The plan, the eventual plan, the ultimate and original plan was to leave Storybrooke when she walked out of her mother's house, but it didn't quite happen that way.

The rain cleared up by the time Regina had driven out of town and she ended up driving past Storybrooke Stables on her way. It was a long ride back to New York City, but as soon as she saw the horses out in the field, she'd turned down the long gravel driveway without a second thought. The clouds cleared away almost completely by the time Regina parked her car beside two others near the training paddock where there were five children riding ponies while the owner of the stables overlooked the lesson taking place.

The white-haired and very tanned man, Josef, waved at Regina as she approached the wood fence and she waved back with a fond smile. She walked over to where the old man was standing and he gave her a curt nod with a bright smile in acknowledgment.

"Miss Regina," Josef said cheerfully, his French accent still as thick as it'd always been for as long as she could remember. He wiped his hands casually on his jeans before he reached out to shake her hand. "It has been very long time, Miss Regina."

"Yes, it has. How are you, Josef?"

"Je vais bien," he replied curtly. "JR is inside. You must go say hello, Miss Regina, he will be very surprised to see you. Take Lady out for a ride too, yes? She will enjoy just as you will, I'm sure. My condolences. Your papa will be missed here greatly."

"Thank you."

Regina headed towards the entrance to the large barn and it felt as if she had taken a step back in time, back to her old life. The smells, the sights, and the sounds, it was all things she'd missed for so very long and she was only just realizing how much she had missed it at all.

She couldn't remember the last time she'd set foot in the stables, but it had been longer than twelve years at least. When she was with Emma, they would go out riding together on Sunday afternoons if they could find a sitter for Henry and only when they weren't working one of many jobs they had to work just to pay the bills and the mortgage. As Henry had gotten older, they went riding less and less. Regina worked at the stables part-time and still continued to ride her old horse Rocinante at least once a week for years. Her father had taken over the care of her old horse a few years before she had left as she just didn't have the time nor the energy to do it anymore.

She hadn't even come home when her beloved horse she'd had since she was a young girl had tragically passed away. She should've though. She should've done it just as she had now for her father.

She wiped away a few tears that fell in memory of her beloved horse, wishing she could take back all the time that she'd lost with him, wishing she could've been there at the end of his life just as she had been there right from the day after he'd been born when her father bought him for her. She remembered learning how to be patient and at such a young age, too. She had to wait for a few years before she could ride the horse her father bought for her. It had felt longer, then, but then again time moved far differently than it used to.

Regina walked into the stables and past a few of the stalls, empty except for one. Her father's horse, Lady, had been a rescue and was still quite wild at heart-at least that is what her father had told her and one of the last conversations they'd ever had. His horse was the only thing he would tell her in relation to everyone and everything in her hometown. Lady was getting on in her years too, roughly seventeen now, give or take. Regina hadn't seen her in just as many years since she'd been there last and she had doubts that the rescued mare would even remember her at all. She approached the stall slowly as to not startled the beautiful golden Arabian mare and waited for the horse to acknowledge her presence before continuing in her approach.

At the first snort that Lady made, Regina reached out to allow the mare to nuzzle its nose against the palm of her hand. There was little hesitation as the mare nuzzled into Regina's hands as if she'd done it a thousand times before. She whispered the mare's name before slowly bringing up her other hand to the mare's neck. Lady was soft and warm and a little weary as there was no doubt that she was missing Regina's father and so very patiently waiting for his return. Regina scratched at the mare's neck, watching as her ears pointed forward and she leaned into Regina's touch with a happy snort at the scratches she was receiving.

"Ah, I wondered if you would come by soon," Josef's oldest son said as he approached the outside of the stall. He smiled as Regina looked over at him. "It's been quite a long time."

"Yes, it has," Regina replied and she turned her attention back to Lady. "How are you, JR?"

"Good, busy as always, but good," he said and he reached out to give Lady a scratch on the neck and laughed lightly as the mare moved away quickly. "She's been a little restless these past few days. She would like to be taken out on the trails for a little ride, I'm sure. She's been missing your father. We all have. My condolences, Regina. He will be sorely missed."

"Thank you."

"Let me know if you need anything. Everything is pretty much where it's always been."

Regina turned her attention back to the horse once again and lifted the latch on the gate, careful to wait for the moment of restlessness that the sound of it triggered to pass. Regina continued to approach with caution, just as she had been taught many years ago by her father. She watched for any signs of fear or trepidations and when there was none, she reached out to scratch at the mare's neck just beneath her beautiful golden mane.

