Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

“Please, don't take me back there yet,” Henry begged. “Please, please… Maybe we c-”

Emma was firm. “I have to.”

It didn’t deter him. If anything, his protests became more urgent as he jogged to catch up with her. The boy looked vaguely like a puppy, trailing after her heels, only he was pleading instead of barking, and much like a dog’s yapping, he went ignored.

She swung the gate open and walked down the front path to the mansion. The mansion. The pristine white mansion with perfectly cut grass and trimmed hedges. A mansion! Emma could hardly believe Henry’s extraordinary luck.

His request for her to come home with him concerned her in Boston. No happy kid would leave home in the middle of the night to find a perfect stranger. The fact that he could pull it off at all spoke volumes about the type of parents he had. What kind of people wouldn't notice their nine-year-old missing? Emma wondered.

She pondered on that as he slept in the back seat of her car, using his backpack as a pillow and her red leather jacket as a blanket. Her eyes kept flicking to him as she drove. Worry ate at her heart.

What kind of people wouldn’t notice their nine-year-old sneaking out of the house?

What kind of life did she send him into all those years ago?

What were his parents like?

Were they taking care of him?

Did they love him?

Was he happy?

How the hell did he manage a trip to Boston all by himself?

Those thoughts had set her on edge, made her panic and set her guilt to boiling levels. What kind of life had she sent him into? She had been in the system and knew the type of pervs and sickos who used kids for a paycheque and had still sent her own flesh and blood into that. Those damn social workers. They promised her that ‘Baby Boy Swan’ would end up with a family quickly because of his age. The fact that it was a closed adoption would be the cherry on the top. Or at least that was what they told her. They said it would ease the minds of prospective adoptive parents. No need to worry about the birth mother changing her mind or a custody battle later down the line. No. It would be better for him. Improve his odds. They promised her he would be adopted quickly, even going so far as to let her know when he had – just three weeks later.

She convinced herself that that had been the end of it. He was adopted, he had a family, and he would be fine. Then a couple hours ago, with a knock at her door, it was very clear that was not the end of it. All those fears she’d ignored for the past decade came back howling in her mind and clawing at her chest. What did she send him into?

There were three new scabs on her bottom lip from the way she worried at it with her teeth while driving him home. It had bled from how hard she'd bit it to keep herself calm. Her knuckles turned white on her steering wheel when he whimpered in his sleep on the backseat.

What kind of life had she sent him into? Whatever it was, he was brave enough to come looking for her and that told her all she needed to know. Whatever he needed to escape, whatever he was running from, it has her duty to help. She thought she’d made the right decision all those years ago. Hell, she was no mother, but if he’d come looking for her help, if he asked her to get him out, she would damn well try.

She arrived at this resolution before the headlights of her bug illuminated a cheery ‘Welcome to Storybrooke’ sign. Henry woke up shortly after that. Emma drove through the sleepy town, to the address he provided and slowed the bug to a crawl before she parked it outside 118 Mifflin Street. Emma gaped at the house. She was not fully convinced he’d given her the right address or that this wasn’t some unfunny prank. He assured her this was his house. It was then that she finally decided to ask him the questions she had been too afraid to earlier. From his answers she deduced that he was after all fine.

Better than fine.

Great, even.

He had two parents, two hard-working parents at that. His mom was the Mayor and his dad was the Deputy. That explained the mansion then. A small part of her was envious of the fact that not only did he have a roof over his head, but that said roof covered an entire fucking mansion. Her kid self was boiling over with jealousy. He had the life she dreamed of when she was his age. Overall though… Emma was relieved that her worry had been for nothing. He was being taken care of. He had everything he needed.

Yet, one thought lingered. Why did he run?

“Please.”

“No.” She quickly pushed aside the ridiculous idea of keeping him for the night. “I'm sure your parents are worried sick.”

“My dad maybe.” He stopped trying to catch up to her. “But not her.”

“What, your mom?” Emma turned around.

Henry’s nod was barely noticeable. “She's evil.”

“Evil? That's a bit extreme, isn't it?” She crossed her arms over her chest, indifference played out with a raised brow even though she was panicking on the inside. Evil. What did he mean by evil?

“She is.” Henry looked up sadly and mumbled out his next words. “She doesn't love me. She only pretends to.”

Her heart broke at that. So, she had failed him after all. No. Calm down. Look at him. He’s fine. He’s well dressed and fed. No signs of physical abuse. No obvious signs of emotional either. He’s fine. Calm down. Kids often exaggerate things. He’s fine.

“Oh, you know how they are. Kids. They exaggerate. Overactive imaginations that’s all.”

Mrs Kelly had once told her homeroom teacher that when asked about the bruise on her arm. No. This wasn't like that. Henry wasn't her. She knew nothing about him or his life. She couldn’t just up and make assumptions from one sentence. She had to go on what she saw, and what she saw was a scared and most likely troubled little boy who was probably trying to avoid the trouble he had caused by leaving home. She prayed she was right. He’s fine. He’s fine. He’s fine, she told herself again, bending at the waist to look him in the eye.

“Kid. I'm sure that's not true.”

Their heads whipped to the front door as it opened.

“Henry!”

Regina pulled him into her tightly. Thank God. Thank God. Oh, thank God. He’s home. He’s safe. He’s home. He’s safe. He’s… He smelt different. Different. Foreign. Leather and something she could only describe as city. She hugged him to her, eyes screwed shut as she tried not to cry into his neck.

“Please don’t ever do that again,” she said, voice breaking.

For the last thirty-six hours, she had been frantic with worry, her mind racing with every possible thing that could have happened to him. He’s home, she calmed herself. He’s safe. He’s home. He’s safe. He was home and he was safe.

“Henry?” David exclaimed, relief flooding his voice.

She held him tighter for a moment before letting go just in time for David to rush to them and scoop Henry off the ground. He held him in a crushing hug, one hand cupping the back of Henry’s head.

“Dad,” he said, sounding so young.

Regina watched as they hugged and realised that he’d stood unmoving in her embrace, arms hanging lifelessly by his sides. She felt a twinge of pain and envy at the sight.

“Henry… Oh, thank God. You’re safe.”

David set Henry back down and knelt in front of him. He set and hand to his chin and turned his head, looking him over, eyes scanning over him worriedly for signs of injury.

“Are you okay? Are you hurt?” David asked, not letting go of his arms as if by keeping hold of him he could keep him from running away again. “What happened?”

“Where were you?” Regina asked.

Henry glared at her. “I found her.”

“What? Found who?” David asked.

There was movement behind him. Regina glanced over his head and made contact with a pair of green eyes wide with discomfort. Blonde hair. Red leather jacket. A woman. Her. He found her. Dread settled in the pit of her stomach. Her. He’d found her.

David noticed the woman as well. “Henry who… who is this?”

Henry tried to take a step back.

He caught the arm of his coat. “Henry.”

He broke free and pushed away from them. “I found my real mom!”

David went after him. “Henry!”

Regina froze. Her eyes shut momentarily. My real mom. Pain sliced down to her core. My real mom. His real mother. When she opened her eyes, she was still there. Regina straightened. The blonde woman... She was… She was… his… She was Henry’s...

“You're Henry's birth mother?”

She cringed and offered a lame, “Hi,” with an awkward shrug.

She was his mother. His mother. She gave birth to him. He ran away to find her. These were the unhelpful thoughts that filled her mind. Useless obvious observations. It seemed these useless obvious observations were all she was capable of at the moment. Regina blinked a couple of times and nodded to herself, walking back inside. She made a gesture for the woman to follow. Red Leather Jacket followed.

Regina closed the door behind them and picked up the home phone on the side table under the mirror in the foyer. She dialled Graham.

“Sheriff, I wanted to inform you that Henry has been found.”

He spoke. The words didn’t… She couldn’t focus on them. She spoke. She couldn’t recall what she said. She hung up. Red Leather Jacket was still there. Watching her. Silently. Without any readable expression.

Regina felt numb. Numb to the dread and pain that only minutes ago had crippled her. Numb. She masked it with her best politician’s smile.

“Regina Mills. Storybrooke’s youngest and most recently elected Mayor.” She heard footsteps on the stairs and inclined her head toward them. “This is my husband, David. Deputy Nolan.”

Red Leather Jacket looked at him, nodded her greeting, and turned back to her. “I’m Emma uh Swan.”

David acknowledged her with a polite glance. He stopped at the last step and gave Regina a look, inclining his head towards Henry’s bedroom. Regina walked to him. He kept his voice low. “He seems fine, mainly tired, but I think he... I think I’m gonna sit with him for a little bit. At least until he falls asleep.”

“Okay.”

“You should come up too.”

“It would be better if you saw to him.”

“He thinks you’re mad at him.”

“He ran away, David. I’m…”

“I know,” he said empathetically, “but once the adrenaline wore off, he just- he’s shaken up, Regina. He needs you too.”

“He’d argue against that.”

David became frustrated. “Regina.” His eyes flicked to Red Leather Jacket. “Once you’re finished here, come upstairs. Just to say goodnight to him. Please.”

She just stared at him. Numb. It’s funny. If she could bottle these events, their effectiveness, she’d have almost no use for alcohol. Not that she could drink any. David sighed and turned back up the stairs, sparing Red Leather Jacket another polite glance.

“I take it you and the kid aren’t all that close?”

Regina laughed humourlessly. “Not at the moment, no.”

“How come?”

She sighed tiredly and led the woman into her study. “Cider?”

“I’m good.”

She turned away from the cabinet, crossed the room and sat down across from Red Leather Jacket on the couch. “Where did he find you?”

“Boston.”

Her eyes shut briefly. “How on earth did he end up in Boston?”

“Kid said something about a bus.” She shrugged. “Why’d he run off?”

“I believe that was rather clear from what he said outside. To find you.”

“And why does he want to find me? Why did he run off? Why…” She huffed in frustration. “What’s the reason? What’s his deal?”

Now Regina shrugged. “He hates me.” Odd. She still felt numb.

It didn't take much for Henry to fall asleep. Just a couple of minutes of talking him down, followed by a few more assuring him that his mother wasn't angry with him. They were both just relieved he was okay. After that, a couple of sentences persuading him to brush his teeth and put on his pyjamas, aiming for some semblance of normalcy. Despite a short and frustrating conversation with his wife, who, as usual, was too stubborn to heed his advice, David managed to paint on a smile for his son and tell him how glad he was that he was home and safe, and that was all it took for him to fall asleep.

When Henry was younger it took a couple of stories and cuddles and relentless bargaining for more “me wake time” and a different plushie every night to cuddle with. Now it only took words. So why did he feel so exhausted? So drained? So, so defeated?

David ran a hand over his face and closed Henry’s door quietly. He looked down the hall to his and Regina's bedroom. The lights were out. She was probably downstairs. He found her in her study, face in her hands and elbows on her knees as she stared into the dying fire. He stopped at the door and leaned against the frame.

“You okay?”

She winced, eyes closing. “Not right now,” she said softly, an edge of pleading in her voice. “Just give me a few minutes. I’ll come up in a few minutes.”

“He’s already asleep.”

She scoffed. “Perfect.”

David frowned, worried, and came closer. He knelt in front of her, trying to coax her gaze away from the flames to him instead. “Regina-”

“I don't want to talk right now, David.”

He gently took her hands out from under her chin and held them softly. Her head dipped forward and pressed against his.

“Fine. No talking. This’ll actually go a lot quicker if you didn’t.”

She snorted but didn’t pull away. “I’m going to let that slide this time, Nolan.”

“Please. You’re all bark, no bite.” That got an amused smile, her eyes still closed. “I know it’s late but I’m gonna text Eunice from your cell, ask her to either reschedule the meeting or tell her Kathryn needs to run it.”

“What? No.” She pulled back. “I can’t do that. Those meetings are important. I was just elected. They’re already in doubt of my professional abilities with… with… the… this…” She gestured about herself vaguely. “…with this. I can’t give them any more ammo. I have to be there.”

“Our son was missing for over thirty-six hours.”

“David-”

“No. He was missing for over a day. He needs you.”

“He doesn’t want me,” she said in frustration, pushing off the couch.

He stood too. “That’s irrelevant. You’re his mother. You’re needed here.”

“No.” She shook her head forcefully. “No. He responds better to you. If it’s just the two of you, he’ll be more likely to give you a straight answer. You’ll be able to talk to him, to calm him down, to… to… If I’m here, it’ll be a minefield. He won’t talk or even look in our general direction. It needs to be just you. He doesn’t want me here. He doesn’t want me here. He doesn’t… He… He… want… He… David. David, I can’t breathe.”

He came over quickly, careful not to touch her even though he stood close enough to. “Yes, you can. Come on. Deep breath. See, there you go. Let it out. There. Another one. Good. You’re good. See? You’re good.” His worry eased when she started breathing normally again. “You’re all good,” he breathed out. She let him come closer. David pressed a kiss to her temple. “You’re good.”

She hugged him hard and buried her face in his neck. “I’m sorry.” She was trembling. “I’m sorry.” He held her tighter. “I’m sorry, I… I didn’t… You… I…”

“Breathe.”

He gulped in air and exhaled in a shuddering breath. “I’m sorry.”

“You have nothing to be sorry about.” He closed his eyes briefly. This was further proof she needed to stay home tomorrow. “Regina,” he began slowly, “Our son was missing for over a day. You haven’t slept in nearly twice that. You’re stressed and emotionally drained and there is no way you can just walk in there tomorrow and pretend everything is fine. You’re…” He sighed again, holding her tighter before the final blow. “You need to take some time off.”

If things didn’t get better (and soon) she might need to step down. It was a truth they both knew, one that hung in the air around them, in the silence they were too scared to fill.

She cried inaudibly against his chest. He rubbed up and down her back, held the back of her head, pressed kisses to the side of her head and face, murmured apologies and reassurances as she cried, those tears finally causing sound. She shook her head a lot, fingers twisting in his t-shirt, as she cried into his neck.

She stepped out of his hold and wiped at her eyes, hands shaking as she paced. “This isn’t fair,” she said at last. “I worked… I worked so, so hard to get here. To get to this point and…” Panic flashed in her eyes, and she looked at him quickly. “I love him, I love Henry, this isn’t… I’m not putting this above him, I swear. I love him. He’s every-”

“-thing. He’s everything. I know.” He looked at her softly. “You love him more than your own life. That doesn’t mean you’re not allowed to be upset about this too. You worked so hard to get here, to be elected and you’ve been in office for less than a year. I get it. I get it,” he said empathetically. Because he did. He knew what this meant to her. He also knew that if she had to choose, she’d pick Henry and leave her office tomorrow. It didn’t make the decision hurt any less though.

“Why did he have to run off and find her? I thought… I thought we were enough. I thought that I could be enough. Why… why did he…”

He pulled her into his chest and held her tightly.  “I… I think we’re giving ourselves too much credit,” he said truthfully. “He just found out he was adopted. He’s gotta have some questions about it, maybe finding her was just the quickest way to get ‘em answered.”

Her shoulders tensed. “So, this is just about the adoption?”

“I… I mean it might be.”

“No, he started pulling away before that, before… this.” She did another one of those vague all-encompassing gestures. “I…” She shook her head. “There’s more to it than this. There’s something else and it has to do with me.”

He saw the book clear as day in his mind. She was right about that part. “He’s a little kid, he’s working through things. I honestly think it’s just about the adoption.”

“So, what if she sticks around long enough to answer his questions our son will miraculously be cured and might have a conversation with me for the first time in over three months?” She asked incredulously. “I thought it was just the election, the new job, the lack of time I now had for him, I thought…” She scoffed. “I was just kidding myself.”

“Maybe…” He said thoughtfully.

“What?”

“Maybe…”

She looked at him frustratedly. “I swear, David, if you say ‘maybe’ again, I’ll kick you in the shins.”

He didn’t even react to the threat. “Again, all bark. What you said just now. Not a bad idea. Her sticking around. It might do him some good.”

“I… Are you serious?” His eyebrows furrowed at her tone. “You are! You’re serious about this.”

“What? You don’t think it’s a good idea?”

“She drove our son home from Boston in the middle of the night.”

“I’m aware,” he said slowly, unsure of why she was reminding him of something he already knew.

“Why?”

“Maybe she’s a good person who just wanted to make sure he got back in one piece.”

“She could have called the police. She should have called the police. Or at the very least checked the tag on his backpack that has both our contact details on it. Why did she choose to come here? She chose to drive three hours in the middle of the night to bring back a child she wilfully gave up a decade ago through a closed adoption. Why would she do that? What does she gain out of it?”

“Okay, hear me out,” he started, palms open, “good people exist.”

“Oh, don’t joke now,” she complained, rolling her eyes and sighing in frustration.

“Regina, not everyone has some hidden agenda or angle they’re trying to work. Some people just generally try to do the right thing.”

“Dear…” Regina shook her head, furiously denying even the possibility of truth in his words. “We know absolutely nothing about her. I don’t trust her. There’s a surer chance of hell burning over than me letting her spend time with our son.”

“I think you meant freeze.”

“What?”

“Freeze. You said hell burning over. It’s freeze. Well, freezing, but well, you get what I… yeah.”

She looked horrified.

“Are you freaking out about me correcting you?”

“I…”

“Or about the fact that you said it in the first place?” He chuckled. “Come on, Mills, you can’t be polished and perfect every passing moment of every passing day.”

“I’ve decided to blame my slip of the tongue on current circumstances.” She glared over his shoulder at a spot on the wall, her expression dark. “I would kill for a drink right about now.”

“I think this impromptu detox has been good for you so far. Besides drinking’s never been helpful anyway, babe.”

She scoffed at him. “You say that like I was on the verge of liver failure.”

No, just on the edge of alcoholism, he thought. He got up and took her hands. “We'll get through this. Okay?” She gave a hollow hum, still not looking at him. “If you ever need help covering up the homicide of a certain blonde...”

At least dark humour still got a smile out of her. Wry as said smile may be. “Oh, I assure you, Deputy, I am perfectly capable of handling that on my own.”

“That may be true, but if you were found guilty, can you imagine how awkward it would be for me to arrest you?”

“If this is your way of suggesting handcuffs... I'm not opposed to the idea.”

Did she just…? He laughed at the absurdity of that last statement. The tension in her shoulders eased out as she laughed too.

“Handcuffs, huh?”

Her response was interrupted by a yawn.

“I think you’re delirious from sleep deprivation. Let’s get you to bed, Mills.”

She yawned heavily and covered her mouth with her hand. “Okay, but only because I can’t think of a good enough rebuttal.”

“Re-butt-al? Right after Let’s get you to bed, Mills. Come on. It was right there. Plus, the handcuffs thing…” He laughed as she hid her head against him, mumbling something about his juvenile sense of humour.

“Fuck, I’m tired,” she groaned.

He rubbed her arms. “I know, sweetie, I know.”

She laid her chin against his chest, her eyes closed but her face tilted up to him. “I can't open my eyes. If I asked nicely, would you carry me upstairs?”

He knew she was joking but quickly decided he didn’t mind. Her eyes shot open, and she let out a surprised little yelp when he lifted her, instinctively bringing her arms around his neck.

“C'mon. Let's get you to bed before you fall asleep and start drooling on my shirt.”

She smacked his arm and tutted indignantly. “I don’t drool.”

He flicked off the light as they left the study. She glanced at the staircase and raised a brow questioningly. He met her gaze and raised his eyebrows.

“I can manage. You’re practically a paperweight.” He was careful not to jostle her as he headed for the stairs. He felt her relax in his arms and rest her head against his shoulder.

She kissed the skin of his neck. David presumed the gesture was a thank you for carrying her. It felt like a thank you. “I remember why I keep you around now,” she teased.

He smiled. “Don’t forget about the top shelves.”

“That too,” she agreed sleepily.

He felt her breathing steady against his neck.

“Is that all?”

“Hmm?”

He glanced at her. “A personal valet and the human equivalent of a stepladder? Surely, I’m more useful than that.”

“You are,” she mumbled. “You’re perfect.”

David glowed under the compliment. “Good to know I won’t be replaced by a reach extender or a home elevator.”

“Never.” She tilted her head back to look at him. “In case I…” She yawned against his shoulder. “In case I fall asleep before the... we bedroom- our bedroom… hmm you’re warm…” She nuzzled into his neck again. “Night.”

He smiled down at her. “Night.”

By the time he made it to their room, she was out like a light. He placed her down on the bed and pressed a kiss to her temple. He spotted her phone on her bedside table and looked at it for a second before deciding to just do what he thought was best. She was going to be irritated with him as she hadn’t agreed to it.

Hell burning over and handcuffs. Boy, had they gotten off-topic. He picked up her phone anyway and quickly typed a message to Eunice. Regina would probably have a new security pin an hour after she woke up. She was also going to be pissed at him come morning. Still, David hit “send” and dismissed all her alarms.

He looked at the bedside clock and groaned. The red numbers read 04:17.

Graham had been exceptionally understanding about the whole thing and had given him the week off. Henry wouldn’t be at school tomorrow, he’d be at home, maybe they could talk over breakfast, and let her sleep in for a bit. Hopefully, she’d be tired enough to sleep till ten or eleven. God, he hoped so. He hoped she would just… rest. That was literally the only thing he wanted. Rest.

He knelt at her side and carefully removed her heels. He gingerly touched the slight swell on her ankles. Why she still bothered wearing the things, he'd never understand. David undid her pants and blouse, taking them off gently. He looked at her closet, spying one of the many pairs of matching satin pyjamas she usually wore. There was no way he could change her into that without her waking up. Instead, he took off his flannel shirt, then the grey t-shirt underneath and slipped it on over her head, easing her arms through the sleeves after he’d removed her bra. There. She’d be comfortable in that.

“Night, kitten.”

David kicked off his shoes and jeans before climbing into bed. She moved in her sleep, made herself more comfortable, and David felt something tug at his heart. It usually took her a few minutes of tossing and turning before her mind cleared enough. Head massages sometimes helped, but more often than not she either ended up more overwhelmed or feeling claustrophobic. She fell asleep so quickly tonight though, before her head even touched her pillow. He touched her hair, moved it away from her face, and wrapped an arm around her, pulling her into him.

These last two days had been hell. They discovery Henry hadn’t gone to either of their workplaces after school, nor was he waiting at home or anywhere in town… Nothing could ever describe the panic and fear he felt. He spent the entirety of yesterday without any leads. It was basically a waiting game.

When he saw his son this evening, unharmed and okay, David had never before been so relieved in his life. The relief was short-lived, replaced by frustration and anger and hurt. All of which he pushed aside to be a good father and husband. None of which he allowed to show. They needed him. They needed him to be strong. To take care of them. They… He needed sleep. David yawned into his fist. He fell asleep seconds later.

Chapter Text

His alarm clock came to life at exactly 07:15 A.M. The one alarm he’d forgotten about. David scrambled to turn it off, behind him and hitting blindly until that horrid beeping noise stopped. When it did, he breathed in relief and gently pulled his hand back, now acutely aware his flailing could’ve woken her. He slowly inched closer and rubbed his nose against hers. Still asleep. He relaxed and pressed a light kiss to her cheek. He’d stay here for just a few minutes longer then go check on Henry. He’d make them breakfast, talk briefly, and if she was awake by then bring her some in bed. Just a few minutes then the day could begin. Just a few more minutes.

“It’s too soon to be morning,” she mumbled against him. “I heard… the…” She yawned and rubbed her eyes. “I heard the alarm go off.” She began to sit up. “David?” Her voice softened. “David, we need to get up.”

He shook his head.

She laughed softly. “Well, you do have the week off. I guess you don’t have to.”

True. So why the hell did he forget about his alarm? He gulped his frustration down and opened his eyes. “Hi.”

“Hello,” she greeted, the second vowel of the word lilted with amusement.

He held an arm open. “A few more minutes?”

“I can’t… The…” She looked conflicted. “Okay.”

He breathed in relief when she laid down next to him. He rested his chin on her shoulder and nuzzled his face into her neck. He could almost hear the gears in her mind whirring. She wasn’t awake for a full minute yet and already she was thinking.

“How can you possibly function right now?”

She turned on her side to face him. David made a sound to voice his displeasure at the loss of contact. Her warm fingers traced over the scar on his chin. She was always strangely fascinated by it. “I lived on nothing more than a few hours of sleep per week for years before Henry even came into the picture.”

“You had coffee back then.”

She considered him. “Touché.”

“Y’know, the point of those extra few minutes was so that I could hold you.”

She smiled and turned on her back. David immediately attached himself to her side. “Better?” She asked.

“Much,” he answered happily. He ran his hand under the t-shirt she wore and kept a protective palm over her stomach. She covered it with her own before frowning.

“Um, David, why am I wearing your t-shirt?”

“You don’t like it? I’m surprised with how often you steal it to sleep in.”

“I don’t recall stealing it last night. Did you change my clothes?”

He hummed. “I figured you’d kill me if I let you sleep in that blouse.”

“Thank you.” Her nails grazed over the back of her neck.

He felt his eyes getting heavier. “You’re trying to put me to sleep,” he complained, burying his head further against her.

“Well, I do have a meeting to attend, and it would be easier to get ready without your protests.” He stiffened. “What? Why are you suddenly so tense? What did you do?”

He didn’t answer.

She moved him off her. “David…”

Shit. Shit, he thought again, when she looked up at him. He reached over her for her phone and passed it to her. “Last night, after I brought you upstairs, I sent Eunice a text.”

“You did what?” She ripped her phone out of his hand and pushed herself up.

Shit, he thought again, watching her change from adorable to well… rightfully angry. After having found said text, she took a deep breath and tried to calm herself. “I understand that you mean well, but-”

“You’d prefer it if I don’t get involved in your work. I know, I know… I just…” He sighed. What was he supposed to say? I figured you’d be more willing to take a day, or even just a morning, off after our son ran away? Yeah, like that would go well. “I’m sorry.”

She tried not to clench her jaw or snap at him. “It’s…” She pushed her hair back and straightened her spine. “She’s already confirmed the rescheduling to accommodate my family crisis so there’s not much I can do now. It’s fine.”

It wasn’t. She said it without looking at him. It wasn’t fine. He knew later, once she had time to stew on it, she’d be pissed at him. If it led to an argument, it would end badly. He threw back the covers and stood up. She made to do the same.

“Stay in bed. Try to get some more sleep. Another hour at the very least,” he pleaded.

She did not attempt to hide or control her irritation now. “I’m not made of glass, I can-”

“I know,” he said quickly. “But three hours doesn’t exactly count as sleep. And yesterday you didn’t so… Just… Just take care of yourself. Please.”

“And you’ll see to Henry in the meantime? What are you going to say to him?”

“I...” He felt whiplashed by the change of topic and how smoothly she’d gone from irritated to calm. He reached for his robe and stepped into his slippers. “I...” He sat on the foot of the bed. “I don’t know.” He fiddled with the belt. “But I do think this is a conversation we both need to have with him.”

“David, that’s not a good idea.”

He looked to the ceiling, frustrated. “He’s a kid. He shouldn’t get to call all the shots or dictate which of us he’ll speak to or cut you out just like that. We need to start setting some boundaries. We need to present a united front.”

She pushed off the bed and walked into the bathroom, muttering about Dr Hopper and suggestions and his intimate knowledge of their lives. The door closed. Her voice was muffled. David sighed and shook his head, releasing the belt of his robe from his tense fingers.

He knew she could still hear him. “Archie’s right, though. About this. We’ve let this go on too long as it is. And… I… I get why you’ve…” The bathroom went silent. David swallowed heavily over the emotion in his throat but continued. “I get why you’ve stepped back from Henry. I know it hurts you. What he says. I also know that you think you deserve it or that he’s right to some extent because of your mom but it… Regina, it still doesn’t give him the right to cut you out of his life or to run away. And that’s something we need to address before it gets out of hand. I just… I don’t want him to hurt you and I don’t want him to say something to you he’ll regret later, but at the same time, it’s not much better if you two just never speak again. You’re his mom and once this… this… Archie called it a ‘phase’. Once this phase is over, he’s going to… feel… really, really bad. If this goes on longer, you just… giving in and not speaking to him, then you’ll never really forgive yourself for it, but if we… if we try and speak and just… try you’ll both… you’ll be able to mend your relationship.”

He waited in silence for her to say something. Eventually, the door creaked open. She just stood there. Emotionless mask up. His shoulders dropped and hope diminished.

“The meeting’s in three hours. I have time. I can make breakfast.” The offer was hesitant. “If you’ll wake him.”

He nodded quickly, that hope coming back. “This’ll be good for us. You’ll see.”

He should have kept his mouth shut. Deputy David Nolan was going on less than ten hours of sleep for the past two days.  His son was missing again, and his wife was beyond stressed out. He'd had to talk her out of a panic attack this morning when they'd gone into Henry's room only to find it empty. “Regina, Regina, calm down,” he'd soothed, both hands on her head, forcing her to look at him. “Breathe, breathe. In,” he demonstrated, “and out,” then let it out slowly.

She'd copied him for a few moments then burst into tears with how it was her fault, how she should never have waited this long to tell him he was adopted. Although David agreed with that, had told her as much on several occasions, he couldn't repeat it then, couldn't hurt her like that. So, he held her as she broke down again, held her as his heart bled.

He calmed her down enough to go to work, promising to find their son and bring him home. He walked into the station, his shoulders weighing heavier with each step. He felt like a failure.

“Graham,” David called, “Henry ran off again. I think we should...”

He saw the woman from last night. Henry’s birth mother. She said her name was… Was… He tried to recall it. She noticed him at the same time and straightened noticeably. Emma, he remembered. He walked toward her. Emma Swan.

“Forgive my bluntness but what are you doing here?” He came closer, the thought just having struck him. “Do you know where Henry is?”

She shook her head regrettably. “Nope. Haven't seen him since I dropped him at your house.”

David looked at the bars. She had an alibi to back up that claim. Of course, being arrested your first night in a new place would count in this woman’s favour. Of course, it would. Not a great sign too. Wouldn’t do well to counter Regina’s initial distrust of her. He stepped away from the cell and spoke to Graham.

“Henry wasn't in his room this morning. I think I’m gonna-”

“Did you try his friends?”

He glanced at her. “He doesn't really have any.”

She gave him a look.

“He’s... Henry’s… The other kids, they don’t… He’s kind of a loner.”

“Every kid has friends,” she said thoughtfully. She shook away her sad look. Her eyes snapped up to his. “Did you check his computer? If he was close to someone, he'd be emailing them.”

David crossed his arms over his chest, eyes hard. “You wanna tell me how you know that? Were you two communicating before he found you?”

“Huh? What? No, God no,” she exclaimed. “I only met the kid last night. Look, finding people's what I do.” She glanced at Graham, eyes begging for help. “Here's an idea; how 'bout you guys let me out, and I'll help you find him.”

Regina quickly concealed a yawn as she entered her office. Eunice came in a moment later, blabbering on about the usual. She only half-listened to the words, knowing she would be going over her schedule for the day.

“Eunice,” she interrupted. Her fingers rubbed circles over her temples. Her head was splitting. “Could you get me some water and Advil please?”

It was the ‘please’ that threw her. Eunice set a folder down on the edge of her desk. “Someone’s oddly polite today,” she said snidely with pursed lips.

Oh, fuck off, you old bat. Regina kept her cool mask of professionalism up as she settled behind her desk and took out her laptop.

Eunice looked at her for a second longer. “Are you… feeling well, Madame Mayor?”

I wouldn’t have asked for an Advil if I were, she thought dryly.

“Of course. I’m sorry I asked.”

She realised she said that aloud. Regina looked up to apologize but Eunice was already gone. She returned two minutes later with a glass and a small container. She took it gratefully. “Thank you.”

Eunice sat down in one of the chairs across from her desk. “You’re beginning to concern me, Regina.”

“Henry ran away again.” She twisted the lid of the container off and took out two Advils. “David is out looking for him.” She swallowed them down with some water and handed the items back to Eunice.

Her eyes got wider. “Madame Mayor, I’m so sorry. I hadn’t realised- I can reschedule the meeting if you’d rather not… or I can just clear your schedule and-”

“No. No. That’s alright.” She tried a smile, but it felt more like a grimace. “Let’s just… get this over with.”

Her stomach grumbled but the idea of food was enough for the nausea to kick in. She decided to eat after the meeting.

Henry's room was big and clearly decorated by an imaginative and creative little boy. There was a bookshelf filled out with collector pieces and classics like Oliver Twist and David Copperfield. The top shelf held only comics and a few action figures. Model aeroplanes hung from the ceiling. There were drawings and post-it notes up on the walls by his computer.

She walked over to the desk and saw an open sketchbook. Emma looked at the open page. David noticed her interest. She was about to back off and head straight to the computer, but he softened.

“I don’t know where he gets his talent from. Um I mean- I guess neither of us is creatively inclined so his interest in art wasn’t something we expected.” He looked awkward now. “Did you ever uh… was it your thing? Or is it just something wholly Henry?”

Emma looked back at the sketchbook. The desk was littered with little papers and pencils out of its jar, oil pastels neatly packed at the top corner. Colouring pencils. Pens. Markers. Her kid self was green with envy. She shut the book slowly and looked away from it to the computer.

“Let me see what I can find on this thing.” She settled in and booted it up. It took a few minutes. It was an old model.

David seemed embarrassed by this. “It’s just for the meantime. You know projects and stuff for school that have to be typed out. We promised him an upgrade by the time he got to high school.”

She gave a mildly interested hum and focused her attention back on the screen, unsure of why he was telling her all of this. She went for the basics first. Emails. “Smart kid. Cleared his inbox. But I’m smart too.” She pulled out a USB. “A little hard disk recovery utility I like to use.”

“I'm a bit more old-fashioned in my techniques,” David said. “Pounding the pavement, knocking on doors, that sort of thing.”

“You're on salary. I get paid for delivery. Pounding pavement’s not a luxury I get.” He laughed lightly. “Ah, there's a receipt for a website. Whosyourmomma.org....” she read slowly. “It's expensive. He has a credit card?”

He scoffed. “No, of course not. He's nine.”

“Right,” she sighed under her breath. Thank God, he wasn’t that well off. Kids in those situations usually turned out to be entitled jerks. “Well, he used one.” She began typing. “Let's pull up a transaction record. Mary-Margaret Blanchard,” she read. “Who's Mary-Margaret Blanchard?”

David leaned forward and read the information on the screen. “His homeroom teacher. This is insane. How did he even… Wait, did she give him her card?”

Emma glanced at the screen. It most certainly looked like it. “That’s one possibility.” The other was that he stole it.

His phone rang. He checked the screen and quickly excused himself. He answered it. “Hey Reg.” There was a short pause and then, “Kathryn? Wait, Kathryn, slow down. What happened?”

Emma looked away from the door. She shoved down the urge to listen in and instead tried to pry some more information from the computer.

“WHAT?”

She jumped in her seat.

“No, no, no, no, no...”

David started pacing outside, dreadful anxious pacing. He walked some distance, but this was a huge and silent house. She could hear everything if she strained her ears. Which she did.

“Let me speak to her.”

The person on the other line spoke.

“Oh, God... Is she alright?” He asked, his voice filled with panic. “I am calm,” he gritted out. “What the hell does that have to do with anything?” A pause. “No, I haven't found him yet.” Another pause. “What do you mean she won’t… Kathryn, are you serious? No, that’s… No, I’m not… I’m coming through. Tell her I'm coming.” A third pause, this one longer. His voice turned to ice. “Fine.”

A few tense seconds passed before something shattered against a nearby wall. He came back into the room a few moments later. Emma assumed the object in question was his phone by the lack of it in his hand. She didn’t even try to hide the fact that she was eavesdropping.

“Is there a problem?” She asked cautiously.

David stopped abruptly like he’d forgotten she was here. “I- yes. Um… that was my sister, Kathryn. She’s with Regina. They’re at the hospital.” He was shaken up. He sat heavily on Henry’s bed and distractedly lifted a discarded action figure. “Something happened at her office. She... She fell. Her doctor's worried. She wants to keep her overnight to monitor her, make sure nothing's wrong with her or the baby.”

“Wait, hold up, she’s pregnant?”

“Henry didn’t tell you?” He asked, surprised.

Emma leaned back in the chair, trying to find any sign of this big news in her encounter with the woman the previous day. She thought of, “Your Henry's birth mother?” and how the mayor’s hand rested on her stomach for the briefest of seconds. How she completely side-stepped the cider after Emma declined a glass. Her vagueness about the ‘recent tension at home’ during their conversation. Small, tell-tale signs Emma had completely missed.

“No. He didn’t tell me.”

David nodded to himself. His gaze dropped to the action figure. Hulk.

“It’s… Well, I… It may not be the full reason but as he’s being tight-lipped, I’ve had to draw my own conclusions based on what I’ve seen. Shortly after we told him about the baby, they stopped speaking. It was gradual, you know? Not like one day we just woke up and there was this huge hulking ice wall between them. It happened gradually. I… I didn’t notice until… until…”

He took a deep breath, let it out slowly and regained his composure. He glanced up for a moment then awkwardly cleared his throat and stood up, placing Hulk back on the shelf.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to… to say all of that. I…” He trailed off with a heavy sigh.

Emma tried to be sympathetic. “I guess you’re going to the hospital then? I can take up this lead if you want. See what I can get out of his teacher in the meantime.”

He shook his head. “I can’t. Regina refuses to see me until I find Henry.” He looked at the computer screen. “Find anything else?”

She shook her head. He sighed. She turned off the computer and politely ignored the phone lying broken on the stairs.

“How far along is she?” Emma asked curiously once they were seated in the cruiser.

“Five months.”

“Five months! But you can hardly tell.”

He laughed lightly. “Yeah. Her doctor’s worried about that too. The election caused a lot of stress and since she’s been in office… It’s a bit much right now.”

She looked over at him, his hands on the steering wheel, the tension in his shoulders and arms, how he kept his eyes firmly on the road. There was this anxious buzzing energy coming from him. Emma really felt for the guy. This sucked. Okay maybe ‘sucked’ was an oversimplification but it was still true.

“Deputy Nolan! How nice to see you-”

“Do you mind if we skip the pleasantries, Ms Blanchard?”

He didn’t mean to be that blunt but the sooner they found Henry, the sooner he could see his wife, the sooner he could make sure she was okay. But even though he had a reason, his tone surprised him too. He could hear Regina in his mind, that surprised yet impressed sound she’d make when there was a plot twist she hadn’t anticipated on those crime documentaries they watched together. Her impressed eyebrow raise and: Well done, Nolan.

“Oh- uh- yes, of course, of course.” She nodded quickly. “What’s…” She glanced at Emma. “Is something wrong?”

He took a breath. “Do you know where my son is?”

“Henry? No, I assumed he was home with you.”

I wouldn’t be here if he was. “He’s not.” It came out harsher than intended. David softened his tone. “He wasn’t in his room this morning. He ran away.”

A shocked, “Again?” was the only thing Ms Blanchard could offer.

He nodded. “Yeah. Again.” He glanced over his shoulder. “You didn’t give him your credit card so he could find her, did you?” The question was so ridiculous he could barely say it, but it needed to be asked. He gestured to the doorway where Emma stood.

Ms Blanchard looked at her. “I'm- I'm sorry, who are you?”

“She's Henry’s birth mother. He tracked her down to Boston. It’s where he ran off to yesterday. There’s this site he used to find her, and your name’s listed on the bill.”

“W-What?” Ms Blanchard blanched.

“He used your credit card to find her.”

Emma came closer. “You don't know anything about this, do you?”

“No. No, I- No, unfortunately not.” She shook her head sympathetically and rushed to her desk. She lifted her purse and looked through it. Her anxious searching stopped the moment she opened her wallet. “Clever boy,” she breathed. “I should never have given him that book.”

“No,” David agreed. “You really shouldn't have.”

Emma's bows hit her hairline. “You gave him the book?” she asked dumbly. She looked between them. “And you knew? But...”

“Regina doesn't.”

“Didn't,” she corrected with a slight cringe.

What? His head snapped to her. “What?”

“It might have sort of come up last night.”

“Oh god…” He wiped a hand over his face. “How much did you tell her?”

She held up her hands. “Just what the kid told me which wasn’t much in the first place.” She lowered her hands, now looking at him with a calculating expression. “If you knew, why didn’t you tell her about it?”

“I-”

It was Archie’s advice. Something about giving Regina and Henry the necessary time and space to work things out between themselves, not to interfere too much with the repair of their relationship, only to guide and help. Something more about not breaking Henry’s trust. Henry who had come from school with that book three months ago, who slowly lost himself in those stories, who took them to heart and refused to see anything else. Archie said something about his reality being fragile and that the fact he had chosen to tell David about ‘the curse’ at all was a huge show of faith and trust and something that shouldn’t be broken so easily. Henry who shut down when David suggested talking to Regina about the book and the curse and the fairy tales he chose to accept as truth. Henry who insisted upon secrecy. Henry who called his mother evil and refused to speak to her. And Archie whose advice he had never once doubted up until that moment.

“I don’t have to explain myself to you,” he bit out angrily.

“It's just some old stories,” Ms Blanchard intervened, looking at Emma. “Henry is a special boy: so smart, so creative, and…” She hesitated before saying, “lonely. He- He needed it.”

No. David shook his head. He couldn’t keep doing this. It had been months. It couldn’t go on any longer. The book might have been good in the beginning, a nice little escape but it had been months now. He didn’t need any more indulging or fairy tales. He needed a dose of reality. He couldn’t just up and leave whenever he felt like it. He couldn’t just say and do whatever he pleased, carelessly hurting his own mother in the process. He needed- David took a deep steadying breath. He needed to calm down if he wanted to find Henry.

“Thank you for your help, Ms Blanchard.” He looked at Emma. “Maybe we should try Granny’s. He may have ended up there or perhaps someone saw him.”

“He mentioned something about a clock tower last night. Maybe we should try there as well.”

“Have you checked his castle?” Ms Blanchard asked curiously.

The castle. Of course. Why hadn’t he thought of that? If he ended up anywhere it would be the castle.

“Castle?” Emma asked.

“You'll see.”

They left St. Meissa Elementary School and headed for the cruiser parked outside. “Hey, do you know where my bug is? We could cover a lot more ground if we split up.”

“Graham probably had it towed. I’ll dial Billy and ask him if the car’s at his shop.” He looked up at the flashing red and blue lights. Graham. Seeing he had their attention, he turned the lights off and went to them.

“Heard about Blanchard. Find anything?”

He shook his head. “He stole her card. She didn’t know a thing.”

“Troublesome little tyke,” Graham laughed. “He’ll be in a world of trouble when we find him. Nothing in the woods. Or at the hospital.”

“You were at the hospital?”

“Aye.” He nodded. “Ran into Kathryn. She says Regina’s doing fine. Lack of eating and stress was the diagnosis.”

He practically fell over in relief. “Thanks, Graham.”

He nodded. “Of course.”

Emma hopped from one foot to the other. “Hey um, we were gonna check Granny’s, the clocktower and then…” she looked at David, “his castle?” He nodded. “His castle.”

Graham caught on quick. “Granny’s is within walking distance of the clock tower. I’ll take that, head into town. You two take the castle.”

David was already pulling open his door. “Check-in in twenty?”

“Check-in in twenty.”

By the time Emma got into the car, David was ready to ride off. “Wait,” Graham called. He jogged to his car, opened his door and leaned in looking for something. He came back with Henry’s book. “Found this in your car last night. After you crashed into our sign.”

Emma took the book. “Yeah,” she laughed under her breath. “I noticed it on my seat and when I looked up again there was a wolf in the middle of the street. I swerved so I wouldn’t hit it and… What?”

David swallowed hard. “He forgot it in your car?” She nodded. “So… So… he might have left again to get it back. If he thinks you’re heading back to Boston, he could have left town already. He still has Ms Blanchard’s credit card.”

She froze next to him. Graham pushed from the cruiser. “Let’s search the town first. Check-in in twenty.”

David could only nod as he started the car.

David stared so hard Emma thought the windscreen would crack. He couldn’t seem to move, or even breathe properly, as he stared at Henry.

“Let me talk to him for a bit.”

He looked at her, eyes glazed but kind of confused too.

“I just mean that… you don’t look too great right now. I can buy you some time to… to cool off or whatever. That way you won’t end up saying or doing something you’ll regret.” He looked hesitant and almost distrustful. “I’m not gonna pull anything. You’ll be able to see me the whole time.” She looked at Henry. He still hadn’t noticed them. He just sat there. Staring ahead. “Just give me five minutes.”

David swallowed heavily and nodded a couple of times. “Okay. Five minutes.”

He reached for his pocket, patted it and upon finding it empty closed his eyes and muttered, “Shit,” under his breath. He grabbed the walkie-talkie with determination but the second he touched it seemed to forget what he was going to do. Emma got out of the car and closed the door gently. She really felt for the guy. All this was clearly getting to him.

Emma walked the short distance to the wooden playground, soft sand under her boots as she walked along the beach. Henry turned his head as she approached then looked back. She laughed under her breath. The kid had balls. She’d give him that.

“You left this in my car.” Emma climbed up the stairs and sat down next to him. His eyes were fixed ahead. She followed his gaze. The clock tower. “Still hasn't moved, huh?”

“No.” He shook his head disappointedly. “I was hoping that when I brought you back things would change here. That the final battle would begin.”

“I'm not fighting any battles, kid.”

“Yes, you are.” He looked at her. “You're here because it's your destiny. You're gonna bring back the happy endings.”

Emma was growing exasperated. “Can you cut it with the book crap?” She nearly asked. But it wasn’t her place so she didn’t. “Listen, kid, your dad’s in the car. Something… Something happened with your mom.”

He looked at her, mouth and eyebrows all scrunched up. He stared at her for a second then looked back at the clock tower. “It’s probably just a distraction. She needs him to focus on her or else he might finally start believing me about the curse.” He looked at the book in his hands, eyebrows furrowing further. He looked at her out the corner of his eye. “What… What hap- I mean I know it’s a trick, but what did she say happened? What’s the lie?”

“I don’t know the specifics, but she’s at the hospital and your dad isn’t taking it too great. So maybe don’t bring up the curse or the E word or any of that other crap. In other words, try not to be a dick about the whole thing.”

He looked at her disapprovingly. “I’m pretty sure grown-ups aren’t supposed to swear at kids.”

“I’m pretty sure you were supposed to be in school today yet here we are.”

He shrugged. “I needed to find you. To bring you back here.”

“Back?”

“Well, no, not back, just… You need to be here. To meet your parents. To break the curse. To save everyone. To… To save me.”

Her response caught in her throat. She was saved from speaking when David approached. He stopped in front of Henry, the two of them almost on eye level, and tried a smile.

“Hey, Dad.”

“You okay, bud?”

Henry nodded. “I’m fine.”

“Good.” His eyes flicked down to the book and then back up again. “We’re gonna talk about this later, but in the meantime... In the meantime, we uh… Mom’s in the hospital. We’re gonna go see her.”

Henry’s mouth snapped shut after Emma nudged him with her elbow. “Don’t be a dick,” she muttered, low enough for only him to hear. Henry glared a bit at her before nodding his acknowledgement.

David gave a weak smile in response and stuffed his hands in his jacket pockets. “Get down from there.”

Chapter Text

They’d dropped Emma off at the mechanic’s a few minutes ago. David decided this was as good a time as any to broach the topic. “You'll be staying with Aunt Kathryn and Uncle Jim tonight.” Emma had let him borrow her phone to make a few calls before they left the beach. He made arrangements with his sister then.

“Why?”

His lips quirked upward. You sound like your mom, he wanted to say, but any amusement he found in the similarity was gone when he glanced at Henry in the rear-view mirror.

“I don't want you alone at home,” he said simply. “Your mother's being kept at the hospital and I'm staying with her.”

“Why?”

He shot a warning look at him through the mirror.

Henry quickly backtracked. “I mean why's she at the hospital?”

Nice save. His lips drew into a grim line at Henry’s easy dismissal of the fact that his mother was hospitalized.

“You didn’t say earlier so I was just… asking.”

“The baby.” The rest of the drive was spent in silence. When he pulled up to the house, he turned in his seat and spoke to Henry. “Go grab your pyjamas and school uniform for tomorrow. We're going to the hospital first then you'll go home with Aunt Kathryn and Uncle Jim. I'll pick you up tomorrow after school.” His features softened. “That okay with you, bud?”

“It doesn’t really matter, does it?” His expression turned sour as he undid his seatbelt and unlocked the door. “I don’t have a choice anyway.”

The car door slammed closed after Henry got out. David scoffed to himself and leaned back in his seat. His eyes shut as the day’s stress caught up with him. He laid his head back and tried some of those deep breaths to calm himself. After a few minutes, Henry stomped out the front door and back to the car.

“There's my little...”

Henry stormed right past her, ripped his backpack off his shoulder and slid angrily into a seat in the waiting room, his face all scrunched up and angry. David was about to apologize for his behaviour when Kathryn walked toward him. Henry sat up straighter at her stern look.

“Hey,” she said, giving him a pointed look.

Regina called it her mom voice, said her time babysitting Henry would come in useful when she and Jim finally decided to give them a niece or nephew.

“That was rude and unnecessary.” He slumped again, now looking apologetic. “I know your parents taught you better manners than that.” She poked his side, unwillingly drawing a smile from him. “Now what do we say to the best charades partner we’ll ever have?”

He tried really hard not to smile. “I’m sorry, Aunt Kathryn.”

She nodded to herself. “I accept your apology, Henry.” She stood and patted his head. “You’re my favourite nephew in the whole world. We’re good.” She looked at David then at Henry. “I know you have a comic or colouring book somewhere in that bag of yours. Take it out and keep yourself busy while your dad and I talk.” He reached for his bag. “Don’t even think of leaving that seat. I’ll be watching you the whole time, Flight Risk.”

David let her guide him to the chairs near the vending machine. They could still see Henry from here.

“How bad is it?” He asked, tensing for the worst.

“Honestly, they’re both fine. Physically. But she’s… David, I’ve never seen her like before.”

“What exactly happened?”

Kathryn struggled to speak and took many breaths just trying to get some words out. “It happened after the council meeting. She seemed off during it. Well, to me. To everyone else she was just being herself, I guess. I was going to check on afterwards, but I got caught up with that dickwad Spencer. Eunice found her.” Her eyes welled up. “She fainted, hit her head on the coffee table, and when I- Eunice had begun screaming at that point. I got to her office she was there was blood. A lot of it. We thought… we thought she was miscarrying. It… It was so fucking scary. Especially when we got here and she woke up. You know how she is, she’s usually strong and confident, all arrogance and sharp words. David, I-I’ve never seen her like that before. So… so… small and scared. Fragile. It was… It was actually quite terrifying.”

He couldn’t breathe. It felt like he had spears for ribs, like one wrong breath would make them pierce his heart. “But is…”

“Medically speaking, she’s fine. They both are. Robertson’s calling it a miracle and though I don’t believe in God, I’m inclined to agree with her on this one. She and Whale ran like a dozen tests to be sure of it.”

Breathing became easier.

“They’re keeping her here though. For a week at most. Everything on her end at work, I’ll be taking care of. You just need to take care of her.”

David nodded. He glanced at Henry. “Are you sure you’ll be able to keep Henry-”

“Yes.”

“But I… I can’t expect you to take on everything at work and him. It’s-”

“Not an imposition. He’s my nephew, I love him, it’s not an imposition. Jim and I are fully capable of watching him for a few days.” Kathryn squeezed his hand. “Regina might be asleep already but…” She nodded to a hallway. “She asked for you earlier.”

His chest constricted. “She did?”

“A few minutes before you called saying you found Henry and were coming through, so you beat me to the phone.”

David stood and looked to the hallway. He turned to his sister and hugged her tight. “Thank you. For being here. For- For everything.”

“Of course,” she said, squeezing him and letting go. She nudged him towards the hallway. “The third door on the left.”

He walked to her room. David froze in the doorway. Her skin was paler than usual. The top left corner of her head was bruised under the hospital bandage. That hospital gown made his heart clench painfully. She looked like she was falling asleep when she finally noticed him. David swallowed and walked to the bed. Regina stared at him blankly through red half-lidded eyes. He sat down on the edge. He shakily raised a hand to her hair and looked at the bandage. The bruise wasn’t as bad as he imagined when Kathryn told him what happened and though she’d clearly been crying, her eyes weren’t dead as he’d feared. Her bottom lip started quivering. She pressed her lips together and turned her head away from him, eyes closed.

He cupped the back of her head and hugged her close. She breathed a soft cry onto his shoulder. “I’m sorry.”

His eyes shut. “You don’t have to apologize.”

“I should have listened to you. We… he… we could have lost him. I nearly… It’s my fault. I’m sorry. I-David I am so, so sorry.” The rest of her words were lost to sobs.

“It is not your fault.”

“I’m the one who’s carrying him. I’m supposed to protect him. I-”

“It’s not your fault,” he said firmer. “It’s not.”

He continued to hold her as she cried, and after when she’d finally managed to calm down. Her fingertips hesitantly brushed across the back of his neck. “Henry…” She swallowed uneasily and pulled back to look at him. “He’s not hurt, or anything is he?”

“No.” He shook his head. “He’s fine. He’s with Kathryn.” Her eyes were worried. “Regina, he’s fine, I promise.”

“You’re sure?”

“I’m sure.”

She breathed in relief and dropped her head back onto his shoulder. David held the back of her head, eyes closed, and breathing slowly. He looked between them, at her middle, at the thin dotted pattern of the white hospital gown.

Her eyes flicked down. “I… I don’t…”  She let out a broken sigh and shook her head. Her hand came over her stomach, the little barely-there bump, and she clutched at it, at him. “We could have… He could have…” She nearly started crying again but caught herself and only closed her eyes. “Dr Robertson assured me he was fine, that he is perfectly healthy all things considered, and I know I should feel relieved, but I don’t. I still feel terrified that something horrible is going to happen, that I’m going to lose him, that he’s hurt and… I can’t… I can’t…”

David quickly took her into his arms. These same fears had eaten away at him while he searched for Henry and had driven him half-mad.

“I'm scared too,” he whispered into her hair. “I thought… I thought I was going to lose you both.” She cried against his chest. “But I didn’t and the important thing to remember is that you’re both okay. You’re okay.” He pressed kisses against the side of her head, repeating those two words.

She pressed herself firmer against him, a physical reminder of how true those words were. David clung to that, to the fact that she was fine, that her being here, in his arms, living and breathing and whole, was proof that his fears weren’t going to come true.

He kissed her forehead and felt her begin to calm against him. He shut his eyes and just held her, just held her, and breathed. He shifted on the bed so that he could lift her into his lap. Her arms wrapped around him. Her cheek rested against his chest and his chin above her head.

They sat like that for a while, he supposed. So long he felt her breathing even out and thought her asleep, though he didn’t dare move, didn’t dare disturb her. He’d let her take solace in whichever form it came after today. He closed his eyes and nestled further against her, allowing his own fear to dissipate with every beat of her heart he could feel. Their little bubble of peace turned into a universe; one he didn't want to leave.

A voice popped it.

“Dad?”

David's eyes snapped open to the sound. Henry stood there, his eyes wide and slightly frightened. Regina wasn’t asleep. Or perhaps she had been. Either way, her eyes cracked open, and she turned her head to the doorway. A smile instantly appeared on her face.

“Henry.”

He took a step toward her then as if remembering he was supposed to hate her, stopped. “What happened?”

Her smile faltered at his hard question before it disappeared completely. “I fell at work,” she said softly. “Dr Robertson wants to keep me here to make sure everything’s okay.”

“For how long?”

“A week, maybe more, bud,” David answered.

Henry came over then. He stood at the foot of the bed and looked at them thoughtfully. “Did the baby get hurt?”

“No, sweetheart,” Regina answered quickly. “No, he’s not hurt. It’s…” She looked at David. He held her tighter. “It’s just a precaution.”

“Oh.” He seemed to want to say more but held himself back. “Aunt Kathryn told me to come to say goodbye cause we're leaving now.”

“You’re going home with Kathryn?”

Regina looked up at David as if to confirm what she was hearing.

“He’s staying with them for a few days,” he explained.

She frowned slightly at him then refocused on Henry. “Goodnight sweetheart. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“Yeah.” He turned to leave. “Bye.”

“Could... Could I get a hug?”

Henry hesitated.

Turn around, David thought pleadingly. He couldn’t take the thought of another night of reassurances. He couldn't take it anymore. The way each word he spoke hurt her, and how he either didn't notice or didn't care. David looked at Henry's back as if sheer willpower could make him do the right thing.

Henry turned around.

Regina quickly moved out of his embrace and crouched in front of their son. She pulled him into a tight hug that he didn't bother returning.

“I love you so much sweetheart.”

“Bye,” he said when she let go of him. He waited barely a second before he was out the door.

Regina’s eyes shut when the door closed, pain spreading over her face. She stood with a sigh and walked back to the bed. She sat down with a slight wince.

He adjusted the pillows behind her back. “Are you okay?”

“I'm fine.”  He helped her sit properly on the bed. She became irritated and swatted his hands away. “You don't have to stay here. You should go home with Henry. He needs one of us-”

He cut her off gently. “You need me right now.”

“I don’t understand why you’re making such a fuss.”

