The Past: The Enchanted Forest

"Please stop crying, Regina, I promise you, in the end everything will work out," Tinkerbell implores, holding the hysterical, young woman firmly against her sparkling green dress while the tears of betrayal and heartache continue to stream viciously down Regina's cheeks.

"No! It's not!" Regina screams, like she's hopelessly choking on her last breath, as she jerks away from the fairy's embrace, so she can glare at her, square in the eyes. "I watched my mother kill Daniel. Daniel. The love of my life. We were going to run away together," she sobs the mantra over again that her mouth has been repeatedly spewing since the tragedy occurred.

She has lost all hope, because now, she has been crying for an entire week straight and the stubborn tears refuse to slow down the least bit. She examines the way Tinkerbell takes a deep breath, her face expressing how she's internally struggling with something unknown, but Regina is skeptical. The fairy nibbles on her lower lip while she tentatively places a hand upon Regina's trembling fists.

"I know this is wrong...and I shouldn't show you this, but...come on," Tink sadly urges, dragging a defeated heap of mess from the bed, a bed Regina has refused to leave for seven whole days.

Regina's frantic, agitated and reluctant to follow her new friend anywhere, but the fairy distracts her by sprinkling a dash of glowing, green pixie dust on top of her head. Regina watches in awe, through her burry vision of tears as her entire body radiates and shines an emerald hue. And she's too distracted at the moment to truly comprehend when Tinkerbell takes her hand and pulls her toward the starry night sky and away from her prison.

"Where are you taking me?" She innocently asks, assessing how the world is slowly slipping away beneath her feet and god does she wish that life were just that simple.

"That I can't tell you. It's a secret, but I promise you, you will feel so much better," Tink confesses with a sincere smile and hope dancing around her words that somehow convinces Regina to trust in the fairy.

Neither one says another word. Maybe Tinkerbell is too focused on settling the debate screaming through her mind of right and wrong, to actually strike up a conversation. And as for Regina, well, she's transfixed on the tiny world disappearing beneath her bare feet to engage with the blonde, because for once in her life, she's free. She's not trapped beneath her mother's wicked thumb, the pressure always so unbearable that her lungs cannot possibly take a breath without her mother's permission. And in this moment, she feels like a caged animal, finally escaping her prison to roam wild, free and just be...her.

Flying through the night is actually settling her nerves. The air is warm, wrapping around the muscles in her body that have been involuntarily spasming for days now, like a gentle hug. The stars dance and sparkle all around them, lighting up a path to guide their way to the unknown destination. The world is eerily quiet that high in the sky, the only sound coming from Tink's flapping wings, in tempo with Regina's fluttering heart. A calming sensation washes over her, forcing her to inhale sharply and relax, so she can enjoy the moment. And it's the first time in a week that she actually feels content.

They arrive, where Regina can only assume is the fairy's home. There's an assortment of vibrant, colorful flowers as far as her eyes can see, with an old tree, rooted in the middle with pixie dust flowing so freely from it. This place, whenever she maybe, is like a dreamland she never wants to leave, it's everything her mundane, black and white world isn't and everything she longs for.

Tink waves her wand and unexpectedly, Regina shrinks down to the fairy's dainty size. The blonde holds out her hand and Regina is all too thrilled of what's to come, not to accept and be lead to a blue flower that is tucked away in the shadows, unlike the rest. She furrows her brows, the true meaning behind the flower's neglect piques her interest, but before she can ask a simple question, she notices a mirror in the middle of the flower, stealing her full attention and captivating her.

"This enchanted mirror will show you, Regina, that there is...someone out there for you. This...person, will change your life, make that gaping hole in your heart complete again, and bring you so much joy and love, you won't know what to do with," Tink thoroughly explains through a genuine smile that reaches her eyes and twinkles with joy.

Regina furrows her eyebrows again and studies the fairy intently. "Why do you keep saying person?" She skeptically investigates.

Tink doesn't bother with pesky words, instead, she waves her wand slowly over the mirror, creating an image of a young blonde woman. The mysteriously woman is dressed in brown riding pants and black boots. Regina's eyes travel a little further up to inspect the beige long-sleeve shirt, accompanied by a blue vest. She purses her lips, brown eyes scanning up even further up to assess a wild mess of sunshine locks pulled back into a sloppy ponytail. The woman is rather thin, but Regina would have to be ignorant not to notice the blonde's strength. What really demands her full attention though, are the most stunning set of sparkling green eyes, shimmering against the bright sun.

"The person is a...she?" She squeaks out, provoking Tinkerbell to scramble forward and slap a hand over Regina's big mouth.

"Ssshhh. Yes, she's a she. And, she will change your life. This is her in the future," the fairy divulges on maybe a bit too much information, but she can't stand to see that darkness haunting Regina's eyes any longer.

Subconsciously, Regina reaches out to touch the mirror, she doesn't truly comprehend why, but she feels this urge, this need, compelling her to touch the stranger before her. However, when her fingertips are just barely ghosting over the mirror, she is snapped back to reality when the glass ripples, like a pebble skipping across a pond.

"You have magic," Tink breathlessly gasps, persuading Regina's hand to retract completely as if the mirror is roaring to life in burning flames.

"No, I don't," she coldly demands, glaring murderously out of the corner of her eye at the fairy because she would rather have her heart ripped out than possess magic like her cruel mother.

