Changing is hard

by RiVy21

Regina leaves town after absorbing the death curse. She wants to change but it is hard when no one believes in you. Henry realizes what he had with Regina as a mother. He misses her and distances himself from Emma. Emma doesn't understand why Regina left but is happy about it. Now she has Henry for herself. Will Regina return when the town needs her?

1. Chapter 1

Once upon a time – mainly Regina

Regina:

It hurts. Every bone, every cell of my body hurts. Well, what did I expect from absorbing a death curse? At first I didn´t want to do it. The fear of facing my mother was just too strong. But then Henry showed up and started pleading with me. I couldn't do it. I couldn't give him more reason to hate me. So I decided to stop it. To absorb that curse and let it fill my body. I decided to save his real family - to bring Emma and Snow back. I heard Henry call mom in my dace. How stupid it was to think that he meant me. He ran to Emma and Snow. Guess I have to accept that he doesn't see me as a mother anymore. But that hurts so much more than the curse which runs through my body right now. I can´t stand the thought that I lost my happy ending again. I lost everything. Snow gets hers once again. She can play happy family with her Charming, Emma and My Son. I can´t watch this. I can´t stay in a town where everything gets taken away from me. As soon as I feel better I will leave. I hope it is sooner rather than later.

Henry:

Finally, they are back. I have missed them so much. Regina has to lean on a tree to stay upright. But that doesn't really bother me right now. I have my family back. "What happened?", Snow asks as she looks around. "She saved you", I tell them and everyone looks at an exhausted Regina. "Where is my husband?", Snow asks and makes her way to David with Ruby. Emma and I go to Regina and Emma talks about Cora with her. I am not really listening because I enjoy having Emma back. We leave Regina and go to David.

Emma:

I am so glad that we are back. That I can hug Henry again. I have missed him so much. I will never leave him again. I am surprised that Regina saved us. "So your Mom. She is a hard piece of work", I tell the woman in front of me. "That she is" she answers. I can see that even talking must be difficult for her. I can partly understand why Regina became the way she is now. It surely isn´t easy growing up with such a mother. But that doesn´t excuse the things she did. I had a shit childhood too but I never thought about chasing a girl and blame her for something like beauty. I still regret that I gave Henry up. That's one of the reasons why I don´t like Regina around him. She got to see his first steps and his first nightmare. His first day at school. I regret that I didn´t see that. That I couldn´t raise him. But I am here now and I won´t let anything happen to my son. More importantly I will make sure that Regina doesn´t hurt him again. With one last nod at Regina Henry and I leave. We make our way to David.

Regina:

They all celebrate at Granny´s. Not that it bothers me but I saved their precious Snow and her precious savior daughter. Well she hasn´t done much saving related except for breaking my curse. I saved them and brought them back and the so called Charming's didn´t even had the decency to ask if I wanted to join them. I risked my life bringing people back who I detest. But it doesn´t matter. I would have said no anyway. I have more important things to do right now. For example, packing. Well I finished that just minutes ago and my stuff is already in the car. I am sitting in the dining room right now. With a glass cider in my hand and thoughts of Henry in my head. For him I will never be Regina, his mother. For him I am and will always be Regina, the evil queen. I don´t matter to him anymore even though I raised him for the first ten years of his life. It seems like he forgot everything. All the good times we had. The ten years where I was only his mother. When he hadn´t had this damn book. After he got that everything went downhill. And he forgot that I was and still am his mother. Although he doesn´t see me as such anymore he is and will always be my son. I can´t leave without some sort of good bye. I wrote him a letter and I can´t decide if I should give it to him or just leave it at the mansion. Waiting for him to find it when he realizes that I have left. I choose the last option. I can´t see him in the eye. Not now. Because if I do I know that I won´t leave. I would stay and have to see him every day which would be torture. So I choose the last option. Originally I wanted to wait until I feel better. My body still hurts but I can´t stay another minute in this god forsaken town. So I drink my cider, lock the doors. Go to my car and drive to the town line. Before I cross it I think back to better times. When I thought my happy ending would be here in Storybrooke. How wrong I was. Maybe I was never meant to find my happiness in this town with this people. People which turned out as a bunch of hypocrites in the end. Maybe my happy ending was across from that line? Far away from my past that I couldn´t escape. Let´s try a different town, different people, different me. Where my past doesn´t haunt me. I made up my mind. One last look at my old life and Henry. After that I start the engine and finally cross the line and leave this damn town.

3 weeks later

Henry:

Okay that is really weird. No one has heard from Regina nor seen her in three weeks. At first I thought she just wants my attention and that I come back to her. That she will show up when everything has settled down. But it´s been three weeks and although I don´t like it I still care for her. What if something happened to her? I have to make sure that she is alright. So I go to the mansion. To her home. To my old home. As I stand on her doorstep I realize that the house is dark and silent. There are no lights on, the windows are closed and I can only hear silence from inside. No high heels clicking on the floor. Now I am really worried. I am looking for the spare key under a stone. I hope it is still there. I unlock the door and take a deep breath before I open it. I step inside and I am greeted by silence. I look around and decide to go upstairs. Carefully I make my way to my old room. As I look at it I think back to the way it used to be. When there was just her and me. Before the book and everything shattered. Before I doubted her and her love for me. I realize now that she really loved me and that I miss her. Well I miss my mom and how she used to be when I was little. Before I have found out that I was adopted. As I make my way to her room I realize that she was a great mom. I still can smell her favorite perfume which I now realize I have missed a lot. She did everything she could to make me happy. Even when I said awful things to her she still tried to please me. She helped bringing the people back she hates. She tried everything to get my attention and to prove that she has changed. I didn't. I was too blinded to see that she is still my mom. That she loves me. That she was the one who raised me while Emma decided to give me up. I realize that she was the one who was there to hold my hand when I was sick. Who comforted me when I was sad or scared because of a nightmare. She was the one who told me everything would be fine on my first day at school. When I was too scared to go inside and didn´t want to let her go. She told me that I don't have to be scared because she will be there when school ends and that there was nothing that could keep her away from me. She was the one I could count on and trust that she would never leave me. I realize that she still is my mom and that I still love her more than she knows. More than I knew just a few minutes ago. She will always be my mom. When I think about it I realize how much I have hurt her by saying she wasn´t. By calling her Regina instead of mom. By calling a woman mom who barely knew me at the time. Who gave me up. I start hating myself for the way I have treated her. For putting other people before her and forgetting her and the good times with her. She more than anyone deserves to be called mom. More than Emma to be honest. She isn´t in her room and I go to the dining room. Once there I see a letter on the table. I go to look at it. Henry is written on it and I recognize the neat handwriting. She wrote it. That's when I realize it. Something I denied for so long. I denied it even when I didn't see her car outside. I told myself that it couldn´t be. That she wouldn´t do that to me because she herself said it to me on my first day at school. But that was years ago and so much had changed since then. Still it couldn´t be. It can´t be. But there is no other explanation then this one. She left. She left me. Without saying goodbye.

Regina

Sunlight streams through my window as I slowly wake up. I open my eyes- I look at the clock which is on the night stand and read 5:30 am. It is way too early to be awake. Even though I want to turn around and fall asleep again I know that won´t work. Too much is on my mind for that. So I slowly sit up and get out of my comfy bed. I go to the kitchen and make coffee. While I wait for the coffee to be finished I put the two wine glasses into the dishwasher and the empty wine bottle into the sink. It has gotten way too late yesterday or today. Depends on how someone sees it. I hear movement in the other bedroom and start preparing a second cup. Because God knows she will need it as much as I do. If someone told me that she would be sharing a loft with me two weeks ago I would have declared them insane. But people change and so do relationships and friendships.

"Why the hell are you up so early?"

"Because I can´t sleep and I thought you would like to awake to fresh coffee." I smile at the blonde who makes her way to the counter. She wears a black t-shirt and short green shorts which doesn´t surprise me. Her hair is put together in a messy ponytail and she smiles at me.

"But if you don´t want it…" I start but get interrupted.

"Don´t you dare think about not giving me coffee!"

We look at each other and smile. It has been years since I have felt this way. This comfortable. I can be who I am around her and because of that she is my best friend. Never in my whole life had I imagined that. I never thought I would say that about Tinkerbell but it is true. She drinks her coffee and her smile fades when she looks at me.

"So. Why are you up so early?" she asks.

"Like I have said. I have too much on my mind to sleep." I tell her. Suddenly my coffee seems very interesting. Which doesn't go unnoticed by Tink.

"Well after half a bottle of wine and the things we talked about I couldn´t sleep either. I have also smelled coffee which helped me to get out of bed. So now answer the question without trying to change the topic." She smiles at me and I know I have to answer.

"Henry. If he misses me. If I have made the right decision by leaving him."

"I thought it would be something like that. Regina you have made the right decision by leaving. You couldn´t stay in a town where everyone despises you and everything you do is declared to be part in an evil vendetta of yours. You have changed. Even though we have just met three weeks ago. I can see that. After everything you have told me you really have tried to be a better person. But all the trying isn´t going to work if no one believes in you especially your son. You needed to leave. You couldn´t have changed if you have stayed in a place where everything you do gets judged and a woman who is just five minutes in this town gets all the support."

"But I was the evil queen. How could someone support me knowing that I have killed and murdered thousands of people?"

"You just said it yourself. You were the evil queen. You have absorbed a death curse to bring your enemies back and risked having Cora back too. You have killed your true love again to make sure he won´t hurt anyone. You have allowed your son to live with another family although you have raised him. You have tried to gain his trust again. After the hurtful things he said you have tried to please him and make him happy."

"Yes but Emma and this hypocrites of a family…"

"Emma didn´t help you either. Yes, she is the savior but all she did until now was to break a curse and take Henry from you. After the things you have told me I can totally understand why you don´t like her. I haven't met her and even I don't like her for the way she thinks she can just show up and make decisions for Henry like a mother. As if she thinks that by showing up now everything would be the way she wants it. Like she never gave him up and can make the decisions that legally only you can make. Legally you are his mom and not her. She gave him up and she should live with it and not demand him like a stuffed animal. My point is that you have changed and that with your past you don't have to prove something to anyone. Of course she didn´t have a great childhood too but everything is better than growing up with your mother. If you one day decide to return back to Storybrooke I will come with you. I will stay by your side and will tell them what I think of them especially Snow and Emma." She smiles.

"Promise?" I ask her. The feeling of hope growing inside of me.

"Promise!" I smile at her and a tear escapes my eyes and roles down my cheek.

"Thank you."

"Always." She reaches forward and takes my hand in hers. I look up at her.

"Can I ask you something?" she asks.

I am unsure at first but after everything I know I can trust her and that I have her on my side, always.

"Sure"

She smiles. "Does he know?"

I look at her and raise my eyebrows. She can see that I don´t know what she is talking about.

"Your story? The truth about what Snow did and that you don´t despise her because of beauty? What you had to do before you have left?"

I look at her. Understanding what she asks and why. I take a sip of my coffee before I answer.

