Unknown
“Henry!” Regina calls to her son from the top of the stairs.
A moment passes, and he opens his bedroom door.
“Yeah, Mom?” he says with cheeriness in his tone.
“We need to talk,” Regina says after a brief sigh.
Henry looks at her with a caring expression and leaves his bedroom to show his mom that he’s listening.
“I know this may seem strange, but I just got off the phone with Mary Margaret. I’m going to need you to stay with her for a few days.”
“Why? Where are you going?” Henry asks. “You’ve never left Storybrooke before.”
“Yes… I know that. But there’s a family emergency of... sorts, that I have to see to. It’s something that can’t wait. Would you please pack the things you’ll need? I want to leave within the hour.”
“I mean- Yeah, for sure. But, I’m sad I can’t go with you. Is everything okay?” Henry says and grabs Regina’s hand.
She squeezes it as she suppresses hot tears with all her might and forces a smile.
“Yes, it will be. And you’re sweet for wanting to come along, but this is something I must do myself.”
She then pulls him into a hug and rests her hand on the back of his head. “Thank you for being so understanding. I love you very much, Henry.”
“I love you, too, Mom,” he responds, and pulls back from the hug to smile at her. Then, he retreats to his room to pack.
Regina watches as his door closes. The distraction from conversation dissolves and new memories flood her mind. Dark Swan is in her past, planting dangerous ideas of overthrowing Rumplestiltskin as the Dark One. Regina needs to act fast. Dark Swan is insane and power-hungry, with no regard to how her actions will affect the future.
Regina’s heart rate climbs as she feels the pressure mounting inside her. She then enters her bedroom, shuts the door, and locks it. A long sigh escapes her lips as an eerie silence surrounds her. Sad eyes survey the pristine room and she can’t help but catch some errors Emma had made in recreating her Dark Curse. Though, she had been relieved to hear Dark Swan had kept David awake and unmarried to Katherine so that him and Mary Margaret could remain together. And Regina thinks there must have been some part of Emma controlling the curse or else she would have lost her memories along with everyone else.
Standing stock still, Regina tries to remain in the present and not be sucked into the new memories of her with her former lover. She ponders this for a long minute, until the silence is broken by the subtle ticking of the watch on her wrist. Absentmindedly, she checks it, knowing that it won’t portray the true time. She rolls her eyes in annoyance and again fights back bitter tears.
The way she had built her Storybrooke curse had made it impossible for any who were cursed to be able to leave town. Originally, only Henry could leave because he had been brought there from the outside world. Then, it hits her, that the curse had been broken by a True Love’s Kiss shared between Emma and Henry. Regina and Henry, too, have shared a True Love’s Kiss that broke Zelena’s wicked spell. With new purpose, Regina snaps her fingers and a packed suitcase appears before her. It contains the food and clothes she’ll need on her journey.
Once the curse is lifted, of course.