Chapter six
During their relationship, Regina and Emma could hardly go a day without interacting in some way.
When Regina wasn't thinking about her family or her quest for a perfect GPA, she was preoccupied with her girlfriend.
It had become quite the adjustment to no longer having the right to have on her mind.
It felt completely unfair seeing as she wasn't the one who had messed up so monumentally, but Regina had to ignore how badly she missed the girl who she thought would have never done something so stupid.
Focusing on her schoolwork had become infinitely harder over the three months that followed. All Storybrooke High seemed to care about the scandalous story of the pregnant lesbian and her poor, slighted ex-girlfriend.
Regina hated the pity, which only Mal and Daniel understood at school.
Three months following the break-up, Regina, at last, disregarded her rule of studying on Saturday mornings once Zelena invited her to lunch.
When she discovered who the waitress was on duty at Granny's, she was grateful that she had a social studies book in her bag ready to pull out after grabbing a coffee from Ruby at the counter.
Through the pages of the propped-up book, she could feel the emerald eyes eager to burn through the paper to catch her gaze.
At school, Emma could easily attempt to hide her slightly swollen stomach under any number of baggy hoodies that she already owned but in her diner uniform, it was clear why it was that she needed a job.
Not that there could be a soul left in this town who didn't already know but it made it all the more difficult for Regina to look at her.
Why did her betrayal have to be so visible for everyone?!
It wouldn't be right to ditch her sister because of the waitress, would it?
As if summoned by the thought, Regina's throat constricted as the book was removed from her grip but she relaxed as it revealed the redhead she had been waiting for standing over the booth.
Zelena inspected the textbook with a raised eyebrow, "If you don't slow down, you'll be a lawyer before graduation."
Regina snatched the book back, hugging it close as if it would restore her shield.
"Hilarious," she huffed and Zelena laughed but the bell rang out before she could drop into the booth opposite her sister.
The mayor redirected her path away from the counter when her gaze landed on the booth and she instead approached her children.
"Look who has finally emerged from campus," Cora said, pulling her daughter into a hug.
"Campus is ten minutes from here, mother, and I was at dinner two days ago," Zelena argued as she was let go.
"Is it a crime for a mother to miss her child?" Cora asked, looking to Regina for support, but she was sinking into her seat as the waitress came over now that their party appeared to be complete.
She couldn't exactly pull open the book in the presence of her family to prevent herself from seeing her ex-girlfriend up close.
Cora and Zelena recognised the reaction and simultaneously turned to the source of her discomfort.
Emma went for a strained smile and tapped her pen against the notepad.
"Hey…are you all ready to order?" she asked timidly.
Cora drew herself up as Regina sank further.
"I won't be eating today, Miss Swan," the mayor said shortly and then headed to the counter, no doubt to grab a coffee before heading back to work.
Emma continued to tap incessantly at the notepad and laughed nervously as she addressed Regina, "So your mom definitely hates me, right?"
"Who said you could talk to her?" Zelena said, finally sitting down in the booth.
"Zelena!" Regina hissed as Emma flushed, her pen stilling as she shoved the pad into her apron.
"No, it's…okay," Emma replied, "I'll get Ruby."
Emma retreated and Emma deposited the book on the table to drag her hand through her hair.
She prepared to tell her sister just how unnecessary that was but the bell divided her attention and made her reconsider her decision to tell Zelena off.
Neal Cassidy looked ridiculous in a shirt and tie but apparently, it was the dress code of his father's shop.
Zelena waved at Cora on her way out, but Regina couldn't look away from the counter as Neal took her mother's place and Emma came over to him.
She smiled naturally at the father of her child, which broadened as he produced a bag of gummy bears for her.
Regina's setting rage boiled as Emma's laugh hit her ear, what could he have possibly said that was so funny?
Her view of the scene was blocked by a much cheerier young woman and it was admittedly nice to be faced with someone with no stake in all of the high school drama beyond being her sister's roommate.
"Hey, Z," Ruby greeted, "Everything alright over here?'
"All good," Zelena assured, "Could we get our usuals?"
"Sure," Ruby replied, lingering on Regina who was refusing to look up, "Coming right up."
She scribbled the order down and Zelena said, "Thank Rubes."
