Regina giggled, "That's very clever of you." She motioned for a nearby servant to come to the table. "I must say, I've never considered the thought of adding cinnamon to any drink, let alone my hot chocolate. Of course, it's so rare that we have either, I'm not sure we've had the luxury of having both at the same time. But, should the opportunity present itself, I think I shall give it a try."

Emma glanced over to Henry, who was watching the young Regina with a look somewhere between curiosity and disbelief. Turning her eyes back to the young brunette, she shrugged. "When I can, I do it. A lot of people think it's weird, but I like it."

"It seems as though it would be an unusual combination," Regina agreed with a bright smile on her face. Turning to the servant, she asked them to check on the bundle the kitchen staff was to be preparing for her guests before she turned back to them. "Are you certain you won't allow Daniel to accompany you back to your home, Miss Swan?"

"Emma," the blonde correct in a hesitant voice. She'd had this conversation with Regina before. Well, not this Regina, but still. "You can call me Emma. I'm good with that."

"Alright," the younger woman nodded. "Emma then, and you both must call me Regina. But I would feel so much better regarding yours and young Henry's safety if you had an escort."

The sheriff gave a slow blink as she tried to control the little shiver that seemed to run through her when her first name left the other woman's lips without so much as a harsh thought behind it. She cleared her throat. "Yeah, I'm sure. We'll be okay, right kid?" She looked over to Henry who had tilted his head to the side while he watched the two older people talk.

Scrunching his face up in thought, he asked in a voice that sounded much younger than his age, "Regina, what's your favorite color?"

The question was so disjointed from the rest of the conversation that both woman simply sat and stared at him for a long moment. Finally giving a gracious smile, Regina answered in an amused voice, "Blue, why do you ask?"

"I thought it would be red," Henry said more to himself than the woman he was addressing.

"Red is lovely, of course, but I've always preferred blue, like the color of Daniel's eyes." Her own eyes grew large, and she blushed at the slip up of information. "As one example, of course," she added in a rush. She glanced to Emma, who only raised an eyebrow and gave a small smirk in response.

The young boy frowned, eyebrows lowering as he thought. "Do you have a favorite fruit?"

Regina gave a curious glance toward Emma, who only shrugged and looked as confused as they both felt. "No," the brunette answered, but it was clear she was giving the question thought. "Though I do like cherries when we're able to get them, and I like apples. What's your favorite fruit?" She obviously thought the young boy was playing some kind of game, and she was happy to play along.

Emma suspected it was something else entirely, and, though she couldn't read her son's mind, she could read his body language. It screamed a need, a pressing desire, to know this Regina before they left, and she couldn't blame him. This Regina was so much like their Regina yet so different. She was open, light hearted, and caring in a way the Regina she knew never was, and, in seeing this younger version of the former evil queen turned mayor, she found herself just as curious as her son to know this woman, the young woman that was before everything went to hell.

"I liked apples for a long time," he answered honestly. "But then something happened, and I stopped liking them, but, I mean, I still kind of like them."

Regina's face dropped into a concerned look. "Oh well, maybe whatever happened will eventually be forgotten, and you can enjoy eating them again?"

He shrugged. "Maybe. I still eat them, but they remind me of," Henry abruptly stopped and glanced to Emma. Frowning, he finished the sentence slowly, "someone that a lot of people don't like." He sighed at Regina's empathetic look. "What's your favorite thing to do when you don't have to do something?"

"Well," Regina gave him a questioning look, "I like to read. I'm very fond of poetry, and I like to ride my horse. I enjoy riding very much, and I also like to bake, though Mother frowns on me spending too much time in the kitchen with the servants. What do you like to do, Henry?"

Her question was genuine, and he seemed surprised by that. "I like to spend time with Mom when she isn't too busy or mad about something. Sometimes, she would play board games with me or we'd go on a picnic. I liked those times."

Emma's face dropped, and she gave her son a look that said she both didn't know and was sorry for what Henry had lost since she'd arrived in town.

Regina looked to the blonde, and her smile grew a touch. "It's good that you spend time with each other in that way."

