Chapter 3

There were three rooms in her house that Regina used daily: her bedroom, the bathroom, and the kitchen. The other three rooms, not counting the spare bathroom, Regina did best to avoid. It was safe to assume that no one had been inside Henry's room for at least a year. And there were too many photographs of Henry on the wall for Regina to ever enter her office again. And the last room down the hall…well it was a guest bedroom. There was a bed in this room. On top of it, there was a certain red leather jacket. All the doors of these three forbidden rooms were closed of course. And if she could, Regina would have locked all three doors and thrown the keys into the Maine coast. Due to Dr. Hopper's displeasure upon hearing this information in one of their sessions, Regina quickly realized that she would eventually have to enter those rooms. Today was not that day, however.

She reached the doorway of her upstairs bedroom and struggled to think of where to place her new notebook. She pulled the book towards her face to get a closer look. She sighed again. That was all she ever did lately. It became apparent that the newest hobby of the year for Regina Mills was sighing. But she couldn't help it. She turned the book over and then back again. The brown leather bound book had the name "Regina Mills" engraved in the front. It was a personal touch from Dr. Hopper. She flipped through the empty pages. Feeling the leather and paper, Regina made a decision to write, at least a little. She checked the clock next to her bed. 9:30 am it read. I have some time, she thought. She sat on her bed and opened to the first page.

"Dear Emma," she wrote. The words on the page seemed unreal. No, she thought. She crossed out what she wrote quickly. "My dearest Henry," She froze and stared at the pages. She crossed out what she wrote again. She rose from the bed and began to pace back and forth. "This is ridiculous", she cried out in frustration. Her voice echoed through the empty bedroom. She closed her eyes and took a long deep breath. No, she thought to herself firmly. This book will not defeat me.

It took several minutes and a lot of will power but within the next half hour or so Regina managed to do what Dr. Hopper had asked:

To Emma and Henry,

Today is the day in which I meet a special little girl. A girl who needs love and a home. Katherine, you remember my friend Katherine the social worker? Well, she found me a perfect match. Or so she says. Kat describes her as a quiet, but strongly opinionated eleven-year-old fireball. How that combination works, I haven't the slightest idea? Katherine's words, not mine. If this adoption process goes through, this will be an exciting new chapter in my life. Hopefully I can be accepted by the adoption agency by the end of this month. And then I can finalize the paperwork. I hope, Henry, that you don't mind if she uses your room as it more suited for children than the rest of the rooms in this house. I am wrapping up your old story book to give to her as a present when I first meet her. I will keep you both updated.

With all my love,

Regina

Regina wiped the tears that were sliding down her face. She looked at the clock again and gasped. 10:45 am. She had used more time than she thought. "Damn it," she stood up and walked towards her closet. But as the she walked, the bedroom window caught her eye. It was pouring rain. April showers bring may flowers, she thought dryly. She quickly chose her clothes, changed, and went down the stairs.

It was somehow a miracle that Henry's story book was laying on the kitchen counter. She didn't bother moving it. Regina had found it lying there months ago when she came down the stairs around 3 am one night to drink a cup of tea. Her insomnia had gotten the best out of her and tossing and turning was doing her no good. Once she turned the lights on in the kitchen, the sight of the tattered used book made her jump from fright. There it was on the counter by the stove. "Once Upon a Time". She could hear Henry's voice perfectly as if he were standing behind her. "You know, Mom, the book shows up to the ones who need it most." Regina shook her head. But she wasn't going to question it. It was certainly not on the counter before It happened. Regina was sure of it. She thought it was in Henry's room all this time and it wasn't as if there were intruders that would come in her house rearranging things. It wasn't important for Regina to think about it at the moment. She grabbed some wrapping paper in the nearby closet and wrapped the book. She reached for the black umbrella that was leaning against the hallway and was on her way to Katherine's.

Regina sat in front of Katherine's driveway for a good ten minutes. She glanced at the clock in her car for the millionth time. It read 11:25. "It's now or never Mills," she spoke to herself. She closed her eyes and thought of what Emma would say to her. "You're just nervous, Regina, relax." She could almost hear Emma talking to her from the passenger seat. "She's a kid. She's probably more scared of you than you are of her." Regina smiled to herself. She had been with Emma long enough to know what she would say in any situation. She opened her eyes. The rain had died down to a steady drizzle. She opened up her umbrella, grabbed the present, and ran for the door.

Once there, she gave a hard knock. No answer. Regina knocked again. No answer. Getting irritated, Regina knocked for a third time. Still no answer. She rolled her eyes at the door and slowly opened it. She walked in and set the umbrella against a wall. She smiled to herself at the familiarity of Katherine's house. It had been awhile since she was here. She made her way towards the living room.

They must be busy getting ready, Regina thought.

"MAYBE SHE'S LATE...HEY, KID, I'LL RACE YOU UPSTAIRS," a girl's voice sang throughout the entire house.

"NO WAY," a little boy's voice shrieked. "I'M GONNA BEAT YOU!"

"No running!" A strong female voice called out.

Suddenly, the running and the shouting stopped at once.

There, Regina thought. A familiar voice. Regina turned around towards the noise. She did everything in her power not to laugh out loud. Standing before her were two children and an adult covered in mud who looked extremely guilty as if they were caught red handed. Regina smiled and her eyes made their way towards the girl. "I'm never late, dear," she said softly.