Rating: M due to language and mild sexual innuendo
Warnings: Zombie Apocalypse AU, No Magic AU (Sort of), New Adult AU
Summary: It's 2018, and the world has been overrun by zombies. Which is cause for concern by itself. Add being pregnant to the mix, and it's a recipe for disaster. The kind of disaster, Regina Mills was not ready for. Lucky for her, she's got an unlikely partner in Emma Swan, to help her through this.
Notes: In a weird twist, I've turned an original work into a fanfiction. I've changed a bit of the dialogue to better fit the characters and filled out some things so people aren't scratching their heads about certain elements of this story. Anyway, I hope you enjoy.
Disclaimer: I do not own any of these characters, or whatever the hell else. They belong to Disney, ABC etc, etc, I claim no rights to copyrighted material, and this story is purely for entertainment purposes.

10 Weeks

Fuck. Morning. Sickness.

It was Five A.M. and Regina Mills was throwing up. For the eighth day in row, her stomach twisted and knotted as she retched and heaved until there was nothing left. And then it twisted and knotted as she continued to retch and heave until she was trembling mess; hugging her porcelain god as she prayed for relief that would never come. This kid — this fucking kid was going to certainly be the death of her.

And if the morning sickness didn't kill her, her constant state of perpetual anxiety would.

Regina was too young; just barely 19. Too scared (what the fuck was she going to do with a kid?), too ill-equipped (if you ever met her mother it would have went without saying) to be a mother. And if the world wasn't a fucked up shithole before, it sure as hell was now that they were up to their asses in zombies.

The world (if you could call it that) Post Day Zero didn't seem like a good place to raise a child, either.

Especially all alone.

14 days. It had only been 14 days since she found out. And 12 days since she held her child's father, Daniel, as he laid dying, bleeding out in her arms.

Regina slept in his leather jacket most days because it still smelled like him. Well it smelled like him and dried blood. But she couldn't throw it away. Just like she couldn't throw this kid away. Because it was a part of him. This child. Their kid.

Her baby.

What the fuck am I going to do?

The door to her dorm creaked opened and her head shot up quickly. The compound had been overrun before and a zombie could rise from a fresh death. So she went from miserable to murderous within less than a second. A bite wouldn't turn her — she found that out the hard way, but still she wasn't about to be eaten alive by a horde.

But didn't I lock that door?

Regina could have sworn she had. She always did. Even before the Zombie Apocalypse locking her door was a must. She didn't trust these people. A part of her still didn't despite everything they had gone through. It was just how she was wired. Trust, faith; those were things that were hard to come by for her pre Day Zero.

She waited and listened. Heavy booted steps clomped toward her bathroom before she heard a gentle albeit hesitant knock on her bathroom door, followed by soft-spoken words.

"Hey, your Majesty. Everything ok?"

Regina relaxed. Zombie didn't knock. They didn't speak either. It was just Emma Swan: the other bittersweet complication in her life.

With the baby coming, eventually, and Daniel being dead, her feelings for Emma were muddled at best. They had always confused her. She didn't know if what she was feeling was proper or right. Not that she had ever concerned herself with proper and/or right. But that was when it was just her. Now that she had this almost-baby, it was just hard to be a selfish bitch. Even if it was for Emma.

"Everything's great, Swan." Her stomach turned. "Just fine."

After a series of clicks, the bathroom door eased open. Regina didn't have the strength to lift her head up; too tired. Because she was so damn exhausted. Always. For no reason. And fucking Byron Whale had her on light and limited duty inside the compound, so she hadn't been outside the walls if Storybrooke for weeks. It was getting to her. Seeing the same damn people, doing the same damn thing over and over for weeks on end. She wanted to shoot something. Or someone. Or set things on fire. But most of all she just wanted the morning sickness to finally stop.

"Emma, get out…" she groaned. "Please."

"Sorry, your Majesty. No can do. You're stuck with me. So cope."

Regina had a sarcastic quip in the chamber but then Emma was rubbing her back, and easing her away from the porcelain bowl, so whatever she was about to say faded away in the warmth of her embrace.

"Let's get you back to bed," Emma whispered.

"Don't you have to work?" Regina asked, trying to put up some sort of fight.

The other girl smirked. "It's my day off."

Regina frowned. "I don't believe you."

"Do you care?" Emma asked as she eased Regina into her bed, and pulled the coverings over her.

"No."

And that was it, Regina didn't push it any further. Neither did Emma. She didn't even try and get into bed with her. Maybe it was too soon. Emma had lost Elsa the same time, Regina had lost Daniel. Or maybe Emma just didn't feel the same way.

"Emma?"

"What's up, your Majesty?"

"Will you…" the words died in Regina's throat.

