled over Regina's proposition time and time again as she had lain alone in the dark staring at the stained concrete ceiling above her which she couldn't see in the pitch black of night but knew each stain by heart from her daytime dwellings in the same position.
Everything that the brunette had said to her was true and each truth seemed to burn deeper than the one before as she mulled them over in her head time and time again.
Because she didn't have any family, not a relative or a friend in the whole world to whom she could entrust her child or who would want to raise her even if she did, her whole world had revolved around Robin and the fantasy life that she had conjured up in her mind with him.
"So much for that" she scoffed quietly to herself, as she waited impatiently for the door to swing inwards to grant her temporary release from the confines of this room.
It was true too that she couldn't bring her daughter back here, she was a convicted murderer sentenced to life without the possibility of parole, and she was housed in the most secure part of the prison reserved only for the most hardened of criminals who had committed the most heinous of crimes and were serving the toughest of sentences.
She had applied for a place in the nursery wing of course but she had never had any real hope of obtaining one, because why would they waste a space on a woman stuck here for life when they could give it to one who would be getting out soon, one who could really use the opportunity to learn how to care for herself and her child with all of the support that, that wing had to offer?
It was an opportunity that could give the right woman a real chance of succeeding once she was on the outside again and of straightening her life out for good, but that woman would never be Zelena not now, not ever because this was her life now.
Zelena understood it but it didn't hurt any less when her application had been rejected and she didn't feel any less robbed of what little time she could have had with her daughter before she would have been forced to give her up anyway.
What was also true was that she really only had two options available to her, the first was to give her child over to the system a bleak thought at best, going into care as a new-born certainly increased the odds of a child finding a forever family and being adopted but it far from guaranteed it, Emma Swan was living proof of that and being cast back into the system as a toddler had spelled the end of her chances of finding an adoptive family, her small window of opportunity from there had closed all to quickly and she'd just continued to become less and less desirable as the years went by.
Zelena shuddered at the thought of that happening to her daughter and the other unwelcome scenarios that plagued her mind, ones where her baby did find a forever home where she was adopted but she ended up with someone awful, scenarios like the one that Zelena herself had lived through.
Regina and Emma she at least knew would love and take of her child, she had seen how they both were with Roland enough to know that for sure and her baby would be with her brother, but could she really do it hand her baby over to the woman that she had spent years plotting to completely screw over in every way imaginable? She just didn't know and as the cell door finally swung inwards, she found herself wondering if she would ever find the answer or if somebody else would end up deciding for her, still it was a decision that she would be faced with today, for now her focus was on one thing, satisfying her growling stomach.
"Well, it's about time" she snapped, regretting her shortness seconds later when she saw the kindly face of her favourite prison guard appear around the door only to instantly flinch away from her sharp tone.
"Sorry, I'm just grumpy and hungry" Zelena sighed looking down towards her feet which she could no longer see beyond her vast abdomen a little shamefacedly.
"It's okay love, I understand" the guard smiled as though she really did as she removed her key from the doors lock and stepped across the threshold into the cell, "but I'm afraid they'll be no breakfast for you this morning sweetheart" she smiled sympathetically as Zelena gaped appalled, her stomach growling its protest loudly at this unwelcome news.
"But that's not fair, it's not my fault that nobody let me out on time to make it to breakfast" Zelena exclaimed tears pricking in the corners of her eyes.
'Damn hormones' she thought.
"It's not that, it's hospital policy, you know in case of emergencies" the guard explained her sympathetic smile still in place.
"Hosp…" Zelena trailed off before the word had even finished escaping from her lips because she suddenly understood what was happening, still she sought the guard's eyes for confirmation, the older woman nodded once and said,
"It's time Zelena."
The red head just gaped soundlessly, she had known that this was coming and sooner rather than later, but already, she still had a little over two weeks to go before she hit the forty weeks mark surly an extra couple of days wouldn't have hurt anybody.
Suddenly all her aches and pains, her pregnancy ailments and complaints seemed to shrink into nothing, in that moment, she would have lived with them forever just to keep her baby nestled safely inside of her for a little while longer.
Of course, that wasn't going to happen though, and Zelena released a defeated sigh as she slowly turned her back on the guard and picked her preprepared hospital bag up from the floor and carried it with her as she followed the guard out of the room.
"Let me take that for you" the guard smiled taking the bag from Zelena who smiled gratefully back "I requested escort duty today so I could be there with you" she added, and Zelena almost burst into tears all over again.
