"Hey Henry, whatcha watching?" Emma asked, walking into the living room. She flopped down on the couch next to him and kicked off her boots.

"It's...Mom." Henry said softly.

Regina waved to the screaming fans and laughed as half of them started screaming "We love you, Regina!" She smiled and screamed back. "No! I love you, so much!" This only excited them into a greater frenzy, and the host of the show, Melanie Carlyle, couldn't get a word in edgewise.

Emma's jaw dropped at the sight of the former mayor. Regina looked phenomenal! She looked younger and brighter than she'd been almost 3 years ago when she'd left Storybrooke for good. She wore a simple long black dress with a long slit on one side, tall red heels and red painted lips. Her hair was now almost waist length and rippled like a black waterfall as she sat down and neatly crossed her legs, smiling brightly. Damn, she looked sexy.

"Welcome to the show, Miss Mills. Everyone say hello to your Queen!" Melanie said. The crowd roared even louder and some of the people in the front row were even bowing. "Everyone loves the Queen." Melanie laughed once the crowd had quieted down.

"I am so happy to be here." Regina smiled.

"No thanks to your manager. I've been trying to get on here for weeks." Melanie said.

"Well, Jerry can be difficult sometimes. And the last year entirely has been completely booked."

"Speaking of which, for those of you out there who have been living under a rock, this is Regina Mills, a movie star on the rise best known for her starring roles in the hit crime drama Disguised and her most recent movie, a fantasy action movie called Execution. Both of those were complete successes, but in no way compares to her newest hit tv show that I'm sure everyone has been watching. Final Hour." The crowd cheered and Regina smiled. "Yes! The show is about a post apocalyptic world with all of the works, mutants, zombies, viruses, corrupted governments, you name it. And Miss Mills' character and the other survivors are trying to survive in this strange new world. Final Hour was also the most watched tv show last year in all of America. So, Miss Mills, tell us about your character."

"Well." Regina said. "Her name is Lana Ranee, and she's kind of the badass and the bitch of the show." She laughed. "She's a very complicated character though, very layered, and you never really know what she's going to do next."

"Well, didn't you sort of write part of your character?" Melanie asked.

"Um, yes. I was actually helping with the show when it was still in development and I was given the opportunity to help create Lana, although I had no idea I would be playing her."

"Is it hard, playing such a complex character?"

"Actually no, since I basically created her, I poured a lot of myself into the character. So most of what you see with Lana, you see with me as well. Especially with her kids."

Melanie grinned. "And just how is it working with your sons on the show, who just so happen to be your adopted sons in real life?"

Regina smiled and laughed. "It is absolutely wonderful. They bring so much life to the set and to my house. They are absolutely perfect." The crowd awed and she chuckled. "I was very surprised at how good they are when it comes to acting, but they blow both their characters away. Maybe even blow me away. They are just that good at what they do."

"Do you see this?" Emma asked as their parents walked into the room.

"It's Regina." Snow said. "She looks great. Is she talking about her show again?"

"Yeah, and her new kids." Henry muttered.

Regina continued talking about the show, making the people laugh with her natural charm and quick wit that Emma remembered all too well. She was actually pretty funny and acting kind of silly, something that was completely foreign to the people of Storybrooke.

"It's like she did a complete turnaround." Of course they had seen Regina's rise to fame and had seen some of her shows and of course they'd watched Final Hour, but it was still so weird to see Regina like this, after everything they'd seen of her.

"So, how did you get your nickname?" Melanie asked.

"I don't know, it was just given to me. As long as I can remember, I was always the queen. At one point, it was the Evil Queen." Regina replied. "I have a very dark past, one that I would like to leave there."

"Well, I can tell you that no one thinks of you as evil here. You are the Queen of the people!" Melanie smiled as the crowd started cheering again. "Everyone wants to work with the Queen. Settle down folks, there is one more very important subject we need to discuss before we run out of time." She leaned forward and placed her head on her hands, looking at Regina intensely. "Angel O'Connor."

"Oh god." Regina laughed. She sighed playfully. "What do you want to know?"

"Rumor has it that he's going to be joining the cast of Final Hour as a potential love interest for our favorite queen. So…" She grinned.

"Alright, the rumors are true. He's joining the cast, but no one but the writers know what role he's going to play."

"I...do not believe that." Melanie said. "But I guess we have to wait for season 2 in a couple of weeks to find out if the badass queen falls in love with one of the sexiest men on the planet."

"Eh, he's...cute."

Melanie made a face as if to say yeah right. "Any questions for the queen?"

Henry clicked off the tv and walked out. David sighed and went to follow while Emma just sat on the couch and stared at the black screen.

"You okay, Emma?" Snow asked, sitting next to her daughter. She knew that Emma and Regina had never truly seen eye to eye and there had been a lot of conflict just days before Regina finally left. Still, deep down, she might've thought that Emma had feelings for Regina on an entirely new level, but she would never be sure now.

"She's living the dream." Emma said.

"She is."

"She has a new family."

"She does."

"Do you...think she misses us?" Emma asked.

"I don't know, but I doubt it. We never really gave her room to change when she tried to be good for Henry. I know she talks to Roland all the time though."

"Really?!"

"Yeah, every night. As a matter of fact, he's the only one she talks to."

"Why wouldn't she want to talk to Henry?"

"Well, a day before she left he yelled into her face "you're not my mom. Emma is. You're evil and you'll always be evil. I hate you, I wish you would just go away." Maybe that's why." Snow said, getting up to begin preparing dinner.

"Yeah, but, she has to know that he regrets it." Emma muttered, following her.

"She hasn't spoken to him in 3 years, how could she? And honestly I don't blame her for cutting us out of her life. We have no right to be a part of her happy ending after the way we treated her. I wish we could've reconciled." Snow trailed off in thought and her daughter touched her shoulder before going over to the computer and opening it up to find that it was already on youtube. It was an interview of Regina titled Darkness. She pressed play.

"The more I tried to hold onto him, the more he pulled away." Regina said. "I know I was not the best mother and I really tried to be worthy of my son and to gain the respect of the family. But what can you do, when your good just isn't good enough?"

"Do you regret leaving your first adopted son with his birth mother?" asked the ugly balding host guy.

Regina was dressed in jeans and a dark red blouse. Again, she looked beautiful. "No." She said immediately. "I just hope that he finds the...happy ending, that he wanted. I hope he's happy and he doesn't regret his decision. But he does know that no matter what, he'll always be my son, and I'll be here if he needs me. He has my number and can call anytime. It's completely up to him."

Emma paused it and walked outside to find her son. "Henry, I need Regina's number."

xxxxxxxxx

Regina stepped into her house and practically launched her heels into the coat closet and threw off her jacket before striding into her incredibly large and grand living room. "Boys, I'm home!"

