Ever After

CHAPTER 4 - Baby shower

Author's note: Hi! I hope you're doing great as you read this next chapter. I just want to thank all of you for reading this fic especially those who have expressed how much they liked each chapter, it really means a lot to me. And I do hope you'd also enjoy this chapter, as the title says, it's about the party for the Outlaw Princess and a part about the baby's name. I hope you will also like the name I chose for the kid :) So here it goes, enjoy!

o-o

"Open this one," Emma asked Regina as she held out a rectangular gift towards her. It was wrapped in a light pink-colored paper with drawings of baby holding letters. Regina has opened a couple of presents earning her different kinds of clothing with variety of colors for her princess, feeding bottles, stuffed toys and tiny shoes among others. She reached for the next one and started ripping the covers faster than she had done on the last few gifts she'd opened. Once the wrapper all fell out from the present, a book was revealed.

"Oh," Regina managed to mumble as she frowned, unable to fight the sadness drawing on her face. It's a book with prints of "Once Upon a Time" on the cover, resembling the exact book Henry used to read and hide from her when she was all Evil Queen. "I hope I'm not in it," she said trying to flash a fake smile. Her grip on the book so strong that she could tear it apart if she wanted to. She could only imagine the stories on that book, her villainous acts and everyone's happy endings but not hers.

"You're all in it," Henry interrupted as he emerged from between the people at the baby shower. Regina looked up, worried, but the grin of Henry's face tells her something otherwise. "I don't care what happened in Enchanted Forest or in the past, all I care about is here and now. And in this story," Henry paused as he approached towards his brunette mother and placed his hand on surface of the book then added, "you have your fairy tale ending, just like now."

Regina smiled and caught her son's hand, "Henry," she uttered, her voice soft as she tried to fight tears of joy already welling up on the corner of her eyes. "Thank you," she said. "Thank you," then pulled Henry's hand to bring his face close to her and placed a kiss on his temples.

"Mom," Henry complained and the rest of the group burst into laughter. "Belle helped me, and mom too," he said as he gazed on his blonde mother. Regina smiled as she looked down on the book on her lap and flipped it to the middle revealing a page of graphic scene where Robin and her kissing, she blushed and instantly closed the book. But it was too late, almost everyone saw that page. Henry found his a little revenge, "Oh!" He exclaimed. "That's when I lost my memory and caught the two of you as I uttered an awkward 'Madame Mayor'," he said, grinning.

"Walk of shame," Granny commented which earned her a glare from no one but the Madame Mayor herself. She instantly froze. Although Regina was no longer viewed as the Evil Queen, she still has that effect on people. Something she will always have, she bets.

"Time for lasagna, eh?" Belle teased Granny, giggling.

"I guess so," Regina answered as she wanted to have some space to breathe. The swirling on her abdomen happens more frequent and hiding her discomfort wasn't easy, especially when all eyes were actually on her. She stood up from the middle of everyone and Robin immediately got near her as she walked across the diner to the other side. She has been so used to solitude that it brings her comfort whenever, although of course, she now prefers solitary moments with Robin Hood, Henry and Roland.

"The baby's kicking in?" Snow White asked as she materialized, holding a toddler Prince Neal on her lap. Regina just nodded, her face still in grimace. "It's all going to be worth it," Snow reassured.

"I know," Regina agreed.

"So what are you going to name her?" Belle re-appeared, yet again, with a question.