New fic: The Sun Inside, OUAT, Emma/Regina, R, Part III
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 leaves Regina in bed to sleep the following day, but she is bleary eyed when she looks in the mirror. Regina kept her up very late, as has been her habit. Emma had checked in initially with Doc to make sure that sex was okay during the pregnancy, and he’d provided a reassuring yes. But Emma had gone back to see him as they moved into the second trimester and Regina’s sex drive had gotten more intense. This was especially true after her nausea had disappeared; they’d had a couple of quickies in odd locations, and the nights were getting long. Doc had told her that this was fine, and not to worry.
He’d also said (with a knowing smile) she was looking a little tired, and recommended naps when Regina took them. Emma had tried that, but then the naps turned into more than naps, so the sleep thing wasn’t really working out.
Then again, it’s a small price to pay. And maybe nature is just prepping her for the sleep-deprived nights for when the baby comes. She certainly won’t complain to Regina, who is more seductive now than ever before. Her body’s changes are ripening everything; her breasts have become larger and more sensitive as her belly has grown, and her skin is one giant erogenous zone. Emma thinks that she’s had multiple orgasms once or twice as well, so Emma feels pretty confident about her skills.
When she slogs into the kitchen in search of protein that morning, she’s handed a hearty bowl of cinnamon oatmeal with peanut butter, a banana, and a glass of orange juice. She’s never had peanut butter with oatmeal before, and she gives the cook a questioning look.
“Your father said to make it for you,” she replies. “I don’t ask questions.”
When Emma enters the dining room, James is seated with a few parchments on the table as he drinks a cup of coffee. “Morning,” she says, raising an eyebrow when he looks up. “Thanks for breakfast?”
“Oh,” he grins. “Yeah. I ah, had a talk with your mother last night and she told me the news.” His smile grows even wider, and she sets her breakfast down and goes in for a hug. “I’m so happy for you, Em. I couldn’t be happier. I know the baby will be beautiful.” His voice is a whisper of sweet affection, and she feels his love flow over her. It still seems odd to call a man practically her own age her father, but she’s getting used to it.
“Thanks. Dad.” She smiles back at him shyly. “It’s pretty great.”
“Snow told me that we’re keeping things quiet, and that’s fine. Whatever makes Regina comfortable.”
Emma takes her regular seat across from him. “Why is there peanut butter in my oatmeal?” She dips a spoon into the bowl, swirls it around, and takes a bite. It’s surprisingly good.
“Oh,” he says, laughing. “If Regina’s libido is anything like your mother’s when she was pregnant with you, you’ll need the extra protein.”
Emma’s throat seizes up; the peanut butter combined with her complete and utter sense of TMI are going to choke her to death. She coughs, inhaling quickly, then coughs some more until James gets out of his chair and smacks her on the back. “Oh my god, you did not just go there,” she mutters when she can finally speak.
He goes back to his chair and shrugs. “Hey, let’s face it. Last year you wouldn’t have thought twice about having this conversation with me. Right?”
Emma lifts her eyebrows. “Yeah, but I didn’t know you were my dad then.”
“No matter. Apparently as my offspring you’re quite virile, since you got a woman pregnant. Very impressive,” he says, puffing out his chest.
Emma covers her face. “This is not happening.”
James cracks up. “I promise never to talk about this again, but all I’ll say is that you look tired. Eat your breakfast. And ask the cook to add peanut butter every day. I swear, it helps.”
She can take no more, and puts her head down on the table. “Okay. Thanks. You can stop now.”
---
For another month and a half, everything is as it should be.
Regina never strays far from the castle grounds, preferring to tend to the gardens with the staff more than anything else. She has the greenest thumb of anyone Emma has ever met, even without the use of her magic. She can make anything grow, bring any dead plant back to life, encourage a sapling to flower with all the consideration and care she has to offer. And since she’s been attentive to the castle’s fruit trees and vegetables, everything in season has blossomed like never before, according to Snow. They have so many tangerines and oranges that the stores are overflowing, not to mention the chestnuts and squash and leeks.
Now the spring fruits and vegetables are coming in, so Regina spends her time checking on the various varieties of asparagus she planted, and marveling over the artichokes that have grown. Emma has never before seen an artichoke on the vine, and while the gardeners harvest a large portion of them before they can complete their life cycle, Regina specifically chooses to let a small section sprout its blooms.
When she first brings Emma to the garden to see them, Emma has no idea what she’s looking at. They look almost alien, standing tall and proud with gorgeous purple thistles bursting from the buds.
“What is that?” Emma asks.
“It’s an artichoke. It’s too late to eat these, but aren’t they beautiful?”