Lady was freshly groomed and Regina could tell that as she got a little closer. She turned to look over at JR when he walked past and flashed him a grateful smile. He just waved and walked off with a black horse trailing behind him. Regina went through an old and familiar routine of making sure her father's horse was fully content before getting her saddled and ready to go out on the trails for a quick ride.

"Are you ready, Lady?" Regina asked after she had led the mare out of the stables and to the start of the main trail through the woods. She looked ahead and gripped tight onto the reins. "Let's go!"

The trails were muddy from all the rain earlier, but the golden Arabian galloped down the narrow and familiar trail with practiced ease. Regina remembered every dip and every curve of the trails as she urged Lady to go faster and soon they were flying down along the muddy trail. Adrenaline coursed through Regina's body, embracing every second of it. Regina inhaled the fresh air deeply as the mare's speed dropped and she came to a slow stop at the fork in the trail. She refused Regina's commands with a snort to continue on to the left and took the right trail instead, ignoring Regina constant urging to turn back.

Regina gripped the reins tightly and cursed under her breath at the stubborn horse. She knew that trail was one her father liked to frequent and one the stubborn horse was likely used to taking. She settled back in the saddle a little more and let the horse gallop along the muddy trail at a leisurely pace.

It was the same trail she'd ridden on with her father growing up, the same one she'd escaped to when she needed time to herself as a teenager, and it was the trail she'd taken Emma on dozens of times as well. With every passing minute came along memories of her time in those very woods with her father, with Emma, and just a few with Henry too when he was still very young. Her whole body tensed, however, when the horse suddenly turned down a trail just off from that one and it was one that Regina was trying not to think of at all because of the precious memories it held for her.

Ones she wasn't nearly ready to revisit just yet. It didn't seem as if she had a choice now, though.

She tried again, like before, to get the horse to stop and turn around, but the golden Arabian snorted stubbornly and continued to ignore her commands. After another stubborn snort, the horse trotted out along the trail as it led out to a small meadow. Regina sighed and dismounted once the horse came to a stop and she led her over to the willow tree that sat along the bank of the creek that ran through.

"Why here?" Regina murmured as she scratched along the mare's neck. "Why here? Why now? Why today? I'm not ready to be here yet."

Regina stepped away and dropped the reins. She walked through the waist-high grass and exhaled sharply at the feel of the warm sun upon her face that broke through the opening in the curtain of leaves on the willow tree. That place, it was a very special place with some very deep and meaningful memories for her with her father and she wasn't ready to be there without him there by her side.

That little meadow was her and her father's spot where they had spent countless of afternoons there together. Sometimes they'd have a picnic, sometimes they'd spend the afternoon fishing together using rods that her father had made with sticks and a roll of fishing line. Of course, they never caught anything big enough to keep, but it had never mattered. The meadow with the old willow tree by the creek was their special spot.

She truly wasn't ready to be there yet. The grief was far too heavy to bear and her father's death was still too fresh. The memories that came of being there in that spot with him was just too much to handle so soon after his passing. And there was another layer of guilt darkening her door as she realized that the last time she had been there hadn't been with him as it should've been.

The last time she had been there was the first and only time she'd shared that special spot with someone else other than her father. The last time she'd been there it had been with Emma and Henry. She had taken them there for a picnic, surprising them with the surreal beauty of the small meadow, and she'd even taught Henry how to fish with the rods her father had made. They had always hidden the rods away inside the hollow spot of the willow tree for safekeeping.

It had been the first time she'd ever shared something that was special to her and her father with anyone else. Just thinking of that day now, of how warm it'd been, of how gentle the breeze blew, of the millions of mosquitoes that pestered, it made her walk forward towards the willow tree.

She inhaled sharply as she pushed aside the flowing branches of the willow tree and her eyes fell upon an old log carved a little to resemble a bench that sat just beneath the base of the tree. That was new. She walked around to where the hollow was in the tree and a huge sense of relief flooded through her as her eyes landed upon the old fishing rods, still right where they'd been left, where they were meant to be. She gasped in surprise when she saw two other rods sitting next to them, store-bought ones, and looking fairly brand-new too.

She didn't reach out to touch them and instead she turned to the old log that had been meticulously carved into a bench of sorts. She ran her fingers along the smooth grooves where the bark had been removed and then over her father's initials that were carved along the left side. She sat down heavily and looked out over the creek, watching as the water flowed by quickly, the water higher than normal due to the rain they'd gotten earlier. She closed her eyes and let herself go as she listened to the birds nearby sing their happy little song in the trees. And she just reveled in the feel of the soft breeze as it flowed over her skin.