"No." My voice is so quiet that I don't know if she heard me.

"Why not?" She asks in a gentle understanding tone.

"Well I know how it feels to be hated. I know how it feels to have ripped away from you. I just… "I take a deep breath. "Even though I hate Snow. I don´t want her to feel the hate that I have felt. I know how to handle it and she doesn´t. Like you have said before I have had Cora as a mother. I had to grow up with such a mother and with the things she did when I didn´t behave the way she wanted. Cora taught me that. She taught me how to be strong and build up walls so no one could hurt me. Love is weakness she used to say when my actions were out of love. Snow doesn´t know how to put everything behind a wall and into compartments. I do because that was the only way I have survived my childhood and Cora."

"Yes you had Cora as a mother but that doesn´t mean that you have to lie to your own son and it certainly doesn't mean that Snow deserves to be seen as a saint. Henry deserves to know the truth. He deserves to know how you were before. The reason why you have become the evil queen. The truth and not some story from a book. I promised you to stay by your side and to have your back through good and bad and I will keep it but can you promise me something too?"

"Okay."

"Promise that when the time is right or the topic come up you will tell him the truth. The whole truth about Cora, Snow and most importantly Daniel. Why you didn´t want Cora to return and that the thought of her also played a part in you leaving. I know you mentioned it in your letter to him but please tell him everything. Can you do that?"

"I can´t promise that." I don´t want to. I don't want him to know what I have been through and what Cora did to me.

"Then know that if you won´t tell him the truth I will. Don´t you think that it is better for him to hear it from you?"

"Okay I will tell him. When and only when the time is right or he asks me about it. I won´t lie to him."

"Perfect. That's all I am asking for. You won´t regret it." She smiles.

"I hope so." I tell her and finish my coffee.

1 month and a week later

Henry

It has been two months now since my mom left. I know I used to call her Regina but after the day at the mansion and the discovered letter for me I started calling her mom again. I thought about it and realized that she is my mom. I miss her so much. More than I have thought I would. I have also stopped calling Emma mom. I call her now by her name. I am distancing myself from her and I know it hurts her. But how can I call her mom if she wasn´t my mom to begin with. I didn´t grow up with her as a mother. I grew up with Regina as my mother. She is my real mother because she was there and did everything she could to make me smile. Now she has left. My mom has left and suddenly I can´t stand the thought of calling Emma mom. I haven´t told Emma about the letter. I don´t think she needs to know. Currently I am sitting on my bed and look at said letter. I haven´t opened it and therefor haven´t read it. A part of me wants to know what she wrote. Why she left although I think I understand it now. It probably was partly my fault. The other part of me doesn´t want to read it. The other part is scared about what she wrote and wonders if it was me that drove her to that decision. So I keep looking at the letter and turn it around in my hand as I hear someone knocking on my door.

"Henry. Get out of your room." I hear Emma say. I tell her to go away and to leave me alone. I know it is harsh but I can´t help it. I don´t want to talk to her. I don´t want her to tell me everything will be fine and that it is best that mom left. Because it won´t and it most certainly isn´t best that my mom felt that she had to leave. I want to talk to her. I want my mom to tell me that everything will be fine in the end. That she misses me and that she comes back to me and will never leave me again. I want her to fight my nightmares away. I feel tears rolling down my cheeks and I wipe them away. I am about to open the letter when my door opens.

"Didn´t you hear me? Why can´t you come out of your room?" Emma asks with her hands on her hips. I try to hide the letter but it´s too late. She has already seen it and takes it from me.

"What´s this?"

"A letter and I won´t it back!" I tell her. I try to get it back. She can´t have it, she can´t read it. It is mine and only mine.

"I can see that. I will give it back to you after you have told me it is not from whom I think it is."

"What does it matter who wrote it? It is mine and therefor I am the only one who reads and will read it!" My anger rises and I panic. I won´t allow her to read the probably last personal words from my mom to me. This is something between her and me and I won´t allow Emma to destroy it. Emma is about to open it when I start yelling at her and fighting for the letter as if my life depended on it.

"Give it back! You have no right to read it! You are the reason she left. Because of you she left me. Because of you my mom left me alone!"

She stops and looks at me. Shock written all over her face. I take that as an opportunity to get the letter back.

"I am your mother." She tells me.

I stand up and make my way out of my room.

"Maybe biologically. But she raised me my whole life! She was there when I needed her! It took me long get it but I do now. She was my mom when you weren´t there. She raised me after I have been given up by you. I don´t hold it against you and I understand why you did what you did but she is my mom and nothing you say will change that. You have to accept it and if you can´t it is your problem."

While I say that we arrive at the door. I take my jacket and open the door. She wants to say something but I won´t let her.

"She was, is and always will be my mom and I miss her and I regret treading her the way I did. But at least I know that I have made a mistake and I am truly sorry for that. I just want her back. I want my mom back!" With that said I leave the apartment and make my way to my old home.

Emma

It´s been hours since he has left. I try to call him but he won´t pick up. Maybe I have overreacted a little bit with the letter but Regina left! With no goodbye she left him. How can she do that? Didn´t she think about Henry? How he would feel? I hate her! I hate her for leaving! I hate her for taking Henry from me without being actually here. The door opens and my hopes get shattered when I don´t see the person I desperately need to apologize to walk through it.

"What´s wrong?" Snow asks.

"Why do you think something is wrong?" I ask her back.

"Well first of all – "she starts while taking off her jacket "- you pace around the as if you have had too much Red Bull or coffee." She gives me a look.

"Which I know isn´t the case. Second Henrys jacket is missing. According to the look of disappointment on your face as you saw me entering, you have no idea where he is. So what´s wrong?"

I don´t like it when she knows everything just by looking at me. I put my hand through my hair as I sit down. I look at her.

"We had a little bit of an argument and he left. That was three hours ago and he hasn't been back since.

She takes a seat opposite from me.

"What was it about?" She asks. I tell her everything that had happened and she looks at me with disappointment in her eyes.

"I know I should apologize and that I have overreacted but he is my son. I just want to protect him." She raises her eyebrows.

"Protect him from what? Regina?" she asks disbelievingly.

"Yes! -" I raise my voice a little. Now she looks even more disappointed.

"- I don´t want her to him." She laughs a little and I am really questioning her sanity right now.

"Are you serious?" She asks. I look at her and she starts talking again.

"Oh my god you are. I will tell you what I think. What I truly think. Not the flowered version to please you or make you feel better. Can you handle it?" She asks. Although I am not sure if I want to hear it I nod.

"Alright. I think it not fair of you to take his letter and wanting to read it. Wait. Actually it was a huge mistake. It is a private letter from Regina to Henry and only Henry. She has raised him his whole life. For ten years he was the only mother Henry knew. So he is right. In some way you aren´t his mother and you can never make it up to him You have had your reasons. But you can´t come into town and claim him as your son. Sure he wanted that but now Regina has left and I can totally understand her but that's not the point. The point is that she is not here anymore and Henry realizes how much he misses her and remembers his childhood. All the good sites of Regina being his mom. The times before he had found out the truth about being adopted and evil queens. He doesn´t know the full story. He doesn´t know why Regina became the evil queen in the first place. I remember talking to Regina during the curse. She said something that didn´t make sense back then but now it does. She told me that evil isn´t born, it´s made and I totally agree with her. Regina raised Henry and during those ten years she had never hurt him. When you came around and claimed to be more of a mother than she was she did the only thing that she knew. She built walls around herself and got into defensive mode. Love is weakness she told herself. Than the worst thing happened that she could imagine. You took Henry from her. You did everything you could to keep her from seeing him. Imagine you raise a child for ten years. You see it as your own and give them all the love you have and suddenly their biological mother shows up and does everything to keep you apart. To keep you from seeing the son you love and raised his whole life. How would you react?"

I want to argue but know better of it and just say one sentence.

"Henry didn´t want to see her." I try to reason but I aloud even though I know it is pathetic.

"Really? You´re playing that card? Henry is a child. He had just found out that he was adopted. Of course he didn´t want to see the woman who lied to him his whole life. But as a mother you should have encouraged him to do it though. Be honest Emma. You have enjoyed it. In the meantime, Regina fell apart and did everything to prove herself. Hell she even saved us knowing full well the risk of her mother coming back too. Regina is a strong person. She has been through a lot and survived a lot and if you want to tell me that you had the same shitty childhood and didn´t kill people or the things Regina did, then believe me you didn´t. In the end you have had people who helped you. Regina didn´t. Everyone in her life used her to gain something out of her but never gave a damn about her. But even she has her limits which she now has reached. The fear of Cora being back and Henry rejecting her was too much and so she did the only thing she could think of. She left. She wanted to change but how can you change if every decision you make is being judged and no one believes in you? If she isn´t here Cora will have nothing to gain from this town. In a way she still wants to protect us."

"But Cora didn´t come through. She isn´t here. Even if she was back that's not a good enough reason to leave her son!"

"Her son? I remember the times where Henry and you told her otherwise. At one point she heard it enough and did what she thought was best. She doubted the love of her son and knew Cora would come in one way or another."

"Why is Cora so bad? Sure she isn´t a nice person and won´t get the award for mother of the year but the evil queen could surely fight her." I argue.

"The evil queen maybe but Regina not. Not without going back to her old evil queen persona which in return would hurt Henry again. Also she didn´t want do that after how far she had come and how hard she had worked for it."

"I know Cora and I don´t think she is capable of something like turning Regina back into evil queen mode."

Snow laughs a little and shake her head before she answers.

"You think you know her but you don´t. I know she can do more than just turn Regina evil again. She can easily destroy Regina. You think because you have seen her in the enchanted forest you know her and what she is capable of but trust me she is so much worse than you think. Only Regina knows what Cora is fully capable of. Otherwise Cora wouldn´t have played a part in her daughter becoming the evil queen."

"Why did she become the evil queen anyway? Just because you were prettier than her is a little childish, don´t you think?"

"Don´t believe everything you read Emma. There were more factors that took part in Regina becoming evil. She also didn´t haunt me because of beauty. I have also played a part into turning her evil and I won´t deny that."

She gives me a sad smile and I can´t help asking.

"Why then?"

"You have to ask her. It is not my story to tell and I won´t."

I nod.

"Does Henry know the real reason?"

"I don´t think so. Regina is a private person and hates being seen as weak. But Henry probably is the only person she would tell the story to. If he is old enough and he asks her. He never did so she never told him that the probably most important story isn´t part in his beloved storybook. So yeah I understand why she had left but I hope for everyone´s sake that she will come back."

With that said Snow stands up and goes into the kitchen. Leaving me to my thoughts. The more I think about what she had just said the more I realize that I am a big asshole and that I have made huge mistakes. I just hope Henry shows up soon so I can make everything right with him.

