She did not get the chance to cry for long. Her phone pinged, and Regina weakly lifted her head. Lifted her hand and found the phone.

Through puffy, stinging eyes, Regina read the text that had just arrived. From Emma.

'What? Why not?'

Regina swallowed thickly. Of course Emma wanted a reason. It made sense. A new flood of tears streamed down her cheeks when she thought of how this would look from Emma's point of view. They had been having a really lovely time together, and then bam, Regina had taken off in a frenzy and left Emma to her own devices, and had then started acting like a cold hearted bitch.

Emma was going to hate her. This was literally coming out of nowhere.

They had been great together.

From Emma's point of view, Regina had absolutely no reason to break things in.

But she had to. She had to protect Emma in any way she possibly could. Even if it meant breaking her heart. And her own.

'I just think it's better that way,' she texted back and felt absolutely terrible. Nauseous. Her throat hurt and her eyes were burning again. Emma did not deserve this kind of treatment from her. Emma had been nothing but good and kind to her. Regina felt like an absolute monster.

'Oh. Okay. I'm sorry if I've done something wrong.'

Oh, god. Done something wrong. How could Emma possibly think that she had done something wrong?! Regina took a trembling breath as she fought the impulse to drive to Steveston and tell Emma everything. She could not do that. She couldn't risk putting Emma in danger. But she had to assure Emma that she hadn't done anything wrong. That was the least she could do.

'You haven't done anything wrong, Emma. The problem isn't you. It's me. I thought there was room for dating in my life. I was wrong. There isn't.' she sent the text and hated herself. Stupid, fucking cliché! 'It's not you, it's me'. It sounded like a ridiculous excuse from a movie. But it was the best she could do. She had to be vague about her reasons to ensure that Emma didn't start poking around and look for the truth. She had to ensure that Emma Swan forgot about her.

'Okay. Do you think we could still hang out once in a while? Just as friends, I mean.'

Regina started crying again. If only! There was nothing she wanted more than to say yes, of course, but she could not. Seeing Emma in any way was out of the question with Liam on the loose. She had to cut ties with Emma, and she had to do it effectively.

'No, I don't think that's a good idea.'

Cold. So, so cold. Heartbreakingly cold.

Regina put the phone down and wept into her pillow again. This wasn't fair. If she was feeling bad, it surely could not be compared to how Emma had to be feeling. Devastated. Betrayed. Angry.

Her stomach coiled. For a moment it felt like she was going to be sick again, but it was most likely just all in her head. She pulled the covers over her head. Wished she could stay there forever. Invisible to the world forever.

But wasn't she supposed to be brave?

Wasn't this supposed to be a fresh start?

Yes.

It was.

Until Liam Jones came and ruined her life all over again.

It was hard to start over when the past kept snipping at her heels.

She was running, but not fast enough.

Never fast enough.

There was always something preventing her from going to the place she wanted to be in.

Always something blocking the road to 'better'.

She was irrevocably stuck in a dreadful, dark place she couldn't seem to leave. She didn't know how.

For the millionth time in the ten years that had passed, Regina wished that her father had been here. He would have known what to do. He would have been able to soothe her mind.

For once, Regina was selfish enough to wish that he just could be here. To hell with what had happened to her. To hell with experiencing how much it would have hurt him to see what had been done to her. She just wanted him there. Wanted him to hug her and tell her that everything would be okay. She would have believed him. She always had.

Regina lifted her head from the pillow and glanced down at her phone on the floor. Had this been the 'good old days' she would have called Mal and asked if she could drop by for a nightcap so they could talk through everything.

Malena would most likely say yes if Regina were to text her right now.

But of course Regina did not.

Too many things had happened.

Too many things she couldn't tell her oldest friend about.

She had to deal with this on her own.

But how?

Regina rolled on to her back and stared at the dark ceiling. She couldn't sleep.

That much was evident.

And she had to get out of this bedroom. She felt like she was boxed in. Claustrophobic.

Regina sat up in the bed. Shoved the covers aside. After a moment, she rose from the bed and walked over to the closet. Got dressed mechanically in clothes she could barely see because of the darkness. But she could feel the fabric of her oldest hoodie.

Once dressed but not exactly done up, she quietly left her bedroom and tiptoed down the hallway. Peered inside Henry's room. He was fast asleep. Good.

