"Are you ever going to get out from behind the books and chalk and come spend time with real people?"

Henry took a step back when some of the high schoolers came up from behind him. His hands grabbed onto the straps of his backpack. He startled when two of them each smacked a hand onto his shoulders. He took a nervous look around. It was snowing, and he had just left school. Having stayed late to do homework and work on catching up with maths, it was around 6:30PM. It was just about dark out, and he was ready to go home and relax. You're almost ten. Mom wouldn't let you walk home on your own if she didn't think you would be safe. He glanced around at the three high schoolers who had stopped him. One of the boys who had only just let go of his shoulders was walking backwards, and, next to him, the only girl was waving sticks of gum in front of his face and the faces of the other boy. Henry sighed. Things had been so tiring since November. Since the end of the trial. He bit his lip. Netta was still struggling, and she had only gone back to school the month before. It was February, and the best thing about it was that things have been getting back to normal at home. They didn't have to spend hours upon hours in meetings with lawyers over the phone and video calls, for one.

He continued to walk, the high schoolers beside him. He blinked, scrunching up his face in surprise at the bright lights of a car coming up near the curb. The window quickly rolled down with the back, passenger side door opening. He smiled when his sister stepped out. He waved at Chloe through the now lowered window.

"Aren't you supposed to be home by now?" The pink haired woman shivered a bit, and wrapped her fur coat tighter around pale and bony body. She sighed when her glasses started fogging up. "I can't imagine Reing wants -"

"Hey!" The girl said, half jokingly punching Henry in the shoulder when Lynn came around from the other side of the car. "You're an adorable loner walking around, but your freak sister has come to pick you up!"

"Don't," Leaning over from the passenger seat, Henry awkwardly waved when one of his aunt's best friends - Leslie - shifted to send the girl a dark look. "Why are you guys walking the kid h -"

"Call me a freak again," Lynn said, gently pulling her brother away from them. "Actually, make fun of my little brother again."

The girl took some steps back, but the taller of the boys stepped forward.

"We're just having a little fun," He said, rolling his eyes. "And it's not like you aren't a freak. I mean…"

His friend pointed towards her brace, snickering. Lynn's eyes narrowed. Henry pulled open the driver's side door and jumped in, albeit causing Chloe to let out a surprised yelp.

"Fuck you," Lynn snapped. "I don't care if you bother me, don't bother my little brother!"

"Hey, he's just a nerd," The boy said, grabbing onto Lynn's shoulders. "It's just a -"

He started pull her closer to whisper something, but he didn't finish his thought. Her head spinning, her entire body starting to shake, Lynn screamed. Her strong leg flew upwards, and her foot kicked him in the stomach. He and his friends let out an angry shout. Lynn slipped, skidding back on ice. She landed on her braced leg, and let out a pained cry. The door to the car swung open, and Chloe hopped out, running over to Lynn and kneeling down beside her. The sixteen year old princess was starting to cry, hating how she felt, and felt her body start to twitch. Her ears were ringing badly, her head spinning. She didn't hear or see Leslie get out of the car, and Henry, also, got out of the car again, albeit leaving his backpack within. Leslie stormed towards the three, their shoulders squared and fists clenched, but the nine year old was faster. He let out what could be equated to something of a war whoop. Henry then jumped onto the shorter boy, and started smacking him the best he could. He tried to smack the others as well. Leslie quickly pulled him off them, but not before Lynn, shaking and leaning on Chloe from her strong side to ease up the weight on her braced leg, saw. She managed to smile just a little bit.

Henry is the sweetest brother ever. I hope he won't get bothered again.

"Scram!" Leslie snapped at them. "I get being a dick, especially as a teenager, but you three might want to leave before one of us tell their mother, who, I assure you, will be far from nice about it."

The three shared a nervous look and then ran off, shouting sorry in intervals.

"Netta!" Henry came over to and hugged his sister the best he could while she leaned against their 'aunt.' "I hope you're okay!"

"I guess," Lynn grimaced when she tried to slowly walk back to the car with Chloe. "Sorry, Henry. I just…I thought you were going to get hurt."

