Once Upon a Time 1. Night of the Blue Moon

OUaT Challenge: Mass Pregnancy Fic

Link to Challenge on Forum: https (colon slash slash) .net (slash) topic (slash) 102217 (slash) 105881150 (slash) 1 (slash) Fanfic-Challenge-Mass-Pregnancy-in-Storybrooke

Post-Neverland, 'What If' Pan never came to Storybrooke AU. Challenge is quite simply; *EVERY* woman in Storybrooke gets pregnant at the same time. Emphasis on the word *woman*. The fun comes from the possibility of all the Swan Queen and Red Beauty shippers with magical conception, and all the Fairies (other than Astrid/Nova) with immaculate conception. Although personally I rather like the idea of Ruby being knocked up by a 'regular' wolf on a full moon night.

Reason for the challenge; one of the more reoccurring themes that I've come across in my browsing of OUaT fanfiction is the concept of Magical Conception, what with the whole True Love concept, that two magically empowered women (or men, ugh) can have a child because of said magic and aforementioned True Love status with one another. Plus, between all those stories I've been reading and Snow and Charming wanting to have more babies, the plot bunny just won't leave me alone. So I thought to share it, see what comes from it.

Story:

Title: Once Upon a Blue Moon

Summary: After the night of the blue moon post-Neverland, every woman in Storybrooke discovers she is pregnant, even those that did not have a… partner that night.

Rating: Originally M for Adult Content, Language, and some of the stuff babies come from, but now Rated T because of how sappy and fluffy the story turned out. Additional chapters and/or sequels may push the rating back up at some point.

Disclaimer: Once Upon A Time and all characters belong to the ABC Company, which is a subsidiary of the Disney Corporation. I do not own, nor gain any profits from the distribution or reading of this story, it's just for fun and to get rid of a particularly annoying plot bunny. Storyline is canon up to part way through Season 3 episode 9 "Save Henry", where instead of Pan coming back to switch bodies with Henry, he's actually restrained in some way that does keep him on the island until the Jolly Roger is away and he can no longer follow. After that, nothing like what happened on the show.

Pairings: Charming Snow, Swan Queen, Beauty Beast, and Grumpy Astrid/Nova.

_One Month After Return of Jolly Roger_

_Night of the Blue Moon_

"Are you sure about this, Ruby?" the woman known as Granny to everyone in town, asked her granddaughter as the brunette walked out the back door, taking her red cloak off.

"Stop worrying, Granny," Ruby laughed. "I've been a good little wolf all year. I deserve a night of fun and freedom. And I can control myself now, so I won't be a danger to anyone. Besides, it's not often that I get to go out three times in one month. Ha! And the moon even looks kind of blue right now. Later, Granny!"

"Just be careful, Red!" the older woman called out as the young werewolf transformed and ran off into the woods. "Kids these days."

"Tell me about it," a grumpy voice echoed out from the counter.

To the widow's surprise, it was not her usual drunk after-hours patron dwarf, but a three-sheets-to-the-wind flower shop owner, also known as Belle's estranged father. "Something I can help you with, Mister French?" she asked, not in the mood for his usual diatribe of late.

"Nothing you'd care to hear, I'm sure," he grumbled, taking another swig of his beer.

"Why don't you just go talk to the girl?" she said, exasperated. "It's not like she's hidden away in a tower or anything."

"After what I did?" he gave a drunken laugh/grunt and resumed nursing his alcohol.

"Gold aside, do you really think that sweet girl wouldn't forgive you for that?" she pointed out, pulling out a beer of her own to sip.

"She always was too good for me," he cried into his beer.

"There, there," Granny patted him on the back. Better an emotional wreck than the usual angry drunk Grumpy turned into.

"Dreamy!" Astrid exclaimed upon seeing the dwarf.

Leroy grinned in the way only Nova could make him feel. He waved her over and replied, though in a still kind voice, "It's Grumpy now. Or Leroy if that helps. How are you, Nova? Now that you moved out of the convent, I mean?"

The brunette fairy giggled and stepped closer. They were on the docks, next to Leroy's boat. She was now dressed in an adorable pink outfit of wool and fleece rather than the blue habit she'd worn for the 28 years of the curse, and yet all who asked she insisted she was still a fairy, just not a nun. To Leroy, this was the best news he'd heard in decades, now he just needed to figure out how to ask a fairy out on a date. As luck would have it…

"Well, since you asked, there's uh, actually been some, uh… difficulty with that," Astrid sheepishly admitted.

"Anything I can help with?" Leroy asked, his face filled with concern.

"Well…" Astrid looked down and away, squirming a bit. "OK, let me start at the beginning, OK?"

"OK," he nodded his head, putting down the load he'd been holding since she first walked up.

"There really aren't any places in Storybrooke that I can afford to live, and while Granny's is nice, it can be more expensive than renting a house or apartment, and as it would turn out there really isn't a lot of turnover in the real estate market, what with Mister Gold owning most of the land and nobody really moving out or away so that kind of limits my options, and really I don't need that big of a house in the first place, but all the apartments are really expensive, since I don't exactly have a steady job and my savings, well, aren't that great in the first place, and then I remember that you have your boat and I was thinking that, maybe, uh…"

As she wound down to a close, wringing her hands and looking back and forth between Leroy and his boat, it didn't exactly take a massive leap of logic to get what she was driving at. Still, better to be clear on matters than to leave anything vague for later misunderstandings.

"Let me get this straight," he said. "You want to rent out my boat… for you to live on?"

"Uh… yes?" she squeaked, suddenly sounding quite unsure of herself and this idea.

"And you want to do this, knowing that I also live on this boat, and thus we would be living… together?" he further clarified the point.

"Well, I certainly wouldn't want to kick you out, that would not be fair, and I can pay you, I have… uh, a little under five hundred dollars saved up… total…" she started to look down, but couldn't help glancing up at him, hopeful.

"Hn," the dwarf grunted, picking up the load he'd put down before.

Just as the fairy was about to turn away in disappointment, his voice trailed back toward her, "Just so you know, there's only one bathroom, the shower is always cold, and the whole place smells like a beer case most of the time. I've got a hammock and a bed, I usually sleep in the hammock because the bed is a mess. You help keep the place clean, help with expenses, we'll start with fifty bucks a month… uh, after the first… uh, six months. We'll see where we go from there."

"Oh _Dreamy_!" Astrid squealed and launched herself at the dwarf to hug the stuffing out of him. He squirmed uncomfortably for a few moments, but the smile never really left his face.

"I told you," he grunted, trying to hid his embarrassment at making the woman he loved happy, "It's Grumpy. Or Leroy."

"You'll always be Dreamy to me," Astrid replied with total honesty and a radiant smile.

Leroy's smile for the rest of his life could be attributed to that one sentence.

"Henry! Time for bed!" Emma called up the stairs from the foyer of the Mills Mansion at 108 Mifflin Street.

It had been three weeks since they'd returned from Neverland, narrowly managing to save Henry and escape Pan's grasp once and for all. Some had argued that it had been luck, but both the boy's mothers knew it had been their overprotective natures at work that had the both of them in the cabin with him after putting his heart back. When either one of them had been needed on deck, the other stayed behind, not wanting to risk one last second grab by their son's great grandfather. As it turned out, Emma had been about to ask Regina to relieve her once they were in the air, when Pan showed up suddenly trying to switch shadows with Henry. At least, that's the way Rumple explained it after the fact.

He'd never so much as laid a finger on Henry's shadow as Emma had tackled the eternal boy and thrown him to the deck. Rumple had been about to open up Pandora's Box, but instead Emma had started pounding on the kid, teenager really, and didn't stop enough for the magic to take effect. The ruckus had been enough to draw the attention of the others and the fight had spilled out onto deck. They were still in the air, Pan's shadow sealed into the sail that was powering their flight. Before he could call on it though, he'd been tossed overboard. The Lost Boy Felix had tried to catch him, but it ended with both going overboard. Despite the popular stories, the fact of the matter was even Peter Pan needed pixie dust to fly, and the last of it was going with Tinkerbell on the Jolly Roger. Afterward, Rumplestiltskin confirmed that even if he had survived the fall, or teleported back to his island paradise, Pan no longer had the magic to cross realms, and his shadow was now bound to Hook's sail. He was no longer a threat.

Since coming back to Storybrooke, neither of Henry's mothers had been OK with him being very far from them. The first night back, despite assurances that Pan was no longer a threat, Henry had gone home with Regina, sleeping in his old room. Just after midnight, Emma had shown up on the mayor's front step, begging to sleep on the couch. Regina had almost kicked her out, but seeing how desperate and worried the blond had been, she'd relented, freeing up one of her many unused guest rooms for the Sheriff's use. The next night, Henry had gone back to Snow and Charming's apartment. Regina happened to show up right before midnight to beg for the same favor she'd granted Emma. They'd both slept on sleeping bags outside their son's room that night. Since then, wherever Henry slept, both Emma and Regina were in the same building, though thankfully after that second night not right outside his room.

