***Sorry about this chapter. I know it's sad and on Christmas of all days. This is my favorite holiday! Honestly this was not how I saw this coming out when I started. But I'm gonna go with it. Hope you enjoy! ***

CHAPTER 10

When Emma awoke she was surprised to see she had fallen asleep. She hadn't meant to at all. She sat for a couple of minutes just getting her bearings before the day came flooding back to her. Regina was gone. And that sat as well with her as a stone in her belly.

She grabbed her phone. She noticed she had missed calls and texts from her parents. She ignored the calls and answered the texts. She let them know she was fine before they sent out a search party. She told them she'd meet them at their place later.

When they tried calling her, she dismissed them. Instead she dialed Regina's number. The first time she called she hung up knowing that it was a mistake. The second time she called she listened to the recording telling her the number was no longer in service and began to get angry.

"Damn her! Damn her! Damn her!" she cried out as she beat her hand against the steering wheel. She looked out her window over at her vault. Then an idea hit her. She raced over to Regina's office in the town hall. She raced up the stairs and came face to face with her secretary who was sitting at her desk staring listlessly ahead of her.

"Hi," she greeted her cautiously. The woman stared at her in shock. "Is the Mayor in?"

The woman's head slowly went from side to side. "It's gone. Everything's gone."

Emma gave her a puzzled look and then walked past her into Regina's offices. There was nothing there. Just like the woman had said. Everything was gone.

"Do you know when she's coming back?" her secretary had come up behind her as she stood stock still in the doorway. "Maybe I should just go home."

"I'm sure this is just a temporary thing. But you going home for the day is a good idea," Emma nodded at the secretary. She nodded back then went and gathered her things. She left without another word.

Emma pulled out her phone again. This time she dialed Regina's home phone number. When that got her the same voice recording she almost threw it across the room in frustration. But there were photos of Regina and voicemails that had been left. She couldn't part with those right now. Even though her heart was still breaking, she knew that this was nothing but a blip. It was a bad spot they'd get over soon enough.

With nothing else to do, she went back to the apartment. When she got back there she immediately began going through the boxes. Most of it was random kid things. Henry's comics, some random papers that looked like they'd probably been left in or on a desk, toys, old broken clocks, a globe.

But then she got to a box that had obviously been Regina's things. Emma swallowed down the thickness that had begun to build in her throat as she saw the contents. They were things that no mother should ever part with. Henry's baby book and baby blanket, endless pictures of the two of them throughout the years wearing twin grins plastered on their faces, old school projects. The one that made Emma drop the box and cry out before falling to her knees was the mold of Henry's handprint as a small child. Regina had always called it her most prized possession.

After she had calmed herself she noticed the top of the box. There was a little envelope attached to the it. She'd recognize Regina's neat careful scrawl anywhere. It was made out to Henry but she needed to know what was inside of it. She pulled it off and opened it.

Her hand flew to her mouth to hold back the sob choked in her throat. She gave herself a few minutes as she read the words once, thrice, 5 times over. She couldn't believe it.

She gave herself time to grieve although why the tears still hadn't stopped by now was beyond her. She didn't even know she had this many to give. But she needed to be strong now. For Henry at least. It was just her and him now.

She cleaned herself up. After her shower, she stared at herself in the mirror. She barely recognized the face staring back at her. It was a ghost. Literally. She was as white as a sheet. Her eyes and nose were red from all the crying but aside from that her face was just pasty and sickly looking. She shook her head and took out some make up to cover up with.

She wasn't a big makeup user or expert but she didn't want her son to see her looking like death on what was about to be the worst day of his life. She ended up using more than the usual lip gloss and mascara. She did her best to work a miracle to make herself look alive again. She came out of the bathroom and dressed. She still had time to kill so she organized the boxes as best she could before taking a seat on the sofa. She sat with the note in her hand and waited.

XO

Emma was in the living room when her family got home. She could hear Henry chirping away before the door even opened. She sat on the sofa facing the door with her knees apart and her elbows on them. She her hands dangled in between them with the note for Henry still in her hands. She was just turning it around and around between her fingers.

She didn't bother to look up as the door opened. Her head continued to hang as she just sat turning and turning the note.

