WHO:Emma & Lina WHEN: Late Feb WHERE: Lina and Pete's place WHAT: Talks about babies, magic, the future nightmares and oreos. Pregnant ladies bonding. RATING/WARNINGS: Zilch STATUS: Complete
Lina didn’t get the point of a second set of dreams. Then again, she figured it was best to stop trying to figure out what made the OC go ‘round and ‘round - who the fuck knew, there were better things to focus on, and her dreams weren’t terrible. Not really. Comedic in a way, and historically fascinating in the context of her world. It was only when the subject of Hellmaster reared it’s ugly head. The psychotic demon with the face of a child that killed her friends with a smile and puppeted her to doing exactly what he wanted - cast a spell so he could make her heart explode, let the magic go wild and watch their world go bye-bye.
Things were a bit different this time, but the core things remained, and if she had to see a similar situation unfold through the eyes of a much younger version of herself, she was going to cut a bitch.
“Ever realize when you have too much dream stuff?” From weapons to clothing, magical amplifiers to manuscripts. Most of it not exactly baby friendly, either. But right now she and Emma were in what would eventually be considered the room no baby was supposed to enter - a place in the new house she and Pete had recently gotten that was meant to store the adult stuff. From mundane firearms to all the nifty items the dreams had given them, and she had boxes.
Currently she had received a pile of old, musty tombs from the Sorcerer’s Guild of her world. Script about the the five great sages, their research, forbidden arts and some historical records. “One of the lasts one Pete grabbed by accident - it sent him into a berserker rage, had him burn down half of our old townhouse, hence the need for this place.”
So far, the extent of Emma’s dream gifts was fairly small. She’d gotten her bug, and really that was all Emma really cared about -the badge was neat, she’d given that to Henry when he’d asked about her dreams and what they were like -at least the ones she could tell him about. Beyond that, there was nothing really; the yellow bug, her badge and another jacket to add to her already vast leather jacket collection.
She had not received a gift from the dreams that caused the burning down of her home. “I would lock almost all of that up and never look at it again.” Emma knew that between them, Lina and Pete had some impressive abilities. And if they were going up against the dream items causing untold too, Emma would distance herself from that like crazy.
“On the other hand, this place is really nice.” Provided baby-proofing of an entirely different nature happened.
They were working on baby-proofing. Fire-proofing. OC-proofing, if possible, and it probably wasn’t but fuck they’d try. They’d chosen this place for a deeper sense of permanence, meaning they’d try to do all they could to make sure it was subject to as less destruction as possible - they wanted their kid to grow up in one home, not multiple ones because things kept breaking. Or burning down. Or whatever else could happen around here, which were things that could fill an entire book.
“Sentimental value,” she sighed, nose scrunched. “Also a lot of the stuff’s got magical properties to learn from - handy to have, and I’d rather keep it here. If there’s anything you want to poke at or use, just let me know.” Granted, whatever what was of reasonable, safe use. Emma was another magic-y sort and probably the only other person aside from Zee she’d trust handling any of her sorcery-infused junk.
Later she’d unbox everything, find a home for the bits and bobs, but right now there were more important things. Like chocolate. “But thanks,” grinned the redhead. “I can get us some milk and oreos - we can sit in the soon-to-be baby’s room? There’s a window bench in there that overlooks the yard we can get comfortable in.”
“You know, I actually really like reading them. It’s sort of strange, I’m not sure if I learn anything but…” But the books that Zatanna had given her to read through had been fascinating, and the ones she flipped through from Regina. She wasn’t sure how much magical theory actually worked, but the concept just on it’s own was rather interesting to read through too. “So, anything that won’t drive me crazy would be great to have a look through.” The safer ones would probably be better.
“That sounds like heaven,” because who turns down oreos? They were perfectly able to justify scoffing as many as they liked right then too. “Already started to get it comfortable for when you practically have to move in there?” It sounded like it’d be nice at least, apparently views were good to have.
“Hey, by the end of the day, feel free to sift through - I don’t mind sharing tricks with people I like,” she winked, leading her through the mostly set up kitchen. A couple of things needed to be put away but on the bright side, the fridge and pantry were fully stocked, and Lina retrieved an unopened package of double-stuffed oreos and glasses of milk.
