A story requested by my friend Sofia


"I'm gonna bring her over. I already told her that it's okay, but it's a little… delicate and I feel like if she'd met you she'd see…" Emma said as she explained the situation of the woman she and Hook brought from the past. Of course she thought Regina was evil. It's not like it was news or anything. Even people in Storybrooke thought of her this way. Even after everything she'd done for this town… for everyone. But she understood. And it felt nice that Emma knew that she'd changed enough to convince the poor woman she would have killed in the past that she was good now.

"I understand" Regina interrupted Emma giving her a smile.

She was in a really good mood today; she didn't even care how the conversation that was coming would more likely be unpleasant.

There were two people a table away, waiting for her and she couldn't wait to go to them.

At last she felt happy and it was the kind of happiness that she had always been looking for. She felt like it could last forever.

Emma nodded and turned to the corner Hook was standing with the woman. She was quite beautiful, with dark long hair and olive skin and even when she was scared, looking at her way cautiously every few second, her face seemed peaceful and kind. She seemed nice. She would probably understand after a while.

At least she hoped.

When Emma approached the woman, she whispered something Regina couldn't hear and the woman followed her as the blonde led them back to Regina. Now, the woman's face was even more suspicious than before but her movements were not hesitant.

"Regina…" Emma said while looking at the woman politely "I would like you to meet…" she started but was interrupted by a man's voice.

Robin's.

"Marian…?" he asked in disbelief standing up from the chair he was sitting at, a few feet from the three women.

He'd heard Emma and the pirate had brought a woman from the past with them, but had never seen her. But now, before him stood the woman that haunted his dreams for almost 30 years. Her long black hair were as beautiful as he remembered and her eyes could see right through him. He thought he'd lost her forever and it was his fault. And he carried that guilt every day since then in his shoulders.

How was it possible that she survived?

Marian turned her head to the direction Robin's voice had come from and when her eyes landed on him, she let out a sigh of surprise. Tears immediately formed in her eyes as she took a step closer to him.

"Robin?" she asked in shock, not able to believe that her husband was really there.

"I thought you were dead. I thought I'd never see you again" Robin said, taking her into his arms, his eyes filled with tears that hadn't still fell down to his cheek.

"And I you" Marian said, wrapping her hands around his neck.

That couldn't be, Regina thought.

Marian, Robin's supposedly dead wife. How could she be here? She was just an unfortunate woman who was sentenced to die under her orders. She didn't even remember her. She had murdered so many people back then, blinded by her wrath. And Robin's beloved wife, Roland's mother had died by her hand.

And now, she was alive. In Storybrooke.

In Robin's arms.

She'd once again lost her happy ending. And that broke her heart.

Tears formed in her own eyes, but she wouldn't let anyone see that. She was too hurt to speak though.

She looked at Emma whose mouth hanged open as she realized what she had done.

Emma didn't say anything. She was as speechless as Regina.

Regina looked back at the couple that was still hugging, with Roland now in the center.

No.

She turned around, walked to the door and exited the diner. She ignored Emma's and Henry's calls and kept walking until she had crossed the street.

Robin knew that something was terribly wrong the moment he heard the little bell at the top of the door ring. He managed to see a glimpse of Regina's form before the door shut closed.

And all he wanted to do was go after her.

But he realized he couldn't when he felt Marian's hands shift in his neck to his head.

.

.

.

.

When Regina was finally far away from any other person, she glanced at the small diner, its light and warmth that had given her joy a few minutes ago, now gave her pain. And that pain had let a hole in her heart.

But no, it wasn't a whole that hurt her so much. It was the million pieces her heart that shuttered the moment she lost him.

And it seemed that the million sharp pieces of it had stabbed Regina's whole body, with no way of recovery.

Her happy ending. Her second chance.

All gone at the beat of a heart.

A tear dropped as she thought of him, his warm smile, his tender touch, his sweet son.

She's lost them. All of them.

.

.

.

.

In the other side of the town, the dark large stable's doors shot open.

