***I know it's been a while. But I think I've gotten things back on track again. This story picks up after Cora's *cough* death :S. What happened in the interim will be told through flashbacks later throughout the story. Hope you enjoy! :) ***

CHAPTER 3

"What say you My Queen?"

Regina turned her nose up at the absurdity of the title under the circumstances. She had never wanted to be Queen. Then or now.

She looked around at all of the faces awaiting the answer to the question that had been put forth upon her. Her study had become an unofficial ground zero that she had never asked. Yet still they waited.

After all that she'd been through over the past few weeks she'd holed herself up so that she could lick her wounds in private. She'd refused to see anyone about anything. Which had led to this group practically breaking down her door to stage this intervention.

Once the curse had broken, the Charmings immediately took over as if they were still King and Queen in the Enchanted Forest. They decreed that she was to be bound to her house. And Emma had taken Henry and forbade her to see him as if it was a right she was entitled to.

She'd had the nerves to stand right in Regina's face – on her own front porch no less – and decree that she would only be allowed contact with her child IF and when SHE saw fit to allow it. Regina had slammed the door in her face to hide her heartbreak.

She had allowed the farce to play out for the time being. Henry had shut down and shut her out long before and definitely after the curse. She'd hoped that it was something they'd be able to move on from.

Then Cora had come back to town. And she'd sworn to help her reclaim her son. But she too had only cared about herself. As they stood in Gold's Pawn Shop her Mother had let her true intentions be known. It wasn't about helping her get Henry back. Nor having her family together again. It was about her obtaining more power.

Regina had given her back her heart in a last ditch effort to try and save something in her Mother. She'd hoped that she would be able to become the Mother she'd always wanted her to be. And for a moment it appeared to have worked.

Her Mother looked up into her eyes from where she had fallen during their battle with more love and compassion than Regina had ever believed her capable of. She'd lain there as she told her that she loved her for the first time in a way that warmed Regina's heart. She'd lovingly stroked her cheek as she apologized for all she was and had done. Then she told her she would've been enough.

Regina's tears had begun to well up in her eyes when it became clear that her Mother wasn't recovering the way she should. Her Mother began to cough and sputter and as the truth of what was happening began to set in, the tears she couldn't hold back any longer began to spill down her cheeks. Her pain threatened to tear her apart as she watched her Mother gasp for her last breaths.

She turned dumbly towards where the Charming's had stood behind her and saw nothing but an empty space. She became numb as she gathered her Mother and poofed them to her vault. By the time she had laid her body out to be dealt with later, she thought her body would explode from all of the emotions threatening to overwhelm her. But there was still more for her to do.

She'd hurried back to town and was greeted with the news the Charmings had already taken off. Hurt, angry, confused and betrayed, yet again by the Charming's she'd made her way back to her vault only to find that her Mother's body had disappeared. And Regina was left alone. Again. So she'd retreated back to her mansion to try and figure out how and where she'd go from here.

She was minding her own business when her door was practically imploded. When the Charmings left they'd taken a great deal of the town with them. The royals were to be expected. Of course they wanted their lands, titles, and wealth back. But they'd also taken some of the common townsfolk.

This had led to instability in the town. Real estate was becoming a huge problem since people were breaking up and moving out of their previous homes and relationships. There were still plenty of people who were confused about where and when they were and what was going on. There was real fear in those who were left behind from the unknown that was yet to come.

As chaos threatened to erupt, those with the wisdom to understand knew that there was only one place to turn for help. There was no choice but to go back to the woman who had started it all. The woman who had created their town and kept it running for the past 28 years. Now here they sat awaiting her agreement to reclaim her place as Mayor and bring the town back to its former glory.

Now she rose from her chair beside the fire. She walked to the fireplace and stoked it until the flames that had been dying out roared once again. She didn't know why. She guessed it was just for something to do. Her body and heart had been frozen from the moment she knew Henry was lost to her forever. A coldness had settled inside of her and she didn't think it was possible for her to ever be warm again.

She reached for her decanter that held some of her homemade hard apple cider that sat on a shelf beside the fireplace. She poured herself a glass and sipped it. She kept her back to the crowd that had gathered uninvited into her home.

Some of them were friends. Kath – she meant Abi and now her husband Fred - had always stood by her side. During the good and bad times. And there had been plenty of bad lately.

Granny and Ruby were surprises. She had assumed they'd remain loyal to their Snow White. But they had declined to return with them to the Enchanted Forest. There was nothing for them there besides persecution. The curse for them had actually been a godsend. It had changed the way that Ruby was affected by her shapeshifting. She no longer needed a magical cloak to hide who she was. The past was behind her and she could move on to embrace a happier future. That was enough for her Granny.

The rest of the group camped out in her study were made up of soldiers and families who had always been loyal to their Queen. She suspected the ones she couldn't remember from her old court were just part of the usual busybody crowd that made up Storybrooke.

After the curse had broken, Snow White had gone on a crusade to recruit everyone back to the Enchanted Forest to pick up where they left off. Regina had scoffed once she'd heard of it. She couldn't believe how stupid the woman was. She'd actually expected everyone to go back to allowing her to rule over them as opposed to continuing to grow their pensions and retirements. Not to mention giving up modern conveniences like medical and dental care, cars and homes of their own, air conditioning, wifi, and indoor plumbing, all for the privilege of waiting on her and her family once again.

Once word got out around town of the people who were refusing to return, they were immediately treated as traders by the lovely Charming couple and their Savior. This had soured a huge majority of the town on the family.

