A/N: Thank you so much for your fabulous reviews. Sorry about the cliffhanger but I couldn't resist. Here's something to satisfy your curiosity. Happy Once Day!

FOUR YEARS EARLIER

Regina sighed as she felt Snow's fingers flutter across her scalp.It was a Wednesday night and that meant bonding time with her future step daughter. Cora kept insisting that it was prudent that she form a bond with the fifteen year old girl to get into Leopold's good graces. She was sitting on the floor in the penthouse living room while the younger girl attempted to wrangle her hair into French braids.

Regina didn't really mind though. When it came to her time in the city, it was usually a split between working for her mother, being on the arm of Leo or getting to know Snow. When she was with Leo there would be no doubt that she'd come home groped within an inch of her life and if she spent time with her mother all she'd do was simmer in her own rage. Snow was always the lesser of the three evils. The time she spent with the younger girl was always a strange mix of painful and pleasant. Whenever they were together she would always try her best to make Regina feel welcome and included. They went shopping together, saw movies and she would always ask Regina about her day. Sometimes she could almost pretend it was like having a little sister. Almost.

Snow patted her shoulder. "Done!"

Regina picked up a hand mirror as she moved to sit next to Snow on the chaise. She marveled appropriately at the loose French braids atop her head. "They look beautiful Snow! Thank you."

"They're not as good as yours," said Snow modestly. Her satin button up pajamas shimmered as she shrugged her shoulders shyly. "Will you do my hair now?"

"Of course," said Regina with a bright smile.

Snow quickly turned her back as Regina reached for her back-length hair. She was always eager to spend time with her father's new girlfriend. Ever since Regina had sewed up her dress at that charity ball she'd come to see her as a bit of a hero. "Thank you for letting me spend the night here while Daddy's away."

"It's no problem dear," said Regina in a sweet voice. "I wouldn't want you spend all that time alone in your house. It's not good for a girl your age."

"It's okay," said Snow softly. "The staff is usually around so I'm not really alone. I just miss my dad when he's gone."

"Well I'm sure he misses you too," replied Regina comfortingly. It hadn't escaped her notice that Leopold didn't make spending time with Snow a priority. It was clear that he adored his daughter, anyone could see that, but it didn't seem like he was particularly interested in knowing her. At the most he spent maybe an hour with her a day. And that was only when he was in the same state. The rest of the time he seemed perfectly content to ignore her.

"He's been spending a lot more time home now that you're with him," pointed out Snow. "I think he really likes you."

Regina tried to overcome the ball of disgust in her throat by letting out a forced chuckle. "Well that's good to know."

"I overheard him on the phone talking with his jeweler asking for a ring," continued Snow. "I think he might propose to you soon!"

Regina's hands stilled in the middle of Snow's hair and she grew increasingly grateful for the fact that the young girl couldn't see her. She felt like she was going to throw up. She'd always hoped that after a few months of this charade Leo would grow disinterested with her and see it's ridiculousness. That he'd call off the whole deal and set her free. Knowing that he's already buying her engagement ring shattered those hopes. As soon as that diamond was on her finger she and Henry's fate would be sealed.

"Are you sure?" she choked out with false excitement. "Perhaps you misheard?"

"No," said Snow shaking her head gently. "Daddy was very adamant that he wanted an engagement ring so big that you could see it from across the room. He's definitely buying it for you."

"Really?" said Regina, her voice shaking. "That's… amazing."

"So you'll say yes?" asked Snow, turning to her face her with wide eyes.

"Of course," answered Regina, planting a false smile on her face. "As long as you're alright with it?"

"I am," said Snow happily. "I want nothing more than for you to marry him!"

"Really?" said Regina, dropping her hands from Snow's hair. "My age doesn't bother you at all?"

Snow shrugged her shoulders apprehensively. "I don't know. At first I thought it was weird but whenever I see you together you both look so happy. Anyone could see that he loves you and I guess things like age don't matter so much when you care for someone in that way. I just want you both to be happy."

