Posted originally on the Archive_of_Our_Own at https://archiveofourown.org/
works/4505685.
  Rating:
      Explicit
  Archive Warning:
      Rape/Non-Con, Underage
  Category:
      F/F, F/M, Multi, Other
  Fandom:
      Once_Upon_a_Time_(TV)
  Relationship:
      Evil_Queen_|_Regina_Mills/Emma_Swan
  Character:
      Evil_Queen_|_Regina_Mills, Emma_Swan
  Additional Tags:
      Child_Abandonment, Child_Abuse, Kidnapping, Molestation
  Stats:
      Published: 2015-08-05 Updated: 2016-05-28 Chapters: 5/? Words: 8967
****** Little Girl Lost ******
by jd4941
Summary
     AU SB. Emma and Regina had a true love between them and their happy
     ending was just within their sights. Then Emma lost control of her
     magic and Regina was turned into a child. While Emma looked for a way
     to get her true love back Regina was kidnapped. Who, why and what
     does this mean for them? Established SQ. TW: violence, abuse
***** Prologue *****
**** I do not own OUaT nor its characters ****
***A/N: Yeah, yeah, I know. Another new one. But if I don't get them out of my
head when the muse strikes then I'll end up losing it forever. Enjoy :) ***
Emma leaned over and gave Regina a kiss. "We still on for Saturday right?" She
finished dressing and picked up her jacket preparing for heading out the door.
"Mmm," Regina purred lazily. "Then I don't have to hide you away anymore."
Emma chuckled. "Til then my love," she waved to her before turning and jogging
outside to get into her car.
She got back to the loft and tiptoed up to her bedroom. She knew she was
behaving like a silly schoolgirl but she couldn't help it. She quickly threw
off her clothes and jumped into bed for one last time.
Saturday was the night she was finally going to confront her parents. For close
to a year now, she and Regina had been having an affair that they'd been
keeping secret. The only people who knew about it besides them were Henry, Ruby
and Granny.
At first, they kept their secret because it was still new and scary to both of
them. Then after Emma finally came to terms that this was real and not just
physical she had wanted to tell everyone. Regina had begged her to hold back
and out of respect Emma had. But no more. She'd faced down Regina after Emma
had tried to hold her hand in the cinema. Emma had thrown a fit because Regina
wouldn't even let her hold her hand in the dark. She was no one's dirty secret.
So they'd had it out. And she'd won!
Regina had agreed to come clean so long as Emma moved in with her and Henry.
That wasn't a problem for Emma. It was where she wanted to be anyway.
She turned toward her nightstand and opened the drawer. She pulled out a
jeweler's box. She stared at the ring as she grinned thinking about sliding it
onto Regina's hand. She knew she'd surprise her. But neither one of them were
getting any younger. Emma didn't want to wait anymore. This wasn't a fling for
her. Regina was her true love.
She knew this was the true love that had been spoken of in those fairy tale
books and by her parents. There was a humming in her veins that was only
soothed when Regina was near. She literally breathed for Regina. The woman
occupied every waking moment of her thoughts. Even now with Regina tucked
safely in her bed across town Emma could feel her. It kinda felt like a
vibration that was pulling her to her. Emma knew it was something she wasn't
about to let go of. Not even to spare her parents feelings.
Emma put the box back into her nightstand. She snuggled deep into the blankets.
She turned out the light and resolved to get just a few more hours' worth of
sleep.
***** When the Smoke Clears *****
CHAPTER 2
“You really are going to have to do better Emma. Your magic skills are
horrible,” Regina led Emma into her family’s mausoleum.
“Magic is cheating anyways. Who needs it? I walk softly and carry a gun. That’s
the most powerful magic there is,” Emma shrugged.
Regina chuckled. “When you only have a second to get away from an opponent
poofing comes in handy. Not to mention no longer being late,” she looked
pointedly at Emma before walking down the stairs of the crypt.
Emma shrugged. “I like being late. It’s called making an entrance,” Emma
followed Regina down the stairs. Her eyes were glued to the way her buns
shifted underneath her tight skirt.
Regina turned and rolled her eyes. “Not when I’m the one doing the waiting it’s
not. Then it’s called rude.”
Emma narrowed her eyes as they went into the lower levels of the crypt. She
grabbed Regina’s hand and pulled her close, “You know you love me.”
Regina let herself be pulled into a kiss for a moment before pulling out of
Emma’s embrace. “I love you. That doesn’t mean I love your lack of etiquette.”
She turned and began going through a chest against the wall.
Emma began looking through the clothing racks. She gulped at seeing the Evil
Queen’s wardrobe. “Umm, Regina, I think we should bring some of these home.”
When Regina turned to see what it was she was referring to, Emma held out a
couple of practically see through dresses, “You know – for the bedroom. In case
you feel like wearing them and all.”
Regina raised her eyebrow at Emma. “Well they’ve been here for around 30 years
and I haven’t felt an overwhelming need to wear one of those yet.”
Emma went to Regina and put her arms around her. She pressed herself against
her forcing Regina to go back until she had her pinned between the wall and
herself. “I don’t have an overwhelming need for you to wear anything right
now,” she husked. She began to nip at Regina’s bottom lip as her hands sought
out the zipper to her skirt. She slid it down and let it fall to the floor
pooling at her feet.
Regina’s arms were around her neck and she was moaning into the kiss. Emma’s
hands made their way up her sides before going beneath her top and lifting it
above her head.