"Don't hurt yourself, Lynn," Leslie said gently, running a hand through their poofy hair. "I get it, you want to make sure your brother is okay. But don't get yourself hurt in it."

"I know," Lynn briefly closed her eyes, leaning a bit harder into Chloe, who adjusted to hold onto her 'niece.' "It just…the way he moved me, I…"

"It triggered what happened to you?" Leslie came over to her and, after waiting a second for Lynn to consent, gave her a loose, reassuring hug. "I'm so sorry, Lynn. Like I said, I just don't want you to get hurt. You've already been through so much, and no one wants to see you get hurt more."

Lynn nodded into them, holding onto them, Chloe, and Henry.

"Thanks, guys…" Lynn said quietly. "I…I really need you guys,"

"We'll always be here for you!" Henry declared, letting her go to give her a bright smile. "Because you're the best, Netta! You're the best sister!"

Lynn laughed a little. "Thanks, Henry."

"Are you both okay?" Chloe looked between the two siblings. "I'm honestly shocked by all of that. Not that I haven't seen or done things - hell, I was in plenty of fights in high school, usually the physical instigator - but there was no reason for them to go at you guys. It's not like you guys have done anything to deserve that."

"I don't know," Lynn hesitated. "At school, people always look at me weird these days. I'm probably just…well, like you. Eager for a fight."

"That's okay," She said, startling just a little bit when Lynn let go of everyone else and tightly hugged her 'aunt.' "Awe, Lynn -"

"I don't know what I'd do without you guys and momma," She whispered. "I wouldn't be here without you guys, and I…I'm so glad you guys have done everything to keep me safe, especially…especially after everything that happened."

It was late, and it had been a very long day.

It was to little surprise, then, that Regina Mills was somewhat irritated when her mobile started buzzing again. That annoyance disappeared quickly when she started to look through her new messages. Lynn and Henry are home. Sherry was already there, and she and I are going to make dinner with them and Leslie. Regina let out a brief, relieved sigh. The kids were okay. She quickly texted back to tell her that she would be home soon - just had to get things put away at work for the day. It would be a slower day come the morning, which was more than welcome. Even better, she was going to be able to take Lynn to school herself. She started to glance through the rest of her messages once that was sent. I got into a fight with some high schoolers who were being mean to Henry. Sorry, I just…I couldn't handle watching anyone be mean to him like that. And he just…he started shaking me and I just snapped. Regina paused. Then, she quickly texted back: Just take care of yourself, Lynnie. You've been through so much, and I'm proud of you for that. Just please don't risk getting hurt, even though I completely understand why you were upset. It was quiet, just the hum of electricity around her office and the ceiling fan, now. Her mobile buzzed again, and she smiled and quickly replied, again, to her daughter.

After that, however, a much more shocking message came in.

Sherry Elise Norwood: Ginny, turn on the news. You're never going to believe this.

That was quickly followed by:

Chloe Rylee Norwood: Nina, this is fucking crazy! Surprisingly, in a good way, too.

Leslie Alex Darlie: Regina, you have to see this before Lynn and Henry do.

Regina nearly dropped her mobile when she ran around her desk to grab the remote to the television. She anxiously tapped against the side of her desk with her free hand while it turned on and she scrolled through the cable channels. Finally, she found it:

"There's been a surprise and grim update from New Hampshire tonight," The CNN newscaster said, taking a brief look down at their notes. "After the high profile case from last year involving what at first looked to be an attempted murder of a Maine teen by her best friends, there had been very little talk about the case, as it has been both solved and handled in court."

It was an attempted murder. The Watsons bought out so many people to get it down to negligence. They probably would have gotten her off entirely if Lynn had not survived.

"Arianne Leah Watson, a sixteen year old from New Hampshire, who abandoned her friend after they were in a cataclysmic car crash, was found guilty of felony negligence last November. Watson's family have…"

Regina's eyes narrowed when Aria's photograph was put up on the screen. Even in her prison uniform, she was smiling, having apparently tried to do her hair.