Emma runs her hand along the top of one of the blossoms, smiling at its softness. “Amazing.”
She finds Regina’s hand and threads their fingers together. “You’d have made a very nice farmer, Majesty,” Emma drawls, not really joking.
“I agree. Sometimes I think about what might have been,” Regina replies. “If my mother had been different.”
Emma pulls her into her arms. “Yeah.” She kisses Regina’s lips lightly. “But then we’d never have met.”
With a nod, Regina’s smile fades. “I know.” Despite the happiness Emma brings her, there is a sadness in Regina that will never go away. Emma feels it in herself too; she does not forget all the nights spent in foster care sleeping on cots, or the floor, or in beds overcrowded with other children. Both of their childhoods planted seeds of melancholy that continue to flourish no matter how good their lives are now. Emma is learning to accept this, while Regina knows no other way to live. The promise of their new baby does much to bring Regina hope, but the threat of Cora hovers overhead like a dark cloud.
“Do you really think it’s a girl?” Regina asks, touching her belly.
Emma rests a hand beneath Regina’s, closing her eyes. “I’m not sure. Shh, let me see if she says anything.” Emma glances around, but they are alone in the grove. She kneels and presses her ear to Regina’s bump, murmuring, “Hi, baby. Do you want to talk to your mom? Have anything you want to tell us?”
Emma moves her hand along Regina’s stomach, until Regina jerks. She stares down into Emma’s eyes, mouth open.
“What?” Emma gasps.
Regina inhales and lets out a cry. “She moved! I’m sure-yes, she moved!”
Tears spring to Emma’s eyes; it is more than she ever could have hoped for. Right away she thinks back to the first movement Henry made within her, how wonderful and terrible that moment had been. Knowing she would part with her son so soon afterward was a devastating blow. Today feels like a course correction in which all the right things are happening. Emma watches Regina’s belly in wonder, kissing it with all the love she has in the world. “Only a few more months now, baby, and you’ll be here. We can’t wait to meet you.”
Regina trembles above her, so Emma pulls herself up and drags her into a hug. “To answer your question,” Emma says, “yeah, I think it’s a girl.” She is laughing, and Regina laughs with her as they cling together, the scent of lemon blossoms floating around them on the cool breeze of spring.
---
The very day after the baby’s quickening, word filters back to the castle that people are beginning to talk.
It doesn’t surprise Emma, since Regina is obviously pregnant. But it still sets Regina’s teeth on edge when Snow brings it up at breakfast. James is the only other person in the room.
“I’m only telling you because word is out. No one knows what to think, but someone must have said something. It’s not as though we’ve sworn the entire staff to secrecy,” Snow explains. “You’re five months along, Regina. We’re lucky you’ve made it this far without anyone noticing. Your change of wardrobe alone is cause for concern amongst the commoners.”
Emma flinches at the word commoners, which just seems rude, while Regina glances down at her relatively modest bustier. She’s finally shifted away from the leather, preferring leggings and flowing black tunics to mask her bulk. She still insists on floor-length dusters when outdoors, although with summer coming they’re getting more difficult to wear.
“Maybe we should just announce it,” Emma suggests. “Better for people to know the deal than wonder if we’re keeping it secret.”
“No,” Regina barks. “I don’t want that. Anything that could lead to word getting back to Wonderland would end in disaster for all of us. Especially the baby.”
“Regina, if you’d only tell us why you think--” Snow asks, before Regina cuts her off.
“Because my mother made it very clear she never wanted me to have a child, and now I’m pregnant. I have a bad feeling about it, all right? Isn’t that enough?” Regina is pale; there is a slight sheen of sweat at her temples. The day has not started out well.
“It’s okay,” Emma says, putting a hand at the small of Regina’s back. Her muscles are tense, already feeling the strain of the extra pounds along her spine. “We don’t owe anyone anything. We don’t have to tell.”
“But we should tell,” Snow continues, absolutely certain. “You do owe it to the people. They have a vested interest in the future of the kingdom.”
“They’d be just as glad if I were dead,” Regina states flatly.
James puts his hands on the table, and he exudes an authority that Emma is still getting used to. “That’s not true, Regina. You have done many things to incur their anger, but our people know what you did to defend us all against Rumpelstiltskin. You should have more respect for yourself by now.”
That brings Regina up short. She blinks at James before turning her attention to the table, and the toast and fruit on her plate. She’s speechless for once; since their return to the Enchanted Forest James has been kinder to Regina than anyone except Emma. That includes Henry, who endured Regina’s month-long recovery post-battle before he warmed up to her again. But James has always been quick to forgive, even knowing everything Regina had done to him and Snow and their family. It’s in his nature, and Emma is glad of it.
