I hope you guys like this! And I know begging is silly, but please, please if you like the story, review! It's kind of what keeps me going at the writing. :)

Regina was the first of their group to wake in the morning, though that didn't surprise her. She looked at her companions and noticed that Mulan seemed to be the closest to waking next after her. She tossed a fireball into the fire pit she had created the night before and slung her quiver across her chest and her bow on her arm. She knew she wouldn't be as on aim as she used to be, but hunting was worth a shot. She was hungry for meat, having only had lighter food the previous day. She regretted not choking down the chimera, but she just couldn't bring herself to do it. Rabbit, however, she would be able to eat. She found an area with several bushes of berries and sat across the way from it, watching and waiting for something to come eat from it. Sure as she thought, it only took moments before she saw a rabbit hopping up to eat the leaves from the bush. She drew the arrow back and released, watching the arrow shoot right through the gut of the rabbit. She grimaced at the possible loss of some meat; she had been aiming for the head.

After she pulled the arrow out she wiped it off with some leaves, dropping it back into the quiver and grasped the bunny by the ears. She hadn't ever felt bad for eating meat; to her it was a necessity for strength because she had never been able to fill up on fruits, vegetables and bread. However, holding the dead animal in her hands by its ears, feeling the soft fur inside the palm of her hand, made her feel a small twinge of guilt. She didn't have a satchel or a bag with her so she decided to head back and start skinning the rabbit before she came back for berries. Once back at the camp she saw that David was awake.

"I was wondering where you were," he whispered, trying not to wake the other two women.

She held up the rabbit. "Breakfast."

"You killed that?" His eyebrows were raised and he had an impressed look on his face.

"I did. It wasn't as clean of a kill as I would have liked, the arrow went through his gut, not head, but it should still have a decent amount of meat for the four of us." They heard rustling behind them and turned to see Mulan moving to stand.

"You killed, I'll clean," the warrior offered.

"Thank you. Do you have a satchel or bowl I can put some berries in? I found a bush nearby and wanted to gather."

"Yes," she answered, digging a bowl out of her bag. She handed it off to Regina with the warning not to eat anything she doesn't recognize.

"I know these lands well, I know what is safe to eat and what is not safe. Thank you for your concern, though," Regina answered, walking back into the cover of trees. David stood up quickly and shoved his feet into his boots.

"Regina, wait up," he called, hurrying to catch up to her. Once he had, he smiled. "I can help."

"Can you?"

"Yes. I have very good berry-picking fingers."

"Whatever you say, David. Don't waste my time though, keep up."

"You were being polite to Mulan. Thank you."

"I can be nice. I'm not as evil as people seem to think I am. It was your Snow White that began calling me evil." Her tone was vicious or spiteful; she was simply stating a fact that she had accepted long ago.

"I can tell. You're being very kind since we've been travelling. And… about the last part—"

"You don't have to defend it, David. It's just how things go. Maybe one day you will hear the stories behind how the Evil Queen became who she is." Regina took the last couple of steps between them and the berry bushes she had found and started picking them to put into the bowl Mulan had given her. David picked one and popped it in his mouth, savoring the juices as the berry burst over his tongue.

"This is good," he mused. He pulled another one and held it in front of her mouth, waving it in front of her face.

"What is with you and trying to feed me?" she asked, swatting his hand away from her face.

"Just… humor me, it's delicious," he insisted. He lifted his hand to bring the berry back to her mouth and without thinking, she leaned forward and opened her mouth, closing her lips around the tips of his fingers and sucking the berry into her mouth. David pulled his finger and thumb away from her and smiled, watching her close her eyes and enjoy the fruit.

"It is delicious, yes," she said, opening her eyes and realizing how close he was to her. She cleared her throat and turned back to pick more of the small fruits.

"So… what's the plan?"

"I think we will have to walk. We have probably four hours or so, I believe."

"That's not too bad. Do your feet hurt?"

"They certainly don't feel good, but I was lucky that I happened to choose to wear pantyhose when I woke up yesterday, so I shouldn't have any chaffing from the leather, hopefully. Thank you for asking."

"I don't know how you wear heels all the time, they look really uncomfortable."

"They're not so bad. I've had a long time to get used to them. I wore them often as the queen, too."

"I remember. I think that the pants and fancy tops with boots suited you better than the dresses, though. Or… most of the dresses. Like the one you wore to taunt me with the apple you were going to give Snow."

"What about it?"

"If the colors were lighter it would have been a princess-y dress, or like an ordinary queen. When you wore your outfits with pants you always seemed more… maybe larger than life. You're quite the enemy to have."

"Yes, but in the end you captured me and stopped me from killing your wife."

"But you still brought us to another world. And I don't think you ever really wanted to kill her as it was."

"No?"

"All that time in Storybrooke and you never did? If you had truly wanted to, I think you would have in that time."

"Perhaps. It doesn't matter anyway, and your life, of course, is safe. I cannot kill you here, remember?"

"I wasn't worried about it."

"No?" He shook his head in response. "Fool. Anyway, my main goal is getting you home to your family so that my son doesn't think I'm a monster who killed you."

"Getting me home? Aren't you coming?"