Regina felt tears well up in her eyes. If Snow had no arguments against their marriage there was no way Leopold would call off their engagement. She was truly trapped.

Snow noticed Regina's reaction and tilted her head curiously. "Are you happy with my father?"

"Yes," Regina lied, tearfully. "I am so happy with your father because what we have doesn't just include the two of us but the three of us. I'm very excited to be a part of your life as well Snow. Soon we can all be a family."

"Really?" said Snow grinning widely. "I can't wait!"

Regina forced a laugh from her throat as Snow wrapped her arms around her. She tried to smile through the storm of guilt and terror that had taken root in her stomach. Feigning excitement for Snow was sickening but upsetting her would risk Henry's safety and she couldn't do that. Even so she knew the dread she felt would only grow as she continued to live this lie.

"Actually we just call her Mary."

Regina tore her eyes away from Snow and back to Jefferson. "What?"

"We all just call her Mary. It's what she prefers," he said staring at her curiously. "Why would we call her Snow?"

"Maybe for that alabaster baby skin of hers," quipped Carlotta, in a low whisper. A chuckle escaped Ursula at her partner's remark.

Regina snuck another look at Snow and found her glaring, not so subtly, back at her. It was strange to see her again after all this time. She'd changed a lot since being that girl in the satin pajamas four years ago. She'd been constantly smiling back then. Her face held nothing but a frown now. Snow raised her eyebrows at Regina daringly and she felt herself stand from her chair suddenly, attracting the attention of her team.

"I, um, need to use the bathroom," she choked out shakily. "Where is it?"

Ursula gave her a strange look before pointing down the hall. "Second door on the right."

"Thank you," said Regina, quickly making her escape. She felt Snow's eyes glaring into her back as she rushed into the hall.

The bathroom turned out to be just as posh as the lobby. The sinks were made of white marble with stainless steel faucets. It was almost blinding the way the bright light bounced off the cream walls. As good a place as any for a break down, thought Regina locking herself in the handicap stall. As soon as the door clicked behind her she fell against it, brought her hand to her chest and tried to take a deep breath. It was just as difficult as she thought. She felt like a baby elephant had just jumped on her lungs.

God, she should've never left California. They were safe there, they were comfortable, and no one from their old life had turned up. It was a stupid decision to come here. She couldn't believe she let Robin talk her into it. Her eyes began to water as she began to pant and pace inside the stall. She ran her fingers through her hair as she attempted to calm herself. She tried to focus on the cool feeling of Daniel's ring against her chest. Her fingers wrapped around the tiny gold ring as she finally managed to take a deep breath.

Okay, Snow had only seen her for a brief second. Not nearly long enough to tell if she was upset with her. The main thing she had to do was figure out a way to make sure that she didn't end up telling Leopold where she was. Regina was more than sure that her former "fiancé" didn't appreciate her disappearing so soon after announcing their engagement. There was no doubt he'd tell her mother and have her tracked down in a hot second. She just had to find a way to make sure that Snow didn't let her father know where she was. Simple enough, she silently tried to convince herself. She took another minute to calm herself down before walking outside the stall. She stopped dead in her tracks when she saw Snow, smugly leaning against the bathroom door.

"We really should stop meeting like this," she said, folding her arms across her chest. She pushed herself off the door with a skip. "I mean really, you hiding in the bathroom, me rushing in after you, and one of us obviously crying… God it's like déjà vu."

Regina's words caught in her throat as she took in nineteen-year-old Snow up close. She'd filled out since they'd last seen each other but she still had a tiny frame. The baby fat around her face was gone revealing her strong chin which was only emphasized by her short spiked pixie cut. The biggest difference, however, was in her eyes. They used to light up when she spoke but there was something dark and calculating behind them now. Snow was just as beautiful as she had always been, maybe even more so… but her warmth was gone.

Regina struggled to find her voice. "I-um-h-h-how are you?" she stammered.

"Better for being without you," Snow replied coldly. She stared Regina down with an unblinking gaze. "What the hell are you doing in New York?"

