Sorry for the delay! I meant to get this out a month ago. Sadly, OUAT doesn't belong to me.

Regina slowed Rocinante near the winding path that led to the Dark Castle. The brown leather riding outfit she wore was tighter on her than she liked, but she was afraid to ask for her clothes to be tailored for fear of anyone finding out why she was gaining weight. She reverently rested her palm over her slightly rounded belly. She was going to have a baby! With her morning sickness she had truly been ill, but she had told everyone she just had the temporary sickness that had been spreading around the villages. She had refused any healers, since they would know she was pregnant. Due to her "illness" she thankfully avoided Snow, even though Snow had tried several times to inquire of her health. She had also ignored the numerous summons that Rumplestiltskin sent her. She knew she could no longer avoid him or others discovering her pregnancy. The King and Snow had gone to visit King George and she needed to take advantage of the freedom from Leopold and the guards. She gathered her courage and rode the rest of the way to the Dark Castle.

As she entered the castle and paused in the entry hall she heard that all too familiar creepy voice, "Well, well, well. Look who finally decided to show up. Nice of you to grace me with your presence, Your Majesty." Rumplestiltskin appeared in a swirl of purple and bowed mockingly as he spoke.

"I've been busy and haven't felt well…" Her voice faded as all of her preplanned explanations escaped her mind. She tried frantically to keep them in order to rationalize her absence to The Dark One.

"Oh, I know all too well how unwell you've been, dearie", he said with a knowing smile, "I guess congratulations are in order. I'm sure you will make the King a happy man. Or was that how you got this way in the first place? Making the King happy."

"What?-How, how did you know? No one knows." Regina stuttered out, frightened that Rumplestiltskin knew about her pregnancy.

"Dearie, you have much to learn. I'm the Dark One, I know everything." Rumplestiltskin boasted.

Regina looked frantically at Rumplestiltskin, "What do I do?"

"I'm not going to tell you what to do about this, dearie. You need to decide what path you shall take. As I see it you have a few options. You could get rid of the thing. If you kill it now, only you and I would know you were with child briefly." He smiled in disgust at her stomach.

"No! I can't kill my child. I may hate my child's father, but I'm not killing an innocent child." She looked horrified.

"Innocent? As I've said before, it's amazing that you and your mother are related. Nothing is innocent. If you don't want to kill it, then we could hide your pregnancy and you can give it up. You need to keep your focus and a child will be a distraction to your apprenticeship with me. You do want to learn magic, right?"

Regina shakes her head in denial and anger, " I. AM. NOT. MY. MOTHER! I'm not giving my child up! Of course I want to learn magic to protect myself from the King."

"I'm all out of options for you then, dearie. If you keep the child you will not be able to focus fully on your lessons."

Regina stood as tall and proud as she could as she spoke with determination, "I am keeping my child and I don't see any reason why it should be a problem with still learning magic."

Rumplestiltskin's patience was running low and spoke sharply, "Becoming queen has brought delusionS of power or maybe it's temporary insanity due to that parasite in you, but I think you forget your place!"

Before Regina can even react, he had her magically forced to her knees. Regina grunted with the discomfort of being trapped by magic on the ground and her face planted into the hard, stone floor.

"Now, shall we try that again? What does my apprentice have to say for herself? Humm?"

Regina struggled on the ground, before giving up, "My Master, I'm sorry for my contumacious behavior. I'm humbled to learn from your wisdom and I beseech you to pardon me for my transgression against you."

Rumplestiltskin giggled with glee flicking his hand in her direction releasing her. "No need to lie to me just to avoid my wrath. I forgive your disrespect, apprentice. Now what shall we do about your condition?"

"Master, I plan on having this child and I promise you that I will continue to learn anything you will allow me to learn."

"Very well then. We shall see what the future hold for you and this child when the time comes. Now, you have wasted enough of my time arguing; let us continue your lessons where we left off last time."

She reluctantly decided to have the healers confirm what she already knew to make sure her child would be healthy. When the King and Snow came back she approached them to tell them the news.

Regina curtsied for her husband and inquired of the two recent travelers, "Your Majesty, Snow how did you fair in your travels?"

"Regina!" Snow joyfully exclaimed and ran to hug her step-mother.

"Snow. Is that the way a princess is supposed to behave?" The King said as he frowned at his exuberant daughter.

"No, Father, but I really missed Regina and I never want to have to be near that arrogant Prince James ever again." Snow rolled her eyes.

