A/N:Well, here we are. The final chapter of Vines. I really hope you enjoy it!
Epilogue
"Emma, what if this doesn't work?" Regina asked nervously as she gripped Emma's hand. "What if True Love's Kiss didn't breakallmy curses? What if, after all this, I'm still not completely fixed?"
"Let's worry about that if we reach that point. Right now, let's focus on the positives and hope for the best, until we hear the worst," Emma said, desperately clinging to hope. It had been quite a journey to this point, and she didn't want Regina to know she felt and thought the same way.
A soft knock on the door startled them both. "Come in..." Regina said softly, squeezing Emma's hand a little tighter when the door opened.
"Good afternoon, ladies," the doctor said as she entered the exam room, closing the door softly behind her.
"Hey Doc," Emma said, speaking for them both.
"Alright, let's take a look at your file before we get started," she said, pulling a stool next to the table that Regina sat on, opening their large file and scanning the pages inside. "So, we are here for your six week check up, is that correct?"
"Ye...yes..." Regina said, her voice already cracking.
"And this is your third attempt, the first two were unsuccessful, is that correct?"
"Yeah..." Emma answered sadly.
"Okay..." the doctor said, scribbling something in the chart before continuing. "One last question, have you taken a test at any point over the last six weeks?"
"No...no test. I can't bear to see the same results again, so we didn't this time."
"That's fine. That's what I'm here for," the doctor said with a soft smile. "Let's get started. Lay back," she directed. Regina's hand clutched Emma's as she laid back on the table, cringing slightly when the now familiar exam began. "It's cold, I know. Maybe one day someone will invent a warmer way of doing this." The doctor laughed to help break the tension as she continued with her exam.
She smiled suddenly, turning the monitor towards them. "See that?" she asked, pointing to the center of the screen. Emma inhaled deeply when she saw the image on the screen, squeezing Regina's hand tightly as she waited for the doctor to continue.
"Yeah?" Regina asked, her voice filled with terror.
"That's the amniotic sac. And that little blob right there?" Regina nodded slowly as she stared at the screen. "That is your baby. Congratulations, Mrs. Swan-Mills, you are officially eight weeks pregnant."
"I'm...it...it worked? Am I really pregnant?"
"Yes, about eight weeks." She repositioned the internal probe slightly to get a better view of the baby growing inside of Regina.
"What's that flicker?" Regina asked, intense fear in her voice as she pointed to the small screen.
"That's..." Emma started to say, tears flowing down her face as she cleared her throat. "That's our baby's heartbeat."
"It's...it's heart is beating?"
"Yes, and quite strong at that. Congratulations, mommies!" The doctor clicked a few buttons on the ultrasound machine, printing out a sheet of pictures and handing them directly to Regina before removing the probe and ending the exam. "Unfortunately, this is where I leave you in your fertility journey. Your next step is to follow up with your OB who will monitor you through the next nine months."
"Thank you, Doctor. For everything. You have no idea how much we appreciate this," Emma said, offering her free hand to the doctor.
"It's my pleasure. Best of luck, ladies. And hopefully I'll see you again if you decide on a second baby."
"Of course. Thank you," Regina chimed in, her eyes shifting off the pictures in her hand for only a few seconds.
"Take your time getting dressed, we don't need the room for a little while. And good luck, ladies."
"Thank you!" they said in unison as the doctor collected their file and walked out of the room, leaving them alone.
"Emma...I'm..." Regina started to say, her hand moving unconsciously to her still flat stomach.
"I know..." Emma said, tears of pure happiness spilling from her eyes.
"We did it. I can't believe we did it. I'm pregnant, Emma. We're going to have a baby."
"We're going to have a baby," Emma repeated, kissing Regina deeply and passionately.
"Can we go home and tell Henry?" Regina asked as she started getting dressed, crumpling up the unflattering paper gown she had been wearing.
"It's probably a good idea to wait a little. It's bad luck to tell people before the second trimester. But when the time comes, he'll be the first person we tell, I promise."