He laughed lightly. “Reg, he’ll be fine. It’s not his first school day morning with them. Kat knows what she’s doing, and Jim works at the school. They’ll be able to keep an eye on him. He’ll be fine.”

“He doesn’t need his gym teacher driving him to school,” she sighed, leaning back against her pillows tiredly. “Or his aunt babysitting him. He needs a parent. He needs one of us.”

He slouched forward in the chair and wiped a hand over his face tiredly. “Regina-”

“Can you stop speaking to me like I’m making some ridiculous request,” she snapped. “I need to be sure he’s okay. I need him to be okay. You know he won’t open up to me about that. He’ll only speak to you. So, I’m asking… I’m just asking you to check on him tomorrow morning before school.”

“Babe-”

“No, if you insist on spending the night here instead of at home with our son, then I’m insisting you-”

“Okay, okay, fine.” He threw up his hands. “I’ll stop by their house in the morning before he leaves for school.”

A look of mild pain came over her features. “Thank you.”

“Hey, hey, what’s wrong?” He stood from the chair quickly and walked to her. “Reg?”

She swallowed hard and nodded. “I’m fine.”

“Do you want me to get a nurse?”

“I said I’m fine.”

He watched her warily.

Sensing his eyes, she quickly changed tactics. “If you want to make yourself useful, I am hungry.”

He wanted to tell her to give him more credit than to think he would fall for that but decided to go along with it. She needed to eat after all. He shook his head at her and withdrew his keys from his pocket. “Lunch from Granny’s?”

“Anything’s better than what they’re trying to pass off as food here.”

He laughed under his breath. “You want your usual?”

Her eyes closed. Pain again. “Yes,” she said distractedly.

“Okay, I’ll be back in a few.” He pressed a kiss to her awaiting cheek and left. On his way out he spoke to a nurse.

David adjusted his hold on the takeout bag. He nodded to Whale when he saw him exit Regina’s room. Whale’s lips pressed into a thin line as he nodded back. Regina was typing on her phone when he arrived. She looked to be in deep thought.

“What did Whale say?” He asked as he unpacked the contents of the takeout bag on the food tray.

She looked up from the phone briefly, continued typing, then set it down and turned her full attention to him. “He wrote out a prescription. Um…” She touched her head and laid back. “Um… I don’t remember the name of it. It’s something to speed up his growth in case he comes early. They want his lungs to at least be fully developed.” She blinked a few times and tried to keep her eyes open. “Fighting chance and all.”

He hated that odd tone of detachment and came over to brush some hair from her face. She leaned into his hand. “You sound tired.”

“Hmm. I think I am. Oh, I was not amused by the nurse you sent in here to babysit me, but I am-” she yawned- “tired. So… you’re… David, I’m going to take a nap.”

He stroked her cheek. “Maybe you should eat something first.”

“Can I do that later?”

“Nuh-uh.” He helped her sit up. “You didn’t even have breakfast this morning. Come on. Food first.”

She sat up begrudgingly and wiped at her eyes. “Fine. Food first.”

He handed her a takeout box and a plastic-wrapped fork. She ate silently and slowly, nearly falling asleep between bites.

“Sleepy?”

She gave a hollow hum, blinked heavily and continued eating. They ate in silence, him on the chair, her in the bed, just the sound of their chewing to keep them company as he settled his thoughts and tried to calm himself. She placed the box on the small bedside table.

David placed his container next to hers and moved the chair closer to the bed. He didn’t know what to say to comfort her and let out a long sigh as he flitted through phrases in his mind. Each sounded emptier than the last. He took her hands and gently laid a kiss on each palm. He hated this. He wanted to help her but didn’t know how to.

“Can I hold you?”

She nodded quickly. “Please.”

He moved onto the bed, laid on his side and wrapped an arm around her, keeping her back firmly pressed against his chest.

Chapter Text

“He’s not…” Kathryn stopped to yawn into her hand. “None of us are even awake yet. Why are you at my door at seven in the morning? It’s early.”

“I know,” he sighed. “I couldn’t really sleep and well Regina wanted me to check on him before school, so I figured I’d-”

“Wake me up and try to have a coherent conversation before I’ve had coffee?” She gave him a look. “Come inside so I can make sense of what you’re saying.”

David laughed. “Yeah, okay.” He closed the door behind him as he entered. He followed her into the kitchen, silently waiting out the coffee machine. He thrummed his fingers on the countertop and took a seat. When he looked back up, she was watching him with gentle eyes, lips pressed together in something of a comforting smile.

“How’s Regina?” she asked softly.

“Not great.”

The coffee machine made a sound. She turned to it and sat next to him a minute later with a mug for each of them. After the first sip, her blue eyes sharpened. She gave him a look, encouraging him to speak. David set both hands around the steaming mug and looked into it.

“I get why she’s scared. I feel it too. But it- I… I’m more worried about what she’s going to do, how she’s going to deal with it. We have different… We’re different. We have different outlooks on- on everything, really. Like complete opposites actually.”

She nodded. “Sunshine and thunderclouds.”

“Which one am I?”

Kathryn bumped him with her shoulder. “And you’re scared that that’s going to cause problems between you with what happened yesterday?”

“I…” He shrugged helplessly. “I guess. I mean… Yesterday was terrifying but…” He winced. “But nothing came of it,” he said like a guilty admission filled with relief. “I mean with time, I’ll get… It’ll just be something of the past, but Regina… she’ll refuse to talk about it and let it fester until… until something ugly comes from it and she won’t take me seriously if I bring up Archie, so I don’t know what to do. I don’t know how to help her.”

Her face pulled in sympathy, and she placed an arm over his shoulders, pulling him into her side. He sniffed against her shoulder.

“Oh, gross, don’t get snot on me. Only your kids can get away with that.” She playfully shoved him off her. David laughed lightly.

A scuffle came from the guest room – which was really just Henry’s room since he stayed over like every other weekend and at least a few weeks every summer – effectively breaking their moment.

“Everything okay, Hen?” Kathryn called.  It was silent for the next few seconds. She moved toward the room. “Henry, honey, you okay?”

“Yeah,” he called out. “Yeah. Yes, Aunt Kathryn. I just… I-I-I’m fine. I just… f-fell. Out of bed.”

“Your dad’s here, come out in a few minutes, okay?”

“Okay.”

David turned to her with a questioning look. She shrugged. “He just woke up. His lies will be better by noon.”

He laughed under his breath and turned away from the room. “Did he behave?”

“He’s always on his best behaviour here.”

“Well, you always treat him to dessert when he’s over.”

They shared a laugh. Things turned quiet as she looked at the door. She chewed on her bottom lip in thought.

“He seemed upset. I think everything only hit after we left the hospital. I tried to talk to him last night, but he just clammed up. It’s good you’re here, checking up on him.”

He hummed in a noncommitting manner. Kathryn went back to sipping her coffee. They waited for Henry. His door creaked open, and he walked into the kitchen with his hair all mussed up and sticking out at weird angles.

“Morning Dad, morning Aunt Kathryn.” He went straight for the fridge to pour himself a glass of orange juice. He yawned widely and overpoured the OJ. “Oh shoot. Sorry!”

Kathryn came over and helped him to wipe it up. “It’s okay.” She rubbed his head and put the juice back in the fridge. “I’m gonna go wake Uncle Jim, get him to make us crêpes.” She looked at David. “You can take a plate for Regina. I know how she is about hospital food.”

“Thanks.”

Henry took up Kathryn’s seat after she left, cautiously sipping the juice just over the rim before he moved the glass toward him. David looked at him for a second and immediately his gaze locked on hazel eyes, hazel puppy dog eyes that always, always melted his heart.

“Morning, bud. Did you sleep well?”

“Yeah.” He nodded, mouth scrunching up. “Uh Dad?”

“Hmm?”

“I… I’m sorry about yesterday. I didn’t-  I didn’t mean to be… I’m sorry. For running away. Twice.”

He sighed heavily and shook his head. “Henry, this isn’t okay. You have no idea how worried we were. Your mother and I searched everywhere for you, and then to find out you went to Boston, after stealing your teacher’s credit card, might I add, we were worried sick. You could have gotten seriously hurt. Or worse.” Henry looked down. “And then to leave again yesterday morning… That was not… You have no idea the amount of stress you caused us. Your mom’s in the hospital for-”

“It’s not my fault she fell!”

“I never said it was,” he soothed quickly. “I’m saying the stress of your disappearance combined with everything that’s been happening with her work… She hasn’t been taking care of herself properly and all of this is not good for her or your brother.”

Henry slumped in his seat with a hateful look on his face. “You’re blaming me.”

“Hen…” David sighed. “I am not blaming you. But we’re not going to continue to brush over your actions and how it affects us. We’re not going to keep pushing this under the rug. This is something we are going to talk about once your mom’s home and there will be consequences for this little stunt.”

“What like making me stay with Aunt Kathryn? Like taking my key away? You’re kicking me out of my own house! You’re blaming me for something I didn’t do! It’s not like I pushed her!” Henry shot off his seat. “Don’t you see what she’s doing? She only did this so you would focus on her and not listen to me. This is all so you won’t believe me. This is all part of her plan, her curse! This is all-”

“Henry, that’s enough.” He tried to defuse the situation, coming closer to try and calm him down.

“No!” He wrenched away from his touch. “You’re cursed!” He yelled. “She cursed you! Why can’t you see that? Why can’t you believe me? This is- none of this is real! It’s all fake. She’s evil, she’s dangerous, we need to-”

“HENRY.”

He flinched and David immediately regretted raising his voice at him.

“Henry,” he said softer, reaching for him.

He stepped back fearfully, shaking his head. “It’s too late,” he whispered. “The curse’s hold is too strong on you.”

“Henry…” He looked at his son helplessly. “You can’t possibly believe that I’m a… a… that your mom and I are characters from a book.” He was pleading now, pleading with him to listen to reason.

“You are!” His voice filled with desperation. “You’re Prince Charming and she’s the Evil Queen.”

“You can’t keep calling her that, Henry. It hurts her. She’s your mom.”

“No, she isn’t! Stop saying that. Emma is my mom. Regina is just some woman who-”

“Who what? Just some woman who adopted you? Who’s raising you? Who took you in when you were only three weeks old and has loved and continues to love you more than her own life?” His throat burned. “If she’s not your mom because she didn’t give birth to you… then… what am I?” He knelt in front of him and gripped his arms desperately. “Who am I to you, Henry?”

His eyes were welling up. David thought he might be getting through to him and dared to hope for a moment.

“She’s not my mom.” Henry shook his head furiously. “She’s not my mom.”

“Henry, how can you-”

“She’s not! She just isn’t. Regina’s the Evil Queen and-”

“Oh, come on!” He snapped. “You actually believe that?” He stood angrily. “You actually believe in this whole curse thing? This- this- this- this fairy tale bullshit?” Henry flinched. “This is insane. You’re willing to cut off your own mother for some stories?”

“She’s not my mother.”

“She’s not...” He shook his head, unable to even complete that ridiculous sentence. His laugh was almost shrill. “Then who is? That woman you brought here? The one who threw-” His eyes widened at what he would have said, at the hurt in Henry’s eyes. “Hen-”

He ducked under his arm and ran out of the kitchen. David winced when his door slammed closed. He wiped a hand over his face and fell onto his seat again. That’s how Kathryn found him, sitting in her kitchen, just holding his face in his hands. She touched his shoulder.

“David?”

He looked up. He felt sick, like he was going to throw up. “Kathryn…”

She looked at him sympathetically. “You reacted to an overwhelming situation. You raised your voice at him. That doesn’t make you a bad person.”

“What I almost said to him…” He shook his head. “I don’t want to be like him. I promised myself I would never be like him. I-”

“You’re not. No, David, look at me.” She held his chin and made him look her in the eyes. “You’re not him. Dad was an abusive alcoholic who got his thrills out of emotionally manipulating and abusing Mom for decades. You’re not that. You’re the furthest thing from that.” She held his face firmer. “The furthest thing.”

He shook his head and wiped at his eyes, fingers coming away wet. “Kat.”

“We’d have been lucky if he was anything like you. Stop beating yourself up. Look,” she said firmly. “Everything isn’t going to be solved today. Take a deep breath, try to calm down, say goodbye to Henry before you leave, then go to the hospital and talk to your wife about how you’re going to deal with all of this.”

He wiped at his eyes and nodded. “Shit.” He dropped his head onto the counter in front of him. “Kathryn, I am so, so sorry. I just barged in here and completely disrupted your morning. I didn’t even call first.”

“You’re my brother,” she said gently as if that excused all of it. She rubbed his shoulder, sort of rousing him to sit up. “Now, come on. Finish that coffee and get out of here so I can see to Henry without worrying about another explosion.”

“Kathryn, I am so-”

“Honestly, David, if you apologize one more time, I’m going to make an ‘I’m sorry jar’ that you’ll have to put a dollar in whenever you say those words.”

Chapter Text

“Emma!”

She’d just stepped out of Granny’s. “Hey, kid.” He crossed the street with a little jog and slammed into her with a hug. “You’re not stalking me, are you?”

He grinned up at her. “You stayed.”

She wanted to leave last night but her car was still in the shop. She’d slammed it pretty hard into the town sign. Her smile kinda froze in place as she looked at the man coming toward him.

“You nearly gave me a heart attack running off like that,” he said to Henry. “Seriously, kid, your mom would have skinned me alive.”

Henry looked sheepish. “Sorry.”

Emma nudged him, indicating to the guy with her eyes.

“Oh! Emma this is my uncle, Jim. Uncle Jim this is my birth mom, Emma.”

“Ah. Emma.” He offered his hand to her. “From Boston, right?”

“Uh yeah.” She shook his hand. “You’re his uncle?”

Jim nodded. “Yeah. I’m ma…” He squinted slightly and made a weird face. “I’m with Kathryn.”

“Kathryn?”

“David’s sister.”

“Oh, right. Kathryn. Yeah. Sorry, I didn’t- didn’t realise she was… yeah, okay. Jim. Nice to meet you.”

He laughed a bit. “You too.”

“What made you stay in town?” Henry asked excitedly.

She looked away from the hopeful boy for a moment. “Don't you have school?”

“He does,” Jim answered, giving him a pointed look as he dropped an arm over his shoulders. “We were heading there.”

“You should walk with us,” Henry suggested.

“I…” Her eyes darted to Jim.

He seemed unphased by the request and shrugged. “It’s like a ten-minute walk. You two could talk in the meantime. I’m sure you have some questions you’ve been dying to ask your birth mom,” he said to Henry.

He nodded eagerly. “A few.”

“No pressure or anything,” Jim added quickly.

“No, it’s fine, I’ll walk with you.”

Henry yessed loudly and tugged her hand in the direction his school was. Jim kept a few feet behind them, close enough to rush over if anything happened and far enough for the pretence of privacy.

“Hey, kid, how's your mom?” She asked, remembering what had happened.

“Um... okay. I think. She’s still at the hospital. That’s not really important, right now. We need to talk about the Curse and figure out how-”

“Whoa, what is the deal with you and your mom?”

He groaned. “It's not about her, it's about her Curse. We have to break it,” he said animatedly. “Luckily… I have a plan. Step one: Identification. I’m calling it Operation Cobra.”

“Kid, wha- cobra? That has nothing to do with fairy tales.”

“Exactly!” His smile grew wider. “It's a code name. It'll throw the Evil Queen off our trail.”

She nodded along. “So, everyone here is a fairy tale character, they just don't know it.”  Was this a metaphor or something?

“Yep. That's the Curse. Time’s a bit loopy too.”

“Of course, it is.” She sighed. “So, if your mom's the Queen-”

“Evil Queen.”

“The Evil Queen,” she conceded with an eye roll. “Who's your dad then? The Huntsman?”

“No, that’s Sheriff Humbert. Graham. Dad’s…” Henry's smile dropped. He stopped walking and just looked at her as if deciding whether she could be trusted. She found that odd after everything he'd shared with her so far. He looked as if he’d just reached that same conclusion. “Well, he’s not really my dad. He's yours. He's Prince Charming.” Emma almost laughed. His seriousness stopped her. “It was part of Regina’s revenge against Snow White. She cursed him to be married to her. To destroy their happiness and hurt Snow Wh-”

“So…” Emma cut in quickly, sure she was going to have a stroke if she listened to this crap any longer. “My dad is married to your mom? Wouldn't we be step-siblings, then?” She hoped this would poke a hole into his little theory. It didn’t.

Henry made a face. “No. They’re not really married. It's just the Curse. Besides you're my mom, not her. So that would make David… My grandfather,” he realised, a whisper of horror.

She looked at Jim over her shoulder. He looked away quickly. He’d been listening. Oh, they were so going to talk after this. She had to hear his thoughts on… Wow, this kid was... Wow. Henry started walking again. She took that as her cue to follow him.

“Okay... Um, uh, alright. I guess.” She tried another weak point. “What about their pasts? If people were cursed, you’d think they’d remember it.”

He perked up, glad for the distraction from his realisation. “Like I said, time’s loopy here. Up until a few months ago if you asked anybody anything about their pasts, they wouldn’t be able to give you an answer. Everyone’s memories were hazy, like they couldn’t remember.”

“Until a few months ago, you say?”

“Yep.”

Oh, how convenient. “And now? What, people just suddenly have entire lives worth of memories?”

“No. Yes. Kinda? Honestly, I don’t really know how it works, but based on the people around me, the curse became more real recently. Like time started moving again, people talk about their pasts, bringing up memories in conversations, and just… the town seems more alive now than it ever has my entire life.”

“If time started moving again, doesn’t that mean the curse already broke?”

“No.” He groaned. He pointed back in the direction they came from. “See there? The clock tower. It’s still frozen. Time only seems like it’s moving now. It’s not moving yet. That’s why we need you.”

“Me?”

“Yeah. You. You’re the Saviour. You’re the daughter of Prince Charming and Snow White. You’re gonna break the curse. You’re gonna save everyone.”

“Kid,” she said slowly, sceptically. Boy, he had one hell of an imagination. “You know how all this sounds, right?”

All his enthusiasm disappeared. “You don’t believe me.”

Would lying to him or telling the truth be better? Henry decided for her.

“That’s okay. The hero never believes at first. If they did, it wouldn’t be a very good story.” He said that last bit like it was a secret. “But I have proof.” He brought his backpack in front of him and unzipped it. “I was going to try and show Dad the book again, try to convince him to read some of it. I thought it might trigger his memories but… that isn’t going to happen. He’s too deep under the curse.” He opened to the very last page. “Look. That’s you.”

She came closer and looked at the page. Jim looked too. It was a picture of a man placing a baby in a wardrobe. The baby was in a blanket with the name 'Emma' on it. She felt something cold at the base of her spine. Freaky. Freak coincidence. That’s all it was. Just a freakish coincidence. Still, that looked an awful lot like her blanket.

“See? Your mom is Snow White!”

She looked up from the book at him. “Kid...” She looked at Jim, indicating to Henry with her eyes. This was all a bit much. He nodded immediately and turned to him.

“Henry, come on we’re gonna be late. We should keep walking.” Jim tried to steer him forward.

He caught on quick enough. “I know you don’t believe me. I’m not asking you to. Not yet. Just read the book. Please.”

“I… okay.” She held it at her side as they walked. They reached the school only two minutes later.

“Come on, Hen, we gotta go. Say bye to Emma.”

He quickly hugged her. “Bye Emma.”

She tensed and hugged him back with one arm. “I’ll see you.”

“One more thing. Don’t let Regina find out you have the book. If she does, it will… it would be bad.”

“Sure thing, kid.”

He shot a quick smile and darted across the road to the school. Jim lingered. She turned to him with wide eyes.

“That was… Wow.”

He grimaced. “I know this is all probably a bit much, but Henry’s a good kid. A bit confused and...” He laughed. “Okay, so he talks like he’s bat shit crazy on a good day, but he means well. He’s… He’s going through a lot right now and has no idea how to deal with any of it.”

She couldn’t help but ask. “Is all this really about finding out he was adopted? Did it just start? There weren’t any signs before? Nothing? Really?”

He looked conflicted. “He was always a… a… a withdrawn kid. We all just kind of figured he was introverted or shy or whatever. He struggled with making friends after first grade, with… new experiences, people, that sort of thing. With Regina’s pregnancy, finding out…” He shook his head with an anxious laugh. “They only told him he was adopted after they told him about the baby and only because there was no way they could avoid his questions about it. Which is… just so colossally fucked up if you ask me.” He froze. “Which you didn’t. Shit. Shit, you’re his birth mother. I don’t think I’m even supposed to be talking to you, let alone telling you all of this.”

“I’m not gonna tell anyone.”

“I’ve gotta go. I have a class first period.”

“You teach?”

He shrugged. “Sort of. PE and soccer coach.”

“Oh.” He made to leave. “Wait.” She grabbed his arm. “Why’d you let me walk with you two?”

“Honestly? I thought he needed a win. He’s had a crap morning.” He stepped out of her arm. “Maybe stop by at like two-thirty. You could walk back with us. He might share Step 2 of Operation Cobra. Dunno about you but I desperately want to know if he thought about this thing any further than ‘Identification’.”

She scoffed a laugh and watched him cross the street.

Henry was in math class. He was in math class. Doing math. Only he couldn’t focus on math because his teacher was Snow fricken White and she was cursed and she was Emma’s mom. Which meant she was his grandmother. Which meant David was his grandfather. David was his grandfather. His dad was also his grandfather. That was soooooooo messed up. Henry was so confused and weirded out that he just wanted to scream or cry or both. He couldn’t do either because he was in math class. They were supposed to be learning about long division. He tried to focus on the lesson. Long division made no sense. Carry over the remainder? What did that even mean? Why did he have to learn about it if he’d have no use for it after the curse broke? They were all just gonna go back to the enchanted forest afterwards anyway. Why did he have to learn math?

Henry got excited just thinking about the Enchanted Forest. Snow White and Prince Charming were technically king and queen of their kingdom. Which meant Emma was a princess. Which meant… OMG. After the curse broke, he was gonna be a prince. He’d have a sword and a horse and get to fight dragons. He’d live in the Enchanted Forest. In a world with magic. There would be fairies and ogres and trolls and pixies. Wait, were pixies even real? If they were, are they different from fairies? His eyebrows scrunched up. Was Tinkerbell a fairy or a pixie? In Peter Pan’s movie did she use fairy dust or pixie dust? Did she-

“Henry.”

He startled and looked up. His eyes went wide. The whole class was looking at him. “Y-yes, Ms Blanchard?”

She gave him a patient smile. “Think you could try it out?”

Huh? She stepped to the side and held out a piece of chalk for him. Henry looked at the board. There was blank space under the sum she’d written at the top. “I- uh- no thanks.”

There were a couple of laughs from the class. Some kids looked to Ms Blanchard and then back to him. 

“Henry, everyone has to participate in class.”

His cheeks started to burn. “I’ll do the next one. I don’t know how to do that one.”

She shook her head slightly. “That’s the point of doing the sum up here. If you get stuck, your classmates will help you out.” She looked around the class. “Won’t you?”

There were a few nods and some shrugs. Paige gave him a small smile. Her friend, Miranda, looked at him like he was a weirdo. Henry felt like a weirdo.

“Come on, Henry.” Ms Blanchard waved him over with an encouraging smile.

He shook his head anxiously and slumped further into his seat.

“Ms Blanchard.” Paige raised her hand. “Can I go up instead?”

Ms Blanchard looked at Henry. He hid from his teacher’s surprised stare. Eventually, she gave up and sighed. She looked at Paige with a bright smile. “Yes, of course. Get on up here, Paige.”

Paige got up quickly and came to the front of the class. She took the chalk with a polite, “Thank you.”

“Henry,” Ms Blanchard called softly. “You’ll do the next one.”

He nodded quickly and turned his full attention to the board, trying to understand what Paige was writing. Okay. Okay. That kind of made sense. He could do that. When it was his turn, he went up quickly, wrote even quicker then went back to his seat before Ms Blanchard could say whether his answer was right or wrong.

It turned out both his answer and method were wrong.

Henry and Jim sat on the playground while Emma opted to stay on the ground. She doubted the wooden ‘castle’ would support all of them. Henry was ecstatic.

“So, thanks to me, we know who almost everyone in town is. Well, all the people in the book at least.” He took a notebook out of his back and opened it up. “I wrote it all down.” Emma turned to look. There were three pages of just names. Her eyebrows shot up.

“Emma, the book.”

She handed it over to him.

He took it and opened it to an illustration of Snow White and Prince Charming on their wedding day. “Okay, so this is where The Evil Queen announced that she was gonna cast the curse.” He pointed to each person. “Regina, Ms Blanchard, and da- David.” Henry looked put off by the correction but shook his head quickly and refocused on the meeting he’d insisted upon. “Regina's keeping them apart with the marriage. They're stuck without each other. We have to tell Ms Blanchard that we found her Prince Charming.”

“Kid,” Emma said, “telling someone their ‘soulmate’ is alive and out there is all well and good. But your dad is married. To your mom.” She never thought she'd have to explain to a child why breaking up their parents' marriage was a bad idea.

“He belongs with Snow White. She's his true love. Regina's only using him to get back at her. She doesn’t really love him. He’s miserable. You have to help me. We have to get them back together. To remember each other again. To remember you.”

Emma looked at Jim and sighed helplessly. She decided to just play along. “How do you intend to make that happen?”

“That's where you come in. I can't come up with all the ideas.”

Jim snorted. “So that’s step two, I take it? Convince your dad to leave your mom?”

“No, step two is gathering intel,” he said in a “duh” tone. “I already read the book and wrote down all my findings.” He tapped his notebook. “Emma, you have to read it next, see what you can find, then Uncle Jim, you can take it for a few days.”

“Okay, what am I looking for exactly?” Emma asked.

He gave her an exasperated look. “Anything about the curse. Hints on how to break it. Clues.”

“Wait, you don’t know how to break it?” Jim asked.

Henry huffed. “I figured the whole curse thing out all on my own. I need your help with this part.”

Emma nodded and took the book. “Okay. I’ll read through it. Got nothing else to do today.” Henry beamed at her. “Mind if I keep the notebook too? Might help with finding clues if I know who everyone is.”

He nodded eagerly. “Totally.”

Jim just smiled and shook his head at Henry. “I think we should be heading home, Hen. Unless you wanted to stop by the hospital to see your mom?”

“I uh I’ve got homework.”

Jim nodded to himself. “Okay. Figured it might be too soon.” He got off the playset. “Hey, maybe we should go pick up your bike,” he suggested as Henry zipped up his bag. “It’ll be quicker to bike here after school for Operation Cobra meetings than to walk.”

Henry lit up. “That’s an awesome idea.” He put his backpack over his shoulder and left the playground via the slide. “Can we go after this?”

“You wanna walk all the way from the beach to your house?”

He groaned. “I can’t believe you don’t have a car.”

He laughed and ruffled his hair. “See you, Emma.” He nodded to her. Henry waved goodbye.

She watched them walk off and looked at the book in her hands. This better be a good book.

Confused, she looked up at the knock on the door and was even more confused by who stood there.

“Mind if I come in?”

Regina put her bookmark in place, closed her novel and placed it down next to her. “Not at all,” she gestured her in and sat up straighter. “It was Emma, wasn’t it?”

“Uh yes.” She looked around, at the two chairs, considered them but didn’t move toward them.

Regina felt uncomfortably awkward as she watched her. “You can sit down.”

“I- okay, yeah.” She dragged a chair over and sat near the hospital bed. She gestured at her. “You um… Are you okay? David seemed pretty shaken up yesterday and nobody really told me anything since then.”

“You’re checking on me?”

She shrugged. “I guess. I mean you did raise my- the kid, so I kinda owe you.” Her concern was sincere. “Is everything okay?”

Regina looked at her a moment longer before finally answering. “A minor scare. I’m fine.”

“Henry said you were gonna be in here for a week.”

“I am.” She sat up straighter. “It’s just a precaution though.” She could see Emma wanted to ask something else, but she let it go. Regina frowned slightly. “Graham mentioned you hit our sign-”

“Yeah, sorry about that. Is there like damage costs I have to pay or something?”

“Maintenance and repair costs; it’ll come out of the town’s budget.” She waved away the offer. “Graham said you damaged your car. Did you walk here?”

“Yeah.” Emma nodded sheepishly. “I kinda needed to speak to you about something. I tried the station, but David wasn’t there, so I figured you’d both be here since… you know…” She gestured at her. She shook her head, cutting off her ramblings. “Anyway um I…” She laughed anxiously. “Henry asked me to stay for a little while.”

“He did?”

She nodded. “He’s… an interesting kid,” she said carefully. “I’d like to get to know him a little bit better. If that’s alright with you,” she added quickly.

Regina shook her head disbelievingly. To what end-

“I just… He sort of got in my head. You have to understand for years I’ve wondered whether I made the right choice giving him up. The type of people he ended up with.”

Regina grew defensive but didn’t have a moment to voice it as Emma rambled on.

“And then he shows up at my door, begging for help and… I had never known true terror until then. So, I packed a bag, dropped everything and drove like two or three hours to- to find out that he’s fine! That he has a roof over his head, regular meals, clothes in his own size.”

“That’s the bare minimum,” Regina muttered under her breath.

“He has two parents who, from what I saw yesterday, care a whole lot about him and each other. He has a family. He’s loved.” She looked at her disbelievingly. “This whole hating you thing… I can’t wrap my head around it. I… I can’t leave. Not yet. It will… I need to be… I need to understand this, to understand him.”

Dread settled in her stomach. “You’re staying in town.”

She looked up apologetically. “For a couple of days. A week at the most.”

“I-” She sighed. “I suppose trying to dissuade you would be pointless.”

Emma sighed ruefully. “I’m sure you’ll give it your best.”

Regina tiredly wiped a hand over her face. “Okay.” She picked up her phone. “You’ll need David and his sister’s contact information. Henry’s staying with her until I’m released. I’ll let her know you want to see him. You can sort…” She shook her head, hardly believing the words she was saying. “You can sort out the particulars with her.”

Regina held her hand out. Emma unlocked and handed over her phone without being told to. Regina typed her number into Emma’s phone, dialled it, then when her phone lit up promptly declined the call and added the number to her contacts. After doing so, she shared David and Kathryn’s details via text.

“Here.” She returned the phone.

Emma took it back, watching her curiously. “You’re a lot nicer than when we first spoke. Guess you can’t always trust first impressions.”

Regina thought back to their first conversation in her study and scoffed lightly. “When we first spoke, I was in shock and going on less than twelve hours of sleep for three days.” Emma’s eyebrows shot up. “Now I’m bored out of my mind and on pain medication that has yet to prove its effectiveness so you don’t have an accurate assumption of me yet, Ms Swan.” Pain flared in her abdomen when she tried to readjust herself on the bed. She made a sound and bit her tongue to silence it.

“I should get going. Check on my car.”

She hummed, still focused on the pain, her eyes still closed. She breathed in and out for a few moments then gently laid down. There. Better. She looked around the room. Emma had left. Good. Regina tensed, preparing to move slightly so that her head wouldn’t hurt from the angle from which she was currently lying in, and breathed in relief when she’d accomplished it.

“Are you experiencing some discomfort, Mayor Mills?”

Regina groaned at the nurse. “I am now.”

He laughed lightly. “Come on now, Mayor Mills. Standard hospital procedure.”

“Checking up on me every fifteen minutes is standard hospital procedure?”

“Have your pain meds kicked in yet?” He checked her IV.

“Yes,” she gritted out. “Now leave, Nurse Walsh.”

He looked at her with slightly narrowed eyes. “Are you sure?”

“Get. Out.”

He held his hands up in surrender, clipboard in one of them. “I’m just doing my job. Don’t shoot the messenger.”

Regina rolled her eyes and laid her head back down.

Chapter Text

Emma looked up in surprise. Someone knocked on her door. She left the book open on the bed and walked over to open it. Jim and Henry were on the other side.

“Hey, Emma,” Henry said brightly. He greeted her with a hug.

She caught on quick with the day before and hugged him back. “Hey, kid. Jim.” She laughed at what he was holding.

He shrugged helplessly. “I believe Regina’s exact words were ‘an official welcoming to town’ though she fell asleep like two seconds later so I can’t verify if it was a joke or…”

“No, she was serious,” Henry said, scowling at the basket of apples like it was a loaded gun. “Evil Queen, remember?”

“Well tell her I said thanks.” She took the basket from him and stepped back to let them into the room she was currently renting at Granny’s B&B. “I guess the nurses caught wind of me sneaking in there the other day. I’m kinda banned from the hospital.”

“Friends are allowed to visit. You could have just told them you were one,” Jim pointed out.

“You went to see my mom?”

Emma glanced over her shoulder at him and shrugged, playing it off. “I needed permission to hang out with you and she is still your parent so…”

“You could have just asked my dad,” he grumbled.

Jim mussed up his hair. “Hen, this isn’t an interrogation. This is the second official meeting of Operation Cobra.” His enthusiasm was believable.

“You weren’t even supposed to be in Operation Cobra,” Henry whined, pushing his hand off his hair.

“Ouch.”

Emma poked Henry’s sides and shooed him out of the room. “You said there’d be pancakes. Come on.”

He huffed and followed Jim out. Emma grabbed her key and phone from the drawer near the door. She looked at the basket of apples atop it and grabbed one before closing and locking the door behind her. She bit into the red apple as she locked the door, both hands occupied with the handle and key while the apple was secured to her mouth in an almost bite.

“Don’t eat that.”

She pulled the apple from her mouth after a large bite. “Huh?”

“The- Th- The apple- You… You ate it.”

She pocketed her room key and looked at the apple. “Yeah.” She gave him a strange look and took another bite. “It’s pretty good. These grow around here?” He nodded hesitantly and followed her as she started walking out. “Must be pretty popular.”

Jim shrugged. “It’s from Regina’s garden. She has one helluva green thumb.”

She looked at Henry. “The Evil Queen gardens?”

He ignored her in favour of running toward the front desk. “Hi, Granny.”

She peered at him over her glasses. “Good morning, Henry. What are you doing here this early? You didn’t come all this way to try and swindle yourself some free cocoa, did you?”

“I’m hanging out with my birth mom today. We’re gonna get breakfast before school.”

He stared up at her in pride and Emma felt herself smiling along with him despite the strain it caused her. Granny hummed in interest and looked up, acknowledging her with a look before her attention returned to Henry.

“Do your mom and dad know you’re here, Henry?”

“Yep.”

“You sure, boy? We don’t want another town-wide panic.”

“I’m keeping an eye on him,” Jim said, coming to the rescue.

Granny hummed. It was a noncommittal sound. It matched her expression. She looked at the three of them. “Well, enjoy your breakfast, you three.”

Emma walked on quickly. Jim too. They laughed once they made it to a booth. “Is she always that scary?”

“See!” Jim pointed to her and looked at Henry. “I’m not the only one who finds Granny scary.”

Henry rolled his eyes at them. “Granny’s not scary. You guys are just weird.” Emma and Jim shared an amused look. Henry shook his head and immediately changed the topic. “The Miner’s Day festival is next Tuesday. Since you’re gonna be here, Emma, you wanna go?”

She thought it over for a few seconds. There really would be no harm to it. “Sure.” He lit up easily enough. Like she’d just promised him the moon or something. “Just one question. What’s Miner’s Day?”

Ruby came over then. “What can I get you this morning?”

Henry looked up. “Three orders of chocolate chip pancakes and hot cocoa with cinnamon sprinkled on top.”

Ruby looked up at Emma and Jim who just nodded along to the order. She wrote it down. “I’ll be back with your cocoa in a few minutes.”

“Thank you, Ruby.” Henry smiled brightly at her then turned back to the table. “Miner’s Day,” he said, remembering her question. “It’s kinda weird to explain. I think it’s to commemorate… something...”

There were a few seconds of silence that she waited for him to fill. He didn’t.

“Sounds interesting.”

“No. It’s...” His face scrunched up. “The nuns used to exchange candles for coal from the miners. That’s what it’s supposed to… be about.” He finished unsurely.

“Coal? In Maine?”

“I don’t know the specifics. I’m nine, but only for another month,” he added quickly. “Uncle Jim?” He looked to him for help.

“Neither do I, Hen. I only go for the food.”

Henry sighed and looked at him like he was on thin ice. “Well, anyway, there’s food stalls and hot cocoa, some singers and bands. It’s really fun. The nuns sell candles, it’s their tradition, and Ms Blanchard always volunteers and since I’m in her class this year I figured I’d help out. You two could volunteer too then we could hang out during the day and maybe at the festival too?”

“You want me to volunteer to sell candles with the nuns?” Jim asked in a tone indicating he’d definitely prefer not to.

He gave him a look. “It’s for charity. Be a good samurai. No, wait, samumarai?”

“Samaritan,” Emma said.

“Suh-ma-ruh-tin,” Henry repeated. “Be a good samama… Never mind.”

Emma laughed at how adorably frustrated he was by getting tongue twisted. “Oh, what the hell. You’ve convinced me, kid, I’m in.”

Jim looked at her like she’d just betrayed him. “Emma…”

“Great.” Henry grinned and pulled a piece of paper from his pocket. He slid it across the table to her. “This is Ms Blanchard’s number. You should call her later and tell her you’re in. She’s in charge of new volunteers. She’s also looking for a roommate,” he tacked on after a second’s thought.

Emma frowned and looked at the messily written numbers on a torn piece of lined paper. “What are you up to, kid?”

He tried to bite down his smile. “Okay, so I figured it out. Remember when we were brainstorming on ways to get Prince Charming and Snow White back together?”

“I remember you mentioning it and coming up blank,” Jim said.

Henry blew a raspberry at him. “Well, I was thinking about it and Miner’s Day is the perfect occasion! I get the day off from school, Dad doesn’t go to work, and Regina does. She’ll be out of the hospital and back at work by then. She's gonna be at her office most of the day, then when the festival begins, the mayor has to give a speech and do some other stuff. That gives us the whole day to get Prince Charming and Snow White alone together. That’s why I volunteered. If you help too, we could ward off the other volunteers so that they end up alone together.” He looked very impressed with himself. “See?! It’s a fool proof plan!”

She thrummed her nails on the table. “Just one problem, kid.”

That burst his bubble. “What?”

“I’m not gonna help you orchestrate an affair.”

“What, why not?” He asked like he couldn’t actually see the problem.

Emma gaped at him. “Kid, you can’t be serious…”

He was.

“An affair would wreck your parents' marriage.”

He rolled his eyes and let out a frustrated sigh. “We’re just trying to get them to talk to each other. Besides Dad and Regina aren’t really married. She’s just using him-”

“To get back at Snow White because she’s the Evil Queen and he’s Prince Charming and she’s hell-bent on vengeance.” Henry flashed a smile at her, clearly happy that she remembered his theory. “Although, if it’s not a real marriage you should have nothing to worry about. Right?”

He wanted to argue her point, she could see it, but he couldn’t. Instead, he just opened and closed his mouth a few times. Ruby came over with their hot cocoa.

“Thanks, Rubes,” Jim said, taking his.

She winked at him and walked away. Emma glanced at Jim to see his reaction, but he was already sipping from his mug, oblivious to the extra sway of her hips.

“No.”

Emma looked to Henry mid-sip. “What?”

“You’re wrong. He thinks it’s real. My dad thinks it’s real! He thinks he loves her. Which is why he can’t remember Snow White. If we can get him to fall in love with Ms Blanchard then he’ll realise their marriage is fake and that she’s evil and maybe he’ll get his memories back. He can tell us how to break her curse!” His excitement was back in full force now. “You have to help me, Emma.”

She stared at him helplessly. “Kid…”

Jim awkwardly scratched his neck. “Henry. We’ll volunteer with you for Miner’s Day but we’re not going to attempt to wreck your parents’ marriage, okay?”

“We’re just trying to get them to talk to each other-”

“Semantics.” He looked at him sternly. “I’m serious about this, okay?”

He slumped back, mouth all scrunched up and angry. “Fine.”

Jim bumped him with his shoulder. “It wouldn’t work anyway. Your parents are insane about each other.”

He rolled his eyes. “Whatever.”

“Hey, don’t be like that. We were supposed to discuss Step 2. Emma,” he looked at her, nudging her, “how’s it going with Intel?”

Chapter Text

“Easy there.”

David held his arms out to brace her. Regina scowled at him but allowed him to place an arm around her waist when she swayed slightly on her feet. Nurse Walsh entered the room. She stiffened immediately.

“No.”

Walsh froze at the deadliness in her tone. He looked at David with wide eyes.

“Regina-”

“No.” She crossed her arms over her chest. “I refuse to be carted around like some cripple.”

“Regina!”

She seemed to remember where she was and at least had to decency to look slightly apologetic. If only for a second. “I'm not getting in that.” She jutted out her chin. “I am perfectly capable of walking on my own.”

“Your limp says otherwise.”

She scowled at him. “No.”

David huffed in irritation and placed his hands on his hips. “Well, it's either that,” he gestured to the wheelchair, “or I'm carrying you.”

She levelled him with a disbelieving look accompanied by an amused laugh. It faded when she realised he wasn't joking. Her scowl reappeared.

He bobbed his eyebrows at her. “Your choice, sweetie.”

“I'm pregnant, not incapable of-”

“And I'm concerned,” he shot back. “I know you can do things, but the point of me being here is so that you don't have to. So, stop being unreasonable-”

She spun on him, eyes shining with dark amusement. “Unreasonable?” She hissed, voice and glare both warning him to drop it.

Neither deterred him in the slightest. Eight years of marriage had been enough to numb him to her dramatics. David rolled his eyes. “Yes. Unreasonable. You’re being unreasonable, Regina. It's bed rest, not a prison sentence.”

She turned on her heel. “Might as well be.”

They got home half an hour ago. He sent her upstairs to get some rest. She insisted she wasn't tired and came back downstairs, her clothes changed, and proceeded to her home office. He had to practically drag her away from the desk.

She huffed and walked away. “You want to confine me to one room.”

“I am not confining you,” David said in exasperation as he followed her into the kitchen.

He stopped in his tracks. She opened the cereal box on the counter and began eating it straight from the box. It was some sugary rubbish Henry requested that he forgot to pack away after breakfast.

“What? I'm hungry.”

The look she gave him dared him to say something. He couldn't. He wasn’t sure he wasn’t hallucinating. She ate another handful. He shook his head slightly.

“We have other food, y'know.” He forward leaned on the counter across from her. “We could even order something if you want.”

She shook her head.

“You sure?”

She ignored him.

The corners of his lips flicked up. “You don't want a bowl?”

She shot him a look and made a little whine when her hand came up empty. She turned around and started rummaging through the cupboards, standing on her tiptoes. He thought of helping but was honestly too amused.

He watched for a few moments longer. “I don't know how you manage to be both infuriating and endearing at the same time.”

“It is a talent,” she said distractedly, still rummaging. Regina slammed the cupboard door closed. “How do we only have one box of cereal?”

“Maybe because Henry's the only one who eats it?”

With a huff, she turned to the fridge. “There is nothing to eat.”

He leaned forward to look. The fridge was overstocked. “There's plenty,” he said in a voice that clearly translated to, “You're kidding, right?”

“Fine.” She closed the fridge. “There's nothing that I want to eat.” Her eyes lit up playfully. “But as you so graciously pointed out, you are here to attend my every whim.”

“That's not what I-”

She waved him off. “I want another box of whatever that was and chocolate- no, not chocolate…”

Good thing she wasn’t experiencing any mood swings, he thought dryly. That was what she’d told the Dr Robertson yesterday.

“Ice-cream. Rocky Road.”

This was one of the things he'd been told to expect when they found out they were expecting – the cravings. Only, he'd forgotten about it until now. She’d never actually embraced the pregnancy, still did everything the way she usually would, so much so that it regularly shocked people to find out she was pregnant. In a town this small it happened far too often for his liking. Her hand trailed down to rest on her stomach. David’s eyes followed the contact and a smile played out on his lips.

“Anything else?”

“Onion rings,” she moaned. “A milkshake, vanilla. No... Yes, vanilla. Peanut brittle and...” she trailed off. Her mouth dropped into a frown. She shook her head. “I'm being ridiculous, aren’t I?” She opened the fridge. “I'll just see what...”

He stepped in front of her and closed it. “You will do no such thing. You are going to go into the living room and make yourself comfortable, then you're going to relax until I get back with everything on your list.”

She raised an eyebrow. “That sounded like an order, Deputy.”

“It was a request.” He moved some hair behind her ear. David smiled to himself when she leaned into his touch. “Was there anything else you wanted, sweetie?”

She laughed under her breath. “You know I hate it when you call me that, right?”

“You’re going to kill someone flashing those sirens like that.” Emma lowered her hand from her racing heart and glared at the Sheriff. Henry said his name was Graham.

“It's so hard to get your attention.”

“Oh no me ignoring you was intentional.” She tried to side-step him. He blocked her path again. “What?” She asked, now irritated. “They didn’t teach you how to take a hint at whatever police academy you graduated from?”

“Woah.” He raised his hands in surrender. “I wanted to thank you for your help with finding Henry the other day. It means a lot. He’s… He’s a good kid and we all care about him deeply.”

Emma’s eyebrows furrowed. She felt foolish now and took a step back. “Oh. Uh…” Now, this was awkward. “No problem.”

He gave an easy smile. “You’re staying at Granny’s, right?”

“Yeah. Just for the week.”

He nodded and handed her his card. “In case you decide to stick around and need a job. There’s some room in the budget for someone to get the phones.”

She looked at the card and made a face. “I don’t think I’ll be needing this.”

He wouldn’t take it back. “In case you change your mind.” He walked back to his car. “I’ll even make sure there’s dental included.”

David watched, oddly fascinated, when she took the cereal, peanut brittle and caramel sauce and added them all to the ice cream. At least it wasn’t some gross combination pregnant people ate during cravings like pickles and peanut butter.

“Thank you,” she said after her third mouthful.

She spared him only a glance before she ate another spoonful. She moaned at the taste. David found himself just looking at her, barely paying attention to what was on TV. She was watching a renaissance documentary about artefacts found in some small European country.

“You’re staring.”

He shrugged. “I’m… amused.”

She let out a humorous huff and leaned against him. He put an arm around her shoulders, fingertips playing with the ends of her hair. She shared spoons of ice cream with him every once in a while. The documentary was interesting, he had to admit, but the narrator had a voice that could put a herd of sugar-high toddlers to sleep in seconds.

He smiled at the idea of another toddler running through the house, wrecking everything in his path. He thought of orange crayon markings on the walls, a wide-eyed Regina staring at a proud three-year-old Henry, grinning ear to ear at his work of art. He thought of spilt apple juice and trampled animal crackers on the floor, a red-faced boy in a blue highchair, refusing to eat anything because of teething pains. Peanut butter and marshmallow fluff sandwiches for Father's Day breakfast. Trips to the station with his boy in the back seat, pretending to be Batman, talking on his imaginary radio. He thought of morning cartoons and stuffed toys and couldn't wait to do it all again.

She hummed and closed her eyes after the last spoonful of ice cream. He looked at her. He hoped their child would look like her. Those same eyes and gorgeous dark hair, the same disapproving pout and proud stance. Another little boy. His smile turned into a grin and he pressed a hand to her stomach.

She looked up. “What?”

“We're going to have a baby.”

“Really, David? I had no idea.”

He chuckled at her tone. Her lips quirked upward. He bent to press a kiss to her shoulder.

“I don’t think it fully hit me until now,” he admitted softly. Until they’d almost lost him. David lightened his tone. “Another little boy.” She shook her head at him, fondly. He lifted his head from her shoulder. “I can't wait.”

She rolled her eyes but pulled back and turned to face him on the couch. “I don’t think it sunk in for me either. Not until the hospital, all the scans, seeing him on the screen again.”

“Yeah.” He pulled her closer and kissed her head. “Hey, do you remember what Henry was like as a baby?” Henry had been a nightmare and back then he had only babysat him. “All the crying?”

“Oh god…” Her eyes were focused on the ice cream carton in her hands. She absently poked at its contents with the spoon. “I don't think I'm ready for all that again,” she admitted. “The bottles, the diapers, the late nights, the tantrums.” She shuddered. “No, I am not ready for that again. I remember not sleeping for an entire week once, and having to go through more shirts in a day than I'd usually wear in a week.”

He frowned at the worry etched into her brow. “Even then you loved it,” he reminded, gently squeezing her knee. “I remember watching you as you rocked him in the nursery... I don't think I've ever seen you look more peaceful.” He tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. “Or more beautiful.” He caressed her cheek with a soft smile before guiding his mouth to hers. He kissed her slowly, his fingers curling in her hair as he deepened the kiss.  “You taste like ice cream,” he whispered.

She laughed against his lips. “You’re ridiculous.”

David rested his forehead against hers. He looked between them at the little bump then lowered himself to press a quick kiss to it. “I can't wait to meet you,” he told their son.

“Don’t rush him,” she chided playfully. “He’s still got another four months to go.”

He continued speaking to their son. “Don’t you hate it when she’s right?” He murmured a laugh. “Better get used to it. It’s most of the time, but we may need the time to prepare so no more surprises please. Placental abruption was enough of a scare, okay, bud.” He pressed his hand firmer, hoping to feel some movement. None came. “Are you asleep? I’m pouring my heart out to you and you’re asleep.” He shook his head and looked up at her. “Can you believe this kid?”

She watched him with a soft look. Her fingernails lightly scratched over the back of his neck. “David?”

“Hmm?”

“Thank you for staying with me this last week.”

His eyes turned tender. “You’re welcome.”

He knocked gently on the door. He came over to pick Henry up from Kathryn’s.

“Yeah?” Henry called from inside his room.

He opened the door slowly.  “Hey, bud.” He still felt truly horrible about what happened Wednesday morning and was apprehensive around Henry who to his surprise ran forward and immediately hugged him.

“Dad. I missed you,” he mumbled against his stomach.

David felt like he’d been punched in the gut. He made sure to call him every evening for the last two days but Henry had clearly felt the loss.

“I missed you too. Henry, I am sorry about what happened the other morning. I shouldn’t have spoken to you like that. It wasn’t right.”

Henry let go of him and stepped back, looking slightly confused. “Everyone yells.” He shrugged. “I mean you never do, which is how I knew I’d said something really, really bad. Well, also Aunt Kathryn told me like a million times. I’m sorry too. About all that stuff I said about Mom.” His features creased, eyes watering. “You’re… You’re my dad and you’re gonna keep being my dad, right?”

“Of course-”

“Promise?”

“I promise.” He knelt in front of Henry. “I’ll always be your dad. I’m always going to love you.”

“Even if the-”

“Henry, there are no terms and conditions to it. I love you.” He sniffled and David recalled Kathryn’s words about his kids and snot. He put a hand on Henry’s cheek. “Mom and I both love you so much.”

Henry’s soft smile faded at the mention of his mother. “I love you too, Dad.”

Chapter Text

David wiped a hand over his face as he stretched out in bed. Regina made a sound of discomfort and tightened her hold on him. She was lying practically on top of him, her body firmly attached to the side of his torso and their legs entangled.

“Don’t move.” She pressed impossibly closer. “You’re warm.”

He hummed and kissed her hairline with a light smile. Soft sunlight fell on her face through the slightly parted curtains. She was beautiful in this light. Though he’d get a pillow in the face if he said that out loud first thing in the morning.

“Morning.”

“Good morning, David.”

His smile brightened. He kissed her head again. He pulled back a bit and wiped some hair from her cheek. “You’re so beautiful.”

Regina peeked at him, her one eye cracked open for less than a moment, unamused and clearly not ready to wake up. “You’re moving.”

He breathed a laugh and obeyed her order to keep still. Getting out of bed didn’t make the top of his to-do list anyway. He took a deep breath and closed his eyes again. Her nails lazily traced over his neck in small circular motions. He glanced over her head at the alarm clock. 07:53 A.M.

“Would you look at that… You nearly slept in. It’s almost eight. I’m proud of you.”

The right corner of her mouth lifted in a smirk. “Your son seems intent on making it a habit. It’s the third night he wouldn’t stop kicking. I think he’s trying to tire me out.”

David laughed. “Are you accusing him of plotting from the womb?”

“Considering his parentage, I certainly wouldn’t put it past him.” He feigned offence at that. She chuckled and was quiet for a few seconds. “Did you say it was almost eight?” She pulled back and rolled over to look at the clock and then back at him. “Are you sure this is a good idea? Going to the festival.”

“Yes,” he answered for the dozenth time. “Regina, it’ll be okay. Things have been going well with you two. Spending a whole day together isn’t going to change that.”

“I’m better in small doses.”

He looked at her disbelievingly. “You’re his mother.” He cut her off before she could even speak again. “Can we just talk about this later, preferably over waffles? Right now, can we just talk about anything else? Like anything else. Tax returns. Multi-coloured bendy straws. The best way to dissect a frog. Quite literally anything else.” She laughed at his suggestions. “We could think of names for Junior or even just sleep for a little longer. Please.”

Still laughing, she nodded and let him pull her next to him again. David pressed his face into her neck and sighed happily.

“We’re not naming him after you,” she said.

“Yeah, you already ruined that idea. I still think we could just call him Junior.”

She laughed. “No.”

“Fine.” He touched her stomach and turned his head to glance down. “If he were a girl, we could have continued the tradition of naming them after our favourite parents and named him after my mom.”

She hummed and placed her hand over his. “I like that idea.”

“Guess we know what we’ll be naming the next one, then.”

“The next one? He’s not even here yet and you’re already planning the next one?”

He looked at her. “You don’t want another one after him?”

“I don’t think we can juggle two infants at once, especially if they’re as demanding as Henry was. Or even a toddler and an infant. So, not for at least five years, no, and by then I’ll be too old.”

“No, you won’t. You’ll be thirty-nine.”

“Which is how old you’ll be in a decade.”

“Nine years,” he corrected under his breath. She always liked to rib him about their ages.

“It’s riskier at that age,” she said, steering them back to the original topic. “I always just assumed if we wanted more, we’d adopt again.”

He smiled. “So, when Junior’s five we’re adopting again? The waiting list is like two years long so we should start that process when he turns three.”

“Sometimes things go quicker. Maybe when he’s four.”

“Four.”

“We’re not naming him David or calling him Junior.”

“Fine,” he sighed dramatically. “What about Walter?”

She looked horrified at the suggestion. “No.”

He laughed. “Ethan.”

She thought about it. “Ethan Mills-Nolan?”

“We aren’t gonna do the coin toss anymore?”

“I’m not going to gamble my name when I’m the one growing him inside me. We’re hyphenating.”

He hummed. “Okay. Ethan Mills-Nolan. Ethan Nolan-Mills,” he said, trying it out. The name sounded better with his name first. Something she clearly caught onto judging by the way her eyes narrowed at him.

“I’m not too fond of Ethan actually.”

David smiled and pressed a hand to her stomach. “Is he awake yet? Maybe he could weigh in here. What do you think, bud, are you more of an Ethan or a Junior?”

“We are not naming him after you,” she said again. She placed her hand next to his over her stomach. They waited a few moments for movement. “I don’t think he’s awake.”

He moved down the bed so that he was at face level with her stomach. “I’m glad you know how to sleep in. Promise to keep it that way after you’re born? Your brother, Henry, has only now grown out of the habit of waking up at the crack of dawn every day. I’m trying to get your mom to sleep past nine on weekends. Baby steps,” he whispered conspiratorially to her baby bump. He hummed at the sound of her laugh. David pressed a kiss atop her silk pyjama top. “I’ll let you sleep in peace now, bud,” he whispered before another kiss. Her shirt rose a bit. He kissed the skin there too, unable to help himself. “I still think he’s a Junior.”

“It’s still a no.”

He lifted her shirt slightly. “Come on, just consider it.” He pressed an open-mouthed kiss above her naval. “I bet I could convince you.”

She chuckled and tugged on his hair. “Get back up here.”

He laughed and crawled on top of her, making her lie on her back to look at him. David cupped her face and leaned down. She pressed her fingers to his lips.

“No.”

“What?” He asked in confusion.

Her eyes were light. “I’m not letting you seduce me into letting you name our son after yourself.”

He laughed against her fingers and moved them aside. “Seduction to win an argument is more your move than mine.”

Her smile turned coy. “You aren’t testing my method?”

“You sound like you want me to.”

She bit her lip. “Let’s see if you’ve learnt anything.” She pulled him closer by his neck and kissed him deeply.

David’s hands were occupied with unbuttoning her pyjama shirt or rather fumbling in his hurry to get it off her. She laughed against his lips and leaned down to help. He had to lean back so that she could sit up and take it off. She threw it to the floor. He stared at her for a good few seconds, once again wondering how he got so incredibly lucky. He gently pushed her back down, eyes firmly on her breasts before he took them into his hands. She hissed sharply. David pulled back and looked at her with wide eyes.

“Sensitive,” she breathed.

He looked at her apologetically and removed his hands from her completely. “Sorry.”

She took his hands in hers, laughing lightly, and guided them back up. “You can still touch me, David.”

He hesitated. He trailed his fingertips over her breast. It was a feather touch. Her eyes closed and she shuddered. He did it again, this time over the other one and with just a tad more pressure. It was nowhere near how he usually touched her, but her immediate response to him made him hard.  She swallowed and pulled one of his hands down her stomach. He took the hint and immediately reached into her pants.