She has a real fucking evil sense to her. I'm far from a saint and we all have hurt a lot of people, but she…I don't even understand how someone can do what she did.

Chloe's words struck her again. Regina crossed her arms, leaning back against her desk.

I've killed people. I've killed more people than Aria ever thought of trying to. But I…I can't understand why…I haven't wanted to kill anyone in decades. Apart from her. That doesn't say anything good about me, but what does it say about her?

Her eyes fell back on Aria's photograph, The date under it had been from just about a month into her prison sentence. Of course it was.

She's popular in prison, isn't she? Why else would she be like that for a photograph while in prison?

Regina tried not to think too hard about how she had not only looked but felt when she had been in prison. How she had felt before she had been meant to be executed. How she had felt after she had been spared from being executed.

"Now," Charming had growled. "There's nothing you can do in this land to hurt Snow, or me. You are powerless against us."

Regina had dizzily looked between him and her step daughter. No. This could not be happening.

"You tricked me…" She hadn't been sure if she had spoken or not.

"It wasn't a trick," Snow had started to blink back tears. "It was a test…and one I had truly hoped you'd pass."

"We wanted to give you a chance," Charming had said, almost as if he thought it were ridiculous at the face of it. "A chance to change, Regina."

Silence.

"Regina, you are banished," Snow had said with finality. "Banished to live alone with your misery. You will have your father, and your daughter. But I think you and I both know you will be just about alone because of how much you refuse to see beyond vengeance."

Charming had nodded. "As long as you're alive in this world," He said, giving up on trying to mask his anger towards her entirely, and even with a bit of a victorious smirk. "You can't hurt us."

"You saved my life once," Snow said, calling the guards to have Regina taken away. "And, now, I've saved yours. So we're even…and -"

"And what?" Regina had desperately snapped as she was dragged down the stairs.

"And if you ever try to hurt anyone in my kingdom again…" Snow had bit her lip. "I will kill you."

Those thoughts of the past were muddled, muddled by more recent words. Words that had the only comfort of not having been spoken by Snow.

"Congratulations," Leah had hissed when she briefly caught Regina's arm when they left the courtroom for the last time. "After years of detestable behaviour, you've finally solidified yourself as having the public image of a monster."

"Arianne Watson has been removed from the Maine correctional facility where she has been incarcerated on a fifteen year prison sentence these past few months -"

Regina dropped the remote in disbelief, briefly letting out a short cry in anger.

"- brought back to her home state of New Hampshire and taken into emergency medical care. Watson was found by fellow inmates who had been looking for her during their work together. Watson was on the floor, with a pulse and breath, but unconscious. It is unclear what caused her condition, but early reports indicate that the sixteen year old has fallen comatose."

Comatose.

She had fallen comatose.

For a few seconds, Regina could only stare at the television in shock, her hands shaking as she reached for her mobile to text her friends back.

Comatose.

Arianne Leah Watson.

Aria.

Princess Aurora.

She was sixteen, and comatose.

For the first time, Regina smiled at the thought of the case.

It was not quite the justice she wanted, certainly not legally in this land, but it was justice.

Her curse from all those years ago had worked.

The curse was restabilising itself.

Replies To Reviews:

Sammii16: between her struggle with the idea of what justice means, and her shifting paradigm about herself and her past because of what happened to Lynn, Regina absolutely was appalled by the judgement, not only because it wasn't enough, but because part of her knows she would have done the same thing in their life before.

Coral Skipper: she definitely could with enough pressure and manipulation, but Emma (and who she is) quickly became the least of Regina's concerns…for now.

barrattajennifer: of course!

jasouatfan: exactly, Lynn is not Regina. as the maxim goes "the child is not guilty of the wrongs of their parents" and that is something Aria and her family could not see through their anger. Regina, too, is having to come to terms with herself and the things she has done through all of this.

The White Shell Mermaid: what is the bigger problem is not even the way they reached judgement, but all of the truth the Watsons were able to drown before the trial started. there was no chance of them getting to see the full, true picture because Aria's family and their money were faster than a full and thorough case for justice could be brought.