Summary: Baby Emma never made it through the tree and somehow managed to find her way into the clutches of the infamous Evil Queen. The curse hits and they are all taken to the new land, as planned by Regina. But what she didn't plan for was having a new baby princess on her hands. Could baby Emma be Regina's savior and teach her how to love again?
I own NOTHING. If I did, Marian would still be in her grave and I would be dancing on it.
It had failed. The tree that was supposed to save everyone from their seemingly inevitable doom had failed. It was supposed to save their baby girl, their baby Emma. But when Charming had placed the baby inside in hopes of the tree delivering her to another world, a safer world, the Queen's black knights had opened the doors and taken the baby just as easily as Charming had put her in. In his final breaths, he had watched the knights take the baby and run out of the room, leaving him there to die a slow, miserable death.
Snow had found her husband in the room a few minutes later, and she let out a heartbreaking cry when she realized he had lost his life trying to save everyone else's. She then looked to the tree, a hopeful expression on her pale features, but was met with a confusing sight. The tree's doors were open… The princess wasn't certain whether this meant the child had escaped or not. However, she received her answer when the Queen strode into the room, a little bundle sleeping peacefully in her arms.
"Oh dear," Regina said in a mocking tone, gently swaying the baby back and forth in her arms, "what a heartbreaking scene the pretty princess has found herself in." Snow let out something sounding like a snarl and a sob.
"Give her back to me, Regina," she growled, tears streaming down her face, her body still laying next to her dead Prince. She couldn't find the strength in her to stand
"What?" Regina feigned curiosity, and then a smirk lit up her features. "Oh, you mean the baby. This sweet, innocent little child. What is her name again? ...Oh yes," her smile grew a little wider as she looked down upon the child, who gurgled a little, oblivious to the scene taking place around her. "Emma."
"I swear on my father's grave Regina if you hurt her I'll…"
"You'll what?" Regina challenged, amusement seeping into her every word. "You'll find me in this new land and hunt me down? Did I forget to mention you won't remember who you are?"
"I will find a way…" a sob cut Snow off mid sentence but she continued, hellbent on letting Regina know just how far she was willing to go to get her family back. "I will find a way to get her back from you, Regina. You will not get away with this."
The Queen raised an eyebrow at the Princess' words and she smirked, a low laugh rising from deep in her throat. Leaning down to Snow's level, her baby still in Regina's arms, her stepmother gave her a smile that was nothing short of evil.
"Oh, my dear, I already have." And with that, purple smoke swirled around the room, engulfing them all. Regina let out a loud, powerful laugh, the smile never leaving her lips, as she, the baby, Snow, and her Prince were whisked away to a new land. To a new beginning.
Regina woke with a faint smile curling on her lips, her hands stretching above her head and she let out a satisfied groan. Her dark eyes opened lazily, taking in her new surroundings.
It worked, she thought with a smile, sitting up and drinking in view.
She rose slowly from the King sized bed, with what looked and felt to be a very expensive comforter. Her fingers trailed the mahogany dresser as she walked to the window, adoration blooming in her chest as she looked through the window upon the town. Her town that she created. She couldn't help the small prideful smirk that she wore. She had made this; this beautiful, quaint little town on the outskirts on Maine was hers. The smile that graced her lips faltered at the sound of a piercing baby cry from what she guessed to be the room across the hall. She turned around slowly, balling her fists into tight little balls as she walked out of the master bedroom in search of the child.
She found her in the room next to the master bedroom, swaddled in her baby blanket with Emma embroidered on it in a deep purple color, a fussy expression on her tiny face as she squirmed in the wooden white crib. She looked down on the baby hesitantly, unsure of what to do. She hadn't planned past enacting the curse and keeping the baby away from Snow's clutches. Now that the baby was in her care, she wasn't sure of what to do with her. She supposed she should have thought of this ahead of time, and with a reluctant grimace on her face, she picked the baby up from the crib and held her gently in her arms, being extra cautious not to break the dainty thing.
Emma instantly calmed, seeming to snuggle into Regina's touch, and she gurgled a little, causing the corners of Regina's mouth to curve in a small smile. She really was a cute baby.
