STORYBROOKE, Maine

The young woman with dark brown hair blinked, her eyes trying to adjust to the light as her alarm went off in the distance. She frowned, truly not wanting to get up and go to work on this morning. Her life felt like it was just one long day on repeat. Each day she'd wake up, make herself a bagel and a cup of coffee, clean herself up for the day, drive to work where she'd do her receptionist duties, grab a cup of tea and a BLT at Granny's diner for lunch, leave early so she would be on time to pick up her nephew from school, spend the rest of the afternoon with him until his counseling appointment – and then drive home. She'd make herself a simple dinner and go to bed by 9PM. Every single day – the very same routine.

Rebekah Mills was a creature of habit, it seemed.

But today felt different.

Something felt off.

Rebekah got out of bed, walking across the room where her phone was charging (she set it there at night so when the alarm would go off, she'd be forced to get out of bed to turn it off.), only to find a string of text messages from her older sister; Regina.

Her big sister was furious.

And as Rebekah read over each text, she understood why. The feeling of panic became near overwhelming – she couldn't breathe, Henry was missing. Regina had no idea where he was. The young woman with dark brown hair quickly dressed, throwing her hair into a messy bun instead of her usual loose waves and left her apartment while she was still in her pajamas.

Rebekah got into her car and drove to Regina's, who had yet to answer any of her calls yet. If something had happened to Henry and Rebekah slept through it – she'd never forgive herself. She should have been awake, she should have been there to help find him. Rebekah knew Henry better than anyone! He was more than just a nephew to her – she had basically raised him since Regina had adopted him.

Regina had been loving towards Henry for the first week, but Rebekah would often see looking down at the sweet baby with a look of envy.

He was her son – but not truly. Regina hadn't carried him in her womb, she didn't spend hours in labor, she didn't give birth to him – she wasn't his mother. Legally, yes – she was his mother. She had adopted him. Regina had never had that maternal instinct when it came to her adopted child.

But Rebekah did. She felt it the moment she held Henry in her arms for the first time.

She knew exactly what to do when the baby cried, swaddled him like a pro, changed his stinky diapers with ease and knew each one of his cries and what they meant. Rebekah hummed a tune to Henry while trying to get him to sleep in the old wooden rocking chair that sat in Henry's nursery and that baby boy smiled up at her with crinkled eyes and held onto her finger like she was his life support.

And it devastated her for some reason.

She didn't understand – but looking down at Henry wrapped in a blanket she had knit for him made her feel like a part of her was missing. Rebekah chalked it up to her being twenty-seven, still single and without a family of her own to take care of.

Just Regina and Henry.

Henry was easy – her sister on the other hand? She was a damn nightmare.

She was controlling, mean, and the cherry on top of it all? She was also Rebekah's boss.

Regina was the mayor of Storybrooke and hired Rebekah to answer phone calls and fetch her coffee every other hour. Her older sister would belittle her, verbally abuse her, and make her feel worthless.

But it was a job. And it seemed that everyone in town was too afraid to hire Rebekah in fear of the wrath Regina would show them when she found out that they had helped her baby sister.

It was actually shocking that Regina even allowed Rebekah to live on her own. And Rebekah understood that it was hard for her sister growing up having to take on the role of mother for their absentee mother; but they weren't kids anymore. Rebekah was an adult and Regina should treat her as such.

Rebekah parked in front of Regina's house and ran out of the car, not even bothering to close the car door properly, she just ran up to the house and banged on the door until Regina finally answered.

Regina swung the door open in a fit of anger but Rebekah didn't care, she moved past her sister and looked around frantically for any sight of Henry.

"He's home." Regina said, closing the front door. Rebekah spun around to face her sister. "You would know this if you had bothered to answer any of my texts last night – I see you've just woken up." She motioned to the plaid pajamas pants Rebekah wore along with an oversized white t-shirt. "How nice it must be to sleep all through the night without a single care in the world."

She took in a deep breath to calm herself, and to also stop herself from blowing up on Regina, "Where is Henry?"

"He's upstairs asleep." Regina walked forward and stood in front of her little sister. "Apparently my son found out that I am not his real mother. You wouldn't happen to know anything about that, would you?"

"What?!" Rebekah said, her tone seething with anger. Did Regina really think she would ever do that to her? "I didn't tell him! It's not my place to – and the fact that you think I'd ever do that just shows how little you actually know about me. I wouldn't do that to Henry either because he would have done something like; go out and find his birth mom by himself." She spat out. Regina raised a perfectly arched eyebrow. Rebekah shook her head, closing her eyes. "I'm going up them to see him. I'm sure he has a hundred unanswered questions in his head."