"Oh thank god, you're back." Her personal assistant and sometimes joint babysitter, Anjie leaped off the couch. She was a 25 year old latina, a total fashionista and one of Regina's closest friends. She smiled at the sound of her light brooklyn accent as the girl went into full detail on what her sons had done. "They won't shut up with their endless questions or practicing their stupid lines for the show and I swear, if they jump off of something one more time, I'm gonna scream."

"Well, thank you, Anjie." Regina grinned, pulling a wad of money out of her purse. "See you at work tomorrow."

"Thanks Gina." Anjie didn't even bother to count it as she strutted towards the door. "Tell the boys I said good night. Your champagne is on the kitchen table cooling. And...you're all out of cheesecake."

Regina rolled her eyes and went to pour herself a glass. "Aaahhh. Champagne fixes everything. Boys! Where are you?" She downed the champagne and made her way through the large house. She'd decorated it a bit differently than she had done her mansion in Storybrooke. It was designed to be sleek and modern but very homey and cosy, and she was quite proud of her creation.

"Mom!" Taj and Jason came barreling out of their room to hug her. "You're back!"

"I am, now did you finish your homework?"

"Of course, Mom. Now you can play the game with us."

"Can I take a shower first?" She asked, laughing at their enthusiasm.

Jason sighed. "If you must."

"Well, I must. Just give me half an hour." Regina smiled.

"Okay." Taj said. "We'll set everything up. Hurry."

Regina sighed and walked into her bedroom, the master suite of the house. It was decorated in dark red with purple and black trim. She stepped into her massive bathroom and filled the tub with hot water and bubbles before shrugging out of her clothes and sliding inside. She let out another sigh of contentment, imagining her sons hooking up their game system to the tvs in the living room.

A year and a half after leaving Storybrooke, she'd quickly realized that she missed having a child around. Due to her impeccable references from Storybrooke, she was easily able to adopt a child. Jason had come first. He was 13, same age as Henry. He was originally from Columbia and bore darkly tanned skin, short dark hair and piercing blue eyes. He was the older of the boys. Taj came second. He was from Brazil, but had come to the states when he was 10. He was 13 as well, but still younger and smaller, with spiky black hair and dark green eyes. Whatever life they'd held before meeting Regina, they didn't like to talk about it, and she didn't feel inclined to ask about it. Besides, they loved Regina with everything in them, and sometimes the former Evil Queen was almost overwhelmed by how much affection they had for her. She had never felt more loved in all her life.

"MOM!" Taj yelled.

She sighed with a smirk. "Keep your pants on!" She yelled back, rising out of the tub to dry off. She put on a black sleeveless dress that was short in the front but very long in the back and quickly blow dried her hair. She growled when her phone started ringing.

"Hello?"

"Excellent work on the interview." Her manager, Jerry said.

"I know."

"Now, I've arranged for you to have your workouts moved to the morning so you can have the afternoon driving out to the set."

"Maybe I wanted a day to rest." She said, walking into the living room where Jason presented her with another glass of champagne. They'd hooked up the other tvs on the stand and were getting out the controllers.

"I'm sure you do, but the Queen is at the top right now, and I need to do everything in my power to keep her there."

"Whatever. Bye Jerry, the boys are about to lose their freaking minds." She hung up and sat down on the couch. Taj handed her the controller.

"Alright, Mom, let's play."

Regina couldn't help but laugh at the way they argued, trying to give each other directions to kill a dragon or some creature. They were hilarious, and it was almost midnight by the time she picked up both on her shoulders and carried them into their bedroom and slammed them on their beds. "Good night my young princes." She gave each a kiss on the forehead.

"Good night Mom. We love you." They said, making her heart melt.

"I love you too." She switched off the lights on her way out and went to cut off the game. She jumped when her phone rang and went to answer it. "Hello?"

"Regina?"

"Miss Swan. It's been a while." She said, fighting back a sigh.

"It has." Emma agreed, almost nervously. "How have you been?"

"Can't complain. What do you want?"

"What makes you think I wanted something?"

"You haven't called me in 3 years. I think it's safe to assume that you want something if you're willing to contact me after all this time." Regina answered as she strode into her bedroom and set her alarm clock.

"I just wanted to check on you, I suppose." She paused for a long moment. "Henry misses you."

"I'm sure." She scoffed.

"He does. He really does. He's been...really moody and depressed since you left."

"You mean since I adopted my sons?" She countered.

"Regina, you know he didn't mean what he said. He's just a kid."

"No, it sounded very much like he meant it. I assume he doesn't know you're speaking on his behalf?"

"No, I just wanted to talk to you. I mean…" She sighed heavily. "I miss you."

Regina laughed aloud. "Oh really? The Savior misses the Evil Queen?"

"I'm serious, Regina." Emma said softly.

Regina sighed. "What would you like me to do, Miss Swan? I have an early workout in the morning. I don't have time to listen to you whine about what you shoulda coulda woulda done back in Storybrooke. What's been done has been done, and there is nothing you can do to change it."

"I know that, but I don't want to spend the rest of my life not talking to you at least. We were almost friends. Maybe even...more."

"Almost." Regina emphasized.

"Fine, but can I at least call you sometime?"

"And I'm sure I'll answer, if I'm not too busy."

Emma sighed again. "Fine. Bye Regina."

"Goodbye Miss Swan." Regina clicked end and tossed the phone across the bed. She looked at it for a moment, but ultimately shook her head and climbed beneath the sheets. She wasn't about to let Emma Swan and those idiots from Storybrooke ruin the best thing that ever happened to her. Henry had made his choice, and so had she and Robin. They didn't want her, so she found people that did. Now she was happier than she'd ever been, and nothing was going to change that.

xxxxxxxx

"Mom." Regina groaned and opened one eye. Sunlight was streaming in through the windows and everything was so bright and beautiful. Taj peeked into the room and smiled before leaping onto the bed for a hug. She smiled and returned it. "We're making you breakfast, Mom. So hurry up and shower, okay?"

"Alright, I'm up." Regina smiled as Taj kissed her cheek and leaped off the bed to race out of the room. She sighed happily and stretched before getting up to shower. They'd woken her up 5 minutes before her alarm and she smiled again at well they knew her daily patterns. She cut off the alarm and went to shower quickly, stepping into her black athletic capris and black sports bra as she came out. She wrapped herself in her robe before entering the living room. The air was filled with the smell of cooking food.

"Something smells delicious." She called, walking into the kitchen.

Jason and Taj quickly placed a plate of beautiful looking pancakes on the table in her place, topped with strawberries and blueberries. A second plate was put next to it with sausage, ham, bacon and eggs on it.

"And here is your coffee." Jason grinned as he set in front of the plates. "Did we do good?"

