Special

A Baby Regal/Gold tale

Gold Standard verse

1

Because You're You

Gold's Victorian:

"So llyssa really had—wings?" Belle exclaimed when Rumple returned home that day to inform her about their granddaughter's unusual emerging powers.

Rumple nodded. "She did, dearie. Little angel wings. But they faded after a few minutes."

"Does that mean that one day she'll be able to fly?"

"Possibly. I can't really say yet."

"Whoa!" Charming exclaimed. "Now I have a bird girl granddaughter!"

Snow was grinning. She was delighted. "That's so amazing! I wish I'd seen it!"

"See, Mommy?" Regina cried. "I was right! She is a swan chick!" She wore a grin from ear to ear.

David nodded. "You're smart, Regina." Then he looked at Snow. "I wonder what this baby will be like?"

"I guess we'll see, won't we?" Snow said, putting a hand on her belly.

She turned to speak to Belle about something to do with the baby and nursing, and suddenly Regina scowled and got up from the table. "All you guys wanna talk about is the baby! This baby, Ilyssa an' the twins! M' sick of hearin' about them babies!"

Snow was startled. This was the first time Regina had ever expressed displeasure with the topic of the babies, her own or others. "Regina, honey, don't you want to help—"

"No! All you care 'bout is the baby! You can keep it! I'm movin' into the treehouse!" she yelled, then she raced from the kitchen and out the back door into the yard, climbing up into Alina's treehouse a moment later.

Her parents exchanged glances. "Maybe we should—" Charming began.

"Talk to her?"Snow finished. "David, I doubt she wants to hear anything we say right now."

"This is just a—phase, right, Rumple?" David asked the more experienced parent among them at the table. "She's just a little jealous because the baby's coming, right?"

But the sorcerer didn't immediately agree with him. With another child he might have chalked it up to a mere spate of jealousy, but this was Regina, whom he suspected had more going on inside her little mind than most toddlers. "Maybe, dearie," he said, glancing outside. Then he rose, saying, "Perhaps I might be able to talk to her." He suspected that some of the little girl's reaction was born of jealousy and a need for attention, but some of it was also born of a different kind of fear—one he knew well.

The fear of being unwanted and unloved.

He turned and went out the sliding glass door to the treehouse, his sneakers whispering over the grass. He was dressed casually, which for him usually was denims and a white shirt, only today he had decided to wear purple, and walked rapidly across the lawn to the huge oak tree where the treehouse was situated.

"Regina, you in there?" he called.

"Go 'way!" came the irritable reply.

"Why?"

"Cause I don't wanna talk to nobody!"

"Okay, but what if I just want to come up and sit there? You don't have to say anything."

There was a period of silence. Then she called, "Kay, Unca Rumple. But just you! Nobody else!"

"All right, dearie. It's just me."

He climbed up to the platform where the house was and entered it, thanking God he was trim and small, because a larger man would never have been able to fit into the structure.

The treehouse was furnished with a bed, table, chairs and small cabinets to store things in. Regina was sitting on the bed, her knees drawn up to her chin, wearing a miniature scowl that reminded Rumple eerily of her Evil Queen persona. But the Evil Queen was gone. She had in effect died when Rumple had cast the deaging charm. Now there was only a lost little girl—one who was confused, angry, and hurting.

Rumple knew what that was like. He had been there—many times—as both a child and adult.

He pulled out a chair and sat in it, he almost felt like Goldilocks in the Three Bears' house—in a chair that was a wee bit too small. But he waved a hand and enlarged it so he could sit without getting a crick in his spine. He remained quiet and just sat there.

So did Regina.

For long moments neither of them said anything.

But Rumple knew exactly how long Regina's patience lasted.

After three minutes, she said grumpily, "I ain't talkin' to you!"

He shrugged. "Okay, dearie. I remember when I was angry about something, I didn't want to talk to anyone either when I was small."

Moments went by as the child digested this information . . .and battled her own curiosity.

The curiosity won—as he had thought it would.

"Why was you mad, Unca Rumple?"