"He's sleeping." Regina said in a flat tone. "He's tired from his trip yesterday. He walked all the way to the nearest town to catch a bus to Boston." She stepped forward, invading her younger sisters space. "Because his aunt simply dropped him off at his therapy appointment instead of going inside with him to make sure he actually went inside."

Rebekah felt her mouth open in shock at that, "Are you honestly trying to spin this around so it's my fault?" Her anger was getting the best of her. "I dropped him off and didn't go inside because I had to run back to work for you, because you needed something delivered to Mr. Gold – so don't you dare try and blame this on me!"

Regina smirked, "Watch yourself, little sister. You forget who you're talking to."

"Trust me, I know." She glared and then turned to head up the staircase that would lead her upstairs to Henry's bedroom. Regina stayed downstairs and Rebekah was grateful for that. Because if her older sister followed and said another word to her, Rebekah wouldn't be able to stop herself from pushing Regina down the stairs.

Rebekah knocked on the door softly but Henry was quiet inside the bedroom.

If he was mad, whenever someone would knock on the bedroom door they'd be able to hear him roll dramatically on his bed, the creaking of the old bed always gave him away. But she heard no creaking sound.

She opened the door and walked inside, "Henry?" He wasn't moving in his bed; the covers were thrown over his head. Rebekah sighed, knowing that Regina wasn't the only one Henry would be mad at for keeping his adoption a secret. Rebekah walked over to the bed, pressing her hand down where Henry's head would be only to have it be meet with something hard. Rebekah threw the covers off of the object and found that Henry had put a basketball and a few pillows on his bed to make it look like he had been sleeping there the whole time.

"Regina!" Rebekah yelled, frantically running out of the room and down the stairs where her sister looked confused at why her younger sister was yelling for him. "He's gone! Henry is gone again!"

"Graham!" Regina yelled as she hurried into the police station, Rebekah hot on her trail. "Henry's run away again, we have to-" Regina stopped dead in her track causing Rebekah to nearly collide into her.

Graham wasn't alone.

There was a woman with him, one Rebekah had never seen around town before. She had blonde hair, long and curled. The woman wore a red leather jacket and was leaning up against the jail bars, speaking with Sherriff Graham. The blonde woman looked over at Regina, somewhat alert by her bursting in.

"-What is she doing here?" Regina asked, walking forward now. Rebekah followed as well, still looking at the blonde woman. Her sister walked up to the jail cell, "-Do you know where he is?"

"Lady, I haven't seen him since I dropped him at your house." The woman said, standing up a bit now. "And, I have a pretty good alibi."

Rebekah knew who she was now. "You're Henry's birth mother?"

Regina snapped her head to look over her shoulder, glaring at Rebekah after she asked the question. Regina looked back over to Henry's birthmother. "Well, he wasn't in his room this morning."

"Did you try his friends?" The blonde asked.

"He doesn't really have any. He's kind of a loner." Regina answered.

"-That's not exactly true," Rebekah began to say when the blonde spoke again.

"Every kid has friends." She said. "Did you check his computer? If he's close to someone he'd be e-mailing them." Henry's birth-mother suggested.

"And you know this how?" Regina said, suspicious of the woman.

"Finding people is what I do. Here's an idea: how about you guys let me out and I'll help you find him."

Rebekah had to convince Regina that Emma, who had introduced herself since Regina hadn't, might be helpful in finding Henry. That her literal occupation was a certified bounty hunter.

"He's not a fugitive, Rebekah, he's a child."

"I am aware, Regina. But you have no idea where he is – so I'd think you'd take all the help you can get."

Rebekah could see Graham standing behind Regina, moving his hand over his mouth to hide his smile of amusement. It wasn't often that Rebekah spoke back to her sister, especially not in public. But today was different. The maternal instinct to find Henry and make sure he was safe was taking over her more than it should have been.

A child missing from their mother – could you imagine anything worse?

They went back to Regina's home and Emma logged onto Henry's computer. "Smart kid; cleared his inbox. But I'm smart, too." Emma held something up that looked like a USB drive. "A little hard disk recovery utility I like to use."

Impressive.

But Rebekah supposed that Emma would have to be impressive in her line of work.