Regina continued downstairs. Ended in the kitchen. Should she make herself a snack? No. She wasn't hungry. And she doubted that she ever would be again.

She went inside the living room. Should she watch some television then? Another episode of Great British Bakeoff? Something to soothe her troubled mind?

No. Nothing- not even Great British Bakeoff- would soothe her mind tonight.

And she still felt boxed in.

Terribly so.

It didn't take Regina long to figure out that getting out of her bedroom wasn't enough. No, she had to get out of the house. Get some air. She bit her lip. Zelena didn't like when she left the house in the middle of the night. It made her nervous.

But Regina felt like she was going to loose her mind if she stayed here a minute later. She had to get out right now.

And she knew exactly where she was going too. Not far. She would be home again quickly. Perhaps Zelena wouldn't even notice if she left.

Regina patted the pocket of her hoodie. Yes, her cellphone was there. Zelena could easily get in touch with her. She made a swift decision and went into the kitchen where she found a pencil and a sheet of paper. She wrote a quick note to Zelena explaining that she was going, where she was going and that she had her cellphone with her. Once that was done, Regina went back into the living room and nicked a bouquet of lilies from the vase on the coffee table. She would have to replace those. And she would. Of course she would. But she had a feeling that Zelena would understand it when Regina told her where the lilies had ended.

Armed with the bouquet of lilies, Regina crept into the hallway to put on her shoes and coat. She tried to make as little noise as possible. She wasn't interesting in waking the whole house and potentially alarm her sister. She was a grown woman, and she did not need anyone's permission to go on a nightly drive if that was what she desired to do. She had her freedom, and if she wished to spend that on going for a drive at night, it was nobody's business but hers. And besides, it wasn't that late. She was not acting reckless or anything.

Regina quickly zipped up her coat and felt in her pocket. Yes, the car keys were still there. Good. Now she was ready. Ready to go.

No one could tell her what to do. Not anymore.

"Mom?"

Regina froze on the threshold. Well, except perhaps for him. She turned around and came face to face with her son who was standing at the foot of the stairs. To her utmost surprise, he was dressed. Now that didn't make sense. Why was he dressed? He had gone to bed hours earlier.

But taking a closer look at her son, certain things started to dawn on her. Henry's hair was sticking up. So he had definitely been asleep until recently. His jeans were neatly buttoned and zipped and all that, but his grey sweater was inside out and the lapel visible. He had put it on wrong. Because he had hurried. Because he had heard her walk into the hallway. He had heard her jiggle the car keys, and he had jumped out of bed, gotten dressed so fast his sweater was inside out, and then he had rushed down here to catch her before she left. Oh god. He had been worried. That was why he was standing here and looked awake but at the same time now really.

Regina flashed him a smile and felt guilty as never before.

"Where are you going?" Henry asked and frowned.

Regina put the flowers down to use her hands to sign: 'I couldn't sleep, so I figured I would go see grandma and grandpa. It has been a while since I last went.'

"But its all dark outside," Henry pointed out.

Regina nodded. It was. Her plan didn't make sense in a ten year old's mind. Of course not. She hadn't expected that either.

"Can I come with you?" Henry asked, slowly coming towards her.

Regina raised an eyebrow. Come with her? But it was late. And tomorrow was a school day. What kind of mother would she be if she started driving around with her son in the middle of the night?

"Please?" Henry pressed. "Please, mom? I really want to go with you!"

What was it that she had promised him when she got home from the hospital? That she would never leave him again. And she was certain that she could see a hint of panic in his eyes. He was scared. He was worried because she was planning on driving away in the middle of the night. She couldn't do that to him.

So she nodded. Smiled. And then sent him into the kitchen so he could add something to the note. That he would be going with her so Zelena didn't have to grow alarmed about his absence.

When Henry came back, he was carrying two little candles. Nicked from the drawer, undoubtedly. "For grandma and grandpa," he said and flashed her a little smile.

Regina returned the smile. That was really thoughtful of him.

Together they headed into the hallway where Henry quietly put on his shoes and coat.

Then they left the house as quietly as possible. And hand in hand.

The car was cold when they hopped in, but Regina swiftly got the heat and seat warmth going. Then they drove off. She had allowed Henry to sit in the passengers seat for once, and he seemed mighty proud as he sat there with the lilies in his hands. But as they made it out on the main road, his pride faded and turned into something else. Concern. He eyed Regina and then asked: "mom, are you okay?"

