The world was never the same after the rebellion and neither was Regina. It was difficult to tell the states apart from one another and it was almost impossible to tell the difference between the animalistic wails in the dark nights from her own.
The beautiful Mustang that she had snagged before the rebellion stayed the same though. It made the same roar as it did the day she had stole it. She'd constantly tried to make sure that it wouldn't get any scratches during the earliness of the rebellion and it was in great shape to this day. It was hard, though, with the rocks and piles of dirt covering the roads making the vehicle jump left and right with gravel pounding at its sides. The car was getting a beating, but Regina's face was calm. She let the wind comb through her hair and memories cloud her mind.
She had never felt as free as she did before Pan's Rebellion. Before, she was locked away by parents and society fated her to be married by the age of sixteen. This fate was something she had dreaded since the day she fully understood what it meant. Many girls accepted this, but she'd rather go to school or get a job or even fix the broken down stables up the road from her house. Instead she was faced with a beating and a scolding about how a lady should never think that way. Regina's hands gripped the steering wheel tighter as a reflex from the thought of the pain her mother's palm always gave her cheek. It was one pain that she'd never forget.
She'd also never forget when Pan's Rebellion had begun; she had tried many times to run away in an attempt to join it. She wouldn't forget when thousands of rebels had lost their lives to the government and how deeply she feared for worse repercussions. She also wouldn't forget each repercussion and how one took her mother's life. She doesn't remember shedding one tear.
A ping from the car broke her out of her thoughts, alerting her that the tank was almost empty. She looked around for a gas station and pulled into the first one in her view. The station looked empty, but not abandoned so she stepped out of the vehicle.
"Hello?" Regina called, her voice hoarse from not speaking in days.
She was welcomed by a screaming boy, maybe ten or eleven years old, running straight into her. The force slammed them both back; him onto the dirt and she into the side of the car. Her eyes were wide in surprise, but his were wider consisting of terror and fear.
"I'm-I'm sorry," the boy stuttered, still looking up from the ground, "It's just- my family- they are."
Regina looked towards the station the boy ran from. There was obviously something going on in there and the hint came from the constantly moving objects inside. Usually Regina wasn't one to pick fights, or help for that matter. During these times, helping would only get you so far and it's usually the grave.
However, when a child's involved…
Regina reached a hand into her car, pulling out the shot gun that was a passenger for most of her trips. She turned to the station and stomped her way over, determined to help this little boy. She barely heard the soft steps behind her. It only made her more determined to help if the boy was going to watch.
Without checking if the door was locked, she kicked it down and scanned the scene in front of her. An injured man, a short haired brunette, and a blonde woman were being looted and harassed by five men. Regina almost rolled her eyes when she spotted a familiar face from one of the looters.
"Gold!" She screamed as she pointed her gun straight at the man she had, had an acquaintance with for many years.
Everyone paused from the sternness (inherited by her mother) loaded in her voice.
The blonde woman was the only one to react, her gaze on the boy standing behind the gun wielding lady, "Henry! I told you to run!"
"Regina," Gold smiled, making his way over like a professional dancer, "Fancy seeing you here, Deary."
"You need to leave," Regina said unfazed by the man's strange demeanor.
"Wish I could, but I can't. They have something I want."
These people must have had something of incredible value. Gold didn't just take anything; it had to be something special. Hence the name Gold. If this was any other situation, she would have just let him have it or even go for whatever it is herself. It's not like she knew these people, and like what her mother had always said, "What's a few more bodies added to a growing grave?"
However, when a child's involved…
"Not this time, Gold," Regina said unwilling to give up on what she was planning on doing. She smirked when she remembered an important factor from their past relationship, "Besides, I think you know why you have to leave these people alone."
Gold smirked wider to challenge her own, "And why is that, Miss Mills?"
"Because you owe me," she said, trying to keep her smile unaltered.
She knew that the old man hated owing anything to anyone. There were days when he was more than fine to make deals with people. Scratch his back and he'll scratch yours. Years went by and deals became harder and harder for others to keep, and soon he decided to take before asking. To put a long story short, Gold hated owing anybody anything.
Gold's face fell and he bit the inside of his cheek in disappointment. Without another word, he motioned for the guys to move out of the station empty handed.
"This isn't over," Gold sneered at Regina before passing by and leaving the station as well.
The group waited a few moments before breathing and the little boy, whom was apparently Henry, ran to hug the blonde woman.
"I'm sorry, mom," he said as he buried his face into the woman's shirt. Regina's stomach turned and she wasn't sure if it was towards the sappy moment or the fact that Gold was probably going to rip her throat out the next time he saw her.
