Authors Note: Unbeta'd so I'm sorry for mistakes any mistakes. The song is Over You by Miranda Lambert (though I like the Cassadee Pope version better)

Warning: Character death.

Disclaimer: OUaT isn't mine and neither is the song.

Weather man said it's gonna snow
By now I should be used to the cold
Mid-February shouldn't be so scary
It was only December
I still remember the presents, the tree, you and me

"Are you ready?" Regina can hear that someone is talking to her but she can't quite register it yet. A small hand gently shakes her shoulder. "Mom?"

"Huh?" Regina blinks a few times. "I'm sorry, what were you saying?"

"Are you ready to go? It's time." Regina feels awful that out of the two of them she's been the one to break and Henry has been the one trying to keep them together. She needs to be the adult here, not him.

But she hurts. All over, all the time.

"Yeah, I just need to grab my keys. Are you ready?" The corners of Henry's mouth turn down, a sign that he's about to cry and is trying not to. Regina pulls him to her and holds him as close as possible, if not closer. After a few minutes Henry pulls back and Regina catches the tear on his cheek with her thumb.

"Alright, let's go." When they pull up to the building and exit the car Henry slides his hand into hers and glues to her hip.

But you went away
How dare you?
I miss you
They say I'll be OK
But I'm not going to ever get over you

"Madame Mayor?" Regina glances up from her pile of paperwork to see the town sheriff shuffling in front of her desk with her hands stuffed in her pockets.

"Sheriff Swan, to what do I owe the... pleasure." Emma rolls her eyes and plops unceremoniously into one of the chairs in front of Regina's desk.

"I was wondering if I could take Henry bowling this Saturday? You could come too, if you want." Regina purses her lips. She's been almost certain that Emma isn't here to take Henry from her for about a month but she still has that fear that Emma will and she'll be all alone again. She's been trying to be better about Henry spending time with his birth mother, but that was mostly just Emma walking him to and from school and maybe taking him out for ice cream once in awhile. This outing seems perfectly harmless, and she's never been invited to be with them before, so maybe it's safe to say yes.

"I suppose that sounds acceptable." Emma smiles brightly. "You're sure you don't mind me tagging along?"

"Nah, it'll be fun." Emma shrugs and stands. "I'll pick you guys up on Saturday around six if that's okay?"

"Yes."

Bowling was... not a total disaster. In fact in was kind of fun, though Regina would never admit that out loud. Emma is good and it seems that Henry is a natural and was getting strikes left and right. Regina didn't like the idea of who last had their fingers in the ball so she was hesitant every time it was her turn. Emma tried to help her but that just ended up with Regina's foot crossing the line and her practically doing the splits when she slipped on the lane. Emma caught her before she hurt herself or, heaven forbid, her clothes.

...

Snow tries to give a eulogy, she has a speech in her hands, but the tears running down her cheeks and the sobs make it too hard for her to talk.

"I only just got her back." Is the last thing she says before her prince steps in and finishes her speech for her, holding her close while she sobs into his shoulder.

Ruby gives a few words before she says that it is now time for anyone who isn't written in to speak if they would like to. Regina wants to, needs to, but she just can't. She would end up looking like Snow, maybe worse, only she didn't have her true love's shoulder to cry into. Not anymore.

Living alone here in this place
I think of you, and I'm not afraid
Your favorite records make me feel better
Cause you sing along
With every song
I know you didn't mean to give them to me

"You're certain you'll be alright?" Regina is looking at Henry but Emma answers for him.

"It'll be fine, Regina, you're only going to be gone for one night. I think I can handle it. I'll make sure he calls you every night and he can use my phone to text during the day if you want. I have the hotel number, the number of the office the meeting is being held at and I know how to call 911. Everything will be alright."

"If anything goes wrong, anything at all, you call me." Regina states firmly.

She has a business meeting out of town and she has decided that leaving Emma to take care of Henry at her house is a good test to see if the blonde really is up for being a mother to Henry. Emma and Regina don't fight as much anymore, more like bickering, and a small bit of trust was starting to build between them. Maybe this could all work out in the end. Hopefully.

When she arrives home the next evening she finds Emma and Henry dancing around her living room, Emma is loudly singing along to some Pink song. Regina smiles softly as she watches the scene before her.

"So raise your glass if you are wrong in all the right ways! All my underdo-" Emma's eyes widen as she spots Regina. She snatches the stereo remote from the table and presses stop.

"Hi."

"That was quite the performance, Miss Swan." Emma blushes from her neck to the tips of her ears.

"You're back early."

"Yes I had to make sure you and Henry didn't burn the house down."