"I'm a bit more old-fashioned in my techniques." Graham said, "Pounding the pavement, knocking on doors. That sort of thing."

Emma was too busy typing on Henry's keyboard to realize that Graham was flirting with her. Trying, would be the appropriate. And standing behind him, Regina did not look amused at all. Rebekah was well aware of the Sheriffs late night visits to the Mills mansion, but she never said anything to either of them about it because it was none of her business.

"-You're on salary," Emma replied, either not realizing he was flirting or didn't care, "I get paid for delivery. Pounding the pavement is not a luxury I get." She said, bringing up Henry's browsing history.

"-whosyourmama.org?" Rebekah said, slightly amused.

"There's a receipt for it." Emma said, getting into Henry's inbox to see if he had received any emails from the website. Regina looked over Emma's shoulder at the computer screen. "It's expensive – he has a credit card?" Emma looked over at Regina with raised brows.

"He's ten." Regina shot back.

"Well, he used one." Emma replied. "Let's pull up a transaction record."

Rebekah's eyes widened when she saw the name of the credit card Henry had used to get onto the website.

"Mary Margaret Blanchard." Emma read the name. "Who's Mary Margaret Blanchard?" She now asked Regina.

Rebekah looked over at her sister, the woman's arms were crossed over her chest and her expression was that of absolute hatred, with a mix of anger added as well. "Henry's teacher." She spat out.

"Mary Margret wouldn't give Henry her credit card." Rebekah said, hoping to cool down her older sister. Regina look to Rebekah, skeptical of her words, "-She wouldn't." She stressed. "Look, we'll go to the school and ask her about it – and who knows, maybe Henry will be there."

Emma nodded in agreement, as did Sherriff Graham.

Regina sighed and agreed and then gave Rebekah a look of disgust. "You can meet us at the school after you go home and get dressed – I won't have you running around town looking like a mad woman." Regina walked away.

Rebekah squared her jaw, closing her eyes as she tried to ignore her sisters insult. It wasn't until Emma spoke that she opened her eyes again.

"Is she always this..."

"Bitchy?" Rebekah suggested. "Yes. Completely."

Graham had followed Regina out of Henrys bedroom and downstairs, leaving Emma and Rebekah alone. "Henry said that she's the Evil Queen – he's got it in his head that you're all a bunch of fairytale characters trapped in some curse that won't let you remember who you all truly are." She smiled a bit, obviously amused by the tale Henry had told her.

Rebekah quirked her brow up, just as amused. "My sister as an Evil Queen...it's not too far off." She smirked causing Emma to grin. Rebekah then frowned, "I'm sorry you had to get dragged into all of this. I know it was a closed adoption – it obviously was one for a reason,"

"I sense a 'But' coming," Emma smirked.

Rebekah smiled, "But," she chuckled, "Henry is a really great kid. I know you didn't want contact with him before but...maybe now that you've met him? He's the sweetest boy in the world with the biggest heart I've ever known. And apparently he has a very wild imagination." She had to laugh, "...I think he'd really like to get to know you, Emma. He wouldn't have taken a bus to Boston just for the hell of it."

Emma didn't say anything – there was no time too. Regina was yelling at them to get downstairs so they could go.

"Here," Rebekah said, grabbing a piece of paper from Henrys notebook and quickly wrote down her home and cellphone number. "If you find Henry before I get to the school, please call me. I just really need to know that he's okay – I just," Rebekah was interrupted yet again by Regina yelling her name. "I need to go now...just, please-"

"Call you. I will. Scout honor." Emma swore.

They left the house.

Emma, Regina, and Graham heading to the school. And Rebekah to her apartment to look more acceptable for Regina.

It didn't take Rebekah long to get ready. She quickly brushed out her hair and pulled it into a pony tail, threw on a pair of jeans and a dark blue t-shirt, and ran out the door. This wasn't work, it didn't matter if she didn't look the way Regina wanted her to look while at the Mayoral Office – Rebekah didn't plan on going into work today. Not with Henry missing again.

But he wasn't missing. He ran away.

Perhaps her love hadn't been enough, maybe what Henry really needed or wanted was his birth mother. Rebekah's mother had always been neglectful, favoring Regina over her youngest daughter. But Regina stepped into the role of mother (smother) since their mother down right refused to be a parent to Rebekah.