"You did perfectly." Regina smiled and hugged them both. "You two are absolutely amazing."

They grinned as they fixed their food and the three of them sat to the kitchen island and enjoyed their breakfast.

"So, what do we have to do today?" Jason asked.

"Well, first I have to work off this massive breakfast at the fitness center, then we're driving out to the set to get to work. How does that sound?"

"Great, let's go get ready." Taj said, leaping off his stool. His brother quickly followed him out of the room and Regina smiled to herself as she magically cleaned the kitchen. She walked back into her room to grab her bags. "Don't forget to pack, we're staying in the trailer!"

"Got it!" Jason yelled.

They were packed and ready to go within the hour and drove out to the fitness center just down the road.

"Alright, Mom, you gonna do some parkour with us?" Jason asked excitedly as they walked into the gym. He held the door open politely for his mother.

"I don't think so." She said, stepping inside.

"Oh come on Mom. You can learn and do some tricks for the show." Taj added.

Both of them tried to give her their little puppy faces that they all knew she couldn't resist.

"Fine, one trick."

"YEAH!"

Regina shook her head. The gym was mostly empty, it was a very exclusive and expensive place. But it was absolutely massive and open. After getting the part on the show, she quickly decided that she needed to get into better shape. Not that she wasn't sexy as hell already, but she really wanted to get into her character, and Lana Ranee was very athletic.

She went through her warm ups and tossed a heavy steel ball back and forth between her and her sons, before they decided to break out the parkour.

"Alright, Mom, so here's the first thing." Jason instructed. "Let's try a vault." He and Taj pulled a blue block of wood into the center of the padded floor and both demonstrated how to do the vault in various ways. It was a simple enough trick and she was able to do it with relative ease.

"Nice vault." A silky smooth voice made her shudder involuntarily. She looked over her shoulder.

"Yeah, I know." She said.

"It is a pleasure to meet the one and only Queen."

She turned around, fully laying eyes upon the man that was said to have the face of an angel. Hence his name. Angel O' Connor. He was indeed...handsome, to put it mildly. He had short black hair with light stubble covering his chin and a jawline that looked as though God had taken extra time to carve it himself. He was bare chested, displaying toned abs and wearing blue and white swim trunks.

"And you as well, but did you plan to do it shirtless?" She raised an eyebrow as he looked down at himself.

"Happy coincidence." He grinned, looking back up. He offered his hand. "Angel O' Connor."

She slowly shook it. "Regina Mills." He had the prettiest eyes she's ever seen. A piercing bright blue. She looked down at the small head peeking around his leg. "And who is this?"

"This is my son AJ."

"Angel Jr.?" She asked. "I'm just assuming."

"You assume correctly. Say hello to Miss Mills, AJ." Angel twisted to the side, revealing the small boy who was clearly his son, except he had a full head of messy black hair that was still dripping with water. He looked to be about eight or nine and was wearing swim trunks like his dad.

"Hi." AJ said shyly.

Regina snatched Angel's towel off his neck and gently wiped the water off the boy's face and wrapped the towel around his neck. "It's a pleasure to meet you, little Angel." She turned around. "Jason, Taj! Come meet our newest co-star." The boys quickly ran over and she introduced them.

"So, AJ, ever do any parkour?" Jason asked.

"No, but it looks fun." He looked up at his father, who smiled and nodded.

The boys ran back over to the block and Angel turned back to Regina. "That was rude, stealing my towel like that."

She shrugged. "Are you gonna do something about it?"

"I could throw you in the pool." He suggested with an evil grin.

"Don't you dare." She said lowly.

"Alright, I won't tempt fate. You look like you could kick my ass anyway." He said, raising his hands in surrender. "But it truly was a pleasure to meet you, Miss Mills. Hopefully it will continue to be as interesting in the future."

"We'll see." She said with a smile.

"I guess I'll see you at the set later on today."

"Well I like my job, so of course I'll be there."

He smirked. "Then I shall see you then." He bowed with a smirk and called AJ back over.

"Bye Miss Mills." The little boy said, waving as he and his father left.

Regina tilted her head as she watched father and son leave, eyes undeniably glued to Angel's backside. She turned back to the boys and found them grinning at her.

"Subtle as a brick wall, Mom." Taj snickered.

"Oh shut up. But he did have a good idea." she said.

"What was that?" Jason asked.

"Throwing someone in the pool." Regina grinned, grabbing them both and dragging them to the pool to throw them in. "Now dry off and let's go." They both responded by getting up and dragging their mother into the pool too.

The drive out to the set, a bright and sunny area in the middle of Nowhere, California, was quiet and quick. The boys spent most of the time listening to their music while Regina went over her lines in her head. Acting had been a strange choice for a career for her. But she was used to hiding her emotions and playing on other's feelings, traits she'd learned as the Evil Queen. But she'd had to learn how to be someone else completely for her tv shows. And since she'd practically created her character, Lana, she didn't need to change much to play her. It was a whole new experience, that she relished. She loved being out in the world rather than being confined to tiny little Storybrooke. She'd left her past in that town, everything that she used to be, and found others who actually cared about her and her well being, who loved her and didn't try to replace her with someone else or tried to change her. It was wonderful and strange, but not unpleasantly so.

Regina drove them into the lot next to her trailer and climbed out of the car. Last season of Final Hour, had ended with her and her sons being trapped in a school full of zombies and mutants and about to get eaten. However, at the last second Angel and AJ had come in and unintentionally rescued them. Regina hadn't spoken much to Angel then because she hadn't realized that he would be joining the show. There was a whole lot of hype in the media about his joining the cast and you could bet that everyone was waiting for season 2 to begin to find out what would happen next. Angel hadn't even supposed to have been a love interest. It was her fans, her lovely Regals and sometimes called Evil Regals after one of her interviews when she referenced herself as the Evil Queen. They recognized instant chemistry between her and Angel and sent a flood of pleads on every kind of social media for the Queen to finally have her King. The writers of the show had ran with it, hoping for better ratings, and invited Angel to be a part of the main cast. There were others in the cast as well of course. There was Adam, the leader of the group. Yeah right because Lana did whatever she wanted to. Ben was the doctor. Kim and Max were the two fighters, and the comic relief, Ronan was the scientist and peace keeper and finally Jill, Adam's love interest and Lana's most hated enemy. It was easy pretending to hate jill considering she really did hate her. She was insufferably annoying and consumed a ton of Regina's patience to deal with her at all. Everyone else was lovable and fun though.

Ronan immediately came over to pick her up in a big bearhug. He was a large dark skinned man who for the life of him, never wore a shirt. He had long braided black hair that was shaved on both sides of his head into a Mohawk style and spoke with an african accent. "Hello Regina. It is good to see you well, and back for another season."