Regina laughed and sadly understood all too well that an arranged marriage is a horrible fate for anyone.

"Snow, I missed you also. And in my opinion, you don't have to see that Prince again." She knew that her husband wouldn't approve of her stance, but she thought someone out there should marry based on love and not be forced to marry. Even if Snow was the cause of her forced marriage.

"I actually came to deliver the great news to you both that I am with child. Snow, you are going to be a big sister to this future prince or princess. What do you think about that?" Regina looked to Leopold during her announcement to see what his reaction was. His face showed surprise, and joy.

"Oh, mother! That is wonderful news!" Snow jump excitedly already thinking about having a little brother or sister and getting to play with them.

"Yes Regina, that surly is wonderful news. I'm overjoyed that I'm going to be a father again. Maybe we will have a young prince to enrich our lives and ensure our legacy." He said with pride.

"Well, no matter if it is a boy or girl, they will enrich our lives. Isn't that right Snow?" Regina was so irate that all Leopold cared about was that she provide him with a male heir. Wasn't Snow enough? Once Snow got past her selfish childish phase, she had the potential to be a great queen.

"Yaah! I'm going to be the best big sister ever!" Snow rested her head on Regina's belly and loved on both her step-mother and her sibling.

"So…I assume I still don't get to ask about this mystery aunt of mine?" Regina just turned and glared at Emma "Was Gold always like that with you, Regina?"

"I will not explain to you Miss Swan, things that are beyond your limited ability to comprehend. You interfere enough as it is with my son, I will not have you soiling the memory of my daughter. Is that clear?" Emma appeared to be getting ready to protest and yet a glare from Regina surprisingly stopped her and she just nodded.

"Good."

"But, what about Gold? He was just so.."

"So, what Miss Swan? So, controlling, manipulative, self-serving, the only one who knew my struggles and someone I could talk to? I will not explain my reasoning to you on that either."

Snow gave her those puppy dog eyes in pity, "Is that why you turned to dark magic, to the Evil Queen? My father?"

"Please! You give him too much credit, Snow. Rumplestiltskin taught me the dark arts because I asked him to and the Evil Queen, as you call me was not created overnight. You had more to do with that than your father." Regina sneered.

"You didn't always feel that way about me. I'm your daughter too."

"No, I have my mother cursing my heart and your actions to thank for the destruction of any happy ending for me. Does a daughter do what you have done to me?"

"Gee, no pressure on one person at all. If I can't talk about the elephant in the room, then can I ask why everyone disliked David? Isn't David also James?" Emma looked to Snow in confusion.

Snow laughed ignoring Regina's comment, "Emma, that is a long story. David had a twin brother named James, who was given to King George, or Spencer as you know him. As a child I was expected to have a good working knowledge of key rulers in other kingdoms. I was promised to Prince James as a child, which George rescinded after Regina put a bounty on my head," Snow glared at Regina, "James was killed, which led to Rumplestiltskin and George forcing your father to pretend to be James. Since Regina had cut trade with George's kingdom they were hurting financially and needed the gold that an alliance with King Midas's daughter, Abigail would bring. Who by the way is also known as Kathryn Nolan."

"What! Seriously, that is just way weird and Regina that is just messed up." Emma looked at both Regina and Snow like they and the situation was crazy.

"What can I say? I enjoyed the sense of irony in trying to destroy Snow's marriage, by making him married to his old fiancé during the curse." Regina smirked and Snow was obviously irked.

"That is just sick, woman. Wait. I thought that book of Henry's said that you met Dav-Charming whatever, when you were robbing him? Didn't you recognize him as this Prince James guy? Or did you know about the brother switch thing?" Emma looked so puzzled.

"Oh, I knew who he was as James at the time. That is kinda why I called him Charming. It was not originally meant as a compliment. Now it is, but at the time all I could think about was how much I detested Prince James. James used to try and look under my dress and put gross things in my food and on me. As he got older he was what you would call a player with abundant drinking, sex and skipping out on royal functions. Not that either of my mothers didn't have to make me go to royal functions when I didn't want to. I did know that they were important and I had a responsibility to go even if I didn't want to be there. Charming was something to call him as I started to realize either James had drastically changed or this wasn't James." Snow explained and got all dreamy eyed thinking about Charming.

"As Charming as this annoying history lesson is, the next scene is coming up." Regina stated.

Thank you for those who've started following this story the past two months and those that have written encouragement to write more. Please let me know what you think?