'Damn hormones' she cursed in her head again while out loud she choked out a,
"You did."
"Yup" the other woman smiled back at her as she led her through the next gate.
Then she paused at the exterior door and turned to face Zelena with a look of regret shining in her eyes.
"I'm sorry but I have to put these on now" she said holding out a set of handcuffs that Zelena had already known were coming, she nodded and held her hands out in front of her for the prison guard to secure them and then she remained in place while shackles were added to her ankles, now she could only shuffle along but this was the norm.
From her cell window Zelena had already seen far too many heavily pregnant women shuffling towards waiting cars, bound by cuffs and shackles on their way to have their babies and she had no doubt that a car waited outside for her right now too.
It was always the same for any woman in here who didn't go into premature labour beforehand, arrangements were made for the women to go to the hospital to have their labours induced, always without their knowledge, they were never told the dates or times though they usually left first thing in the morning at any time during the last three weeks of their pregnancies.
They did for security reasons, to ensure that none of the women would have time to make to escape plans, as if they even stood a chance of that shackled to a bed anyway, but this was how the system worked, the women only found out when they would be delivering their babies on the day just like Zelena just had and then were lead outside, their bellies, huge, round and full of life only for most to return within a day or so with their bellies distinctively flatter and most with their arms empty.
Zelena followed the guard through the final door and out into the crisp cold air, Christmas was coming, Zelena knew the date she felt in the chill in the air but back inside you'd never know, she'd been told that there might some form of decoration much nearer the day to accompany whatever would pass as a Christmas dinner in here but that was still several weeks off yet and so far there had be known sign of the festivities of the season brightening the prison up.
She shuffled towards the car that was indeed waiting for her and lowered herself into the back seat of the sleek black suv grateful that it was at least an inconspicuous vehicle unlike the virtual cattle truck that had bought her here from the court after her sentencing, she heaved her shacked feet in after her with a heavy heart, this had not at all been how she had imagined the arrival of her daughter would be when she had first discovered her pregnancy.
The journey to hospital curtesy of the shackles was uncomfortable but mercifully short, Zelena passed it gazing out of the window at the Christmas decorations adorning various lamp posts and store fronts along the way, some lights already switched on and twinkling where they hung while others wouldn't shine until the darkness of night fell.
She saw people singing, a Santa holding a charity collection box and ringing his bell, children laughing as they skipped along the pavements, it all seemed very surreal to be so close to the real world while not really being a part of it anymore almost as though she were watching a Christmas movie on the hallmark channel.
The prison guard vacated her seat the second that the car came to a stop in the hospital grounds and was gone for a few minutes while Zelena who couldn't open the door from the inside waited impatiently for her return.
When her door did finally open Zelena was faced with the guard holding the handles of a wheelchair that she had located somewhere nearby.
Eyeing the chair, a little suspiciously Zelena slid out of the car and stood a short distance in front of it.
"I haven't yet lost the ability to walk you know" she said making no move to sit in it.
"Stop being stubborn and sit your ass down" the guard instructed firmly but kindly.
Zelena sniffed the air, adjusted her weight, and finally complied with an exaggerated roll of her eyes mostly because it would mean less shuffling in her shackles which were already bound to attract attention when people spotted them.
As soon she was sat the guard placed a blanket over her lap that had the effect of completely concealing Zelena's shackles from sight, and Zelena letting out a of sigh of gratitude quickly hid hands out view too while the guard hung her hospital bag over one of the chairs handles.
"Thank-you" Zelena murmured.
"No problem" the guard replied as she began to push the chair towards the maternity entrance to the hospital.
"Name?" the receptionist demanded as soon as they drew level with her desk the small tree twinkling on its counter top attracting Zelena's attention as the guard answered for her.
"Zelena Ozwald, here for induction" she said.
"Okay" the receptionist replied reading something on the screen then leaning to eye Zelena suspiciously before returning her attention behind her desk.
"They've got you down the hall in room five" she said pointing the way.
"Thank-you" the guard smiled and nodded then turned to push Zelena in the direction that the woman on the desk had indicated that they should go in.
The guard pushed Zelena down a hall that had been adorned with some tinsel and a string of lights and into a room that was as disappointingly plain as her cell.
The room was small but functionable there were no fancy mod cons in here or twinkling Christmas decorations, just the basics, a bed with a seat next to it and a few bits of medical equipment that all looked rather sterile.