"Yes, you do," Tink firmly demands, her face morphing from pleasantly surprised to urgent and fearful. "Promise me you will never enter that mirror! You could alternate the future and our world now, as we know it," she pleads, peering deep into Regina's eyes like maybe she can magically force her to agree, but all Regina can do is stare at the intriguing woman before her, trapped in another land through a magic mirror that's keeping them worlds apart.

"Promise me!" Tink firmly commands again because she can already see how far gone her new friend is from one single glance at true love.

XXXXX

Present Day: Boston

"Bloody hell, Emma," Killian groans next to his wife before he nudges her shoulder, demanding that she wakes the hell up. "Swan, get up. Your phone's been going off for ten minutes now," he growls into his pillow and angrily shoves his face deeper to drown out the obnoxious phone that won't quit buzzing.

Emma moans against her own pillow, her face buried deep into the puffiness while her hand blindly reaches across toward her nightstand in search of the demanding phone. After a few missed attempts, she curls her fingers around the vibrating device and answers without ever checking to see who is disturbing her sleep.

"Hello?" She grumbles.

"Ma! Wake up. Mom is missing. You need to come back to Storybrooke, now!" Henry hysterically shouts into her ear and it is too damn early to deal with the crazy world of Storybrooke once again.

This is exactly while she left to begin with.

Even though her son is now a young man, living his life in college, all she can imagine by the shrieking in his tone, is that confused, ten-year-old little boy from all those years ago who showed up on her doorstep.

"Slow down, kid, what happened?" She interrogates, even though her eyes are still blissfully closed and her vocal chords are still stretching to wake back up.

"She's gone! I'm here now and nobody has seen her."

"I'm sure she's fine. Your mother can take care of herself. I just talked to her..."

"When?" Henry demands, forcefully cutting her off before she can even finish her damn thought.

She inhales sharply and contemplates for a moment, trying to recall when she last spoke to his other mother. The days seem a little fuzzy as of recently, and it has everything to do with the hectic hours that go along with being a bail bonds person again. She rummages her brain...they were just talking about splitting Henry's next semester for college, when was that?

"Hmmm, maybe three days ago?"

"Yeah, and I haven't heard from her since then either. You know it's not like her to ignore my calls for one day, let alone three," he snaps at her, like she personally inflicted this worry upon him and this is what finally catches her attention.

She groans, bitterly shoving herself up from the comfort of her bed. Her eyes wander toward the clock on her nightstand to discover that it's eight o'clock in the morning, just like his damn mother to be up this early.

"Did you talk to everyone in town?" She lazily investigates, because she's overly tired and she's sure he's simply overreacting, just like his brunette mother would do...or even her own mother.

She shuffles away from the bed and rummages through her dresser drawers for some comfy clothes, knowing she has to drive all the way back to Storybrooke.

"Yes, grandma and grandpa haven't seen or heard from her either," Henry says, his voice cracking and wordlessly explaining just how worried he is for Regina right now.

"Alright. Alright. Don't panic, Henry, we will find her. I'll leave now, I should be there this afternoon, okay?"

"Okay. Thanks mom," he whispers timidly, but she can tell just how anxious he is for her arrival.

"Kid, I want you to relax until I get there. Go stay with grandma. That's an order," she delegates, trying her best to be firm like Regina would be if the roles were reversed.

"Fine. Goodbye," he mumbles before hanging up the phone.

"Not even an, I love you?" She grumbles to herself, staring blankly at the phone.

He must really be stressed.

She scowls to herself, yanking on her jeans a little too aggressively because she's pissed that she was rudely woken up. She tugs on a thick, cream colored sweater, angry that she has to drive all that way to Storybrooke, most likely for nothing. She quickly brushes her teeth, agitated by the little taunting whispers in her mind, insisting this all has to do with magic. She moved far away from Storybrooke because of stupid shit like this. She wanted out, she was done with make-believe creatures and all the drama that comes with villains and heroes and more importantly, she was done with all that Savior crap.

She trudges her heavy feet over to Killian's side of the bed and plops down beside him.

"Killian, time to wake up. We have to go back to Storybrooke, Regina is missing."

His blue eyes flutter open as he stretches his limbs and smiles that mischievous grin. "Aye, love. I heard you talking to your boy," he confirms, leaning forward to peck her lips ever so softly, and maybe she is subconsciously worrying, because she is quick to end the kiss.

"I'll go make us some coffee to take with. You get dressed," she firmly orders, earning herself a nod in agreement.

Not even fifteen minutes later they are walking out the door, still scrubbing the sleepy haze from their eyes.

"Wait," she unexpectedly blurts out before she locks the front door.

She quickly runs back inside their house, ignoring her confused husband and makes her way back to her closet in their bedroom. She yanks open the door and reaches for the last item hanging up in the corner. Without another thought, she runs back down the stairs and locks the door behind her with a cheeky grin set into place.

"Got everything, love?"

Emma slips her arms through the cool red leather jacket, relishes in the warmth that spreads through her veins and warms her heart and she smiles from ear to ear.

"Now, let's go bring Regina home."

A/N: Welcome back readers! I am rewriting this story, there will be extended scenes and an extra chapter added to the story. I hope everyone enjoys!