He gasped. “Fuck, you’re wet.”

Regina groaned and nodded. “Hormones,” she breathed, tugging on his hand. “No teasing. Close.”

He laughed under his breath. “Yeah, I see that, babe.” He slid two fingers inside her and fucked her fast, thumb moving over her clit in small circular motions as he continued his feather light touches and kisses over her breasts. She came a few seconds later. It was over almost faster than it began.

David chuckled to himself. “That was quick.”

“I told you I was close.”

“Yeah, but I didn’t think you were that close.” She groaned and threw an arm over her face, mumbling into it. He pulled her arm back. “Why are you hiding?”

“Because I’m embarrassed,” she answered, avoiding looking him directly in the eye. “That was over in twenty seconds. I just came, David. From twenty seconds.”

“Does it make the top five?”

She slapped his shoulder.

He laughed and removed his hand to lie down next to her. “I’m going to take that as a no.” She glared at him, but there was a tone of amusement in it. “I’m glad.” He exaggerated a sigh of relief. “I’d hate to think hormone-induced bliss could beat Valentine’s Day.” He touched her stomach. “Pretty sure you were conceived then, bud.”

Her face turned red and eyes hazy, thinking about. “That was…” She cleared her throat. “God, that was good.”

“Yeah?”

Her eyes flicked up to his. She gulped. “Yeah.”

She eyed him hungrily before reaching for his neck and dragging him into another heated kiss. David pulled down her pants and underwear, two fingers finding home easily where they were once removed. She gripped his shoulders and moaned out his name. She mumbled something else, hips already bucking up against his palm, but he couldn’t decipher it. He shook his head in slight disbelief and sped up his hand.

“Reg,” he whispered against her chin. “You’re loud.”

“Your faul…”

He grinned at her choked off cry when he added a third finger. She turned her head to the side, muffling her moans against the pillows. He leaned down to swallow them instead. She gripped the back of his neck and kissed him hard. He groaned against her lips and curled his fingers inside her, just the way she liked. A particularly loud moan escaped her.

If they kept going like this, they were going to have a very awkward conversation with Henry sooner than he was comfortable with. He slowed down.

“Don’t you fucking dare,” she panted, gripping his wrist. “Keep going.”

He had no intention of stopping but smirked, enjoying how affected she was already. “Ask nicely.” He knew she wouldn’t do it, but it was fun to rile her up sometimes. She glared at him. The effect of it was lessened by the pitiful whine that escaped her when he made to pull his fingers out.

“Please. Please, keep going.”

His eyes widened in surprise at how quickly she caved. It usually took a lot more edging before she… He enjoyed it, that particular game of theirs, the challenge but this… God, this was hot. So unbelievably, incredibly hot. He surged forward and kissed her passionately. Her hands slipped inside the waistband of his boxers and groped his ass. He lifted his hips so that she could push his boxers off. It was then that David remembered Robertson sternly pointing her pencil at him and telling him what they were about to do was off limits.

“Wait, hold on, when’s your next check-up?”

She stilled and blinked rapidly, thinking back, seeming to only then remember said warning. “Um… Five- No, Robertson said to be back in four weeks’ time, but…” She hesitated. “It may not… I might be able to…”

David gave an easy smile, hoping to dispel the sudden worry in her eyes. “We’ll just have to get creative then,” he said, mouth hovering over hers, and hand returning between her legs.  

Henry wondered which jeans he should wear. He heard footsteps from downstairs. He frowned as he looked to his door. Were those…? He shook his head. No, they couldn’t be. Regina was at work.

The blue ones or the black ones?

Did it really matter? It was just clothes, and it wasn’t as if his appearance would affect his plan for the day. Then again… Henry needed everything to be perfect. If everything went according to plan, they could figure out how to break the curse tonight. Tonight. As in today. As in a few hours from now. He could save his dad from Regina. He could get him to remember his past and maybe even do the same for Snow White and then Emma wouldn’t be alone anymore. She’d be with her real parents, and they’d be happy. Then they would break the curse, defeat the Evil Queen, and live happily ever after like they were supposed to.

Everything needed to be perfect. Emma was leaving tomorrow. If he couldn’t get his dad to remember today, then there really was no hope for ever breaking the curse.

The black jeans, he decided. He paired it with a green sweater over a blue and yellow plaid shirt. He looked okay, he guessed. Normal. Which is what he was going for. Henry quickly brushed his teeth and combed his hair flat in the bathroom mirror.

“Normal,” he said to himself.

He needed to go downstairs and act completely normal; just casually bring up volunteering, then act surprised that he forgot to tell Dad, pretend he thought he told him about it, then either talk him into helping him or just flat out ask him to come with.

That last part depended on how well the first bit of the conversation went. On the bottom step of the staircase. He could hear Dad in the kitchen and thought he could hear her too. No, that couldn’t be right. She was at work. She was always at work. She’s at work, he said to himself as he walked down the stairs. She’s at work. The closer he got to the kitchen the less he believed that. She was there. With Dad. Cooking.

“Good morning, Henry,” she said with a smile.

He pretended to yawn so that he wouldn’t have to speak. He hopped on a barstool.

Dad came closer and kissed his head. “Morning, bud.”

Regina placed a plate in front of him. Waffles with blueberries and whipped cream.

He peaked up from the plate for a second and awkwardly took the offered fork. “Thanks.”

She came closer and touched his head. “Did you sleep well, sweetheart?”

He shrugged. This kind of reminded him... No! Henry scolded himself. She was pretending then and she’s pretending now. She didn’t care about him. She didn’t love him. She never did.

He ignored the food. “Aren’t you supposed to be at work?”

“Henry.”

That was Dad’s warning tone. He pretended not to hear him and instead stared at her. She was going to ruin everything! She was going to ruin his plans! Why was she here? Why, why, why? Why? She was going to ruin everything! He needed things to go well. He needed his plan to work.

Her brows lifted in surprise. “Could you rephrase your question more politely, Henry?”

She hadn’t used that tone or said anything close to scolding to him in… forever. His cheeks turned warm as he sputtered over, “How come you’re home today?”

She gave a short nod, like a nonverbal 'good boy,' before pushing off the counter to put whipped cream on the second plate of waffles. “Your aunt has effectively kicked me out of my own office for the remainder of the week.”

Dad laughed. “Remind me to thank Kat for that again.”

Regina shot him a look. He was by the coffee machine, pouring himself a cup full. “I thought I’d partake in the festivities and leave the admin work to her.”

She moved on to the third plate with the whipped cream and slid it in front of Dad when he sat down. He took a bite and hummed at the taste before pecking her cheek. “These are delicious.”

She grinned at him. Henry bit the inside of his cheek and looked away when Dad placed an arm around her waist. This wasn’t right, he thought angrily, chewing hard. It wasn’t right! They weren’t supposed to be together. She wasn’t supposed to be here today. This wasn’t right!

He noticed the apples. There could have been at least four dozen in the baskets on the counters. He swallowed and took another bite. The tree in the garden had grown a lot more apples this year. He figured it had something to do with Emma coming to town, but maybe it was because Regina was planning something.

Dad and Regina were talking between themselves. He may as well have been invisible. He watched them a few seconds longer. This wasn’t right, none it was… none of this was real. It’s all fake. All of this was just an act. It wasn’t real. He couldn’t eat anymore.

He cleared his throat. “Dad, can you drop me off at the church? I signed up as a volunteer for Miner’s Day. It’s a school thing.”

This was the first part of what he rehearsed. He didn’t need the second part now, the asking-Dad-to-come-with part. If Regina was here Dad would suggest she come with them and if she said yes the entire day would be ruined. He couldn’t risk it.

“You didn’t mention volunteering for the festival earlier,” she said curiously.

“I forgot.”

Dad and Regina shared a look. It was like they could read each other’s minds or something. They didn’t even speak, just looked at each other and then came to an agreement on what to say or do next. It irritated Henry.

“Sure, kiddo. Let’s finish breakfast first, okay?”

So that was the agreement then? To act like a family? Henry pushed his plate aside. “I’m not really hungry. Can I be excused?”

There was a moment of silence before Dad sighed. Regina was the one to answer though. “Sure, sweetheart.”

“Kid!” Emma called when she saw him. She came around the table, arms already open in anticipation for the hug he always greeted her with. It was half-hearted today. “You okay?”

“No.” He took off his backpack angrily.  “Regina stayed home today.”

“Oh, well that’s…” She couldn’t figure out the right one to complete that sentence. “Why’s that a problem again?” She looked to Jim, who stood next to her, for help.

“Because of the plan,” Henry stressed. “Now I can’t get them alone. The whole plan is ruined!”

She and Jim shared a look over his head. Jim picked up a box. “I’m just gonna take this over there.” He pointed in the direction of Henry’s class.

“She did this on purpose. She’s gonna ruin everything. This is awful. She’s… She’s just… She’s evil.”

She rolled her eyes. “Your mom’s not evil.”

“Yes, she is. She’s evil. She’s the Evil Queen.”

“Unrestricted use of the E word outside of Operation Cobra meetings,” Jim said, coming back to fetch another box, huffing as he lifted it. “Come on, Hen, you know the rules. Emma, you too.”

They both rolled their eyes at him after he walked away. Henry looked at her pleadingly. “You’re leaving tomorrow. We only have one day left,” he said softly, bending to lift a box of candles. “She stayed home to ruin my plan, to make it impossible for me to get Dad- to get David to remember. She did this on purpose. She is evil.”

Emma lifted one too and followed him. “You better cut it with that word. OC police is listening in.” She pointed to Jim.

“OC what?”

“OC. Y’know. OC. Operation Cobra. It’s the first letters of our mission.”

“Oh. OC. I like it. It doesn’t sound so suspicious.” He put the box on the table and gasped, spinning to face her. “We need code names!”

She smiled at having distracted him. Jim discreetly low-fived her as he passed. She led Henry back to the boxes they had to move and listened as he spoke about code names and their significance.

“I’m surprised he didn’t ask about the apples,” David joked, entering the kitchen after having dropped Henry off.

She gave a grim smile as she moved the baskets. “Evil Queen, remember?”

He watched her place them down gently and bit down the urge to scold her for lifting heavy objects. It wouldn’t do any good anyway. “How many do you think we have here?” he asked instead, completely dodging a conversation about Henry and his curse.

“Um… Four or five dozen.” Her eyes shut briefly in a look of mild pain. The same look as the one at the hospital. “The tree has never grown this many all at once before.”

“Are you sure you’re up for this today?”

“Of course.”

He looked at her for a moment. Maybe he’d misread the look or thought it up. She seemed fine. He nodded to himself. “Okay, then.” He rolled up his sleeves. “We should probably get started.”

She pulled out her phone. “Just let me arrange things with Eunice. Kathryn’s put her in charge of the stalls.” David began rinsing the apples under cold water as she smoothed down the details of their stall. She hung up after about a minute. “Eunice managed to arrange an extra stall for us. We have to be there by one to set up. Things are looking busy this year. Who knows, the nuns might even hit their quota.”

She always found their inability to raise money humorous rather than… well sad.

“Sometimes you’re a bit of a sadist.”

Regina chuckled. “I’m merely pointing out a fact, darling.”

He looked over his shoulder at her. She said it so casually. “Darling?” He repeated to himself. “Haven’t heard that one in a while.”

“Well, it simply hasn’t suited you as of late.”

He wiped his hands dry and turned to her. “Really? All things considered, I think I’ve been-”

“Irritating and overprotective.” She smiled at him over her shoulder before he could worry that perhaps he had been a bit overbearing. “I love you for it though.”

He breathed in relief and came closer. He took hold of her hips and turned her to face him. “I love you too, Reggie.” A smile stretched her lips upward. He hadn’t called her that in a while either. He squeezed her hips and took a step forward, pressing her against the counter. “So much.”

“David…” She let out a low chuckle and set a hand to his chest. “I don’t think we have time to fool around.”

“Yeah, we do.”

“You’re insatiable,” she laughed.

“We have until one if I recall correctly. That’s about three hours. Besides,” he bumped his nose against hers, “we’ve done far worse in much less time.”

She glanced at his lips. “That’s true,” she conceded, voice breathy. David leaned in. Her hand pressed firmer against his chest. “As much as I would enjoy... that...”

“When you say ‘that’ do you mean my fingers or my mouth?” He snickered at the way her eyes widened.

She blushed hard and sputtered. “I am not answering that. We have work to do, Nolan. Let’s try to keep our minds out of the gutter.”

He leaned in slowly as if to ignore her request and kiss her. She sucked in a quick breath but made no move to stop him. He smirked, his lips just a few millimetres from hers and instead kissed her cheek.

“You first, Mills.”

“Kid,” Emma huffed. “Could use your help with these last few boxes.”

He didn’t respond. She put the two boxes under the stall next to all the others. They were running out of candles faster than she could carry them. The blackout had helped significantly with sales this year. She was about eighty per cent sure it had something to do with that guy Leroy and whatever Henry’s teacher had spoken to him about. The other twenty per cent was her hoping that it was some sort of electrical malfunction.

She turned back to grab another few boxes. Henry was walking toward her, carrying a single box that looked a bit too heavy for him. He wasn’t looking at her though, he was looking to the side, at his parents' stall.

He was shocked to see them when they arrived a few hours ago. So was she. Once the initial surprise wore off, he was put off from the plan and even talking in general. If she had to guess she’d say he felt left out of his family and maybe even forgotten. Emma looked at Henry a second longer. She had to be… responsible. Talk to him, make him feel better somehow.

She walked to him. “You can go over there if you want.”

He looked up quickly. “Huh?”

Emma took the box from him. “We’re gonna be out of candles soon anyway. You can go say hi or something.”

He looked at them, half turning to go, his eyebrows and lips all scrunched up and hands fiddling with his sweater. He took a step toward them but seemed to change his mind at the last second. Emma gave him an extra nudge. “You could get us some apples.” She handed him some money.

Their stall was all set up, shiny red apples on popsicle sticks and small chocolate-covered apple balls on pretzel sticks. The chocolate ones were his creation. He found a melon scooper while babysitting Henry once, got bored and tried it out on an apple. Didn’t take long for the pretzel sticks and chocolate to find their way into baby Henry’s diet as well. David chuckled as he recalled the lecture he got on giving him chocolate sauce. He remembered a night, months after that, of licking it off her neck and-

“Are you finished with the chalk?”

“What? Huh? Oh. Yeah, I’m done.”

She looked at the board. “Not funny.”

“What?” He looked at the board. He was proud of his font. “I think it looks good.”

“Poisoned Apples,” she read aloud, voice unamused. “It’s a joke made in poor taste. Let’s not hand Henry any more ammo.” She gave him a disapproving look and handed him the duster.

He sighed and erased the first word to replace it with “toffee.” The font didn’t suit the word. He cleaned the board and started over.

Henry bumped into Mr and Mrs Gold. “Oh, sorry,” he apologized immediately.

Mr Gold wiped down the front of his suit. “No matter.”

“It’s alright. It was lovely to see you, Henry,” Mrs Gold said. She always sounded so sincere.

Henry allowed himself to feel relieved.

“Indeed. Give our regards to your parents.”

That relief slowly started to evaporate. “I will,” he said with a quick wave, jogging away. Mr Gold gave him the creeps.

He paused on his way to their stall and instead sat down on the closest bench. His stomach felt funny, like if he ate anything he’d be sick. Which was weird since he hadn’t had lunch, just a slice of pizza. He was kinda almost hungry now.

Dad and Regina were talking to an old woman with a few kids around her, each eating a toffee apple. He looked at the line by their stall. There were so many people queuing to buy apples from the Evil Queen. It was so ridiculous that under different circumstances Henry might have found it funny.  At first, he thought that might be her plan, to put a sleeping curse on everyone. Emma stopped him from confronting Regina about it which was a good thing because everyone who ate it seemed fine and Dad would have been mad at him if he had been rude to Regina and made a scene. Sometimes it felt like Dad was Regina's side more than his, like he loved her more.

His eyes started to burn when Dad grinned at her, arm around her shoulders, and nodded along to whatever the old woman said. Regina was wearing his jacket. Her hand was on her stomach.

“Sleep well, my little angel.” She leaned down to kiss his forehead. “I love you.”

“I love you too, Mommy.”

Henry bit the inside of his cheek. That memory came out of nowhere. It felt awful. He felt awful. His eyes screwed shut. That was fake. She was pretending. Tears. He felt tears under his eyes. She was pretending. His throat hurt. She was pretending. She was still pretending. She never loved him. It was all fake. All of it. It was fake. His throat was sore. Don’t cry. Don’t cry in public. Don’t cry, Henry.

The new baby… The new baby… It was a boy. It could replace him so easily, slip into his role as their son. Their real son. Henry’s eyes started burning. He opened them and looked up, blinking fast. Don’t cry. Don’t cry. The new baby would be theirs. Half Mom and Half Dad. Henry wasn’t half of either of them. He was technically related to Dad, but it wasn’t the same. The baby would belong to both of them after the curse broke. Henry would have neither of them. Don’t cry.

He bit the inside of his cheek and looked over at Mom and Dad. They were talking in between serving customers. It made him mad.

It didn’t matter that the baby was going to steal his parents. It didn’t matter. They weren’t his real parents anyway. David was technically his grandfather and Regina was just some evil queen who only took him to make sure her curse wouldn’t be broken. He was her prisoner, her leverage against the Saviour. She didn’t love him. She wasn’t capable of it. Even if David did, it didn’t count because he wasn’t his real dad.

His real dad was dead though and the idea of losing Dad- David, he corrected himself quickly. The idea of losing him… it… It made him sad. The funny feeling in his stomach and the hurt in his throat, that lump of emotion, became worse. His eyes screwed shut again.

Henry thought about that night he and Emma went to the arcade with Aunt Kathryn and Uncle Jim, and the story she told him about his dad. He was a firefighter who would always complain that the diner she used to work in never served pumpkin pie. He died in a fire saving a family from a burning apartment building. His dad was a hero. A real-life hero. Not like the ones in his book but one from this world. He was a hero in a world without magic. Henry wished he could have met him. Just once.

Pumpkin pie.

One of the stalls was selling those. He looked down at the money Emma had given him and decided pumpkin pie would be a better use of it than apples from Evil Queen’s tree.

She was sitting by a table with Graham and Uncle Jim. When Emma saw him, she smiled and moved over to make place for him. Henry smiled back, but it felt weird. The weird burning lump thing in the back of his throat came back when he went to sit next to her.

“You okay, Hen?” Uncle Jim asked.

He nodded quickly. “Yep.”

Emma gave him a look. “Superpower, remember?”

“Superpower?” Sheriff Graham asked. “Have you a superpower, Swan?”

She laughed. “That and a secret identity.”

Henry sat quietly and opened one container.

Emma bumped him with her shoulder. “What you got there, kid?”

He wordlessly slid the other container to her.

Uncle Jim looked hopefully at him. “Share?”

He shrugged and passed the container to him. “Okay.”

“Pumpkin pie?” Emma asked curiously.

Uncle Jim took a forkful and slid the container back over. Henry took a bite. “Uh-huh.”

She looked confused. “Because of the Evil Queen and cursed apple thing?”

“Nope.” Henry smiled a bit. “Because of my dad.”

“David?”

“No. My...” Calling him his real dad out loud felt wrong. Henry couldn’t do it. Uncle Jim and Sheriff Graham looked at him curiously. Henry focused on Emma. “My dad.”

She was still confused. “Your dad,” she repeated, still not quite getting it.

“It- It was pumpkin, right?”

“Oh. Your dad.” She blinked quickly. “Right. Yeah. Yeah, it was pumpkin. Like Cinderella’s carriage.”

Chapter Text

Regina covered her mouth as she yawned. That was probably the twentieth time this morning. She was exhausted. She yawned again. This didn’t make any sense, this level of tiredness. She’d gone on less sleep for years before and had still managed to function normally.

She hadn’t been able to fall asleep until around one, and then David had had to leave early for work.

She remembered how he brushed some hair from her cheek and tucked it behind her ear, before leaning down and whispering, “I love you. See you later.”

She’d replied, still half-asleep, but couldn’t remember what she said. He laughed lightly and kissed her cheek. He smelt of coffee. She knew he hadn’t meant to wake her, had whispered as much when she had, but afterwards, she hadn’t been able to fall back asleep. She’d tried but sleeping was an impossible task when there was back pain involved. Regina poured some orange juice into a glass and set it down on the counter next to Henry’s breakfast – scrambled eggs, toast and bacon. He was going to be down any minute now.

“Morning.”

She was startled at his greeting. He never greeted her first. Ever if David wasn’t here. She recovered quickly. “Good morning, Henry. Did you…” She covered her mouth with the back of her hand as another yawn came. “Did you sleep well, sweetheart?”

“Yeah. Did you?”

“No.” She breathed a laugh. “Your brother is trying to exhaust me. He wouldn’t stop kicking until very, very late.”

She looked down and noticed she was busy with his lunch. When had she… Autopilot, she dismissed it. She’d probably been too tired to pay attention to it. She closed the lid of his lunchbox and looked up. That playful little smile of his was gone. He didn’t seem to be in the mood for talking now. She sighed. One step forward, two steps back it seemed. She yawned again. Oh, what she’d give for some coffee. She looked longingly at the machine.

“Is Emma still picking me up for school?”

It was the first time she would be able to see him without any supervision what with it being “their last day together” as Henry had put it last night over dinner.

“Yes, and she’ll be there to collect you this afternoon.”

His eyes lit up. “Okay.” He started eating again.

“Did Dad give your key back?”

David had confiscated it after he and Emma had found him at the playground on the beach.

Henry looked up, mouth still full, and nodded. He looked like her, like Emma, she thought absently. That expression. The deer-in-headlights look.

“Good. Use it to come home after school and change your clothes. I won’t have you parading around town in your school uniform until after dinner time. Speaking of, your father and I expect you home by seven.”

He nodded along to everything she said without complaint. “Okay, got it.”

Her eyes widened in surprise. Got it. Got it? He just agreed that easily? She found herself blinking back a few times. That went well. Exceedingly better than she had anticipated. Maybe they could continue speaking. About what?

In the time it took her to figure out how to speak to her son, what to say, and which tone would work best, he’d already cleared his plate and emptied his glass. The doorbell cut her off before she’d even spoken. Henry hopped down from his seat and ran to answer it, effectively squashing whatever hope she had of conversation with him.

“Emma!”

“Hey, kid.”

Regina sighed and took the glass and plate to the sink. She rinsed it off and placed it in the dishwasher.

Henry scurried back into the kitchen. “Almost forgot this.”

He motioned to his lunchbox on the counter as he struggled to get his backpack on. She laughed lightly and came closer to help him.

“There you go,” she smiled. She smoothed out his cardigan and handed his lunchbox to him. “Have a good day at school, Henry. I love you.”

He took the box silently, eyes on it, and stepped back. “Bye.” He ran out of the kitchen.

Her smile dropped slowly. It was gone by the time the door shut. She felt movement under her palm and realised her hand was on her stomach. She dropped it quickly.

“The bug’s finally fixed!”

She smiled at his enthusiasm. She’d affectionately called her car “the bug” the other day when Billy gave her the good news that he’d been able to salvage it. She said it was like a cockroach that refused to die, and Henry had started calling it that too.

She shrugged as they got in. “Figured we could hang out a bit before school.” They had about forty minutes before the first bell would go off.

“Okay. Where do you wanna go?”

“How about your castle?”

It was on their second trip to the rickety wooden playground that he’d told her the sound of the crashing waves calmed him. She remembered the way he looked in that moment, like each breath was a relief and that the longer he looked at them the less heavy whatever weight he carried on his little shoulders became.

“Our castle.”

She glanced at him. “Huh?”

“It’s our castle, Emma.”

Emma sucked in a deep breath. Her hands were fidgeting with the zipper of her boots. They sat cross-legged, facing the waves, and were speaking pleasantly until about thirty seconds ago when the well of conversation had run dry. She checked her wrist for the time. The still had about seven minutes before she had to drop him at school.

“When are you gonna leave?” Henry asked softly. His head was low as he flicked individual grains of sand off the wooden planks of the playground.

When was she leaving? God, how was she supposed to answer that? She didn’t even know if she wanted to leave. If she could leave.

She wanted a week to make sure he was okay, that things were as they seemed, that his parents were who they claimed they were. She wanted a week to make sure he’d gotten what she’d hoped for when she gave him up. He had. He had everything she ever hoped for and more, but still he sought her out, he still came looking for her. That had to mean something, right?

He went on and on about a curse in a storybook and she couldn’t help but wonder if maybe this was his way of calling out to her, of asking her to help him. She wanted to. She wanted to help him. She wanted to be there for him, to get to know him, to have more than conversations before and after school, more than quick lunches and supervised outings.

She wanted to be involved in his life, to help with school projects and buy him comic books and action figures, to tease him about his crushes until the tips of his ears turned red, to watch movies together and teach him things she wished someone had been around to teach her.

She wasn’t a mother, didn’t expect him to think of her as one, she’d settled for him seeing her as a cool aunt type of person. She just wanted to be in his life a bit longer.

“Emma?”

She swallowed uneasily and looked at him. She wanted to hug him but knew that if she did, she wouldn’t let go, that she’d probably end up doing something stupid like driving out of Storybrooke with him in the backseat of her car and never turning back. He wouldn’t object, he begged her not to take him back home, and he begged her to keep him.

I should have listened, she thought, nearly tearing up at the thought that this afternoon might be the last time she saw him.

Emma shook her head and shoved these impractical thoughts aside. She needed to be realistic. Her bag, the one she always kept in her trunk in case of emergencies, had contained enough clothes for this unplanned trip. She’d already used Granny’s laundry room to clean and fold them. Her bag was packed and returned to the trunk of the car. She was ready to leave, at least in theory.

Her throat tightened. “Tonight, I guess,” she answered at last.

Henry nodded to himself. “Okay.” His little shoulders slumped, that weight now heavier it seemed. He let out a sigh and stood up. “I gotta get to school.”

She followed him off the playground. He took her hand as they walked back to the bug. She unlocked both their doors and started the car in silence. That silence stretched long enough to fill the drive to school. She killed the engine and turned to face him, but he’d already undone his seatbelt and was climbing out of the car. She got out on her side.

“You’re gonna call, right?” He asked, standing in front of her. “Maybe visit too?”

She pulled him into a hug. “Absolutely.”

Her arms tightened around him. She felt desperation in her bones. She didn’t want to do this. Not again. She didn’t want to give him up again. She couldn’t. It would break her this time. Emma pushed him back slightly by the shoulders and crouched in front of him. She felt silly about the tears in her eyes and wiped them away quickly. She gave a short laugh. “I’ll pick you up after school, okay?”

“Are we still getting ice cream?”

“Three scoops.”

“With toppings?”

“With toppings.” She wanted to hug him again but refrained from it. She stood and gave him a nudge to the school. He turned to walk off.

She watched him and straightened uncomfortably when she noticed his teacher looking at her. The teacher offered a sympathetic smile and raised her hand in greeting. Emma copied the meek wave then ducked her head and walked away.

“Thanks, Ruby,” Emma mumbled, hand under her chin as the hot cocoa was placed in front of her.

“You’re welcome.” She gave a chirpy smile. “Hey, you look like the mayor’s kid now. Family resemblance and all that.”

Technically he’s my kid, she wanted to say.

Someone signalled Ruby and she left to attend to them. Emma took a sip and sighed at the taste. Cocoa was easy and simple and delicious. It wasn’t her life. It wasn’t her lies. She wished for an answer as simple as cocoa.

Stay.

She shook her head at the thought. She had a life to get back to. She agreed to a week, a week to get to know him, to make sure he was okay, that he was cared for. A week. And a week had come and gone. She couldn’t stay. She had to go. She had to go back.

But, back to what exactly? Her life? Her life was nothing at this point. It was empty, filled with tracking down deadbeats and petty criminals who skipped bail and hoping she’d find her biological parents. Hope that had begun to die out about two years ago if she was being honest with herself. A nine-year-old had found her. If they really wanted her to find them, they wouldn’t have made it this hard to look.

She had to accept the fact that they were gone and never coming back. That she was all alone. Except… Except for Henry. He was all she had at this point, the only family, the only connection she had to anything of meaning at this point. She couldn’t lose that, lose him, she couldn’t give him up again. She had to stay.

The bug idled in a parking spot outside City Hall. Emma hesitated before she turned off the engine. Her determination was starting to wear off. He wasn’t hers. She had no right to him. She gave him up. She gave him up and he lucked out. He got one of the good homes. He lucked out. He lucked out. He lucked out. She reached for the key. The metal was cool.

He’s unhappy, some part of her argued. He’s unhappy and he came to find you. He needs you.

“He needs me,” she whispered to herself, eyes closed.

Emma gulped down her fear and yanked the key out. She got out of the car and started toward the building. She kept her pace quick, afraid she would change her mind. The front entrance was under construction. Emma made a detour, following the guided signs, to the side of the building and entered through there up a long flight of stairs. The sound of drilling kept her from turning back.

She looked around the second floor, wondering where the Mayor’s Office would be. She was hoping it wasn’t on the third floor. There were only three levels to the building, small town and all, but she’d always hated stairs. Unfortunately, the elevator was out of use so the stairs were the only option.

A tall skinny boy in an ill-fitting grey suit came jogging past her with a stack of folders. He couldn’t have been older than seventeen.

“Hey,” she called after him.

He stopped and turned around to look at her, eyes wide. His tie was bright lime green, and he had a large scar over the right side of his face.

“I’m sorry I didn’t mean to bump into you I’m just in a really big hurry and I gotta go-”

“Woah, no, hey you didn’t,” she said quickly. “I was just wondering if you knew where the Mayor’s Office was?”

He nodded quickly. “Yeah.” He inclined his head toward the turn he was about to take. “I was just heading there. Follow me.”

He didn’t wait for her before he started jogging again. It took a short run to catch up with him. He dashed past an empty front receptionist desk and used his shoulder to open the door.

“Not in here, Felix! I told you those need to be in the conference room.”

Emma froze at the harsh tone.

“Sorry, sorry, I’m so sorry, Madame Mayor.” He quickly backed out of the room. “I thought you needed them before the meeting to-”

She looked past him into the room where Regina sat behind her desk, peering at him over her glasses.

“Well, I don’t. Get the room set. The meeting’s in twenty minutes.”

He gulped and nodded quickly. “Will do.” He made to turn.

“Felix?”

He quickly spun around and scuttled back to the door. “Yes, Madame Mayor?”

“Is Eunice out front?”

He looked over his left shoulder for a second then shook his head vigorously. This boy’s every action screamed ‘sorry.’

“No, Madame Mayor. She’s not.”

Her eyebrows rose. Felix gulped. Emma stayed still in her spot near the wall where she could observe the scene without being seen. Regina looked irritated but made a dismissive gesture with her right hand over her laptop screen. Felix turned and did this awkward walk-run thing in the opposite direction of where they’d come from. Poor kid.

Emma gathered a deep breath, courage she supposed, and stepped inside. Regina’s head snapped up, relief, then, once she recognised her, confusion.

“Emma,” she greeted politely. “Did Henry get to school alright?”

“Yeah. Made it just before the final bell.”

“Good.” She gave a quick creased smile before her eyes returned to her screen. “Is there a reason you stopped by?”

This was it. The moment of truth. I’m going to extend my stay. I’m going to extend my stay. I’m gonna stay longer. I’m gonna stick around for a bit more. I want to spend more time with the kid. I want to... I want to know the kid. I want to know my kid. Henry. I want to know Henry.

“I can come back if this is a bad time. You seem busy.” Coward.

The smile didn’t look so creased anymore. She looked up from the screen and pushed her glasses up on her head. “It’s always a bad time,” she sighed. “Perks of the job.”

She pulled up a chair and fell into it heavily. “Come on, it can’t all be that bad.”  You’re stalling, Swan.

Her laugh was humourless. “There was a mix-up with Sherriff station reports last month that has only now come to attention. That boy, the intern, has screwed up Eunice’s filing system six times in the three months he’s been here. Today he caused a small flood in the staffroom, I’m not even sure how that’s possible, and brought me coffee twice this morning. That last one wouldn’t be so bad if I could actually drink coffee.”

“And he’s still here because…”

“The ones before him were even worse. There was a girl who shredded some important contracts immediately after they were signed and another boy who… who was… well an idiot to put it lightly.”

The door snapped open, and they both startled. It was Felix. He was out of breath and cradling a mug.

“Sorry for barging in like that, I didn’t mean to be so loud.” He rushed forward and placed the mug on the desk. “The conference room is all set. Eunice’s back. If you needed her. Oh, but she’s on a call now so like a few minutes later. I think? Was there… anything else I was supposed to do, Madame Mayor?”

She watched Regina’s face carefully. She saw her eyes flicked down to the mug, no doubt filled with coffee, then back up to the boy. Poor kid, Emma thought again, wincing as she awaited the blow.

Regina gave a soft smile hinting at maternal affection. “No. Not at the moment, Felix. Thank you.”

His face lit up and he smiled a smile made of relief. “Okay. I’ll tell Eunice you were looking for her.” He rushed out of the room with the excitement of a toddler.

Regina placed a hand on her forehead, eyes shut in pain. That bruise on her forehead was lighter now. It looked really bad at the hospital.

“Head pain?”

She looked up, eyes narrowed the same way Henry’s had while he tried to decide whether or not he could trust her with the knowledge that David was the infamous Prince Charming. She nodded slowly.

“It’s killing me,” she admitted, tone careful.

There was a slight knock on the still opened door. “You wanted to see me?”

Regina nodded with a grimace. “Get Kathryn to cover the meeting. My head is splitting.”

The older short-haired woman, who Emma assumed was Eunice, looked sceptical. Two seconds passed.

“Oh. That’s all. Okay. Felix made it sound so urgent.”

“Is he still out there?”

She shook her head. “No. I sent him out on a few errands, should keep him busy until lunch.”

Regina pointed to the coffee. “Would you mind removing that then?”

She came closer and Emma passed her the mug. Eunice left.

“I think I figured out why that kid’s still here,” Emma said smiling.

Regina raised an inquiring eyebrow. “What might that be? That he would be the third intern I’ve fired in as many months and that alone may deter other applicants. ‘The new Mayor’s a bitch,’ they’d say, and my public approval would decrease. Or could it be because he’s DA’s Spencer’s foster son and that man has been gunning for the Mayoral Office for the better part of a decade. He’d froth at the mouth with the opportunity to spread such a damaging rumour.”

Emma shifted uncomfortably, eyes wide at the dose of small-town politics that had been thrown at her. “My guess was that you have a soft spot for kids.”

Regina softened. “Well, that too.” She narrowed her eyes a bit, although her casual demeanour made the action seem more friendly than the usual narrowing of eyes should be. “Am I correct in assuming this wasn’t a social visit, Emma?”

Oh, right. Emma swallowed uneasily and leaned forward in her seat. She shifted uncomfortably.  “I…”  She swallowed again. Why was her throat so dry? Maybe she needed some water. “I…” Maybe she needed to just spit it out before she made a fool of herself stumbling over the letter I. Wait, was ‘I’ a word or a letter? Or simply a letter that doubled as a word?

“I want Henry.”

Her softness and casual demeanour vanished in the blink of an eye. “Excuse me?”

Emma hadn’t meant to… Where the hell did that even come from? Well, it was true, but she couldn’t just go blurting things like that out.

“I want to get to know him,” she clarified quickly.

“I see.” Regina removed the glasses from her head and folded them neatly on her desk. “Was that not the intent of your one-week stay?”

“Yeah, it was. That’s why I’m here now. Henry’s a great kid. I just want to know him better, to be a part of his life a-at least for a little bit longer.”

Her shoulders slumped but any relief she found in her confession was short-lived when she glanced at the mayor. The Evil Queen thing didn’t seem so farfetched with a look that dark directed at her.

Her tone was patient but clipped. “Ms Swan…”

There was a knock at the door. She stayed put, eyes focused ahead. Eunice’s voice floated in through the tense air. “Ms Nolan is out of the office. She’s at a meeting with the district attorney.”

Regina nodded impatiently. “Yes, that’s right, I forgot.” She checked her watch and stood. “I’ll have to…”

Her eyes landed on Emma. Her jaw tensed. “I suppose we’ll have to continue this conversation some other time. In the meantime, however, I suggest you hold off on… ‘extending’ your stay and accepting Graham’s overly generous offer of a desk job.”

How did she know about-

“I hope I’m clear, Ms Swan.”

“Crystal.” Emma was fully prepared to wait until they could talk this through instead of getting on his parents’ bad side. She didn’t want to screw up her only chance of maybe being involved in Henry’s life.

“So, she just showed up here and blurted out ‘I want Henry’?”

Regina laughed at the way he said it. “In essence.” She happily accepted the takeout cup. Someplace other than Granny’s. “She wants to extend her stay, to get to know him a bit better.”

“You don’t sound too fond of the idea.”

“No,” she shook her head. “I am not.”

“Different reason or…?” David asked.

She leaned and brought her legs up beside her on the couch in her office, heels discarded on the floor. “She’s only been here a week and Henry’s already this attached. I can’t imagine how inconsolable he’ll be when she leaves and months go by without any contact.”

David thought about her words for a few moments. “He’s already devastated that she’s leaving. He’s hurt either way.”

“If she leaves later, it will be the second time she gave him up. I’m not sure how well he’ll deal with that. If the Saviour left before she broke the Evil Queen’s curse. I’m not sure it’s the right decision.”

“But Reg, if we don’t let him… If we don’t allow him this chance, he’ll resent us for it.”

She sighed and shut her eyes. “I know, but David, what if she decides to stay? What if this spontaneous little vacation of hers becomes permanent? What if she wants to be a permanent figure in his life?”

He shrugged. “We’ll cross that bridge when we get there. For the moment, she just wants to get to know him, and perhaps this will sate his curiosity about her and where he comes from. Paired with a therapy treatment plan-”

“I am not sending my nine-year-old son to a shrink.”

“What is your problem with therapy?” David asked defensively.

She quickly put her drink down and turned to him. “I didn’t mean it like that, David.” She shook her head. “It’s Henry. If I suggest therapy, he’ll think up some agenda behind it or just… He’ll hate me for it and things are just starting to get better. He talks to me now. I can’t- I won’t jeopardise that.”

“Therapy is not going to jeopardise that,” he said empathetically. “It’ll help him work through things. The adoption clearly affected him. We can’t pretend it didn’t.” His radio beeped. He looked at it and sighed. “Guess we’ll have to pick up this conversation at home.”

“I suppose so.”

He kissed her cheek before standing. “See you later.”

David stormed out of her study. What had started as a calm and civil conversation quickly turned into an argument. He winced when the door slammed shut behind him. It was not intentional, but he knew she’d interpret it as such. She scoffed from inside. His fists clenched at his sides. He had never met anyone as infuriatingly stubborn as her.

He shook his head in irritation and walked away. His steps faltered at the sight of Henry. He was standing in the entrance to the living room, peering at him apprehensively.

He put on a smile. “Hey, bud.”

Henry looked at him, then the door, then him again. “Hey.”

He checked his watch. Just after seven. Seven? Had they really been in there for over an hour? “I thought you were out with Emma?”

“I was. I just got back.”

David sighed and gave up pretence. “How much did you hear?” he asked, touching the back of his neck.

“Just yelling.” He bit his lip. “So, uh… What uh… What happened?”

He shook his head. “Nothing.”

“Nothing?” Henry gave him a look. “It didn’t sound like nothing.”

“Well, nothing to worry about,” he corrected. “Mom and I were having a discussion and things got a bit heated, but everything’s fine,” he added quickly, not wanting to give him any other reason to distrust his mother. Even though she was the source of his frustration at the moment. “Everything’s fine. We’re just taking a few minutes to cool off, okay?”

Henry didn’t look too convinced. David could see he wanted to ask something and so he deflected the coming question with another.

“You hungry?”

Henry looked thrown for a second. “I guess.”

David walked forward and clasped him by the shoulders. “Great.” He steered him toward the kitchen. “You can help with dinner. You didn’t eat yet did you?”

He huffed in annoyance at the change in topics but still answered. “We had pizza after school but I’m kinda hungry again.”

When they entered the kitchen, Henry hopped on a chair and thrummed his fingers on the island counter. David grabbed the recipe book from its spot next to the stove and placed it in front of Henry.

“What should we make?”

Henry started flicking through the book, his interest diminishing with each turn of the page. “Why don’t we just get food from Granny’s?”

David shook his head with a small laugh. “You’re going to live on takeout on your own, aren’t you?”

“Duh,” he said as if no other option existed.

“Open to a random page or something.”

Henry shut the book and then opened it up close to the end. They both looked at the page.

“Turkey meatballs,” David read slowly, “and mashed potatoes with gravy and green beans.”

Henry made a face. “Green beans? Gross.”

“No green beans. Alright.” David went back a couple of pages. “Broccoli and chicken Alfredo.”

“Broccoli?” He looked grossed out. “Can’t we just order something?” He begged. “Please.”

“No,” he answered distractedly. He picked up the book and started looking through it. “You have to eat vegetables, kiddo.”

“Why, because ‘Mom’ says so?”

David looked up from the book. He could handle arguments about eating vegetables, they came part and parcel with parenting, but David wouldn’t entertain them if centred around the curse or what Henry believed to be Regina's alter ego. He wanted to tell him off, but just swallowed down the words and opened the recipe book to an entirely new section.

He tapped on a page. “How about this?” he asked, turning the book around to Henry.

“Fajitas?” He looked at the picture and nodded quickly. “Yes, please.”

His head turned to the sound of her footsteps entering the kitchen. Regina removed the headphones from her ears as she walked to the fridge and took a bottle of water.

“I made dinner,” David said as a hesitant offer of conversation. “Henry’s setting the table.”

She took a sip of water and leaned with her back against the island, looking at him. “I’m sorry for yelling at you.” She looked truly apologetic. “And for calling you an idiot.”

“It’s not the worst insult you’ve thrown my way.” He breathed a laugh.

Her apologetic look merged with guilt. “David…”

“Hey, we both said some stuff in there, it’s fine.” He took a deep breath before tossing the dishtowel behind him. “I’m sorry for snapping at you. Um… I wanted to say something so can we call a ceasefire or something?”

“I’m not mad at you,” she said quickly. “There’s no need for a ceasefire.”

He smiled at her sincerity, that wide-eyed nervousness after spitting words and biting remarks. He had hoped she would finally admit to the whiplashing mood swings, but that may be pushing it for today.

“Reg, we’ve both lost our parents and to deny him a chance to get to know one of his biological parents… It… I… Henry running off, it hurts, but I don’t want to be the one to deny him a chance to have his questions answered, to make sense of his life. I don’t want to take that choice away from him.”

“With her here it’s the Saviour vs The Evil Queen. I can’t do that. It’s exhausting. Every time I try to have a conversation with him… I can’t continue being the villain of his story.”

“You’re not,” he quickly assured.

“I’ve always been the… the disciplinarian, the one who takes away toys and gives chores, the strict one. I’ve always been the villain.”

“That’s being a parent. Are you really trying to say I don’t do any of those things? That I don’t play a part in any of that?”

She looked away. He got his answer.

“Reg, that’s not fair.”

“But it’s different with you. You’re his hero. He adores you. He has since day one. Why do you think he believes you’re Prince Charming? Why do you think he sees me as-”

“The table’s set.”

She fell silent.

“We made fajitas,” Henry said excitedly, looking at her. It was the same look he’d have before showing them a score on a test that he was proud of.

She startled, surprise clear in her features, and gave him a quick paper-thin smile.

David looked to Henry. “We’ll be there in a minute, bud.”

His excitement faltered and he retreated quietly.

Regina sighed heavily, leaning against the counter with a pained expression. “I… I don’t know how it got this bad. I don’t even know how to speak to him anymore,” she said softly. “We were… Do you remember how he would cling to my legs whenever we dropped him off at kindergarten? How he insisted I read to him every night? All… I don’t know what I did. Don’t you dare say it’s the adoption or this ridiculous curse thing I had to find out about from Jim of all people.” He shrunk under her glare. “This happened before then. I don’t know when or how to fix it. I don’t know…” She sounded like she was going to cry. “No.” She stepped away when he reached for her. “I am just so tired of this. You want him to go to therapy, pitch it as your idea and I won’t object if he agrees to it.”

“Regina…”

“Tell Henry I’m sorry he went through the trouble of putting down a place setting for me.”

“You’re not having dinner with us?”

She shook her head and left the kitchen, ducking her head and wiping under her eyes. He reached for her again, only wanting to help. She pulled back harshly. “David, please, I just need a minute.”

Chapter Text

“I thought you said you and Mom wanted to talk to me about Emma.”

He let out a heavy sigh and touched the back of his neck. “Mom’s busy with work stuff.” That was a lie. He hated lies. “If it’s okay with you, kiddo, just you and I are gonna have this conversation.”

“Okay.”

“Did you have fun with Emma this afternoon?”

“Yeah,” he laughed. “We went out, got ice cream and pizza and went to the arcade. Emma likes the arcade. I got more points at whack-a-mole and Pacman. Emma won a prize from the claw game. How cool is that? No one ever wins that game. But then she just gave it away to some kid,” he finished, shaking his head slightly. “She said we could do this when she visits.” His smile got smaller. “Since she’s leaving today.”

“About that…” David hesitated, the food forgotten on the table in front of them. “Emma came to your mom’s office today. She’s thinking about staying a bit longer.”

“She is?” He asked excitedly, eyes wide and hopeful.

So hopeful that David made his decision right then and there. “Yep. And mom and I are behind you no matter what. Whether you want her in your life or not. We support you.”

His eyes got even wider. “You’re okay with Emma staying here? With me seeing her?”

“Whatever you decide. It’s your choice.”

“I want her to stay,” he said immediately.

“Figured you’d say that.” He was hesitant to bring up the next topic. “There’s one more thing I wanted to speak to you about and I need you to keep an open mind. Can you do that, bud?”

“Sure, Dad.”

He smiled a bit. “So, you know about my accident and how I see Dr Hopper once a month, right?”

David sipped on his water as he waited in Granny’s for Emma. Despite him waiting for her he was still startled when she slid into the booth across from him.

“Sorry, did I scare you?”

“No, uh, I was just thinking.” He set the glass down. “I heard you went to see Regina today.”

“I tried the station first, but it seems you’re never there. I dunno maybe I just have bad timing.”

“I get stuck with patrol duty most often. It beats paperwork so I guess Graham drew the short straw there.”

“Paperwork does suck.”

“Yeah.” Things almost got awkward. “So, um… uh. You’re extending your stay?”

She nodded. “Just for a bit longer. Henry… he… he just really got into my head. I can’t leave without… without…”

“Making sure you made the right decision.”

She sighed and leaned back, relieved that she didn’t have to say those words. “That’s not a criticism of your parenting and how you’ve raised him so far. I mean he’s-”

“I understand.”

“So…” She blew out a heavy breath. “What happens now? I mean I want to see him, to talk to him, but your wife didn’t seem too keen on that idea. And…” She laughed nervously. “I can’t imagine her making it easy.”

“Hence my awkward position. No matter who I side with, I’m ‘betraying’ one of them.” He shook his head slightly. “For all Henry’s insistence otherwise, between the two of us, he’s most like her. Smart, stubborn and a sarcastic little shit when he wants to be. I’ll talk to her about it. She’s hesitant but she won’t prevent you from seeing him.”

Emma nodded quickly. “Thank you.”

“You two have a bit of a routine going from what I understand. Why don’t you come by to pick him up for school again tomorrow morning?”

He hung up his brown leather jacket on the coat rack, noticed light coming from the kitchen, and walked toward it.  Regina was sitting at the kitchen counter, eating ice cream straight from the carton. He joined her after getting a spoon for himself.

“Cravings?”

“No.” She turned the carton toward him. “Not cravings. A reward. I survived my first day back after a week and a half’s leave and didn’t murder anyone.”

“Shit, I forgot to ask how it went.”

She laughed lightly. “It was work. Nothing eventful. Aside from Graham’s mix-up but even that…” She shook her head. “Went by quickly. Kathryn is far more competent than I give her credit for. I hardly had anything to catch up on. She’s actually quite efficient.” She frowned for a second. “I’ll have to persuade her not to run next term.”

“You make too good a team. She wouldn’t.”

She smiled. “We do, don’t we?”

“By the way… when it’s double chocolate chip, Reggie, you don’t need much of a reason to indulge.” He scooped up a large spoonful. She glared and pulled the carton back, keeping a protective hand around it.

“Mine.”

“I thought we were sharing,” he laughed.

“Not if you’re going to inhale it.”

“Okay, okay, fine.” He pouted. A few seconds later she slid the carton over to him. He had another spoonful. “I spoke to Emma.”

“Henry mentioned something about that earlier.” She looked at him through the corner of her eye. “You’re going to argue on her behalf, aren’t you?”

“I-”

“Save it. Whatever you’ve decided on… just…” She looked up tiredly. “I hope you’ve thought it through.”

He bit the inside of his cheek, not looking up. “It’s what’s best for Henry,” he said softly.

She didn’t say anything, simply reached for the carton and stuck her spoon in. The rest of the ice-cream didn’t last very long. He dropped his spoon into the empty carton. He dipped his head to look at her. “You look tired.”

“I am tired. I have no energy anymore and I can’t drink coffee.” She made an overly sad face. “I miss coffee, David.”

He kissed the side of her head. She yawned, hand over mouth. “Want me to carry you to bed again?”

“I wouldn’t object to it if you decided to.”

Chapter Text

Regina flinched awake with a raspy pained plea of, “Stop.”

Her cheeks were wet, eyes damp and heart pounding. She could still feel the pain, his iron grip on her wrists and hip, how he pried her legs apart. Her eyes squeezed shut as she tried to force the image away. It had felt so real. The terror, the pain, the paralyzing fear that kept her frozen beneath him.

“Stop,” she whimpered again.

She was crying in the dream too, she remembered. He seemed to enjoy that. God, she could hear his moaning, could still feel his breath on her neck, the tremor of his body as he… as he…

She shoved the covers off herself and ran into the ensuite, shakily flicking on the light switch after she shut the door. Stop. Stop. Stop. Stop. Stop! The images wouldn’t go away. She could still see it. Could still feel it. Could feel him on her. Even if she closed her eyes. Even if she dug her nails into her palms. That small pinprick of pain didn’t compare to images that just wouldn’t stop. Stop! She commanded her mind.

Deep breaths, some part of her said soothingly. Deep breaths, sweetie. David’s voice. She quickly followed the advice. In. Out. In and out. Her hands were still shaking, her stomach still turning, but the images were fading. It was working. She slowly opened her eyes with a shuddering inhale.

It was a dream. Only a dream. It wasn’t really happening. It never happened. It never happened. She’d never experienced that. Why her subconscious had decided to spit up something so vile was beyond her, but it never happened. Regina expected that fact to calm her. It did not. The words rang untrue. The more she tried to convince herself of it, the quicker the images came back. As did the context of the dream. The man… He was, in this warped fucking dream, he was her husband. She was married to him.

She couldn’t remember his face but refused to even entertain the thought that the dream had been about David. It could not possibly have been about David. She would not accept that. He would never-

Regina remembered the feel of his sour grunting breath on her neck and the way the flesh of her thighs tore under his nails. These details appeared fresh in her mind. She was not sure they were even in the dream, but it felt true. It felt real. At once his hands came to her in startling intimate detail. She knew their size, the exact pinkish skin tone of his palms. She knew the dark hair at the beginnings of his wrists, the wrinkles and veins and liver spots that led to the fairer hairs on his knuckles. She knew the bend of his fingers and the shape of his nails. His hard, rounded yellowing nails. There was always grime under them. She knew the weight of his hand across her midriff after he spent his seed inside of her and drifted off to a peaceful slumber while she just laid there too afraid to move. She knew the fear that would paralyse her when he took her hand in public – the only time he ever touched her was when he intended to invoke his spousal privileges, his right to her body.

Stop! She screamed at whatever was inside of her head, unearthing this… this… this horrible, horrible faceless man from the crevices of her mind.

Stop. Her eyes squeezed shut. Stop. Stop! Stop, she begged her mind. Stop. She remembered crying in the dream, how he seemed to enjoy that. No, stop! The image of the faceless man blurred with David. She remembered the twist of pleasure that took his features, and suddenly it was David wearing that expression. Stop! Stop. She felt nauseous. He was enjoying it. David was- Stop. Please, stop...

“Reg?” There was a gentle knock at the door. “Are you sick again?”

Her head snapped to the door. David. David. She couldn’t bear to look at him now. No. I’m fine, she tried to say but her throat burned from the effort of trying not to burst into tears. Not that he would believe her anyway. He somehow always knew when she was lying to him. She looked down and saw that her hands were still trembling. She was trembling. Her entire body shook from that vile drea… There was a part of her that doubted it was a dream. Regina fought her mind against that. It was a dream, she insisted. It couldn’t possibly be real. It was a dream. It was a dream. It was only a dream.

“I’m fine.” The words were barely audible. He wouldn’t have heard her. “I’m fine,” she tried again.

“Regina,” he called softly, worriedly. “I’m gonna come in, okay?”

No! Her head swung to the door. No. Don’t. Her mouth seemed incapable of forming the words. The door slowly opened. His hesitance vanished the moment his eyes landed on her. He crossed the threshold to her in one stride.  

“What hap-”

She clasped him to her before he could finish the question. He was warm, his arms and chest. He was warm and soothing. His touch, his hand cupping the back of her head and his arm around her back, was the most soothing thing she’d ever felt. Comfort. Warmth. Strength. Those deep breaths didn’t hurt as much now. She buried her face in his neck. Love. His arm tightened around her back.

“Nightmare?”

She swallowed thickly at his voice. It was so tender. Tears burned under her closed eyes. She nodded against him.

“That’s the third one this week.” He held her tighter. “Your mom again?”

“No.” Cora’s dream visits were a picnic compared to the hell she’d just escaped. “No, it…” She hesitated. “I don’t want to talk about it.”

“Okay,” he said quickly. Concern radiated off him as he pressed a kiss to her head. “Why didn’t you wake me?”

She hadn’t thought of it. “I didn’t… I didn’t want to bother you.”

He took a deep breath. Irritated. He was irritated with her now. Or was she imagining it? He pulled back and looked at her, his hand moving from the back of her head to the side of her face.

“So, you just stayed in here?” He asked in soft, incredulous disbelief. Was it irritation or disappointment she saw in his eyes? “Reg, wake me up next time. Please.”

For a moment she was overcome with vitriol so powerful she stepped out of his hold to walk to the other side of the bathroom. It faded the moment the breeze from the slightly ajar window chilled her arms. She immediately missed his skin, the warmth of his bare chest.

“I will,” she said, an attempt to reacquire the comfort of his touch.

His eyes narrowed in the way it did when he didn’t believe her. He didn’t move an inch.

“I will,” she said again.

“Okay.”

Again, that look. She didn’t want it. She wanted his tender voice. She wanted him to hold her again and she was annoyed he couldn’t figure that out without her having to say it. “I will, okay? I’ll wake you up in the middle of the night every time I have a bad dream or a craving, or if I’m vaguely uncomfortable and don’t want to fluff my own damn pillow.”

“That’s honestly all I want,” he said earnestly, eyes imploring.

His refusal to be bothered by her was disarming. She looked away from him. “Your aspirations in life are truly depressing, David.”

He remained unbothered by the barb, instead moving closer and touching her arm. This was what brought him nearer? Pointed words? Really? Part of her was irritated and wanted to move away, to shrug out of his touch, but his fingers were warm and soothing and on her arm, and it was what she’d wanted. She lifted her arms to hold his shoulder blades in her palms. David squeezed her shoulder, pulling her firm against him.

“Are you sure you don’t want to talk about it?”

She shook her head. She wanted that depraved illusion out of her head forever. “Yes.” 

“You never really want to talk about these things,” he said thoughtfully. “Internalizing everything isn’t healthy.”

Great, this conversation again. He was right, she knew, but if she said it out loud, if she made it real like that… Regina wasn’t sure she’d be able to continue telling herself it was just a dream. Her eyes burned. She blinked rapidly. She swallowed thickly and pressed her face into the crook of his neck. She took a deep breath and nodded against him. “I know.”

“Reg?” He said worriedly. Her tears hit his collarbone. “I didn’t mean to push you. We don’t have to talk about this right now. I’m sorry.”

“Thank you.”

“You don’t have to thank me.” David pressed a kiss to her head. “Are you gonna be able to go back to sleep tonight?”

She kept her eyes closed for a moment too long and found the scene stuck to her eyelids. “I don’t think so.”

He hummed. “Chess?”

Regina smiled weakly. They first got to know each other through distracted questions over multiple games of chess at the hospital after he woke up from his coma. “Sure.”

David moved his pawn diagonally, taking her knight. Regina tsked and pouted. He knew it was faux irritation. He recognised the play she went for a few moves back, but by that point it was too late for him to win.

“I know what you’re doing,” he said smilingly. “It’s not gonna work.”

“Whatever do you mean?”

