The Life We Will Fight For

Misery loves company

„M...Mom?", Henry whispered and he didn't quite believe what he was seeing. He knew that she was expecting, but seeing her in front of him with his own eyes was something else entirely.

„Henry!", she whispered back and was visibly torn between greeting her son and destroying her other half, the task she had originally come here to accomplish.

„What do you mean, where is Robin?", Regina immediately hissed back and had to duck to avoid getting hit by another fireball, „Would you stop that?! How am I supposed to answer questions if you torch off my head?"

„Well, so far you haven't been answering any of my questions, have you? So maybe you're just not of a lot of use to me?"

She started walking towards her, letting her cape sway dramatically behind her, and Regina was seriously impressed by her ability to still walk so confidently on those stiletto heeled boots even at seven or eight months pregnant. She was even a little proud of herself, but just for a moment, until she saw her other half conjuring up another fireball. And with a pushing movement of both her hands and arms she sent the queen flying through the room before she could attack them once more.

„Regina!!", Snow gasped and she and Henry instinctively ran towards their mother and former stepmother and arch nemesis, „She's pregnant!!"

„Yeah, so?", she replied and sat back down, taking another sip from her coffee while parts of the diner were sizzling in flames behind her, „I am too, so you better not mess with me."

„You're... what??", the queen gasped as she was trying to get back on her feet with Snow's and Henry's help before finally hugging her son.

He was completely hypnotized by her round belly.

„Wow...", he whispered, looking down on it, „Congratulations, I'm so happy for you!"

„Thank you, dear", she replied with a sad smile, „It's so good to see you again! Look at you, you're all grown up! And how handsome you are!"

„Good to see you too! Even though I'd wished it had been under happier circumstances?"

„Indeed!", she nodded, then moved her attention back to Regina, „Speaking of... I'm sorry, what did you just say?"

„I'm pregnant!", Regina repeated triumphantly, „You're not the only one of us to find a way to outsmart her destiny."

„Well, good for you! And I didn't even have to serve it to you on a silver platter after I have been trying, failing and suffering for years..."

„That's all good and well", Granny finally stepped back into the scene, „Now, can we all sit back down and stop destroying my diner? And if one of you people with magic could fix this mess, please? Thank you very much!"

Regina waved her hand, and the flames died down while the back wall of the diner slowly put itself back together until everything was back to looking as if nothing ever happened, still the same sad, pathetic birthday party where no one dared to even smile. But still, everything had changed. Because they finally had what they had been hoping to find for days: a lead.

„So... you're saying that Robin's missing too?", asked Snow as she sat her former stepmother down at their table.

„What do you mean, ‚too'?", she was breathing heavily, pressing her hand to her belly. Regina looked at her, feeling bad all of a sudden. At least partially...

„Are you okay? Is the baby..."

„Why do you care?! You're apparently having your own baby now, so why do you look so pissed?"