Thank you for the lovely reviews, tap-Violeta, Anjyu and 94 - much appreciated!

DISCLAIMER: Not mine - I just took them out to play with them a little while.

Before I get into the angst and drama (which there will be), I wanted to show a bit about Regina's family life and Cora and Rumple as parents as well as their marriage. So this is mostly fluff... Still, hope you enjoy!

Chapter 2

As the Dark One, Rumpelstiltskin had come to be afraid of almost nothing. However, where he sat helplessly with his back against a wall, there was no denying that he was afraid. To be honest, he was absolutely terrified. Another tortured scream from inside the house ripped through him and his hands shook with magic and the desperate wish that it could help in this situation. It was no use, however – he could do nothing other than listen to Cora's screams, his heart breaking with each one of them. The screams stopped suddenly – too suddenly, and he rushed inside, nearly running their housekeeper over. The middle aged woman laughed at her master's frazzled state and placed a calming hand on his forearm.

"You have a beautiful daughter…"

"Cora…"

"She's in there… they are both in there and…"

He rushed into the room without another word, and the woman just shook her head as she left to give them some privacy.

"Rumple… look!"

The sight of Cora, leaning against the headboard of their bed, exhausted and frail, gripped his heart and twisted it painfully but his pain too, disappeared when he looked at the perfect human being in her arms.

He edged forward carefully and reached out to touch the baby's dark hair. Cora placed the baby into his arms without hesitation and pulled him down to sit next to her.

"We have a daughter, Rumple… A beautiful, perfect daughter."

He turned his head to look at his wife and for a minute, they seemed to lose themselves in each other's eyes. As if sensing this, the baby let out a shrill wail and Rumple turned his head back to her, bouncing her lightly in his arms.

"There, there dearie… We haven't forgotten you… and we never will."

He felt Cora's warm breath against his cheek as she leaned on him to look at their daughter, and spoke softly – without turning his head away from their child's gaze.

"What shall we name her?"

Cora didn't hesitate – it seemed as though she had been thinking about the name for longer than she'd admit.

"Regina… Let's name her Regina."

It was a strange choice to name their child a queen, given Cora's choice, and Rumple looked at her – curious.

"Why?"

Cora traced a finger along Regina's soft cheek with a tender smile.

"You taught me that names held power… I want our daughter to know that in my eyes, even if she isn't born royal… she is nothing less than a queen."

Rumple pressed a hard kiss to Cora's temple before looking back to their daughter.

"Then Regina it is…"

Six Years Later

"Papa! Papa, look! Look at me!"

For a minute, Rumple was sure his heart would stop. His daughter was dangling upside down from a high tree branch, allowing the wind to aimlessly swing her through the air. Shaking his head, he cut the messily tied rope around her ankle with a flick of his hands and stepped forward to catch her as she tumbled through the air. Regina squealed with laughter as she landed in his arms. She cradled his face in her hands at once and looked at him with a level of adoration he had yet to see anywhere in life.

"Papa, I love you."

Her voice was honest and pure and he could not help but reciprocate her feelings. Of course he loved Cora – she was his true love and wife, after all. However, whatever he felt for his wife or even for Milah when he still believed to love her, seemed inconsequential when he compared it to the love he felt for his daughter. He possibly would have felt guilty about it, had it not been for the fact that his wife felt the same way. He could see it every time she looked at Regina. The precious little girl was the centre of their world. Of course he remembered feeling the same about his son, about Baelfire. However, that love – he now found – was tainted with regrets, abandonment and fear. First, Milah had made sure that he knew exactly how incompetent he was to be a father, and then she had abandoned him and their son, making him ache for her – making him fear that he truly was worthless. That had allowed the Darkness to suck him in and before he knew it, he had pushed Baelfire away. Not a day went by that a part of him did not regret leaving his son to escape through the portal alone, but more so did he wish that Baelfire had been able to accept the possible good his magic could bring. He had not used it to hurt or kill ever since his daughter's birth. He simply used it to protect them. That was all he ever wanted to do – protect his family and he felt horrible at the thought that Baelfire wasn't enough to pull him out of the darkness. It was no fault of his son – surely the fault was his.

"My love… What are the two of you doing?"

Cora's voice behind him, filled him with the light he had grown so accustomed to and he turned to look at her. She was as beautiful as she was when he had seen her for the first time and he leaned his head back to kiss her.

"Our daughter, it seems, has taken to climbing trees even though I believe we strictly told her not to."

Cora lifted a brow in pretend anger as she looked at Regina and the girl shook her head.

"I didn't climb, mama! Promise!"

Cora lifted a brow and Regina cuddled her head against her father's neck adorably.

"How did you get in the tree then, Gina?"

Regina shrugged as though it was of no regard.

"I smoked."

Rumple's eyes widened, as did Cora's at Regina's confession. Rumple gently let his daughter down to the ground and looked at her, unable of coherent thought. It was Cora who found her voice first and she knelt down next to him to look at Regina.

"Gina, sweetheart… how exactly did you smoke?"

Regina shrugged, clearly confused.

"I don't know. I just wanted to, so I did."

Cora and Rumple shared a concerned look before the latter looked back at his daughter.

"Gina… I have an idea. Don't you want to spend the night at Aunt Ruth's? She's invited you a few times now, I'm sure she'll be glad to have you."

Regina's bottom lip trembled as she looked at her father.

"Did I do something bad, daddy?"

"Oh, no, dearie… You did nothing bad. We just thought you might like to go for a little visit. Just for one night."

Regina hesitated, brown eyes flickering from her father to her mother and back.

"I could play with David."

David, Ruth's five year old son, was Regina's best friend and eternal ally. The pair could not get enough of each other, frequently engaging in games of Pirates and Knights, or whatever carefree games their minds came up with.

"Yes. You could play with David."

Regina nodded at once and Rumple stood, still clutching her in his arms. He could feel Cora's concerned gaze on his back and avoided her eyes purposefully.

"Can we go now?"

He nodded at Regina's excited voice and stopped next to his wife, allowing himself to squeeze her hand for just a second. Cora must have realized that something about her behaviour seemed off, because she smiled brightly at once and took Regina out of her husband's arms.

"How am I supposed to survive you two's plans to take my daughter away from me for a full night?"

Regina laughed and kissed Cora's cheek happily.

"Mommy, it's just one night!"

Cora wiped a few strands of hair out of Regina's face and smiled.

"As long as you know that tomorrow the two of us are spending the whole day together. Just us."

Regina smiled one of her brightest smiles and for a minute the concern Cora felt wavered.

"I'd like that, mommy. I'd like that a lot."