Authors note: This is my first Once A/U so please be gentle with it. I'm trying to write it from two sides, and showing Regina's more maternal side. I myself am not a mother, but I do have two nephews that I would die for. I hope I get the mothering thing right none the less. Regina is still going to be the evil queen, but I'm putting out a twist where she adopts Emma, very young much like she did Henry, except... well, Emma.

Regina couldn't believe what she was doing; she was actually adopting a little girl, the one she believed to be snow white and prince charming's daughter to be exact. She was doing it to make sure that the girl was always under her care, so that she wouldn't grow up to be "the Savior" like everyone wanted. Instead she hoped to squash their chances of this by raising the little girl herself, it hadn't been hard to find her, and realistically how could it be? "Baby girl found on the side of freeway in Maine" kind of screamed out to people. Specifically the Evil Queen herself, though she wasn't queen here, she was Mayor Mills if anything, Regina at least, but definitely not the Evil Queen anymore.

When she made it into the adoption agency she was surprised to find the woman standing their already with the girl already in her arms ready to go, she just had to sign the papers and off she could be back to Storybrooke, the new place she had created for everyone in the Enchanted Forest where she would be their Mayor and they wouldn't remember who they really were. She had the ultimate control, and now, she had her enemies' daughter within her grasp.

"Hello Mayor Mills, I presume?"

"Yes, that would be me."

"We just have a few papers for you to sign, and the new birth certificate to fill out and you'll be able to take this little one. Was there a certain name you wanted?"

"Name? Doesn't she already have one?"

"Oh no ma'am, she hasn't had the chance to receive a name yet."

"Very well…"

"Ma'am?" Regina thought hard for a moment, trying to decide what exactly she would name this girl. After all, she would be raising her, and no matter who her birth parents were, she had no intention of being cruel to the little girl. Quite honestly, looking into the already blue-green eyes of the girl, and looking at the soft down of light blonde hair, she didn't look much like her mother anyways. It would be much easier than Regina expected to get attached to the girl with the bright eyes.

"Her name shall be Emmaline Regan Mills"

"OH! What a beautiful name! May I ask where you got it from?"

"Emmaline means Peaceful home, and Regan... I just like how it sounds." Emmaline also means Rival. Regina thought to herself, and if anything, she could always call the girl Emma.

"Very well, either way it's a beautiful name and congratulations on your new daughter!" The lady said, handing over the little girl after all the paperwork was finished. The woman missed the slight confusion that slid over Regina's face momentarily when she held the baby for the first time. She felt… something warm a literal fuzzy moment as they called it in those stupid movies that usually made her sick. She had barely seen any upon entering this new land, but she found the few she had seen revolting.

This child on the other hand… actually made her feel, dare she say happy? Warmth she hadn't felt in a while seemed to spread through her, and she shifted her weight from one leg to the other, finding the feeling somewhat concerning. The baby on the other hand, Emmaline to be precise, just looked at her like she understood everything, like she could see right through Regina. Of course this was ridiculous! Emma, was just a baby, she didn't understand yet, and she probably never would, not if Regina could have her way. No, this little girl was already pulling on her heart strings, something she found oddly… comforting, maybe she would be able to love her, like her own. Slowly but surely she made her way back outside with the tiny little girl wrapped up tight and held close to her chest, she barely registered the goodbye of the people in the adoption agency. All she really registered, was the bright eyes looking up at her with an intense focus for someone so young and so small. Regina's heart fluttered a bit in an odd way she wasn't used too, and she put the tiny baby in the car seat, slowly driving off towards Maine. Her future, their future, where her daughter would grow up. Daughter, how strange a feeling. Regina couldn't help but feel as if she was no longer in control of her actions, she already loved Emma, and she had just gotten her. First things first, I will make a potion to forget that Emma is snow white's child… and to forget that she is adopted, hopefully then no one will ever know. With that she smiled to herself, thinking of all the plans she had and everything that would consist of her new life with this little baby she now called hers.

Three years later-

"Emma? Emma Darling? Come on sweetie it's time to go, we're going to be late!" Regina called looking around the house for her daughter. They were going to be late for their meeting with the new day care people, and Regina wanted to meet them before allowing her daughter to stay there while she was at work. She knew Emma didn't want to go, but… she didn't have much of a choice, she needed to be around children her own age, and she was getting to rowdy to stay in the office with her mom anymore.

"No! I don't want to go! I wanna stay with you mama!" Emma responded, rounding the corner with hands on her hips and an unhappy scowl painted on, the same look that Regina sometimes gave members of the board when they asked idiotic questions, or just plain irritated her. Regina smiled gently, walking over to the little girl and getting down to her level so that Emma didn't feel like she was being reprimanded. "Now Emma, we've talked about this, you know that we need to go meet with them. And I'm not leaving you there today! We're just meeting them so you can get to know them. I wouldn't leave you there immediately, you know that. Have I ever lied to you?" She asked calmly, making eye contact with the little blonde, her heart constricting slightly when she saw unshed tears. "No Mama, but…"

"But what sweetheart?"

"I like spending time with you… and I don't like new people."

Regina smiled, it felt so good to have unconditional love like that. And for a three year old, Emma was very versatile in her vocabulary, and conversational skills, far beyond that of the average three year old or so she had been told. After taking the potion about a week after she had brought Emma home, she no longer remembered adopting the little girl, the false memories she had given herself implied that she was her mother, and that she got her blonde hair from Cora's side of the family. She couldn't for the life of her remember who the father was, and that bothered her more than anything. But as long as her little Emma was healthy and happy, she didn't particularly care either way. She gently grabbed Emma and hoisted her up onto her hip, hugging her close.

"Emmaline Regan Mills, you and I both know that as the daughter of the Mayor you're going to have to meet lots of new people in life." Emma scrunched up her knows upon hearing her full name, she didn't very much like her full name. It sounded… to Princess-ie to her. But she didn't argue, and she snuggled into her mother's side.

"I know mama, but I like spending time with you better." As if it was a second thought, she threw out what else her mind had been going on about in the blatant way that she always did, a daughter of Regina mills through and through. "And I don't like being called Emmaline"

"Oh? What about Emma?"

"It's okay, I guess." Regina thought quietly on this one, her daughter had never voiced it to her before, why the change of heart?

"Okay… well what would you prefer?"

"I like my middle name, Mama. I like Regan."

"You know… Regan means Royal."

"It does?"

"yes dear, that's why I picked it out. It fits with Regina, which means queenly."

"Oh! Mama, I really wanna be called Regan, then we can match!"

Regina couldn't help but smile, for as much as her daughter was not the average girly-girl, she did want to be like her mother, that was for sure."

"Then Regan you shall be, my sweet girl. Now let's head out okay? What do you say?"

She looked down shyly then back up at her mom, having decided she thought it through enough. "Okay Mama, but only if they call me Regan."

"That can be arranged dear" She said, carrying "Regan" out to the car and buckling her into the car seat gently. Soon though, they were at the daycare and upon entering, Regina shook hands with the Man standing at the front counter.

"Hello, Thomas, how are you?"

"I am quite lovely, Mrs. Mills thank you so much for asking, and this must be Emmaline?"

Emma turned her head defiantly, looking the man straight in the eyes when she replied. "I like Regan better thank you." Then she turned her head and rested it back in the crook of her mother's neck, deciding that was her conversation for the day and she was done. Regina smiled at her daughter and looked back up at the man who seemed slightly taken aback.

"Alright… Regan it is."

And Emmaline would from then on be known as Regan.