"Did you get anything on your trip, mom?" Henry asks sweetly.

On the very rare occasions that Regina had a business meeting out of town she would always bring Henry some small gift. This time was no different. Regina holds out a small box and Henry grins from ear to ear. She got him a watch that has the word 'family' engraved on the back side of it. Henry smiles at that before slipping it on his wrist. It's a tad bit too large but he'll grow into it. Instead of watching Henry, though, Emma has been watching Regina as Henry opens his gift. Regina's anxiousness fading into a soft genuinely happy smile was incredibly beautiful to see.

After they tuck Henry into bed Emma gathers her things and heads for the door. Regina follows along, seeing Emma out. With one foot on the porch Emma pauses and turns back to Regina. Her brows furrow and she bites her lip before she comes to some kind of a decision and steps up to Regina, wrapping her in a hug.

At first Regina resists. Affection from anyone but Henry isn't something Regina is used to. It takes a bit but eventually Regina relaxes into the hug and tentatively wraps her arms around Emma.

"I missed you." Emma whispers before pulling back and walking away. She's out of earshot when Regina replies softly.

"I missed you too."

...

Henry nervously twirls his watch around his wrist before coming to a decision. He stands and makes his way to the front of the viewing room. Ruby helps him adjust the small microphone and Henry clears his throat. His eyes find Regina's briefly before he speaks.

"I didn't get to spend a lot of time with my ma. We only met just over two years ago and for a while we didn't see each other much. But that changed and she became a big part of my life, our lives. For a while I had a family and it was small but it worked for us. I'm just..." A tear rolls down his cheek and the already shattered pieces of Regina's heart break all over again. "I'm going to miss her so much." He turns to the big picture of Emma next to the podium. "I love you, ma."

But you went away
How dare you?
I miss you
They say I'll be OK
But I'm not going to ever get over you

They were sitting on the couch, Regina's feet in Emma's lap, when the blonde decides to say something that turns Regina's world upside down.

"Regina?"

"Hmm?"

"I love you."

"I... I uh..."

"Don't worry."

"What?"

"I'm not going anywhere if you're not ready to say it yet. I just wanted you to know."

About an hour later Emma gets an emergency call and has to hurry off. Apparently the lost boys have moved up from robbing convenience stores and are now at Storybrooke's small bank with a few hostages trapped inside.

"Be careful." Regina says with a slightly worried frown. It's times like these that she wishes she wasn't still on probation with a magic-restricting bracelet on her wrist. The only magic she can use now is healing magic. If she weren't serving her community service hours at the hospital she wouldn't even have that.

"I'm always careful." Emma says with a grin and Regina raises an eyebrow. They both know that's not true. "I might not be back by dinner though. Save me some?"

Emma kisses Regina quickly before darting out the door. Regina leans against the doorframe and watches her go. Something feels off, but she can't quite place it.

Regina and Henry eat and Regina makes Emma a plate and puts it in the microwave. She checks her phone when the clock strikes eight and she tries her hardest not to worry too much. She'd know if something had gone wrong, she'd be needed at the hos-

Her phone beeps, it's a 911 from the hospital and now she's panicking. She checks in on Henry, he's reading in bed and says he'll be fine, before she darts out the door and rushes to the hospital.

She wasn't really prepared to see Emma lying in a bed surrounded by frantic doctors. Two bullet wounds to the chest, she's lost a lot of blood and they can't keep her heart stable. As soon as Whale gives her the clear that the bullets are out Regina focuses her energy on healing the wounds.

She's exhausted and she's only almost done with one wound when Emma's heart stops. Dr. Whale and his team step back in and try to restart her heart. Tears roll down Regina's cheeks as she does all she can do from where she is. She was never really interested in learning healing when she had been taught magic. Honestly she was never really interested in magic at all until all she wanted to do was learn to destroy happiness from Rumpel.

Regina panics when Whale and his team step back and tell her that Emma is gone. Someone calls time of death but Regina doesn't stop. She tries again and again to restart Emma's heart. She tries to save Emma until her eyes blur from exhaustion and she passes out. Later on that night she wakes up in a hospital bed and the memories rushing back in make her wish she was still asleep. She calls in a nurse who, by the look on her face, confirms Regina's fears.

Emma's gone.

It really sinks in, you know, when I see it in stone

After the service and everyone else has gone Regina steps up to the stone with Emma's name on it. She places her hand on it gently, tears rolling down her cheeks, and takes a breath.

"I love you too."

Cause you went away,
How dare you?
I miss you
They say I'll be OK
But I'm not going to ever get over you

Please Review, I'll give you an imaginary cookie. Thank you for reading.