Authors note: Yay, another chapter! ;) By the way, if you want to hear a hauntingly beautiful song, check out the new soundtrack for Malificent, Once Upon A Dream by Lana Del Rey. It's so freakin' beautiful!

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This morning had been very chaotic, which was unusual in the Mills' household. The alarm hadn't been enough to wake Regina's exhausted mind and when she finally opened her eyes, it was already 8:15. That meant she only had fifteen minutes to dress herself and her son, make breakfast and drive Henry to school. And seeing that she and Henry are both not morning people, it had been a somewhat terrible morning.

Henry had eventually been five minutes late, which wasn't that bad. Regina sighed as she rested her forehead against the steering wheel. She needed her decaf coffee. Like, right now. Putting her black Mercedes in reverse, she steered out of the parking lot. Checking her watch she saw that she still had ten minutes before she had to show up at Town Hall, enough time to swing passed Granny's and quickly grab a coffee to go.

Granny was relatively empty when Regina stepped inside the warm and cozy diner. She smiled back briefly when she noticed Ruby smiling at her. "Hello, Madame Mayor." The young brunette greeted. "Let me guess, coffee? But decaf." She said as she pointed at Regina's protruding stomach.

"That's right Ruby, thank you." She smiled as she leaned against the counter. Her night had been restless and it was already taking a toll on her body.

As the waitress quickly made the coffee and placed the steaming cup in front of the Mayor. She furrowed her dark brows as she noticed how tired the woman looked. The bags under her eyes were easily seen even when covered with foundation. "Are you okay, Regina?" Ruby knew she took a risk by calling Regina by her first name, but she was really worried about the older woman. Regina was having a hard time and everyone in town noticed it. It was logical after all, the woman had just lost her husband.

Regina looked up from her wallet as she pulled out a couple of dollars. A fake smile was already securely in place when her brown eyes finally met Ruby's. "Of course, dear. I just overslept this morning."

Ruby could easily see past the lie, but she didn't want to ask further, afraid that the woman might get irritated and snap at her. She and Regina were already on thin ice as it was. Instead she smiled softly and nodded a goodbye before she walked off to take the order of the couple that just walked in.

Regina grabbed the cup and took a sip before turning on her heels and making her way towards her car again. The bitter liquid was hot and it slightly burned her throat. Putting the cup in the cup holder and threw her purse on the carseat next to her.

She stepped into her office at precisely 9 AM, just on time. Greeting her secretary - an old woman named Susan - she made her way inside of her office. It was exactly the same as she had left it yesterday. As usual, Regina avoided looking at her left and briskly stopped before her large desk. The black surface was neatly organized; files on a pile at the right side, laptop on the left and family photos in the middle.

Henry had said that she needed to put the photos in the middle so that she could always look at him. At the time she thought it had been a great idea, but now she wasn't so sure anymore. Her wedding picture was still proudly standing since she still hadn't put it away. Regina stole a quick glance and saw her own face and Peter's smiling back at her. At that time she had thought she had found it all; a house, a husband and three years later she had had Henry. Her life had been perfect. But then Peter had died - right there, the left corner of her office, the spot Regina always avoided looking at.

Regina was still staring at the picture when a sudden anger flared up inside of her chest. Sure, Peter had died and she had loved him. She was allowed to miss him. But he had betrayed her in the worst way possible. Cheated on her with a young blonde woman, while she was at home, having morning sickness and headaches because she was carrying his child. What kind of man would cheat on his pregnant wife?! Her hand shot out and before she even fully realized it, her finger held the photo frame in a crushing grip and the slammed it down. She heard a crack and she knew the glass had broken. It was weird but the sounds as somewhat satisfying. That photo of a memory Regina need to get passed. That time was gone.

Forever...

The other photos shook with the force Regina had used to slam the other picture down. The shook, but didn't fall. Maybe it was some sort of signal that not everything was over, not everything had changed. The pictures of Henry were still standing and smiling at her, the same went for the sonogram of their - her - unborn child. They were still the same.