He turned and looked at her. "Oh for a lot of reasons, sometimes, but the main one was because my papa had run off and left me, and then my mama passed on and I was alone . . .without a family who cared about me."

"But what about Auntie Rhea?"

"She had been stolen away by Baba Yaga-and I thought she was dead," Rumple reminded her. "So I had no one—no aunts, or sisters, or cousins. And I lived with some old ladies who spun, they'd taken me in because they used to know my mama."

"Were they nice?"

"Sometimes. And sometimes they were crotchety and crosspatches," he replied. "But the one thing they didn't do . . .they didn't make me feel like I was family. Like they truly loved me or wanted me. So even when they were around—I felt lonely. Like I didn't belong. Do you know what I mean?"

"Umm . . ." Regina's eyes met his. She sounded uncertain, because her child's mind had been made to forget the memories of her past life—but even magic couldn't erase everything fully, and he saw that a part of her did indeed recall what it meant to be unwanted and unloved. By her mother, Cora. She might not remember Cora, but the feeling still lingered.

Their eyes met in a shared understanding.

Slowly she nodded. "Yeah. Sometimes when Mommy talks about the baby . . . I feel lonely. And mad."

"Ahh . . .I know just how you feel," he said sympathetically. It was true. For most of his long life he had been lonely—and trying to pretend he enjoyed it, but that was a lie. All he had ever wanted was to have a family. One who loved him just for him. He suspected that so had Regina.

Even as the Dark One he had been lonely, and no amount of the cursed persona's dark magic could disguise the loneliness for anything other than what it was. People often thought that having all that power meant he was happy—but he hadn't been. The power had been a poor substitute for love.

He was at heart a simple man—who had longed for just one thing all of his life—love—the love of a woman and of family.

He had that now, but that didn't mean he had forgotten what it was like to not have it, or to be afraid it would be taken away.

She cocked her head at him. "But Unca Rumple—you have lots of people who love you—Auntie Belle, n' Bae, n' Alina, Henry, Emma, Mommy, Daddy, Daria, Dylan, Jimmy, and Ilyssa," she counted them off on her fingers.

"How about you, minx?"

She rolled her eyes at him. "I love you best of all!" she said, as if he should have known that and why was he being so clueless?

He grinned at her. "You're right, dearie. But I still remember what it was like to be lonely and afraid no one would ever love me. Is that how you feel?"

She nodded. "Kinda."

"Would you like to tell me why?" He patted his knee in invitation.

She hesitated for a fraction of a second before coming to climb into his lap. She didn't quite know why she had come out here to be alone, yet now she wanted to be held. And she also realized as she snuggled familiarly into his soft shirt, resting her head against his chest and listening to his heartbeat, that even though she loved her mommy and daddy, she wanted only Rumple to hold her right then. Because she recognized a kindred spirit.

Rumple waited patiently for her to begin.

"Sometimes I wish I'd never asked Daria n' Dylan for a baby brother. 'Cause now all Mommy and Daddy do is talk about the baby. When he's born, what we're gonna do when he's born, and yesterday Daddy brought home a present somebody at work gave him for the baby—and none for me!" she said in aggrieved tones. "Why'd they forget me? And whenever Mommy and me go out somewhere, some lady is always coming up and asking her when the baby's due and aren't they excited to be having a baby and they ask how the baby's doing an' I'm right there an' I might as well be invisible!" She pouted, then continued. "When we got home I wanted Daddy to play with me, but he told me he couldn't cause he had to work on the crib for the baby and I should just go watch TV or play with my dolls! I wanted him to play Candy Land. And Mommy was resting!"

She crossed her arms over her chest.

Rumple couldn't resist a tiny giggle for she looked tyrannically adorable.

Regina was not amused.

"This isn't funny, Unca Rumple! Why are you laughing?"

He composed himself. "Sorry, it's just . . . you looked . . .never mind," he coughed. "So let me get this straight. You feel like everyone is ignoring you because of your new brother getting born, right?"

"Uh huh. They are. It's all anybody ever talks about."

