I don't own these characters; Disney/ABC does.

4: Poor Unfortunate Soul

Regina got off work at the proper time for once, which meant she had time to run some errands. The most important of those errands would still require her to go home. Grocery shopping needed to be done, and a certain tense omega needed to be with her for this chore. Regina called Emma as she packed up her briefcase.

"Yeah?" Emma answered the phone.

"Manners truly are beyond you. If you're not dressed, put on clothes. I'll be by in fifteen minutes and we'll go grocery shopping," Regina stated. There was no room for argument, which was a surefire way to start an argument with Emma.

"I don't—"

Regina cut her off. "You do. You forget, I saw your kitchen not even two days ago. We couldn't boil an egg if we relied on what you had around."

"Ouch. Words hurt, Regina." Some humor made it into her voice, so she did not take that as hard as she would have before their second attempt at dinner.

Regina rolled her eyes. It's always something with her. "But, it doesn't make them any less true. You need groceries as much as I do and we can figure out what you might learn to make beyond the lasagna. So, put pants on."

"How do you know I don't have pants on?"

"Because of how you answered your door when I came over two days ago." The fact that Emma was an adult answering the door in her underwear in a non-sexy fashion had almost broken Regina's brain. Who does that? Especially someone so hung up on the evils of alphas. Of course, she might be trying to take my advice and not lean so much on gender stereotypes.

"I work better when I'm not in pants."

"Work better at what?" Regina asked, more a taunt than anything, but she was curious. Emma had not spoken of a job of any kind and she never noticed Emma leaving in the morning. "It's not like you've gone furniture shopping either." There was still nothing that could pretend to be furniture in the house. Part of her was surprised Emma had not converted one of her few boxes into a table, but she kept that to herself. Emma swore she looked down on her already.

Emma scoffed. "I'll get to it."

"How many meals are we going to make in your kitchen to eat in mine?" Regina asked. Their first cooking lesson had been in Emma's kitchen, but they had to go over to Regina's for seats, flatware, and even drinks. Emma only had beer, and Regina would never.

"You're so prissy. I can't believe you're a civil servant."

"And for someone who loves to eat so much, I can't believe you don't want to go grocery shopping."

"Hey, it's not my fault I didn't have any breakfast foods."

"That explains why you ate all of the muffins in the welcome basket already."

Emma sucked her teeth. "You should take it as a compliment. The muffins are tasty. Also, your cookies make a great breakfast food."

With a sigh, Regina pinched the bridge of her nose. "You're a child."

"Not a child considering what I did with your cider. Hemingway would be proud," Emma said.

Regina was surprised by Emma's reference. Emma did not come across as well-read, but Regina would not utter that or Emma would bite her head off through the phone. Time to shift this conversation back on track.

"Too bad Hemingway won't help you populate your pantry. Now, I'm deadly serious. Put on pants, put together a list, and be ready in fifteen minutes." Regina ended the call, not wanting to hear more of this nonsense.

With that out of the way, Regina went to her car and drove home. She wanted to put her briefcase down and granted Emma some final minutes to disappoint her. Emma was such a mess, but it was clear she was trying. Regina was not sure what she was trying to do.

She texted Emma, informing her that she was home and coming over. Emma sent a thumbs up emoji, which Regina learned made sense for Emma. By the time she rang Emma's bell, sounds of Emma rushing around the cottage echoed outside. Regina sighed.

"I'm ready, I swear! I'm just putting on boots," Emma said, but the door did not open.

"I'm sure that's what all the noise is," Regina replied, loud enough to make sure Emma heard her.

Emma grunted and then the door opened, revealing her trying to shove her foot into one boot. Her other boot was only partially on. Her coat — jacket really — was also not closed. Regina pinched the bridge of her nose.

"What am I meant to do with you?" Regina asked, more curious than she understood.

"It's okay. I'm cool. I'm cool," Emma answered, standing up to stomp both boots on. She almost fell over.