"And what would this show would be without me?" Regina asked.

"Better." She hit him in the shoulder as he started laughing. "Would you like for me to get your bags?"

"Thank you, but the boys can take care of it." She said.

"Okay, there is a celebration tonight by the way, for our return. Make sure you are there so that I may get a dance." He grinned.

"As you wish." Regina smiled. The man dipped his head and continued on his way. She turned to the car and knocked on the window, motioning to her sons. "Let's go. You know we have to shoot a promo in an hour." They sighed and got out of the car. They all carried their stuff into the trailer and unpacked. When that was done, they showered and got suited up. Lana's costume consisted of black shorts and a cropped black shirt with long sleeves that left part of her midriff bare. She had to put on two sets of holsters, on her shoulders and on her legs. The ones on her shoulders held two black pistols and the one on her left leg carried her sawn off shotgun while the other held a long knife. Strapping on her boots was a struggle after putting on the weapons, but she was used to it by now.

"Ready?" She called, putting up her mass of hair into a ponytail. That was even more of a struggle, but again she managed.

Taj came out wearing a simple blue shirt and khaki cargo shorts. He had on a belt of knives and gun holstered to his side. Jason wore an athletic vest with blue jeans and both wore tennis shoes. He was equipped with a rifle and a couple knives as well. None of their weapons were real, they didn't need to be for a simple promo and probably a photo shoot afterwards.

"Ready." Jason said. "Where to?" He picked up an apple from a fruit basket on the table and followed her outside as she put on her sunglasses. She wore a necklace as well, a small golden one that held Daniel's ring that he'd proposed to her with, something she simply could not part with and that had become sort of her trademark on the show.

"I'm guessing to the first block." Regina said, leading the way through the set, waving and saying hello to other people that she hadn't seen since the hiatus. They came to a large building marked building C, and went inside. The director, a small balding man leaped up to welcome them.

"Hello to you too, John, what's first?"

"Straight to business as always. Love it." John grinned, pulling her over to a green screen where a red motorcycle was. Angel was leaning against it wearing dark jeans and a tight black sleeveless shirt with a thin white band going vertically down the front.

"We meet again." Angel grinned.

"So I see." Regina smiled.

"You two met? Great! Because we're gonna promote you two with some pictures. You guys are okay with this, right?" Angel shrugged and Regina nodded. "Good. Angel, let's get you on the motorcycle. Regina, you in front."

Regina sat down on the motorcycle and Angel got behind her. He rested his arm on her shoulder and smirked when she looked back at him. "I can already tell...you're going to be very annoying."

"And I can already tell...you're going to be a bitch."

Regina shoved off his arm and was about to push him off the motorcycle altogether...when he smiled. A dazzling smile that made her stomach twist.

"Something wrong?" John called.

"No." Regina said quickly, getting back to business. They took the pictures and she was only too happy when Angel got up and were replaced by Jason and Taj. The photo shoot went smoothly. Then came the part of the promo. They went outside to the set beneath a group of trees and Angel turned to face her, standing atop a small hill, with AJ at his side. The little Angel waved to her and she smiled and waved back. Adam arrived, or rather Simon, which was his real name,was a tall man with a clean shaven face and a head of curly hair. He was dressed in a gray button down shirt and black pants with a brown belt and giant silver belt buckle in the form of a stag, carrying a rifle on one shoulder. Jason and Taj took up position on either side of Regina.

"Action!" John called and it was almost like a switch went off inside the former queen.

"You know." said Angel, or rather his character, Stephaun. "When someone saves your life, you say thank you."

"I would if I needed help." Lana replied icily. Jason punched her in the back and she sighed. "Thank you."

"Much better." Stephaun said, crossing his arms with an infuriating smug smirk. "What's your name?"

"What's yours?" Lana returned, putting a hand on her hip. Stephaun stepped forward until they were almost nose to nose. He looked her up and down slowly and she returned by doing the same, wrinkling her nose slightly.

"Stephaun. Stephaun Garcia. This is my son, Markos." He tilted his head, waiting for her to give her name as well.

"These are my sons, Jason and Taj." Lana said.

"It's a pleasure to meet them, except I asked for yours."

"I am well aware." Lana turned her back to him and started to walk off as Adam walked up and spoke to Stephaun, inviting him into their little group struggling to survive in this new fucked up world.

"We could use the extra man." Adam said.

Lana paused to look back and her eyes met Stephaun's, boring into her own with an intensity that made her shiver was something off about him that she didn't like. He was like a mirror that showed you the perfect image when in reality, behind it was a monster that could take the shape of whatever you desired to lure you in and trap you.

"Sure, we'll stay." He grinned at her.

"Great, come on. I'll show you our little sanctuary." Adam smiled as he turned to lead them away.

Lana turned her back to leave as well. "I'll see you soon...Lana." She froze and scowled. She looked over her shoulder and he quickly looked up from where he'd been shamelessly staring at her ass. He grinned and walked off with a smirking Markos.

"I'm going to kill him." She growled, and looked down at her grinning sons. "What?"

"Nothing." They said in unison.

"Get in the car."

"Cut! Great job everybody. Regina, Angel, head to the barracks." John called out, hopping into his golf cart. Regina kissed each of her sons as she climbed onto the back of the cart and sat down. Angel patted Aj on the back and motioned to Jason and Taj. The little boy nodded and ran off with them while Angel climbed in next to her. John's driver started the cart and they were off to the next part of the set to shoot a private scene.

"You are very good at what you do." Regina said, watching the rolling hills. Angel chuckled.

"So are you. It must be hard pretending to hate me."

She smiled and turned to look at him. "It's getting close to being the real thing."

"Way to hurt my feelings." He grinned.

She rolled her eyes and avoided his, not liking the way he seemed to easily convey emotions through them. The way he almost stole her breath whenever he smiled. There was definite chemistry between them, but she wasn't sure she even wanted a relationship, or if he was even interested. It was all acting after all. They made it to the barracks and hopped off to walk inside. In the show, the barracks were their current haven and was basically a fortified shelter filled with sleeping bags and food and weapons caches.

One of the tech guys motioned for Regina to head into the pantry, a small room with shelves half filled with food. "You got your lines?"

"I'm ready." Regina said, feeling that switch flip again.

Lana looked over the cans of food, frowning in disgust at everything she touched. They were running out of food, and if Adam continued taking in every person he saw, they certainly wouldn't have enough to sustain them. She picked up a can of pears and turned to look through their stock of meat, bending over to look in the crate. After a moment, she stood back up, holding a pack of cured, dried ham, and without turning around, said "You know, it's impolite to stare." She raised an eyebrow at Stephaun, leaning against the doorway.

"How could I not with such a lovely view?" He smirked.

"I will shoot you."

