*Authors note: I aplogize for not updating I have been busy with the end of the semester! enjoy I'll update when I can!*

Chapter 3

Cora walked into her room and locked the door behind her. She had told her servants to keep her husband away for as long as they could, she wanted to be left alone. It had been what felt like a lifetime since she had called upon the Dark One, but she had no choice if her daughter were to keep this child then all her plans would be lost. Regina would run away the moment the king found out and ended the marriage, no, she had sacrificed too much and a little baby wasn't going to get in the way.

"Rumpelstiltskin, the Dark One, I summon you." Nothing. Cora stood in her room alone, yet there was something there, a feeling but she couldn't see anyone. "Now Rumpel dear, you might not want to see me but you have to come when you are called." Cora heard a noise behind her. She turned around and found herself face to face with the Dark One who was grinning menacingly at her.

"Well hello deary. It's been a very long time and look how well you've done for yourself since we last spoke. How's life without the heart?" Cora smiled back, he was angry, good. Rumpelstiltskin, when emotional, was more likely to make mistakes and she needed him too this time. If she could convince him that he needed Regina's child then everything would be solved.

"It's been a long time, my love." She reached out to stroke his face but he swatted her away and grabbed her throat with his other hand.

"Give me one good reason I shouldn't snap your neck." Cora struggled to breath but if she force out just a few words he will let go. Rumpelstiltskin was and is a coward who only cares about his own life.

"I...I have information."

"What kind of information. Tick tock your time is running out." He squeezed a little harder and lifted her up just slightly above the ground. He was going to slowly kill her he wanted to see her struggle against his hand.

"Safety...for your safety." Rumpel let go of his grip immediately. Lucky for Cora she had predicted correctly, when it came to his safety nothing mattered not even revenge. Cora dropped to the ground coughing and rubbing her neck attempting to help herself restore air to her lungs. Rumpel looked down at her, his eyes twinkling with curiosity.

"What do you mean my safety. I am the Dark One, I am the most powerful thing in this land. How could I be in danger?" Cora slowly got to her feet and straightened her dress. She looked into the eyes of the monster she once loved. He hadn't aged a day and yet she was an old women, it was as if time stood still for him.

"Tell me Rumpel darling, what do you know of my daughter Regina?"

"She plays a pivotal role in our land and in my life. Something I would have had better control over but you tricked me out of getting her." Cora ignored the last comment and continued speaking.

"And since you can see the future what do you see of my daughter having a child?"

"Well bad news Cora, I'm afraid you don't become a grandmother for a very long time." Cora smirked and turned her back to him. He had no idea, with all his powers for some reason he had no clue of Regina's pregnancy. Her plan was coming along perfectly.

"Well that is bad news. I'll have to inform my daughter that she can't give birth just yet and that she'll have to wait." Rumpelstiltskin's eyes widen. Regina was pregnant and he had no idea. The ability to see the future had completely missed this or...the child was so powerful and important that magic was stopping from him seeing her.

"So Regina's pregnant. What does that have to do with me and my safety?" Cora laughed, Rumpel had done his best to hind the fact he was surprised and slightly afraid of this child that he knew nothing about, but she could here it in his voice. He was very worried.

"Please Rumpel. You were very interested in Regina before she was even created. You know she is going to do something big and if she had a child you would have known about it before any of us did and you would be keeping a close eye on it." Cora was right of course, Regina was never suppose to get pregnant. She was destined to have a son but she was not his birth mother and that was suppose to happen for several years. He remembered that the Seer had warned him of a child who would one day kill him and take his powers. Was this the child? It would make sense. Good magic could be hiding the child from his sight so it would be a surprise when the child finally came to take his life.

"Alright you have me figured out. But why are you telling me this Cora? Is there something you want?" Cora had been pouring herself and Rumpel a drink. She turned back to him holding a glass in each hand. She walked over and handed it to him then sat down on a couch. She patted the seat next to her inviting him to come join her. He sat down next to her but did not relax; he was too interested in seeing what Cora was going to say.

"Yes Rumpel dear there is something I want. You see this child holds a threat to us both. If Regina keeps this baby it's only a matter of time before the king finds out and when he does he will call of the wedding. Regina will never become queen and she will run off with that bastard child. I will lose my daughter and the power she would gain by becoming queen."

"Is there a point to this?" Cora gave him a side ways glance.

"Yes. My deal is when Regina gives birth to the child I'll give it to you and you change the memory of my daughter so she thinks her baby died in child birth. You get the child so you become safe and my daughter goes on to become queen. Rumpel sat quietly thinking.

"Do you care what happens to the child?"

"Of course not. Once it is in your possession you are free to do with it as you please." Rumpelstiltskin smiled brightly. He liked this deal. He stood up after downing the drink.