Regina was ten years older than Rebekah, though, Regina didn't look a day over thirty. Honestly, how her older sister managed to stay looking so young was absolute witchcraft. Perhaps she is an evil queen? Rebekah thought briefly with a smile, thinking of Henry and his suspicions.

By the time Rebekah pulled up in front of the school, she had received a text from Emma letting her know that Henry hadn't gone to school this morning. She didn't fill her in on the whole Mary Margaret aspect of this story – she only told her the basics. Henry was still missing. Regina had left without Emma. And that Emma would search the parks for him.

Rebekah decided she'd do look around town while Emma searched the parks, and drove into the main part of town, going into all of Henry's favorite shops, hoping that the boy would be there.

Once she got to Granny's Diner, she had begun asking people on the street if they had seen Henry. Everyone knew who Henry was. He was the Mayors son – how could they ever not know him? But each person she asked didn't know where Henry was or hadn't seen him. It left Rebekah feeling helpless.

When she left Mr. Golds shop (though, it wasn't one of Henry's favorite shops), her body collided into another person, her purse falling off her shoulder in the process. "Oh God!" Rebekah said in embarrassment, scrambling to get her purse off the shoes of the man. Very nice/expensive-looking shoes – black leather, neatly polished. She looked up and met the eyes of a man she had never seen around town before. Blueish gray eyes that widened the moment her green eyes met his. "I'm so sorry – I was in such a rush, I didn't look when I came out," She motioned to the shop behind her.

He didn't speak, his mouth opened a few times but no words came out.

Rebekah stood there awkwardly, sucking on her lower lip as she waited for the man to say anything. He didn't. So, she turned to leave after saying, "Again, sorry." But she stopped when the man cleared his throat, gaining her attention.

"It's okay." He told her, his voice shaking a little bit. "I wasn't paying attention either."

She smiled, seeing the mans face flush. He wore a scarf wrapped around his neck, tucked into his black peacoat that fell just below his waist. Rebekah looked back at his face, trying to remember if she had ever seen him around town – there was something so very familiar about him, but she couldn't figure it out. "You live in town?" She finally asked, tilting her head a bit to the side, perhaps if she looked at him from a different angle it might come to her.

But she still didn't know who this very handsome man was.

"Not in town, but Storybrooke, yes." He almost sounded sad about it. "I live out in the woods."

"Oh!" Rebekah said, not being able to stop the words that flowed out of her mouth next, "You're the hermit!" Her hand clasped over her mouth and her eyes went wide in embarrassment, but to her surprise, the man grinned down at her, licking at his bottom lip as he nodded his head.

"I do keep to myself." He chuckled.

She smiled once her hand dropped from her mouth and held out her hand for him to shake, "I'm Rebekah and I don't think before I speak." She joked.

He was smiling so softly at her now, eyes glimmering in the sunlight, "I know." The man took in a deep breath, as if he had said the wrong thing when Rebekah quirked her brow up at his statement. "-I mean, I know you don't think before you speak – you did just call me a hermit." He reminded her. Rebekah had to give into a laugh at that, looking down at the ground in embarrassment.

"Again, I apologize." She pushed a stray hair that had fallen from her pony tail behind her ears, looking up through her lashes as she tried to make her flushed skin less obvious.

The man laughed, and it was odd hearing it. Almost as if she had heard it before.

"I should get going," Rebekah told him, looking down at her phone to see that Emma had texted her saying she had found Henry. "I have to go strangle my nephew for running away for the second time in two days."

"They Mayors son is missing?" The man said in surprise.

Rebekah raised her brows, amused now. "So, you do know me." She smirked.

She watched as his chest rose and fell as he took in a deep breath, a sad smile on his face. He nodded his head, "You're the Mayors sister."

"Don't remind me." She mumbled, she caught him smile at her comment. "Anyway – I have to get going. Sorry again, for crashing into you and for calling you a hermit."

The man chuckled and nodded his head.

Rebekah took a step to move around him but stopped, "I didn't get your name." She realized.

He took in another deep breath, "Jefferson." He answered.

Rebekah smiled, "Nice to meet you, Jefferson." She said in a cheery voice. Her mood was lifted now that she knew Henry was safe – and it also helped that she was talking with an extremely handsome man. She walked past him and continued walking, looking over her shoulder and caught him watching her walk away. "You should come into town more often," She said, turning so she was walking backwards, hoping she wouldn't bump into anyone else. "Y'know, to get rid of that whole hermit status." She smirked.

He laughed, shaking his head a little. "I think I will."

