Maybe it's All About Timing

We're Back Ch3-Part1

Snow would never understand the sheer agony Regina felt of losing a child whom she raised single-handedly. It was as if her heart was being ripped apart, shredded into a million pieces, yet still managing to remain in her chest. Though her grief was not unfamiliar, the pain of losing Henry was just as intense as the first time she had lost a child. He was gone from her forever, leaving her with nothing but an aching void in her soul - the void in her heart that Rumple and Maleficent had warned her about.

The Imp, her Nemesis and Teacher:

"You have an even bigger problem... Now there is a hole in your heart. And someday. You will come to me to fill it."

"You underestimate the price of what you've done deary. (Sings in a riddle) You shall see, you will come to me. There is more you need, Oh!"

The Dragon, her only Friend:

"Don't do this... This curse. There are lines even we shouldn't cross. All power comes with a price. Enacting it will take a terrible toll. It will leave an emptiness inside you. A void you will never be able to fill."

Her Mother:

"Love is weakness, Regina. It feels real now at the start, it always does. But it's an illusion. It fades. And then you're left with nothing."

In the end, they were all right: the void and hole in her heart had returned with a vengeance. She would never experience true happiness or love from a son or daughter, a lover, or anyone else. This shattering emptiness left her feeling powerless and weak. She couldn't bear it any longer. The internal suffering was unbearable and eating her alive. Death seemed like the only way to escape her misery. But Henry wouldn't want her to make such an irreversible decision. So, instead of choosing the drastic path of taking her own life, she followed in her mother's footsteps and opted for Cora Mill's path of escape.

The familiar sensation of dark magic surged through her veins and fingertips as she hastily tore her blackened heart from her chest.

She felt a sudden wave of relief wash over her, as the built-up sorrow, pain, and weakness dissipated from her body. The tears that had been gathering behind her eyelids no longer held their place and faded away.

All she felt in that moment was utter exhaustion, having used up a significant amount of her magic to save everyone from Pan's curse that had taken a heavy toll on her body.

Despite her exhaustion, the Queen crouched down, and her gaze lingered on the palpitating organ in her palm for a moment—its glowing combination of black and red a stark reminder of her deepest transgressions and the pain and suffering she had endured throughout her life. She wanted nothing more to do with it, so she set about digging a deep grave in the ground for the sinister organ. Once it had been buried and laid to rest, she would return to her dark palace, where she would create a sleeping curse - this time upon herself, in the desperate hope that Henry would one day find her and break it.

Suddenly, a piercing cry echoed through the air, the desperate wailing of a young child.

Regina was frozen in her task, although her heart was no longer in her chest. Somehow, she could still feel the thump-thumping of the beating organ that she had just laid to rest beneath the soil.

The Queen questioned if this was an insidious scheme of Mother Nature, manipulating her emotions or if her exhaustion had finally taken its toll and she was starting to experience hallucinations.

The alarming cries of the child amplified and seemed to emanate from the willow tree nearby. She felt her stomach churn and a shiver run down her spine. Could the cries be real? Or was it just a cruel illusion conjured up by her grief-stricken mind of losing her son?