Lynn.

The second she saw her, Regina wasn't sure if she were going to cry or faint. All she knew was that she couldn't believe her baby girl was safe. But all she could do was stand there, almost in a trance, relieved to see that her daughter was okay. That all fell apart when she realised Lynn was stumbling, and seemed fragile. Before she could realise it, Regina ran towards her to stop her baby girl from falling over and hurting herself. Lynn grabbed onto her mother's leg, startling her, and for a moment the two of them were too stunned, merely swaying. Regina reached down to lightly scratch her daughter behind the ears, hoping against hope that Lynn would be just fine and only needed a bit of time to calm down, readjust. She also tried not to think about what Snow might have done to her. She felt sick at the thought, and cast it aside. Snow didn't have her now, and she would never be near her again. If she tried, she would regret it. She already had hell to pay for this. For what she did to Lynn. For what she did to Daniel.

"Regina?" Henry watched his daughter and granddaughter, brow furrowed in worry. "Are you…are the two of you okay?"

She turned to him, startled, unable to say anything, She was shaking badly, focused solely on holding her daughter steady. Lynn had just about wrapped herself around Regina's leg, and was struggling to calm down but not crying. She was overwhelmed. She was terrified. Terrified that her mother would leave. Terrified that things weren't real. Terrified that she would be taken away again. The only other person she managed to look at was Red, who was sat in one of the plush chairs in the corner. She didn't know it - couldn't realise it - but the young woman was quite anxious herself. Seeing the queen, let alone so closely, made every hair on her body stand up. She felt sick to her stomach, and her hands would have been fidgeting if she had any less self control. She could see just how tormented a human Regina was, and couldn't believe that all of this was just because Snow had accidentally gotten Regina's fiance killed. An accident. How could someone become this possessive of someone over an accident while also seeking to kill someone else?

There was something else about Regina that made her uneasy. Red tried to rationalise why that was. She had seen Regina kill people. She had seen her have people killed. She had crushed people's hearts, which she could only imagine to be an absolutely agonising way to die. It was terrifying to think about. And all because she had lost her fiance. That was it. She lost her fiance and was forced into an unhappy marriage, and that was the only reason she was like this. She was so troubled because of it. It was no wonder why she was so attached to her daughter. But, then again, she was all that was left of her fiance. Daniel. That was his name, wasn't it? She could have sworn that was what Snow had said. It was tragic, and damaging, and traumatic. But it didn't justify hatred like this, didn't justify murder. It didn't explain her fixation on Snow. It didn't justify how much she wanted to kill Snow for killing Daniel, let alone all the other people she killed if they stood in her way. Red tried not to think about that. She hadn't given herself away, yet. She couldn't. That would hurt everyone. Snow and Charming, but especially Snow…they didn't deserve any of this. They didn't deserve to be caught in such a brutal position just because Snow had made a mistake.

She had made a mistake as a child. A big one, yes. But how could Regina not see killing Snow wouldn't make things any better? How could she not see that wouldn't do anyone even a smidge of good? How could she not see that she was going to hurt herself more, the lonelier it made her?

And then there were Fenella and Sherry. Sherry seemed about alright, but Fenella…she seemed erratic. Neither of them were bad people, didn't hurt anyone. But they were close with Regina. They turned a blind eye. They had even expressed willingness to hurt Snow themselves, though that had mainly been Fenella. Sherry seemed to be cool headed and reasonable. That wasn't to say her wife wasn't, but that she had a short temper and little patience. Similar to Regina, but also unsimilar. She couldn't quite understand it. Red watched them, trying almost to appear emotionless. What struck her was the way Regina was so unsteady. Shock. Was she in shock? She trusted her friends so closely, there was no way they would have been around her let alone her daughter if she didn't trust them so much. It was as if Regina had many friends. She was largely alone. That had to be part of it too. Red felt her body soften and didn't - couldn't - stop it. Regina's hatred of Snow, her desire to kill her, was because of the death of her fiance which Snow had inadvertently caused, and that had left her alone.

It had left her alone in her life.

Left her alone, and without the very last thing she had found true happiness with.

She had been abused by her mother, too. And abused in a marriage she had never wanted all because her husband felt betrayed by her and did not want her to be allowed out.

Was it any wonder she snapped and killed him? Perhaps not.

But how could she not stop? Her abuser was gone. Why did anyone else have to suffer?

Red let out a heavy sigh, and was relieved when Sherry set her hand on her shoulder and didn't notice her twitch when she did so.

Sherry was definitely okay. There was something about her energy that was alright, good.

Snow had once said she had been told that when someone's heart was pulled out, if it were good, it wouldn't have any darkness in it. No grey, swirling darkness.

Charming called Regina the 'evil queen.'

What would her heart look like?

No, what did her heart look like?

"Lynn?" Fenella gently pressed. "Are you okay?"