Rebekah chuckled and turned back around and headed to her car.

Once she was inside the car, she felt her cheeks heat and felt the corners of her mouth tugging up into a grin as she bit down on her lower lip.

Today was different.

For the first time in forever Rebekah didn't feel so trapped.

It was a wonderful feeling.

_________________________________

ENCHANTED FOREST

Her only view was through the large windows in the room her sister kept her locked away in. Occasionally, Regina would allow her to join her for supper, but she was never allowed to leave the castle.

It had been so long since she had even felt the fresh air on her skin.

She was trapped.

It had been this way ever since the King died and Regina took over his Kingdom. Her only friend, Snow White, the step daughter of her sister, had fled after Regina had sent a Huntsman to bring her Snow's heart.

She had fought back against her sister – threatening to expose her wickedness and all the horrible things she had done – that was when Regina locked her away.

Only Regina could enter the room, the door barricaded by magic to keep anyone from stepping foot into her bedroom. The young maid looked down at her wrists, pearls wrapped around each. They were beautiful – but they were also keeping her trapped in this bedroom. Unless Regina was with her to let her leave the room, the young woman would be shocked to the point of unconsciousness if she dared to try and leave her prison.

It had been months since Regina had let her younger sister, Rebekah Mills, leave her bedroom. She hadn't seen any other persons face in that time expect for Regina's.

Regina was an evil woman. A wicked witch, just as their mother had been. Regina was so cruel that she had shrunk their own father and locked him away in a box after he had tried to present Regina with a fake heart, to trick her into thinking he had killed Snow White. But nothing ever got past her sister. It had been Regina birthday, the one gathering that Rebekah was allowed to attend. And her sister had been in a foul mood, her overwhelming need to killing Snow White had ruined any happiness she might find on her birthday. So, their father had Cora summoned through the magical mirror that Regina used, their mother, who years earlier on the day of her wedding to the King, Regina had banished to a land called Wonderland - where she had stayed ever since. Henry Mills asked his wife what he could do to give Regina happiness on her birthday. Cora, being Cora, suggested giving Regina what she truly wanted. Snow Whites heart. Their father refused and left. But he had never had the mirror close the portal, and Cora found a way to get back into their realm. Henry wanted peace, he wanted to make things right between Snow White and his daughter and went to meet her in the woods. Cora had heard of his plans and went ahead of him, tricking Snow White into believing she was Henry, stealing her heart away. He begged Cora to give Snow her heart back, but she was already controlling it. Regina had been furious, completely betrayed by their father. She shrunk him and locked away in one the boxes she used to store ripped out hearts and Henry knew going against her would not end well.

Cora arrived to Regina's gathering and Rebekah's eyes had widened as large as Regina's when their mother walked up to them. Cora had looked Rebekah up and down but turned her attention back to Regina, her sister was furious to see their mother - no knowing how it was possible for her to escape Wonderland. They both knew it had to have been their father, who had been absent all evening. Both Regina and Rebekah had feared for his life, but Cora presented Regina with her gift; Snow Whites heart, and suddenly Regina no longer seemed to care. Rebekah watched in horror as Regina began to crush Snow Whites heart, watching it through the mirror Cora had summoned with tears in her eyes, begging her sister to stop as Snow White clutched at her chest in fear.

But just as Regina squeezed the heart tighter, a cricket flew out from Snow Whites chest and she began to laugh, the people around her joining in.

Livid that it wasn't working, Regina crushed Snow Whites heart completely, but as she did, Snow White did not fall to the ground - no, one of the guards fell and died. It hadn't been Snow Whites heart...it had been his.

It had been their father. He had given Snow White her heart back without Cora realizing and switched it with one of her guards hearts. He had betrayed her and Rebekah walk in just as Regina used magic to put their father into one of Regina's boxes. Rebekah had cried out for her father, begging Regina to forgive him. But Regina banished her to her room, sending Rebekah in a cloud of purple smoke out of the room and thrown onto the floor of her bedroom. She sobbed, banged on the doors until her hands bruised, begging Regina to free their father. It was the last time she ever saw her father - and she didn't even have a chance to tell him goodbye or how much she loved him. And she would never get that chance, because as Regina banished Cora to Wonderland, closing the portal permanently, she had used her magic to take the box their father was kept in from Regina's hands right as she was pulled back into Wonderland. And Regina had never found a way to open up a portal to bring back their father back.