The guard helped Zelena into the hospital gown that had been left in the room for her and then into the bed where she secured her to its side bars using her cuffs as was usual procedure in these situations in order to prevent opportunities to escape and then to Zelena's immense relief she finally released her ankles from the confines of their shackles before she tucked her in and told her to get some rest because she was going to need it.
They weren't there for much more than twenty minutes when a nurse came in.
"I just need to take some vitals from you If that's okay?" she said smiling chipperly at Zelena who nodded in response and extended her arm for the blood pressure cuff that the nurse was bringing towards her.
After declaring that all of her vitals looked good the nurse inserted a canula in each of Zelena's arms.
"Having one in each arm just makes it easier to get to if we need to, whichever side of you we're on we've got what we need" she said smiling reassuringly as she popped the glowing heartrate monitor onto the end of the red heads finger and declared her all set.
"The doctor will be along shortly to start you off and then it won't be long before you finally get to meet your baby" she smiled brightly and patted Zelena's arm, but her patient could only nod glumly in response, and she settled back into her pillows.
Another hour went by before the doctor finally appeared. He seemed to be in a rush and was quick to have Zelena drop her knees apart for an internal examination.
"First pregnancy?" he asked as her withdrew his fingers from within her when he was done, pulling his rubber glove off ready to dispose of it as she nodded in response.
"I thought as much" he replied binning the glove.
"I'm going to have you started with a pessary to help soften your cervix because at the moment it's still far too thick" he told her.
Zelena restrained herself from rolling her eyes at that, of course it was still too thick they were forcing her baby out before either of them were ready, but she continued to look at the doctor silently as he said,
"I'll back in a few hours to see how you are progressing, hopefully we'll be able to move onto the next stage by then."
Zelena nodded and he hurried out of the door without so much as pausing to see if his patient had any questions.
The nurse came back as soon as he had gone, and she quickly inserted the pessary before making Zelena comfortable and leaving again.
Three hours later Zelena was still showing very little progress so the doctor prescribed a second pessary that the nurse returned to insert, then finally two hours after the third and final had gone in with the doctor telling her that if she still didn't begin to progress then she would be given a caesarean section, but fortunately things finally began to happen.
"Brilliant" the doctor smiled finally satisfied that they could move on to the stage which involved intravenously administering medication from a bag hanging up next her bad in through one of her cannulas to bring on active labour.
At first things seem to be going well, within a couple of hours Zelena was beginning to get contractions and as more of the liquid in the bag disappeared into her arm those contractions began to come stronger and closer together leading Zelena to believe that she was well on her way to having her baby until suddenly everything stopped completely.
"What's happening?" Zelena asked concern growing.
"It's nothing to worry about you just need a higher dose" the doctor told moving to readjust the drip after he had examined her.
And sure, enough the contractions began again, gradually getting stronger and closer together all over again.
But the pain was building in intensity now but it didn't quite feel the same as before, as it tore through Zelena's body followed by sudden gush of warmth flooding between her legs that left her feeling weak and woozy.
"Somethings wrong" Zelena mumbled weakly.
"Nonsense girl" the midwife who was now with her told her sharply "things are moving along, which is what we want to happen."
"No" Zelena panted as pain the likes of which she'd never felt before tore through her again and wavy lines appeared before her eyes, "Something definitely isn't right."
"You aren't the first woman to ever give birth you know, now for heaven's sake will you stop making a fuss girl" the midwife bristled about unsympathetically as she could possibly get and if Zelena had, had the energy she would have had a few choice words for instead she simply managed a weak.
"I'm wet."
"That'll just be your waters" the midwife replied dismissively.
"Still maybe you should check her none the less" the prison guard cut in concern in her eyes as she looked at Zelena's pale face, the woman was suddenly bordering on grey.
"How about you don't tell me how to be a midwife and I won't tell you how to be a prison guard" the midwife bit back waspishly.
"Okay, but I'm just saying if anything happens to her or her baby under your care that's going to be one big lawsuit that you'll have on your hands, we have to be seen to be taking care of the prisoners you see" she smiled coldly at the midwife and leaned back in her chair watching for her to make her next move.
Finally, the extremely unpleasant woman let out an exasperated sigh and reached out for Zelena's blanket throwing it back so suddenly that she made the woman underneath it feel quite exposed, but now the world was swimming even worse than ever and black dots were appearing in front of Zelena eyes so she quickly stopped caring.