"And now you wish the baby wasn't being born?"

She shook her head. "Noo . . . I still want a baby brother . . . I just wish people would stop talking about him so much! He ain't even here yet and what are they gonna be like when he is here? They'll forget about me. S'why I'm movin' inta the treehouse."

"Because you think no one will notice you're gone once the baby's born?"

"Uh huh. They'll be too busy with him." Her lower lip trembled.

"Hey. Is that what happened with Henry when Ilyssa was born? Or Alina when the twins were born? Did you think that I forgot about her because I was busy with Dylan and Daria? Or that Emma forgot about Henry because now they had Ilyssa?" he queried gently.

"Umm . . ." she wriggled a bit on his knee, because she knew that she couldn't say yes, since she had seen for herself that Henry and Alina both seemed happy with their siblings. Then she huffed, "But it ain't the same, Unca Rumple! They's big! I'm still little!"

"Dearie, do you know why babies get so much attention?"

"Cause they need everything!"

"Yes, and they're helpless. They can't do anything for themselves. They can't feed themselves, or dress themselves or go potty themselves or even burp themselves. They need their parents to help them do all of that. You've helped me with Daria and Dylan. It's a lot of work, right?"

Regina nodded. "Yeah. It takes Auntie Belle n' me twenty minutes to get Dylan changed an' dressed."

"I know, and even though they can eat solid food now, it takes a long time to feed them anything."

"Cause they spit everything out n' are messy."

"Yes, because they're still learning how to eat."

"Jeez Louise, Unca Rumple! The only thing babies know how ta do right is sleep!"

Rumple laughed. "Not at first, dearie. In the beginning a baby only sleeps a short time and then wakes up hungry. You'll learn that when your baby brother comes home. Now, with all the things you have to do with a baby, do you see why it takes a long time before your mommy or daddy can do something for you?"

Her small forehead wrinkled. "Yeah. Unca Rumple, why can't babies do anything when they're born?"

"Because, dearie, all babies need to grow up. You did too. It just takes a lot longer than you're used to. I know that having a new baby in the house is going to mean some very big changes for you, imp. But you have to remember that the reason your mommy and daddy can't do things you want right away is because the baby is so helpless and takes longer to care for than you do, since you're big and can do a lot more by yourself. It's not because they're ignoring you, Regina."

"They're not?"

"No, they're busy taking care of that helpless baby, and it takes a long time. But you know, if you help your mommy and daddy, you can make it not take so long. Then you can both do things together."

He was going to have to mention to Snow and David that perhaps they should spent a few hours during the day with just Regina when the baby was sleeping. So she didn't feel like she was an afterthought.

"Umm . . .but doesn't doing more things with the baby mean they love the baby more than me?"

Rumple shook his head. "No, dearie. Not at all. Do you think I love Dylan and Daria more than Alina and Bae? Or that I love Bae better because he was my first baby? I don't. Because I love all of my children the same—because my heart has enough love in it for everyone. Every one of them is special to me in their own way, and no one is better than another."

"Am I special to you?"

"Always, dearie! You will always be special to me—because you're you. And there's only one Regina Nolan." He hugged her.

"But . . .I don't gots magic like the rest of the kids," she objected.

He raised an eyebrow at that statement. "And you think because they have magic they're more special than you?"

"You can do more with magic."

"Sometimes. But Regina, all magic comes with a price. Just like anything else. And while we mages can do many things with it—there's also things we can't and shouldn't do. The magic is both curse and blessing, dearie. And it's a talent, like someone who is an artist, or a writer, or an athlete. It doesn't make anyone better, it just makes us different. Most times, it also makes people afraid of us."

"But you have Light magic," she pointed out.

"Yes, but not all mages do—and most people who fear something remember the evil things about it and not the good things. You don't need magic to be special, Regina. Look at our family. Your mommy and daddy, Aunt Belle, Bae, Jimmy, Uncle Jack, Will, Alice and Grace don't have any magic. And I don't think they're any less special than me."

"You don't?"