She was the picture of innocence in his fluffy navy-blue robe. Her hair was pulled into an impossibly short ponytail at the nape of her neck. She looked so soft. Moments like this, just the two of them, open and unguarded, held an element of intimacy that David couldn’t put into words. It filled his body with warmth and a surging love for his wife. His beautiful, beguiling wife who he had yet to beat at this tedious game. They were sitting at the table in the dining room, each with a cup of chamomile tea at their elbows and a collection of the other’s chess pieces.

As predicted, she took his knight-killing pawn with her bishop. “I’m not doing anything.” She added the pawn to her collection, eyes firmly on his, an irritatingly self-satisfied smirk tugging at her lips.

God, he loved her. David moved his castle across the board near her king without looking down. Her eyes never left his. Now it was his turn to smirk. He bobbed his eyebrows at her to look at the board. Her smirk fell once she did so. David leaned back in his seat, wearing her look from a few seconds ago.

“We can call it a draw now if you want.” It was the only outcome and they both knew it. He couldn’t beat her, but that didn’t mean he had to let her win.

“How magnanimous of you.”

He laughed. “Or we can play it out.”

Regina smiled to herself and leaned back in her seat, mirroring his position. “You’re getting better at this, darling,” she said, a hint of pride in her voice.

“Yeah, only took about ten years. Gimme another five and your king won’t know what hit him.”

She scoffed. “It’ll probably take at least another ten years before you best me, Nolan.”

“Another decade?” He mused as sipped at his tea. “I should be so lucky.”

Regina went very still. “That’s… David, I’m pregnant, my usual tolerance for your sappiness has been severely impaired.” Her eyes welled up and she wiped at them, sniffling. “You can’t say things like that to me anymore. I won’t be able to stop crying,” she cried.

He watched her try to hold it together for a moment longer before she threw her arms up in irritation as the tears fell from her eyes. He tried to smother a smile before she saw him. Too late.

“Prick.”

David laughingly moved to the seat next to her. He rubbed her back soothingly. The crying spells were new and often brought on by nothing in particular or by what Regina vehemently referred to as his oversentimentality towards her. He was trying very hard to not be amused by it. Regina was not impressed by his efforts.

“Don’t laugh at me.”

“I’m not,” he assured quickly, biting down his smile. “I wouldn’t.”

“Good.”

“What do you need?”

“Just go away, you’re not helping,” she said, looking at him from under wet eyelashes. “Stop being so attentive.”

“You want me to leave you alone to cry?”

“Yes!”

He sucked in a breath through his teeth. “I feel like that would make you cry more.”

At that, she laughed. “You’re probably right.”

He laughed with her, though hers quickly turned to crying, then to laughter once more. David sat with her as she cried/laughed. It was one of the stranger moments of their marriage.

After the chess set had been packed away and they lay comfortably in bed, David decided to broach the topic once more. “Those first few weeks after the… after the uh coma, I had nightmares too.”

“I remember. You tried to give up on sleep at one point.”

“Yeah. Well, I uh… What got me through that… What helped me was… I know you don’t want to talk to me about some of these things and I get that,” he added quickly, “but maybe you could… Maybe it would be-”

“Do you get commission from Dr Hopper every time you steer a potential patient in his direction?”

His lips pulled together sheepishly. “It might help. You’ve been having nightmares since the hospital. You keep complaining about headaches. I thought it might be something physical, which is why I’ve been so worried, but Robertson was clear in her assessment so maybe it’s something… else.” He said that part carefully. “Maybe it has to do with stress or having Emma here or… maybe it has to do with your mom-”

“David,” she interrupted softly. “It’s the middle of the night, can we not… Let’s talk about this later.”

“Yeah,” he said quickly. “Yeah, of course. I’m sorry, you must be exhausted.”

He angled his body more towards hers and held her tightly. She leaned into his touch, not realising that he would actively pursue the conversation in the morning.

“I’m just saying it might be of some benefit.”

Her jaw tensed as he turned the kettle on. “No.”

“Regina… It’ll be good for you.” He ran a hand through his hair and huffed out a breath. “How is this any different from when we went for counselling?”

“We stopped speaking!” She exclaimed and turned to look at him. “We were married for four years and just stopped speaking to each other. There was something wrong. There was a problem.”

“Oh. So, when it gets to that point again then you’ll put your pride away and get help?”

The sugar jar hit the counter with a deadly thud. “Are you blaming me for that?”

“Of course not.” He took a step toward her. “Look, all I meant was-” He touched her elbow, and she flinched. She flinched. She flinched.

His hand dropped in shock.

Regina swiftly moved away from him, returning the sugar jar to its spot in one of the cupboards.

“Are you okay?”

“I’m fine,” she snapped.

David sighed. “I understand your hesitation,” he said gently, using a softer tone, “but will you at least talk to me? Please.”

She watched the kettle boil and said smoothly, “We are talking.”

“You know that’s not what I meant.” His radio beeped. David groaned and reached for it. “I’ve gotta go.” David went in to kiss her head as he usually would but hesitated; she’d flinched not ten seconds ago. “Could you please just consider it, Reg? I’m really worried about you.”

She looked up at him and sighed after a moment. “I’ll think about it.”

“Thank you.” He pecked her lips. “Say goodbye to Henry for me.”

Chapter Text

“You’re here early.”

Regina glanced up. “I work here.”

Kathryn stood at the front of her desk. “Eunice said you were feeling ill yesterday. I thought that’s why you left early.”

She continued typing, cross-referencing the document in front of her. “It was.”

“So, why are you here? Take another sick day. Or just work from home. Rest. My godson has had enough excitement so far. You could probably get away with an early maternity leave-”

“Stop that.”

Kathryn startled. “Stop what?”

Regina scratched through a line on the page and lifted the pen to point at her. “That. I get enough of it from David.”

“Enough of what? Concern?”

She looked up. Her glare was dangerous. “Coddling.”

“Only you would confuse concern with coddling.”

“Only you would assume your concern is welcomed.” Wow, that came out way too harsh. Her lips snapped shut after she said it. “Kathryn, I’m sorry.”

“I see those mood swings have finally kicked in.” She snickered and pulled up a seat. “It’s fine. I actually have something for you. I came by to give it after that meeting with DA Dickwad, but you weren’t in so…” She pulled a book out of her bag and slid it across the desk.

Regina looked at it curiously. “Her Handsome Hero,” she read.

“Lacey recommended it,” Kathryn explained.

She looked up with a raised eyebrow. “I have no need for erotica.”

Kathryn grinned in that way that suggested she had anticipated such a response. “I’m well aware the baby bump doesn’t deter either of you, but that’s not what it’s about. I’ll admit I was sceptical with the title too, but it’s… you have to read it.”

The blush came and went quickly. Regina cleared her throat and looked at the blue fabric cover. “What is it about then?”

Kathryn groaned in frustration even though she was smiling. “I can’t explain what it’s about without giving the story away.”

“That’s code for a plot twist.”

“One to end all plot twists.”

She picked up the book. It was one of those old books with no summary on the back. Or inside, she noted as she flipped through the pages. Medieval setting. Magic. A beast. She never really enjoyed stories of this genre, but she hadn’t done any recreational reading for a few weeks now. She closed it and looked up at Kathryn.

“It looks promising, I’ll give it a try.” She glanced at the budgets in front of her then at Kathryn. “Do you remember that project we were working on?”

“The playhouse?”

Regina nodded.

“Yeah, why?”

“How far are we with construction?”

She leaned back. “Well, it kinda got put on hold with the storm two weeks ago. I’ll check in with Dylan and his crew and get back to you by the end of the day.”

She nodded her thanks.

Kathryn narrowed her eyes at her. “Why are you here this early? Are things getting worse with Henry?”

“No, things have actually been better lately.” She hesitated. “I… I have a breakfast meeting.” Kathryn looked at her sceptically. “I’m meeting with Henry’s birth mother this morning.”

Her eyebrows shot up. “Oh?”

“David spoke to her last night. He thinks spending time with her will be good for Henry, and though I don’t agree with his decision I… I’ll go with. I want to speak to her, and possible lay down some ground rules too.”

“Possibly? Please, you probably already have those ground rules and a visitation schedule printed out and ready to hand over to her.”

Regina wanted to dispute that. “It’s not printed,” she grumbled. “And how could you possibly know that?”

Kathry laughed. “Because I know you and winging it isn’t exactly your style, Regina.”

“I’m nervous.”

Kathryn gave her a sympathetic look and reached across the table to hold her hand. “It’ll be okay.”

Emma was early. A whole ten minutes early. She looked at the restaurant, checked the address on her phone, and made sure the spelling was exactly the same as on the sign out front. She was in the upper area of the town, so the restaurant was a lot nicer than Granny’s. Emma was surprised it existed in a place named Storybrooke.

She looked at it for a moment or two longer. She needed to decide whether she was going to drive around the block once or twice or just go in. She thought about it for possibly too long because when she checked the time again, six minutes had passed.

Six minutes! She grabbed her key from the ignition and walked to the entrance. Four minutes early wasn’t as bad as ten. Better even.

There was a front desk. She spoke to the lady behind it and as soon as the words, “Mayor Mills,” were out of her mouth she was shown to a table. Regina was already there and gave a sharp artificial smile when she saw her.

“I’m so glad you agreed to meet,” she said once Emma sat down.

“Of course.” She looked around, suddenly uncomfortable by the bright natural lighting, and went straight for the jugular. “This is about Henry, right? What do you want to know?”

“It’s not so much, what I want to know about you but rather what I want you to know about me.” She pushed her menu aside. “I became Mayor very recently and some people, most of the mayoral council actually, don’t think me a fitting candidate. I strive for excellence in what I do. This was my late father’s job. Did you know that?” Emma shook her head. Regina went on. “This is far more responsibility than anything I have ever taken on before – professionally speaking. Far more challenging too. I enjoy it tremendously. This job is mine. I didn’t inherit it from my father as some people would believe. It took me years to get here. I worked for it, ran for it. I earned it. I work very hard to continue to earn it. But… if it came to a decision between that and Henry, I would choose him in a heartbeat. I would give anything for him. So, if your objective is to take him, I would strongly advise against it.”

“Woah, woah, woah! It isn’t,” Emma said immediately. “My objective has never and will never be to take him from you. He’s your kid and I respect that. I’m not here to… I just want to get to know him and make sure he’s okay.”

That sharp smile came back. “I expected you’d say that, so I am going to remind you of the details of the adoption you agreed to.”

“It was a closed adoption.”

She nodded. “Which means you have no legal right to him. Whatever time we allow you to spend with Henry will be on our terms and by our grace. If I say no, it means no. You will respect whatever boundaries are set and whatever decisions we make regarding his well-being. Is that understood?”

Emma bit her tongue, knowing anything she said right now would just come across as defensive. She just nodded.

“Great.” Regina lifted her menu and looked through it. “We can discuss the specifics and possible visitation hours during breakfast. Their pancakes aren’t as good as Granny’s, but don’t tell her I said that.”

She felt whiplashed by the sudden change from hard ass to relatively pleasant. Emma picked up her menu and looked at it. A waiter came over a few minutes later and took their orders.

“David thinks it would be a good idea to establish a routine with Henry. He’s fond of consistency and since I had Henry on a schedule when he was a baby, I can’t say I disagree with him.”

“You had him on schedule as a baby?”

Regina nodded.

Emma laughed. “Seriously?”

“I worked full-time,” she defended. “I needed set hours to do certain things. It was easier to create a schedule wherein I could balance both.” Her eyes widened. “That’s not to say I changed him to fit my life.”

“You don’t have to explain yourself to me. Raising a kid is hard. I mean…” She shrugged. “Everyone says it’s hard. I’m just surprised you actually made it stick and that you got a baby to follow a schedule.”

She looked down, kind of sheepishly. “The key was to update it as he grew, slight alterations and tweaks to his nap-time and feeding process.” She hesitated. “It worked out rather well. He was… He was always such a happy baby.”

Her leg bounced under the table. Emma stilled it immediately and looked at Regina nervously. “Do you…” She cleared her throat. “Do you maybe have some photos I could look at?”

“I…” She wiped at her eye discreetly, disguising it as moving hair from the bruise on her forehead. “I’m sure I could look around for some.”

Chapter Text

“They're putting me in therapy.”

To say Emma was surprised would be an understatement. She thought the kid was already in therapy. She cleared her throat uncomfortably as she walked next to him. “Maybe it's not such a bad idea.”

He looked betrayed at the very suggestion of it. He shook his head furiously. “But don't you see what she's doing?”

“She? This was your mom’s idea?”

He shook his head again. “She had Dad suggest it. She didn’t even have dinner with us that night, but I know it was her. She’s trying to trick me into telling Archie what I know about the curse. She’s trying to get me to tell Archie everything I know. She’s gathering intel to stop us from figuring out how to break her curse.”

Emma sighed heavily. “Henry, Doctor... Archie?”

“His last name's Hopper. Get it? Hopper. Like a cricket. Because he’s Jiminy Cricket.”

“Doctor Hopper won't tell your parents anything. There's a little something called doctor-patient confidentiality. Ask him about it.”

“Emma…” He groaned. “That’s not how things work here. Everyone’s scared of the Evil Queen. He’ll tell her everything.”

“Just ask him about it,” she said, sighing again. She’d been here for two weeks, and this curse thing was slowly becoming frustrating. “When's your first session?”

“Tonight, at five,” he mumbled, looking at his feet. “Regina's taking me.” He stopped when they were just across the street from his school.

“Hey,” she called softly. She crouched in front of him “Are your parents forcing you to do this? Cause if it’s something you don’t want to do, Henry, you don’t have to.”

“No,” he shook his head. “Dad set up the appointment and I promised I’d give it a try.”

“Well, okay, that’s good. I’m sure they won’t make you continue with it if you don’t want to.”

“Yeah... I'm sure you're right.” His tone implied anything but. “Are we still gonna hang out after school?”

She grinned at him and ruffled his hair. “You bet.”

His parents had given permission for her to pick him up after school and hang out with him until three. The final bell would go off in a few.

“Go learn stuff.”

He smiled and ran past her toward his school.

“It’s good to see his smile back.”

She turned to see his teacher. Ms Blanchard. Emma shrugged slightly. “I didn’t do anything.”

“You stayed.”

“I…” Weird. There was nothing she could add to that. She laughed, embarrassed. “Yeah, I guess I did.”

Everyone had been telling her how much happier Henry was now that she was here. Hell, even David had said that at some point when she dropped him off. He also admitted that that in itself was a punch in the gut, but he was glad, nonetheless. Regina had been harder to get a read on. She hadn’t actively prevented her from seeing Henry, nor did she discourage it, but there was a lot of indifference from her. Like she was unhappy about the arrangement but had decided to bite her tongue.

“Can I ask you something?”

Ms Blanchard nodded. “Of course.”

“His mom, the mayor… I just… I’ve been here for two weeks now and…” She looked past her toward the school. Henry stood near the stairs, talking to a girl in a pink beanie. “I still don’t get what the deal is between them. I mean it can’t all be because of the adoption, can it?”

She laughed nervously. “I really don’t think I’m qualified to give an opinion on that.”

“But you’re his teacher,” she said quickly, coming to stand in front of her when she tried to move. “He’s with you like six and a half hours every day. You’d… You’d know something about all this wouldn’t you?” The teacher hesitated but Emma could see she was getting through to her. “Or else you wouldn’t have given him the book in the first place.”

“I…” She sighed heavily and checked her watch. “Henry’s mother isn’t the easiest person. From what he speaks about, it seems like she takes an authoritarian approach to parenting. She’s strict and extremely self-disciplined and expects Henry to be as well.”

“So, it’s like military boot camp for him?” she asked, heart sinking a little. Maybe him running away had been a cry for help instead of out of spite about the adoption and pregnancy.

“I…” She looked at her helplessly and just shrugged. “I can’t say, that’s just what it seems like.” She tilted her head curiously. “Why don’t you ask Henry about all this? I’m sure he’ll be able to give you a much better answer than me.”

She scoffed. “Whenever I bring up his mom, Henry just goes into-”

“Curse mode?”

Emma turned to the voice. “Jim?”

He waved in greeting. Ms Blanchard nodded politely. “I’ve got to get to class.” She left quickly.

“Hey,” Emma greeted him.

He was carrying a net of soccer balls over his shoulder. He jerked a thumb in the direction Ms Blanchard had walked off in. “What was that about?”

“Well, you caught the tail end of our conversation, and that pretty much summed it up.”

He looked confused but let it go. “Okay. I guess I’ll see you at the next Operation Cobra meeting.”

“Guess so. I’m nearly done with intel, then it’s your turn. Fair warning it’s not your typical fairy tale book.”

“Well, now I almost want to read it.”

“I can’t wait till you see who you’re supposed to be.”

Regina was on a call when Henry arrived at her office. She was taking him to his session. She mouthed ‘hello’ as he walked in. He ignored her and went to sit on the couch, promptly pulling out his sketchbook and some pencils to keep himself occupied while he waited. She resigned herself to it and went on with her call. It took another ten minutes to wrap up. She checked her watch. 4:47.

“Henry.”

He looked up.

“I’m going to pack up and we’ll leave in a few minutes, alright?”

He shrugged and closed his book. He packed up within two minutes and sat waiting for her. They were in the car when he finally broke his silence to ask, “Can Emma pick me up from my session?”

A sharp tightening sensation flared in her abdomen. Regina tensed, waiting for it to pass. It dulled to only discomfort then flared up when she clipped her seatbelt into place. She grunted and gripped the steering wheel to anchor herself.

“Are you okay?”

She nodded, tilting her head in his direction. “Yes.” The pain dulled again. “I’m fine.” She sat up and started the car, trying not to move unless absolutely necessary, and then wincing when she had to.

“Can she?”

“What?” She glanced at him.

“Emma.” He huffed. “Can she pick me up from my session?”

“Henry…” she began. The tightening pain happened again. She gripped the steering wheel tighter and just nodded to his question. “I’ll- I’ll ask her.”

Her answer seemed to have sated him. He turned to look out the window and resumed his silence.

Henry walked into Doctor Hopper's office apprehensively. It didn’t look like anything weird or scary, just a regular room with a couch, a table, and a chair. He imagined Dad coming here every month, sitting on this very couch. It did look comfy, he admitted to himself.

“Hello, Henry,” Archie said, smiling warmly.

He gave a timid smile and sat down. “Hi.”

“You know who I am, correct?”

He nodded. “Yeah, you’re Dr Hopper. My dad said he comes to see you every month.”

“That’s right. You can just call me Archie though.” He sat down in the chair and lifted a notebook from the table at his side. “Has your dad told you anything about our sessions, Henry?”

He shrugged. “He just said you talk.”

“We do. We talk.” Henry wanted to ask something but didn’t know how to. Archie noticed. “Do you have a question?”

“I… Um… Does everyone who comes here just talk? Or does everyone do something different?”

“That’s a very good question, Henry.” He leaned back in his chair. “Most people come in to just talk. They find it… freeing, to just speak to someone about things that have been or are bothering them.”

“Do people ever cry?”

He looked at him for a moment before answering. Henry couldn’t tell what he was thinking. “Some do. Others don’t.”

Does Dad cry in here? “So besides talking and crying what am I supposed to do here?”

“Well… a lot of it is talking but if that isn’t something you’re ready for we could just play a card game or colour some pictures. Your mom told me you’re quite the artist.”

He frowned at that. Maybe bringing his sketchbook with to her office wasn’t such a good idea. He was just bored and… and now she had that piece of information stored away and who knew what she was going to do with it. Wait, did Archie say card game?

“Card games? Like go fish?”

He nodded. “Would you like to play go fish, Henry? I have a deck of cards somewhere around here.”

“I… Is that allowed? Won’t you get in trouble if we don’t talk like we’re supposed to?”

“There are no rules to these sessions. Well, no uh that’s not exactly true,” he laughed lightly. “What I meant was that should you choose to continue these sessions, they will be on your terms. Whether you want to speak or draw or colour… No one is going to going to get into trouble if you don’t want to speak.”

What about the Evil Queen? He bit the inside of his cheek, thinking. Archie was quiet while he waited. “So, there are rules?”

“Yes, should you choose to continue we can discuss them in our next session. I thought perhaps we should get to know each other first.” Archie hesitated. “Unless you’d like to go over the rules now?”

 “Um… can we play go fish?”

Archie smiled and got up to fetch a deck of cards. “Sure.”

“You could try not to look so smug,” he said after Dr Robertson left the room.

“I am entirely within my rights to look smug, David. I told you it was nothing on the phone. You’re the one who completely freaked out.”

“Well, can you blame me? After everything that happened, I…”

She took his hands in her own. David trailed off at the gentle look in her eyes. She softly kissed the fronts of his hands. “I was only teasing. I know how worried you were.”

He sighed, the anxiety whooshing out of him in that single breath. “I was terrified.”

She rubbed her cheek against his hand. “Thank you for picking me up. I couldn’t drive. It… It really hurt.”

He scoffed to himself. “And to think all those books said Braxton hicks were low on the pain scale.”

She shuddered. “If this is low, I don’t think I’m cut out for childbirth then. Perhaps we should discuss c-sections with Dr Robertson as our primary option.”

“Isn’t that something doctors decide closer to the time?”

“The time is less than four months away. I’m deciding now.”

He shook his head. “I’m really glad you’re okay, Reggie.”

“And?” Emma asked expectantly. “How was it? Did Dr Hopper make you take a polygraph or something?”

Henry's face scrunched up in confusion. “A what?”

“Never mind,” she laughed.

“It was... It was fine. We played go fish.”

“Go fish? For an hour.”

“I really like go fish. Archie said we didn’t have to talk, that we could just play a card game or colour in or something.”

Ahh… Establishing trust first. She nodded. “So, it wasn’t horrible like you expected?”

“No.” He shook his head with a smile. A smile and eyes that seemed just a bit brighter. Perhaps it was her being optimistic, but it looked like that first hour really helped. “Archie is nice, and it was kinda fun.”

“So, you’re going again?”

He shrugged and held the straps of his backpack as they walked. “I dunno. Maybe.”

It wasn’t a no. That was a start.

Chapter Text

Henry had a few books out as he did his homework at the island counter. “Dad, I can’t figure this one out.”

David moved closer to take a look. His teacher had issued the class with a revision booklet to complete over the weekend. Henry hated math and so chose to ignore it until today – Sunday. David had been helping him lately with homework. It wasn’t really his fort. Regina usually helped with homework, and he assisted with projects. Ever since Henry started pulling away and calling her evil, the job fell to him.

She was better with it, David reflected. More patient and understanding. Anyone who knew her professionally would scoff at that, thinking it to be a lie, but for David, it wasn’t that hard to believe. There were a lot of exceptions she made for Henry. Her usual snarky attitude and sarcastic comments were replaced with kindness and a softer tone. She could explain things in a way that he understood.

For him, helping with homework was a chore, one he was easily frustrated by. He had less patience.

He was a grown man dealing with fourth-grade math, the answers came easily, and he often had to remind himself that though Henry’s mind worked slower with numbers, he was brilliant in everything else. Henry’s reading level would surpass his in a few short years and snapping at him for not getting the answer to a stupid sum in less than three seconds wouldn’t do either of them any favours.

“Let me see,” he said, coming to stand next to him.

Henry turned the book to him. It was a new section. The previous one was multiplication. This was long division and there were about ten sums. He couldn’t make sense of what was written down, messily written numbers that made no sense.

“Do you remember the steps?”

When no answer came, he looked at Henry. He was biting on his bottom lip, brows furrowed in frustration, and cheeks slightly pink from embarrassment as he slowly shook his head.

His features softened into sympathy. “Hey, it’s okay, buddy,” he said, touching his shoulder.

“Why don’t you take a break, sweetheart,” Regina suggested.

“Yeah.” He nodded. “Mom’s right. You’ve been going at it a while now. Let’s have lunch and after you’ll be able to look at it with fresh eyes.”

Henry shook his head stubbornly. “This is the last section.”

David sighed and looked up. His eyes met with his wife’s. She was on the other side of the island, taking down her favourite ceramic serving dish from one of the top cupboards.

The corner of his lips flicked upward at the sight of her on the small stepladder. He’s gotten it as a joke last Christmas. She swore to never use it and had ended up using it in any case. She got off it and passed him the dish.

They’d made it a habit to cook together as much as possible when they were home. Their work schedules often conflicted and this, as well as their lunch dates, helped with maintaining their marriage.

“Why don’t you let your mom help?” He suggested, taking the dish and the opportunity it presented as he walked to the stove.

Her brows lifted and her eyes widened in surprise before they quickly darted to Henry to gauge his reaction. He didn’t look up but nodded ever so slightly. At that small sign of agreement, Regina moved closer to him.

David began transferring the spaghetti into the ceramic dish. He glanced over his shoulder at them. She stood behind Henry, one hand casually on her hip as she cautiously leaned forward to look at his work.

“Sweetheart… That’s wrong.”

Henry picked up his eraser and started furiously scrubbing out his work. If his reaction bothered her, she certainly didn’t show it. Instead, she sat down on the seat next to him.

“Alright, this is long division, which means…”

David smiled and turned his attention back to the food as she started explaining the concept to him.

He heard Henry’s soft and slightly sheepish, “Oh…” He started writing in his book again. “So… it’s eighty?”

“Correct,” she said proudly. “What’s the next sum?”

A small smile graced David’s face. He pulled on some oven mitts. “I’m gonna go set the table,” he told them as he carried the dish out of the kitchen. By the time the table was set, Henry was on his last sum.

“You liked Alaric last week!” Regina said, gaping at Dad.

He just shrugged. “I thought about it, and it doesn’t go with either of our last names. Like c’mon, Reg, Alaric Nolan-Mills…” He grimaced. “Why are you suggesting all these weird medieval names anyway?”

“Alaric is not medieval. And don’t act like Clive or Gordan are any better.”

Henry’s fork hovered above his plate. “The baby’s not gonna get a middle name?”

“I thought Stephan would go well with Alaric.”

Dad shook his head animatedly. “Nope. Nuh-uh. We’re not naming him that. It sounds like a vampire’s name.”

Henry hesitated. “Can I suggest a name?”

“Is it one of the Avengers’ names?”

His smile slowly fell. “No.”

Regina shook her head. “Your father already tried that with Anthony Stark and Clint Barton thinking I wouldn’t notice.”

He huffed and swirled up some spaghetti. That’s not fair. “Some of them have really cool names.”

“Yes, I’m sure having a brother named Thor sounds appealing, but it simply isn’t practical.”

“Yet vampire names are?” Dad teased.

“It’s not a vampire name,” she said exasperatedly. “Forget it. The one name I suggest and you… Fine. Let’s hear another of yours.”

Dad grinned. “Since you turned down David Junior… how about we name him after you? Think about it, we could have two Reggies.”

“Reginald?” She looked at Dad like he was insane. “You’re suggesting we name a baby born in 2011 Reginald?”

“Hey, you named Henry Henry in ’01. Aren’t we continuing the tradition of old names?”

“I have an old name?” He asked in surprise.

They both looked at him. “No,” Regina answered, glaring at Dad. “Your name is timeless, Henry. It’s your name. You’ve grown into it. It suits you.”

He smiled before he could remind himself that she was evil.

“Which is why we have to find a name that is perfect for your brother,” Dad said. “Something he can grow into as well. Something like… James?”

Henry shook his head immediately. “Nope.” They couldn’t name a baby after Uncle James. That guy killed Jack the Giant Slayer. He was a bad guy.

They looked at him in surprise. He just shrugged. “He’s gonna have both your names. It’ll sound weird.” Dad conceded with a nod.

Mom thought about it for a few seconds before suggesting, “Maybe we should revisit the coin toss idea.” She leaned back and touched her stomach, just over the bump.

Something green and ugly bubbled up in Henry. He twirled up more spaghetti and ate until his plate was clear, not talking for the rest of lunch.

David and Regina were clearing the table when she got a call from Kathryn. Something work-related. She excused herself to her study for it then came out a few minutes later with an apologetic look, saying she had to go into the office. It had to do with the town budget. She’d reviewed it three times already and was irritated to say the least.

And so, David ended up alone in the kitchen, loading the dishwasher. Henry immediately excused himself after lunch and straight went to his bedroom. He hadn’t been out since. David finished loading the dishwasher and went to check on Henry. He knocked on the door before letting himself in.

He was on his bed, reading a comic book. “I’m not a baby,” he said without looking up. “You don’t have to check up on me.”

He leaned against the doorframe with a slight laugh. “You’re still a flight risk though.”

“The only way out is the door, and you can hear it open.”

David was about to refute that, realised he was right, and instead closed his mouth. He looked at Henry thoughtfully for a few moments before walking into the room and taking a seat at the edge of his bed. He touched his leg.

“Are you okay, bud?”

“Mhm.” He nodded quickly, eyes skimming over the pages. “I’m fine.”

“Okay, well… Mom went into the office for a bit. It’s just you and me. Wanna play video games or something?”

“No, thanks. I just wanna read my comic book.”

Ouch. That stung. He blinked a few times at the… unexpectedness of that. When did he become that blunt? David stood. “Yeah, okay, bud.” He stopped at the door, taking one last look at him before pulling the door. “Maybe later.”

He didn’t say anything. Didn’t even look up.

David grabbed his keys, gun and holster and clipped them in place as he stood in front of Henry who sat at the counter. “You know I hate to leave you alone like this but, none of your usual sitters are free and there's an emergency at the station.”

“I could stay with Emma.”

He gave him a look. “You’re not allowed to spend time with her unless one of us knows where you are, and it’s been approved beforehand. Mom and I are in agreement about this.” Henry slumped back in his seat, dejected. David softened. “You’ve seen her every day this week and I won’t be long. I promise. I’m just seeing to a break-in at Clark’s drugstore. I won’t be long,” he said again. “An hour. Maybe two at the most.”

He huffed. “Fine.” He picked at the edges of the comic book in front of him. “Do mom’s rules still apply?”

“What, that no TV, homework only rules?” He nearly laughed then remembered her words from the other night. That things were easier for him. That she was sick of being the bad guy. Maybe it was stuff like this that split them into ‘good’ and ‘bad’ parents in Henry’s mind. He sobered. “Those rules only apply during the week. It’s the weekend and all your homework’s done.” He looked at him sceptically for a second. “Right?”

He rolled his eyes. “Yeah.”

David nodded to himself. “Then it won’t be an issue. Okay, all set,” he said to himself once the holster was set in place. He looked at Henry seriously. “One rule is solid though for every day of the week. No leaving this house without my or your mother’s permission.”

“You mean don't go see my mom.”

“Henry…” David sighed, hands on hips. “Look, I’ll be back soon, okay? Just… Henry just stay here.”

“I will.”

He wasn’t convinced. Not in the slightest. He sighed and pressed a kiss to his head. “I love you. Be good.”

“I’m always good,” he mumbled, pulling away. He plopped one hand under his head. “Love you too.”

David turned back at the threshold to the kitchen. “I could drop you off with Uncle Jim.”

“Don’t you have to leave right now though?”

“Well, yeah, but-”

“And isn’t Uncle Jim at soccer practice?”

“Yes.”

He gave him a look. One that was eerily similar to Regina's, pointed eyebrow and all. “Dad, I’ll be fine.” He smiled a smile that was completely his. “Promise.”

That time he did believe him. “Okay.” He gave a quick smile. “See you in a bit.”

“Hey, kid.”

He smiled, a bit breathlessly, and shrugged. He dumped his backpack onto the floor before walking under her arm much like he had in Boston. “Hey, Emma.”

“What are you doing here?”

He opened his mouth, seemed to forget what he was about to say, then looked at her. “Where’s your stuff?”

“Ah, about that.” She lifted the duffle from the bed and gestured for him to follow her. Henry picked up his bag and trailed after. She locked the door after they left. “I found a place to stay. Something a bit more steady than a room I rent weekly.”

Henry grinned. “You’re staying with Ms Blanchard, aren’t you?”

Shit. She’d forgotten about the whole Snow White thing. “I am.” She handed over her key to Ruby as they passed and braced for Henry’s curse mode to activate.

He was practically bouncing next to her. “Emma, this is great!”

“Yeah…”

Now, she wasn’t so sure. It had been really hard to find this place though. Storybrooke didn’t have many openings.

Emma unlocked the backdoor of her car and tossed the duffel bag in.

“No, seriously, this is great, Emma! You’re gonna be living with your mom now! This is great. Now, she won’t be alone anymore. In the meantime, we’ll work on getting their memories back and helping them fall in love with each other. By the time the curse breaks, you’ll have your family again.”

Emma froze on the sidewalk and just looked at him. This sweet little kid with big imploring hazel eyes and an even bigger heart. It would be sweet, this gesture, him breaking up his family to give her one if it weren’t so messed up. She thought her heart had turned numb ages ago. Clearly not. If he had just managed to shatter it with a few sentences.

“Can I come with?” He asked excited, gripping the straps of his bag.

She couldn’t speak and just nodded.

In hindsight, it was not her smartest idea.

Regina was on the couch, her eyes closed in exhaustion and fingers on either side of her temples. David was pacing up and down the length of the living room.

“David,” she grabbed his hand. “Please, stop that. You're giving me a migraine. He’s fine. He’s with Emma. He didn’t run away.”

“Except he did!” He ripped his hand free and marched to the fireplace. He just stood there. “He ran away. Maybe not to a city this time, but he still ran off. After I asked him… After he told me he would stay here. I was gone for forty minutes. Forty!” He shook his head disbelievingly. “It’s… Reg, this is becoming ridiculous. We need some sort of punishment, consequences, whatever, something in place to let him know this isn’t okay. That running off all the time isn’t a solution. It’s… I can’t keep doing this. This worry, this stress… I can’t. It has to stop.”

“I know,” she said quietly. “I know.” She got up and walked over to him, crossing her arms over her chest. “What do you suggest we do? Because he already believes therapy is his punishment for running away.”

“What?” He turned to her. “You can’t be serious…”

She lifted one shoulder in a self-deprecating manner. “He also believes it was my idea.”

“That…” He scoffed and looked at the fire, shaking his head. “I… Regina, I’m sorry. You told me he would… and I didn’t listen, I’m sorry.”

“It’s not your fault.”

He clenched his fists and unclenched them slowly. “The therapy sessions aren’t punishments. They’re to help him. To…”

“He's not going to see things that way. Not for a while, David, and maybe not even then. He may not want to continue with them.”

“No.”

“No?” she repeated, looking at him in confusion.

“No. He’s continuing with them. If he thinks it’s a punishment then so be it. He has to go. I don’t care if he hates me for it. We can’t keep doing this. If he won’t talk to us so we can all work this out, then we’ll try to fix it through Archie.”

Her eyebrows shot up and stayed there. “Do you think that’s the best decision?”

“Maybe. Maybe not. But we need to do something. Something in addition to taking his housekey and grounding him for the foreseeable future.”

“You want to ground him as well?” He was about to speak, but she shook her head and beat him to it. “You want him to attend therapy sessions to help him with whatever he’s going through and for us to be able to assist in any way that he needs to do that. Correct?” He nodded. “Grounding him would be counterproductive to that strategy.”

David sat quietly for the next few moments, thinking. Eventually, he sighed and said, “It still doesn’t sit well with me that he gets off Scot-Free.”

“I don’t think we can place all the blame on him when she didn’t notify us that our son was with her. You had to call her to find out he was there.”

It was definitely not her smartest idea.  After being chewed out by the kid’s parents, Emma parked her car outside Mary-Margaret’s apartment building – which she now supposed was now her apartment building too – and decided to take a walk to her old place. One of Granny’s hot toddies and Rubes’ easy conversation was exactly what she needed now.

She noted a black motorcycle before she entered the diner and then some guy in a black leather jacket at the counter once inside. Seemed Ruby’s attention would be with him for the evening.

Emma went to her usual seat by the window and ordered herself a pity party drink. And a bear claw.

This sucked. You’d think she was their kid by the fucking lecture she got. Jesus. She didn’t need this kind of… She blew out a heavy breath and deflated in her seat.

She understood why they were concerned. She understood their worry, their stress. She understood it and… They cared! They cared about him. They loved him. Love him. They were willing to fight for him, to fight her for him, and… God, why was this so frustrating? They love him. They love him. There was no denying that. But why did that fact make her want to rip off her own skin? It should have relieved her.

But… It… It didn’t.

Chapter Text

Emma leaned back against the side of her car as she waited for Henry. She’d had to kiss ass just to get the green light to pick him up for and from school like she’d been doing since her second week here. And by kiss ass, she meant apologize for something the kid did. Which okay, yeah, he came over but that wasn’t her fault. She’d pointed that out. To which the mayor had responded that as the adult in the situation it was her responsibility to contact them whenever Henry saw her outside of the hours they set aside for him to do so in.

She felt a flare of embarrassment and defensiveness rise in her just thinking about it. It wasn’t her fault. It was his. And she couldn’t even find it in herself to be irritated with him. He was just a kid. He didn’t mean any harm. She was certain that if it happened again she would be escorted out of town by police sirens. She had signed forms for a closed adoption after all.

The bell went off, dismissing the fourth and fifth graders from St. Meissa Elementary. It was a private school with about 120 students. Jim said Storybrooke Elementary kept kicking their ass at soccer. Though, they had like triple their number of students so their odds of getting better players were higher.

Wait, was she seriously thinking about kids’ soccer stats right now? Damn, she needed to speak to someone other than Jim for a while. It was kinda sad that she’d been here a month and so far her only friends were Henry’s uncle and Henry’s homeroom teacher. She needed to make friends with someone who didn’t have a tie to him. Ruby didn’t even count because she used to babysit him when he was a baby. Great.

“Emma!”

She snapped out of her thoughts and grinned when she saw him running toward her. “Hey, kid,” she said laughingly when he tackled her into a hug. “How was school?”

He looked up at her, chin on her stomach and arms still around her. She loved that he was always this happy to see her. “I made a friend,” he said excitedly.

“You did?” Finally! “That’s great, Henry.” He smiled wider and let go of her to get into the car. She let him and got in as well. “What’s their name?”

“Ashleigh. Ashleigh Milton.” He took his bag off his shoulders and set it at his feet. “We met in class. Mr Springer, he’s the art teacher, changed the seating arrangement to alphabetical order. She’s really nice. She likes drawing too plus she’s really good at it. She showed me some of her stuff at lunch. Oh, she invited me to sit with her at lunch.” He seemed to just remember this now and practically bounced with excitement as he told her about his day. A lot of it was about Ashleigh and her friend Paul. They sat together at lunch and were going to do so again tomorrow. He was excited about not having to sit alone anymore.

Emma had to blink many times to clear the moisture in her eyes. She had never cried happy tears before, but she fully intended to. In private. Where she could just sit back and cry and laugh at the fact that he was happy, that the therapy seemed to be working. He told her he and Archie had been speaking a lot about talking to people, making friends and opening up more. It seemed like Henry had decided to take that advice to heart. Her eyes were tearing again. She subtly cleared her throat and blinked a few more times.

“I can’t wait to tell Archie about this. He’s gonna be so excited. Maybe I can invite them over to my house. I’ve never had friends over before. Well, except in first grade. His name was Jin. Hey, Emma.”

Emma glanced at him. “Yeah?”

“Aren’t we going to Granny’s? You have to drop me off at the station in an hour.”

She turned her blinker on. “I spoke to your dad before I picked you up. He said I could keep you till your session, just that I had to drop you off on time.”

“Awesome.”

She laughed at the way he said it. “When is it anyway?”

“Five PM every Tuesday and Thursday.”

She glanced at him. “You’re still going twice a week?”

He shrugged. “Yeah. Archie said that’s normal though.”

“No, yeah, of course.” She nodded quickly. “I was just checking in. You know since I don’t have all the info. Hopefully, we get to do this every day after school.” Two and a half hours were better than one.

“That would be awesome,” he said in the same tone from earlier. “Oh, but I have to get clothes from my house cause my mom-”

“Doesn’t want her son parading around town in his school uniform until after dinner time,” she said, rolling her eyes as she recited the mayor’s words. “Yeah, I know. Already got the lecture over the phone.”

They pulled up a few seconds later and Henry looked kinda sheepish at not realising she was driving in the direction of his home the entire time. He left his bag in the car and turned back to look at her when she didn’t follow him. “Aren’t you gonna come in with me?”

She shook her head. “Nope. Don’t take too long.”

He looked at her through the window then tilted his head to the side. “One of my mom’s rules?”

“Yep.”

He rolled his eyes. “You don’t have to listen to her, you know.”

She was going to dispute that, tell him that yes, she absolutely had to listen to his mother if she wanted to keep seeing him, but Henry had already walked away. So instead, she pulled out her phone and played Temple Run to pass the time.

They set up Mary-Margaret’s table to do homework on. Henry flicked his pencil on the table whenever he didn’t know an answer right away. Emma hadn’t decided whether this annoyed her or not. If she were exposed to it every day, it might. For the moment she was just… observant of it. The constant tap tap tap tapping on the tabletop.

“Sorry I’m not much help with science, I kinda flunked it in middle school.” The very sight of anything related to it made her want to pass out. She pushed back her chair and stood up. “You want anything to snack on?”

He shrugged. “Got any juice?”

She strolled to the fridge and looked inside. “Your favourite. OJ. Want some?”

“Yes please.”

She poured them each a glass. They had been making conversation while he worked, chatting about little things. They were still trying to find similar interests and hobbies.

So far, they had the following in common; 1) sprinkling cinnamon over their hot cocoa 2) a love of grilled cheese sandwiches 3) the arcade 4) a shared hatred for math and 5) liking the colour red. They loved Disney too, but for different reasons. It wasn’t much, but they spoke a lot. She was trying to get to know him. She had odd little facts and anecdotes about his day. He had stories of her past. The lighter bits, the stuff she could tell him.

Things got kinda quiet after he finished his math homework. She could help with that, and it had been… It felt kinda awesome to get to be here for him like this, to help him, and just be involved in his life. She really liked it. That sense of purpose.

 She set the glass in front of him. “I can take another look and try to help you out if you want. Or we could google the answers.”

“It’s just labelling and some questions. It’s fine.”

“Okay.” She sat down again, unsure of what to do with herself. She didn’t like the feeling. “You know, I loved art class when I was a kid.”

He looked at her. “Really? You draw too?”

“Yeah. Well, I used to. I don’t anymore. I liked painting better than drawing though. Not that I could afford it,” she laughed to herself. “When I was about twelve, I got placed with a nice family and they bought me some things. The school they sent me to had a great art program too.”

She felt a smile flicker across her face. Emma felt a bit of relief about talking about her childhood with him. Well, the good stuff. She thought about Ingrid and the oil pastels she’d received for her fifteenth birthday. Her smile fell.

“Did they adopt you?”

She shook her head. “No. It uh… It didn’t work out.”

“Oh. I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay.”

There was an awkward silence. “I’m not so good with paint,” he said hesitantly, eyes back on his notebook.

She happily let him change the subject. “Yeah?”

“I like sketching stuff with a pencil. That’s called greyscale, right?”

She shrugged. “No clue, kid.”

“Hey, Emma…”

“Yeah?”

He looked at her through the corner of his eye for a second before he looked in front of him again. “Did you do drugs? When you were in foster care?”

She glanced at him in confusion, wondering where that question came from. “I um… No, I didn’t- Well I mean I tried some stuff- Which you shouldn’t know about,” she scolded herself. “Why are you asking?”

“Uncle Jim found weed in the locker room after gym class.”

Weed’s not really a drug, was her first thought. Her second was, “WHAT?” Emma looked at him quickly. “But you’re nine.”

“It wasn’t mine.” He rolled his eyes. “There’s this older boy in the sixth grade, Devin, it was in his locker.”

“Oh.” She blinked. “Still, that’s way too young.” She remembered his previous question. “Wait, is he with a foster family?”

He nodded. “Yeah. Aunt Kathryn’s old boss, Mr Spencer, I think, but Devin’s last name is Baker, not Spencer. His brother, Felix, is an intern at my mom’s office. He’s a foster kid too.”

“And you wanted to know if it’s something all foster kids do?” He nodded again. “Well… It’s…” She struggled to think of how to word it appropriately. She went for bluntness. “Some do. A lot of the kids I knew did, but no, not all. Maybe he’s struggling with adjusting.”

“Adjusting?”

“Yeah. When you get placed in a new home and…” She didn’t know how to explain it to him.

“But…” He fiddled with his pencil. “Since we’re under the curse, shouldn’t that kinda stuff… I don’t know… not happen?”

Ah. Curse-mode. Okay. This she could sort of deal with. “You said that my arrival weakened the curse, right?”

“Yeah. The clock tower’s moving again.” He nodded. His eyes lit up. “Oh! I get it. Time’s moving so now things have to keep up. Got it.”

No. You’ve had a pretty sheltered life. “No, Henry, not exactly. These things have always been around. You’ve just never been old enough to notice before.”

“Woah.” He dropped his pencil. “That means the curse had a hold on me too.”

She sighed and looked at the book in front of him. “How many questions are left?”

Science homework distracted him for the next few minutes.

“I think Devin’s gonna get expelled.”

“Because of the weed?”

He nodded.

“Bit extreme, don’t you think? You guys are still kids.”

He shrugged. “My parents were called in that time I got two Cs and one B… I don’t think he has much of a chance.”

Two Cs and a B? Seriously? “Yeah, probably not.”

“If he gets expelled, he’ll have to go to Storybrooke Elementary. He’ll have new teachers and a different classroom and he’ll have to make new friends.”

She looked at him curiously. “You sound worried about him. Were you two friends?”

“No.” He shook his head. “I just… Things are changing. Like all around me. Everyone I know. Or know of. Something new is happening to them. It’s just… It feels a little weird.” He shrugged it off. “Storybrooke Elementary doesn’t have a uniform though. So, there’s that bright side I guess.”

He sounded like his dad just then. The unsureness in his tone. She remembered the way he rolled his eyes that one morning. He was the mirror image of his adoptive mother. There were other times too when he said a big word or something clever or raised an eyebrow at her where he would look exactly like the mayor. Like his mom. Like Regina. She saw traces of David too, but his influence was more subtle, it manifested in his laugh and sense of style. It was weird actually, how he could look and act so much like people he wasn’t biologically related to.

The prickling of a Freudian theory started in her brain. Emma shut it down, not yet ready to face it. Still, one question lingered.

“Is it a girl or a boy?”

“Huh?”

“The baby.” Her tone was casual enough to sound like she was just making polite conversation. “Is it a girl or a boy?”

“Oh uh...” He kept his eyes firmly on the page. “It’s a boy.”

A boy. A son. The admission nearly solidified the theory. She pushed it back before it could fully develop into conscious thought. “That sounds pretty cool. You’re gonna have a little brother.”

His mouth twisted up in a funny way. “Yeah, I guess.” He shrugged. “Did you have any siblings growing up, Emma?”

Smart topic change, she thought. She looked at his homework. “I thought you’re only supposed to learn about sound wavelengths and such stuff in middle school.”

“We’re learning about it now.”

He started talking about the topic as he answered the last few questions. They’d just started with it. Motion and sound. Emma listened soundly.

Archie would be perfect for Operation Cobra. Maybe he should tell him about it and ask him to join him and Emma. He could help them figure out how to break the curse. No, wait, first, he had to get him to believe that there was a curse. What would be the best way to do that? Henry wondered.

“You weren't always a cricket.”

Archie looked up from his notes. It didn't bother him that much anymore. Henry hardly even noticed it.

“I wasn't al... Oh right, because I'm... because you think I'm Jiminy Cricket,” he said carefully.
He looked at him thoughtfully for a moment. “Why do you think that, Henry?”

“It's just because of who you are.”

“And who am I?”

“You're a conscience. You help people see right from wrong.”

“So, all of the crickets in Storybrooke… they were once people too?”

“There aren't any crickets here.” He got up and went to the window. “Listen.” Silence. A car drove down the street. Silence again. He turned to him expectantly. “See?”

“Maybe it isn't late enough.”

He refused to be put down. He shook his head. “There's never been crickets here. You've just never noticed.”

“And you think that's proof that there's a curse?”

“Yes.” He sat down again. “But I know it's not enough.” Archie wrote something down. “I'm looking for more,” he added quickly, trying to read the notes to make sure he added that part.

Archie put his pen down on the notepad and looked up. “Henry, can I ask you a question?”

Uh oh. What’d he say? “Sure.”

“We’ve been talking for… hmm about two weeks now. Is that right?”

Henry nodded. He told Archie about the curse in his second session. It was a split-second decision to see if he could be trusted not to tell everything to the Evil Queen. So far, he hadn’t.

“So, I have to ask, why do you think it is so important that the Curse is real?”

“I don't know. It...”

He didn’t know how to explain it without seeming crazy. He saw people as they were in the book. Ms Blanchard in her wedding dress. Mom in evil queen outfits and Dad as a prince with a sword. When he started reading the book and first saw people like that, he thought he was crazy, but after he realised that the curse was real everything made sense. Now, he just needed everyone to come to that realisation too. Seeing Dr Hopper as a cricket was the weirdest moment of his life. He looked at him. He didn’t see anyone as their fairy tale personalities anymore. Explaining it aloud would make him sound crazy. He couldn’t. If the curse wasn’t real, then that would mean that him seeing people as fairy-tale characters was… crazy. It would mean he was crazy, and his brain was broken.

The curse had to be real. It couldn’t not be real.

“It...” Henry sighed. “It just is.” It has to be.

Archie wrote something else in his book. “Maybe you should keep thinking about that answer. Maybe there’s something buried there.”

What did that even mean?

Archie glanced at the clock and closed his notepad. He gave a warm smile. “Our session has come to an end. Would you like me to walk you downstairs?”

Henry shook his head and hopped up from his seat. “No, thanks.” He grabbed his back from the floor and slid it over his shoulders. “See you Thursday, Archie.”

Henry swung his legs as he sat in the chair in the lobby. He was waiting for Dad to pick him up. The clock in the hall showed that it was just after 6:15. He kicked his legs out and watched as his shoelaces dangled. He leaned down to tie them. He looked out the glass door, but didn’t see Dad’s car outside. He was supposed to pick him up tonight. Maybe he forgot.  Like the other day at school.

They never seemed to remember him anymore. He had to do his homework by himself, they don’t talk about their days or ask him how school was. Not that anything good ever happened. But still!

Except today something good had happened. He made a friend, and she was nice. Archie smiled, like an actual smile with teeth, and said he was happy for him. It made Henry feel happy. He wanted to tell his parents, both of them, at the same time, but he knew they wouldn’t ask. Things were always weird and quiet and tense. They wouldn’t ask. They didn’t even talk to him anymore, not like before. Now they forgot about him too. He scoffed to himself. He bet they wouldn’t forget about the baby.

“Henry.” He startled. Dad was walking toward him. “Hey, bud, sorry I’m late. The car had a flat tire.”

Henry’s throat hurt. He swallowed over the lump.

“Hen?” Dad crouched in front of him. “Are you okay?”

He was speaking to him. Dad pressed the back of his hand to his forehead, eyebrows creased with concern. He pulled it back and gave him a gentle look.

“How was the session?” He asked in a soft voice.

Henry hopped off the chair and hugged him. Hard.

“What are y- Oh.” He put his arms around him. “Hey.”

This felt nice. He hadn’t hugged Dad in a while. Or talked. Or done stuff together. Everything was weird lately. He missed this. He missed his family. And… he… he missed his mom too. He missed how things used to be.

“Henry?” Dad ran his hand over his head and knelt in front of him. “Is everything’s okay, bud?”

His nose felt itchy. He wiped at it. Dad’s face became concerned. Henry nodded. “Yeah. I’m fine. Just… I was just thinking about some stuff.”

“Some stuff? Like what?” His face got more concerned. “Did something happen in your session?”

He shook his head. “No.” He looked at his shoelaces. His left shoe wasn’t tied properly. He should retie it. “Is Mom gonna be at the office tonight?”

He frowned. “I’m not sure. Why?”

“I um… I wanna tell you guys something later. If she is, maybe we could bring her dinner?” They used to do that a lot. Not that Dad remembered. In his memories, Mom had only just gotten the job of being Mayor. When really, she’d always been Mayor.

“I’m sure she’d love that.” Wait, what? Really? He looked up quickly, excitedly. Dad smiled back. “Why don’t we get home and make something for tonight, huh? Or maybe we could get takeout.”

He lit up at the idea of Granny’s. “Really?”

“Yeah, of course.” He held out his hand. “Come on.”

Henry took his hand and they walked to the cruiser. He climbed into the backseat. He still thought it was unfair that he couldn’t sit in the front seat (he was almost ten!) but didn’t say anything about it.

“Seatbelt, Hen.”

“I know, Dad.” He rolled his eyes. “I’m not a baby,” he said under his breath.

He felt happy, excited even. They were going to go home, and things would be normal. He wouldn’t have to think about the curse, about fairy tales or heroes and villains and what was right and wrong, he wouldn’t have to wonder whether or not he was allowed to talk to his mom because she was a villain and if it made him a villain that he didn’t see her as one.

He didn’t have to think about any of that. Because tonight it was just going to be the three of them. And they would talk and have dinner and talk and things would be normal again, like they used to be, just for tonight. He could do the right thing tomorrow, not speak to her tomorrow, be good, be a hero. He could do all that tomorrow. He would just-

Chapter Text

The car and ground shook. He yelped in fear. Dad turned around in his seat and reached for him. The shaking stopped. Earthquake. That was an earthquake. What the- Why- Why would there be an earthquake in Storybrooke? And why now? Was it because of the curse?

“You okay, Henry?”

He nodded quickly. “Was that an earthquake?”

“Yeah,” he laughed to himself. He sounded scared. “It certainly felt like it. Stay here. I’m gonna make a call to the station. Okay?”

“Okay.”

Dad left the car. He looked outside his window. Everything looked fine. Maybe that was just a warning. Maybe something worse would happen if he didn’t stick to his plan, if he gave up on breaking the curse. He couldn’t risk it. He had to go forward with Operation Cobra. He couldn’t afford to delay the curse from breaking. He couldn’t wish for things to go back to how they used to be. Something bad would happen. 

Regina addressed the crowd. “People of Storybrooke, don't be alarmed. We've always known this area was honeycombed with old mining tunnels but fear not. We're going to undertake a project to make this area safe.” She glanced at Kathryn who stood at her side. “We will bulldoze it, collapse it, pave it, and rehabilitate it for city use.”

“WHAT?”

Henry? She looked down to see him walking through the crowd to her. David turned, spotted him and headed in his direction.

“You’re gonna pave it?” He exclaimed. With his level of outrage, you’d swear she just suggested a nuclear test drive down at the maternity ward of the hospital. He was at the front of the crowd now, a few feet away from her. “But, what if there's something down there?”

She stepped down from the elevated ground and walked to him. “Henry, what are you doing here?” She asked in a whisper.

He raised his chin and looked her in the eye. “What's down there?”

Her shoulders slumped ever so slightly. How could he still possibly see her as the villain? Even in this situation. She looked at him helplessly. “Nothing,” she said, pleading with him not to fight her on this.

David made it to them. He placed a hand on Henry’s shoulder and gestured for him to follow him. Henry scowled at her before leaving with David.

She stood to her full height and addressed the crowd. Her voice came out surer. “Can everyone step back, please?”

“I’ll wait in the car,” Henry muttered, already walking toward it.

“Hey, wait a second.” Dad grabbed his arm. “What was that back there? I thought you wanted to see your mom. You were excited about it less than twenty minutes ago. What was that?”

He looked down. He still needed to retie the laces on his left shoe. “I did,” he said in a small voice.

Dad crossed his arms over his chest. “So, you wanted to see her and the first thing you do is publicly undermine and disrespect her? That doesn’t make any sense, Henry.”

His eyes started burning. “I know.” It was barely a squeak. He didn’t want to be mean to her, but it was the only way to make sure that nothing bad would happen again. He couldn’t give up on Operation Cobra.

Dad sighed in frustration. “Henry… Look,” he said, moving back a bit so that they could look at each other. “I know that things have been… tense… lately. With school and finding out you were adopted and Emma suddenly being around. And then to add this whole uh… erm curse… thing and the therapy…” He shook his head and trailed off.

Henry swallowed thickly. “Dad-”

“I know you have a lot going on, bud, and I know that it’s not easy for you, but you can’t just…” He trailed off again.

He was probably thinking of a roundabout way to say what he really meant. Which was something along the lines of, “You’re crazy and delusional but please don’t act like it. Just act normal. Forget about the curse and magic and fairy tales because none of that is real. If you do that, we can be a family again.”

Henry looked down again. “I’m sorry. I’ll apologize to…” Regina. The Evil Queen. “I’ll apologize to Mom later.” He looked at the police car across the road. “Do I still have to wait in the car?”

Dad looked at him and sighed. “Damn those eyes,” he muttered. “No, you can stay. Just don’t leave my side.”

Sheriff Graham wanted to send someone in to check if there were any people inside the mines when the earthquake happened. Aunt Kathryn disagreed and said it was unlikely that anyone would be down there. Their mini argument was the most interesting thing that happened since the earthquake. But they came to an agreement as quickly as they disagreed, and Henry was bored again.

“I’m gonna go help over there.” Dad pointed in the direction of the firefighters.

He wiped his hands on his pants. “Coming.”

“Huh-uh.” Dad put his hands on his shoulders to stop him from following. “You could get hurt. I need you to stay put. Over here.”