"Momma…" Lynn clutched onto her mother, sobbing. "Momma don't go…"

"Shhhhh," Regina knelt down and cradled her little girl in her arms. "It's okay, Lynn. It's over. You have nothing to worry about. Truly, you're okay."

"Not quite," Fenella said darkly. "She had a fever last night, and had trouble walking this morning. I'm worried that they might have done something to her."

Silence.

"I'd be more than happy to kill her," Fenella went on. "What kind of monster takes a child from their parent, especially their only parent?"

"You can't bring yourself to hurt more than a couple flowers," Regina reminded her. "Though I appreciate the sentiment a great deal."

Fenella twitched. "I just don't understand how she could do something like this! You've been through enough because of her, why the fuck does she think she should keep putting you through more? At this point, she would be doing everyone a favour if she would just -"

"Fenella," Sherry said pointedly, her voice softening a little when her wife whipped around, her eyes cold behind her gilded glasses. "It's not worth it. Lynn is safe, and where she needs to be. There is nothing more that needs to be said or done. Certainly not right now."

She began to say something - something Red was sure would be more than impulsive - but chose to sit down, albeit still anxious. What was she so scared of?

"I hope you all know how grateful I am that you were able to keep my granddaughter safe, and reunite her with Regina," Henry said, offering the three women a smile. His gaze then fell on Red. "Sherry said you rescued her?"

Red was stunned, almost to the point of absolute silence.

How in the hell did one respond to the queen's father?

"I…" Red slowly started. "Yes. Yes, I rescued her."

"That's wonderful," He glanced between her and his daughter and granddaughter. "I don't believe it possible to impress upon you how much this means to myself, and, of course, my daughter and granddaughter. Truly, it is a miracle."

"I…I wouldn't consider it that," Red spoke quietly, almost afraid that if she spoke much louder that she would betray herself, betray Charming, betray Snow. "I…well, I…it was just…" She paused, but then shook her head. "It was the right thing to do. I had to do it. She was unjustly taken. She needed to be at home. She wouldn't be happy like that, wouldn't be healthy."

Henry nodded. "Absolutely. I appreciate that you're willing to do this. It must have been quite the difficult decision to make."

"It wasn't," Red said. She paused again, had she spoken too quickly? "I mean, I mean that I can't imagine doing anything else. She was clearly upset, clearly unhappy."

"Oh dear God…" Regina looked up, meeting her gaze for the first time, shaking, and pulling Lynn closer to herself. "What…what were they doing to her?"

"I'm not quite sure," Red quitely admitted. "But I do know she was scared of them, and I also know that the experience traumatised her."

How could I not have seen that? How could I not have seen it then? I could have stopped all of this, spared all of them this pain, and it might even let Regina forget about Snow, focus on just being the queen and a mother. Happy. Tormented, sure, but that isn't something that really leaves someone after they've been through the kind of shit she's been through. She would have had herself, and she would have had Lynn. And nothing more would have been needed.

"Lynn?" Regina spoke so softly Red found herself in absolute disbelief. "You know you can tell me anything, don't you?"

The little princess sniffled, looking up at her mother, eyes wide.

"I mean that," Regina went on, tucking some stray bits of hair that Lynn kept tugging at behind her ears. "There's nothing you can't tell me about."

Is she trying to make sure I'm telling the truth? Red bit at her cheek to stop herself from starting to cry or worse. Please, Lynn…I love you. I don't want you hurt…and I just hope I won't get hurt either. I…if I ever have a daughter, I hope she'll be as sweet as you. You're already like a daughter to me.

"Snow had man," Lynn whimpered. "He scary."

"Scary how?" Regina pressed. "Did he do anything to hurt you?"

Lynn nodded. "He scream. He loud. Hurt my head."

That was when Regina noticed her daughter's hair.

It was brittle, tangled. And it was blonde, though her natural hair colour could be seen a couple inches around the top of her head.

How couldn't I have noticed this as soon as I saw her? Regina trembled. How could I have been so negligent?

"No one is going to ever do that to you again," She promised her, lightly kissing the top of her baby girl's head. "Alright? You know that I won't let that happen, don't you?"

Lynn whimpered, her hands tightening around her mother's dress.

"I did the best I could to try and help soothe some of the itching," Red finally said. "I think it helped enough, but it's probably going to take longer for her hair to grow back because of…just how long her hair clearly had to have been exposed to whatever dyed it that colour."

"It's almost white…" Regina paused, starting to rub her daughter's back, which, thankfully, started to soothe her a little. "I can't believe it. How could they do that to her?"

"I don't know," Red bit her tongue. "No, sorry," She quietly corrected herself. "They must have been trying to make it harder to identify her."

"Of course they were," Regina's voice hardened. "They must have been trying to make her look like she is their daughter."

"Most likely," Fenella scoffed. "As if she could think Lynn would ever be anywhere close to being her daughter. Honestly, I'm shocked she managed to find some sort of man to travel with and protect her."

