A/N: Again, such amazing responses. I hope I'm doing both sensitive subject matters justice. Any suggestions or recommendations are warmly received. Feel free to send a private message if you're not comfortable leaving a public review/comment.

Henry picked up his burger with both hands, eyes round as saucers as he took in the feast before him. The first bite dripped ketchup down his shirt but Regina ignored the spreading stain, focusing instead on what Ruby was saying. She herself wasn't hungry.

"You can have visitors but women only and they have to be signed into the visitor's log at the front desk. No visitors after nine at night or before eight in the morning. I guess it goes without saying we don't want you handing out our address to people. We keep a low profile."

"Understood," Regina nodded.

"Out of interest, how did you find out about us?" It was a question Emma always wanted her staff to ask new arrivals, curious to know how word of a location which was so deliberately kept hidden was spread.

Regina looked sideways at her son. There was no way he was listening; he was far too busy making his way through his long-awaited dinner. "A woman at the Samaritans recommended you. I called last month. Someone to talk to, you know? I told her I wanted to head to New York and she said you would take me and Henry, no questions asked."

The fact that she had called the Samaritans was still something Regina couldn't quite believe. It had been one morning, a few weeks earlier. She had been sipping her second coffee of the morning, staring out of the window over the kitchen sink and something had snapped in her. She needed to talk to someone. She needed to confide in someone. She needed to be listened to, to feel heard.

"Yeah, we get a few referrals from them. We're not completely unknown but of course we're a women only space so this address is never given out to men. We don't have a sign outside for a reason. We don't have an online presence. We're not supposed to be found. And no man is granted access to the building under any circumstances," Ruby added firmly.

"Do men … do they show up here often? Looking for people?"

"No, it's very rare. And when it does happen, it's because they've been told the address by someone; either the woman themselves or a family member. But regardless of the reason or how they find us, even if the woman they've come to see says it's ok, no man is given access. We have a mediation room next to our office if a meeting is something both parties want but one of the shelter staff will be present at all times."

Regina nodded. She didn't think that was a room she was going to need to use. She also didn't think he'd ever be showing up at the door. There was no way he would be able to track her to New York and she'd told no one of her plans.

"So, you and Henry will have a bedroom to yourselves. There are no locks on the doors for safety reasons but this rear area is completely secure. You've seen our back yard. The door out there which leads to an alley is fitted with a coded lock just like the internal door and there's also a deadbolt. We never really use the door but the access is a fire safety requirement. And as you saw, there's a code to get into this back area. All of the common rooms and corridors have cameras in them. There are no cameras in the room but, as we said, the doors don't lock because that's a security risk for you above all else."

"So anyone can just walk into our room?"

"In theory, yes, but they won't. There's a locker in your room so all of your valuables are safe but you won't have any problems from anyone in here. Everyone is here for the same reason. We're a team, a community. You'll get nothing but support from the other women, I'm sure."

Regina glanced over to the far side of the common room where half a dozen women were sat watching television, small children dotted on their laps. None of them had paid her any attention. She supposed there were many people coming and going in a place like this. "How many of us are there?"

"Including you, we've got eleven women here at the moment. Thirteen kids. We have twelve rooms in total but we're due to expand."

"And how long can I stay?"

"As long as you need to. We'll never ask anyone to leave until they have somewhere safe and secure to go."

"Ok, thanks," Regina said, offering the woman a flicker of a smile.

"Any time," Ruby replied. "There's always someone here whom you can talk to. We have a psychologist who's here during the day so you'll meet with her tomorrow."

Regina felt her stomach twist at that. "Tomorrow?"

"If you're ready," Ruby nodded. "We find it better to have a meeting set up as soon as possible but we won't force you into anything until you want to talk. If you'd rather wait a few days, that's fine too."

"Mom, I'm tired," Henry piped up.

Ruby and Regina both looked at the boy. Ketchup was smeared around his mouth and his eyes were half closed; dopey as a result of the huge meal and the long drive.

"Bed time, I think," Regina smiled, reaching over with a tissue and wiping her son's face. "Thank you, Ruby. You've been amazing."

"The hardest part is over," Ruby offered. "It'll get better from now on, I'm sure of it."

"I hope so," Regina said, getting to her feet and helping Henry down from his chair. "See you in the morning."

"I won't be on shift tomorrow. I pulled a double today. But I'll be in on Saturday, so I guess I'll see you then."

Regina and Henry walked out of the dining room and back to the small bedroom with Ruby where they had deposited their case before dinner. The redhead wished them goodnight and pulled the door to. As soon as he was in his pyjamas, Henry lay down on one of the two beds and closed his eyes.