"Do you think he'll be excited?" Regina asked as they walked hand-in-hand out of the office.
"I think so. He's always wanted a little brother or sister."
"But he's already a teenager. He'll be off to college shortly after the baby is born. It's not like he'll get to grow up with them." Regina froze in place as an idea suddenly stuck her. "What if he thinks we'll love this baby more than him?"
"Regina, Henry is a smart young man, and our biggest cheerleader from day one. He'll know we won't love him any less now that we have a baby. He'll be fine, I promise."
"You think so?"
"I know so!"
"EMMA! EMMA WHERE ARE YOU?" Regina yelled, storming into the Sheriff's Department, scaring Emma nearly out of her skin.
"Regina?" she asked, meeting her wife in the doorway.
"Emma! Something's wrong! Something's wrong with the baby!" Regina declared, tears cascading down her face.
"What? What's the matter? What's going on?" Emma asked, her hands automatically finding Regina's stomach.
"I started getting a weird feeling...inside. It only happened for a second at first, and it only happened a few times. But now it's almost constant and it won't go away," Regina said, her voice filled with utter dread.
"Wait, what do you mean, a weird feeling inside."
"It felt like...movement. Like a weird movement. Could it be my body rejecting the baby? Emma, am I having a miscarriage?" Regina cried.
"Are you bleeding?" Emma asked, trying to fully understand the situation.
"No. No bleeding."
"Would you describe the movement as...more of a flutter than a muscle contraction?"
"Flutter? Yeah...yeah that's more accurate. I'm feeling a flutter, right here," Regina said, pointing to the exact spot she felt the movement. Emma smiled so wide as tears of happiness collected in her eyes. "Emma Swan-Mills! I'm having a miscarriage and you're smiling!? What is wrong with you!" Regina shouted. "I can't believe you let me tell people I was pregnant. Now we have to tell everyone we...I...lost the baby."
"Regina..." Emma said, gently cupping Regina's face in an attempt to calm her down. "You're not having a miscarriage."
"How do you know, EM-MA! When did you get your medical degree? Huh? You don't know! Our baby is dead and you're pretending there's nothing wrong."
"Regina, you're not having a miscarriage."
"How do you know!"
"Because I know what the flutter is. I felt the same thing when I was pregnant with Henry."
"You did? What is it?"
"Regina, that flutter you feel. It's the baby moving. You can feel our baby moving inside you." Emma's smile reached from ear-to-ear.
Regina's hands instinctively fell to her tiny bump. "What?"
"It's our baby, Regina. They are moving around inside of you. This means they are finally big enough for you to feel them. This is a good thing, Regina. It means they are healthy."
"Can you feel it too?" Regina asked, placing Emma's hands on the exact spot of the movement. "Not yet. It takes a few more weeks before I can feel them. This is something special, just for you."
"Hey, is everything okay in here?" David asked, interrupting their moment. His face turned white when he realized they were both crying while holding Regina's stomach. He had only just found out he was going to be a grandpa again, and had already started buying cute things for the baby.
"Everything is perfect."
"You know, I read somewhere that being in such close proximity to a computer can be harmful to the baby," Emma said, glancing over at Regina as she typed swiftly on her computer, her new reading glasses perched on the tip of her nose.
"I've read every study done regarding gestational proximity to technology, and nowhere did they say that laptop computers are detrimental to fetal development," Regina said without even looking up.
"Okay, fine. Put the computer away, I want cuddles."
"Well, what kind of a wife would I be if I denied you cuddles?" Regina smiled, closing her computer. She carefully climbed out of bed and put the computer back into her briefcase, depositing her glasses into their case before dropping them into the front pocket. Her ever growing bump was starting to become more prominent, and she had begun to change her posture to accommodate her new center of gravity.
She climbed back into bed and quickly curled up against Emma's side, her baby belly just barely fit into the curve of Emma's hips, which meant they would not be able to sleep like this for much longer without fear of squishing the baby. Emma hummed with contentment as Regina rested her head on her chest, their arms wrapping around each other as best as they could. A few moments later she could hear the soft rumble in Emma's chest, which told Regina she was sound asleep and snoring slightly.