"Oh my God, thank you so much," the brunette woman rushed over and took Regina's hands in hers, "You saved our family."
"Yes, well," Regina slipped her hands out of the woman's grasp, unfamiliar with the intimacy of it, "You're very welcome."
"How can we ever repay you?" The injured man limped over to them.
Regina looked at them both strangely as they smiled at her like she had just changed their tire and not had saved them from almost getting murdered. This reminded her, "I need gas for my car."
"Right! Of Course!" The man exclaimed as he jogged outside.
"Thank goodness you were here," the brunette woman smiled gratefully, "You're a hero you know that?"
Regina was a bit taken back with the title. She had been called many things in her life: horrible, boyish, crude, a mistake, and all those were titles before the rebellion. She had done many things after it, many horrible things that only ever brought up one title: Villain.
To hear someone call her hero made her blush and turn away. It was a title she didn't deserve.
"I…" Regina stopped herself, never one to turn away a compliment. Even one as preposterous as this. She looked over towards the blonde and the boy and remembered why she had helped them in the first place, "Thank you. Excuse me."
She made her way cautiously over and stopped in her tracks when the boy spotted her with a bright smile. He stepped away from his mother and hugged Regina's midsection tightly, "Thank you."
Regina carefully pried the boy off her, his embrace making her nervous. She bent down to his size, smiling from the memory of her father always doing this with her, "Your name's Henry, correct?"
The boy nodded and Regina smiled wider and his sudden shyness.
"My father's name was Henry, he was a great man. He was also brave, just like you were for coming back here with me. To help protect your family."
"I had to," Henry nodded firmly.
"Of course," Regina nodded back.
"Wait," the blonde woman said suddenly, "The man called you Regina. Are you the Mills' daughter?"
Regina tried her hardest not to frown. She hated this part. The part where people would figure out who she was and treat her differently. They'd begin to hate her, just because of her last name, "Yes."
The woman scrunched her brow and folded her arms. Of course she knew about the Mills, if there's ever any history book on the rebellion the Mill's name would pop up everywhere.
The Mills had owned somewhere close to the whole country before the rebellion; the name appeared everywhere from buildings to milk cartons. Some might even say that they were the cause of the rebellion, they're power and control brought nothing but pain and anguish to the simple people of the nation. If the people in any way shape or form went against the Mills, death awaited them. Regina always blamed her mother; Cora Mills was in charge not her father. Henry Mills was too passive to go against his wife for anything, even when she punished his own daughter.
It was all quite simple really. The people didn't agree with anything the Mills projected and were miserable, so they rebelled. Regina didn't agree with anything her mother had to offer and was miserable, so she tried to join them. Everything seemed so simple as to what side Regina was on, but her name always pulled her back to a role that was too hard to let go.
"Okay, Regina," the woman offered her hand, "Thank you for saving us."
Regina was taken back again by the kindness of these people. The woman knew her name and yet she didn't yank her child away and run. Where were these kind of people after the rebellion? During the rebellion? Before the rebellion?
"Okay, all done," the injured man came back leaning on the brunette woman for support, "I honestly don't think we've repaid you enough with just gas."
"It's fine," Regina stood up to face the two appropriately, "That's what I came for in the first place."
"Dinner!" The brunette cheered suddenly, almost making the man fall over from her lack of balance, "We'll make you dinner! We were just about to make it before it got too dark."
Regina hadn't ate in awhile, but she also couldn't stomach just eating these nice people's food, "It's fine, really."
"Nonsense, Regina," the blonde said in back of her, a twinkle in her eye and a smile on her face, "It's the least we can do."
"Um," She didn't know what to say. She grew up always knowing what to say, "I suppose-"
"Great! David go start the fire!" The brunette let go of the wobbling man and grabbed Regina's hand again, this time leading her to where they dine.
XXX
They all sat around a beautiful fire set up strategically inside next to three huge, open windows. Regina sat between the brunette woman, Mary Margaret, and Henry as the injured man, David, and the blonde woman, Emma, sat across from them. The conversation was light and humorous at times. Regina tried her hardest not to eat like a wild animal, but each bite reminded her that she was starving and unknowingly she was getting comfortable with the family of four.
Apparently Emma was a product of Mary Margaret and David, whom both looked extremely young to have a daughter around Regina's age. It must have been an effect of the society her family had tried hardest to create: Marry young, die older.