But Emma having taken Henry was just unforgivable. And Regina's heart had echoed with a painful numbness that she knew she would carry with her forever.

"You did it before," Abi reminded her. "You can easily rebuild this town again. And this time make it even better."

Regina stared down into the amber liquid as she turned it over. With Henry gone what else did she have? The fact that they'd come to ask her for her leadership instead of calling for her head was already an improvement over the last few weeks before the Charmings had left. She knew she should be flattered. That was - if she could feel anything at all.

She took a deep breath before looking away from her glass as she thought through their question. The town had suffered after the curse broke. Commerce and life as everyone knew it had stopped. The town needed a leader. And the only thing they'd agreed on was that at least under Regina's reign the town had flourished.

She turned back toward the room. Everyone was waiting with bated breath. She looked over at Abi. The two engaged in a silent conversation before Abi's face split in two from the wide grin she sported, "She's in," she announced happily to the room what she had already seen in Regina's eyes.

The room released the breath it held collectively and broke out in cheer. Abigail rose and embraced Regina as close as she could with a belly that seemed to grow almost daily. She was now 4 months pregnant. And big enough that everyone was speculating it had to be twins. Frederick or Freddy as he preferred to be called wrapped his long arms around both women.

"Where do we start?" a voice cried out. Regina's eyes turned to the man who had once been one of her fiercest warriors. Now Marcus seemed more than happy that he was once again being called upon to serve his Queen.

"Tomorrow I think," she said cautiously. "For tonight I need rest. And for all of you to get the hell out of my home."

There was laughter to accompany the cheer. Granny announced she'd be serving free pie at the diner for those who purchased dinner tonight. People quickly began to take their leave as they followed her and Ruby out the door.

Abi and Fred were the last to leave. "I'm so glad you're in. I really wasn't sure whether or not this was going to work," she smiled at her friend as she pulled her into another hug.

Regina returned the hug half-heartedly, "Me neither," she answered honestly.

Abi chuckled as she drew back, "well I'm just glad that it did! There had been talk of fireballs before you opened the door."

Regina's face took on a pensive look. She held out her palm and lit it up. "I wouldn't rule that out in the future," she winked at her. After another hug and her assurance that she would be fine for the night without babysitters hovering over her, she and Fred followed the rest of the crowd over to Granny's.

She didn't know what lie ahead for herself or her heart. But at least being busy would keep mind off of the pain of losing another child. She walked back into her quiet home and poured herself a drink.

She sat staring at the fire before ideas began to filter through her head. Sometime throughout the night she'd ended up at the large mahogany desk that took up a good deal of the study. She pulled out some clean sheets of paper and began to draw up her battle plans.

DQ

"I can feel it. She's here," Ursula said as she and Cruella made their way through a maze that had been hidden beneath the town. The magic sizzling in the air told her that they were close.

They crept their way through the labyrinth until they came upon a clearing. In the center was a mound of ashes.

They looked at one another and smiled. "This is the place. Now it's time for Mama to work her magic."

Cruella sucked her teeth and stepped back. It was moments like this that made her proud she'd never bothered to fillet the fish to begin with.

CF

"We're here!" Snow declared as she stood on the mountaintop that over looked the White Kingdom.

Emma stared down at the ruins completely unimpressed. She had looked on with horror as Cora had lain dying on the floor of Gold's Pawn Shop. She'd only snapped back to reality after David and Snow had each grabbed one of her arms and pulled her outside with them. "We have to get out of here. Now!" they'd screamed as they made their way back to their place.

They'd started gathering their things and making phone calls to alert those going with them that the time was now while Emma had looked on with shock. She still hadn't completely processed all that had just happened and now this. She known they'd wanted to go back to the Enchanted Forest but had no idea that they'd been planning things on this large a scale.

Obviously, they'd planned well in advance for this situation. Within less than ten minutes, they were ready to go.

They'd given her just long enough to grab Henry and to tell Neal that they were leaving for the Enchanted Forest. He hadn't wanted to go but with Rumple pulling him on one side and Henry pulling him on the other he'd had no choice.

They made their way to a clearing in the forest with everyone who was going along with them showing up right behind. Her parents had set off a magic bean that Rumple had helped them acquire and with a flash of light a portal opened. Her parents had grabbed her hands and they'd taken a leap through time and space and wound up back in the Enchanted Forest.

At first everyone had been happy that they'd made it back home. Until taking stock of their surroundings that is. As they looked around they found that their once thriving homeland was now nothing more than ash and ruin. Some had started to cry while others had been terrified at what they'd found.

Snow had stepped up with a hope speech that had at least spurred them on far enough begin to make their way to their old castle. Now they stood on a mountaintop that overlooked what appeared to be nothing more than more ruins down below.

Snow squealed happily as she hugged her tightly, "we're home!"

Emma clutched tightly to Henry's hand while her throat worked to try and push down the sickness that was rising at the back of her throat. For the first time in a long time she felt something akin to fear as the hairs on the back of her neck rose.

"Home?" she whispered as she wondered not for the first time what the hell she'd gotten herself into.

MF

A groan and a loud cry of pain echoed through the air. On the bed in the main bedroom a dark haired woman lay shivering and yet covered in sweat as a pain beyond any she'd ever felt before continued to rack her body.

A redheaded figure came through the door of the farmhouse and dropped the wood she'd collected on the floor. She hurried over to the bedside where the dark haired woman lay writhing in pain. She sat next to the brunette careful not to disturb her anymore than necessary, "It's okay Mother. I've got you," she said as she ran a wet cloth along her face and neck.