"Lynn?" Regina paused while gently brushing her six year old daughter's hair. Her voice softened, and her eyes fell down from where she had been looking at them in the mirror while she worked. "I don't know how to love very well…but I hope you know I love you."

Lynn leaned her head back, her eyes wide and confused.

"I love you too momma," She said simply.

Regina glanced back up at the mirror. She was dressed so much more…simply than she had just a week before when she had finally gotten her vengeance. Retribution. Snow was in a pain she would never be able to break out from. She was finally getting what she deserved. The queen closed her eyes for a moment. She had thought Snow suffering this way would make her happy. She didn't feel that. She wasn't sure she felt much. Numb. That wasn't quite the right word, but it wasn't quite the wrong word either. She opened her eyes. She looked back in the mirror. It was nice to have her hair down, completely loose, for once. It rippled down her back, dark brown, and the nearly the same colour as her eyes. Lynn had her father's eyes, but that aside she looked almost to be the mirror image of her mother. She smiled, briefly setting down the brush and hugging her little girl. Lynn grinned and reached backwards to hug her back. It was a moment of peace. Regina looked back at herself and Lynn in the mirror.

She was wearing no makeup, and so her eyes betrayed her exhaustion. She was in a light, sweeping, almost cloud like gown, a dusty purple with some gold accents. Lynn was in one of her favourite gowns, and kept tugging at her long sleeves every so often. Regina let out a gentle sigh. Then, she picked up the brush again and began to continue fixing her daughter's hair. Lynn had gotten a bit dirty that day, running around the grounds, playing in the mud. After she had bathed, she all but tackled her mother, her gown a little damp as she was too excited to finish completely drying herself. Her hair was still a bit wet itself, but, in that sense, it made it easier to comb through the tangles. Lynn giggled every so often when her mother would trail out some strands to gently comb through them apart from the rest of her hair. Since she had been getting better, since she had returned home, Lynn had become so happy, so playful again.

Fenella and Sherry had returned to Willowsand a few days after she had returned from her parlay with Snow. Now, it was just herself, her father, her daughter, and Red in the palace.

Red.

Lynn was still so attached to her, almost viewing her as a friend.

Sometimes, Regina couldn't believe it. But, that aside, she was relieved for it. Whatever Snow and George's false son had done to Lynn, it had been horrible. Red had been the only person, so far as Regina was concerned, who had even half a conscience, half of common sense. She had taken Lynn, yes. She had been complicit in some of the suffering Lynn had been through. She also was the one person who had taken care of her, treated her like her own. She didn't demand anything of her. She didn't tell her to be someone she wasn't. She didn't tell her to be less than herself. Lynn had been safe with her, and Snow and George's false son had been unable to do more harm to her than they had already done. The harm Snow had done to Lynn over the years. The harm that taking Lynn away from her mother had caused the little girl. Red had made that better to the best of her ability, and, some days, Regina couldn't believe it.

Lynn was, in so many ways, the luckiest child in the world.

"How are you feeling?" Regina spoke lightly, pausing to pull some tangles aside and continue to delicately tidy her daughter's hair. "It seemed like you've been getting better these last few days."

Lynn nodded. "I missed you momma…"

"When you were gone?"

"Yeah…" Lynn stared at her mother in the mirror and then awkwardly pulled one hand back to pat her mother's arm. "Snow's scary…"

"Oh, Lynn," Regina took her daughter's hand and squeezed it briefly before letting go, returning to brushing out her little girl's hair. "She's not going to be able to hurt you ever again. I promise, no matter what happens, she will never hurt you again."

I hope that's a promise I can keep this time. It should be…I hope he won't find her. I hope he won't find her and know the only way to break the curse. It's damn near impossible for her to be brought out of the curse. It has to be.

"They called you," Lynn scrunched up her face, shuddering. "Evil queen," She shook herself out, and stared at herself and her mother again in the mirror. "Why?" She said quietly.

Regina hesitated.

"Because they can't see the nuance in the world," She finally said. "I'm not going to lie to you, Lynn. I've done some horrible things to ensure your safety, and to even the score against Snow. But they assume the worst in me. That's not the truth."

"You're good," Lynn said simply. "But why do they call you evil queen?"

"As I said, it's because they can't see nuance in the world," Regina sighed. "Do you know what that means?"

Lynn shook her head.

