True Love: God Approved

Chapter 23

*Emma's POV*

"That... actually makes sense," Regina said in disbelief, quickly grabbing a book from her bag and flipping through it. "She didn't get what she wanted from you so now she's going for the next best thing. With magic like that at her disposal, there's no telling what she'd be capable of."

"Well that's encouraging," I sighed, putting my hands on my bump protectively out of instinct. "What do we do now then?"

"All we can do right now is try to keep you safe," she told me, seeming to be at a total loss as Killian's other hand joined mine. "I can keep looking, but as long as you don't skip ahead anymore we have time. That's something we didn't have last time."

"Then I think this would be just the time to do those pictures we talked about," Mom cut in, trying to break the tension. "We need to do something that isn't centered around villains, and I think engagement photos are perfect. We need to remember that we're a family in all of this, too."

"Hun, we don't have to do that now," Dad started but I interrupted.

"No, I want to," I said looking up from our hands on my stomach. "The queen's goal has always been to take away happiness, but I refuse to not be happy about the good things in my life and that includes my family. I knew I was giving him his best chance when I gave Henry up and he was lucky to end up right where he belongs, but I won't let this baby end up like me. I won't, I can't."

I quickly got up, going outside to get some air as the tears I'd been holding back finally escaped. I wasn't surprised to hear the door after me, but I was surprised by who it was to follow me. My mom wrapped me in a tight hug, holding me as I cried silently.

"I know, Emma, I know," She said gently, rubbing my back in an effort to comfort me. "None of this is easy, and none of us expect you to be a hundred percent after all you've been through. We're all here for each other, that's what family is about."

"I'm sorry," I shook my head as I pulled away and wiped my eyes. "I don't know what's wrong with me today. I woke up in the middle of the night in pain and then I had an awful nightmare that woke me up screaming, I'm just not myself."

"You're pregnant," she reminded me with a small smile, wiping a tear that I'd missed. "Hormones are hell, I know you know that, but this time you got thrown into it a lot faster than last time, you're bound to be emotional. I know you usually just talk to Hook, but I hope you know you can always talk to me, too. I know I'm not as 'devilishly handsome' as he puts it," she smiled and I laughed a bit. "and I can't comfort you the same way, but-"

"You're my mom," I cut her of gently. "I'm thirty years old, but you're always going to be my mom. I don't exactly have a lot of experience with the whole mom thing, so you're definitely going to get a lot of questions."

"I'd love that," she smiled widely, tears in her eyes. "But you've been pregnant before, you know what you're doing there."

"Actually, not really," I admitted, looking down as I placed my hands over my bump. "I spent the entire time trying not to get attached to him because I knew I couldn't be his mom then. This time... it's so different."

"You can do this," she assured me, sounding so sure I looked back up. "You know you can. And you're not alone this time, you have Hook and you have all of us."

"Right, family," I nodded, taking a breath and smoothing my shirt to show my bump more proudly. "Let's just go get our pictures done, okay? I already feel huge because of this bump, I forgot how big I got and i don't want to have my own zip code by the time we get those done."

"Come on," she smiled. "Let's get you and that baby back inside, you need to finish eating."

"Whatever," I grumbled as we went back inside. I didn't say a word, not looking at anyone as I sat back down next to Killian and mumbled to him. "Sorry, babe."