Oh, how she missed her father. The way he would move his hand to her face and caress her cheek while gently tapping her nose with his finger, making her smile grow wide. She wished more than anything that she could see him again.

But she couldn't.

She was a prisoner. Rebekah wanted to be free. To be able to run in a grassy field and feel the wind blow her hair around. To dive into a lake and feel the cold water engulf her, gasp for air as she reached the surface of the water – the things she had done with her sister before she became so wicked.

There was a time that Regina had been more of a mother to Rebekah than Cora had ever been. But after her marriage to the King and the closer her younger sister grew to Snow White, the angrier the woman got.

It only made sense that Rebekah would connect with Snow. They were around the same age. Regina had been more of a mother to Rebekah than ever a friend – why her sister grew so angry that they had become friends baffled Rebekah to this day.

Rebekah sat on her bed, looking down at the pearls on her wrist – they couldn't be taken off. Only by magic. And Rebekah had never possessed any powers. She never wanted to, either. After seeing her sister become consumed by evil, Rebekah wanted nothing to do with such powers.

Wind.

She felt wind, suddenly.

Rebekah looked around, seeing if her window had somehow opened. That too was locked shut by magic. But the window was still closed. The young woman jumped when she saw something appear on her floor, a swirl of wind, cloud of purple creating a circle in one spot that now grew to the ceiling of the room, causing her eyes to look up in either wonder or horror. Rebekah didn't quite know how she was feeling.

A top hat fell from the ceiling, Rebekah's eyes followed after it and watched as it landed in someone hand. She inhaled sharply, seeing that there was man in her room now. Rebekah grabbed the knife she had hidden under her pillow and jumped off the bed, creating an obstacle between them.

The man grinned, he wore all black leather and his brown hair stuck up, his eyes were a blue grey and he had a dimple in his chin. "Who the Hell are you?" She pointed her knife at him.

He seemed familiar.

The man held up his hands to show Rebekah he meant no harm. "My name is Jefferson and I'm here to rescue you."

Rebekah raised her brows and tilted her head. "You?" She said skeptically.

Jefferson huffed, "Well, I did manage to get into a room that no other has been able to." He walked forward but Rebekah didn't set down her knife, she kept it pointed at him and took a step backwards. "I'm not here to kill you, Rebekah, I'm here to take you away."

And then she recognized the face.

"You're the portal jumper – you worked with my sister when I was younger." She said out loud, piecing it together. "Why do you still look young?"

"I am still young. Jumping through portals can take you anywhere. Through time as well. I only just met your sister a year ago in my time."

The hand Rebekah held the knife in slowly lowered. "You can travel through time?" He nodded. "Why come here then? Why now?"

He shrugged, moving to her bed and laying down on it, his boots ruining her silk sheets. Her face formed into a scowl as he moved his arms behind his head and smiled at her. "I heard a legend about a young woman trapped by her evil sister – that it was impossible to cross into the bedroom and any man who dared too would die instantly."

"So, you risked your life for what? Pride? So that you could prove to others that it was possible?" She let out a disgusted noise, crossing her arms over her chest. "Well, you've proven it's possible. So, you can leave now."

Jefferson sat up, "I already told you that I came here to take you away."

"Why? So that I can be some prize for you to show your friends?" She spat out.

"I don't have friends, darling." He got off her bed and walked around it until he was standing in front of Rebekah. "-And I'd think you'd jump at the chance to leave this palace."

She frowned, brows knitting together in frustration.

He moved over to the windows, leaning against the black velvet drapes. "I can take you anywhere, you know." He said in a cocky tone. Jefferson looked at her for a long moment before spoke again, "To different lands, even different worlds. I can take you to the heavens." He said. And that sounded so wonderful. But Rebekah was still hesitant. She did not know this man – and he had worked for her sister in the past. What if this was all just some trick set up by her sister? "I can even take you to lands that have yet to be touched by man itself yet." He pushed himself off of the wall and sauntered over to Rebekah. "All you have to do is say yes."

His smile looked practically devilish.

Yet, she couldn't help but be drawn to him.

And the way he looked at her – it was like no one ever had before. Regina never let them. If any man cast an eye at Rebekah, she'd take their head.

But Jefferson was different. He didn't even seem the least bit afraid of what Regina might do if she ever caught him looking at her younger sister the way he was.

It made Rebekah feel alive.

"I can take you far away from this world and you'd never have to come back again. We can leave right now...together."