Regina, never wanting to be outdone even in the bedroom, allowed Emma to strip
her down to her underwear. Then she took over. She pushed Emma back roughly and
ripped off her sweater. She tossed it over her head behind her. She began to
attack her skinny jeans. They were so tight she had to slowly shimmy them back
and forth. Now they stood equal to one another with only the flimsy barrier of
their underclothes holding them back.
They each quickly stepped out of their remaining clothing before grasping at
one another. Hands met skin, lips locked onto lips, and bodies pressed so close
together there was barely room for air in between. They went back and forth
both jockeying for top but Emma had the weight, muscle, and height advantage.
Regina fell back onto the settee in her vault and Emma fell on top of her.
Emma’s hands immediately found Regina’s wet heated core. She inserted 2 fingers
and grinned at Regina’s moan of pleasure. Regina, still refusing to be outdone,
pushed her hand in between the two of them. She lightly caressed Emma’s wet
lips and nipped at her neck when her head fell back as she moaned aloud.
The two of them found a fast and dizzying rhythm. A white light began to glow
around them as their bodies and souls connected. Their tempo increased and they
could feel one another’s bodies begin to clench around their fingers. They were
both determined to force the other across the finish line first.
Emma at first chuckled as she felt Regina’s back arch off the settee before
succumbing herself as the waves of pleasure washed over her. They jockeyed for
a more comfortable position as they came down. Regina ended up laying across
Emma with her arms around her as they regained control of their breath. “You
know, you’re going to really have to stop competing with me so much. One of us
is going to end up seriously hurt. Can you imagine explaining to the emergency
room that we had to go in for a sex related injury?”
Regina chuckled. She reached up and kissed Emma on her chin. “That’s why it’s a
good thing you learn to heal.”
The two lay there for a while just enjoying one another. Languidly running
their hands over one another while basking in a state of bliss. Lips and hands
seeking one another out here and there. It was as close to heaven as either one
of them had ever been.
Finally, Regina, ever the stickler, jumped up and forced Emma to her feet.
“Come on. We’ve got work to do. I didn’t bring you down here to laze around.”
Emma groaned while allowing her to pull her up. Regina stepped away from her
and began puttering around looking for her clothes to put back on. Emma just
sat with her hands around her knees enjoying the show. “You know, in just a
couple of more days, we’re going to be doing this in our own bedroom.”
Regina grinned back and tossed Emma her clothes. “Yeah, well, that day’s not
today so get dressed. We still have work to do.”
Regina went back to puttering on one side of the vault while Emma wandered
around. She came across shelves that had a huge placard in front of it. It read
EMMA, DO NOT TOUCH UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES!
Emma was offended, “What the hell Regina?!?” She picked up a pink vial and
began playing with it. “I’m not a child. I don’t need signs everywhere.”
Regina had come around to see what she was talking about. Her eyes bulged and
she sprang forward with her arms outstretched. “EMMA NO!!!”
But it was too late. A plume of smoke filled the air. Emma waved it away and
coughed to clear her throat. She was still peeved, “Regina, I’m an adult. I
know you’re used to being the boss but we’re in this together. You’re going to
have to treat me like an equal. We’re - ,” Emma’s voice trailed off as her
vision cleared.
There was quiet sobs and sniffling. Right where Regina had been standing was a
tiny girl. A tiny girl with dark curls and huge chestnut eyes. The same
chestnut eyes that were the first and last thoughts that crossed Emma’s mind
before falling asleep and after waking.
Emma looked at the container still in her hands. She hurriedly closed the lid
with trembling hands. She put it back on the shelves before backing away. She
jammed her hands into her pockets. She turned and gaped at the small child.
“Holy smokes! Did I do that?”
***** Meeting Halfway *****
Chapter Notes
     As promised, once I finished Sweet child of Mine I'd revive this one.
     I needed to get to a different headspace so that the two little
     Regina's didn't bleed over onto one another.
     Enjoy :)
CHAPTER 3
The kid had tears pouring down her face. She was looking around her with wild
eyes and her thumb up at her mouth. Her sobbing had already escalated into
wails and was becoming louder.
“Holy hell!” Emma’s breathing escalated with her heartbeat as she walked
forward slowly, “Regina?!!??”
The child hiccuped before scurrying back. Then the room began to vibrate. Items
on the shelves fell to the floor. Emma stopped and whipped her head around her
staring at the chaos. She looked back over to the little girl. “Hey, hey,” Emma
kneeled down to the ground but kept plenty of space between her and the child.
“I won’t hurt you. We’re – um… friends. Best friends. You can trust me,” Emma
smiled and nodded at the child.
The kid continued looking around for a safe place to hide. She saw an opening
on the other side of Emma. She ran past her then climbed underneath the settee
she and Regina had just made love on.
Emma sighed and rubbed her eyes. She’d really screwed up this one. Her fiancé
was a 3 year old.
Well, not her fiancé yet. But she would be soon enough. At least the vibrating
had stopped and things were no longer crashing to the floor. She made a mental
note to have it cleaned before Regina came home and found it.
Emma began perusing the bookshelves searching for what she didn’t know but
figured she would when she came across it. When she found nothing that caught
her attention she began to get scared. It was getting late. She just wanted
Regina back here. Her Regina.
She looked across to where the little girl was still sniffling underneath the
settee. She figured the first thing that needed to be done was to get her out
of there. Then she could try taking her to see Gold. As the Dark One, he should
have tons of information on helping her out. The only problem she had was with
trusting him. But she’d cross that bridge later.