Emma woke up a few hours later to a soft tickle in her side. She giggled in her sleep, moving slightly away from the source of the pokes, only to have them return a minute later. "Regina..." she giggled, squirming away from Regina's hands.
"Yes?" Regina asked, her voice heavy with sleep.
"Stop tickling me."
"I'm not." Regina yawned, repositioning closer to Emma.
"Yes, you are. You keep poking me and it tickles," Emma said, giggling as Regina poked her again.
"Emma, I'm not. My hand is nowhere near your side," Regina said, now sounding annoyed that Emma woke her up.
"What?" Emma said, tossing off the blankets. She looked down to see that Regina was telling the truth and the only thing pressed against her was Regina's belly. "There it is again!" she said, her tired brain trying to comprehend what she's feeling. Regina smiled and grabbed Emma's hand, placing it between their bodies, waiting for the familiar nudge.
Emma jumped when she felt the pressure against her hand. "Is that what you felt?"
"Is that what I think it is?" Emma asked. Even in the darkness Regina could see the excitement on Emma's face.
"Yes it is," Regina said, holding Emma's hand against her stomach. They waited a few more seconds until another nudge pressed against Emma's palm.
A second later the light was turned on and Regina was laying flat on her back, both of Emma's hands cradling the spot where she had previously felt the kicks. "It stopped." A deep frown spread across her tired face.
"Give her a second. She just woke up," Regina said. "She likes when you rub my belly. She usually starts wiggling around when you do." Using both hands, Emma started gently rubbing small circles over Regina's bare skin, her face lighting up when she felt another kick against her palms. "See." Regina smiled as she looked down at her wife, Emma's eyes glistening with unshed tears of pure happiness.
"Hello, little Princess. I love you so much," Emma whispered, placing a soft kiss against Regina's stomach, receiving four quick kicks in return.
"She's saying she loves you too," Regina said, a stray tear escaping her eye and landing on the pillow below her head.
None of them slept much the rest of the night as Emma continued to rub small circles over her stomach to trigger another kick, no doubt waking the baby each time. Regina went to work with only a few hours of sleep under her belt, and for the first time during her pregnancy, she wished she could still drink coffee. Although she was exhausted, she wouldn't have given up moments like that for anything in the world.
"Granny's is close?" Regina asked as they approached the restaurant.
"No, it's open."
"The sign on the door suggests otherwise," Regina said, pointing to the sign on the door that saidClosed. "Why would it be closed at this time of day? Isn't it lunchtime?"
"It's open. I just spoke to Ruby and she said they're open. Maybe she forgot to turn over the sign when she opened this morning. She can be so scatterbrained sometimes," Emma said, holding the door open for Regina to enter the establishment.
As soon as Regina crossed the threshold the lights turned on and a throng of people shouted "SURPRISE" in unison. Regina nearly jumped out of her skin as she scanned the crowd, seeing the familiar faces of citizens, all with large smiles on their faces. It took her a second to notice the pink banner against the back wall with the large wordCONGRATULATIONSand the table in the center of the room, covered in gifts wrapped with pink paper, surrounding the large tower made entirely out of diapers.
"What is all this?" she asked, her heart pounding in her chest.
"It's your baby shower, silly," Mary Margaret said as she stepped out of the crowd to gently hug the confused woman.
"A baby shower? For me?" Regina asked, still shocked.
"Yes. We weren't able to give you one when you adopted Henry, so we wanted to make extra sure you got one for this little lady." Mary Margaret grabbed Regina's hand and led her over to one of the tables, pushing her down onto the chair. "Now sit and relax and let us shower you with food and gifts!" she insisted, rushing off to help Granny and Ruby serve the food. She tried to get up, only to have Emma push her back down.
"Sit. I'll get you some food."
"I am fully capable of retrieving my own food, Emma."
"Yes, I know. But you can, just this once, let me take care of you for a change," Emma said, with a slight sharpness in her voice.
