Once again thank you for your support! I really appreciate that. I also have one question. In Storybrooke would you prefer young (teenage) Regina or rather adult Regina?

Soft crying like an echo reverberated around the room in the Dark Castle, waking up a blonde woman, who slept in a four-poster bed, next to her husband.

"Rumple?" The woman muttered when she heard the baby's crying and shook her husband's arm. "Rumple, your daughter is crying."

"Before the sunrise she's your child." The man said and turned to the other side and was slightly hit in his head by his wife.

"You promised me that. Don't forget about it."

"Fine. But only because you're so convincing and I love you." He yawned and slowly got up. Then he went to the cradle, which stood in front of their bed. "I'm coming, princess, I'm coming."

The child smiled broadly, forgetting about crying when her father appeared, and raised her little hands so the man could took her from her prison. She hated to be alone here.

"Come, dearie. Mommy is waiting."

Rumplestiltskin came back to bed and put their daughter on his wife's chest and then lay down beside her.

"Hello there, little one." Maleficent said quietly and kissed the child's forehead. "Not in mood for sleep, hm?"

The girl laughed and clapped her hands.

"But sleep is really important, honey. Why are you doing this to me?"

The child clapped again and she sighed, while Rumple chuckled.

"No, my dear, it's the middle of the night. It's time for sleep and not for games." She said and her baby girl pouted. "I'm serious, young lady. And don't look at me like that."

"That's right. Don't look at your mommy like that, dearie." The man said but it was possible to see a great joy in his eyes. His little troublemaker was so sweet and innocent that he forgot that he should sleep now. "She doesn't understand."

"Rumple!"

"What? I'm telling the truth, my love."

"Don't you dare to start this conversation, unless you really want to sleep in the other room. And you, little one, should go to sleep. You must sleep if you want to be a big girl."

The Dark One said nothing but his facial expression said „that's my girl" because his daughter pouted once again, when her mother put her down between them. She really hated to sleep but she did as was told and a few moments all of them were asleep again.

Regina was a few months old and not long ago found out how to crawl. And it was the worst day of their lives, because the child thought that crawling is more interesting than eating and especially more interesting than sleeping. Sometimes Maleficent wondered if her daughter had a mission or something because she needed to craw all the time and there was not time for bed.

Afternoon naps did not exist in her daughter's world, because crawling around the castle was better than sitting in the cradle and evening sleep was worse than the end of the world. Just like taking a bath.

Regina loved water but soon realized that bath is before evening sleep and since she hated to sleep, bath has become a significant challenge. She was (luckily) too young to run away but she cried almost all the time. And it was really loud and painful cry because Maleficent and Rumplestiltskin hated to see when their daughter cried. But well, she was little manipulator and sometimes could win the battle. Not that Rumple had to sleep in the another bedroom, because of that.

The only time when Regina did not mind to take a bath was when Ursula was here. She liked a sea goddess very much and liked to be in water in her presence. Because Ursula was able to distract her (Did you see what great bubbles she can do?!) enough so Maleficent could wash her.

Luckily the sea goddess was here today so it should be easy.

Ursula along with Cruella came to the Dark Castle five hours ago and by this time they played with their smiling niece and waited for a good moment to take her to the bathroom. Not that Regina knew what is going one. She was just happy that she had more people to play.

Now all of them were in the living room. Maleficent and Rumplestiltskin sat on the couch, while their guests sat in the armchairs. Their little troublemaker (or little devil as Cruella started to call their daughter that) was crawling on the floor and had a big smile on her face.

Some time later Regina sat next to her mother's leg and raised her tiny hands and smiled broadly when the woman picked her up.

"Well, hello there, little one." The blonde said and her husband grinned. "Tired of crawling, hm?"

She shook her head as if she understood what her mother just said and then grab Maleficent's face in her small hands and smiled even more.

"Ma-am" She said, or at least tried to say. Adults exchanged glances. "Ma-am."

"What did you say, honey?"

"Ma-am." Regina replied and leaned to kiss her. "Ma-am."

Tears appeared in Maleficent's eyes and she hugged her daughter tighter. Regina smiled once again and then turned to her father and grabbed his nose. She always grabbed his nose because it was really funny.

"Da-ad."

The little girl has no idea why her parents were crying now, but she felt that they were happy because they smiled. And because they were happy (and yet, they cried. Why?), she was happy too.

"Plum-plum, ma-am." Regina said a few moments later. Her big brown eyes were focused on her mother.

Adults opened their eyes widely at the child, who still looked at blonde woman.

"You want to have a bath, little one?" She nodded and smiled. "You?"

"Plum-plum!"

"Then let's go, little one."

Maleficent stood, holding her smiling daughter in her arms. Regina looked around and then pointed her little hand at Ursula.

"Plum-plum." She said as she again looked at her mother. "Plum-plum."

"You want her to be there because of her bubbles, don't you, honey?"

The child grinned.

"Plum-plum!"

"Well, Ursula, you heard your niece. She wants 'plum-plum' so be a good aunt and do as she wants!" Said the dragon lady to her chuckling friend.

"If she is such a demanding now, just think about what will happen in a few years." The sea goddess said as she stood.

"She'll be grounded forever."

"No. Plum-plum." Regina shook her head once again, still smiling.

Cruella could not help and laughed.

"I want to see that, darling. This little devil will do what she wants."

"Plum-plum."

Maleficent rolled her eyes and along with Ursula left the room. But before she did it she could see as Rumple blew his nose into a handkerchief saying „I'm not crying" all over again. He was already obedient to their daughter's will and if nothing happens, the world ought to pray that their daughter was not a villain. Because if so ... The Dark One will do everything what his little girl asks.

