"Are Emma and Henry not living with us anymore?" Owen asked from the backseat. Regina glanced in the rearview mirror at her son. Unlike the happy and bubbly boy he usually was, he was forlornly staring out the window with a sad expression on his face.

"We're going to find Henry. I promise," The woman reassured him. But it was getting harder and harder to look as the sky darkened and rain pelted the windshield. Images of Henry alone in the storm flashed through Regina's mind, and she struggled to push the thoughts away.

It was getting dark though, and the storm was strong. Cars can't stop as well on the wet streets. What if Henry were to run out in front of one of them? Or what if he got sick? Or ran into a stranger? Regina was fairly confident that no one in this town would harm an innocent little boy, but there were the occasional drunks wandering around at night.

"Mom!" Owen's terrified yell brought Regina back to the present. A dog was standing in the middle of the road a few feet ahead. Regina knew that in these types of situations it was best to hit the animal head on instead of slamming on the brakes and losing control, but Owen was panicking.

"Don't hit him, Mom!" He begged. So the woman tried to swerve around it. The wheel turned uncontrollably and the car began to spin. Regina squeezed her eyes shut and flung one arm in the backseat in an attempt to shield Owen.

A loud crash and a sharp jolt stopped them. A large object fell on top of the car, denting the roof. Regina quickly unbuckled herself and jumped into the backseat. "Owen, are you okay?" She asked. The little boy nodded and wrapped his arms around her neck as he began to cry.

"It's okay. We're okay," the brunette shushed him. Bright yellow sparks flew around the outside of the car. Regina's heart pounded as she realized it was a powerline that had fallen over on top of the car. With the rain and electricity mixed together, they were stuck.

Luckily, witnesses quickly came to the rescue. Mary Margaret and David were the first ones to arrive at the hospital to meet them. "Are you guys okay?" Mary Margaret asked, hugging Regina tightly. Owen clung to David like a koala, still shaking from the accident. "We're fine," Regina lied.

She couldn't help thinking of Emma in this storm. She must have left town right after they left the house. Was she okay? Did she make it to shelter safely? Tears filled the woman's eyes as she realized just what a mess everything had become. Their lives had been perfect before Emma Swan and her son had shown up.

No, they hadn't been. Owen didn't have any close friends, and Regina was lonelier than she liked to admit. And now she screwed it all up. She had called Emma selfish, and that wasn't exactly true. As far as she knew, Emma had put Henry first. They both had said things they couldn't take back.

And then she had stupidly thrown the woman she loved out the door and out of their lives. How would Henry react when he found out his mother had truly left him, despite him saying he wanted her out of his life? And now she had gone and fallen in love with this broken little boy. This lost little boy.

"Henry is missing," Regina said shakily. Mary Margaret held onto her even tighter. "Oh no! Did he run away? Is Emma out looking for him in this storm?" She questioned. Regina shook her head. Suddenly, she was exhausted. All she wanted to do was sleep for days. But she knew her son needed her. She knew Henry needed her. "Emma left," the woman answered. The school teacher's eyes searched hers intently. "Regina, what happened?" She asked. "Not here," the mayor murmured, looking over at her son.

Mary Margaret understood and dropped the issue until they arrived at Regina's house. "I'm going to take Owen upstairs," David said, holding the sleeping boy over his shoulder. Regina was glad that the doctors had given him something to calm him down and help him sleep. He had been through a lot.

"Thank you," she spoke quietly, placing a kiss on her son's forehead before David took him up to his room. Regina sat down at the dining table as Mary Margaret made them some tea. She didn't realize she was crying until her friend handed her a tissue.

"What happened?" The raven-haired woman set a steaming mug in front of her. "I need to go look for Henry," Regina said, starting to stand up. Mary Margaret quickly stopped her. "You are in no condition to go out. We contacted Sheriff Graham at the hospital. He is out looking for Henry as we speak."

Regina slowly nodded, feeling a tiny bit better. "Emma and I had a fight. Henry has been acting out quite a bit, and Emma was struggling with dealing with him. We all said some things that shouldn't have been said, and Henry ran off. I made Emma leave, and then I left with Owen to look for Henry."