"Fine. But make sure to include something remotely healthy."
"I made sure Granny included a wide variety of grilled veggies for you." Emma laughed as she walked away to join her mother at the food table. Regina watched as she loaded up two plates with food and carried them back, rushing off to grab two glasses of unsweetened ice tea with cranberry juice, which was her newest pregnancy craving.
Regina put on a happy face as she mingled with the people at the party, still completely in shock that so many people showed up to shower her, realizing most of them were probably there for Emma, and not her. She even managed to show sincerity as she opened all of her many presents, which included a giant stuffed wolf, no doubt a gift from Ruby.
Hours later, all the food eaten, the leftovers packed up for them to take home to Henry and all the generous gifts loaded into the trunk, Emma helped Regina into the car and started driving back home. "They really shouldn't have done all that..." Regina started to say, her gaze falling down to her hands in her lap once more, a habit she couldn't seem to shake after all these years.
"Why not?" Emma asked, risking a glance over at her wife.
"Because...I don't deserve all that. All those gifts and all that attention. I don't deserve any of it." Emma jerked the car to the side of the road and slammed on the breaks.
"Do you have any idea how much it hurts me to hear you talk like that?" Emma asked, turning her attention to Regina.
"Talk like what?" Regina asked, getting slightly annoyed.
"When you talk about not deserving things, Regina. About not being worthy of things. It hurts me when you talk about yourself like that, because it's not true at all, Regina. And it never was," Emma scolded.
"Emma..."
"No! Let me talk. When you said you didn't want a big bridal shower when we got engaged, because you said we didn't need anything since we've been living together for years, I let it slide. When you said no to a bachelorette party because you thought it was silly for grown women to celebrate the loss of their single lives, I understood. When you didn't want a huge wedding because you didn't see the need to spend all that money on one single day, I agreed and we went to town hall and signed paperwork. But now I'm putting my foot down, Regina. You didn't want to do all those things, not because you didn't see the need for them, but because you didn't think youdeservedthem, am I right."
"Emma..."
"Answer the question, Regina. You didn't want any of that because you didn't think you were worth all the time and energy for it. Am I right?"
"Yes..." Regina said, taking a deep breath. "Yes, you're right. But I'mnotworth all the hassle."
"Yes you are, Regina! You're worth all the work and then some. You should have seen the excitement on Mary Margaret's face when she got the idea for the shower. She and Granny were so excited they started planning the shower the moment I told them it would be alright." Emma took a deep breath to calm herself down a bit. "They did all this because they wanted to, Regina. Because they care about you. Because they love you, Regina."
"I can't imagine why. After all that I've done..."
"Don't you see it, Regina. Despite what happened in the past, they still love you. They forgive you, Regina. They love you, and they want to show you just how much you are loved."
"Emma, you're not just saying all of this because I'm pregnant and you think I'm too fragile to know the truth, are you?"
"Hardly, Regina. I say these things because it's the truth. Henry and I aren't the only people who love you, Regina."
"Did Mary Margaret really ask to throw me a baby shower?" Regina asked after a few moments of contemplation.
"She really did. It was her idea. She and Granny planned the entire thing. All I had to do was get you to the diner on time for the surprise."
"Remind me to..." Regina started to say, clearing her throat for a second to compose herself. "Remind me to thank them for taking the time to show me so much love. And to write each person a handwritten thank you note," Regina said, pausing for a second before continuing. "And we should have Mary Margaret and Granny over for dinner soon for an extra thank you."
"I'll call them both tomorrow to find a date that works for all of us," Emma said.
Regina didn't have to say another word, Emma could feel it. She was finally starting to understand just how much people loved her, and how special she truly was. After a soft kiss on the lips, Emma put the car back into gear and drove home, insisting that Regina rest while she carried all the baby gifts into the room they had been decorating as the nursery. That night Regina went to bed feeling lighter knowing her past transgressions had truly been forgiven.
Regina moaned slightly as Emma continued to press her strong fingers into the curve of her lower back while she laid on the couch in her office. "How does it feel now?" Emma asked.
