New fic: The Sun Inside, OUAT, Emma/Regina, R, Part I
Title: The Sun Inside
Fandom/pairing: Once Upon a Time, Emma/Regina
Rating: R
Disclaimer: I don’t own anything related to ABC/Disney’s Once Upon a Time. But I wish I could get my hands on Regina.
Summary: When someone gets fairydust in her hair at a party, that someone gets someone else pregnant. But a threat from another world looms large, distracting our fair couple from the impending birth. In other words, it’s yet another magic baby scenario.
Length: 41K words, give or take
Notes: I bow to the Mafia: damelola, shemadehimwaffles, the-charmings. They helped me tremendously with their advice and encouragement. Also, I never thought I’d see the day when I’d write a story that featured pregnancy, but eh, what can you do? This turned out to be far longer than I anticipated, so sorry for the delay, gentle readers!
EMMA
Emma doesn’t realize there is fairydust in her hair when they do it on the night of the Solstice. And when she thinks, “I wish I could get her pregnant right now,” it’s an off-handed notion because she’s nearing orgasm, and Regina looks unbelievably sexy all sweaty and gorgeous spread out in front of the fireplace. Emma loves their new dildo, and they’re going to town like crazy and she just has the thought, and when she comes, the funny explosion that envelops her whole body doesn’t strike her as totally out of the ordinary. Orgasms with Regina tend to be awesome, and this one is no exception.
Generally speaking, Emma would like to have another baby, one that she could help raise. But Henry’s still adjusting to whatever the heck 6th grade is in this weirdo land, and Snow (not called Mom more than occasionally) still dislikes Regina intensely (her words). For now, they’re getting used to things, and enjoying the fact that Regina helped the kingdom vanquish Rumpelstiltskin, thereby freeing everyone to get on with their lives.
But it’s really, really not her intention to knock Regina up.
So three weeks later, when Regina pukes up her breakfast in the middle of a council meeting, everyone just winces and assumes she picked up some sort of a bug from being back home after all these years. Different world, different sicknesses go around, right?
But then it happens again the very next day when she’s trying to choke down a piece of toast. And the day after that? She doesn’t even make it to the kitchen before she’s running in the opposite direction for the bathroom.
Emma has a flashback to her own bouts of morning sickness, brief though they were, when Regina can’t hold down her lunch on the fourth day. Out of nowhere, Emma worries that Regina might have nailed some guy during the weeks leading up to their final battle with Rumpel, but honestly, that makes no sense. The Evil Queen swore fealty to Emma in front of the whole goddamned town when things got serious, and their kiss is what ultimately sent them back to this fairytale land. Emma knows for a fact that their love is true, as true as what they both feel for Henry. It’s the real thing.
So they go about their business, with Emma worrying and Regina puking, until Regina finally agrees to see Doc. He is shaking in his boots when he returns with the news.
“Uh, Princess, and uh, Your Majesty,” he mumbles, because even though Regina isn’t a queen anymore, she is still considered royalty. She also appreciates a well-timed honorific. “I have good news.”
Regina smirks. “I can’t imagine that there’s good reason why I’ve been--” Her words stick in her throat and die before she can say more.
Emma’s eyes widen, because she is immediately struck by the possibility. “No fucking way.”
“Majesty,” Doc continues, “You are with child.”
Emma stares at Doc, and when she glances to her right, Regina shares her expression. Stunned. Gobsmacked. Freaked the hell out. All of the above.
“You’re not serious,” Regina says, her voice as evil as Emma’s ever heard it. “There’s got to be another explanation. I have lain with no man--”
“What about magic?” Emma interrupts, right away wondering if Regina could have made this happen on her own.
Regina turns to her with a murderous expression. “Don’t you think if I were able to carry a child I would have done so before now? I couldn’t! I’ve--” She stops with a pained expression, and Emma knows there is more to the story than what she’ll say in front of Doc.
“Majesty, I am aware of your medical history,” Doc continues. “Nevertheless, you are pregnant. About four weeks along now, give or take, so you might want to hold off sharing the news for another two months or so. Better to be safe than sorry.”
