Disclaimers: I do not own Once Upon A Time or its characters. This is merely a fan fiction story based on Once Upon A Time.

Forever is a slow dream
Oh what a vivid thing.
When you got so much to lose
Hope is a fast car
Only takes you so far
Oh you got a lot to learn.

Chapter 1

"Henry, you know I hate these city council meetings but I have to attend. Dinner's in the fridge." Regina stared into the mirror, as she arranged her earrings, and ran her hands over her hair. She peered around the corner looking at her son who was reading a book.
He merely shrugged his shoulders without looking up at her. Regina gathered up her black coat as she walked over and gently leaned down to kiss Henry on the head.

"I will be home late tonight so go to bed early."

She stared down at Henry softly, hoping she'd get some kind of communication from him, and seeing none, Regina sighed inwardly as she walked out and shut the door behind her. Henry watched as she got into the car and left the driveway. Visibly relaxing and nearly trembling with excitement, Henry grabbed his backpack. Finally she was gone, he'd waited all he could before he made his decision. Henry took out a paper slip out from his backpack, staring at it with determination. A bus ticket to Boston.

Mom, I'm coming to get you.

Regina sat impatiently in her chair, not listening to all the droll talk within the council room. She couldn't shake off an uneasy feeling she had ever since she left her manor.

This is pointless, I'd much rather be with Henry. I have heard all of this too many times. Same foolish complaints from these idiots. Nothing ever changes. A small voice whispered in the back of her mind.
Due to the curse you had cast, of course. A curse that was meant to be broken in 28 years. And how many years has it been? A frown crossed her face slightly at that thought.

"Madam Mayor?"
A voice drew Regina's thoughts back to the conference table. Sidney Glass. Obviously, he had been trying to get her attention for awhile. Regina was glad that she had the ability to tune in on conversations even if she had not put her full attention on them. The mayor stood up slowly, holding herself with the distinguished air she always seemed to carry around her like a second nature.

"Once I go over the files related to this issue, I will communicate with each and every one of you regarding your own roles into pushing Storybrooke forward..."

Regina walked to her black Mercedes, her coat hugging close to her body as she took a glance at the night sky, the air crisp and cold. Her breaths coming out in clouds of mist, finally Regina settled into her car at last finished with the meeting. It had taken up most of day and evening. She was getting so awfully tired of dealing with the same problems day after day. Regina started up her car. Now she could return to Henry. One thing in this dull town she never could get tired of, was caring for Henry day after day. A small genuine smile formed on her lips as she thought of her son, yet she couldn't shake the tendril of unease that crept up on her. Stepping on the pedal a little more than she should, Regina drove to 108 Mifflin Street.

She walked into the house as quietly as she could, slipping her heels off and holding them in her hands. Regina walked up the stairs to Henry's bedroom. She placed her palm on his door and peered in, already expecting to see Henry resting peacefully in his bed. The room was empty.
The door flung wide open as Regina burst into the room, running her hands frantically on Henry's perfectly made bed, as if he would materialize under the blankets.

"HENRY!"

45 minutes later

"Madam Mayor, I can't do that. It's too dark to search for him."

"Sheriff Graham, my patience with you is running this thin. I will tell you what you can and can not do. And right now that means you will search for my son!" Regina stood straighter and brought her face up to the Sheriff's, her eyes angrily welled up with tears. She hissed dangerously. "Or it will be your last days as Sheriff."

Sheriff Graham stared at Regina, quite shocked at the emotions that he saw within her eyes. Fear, concern and fury. Fury being the most prominent seeing as she was staring him down in a very unforgiving manner. He tried to soothe her as he placed his hand on her arm.
If possible, Regina cast an even darker look at him.

"Regina... it's too.. "

"Oh spare me your pathetic excuses! I will look for him myself!" Regina angrily yanked her arm out of his grasp and made her way to the front door until she could hear voices outside, she immediately singled out a small voice that she could place anywhere.

Henry!

Regina pulled the door open and ran outside, so glad to see Henry there on her lawn. She grabbed Henry into her arms.
"Henry! Oh Henry, are you okay? Where have you been? What happened?"

Regina pulled back to look at him, only to be shocked to see the defiance in Henry's eyes.

"I found my real mom!"

As Regina processed that, she stood up straight and slowly brought herself to look upon the woman she finally noticed standing there. Hazel eyes met brown eyes.

"You're Henry's birth mother?"

The woman smiled tugging her red jacket closer to her body, "Hi."

An awkward silence pursued. "I'll go check up on the lad." Sheriff Graham spoke cutting into the silence.

Regina allowed herself to take in the appearance of Henry's biological mother. Unruly clothes and appearance. Obviously this woman was trouble.

I will not allow this woman to take what is mine!

Regina's smile was much too polite as she spoke.

"How would you like a glass of the best apple cider you've ever tasted?"

"Got anything stronger?"

Dear, You have no idea.

"Sorry for this, I honestly don't want trouble, but the kid didn't listen to anything I said, and I didn't want to just drop him off by himself this late on a bus. Didn't feel right... I really did just drive him nonstop, no breaks at all not even bathroom breaks." The woman rambled on erratically.

Regina rolled her eyes as she walked behind the blonde. She watched as her golden hair swayed back and forth, and glanced down at the jeans hugging the woman's legs, accentuating her curves, Regina tightened her lips thinly, disgusted at her own behavior. Pushing back the unexpected feeling deep in the recesses of her mind, she spoke languidly.

