Hi all! Thanks for the reviews and everything else. You're all adorable :3 Also, I noticed I didn't post the link to the photoset that inspired me to this fic, cause I'm nuts. So I'm just gonna place the link on my profile description.

Enjoy the chapter. xo.

Disclaimer: I don't own Once Upon a Time, though I wish I owned Lana. ;)


The entire week ran like the town's clock, slow and boring. Regina passed through the animals shelter many times those days. Just staying outside of it not sure if she should go there and... She didn't know what she'd do if she went there anyways. Buy a pet? Well maybe that was what Henry needed. But she didn't see it as a a good idea. In the end she'd be the one who'd need to take care of the pet and Regina was the mayor, she didn't have time for that.

But she had time to be stalking the owner of an animal shelter... She felt stupid when she thought about it. Regina Mills was strong woman, who had faced many things in life and there she was, in her car with her sunglasses on, looking to the animal shelter to see if she'd get any glance of Daniel- Dean.

Turning her car on, she made way back to the mayor's office. After she arrived her office, Regina promised herself that she wouldn't go back if she didn't have a reason. She actually could make up many reasons to go there talk to him, she was the mayor. Regina could go make conversation about... How the establishment respected the town's rules perfectly? That was nonsense!

When she started freaking out, the idea to give Henry a pet came up again. It had to be a reason for her to think that, maybe it was a sign. And maybe a pet could even help her relationship with Henry.

Picking up the phone, she dialed her house's number, knowing her child would be there.

"Hi?" Hearing the infant's voice gave Regina a small smile.

"Hi, Henry. It's mom."

"Oh, hi mom." The way his tone never changed when saying 'mom' would always break her heart though.

"Everything alright at home, dear?"

"Yes." Regina was a good mother, she really loved Henry and cared about him, but sometimes it was hard to connect with him. "You want something?"

"I was actually wondering today, if you wouldn't like to have a pet. I know you like staying outside and a pet, a dog maybe, could give you some good time outside. More productive..."

"Mom, you're just doing that so I won't spend time with my mother." Hearing the sentence sounded weird, and Regina sort of hated when Henry called Emma his mother. She wasn't his mother.

"Henry, no! I'm asking you if you want because I think a pet can be a good company. I used to have a horse, but we can't have a horse in our home, of course..." She sighed trying to make him understand her real motives. Well, at least part of them.

"You had a horse? That's weird, mom... My book doesn't say it-"

"Henry, please. Why would your book say anything about me? Forget that book for a moment, please. You want a pet or not?"

"No." Well that was a problem, she thought.

"I still think you could use one though. Let's do this. I'll pick you at home now and we'll go do it." Regina suggested, hoping Henry would accept that.

"Don't you have to work? And plus, I have an appointment with Dr. Hopper later." Henry obviously wouldn't forget his appointment, he seemed to love to go there lately.

"I think you can miss it today, it won't be a problem. I'll call Dr. Hopper on my way home. I heard he have a date with Ruby tonight anyways... Can we do this Henry? Please. I really want to spend some time with you." Though her intentions involved a lot more, she was being truthful about it, she really wanted to spent time with her child.

"Ok, mom..." The mother heard a sigh from the other side, but there seemed to be some hiding excitement on his voice. Maybe he really wanted a pet.


The little bell of the door rang as and excited Henry Mills got int the animals shelter. The man behind the counter wasn't David that day - because he apparently had to go home earlier that day, though Regina saw him going in the Toll Bridge direction - and the same man behind it turned his head in the exact second Regina got in after her son. She got breath taken, like she'd always get when it came to see Dean - even if she was still trying to get used to call him that way.

"Mayor. Hi." The smile that grew up in his face made her blink quickly. She didn't remember how his smile would fill her inside, how it'd make it seem like the world was a good place. Regina remembered also how it was to see that same smile fall apart together with her world when her mother ripped off his heart. But he was there now. She didn't know how, but he was. "How may I help you?

"Hi..." She said simply, sort of froze and amazed with being there in front of him, he still had the same goddamn gorgeous looks, after all those years.

"Mom, can I have any dog?" Henry asked breaking her trance and making her realized she started at Dean with her mouth half open and her eyes lost. Blinking quickly, Regina turned her head to her son and smiled in a nod.

"Yes, Henry. Of course. Go ahead."

"You want any help, buddie?" Dean asked in a lovable smile.

"I'm cool." Henry shrugged his shoulders and ran to look the dogs, leaving the man and his mother alone.

"So," Dean turned back again to an embarrassed Regina. "Henry wanted a dog?"

"Hm, yes... S-Sort of." Regina was in an internal battle. Trying to figure out what she could say, and how she'd do it. She didn't to be her usual mean and serious to him, like she was to the rest of the town. He was the one and only man she always loved and that she was going to run away and marry with but she thought that was dead. But there he was, alive and handsome in front of her. Taking a deep breath, she smiled. "I suggested he'd get one. Henry doesn't have many friends... And I always thought pets are good company."

"Did you have any pets when you had his age, mayor?"

"Regina" she corrected with politeness. "You can call me Regina. And yes, I did. I had a horse."