"No. It just means that I can do something other people can't. What makes you special is here—" He put a hand on her head. "And here," he put his other hand on her heart. "No one else has your brain and heart, dearie. That's what makes you unique. It doesn't matter to me if my children have magic or not, because I love them just the way they are. We're all different for a reason."

"Why?"

"Because God loves infinite variety. Look at the flowers outside in the garden. They're not all the same, are they?"

"No. Only some of them."

"Exactly. They're different . . .what if every flower looked exactly the same? And every tree?"

"It'd be so boring!"

"Yes, it would. It's the same with people. We all look different, sound different, and act different. And that, dearie, is a beautiful thing."

"Then . . . you're happy that Bae and me don't have magic?" she queried.

"Yes, I am. Bae doesn't need magic to be special. Bae's a martial artist and a good father and a better man than I am, dearie. And you're special because you're my sassy imp that gives me gray hairs and someday you're going to be something wonderful."

"Like what?"

"Anything you want to be. That's up to you. Maybe you'll be a teacher like your mommy, or a police officer like Emma, or –"

"—or maybe I'll be a lawyer like you!" Regina declared.

"You could," he agreed, thinking she'd be a shark in a courtroom, relentless in pursuit of a conviction. "Or you could open a store and be a fashion designer and design gowns for all the ladies in Storybrooke." He thought Regina would be a killer fashion designer, she certainly had the eye for it, even at such a young age.

"The important thing, dearie, is that you remember that whatever you become, we will always love you, no matter what," he stressed.

"Even if I'm bad?"

"Regina, what do I always say when you ask me that?"

"You say—I might not love what you do but I'll always love you," she recited.

"And that's as true now as it ever will be," he assured her. "For me and for your parents and everyone in this family. Nothing can ever replace you, Regina. Not even if your parents have a dozen new babies," he told her, biting back a giggle at the looks of horror he'd be getting if Snow and David heard what he'd just said.

"How about two dozen?"

"Not even then."

"Three dozen?"

"Not even three hundred dozen," he smirked and tweaked her nose. "Feel better now, imp?"

"Uh huh. Lots." She wound her arms about his neck and kissed him sweetly on the cheek.

"You still want to move into the treehouse?"

"Nope! Cause if I move out—who's gonna help Mommy with the baby?"

Rumple cocked his head. "Your daddy?"

"Nah. Daddy's clueless," she said dismissively.

Rumple burst out laughing. "Ahh, Regina. You're a trip, dearie. And God help me when you're sixteen."

"What happens when I'm sixteen?"

"What? You've forgotten our deal?" he asked in mock-horror.

She gave him an impish smirk. "Fooled ya! I did not! When I'm sixteen you're gonna take me to Hawaii! And I'm gonna see the volcanoes and walk on the beach and pick coconuts and surf and dance the hula at a lual!"

"Like I said, dearie, God help me!"

And God help any boys who happened to look inappropriately at his niece.

Belle, you'd better start carrying bail money in your purse once we fly out there. And don't be surprised if you get a call from a police station in Honolulu.

"C'mon, Unca Rumple! Let's go and get somethin' to eat, I'm starving!"

"Me too. What would you like?"

"Umm—the Gold special!"

"Sounds good to me," he said, then he teleported out of the treehouse.

Once on the ground, Regina wanted to walk, so he set her down and she took his hand and skipped beside him as they walked toward the Victorian.

At that precise moment, David happened to glance out the sliding glass door. "Well, I'll be a flying monkey! He got her to come down!"

Snow just looked at him. "David—did you really think he wouldn't?"

"Well, you know Regina. She can be stubborn squared."

Belle started chuckling. "No one outstubborns Rumplestiltskin!"

The mayor looked again at the pair and muttered, "You know, sometimes I think he knows my own daughter better than I do."

"Once he was very like her," Belle said quietly. She knew that no matter how far he had come, a part of him would always remember being a lost little boy afraid that no one would ever love him, and it was why he understood Regina best.

A/N: Hope you all liked and next chapter we'll see the newest Charming get born!