Chocolate and cheese, her two craving weaknesses. Right now the desire for something sweet overcame the desire for delicious melted goo.
As for the nursery, it was decently sized - it was meant for the little girl to grow into, but the colors were simple. A light gray, splashes of coral and turquoise. No barfy colors or anything bright. There were some boxes of furniture yet to be unpacked and assembled, and the only place to sit was that window bench - it was her favorite part of the room. It brought in a lot of natural sunlight.
Time to open up the cookies! “We’re working on it still. Pete’s got furniture duty, but it’s coming along. The closet’s stuffed with a tower of diapers already. Has Neal been assembling anything yet? I’m waiting for the string of curses followed by yells of rage.”
Moving was one of Emma’s least favourite things. Which was ironic, considering how much she used to do it. There was a reason she rented fully furnished apartments though, most of her belongings always fit into her old battered up car. Now that she had a home, one that she was entirely settled in, she really couldn’t imagine uprooting from there for any reason.
Which she knew was foolish, but she had hopes that they would never need to. “I’m going to take that as the compliment I’m hoping it was.” Because Emma knew just how powerful Lina really was, and it was a bit of a scary prospect, but just as interesting all the same, to see where some of that came from and the background there.
“Oh, it looks lovely.” There was a lot of putting off when it came to these things, and Emma knew enough about that. “We’re going with a theme, it seems like fun, you know?” Although they’d agreed to step away from the fairy tale theme that might end up biting them in the ass a little further down the line. “I have a cot picked out, but we haven’t bought it yet. We’re gonna go out with Henry one day and do our registry, hopefully before Regina starts glaring at us.” And while she was keeping absolutely hush about Zatanna’s get together for Lina and Pete, she was hoping it would be a small clue as to what to expect herself.
“There’s a few… Unfortunate circumstances just now. Dream stuff.” And the window seat was just perfect to plop down on and just think wasn’t it?
There were just some stuff she didn’t trust people with. Call it healthy skepticism or whatever, but magic users weren’t automatically good people either - and she wasn’t always the best example, admittedly (good intentions usually, but her methods could be considered gray at best), and there was just some tricks she’d rather not share except for a select few. Lina trusted Emma, and the Savior titled she carried probably helped with that.
“You guys are gonna have fun with the registry,” she cheekily grinned with a hint of mischief, right before biting into the cream-stuffed cookie. Especially if they brought Henry. “All the tiny things to scan. And the weird, functional shit. Like baby wipe warmers?” Something like that.
Lina washed down that bite of chocolate with milk when the dream stuff was brought up - it didn’t sound too good and automatically, she was alert. “Define unfortunate.”
“They seriously have those?” Wipe warmers, okay. That probably helped to not upset babies during the already uncomfortable process of nappy changing but still, it just seemed like a weird thing. “Hopefully the boys stop me from just scanning everything, but it might not work that way.” Because they were all just as excitable as each other when it came to this stuff.
Nibbling on her own cookie, not at all because she didn’t want it and mostly to stall for time, Emma pondered the best way to put things. “You were there when Neal… Well, when Rumple was part of Neal, right? You know a little about the Dark One, in our dream world?” She wasn’t sure how much of his dreams Neal had shared with his pseudo-sister, but it was probably important that she understand just what the Dark One was.
“Well,” she hand waved it anyway, “Rumple was dying, apparently and the Dark One, the curse that tethered the power to him, it was breaking. I haven’t gotten there in my dreams yet, but I’m told that in order to stop it taking someone else I… I took the curse myself.” Which, okay she knew that it was probably her saviorly instinct -protect the town, protect the people. And maybe some of it was guilt, that Regina was hurting so much over the mess with Robin and Marian and Zelena and God Emma hated that woman so much.
“I’m the Dark One now and it might transfer to here.”
Hey, she personally was all about scanning everything - she’d be the little devil on Emma’s shoulder instigating her to get all the things. It’d be a fun experience for the boys, too. Henry being a big brother, Neal making up for everything he missed the first time around.