"All evidence points to otherwise," Regina said, doing her best not to roll her eyes.

Emma frowned at her. "You always have something to say."

And there went the eye roll. "I'm trying to help you and you're making my life difficult, which seems to be a theme with you." She folded her arms across her chest. You're aware this will start a fight. Of course, it was not her fault, as Emma was thin-skinned.

Hazel eyes rolled. "No one asked you to help." The retort had a little bite, but not what Emma was capable of. It would seem Emma was not as offended as she thought. This was probably as close as Emma came to being playful, which put her ahead of Regina.

"And yet you stand before me… almost ready to leave," Regina said.

Emma shrugged as she zipped up her red, leather (maybe) jacket, which was not good for the early spring of Storybrooke, but Regina would not say anything about it. "I need food, so what's to do?"

Regina snorted and turned to go to her car. Emma followed behind her for a moment, but then trotted ahead of her, needing to walk in front of the alpha. Regina did not speak on that, only opened the car as Emma made it to the passenger side door. Emma was already seated by the time she eased behind the wheel.

"Put your seatbelt on," Regina said.

"Or else what, Mom?" Emma scoffed.

"I'd say I'll turn this car around, but we haven't left and won't leave until you put on the seatbelt."

Emma did not call her bluff, which was smart, as it was not a bluff. Emma buckled in and they were off to the supermarket. It would be amazing if that was the end of the drama, but Emma had no shortage of difficulties. It was like she was placed in Regina's life to make it harder.

As they were getting out of the car in the parking lot, Emma stomped. She almost fell, but caught herself on the door. Regina rushed to her side.

"Are you all right?" Regina asked.

Emma nodded. "Yeah, I think I got up too fast, thankful to escape your lousy driving." She smiled, but it was tight.

"I've seen your car. I'm certain your driving isn't better," Regina commented.

Emma glared at her and Regina stepped back, as Emma required space and assurance she would not try to help. Emma stood upright on her own and slammed the door shut. It was Regina's turn to glower. Her nostrils flared.

Emma winced. "Sorry. Didn't mean to do that."

Regina accepted that, as she had already learned that whenever Emma was purposely rude, she would never apologize, even if called out on it. They made their way into the supermarket and Regina grabbed a cart. Emma had the nerve to grab a basket.

"You really have no idea how in dire need you are for supplies, hmm?" Regina asked as she got moving.

Emma did not respond, but followed behind Regina like the faithful student she was not. She probably did not even have a list, which was confirmed the second they entered an aisle. Emma looked around, like she had no clue she required canned goods.

"Anything grab your attention?" Regina asked.

Emma shrugged. "I don't have a clue what beans work with what. They're all the same to me."

"How you managed to cook anything is a mystery to me. You really think any beans go with any meal?" These cooking lessons might take years off her life if this was what she was working with.

"I didn't get any complaints."

Regina arched an eyebrow. "From whom?" Had Emma spent time cooking for someone? A little scratch dug in right under her skin.

"People, whoever. You know, sometimes I have guests, too," Emma replied, too defensive, glaring at Regina for daring to question her.

"I'm sure you have to drink your cheap beer with someone," Regina said. This was not true. She was certain Emma did not have company or friends.

"We can't all afford fruity alcohols to indulge in."

Regina scoffed and reached into her jacket pocket for her glasses, so she could read her list. The second she slipped her glasses on, Emma gasped. Regina waited for the comments about her glasses. None came.

"Are you okay?" Regina asked with a glance at Emma, who gawked at her.

Emma blinked and shook her head. "Didn't know you wore glasses. You're just an all-around nerd, huh?" There it was.

Regina sucked her teeth. "You're the very definition of childish."

"I do my best." Emma winked at her.

Regina turned away and grabbed a few cans. She did the shopping for both of them. Emma used her basket for snacks. Regina did not comment beyond explaining why she secured certain items, as no cooking lesson should go unused, even if cooking was not involved. Emma should be aware that choosing ingredients was part of exceptional cooking.

