A/N: Don't get used to this but I decided to post these two chapters and the next two chapters together. It's just better story wise. Enjoy!

Her hands clutched the porcelain rim of her toilet as her stomach flipped and twisted forcing her meager lunch up her throat. Regina hadn't thrown up like this since she'd gotten the stomach flu when she was in the sixth grade. She'd forgotten how painful it was. When she finally finished emptying her stomach she lowered the toilet lid and laid her head against it. This wasn't the stomach flu. She knew it wasn't.

It had been a little more than two months since Daniel's death and she still hadn't received her period. The first time she noticed its absence she tried to pin it on stress. Daniel's death had overwhelmed her. There were nights where she still woke up screaming his name. It was like she was reliving his death every time she closed her eyes. Her mother had moved them away from their home and into a penthouse above one of their hotels in the city. Security stationed on the ground floor and outside their door. They all knew her face. They kept track of her at all times. She was never alone. According to Cora Regina had proven herself untrustworthy. She couldn't even leave the house without a "personal escort." She'd never felt more trapped in her life. So yes, for the first week she'd tried to blame her missed period on stress but even then she knew that wasn't true. The horrific amount of vomiting she'd been doing lately just confirmed her suspicions. She was pregnant with Daniel's child.

She stood up and walked over to the sink to rinse out her mouth. She'd known for weeks now and she still couldn't wrap her head around it. She was going to be a mother. There was going to be a baby. How was she going to do this without him? This probably… happened a little while before that night at the bus station. She and Daniel were usually so careful. They made sure to be. But that night… that night was different. They had finally bought their bus tickets. The future they wanted wasn't just a dream anymore. It was real. They were going to make it real. Their excitement had made them careless. And in a few months from now the result of that carelessness would be forcing its way out of her body.

She pressed a hand to her stomach. She knew that given her situation she should feel more apprehensive but she couldn't be. When Daniel had died she thought that the only thing she'd had left of him was her memories. Her mother had moved her from the place where they'd loved each other. She'd even had his rose garden ripped up. They rarely got the chance to take pictures together and the ones they had she'd given to him for safe-keeping. She thought that she'd never have another piece of him again. Until she'd discovered the baby. Now she had a part of him that could never be replaced. She couldn't help but imagine a baby girl with her black hair and his crooked smile or a baby boy with his hazel eyes and her nose. She didn't know what was going to happen next but she did know two things. She wanted this baby. And there was only one person who could take it from her.

Regina shuddered to think of what her mother would do if she found out about the baby. To say she would be displeased would be the kind way of putting things. She'd never allow her to keep it. Thankfully hiding her pregnancy from her mother wasn't as hard as Regina had thought it would be. Despite her desire to keep her daughter under constant surveillance Cora still had a company to run. She didn't waste much of her time in the penthouse. Her time was usually spent in board meetings, traveling to new hotel sites or attending fundraisers. She was normally gone by the time Regina woke up and Regina made sure to be in bed by the time she got home. They barely saw each other. The real trouble laid with her mother's staff. The maids and security guards. They always seemed to be around and she had no doubt they were reporting her activities to her mother. Her mother took extra care to make sure that they people she hired were loyal to her. Actually loyal is the wrong word. Indebted was more accurate. Regina had heard more than a few stories of how she'd sent children to college or made sure that spouses had access to better medical care. Her mother had always told her that when used correctly false kindness could yield real loyalty. It was manipulative but effective.

Regina was doing everything in her power to make sure that none of the staff suspected a thing. She forced herself to eat despite her nausea. She tried to make sure that she only threw up in her own private bathroom away from prying eyes. Luckily it was still cold out so she was able to bundle herself up under sweaters without much suspicion. She told herself that it wasn't forever. Just until she reached a point where her mother could no longer do anything to prevent her baby's birth. By her calculations she should only be a little over 12 weeks pregnant. She just had to make it to the five month mark and then her mother would have no choice but to let her go through with the pregnancy. At least that's what she kept telling herself.

She turned sideways to examine herself in the mirror. Regina had always been naturally thin and usually she would count that as a blessing but now it was just a challenge. Despite how early it was she could already see her belly starting to round itself out. It was hardly noticeable when she was in her thick sweaters but it was starting to stick out against the rest of her slender form. She sighed. Looks like she wouldn't be wearing a t-shirt anytime soon. Still a small tugged at her lips. Her baby was growing and that was good. Her smile disappeared when she saw a vomit stain residing right under her neckline. Gross.

