Adjusting to life back in a fairytale world was hard for Regina. She was just becoming comfortable with her little life and family in New York, nobody constantly watching over or criticizing them. Not one person paid attention to her life, but here in Storybrooke, she feels like she's constantly trapped in a snow globe, with every citizen observing her closely, ready to shake up her world again.
Emma and Henry on the other hand, seem indifferent. Henry went right back to school as if no time had passed and it was so easy for him because all the kids were fascinated and intrigued about his trip in Neverland and New York. Suddenly, Henry was Mr. Popular like in The Big Apple. As for Emma, she was so accustomed to moving and bouncing from house to house, it didn't even phase her. This was just another temporary pit stop before she reached her goal.
Regina went right back to work as mayor, knowing there was a mountain of paperwork and other duties that needed to be addressed. She didn't necessarily want the town to suffer, so she decided to tie up all loose ends and then begin searching for someone responsible enough to step in for when she officially leaves. Only one person came to mind.
Emma convinced Regina that she would be safe and that it was a good thing for her to work again and save money at the station before they left for New York. She wouldn't take on the role of sheriff again but she would stay at the station, filling out paperwork, answering calls, helping her father whenever need be and searching for a competent deputy to take over when she leaves.
They have to save as much money as possible and find a new home in the suburbs for the future before Autumn is born. Emma has six months left on her lease on the apartment but David, Henry and some of the dwarves drove to New York, emptied all the personal belongings and brought them back to Maine. All furniture was left behind so it would be easier to move once they found their forever home. Regina paid a ridiculous amount to end her own lease on that dinky studio and David was even nice enough to stop there as well and gather her clothes.
Now, Emma is approaching her seventh month and Snow is ready to pop at any moment. All while Regina is counting down the days to start her future.
"Your baby momma is here," Regina hears David say to Emma before she even enters the room.
"Baby momma? Wouldn't I be her baby momma because I carried both our kids? Either way, don't say baby momma again...it's weird," Emma scoffs just as Regina sweeps into the station.
"Isn't that the saying?" David questions as if he might have said it all wrong.
"Not for you it isn't," Regina lowly growls, sashaying right by his desk with determination clicking from her heels, ignoring his scowling face and moving right on to Emma's desk.
"What are you doing here?" Emma investigates through a giddy grin that is too contagious not to catch. "I thought you had a ton of work."
"I do," she concedes, placing a paper bag down in front of her girlfriend.
She feels the connection pulsating between them, urging her to lean forward and kiss those smiling lips, except she's all too aware of Emma's father's eyes upon her back and public displays of affection is not something either of them do. She hesitates but luckily, Emma doesn't seem too bothered by the notion because she's already lifting off her chair and gifting her with a quick peck to her lips.
"You didn't have to bring me lunch," Emma claims, flopping back down into her chair. "Trust me, I'll remember to eat," she proceeds to mumble, excitedly digging through the bag. "What did you get me? I've been craving-"
"Granny's grilled cheese," she continues shyly, the sensation of knowing someone that well still so foreign to her.
Emma immediately stops rummaging the bag, curiously blinking up at her. "How did you know?"
"I-I can feel it."
Emma slowly unwraps her sandwich, her eyes falling back down to what's most important right now. She takes a large bite and that's the moment she decides to voice her opinion. "Do you think after she's born we will still feel this strong of a connection?"
"Must you really speak with your mouth full?" Regina snarks, digging through the bag in annoyance to shove a napkin in her girlfriend's hand. "You better not pass down your bad habits to our children."
"Henry's fine," Emma mumbles while wiping her mouth but doesn't comment on their daughter. She swallows quickly, her eyes flicking back up to Regina's narrowed gaze. "So, what do you think? We will still be able to feel each other so strongly after she's born?"
"I'm not so sure. I have no special training on magic babies," she deadpans, inspiring that adorable little smirk to slide across Emma's face.
That one smile seems to always crank up the heat in Regina's body and scorch her cheeks, so she busies herself with pulling out the bag of onion rings and setting them next to Emma's sandwich. If they were at home and not in front of another human, Regina wouldn't feel so bashful but she hasn't a clue how to react with a loved one in public.
"Mmm, onion rings too? Does this baby have a direct line that she calls you on to tell you what I want?" Emma laughs, stuffing the biggest onion ring she can find into her mouth.
"If you recall, the first time I brought you food in New York, onion rings were present as well."
"Goes to show that you knew me before magic," Emma happily states, thrusting her chin in the air and that smile is too enticing not to kiss. She leans down without a second thought and presses her lips ever so delicately against that goofy grin. "Thank you for the food," she says in a far off dreamy tone as Regina drifts away, "you better get back to work."