No. She wasn't ready. Not today. Not yet.

"Another time, Lady," she said to calm the mere as she approached her on the other side of the tree, right where she had left her. Regina gave her a gentle pat just below her ear. "I promise we will come back here soon. When I'm ready."

All she got in response was a chortle and a head shake. She laughed before she moved to mount the horse, it taking two tries to get into the saddle as she was a little rusty. It was something she'd never forget though, no matter how many years had passed, even a lifetime or more. She took ahold of the reins firmly and clicked as a signal for the horse to turn around and head back to the trail.

"Lady, please," she begged quietly. Lady snorted stubbornly, refusing to move. "What would Daddy think of you acting like this, hmm? You know he wouldn't approve of your stubbornness. He never did, did he?"

With another command, a firmer one, Lady let out yet another stubborn snort, but turned reluctantly and headed for the trail. Regina whispered her thanks and soon they were off, flying down the trail that led back to the stables.

Once Regina had led the golden Arabian back into the stables, she began the tedious task that came after any ride, short or long. She removed the saddle and brushed off the dirt and did some light grooming. It did its purpose in taking Regina's mind off of everything, especially the memories that had begun to resurface after that visit to the meadow and the willow tree. It also took her mind off Emma and Henry too until she banged off the brush on the wall and saw where Emma had carved their initials inside a small heart a long time ago in the stall next to Lady's that had once belonged to her Rocinante.

She didn't realize how late it had gotten until she walked out of the stables and found the sun to be much lower in the sky than it had been upon her return after her ride. She groaned and ran her fingers through her short, wind-tussled hair. There was absolutely no way she would make it back home to New York City until the early hours of the morning if she left now. It was a long drive and an even longer one at night, especially when done alone.

She hated the idea of spending the next eight or more hours on the road alone more than she hated the idea of staying in Storybrooke for just one more day. And that was one of the things that were high on that list at the moment, too.

After she made arrangements with Josef and his son over the care of her father's horse in her absence, she ended up being roped into a deal, a promise of sorts, with Josef that she would come back no less than twice in a month to visit and to ride Lady out on the trails. It was with great hesitation that she drove back into town and back to Mifflin Street.

Regina snuck back into the house after parking her car out on the street. She all but dumped her suitcase out onto the bed once she was in her room and tossed her clothes into the small laundry basket she found in a closet in the hallway. If she was going to be staying, just for onemore day, she'd need clean clothes to wear. She stripped out of her borrowed clothes, clothes she knew she should've changed before going out on a horseback ride, and she tossed them into the basket with the rest of her clothes.

After she put a load on, she had a long, hot shower. Nobody was home, she realized soon after she had finished in the shower and wandered back downstairs to the laundry room to switch her clothes into the dryer. She waited in the kitchen, pacing the floor in her bare feet, and waited for her laundry to finish. There were a few bottles of wine on the counter, some full, some empty, and the temptation to just pour herself a glass was almost too much to handle.

She felt like she was losing the fight within herself, the fight against the demons that were inside her, begging to come out again at just the tiniest drop of her favorite poison. And she nearly lost that fight too when she grabbed a glass out of the cupboard and was about to open a bottle of Merlot when her phone beeped in the pocket of her robe.

It was a single text from her sister. She swiped at the screen with a roll of her eyes and read the message.

Rabbit Hole 7. Come. I know you're still here.

[X]

I'm already here, what do I have to lose?

That was the very reasoning going through Regina's mind from the moment she gave in and decided to go after all. She had spent an hour convincing herself just to go, if only just to humor her sister, if only just to get Zelena to lay off of her for a little while. It wasn't as if she had anything better to do.

It was the Rabbit Hole or spend the evening with her mother at home-the latter of which she did not want to entertain not even for a moment when her mother came home shortly before seven, drunk and barely able to walk straight. She was already fighting a losing battle against her demons and even though being in a bar was probably the last place she should be, being around her mother was far, far worse. She could fight her demons, she'd been battling them for some time now, and just because she was going to a bar didn't mean she hadto have a drink. Or two. Or ten.

She was stronger than her demons. It was due time for her to prove it to herself. She could do this. She wasstrong enough to spend an hour or two in a bar and not have a single drink.

Those words, strong enough, repeated in her mind as she approached the entrance to the bar. She could already hear the music and steady chatter of people coming from inside. She paused to look up at the building in front of her and wondered for the umpteenth time since she left the house if she was going to fight a losing battle against her inner demons tonight or if she'd win this time.