"Much better, thank you," Regina said, her eyes still closed as she savored the brief feeling of not having pain in her lower back. A second later she could feel Emma pull off her ballet slipper shoes, gently massaging the arches of her feet. "You don't have to rub my feet too. I'll be fine."
"Yes I do, Regina. Your feet are swollen twice the size they usually are. You must be in agony."
"Yes, well. The things I do for our Princess," she said, rubbing her swollen belly.
"Thank you for not wearing heels anymore. I really worried about you walking around in those shoes the last few weeks. Even if I know it's all to do with your swollen feet and not the danger they hold."
"I plead the fifth." Regina laughed.
"I really wish you would start your maternity leave already. You're due at the end of the week and you need to rest."
"Yes I know..." Regina said. If she hadn't already had her eyes closed, they would have rolled out of her head. "I have quite a bit of work to do before I can leave for the next twelve weeks."
"Fine, whatever," Emma said sarcastically, switching feet.
"Don'tfine whateverme. I am still the Mayor of Storybrooke, and with it comes certain responsibilities. You knew that when you married me, just as I knew your job would entail risks as well."
"Me being the Sheriff and you working yourself to death right before you give birth to our daughter are two different things, and you know it," Emma snapped.
"I'm not going to lay here and get yelled at by my wife when I have a ton of work to do," Regina said, pulling her feet away from Emma's kneading hands.
"I'm sorry. Don't go," Emma said sadly. "I just worry about you. I know you have a lot to do before she comes, but that still doesn't stop me from worrying about you in the meantime."
"I know you do. I just have a few loose ends to tie up and I'll start my leave tomorrow, I promise."
"Thank you! Is there anything I can do to help?"
"Can you pick up dinner tonight? Henry is staying after school for his writing club and I really don't feel like cooking when I get out of work."
"Of course. I'll put in an order at Granny's and pick it up on my way home."
"Perfect. Something healthy please."
"Yes Ma'am." Emma laughed, glancing up at the clock on the mantel. "I better get back to work. David is going to start calling me to make sure I'm alright if I'm not back in the office in a few minutes."
"He's a concerned father. It's nice to know someone, other than myself, is worried about you."
"He worries about you too, Regina. You know he thinks of you as a daughter as well."
"I know." Regina smiled as she let Emma help her up from the couch, purposely leaving her shoes off. "Call me if you need anything. And I mean ANYTHING and I'll be here as soon as I can. Even if you start craving fried pickles."
"You'll be the first call I make when I desire deep fried vegetables. But do make sure to add a side of them to our dinner order."
"Yes ma'am," Emma said, winking as she leaned over to kiss her wife. "I'll see you later. Please don't work too hard."
"I'll try my best."
Regina worked diligently for the rest of the day as the ache returned in her low back, eventually morphing into a constant stabbing pain. She was completely exhausted by the time she finished all the work she needed to do to ensure the Mayor's office ran smoothly in her absence.
She stood from her chair to gather up her things to leave, when a sharp pain in her stomach forced her back down while she cradled her hard and trembling bump. " Miss Boyd ..." she asked through the intercom.
"Yes, Mayor Swan-Mills?"
"Can you please call my wife and ask her to come pick me up and take me to the hospital?"
There was silence over the intercom for a few seconds before her secretary came running through the door and rushed to her side. "Regina? Are you alright?"
"Yes, Miss Boyd. It appears that I have gone into labor..." she said. Her eyes went wide as she paused, her face turning bright red from embarrassment. "And it also appears that my water has just broken."
"I'll call Sheriff Swan-Mills right now." Regina stiffened as the next contraction, now coming every six minutes, ripped through her, making it hard to breathe. "Sheriff Swan-Mills is on her way. She said she will call your son and have him meet you both there with your bag."
"Perfect," Regina said, catching her breath after the contraction ceased. Ten minutes later, Emma burst into her office and rushed to her side, fear and worry written across her face.
"How long have you been having contractions?" she asked, as she gently helped her off the couch that Ashley had insisted she lay down on earlier.