"Yes, I suppose I should," she agrees, nervously straightening her blazer because she can practically feel the heat coming from the shepherd's glare upon her back. "I'll see you tonight at home," she whispers, gently placing her hand upon Emma's bump and inspiring their baby girl to press against her palm. She grins wildly, her thumb tenderly caressing the tiny limb while Emma chuckles softly.
"Don't worry about dinner tonight. I don't have too much work today, so I'll cook."
Regina has to fight down the urge to climb onto her lover's lap and take her right here and now. However, she has turned over a new leaf and irritating the Charmings is no longer on her to-do list, thanks to Emma. She doesn't want to cause the mother of her unborn child any unnecessary stress.
"Alright then, I will see you at home." She smirks, failing to suppress the amusement thrumming through her system as she takes her leave.
"What time will you be home?" Emma blurts out when Regina is near the exit, taking her by surprise do to the urgency in her girlfriend's tone.
Regina pivots, noticing right away how uneasy Emma appears as if she's even shocked by the worry in her tone. Regina smiles softly at those blushing cheeks and knows it's their magical bond causing them to be so clingy.
"I'm hoping six, depending on how well my meeting goes."
"Right. Um, good luck with that," Emma calls to her, cramming her babbling mouth with more food before she ends up sounding like a lovesick fool.
Regina simply nods, offers one more smile and sweeps right out the door.
David slowly stands from his desk and Emma assumes he's about to leave for patrol, instead, she's sorely mistaken when he hikes up one leg, balances at the edge of her desk and folds his arms across his chest. She peers up at him, her green eyes resembling an owl while her cheeks are swollen like a chipmunk from all the food.
"Are you two always that...nervous around one another?" He quietly speaks, taken her by utter surprise.
She resumes her chewing, her eyebrows knitting together as her mind formulates a response. "Um, no not really. I mean, in New York we kinda were in the beginning because I was nervous about how fast I was...falling for her," she anxiously rambles, refusing to meet his undivided attention. "We were definitely not shy or timid when we..." she swallows thickly, her skin prickling with embarrassment. "We just aren't sure how to act around other people, especially Regina. She has a hard time showing her true emotions and affection under everyone's scrutiny. Think about it," she proceeds, biting off way more grilled cheese than she can chew, "have you ever seen her in a relationship?"
"Well...me personally, no, but your mother has. She has seen her with Daniel and your grand-" the words instantly evaporate in thin air, his face morphing into pure disgust.
"Stop," Emma firmly shuts down those disturbing thoughts. "That was not a relationship. It wasn't even a marriage. Forcing her to marry a man three times her age and suffer through the things she did, no...that doesn't count. I'm sure Mary Margaret has no idea what really went on," she scoffs, angrily popping another onion ring into her mouth at just the thought of that man laying a finger on the love of her life.
Suddenly, her stomach is curling from the revolting thought and she has to toss the rest of her onion ring down before she vomits all over her father. Although, she does owe him after all the projectile vomiting he probably missed out on from when she was an infant.
"Regina talked to you about King Leopold?" David questions in disbelief.
"Yeah, of course she did. Why wouldn't she?"
"I don't...know," he awkwardly stammers.
"Well then, I guess you have your answer, huh? We aren't shy around one another, we are open and honest," she smugly retorts, crumpling up her wrapper and tossing it right back into the paper bag.
"I do," he solemnly concludes. There's a pause in the conversation, Emma assuming it's over but he is refusing to leave her desk. Better yet, he's refusing to tear his eyes away from her. Her heart starts to pound faster, her palms begin to sweat and she's terrified of what he might say. "Emma." Those inquisitive green eyes crawl slowly up to meet soft baby blue. "I'm happy for you. I know all you ever wanted was to live your life, be free and find your own happy ending and I'm really happy for you that you found it."
"Even if it's with Regina?" She skeptically interrogates, her shoulders stiffening, already portraying the defensiveness she feels for the gorgeous brunette.
"Of course," he chuckles, sliding right off her desk. "I know you are in good hands with that woman, nobody would dare cross her besides you and your mother."
Emma smirks, her dimple deepening as she shakes her head and watches as her father struts out of the station for patrol.
~~~~
"Hey kid," Emma exhales as she carefully settles down on the sofa. "What level are you on now?" She heavily breathes out, forcing Regina's eyes from across the couch to wander up curiously.
"Twenty-four," he vacantly replies, too invested in his game to pay any true attention to her.
"Mind if a level thirteen wizard joins you?" She playfully asks, lifting Regina's feet and gently laying them across her lap.
"Not at all," he shrugs so carelessly, reaching for the extra remote and handing it over his shoulder from his position on the floor. "Just try and keep up," he quips with a cocky undertone that is all his blonde mother. Maybe even a little Regina too.
"Emma, dear, are you alright?" Regina suspiciously speculates from over her book.
