Special delivery
She had barely brought the cup of just-brewed coffee to her lips, the smell invading her senses with promises of renewed alertness, when she both sensed and heard someone (or something) at her door. On later reflection she'd wonder at the correct designation of someone versus something, but at that pre-caffeinated moment she was not quite capable of distinguishing.
Her morning routine centered on a few moments of quiet bliss enjoying the warm drink made from her very expensive coffee beans, one of the few luxuries she still afforded herself. She briefly wondered if she could manage at least a few sips before answering the call, but then heard a swift knocking sound. Internally groaning, she took one brief glance at her morning necessity before sighing and gently laying it back down on the counter.
Tightening her robe as she made her way to the front of the house, she unconsciously smoothed her hair. Though she had mellowed recently, years of indoctrination into looking presentable in all situations was apparently a hard habit to break.
Blinking away as much sleepiness as possible sans caffeine, she straightened her posture before opening the front door. Whatever reasonable expectation she might have had at what would be awaiting her was thrown out the window.
She blinked. She blinked again, but the image hadn't changed.
Standing on her front porch was a blue-gray bird that was just a few inches shorter than herself. It had a large beak and gazed at her inquisitively with sharp piercing eyes. She was so surprised she stood in silence, gaping at the creature.
After a few moments it made some kind of garbled noise that almost sounded like words.
"Oh, what?" She felt barely coherent.
Ruffling the feathers on its head slightly, it gave her a side eye. Then huffing (yes, it literally huffed) it lowered its beak to gently set something on the ground.
That's when Regina realized it had been carrying something in its mouth. It explained the garbled sounding noises it had been making.
Establishing that the … package, had been settled well enough, the bird raised its head and looked her in the eyes.
With its beak now fully on display, the former queen felt a bit more … apprehensive. She eyed the creature warily, but years of interacting with new beings brought forth her politeness. "How can I help you?"
"Are you, in fact, Regina, former Good Queen of the United Realms, former Evil Queen and scourge of the White Kingdom, former Mayor of Storybrooke, Sorceress first class…" the stork's voice was strong and gentler than she would have expected given its fearsome visage.
"Yes, I am Regina," she interrupted. While it was probably not the best idea to interject in that manner, especially given the look she was currently receiving from the droll bird, she was loathe to hear all her titles read out in a laundry list. She had moved here to get away from all of that. "There's no need for formality. I just go by Regina now." She waved her hand to emphasize her point.
The bristling bird side eyed her as if to assess her honesty. Seeing something in her demeanor, it seemed to soften as it realized the interjection had not been an affront. Ruffling its feathers it wobbled back and forth a moment before settling. "Very well," it reached down toward the bundle at its feet, nosed around a bit before pulling a card out of the wrapping and handed (beaked?) it over to her.
Hesitantly, she reached out and gently took the card from its bill. Turning the blank envelope over, she eyes the bird who remains stoic, before sliding her finger under the glued edge to break the seal. Removing the letter from inside she scanned the document, noting that it was a formal receipt and confirmation of delivery of…
"A baby?!" She barks, first looking up in shock at the bird and then down to the fidgeting bundle which is making whimpering noises in response to her yelling.
"Well what else would you expect a stork to deliver?" The bird scoffed quietly. Bending down it gently nudged the bundle with its beak, in a far more nurturing gesture than she would have expected had she not seen it, until the bundle-er-baby quieted.
Later she would blame her sleep addled brain for voicing her thoughts out loud, "you're a stork? But you're not wh…"
"What you expected?" The bird interrupted haughtily, glaring at her. It irked the stork to no end that because of some silly movies everyone seemed to expect the pristine white, skinny long legged storks to deliver their kids. "For your information, there are a large variety of storks in existence, and," puffing itself up it continued its diatribe, "I happen to be assigned the special cases where delivery requires extra special care."
"Oh," the Queen having realized her faux pas, quickly apologized. "I'm very sorry. You are right, I shouldn't assume. Please pardon me as it is very early, I was not expecting company, and I haven't quite awoken yet. I greatly appreciate your presence and experience and am most gratified that you were chosen to make this special delivery." She was so grateful for her years of negotiations and blustering in that moment as the ruffled bird seemed to calm down at her choice of words.
Bowing its head slightly, it offered a response, "yes, well, it's not every day we get to transport such a creature."
"Because I'm a queen?" She wondered.
"No," lowering its head it fiddled with the wrappings before raising back up, "because of her magic."
"Her?" Regina whispered.
Gesturing down with its head, the former queen's eyes trailed lower until she caught her first glimpse of the baby and gasped.
It's true they say all babies are beautiful, but this one seemed even more so to Regina. She felt her heart melt and her magic call out to this little bundle of joy. She, if the bird was to be believed, had big deep blue eyes framed with gorgeous dark lashes and pink tinged cheeks. A mop of dark hair adorned her tiny head. She was gurgling and looking up at Regina with an intensity of concentration that gave the impression she was much older than her size conveyed. Reaching a little hand up in her direction, Regina felt tears form in her eyes and overcome with emotion the former Queen let out a little, "oh."
"Congratulations, former Que…, Regina, on your new bundle of joy," the stork stepped back and waited, watching the two stare at each other for a bit.
Regina reached toward the baby but hesitated in her movements.
The stork huffed in frustration, he didn't have all day. Pushing the frozen monarch, he encouraged her, "Well, go ahead." When she looked up in confusion, he directed her more firmly, "Pick her up." He hated when he had to walk new parents through the basics. It wasn't like they shouldn't have been expecting this. Humans especially had months to be prepared.