Regina ran her hands over her hips trying to dry the sweat from her palms. "Look Snow I-"

"Mary," she swiftly interrupted. "I go by Mary now. Nobody calls me Snow anymore. Especially not you."

"Okay… Mary," Regina said softly. "I know I have a lot to explain…"

"Not really," said Snow shaking her head at her. "I just want to know what the hell you're doing here. Last I heard you were fluttering around Europe with the bodyguard you were screwing behind my dad's back."

Regina felt her jaw drop at Snow's words. "Wait what?!"

Snow rolled her eyes at her. "Spare me the excuses and explanations. I just want to know why I walked into work and was forced to see your face."

"I work here," Regina choked out. "I design clothes now. Today's my first day."

Snow smirked at her superiorly. "Well I wouldn't get used to it."

Regina watched with wide eyes as Snow reached into her jacket pocket and pulled out her cell phone. "What are you doing?"

"Calling my dad," said Snow gleefully. "Once he finds out that you work here he will have Mal toss you out on your ass before you can say 'bye-bye.'"

Regina snatched the phone out of Snow's hands before she could stop herself. "No you can't do that!"

An angry fire lit behind Snow's eyes as she glared Regina. "Give me my phone back you psycho!"

"I will! Just please don't tell your father that I'm here!" pleaded Regina.

"Why not?" bit out Snow. "Are you too afraid to face the man whose heart you broke?"

"I didn't break his heart!" cried Regina desperately. "It was never like that!"

"Oh please," said Snow, stepping closer to invade her space. "Daddy told me everything Regina. How he caught you in the elevator with that bodyguard and how you taunted him by saying you never felt anything for him! Real classy by the way!"

"That never happened!" insisted Regina. "He's lying!" And of course he'd paint me as the whore, she added silently.

"Why would he lie?" challenged Snow.

Regina swallowed hard before arching an eyebrow at Snow. "Do you really want to know?"

Things grew still at Regina's question. Snow pressed her lips together angrily and took a step back from her. "What?"

"Do you really want to know the reason my engagement to your father never worked out? Because I will tell you," bargained Regina. "All you have to do is promise that you'll give me until lunch time to explain without calling your father."

The air grew thick between them as Snow scoffed at her and crossed her arms against her chest. "And why would I do that?"

"Because deep down I think you want to hear what I have to say and even further down you know that I'm the only person who has something to lose here." Regina set the phone down on the bathroom counter. "It's your choice. You can live with a lie or you can know the truth."

Snow stared intensely into her eyes but Regina's gaze didn't waver. "Fine," she said haughtily jutting out her chin, before picking up the phone. "What do I care if you get fired before or after lunch?"

She stalked over to the door and gripped the handle before turning back to Regina. "There's a coffee shop on the corner where we can meet. And remember you are in no position to make me wait."

Regina remained frozen in place as she watched Snow walk out of the bathroom. She didn't know who that angry force of nature was but it wasn't the girl she remembered.

The minutes Regina had to wait until lunch were torturous. She had no idea what she was going to say to Snow and with every tick of the clock she felt her situation grow more dire. What could she possibly say that would make Snow- or Mary she supposed- believe her over her father? She racked her brain trying to come up with an idea but nothing came to mind.

The only distraction she really had was Snow herself. Watching the way she put her feet up on the intern desk and carelessly lean back in her chair made her wonder if the girl she had known had ever even existed. The fact that she refused to remove her eyes from her cell phone screen was also unnerving. Her thumbs moved across the keypad furiously that if it wasn't for the fact that Regina knew Leopold's hatred of text messages she would've sworn she was already telling her father everything.

She didn't talk to anyone in the office and as far as Regina saw no one wanted to talk to her. As a matter of fact she saw more than a few of them glare in Snow's direction. For the first time in years she actually wondered what had happened to Snow after she'd left.

She leaned over to Jefferson and whispered, "So how long has Mary worked here?"

He shrugged his shoulders before thinking it over. "About a little under a year."

"Yet it feels like an eternity," drawled Ursula from across the desk. "She's a drain on resources and my patience."

"Is she just incompetent?" asked Regina, curiously.

