A/N: Hey Guys!

Chapter 2 has come around already! I've been blown away by the views i've had after only one chapter so i hope you all enjoy this one.
In advance, our ladies won't be in the same place/time for a few more chapters yet but don't fret, it'll come. The next few chapters might not be the most interesting, but they're necessary for setting up well...pretty much everything.
Anyway, i hope you enjoy. Comments/criticisms are always appreciated! Happy reading :D

Rosie xx

I do not own Once Upon A Time, no copyright intended.

After Regina had explained her rather far-fetched plan, and Hook, to his credit, had listened carefully, he went to say a few last-minute goodbyes before he set off on his journey.

When he returned to her he appeared to have acquired a horse. He slung his pack on top before swinging himself up into the saddle and getting comfortable in his stirrups, making his way over to Snow and Charming. Regina watched as Snow reached her hand up to him and clasped it tightly, whilst David patted him on the leg and no doubt wished him a safe journey. He walked his horse away from them towards Regina and she walked slowly next to his horse until they were out of the Charmings' direct line of sight.

"What did you tell them?" Regina asked pointedly, hoping that the pirate had obeyed her orders.

"Don't worry, I told them that I can't be stuck on dry land much longer and need to find my boat, wherever she is. Only part of what I have to do, but they didn't need to know that." He tightened the pack on his saddle once more and stared straight ahead into the forest through which was his destination.

Regina raised her head and placed her left hand on the horse's neck, stroking it nonchalantly and replying once she had reigned in the feelings that were storming inside of her. Even after all these years and the memories associated with them just being near the powerful yet beautiful creatures still brought Regina some solace.

Hoping above all else that the pirate had the ability to succeed in his task and wasn't going to run away and plunder and pillage or whatever else pirates did, she reached into the folds of her dress and pulled out the small wrap containing the bottles. Holding the package tightly in her hand she looked at Hook, a multitude of emotions running across her face.

"You'll need these if you find her. It's a memory potion. If I know Emma there's no way she'll believe what you're saying, so you might want to give this to her sooner rather than later. Whatever you do, don't", she emphasised the word as she placed the bottle gently into Hook's hand, "lose them. There's a vial in there for Henry too. If you find them, go to Storybrooke, just tell Emma to go to where it should be. I don't know how yet, but I'm going to make it reappear…. Find them", she said with half pleading eyes, her Queenly mask still well and truly in tact.

"I'll try my best." He said with one more glance down at Regina as he placed the potions in the inside pocket of his jacket, a hopeful look in his eyes. Before she had a chance to say anything else, the leather-coated brigand pushed his heels firmly into his horse and galloped away without looking back.

Turning back towards the rowdy group of Storybrooke residents Regina saw that they were almost ready to leave for the short hike to the castle. Everyone was gathering the few belongings they had brought and beginning to follow Snow and Charming in a steady stream.

They made their way through the dense part of the forest. Regina walked near the front of the column but separated herself from the others. She knew that had Henry been there, she would have been happily conversing with some of the others but the lack of his presence made her feel detached from all those around her; the vague friendships she had made during and after Neverland drifted into the background as the weight of leaving him was constantly on her mind. So she continued to walk, in her own world. The ground was soft and mossy beneath her feet and she realised that she had missed the scent and the quiet of the forest. She had never really ventured into the forest that surrounded Storybrooke, always having been too busy to consider it.

Her train of thought was broken as she heard a loud screeching pierce her ears from the canopy above. Before she could even turn fully around an enormous winged monkey broke through the high up branches and dove towards she and Snow at full speed.

"Find cover!" Snow yelled, as the ape circled above them. The column of people behind them scattered into the shrubbery to hide from the oncoming attack. Instantly Regina turned around, her hand exploding with flame. As the monkey dove again she expelled a fireball at it, missing it narrowly and giving it the chance to attack. Before she could realise what was happening the monkey had grabbed her gown at the shoulder and pulled her violently into the air.

"Regina!" shouted Snow from below. Regina looked up at the creature and whilst summoning her magic again she felt a warm hand attach to her ankle, pulling her downwards and counteracting the strength of the monkey's wings.

Regina and Snow came to a painful stop, the former monarchs a tangled mess of limbs as they fell to the ground hard and fast. However the monkey was circling above again and going in for another attack. She started to stand when she heard a voice shout from somewhere in the trees.

"Get down!" the man's voice directed them. Regina heard rather than saw an arrow whizzing through the air where it caught the monkey mid-dive towards the pair who hadn't yet managed to regain their footing.

Both women stood up swiftly and wiped the dirt off their dresses, searching in the shrubbery with frantic eyes for their rescuer. David sprinted over to Snow to assure that she was unharmed and during this distraction Regina, to her dismay, saw a familiar face step out from the brush; only this time he was flanked by several other men who, dare she say, looked even rougher that the thief himself did. She remained quiet as the group walked towards them, distracted by the thought that she now owed this man her life.