"They started fifteen minutes after you left this afternoon."
"Why didn't you call me sooner?"
"Because I had too much work to do. Plus Doctor Whale instructed us not to come to the hospital until the contractions were 5-6 minutes apart or my water breaks."
"Okay, so how far apart are they?"
"5 minutes exactly...and my water broke right before I had Ashley call you," Regina said, glancing at the embarrassing puddle under her desk.
"Okay, let's get you to the hospital. Henry is going to meet us there."
They rushed to the car and sped down the street, the siren on the Sheriff's cruiser blaring as they ran every red light and stop sign along the way. She was admitted immediately and brought to a private delivery room in Labor and Delivery, which was exactly below the Psychiatric Ward she had once called home for ten months. After quite a lot of spicy and threatening words from both of them, Regina was given her epidural and the pain of her contractions subsided, allowing her to rest a bit before she started pushing. Henry was by her side the moment he arrived, ready to help her with anything she needed at a moment's notice.
"Henry..." she said, once the nurses instructed her it was time to start pushing, "...I know this is a lot to ask of a seventeen year old boy but..." she started to say as Emma helped her into position while the nurses rushed around to prepare the room. "...I'd like it if you would stay in the room with us. I don't want you to see anything that you shouldn't..."
"...or that might scar you for life...even more than you're already," Emma chimed in.
"Yes. I understand if you don't want to...I just wanted to..." Regina started to say, only to be interrupted by her son.
"I'm not going anywhere, Mom. If you want me here, I'm staying," he said with a smile.
"Thank you, my Prince."
"If things get to be too much, and you're not comfortable anymore, then you can run out, no questions asked," Emma instructed as Doctor Whale situated himself between Regina's legs.
"I'm not going anywhere." Henry smiled as he grabbed his mother's leg and held it in position while Emma supported the other.
Regina pushed for what felt like days. Even with the epidural it felt like she was being ripped in half, nearly giving up after she delivered the baby's head, exhaustion taking over her battered body. It was Henry and Emma's words of encouragement, and a little bit of Emma's strong light magic, that gave her the strength to continue and eventually the sound of the newest member of their family filled the room.
"Congratulations, it's a girl," Doctor Whale announced, instantly placing the newborn on Regina's chest.
"Hello, my sweet Princess," Regina cried as she gently held the baby that she had carried for the last nine months.
The baby she thought she would never carry.
The baby that was there because Emma's True Love's Kiss broke her curse of foolishness as well as the curse of the Dark One.
"Hi, little sis. I'm Henry. I'm your big brother," the big scary teenager said, with tears dripping down his face. Emma remained silent, as the emotions and memories of giving Henry up came rushing back to her. She hadn't even held their son before he was taken away, and here was Regina, clutching their newborn baby, a thing she wasn't able to do seventeen years ago.
"Ma, are you okay?" Henry asked, looking over at his other mother who looked like her heart was being run through a blender.
"I never got to hold you when you were born..." she said, weeping for her younger self. "I'm so happy we all get to share this moment with your sister," she cried. Henry reached over to grab her hand, offering her a sympathetic smile and a gentle squeeze to let her know he loved her.
"Would you like to cut the cord, Sheriff?" Doctor Whale asked, presenting her with a pair of sterile scissors.
"Yes, please," she said, her voice trembling with emotion. With a quick swipe of her face to remove the tears that did not stop flowing, she gently cut the cord exactly where she was instructed, separating her daughter from her wife.
"Alright everyone. I'm going to have the nurses take the newest Princess and get her cleaned up and perform a few tests while we finish up and make you more comfortable. We'll bring her back once you're settled in Postpartum," Doctor Whale instructed as the nurse pried the newborn from the former Queen's arms.
"Can I stay with Regina?" Emma asked.
"Of course!" Doctor Whale answered before getting back to work on Regina.
"Why don't I go let Grandma and Grandpa know that she's here, and give you guys a few minutes together. Just send me a text when we can come in," Henry said before kissing both of his mothers and disappearing out of the room.