"Incompetent, lazy, belligerent, snotty," listed Carlotta. "Many adjectives could be used to describe her. Some that can't even be said in front of children."

"So everyone here… hates her?"

Jefferson hesitated before answering her. "We don't hate her. We're just… not very fond of her… or her behavior… or the way she treats people. She's just not giving us reasons to like her."

"I'm dreaming of the day where she finally gets so bored she leaves," said Ursula wistfully. "Maybe then we'll get an intern who actually wants to be here and will work for it."

Regina drifted out of the conversation and back into her thoughts. That sounded nothing like the girl she knew years ago. Back then Snow couldn't be described as anything other than sweet and maybe overenthusiastic. To know that she'd turned apathetic and mean was just disheartening.

A little while after 12 Regina saw Snow head for the elevator to go out for lunch. She waited ten minutes before following her out. The elevator ride down felt even longer than it did going up. She still had no idea what she could say that could secure her and Henry's safety.

You could tell her the truth, she heard Marian's voice say in her head. Regina almost scoffed at the thought of the advice her best friend would give. If Marian was here she she'd tell her to go for broke and be completely honest with Snow. To believe that there was a part of her that would understand why she needed to keep this secret. She would tell her to have faith in her.

How can I? Regina thought to herself. How could she have faith in the girl she'd just met? The one who seemed so ready to ruin her just at the sight of her face. The ding of the elevator stopped her train of thought before she stepped out onto the ground floor.

It wasn't hard to find the coffee shop where Snow wanted to meet. It was a bit of an old fashioned place with pairs of bright, colorful armchairs placed across from each other with tiny round tables in between them. She could already see Snow had taken a seat at one of the tables in front of the window. Regina grimaced as she watched her take a sip from an oversized mug with whipped cream piled over the coffee. She wiped a spot of cream from her nose before reaching for a spice jar and shaking it over the mug.

Cinnamon.

A spark of hope flickered in Regina's heart as she realized that not everything had changed about Snow. She'd always preferred her whip cream topped with cinnamon.

Tell her the truth

Regina bit her lip as she realized that she had to be honest with Snow. She owed it to the girl. Not the one who'd threatened to take her job away but to the girl with the satin pajamas and French braided hair. She'd lied to that girl so many times before it was only fitting that she tell her the truth now. She just had to believe that Snow would choose to do the right thing.

Snow had to admit she never expected the day to be so interesting. Her social life had really taken a turn for the worse when her father had demanded she work at the stupid little design firm. She wasn't even interested in a career in fashion. In her opinion style should be effortless and if it wasn't then you didn't have any. She never expected anything to come out of her internship but boredom. So when she walked into the office and saw the stricken face of her former almost stepmother she almost felt grateful for the chance at a little entertainment. Now sitting across from her listening to the nonsense that flowed from her lips Snow nearly felt amused. Forced marriages, and daring escapes? She'd seen soap operas with more coherent storylines.

"Wait," said Snow holding up a hand. "You're trying to tell me that you the only reason you got engaged to my dad was because he bought you?"

She let out a dry chuckle before scoffing at Regina skeptically. "That is the most ludicrous thing I've ever heard."

"It's the truth," Regina insisted, deathly serious. Her heart was pounding out of her chest but she forced herself to continue. "Your father told my mother he'd invest in our company but only if I agreed to be his wife."

"You can't expect me to believe that," gritted out Snow. "My father might be a lot of things but he's not disgusting enough to marry someone against their will."

"I thought that too until he slipped the ring on my finger," replied Regina in a low voice.

"It doesn't make sense," said Snow forcefully. "Cora might've been able to cut off your trust fund but there's no way she could force you to legally marry someone. If things were so bad and you were so unhappy then why didn't you just say no?"

Regina pressed her lips together nervously before answering. "Because if I did she would've taken away the only thing I had that mattered… my son."

"You don't have a son," snapped Snow incredulously.

