Regina had every faith that her curse would succeed; the only fatal flaw in her otherwise perfect plan was the pesky matter of the savior. The one thing that could reverse the curse to end all curses was an infant.
To Regina it sounded ridiculous, even so, Regina would just have to do away with that little problem and then no one would be able to stop her from getting her revenge on Snow White.
Reclining comfortably in her carriage, Regina watched her stepdaughter give birth through a silver hand mirror.
A wicked smile tugged at The Evil Queen's crimson lips, she relished every scream of agony coming from Snow White, and reveled in the knowledge that she was to inflict even more pain upon her stepdaughter once she reached the castle.
By the time Regina had arrived the mirror had shown her that Snow White had already delivered a baby girl. With not a trace of her mother in her, the baby was a runt of a thing with pale blonde hair.
Calling for her guards, Regina relayed her orders.
"Do what you must but leave the infant, she's mine." Without another word the guards stormed the castle their queen at their heels, watching the destruction of Snow White's life unfold with eagerness.
After following a trail of corpses, the queen finally came upon the royal nursery. Every available surface seemed covered with toys, all waiting for a child that would never get to play with them.
One of her knights stood over the body of Snow White's husband, his eyes slowly starting to lose the light in them. Her huntsman stood by the door with a bundle of white wool in his arms.
"Your Majesty, the child." He said placing the bundle in Regina's arms, the child fussed a little but did not cry. Something Regina felt odd; didn't she know who Regina was? This was the savior sent to destroy her curse, yet the baby had no qualms about the woman who was now holding her.
Regina glanced over to shoot a scathing remark at the child's father, but his eyes had already closed forever.
"Go make yourselves useful!" Regina snapped at her guards, who hurried off like beaten dogs. She turned to the Huntsman who was waiting for his orders like an obedient pet. "Go stand guard, Huntsman I wish to be alone with the child,"
"What will you do to her?" The huntsman asked, which only invoked Regina's ire.
"Never you mind what I'll do with her go to your post!" Regina snapped causing the baby to cry.
Defeated, the huntsman slunk off to his post, leaving the child alone with her captor. Wailing child in hand, Regina began to pace the room trying to find the best way to inflict pain on Snow White, and to do away with the little nuisance,
"Will you be quiet!" Regina snapped when several minutes had passed and she had no way to dispose of the child and the crying had not yet ceased. "I am trying to plot your demise you little urchin, not shut up!" The stern tone had some effect on the baby who seemed to get the message and quieted almost immediately.
"There, now what do with you?" Regina wondered out loud, at that moment she could hear the pained sounds of someone coming towards the room. And with no time to think of anything else, retreated to the shadows.
A few moments passed befor Snow White, obviously in a lot of pain, much to Regina's joy stumbled into the nursery. Upon seeing her husband's dead body she cried out.
"No, no! No! No! No! Pleaseā¦" She cried as she fell to her knees at his side. "Please come back to me." In a desparate attempt to revive him she kissed him twice, which made Regina role her eyes.
"Oh, don't worry dear. In a few moments, you won't remember you knew him, let alone loved him." Regina said stepping forward from the shadows, the baby still in her arms. S
"Why did you-" Snow White paled when she saw what Regina was holding in her arms, "No, Emma!" Staggering to her feet, Snow tried to take the baby from her stepmother, who jerked her away before she could lay a hand on her.
"So that's what you named her, Emma." Regina said as Snow watched helplessly from the ground, "of all the names you could have picked, it's not awful."
"Regina let her go!" Snow begged, "do whatever you want to me but leave Emma alone!"
"Now why would I do that?" Regina asked, "she is my undoing."
"She's a child!"
"Children grow up," Regina's words were icy, "and children lie."
"I was ten I didn't know-"
"It doesn't matter!" Regina said tired of hearing the same speech from her stepdaughter time and time again. "I've been trying to figure out the best way to do away with this little problem, but I think I have my answer, the best way to ensure my safety and to hurt you the most is to take your child. There is no greater pain than the loss of a child." Even as she spoke the plan was forming in her head, if she raised Emma as her own she could teach the girl to hate Snow White that would just be salt in an open wound.
Snow was begging again, but Regina paid her no mind, the woman obivously was far too weak from childbirth and the hard trek here to fight Regina for the baby, she was helpless to what was going to happen.
Just the way Regina liked her.
"Why are you doing this?" Snow White asked through tears, Regina smiled at this and answered coldy.
"Because this is my happy ending." Snow held her head up bravely, locking her eyes on Emma with determination.
"Then I swear, no matter where you go, Regina, no matter how you try to conceal her, I will find Emma. I will always find her."
"We'll see about that," Regina said as the curse bore down on them, ceiling breaking apart, winds whiping through the room with furocity.
"Where are we going?" Snow yelled over the wind's screams,
"Somewhere horrible. Absolutely horrible. A place where the only happy ending will be mine." The windows shattered, dark smoke filling the room, suffocating everything, and they are whisked away.
The world Regina woke up in was vastly different from the one she had left, here she was no longer a queen but the mayor of a small town. As she opened her eyes for the first time she recalled all of this. Looking out of the window, she gazed upon the town of Storybrooke and celebrated that her curse had worked,
"I did it. I won." Regina said almost gleefully to herself, before a small cry sounded from the nearby bassenet.
The spoils just got better and better.
"Hello, Emma" Regina smiled picking the baby up, the tiny blonde's eyes opened to reveal Snow White's pale green eyes. So there was at least one trace of her mother in her.
Emma looked upon Regina for a long moment with those unyeilding green eyes, and then Emma let out an ear peircing wail.