"No need to shout, Ms. Swan," Regina remarked as she walked up behind the blond. "We'll be going up to tuck him in momentarily."

"Yeah, just giving the kid a five minute warning," Emma smirked.

"You know, he thinks we're smothering him," the brunette said, handing a filled glass to the woman in red, white and blue (red jacket, white tank top, blue jeans).

"It has been three weeks," she reluctantly admitted. "And things have been quiet. No magical disasters, no surprise visitors to town with malevolent intentions, and even the Lost Boys have quieted down these past few days. Still, this… living together thing, as a family. It's… nice."

"It is," Regina said with her usual amount of caution, which is to say a lot while waiting for the back stabbing to begin.

"Mm, is there something in this? I mean, something more? It tastes… different. Good, but… different," Emma asked of the drink in her hand.

"I know," Regina agreed, briefly glancing at her own. "It must have been a particularly good batch. I have excellent taste after all."

"That you do," Emma agreed, savoring the taste of her drink. "You always wear such… mm, nice outfits. And just look at your taste in bed partners!"

They both laughed drunkenly at the joke. Since the sleeping bag debacle, Emma and Regina had both just agreed to sleep in the same bed, as dealing with their natural competitiveness made choosing sleeping arrangements more trouble than it was worth otherwise. Not that anything ever happened between them, of course.

Finishing her drink, Emma took her empty glass and Regina's, saying, "OK, I'll lock up down here, you go on up and get our Found Boy into bed. I'll be up in a bit."

"Right!" Regina nodded, and then shook her head. "Wow, there must be more alcohol in that. I can't remember the last time my cider made me this tipsy."

"Hm, I love your cider," Emma giggled, stumbling to the doors and windows to make sure they were closed and locked.

"Yeah, you know you do!" Regina cried out drunkenly.

With only a brief stumble, after she'd succeeded in conquering the stairs, Regina made her way to her son's room, where he was already under the covers, though with his book on his lap and sitting up with the lamp on next to him. "All ready for bed?" she asked with a genuine smile. In the years since he'd run away to Boston and come back with his birth mother, she'd found that they came more truthfully than in all the years prior.

"Yep, brushed teeth and everything," he grinned, briefly looking up from his story book.

"So, what are we reading tonight?" she asked pulling out the chair that she sat on during their nightly bedtime stories. Emma always sat on the end of the bed.

"Mom, not until Ma is here," the eleven-almost-twelve year old admonished her.

"You're right, you're right," she held her hands up in surrender. "Perhaps I'm just a bit too eager. You're like our own little Scheherazade, the anticipation sometimes gets the best of me. I suspect the same can be said of Ms… of Emma."

Henry grinned, like he'd just heard a private joke that only he knew the punch line to and he wasn't sharing. Fortunately, before either of them could die of anticipation, Emma finally finished downstairs and eagerly joined them.

"So what is tonight's story going to be?" the bubbly blond bounced on the end of the bed.

Henry and Regina both laughed at her antics, happy to see the once standoffish and overwhelmed Savior so happy and carefree after everything that had happened to them. Emma, in turn, was just as happy as Henry to see the 'Evil Queen' smiling and showing her honest feelings rather than hiding behind a strictly maintained mask of manipulation. Things had changed for them since Neverland, and despite the horrifying experiences of it all, not to mention past experience of not looking a gift horse in the mouth, they each dared to hope that it was all for the better and would continue to get better.

Turning to the appropriate chapter, Henry began to read, both his moms paying avid attention as he spoke, "The Tale of Pinnochio. Once upon a time…"

"I feel so guilty," Snow whispered softly to her husband, now legally so in two worlds.

"Oh, and why is that?" he said with amusement.

"For kicking Emma and Henry out of the apartment," she said with a faint blush.

David chuckled briefly at that, before replying, "Well, it was either us or them, and in Emma's words; better to spend the night with the Evil Queen in her castle than to inflict our teeth-rotting sweetness on the rest of the town. Besides, it's been almost a month. I think it's time we got started on all those babies you said you wanted." He kissed her breathless.

When they parted, if only to catch their breath, she put her arms around his neck and whispered up at him, "Babies? Plural? Aren't we confident, Charming."

"I've got a lot of time to make up for, and I like my chances," he whispered lovingly back to her. "After all, if you recall, it wasn't that long after our honeymoon that we found out you were pregnant with Emma. I don't think it had even been a full year from our wedding day to her birthday."

"Then let's not waste any more time," the short brunette gasped before engaging her husband in another breath-stealing kiss. Clothes were discarded, bodies moved together, and they made it to the bed… eventually.

"Rumple?"

"Yes, Belle? What is…" Gold stopped mid-question, all thought leaving his head at the sight on full display before him.

"Ready to ring your little bell?" the brunette asked coyly.

"Oh my yes," the Dark One managed to croak out before his dark nature took him over.


	2. The Morning After

_The Morning After_

"Ugh, wha…?" were the first words out of Emma Swan's mouth, waking up from the sun shining right in her eye. That wasn't right though, because her room in the apartment had a window facing a westerly direction, and the guest room she stayed in at Regina's place the windows weren't facing the bed so the morning light didn't hit her until half the morning was gone. As for her articulation, well, she'd never been a morning person.

Therefore she could be forgiven for not noticing certain details immediately. Such as the fact that she was not in her bed, and she was not alone in said bed that was not hers, and that neither she nor her bed companion were wearing anything that could be classified as pajamas. Unless one considered their 'birthday suit' suitable sleepwear that is.

Nevertheless, it wasn't long before both occupants became aware of conflicting details as sensory input filtered through their sleep addled brains. For Emma, it was being woken by the sun in her eyes, shortly followed by the fact that she was naked and wrapped around another, smaller, naked person. For Regina Mills, it was that she was not alone in her bed, and for the first time since longer than she can easily remember, she woke up feeling safe, warm, and loved, rather than trapped and cold from the sweat of her night terrors. Their reaction, however, was the same; confusion, fear, shock, and panic.

"SHIT!" Emma and Regina both cried out together, launching themselves away from one another. Regina clutched the sheets tight to her body, using the covers as a shield. Emma preferred distance and her modesty had always been secondary to survival and she was in full Fight-or-Flight mode at the moment, as she jumped out of the bed and backed herself into the corner, fists raised.

"Emma?" the brunette in the bed called out, once her heart rate had settled a bit.

"Regina?" the blond in the corner said after a beat, slowly calming down.

"What happened?" they both asked together. Seeing what they did, and having it answer the question well enough, they quickly moved past their shock and started looking for answers.

"Uh, last thing I remember was, uh, closing up downstairs and then Henry reading us a story, and then… I got nuthin'," she shook her head.

"Same for me," Regina ran her fingers through her hair. "Uh, Miss… Emma, you might want to get dressed before Henry barges in."

"Oh, right," the blond blushed, looking down at her state of undress. "Uh… Regina?"

"What?" was the short reply. She was too busy rubbing her temples in hopes of staving off the oncoming headache to look around.

"Where are our clothes?"

That stopped her cold. "_Our_ clothes?" she repeated, finally looking around. Though they were in the mayor's bedroom, it was also just as clear that the floor was clear of clutter and though the bed was slept-in, there was no sign of what either woman had been wearing the night before anywhere in the room.

"You can borrow something of mine," Regina said, accepting the necessity of the situation. "Hand me my robe, would you?"

"Regina," Emma laughed a little, giving the woman a skeptical look. "I think it's safe to say that by this point neither of us have much to be modest about."

"Can you remember what happened last night?" was the sharp retort.

"Well, uh, no," she answered lamely.

"Then until one or both of us do, I'll hang on to my 'modesty' for as long as I care to. My robe, if you please?"

Sighing, Emma went into the closet and came out in a pair of cutoff sweat shorts and a thin tank top, handing Regina her robe before turning away so the brunette could get out of bed without having to worry about being peeked on. Unfortunately, the robe Emma had selected for her was a bit on the small side, coming to mid-thigh on her and even as tightly closed as she could cinch it, there was a plunging neckline that hinted at her not inconsiderable cleavage.

"Where did you find that?" Regina gestured to the tank top.

"Not sure," she shrugged. "It's not one of mine, but I found it on the floor under where the robes were hung. If it's not yours, might have been… uh, someone elses?"

"Graham's," Regina identified, making it sound like nothing, but they both knew it wasn't. "But no, he never left anything of his behind. I always made sure of it. And quite clearly, it is made for a woman, not a man."

"Well, let's go find my actual clothes, then we can figure out what the heck happened last night," Emma decided, taking the lead and stepping out into the hallway. Regina followed, not because she'd been told to, but because she was genuinely curious and concerned. At least that's what she told herself.