"What?" The Queen still hesitated.
"She's your daughter, Regina, pick her up, take her inside, bond." The stork gestured toward the baby. The Queen just stared at him slack jawed, the forgotten receipt crumpled in her now clenched hand. Ah, the receipt, he thought. She had been a bureaucrat after all, the paperwork might help. "Per the documentation, I am hereby delivering your daughter to you. Do you confirm receipt, your majesty?"
Regina blinked a few times her mouth opening and closing like a fish. Mmm, fish, the bird thought realizing it hadn't eaten since before picking the little one up to be delivered. It would be good to grab a bite before heading back to the office. Shaking itself from these thoughts, it set itself to pick up the pace of this interaction. "Yes, Regina, your child is here, congratulations."
"But, but it's not possible." She shook her head in the negative, denying what was in front of her eyes.
"Well, obviously it's possible." The bird gestured toward the baby, who was happily sucking on its fist. "She's right there."
"She's… it's just not possible." Regina stared at the baby, her body trembled, her voice full of awe and despair and hope.
Sending something bigger at play, the bird stuffed down its impatience and hunger and reached out with a wing to gently run the tips of its feather down the Queen's arm. He had seen humans do something like that in a gesture of comfort. It seemed to help break her from wherever her mind had gone because she looked back up at him.
Closing her eyes, Regina managed to whisper, "I can't have children." Her mind warred with how to explain the potion she had taken to prevent this very thing, "It's … not physically possible."
"Oh, is that all?" The bird huffed out what might have been a laugh.
Regina looked at it incredulously. "Isn't that enough?"
"Apologies, your majesty." The bird backtracked gently, "I did not mean any disrespect. You see, here, it makes no difference what is physically possible."
"How do you mean? I can't possibly carry a baby." The words hurt to say.
"Exactly." The bird responded, but seeing her anger flare, he held up his wings in a gesture he'd seen humans use to mean stop. His years of experience in dealing with these temperamental creatures was another reason why he was chosen for these special missions. "You can't carry a child, but here you don't have to. That's my job." He preened a little at the pride he felt in his calling.
Sensing that she was still a bit confused, he continued. "We're not like those primitive realms where there's pain and bleeding and drugs and … judgment." He whispered that last word leaning in and looking around. "Can you imagine?" He shook himself as if releasing the thought. "As if how a baby arrives in this world matters other than that they are safely delivered. Here all children are delivered by stork. Much bette…er, fewer complications." He changed his statement at the last moment, trying not to think about that confusion with the lamb mother and her lion baby. God the issues sometimes with the stork newbies.
"Oh, ok." She paused, her eyes kept desperately going back to the child, as if pulled by the force of her already growing desire to hold her, "But… I … don't have anyone. I don't have a partner. It's been … too long since I've had anyone."
The bird stopped at this and tilted its head. "Well, while perhaps not ideal, there are many in your species who've done this on their own, yourself included, if I'm not mistaken."
"Er, well, yes, I suppose I did," she thought of Henry and the yearning to have that again, to have another chance with a child felt almost overwhelming, but she couldn't take someone else's daughter from them, she couldn't be selfish like that anymore. She was not that person. "Yes, I did raise Henry on my own at the beginning, but what I'm trying to explain is that there is no way I could have gotten pregnant." Shaking her head when the bird tried to explain about stork delivery again, she continued, "I haven't been intimate with anyone in far too long to have conceived a child."
The bird eyed her up, then looked to the side as if embarrassed. "Your majesty … Regina … that's just not possible. This baby is yours. She has magic like you do. That's why I was tasked with delivering her. While I am not privy to the details I do know there was an intimate act involving you at the very least nine months ago, give or take a few months. Again not privy to those details. If you don't remember I'd suggest starting there, perhaps you chose to forget."
The bird eyed Regina pointedly. The former Queen felt something turn over in her stomach. Had she in fact done something and then decided to forget it? History suggested it was possible though she had hoped she had moved past the need for such things.
"Whatever may or may not have happened, this little one is yours. I suggest you try and sense your daughter's magic. It should confirm what I'm saying." The bird stepped further back to give them space.
The queen, seeing the wisdom in this, and out of a desperate hope that regardless of the impossibility it might be true, raised her hand over the baby. The little girl's eyes got wider, as if trying to focus on the appendage while her arms flailed around her as if she wanted to reach for the extended hand.
Reaching out with her magic, purple tendrils slowly descended from her hand to wrap around the now happily kicking baby. Her magic pulled forth sparks of the infant's own abilities and sensed familiarity.
Regina jumped back, her hand going to her heart. Staring at the little girl, she whispered in shocked awe, "She's mine."
If storks could smile, this one would be grinning. "Indeed she is." Sending his time with the two was now concluded, he bowed formally, shared a final "Congratulations your majesty," and then took to the air eyes peeled for a body of water to stop at for lunch.
The former Queen barely registered his departure. Sinking to her knees she gently reached out to caress the soft dark hair before running the back of her finger in a gentle caress down the child's cheek. The baby kicked and gurgled.
Placing one hand behind the little one's head and neck, and the other in support of the tiny girls back and behind, she gently lifted the baby and settled her into her arms.
Regina stood for a moment staring in awe at the little girl in her arms; her daughter. Rocking the child automatically, a learned response developed from her years with Henry, she carried her little girl inside.