It’d be a cheery discussion to continue if she hadn’t brought up the dark one thing, which made Lina pause in mid-chomp of the next oreo. “I remember,” she mumbled, grimly. “I was there when we got it out of him.” Regina, Raven, she and Snape. Her brother of the heart literally died on the table for a couple seconds there; it wasn’t something she’d forget, ever.
But if Emma was bringing it up? Shit, it probably wasn’t anything good. So she set the cookie down and listened, as her girlfriend of pregnancy induced heartburn dropped the bomb.
“Fuck, Em,” she breathed, her auburn brows knitted together in worry. “How’s that - ?” Well, the question was obvious. Having that curse bestowed on her was a mess in itself, but having her be the Dark One while she was with child? More complications were likely to surface. “Are you okay? How are you holding up?”
It was never just light and easy, was it? Casual fun conversations with nothing overly heavy to worry about. Ha. Like that was ever really possible. Emma was on the verge of hoping that all these nightmares meant they’d get a break following the arrival of the babies. “Well, it’s not exactly fun.” It was the opposite of that, and Emma spent most of her time pretending it wasn’t a big deal, or that it wasn’t really happening.
“Regina’s dreamed it, I think Killian’s caught up with her too. I’m… not really there yet, and I keep thinking if I can hold off, maybe they’ll have an answer before I need to worry about it.” Because it wasn’t just her. It was her and Neal and Henry and her little unborn baby that could end up with God knew what complications. She’d never asked about any of the Dark One’s before Rumple, but she highly doubted any of them had given birth to compare notes with.
“I’m really hoping, for Neal’s sake, that this doesn’t happen.” Just as much for her own and the baby, but God, if something went wrong because of the Dark One curse, it would kill Neal. “Honesty? I’ve thought about asking him to just leave town for a while with me.”
Not forever, but long enough that maybe they could avoid this. The problem was that Emma wasn’t used to running from her problems.
Ah, shit. It was just one of those situations where dipping oreos in milk and stuffing your face didn’t even seem all that appropriate, and she let the snacking pause while she thought it over, leaning against the wall. It’d be the third time something related to that would have bled over, assuming it would in this scenario. Neal’s possession, the curse that made everyone hate each other (which she missed due to her hiatus in the void), and now…
Christ, it must hurt her brother of the heart more than ever that he was dead in those damn dreams too, and couldn’t even do anything.
“It’s not an awful idea,” Lina eventually replied, slowly exhaling a worried sigh. “Every time I’ve ventured out of OC territory the dreams stopped, didn’t continue until I came back. Having a bun in the oven doesn’t mean we’re necessarily immune to what this place throws our way.” It’d be nice to have the exception, wouldn’t it? But they were smart women, paired with very protective men - a couple extra precautions were necessary. “Considering you’ve got a family to look out for, this whole other life horseshit can wait.”
It was something she’d come to accept. Yes, she was worried about herself, about what it might do to her and to the baby if it did come across. But she was just as worried about what it would mean for Neal, to see that, to experience it again, to have another loved one affected so drastically by it. The worry for his unborn child. She hated that they just didn’t know yet.
“Regina’s looking into it. I know that Neal’s probably pestering her all the time, but I think if anyone can do it, it would be her.” Presumably she was already working away in the dreams to find a way to get the curse lifted, without having to kill Emma. They’d definitely moved past the point where either of them wanted the other dead.
“But it’s a last resort, we’ll leave if it looks like it’s going to happen, if we can just get some warning, you know.” She knew that she just needed to pack up the Bug and propose a road trip until the baby was due, sure it was still a few months, but they could justify it. “God, I’m such a downer,” stuffing an oreo in her mouth, Emma just shook her head. “Everyone is on the case, I shouldn’t worry, it’s not healthy.”
Worrying wasn’t healthy, but what the fuck else was a natural response to all this? It had Lina antsy for all of them - for Emma, the developing kid, the big brother, Neal. Yet she wasn’t going to start to contribute to all that stress, either. “You know I’m here if you need anything. Magic support, as much as I can manage.” Things would get a little more challenging considering the third trimester was in the horizon, but she had a plethora of magical items - especially amplifiers - if they needed an extra magical boost for something. “And distractions. Loads of them.”