It would prove to be a short search as they found a trail of clothes ending right outside the door, leading from Emma's guest room, where they found their shoes sitting in the middle of the still-made bed. Gathering up the discarded items, they tried to find clues about what had happened to them, or what they'd done, but nothing was sparking any memories.

"What happened last night?" Emma asked, holding both pairs of shoes in either hand.

Regina could only shake her head, struggling to remember for herself.

They were interrupted from their musings by a soft thump and the sound of a door opening. Brown eyes met blue, both in full panic as they hoarsely whispered together, "Henry!"

Snow stretched, feeling delightfully, sinfully sore in all the right places. David had gotten up earlier and was in the middle of making her breakfast in bed. Since Emma and Henry weren't due back until later that afternoon, the true love couple decided to make the most of it and have a lie in. She was making lists in her head, silently coming up with all the things she wanted to do with her husband without the concerns of family or responsibilities crowding in on her. She was only a third of the way through the things that a woman should only do with her loving husband when David returned with the tray of food and heavenly coffee. Then, just as he was leaning in to kiss her, the phone rang.

"Knew I should have left that off the hook," he smiled after finishing the kiss.

"Let it go to voicemail," Snow suggested, pulling him in for another kiss.

That's when both of their cell phones went off in tandem with all the house phones. They pulled back from each other, a shot of adrenaline coursing through their veins as they silently communicated thoughts, concerns and decisions in just a few moments of eye contact. Something had happened. Someone, or more than just one, was trying to reach them. Whoever was trying to reach them knew where they were and didn't have to go searching, which limited the people to less than a handful. So much for their lie in.

Getting up, David raced for the ringing phones while Snow quickly got dressed.

"It's Emma," he said, indicating his cell phone. "And Regina?" he looked at Snow's.

Picking up the house phone next to the bed, Snow answered it at once, fearing something may have happened to Henry. "Hello?"

"Oh thank god!" Emma's voice came from the other end of the phone. Both cell phones immediately went quiet. "Listen Snow, something happened last night."

"What is it? Did something happen to Henry?" she asked, her concern growing.

"Henry? What, no, nothing like that. No, something… weirder," Emma's voice grew confused, as though she didn't know how to explain what had happened. Given her daughter's lack of experience with the supernatural, that was probably the case.

"Is Regina there? We noticed that she was calling too," Snow suggested.

"Miss Blanchard," the mayor's stern voice came through.

"Regina, what happened? Is everything OK?"

"No one is… injured, or in danger but, no, everything is not 'ok'," came the sarcastic remark.

By this point, David had picked up the other line and heard most everything. "Well, whatever it is, we'll get through it together. As a family. Which now includes you, Mayor Mills," he said. "So what was so urgent? What happened last night?"

"Your daughter and I woke up next to each other," was the most unexpected reply. "And we forgot our PJs. If you catch my meaning."

"What?" all of David's earlier confidence quickly drained away, along with the blood from his face, leaving him paler than his wife.

"You and… Emma?" Snow whimpered, yes _whimpered_.

"Uh, yeah, me again," Emma's voice came through the phone. "Look, we don't know what happened. Last thing that I clearly remember is tucking Henry in last night, and then… look, I've had my share of drunken benders, but I've never gone over my limit and I can at least remember… impressions, whether I had a good time or not. This… I've got nothing. As in _nothing_. Looking back at my memories, one second I'm turning off Henry's light, the next I'm waking up with the sun in my eyes, wrapped around Regina in her bed! The circumstances aside, that is not normal!"

"Alright," Snow said, making snap decisions, "Let's meet at Granny's in, say half an hour? We'll figure this out. Henry's OK, right?"

"Yeah, Henry's fine," Emma told her with relief. "Granny's in half an hour."

"I love you," Snow said as goodbye before the line disconnected.

"Love you too," Emma replied. "See you in half an hour."

They both hung up together, and David in the kitchen slowly put down the receiver. She could see that he was still pale and visibly disturbed by the news they'd just received, but Snow was confident he'd get over it… sooner or later. To be quite honest, she didn't care who her daughter ended up with, so long as she was happy. That much both sides of her agreed upon, Snow White and Mary Margaret, whether Emma chose to be with Neal, the father of her child, Hook, the dashing scoundrel of a pirate that she'd kissed in Neverland, or Regina, the Evil Queen and Snow's… step… mother… OK, maybe she needed some time to get over it herself. The point was, so long as Emma was happy, she would be happy for her. No matter whom it ended up being. Though to be perfectly honest, they were all rather… bad.

Shaking herself to clear away such thoughts, Snow marched to the kitchen and dragged her husband away to get ready for meeting their family in half an hour at Granny's Diner.

"Charming," she whispered, while tugging on his arm. "Deal with it later. I guarantee you that Emma and Regina both are as confused and dismayed about this as you, so the sooner we get ready, the sooner we can meet them and get answers, OK?"

"Somehow," he commented, following his wife to the bathroom, "I don't think the same thing dismaying them is what's dismaying me."

"Get over it, Charming," she dryly remarked, tossing him into the shower.

Ruby walked into the diner, dressed warmly and not as… eye-catching as she usually did. Since last night's run and waking up just outside the gardens of the Bed and Breakfast, she'd felt a little off. Something was different. It was probably nothing, but at least she hadn't woken up covered in blood or anything. Trying to shake off her funk, she put on her apron and clocked in for her shift, heading out to the dining area to take care of the few customers that had bothered to come in this early.

Surprisingly there were quite a few, most paired off in both not surprising and the most surprising ways. As for the former category that included Mister Gold and the town's new librarian Belle, Leroy the Grumpy Dwarf and his crush the ex-nun Astrid slash still-a-fairy Nova, and Kathryn and Frederick. Topping the list among the most surprising was probably Emma and Regina sitting next to each other rather than opposite each other, which was how they usually seated themselves. Immediately after that surprising match up was her first customers of the day; Wendy Darling and Henry Mills.

"What can I get for you guys today?" she asked, pulling out her notepad.

"Hey Ruby," Henry greeted her with a friendly smile. "We're just waiting and grandma and grandpa."

"And my brothers," Wendy added. "Henry was just keeping me company. I'm not sure that we can actually order anything. I don't have any currency, I'm afraid."

"Don't worry about it," Henry said. "My moms can cover it, and I would be surprised if Michael and John would want you to starve just to save a few bucks."

"Yeah, totally don't worry about it," Ruby agreed. "Hey, Ems, it's OK if Henry here goes ahead and gets something, right?"

"Uh, yeah, just nothing that will take a long time," the blond replied, before going back to her conversation with the brunette at her side.

Said brunette felt the need to add, "From the age-appropriate menu, of course!"

"Pancakes and bacon?" Ruby suggested.

"Better make it eggs and toast for me," Henry said. "I think something happened last night, but none of the adults are talking about it."

"For once I'm more than grateful that I look younger than I am," Wendy added commentary.

"Yeah, rub it in why don't ya," Ruby chuckled. "Same thing as Henry?"

"Actually, what are pan... cakes?" the eldest Darling sibling asked.

Henry and Ruby both smiled at the time lost girl, then each other as though sharing a secret joke.

"What?" she asked at their looks.

"Stack of pancakes for the old lady in little girl clothes," Ruby teased.

"Well, I'm not _that_ old!" she protested.

"Ignore her, she's like that with everybody," Henry was quick to assure her. "Hey, by the way Ruby, did anything happen to you last night? The way my moms are carrying on, they don't think it was just them."

"Last night was the full moon, Henry," Ruby reminded him.

"Oh yeah," he nodded, then frowned. "Wait, haven't there already been two full moons this month?"

"Yep," she nodded, putting in their order to the kitchen. "When that happens, it's called a blue moon. As for my night, well, actually it was kind of weird. I don't remember about half of it, which is the weird part because ever since I learned to control myself, I can always remember everything that happens. When I can is usually one of the signs that I'm losing control again, but I didn't wake up covered in blood or anything and nobody's saying anybody's died or anything, so maybe I just fell asleep or something."

"Wait, Ruby, say that again," Emma stood up from the booth, pulling Regina with her.

"What? About the blue moon, or losing control?" she was confused.

"You can't remember what happened to you last night?" Emma prompted her.

"Well, I can, just..." she trailed off.

"Only up to a certain point?" Regina finished for her.

"You guys lost your memory?" Henry asked.

"Last think I remember, kiddo, is putting you to be and turning off the light switch. After that, it's like my memory switched off too until I woke up this morning. Same for... uh, your mom," she finished lamely.

"Huh, lot of that going around then?" Granny said in passing as she headed back to the kitchen after dropping off an order at the counter.

"You too, Granny?" Emma snapped. "Great. What the heck happened last night?"

"Well, it was a blue moon," Ruby pointed out. "If you think things get weird on full moons, that's nothing compared to when you have three in a month."