"Alright deary you got yourself a deal. But no switching it after you signed the contract, not like last time." Cora stood up bring her face close to his.

"Of course."

"Well then." He pulled back from her and snapped his fingers. A quill and parchment appeared out of thin air and into his hands. "Everything is here just signed at the bottom." Cora signed the bottom sealing the deal. She handed him back the quill and smiled. Everything had worked perfectly, she got exactly as she wanted. "I'll be back very soon." and with that he was gone; Cora was back to being alone in her room.

***
Regina layed on her bed rubbing her belly and for the first time in almost a year she had a small smile on her face. She had a plan of her own. As soon as the baby was born she would disappear. It would be very difficult since child birth was a painful experience and left a women weak, but that's what made this plan so perfect. No one would suspect her being of being able to get up and walk around let alone taking her baby, plus supplies, then riding horse back out of the kingdom. The thought alone caused Regina to cringe. It was going to be extremely painful but it would be wirth it. She would have her child, a little peice of her stable boy, and that's all she needed.
There was a knock on the door and then the door unlocked. In walked in Matilda, Regina's personal servant, with a tray of warm broth and a small piece of bread.
"It's supper time dear." Her voice was high pitched and sweet. Matilda was always very sweet to everyone and was hand picked by Regina herself when she was young. She had watched Regina grow up all these years and they had a special bond because of it. Regina assumed her mother had sent Matilda in particularly because of that bond. She hadn't eaten anything in days and had would throw the plates full of food back at her mother for even attempting to get her to eat.
"I'm not hungry." Regina's smile had faded, she didn't want to eat for some reason she still wasn't hungry. Matilda gave her a stern look.

"Now I realize that for some unknown reason you are feeling terrible and don't want to eat but it's not just about you any more. Did you ever think that the little one inside that tummy of yours is hungry." She set the tray down next to Regina's bed.

"How did you know I was pregnant? Mother has made sure that no one else knows of this." Matilda looked at Regina smiling as if she was surprised that Regina didn't know her that well.

"Regina I watched you grow up. I knew you were pregnant before your own mother knew." Matilda gentle grabbed Regina's hand and squezed it. "Look I know whatever happened must of been hard. I have never seen you so broken before in my life, you were always such a happy person. However, like I said, it is no longer about you it's about this child from now on. So you need to eat and that's all I'm going to say about that." She let go of Regina's hand and walked out of the room. Regina looked at the food, she was right she needed to do what was best for the baby and what was best for the baby is to eat.
Out side of the door Matilda waited to hear the sounds of Regina eating. When she did she gave wicked smile and snapped her fingers. In a puff of smoke Rumple had taken her place, it had been him all along. It wouldn't be long now, he wanted that baby as soon as possible just to make sure Cora didn't go back on their deal again or had something else up her sleeve. He snapped his fingers again and was gone.

***
Night had fallen over the kingdom and Regina was sleeping soundly in her bed. She had fallen asleep rather early, right after she had finished eating actually. Regina seemed peaceful as she lied there dreaming of her future life with her child in her arms when she awoken suddenly in agonizing pain. She sat up straight and grabbed her stomach, her teeth clenched. Then the pain stopped and she relaxed, but before she could even figure out what had caused it the pain returned this time worse then before. She let out a scream of agony that could have woken the entire castle. Her breathing grew heavier and it didn't take long for the pain to become permanent. She screamed again and her whole body clenched up, it was trying to tell her it was time to push. Her mother came running into the room.

"Regina silence yourself before you wake everyone up!"

"That's a little difficult mother! Ahhhh!" Her mother rushed over to her and placed the candle that she had been holding on the small table next to Regina's bed. She lifted up her sleeves and summoned a bucket of warm water, towels,a clean blanket for the baby, and a small knife.
"Ok Regina darling," Cora got on the end of the bed, "You need to spread your legs for me." Regina did what she was told as sweat started forming on her forehead. Cora took off Regina's undergarments, she could barely see anything. She waved her arm and the curtains flew open revealing a bright full moon to help light up the room. Regina screamed again, she had never experienced such pain in her life. "Ok Regina...Regina! Listen to me grab your knees with both hands, sit up, and then when you feel the urge to push push as hard as you can, do you understand?" Regina nodded. A second later Regina started pushing screaming louder then before. "Regina you need to be quiet, it's just child birth." Cora looked between her daughter's legs, she saw something starting to stick out, it had to be the head of the baby. Regina stopped pushing and fell back onto her pillows.

"This isn't right," she whimpered, "I have another month at least; it's too early." Tears were streaming down her face from fear and pain. She sat back up quickly when she felt another contraction. She pushed again and Cora saw a little head sticking out.