Both of them continue to stare at Doc for a solid minute. Since Regina doesn’t seem to have any intention of speaking, Emma asks what she ought to know about Regina’s diet, and if there’s anything they should or shouldn’t be doing. No alcohol (thank goodness Regina has laid off the cider for a while), lots of fruit and vegetables and fish, regular exercise, limited horse riding (which Regina erupts over until Doc explains the reasons behind his recommendation). Apple juice and water and crackers will help the nausea, he advises, but she should make sure to eat a healthy dinner if she’s not able to consume food in the morning hours.
Emma has questions about sex, but suddenly realizes that Regina is beyond aggravated. Maybe before she finds out what kind of sex they can have, they should talk about the fact that Emma doesn’t have the equipment to get Regina pregnant. And that they didn’t plan it, and that Regina might not want another child. They’ve never talked about a baby because it simply wasn’t an option.
“Doc,” Emma says, before Regina can freak out further, “I’m not exactly sure how this happened. I’m not, um, a guy. But I’m sure she’s been totally faithful.”
Doc’s smile is gentle. “I have no doubt, Princess. There may be no explanation right now, but I would venture to guess you are the, er, second parent to this child. It’s not entirely unheard of here. And Your Majesty,” he says to Regina, “Do not fear for the safety of the baby. Although this is a surprise, I assume this is something you both want--”
“Of course it is!” Regina nearly screeches.
That, despite the ringing in her ears, eases Emma’s mind.
“Then you will be fine,” he assures her. “Just relax and go about your lives. Take care of yourself, spend time with Henry, and all will be well. Remember, crackers, apple juice, and plenty of sleep will help.”
As they head out, Emma whispers to him, “I have other stuff to ask. Be back tomorrow.”
Doc gives her a nod of understanding.
When they leave the office, Regina is as white as a sheet. Emma feels a little green herself as she leads Regina to the carriage. The ride home is utterly silent. When they get to the castle, they don’t speak until they get to their rooms.
Emma shuts the door behind her, leaning against the heavy wood. Regina sits at the bedside.
“So,” Emma says.
Regina searches her face, perhaps looking for answers. “So?”
Emma grins. “Another kid,” she says, ready to erupt in joyous laughter. “You ready for this?”
Some of the anxiety drains away from Regina’s face. “No. But I suppose we have some time to prepare.” The terse smile lessens, replaced by a line between her brows. “I truly have been with no one but you, Emma.”
Emma nods, going to the bedside and taking Regina’s hands in hers. “I believe you.” She kisses her softly. “I believe you.”
Regina blinks tiredly. “I tried for many years for a child, before Henry. But my mother--”
Emma’s joy deflates, because Regina’s mother is the enemy, and she’s still out there in Wonderland, probably stealing hearts and wreaking havoc. She has not communicated with Regina since their return, but the danger remains. Snow and James are well aware of the potential threat she poses.
Regina takes a breath and continues. “My mother made sure I could not conceive a child when she first married me off to Leopold. She said it would keep me focused.” In her eyes Emma saw decades of unspoken pain. “I think she didn’t want me to have someone to love.”
Emma is so stunned at this that tears unexpectedly fill her eyes. “I’m so sorry, Regina.”
Regina doesn’t see that Emma is crying; she stares at the wall. “I know we won’t be able to keep the secret for long. What if she finds out and comes for me? Or the baby? She doesn’t care about you or Henry right now, but this child would be of her line, and she might--” Regina chokes. “She might want to take it, to steal it--”
“Regina!” Emma says, startled by this sudden flow of anxiety. “Where is this coming from?”
“It’s coming from the fact that my mother made me barren decades ago and now I’m pregnant! How am I supposed to explain that to her?”
“But she’s not here!” Emma cries. “And we’re protected. We’ve united two kingdoms, Regina. Even the ogres are on our side now that you’ve ended the Dark One’s reign. There’s no way--”
“Cora is the most powerful witch I have ever known, Emma. Almost everything I know I learned from her. Her dark magic--”
“-Is just that. Dark. She is no match from what you are now, Regina. You’re changed. Your magic is stronger now than it’s ever been. You told me that yourself. And if you had to defend me, and Henry and this--” Emma points at Regina’s stomach, waving her hand in a circle, --“whoever this is, you’d do it with everything you have in you. And so would I.” She reaches out and turns Regina’s chin toward her. “Don’t let Cora keep hurting you this way. Please.”