He pulled a face. He was bored with this job. “Why over here?”

They’d just been moving some of the rocks and stuff out of the way because it was blocking the entrance to the mines. They were gonna send someone in after all. Just for a few hundred yards. That was the decision Sheriff Graham and Aunt Kathryn came to. They still had to decide on who would go in.

Henry spotted Emma and Uncle Jim behind Dad. They were talking to Sheriff Graham. “Can I go help Uncle Jim instead?”

Dad looked over his shoulder. “You mean Emma.”

“I… Yeah.”

Dad thought about it for a second. “Okay. Don’t leave their side and don’t do anything too dangerous or lift anything too heavy.”

He nodded quickly and ran to her. “Emma.” She was startled when he hugged her, reaching down to hug him just as he stepped back. Her arms dangled by her sides awkwardly now.

“Hey, what about me? Am I chopped liver or something?”

Henry smiled just a bit brighter. “Hey, Uncle Jim.” He hugged him.

“Hey, Hen. What are you doing here?”

“My dad said I could help you. What are you doing? What can I help with?”

Emma answered. “Well, we were talking to Graham, and it doesn’t seem like there is much we can do. The police perimeter is set, and most of the crowd got bored and left. Some are leaving now. Most of the rubble has been cleared away from the entrance so I guess we’re done. Nothing more we can do.”

He pulled a face. “But I’m bored.”

“Aw, kid.” She laughed a little.

Uncle Jim suggested they go to the castle for another Operation Cobra mission. Henry eagerly agreed. “Great, gimme a sec to tell your parents.”

He left to do so then Emma and Henry were alone.

“So… the earthquake, huh?”

He couldn’t think of what to say so he just nodded. They both sucked at small talk so, it became awkward quick.

“Does his kind of stuff happen often around here?”

“Nope. Never.” More awkward. More awkward. He looked around quickly and tried to think of something to say. “Dad and I were in the car when it happened. But like not driving or anything. We were just sitting there.”

“I was at work. Well, technically I just got hired. I start tomorrow.”

He nodded along then realised what she had said. “Wait, you got a job?”

She smiled excitedly. “Yep.”

“This is great! You’re living with your mom and now you’ll be working with your dad. And I can come visit you at the station!”

“No uh…” Her smile dimmed a bit. “I’m not working at the station. Turns out Graham didn’t have that much room in the budget, but I got a job at the pet shelter,” she said quickly. “And I spoke to Dr Thatcher, he’s okay with you coming in after school and hanging out sometimes. Plus, Granny’s is right next door and Archie’s office is across the street. It’ll be great.”

The Evil Queen. She was the reason Emma didn’t get the job at the station. She couldn’t just do stuff like that and get away with it, he thought angrily. They needed to break the curse. Good thing they were having an OC meeting soon then. A lightbulb lit up inside his head.

“Wait. Did you say you got hired just before the earthquake happened?”

She looked at him. “Yeah. Why?”

“W-Why?” He exclaimed. “Don’t you see?” It wasn’t his fault. It wasn’t him. He didn’t cause the earthquake. It wasn’t his fault. “It’s because of you.”

“What?”

“The earthquake. It’s because of you. You did something different. You took got a job, you’re gonna stay here. You’re weakening the curse! This means we can still figure out a way to break it. We can still break the curse!”

Her face fell. “Kid…”

Light reflected off something on the ground behind her. His attention went to it immediately. “What’s that?” He walked to it.

It was a shard of glass on the ground. He bent to pick it up. His fingers touched the glass, his mind filling with images of the dwarves gathered around Snow White’s coffin, Snow White in her coffin, and Prince Charming riding up to the glass coffin. The glass coffin. The glass coffin. The glass coffin! Snow White’s glass coffin.

Henry gasped as his eyes shot open. He hadn’t… The flashes… They… They hadn’t happened in weeks. He looked around, already startled, but now panicking when he saw everyone in their fairy-tale clothes. Some of them looked really different. Some of them looked scary. Some of them were thinner than they were here, and others had dirt on their faces and dried mud in their hair. Everyone looked different. Everyone. Everyone except Emma. Emma was still herself. Emma still had her red leather jacket on. Emma was… She was standing in front of him, looking at him like he had two heads or something. He saw a talking cricket over her shoulder. He nearly screamed, but remembered that it was just Archie.

“Woah, you okay there, kid?”

He realised he was on the floor, that he’d stumbled over in reaching for it. Emma reached for him to pull him up. He took her hand and stood up. She patted his back. Henry realised she was trying to get the dust off his sweater.

“Yeah, I’m fine.” He swatted her hands away and rubbed down his sleeves. “Just tripped over air.”

She snorted. “Yeah, I saw. I wish I’d had my phone out to record that.” She looked behind him. “What were you looking at?”

He looked at the shard of glass. He hadn’t had the flashes in weeks. It was only when he was reading the book that he got them. They only happened one at a time for each person. It was like that one videogame where he could only unlock one new character at a time. This was new. And weird. So, so, so very weird. He went to pick up the shard of glass; as soon as his fingers touched it, the ground shook. He pocketed it quickly and turned to see Emma reaching for him with a yelp of, “Henry!”

He caught onto her with tight arms. This time when the ground shook it threw them off balance. They ended up almost falling over and would have ended up on the ground, but Emma reached out and grabbed onto the metal bar by the entrance to the fire truck. She held him tight and close.

The earthquake got worse. Emma’s hand slipped. They fell. He hit his head on the ground and opened his eyes to see the mines. The entrance to the mines. More flashes. More images. Snow White’s coffin. The Evil Queen casting the curse. Her threatening Snow White as the curse destroyed the castle. Snow White’s coffin. The Storybrooke sign. The entrance to the mines. The poisoned apple. Geppetto carving the wood for Snow White’s coffin. The way he combined the glass with the wood. Henry gasped when the flashes stopped.

Emma was pulling him into her again, moving backwards so that they were away from the fire truck. He scurried over to her side, fearfully. What if the fire truck fell over onto them? What if it crushed them? She pulled him into her. The mines. The mines. He needed to go into the mines. The earthquake stopped. It was a sign. He needed to go into the mines. Emma let go and looked him over for injuries.

“Are you okay?”

He nodded quickly.

“You hit your head when we fell,” she said, not sounding convinced.

“I’m fine.”

She tilted his head, her eyes wide with worry. “You have a cut on your chin. It’s bleeding.”

He touched his cheek. It was hot and stung to touch. He pulled his hand away quickly. “Yeah, but I’m fine.” He looked over her shoulder then back at her, into her eyes. She had blue eyes. Like Dad. They had the same dad. Weird. So, so, so weird. The curse… “Emma. We need to go into the mines.”

“What?”

“It’s down there! It’s in the mines. Her coffin is down there. We need to find it. It’s- It’s important, Emma.”

“Woah, woah, woah, slow down. What’s down there? Wait, did you say a coffin? Whose coffin? Wait, in the mines? You want to go into the mines?”

“Her coffin is in there! We need to-”

“What are you talking about?”

Henry flinched at the harshness of her voice.

“What coffin? Can you just slow down and explain some of this to me, kid?”

His throat had that weird lump in it again. He swallowed and tried to speak over it. “Snow White. It’s Snow White’s coffin dow- down in the mines. We need to go find it. It has to do with the earthquake and the curse weakening. There’s something there that can help us break the curse. We have to go into the mines and find it.”

She knelt in front of him. “Go into the mines and find what?” Her voice was desperate and pleading. “Do you honestly believe that there’s a coffin in the mines? That Snow White’s coffin is in the mines? That all of this fairy tale stuff is real?”

“It is real!”

“No, it isn’t. God, Henry, it isn’t real. None of this is real. The curse isn’t real! It’s just something you needed to believe in because you couldn’t deal with the fact that you were adopted!”

He flinched, his eyes now burning. “That’s not… That is not true.”

“Yes, it is. You made it up. It’s not real. The curse isn’t real. Your mom isn’t the Evil Queen, your dad isn’t Prince Charming and I’m not the saviour. The only reason you brought me here is because you wanted to get back at your parents-”

“No, I-”

“You wanted to hurt them the way they hurt you when you found out about the baby. You felt like they were replacing you, so you decided to replace them. That’s why you came to find me.”

“No, it’s…” The tears fell from his eyes. He didn’t even bother to wipe them away. “I brought you here to break the curse.”

She looked up at the sky and let out a pained laugh. “There is no curse, Henry. There’s just this. This is all there is. This is the real world and you need to accept that.”

Henry’s chest hurt in a way it hadn’t hurt before. That wasn’t true. None of what she said was true. But his chest was hurting and that lump in his throat was bigger. It wasn’t true. Nothing she said was true. But then why did she say it? Why would she say all that stuff? Henry turned and ran away, ignored how she called out for him, ignored the shard in his pocket. He wanted to yank it out and throw it away. What good would keeping it do anyway?

“Henry!”

He turned to the call of his name. “Mom! Dad!”

Chapter Text

“I am not looking forward to tomorrow.”

David laughed lightly and swung their hands between them as they walked to her car. “I know. The paperwork…” He groaned. “There’s going to be so much paperwork.”

“It’s going to be a bureaucratic headache,” she muttered.

He looked at her thoughtfully. “How is your head? Any pain today?”

“No. I’m fine.”

“Are you sure?”

“I’m fine.” She looked at him, eyes sincere. “I promise.”

He believed her. “We didn’t see each other for lunch, I was worried.” That was his way of asking why she bailed on him. She side-stepped his subtlety.

“Why is it always you who comes around to my office and not the other way around?”

Because I’ve literally walked in on you and Graham doing it on his desk and I don’t want to have to relive that while I eat, he thought. He shrugged. “Dunno.”

“Well, let’s remedy that. Tomorrow.”

Nope. Nope. Lunch at the station. Not gonna happen. “Do you want to meet up somewhere? Like the pier?”

“The pier.” She smiled a bit. “We had our first date there. Do you remember those calamari tacos you made me try?”

“Yes.” His mouth started watering at the thought of them. “Oh my god yes. Those are orgasmic.”

“They were… good yes, but I wouldn’t go as far as to say orgasmic.”

“That’s because you’re pretentious about foodgasms, Mills.”

She rolled her eyes. “Well, at least I don’t make the same sounds in bed as I do in a restaurant over a plate of onion rings.”

“Onion rings…” He groaned. “You’re making me hungry.”

She chuckled and let go of his hand to unlock her car door. “Then that brings us to the topic of dinner.”

“Someone was taking down orders for Granny’s. We could add ours to the list.”

She slid into her seat and looked through the glovebox. She found the container instantly. “Here you go.”

He took it. “Thanks.” He swallowed two flat white tablets with a sip of water from the bottle she offered him.

He handed the water bottle and pill container back to her. She wanted to say something, but bit her tongue and looked away, moving to close the glove box instead. He frowned. It wasn’t like her to hesitate. David leaned against her open door.

“What?”

She raised an eyebrow. “What?”

“You’re trying not to say something. It’s unlike you.”

“Well, every time I bring it up you change the topic, so I don’t see the need to try again,” she muttered, getting out the car.

He stepped aside as she closed her door. “Reg, I told you already, I don’t need the medication anymore. I feel fine.”

“I know that, but Dr Whale said it could trig-”

“Triggered by traumatic or stressful events,” he finished, sighing softly. “I know, but he also said there’s a five-year prognosis from when it happens.”

“Exactly. Wait it out. You have seven weeks left.”

“You memorised it down to the week?” he asked, baffled.

“Down to the date. November 8^th. Six days before our son’s due date so… please just keep taking it until then.”

“Reg…”

She looked down, jaw clenched and hands in fists, worried, yet trying not to look it. “It could be fatal.”

That’s in less than 5% of all cases and only 1% of people actually have it. He was about to remind her of this again, but her pleading eyes stopped him.

“I just… You shouldn’t take any chances. I need you to… to be here.”

He sighed and pulled her into a hug. “I am here.”

“Good.” Her words were mumbled against him. “You can’t leave me.”

He kissed the top of her head. “Not gonna happen anytime soon.”

She let go of him after a few minutes, with an embarrassed, “Sorry.”

“Hormones?”

She laughed and wiped delicately under her eyes. “I think so.” She pulled his hand up and placed the container onto his palm. “Keep this with you. Please.”

He looked at the small orange pill container. “Yeah. Okay.” He pocketed it and was met with a relieved smile.

She touched the back of his neck and leaned up. “Thank you.” Their lips touched briefly.

The sun was low behind her, its light turned her hair golden. Like a halo of honeyed brown hair. Her eyebrows pulled together as she looked at her heels, twisting her foot to relieve the pain in her ankles. He frowned at her shoe choice.

“We need to get you into more comfortable shoes.”

“This is in no way a ‘we’ situation if I’m the one experiencing pain.”

“It’s a ‘we’ situation because we’re a team.”

She rolled her eyes. “Right.”

His words trailed off as the shaking of the earth threw him off balance, stumbling into her against the car. He caught himself by pushing his arms out, preventing him from slamming into her. She grabbed his body instinctively and stared up at him with frightened eyes. It lasted longer than the other one but was over fairly quickly.

“Are you okay?” She touched his cheek, looking over him worriedly.

He nodded. “Yeah, that was scary.” He laughed anxiously. She slumped against the car, laughing too. He looked around. He noticed some more rocks had fallen into the entrance of the mines. Other than that, everyone seemed okay. No injured people.

“David, where’s Henry?”

As soon as the question left her mouth, they both looked around for him, moving away from the car to search. Emma was near her car when Henry asked to go see her and Jim. He spotted him walking away from it, a little way past the fire truck.

“Found him.”

She followed his sight and clasped his hand, rushing toward their son. “Henry!”

“Mom! Dad!” Henry started in a run toward them.

David felt her release his hand and slowed to watch them embrace. He could get his hug after; they needed this moment. She crouched in front of him. “You have a cut your chin.”

Henry swatted her hand away. “It’s fine. I just fell when the earthquake happened.”

David immediately turned to look Henry over.

“Hey, come here. Let me see.” He pulled him nearer and looked down at the blood on his chin. Surface cut. Not too deep. “Looks like that first-aid kit you always keep in your car finally came in handy, Reg.”

Henry shook his head and let go of him, eyes back on his mother. “I’m fine.” He hugged her again, mumbled, “I was scared,” against her stomach and squeezed his eyes shut.

“Oh, baby…” She kissed the top of his head. “I’m sorry we weren’t there with you.”

David met her eyes over Henry’s head, saw the guilt in her expression and decided he needed to move Henry to a safer location. With someone to watch him. Granny’s.

“Madame Mayor.”

He saw the irritated scowl appear and disappear within seconds before she let go of Henry. She tucked her fingers under his chin. “I’ll see if I can wrap this up. Hopefully, we can all be home within the hour.”

He nodded and looked on sadly as she walked past him. “Okay.”

David squeezed his shoulders. She stopped briefly to kiss him on the cheek. “Keep him safe.”

He looked at Henry. “I was gonna go pick up food from Granny’s for everyone, y’know before the earthquake just now. You wanna come with?”

David let Henry in the diner before him.

“Deputy.” She mock saluted. “A few minutes then your order will be out.”

“Thanks, Ruby. Henry, why don’t you go sit down.”

Although confused, he went to the one at the back near the jukebox. The one they always sat at. David watched him and turned back to Ruby.

“Would it be okay if I left him here for a bit? We’re still busy at the mines.”

“Oh, that’s right. Second earthquake.” She looked over her shoulder. “Somebody’s been saying ‘I told you so’ to everyone who came in surprised that we were still open.”

David laughed under his breath. Granny’s was the only place in town that had earthquake safety measures in place. This was despite Storybrooke never having been close to having one before. “Yeah, I imagine she would be.” He looked at Henry. “Rubes, do you mind watching over Henry for a bit? He fell during the last one and cut his chin. We would prefer it if he were somewhere safe until one of us can take him home.”

Ruby nodded. “Yeah, of course. I’ll keep an eye on him.”

He looked over at him again. Granny was by his table. She placed a colouring page and a bunch of crayons down in front of Henry. He smiled and looked up. The two started talking. Granny sat down across from him in the booth.

“Or Granny will,” Ruby said, noticing their conversation. “Well, I’m not gonna complain if he keeps her out of my hair.”

“Thank you. I’m gonna go check on him.” He walked over just as she got up. “Hey, Granny.”

She nodded. “Deputy.” She spoke to Henry. “I’ll come out with your food in a bit then you can tell me some more about that drawing you’ve been working on.”

Henry smiled and went back to the colouring page. David looked at it. A pirate steering a ship. He was colouring the planks brown.

“You ordered something to eat?”

“Uh-huh.” Henry looked up for a second. “Figured I’d need food if I was gonna be here until you and Mom finished at the mines.”

Crap, he figured it out. David sat down across from him. “I would have told you on the drive here but…”

“You thought I’d be upset.” He crossed his arms over his chest and looked up. That batman band-aid on his chin made him look his age. Nine. Henry was only nine years old.

David sighed and sat down. “I’m sorry, Hen, but we can’t risk you getting hurt again. It’s dangerous at the mines right now and we don’t know if there’ll be another earthquake.”

He looked at the table, his eyebrows together and cheeks all puffed out. “You didn’t have to trick me. I would have understood.”

He was right. “I’m sorry, bud.”

He didn’t say anything, or even look up. He started colouring again. He seemed okay when Granny was around so maybe he just needed some time to cool off.

“I’ll keep that in mind for next time.” David stood and kissed his head. “Mom and I will come get you in an hour, okay, bud? I love you. Be good for Ruby and Granny.”

David smoothed his hair from his head before walking to the counter. He collected the two bags of takeout food and left the restaurant.

He set the two large take-out bags on the table near the fire-truck and left it there to be distributed by Kathryn, Graham and Anthony, the head of the fire department. He found Regina in her car and climbed in the passenger seat.

She looked at him then the backdoor then frowned. “Where’s Henry?”

“At Granny’s.”

Her frown deepened. “Why?”

“It’s not safe for him to be here now. It’ll be better for him to be in town if another earthquake happens. The first two hit this place the hardest. Plus, Granny has measures in place; the diner’s even still open.”

“He’d be safer nearby. If another earthquake happens, he shouldn’t be alone.”

“He won’t be alone, he’s with Granny and Ruby, they won’t let anything happen to him. Granny’s been watching him since he was a baby. It’s not like I left him with strangers.”

“I didn’t say-”

“I know you didn’t but I just want this mess to be over so we can go home.” This was simply the quickest way to ensure that.

Henry finished his colouring page, blending brown and yellow for the planks and blue and green for the water. It reminded him of the pastels in art class, but it was different with crayons. Granny offered him another page, a monkey swinging on vines, but instead of colouring it in he turned it over and began drawing on the other side. He mixed the red, yellow and orange for the flame and had to mix the brown and peach crayons carefully to get just the right shade.

The book didn’t have any images of the Evil Queen’s fire ball, so he figured he’d draw it. It wasn’t as good as the drawings in the book, but he was almost done with it. He liked the colours though. And the flame. He set the crayon down and took a sip of his mango juice. He tilted his head this way and that at the page. It didn’t look right. The hand was weird. And the crayon didn’t work well. He didn’t really like crayons. They were fine for colouring purposes, but for drawing he preferred pencil.

He popped the last two sweet potato fries into his mouth. He wondered if Granny had any pencils nearby. And an eraser. He looked around the diner for Granny. He didn’t see her. There were two old ladies sitting at the counter though.

“Dr Thatcher actually hired her. I couldn’t believe it. My nephew applied two weeks ago, she strolls in today and…”

The lady with the blue scarf shook her head disapprovingly. “She knows the mayor. Nothing surprising there.” She scoffed. “Aside from the fact that anyone was able to get on that woman’s good side.”

See! They knew she was evil too. Henry wished Emma had heard that part. Maybe then she would finally believe him about the curse. If she didn’t believe in the curse, then why was she here?

“I don’t understand that. From what I heard she’s their son’s real mother. I wouldn’t be too comfortable with her staying if I were in that position.”

Henry’s eyes flicked up from his drawing to them. They were talking about Emma now. Not the Evil Queen. He felt guilty about hugging her at the mines. He just… He missed his mom.

The old ladies went to sit at a booth near the front. Their voices lowered. Henry had to struggle to hear. He wasn’t sure why he wanted to, but he did.

“…ran off… crazy… his poor parents…”

“Well, hopefully the next one will be easier.”

He flinched in his seat.

“You done?”

He startled. It was Ruby. He nodded and handed his plate and glass to her. “Yeah. Thank you.”

“How was the turkey sandwich? Did they get the pickle to mayo ratio right?”

“It was good. Thanks.” She looked at him sceptically for a second. Henry fidgeted with the pencil in his hand. “Hey, um Ruby, do you have an eraser?”

She took one out of the pocket on her apron and handed it to him.

Ruby looked over at the two women sitting in the booth near the door. She didn’t particularly like them. They always gave the younger waiters a hard time, accused them of messing up orders and forgetting things that they hadn’t ordered in the first place. They’d given her a headache once or twice as well and now they’d made the kid she was babysitting upset. She finished wiping down the counter, slung the cloth over her shoulder and plopped down in the seat in front of him.

“I can kick them out if you want.”

He fidgeted with his pencil and considered it. “Won’t Granny be mad?”

Atta boy. She grinned. “Nope. She’d probably do it herself too if she heard what I just did.” He wasn’t convinced and shook his head slightly. She raised an eyebrow. “We’ll just say they caused a disturbance.”

He looked back at his drawing. Really? Seemed like he hadn’t inherited his mother’s vengeful streak. “No? Okay. How about this, I’ll bring you a slice of cherry pie for dessert. On the house.”

He mulled it over, trying to hide a smile when the promise of a treat broke through his momentary sadness. She grinned and ruffled his hair.

“Okay. I’ll be right back.”

Ruby went to cut him a slice, put on some whipped cream and even drizzled over some chocolate sauce and topped it with three cherries, their stems still in. It looked a bit overkill but was worth it for that look on his face when she slid it in front of him.

His eyes lit up. “Wow. Thank you, Ruby.”

She handed him one of the two forks she’d brought with. She wasn’t about to let him eat the whole thing by himself. She didn’t want to sit through another of the mayor’s talks on “proper, wholesome and nutritional foods to feed to children”. Twice was enough, thank you very much. Henry smiled as he took the fork.

She waited for him to take the first piece then dug her fork in. “So…”

“So…” He copied around a mouthful of pie.

“Don’t talk with your mouth full,” she said with her mouth full. He laughed and nearly choked. She stole another forkful as he coughed. She scrunched her nose at his little glare. “I finally got around to seeing the last Harry Potter movie.”

“Didn’t it come out months ago?” He asked. She blocked his fork and cut a big chunk for herself. “Hey, no fair!”

She shrugged. “We don’t all have parents who would drive all the way to the city for the premier of our favourite movies, now do we?”

“We had it here like two weeks later.”

“How would you know? Did you watch it here again?”

He looked down sheepishly. “Maybe.” He took another bite of pie before declaring, “The ending sucks!”

She dropped her fork in total agreement. “Right? I knew you’d get it.”

Jim had let her tag along after seeing how torn up she was about having yelled at Henry. All that stuff she said to him. Those were her insecurities that she just projected onto him. Maybe there was a grain of truth to them but… She shouldn’t have said it like that to him. She shouldn’t have told him actually.

“What exactly did you say to him?”

She shrugged, hands in the pocket of her red leather jacket. “A bunch of shit that I shouldn’t have.”

“Yeah, but… what exactly?”

“I… Look I prefer not to say. It was really messed up of me and I just want to apologize to him before he ends up hating me.” She saw how cold he was towards Regina. She didn’t want that. She didn’t think she could stomach him not even looking at her when she tried to speak to him, or just flat out ignoring her.

“Okay, I get that but…” He stopped walking and pulled her arm for her to stop as well. “I like you, I mean I think we’re friends, right?”

“Yeah, we are.”

“Good. I don’t want to see you just pack up leave because a little kid told you to.”

She scoffed. “You’re making me sound like a pushover.”

He gave her a pointed look. “Emma, you put your entire life on pause to move here and get to know him because he asked you to. You really gonna tell me that if he didn’t want to speak to you ever again, you’d stick around?”

She couldn’t answer.

He nodded to himself, like her silence confirmed his question. “We can’t all dance to his whims. So, tell me what happened and I’ll…” He shrugged and sighed in frustration. “I dunno, help? I don’t wanna see you leave. Not yet anyway. Not like this.”

She smiled at him. “Thanks, Jim.”

“So…” he said expectantly.

Emma sighed and bit the bullet before she could talk herself out of it. She told him.

“That’s… Emma, that’s colossally fucked up.”

She winced again. She couldn’t look him in the eye. “I know.”

“He’s not going to want to talk to you.”

Her head snapped up. “So, what I should just pack up and go because I messed up? No. I want to apologize to him, to talk this out.”

Jim shook his head. “Not right now. He’s not going to want to talk to you.”

“Yeah, I know, I get that, but-”

“Emma. He’s going to need space.”

She swallowed hard. “But I…”

His expression softened. “You said a lot of… I don’t know how he’s gonna deal with that or how his parents are going to react.”

Her eyes widened. “How are they gonna know?”

Jim sighed. “Come on, Em. Either Henry tells them, or I do.”

“They’re never going to let me see him again.”

“Just… stay back for a while. Let this blow over.” He stepped past her in the direction of Granny’s. “I’ll keep in touch with you.”

“What? No, I swear he was fine. We were just talking. He had dinner then we split dessert. We were talking about movies, and he was telling me about school and his storybook. He was fine! I swear I- I- I- wouldn’t lie about-”

“What’s going on?”

“Jim!” Ruby rushed forward and hugged him, clearly upset.

He held her for a moment. “Rubes, what happened?”

Granny threw her hands up. “What do you think happened? She took her eyes off him to flirt with that beard over there.”

Jim glanced over to where Granny gestured. Beard waved sheepishly at him.

Ruby ripped away and glared at Granny.  “I left for two minutes. It’s not my fault he ran off-”

“Wait, are you talking about Henry?”

Ruby’s head snapped to him. Granny scoffed. “Know another runner?”

The two of them began squabbling again. Jim cut in, “Are you sure he’s not just in the bathroom or something?” He didn’t want to believe he’d run off again.

Granny gave him a look. “Don’t you think we would have looked here before losing our heads. He’s gone. Took his bag and left.”

Jim’s heart sped up. “Did he mention anything about where he might have gone?”

“No, he didn’t say anything,” Ruby answered, panicked. “I didn’t even see him leave, but I swear Jim he was fine. We were talking and-”

“Yeah, okay, cool,” he said distractedly, heading back for the door. “I’ll see if I can find him.” He got his phone out, panic making him speed up.

Regina picked up on the second ring. “Jim?”

“Hey, Gina.” He closed his eyes, wincing. “Um… I need to tell you something, but please don’t freak out.” He told her about the fight Emma and Henry had earlier and explained how he ended up at the diner to discover Henry had run off again. “Ruby didn’t see him leave. I’m out looking for him though. He couldn’t have gotten far. I’ll find him.”

There was a pause, a shaky breath, and then, “Thank you, Jim.”

The playground was empty as David and Regina approached it. They exited the car and got out, looking around and not seeing him anywhere. They walked around, calling his name and looking any place he may have wondered off to.

“He’s not here. Let’s try the station.”

They got back in the car. Her spine was tense, eyes dead set on the road ahead.

“If he’s not there, you can take the squad car. We can cover more ground if we split up.”

She looked calm but he knew better. He just nodded. “Okay.”

Henry wasn’t at the station. Or her office. Or his school. Or the playground near his school. Or the church. No one they had spoken to had seen him. Not their neighbours, the people at Granny’s, or anyone near any of the places they looked.

David checked their home last. It took him ten seconds to deduce Henry wasn’t there, but he decided to check every room just in case he was wrong. He was just about to move to the second floor when heard her car outside. He went to the door immediately, hoping she had found him and brought him home. She was alone. She paused when she saw him. Her shoulders dropped in defeat, hope leaving her.

“I’m going to try her again.”

He nodded. “I’m gonna check upstairs. Just to be sure.”

Emma was contemplating the bottle of brandy Mary-Margaret had stashed away in the back of her cupboard. She found it when she first moved in and noted it with an impressed expression. She hadn’t thought the schoolteacher was the hard liquor type.

She’d messed up so bad with Henry. What if he never wanted to speak to her again? If he never wanted to see her again? If he decided his life was better without her in it. It certainly seemed like it. He had his parents and Jim, all these people who loved him, Ruby, Granny, and even Graham. His aunt too, she quickly remembered. What was her name again? Something with a K. Whenever Henry spoke about her, he said she was one of his favourite people in the whole world because she was the same both here and in the storybook. Only her name changed. Kathryn! That was her name. For all he spoke about her, Emma realised she’d never actually had a real conversation with the woman. They met at the arcade that one time, but their extent of their talk was just introductions.

Her phone vibrated in her pocket. Emma fished it out with one hand and sighed the name on the screen. When her phone eventually stopped ringing, she dismissed the notification that she had seven missed calls from the woman. Emma was so dead. Mayor Hellborn was probably calling to tell her to tail it out of her town. Shit. Shit. Shit. Shit. She really fucked up. Her phone rang again.

Emma decided to just get it over and done with. She composed herself enough answer. “Madame Mayor, hi.”

“Please tell me he's with you.”

She fell onto the couch. “Who?”

“Henry! Is he with you?”

“No.” Emma sat up cautiously. “I would have told you if he was. I know how worried you were last time.”

Regina made a sound of distress on the other side of the line.

“Did you check Granny’s? Jim went there to talk to him.”

“He wasn’t there!” She sounded like she was on the verge of tears. “We've looked everywhere. The house, my office, the station, the school, his castle...”

“I don't know where he...” Realization dawned upon her. Her throat tightened. “Shit.” She jumped up from the couch and ran for the door.

“What?” The panic on her voice increased. “What? Is he there? Swan? Emma?”

Her blood ran cold. She rushed down the stairs to her car. “The mines. I think he’s in the mines.”

“THE MINES?” Emma pulled the phone from her ear with a wince. “Why would he be at the mines?”

David walked up the stairs even though he already knew Henry wasn’t hiding in his bedroom. God, he hoped he was. That he would walk into the room to see Henry lying on his bed, holding his storybook to his chest, that he’d look up sadly and say, “You left me alone.”

That that’s all this was. An attempt to get even for being left alone. That he was just angry with them. Or that he came home and fell asleep, that he didn’t hear him when he came barging through the door, calling out his name. David hoped, he hoped that that’s what he would find. Henry in his room. Angry and pouting or asleep. He hoped that’s what he would find, but it wasn’t. His bedroom was empty.

He walked in and heavily sunk into the mattress. He lifted a red alien plush toy and realised he had no idea where it came from, couldn’t remember if they’d gotten it or if it was another one of Kathryn’s purchases for him. His throat tightened. His eyes burned. 

“The mines.” He looked up. Regina stood in the doorway. Her face was ashen. “We need to check the mines.”

Chapter Text

“Henry!” She yelled into the dark tunnel ahead of her. “Henry!”

Emma continued warily, focusing on each step so as not to stumble in the darkness. Suddenly there was a light. A bright, near-blinding, white one, shining directly into her face. She held her hand up to shade her eyes and saw that it was a flashlight. Henry was holding it.

“Emma? What are you doing here?”

“What are you doing here? We need to get out of here.” She grabbed his arm. “Come on.”

He pulled back. “No, I have to get proof!”

“Henry, we have to go.”

“No!” He took a step back. “You don’t have to believe me. I can do this by myself. I figured out the curse on my own and I can break it on my own.”

The ground started trembling again. “Kid-”

“So, you can go ahead and think I’m crazy, you can leave, you can ignore your destiny and do whatever you want. I don’t need you. I don’t need the Saviour. I never did!”

Emma set her hands out to brace herself as the ground started shaking again. Another earthquake. This one the shortest yet. Just a few seconds. When she looked up, he was gone.

“Henry!” She looked around her. It was too dark to see inside. “Henry!” she called again, walking further into the tunnel.

“Henry!” She called, rushing forward. It occurred to her to use the flashlight on her phone about two minutes ago which was embarrassing considering she’d been walking for nearly ten.

“Henry!”

Emma slipped and regained her balance and rolled her ankle, wincing as pain spread through her leg. She looked up determinedly and yelled, “Henry!” again and for a single moment she felt like Marv from Home Alone.  The line “I’m gonna kill that kid!” ran through her head. She wiped her pants off, tested her ankle and walked on. “Kid,” she called again, gentler this time. She rounded a corner and walked a bit before she noticed him hunched forward on the ground. He was looking through his backpack.

“Kid!” She exclaimed in relief.

He jumped at her voice and looked over his shoulder quickly. “What are you doing here? I told you I don’t need your help! I can find it on my own.”

“Find what?” She came closer. “The squished twinkie at the bottom of your bag?”

He glared at her as he pulled it free. He zipped up his bag and put it on his shoulders. He shone his flashlight ahead of him and angrily started ahead. She blocked his path.

“Come on, we have to get out of here.”

“No.” He pushed past her. “I need to find Snow White’s coffin.”

“Oh, come on.”

He spun on her so quickly that she took a step back out of fright. “I don’t need your help.”

“Henry…” She reached for his arm. He ripped it away from her.

“No! I don’t need you! I don’t! You think I’m crazy! You think I’m crazy! You’re just like them. I thought you were different but… but… but… you think I’m crazy. You don’t believe me. Why are you even here? You don’t care about me!”

“What? Hey, of course I care about you. Henry!” She yelled when he ran again. “Henry!” She went after him.

“I'm really, really, really sorry.”

Emma sighed, silently fuming. They were trapped in here. The entrance was sealed up and in trying to find an alternate route out they’d only ended up getting lost. They ended up here, in an old elevator, their last hope of an escape, but the damn thing wouldn’t move.

“I just...” He sniffled. Emma looked to him in concern. His head was down and eyes red.  He spoke to his knees, pulled them into his chest. “Everyone thinks I'm crazy. I just wanted to find proof. So that someone would believe me. I just wanted to find proof.”

Her anger dissipated as she looked at him, this scared little kid who wanted so badly to be believed. It struck a chord with her. She scooted closer to him and put an arm around his shoulders. He looked up with a sniffle and leaned into her. She hugged him tight. She looked at him, into his honest hazel eyes, and was again hit by an overwhelming sense of helplessness. She so badly wanted to be the person he thought she was. The Saviour, his hero, the one who swooped in and saved the day and made everything better in the end.

“I'm sorry too. I didn't mean those things I said to you. I never should have said them. I'm sorry.”

He stared up at her for a long moment before his face fell. He moved out of her hold. “You’re lying,” he said sadly. “You’re just trying to make me feel better. You meant what you said.”

“No, I didn’t. I was just freaked out by the earthquake. Of course, I believe you.” But that was another lie and by the way his eyes narrowed at her she knew he had figured it out.

They both covered their heads instinctively when the elevator shook. Another earthquake. This was getting real old real quick.

“Lower me down,” Regina said at once, taking off her blazer.

“What? Are you out of your mind?” David asked, stepping in front of her. “You are not going down there.”

“My son needs me-”

“Yes,” he cut in, looking pointedly at her stomach, “he does.”

Her eyes hardened. “I need to do this.”

He noticed people were staring and grabbed her elbow, pulling her toward the fire truck. “What the hell are you talking about?”

“I need to do this,” she said again. “I need to be the one to do this, David. He already believes you’re the hero of the story. Let him see me as one too.”

“You want to deliberately put yourself in harm’s way because he thinks you’re a villain in a children’s book of fairy tales?” He shook his head. “If something goes wrong, I can’t…”

She quickly cupped his face. “Nothing is going to go wrong. I pro-”

“You can’t promise that.”

“David-”

“No.” He took her hands from his face. “I am not letting you do this. I mean it. You are not going down there.”

“What's that?”

Emma used her hand to keep the dust from her eyes and grinned when she saw a figure being lowered down. She stood and grinned at Henry. “It's a rescue.”

David appeared at the top, being lowered by a line connected to his harness. Emma never thought she'd be as happy to see anyone as she was to see David right then.

“Dad?” He scrambled up, hastily pulling his backpack onto his shoulders. “Dad!”

“Henry,” he breathed, relieved. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah, he’s good.” Emma cupped her hands and crouched. “Come on, kid, climb up.” She used her hands to boost him upward. A good portion of the roof the elevator was gone. She steered him toward it. He grabbed the top and started pulling himself upward. She pushed higher, her hands fully outstretched now.

David lifted his walkie-talkie and spoke into it. “Okay, let's get a stop.” She heard and felt it when he landed on the roof. He pulled Henry into him. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah, I’m fine, I’m fine, I’m sorry I- I-”

“Shh, it’s okay. We can talk about that later.” He hugged him again.

Emma struggled to climb up. David offered her his hand. She looked at it for a moment, deciding whether or not she wanted his help.

“We don’t have much time. This elevator is unstable.”

She realised she didn’t have the luxury of choice here. She reached for his hand, the elevator rumbled and shook. She fell onto her back and groaned.

“Emma,” Henry called fearfully.

She pushed herself up and reached for David’s hand again. He pulled her up and let go of her as soon as she was able to stand on the roof of the elevator.

“You okay, kid?”

He nodded, still holding around his father’s middle. David looked at him thoughtfully, then back up at the line. The elevator shook again.

“It’s not gonna hold,” he said, more to himself than them but Emma heard him, nonetheless.  “Henry. Can you climb onto my back?” David lifted him to his side. Henry manoeuvred himself until he had his arms around his father’s neck and his legs around his waist. The elevator shook again. Henry visibly tensed, his legs wrapping tighter. David rubbed his leg.

“It’s okay, I’ve got you.” He looked at her. “Come on.”

“You’re not gonna go up with him first? That line doesn’t look like it can support all of our weight.”

“It might not but this elevator definitely won’t.” He offered his hand. “Come on.”

She nodded and stepped closer. The ground slipped out from under her. She started to fall. “Emma!” Henry screamed.

Something caught her. She looked up. David. He’d caught her. By her arm. She clasped her hand around his and gripped above his elbow. He pulled her upward and kept one arm around her waist as he pulled his walkie-talkie free.

“Bring us back up.”

She watched as Henry was swept up into a family hug. She felt an old pang of longing at the sight. Regina knelt in front of him, her hands on both sides of his head and looked him over for injuries. He threw himself into her arms. She was surprised but hugged him back immediately, one hand on the back of his head, the other tight around his back.

Emma could almost hear her say, “I’m just glad you’re alright.” Then he was hugging David.

She felt like a stranger looking in and cleared her throat before moving away.

“Ems.”

She turned and was immediately wrapped in a hug by Jim. She sighed and hugged him back. “I am so glad you’re okay,” he breathed.

He let go and looked at her with a big smile. It was a major switch from him being mad at her earlier.

“What’s wrong?”

“I thought you were mad at me.”

“What?” He looked baffled. “Why would I be mad at you? Oh,” he realised, “the thing with Henry. I wasn’t mad at you. Emma, you were trapped in a collapsing mine.”

“Collapsing?”

“Collapsing,” he confirmed, eyes wide. “There were like three earthquakes. It shouldn’t have held up past the second. You two are really lucky.”

“Emma!” She turned just as Henry crashed into her. “Thank you for coming in after me.” He looked out of the corner of his eye for a second. “And for keeping me safe.”

“Did your parents tell you to say that?”

He looked at his shoes. “I really mean it though.”

Her face softened. “Okay,” she said softly. She hugged him as close as he would allow her. When he pulled back first, she knew she was would not be that easily forgiven.

“I take it I’m not picking you up from school tomorrow.”

He shrugged. “Monday.”

He ran back to his parents, they looked at her gratefully before turning their attention to Henry. Jim touched her shoulder.

“Monday.” He nodded. “He’s taking it better than I expected.”

It’s a week’s cold shoulder. “Yeah. I guess.”

“He’ll probably be grounded anyway.”

Emma tried to hide her disappointment. “I think I’m just gonna head home now. Today was… you know.”

“Yeah,” he smiled kindly. “Take care of yourself.” He gave her one more hug, carefully holding her for a few seconds.

“I will.”

Chapter Text

“David I really think we should take him to the hospital,” Mom said again. “The air in the mines-”

“I’m fine,” he sighed from the back seat.

She turned around to face him. “Henry.”

“Mom, I’m fine.”

She looked between his eyes and down to the band-aid on his face. “Are you sure?” He nodded. She looked at him a moment longer before she turned back in her seat. “Alright,” she breathed. “If you say so.”

“Henry.” Dad caught his eye in the rear-view mirror. “When we get home, your mom and I-”

“You know what,” Mom turned in her seat again, “why don’t we watch a movie when we get home? You can pick.”

His eyebrows pulled together. It was a school night. “Really?”

She hummed in affirmation. “Yes.”

“Regina…”

That was Dad’s serious voice. She ignored him. “We can order in for dinner. How do you feel about pizza?”

He looked at her questioningly, indicating with his eyes to Dad’s head. A slow mischievous smile spread over her face. It was the same smile she gave him when they planned a surprise for Dad’s birthday or silly pranks like hosing him down with water when they were gardening. He missed doing stuff like that. He missed his family. He felt himself smiling in response.

“He has school tomorrow.”

Mom glanced at Dad. “Are you seriously thinking about sending our son to school after a traumatic experience like that?” She scoffed. “He needs time to recover.” She bobbed her eyebrows at him. “Don’t you, Henry?”

He nodded quickly. “Yeah.” It was nice to be on her team again. Mom almost always won.

Dad just sighed. Henry grinned at her.

They stood at the bottom of the staircase, looking up.

“Traumatic experience. Time to recover. Our son.” At least he’d waited until they heard Henry’s door close. “God, you really pulled out all the stops, Regina. Might as well have just painted the words ‘hate him not me’ on my forehead.”

“I’m sorry!” She blurted. She turned to face him. “I’m sorry, okay? But I just got him back.”

“No, not okay. We agreed not to prioritise our relationship with him over our relationship with each other again.”

“This isn’t like that.”

“Really? Because this is how it started last time.”

“David…” She said helplessly.

He stared at her pleadingly. “I don’t want to lose you again. That time, us not speaking to each other, was unbearable. I hated it. And I hate that you’re doing this now. You’re making it a matter of picking sides when we’re supposed to be on the same-”

“And we will be,” she cut in hastily. “After tonight.”

“Regina-”

“No, David, just one night, one night where things are fine. Or where we pretend they’re fine at the very least.” She gestured up the stairs. “I just got him back. This is the first time he’s called me Mom in over two months. He hugged me. He hugged me, David. When was the last time he did that willingly?”

David sighed tiredly. “All I was trying to do was make him aware that his actions have consequences. Now, he’s going to come downstairs expecting to be rewarded for the stunt he pulled today instead of being prepared for the talk we’re about to have.”

“We are not doing this tonight.”

“Yes, we are. This is the third time he’s run off so far. It’s becoming a problem. I agreed to overlook the time he ran off to see Emma, but running off to Boston, sneaking out of the house in the middle of the night, and now this…” He shook his head. “He could have gotten seriously hurt. He could have…” He couldn’t even say the words. It felt like the air had been sucked from his lungs at even the thought of it. The same fear reflected in her eyes. “I am not overlooking this.”

“Neither am I.” She glared at him. “But we are not having this conversation tonight. I just got him back. He’s treating me like his mother again.”

David didn’t say anything for a moment. He looked up and nodded to himself. “Fine.” He lifted his jacket off the coat rack by the door.

She followed him. “Where are you going?”

“The station.” He touched the door handle. “Might as well get started on that bureaucratic headache.”

“David…” He stilled when she touched his shoulder. “Please don’t go.”

Regina waited for him to turn around. He gently shrugged her hand off his shoulder and opened the door. He didn’t look back after he walked out.

The bathroom across his room was technically Henry’s since his parents used their en-suite most of the time. Unless Mom was in a hurry and Dad was using their shower then she would use this bathroom. Or sometimes it would be the other way around. But it was mostly his bathroom. He went to the cupboard under the sink. He spotted the box of band-aids and took it out. There was only one left inside.

Henry was wearing his ironman PJs and wanted a band-aid to match them. The last one was red with the marvel print across it. Perfect. He winced as he pulled the batman one off. He kinda hoped the cut would leave a scar. It would be cool to have a scar. Dad had a scar on his chin too.

He threw the old band-aid and the empty box into the little bin by the sink. He should probably tell Mom they needed to get more band-aids. It was weird that they needed more. They had like enough of all other bathroom stuff to get them through the apocalypse. Like with toothbrushes. There were at least seven unopened sets in the cupboard.

Though the toothbrush thing might be on him. He remembered once when he was six, he really, really, really liked his toothbrush, and mom with her stupid “new toothbrush every three months rule” wanted him to throw it out. He remembered crying. It was unfair! That toothbrush was really cool. It was blue and looked like a dinosaur and it had little green notches on the handle like a spine. It was really cool.  Mom and Dad ended up buying three toothbrushes just like it for the rest of the year.

He washed his hands and went downstairs. He saw Mom at the bottom. She looked sad, but only for a second, then she noticed him, and it disappeared.

“Do you want to order the pizza while I set up?” She asked. Henry nodded quickly. She held his chin and rubbed over the band-aid. “What movie should I put on?”

He thought about it for a second. “Megamind.”

“Really?”

He nodded. “Uh-huh.” He hopped down the last two steps and grabbed the phone from the table by the front door. “Tell Dad I’m not ordering half Hawaiian pizza. It totally just ruins the other half.”

Mom scrunched up her nose, agreeing with him on the grossness of pineapple on pizza, but shook her head. “He just left for the station. It’s only the two of us tonight, dear.”

“Oh. Uh. Okay. Okay.” He twirled the phone a bit. “Is pepperoni okay?”

“Pepperoni is perfect.”

This was awesome. They were watching a movie (on a school night!) and eating pizza (on the couch!). It was almost his bedtime, and they were only twenty minutes into the movie.

Henry really missed his family. Things were always weird and tense and quiet now. Before there was almost always music from either the living room or the kitchen, and laughter and conversation, and they would do stuff together. Like family vacations out of town, or going to festivals, weekends at the stables or hanging out at Aunt Kathryn’s cabin in the woods. Aunt Kathryn and Uncle Jim used to come over twice a week for dinner. Now, they hadn’t been here in almost two months.

They used to do so much stuff together. Even boring stuff like the dishes, or laundry, or baking and cooking stuff. He remembered once after he and Dad polished the floor, they slid across it on their socks. It was fun. They broke a vase that day. Him and Dad went out, bought the exact same one and replaced it before Mom came home. She still had no idea. He giggled at the imposter vase on the dining room table.

Mom laughed under her breath. Henry looked at the screen and realised something funny happened in the movie at the same time. He leaned forward and put his plate on the coffee table.

Something poked his leg. He remembered the shard of glass in his pocket. He should have just left it upstairs. He didn’t know why he thought he could see something else with it. The flashes only usually happened once with each page so it didn’t make sense why it would happen more than that with the shard as well. He took the shard out of his pocket and stuffed it and the remote in between the cushions. He could take them out when the movie was over.

He moved closer to his mom and laid his head on her lap. Mom smiled down at him and touched his head. Henry laid on his side and looked at the screen again.

He wished she wasn't the Evil Queen and that he didn't have to hate her. He didn’t. He didn’t want to hate her, nor did he actually hate her. She was his mom. He missed her. He missed being around her, hearing her bedtime stories, telling her about his day, having her help him with math homework or book reviews. Dad sucked with book reviews. He always tried to google them. Mom always helped him figure how to say what he actually meant and which words would work best. Dad was awesome with projects and making stuff though. He just… He missed them both.

“I’m sorry for running away today.”

Her hand stilled. “It’s alright. We can talk about this tomorrow. Let’s just enjoy the movie.”

Henry frowned and rolled onto his back to look up at her. Mom pulled her hand back and kept it at her side. “Dad’s mad at me, isn’t he? That’s why he’s at the station.”

She winced. “How much did you hear?”

“Nothing, it’s just… He’s not here. He’s usually here.”

“Oh.” Her face looked sad. “No, sweetheart, he’s not mad at you. Your father and I just had a disagreement.”

“About me.”

“No. Well… sometimes we disagree about what’s best for you. That’s all.” She touched his hair. “We’re going to sit down and talk about it tomorrow morning over breakfast.”

“Okay.” He thought for a bit. “There’s still apples that have to be picked from your tree. Can we make apple pancakes tomorrow?”

Mom gave him a tiny smile. “I don’t see why not.”

Chapter Text

Regina wiped the hair from Henry’s forehead. He needed a haircut.

“Is he asleep?”

She startled. It was David. “When did you get back? I didn’t hear you come in.”

He tapped the back of a chair, hesitating before walking closer. “Just now.” He didn’t offer any more than that. He motioned to Henry. “Want me to lay him down?”

She looked at Henry. He looked like an angel when he was asleep. “Sure.” She kissed his head, whispered goodnight to him, and allowed David to carry him out of the living room.

Regina sat there a moment longer, the movie still playing on the TV. She looked around for the remote. Henry had kept it close to him all night, adjusting the volume every so often. It was a trait he picked up from David. A minor annoying trait as opposed to her worse ones, her temper and inability to properly express emotions.

She found the remote wedged between the cushions on the opposite end of the couch. She reached for it and pulled her hand back with a hiss when her finger cut on something. A line of dark red appeared on her index finger. It dropped onto the sofa, instantly changing from crimson to pink. The colour of blood on snow. Snow. Snow White.

David nudged the door open with his shoulder and pulled back the covers with one hand to lay Henry in his bed.

“Dad?”

“Right here.” He pulled the covers over him, up to his chin and tucked him in, snug as a bug. “Go back to sleep.”

“Dad?” Henry turned toward him.

“Yeah?” He sat down on the bed. “What’s up, bud?”

He yawned and wiped at his eyes. “Love you.”

His heart felt like it could burst with how overwhelmed he felt over the course of this day. Everything had caught up to him, the worry, the fear, irritation, and once again the surging relief and blinding love he felt for his son. He kissed his head and inhaled the scent of his hair. There was so much he wanted to say, instead he let out a weary sigh and whispered, “I love you too, kiddo.”

David got up to turn on the nightlight that Henry still preferred to sleep with, before he turned off the room light and shut the door behind himself. David made his was downstairs. He figured he’d find Regina in the kitchen. An image of her waiting for him with a glass of red came back then, so vivid he expected it to be real, but it wasn’t. The kitchen was empty, and they hadn’t opened a bottle of wine in six months. He frowned when he heard the TV playing from the living room. He followed the sound. Some bald blue guy was falling to his death on the screen.

Her back was to him, head down.

“Reg?”

She jumped at his voice. “David?”

“I’m sorry I left. Ran,” he corrected. “We disagreed on something, and I ran instead of talking to you. I’m sorry.”

“I…” She shook her head and stood up. “It’s fine. It’s been a stressful day. It’s probably best that we had some time apart or else we would have ended up tearing into each other.”

“That’s true.” He noticed her hand. “Hey, you’re bleeding.”

“What? Oh.” She looked down. “I am.”

He lifted her hand to his view. There was a long cut on her index finger. It looked painful but she hadn’t even winced when he touched it. In fact, when he looked up there was nothing in her expression. It was just blank and… something he hadn’t seen before, a look he couldn’t place or decipher.

“Come on,” he said softly. He tugged lightly on her hand, and she followed him to the first-floor bathroom where they kept the first-aid kit.

David took out a band-aid and some disinfectant. He dabbed some on a cotton swab, lifted her hand to his view, and wiped gently along the cut. She didn’t even wince. He was sure it must have stung. She was stock-still. He pulled the cotton swab back. The cut had stopped bleeding. He found a beige band-aid long enough to cover the cut and carefully wrapped it around her finger. He risked an irritated huff and an order to stop babying her and pressed a kiss to it afterward like he’d do with Henry. Nothing. She was so quiet he wasn’t sure she was still breathing.

David packed away the first-aid kit and threw the cotton swab and band-aid wrapper into the trashcan on the floor by the sink. Her silence was unnerving.

“Are you mad at me?”

Regina shook her head slowly.

“Then what’s wrong? You’re not speaking and it’s starting to scare me.”

What the hell was he doing? What the hell was he doing? What the hell was he doing? What the hell was he doing? What the hell was he doing? Wait, what the hell was she doing?

“Are you mad at me?”

What? Oh. It took a second for his question to register. She shook her head. No. She wasn’t mad at him. Just… confused. Confused as to why he was here. Why he was cleaning a cut from a shard of glass from his wife’s coffin – a shard she had quickly hidden in her pocket when he entered the living room.

Why she was letting him. And why on earth he had decided tonight of all nights to be so tender. To kiss her finger and be so… so… so gentle with her.

She didn’t know how to react to this. Had it been a night they were arguing or where things were tense, she could have stormed off or ignored him to try and figure out the mess she had placed herself in.

“Then what’s wrong? You’re not speaking and it’s starting to scare me.”

He looked concerned, she noted. Of course, he does, some part of her brain scolded. He just asked you a question and you still haven’t answered.

She shook her head again. “I…” Lie. And say what? Anything. Just lie. She cleared her throat a bit. “I’m just shaken up I suppose.” She drew in an imperceptible breath as he stroked her cheek. His blue, blue eyes bored into hers. “I’m fine.”

“Are you sure, Reggie?”

Her eyes closed at the nickname. Oh God, what had she done? She was married to this man and had spent every waking moment in a lie. She was married to him. The Evil Queen was married to Prince Charming. Regina would have laughed if she thought herself capable of doing so without falling into tears. What had she done?

“It was a stressful day,” he agreed. “I’m sorry for earlier. I shouldn’t have-”

“Me neither. Can we just let agree to let that be water under the bridge?”

He nodded quickly, relieved. “Okay.” He bumped his nose against hers. “I love you. You know that, right?”

Her eyes squeezed shut. What had she done? This was too painful. “I do.”

“Good.”

He smiled, appeased. His hand moved into her hair. He leaned in but she hadn’t realised his intent until she felt his lips on hers. She stiffened in surprise before allowing herself to kiss him back. Good. That was really all he had to say? Good. He didn’t even expect to hear it back. He never expected anything from her. She felt a pang of heartache. Had she truly been that horrible? That selfish? Even a cursed version of herself?

“I love you too,” she breathed. It was the only truth she could afford. “More than I can put into words.”

His lips drew into a smile, and he pulled back for her to see it. What had she done to deserve that smile? Those blue eyes crinkled at the corners. Those soft pink lips. They were on hers again. She melted into him with a sigh of relief and nearly froze one second later. She was kissing him, had kissed him, and done far worse than kisses. Too many times to count. She was married to him. She was pregnant. Oh hell… Her breathing hitched. He misinterpreted it and kissed her more deeply. She was pregnant. Oh God, what had she done? It was never supposed to go this far. She’d went to his apartment that one afternoon for a quick screw. Some leverage to use against Snow White. Just as an incentive to keep him away from a schoolteacher with a crush. She hadn’t intended for the date that followed two days later. Nor the weeks of casual dating and hookups. For the friendship that bloomed from it, the relationship, the intimacy. She hadn’t meant to ever get more involved than… than…

Her thoughts trailed off when his mouth attached to her neck. His fingers toyed with the buttons on her shirt. Regina glanced down at it, unable to help herself, and watched as he undid them, slowly, teasingly, sucking at the spot just under her ear that made her like putty in his hands. His hands… Her eyes fell to them. His fingers… She swallowed hard.

“David,” she heard herself say, voice light and airy, an invitation to his ears as well as her own.

She never meant to get involved, she thought again. She never meant for it to go this far. She couldn’t come to terms with the fact that it had. That was why she took that forgetting potion in the first place.

“I know we said water under the bridge,” he rasped under her ear.

Regina clenched the countertop under her hands. She knew that tone, she knew where this was going. Her heartbeat pounded in her ears as she waited for him to say it.

“But let me make it up to you anyway?”

Her shirt was open, his hand on her waist, thumb rubbing over her skin affectionately, and his kisses moved to her jawline. He was waiting on an answer, wouldn’t take this further unless she said so. If she hesitated for much longer, he’d drop it completely and wouldn’t even be mad about it. He wouldn’t be upset or irritated or even pout. He’d button her shirt with the same care he had in undoing it, continue to kiss her, smile softly, and-

Regina quickly grabbed his neck and angled her mouth towards his. She wanted this; she wanted him. That was the point of the curse – her happiness. David was her happiness.

“I’ve been dying to go down on you all damn day,” he murmured, quickly getting to his knees.

She raked her nails across his scalp. He shivered at the touch.

Chapter Text

Emma’s head turned in the direction of Mary-Margaret’s bedroom when she saw her getting up. She pulled one earphone out.

“Hey, I made breakfast.” She craned her neck to the already set table.

“I didn’t know you cooked,” she said, eyebrows raised in surprise. “You usually only eat cereal.”

“Been on my own for 28 years. Kinda had to learn at some point.” She shrugged. “I’m no master chef, but French toast and bacon is pretty manageable.”

Mary-Margaret sat down at the table and picked up her cutlery. She paused, tilted her head to the side and looked over Emma’s shoulder at the counter. “Toaster broken?”

