Author's Note: Thanks once again for all of the favorites, reviews, and alerts. They truly make my day. And I'm so glad that you're all on board with the little twist that I threw into the works. I hope you continue to enjoy where we're heading.

Regina stood outside town hall, looking up at the clock tower. For the past two weeks, the hands had remained steadfast and unmoving. No one in town seemed to notice, or if they did, they weren't saying anything to her.

She shook her head angrily and continued on into her office. She had gotten what she wanted. Emma Swan was gone. Time was once again frozen. Things were back to the way they'd always been. The way that they were meant to be. Her happy ending was no longer in danger.

So why wasn't she happy?

With a sigh, she sat down at her desk, looking over the papers that were spread there. Storybrooke business. It should've been enough to keep her occupied. It always had been before. But now - now Regina was aware of just how monotonous her life truly was.

Time had started with the arrival of Emma Swan for better or worse. She had had to adjust, to deal with the fact that things were actually happening and changing in town. It had made her life messy and complicated. She had hated every second of it.

Now Emma Swan was gone and time was once again at a stand still. Things were back to being orderly and controlled. And she found herself hating every second of it.

At least with Emma in town, things had been exciting. The blonde had found a way to get under her skin, to shake things up, to make Regina's blood pump again. After 28 years of the same routine, it had been a welcome change - even if she'd never admit it.

But now the blonde was gone and Regina felt like she was losing her mind. She didn't want the woman there and she certainly didn't miss her now that she was gone. No, Regina didn't miss Emma at all. She didn't miss her smirk or her ugly leather jackets or her attitude. She didn't miss having to fight for Henry's affections or having someone who would stand up to her. She didn't miss scrambling to keep control of her town and the people in it.

Except that she did. She missed all of it - every last thing that she'd hated about Emma Swan - because life without her was boring. There was no other way to describe it. It was just downright boring. Regina despised boring almost as much as she despised Snow White. And she despised Emma for making her realize just how bored she was.

Without Emma there to lead them, the citizens of Storybrooke had turned back into sheep. They went about their business as usual and didn't question anything. Sidney had been appointed as the new sheriff and no one had raised an eyebrow. They'd clapped politely at the ceremony she'd thrown for him and then left without a word. He was the perfect figure head, as she knew he would be. He reported everything to her - except that there was nothing to report.

Mary Margaret and David's little flirtation had come to a halt. Archie had gone back to being his meek self, still meeting with Henry, but keeping her updated on everything without batting an eyelash as he always had. Even Henry had stopped fighting her. He was withdrawn, hardly speaking to her, obviously upset and angry, but without his book and Emma there, it was as though he'd lost the fighting spirit too.

Where was the wolf that would challenge her? Where were the people who had persecuted her with such vehemence back in the Enchanted Forest? And why did she care? She wanted them to be trapped, pitiful excuses of the people they had once been. Didn't she?

With an angry growl, Regina tossed her pen down, standing up and beginning to pace the office. This couldn't be happening. She couldn't miss Emma. She hated Emma.

She found herself cursing the woman once again. She cursed her for existing. She cursed her for showing up and ruining everything and for leaving and still ruining everything. She cursed the way that any time she saw Kathryn on the street, it stopped her cold, expecting the blonde hair to belong to Emma. And she cursed herself for the pang she felt every time she realized it was only Kathryn and not Emma.

If only these curses could actually be enacted. But they couldn't, because she'd given up everything for this curse - this curse that Emma Swan had somehow managed to turn against her.

"Mayor Mills, the sheriff is here for you." Her secretary's voice interrupted her stormy thoughts.

For a second, her own excitement got the better of her. Her blood began to pump in anticipation of a confrontation. Then the door to her office opened and Sidney stepped inside and Regina was reminded again of the fact that Emma Swan was gone and she had gotten exactly what she wanted.

Once again, Gold's voice sounded in her head. Be careful what you wish for.

As she ran along the water, her bare feet slipping in the sand - she'd kicked off her shoes as soon as she'd jumped from the pier to the beach - she tried to remember why she'd thought California would be a good idea. Sure Malibu was lovely and she enjoyed the sun, but when it came to actual chases, it sucked. Although chasing people through the snow sucked more, so maybe this wasn't so bad. At least she was getting a tan and looking healthier now.

Her head was starting to pound - and a little voice reminded her that she hadn't seen a doctor since she'd arrived in California - as she pushed herself harder, cursing the skirt that was restricting her movements. She really needed to stop dressing up for these assholes.

Just when she thought she was going to lose the guy because she couldn't catch up, a group of people playing Frisbee came to her rescue. The guy tried to dodge them, but they were so spread out that he couldn't avoid all of them without slowing down. It wasn't by much, but it was enough that she could inch ahead and go into a dive, tackling the guy to the sand.