“When would you be comfortable telling, Regina, if not now?” Emma asks.
Without hesitation, Regina answers, “After she’s born.”
“That is an unlikely scenario,” Snow finally says. “We need to say something.”
“Let people talk,” Regina pleads. “For a few more weeks, at the very least.” She puts a hand to her stomach, almost without realizing how protective she seems while doing so. “Just a little longer. As long as we’re going about our business, why should it matter?”
Snow turns to James, who nods slightly in agreement. He reaches out for his wife’s hand. “There’s no harm in it. Let people talk. Let them wonder.”
Queen Snow sighs and looks at Emma. “Fine. A few more weeks.”
“Thanks,” Emma replies. She gives Regina a private smile, then decides to reward her mother. “The baby moved yesterday.”
All the reticence vanishes from Snow’s face immediately. She is overjoyed. “Oh my goodness, really?” All her attention is immediately drawn to the bump, and her hands reach out. Regina flinches, but allows the invasion with as much good nature as she can. “Is she moving now? Can you tell?”
“Not really,” Regina replies, glancing up at the ceiling and wincing only slightly. “She might be asleep.”
James nudges Regina’s shoulder with his fist. “You know if you have a boy we’re all going to look at him strangely for the first few weeks. I can’t stop thinking that it’s a girl.”
Regina smiles faintly at him. “Yes. It’s nice, nevertheless, to consider a girl. I won’t mind either way.”
“Me neither,” Emma states firmly. “But it’s a girl.”
---
They almost get through three more weeks before the silence Regina requested comes to a shattering end with a visit from two unexpected guests.
The Blue Fairy has not breached the castle walls since Rumpelstiltskin’s defeat. She and Regina do not get along, and Emma has come to dislike her a great deal. That started soon after they arrived in the Enchanted Forest, when Emma found out about Gepetto’s betrayal of Snow about the wardrobe. From then on, the fairy wasn’t welcome in their castle. Pinocchio, who Emma still thinks of as August, deserves her forgiveness, and he gladly accepted it. The Blue Fairy is another story.
Still, the Blue Fairy insists on seeing both Emma and Regina right away, and she’s got Nova with her.
“Cat’s outta the bag,” Emma murmurs to Regina, who takes her hand. To their visitor, she says, “I’d like Snow and James to hear whatever you have to say.”
“I’m not sure--”
“I don’t care what you’re sure about,” Emma replies. “I’m the freaking Princess of this castle, and I deserve your respect. It’s that or nothing.”
“Very well,” the fairy replies, exasperated.
Emma sends word for James and Snow to join them in the large, imposing chamber that was considered the war room during the skirmishes with Rumpel. Lately the space has stood empty, but the decorative armor and wall hangings depicting previous battles are strangely comforting to Emma. It feels like a museum, and she always loved museums as a kid. Maybe because they were air-conditioned, clean, organized and spacious, unlike the various homes she’d lived in.
Her parents join them quickly with anxious looks on their faces. “What’s happening?” Snow demands.
“Helllo, Queen Snow. I bring… information you may need in the coming months.” She glances down at Regina’s belly.
Regina touches her stomach as if to shield it. “What is it?”
The Blue Fairy begins, “I had heard rumblings of the possibility that Regina was with child, but laughed them off as wild speculation from a people with nothing better to do than gossip. But the rumblings grew louder, and with no official denial from the castle, I wanted to discuss the matter with my fellow fairies.” She turns to Nova, who immediately looks guilty. “Nova confessed to her interference.”
“It wasn’t interference,” Emma barks, standing up. She puts her hands on the enormous wooden table situated between her family and the two fairies across from her. “She gave me a wish. I made one. That’s what happened.”
“It was not her place--”
“You sure have a lot of rules, considering how much you screwed up my life, sister,” Emma says, trying to control her anger. “But you disregard them whenever you feel like it. What are your rules for giving out wishes, hmm? What about when someone truly needs help? Say, someone like Regina. Or do only certain people deserve to have their wishes granted? What are your rules about that, huh?” Emma sneers at her. “Nova is a generous, kind fairy, and I will always be grateful for her gift. So if you’ve got a problem, leave her out of it. It was my wish. Nova didn’t get Regina pregnant. I did.”
The room is silent, the echo of Emma’s words hanging in the air. Nova smiles softly at Emma, and Emma nods to her. She won’t back down.
“Nevertheless, there is something you must know about this child,” the Blue Fairy continues, disregarding Emma’s questions. “There is a prophecy. Only a few of us know of it. It was delivered by Rumpelstiltskin, decades ago. When you were just a child, Snow White, and you a young girl, Regina.”