Emma sighed in defeat. She hadn’t hidden it that well apparently. She was honestly surprised Mary-Margaret hadn’t woken up from the noise. “It wasn't when I started with it,” she said, wincing. “Pretty sure it is now. I kind of just needed to hit something.”

“Is something going on?”

“No. Uh…” She felt restless and wired and had this weird anxious bouncy energy in her stomach. “It’s been a week, and I still haven’t heard from him.”

“Henry?”

Emma nodded. “Yeah.” At Mary-Margaret’s silence, she started paced, hands wringing together. “Yes, Henry. I haven’t spoken to him since the thing at the mines. I haven’t spoken to him or seen him in a week. He said he’d let me know by Monday. That was yesterday and I don’t... I let him down. That stuff I said, it hur- I hurt him. He told me he didn’t need me, he didn’t need ‘The Saviour’ anymore and… and if… he…” She groaned in frustration, pulled out a chair and dropped into it angrily. “Where does that leave me? If I'm not… If I'm not a hero and I'm not ‘The Saviour’ in his little fairytale... then what part do I have in his life? Why would he even want me around? It’s sure as shit not to be his mom. He has a mom. I can’t be a mom. I didn’t even have one myself. How could I- I don’t know the first thing about being a mom, but I thought I could- I thought with this… I just figured I could help- or- or listen or I don’t know I… Fuck! What am I even doing here?”

“Emma…”

Fuck. She closed her eyes tightly, immediately regretting she’d said anything in the first place and desperately wishing she could take it all back. She didn’t need to see Mary-Margaret’s face to know she’d be looking at her with concern. Or worse, pity.

Emma dropped her head into her hands. “Fuck, just forget I said any of that.”

“Emma-”

“Please.”

Their apartment was so silent she could hear each tick of the ancient Cuckoo clock across the room. Fifteen seconds that silence lasted.

“Emma.” Her tone was different that time, less pity, more kindness.

Emma cautiously opened her eyes.

“Maybe he expects you to reach out,” Mary-Margaret suggested gently.

“He doesn’t want to speak to me at all. I’ve called every day for the past week. He just won’t… He won’t even come to the phone.” She laughed miserably. “I don’t know what to do.”

“He’ll come around,” Mary-Margaret said, her surety nearly convinced Emma. “You just need to take the first step.”

“Reg.”

The expression she previously wore disappeared in the blink of an eye. “Pardon?”

“You’re going to melt the countertop with that glare, Reggie.” He kissed her cheek as he passed her to the coffee machine.

“I wasn’t glaring.”

He laughed under his breath. “Yeah, you were.”

“I didn’t mean to,” she mumbled apologetically.

David’s smile wavered ever so slightly, puzzled now. This had been happening a lot – this awkwardness between them and her tensing whenever he touched her for longer than three seconds.

“Reg?”

She startled, like she’d forgotten he was there. “Yes?”

“Are you okay?”

“Mhm.” She stepped back from the island and crossed her arms over her chest. “I could not be any better, David.”

Well, that was a blatant lie. She was frazzled, anxious, and hadn’t been sleeping properly for the past week. He hoped she would talk about the earthquakes and its impact on her, but it seemed her answer to everything lately was, “I’m fine,” or some variant of that.

He just looked at her, trying to figure out what was going on. She stared back for a few seconds then moved around the kitchen, finding little things to do instead of talking to him. He watched her as he turned on the coffee machine. She was a few steps from him. He tried not to focus on the tension in her spine. Tension that seemed to spring up from nowhere.

“Are… Are we okay?” He gestured between the two of them.

She turned her head slightly toward him. “Of course. Why do you ask?”

“Are you sure?”

“David…” She smiled tenderly and took his hand. “I promise we’re fine.”

It was meant to be reassuring but her touch felt empty and her smile looked strained. David looked at their hands and recalled those months of heavy silence between them all those years ago. The only thing they could stand to speak to each other about was Henry. It wasn’t even anger that separated them. It just… It just happened. He hated the suddenness of it. The realisation that days could pass without speaking to the person who slept in the same bed as him. He hated it. And he knew this time wouldn’t be able to stomach her indifference. He squeezed her hand.

“Are we still on for lunch today?” She’d bailed the last few times. He had no doubt she would do so again, and yet still, he asked.

She looked at him regretfully. “Kathryn and I have a meeting with the construction team about the new playground. I’m sorry. I’ll see you for dinner though.”

“Session.”

“Right,” she sighed. “I forgot. Henry and I could wait for you.”

“That’s okay.” He filled a travelling mug and strapped on his gun and holster. “I’ll see you later.” He kissed her cheek and lingered a moment longer than usual before leaving.

Henry appeared to still like her. That was a good sign she supposed. He’d been… talkative since the earthquakes. It threw Regina at first, his questions and curiosity after the aching months of silence. It threw her. Confused her. Truth be told, it still did.

She watched Henry take his seat at the counter, still yawning. His hair looked like a bird’s nest just like every other morning. The only thing different was his sleepy smile and…

“Morning Mom.”

“Good morning, Henry.”

To add to the oddities, he even let her kiss his forehead. Smiled at it even. This was a good sign, she tried to convince herself. This was a good sign. No, this is a bad sign.

“Would you like me to call Emma to pick you up?”

He shook his head quickly and reached for his glass of orange juice.

Another oddity. She didn’t know what to make of it first – Henry’s sudden change of tune. It couldn’t have come at a worse time. He stopped believing in the curse the moment she woke up.

Ain’t fate a bitch?

“Can you drive me again?”

She nodded. “Of course.”

His smile brightened. “Thanks.” He looked up, slightly confused. “Where’s breakfast?”

She knew she’d forgotten something. Regina looked at his lunchbox on the counter. At least she’d remembered that. She patted his arm and walked over to the cupboard they usually kept his favourite brand of cereal. There was still a box. She needed to go grocery shopping.

“Cereal today,” she said absently, getting it down.

“Dad left already, right?”

“Yes. Why do you ask?”

She turned and saw he’d gotten out two bowls and spoons. He shrugged and gestured to the counter.

They had breakfast together. Regina watched Henry like he was a ticking time bomb. In the time it took him to finish his cereal she had convinced herself that the only reason his silent treatment had ended was that he suspected the truth – that she had gotten her memories back. Since he’d gotten the book, he had acted as if she was actively lying for his entire life, as if becoming his mother was some act of villainy. She couldn’t understand it until Jim had explained the curse to her.

Henry must have realised he was wrong and changed his approach to better keep an eye on her.

Regina scoffed at herself. Henry was a child. He wasn’t capable of such deception or that level of cunning. Sure, he was intelligent and crafty and had managed to devise a plan allowing him to steal his teacher’s credit card, skip school and leave town for the nearest city, which just so happened to be nearly three hours away. He was too clever for his own good, but he wasn’t manipulative or… or evil.

Like her.

She sighed and stirred her spoon in the leftover milk in her bowl. Nothing significant had happened during this last week. Nothing but complete and utter normalcy in their lives. Well, as normal as things could be considering her memories had been returned by a prick of her finger from the shard of Snow White’s coffin.

It had done more damage than a prick truth be told, but she still chose to refer to it as that. The cut was still in the process of healing. She looked at the band-aid on her finger and recalled for probably the thousandth time how David had…

No. Stop. Regina bit her tongue sharply. Dangerous thoughts. Dangerous thoughts, she scolded herself. She needed to keep him as far away as possible. Physically and emotionally. It would be safer this way when the inevitable happened. Safer and easier.

But it was difficult, unbearable almost, to constantly see that look of hurt. She knew she wasn’t fooling David with her flimsy excuses and see-through lies, but, as trusting and good-intentioned as he was, he never questioned them, only nodded along and let her make them anyway. She had never quite been able to lie to him. He could read her too easily. She once cursed an entire realm, but convincingly lying to her pretend husband was where her moral compass chose to intervene.

Henry finished his juice and turned in his seat to face her. “Can I come with you tomorrow?”

“Tomorrow?” she asked, confused.

“Yeah. To… to see Grandpa. I haven’t been in a while,” he said guiltily. “Dad says you still go.”

“I…” She cleared her throat. “I do.”

He looked at her expectantly. “So, can I?”

“Yes, yes, of course. I have to get some groceries as well.”

“Can I come with for that too?”

“If you’d like.”

He smiled. “Cool. I’m going to get dressed.”

She nodded and watched him leave the kitchen. The list of oddities grew. This, him asking to spend time with her, this was… She was wrong. She must have slipped up somehow. Must have made him realise she’d regained her memories. He was a smart boy after all. He was on to her.

This guilt was new. And unwelcomed. And… horrible. She hated it. She wished she’d never seen that stupid shard of glass, that Henry had never run off into those mines, that he never run off at all, that he never went to find Emma. Had she really been that horrible to him?

“Mom?”

Had he really been so unhappy to run off into a dangerous city in the middle of the night to find a stranger? How could she have been so unaware of something like that? How could she have been so blind to her own child’s pain?

“Mom.”

He didn’t seem unhappy now. But maybe that was because Emma was here. Or maybe she was still blind to his pain. Maybe he’d learned to hide it from her.

“Mom!”

“Yes,” she said eventually, looking up to where he stood. “Yes, Henry.”

He opened his mouth, seemed to forget what he was going to say, and closed it. “Are you okay?”

“I’m fine.”

His “I don’t believe you, but okay” look was the same as David's. “Um…”

She sighed and leaned forward, giving him a tired smile. “I’m just a bit tired and nauseous,” she said, hoping he’d buy the white lie. It wasn’t entirely a lie. She had been sleeping poorly and guilt had brought the nausea back with a vengeance, plus talking about the pregnancy made Henry uncomfortable. If she was a better mother, she would find out why instead of using it against him. Her guilt intensified at that realisation.

“Oh. Right um… I… Do you know where my cardigan is?”

“Did you check the laundry room?”

“Checking the laundry room,” he said, running off in that direction. Regina didn’t call after him not to.

This new feeling, this… guilt and shock and disbelief. Denial. It was paralysing at times. She found herself overwhelmed easily and whenever she tried to calm herself, minutes would pass wherein she wouldn’t move. Dr Hopper said something about shock.

She’d gone to see him yesterday. Things had become unbearable. Living with two sets of memories inside her head had taken a toll. A toll that Archie’s two boxes of tissues could account for. She’d cried and cried and cried more times in those two hours than she had in her entire life before the curse and during it – and she’d spent entire weeks sobbing in her chambers whenever the King decided to lock her doors as a form of punishment. In the castle, her tears were to mourn Daniel and the life they could have had. In Archie’s office, they were to mourn her life here. She was happy here, under her curse, with her husband and son, with her family. She was mourning it.

Henry came back downstairs in under twenty minutes, and she still hadn’t moved a muscle from her seat at the counter.

“Are um… Are you ready to go, Mom?”

She got his lunchbox off the counter. He would just forget it if she didn’t personally hand it to him every morning. “Yes, we can leave now.” When they reached the front door, she turned to him. “I forgot my keys inside. Henry, can you grab them for me?”

“Sure.”

“I think I left them in my office.”

“Okay.” He walked toward it.

Emma had followed Mary-Margaret’s advice. She took the first step. Regina, who she did most of her communication about Henry with, was unavailable so she spoke to David. He was at the station for once.

He heard her out about what happened at the mines and even agreed to let her pick up Henry from school so that she could apologize. She was there when he made the call to the school, asking them to inform Henry of the change in plans.

It was done. She was going to see him. She was going to make things right, apologize, and talk it out. Maybe take him to the arcade for a bit before dropping him off at his mom’s office.

She hadn’t seen him in a week and felt his absence under her skin. She really missed him. Emma spotted Henry sitting sullenly on a bench. She turned the key off in the ignition and walked to him.

“Hey, kid.”

He wore a look of sadness that quickly turned to anger. “I don’t want to talk to you.”

“Kid…” She knelt in front of him. “I am sorry about what happened at the mines, about what I said. I shouldn’t have and… Henry… Henry, I’m sorry. I…” She laughed brokenly, tearily. “I’ve really missed you, kid.”

“You’re a liar.”

“Look at me, kid. I swear I am not lying to you. I never should have said those things, they’re not true.”

He glared at her. “You’re not a liar? Prove it. Where was I born?”

“W-what?”

“Where was I born?”

“Henry, I don’t understand what this is-”

“Was I born in jail?”

It felt like the air left her lungs. “What?”

“Were you arrested?”

She quickly dropped into the seat next to him. “How did you find out about that?”

“So, it is true?” He cried. “You were arrested? You had me in jail?”

“Kid,” she grabbed his arm when he tried to get up. “Where- How-” She sputtered. “How did you find out?”

He glared at her, yanked his arm back, and rummaged through his bag. “I found this.” He shoved some papers at her chest. “You're not the Saviour. You're not a hero. Heroes don't lie.”

“Kid, where are you going?” She jumped up after him. “You can’t run off again.”

“I’m going back inside to ask Ms Blanchard to call my dad. I don’t wanna see you.”

“Henry-”

“Ever!”

“Thank you for staying with him,” David said gratefully as he closed the backseat door after Henry.

Ms Blanchard smiled kindly. “It’s really not a problem. Anything to help out. I…” She lowered her voice and glanced at Henry through the window. “I must admit I feel guilty about him running off. With the storybook and… Well, it was my credit card he used after all.”

“Right, um about that…” David pulled a white envelope from his pocket. “This is your card and reimbursement for the money he used to buy the bus ticket. I’m sorry it took so long to get it back to you. Things have just been… a little insane at the moment.”

She took it gingerly. “Thank you, Deputy Nolan.”

“Thank you,” he said earnestly. “For keeping this between us. I don’t know how we would have handled things if he’d gotten into trouble with the school for stealing.”

“Well, it wasn’t school property so there would have been no need for them to get involved.” She looked at him through the backseat window. “I’m just glad he wasn’t hurt and that he made it home safely.”

“I’m sorry, Madame Mayor. I told her you were in the process of leaving.”

“How the hell did Henry find this?”

Regina glanced at the papers she had tossed onto her desk. Emma lifted the folder. The ghost of a smile flickered across the mayor’s face. Pride perhaps. Disappointment maybe. It was difficult to read her.

She looked up and nodded to her assistant. “It’s alright. Thank you, Eunice.” She motioned to the seat in front of her desk. “Ms Swan, please take a seat.”

Emma stared her down. “Tell me where a nine-year-old found my juvie records.” It had taken a few hours for her to come to the conclusion, but once she did, she was sure of it. Regina was the only way Henry could have found these.

“In my home office, I imagine.” She met her eye, head tilted to appear bashful. “I’ll be sure to lock the door from now on.”

“Like hell you’ll… This was a juvie record.” Emma looked at her incredulously. “It was sealed by court order. I don’t know how you got this but that’s abuse of power and illegal.”

“Illegal? Careful which accusations you throw around, dear. I obtained those documents legally. There was a window period before I signed the adoption papers wherein I could-”

“Have a background check done on the birth parent in a closed adoption?” She scoffed. “Yeah, right. Nice try.”

Her smile was crisp. “The manner in which I obtained a copy of your juvenile criminal records was not in itself illegal. It was merely public record at the time as you hadn’t buried it away yet. As for my discovery of your identity… Well, that could all be chalked up to a clerical error in the adoption process wherein I was unintentionally informed of the identity of my son’s birth mother when I first adopted him. A clerical error that prompted me, a new mother concerned for the safety of her infant son, to hire a private investigator to assess whether his birth mother was of any danger to us.” Her eyes flicked up and down over her. “She is not.”

Emma’s spine stiffened. She remembered Henry, his distrustful eyes, how he looked at her. Her throat hurt. “You planned this. You wanted him to find it.”

Regina nodded her head side-to-side as if weighing up the odds of that being true. “Why would I do that? I imagine he’d be distraught to learn of something of this nature.”

“Oh, cut the crap!” Emma slammed her hands on the desk in front of her. “You wanted him to know. You wanted him to find out. You think that by getting him to hate me, he’ll love you, but don’t you see this is only hurting him? You’re hurting him.”

“We all lose our heroes at some point,” she said, sighing deeply. “I'm just glad it happened sooner rather than later. Before he went off running into another collapsing mine.” She stood. “I would love to continue this chat, but I simply don’t have the time.”

Emma finally understood what Henry was talking about. Evil indeed. “You have no soul.”

David made his way down the stairs of Archie’s building across the street to Granny’s. He desperately wanted something sweet. He ordered himself a slice of the pie of the day and a steaming mug of coffee.

He thought of that period he and Regina went through a couple years back, specifically the marriage counselling. They went to marriage counselling for about a year. For the first six months, they went twice a week, the next month once a week, and then afterwards only twice a month.

It was… an experience. All the talking, the trust exercises, the “tell me five things you like about each other” and “how did that make you feel”.

“You’re suggesting we sleep in different bedrooms?” Regina asked, an eyebrow raised.  “Isn’t that counterproductive to what we’re trying to accomplish here?”

Marge, their counsellor, looked at him. “David?”

He frowned. “I don’t really understand the point of it either.”

“If you don’t feel comfortable with the idea, you don’t have to do it,” she said calmly. “Although statistics indicate that couples who sleep in different beds report feeling more well-rested.”

He remembered looking at Regina, her looking at him, and it was almost like he could read her mind. Can you believe this crap?

“Deputy Nolan?”

David looked up to see Henry’s teacher standing in front of him. “Ms Blanchard, hi.”

She greeted him back and somehow they started a conversation about a book she was carrying. That conversation ended with him agreeing to read said book. David had no idea how or why he’d struck up a conversation with her nor why he agreed to read the book, just that she was really excited while talking about it and it felt nice to have a conversation with someone when the stakes were so low. Where there were no strings. Just a random conversation about a book he hadn’t read that ended in him promising to read it.

Chapter Text

“Mom?”

She got up to put the plates in the dishwasher. Dad was already at work. She looked over her shoulder at him.

“Yes, sweetheart?”

Henry knew it was wrong of him to steal those papers. He saw Emma’s name on a document on Mom’s desk while looking for her keys and his curiosity got the better of him. He finally understood how curiosity killed the cat now. The longer he thought about it, the less sense it made. Mom never let him into her office. Mom always put her keys in the bowl in the foyer. It didn’t make sense that she suddenly forgot them in her office. It didn’t make sense. He’d been thinking about Tuesday morning for the last few days, and it didn’t make sense.

Unless she wanted him to find out.

He hesitated. He could be wrong. Maybe it was an accident. Maybe she just forgot.

“Henry?”

If it was an accident, then there was no harm in asking, but if it wasn’t… He took in a deep breath. “Did you mean for me to find Emma’s juvie records?”

She froze. “No.” Mom quickly washed her hands and turned to face him. “I’m sorry you did. I was looking over them the other evening and forgot to put them away. Truth be told I shouldn’t have kept them. I should have destroyed it years ago. I am sorry you had to find out this way. It should have been Emma’s choice to tell you.”

He watched her carefully. He may not have inherited Emma’s built-in lie detector, but he knew his mom and he’d watched her long enough these last few months to know her tells. There was something off about her for the last few days. She looked sort of guilty.

Mom leaned across the counter and wiped some hair from his forehead. “You shouldn’t have found out like this.”

“Mom.” He squeezed her hand. She was still his mom. He tried to pretend she wasn’t. He tried to shut her out, but not even that was enough. She was his mom. “Please tell me the truth.”

“I am.”

He felt tears burning at the back of his eyes. His throat hurt. He could barely get the words out. “No, you’re not.”

She pretended not to hear him. “You’re going to be late for school if we don’t leave soon,” she said gently, pulling her hand back. She grabbed her laptop bag from one of the counters.

“Mom…”

She placed his lunchbox in front of him. “Let’s go.”

“Mom.”

“Now, Henry.”

He flinched in his seat. She had never spoken to him like that before. Her voice sounded so cold. Henry grabbed his lunchbox, slung his backpack over his shoulders, and followed her out the house. His heart dropped as he watched Mom grab her keys from the bowl in the foyer.

“Whatcha reading?”

Henry looked slowly over the edge of the comic book. There was a girl in front of him. She had blonde hair and green eyes. She was wearing regular clothes, not a uniform like him, so she went to Storybrooke Elementary not St. Meissa.

“Ul- um it’s Ultimate Wolverine vs. Hulk. Issue 3.” He showed her the cover. He collected every issue except this one so far and couldn’t start the series unless he had all six so finding this one had instantly brightened his mood. And now someone was talking to him too! This was one of the few times other kids had willingly spoken to him. He was the class weirdo. But she didn’t know that, he reminded himself quickly. They went to different schools. Maybe they could be friends. He stuck his hand out quickly and smiled wide. “I’m Henry.”

“Ava.” She smiled and shook his hand. “Your last name is Mills, right? Your mom’s the mayor.”

His smile faltered. “Yep.”

“And your dad’s the Deputy.”

“Yeah um…” He closed the comic book and looked at the others on the table, trying to spot one he didn’t already have. “Um do you um like comic books, Ava?”

Ava laughed a bit. “No, they’re more Nicholas’s thing.”

“Who’s Nicholas?” He wanted to ask but didn’t when he saw that she was pointing towards a dark-haired boy jogging towards them.

“Did you find it?” Nicholas asked, slightly out of breath.

Ava shook her head. “Nope.” She tilted her head to Henry. “This is Henry.”

Nicholas glanced at him. “Hi.” He rushed to the table behind them and began sifting through the comic books.

“Told you,” Ava said to Henry. “He’s obsessed. I’m more into novels.”

Henry smiled politely, unsure what to say next. Nicholas was finished flicking through one box of comic books set out on the table. He groaned and moved on to the next one.

“What are you looking for?” Henry asked him.

“X-Men Forever,” he said distractedly. “The last two. Issues 23 and 24. I just need those last two.”

Mom read X-men, Henry thought but did not say. Henry went to the box next to Nicholas to help him look. He saw one with Mystique on the cover and looked at it for a moment. Mystique was Mom’s favourite character. Hot, prickly anger and disappointment scratched at the inside of his chest. She lied to him about Emma’s juvie record, and then she lied about lying to him. Henry put the book down and continued flipping through the box. Nicholas finished and moved to the last box on the table, next to Henry.

“I’ll be over there, Nicholas,” Ava said before leaving. Her brother just nodded, attention fully on the box in front of him.

Henry didn’t find the ones Nicholas was looking for, but he found two more missing issues from other series he’d collected and added them to the other two books in his arms.

Nichlas finished the last box and sighed sadly. “It’s not here.” He looked sad for all of two seconds before his eyes lit up. “No way!” He pulled out a book and showed it excitedly to Henry. “Awesome, right?” Henry didn’t get a chance to answer before Nicholas was speaking again. “Do you want to get a soda and some snacks? I have to read this now.”

Henry felt shy all of sudden and couldn’t speak. He just nodded. He quickly paid for his comic books and then walked with Nicholas to a stall selling snacks.

They spoke about superheroes and newly discovered common interests for a while and stuck together for the duration of the scholastic book fair. It took place in Alder Park. It was set up so that there was a browsing area to look at and buy books and an outer area to eat and talk at picnic tables. The nuns were chaperoning the outing, but the students had been given a wide berth to browse and mingle with the kids from Storybrooke Elementary.

At some point, Ava found them and came to sit with them, but by then Nicholas was totally absorbed in Venom vs Wolverine and Henry was reading one of the first issue comic books he bought. She didn’t seem put off by their silence. She just opened her book and started reading too.

After Henry finished the short issue, he began sorting through the books he’d gotten. He decided which order to read them in when he got home and then rearranged them in that order. Sister Barbara shouted something. Henry straightened his shoulders and looked up immediately. The sixth-grade class was lining up near their bus. Oh shoot. He noticed that the sun in a different spot in the sky and that the fair seemed to have emptied out. The man with comic book stall was packing his things up. Henry quickly looked around for Sister Astrid – she was supervising their class – but he couldn’t see her anywhere. He looked for Ashleigh and the brown leather satchel she always had slung over her shoulder. He couldn’t spot her or Gary’s red hair or the distinct almost rectangular shape of Paul’s head. He couldn’t see anyone from his class, not even Paige.

“I think my class left,” he said, voice high, eyes wide, worriedly looking around.

Nicholas didn’t even look up. “So?”

“How am I gonna get home?”

“Just walk,” he said with a shrug.

“I…” His throat closed. He felt his eyes burn and blinked quickly. He quickly began gathering up his things. Maybe he could catch up with Sister Barbara and get a ride back to school with her class. His eyes went even wider when he saw the minibus drive away.

Ava glanced up from her book. “Are you okay?”

Henry shook his head. “My parents are gonna… I’m grounded and I’m supposed to be at my mom’s office by one but-” He looked at his watch. It was 12:45. From school it was a five-minute walk to her office, but from here Henry didn’t even know how long it would take. “It’s gonna take forever to get there and I-I can’t- They’re gonna be mad. Plus, I don’t even know which direction to go or- and if I get lost I-I-”

Ava put her bookmark in her book and carefully closed it. “We’ll walk with you and then you can just explain to your mom what happened. It’ll be fine.”

The way she said it, how calm she was, it calmed Henry too. He breathed easier. “Are you sure you know the way back to town?”

She nodded patiently and packed her book into her back. “It’s not far. Come on.”

“Where the hell do you think you're going?”

Henry looked at Mr Clark in confusion. “What?”

“HAAA…” He hurriedly pulled out a handkerchief and sneezed into it. “Chooo!” He wiped his nose with one hand, the other still holding the door closed.

Henry, Ava and Nick – he’d told Henry to call him Nick – just stood there and waited.

“Open up your bags.”

Ava and Nick did so at once, showing the inside of their scholastic fair bags that held only books. Nick’s had empty snack wrappers too. Mr Clark glanced inside, appeared irritated, and pointed at Henry.

“Now you.” He sneezed into his handkerchief again.

“But I didn’t take anything.”

“Don't think I didn't see you rob me.”

“I didn’t take anything,” he said again. Maybe this time he would believe him.

“No? Then open your bag.”

Henry didn’t move. “Why?

Mr Clark got irritated and pulled it off his arm. He opened it and looked inside. Henry leaned forward and looked inside too. Just books. See? This would be the perfect opportunity to have a Draco Malfoy moment, Henry thought.

“Um, can I have my bag back now, Mr Clark?”

Mr Clark sneezed again and wiped his nose angrily. He handed the bag back while doing so. Ava moved past Henry and pushed on the door. She and Nick left while Henry tried to avoid snot and germs by taking his bag back. He was about to follow them out when Mr Clark tugged on his backpack.

“Not so fast. Open this up too.”

Henry huffed and dropped his bag off his shoulders. He didn’t bother to pick it up. “I didn’t take anything,” he said again, irritated now. He agreed to stop here because Nick wanted more snacks and promised not to take long, but this was just going to make him get to his mom’s office late and Henry wanted to get there as quickly as possible to avoid getting into any further trouble. He might get banned from videogames forever!

Mr Clark picked up his backpack and pulled the zip back. He scoffed after one glance at its contents. “And a liar too.”

He tried to look inside but Mr Clark pulled his bag back and walked to the counter. Henry followed helplessly. Mr Clark picked up the phone at the counter and dialled a number.

“Hello, Deputy Nolan. Tom Clark here. This is about your son.”

Oh no. Henry looked back for Ava and Nick. They weren’t in the store. He looked outside. They were gone. His stomach dropped.

Henry hopped up from where was sat cross-legged on the floor. “Dad!”

“You were supposed to be at your mother’s office fifteen minutes ago. Save it.” He walked up to the counter. “Mr Clark, what’s this about?”

He pointed at the items laid out on the counter. “Your son was shoplifting, Deputy.”

Dad paused. “Come again?”

“I wasn’t shoplifting,” Henry said for the dozenth time. He looked at his father. “Dad, I swear I didn’t take those things.”

Dad looked at him for a moment and was about to speak when Mr Clark cut in.

“I found these items in his bag.”

Mr Clark held the backpack out to him. Dad took it and looked at the items on the counter.

“Toothpaste, batteries, a can of spaghetti-Os…” He shook his head. “My son didn’t take these.”

“I found them in his bag.”

“I didn’t put them there,” Henry said in frustration. First, no one believed him about the curse, now no one believed him about anything else.

Dad touched his shoulder. “I believe you, bud. Do you know who did?”

Henry nodded. He thought they were friends, but they were just using him. His eyes burned. “Yeah. Two kids I met today at the book fair. I got left behind- I mean I didn’t know my class was leaving and by the time I noticed they were gone, everyone from school was gone too and I panicked because I didn’t know how to get home from there. They said they’d walk with me and then Nick wanted to get soda or a candy bar or something and so we came in here and then…” His eyes prickled. He thought they could be friends, but they tricked him.

“Do you know their names?”

He hesitated. “I don’t want them to get into trouble.”

“They won’t get into trouble, Henry. I just want to talk to them.” Dad gestured to the counter. “For them to try and steal, things must be pretty bad at home. If I talk to them, maybe I can help them.”

Henry looked at the two Apollo candy bars on the counter. He nodded. “Okay,” he said softly. “Nick and Ava Zimmer. They’re brother and sister.”

“Do they go to your school?”

“No,” he shook his head. “Storybrooke Elementary.”

“Okay. Okay.” Dad stood up and pulled out his wallet. “Could you ring all this up?”

Mr Clark paused as if he misheard him. “You want to buy this?”

Dad nodded with a sad sort of sigh. “Yeah.” He lifted a small yellow box. Henry didn’t know what it was for, but he saw it in the cupboard under the sink in parent’s en suite a while ago. “Maybe add a box of Advil too.”

“Why am I hearing talk of our son’s shoplifting activities from the intern?”

Both David and Henry paused mid-step into Regina's office.

“I wasn’t shoplifting!”

David sighed and tried to place an arm around his shoulder. “Hen.”

Henry shrugged out of his hold and stomped off toward the couch, angrily pulling off his backpack and sitting down. David went over to Regina who was looking at him with a raised eyebrow. He shook his head. He didn’t want to talk about this right now.

“I’ll pick him up as soon as I’m done.”

“No need,” she said with an easy smile. She looked at Henry who peeked up at them. He saw that they were looking at him and looked away fast. Regina shot a glance at the ceiling and sighed fondly. “Kathryn and I were heading out. I’m sure she won’t mind him joining us. What do you say, Henry?”

He shrugged, thought, and then looked over the couch at them. “Where are you going?”

“We’re checking the progress of a city project and discussing further construction plans with the crew. It shouldn’t take longer than an hour. You can do your homework while you wait.”

Henry deflated.

“We’re planning on getting lunch afterward.”

“From where?” He asked with mischievously narrowed eyes.

Regina copied his stare and held it until they both cracked and laughed. “We can discuss that with Aunt Kathryn.”

“Okay.”

David thrummed his fingers on the desk. She looked at him. “Do I get an invitation as well?”

“I thought you were working, dear. Night shift, right?”

He leaned against the side of the desk with a slight sigh. “Right.” He’d almost forgotten. “I guess I’ll see you then.”

“I guess you will.” Regina hesitated before she leaned forward and placed a delicate kiss on his cheek. “Wake me up when you get back.”

“Any preferred method?” He whispered, mindful of little ears listening in from a few feet away.

She chuckled and shook her head, giving him a slight nudge to the door. David laughed and left, stopping to ruffle Henry’s head on his way out with a quick order for him, “Behave and listen to your mother.”

He groaned. “I know, I know.”

David left City Hall and headed towards his cruiser. He glanced at the bag of groceries on the back seat before he started the engine.

Sheriff Humbert and Deputy Nolan stood outside the interrogation room in the station and looked through the one-way mirror at the two kids inside. The girl sat on a chair with her knees drawn up to her chest. The boy looked around, equal parts bored and curious about the room. They ignored the food and magazines on the table.

Graham rubbed over the back of his neck, uncomfortable. “What do we know about them?”

David recited the facts from their files. “The girl is Ava Helen Zimmer. She’s twelve years old. The boy, her brother, is Nicholas Adrien Zimmer. Ten-years-old. They both attend Storybrooke Elementary. Their mother, Dory Zimmer passed on eight weeks ago. They have no living relatives.”

“What about their father? Fathers?”

“Not sure. There wasn’t one listed on either of their birth certificates.” He shook his head slightly. “They’ve been on their own this entire time.”

“What about their apartment? Someone had to know about them. How were two kids paying rent on a two-bedroom apartment?”

“They weren’t. Their mother paid a year’s rent in full last August so they wouldn’t have had to worry about that until the end of next month.”

“What would they have done if we hadn’t found them by then?” Graham shook his head disbelievingly. “I can’t believe this. A woman dies and no one thinks to check in on her kids! How does something like this even happen in a small town like ours? What about her friends? Neighbours? Someone had to have known about them or that their mother died.”

David couldn’t answer. “Everyone I talked to couldn’t seem to remember her and if she had any friends they aren’t coming forward.”

Graham sighed loudly. He looked around the station. “What are we gonna do about them? They can’t stay here. We don’t have the resources to take care of them.”

“Foster care,” David suggested. “Closest town’s Boston. I can check in with group homes over there and see if they have any openings.”

“Don’t bother.” Graham waved him off. “I already did. There are two openings at two different homes. If we take them then they’ll be separated and given what they’ve done to stick together for the last two months, I doubt they’d go willingly.”

“No. They won’t.” David looked at them a moment longer. “Maybe the nuns will take them in until we find them a place to stay.”

“Already checked in with the good sisters of St. Meissa. They have, unfortunately… declined our request.” He scoffed. “You know, I never could understand Regina's disdain for Mother Superior until now. She wouldn’t even give a real reason. Offered to do a prayer though. Isn’t that nice? Just what these kids need. Thoughts and prayers.”

David turned to him. “What do you suggest we do?”

“Let them go home until we can find someone to act as a foster parent to them.”

David looked at him incredulously. “You want to send two kids back to take care of themselves?”

“They’ve been doing so for months. A few more days won’t hurt.”

“They’re kids. They can’t take care of themselves.”

“Evidently they can.”

“They were caught shoplifting.”

“So, we’ll give them some money for food.”

“They’re ten and twelve. They can’t be on their own. They’re just kids.” He waved at the one-way mirror. “Henry’s Nicholas’ age and I don’t leave him alone for more than an hour. We can’t send two kids back to an apartment building to care for themselves.”

“So, we’ll find someone to take care of them until we find them a foster parent. David, I know what I’m suggesting. But it’s either we do that, or we cut them off from the only family they have left – each other. I’m just trying to spare them any more pain. They’ve already lost their mother. They shouldn’t have to lose each other too.”

“Are you sure you’re okay with this?” David asked into the phone.

Regina sighed on the other end. “Yes, David. I’m perfectly alright with you bringing two orphans into our home for the night.”

He breathed in relief.

“You didn’t think I’d say no, did you? Not even I’m that heartless.”

“Things are still difficult with Henry and what with the new baby coming I… I didn’t know what you’d say.”

She hummed on the other end of the line. “You don’t have any leads on their other relatives?”

“None. All we’ve got to go on is their father and he might not even know they exist, or they could have different fathers.”

“No, it was just the one. They have the same father. Michael Tillman. He and Dory were together for a month before they found out about Ava. He stayed for two years after she was born. After he walked out on her and Ava, Dory decided she didn’t need him and never told him about the second pregnancy.”

He straightened up immediately. “Reg, how do you know all that?”

“We met at the park when Henry was just a baby. I thought I had it bad with a nanny and a babysitter to help me look after a child I chose to adopt and welcome into my life, and here was this woman barely holding it together on a park bench as she tried to soothe her crying two-year-old daughter and feed her newborn son. It put things into perspective. She was a good friend those first few months. I never really saw her again after that.”

“You’re the only person I’ve spoken to all day who seems to remember her.”

“I’m not surprised. She was… a private person. Didn’t do well with friends. I guess that’s why we got along.”

“You wouldn’t happen to know where Michael is now, do you?”

“I do,” she said carefully. David gripped the phone tightly. “Don’t you?”

He shook his head. “No. I’ve been trying to find him all day. No one remembers him or Dory.”

There was a long silence. “Storybrooke hospital. ICU. He’s been in a coma for the last ten years. You really didn’t know this?”

He shook his head again. The kids were walking toward the door of the apartment. “I’ve gotta call you back.”

“I- Alright, I’ll see you at home.”

“Yeah. I love you.” He hung up. “Hey, guys. Is that everything?”

Ava nodded. Neither of them would meet his eyes. Ava stared dead ahead, eyes unfocused, and Nicholas was fiddling with the strap of his bag while trying to take a bite of a candy bar.

“Great. Let’s go.”

Chapter Text

“You really didn’t know this?” Regina asked.

“I’ve gotta call you back.”

“I- Alright, I’ll see you at home.”

“Yeah. I love you.”

Regina pulled the phone away from her ear and stared at it for a moment. Well, that was abrupt. He hung up before she could respond. She was equal parts annoyed and relieved by that. At least he couldn’t tell she had lied through her teeth. Although… Was it technically lying if those were her cursed memories of Dory Zimmer? Maybe she should have the human lie detector try to answer that. If she hasn’t left town yet, that is. Any day now, Regina assured herself. Any day now. Henry finding out had to have pushed her over the edge. Who would stay after that?

“Was that David?” Kathryn walked toward her and offered her a take-out cup. “Did you ask him about this weekend?”

Henry looked up at her excitedly. “What did Dad say? Can I go?”

Kathryn and Jim were heading up to their cabin for the weekend. Henry, as usual, included himself in their plans without an invitation and Kathryn was all too happy to agree. Regina tried to dissuade Henry without giving away Jim’s plans but after a quick look at his and Kathryn’s matching grins she decided to let David play the bad guy and say no. It may be considered cowardly, but she did not want to get between the two of them. Henry already accused her of lying to him, she didn’t want his ire over this as well.

Regina took the cup absently. “We didn’t get a chance to speak about it but…” She looked at Henry apologetically. “I don’t think so, sweetheart.”

“What why?” He whined loudly.

“For one, you’re still grounded.”

“But you said-”

“That I would speak to your father about it, yes. Unfortunately…” Or rather fortunately for Jim. “Something came up.”

Neither Kathryn nor Henry looked like they believed her. Henry crossed his arms over his chest and looked up at Kathryn with his puppy eyes. Regina sighed immediately, knowing that the reasonable Kathryn Nolan was now gone, and she was dealing with Henry’s aunt.

“This something being…?”

“Henry’s shoplifting buddies.”

“Mom!” He squeaked. His face flushed. Kathryn didn’t know about it yet. He looked up at her. “Aunt Kathryn, I wasn’t shoplifting, I promise. It was… it was the other kids. They tricked me.”

“What… When… Shoplifting! Henry Daniel Mills, explain yourself right now.”

His ears turned bright red. “I wasn’t shoplifting.” He turned to her with pleading eyes. “Mom, tell her.” It was funny that Henry was more afraid of disappointing his aunt than being in actual trouble.

“He wasn’t shoplifting,” Regina said in a placating tone, taking pity on him. “He just took the fall.”

They began walking back to Dylan’s office. Kathryn pulled Henry to her side. He leaned into her hand on his head, his expression similar to that of a kicked puppy. Regina tried to keep a straight face.

“If it wasn’t his fault, I don’t see why Henry can’t come with us this weekend,” Kathryn said, touching his head soothingly.

“Well, it turns out this Ava and Nick are on their own and have been since their mother died. Graham is trying to find foster parents or a group home that will take both of them and in the meantime…” She hesitated. “They’ll be staying with us.”

“WHAT? Why?”

“Henry,” Kathryn scolded. She looked at Regina, confused. “They’re related?”

“They’re brother and sister,” Henry grumbled.

“How old are they?”

“I… don’t know,” Regina answered. “Henry’s age I suppose.”

“Have they been in any trouble like this before?”

Regina was going to answer. Henry beat her to it. “Dad had to deal with two break-ins at Mr Clark’s drugstore last week. Maybe it was them.”

“Are they violent?”

Regina's answer dissipated the moment she tried to speak. She didn’t know. They were cursed and their cursed selves would no doubt be different to Hansel and Gretel. Regina scoffed at her line of thought.

“They’re children.”

David gave the Zimmers a quick tour of the mansion before leading them to the guest bedroom on the first floor. It was the only other furnished bedroom aside from Henry’s and his and Regina's. Well, and the nursery. Which they still had to set up. Maybe he made this decision too quickly.

The kids still hadn’t said a word since the station and although both of them were equally quiet, David was more worried about Ava. Nicholas was still responsive and alert to his surroundings while she seemed to retreat further into herself with each passing minute.

He set their bags by the door and looked around the room. There was enough closet space, he supposed, but there was only one bed.

“You guys had bunkbeds at your apartment, so I know you’re probably not used to sharing-”

“It’s fine,” Ava interrupted.

“Okay um… Take a few minutes to get settled in then come do your homework in the dining room.”

Ava and Nicholas looked at each other, then at him. “It was the book fair today; we didn’t get any homework.”

David frowned. Henry had homework today. He then remembered they went to different schools. “Right. Okay. Get settled in then. Shout if you need anything.”

Neither one of them responded. They just looked at him with blank faces. He took that as his cue and left. A few steps from the room, he heard the door close. Maybe he made this decision too quickly.

His phone buzzed. It was a text from Kathryn. “I think I broke Regina,” he read aloud. He sent back a simple “How?” before checking his other messages. He saw two missed calls from Regina and dialled her. She picked up at the first ring.

“Hey. Everything okay?”

“Um…” She was quiet for a second. Even her silence sounded panicked. “No,” she said quickly. “Kathryn started asking all these questions earlier and… David, I don’t think we’re the right people to take care of them.”

“Regina, it’s just for-”

“There is no way this will be resolved in one day, David. They’re going to need a place to stay for at least a week or two. Maybe even longer.”

“And you don’t think we’re the people to take care of them?” He asked genuinely.

“I don’t even know how old they are, or which grade they’re in. If they have any allergies or illnesses or when was the last time they went to the doctor or dentist. If they have any special care requirements or-”

“The fact that you’re thinking about all of this means we’re exactly the right people to be taking care of them. Maybe you more than me.”

“That is not true.”

He could hear her shaking her head. “Reg, it’s going to be fine. We can talk about this when you get home, draw up a list of any questions running through your mind, book whatever appointments you want, talk to teachers and…” He shrugged, not knowing what else to say. “Anything else. We can figure out this whole thing together when you get home. What can I say to convince you that everything’s going to be fine?”

She was quiet for a long moment. “You’re set on this aren’t you?”

David looked out the kitchen in the direction of the guest bedroom. He remembered their faces when he knocked on their apartment door, when he found out they’d been staying there on their own, that their mother had died. He remembered how Ava’s eyes dimmed as she and Nicholas got into the back of the cruiser. Their faces… The pure hopelessness in their eyes…

“They need someone,” was the only answer he could give.

“Crap!”

Crap! David's eyes widened in alarm.

Neither Ava nor Nicholas paid him any mind. Ava’s eyes remained on the screen and Nicholas was too busy pushing buttons on his controller to notice. They had warmed to him significantly in the last hour.

Maybe it had something to do with the junk food that Regina absolutely did not allow in the house. Maybe it was the collection of video games he took out for them to try. Henry would throw a gasket if he found out they were playing video games on a school day afternoon. Technically it was Friday so it shouldn’t count but… well Regina was firm on school day rules. But, he rationalised, making them comfortable was more important than shoving a million rules down their throats. Rules that seriously needed to be revised.

“How are you so good at a game you’re never played before?” He asked with a good-natured smile.

Nicholas grinned. “Maybe you’re out of practice.”

“Think so?” David laughed and ruffled his hair. He shied away from his touch and David pulled his arm back carefully, mentally jotting that down as a don’t. He glanced at Ava and offered her the controller. “You want a go?

She quickly shook her head.

She’d been quiet almost the entire time, mainly sat nibbling on that same candy bar from Clark’s drugstore. She sat next to her brother on the couch facing the TV in the basement. David sat in the armchair to their left.

He looked at Ava with an open expression. “Are you okay kiddo?”

She eyed him carefully and spoke even more so. “Can I just go lay down?”

He remembered the tampons on the counter and how relieved she looked when she saw them inside the grocery bags when he came by their apartment. Ava was holding her stomach. David nodded immediately, feeling sheepish that she thought she had to ask permission to do so. She looked at her brother.

He sighed. “I’ll be fine, Ava.” She looked at him for a second longer then got up and left. Nicholas grabbed a handful of chips and looked at David. “We’re still playing, right?” He asked, mouth full.

“Yeah, yeah, of course. Same game?”

He nodded and reached for some more chips. “Yep.” He handed David his controller and went into intense mode while playing, eyes narrowed and mouth firm as he silently pushed the buttons on the controller in a triple hit kill combo. David's avatar groaned and fell from Nicholas’ avatar’s sword.

“Yes,” he said under his breath. His eyes gleamed with smug pride.

Oh, this kid was gonna be a sore winner, he could see it now, once he was more comfortable around them. David tried to pick up a conversation in between losing to a ten-year-old. “Do you play any sports, Nicholas?”

“No,” he said absently, eyes zoned in on the TV. “I like soccer, but I don’t play on a team or anything. I used to at the rec centre but I stopped going.”

“How come?”

He shrugged.

David tried another question. “How’d you get into it?”

“My mom used to take us to the park every weekend to play. Well, most weekends.” He started to smile. It slipped and his intensity in the game increased.

David scrambled to block his attacks. Why the hell did he buy this game in the first place? And why was there a battle mode? Wasn’t it supposed to be a medieval fantasy game? He was finally put out of his misery when Nicholas’ avatar leapt forward and struck his avatar in the shoulder. David flinched as if struck himself.

“Okay, okay, I surrender, can we try another game?”

Nicholas laughed and nodded.

David gestured to the games on the table. “You pick.”

He started looking through them and pulled out a game that Regina must have gotten for Henry because he had never seen it before. 

They played it together making small talk in between the cutscenes. It turned out that while Ava had no food allergies, Nicholas had many. He was allergic to shellfish, eggs, nuts, blueberries, pineapple, kiwi and… this one might make Regina glitch. Apples. The boy was allergic to apples.

“Oh, I can’t have dairy either.”

“You’re…” David looked at him dumbfounded. “You’re lactose intolerant too?”

“Yeah,” he snorted. “Ava says I won the genetic lottery.”

It was unfair. Plain and simple as that. It was unfair. This whole thing was unfair. When his parents thought he was shoplifting, they got blazing mad, but the actual people who stole and used him as a mule… When they got caught, his parents just invited them home.

How did that make sense? You steal a couple of candy bars and then you get a free house? And snacks that Mom doesn’t even let him eat! And Nick got to play video games all afternoon?! This. Was. So. Not. Fair.

Henry crossed his arms over his chest and looked around the basement. Nick was asleep on the couch with a blanket over him. Empty chip packets and soda cans were on the table. And a bunch of video games too. Henry looked at the top one. He hadn’t even played that one yet!

Henry glared at Nick and his stupid face and stupid blue beanie. Who slept in a beanie anyway? His leg was hanging over the couch. He was still wearing his shoes too. Dad always went on about not wearing shoes past the foyer. Ugh. This was just… ugh.

Henry kicked Nick’s shoe.

He startled awake as if someone had fired a gun near his head.

“Oh,” he breathed in relief. “Hey, Henry.”

Hey, Henry? He just… No. No. No. He shook his head.

Nick sat up, yawning. “You look mad.”

Henry wanted to scream. “I am mad. You tricked me into shoplifting and then just left me there when Mr Clark checked my bag! I didn’t even know that stuff was in there.”

“I’m really really really sorry, Henry.”

Henry faltered at how genuine Nick sounded. Wait, no! He was mad at him! And Ava too! Henry shook his head again. He was mad at them! But Dad said he and Ava were all on their own and that’s why they had to steal. To survive. Henry’s anger started fading. No! That wasn’t fair. Great now he was angry about not being angry anymore. He wanted to scream in frustration.

“I’m really sorry about lying to you, Henry,” Nick said. “For what it’s worth, I really wanted to be friends with you.”

“You- you did?”

Nick nodded immediately. “Can we just… Can we… maybe forget this afternoon?” He asked with a wince as if awaiting rejection. “Maybe we can try to be friends again?”

He didn’t like that his anger went away with one conversation. Henry groaned and sat down next to him. “Sure,” he answered. “I don’t really have that many friends.”

“Me either.”

Henry pulled his bag off his shoulders and took out the comic books he bought at the book fair. He handed one of his new purchases to Nick.

“Since you’re staying here, can we share comic books? I really want to read Venom vs Wolverine.”

“Yeah. David said you have a pretty cool collection.”

“In my room. Wanna see?”

Regina came through the front door with grocery bags in both arms. “No running on the stairs,” she called instinctively when somebody sped up the stairs.

A chorus of “sorry” made her look up to see Henry and another dark-haired boy sparing her only a glance before continuing up the stairs at a slightly slower pace.

David came in behind her with the last two bags. “That’s Nicholas.”

She nodded wordlessly, still looking at Hansel. This was going to be strange. “The girl?” Regina asked as she set the bags on the counter.

“Ava? I checked on her twenty minutes ago. She’s in the guest bedroom. Asleep. I think she has her period or something.”

Great. She looked at the ceiling and sighed. “So, we’ve taken in one boy who’s allergic to everything under the sun and a hormonal teenager.”

“She’s twelve,” he said giving her a strange look. “What’s up with you tonight? Was Henry acting out again?”

Regina ran her hands through her hair.

David took the hint and switched topics. “I thought you and Henry went shopping two days ago,” he said, pointing at the bags on the counter.

“We need alternatives for Nicholas.”

He nodded and began packing the groceries away. He cleared his throat. Regina looked at him. He held up a tub of ice-cream questioningly.

“That’s mine.”

He laughed. “And the other four? You planning on sharing, Mills?”

“If you behave.”

He snorted at her response. David read the labels. “I’m guessing this one is for Nick.”

She looked up. “Yes. Everyone likes vanilla, right?”

“I guess.” They packed the rest of the groceries away in silence. David closed the cupboard after the last item.

“David?”

He gave her a look that told her not to worry about him. “I just… Every five minutes I keep thinking I rushed into this. That I didn’t consider them enough, or Henry, or even you.” He stepped closer. “Are you sure you’re okay with this? I know you’re having second thoughts but is it the regular overthinking you do or… should we find someone else to take care of them?”

Regina swallowed. Guilt ate at her stomach. The guilt turned to nausea. It was the same cycle since she pricked her finger on that damn shard of glass.

“I think you did rush into this,” she admitted. He sagged. She shook her head and placed her fingers over his mouth before he could even think of uttering an apology. “But,” she continued with a pointed look, “we’re here now and so are they. We’re doing this.” He still looked guilty. She moved her fingers under his chin and kissed his cheek. “Okay?”

“Okay,” he breathed. He touched her wrist. “For the record though, it’s just until we find a home to take both of them.”

She did not believe that for one second but nodded to appease him.

Guilt. Nausea. God, she was getting sick of this. Screw her cursed self for developing a conscience. It was debilitating to constantly think of people before doing things. Had that been the extent of her new morality, Regina might have been able to survive, but it was not. Her guilt extended to things she had no control over – like all those years under the curse.

She had been cursed too, but the guilt paid that no mind. Every photo, every joke, every story, every memory of their life before she regained her memories made her feel like she was the worst person alive. She had been cursed and yet felt as if this entire mess, her entire life with David and Henry, was somehow a wrongdoing on her part. And now with Hansel and Gretel at her dining room table, she could barely stomach the meal on her plate over the guilt in her throat.

Hansel- the boy- Nicholas, she snapped at herself. He was called Nicholas here. Nicholas reached for something on the table and took a bite. His expression was the same as when he bit into that cupcake in the Enchanted Forest.

She closed her eyes, but memories played out behind them regardless, memories of staring through her looking glass into the blind witch’s house and not lifting a finger to help them until they acquired the satchel. Memories of children’s screams and the snapping of little bones. Regina recalled how she had just sat there and watched them die with a disappointed sigh. God, how many had she sent inside?

She reached for her glass. Her hands shook. She avoided David's eyes and gulped down some water, hoping it would help. It did not. Not when she opened her eyes to the sight of three children, two eagerly discussing the plot of some comic book. She took a man prisoner and sent his children to the Infinite Forest.

Regina dug her nails into her thighs and breathed through the memory. Why did she do such awful things? How did she allow herself to reach that level of insanity? To get to the point where she sent almost a dozen children to their deaths and then trapped the only two who escaped in a forest maze just because they rejected her.

She looked at them, at Ava and Nicholas, at Henry. They shouldn’t be here. Any of them. Not with her.

Isn’t this what you wanted? Your happiness regardless of anyone else.

No. She tried to send the thought away.

“Since when do I care about anyone else’s happiness but mine?”

Her nails dug deeper. I should not be the one taking care of them, Regina thought, trying to swallow down her alarm as she looked at them.

You had to curse an entire realm to play house, Regina.

She was going to be sick. Regina nearly knocked her glass over as she rushed from the table into the nearest bathroom. She was sick. Once it was out of her, she dropped fully to the floor and just laid her head against the tiled wall. Her throat burned as if she had just swallowed acid.

David knocked gently on the door. “Regina?”

She looked up. The guilt spiked when she saw the concern in his eyes. She leaned forward and threw up again. He was behind her now, pulling her hair up and out of her face. Too late. Some stuck to her cheek.

“I’m fine,” she breathed, trying to push him away. “Go away, I’m fine.”

“The toilet bowl says otherwise.”

“I’m fi…” He rubbed her back. Regina gripped the edge of the toilet bowl and threw up again.

“You good?” David asked. She gave a short nod. He reached over her and flushed the toilet. Seeing it all swirling around made her sick again. He rushed forward and held her hair up. “Oh, Reg.” He rubbed her back.

Her chest and throat hurt. She tried to speak and gagged instead. This went on for quite some time and when her stomach was finally empty and body exhausted, she sagged to the floor and just laid there. David tried to get her to sit up, but she swatted his hands away. She was too exhausted to tell him to piss off. Her throat hurt too much to even try.

“Is this food poisoning or something?”

“No,” she groaned. Her voice was rough. If it was food poisoning, they’d have been sick too.

“So, just morning sickness?” He closed the toilet lid and then flushed it. “It’s not very well named, is it?”

Regina watched from the floor as he washed his hands and rung out a washcloth. He moved to wipe her face. Regina grabbed the cloth from him and did it herself. He sighed and gave her a look that read, “You’re being unnecessarily difficult right now.”

“I’m your husband, you can let me help you, you know. The world won’t implode, Regina.”

She tensed. It might. “I’m fine.”

“So you keep saying.” He offered her his hands and helped her up to sit on the toilet. “That was brutal. Are you sure that you’re okay?”

“I’m fine.”

David rolled his eyes and crouched in front of her. He touched her stomach. “Bud, there’s a term I think you should learn before you put your mother through such torture again. Peaceful protesting.”

She laughed despite herself. “What on earth could he possibly be protesting against?”

“Not getting ice-cream for dinner,” he replied immediately. She scoffed. He grinned at her reaction. “He’s gonna have a sweet tooth, I’m telling you. Most of your cravings have been for sugary things, right?” She conceded with a nod. “It’s a miracle you haven’t developed gestational diabetes yet.”

“Well, don’t jinx me.”

He laughed and shook his head. “I still can’t believe that’s a thing.”

She felt the wet hair stick to her neck and felt all sorts of gross. “I think I need a shower.”

He rubbed her arms. “Let me help you upstairs. You look like you’re gonna pass out.”

“I’m-”

“Going to carry you out of here if you say the words ‘I’m fine’ again without actually meaning it.” He gave her a look. “Come on.”

Begrudgingly, she took his arm and let him guide her out of the bathroom. She couldn’t really walk without holding onto him. They took the other stairs to the second floor, away from the dining room, away from the three children she should under no circumstances be allowed anywhere near.

“I think I can take it from here,” she said, pulling out of his hold when they got to their bedroom.

He let her go and held his arms out as if she were an infant learning to walk. “At least let me run you a bath.”

“David, I’m-” She yelped when he lifted her. “David!”

“I did warn you.” He pushed the door open with his shoulder and walked to their en suite.

“Put me down. Now.”

He sighed but only did so when they were inside. “I’m right downstairs if you need me.”

“Are you capable of straying so far when there’s so clearly a damsel in distress nearby?”

He pretended to think and looked at her with narrowed eyes. “Isn’t sarcasm the lowest form of wit, Mills?”

“Isn’t there a kitten in a tree in need of rescuing, Nolan?”

“You’re so…” He trailed off with a fond sigh.

She gave him a slight shove to the door. “I think I saw Pongo running around without a leash.”

“You’re not very subtle you know.” He laughed under his breath at the look she gave him. “Okay, I’ll leave you alone now.” He leaned forward and kissed her forehead, lingering for a moment. “Right downstairs,” he reminded.

“Is Mom okay?” Henry asked as soon as he returned to the dining room.

David took a deep breath at the question. “Yeah, she’s fine,” he breathed. The irony of him saying those words without believing them was not lost on him. “Morning sickness.”

Nicholas looked up. “It’s after six.”

“It can happen at any time,” Henry told him, beating David to it. “Mom threatened to curse the person who named it that.”

“Why is it called that if it can happen all the time?” Ava asked, poking the food on her plate.