"This is a lot," Emma said, eyes buried in Regina's cart, as they went to the self-checkout.

"I'm not sure when I'll have time to do this again and I have an inkling you won't do it if I don't press you," Regina replied.

Emma sucked her teeth. "I don't need a babysitter."

"No, but you need to eat. So, here we are." And that shut Emma up for now. Of course, she would have to hear more of Emma's mouth when she helped her put the groceries away. She doubted Emma had a system of any kind that made sense. After that, she would press Emma into searching for proper furniture. She refused to cook and eat in separate locations for much longer.

-8-8-8-8-

Emma rubbed her eyes and held in a yawn. She was tired and her back hurt. She got a lot of writing done, but now she wanted to take a nap, if only to let her back have some relief from her bad posture. She glanced at the time at the corner of her cracked laptop. She should be able to get an hour in before Regina came knocking, disturbing her peace in the best way. Time to lie down on the sofa.

Yes, she had a sofa. She let Regina bully her into getting one a few days ago. Apparently, her living on the floor was an affront to Regina's delicate sensibilities, which was far from a surprise. Regina had a lot of pet peeves. It should be annoying. It was, but not as annoying as she thought it should be.

The couch was a necessity. She was not sure why she had been so averse to furnishing her home. To spite Regina at first? That was weird. It was not like she knew Regina well enough to care. It was just Regina's rudeness made Emma want to retaliate by… making her own life uncomfortable? That was weird. That realization made her give into Regina's demand and now she had a couch.

The sofa was an excellent place to sleep the past few days. Better than the floor since she only had a couple of blankets. Regina tried to pressure her into buying a bed, but she did not have the money for the ones Regina wanted to look at. Besides, she refused to let Regina have more than one victory over her a day.

No, she did not know Regina well, but Regina was still an alpha and, apparently, thought she was in charge of Emma. No alpha would ever command Emma again. She let Regina know that in almost every interaction they had. The alpha persisted and Emma resisted. It was good, though. Emma liked knowing she could and would stand up to alpha bullying.

Emma rested her head on the arm of the tan, microfiber sofa, pulled her blanket over herself, and drifted off to a deep sleep. Next thing she knew, there was a pounding on her door. She jumped up with a start. Who?!

"Emma, are you all right? Are you in there?" Regina's voice called from the front door. Panic edged into her voice. What was she so worked up for?

Emma blinked, her vision blurry for a couple of minutes. "What?" How long had she been asleep?

"Emma!"

"I'm coming!" Emma yawned as she popped up and made her way to the door to find Regina's face flushed. She had her coat open, revealing her service weapon. Was she about to draw her gun? She did not wear that damned thing around Emma. It made Emma's hair stand on end. Alphas shouldn't be allowed to carry fucking guns.

"Are you all right? Did something happen?" Regina asked, eyes searching the house in a panic.

Emma scrunched up her face and tore her eyes away from the gun. "Um… I'm fine. Why are you freaking out?" She wrinkled her nose. Something tickled her nostrils and tried to invade the roof of her mouth, but it was faint. Too faint to place.

"I've been texting you for almost an hour about dinner and you haven't replied. You always reply," Regina stated.

Emma rubbed her eyes. "Oh." She glanced at the couch, not seeing her phone. "I took a nap. Guess I was more tired than I thought if I didn't hear the phone go off." She had a particularly nasty chime for Regina's number, nails on a chalkboard.

Regina pursed her lips, looking past Emma and into the house once more, as if she did not believe Emma. "You took a nap? When?"

Emma yawned. "Uh… probably an hour ago. I'm not sure. I need to see what time it is."

"It's five-thirty."

Emma winced. "So late? Guess I was more tired than I assumed. I've been asleep for two hours." She was not sure why she was so tired. She was better off now than she had been most of her life. Maybe her body wanted to catch up on all the sleep she missed being stressed out for the first twenty seven years of her life.