"I… yeah…" Emma shifted uncomfortably in her chair. "I should probably try harder to make sure the kid gets to do that kind of thing more often," she commented as she looked at her son, who only frowned at some memory that he had never shared with her. Sighing heavily, she glanced back to her hostess and asked a question of her own that she had always wanted to know about the brunette. "Since we're playing twenty questions," she gave a small, reassuring smile, "What makes you happy, Regina? When you're having a really bad day, what makes you smile?"

"Spending time with the one that I love," came the answer just as easily and simply as any. "Isn't that what makes anyone's day that much better?"

Emma nodded. "Love is a strength like that."

"I've always thought it was," Regina answered with an approving nod of her head. "To be yourself and be loved and be able to love in return is something that I think is one of life's greatest gifts."

"Love is its own kind of power," the sheriff added.

Before Regina could respond, her servant arrived carrying two bundles, which were set quietly on the table before the servant took their leave. Regina thanked them, and said with a somewhat sadder expression on her face, "I suppose this means you'll leave soon?"

Henry stood and walked over to the young hostess. He stared at her for a brief moment, blushing slightly. "Regina," he glanced at the floor, trying hard to ask the question sitting on his lips, "Can I hug you?"

At the questioning look from the younger woman, Emma gave a nod of her head to indicate she was fine with it, so Regina gracefully stood and knelt down beside the boy. "Of course," she said with a warm smile and soft look in her eye.

Lunging forward, Henry wrapped his arms around her and squeezed her tightly. She returned the hug, giving him a more gentle squeeze and patiently waited until the young boy let go. When he pulled back, there were tears in his eyes, and he wiped at them as best he could. "I'm going to miss you." His voice was heavy with sadness.

"Oh, don't cry," Regina said in an assuring voice. "Now that we know each other, you and your mother are always welcome here as my guests." She glanced up to the blonde who still sat in her chair watching the scene unfold. "You can always find me."

Emma winced a little at those words. "We'll always know to look, anyway," she said as she stood and picked the bundles up. "Thank you for your hospitality, but we really should get going." Henry stepped away and allowed enough room for Emma to approach Regina. "I hope your ankle heels up fast."

"I think it'll be okay," Regina answered while she stood. There was an awkward moment before she added, "I don't know why, Emma, but I feel compelled to hug you goodbye, too. Isn't it strange? It feels as though we've known each other for so long."

"The world is weird," the blonde answered. A grunt escaped her as Regina limped forward and wrapped her in a hug. For a moment, she resisted the embrace, but she gave in eventually and returned it. Despite herself, she relaxed into the grip, and she felt a void when Regina pulled away, their eyes meeting for a brief moment before Emma broke the gaze off to look anywhere but the brown eyes now carefully watching her. "I, uh, I think we should go now. Thanks again, Regina. I appreciate everything you've ever done for Henry."

Before Regina could correct Emma's odd word choice, both mother and son were headed from the room and out of her presence.


Regina sat at her kitchen island and swirled her drink. The cinnamon floated lightly atop the light brown liquid, and she stared into it as her mind recollected. "This has to stop," she muttered to herself before finishing her hot chocolate. "She's changing my past."

Rinsing the mug out, she left it in the sink and stalked toward her study while her mind pieced together the memory that had just flashed through it.

"I appreciate everything you've ever done for Henry."

Emma's words rolled around in her mind while she flipped through and found the spell that should lead her to the pair, assuming she could find someone with light magic to assist her. It was clear Emma was talking directly to her as she is now and not to the younger version of herself that she was interacting with at the time.

The brunette gave a humph. Her younger self had felt so confused by the visitors, yet she recalled also feeling a connection with them. The whole thing had been odd, but she hadn't had time to focus too much on it. Her mother had come home the very next day, and there was much to pay for from her accidental fall from her horse.

She sat at her desk and allowed her mind to replay the newest changed memory from her past, and she shivered as she again recalled the embrace she had shared with Emma prior to her leaving. Regina's skin twitched, and her emotions swam in an unchecked swath of confused feelings. Did she hate the fact Emma Swan had touched her, or was she hoping to have it happen again?

She wasn't certain.