"Yes I do," said Regina pulling a tiny picture out from her wallet. "His name is Henry. I had him a few months before I met you and your father. Mother swept his birth under the rug. Said it would embarrass the company and the family. If I didn't agree to marry your father she was going to steal him from me and I would've never seen him again."

Snow grinded her teeth as she stared down at the photo of the little boy and Regina. He looked like her with his dark hair and bright smile. Her blood began to boil as she realized that Regina was telling the truth. At least about this.

She looked up to Regina with a glare. "My father told me that you were thinking of adopting with him. Was that how they planned to hide him?"

"Yes," said Regina softly. "My mother was going to transfer custody over to your father. That way I could never divorce him without being forced to leave Henry behind."

"So he was supposed to be my brother," Snow realized with a joyless smile. "How cute."

"I know this a lot to take in," said Regina gently. "But you have to understand I couldn't marry your father. I couldn't be with him, or anyone, knowing they would hang my baby's safety over my head like a noose. So I ran. I took Henry, I got on a bus and I ran."

Snow just regarded her coolly. "Okay. I just have one question left."

"What?"

"What was the point of hanging out with me?" asked Snow, narrowing her eyes. "All the shopping trips and the sleepovers and the hair-braiding… what was the point of it all?"

Regina swallowed hard before answering her. "My mother… thought that having your affection would make me more valuable in your father's eyes."

Snow began to clench her fists against the table. "Of course it would."

So none of it was real, she thought to herself.

"I'm sorry about my lies Mary. I really am," Regina apologized tearfully. "But I did it to protect my son. And I am begging you not to ruin that. If my mother finds out where I am Henry and I will be trapped again and this time she'll never let us go. So no one can know that I am here. Do you understand me?"

Snow licked her lips and leaned her elbows against the tables before smiling deviously. "What I understand Regina… is that you just handed me a very explosive hand grenade. I just don't know how I'm going to use it yet."

Regina felt her heart drop into her stomach as Snow's words ran into her like a freight train. "What?"

"It's amazing really," said Snow shrugging her shoulders with a grin. "I mean I was just hoping to get you fired but now I know that I could actually destroy your entire life with just one phone call to your mommy. It's so much more than I ever could've hoped for."

Regina watched with a dropped jaw as Snow smoothly stood up from her seat and slipped her arms into her jacket. "Oh don't worry. I'm not going to call her because I don't want you going anywhere. At least not yet. There's just too much fun I could have now that I officially own you."

She pulled her purse on her shoulder before giving Regina a look of false pity. "You know… you really should be more careful who you trust with your secrets."

The rest of the day went by in a blur for Regina. Nothing was in focus for her. All she could do was replay her talk with Snow and drown in the realization that the fate of her child and herself was now in the hands of a vicious nineteen-year-old. How could she have been so stupid to believe that Snow would've been on her side?

"Mommy are you okay?"

She shook with a start when she felt Henry place his hand on her leg. For a moment she was confused when she realized that they were on the subway headed back home. A quick glance at her watch told her it was already past five thirty. She must've picked up Henry after work and started heading home all while in her haze of despair. Poor Henry. He must've been talking about his day the whole time without her hearing a word.

"I'm fine honey," she said, sending him a false smile. "Tell me more about your new daycare teachers."

"Okay," he replied cheerfully.

She tried as hard as she could to pay attention while her son described how fun and pretty his new teacher was but she still found herself drifting in and out. What was she going to do now? More importantly what was Snow going to do? She'd said that she wasn't going to call her father. At least not yet. But what more could she want from Regina? It's not like she exactly had a lot to offer in terms of money or power. She tried to push it out of her mind as she and Henry walked up to their new home.

Finding a decent, affordable place to live in New York was not an easy thing to do. Doing it in less than a week was nearly impossible. Yet somehow the stars had aligned and Regina had found a two bedroom townhome in Brooklyn to rent. It was only fifteen minutes away from her job and a few hundred less than what she had been willing to pay. Henry's room was smaller than the one he had in California but at least now she wasn't forced to sleep on the pullout couch in the living room.