Spying a white rocking chair in the corner of the room, she walked over to it and settled into it. She looked around the room, admiring the decor. The walls were a light lavender, with white furniture blending nicely with it. Little paintings were hanging on the walls in a few places, pictures ranging from a little girl riding a pony down a hill to butterflies flying around a white daisy. She didn't exactly know how the room had appeared in the house, but she guessed that the curse tended to everyone's needs according to age and gender, hence the room being obviously decorated to suit a baby girl. There was also a small toy chest in the corner opposite of the rocking chair that, which Regina would later discover upon further inspection, contained many of Regina's own favorite childhood toys that her father had managed to keep hidden from her mother, who insisted that toys were a waste of precious time that could better be spent improving one's stature. Toys held no grounds when it came to events such as teatime. Young, sweet Regina had discovered this when instead of attending teatime, her mother caught her playing with a few of her favorite stuffed animals and Cora wasted no time before setting the toys on fire. Regina shuddered at the memory.
Despite Regina rocking the baby, Emma began to cry again. Distress showed on the brunette's features as she looked at the small child, making soothing noises and trying to comfort her. An idea dawned on her when her attempts to comfort Emma failed.
"You must be hungry," the woman deduced, holding out a hand, expecting a baby bottle to appear in it instantly. When it didn't, a look of horror washed over her face and realization hit her as if icy water was thrown on her head. "Shit," she mumbled under her breath and then quickly bit her lip as she stared down at the little girl, making a mental note to cut back the swearing to a minimum. This was a land without magic. How terribly inconvenient.
"Well, I suppose I should learn what to feed you until I figure out what I'm going to do with you," she sighed, standing up from the chair carefully and searching for somewhere to lay the baby until she figured out what to feed her. She spotted a bassinet with pink frill trim and gently lowered Emma into it, who was not too thrilled at the loss of contact between her and Regina and began crying even louder. Regina winced as she rocked the bassinet with her hand to try and soothe the baby's cries.
"Please stop crying, child," she pleaded, scouring her brain for an idea of what she could feed her. Sighing rather dramatically, she turned around and started searching through drawers in the room for something. Finally after what felt felt like forever, she came across something called formula. She quickly read the instructions on the back and decided she needed to also look for a bottle since it was pictured on the back of the formula container. She came across one in the bottom left drawer and went to the bathroom to fill the bottle with the correct amount of water. She hurried back into the room, adding the appropriate amount of formula and followed the instructions, shaking the bottle to mix the powdery substance with the water.
She set the bottle on the small table next to the rocker and lifted Emma from the bassinet. She quieted down considerably when Regina held her in her arms. Settling herself in the chair, she grabbed the bottle and Emma automatically latched on. Regina smiled slightly but quickly caught herself.
"Don't get used to this, little princess," Regina said, and she smiled a little as she decided she liked the way the nickname rolled off her tongue. It was strange; saying little princess with no malice or disdain in her voice. But it was a good strange, she concluded.
"There we go," she cooed, putting the empty bottle on the side table and placing Emma so she could burp her. A nagging feeling surfaced in Regina's stomach. She couldn't possibly care for this baby, could she?
No, absolutely not, her insides reasoned. A possibly psychotic Evil Queen was in no place to raise a child. The idea was simply preposterous.
This is Snow White and Prince Charming's baby, the sensible Regina in her head argued. You couldn't possibly keep it.
But she doesn't even look like them, the hopeful voice in her head persuaded. Well, except for her chin. But this baby could be your new beginning.
The Queen looked at the little princess' face. It felt good to be needed by someone and not judged by them. This child had no disdain for the brunette shining in her bright eyes. She didn't judge her for her past or her title.
The uneasiness she had felt earlier still lingered in Regina's stomach. But she couldn't imagine giving up an opportunity like the one she was holding over her shoulder.
No, in that moment, Regina couldn't imagine baby Emma ever leaving her arms.
I might continue this, depending on reviews and demands. Hope you enjoyed it.
xoxo- Addie