Sorry. I intended this to go in a much happier direction. It didn't . You can hate me. I hate myself but this is what I ended up writing. Major Character deaths. You've been warned.

Disclaimer: Don't own the characters. Mistakes are my own

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"Papa"

He ruffled his little boy's hair, and hugged him tight. He hated doing this. Leaving him. He knew that it was the right thing to do. He was safer here. He couldn't take his son to hell. It still hurt leaving him, he couldn't imagine not seeing him. Not hugging him. Not seeing him smile.

/

His papa was sad. Roland didn't like it when his papa was sad. The only real times when papa got sad was when momma left. Roland missed momma, he missed her hugs, her kisses. He missed seeing her. He knew that papa missed them too. Since they had met Gina though, things had got better, his papa had started smiling again and telling silly stories. He liked the stories of knights, saviours. His favourite though was the one about the Queen and the thief. They fell in love a lot of times, He'd asked his papa why that was funny. He didn't understand he loved his papa more and more everyday. His papa started crying then, Roland walked off to get some sticks. Grown ups were very confusing.

Now his papa was sad again. So he hugged him tight.

/

Regina recognised the hollowness in his eyes, tears threatening to fall. Hois face gaunt, he wasn't Robin and it pained her.

She wanted to do more. Welll not more. Anything. Anything to make the pain better.

There was nothing she could do accept be there for him. To hold his hand. To offer him support.

He would see Roland again, she would make sure of it, until that day she would be here for him.

/

Henry hated to see Robin sad. He was fed up of seeing his family sad.

He had wanted to break the curse so that everyone could finally be happy. It just seemed to have caused more suffering.

He couldn't change the story, least of all in hell, he did though leave a story. The Story of the Queen and the thief. Separated by class, fear, entire worlds, still their love prevailed.

Page XXIII hope. Hope that someday things will work out. It's all about timing.

/

"Papa"

He had dared to dream this would happen. Part of him didn't think it would. He was back with his sons and Gina. And this was true.

/

Papa, he'd come back. He was gone for such a long time. Roland had missed the hugs and the games . He hugged his papa "You smell of forest papa" For some reason papa and gina laughed and looked at each other weird. He hugged Gina too, she was his mama but he didn't know if he could call her that yet. He thought he could. "Mama, you smell better you smell of apples." Regina hugged him, tight. She was good at cuddles too. She made him feel safe like papa. She was crying again though.

Do grown ups just cry or laugh he wondered?

/

Roland had called her mama. She never dreamed she would be a mother. She had made it impossible. Now she had two sons. Her heart was filled with happiness, happiness because of her family. Her future.

/

Henry smiled. Maybe things weren't going so wrong. Every story needs an adventure after all.

/

"Papa"

Years had passed since that day. That day when his papa didn't come home. When Gina didn't laugh anymore. When her smile faded, when she cried when she thought he couldn't here.

He may have only been a little kid, but he wasn't stupid, not that she'd treated him like that, he knew that something had happened, that his papa wasn't coming back.

He'd gone back to the Enchanted Forest. It hurt being in Storybrooke without papa. He missed mama and Henry.

He was all grown up now. With a wife, Liliana and a child of his own. Hope.

Hope was around three. She was reaching the curious stage, where everything had to be grabbed and the world was exciting. She liked stories. Tales of adventure.

Her favourite was The Queen and the thief. Her eyes lit up at the mention of the Queen, a woman who loved through the heartache- not that Hope knew what that was. She liked the thief, that he didn't give up. She liked that they were both heroes.

/

Her papa was ill. He was old. Hope knew that it was fear of leaving her that was keeping him tethered to this world.

She remembered him teaching to shoot for the first time, he had held the bow steady. The arrow had more or less dropped to the floor, and she'd almost cried. He'd said that the next time it will go further. That an arrow never misses it's target.

She had given him a feather once. He'd always kept it for some reason. It was only now she understood.

She remembered being consumed by a strange feeling, a constant beating in her chest. He had told her to follow her heart. It always knows.

His curly hair, still abundant, now silver lined.

The dimples, present, with the weak smile.

The twinkle in his eyes.

"You can let go now daddy, your little girl is ready to do this on her own."

/

People would ask, as she travelled around the worlds looking for the next adventure. Saving civilisations. Alone. Questioning whether she knew her family.

She did. Of course she remembered them. She remembered them though she had never met them. The woman with raven hair, and blood red lips. A heart, so strong, so resilent, it had been broken so many times. It didn't matter. Love prevailed. A thief, a man of honour, a father, who made the ultimate sacrifice. An author helpless to change the fate of his family. A young boy left alone in a world that suddenly became a lot less scary. A story of a Queen, A thief and their family. She remembered them if she really wanted to, their love, their loss, their sacrifice. Most of the time though, they were asleep in her mind. Just waiting to be woken up.

This was a lot sadder than i intended it to be. Okay I'm sorry.