Regina tilted her head. "Are you feeling okay?"

"Yeah. I was just exhausted today… and yesterday."

Regina hummed and relaxed a little, finally satisfied Emma was not being held hostage or something as insane. Is it really insane to think that? Yes. It was not like Regina had details about her life.

"Are you sick? Go lie back down." Regina shooed Emma toward the couch.

Emma's face twisted. She hated it when Regina got like this, all orders and alpha. "I'm fine."

"You just described fatigue. You might be fighting off something. It's best to get ahead of it if you can, hence your nap. I'll make you some chicken noodle soup."

Emma blinked. "You'll what?"

Regina sighed, fed up already. "Make you soup. We had a cooking lesson planned anyway. You go lie back down while I prepare everything and then you can sit and watch."

Emma made a noise. She wanted to fight this on principle, but she also wanted to try this homemade chicken noodle soup. Regina was a gem in the kitchen. She dared not imagine how the soup might taste. Plus, she was still tired.

So, instead of being difficult, she went back to the couch and laid down. Regina had the nerve to look smug as she made herself at home in the kitchen. It was as much of her kitchen as it was Emma's. The sounds of her pulling things from the cabinets and fridge reached Emma's ears, just enough to keep her awake, even though she closed her eyes. Well, she thought it kept her awake.

"You really need to purchase a bed," Regina said, standing in front of Emma. She looked around. "And a table of some kind. It's been almost two weeks."

Emma rubbed her eyes and held in a yawn. "I don't have the money for that." Every dime she had went into renting this place. The sofa was possible thanks to an alimony check finally showing up in her bank account. That was also something she did not want to go through with Regina.

"You have to figure something out. Your fatigue might be from your body protesting to sleeping on the floor for a fortnight."

Emma scowled. "I've slept on the floor before, for much longer." She was tough and had been in worse positions.

"I'm sure you were much younger."

"But, I'd be wrong if I said 'fuck you' wouldn't I?"

Regina chuckled, an amused twinkle in her eyes. It made her come across as softer, which she would probably hate to know. "You've been wrong before."

Emma glared at her. "Yeah, you're way older than me, so you should watch yourself."

Regina rolled her eyes. "Way older? How old do you think I am?"

Emma shrugged and smirked. "I dunno, like fifty? Sixty?"

Regina sputtered, insulted by this apparently. That was information to save for sooner rather than later. "Why the hell would you think that?"

"You've got an old man job, Regina."

"That doesn't make me an old man, or haven't you noticed?"

Emma had noticed, but not by much. It was hard not to notice Regina's femininity and she was certainly attractive. Emma was not ready for something like that, though. Her brain had turned that part off. So, she mostly noticed Regina's shit attitude.

"Look, your job is for old men. You gotta be at least fifty. Don't get me wrong, you carry it well, but we both know you're fifty," Emma said.

Regina growled. "I'm going to dump this soup on your head."

"You wouldn't dare," Emma said this with confidence. She learned very quickly Regina was mostly bark and no bite, which was weird. People around town certainly seemed wary of Regina and tended to keep their distance. They were certain if they said the wrong thing at the wrong time, she would behead them with her keys.

Regina's jaw flexed. "Sit up, so you can have this soup. I have crackers and tea for you."

Emma's forehead wrinkled. "Crackers? We didn't buy crackers for me."

"I went home for a few things when I saw you were asleep. You might be sick."

"I'm not. I'm never sick. Are you going to eat, too?" Emma did not want to eat alone. She and Regina had shared meals almost every day since she moved here. It would be weird to eat by herself with Regina right there.

"Yes, I have soup for myself as well. We'll have tea and soup together."

Emma nodded. That sounded delightful, damn near relaxing. Regina disappeared back into the kitchen while Emma eased herself off the sofa and onto the floor, next to her soup. Regina returned with a plate and mug — crackers and tea. Then, she had to go retrieve her own soup and tea. She sat down next to Emma.