“Cause ‘anytime sickness’ just doesn’t have the same ring,” Nicholas answered. He and Henry laughed like it was the funniest joke ever made.

David shook his head at them. Boys and their sense of humour. At least Ava was on the same page as him with the joke. He looked at the table. There were only three empty plates. Ava didn’t seem all too interested in food but maybe it was just one of those things that happened during that time of the month. His eyebrows drew together. He remembered the opposite being true for Kathryn though. She used to devour everything in sight and steal his snacks right out of every hiding spot he found for it until he bought that plastic safe and hid his candy in there. Maybe it was different for everyone? Maybe he needed to do some reading on this whole thing. It didn’t sit well with him that he knew so little about it. Especially considering Kat, his twin, went through the exact same thing at the exact same age as Ava and he was right there during that.

“Everyone done?” He got a couple of nods, a yes, a yep and a yeah. “Great. Help me clear the table.”

They all pitched in. It took a few minutes to explain how the dishwasher worked to Ava and Nicholas as their apartment didn’t have one. The two of them helped Henry to rinse the dishes and load the dishwasher.

“David?”

He closed the fridge after he packed the leftovers away and looked at Nicholas. “Yeah?”

“Henry and I were wondering if we could play video games.”

Henry put on his puppy eyes. “I already finished my homework when I was with Mom and Aunt Kathryn so... can we?”

He looked at Henry and Nick and made up his mind. “Lights out at nine.”

They ran off with cheers and smiles. It was good to see Henry smile like that again. Nicholas too. It was a good change from the scared, quiet boy at the station. Ava still wasn’t speaking though. She dried her hands on a dishtowel and left wordlessly.

She’d be okay after a few days, David hoped. He found some crackers in the cupboard and made some tea. Regina had barely eaten anything at dinner and given how much she threw up – he winced at the memory – she needed to get something in before she went to bed. He brought it up to their room and placed the tray on her bedside table next to her book. He eyed the title curiously and lifted the book to make sure his glance was right – Her Handsome Hero. It wasn’t her typical tastes. David shrugged and set it down again.

Chapter Text

“The usual weekday breakfast is off the cards for today.”

David groggily looked up after he filled his mug by the coffee machine. “Huh?”

Regina smiled to herself and waited until he took a few sips. David was like Kathryn in that he too needed coffee before he could think clearly. Strange how they weren’t even really related and yet they shared so many character traits and mannerisms. She watched as he woke up and noticed the exact moment he registered what she had said.

“I think he’s only allergic to the eggs.”

“I think eggs and milk are used in the process of bread-making.”

“Not awake yet,” he grumbled. David dropped his head and took a hearty sip. His blue eyes brightened as he looked around the kitchen. “How about fruit salad?”

“Good idea. He’s only allergic to six different types of fruit.”

He rolled his eyes and went to the fridge. “Four. Apples, blueberries, kiwi and pineapple.” David pulled out strawberries and some cubed watermelon. He plucked an orange and banana from the fruit bowl on the counter. “Think these’ll work?”

Impressed, she raised an eyebrow. “I suppose.” Regina took out three bowls and spoons and set a place setting for each child at the island counter as David cut up the fruit.

She cleared her throat. “I um… I booked a session. With Archie.”

David stopped cutting for a second then went back to it, slower. “Oh?” he asked with forced casualness that soothed Regina. Everything else may feel like it was spiralling out of control, but David was still David.

“Well, you asked me to think about it and…” She was bound to go insane with two lives in her head. Especially when she was constantly assaulted with memories of each atrocity she committed. Memories of killing people with a wave of her hand plagued her if she so much as dared swat away a fly. Memories of enslaving men with curse-coated lips when she kissed her son goodnight. Of ripping hearts out when she touched David's chest. Of sending guards to find his infant daughter whenever she felt their son kick. “…and you were right. It would be beneficial.”

She saw herself standing over Snow White as she cradled David's limp body in her arms. Snow’s smile as she said, “You’re going to lose.” Regina felt the curse surround and envelop her. She shivered. The sound of the knife on the cutting board brought her back to the present.

A present made up of David's tender eyes and that “I’m so proud of your smile” he only ever used on her. His smile for Henry was different, brighter. Whereas hers was filled with softness and admiration and never failed to make her curiously shy. 

Regina ducked her head and moved away from the counter. She could… make tea. Or start on the children’s lunches. Or… something. Lunches it is, she decided. Lunchboxes. They needed lunchboxes. She found Henry’s usual and two extras that either she forgot about or that the curse conveniently conjured up.

“When’s your first session?”

“At nine.”

“Today?”

“Yes.”

“Wait, 9 AM?”

“Yes, David.”

“Oh.”

She glanced at him, confused by his tone.

“No, I just… wasn’t expecting it to be so… sudden. Not that there’s anything wrong with that,” he said quickly. He stopped his panicked rambling at her raised eyebrow. “Do you um… I mean I can drop you off. If you want.”

“It’s sweet of you to offer, but I’d prefer to take my own car today.”

“Okay, okay, yeah that makes sense.”

David and Regina spent the next few minutes making idle conversation while preparing a breakfast of fruit salad and three identical lunchboxes with foods that even Nicholas could eat.

David laughed and lit up when Henry ran forward to greet him. He bear-hugged him, knowing it would only be a few years before he’d be too embarrassed by his dad picking him up from school to even acknowledge him.

“Dad.”

“Hey, bud. How was school?”

He kept an arm around his son’s shoulders as they crossed the street and walked the short distance to Ava and Nick’s school.

“School is school. I sat with Ashleigh and Paul again,” he added, brightening. “We’re thinking of teaming up for our science project.”

“Science project? Is that due anytime soon?”

“Next month. We-”

“Okay, and do you have much homework today?”

“No…” He looked up suspiciously. “Why?”

“I spoke with Emma this morning. She pushed her lunch break back to three so the two of you could talk.”

Henry stopped walking. “But I don’t wanna talk to her.”

David sighed. He really was Regina's son, uncanny ability to hold a grudge and all. “Henry…”

“Dad…” He said, copying his tone.

“You can’t be mad at Emma for something that happened over a decade ago.”

“She lied to me. Heroes don’t lie.”

“Everyone lies, Hen,” he said, sighing again. “You lie, I lie, your mom lies. Hell, even Kathryn and Jim lie.”

“Yeah but… but… That’s different,” he said firmly. “I’m a kid. She’s… I know you don’t believe in the curse, but she’s the Saviour. The rules are different for her, for heroes.”

“With all the rules for heroes, it seemed like it’d be easier to just be called a villain and do what you want regardless of what anyone else would label you as.”

“Heroes do what’s right not what’s easy.”

David looked at him in surprise. Sometimes Henry would say things like that, things wise beyond his years, and then just continue as if nothing had happened. He nodded along because… yeah, that was right. Being a good person, being a “hero” was about doing the right thing instead of just taking the easy way out.

“Okay, okay, fine. Rules are different for heroes.”

“Thank you,” he said with a little huff.

“But…”

“Ugh,” Henry groaned.

“But curse aside, Emma travelled all the way from Boston in the middle of the night to make sure you were safely brought home. She stayed to get to know you just because you asked her to. Don’t you think you at least… owe her a chance to hear her out? And think about it before you just say no.”

His mouth snapped shut.

David continued. “Bud, I get why you’re angry with her, but it’s been weeks. You can’t just avoid her forever.”

Ava and Nick walked out of school just as David and Henry approached it. Hellos and “how was school?” talk carried them from the school to the station where David turned the interrogation room into a homework zone. At some point Nick asked Henry a question, one David didn’t hear, and Henry answered with, “Oh, I can’t. I’m meeting my birth mom at three.” And by three David was outside the pet shelter, sitting with Henry in the cruiser.

“Home by five. Sharp. Or if you don’t want to stay longer, ask Emma to call me and I’ll pick you right up. Got it?”

Henry nodded. “Got it.”

“So…” Emma began unsurely. She looked at Henry. They were walking around the park. “How have you been?”

He stopped by the bench they were approaching and gave her a pointed look. The effect of it was lessened by the cone in his hand. She decided a trip to the ice-cream store would be an ideal icebreaker. Running into Ingrid had been anything but. Henry pleaded for three scoops of chocolate ice-cream and Emma had caved and given in on the condition that he wouldn't tell his parents. He'd just rolled his eyes and said, “Duh.”

He sat down. Emma did the same.

“Are we gonna talk about it?” He asked after a few moments.

Emma sighed and picked at the lint on her jeans. “Yeah. I guess.” Then she looked at him. “I was very young,” she began. She couldn't tell him the full story, so she settled for the basics and kept his father out of it. She prayed Henry wouldn't ask about him. “I had just run away from my previous foster home. I had very little money, no real job. I could barely afford food, let alone a place to stay. The only thing I really had was my bug. I... I stole some watches,” she said carefully. “Got caught, arrested and went to jail.”

“Where you had me?”

Emma nodded. “Yeah. Where I had you. I found out I was pregnant a couple weeks after I was arrested.”

“So that’s why you gave me up? Because you couldn’t keep me. Not because you wanted to give me my best chance, but because you had to.”

“I was eighteen, Henry. No, actually, I turned eighteen about a month before I had you. I was young and scared and… I couldn't even take care of myself.” Emma took a shaky breath. “I gave you up because you deserved better. I couldn't give you the life you deserved then. I still can't now. I did give you up so that you could have your best chance.”

“You could have kept me, Emma. You should have at least tried. You're my mom.”

“No, Henry, I'm not. I don’t know the first thing about being a parent. I would have loved to have been that person for you, kid, but I’m not. I’m not your mom, I gave birth to you. There's a big difference.” She looked away from his big hazel eyes. “Regina and David are your parents. They raised you.”

He sat quietly and thought.

Emma worried she’d messed up again somehow with his silence.

“I think Mom is cursed too,” he said after a while.

“What?”

He nodded solemnly. “It’s the only thing that makes sense. She… I used to think that she couldn’t care about anything but herself and her curse, but that’s not true. She… My mom cares about me, and Dad and- a-and the baby. She loves us. I didn’t really want to accept that until I got stuck in the mines and thought I’d never see her again.” He sniffled. “I should probably tell her that.”

She ached looking at him. It was heartbreaking to watch him struggle to make sense of his world. She thought therapy had been helping with the whole curse thing, but clearly that wasn’t the case. At least he’d stopped thinking of his mother as a fairy-tale villain.

“Henry, why do you believe in the Curse?”

He looked at her strangely then just shrugged. His eyebrows went together. She’d seen that look enough so far to know it meant he was thinking. She waited.

“This can't be all there is,” he said simply. “If the Curse isn’t real then that means that… I am crazy. And I… I don’t want to be crazy. I don’t want this to be all there is to life because if it is then… then… then that sucks!”

Her eyes widened at his outburst. She didn’t realise he was so self-aware.

“I don’t… want the curse to be real either,” he admitted. “If it is then my mom is a mass-murdering psycho and vain enough to curse an entire kingdom because she thought Snow White was prettier than her and my dad is actually… your dad. I don’t want the curse to be real any more than I want to be crazy, Emma.”

She looked at him quietly. “It must…” She trailed off, unsure of how he would take it, but decided to finish her thought aloud. “It must be a mess inside that head of yours, kid.”

“Archie is too nice to say it, but I think he thinks that too sometimes.”

“No, I meant… It must be horrible to only have those two options. Either none of this is real-”

“Or all of it is,” he finished softly. “But those are the only two options. I don’t know which one is worse.”

“The first one.”

He frowned at her. Her lips pressed together in a thin line. She thought of Ingrid. Emma remembered how she grabbed her arm and dragged her into the middle of the road all those years ago. “Make the car stop, Emma.” She struggled to get out of her hold, but her fingers were like sharp claws on her wrist. “Use your magic. Make the car stop.”

Emma gulped down the feelings that memory evoked. That memory haunted her. Fear, betrayal, hurt, anger, disappointment and worse of all the part of her that was somehow unsurprised by it all. The part of her that knew to question things whenever she had a shot of getting something good. The part of her that was too broken to hope for anything better.

It was a part Henry didn’t have. One he wouldn’t ever have. If this curse was all he had to give him hope, to help him get through this then she would protect it. She would hold it as close to her heart as she was learning to hold him there.

“It would be worse if none of it was real.” She looked him firmly in the eye. “I’m sorry for lying to you. I'm sorry you had to find out about where you were born like this. I'm sorry you had to find out the Saviour isn't all that great.”

Henry bit his lip. “If you think about it…” He gave her a hopeful smile. “With Ava and Nick, the way Mom explained it… sometimes there aren’t other options. Sometimes you have to do whatever it takes to survive. I mean that’s why you took the watches, right? You had no other options.”

Oh kid… She really couldn’t tell him the full version, but this one wasn’t true. “Right,” she lied.

He nodded resolutely. “Then maybe it wasn’t so much of a bad thing but more of a necessary thing.”

“Your mom really told you that?” Emma asked, puzzled. She couldn’t imagine the smug Mrs Holier-Than-Thou explaining the concept of greyness in morality to Henry.

“Yeah.” He looked at her almost shyly. “I dunno it… I think it makes you cooler and you're still you. You're still a hero. You're still gonna break the Curse.”

Emma smiled sadly at that. “Yeah, kid,” she sighed. “I'm gonna break your curse.” Uncomfortable with tender moments, she cleared her throat and looked away. Oh. Right. The peace offering. She felt around in her sling bag. “Oh, hey. I brought you something.” She pulled out walkie-talkies.

He grabbed one excitedly. “Awesome! Where’d you get these?”

She smiled at his excitement. “From the station. Graham said we could have them. It was just sitting there gathering dust anyway.”

“There’s three,” he said, looking at her curiously.

“Yeah. You, me and Jim. I thought we could use them for Operation Cobra.”

What surprised Emma most about these last few weeks was that she missed hanging out with the both of them. She missed Operation Cobra meetings.

“We have so much work to do,” he said, grinning at her.

Emma ruffled his hair and laughed. “Oh, by the way who’s Ava and Nick? New friends?”

His eyes widened comically. “I didn’t tell you about Ava and Nick! They’re staying with us.”

“What?”

“Yeah! How did I not tell you about this? Okay, so I met them at the bookfair in Alder Park and…”

After dropping Henry off with Emma and then the Zimmers at Regina's office, David had had to run around for hours after false calls of burning houses, shoplifters, and dumb teenagers who vandalized private buildings. Graham stopped answering his radio sometime after five which only added to David's worry. And every time he headed back to the station to check on him, some other “crisis” would spring forward.

It was only after seven that David had finally made it back to the station. Emma’s bug was in the parking lot, but he hadn’t noticed it until after he bumped into her in the hallway.

“Oh, sorry.” He bent to pick up her car keys and handed it to her.

He recalled her bug at the same moment he noticed a reddening mark on her collarbone. She took the keys with a laughed, “Thanks,” and left.

David stared after her a moment. He walked into the station. Graham was organizing the papers on his desk.

“Catching up on some filing work there?”

“Knocked into the desk,” he said with a self-deprecating shrug and gestured to the floor and a couple of knocked-over folders.

Sure. Sure. God, what was up with this man and desks? David pretended to buy the excuse. He whistled at the mess. “Well, good luck with that.” He tossed him the keys to the cruiser. Graham caught it easily. “Seeing as you have the night shift as well.”

“I-”

“See you in the morning, boss.”

David found himself walking in the direction of The Rabbit Hole. He’d missed dinner anyway. Might as well have a drink or two before he headed back to the house that now was home to not one, not two but three kids. In just over a month, it would be three kids and a newborn. God, he really hadn’t thought this thing through. Things had just started to settle with Henry and Regina and… to add two more kids and a baby… He had a feeling that things were going to be very chaotic for a very long time.

The thought of Regina usually eased him through these types of overwhelming moments, but Regina was pulling away. Things were fine when they were with Henry or in her office or talking on the phone, but when they were alone… It was like he could feel her building a wall around herself, distancing herself from him. The sudden awkwardness and tension reminded him of that awful period they went through a few years back. He’d truly hate a repeat of that. He’d hate if taking in two more kids would be the stone that sets it into motion. He just wanted things to be okay again. He wanted to be able to come home, help his son with homework, or kiss him goodnight if he had the late shift, to hug his wife and not have her tense in his arms, to not have to force himself to one side of the bed when he was so used to holding her in his sleep or at the very least their arms touching. He missed her. He felt like things were slowly falling apart in front of him and he had no clue how to fix it.

“Can I get a glass of brandy? Neat.”

He knew that voice. David looked to his left; two barstools down sat, “Ms Blanchard?” David asked, looking at her curiously.  

“Deputy Nolan,” she acknowledged with a nod. “Just my luck,” she said under her breath.

She was honestly the last person he expected to see in a bar at seven on a Monday evening. “Bad day?” He asked as the bartender set a glass in front of her.

Her hands were shaking as she reached for it. “Bad date.” She gave him a tight smile and gulped down the brandy.

He looked at her hands worriedly. “Wanna… talk about it?”

“No, thanks.” She ordered another glass, glanced at him, and moved two seats closer. “Okay, it’s just… why would you agree to go out with someone if… you’re… not… interested in them and if you plan on being glaringly obvious about it?” She looked at him like she was actually expecting an answer.

David said the only thing he could think of. “He sounds like a jerk.”

“He was.” The bartender placed her second glass in front of her. “Thank you.” She put both hands around it and just held it. She looked around sort of self-consciously. “I don’t usually come here. I would have just gone home but my roommate found and finished my emergency bottle of brandy.”

David laughed under his breath. “Gotta say, I never really pegged you for the brandy type.”

“It was my dad’s drink.” She looked at the glass in her hands. “I don’t usually… drink. And when I do it’s not more than one glass.”

“Yeah, me neither.”

He looked at the empty beer bottle in front of him. He didn’t usually drink either. Too many memories of dear old dad. He signalled for another one and when it was placed on the counter, he lifted it to her. She lifted her glass and clinked it against his.

“To second drinks.”

“To second drinks,” she echoed. She took a sip. “So… Deputy, what brings you by? I’m assuming it wasn’t something as trivial as a bad date.”

He laughed through his nose as he took another sip. “Just… overwhelmed I guess. We uh, Regina and I, we took in two kids last week and-”

“Wow.”

He laughed. “Yeah.”

“Oh, sorry. I didn’t mean…”

“No, it’s okay. It feels a little weird to say out loud.”

She made a sympathetic sound. “I can only imagine. It sounds like a,” she thought for a moment, “a really sudden and big change. Three… wow.”

“And one on the way.”

“And one on the way,” she repeated.

He groaned and took another sip. He really made this decision too quickly.

“That’s… David, that’s…” Mary-Margaret trailed off and looked at him with a smile that was just so optimistic and hopeful that David had to take another sip. “How do you feel about that? Aside from the obvious overwhelmingness of it all.”

“I don’t think that’s a word.”

“Of course, ‘overwhelmingness’ is a word. Never argue with a teacher about what is or isn’t a word. Especially one who’s been a judge for the Spelling Bee for three years in a row.”

David laughed politely at the odd joke. “I don’t know,” he realised, answering her previous question. “I really, truly don’t know and… I… I’m worried about my wife.” It felt strange to speak of her this way, to speak of their marriage to someone who was essentially a stranger. He sighed and rubbed a hand over his face. “I just… I don’t know it… it sort of feels like there’s this wall between us that wasn’t there before. I don’t know if it’s something I did that causing her to pull away or if she’s still dealing with Henry running off or the mines debacle or what happened with the baby-”

“What happened with the baby?” Mary-Margaret asked worriedly.

David told her everything that had happened since Henry ran away to Boston and brought home his birthmother. He told her about the hospital, about Henry, about the mines, the effect the storybook had on their home life and… how over the last few weeks there has been a definite unbreachable distance between them. He spoke about Ava and Nick and how it wasn’t really them he was overwhelmed with but rather his own anxiety about what having them in their lives would be like. She listened understandingly.

“Totally less trivial than a bad date,” she surmised.

He laughed at that description. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to just dump all that on you.”

“I was the one who asked. Besides, what are bars for if not drunkenly bonding over life problems?”

“I guess.”

The bartender came over with two glasses of brandy. David traded in his second beer bottle for a glass. They clinked their glasses together.

“To third drinks.”

“To fourth drinks,” he said at the same time, falling into tipsy giggles at the same time she did.

Chapter Text

It struck Regina as unfair to some extent for Ava and Nicholas to have to share one bedroom when they each could have their own. So, that evening after dinner she showed them to new bedrooms on the first floor.

Nicholas’ new room had been empty and unused for far too long. It was plain and unwelcoming to a child, anonymous. Henry would have called it boring, but Nicholas looked at it like it was a palace.

“Awesome,” he declared. He walked into the room and looked around. It was the same size as Henry’s, but without any furniture it looked much bigger – as rooms often do.

“I'm glad you think so, Nicholas.” Regina laughed slightly. “We can either get new furniture for the bedroom or we can fetch your bed from your apartment.”

“New furniture,” he said immediately.

Ava frowned. “Our things are fine.”

“Regina offered.”

“Yeah but…”

“I don’t mind,” she soothed. Ava looked at her. The guilt spiked. As did the nausea. She hoped caring for them to the best of her ability might lessen it, but that theory had yet to prove effective. “I don’t know how long you’ll be here but as long as you are, I want you to feel welcome and comfortable. I want you to feel at home. Or as close to that as possible.”

She looked at Nicholas, at this boy the same age as her son, this boy that she sent into an infinite forest, and for a single unwavering moment, Regina wanted to die.

He beamed at her. “Then I vote new furniture. Seeing as we’ll be having our own rooms, we won’t need the bunkbeds anymore. Unless you wanna keep them in your room, Ava?”

Ava considered it. She relented by shaking her head.

Henry, speaking up for the first time, asked, “What if you decide to have a sleepover?”

“A sleepover?”

He nodded and walked into the room. The two of them spoke about room configurations and which set-up would work best were they to keep the bunkbeds. Regina's eyes drifted to Ava, who had stepped back and retreated into herself.

“Would you like to see yours now?”

Ava shrugged.

Henry and Nicholas barely paid them any mind, instead continuing their conversation around decorating the entire room to look like the Cerebro room from the X-Men movies.

“But it’s just a giant empty room with a telepathy helmet in the centre,” Henry said.

“Use your imagination,” said Nicholas. “Light blue paint with a grid pattern for the walls, maybe a giant world map in white on that wall and…”

Regina led Ava to a room a little ways past Nicholas’. The door was painted black and had a gleaming gold doorknob. Regina gestured for her to open it. Ava looked sceptical, like she was waiting for the catch, and turned the knob warily. Regina waited at the threshold of the room and watched Ava enter and discover both the small walk-in closet and en suite.

“It’s bigger than Nicholas’.”

“Well, you are older than him. Being born first should come with some perks, right?”

She walked around the room slowly, wordlessly, and came to a stop in the centre. “I guess… Is this really all for me?”

Regina gestured to the large window overlooking the garden instead of answering. “I know you like reading, and I thought this would make an ideal reading nook. We could get Marco to make a window seat. Maybe some bookcases or shelves too.”

Ava looked at the window then glanced at the walls, settled on the one across the window and nodded to herself. Regina watched as Ava imagined it. She turned and looked around and made little humming noises to herself.

“What do you think?” Regina asked after a few minutes.

Ava looked at her and in the blink of an eye, all her enthusiasm vanished. The words visibly died on her tongue. “You don’t have to do all this, Regina. We’re fine sharing.”

“I really don’t mind,” she said again. “I want you to be comfortable while you’re here.”

“Yeah but…” She twisted her fingers together. “We’re not staying here for long anyway. I-I mean… this is only temporary, right? We’re only here until you find a group home to take us both or people willing to foster both of us. It’s only temporary so there’s no need to decorate or build bookcases or get new furniture or… anything. It’s only temporary.”

Gretel hadn’t wanted to live with her either and she’d offered up an entire castle back then. Why would a small (by Enchanted Forest standards) bedroom change her mind? Regina's throat tightened and she felt tears spring to her eyes. Stupid hormones. The shift of Ava’s arms over her chest made Regina rethink the hasty exit to her office she planned to take after conceding to Ava’s point. She knew that stance. She hadn’t been lying in the Enchanted Forest when she said that Ava reminded her of herself at that age.

Regina knew that stance. She used to fold her arms over her chest like that when Daddy made promises of leaving Mother or came up with plans on how they could escape to a faraway land where Mother’s magic couldn’t reach them. It was a stance she took to shield herself against the hope of something better, something more, against cruel daydreams about a happier life. After her wedding day, she was often glad the mirror broke after she sent Cora through it. She couldn’t have imagined having to look into it day after day and relive what she had done. Now decades later, she took into her home and life two children who, to a large extent, made her feel as though she was looking through that same mirror, constantly reliving her worst moments. With Ava it was like a funhouse mirror – the reflection distorted and not completely correct, paler skin, lighter hair and green eyes but that same quiet rage and fragile hearted hope. Similar mannerisms too, as David had bemusedly pointed out when he entered the living room and found her and Ava sitting in exactly the same position while reading, one leg tucked under them, the other dangling from the couch, leaning down and staring into the book on their laps, biting on their thumbnails.

“If it wasn’t temporary,” Regina heard herself say, “would you accept the bedroom?”

Ava slowly turned and looked at her. Her fingers subtly pinched her still-crossed arms. Her eyes turned glassy, mouth pinched furiously, and she nodded once.

“Alright then. I need to make some calls.” She turned to leave.

“Regina!”

She turned back. Ava’s arms had fallen and pink dust settled over her cheeks.

“Thank you,” she said quietly.

Her own face felt hot now as well. Regina cleared her throat but even that could not prevent the raspiness in her voice. “You don’t need to thank me, Ava.”

By the time Henry and Nicholas made it to what was supposed to be Ava’s room and observed loudly that it was bigger than both of theirs, Regina was hidden safely in her office. The foster parent forms she asked Kathryn for earlier that week were on her desk. The bottom right corner of Nicholas’ form was tear-stained, her and David’s signatures smudged.

“Mom?”

“Henry.”

He left the door open behind himself. “Ava said you were in here.”

“Was there something you needed, sweetheart?”

“Um… do you know when Dad’s coming home? Nick and I need his help with something.”

No. She did not. Nor did she wish to. The less time she spent around David the less their inevitable separation would hurt. “I’m not sure. Is it something I can help with instead?”

“Not likely. We need his help convincing you to let us play videogames until bedtime.”

She laughed and shook her head slightly. “Nicholas,” she called, knowing he was right outside and probably listening in.

He peaked inside. “Regina?”

She waved him in. Henry and Nicholas stood side by side in front of her desk.

“Can we Mom?”

Nicholas put out his bottom lip. “Pwease.”

She looked between the two of them and tried not to smile too broadly at their antics. “What about your homework?”

“I finished it before dinner.”

Nicholas nodded quickly. “What he said.”

“Go on then.”

“Yes! Thanks Mom!”

“Thanks Regina!”

They ran out her office. Before the door closed again, she heard Henry say to Nicholas, “Next step: later bedtimes.”

She laughed again. Her heart filled with love for her son and fondness grew from each corner for Nicholas.

Henry lay in his bed thinking. Mom only let them stay up till eight-thirty. Where was Dad? He let them stay up till nine. He and Nick had a new mission: later bedtimes. He figured out a whole curse on his own. Henry thought he deserved a later bedtime. Nick was really excited about his new room. He was going to make it X-men-themed. Maybe Henry could redecorate his too. He looked around and thought of packing up all his model aeroplanes that Dad helped him put together, taking down his drawings and toys and books and… it made him sad. No. His bedroom was just fine the way it was thank you very much.

His door opened quietly. “I’m just checking in,” Mom said in a soothing voice. “Did you brush your teeth?”

He nodded.

She smiled tiredly. “Goodnight, Henry.”

“Mom?”

“Yeah?”

She stayed in the doorway, her hand on the doorknob as he tried to figure out what he wanted to say.

“I um… uh… Thank you for letting me and Nick play videogames tonight.”

Mom looked at him for a few seconds. “Mind if I tuck you in?”

“Well…” He pretended to think and pulled a face. “I am almost ten but okay.” Twelve more days and then he would be ten! Maybe he could convince his parents to do that whole twelve days of Christmas thing for his birthday too?

Mom laughed softly and walked toward him. “Are you too old for a bedtime story too?”

“Definitely too old for that, Mom,” he said as he lied down.

“No? I could read you some Dr Suess?”

“Mom.”

“What? You used to love The Cat in the Hat.”

“Uh no I hated The Cat in the Hat. That cat wrecked their whole house and they just let it happen. The fish was the only sensible character in the whole book. The Sneetches was my favourite. I made you read it like every night.”

Mom smiled like she just caught him out.

“Mom,” Henry groaned, covering his eyes for a moment. He couldn’t believe he fell for that.

“I see you still have very strong opinions about it,” she said, trying to hold in her laugh.

“Not funny.”

When he looked at her again, her face was different, she was still smiling but it looked sort of… sadder? In a way. She wiped some hair from his face and sighed wistfully. He didn’t understand the look on her face.

“Just… Don’t grow up too quickly. Take your time.”

“Err… that’s not something I can really control, you know.”

He still couldn’t understand that look. He knew her scheming face, her lying face, her let’s-prank-Dad face and her go-along-with-everything-I-say-and-you’ll-get-a-treat face which he picked up really quickly (so quickly he didn’t even remember learning it like he learned and labelled the others) but he didn’t know what that face meant. She kissed his forehead and tucked him in like she used to do when he was little. Well, littler.

“Sweet dreams, my little prince. I love you.”

Henry felt his eyelids get heavier as he watched her leave the room. “Night Mom. Love you too.”

Chapter Text

Today was the best day out of the whole year. Okay, no wait, there was Christmas. Mom never let him have cookies for breakfast on Christmas though. Not even gingerbread men. But they always had eggnog and gingerbread men after breakfast, and Christmas had wayyyy more presents. It was a close call, but - NO WAY!! There was cookies and cupcakes on the table in the dining room. If Henry didn’t know any better, he would think this was a table in the Blind Witch’s house with all the desserts on the table. Yeah, no Christmas would take a backseat this year because his tenth birthday was shaping up to be pretty awesome.

He snuck back out of the dining room, narrowly avoiding getting caught by Dad when he went past the kitchen. Luckily Dad was blind as a bat before coffee and didn’t notice him at all. He breathed a sigh of relief when he made it back to his bedroom. Mom liked to wake him up on his birthdays and smother him with an uncountable amount of kisses before he was fully awake but for the last two years Henry woke up early, snuck downstairs to check out his presents and possibly steal a cookie or two without his parents noticing. It was silly, he knew, but the cookies were amazing. When he was eight, there were these star-shaped cookies with golden tinsel icing. He held the prettiest one in his hand and made a wish for a baby sister before taking a huge bite and fleeing back up to the safety of his bedroom before he could be caught.

He wanted to be a big brother, but he always imagined he would have a little sister. He imagined teddy bears, tea parties, cardboard crowns, paper mâché swords and fighting imaginary dragons. He imagined them playing video games and teaching her to ride a bike the same way aunt Kathryn taught him (because neither Mom nor Dad ever learned) or scaring off kids that were mean to her. He always pictured a little sister. He wasn’t upset about having a brother – or no, he was in the beginning but that wasn’t because it was a boy. It was… all his mixed-up feelings about the curse and Mom and Dad that made him dislike his brother. It took him so long to even think of the baby as his brother that Henry felt guilty about it. He always wanted to be a big brother, and he was going to be the best one ever when the baby was born. He promised it to his glow-in-the-dark-stars as he climbed back into bed – it wasn’t a wish, but Henry hoped it would come true nonetheless. He would be the best big brother ever. He just hoped they didn’t actually name the baby after Dad.

He’d been staring at the glow-in-the-dark stars on his ceiling for a few minutes when a gentle knock came from the other side of his door.

“Mom?” He asked, sitting up.

The door opened and Dad peaked his head inside. Henry lit up at the sight of his infectious smile. “Dad!”

“Hey, birthday boy.” Dad kept his hands behind his back and turned slightly when Henry tried to look behind him to see what he was hiding. “No peaking.” Dad gripped him in a tight one-arm hug. “Happy birthday, son.” He smiled against his shoulder. “Do you feel any taller?”

“Huh?”

“Come on, you know your Mom’s gonna wanna add a line to the wall.”

Henry groaned. Mom had a super embarrassing habit of making him stand and measure his height against that wall leading to the dining room. She started it when he learned to walk and could manage to stand by himself. She always got teary-eyed and overly affectionate when she took his height, reminding him of just how small he used to be, using the wall as proof. Henry thought he was too grown up for that this year. He was ten! Double digits. That had to mean something, right?

“Where is Mom?”

“In the kitchen,” Dad answered. “I wanted to give you my gift first.” Dad took a small box wrapped in multi-coloured wrapping paper with the words “Happy Birthday” repeated over and over in blue, green and orange.

Henry took the box excitedly. He carefully untied the orange bow and ribbon before tearing off the wrapping paper. “Woah! A camera? Awesome!” He gently lifted it out. His eyes caught on the lettering on the red strap. It had his name on it. He looked up at Dad, beaming, and hugged him again. “Thank you, Dad.”

Dad squeezed him and breathed deeply before he let go and sat at the foot of his bed.

Henry examined the camera eagerly. “This is so cool.” He turned it on and looked through the lens.

“I’m glad you like it.” Dad smiled. “You know your mom and I have this tradition of sorts on the eve of your birthday. We look through those photo albums in the living room and reminisce about how cute you used to be.”

“Hey! I’m still cute.”

Dad ruffled his hair. “We talk about how much you’ve grown in the last year and what we think you’ll be when you grow up even though that’s years away. I just want you to know that I’m extremely proud of the bright, caring and thoughtful person you’re becoming, Henry,” he said. “I’m really proud to be your dad, and I love you so much, kiddo.”

“I love you too,” he said at once. “Isn’t it Mom who always gives a sappy speech that makes us all cry?”

Dad breathed a laugh, blinking until his eyes weren’t glassy anymore. “You’ll get one from her too,” he promised. “Henry, I know things have been…” He inhaled deeply then blew out a raspberry. “Eventful,” was the word he settled on. “And that it may feel like things are moving really fast right now or as if things are changing too quickly to make sense of but… Last night, sitting with your mom and looking through those pictures of our family, watching you grow with every turn of the page… It was a really special moment. I want you to be able to create that for yourself.” Dad tapped the camera. “I want you to fill your camera with good moments, with things you want to remember, things that make you feel happy and loved. Or just pictures of really cool rocks and bugs.”

Henry looked at the camera in his hands. It suddenly felt like much more than a camera in the same way his book sometimes felt like so much more than just a book. He couldn’t communicate the feeling that bloomed in his chest. He didn’t have the words yet. Instead, he just hugged his dad again.

Something crashed downstairs.

“I think… Yeah, no I should probably check on your mom,” Dad said, frowning out the doorway in the direction of the crash. “Excuse me, bud.”

“Reg?” David warily entered the kitchen. It looked like a tornado had run across the counters. “What… What happened? What are you looking for? Babe?”

She spun around very slowly. David immediately noted her slightly red nose and watery brown eyes.

“Hey, what’s wrong?”

“Candles,” she said with so much sadness he was caught between empathy and amusement. “We don’t have any candles, David.”

“Yeah, we do,” he said gently. “Over here.” He opened a draw, pulled out the two candles specially bought for today, the palm-size ‘1’ and ‘0’ to make ten. “See.”

Regina looked at the candles, took a deep breath and exhaled, “I hate you,” instead of thanks.

“I love you too.” He came closer and set a hand to her stomach. “Junior, I think you need to take it easy on Mom today.”

“Oh, you think you can just spout a few words and suddenly my hormones will snap back into balance?” She hissed. “Get your hand off me.”

David immediately withdrew his hand and held both up. “Okay, okay.”

“Wait, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean that.”

It always amazed him how quickly she could go from venomous words to a soft tone, how that vocal change reflected in her eyes. She had the most expressive eyes he had ever seen. “I know, and you don’t have to apologize. Part of the whole pregnancy package. It’s fine.” He lowered his hands.

“No, it isn’t,” she said, voice wobbling. “You’re always so nice to me and I’m just awful to you. It’s just… I barely got any sleep last night, every part of my body hurts and it feels like Junior is tangoing across my bladder. That’s not an-”

“Regina,” he interrupted. “One, I am not mad at you.” Her big brown eyes flitted up to him unsurely. “Two, I’m not ‘nice’ to you, I am madly in love with you. Get it right. Three, you’re not awful, you’re amazing and I am incredibly lucky to have you. And finally… you said Junior.”

“I…” She looked irritated at herself. “I’ve been calling him that in my head. Which is completely your fault by the way.”

David felt himself smiling at that. “Was it just the candles you couldn’t find? Do I need to take care of anything else?”

“No. We already set the table and brought the gifts out. I just need to check on Nicky. It takes about three tries before he actually wakes up.”

“And Ava’s probably out cold from staying up too late reading. We shouldn’t have bought her that book lamp.”

“We?” She asked with a raised eyebrow. “I specifically remember telling you that it was a bad idea for this very reason, darling.”

Biting down a smile, he said, “I’ll deal with the sleep deprived demon Ava turns into if you take Nicky? He likes you better anyway.”

She beamed at him. “Works for me.”

Henry huffed impatiently. “Mom, come on.”

“What’s the rush? I thought you were too grown up for this?”

“That’s why I want to get it over with. Come on. Mooom.”

“Stop rushing, I need to find the marker.”

“It’s in your hand.” Henry bounced impatiently on his feet. “Daaaad, talk to Mom.”

Dad was shepherding Ava into the dining-room where the giant blue buttercream frosted cupcake was eagerly waiting for Henry, a big 10 candle on it. Ava was completely absorbed in her novel. She didn’t look like she slept at all last night.

Dad and looked between the two of them. “What’s happening?”

“Your son is impatient.”

Dad raised his eyebrows. “Have you ever noticed how you’re only exclusively mine when you’re annoying her?” He asked Henry.

Mom laughed and pulled the cap from the marker. Henry straightened his spine and pressed his shoulders back. Mom lifted the marker to the top of his head and drew what Henry was sure was going to be the worst freehand line ever. He spun around after she’d finished writing and sure enough there it was, an uneven black squiggly line with the words “10 years old” next to it. The ink faded into blue towards the last word. The marker had probably just dried out. It was perfect. He only looked at it for a moment longer before an idea struck him. Henry pulled the camera off from around his neck and handed it to his father.

“Dad, can you take a picture of me?”

“Sure, bud.”

He put up a double thumbs up and grinned at the flashing camera.

“Wait, one more,” Mom said, producing a birthday day from out of nowhere and placing it on his head.

Henry narrowed his eyes at her and her amused expression. He heard the click of the camera and looked over to see Dad chuckling at the image on the screen.

“I’ll wear the birthday hat, but no singing and no speeches.” He looked at Mom as he said that last part.

To his surprise Mom didn’t argue. She nodded, presented him with her hand and said, “Deal.”

Henry grabbed her hand and shook quickly, not sparing a second to think about her unusual compromise before he raced into the dining-room and sat down next to Ava. Her plate was empty.

“Ahem.”

Ava startled, her green eyes widened dramatically.

“There’s cupcakes,” he said, practically salivating at the thought of them, and inclined his head towards the massive spread before them.

“Oh.” She looked at them without much interest. “Cool.”

Henry deflated, wondering briefly if cupcakes were for babies and if he should be more grown-up like Ava. He quickly decided he’d rather be nine forever than to not be excited about cupcakes. The vanilla buttercream frosted blue velvet cupcake was literally the best thing in the entire universe. It was from Aunt Kathryn’s favourite bakery, Cosmic Cupcakes, which was right next door to Any Given Sundae, the ice-cream shop. The man who ran Cosmic Cupcakes claimed he could predict anyone’s favourite flavour cupcake just by looking at them. Henry didn’t know if that was true, but Ernie suggested blue velvet the first time Aunt Kathryn and Uncle Jim took him there and Henry had loved it ever since. Ernie also made cookies and cakes and basically anything that was a dessert.

“Nicky!” Mom called.

“Coming!” He yelled back from his new room. The soles of his sneakers squeaked on the floor as he ran towards her voice. “I lost the drawstring of my hoodie,” he said, out of breath. “I can’t get it out. Can you help me?”

“Oh my. How did you… Never mind. Give it here. I’ll fix it.”

“Thanks.”

Nick came into the dining-room. His eyes bulged when he saw the table. Henry grinned. That’s the reaction you’re supposed to have when you enter a room full of desserts, he thought with a satisfied nod. Nick eagerly reached for a giant chocolate cupcake with green frosting and just as quickly pulled his hand back, eyes narrowed suspiciously.

“Regina!” He called over his shoulder. “Which ones are safe to eat?”

It’s weird to hear someone your own age call your mom by their name, Henry noted.

“The ones with red frosting.”

He located his cupcake and place setting, and plunked down next to Henry, happily munching on his cupcake.

“What is that even made of?” Henry asked. “You’re allergic to everything that goes into cake.”

Nick considered him, shrugged and with a mouth full of cupcake said, “Guh’go.”

“Nicholas, chew,” Ava said, eyes still on the book in front of her. She’d pushed her plate to the side and set her book down in its place.

He swallowed his bite then stuck his tongue out at Ava. He took another bite and bumped Henry with his shoulder. “Haggie Gurgay,” he mumbled.

“Don’t talk with your mouth full, Nicky,” Mom said as she came into the dining-room, Nick’s hoodie in her arms. “There. All fixed.”

He chewed dutifully before thanking her and taking his hoodie back, then he turned to Henry. “We’re finally the same age,” he said brightly. “Oh, hey, I got you something.”

“You did?”

Nick nodded and reached into one of the pockets of his cargo shorts.

Henry recognised it immediately. “A Gameboy! Awesome.” Henry said with excitement. “Thank you.”

Nick smiled. “You’re welcome.”

Mom looked at Nick curiously. “Dear, where did you get that?”

“I saved up money from mowing Mrs Qu’s lawn and helping her with gardening.”

Mom’s smile was the same as when Henry got a really good score on a spelling test or a higher mark than expected on a math quiz; pleasantly surprised and proud.

Ava shifted next to him. “Ahem,” she said, copying him from earlier. She lifted a second book from her lap and handed it to him. “Happy birthday, Henry.”

He took the worn book gingerly. He quickly flipped through it and saw that some lines had been underlined or highlighted, sometimes entire pages. He opened the book and paused to read the note Ava had inscribed to him on the back of the cover.

Dear Henry,

I read somewhere that when you plan to share your favourite book with someone, you should gift them your copy. That way it’s more personal and there’s something of you left behind within the pages.

Happy birthday.

Love Ava 🤍

P.S. I hope you like this book as much as I do.

That same feeling he had when he held his camera in his hands upstairs overcame him as he looked at the worn yellow paperback book in his hands.

“Thank you so much,” he said to her, surprising both of them by leaning forward and hugging her. Nick attached himself to his back and the three of them hugged. Henry felt safe and warm and happy but also settled and… home(?). Loved. He felt loved.

Click.

Henry opened his eyes and saw Dad, still holding his camera. He took a photo of them. “Dad!” He whined.

“What? That was adorable.” He looked at the screen of the camera. “Let’s do another. Big smiles.”

Henry, Ava and Nick groaned in unison. The camera clicked again.

Dad smiled to himself as he looked at the image on the camera screen. “I’m gonna frame that.”

“Dad…” Henry looked to his mother for help.

“David,” Mom called gently, reaching for his wrist. “I thought the camera was meant for Henry, dear?”

He looked at her for a second, lifted the camera to her and pressed the button without looking through the lens. She narrowed her eyes at the click.

“Why do you insist on being so irritating, dear?”

“Why are you so irritated?” Dad countered, one hand on the back of her chair, leaning down. They were about to kiss.

“Ewww,” Nick and Henry said at the same time. Ava just sighed and reopened her book.

“Mom Dad can you not. Please.”

Dad looked at Mom and smirked. They shared a look. It was their we-suddenly-figured-out-telepathy look. Henry quickly lifted his hands to cover his eyes.

“Gross!” He yelled.

“My eyes, my eyes!” Yelled Nick. “My eyes. Ahhhh!”

“Quick, somebody light my candle, I know what my wish is gonna be,” Henry said, hands still over his eyes.

“Emma!”

Even though she braced herself, his hug still caught her off guard, the force behind it sent her stumbling two steps back, arms tight around him. She laughed and caught him, hugging him just as tight.

“Happy birthday, kid.”

He looked up at her, chin atop her stomach and beamed at her. “I think this is the best birthday ever,” he told her, voice a whisper.

“Yeah?”

“Everything is perfect. Me and mom are talking again. Dad isn’t mad at me. Ava and Nick are the best friends slash almost kinda sorta siblings ever. And you’re here. I finally met you and you believe me, and you stayed, and everything is perfect.” He pressed himself firmer against her and hugged her even tighter. “Thank you for staying, Emma.”

Emma could barely speak, her throat thick with emotion. “Thank you for finding me.”

She held him tightly until he wriggled out of her arms. She wiped at her eyes and walked along the pavement to Any Given Sundae before she dared another glance at his beaming face, scared it would bring her to tears.

“I know we can’t really do much because it’s Monday and you have school and homework and all that cr…” She trailed off at his look, both eyebrows raised, and mouth pursed in a manner so similar to Regina that she could almost hear the woman daring her to finish her sentence. “All that very important stuff,” she said instead. Henry nodded to himself, eyes bright and fully focused on her. “But I figured we could get some ice-cream and maybe head to the arcade for a bit.”

He grinned. “See, today is awesome. You’re coming over Saturday, right? My party. Mom said she would tell you about it. Did she?”

She only hesitated for a second. “Yeah, she did. I uh… I think it might be better if I… you should celebrate it with your family, kiddo.”

“But Ava and Nick are gonna be there and I really want you to meet them,” he said insistently. “Besides you’re my family too.” He ran ahead and held the door of the ice-cream shop open for her. “You’re gonna be there, right?”

If she blinked a couple more times than necessary before she nodded, Emma was thankful that Henry didn’t notice.

“I wanna see Grandpa,” Henry said at dinner that evening. “If that’s okay. I know it’s not Wednesday, but-”

“I’d be happy to take you,” Regina said.

About an hour later, when she was ready to leave, he raced into the foyer and grabbed his coat before his eyes widened and he dropped the coat, announcing that he was going to get his bag. “I wanna show him the book Ava gave me. Based on what you told me about him I think he’ll like it too.”

The car ride started out in a silence so thick Regina didn’t think they would break it. Henry, of course, proved her wrong.

“I’m sorry for being mean to you these last few months. I know nobody believes me about the curse, but I... It is real and y-you… Mom,” he said delicately. “You were the one who casted it.”

Regina forced herself to take a shuddering breath in, let it out in an equally as controlled manner and to continue driving. “Henry,” she said softly. The very act of speaking hurt.

“I know you don’t remember,” he rushed on. “I used to think that you were just lying, but you really don’t remember which means you’re cursed too and-”

“Henry, I know.”

He stilled. She glanced at him through the corner of her eye. All the love and trust she saw in his eyes these last two weeks vanished at what she’d just told him.

“You know?”

She swallowed heavily and nodded.

“About the curse?”

She nodded again.

“You know about the curse?! You knew this whole time! You were lying to-”

“No,” she interjected, panicked. “No. I… I found this… that night after the earthquakes.” She pulled the shard from her pocket and handed it to him. She hadn’t been able to let it out of her sight and kept it on her person most days. She held her hand out for him to see, showing him the mostly healed scar on her index finger. “I cut my finger on it, and it broke the spell. I remember the curse now.”

“So you were cursed too?”

It would be so much easier if that was the truth. “No. I had my memories for the first eighteen years of the curse. Shortly after I adopted you, I took a forgetting potion. It erased my memories of my life before.” She saw Leopold’s hands in her mind’s eye and sharply forced the image away. “It gave me new ones.”

“But… when I first got the book, you didn’t know then?”

“No.”

“You didn’t know,” he said to himself. “Then you were cursed.”

“I… in a way I suppose. Although it was only for your childhood.”

“So… when you… raising me and being married to Dad wasn’t part of some evil plan to make Snow White and Emma suffer?”

“No,” she said immediately. “No, of course not. I adopted you because I wanted to be a mother. I wanted to love someone unconditionally and I… I married… David,” she said his name carefully, “because… because I…” She was loathe to admit this even to herself let alone her son. “I fell in love with him.”

Henry looked like he was trying to make sense of a mathematical problem years ahead of his current academic level. “But, that can’t… Prince Charming’s true love is Snow White. How can he love you if she…” His head snapped to her, eyes fearful. “Please don’t hurt Ms Blanchard.”

“What? Henry, I’m not going to hurt her. Or anyone for that matter. I don’t want to hurt anyone.”

“You cursed everyone.”

Words died in her throat. She couldn’t dispute that. “That was a long time ago. I’m not that person anymore. Living here, being your mother… it changed me. Henry, you changed me. I’m not going to hurt anyone.”

“Ever?”

“Ev… I’m sorry, sweetheart, I can’t promise that. Not as long as I can help it,” she said instead. Her answer seemed to satisfy Henry.

He leaned back in his seat, contemplative. “Why did… You… I- Why are you telling me truth now?”

“For the last few weeks you’ve stopped looking at me like I’m a monster. I don’t want things to go back to how they were. I want to be honest with you. I want you to trust me.” She looked at him anxiously, bracing for the worst answer. “Do you trust me?”

“Yeah,” he said, sounding like he surprised himself at how quickly and honestly he answered. He turned quiet. “Mom? What other potions can you make?”

She blinked in surprise. She glanced over at him, sure she must have misheard him, but Henry was waiting intently for an answer. “Seriously?”

“Uh yeah,” he said in his duh tone.

Thank the gods for curiosity. “Well… I know what I was taught,” she began in her storytelling voice. “And as Queen, I had the most fearsome teacher of them all.”

“Rumpelstiltskin.”

She answered his questions as best she could without lying or scarring him and rather than him seeming fearful, Henry became enraptured with stories of magic and potions and spells.

He asked that inevitable question. “If you used to hate magic, how did you end up using it?”

And so Reginal told him a tale of a naïve young woman desperate enough to learn dark magic to bring her true love back to life and how despite all the years spent training and all the power she acquired, some feats were too great for even the darkest of magic to accomplish. The heavy silence resumed during the last bit of their ride to the cemetery

She parked the car and turned off the engine. “We’re here.”

He looked at the flowers on his lap. “Do you… do you feel bad about…” He shook his head. “Do you miss Grandpa?” He asked quietly.

“Everyday.”

“Do you miss Grandma too?”

Regina would like to say that twenty-eight years was enough to dull the pain of his death by her hand, but it wasn’t. Whenever she thought about it, remembered it… The pain was paralysing. She blinked away the forming tears.

“What?”

“In the book… it said you… you banished her through the mirror on your wedding day.”

“It did?” She scoffed to herself. “What else did it say?”

“About Grandma?”

She winced. It was bad enough luck he got her as a mother, but to have that woman as his grandmother… No. “You don’t have to call her that, Henry.”

“Why not?” He asked, confused.

“Because that’s not who she is to you. Her name was Cora. And to answer your question…” She released a heavy sigh. “It’s… complicated, but yes, I… Some days I’m glad I… pushed her through the mirror.” Hired Captain Hook to kill her. “And other days…”

“Do you… Do you hate gran… Cora?”

Her throat closed. Words refused to form. She couldn’t answer him.

“Oh.” Henry looked sad. “We should see Grandpa,” he said softly.

Regina nodded and stiffly undid her seatbelt. They got out of the car and walked toward their family mausoleum. Before she opened the door to the crypt, Regina looked at Henry.

“I don’t want to lie to you anymore and I don’t want any secrets… any major secrets,” she corrected, “between us from this point forward, so whatever questions you have about the curse, I’ll answer them.”

“Really?”

“Yes. But,” she said quickly, “there is a condition.”

He visibly deflated. “What?”

“We keep this to ourselves-”

“But-”

“It will only be until… until…”

“Emma figures out how to break it,” Henry suggested.

The odds of that woman even believing in a curse were slim to none. Breaking it? Regina had plenty of time. “Until Emma figures out how to break it.”

“Okay,” he said easily.

“I’m serious. You can’t talk to anyone about this. You can’t tell anyone I got my memories back. Not even Dad, okay?”

Henry straightened up and nodded, suddenly very serious. “Okay.” He moved the flowers to one hand and held out his pinky. “Pinky promise.”

Regina smiled and lifted her pinky. “Pinky promise.”

Henry gave a small smile and pushed open the door. He placed the flowers on top of the coffin. “Hey Gramps.”

Regina laughed under her breath. She wondered how her father would react to being called that. She ran her fingers over his name. “Hi Daddy.”

Henry picked up their routine as if they’d never stopped. He spoke aloud to the empty room. He recounted stories of things that happened at school today, described Ava and Nicky’s bedrooms, and relayed that he had tried kale for the first time last weekend.

“It’s not what I imagined it would be like.” He paused. “It’s waayyyyy worse.”

She stayed silent through most of it, occasionally adding something to Henry’s ramblings. She had no idea if her father could hear him. Fairy tales and magic were real. But ghosts? An afterlife? Regina had serious reservations about their existence. But if they were, she knew with absolute certainty that her father would not be interested in a word she had to say.

They were driving home when Henry asked, “Are you gonna help me break the Curse?”

It caught her off guard. “I...” She shook her head. “I don't know, Henry.”

“Oh.” He looked out the window. “Does this mean… I shouldn’t…” He looked up, seemingly to be asking for permission. “I have to try to... break the Curse. It's the right thing to do, Mom.”

She closed her eyes, wishing she'd never seen that shard of glass, and gave him the barest of nods. The Evil Queen allowing her son to break own curse. Some fucking fairy tale.

“Mom?”

Regina winced. “Yes dear?”

“You asked Emma about Saturday, right?”

“I… I’m going to. Tomorrow.” He didn’t look like he believed her. “I promise.” His eyes flicked between both of hers and his eyebrows pitched in frustration. “What’s wrong, honey?”

“I…” He hesitated. “Did you leave Emma’s juvie records in your office for me to find?”

She looked at him sharply. Henry stared back at her with an open, imploring expression that begged her to just tell him the truth.

“Henry, I am so… It was wrong of me. I shouldn’t have- I wish I hadn’t-”

“You should apologize to Emma.”

“What?”

“It hurt her,” he said, elegising the simple unavoidable truth of the matter. “If you want to be a better person you have to say sorry when you hurt people.”

“Henry…”

“That’s what you always tell me. You shouldn’t hurt people but if you do, you have to apologise to them. You have to mean it too.”

A scream of frustration rose in her throat. Why the fuck did her cursed persona, Mayor Mills, have a conscience? And how would one go about getting rid of it?

“I… I’ll apologize to Emma,” she said at last.

Chapter Text

*three weeks later*

Her fingers trailed over his face, tender and light touches from his chin and jaw to his cheek and over his mouth. Sleepily, David kissed her finger. He opened his eyes and instantly smiled at her expression. She looked like she'd just been caught with her hand in the cookie jar.

“Did I wake you?”

“No.”  He felt for her waist and pulled her toward him. “Morning.”

He felt a feather light kiss on his jaw. “Good morning, darling.”

David opened his eyes, the traces of the dream stuck to his eyelids, his skin abuzz with the phantom touch of her fingertips. He sat up in bed. It was quiet and the curtains were drawn. He looked to his left, saw the empty space next to him, and felt disappointment settle in. He wiped a hand over his face.

“You might want to ease up or that Brillo Pad's gonna press charges.”

She jumped. David chuckled as he wrapped his arms around her stomach. “Mornin’ Reg.” He kissed her shoulder. She tensed. He frowned. “And good morning, little one,” he said, looking over her shoulder to the bump.

It was far larger than it had been just two months ago, finally noticeable. He traced his fingers over it and smiled against her cheek. She sucked in a deep breath and placed her hand over his to still it.

“Why are you awake so early? It's only six and Junior was up late last night.”

She dried her hands with the dishtowel on the counter and turned in his arms. She looked at him for a moment.

“Reg?” He said with an uncertain smile.

A smile she didn't return. Instead, she reached behind her and removed his hands. “Couldn't sleep,” she said before she stepped aside from him.

She went to the fridge and reached for a bottle of water. David leaned with his back against the counter, hands in his pockets, and looked at her. He looked at her hoping that some hint of the sudden coldness would make itself known. Things had been so well between them yesterday. He thought… Last night, they’d… They spoke like everything was normal again, cooked together, stood side by side as they did the dishes and planned out what they wanted to do in the nursery, he fell asleep with her in his arms. It was a far more pleasant evening than they’d had in a long time. And now she tensed when he hugged her.

“Can you drive the kids to school today? Something came up at work. I won't be able to for the next few mornings.”

“Sure.”

Her voice was tight. “Thank you.”

She gulped the water down then placed the empty bottle on the counter and sighed heavily, her head low. The longer he looked at her the more concerned he became.   

“Are you okay?” He asked softly.

“I’m fine,” she breathed.  “Just fine.”

He went to her side, placed a hand on her back and began rubbing. If it was nausea, hopefully this would help. “Morning sickness?”