"Evil is close!" Regina yelled and jumped at her father who fall on the couch. "Evil is ended!"

"Defeated."

"Evil is defe-ed!" She replied, clearly proud of herself and smiled at her father. "Gina did it!"

"Indeed, my dear, evil has been defeated only because of you." Rumple kissed her forehead and sat her on his laps. "My brave little princess."

"Not little, daddy! Big!" She said as she hugged her dragon toy which was made by Maleficent when she found out that she was pregnant. This poor dragon lost its eye in the battle between Prince Charming and Regina the Princess.

Of course his little girl was sad when she found out that her little friend was hurt, but then she refuse them to fix him. When they asked her why, she just hugged her toy tightly and said proudly that he lost his eye in the battle and it shows that he is a brave dragon. Later in the night, when she was ready to sleep (it was like third in the morning. Yeah, he had to sleep in the other bedroom because of that) they saw that the toy had an eyepatch. It was when they were introduced to Dragon the One-Eye (previously known as Jack the Dragon).

"Who's big?" Asked Maleficent as she entered the living room.

"Mommy!" The girl squealed when she saw her mother and ran toward her, her little friend in her hand. "Gina defe-ad evil!"

"That's wonderful, honey, I knew you can do it." The woman said as she picked up her daughter and a moment later sat down next to her husband. "Because you're very brave and strong. And daddy and mommy are so proud of you."

"He help!" Regina said when her mother kissed her and showed her little friend. "Kiss him, mommy! He helped."

"Well, it seems that I have no choice." Maleficent kissed the toy and the girl clapped her hands in a joy. In the meantime Rumple chuckled quietly. "Thank you for being a good companion for my daughter, Dragon the One-Eye!"

"Yeah!"

"But now it's time for a bath, little one." The girl stop smiling when she heard her mother's words. She did not want to. "Come."

"But mommy!..."

"No, Regina. It's time for a bath."

"Gina not want bath!"

"But you will have one. Come."

"No!" The girl ran away from her mother, hugging her little friend. "No! No bath, play!"

"It is not a time for games, Regina. You were playing all day. Now be a good girl and come with me."

"No! Play! No bath, play!"

Maleficent took a deep breath and slowly got up from a couch. Then she walked toward her daughter and knelt down next to her. The girl looked at her as if she was evil.

"I told you before that today you're going to have your bath earlier."

"No! No bath!" She stamped her foot and then hit her mother twice. Not hard, of course, but it was unexpected. She never did that before. "No bath!"

Rumplestiltskin opened his eyes widely. He knew that his baby girl wanted to play more but she never did something like that. The blonde, on the other hand, grabbed her daughter's hands, not hard, but she was unable to move them. Then she looked her in the eyes.

"I want you to stand in the corner and think about your behavior, young lady." She said firmly yet calmly. "You can't hit people, especially me and your father."

"No bath, mommy!" She said, trying to escape from the grip. "No bath!"

"Go to the corner."

"No."

"I said something, young lady."

"No! Gina wanna play!"

"You will not play today anymore, Regina. Go stand in the corner."

"No!" And it was a moment in which she started crying. "Daddy more funny! Go! Mommy no funny! Wanna daddy, no you!"

Maleficent knew that her daughter did not mean it but it hurt anyway. Mostly because it was the truth. Rumplestiltskin was this fun parent, while she was the one who destroys all fun. She cleared her throat.

"Very well, young lady. Mommy will leave you. Have fun."

And then she left the room without a word. She only looked at her husband and he nodded.

Regina stopped crying a few moments later, when Rumple picked her up. It was when she realized that her mother was really gone. Just as she wished.

"Where is mommy?"

"Gone."

"Gone?" She asked and looked at him with his big brown puppy eyes. "Why?"

"Because you wanted her to go, dearie."

"No!" She shook her head. "No!"

And then she left the living room just like Maleficent did a few minutes ago. Her father was right behind her.

"Mommy!" She cried, but no one answered. "Mommy!"

But mommy was gone. All because she was a bad girl and did not listen to her.

"Shh, dearie, don't cry." The Dark One once again picked up his daughter. "Everything will be okay."

"Mommy gone!"

"I know, dearie, I know." He said quietly. "But daddy is still here."

Regina lay in her bed, hugging Dragon the One-Eye as if she was afraid that she will lose him too, and cried softly.

After the disappearance of her mother she cried over five minutes but then asked her father about the bath. She thought that maybe, just maybe if she will be a good girl as she should be, her mom will come back to her. But nothing like this happened.

Now she lay in her bed, barely listening to her dad, as he was reading her a bedtime story, because it was not funny. Her mommy did it a thousand times better but now she was gone. Because she was a bad girl.

"[…] and then the knight said to the princess..." Rumple stopped and looked at his crying daughter, although he knew that she was not listening to him. He sighed and opened his mouth to continue their story.

"[…] that he will never leave her. Since that time the princess and the knight together experienced adventures." Finished the female voice.

"Mommy!" Regina yelled when she heard her mother and threw herself in her arms when she sat on the edge of the bed. "You back, mommy! Sowwy mommy, Gina sowwy, mommy!"

"I know, little one, I know." Maleficent said and kissed her daughter. "You're forgiven. Mommy is here now."

"Sowwy, mommy." The girl still cried. "Sowwy!"

"I know, honey." She kissed her once again. "Shh, don't cry."

"Gina be good, mommy!" She said and hugged her mother tightly. "Just stay."

"I will." Maleficent put the girl on the bed and then lay down next to her. Rumple closed the book and smiled. "As long as you want me to stay."

TBC

Thank you for reading,

White Little Devil