"You're out of spoons," Regina said, trying to sound matter-of-fact, but tension gripped her jaw.

"Yeah, I had cereal this morning," Emma replied. There were three spoons in the entire house. Regina flipped every time she was reminded of that. It was almost cute.

Regina cut her a glance. "You do realize it's not normal to have three spoons, yes?"

Emma shrugged. "I'm feral." She loved telling Regina this, as it never quite computed.

Regina pursed her lips. "This is not a decent excuse. What if you make friends in town and have guests?"

Emma's nostrils flared and she swallowed hard. She had not had friends in a long time, but she could have them now. Hell, she should have them now. She went to Granny's often enough, even with the gift card empty. She and Ruby were on friendly terms, but she would never claim they were friends. They could be friends, though. Nothing held her back now. She needed to start living. Yes, it was fun to work Regina's nerves, but Regina was right.

"Add it to your list of things I need to be considered a civilized creature," Emma conceded and then started on her soup. "Oh, shit." How the hell could soup taste so good? Ruby might be right. It had to be witchcraft.

Regina chuckled. "Not the reaction I was expecting."

"But, this shit is amazing. You really are a master chef."

Regina sucked her teeth. "It's not that hard. These are simple homemaker recipes with my own spin. We'll get you there yet. Make a proper omega out of you."

"Hey." Emma bumped Regina with her shoulder, careful of their soup. A single drop should not be wasted. "You told me to stop with the gender stuff."

"Yes, as I wouldn't recognize you as a proper omega. Have you considered going out, though? Seeing the town? I'm not sure how much of it you saw before you moved here. If you're like me, you might have done it sight unseen."

Emma's mouth dropped open. "You moved here sight unseen?"

"They offered me the job I wanted."

Emma arched her eyebrow. "And gave you that big house?" No way Regina could afford that house by herself on a public servant salary.

Regina chuckled. "Of course not. I can barely force them to give me a budget for another patrol car. Anyway, my point is, you should go out and see the town." Regina was as guarded about her life as Emma was about her own. "I'm sure you could make friends and it'll help motivate you to make this place more like home. Obviously, you don't care about hosting me here."

Emma scoffed. "Yeah, well, you're only an annoying, bossy alpha." My annoying, bossy alpha. Wait, what? No, don't even think like that. You don't need any more bossy alphas in your life. However, Regina was very different from those other alphas.

Regina shook her head. "And to think I made you soup and tea while you're possibly sick."

Oh, yeah. Regina did do that. No alpha from Emma's past would or could do that. She would not trust them if they tried. Regina was trying to take care of her in a maybe-sickened state.

Emma smiled. "I appreciate it." This got a small smile out of Regina and Emma relaxed.

-8-8-8-8-

Regina's "Emma to-do" list grew. How she ended up in charge of this grown person was beyond her, but here she was, making sure Emma had some kind of quality life. Beyond grocery shopping, she had to get Emma on the ball about furniture shopping. It started with an online search after they made dinner. A simple full bed frame and mattress were a priority for Regina. Emma had other plans.

"This is a cool coffee table," Emma said, as they stared at a page on her laptop.

Regina pinched the bridge of her nose, which reminded her that she should be wearing her glasses to do this. She would put them on as soon as Emma got serious about this search. "You don't need a coffee table more than a bed."

"We started on the living room, though, so I should finish this before starting another room. I can sleep on the couch. I don't mind."

"It's not about minding." Regina rubbed her forehead and then retrieved her glasses from her pocket. She eased them out and a strange thing happened.

Emma made a noise and gawked at Regina. This happened whenever she saw Regina in her glasses, as if it was a surprise every time. Regina glanced at her.

"Yes?" Regina leaned in, pressing the issue.

Emma ducked her head. "Nothing, just you always look like such a nerd, like you should be a librarian or something."

Regina sucked her teeth. "I'm sure everyone has this fantasy when they see me in my glasses."