Once the waitress was gone, Zelena stole a sip from Regina's coffee while watching carefully for a reaction. One never came so she suggested, "Maybe you should go back to your books?"
"I'm fine," Regina deadpanned.
"You're jealous," Zelena countered.
Regina glanced at the object of this discussion.
Neal was leaning over the counter, apparently to get a view of the bump in response to whatever Emma was saying, presumably about their child.
How could Regina begrudge him the right to be invested? She could be mature enough to be grateful that Emma had someone to support her through something that she couldn't.
Perhaps that was too mature for a broken sixteen-year-old?
"Jealous of teenage pregnancy?" Regina bit back, even though she knew that her sister wouldn't back down.
"Or that Neal can talk to her?" Zelena retorted.
"I could talk to Emma if I actually wanted to," Regina said, petulantly crossing her arms.
Zelena hummed and suggested, "What do you think about getting our lunch to go?"
"Sounds perfect," Regina sighed.
S
The following day, Regina kept her head down in English class, making detailed notes on everything that the teacher had said about the requirements for their major project.
She was already irritated by the introduction of 'paired project' which was only worsened by the groan-inducing news that partners would be drawn from a hat by him.
He was just going through this agonising exercise and Regina was trying to ignore the growing foreboding in her chest.
With each name, her greatest anxiety was closer to coming true.
Unfortunately, Mr Clarke was perhaps the least likely to care about school gossip or to allow teenage relationship drama to impact his lessons.
It didn't matter that Regina was firmly of the belief that their issues went beyond the typical high school bickering that he was likely used to after so many years in the profession.
Her pen stilled as he called out, "Regina Mills…" and then after some rustling, "Emma Swan."
Regina's eyes fluttered shut as this was met with a cacophony of juvenile 'oohs' from all sides.
Mr Clarke scowled and the sound instantly died.
"Is there a problem?" he asked and looked between the girls who he probably hadn't noticed had begun sitting on opposite sides of the room a few months ago.
Regina couldn't see her ex-girlfriend from here but she had to assume that her face was bright red, explaining the lack of response.
"Miss Mills?" the teacher prompted.
Regina cleared her throat and replied, "No sir, no problem."
"Excellent," he said and Regina was certain that she heard someone whisper, 'that's gonna be awkward' but she didn't turn to find out who it was.
She also tuned out whatever else Mr Clarke was saying until the bell rang as she attempted to imagine holding a conversation with Emma.
As long as it was only about The Merchant of Venice then she was pretty sure that it was doable.
She'd just realised that the rest of the class was heading to the door as she began the process of returning her books to her bag.
"Hey," came a timid voice beside her and she froze in place.
If this was a few months ago, she would have stood to take the owner of the voice's hand, more often than not Emma would take her bag from her.
They would quite happily be partnered for a project, and it would mean even more time together.
Now, it meant no longer being able to avoid each other.
"Hello," Regina said curtly, finally grabbing her bag and standing.
Emma played with the strap of her bag and took a conscious step backwards.
"I can explain to Mr Clarke why we can't work together," she suggested.
Regina should have agreed, should have let her take responsibility for this but she shook her head.
Maybe if they could be civil for academic purposes it would prove to the student body that they were not nearly as interesting as they thought they were?
"No, it's fine," Regina said, going for unaffected by the whole thing, "it's just a school project, I'm sure we can handle that, right? Can you come to my house after school?"
Emma swallowed hard, "I…have an…er…appointment…"
Regina clenched her jaw as the girl shoved her hands into her hoodie pocket. Up close, it was on the cusp of not being quite as baggy.
Maybe it was just that its wearer was no longer as comfortable in it?
Her tension was definitely not making Regina want to steal the garment as she had so many times in the post?
"After that then?" she asked, with absolutely no desire to ask for clarification as to what the appointment was.
"Sure," Emma replied, "I can text you if…you could, you know…unblock my number?"
"As long as it's only about the project," Regina insisted firmly.
"Of course," Emma sighed and Regina, at last, made it towards the door that was her escape.
"I suppose I'll see you later then," Regina said resignedly, leaving her ex with her shoulders slumped.
S
As the sheriff of Storybrooke, David Swan liked to think that he was pretty much prepared for anything but, even three months later, he still wasn't used to the idea.