Emma was by her side the entire time, holding her hand as Doctor Whale stitched up the laceration she received from passing their daughter's shoulders, and was there to lend a helping hand as the nurses gently and slowly transferred her into the bed in her private hospital room. They brought the baby back a little while later, along with all the paperwork needed for her birth certificate. Emma began to fill everything out, until Regina took over the task, reminding her wife of her atrocious handwriting, handing the paperwork back to the nurse once everything was filled out and signed when they came to check on her again. Henry came back to see them a few hours later, and Emma practically filled up her phone's memory taking pictures of their awkward teenage son holding his baby sister. They eventually called Emma's parents, who had been surprisingly patient as they sat in the waiting room, and let them come visit their granddaughter. Mary Margaret demanded the baby be in her arms the moment she crossed the threshold and refused to let David hold her even after he insisted three times.
"Regina, did you ever think when you saved me from that horse all those years ago, that you would one day give me a grandchild?" Mary Margaret asked as she gently rocked her sleeping granddaughter.
"Not in a million years." Regina laughed, gazing over at Emma. "Not in a million years did I think the bratty Princess I saved would one day lead me to my son and the love of my life," she said, smiling at Henry and Emma.
"Now that she's here..." David said, interrupting the emotional moment they were having. "...what do we call the newest Princess?"
"Guys, I'd like you all to meet..." Regina started to say, reaching for Emma's hand, letting her wife reveal their daughter's name.
"Hope Eva Swan-Mills."
"It's nice to finally meet you, Miss Hope," David said, forcing Hope out of Mary Margaret's arms. "Welcome to the family."
"REGINA?" Emma called out from inside the house as she searched for her wife and daughter.
"OUT HERE!" Regina yelled back. A minute later Emma was joining them in the backyard, flopping down on the blanket that was sprawled out on the grass, giving both ladies a gentle kiss hello. "Is Henry all settled?" Regina asked as Emma started tickling Hope's belly as she laid on her back between them, granting them both the sweet sound of their daughter's laughter.
"Yup. He's all moved and settled into his dorm room. Don't worry, I made sure to make his bed before I left, since we both know he'll sleep on top of that grimy mattress for a week before he puts sheets on his bed." Emma laughed as Hope grabbed her finger, biting down on it with her first tooth, which sprouted only the day before.
"He understands why I couldn't go with you guys, right?" Regina asked, her guilt for not being there when her son moved into his first dorm room weighing heavy on her.
"He completely understands. It was really hectic and chaotic, the little Princess would have been overwhelmed. Plus, you're still not 100% from giving birth and all that driving would have been too much for you as well," Emma said, leaning in to kiss Regina before she could protest. Regina was a strong and proud woman, who hated being perceived as being weak, even after giving birth. "He did say that if the two of you aren't there for family weekend, he's disowning you both."
"Wild horses couldn't stop me from being there," Regina said with a smile. They laid on their sides in silence, their newborn baby daughter between them on the soft blanket, the late summer sun warming them even through the shade of the trees as the gentle breeze blew through their hair.
"Well, this is it..." Emma said, breaking their silence. "Your happy ending."
"Mmmm no, Mrs. Swan-Mills, not even close," Regina said, reaching out to gently tuck a lock of hair behind her wife's ear. "This isn't an ending. I hate endings, because then our story's done. And our story is far from over."
"Well, a happy beginning then?"
"I'd like to call it..." Regina said, glancing down at their daughter, who had just started to drift off to sleep. "A second chance."
The End
A/N:Thank you so much for reading my story! I really had a blast writing this, and I hope you enjoyed it as much as I enjoyed writing it!
Make sure you check out the incredible art by that inspired and was inspired by this story!
Starting next week (or the week after, depending on how braindead I am lol) I will start posting my story "The Girl in the Mirror". This one was my contribution to the SwanQueen Advent Calendar Collection V from 2023.
Thank you again for reading my story! I hope to see all of you over at "The Girl in the Mirror" in a week (or two)
Until next time!
Jen