Emma's head snapped up and she gave Regina such a death glower. "I don't fantasize about you."

"You wouldn't be the first to make that claim, yet always react when I don my glasses," Regina replied with a smirk.

Emma turned her nose up. "I react to you being a nerd."

"But, I'm the bad guy for trying to have you furnish your space? Incredible."

Emma scoffed. "I don't need to buy a bed yet because I have the couch. You're the bad guy for not listening. I can sleep on the couch."

"Are you doing this to make me want to flip the couch?" Why did it always have to be a struggle when all she wanted to do was help? Emma needed a bed. This should be a simple chore of finding the right frame and mattress. Instead, it was a test of patience and how not to commit murder.

"No, I think I should finish this room before moving on to another one." Emma motioned around the tiny space. "It might give me a sense of accomplishment."

Regina threw her hands up. "You're ridiculous."

Emma sighed dramatically, falling on her half of the couch. Regina rolled her eyes. Emma chuckled and then popped up out of the blue. She rushed to the bathroom, leaving Regina eyeing the door with an arched eyebrow. Something was up.

It took Emma a few minutes to emerge from the bathroom. When she sat back down, she seemed haunted. The light mirth of moments ago was gone from her eyes. Regina resisted the urge to sit closer, put a hand on Emma's knee, or even pour out comforting pheromones. They were not that close.

"Are you all right?" Regina asked.

Emma scratched her temple with her thumb. "No, I just realized something. Can we do this a little bit later? I need to go do something."

Regina nodded without a thought. "Of course. Do you want company for this errand?" Why the hell would I even ask that? I don't want to be subjected to more of this childish behavior. Except, she wanted to make sure Emma was all right.

Emma shook her head. "No, no, no. It's fine. I got it. I should've done it earlier, but I just realized it."

Regina's brow furrowed. "Are you sure?"

Emma blew out a breath. "Yeah, I'm sure. I need to do this now while it's on my mind."

"That's fine."

Emma gave an absent nod. "Sorry for wasting your time."

Regina rolled her eyes as she took off her glasses. "You never waste my time. I'm over here because I want you to be comfortable in your home, in your skin. We'll do this another time." She was not sure what happened, but she would not add to Emma's troubles. They had come a long way in the past few weeks… in the sense she could coax Emma into shopping with her without it being a fight now.

Emma offered her a shy smile. "Thank you, Regina. You've been a big help. I'm glad you're here with me."

Regina was stunned to hear that, but managed to keep control of her face. It was a long day for Emma to admit anything beyond loathing for Regina. "As you've seen, it takes a lot to chase me away. Now, I'll get out of your hair, so you can go do what you need to do."

Emma walked Regina to the door and hesitated before opening it. Regina was about to walk through, but Emma grabbed her into a surprise hug. Regina yelped.

"I'm sorry. I just really need you to understand I'm grateful for you," Emma said.

Regina recovered and patted Emma's elbow. "I understand. Go do your errands. I'll come back over for dinner if you want."

Emma released her and inhaled deeply. "You know, since I'm out, I might eat out tonight, just to have an excuse to stay out a little longer. I think I still have some money on that Granny's gift card."

Regina let loose a small smile and then walked back to her house. She was not sure what had happened, but she would keep an eye on Emma. Something was up.

-8-8-8-8-

Emma could not believe she lost track, but she got swept up in Regina's whirlwind of civilizing her. She missed her heat, which she could wave off due to suppressants and stress. The suppressants did not usually make her miss the heat, but it made her heat bearable. This was worse. She missed her period.

She rushed to the pharmacy and purchased two pregnancy tests, as she would need reassurance regardless of the answer. The cashier at the front gave her a sad smile, like he knew this might be a tragedy waiting to happen. This might be a catastrophe.

Emma should have gone right back home and did the tests, but the dread in her gut and the scratching in her blood made her too anxious. If she went home, she would probably throw up all of her vital organs. Instead, she went to Granny's for dinner. Ruby was there, a friendly face, directing her to a table for two.