"Go to sleep, Regina," Emma urged, adding (as if she could read her mind), "I'll be here when you wake up."

12 Weeks

"Emma, it is five in the morning," Regina groaned when she heard her dorm room door open and shut. "What the hell are you doing in my room?"

"You get sick around this time every morning…" Emma explained as if that was supposed to mean something to them both.

"So?"

Emma shifted nervously on her feet and looked down at the floor with a heavy sigh. "I thought someone should be here for you when you do."

Regina just let out a loud groan and buried her head on a stack of pillows. Fucking Emma Swan. All she wanted was to sleep; maybe have five minutes to herself. And Regina was going to argue those points, which were valid. However, the second she opened her mouth, she felt her gut flip and the first pangs of nausea bubbled in her throat as her mouth watered excessively.

Traitor, she thought.

It seemed the kid was already taking sides against her.

Yes, this baby must be a Mills, then.

Instead of throwing it into her face, Emma chuckled, and helped Regina slowly slip out of her bed.

"Come on, your Majesty," she urged, softly. "I'll hold your hair back this time."

And she did.

For the next hour as Regina made awful, almost inhuman sounds, Emma held her hair out of her face and gently ran her hand up and down her back, while she offered soothing words. Emma told Regina that she was strong. That it was going to be okay. But most importantly, Emma told her that she wasn't alone in this.

"I don't have anyone, Kathryn's barely 16. She's a just baby. And Zelena and I might be sisters, but we barely know each other." The nausea had finally subsided enough that she could form a coherent thought and Regina was only trying to give Emma an out by mentioning her only friend and her half-sister.

Emma shook her head. "I wasn't talking about Kat, or your bitchy sister, Regina."

Regina didn't know what to say. A part of her was thankful. She had Emma. And Emma was choosing to stay, to be with her. However Regina knew through past experience that she couldn't rely on other people. She was used to being on her own. It was simple. She knew what to expect. People were complicated, unpredictable, and they had a habit of always letting her down.

If past was prologue, then Emma would be no different. Still, after she got her cleaned up and back into bed, Regina reached out for her hand.

"Hold me?" Regina whispered.

Emma glanced between the door and the bed. Then she sighed. "Ok. But no funny business, Mills. I know I'm like way hot so it'll be hard for you. But you're just gonna have to control yourself."

Regina rolled her eyes, but brought a hand up to hide her smile.

She still couldn't let Emma know how she felt, how grateful she was that she stayed, how thankful she was that Emma was climbing into bed with her just to hold her.

As Regina's eyes fluttered shut she was hit with the realization that this was the first time she shared a bed with someone and only slept.

And it was wonderful because it was with Emma.

14 Weeks

"Everything hurts…" Regina complained as she was laying on an exam table. "Why does everything hurt?"

"Because your baby is growing and with it your uterus is expanding."

Fucking Whale. If Regina hadn't seen him bleed with her own eyes, she would have wondered if he was a robot.

She glared at him, thinking, If he wasn't Jefferson's boyfriend…

It seemed he caught on and nodded, adding. "You were speaking rhetorically."

She rolled her, "Really? You think so? No shit, Whale."

"Regina..." Jefferson chided, though he didn't left his head from his notebook. He was drawing again. Sketching more than she had ever seen him before Day Zero. And she learned quickly that when Jefferson drew, he was like a dog with a bone. He wouldn't stop until it was done.

She rolled her eyes again and huffed. "Fine. You should be glad that Jefferson likes you, Whale."

"I'm thrilled," Whale replied, flatly before he changed the subject. "You're doing fine. And the baby— well, I'm not sure. I didn't notice any signs of distress. But babies aren't in my wheelhouse. If you'd let someone else see you, Dr. Drake maybe—"

"No," Regina said, quickly. "I don't know her. I'd let Aurora touch me before let some stranger."

He frowned. "Aurora and I have never delivered a baby. And Regina, if there was a complication…"

She hadn't thought about that. What if something went wrong? What if there was something wrong now? What if she lost the baby to something she had no control over?

Her eyes filled with worry and Whale saw it. "Breathe, Regina. You're healthy. You're young. Forgive me for sounding like an asshole, but your body is built to do just this. I only want you to understand that I have no experience with this. My mother was a cardiac surgeon. My father cut into brains. I know nothing about children."

Regina took a deep breath and let it out slowly. Then she nodded. "I understand." And she paused, studying Whale for a just moment. "You were going to follow in their footsteps, weren't you? Become a genius surgeon?"

Whale shrugged. "Maybe. Though I probably would have specialized in pediatrics. Surgery on children would have been challenging."