A tall beautiful woman with faded blonde hair and a light blue dress with a white-silk cape falling to the ground came out of the stable. She walked towards the forest and in her way, she left cold ice footprints, leaving an iced path after her.

Suddenly, the temperature dropped and the wind transformed from a refreshing light breeze to a cold freezing wind.

Dark grey clouds surrounded Storybrooke and within minutes, snow started falling, covering every street and house.

The woman's big eyes were turquoise and cold. She had pale skin and her hair was in a braid with some stray locks of her hair that fell to the sides of her forehead.

She looked around, her gaze following the roofs of the houses along the small town. Her eyes stopped at the tall clock tower.

Now she knew where she was. And she was free.

She could finally have her revenge.

.

.

.

.

Regina heard a strange sound.

It felt so distant and unimportant. But it kept ringing and its annoying sound was getting closer and closer.

She was in the darkest and most empty place she'd ever seen. It was cold and unwelcoming.

She felt like she was falling. But she could never reach the bottom.

So, she kept falling, afraid of the upcoming pain and screaming for help.

She opened her eyes and looked around. She was in her house. She had fallen asleep in the couch, next to the fireplace.

That nightmare again.

She had been having this terrible nightmare for the whole past week. The week after Emma and Hook travelled to the past and brought Marian back with them.

She'd stayed inside all week, trying to avoid any contact with the outside world. She wasn't in the mood to talk to anyone. Only Henry, maybe. But the few times he came over, she was so silent that every single conversation he started, ended up being only by his side.

The one time he mentioned Robin; she just struck him with the most painful glance and looked away from him so she could hide the tears that threatened to appear in her eyes.

And even thought she didn't want any company, she felt so alone. She kept sleeping in the white comfortable couch of her living room but she refused to think of the reason.

She was just telling herself that she felt safer there, in the small corner of the couch. And it was true. She just didn't allow herself to think why.

After a few seconds she realized that her cellphone was ringing.

She took it in her hands and saw who was calling.

Emma.

She was hoping it was someone else. But then, she remembered Robin would never call. And why would he? He had his long lost wife, his son and they were a nice happy family.

Well, truth was she doubted he could even use a phone.

She tried to bury her thoughts and picked it up.

"Yes?" she answered it sleepily.

For some strange reason, she was really cold. She remembered the dark cold place she was; that nightmare felt so real she would swear she was still in there.

"Regina" Emma said and Regina recognized the panic in her voice at once.

"What is it?" she asked sleepily. What was she so stressed about?

And why was she even calling? She'd left her alone all week.

"What do you mean..? Haven't you seen what's going on?" she asked her, a bit frustrated that Regina didn't know what she was talking about.

"Why should I? What is going on?" she said frustrated herself.

"Look outside your window" Emma told her.

Regina got up from the couch that had the print of her body after so many hours she had spent there.

She walked to the nearest window and pushed the curtain away to see outside.

"Oh my…" she said at shock. What she was seeing was impossible. It was end of spring. Almost summer.

"See now? This is important. We have to find whatever caused this, because that is not natural" she said firmly.

"But… I don't understand. The whole town… it's completely frozen" Regina said still in shock and realized that's why she felt so cold.

"I know" Emma said, "And that's why we have to find whatever did this and fix it. Can you be at Granny's in 30 minutes?" she finally asked her, trying to sound as casually as she could, but Regina knew she still felt guilty about bringing Marian back to Storybrooke. And Regina would not forgive her any time soon.

"Meet me there" Regina said anyway and ended the call without waiting for the blonde's response.

She went upstairs and had a shower; put on the warmest clothes she had and got downstairs again.

She looked at the fireplace, the warm sparkling fire dancing before her eyes. That brought back memories of an evening, sitting by the fire and drinking wine with the man she thought she could finally have a future with.

And now it was gone. No more laughs and kisses like teenagers. No more walks with the adorable Roland constantly holding her hand and running around filled with energy.

She couldn't think of that now, though. So she opened the door, took a deep breath and walked outside in the cold.