"You won't. Or you would've done so already." He pointed out, stepping unnecessarily close to her to look at the can labels over her shoulder. "Nice stash you guys got here." He looked down at her with that same smug grin and she punched him hard in the stomach.

She stepped around him and continued collecting ingredients for tonight's dinner. He straightened back up, rubbing his stomach.

"What were you before?" He asked offhandedly.

"You mean, before the world came to an end?" Lana said. "I was the mayor of a little town in the middle of nowhere. You?"

"Contractor. Nothing quite as ...extravagant."

Lana nodded. "Doesn't really matter now though, does it?"

"I suppose not." He leaned against a shelf and sighed before looking up at her. "Do you believe that we'll survive this?"

"I don't believe in fairy tales." Lana replied.

"Thanks for the pep talk."

Lana smiled and walked towards him, leaning against him so that she could whisper into his ear. "Let me tell you a little secret. Never talk to Lana. She's a dangerous sociopath who will rip your heart out without a second thought. Literally. You should stay away from her."

"I don't believe that." Stephaun said, freezing when he felt a blade pressed against his crotch.

"Believe it." Lana said with authority, turning to leave.

Stephaun only smirked.

"You're really trying to make us a thing, aren't you?" Regina asked, flipping the knife in her hands. She looked up with a smirk as Angel joined her outside.

"Almost cut it a little close with that knife." He said, laughing as he snatched the knife from her.

"You guys have amazing chemistry. And it's what the public wants." John replied as they got back in the golf cart.

"You're going to kill me off, aren't you?" Angel asked. "Let me kiss her first. Just once." He grinned at Regina. "We should practice."

She grinned sarcastically. "No."

"Worth a shot." Angel walked with her back to her trailer and she found herself enjoying his company. He was very flirtatious and silly and she couldn't stop herself from laughing at his jokes, all of which were either dirty or so corny that you couldn't help but laugh. "You have a beautiful laugh, Regina."

"Thank you." Regina smiled, leading the way up to the trailer where the boys were no doubt waiting. Anjie stepped out, looking perfect as always with her hair up in a bun and wearing a little black dress with tall heels.

"Regina, you have some visitors. I swear I didn't let them in and I thought you should see before I called security."

Regina nodded, frowning as she wondered who it could be for Anjie to want to call security. Sure, Regina liked her space and didn't want anyone traipsing through her trailer, but still, everyone knew that she didn't mind visitors. She exchanged a confused glance with Angel before leading the way inside, finding none other than Emma and Robin sitting on her couch. It was like she was seeing Emma take Henry from her and Robin turn his back on her to be with Marian all over again. "What the hell do you think you're doing here?! How did you get in here?" She looked around for her sons. "Where are the boys?"

"I sent them to the food truck with Ronan." Anjie said.

She looked at Emma and Robin. "Get out."

"Regina, please, hear us out." Emma pleaded, standing up.

"How about I get the security to throw your asses out? I don't want anything to do with either one of you." She turned her back, prepared to leave, when the blonde grabbed her wrist to stop her and she reacted immediately by pushing the woman away. The blonde was clearly shocked by her newfound strength.

"Please." Robin said. "We just came to apologize."

Regina motioned to Anjie, and she left the trailer, pulling Angel with her. "I don't want your apology. I want you out of my life."

"But Regina, I'm sorry for the way I treated you." Emma sighed. "I really am. But it hasn't been the same since you left. I miss you, so I drove out here to see you, to apologize, to beg you to let me back into your life. Me and Henry."

"And me and Roland." Robin added.

Regina surprised them by laughing deeply. "You think that coming here is going to change anything? That I'll just forgive you?" She wiped a tear out of her eye before her expression turned deadly serious. "Get the hell out of my life and stay the hell away from my family. I don't need you, I don't want you. You feel like you made a mistake, congratulations, you didn't. I'm happy where I am."

"But Regina-"

"No, get out."

"We got a job on the show!" Emma blurted.

"What?" Regina hissed. "Are you fucking kidding me?"

"No." Emma said, shrinking back into the seat under Regina's hard gaze. The sheer amount of hatred and anger she felt right now just could not be put into words. "I mean, we didn't realize that they were looking for extras on the show. And I didn't know it was an audition or something. I just read off a paper and he handed me a script. I swear, i didn't know."

Regina pinched the bridge of her nose so hard, she was almost afraid she'd broken it. "Get out of my trailer."

"But-"

"Get out!" Regina roared. Both of them hopped up to run out and she ran her hands angrily against her thighs.

"You alright?" Angel stepped back into the trailer, looking at her in concern. "Everything okay?"

"No, it's not. They just can't leave me alone. They just won't go away, no matter what I do."

"I'll go talk to John and we'll get everything sorted out. Okay? Everything's gonna be okay." He assured, taking her hands. "I'll go right now. Watch AJ for me."

She nodded as he left quickly and she sank down onto the couch, holding her head in her hands. Why did they always have to ruin everything? Why couldn't they just stay as far away from her as possible?

"Gina?" She looked up at Roland as he walked into the trailer, eyes lighting up. "Gina!" He nearly dove on top of her and she laughed and kissed his forehead.

"Oh my goodness, you've gotten so big! And so handsome." She smiled, holding his face in her hands. "My sweet Forest Prince."

"And my wonderful Queen." He grinned back.

"What are you doing here?"

"Dad wanted to come see you. I wanted to come see you. I think he's upset about you leaving. He and Mom argue all the time." Roland said, looking down. "I missed you. I took care of your apple tree though." He immediately perked back up.

"Thank you so much. I'm sure it's beautiful."

"Are you mad?"

"I am...not happy. But that's with them, not you. I couldn't be happier to see you." She looked him and down. He'd grown so much in the last 3 years, but he was still as cute as the day she'd left. The door of the trailer opened and she looked up as Jason, Taj and AJ walked in.

"Are you alright, Mom?" Jason asked.

"Yeah, baby. I'm just...a little overwhelmed by everything right now."

"Do you want us to leave alone?" Taj asked.

"No, you can stay as long as you like. I think I'll take a walk. Why don't you both take care of AJ and Roland until I get back?"

"Okay." Jason still looked like he was worried about her, but he nodded. "Okay, Mom. Be back soon."

Regina nodded and stood up, exiting the trailer and taking a deep breath as she walked away. She was so sick of the heroes intruding on her life. She just wanted to get away, that was the whole point of leaving and yet they still follow her, expecting to be welcomed with open arms as though nothing ever happened. She was so engrossed in her thoughts that she didn't even notice someone calling her.

"Mom?"

Regina paused and half turned. "Henry."

He gave her an uncertain smile as he approached. "Hey Mom."

Regina said nothing for a moment. "Did you need something, Henry?"

"I, uh, wanted to say hi, I guess."

