Order, design, tension, balance, harmony. White; a blank page or canvas. So many possibilities.

Regina was at that point in her life, in her happy ending of finally getting revenge on Snow White and all the others who wronged her, that she was downright bored. Day in and day out, it was the same pattern, same reactions and interactions. It was no longer satisfying seeing the fairy tale characters in what was essentially Groundhog's Day. So she made a plan. And she left. She thought maybe if she saw more of this new world she would find a purpose, a reason to not give up on life, to wake up each morning.

Maine was long, travel-weary roads with towns much like The Curse had made of Storybrooke, except theirs was just a little less hilly than those she drove through. The coast was gorgeous at all times of day, Acadia National Park a lovely escape from the tarmac and cars especially at sunset atop Cadillac Mountain. She felt a twinge of jealousy, of sadness at witnessing couples trade kisses in those twilight moments.

Bangor was a little more busy and bustling than Regina expected of a Maine town, more touristy than the coast, clearly trying to appeal to a younger generation, so imagine her surprise when she finally travelled further south, to the state capital, Augusta and eventually Portland. It was here she began to evaluate exactly what it was she was doing. It was certainly a nice change of pace; she had always wanted to travel as a kid and her father indulged her as best he could, but it was always much the same in the Enchanted Forest because of how smaller it all seemed now that she was here. And she travelled even more when she burned the lands in her wake to find Snow. She was reminded briefly of her mayoral duties back in Storybrooke but had placed competent help in charge, positive the town would survive her little excursion.

Regina left her hotel room one mid-morning in spring and took a walk to the park, or that's where she thought she was headed. As she grew closer she heard the laughter of children, the sounds of chains as they swung their occupants to and fro, wood creaking with the trample of small feet. She paused just before the fence, unsure if she should stay or leave, if she was intruding and going to look weird, concerning the adults supervising their playtime.

"Hey," came the voice of a young boy.

Regina looked down and saw a mop of platinum blonde hair and a wide grin with missing teeth. He motioned her to come closer. Unable to tear her eyes from this small child with wonder in his eyes-hazel she determined-she obliged. His arm came around from behind his back and he presented her with a gorgeous, albeit a little smushed, purple wildflower. His cheeks tinged pink as he waited.

Slowly, still entranced, she reached through the chainlink fence and collected the flower, a smile blooming on her face, eyes lighting up with joy. "Thank you," she whispered. He grinned at her before turning and bounding away to join his friends. Regina noticed he had a handful of more wildflowers of varying colors in his hands. She watched as he proceeded to give the flowers out, noting only after the third time, he was approaching people who looked sad, downtrodden. Without even realizing it, or at least the extent of just how important his actions were, he was making each person's day better. He'd made her day better.

The longer she stood at the fence, watching the kids play, the more surprised she was to see a lack of bullying. She had seen plenty on TV and in movies of all age groups from just starting school to college, so it couldn't have been the fact these kids were too young? And she knew it was fiction but all fiction is based somewhat on fact or personal experiences, so it was a possibility. Yet, all of the children in this playground got along so well, and made sure no one felt left out, changing the groups up periodically.

It was...magical.

The word bouncing around in her head gave her pause. She hadn't found something truly magical in this world since arriving. Not just in the fantastical sense but the sentiment of magical, unrelated to the mystical arts.

Then Regina's mind took a wrong turn. Teach? She revolted at the idea, it was too related to Snow White's curse and they might see each other more than Regina would be able to handle without hitting her. Worse, they might even have to team up and work together at times. Ugh! That was definitely NOT what she wanted to do next in life. Every other aspect of the job also didn't appeal to her. Teaching magic would have been suitable if it existed in this world. Working with horses was a given, but it was still a harsh reminder of losing Daniel, her beloved Rocinante unnecessarily, and , of course, her devoted father.

"Mommy!" a small, one of the smaller, girls in the playground cried out, holding her knee tightly to her chest, protectively. Tears streamed down her face as one of the supervisors came over, unrushed as though used to this type of ordeal. She scooped the child up and against her chest, telling her something that assuaged her crying. The woman kissed the girl's cheek sweetly, clearly related now that Regina saw them in close proximity with one another.

Cute.

Regina hummed briefly, softly. She'd make a better parent than her mother. She knew all the hurdles to avoid to provide a child a better life than she had. And she certainly wouldn't scheme to live vicariously through her child, force her to marry an old codger, especially when she was already in love with someone else. Kids were pretty cute, or at least these kids were cute.

Wait. No.

There was a tug on her heartstrings. She could envision herself in the position of that woman, that mother. Did she really want to be responsible for a child? Perhaps. Regina would need to think further on this, do some research. And most importantly figure out how to procure a child if she did decide to pursue this.

"I'm insane," Regina sighed, pulled from her musings when a bell rang and the children headed inside. Turning on her heel, she also took her leave, a little lighter, a little more inspired. Nervous, of course, but intrigued. It would definitely make her life more varied.