Disclaimer: I don't own OUaT. Pity.

A/N: I was quite overwhelmed by the response to the prologue. Thank you all so very much for the faves, follows, and reviews. I hope I can fulfill your expectations.

A/N 2: The first few chapters will jump in time a bit but I think it's always clear enough when we are. There will be one unified timeline soon. In this chapter we're going back to the time when Regina came to her decision.

As for Regina's note ... we'll get there, just not in this chapter. ;-)

Chapter 1: A Cabin in the Woods

Five days earlier

Regina sat with her back against the Jolly Roger's main mast, hidden behind a low stack of boxes, wondering why she was feeling so miserable. She should be happy, ecstatic even. Her son was back and safe, and her actions had, for once, been considered right and noble, even by the insufferable Charmings. Nobody wanted her dead, at least not this very moment. The Dark One was gone, having exchanged his life for his son's in a last desperate fatherly act of love, leaving her as the single most powerful being in Storybrooke. It should make her happy, but it didn't.

Rumple's son. Henry's father.

Judging by the lump in her throat his presence was one of the major factors in her misery. One more person she had to share Henry with. One more person who would try to push her out of her son's life and …

She stopped and swallowed, afraid to continue the thought. Be honest, Regina, at least to yourself. Admit it. She rolled her eyes at her inner voice, but conceded the point. Henry's father was a threat to her place in Henry's life, yes, but that wasn't all. Right now, sitting here with her fist pressed against her chest, it wasn't even the most important thing.

Emma Swan.

Regina couldn't pinpoint the moment when she had fallen in love with Emma Swan. She had started to become somewhat aware the first time they had made magic together – or maybe even before – and she had known for sure when Emma had been able to help her with the trigger. The fact that they intensified each other's magic, that their magic influenced the other's, was enormous, more enormous than any of the other people on this damned ship knew.

Rumple had known, of course. He had overheard Emma and Snow talking about the trigger incident one night on the way to Neverland, and he had come to her to gloat and to goad her into admitting something she had no intention of ever admitting. He had giggled in his insane way, positively giddy at the thought that Regina had found love once more, a love she could never have. It had taken all of Regina's strength not to strangle the imp with her bare hands.

He had been right, though, and Regina knew it. She had fallen in love, and she would never have that love returned. Even if Emma realized that she also felt something for Regina, and their magic suggested she did, she would never choose her over her parents. Or even admit that she could feel something for the Evil Queen that went beyond the bare minimum of civility when they met to hand Henry over.

Such was the way of her life, it seemed.

There were days on this trip to Neverland that she had almost been able to convince herself that Emma knew that there was something there. Something between them, something as bright and intense as that damn trigger. She had felt the other woman's eyes on her, could see the questions in them, but Regina had been unable to answer them. She had lain awake at night in the cabin she shared with Emma, listening to the even breaths or, more often, the restless movements of someone unable to find rest. She had listened to the sounds Emma made and hadn't been able to stop the hope in her heart that maybe, maybe one day ...

She was so tired. Regina's eyes closed without her consent. She felt like she hadn't slept in weeks and she was exhausted, mentally, emotionally, and physically. All she wanted was to sleep. She didn't even notice when she nodded off, the memory of her nighttime hopes slowly burning in her heart.

Footsteps roused her from her impromptu nap not long after. Regina looked around, slightly disoriented, but the boxes that hid her from view also prevented her from seeing who had joined her on deck.

"I'm so glad we'll be back in Storybrooke soon."

Snow. Regina's face warped into a grimace. Naturally.

The person with Snow made a noise that could be interpreted as agreement.

"We can finally start thinking about finding a way back home," Snow continued. "Now that our whole family is together, we can focus on that."

"Snow-"

"I know you don't think you want to go back, Emma," Snow interrupted her daughter. "But you should give it a chance. It's your home."

"My home is here, in this world." Emma sounded as weary as Regina felt.

"But Henry wants so much to go back," Snow protested.

"Henry doesn't know what he wants." Emma said harshly. "He's a little boy who's been just too happy to listen to Prince Charming and Captain Hook tell their campfire stories about how fucking great all the adventures in the Enchanted Forest were. Of course he wants that. He has no idea what life is really like back there."

Regina could hear Emma's footfalls come closer to where she was sitting.

"We will change things, of course." Snow sounded pleading.

"Of course." Emma snorted. "Snow, what would I do there?"

"What do you mean?" Snow sounded surprised. "You'd be a princess, of course. You'd learn how to rule our kingdom, and then you'd marry your true love and have a wonderful life."

Regina bit back a gasp.

Emma didn't.

"My true love?" she laughed. "And who do you think that is?"

"Neal, of course," Snow replied. "He's Henry's father, after all, and you said you love him."

Regina cringed and pressed her fist against her chest again. Even knowing she could never have Emma, she was surprised at the pain this turn in the conversation caused her.

"Snow," Emma said slowly, and she sounded like she was talking to a small child. "Neal is Henry's father, yes, but he is not my true love."

"But-"

"No, Snow. This conversation is over." There was a pause, and Regina wondered what was happening. "Look, is that Storybrooke in the distance?" Emma sounded much more awake suddenly.

"It is," Snow confirmed. "Come on, let's tell the others."

Regina breathed out slowly once she was alone again. Emma loved Neal? Well, it did make a certain amount of sense, she supposed. Like Snow said, the man was Henry's father and that had to mean something. She simply had misinterpreted the looks Emma had given her over the past few weeks on the ship. And especially that one night.

Regina realized her hands were shaking as she wiped a tear off her cheek. How had that gotten there? She shouldn't be crying over Emma Swan, but knowing you don't deserve something and realizing it really wouldn't be happening were two very different things. All Regina knew was that she wouldn't be able to see that every day — Emma and Henry and ... that man playing happy families with Snow and Charming — and she knew she had to do something.