She looked down at the outfit she'd chosen to wear and it was something she didn't think she'd ever see herself in again. She looked like the Regina Mills from a decade ago, relaxed, dressed in a simple pair of black jeans she paired with a nearly sheer black top and her old leather jacket that she'd found folded up on her closet shelf-a jacket she had left behind when she moved in with Emma. She opted out of wearing her heels and took it upon herself to borrow a pair of her sister's mid-calf high boots before she'd left the house.

She hadn't seen that version of herself since she'd left it behind in Storybrooke with the rest of her old life. She hadn't been that person either since then but it felt a little bit liberating and it gave her a sense of newfound confidence she hadn't had in a long time.

A man and a woman stumbled out of the bar laughing and nearly walked into Regina, neither bothering to utter a simple apology as Regina stepped around them. She slipped inside the door before it could shut and she took a shaky breath as the sights and sounds and smells hit her all at once, making her feel queasy and instantly full of regret.

You have nothing to lose. That voice echoed, still the same as the one before, just different words and louder. It was the voice of the same demon she fought daily, now right there in front of her, clear as day as temptation surrounded her, overwhelmingly so.

She shook her head. It was just so ridiculous. She could do this. She could spend an hour, at most, in a bar and not feel like she was slipping completely, couldn't she? She was stronger than she'd been even a month ago, and she as much stronger than she believed herself to be.

It was loud inside as she walked further in and she was instantly consumed by the chatter of people all around her, by the music the played loudly in the background, but it was the clack of pool balls that caught her sole attention as a crowd had started to gather around the only table in the entire establishment. In an instant, she felt as she had earlier when she was at the stables and it felt like she had quite literally taken a step into the past.

It was a very typical crowd for a Saturday night in the town's only bar and it was packed. Regina stopped just a handful of steps away from the door when the crowd cleared away from the table in one spot and her eyes landed on Emma Swan. In the brief glance she'd caught of her, it was as if a day hadn't passed as Emma was dressed in tight blue jeans and an old faded Henley with her long hair pulled back into a tight ponytail. The very sight of her had Regina's heart racing with both old and new feelings rushing in all at once.

It would've been easier to leave than to stay, but Regina was stubborn and determined to fight all of her demons that night, and she walked over to the bar with her head held high and took a seat on one of the empty stools near the end on the left. Just as with anywhere else she'd been in town since she returned a few days ago, she saw a lot of familiar faces in the crowded room and some new ones as well. She wasn't surprised to see the regular old crowd hanging around there either and even Claudia, the owner and bartender, was still behind the bar slinging drinks.

Regina hadn't spotted her sister amongst the crowd and it wasn't long before she saw Ruby, a glance of her, and she was sitting in one of the three oversized booths by the pool table with people she didn't recognize. She did, however, roll her eyes at the sound of a familiar and unwelcome voice from beside her.

"Whoa, now there's a face I haven't seen here in years!"

"Leroy," Regina replied with an annoyed scoff and another roll of her eyes. "I'd say it's nice to see you, but it's really not."

"Now, now, sister, just trying to be friendly here," Leroy responded defensively and he scratched at the top of his bald head for a second. "Just wanted to say I'm sorry to hear about your father. The world has sadly lost a great man."

"It has indeed. Thank you, Leroy."

Because what else was she supposed to say whenever someone offered her their condolences, really?

Regina turned at the welcome sound of the bartender laughing from behind her. She smiled fondly at the woman and her former boss from her days where she pulled any shift that she could there at the Rabbit Hole just to make ends meet. The tips kept her head just above water during those days.

"Claudia."

"Regina," Claudia laughed as she placed a small napkin down in front of her and reached for a wine glass without waiting for Regina's order. "I didn't get a chance to give my condolences at your father's funeral. For once Leroy is right about something. The world has truly lost a great man."

"Thank you. I'll just have-"

"The usual?" Claudia asked, leaning in a little to hear better over the music and the noise of the crowd. "Or are you up to trying something new?"

"A club soda. Minimal ice, please."

Claudia did a double-take and then laughed. "You are serious?"

"Yes."

Claudia barely batted an eye as she grabbed the tall wine glass and replaced it with a normal glass. She put a few pieces of ice inside with tongs before swiftly moving to grab a bottle of club soda out of the fridge behind her. "I heard a little rumor that you quit drinking," she said before she opened the bottle and poured it into the glass. "Good for you." She smiled and placed a lime wedge on the side of the glass. "I've seen too many drinks ruin too many lives."

