Just a few things before the chapter of this story:
A few reviews have said about Snow killing Cora, in this story Snow did not kill Cora. She gave Regina Cora's heart to try and end the fighting and hopefully let Regina and Cora have some sort of relationship with one another however Rumplestiltskin was the one to kill her as he thought it best to do this. Perhaps I didn't really show that, for this I apologise. Rumples actions in this chapter are in a way his actions to make up for what he has done to Regina by killing Cora.
I have taken a few little ideas from some people and I will add in little bits here and there. Thank you to those who have shared little ideas they would like to see in the story and if anyone else has anything they would like to say feel free to let me know.
As for Robin Hood appearing I have an idea of this and it won't be long before he pops up. Now remember this story in completely AU so keep your minds open :-)
Any way I shall leave you to hopefully enjoy this next chapter:
As they ate their lunch they talked as if nothing had happened that day, as if everything was normal. Well that was until Regina added in her little comments here and there and it brought them back down to what had happened but they all found toddler Regina to be rather funny and entertaining and were beginning to find themselves become used to her already. Even Henry.
"Mommy what's green stuff?" Regina asked as she flicked it with her fork. She did not appear happy to having it on her plate.
"That's salad sweetheart. It's yummy and good for you. Eat up." Snow replied.
"Look yucky!" Regina stuck her tongue out and had a look of disgust on her face which Emma and Henry had to try so hard to control their laughter at.
"So ironic because mom loved salad." Henry laughed causing Emma to laugh.
"Why laughing Henry? Joke daddy?" Regina questioned with a look of confusion on her face. She had no idea what Henry and Emma found so funny.
"No joke Regina. Henry and Emma are just being silly." David said tucking some of Regina's hair behind her ear. He found it strange how he had so suddenly fallen into fatherly mode with Regina of all people but he couldn't help it she was just to adorable. "Now come on eat your salad up."
Regina groaned a little. "Don't like it."
"I don't think you have even tried it Regina." Snow commented. "If you eat some of your salad we can go and get a sweetie before we go home." Snow said hoping it would coax Regina to eat at least a couple of bites of salad.
"How much?" Regina asked.
Snow leaned over and moved aside a little bit of salad deciding to start small and not push her too much. They had plenty of time to drum in the whole you have to eat your greens thing into her. "I think that should do." Regina huffed but decided to eat it so that she could get her sweetie afterwards.
The family looked up as they heard someone clearing their throat and saw that Gold was stood at the end of the table. They all gave him a questioning look, all except Regina who was very focused on trying to finish her salad as quick as she could. "I have something to show you if you are quite finished with lunch."
"I think we are done." David looked around the table and everyone nodded. "What do you want to show us?" He asked.
Gold was just about to answer with Regina butted in. "Done mommy. All gone." She happily said as she pushed her plate away.
"Clever girl Regina." Snow smiled. She pulled Regina onto her lap and directed her gaze to Gold telling him to go ahead.
"I think you should wait and see when we get there." He announced.
"Okay." David sighed. "I'll go pay." He got up from his seat and walked over to the counter.
Regina shuffled out of Snow's arms and crawled over to the end of the seat. She stood up and looked up at Gold with a wondering look on her face. She held up her arms indicating that she wanted him to lift her up but he just looked down at her not moving. "Up pwease." Regina sweetly asked.
"Go on Gold. Surely you can't resist that." Emma chuckled.
He rolled his eyes and he leaned down lifting the small child up and balancing her in his arms. She smiled up at him and he could feel his lips begin to tweak at the ends, a smile trying to fight its way through but not quite making it.
"What you name?" Regina questioned.
"Mr Gold."
Regina frowned. "Mr not you name." She giggled. "What you name?"
He could feel himself beginning to smile and tried to fight it off but was beginning to lose the battle. "Rumplestiltskin."
"Rum…Rumple…stilch…skin." Regina tried to repeat was having a little bit of trouble to repeat his name.
"Rumplestiltskin dearie."
"Can't say it." Regina grumbled a sad look appearing on her face.
He couldn't explain it but the sad look on his face hit him hard. His heart went out to her and he wanted to make her feel better. The child was getting to him. "Well dearie some people call me Rumple, can you say that?"
Regina nodded her head. "Rumple."
"That's it." He smiled at her, a genuine smile.
"I call you that?" Regina asked.
"Yes you can call me that." He nodded his head at the young child. David then came back over and he handed Regina over to him and they all followed Gold out of Grannies. "Now we could walk but we're not going to." He said and all of a sudden they had left Grannies and were now stood outside of the mayors house.
Emma, David and Snow looked around in confusion. "Why are we outside the mayor's house?" Emma asked. "You wanting to show us what you've done with your new place?" Emma raised an eyebrow at him.
"In a way." Gold smirked. He began to walk up the path to the front door and stopped turning to them. "However this is not my new place."
"But your mayor and this is the mayor's house?" Snow questioned.
"That may be so but I already have a perfectly good house that I like and that Belle and I are quite settled in. So I won't be requiring the house. But you will." Gold said pointing at Snow and David who still had a hold of Regina.
"We do?" David looked up at the house and then back at Gold. "We have a place to live Gold."
"Ah yes the loft. I am sure it is big enough to raise a child in. Lots of space for her to run around and cause trouble in." Gold said sarcastically with a roll of his eyes. "I think a bigger house is in order and after all this is Regina's house." Snow and David looked at Regina. They supposed Gold was right their loft probably was big enough to raise Regina in. They probably did need somewhere a bit bigger but they never imagined somewhere like this. "Now if you would come in I will show you around your new home." Gold opened the door and walked in and everyone followed.
"We already know what the mayor's mansion looks like." David commented.
