Hey everyone! Sorry this chapter took so long, but I wanted to make sure it was god for you all. So without further ado, I give you chapter 3

Growling out loud, Regina stood up, ready to confront the stranger with a few choice words that she would normally never spew in front of her daughter, but was instead met with the most gorgeous pair of green eyes she had ever seen.

The blond looked around the diner awkwardly, as if she was well aware of how much she was disrupting everyone's morning by barging into the quiet town. As she quickly found a booth at the front of the diner, Regina slowly sat back down. It was as if she was powerless against those eyes. Eyes that bore into her soul...It was a ridiculous thought. Wasn't it?

"Regina? Gina." The mayor's head shot up to look at her friend.

"I'm sorry. What was that?"

"I asked what are you having?" Ruby looked at Regina with a mischievousness twinkle in her eye, as if that wasn't really what she had asked.

"Right. I'll have pancakes as well and a coffee. Dani can have a glass of apple juice." Regina looked up to see her daughter coloring with the crayons Ruby had brought over for her. She smiled softly at her daughter and watched her as Ruby walked away from the table. "What are you drawing baby girl?"

Dani looked up at her mother and blinked, her brown eyes bright and innocent. "I'm drawing us Mommy. You, me, and Daddy." The little girl turned back to her drawing as her mother's heart broke.

Regina couldn't stop thinking about him. Every day her heart ached for the love she lost, for the man who would never be able to see his child. It wasn't fair that Regina had lived, had gotten to experience something so great as the birth of their daughter, the miracle of getting to watch her grow up, without him. Why had she lived and he died? Why had she gone home that night? Something told her to leave, to get home as soon as she could. If she had only called her husband and told him not to go to the office to pick her up. But her mind was on the pregnancy test she had taken at lunch. That test, the one that finally turned pink. Her mind was on that and not on the fact that it was icy and her husband hated driving in the dark, but he did it for her.

Regina's eyes filled with tears as she watched her daughter continue to draw. Getting up from the table, she brushed past Ruby on her way to the bathroom. "Gina?" The waitress had called after her friend, setting the plates down and rushing after her.

Emma Swan was new in town. Her beat up bug sat outside the dinner, the bright yellow glaring at passers by. She had entered the small town well aware of just how isolated it was. She was sick of the big city, sick of people lying to her, sick of men. So she had packed up and moved. It had taken her a while to find the town, but once she got there she knew it was her kind of town.

From her seat in the diner she could see everything. The gorgeous woman sitting in the back booth who clearly got upset at something her daughter had said. She saw the struggle in the woman's eyes, get up and leave or risk the girl seeing her tears. She had opted for leaving the girl alone.

Emma got out of her booth and made her way to the table the child was sitting at. She slid herself into the seat across from the girl and watched her. "Hi. My name is Emma. Was that your mom that just got up?"

Dani looked at the stranger and nodded slightly. "I drew a picture of Daddy...Mommy doesn't talk about him anymore."

Emma watched the girl's eyes convey her pain. Pain that can only come from a child who knows a parent's death. No little kid should have to go through that. Emma took Dani's hand and smiled softly. "What do you say you draw a picture to cheer her up? Maybe a rainbow and some flowers?"

Dani nodded vigorously and grabbed a new sheet of paper to begin her drawing. As she drew, Emma asked her questions about herself. Dani answered truthfully. Her favorite color: purple; favorite food: Regina's spaghetti; did she have any pets: no, Regina wouldn't let them get a dog. Dani didn't think that was very fair of her mother.

When Regina returned to the table, tears walled deep inside her, composure back in tact (she had a very heart wrenching conversation with Ruby) she saw the blond woman who had chosen to disrupt her town sitting with her daughter. Regina walked to the table, well aware of how happy Dani looked and slid next to the girl.

"Mommy! Look at what Emma and I drew." The three year old held up her picture, proud of the scribbles that somewhat resembled a rainbow. Regina smiled and kissed Dani's head. Murmuring, she said to the girl, "That's very good my love. I'm so proud of you." Regina looked up to see green eyes watching her. "Thank you, for watching her." Regina didn't know what else to say, everything she could think of would reveal too much to the stranger.

Emma nodded and smiled softly. "I'm Emma, Emma Swan. You have a beautiful daughter." Her eyes glanced at the pair; Regina cutting up Dani's pancakes, one arm around her daughter making sure the girl was safe. Safe from the world she hated so much. Full of hate and lies, hurt, discomfort, so much pain. Regina wanted to protect Dani from all of that, from never getting so much as a paper cut. She was a mother and that's what they did for their children.

A curt thank you was uttered from Regina's lips as she tucked a piece of hair behind her daughter's ear.

"Look, I'm staying in town a while...maybe if you're busy I could watch her. You look like you could use a break." Emma shrugged her shoulders nonchalantly.

Brown eyes looked into green as the mayor realized...maybe she could survive with some help.

Aright there you have it. I want to thank my awesome beta reader hollyfan4eva for being super awesome! Also at this time I'm going to answer a few questions left in the reviews, so if you want to stop reading I won't hold it against you.

kaylee214- Yes, Henry will be in this story, no he will not be a twat and he will love Regina.

LOCISVU- Unfortunately, yes. Daniel died before he got to see his baby girl. I might possibly go back in flashbacks to Regina and Daniel's marriage, things with Cora...all that jazz, if it's something 1) people want and 2) I feel that I can write.

Alright lovies that's all for now. Leave me some awesome reviews and I'll work on getting you a new chapter soon 3

-EvilRegal4Evr