David immediately seemed to recognise the man and stepped away from his wife with his hand outstretched, as if to greet an old friend.

"Well, well, I can't say I ever thought I'd see you again David, or what is it now? Prince Charming?" Robin states jokily, a smirk forming on his face.

"Robin…its been years. We owe you our thanks, truly," David said as he grasped Robin's hand firmly before pulling him into an embrace. Regina watched silently as he turned around, beckoning Snow over to meet this apparent acquaintance.

"Snow, this is Robin of Locksley, better known as Robin Hood, and these are his Merry Men," he said, gesturing to the group gathered behind Robin. "This," he continued, "is my wife, Snow White. And this," he said, motioning Regina to move closer, "is Queen Regina."

Snow extended her hand to Robin who kissed it graciously, as Regina stood silently brooding, hoping that this ordeal could soon be over with.

"It's a pleasure to meet you M'lady", he said after releasing Snow's hand, "And I have already had the pleasure of meeting Queen Regina this afternoo-".

"He would have killed me," said Regina emphatically, "had it not been for my impeccable reactions. He mistook me for the Wicked Witch when leaving my castle" She glared, her face darkening further as she stared at his tattoo.

"And I apologise again Your Majesty," Robin replied, bowing slightly, his face scrunched up in a grimace which the former Mayor was realizing seemed to be the only expression he was capable of showing.

Snow and Charming looked awkwardly between themselves before David took it upon himself to steer the conversation in a less awkward direction.

"We must continue on our journey but please, walk with us, I must hear about what the Merry Men have doing since I left you all those years ago."

As they continued to walk Regina eyed up the band of thieves warily. She was glancing between them when she noticed one begin to roll his sleeves up. His left arm was blank, but as he moved the right sleeve further up his arm she saw the unmistakable marking of that fateful tattoo. Now she was confused. Tinkerbell had told her that the man in the tavern with the lion tattoo was her true love, but two of them had this tattoo. So which one was her true love? Was it Robin, or was it the other? The other man looked nothing like the man she had seen that night, he was shorter and fatter with brunette hair, but it had been over 30 years ago so he could have changed significantly by now. As they approached the castle Regina's mind was over run with thoughts of what this meant and how she should figure it out.

Being back in her old castle was something Regina was sure she wouldn't become accustomed to for a long while. After the group had established themselves in the main hall she excused herself to go to her chambers and change into a new dress; after all the one she had been wearing all day was dirty from the trek through the forest and the unfortunate monkey encounter. As well as this, she decided that she simply wanted to be alone. Charming, in his charming way, had invited the Merry Men to stay in the castle for the night and as much as she wanted to refuse them the thief had saved her life, so it was the least she could do. She needed to be alone and clear her mind because all she could think about was the stupid tattoos and what it all meant. She realised that it was the last thing she should be thinking about and that her mind should be focused on Henry, but she couldn't stop considering that one of the men sitting in a room somewhere below her could be her true love. Even after everything that had happened she still wanted to believe that she could find love for herself, even if she didn't deserve it. There was a stronger part of her that told her she was being weak, that the old Regina wouldn't have even considered allowing a man to dictate her happiness, or told herself that she needed one to be happy. But she had been trying for so long now, and all she got in return was distrust from everyone she knew. Didn't she deserve to have a happy ending like the rest of them? Apparently not, Regina thought.

However, she couldn't stop the thought that any man she involved herself with may one day have to become Henry's father; and that was a thought she didn't enjoy. Henry was hers…and Emma's, and not anybody else's. She despised the thought of Neal, or anyone else Emma might become romantically involved with becoming Henry's father only a little more than she hated the thought of someone she might love becoming a part of his life. He was theirs. It dawned on her that the only person she would ever be able to stomach sharing Henry with was Emma, she had even started to enjoy co-parenting with her.

Regina had begun to miss Emma; not nearly as much as she missed Henry, but there were certain things about the blonde Savior that Regina has begun to appreciate. She was the only person who had ever really stuck with Regina; she believed her when no one else did, she trusted her, and more than anything she was the only person in her life that had ever really cared about what happened to her. Slowly Regina was beginning to realise that Emma was the only person that had ever treated her as an equal, she had been overpowered and oppressed by her Mother, Leopold and Rumple. Her relationship with Graham had been wrong in so many ways and she had been so young and naïve with Daniel. Emma was different though; she had always put Henry and Regina first no matter what. 'He's my son too', Emma had once said to her, yet now it was the other way round, Regina was Henry's mother too, and she had no doubt that if Emma even knew at that moment that Regina existed, she would be doing everything she could do reunite her with her son.