"I'm so sorry," Mary Margaret murmured, placing her hand over the brunette's. Regina offered her a watery smile. "We'll be okay. I'm going to talk to Kathryn to make arrangements for Henry once we find him."

"You don't think Emma is coming back?" The teacher asked quietly. Regina could tell she wasn't trying to push her. Surprisingly, she was helping her rather than annoying her for once. "I don't know," Regina answered honestly with a shake of her head. "I hope she does. Henry needs her."

"It seems like you need her too," Mary Margaret added. The mayor opened her mouth to deny the fact, but the younger woman held up a hand to silence her. "I can tell that you love her, Regina. You're my best friend. I also can tell that she loves you too. She was so excited to surprise you with dinner, and her eyes light up whenever you're around."

Maybe Mary Margaret wasn't as naïve as she had thought. "She holds my heart," Regina shakily admitted. "Unfortunately, she took a piece of it with her."

David came back downstairs, keys jangling in his hand. "Owen's tucked in for now," he announced. "You better go find us a room to stay in too," Mary Margaret told him. "You don't need- "

"We're staying, Regina. That's final," the raven-haired woman firmly decided. Regina nodded, too tired to argue. Her friend led her over to the sofa where she gladly laid down. "Get some rest," the younger woman advised, knowing getting her to sleep would be a fight, especially since it was mid-afternoon. Regina nodded and fixed her eyes on the crackling fireplace.


Henry walked along the main street, unsure of where to go. All he knew is he didn't want to go back to Regina's. Emma was there, and he didn't want to see her ever again. He felt a little bad about leaving Owen, whom he'd come to think of as his brother these past months, but he couldn't risk being forced to stay.

But where would he go for shelter? It was raining hard now, large sheets of icy cold water soaking through the boy's clothes and chilling him to the bone. He couldn't go to Mary Margaret's or Ruby's. They would take him back to his mother for sure.

Henry looked up from underneath his hood protecting his head from the rain and saw a large oak tree at the end of the block. It was abundant with leaves which blocked out the rain and bitter cold wind. The little boy ran up to it and with a few tries after losing his footing and scraping his hand, he made it high enough where he would be safe to wait out the storm.

But what next? He couldn't live in a tree forever. Henry chuckled at the thought. Winnie the Pooh and his friends managed quite find in the Hundred Acre Woods, didn't they? Wait, that's it!

Henry rested his back against the large trunk, legs dangling on either side of the tree. Think. Think. Think. The boy tapped his head like he had watched his favorite lovable bear do many times. Got it! He would find August! Surely he would know what to do. But first he had to find a phone.

"Henry!" A voice called down below. Henry peered down between the branches to see his old friend wandering beneath the tree. Quickly, he jumped down to greet him. "Owen!" Henry cried happily. Owen broke into a grin once he realized he had found him.

"How did you find me?" Henry asked. "I like this tree. It's one of my favorites." Own shrugged. Henry frowned as he noticed a bruise on his friend's face. "Are you okay?" He asked, his thoughts immediately straying to his father.

Owen gingerly touched the mark. "Oh, that's from the car accident. Mom and I are okay," he answered. Henry immediately looked around in alarm. If Owen was out of the house, that meant Regina wasn't far behind.

As if sensing his discomfort, Owen was quick to reassure him. "Mom is at home. She doesn't know I'm out."

Owen's smile faltering, he looked at Henry with pain in his eyes. "Emma is gone. She left after you ran away," he said. Henry nodded, silently relieved. She wasn't looking for him.

Almost immediately, that relief was replaced with a quick stab of pain, then anger. She wasn't looking for him. She had left him helpless and alone on the streets. But wasn't that what he wanted?

His thoughts were interrupted by Owen handing him a small duffel bag. "I snuck out some snacks, a couple of my beanies, clothes, books and a cell phone for you," he informed his friend. "It wasn't easy with Mary Margaret and David around. They thought I was asleep."

"Thanks," Henry mumbled, stuffing his small backpack inside. "So I guess you're leaving, huh?" Owen asked. "Yep," the green-eyed boy answered, careful not to reveal anything important. Owen nodded wistfully. "I'm gonna miss you, Henry," he said, pulling the boy into a hug.

