The Life We Left Behind

Welcome to Storybrooke!

Quick note: while the real end of "Once Upon A Time" got a little fuzzy with timelines overlapping to a point where there should have been at least two versions of almost all characters, in this story there is only one version of everyone (except for Hook), and while over ten years have passed for Regina, Henry & Co., in Storybrooke only one year has passed (which is why Hope is still a baby).

They thought this was the end. It wasn't. They thought they had won. But there was one more adventure to survive, and it was the toughest one of all. Hook's fellow Rumplestiltskin from the Wishrealm, a much darker version than the one Regina had come to know for so many years, had first killed Facilier, then abducted Ella and Lucy and last but not least had been trying to separate them all and lock each of them away in their own world, sad, lonely and desperate. But in the end, they prevailed. In the end, Hook's heart had grown to weak to withstand the curse keeping him separated from Alice, but Rumple – her Rumple – had sacrificed his own life and given him his heart instead. They hadn't always been close, and there had been times when they each wanted the other dead, but in the end, she had lost her oldest friend. She could only hope that his last wish was fulfilled, that he finally got reunited with Belle, the love of his life.

As for her, her love was dead. Again. Another boyfriend, vanished. By now she had learned to accept, expect it, even. She barely even had tears left anymore. Love just wasn't meant for her, she realized it now, and she'd do good to accept it instead of putting anyone else in danger. The men around her deserved better.

Now, they found themselves in an eerily familiar place, that yet looked so strange and foreign, like a school friend you'd meet again some 30 years later. How long had it been? Ten years? Twelve? Something like that. But Main Street Storybrooke looked just like she remembered it. The clock tower above the library, Granny's diner... Even Emma's yellow Beetle was parked in the distance.

The only thing that was strange in this scene was them, as they stood there in the middle of the road, spat out by a glowing, flashing portal: Regina, Henry and his family, Ella and Lucy, Snow and David, Zelena, Robin, Alice and Hook, who felt apprehensive about going to a foreign place where there already was another version of himself prancing around, but now that there was a heart beating in his chest that was unaffected by any curse, he would never ever leave his daughter's side again!

The passersby and citizens of Storybrooke stopped in their tracks and stared at them for a while until it dawned on them and they started to realize. Leroy – Grumpy – and his fellow dwarves were there, just like Ruby, who was putting up the Christmas decorations in front of the diner.

„Snow? David? You're back! And... oh my God, Regina, is that really you?"

She stepped down the ladder and came towards them, being pulled into a tight hug by her good friend Snow.

„Of course we're back, did you doubt us even for one second?", she laughed, „And look who we brought!"

Regina didn't yet know what to say. She felt at home, and at the very same time as if she had just lost her home once again, both at once. Zelena took her hand and squeezed it. „We're back", she whispered, „We're safe. We won. It's done."

Regina had to swallow hard and felt a tear rolling down her cheek as a smile slowly, very slowly, crept up her lips. „Home..."

„OHMYGOD is this Storybrooke?", Lucy, on the other hand, was beside herself with excitement. She had read so much about this place in her father's book, heard so much about it in the stories they'd tell her, and Regina knew very well how much her granddaughter had been yearning to come here one day.

Henry picked up his daughter and hugged her tight. „Yes, sweetie, this is Storybrooke. Our home."

„Henry!", they heard a familiar voice call out from the other side of the street and turned around. The blonde woman in the red leather jacket was walking towards them at a brisk pace.

First Emma hugged her son, then she took a look around among the group. „Regina!", she whispered.

„Emma!", Regina smiled and opened her arms to hug her friend. „How long has it been?"

„Like... a year?"

Regina frowned. „A year? More like ten years?"

She shook her head. „For you maybe? But for us..."

She turned around and pointed to the sidewalk where Killian was standing with a baby stroller.

„Is that...?"

Emma smiled softly. „Our daughter. Hope."

Immediately Henry ran over to them. „Oh my God, is that my little sister?"

As the others followed him, Regina still tried to figure it out. „Unbelievable... we were barely even gone?"

Everyone gathered around the stroller to admire the cute little princess, Emma was proudly picking up her daughter showing her around. Killian smiled, the proudest father, as he was greeting the new arrivals in town. When he saw a rather familiar face – his own – he paused.

„You?"

„Aye..."

„What in Poseidon's name are you planning to do here?"

„Live? I have nothing left in my realm. My daughter is here, and I intend to stay with her." He pointed towards Alice who was snuggling up to her girlfriend.

„I didn't know you had a daughter?"

„Well, look who's the copycat now!"

He nodded, then said. „I'm glad to see you're doing well."

„Likewise. I've done much, much worse not too long ago, but that's in the past. From now on, I'm looking forward."

He looked up to see Regina talking to a few people he didn't know. She smiled, but he knew this type of smile from Roni, the sort that stopped just below the eyes. Deep inside, she wasn't as happy as she wanted to make everyone believe, and he could understand her all too well. The loss of her dear friend Rumple must weigh heavy on her, as it did on him, and, of course, the loss of her boyfriend.

Suddenly, he heard Henry's voice topping the excited murmur all around: „Granny's?"

„Granny's!", the others replied in unison.

The crowd began to move, and he just stood there, trying to follow what was happening.

Then he heard her voice right next to him. „Welcome to Storybrooke! Granny's is a diner... a sort of tavern. We always go there after an adventure", Regina reached out her hand towards him, „Come! You're still one of us, no matter whether there's already a copy of you here or not."

He looked at her, then took her hand and smiled.