Regina wiped furiously at the angry tears that had begun strike their path down her face. No, she said to herself, no crying. You're not allowed to cry until they're both back with you. No more tears for sadness. Only for joy.

After returning to her chambers from an evening trip to the kitchens Regina settled herself in bed, wrapped up under her furs. She summoned several books from her library with a flick of her wrist as well as a decanter of her finest full-bodied red from Agrabah, which she was pleased to see Zelena hadn't depleted during her stay here. The books explained that the tattoo must be some kind of magical insignia; they were apparently fairly common in groups, between ship crews or even armies. They appeared when an individual joined the group or was initiated in and stayed forever, binding the wearer to their faction. Regina was confused however, about David. Prince Charming had been part of the Merry Men at one time, but she was positive that he didn't have the tattoo because there would have been many opportunities for Regina to see it. Regina resolved that she would have to discuss this with David, or Snow, as little as she wanted to.

For now her mind needed a rest from the incessant thoughts that had been pinging around in her head the whole day like pinballs. The wine had clouded her mind somewhat; now faces and names flitted and buzzed around in her head like gnats, not staying on one thing for long.

Henry. Emma. Robin. Snow. Charming. Zelena.

How do I get back? Where are they? Did the curse work? Are they happy? Will I ever see them again?

Tattoos. Monkeys. Lions. Henry. Emma.

Henry.

Emma.

She laid her head on the downy pillow, pulling the blankets tightly up to her chin.

Sleep evaded her for what seemed like hours but when it finally came it was filled with the most unsettling dream.

Regina was walking in the middle of a deserted back road at dusk. The trees were huge and almost created a canopy over her head, standing in lines along her sides and running forward until they minimised into dark nothingness ahead of her. She didn't know how long she had been walking, or where she was. There was something strangely familiar about the place, some thing strangely suffocating, almost like there were emotions swirling through the air.

At first she thought her eyes were deceiving her, but slowly and surely she became certain that a form was emerging from the road in front of her, there was a clearing in the trees which made the person more visible under the light of the moon. They seemed to be staring up at it. Immediately becoming defensive she poised herself for conflict, moving to the edge of the road and covering herself slightly, the atmosphere making her feel even more cautious. She walked slowly along the opposite side of the road, creeping closer to the unknown individual. However, her wariness immediately dispersed when she began to see the slim form and long hair more clearly.

"Emma…" she whispered, only a few hundred feet away from the woman now.

Regina lost herself in thought and subconsciously expelled the word from her mouth again.

"Emma," she said, suddenly realizing that it had been out loud, but it was too late because the blonde in question was already staring at her with a look of shock and confusion.

"Uhh…who are you?" Emma's voice said warily but slightly aggressively while Regina stepped forward onto the smooth tarmac of the road.

"Emma, don't you know who I am?"

"Umm…no, should I?" the blonde answered back.

Suddenly it dawned on Regina; breaking Pan's curse had sent Emma away, so of course she wouldn't know who she was. Regina began to get irrationally upset, curling up in a ball in her sleep, a look of anguish on her usually perfect features.

"Its me Emma!" she cried out. She ran forward, reaching out but there was a force behind her pulling her slowly backwards.

"Its me!" Regina said again, being dragged backwards with more force now. The trees were becoming wavy, slowly melting down and behind and around her like murky candle wax.

"I'm sorry! I don't know you!" the other woman replied.

The force began to drag Regina upwards now, pulling her into something soft and warm.

"Tell Henry I love him!" Regina struggled to say, both from her emotions and her gaining distance away from Emma.

"What?" Emma yelled, "How do you know my son? Who are you?"

Only just managing to shout, "Regina", at the top of her lungs the woman disappeared into thin air.

NYC 2013

The blonde mother woke up startled with the name Regina reverberating inside her head, like an echo bouncing around in her ears. She had had the most vivid dream. It was almost like it had really happened. It was especially strange because usually in her dreams she remembered snippets; random images, faces, sensations and feelings but this time it was like the whole scene was real. It was the same road that she had seen in her nightmares many times before but this time there was someone there.

Regina. Who is Regina? Emma asked herself as she rubbed her face in her hands and flopped onto her back on the bed.

She knew me. Emma thought. She knew Henry. It was so real and she was so sad yet it was so familiar. The residual emotions she had been left with after the encounter were still wreaking havoc on her brain and she felt like she had experienced them before, in that exact same place. But she had never been there, so how could that be true? Her heart was pounding inside her chest for the woman who was in such distress. For an indeterminate length of time she had felt like something was missing in her otherwise perfect life; she had a beautiful son, she enjoyed her job, but there was always a niggling feeling inside her that this wasn't who she truly was, and the dreams she had on a nightly basis only solidified these thoughts.

Anyway, thought Emma, breaking out of her contemplation and deciding it was about time she extricated herself from her bed and got her son ready for school. It was only a dream.