Both Mary Margaret and David had to be some of the nicest people in the nation. So optimistic. So romantic. It almost made Regina sick, but she liked them. Well, she thought she did. Maybe it was because they were feeding her. Either way, she laughed at their jokes and smiled at their love for one another, and in her mind they reminded her of a real life Snow White and Prince Charming.
She liked Henry more, a lot more. He was the cutest thing she had ever met. The stories he would tell and the way he would tell him, the dreamy look that would glaze over his eyes. He reminded her of a happy version of her father. The one that told her about true love and absolute happiness. Regina knew it was going to be extremely hard to leave soon, especially since she has to say goodbye to Henry.
Then there was Emma, snarky, sarcastic, smart ass Emma. If Regina had known her before the rebellion, she's sure that they would have been some kind of good friends. The playful banter between them continued back and forth until one would have knowing smirk and the other would have a look of feigned shock. Emma was also beautiful. Regina may have been locked away for most of her teenage years, but she knew a looker when she saw one. Not that she'd ever tell her.
The best part was that Emma didn't care about her last name. She actually didn't care.
"Regina," Mary Margaret began after they all had a long laugh over a bad joke made by David, "Where are you from? Your car looks like it's been on a long trip."
"I'm from the Capital," Regina answered truthfully. She'd never lie about where she's from though she'd always be ashamed of it.
"Wow, hell of a drive," David whistled.
"You're from the Capital?" Mary Margaret asked, her happy mood changing.
Regina nodded.
"My parents lived in the Capital," she said almost absentmindedly.
"Mom," Emma tried to get her attention, "Mom it's okay."
"We all lived there," Mary Margaret began, "Together. Happy. It all changed though. When that bitch Cora murdered them in front of me!"
They all sat in silence and Regina stopped herself from cringing at every thought that agreed with Mary Margaret about her mother. Instead of saying what was truly on her mind she stood up, "I should go."
"No!" Emma stood up and put out her hand as a motion to stop Regina, "No, you don't have to."
"I didn't mean to," Mary Margaret stood up also, "the memory just becomes too much sometimes."
"I understand, really," Regina reassured then took a deep breathe, "I just think I have to be honest with you. I can't continue to sit with you all when you don't know who I truly am. Cora Mills. She- she was my mother."
"You're the Mills' daughter?" David asked, though it was quite obvious.
It was quiet for a moment as the news settled on the family, except for on Emma who stood there staring at Regina with concern.
Regina expected for them to yell and throw her out or worse. Instead she felt little hands hugging her from the side. She looked down to see Henry hugging her, tighter than before, and giving her the sweetest smile she had ever seen.
"I've heard all about you," he smirked, "The people in town call you Regina the kind. The Mills' daughter with the biggest heart anyone's ever seen."
Regina's mouth gaped. The hell did he get that from, "That must be incorrect."
"It's not, Regina," Mary Margaret smiled, "People tell stories about your childhood all the time to teach the children to overcome evil. They even tell some stories about you during the rebellion. How you fought against society, in favor of the people."
"Yeah," Henry agreed,"You're a hero."
There was that word again, that title that she never thought she would ever deserve. As she looked down at the young boy's face, however, maybe that title was somewhat fitting. Or something. Not it couldn't be.
"Remember when we used to tell Emma those stories?" David remembered aloud, "She was so in love with the stories that she'd make up her own where she'd save Regina herself. Like she was a prince or something."
Regina looked over to catch Emma blush the slightest before the blonde responded, "That was just a phase."
"Sure," David laughed.
Regina looked at all of them and swallowed hard, "I don't know what to say."
"You don't have to say anything," Mary Margaret said as she sat back down, "just don't leave. Stay for the night. Or longer, we don't mind."
"You're part of the family," David shrugged, "well, at least now you are."
"Yeah," Emma chimed in, "Please stay."
Regina tried not to smile too hard hearing all of this, but it was almost impossible. She sat back down, Henry on her side, and everyone went back to being happy. It seemed sweetly normal.
Regina hadn't felt this happy since before her mother had received all the control on the MIlls' family business and she'd didn't think she'd ever would. Here she was though, with people she barely knew and having the best time since the days her father was happy. She knew from that moment that everything was meant to be, and though she had lost her family she's quickly regaining a better one.
A/N: Okay, I just wanted to make a story where Regina gets a happy ending cause I think she sort of deserves one (You know, when she's actually trying). Oh and a mix of procrastination and actual school work has kept me from my main goal on my other story: to get those two Glee girls to fall in love. Tsk tsk. I hope this is okay. Thanks for readin'.