Hey everyone! So last night's episode of Once was amazing! It made me cry! Anyways, here's the new chapter of Katie :) hope you enjoy!

Katie

Chapter 8

It had been three long, hard months since the passing of the Great King Leopold. Regina watched with worry as her young stepdaughter sunk into a depression. Her normally outgoing and cheerful personality was beginning to fade. She no longer laughed as she used to and Regina rarely saw her smile. The poor girl was devastated by the death of her father. The only time she showed any emotion was when she was in the baby's nursery. Regina knew that Snow's love for her brother or sister was what was keeping her going.

The people of the Kingdom sent many gifts and whispered many prayers for their young princess to lift her spirits. They saw her as the bright light that would guide them and protect them, as she grew alongside her new brother or sister. She would always be their Snow White.

It touched Regina's heart to see the people care so much about her heartbroken stepdaughter. She was so young, yet she displayed such goodness and promise to be a future ruler. Regina's true wish was for Snow to remain the heir to the throne and one day rule over Leopold's Kingdom. He may have wanted a son, but Regina knew that his true heir was the little girl he had left behind. The child in her belly wasn't his and thus had no true claim to continue his legacy.

Lately, Snow had been having nightmares and ended up sleeping in Regina's bed. Regina didn't mind. In fact, she almost preferred it. She was able to keep a close eye on Snow and make sure she was all right. Sighing, Regina ran her hands through her stepdaughter's silky hair. The lack of sleep was wearing the poor girl out. Regina rubbed her large belly and thought about her child. The baby was due any day now. She still hadn't thought of any names as her mind was constantly filled with her concern for Snow.

Trying to rid herself of her worries, Regina wrapped her arms tightly around Snow's small frame and fell asleep.

The next morning, Regina forced herself to get up early. Sometime during the night, Snow had turned around in her sleep and had cuddled against Regina's body, as if she were seeking comfort. Snow's long black hair was spread out all over her pillow and covered half of her face. Suddenly, Snow began to call out in her sleep. Regina carefully brushed the hair away from Snow's face and attempted to hush her cries. Within moments, Snow was calm again. Regina breathed a sigh of relief and gently pushed the small girl away from her. Snow stirred for only a moment before cuddling against Regina's pillow and finally falling into a quiet slumber.

Regina hated to leave Snow alone, but she had to see Daniel. She hadn't been able to spend as much time as she wanted with him due to her new duties as Queen Regent. Although she was heavily pregnant, she was still expected to be present at certain events and meetings that took place during the court sessions. Most of the meetings consisted of the discussion of her child. The lords were anxious for the birth and whether she would deliver them a new prince or princess.

Being careful not to wake her sleeping stepdaughter, Regina dressed herself quickly in a very loose fitting gown. She tied her long hair up into a ponytail and left the room to head for the stables. She knew that Daniel would be there already, as he liked to spend time with the horses before various members of the court took them out for the day.

As Regina approached the stables, she felt a pain shot up her side. She lost her footing and kneeled on the ground to catch her breath. Within a moment the pain was gone. Realizing that nothing was wrong, Regina shook it off and continued towards the stable doors, calling Daniel's name.

Her true love stepped out of the stables with Storm in toe. Both seemed to brighten at the sight of her presence. Regina's mouth formed into a wide grin as she stepped towards the pair.

"Good morning, beautiful," Daniel whispered as he took her into his arms. Regina almost melted. It felt heavenly to be this close to him after so long.

"Good morning, my love," Regina replied, sighing happily. Suddenly she heard Daniel gasp.

"Look at how big you've gotten!" He gently pushed Regina away from him so he could get a good look at her. Her stomach had gone tremendously over the past few months and the baby looked like it had dropped. The doctor had reassured her that the baby was just getting ready to be born. Regina swatted at Daniel for his comment.

"Hey! This is your fault, you know!" Regina spat teasingly. She pouted childishly and crossed her arms over her chest. Daniel's eyes seemed to sadden a little.

"Regina, I wasn't trying to be mean," he said, "I'm amazed, that's all. You're growing a child in there…our child."

