"Regina, I'd like you to meet-" Emma's words were cut off by Robin and in that moment, with one word, Regina felt her heart break into dozens of pieces.

"Marian?" Robin said, disbelief coloring his voice. Regina watched, frozen, as they embraced, "I thought you were dead! I thought I'd never see you again!" She saw how tightly he had wrapped his arms around his wife, arms that had never held her that tightly. How could this be happening, again? She had been so close, had been so happy, and now it was gone.

She heard Roland's little voice, "Mama?" That broke her heart even more. Her little knight swept up his mother, his true mother's embrace. The boy she had grown to love like her own, the boy who had found his way into her heart after she had lost Henry. The boy who had shown her hope in such a dark place was gone too. Regina felt like her heart had been pulled out of her chest and crushed right before her eyes, but she wasn't dead, she couldn't be dead because she felt the sharp pain stabbing her in her chest. The kind of pain she had lived with for so long, that had gone away when she met Robin. But it was back. She watched the small family hug each other before turning to Emma, realization hitting her,

"You.." She said, hating how feeble her voice sounded, "You did this."

Emma's face held some semblance of guilt as she replied weakly, "I just wanted to save her life." Regina could've strangled the blonde for that sentence.

"You're just like your mother," She said as vehemently as she could but she stuttered a bit at the end, her voice wavering ever so slightly, "Never thinking of the consequences!"

"I didn't know."

"Of course you didn't!" Regina snapped, "You better hope you didn't bring anything else back." She glanced over at Robin, who hadn't heard any part of the conversation, too wrapped up in his wife's arms, back with his family again. The emotions began welling up in her, she couldn't take it, couldn't take looking at them any longer. Couldn't bear to be around Emma any more. She had genuinely thought that the blonde was becoming her friend, thought that they were moving past everything that had happened. But then she went and did this. Regina acknowledged, on some level, that Emma wasn't completely at fault, there was no way she would have known who she was bringing back and she definitely didn't do it with the sole intent of hurting Regina. Yet, the doubts flickered inside of her. What if Emma did realize who Marian was? Even if she hadn't comprehended it, she still didn't think about the consequences of bringing someone back who was supposed to be dead. And now Robin had his happy ending and she was left alone. The tears were back, prickling in her eyes, but she was still a queen and queens didn't cry, they didn't show that kind of weakness. Turning sharply on her heel, she headed out the door into the cool of the night.

Regina paused at the edge of the sidewalk and the path out of Granny's, still trying to wrap her head around what had just happened. Trying to get some control over the pain currently twisting in her chest.

"Regina." Emma's voice came from behind her.

"Not now, Swan." Regina muttered.

"I'm sorry. When I brought Marian back, I didn't know who she was. I didn't intend to cause you pain." Regina looked at Emma, scoffing a little,

"Well, your intentions don't really matter. Because once again, I've felt the brunt of heroism. Always the villain," Regina said softly, "Even when I'm not."

"What was I supposed to do?"

Regina nearly rolled her eyes, "Well, you were dumb enough to travel through time. Maybe you should have left things well enough alone."

"I am not going to apologize for saving someone's life." Emma said defensively

"She was going to die anyway! What did it matter?"

"It mattered because she was a person. And whatever she did, she didn't deserve to die."

"Well maybe she did."

"Well, you would know. I saved her from you."

Regina froze. Of course fate would decide to make this all the more complicated. She killed Robin's wife. Of course she did. Of course her past would come back to bite her again. She would never be free, no matter how hard she tried to atone for her mistakes, no matter how hard she tried to change, "The woman who did that," Regina said as firmly as she could, trying not to let any hint of weakness in her voice, "That was the person I was, not the person I am. I worked very hard to build a future, a future that's now gone."

"You don't know that."

"Well, I know it's complicated enough that his dead wife is back."

"Regina, for that, I'm sorry. If there's anything I can do to help-"

Regina cut her off, "Ms. Swan, the more you try to help, the worse my life becomes." She was about to leave when the door opened again. No, she thought, there was no way she could deal with this now. Deal with him.

"Marian, please, meet her. She's not at all what you think. Regina," Her heart skipped a beat at the sound of her name rolling so casually off his lips as he walked up to her, touching her arm ever so slightly. She could feel sparks at the familar touch and it comforted her a little, "I want you to meet Marian. I want us to talk about this."

"Wait," Marian's gaze was on Robin's hand, "Were you two…are you two together?" The shock was evident in her tone.

"Marian, please" Robin pleaded but Marian cut him off,

"You and the Evil Queen? Did you let her near my son? Do you know what she's done? The terror that she's inflicted?"