Emma sat down on the floor near the settee. She left plenty of room between her
and the kid so she wouldn’t overwhelm her. She lay down and looked underneath
the settee. The kid hadn’t stopped crying yet but at least now her sobs were
dying down to small hiccups.
When their eyes met underneath the settee, the kid turned her head away from
Emma. She sighed before moistening her lips, “hey kid. How’s it going in
there?”
After a small pause Emma continued, “Kid - .” but she was interrupted.
“My name’s not kid,” Regina grumbled in a haughty little kids’ voice. “My name
is Regina. I’m a princess.”
Emma nodded with a smile on her face glad that she had gotten this much, “Yeah
I know. You and I are – umm… besties?” Emma didn’t mean for it to come out as a
question. She just had no idea what to say or where to go from here. “We’re
really good friends.”
Regina’s eyes glared at her accusingly, “I’ve never met you before,” she turned
her nose up at Emma as best she could while still lying on the floor underneath
a settee.
Emma nodded vigorously, “You have. You just don’t remember it anymore.”
Regina said nothing. She just continued to sniffle quietly.
Emma rolled her shoulders. She threw back her head and felt her knock pop.
“Okay Regina. The thing is, it’s getting late. And we really need to get you
back home.”
“Home?” Regina seemed interested in this, “Papi?”
“Yeah sure kid. And your Mother too.”
Regina‘s eyes got even bigger than what Emma believed was possible. She shook
her head forgetting that she was underneath a settee. Her head connected with a
loud bang. Her li’l face crumbled and she began to cry as she held onto her
sore head.
Emma didn’t think about the consequences, she just acted. She grabbed the kids
arm and pulled her from underneath the settee. She pulled her onto her lap and
began to rock her while smoothing back her hair, “Don’t cry little one. It’s
okay. I won’t let anything hurt you.”
“Mother hurts,” the baby whispered followed by a shudder that shook both their
frames.
Emma squeezed her eyes tight. She was aware of some of the things that Cora had
put Regina through. She knew about her nightmares and that she had damned near
destroyed the woman. Now her beautiful smart girlfriend battled with depressive
episodes, self-hate, and a whole host of other mental disorders. And that was
when she wasn’t having to conquer the Evil Queen who threatened to break free
daily.
She turned Regina around in her lap until she was facing her. “I won’t let
anything hurt you. I swear it. I’m a knight. I’m your knight. And if anyone
tries to hurt you they’ll have me to deal with.”
Little Regina stared at her for some time. Then she began to giggle.
“What’s so funny little one?” Emma asked.
“You can’t be a knight. You’re a woman. Only big strong men are knights.”
Emma chuckled. She was glad the crying had stopped and the child seemed to be
relaxing. “I have to tell you kid, this is a different world. A lot has changed
from what you know.”
Emma instantly regretted what she said as she watched the kid’s eyes
practically pop out. She held the child close again as she began shaking.
“I have to go,” she said in a panicked voice. “Mother will be angry she can’t
find me,” the child leaped out of Emma’s lap and stood looking around
desperately for some sort of exit.
Emma leaped up behind her. She put her arm on her shoulder to stop the kid from
taking off. “Look, this is a new world. Your Mother isn’t here. You don’t have
to worry about her. She’s not going to hurt you. She left you with me to take
care of.”
Emma was trying to be reassuring to help calm the kid down. This sent her into
an even deeper tailspin of panic, “You mean Mother left me?” Emma nodded not
understanding the child’s thought processes. She was shocked when the kid
started to cry again, “She doesn’t want me anymore because I’m bad and ugly.”
“Hey kid, hold up. Your Mother would never do that. It’s just – she was umm –
busy. Yeah. And she needed to tend to some things. She asked me to look after
you. So you’re going to be staying here with us for a little while,” Emma
nodded and hoped that it sounded plausible to a kid because she had no idea
what she’d just said.
She waited as Regina digested this information. She stooped down to her level
with her hand still clasping the tiny shoulder, “and you’re not bad or ugly.
You’re the most beautiful person I’ve ever seen. Inside and out. And don’t ever
listen to anyone who tells you otherwise.”
The child remained silent as Emma rose. She knew she was going to have to
handle this situation delicately. Now she felt a little sorry for not
understanding things better from her foster parent’s points of view. This was
difficult. At least when Henry came into her life, he was already at a place
where he was 80% independent. He already had the basics down. And with Regina’s
help she was learning to be a good parent to him.
But this situation was completely different. She had no experience taking care
of small children on her own. She took a few deep calming breaths as the child
continued to stare quietly at the floor. “Okay kid. We have to get out of here
and get home. I have some people I need to talk to. I’m going to need you to
trust me when I say you’re going to be fine with me and no one will hurt you.
Please?” Emma extended her hand out to the small child.
Little Regina stared at the outstretched hand for what seemed like an eternity.
Then she looked up into Emma’s eyes searching for who knew what. Emma tried to
relax her features as much as she could while pleading with the child to see
her sincerity.
She gave a small sigh of relief as the child slowly put her hand into hers. She
smiled down at her, “Come on kid. Let’s get you home.”
***** Meet and Greet *****
CHAPTER 4
Emma carried Little Regina (she had no idea how she’d get used to that) on her
hip as they climbed the stairs of the crypt.  They stood blinking for a few
minutes as their eyes adjusted to the sunlight.  Then Emma walked to her car
with the child.  Thankfully, the little girl didn’t seem to recognize that they
were inside a cemetery.