Regina beamed up at him with a cheerful grin on her face. In return, Daniel smoothed his hands gently over her swollen belly. He dropped to his knees in front of her and kissed her stomach.

"I love you," he whispered. "Your mommy and I are so excited to meet you. I know I can't completely be there for you as I should, but you are my baby. You will always be my baby."

Regina smiled warmly and started to twirl Daniel's hair between her fingers. He continued to kiss and whisper to her belly for a few moments before standing up. Suddenly Storm seemed to want to make his presence known and he let out a huge whine. Regina wrapped her arms around her horse's neck and gave him a kiss.

"I've missed riding you, boy," Regina said to him. "I hope I will be able to ride soon."

Storm whined again in response before galloping over to his favorite pasture to graze on some grass. Regina turned her attention back to Daniel, who was gesturing for her to follow him. He led her into one of the clean stalls. He gently pulled her down beside him. Regina cuddled against her true love contently. They sat in silence for a few moments, just enjoying each other's company.

"Do you have any names for the baby yet?" Daniel asked.

Regina shrugged her shoulders. She hadn't really thought about a name. There had been too much going on… between her mother's schemes, the King's death and her concern for Snow.

Regina rubbed her belly lightly.

"I haven't really thought about it, to be honest," Regina answered. "I thought about Henry for a boy. I think my father would love to have a grandson named after him… I'm not sure about a girl's name though."

"How about Katherine?" Daniel suggested. "It was my mother's name. She died a few days after I was born. I think it would be a nice way to honor her… but I think I would call our daughter Katie for short."

Regina smiled.

"That has a nice ring to it."

Daniel titled his head to the side at her reply.

"What does? Katherine or Katie?"

"They are pretty, but our daughter sounds amazing."

Daniel smiled cheekily at his beautiful lover and bent down to kiss her.

Suddenly Regina felt strange. That pain she had felt earlier had returned. She gripped her belly in pain. She cringed and leaned into Daniel.

"I think… something's wrong," Regina cried, while attempting to stand. Daniel quickly stood and held Regina against him. She struggled to remain on her feet. She felt a strange liquid streaming down her legs.

"M-My water… broke," Regina stuttered. The doctor had told her that this was often the first sign of the birthing process.

"We have to get you back to the castle," Daniel said, panic filling his voice. "We need to get you to a doctor right away before the baby comes."

Regina shook her head.

"No, no. I have to walk back alone. They can't see you with me. I don't want to risk anyone finding out about us. I'll be fine. Please, let me go."

Daniel struggled with Regina's request, but he knew that she was right. He carefully guided her to the front of the stables. Grabbing her hands in his, he kissed her.

"I love you, Regina," he whispered, kissing her forehead. "I'm sorry I can't be there to help you during the birth, but know I am thinking of you and our child."

Regina smiled and nodded, kissing him one last time. Regretfully turning away from her true love, Regina held her stomach gently and made her way back to the castle.

As she approached the patio doors, she cried for the nearest servant.

"Please… get the doctor immediately," Regina ordered. "I think the baby is coming."

The servant's eyes went wide. He quickly ushered for two other servants to help Regina to her room and then went in search of Doctor Greene.

Regina got to her room as quickly as she could with the help of the two servants. As soon as she was in her bed, she asked for Anna. The young maid was promptly brought to her side.

"Oh, my lady," Anna cried. "Are you in any pain?"

Regina shook her head.

"It's bearable," She answered. "Can you please try to keep Snow out of my room? I don't think she should be exposed to this, as much as I know she wanted to be apart of the birthing."

"Why do you want to keep me out, stepmother?"

Regina looked past Anna at the sound of her stepdaughter's voice. She was dressed in a beautiful blue gown, but the look on her face broke Regina's heart. She gestured for her stepdaughter to come over. Anna stepped out of the way, allowing Snow to sit on the bed beside Regina.

"I know you wanted to be here for this, Snow," Regina whispered to the girl. "But I may be in a lot of pain and I don't want you to see that, especially after what's happened. I care too much about you."