"Ok, give me two more big pushes and the baby is out." Two pushes later and out came a screaming baby. Cora raised out her hand and the knife flew towards her hand, she had no time to stop and pick it up. With one cut of the knife the umbilical cord was cute. She took the screaming child off the bed, as Regina laid her head back down and allowed her body to relax. Cora cleaned off the child to help it breath. She swaddled the baby in the clean blanket and held her grandchild. She felt nothing just like she felt nothing for Regina either.

"Let me hold my baby." Regina begged, her voice was weak. Cora thought about it for a moment, but decided that she would allow her daughter to at least her hold her child before it was gone forever.

"It's a girl." Cora said as she handed her off. Regina was in tears again but this time from pure joy. The baby stopped crying once she was in her mother's arms. She had a head full of black hair; she looked just like Regina, except her nose, she had Daniel's nose.

"My little stable boy's princess." She planted a kiss on her baby girl's forehead. Regina's eyes suddenly went cross eyed then limp. Cora grabbed the baby before it fell.

"Regina?"

"She's fine." Cora turned around and there stood Rumpelstiltskin smiling as usual. "It's part of my potion, now when she wakes up she'll have no idea what happened to the baby and you can tell her there were...complications."

"And what about the body? She'll want to see it for herself or she'll think I gave it away."

"Not to worry!" He held out both of his hands and out of thin area a small figure wrapped in a similar blanket, but had it's face covered. "It's not as hard as you might think to find a body of a dead baby." Cora smiled at him. "Now hand over the baby and no tricks." Cora walked over to him caring her sleeping grandchild. They quickly made the exchange. "It was nice doing business with you."Cora gave him one last smile before him and her grandchild disappeared.

***
Rumpelstiltskin reappeared in the middle of the woods holding his prize. He had decided he was just going to leave it in the woods and let the wolves have it, this way there was no body left for anyone to find. He looked down at the baby, just like Cora he felt nothing towards the child. It was nothing personal, but if this was the child that was destined to kill him then he had to destroy it. Regina's baby opened it's eyes, she had big brown orbs for eyes just like her mother. Rumpel looked into those eyes.
"Aghh." He felt his body tense up and fell to his knees but never lost eye contact with the baby. He was having a vision one so powerful he was losing control over his body. He saw the future of this child and saw how powerful she was. He couldn't kill this baby, one day she will become powerful and useful to him. But he still had to get rid of the baby it was part of his deal and not even Rumpelstiltskin broke his own deals. He was going to need some help and he knew someone who would be willing to make a deal with him.
A young man and his wife sat in there little shack in the woods. They were poor; so poor that his pregnant wife was dying and did not have the money for a doctor. He had called Rumpelstiltskin but even he told him there was nothing he could give him he wanted. He held his wife close as she shivered from a fever, a tear escaped his right eye time was running out. There was a knock at the door. The man set pulled away from his wife to answer the door. In the doorway stood Rumpelstiltskin at door smiling and holding a sleeping infant.

"Hello Jefferson, are you still up for making that deal." Jefferson looked back at his wife who was struggeling to even sit up before exiting their home.
"I thought you said I had nothing to offer you?"

"Yet, nothing to offer me yet."

"Umm..."

"I am here to save your wife and child by giving you this." Out of thin air he pulled out a top hat. It was rattered, old, and looked like nothing special.
"A hat?"

"Not just any hate, this hat can take you to other worlds. Other worlds that can save lives of your love ones."

"Why are you giving this too me."

"Well I need someone who is desperate enough to work this hat and do my bidding. And you are just the desperate man I'm looking for." He handed him the hat. "If you put it on the grown, spin it, and want another world more then your very life, which you do, it will take you to a time and or place that you want. However how the number of people who go in are the same number that must come out."

"And what is it that I must do in order to get this?"

"I need you to put this," He held up the baby, "Somewhere safe until I need it." Jefferson thought for a moment.

"Ok, show me what to do."

"Just spin it, you have it in you I assure you." Jefferson put the hate on the ground and spinned it. It kept spinning and spinning; while spinning it also got bigger. "Now," boomed Rumpel, "Watch me. I am going to concentrate on a time and place. Then I will drop the infant in, the portal will close, and it will return to just a hat." Rumpelstiltskin closed his eyes and concentrated. He smiled, opened his eyes, and dropped the child, wrapped in a blanket, inside the expanded hat. Once the baby had been dropped the hat returned to its original state. Rumpel picked it up, brushed it off, and handed it to Jefferson.

"Why did it work for me?" He asked as he received the hat.

"Because you have the right amount of magic and desperation the hat needs to work, not to mention it did belong to her great-grandfather at one time."
"My great-grandfather, but he-"

"Lost his mind, yes. So I remind you to be careful when using this. You might end up losing more then you think." Rumpel left Jefferson holding the hat and thinking of what to do next.