She walked into her room and lifted her sweater over her head. It was still covering her eyes when one of the maid walked in.

"Miss Mills? I- Oh!" she quickly turned around her hand still on the door knob. "I'm sorry Miss Mills! I should've knocked first."

Oh no! Regina turned and fumbled to pull her sweater down as quickly as possible. She couldn't let the maid see her stomach.

"It's fine," she said quickly. "I should've locked my door if I was changing."

Yeah you should've you idiot, she thought silently. What if she saw something?

The maid giggled nervously. She was a tiny thing. Probably no taller than five-foot-three. Her red hair was stylishly cut short, just above her ears. It stood out against her freckles and green eyes. Regina had seen her around the penthouse a few times. She thought her name was something along the lines of Krista. "I'm sorry," she apologized. "Your father just wanted me to ask if you would be joining him for dinner tonight and what would you like to eat?"

Regina took a minute to get her bearings before speaking. "Um yes, tell him I will see him then. I'd love it if we kept it simple though. Some soup would be nice. It's kind of chilly out."

"Alright I will let him know," said Krista with a smile. She turned to leave. For a second Regina thought she might be in the clear. Maybe she hadn't seen anything. But at the last second Krista turned back to give her one last nod. It happened quickly but Regina saw her eyes flicker down toward her stomach before leaving.

Her bedroom door shut with a click and Regina placed her hand on her stomach worriedly. This wouldn't be good.

For the rest of the night Regina felt like she couldn't breathe. The maid had most definitely seen her bump and she knew it wouldn't be long before her mother found out. Every time she left her room she felt like her mother could pop out of some shady corner and attack her. It was unlikely though. Her mother was currently in Spain meeting with new possible investors for their new European branch. According to her father, her mother had been working tirelessly to make sure that they got at least ten European hotels off the ground this year. It had always been her dream to take the company global. Regina didn't really care though. All that mattered to her was that her mother was out of the country for a few more days. That meant she had time to search for Krista and beg for her silence. The next day she paced the library floor with her arms folded across her chest. Her mother demanded that the library be dusted daily. That meant Krista had to come through the room sometime. She just had to intercept her before it was too late.

She stayed there all day pacing and wringing her hands waiting for the tiny redhead to show her face but she never showed. Regina snuck another look at the clock on the wall. 8:30. She let out a sigh. If Krista hadn't shown up yet there was little chance of her showing up at all. Maybe she had the day off? Or maybe she quit? In any case Regina wasn't going to see her today. She shuffled off to her room. She would get some sleep and search for her again tomorrow. She closed the door behind her as she entered her room. Maybe a warm bath would calm her nerves.

"You know I still find it interesting…"

She jumped nearly ten feet in the air at the sound of her mother's voice. Her eyes frantically focused on the dark corner of her room. Her mother was perched against her vanity critically eyeing the Russian snow globe she'd had since she was a child. She tapped the glass with her nails making the snow flurry.

"…just how fast news can travel in this day and age." She finished. She looked up at Regina with a piercing glare.

Regina swallowed hard before speaking. "Mother? I- I thought you were still in Spain for the week."

Cora set down the snow globe with a thud. "My plans changed."

"Oh," said Regina meekly.

"But I do have news," said Cora standing from the vanity. She stalked her way toward her daughter. Every step she took more deliberate than the last. "We got the investors for the new Spain branch. They signed on quicker than I thought they would. It allowed me to come home earlier than expected."

For every step Cora took toward her Regina took a small one back. The closer her mother got the less safe she felt. "That's excellent mother."

Cora gave her a calculated smile and nod. "Yes it is. But what is even more excellent is what I have just done with you."

When Regina raised an eyebrow at her she continued. "You see I have shared my news with you. I have communicated what new things have arisen in my life."

Regina tried to take one more step back but felt her bed at the back of her knees. There was nowhere else for her to go.

Cora continued to advance upon her until Regina's face was only a few inches from her own. "Now what about you my dear? Is there any news that you would like to share with me?"

Regina shuddered at the stench of scotch on her breath. She looked down at her toes.

"No," she answered in a trembling voice.

Cora glared at her venomously. "I don't believe you," she whispered fiercely.

She let her eyes rake over Regina's body. "Lift up your shirt for me."

Regina just shook her head silently.

"I said lift up your shirt. Now!" growled Cora.

Regina brought her trembling hands to the hemline of her sweater. A tear went down her cheek as she slowly lifted it above her stomach.

Cora let out a strangled gasp as she saw Regina's rounded belly. She lifted her gaze from her daughter's stomach to her eyes. "Just when I thought you couldn't disappoint me more."