Regina’s chin wobbles, and Emma has the realization that this is going to be the first of many discussions they will have about Cora, all fueled by fear and hormones and the mystery of their child’s conception. But Emma doesn’t mind. Because they are going to have a baby. Emma’s commitment and protective nature suddenly overwhelm her. “I would do anything for you, Regina. Literally anything. Do you understand that?”
The sob comes then, and Regina nods, putting a head on Emma’s shoulder. Hormones, Emma repeats to herself. And they’re only four weeks in. She lies back, pulling Regina with her. She strokes her hair, waiting for the crying to subside. Fortunately it doesn’t take very long, and when Regina looks up, her face holds a brightness Emma hasn’t seen for a while.
“I’m going to have a baby,” Regina says, her voice cracking. “We are.”
“Yeah,” Emma says, allowing the smile she’s wanted to show finally break out across her face.
“I never thought this would happen. Never.”
“Me neither.” Obviously.
Regina laughs. “You got me pregnant,” she continues, finally seeming to realize how bizarre the situation is. “You must have powerful magic within you, Emma Swan.”
“Of course I do,” Emma quips. “I guess we’ll figure it out eventually. And if we don’t, that’s okay too. I’ll take it.”
Hope sparkles on Regina’s face now, and it relieves Emma enormously. “Do you really believe it will work out?”
Emma thinks of Henry, and how terrified she was, alone and six months pregnant when she went to jail. She remembers all the things that went wrong, how poorly she ate and slept, how she’d been knocked around more than once. But in the end, she gave birth to a perfect little boy, who through fate or destiny or whatever magic exists in the world, ended up in Regina’s arms. And in Emma’s arms too, ten years later. “Henry worked out,” Emma manages, her voice trembling. “And we’re together for this one. It’s going to be great. I really believe it will work out.”
The vein that throbs in Regina’s forehead when she’s upset or angry or worried or afraid smoothes away, and she smiles properly. “A baby,” she whispers.
Out of nowhere, Emma can’t speak. She nods, and pulls Regina into her arms so tightly that nothing could come between them.
---
Emma is glad when Regina’s exhaustion eases up after a couple of weeks, although she is still sick in the mornings. She hides it well, so no one asks what’s happening. But Snow lives in close proximity, and Emma can feel her eyes on them both. Later, when Regina is farther along, Emma has no doubt that Snow will be the first to figure it out. If she hasn’t already.
Regina doesn’t speak much more about Cora, for which Emma is grateful. And Henry has been clingier than usual, maybe because Regina’s been ill, or because she’s been tearful each day he’s come home from school with happy stories about new friends. Emma believes he senses something is up, but so far, he hasn’t cornered either of them.
Two months in, Emma visits the marketplace with a sword at her side and a couple of guards for protection. She won’t need it but Regina insists, and Emma is learning to pick her battles. She doesn’t really mind having the two men with her, because they will be the ones to carry all of her fresh vegetables and fruits (but no pears; Regina now has a violent aversion to pears) back to the castle. She could have sent someone to handle the shopping, but Regina is napping and Emma’s going a little stir crazy. Without a set job to take up her time she exercises a lot, learning sword-fighting, saiis, and the mace. Her arms are pretty cut, as are her abs, and Regina has no complaints. But that only takes up half the day, and since her parents don’t really need a hand leading the realm, Emma’s got to find a day job.
For now, shopping will have to do.
She’s just selecting some good looking corn on the cob when she hears a whisper in her ear. “How are you, Princess?”
Emma is startled, but manages not to drop the corn on the ground. “Nova, hey. How’s it going?”
Nova has a funny little smile on her face. “Very well. But you, how are you?”
Confused, Emma replies, “Fine. Why?”
Nova glances skyward with a sweet expression. “Oh, nothing. I just wondered if you’ve made any good wishes lately?”
“Wishes? Why would I make any--” Emma’s confusion transforms into something more uncertain. “Wait a second. What do you mean by wishes?”
“Oh, nothing,” the fairy giggles. “I was just curious! Because you know, perhaps you made a wish some time ago, and it might have come true?”