"Hi." Regina smiled before turning and swiftly walking away.

"Regina." Ronan called as she rushed past. He followed her onto an empty lot. "What is wrong, Little Queen?"

"I can't escape my past. It won't leave me alone." Regina sighed. "They just won't go away."

"Relax. Everything will be okay."

"How do you know? You don't get what I've already been through with these people. I mean, you wouldn't think of them in the way I do, so don't let my judgement be what you base them on. But still, I left Storybrooke to get away from them, specifically the two people who followed me all the way to fucking California."

"Because I have faith. you are a treasure, a gift they cannot live without." Ronan said with confidence, placing two large hands on her shoulders. "A flea can trouble a lion more than a lion can trouble a flea. You are that lion. They are the flea. You have come up from where you once were. Your future is bright. Do not let them bring you back down to where you were. Perhaps a reconciliation would be good for you."

"Perhaps. Perhaps not." Regina retorted. "Perhaps I should just kill them."

"No. That would be bad."

"I'm not finding a downside to it." Regina replied.

"Regina..."

"Alright." She pouted, crossing her arms. "No one dies. For now."

"Good. Why don't we go speak to John?" He suggested, putting an arm around her and leading her back to the sets. In many ways, Ronan was almost like the father she'd never had. He was always spouting some kind of wisdom and didn't hesitate to take her side in her arguments with Jill. But that was because no one really liked Jill. She allowed him to lead her back to where John was getting everyone ready for the next scene. Angel and the boys were already present, along with Emma and Robin.

"So, what's the problem again?" John asked.

"We weren't trying to get on the show. We just wanted to see Regina." Robin said.

"Well, we need some extras and you guys were okay. What's the big deal?"

Regina grabbed his arm and pulled him away. "The big deal is we have a long, terrible history. And-"

"You're a very mature person, Gina. I'm not worried at all about a confrontation. The thing is, we need extras for the next few weeks. Then I'll kill em off. So you can't deal with them until then?"

"A few weeks of seeing two of the people that I dislike more than anyone else in the world? Is that a joke?"

"See, I knew you'd come around." He patted her back. "Alright, everyone, places!"

Regina went through the whole day feeling two pairs of eyes glued to her back like a hawk. She did her job, exceptionally as always. This was what she liked to do after all. It was what she was good at. She ignored the show's newest arrivals but found Emma was a pretty good actress. But she was a bail bondsperson. Pretending to be someone else was part of the job. Robin was okay. He didn't have many lines. Briefly, she'd wondered if John would bring in Henry and Roland as well, but he never did. Soon, the day was over and she went back to her trailer to shower and relax before the party. She tried to anyway. While the boys showered and she waited for her turn, she removed her costume and wrapped herself in a long black robe to wait.

"Mom?" Henry said, cautiously entering the trailer.

"What can I do for you, Henry?" Regina asked. "By the way, you seemed to have forgotten how to knock."

"Oh sorry." He said, stepping in. "I just wanted to apologize for what I said to you, the day you left. You didn't deserve that."

"I didn't." Regina replied, sitting down on the couch. "And apology accepted. I forgave you a long time ago. Will that be all?" She raised an eyebrow.

He seemed surprised by her tone, that she wasn't leaping for happiness that he was back in her life. "So, you're still mad?"

"I'm not mad, Henry. I was never mad. Was I upset? Of course. And although I forgive you, things aren't going to be the same, Henry. Things are going to be very different than what they used to be. There was a reason I left."

"And there's a reason we came to find you. Family always find each other."

Regina rolled her eyes and scoffed. "I don't need the Charming motto spouted at me, Henry, I've heard it enough. The fact of the matter is, apologizing to me was nice of you. It was a good step. But it doesn't change anything. Just because you said you're sorry doesn't mean everything's okay. It's not. You and Emma and Robin shouldn't have come-"

"But Roland should've?" He asked. "To meet the family you replaced us with?"

"How could I replace a family I never had?" Regina tilted her head, turning as Jason came out of the back, wearing cargo shorts and a colorful sleeveless shirt.

"Você está bem, mamãe?" He said. (Are you alright, Mom?) Regina nodded, but he still glared at Henry. "Taj's out of the shower, Mom. You can go in."

Regina rose to her feet. "Play nice and stay in the trailer until I come out." She said, giving him a pat on the head as she went into the back, passing Taj, wearing black jeans and a button down gray shirt with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows and the top two buttons undone.

"Something you needed?" Taj asked, a far friendlier face than his brother.

"I just came to talk to my mom." Henry said.

"You're Henry, right? The Savior's son."

"You know about that?" Henry asked.

"Of course we do." Taj scoffed. "You think you're the only kid in the world who ever believed in magic?"

"Ele é a pessoa que desrespeitou a nossa mãe . Por que eles estão aqui?" Jason said. (He is the one who disrespected our mother. Why are they here?)

"Maybe you should ask them instead of speaking another language." Taj replied. His brother always slipped into portuguese or spanish when he was annoyed, frustrated or angry.

"Why are you here?" Jason demanded, crossing his arms.

"To see my mom."

"The last we checked, the Savior was your mother, legally and biologically."

Henry scowled at them. "Look, I'm leaving. I just came to talk to my mom, but clearly it was a mistake."

"Coming here was a mistake." Jason shot back. "Why can't you and all those other idiots let our mom have her happy ending? Without the bull that you bring with you." Henry looked angry, but ultimately turned and left, slamming the door as he did so. Jason grinned. "That was fun."

"Idiota" Taj rolled his eyes.

Regina returned a little while later, now dressed in jeans and a dark blue blouse. She put on her heels and slipped her phone into her back pocket. "Let's head out." She said, leading the way out of the trailer, to the golf car waiting outside. She climbed into the driver's seat, Taj got in next to her and Jason leaned on the back. "So how was your first meeting with Henry Swan?"

"Predictable." Taj shrugged. "He knows he made a mistake that he cannot fix."

"He is a little brat." Jason added.

Regina nodded in agreement. "They will not ruin our party mood tonight. A whole nother season begins."

"Do you really think they're gonna make you and Angel have a thing?" Taj asked.

"Most likely." Regina answered. "They want more ratings. It's never enough with these people. Regardless, tonight is our night. Let's just enjoy ourselves. Tomorrow we go to work and we do it like we've always done."

"Sure thing, Mom." Jason grinned over her shoulder.

She nodded and parked. Up ahead in a field was an absolutely massive pavilion, covered in lights and streamers. People were already underneath it, enjoying the festivities. They got out of the car and made their way over, immediately being welcomed by the multitude of faces that they remembered so well from the last time. Regina smiled, happy to be among those she counted as true friends and family. The people parted and Angel stepped out in a tight white shirt and dark jeans. "Well, well, if it isn't Mr. Garcia." She smirked, accepting the drink from his hand.