"Mine included, but I ain't complaining," Leroy laughed from beside Regina. "Still here, ain't I, princess?"

"Fortunately for my bills, yes," Claudia laughed along with him.

"Thank you, Claudia," Regina said, silently repeating a mantra of I'm choosing not to drink tonight over and over again in her head. It had worked in the first few weeks when she first stopped and she had a little bit of hope that it'd work again tonight.

"Let me know when you're ready for another. On the house for my favorite former bartender always."

"Emma know you're here?" Leroy asked as he leaned in a little too close. The smell of whiskey and beer very strong on his breath.

"Yes."

"No," he laughed. "As in here, tonight. It's girl's night out." Leroy laughed again, obnoxiously so. "She doesn't know that you're here right now, does she?"

Playing an oblivious card, Regina took a small sip of her club soda. The last person she wanted to be having a conversation with was Leroy, the town drunk and general all-around nuisance. "I don't think she's even here," she stated. "So, I-"

"Oh, she's here all right. It's Saturday night, after all," Leroy said before pointing through the crowd around the pool table where Emma was standing while she waited for her turn. "Everyone wants to hustle Sheriff Swan. Nobody's ever walked away a winner yet, not for at least five years now."

Regina rolled her eyes. Some things really didn't change and Emma using her skills, her gift at pool to hustle people out of their money was one of them. It wasn't a typical Saturday night in Storybrooke without a hastily organized tournament against the best and now apparently the only undefeated player in town, Emma Swan.

Even Leroy, always having been famously known as the town drunk and a long-time regular there at the Rabbit Hole, hadn't changed much at either-aside from the hair he'd lost on the top half of his head over the years. She knew the man well as she'd worked the closing shift there for years and she knew that the more distance she put between herself and him, the town drunk, the better off her night would be.

All it took to distance herself from Leroy was a curt nod in his direction as she slipped off the stool and disappeared into the crowd. She looked around desperately in hopes of finding somewhere else where she could sit and enjoy her boring drink in peace and as far away from him as she could get. She slipped through the crowd and after making small talk with a handful of people who offered their condolences, Regina settled down on a stool on the opposite end of the bar, not quite far away enough from Leroy, but far enough that he'd gotten the message to leave her alone.

She still had yet to spot her sister in the crowd but she knew she definitely was there as she'd heard a few people mention or call out her name. She looked back over at the booth she'd seen Ruby sitting in before and saw her still sitting there, a new group of people now there with her as they slammed back a round of shots and their laughter erupted loudly over the noise in the room.

It was impossible to ignore the game that had nearly captivated every single person's attention in the room, too. Just as it was hard to keep her eyes off of Emma every time she could see her through the crowd. The game was growing intense, so much that someone cut the music suddenly and the atmosphere quieted down enough to hear a single pin drop.

There was no point in pretending she wasn't just as captivated by the game that was taking place. From where she sat, she could see Emma and the man she was currently playing against, but she didn't have a good vantage point at all and she only knew who was winning the game because of the sounds that came from the crowd as the man Emma was playing against missed his shot and the crowd erupted in jeers and laughter.

Emma was winning. Of courseshe was winning. The only person in that very room, in that very moment, that could beat the town's sheriff was Regina Mills. But, that, thatwas a closely guarded secret and the only other person in that room that knew that secret was Emma Swan. It was one Regina had vowed to keep a secret and one she still planned to keep.

Regina allowed her curiosity to get to the better of her and she carried her glass with her as she walked away from the bar and into the crowd, wearing herself through carefully to get a better vantage point of the game, careful to stay just far enough away that Emma might not even see her there at all.

Emma's back was to her when she moved in a little closer and she watched as Emma picked up the chalk and brushed the tip of her cue in a melodramatically slow way while she stared her opponent down. Her opponent was her deputy, Regina realized now that she'd gotten closer, he was clearly not happy he wasn't winning. While Emma took her time setting up for her next shot, another tactic she used to her advantage to win, she watched the deputy walk over to a tall table near him and down the bottle of beer he'd picked up in one long swig.

On that very same table was a pile of money. What surprised her was the fact that it wasn't just a couple of bills like it'd always been before, it was literally a pile of money, of nearly neatly stacked bills. There was easily over six hundred dollars sitting on the table. The stakes had changed considerably and were much higher than ever before.