But as they got closer to the car she felt the child’s body tense with every
step.  “What’s wrong sweetie?” she asked as she stopped walking.  She could
tell she was losing the child.
But the closer they got to the car the more panicked she became.  The child’s
eyes were as wide as saucers as her head whipped around taking in the sights
around her.  Her breathing had sped up and she was shaking like a leaf.  Emma
was scared she was going to pass out.
She looked around them but saw nothing out of the ordinary.  Then a car passed
by on the road and Little Regina yelped.  That’s when Emma realized the child
was a result of more than Regina having shrunk.  She seemed to actually be her
from another time and place.
She moved her to her waist and turned her toward her.  “Regina!  Baby look at
me,” but the child was still panicking and her eyes were all over the place. 
The next thing Emma knew, she was holding onto a limp body.
“Holy hell,” Emma breathed as she slid an arm underneath the child’s knees
while keeping her upper body balanced on her other arm.  She leaned her head
down and did some checking.  Her breathing seemed to have evened out.  She
balanced her bottom on her knee while using her free hand to check her heart. 
It seemed to be beating properly though a little fast.  She was pretty sure
that she’d just fainted from a massive panic attack.  But Emma didn’t want to
take any chances.  This was her fiancé she was dealing with.  Well future
fiancé.  Or fiancé from the future.  She had no idea what to call all this
insanity yet.
Emma took a quick moment to study the child.  The child had the same scar
Regina had on her upper lip.  But hers was still red and raw.  Like it had been
freshly made.  She wore a big poofy dress and boots like the kind that Emma had
seen in an old Shirley Temple movie.  Her clothing seemed to be made of silk
though.  And her hair was curled into those bouncy ringlets that Emma had
always adored in other kids while her own hair was limp.  Whoever cared for her
spent a lot of time on her appearance.
Emma stood there for a minute debating whether or not to shove her in car and
take off praying she’d stay out until she made it home.  Or should she wait
until the child came to.  She decided on the former.  The mansion wasn’t that
far away.  If she had to deal with easing the child into the 21st century she’d
rather do it later anyway.
Emma opened the bug and dumped her in the back.  She remembered to buckle her
in before taking off.  Though they had each driven their own cars it was mainly
because they were having a standoff about the bug.  Regina said it was a
deathtrap not fit for humans.  Which of course made Emma dig in her heels and
insist on keeping it as prominently in view as she could.
They thankfully made it to the house before the child came to.  Emma had just
stopped the car, gotten out, and pulled her seat up to retrieve the child when
her eyes popped open.  The child screamed then caught herself.  She clamped her
hands onto her mouth as if to push back the sobs that were now emanating from
her.
Emma’s heart hurt as she took in the terrified child trying to choke her own
sobs back.  She remembered that.  Being too terrified to let her cries be heard
because what came if someone heard her would be even worse than whatever had
opened the floodgates.
“It’s okay little one.  See?  We’re here,” Emma spoke as quietly as she could
while stepping back and giving the child room to move if she needed to.  She
sat on the edge of the door with her hands visible in her lap.  “We’ve done
enough for today.  You were a really brave little princess.  But once we get
inside I promise it’ll be easier,” Emma pointed to the large white house. 
“Okay?”
The child followed her finger then nodded, “Alright,” she heaved as she wiped
her tears away.  She was still taking big heaving breaths and sobbing though
she was trying really hard to get them under control.  Emma knew she was
looking at a child who was used to appeasing adults and doing as she was told.
“Is it okay if I carry you?” she asked making sure to have the child’s
permission before she did anything that would frighten the poor child more than
she already was.  Emma remembered a childhood filled with strange adults
bringing her from one foreign place to another.  That was no way for anyone to
have to live.
Little Regina nodded at her and Emma slowly moved in to pick her up.  She
secured the child on her hip while closing the door with her leg. Besides the
trembling, the child’s fingers tightened almost painfully into her shoulders,
and she burrowed her head deep in the crook of Emma’s neck. 
Emma was thankfully able to make it up the stairs.  She fumbled through her
keys quickly looking for the spare that Regina had given her months ago.  She
pushed it in and turned the lock.  She dashed inside before slamming the door
shut.
“There little one,” Emma patted the child awkwardly on her back as she tried to
pry the tight grip she had on her shoulders away.  “We made it,” she pulled
back enough to give the still trembling child a smile.
She made her way through the house to the den that sits in the back.  Then she
stupidly made the mistake of turning on the lights. Little Regina let out a
shriek and her trembling and crying started back up to near panic attack levels
again.  Emma quickly turned them back off. 
Little Regina buried her head deeper in Emma’s shoulder as everything inside
the room began to vibrate.  “Shh shh little one.  It’s just light.  It’s so
that we can see,” she began rocking her as she rubbed her back.  Emma winced as
she heard some of Regina’s things crash down to the floor.  At least she
couldn’t blame it on anyone else except her.
Little Regina pulled back from Emma’s shoulder.  Her tear drenched eyes were a
painful sight to behold.  “I don’t like magic. It hurts,” her voice broke into
a sob.
“Okay,” Emma nodded. “I won’t turn them on again until you say it’s okay.  How
‘bout that?”  She waited a minute before finally taking no answer as an answer.
Emma put the child down on the recliner before looking at her closely to take
stock. The child had stopped trembling and her crying had subsided to hiccups
now.  From what Emma could make out she’d only broken a few picture frames with
the vibrating but at least it had thankfully stopped now.  But she was still
looking around her with wide, terrified eyes.