"Oh really?" Dean seemed shocked, but he smiled at the fact she had just told him. "I love horses. What horse did you have, ma- Regina?"

"I had a Quarter Horse," she said its breed and Dean nodded. He hadn't change, she thought to herself, the same old man she met years ago who loved horses and her. Well now not her anymore... "My father gave it to me."

"That's really nice, Regina." He said with a nod, pointing in his speak how he had said it right this time, which actually made Regina left out a little fool laugh. "It's the second best horse in the breeds rank, and only loses to the-"

"Arabian." She completed before he could speak. The fact that she had just did that lighted something up in his face.

"Well, you look like an expert," Regina shrugged still with that small smile. "not just someone who the father gave a horse."

"Indeed not. I love horses." She repeated his sentence and finally, after all that time, took a few steps forward the counter he was still behind.

"It's sad we don'tt have one here for you mayor." Dean was being teasing as she noticed. Not as flirting teasing, just for being fun.

"Oh I'd know if someone had a horse in my town. Actually, how have you been the owner of this place, Mr...?" She felt odd to call him by the name, though she knew it.

"Stabler. Dean Stabler. But call me Dean only, since you allowed me to call you Regina." The cocked smile on his face was something else so Regina, it'd give her small shivers every time she looked at it. "And I don't remember quite when was it. But I have this for a long time..." He shrugged as his eyes went around the place.

Henry came back carrying a baby golden Labrador retriever, that a lady that worked in the animal shelter got for him. "Mom look!" Regina's eyes left Daniel so she could look her child. The puppy in his hands was so cute that made her smile widely.

"Oh look at this baby." Her tone made even Henry frown, Regina wasn't a baby talking person. But no one actually knew that she loved animals anyways. "Is it a male of female?" She asked more polite and serious this time.

"This is a female." Dean said when Henry made a confused look. "She's a newbie here."

"Can I have her, mom?" Henry asked showing the puppy up to her. Regina ran her hand through the dog's ear, caressing it with a grin.

"Yes, Henry. Of course." She nodded in a motherly smile. When Henry almost jumped of excitement she felt like she was doing the right thing and even better, she was doing it and talking to Dean.

"I can't wait to show Emma." Then everything fell down to her. The smile fading away in a way that made Henry regret that he said it, afraid that she could be mad at him and don't let him see Emma. But instead, Regina stood in silence and took a deep breath. Which Henry thought to be even worse, when she didn't say a word.

"What do I do now, Dean? How much is it?" She asked looking back at him. Henry had disappeared again, playing with the new puppy.

"Well, the puppies are free. It's a shelter." he shrugged with a laugh.

"Oh. Yes, right." She nodded with a laugh and a frown, thinking she was a fool. "I'll need to get it food and those things."

"And a name."

"Yes, and a name. I'll leave that to Henry, though. His dog, you know." Dean nodded and wrote down in a paper all she'd need for the dog.

"Here it's all you need for the dog and the price of it all," Regina's eyes widened up when she saw how many things there were. "But I'll give you a discount."

"It's not that." She laughed. "There are just too many things."

"Yes, dogs can be pretty demanding." he paused and smiled at her. Since Henry had mentioned Emma, Dean noticed her previous smile not showing up anymore, even if sometimes she did smile, it wasn't the same. He grabbed the paper again writing something in the bottom of it.

"There's more..."

"No," he shook his head laughing at her sigh. "this is my phone number." As he gave her the paper back, Dean noticed a slight shocked look. "If you need any help with the dog."

"Oh..." She felt like a fool thinking he was giving her his number for other reasons, but at least now she had it. "Ok, thank you." Regina felt a little disappointed though, she expected him to ask her out or something. But she couldn't blame him. It was actually her fault that he didn't remember who she was, even though it could be the reason why he wasn't dead anymore.

Grabbing her wallet, Regina took her credit card paying for the amount of money the dog was already demanding. She hoped it would get Henry thinking less about the book and more about other things, after all.

"Henry, let's go, I've already pay for it all." She called her kid as Dean came holding some bags with the stuff they bought.

"I'll help you take this to the car." Dean said like a gentleman as Henry already ran out off the store to their car, getting in as soon as Regina opened it.

"Thanks." She didn't know why she was acting so quiet after that all and Dean seemed to have a small smirk in his face. In some ways it was annoying her. "What?" her frown grew up when his smirk got wider after he put the things on the car and looked at her.

"Nothing," Dean shook his head looking at the mayor. "I was also wondering, madame mayor," this time he did on the pure and simple purpose to flirt with her. And it worked. "if you'd like to go for a walk anytime."

Regina smiled, trying her best to not make it too much wide, biting her lower lip as a help. "I think a walk would be great." Taking a deep discrete breath, she nodded.

"You have my number." And then as to kill her, he winked at her. He winked! With all his charm and that cocked smirk, he simply smirked like he knew it'd kill Regina and made her knees turn into jelly how she felt happening.

"Right. I do." It took her best to don't freak out in front of him and just give back the smirk.

"I'll wait for your call." He spoke and simply left.