A month had passed by and Regina was beginning to feel relief when it came to her heartache. She couldn't explain it if she tried, but before, it felt like every time she thought of Henry, her heart was being crushed right inside of her chest. Now she felt that pain fading. The more time she spent with Roland and Robin the less pain she felt when she thought about Henry and it scared her. Did this mean she was forgetting about him? No. She could never forget about her little prince. Could she? Regina was immediately snapped out of her thoughts and looked at to the young woman staring at her.

"What is it Snow?" She sighed.

"Are you all right?" Snow asked, taking the seat next to her in the library. It seemed like Regina spent all of her time there now.

"I'm fine." Regina lied and turned her attention back to her book, although she had never even started reading it to begin with. Snow sighed at the walls Regina was putting up.

"Regina..." Snow started but was quickly interrupted.

"I don't need consoling Snow." Regina said curtly.

"I didn't come here to console you Regina. I came because... I was hoping you might be able to console me." Regina almost choked up on hearing this.

"Excuse me?" Regina asked in pure disbelief.

"How do you do it?" Snow asked and for the first time since they arrived back, Snow actually looked broken. She was always holding the group together, always the one to be strong for everyone else, but now she didn't know how to be strong for herself.

"Do what?" Regina asked, confused.

"Keep it together." Snow answered. "The first day we got here you were ready to bury your heart in the middle of the forest. Now it seems like you've... I don't know... moved on." Regina's face hardened at Snow's words and Snow immediately realized that she had said the wrong thing.

"I will never move on and forget about my son." Regina snapped as she gridded her teeth.

"I didn't mean it like that." Snow stammered. "The last thing I wanted was to start a fight. That's not why I came here."

"Well why did you come here?" Regina asked, simmering down a bit.

"I needed someone to talk to." Snow admitted.

"And of all the people in this castle, you chose to come to me?" Regina asked in disbelief.

"I can't talk to Charming about this. He's so determined that we'll get back, but I can't help but think that..."

"That we won't." Regina finished for her and Snow nodded.

"What if I never see her again?" Snow whimpered as she began to tear up. "I missed twenty-eight years of her life already and I can't help but think that I'll miss the rest and she'll never even know I existed. You can't tell me that doesn't bother you."

"It does. Every day." Regina admitted.

"Then how are you so calm? What changed?"

"I don't know." Regina admitted, raising her voice a little. The same thoughts had been torturing her every day but over the past few months, things just seemed to be getting better. She couldn't explain it and she hated herself for it. "Ever since I let Robin and Roland in, things have just been... easier for me. It's hard to explain." Snow was taken aback by this.

"Robin?" Snow asked, hurt in her voice. "So that's what this is about."

"Snow, what are you talking about?"

"You think you can replace Henry and Emma so easily." Snow said, standing up.

"They just make me happy." Regina answered, getting angry. "You were the one encouraging me to find my happiness. Why is it such a problem now? I'm not replacing anyone."

"Really because I think that's exactly what you're doing!" Snow said as she got up to leave. Regina took a few breaths to stop herself from roasting Snow right then and there. She poofed herself to Robin's room where she knew he would be.

"Did you find anything?" Robin asked as the cloud of purple smoke disappeared from around Regina. He had grown used to her appearing out of nowhere.

"What's wrong?" He asked as he noticed her face, he immediately held out his arms and she didn't hesitate to walk into them.

"Now I remember why I hate her." Regina mumbled into his shoulder.

"Hate who?" Robin asked, confused.

"Snow." Regina said her name like it burned the tip of her tongue. "How dare she say that to me?!"

"What did she say?" Robin asked, ready to go confront Snow at that very moment.

"It doesn't matter." Regina's face fell as she looked away from him.

"Regina." Robin said as he gently turned her face back to him. "You know you can tell me anything." He assured.

"I know." She sighed.

"Then what is it?"

"She said that I am replacing Henry and Emma with you and Roland."

"And this upsets you why? You know that's not true."

"But I..."

"But what?" He asked as he kissed her temple.

"I don't know if it's true or not. A few months ago, I was ready to rip my heart out and now..."

"Now?"

"I love Henry more than I love myself and I miss him every day, but I have to face the reality that I may never see him again. Snow is stuck in this world where she believes that we can get back, but I don't see a way. I can put myself through that kind of pain, hoping for something that will never happen." Robin saw her eyes water and immediately pulled her closer.

"It's going to be okay love." He assured her as he kissed her hair. "I don't mind putting Roland to bed by myself tonight if you're not up to it. I'll just tell him you're not feeling well and I'll meet you after."

"Don't be silly." Regina said, whipping her one stray tear. "Just give me a moment and I'll meet you there."


"Gina, you came." Roland said sleepily as he reached his arms out towards her. Regina smiled as she slid in bed next to him, just as she had done for the past few weeks.

"Of course I did." Regina assured him as she brushed some of his dark curls out of his face. He cuddled into her side immediately and laid his head on her chest.

"Papa said you were sad." Roland said as he played with the ends of her long dark hair, comfortable in the warmth of her arms. Regina looked over at Robin who just shrugged guiltily.

"I was." Regina admitted, still smoothing over his little head.

"I don't want you to be sad Gina." Roland pouted. "I want you to be happy." Roland said as he looked up at her with his adorable brown eyes and leaned up to kiss Regina's cheek.

"What was that for?" Regina asked, a small smile dancing on her lips.

"Your kisses always make me happy when I'm sad. So I thought that if I kissed you then you wouldn't be sad anymore." Roland explained.

"Well you're right. That made me so happy." Regina smiled at him.

"I love you Gina." Roland said as he snuggled deeper into her chest, sleep overtaking him. Regina laid there in shock. Roland had yet to utter those words to her, until now.

"I love you too." She whispered into his hair. Robin watched the sight before him. He didn't know when it happened, but he realized now that Regina had just become a part of their little family.