Henry

What did Emma think? She isn´t the most important person in the world! It´s not about her, it´s about my mom! It is about my mom and me. I make my way to my old home. Her room is the only place I want to be right now. I want to remember how it felt to lie curled up in her bed and smelling her perfume after having a nightmare. Why can´t it be like then? Why did I reject the best mom? I screwed up really bad. I am standing at the locked door and try not to cry. I lock it open and make my way up the stairs. It freaks me out that it is this silent. The house used to be so full of life when I was little. Well I come to realize that everything was different before I have found out about the adoption. I walk to her room and see the made bed. I want to cry but I can´t. Not now, I tell myself. I make my way through the room to the bathroom. I realize that she left without her perfumes. The first tear starts to make its way down my cheek as I take one of the perfumes and go back into the bedroom. As I spray the scent onto the bed and the pillow my tears start to run down more freely. As soon as I can smell the scent of my mom I put the bottle down and climb onto the bed. I hold the second pillow tight to my chest as if my life depended on it. I can smell my mom and slowly drift off to sleep.

Emma

It´s getting later and later and no one heard from Henry. I am really worried. I grab my jacket and start my search for him.

Henry

As I slowly wake up I can smell my mom. My eyes shot open and my hopes of her being back grow and get crushed in the same second. I grab the pillow tighter. While I lie in her bed I think about the time when she used to let me sleep in her bed after a nightmare. I remember waking up after a nightmare when I was little. I was so scared and just wanted my mommy. I was around the age of five and made my way to her bedroom with my favorite teddy bear under my right arm. I opened the door to her bedroom. I saw her sleeping on it. I sneaked into the room and came to a halt by the right side of the bed. I watched her sleeping before I climbed onto it and cuddled myself against her sleeping form. I tried not to wake her but in the end she still woke up. She put her hand around my waist and pulled me closer into her. We both smiled and fell asleep soon after. As I recall the memory I feel tears growing behind my eyes. I hold onto the pillow tighter and let the tears fall. As I move I feel the letter in my back pocket. With a shaky hand I pull it out and open it. I am still scared but here in her room I feel secure. So I take a deep breath and begin to read it.

Dear Henry,

When you read this letter I will have left town already. I am so sorry my little prince. I am sorry that I couldn´t be the mother you deserved. I am sorry that I couldn´t show you my love better. I let my insecurities get the better of me. I couldn´t lose you because in the end you are the only thing I can´t live without. So I hope you understand how hard it was for me to watch you with Emma. To you she is your mother and I have to accept that. I have to accept that you don´t see me as a mother anymore, as your mother. I need you to understand why I had to leave. I have tried everything to redeem myself. I saved my enemies so you would see that I was able to change. I did my best to let you see that I wanted to become a better person. In the end I guess it just wasn´t enough. I can stay in a town where most of the people are against me. I did that in the Enchanted Forest and survived. But I can´t stay in a town where everything I love and hold dear gets ripped away from me. The way you see it I am not your mother anymore and the Charmings are your family. But for me you are still my son that I raised for 10 years. For me you will always stay my son no matter what other people say. You were my happy ending for 10 years and I want to thank you for that. The only thing I have always wanted was for you to be happy. So to make my son happy, to make you happy I left. Please don´t blame yourself for it. Now you can stay with your real family without fearing the evil queen. Please remember two very important things. First, I want you to understand that evil isn´t born it´s made and that not every story in your book is fully correct. My story isn´t even in it so please try to not judge people because of their past or you think you know their past. Second, please remember that I love you and nothing you could do or say will ever change that. You will always be my little prince that came to me after having a bad dream. I love you.

-Mo -Regina

I read this letter over and over. The more I read it the more I cry. She didn´t even sign it with mom. I made her believe that she wasn´t worthy to be called mom. How could I do that? She left so I could be happy. I cry so hard and try to keep breathing. I was so stupid! How could I believe that she didn´t love me? Just because she didn´t give birth to me? I want her back! I want to hug her and tell her that I am sorry. That I will never treat her the way I did again. I want to tell her that she is important to me and that I love her and that she is my mother and nothing will ever change that. She shouldn´t believe otherwise. I took her for granted and now she is gone. I need to speak to her. I need to call her and make everything right. Make her feel loved. Before I do that my eyes fall on the letter again. I can´t wrap my head around two particular sentences. Evil isn´t born, it´s made. My story isn´t even in it. I think about it and I realize that I never asked her why. Why she really became evil and hated Snow. I believed the book even though I should have asked her. I should have asked her for the reason and her side of the story. I should have asked her! As I sit on my mom´s bed I make a vow to myself. The next time I see her I will ask her to tell me her story. I want to hear it from her and want to know it now more than ever.

Cora

I look around the bedroom of my daughter. I want to speak to her but the person I see in her bed isn´t her. It´s much smaller. I guess it is her son. He doesn´t know that I am watching him. He can´t see me. I listen to his cries for his mother. If he lays in her bed and cries for his mother, then where is she? Where is my daughter? Where is Regina?

Regina

I am in the kitchen preparing dinner when I hear my phone ringing. I dry my hands with the dish towel as I go to the table where my phone is. I look at it and see the caller ID. My stomach twitches and my hands start to shake. This can´t be. I wasn´t prepared for this. Well to be honest it never crossed my mind that he would call. I try to steady my breath but nothing helps. I can´t move. I just look at the ID of Henry and his contact picture. I want to talk to him so badly and as I am about to answer the phone the ringing stops. I need to sit down and calm myself. With my hands on my forehead I am totally clueless of what to do. When I move my hands through my hair and I am about to stand up my phone beeps. I look at the display again. 1 missed call – Henry. 1 new voice mail – Henry. I struggle with myself. Should I listen to it now? Or later when my nerves are in a normal state again? I decide to hear it later and finish dinner first.

Emma

I am standing outside of her house. That house is the only place I can think of Henry being. It is an odd feeling. Standing on her porch and knowing that she isn´t there. That she isn´t even in town. I have tried calling her but she didn´t pick up. I go to the door and try to open it. To my surprise it is unlocked and I make my way inside. I look around the first floor. As I do it I can feel goosebumps on my skin and a cold shudder running down my back. I can´t find Henry so I make my way upstairs. First I go to his room and see that he isn´t in it. So I go to Regina´s bedroom. I slowly open the door and can see a sleeping Henry laying on the bed. It is weird to be in her room. I feel like I am intruding her personal space, perhaps I do but who cares? She isn´t here anyway. As I look at Henry I start feeling worst then before. If that is even possible. Evil queen or not, Regina is still his mother and he misses her. But he is my son too and I hate seeing him in such an amount of pain. I go to the bed and wake him. As he slowly wakes up I hear him saying mom. Hearing him say that brings tears to my eyes. He hasn´t called me mom since Regina left. When I look at his face though I realize that he hasn´t meant me. I want to cry more. He looks at me with that hurt and cold look.

"What are you doing here Emma?" He asks.

With that asked and the way his voice sounds he reminds me so much of Regina. It hurts to hear him using this voice with me. I am his mother damn it! But maybe just not the one he needs right now. My anger towards Regina rises again. What did she think? To put him in so much pain. Did she even think about the feelings of Henry or just about herself and what was best for her?

"I have been looking for you." I kneel down so I can look him in the eyes.

"Henry, you can´t just run away like that. Do you have any idea how worried I was?"

"Yes and I am sorry but I miss her!"

"I know but you can´t run off like that. Let´s go home."

I stand up and look at him. Expecting him to stand up too or to at least move. But he just looks at me with a frown.

"I am home. I won´t leave."

I look disbelievingly at him. The longer I look at him the more I realize that he meant what he said.

"Henry you can´t stay here by yourself."

"Well that's a pity because I will stay. You can sleep on the couch downstairs if you want to but I won´t leave this room."

I can see it in his eyes. The determination. So I make my way downstairs and get comfortable on the couch as I slowly drift off to sleep.

Snow

A good warm shower does wonders if you asked me. When I got home I have found a note from Emma -Searching for Henry- I don´t really think that Emma needs to search long. There is only one place where Henry can be. The mansion. Who wouldn´t be in the home of their mother in his situation? As I make my way to my bedroom I see someone at the window. It isn´t David. It´s a person I honestly expected sooner but didn´t want to see. Shit!

"Hello Snow." She greets me as she turns around to look at me. I can´t move and my mouth is dry. I swallow once and take a deep breath before replying.

"Cora."

"I see you have grown into a woman." She states with a smirk.

"Well, time does that to you eventually. Why are you here?"

"Do you really need to ask that? Because I want to see my daughter of course."

I nod and hope that she doesn´t know that Regina left. As I look at her again she starts to speak again.

"You can surely imagine how confused I was when I realized that she isn´t here."

Shit!

"So I ask you dear Snow. Where is my daughter?"

With each word she gets closer to me. I take a deep breath.

"Well I don´t know." I state.

"I don´t believe you." She tells me.

"But it´s the truth."

She glares at me with that expression. The one that tells you it´s better to run now. That expression that Regina used when she haunted me. It shakes me to the core but I try to ignore it. With one last step towards me and a glare that could kill Cora disappears in a cloud of smoke. I let go of the breath that I wasn´t even aware I was holding. I practically run to my phone and call the first person that should know that Cora is back. It rings, rings and rings. Voice mail damn it. I hang up and try it again. As it rings once more I pace around the room. Voice mail again. This time I leave her a message and hope that she hears it soon and calls back or comes straight home!

Regina

"Can I ask you something?" Tink asks as I pour the wine into the two glasses on the counter.

"Sure."

"Did you want to kill yourself or was it really an accident that night?"

I stop my movements for a few seconds. Stunned of that question being asked. Honestly I don´t even know it myself. I finish filling the glasses and put the wine bottle back onto the counter as I take a deep breath.

"Maybe." I tell her. She looks at me with a frown that tells me that she won´t take that as an answer. That I need to explain.

"I didn´t do it intentionally. But I didn´t mind if would have died that day. Maybe it would have been better anyway. I stare at my phone near my wine glass and Tink processes my words. I need to change the topic.

"I don´t know if I should listen to it." She looks at me. Clearly seeing through my attempts. She doesn´t say anything. Tink just looks at me with that look which tells me that this conversation and this topic isn´t over. I sigh. Should have known that she won´t let it be.

"You need to listen to it Regina."

"What if I don´t want to?"

"Are you trying to make me believe that or yourself?" Tinkerbell asks me.

When Tinkerbell got home I told her about Henrys call and his voice mail. I take a deep breath and look at the wine in front of me.

"What if he is mad at me? What if he tells me he is grateful that I have left?"

I take a sip of my wine and so does Tink before she speaks again.

"You won´t know if you don´t listen to it."

I look at her and sigh as my phone buzzes again. I look at it. Another voice mail. This time it´s Snow.

"Listen to them." Tink starts again.

"I am scared." My phone rang the whole day but I have never picked up. Mostly it was Emma that called and she is the very last person I want to speak with. Then it was Henry and Snow called twice.

"Would you like me to leave?" Tink asks.

With that question asked I know I can´t put it off any longer. I think about the answer but already know it.

"Please stay." I tell her and start to listen to the message of Henry.

"I miss you. Please come back to me mom!

It sounds as if he has been crying and that shatters my heart. The fact that he called me mom doesn´t really help. Tink senses my mood and takes my free hand in hers.

