Regrets

Description: My version of the upcoming time travel episode. When Regina runs after the Wicked Witch into the time traveling vortex, one of her stops is 29 years in the past, a few weeks after the curse was cast. She ends up in the orphanage and meets baby Emma.

Author's note: I don't know how they're gonna handle time-travel on the show, though I'm sure it'll be different than my take on it. This idea just popped up and it wouldn't leave until I wrote it, so…here you go. I'd appreciate if you'd drop a review.

Everything was a blur. In one moment she was fighting Zelena, in another one she was going after her into the vortex. She saw certain events passing by her, familliar faces and situations. She expected to be transferred into another time in mere minutes just like with magical beans, but it was different. She was thrown into another time and place with no real order. The first time it happened, she thought she had failed. She thought that the Wicked Witch found a way to get rid of her. But then, while she was standing in the middle of an unknown town, on the empty street in the night, the rain starting to fall, green vortex showed up again and she somehow knew she had to step into it.

She got used to the travel fairly soon and the third time it happened, Regina found herself in a building. It was night again and everything was quiet. That is, until she heard crying. Turning around from the starry night shown through the window, her eyes adjusted to the dark. She realized she was in a room. A nursery.

There were four cradles there, a baby in each and one of them was crying. Coming closer to it, there was something familliar about the infant. Bright green eyes turned blue under the moonlight as she stepped closer to it.

It stopped crying when it spotted her and Regina smiled. It looked so small, so fragile, so…alone.

Emma it read in sewn purple letters on the white blanked it was wrapped up in and Regina's eyes started to sting a little as she realized who it was.

"Hey Saviour" she whispered, blinking to fight off the sign of weakness. The baby grew restless again and started to whimper.

Regina reached for the baby, taking it in her arms and unlike Henry, baby Emma instantly calmed down, taking a deep soundful breath as she did so. Regina chuckled, noticing the difference between the two.

"You just wanted someone to hold you, didn't you? To protect you and talk to you. To love you" the brunette whispered to her, planting a soft kiss on her cheek and her forehead.

That was the first time she felt regret creeping up on her. For taking away, for hurting. Of course it was Emma. The only one beside Henry who succeeded in making the former cold hearted queen feel anything other than hate and anger.

Emma's eyes started to close every so often, sleep slowly overcoming her. Regina simply held her and swayed her slightly, whispering her kind words and sweet promises. And she always held her promises. She would make her happy and loved. She would make sure she knew how needed she was, how much she meant to her.

"I love you Emma. I will spend the rest of my days making it up to you" she whispered to the now sleepy child in her arms. If I ever come back, she finished in her head.

As she slowly lowered now sleeping child back into it's cradle, Regina regretted not telling the grown Emma how strongly she felt about her. They shared a few powerful kisses since she came back, but no actual words were spoken. Thanks to her ability to read her, the other woman probably knew how she felt but Regina wanted to say the words out loud and maybe hear them said back to her.

She whispered a quiet 'Goodbye' before exiting the room and stepping into the hallway, disappearing into the green light.

P.S. It wasn't until recently that I noticed that Jennifer Morrison has hazel eyes. And I watched House for 5 seasons…Did you notice?