Regina bit her lip, trying to refrain from doing anything. She hated who she used to be, hated how it would always hang over her head. Hated how she would never be able to escape the worst things she had ever done. The door opened again and Mary Margaret and David exited, Hook and Henry trailing behind them.

"Is everyone okay?" Mary Margaret's soft voice floated through the air.

"Well, no one's been incinerated yet, so that's a good sign." David's comment felt like hot knives. Was that still how everyone saw her? As the Evil Queen, always waiting to conjure up a fireball at those who got in her way?

Mary Margaret met her eyes, "Regina, are you alright?"

"What is wrong with you people?" Marian said frantically, "Why are you talking to her? Don't you know who she is?" Regina couldn't deal with this, she couldn't be around all these people, watching as her life blew up in front of her again. Why couldn't she escape her past?

"She's a monster!" Marian shouted. Regina turned on her heels, the emotion building up inside of her. She had to get away, she had to leave. Walking as fast as she could, she crossed the street and hurried back home.

Henry watched his mother's retreating figure, his heart sinking inside. He felt so bad for his mom, she was a hero now, she was trying to be good and then his other mom had brought back Robin Hood's wife. Why couldn't his mom be allowed to be happy for once? His family was talking about her, expressing their concern at how Regina would handle this.

"We should just give her space." Hook said, "We shouldn't push her."

"It's what she does in that space that I'm worried about." David said sharply. Henry couldn't contain his anger anymore. This situation was so unfair and here they were worrying about the Evil Queen coming back instead of trusting that his mom had changed and trying to figure out how to fix the situation. Not fix her.

"Stop! Just stop." He said, fixing his grandfather with a glare, "She's changed. We've all seen that. She can do light magic now, she's a hero!"

"Henry," David began, "It's not that simple."

"Yes it is!" Henry said passionately, "She just needs to know that we believe in her and that we will fight for her happy ending, because that's what she deserves," He looked around at the adults, "We are going to help her right?"

"Help her? She's the Evil Queen? She's evil! Why would we want to help her?" Marian said.

"She's not evil! She's my mom!" Henry snapped, "I'm so sick of you guys acting without thinking of the consequences. You do it over and over again. Every time she tries to be good, tries to change, you guys do something that shows her that she can never be happy!"

"Henry.." Emma said, "You know I didn't mean to-"

He cut her off, "I know you didn't mean to but that doesn't change the fact that you did something that hurt her. My mom was right, you never think of the consequences." He strode away, heading toward his house, ignoring the desperate cries of Emma calling his name. He was going to support his mom and help her find her happy ending. Even if he had to do it alone.

Regina sat on the couch, staring blankly at the fireplace, trying to ignore the voices in her head and trying to suppress the emotions inside of her. You're a monster! A tear betrayed her, making its way down her cheek as Marian's words echoed in her head. It was true, she was a monster. She had killed Robin's wife, her soulmate's wife, and worst of all, she didn't even remember it! The tears were flowing faster and Regina couldn't bring herself to wipe them away. How could she have been so naïve? Hadn't she learned from the last time she had tried to hope? Tried to make the most of the hand that life had dealt her? The last time she had let herself hope enough, the last time she had put faith into the possibility of a happy ending, well, she would never forget the consequences.

Growing up, all she had ever wanted was a chance to live a life of her own choosing. But her mother wouldn't let her. She was meant to be queen, Cora would always say. She had found an escape from her mother's magical clutches in Daniel, and had even fallen in love with him. They were going to run away and she was finally going to live the life she had always wanted. Her and Daniel, far away from her mother, have nothing to worry about but themselves. She and Daniel would've opened their own stables, teaching young children how to ride. They might've even had children of their own. But that fantasy had died with Daniel, died because Snow White couldn't keep a secret. Regina had come to terms with the fact that it was not Snow's fault, she was just another victim of Cora's manipulations, something Regina knew all too well. She just wished she hadn't spent so many years trying to kill Snow White because of it. While she could never truly regret casting the Dark Curse since that had given her Henry and 28 years of a fresh start, where she could make the life she had always wanted, she wished she hadn't done so much evil. Especially since all of her mistakes haunted her wherever she went.

There was a faint knock on the door causing Regina to freeze. She didn't want to deal with anyone. She just wanted to be alone, to drown her sorrows with the bottle of bourbon in her office perhaps.

"Mom?" Henry's voice called tentatively from the door. Regina gasped softly, she hadn't expected her son to come after her. Suddenly needing to see him, she stood up sharply and headed to the door.

"Henry?" She called as the face of her son came into sight. He met her eyes and quickly rushed over to her, giving her a tight hug.