"Hey, twice in one day. What do we owe the honor?" Ruby asked.

Emma asked. "Why am I ever here? Stress."

"And usually Regina getting on your nerves in some way."

Emma conceded with a tilt of her head. "Well, she's annoying."

Ruby laughed, as she often did when Emma complained about Regina. "Make better friends."

"Yeah, eventually. I'm still trying to get settled in, but I should be making my way outside more often. You still okay with the idea of people writing in here?" She wrote most of the time while sitting around and waiting for Regina to pop up and find fault in something she was doing. Changing her location might help her process. She had most of her outline done and needed to start working on actual chapters. Maybe if she got to know Ruby well enough, she would feel brave enough to ask for an outside opinion on her work, one she was sure would not down her just because she was trying to better herself.

Ruby shrugged. "We don't have many writers around here to my knowledge, but it should be all right as long as it's not too busy and you order every now and then."

Emma smiled. "I'd like to try that. Not now, but eventually. Right now, I need some kind of comfort food. You sell grilled cheese?" The few times Emma had been in Granny's was for a late breakfast, which usually consisted of a pastry and hot chocolate, even though the weather was warming up.

"Yup. Comes with a small tomato soup and seasoned fries. Good for you?"

"Sounds tasty." It should help soothe her nerves.

"I promise you it's as delicious as it sounds, and I don't say that because my grandmother makes it."

"Your grandmother is Granny?"

"Yeah. If you hang out here for a while, you'll definitely meet her. She's usually in the back, keeping everything together."

"That sounds nice."

"That's good because she is. Let me go put in your order."

Emma nodded and sighed as Ruby glided away. It took everything in her not to tap the table or bounce her leg. She could not be pregnant, right? She had been on the pill. Hell, they used condoms! This was a nightmare. She could not be pregnant.

"Here's your food," Ruby said, easing the food down as well as a mug of hot chocolate with whipped cream.

"I didn't order anything to drink," Emma pointed out.

"You look like you need it. I hope this helps whatever's going on. You're not fighting with Regina again, right?"

"No, we resolved the main issue. In fact, I never actually thanked you for your advice. She's helping me settle into my house, even though she's being annoying about it."

"I promise you she's always annoying according to anyone who has to deal with her. We don't call her the Evil Queen for nothing."

Emma snickered. "I don't doubt that. But, yeah, this is something from before I came here."

"I hope everything works out for you."

Emma smiled. "Thanks. It should be all right. I just need to reevaluate my plan." And that helped bolster her. This would be all right, regardless of the outcome. You got this. You had the strength to leave. Now, you have the strength to deal with this.

The mental pep talk helped her eat her food normally. She even chatted with Ruby more, learning more about the town, and places she might want to check out as an artist. Apparently, there were a lot of quiet little inspirational places for her to go now that the weather was warming up.

Then, she went home and had to face the music. One test and then the second. Emma sighed from her spot on the closed toilet. She put her head in her hands, mind blank. Pregnant. Because, of course. Life never gave her a break. Proof came in the form of her phone ringing.

She picked it up without thinking, assuming Regina was checking on her considering how abruptly she had ended things earlier. "I'm okay."

"The hell you are." What the hell?!

Emma gasped as her heart sank into her stomach. "Lily, how'd you get this number?" And how the hell did she know to call at this very moment?

"You can't escape from me, little duck. You can't just leave me. You know that. So, how about you stop this nonsense and come home?"

Emma hung up and blocked the number. She would never go back to Lily, not even with this new situation. She just needed to make sure Lily never found out, which should be easy. Lily did not know where she lived. Of course, Lily should not know her number either, so something needed to be done.

"Time to put that former bail bondsperson brain to work," Emma muttered. She was street-smart. She had to have some solution here. She put her hand on her stomach. "We'll be okay." She would do her damnedest to keep that promise.

-8-8-8-8-

Next time: Emma confides in the closest person to her, Regina.