For more than two hundred years, the Mills women have been blamed for everything that has gone wrong in town. Perhaps it was a rather damp spring, or a crop died, maybe even simple bad luck. It didn't matter. Everyone believed it had something to do with those women on Magnolia Street. And perhaps this strange behavior steamed from the very assumptions that the Mills women, were witches. People purposefully avoided walking past their large Gothic, Victorian styled house, surrounded by a black, wrought iron fence, for fear they might be cursed.

Of course, curses were nothing new to the Mills women, after all.

"They feared her because she had a gift, a power that has been passed on to you children." said Regina and Zelena's Aunt Cora of their ancestor, Maria Mills. "She had the gift of magic. And it was this very gift that saved her life. She was banished to this very island. With her unborn child growing inside her belly. She waited for her lover to rescue her. But he never came. No one came. In a moment of despair, she cast a spell upon herself that she would never again feel the agony of love. But as her bitterness grew the spell turned into a curse. A curse on any man who dared love a Mills woman."

And with the clicking of the deathwatch beetle, the curse, proved all too true. Her aunt's words ringing in Regina's ears as she walked towards her once home, her two sons beside her. It had been many years since she had lived here, but a niggling feeling of deja vu crept into Regina's mind because it felt like yesterday that her and her sister were walking towards this very house, after their parents death. Except, Zelena wasn't here to hold her hand, and neither was Daniel.

Regina approached her two aunts, Cora and Eva, seriousness plastered across her face.

"This is only temporary, so don't get comfortable. There will be no chocolate for breakfast, homework will be done after dinner, teeth and hair brushed before bed." Regina said to her boys, placing her hands on her eldest, Henry's shoulder, the other placed lightly on her youngest, Roland's mop of curly hair.

She then turned to her aunts.

"And as for you two, my children will never do magic. Ever."

Her aunts looked at her with mirrored seriousness and concern. They knew, of course, Regina was heartbroken. They wanted so very much to help her, but this seemed to be the only thing they could do. They remember disheartening their poor niece soon after Daniel's death. How she flipped through the pages of their giant spell book with such velocity and determination. But most of all, hope that was shed away with every page turned.

"I know you can bring him back." Regina cried. Her tears still streaking down her flushed cheeks, eyes red from the turmoil she was going through.

"No, dear, we won't do that." Cora said.

"We don't do that." Eva chimed in.

"But you can, I know you can. I found the spell in here soon after mom and dad died." Regina pleaded.

"Even if we did bring him back, it wouldn't be Daniel. It would be something dark and unnatural." Cora said.

Regina begins to cry more as the realization sticks, that Daniel, would never be coming back.

"I don't care what he comes back as, just as long as he comes back. Please do this for me. Please? Please?" Regina pleaded, hands planted firmly on the counter.

There was nothing they could have done. And deep inside, Regina knew that. Maybe she asked because she still had a small bit of hope that what she had with Daniel, pure love and happiness, could be saved. Hoping for anything, had been Regina's first mistake. And certainly not her last.

The next morning, Regina lay in bed, as still as night. She had no urge to get up and face yet another day without Daniel. And, she supposed, it was worse not having her sister there to help her through. Yes, she had her sons, but it was not their job to comfort her. They lost him, too. She needed to get herself straight for them, at least.

"Mom."

Regina was stirred from her daze as Henry climbed into bed next to her, covering the sheets over their heads. She simply smiled at him and brushed her fingers through his hair before she felt a dip in the bed behind her. Roland, she thought.

"It's almost time for school." Henry said.

"I know. Have a good day, sweetie." Regina said to Henry, then turned to Roland and pulled him onto of her. "And you, too, baby."

Roland giggled and then Henry rushed him out of the bed and down the stairs. Regina sat in silence once more. Thanking the gods that she wasn't truly alone. She had Henry and Roland, and her aunts, of course. But without Daniel, a part of her was missing. And she figured, always would.

As she lay there once more, alone, her thoughts drifted to Zelena.

"Lena." She whispered, a lone tear falling over cheek and into her hair as she looked onto her palm where a soft pink scar lay.