How could he ever instinctively know that his daughter was pregnant and that she would one day, too soon, be an actual mother?
It was something that he was reminded of each time he saw her now.
He was torn whenever this happened.
She'd made a mistake but had more than risen to the occasion, working incredibly hard at school and at the diner, but David still found himself lamenting the life that she wanted before all of this despite his pride for his daughter.
Other than how happy it made her, one of the major benefits of her relationship with Regina was her desire to go to Harvard with her, it did wonders for her academic achievement.
As it was now, that didn't seem very likely. There were only so many hours in a day and with the eclectic side effects that came with pregnancy, it was probably fair to say that she and Regina wouldn't be in the same year at college even if Emma somehow made it into the Ivy League school.
He doubted that she was thinking about any of this as her leg bounced and she highlighted her copy of The Merchant of Venice placed against a folder on her lap.
Any parent would have been happy with the intense focus with which she was preparing for her homework, but the genuine anxiety was more than a little concerning. He exchanged a look with his wife sitting on the other side of Emma, but they agreed that there was nothing that they could say or do to make this better for her. Short of calling the school to ask the school to make sure that Emma Swan was never paired with Regina Mills for a project.
There was no way that would actually help and the appointment that they were currently waiting for had to take priority right now.
Emma had already asked her mother all of the questions that she had about it, so there was no need for much talking as they waited to be called for her check-up scan.
Of course, however, Mary Margaret was always capable of thinking of something to break the silence with a maternal thought.
She placed her hand on the bouncing leg and asked, "Are you sure that you don't want dinner before your project work?"
"No time," Emma said, her words muffled by the highlighter in her mouth.
"You do know how important food is, right?" Mary Margaret insisted, somehow not cringing as she added, "You are eating for two."
David looked down, resenting the bile that rose in his throat at the statement. Thankfully, Mary Margaret had assured him that this never showed on his face for Emma to see and that she was confident that it was natural for a father to feel this way when it came to teenage pregnancies.
Focusing on his shame, though, did mean that he wasn't really thinking as he added, "And I doubt that Cora will feed you."
"David!" Mary Margaret hissed and Emma finally looked up at him; he could only shrug.
She took the highlighter out of her mouth and said, "I'll grab a sandwich on my way to Regina's?"
Mary Margaret appeared to be satisfied with this response, but she didn't get to express this as sneakers squeaked against the polished floor and something stronger than bile rose in David. It was a miracle that the sheriff hadn't formed an ulcer over the last three months with the increased frequency with which he saw Neal Cassidy.
It wouldn't have bothered him in the slightest before, but now he was very aware of the process by which his daughter had created a child with the other nervous teen. Frankly, he wasn't entirely sure whether there was anything that his grandchild's father would be able to do to get into his good graces, even if he intellectually understood that Emma held equal responsibility for all of this.
Mary Margaret smiled easily at Neal and David made a mental note to get her to remind him later why it was that she actually liked him. Logically, he knew that he had shouldered the responsibility just as Emma had and they had no reason to feel actual disdain for him but he couldn't help it.
Apparently, he did little to keep this off his face whenever he encountered the teen.
Neal winced once he caught his breath and focused on the female side of the trio, "Did I miss it? Practice ran over…"
"No, you're good…" Emma assured and Neal threw his head back in genuine relief that made David feel just a little bad.
Was it really fair to treat him so coldly when he so obviously cared about all of this?
Before he could think about asking him whether he wanted to take a seat next to him without an edge of annoyance, a nurse appeared and called, "Emma Swan?"
Emma sucked in a breath and stood as she transferred her books onto her father's lap and turned to Mary Margaret.
"Mom, could you…" she asked and the woman stood without her even needing to finish the question.
"Of course," Mary Margaret replied, taking her arm and leading her towards the nurse.
Neal puffed out his cheeks but did turn to follow them without the need for much hesitation and David had to assume that they had already discussed that he would be welcome in the room during the appointment.
On his part, David instinctively knew that it was too sensitive an appointment for Emma to want her father to be present, so he was quite happy to stay behind and guard her belongings until she came back and told him how it went.
He pulled out his phone to check for any messages from the station but found nothing that could serve as a distraction from what was going on in the examination room.
