#lostboybae

  "Evil Queen...like in Snow White?" Emma asked, fighting off the urge to laugh. This Regina was a piece of something - what it is, she wasn't sure, although Emma figured she was bound to find out the answer to that sooner rather than later.

           "Exactly. Your mother is my stepdaughter," Regina agreed with such urgency that Emma laughed. This in turn made Regina roll her eyes and sigh with exasperation. "I am not making this up."

Emma lounged on the couch with her feet propped up on the coffee table and a video game controller grasped firmly between her hands. A single-serve thermos filled with hot cocoa rested on her belly. It had been long forgotten in her video game conquest. Emma had no idea what she was playing. It was whatever Henry had left in the other day, but she found the game thoroughly entertaining.

           Completely engrossed in what she was doing, Emma wasn't even aware that Henry had gotten home from school until her son was sitting beside her. "So did you say yes?" he asked. Usually Henry would grab the spare controller and play along with his parents, but instead he sat beside Emma watching her with an intense gaze.

           "Of course I said yes. Why wouldn't I? Sure we had a rocky start, but we got through it. He explained what happened back before you were born," Emma assured Henry, pausing the game and putting the controller on the couch next to her. A frown crossed her face as his question sank in. "Wait a minute... Did you know? Henry Daniel Swan spill."

They'd been driving a good half hour. Emma found herself utterly lost and confused as to where Neal was taking her. She hated not knowing what was going on; it made her nervous. "What are you doing? We're headed to the middle of nowhere," she pointed out as they turned off the main road and onto a dusty, unkempt road.

           "You mean you don't recognize the scenic view?" Neal asked. Just as this morning, he had same impish gleam in his eyes. Her boyfriend was acting like a ten-year-old with a secret stash of candy. He could be really annoying, but Emma loved him for it.

           "Should I?" she replied as Neal pulled over and stopped the car. Getting out of the car, she looked around in hopes to jog her memory. Nothing came.

They'd been driving a good half hour. Emma found herself utterly lost and confused as to where Neal was taking her. She hated not knowing what was going on; it made her nervous. "What are you doing? We're headed to the middle of nowhere," she pointed out as they turned off the main road and onto a dusty, unkempt road.

           "You mean you don't recognize the scenic view?" Neal asked. Just as this morning, he had same impish gleam in his eyes. Her boyfriend was acting like a ten-year-old with a secret stash of candy. He could be really annoying, but Emma loved him for it.

           "Should I?" she replied as Neal pulled over and stopped the car. Getting out of the car, she looked around in hopes to jog her memory. Nothing came.

            "Yeah! Do you remember how we reunited?" Neal said, coming around to be next to Emma. He leaned against the Bug and watched the blond. Crossing his arms, he smiled at her. It was clear he was having a good time.

After an extended breakfast, Emma decided to take a leisurely shower. Why not when she was now on maternity for the next sixteen weeks. She had never taken that much time off and didn't know how she'd occupy her time - especially the eight weeks before their little gremlin came into this world.

           Fragrant steam surrounded her as the hot water beaded down her bulging belly. "I can't wait for you to be out," she mumbled while rubbing lilac-scented bath gel over her arms and swollen breasts. Emma needed to wash her legs, but that proved challenging. This bump was really getting in the way. Could the OBGYN be wrong and there were twins growing in her uterus? It felt that way. "Neal, I can't do this," she sobbed, unaware how loud her voice grew.

          Frantic footfalls echoed over the running water. In less than thirty seconds, Neal's face peeked in at her. Wild, worried eyes searched Emma's face. "Em?" he squeaked. "Are you... the baby... are you?"

Sizzling bacon woke Emma. She rolled over and glanced at the clock - 8:15 AM. Why was Neal up so early? He loved sleeping and the little gremlin (as Neal fondly nicknamed their unborn second child) growing inside of Emma often woke her up just before dawn.

            "Hey babe," Neal called out as he carried a tray laden with bacon, eggs, hot cocoa with cinnamon, and a cream cheese-covered bagel. His tone was perkier than usual, which was saying something, and there was a suspicious glint in his eye that often meant trouble was afoot.

          Emma pushed herself into a sitting potion, which wasn't easy considering she was seven months along, and examined the food. "Okay...what did you do?" she asked, turning her gaze towards her live-in boyfriend.

Sadness chilled Emma's bones more than the autumn winds. Grief lines etched the faces in front of her, although none looked sadder than Neal. The events earlier in the day (had it only been a day?) aged them all. Battle scars from their war against Pan and Neverland weakened their souls, their spirit. The light in her loved ones eyes had dimmed; again it was Neal whose eyes shined the least.

           Her heart ached for the father of the father of their son. Loss marred much of his life. The events of the last twenty-four hours was no different. He'd lost his grandfather (was that even a bad thing? Pan did terrorize Neal and nearly killed their son) as well as his father. In just a few minutes Neal would lose his son and herself. Surprisingly, he was taking it all in stride although he could not quite hide the sadness in his heart. It glistened in his brown eyes as unshed tears.

          "Hey," Neal whispered, his hand going to her arm. Gently, so as not to aggravate the healing gunshot wound, he squeezed as if to reassure her. The one word and his touch made the world around her melt away. For this moment it was just Neal, Henry, and her.

Continued on AO3 and ff.net.