Disclaimer: I don't own Once Upon a Time or any of its characters. (Too bad.)

Since I've heard a few rumors about Regina being pregnant with Robin's baby now (yuck), and - if it's actually true - it'll never turn out how I would want it to, I thought I should just tell my own tale about it.
This is gonna be a multi-chapter fic (about like 15-ish chapters, probably). Hope you'll enjoy it! Reviews are always welcome!

When Emma heard the knock on her front door, the first thing she did was let out an annoyed groan. After all, it was around 10.30 PM on a Monday night, and even though she was the sheriff, which – in a small town like Storybrooke – meant that she was on-call basically 24/7, emergencies mostly reached her through her phone, though, instead of coming straight to her home.

She put the beer she had been absentmindedly taking a sip from every now and then on the coffee table next to the couch, before she stood up, and went to open the door – ready to give the idiot disturbing her first quiet evening in what felt like 20 years a piece of her mind.

The person who actually stood in front of her once she had opened the door, however, made all of the insults she had already prepared in her mind instantly disappear into thin air.

"Regina? What's wrong?" Every alarm bell in the blonde's head was ringing while she took in the appearance of the woman in front of her.

She looked completely beside herself with something Emma couldn't exactly pinpoint; her normally impeccable hair was tousled, she was wearing yoga pants – yoga pants – and Emma was positive she could even see dried tear tracks on the brunette's paler than usual cheeks.

Her heart uncomfortably clenched together in her chest. While they were still on somewhat uncertain terms every now and then, Emma liked to think they had established a mutual understanding she would even call a friendship. They just kind of got each other in a way that no one else had before. It was nice. Easy. Comfortable.

And most importantly, they had each other's backs; so before Regina could even react, Emma had taken her by the hands, and all but dragged her towards the couch in the middle of the room, where the former mayor unceremoniously collapsed, letting her head fall in her hands. For a moment, Emma just stared at the normally so put-together woman now slumped on her couch. She wondered if something had happened to Henry, and instantly a wave of panic shot through her. She then wondered if Regina was sick; her panic grew tenfold.

Eventually, Emma sat down on the couch as well, however, way on the other end to give Regina the space she knew the other woman needed; at least for the moment. For what seemed like an eternity, they just sat there, nobody saying a word, because if Emma knew anything about Regina, it was that one should not push the former mayor; she had to come around herself.

"I... I'm pregnant," Regina whispered eventually, and at first Emma thought she was just making stuff up in her head now. But she wasn't, she realized after a beat, and couldn't help her jaw automatically almost hitting the floor. She did not exactly know what she had expected when she had found Regina at her doorstep, but certainly not this. Regina and Robin hadn't even been a thing for a month, at least as far as Emma knew.

She just couldn't believe that Regina I'm the biggest control freak ever Mills had let herself get knocked up by some random – and more importantly married – dude who, to top it all off, smelled like fucking forest. Emma wanted to punch a goddamn puppy. For some reason she had hated that guy from the moment they had first met. Because he was a moron, a cheater, and constantly looked like he had to take a big dump. Not at all because she was kinda jealous, if she actually thought about it.

"I'm sorry I'm even bothering you with this, but... I didn't really know who else to turn to." If it was possible, her shoulders sagged even more. She looked so small, it choked Emma with sorrow. Even when Regina had had to stop the trigger to save the town, when they had been sick with worry about Henry in Neverland, when they had said goodbye at the town line, Regina had never looked this broken. It made Emma want to reach out to the brunette, to take her hand, let her cry on her shoulder. But she didn't move. Instead, she just looked at Regina, as if trying to memorize every little detail about the other woman.

"It's fine. I... just didn't see that one coming," she mumbled quietly after a while, desperate to get her act back together, to not scare Regina off, and help her somehow instead. She just wanted to do something to make her feel better; anything, really. But she herself was overwhelmed already, so she couldn't even fathom what had to be going on in Regina's head right now.

"Are you alright?" she asked tentatively, inching a little closer to the brunette sitting on the other end of the couch. It was a stupid question – a pathetically weak attempt at giving comfort – she knew it, but it was the best she could do right now. "Do I look alright," the brunette laughed bitterly, and finally looked Emma in the eyes. The blonde saw that they were darker than normal; pure chocolate instead of the usual cognac. It looked breathtakingly beautiful and incredibly heartbreaking all at once. It made Emma even more desperate to try and help the other woman with everything she had.

"If you need anything or... whatever, I'm always here to help you, y'know?" Regina just shrugged and looked back down at her hands that were fidgeting in her lap. "Regina, seriously." Carefully, Emma finally reached out and put one of her hands onto Regina's, effectively stopping her fidgeting. "After all we've been through together up until now, I guess it's safe to say we're friends. So stuff it, cuddle up, and just let me help you."

That was the moment Regina completely fell apart. She basically leaped into the blonde's arms, shaking with loud sobs. For a while, Emma just held the other woman, and gently drew random shapes on Regina's upper arm with her pointer finger.

It was the closest they had ever been, at least as far as Emma could remember right then. Regina's hair smelled a little like the expensive shampoo one of the blonde's ex-girlfriends had loved to use – some sort of weird vanilla and lilac mix which was about 50 dollars a bottle. Naturally, Emma had always assumed Regina would smell like apples which was a completely ridiculous thought now that she actually thought it through. Great job with the stereotypes, Swan!

At some point, Regina shifted into a proper sitting position again, but still held on to the other woman for dear life. "I just don't know if I should be happy or devastated," Regina sobbed, looking at Emma with eyes full of desperation, fear, and hope.

Emma was thinking back to the moment she found out she was pregnant with Henry: 17 years old, alone, and in a jail cell. Not the best circumstances. But Regina was in a different situation altogether. She was a strong woman who knew where she stood in life and what she wanted from it. Most importantly, though, she was not alone. She had Emma.