Emma hears the words, but she’s having a flashback. She has a sinking suspicion she’s finally uncovered the origins of the baby. Emma grabs Nova by the hand and turns to the guards. “Guys, I need five minutes alone. And I am completely fucking serious. I don’t want either of you, or anyone, within ten feet of me and my friend here. Got it?”
The men nod as Emma drags a floating Nova by the arm across the marketplace and into a less populated area. Two villagers who are standing nearby take one look at Emma’s face and bolt; she is very, very angry, and she’s not hiding it.
“Princess--”
“Okay, Nova, you have 60 seconds to spell out exactly what you meant by ‘maybe you made a wish and it might have come true.’ What the hell does that mean?”
Nova laughs again. “Silly, it just means that I owed you a something special after you helped Grumpy and I get back together. Did you know we’re taking a sailing trip next month? The Blue Fairy was kind of mad, and Grumpy had to beg to get the time off--”
“Nova!” Emma whispers sharply. “Tell me what you did!”
Nova’s ebullience fades. “Well, I just-last time I saw you, at the solstice celebration, remember?” Emma nods. “I sprinkled a little fairy dust in your hair. So when you made a wish, it would come true!”
Emma remembers seeing Nova and Grumpy at the fair. Their happiness made Emma feel glad she’d stepped in and given the Blue Fairy the what for. She remembers the dress Regina wore that night, and the wine she’d had, and how she could not wait to get back to the castle. Most of all, she remembers stripping that dress off, piece by interminable piece, and making very energetic love to Regina for a long while in front of the fire.
And she recalls making a very specific wish.
“Do all you fairies go around doing this stuff?” Emma shouts, trying to keep her voice down but not succeeding. “What if I’d thought, ‘I wish I could go back to Storybrooke?’ Or ‘I wish I could kill Regina?’ Because she makes me kind of crazy sometimes, and that seems like a totally logical thought!” She shakes Nova by the shoulders. “You have to stop with that stuff, Nova! It could have backfired!”
Nova is practically in tears by now. “Oh, Princess, I am terribly, terribly sorry. I so desperately hope something horrible didn’t come of my mistake.” She closes her eyes. “I only wanted to give you a gift.”
Emma takes a moment to think before she snorts. “Well, we got a gift all right.”
Nova looks at Emma, hopeful. “What happened?”
Emma glances around, searching for eavesdroppers. “Regina’s pregnant.”
Nova’s eyes sparkle with joy-her grin is so wide is splits her face in two. “No!”
“Yes,” Emma says, gritting her teeth. “You’re lucky we both want a baby, but it’s pretty weird. People are going to assume all kinds of things about us. Regina’s got a case of the raging hormones, and her behavior was already unpredictable. All I can say is that it’s going to be a very long seven months, give or take.”
“Emma, I am sorry, but I’m also, well, I’m thrilled too. But can I ask, do you remember your exact wish? Just so I can be certain--”
“I wished that I could get her pregnant. Is that exact enough for you?” Emma demands.
With a deep sigh of relief, Nova relaxes. “Perfect. You’re the-er, father, then. Mother. It’s quite ingenious, if you ask me, since you don’t have the right, um,” Nova looks down between Emma’s legs. “You know. And you must have been--” A red blush explodes across the fairy’s cheeks. “I mean, nothing.”
“What?”
“It’s better if you don’t explain the circumstances,” Nova says, the blush spreading to her ears. “I’m sure whatever you were doing when you made the wish, um, was very nice.”
Nova’s red cheeks spread to Emma’s. “Oh. Right.” Scrunching up her nose, Emma replies, “No comment. But listen, Nova, you can’t tell anyone. We want to make sure everything goes smoothly before we talk about it. That means Grumpy, and the Blue Fairy, and everyone else. You have to keep the secret!”
Nova holds up two fingers. “Fairy’s Honor,” she declares. “I won’t say a word to anyone. It’s my fault this happened to you, so it’s my responsibility to make sure everything is all right.” Frowning, she asks, “Is Regina okay?“
“She’s fine. She’ll be glad to know why this happened. Since we weren’t sure, she was worried there was dark magic involved.” Emma steps closer and lowers her voice. “She couldn’t carry a baby before now, Nova. This wish was kind of a big deal.”