Both the Midwife and the guard let out a gasp of horror as they looked at Zelena's exposed body, which Zelena was sure didn't bode well, but her head was too heavy and too fuzzy to care anymore.
She was briefly aware of the midwife rushing to slam a hand on the emergency alarm and then eyes felt as heavy as her head and she seemed to drift off for a bit.
By the time she came to again the room was swarming with people rushing around with an urgency that was tangible, the pain that was tearing through Zelena's body was even worse than ever and she longed for it to end, even death would be preferable to this, then a mask was being lowered onto her face and a cold trickle crept up her arm, the last thing she heard before the sweet, sweet relief of darkness engulfed her was a worried voice talking about someone's babies heartrate dropping dangerously low but whose baby they were talking about she simply didn't know.
The light was so blinding when Zelena opened her eyes again that for a second, she was certain that she had gotten her wish after all, she was dead and this was that light that so many who had, had near death experiences talked about after.
But before she could even begin to wonder what she would find on the other side she blinked and when she opened her eyes again her vision had cleared, and she realised that she was led down staring up at the hospital strip lights on the ceiling above her.
Several things became immediately obvious to Zelena in that moment, one the pain had gone, two she wasn't wet anymore and three the most important thing of all to note was that she wasn't pregnant anymore.
She cagily pressed at her empty stomach, still tender and still larger than before pregnancy but now the hard bump was gone and the flesh that was left behind was much softer and more pliable.
Images of her final memories before going to sleep suddenly flashed to the forefront of her head.
"The baby" she suddenly blurted out as she pushed on the bed in a desperate attempt to sit up and get a better view of the room, the sudden movement caused pain to shoot across her abdomen that instantly had her wincing back into her pillows again.
"Is absolutely fine" the prison guard who was still sitting beside her assured her, "But please don't try to move just yet, you've just had to have an emergency caesarean.
"I have?" Zelena asked, "But why? What in the hell went wrong?"
"Well," the guard said getting up and walking towards a nearby hospital cot that Zelena hadn't noticed before "The two of you gave us quite a scare I can tell you that much" she said reaching into the cot and carefully lifting the sleeping bundle from within.
"Tell me, what's the last thing you remember" the guard asked kindly as she moved to place the infant into Zelena's welcoming arms.
"I remember a lot of pain, my waters breaking and someone talking about a babies heart rate dropping" Zelena stated her eyes widening as it finally sunk in that the medical staff had been talking about her baby.
"Well, I'm sure you've realised that the pain wasn't normal pain, what they thought was your waters was actually a huge haemorrhage, twice we lost you on the table" the guard murmured, and Zelena cringed as she suddenly remembered the look on guard and the midwifes faces when her blankets had been pulled away and they had presumably been with faced with excessive amounts of blood seeping into the bright white hospital sheets.
"That bad huh" she sighed glancing down at her baby girls perfect face just as her lashes began to flutter and her eyes opened revealing bright blue irises under her lids that were very similar to Zelena's own.
The guard nodded and pointed to the bag of blood that was hanging next to Zelena's bed and steadily flowing into her arm through one of her cannulas.
"That's your fourth bag" she said.
"Well thank god that you're okay little one" Zelena murmured gently stroking her child's soft cheek as she continued to gaze down at her with tears gathering in her eyes.
The baby let out a quiet coo, leaned into her mother's touch and yawned widely smacking her lips when she bought them back together again then raising a fist she began to cham down on it.
"I think somebodies hungry" the guard chuckled moving to pick up a bottle that she had not long prepared and bringing it to Zelena who dutifully tested the temperature before popping it into her babies' mouth, a smile spreading across her own lips as the baby greedily latched on to the bottle's teat.
It was simply breath taking for Zelena to see such beautiful perfection.
"I love you princess" she whispered the tears that had been welling in her eyes finally beginning to fall, and she did more than she had ever loved another before, in that moment she suddenly knew what real love was and what she would give up for this child in her arms and she also with the force of a ten tonne truck realised the enormity of what she had done to Regina and tried to do to to her again for her own personal gain.
There was twisted kind of irony to this now that she stopped to think about, she had spent years plotting with Robin to rob Regina of her whole life as she knew it and what had the woman ever really done to her? Nothing was the answer she was just in the way of what Zelena wanted and she had thought nothing of scheming to take Regina's husband, her home, her family and even her freedom and make them her own and now oh how the tables had turned.
