A/N: Hello guys! So, I'm still upset about that finale OQ scene in the season finale. I mean, come on, can't you let Regina be happy for once? She was so happy, hearing her voice break and seeing her eyes full of tears.. it tore my heart to shreds.

Anyway, since I'm a little masochist and since this idea popped into my mind, I decided to write this one-shot.

It isnot set after the season finale. Instead, I twisted the story a little: Emma and Hook mess things up and Regina manages to kill Snow White (meaning Emma was never born and the curse was never cast). This is when the story picks up.

It's just a one-shot but please review, either if you like it or not, I value your opinion and it really helps me improve my writing, or at least I like to believe so :)

Enjoy x

Disclaimer: I don't own Once Upon a Time nor its characters.

Never thinking of consequences

She had succeeded. Snow White was dead.

Regina felt as if a weight had been lifted off her shoulders. She sighed in relief and tears of joy pooled in her eyes while she watched the dancing flames in front of her. She had avenged Daniel's death, now she could finally move on.

Seeing as the queen had finally found and killed her stepdaughter, she decided to let her other prisoners go. Of course, they all ran off immediately, scared that she would change her mind. She didn't, though. After too many years, she no longer carried her anger inside. She felt at peace with herself and nothing could change that.

Over the next couple of days, the queen busied herself taking care of the kingdom. People might've called her the 'Evil Queen' for many years, but the moniker had nothing to do with her reign. She had always cared for her people. She had always made sure they had enough food, shelter and she had protected them during the ogres' war.

It was when they started hiding Snow White from her that she had become ruthless and had killed so many of them. Her blood-thirst had been unquenchable until she had seen the girl pay for her betrayal. Pay for the life she had cost her. Pay for all she had caused by revealing a simple secret.

Regina couldn't understand why the people were so loyal to the princess. She had never ruled the kingdom, while Regina's reign had been a rather peaceful one, thanks to her diplomatic skills and her magic, which had helped on more than one occasion.

On the other hand, all the girl had done was run, leaving others to die for her, afraid to face her destiny. She knew she had probably created a martyr with her actions but she didn't care. Given time, she was confident they would change their minds.

A few days later, Regina was standing in her bedchamber. She had moved an armchair in front of the balcony so she could look up at the stars and the moon, whose light danced on her skin. She closed her eyes for a second, enjoying the feeling of the chilly, midnight air on her face.

In the past days, her look had changed quite a lot. She no longer wore her very revealing dark dresses and her makeup was no longer heavy, now giving her a natural look. She had gone back to wearing light-coloured dressed, less sparkly pieces of jewelry and her hair fell loosely on her shoulders.

Her mind drifted off to many years before, when a fairy had claimed she could help her find her happy ending. Her soulmate. The man with the lion tattoo.

She would never admit it to herself before, but she had found herself dreaming about that man many times. When she was married to Leopold that fantasy was her escape. She dreamed the man would come save her from a life of royalty, a life she didn't want. Things hadn't turned out the way she had hoped, mainly due to her cowardice, but she was ready now.

When she opened her eyes again, she noticed a green light, up in the sky, that grew bigger as it approached. Regina smiled and greeted Tinker Bell happily. The fairy was not as happy as her, though, as she made no effort to hide her feelings.

"I know what you did to Snow White. Word travels fast among fairies."

"Then you might also know I do not regret it." Regina's voice did not hold anger, it was carefree. She didn't want to leave in the past anymore, it was a chapter of her life she was ready to leave behind.

"Help me find him again, Tinker Bell.. Help me find my happy ending"

The fairy's heart clenched a little at the way Regina's voice sounded. The last time she had seen her, the queen was broken, her soul heavy with rage and bitterness and there was no place in her heart for anything but revenge. Her eyes told a different story now, she could see it. There was hope. Hope for love and for happiness, and she couldn't find it in her heart to deny the woman a second chance.

Tinker Bell opened a small vial and poured some pixie dust into her hand, she turned to the balcony and blew onto it. The dust scattered but the green trail she knew far too well didn't appear. Tinker Bell was a young fairy but she had never seen pixie dust fail. She sensed something was wrong but, instead of showing Regina how worried she was, she just smiled at the woman and rested a reassuring hand on her arm.

"Give me a moment, I'll find him" and she took off before Regina could reply.

She waited for what seemed like an eternity that might as well have been mere minutes, then saw the fairy reappearing in the night sky.

"So? Did you find him?" Her smile was so warm and hopeful, Tinker Bell didn't want to take it away from her. At the same time, though, she couldn't lie, it wasn't her nature.

"..I did."

The queen decided to ignore the unconcealed hesitance in the fairy's voice "Then take me to him"

"Regina, there's something.."

"Please.." she begged. It was something the Evil Queen never would've done. It showed that the young Regina, who still had dreams and hope, was slowly resurfacing "help me be happy again.."

Truth be told, she had never gone anywhere. She had been buried, for the past years, under a mask.

So full of hope for a brighter future, a future filled with love and no more heartache, no more pain. She couldn't find it in herself to tell her what she knew, she'd just have to show her.

With a heavy heart, Tinker Bell used extracted some more pixie dust from the vial, in order to make Regina fly. It didn't take long and they landed in the middle of the forest, between the castle and the village.

When her feet touched the ground, Regina turned to hug Tinker Bell. Without her none of this would have been possible "Thank you"

The girl held her close, wishing she could protect her from what she was going to see, hoping she could spare her one more heartbreak, fearing her battered heart wasn't strong enough to take it.

But for now, Regina's heart was very much alive and filled with unexpected joy and anticipation. It was beating wildly in her chest. She was finally going to meet her soulmate, they would spend the rest of their lives together. She could be happy again.

Regina disentangled herself from the hug and started walking towards the cottage in front of them, only to stop dead in her tracks when she found herself in front of a window. She approached silently and looked inside.

There was a couple, sitting on the couch in front of a lit fireplace. The man held the woman close while she held a baby in her arms. They were both smiling, they shared a brief kiss before they returned they attention back to the baby, who was laughing and reaching out with his tiny hands. Regina spotted the lion tattoo on the man's forearm and her heart stopped. The inked wrist mocking her, for it was a symbol of the life she still coveted but no longer could have.

It took her a while but she eventually recognized the woman. It was one of the prisoners she had freed. She would've laughed, hadn't her throat been busy holding back the sobs that threatened to escape.

It was all her fault. Tears started streaming down her face but she did nothing to stop them. There was no one to blame this time but herself.

She had destroyed her own happiness.