Four
Chapter 4
Disclaimers::: I do not own OUAT or its Characters. Just my colorful imagination.
Regina and Emma have finally hooked up. When will Regina tell Emma about Henry and what she's discovered? August is in town. Someone pays Regina a visit.
########
After they finished eating their dinner, Emma and Regina washed the dishes together and put them away. Emma made sure to have leftovers for Regina to bring home to share with Henry. There was enough for Ruby's lunch.
Regina looked at the clock checking to see how much time she had left with Emma. She looked over at the blonde. "We still have two hours left before Henry and Ruby return."
Emma had a goofy smile on her face. "A quickie and then ice cream for dessert?"
Regina laughed softly. "Well, you certainly read my mind." She spoke huskily.
They moved back to their room and made love once more before they headed out to the ice cream shop which was just a block away.
They entered, signing and holding hands. Regina was getting better with her American Sign Language. She was a fast learner.
Regina smiled at the people working there. "Good evening. We're planning to get some ice cream."
Emma smiled as she signed 'ice cream' to Regina who in turn copied her.
"That's the sign for ice cream? I like it." She smiled before kissing Emma.
The employees stared at the kissing couple, mouths agape.
Emma noticed, but said nothing as she looked at the flavors until she found what she liked.
Regina had her sights on something she wanted. "I'll have two scoops of maple pecan."
The cashier nodded and then looked at Regina. "What does she want?" She wouldn't look at Emma.
Emma stopped Regina from answering for her. She gave the cashier a hard stare. "Ask me. Don't ask her." She smirked when the woman looked surprised that she could speak for herself.
"I'm sorry, I thought you couldn't speak being deaf and mute." The woman replied.
The guy standing next to the woman added, "Don't forget dumb. Some people seem to think deaf people are incapable of doing things hearing people can do." He grinned, winking at Emma. "I'm Killian. My father was deaf. He's old school. When he was growing up, he wasn't allowed to sign and he never learned to speak. He was brilliant and worked with his hands. You'll need to forgive my sister, Alice. We share the same mother and she's never met, my dad."
Regina frowned. "Why wasn't your father allowed to sign?" She didn't understand how times were back then.
"Believe me, I'm not mute." Emma looked at Alice and smiled before she continued, "Because, in the old days, hearing people assumed deaf people couldn't be taught to live like them. They thought that if they signed, they would remain mute and incapable of obtaining the education needed to thrive in this world. Doctors and educators did not know that sign language was a very vital way for deaf people to socialize, to have access to education, to be a part of society. Without that, they would be very isolated from the rest of the world. They did not know how to teach deaf people to speak." Emma explained.
Killian nodded. "My dad was very isolated from his own family. Instead of learning sign language just so they could create a bond with him, to communicate with him, to include them in family conversations… They listened to the doctors who advised against letting him use sign language. As a result, he never had formed a bond with his parents the way his parents bonded with his hearing siblings."
"When a child learns his first word, learns to say mama or dada, that binds a child with their parents. Unfortunately, with a deaf child in a hearing family, they lack that first bonding experience. But when parents learn sign language for their deaf child, the bonding starts there. Even if a parent learns just the basic forms of sign language, it helps. Communication is the key here."
Regina felt like she'd learned a lot more about Emma just from that alone. "And what happens if both parents are deaf?" She was curious.
Emma smiled, "I have friends who were born in a deaf family. Just like hearing children do with their hearing parents, deaf children bond with their deaf parents. They expose their babies to sign language from the moment they are born. As a result, their children learn language long before hearing babies do. As for me, I grew up in foster care, moving from home to home. I never got to experience the bonding with any of my foster parents. Well, except for maybe two or three." She saw the looks of sadness on their faces and wanted to change the subject. "I'll have two scoops of mint chocolate chip to go, please."
"Right," Alice replied as she got the ice cream for Emma. "That will be seven dollars and 46 cents."
Emma nodded as she paid for their ice cream.
"Thank you. I have learned a lot from you. My girlfriend, Robyn mentioned that she wanted to learn sign language. I think I would too."
Emma smiled and nodded, asking for a pen and paper before she wrote down some information for them to follow up on. Alice thanked her profusely.
Emma and Regina left, eating their ice cream as they walked back home.
Regina thought about everything she learned since she met Emma, and realized she had a lot more to learn about her.
