Hi, everyone! This is my first story that I'm uploading, and I'm just looking for some feedback. This storyline has been swirling around in my head for a while. If there's positive feedback, I'll continue this story. If there, by some miracle, is a few followers, I hope we have a great journey together.

- Lady Jasmine

P.S. The flashbacks are going to be italics.

In the windy city of Chicago, a beautiful woman, Regina Mills, is nursing a scotch on the rocks. There's only a few people inside of Patrick's Pub, most people are still working. Regina knows she probably should be too, she's even in her work attire, but today she couldn't bring herself to stay the full day in her dreary, lonely office. Today, of all days has been particularly hard for the past several years. The clock on the wall in front of Regina claims that it's September 20th, 4:30 p.m.

To the public eye, it seems as if Regina hadn't slept all night. Her silk button up shirt is untucked and there's dark circles under her deep brown eyes that not even make up could simply cover up. Her overall appearance, uncharacteristically, screams disheveled.

Around Regina's neck is a silver chain with a black wedding band with a sapphire diamond in the middle. She's fiddling with the ring as she senses her favorite bartender, Joe, step in front of her. Without needing to ask he refills Regina's tumbler, but instead of walking away and leaving her to her own accord like usual, he leans on the bar.

"Want to talk about it Ms. Mills?" He offers with a sincere half smile. Regina likes the guy, she really does, but he obviously can't pick up vibes very well. She just wanted to be left alone today.

"Talk about what, Joe," she plays dumb. "Is there another girl you insist on introducing me to?" Joe isn't going to back down this time so he ignores the jab. It's true he's tried to set her up with the occasional pretty girl that's stepped into the bar, and every time it's failed terribly; He seems genuinely curious and slightly worried about her today.

"Well, I know this bar is the one you prefer to come to," he starts off with a smug smirk. "But it's not very often you do come here, there's no pattern. Except, for the last 4 years you come in, order this exact same drink, on the exact same day, at the exact same time. So, again, do you want to talk about it?" Regina wishes she had more patience, but she doesn't. Not today. She gulps down the remainder of the scotch in her glass and proceeds to stick a cigarette in her mouth, it's hanging between her red lips.

"I lost my wife and my son on this same day, 12 hours apart from each other. It's now been, can you guess?" Regina's words come out with some bite to them, but she can't bring herself to care much. "Yep, you got it, four years since I lost my life. So, thanks, but no thanks, Joe." She lights her cigarette with a long, hungry inhale. "My wife owned this bar before your father bought it, I painted these walls. That's why I come here, not because of your mediocre service." With that she slaps down a $50 bill and walks out of the bar with her head held up high, defiantly. She absolutely hates being made into some poor soul that needs saving and therapy. She's most definitely had her fair share of the pitying eyes. As she starts to walk she tugs on her coat to block the strong winds whipping around her, remembering.

Regina, Danielle, and Charlotte were singing at the top of their lungs, being silly with each other. It was a nice change from the painful intensity that was going on as of late. Regina was still trying to deal with the fact that she'd been discharged from the military because of her damn leg, and attempting to deal with the fact that her leg was gone and in place was a prosthetic that she found herself hating because of everything it stood for. Danielle was dealing with caring for Regina and Charlotte and all that it had entailed. It had been a hard few months, to say the least. The family situation was finally improving, so the couple decided to take a family vacation to the cabin they had in their old hometown of Storybrooke, Maine. They were planning to spend Christmas there, just them, no one else.

"Watch the road, love," Danielle ordered as she swatted away Regina's hand on her cheek, which she knew Regina was wanting a kiss. "I don't want us to drive onto the ice."

"I am, dear, but I want a quick kiss," Regina flashed her a loving glance with her lip jutted out slightly. Before anything else could be said, the car hit black ice and started to spin uncontrollably. Regina saw it coming, she couldn't do anything and that fact would haunt her for a long time. The car wrapped around a tree on the passenger side. Regina's wife and 4 year old daughter died later that night. Regina would later find out that the prosthetic leg saved Regina from being pinned down and bleeding out. The object she held hatred for saved her from death while her whole world crashed and burned in front of her.

Regina waltzes into the familiar flower shop and picked up a bouquet of beautiful blue flowers that were already waiting for her. After paying the understanding old woman that ran the shop, she continued walking into the place she visited at least once a week, Hamilton Cemetery. At the back of the cemetery, she came to a stop at plot with an intricate headstone displaying the words: "Charlotte Mills, 2000-2004; 'The Little Light of the World'." Regina plopped down in front of the marked grave, not caring about dirtying her nice pants. She picked out one of the flowers of the bouquet meant for her wife and placed it into built-in vase. "Hi, babygirl," Regina greets as she strokes the side of the headstone lovingly. Tears begin to form in her brown orbs already. "I miss you so much, I would do anything to bring you back, and I'm so sorry, I –" Regina cuts herself off and hangs her head as a crushing heartbreak and fresh wave of guilt washes over her just like every time she thinks about her young, innocent, beautiful daughter. Gathering all the strength she possibly could, she beings to speak to her daughter again.

"Did you know, Char, that Mommy got arrested for trying to steal a horse in effort to save it from an abusive owner," Regina begins, pointing and looking at her wife's headstone right beside Charlotte's. "I was so upset for being woken up to be told my wife was in a holding cell…" Regina always told stories to Charlotte when she visited her. That day, Regina stayed for hours just sitting and talking with her daughter and wife.