Regina nodded automatically.

"Is the headache better?"

Headache? For a moment, Regina was confused. But then she remembered. That the official explanation for her absence tonight had been that she had a headache. She supposed that she had a twinge of a headache right now, but of course that was not something she was planning on telling Henry. So she just settled for a nod and a smile. She wanted to soothe her son's fear.

"Good," Henry said and glanced out of the darkened window. "This is nice," he said. "I like driving at night."

Regina had always liked that too, but she still felt a little guilty for having dragged her son out of bed. It was a school day tomorrow. But perhaps she would simply keep him home from school tomorrow. That was an okay thing to do. Henry so rarely stayed home from school. A little white lie about him having a cold was okay for once. Yes. Henry could stay home from school tomorrow, and they could do something nice together. Bake, for instance. She liked baking. Henry liked baking. Win-win.

"What do you think aunt Zee will say if she finds out that we're missing?" Henry asked and giggled. "Maybe she'll think that we were kidnapped by aliens!"

Regina rumbled with laughter. Aliens. Henry had such a lovely imagination. But she doubted that Zelena would jump to the alien conclusion right away, though. She could better imagine that she would get concerned first and then annoyed when she found out that Regina had driven off in the middle of the night.

But Regina once again reminded herself that she was a grown woman. If she felt like going for a drive with her son, it was her decision. She had always enjoyed driving. And she had always been prone to taking a drive whenever she needed to clear her head. When Henry was just a baby boy and refused to sleep at night, Regina would often bundle him up, stuff him inside the car and then go for a drive with him. Often times they would listen to classical music on the radio while driving. That was the only thing that made him sleep. And although exhausted and overwhelmed with motherhood, Regina had so appreciated the nightly drives with her baby boy. He would always babble happily when they drove out, and sleep as a rock when they drove home. For whatever reason, Regina was reminded of those times. Even though Henry was definitely not a baby any longer.

The cemetery was just five miles from Zelena's place. Beautifully lit with little lamps and a big, pale moon hovering above them. Regina had never been afraid of cemeteries. She had always found it to be a place of peace and not horror, and it didn't even bother her when the old metal gate creaked as she opened it.

She and Henry slipped through the metal gate, and Regina wrapped an arm around him. Just in case he was a bit afraid of being here. But there was nothing suggesting that. He was walking calmly along side her, still carrying the bouquet of lilies in one hand.

It didn't take long before they reached the familiar little hill. Regina was a bit out of breath when they 'climbed' it, and as usually, her chest tightened a little when they reached the familiar headstone at the top of the hill. Cora Mills, beloved wife and mother. The day of her birth. And the day of her death. Regina bit the inside of her cheek when she looked at the name underneath Cora's. Henry Mills, beloved father. 'Hasta que nos encontremos de nuevo.' Until we meet again. He died six years after Cora did.

Regina sighed. Sometimes it could still be a gut-puncher to see her parents' name on the headstone. Ten years after her father's death, and it could still shock her that he was gone. That she essentially was an orphan. She crouched down and brushed some of the newly fallen snow away from the headstone, so her parents' names became a bit more visible. There. That looked better.

"Are you okay, mom?" Henry checked. He knew that visiting the cemetery sometimes could make her a little upset.

Regina quickly checked herself. She was actually doing okay tonight. It had been ten years since her father died. Sixteen since her mother died. And although it sometimes made her upset, tonight was not one of those days. She had just wanted to come here and visit because it had been a while and she couldn't sleep because of everything.

Henry crouched down with her and put the bouquet of lilies in front of the headstone. Then the two little candles he brought from one. One for Cora and one for Henry Sr.

He then surprised Regina by finding a little box of matches in his pocket. He lit the two little candles and brushed a bit more snow away from the headstone. "Hi, grandma. Hi, grandpa."

Regina smiled at that. She had told her boy many, many stories about her parents. Especially about 'big Henry'. Henry had always loved hearing stories about his grandparents, and Regina had many times felt upset that her son never got to meet his grandparents. Thank god for Zelena. Otherwise it would just have been the two of them. Sometimes Regina regretted that she hadn't given Henry a brother or sister while she could. Henry would have loved getting a sibling. But she had lead a busy life as a university professor, and now it was too late. Regina couldn't have anymore children.

Regina shifted. Thinking about the physical reason why she could not have any more children didn't exactly make her feel good.