Snow frowned, but nodded in agreement. Her stepmother was all that she had left and she didn't want to disappoint her by disregarding her wishes.

"I promise you can see your brother or sister as soon as possible," Regina promised. "You will be the first person to hold him or her after me."

Snow smiled slightly at the thought and hugged her.

"Yes, Stepmother. I will wait in my room with Ashley as patiently as I can."

Regina smiled and motioned for Snow's nanny to take her to her room.

Once Snow was out of sight, Regina let out a moan. She had been trying to ignore the pain between her legs but she could no longer disregard it. Within a few moments, Regina was crying out again. Anna did all she could to help her mistress. She called for warm water, a cloth and some clean sheets.

A few minutes later, Doctor Greene finally arrived in Regina's bedchamber. He quickly approached Regina and checked between her legs. What he said next surprised her.

"Your Highness, the baby is already crowning!"

Anna and a number of female servants surrounded Regina as she sat up. Surprisingly, she saw her mother standing in the corner of the room. Although she often felt hatred towards her mother, she was glad that she was here… even if it was only to find out the sex of her daughter's baby.

Regina felt a shooting pain and cried out.

"Push, Your Highness! Push now!"

Regina did as she was told and pushed. She held her breath and concentrated as she pushed over and over. It felt like the pain would never end. Why was her baby taking so long to come out?

"The cord is wrapped around the baby's neck," the doctor announced. "I'm going to try and unwrap it."

Regina could feel the hands of the doctor on her legs as he attempted to unwrap the baby's cord from its neck.

"The cord was successfully unraveled, Your Highness. When you feel another sharp pain, I want you to push as hard as you can. I believe that the baby will come out after one good push."

Regina gripped Anna's hand tightly. She felt another sharp pain and pushed as hard as she could. All of a sudden she felt a huge relief as the pain subsided. Then, she heard a wail. She realized it was her baby's first cry. Regina fell back against the bed, feeling exhausted.

"What is it?" Regina heard her mother ask.

Regina sat up eagerly, waiting for the doctor to show her the child. Doctor Greene wrapped the crying child in a clean sheet and handed the baby to Regina.

"Congratulations, Your Highness," he cried. "You have a beautiful little girl."

"Another princess," Cora spat, angrily. She eyed her daughter as she pushed through the servants roughly and left the room. Regina ignored her mother's outburst and smiled down upon her daughter. The servants, Anna and Doctor Greene all got down on their knees, bowing to the Queen Regent and the new Princess.

Regina took a moment to look at her new daughter.

She was the spitting image of Regina with many of Daniel's features. She had a head full of dark hair and beautiful brown eyes. Regina saw that she had Daniel's nose and ears, while she had her mother's cheeks and lips. Regina even saw a hint of her father in her daughter, as she seemed to have the shape of his jaw.

Regina beamed happily at her child and placed a soft kiss to her forehead. The heavens at heard her prayers. Her daughter would be safe from Cora's schemes. She would never have to rule the Kingdom; her older sister Snow would be the heir and eventual Queen. Sighing with relief, Regina told the room what she decided to name her daughter.

"On this 6th day of June, Princess Katherine has been born into this realm."

The servants in the room remained on their knees and pledged their loyalty to the new princess. Regina smiled in relief. Her child would be safe. She held her daughter close and whispered the nickname her father chose for her.

"I love you so much, my darling Katie."

The child in Regina's arms blinked in response, unaware of the relief that she had given her mother.

Unknown to mother and child, Cora watched the scene from another room with use of her magic. She was livid. Although her daughter hadn't delivered a son, she would find a way to use her granddaughter to her advantage.

Even if it meant getting rid of the only person that stood in the way.

Even if it meant killing Snow White.

I know Regina's delivery seemed fast, but it's actually from real experience! My sister-in-law's labor with my niece was only half an hour, if you can believe it!
Also, Katie's birthday is also my husband's birthday ;)
Hope you enjoyed this chapter.

- Jess