I've had the first 3/4 of this done since the day after I published the last chapter, but I just couldn't get around to writing the rest of it and editing until now, hahaha. Ahhh, muse, you fickle little fiend. Hope you guys enjoy, and thank you for all the support on this story!

Pride Before A Fall

Chapter 2

She'd only been home for an hour, but it felt like five. She'd been pacing around the main floor, wearing down the soles of her shoes and trying to distract herself from the onslaught of thoughts that were scrambling through her brain. Her nerves were keeping her from any productive lines of thought, because really, there were a million things she could be doing; trying to figure out which of the citizens was the infamous wicked witch, finding a way to break the curse, trying to bring back Henry's memories...but she knew she had no hope of concentrating enough to even begin working through any of them.

She refused to believe one hundred percent until Whale called to confirm it, but deep down, she knew the truth. Magic felt strange; unstable. Unlike before – back when the first curse had broken – it wasn't the magic that felt unstable, it was her. Controlling it took more energy and the path it took as it channeled through her body felt different.

Her pacing stopped abruptly. It only allowed her more time to worry, and she couldn't stand the thought of not getting anything done. Looking around the large empty house, she gave a sharp nod to herself, deciding what to do. She'd had no chance to clean in the last week, and while nothing was really out of place, surfaces were beginning to gather a layer of dust, and she hadn't cleaned out the fridge. Now that she had no Henry to occupy her off-hours, the time seemed to stretch on, making her feel even lonelier. The current circumstances weren't helping any.

Grabbing her cleaning supplies, she set to work. As she dusted, she wondered what it would be like to have another child. And what would Henry think once he'd regained his memories – if he regained his memories? She pushed down harder on the cloth she was using to wipe the mirrors. Thoughts like that were dangerous, and she couldn't dwell on them if she had any hope of continuing on; they were too painful.

Once she'd finished with all of the tables, mirrors, and the bathrooms, she moved into the kitchen, piling all of the food from her fridge onto the counters. It was as she'd set to work scrubbing the shelves and the insides of the drawers that the biggest questions started running through her mind.

If she was pregnant (and she was so sure that she was, though her terror begged for it not to be true) but if, then who was the father? There were so many questions around all of it; who would willingly bed the Evil Queen? (and she prayed that it had been willing on both parts). Why wouldn't she have used protection? She'd been sure that having children was nearly impossible for her, but that had never stopped her from taking precautions. And how was it possible? Where had all of them been the last year? It would appear Storybrooke, but she'd been enacting the curse to send them back to the Enchanted Forest, and now there were people from the Enchanted Forest in Storybrooke who had never been there before. Was the father one of them, or was it someone who had spent the twenty-eight years previous with the rest of them in Maine? Had she continued on her path to redemption, and whoever it was had seen the good in her, or had she reverted to her old ways and it was the power of seduction and magic that had drawn them in? She felt as if she'd continued to try - for Henry - but then, the last thing she remembered was the selfless act of giving her memories to Emma and Henry so they could have a better life together. For all she knew, the pain of losing him forever had driven her over the edge. This man...had she loved him? Had he loved her? Had they known of her pregnancy before the curse was cast? Was he happy? Would he have stayed? Would they have been a family? Those questions made her laugh darkly to herself. Of course they wouldn't have been. Daniel had asked her to love again, but she wasn't sure she was capable of it anymore. She'd loved Henry, and now he didn't even remember her.

The sound of the doorbell ripped her out of her thoughts and she jumped. Throwing down her cloth, she scoffed at herself for allowing such daydreams. She may not remember the last year, but those last words of Rumplestiltskin still echoed in her head; villains didn't get happy endings.

She peeked through the peephole, wondering if Whale had decided to give her the news in person rather than over the phone, but Whale was not the one standing awkwardly outside her door, bouncing on his heels and twisting his hands together. Her heart leapt into her throat and she took a few shaky breaths before finally opening the door.

"Henry? What are you doing here? Where's Em…your mother?" She tried to keep her voice level, but she was having difficulty. The shock of seeing him standing right in front of her had thrown her completely off balance. She held back the grimace at the way he looked at her; as one would a friendly acquaintance.

Henry simply shrugged. "Mom's off working on the case somewhere, so I've been stuck at Granny's all day. I mean, not that that's a bad thing," he hurried on, realizing how whiny it had sounded. "I like Granny's, and I like the town, it's just…I don't really have much to do. I already beat the video game I brought with me." He shifted his feet a bit, feeling uncomfortable and hyper-aware of the fact that he was rambling. "I just…I mean, I had fun the other day – when you were showing me around – and I thought maybe...maybe I could hang out with you for a while?" When she looked at him in surprise, he blushed, looking down at the ground. "I'm sorry," he said quickly. "I know you're the mayor, so you're probably too busy, and—"

"Henry," she said, cutting him off. When he looked up at her, she gave him a smile. "I'd love to have you over. I'm not busy. Would you like to come in?"