"It looks nice here tonight," Henry commented as he looked at the headstone and burial ground. "They already put down a wreath."

They sure did. Every year, around Christmas time, Regina paid to have a beautiful wreath put down at her parents' grave. This year, the wreath was full of mistletoe and red berries. It was beautiful. Zelena would be pleased to know that. She hadn't had the time to visit the grave either recently.

Regina brushed a bit more snow away from her father's name. She and Zelena couldn't have chosen a better spot as his final resting place.

"Mom?" Henry asked softly. "Are you sure you're not upset?"

Regina shook her head and smiled reassuringly at him. She was not upset. At least not about her parents.

"Do you miss grandma and grandpa?" Henry asked carefully.

Regina nodded as they rose from the crouching position. She wrapped an arm around her son's shoulder. She did miss her parents a little extra these days. Cora Mills perhaps had not been the warmest mother when she was alive, but oddly enough, she was the one Regina had thought most about since coming home from the hospital. How would Cora have handled this new, mute and scared version of her daughter? She remembered a certain occasion. She had been eight and very sick with appendicitis. She had been rushed to the hospital in an ambulance. Both her parents had been there, of course. But it was the look in her mother's eyes Regina remembered the most. The look of unconditioned love. The look of unbridled terror. Cora had been terrified, and Regina would never forget the way her mother had held her hand. So gently. Rubbing the soft spot between her thumb and index finger.

Regina wondered whether Cora would have held her hand like that in the hospital if she had been alive. Would she once again have given her that look of unconditioned love?

She supposed that she would never find out.

And perhaps dwelling that much on the past was not good for her.

Her parents were gone. But she was standing right here. With her son. Her entire world.

Regina gave her son a little squeeze. This had to be enough melancholia for one night. And it was getting a bit cold in the cemetery too. Perhaps it would even start snowing. It was time to go somewhere else. Somewhere nice. Perhaps going to the cemetery hadn't been as heavy as the events earlier today had been, but that didn't mean that they did not deserve a pick-me-up after this.

Regina squeezed her son's shoulder one more time to get his attention. And when he was looking at her, she signed: 'how about McDonalds?'

"Seriously?" Henry asked, eyes ashine. He had no problem with seeing her sign even in the darkness. "Right now?"

Regina nodded. Why not? It still wasn't overly late, only eleven thirty. And McDonalds was quite literally on the way home. And she hadn't eaten anything at all tonight after throwing up in the ditch. She had not told Zelena about that. It wouldn't do either of them any good.

"That would be awesome!" Henry beamed. "Can I have a McFlurry?"

Of course. He could have whatever he wanted. Anything. Regina nodded and then made a little gesture with her head to indicate that they should leave. Before it got too cold.

Henry was on board with that. He gently touched the headstone and said: "bye, grandma, bye, grandpa. We will be back soon. Right, mom?"

Regina nodded. Yes indeed. She too gently touched the headstone to say her own goodbye. Then she turned around and left the cemetery with her son. Henry even took her hand unprompted, and Regina was secretly thrilled about it. He was ten. The time he'd want to hold her hand was limited. She dreaded to think of that. Dreaded to think about her boy growing up and becoming taller than her. Thank god he had only just turned ten. The big eleven was still months and months away.

"Oh, look!" Henry cried and lifted his free hand to point to the sky.

Regina looked up. Smiled when she saw the reason for his outburst. It had started to snow. How lovely. Perhaps they could build another snowman tomorrow. That could be nice, could it not?

But for right now, it was time for a spontaneous late night trip to McDonalds. They had deserved that.

The rusty gate creaked once more as she and Henry left the cemetery, and Henry made a mock 'brr!' sound when they entered the car, prompting Regina to swiftly switch on the heat once more. God forbid that her son should freeze.

Her cellphone was quite silent. So Zelena was still blissfully asleep. Regina couldn't help but feeling that was a good thing. This would only concern her. Regina didn't want her to be concerned. Nor did she want Henry to get concerned.

She was fine.

At least physically.

And perhaps she eventually would be okay mentally too.

If she did not think of Emma, of course...

Ten minutes later (Regina had been driving slow due to the snow) she and Henry were sitting at a slightly greasy table at McDonald's. Henry had indeed gotten a McFlurry, and Regina had been out of character enough to chose fries for once. Fries with ketchup. It was greasy food, but for once, she did not care. She had deserved greasy food. And it was nice, sitting with her son and eating McDonald's in the middle of the night. They weren't many people in here, but that suited Regina just fine.

