The morning light seeped through the window, burning Regina's eyes. Rolling over, she checked the alarm clock. Her eyes widened. It was after eight!
Groaning, she shoved off the blankets and dashed to the bathroom. She hurried through the shower, brushed her teeth, and shook the fog from her head. Back in the bedroom, she dug through numerous garments inside the closet, ripping clothes from hangers. She peered at the clock again. Unacceptable! Emma would arrive at Granny's Diner in fifteen minutes, and if that vexing woman appeared first, there would be hell to pay. Sheriff Swan may scoff at the idea of punctuality, but Regina Mills was never late. She grabbed a pearl-colored blouse and a black skirt that hung just above her kneecaps and quickly dressed.
She could envision Emma glancing at the clock, wide lips curling into an insufferable smirk. Heat broiled Regina's insides, and she yearned to punch that smug expression off the sheriff's face. She sighed and squared her shoulders. There was still time—Emma did have that bothersome habit of being late.
She dashed down the steps, pausing outside her son's bedroom, then tapped the door with her fingertips. "Henry, dear, are you up?"
Silence.
She twisted the doorknob, pushed open the door, and slipped inside. Clasping her silk collar, she scanned the room. Sunlight leaked through the lone window, casting streams of light along the blue and yellow wallpaper. She glanced toward the empty bed, frowning at the mess of sheets and the wrinkled comforter. When her eyes found the comics strewn on top of the cherry wood dresser, she flattened her lips.
Regina could not abide messes.
"Henry!" Her voice bounced off the walls. "We have less than ten minutes to leave!"
Silence.
Regina hurried down the steps and into the living room. She scanned the lavish area, eyes sweeping over the large leather couches and chairs. Low murmurs echoed from the huge television mounted on the wall. An animated sponge danced across the screen, its voice grating her already frazzled nerves. She hated that show, yet her son enjoyed it. Henry must have been watching cartoons, oblivious to her shouts.
"Henry, Emma will be waiting! We have less than 5 minutes to get out the door."
Silence.
Sweat prickled her underarms and dripped down her back. Spinning on her heels, she bolted up the stairs. She would check his room—she might have missed him earlier. How was she going to get him dressed and out the door in less than ten—no eight minutes? Unacceptable.
She burst into his bedroom, the door banging into the wall. Empty. She froze, blinking rapidly.
"Henry!" Her shout echoed through the mansion.
Silence.
Something was not right. Henry always responded to her calls.
An ominous sensation pummeled Regina's senses, a chill that seeped into her skin and rushed through her veins. Dark imaginings filled her head, entwining themselves into reality like an insidious spider web. She blinked, trying to claw her way back to what resembled control. The last time her instincts had flared with such intensity, Pan's minions stole the only thing that mattered in her miserable existence. Her son.
Memories of Henry's kidnapping taunted her in an endless loop.
She remembered the way Henry flinched when a man in a tan jacket dug thick fingers into his upper arm, dragging him to the dock's edge. When she had peered closer, she saw it was Greg who held Henry's shoulder like a vice. Regina bore the blame of her son's brief captivity. She had murdered Greg's father when the boy was a child. He returned to exact his revenge, and her son paid the price.
Regina's heartbeat hammered in her chest. This was foolish! That man had died in Neverland. He could not hurt them anymore. Still, the images continued to crash into her, forcing the air from her lungs.
Her son's ashen face, his wide hazel eyes that pleading as Greg shoved him into an emerald vortex. The way his lips screamed the only name that mattered. Mom.
Her breaths became rapid, shallow. Every molecule in her body turned to ice.
Regina had been too weak…to slow…she had not been able to save her son from that monster, and she lost him. She always lost the ones she loved. She should have known fate would not allow any form of happiness for one such as her. Her own mother had ripped the heart out of the only man she had ever loved. Regina would never forget the frenzied expression on her mother's face as Daniel crumbled to the ground. She had not been able to save him. She had not been able to save Henry. She would fail her son. She would lose him again. It was her curse.
Heat flushed her skin and sweat prickled her underarms and down her back.
Regina remembered clutching one of her son's T-shirts, sobbing uncontrollably after Emma's yellow bug left the town line a year ago. She had to walk out of her son's life to save him. To save them all. Her mother's laughter rung in the back of her mind. You foolish child, you couldn't even save yourself. Look how they thanked you—you were left behind.
Regina's mouth dried. She couldn't swallow.
"No!" She bit her lip hard, metallic liquid filling her mouth. She would not let the fear get the better of her. She closed her eyes, forced air passed her clogged throat and into her lungs, focusing on expelling it. She opened her eyes and flexed her fingers, trying to ease the tension holding her muscles taut.
Move.
She stiffly walked towards the door, and the strange sensations struck her hard again. It felt as if she locked herself with a crowd of scorpions.
Her phone. Regina would have to call Emma. Her heart thumped loud in her ears. What would Emma say? She would blame Regina. They had finally come to an arrangement where Regina could spend time with Henry, and those visits meant everything. She even found herself developing a tentative friendship with Emma, but if Emma found out Henry was missing…Regina shook her head, willing the thought away.
"Henry!" She raced down the steps, phone to her ear.
Emma answered on the third ring. "Swan."
Regina thinned her lips. The heels of her shoes clapped against the hardwood floors, reverberating through the entire lower floor. She walked into the living room, hands pressing against the top of the couch.
"Emma, it's Regina." She said in a tight voice.
"Regina? Hi. Everything okay?"
"I—"
"Hi, mom," Henry said, glancing up at her, shooting Regina that amazing smile that lit up his hazel eyes. Already dressed in a pair of blue jeans and an avengers t-shirt, he sat in front of the television.
"Regina? Hello?" Emma's husky voice rang in her ears.
"One moment, please."
Regina muted the phone. "Henry, where have you been?"
"Regina…" Emma said.
His brows furrowed. "Been? I've been here?"
"I was calling for you earlier…" Regina said, narrowing her eyes.
"Oh, I had left the iPad in the car."
"Regina! What's going on?" Emma's voice barked in the speakers.
"Ah, Emma." Regina squeezed her eyes shut, and took a deep breath to compose herself. "I am pleased to see that you are awake. I assume you will actually be on time, today?"
A pause. "Look…is that all? You just called to check up on me?"
Regina's breathing became more steady. "Yes. I had no desire to wait in a place filled with people that have nothing better to do with their lives then stare at me."
"And whose fault is that?"
Regina relaxed her shoulders. "I have no clue what you are referring to, Ms. Swan. Please make sure you are on time for once."
Without waiting for a response, Regina ended the call.
A/N: Wow, thanks for all the follows, favorites and reviews. I am so glad you guys are enjoying this.
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