Regina's chin began to wobble as she quickly pulled her shirt down over her stomach. "I'm sorry," she whispered.

Cora saw Regina's misery and felt her anger change direction. Despite her fury at her daughter's stupidity she wasn't to blame here. This was because of that gardener. Even from beyond the grave he'd managed to destroy her daughter. She gently took Regina's face in her hands. "Oh my darling. This is not your fault. It's that boy's fault. He ruined you."

Regina just looked up at her with wide eyes. She was so shocked she couldn't even say anything in Daniel defense.

Cora tucked Regina's hair behind her ears. "I only wish you'd told me sooner. Mistakes like this can always be handled."

Regina found herself frantically shaking her head at her mother's words. "No. No please. I don't want this handled."

Cora's hands dropped from Regina's face. "What?" she asked in a low voice.

"I- I want to keep it," said Regina desperately. "Please…"

A spark of rage lit behind Cora's eyes. Before Regina could even flinch her mother struck her hard across the face. She gasped and cradled her cheek in her hand as her mother gripped her shoulders tight.

"Now you listen to me you naïve little girl," she snarled. "I have spent years making this company into something worth having and I will not have the sacrifices that I have made tarnished by your idiotic sentimentality! This is not a child you are carrying. It is a disgrace! And I will not let it tear down the future I have worked so hard to build for you! You will get rid of it! Tomorrow!"

"No!" cried Regina. "I won't do that!"

Cora gripped her chin in her hand. "I am your mother. And you will do as I say! Whether you like it or not."

She spun on her heel and slammed Regina's door behind her. She motioned for her two security guards to stand next to the door. "Watch her," she growled. "She does not leave that room unless I say so!"

Regina fell to her knees as she heard her mother stomp down the hallway. She wrapped her arms around her middle and sobbed.

Cora grumbled as she marched her way into her office. That stupid girl! Always so willing to throw away every opportunity she got. First that gardener and now this! It was unacceptable. She poured herself another glass of scotch. She'd had at least two on the way over here but when she was this stressed who gave a damn. Hell she deserved it now that she had to clean up yet another one of Regina's messes. She relished the feel of the alcohol going down her throat before she set the glass back down on her desk. She sighed as she pulled out her cell phone and scrolled through her contacts. Where the hell was that Dr. Whale?

"I wouldn't do that if I were you."

She looked up from her phone and let out a scoff as she saw her husband amble in on his cane. He trailed his oxygen tank in behind him like always. She brought her eyes back to the screen in her hand. "If I wanted your opinion Henry I would ask for it but then again that I would never be that desperate."

The presence of her husband in her study made her skin crawl. Once upon a time Henry had been useful to her. A very specific means to an end. But now he was just dead weight. There were a lot of things that Cora could not tolerate but weakness was the thing she hated the most. And with his cane and oxygen tank Henry was weakness personified.

"What do you want?" she spat.

"I wanted to make sure you weren't making rash decisions," replied Henry, taking a seat in front of her desk.

She tilted her head at him suspiciously. "You knew…"

"I suspected," he answered in an even tone. "After what she'd been through I saw no reason to ask and add any more stress to her life."

Cora let out a dark chuckle at that. "Well congratulations dear. You've now crossed the line into completely useless. Thanks to your inaction I have to clean up yet another one of her mistakes."

Henry sighed. "I don't suppose you've taken her feelings into consideration here."

She gave him a disbelieving look. "It doesn't matter what she feels. I am her mother. I know what's best for her future even if she doesn't."

Henry glared at his wife. There was once a time where he thought he would love her for the rest of his days but that time was long gone. It took him longer than he'd admit but he now knew that the shy secretary that he'd fallen in love with had never been real. It was just a mask to hide the cunning woman who now stood before him. She'd wormed her way into his heart and to the head of his family's company. He could no longer protect himself from her but he could still protect his daughter. At least this time.

"You've never been able to see her side. You don't realize how much it breaks her heart," he said sadly. "Perhaps if you were more understanding of her she wouldn't have run off with the gardener in the first place."

Cora turned and leveled her fierce gaze at her husband. "Are you saying this situation is my fault?"

"I'm saying your heavy-handed tactics nearly cost us our daughter once and perhaps it's time you changed them," he replied calmly. "Let her keep the child."

Cora's jaw dropped at his words. "You expect me to let her keep that little bastard?!"