"Mom?" Henry said, lowering his cup of ice cream. "Can I ask you something?"

Regina nodded. Of course.

"Did..." he poked the spoon around in his ice cream for a moment. "Did something happen today? With Emma, I mean?"

Regina's eyebrow rose. How perceptive of him to arrive at that solution. She decided to bend the truth a little and shook her head. Because something hadn't happened 'with Emma'. At least not directly. Emma was not the reason why she had been unable to sleep.

"Oh, okay. So when are you having coffee with her again?"

Regina's heart clenched, and she put the fry down to answer her son. 'Emma and I will not be having coffee again.' god, that hurt! So, so much!

"But why not?" Henry asked confused. "I thought you really liked her?"

Regina's heart clenched again, and she had to swallow thickly not to loose it right then and there. So Henry had noticed her joy too. The spark in her eyes. Her optimism. 'I do,' she signed with fingers that nearly trembled. 'I do like Emma a lot. But sometimes things just doesn't work out the way we want them to.' It sounded exactly like what it was. A lame excuse. But it was the best thing she could come up with. Rather a lame excuse than involving Henry in the scary true. He knew nothing about Liam and his threats. He didn't know anything about Killian and what he had done. And Regina wanted it to stay like that!

Henry frowned. "I don't understand," he admitted. "Did she do something wrong?"

God, no! Regina shook her head rapidly. Tried her best to smile as she signed again. 'Of course not, sweetheart.'

Henry took a spoonful of ice cream. He carefully swallowed it but didn't seem to enjoy it as much as he had a moment ago. And he was still frowning when he asked: "What then? Did... Did you do something wrong?" he sounded completely disbelieving. Like the thought alone was completely impossible.

Regina rumbled slightly. Then she shook her head and signed once more: 'none of us did anything wrong, sweetheart. It is just better this way. For both of us.'

"Okay," Henry said. But he was still frowning. Clearly not understanding how it could have come to this.

Neither did Regina, but she couldn't be selfish and keep seeing Emma when Liam was targeting her. She had to keep Emma safe. No matter the cost.

And in the meantime she could wonder how on earth Henry had gotten wind of her very, very short-lived romance with Emma. She knew that Zelena hadn't been indiscrete or anything. She never would be. And Regina certainly hadn't told Henry about it either. There hadn't been anything to tell. But she had planned on doing it, though. Once things had... progressed a bit.

Well, now she didn't have to tell anything. Because there was nothing to tell. No romance with Emma. No more coffee. No more concerts. No more chances to maybe someday get used to kissing...

Regina couldn't hold back a little sigh and hung her head over the bag of fries. Damnit. She had wanted this so much. So, so much! She had even been ready to be honest with Emma. Tell her everything about the past and what had happened to her.

But then life had happened.

Liam Jones had happened.

Another man controlling her.

Again.

"Mom?"

Regina was quick to look up and smile at her son. Then she swiftly grabbed a fry and jokingly held it in the air.

"Cheers," Henry half-chuckled as he raised his McFlurry.

They 'toasted' in fries and McFlurry, and Regina thought to herself that even when everything else was going to hell, Henry remained constant. He was her anchor through it all. Her beacon of light in dark times. She depended on him as much as he depended on him.

He resumed eating his ice cream, and Regina munched through the salty, greasy fries. They weren't half bad actually. Her cellphone remained quiet. Zelena was still asleep, and had her mood been any better, Regina would have been amused that she and Henry were 'getting away with it' so to speak.

They ate their flurry and fries, and Regina revealed that she was planning on letting Henry stay home tomorrow. He was obviously thrilled, and his smile didn't even fade when she told him that he had to do homework tomorrow to make sure he stayed on top of things. But one day away from school wouldn't disrupt anything. It was okay to have a cheat day once in a while.

They 'toasted' to that in ice cream and fries, and Henry claimed that he wanted to do this every night.

Something Regina immediately told him that he could not. This spontaneous, nightly drive to McDonalds was just a one-time thing...

The house was still quiet when they came home. As quiet as mice, they ridded themselves of their shoes and coats and equally quietly, both of them slipped upstairs. Regina told Henry to go straight to bed, and after having promised to do so, Henry gave her a big hug and said goodnight.