"Especially when magic gets involved," Regina sighed, rubbing her forehead.

"But nobody was using magic... were they?" Emma directed the pointed question at one half of a couple in particular.

Said half turned and looked at them over his shoulder. Belle put a comforting hand on his arm and he relaxed considerably, not that he was even that tense in the first place. Finally, he just said, "No. I don't believe _anyone_ was using magic last night. Especially not memory spells. I happen to remember last night," he turned and faced his love, "perfectly well." Belle smiled and kissed him.

"OK, I don't need to see that sort of thing with my breakfast," Regina said, turning her back on the pair.

Fortunately, Snow and Charming chose that moment to stumble through the front door together. Everyone's eyes immediately went to them, not for their entrance, but their appearance. He was in gray sweatpants, sneakers with no socks, an inside-out t-shirt and a jacket thrown on over it. She was in floral skirt, wrinkled, a white blouse with the top three buttons undone, also wrinkled, a sweater jacket, hanging off one shoulder, and sandals, looped but not latched, so they half came off with every step. They both had a serious case of bedhead, though thankfully it wasn't that bad given they both had short-cropped hair styles.

"Emma, what happened? You sounded... well, urgent, on the phone?" Snow asked, ignoring everyone's stares and going straight to her daughter. Charming was a bit more aware and had the decency to blush, but he dutifully followed his wife. After that, everyone returned to their own business. Snow and Charming unkempt was amusing, but nothing to raise much of a fuss about.

"That's one way to put it," Emma said as her parents sat down across from her and Regina in the booth. "Something happened last night. Regina and I, and a few other people we're discovering, have lost some time. Even Ruby and, well, last night _was_ the full moon, so her not being able to remember what she did last night? Kinda bad. What about you two? Did anything happen to you two last night?"

Snow and David looked to each other, then back to their daughter, to Regina, back to each other, back to Emma, and then back to each other and then Regina, each other, Emma, each other, Regina, and each other before either one of them could open their mouths to answer. Unfortunately, no sounds were forthcoming from either one of them before the looking game started all over again.

"Oh please," Regina growled with a roll of her eyes. "We don't need details of you two idiots performing your _marital duties_. We just need to know if you have any missing time. Do you remember what happened to you last night?" She held up her hand. "No details. Just yes or no."

"Yes," they both said together.

Looking expectantly, Emma further prompted them. "Yes, you remember last night, or yes you're missing time like the rest of us?"

"Yes?" they said again, looking more confused.

"Idiots," Regina moaned, rubbing her forehead, eyes shut in misery. "I'm surrounded by idiots."

"Yes, we remember everything that happened last night," Snow finally took control of the conversation. "No, there is no blank spots or missing time. We're sure of it. Do we know if this... amnesia that happened to everyone happened at the same time, or was it... I don't know, progressive? Happening to some people first and then moving on to others?"

"What do you know? An actually valid deduction," Regina commented, sarcasm on full.

"Regina," Emma said, aggravated. The brunette shrugged, but offered no apologies.

"Well here's another," David said pointedly with a glare at the former mayor, before asking, "Is this all of those that were affected by last night, or are there more people out there waking up, confused, scared, and possibly panicking? What should we do about it, if there are? Some people weren't affected by whatever happened last night, like me and Snow, and pointing out those that were and those that weren't might escalate things before we can get any real answers."

"Then we'll just do a poll," Regina shrugged, as though the answer were more than obvious.

"How many people are ever genuinely honest on those things anyway? Especially about something like this?" Emma argued.

"Considering that we have a magical alternative, where lying or hiding is a non-option, I don't think we'll have to worry about that sort of thing, dear," Regina argued back.

"OK, given that I am learning a bit of magic now, I can't really protest that sort of thing like I used to, but still, isn't that a bit extreme? To just straight to putting a magic whammy on everyone to make them come in and tell the truth about a poll of all things?" she questioned.

"I was actually talking about the fairies," the former Evil Queen spoke in the tone she reserved for talking to the truly idiotic, which was usually anyone in the the Charming Clan minus Henry. "They used to do it all the time in the Enchanted Forest. You don't think they actually spent all their time doing nothing but granting wishes to the disenfranchised, did you?"

Emma shrugged, conceding the point.

"Oh, goodie!" Astrid suddenly jumped up. "I'll go tell the others and we can get started! It's been a long time since we did a census! Yay!"

Before anyone, Leroy especially, could stop her, she rushed out of the diner and down the street, probably to tell the other fairies/nuns about what needed to be done.

"OK, well, that takes care of that, I guess," Emma said. "Has anything like this ever happened before? We looked through Henry's book before coming here, and couldn't find any story that fits with this kind of situation. I was thinking the Pied Piper or something, but nobody's gone missing. And apparently that one about the twelve dancing princesses didn't really happen."

"Oh, no it did," Snow told them. Everyone at the booth, and a few outside it, turned to look at her. Blushing, bringing a bit of color to her pale cheeks, she looked down and said, "But that's a story for another time. And no, that isn't what's happening here either. There are a lot of enchantments that can erase memories, or cause a person to lose time, isn't there, Regina?" It was clear she was trying to deflect the conversation away from her, but amusing as it was, she still had a relevant question.

"Not as many as you might think," she replied. "I have been going over everything that could in my mind, and none of them match up exactly. Taking into account that it was more than just Emma and I, well it narrows the list down to almost nothing. We need more information, but if Charming is right and this was the whole town, or so widespread it may as well have been..."

"That leaves only one option, doesn't it dearie?" Mr. Gold finished the sentence for the ex-mayor, having stood to join them at their booth, Belle at his side, smiling and looking positively radiant.

"Unfortunately," she concluded with a glare to her former tutor, "I have to agree. The only thing capable of affecting an area as large as the whole town, would be ritual magic. To put it in perspective, the Curse? It was one step down in scale and effort from ritual magic."

"Indeed," Mr. Gold nodded, looking pensive from his earlier happy mood.

"From the name, I would guess that part of ritual magic is people performing a ritual of some kind," Emma chimed in. "What would be involved, exactly?"

Regina shrugged, but Gold gave that annoying smirk and answered cryptically, "Well, dearie, that depends on what the goal of said ritual was. Erasing a few hours of memory, or blocking them, from a random number of people throughout the entire town? That's a side-effect, not the purpose. Discover the purpose, the reason for the ritual, and I imagine you'll have your answers, Sheriff. If you need further assistance, or information, you know where to find me. For now, Belle and I intend on enjoying the day. Good day to you."

"Bye everyone," Belle said, unable to stop smiling. "And don't worry. You'll figure it out."

"Wish I had her enthusiasm," Emma grumbled.

"Well, she's right," Snow said. "We will figure this out. And if it is part of some larger plan, we'll figure that out too. In the meantime, while we're waiting for the fairies to finish the poll, we should probably check out things around town, make sure that nothing's happened anywhere. Like the bean fields or the mines."

Emma nodded, breathing a bit easier now that they were doing something, or at least planning on doing things. She'd always been action-oriented, and the whole situation had been distinctly no action, all talk so far.

"OK, uh, Leroy?" Emma turned and called to the nearest dwarf.

"What's up sister?" he replied, still with that goofy 'Dreamy' grin on his face from Astrid's visit.

"Can you and the other... guys, go and check out the mines. See if something happened to them last night? Maybe have Anton, sorry, Tiny check out the fields?"

"No problem," he nodded, putting on his cap and jacket. "We'll let you know if we find anything."

"Regina, Henry and I can check out the well," the blond glanced briefly at the brunette, silently asking if that was OK, to which she got a brief nod. "Why don't you two, uh... well finish getting dressed, and then check around town. Not that I don't trust the fairies and all, but sometimes a human element can tell you more than magic or whatever can."

"We'll get right on it," David nodded, making ready to leave, only for Ruby to come by with everyone's breakfast platter orders. "Uh, after breakfast?"

Suddenly overcome with hunger, all three women looked at their plates like a pack of wolves about to descent upon a lame lamb. "After breakfast," all three women said together, not even aware they did so.


	3. The Signs

_The Signs_

"It's been two weeks, and we've got nothing!" Emma growled, throwing papers down on her desk.

"I wouldn't say _nothing_..." David tried to excuse, but a hard glare from his daughter had him quickly backtracking and sheepishly admitting, "We've got nothing."

"Only that it was some kind of Ritual Magic that involved the entire population of Storybrooke. Everyone over the physical age of eighteen anyway. Beyond that, nothing! We can't even uncover the memories of those affected! How fair is that?!" the blond sheriff yelled, pacing in the short space behind her desk.

"Well, we have managed to narrow down who among the population would have the knowledge, or power to pull something like this off," he tried to calm her down.

"Except every one of those people were equally affected, or have a rock solid alibi!" she yelled.

"I still think Rumplestiltskin..." David started to say, but she interrupted him.

