Memories [OUAT/Helsa]

Those He Loves

Storybrooke

Present Day

She had been mumbling in her sleep.

It made his brows furrowed, to hear the soft sounds she made once in a while, how her fingers curled around the sheet, and he pressed his lips on her forehead as his fingers combed through her hair to soothe her.

The baby must have been moving around relentlessly, restless inside her womb due to it's rapid growing.

It was late in the night, the Storybrooke's residents would mostly be asleep right now, excluding Emma and Regina and perhaps some others that went to search for his brothers.

Yet he himself wouldn't sleep.

He couldn't.

He had to make sure that Elsa was safe, that no one would get their hands on her ever again to try and harm her and their child.

"The baby kicked..." Her eyes remained closed for a moment before they fluttered opened to look up at him, and for the first time since they were left alone in the Loft, she truly looked tired. "Did you feel it?"

Nodding, he gave her a smile as he continued to rub her belly. "It was a strong one, wasn't it?"

"Mm-hm..."

"Elsa," he could see the tiredness in her eyes, see how close she was to falling back asleep. "Are you feeling alright?"

There was a moment of silence between them before the platinum blonde haired Queen slowly shook her head. "I'm afraid..." She whispered so quietly he knew he was the only one who could hear her, even when there was no one else in the Loft either. "I'm not ready yet."

He knew she wasn't, because neither did he, to have their child coming so far early because of what his brothers had done to her, but to hear her actually said it made him realize that it must have been far more terrifying for her than it was to him.

She was about to give birth in any time soon, in a land that was not her own kingdom, her own home, when initially she thought she had more time.

"I know you are afraid," his fingers ran through her platinum hair soothingly as she moved to snuggle into his arms. "But I will be here, I will always be here to protect you."

"Will you really?"

He has an automatic reaction as he laid his eyes on his brother, standing there in the kitchen so casually, grabbing the hidden sword underneath the bed to protect his wife.

"How did you get through?" Emma had put up a protection spell at the entrance to make sure that no one could get in, apparently it didn't work as effective as they think.

"Oh that?" Franz nodded toward the door. "I have someone breaking through the barrier. It was quite handful, but honestly, you can't expect us to just let you sit around in peace."

"Hans," her hand grabbed his, an if it was not for the spark of urgency in her eyes, he would have told her to wait just a moment until he finished dealing with his brother.

"It's time, isn't it, Elsa? I can see it in your eyes." The blonde haired man chuckled as he pulled his own sword out. "Well then, looks like I'm going to have that baby sooner than later."

"You're not getting anywhere near them."