“What does it have to do with me?” Regina asks, shifting in her seat.
“You are a part of it,” the fairy answers. “So is your mother.”
Emma gasps; this is just what Regina has been afraid of all this time.
“No,” Regina moans, touching her stomach with both hands. “No, please.” She curls in on herself, the fear escaping before she has a chance to hide it. Snow and James gape, stunned at the uncharacteristic display of vulnerability.
The Blue Fairy continues, “This prophecy made your mother believe she was destined to rule, but also that you must never have a child of your own. It set her on a particular path, one she was already on, but it encouraged her to make certain choices at the behest of Rumpelstiltskin. He was always an instrument of destruction, and this case was no exception.”
“What is the prophecy?” James asks, unable to look away from Regina.
The fairy inhales, and says, “When the Heartless Queen’s daughter bears a fatherless child, Red rule shall fall in a breath of fire.”
The four of them stare at her. Emma frowns, asking, “How would Cora have known she would be a Queen, and a heartless one--”
“My mother had already removed her own heart when I was just a girl,” Regina says flatly. “It was her special kind of magic, and she practiced on commoners in the village before she attempted it herself. She would have known right away that she was the heartless queen, or that she would be. Even when I was very young, and we were poor, she always, always believed she would be a queen.” She turns to Emma, defeated. “Rumpel must have warned her. So when I came of age, she made me barren.” A tear slips down her cheek; she wipes at it angrily. “And now I will have a child without a father. And her rule will end unless she kills me, or our child, first.”
The Blue Fairy nods. “That was my concern.”
“Concern?” Regina explodes, standing up so quickly her chair tips over behind her. “You have never spent a moment concerned for my welfare, fairy. Do not pretend to worry over me now. You are only anxious because my mother will destroy this entire realm to get to me.” Regina slams her hand down on the table. “I will not sacrifice myself or my child to preserve the peace. I want this baby, and I will have her. Nothing you say or do will change that.”
Emma stands as well, slipping an arm around Regina’s waist. “You got that right,” she says. “Message received, Fairy. Anything else you’d like to add?” Emma asks.
The Blue Fairy shakes her head. “Only that we will defend this kingdom against the Queen of Hearts, if she invades. Every weapon we have will be at your disposal. Wonderland has been under her power for far too long, and if this child heralds a new beginning, we shall do all we can to bring it to fruition.”
Emma senses Regina’s surprise. She sags, and Emma tugs her sideways and deposits her in her own chair.
“We mean you and your baby no harm, Regina,” the Blue Fairy says. “I intend to begin planning our defenses with your army, King James, if you will allow it.”
“Of course,” James says, leaning forward. “We must begin as soon as possible. How long do we have?”
Before she answers, Emma glances at Regina for her permission to reveal her due date. When Regina shuts her eyes in surrender, Emma replies, “Fourteen weeks if we’re on time.”
“That is better than nothing,” the fairy says. “And we have the added advantage that the Queen of Hearts most certainly has not heard of her daughter’s impending motherhood. Nor has she heard that the father is not a father at all. I vow, in your presence, to let no word from the fairies filter through the looking glass.”
Emma looks over at James, who bobs his head in assent. “I will send word through the army and the villagers that we must not allow this news to get out. We must explain Regina’s condition, but we must also make it clear that her child is Emma’s, and that she is of royal blood. Snow, are you agreed?”
Snow nods, gazing out the window. Emma wonders if she is remembering Cora as she once was, or if she is thinking of her as she is now. Maybe she’s thinking of something else altogether.
James turns to Regina and reaches out to take her hand. “We’ll protect you, Regina, and the baby, and Emma. To the death.”
Emma watches his face and knows that he is telling the truth. It’s more than she could ever ask for from a father or a king. Regina can’t seem to find the words to reply. Instead she bites her lip and nods.
To the Blue Fairy, James says, “We begin tomorrow after sunrise. Bring your most powerful allies here and we’ll get started.”
“I will attend as well,” Regina says, her voice rough and uneven.
“No, you must rest--” Snow begins.
“I know Cora better than anyone,” Regina declares. “I know her strengths and weaknesses. Besides, I have the most powerful magic in this realm. I will do everything I possibly can to defeat her. And if that means killing her, I will do so without hesitation.”
“Very well,” James says, reluctantly. “Sunrise. I’ll meet you in the hall for breakfast.”
Regina squeezes his hand and leans back into Emma’s embrace. “Let’s go,” she whispers.
Emma looks to her parents briefly before bidding a goodbye to the fairies. Nova rushes forward to Emma and Regina. “I am truly sorry for putting this all into motion.”