"If isn't Ms. Ranee." He replied with a dazzling smile. "You're welcome by the way."

She rolled her eyes and looked around. "Some party."

"You should check out the food. The meatballs are amazing. I've only been here 10 minutes and I probably ate like 20."

"That sounds wonderful." She smiled, walking with him over to the table where there was a mountain of food on display. She picked up a piece of fruit and popped into her mouth. "Pretty good."

"So, does the queen dance, or can she only threaten to cut my balls off?"

"I can dance. I would prefer not to." Regina said.

"Then come on. I want to see you dance. Don't you think we should get to know each other a little bit, since we're going to be working closely together." He smirked, rubbing his shoulder against hers.

"Dancing doesn't tell you anything about me."

"Au Contraire. You can tell a lot about a person by the way they move." He shook his hips in a provocative manner. "Come on."

"No."

"Don't make me do this, Regina. I'll do it." He said.

She frowned. Do what?

He turned and cupped his hand over his mouth. "Hey, everybody!" The music stopped and all eyes turned to them. "Our queen needs some encouragement. She won't dance with me. Mind helping me out?" Everyone started cheering Regina's name and she rolled her eyes. There was no way she was getting out of this. What the hell? Might as well have a bit of fun. She knocked back the rest of her drink and took Angel's outstretched hand.

Xxxxxxxx

Emma could only watch Regina in fascination. You would really believe she was this Lana Ranee character by how completely engrossed in it she became when the director yelled action. Even now as they 'escaped' the barracks, Regina was like a totally different person as she raced across the field with the rest of the cast, blasting away 'mutants' with a shotgun or stabbed them with a sword. Emma and Robin were in the back so they weren't that important and she was free to be mesmerized by the former queen. They made it to the armored bus and Simone got into the driver's seat. Regina and her kids kept going, as did Angel and AJ, heading for Regina's new Mercedes that was also armored as well. The cameras cut to the Mercedes as Regina frantically tried to get it to start. Angel slammed his hand on the gas pedal and it threw Regina into the back as the car roared off away from the zombies and mutants. Taj leaped into the front to close the door and started driving, wildly running over dummy zombies.

Regina flipped herself around and glared at Angel. He smirked. "What the hell are you doing in my car?"

"Same reason you are. To get away from the things trying to eat my beautiful face. Speaking of which." He bent down the mirror so he could examine his face.

"You just ran past a bus. Kill me now." Regina muttered.

"Another question: why is the 10 year old driving?"

"I'm 13, thank you very much." Taj replied.

"Stop the damn car. I am not riding in the back of my own car."

"Maybe you should stop complaining, Princess. You're alive."

"Queen, jackass. Get it right." Taj pulled over once they were a good enough distance away and he and Regina switched seats. "Much better." They pulled back up behind the other convoy, leaving behind their refuge.

"Lana, you in?" Kim called on a walkie talkie.

Angel quickly snatched the walkie talkie. "She's in bitch mode right now, but we're fine."

Regina snatched it back. "We're okay. Where to?"

"When we were out patrolling, I found a farm a few miles out we can shack up at. It's big and it's got some animals." Adam said.

"Someone is probably still there." Ronan Added. "If the animals are being maintained."

"Don't got much choice."

Regina shrugged. "Let's check it out." She raised an eyebrow at Angel as flipped through the radio. "Everyone who worked at the radio station is dead-" he found a working station, playing this girl is on fire, and started singing along. "Oh hell no." The boys were even singing and Regina slammed her forehead on the steering wheel. She shipped out her blade in a single practiced motion, holding to his throat. "Cut it off. Now." He flipped the switch and she lowered the weapon. "No dining in my car. No talking. Don't even breathe."

"Yes, your Majesty." Angel grinned.

"Cut!" John yelled. "Perfect everyone. Good job. We shoot the next scene after lunch. Gina, we've got a surprise for you then."

Regina exited the car. "What is it?"

"Not gonna tell you." The man said in sing songs way. "Let's pack up and head out to the farm."

It took another hour for them to move everything into place and while the cameras and everything were being set up, Regina and the boys went over to the lunch area, nothing more than a group of picnic tables and chairs set up in the shade of some trees. She got some lunch, a plate of vegetables and fruits and a sandwich and sat down to eat. Taj had something similar while Jason had a giant sub. Ronan joined them and she shouldn't have been surprised by the arrival of Emma, Robin, Henry and Roland.

"You were amazing, Gina." Roland said.

"Thank you, Ro." She smiled.

"Room for a couple more?" Angel asked as he and AJ squeezed in next to her.

"This girl is on fire? Really?" She asked.

"First thing that popped on." He grinned, shoving a handful of chips into his mouth.

She rolled her eyes. "Do you know what my surprise is?"

"A surprise guest, I guess." he shrugged. "They wouldn't tell me anything either."

"Figures." She turned back to eating, enjoying the pleasant sunshine and gentle breeze. "So Emma, Robin, how are you enjoying Final Hour?" She ventured to ask, biting into an apple.

"It's um, it's fun." Emma said.

"Watching you in person is an exceptional experience." Robin added, trying to be suave. Any other time, Regina would've swooned at his words, but now she could hardly care.

Angel tilted his head. "Did you two date at some point?"

"I dated both of them." Regina said nonchalantly.

Angel scoffed. "And I thought you were just a regular old stick in the mud. Were you a player? Getting all the ladies and the men?"

"No." Regina chuckled. "It's a bit of a complicated subject."

"Hmm, well you can rip my heart out anytime, Evil Queen." He quipped, turning back to his food.

Regina did the same, fully aware of Robin and Emma watching her. She was getting a little tired of them constantly looking at her.

"Do you think they're gonna bring in our past history to try and make a storyline?" Emma asked as they threw away their trays.

"Hope not. The show is convoluted enough without bringing our craziness into it. But it wouldn't be a problem if you had just stayed in Storybrooke where you belonged."

"But we came to try and make this right, Regina. We all felt bad about the way we treated you and we wanted to make it up to you."

Regina chuckled as she stopped walking and faced the blonde. "You waited 3 years to feel bad about what you did to me? Please, Miss Swan, this is nothing more than an attempt to assuage your guilt. You don't care about me. And quite frankly, I don't care about you."

"And what about Henry?" Emma hissed, stepping close so the others wouldn't overhear.

"What about him? He didn't want me. You didn't want me. Robin didn't want me. The only person who gave a damn about me in that entire town was Roland. Him, I'm glad to see. The rest of you can go to hell."

"How can you say that?"

"Because I've moved on. I have a job to do and a family to take care of. I don't have time for you or Robin. The two of you think you can just miraculously show up and be welcomed back with open arms. Well, you can't. You and Henry and Robin all did the same thing to me. Something I'm never letting happen again."