"What part of rock solid alibi was unclear?" she snapped at him. "Belle was with him the whole night, and both he and Regina _and_ the Blue Fairy all agreed that the ritual would have had to start with the moonrise. Are we _sure_ that there is no chance this wasn't done by some amateur who just got lucky in pulling something like this off without it going really bad?"

"I'll be the first to admit that I don't know much about magic, but from what I do know," David sighed and then they spoke the next words together, as it had been said often enough in recent days. "Magic always comes with a price."

"Any luck on figuring out what exactly this Ritual Magic was supposed to have done?" she asked.

He just shook his head, feeling helpless and frustrated.

Emma stopped pacing and just fumed for a few seconds, her fists on her desk as she leaned on it to try and keep her temper from exploding. The cramps weren't exactly helping her in that goal, but she did her best to push through the pain. Ultimately, she came to the conclusion that she needed to get some air, because otherwise she would be biting David's head off for practically no reason at all.

Standing once again, she turned and grabbed her jacket and headed for the exit.

"Where are you going?" her father asked, concerned.

"Out. To clear my head. To calm down. To look for clues! I don't know, I'm just going out!" she snapped at him, already out the door before he could stop her.

"Wow," David said to the empty Sheriff's Office, rubbing the back of his head in confusion. "And I thought Regina had mood swings." He actually did not understand what had just happened. One second they were going over the reports for the past week, a boring yet necessary facet of being part of a public office, the next she was going off about the night most of the town got their memories blocked out. He just hoped she calmed down before she saw the former mayor, seeing as tonight Henry was staying at the mansion, which of course meant so was Emma and Regina.

"David?" a familiar voice called out, just as he was getting things organized after Emma's mood swing.

"Snow?" he replied, turning to see his wife standing there, a smile that he hadn't seen for years on her face. It actually made him somewhat suspicious, as he wasn't aware of anything that could make Snow White that happy, nothing that had happened recently anyway. "What is it? What happened? Did something happen?"

She just kept smiling and stiffly shook her head. She looked close to tears, but he knew his True Love's moods a whole lot better than he apparently knew his daughters, and he could tell these were happy tears.

"You know, I won't actually know what you're so happy about if you don't say anything Snow?" he prompted. "Uh, did Blue figure out what happened that night? Why all those people lost their memories?"

She gave him that disappointed confused look that she sometimes did when he was being, as Regina would term it, an idiot. Fortunately it allowed her to find her voice, as she stepped closer and put herself in his arms. "No, that's not it. Though I take it from Emma storming out of here earlier that particular case still hasn't been solved? Well, don't worry. We'll get to the bottom of it, eventually."

"Thanks," he kissed her, enjoying holding her in his arms, but at the same time he knew that wasn't what had brought her here. "So, are you going to tell me what has you so happy, or not?"

That smile returned, as radiant as before and more so. She leaned up and kissed him, and not just a peck on the lips either. She drew him in for what he privately termed their True True Love's Kiss, an action that stole his breath away along with hers and made his heart pound in his chest with the love he felt for this woman, his reason for being, and how he would always find her no matter where or what stood in their way. It was passion, it was heat, it was perfect. It was Love.

When they finally broke apart, he looked down into her crystal blue eyes, seeing the love he felt shining back at him from their penetrating depths. "What was that for?" he gasped, still catching his breath.

"I'm pregnant," she answered, and then kissed him again.

Emma went for a walk to cool her jets, confused as to why she'd gone off on David in the first place, but the cramps kept flaring up and distracting her. Before she knew it, she found herself walking into Granny's Diner. The usual after-lunch crowd were all there, though some of the meals looked to be somewhat different, and the smell from it all was nearly overpowering to the blond sheriff. Suddenly she was grateful for the cramps as it distracted her from wanting to hurl.

"Hey Emma, everything OK?" Ruby asked. Rather than waitressing, the brunette werewolf was sitting at the counter, looking over the books for the diner and bed and breakfast. Responsibilities that Granny usually handled herself, but had been letting Ruby help with now and again in recent months.

"Yeah, no, I just..." she stopped herself and went over to sit next to her at the bar. "I sort of lost it and needed to clear my head. It's that night, y'know? I can't just let it go. I mean, who knows what could have happened to us, and what was the end game if it was magic? It's driving my crazy!"

"Aw, you'll figure it out," Ruby assured her. Then, with a grimace as she turned back to the books, "Unlike me, who never really got the math beyond fifth grade level, and these number crunching nightmares."

Chuckling, Emma said, "Yeah well, sorry I can't help, but you're actually a grade level above me already when it comes to math. Besides, if I can't figure out my own mystery, what good am I going to be in helping you with yours?"

"Well at least it wasn't the whole town," Ruby absently commented as she started punching the calculator and writing down the results.

"What do you mean?" Emma asked.

"I mean that not everybody lost their memories of that night. So it wasn't the whole town, if it was a magic spell or ritual or whatever," she answered.

Emma blinked, slowly, like an owl, the thoughts racing around and around in her head and suddenly pieces started to fit together. "The Fairies poll said that roughly eighty percent of the town was memory blanked, but they were spread all over. The ones that could remember were also spread all over, none of the clustered or isolated from those that couldn't. Blue actually told me that whatever this was, it affected everything within the town border. So why would only some people remember what they... were... doing... Oh My God!"

That last part, Emma actually screamed out loud, drawing the attention of everyone in the diner to her.

"Geez, Emma! Werewolf hearing, and sitting right next to you!" Ruby complained.

Rather than apologize, Emma grabbed the woman by the arm and dragged her out the door. Ruby tried to protest, but the look in the blond's eyes combined with the strength of her grip convinced the brunette to allow herself to be dragged along. The Sheriff may have just cracked the case, and it scared the crap out of her!

Once outside, she was then dragged over to the side of the building to the alley, which was as much privacy as could be afforded in the area. Tugging her arm free now that they were out in the open, more or less, Ruby confronted the distraught sheriff. "All right Emma! Enough! What is it? What did you figure out?"

"It wasn't eighty percent of the town," she gasped, pacing, hands wringing. "It was the whole town. The whole town was affected. And everybody participated in the ritual magic thing. I don't know who, and why is a complete mystery, but the what... I wish I was wrong but I know I'm not. Oh boy."

Brows raised in surprise, Ruby tried again. "Emma? You're not making sense. You were saying something about what the people that remembered doing something?"

"Who are the people that we know remember that night?" Emma asked, still pacing, but now focused on catching her sometimes-part-time-deputy up with her.

"Uh, your parents, Gold and Belle, and uh, Leroy and Astrid, oh and Kathryn and Freddie. Who else? I think I heard that Ashley and Sean could also remember," she answered.

"All couples," Emma pointed out, her pace slowing but still going. "And what is it that they all remember doing that night? Don't tell me, just think about it!"

"They were..." Ruby trailed off as she remembered exactly what three out of the five mentioned couples had been 'doing', and given who the others were it wouldn't be a stretch to imagine the other two 'doing' the same thing. "Really? Leroy and Astrid?"

"Ruby, really?" Emma begged.

"Right, sorry."

"What if they remember, what if their memories weren't blocked because they were already, willingly doing what the ritual magic was all about? And what if the rest of us have blocked it out, not because of the magic, but because of like trauma, like on TV and in movies?" Emma had finally stopped pacing, but given how wide her eyes were and how pale she'd gone, Ruby felt she preferred her pacing.

"So wait, are you saying that the entire town of Storybrooke, on the night in question was... getting busy? Because of some magic spell?" Ruby laughed. "And that we can't remember it because we can't _deal_ with who our partners were, or whatever?"

Emma shrugged, but her panic did not ebb.

"That..." Ruby started to protest, but several dozen small things she'd noticed over the past couple weeks suddenly came to the forefront of her mind. Inconsequential things that were at worst a minor annoyance and at best an excuse she'd used to get out of chores for Granny. Things that when coupled with Emma's crazy theory just now came to one inevitable, unbelievable, undeniable conclusion. "... Oh Holy Crap!"

"I've got to talk to Regina," Emma said.

"I've got to get to the drug store," Ruby said.

Without acknowledging each other or even a goodbye, they headed down opposite ends of the alley, only to realize at the last second that they were going the wrong way and quickly turned around. Crossing paths a second time, they at least had the forethought of mind to which each other, "Good luck," before moving on.

"How are you feeling, Belle?" Rumpelstiltskin asked as he brought her a cup of freshly brewed tea.

She smiled up at him, the only person that ever really did, and said, "I'm fine, Rumple. Really. I've just felt... well, a bit constipated this morning is all."

"Add in the nausea, cramps, and aching all over, in some areas more than others, and you can see my concern," he said with as much loving tenderness one such as he was capable of giving, which was considerably more than what many would expect. "Are you sure you wouldn't like to go to the hospital? If you're sick..."

