Finding Comfort

This one takes place during 3B while Hanna was in the Enchanted Forest. Hanna and Regina are missing Henry and share a moment.

Hanna climbed out of bed and walked down the long corridor. She had gone to bed hours ago, but had yet to fall asleep. Ever since they were back in the Enchanted Forest, Hanna had been having nightmares about Henry and Emma being taken away. Her parents were always there for her when she woke up, but she hated that she caused them to lose sleep as well. There wasn't any point in all of three of them being tired, so Hanna decided the night before that she just wasn't going to sleep. She wandered the castle last night and decided to do the same tonight. She made her way down the stairs and into the sitting room. She liked sitting by the fire, which was kept lit all night long. Hanna jumped when she saw that someone else was already in the room.

"I didn't mean to startle you," Regina said from her place on the couch.

"It's okay," Hanna said as she sat down next to her.

"What are you doing up at this hour?"

Hanna just shrugged her shoulders. "Why are you awake?"

"I don't sleep much anymore," Regina told her.

"Oh…" was all Hanna managed to say. The two sat in silence for awhile before Hanna spoke up again. "It's because you miss him isn't it?" Hanna couldn't even bring herself to say Henry's name. It hurt too much. She looked up at Regina, waiting for an answer.

"Yes," Regina finally admitted.

"Me too," Hanna said quietly. "How do you deal with it? You just seem so okay with everything. I know you miss him but…"

"Trust me, I'm not okay," Regina told her with a raise of her eyebrows.

"But…" Hanna just shook her head. She just seemed to be fine. She did rip her heart out on their way here, but ever since then, Regina seemed to be doing alright. Hanna wasn't though…she could barely get through the day without breaking down. Hanna wanted to know how Regina did it.

"Hanna I can assure you, I am struggling with all of this just as much as you are. I guess I'm just better at hiding it," Regina said. She knew how much pain Hanna had been in since they arrived. Regina felt the same way. She has just had more practice masking her true emotions.

"I try…I really do, but I just…I miss them so much," Hanna buried her face in her hands to hide the stupid tears that were forming in her eyes. She did not want to cry right now. She tried with all of her might to keep them from coming.

"It's okay to miss them," Regina said as she placed her arm around Hanna. She felt sorry for the young girl.

Hanna couldn't hold it in anymore. She wrapped her arms around Regina and just let the tears fall.

Regina lifted her arm for an instant, not expecting this sudden embrace. Then, she quickly wrapped both of her arms around Hanna. She just let her cry and get all of those emotions out of her system.

"It feels better to just let it out sometimes, doesn't it?" Regina asked once Hanna's cries finally subsided. When she didn't get an answer, Regina looked down and found that Hanna was sound asleep.

Regina could tell Hanna hadn't slept in days, which probably partially explains Hanna's little display of emotions. Regina decided to just stay here and let Hanna get the sleep she so desperately needed. She knew exactly what Hanna was going through. Being away from Henry was the hardest thing Regina has ever had to endure. As Regina thought about her son, she let her own tears fall. This was one way she coped with all of this…crying and letting all of her emotions out when no one was around…that and trying to find a way to destroy the sister she just recently discovered she had. That helped some too. She put on a brave face in front of others, but when she was alone, Regina often cried. As Regina silently let the tears fall from her eyes, she too started to fall asleep.

Snow awoke the next morning surprised to find that, for the second night in a row, she hadn't been woken by her daughter's nightmares. She wondered if maybe Hanna was getting use to everything here, but she had a feeling that wasn't the case. Her daughter seemed awfully tired yesterday, and Snow had a feeling she knew the reason behind that. When Snow didn't find Hanna in her bed, she made her way downstairs and into the sitting room. As she walked into the room and found Hanna and Regina asleep on the couch, she couldn't help but smile. This was one sight Snow White never thought she would see…her child and the woman she use to call the Evil Queen finding comfort in one another.