Emma needed to make some important phone calls but she wasn’t sure how to go
about it.  If this was a normal kid she’d just turn on the TV and let it
entertain her for a while.  But she’s pretty sure with this child that she
needed to move slowly.
She threw back her head and let her neck pop as she sat on the other end of the
sofa.  She ran a hand through her hair as she sighed, “Listen kid, I know that
you’re scared.  And that’s what I’m here for.  To help you through all of
this,” Regina continued to hiccup and swiped a hand down her face to wipe off
her tears.
Emma reached behind her to grab some kleenex.  She held them out to the child
who stared at them for a moment first.  “You never saw kleenex kid?  You use it
to wipe your nose and face with.  Like this,” Emma first demonstrated how then
handed over a fresh batch for the kid who took them before mirroring Emma’s
movements.  Then she sat taking shuddering breaths as she shredded them in her
lap.
She knew what she was feeling.  The fear and uncertainty that felt like you
were being swallowed.  The not knowing was always the worse.  Not knowing who
the strangers were that you had been placed in the care of, what you were and
were not allowed to do, and worse not knowing when your world was going to be
rocked again. 
“Look kid, we got off to a rocky start.  How about we start over?” Emma smiled
at her hoping to make her feel comfortable.  “First, my name’s Emma.  And we –
I mean – this is your space.  You can call it your home for the time being,”
she gestured all around her.
“Now, I’ve already explained, this is a different land.  And you won’t know
what almost anything here is.  And that’s okay.  I’ll show you.  But most
importantly, no matter what, this is a safe house first.  You won’t ever have
to be scared here.  Because I’m here to take care of you, always,” Emma hoped
her eyes showed with enough sincerity.  It must’ve worked because she saw the
child start to relax more.  She still had yet to respond but at least Emma knew
she had her attention.
“So, let’s start shall we?” Emma waited for confirmation that never came from
the child.  Emma pointed to the lamp at her side, “this is a lamp.  It gives
off light.  Light doesn’t hurt us. And it’s not magic.  It’s science.  Now I’m
going to turn it on because it’s starting to get a little dark and creepy in
here.  I know it’ll be scary but I’m right here with you the entire way.”
Emma stopped as she took in the girl’s breathing speeding up.  She bit her lip
as her mind raced trying to figure how she was going to work this out.  I mean,
the kid was afraid of everything.  She looked around the room when her eyes
alighted onto something. 
She smiled as she thought of her girlfriend.  She and Regina had swapped many a
story of their horrible childhoods.  Though Regina was mostly tight lipped
about things Emma had realized soon after meeting her that having parents isn’t
what made a person good or evil.  But having the wrong parents did.  In some
ways she’d been lucky to never have to stay in one place with some sleezeball
foster parents who probably should’ve been drowned at birth instead of being
allowed to be near children.  There were a lot of lowlifes in the system.  But
there were also a lot of people who were lowlifes as humans.  And Cora had
definitely been one of those. 
Regina was raised to be a Queen.  Cora had begun her training practically from
birth on how to sit, speak, and even how to eat as royalty.  But underneath she
was still a little girl who wanted nothing more than to love and be loved.
One of Regina’s little secrets that she’d sworn Emma to under pain of a death
from flying fireballs was that she liked dolls.  A lot.  Not regular Barbie
dolls.  But the big babydoll kind that people spent way too much money on and
pretended were decoration when instead they were slightly creepy. 
She kept a few of them in the hope chest that sat at the end of her bed.  She
almost killed Emma for messing around with them one day.  She yelled that they
were to be looked at but never touched.
Emma had no idea what the point of a toy you couldn’t play with was.  But she’d
known enough not to push Regina too far about it.  Regina had never said she
wasn’t able to play with them.  And technically Little Regina was still Regina.
“Hey, kid.  I’ve got a mission,” she tried to put an upbeat spin on it hoping
she could distract the kid some.  Regina just looked at her blankly and sighed
much like the real Regina did when she was thinking Emma had too many of her
idiot parent’s genes. 
“Nevermind,” she shook her head.  “But I have something for you.  A present. 
Except we have to go upstairs to get it.”  Emma rose and held out her hand to
the child.  At first Little Regina just stared at it.  Then she turned her eyes
to Emma’s as she searched for something there.  Emma must’ve passed the test
because she tentatively reached out and placed her shaky little hand in hers. 
Emma gave a sigh of relief.
“It’s this way kid,” she led the way up the stairs and into Regina’s bedroom. 
The child’s eyes were everywhere taking everything in curiously. Emma pulled
the quilt that Regina kept on top of the bench seat off.  Then she slowly
opened up the chest while smiling over at the child.
At first, she got a gasp.  The child’s hand snaked out to the treasures before
she caught herself and pulled back.
“It’s okay kid,” Emma grinned as she urged her on.  “They’re for you.”
The child pressed herself closer to get a better look.  Her head swung back and
forth between Emma and the dolls.  When she gave a small smile Emma wanted to
cheer but knew sudden movements would set her back again. 
The child pulled away from the chest and stared at the wall while she said in a
monotone voice, “Mother says queens don’t play.  We rule with an iron fist.”
Emma bent down as she tamped down her anger against the woman who’d left her
own daughter broken.  “Mother’s not here.  I am.  And I say it’s okay.”  At the
continued hesitation, she added, “Don’t worry.  She won’t ever find out
either,” Emma swiped across her lips while trying to talk with them closed.
