Hi Guys,

I thought up this story, it is loosely based on a Christmas movie I watched a long time ago and I don't remember the name of it but I sort of twist the story around for my writing.

Disclaimer- I don't own OUAT

Enjoy :)

She opens the door to her motel room, this will be home for the next few months. It's Christmas and she doesn't have nearly enough money for a Christmas gift for Henry, especially not the one he wants. She walks into the dimly lit room and is instantly almost knocked to the floor by her three year old son Henry. The light of her life.

"Hi Sweetie"

"Mama!"

"How was your day?"

"Fun! Ella helped me draw picture for you!"

"Oh really?"

"Yes!" He runs over to the table where Henry's babysitter Ashley's sitting.

"Ella where's Mommy's picture?" When Henry first met Ashley he mispronounced her name and somehow came up with the name Ella, Ashley didn't mind so Henry kept that nickname for her.

"It's right here Henry." She hands him a sheet of paper which he grabs and then runs back to Regina who had sat down on the edge of their bed. He plops down next to her and climbs into her lap and hands her the picture.

"Oh Henry." She says as she stares at the picture he had drawn her of the both of them. In big lettering it says 'I LOVE YOU MAMA!'

"I love it, thank you!" She hugs him closer to her body as she drops a kiss to the back of his head.

"I love you Mommy!" He all but shouts as he turns in her lap and throws his arms around her.

"I love you too Sweetie!" He pulled back and laid an open mouth and wet kiss to her cheek which she giggled at. She stood up and place Henry on her right hip.

"Thank you Ashley"

"No problem Regina, I'll be back at 8"

"Ok, Bye"

"Bye." Regina was lucky when she found the young teenager willing to babysit Henry. After Regina told her she wasn't sure how much she could pay her because she just got a job as a waitress and needs to pay for the room, food, water, and hopefully a gift. Ashley just nodded and said she understood; Regina was just a young mother struggling to make ends meet for her and her child.

3 Years Earlier

"Mother you don't understand!"

"Oh I understand perfectly Regina! You let that man impregnate you and-"

"Thant man is the father of my child and-"

"Was! Regina he is dead and there is no way in hell you are keeping that thing inside of you!"

"That thing is my baby and I love my baby with all my heart and I won't let you take my child away from me! I loved Daniel with everything in me, I won't let you take our child!"

"Who's going to take care of it Regina, certainly not me..."

"I'm the mother, I will take care of MY baby"

"Where will you get the money, Regina? If you keep it you'll just end up killing the both of you, do you have any idea how much raising it will cost? I will not supply it with my money!"

"You won't have to, I'm leaving and you will never have to see me or my child ever again." Regina grabbed her already packed up bags and headed towards the door.

"Regina don't you dare walk away from me. If you walk out that door you are dead to me!" Regina didn't falter as she kept walking and slammed the door shut behind her, she never looked back.

Regina didn't have a lot of money to start with so she did what she had to, to make ends meet. She got jobs where she could and slept in cheap motels. The first couple of months were the roughest, but she got the hang of things.

She found a job where she had good benefits and she even saved enough money to go to the doctor's once every one or two months, that is until she had to leave again. She proceeded to go from city to city, job to job. She made it all work out, but when she neared her due date she settled in Boston until she had Henry.

When she was discharged she found a good hotel room that was affordable for the time being and didn't care if she had a screaming or crying child. She was lucky to be hired as a receptionist at the hotel and they even had a daycare. That's where Henry grew up for the first years of his life, but they had to leave again when money was coming up short.

Present

That's how she ended up here with Henry nestled into her arms, his arms wrapped around her and his head on her chest listening to her steady heart beat. Listening to her heart beat had always seemed to calm and soothe him.

She is currently a waitress in a diner down the road and has a babysitter for Henry who didn't mind if she did or didn't get paid. The motel room wasn't in bad shape and had an affordable price. She let her mind settle in peace as she fell into a light slumber with her arms nestled around Henry.

She woke when a quiet knock sounded on her door, she eased out of Henry's tight hold and walked to the door.

"Hello Ashley" she says as she opens the door.

"Hi Regina, is everything ok?"

"Yes, why?"

"Oh well it's 8 and you don't have you uniform on."

"Oh no! It's already 8? I must have overslept!" She exclaims as she rushes into the bathroom to change into black slacks and a blue shirt that had her name tag attached to it.

"Are you ok for the night Ashley?" Regina asks in a hurry.

"Yes, everything will be fine. Have fun at work."

"Thank you, good night." She says to Ashley who is sitting at the table with a book in front of her.

"Good night my little prince, I love you" Regina whispers as she leans down and kisses Henry gently on the forehead, and heads out the door.