400 days. Regina put another mark on the wall. She stepped back a little to overlook it. For 400 days she'd imprisoned herself in her office in Storybrooke. And most of those days, she'd spent on her own. But now things were going to change. Change for the better, or at least that was the objective. And even though she knew she had to let go, and take a brand new start, she couldn't shake the feeling that going back to the Enchanted Forest wasn't her destiny.

"You ready?" a voice asked from behind. It was Snow, grabbing the last bits of luggage.
"Snow, I've been thinking, and I've changed my mind," Regina said with a concerned look on her face.
"What? R-Regina, you can't withdraw now, surely? Everything is ready, we're all waiting to go, David has just opened the portal and-"
"As if the portal is that big of a problem."
"Well, no. But think about Henry and Lucy, they're expecting you! Everyone is anxious to see their queen after more than a year."
"I know, I'm just not sure whether returning is the right thing to do."
"It's going to be alright. Besides, there's no alternative, I won't let you lock yourself away, not again," Snow said, shaking her head with resolution. "You need us, and we need you."
Regina shot her a scoffing glance. "Oh please."
"Emma wouldn't have wanted you to sulk your days away. And I don't mean to be disrespectful or dismissive," Snow added quickly, "I'm the first to acknowledge the hole she left behind. I miss her everyday! There is no pain that compares to this, believe me. Losing your child like this, it's hell, it's worse than hell... but we have to move on eventually, whether we want it or not."
"Who says I'm not moving on?"
"Well, if you plan on staying here -"
"I want to move to New York. And I'm well aware that that place is also full of memories. But it's also a place of opportunities, a place where I can come to my senses and maybe accomplish what I've been dreaming of doing for a long time."
Snow looked askance. "What is that?"
Regina sighed and rubbed her gloved hands together. "Open a teahouse."
Snow dropped the box she was holding, the contents of it scattering over the marble floor. "Open a teahouse?"
"Yes? Why do you sound so surprised? It's you who told me to come up with a future plan. Or do you think I'm not capable of something so "ordinary"?" Regina asked, stooping to put the trinkets and photo frames back in the box.
"Er... No!," Snow exclaimed, dropping to her knees as well, "I'm just... this seems to come out of nowhere, that's all. I didn't even know you had long-term dreams after... you know, killing me."
Regina sucked her lip, opened her mouth to say something and closed it again. "Yes, I have dreams, Mary Margaret. And you don't sound convinced at all. Don't you think it's an idea worth considering?"
"Yes, no... er yes, I think you'll do just fine, really! I just have to adjust to the image, I guess," Snow said, taking the box from Regina's hands. "But, what about us?"
"What about you?"
"Aren't you even going to pay a visit? Everyone will be so disappointed... Maybe, just maybe, you could stop by for a week or two and take some advice from Granny? She's run a diner for over 30 years, so she can teach you the ropes? A few lessons from her and you'll certainly have the best teahouse in the whole of the Big Apple."
"It is a scary world out there..." Regina said, pondering the suggestion. "But no, I think I'm going to pass. If I don't leave now, I may never. And besides, I had a bar in Seattle."
"Right, I forgot you had a life there... but what about your belongings? David will have thrown most of it through the portal by now."
"I don't care for them. A whole new beginning, that's what I want. To leave my whole past behind me," Regina said.
"But... Lucy? Hope?" Snow tried.
"Hope? I bet she'll be just fine with that drunk pirate for a father, I'm sure. He managed till now, a few years more won't hurt him," Regina said indifferently. And about my granddaughter, tell Lucy I need to figure things out, but that I will return. Eventually." Her voice was resolute, she had made up her mind.
"Well, then... there's nothing more to say, is there? You're off to New York, there's nothing stopping you," Snow said defeated, putting the box down again on the table. She went for the door, but before going through, she briefly turned round.
"I hope you know what you're doing, Regina, because this was your last chance this year to cross realms. And the next batch of magic beans won't be reaped till next year, so you'll be stuck here for a while. And none of us will be here to catch you when you fall."