Now she was the one losing everything, locked behind bars, but now as she watched her precious baby girl's eyes flutter closed with her tiny pink lips still latched around the bottles teat she had one thing at least, she finally had her answer.
"Could you pass me a phone please?" she asked the guard once the baby had finished feeding been winded and changed and was sleeping comfortably in her arms.
"What for?" the guard asked brows quirked suspiciously.
"I've got some arrangements to make" she said looking pointedly at the tiny tot dozing peacefully where she lay.
The guard nodded and reached into her pocket for her work mobile handing it to Zelena who promptly dialled the memorised number from the little business card that Regina had given her a few weeks earlier.
Regina answered on the fifth ring.
"I'll do it" Zelena blurted out before she could talk herself out of it "If your offer still stands, I'll let you and Emma adopt her, but you have to come quickly, I don't know how long I have before they take her away from me and send me back and if she goes into the system you might not ever be able to her back out again" she spoke urgently and Regina simply nodded unseen.
"It still stands" she replied hanging up the phone on the desperate woman without another word the second that Zelena had revealed which hospital she was at.
REGINA
Regina hastily pocketed the phoned and hurried from the room where she had been wrapping gifts, locking the door behind her as she went so that nobody could walk in and spy any unwrapped presents that she hadn't had time to put away.
She rushed down the stairs puling Emma into the office where they shared a hurried whispered conversation while Regina took the one and only baby item that she had purchased on the off chance that they would need it from its box and with Emma up to date on the latest news she hurried from the house inserting the car seat that she carried with her, into the car before she jumped into the driver's seat.
It wasn't the best car seat on the market more of a cheap temporary one that she had every intention of replacing the second that she had the child in her care, Regina had only chosen to stick with cheap and functional to start with just in case the child had never come to them and they had never subsequently needed it.
She was in the car and pulling off of the drive within twenty minutes of ending the call with Zelena, but it would be another anxious four hours before she pulled into the hospital grounds, she just had to hope that Zelena wouldn't change her mind in that time, sure she could still change her mind even after Regina had taken the baby into her care but at least by then Regina might have had a case to argue for keeping the child, especially seeing as returning to her birth mothers care wouldn't be an option and Regina and Emma were also raising this little girls only known blood relative.
She slammed the car door closed, hugging herself for warmth and bracing herself against the cold air as she walked across the hospital carpark and in through the maternity entrance.
Zelena heard the brunettes' heels echoing off the hard hospital floor long before she rounded the corner and entered her room.
"You look well" she said and she really meant it, Regina looked healthier than she had ever seen her look the whole time that Zelena had known her and that only made the spark of guilt within her grow because it was now clearer than ever that it had been Robins treatment of the woman that had truly been keeping Regina sick and Zelena had been a part of that.
"Yes, well I wish I could say the same for you" Regina replied her eyes tracing Zelena's pale, drawn features and pausing on the dark shadows under her eyes "But you aren't looking so great right now." She said more matter of factually than unkindly.
"Yeah, well slightly traumatic birth, but we're all okay now" Zelena shrugged.
"That's good to hear" Regina replied, her eyes finally dropping to what she was actually there for, the much healthier looking, rosy cheeked baby still sleeping in her mother's arms.
"You will love her as your own, won't you?" Zelena asked in a small voice her own eyes following Regina's gaze down to the baby's relaxed features.
"Of, course I will" Regina promised stepping closer to Zelena and bringing up a finger to gently stroke across the child's cheek.
"And you won't let her end up in the system all by herself?" Zelena pressed.
"I won't" Regina promised again looking up to meet Zelena's eyes with her own so that the other woman could see the truth that lay within them.
Zelena let out a relieved sigh and shifted the baby's weight from her arms to Regina's.
"She's just been changed, and she finished a feed thirty minutes ago" she said as she handed her over.
Regina shifted the girl's weight in her arms to make her more comfortable.
"We'll take great care of her and make sure she has a great life" Regina assured her moving to walking away.
"Do you think you might bring her to visit me some time" Zelena asked hardly daring to hope that she actually would after all that had never been part of their deal.
"I wouldn't bet on it" Regina replied as she walked out the room baby in arms without so much as a backwards glance at the stricken mother that she was leaving behind her.
Regina's shoes echoed against the floor once more as she made her way back down the empty hallway towards the elevator with its glittering Christmas lights and tinsel adorning its walls.