"What did he say?" she asks.

"That he misses me." I tell her.

"See told you so!" she counters and smiles a little.

Not in a million years would I have thought that he would miss me. I take another deep breath and start listening to Snows message.

"First, I want to say that I understand why you have left. What makes what I am about to say much harder. You need to come back. You need to get back as soon as you can. Your mother is here and if you want to protect your son you need get to Storybrook. We both know that you are the only one that can defeat her. Please come back."

Shit! I feel like I can´t breathe. My face gets paler and paler and my heart beats so much faster.

"What´s wrong?" Tink asks with a worried face.

"I need to make use of your offer." She looks at me bewildered.

"Cora is in Storybrook. I need to get back and I need you to come with me. I need my only friend at my side."

"Of course!" She answers and we start packing.

But before that I reply to Snow with a text message. -On our way!

Snow

My phone buzzes. I look at it and I see that I´ve got a new text message. It´s from Regina. I read it and sigh relieved. I go through my contacts and call Emma. It rings. Please pick up your phone for once.

"Hey." Emma answers.

"Emma!" I state relieved. "Did you find Henry?"

"Yes, he is at the mansion. He is asleep in Regina´s bed right now and I am on the couch." I hear a yawn.

"Then get up, go to Henry, wake him and come back home. We´ve got a problem."

"I´ve tried to get him home but he won´t leave Regina´s room." She tells me.

"And of what problem are you speaking about?"

"Okay I´ll grab my things and go to the mansion. Let him sleep. He doesn´t need to know right now. Cora is back!"

I hang up and leave David a note. -Meet me at the mansion, we´ve got a problem. And then I leave.

Regina

I drive as fast as I can and break every speed limit right now. I need to get back. I need to see my son.

"This is so not the way I wanted to get back." I say aloud. More to myself than to Tink but she replies anyway.

"So you wanted to return?"

"Someday maybe. But I wanted to work on myself longer than just two months and a few days." I state.

"How do you mean work on yourself?" Tink asks me.

I take a deep breath before answering.

"I mean I wanted to change. That was the main reason why I´ve left in the first place. I have tried to change in Storybrook but it´s like you´ve said. It´s hard when no-one believes in you. I knew I couldn´t change and stay in that town. So I´ve left. I never thought that I would meet you and that we would become friends. That you would help me to find myself again and you staying by my side. I told you once and I will tell you again, I am so glad that we have met. That we talked and that I can now call you my friend. That you have my back even with the way I treaded you in our past."

She tries to say something but I won´t let her. I continue talking my heart out to the only one I know will listen carefully.

"Originally I just wanted to get away and find myself again without anyone interfering. Without people telling me what I should or shouldn´t do or say. Without people watching my every move and talking about me and my intentions behind my back. During those two months I´ve changed more than I could have in Storybrook. In those two months I´ve realized that I wasn´t mad at Snow. It was stupid to blame her more than my mother. I want to apologize to her."

"So you forgave Snow and Emma?" Tink asks shocked.

I look at her and then back to the street.

"No." I smile at her as I see her bewildered look.

"What?" She asks confused. I smile at her and start to explain further.

"Well I forgive Snow. Sure she played a big part in me becoming evil but she was one of the few people that still believed in me. She believed that I had good in me and would find it eventually. Also she apologized a lot for what she did and I realize now that it wasn´t intentionally. She didn´t want Daniel to get killed and she didn´t know how I´ve suffered during the marriage with her father. Until today she doesn´t know what the king did to me and what I went through. I couldn´t tell her and destroy the picture she had of her father. She was just a child and later on I didn´t give a thought about it anymore."

I look at Tink again and I see understanding in her face. I go on.

"Emma on the other hand never apologized. She thought it was her right to claim Henry as her son even though she gave him up in the first place. She still thinks that she is more a mother to him than I am. She thinks that it is okay to get back into Henrys life and be his full-time mom. To act as if she had never given him up. She is convinced that her childhood was the worst. Pour Emma who was given up and grew up in fosters care. She thinks that growing up with Cora was better than living in foster home without even knowing what I´ve went through. She didn´t even ask me about my past. Like Henry she believes the book. She is so full of herself and thinks that just because she is the savior she is a better mother to Henry. So no I won´t forgive her."

I look at Tinkerbell again and she smiles at me.

"Good. Because I would´ve punched sense into you otherwise. So I will be friendly and nice to Snow but I can say what I think to Emma and of her. I can and will ignore her or lash out at her, I am allowed to do that, right?"

I can´t help it but smile at her question. I start laughing before answering.

"Yes, you can do that." I state and nod to corroborate my answer.

She smiles happily at me and I start smiling too. However, that smile fades as I see the ´Welcome to Storybrook´ sign nearing and I stop the car before it. Tink looks at me with an encouraging and warm look.

"Ready?" she asks.

I take a few deep breaths.

"No, but I can´t back down now. That would be weakness."

Tink looks at me with a frown.

"First, I will stay by your side like I´ve promised you. Nothing that they could say or do will change that. I am your friend and always will be." I smile at her.

"Second, we need to get that word weakness out of your brain. I really don´t want to hear you saying that ever again. You are not weak." She states.

Honestly I don´t know if that is even possible I think to myself but smile at Tink. One last breath and I start the engine again. Let´s go.

Snow

"What?" Emma yells at me. She is furious about the fact that Regina is on her way back.

"You´ve heard right. She is on her way and will be here in a few minutes." I tell her and stay calm.

"Why? We can defeat Cora without her, I can defeat her without Regina." She argues.

"No we can´t! You alone most certainly not!" she looks at me with a frown. She wants to say something but gets interrupted when the front door opens. Thank god! She is finally here I think to myself.

Regina

As I open the door I can hear an argument. In my house. Which normally should be empty. I go inside with Tink closely behind me. When I go into the dining room I can see the two idiots standing there. Snow looks at me with a smile and a relieved expression on her face. Emma looks annoyed.

"Regina, finally you're here. I am so sorry for everything but I had to call you."

Snow tells me and more surprisingly she hugs me. As we let go of each other I look her in the eyes and start my apology.

"Snow, you don´t have to apologize but I do." I take a deep breath while she looks at me bewildered. I look behind me at Tink and she gives me an encouraging nod.

"I am so sorry for everything that had happened in the Enchanted Forest. I am sorry that I´ve haunted you and that I´ve only blamed you. I shouldn´t have done that. You were only a child and more importantly you didn´t know Cora the way I did. You just wanted to help." I finish and I can feel a few tears running down my cheeks. I look at Snow and can see the same. She smiles at me and hugs me again. I close my eyes and enjoy the moment as I hear that annoying voice.

"Well welcome back Regina even if I could´ve handled Cora without you too."

At that statement I really have to brace myself to not start laughing at her face. Yup, Emma hasn´t changed one bit. I am about to reply when I hear laughter behind me. Tink.

"Sorry." She apologizes. Emma looks at her confused.

"Sorry but who are you?" Emma asks defensively. Before Tink can say anything I start speaking.

"She is a really good friend of mine and that's all you need to know." I tell her with a stern look. I look at Snow and I can see that she recognizes Tink. She wants to say something but Emma has to open her mouth. Yup I didn´t miss her one bit.

"Yeah well if you are one of Regina´s evil friends than you can leave as fast as you came." Snow, Tink and I look at her stunned before breaking out into laughing.

Emma looks at us as if we were crazy. I try to stop laughing so that I can talk again.

"First Miss Swan, don´t make assumptions when you don´t have a clue. I know you hate not knowing but guess what? You don´t need to know everything. Second, I can recall that this is still my house and I am the only one that can throw people out, matter of factly I want to that to you right now."

I make my way to her so that there are only inches between her face and mine.

"Third, why are you even in my house in the first place?"

"I stayed here because Henry wouldn´t leave your room. And I hardly could leave him like you did."

I can feel anger build inside me and I want to lash out at her and rip her heart out! Unfortunately, that wouldn´t be good for my new self. So I take a deep breath turn around and vow to myself that I will ignore her. I look at Tink and she nods again. I just want to get to my son as fast as I can but I know there are more importantly things right now. So I turn to Snow.

"Snow, tell me everything that happened with Cora here."

She takes a deep breath and starts talking. I listen carefully.

As she finished talking I take once again a deep breath and glance at Tink.

"So she wants me." I state. "That's nothing new. Tink I´ll get Henry and the both of you leave town."

Emma looks at me shocked at the revelation of Tink. Tink looks stunned too.

"The hell I am doing." She tells me. I want to say something but she won´t let me.

"Regina I have promised you that I will stay by your side no matter what and I intend to keep it." I smile at her and want to say something but I know it´s no use. She starts talking again.

"I know you think love is weakness and that that is the only way to protect Henry, who by the way is your son." She smirks and looks at Emma before talking again. "But we won´t leave. If he sleeps in your bed and refused to leave that means that he has missed you. He won´t go either if he knows your back. More importantly he is more save with you than with anyone else in or outside of town." I want to say something but hear Emma huff behind me. I roll my eyes and turn around.

"What?" I ask her.

"I think Henry is safer with me. After all I am the savior and therefor better than anyone concerning Henrys protection. I know Cora and I´ve defeated her in the Enchanted Forest before we came back and I can defeat her again." As Emma finished her rambling I start laughing again.

"You think you know my mother? What puts you under that impression dear?"

"I´ve met her." I want to say something but Tink does that for me.

"What? Just because you´ve met her for what, five minutes you think you know her better than her own daughter? Because trust me you know nothing about what she is capable of."

"Tink, enough. Please calm down." I tell her gently. She takes a deep breath and apologizes.

"Sorry, but that much arrogance makes my blood boil." I smile at her.

It is a genuine smile which fades as Emma speaks again.

"I am arrogant?" she asks bewildered.

Now I can hear a small voice. Snow.

"Well sometimes Emma…" she starts but gets interrupted.

"I grew up in fosters care. I´ve spent my whole life getting send from one family to another. I had the worst childhood you can imagine."

With having heard the last five words I can´t help but lash out. Who does she think she is?

"Oh, shut up Emma! You are not the center around Storybrook for once. You think you know what my mother is capable of? You think you had the worst childhood? You want to make that a competition? Well let me tell you something about my childhood then. I grew up with a mother whose mission statement is Love is weakness. With a mother that couldn´t live without magic and used it against her own daughter. Said mother strangled me with magic, kept me from leaving with magic. She used it against me when I was late for my tea hours, when I wanted to play outside, when I wanted to wear something different than she wanted me to or when it was Tuesday and she was in the mood for it. A mother that taught me that love is weakness and the only reason I am alive was for me to do as I was told and become queen regardless of what I wanted. A mother that ripped my fiancés heart out and crushed it in front of me because forbid God I could have been happy with a Stable boy! Who forced me into a marriage with a man who could have been my grandfather!"

I feel tears running down my cheeks but I can´t stop. It´s like a dam has broken and now I have to get everything out.