"From what I saw," Red hesitated but then went on. You've already said too much. It's not as if they won't piece it together themselves, either. "I believe they are lovers."

Regina turned towards her suddenly, and, for the first time, Red saw in her what she had always expected to, always had seen before.

"Well, then," She said coldly. "It looks like she isn't the only one I have to find."

"Wait," Sherry said, her voice wavering. "Is this…King George's son?"

"Most likely," Fenella said, frowning. "That was the only man I've ever heard whispers of her travelling with."

"He is travelling with her," Regina hissed. "That is part of why George is so eager to help find Snow. Because he knows that wherever she is, his son probably is, too. Though I didn't quite realise that they're lovers."

"Might be a good thing," Fenella remarked. "If they are separated, you could probably use him in order to get to her."

Red felt her heart drop in her chest.

She forced herself not to dwell on it.

"He's more useful in controlling George than anything else," Regina told her. "Although I suppose you might be right."

"I disagree," Sherry said, crossing her arms. "Snow hasn't bent because you've killed people who have helped her slip through your fingers. I see no reason why that would change because of a lover."

"Regardless," Red tentatively put in. "It's hard to say whatever the truth might be, and without that it's not really leverage, is it?"

Hopefully that will provide them some cover.

"Maybe," Regina frowned. "But it could very well be the best way to draw her towards me. Force her to come out into the open…and force her to choose between someone else's life or hers on a truly personal level."

"Sounds fair to me," Fenella muttered.

"It might work better if we know everything first," Red nervously began. "Knowing the truth of the situation might set things free."

"That's the problem, Ruby. It doesn't mean anything in a situation like this. It certainly didn't do anything for me," Fenella shook her head, gently touching her shoulder. "The truth never set me free. I had to do that for myself."

Red glanced down at her feet, still unused to her alias. It was necessary, though. She couldn't risk anything happening to Lynn, but she couldn't risk anything happening to Snow either.

"Well, she clearly knows at least some of what she's talking about," Sherry said. "She was able to rescue Lynn from them. That says a great deal about her capabilities."

"It really doesn't -" Red started.

"Nonsense," Henry said, inclined his head towards her. "You're too humble, Ruby. You have done quite the difficult task, and that should not be understated in any manner."

Silence.

How am I supposed to handle this when they keep asking me so many questions?

How can I accept any of this praise when I was the one to take Lynn away in the first place?

"I have to say, I'm a little surprised anyone would be capable of fighting off Snow for Lynn's safety before I or a member of the guard did," Regina said, standing up, Lynn drowsily curled up against her, still holding onto her for dear life. "I'm impressed. And I also am grateful for it. I don't say that lightly."

"There's…there's no need for that, your majesty," Red looked down at her feet again, terrified that Regina would see through her if she met her gaze again. "It was the right thing to do. Nothing more and nothing less than that."

"Oh, also," Fenella suddenly put in. "Are you going to staying for a little, Regina? Since I'm sure you and Lynn are pretty tired. Henry definitely is."

"I appreciate the concern," Henry laughed. "But, truly, I'm fine."

"Lynn?" Regina spoke gently, not wanting to startle her half-asleep baby girl. "Do you want to stay here for a few days?"

"You stay?" Lynn whispered.

"Of course," She promised. "I want to make sure you're okay before we go home."

Lynn nodded weakly, breaking off in a coughing fit.

"Alright," Fenella said, coming over to her and Lynn. "You two need to rest. Come on, I'll have some people bring your things back."

Regina sighed. "You're probably right. I think Lynn and I both need to get some decent sleep. I haven't slept well since…"

She fell silent, glancing back at her father, Sherry, and Red before walking down the corridor with Fenella. The two of them were quietly speaking, Lynn curled up against and starting to fall asleep in her mother's arms. When they disappeared around a corner, Henry turned to Sherry and Red.

"I'm sure Lynn would appreciate you staying a little, too, Ruby," He said kindly. "Regina may very well, too, considering that I imagine she would like to get to know the woman who saved her daughter."

"I really don't think I can stay -" Red started.

"Nonsense!" Sherry embraced her and, hesitantly, Red did so in kind. "You need time to rest after what you've been through to bring Lynn safely here."

Red hesitated but, seeing no other options, finally nodded.

"Alright. Thank you…I just hope that Lynn will get better. I'm quite worried about her…though, I'm sure, no more than you, of course."

Oh, God. What the fuck have I gotten myself into.

Replies To Reviews:

jasouatfan: Charming loves her, and he wants nothing more than to believe they're doing what's right because he's only ever been surrounded by selfishness.

barattajennifer: i'm so glad you liked it! and, yes, Lynn definitely wasn't able to adjust to that life, and she had no idea how to handle Snow, let alone understand where she could possibly be coming from.

Sammii16: of course! as i've said, this is a huge passion project, and i'm so glad that other people like it too.