A/N Wow thank you so much for all reviews and encouragements! I hope to live up to some of your expectations and you keep enjoying the story! Please don't hesitate comment and offer your own ideas, critiques, it only inspires me more and I know what you like, I can't promise I will include them but I will try my best if it goes with the story the way I intend it to go.
To answer few questions: Mary Margaret will be here, not yet though, but further down the line she will definitely be part of this and part of some angst.
And yes, Emma is still a savior and she's able to grow up and she's not manipulated in any way or shape by the curse.
Hope this chapter doesn't feel too filler, it's not packed with action but wanted to have Regina getting adjusted with the situation she's in. Please let me know what you think!
I do apologize for any mistakes you will find, as I do not have a beta.
She tried not to think how the hell she got herself into this situation, but a fact was a fact, that she had no clue how she should go about this or who, the most important question, she could ask this.
Truth is, she had no one, curse eliminated possibly anyone having their own brains, unaltered to help her deal with this situation. She never really had a proper mother, nor had she ever thought about being in a situation like this one.
Regina flipped through the first pages of a parenting book and swore under breath without being able to understand a thing. She reconsidered her decision on refusing to get the "Parenting for Dummies" as no one in their right mind calls The Evil Queen a dummy, much less a stupid book. Well, these ones she opted instead- didn't make it easy. They actually expected her to know everything. Which in fact was the reason she got them in the first place. She threw the gibberish book down on the table with the rest of the books concerning the same subject. She'll have to improvise for now
Next to the table there was entire 10 bags of baby continents inside. She didn't know what to get, so she got everything. Remotely relating "baby" and she got it.
On the table, next to the pile of books there was an unfinished baby formula she tried to follow through the recipe. Thing is, she could admit she knew how to make the most complex apple cheesecakes but had no clue how to even begin with this thing.
Boy she missed her magic.
"Okay" Regina tried to swipe some of the product on her skin, mentally calculating whether this would be the right temperature per book. "Lets try this" she carefully picked sleeping Emma, who started fluttering her eyes and yawning.
"This is food okay? So I need you to eat" Regina spoke loudly, listening to her own voice, then temporarily stopping dead in tracks. She tried to comprehend how this, I'm gonna slit your throat with my sharpest knife changed into lets keep you alive and make you a delicious dinner. She shook her head shooing away her thoughts before she went even more crazy, while mean Emma observed her curiously.
Regina sighed putting the bottle to Emma's lips who instantly started drinking it earnestly. Regina could tell how hungry she was.
Regina grinned, feeling some sort of weird satisfaction she was able to accomplish at least one thing today and Emma grinned back with milk running all over her chin.
Regina actually held back laugh. She took few napkins, now very glad she bought around 20 boxes of them and wiped Emma's chin then letting her finish the rest of the formula.
"Well aren't you just messy one" Regina teased gently. Emma letting out baby coos in response wiggling her hands and touching her legs.
"Okay, step 2, I guess I need to make you presentable" she said to Emma as if Emma understood everything. Emma smiled more.
Regina touched her knitted baby blanket that Emma has not been out of yet and paused for a second. Her features becoming harder. She ran a finger over the embodied Emma's name in purple and then with sudden movement she stripped her off the knitted blanket. She held Emma close to her with one hand then picking the blanket, with an instant decision she threw it straight into the trash bin.
At that instant Emma started wailing, completely out of nowhere.
"Oh shush, what's wrong?" Regina started pacing around, cradling Emma trying to calm her down but Emma wasn't having it. Her face was becoming rosy bright red from all the crying and she really did have some lungs on her.
Regina sighed walking over the bin, took out the blanket, held it over Emma and it finally did the trick. Emma slowly calmed down and ceased her cries turning them into sobbing.
"Okay, I'm not compromising on this, as soon you're properly dressed this goes into the bin. I'm not having you any reminders of those two idiots."
Emma sniffled in response just staring at Regina wide eyed, which kind of gave Regina inner satisfaction. She liked to be in charge of the things, well obviously, knowing her past. So now having a very submissive child, she could establish her rules, mold Emma the way she wanted and have the perfect child. Of course, regardless this little incident with the blanket as she was going to sort it out anyway.
Regina maneuvered taking some of baby clothes she bought and carried Emma over to the tiny bathtub.
Screeching cries, followed by splashing and kicking, followed by puking entire dinner, because apparently you're not supposed to bath babies after they ate, Regina survived the first bath time, Emma was dressed into the only thing closest to something what Regina would have dressed her back in Enchanted Forest. The big fluffy dress, little bit too big – why they can't make newborn clothes fashionable too?- tights on and a hat.
It was time to find a solution to this unbearable torture, because she obviously wasn't doing any good.
Regina sighed carrying Emma to the baby stroller, still too afraid to put her in this thing called car, because if it scared her, it must make Emma puke twice more, this morning she seemed terrified. Then off she went to the town.
"Mayor Mills!"
Oh no.
"Oh hello Kathryn" Regina faked an enormous polite smile.
Kathryn gasped, her smile changing into a shock, taking in the stroller Regina was pushing. Regina's face went gloom.
Kathryn peeked inside at the sleeping baby.
"Oh my gosh, she's absolutely precious! Is she your daughter?"
Regina blinked. She realized none of the Storybrooke people will have any recollection of Emma, as she had no intention on even having her part of the curse.
Daughter.
That hit Regina like a pile of bricks. She was carrying for this baby, trying to learn these things, endure being vomited upon, splashed water over, fretted over a cry and now was in a search who could nanny and help her out. Over someone's kid. What the hell was she doing?
"I suppose." Regina murmured unsure.
Kathryn looked at her strangely, trying to figure out what she meant by that. "I suppose dear friend you're not stealing some other people's kids" Kathryn joked, her smile met with an iron killer look of Regina's. Kathryn's smile disappeared. "I was joking."
"She's mine" Regina stated firmly.
"She's beautiful Regina, I didn't know you had a baby" Kathryn leaned closer to sleeping Emma. "Hello there you little beauty"
"Well. I did" Regina bit her lip little too hard.
"What's her name?"
"Emma."
"Oh what a beautiful name, for a beautiful little girl" Kathryn continued to coo to Emma who was smiling back at her.
"It's not. But it will do" Regina replied honestly.
"Excuse me?" Kathryn looked up at her confused.
"Nothing. We need to go, it was lovely seeing you but I have to meet someone"
"Oh sure, give me a call if you want to have a coffee, or need a babysitter sometime" Kathryn smiled.
"Actually" magnificent idea popped in Regina's head. "Do you know anything about kids? Of course you do, you had a little brother" she thought out loud, scanning in her mind through the backstories. "Perfect, why don't you come over tomorrow after noon?"
"Sure" Kathryn stuttered a little bit confused. "I'll see you tomorrow!"
"Well that's sorted" Regina smiled to herself leaning over the stroller and taking Emma out now who was so happy about any human contact. "My precious little sunshine will have a nanny and your mama will learn all the tricks now!"
Emma giggled in response.
Mama. It sounded so completely bizarre and yet so right at the same time, Regina couldn't help but get really scared now. There's no going back now, is there?