"I'm not sick," she protested, perhaps too quickly. "Or at least not with anything that serious. It's probably just one of those twenty-four hour bugs that go around every now and again. I just need to drink plenty of fluids, get my rest, and I'll be all better before you know it."

"If you say so," he smiled and kissed her on the head.

"Aren't you worried about catching whatever this is?" she asked him.

"Then you'll just have to spend a day taking care of me, as I intend on taking care of you," he whispered, and then brought over a selection of books. He loved the way Belle's face lit up and soon was making himself comfortable beside her, choosing a book for himself.

Still, there was a thought niggling at the back of his mind. For the moment though, he put it out of his thoughts, focusing on taking care of his Belle first and foremost. Everything else could be put on the back burner for now.

"Regina?"

"In here, Miss Swan," the voice came from the office.

Emma walked into the home office of the former mayor. Currently the town was more or less running itself, with the Town Council taking on the majority of responsibilities once held by the mayor's office, at least when it came to actually running the town. They met once a week now instead of once every three months as it had been when the curse had still been in place. There were some days when Emma wondered what Regina did with all her free time now, but so long as she wasn't causing trouble or ripping people's hearts out, she wasn't going to bother asking.

Right now, she seemed to just be sitting at her desk, a pensive look on her face. Probably similar to the one Emma wore on hers right now.

"Hey," the blond greeted the brunette.

"What can I do for you, Sheriff?" she replied.

"I think I figured out what happened that night," Emma said, taking a deep breath. "Problem is, I still can't figure out _why_ or _who_. But it is pretty clear the whole town was affected. So if the whole town was affected, why do some people not have their memories blocked? Probably, I figure, they were already, uh... doing what the magic had all of us doing. And I'm going to stop there."

"It took you two and a half weeks to come to the same conclusion I did two seconds after waking up with you in my bed, Sheriff?" Regina commented, single eyebrow raised, the whole look saying something along the lines of 'are you really that slow and stupid, you idiot?'.

"OK, so have you also figured out why this happened? Or who did it?" Emma asked, perturbed.

"I have no idea as to who might've done this, not yet," Regina admitted. Then she took a deep breath of her own and continued, "But I just received some... information that points toward what could've been the purpose of the magic being done in the first place."

"What kind of information?" Emma stepped closer and put her hands on the office desk, anxious.

"..." Regina hesitated before answering, "... Disturbing information. At least, disturbing to me, and I would imagine quite a few other people. For some, it may actually be welcome or considered happy news."

"Regina," Emma snapped, drawing the former mayor out of her loop of unease.

"I just got off the phone with Doctor Whale, a few minutes before you arrived. I called him after speaking with your mother, Kathryn Nolan-nee-Midas before her, and Mr. Gold before her. What started me on the phone tree was a tip from an old, yet reliable friend. Sydney Glass called me this morning with a tip. I've been trying to find reasons to discredit the tip all morning. Unfortunately, all that I have discovered has instead confirmed it."

"Confirmed what, Regina?" Emma asked, standing straight once again, not sure she actually wanted to know the answer to her question.

"Belle has been sick for the past week," she delayed answering as long as she could, by reporting her findings instead. "Nausea, constipation, stomach cramps, aches and soreness. Kathryn is expecting. She just found out last night with her husband, Frederick. Your mother and father have also made good on Snow's secret resolution, and you'll soon have a little brother or sister."

"Regina," Emma said again. "Confirmed what?"

"Doctor Whale has confirmed that in the past two weeks, eighty-six women, single and otherwise, have come in to the hospital and been tested and confirmed to be pregnant." She stopped and looked up at her one-time-enemy, tears pooling in her pain-filled brown eyes. "Sydney thinks that every woman over the age of eighteen within the town border is now pregnant. That's the tip he called me with."

"I... that... I need to sit down," Emma stuttered, reaching for and eventually plopping down in the nearest chair. "Is that... is that even possible? Well, it's magic so it's not _impossible_, but... wait a minute! We're both... we're both women!"

Snorting derisively, Regina rolled her eyes at the blond and remarked, "My, how observant you are, my dear. Yes, we're both women!"

"So how could we have gotten each other pregnant?!" Emma snapped, and then her mind went to a very dark place all of a sudden, the gutter beneath the gutter as it were. "Oh god, you don't think... with Henry...?"

"NO!" Regina screamed at her. "No! That wouldn't happen, for a lot of reasons, but primarily because if you recall our... trail of clothes went from your room to my room, not to Henry's. And we both distinctly remember leaving him asleep in his bed with the door shut. Also, despite historical oddities of royalty in this world, such... practices were forbidden for more than just moral reasons in our land. Magic itself, both light and dark prevented things like that from happening. Intentionally or accidentally. Spells that would've targeted... a relation, would have backfired or bounced off onto the next available non-blood relation. So, Miss Swan, no. Just... no."

"OK," Emma breathed a sigh of relief. "Still doesn't answer the question of how we could've... I mean, if we are... I'm not... I mean, I would know if I were... but then again I was kind of... moody earlier..."

"Here," Regina tossed a small colorful box at the stammering blond. "Hope you had a lot to drink, Ms. Swan." She then got up, holding her own open box in hand, heading toward the upstairs bathroom.

Looking down at what she held in her hands, Emma gulped. It was a take home pregnancy test.

"Oh boy," she moaned.

It was in the papers the next morning. Not that half the town didn't already know by that point thanks to the rumor mill. Every 'of age' woman within the confines of the town border was officially and actually pregnant. For those with willing partners, the majority of which made up those that could remember what transpired the Night of the Blue Moon—as the newspapers and _Good Morning Storybrooke_ took to calling the magical event—the news was welcome and joyous. For the rest, who could not remember what happened and who did not have steady partners and who found themselves in odd circumstances or waking up next to people they really had no business waking up next to... well, let's just say that Doctor Hopper had a very full schedule for the next few months as he tried to help unexpected mothers deal with their new... expectations.

Sheriff Swan summarized the situation quite perfectly when the _Mirror_ quoted her saying, "Storybrooke's population literally just doubled overnight. Somebody, or something, enacted some kind of ritual magic that we all unknowingly participated in. The matter is still under investigation, but the facts are the facts. No matter who you are, no matter what your circumstances are, everyone's life just got complicated. Now you can either curl up into a ball and cry about it. You can do the stupid thing and be pro-choice. Or you can do the right thing and take responsibility. I for one, who woke up next to the Evil Queen, have every reason to not go through with this. But I am. Because I'm going to do the right thing and take responsibility this time."

That quote ended up saving a lot of lives and turned the small town sheriff and savior into the face of reason and Right in the midst of this crisis. Seeing a woman, the woman that saved them from the Curse, and more than that a woman that had previously given up her child before, stand there and say that she was going to do the right thing and take responsibility convinced all the unwed, single new mothers out there the confidence and conviction to say they would do the same.

The Town Council had an emergency session, open forum of course, to discuss the crisis and what could be done about it. All yelling and screaming and droning on aside, it was unanimously decided that a Child Support fund would be raised and free healthcare for all expectant mothers. At least for the duration of the next nine months. For the soon-to-be-mothers that needed to work and lived paycheck to paycheck, they were assured that when they did take maternity leave, there would be enough for them to survive until they went back to work. Also, the Sheriff assured everyone that everything was being done to discover who was behind this, though little progress had been made since the revelation of _what_ exactly happened to them.

After the meeting, a lot of things changed in Storybrooke. Couples formed where there had never been any sign of interest before. And for some where there had been interest, weddings were soon in the planning, while for a handful where there had been couples, but people had been in the wrong place at the wrong time, they were no more. A few dozen of the population, however, were left confused and worried. Ruby Lucas, among others, had no idea who her 'partner' on the Night of the Blue Moon had been and for many the not knowing was worse than if it had been with someone they hated.

The most significant change though, had to be the change between Sheriff Swan and former Mayor Mills. Emma and Henry permanently moved out of Mary Margaret's apartment and into the Mills Mansion. Since Neverland, their relationship had been that of... allied nations, like the US and Japan. Former enemies, shared in a common goal and now enjoying the benefits of shared pursuits, in this cast their son Henry. Since the Night of the Blue Moon, it was like they didn't know how to talk to each other, making their every interaction awkward and almost painful to watch. Especially after it was confirmed that they were both pregnant and DNA tests confirmed that both children were 'both of theirs'. Henry, caught in the middle, just tried to wait it out, hoping that they would figure out what he already had before the end of the second trimester.

