Regina

Everyone was gone.

Emma. Snow. David. Zelena. Robin. Hook.

Henry.

That one hurt the most. It seems like it was just yesterday that she watched him ride off into a portal that introduced him to new and exciting adventures. But, it wasn't just yesterday, in fact it's been 8 years. Each day hurting a little less than the day before yet- she knows the hole in her heart will never heal until she see her son again. Hold him in her arms and never let him go.

She imagines he's a man now, not the 18 year old who left her. Perhaps he's taller, voice a bit deeper, shoulders broader. Does he have a family? Kids? Has he changed his hair? His style? Has he traded collared vests for leather jackets? Does he still enjoy reading? Hot chocolate with cinnamon? Do he remember his mother?

Questions that eat Regina alive everyday.

Everything is different. Storybrooke is different. Who knew so much could happen within 8 years? The people who she thought of as family for years have all left. Emma moved back to Boston, said she missed the city life. Of course Snow and David followed along with Neal. Zelena went on her merry way to Florida, said she liked the palm trees and the beaches. Slowly everyone drifted away.

Except Regina.

She couldn't leave- wouldn't. She never stopped hoping that one day she'd see her son again.

So now she sat. 108 Milfflon St. Inside her home, looking at old pictures, a happier time when she wasn't so alone;When she had a purpose. A knock at the door, a questioning gaze, a flicker of hope in the pit of her stomach and she was rising to answer the door. Disappointment flooded her when she opened the door and no one was standing there, perhaps a prank- ding dong ditch, the kids called it. Something caught her eye and she glanced down. A little girl with dark hair and large brown eyes looked up at her.

"Are you Regina Mills?"

"Who wants to know?" She questioned. She flinched at the coldness of her voice. She didn't mean it. Disappointment was the culprit.

"Lucy" The little girl whispered. Her lower lip quivered and tears clouded her vision. "I'm her granddaughter"