"I don't want to make any assumptions. I mean, I am still learning a lot about you, about the life you have led. Have you ever found your birth parents?"
Emma shook her head. "I thought about doing a DNA test and sending it to Ancestry or to 23 and me. Maybe I would be able to find out where I came from."
Regina nodded. "My sister and I did that too. We share the same mother, but different fathers. Zelena, that's my sister, she is looking for her father."
Emma was intrigued by what Regina shared about her sister. "I have always wondered if I have any siblings or if my parents were looking for me. Did they even want me? I wondered what happened that they couldn't keep me. I would like to know if my deafness is hereditary."
"I think you should go for it and get the answers you need." Regina replied, "I could help you if you wanted me to."
They arrived back at Emma's home. She grabbed her iPad. "Yeah, I think I will go for it." They moved to the couch and Regina showed her the link where she could order the DNA kit. Emma went ahead and ordered it, paying for it online.
"You did it!" Regina beamed proudly. "You just took the first step in the journey of finding out your family history."
Emma nodded. "Family is important to me. I didn't really have much of one growing up until Amelia and then Anita and Granny Eugenia and getting a sister like Ruby. They made it all worth it. I love them, but I just need a sense of knowing where I come from. Knowing my identity, that is important for me. If I have kids out there, I would like to be able to share it all with them."
Regina bit her lip as she thought about Henry and what she found out. She wanted to tell Emma her suspicions about Henry possibly being her son too.
Before Regina could say anything, Ruby opened the door and Henry came inside. "Guess what I won!!!" He held out a good-sized stuffed doll which was a white swan with a golden crown on its head. "For you mom!" He handed it to his brunette mother.
Ruby laughed. "He's not the only one who won anything. I got this for you, sis. Your favorite Disney villain, the Evil Queen." She smirked, handing it to the blonde.
Emma laughed good-naturedly as she took the stuffed doll from her sister. "Thanks, Rubes." She then gave Regina a sheepish grin. "I've always been a fan of Disney Villains instead of the Prince or Princess." She winked.
Regina chuckled. "I feel I should tell you I always liked the story of the ugly duckling. How that duckling grew to become a beautiful swan."
Emma gave Regina a dimpled grin. "My last name is Swan."
Regina threw her head back and laughed as she stepped closer to the blonde. "And my name means Queen." She bit her lower lip in a sensual manner.
Henry watched his Mother with Emma, and could clearly see something really good was going on with the two of them. He found himself grinning when he saw how happy his Mom was. He turned to look at Ruby and saw that she was grinning widely at what was happening between her sister and his mom.
Ruby laughed. "You two are so cute! Looks like your date went well."
"Better than that." Emma smiled.
Regina kissed Emma before looking at Henry. "You make me happy, my Prince. So does Emma, how do you feel about what is happening with me and Emma?" She asked Henry, wanting to include him.
Henry seemed surprised by what his mother was asking, noticing she was signing more. This pleased him to no end. "Mom! You gotta ask? She is awesome! Emma's teaching you a lotta stuff and you're learning more!" He signed happily. "Does it mean you're together now?" He asked, a hopeful look in his eyes.
Regina looked at Emma who was smiling. She couldn't imagine a life without her. It didn't matter that they had just met not so long ago. She bit her lip as she thought about them making love. She'd enjoyed that very much.
"Yes, Henry we are together now. In fact, she has invited me to go with her on Saturday for two weeks. We're going to her foster mother's funeral and to take care of things before we come back."
Emma nodded. "Yeah Rubes, will you be willing to let Henry stay with you?" She asked while signing. "Guess who is in town."
Regina rolled her eyes as she thought about how Emma's brother interrupted them earlier.
Ruby noticed right away that something had clearly happened with August. "What happened?" She started imagining the different scenarios that could have happened to warrant the scowl she saw on Regina's face.
The shorter brunette looked at her son, not wanting to subject him to their conversation. "Henry, why don't you go play in the game room? I will come to get you when it's time to go home."
Henry looked over at Emma as if to ask for permission. "Can I use your PlayStation 4?" He signed. "I want to continue with that Sonic game."
Emma smiled and nodded. "Go ahead, Kid. Knock yourself out." She murmured as she ruffled his dark hair in a loving manner.
Henry grinned happily as he hugged the blonde before signing his thanks and then running to the playroom.