It didn't matter. What mattered was bringing both Ms. Swan and Henry back. Now that she had the spell, the items, and an idea of where and when they were, she was halfway to her goal. She just needed access to light magic. There were only a few people who could help her, and one was sitting in a jail cell.

No matter, Regina thought with a smirk. She stood and strolled upstairs to recover the heart sitting next to her designer shoes. There was more than one way to get what she needed.


"I can find it," David said as he pounded the top of the counter, causing spoons to shake in the coffee mugs in which they rested. "I'll always be able to find her, which means I can find her heart."

The group was seated at Granny's Diner, and the early morning sunlight fell through the diner's dirty windows to give a brightness to the room that wasn't warranted for the mood. There were a few murmurs and a few grunts that said they didn't think David's claim was likely.

"I think it's in her house," he continued, ignoring them all. He looked around him and his eyes pleaded with the gathered mass. "We can't save Emma and Henry while Mary Margaret's life is in danger. We need to save her first so we can focus on getting my daughter and grandson back."

"I still think we should attempt to talk to Regina before we use force," Archie spoke up, over the crowd. "It only stands to reason that anything she would see as a forceful attack on her could lead to more violence, which isn't in anyone's best interest."

"I still say we should burn the witch," Leroy shouted. "She's dangerous. We could take her out, search her house, get Mary Margaret's heart, and find Emma and Henry."

"No, I don't want to do that," David's voice was tired. "There was a time when I would have agreed with you, Leroy, but I don't think killing Regina is the answer."

"Glad to hear it, Deputy," Regina's voice cut through the crowd, and the room fell silent. "Don't mind me. I'm only here to place a to-go order. Please, continue on. I won't stop you. Just act as if I'm not here."

Leroy growled. "What do you think you're doing here?"

"Getting food, or is my money not welcomed here anymore?" She raised an eyebrow in question to Granny, who stood behind the counter.

The old woman glowered for a long moment before she finally asked, "What do you want?"

"A bacon, egg, and cheese muffin and a cup of French vanilla coffee to go," the former mayor answered while she pulled money from her wallet. She waited calmly for her order while every eye in the place stared at her. Finally becoming overly annoyed with the attention, she turned to them to address the crowd as a whole. "As it's clear you aren't going to kill me right now and I'm too busy with other things to be concerned with what simplistic plot you're trying to come up with in order to save poor Snow White, perhaps all of you could find something better to do than stare at me. I assure you that staring at me will do nothing to either save your precious princess nor get you any closer to a plan that would actually work to thwart me."

"What makes you think we don't already have a plan?" Whale stepped into her personal space. "Maybe we already know what we're going to do to you."

"I doubt it," Regina deadpanned, giving him a look that said she was less than intimidated. "Either way, your little plan will have to wait. My food is ready, and I have places to be." She handed Granny a twenty, took the food, and called over her shoulder as she departed, "Keep the change."

"That's it," Leroy stood up, determination on his face. "I'm breaking into her house and finding Mary Margaret's heart."

David sighed. "I'll go with you."


With a wariness to her body she hadn't felt since the loneliness of Daniel's death had swept through her, Regina climbed her stairs. Her mind refused to allow her to stop thinking about the final moments between her younger self and Emma Swan, and she was becoming increasingly agitated by that fact.

Her face sank into a deep scowl. It was unlike her to be unable to control her mind, and the lack of discipline was irritating. The brief encounter she'd had at the jail a few hours before was also weighing on her mind. It would seem Ruby Lucas was an ally she had not predicted, and she wondered if she had more. It could be to her benefit to sort that out soon.

Making a mental note to do just that, she deftly opened her bedroom door to find it wasn't as empty as she expected it to be. Standing beside her chest of drawers with one hand pushed in among her silk pajamas was David Nolan. Leroy wasn't far away, and she was beyond irritated to see he had her lingerie drawer open.

The panic on their faces would have been comical if the situation hadn't been so dire.

"You have three seconds to remove your hands from my private clothing items," she snarled, eyes swirling with magic. "And then I'm going to destroy you."


Sorry for the time jumping. I'm trying to keep the confusing down as much as possible.