"I expect you to be smart and not let your anger cloud your judgement!" snapped Henry. "She already loves the child. She's already begun to protect and care for it. Just as she did the gardener. She ran for him and she will run for this baby. She's probably already plotting her escape right now."

Cora turned from him with a huff. Henry might be weak but unobservant he was not. "I have guards at her door. She's not going anywhere."

"Maybe not today," said Henry nonchalantly. "But tell me dear, if you do go through with this how long do you think it'll be before she tries to take off again? A week? A month?"

Cora leaned forward and gripped the edge of her desk so tightly her knuckles grew white. Damn it he was right. Her daughter had always been run by her emotions. It was the one habit Cora was unable to break her of. "And just what would you have me do Henry?"

Henry settled his hands on top of his cane. "Instead of giving her a reason to run make sure she has a reason to stay. Let this baby be her incentive. Let her keep it, raise it. You already control all her finances. If you're the one holding the purse strings over her child then perhaps she'll be more… receptive to your requests from her. All she wants is to keep her child safe. Make it so that you are the only safe place she has to go."

Cora raised her eyebrows at his reasoning. He could see that he had her intrigued so he pressed on. "Cora you've been fighting her for so long. Wouldn't it feel nice if she had one more reason to love you instead of hate you?"

Cora crossed her arms in response and Henry knew that he had her. Despite her steel exterior Regina's constant rejection of her values still stung.

"And just how am I supposed to explain this child to the shareholders?" asked Cora coolly.

"Cora please," said Henry rising from his seat. "You and I both know this wouldn't be the first pregnancy you've managed to cover up."

She glared at his back as he shuffled out of the room. Damn him.

Regina paced her room and ran her fingers through her hair fretfully. She had to get out of this place. But how was she supposed to do that? There were guards at her door. Both more than six feet tall and 200 pounds. There was no way she was going to be able fight them off as small and pregnant as she was. She walked over to her window and looked down at the street. Or what she could see of it from this height. She was thirty floors up. There was no way she could jump. Maybe she could signal someone? She let out a frustrated sigh. No. Even if she did have a flashlight, the penthouse covered the entire floor and she couldn't reach anyone below. She leaned against the window sill and buried her face in her hands. She couldn't lose this baby. It was all she had left.

She looked up when she heard a knock on her door.

"Regina," called Cora. "May I… come in?"

Regina scoffed to herself. As if she could stop her. It didn't matter anyway. Her mother entered without any sort of answer. Regina eyed her curiously. Her hair was down and she was no longer in her usual power suit. She was actually in one of her silk robes. She'd even removed almost all her makeup. All that was left was her signature red lipstick. She looked… almost non-threatening.

"Regina I… I would like to apologize for my behavior earlier tonight," she choked out.

Regina tilted her head suspiciously. "You would?"

"Yes," said Cora earnestly. "I was just… I was upset that you hadn't come to me. Like you should've."

She took a seat on the edge of the bed and rubbed the sheets absentmindedly. "Regina I've always regretted the way our relationship has turned out. The way we talk and behave around one another… it's not the way a mother and daughter should act."

Regina just folded her arms across her chest and continued to watch her cautiously. What was this about? It felt like a trap.

"Most of the problems between us have been my fault," continued Cora. "I'll admit that I haven't been listening to you like I should have been. And I made you feel like you had no choice but to pull away from me. I want that to change. I'm ready to listen now."

She crossed her legs and placed her folded hands on top of her knees. "Regina… would you really like to keep your baby?"

Regina nodded slowly with tearful eyes. "Yes," she whispered.

Cora nodded her head with a resigned sigh and smile. "Then I suppose you can have it."

"I can?" asked Regina her voice breaking with hope.

"Of course," said Cora with a grin. "If this baby is what you want then you can keep it."

"Thank you," said Regina with grateful tears.

"But there will have to be changes and conditions," added Cora. She patted a spot next to her on the bed. Regina obediently sat by her side.

"If you are to keep this child no one can know of its existence," said Cora sternly. "It wouldn't look good for you or the company. It'll have to be our little secret for now."

Regina nodded in response. She could understand that and to be honest she didn't really care. All that mattered was that her baby was staying with her.

"In addition to that," continued Cora, "Once the child is born you will have to be more responsible. And that means coming to work for me at the company."

Regina eyes widened at that. She'd always told her mother that running the hotel chain wasn't what she wanted to do with her life. It was always at the heart of all their conflicts. "But mother I…"

"Don't want to work for me," finished Cora. "I know that you have always said that Regina but things are different now. You have to consider not just your future but the future of your child. Now do you really want to waste any more time searching for what feels right when you already have a solid career path lined up for you? Is that what a good mother would do?"