"Wow! Mom! You're here," Henry ran over and gave her a hug. She gave him a sad smile and hugged him back. She started to pull away but stopped. He was the only thing left of Regina that she had anymore. She pulled him closer and held him tight.

When she let him go he looked around, "You got my things Mom?" he asked excitedly as he recognized his bedroom.

"No Henry. Your Mom sent them over."

Henry stilled for a moment before shrugging it off. He flicked his wrist at her, "You're my real Mom."

"Yes, she is," Snow gushed. She pinched his cheek and then pulled him into a loose side hug, "And thanks to you we're all a real family now. It's about time Regina came to her senses."

Emma rose and stared her Mother down. She hadn't wanted to do it like this but between her and Regina she'd had no choice. "Come to her senses? She left! She left us without even talking to us or letting us know. She's just gone."

Snow stared at Emma confused. "And that's a good thing Emma. Now we can live in peace."

Emma shook her head at her as she compressed her lips. She didn't say another word but inside she was fuming.

Henry was happily going around looking through the boxes, "It's all here!"

David walked in at that moment. He looked around confused. "Hi family. What's going on here?"

"The Evil Queen is dead!" Henry crooned as he ripped open another box. He had finally gotten to the one that held his childhood projects and photo albums. It wasn't until then that his face faltered. He stared at the box with his face twisted in something between confusion and something else that was unreadable.

Emma just watched him. She had been angry at his comment and was about to reprimand him for it. But as she saw the pause on his face she knew.

Henry had been acting as if he was on this great family vacation. He was living off of the high of having the curse broken. But in that pause she saw the truth. He'd just realized he'd lost his family. She stepped toward him. "Henry, there's something you need to read." She put her arm around him and led him upstairs to the room they were sharing.

Henry sat on his little cot. It was all they could throw together since no one had planned their day to finish the way it had when it had started. The day the curse broke had been a normal day. Until Henry bit into the poisoned turnover. Then the world changed in a matter of minutes. They were all still trying to catch up.

Emma had never been good at talking. She didn't really have anything planned to say. "Your Mom left you this," she held the envelope out to him. "I'll give you some privacy."

Henry had taken it and looked at it confused. Emma went outside the door and waited on the landing of the stairs.

Henry hadn't given his customary brat retort of she's not my Mom when Emma had handed him the envelope. Emma knew that sweet boy she had met before the curse broke and everything went to hell in a handbasket was still in there somewhere. She waited for some sign that he needed her.

The note didn't take long to read. It was only a few lines. Emma had memorized them all. And they had nearly killed Emma.

The fact that it was so casual was heartbreaking. And the impersonal tone from a woman she'd always associated with fire and burning passions and big brown emotion filled eyes had hurt. The fact that it was short and to the point made her angry. It looked like it had been jotted down quickly and without any forethought.

Emma was insulted on her behalf and Henry's. After a lifetime of raising the boy she could've at least done better. It wasn't even a real note. Just something she'd jotted down. She could've used a post it instead of the expensive stationary that still smelled of her.

Henry,

I hope you find what makes you happy.

Goodbye.

First she heard sniffling. Then muffled crying. He didn't ask for her though. So she made her way back downstairs.

Her parents were trying to reorganize Henry's things.

"I don't think that bed's going to fit in your room honey. We're going to have to put it in storage. And whatever else Henry doesn't need for right now too," David said as he looked over the larger furniture items.

Snow just shook her head, "Leave it to the Evil Queen to do something so outrageous."

"Don't call her that!" Emma yelled.

Her parent's heads whipped around to her. They looked at her in shock. "It's who she is."

Emma shook her head. "You don't know who she is. She's Henry's Mom. And for that alone she deserves more respect."

"You're his Mom," Snow insisted. "And trust me I do know Regina well. She was my stepmother for years before she decided to try and kill me."

"It's not like she's the only person who's ever done that," Emma snarked. "And you're still here anyway. So you got the win. I think we should leave it at that." Emma began to leave but turned back around. "By the way, you don't have to put these things in storage. I'm looking for my own place. Henry and I will be gone as soon as I find one."

Emma left her gaping parents to stare after her as she made her way to her car. She jumped in and headed for the Rabbit Hole. She needed a drink in the worst way possible.

***The next chapter will be all about the business. I promise I will update within a few days. Just gotta give my other fics some love first. ;D See ya on the other side.***