This has been quite the challenge, I think it was the most delicate subject between the prompts, but I've managed to come up with something... for theonewithoutaclue, my sweet Savior Em!

DAY 6 - QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS

-This is your world-

It was a quiet afternoon at House Mills. Regina had stayed at home with Hazel, while Robin was outside with the boys. The little girl was watching The Little Mermaid again, and Regina could have sworn she had listened to Poor Unfortunate Souls at least three times already. She tried to concentrate on the last reports from the town's treasury, mentally cursing Snow's bad habit of taking illegible notes on the sides of the papers.

"Mommy?" asked Hazel, who had just started the second movie, Return to the Sea.

"Mm?" hummed Regina, without lifting her gaze from her paperwork.

"Why does Melody have dark hair?"

"What do you mean, sweetie?" asked Regina, underlining a paragraph in red.

"Ariel has red hair like me," explained the five-year-old "why does her daughter have black hair?"

"Well, I guess…" Regina set down the pencil on the table, rubbing her temples. "Because her daddy has black hair and she looks like him"

"Oh" said Hazel, as Ariel was singing.

This is your world, my darling
One world, the land and sea
My hope for you for always
Is that your heart will hold part of me

She listened until the end of the song, when Morgana showed up and took Melody in her arms. Hazel hid her face behind her tiny hands, and Regina smiled before lowering her gaze again to the papers.

After a few minutes, the little girl seemed to have elaborated her question and she lifted from the sofa, moving closer to Regina's desk.

"Mommy" she placed her hand on the seatback of the chair and pulled it towards her. She climbed the chair in order to look at Regina in the eyes, and the queen finally gave up with her work to listen to the girl.

"What's the matter, Hazel?"

"I don't look like you or Daddy," said Hazel, who seemed to be saddened from the realization. "You have black hair and daddy has brown hair and also Henry and Roland… mine is red and all curled"

"Well, little one…" Regina felt her heart tighten. What was she going to tell her? She wasn't ready for the truth yet. She was too young. She wished to have Robin by her side – this was a conversation they were supposed to have together. With a heavy burden in her chest, she chose the easiest way. She hated lying to her children, but the circumstances of Hazel's birth weren't normal at all.

"You see…" she started, stumbling to find the right words. "Sometimes children don't look like their parents," she explained. Hazel nodded, expecting more answers.

"For example, your Aunt Emma," she said "she doesn't look like Snow or David, right? She's blonde and they aren't"

"So… why is my hair red?" murmured Hazel, worry all over her face.

"Because my sister had red hair" said Regina, biting her lip. Well, that was the truth. "Sometimes children look like other members of the… family"

"And where's your sister?" asked the girl with interest.

"She… she is in the sky, like Roland's mommy, remember we talked about Roland's mommy?"

"Yeah" hummed Hazel, less worried. "So it's alright" she said, descending the chair.

"I think so" murmured Regina, watching her as she returned to the sofa.

Sometime later, Melody and Ariel were singing in sync, despite being in different places.

If only for one moment
I had shared with you all I know
The sea wouldn't be a mystery
Oh, why did you have to go?

And Regina prayed to have the strength to tell her the truth …

"Robin," she said that night, sitting on the bed, and he exited from the bathroom and looked at her.

"What is it?"

She sighed, her heart so heavy, and answered. "We… we need to tell Hazel about… about her mother".

Robin got closer and sat next to her, his arm already behind her shoulders, and he took a deep breath. "Do you think it's time?"

"I don't know" she murmured. "I don't know when it's supposed to be time, Robin! There's no chapter about this situation in self-help books!"

He looked at her, but she didn't meet his gaze. "That girl loves you like hell, Regina," he said, hoping to soothe her. "This won't change the fact that you're her mother"

"But what if it does?" she asked, tears pricking her eyes.

"It won't" he stated. "Do you trust me?"

She nodded faintly, meeting his eyes. "Then believe me if I tell you that our… daughter… is a wonderful, smart young woman," he said, and he moved closer to lean his forehead against her temple. "She takes after her mother, after all" he smiled, and she managed to let out a little, teary laugh.

"Are you ready?" he asked her, and Regina nodded slowly. He placed a hand on her back and they headed towards Hazel's room. The girl was engrossed in a book – a colored, small book for children which used to belong to Henry. She wasn't able to read, she was just enjoying the figures, but she knew the words by heart anyway.