"So that in the end I could marry the father of the child that I´ve saved. Regardless of the age difference. Age isn´t important when he is the King and you can become Queen. I had to raise a child that was just a few years younger than me and that was partly responsible for my fiancés death. I had to play happy little family during the day when at night my living nightmare got worse. You know what they say about your first time? That it should be with someone you love and trust? Well mine was with a King who couldn´t care less about the amount of pain he put me through. He cared more for his daughter, himself and that he got what he wanted than for his wife lying in a pool of blood on the floor. When I wanted to end everything and just jump from a balcony so I could escape my miserable life Tink showed up and saved me. She believed in me but in the end I still got once again manipulated into casting a curse which should bring me my happy ending. I adopted Henry and for the first time since Daniels death I was happy. But then you showed up and it got ripped from me once again. I was once again miserable and if that's not enough I had to see my dead fiancé revived from the dead just so I could kill him once again with my own hands because he wasn´t the man he used to be. My whole life I was told what to do and say. I got manipulated all the time and couldn´t act on the things I´ve wanted. Everything and I mean literally everything about my life was decided for me. So yeah Emma your life was so much worse than mine!" I breathe out and wipe my tears away. I can see a stunned and shocked Snow. Shit. She shouldn´t know all that. I can see tears in her eyes. I want to talk to her but Emma starts talking again. Seriously, why can´t she just shut up?

"Okay you have a shitty past but that doesn´t give you the right to just pack up and leave town and your son!" She argues. Now I am the one looking stunned. I take a deep breath once again and calm myself before speaking.

"What? DO you even hear what you are saying right now? So now, all of a sudden he is my son? Didn´t you tell me otherwise on several occasions? Didn´t you tell me more than once that you are more of a mother to him than I am? I´ve left because I thought it was best. I thought Henry would be happier without me. I wanted to get back as a better person one day and be worthy of Henry. Because trust me when I say that changing is hard especially when no one believes in you. When every step or every word you say gets rated as part of an evil vendetta. So shut up and remember what I am about to tell you. Evil isn´t born, it´s made." I look bewildered when I hear someone else saying that sentence with me. I can feel tears making their way out of my eyes as I turn around. Henry. He runs to me and hugs me. I am frozen for a moment before I wrap my hands around him.

"I am sorry mom. For everything. For treating you the way I did." He cries with me and hugs me tighter before he continues. "I love you. You are my mom and you always will be. Please don´t leave me again. I want to live with you and never let you leave again. I am so sorry and you are my mom please never think otherwise again. Can I move in again?"

I pull back a little bit so that I can look at him. He won´t look at me, so I put my fingers under his chin and make him look at me.

"I´ve missed you too, my little prince. Of course you can move back in here." I tell him and he smiles at me before snuggling deeper into me again. I could break down and cry right now. He doesn´t hate me. He sees me as a mother again. He missed me and more importantly he wants to move back in here with me. I am so happy that I never want to let go again of him.

Henry

My mom is back. She came back and I can live with her again. There are a few things I want to ask her though but I don´t know if I should. Right now she is speaking with Emma, Snow and Tinkerbelle. Tinkerbelle is the best friend of my mom, so I´ve figured out. Of the former evil queen. That's so awesome! I smile. Right now I am in my room in the mansion. My old room but somehow my new room too because I will live in it again and I am so happy about it. Even though I really like my room and I´ve missed it really bad I open the door to my mom´s bedroom and her bed. I make myself comfortable on the bed as I hear the door getting opened. I move my head to look who is entering and a smile grows on my lips. Mom. She smiles at me and makes her way to the bed and sits down beside me. I look at her and I can feel tears running down my cheeks. I hug her as tight as I can and let myself cry. She is back again. I still can´t believe it isn´t a dream. I can hug her and tell her everything I´ve planned to. She hugs me even tighter as she hears me crying and I desperately hold on to her.

"Don't cry honey." She tells me in a soothing voice. Hearing that voice makes me cry harder. I´ve missed it and hoped so much to hear it again. She goes through my hair with her fingers in an attempt to calm me down. I try to calm myself and take a few deep breaths before I move my head so I can look at her but I won´t move too much away from her.

"I´ve missed you so bad. Please don´t leave me again mom."

"I´ve missed you too, my little prince." I smile at her. She takes my chin in her hand as she always did and continues. "And I won´t leave again. I promise." She finishes and puts her forehead against mine to look me deeply in the eyes.

I smile again.

"Can I ask you something?" I look at her unsure of what her answer will be.

Regina

I take a deep breath and look at him confused.

"Sure honey. What do you want to know?" He looks at me unsure. I can see in his eyes that he doesn´t know if she should ask what she wants to know.

"I … ehm.."

"You can ask me anything you want honey." I reassure him with a warm smile. He takes a deep breath.

"What is your story? How did you become the evil queen? Who was the man at the stables?" he asks.

I look at him again and I can see that he really wants to know my story. That he is interested in my story but I have to make sure.

"Henry I will tell you everything if you really want to know. But my story isn´t a fairytale it´s rather a horror movie. It´s dark and unpleasant and hurtful. So you have to be sure that you really want to know." I tell him. He takes a deep breath and nods before speaking again.

"While you were gone I vowed something to myself. At first I thought that you were the evil queen and life would be better without you in town." Ouch. Hearing that hurt a lot and makes me doubt that coming back was a good idea. I look at my hands and try to keep my tears at bae so that I won´t cry in front of him. He takes my hand and squeezes it before continue talking.

"I thought it didn´t matter that you were gone. But with time I ´ve realized how much I´ve missed you. So I sneaked out in the nights and went to the mansion. I´ve found your letter and I refused to read it at first. After a fight with Emma I ran to the mansion and read it. I´ve remembered being little and growing up with you as a mother before the adoption thing. I thought about the happy times we had and when there was no Emma. When there was just you and me."

He takes a deep breath and I look at him. He smiles a little and I can´t help but smile back.

"After that I started calling you mom again and Emma well Emma. I blamed her that you left but mostly I´ve blamed myself for treating you the way I did. For forgetting my childhood with you and mostly for not talking with you. For believing in a book rather than asking you about your history with Snow. There are two things in your letter I couldn´t forget about. Two phrases that I´ve thought about when I couldn´t sleep."

I look at him confused because I have no idea what phrases he means. He sensed it and starts talking again.

"You´ve said that evil isn´t born it´s made and that not every story in the book is the way it seems or even in it. That yours isn´t in it. So I vowed to myself that I would ask you about it first chance I got. So I want to really know the truth and your story and not some version of a fairytale book. So please tell me." He pleaded. As he finished I realize that my eyes get watery and I have to brace myself to even find my voice to talk. I never thought that he would miss me. Never had I thought that my leaving would have that my leaving would have such an impact on him. I nod at him and start my tale. He listens carefully. As I got to the end of my childhood and my mother he starts speaking.

"Who was the man at the stables?"

"His name was Daniel. He was our stable boy at my father´s estate and the only friend I had. I fell in love for him and he fell for me. My mother would have never approved of that relationship and by that time I knew what she was capable of. So we kept quiet. Once Daniel and I met at a hill we planned having a picnic on. I told him that I couldn´t stay long and we got into a huge argument." I take a deep breath. "That was when I first met Snow. She was on a runaway horse and I helped her. I didn´t know who she was until the king came and proposed. My mother accepted for me and I knew that I had to get away. I could marry a man and certainly I couldn´t care for a child when I was just a child myself. I ran to Daniel and he proposed. I said yes and we planned to run away. Snow saw us and I made her promise to keep it a secret Well your grandmother was never good at doing what she was told so she told Cora."

The next part was always the hardest part to tell. A tear escaped my eyes and I continued.

"My mother showed up as we just wanted to leave and took Daniel´s heart and crushed it in front of me. I tried everything to get him back but I couldn´t and the only thing that my mother said was that love was a weakness. So I had to marry the King. I´ve blamed Snow for that and my miserable future ahead of me."

I look at him and can see his tears in his eyes and his voice quivers as he speaks again.

"I am so sorry mom. I didn´t know. Was that the turning point of you becoming the evil queen?"

"Henry I know you´ve listened earlier. Before I continue I want to know how much you´ve heard exactly."

He looks at me and gulps.

"The first thing I´ve heard was you telling Emma how Tink saved you. Did you really try to kill yourself?"

I nod and start to talk again.

"I was in a dark place at that time. I lost my true love and was stuck in a loveless marriage with a man that could be my grandfather. I had to care for the girl who I blamed for my fiancés death. I was angry, sad, broken and I didn´t know what to do. I never tried on purpose to die but I honestly didn´t mind if that was the outcome. I pushed against the balcony fence and fell off of it in the end. Suddenly Tink was there and saved me just before I hit the ground."

I hear Henry sniff and wipe my own tears away before looking at him.

"How could Snow do that? I hate her. I hate her for making you miserable."

I slowly wipe his tears away and shake my head.

"Don´t say that honey and don´t hate her. She was just a child Henry and she couldn´t have known the outcome. I´ve realized that too while I was away. Maybe I could have gotten my happy ending if I wasn´t so possessed with getting my revenge and blaming a child. But no-one knows for sure. My mother could have found out without Snow telling her. I´ve stopped blaming Snow so please you start with it. Promise me." I tell him.

He sniffs and I can see that he is reluctant to agree. His mind disappeared into his head and doesn´t hear me. So I put fingers under his chin and make him look at me.

"Listen, it wasn´t her fault. I won´t deny that she has played a part in me becoming evil but she was just a child. Cora was a heartless mother literally and no-one but me knew that. Because of that I am thankful that Snow called me. Despite what Emma may think she knows about my mother I am the only one that can get to my mother. At least in some way. I am the only one that knows what she truly is capable of and that could defeat her."

"How do you mean she has no heart? If you have no heart you can get controlled by anybody! Is she getting controlled and where is it if not in her chest?"

"No honey and yes you can control someone through their heart but that someone can also put an enchantment on it to prevent that. If you have magic. My mother also hid it very good in the Enchanted forest. I just recently found it in a golden box my vault. Do you understand?"

"Yes. But what I don´t get is why would someone do that willingly?"

I smile at him and he smiles back with his innocent smile. Sometime I forget that he really is just a child. I am not sure if I should tell him but then I remember my promise.

"Honey sometimes you just don´t want to feel. Sometimes it´s better to feel nothing than feeling pain and misery. Sometimes feeling nothing is a better way to live. You don´t want to feel heartbroken and lonely. You don´t want to feel pain and if you feel nothing you can´t get manipulated by others." He nods.

"Did you think about it?" he asks.

I look at him and start playing with the ring on my finger. It´s a nervous tick that I´ve put up. Henry sees it and puts his hands on mine to stop me. He knows that tick and smiles at me. A smile that tells me that he won´t judge me. So I take a deep breath. Something that I do more often I realize as I look him in the eyes.

"Once yes. I didn´t know what I should do. I just knew that I needed this consuming and not stopping pain to end. But then I´ve thought about you and my mother and I couldn´t do it. It was better to leave town and to change and coming back as a different person than to stay, feeling nothing and making you hate me even more. So I´ve left." I look down at my hands and he starts playing with them.