"What?"

"You broke my heart." Regina sighed, stepping back. "John wants to stay on the show. Congratulations. But please, Miss Swan, stay away from me." She turned and jogged to catch back with her sons. Both of them stopped to wait for her and she smiled at them. "Well I'm ready for my surprise. What about you?"

"Yes!" They cheered.

The ride out to the farm was a bit but Regina thanked the gods she didn't have to ride with Emma. Robin managed to squeeze himself onto the van, though she ignored his feeble compliments and attempts at starting a conversation in favor of talking to the boys. AJ and Roland had hit it off well with Jason and Taj and all four were arguing about sports or wrestling or something. The farm was mostly open ground with a few trees here and there except those that lined the driveway. The farmhouse looked strangely familiar but she couldn't quite place where she'd seen it. There was a barn, a silo, a well, their trailers off in the distance and of course all of the equipment for the show. Regina was tired for the day and very interested in a hot shower and a warm bed, but there was only one scene left for the week and they could take a day off before it was right back to work again. John liked to keep a tight schedule. Never mind the fact that the first three episodes were already shot and put together. That was 3 weeks already covered and the show hadn't even premiered yet.

"Alright, places! Quiet on the set!" Regina sighed, listening to John yell out of his megaphone. She felt the switch flip as he called action.

"Stay in the car." Lana commanded, getting out. Stephaun got out as well and together they approached the gate. It was strong and metal, a good barrier for zombies but she wasn't sure about mutants. Even less about the president's soldiers. There were so many hazards in this new world to deal with. Adam and Ronan approached. She and Ronan exchanged nods of respect before Adam took the lead up the driveway. There was a gunshot just in front of his feet and everyone froze.

"We are not infected." Ronan called, raising his hands. "We just want to talk to the owner."

"Names." came the gruff call.

"Ronan, Adam, Lana and Stephaun. Please, we come in peace." Adam answered.

"Lana who?"

"Ranee." Lana said, looking around, trying to find their unseen shooter in the darkness. The front door of the farmhouse opened and a very familiar redhead stepped out wearing no shoes and a sparkling emerald green dress and carrying a shotgun over one shoulder. Regina nearly forgot her lines at seeing her older sister again. She almost said Zelena, but she managed to catch herself without making it obvious. "Rebecca?"

"Who else?"

"Who is that?" Adam asked.

"My sister." Lana grinned as she raced up the stairs and dived on top of her sister. "Bex, I haven't seen you in forever."

"Nor I you, but we can talk later. It looks like you have friends and all of you need to rest. Bring them in quickly. I have sensors set up for the mutants, the gates for the zombies and a full pantry and half a dozen guest rooms for you all." Rebecca smiled, almost slyly. "I'm sure you'll pay me back soon."

Lana nodded. "That's the Bex I remember."

xxxxxxx

"What the hell are you doing here?" Regina asked, throwing her arms around her sister again. Zelena grinned.

"Well I was envious of my sister's success and decided to steal some for myself." She winked. "And besides, Oz was getting a bit boring."

The two sisters had a rocky start to their relationship but had eventually come to common ground and decided to embrace the fact that they were the only blood family they had left. Zelena had gone back to Oz to repair all the damage the Wicked Witch had done. It was a start to having a new purpose in life.

"What the hell am I doing here? What the hell are they doing here?" Zelena gestured to Emma and Robin as they approached.

"They're extras." Regina sighed. "Snuck their way into the cast to see me."

"Desperate, aren't we, Savior?" The redhead smirked. "And now Evil and Wicked are on the same team for the first time. Maybe, I have a feeling that I get to betray all of you before you end up killing and taking all my stuff."

Regina smiled. "Have you met Jason and Taj?"

"Your warrior sons? No, not yet."

"Well then come on." Regina smiled and Zelena linked their arms together. "This is gonna be so childish."

"Blooper reel." Zelena grinned as they skipped towards the trailers like they were skipping down the yellow brick road.

That night, Regina invited her sister to have dinner in their trailer and whipped up a quick stir fry while the boys pestered Zelena with questions.

"Did you really steal my mom's heart?" Jason asked.

"I did." Zelena said proudly. "Evil is wonderful but Wicked always wins."

"Technically you lost." Regina said.

"Technically, I'm older so I'm right. So shut up."

"Jason Tries to pull the same thing when he knows he's wrong." Taj said.

"How about we eat, huh?" Regina asked, presenting them all with a hot plate.

Later that night, while most of the people slept, Regina stepped out into the cool night and closed her eyes as a gentle breeze swept through her hair. She sighed peacefully and hummed softly to herself as she went for a little walk. She was tired, but she couldn't think. There was so much running through her mind, having to deal with the renegades from Storybrooke along with her job. She didn't like losing control herself, of her temper or of her emotions. Now she had to reign everything in.

"Hey, can't sleep?" Angel appeared around the corner, wearing a pair of gray sweats and a black athletic vest. He looked like he was just coming back from a run.

"No. Just...dealing with a lot of stuff." She said.

"You want to talk?" He asked, glancing down at himself. "As long as you don't mind the smell."

She smiled. "I don't smell anything. And if I told you what I'm thinking about, we'd have to have you committed into an insane asylum. Probably me too."

"I don't believe that." He smirked.

"You should. You have no idea who I really am. What I've been through. You wouldn't believe it."

"If you're talking about pain, then trust me I can tell you've had your fair share."

"How?"

"Well, because...you're always smiling. Always trying to be happy and not let anyone bring you down. Usually someone that does that feel like good moments are fleeting and you got to catch them while you can. Even when the new guys showed up. Their presence clearly upsets you, but you still stay positive, focus on your work. You do what you have to do. I admire that."

Regina nodded slowly. "You watch me that much?"

"What? No. I mean, you can't really be surprised, but still...yeah." He scratched the back of his head and she smiled at how nervous he seemed to be.

"Maybe one day I'll tell you."

"One day could be any day. That could be 20 years from now." He said. She shrugged and was momentarily surprised when he grinned. "I'm sure it'll be worth the wait." He held out his hand and she took it as he bowed deeply at the waist and kissed the back of her hand, looking up at her with those pretty eyes. "Good night, my queen."

"Goodnight, my angel."

He grinned even harder at that as he jogged off and she continued her walk. Her Angel.

Read and review please! A/N: This probably will not be updated for a while. I may not even continue it. If I get enough positive reviews, I might. Also, I have no idea how the tv show filming stuff is, so don't hold that against me please. One final thing, the italics are sorta what happens in the show, like small scenes. I'm debating about continuing that. Thoughts and suggestions?

Disclaimer: By the way I do not own OUAT, I just love playing with the characters. However the plot and OCs are mine as well the show Final Hour.