The crowd gasped in surprise when Emma missed her next shot, though Regina knew before she'd made it by the way she'd flexed her arms just before taking the shot that Emma had done it on purpose. August Booth strutted over to the opposite end of the table, a newfound confidence fluttering through him, and he lined up to take his next shot as the half the people in the crowd started to whisper and the other half shushed at those who were talking.

"Come on, August! We got a bet going on over here!" Michael Tillman shouted. "Don't let me lose a hundred bucks to Jones over here!"

"Again, Tillman? Never learn, do ya?"

"Let the man focus, Mike," the man who was standing next to the mechanic said pointedly. "Jones ain't winning this bet. Not tonight."

Regina didn't need to see Emma's face to know that she was smirking, all too wrapped up in her confidence that she would win the game. Regina hid a smile of her own behind her glass and took a sip just as she happened to spot her sister making her way to the front of the crowd on the opposite side of the table.

Sure enough, August missed the next shot and the crowd erupted into cheers, some jeering at him as he stepped aside to allow Emma her turn. Zelena and Ruby started to move throughout the crowd, taking the bills that were suddenly being held out, and they were added to the growing pile of money on the table.

It was such a substantial amount of money on the table that it caught Regina by surprise. Gone, apparently, were the days where a single tournament awarded the winner no more than fifty dollars on a good night. Not much had seemed to have changed in that town, yet at the same time it was becoming clear that a lot of the little things had changed, things she was only noticing bit by bit.

When Emma looked over her just as Regina had caught sight of her badge securely clipped to her belt, none of it felt real, especially not when Emma flashed her a brilliant grin. Just for that split second, their eyes met and it was over just as quickly as Emma turned her attention back to the table in front of her before Regina could even return the small gesture. Emma readjusted the cue as she lined up for the shot and she inhaled deeply as the crowd quieted once more to allow her a moment to focus.

It certainly wasn't professional for the town's sheriff to be hustling a man, her own deputy, over a game of pool in a packed bar on a Saturday night. But, if anyone cared, they sure didn't show it.

"Come on, Em!" Ruby whooped out as she stepped out of the crowd and stood beside Zelena. "You got this, babe!"

"Finish him!"

"Come on, end this game already, Sheriff!"

"Shut up!" Zelena yelled out as she grabbed onto Ruby's arm. "Let her focus, will you?"

Emma chuckled lightly before she took her shot, effortlessly sinking the seven ball into a side pocket. It drew a hushed gasp from the crowd as the only other ball left was the three before she could sink the eight to end the game. Regina's heart was beginning to race in anticipation and she still could not take her eyes off of Emma as she lined up for her next shot. It would be a complicated one at best, and though Regina hadn't been there to hear the rules that they were playing by, she knew that Emma couldn't hit any of the striped balls or else she'd have to bring one of hers back up onto the table.

It was the rules that they'd always played with. It just went without saying, really.

"Regina?" She turned at the hushed whisper that came from behind her just as a hand landed softly on her shoulder. "Regina, hey!"

"Kathryn," Regina said as she turned to look at her best friend in surprise. "What are you doing here?"

"Well," Kathryn tittered and pulled her hand back before pulling Regina away from the crowd. "It was my intention originally to be here yesterday for the funeral. My flight got delayed and then I was rerouted to Dubai for fifteen hours. I only just got here not even an hour ago. Better late than never, I suppose, right?" Kathryn laughed and hugged her tight, pulling back just seconds later with a small, sad smile. "I'm sorry I wasn't here for you, Regina. I truly meant to be."

"it's all right, Kathryn. Were you coming from-"

"Tokyo? Yes. Unfortunately." Kathryn sighed dramatically and she lifted her nearly empty glass of wine to her lips, stopping short of taking a sip before she continued. "As you know, Fred had gotten a job over there months ago. I followed along, we got divorced, he got another job in Australia and I stayed in Japan."

"Wow," Regina laughed. "I don't talk to you for three whole months and this is what I missed out on? When the hell did you two get divorced? Why-"

"Hey! Would you two take it somewhere else, huh?" Leroy shouted out at them. "There is a high-stake game happening right now and I'd appreciate it if you two would stop distracting my winner here! I got a whole paycheck riding on the sheriff to win!"

Kathryn and Regina both shook their heads and walked towards a table near the entrance and away from the game. Cheers erupted from the table suddenly and Regina strained to look over to see what was happening now.

If, in the very least, the night would go swimmingly, she presumed, because there was plenty of entertainment and plenty of distractions there now to keep her from succumbing to her cravings. Her demons weren't going to win. Not tonight. Not ever.