“It wasn’t you, dear,” Regina tells her off-handedly. “It was meant to be. And if the prophecy is correct, our child will be born, and my mother will fall. We must hold on to that.”
Nova brightens. “Yes. Yes, you’re right. Good. Farewell then. Both to you and to,” Nova motions to Regina’s belly, “to the new princess. Or prince.”
Emma pulls Regina toward the exit. They storm down the hall, making the long journey toward their bedroom. Henry is off at school, so they are alone when their door slams closed.
Regina does not move once they arrive. She stands in the middle of the floor, and Emma feels that she is beyond help or comfort. But she has to act, if only to comfort herself. Carefully she steps behind Regina and slides her arms around her waist. With her two hands, she holds their child, knowing that she would step in front of a bullet to protect them both. “Cora will come, Regina,” Emma says. “But we’ll be ready.”
Regina’s arms fall on Emma’s, and she threads their fingers together. “My mother is the worst threat imaginable. She has no feelings. Power is what she lives on, what she breathes and eats and craves. No matter how much she has it will never be enough.” Regina grips Emma’s hands so tightly it hurts. “Sometimes I wish I’d never been born.”
Just the sound of the words makes Emma lose her breath. “Never say that, Regina. Never.” Emma squeezes her eyes shut against the terror that the simple thought of a life without Regina brings. “Everything we have both suffered has brought us here, today. Now. I don’t regret a moment.”
“But so many people have been lost because of her, because of what she made me--”
“And so much of your life was planned, Regina. Engineered, by Cora, and Rumpelstiltskin. Don’t let them destroy you when we’re just coming to the best time of our lives. We’re together, we have Henry, we have people who care about us, who will do anything to defend us. We have to believe we can win.” Emma puts her mouth against Regina’s ear, praying that her words will hit home. “I love you, Regina. You’re worth fighting for.”
Regina’s breath is harsh as she exhales in a rush. “I’m trying,” she replies weakly. “I want to be worth fighting for.”
Emma turns her in her arms. “You are,” she says, holding her face close. “You always will be.” She kisses Regina, needing to make Regina feel it. “If you knew what was in my heart you would never doubt me. Not for a second.” Emma stares into her dark eyes, filled with an endless pain she wishes she could assuage. But Regina moves closer for another kiss, and then she pulls at Emma’s tunic and trousers.
This is familiar, this pull of their bodies together as they fall on the enormous bed, still unmade from the morning. It’s too easy to make love, but Emma won’t resist. She can’t. Black shoes and leggings and oversized blouse are tossed on the floor, while Emma drags her own clothes off as quickly as possible. When they’re bare, Emma kisses her, hands touching every inch of skin she can reach. The baby bump has not slowed them down, although it prevents Emma from being able to get her fingers where she wants them while still kissing Regina’s beloved mouth. Emma pulls away and slowly moves down Regina’s body, letting her hair trail along soft skin as her lips map their favorite route. Lean thighs part to make room for her between them, and Emma settles comfortably, seeking her own reassurance in the well-known taste and scent. She licks and inhales, one hand tracing up Regina’s side until fingers find hers.
“Emma,” Regina whispers, “Stay with me always.”
Emma nuzzles close, murmuring words of love into slick flesh. She presses inside with her free hand, two fingers and then three stretching her wide open. As she flicks her tongue in rhythm, Regina frees her hand and pushes herself up on her elbows. From this angle they can see into each other’s eyes. Regina is close already, and Emma gives it all she’s got until she feels the crush of pressure around her fingers, the cry of pleasure from above. Emma doesn’t let up, all the while keeping her focus on Regina’s beautiful face. When she calms, she slips her fingers free, tasting her once more before crawling up and finding Regina’s mouth. Their kiss is as urgent as it was when they first began, and Regina tugs her up to kneel above her head. It’s easier for her this way, and Emma is happy to oblige. It takes only a minute to get Emma right to the edge, grabbing the intricately carved headboard and hanging on for dear life. When Regina circles, her tongue darting out so exactly the way Emma loves, she curls in and trembles, willing the wave to crash over her. When it does, it’s a perfect relief, so sweet that it overwhelms her for a moment.
She can’t lose this love. Not now, or ever.
When Emma relaxes, Regina caresses her legs, mouth open against her inner thigh. Emma wriggles down to slide their bodies together. She wipes Regina’s face with a smile before kissing her, their tastes mingling.
“I’ll stay if you stay,” Emma says, answering Regina’s earlier words.
Regina bites her lower lip and touches Emma’s cheek with her thumb. Finally, she smiles gently. “It’s a deal.”
---
Part IV.