Disclaimer: I own nothing. Absolutely nothing. Don't sue me.

WARNING: This is AU. It is also a slow burn Outlaw Queen, but who knows how long that will take to happen. :)

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Storybrooke, at the end of Season Four…

Regina sat at the end of Henry's bed, studying his face. She didn't want to forget this Henry and the hard won bond that they had. He must have sensed her though because he opened bleary eyes, only half awake.

"Mom?"

She smiled gently. "Everything's all right, Henry. I just wanted to say goodnight."

"Mom," he hesitated, "is Emma coming back?"

Regina's heart longed to comfort Henry with a lie, but it also leapt with unspoken glee that Henry no longer had a second mother in his life. At another time, she would have celebrated the late Savior's demise, but like it or not she was a large part of Henry's life, and Regina had ultimately changed in reaction to Emma's arrival in Storybrooke. As much as she hated Miss Swan, she had sacrificed herself for Henry, and that was a debt Regina only had one way to repay. "No, Henry," she told him honestly, "but don't worry. I have a plan. You'll see Emma again before you know it." She smiled and Henry relaxed, secure in the knowledge that Regina rarely failed when she set her mind and magic to a task. Leaning forward, she kissed him on the forehead and finished tucking him in. "Good night, Henry."

"Good night, mom. I love you."

"I love you too." Closing the door quietly, Regina allowed her smile to drop.

"He's asleep then?"

Regina glanced at the pirate. He looked like hell, which made sense considering. "We need to get started," she said, bypassing the question. If he was sober enough to notice, he didn't comment.

David and Snow were already waiting downstairs having acquired their portion of the ingredients. Mr. Gold was just hobbling in. If possible, he looked even more haggard than Hook. Clearly, he hadn't been sleeping. And Robin – Regina's heart still twanged at that recent scar – looked empty. His reaction unsettled her the most. That so easily could have been her if the time vortex had taken Henry.

By the realms they were a depressing lot. Yesterday's events had sucked the life out of all of them, even Regina. She had finally gotten her wish of getting rid of Marian, but any dark pleasure that might have accompanied that happenstance was smothered by the time vortex consuming better than half the town. Regina had never considered herself sentimental or attached to the people she had once cursed, but their absence had left a gaping hole of wrongness. Henry was still too naïve to grasp the terrible truth behind yesterday's events. The people sucked into the time vortex weren't lost or trapped in another realm. They were dead.

And the time vortex was growing. Rumple had been useless after Belle's death. It was Regina who had discovered the spell to send a person's mind back to their past body and Regina who had gathered what was left of the leaders of Storybrooke to try to fix this impossible problem.

Unfortunately, the spell she had found was unpredictable at best. One could aim to be sent back a day and end up having to relive the past ten years. Regina suppressed a shudder at the thought, because she would be the one who was sent back. She and Gold had been the only ones truly aware during the 28 years of the curse, and the last thing any of them needed was having their rescuer cursed immediately upon arrival. Regina had expected to have to fight Gold over which of them would be sent, but the Dark One was broken. He wasn't thinking clearly enough yet to challenge her assertion that she needed to be the one sent back. If this time frame continued to exist, he would likely try to curse her when awareness returned.

He'll thank you later, she thought, looking at the broken heroes. They all will. Squaring her shoulders, Regina strode into the center of the room, meeting each of their eyes in turn. "Let's save Storybrooke."