"It means they assume that people are either good people or bad people. There's no in between. A person is either wholly good, or wholly bad. There are people like that. All of us…we are not," She set down the brush, having finished with her daughter's hair. "Very few people are wholly good or wholly bad. I am not wholly good or wholly bad, and Snow and that man with her are not wholly good or wholly bad either. Does that make sense?"

Lynn considered that. "Yeah," She finally said, turning around to tightly hug her mother. "I'm glad I have you momma."

"I'm glad I have you too, Lynn," Regina whispered, holding onto her almost for dear life. "You're my baby girl."

A knock smacked against the doors into the queen's suite.

"Enter."

Regina looked up in surprise, standing up, and still holding Lynn.

"I didn't expect it to be you."

Red nervously raised an eyebrow. "Who…who'd you expect?"

"Well, typically my father," Regina replied. "He tends to…want to check and ensure everything is alright. Is that what you're doing?"

"In part, yes," Red glanced away for a moment, rubbing her arm. It's so odd to be around her like this. I've betrayed my friends, but not quite. I can't abandon Lynn… "I also was hoping to see Lynn before she goes to sleep for the night."

Regina smiled, gently setting her daughter down. Lynn hugged her mother and then ran over to hug Red, her now brushed and mostly dry hair flying out behind her.

"How are you doing?" Red laughed when the young princess let her go. "You seemed to enjoy being outside today."

"It was fun!" Lynn babbled. "I got to climb trees, and run around!"

"Good to know you enjoyed yourself," Red knelt down to tap her nose. "Boop. Did your mom do your hair?"

Lynn nodded, turning around to wave at her mother. "She did!" She declared with a grin. "Momma's always able to do things like that! She can do anything!"

"I try," Regina managed a small laugh.

Red looked up at her, briefly startled.

"I don't mean to pry, your majesty, but is everything alright?"

Regina hesitated. Then, she let out a heavy sigh.

"Have you ever…had dreams that didn't feel like dreams?"

Red shook her head. "Sorry, I haven't. Is there a reason why -"

"Mostly while I was recovering from…that incident with Snow's…prince," She couldn't hide the bitterness and spite in her voice. "I was going in and out of consciousness, and I was seeing a world…a world that appeared to be parallel to ours but also…odd."

Silence.

"What's more," Regina looked between her daughter and Red. "I saw myself with not only Lynn, but a son. And I was in love, happily with, a beautiful, blonde woman, I do not recognise, and I…I know she's not in this world."

"Do you want to find her?"

"Eventually. If I can," Regina paused. "But that, as I'm sure you know, is, in and of itself, incredibly unlikely."

He had been running through the forest for hours. Days. Weeks even. He had no idea how many days or weeks, perhaps even months, had passed. He had been pained, in horror when the queen had reappeared in the dungeon to blindfold him and have the guards take him out and drop him somewhere. She had been trying to disorient him. What she didn't know was that she had done that the second he saw her. She had done something to Snow. She seemed far too happy, almost gleeful. It made him sick. His throat had become sore from yelling. Crying out for Snow. Demanding to know what she had done to her. The queen had only laughed and had the guards blindfold him and taken him away. He had not been able to get the brief moment where he saw her out of his mind. She was beautiful, in a terrible way. There was anger. Bitterness. And a bit of happiness in her eyes. She was far too pleased with herself. She was nothing short of the evil queen.

He ran.

He couldn't stop running. If he did, he wouldn't be able to find Snow. Save her, if he could.

What had Regina done to her?

Would Snow be okay?

Where was she?

What happened to her after she had been able to find people to reunite Aurora with her parents?

What happened to her when Regina finally got her hands on her?

He ran.

Every memory of what had happened since he and Snow had been separated ran through his head. It hurt. Pounded against his skull. Made his heart feel that it would, alongside his lungs, burst in his chest. Maybe things wouldn't hurt so much if they did. The moment he realised something had been done to Snow, he had keeled over. He felt to be about to die. If Snow were gone, dead, then he would find his way back to wherever the queen was and kill her himself. All he could think about, all he could remember, was how he and Snow were going to take care of the princess, take care of Leah and Stefan's daughter as if she were their own. He fingered the ring his mother had given him in his pocket. He was never more grateful Regina had no idea about it. He had been planning to propose to Snow. If he could find her, save her. He would.

He wanted no one but her.

He could only hope she felt the same way.