To her own surprise, it didn't take long at all to make up her mind. Who knew breaking her own heart was something she was willing and able to do?

She composed herself and got up to await the others on deck, a plan forming in her head with surprising ease.

o o o

When they arrived in Storybrooke, their little group of adventurers was greeted by a large number of people on the dock. Granny was smiling softly, Leroy grumbled a little less than usual, and Ruby bounced up and down on the balls of her feet with Belle by her side.

Regina watched as her son and Emma were swept up in the crowd, enveloped in the kind of hugs she would never ever get from any of them. Not that she wanted them. She waited a few moments to see if either of them would look back to where she was standing, but soon grew tired of waiting for something she knew wouldn't happen. Henry was hanging off his father's arm, who had one arm slung over Emma's shoulder. Regina swallowed hard and turned away from the group to slowly walk away.

She missed the moment Emma turned around to find her and the sad look she sent after her retreating form.

Regina walked home at a leisurely pace, taking the long way around and enjoying the quiet stroll through the small town she had quite literally made. But even the slowest walk managed to get her to her house within 30 minutes. With a last look around her front yard, Regina squared her shoulders and walked inside.

She shed her clothes with a sigh, feeling grimy from the long trip, and took a scalding shower, which made her feel marginally better. She dressed in more casual clothes — designer jeans and a silk shirt — and stepped into her closet to get started.

Time to get to work.

She grabbed a few clothing essentials and stuffed them in a large duffel bag, not caring if they got wrinkled. Then she proceeded to do the same with her toiletries. Once her bag was packed, she walked back downstairs and into her study to grab some of her spellbooks. She put all of it in a small pile on her favorite armchair before waving her hand and watching as it disappeared in a small plume of purple smoke.

Regina took one last walk around her home of the past 28 years before nodding to herself. With a certain sense of finality and one last thought for Henry and Emma, she followed her pile of belongings.

o o o

Emma's eyes followed Regina until she couldn't see her anymore. She ignored Henry's tugging and Ruby's excited chatter as she wondered at the look she had just barely seen on the other woman's face before she had completely turned away. She thought she had seen sadness and longing, but she could very well have imagined that, she thought. She shrugged off Neal's cloying presence and focused on Henry, but her thoughts stayed with Regina.

Neal wrapped his arm around her again, but dropped it when Emma sent him a withering glare. "What?" he asked. "I thought ..." He managed to look even more confused than usual.

Emma snorted. "I don't care what you thought, Neal, but you have no business touching me, and you never will again."

"But you said ... I heard you say ..."

"That I love you?" Emma asked. "Of course I said that. You were dying and you're Henry's father, and what the hell are you supposed to say to people who are dying anyway?"

"That's it?" Neal reared back a little. "So there's nothing ..." he mumbled.

Emma shook her head. How could there be when she knew she had feelings for someone else.

"Henry and your parents seem to think I'm your true love," Neal said with a grin.

"And you know that's not true," Emma stated. "Neal, I'm sorry, but any romantic feelings I had for you are long gone. And I mean gone."

"That's too bad," Neal said. "We were good together, Em. We could be good together again." He smiled cheekily. "I won't give up, you know, and I'll have Henry to help."

Emma got right up in his face. "If you ever want to see Henry again, you'll leave him out of this!"

"Leave Henry out of what?" Snow asked from behind her.

"Nothing," Emma muttered. She really didn't need her mother's opinion on her love life right now.

Snow shrugged. "Good ... because you sounded a lot like Regina just now ..." With that she turned and focused on whatever Granny was telling her.

Emma sighed. Regina. She wondered what the other woman was doing.

o o o

Regina looked around the log cabin, sizing up what needed to be done to make this place fit to live in for a longer period of time. The cabin had been her getaway when she needed to be outside in the woods, as close to the town line as she had dared, but she hadn't actually been here in many years.

Not since Henry.

A breath escaped Regina's lungs at the thought of her son, the son she loved more than her own life, the son who didn't love her anymore. Well, she was giving him his happy ending with his real family, and maybe that would allow him to think fondly of her in the future.

Regina shook off the dark thoughts and got to work. She cleaned the place with a few waves of her hand, then unpacked the things she had sent here. She checked the bedroom and, deciding that it needed to be airier, enlarged it a little, replacing the entire back wall with floor to ceiling windows in the process. While she was at it, she turned the simple bathroom into a modern en-suite with a large shower, also with a floor to ceiling window.

Much better.

The fireplaces in both rooms still looked okay. Knowing that cold nights weren't too far off, she magically stacked a few months' worth of firewood outside the back wall. She walked into what went for a kitchen and rolled her eyes. Well, that was not going to work for more than a week. She enlarged the room and with a flick of her wrist installed a modern kitchen, similar in style to the one in her house, just on a slightly smaller scale. Another flick of her wrist stacked her pantry and fridge with the contents of their counterparts in her house.

She walked outside, glad she had worn jeans and hiking boots. She checked the roof and repaired the spots that needed to be repaired. Once her cabin was as good as new, or better actually, she took a deep breath to focus on the real work ahead: making sure nobody would ever be able to find her cabin.

Or her.

Regina walked away from the cabin until she came to a tree she had marked as one of the cornerstones of her border. She then walked in a wide circle around the cabin from cornerstone to cornerstone, weaving spell after spell along the way. It took about an hour to make sure everything was perfect and set up so the spells would keep each other up without requiring her constant vigilance, but then everything was done.

Regina made it back to the cabin just in time to collapse at the door, exhausted from the amount of magic she had woven. Darkness had fallen outside by the time she managed to crawl inside and into her armchair. She was asleep before she had the time to get comfortable.