Roni wiped down the bartop with a final flourish. Business hours were over and she had herself and a cat to feed. She flipped the window sign to "closed", locked the doors, and turned out the lights. She climbed the back steps up to her apartment above the bar. Her cat, Lenny, uncurled from his spot on the back of the couch and meowed at her.

"Yes, I know. Took me long enough, huh?" Roni scratched the cat behind his ears, causing him to purr. "How about some breakfast?" Roni walked into the kitchen and poured some cat food into Lenny's dish. While her cat ate, Roni heated up some leftovers for herself. She planned on spending the next hour watching a new show on Netflix before going to bed. The timer on the microwave slowly ticked down, giving Roni some time to think. She looked around at her tiny one bedroom apartment. It had been four years since she came to Seattle. That was back when she was another person...

The microwave dinged, bringing Roni out of dangerous memories. She took her food and a fork and settled in the living room. Her furry companion returned to his spot on the couch, just behind his owner's head. She could feel him snuggle into her warmth. She smiled. Lenny had been a tiny thing when she found him. They were both lost in an unfamiliar place and took to each other like white on rice. He had been her only friend since. She really preferred his company over anyone else's. Cats didn't care who you used to be, so long as you kept them fed and treated them right.

Some time later, a knock on the door woke her up from her nap. She wiped the sleep from her eyes and stretched. A glance at the clock showed that she could have slept another four hours if she hadn't gotten interrupted. Another knock had Roni up and walking to the door. She looked through the peephole and gasped. The person on the other side of the door was someone Roni never thought she'd see again. It was someone from her old life, who forced her all the way across the country.

Roni backed away silently. She had to run. She pocketed her keys and wallet, threw some clothes in a bag, and escaped out the window and down the fire escape, Lenny on her heels. She just needed to reach her car down the block and she could start again. She could go to New Mexico. She'd always wanted to visit there... She ran down the street. She could almost make out her old clunker, when a body slammed her to the ground.

"Get off me!" Roni cried, pushing the woman off her. She held Lenny, who was hissing at her attacker and was one wrong move away from scratching.

"I wouldn't have had to do it if you'd just opened the door." Emma Swan looked exactly the same. Well, except for a tiredness in her eyes. Said eyes were now oggling Regi- Roni's attire. She wore jeans and a leather jacket, something Regina wouldn't have been caught dead in. Her hair was in its natural curly state and she wore minimal makeup. This woman was so different from Madame Mayor.

Roni scratched Lenny's head, both for his comfort and hers.

"You weren't supposed to find me." Roni said.

"Did you forget it was my job to find people who didn't want to be found?" Emma replied. Roni looked away with a pout. She kind of did forget. She hadn't thought of Emma in years. Well, except when she featured in her nightmares.

"If you insist on invading my life, I'd prefer we not do this in public." Roni walked Emma to her bar and unlocked the front door. When both women and the cat were inside, Roni locked the doors again, dropped Lenny off back inside the apartment, and went behind the bar to pour herself a shot. She knew she'd need the buzz to be able to deal with whatever Emma wanted.

"Why are you here?" Roni finally asked. "If... he's in trouble," She still couldn't say her former son's name without feeling torn apart. "Just know I haven't used magic in four years and my blood type is incompatible with his."

"Henry's not sick. I came to bring you home." Emma said.

"Home?" Roni scoffed. "I am home. I worked hard for my bar, for my life here. Here, there's no magical destiny making me into something I never wanted to be. Here, no one runs screaming every time they see me. I'm just Roni here, not the Evil Queen."

"Henry misses you." At Emma's words, Roni gripped the bar. She tried hard to push the memories back, but when it came to Henry, they overwhelmed her like a tidal wave. She remembered watching the Charmings moving Henry's things out of his room. She remembered the paperwork forced on her, giving up her right to ever see him again. She remembered the pills she almost took afterward.

"He sure didn't seem to miss me when he chose you over me. Even if he did, you made me give up my rights to see him. I legally cannot go anywhere near him, so try again Miss Swan." Roni snarled.

"Regina-"

"I'm not Regina!" Roni snapped. "My name is Roni. I live in Hyperion Hights. And I am never going back to that old life. So you can go back to your perfect life with your son and leave me alone." Roni unlocked the door and looked at Emma expectantly. Emma sighed and walked out the door. She stopped in the doorway and looked at Roni once more.

"I'm not giving up on you." Emma said before leaving for real. Roni locked up again and went to pour herself another shot. She was doing just fine for herself. Why did Miss Swan have to go and ruin it?

Roni returned to her apartment to get a few extra hours of sleep, but she was plagued with another nightmare. She was back in her old home - the mansion on Mifflin. She watched out the window as an angry mob formed around her house. Rocks pelted the mansion, smoke and flames erupted from the side of the house, and the mob broke in and pulled her from her home. They led her to the main square, where a hangman's platform had been built. She was tied up and stood over the trap door. A thick, scratchy rope was put around her neck.

It was then that Emma stood before her. "I told you I wouldn't give up." She said, "You're getting exactly what you deserve." Regina turned to see Henry at the lever that released the trap door.

"Down with the Evil Queen!" He chanted before releasing the floor from under her.

Roni screamed as she awoke. Lenny jumped in fright and ran to comfort his owner, who was now sobbing. Roni knew she couldn't open her bar tonight. She was too much of a mess and she couldn't drink it away like she normally did. Today she knew she would need to see her therapist, but she needed to hurry if she wanted to get some time in with her. Roni dressed and went out towards her doctor's office.