The day after the Town Meeting, the _Mirror_ ran another story, confirming that all the Fairies were also pregnant. Tinkerbell and Astrid (Nova) both proudly proclaimed who the fathers of their children were, but all those that remained 'nuns' and at the convent did not 'have relations' with any men, nor with each other. How the Blue Fairy, aka Mother Superior knew this, she explained it as having protection wards placed throughout the convent, which would detect and inform of anyone being out of place after a certain hour. The newspaper article made it sound like the writer didn't believe that for a second, but it also raised the point that the nuns were professing that they were the result of immaculate conception, rather than a Nuns Gone Wild situation. The fact remained, all the fairies were pregnant along with every other woman of Storybrooke.

Wendy Darling was torn, as she suddenly felt grateful to Rumpelstiltskin's bastard of a father for holding her prisoner in Neverland all these years, so that physically she was still younger than eighteen and thus had been exempt from whatever magic had taken place.

Her brothers more so.


	4. First Trimester Fourth Week - Snowing

First Trimester: Snowing

_Four Weeks_

Snow White was pregnant. As far as the Charming clan and friends cared, there could be no better news. Even if it came alongside some very startling and somewhat disturbing news. After all, they were the spokespeople for True Love couples everywhere, and they had actually been hoping and trying to have another child ever since they got back from Neverland. So they saw the Night of the Blue Moon as a good thing, as a blessing.

Nevertheless, they were still understanding in the fact that for a number of folks the news would be somewhat stunning and not everyone would see it as a blessing, but rather a burden to bear. Their daughter being one of those actually.

Fortunately—in the eyes of Snow White and her Prince Charming—the population of Storybrooke was made up of the people of the Enchanted Forest, a land that hadn't really developed beyond what most would recognize as the Dark Ages, perhaps of the time of the Renaissance, but definitely preindustrial. As such, despite Storybrooke being of the modern world and the options being available, nobody—even those that saw it as a burden—for one second even considered the possibility of aborting their child, or any of the unborn children from the Night of the Blue Moon. Such was the moral standing of the Enchanted Forest, or Fairy Tale Land as Emma and Henry called it, that even when Dr. Whale offered it, free of charge, that most women turned him down, some even outright slapped him for suggesting it in the first place. Needless to say, it was unanimously decided that everyone would be keeping their babies. It was dealing with the consequences of raising them and the possibility of everyone going into labor simultaneously that raised the most fuss.

For one thing, Storybrooke only had one full-time pediatrician, the dwarf known as Doc ironically enough. Dr. Whale had the training, but he was the Chief Surgeon, the top doctor in other words. There were others, and as with every hospital, most were specialists that also had basic medical training thanks to the Curse. There were not, however, enough doctors to help deliver the child of _every woman_ in Storybrooke, especially seeing as how three of them were women themselves. Same with bed space, prenatal care, and general resources. Which lead all involved to the current Town Council meeting that Snow was currently chairing, if only to put a 'good' front and to keep everybody calm.

"So what are we going to do?!" somebody in the very crowded town hall yelled out.

Snow wasn't exactly comfortable with the layout. She was used to sitting at the Round Table being able to see everyone's faces, and she hated that the Town Council's seating was actually up on a platform where everyone had to look up at them. But construction concerns were for a later time. Banging the gavel a couple times to quiet down the commotion that had started, she answered the question as it was posed.

"Unfortunately," she began, "the limited resources of the hospital cannot be ignored or overlooked. The fact is, everyone, that despite the advantage modern conveniences provide us, quite a few of us will be giving birth as though we were still in the Enchanted Forest. By that, I mean at-home-births." A few started to protest and grumble rather loudly, so she banged the gavel again. "Everyone, please, if we can just get through this, I promise you, we will have a plan in place. Now, in an orderly manner, does anyone have any suggestions? Helpful suggestions, Grumpy, not complaints." She smiled at her friend to take whatever sting there may have been out of her words.

David, who was sat next to his wife at the table, raised his hand and spoke into the microphone, "If I may, everyone?" They all turned their attention to the prince, listening hopefully. He'd proven himself a capable and as his nickname suggested, charming leader during the months that Snow and Emma had been gone, earning the respect of the people so they didn't question him stepping forth any longer.

"I'll speak for myself first and foremost, and leave it to everyone to decide for themselves later, but I'll state my intention now to spend the next nine months learning everything I can about pregnancy and delivering a child. I was there for my daughter's birth, but did little more than hold Snow's hand and pace around a lot. This time it will be different." He paused to gauge the crowd's reaction so far before continuing. "The problem at hand are the resources available cannot meet the demand we may end up having come nine months. Well, what if instead of all us husbands and boyfriends and whatnot pacing around and holding the hands of the mothers of our children, what if we are their doctors, pediatricians and obstetricians or whatever? I propose that for the next few weeks, or months, or however long it is going to take, that the hospital hold special classes to teach us how to help in the delivery of our children, beyond the standard birthing classes. That, uh, that is in the budget, isn't it?"

The crowd all laughed, but Whale, also seated at the Council Table for this session, nodded his head. He leaned forward and spoke into his own microphone, "Yes, and actually not to worry about budgeting concerns. Considering that, uh, I'll be taking care of my own child in coming months due to this situation, I'm all for us coming together as a community in this, regardless of cost. In regards to prenatal care and any preparatory classes, they are being organized as we speak, so not to worry. Each and every one shall receive the necessary care to ensure they and their child are healthy. While we will be calling out to everyone in the community at some point, it would be of great help if you all were to come in and set an appointment so that we can be sure that everyone is being taken care of."

"Thank you, Dr. Whale," Snow said sincerely.

"What about diapers and all that stuff?" Grumpy called out in the brief silence that followed.

At that, Regina, Gold, Neal and Emma stood up, all of them having been in the crowd though near the front, Regina and Emma both walking over to the podium normally reserved for citizens addressing the Town Council. For this, they'd turned it around so that the podium was now facing the crowd rather than the council.

"Hey everyone," Emma greeted them with a nervous smile. "About that, we uh, we actually came up with a plan or two about that. Regina?"

"Thank you, Miss Swan," the former mayor nodded her head, before turning to face the population she had cursed, something for which everyone seems to have forgiven her for by now.

"I'll forgo making any speeches or veiled threats or empty promises, so please bear with me dears," she began, seemingly as nervous as Emma was. "Facts are facts, and Storybrooke is cut off from the rest of the world. That used to work to our advantage. Most of our food is grown locally, and we are a seaside fishing port. But there are somethings that we have here that to be quite honest we shouldn't have. Not without regular deliveries by out-of-state delivery trucks, or some kind of pipeline. Things like the gasoline in our cars, or auto parts for the garage, or modern entertainment and books for the convenience store, to say nothing of the brand name merchandise being sold there. These facts were brought to my attention by Miss Swan last night and after explaining it to her, she pointed out a rather," she paused and looked over at the blond before continuing, "simplistic and frankly obvious solution to our... dilemma."

Mr. Gold took a step closer, his son Neal aka Baelfire at his back.

"I consulted with Mr. Gold and we both confirmed that it was doable," the ex-mayor concluded. "So that it can be clear, everything that we would normally had to have shipped to us because of our remote location is actually provided via magic." She raised her hand to forestall any outburst. "That has always been the case. The magic of the curse, which kept time from moving on, replaced or updated resources as needed. Since the curse has been lifted, the magic has just kept on doing what it was already doing. Which is why we can't order several million diapers and thousands more baby bottles, even with stockpiling it is doubtful that we would ever have enough. So, Mr. Gold and I will be conjuring the exact required amount of... baby resources that will be needed. It will take us time to stockpile and then distribute everything, but fortunately the one thing we have at the moment is time. Miss Swan?"

"Now, obviously this isn't going to fix everything overnight," the sheriff took over the podium as Regina stepped back. "But to quote an annoyingly famous song, we're all in this together. I'm sure everyone knows the saying, it takes a village? Well that is exactly the situation we have at this moment. So if there are any problems with paternity, or old blood feuds, or even Regina and Gold helping out with magic... table it until after you're holding your child in your arms in nine months."

She stepped back and along with Regina, Neal and Gold, they retook their seats.

"Thank you Regina, and Mr. Gold," Snow said in the stunned silence following Emma's announcement. "That actually... helps a great deal. Speaking of which..."

Gold stood back up and spoke loud enough everyone could hear him without the need for a microphone, "Yes, about that. There was a deal made for my aid in this matter, but the price has been paid forward, no dearies, none of you have anything to worry about. Until my child is born, all magic that I perform will solely be in service to the township of Storybrooke and its citizens, both current and future. Deal-free."

He sat back down, the stunned silence following his words deeper than any before.

"All right then," Snow nodded, clearly as stunned as everyone else by such a statement from the infamous Rumpelstiltskin. "So, that addresses the issue of doctors and hospital care, as well as baby products and most of our resource issues. Does anyone have any follow up questions?"