"Why should I? I may not like this life here, and there may be people here who want my head, but I can travel to another realm from here. Whatever way I find to send you home, I can use to travel somewhere else. I'm not wanted in Storybrooke, everyone wants my head. Henry doesn't love me anymore, he only sees me as the Evil Queen, and besides, he has Emma now… his real mother as he likes to refer to her."

"I think he would miss you. He's just a boy who is confused. He'll come around."

"Why does it matter to you?"

"Because in this day of travelling you have shown me kindness and I don't believe that the Evil Queen is all that you are."

"Whatever you want to believe, prince." She picked only a couple more berries before turning to head back to where they had made camp for the night. Aurora was now awake and sitting up. Mulan had set the game up on a stick, propped by logs over the fire to cook.

"What is the plan?" Mulan asked.

"We have a few more hours of walking until we make it to my castle. We can bathe and rest there for the day and night. Provided I come up with a plan by tomorrow to get us home, we can leave in the morning. If I do not, however, we may have to take more time at my castle to plan. It will be safe there, we can at least know that."

"Regina…" David stared. "Is time here the same as it is at home?"

"I don't know. I wish I could answer that for you. You really shouldn't worry too much, David. Snow will be looking for you."

"I know. There's just no one there to help her like you're here to help me."

"Yes, well, Mr. Gold brought magic back, I'm sure the fairies will find a way to use their magic again and Snow will have that blue bug to help her."

"What is it you have against Blue? I mean… I didn't mean that to sound harsh, I'm genuinely curious."

"That is not a story I share with just anyone, Charming. Possibly another time."

"That's twice you've said that."

"And twice I've meant it." She cut off the conversation and David didn't try to start it again. The four ate and Mulan, with David's assistance, packed up the awning she had set up for Aurora. Soon the group was on their way.

David kept pace with Regina while Mulan and Aurora followed closely behind them. The group remained silent nearly the entire first two hours. David knew when they were nearing the land on which Regina grew up because Regina slowed the pace considerably in comparison to the first part of their morning's journey. Sure enough, after they reached the top of a hill David spotted the stables that must have been the ones she spoke about. He dropped back to the other two women while letting Regina walk ahead.

"We are going to wait here until she is ready," he said to Aurora and Mulan.

"Why? What is the point of resting? Are we not almost there?" Mulan asked.

"This land, it means something to her and we need to allow her space for a few moments. She will retrieve us when she's ready." The three sat at the top of the hill and watched as Regina made her way into the stables.

They didn't smell the same. It had been many, many years since she had been in these stables. Since the day she gave Snow the cursed apple. She wanted to enjoy them, but there was so much pain that she related to these stables. Her Daniel, how she missed him. She walked to the farthest stall from the door, where she and Daniel shared their first kiss. The next stall she went to was the largest, the one they had used for birthing the horses. It was the stall where they had nearly made love for what would be their first and only time, but hadn't been able to. Instead they had just moved together while fully clothed, but Regina had still had an orgasm and she was happy that her first was with someone she loved. She went to the place they agreed to marry, then she sat on the ground where she had held him as he died. Regina bent over and wept into the last bits of forgotten hay. She didn't know how long she was in there until she heard someone knocking on the barn door.

"Regina?" was the lightly spoken request. She looked up to catch his eyes.

"David… thank you for giving me time alone."

"Of course. I am guessing it has been nearly an hour and I just wanted to check that you were going to be all right."

"I will be. I'm not right now, but in time I suppose I shall be. I just need to look one place more."

"Do you want to talk about it?"

"No."

"Would you like me to let you go alone?"

"No. I… I don't want to be alone anymore."

"Ok, I will come with you." He followed Regina up the hill to medium sized rock-type structure. He had assumed it was supposed to act as a grave marker, so he stood back slightly while he watched her maneuver around it. She knelt into the grass behind it as he stood on by the end. David looked at her and she nodded, patting the ground beside her.

"This isn't something I would normally share with someone. I prefer to mourn alone." She took a deep breath before speaking again. "But, as I told you, I am tired of being alone. I don't really have friends, Rumplestiltskin is less of an ally than I thought, I've lost my son, the only source of my happiness, and I don't have my father or Daniel, the only two people who ever loved me."

"Regina, I'm very sorry."

"That's what Snow White said. I brought her here. This was where the dwarves and Red found her after she ate a bite of the apple. This was where she was cursed. I showed her this and told her that Daniel died, that he didn't leave me like I had originally told her."

"Do you want to tell me the story?"

"No. Not today."

"Alright." David tentatively put a hand on her shoulder, but didn't move otherwise. The pair just sat there as Regina mourned Daniel one more time. Her body wracked with sobs and she felt the weight of David's hand on her shoulder. She was surprised that it didn't bother her; she hardly ever let anyone touch her, unless it was Henry. It had been a long time since someone had cared enough for her to show her sympathy.

They sat there for possibly a half an hour before Regina nodded and David waved Aurora and Mulan over. Regina brushed her tears away, doing her best to compose herself while they other two women made their way toward them.

"We just have another couple of hours, I'm sorry for the delay," Regina spoke once they were within hearing distance. She said nothing else, only choosing to turn and lead the way to the castle.