"Yes well I have made a few changes." Gold said picking up a picture frame and showing it to them. They all looked at the picture and gasped as they saw it was a picture of all of them with a little Regina. "And there are plenty more. Regina's study…" Gold walked over to the room and opened the door. "Is now a family room or play room whatever you wish." Snow and David just nodded and they followed Gold around the home. "The living room and kitchen are pretty much the same as is the dining area. " They then walked up stairs and Gold stopped outside where Regina's room had been. "This is the master bedroom, yes it had been Regina's but I have made some changes." He let them walk in and Snow and David gasped. They had never really seen Regina's room before but they marvelled at the sheer size of it. It was bright and spacious. "With a walk in wardrobe and ensuite bathroom I am sure you will feel quite at home. Now I have left your room as it is Henry in case you wish to stay." Gold said looking at Henry who just nodded his head. They then stopped outside a door and Gold looked at Regina. "And this is your room Regina." He opened the door and let everyone walk in.
The room was lovely. The walls were painted a light pink, with curtains to match. The furniture white, one wardrobe and chest of drawers and Regina's bed, a big girls bed with a hanging pink net hanging over the bed giving it a princess feel which Gold had thought perfect. There was a trunk at the end of the bed, shelves and a little table and chairs set in the corner. David put Regina on the floor and they watched as she looked around. There were toys all around, stuffed animals on the bed. One in particular catching her eye. She ran over and picked up the toy unicorn from the bed.
"Oh horsie." Regina exclaimed happily.
"Out of everything in this room that is what she is excited about." Emma laughed.
"It's the little things that count." Gold replied
"This is wonderful Gold. But why? Why have you done this for us?" David asked. Rumplestiltskin never done anything for nothing. There was always a price with him. "What's your price for all of this?"
"There is no price." Gold shook his head.
"No price? Then why do this?" Snow frowned.
"I know how hard it can be to look after a child. I do not need the house what else was I to do with it?" Gold shrugged. "I also feel that perhaps I owe Regina this at least. I did…well Cora not being here is because of me."
Everyone looked on in surprise at hearing what Gold said. They had not expected any of that. But they were soon brought out of their silence by Regina running over with her new favourite toy, the unicorn. "Look Emma. It a horsie." Regina said holding the unicorn up.
"Wow. You know Regina that is a special type of horse." Emma knelt down to Regina's height. "It's called a unicorn. They are magical."
"Magical?" Regina repeated in amazement. "Wow." She gushed making the others laugh.
"What you going to call your unicorn Regina?" Henry asked bending down slightly.
"She called Magic." Regina announced proudly showing off her unicorn. She then ran off to explore the rest of her bedroom. Snow watched her with a smile on her face. She had a feeling that everything would fall into place. She was sure they could manage to give Regina the life Cora truly wanted for her.
After a while Emma, Henry and Gold left the mansion leaving Snow, David and Regina to settle into their new home and let Snow and David adapt to living with a toddler. Both couldn't deny it felt weird having a toddler running around and they were still getting used to the fact that it was Regina. But they found that they were becoming used to it a lot faster than they had anticipated.
Snow had settled Regina at the table in the dining area with some paper and pens while she and David decided to get started on dinner. "David, you are alright with looking after Regina aren't you?" Snow asked. She had realised that they hadn't really had much time to talk about everything, just the two of them and she didn't really know exactly what her husband was thinking and feeling about their new situation.
"Of course I am snow." David looked up at her. "I told you when you suggested it in Gold's shop."
"Yes I know but we haven't been able to talk about…this…just the two of us and I just…I need to check with you. I don't want you doing this just because you know I want to. I don't want you to feel pressured into doing this because of me." Snow sighed and stopped what she was doing. She walked around the counter and over to where David was standing. "I just really want to do this for her David. I know after everything she put me through, put us through, it seems weird that I should want to do this but I think deep down I have always loved Regina. Even through all those times where she tried to kill me and when I saw her their looking so innocent and lost I just…"
"I understand Snow." David assured her placing his arms on her arms. "I want to do this and if I am honest I feel like I have fallen into being her father already. I can't explain it, it just feels right."
Snow smiled. "I feel exactly the same. So you think we can do this? We will cope?"
"I'm not going to lie and I won't pretend it is going to be easy Snow. I am more than sure Regina will push us to the limit sometimes, we will have to endure tantrums and mischievous behaviour but I also know we will have so many good times with her and I can't wait for it all." David replied with a big smile on his face.
"I love you." Snow gushed and she leaned forward wrapping her arms around David's neck and pulling him into a hug which he returned by wrapping his arms around her waist. She was so happy that he felt the same as she did. She really wanted this to work out and it seemed that it just might.
"Mommy, Daddy look what I drawed." Regina exclaimed excitedly as she ran into the kitchen. Snow and David pulled away from one another and looked down to see Regina stood in front of them holding up her picture. "it for you."
"Oh Regina it's lovely." Snow said crouching down to Regina's level, David following suit.
"It a horsie mommy." Regina told her with a proud look on her face.
"It's a fantastic horse Regina." David praised and couldn't help but melt at the happy look on Regina's face. "You know I think that your picture is that fantastic that we should put it on the fridge, what do you say Snow?"
"Oh I agree." Snow nodded her head.
Regina gasped at her parents. "Really?" She asked. Snow and David nodded and David leaned forward and took the picture from Regina. He then stood up and walked over to the fridge with Regina close behind him. She picked up a magnet. "This one daddy." She said holding up the magnet to David.
"Okay princess." He said and put the picture on the fridge with the magnet. Both Snow and David smiled at the picture. Their first picture from their daughter and they were more than sure that it would not be the last one.