This was why she liked Byron Whale. He wasn't looking to be a hero. And he wasn't looking for anyone's approval. They had all seen his monster; the demon that lurked beneath the surface of his being. And the conclusion everyone came to that night was that Whale was one scary fucker. However, he was sincere about it. He never lied with his actions. He was what he was. And Regina respected him for that.

She would have said something sarcastic, of course. However, the doors to the infirmary swung opened and Emma strode in with someone unfamiliar at her side. He was one of the new faces around the compound. Hyde apparently had put him on the Council. So that meant he was some big shot around Storybrooke. Or Archie had singled him out for some reason. Either way, Regina didn't need to know him. And she didn't want to know him.

"Regina, this is Merlin Drake. Merlin, this is Regina," Emma said, her mouth twitching with the need to smoke.

Now that Regina thought about it, she hadn't seen Emma with a cigarette for a few weeks now. Odd, considering the amount of smokers still around the compound. If Emma didn't have any cigarettes, she could always trade someone for a smoke.

"Bright Blessings to you, Regina," Merlin greeted with a happy smile and a slight nod.

Regina looked at him and then turned to Emma. "No. Swan, whatever you're about to say, just no."

Emma frowned at her. "You haven't even heard — You know what? No. You need someone that knows about babies and pregnancy and all that junk. And so I got you someone. End of story."

"End of story?" Regina scoffed. "This is my baby. I get a say, Emma!"

"You're right, Regina, this is your kid," Emma paused, donning a pensive expression before she continued. "Little Emma Jr. is gonna need all the help she can get and I know you don't trust Dr. Drake. And I get it. But Merlin—"

"He's seventeen!" Regina cut in. She looked at Merlin before she repeated herself, "You're seventeen, no."

"And I've delivered or helped deliver seven new lives into this world. All of them my cousins or nieces or nephews. Not to mention the livestock I've delivered. I can help you, Regina. I would consider it a blessing," he told her.

Regina folded her arms over her chest and stared Emma down. She wanted to be upset but she wasn't. Emma came through for her and the baby. Again. Just like she had for the last five weeks. "Fine. But I'm not naming my baby, Emma."

"We'll see, your Majesty," Emma replied with a smug smirk.

Regina's eyes fluttered with a roll.

Bitch.

16 Weeks

Regina must have dozed off. The fatigue had receded when the morning sickness finally went away. But nap time was still a must. Merlin said she'd soon get a burst of energy and that would get more intense, the closer they got to her due date. So she was getting in the rest while she could. Besides, nap time (or sleeping in general) meant she'd get to be close to Emma, waking up in her warm embrace, wrapped in arms that put her at ease and made her feel safe.

Regina didn't want to admit how much she liked that, instead hoping on some level this was just hormones.

She didn't say anything at first; didn't make a move as she didn't want to break away from her living body pillow. She basked in Emma's warmth. She, like anyone that was bitten and survived burned hotter than most. Not as warm as Regina, who was essentially living flame inside a meat suit now, but it was still nice.

Emma had scooted lower on the bed, so she was eye level with Regina's tiny baby bump, whispering quietly to it.

"I know the zeds are gonna seem scary, kid," she began. "But once you learn their secret, it's easy. Just one pop to the head, and boom, no more zed. Other than that, you're lucky, kid. You've got a whole army of people that love you. You've got a pack of uncles and aunts. You've got one badass granny, and even if your mom doesn't see it yet, kid, your G-Ma loves you. Doesn't even know you yet. But she already loves you something fierce. But most of all, kid, you've got your mom and you've got me. And so long as there's air in our lungs, we're gonna make sure you've got it so good, kid. Better than me or your mom ever had it, even in this kind of world. I promise."

"Emma, why are you talking to my stomach?" Regina asked, trying not to grin.

Her bedmate scoffed. "I'm not talking to your stomach, your Majesty. I'm talking to the kidlet. In that book you're supposed to read — the one you've got me reading instead, says she can hear voices now. Just testing it out. What's that kid?" Emma eased her ear against Regina like the baby was talking back. But then something turned her expression serious almost immediately. "Whoa— Holy shit."

Regina's eyes snapped open and she was in a full on panic. "What? What is it? Is there something wrong?" She looked at Emma and noticed sea green eyes brimming with tears. "Emma?" Regina pleaded. "You're scaring me. What that fuck is going on?"

"I can hear her heartbeat, Regina…" Emma whispered. "It's strong. She's strong."

Regina rolled her eyes. "How do you know it's a girl?"

Emma flashed a smug smirk. "Didn't you hear, your Majesty? I got superpowers."

"So do I," Regina replied, pointing to the bite scar on her arm.

This time Emma rolled her eyes. "Then call it woman's intuition."

"We are both female, Emma."

Regina's bedmate groaned and said, "I just know, Regina. Alright?"

The exasperation in Emma's voice made her smile. "Fine, alright."