"I'm so sorry Mom. You don't deserve this." He said into her chest. She rested her head upon his, soaking in the comfort that only his arms around her could bring. They stayed locked in the embrace, drawing strength and comfort from each other.

After a couple minutes, Henry drew back, eying his mom steadily, "How are you."

"I'm okay," At his raised eyebrow, she added, "Now that you're here. You're all I need." He nodded, accepting that answer. He took her hand and guided her to the kitchen.

"I'll make us some peppermint hot chocolate." He said, taking down a pair of mugs from the cabinet and pulling out the milk, chocolate powder, and peppermints as he fell into the familiar routine of making the drink.

Regina watched him fondly, she had missed his constant presence around the house and she sought comfort in the fact that he remembered their tradition whenever he was feeling sad, or woke up from a bad dream. After a couple minutes, Henry pushed a mug in front of her and walked over, pulling out the chair and sitting beside her. They sat there, drinking silently. She could feel Henry's gaze on her and she smiled to herself, at least he still cared about her. At least she still had her son.

"Mom," She looked up at his voice, "Are you sure you're okay?" She nodded, wondering what she did to deserve her son's concern. She took another sip of the hot chocolate when her gaze fell upon the dishes in the sink and her stomach dropped. Standing up suddenly, she walked over and with a wave of her hand, the dishes vanished.

Was it really only that morning that she had made breakfast for Robin and Roland, listening to Roland's cheerful little voice going on about how excited he was to try ice cream. Robin had come up behind her as she had started to clean the dishes after they ate, setting his hands on her waist and kissing her neck. She had turned around to kiss him properly, enjoying the feel of his lips on hers, tasting the maple syrup from the waffles as he deepened the kiss, his hands weaving in her hair. A warm feeling had spread over her and she remembered thinking how this is how her life was meant to be. Roland had run over to them, hugging her legs before she picked him up, rubbing her nose against his. His giggle echoed in her mind. She felt a hand on her shoulder,

"Mom?"

She turned around to look at Henry, quickly brushing away the traitorous tear that made its way down her cheek. Henry hugged her,

"You don't have to pretend you're okay, Mom. Not around me." He said, squeezing her tightly. Her eyes flooded with tears at his words and she let out a sob, hugging him as she cried. Cried for what she had lost in the matter of seconds. Cried for the future she had let herself dream of that would never happen. Cried for Robin, how she would never see his cobalt blue eyes gaze lovingly at her. Never hear his tender voice speak in words only the two of them would ever know. Never feel his body melt into her as he hugged her. Never feel the lightness in her chest as he kissed her, knowing that that feeling was something only her soulmate could give her. She cried for Roland, her little knight who had saved her in her darkest hours, his giggles and enthusiasm reminding her so much of Henry. But most of all, she cried for the bright-eyed, naïve girl all those years ago who just wanted to be happy. Before the reality of the world got to her. Henry was rubbing circles on her back,

"Mom, how about you go to bed? I'll take care of the mugs and meet you up there. " She nodded, tears still streaming down her cheeks. She pulled away and wiped her face,

"When did you get so old?" She said softly. He grinned at her,

"Well there's these things called birthdays that happen once a year…"

"Oh, stop it." She nudged him playfully.

"Go get some pajamas on, Mom. I got this." Henry said, giving her a small push toward the stairs. She smiled at him before she made her way upstairs and into her bedroom. Pulling open a drawer, she rummaged around before finding her favorite pair of silk pajamas. Slipping them on, she walked over and sat on the edge of her bed, waiting for Henry to come up. She heard the faint sound of water running before it turned off. Henry's footsteps could be heard, making their way up the stairs but it was a few moments before he appeared. He had changed into his blue pajamas as he pushed open the door. Her eyes widened a bit at the sight, she hadn't expected him to stay the night. He hadn't for a long time.

"You're staying?"

Henry shifted, "Yeah, is that okay?"

Regina smiled, "Of course!" He made his way over to her, climbing in on the other side of her bed. She drew the covers up overtop them both before laying down. Henry immediately pressed himself in her side, snuggling up to her. A small smile appeared on Regina's face. No matter how bad the pain in her chest was from the events of tonight, her son was here, and that was all she needed.

As Regina drifted off to sleep, way across town, a blonde figure stood, staring out across the orange town line. The Storybrooke sign had frozen and snow was gently falling all around the figure. Pale hands reached out, sharply contrasting with the darkness of the night as they shot out magic. A rumbling sound could be heard as an ice wall lifted up from the ground, surrounding the entire town, locking everyone in. The figure stood there, looking at the wall before whispering,

"Don't worry Anna, I will find you."