She quickly kicked off her heels as soon as she and Henry stepped inside. Unpacked boxes were still lined up against the walls and light from the window shined onto their bare hardwood floors. It wasn't a home yet but Regina was sure that once they set up their things and pulled out their pictures it would start to feel that way. If they stayed. Henry quickly rushed past her and flopped face down on their old red pullout sofa, the only thing in the house that was currently useful.

"I'm bored," he complained with a pout.

Despite everything Regina chuckled at her son's dramatics. She strode over to the couch and collapsed next to him. "Of course you're bored. Everything to do is packed up in these boxes."

"I wish I could color," he said, turning to face her.

She rubbed his back comfortingly before standing with a sigh. "Well let's see what we can do about that."

She looked through the boxes until she came across two small ones labeled "HENRY'S ROOM" in thick black sharpie ink. A grunt flew from her throat as she picked them up and dropped them at his feet. "If your coloring books are anywhere I promise they're in here."

Henry hopped up eagerly to look through his boxes but was held back by his mother.

"But…" she drawled strictly. "Anything that isn't a coloring book has to be put away before one line is drawn. Promise?"

"I promise," agreed Henry, with a nod.

"That's my boy," said Regina, pressing a quick kiss to his forehead. "I'm going to get started on the kitchen boxes so we can order dinner."

She sighed as she started sorting through their boxes. The sooner she got the kitchen boxes unpacked the sooner she and Henry could stop depending on takeout. Despite this fact, as soon as her eyes landed on a box labeled "PICTURES" she knew she wouldn't be able to stop herself from going through that box first. When she'd escaped with Henry it was a while before it hit her that she had left all of her pictures behind. All of Henry's newborn photos, the ones of her father and her own childhood were forever lost to her. Ever since that realization she'd grown a little obsessed with documenting and recording their new life together. She had hundreds of pictures from the last couple years all categorized and stored accordingly in photo albums. A wistful smile grew on her face as she looked through some of her old memories. Seeing the faces of Robin and Marian and all her friends from California made her feel homesick. She had to admit being without their immediate support made her feel a little bit lost. Especially after the day she'd just had.

She was pulled out of her stroll down memory lane by a knock on her door. Her blood ran cold as she looked through the peep hole and saw Snow standing outside.

The ball of dread she'd been carrying with her all day doubled in size. For a moment she thought about not even answering the door and pretending she wasn't home but then she realized it would bode well for her to make Snow angry.

She turned back at the sound of Henry rustling through his boxes and realized that no matter what Snow wanted she didn't want her son to see her demand it. She quickly rushed to his side and gathered the boxes in her arms.

"Hey!" cried Henry obviously offended.

"Baby I just think it would be better if you looked through these in your new room. It'll make them easier to put away."

Her heart began to drum faster as she heard Snow impatiently knock against the door again.

"Just a minute!" she yelled over her shoulder frantically. She quickly rushed Henry into his room before heading to open the door.

Snow raised an eyebrow at her challengingly. "You know for a place this small it really shouldn't take you so long to get to the door."

She shoulder-checked Regina as she pushed her way into the townhome. The sound of her thick heeled booties echoed against the walls as she walked around the living room critically.

Regina eyed her nervously as she walked away from the doorway. "How did you find my house?"

"The office," answered Snow, shrugging her shoulders smugly. "You'd be surprised the files an intern has access to."

"Why are you here?" Regina asked in a low voice.

Snow leaned against the kitchen counter with a devious smile. "Because after giving it some thought I think I know what the first thing I want you to do is. I would like for you to quit your job."

Regina's eyes widened. "What?"

"I want for you to quit," repeated Snow, crossing her arms against her chest. "I mean obviously we both can't work there and I can't quit because what would the fun be in that?"

"Sn- Mary… I have a child to support and rent to pay. I can't just quit my job," Regina pleaded desperately.

"That's not really a concern of mine," said Snow tilting her head at her. "My only concern is making you squirm until I get bored. And hey, look on the bright side if you get kicked out at least you're already packed."

Regina felt her face begin to go red with a mix of anger and fear. "How the hell did you get like this?"