Henry hugged his friend back tightly. He really wished he didn't have to go, but he knew he had to. He had already ruined his parent's lives; he was sure it would be a matter of time before Regina would kick him out as well.

Suddenly, an idea struck him. "Come with me," he told Owen. The plan was perfect! He would call August and meet him. The man would take both he and Owen in for sure. If not, they could find somewhere to live. What would be better than living with his best friend?

Owen sadly shook his head. "I can't, Henry. My mom needs me," he said. Henry's heart sank, but he slowly nodded in understanding. He would never be a first for anyone ever again. Regina needed Owen, and Owen needed her. That's how it should be. Real family doesn't run away and abandon each other.

"Good luck," Owen said, giving him one last hug. Henry watched him go until he was a tiny speck against the cloudy background. The rain had let up and so Henry continued on his way. He pulled out the phone from his bag and studied it. What was August's number again? A memory flashed through his mind:

It was his first day of preschool. Henry was only 3 years old, and Emma was walking him to the little school only a block from their house. Henry was so excited; his Mommy had gotten him a brand new backpack and brand new shoes along with a Scooby Doo notebook and shiny pencils.

Daddy had yelled at her that morning, complaining that she was wasting his 'hard earned money' on 'useless shit'.

"The kid isn't even old enough to be in school, Emma! For Christ sakes, the kid is gonna be eating animal crackers and picking his nose the whole time!" He had yelled. "Don't listen to him, Henry," Emma had said, straightening his little blue blazer uniform.

"Mommy, look! Swings!" Henry pointed excitedly to the playground connected to the school. They were his favorite; he felt like he was flying when his Mommy pushed him up high. "You're going to have so much fun, Henry," Emma said happily.

Once they got to the classroom, Henry's happy mood disappeared. "I don't wanna go, Mommy," he whispered, holding on tight to Emma's hand. Emma had knelt down in front of him, clasping both of his hands in hers. "It's going to be okay, little bug," she reassured him, using the nickname she gave to him as a baby.

Henry stared at the wooden door in front of them with wide eyes. Despite being covered with colorful letters and numbers, it looked terrifying to him. "You're going to make new friends and you have a nice teacher. And you'll be able to play on the swings!" Emma said.

Henry shook his head defiantly. Emma pulled a piece of paper from her pocket. "Do you remember how Mommy taught you how to memorize our phone number and spell your name?" She asked. Henry nodded. "You wanna do it together?"

Henry nodded again. "Okay. Ready? H-E -N-R-Y- S-W-A-N-, 452-6463." They sang together in a jaunty little tune. "If you need anything, you call me. Okay?" Emma said. Henry nodded and wrapped his arms around her neck.

Suddenly, Henry felt very alone. He couldn't remember what he was doing. Whose phone was this? Where was Emma? He was lost, that's it. Mommy had said to stop moving and wait wherever he was and she would find him.

No. No, she wouldn't come find him. She was gone, and he was running away. Wiping away the warm tears falling down his cheeks, the boy continued on, past the buildings and the big green sign that said he was leaving Storybrooke. He had to learn to rely on himself now.

After walking for what felt like ages on winding pavement with forest scenery, the path finally branched out into a highway. A small motel with a flickering neon side stood on one side of the highway, a diner on the other.

Henry headed towards the motel, knowing the snacks would keep him full until morning. He patiently waited outside the building until a housekeeper opened one of the doors, pushing a huge cartful of cleaning supplies out in front of her.

Henry jumped forward and caught the door before it closed, safely slipping inside. The room was small; a queen-sized bed took up most of the space, a small dresser with a TV on top stood facing it. A small bathroom was only a few feet away.

Glancing in the mirror, Henry noticed he was absolutely caked with mud. "Your freckles are almost invisible!" His mother's voice rang in his ears. Pushing the playful comment out of his mind, Henry took a bath and crawled into bed.

The bed seemed twice as big now that he was alone. He had never slept by himself before. Who would protect him against the monsters?

He decided to keep the lights on and turn on some cartoons for background noise. His eyes drifted shut and he fell into an uneasy sleep.