She felt her insides warm as her cheeks flushed. Rebekah shook her head as she bit down on her lower lip before she looked back to Jefferson, "And if I were to say no?" She smirked. This man was offering her the world – how could she not grab onto his hand and leave right this second?

Because of fear.

Jefferson shrugged, lips twitching up in amusement. "You can stay in this big ol' palace of your sisters, living out your days eating sweet cakes and drinking wine, later wishing so desperately that you had just said yes to a handsome stranger." He winked.

Rebekah looked down at the string of pearls around her wrist that kept her trapped in this room. If Jefferson could enter her room without dying from the magic – perhaps she could leave the same way he had come without getting shocked as well?

But she was still hesitant. Because even if it did work – Regina would kill her if she ever found her. Rebekah looked back up at Jefferson, "My sister will never find us?" She asked, fear apparent in her voice.

Jefferson stood so close to her now, he touched his fingers to the pearl cuffs. "If she does," He said, "We'll simply keep running." His grey blue eyes met hers, "What do you say?" He smirked.

Rebekah took in a deep breath before she answered.

"Yes."

_________________________________

STORYBROOKE, Maine

Rebekah drove up to Regina's house just as Emma drove away in her yellow Volkswagen Beetle. The blonde didn't even look at her as she drove away – just left.

When she came into the house, Regina was just coming down the stairs. "That woman!" She hissed, "If she thinks she can take my son away from me now – she's sadly mistaken!" Regina walked over to Rebekah, tucked under her arm was a large book. "-It was a closed adoption! She gave him away!"

"Regina, I doubt she's going to try and take him away, maybe she just wants to get to know him – be a part of his life."

"That will happen over my dead body!" Regina said through gritted teeth, shoving past Rebekah to leave the room, the large book still tucked under her arm.

Rebekah sighed, there was no point in trying to get her sister to see that Emma was harmless. But in Regina's eyes? Emma Swan was a threat.

And that fact that Regina was suddenly acting like a worried mother only angered Rebekah. If she truly loved Henry, she wouldn't have waited to show it until his birthmother came to town. It should have been shown to him his entire life.

Rebekah walked up the stairs and made her way to Henrys bedroom, his door was still open and he kept his back facing it so no one could see his face. Rebekah frowned. He was clearly upset.

"Hey buddy," Rebekah said, taking a seat on his bed and rubbed his back. "Quite the adventure you've had in the last twenty-four hours." She said in a teasing tone. Yes, she wanted to throttle him for doing what he did but it was only because she had been terrified that she'd never see him again. But she could never harm Henry – he was too important to her. "You wanna talk about it?" She asked.

Henry kept his back facing her and shook his head.

Rebekah let out a dramatic sigh and scooted herself onto the bed next to Henry causing him to muffle his laughter, still trying to act sullen. "Well, I guess that means I have to tell you about my day." She put her hands behind her head. "I woke up to a bajillion texts from your mother."

"-Bajillion isn't a number and she's not my real mom."

Rebekah frowned at his words.

"How come you never told me I was adopted?" Henry asked in a quiet voice.

She sat up a bit, looking down at Henry. "It wasn't my place to tell you, kiddo." Rebekah spoke honestly. "Besides, it never mattered to me that you were adopted. You're my family. My crazy nephew who apparently likes road trips." She grinned, pinching his side causing the little boy to laugh. "I love you no matter what, Henry. Even if I'm only your aunt in a legal sense."

Henry smiled up at Rebekah. "I love you too, Aunt Bex."

She chuckled, laying down next to him. "You know, you're the only person who ever calls me that." Henry snuggled into her side, his little arm moving so his hand rested on her stomach. "Okay, so where was I – oh yes, my day! Well, I guess it wasn't too eventful. I just had to run around town look for this crazy runaway." Rebekah said causing Henry to laugh. "I swear, kid. You're gonna make me get some grey hairs." Henry continued to laugh. "Oh, one eventful thing did happen today!" Rebekah said causing Henry to look up at her.

"What?" He asked.

She grinned down at Henry. "I met a very handsome hermit."

"You met a handsome hermit frog?" Henry said in confusion causing Rebekah to chuckle.

"Yes, Henry. A very handsome hermit frog." She teased. "But enough about me, tell me all about your first adventure and do not skip any details."

Henry sat up, beaming at her and then began to tell her about his journey to Boston.

He had quite the adventure.

Rebekah had to wonder if she'd ever have an adventure someday...