It had been ten years since Emma Swan put down roots in a small town called Storybrooke. She had met Regina Mills before giving birth. The two were living together ten years later with five kids. Henry is ten, Remy is nine and a half, Oliver is nine, Odette is five, and Faline is four and a half. Regina was the mayor when Emma met her and now Emma is the sheriff. The two were in bed one night when Emma placed her hand on Regina's left breast and felt something. "What's that?"

"What's what?"

"You have a lump," Emma began to panic.

"And..."

"Regina, don't joke."

"I'm not joking. I really don't see the big deal."

"The curse is real, isn't it?"

"What?"

"You don't know why this is a big deal because where you're from they don't have breast cancer."

"Look, I'll make an appointment tomorrow if it will make you happy."

"Answer my question."

Regina sighed, "yes, the whole book is real. I didn't realize who you were until Henry showed me the book."

"I'm going with you tomorrow."

Emma and Regina got the kids to school and then went in to see Dr. Whale. He did a breast exam, blood work, and a mammogram. Since the lab wasn't running any other tests, the results came back right away. "Madam Mayor, you are in stage two. Now, we can treat you here, but there's a clinic about an hour outside of Storybrooke that's more equipped to treat you. The sheriff can stay there with you." Whale handed the mayor all of the information about the center and her file. Emma and Regina went to the station where they were more likely to be alone. "If this is the best place to be right now then maybe I should go," Regina said.

"I'll put Graham in charge and appoint a temporary deputy."

"No, you need to stay here."

"I'm not letting you go through this alone. You have no idea what you're up against."

"Well, then what do we do with the kids?"

"We'll have to get someone to stay with them."

Regina looked at her watch, "I know just the person. Stay here and figure out your stuff. I'll be back." Regina drove to the school and found Mary Margaret releasing the kids for lunch.

"Madam Mayor, is everything alright?"

"No, it's not. Can we sit?"

"Sure," Mary Margaret shut the door and sat at a desk next to Regina.

"I am about to ask you a huge favor. I have stage two breast cancer and I'm going away to a clinic for a while to receive treatment. Emma is insistent about going with me."

"I'm so sorry. What can I do?"

"Would you stay with the kids while we're gone?"

"Really?"

"You're the best person for the job."

"Yeah, I'll stay with them for as long as you need me to. When do you leave?"

"I called Dr. Whale on my way here to tell him I was going. He's going to call and get everything set up. Thank you, Mary Margaret." The mayor left and sent Emma a message that she had someone to stay with the kids. Whale called Regina to tell her that she could check into the clinic in a week. That night at dinner, they had to tell the kids.

"Kids, your mom and I have to go away for a while," Emma said.

"What?" they were all confused.

"Mary Margaret is going to stay with you while we're gone. Your mom is sick and needs to go somewhere out of town for treatment."

The children looked at Regina and noticed that she was trying to keep her emotions in check. "Why can't we go too?" Odette asked.

"Well, princess, there's not enough room and I'm going to be busy taking care of mommy." Emma kept talking because she knew that Regina was too upset. It wasn't until she realized that she would be away from her children indefinitely and may never see them again, that it hit her. "We're leaving a week from today. I'll give Mary Margaret all of the information. We'll have our phones and I'm sure you'll be able to visit now and then."

When dinner was over the children left the table, "mama will never break the curse now," Henry said.

"Can mom even leave town?" Remy asked.

"I guess we're going to find out," Henry answered.

In the dining room, Emma began to clear the table, "are you okay?" she asked Regina who was still seated.

"What if it doesn't work? What if I never see them again? I'm so scared, Emma." Regina began to cry and Emma bent over to take the woman in her arms. The children had heard the noise and went to see what it was. They had never seen their mom cry before and they had never seen her afraid.

Leaving the children was the hardest thing Regina had ever had to do. She had to appoint a temporary replacement for mayor and chose David for the obvious reason. He may not know who he is, but Regina did. Regina had a private room with a bathroom and a pull-out bed. "I guess this is home for now," she said. "God, it's so depressing here."

"Well, luckily for you, I'm here," Emma smiled.

Regina chuckled, "yeah, you sure are." The mayor paused for a moment, "at some point, you need to break the curse."

"I know, but let's get this going. Besides, I don't even know who I'm supposed to kiss to break it."

"Henry," Regina said.

"How do you know that?"

"He's the reason you ended up in Storybrooke. He brought you here and gave you true love. Kiss his forehead and it should work."

"I forgive you, ya know."

Regina gave a small smile, "I know. I just haven't forgiven myself. Maybe this is my punishment."

"You weren't always the Evil Queen. You became that as a result of many hurtful years. This isn't your punishment and you definitely don't deserve this."