Come What May

The story

Three years. It had been three years since she had left Storybrooke, leaving behind her past, her life, her everything. She couldn't bear the loss of her love and happiness, and so she had taken her things and left. 

Nobody had heard from her since then. Not even Henry. She had taken something she needed from Rumple, so she could keep her memories, and she left for New York. 

It was nice there; new people, new experiences. Life was good. 

But after nine months, she was no longer alone; she had a beautiful little girl in her arms. Her daughter. She was born with blue eyes like his. She always reminded her of him, when she looked up at her. Her hair was long and raven like hers. Their daughter was a perfect mix; a small Regina with the eyes of Robin Hood. 

Now, little Anny was three years old, and every day that passed, she was usually asking about her father. The kids at her kindergarten had been talking about their families and Anny had wondered why all her friends had mommies and daddies, and she only had a mommy. Whenever she had asked her mom she always changed the subject. 

Regina had wanted to wait for the right time to go back. And one day, she woke up and decided; this was it. She packed their stuff and made way to Storybrooke. She was going to see them again. Robin, Henry, Roland, she had missed even the two idiots – not that she would ever tell them. She didn't know what she was going to say to him, but one thing was for sure; Robin was going to meet his daughter.

The moment she got there, she took her daughter and went to Granny’s, the long journey taking its toll on both of them. Anny was complaining; she was hungry and she wanted a hot cocoa, and Regina needed a strong coffee before she started to search for Robin. 

The town was the same; nothing had really changed, with the exception of a little extra damage to the roads or pavements here and there that Regina would have to take up with whoever was Mayor now. 

As she passed people she used to rule over, she heard shocked whispers; “Is she really Regina?”, “Is the evil Queen back?” and “who is this? Is that her daughter?''

It was quite obvious it was her daughter; Anny was just like her. She just had Robin's eyes, and when she was smiled, she’d get beautiful dimples in her cheeks that she inherited from her father. Robin's dimples had always been her weakness – where it was the man himself exploiting that or his son – and so, because of her bad luck, Anny had obviously taken that too.

When she opened the door everybody gasped at their sight. Regina ignored them completely and made her way to the bar.  Granny was shocked; she was looking at Regina and Anny like she had seen a ghost.

''Is it really you?'' Granny asked, her voice barely leaving her throat. 

''Stop looking at me like you’ve seen a ghost'' Regina snapped but she couldn't hide her smirk on the corner of her mouth. She had missed her home. And this town was her home.

''Is this your daughter?'' Granny asked again looking at Anny , with the same tone in her voice.

''Yes,'' Regina answered, caressing her daughter’s long raven hair. 

''Mommy, I’m hungry,'' Anny complained.

''Oh baby, I’m sorry ,'' Regina smiled at her daughter. She took her in her lap and pulled her to sit on the table beside her. ''Now this old lady,'' Regina said pointed at Granny.  ''You will get you whatever you want to eat, sweetie,'' Regina kissed her daughter’s cheek. 

Granny murmured a shut up when she heard ''Old lady'', but she immediately pulled a sandwich onto a plate, and made a hot cocoa the moment the girl asked. By the time they were ready Regina had already sat at a table next to her daughter. The little girl was talking about her new favourite movie that she had watched with the other kids, Robin Hood, talking about how she wanted to learn how to shoot an arrow like him, and Regina wanted to cry. Her daughter didn't knew anything about her father, and yet from the first time Anny she had seen this movie, she had stuck with it.