...

Lukewarm water and shampoo suds made their way down her naked body. Only to be washed away down the drain. Emma could feel the tension leaving her body. Sure, she was still stranded in the middle of nowhere, in the town where her former - now dead - boyfriend's wife was living with her adorable son. But a shower had always helped to just simply forget.

Shutting the tap, she grabbed the towel from the rack and stepped on the tiled bathroom floor. Toweling herself drie, she grabbed her freshly washed underwear and pulled them on. It was nice, feeling clean again after the day she'd had yesterday. Her stomach made a growling sound, signaling that it was in need of food. She quickly dressed and got out of the room.

The morning air was cold and Emma pulled her red jacket tighter around her middle with her hands. As she stepped inside Granny's, she was met by the unfamiliar but still welcoming smell of coffee. And apple pie.

"Hello, Emma." A cheery voice made itself present behind her and Emma quickly spun around. How the young brunette could be so lively in the morning - well, to be fair, almost noon - would remain a mystery to the blonde.

"Hello..." Emma furrowed her brows as she tried to wake her still sleeping brain enough to remember the girl's name. "Ruby." That took a little longer than I would've liked.

"Would you like some breakfast? It goes with the room."

Emma smiled as she sat down in one of the empty booths. "Well, I would never pass on a free meal. Some pancakes would be nice."

The brunette scribbled something on her notepad with slender fingers and then nodded. More to herself than to Emma. "Coming right up."

Waiting for her breakfast Emma grabbed the menu to keep her hands busy. All the while trying to come up with ways to maybe threaten the mechanic to make fixing her car his first priority, if she could get out of this town fast, the more unlikely she would run into a certain Mayor Regina Mills.

...

Time had been slow - like really, really slow. But she had survived. As Regina locked her office behind her she checked the clock again. 14:45, time to pick Henry up and go home. She wished her secretary a good afternoon and made her way into the cold Maine air. Her car was parked closest to the entrance, a perk of being the Mayor which certainly come in handy since she was pregnant and walking very long in these heels was already nearly impossible.

The ignition roared to life and Regina pushed the gaspedal in slightly. The school was only a five minutes drive away from Town Hall.

The playground was scattered with parents, who where there to pick their kids up. She greeted Jefferson as she leaned against the gate, watching the door for any sign of her little boy. The bell was loud and echoed throughout the playground. Not even a minute later the double doors were thrown open by a group of eager children.

Regina saw her son's eyes lit up the moment his rested on her. "Mommy!" The boy shrieked as he ran towards her as fast as his little legs could carry him. "Looks what I made!" He proudly held up a drawing which was balled in his little fist.

"That's beautiful Henry!" Regina said as enthusiastically as the boy had just done. She took the drawing from him and nearly started crying when she saw what he had drawn. It was a stick figure with a circle in front of the place where there should be a belly, Regina could already guess that was supposed to be her. Next to the stick figure was a smaller one and Regina just knew that Henry had drawn himself. But that wasn't the thing that brought tears to her eyes. No, Henry had drawn a cloud on the upper right corner of the paper, with on that cloud another stick figure.

"That's daddy! He's on a clouwd becauws he's watchin' ovew us, just like you told me mommy!" Henry said proudly as he held up his arms, signaling that he wanted to be carried. Regina bent down, pulling him in her arms and rested the boy comfortably on her hip before peppering his face with kisses.

"That's beautiful Henry, I love it."

A blush covered the young boys cheeks and he giggled. "Realwy?"

"Yes, really."

"Will you puwt it on the refwi... Refwii.. The cold closet?"

Regina smiled. "Yes Henry, I will put it on the refrigerator."

The boy noticed the word his mother had just said. "Refrwideratow." He tried.

"Very good Henry." Regina smiled proudly as they walked over to the car.

...

Leave a review, and next chapter we'll see how Regina reacts to finding out Emma's still in town ;)