A Harbor in the Storm – Chapter 1

The finale completely gutted me, that Regina was left robbed of happiness and alone again. And seriously, I just want her to have people standing in her corner when things fall apart. For once. Which is how this story came about. Regina/friends is my OTP. The first couple of chapters are set in season 3B to lay a foundation, but then it will move past the season 3 finale.

Chapter 1: After the events of 3x13 (Witch Hunt), Jefferson and Regina talk. (Implied past Jefferson/Regina)

It had been a long day. The entire past week had already been stressful, with the Charmings pestering her for answers about why they're still in Storybrooke but missing part of their memories, while the rest of the town gave her suspicious looks. All these culminated in a fake showdown with Emma at the town hall today where the townfolks once again casted her in the role of a villain.

That wasn't the worst part though. This morning, she had walked into Granny's to order her usual cup of coffee, turned around and had her whole world turned outside down.

Henry - her beloved son whom she thought she said goodbye with forever - was sitting in the booth right in front of her, close enough to touch, to hug. She felt that one moment of incandescent joy, before seeing that even though he was right there, he looked right through her, no hint of recognition or any emotion in those expressive eyes.

Henry didn't remember her.

Up till then, the missing year had mostly been abstract in Regina's mind. To her, nothing much had changed, except for Mary Margaret suddenly gaining a swollen belly. But, seeing her little prince grown so much taller, his once cherubic features changing to the lean ones of a teenager, and his deepened voice (oh his voice!) - made her realize exactly just what she had lost.

After the meeting outside the Charmings' loft, she went straight home. Emma tried to get her to stay for a while longer, but she couldn't handle it, couldn't bear to be with a Henry that didn't remember her, who clearly felt awkward in her presence and who gave her an impersonal handshake as though she was a distant stranger.

Which she was, now.

Curling up on her couch in the living room, with a bottle of wine, she opened one of many photo albums, all chronicling the precious moments in Henry's childhood, and finally let the tears fall as she reminisced about beautiful memories that now - only she could remember.

A loud pounding at the door jarred her from her memories. Fearing something - another flying monkey perhaps - might have endangered Henry, she rushed to the door and opened it.

It wasn't Emma, or the Charmings, or even Hook who stood outside though. It was Jefferson.

Hurriedly putting on the 'Evil Queen' mask, she pasted a sneer on her lips. "Jefferson. What an unpleasant surprise."

Without even waiting for an invitation, he shouldered his way in and helped himself to the wine on her table, drinking straight from the bottle. "Mmm," he said in appreciation. "Good wine."

"What are you doing here?" She bit out.

He smirked at her. "So, Grace told me quite the story just now. She said that she saw Henry in town. But before she could go say hi, Emma drew her aside and told her Henry still doesn't remember Storybrooke and any of us."

She ignored the stab of pain at the reminder that Heny didn't remember her. With Jefferson, she needed all her wits. "So? Are you here to gloat then? Boring."

He chuckled darkly. "You have to admit that there's a certain sense of poetic justice to this. For 28 years you had my daughter forget me while I remembered, and for more years before that you separated me from her. How does it feel from the other side now, Madam Mayor?"

"Get out." She conjured a fall of fire in her palm. "Or I swear, you will be toast."

He gazed at her, and in that one moment he could see all the different facets of her, and their long history together. The heartbroken young girl wanting to see her lost love again, and her descent into darkness after that hope was extinguished in her. Their encounters over the year. Realizing her madness was dragging him down too, and leaving her service and company, even though it hurt him to. Settling down, having Grace, but then losing her mother, leaving him to raise his daughter alone. One final job for her, to give Grace a better life, but then she betrayed him. And then waking up at Storybrooke with retained memories, her tormenting him with a life so near and yet so far from his daughter.

There was so much that was left unsaid between them, so much he never quite understood.

"Why," and it was a harsh whisper, torn out of his very soul. "Why did you have me keep both sets of memories."

She rolled her eyes. "We've been through this. Now get out."

He stepped toward her, glaring. "No this conversation isn't finished. Why do this to me? Leave me in Wonderland separating me from my daughter, then reunite me with her but have her not remember me! What have I ever done to deserve this from you?!" He finished in a near shout, hands clenched trying to resist the urge to grip and shake her.

She smiled, no smirked really. Leaning closer to him, allowing her finger to trail down his chest, she whispered cruelly. "Because I could."

"That's not a reason. You know what, forget this. I don't even know why I am here." Snorting in disgust, he turned around to leave.

He was just about to step out of the threshold of the door when she suddenly spoke again. "For what it's worth, I am sorry. Knowing that your child is right there beside you, but unable to even hug them, to tell them that you love them and that you are so proud of them. There is nothing worse than that. I know that now. I guess this is my penance. You've gotten your revenge at last. You should be happy."

Stopping at the door, he closed his eyes briefly. "No parent will ever want that for another parent. Not even for someone as twisted as you, Regina."

Turning back to look at her again, he noticed the unshed tears in her eyes, refusing to spill, to allow that one weakness before him. Again, he remembered that young girl so long ago, whom he once gave hope that she could have her happy ending again. Together with Victor and Rumpelstiltskin, they had put on a show to extinguish that hope.

How could he not offer hope right now? He had his own penance to pay.

"All curses are meant to be broken, Regina. Henry will remember one day."

She shook her head, a traitorous tear trailing down her cheek.

"You know one more thing? After I finally reunited with Grace, after your curse broke, she was so happy. But later on, after the euphoria passed, she asked me why I never came to her for so long, when I was living practically just next door. My distance to her deprived us of new memories we could have had, even with her not remembering. Don't make the same mistake I did."

She gasped, a quiet broken sound. "It hurts so much to be with him now."

"Every moment with our children is sacred, Regina. Henry loves you, even if he doesn't remember right now. He deserves to have you in his life. Don't deprive him that."

She was silent, not knowing what to say to that.

He knew he had probably outstayed his welcome a long time ago. Turning once more to leave, he stepped back out into the night, and closed the door softly behind him.

The next day, as he spent time with Grace in the park feeding the ducks, he saw Regina walking by with Henry, the two of them deep in conversation. Regina raised her eyes to meet him, and a brief moment of understanding passed between them before her gaze turned back toward her son again, and his toward Grace.

End Chapter 1

Next up: Archie makes his reappearance in Regina's life!