"I hope you'll reconsider" a voice suddenly called from behind her just as she hit the elevator call button.
"Excuse me" Regina said turning on her heel to face the prison guard who had apparently followed her there.
"About the visitation, I hope you'll reconsider" the guard elaborated "It's tough for women inside, especially moms" she added.
"You think I care about what's hard on Zelena" Regina scathed taking a step towards the other woman who actually looked a little intimidated.
"Do you know what she did to me, what she tried to do to me" Regina continued her voice dangerously low now "She wasn't content with just taking my husband and my home, both of which she was welcome to by the way" Regina said.
"No, she wanted my whole life, she and Robin colluded to rob me of my freedom did you know that?" Regina asked to which the woman shook her head twice.
"She wanted to take my freedom from me, my children from me" Regina seethed only reigning it in a little when the child in her arms began to whimper.
"And now you have her child and she's lost her freedom" the guard pointed out nodding her head towards the fussing child.
"Yes, funny how life works out isn't" Regina replied a wicked smirk spreading across her lips, then hearing the elevator ping open she turned on her heel and walked into it, not turning around again until she heard the doors close behind her.
Regina gently bounced the baby while the elevator slowly descended, soothing her with a gentle hum as she gazed down, her eyes fluttered opened, and she looked up at Regina for the first time.
"Hello pretty girl" she smiled "your big brothers will be very excited to meet you Poppy" she said gently bopping the baby's tiny nose her smile broadening as she thought about how fitting a name Poppy truly was for this sweet little girl peering at her through red lashes, with wisps of her red hair poking out from beneath her warm hat.
Her revenge was finally complete, she had turned the tables and now she had taken the last thing of Zelena's that the other woman would ever truly care about, but somehow Regina's victory felt hollow, the satisfying feeling of finally being done that she had been expecting to feel as she walked away with this child simply refused to transpire into being.
Why wasn't she happy, she should have been thrilled, Zelena had tried to rob her everything and didn't care one iota about what would happen to her or how she would feel. But she had enacted her vengeance so perfectly, Zelena had lost her freedom and now Regina had her baby, so why was she suddenly feeling so guilty?
Regina continued to drink in the little baby's dainty features still trying to shake her newfound guilt when the elevator came to a halt and the doors pinged open again, she hurried towards the exit still half afraid of being stopped any second and told to return the baby immediately.
Wrapping the soft blanket more securely around the infant and pulling her hat down to cover her ears Regina left the hospital and made a beeline for her car, strapping the child into the car seat and usuing the blanket to cover her before she slipped into driver's seat ready to head home, making a quick call to check in with Emma before turning the car's engine over and carefully manoeuvring out of the car park.
They had a long journey ahead of them, too long for a new-born to make safely and comfortably in one go and there were things that they didn't have at home that they would need for the baby, so Regina decided to kill two birds with one stone, she found a store about half-way between the hospital and her home where she should be able to find all that she immediately needed and that wouldn't take her too far off her route home. Double checking it's opening hours she input the address into her sat nav.
Poppy slept peacefully for most of the journey only waking and becoming restless as they were nearing the store, Regina suspected that she was either in need of a feed or a change or both.
"Not long now baby" she promised silently praying that the baby wouldn't begin to start all out screaming before they could get to what she needed as she began to sing a soothing lullaby that seemed to work for the moment because the fussing baby quietened down as the gentle notes rose and fell from Regina throat.
Regina entered the stores carpark and pulled in to the nearest empty parent and child space to the stores entrance, the second that she cut out the engine and stepped out of the car the baby's cries began to rise from the back seat, Regina hastily pulled open back door and quickly worked to unstrap the red faced baby with her features all screwed up as she cried out her need to be changed, fed, cuddled or maybe all three.
She lifted Poppy from the seat and gently bounced her in her arms, breathing a sigh of relief when the cries quietened again giving her a moment of reprieve, but not knowing how long it would last Regina grabbed her bag and rushed into the store baby in arms.
Once inside she balanced the baby in one arm with the practised expertise of somebody who done it many times before and carried a basket in the other hand.
She quickly located diapers, wipes and ready-made formula that came in bottles with little teats ready to screw on, so that she would be able to change and feed Poppy immediately upon paying she just had to hope that the infant would be happy to accept the milk at room temperature because she had no means of heating it up.
As she shifted the baby to get to her purse Poppy began to fuss again, now almost certain that she was out of time Regina hastily removed her card to pay for her imminently vital items.