"Oh yeah, I'm great actually."
"Really? Even with going back to work full time?"
Emma squeezes Regina's foot resting against her stomach and flashes a quick dopey grin before focusing on the video game. "I promise. I haven't had this much energy since the pregnancy started. I think you and Whale were right, she needed magic."
Regina nods curtly, satisfied with the answer and she attempts to dive right back into her book but the scene playing out in front of her is far more interesting this evening. It's everything she was longing for, dreamt about and worked too damn hard to achieve.
After watching Emma and their son playing so often in New York, she understands the premise of the game and can easily follow along.
"Ugh, kid..." Emma groans, shifting upon the couch to a more upright position like that will help her gaming skills. "Where did you go?"
"I'm straight ahead, I told you to keep up," Henry answers, but his mouth is working on autopilot, completely blocking out his world around him.
"I was but that...thing...jumped out of nowhere," Emma rebuttals and maybe her excited energy is rubbing off on their daughter because Regina feels a foot pressing up against hers. "I think your sister wants to play, she's flopping all around in there, either that or she's training for baby Olympics."
Regina's cheeks are actually sore from how hard she's smiling at her loved ones. She lightly sweeps her toes across her daughter's foot and practically melts into a sappy puddle of hopeless love when Emma's eyes slide in her direction and she flashes the cheesiest smile imaginable. She's such a sucker for this woman, it's sickening. She rolls her eyes at herself but instead of turning back to her reading right away, she finds herself crawling across the couch to be near her girlfriend.
She leans heavily into Emma's side, rests her hand on top of Emma's stomach but her girlfriend quickly glides her palm toward the right side of the bump. Sure enough, their daughter is greeting her, jabbing her little fist just like Emma had taught Regina just a few short months ago during their private lessons.
"She likes to hang out in my ribs," Emma informs her while her fingers repeatedly beat down on the buttons.
"Does that hurt?" Henry asks over his shoulder, his finger moving just as quickly as his mother's.
"Not really, sometimes it does, more so at night but it's mostly...really cool," she explains, sucking in a deep breath as she really lets loose on her controller to defeat another creature.
"So like...whose last name will Autumn have?" Henry curiosity inquires, nibbling on the corner of his bottom lip while he tries to remain focused on his game.
"Oh, uh...that's a good question, kid."
"Mills," Regina easily answers over Emma, provoking her girlfriend to drop her arms and turn to face her with a look of disbelief.
"Really? Not even up for discussion?" She sarcastically retorts.
"It can be discussed, I just figured it would be appropriate so our children have the same last name."
"I mean...I guess. Technically, these last few months Henry was going by Swan at school."
Regina pauses, of course he has been using Emma's last name in New York, it makes complete sense, she just never truly thought about it. It's not like she could have left his last name as Mills, both parties would be completely baffled as to why his name didn't match his mother's.
"I suppose. Although, Mills has been his last name for eleven years," Regina easily debates.
"Kid?" Emma turns to Henry for his opinion, controller and game completely forgotten.
"Huh?"
"What do you think your last name is? I know you have had Mills for eleven years but you also have memories of being Swan for eleven years. I know those memories just don't fade away," Emma reasons.
"Oh...yeah, I guess," he mumbles as if he's truly not paying attention to them but Regina has a sneaky suspicion that he just doesn't want to answer the question and hurt either of their feelings.
"Henry, can you please pause the game?" Regina sweetly but sternly requests, prompting their son to do as he's told. He pivots, peeking over his shoulder to show that he's listening now. "You can be honest with us, honey. What last name do you feel more comfortable with?"
"Both," he reveals as confident as ever. "They both feel like me and what I've grown up with."
"Okay..." Emma trails off awkwardly before Henry cuts her off.
"You two are going to be together, right? Like you are dating and living together now and going to raise two kids together, right?" He questions, sounding far too mature for his age while both his mothers blink back at him. "Are you planning on getting married? Because then you can decide on one name and we can all have that one," he says so casually as if this is all no big deal while internally Emma and Regina are panicking at the word marriage.
He shrugs, appearing indifferent and turns back to his game, pretending to ignore them.
"I guess we should probably talk about some things," Emma nervously mutters.
"It would appear so."
"We could always use both names," Emma meekly suggests with that crooked little grin that always persuades Regina's heart to thump a little harder.
"Like Mills-Swan."
"I was thinking Swan-Mills," Emma recommends.
"And why should your name come before mine?" Regina sternly questions.
"Because I had to carry both kids," Emma answers as if it's so obvious.
"Fine, but that is the only time you can ever use that excuse," Regina demands, attempting to appear stern because she doesn't want this woman or her son to see how soft she truly is.
Whether Emma carries their beautiful babies or not, she would give that woman whatever her little heart desires.