Regina kissed the top of his head and after having removed the note for Zelena in the kitchen, she retired to her own bedroom. She was supposed to sleep.

But she couldn't.

She literally couldn't.

If she closed her eyes, she would see Emma Swan's face. See the look of confusion and hurt. And resentment.

Emma resented her now.

Regina was well aware how it looked from Emma's point of view.

Like Regina had been toying with her all this time.

She hadn't even come up with a proper reason for ending their 'thing'.

She had just given a shitty excuse.

She was a monster.

And she never should have said yes to going on a date with Emma.

Regina sat down on the edge of the bed. Rubbed her face tiredly. Didn't even bother to change out of her hoodie and pants. She wasn't gonna sleep.

She couldn't.

Of course there were ways to fall asleep.

Regina opened the drawer in her bedside table. The bottle of sleeping pills stared back at her. She knew from experience that one of those pills would knock her out immediately. But did she really want to take medicine in order to fall asleep?

No. She didn't. The medicine always made her feel groggy the next day. And she didn't want to be groggy tomorrow. At least not groggy because of medicine.

And her throat already felt stuffed as it was. She doubted she would be able to swallow the pills tonight.

She would rather go sleepless.

Regina got up from the bed and grabbed her laptop. Made herself comfortable with it in her lap and then logged into the British Columbia's website. Might as well do some work if she wasn't going to sleep.

But she hadn't been looking at the screen for very long before thoughts of Emma popped into her head. Her open, kind smile...

No!

Regina found her phone and was going to start an audiobook. But then she saw a text. From Emma. 'I'm sorry', the text said. Nothing else.

And just like that, Regina wanted to cry all over again...

At five am, Regina gave up and went downstairs. She had worked steadily since coming home from the nightly outing. She had planned modules far into next week. And she had never answered Emma Swan's text. She didn't know what to write.

Well, no, that was not true. She knew exactly what she wanted to write.

She wanted to tell Emma that she was sorry too.

She wanted to tell Emma that she had changed her mind.

That Emma should come over right then and there so they could talk. So Regina could tell her everything.

But that was not possible.

And so Regina had not answered.

Once again the monster.

Her headache was back.

Regina made herself a pot of coffee and then went into the hallway. Unlocked the door and poked her head outside. The air was cold. And even in the faint light, she could see the amount of snow that had fallen during the night. The road and garden was covered. Oh. Well. It looked like Henry didn't have to cheat at all today. He literally couldn't go to school today. But he could go outside and make a snowman later.

Regina closed the door and locked it. Then she went back into the kitchen and sat down at the table with her cup of coffee. She trusted that the caffeine would make her headache go away.

She hadn't been sitting at the table with her coffee for very long when she heard rustling from upstairs. She turned her eyes towards the ceiling. Zelena was clearly awake. Interesting. Her sister slept like the death when Regina and Henry left the house in the middle of the night, but she DID wake up when Regina was making herself a cup of coffee.

Soon Zelena was coming into the kitchen. Her red hair was tousled, and she was wearing a bathrobe over her pajamas, but she looked surprisingly awake for the early hour.

"Good morning," she greeted. "You're up early."

Regina flashed a little smile and took a sip of her coffee. Then she gestured towards the coffee machine to indicate that there was some coffee left still.

"Thank you," Zelena said. But she didn't move an inch. Instead she kept standing there and looking questioningly at Regina.

Regina raised an eyebrow.

"Did you even get any sleep last night?" Zelena asked worriedly.

Busted.

Regina shook her head.

"Oh, sweetie," Zelena said softly. Coffee long forgotten as she sat down next to Regina. "I'm so sorry." She took Regina's hand and squeezed it gently.

An enormous lump formed in Regina's throat, and she blinked rapidly. She didn't want to cry first thing in the morning.

"Have you texted Emma?"

Regina nodded.

Zelena didn't ask anymore questions. Instead she just sat there and held Regina's hand for a moment. "It's funny," she said quietly. "But I'm sure I heard Henry in the hallway last night."

Regina innocently raised an eyebrow.

"You didn't hear him?"

She shook her head. No, she didn't have a clue what Zelena was talking about. Definitely not. She wiggled her hand free of Zelena's and took a sip of her coffee. Glanced out of the window while she tried to make plans for the day that was to come. Her first Emma Swan-free day.

The lump in her throat made it ache. Enough to make tears threaten to spill from her eyes once more...

To Be Continued...