 “My lips are sealed,” she mumbled.
This elicited a small giggle from the child.  Emma beamed back at her happy
that she had gotten this far.  The child slowly snaked her hand out toward the
dolls while keeping a wary eye on Emma.  Emma made sure to sit completely still
while keeping an open, smiling face at the child.
She chose a doll with large brown eyes and ringlet curls like herself.  She
wrapped her arms around it as she gave a small sigh. 
Emma began unloading the other dolls.  She took them out one by one and splayed
them across the carpet.  The child sat in the middle of the floor using feather
light touches as she tentatively reached out to them.
“You wanna name them kid?” Emma asked as she took a blonde doll and held her on
her lap.
Little Regina nodded, “This is Emily,” she said as she held up the doll she
carried.
Emma nodded, “I think I’ll call this one,” she let her tongue lop out as she
tilted her head and stared at the doll in careful consideration, “Petunia.”
This earned her a head thrown back full belly laugh. 
She furrowed her brow and asked, “No?”
Little Regina shook her head, “She’s Molly.”
Emma turned the doll around and studied her, “Yeah you’re right kid.  If
someone named me Petunia there’d be hell to pay right now.”
Emma gave the child a few minutes worth of playtime before getting to her
issue.  “Regina we need to talk.”  The child’s eyes swung to her and she began
to put her doll down and back away.  “No, no, no,” Emma quickly assured her. 
“It’s nothing bad I swear.  And these are your dolls.  That’s not the
problem.” 
She took a deep breath as she tried to figure out how to talk to a kid.  I
mean, the child seemed smart just like her adult counterpart.  And she
responded when Emma spoke directly to her but she wasn’t entirely sure how to
explain something she didn’t even understand to her.  She nodded her head as
though she’d come to a decision before turning to the child who was looking at
her with that wide eyed scared expression again.
“See kid, remember I told you this land was different?” Emma waited for a small
nod before continuing.  “Well here we have what is known as science.  It’s
kinda like magic.  But not the bad kind,” she held up her hand quickly.  “but I
get that it’s new to you.  That’s why I thought having your friend Emily there
would help you.  She can help keep you safe and you can tell her all your
secrets and crap like that.  Or whatever you do with dolls.”
She saw that she was losing the child so she moved on.  The sun was almost gone
and it was getting harder to see.  She needed to get the child up to 22nd
century technology and electricity seemed the right place to start. 
“That,” she pointed to the lamp, “is a lamp.  It gives us light so that we can
see.  It’s getting really dark in here and we need to be able to move around
and see.  It’s like a magic candle that never burns or goes out.  I’m going to
turn this one on.  And then you can turn on the other ones.  I promise it’s not
bad.  And it won’t hurt you.” 
The child tightened her grip on her dolly and brought it up to her chest.  Emma
slowly walked over to the lamp and switched it on.  The child yelped and closed
her eyes tight.  Then she slowly opened them up and took in the light. 
Emma moved her hand all around the lamp, “See?  It doesn’t burn and it won’t
hurt you.”
Slowly the child rose and came closer.  She tentatively reached her hand out
toward the glow.  Emma smiled to encourage her and was glad when she gave her a
small smile.
She walked over to the light switch.  “How about you turn this one on?”
Regina slowly walked, dragging her feet the entire way, over to where Emma
stood near the light switch.  Emma demonstrated how to flick the switch but
stood back and allowed the child to turn it on herself.  After she had, she
blinked in the glare of the sudden light.  Then she smiled over at Emma before
leaning back into her.
Emma nodded down at the little girl as she ran a hand through the silky curls. 
She’d call this a success.  She bent down to her level, “Now once again, this
is a completely different world.  There’re plenty of things here that you’ve
never seen before.  But I swear I would never let anything hurt you.  But you
do have to be patient.  If there’s something you don’t understand then ask. 
But you really have to stop making everything fall over.  You could end up
getting hurt that way.  And you’re too pretty to be hurt,” Emma said while
trying not to stare at the scar that marred the girl’s beautiful face.  It was
pink around the edges and healing but it still looked painful.  She had no idea
where it came from but didn’t think now was the time for asking.  Later.
“Now I have some phone calls to make,” at the girl’s confusion she pulled her
phone out her back pocket and showed it to her.  She took a selfie and then
showed it to the child who gasped and looked back and forth at the picture and
at her beside her before just staring off into space.  Emma took a quick selfie
of the child and her dolly.  She then showed it to her.  Little Regina stood
gaping at it before remembering to close her mouth.
Emma chuckled but continued, “I have to call some people,” Emma slyly pulled
her phone out of the child’s hand.  “And we might get a few visitors.  But
don’t worry,” she tapped her nose.  “I’m not leaving you and you’ll be
perfectly fine.  You can keep playing with the dolls until I’m done okay?”
The child nodded and went back to rearranging the doll babies.  Emma sat on the
bed and started making calls.  The first was a text to her Mom.  She asked her
to take Henry back home with her and keep him there for the night.  When her
Mother texted back to ask why she kept her reply simple.  It’s nothing.  Just
don’t let him come home.  I’ll call him later and fill him in.  Right now I’m
on a mission.
Her next call was to Gold.  Besides the fairies he was the only magic user in
town.  And Regina’s hatred of Blue was legendary.  If she found out that she’d
had her hands on her as a child Regina would be livid. 
The third call was for pizza delivery.  It had been almost 5 hours since her
last meal and she didn’t feel like taking the time to introduce the kid to
kitchen appliances yet.  Plus everyone loved pizza.
