Disclaimer: Not mine, and never shall be. I am merely dabbling in the awesome sandbox that is Once Upon a Time.
A/N: I know that this has been done before. Many times. But this little nugget of depression just wouldn't let me be until I wrote it out. And I thought I'd share. Any and all feedback would be both loved and appreciated, even if it's a simple "I liked it!"
AU, end of the Neverland quest.
=Hush Little Baby, Don't Say a Word=
"Hush little baby, don't say a word…" she reached up with one weak hand to stroke Henry's hair, "momma's gonna buy you a mock-ing bird…" Henry buried his face in her chest, clutching to her as if his arms could keep her tied down to the earth, "and if that…mo-cking bird…won't…sing…"
A young man with wind-tousled brown hair and sparkling blue eyes stepped forward, appearing from between the shadows beneath the trees. He seemed to be haloed with light, and when Regina's eyes fell upon him, something within her seemed to rise up, twisting and writhing in its eagerness – something she had not felt for so long, something that she had thought she would never feel again. He held out his hand, and smiled. She knew that smile. "Come Regina," he said softly. "Come, my love. It is time to go home…"
Regina's head fell back limply, and the hand that she had been using to hold Henry close flopped to the ground with a dull thump. She went still, the final words of her lullaby echoing hauntingly around the confines of the glade. And then they too began to die, fading away, just as the last of the blazing light had swirled away out of the two hearts – a Queen's and a Piper's – fused with the Dark One's dagger, leaving only empty glass behind.
They faded away, until the last remnants of the Evil Queen – of Regina – were gone, lost to Neverland's air, and to memory.