CHAPTER 4

Emma had no idea how long she had been out. But when she awoke the sun was pouring down on her.

She rose and brushed herself off as she watched people stepping through and around her. She tried ducking out of their way but she wasn't always fast enough. It didn't hurt her but it did leave a creepy sensation that made her shudder.

She made her way into the castle cursing Regina the entire way. She went in search of her Mother to ensure she wasn't hurt. She swore if she ever got the chance to get her hands on Regina again she'd beat her to a bloody pulp.

She made a plan as she strode up to the rooms she remembered. She'd make sure her Mother was okay. Then she'd call upon Rumplestiltskin. He was the only other person she knew there that had magic. She'd make whatever deal she had to in order for him to send her back home to her son.

She was walking through the halls when she heard a small cry. She followed it to find her Mother standing with Leopold and one of the guards.

"She left with two horses and her Father, my King. But we will find her," a guard was telling him.

"Yes, yes," Leopold waved him away. He tightened his arm around his daughter. "There, there Snow. We shall find your Mother."

"But why did she leave me? Father, I don't understand. I thought she loved us. How could she do this?" Snow's eyes were filled with tears.

Emma was stunned by how small and young her Mother looked. She wasn't exactly sure how old she was and even now her Mother was still petite. But here she really was quite small. She wasn't much bigger than Henry.

"It doesn't matter my darling. I'm here and I'm not going anywhere," Leopold rubbed his daughter's back while making soft cooing noises to her.

XX

Emma stayed close to her Mother the remainder of the day. It wasn't until later as the King became engrossed in some work that Snow made her way up to the room that Emma remembered as Regina's.

Snow was still crying. She walked inside and looked around. She turned things over all over making it obvious she had no idea what she was looking for. She got to the bathroom where Regina's dresses hung.

Snow grabbed ahold of one of the arms as a sob broke free. "Mother," she pleaded while her tears continued to flood down her face. "Mother, please come back to me."

Snow fell to the ground taking some of the dresses with her. "Please Mother," she cried out. She continued to cry until sheer exhaustion took ahold of her.

Emma watched her with her brow furrowed in confusion. She thought that Snow and Regina hated one another. What in the hell was going on?!

She slid down to the floor beside her Mother. She reached out a hand to her as she continued to cry even in her sleep. She lay beside her.

She had never been a Mama's girl. She'd never had one to be attached to. But now those old feelings of missing a Mother she didn't even know came up and almost suffocated her. She began to cry for her losses. Henry, her parents, her home, her life. She eventually cried herself to sleep.

RQ

It was the next morning before Regina regained consciousness. She woke up on a soft cough. Her eyes blinked rapidly as she tried to take in her surroundings.

She jumped when she saw her Father smiling and coming toward her. She scurried away as he came closer. He grabbed ahold of her hand grinning away at her.

"You're finally awake my dear."

Regina shook her head as the day came flooding back at her.

They were no longer in Storybrooke. And her Father was alive. She gave him a small smile as she raised her hand to his cheek and began to stroke it lovingly, "Father? It's really you!"

Her Father laughed, "Of course my dear. I'd never leave your side," he told her in a low voice. "I'm glad you're finally back among us living."

Regina gave him a side glance as she began to laugh along with him. She'd done it! She'd reset the timeline.

Her jubilation ended as she looked around them and recognition of where they were hit her. This was where she and Daniel would spend a lot of their time together.

Regina had wanted to go even farther back to a time when he had been alive. But she had only learned magic after she'd married Leopold.

She was glad she'd thought to put a proviso inside the curse. She never trusted the imp. And with good reason. He was nothing short of a devil, forked tongue and all.

She had never gotten her happy ending. Sure she'd been satisfied for a while there with Henry. But he had become her nightmare as much as he had once been her joy.

After she'd saved Emma and Snow by inhaling the curse they'd just taken off without another look back. Rumple had laughed at her and said, "Maybe one day you'll even get invited to dinner," before he took off again.

She'd only barely managed to poof herself to her bed before passing out. When she awoke she knew this was the end for her.

She'd made one more effort to reach out to Henry. But the boy was still so cold to her. She'd taken the hint. And given him what he wanted.

Now she was back here to right her wrongs. She should've never cast the curse. It had brought her nothing more than misery that was only sometimes dotted with bits of what she called happiness. Or as much as she was capable of ever having.

But this, this was for her. Queen Regina and the Evil Queen were no more. Now she was only Regina. The daughter of a lowly prince who would never see the throne. But it was enough for her.

Her Father gathered some food for her. They shared a quick meal as he filled her in on what was going on as far as he knew. Which was basically nothing.

No one had come storming down their home. But he still advised her that they should move as soon as she was able.

Regina nodded her head as she ate. It was only a small meal of bread and some roasted meat but for her famished belly it was a feast.

She had warred with herself over resetting the timeline knowing what it would mean for Henry for a long time. In that time, she'd worried herself sick. She hadn't been able to eat or sleep much. Now that the decision was made she was going to grab the opportunity with both hands.

Her Father ran to ready the horses as she packed up and gathered their things. She wandered into her childhood home to see if there were any treasures she wanted to bring along with her. All she saw were dust covered items that held no value to her at all. She went back out just as her Father walked up with the horses.

She greeted Rocinanate and gave him one of the apples she'd filched before she'd shrunk her tree. She tossed one to her Father who fed it to his horse. Then she climbed up.

She looked back at her Father to make sure he had also. Then together the two of them made their way to her Father's Kingdom and whatever adventures were headed their way.