Like oreos. Or anything else. The sorceress smiled empathetically, reaching over to offer her shoulder a reassuring squeeze. “Venting, if you need it. You guys have a helluva crew, you know. Whatever happens we’re all going to make sure you’ll all be fine.”
Emma didn’t like to think just what her life might’ve been like if she had just passed through Orange County. Sure, she wouldn’t have the dreams, or the weird magic, there’d be no concern over dying or being cursed, no moments where fog might eat people or someone would be sacrificing themselves to stop the world being obliterated. But… But there’d be no Neal, no Regina or Killian or Mary Margaret or Henry. No baby. None of these amazing friends. Just Emma, her loneliness and the ghosts she took with her.
“You’re gonna make me fucking start crying.” Half because yay, hormones, and half because when had this been her life? Ten years of no one really mattering and suddenly she had people to rely on. “But thank you, that’s so sweet. I mean, obviously I know I can just come talk, but jesus, I’m just going to blubber like a dying whale if we’re not careful.” And she was really trying to avoid the meltdowns because she got blotchy and all headachy.
“I really hope you were prepared for me to eat all of these.” Two pregnant ladies and sweet foods, was that a good idea?
Well, hey, if she needed to blubber like a dying whale then Lina would be there and comfort her during the blubbering, no questions asked - she understood the hormones, this wasn’t the easiest place to be knocked up and waddling, and not to mention Emma was practically family. She meant a lot to Neal, meant a lot to her and other and -
Holy fuck, hormones.
“Don’t, because if you cry and then I cry and then we’ll be dipping the oreos in our tears,” she told her with a cracked voice and a very animated wag of her finger, because don’t you fucking dare, Emma Swan. Don’t you fucking dare. “Do you want me to contact Zee and see if she can see anything in her cards? Maybe it’d give us an idea what to expect on this side.”
It was a nightmare sometimes, the crying jags, and then the sympathetic crying. Emma had teared up in a coffee place one time because the kid in front of her didn’t get the cake he wanted, and wasn’t that a damn shame? Just a cake, and the little thing couldn’t get it. It was lucky she was showing and not just a little tubby otherwise she might’ve been kicked out and the cops called for the crazy lady.
“I think I scare Henry when I cry for no reason. He ends up just patting my shoulder awkwardly and calling Neal.” Like Neal was a cure for all ‘mom’s being hormonal again’ problems. Weirdly, he kind of was.
Normally, tarot cards and things like that weren’t really Emma’s thing. She didn’t like putting a lot of stock in things like fate and destiny, because it screwed her and Neal over something fierce in Storybrooke, didn’t it. But when it was Zee, well, that was a little different. “Could you? That’d probably be really helpful and I might not worry so much, or at least I’d prepare you know? Because not knowing for sure is making me stress eat on top of cravings eat.”
She was going to have diabetes and be the size of a house.
Divination wasn’t a thing Lina dabbled in at all. Need a crater the size of Anaheim put somewhere? Sure, you got the right gal. Flipping cards, reading tea leaves, seeing images in smoke and crystals - that was a connection she sorely lacked, and she knew that was one of the magician’s specialties. She never took much stock in needing to know what the future held, but maybe in this situation it wouldn’t exactly hurt, would it? It’d give them all a better idea of what to expect. If there was anything to expect at all, which the sorceress hoped there wasn’t.
“It’s the father’s responsibility to deal with our tantrums,” she smirked, reaching a hand over to brush some of Emma’s flyaway hair away - she was trying to be soothing, and pregnancy made those instincts of needing to protect and care intense. “Those bastards did this to us, remember? But let’s bring the oreos and watch some hilarious touchy-feely Kevin Smith movie. Zee and I work together, we’ll discuss it and I’ll have her contact you. Sound good?”
With the chance that Zee could look into things, could help settle the anxiousness in Emma about just about everything, she felt like maybe she could settle a little bit for now. She really was so very grateful for the people that actually took the time to just do those little things that really helped.
“You’re utterly dedicated to the blubbering, aren’t you? Okay, we can Lifetime movie it up.” Although oreo’s and someone else having the problems before triumphantly beating the odds to win the day and get the girl? Yeah why not?