Both brunettes noticed how Emma interacted with Henry. They could see how much he looked up to the blonde and how much Emma seemed to get along so well with the boy.
Ruby couldn't help but think Emma would make an awesome parent if the occasion ever arose.
Emma then moved to sit with Regina as Ruby also joined them, moving to sit opposite from the couple.
Ruby eyed the pair as she waited for one of them to answer her question. "Well? What happened with August? Why isn't he here with us right now?"
Emma and Regina shared a look. The blonde giggled as her lover bit her lower lip, trying but failing to suppress a wicked smirk.
"Well, he did kinda interrupt our um… we…" Emma tried to explain.
"I'm just glad you sent him away otherwise I would have jumped your bones and scarred him for life," Regina replied, glad Henry was deaf and couldn't hear their conversation.
Ruby laughed at what the other brunette said. "You mean you two were…" She started signing for her sister's benefit, signing without using her voice at this point. "Trying to get it on? You fucked her and your cute brother came home unannounced?" She had a huge wolfish grin on her face.
"Wait! What are you two saying? It's not fair you are signing too fast for me!" Regina tried to pick up on what they were talking about but had only picked up on the basics of their conversation.
Emma smirked then, deciding it was time to teach her some very intimate signs. She spoke while signing for Regina. "Yes, exactly. August had the nerve to come here without calling me to tell me his plans. I was in the middle of making love with Regina. But yes like you asked, I was fucking her when my brother came home asking me if he could crash here and then take me to New Orleans Saturday. I told him no, that he could stay in a hotel."
Regina gave a very sensual smile as she realized she'd learned some new signs. She liked it very much. "I was so glad when she kicked him out so I could finish having my way with your sister. We fucked and fucked." She signed as she straddled Emma's lap and kissed her before she continued signing. "We fucked again before we ate the delicious dinner Em-ma made and then had a quickie before we went for ice cream and then came back here." She smiled, a look of satisfaction on her face.
"Now you see why I love this woman?" Emma chuckled. She looked at Regina. "If you don't stop, I might not let you go home."
Ruby grinned. "Will I be hearing any wedding bells in the future?" She couldn't remember ever seeing her sister this happy with anyone before. She had a good feeling about Regina.
Emma shrugged with a giddy smile on her face. "You'll be the first to know when we are going in that direction." She winked.
Regina hummed and bit her lower lip happily. She then moved and looked at Ruby. "Do you know what else your sister did?" She asked, changing the subject for now.
"What did Emma do?" Ruby looked at her sister.
The blonde answered, "I ordered a DNA kit from Ancestry. Regina and Henry are already in it as is her sister, Zelena. Maybe we will finally find out about my biological family once I send in my DNA."
Ruby seemed surprised at first. "So you're looking for your blood family?"
"Well yeah. I want to know my family history and medical history so I can be prepared. I want to know my nationality. I have always been curious to know my identity all my life. I want to know who I take after. So if and when I have kids, I can share the information with them." She watched her sister's face as she said this. "Rubes, you will always be my sister no matter what happens. I promise. I love you."
Ruby visibly relaxed and smiled. "I know you do, Ems." She reached out and took a hold of her hand. "So kids? Maybe you have some already? Did you two remember to use condoms today?" She had a certain sparkle in her eyes as she grinned at them.
Emma's jaw dropped as she realized they had been going at it like rabbits without any protection. "I uhm… shit." She looked over at Regina. Did she want kids? She remembered Regina mentioned she wanted another kid eventually. But what if there was a chance she could be pregnant? Wasn't it too soon for them to be considering having a baby? "D-do you um… what if we… I know you said…"
Regina was surprised by Ruby's question. She looked at Emma, seeing she was worried about her. Not about whether or not she could potentially be pregnant. "You're worried that I wouldn't be ready for a baby?" She smiled.
Emma tilted her head in surprise. "Well, I know you wanted another baby, but you implied you wanted it later, not now. And we forgot to use a condom... I forgot." She amended.
Regina chuckled. "Well, it's too late to be thinking about condoms. What's done is done. Besides, it takes nine months after the fact. So if I'm pregnant, we have plenty of time to prepare." She chuckled, kissing Emma who looked relieved. "And plenty of time to try if I'm not pregnant." She finished.
########
Saturday
Ruby and Henry went to the airport with Emma and Regina. August met them there. By this time, Henry had taken to calling Emma, Ma. He started calling August, his Uncle, and Ruby, his Aunt, while he got to know them better.