Nova looks touched. “Oh, my. How wonderful. Princess, I am so happy for you.” Nova reaches out and holds Emma in her arms, and Emma allows optimism to flow through her. Sharing the news makes it seem all the more real. And now she knows-the baby really is hers.
When they part, Emma extracts another vow of silence, and Nova goes on her way. Emma returns to the vegetables and chooses her corn for a second time, adding it to her haul. Beets were Regina’s final request, and Emma grabs a handful of them by the greens and drops them in the bag, instructing the guard to pay for everything. She can’t concentrate any longer, and wants to get the hell back to Regina to tell her the news.
---
“She what?” Regina shouts. “What the hell am I pregnant with? Is this another asinine attempt at fucking around with humanity by another blasted fairy?”
Emma puts her hands up defensively. “You didn’t even let me finish, Regina. Relax. It’s not as bad--”
“How the hell would you know? Fairy wishes can cause havoc, and I should know better than anyone. They’re as bad as Rumpel’s deals-there’s always a loophole, always some way to subvert whatever good they pretend to offer. This is a disaster!”
“Hey!” Emma says, snapping her finger in front of Regina’s face. She can’t very well slap her; she’d probably get thrown across the room. “I said listen. If you want to go on a rampage, at least wait till you have all the information, okay?”
Regina’s mouth hardens; her eyes flash dangerously. “Fine. Go.”
“She didn’t make you pregnant, okay? It was nothing like that. Remember the night of the winter solstice celebration?” That seems to shake Regina out of her fury. “Remember the party, how much fun we had? And you know, what we did after?”
Emma can tell right away when Regina’s mind drifts back to the fireplace, and the sweaty, naked skin, and the incredible sex they had late into the night. Regina swallows and nods weakly.
“Well, I guess Nova just tossed a little fairy dust in my hair and granted me a wish, without telling me.” Emma neglects to mention that the wish could have ended badly for all of them had the night not gone so well, but she’s got her hands full already. “So when we were… enjoying ourselves, I guess I just had the thought, and boom. Baby.”
Eyes narrowed, Regina leans close. “What was your exact wish?”
Considering how specific Regina’s question is, Emma’s relieved she wasn’t drunk enough that night to have forgotten what happened. “I--I wished I could get you pregnant.”
Regina rears back. Her mouth opens, and she turns away, moving toward the spot where their baby was conceived. The silence seems very long to Emma, who eventually goes to Regina’s side, putting a hand on her soft skin of her neck. “I’m sorry, Regina. I didn’t know--”
But Regina turns back to her, and there are tears in her eyes. “Never apologize for this, Emma,” she says. “If you’d thought anything else-had you simply wished that I could get pregnant, or that we could have a baby, it wouldn’t have happened this way. Do you understand? You made the perfect wish, and you didn’t even realize it at the time.”
Emma blinks. “The perfect wish?”
“Just wishing that I could get pregnant would have done nothing-it may have healed my body, but it would have done no more. And wishing we could have a baby could have resulted perhaps in us finding an abandoned child, or worse, could have created a disaster that killed two healthy parents and presented us an orphaned infant to take in. And you never would have realized you’d made the wish, because the circumstances were so tragic.” Regina is smiling faintly now. “It’s all about semantics with fairies, dear. And your semantics were ideal.”
Finally, Emma is getting the picture. “So, this is a good thing?”
Regina’s fingers trail across Emma’s cheek, down her neck, into her hair. “Yes. Because it means the baby is part of both of us. Half you and half me. Two parents.” She laughs lightly. “It’s remarkable. And I feel a thousand times better. Even though I’m going to give Nova a piece of my mind the next time I see her.”
Grinning, Emma assures her, “Oh, I did that already, Regina. Believe me, she’s not going to be granting any more wishes to unsuspecting citizens of the Enchanted Forest. I promise!”
“I suppose I should at least thank her. Even if this was unexpected, I’m… I’m very happy about it.”
That makes everything better for Emma. “I’m so glad, Regina. Even if you’re a raging, emotional, psychotic bitch for the next seven months, I’ll survive whatever it takes to meet our kid.”
Regina looks completely serene in that moment. “That’s lovely, dear. But you should prepare for far worse than that. I haven’t been pregnant before. You never know how things are going to go.”
Emma rolls her eyes, but takes Regina in her arms and kisses her soundly.
---
Part II.