Regina shamefully lowered her eyes at her mother's words. "No… I suppose not."

"Exactly," said Cora in a kind voice. "You have to do what's best for your child now. And what's best is for you to work with me. As you were always meant to."

"Okay," said Regina softly.

"Good," said Cora with a smile. "You'll see that I am right Regina. With this arrangement everything will be fine. You and your child will be safe at home. With me."

Regina forced a smile to her lips. She leaned in as her mother moved to hug her and reciprocated appropriately. Her mother had just offered her everything that she wanted. So why did she feel like she just made a deal with the devil?

6 months later…

She was exhausted. Really. She was so tired. But she had never been this happy in her life.

Giving birth had been excruciating. The worst physical pain she'd ever felt in her life. Her hair still stuck to her forehead with sweat. Her face was probably still flushed. Every inch of her was sore. She was sure the lack of epidural had been her mother's own form of punishment. But it was all worth it because now he was here.

Her son.

She'd been staring at him in awe as he lay in her arms for the past hour. He was so perfect. He was just so utterly perfect she couldn't believe it. He had all his fingers and toes. Barely any hair but what few strands he had looked like they would be as dark as her own. His eyes appeared to be a light brown but the doctor had told her that could change. She knew in her heart that they would grow into Daniel's shade of hazel. She leaned back in her hospital bed and rubbed his tiny tummy with a smile. Oh she loved him. She loved him so completely and unconditionally it baffled her. She'd never felt this way for anyone. Not even Daniel. She pressed a kiss to his forehead and breathed in his scent. "I love you," she whispered.

"Regina?"

She tore eyes away from her son to see her father standing in the doorway of her room. "Daddy." She greeted him with a bright smile.

"I thought it was time I meet my grandson," he said settling into the chair next to her bed. He peered into her arms at the tiny baby. "Ah darling, he looks positively magnificent."

"He's perfect," she said beaming down at her son.

He stood to give her a kiss on the forehead. "You did marvelously."

He reached behind the chair to pull up a brown stuffed bear with a blue bow tied around his neck. She chuckled at the sight of it. "A brown bear?"

Her father nodded his head sheepishly. "Yes I know it's a bit generic but…"

"I love it," she said with a grin. "And so will he."

She shuffled the baby in her arms as her son began to squirm. "Do you want to hold him?"

"Of course," said her father. She carefully relinquished her son to her father's arms.

"Oh I remember when you were this tiny. It felt like I could carry you around in my pocket." He let out a happy sigh as he stared down at his grandson. "Your mother told me to tell you that she regrets that she couldn't find a flight out on such short notice."

At the mention of her mother Regina felt a swift spark of annoyance puncture her joy. Despite her assurances that she wanted to repair her relationship with her daughter Cora had been a rare sight during her pregnancy. She had chosen to remain in the penthouse while she had Regina sent out of sight back to her childhood home where there was less of a chance of her being seen. She'd hardly visited or checked in. She was distant, in every sense of the word. "You know you can tell me that she just didn't want to come."

Henry frowned in response. "Regina…"

"It's fine," she said quickly. "It doesn't matter. I don't want her here for this."

She forced a smile back on her face. "This is a happy occasion and I wouldn't want her poison to seep into it."

"Regina you know that your mother loves you. She just… doesn't know how to do it well," said Henry sadly.

Regina let out a sigh. "You know I've gone over it my head a dozen times and I could never figure out what made her change her mind so quickly. Then I realized there was only one person who had a chance of convincing her to let me keep this baby. You. Daddy did you... ask her for me?"

Henry looked up from his grandson to his daughter. "You'd lost so much Regina. I didn't want you to lose anything else."

She let out a breath as a tear went down her cheek. "Thank you."

"I just want you to be happy," Henry replied sincerely. "That's all I have ever wanted for you."

"I'm happy now," said Regina bringing a hand to her son's head. "Now that he's here I can say that and mean it."

Henry took another look at the baby boy in his arms. "Have you decided on a name yet?"

"Yes I have," said Regina with a nod. "His name is… Henry Daniel Mills."

Her father looked up at her with shock in his eyes. "Really? Are you certain?"

"Yes," she answered firmly. "He wouldn't be here without either one of you."

Her father beamed down at his grandson with tearful eyes. "Well then, welcome to the world Henry Daniel Mills… the second."

Next chapter: Cora makes a devious deal for her daughter's future.

So that's all for today. Tell me what you thought. Please Review!