They'd hugged and kissed them good-bye. "You be good for Aunt Ruby, okay? Auntie Zelena called last night. She will be coming in a day or two." Regina informed Henry.
The adults had talked about Zelena's arrival the night before. Soon, they were on the plane heading for New Orleans.
It didn't take the flight too long. By the time they arrived, it was time for lunch and they settled in the hotel, they had booked two rooms and rented a car. They decided to take a walk on Bourbon Street which wasn't far from their hotel.
They decided to eat at Saints and Sinners. Afterward, August went his own way, opting to get drinks for himself.
Emma and Regina decided to go to Cafe du Monde to sample their famous Beignets which they enjoyed very much. While they were there, a stray cat or two came and sat with them. They loved how friendly the atmosphere was at that place.
Emma smiled. "Did you know this place is haunted?" She asked. Just as she said that the owner decided to share their experiences with the local ghost. All in all, they were having a good time.
Emma texted her brother to see if he would like to explore New Orleans with them. August agreed to go to the famous Cemeteries with them as well as Voodoo Queen, Marie Laveau's grave and store. They took the carriage rides as well as the trolley rides. Some of which August decided not to go with them. The women didn't mind using this time to spend together when they were not dealing with Amelia's funeral.
Regina got to see where Emma and August spent their time with Amelia. She saw the photos of a younger Emma that Amelia cherished when going through her personal belongings. August kept just a few items for himself while Emma chose the things that brought the best memories of Amelia. It was a very tender moment for brother and sister as they hugged it out.
It was the day of the funeral. Regina spent extra time in the bathroom that morning, feeling queasy. She emptied the contents of her stomach in the toilet just before Emma returned with August. When her nausea subsided, Regina looked at her reflection in the mirror before she splashed some water on her face. She felt better after she fixed up herself, brushed her teeth, and rinsed her mouth out. She then retouched her lipstick. She smiled, feeling better now. Her hand dropped to her abdomen as she thought about the last time she had her monthly. The signs were all there. It was unmistakable. Her instincts were telling her she was pregnant. She bit her lower lip and sighed happily as she rubbed her flat abdomen.
Now, all they needed to do was get through the funeral before meeting the lawyer to discuss Amelia's will. Then they were due to fly back home the following day. She wanted to tell Emma soon. But first, they needed to tie up some loose ends.
Emma spoke first at the podium. Talking about her good memories of Amelia and how she hoped Amelia was proud of them. She spoke of how her foster mother took them in and gave them a sense of normalcy for the duration of their time together as a family. She spoke of how important family was to Amelia and how happy Amelia was to find out Emma had finally found a forever family to call her own. She ended her speech with her final good-bye. "Because of you, I learned what it was to be loved, to be accepted for who I am. I love you, Amelia, and I will never forget you." A few tears escaped as she blew a kiss to the skies.
August then spoke about his experiences while being in Amelia's care. He spoke of how she would always have a special place in his heart. They closed with a song and prayer as they placed Amelia in an above-ground crypt. They then had a reception where they ate food that family and friends of Amelia brought.
Afterward, August and Emma met with the family lawyer. Amelia had left her home to Emma and August to do with it whatever they wanted. They both split the inheritance and decided to use the home as a vacation home and rent it out as an Airbnb when they weren't using it. They would share the benefits equally.
Soon, the trip was over. August flew out to take care of other business while Emma and Regina headed home.
The blonde held Regina's hand. "Thank you for coming with me. That meant a lot to me. Are you feeling okay?" She had noticed Regina looked green earlier when she got up to use the lavatory.
Regina smiled at Emma. "Don't you know by now, that there isn't anything I wouldn't do for you? I'm alright now. Besides, we will always be connected in more than one way." She knew she was being cryptic right now.
"What do you mean?" Emma asked, kissing her hand.
Regina smiled as she brought Emma's hand to her abdomen. "We've been together three weeks now, dear. Remember that conversation we had with Ruby before we took this trip together?"
Emma's eyes grew wide as the realization of what Regina was saying, hit her. "Y-you… you're pre…" she turned in her seat to focus all her attention on the brunette. She wished they were on the ground right now so she could take her to bed.
Regina smiled, feeling happy right now, loving the way the blonde was reacting to her news. "Yes, Emma. I'm pregnant."