"Not yet, Henry. Teeth first, please."

Henry grumbled but righted himself as his mother handed him a washbag. Together they made their way down the corridor to the communal bathrooms. Teeth brushed, toilets used and faces wiped, they returned to their room. As Henry crawled into his bed, Regina realised just how tired she was. An eight-hour drive after leaving your husband apparently took it out of you, she mused as she dimmed the lights and set about getting herself dressed for bed.

The moment her head hit the pillow, however, her mind raced once more. What now? What was her next move? Regina had been focused on one goal; leaving. Her entire being had been consumed with getting away. She had to get herself and Henry away. They weren't safe. She had to make sure they were both safe.

And they were. Lying in that dark bedroom, Regina did feel safe from him. But what about the rest of the world? Not that she was concerned about becoming a victim to another man; no, she wasn't even considering dating again. But the world was a harsh place. It was unforgiving, driven by money and power. She had nothing. She had no job, a college degree she had never used, no references. All she had was a single suitcase containing a handful of outfits and her son. She had a six-year-old child who depended on her and no way of providing.

Her husband had countless faults but at least he always provided for his family. The mansion they lived in. The clothes they wore. The food she prepared. They wanted for nothing, in the material sense. This generosity was more a display of machismo than a declaration of his love and devotion. Regina would have gladly sacrificed all their worldly possessions for a loving, caring, kind husband and father. In fact, she had sacrificed all of their worldly possessions but in their place she and Henry only had … her.

She peered through the gloom to where her son lay. Henry was already asleep, exhausted from the day. His head poked over the edge of the blanket and Regina felt her eyes fill with tears at the sight. Henry was completely dependent on her. He had come with her, been torn away from everything he had ever known and thrust into a new and confusing environment without any explanation. There would be questions tomorrow, she was sure. Tonight he had been too tired and hungry to really take it all in. Tomorrow would be a different story.

How was she going to provide? Would she get a job? How would she afford rent? Henry needed to go to school. Could she sign him up tomorrow or would he have to wait? What sort of job could she get? She didn't have any proof of her college education; that had been left behind in Storybrooke. Would he be able to find her once she started working? Where would they live? Would they stay in New York?

Regina rolled over and stared at the wall, willing her mind to permit her to sleep. It didn't.

The alarm beeped at 7:24am. Emma reached out at once to turn it off before swinging her legs out the side of her bed and stretching. Standing up, she opened the door to her bedroom and propped it open with a dumbbell. Picking up the pull up bar from the floor, she slotted it in place and stretched her arms a few more times.

Lean fingers curled around the grips as she prepared. One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten. She dropped to the floor, tipping her head from side to side and rolling her shoulders, the burn in her muscles welcome and exhilarating. Her hands returned to the bar for another ten reps. Once done, she took the bar down and made her way through to the bathroom.

Twisting the shower dial to halfway between the number seven and number eight, Emma used the toilet as she waited for the water to reach the right temperature. Once in the shower, she realised she was running low on shampoo. Working the cinnamon scented gel through to the tips of her thick blonde hair, she rinsed and reached for the cinnamon body scrub. Emma liked cinnamon.

As soon as she got out, she opened the cupboard under the sink and pulled out a new bottle of shampoo to put in the shower cubicle. She counted the remaining bottles; five. There were eight bottles of body scrub lined up beside it. Emma bought her toiletries in packs of twelve, just in case.

Next was the kitchen. Into the toaster went two slices of medium thickness bread. The dial turned to the third setting. A plate was placed on the counter along with a knife, the butter and a jar of blueberry jam. She turned on the coffee machine. Her travel mug was already waiting beneath the spout for the morning brew.

Back in her bedroom, she looked at her cell. 7:39am. Right on schedule. She dressed, white shirt and black slacks, and blow-dried the worst of the water out of her hair. The rest would dissipate on the way to work. Once dressed, Emma went back to the kitchen. The toast was already waiting for her. She didn't like hot toast. Buttering both slices, she added the perfect amount of jam and took a bite before screwing on the lid of her travel mug.

As she ate, she moved to the fridge. Inside was a cardboard box which contained half of her pizza from the night before. The thought of eating that instead of her toast made her chuckle to herself. Her foster father was a fool. But it would do for lunch, given Ruby wouldn't be there.

By 7:52am the toast was gone and Emma was placing her cell, keys and the pizza box carefully in her handbag. With her travel mug in hand, she left the apartment, closing the door behind her. At the elevator, she pressed the down button five times. In the lobby, she checked the mail box. Nothing yet. Their mail usually arrived late morning. She locked the box. Then opened it again. She knew there was nothing in there but it was part of her routine. Box locked for the second time, she stepped out of the building and onto the street.