"All that matters is Henry is home... I'm his mother, Regina Mills."

The blonde turned around glad to have reprieve from talking like a blubbering idiot. She pulled her hand out, giving a tiny sideways smile as she leaned forward towards Regina.

"I'm Emma Swan. Henry's...um biological mom. But you know that."

Regina shifted her eyebrow up at the gesture, not yielding to accept the hand in front of her. Emma's eyebrow arched up as well.

"Ohh kay." Emma pulled her hand back and shoved it back into her pocket.

Regina motioned her hand to the left indicating the door into the living room.

"So Miss Swan, do I have to worry about you?"

Regina approached her expensively decorated glass wine cabinet and pulled out her white wine bottle. Pouring the wine into the respective flutes, she plucked one up and walked over to the blonde.

"No, absolutely not." Emma laced her fingers around the offered glass, briefly touching Regina's own fingers. Regina's hand lingered a second too long and she slipped her hand back, tingles where their fingers met. Once again, she was distracted by this Emma.

"Do I need to worry about the father?" As Regina slid down onto her couch, her eyes followed Emma who moved to sit on the chair in front of her.

"Nope. There never was one to begin with."

Regina crossed her legs, drinking from her glass. She studied this Emma Swan, discreetly running her eyes over, Regina could admit the woman was attractive with her golden curly locks and the light in her green eyes brimming with curiosity. Eyes that were looking at her much too...soft. Regina mentally slapped herself. What was going on with her?

Regina laid her arms across her waist, she felt threatened by her, and yet at the same time Regina couldn't explain the diminutive twinges running through her heart as she looked at Emma. She scowled a bit at Emma. Of course Emma caught the expression and looked inquisitively at the brunette. Regina turned her head away firmly, ignoring the woman, wondering what was taking the Sheriff so long. Just as she thought that, the man's voice was heard.

"Well Madam Mayor, you can relax. Other than being a tired little boy, he's fine." Sheriff Graham walked down the staircase and looked into the living room.

"Thank you, Sheriff." The sheriff glanced over at Emma warily and looked to Regina.

"If that's all, I'll be taking my leave."

Regina nodded from her position, affirming his decision to leave. Graham nodded in turn to Regina. Both women heard the front door shut as he left the manor, leaving behind the two women to their... delicate situation.

Emma Swan, obviously nerved from the Mayor's piercing stare, set down her glass.

"Look I really don't know how Henry found me, but you have nothing to worry about."

Regina set down her glass as well.

"Good. I was concerned that I was going to have to resort to telling you exactly what a closed adoption entails."

Emma frowned slightly. "Look, I really didn't go around trying to find him. He found me."

Regina's eyebrows creased and she released a small sigh as her hand came to rest on the temple of her head.

"I really don't know what got into him. You have to understand since I've been Mayor it's been a bit difficult to balance things."

Regina ran her hand over the arm of her chair and peered questionably at Emma.

"I presume you have a job?"

Emma drank nervously from her glass. "Um, yea I keep busy."

"I imagine Henry might have told you some things about how I run things around here." Regina took a drink from her glass. "Yes it's true I run a tight ship here, I am strict when it comes to Henry, but I do it for his own good. I want him to excel in life."

Emma just listened patiently.

"I'm sure you do and really it's none of my business, he's your kid." Emma brought the glass to her lips.

Smiling like a Cheshire cat, Regina decided that it was time for this woman to go. To go far away from Storybrooke, and certainly away from Henry.

"Miss Swan, I'm so glad you see things from my point of view and now that's settled. I hope you'll be on your way. As far as I can tell, you are nothing but trouble, judging from your unkempt appearance and the very vague answer to a job only means you will never be able to provide for Henry the way I can."

In one fluid motion, Regina pushed herself from the couch, walked purposely across the floor, past Emma Swan and placed her palm onto the door, pushing it open.

Emma sat dazed for a moment, and anger briefly coursed through her. She pushed herself up and regained her composure as determination settled within her. Emma threw a look that had the Mayor's stomach tighten suddenly but Regina, ever the stoic woman, did nothing to reveal her discomfort.

"You know, normal people would thank me for returning their kid to them, not insult them. It would have been so easy for me to just take him right then and there. But luckily, I'm not the type." Emma stood right in Regina's face. Her green eyes becoming turbulent with fiery passion.

"And as far as I can tell I know need to stay now. Henry ran to find me because you are not doing your duty right...Madam Mayor."

Regina instantly stiffened up. She gritted her teeth and heatedly shoved her face right up to Emma's, their noses nearly touching.

"Oh, that is definitely NOT a road you want to go down on, Miss Swan. You have no idea what I am capable of." Each word came out as a dangerously low tone dripped with deadly promises.

Emma just smiled and shrugged her shoulders, reminding Regina so much of Henry. "I think I already do, and that only makes me want to stay. I'm not going anywhere."

Regina's jaw clenched tightly in anger and she raised her arm up, her red lips pursing in satisfaction as Emma flinched at the movement. Regina propped her hand above Emma's head and pushed forward, bodily moving Emma back until she was up against the wall, she turned her head slightly towards the now speechless woman. Her dark steely brown eyes, hypnotizing and intimidating Emma.

A slow sinister smile appeared.

"It's time for you to go, Miss Swan."