The child had been having a private gathering with her dolls while she waited
patiently for Emma to finish her phone calls.  But Emma really needed to take
care of some things downstairs. 
“Kid,” when the child scowled over in her direction she changed her voice,
“Princess Regina,” she paused until she got a nod of approval, “I have to talk
to some people downstairs.  So how about we take your new dollies downstairs so
I can show you the moving pictures?” 
Emma stood and gathered as many of the dolls as she could in her arms while the
kid got the rest of them.  Then she made her way downstairs with the child. 
She deposited everything back onto the sofa as the child took a seat still
clutching at her Emily.  She picked up the remote and showed it to her, “Now
this is all about the power,” she showed it to the child.  “Whoever holds the
remote control rules the world,” she held it out to the tv and turned it on. 
The child turned and gasped.  Then she sank slowly into the sofa, eyes wide,
mouth agape as she stared at the moving pictures.  It was already turned to a
cartoon.  Emma would’ve liked to say Henry had done it.  But she couldn’t stop
herself from chuckling at her favorite program.  She wasn’t sure if South Park
was appropriate for a Princess but the child probably didn’t understand any of
it anyway. 
They sat watching one of her favorite episodes which involved Butters being a
pimp until the doorbell started ringing.  The child turned to her with fearful
eyes but Emma just shrugged, “It’s okay kid.  Remember I said we were having
visitors?” Emma raced to the front of the house to answer the door.
She threw out the door and let out a deep ‘whew!’ as she spied Gold.  She then
stood back with a confused expression.  “Hmm.  I can’t believe I’m actually
glad to see you,” she put her hands on her hips as she studied him.
“As charming as that sounds,” Gold pushed his way into the house.  “I can’t say
the same about you.  Now will you get on with whatever you called me here for?”
Emma opened her mouth to respond then stopped.  She lowered her voice and
leaned toward him, “First you have to swear that you won’t tell a soul anything
about this.  I mean absolutely no one.”
Gold looked her up and down distastefully, “I’m afraid I’ve grown past the days
of pinkie swears Miss Swan.  You’ll just have to take my word for it.”
Emma narrowed her eyes at him, “and we all know your word is as loyal as you
are.” 
“As exciting as this all sounds perhaps I should just go,” Gold turned toward
the door.  Then he stopped.  He raised his head before turning back towards the
inside of the house.  His head swiveled around as if he had a scent without a
source.
“What?” Emma finally asked in exasperation.
“There’s powerful magicks afoot here,” he looked her up and down.  “And since
we both know it most certainly can’t be you it makes me wonder,” he paused as
he looked around before pinning Emma with a steady gaze.  “Where is the Mrs.?”
Emma “hrmphed,” and crossed her arms over her chest.  She ignored the jab,
“Look.  This is important.  And no one can know about it.  Do you swear not to
say a word to anyone about this or not?”
Gold continued to stare at her a minute longer.  Emma held his stare as she
planted her feet apart to square off against him. 
Gold sighed, “You have my word,” he monotoned.
Emma nodded triumphantly.  She began to walk him toward the back and motioned
for him to follow.  When she got to the doorway she stopped short.  She put her
hand out to Gold’s chest to keep him out of sight.  She poked her head around
the corner and asked, “Princess can you come here for a second?”
Regina had been staring at the tv mesmerized.  She had her doll clutched to her
chest and when Emma called her over she gave a big sigh before walking over to
her.  Emma knelt down low, “Princess I have someone here who wants to meet
you.  Is that alright?”
Even though Emma read fear in her eyes she nodded anyway.  Emma smiled back at
her, “You’re such a brave girl,” she said as she grabbed her hand.  She
squeezed it before pulling her out into the hallway.  “This is a friend of
ours.  His name is Mr. Gold.”
Regina and Gold both gasped at the same time.  Then Regina grabbed ahold of
Emma as she hid her body behind her. 
“Is that - ?” Gold began to ask as the pictures on the walls began to vibrate.
 “Well, I guess that answers that question,” Gold said dryly.   
***** Introductions *****
CHAPTER 5
Emma walked tiredly back into the den after seeing Gold out the door.  She had
hoped that he might have a quick fix.  But he seemed as stumped as she was
about how this could have happened.  Or how to fix it.
He’d assured her he’d continue working on it just before he took his leave. 
Though she knew trusting him out of hand was a bad idea, she had nowhere else
to turn.  The only other creatures with magic knowledge were the fairies.  And
Regina hated the Blue Fairy twice as much as she hated Gold.  For a woman who
could hold a grudge through time and space that was saying a lot.
Lil Regina’s eyes were as round as saucers as she stared at the tv.  Emma had
had to slowly walk her through the technology.  It had taken her about 20
minutes to get her calmed down before her curiosity took over.  Once she became
assured that the tv was an inanimate object that could do her no harm, she’d
been content to try out all of the buttons on the remote that Emma had handed
her.  That had allowed Emma the free time to speak to Gold about the situation.
Emma realized she was watching a South Park cartoon.  “Hey,” she chuckled at
their antics.  “I didn’t even know this show still came on.”  Normally Regina
hated the show and had banned Henry from ever being able to watch it.  But she
laughed out loud with glee as Regina gave the most adorable little laugh she’d
ever heard to Eric singing Kyle’s Mom is a Bitch.  Her heart warmed at the
sound.  Seemed the woman could wrap her around her finger no matter what age
she was but Emma strangely okay with that.  They’d come a long way in the past
couple of years.