"Yeah, actually!" Someone in the crowd shouted. She stood up and made her way to the podium, rearranging the microphone so she could speak into it. Everyone looked on and paid attention as Princess Abigail, daughter of King Midas, aka Kathryn Nolan nee Holt addressed the council. "What is being done about finding the cause of... all of this?" she demanded, waving her arms in a grand gesture. Since regaining her memories and reuniting with her Frederick, ie, Jim Holt, her new husband, she'd gained a great deal more confidence than she'd had as Kathryn, though with an equal amount of humility and a 'peasant perspective' compared to what she'd been like as the richest princess of the Enchanted Forest.

Emma stood up once more while Snow pounded away at the gavel when the noise level raised. Once she was sure she could actually be heard, she shouted out to the crowd, and Kathryn, "The matter is still being investigated. As information becomes available, it will be discussed and given the circumstances everyone will probably read about it in the paper or hear about it in the news soon after that. The facts are that I know about as much as everyone else does, and given that I still can't remember what happened that night, I am particularly invested in finding out about that, as I'm sure everyone is."

"And what pray tell, Sheriff, have you done to investigate this matter?" Kathryn/Abigail questioned, looking right at the blond, eyes narrowed in suspicion. "Besides spoken with two of the most likely suspects and made deals of cooperation, that is?"

Emma frowned and crossed her arms, ignoring the sounds of mob agreement being made all around them. Regina, still sitting, glared at the woman she once called friend, lips drawn tight so they looked pale. Gold acted like he hadn't heard a thing and was holding his cane with both hands out in front of him, Henry and Neal on either side of him and doing a great deal to keep him calm just by that.

"OK, first off, everybody pretty much knows my living situation since we got back from Neverland, right?" Emma glanced out over the crowd, still frowning. "So it is generally accepted that I can vouch for Regina Mill's whereabouts for the days leading up to, as well as on the Night of the Blue Moon. Belle French can do the same for Mr. Gold. Furthermore, Regina can't remember that night either. And if this were just a bit of magic like a spell or anything like the Curse, you'd probably be right to suspect one of them. Except it's not!"

"Emma!" Regina hissed a warning, pulling the woman back to her seat, but she resisted.

"So, show of hands everybody, who here cast a spell that started a _ritual_ involving every Of Age adult in Storybrooke? Because that is what our investigation has uncovered so far, Mrs. Holt," Emma glared at the speaker. "What happened to us is _ritual magic_. And these two don't mess with it. Every time I've asked them why, well, Regina's answer is 'bad experiences'. Gold's answer is 'too complicated'. And the fairies have all denied they had anything to do with it. Which leaves us with either someone that does not practice magic regularly, or worse, somebody like Pan or Cora or who knows what coming to Storybrooke and doing it to us. Is that what you wanted to hear, Kathryn?"

The crowd was deathly silent as the two blonds faced off. The ex-wife of David Nolan 'blinked' first, turning and going back to her seat without another word. Emma sat down with a huff and gestured for her mother to get on with the meeting. Repeating her earlier question, Snow actually got a valid question that sparked a round of debate that extended the meeting another few hours at least.

When it all came to a close, Snow and David were walking hand-in-hand back to their apartment, both thinking and worrying about the situation and contemplating deep thoughts.

David was going over everything that he'd promised to do during the meeting and what he would have to do to get started on keeping all those promises. Snow was thinking about how comfortable her daughter had appeared, sitting with and standing alongside the 'magic users' during the meeting. It was... disconcerting.

"So, are we going to talk about it?" David asked as they walked down the quiet street.

"Talk about what?" Snow replied in that distracted-oh-so-innocent way of hers. Somewhat different from the 'I'm-not-hiding-anything-I've-got-a-secret-I'm-lying' innocent act, but still fairly obvious.

"About what has been bothering you since you found out we're going to be grandparents again. Twice over. And more specifically, with who our daughter is having said grandchildren with," he pointed out in his 'charming' way.

Snow sighed and lay her head on her husband's shoulder. He just waited for her to be ready, though he did slow their pace by about half a step, to give her a bit more time to get her thoughts in order.

"I'm... concerned mostly," she finally spoke. "But not for the reasons you think!"

"OK, I'm listening?" he prompted.

"I'm worried about how Emma and..." she paused to take a breath, "... and Regina are taking... _this_. Before, they were... Well, you know. And then after Cora, they both just put all that off to the side. And then Henry was kidnapped and Neverland and Pan and everything, and since then, it's almost been like..."

"Like?" he prompted again when she couldn't seem to finish the sentence.

"Like... I don't know," Snow was shaking her head. "Like something out of a 1990's sitcom really, or the reverse of that old show called 'My Two Dads'."

"Except for the fact that a magic ritual affected said same gender parents into having sex with each other and now they're both pregnant with each others magically conceived child," David filled in the blanks.

"I thought Regina was that one to do the insulting sarcasm thing?" Snow chided him.

He shrugged and gave her his most charming grin. "Eh, she's been rather pleasant of late, thought I'd try and pick up the slack."

"Well don't," she grimaced. "She's much better at it than you."

"Duly noted," he smiled as they continued walking.

"I'm worried," Snow said, "because since we found out _what_ the Night of the Blue Moon was about, and the consequences of it, we haven't really sat down and talked with Emma about how she feels about all this. About how she's dealing with it. I mean..."

"I know what you mean," David interrupted her, pulling her closer with his arm across her shoulders. "The thing is, Snow, that we both have to keep in mind is that our daughter, despite being our baby girl, is an adult woman now. And she's already had one child."

"_That's_ the problem," Snow whined. "The last time she was pregnant? She was in prison and thought that the man she loved, the father of her child, had betrayed her and abandoned her. And now she's pregnant again, only this time with the Evil Queen. Who she has been in near constant conflict with since the moment she got to town. I don't think they're even friends, David!"

"They have Henry," he pointed out.

"Yes, but that's _all_ they have in common," Snow argued. "Everything else between them are reasons to hate and despise one another. Not exactly things to bond over."

"Well, I'll grant you that, but..." David said, struggling to come up with something to say.

"No buts, David!" she insisted. "This is a disaster just waiting to happen! And... and we have to do something about it."

"Oh no, I know that look," he moaned.

"We've got to make sure that Emma and Regina don't start fighting again, David," Snow said. "Because if they start, they'll never stop. Come on! I know what we have to do!"

"Snow," he called after his pregnant wife. "Snow! Snow? Snow?!"

A few minutes later, they were outside Granny's, not the Diner but the Bed & Breakfast. A few moments after that, they were standing inside Ruby's room. Considering that she and Granny ran the place, it really wasn't too surprising to find they both had their own rooms in the place.

"Hey Snow," Red greeted them, "What's up?"

"We need your help to get Emma and Regina together," Snow blurted out, a nervous grin on her face.

"What?!" Red and David both shouted at the same time.

"They're having each others babies!" Snow exclaimed. "And the only thing they have in common or even like about each other is Henry. And now these babies. They need more than that."

"And your plan is to hook up your daughter with your stepmother?" Red exclaimed, incredulous.

"Wait, what?" David shook his head. "That's why we came out here? So, so, so... you can play matchmaker?!"

"Well, actually, when you put it like that..." Red thought out loud, a contemplative look on her face.

"Are you being serious right now? I can't tell," he said, a stern look on his face.

"Charming," Snow said, grabbing him gently by the lapels, "The only thing on my mind right now is my daughter's happiness. And, in the years since I've begun to know her, she hasn't once had a serious relationship with anyone. And that concerns me."

"What about Neal?" David asked.

"Hook is still hanging around," Red pointed out.

"She's stood Neal up for every one of their 'dates' that didn't involve Henry," Snow argued. "Always with a good and valid excuse, I'll grant you, but every time they make plans to get together, for breakfast, lunch, dinner, coffee, or just to talk, she somehow manages to wriggle out of it at the last second. And don't talk to me about Hook."

"He did save my life, you know," David whispered.

"He's also the father of seven different babies!" Snow raged. "Not counting those that may be twins or triplets! He's also one of those that remember what happened that night!"

"So are you two," Red said with no small amount of snark.

"Yes, and we're only making one baby," Snow replied with the same.

"Fair enough," the red-streaked brunette conceded. "But why Regina and Emma?"

"Besides the obvious," David hastily added.

"Because if they get involved with anyone else, then eventually that other person or persons will want to be a couple and then Henry will be taken away from one or the other," Snow logically deduced. "If it were just Emma, she would be devastated and not stop until she got Henry... and... or... her other child that she's having with Regina back. Same thing if it happened to Regina. I mean, she cursed our land and everyone in it because I couldn't keep a secret when I was a child. How do you think she'll react when an adult woman and her boyfriend or whatever, takes her children away for good? No. For the good of us all, we have to get Regina and Emma together. As in; _together_-together!"

"Well, I'm on board," Red immediately agreed.

"I just know I'm going to regret this at some point," David sighed, shaking his head. "All right, I'm in. What do we do first?"

_To Be Continued in Eight Weeks_


End file.

Once Upon a Time, Family