The walk to the shelter took six minutes. It almost took seven because a delivery truck had obstructed the sidewalk where they were unloading crates of vegetables. Emma had debated her move for a split second, one, two, three, four, five, pause, one, two, three, four, five, pause, before crossing the street a block earlier than planned and continuing on.

"Morning Ruby," she said as she walked through the front door of Swan's Shelter and took her first gulp of coffee.

"First sip?" Ruby smirked at her.

"You know it is," Emma said as she rounded the desk. "How was the night?"

"I don't know why you don't make a coffee here when you arrive. It's the exact same machine we have at home and it would save you carrying it."

"How was the night?" Emma asked again, ignoring her flatmate. It was not the first time Ruby had pointed out that particular quirk of Emma's morning routine.

"One new arrival. A woman and her son. Regina, which I think is her real name, and Henry. They're in room 108. Didn't get too much out of her last night. They were pretty tired."

"Local?"

Ruby shook her head. "The car had Maine plates on it. The kid said that was where he was from too. He seemed exhausted, like they'd driven all the way yesterday."

"Did she say anything about why she was here?"

"No," Ruby replied. "Figured we'd give her some time. I told her she could see Belle today."

"Might be a bit fast but we'll see. How old is the child?"

"Six. Didn't ask much last night. Said something about going to the zoo and the park. I think that was what his mom had said to explain their trip. He was just hungry from what I could tell."

"Neglected?"

"Not at all. Just the long drive. The mum had a cool box but I guess an eight hour drive is going to require more than a few sandwiches. He had a burger when they got here."

"Did she eat?" Emma asked. Ruby shook her head. She hadn't even realised that Regina was probably hungry too. "Right, clock off and go and get some sleep. I'll see you tonight."

Ruby didn't need telling twice. She grabbed her things, gave Emma a kiss on the cheek and disappeared. Emma surveyed the front desk and sighed. One, two, three, four, five, pause. One, two, three, four, five, pause. How she managed to live with someone as messy as Ruby, she never knew. The first order of business was tidying up. She put the pens back in the box. She straightened the file. She wiped the crumbs from the surface and emptied the trash can. While she was doing this chore, Ella arrived.

"Hey, I'm so sorry to mess you around yesterday. Did Ruby cover me ok?"

"Yes, not a problem," Emma lied. Well, it wasn't a problem really but it had caused her several moments of unnecessary stress. She knew Ella hadn't done it on purpose though. "Is Alex better?"

"Yeah, it was just a twenty-four hour thing. She's at school now."

"Glad to hear it. Are you ok to stay out here for an hour? We got a new guest last night and I've not met her yet. I want to meet with a couple of the other women too."

"Sure, take your time. I have paperwork to catch up on anyway," Ella said as she slotted her bag beneath the now clean desk and sat down. Each woman who arrived at Swan's Shelter was allocated one member of staff who was their primary point of contact. This staff member was responsible, as far as their personal training allowed, for mentoring, supporting and assisting these women as they started their new lives. While it was an important element of their jobs, it also came with paperwork.

"Thanks," Emma said, taking her cell out of her bag, along with the pizza box and heading into the back.

She could hear the noise from the canteen as soon as she stepped into the corridor. Breakfast was always a loud affair. Before she knocked on the closed bedroom door of the new guest, she headed to the kitchen to stow her cold pizza in the fridge. Several of the women greeted her as she crossed the common area and she smiled back at them. Once the pizza was safely put away, she headed towards the bedrooms but before she could reach the corridor once more, a figure sat in the far corner caught her eye. She stopped dead in her tracks.

No, it couldn't be, Emma thought to herself. The woman's face was hidden from view but there was something about the way she held herself, the way her hair fell, the straight point of her delicate nose, peeking out from beyond the curtain of dark brown hair. A small boy sat beside her, spooning large amounts of cereal into his mouth, milk splattering the table. The woman seemed to be staring into a cup of coffee. Emma took a step closer, increasingly sure she knew exactly who this newest guest was.

"Regina Mills?"

Brown eyes snapped up from where they had been staring at the hot black liquid. Eyebrows knotted together as she took in the face of the blonde woman standing before her. There was definite recognition. She was familiar but hard to place. Emma waited until those striking eyes, despite the dark circles beneath them, blew wide as the connection was finally made.

"Emma Swan."

A/N: hello cliffhanger…