"I´m sorry. I´ve never hated you. I thought I did but I didn´t. I´ve missed you so much that I´ve started to spray your perfume over you your bed so I could pretend that you were there. Holding me as I fell asleep. I love you mom and I never want you to leave me again. Can you promise me that?"

As I look at him I can see the little boy again that holds my heart. The little prince that I´ve raised. My little prince.

"Henry I love you with all my heart and I promise you I won´t leave you again. Never. Now go to sleep my little prince." I tell him and kiss his forehead. He smiles.

"Can I sleep in your bed tonight? I want to cuddle with you like we did when I was little?" I smile.

"Of course you can. Go and get changed and I´ll be right back too."

We smile at each other and he makes his way to his room. I go down stairs where Snow, Emma, Tink and now Charming too are gathered.

"Charming." I greet him with a nod.

"Hello Regina. Good to see you again." He tells me and smiles. I am a little confused but smile at him anyway.

"So what are we going to do about sour mother?" Emma asks me. That question was is enough to make me wanting to punch her in the face. I look at Tink and she rolls her eyes. Yup, she thinks the same. I smile at Tink and look back at Emma.

"We, Miss Swan, won´t do anything. I as her Daughter am the only one she wants. Also it happens that much to your disappointment am the only one who knows what she is really capable of. As much as you want to deny it you can´t play hero this time. You know nothing about her or her capacity of magic. So we won´t do anything other than wait. I know my mother and she know about my return so she will come for and to me eventually. I suggest that you, Snow and Charming go home to sleep and Tink you can of course sleep in the guest bedroom. Good night everyone."

"Thank you Regina." Tink says and makes her way to the bedroom. As I want to go to bed too I get held back by none other than Emma. I really should ignore her more. I sigh and look at her over my shoulder.

"What about Henry?" she asks. Can I punch her? Seriously she really asks for it.

"What about him Miss Swan? He wants to stay with me so he will stay with me. So if there is nothing else I would really appreciate it if you let yourself out."

I smile at her a fake smile. She wants to say something but I can hear Snow instead.

"Let´s go Emma." She tells her. Snow and Charming are already at the door waiting for their daughter and Emma looks at her. She glares at me and then back at her family.

"Good night Regina. See you tomorrow." And she goes to her family. Finally. When the door closes behind them I sigh. Welcome home, I think to myself and go to Henry who is waiting in my room. Hopefully asleep.

The next day. Still Regina

I wake up to banging on my door. Annoying banging on my door, I turn around and try to fall back asleep when I realize I am alone. Where is Henry? Was it all a dream? Was it all just a cruel… I can´t finish my thought because the damn banging continues. I take my pillow next to me, put it on my face and let out a scream. As I´ve finished I inhale a long breath and make my way to the front door. When I pass the kitchen I can see Tink preparing coffee and yawning. Thank heavens for that girl. She knows what I need. Before opening the door, I can see Henry in the living room. So it wasn´t a dream I tell myself and smile which fades as I open the door.

"Miss Swan, what do you want at that godly hour?" I ask her annoyed.

"Told ya see you tomorrow." She answers. Breathe Regina, just breathe. Don´t kill her that would ruin the process you´ve made.

"Yes but not that you would show up at 7am banging on my door and waking the entire house in the process." I tell her annoyed.

"Do you want to continue to argue outside and be pissed or will you let me inside?"

I think about it but know that I can´t do what I want.

"Honestly I want to shut the door with you outside the and go back to sleep but hey, nothing turns out the way I want it concerning you. Also I can´t go back to sleep anyway. So I will let you in but I am still pissed at you for so many reasons." I tell her and step aside to let her in. She nods thankfully and I role my eyes as I close the door. It´s way too early for seeing her. Coffee. I need coffee. I go to the kitchen where Tink waits with hot coffee for me, of course Emma closely behind me. I take the cup and smile gratefully at Tink.

"Have I told you how much I love you?" I ask Tink with a smile. She smiles back and replies.

"Yes and I love you too." She says happily. "Hello Emma." Tink continues not so happy anymore. I need to chuckle at that.

"Tink." Emma greets.

Tink and I look at each other and take a sip from our coffee.

"Sow have you two met?" Emma asks. Clearly feeling uncomfortable.

"I believe I´ve already told you that Miss Swan." I tell her and take another sip of my coffee.

"It´s Emma and yes you did but I´ve meant the second time." She states.

This time it´s too Tink who answers.

"We´ve met at Starbucks the first day she was in New York. She needed a place to sleep and I needed someone to help me with the rent. We didn´t get along that well at first but after a bottle of wine and lot talking we became friends. Happy?" She looks at Emma with a frown and smiles at me. I smile at her and want to say something when I hear Henry scream.

"Mom!"

Henry

I am sitting on the couch in the living room. I pretend to read comics when in reality I am thinking about last night. How I sneaked out of the house when I was sure that mom was fast asleep. After leaving the house I went to her vault and searched for the one thing I needed. After I´ve found it I ran back to the mansion and stayed awake for the rest of the night. Thinking about how I could give mom her happy ending. My thoughts get interrupted when I hear knocking at the door. I can see mom making her way to it and a few seconds later Emma and her join Tink in the kitchen. Suddenly I can see purple smoke in the corner of the room. I know who it is before the smoke disappears.

"Mom!" I scream as I back away and further into the corner of the couch to protect the box that I´ve hidden behind a pillow.

Regina

"Henry!" I run to him with Tink and Emma close behind. I come to an abrupt hold as I see who is standing in the middle of my living room.

"Mother."

"Hello Darling, good to see you´re back." She greets me with her typical cold voice that makes me shudder every time I hear it. Get a hold of yourself! I tell myself. Now or never.

"Well I had to come back after hearing that you got here. I would like to tell you that it´s good to see you too but you´ve taught me early on to never lie to you. So what do you want?" I ask her. I look at Henry and see him in the corner of the couch with a frightened look on his face.

"I want to right my wrong honey. I want to be your mother, Regina." She tells me. I´ve waited so long to hear that from her but I also know Cora. She is manipulative and literally heartless.

"I am sorry to say that to you mother but first you are too late. Second I don´t believe you." I tell her as I slowly step in front of Henry.

"Oh sweet! Trying to protect your child. Mothers always want the best for their children. I always wanted the best for you, Regina." She tells me. I have to laugh at that.

"Yeah, right mother. You ripped Daniels heart out and crushed it in front of me so I could marry the King. Which I didn´t want to but you accepted his proposal for me anyway. You did everything to make sure that I would marry a man I didn´t love and who could have been my grandfather. Where was your protection when he raped me night after night? Where was your protection when I was a child? Instead of protecting me you choked the life out of me when I did something you didn´t approve of."

"I always wanted the best for you." She tells me.

"The best for me? You manipulated Snow so she would tell you about Daniel. You killed him in front of me so I would become Queen! You made me a mother for a ten-year-old when I was just eighteen myself! A wife to a sixty-year-old man who didn´t take no for an answer! Because of you I drank that potion! Because of you I made sure that I couldn´t carry an off spring of the King. Because of you I denied myself the ability of ever getting pregnant. You tried to trick me into believing that some random guy was my soulmate!" Shit!

I never wanted to get that out in the open. But I can´t help myself. I can feel the tears in my eyes wanting to get out. As the tears fall I take a deep breath to control my anger.

"You´ve made my life miserable." I tell her as I step closer to her.

"You´ve made my life a living hell! So don´t you dare tell me you wanted the best for me! Be honest mother. I was used my whole life by you! You used me so you could get higher in society! I would have been happy living in a simple cottage with Daniel. You never cared for me. So tell me the real reason why you are here mother. Now!"

I am taking a deep breath and look at Cora. Suddenly Emma runs to Cora and wants to fight her. How can she be so stupid? Cora magically disappears just to appear behind Henry again. She has her hands around him and I can feel my heartbeat getting faster with every second she has him in her arms.

"You should have known better Savior. You can´t save Henry this time." She tells Emma. I can´t look away from Henrys scared face. I can´t lose him. Emma runs to Cora and Henry just to be magically frozen in place by Cora. Seriously?

"Mom!" Henry screams. His scream breaks my trance that I was in and I want to move but Cora starts speaking again.

"Ah ah ah. I wouldn´t do that if I were you Regina." She tells me with that smile that makes me sick. I take a deep breath to calm me down before I speak.

"Let him go mother." I tell her with a self-confidence and calmness that I really don't have right now. "He has nothing to do with this." I tell her as I try to keep my voice from breaking and start walking towards her. Cora pretends to be thinking before she speaks again.

"No. You know what I want Regina and that I will get it one way or another. You know how you can save that son of yours and that you are the only one who can do that." With that said she disappears and takes Henry with her. I can see Emma moving again but I only look at the now empty spot on the couch where Henry was just a few seconds ago, I can´t believe it. Well, who am I kidding? It is Cora I am dealing with for god's sake! I can feel my heart racing and the room spinning.

"Regina? Why didn't you do something?" I hear Emma in that annoying and accusing voice of hers. All my feelings that I pushed down the last few months come back to the surface and I just want to rip her heart out and crush it until there is nothing left! I look at her and start screaming. "You stupid little.." As I want to use my magic on her I get interrupted by Tink.

"Regina!" I hear Tinks voice. I look at her and she walks up to me. I can tell that she wants to comfort me and hug me but that's the last thing I want right now. So I take a step back and put my hands in front of me to stop her. She stops in her tracks and I start speaking.

"I can´t do this right now." I tell her and she looks at me with understanding and sadness in her eyes. I can´t stand to see her sad because of me so I try to give her a reassuring smile. I turn to Emma again and I can feel the anger building inside of me.

"You want to blame me? Really? Blame me if it makes you feel better. I am used to being blamed for things I haven't done! But listen carefully Emma Swan! You can blame me as much as you want but in the end the truth is that you and your huge savior ego are responsible for Henry being taken by Cora. If you hadn't tried being this wannabe hero and attack Cora she wouldn't have gone after Henry. You can´t defat her for god´s sake!" Before Emma can say something, I turn to Tink with an apologetic look on my face. Then I raise my hands and disappear in a cloud of purple smoke.

Tink

I will kill her.

"Why did you call her again?" I hear Emma asking Snow. Snow looks at Emma with something next to disappointment in her eyes.

"Because she is his mother and deserves to know what´s going on. Especially since the enemy is her mother." Snow tells her.

"But I am his mother! I am the savior! I can handle Cora!" Emma responds. I´ve heard enough by now.

"Oh cut that crap for God's sake!" I tell her with rage in my voice.

"What?" she asks bewildered. How can someone be so arrogant and naïve? Honestly? I don't get it! Anyway, I turn to her and tell her everything that I think of her. No holding back and playing nice anymore.

"You´ve heard me right." I start.

"What´s your problem?" She asks me and it takes everything in me to not scream at her and punch her.