"I found out someone who loved me was only pretending," Snow replied in a low voice. "That's enough to piss off the sweetest of people, don't you think?"

Regina felt a drop of guilt mix into her storm of emotions. She never would've thought that her disappearance would've affected Snow so deeply. Or turned her into something so ugly.

Snow held up her phone threateningly. "So do you want to make the call to Mallory or should I make a call of my own?"

"I found my coloring book!"

Both their head swiveled back toward Henry's door as he rushed into the proudly holding his coloring book over his head, utterly oblivious to the tension that filled the air.

Regina quickly tried to overcome her shock before kneeling down to give Henry a watery smile. "That's wonderful sweetheart but I thought I told you to stay in your room."

"But I wanted to show you my coloring book," he insisted softly. He looked over her shoulder and eyed Snow curiously. "Who's that lady?"

Regina's eye flickered back to Snow nervously. She was still leaning against the counter trying to look anywhere but in Henry's direction. Her back straightened and she began to grip the counter at his appearance. "That's just one of Mommy's coworkers from the office. Now please just go color-"

Henry quickly sidestepped her and ran up to Snow's side with a bright smile. "Hi!"

She regarded him apprehensively before replying. "Hello."

"You're pretty!" he complimented.

A tiny smile tugged on Snow's lips as she looked down at him. "Thank you."

Henry's eyes twinkled as he grinned up at her. He held up his coloring book proudly. "Wanna color?"

Snow let out a breath before shaking her head at him. "I'm sorry sweetheart, I can't but, um, thank you for asking me."

Regina quickly grabbed her son by his shoulders. "Henry why don't you go into my room and go through the takeout menus. Pick the prettiest one and that's what we'll eat for dinner."

"Okay," agreed Henry rushing off to her room. She let out a deep breath as soon as he was out of sight.

Snow cleared her throat as she tried to recover from Henry's appearance. She hadn't really expected to see him when she came over. "So… that's your son?"

"Yes," said Regina tiredly.

"He's cute," replied Snow in a low whisper. And completely innocent. She grinded her teeth as she tapped her phone against her palm. After a second of silence she just rolled her eyes and shook her head. "You know what? Forget it."

Regina raised her eyebrows at Snow as she started to walk past her. "What?"

"Keep your stupid job," grumbled Snow. "I don't care anymore. I have better things to do with my time than waste it on you."

"So you won't tell your father about me?" asked Regina hesitantly.

Snow scoffed at her. "Why would I? It's not like he answers my calls anyway."

Snow looked down at her shoes, trying not to let Regina see the pain in her eyes. The truth is she hadn't really heard from her father in weeks. And probably wouldn't for at least another month. She didn't even know if she wanted to after the things she'd learned about him today.

Regina tilted her head at her suspiciously. "Why should I trust you?"

"Because I'm the only one here who still uses my real name," Snow bit out angrily. "I'd say that makes me trustworthy, don't you?"

Regina pressed her lips together tightly before nodding. "Okay."

Snow sighed tiredly at her. "I don't care what happens to you. You can stay here or you can run away again. It doesn't really matter. Just stay the hell away from me."

Regina could only nod silently as Snow stomped her way out of the town house, giving her one last glare before slamming the door behind her.

As soon as the door shut Regina let out a long breath and leaned against the kitchen counter. She'd avoided disaster. At least for today.

A buzzing against the counter nearly made her jump out of her skin before realizing it was just her phone. She quickly brought it up to her ear. "Hello?"

"Did you remember to breathe?"

A breathless chuckle escaped her as she smiled at Robin's voice. "Yes I did. Thank you for the text."

"Just wanted to give you some encouragement for your first day," he said cheerfully. She could practically hear his smile through the phone. "So how'd it go?"

I met my scary boss, met my suspicious coworkers, ran into a teenage ghost from my past, had a breakdown and confrontation in the bathroom with said ghost, got blackmailed but was saved by my son's adorableness.

"It went okay, I guess?"

NEXT CHAPTER: Henry makes an imaginary friend and Regina makes a real one.

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