"Do you have a changing room in here?" she asked the check-out clerk as she collected her full carrier bag.
"Sure, we do, it's at the back on the right the woman on the till smiled kindly and pointed towards the back corner of the store, "Boy or a Girl?" she asked nodding towards the squirming baby in Regina's arms.
"Girl" Regina smiled politely back then made a hasty retreat before the woman could engage her in any further conversation when Poppy clearly needed her attention more.
She quickly located the small room that the woman had directed her to, freed some wipes with one hand to wipe the table over then placed Poppy on top where she quickly opened the poppers on her little sleep suit and vest so that she could change her wet nappy, Regina noted that her skin was a little irritated in her nappy region and added ointment to her mental shopping list while the little girl kicked her legs about as Regina stuck down the diapers sticky tabs and fought to get her little legs back into the onesie, which thankfully was still dry.
And then once she was ready Regina left her place on the table while she quickly disposed of the wet diaper then she picked up the baby and headed out of the store where she proceeded to clean her hands with the hand sanitizer that she kept in the car and prepped one the bottles, settling into the passenger seat to feed the hungry baby who latched onto the teat greedily the second that it touched her lips.
She pulled a bit of face when the milk first began to flow but quickly adjusted and had soon polished off an ounce of the milky bottles contents only pausing when Regina prized the bottle from between her surprisingly strong gums and sat her up on her lap with her tiny chin resting in her hand while she moved between gently patting and rubbing circles on her little back until she bought her wind up.
Then she readily accepted the bottle again this time drinking her fill of its contents. A little under an ounce and one burp later Regina was strapping a now entirely contented and sleeping Poppy back into her car seat with her blanket tucked around her, this time she lifted the carrier from the car and attached to one of the shopping carts before she walked back in to the store to finish her shopping.
Figuring that she and Emma could go to a store more local to them while the boys were at school the next day to shop for the majority if what they would need together, she stuck with what they would need for that night which was still a surprising amount.
More diapers, cotton wool and wipes went into the cart, with her chosen ointment, a couple of baby blankets, a small crib that could be fitted next to their bed and sheets to fit over its tiny mattress, a tub of powdered milk, some bottles and a steriliser, a packet of vests and onesies and some soothers just in case.
Deciding that would be enough for that night and not wanting to be much longer because she wanted to get home before Poppy needed another feed and change Regina hurried to check out again.
"What did you have a surprise delivery" the same checkout clerk that had served her before chuckled as she scanned Regina's purchases through her till.
"Something like that" Regina replied.
"Oh" the clerk quirked a questioning brow.
"I'm a foster carer, Poppy is an emergency foster placement" Regina lied smoothly, she knew from her experience as a lawyer that babies going into emergency placements generally went with nothing, often resulting in shopping trips like hers for the carer who hadn't known to expect and prepare for an infant that day and It seemed both an easier and more plausible explanation than the truth and she really didn't want to be stuck here for any longer than necessary, explaining things that weren't even the clerks business anyway.
"Oh, the poor little thing" the clerk cooed sympathetically "And right on top of Christmas too".
"Yes quite" Regina agreed happy to go along with her if it meant that she could get out of there quickly.
"Here take this on me" the clerk smiled reaching for one of the little Christmas hats from a nearby stand, it was knitted with soft red wool and two small red glittery poms on the top and Regina had to admit that it was pretty cute.
"Thank-you" Regina smiled as she paid for her selected items "But you really don't have to" she added feeling a little guilty at misleading the lady into giving Poppy a gift.
"I insist" the woman replied pushing the hat into Regina's hand who accepted, placing It into her bag of baby clothes with a nod of appreciation and another thank-you.
Outside Regina loaded the car and placed the baby carrier into the car removing the still sleeping infant who didn't stir and carrying her in one arm while she pushed the cart with the other, she just wanted to give the baby a brief change in position before she had to spend another two hours stuck in the carrier for the remainder of their journey home.
The rest of the journey went smoothly with Poppy sleeping the whole way, As soon as Regina had called to tell Emma that she was leaving the hospital with the baby Emma by prior agreement between the two women had broken the news to the boys and so she and Poppy were greeted by a convoy of excited family members who were only too happy to pitch in and help unload the car making quick work of the job.
And then they all eagerly pitched in to help with the baby when she woke not long after entering the house, with Henry feeding her another one of the premade bottles and Emma winding her between ounces, before she passed her to Regina who proceeded to change what this time was a poopy diaper this time, while Roland pulled comical faces at the mess as he passed her a clean diaper and the ointment that Emma had given him for Regina to use.