"My problem? Hm.. let me think." I pretend to think. Snow backs off and tries to get away from Emma. I can´t say I am surprised by that.

"My problem is your stupid savior ego which makes you so unlikeable by the way." Emma tries to say something but I won´t let her. And continue with talking.

"You don't get to talk right now. You get to listen! You think just because you are Henrys birthmother and you share the same blood that you are more of a mother to him than Regina? Then let me give you a small reality check! You are not. You left him, remember? Where were you the first ten years of his life? While Regina raised and took care of him? You weren't there. You didn't even look for him until he showed up in front of your door! Then suddenly you remembered, right I have a son. Instead of thanking Regina for raising your son, you decided to play mother perfect. Later with the whole Savior crap you thought you are better than anyone else. But let me tell you something. Ever thought that without Regina you wouldn't even be the savior? Because without her casting the curse you wouldn't be the so-called savior of anything. So, what? You were the savior for one curse which by the way is broken already? Now you think you can handle anything that gets in your way? Let me erase that thought once and for all. Listen carefully because that's the last time I am going to say this. You can´t defeat Cora! You can´t save Henry! Only Regina can because guess what? Cora is her mother. You don´t know half of Regina´s story and yet you claim that you have been through worse? Reality check number two, you haven't! So please for god´s sake accept that you can´t defat everyone and that for once you aren't the Savior because Regina is. Only Regina knows what Cora is capable of so please accept that before anyone else gets hurt because of your ego trip!" With that said I turn around, leave the house, slam the door and start my search for Regina.

Snow

I hear the door slamming. I´ve never seen Tink like this but I can´t say I don't understand her rage either. I look at Emmas shocked face.

"Everything okay?" I ask her even though I already know the answer.

"That´s Tinkerbelle? Tinkerbelle the fairy? The nice little Fairy from the fairytales who can´t harm anyone?" Emma asks still in shock.

"Yup." I answer simply. "Even though I have never seen her this way."

"I think it is save to say that she doesn't like me."

"Can you blame her? The hole time Regina is back you are making a competition about who had the worst childhood. I mean seriously Emma? What do you expect?"

"Sorry? Not you too." She asks innocently.

"I just want my son back so Regina can go back from where she came and leave us alone. So we can live in peace again." She continues as she sinks down on the couch. I look at her face and try to find a hidden joke behind her words but I only see honesty. I can´t take it anymore.

"You really mean what you´ve said. " I state but it still comes out as a question.

"Of course I do." She says.

"Good god what happened to you?" I ask her.

"What do you mean?"

"You really think Regina will leave again? That Henry will let her leave again."

"Sure. He has me. He let her leave once why not again?" Is that really Emma I am talking to right now?

"Things were different back then and you know it! He didn´t she would leave in the first place. Things changed. Regina came back and Henry realized that he loves her and that she will always be his mother. Honey, I am really sorry to tell you this but he won´t let her go again. He just got her back. I know you are scared that you will lose him and I understand that but if you continue with this hate and won´t accept Regina as his mother too you will lose him." I can see the sadness in her eyes.

"Why is everyone on Regina´s side now? Did you forget what she did to you?" she asks.

"First of all this has nothing to do with sides. Of course we haven't forgotten what she did but people can change Emma. Regina was good once and she can be good again. Tink and Regina are right. She is the only one who has a chance of defeating Cora. Because she is then only one who knows her. She knows how Cora thinks. How Cora reacts in certain situations. She is Cora´s daughter and grew up with her. Only Regina can understand Cora and her actions. She can figure out what Cora really wants. So please just accept that for once Regina is the one to save Henry. That Regina knows better than you. That Regina is the only one who can defeat Cora."

"I can´t lose him."

"You won´t. Regina won´t let that happen. She loves him and he loves you but you need to accept that he also loves Regina."

Regina

"Thought I would find you here."

"What do you want?" I ask her. "And more importantly how did you find my vault in the first place? It´s not like you´ve been in Storybrooke before." I ask Tink.

I turn to her and she raises her eyebrows.

"Really Regina? I´ve found your Soulmate in the Enchanted Forest remember? Do you really think you could hide from me?"

True. I always underestimate her. I should really stop doing that.

"Sorry." I tell her. I turn away and continue with the task at hand.

"DO you really think that helps defeating your mother?" Tink asks me and points at the shot glass in front of me. I swallow my shot and let another one magically appear.

"How many did you have already?" She asks concerned.

I look at the shot in front of me.

"I don´t know. I lost track." I am about to drink it but Tink takes it away from me and drinks it instead.

"I needed that." She tells me after swallowing the alcohol. Who would´ve thought Tink drinks shots? I mean honestly. It´s Tink we are talking about.

I want to magically make a new one but Tink stops me by taking my hand in hers.

"Enough shots. Especially since your mom is around." I turn to her as everything starts to spin. Okay maybe I had one or two too many but can you blame me?

"Okay, no more shots but please stop with the m word. She is not my mom. She is either Cora or mother. Om sounds way too nice for her. I tell Tink as I look in her eyes.

"Okay."

I go across the room and slide down the wall. With my knees in front of my chest and my head on them I think about how I got from hugging my son and cuddling with him the night before to losing him all over again. Tink crosses the room too and I am really surprised how fast she gets to me considering all my books are laid out on the floor. She sits down next to me and looks around the very chaotic room. There are books everywhere on the floor. Some closed some opened and you can tell that some have been thrown around in a moment of desperation. Before I started to drink shots.

"What happened?" She asks and looks at me.

"Did you get amnesia? You know what happened. You were there." I snap at her.

She takes a deep breath and her features soften.

"Sorry." I apologize and turn my head again to look in front of me.

"Don´t. It´s okay." I look at her and give her a broken smile.

"It´s not your fault. You know that, right?" She tells me and I need to swallow hard, I can´t break down. Not now. Not here.

"How can it not be my fault? If I hadn´t come back… If I just stayed away from this god for saken town, Henry would be still here."

"You don´t know that." Tink tells me.

"And you can still get him back. You can defeat her." She tells me.

"But that´s it Tink. I don´t know if I can. I have looked in every book, I´ve searched in all of Cora´s things and there is only one thing that could help us. Therefor the shots." I tell her and try to not look her in the eyes. She stares at me and I know the moment she inhales sharp that she knows what the hidden meaning behind my words.

"No! There has to be another way." She shakes her head. "I won´t let you do that." She continues as she stands up and starts to pace around. I look up at her and start to speak. Hoping my voice won´t break.

"It´s the only way and you know that." She stops pacing the room and bends down again. We look at each other and I can tell that she is worried sick.

"What about Henry? What do you think will happen to him when he finds out? How do you think he will react?" She asks. I take a deep breath, look at her and start my answer.

"He has Emma now. He will have his family who will take care of him." She stars shaking her head and I can tell it´s getting hard for her to speak.

"That´s non-sense and you know that. He just got you back. You can´t do that to him. And what about me?"

I can see tears in her eyes and it breaks my heart to see her like this. When has it become so hard to sacrifice oneself?

"Please." She chokes out and begs. "Don´t do that to him. Don´t do that to me! I can´t lose you. You are my best friend Regina. Don´t do that." There are tears falling down her face and seeing her like this makes it so much harder. I can feel my own tears forming in my eyes and wanting to get out. I can´t break down. Not now. I need to be strong for her. For Henry. I look away and take a deep breath before looking at Tink again. I try to put as much confidence in my voice as I can.

"It´s the only way and you know that. The only way to get Henry back is giving Cora what she wants. That's me." I tell her.

"No. Tell me what I can do to change your mind. To stop you from sacrificing yourself." She says desperately and holds on to my hands.

"You can´t and you know that."

"I will kill her for that! It´s all her fault. If Emma hadn´t…"

"Don´t." I interrupt Tink. It´s not like her to speak like this. "Emma made a mistake, yes. She acts before she thinks and I hate her and could kill her for that but that's me Tink. That´s the Evil Queen and not you."

"You are not the Evil Queen anymore Regina." She tells me. I give her a small smile.

"Anyway, the point is that I don´t want you to change. You can be angry at her but don´t hate her. That´s not you. I don´t want hate getting the best of you. Believe me when I say that I am the last person who wants to see Emma happily ever after, especially with my son." We both have to laugh at that and it´s so good to see her smile.

"There is that smile that I like." I tell her. I continue talking before she can say anything.

"I love you. You are my best friend Tink. So please don´t change who you are. Henry needs you." She hugs me and I hug her back. Trying to get as much strength as possible. She holds on for dear life and that makes my heart break more. How can that be so hard?

"He needs you too. Please don´t do that Regina." She whispers in my ear. I squeeze her one last time and then let go a bit so I can look her in the eyes.

"Thank you Tink. Thanks for being the best friend I´ve never had before. I love you and it breaks my heart to see you like this… But I need to do this. We have no other choice. I am sorry." I choke out before removing myself from her embrace and disappearing in a purple cloud of smoke.

Tink

Gone. She disappeared in that stupid purple cloud of hers. She left. She sacrifices herself and expects me to be okay with that. Expects me to not hate Emma for what she´s done. That stupid little… Despite what Regina said I hate her for that. I hate Emma for acting before thinking. For her savior-ego and for making Regina sacrificing herself. Because as much as I don´t want to accept it. Regina is right. She is the only one Cora wants and by sacrificing herself we can get Henry back. Poor Henry. He just got her back and now he is losing her again. I hear a phone ringing but I know that it isn´t mine. It´s Regina´s. Of course, she leaves her phone here. I stand up, wipe the tears from my face and answer the phone without looking at the caller ID.

"Where are you?" I take a deep breath before responding.

"We have a problem Snow. A huge problem." I tell her.

"Tink?" She asks. "Where is Regina?"

"Are you still at the mansion?" I ask Snow instead of answering her questions.

"Yes, Emma and I are still there. What´s wrong Tink? Why are you answering Regina´s phone?" She continues asking. Because of your stupid savior daughter, she gets herself probably killed by now, I think to myself.

"Look. I will explain everything, I promise but not over the phone. Just stay at the mansion. I will see you there in ten and I will explain everything."

I hang up the phone and take a deep breath. If Cora doesn't kill you Regina I will do it myself for putting me in this position. Please stay save. I need my best friend. I think to myself before making my way back to the mansion.

Henry

"Let go off me!" I scream at the woman.

"Shut up." She yells back. "How could my daughter get such an annoying brat?"

She asks and shakes her head as she lets go of me and pushes me against the wall. We are on a boat which doesn't really look clean. There are empty Scotch bottles on the floor and full bottles of Whiskey on the shelves. Is the owner of that boat an alcoholic? It most certainly looks like it.

"what do you want from me?" I ask her.

She looks at me and starts to laugh. Okay it is official: this woman is crazy, she lost her mind. When she is finished with laughing at me she starts to speak again.

"I don´t want anything from you! I want my daughter! And you are the only thing that can get her here. Even though I have no idea why she loves you so much." She tells me.

"You are my mom´s mom." I state matter of factly.

