Teacher's Pet: The Sequel

Chapter 9: The Beginning

Green eyes fixated on a collection of small, digital numbers, anxious, yet excited, as they waited what was to come. Each digit seemed as if it took millennia to turn; yet they seemed to change before the orbs that stared could even blink. Every second that ticked by had turned yet another page in Emma Swan's future, preparing to unlock a new chapter.

This new chapter was something the two of them had been thinking about for quite some time and, honestly, it was no shock when they were in bed one night and Regina had brought it up. The two of them had been married for over a year by that time; Emma was in her last year of college while Regina still held onto her teaching job at the high school. And that was the reason why the older woman had "subtly" suggested her plan to the blonde.

She wasn't getting any younger, she had said, and the time on her biological clock was no doubt running short. Now Emma, being who she was, had been ecstatic about the prospect of finally getting to see Regina with a swollen belly.

A baby.

Regina hadn't pushed it onto the blonde since she was still in school and "still so very young and I know that you want to live your life before being stuck with raising a child." Emma, though, didn't mind. After all, she was twenty-two and would be on the force with Graham by the time the baby would be born.

With a few more reassurances, Regina had made an appointment the next day to see what they would have to do. Emma had happily tagged along, smiling excitedly as she held her wife's hand and listened as the doctor told them of the procedures and what they needed to do in preparation. Tracking charts and ovulation tests had Emma's head spinning and Regina grinning.

They had to wait at least two weeks before they knew if the procedure had taken. Cautiously, they waited an extra two and smiled when Regina had missed her monthly friend, which had led them to a similar moment just as this.

The blonde swallowed and unclenched her aching fingers, stretching them as she finally peeled her eyes away from the searing orange when she heard a soft shuffle on the carpet. Those sharp emerald orbs lifted to meet whisky pools, a frown claiming her lips as she stood, her legs nearly giving way underneath her weight.

"Are you alright, Gina?" She inquired, shifting closer to the older woman when Regina had paused in her stride. "What did it say?"

A few moments of silence passed after Emma's question and it didn't take her long to stick the pieces together. Their eyes connected once again in a silent confirmation before the older woman's lips quivered as she leaned heavily against her younger lover.

"I'm sorry, Emma," she whimpered into the blonde's cotton shirt, body shuddering slightly.

"Sorry?" Emma felt her heart fall at the small apology and held the woman tightly. "You don't need to be sorry, Gina. It's not your fault..."

"It is..." she murmured quietly, nose buried in the soft, pale skin of Emma's neck. "I'm just... too old."

"Regina, stop that." The blonde sighed softly, her fingers unconsciously curling into the older woman's. "Sometimes these tests can be faulty, y'know? And besides that, the doctor said you were good to go."

Before she knew it, she was pulling her wife along with her and back to the bathroom. Regina murmured something softly behind her and, when the blonde had gazed back, she saw a glimmer of hope in those beautiful eyes.

Emma offered the brunette a reassuring smile, hoping that her own words could remove the sudden pit that occupied her stomach. Regina's lips quirked up into a soft smile as she allowed herself to be guided by Emma towards the toilet as the latter had picked up the box that still held the unused pregnancy test. Anxious, mocha eyes watched as the blonde plucked the little device out and examined it.