He was never more grateful for the kindness and goodwill of strangers, too. He had heard around him that Leah and Stefan had been reunited with their daughter. He had been through a couple of villages. He knew he was still in Misthaven, yet the news was still consequential. Of course it was. Their queen had involved herself in the affairs of Leah and Stefan's kingdom the moment she cursed their daughter or, more sinisterly, the moment she decided she would go to curse their child. She had always meant to curse that little girl. She had only used Snow and Leah's admiration for her as a last minute justification. Of that, he was certain. All Regina had ever done was to harm someone, and typically that person had been Snow. She had killed Snow's father both out of hatred for him and hatred for Snow. Now, she had done something to Snow. Not only had she been harming Snow, too, but she harmed Leah and Stefan's daughter, a helpless baby. She harmed her own daughter, abused her. Of all of those things, he was certain.

He ran.

He slammed, in fact, into a man.

"I would watch where you're going if I were you, dearie."

Charming stumbled back, clutching his chest, barely able to catch his breath. His eyes narrowed when he saw the man in front of him.

"Come with me," Rumple snickered, and, against his better judgement, Charming followed him. "I assume the queen decided to…let you go?"

"Yeah," He growled. "After she killed Snow!"

Rumple turned suddenly, eyeing him strangely.

"Oh, you overestimate her," The dark one winked. "The queen has killed tens of people over the years, but she does not have it in her to kill Snow."

"What?" Charming scowled at him. "Don't lie to me."

"I'm not lying," Rumple replied. "She will never admit it, but she does care about Snow. However, not enough to spare Snow…potentially eternal torture."

His eyes widened in horror.

"How would you describe the queen?" Rumple remarked, almost flippantly. "Other than 'the evil queen' that is."

Charming narrowed his eyes, and then shook his head. "Murderous," He said with no hesitation. "Merciless. Evil sociopath. She's easily angered, and in that state, I've seen, she snaps the necks of her guards by waving her hands or stabs them. She's miserable. Wants to make everyone else miserable. And she goes as far as to try and wreck other people's romances. And she has an insatiable need for power."

Rumple considered that, somewhat absentmindedly.

"Sounds about accurate, I'd say."

Charming took a small step back.

"What the hell did she do to her?"

"Come," Rumple dragged him through and into a clearing, in which Snow, shrouded in a beautiful white gown with flowers in her hair, lay in a glass coffin. "She is alive, right here."

Charming turned to him, his entire body shaking in anger. He drew his (stolen) sword on Rumple.

"Is this some kind of twisted joke?"

"Far from it," He said, a glib note to his voice. "She is merely asleep. A cursed sleep, albeit, but a sleep nonetheless."

Charming did not lower his sword. "How is that supposed to make me feel any better?"

"It should make you feel a great deal better," Rumple smirked. "You are the only one capable of waking her. Or, at least, one of the few capable of waking her."

His eyes narrowed, contempt for the dark one clear in his eyes.

"How?"

"Under the correct circumstances, true love's kiss can break just about any curse," Rumple flicked open the coffin with the snap of his fingers. "It certainly can break a sleeping curse."

Charming looked between him and Snow. "Why," He started. "Should I trust you when you were the one who taught the queen how to hone her magic in the first place?"

"I enjoy messing with people," He said with a shrug. "The queen is particularly a fun person to mess with. She's grown arrogant. This? She saw it as a simple, sweeping solution."

Charming slowly lowered his sword, looking down at Snow. He sat down beside her. He pulled the ring his mother had given him out of his pocket.

"And you're sure this will work?"

"If you truly love each other," Rumple replied. "That is the real test."

He disappeared in a cloud of grey, hazy smoke. Charming turned back to Snow. Then, he leaned down and kissed her. To his shock, a hand reached up, grabbed his hair. Kissed him back. After a moment, he felt arms around him, and light crying.

"James?" Snow whispered.

He looked at her, took her hand. "I never want to lose you again."

"I don't either," She said, her voice shaking. "That was -"

"Will you marry me?"

Snow stared at him, stunned. Then, she nodded, and kissed him again.

"Of course I will."

He slipped the ring onto her finger.

"So," He said quietly. "What do we do now?"

Snow paused. "We take back our kingdom," A force, a determination, a fury he had not seen before entered her voice. "We take back our kingdom from Regina."

Replies To Reviews:

jasouatfan: curses are tricky things. and, yes, Regina's emotions towards Snow are far more complicated than even she wants to admit to herself, having lost so much because of her.

Sammii16: thanks so much! i'm glad to know it wasn't a disappointment! i'm looking forward to when Emma appears, too, and this keeps getting more and more fun to write!

barrattajennifer: she really does! just like she will be with Henry, she's a good mother.