Even after she took him down, he still fought her, rolling in the sand to try to catch her off balance, but she held on tight, happily pushing his face down into the surf that he'd rolled them into. She wrenched his hands behind his back and cuffed him quickly. She was pretty sure that she wasn't supposed to take the handcuffs with her when she left Storybrooke, but they were quickly coming in handy.

"Really, Frank? You're gonna run from me, when I'm the one who helped your wife bail your sorry ass out of jail for tax fraud? I don't think so."

The man coughed and sputtered beneath her, trying to keep his head above water. "I should just let you drown, jackass." She huffed out. "But then I wouldn't get my money back. And your wife - god knows why - would miss you. So stop struggling and I'll let you up."

The group of people all watched in interest as she tugged him to his feet and started pushing him toward the pier. She was aware that her clothes were wet and covered with sand and was sure that they both looked like a sight.

"Nothing to see here, folks." She said with a hint of humor as she pushed him passed them, ignoring his muttered curses.

"Whoa." She heard whispered from beside her and she turned to see a kid that couldn't have been more than ten standing there. For one brief second, he had Henry's face and she almost stopped short. But then she blinked and Henry was gone, replaced by a blonde haired, blue eyed kid holding a Frisbee.

As she shoved Frank into the back of her Bug she made a mental note to clean her car and look up a good neurologist. These flashes needed to stop.

"You're gonna leave me, aren't you?" The voice trembled, revealing her fear as she clutched onto the other woman's arm.

Only this time, it wasn't Regina asking the question, but Emma, staring up at Regina with fear written all over her face. Regina was now the one in control, the one who had the power to walk away, to save herself and leave Emma to fend for herself. She yanked her arm out of Emma's grip, leaving the deputy behind.

"Regina! Regina! Please!" Emma's screams echoed, but Regina ignored them, running past the fire extinguisher and continuing out the front door where the entire town seemed to be congregated.

She was coughing and sputtering, but no one seemed to notice. They were all looking for Emma. "Where's Emma? What happened to Emma?"

Everyone's eyes were fixed on her, waiting for an answer. She saw Henry's face in the crowd, saw his disappointment so vividly that it seemed to reach out and choke her.

The volunteer firefighters tried to go into the building, to save Emma, but the flames burst higher, taking over the whole building and forcing them back.

"Regina! Regina!" She could hear Emma's pained screams, echoing in her ears.

Regina spun on the firefighters. "She's still in there. She's still alive. Can't you hear her screaming? Go get her!" She demanded, but everyone just shook their heads, the same look of disappointment on their faces.

"It's too late." They whispered. "She's gone."

"No." Regina shook her head. She could still hear Emma's pleas for help. Why couldn't they?

"You were the only one who could save her, but you left her there." They accused, still in those damn whispers.

"No. She's alive. I can hear her. Why can't you?"

"Regina! Please!"

Regina turned, suddenly determined to enter the building, but hands reached out and stopped her, holding her fast. Their voices rose, drowning out Emma's cries. "You let this happen. You let her go. Now you can't get her back."

"No!" Regina woke with a start, choking on the word, her eyes frantically looking around the room. Her heart was racing and she was gasping for breath.

"Mom?" Henry's voice came from the doorway and she looked over at him quickly, her mind still trying to determine what was real and what had been the dream.

The disappointment wasn't on Henry's face, instead it was the same blank look he'd been wearing for the past four weeks. "Henry."

"You were yelling. Did you have a bad dream?"

"A dream?" Regina's mind clicked into place. "Yes. It was a dream."

It was only dream. Another in the string of dreams that she'd been having since Emma Swan had left town. For some reason, her subconscious had taken great delight in inflicting her with dreams in which Emma Swan died because of her. The car accident had plagued her for the first week, but she had explained it away as normal. The accident had been bad, Emma could have died.

But then others had started to join in. This one, with the fire and their situations reversed, and one where Emma had rescued Henry and Archie from the mine but then fallen to her own death. And the one that she did her best not to think about - where her hand crushed the heart that she thought belonged to Graham, but instead she rose up from her father's tomb to find Emma dead on the steps, her eyes open but unseeing.

Henry shook his head. "I'm going to be late for school."

"Henry!" She called out to him, but he just continued down the hall.

With a sigh, she fell back on the pillows, running her hand over her face. This nonsense had to stop. Henry had to stop blaming her for Emma's accident and leaving. And these damn dreams needed to stop, too.

She had destroyed lives, spilled blood, crushed hearts beneath her hand and never once batted an eyelash. Emma Swan had merely been in an accident - an accident that Regina had not had any part in, damn it - and lost some of her memories. Yet it was Emma who plagued her thoughts and dreams. Why? What was so damn special about the woman? And why would she not leave Regina in peace?