"Emma´s mom? Oh god I thought you would be smarter than this. I would rather rip my own heart out and crush it than being the mother of this woman. Oh wait… First part I already did." And she starts laughing again and walking around the room to get something.

"Not Emma!" I tell her. "Regina. You´re Regina´s mother."

"Wow the kid has brain." She says.

She starts pulling out a chair and is putting me on it.

"So what do you want from my mom?" I ask her again as I am being sat down on that chair rather forcefully.

"So she Is your mother now? You should really make up your mind and stick with it."

She starts to lift her hands up and suddenly I can´t move and being pulled on the chair. It´s like invisible ropes are holding me back and the more I move the tighter they get. Also I feel very cold.

"Who needs ropes when you have magic?" She asks. I continue to fight against the invisible ropes while she starts to laugh.

"Stop fighting it. The more you fight the tighter they get and guess what? I need you alive. Which means you need to breathe. So stop it or I will put a sleeping curse on you." I stop and she turns around and looks at the door.

"What do you want with my mom?" I try again.

"That´s for your mother and me to know and believe me she knows my plan."

She smiles a crazy smile at me that makes me wanna run for the hills and I wonder if that's what my mom felt when she was growing up.

Regina

Found it! Although it´s odd that it´s hidden at the well. I would´ve remembered putting it here but I don´t. Which is surprising since I am the one who hid it in the first place. Never mind. The important thing is that I can get Henry back and have a mother. I put the heart back in its place black bag and put the bag in my coat pocket. Step one. Check. Let´s get Henry. I used a blood locating spell to find Cora. Luckily it worked so I take a deep breath, raise my hands and disappear in a purple cloud. I appear at the docks and I hate that smell already. Really mother? The docks? Why not something more... elegant like the mansion? Or Granny´s Dinner? Never mind. Let´s go!

On the ship.

"Really mother? The docks? Couldn´t you have chosen something more… cleaner?" I ask her as I confidently walk on that excuse of a ship and through the door into the room where she holds Henry captive. My poor baby boy.

"Well I had to hide somewhere." She answers and I can hear the smile on her lips while talking with the back of her head. She slowly turns around but still blocks the view on Henry.

"That is so beneath the Queen of Hearts." I shake my head in disapproval. Hoping to annoy her a little bit. Seeing the annoyed look on her face makes my confidence grow a little bit.

"But enough with the chit chat. Give me my son!" I demand.

She smiles while stepping aside and I can feel goosebumps appearing on my skin. I can finally see Henry sitting on a chair looking horrified.

"Mom!" He exclaims. In this moment, I silently vow to him and to myself that he will get out of here no matter what happens to me.

"Regina" Cora says proudly. "You came."

"Really mother? Did you honestly think I would leave my son with you?"

"Well it took you a while to get here I must say. But you are forgiven."

"Thank you, Mother. Now I can die in piece." I say sarcastically.

Her smile fades and her face gets stone cold.

"No one is going to die. Except maybe your son but his fate is in your hands."

I roll my eyes at that although my heartbeat rice's drastically.

"What do you want mother?" I ask her annoyed. Did it always take her that long to get to the point?

"The dagger and you. You are the only one who can get it and if I get one thing I get the other."

I raise my eyebrows for a second wondering what she wants with it. Hell no! Over my dead body I think to myself realizing what she wanted all along.

"You want to become The Dark One." I state with shock in my voice. Her face lights up, her lips form a smile and I am feeling sick to the stomach right now.

"My daughter knows me well."

I look on the floor pretending to think even though I try to get the courage to say the next words in front of Henry. I look him in the yes and try to put as much emotion in mine as I can. I am so sorry my little prince but it´s for your own sake. I force my eyes away from my son and look back at my mother.

"Under two conditions. Number one you let Henry go and never threaten him again. Number two, when I got the dagger we will meet at the mansion and I will hand it to you! There is no way I am putting a foot on that dirty ship again! Deal?" I ask.

I look at Henry and can see the disappointment in his face. It´s for him I remind myself. The look he is giving me breaks my heart and it takes everything in me to stick with the plan and not throw everything out the window and start a fight now. But that wouldn´t turn out well. I look at her with my eyebrows raised in a silent question.

"Deal!"

Henry:

I can´t believe she is working together with her mom. I hope there is something she is not telling me. A plan. She can´t have fallen back into Evil Queen mode. It can´t be. Please mom, tell me that you are just pretending. I need you to just pretend. Please.

Regina

I need that damn dagger but how am I supposed to get it? That Imp won´t give it to me that easily. That's it! Belle! She will hopefully give it to me. Otherwise I can let her in on my little plan. Won´t cost that much damage if she knows. Let´s go.

At Rumples Shop

Of course, if you need Belle she is not here. Looks like I need to look for it myself. I am looking in every corner, behind every book and let´s say I don´t really care about how much noise I make.

"Aaah where is that thing?" I let out in desperation.

"Hey! What are you doing?" I hear Belle´s voice.

"Finally. Never been so glad to see you."

Belle looks at me with a confused face.

"Where is the dagger?"

"Why exactly should I tell you that?" she asks shocked.

Because you love Rumple and don't want him or yourself to die at my mother´s hands?

"Look I haven´t been the best person in my past but that…

"Really? You´ve locked me in a tower in your castle. Then put me in an Asylum for 28 years. You physically and mentally tortured me ever since we´ve met each other!"

Look at that, the bookworm shows her teeth.

"Yes, I´ve did all those things and I am really sorry. Belle, I am so sorry for what I´ve put you through and will never be able to make it up to you but right now I really need your help. You need to tell me where the dagger is or Storybrook will never be the same. "

"The dagger?" she asks horrified before bursting into fake laughter.

"Why on earth or any realm for that matter should I do that? Why should I trust you?"

"She is right. Why should she do that dearie?" that familiar voice asks. Damn it. I should´ve known that he wouldn´t leave Belle alone with Cora in town. I take a deep breath and look from Belle to Rumple. As soon as I see his typical smile I raise an eyebrow and answer him.

"Because we all know that you Rumple love to be the Dark One. You would only give it up for Belle because you have a heart. My mother on the other hand doesn´t so let´s take a minute to think about what she would do as a heartless Dark One?" I ask him.

Belle and Rumple look at me with a bewildered face. It´s Rumple who starts talking and walks up to me.

"I think we can agree that that wouldn´t be pleasant. Which leaves me with one question. Why should I trust you? What if you are working with your mother? I can handle Cora. I already won once I can do it again." It takes everything in me not to scream at him. To calm my nerves, I take a deep breath. Next, I look him straight in the eyes and slip into Evil Queen.

"Maybe, but this time is different. This time you have Belle."

I look at Belle and let the words sink in for a moment.

Looking back at Rumple I continue.

"This time you have someone you care about. This time you have a weakness."

"Okay, what should we do? The last time we tried to defeat you mother wasn´t really successful." He states.

"I have a plan."

3 hours later (Regina)

I am at the mansion right now. Alone. Thank God for that. Heaven knows I can´t risk another life I just hope this plan works. The dagger is on the table where my beloved mirror was once. It would still be here if that stupid… Regina! Focus! The past is in the past. Focus on the plan and hopefully the Queen of Hearts will never be an issue again. As I am pacing and waiting for my mother to arrive I suddenly hear a knock. God damn it! Can´t I be left alone for once? I mean it´s not like I have a town to rescue or never mind my son! They will go away eventually.

*knocking*

"Regina, we know you are in there!" I hear Tink´s voice.

Of course, it has to be her who tries to save me. Should´ve known that. I mean she Is my best friend and after the way I left her at the vault she will think the worst. Wait a minute! I stop pacing. Did she just say WE?

I walk up to the door as I hear another voice.

"Regina open the damn door or I am going to break it! You know I can!"

Great! The Charming-Brigade.

"I am counting down to 1! Five… don't let me get to two…"

How old do they think I am? Five?

"Four…"

Although the house is pretty expensive. Would be a shame to pay for a new door.

"Three…"

After Cora, the Charmings are next on my list!

I am opening the door at the same time Charming says two.

"I know the curse kept me young Charming but not that young:" I tell him annoyed.

"But hey, it worked." He says proudly with a smile on his face. I want to roll my eyes but put a smile on instead.

"What do you…" aaand in my house they go. Seriously? Even in a Cora-crisis people can show a little bit of manners and wait for an invitation? Where are the manners guys? Although it´s the Charmings we are talking about and of course Emma. If it wasn´t for my son I would pack my stuff, Henry and Tink, would leave the town and let Cora finish her plan. But I can´t do that now.

"Sure! Let yourselves in Charmings" I say annoyed.

I mean I don´t care about Tinkerbelle being here. I´ve expected her to turn up eventually but not the Charmings.

"Okay, can we please get this over with?" I say as I close the door. Walking up to them I brush my hand through my hair. Everyone is looking at me as I come to a halt and we are standing in a circle. They have this You-are-insane-and-crazy-to-think-that-we-would-let-you-sacrafice-yourself-look. Except Emma. Her facial expression is more like I-just-want-my-son-back-and-don´t-care-about-whats-gonna-happen-to-you. So refreshing, I think to myself. I can´t help myself but chuckle and look at Emma.

"Ever thought about trying a new facial expression?" I ask her.

The Charmings look at me confused than at Emma and then back at me. Tink just smiles. That´s my girl.

"This look gets kind of old Emma you know. Don´t wat to start having wrinkles already."

I smile and Tink bursts out into laughter. Good. It´s been a while since I´ve heard that. Although her face goes back to serious too soon for my liking.

"I am not going to let you die, Regina!" She tells me while stepping in front of me so she can look me straight in the eyes.

Here we go. I take a deep breath.

"I am not going to die Tink." I tell her with a little smile hoping to ease her worries a little bit.

"Cora won´t kill her own daughter. She had many chances during my upbringing and I am still here so…"

"Stop that Regina!" I hear Snow. Oh Snow. I turn to her and she continues.

"I am not ready to lose my stepmother. I am not ready to lose you!" Poor Snow. I can see the little girl in front of me. I walk up to her, look her in the eyes and try to be as convincing as I can.

"You won´t lose me Snow. I promise!" I smile a little and she smiles back.

"I hope so because if she does I will get you out of your grave and kill you again!" Charming states.

Who would´ve thought that? I turn to him and look at him.

"She won´t. Getting killed is not exactly part of my plan anymore." I can feel all their questioning looks on me. Shit! Should have left the anymore part out.

I smile at David and he nods his head but somehow, I know that there is going to be a talk about that one either with him, Snow or Tink. Oh boy.

"But the dagger is:" Emma say with raised eyebrows and points at the dagger. The other thee look at where she is pointing at and look shocked. This it´s Tink who rolls her eyes.

"You know what? Yes, it is but you are bot so please get out of my house before…"

"Hello darling." Too late. Cora appears In a dark blue cloud of smoke. I roll my eyes, take a very deep breath and turn to the door to look my mother in the eyes. "I wouldn´t have done that but as I am thinking about it, it isn´t such a bad idea."

You should´ve left! I think to myself.