A/N: For the OQ Prompt Party Day 2 Tuesday: #54 Dark!OQ finding & taking in an abandoned baby. Unbetaed, all mistakes are mine.

A new addition

Sometimes it didn't take much for your life to be irremediably changed, Regina, redeemed Evil Queen of the Enchanted Forest, reflects as she contemplates the events of the past few days. Tragedy could strike in mere seconds, in the hands of an overbearing mother or a power hungry God, but the same could be said of the greatest joys.

Sometimes all it took was a servant opening the great oak doors of the Entrance Hall and letting out a startled gasp, on what should have been a perfectly ordinary morning.

"Your Majesty," the girl called out, as Regina was descending the stairs with Roland, thus cutting off his enthusiastic ramble about the delicious apple turnovers they were planning to make in the kitchens.

She approached the wide-eyed maid and looked down at the steps of the stone staircase that seemed to captivate her so much. She noticed the wicker basket and the bundle wrapped in a yellow blanket inside. Moving closer, she could see movements rising the blanket in a regular rhythm, like breathing, she thought, and immediately sprang into action. She kneeled beside the basket and moved apart the folds of the wool cover, her heart pounding loudly in her ears as the small, pink face was uncovered.

"By the Gods!" The servant exclaimed, and it shook Regina out of her stupor.

She rose up with the basket in her arms, and quickly headed towards the kitchens, Roland hot on her heels.

"Regina, why is there a baby at the door?" He asked, as they entered the cavernous room and settled on the rug in front of the wide hearth.

"I wish I knew, Roland," Regina answered, gently patting the blanket in search of clues. A slight rustle as her fingers came into contact with a piece of parchment, and Regina extracted a letter from the bottom of the basket. Six words were inscribed on it, the ink smudged in some places by tears:

"Please take care of my Holly."

Nothing else, but for a sorceress like Regina it would be more than enough to find the author. The desperation she could feel emanating from the short message dissuaded her though.

"What does it say?" Roland inquired, attempting to decipher the words himself.

Regina smiled at him. "It says that her name is Holly."

As if on cue, the baby started fussing and Regina extracted her from the blanket to hold her close, rocking her gently and whispering soothing words. The weight and size of the infant confirmed what Regina had been thinking all along: Holly couldn't be more than a few days old. Her mother had probably dropped her off only moments before they found her. The Queen could imagine her struggling with her decision for days after giving birth, until she realised that she had no other choice. Her heart broke at the thought. She turned back towards the baby girl, who sounded more and more unhappy.

She traced the puckered lips with her pinky and the baby immediately latched on it, sucking until she realised it wouldn't release food. She let it go with a dissatisfied cry.

Regina chuckled. "Oh you are definitely hungry. Don't worry, we will find you some milk."

"Here, Your Majesty," the maid announced, accompanied by another, both dragging a milk churn. "Fresh from the barn," she said.

Regina thanked them, and conjured a bottle with a nipple to feed the child.

There were some things that you could never forget, how to take care of an infant was one of them. It all came back to her so easily, and in no time she was in her rooms with a freshly swaddled, satiated Holly, who was gurgling at Roland's fascinating tale of his adventures with the Merry Men.

The doors opened and Robin walked in, stopping dead in his tracks at the scene in front of him.

"Hmmm, Regina, was there something you forgot to tell me?" He asked, his eyebrows raised high.

"Robin!" Roland greeted excitedly, running towards him. "Come and meet Holly, she loves to hear stories," he told him, grabbing Robin's hand and dragging him towards the chaise longue where they had been resting.

Regina bit her bottom lip, studying his reaction. They had talked about this before, she knew that he was not exactly keen on ever having children, he had bonded with Roland sure, but he had spent most of his life living a selfish existence, it did not come readily to him to put others first.

Robin looked from his wife to the child in her arms, a soft tuft of black hair on her head, and baby blue eyes widely opened, looking everywhere, but unable to focus on anything just yet. He could see the unusually unsure expression on Regina's face, but there was also determination in her eyes, a resolve to have her way. He knew the look all too well.

"I was only gone for a day," he lamented, sighing and shaking his head.

"We found her this morning, someone left her on the steps with just a letter asking us to take care of her. I couldn't send her away," Regina explained, pressing a kiss on the brow of a rapidly fading Holly.

"Of course not," Robin concurred. "Just know that I'm never leaving you two on your own ever again," he told them firmly.

"Does it mean we can keep her?" Roland asked, leaning against Robin's knees, with an adorable pout on his lips.

"I guess that it does, yes," Robin replied, turning towards Regina when she squeezed his arm, beaming.

"Yeah!" Roland jumped up and down. "John, John, we got a baby!" He announced loudly, running through the still opened door to find his godfather.

Holly whined at all the sudden noise and commotion, and Regina resumed her rocking. "You will get used to it, little one. Your new brother is quite energetic, but he will always look after you."

"Well, it didn't take you long to adopt her, did it?" Robin commented, slowly becoming fascinated with this new side of his wife.

"Who could resist this precious face?" She wondered, turning Holly to press said face against hers towards Robin.

"Certainly not me," though in this moment he meant it more about his Queen than the child.

Yes, Regina thinks, sometimes it doesn't take much for your life to be irremediably changed, as she watches Robin get up to pick up a wide awake Holly from her crib. The baby immediately calms down as she is pressed against his warm, bare chest, and Regina isn't sure she has ever seen anything more beautiful.