Regina chuckled at Roland's face then let him hold Poppy for a bit until he started to yawn and forgetting himself reached up to rub his tired eyes.
Regina who of course hadn't left their side reached for the now unsupported baby handing her to Emma so that she could pick Roland up and take him up to bed herself, Henry followed them up going to his room to indulge in his last half an hour of gaming before he too had to settle down to sleep because it was after all a school night.
The next forty-five minutes consisted of Emma and Regina working together to get the new crib together in their room before placing Poppy into it and standing together to watch her sleep.
"What made you choose Poppy?" Emma asked curiously "I mean it's a really pretty name but it's not one that we talked about" she said.
"I know and I'm sorry I should have asked you first" Regina sighed "It was a sort of spur of the moment thing" she explained "But I didn't choose it, Zelena did."
"You kept the name that Zelena chose" Emma's brow raised in surprise.
"I did" Regina confirmed "But she doesn't know that, she doesn't even know that I know that she wanted that name, I read it in her journal along with why it was important to her" she said looking a little sheepish.
"Then when I saw Poppy for the first time, I just thought that the name was so fitting, our beautiful little red flower" she said smiling fondly down at the little red headed child who had stolen hers and Emma's hearts about as quickly as Roland had five years prior.
"I just sort of starting to call her by it, but we can change it if you'd prefer" Regina added "I mean she wanted Robin for a boy and there was no way in hell that I would have honoured that name choice, poor kid deserves better than to be lumbered with his name" she shuddered and Emma let out a little giggle.
"No" she said "I think you're right, Poppy suits her, she should keep that name" Regina just nodded in agreement and continued to look down at the peacefully sleeping baby, now in the warm house, she had taken her hat off and revealed all of the beautiful red curls that had been hidden beneath it.
"She's like Roland, looks more like her mother than her father" Emma said from beside her both of them watching the baby sleep.
"Yes, evidentially the man had weak genes" Regina chuckle and Emma laughed along with her.
"And unfortunately, his weaknesses didn't end there" Emma replied.
"That's true to" Regina agreed suddenly taking her phone out of her and tapping away at its screen.
"Who you texting?" Emma asked curiously.
"The number that Zelena called be from earlier" Regina sighed "I'm hoping she used the guards' phone because it was definitely a mobile number, and I don't know where else she would have gotten one from."
"You're texting Zelena?" Emma asked sounding surprised again and Regina couldn't say that she blamed her.
"I just want to let her know that we got back safe and that this little one has settled well" she shrugged and hit send while Emma's surprised brow rose further still.
"I know, I know" Regina sighed "It's just I can't help but feel bad for her and I know how ridiculous that sounds, she wouldn't have cared if the shoe was on the other foot, and I was the one locked away while she went off into the sunset with my husband and sons" Regina admitted.
"But she's lost everything Emma and today I walked out of that hospital with her new-born in my arms, I thought it would feel good you know, like getting the ultimate revenge but all I feel is guilty" Regina sighed again and Emma wrapped a comforting arm around her shoulder, giving her a gentle squeeze.
"It's because you're not like her" Emma whispered dropping a kiss on the top of her hair "You're much better than she is Regina".
"That's probably true" Regina agreed "But that's not all."
She stepped out of Emma's embrace then and looked straight into her imploring green eyes feeling the weight of what she was about to say pressing on her with a greater pressure than ever before as she took a deep steadying breath.
"Zelena swears she's innocent you know" she began.
"And you believe her" Emma replied, and Regina nodded.
"I know she's telling the truth" Regina replied barely above a whisper.
"How do you know for sure?" Emma asked her steady gaze still meeting Regina's expectantly.
"Because…" Regina started, her breathing hitching as her confidence momentarily faltered, but she had come much too far to turn back now.
"I killed Robin" she finished, watching Emma closely waiting for the look of shock to appear or maybe for her to start yelling or flea, she didn't really know what she expected to happen, but Emma's reaction wasn't it.
The blondes, green eyes suddenly pulled away from Regina's dropping to look at her own feet instead as she shifted a little awkwardly from one foot to the other and back again, the agonising silence stretching between them until she finally replied barely above a whisper.
"I know."
A/N So who saw that coming? Don't worry I'm already working on the next chapter and all will be revealed soon!