Despite everything, he wanted his grandchild to be healthy and for his daughter to suffer no (unusual) ill effects from the pregnancy, so it wasn't long until his leg was bouncing in much the same way as Emma's had been.
He was just about to open the play that she had been studying as a distraction after thirty minutes of waiting, when his wife, daughter and whatever Neal was to him, walked back over to him.
Mary Margaret had a hand draped over Emma's shoulder and appeared to be whispering reassuringly to the pair. While in the process of this, she shot a thumbs up to her husband, who sighed in relief and stood, shouldering Emma's backpack as he went over to meet them.
"Everything is good," Mary Margaret reiterated, releasing Emma who switched to stand next to her other parent, "I'm running late for volunteering, but don't forget to eat something?"
"I won't, mom, I promise," Emma said, sounding very much drained as she accepted a kiss on the cheek from her mother before she rushed off.
David squeezed her arm and said, "Well, that's…great, did you decide if…you wanted to know?"
"Boy," Emma replied distantly and David noticed that Neal appeared to be similarly pale. Though he didn't know exactly how the young pair were feeling considering that he and Mary Margaret had been married for a while before they had this appointment, he could still recall the clench in his heart when he discovered that his wife was set to have a girl and he could finally imagine the little person who would rely on them for everything.
He couldn't imagine that it would be at all different if Emma had been a boy instead.
It was for this reason that he unhitched from Emma to clasp Neal on the shoulder before returning to pull Emma into his side as he said, "Well, I look forward to getting to meet my grandson."
Neal managed something resembling a smile as he fiddled with the printed sonogram in his hands and then he said, "I really need to get to work but…text me if you need anything, Em?'
Emma nodded, returning his smile and letting him quickly hug her before she leaned into her father, also staring at her copy of the sonogram, which David peered at as Neal's sneakers squeaked under his running.
"He has my chin," David announced and Emma furrowed her brow as she looked up from the squiggly lines and up to her father.
As had happened many times in the last sixteen years, her confusion melted into a smile at the goofy man.
"Very funny, dad," she replied and allowed herself to be led away from the waiting room.
"I try," he said, "I know this must be freaking you out, but you're both healthy, that is the news you wanted, right?"
Emma didn't even need half a second to think before she said automatically, "Yeah, it's what I wanted, I guess we should start thinking of a name for him?"
"Please tell me Neal isn't at the top of that list?" David sighed and Emma rolled her eyes.
"He's really trying dad, can't you give him a break?" she lamented.
"What do you think that was?" David asked indignantly, pointing down the hall where he had touched the boy's shoulder.
"He's probably going to be around for a while, I think you should probably try a little harder than that."
David drew his mouth into a thin line, knowing that he couldn't reveal all of the irrational reasons that he had for not liking the teen who was doing everything right. She had raised a good point, however, that reminded him of something that Mary Margaret had mentioned the night before that he had thought could be put off for a while.
"Maybe it's time for dinner? With Neal and his parents? We have a lot to talk about."
Emma scrunched her nose up and groaned, "He's not my boyfriend, you believe that right?"
Knowing that the student body of Storybrooke High making that assumption was starting to get to her, David was not at all offended by the exasperation in her tone. Besides, he didn't see how he could be mad at her now for being frustrated. Teenage hormones were hard enough when you didn't throw in the addition of growing another human being.
He didn't let it deter him from what he knew his wife wanted, though, so he pulled her to a stop near the exit to Storybrooke General and said, seriously, "I know that you're gay and that you would have told us if that wasn't the case. But you have to understand that is what you should understand that this situation is extra weird for all of us. I think everyone getting together would help us all…figure this out."
Emma was resigned but eventually nodded, "I'll ask Neal."
She made to reach for her backpack, but he pulled it out of her reach and her shoulders slumped as he passed his arm through hers and made to go towards the sign that said 'cafeteria'.
"Dad, I gotta go," Emma protested.
"You promised your mother that you would get a sandwich, I am making sure you keep that promise," he said firmly.
"Well, Regina already hates me, what's the worst that could happen if I'm late," Emma huffed and the only response that David could think to give was a kiss to her temple as he resolutely continued their forward path towards the cafeteria.