Emma studied the child closely.  She was beautiful.  Just like her Regina.  But
that scar on her lip made her wince just from looking at it.  It was still pink
and raw and looked like it had just happened yesterday.  She reached out slowly
not wanting to upset the child anymore than she already was.  “How’d you get
that scar baby?”
Regina’s head turned sharply toward Emma.  She grabbed her babydolls closer to
her as she tried to practically melt into the sofa cushions.
“It’s okay baby,” Emma quickly tried to correct her misstep.  “If you don’t
want to tell me then you don’t have to.”  Emma quickly looked around for
something to divert the child’s anxiety that was starting to build again,
“How’re your babies doing?”
Regina just sat for a long time staring at her.  Emma had thought she wasn’t
going to get an answer at all.  She’d turned back toward the tv when a small
voice spoke out, “Molly’s hungry.”
Emma’s eyebrows went up at the same time she heard the child’s tummy give a
little rumble.  She gave a small gasp before putting the pieces together. 
“Well, I guess we’ll have to do something about that.  We can’t have babies
starving.  It’s not right to just let someone go hungry.”  She rose and held
her hand out to the child.  “Let’s get her something to eat.” 
She gave her a friendly smile as the child tentatively placed her tiny hand in
hers.  She walked her through the dining room and into the kitchen.  She
stopped at the entrance and squatted down so that they were eye to eye. 
“Remember we talked about how things were different in this world?”  She waited
a minute for the child to absorb this before moving on, “well there’s a lot of
things in this land that you probably haven’t seen before.  But I promise I
would never let anything hurt you or your babies.”  She looked into the kitchen
and tried to see it from the child’s point of view.  She was trying to head off
another meltdown before it started. 
She had no idea what a kitchen looked like in the child’s time.  But she did
understand being small and everything around you looking large and foreign. 
The first time in a new foster home with whoever she was staying with would be
all smiles as they showed her and the social worker around the house.  But she
still remembered the terror that she’d quickly learned to associate with her
social workers always walking out the door as she was left alone with
strangers.  No child should ever feel that way.
“Do you mind if I pick you up?” Emma asked wanting the child to know she had
full control over the situation. 
Once more Regina gave her a once over.  Emma plastered as open and friendly a
smile on her face as she could.  Then she slightly lifted her arms away from
her body which Emma took as her permission to be lifted. 
Emma picked her up and decided to introduce her to the kitchen and appliances. 
Hopefully that would quell the child’s slight trembling.  At least she hadn’t
had anymore of her magic flare ups where she caused earthquakes inside of the
house so Emma figured she was doing a good job at putting her at ease.
She walked her over to the sink and sat her down beside it.  “This is a sink,”
she pointed at the faucets.  “This is where water comes out like a well or a
water pump.  Except we don’t have to go outside and get it.  See?  There’s cold
water and then there’s the hot water.” She turned on first the cold water and
let it run for a few seconds.  Then she placed her hand underneath to show the
child it wouldn’t hurt her. 
Lil Regina merely stared in amazement.  Her mouth was hung open slightly as her
eyes once again grew as round as saucers.  Emma waited until the child had
gotten used to seeing it turn on.  Then she demonstrated the hot for her.  She
stood back and let the child try them both out for herself.  Her heart was
warmed as her Regina gave her a small giggle.
Emma introduced the rest of the kitchen appliances to her one by one.  She took
her through the stove, microwave, and even the refrigerator while reminding her
to never touch unless she was there with her and she’d gotten her permission
first.
After giving her a while to get used to the way the new shiny metal machinery
worked, Emma stood in the refrigerator staring inside.  There were plenty of
leftovers because Regina insisted on cooking all of the time.  She pulled out
some leftover lamb and began to make them some cold lamb sandwiches with
mustard.  Regina had turned her onto these and now she couldn’t get enough of
them.
She remembered to slice lil Regina’s up into small triangles that would be easy
for her to pick up before adding some chips to the plates.  She took a couple
of apples that came from Regina’s beloved tree.  She peeled and cored them
before slicing them and adding them to the plates also.  She set down the two
plates at the kitchen island where Regina sat quietly playing with her dolls. 
She poured them each glasses of apple juice hen she took the stool across from
hers.  “Eat up baby.”
The two of them sat quietly enjoying their meal.  Regina alternated feeding
herself and her two babies while Emma ran through the days’ events in her
head.   
When the day started she was just going to spend a little time with Regina
after work.  After magic lessons she figured they’d go home for dinner and some
more canoodling before Emma would go back to her parents’ apartment for the
next few nights.  Emma had planned on proposing to Regina just before they
spoke to her parents.  She wanted them to understand that they weren’t just
some fling.  And that she was seriously crazy about the woman.  She knew it
would take them a little time to get used to the idea but had hope they’d come
around.
Now it looked like she was going to have to be the caretaker and babysitter to
her own soon to be fiance.  She knew she’d need to stay on Gold to make sure he
could get her Regina back soon.
Emma had just cleared away their dishes when the front door banged shut.  Then
she heard a, “Mom!  I’m starving!  What’s for dinner?” followed by loud thuds
that had to be none other than Henry’s things hitting the floor before his
footsteps could be heard clomping in their direction.
Emma’s head snapped up just as the kitchen appliances began to vibrate.  She
looked over at li’l Regina who’d hidden herself underneath the kitchen island
with her babies.  “Holy crap!” she thought.  This was not going to be easy.
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