A slow smile spread across his face, and her heart sped up at the thought that he genuinely wanted to spend time with her. "Are you sure? You're really not too busy?"

She shook her head, stepping aside. "Not at all."

He moved slowly, looking all around the inside of the house as he stepped inside. "You have a really nice home," he said, admiring how spacious it was. "This place is way bigger than our apartment in New York. Do you live here by yourself?"

She swallowed heavily and her voice cracked a bit when she answered. "Yes."

He looked up at her, noticing that she was upset. Feeling uncomfortable and not knowing what to say, he simply repeated, "Well, it's really nice."

"Thank you," she said quietly. Clearing her throat, she attempted another smile. "Are you hungry?"

"Um, yeah, actually. Mom left me a little money, but I haven't eaten since breakfast."

Regina looked at him in surprise. "A growing boy like you? You must be starving!"

He cracked a smile. "Yeah, sort of."

"I'll make you something to eat."

He followed her through the dining room, and her eyes widened when they fell on a picture of the two of them sitting on a side table. Fortunately, Henry's attention was elsewhere, and she snatched up the frame, holding it against her chest as she continued into the kitchen.

"Umm..." Henry caught sight of the mound of food on the counter and Regina used the distraction to shove the picture into one of the lower cabinets.

"I apologize," she said, standing upright again. "I'd forgotten I was in the middle of cleaning the fridge."

Henry laughed. "I don't think I've ever seen my mom clean out our fridge – and it could use it." He picked up a head of lettuce, still in the produce bag, and started tossing it lightly in his hand. "Want some help? I mean...since you're making me lunch and all..."

"That's very kind of you," Regina said, smiling. "Thank you, I'd appreciate it."

With him handing her items as she asked for them, it didn't take more than ten minutes to put everything away. He settled onto a stool as she started gathering all the supplies to make him a sandwich.

-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-

Regina was still waiting for someone to appear – even the witch herself – but so far, nothing, and they were nearly free of the grounds. They'd made their way through the dungeons, her mother's crypt, and now they'd reached the underground tunnels that would lead them to freedom. At least, what appeared to be freedom, but what she was sure was a set-up.

Roland's hand gripped hers tighter as they entered the tunnels. Yes, the rest of the journey had been dark and scary for a child, both of them ready to be caught at any second, but there was something about tunnels that were just more frightening.

As soon as sharp metal spikes came into view, Regina halted them, bending down to Roland's level and turning him to face her. "This next part of the walk is very dangerous. Would it be alright if I carried you past it?"

In answer, Roland simply nodded his head.

She stood back up and he immediately raised his arms to her. She swung him up onto her hip with little difficulty. "We'll be out of here soon."

"And then we find Papa?"

Regina nodded. "Yes. Then we look for your papa. And we'll keep an eye out for my people as well."

Roland clung to her neck, eyeing the walls with fear as Regina navigated the stone trap she'd laid out years before to keep intruders out. She held her breath as she stepped carefully between the tiles, adjusting her movements carefully to compensate for balancing Roland on her side. When they'd finally passed the dangerous points, she slowed again. "You'll be safe walking again," she told him, but his grip on her tightened.

"Can I stay? I'm sleepy."

She smiled warmly at him, secretly grateful for the excuse to keep holding him. "Of course." He rested his head against her shoulder as she started forward again, warily watching the tunnel behind, waiting for someone to come chasing after them. His eyes were growing heavy, however, and Regina could feel him begin to relax as he became more and more tired.

They finally reached the end of the passageway and she raised a hand, removing the large boulder from over the top of the opening. Once it was gone, she readjusted her grip on Roland and made her way up the stairs and into the frigid and crisp night air. Before doing anything else, she magicked a large fur blanket which she draped over the small child. She then replaced the boulder and headed into the forest, one arm free to use magic should she need it to protect them from anything.

It didn't take long for Roland to fall asleep in the comfort of the warm blanket and Regina found herself growing exhausted more quickly, both from carrying a sleeping child and because she hadn't slept for more than a few hours herself. Still, she pressed on, not wanting to be anywhere near the castle when they stopped.

She couldn't be sure, but it felt as if several hours had gone by when she finally decided she needed to stop. Looking around, the area seemed as good a place as any. She waved a hand and a small tent appeared amidst the brush, draining most of the energy she had left. Moving inside, she laid Roland carefully on the small cot and settled the blanket around him. There was still one thing she needed to do. Closing her eyes, she raised both her arms and concentrated. She could feel the shield spell as it stretched out from her fingertips and formed a bubble around them. It would keep anyone passing by – on foot or in the air – from noticing them. Only those able to detect magic would know there was anyone there.

Regina opened her eyes slowly, already feeling extremely dizzy. Magic required energy, and she'd already used too much. She lowered herself to sit on the cot, trying to catch her breath. After a few minutes, she lifted the blanket enough to slide in next to Roland, not even able to manage the simple task of changing into something other than the large and elaborate dress she wore.

She felt sleep coming quickly, and her last thought before it overtook her was of what her witch sister had planned for them.