"Sweetheart," said Regina entering the room, and Hazel lifted her gaze.

"Hi," she said curiously. She could feel the tension in the air, the way her parents looked at each other.

"Mommy, today I went to Auntie Mal's and I made this appear, look!"

Regina sat on her bed and took the small ball from her hand. "It's beautiful" she complimented. Robin took place next to her, and grabbed gently the book from her hands.

"Baby, we need to tell you something," he said. Hazel looked at him and, as always, he drowned in his daughter's eyes…

"What?" said the girl, already concerned.

"Nothing to worry about," assured Regina, ruffling her hair. "Hazel…" she took a deep breath "do you remember… when we talked about my sister?"

"Yes" answered the girl "you said she's dead, isn't she?"

"Yes" murmured Regina. "And you remember when Auntie Emma had that big tummy and baby Liam was in there?" Hazel nodded, staying silent.

"Okay, so…" she looked at Robin and he squeezed her hand, encouraging her. "It's time that you know this… you grew up in my sister's tummy, not in mine" she whispered, and Hazel widened her eyes.

"So I'm not your daughter?" she asked, and Regina felt her heart break a little more.

"You are her daughter" said Robin firmly. "You're just like Henry, who grew up in Emma's tummy and then Regina raised him, so he has two moms"

Hazel looked at her mother, still processing the information.

"So you're not my daddy?" she said, trying to figure out the situation.

"He is your daddy" Regina replied. Here it comes, the hardest part, she thought.

"Do you remember Henry's book? With all our stories? "

At her nod, she went on.

"You know that I was… evil… once" she said hesitantly. "But then I changed, right? Well, your mother… my sister… she was evil too… she would tell me to say wicked," she half-smiled.

"And she changed?" asked Hazel.

"In the end, she did. For you" said Regina. "But before you were born, she was still pretty bad… even with your dad" she continued.

"Baby, you know when we watch the Little Mermaid… and there's Ursula who wears the necklace… and turns herself into Vanessa?" asked Robin. This was the example they had chosen in advance, to explain to their daughter Zelena's deception.

"She did like Ursula?" asked Hazel. Thank god this kid is used to this family's weirdness, thought Regina.

"Yes, something like that" said Robin, looking at Regina. "In this way… she got pregnant of you"

Regina passed an arm around his waist, in an attempt to comfort him. "But we loved you from the day you were born, and so did your mother" she said.

Hazel had a strange expression on her face. "And what if I become wicked like her?" she asked, her lips trembling. Regina shook her head, quickly. "What did I tell you when you started using magic?" she said, and Hazel quoted her words.

"Evil isn't born, is made, and so is good," she said.

"Exactly" said her mother, and she leaned on to hug her. "I love you, baby" she whispered against her hair.

"I love you too, mommy" said Hazel, clinging to her neck. They stood like this for a while, then her father cleared his throat.

"We have something for you," he said, pulling out a yellow envelope. Hazel looked at it, and then eyed her mother. "Will you read for me?" she asked solemnly, looking far older than five years old.

Regina smiled and took the letter, opening it. "This is from my sister, for you" she said, emotion in her voice.

My little green pea,

By the time you'll read this letter, I'll be gone.
I'm sorry, little one, I couldn't stop this. I'm sorry for all.
I'm sure that my sister and your father have already explained to you all about me, and I'm sorry.
I could have been a better mother, I could have changed faster, as Regina did for Henry.
I'm sure they love you and that you are a gorgeous, intelligent and talented little girl, and I'm happy to know that at least you are surrounded by love.
I wanted wrong things for the two of us, little pea, and I paid for that, but I am thankful I have the chance to tell you how much I love you.
Be good for your family. Keep me in your heart, if you can forgive me, little one.

With all my love,

Mom

When Regina lowered the letter, tears had already gathered into Hazel's eyes. "Mommy" she sniffed, "I know she hurt you, but I'm sorry… I'll never get to know her"

"I know, sweetie" murmured Regina, and she held her daughter, hoping with all her heart to get this right, for her sister and for herself. She felt Robin's arm around them, they leaned on his hold, as they thought about that woman who was linked to the three of them, in different ways.