She shook her head fast. “No.” She shrugged him off. “David, I said I’m fine.”

“I know. I’m having difficulty believing you though.” He set his finger under her chin and tilted her face so that their eyes met. There were so many emotions swirling in her eyes that it looked like a dark brandy storm. He caught fear, apprehension, confusion, regret, worry and plenty more things he couldn't put a name to. “Regina...” He said in concern. “Speak to me. What's going on?”

“I...” Her eyes dropped. “Nothing’s going on.”

“I can’t support you if you don’t talk to me,” he said as gently as he could.

She looked like she was going to answer him for a moment then she shook her head, as if dispelling that silly notion, and said, “I’m fine.”

She went back to the sink. She only washed the dishes by hand when there was something bothering her and she needed a distraction. Usually, they spoke about it, but not lately.

His hand fell to his side helplessly. David pushed aside his hurt and tried to be helpful. “Do you want some help?”

Her quick, single-worded answer of, “No,” stopped him in place.

“Oatmeal?” Henry exclaimed as Regina set the bowl down in front of him. “Yuck.” He scrunched up his nose and pushed it back. “Why oatmeal?”

She slid the bowl back in front of him and placed one in front of Ava. “Because it’s what we made for breakfast.”

David nodded and pointed to the printed-out meal plan on the fridge. “We all agreed on this menu three days ago, Hen.”

For the past few Sundays, they had a family meeting to decide on things like chores, food for the week, who would pick the kids up from school, and anything else they needed to be aware of. David examined the fridge – it had sort of become their notice board. Henry and Nick had a spelling test today; Ava had an art project due Friday; and they were supposed to have lunch at Kathryn and Jim's place on Saturday.

Henry groaned and looked up at her with pleading eyes. “I don’t like oats,” he whined. “They’re yucky.”

“Tough.”

Henry’s pout disappeared, replaced with bewildered and offended eyes as he looked at his mother.

Regina tapped the bowl. “You can’t live off cereal, Henry Mills. It’ll rot your teeth.”

“Why are you full-naming me?” He grumbled, putting a hand under his chin. “What about scrambled eggs and toast?”

David laughed into his mug as he sipped his coffee.

Henry looked at him. He pulled out the puppy eyes. “Dad…”

“Nuh-uh.” He shook his head. “Not working. Eat your breakfast.”

He looked at his bowl, sighed heavily, and poked at it with his spoon. He glared at the oats.

“You’re being a baby.” Nick rolled his eyes and ate a large spoonful while looking Henry dead in the eye. “It won’t kill you.”

Henry’s nose scrunched up in distaste. “It might.”

David indicated to Ava’s bowl with his mug. “Not a fan of oatmeal either?”

“What? Oh.” She looked at her bowl. “No, sorry I… I guess I just zoned out for a bit.” She began eating. Really fast. “I’m gonna get dressed for school,” Ava announced thirty seconds later. She hopped down from her chair and left without another word or even a glance at anyone else.

David checked her bowl. Almost half. Okay, better. Regina looked over his shoulder, pursed her lips and followed Ava.

They discovered that Ava had something of an eating disorder shortly after Henry’s birthday. Regina recognised the signs and told her about her childhood, about her overly critical mother who would deprive her of food as punishment. She told Ava how that habit had lasted well into adulthood and that she didn’t want the same for her. Regina became protective of her. Often overbearingly so but Ava never complained. David supposed she missed being mothered.

“How come Ava gets out of oatmeal?” Henry grumbled.

David walked around the counter to ruffle his hair. “Quit complaining, bud.”

“So you’re dropping us at school this week?” Nick asked.

“Yes.”

“Are you picking us up too?”

“No, that would be me,” Regina answered, walking back into the kitchen.

David looked at her inquiringly. She shook her head slightly. Translation: Ava’s fine. He breathed with relief.

Nick nodded absently as he cleared his bowl. “Okay.”

David was both confused and amused as he watched him claim Ava’s seat and bowl for himself. “Hungry?”

“Starving.”

Henry slid his bowl over. “Want mine too?”

Nick laughed and pushed his bowl back. “Nope.”

David shook his head at them.

Regina checked her watch. “I have to leave now.” She touched each boy’s head. “I’ll see you two this afternoon.”

Nick smiled. “Bye Regina.”

She smiled back and lightly kissed his forehead. “Nicky.”

Henry pulled away when she tried to do the same to him. “Lipstick,” he reminded, still sour about last week. They’d been late one morning and no one had noticed the lipstick print on his forehead until it was unkindly pointed out to him by some girl in his class named Miranda.

She laughed, tugged him in and planted a loud kiss on his cheek.

“Mom!” Henry scrubbed furiously at his face.

Regina simply nodded at David and touched his arm as she moved past him to leave the kitchen. She caught Ava in the foyer. David overheard their exchange.

“Are you picking us up today?”

“Yes.”

“Okay,” Ava said. “Have a good day.”

Regina laughed under her breath. Her way of saying I’ll try. “You too, dear.”

He smiled to himself at the way her voice softened with the kids. He may have rushed into this decision, into bringing them into their home and eventually fostering them, but them being here… it felt right. Ava, Henry, Nick… they were the only things that felt right. The only decision he wasn’t doubting at the moment.

Chapter Text

“Regina?” Ava called.

She was sitting with Nicky at the table in the Mayor’s Office, each occupied with homework. He was in his soccer uniform while Ava was still in her school uniform. Regina had to ease up on her uniform rule since taking them in.

“Yes, dear?” Regina tilted her head in their direction, eyes never leaving her laptop.

“Um…” She hesitated. “David told us a week- well like a few days ago um a-about our dad and… well uh… Nicholas and I were wondering... If we could maybe visit him tonight?”

Regina closed her laptop and looked at her. “Tonight?”

“A-at the hospital.”

“Also… we wanted to know if you would take us,” Nicky said.

“You could drop us off after you take Henry for his session.”

“Please.”

Regina looked at them, at the mix of hope, nervousness and apprehension on their faces. She set her unease aside and nodded. “Emma’s going to be taking Henry to his session this evening. If no work-related emergencies arise, we can go straight from here to the hospital when we leave.”

Ava smiled, relieved. “Thanks.”

“Don’t even think about it.”

Henry looked up at her, puppy eyes on. “Please.”

“No.”

She looked firmly ahead for seventeen seconds.

Henry kept staring. “Please.”

Emma glanced at him through the corner of her eye. “Oh, that’s not fair.” She dropped her head to the counter and sighed. “Come on.”

“Yes!”

He turned and ran to what had been named “The Puppy Room” after his first visit to Emma’s work a few weeks ago. Bouncing with excitement, he waited by the gate for her to unlock it.

She shook her head. “If you had a tail it’d be wagging.”

“Yep,” he agreed, beaming.

The key clicked and the gate opened. Henry skipped inside and sighed happily. All the dogs started barking excitedly when they saw him.

“Ten minutes,” Emma warned.

“Add another ten and you’ve got yourself a deal.”

“You get ten minutes, Henry.”

“Twenty.”

“Ten.”

“Twenty.”

“T-”

“Twenty.”

Emma sighed heavily. “Let’s meet in the middle. Fifteen?”

“Fifteen.” He went to Rocky. The dog barked happily at him. “Hi, boy. Who’s a good boy? You are. Yes, you are. Are you excited to see me? Aw, I missed you too.” He turned to Emma excitedly. “Can I let them out again?”

“And nearly get me fired again? Not a chance, kid.”

Henry laughed as she left. He turned his attention back to Rocky. You’d think that his having three parents would mean at least one of them would be okay with him getting a dog, but none of them even let him get the question out.

Mom hadn’t even said anything. They were talking about something deep, something about the curse and what would happen after it broke, and he decided to use the moment to sneak in the fact that he still wanted a puppy. She’d just looked at him, one eyebrow raised, and he knew to drop it.

Henry was still getting used to that. The fact that his mom wasn’t lying to him about it anymore, that he could just talk to her about it whenever he wanted, that he could go to her whenever he had a question about the book or magic or the Enchanted Forest. It was awesome! Kind of weird, but mostly awesome.

He asked her if she would help him break the curse yesterday. Her answer still hadn’t changed. He didn’t blame her for not knowing though. He didn’t understand at first but now he did.

Everything was different now and the curse was still unbroken. Dad wasn’t really at home anymore. Mom wasn’t herself. She was always tired – but Henry couldn’t tell if it was because she was actually lying to everyone now or if the baby (who he secretly suspected might be a vampire) was taking all of her energy or some combination of the two. The town was busier than he’d ever seen it. It was like time had actually started moving again. Henry couldn’t imagine what it would be like once the curse actually broke. He couldn’t imagine how much more things would change. If he was being honest, he didn’t want to. He didn’t want to think about the curse breaking. He didn’t want it to break. He wanted things to stay the way they were. Well, no, not exactly. He wanted his parents to act like themselves again, he wanted Dad to stop working so much and be at home more, and he wanted Mom to… He wanted her to be how she was before she got her memories of the Enchanted Forest back.

More and more, Henry found himself wishing the curse wasn’t real. That he was actually crazy, and that Archie could just give him some pills or medicine and he’d be cured.

Rocky barked at him. Henry blinked until he recognised his surroundings. He was in the pet shelter. In The Puppy Room. And he hadn’t moved once since Emma left. He reached through the bars and touched Rocky’s head.

Rocky whined sympathetically.

“Sorry, boy. I was just thinking.”

Rocky barked. Henry perked up.

“Henry.”

“Aw man, here comes the warden.”

She rolled her eyes. “So… is he this week’s obsession?”

Henry shook his head. “No.” He waved to Rocky and led Emma to a fluffy blue-eyed beagle. “This one. I’m 93% sure this time. This one.”

Emma looked at the puppy, ready to roll her eyes and say no, but something changed when she looked at the dog.

“She’s really sweet,” he said, looking between Emma and the puppy. He stroked her head. The puppy yipped happily and leaned into his touch. “See.”

Emma petted her and smiled when she licked her hand. “She is,” she said softly. “What’s her name?”

“She doesn’t have one. Doctor Thatcher just calls her Beagle Puppy Number Five. She was the smallest one out of the litter, so no one picked her. Now she’s here. All alone.”

“Quit it with the marketing.”

Her tone was abrasive, but Henry could see she was considering the dog. He tried not to smile.  She took one look at him and shook her head.

“Come on, kid, let’s get out of here before you start giving me all of their backstories.”

He sighed and followed her, waving over his shoulder to Rocky and Beagle Puppy Number Five. He hopped up onto the reception desk. He looked at the open book on it. He, Emma and Uncle Jim (before he left to coach soccer practice) were discussing the chapter about the miller’s daughter, Cora. His mom’s mom. His grandmother. Mom didn’t like it when he called her that though.

Cora wasn’t born with magic. Rumpelstiltskin taught her to use it. He looked at the picture. Did that mean he could have magic too? After the curse broke? The curse. The excitement of that idea faded as he thought about the curse.

It would be better if he was just crazy, he decided. The curse wasn’t that bad. Sure, there was the whole trapped-in-time thing and being the only person in the whole town who aged. Being the only kid who went to the next grade or lost a tooth or learned to ride a bike or… Okay, fine, being stuck under the curse sucked. It was awful. But… but… things were good now. Things were better. If things had been like this the whole time, then… then maybe Henry wouldn’t have minded being under the curse. If Ava and Nick and Emma had been here the whole time. If Mom and Dad were still speaking to each other. If he had been happy then like he was now, he would have stayed under the curse, and everything would have been okay.

No, he wouldn’t have.

Even if he was happy, he still would have left to find Emma. He still would have tried to convince her the curse was real and that it was her destiny to break it. It was the right thing to do. Heroes always do the right thing. Heroes always do what’s right and not what’s easy. Henry wanted more than anything to be a hero.

The curse had to break.

He didn’t want it to, but it had to.

“You okay there, kid?”

He nodded. “Yeah. Just thinking.”

Emma bumped him with her shoulder. “You can get twenty minutes next time.”

“Thanks,” he said with a small smile. “But I was thinking… about my… parents.”

“Oh. Are things still weird?”

“Yep.”

“Are they still pretending it isn’t?”

“Yep.”

She nodded. “That sucks.”

“Yep.”

“Is that your new favourite word or something?”

“Yep.” Henry exhaled and the laughter in his answer disappeared. He closed the book and looked up at her. “It’s my fault, Emma. If I had just stayed under the curse-”

“It’s not your fault, Henry.”

“But, if I didn’t… I meddled. If I didn’t… everything would have been fine. Nothing would have changed. The curse wouldn’t have weakened. It is my fault.”

“Kid… Look, can we drop fairy tale talk for a bit?”

She sounded so frustrated that Henry looked away, ashamed.

Emma sighed. “Curse or no curse, whatever is happening between your parents is between them. It is not your fault. They’re grown-ups, okay. They’ll deal with it by themselves.”

No, they won’t, he thought miserably. Mom was avoiding Dad because she had her memories back and realised that she didn’t love him anymore, and Dad was avoiding Mom because he was hurt that she was avoiding him. At least that’s the way Henry saw things, but he couldn’t tell Emma any of that. Mom had sworn him to secrecy until Emma figured out how to break the curse. She said he could tell Emma when she started believing, but that ‘when’ was slowly turning into an ‘if’.

“I want to help them,” is what he said instead. “I want them to be happy again.” He looked at her, wondering if he should tell her the idea that had been nagging at the back of his head since his birthday.

“What?”

“I…” Henry hesitated. “Do you think it would be such a bad thing if they stayed together?”

 “Your parents?” She asked with a pointed tone.

Henry knew she didn’t believe him about the curse, but he had to explain it to her anyway. When it broke, he didn’t want her to remember that he lied to her about it. “I know you don’t believe me, but just pretend the curse is real for a minute, okay?”

She sighed. “Okay.”

“Dad is supposed to be in love with Ms Blanchard, but right now he’s married to Mom, and they used to be in love and really happy together. When the curse breaks, they’re gonna remember who they are, they’re gonna remember they’re supposed to hate each other. Would it be better for them to be happy for a bit longer under the curse or should they just start hating each other now so that it’s not so much of a shock later on?”

“Kid…”

Emma gave him that same look she had when she told him it must be hell inside his head. Like he was about to touch a burning hotplate with his whole hand, and she was too far away to stop him and had to accept that she couldn’t help him, not really. Only instead of a burn, she was worried about something much more serious and permanent. Her phone pinged. She glanced at it and dismissed his therapy session reminder. Henry sighed and hopped off the counter to fetch his backpack.

On the walk to Archie’s office, Emma said, “Maybe you could tell Dr Hopper about this?”

He bit the inside of his mouth and thought about it. “Maybe,” he settled on. They were outside the building. He pulled on the handle. “You don’t have to go up with me, Emma. I’m fine.”

“You sure?”

“Yep.”

She rolled her eyes at the word and pulled him in for a quick hug. “I’ll be here in an hour to pick you up. Wait for me inside if you finish early, okay?”

“Okay.”

Regina sat outside the hospital room, spine straight as a pencil. She went into the room with Ava and Nicky but excused herself less than a minute after they’d arrived under the guise of giving them privacy. The truth was that she couldn’t stand the see the pain she’d orchestrated. She tore apart a family for a red apple. She separated children from their father for nothing other than vindictiveness.

God, she truly was a monster.

Was. Was. She held onto that word tight as one would a buoy in the storm’s eye. Was. Used to be. She was different now. That’s the person I was, not the person I am, she repeated in her head like a mantra. Not who I am. Truthfully, she had no idea who she currently was, or whom she was trying to become. She knew that she could never go back to being the Queen. She could barely even stomach the idea of it, but the person she was before that was so long gone it was impossible at times to remember her. Regina was unsure who that left her with. Her cursed self perhaps. Mayor Mills? She used titles like personas. The queen, the mayor, the mother. Who the hell was she?

Regina swallowed uneasily and glanced at the number on the closed door. She tried not to think about the children on the inside, the look on their faces once they saw their father hooked up to various machines with pipes and needles and a feeding tube going down his throat. She closed her eyes and tried not to think of them.

Nicky had asked so many questions on the drive to the hospital. Questions about his mother, how she knew her, and about his father. She got by with the same story she’d told David. She’d also gotten an answer to the question she’d pondered after that conversation with David. Was it really lying if those were her cursed memories of the woman? The answer was yes. It was lying. She lied to a child about his mother.

You’ve done worse, the Queen’s voice taunted, and an image of Owen appeared in her mind.

That’s the person I was, not the person I am. That’s the person I was, not the person I am. That’s the person I was, not the person I am. That’s not who I am. That’s not… That’s not-

“Regina.”

She startled. “Nicky.”

He sniffled and sat down next to her. He was upset, she realised belatedly. She warily lifted an arm over his shoulders. He burrowed into her side, pressing his face against her and crying into her coat, barely making a sound.

“Nicky?” She said softly, stroking his head, unable to think of anything more to say or do.

“Regina, can we please go home?”

“Of course,” she said at once. “Of course. Where’s Ava?” She looked back toward the door and saw her standing there, eyes rimmed red. “Are you okay, sweetheart?”

Her eyes began to fill. Ava quickly shook her head, lower lip trembling. Before Regina could say a word, Ava leaned down and hugged her, tears wet against her neck. Regina held them both until they stopped crying and were ready to leave. On the drive home, her eyes were more focused on them in the rear-view mirror than on the road ahead.

The house was quiet. Unsettlingly so. Henry arrived less than twenty minutes ago and usually by this point either he or Nicky would pester her with reasons why they should be allowed to play video games during the week and/or stay up till nine. The last request was almost always coupled with how unfair it was that Ava got to stay up later than them. Regina usually responded with some variant of “Ava finished her homework and course reading already” or “Ava’s reading, perhaps you’d like to as well?” or “Well, she is older, that should come with some perks, right?” Nicky in particular hated the last one, but perhaps recognising that at some point he would be the older sibling once Junior arrived, he never argued with it.

Neither boy was in sight tonight and the only sound to be heard all through Regina's study, and the mansion, was that of the ticking clock on the mantelpiece. She got up from her desk and checked on Ava first, her room being the closest.

Ava looked up from where she sat, knees to her chest, in the reading nook by the window. There was the slightest hint of irritation in her eyes. “Hey,” she sighed.

“I forgot to knock,” Regina realised, tone apologetic.

She closed her book and looked at her curiously. “Did you need anything?”

“What? Oh, no, dear.” She crossed the threshold and sat on the foot of her bed, facing her. “I just wanted to see how you’re doing after… this evening. I can’t imagine what you’re going through right now.”

“Once I figure it out, I’ll let you know.” Ava met her eyes guardedly. “You don’t have to worry about me, Regina. I’m okay.”

“If you weren’t would you tell me?”

“Yes,” she lied.

Regina gave her a look.

“I… think so.” Ava considered it. “No. I don’t know.” She set the book down next to her and swung her legs over the window seat, sitting upright. “It was weird to see my dad… to see him like that and then Nicholas started crying and I didn’t know what to do and then I was crying too but I didn’t know why and I’m… I’m more confused than… sad. If that makes sense.”

She nodded. “It does.”

Regina touched the cut on her finger. For the first time since her memories returned, her stomach felt settled. Guilt lingered in the back of her mind, Regina suspected it would always be there, but the nausea that usually accompanied it was nowhere to be found. She stood up with slight difficulty, hand resting on her stomach for a second, and stroked Ava’s hair. She hoped the gesture could offer some comfort but Ava was about as responsive to the touch as Henry would have been just a few short months ago. Regina let her hand fall and stepped back.

“I’ll let you get back to your book.”

Ava was already reabsorbed back into her book by the time Regina hesitated by the door. She wanted to say something else, to do something else, but realised it wouldn’t be welcomed so she turned the door handle and left.

Regina remembered to knock on Nicky’s door. No answer. She knocked a second time. No answer. She slowly opened the door. He was lying on his bed, just staring up at the ceiling.

“Nicky?”

He didn’t answer. She entered his room, carefully stepping over his schoolbag and discarded soccer shoes, the spikes caked with dried mud and grass. He stared up at the ceiling, eyes full of tears, entire face red and wet.

“Nicholas,” she breathed. Her heart broke inside her chest as he curled onto his side away from her. “Sweetheart,” she said in the softest tone as touched his arm.

He cried and curled up further. His form shook.  Her hands froze above him. She didn’t know how to help him.

“Do you want me to get Ava for you?”

He cried harder. “A… w’ay.”

She strained to hear. Go away? She put some hair behind her ear and leaned a bit closer to him. “I’m sorry, Nicky, I didn’t hear you. What did you say?”

“Can you stay?”

Regina hesitated. “If you want me to.”

He nodded quickly and hugged his pillow to his chest. She sat down next to him and rubbed his back, soothing circles that put Henry to sleep after bad dreams. He turned over. Her heart broke all over again at his puffy eyes and runny nose. She touched his hand and gave it a firm squeeze.

“I didn’t think he would look like that,” he whispered. “He looked dead. Like Mom. When we found her.”

This poor boy. She squeezed his hand, knowing that she wouldn’t be able to get anything out over this burning lump in her throat. Nicky looked at her hand over his and then up at her.

“I don’t want to go see him again. If Ava does, can I just sit outside with you?”

She swallowed hard and nodded.

“Thank you.” Regina squeezed his hand again, letting him know it was okay to ask whatever he wanted to. “Can you get Ava?”

She managed, “Alright,” and left to find her.

They hadn’t planned it. Or at least, David didn’t remember planning it. It just happened. He’d let it happen. Wednesday became their night. Like he said, they hadn’t planned it, and it was completely innocent. They had no agreement in place so her presence really wasn’t something he could count on but… it was Wednesday, and it was after six, and she was usually here by now.

He was seated at their table – another one of the things that had just happened, he swore – and he’d already ordered fries and beer. He wondered where she was. They usually just drank and talked. Sometimes they played darts. Surprisingly enough, Mary-Margaret was championship-level good at darts. She had an aim that rivalled Graham’s, and that man could consistently hit bullseye even after downing two thirds of a bottle of vodka.

David liked it, their routine, coming to the same place every week, sitting at the same table, ordering the same fries and drinks and just… talking. It was… it felt good. Nice. Right, to some extent.  

It wasn’t like they were seeing each other or anything. They didn’t even speak about things like that. They mostly spoke about their days, what they were currently reading, or Henry and Nick.

That last one had only been a topic for a few weeks now. Since the beginning of the new school year actually. Nick and Ava started fifth and seventh grade respectively at St. Meissa’s. Nick joined the soccer team on his second day and has been trying ever since to get Henry to join as well ever since. Nick and Henry ended up in the same homeroom class with Mary-Margaret as their homeroom and math teacher. Mary-Margaret said that the boys were inseparable. Nick’s grades were on a steady incline when compared to his report card from fourth grade. and Henry’s social circle had expanded. He no longer sat by himself at lunch anymore. They were at a table of about eight to ten kids on a regular basis. Nick liked the uniform and not having to pick out clothes every single day. Ava liked that the classes were smaller. She said it was easier to focus, but she complained about how much attention the teachers gave students. David guessed she hated that she was expected to participate in class and interact with her peers more than she was willing or used to.

“I made it just before the fries,” she said, nearly breathless as she sat down.

Mike set a plate of fries down on their table a few seconds later.

David lit up at the sight of her. “I guess you did.”

She was a flurry of motion as she settled herself in the booth, taking off her coat, hat, gloves and bag and setting it all beside her. “Find those graffiti vandals yet?” She asked while untangling her scarf from her neck.

He groaned. “No. Their latest project was DA Spencer’s car.”

“Oof.” She winced.

“Yeah.” He laughed humourlessly. “Of course, it doesn’t help matter that he’s my sister’s former boss and is convinced the both of us-” and Regina, he thought but did not say “-have it out for him.” He shook his head and took a swig of his beer.

It was about then that Mary-Margaret noticed hers on the table and reached for it. She took the beer, moved it to the edge of the table, and placed it at the perfect angle so that she could just hit down on it with the palm of her hand and the lid would come off.

Not so innocent thought: that was hot. The ease of the action, how effortless she made it seem, and how he never would have guessed it was something she knew how to do.

“Mr Spencer’s not a very nice man.”

He laughed. It impressed him that she could do something so badass and then say something so… something that was completely the opposite without even blinking an eye.

“No, he is not. Kathryn calls him DA Dickwad.”

She laughed. “Apt.”

“Didn’t know you knew him.”

“Only in passing.” She shrugged as she sipped her drink. “All the teachers have to oversee detention from time to time. His foster son, Devin, was in there too often.” She saw the book on the corner of the table. Her eyes lit up and she tilted her bottle toward it. “What do you think of Bradshire?”

“Honestly?” He laughed. “His constant metaphors make the book difficult to follow. I constantly had to read the blurb just to remind myself what it was supposed to be about.”

She gasped, affronted. “No,” she said plainly, shaking her head. “No. The metaphors are the best part.”

Regina looked up from the cutting board at the sound of Ava’s footsteps.

“Is he okay?”

She shook her head. “No, but he fell asleep a few minutes ago.” She sat on one of the stools at the island counter. “If I knew it was gonna upset him, I wouldn’t have asked to go.”

She’d had similar thoughts on loop in her head for a while now. “You couldn’t have known,” she said in a calm voice.

“I should have. I’m his big sister. I should have…” Ava sighed heavily. She tapped on the counter restlessly. She hopped off her seat and went to the fridge. “What are we making?” She looked at the menu. “Stir-fry… Okay.”

She didn’t sound particularly pleased. Regina heard the tap open and glanced over her shoulder to see Ava washing her hands. She dried them and came to stand next to her. Regina watched her curiously.

“Can I help with something?”

She considered her for a moment. “Sure.” She slid the cutting board and knife over to her.

Ava picked up the knife and cut the bell pepper into thin slices. They prepared the food in silence, each too wrapped up in their own thoughts to consider conversation.

Henry wondered into the kitchen at some point. “Why’s Nick asleep?”

“He’s tired,” Regina answered.

Henry frowned. “Weird. He’s usually all hyped up after soccer practice.”

“We went to see our dad.”

Henry didn’t understand. “So?”

“It was a bit much,” Regina said delicately.

“Oh.” He took a seat by the counter. “Is he okay?”

She smiled. “He will be.”

Henry nodded, satisfied with the answer, and looked around. “Speaking of dads… Where’s Dad?”

“Not here,” Regina answered, purposefully vague. She had no idea. Nor did she wish to. Lack of knowledge of David's whereabouts was one less thing to occupy her racing mind with.

“Mom.”

“I’m not sure, Henry. Either at the station or on patrol.”

He popped his hand under his chin and frowned. “He’s always at work.”

They usually spoke about light things, surface level conversations that would never let them stray beyond the realm of platonic. One simple question had taken them past the barrier.

“Have you ever been in love?”

David didn’t know what possessed him to ask her. Maybe it was all bad dates she’d recounted, maybe it was how they chipped away at her self-esteem, maybe it was the constant lingering thought that she deserved better than these self-obsessed jerks who just couldn’t seem to notice her.

He knew as soon as he asked that if the answer was no, he’d be the biggest asshole in the world. She clearly wanted it, romance, love, the entire fairy tale. He hadn’t considered the turn the conversation would take if she’d said yes.

“Once,” she said, eyes filled with a sadness he’d never experienced. “He was… taken too soon.”

She spoke about him a bit. Eventually the talk drifted away from the ones they loved to love itself, what it felt like compared to what they assumed it would.

“It’s been so long, but I remember there were moments of surrealism,” she said, her voice soft, and eyes far away. “I would just… look at him and…” She met his eyes. “He’d be in the same room as me, doing something completely mundane like loading the dishwasher, making a cup of tea or reading a book and I’d think, ‘There is no way this is real. That he’s here. With me. That he chooses to be here with me.’ You know?”

He nodded. He knew the feeling well. He had those moments too many times to count with Regina. “Yeah.” He’d look at her and wonder why she chose him, what she saw, and wonder if she had those thoughts too. He still wondered.

He looked up at the same moment Mary-Margaret did. Their eyes lingered a moment too long. David found himself leaning forward ever so slightly but stopped himself before he could even think of- of anything he couldn’t dismiss as innocent or platonic.

She looked away. He followed her lead and looked away too. A fight broke out by the pool table. He got up, mumbled something about helping, saw her acknowledge him with a slight nod, and went over to what was quickly becoming a brawl. A flailing fist hit him in the face as soon as he stepped close enough to try and break the fight. His interference had succeeded in his attempt to end the fight though.

“Shit, man, you hit the Deputy.”

He heard someone whisper the words, “The mayor’s husband.”

David wanted to groan upon hearing that. “Relax, no one’s getting arrested,” he said. He waved off the scared stares.

Men awkwardly shuffled around him. The two instigators of the fight were suddenly gone. He unclenched his jaw and opened his mouth a few times, wiping his lip. His fingers came away red. He looked to the bar. Mike saw him, sighed and signalled for him to come over. David took the offered ice pack.

“Are you okay?”

He looked over his shoulder as she walked toward him. He nodded. “Yep.”

She looked at him. “I think you might have gotten nicked with a ring. Your bottom lip is cut.”

David ran his tongue over his lip and winced from the sharp pain he felt. She was dressed again, hat, scarf, gloves and bag over her shoulder. “You heading home?”

She raised her shoulders helplessly. “I’ve still got homework to grade.”

“Yeah.” They hadn’t planned this… meeting of theirs. Not once. But maybe… “Same time next week?”

“S-sure.”

He smiled despite the pain in his lower lip. “Take care, Mary-Margaret.”

“Mom, are you still on the phone?”

She sighed deeply and spun her chair around to face him. “No. I was just taking a few minutes to collect myself, Henry.”

He frowned at her. “Um…”

“If you’re here about the cookies, I already told you they have to cool and that they’re for after dinner.”

“I’m not…” He shook his head. “Mom.”

She laid her head back against the chair and closed her eyes. “Yes, Henry?”

“Dad misses you.”

This day drained her completely. So much so that it took about a minute for Henry’s words to sink in. When they did, she sat up slowly and looked at him. “What?”

He was watching her intently. “He misses you, Mom.”

She thought about how to respond to that far longer than she should have.

“That’s why he’s not here,” Henry went on, hesitating after each word. “He’s hurt that you’re avoiding him so he’s avoiding you too.”

“And what would you like me to do about that?” She asked, no longer able to apply a Henry filter to her thoughts.

“He’s sad. You don’t spend any time together anymore. He misses you.” He shook his head, irritated. “Doesn’t that matter to you?”

She took a deep breath, exhaled, and repeated until she could finally think of a response. “Henry, he's cursed.”

“Well, yeah, but… he doesn’t know that, and you said that even though he's technically my grandfather because of Emma, he also raised me and that makes him my dad, just like it makes you my mom.” He paused. “Right?”

It wasn’t really a question but she nodded nonetheless. “Right.”

“Then that means that you and Dad are married,” he said firmly, “and you have to spend time together.”

“Where is this coming from?” One minute she was the worst human being alive for casting the curse and adopting him, the next he was begging her to continue playing house with Prince Charming. It was laughable. In fact, she did laugh.

“You said you cared about him,” he said accusingly.

Her laughter died in her throat at the mistrust in his eyes. “Henry-”

“Were you lying about that?”

“No,” she reassured him immediately. “No, I wasn’t lying.”

“So you do care about Dad?”

He might as well have said ‘us’, Regina thought, noting how badly he was failing to hide his own hurt. “I care about him. I care about you both.” She thought of Ava and Nicky. “I care about you all.”

“Then you have to act like it. At least until the curse breaks.”

“This is a little more complicated than that Henry. Your father and I…” She trailed off, the words tasted bitter on her tongue. She’d said them too many times over the years. Your father and I… For the last decade or so, he’d been hers. They were a team. In a few weeks, (months if she was lucky) it would all be over, and he would hate her. “David,” she corrected herself sharply, “and I were... were... enemies. I tried to kill him. Many times. I hurt him and threatened everything he cared about. I stole his chance to raise Emma. He won’t forgive me for that when the curse breaks. I don’t expect him to. It wouldn’t be fair to either of us if…” if I spent any more time with him than I have already, she thought. “If I drag this out any longer than necessary.”

“But...” He closed his mouth and touched the corner of the stack of folders on her desk. “Are you going to ask Dad to move out?”

Her eyes widened. She hadn’t even considered that. The realisation stilled her. She had to, she knew at once. She couldn’t keep doing this to him. It wasn’t fair. When have you ever cared about what’s fair, Regina?

Now, she decided. She wanted to be a better person once this was all done and over. She wanted to do better. And that meant letting him go. She loved him but sometimes love alone was not enough.

“Yes,” she answered at last.

A look of hurt appeared and disappeared so quickly from his face she had to push aside guilt over the fact that he probably learned from her how to conceal his emotions so quickly.

“Are you going to tell him about the curse so that he understands why he has to leave or are you just gonna lie to him?”

“Henry... sweetheart, I can’t tell him the truth. He wouldn’t believe me.”

He stood silently for a few seconds before he turned and left.

After supper, the three of them brought the dishes into the kitchen. The boys stood side by side at the sink, to rinse off the dishes before they passed them to Ava, who loaded the dishwasher. They worked well together, Regina noted.

“Can we have the cookies now?” Ava asked, once they were done.

This was such an extraordinarily out of character question for her. Ava asking for food. It should have been a brief parenting victory, but Regina knew at once that she wasn’t asking for herself, she was asking for her brothers.

Regina looked at Henry and Nicky, their fallen faces. “Yes.”

Ava dried her hands and looked at the cookies, deliberating her options. She ended up taking a butterfly shaped cookie that Henry had decorated and had to nudge Nicky to try one. He looked better, not like himself yet, but better. Henry ignored them altogether and went straight up the stairs to his room.

Regina stood alone in the empty kitchen. She felt physically exhausted, and at the same time capable of great destruction. If she’d still had her magic, the room would be nothing more than a pile of ash. But this line of thinking wasn’t conducive. She shut it, along with the kitchen light, off on her way out.

“Hey.”

Regina looked up from her laptop when he entered the study. “Hey.” She closed her laptop. “You’re home earlier than usual.”

He glanced at the clock on the mantelpiece. “Yeah, I guess.”

She stared at him, wondering if there was a second part of this conversation. He usually just came in to say goodnight. She’d taken to sleeping in her study just to avoid the moral dilemma of whether or not she was allowed to lie in the same bed as him.

He stood by the door and looked at her longingly. “Are you coming up soon?”

She gestured to her desk and shook her head somewhat apologetically. “No.”

“Are you coming up at all?”

It felt as if the words had lodged in her throat.

He sighed. “Regina…” He walked to her desk. Regina tensed as he leaned against it and looked at her. “Can we talk? Please.”

“What happened to your mouth?” She asked, just noticing the cut on his bottom lip.

He licked his bottom lip. “Oh. That… Nothing to worry about. Just a flailing fist.”

“What? Let me see that.” She made to touch his face. He dodged the attempt and her hand fell to her side.

“I’m fine.” He looked at her fixedly. “Can we?”

She frowned, not understanding.

“Have a conversation.”

Oh. No. It was her immediate thought. It must have shown on her face.

“If not a conversation then can you at least tell me why you’re icing me out?”

She scoffed. “I’m not icing you out.”

“Really? We haven’t spoken, really spoken, in…” He trailed off and realised he couldn’t put a number to it. “I can’t remember the last time we met up for lunch or just… hung out. Regina, it’s been sixteen days since you’ve slept in our bed. Did I do something?”

She swallowed uneasily. She didn’t want to have this conversation this tonight. Speaking in any capacity would mean she had to do what she told Henry she would do; ask him to leave, and she couldn’t bring herself to. Not yet.

“I’m not icing you out. I’ve just been busy.” She placed her hands on her desk and leaned up, placating him with a kiss on the cheek. “I hope you sleep well,” she offered, hoping he’d take the hint and just leave her to figure out the mess she created.

He got up with a resigned sigh. “I’d sleep a lot better knowing you’re in a bed and not curled up on that couch again,” he said on his way out. He stopped by the door. He wanted to say something else but decided not to. “Goodnight Regina.”

She fixed him with an appeasing smile that disappeared the moment he was out of eyesight. She dropped her head into her hands.

Chapter Text

Nothing about this felt right to him. Her lips weren’t right. Her touch. Her desperation – as if she'd never been kissed before. David supposed he was desperate too, desperate for this kind of intimacy, for lust, for something that made him feel... alive. But it wasn't working. She was a poor substitute for what he really wanted. For who he really wanted. All he could think of was smiling lips pressed against his, dark brown hair and enchanting eyes. All he could think of was her. All he could think of was Regina. All he could think of was wife's smoky chuckle, her surprised gasps and deep unexpected moans when they figured out a new thing she liked, that look she got when she was torturing him with her mouth. His mind kept filling with images of her. Images alone he may have been able to handle but certain scents and sensations came back as well. The sudden dryness in his throat was caused by memory of her taste on his lips, the feeling of her tongue in his mouth afterwards, his breathless joke about her narcissism or vanity or whatever word his limp body had been able to whisper against her cheek after that first time, and her laugh against his neck before she traced her lips down his body.

Mary-Margaret's hands were cold and made him shiver, but it was nothing like the shiver Regina's voice invoked. He made to thread his fingers through her hair but found it too short. He held her neck instead and moved his kisses to her throat. She gasped then tilted her head upward. She tasted like vanilla and honey, something sweet and... And clear, clean. Regina tasted like expensive perfume and almost always apples.

“Well, you know what they say,” she’d always joke. “An apple a day…”

He wanted her. He wanted his wife. He wanted, no needed- He needed his wife. Mary-Margaret reached for his belt. David thought of undressing her, of holding her naked body and-

“Stop,” he broke away quickly.

He couldn't do this. He felt... David felt... He felt pulled to Mary-Margaret but couldn't bring himself to go further. Now that he was reflecting on it, it wasn't a pull but a push, a tilt of the universe. Or of a drink. Yes, that's what it was. He was drunk. And stupid.

“I'm sorry,” he said. He grabbed his jacket from the floor and tied his belt. “I can't… I shouldn’t… I should go.”

“Regina?” He called.

David winced as the front door slammed closed behind him. It was late. That could have woken one of the kids.

“In the study.”

She sounded irritated. He followed her voice into her home office. He stopped by the doorframe and looked at her. Really looked at her.

Pen in hand, tapping away on the desk in a distracted manner as she read over the document in front of her. She wore a dark blue shirt and an irritated scowl. Her head was down and hair loose. He loved her hair. He loved its colour, that dark glossy brown. He loved the smell of it, the smell of her shampoo. He loved the way it felt, how soft it was when he ran his fingers through it. How it would curl slightly when she got out the shower. How tousled it would look in the morning after a night of sex. How her lips would stretch into a smile when he looked at her suggestively. Her lips. Her lips… His throat was suddenly dry. She wasn't wearing any lipstick, he noticed. He licked his bottom lip. He remembered the cut and scab he’s sported just a week ago wished it had left a scar to match hers.

Her lack of lipstick emphasised that delectable little scar on her top lip. He was sure she’d applied her signature red this morning before she left for work. He remembered a time when she had to reapply it several times a day, where it would end up smudged across her jaw and his mouth, once when he found traces of her lipstick on the hem of his shirt when he returned to the station after their lunch date, another time where he'd-

“David?” She looked up from her desk.

Fuck. He nearly groaned. He was so fixated on her lips that he hadn’t noticed the glasses. Those damn black thick-framed glasses that made his body ache with need.

“Is everything alright?”

He swallowed hard. Why had he barged into her office like this? After what he’d almost done, he should have just slinked away to their bedroom and worked out his confession. He just nodded.

She frowned and stood up, clearly not buying it. “Are you sure?”

He nodded again. He should probably have said something placating to ease her worry and gone upstairs, away from her, so that he could figure out how to tell her about… about that, but she hadn’t looked at him this long in a while, hadn’t been this near to him in anything other than… he couldn’t even remember. He missed it. He missed having her eyes on him and being her sole focus.

“David?” She reached up to touch his forehead. “Are you sure you’re okay?”

His eyes shut briefly. He touched her wrist, lowering it to cup his face, and nodded. “I’m fine.”

“Forgive me for saying so darling, but you don’t look fine.”

Darling. He swallowed again. He loved those glasses. She wore them once. Well… more than once actually. He remembered how they’d steamed up- no, focus. Focus.

“I had a… less than stellar day at work.”

She gave a sympathetic smile and caressed his cheek. His eyes closed as he enjoyed the feeling. “I’d suggest a bottle of red and a swapping of weekday hell stories, but we haven’t restocked on wine, and I have to read over a few things for work.”

His shoulders slumped ever so slightly as the disappointment settled in. She did sound sorry though. He pressed his forehead to hers.

“I’ve really missed you lately, Reg.”

He waited for her to say she missed him too, to say that she hadn’t been avoiding him, that work was just shit. Just lie, he silently pleaded. Just lie.

“I’m sorry. I’ve… It’s just been busy.”

She’d lied and David didn’t know whether to feel relieved or frustrated. She let go of his face. David took that as his cue and pulled back. She pushed the glasses up on her head. He hid a pout and dropped his eyes.

“I really like this shirt,” he heard himself say. He touched the material of her sleeve and rubbed his thumb over her wrist. “The colour looks good on you.”

“I know.”

He smiled at that. “Modest much?”

She rolled her eyes. “You always make a point of mentioning how much you like me in this particular shade of blue.”

“Do I?” His eyebrows furrowed. He realised she was right. “Oh. Well, I still stand by it. You look good, Reg. Really good.”

Aaaaaand that was probably the alcohol talking. He usually gave better compliments than that. Words like stunning and beautiful and earnest assertions of how even that was an understatement. How many beers had he had before the two glasses of whiskey? Two? Three? Three. No, wait it was definitely two. Before Mary-Margaret came in he was playing pool with some guys he’d never met before. They were quick drinkers and he’d struggled to keep up. Maybe it was three.

Her eyes narrowed. “Have you been drinking?”

That obvious? He hadn’t even answered before she smirked.

“Ahh…” She tucked her fingers under his chin. “I see my offer of wine wouldn’t have been of much help this evening.” She kissed him lightly on the cheek. “Go to bed.”

“I’ll see you upstairs?”

She ducked her head and didn’t answer, taking a step back. She’d limited herself to one lie tonight. He glanced at the couch. There was a green throw folded neatly on the table opposite it. His heart fell to the pit of his stomach. It had been nearly a month now, twenty-seven days since she’d last laid in their bed. Yes, he’d been counting. It was impossible not to notice her absence. There was a part of him that wanted to offer to sleep in a guest bedroom if that made it more comfortable for her because he hated the thought of her sleeping in here night after night on that damned couch, but the larger part of him refused to even entertain the idea that this was going to continue into the long-term despite the abundance of evidence at his disposal. He hadn’t even told Kathryn about this, and he usually went to her when they were having problems or if he needed advice on how to make up for something he did. He wished Regina would just tell him what he did. He wished… He wished she would just come back.

David turned to leave but hesitated. “Reg?”

She looked at him. He walked up to her and cupped her face before he lost his nerve. As soon as their lips touched, rolling black clouds and strikes of purple lightning appeared behind his eyelids. Thunder rumbled in his ears. He pulled away in shock and barely registered her hands on his chest, pushing him away.

She sprung away from him as if burned. “What was that?”

“Wha- I just- Did you see that too?”

She looked just as startled as him. “See what?”

He shook his head, blamed it on the alcohol in his system. “I… The- er…” You’re drunk, he told himself. Go to sleep. Ignore it.

“David?”

He looked at her and shook his head slowly. It was the alcohol. Definitely. Although that didn’t usually… Hang on. Did she push him away? Did she say, “What was that?” He felt a flare of irritation under the immediate hurt.

“Am I not allowed to kiss you anymore?”

“You are,” she said carefully. She contradicted herself the very next second. She walked to the other side of her desk and pretended to sort through the already organised folders sitting on one corner.

He walked toward her and took the folder out of her hand. “Do you not want me to?”

“I d…” She stammered. “David,” she laughed, nervously.

“What did I do? Just tell me what I did so I can fix this.”

“Nothing,” she breathed, unable to meet his eyes. “You haven’t done anything.”

“Then why are you punishing me? Why are you pulling away?”

“I’m not.”

He looked down at her hands on his chest. “Regina.” He covered one of her hands with his own and brought her knuckles to his lips. Her eyes stayed there, watching his mouth. Body still, breathing slow. He leaned in even slower. “Regina please.” He kissed her once, tentatively. No lighting. No thunder. He kissed her again. Nothing but the relief of her mouth on his. He forgot about his drunken hallucinations and pecked her lips thrice more.

“David…”

Her other hand fell from his chest. Her lips touched his, even softer than he’d kissed her. He cupped her face and kept kissing her, relieved when she didn’t pull away or whisper reasons they should stop. Reasons like work or the sleeping kids or- Oh, this felt good. When last had he kissed her? Days? Had it really been days? He went days without kissing his wife? That didn’t seem right. Or sane. Why hadn’t he- He shivered when her tongue entered his mouth and moaned when she stepped closer to him, pulling him down by his neck.

“How’d the date go?”

No. No no no no no no no no. He did not want to remember that right now.

She just shook her head and ordered brandy. Neat.

“That bad, huh?”

Not while he was kissing his wife in their home. Not when he was-

He frowned sympathetically. “Let me buy the next one.”

“The next two.”

God, he fucked up. He really fucking fucked up. He pushed the image of Mary-Margaret’s lace bra aside and untucked Regina’s shirt from her pants. If he could just… If he could just lose himself in this moment. If he could just make up for it without telling her, apologize without speaking, without confessing. If he could just… redeem himself. Guilt spurred him to please her.

His fingers met with the bare skin of her stomach. He looked down. The baby. Their baby. Their son. Guilt. What had he done? He screwed up. He really screwed up. They hadn’t even agreed on a name for him and he almost… Wait. He stopped. He didn’t go through with it. He didn’t do anything with Mary-Margaret, aside from kissing, but… but… That didn’t count, did it? He looked up from his hand to her eyes, saw the glimmer of insecurity there and quickly kissed it away. He lifted her shirt higher and touched her skin fondly. She pressed into his touch with a hum. He felt her smile against him. His own lips curled up in response before he kissed her again.

She was having their child, he thought in wonder for almost the millionth time. Their child. Their son. Their marriage. Their life together. Sometimes he still couldn’t believe she’d gone through with even marrying him.

“You proposed.”

She pulled back slightly, only enough space to whisper, “What?”

“You proposed to me.” He took her face in both hands. “You asked me to marry you.”

“I did,” she said with a puzzled smile, so genuine it nearly blinded him.

God she was gorgeous. She was brilliant, nurturing, so fucking smart she could talk circles around nearly everyone in town. He loved her cynicism, her sarcasm, her wit, the sharp comments she made under her breath when she was trying her damnedest to be nice to someone’s face. He loved everything about her. How could he have-

“Are you having second thoughts this late in?”

There was a bite to her words, a vulnerability, and had he not been so caught up in this evening’s events he would have followed up on and questioned it. Now his only coherent thought was that he nearly screwed it up. Their marriage. Her trust. He nearly screwed it up. She was going to be devastated when she found out. Or angry. Or both. He didn’t know what to expect. He’d never-

She doesn’t have to know, some part of him suggested hesitantly. She didn’t have to know. He didn’t have to tell her. He didn’t have to tell her that he almost cheated on her. He almost cheated on her. He almost cheated on her. God, what the hell was he thinking? What was he thinking? What was he thinking? She was going to be so hurt when she found out.

No. She wouldn't, he vowed.  She would never find out. He wouldn't be able to live with himself if she did, if he hurt her like that. God, what was he thinking? What was he thinking? What was he thinking?

“You are.”

“What?” He remembered her question and shook his head quickly. “No, no, of course not.”

She didn’t look like she believed him.

“It was the best decision I’ve made.” The worst was going home with his son’s schoolteacher on a Friday fucking evening. It wasn’t even their night. Oh, that was a stupid thought. Incredibly stupid. God, he fucked up.

Her eyes kept flicking between his. “I forgot how affectionate you get once you’ve knocked a few drinks back,” she said fondly.

He smiled sheepishly and looked down. He gently kissed her wrist. He got the sense that this would be the moment she stepped back and put some distance between them, both physically and emotionally. He’d be lucky if he got a word at breakfast tomorrow. Not that he deserved it. Not after-

“I miss you,” she whispered. His eyes shot up to hers. “So much.” She glanced at his mouth and swallowed imperceptibly. “I miss having you like this. Kissing you.”

It felt like that rib piercing his heart had finally been snapped back into place. She shook her head quickly, seemingly horrified by the confession. She stepped out of his hold and away from him before he could even respond. He wanted to go after her, but her laughter halted him. David looked on worriedly as she clutched her head in her hands and laughed miserably.

“Regina?”

She looked at him with an expression that rendered him speechless.

“I can’t do this anymore,” she said brokenly, tears in her eyes. “I was trying to do the right thing. I want to do the right thing but you… you…” She laughed again. “You believe you love me, don’t you?”

“What? Of course I love you.”

She let out a pained noise and pushed her hair back from her face. “That’s the worst part of this entire… thing,” she said, nearly hysterical. “I’m trying to do the right thing. I’m trying to be a better person, and you…”

What in the hell was she talking about?

“You barge in here at eleven at night and you… you…” She calmed quite suddenly. “I’m not making any sense to you, am I?”

He shook his head. “None.”

“Well then…” She took a deep breath. “Maybe it’s time I make peace with the fact that I’m not now nor will I ever be a good person.”

What? He would have questioned her, would have had a conversation, would have… But David lost all train of thought as her lips melded together against his. Instinctively, his hand found the back of her neck and angled her head up toward him, making her stand on her tiptoes. He realised then she wasn’t wearing heels and that fact made him want her even more; he wasn’t even sure why.

Their kiss was far too soft to ease his thoughts of his near betrayal. He sensed hesitancy on her part, and a great deal of self-control, like she was holding back. He wanted her fire, her passion. He wanted her sharp biting nails and rough kisses. He wanted her teeth and her tongue. He wanted her touch scorched into his skin so that he'd never forget it.

“I’ve really missed kissing you, David,” she sighed.

That was all the permission he needed. David grabbed her hips. She gasped. The sound shot straight to his groin. His eyes skimmed over her. That shirt really did look good on her but he wanted it gone. Now. He wanted her now.

His hands went around her middle, pulled her closer then moved lower. He squeezed her ass. Her nails cut through the fabric of his shirt sleeve into his skin. David grinned as he gripped the back of her thighs to lift her. Her legs wrapped around him immediately. He walked them backwards and dropped her onto the couch. The couch. She’d slept on it every night for over three weeks now. He knelt in front of her and reached for her shirt. He needed it gone. He needed to touch her. To feel her skin. Now. He started on the first button. Her hands came over his. He dared a glance up at her and knew from that one look that she was going to make him stop.

“Wait-”

He tore her shirt open instead. She winced as little black buttons broke and flew across the room.

“C-Can we talk for a moment?”

“Shut up.”

He meant to mutter it under his breath, but it came out as a low growl that froze her in place. Not caring, he yanked her thighs apart and pulled on her hips to bring her flush against him. He sighed in approval and looked up. She gulped. His eyes zeroed in on the motion, on her neck. He licked and nipped at her throat, revelling in the shiver it brought, how she unfroze to touch his arm, how she arched into him, the feel of her breasts against him, her nails digging into his forearms.

“D-David.” She swallowed. He felt the movement under his lips. “You're being… You’re being awfully...” Her breath hitched. “Uh,” she gasped. “Awfully forceful.”

His lips stilled against her neck, his spine now stiff. He recalled the way she winced and froze just now and how she flinched when he touched her elbow in the kitchen months ago. He didn’t mean to scare her. That was the last thing he wanted. He just… He just… He wanted… He just wanted this. He wanted her. He needed her. He needed to make her understand. He needed her to know that it was her he wanted. This evening was a lapse in judgement and nothing more. He needed her to know that without him ever saying the words. More than that, David simply wanted her. It was as he rubbed his fingers over her waist that he realised she may not want him.

“Do you want me to stop?”

Say no, he begged. Say no.

He waited a few moments and pulled back to look at her when she didn't answer. He saw her struggle with herself, watched as a decision flashed across those maddeningly beautiful brown eyes, and grinned when she finally rasped out, “No. No, I don’t.”

Thank God. “Good.”

He kissed her neck, lips slowly going downward. She released a breathy moan. Her fingers touched the back of his head, lightly, delicately, like she was unsure of herself and afraid to touch him.

“I just... Ah. Is there… Fuck,” she breathed. He smirked, more than pleased at her reaction and continued his kisses, his fingers trailing over the waistline of her pants.  “Is there a- a reason?” She finally got out.

“Yes.” He lifted his head and looked her in the eye, those beautiful dark eyes he’d fallen in love with over their first game of chess. “I love you. God, I love you so fucking much and I don’t want you to forget it or doubt it. I need you to know that.”

She blinked rapidly, looked away, and swallowed hard. Her, “Oh,” was shaky.

His hand left her waist. Her head dropped onto his shoulder when he cupped her breast. He paused, surprised. “Regina?”

“Mhmm?”

“This okay?”

Eyes still closed, she nodded minutely. “Mhmm. Yes. Yes, it’s...” Her hand came around his neck and back and pulled him nearer.

He reached behind her to undo and remove her bra as well as her shirt. He took one breast in his hand and returned his mouth to her neck. She loved neck kisses. And he loved the feeling of her practically melting in his arms. He recalled how many times a well-placed hickey had driven her over the edge. A softly whispered profanity escaped her lips. He remembered her breasts were more tender due to the pregnancy, a fact that he now greatly exploited to get the sounds he wanted, the soft little mewling ones he enjoyed, the ones that just slipped out, the ones she couldn't control. He flicked his thumb over her nipple. Her hips jerked against his, an involuntary little movement that made him hard. 

“David,” she breathed.

She tilted her head upward and kissed him. He moved his other arm around her waist and pressed her pelvis against his. He grinded against her. Fuck, he missed this. He needed this. Her breathing turned to harsh gasps. She began rolling her hips against his. He so needed this. He watched her eyes flutter shut and her lips part. He touched her ass, squeezed hard, and moved one hand to the front of her pants to unbutton them.

He trailed his teeth along her chin and jaw, mumbled, “God, I fucking love you,” against her mouth, planning on-

She flinched.

His eyes snapped open in surprise. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing.”

He wasn’t convinced. “Babe-”

“No more talking.” She touched the back of his neck.  “Please just kiss me again.”

He looked at her unsurely. “Are you-”

She dipped her head inward, her nose brushed against his cheek. “No more talking.”

His belt buckle clicked. David looked down to see her hand on it, unfastening it with urgency they hadn’t expressed in far too fucking long. Fuck. His throat turned dry. She undid the button. He swallowed thickly, watching her fingers work the zipper. Fuck. Fuck, fuck. It was difficult to remember why he was trying to control himself right now, why he was covering her hand with his own, why he was preventing her from touching him, tensing to control his body’s reaction to her, and squeezing his eyes shut to maintain just a shred of self-control.

She kissed his cheek. He groaned and felt his hand go slack atop hers. “Reg…” He moaned when she took him in her palm and gave him just the gentlest squeeze.

Chapter Text

David set down three identical red bowls on the counter. They were running late this morning. Well, he and Regina were. Nick, Ava and Henry were already dressed and sat at the island counter ready to leave. Ava was engrossed in some novel. Her eyes darted across the page as she read line after line quicker than David could keep up with. Nick and Henry stared at him like eager puppies, eyes trained on the box in his hand. Cheerio's hit the halfway mark in each bowl. He topped it with milk as Regina handed them each a spoon.

Nick quickly put his hand over his bowl. “No dairy,” he and Regina said at the same time.

David blinked blearily at the milk carton in his hand. “Sorry, kiddo, I’m not awake yet.” He glanced at the broken coffee maker in the corner of the kitchen.

Regina rolled her eyes, produced another carton of milk seemingly from thin air, and poured some into Nick’s bowl. The boys scoffed down their cereal. David left the box back on the counter, knowing they’d just want seconds.

He yawned, rubbed his eyes and glared in the direction of the coffee maker. It had quit on him Saturday morning.  “Coffee run at Granny’s?” He asked Regina hopefully.

“If we have time.”

Henry slurped up the last of his cereal. “Dad.” He gave him a look. “You and Mom are still in your pyjamas.”

He looked down. He was. He hadn’t even put on his slippers. Damn. He ruffled his hair as he passed him. “Thanks, bud.” He made to leave. “Ava. Breakfast.”

“I’m almost at the end of the chapter.”

David looked at her. “Aves.”

“One more page.”

“Ava,” Regina called softly, a slight sing-song in her voice.

She huffed, moved her book to one hand and lifted her spoon with the other. “There.” She chewed loudly. “I’m eating. Happy now?”

“Don’t talk with your mouth full, dear,” Regina said without even looking up.

The kids were waiting in the foyer with her, bundled up in hats and coats and scarves and gloves. The weather had become exponentially colder these last few days. Regina looked at Henry’s blue winter coat. He was outgrowing it. Ava and Nicky needed things too. Their jackets looked… shabby, for lack of a better word. Regina glanced at her watch, irritated.

“David,” she called, hand on the staircase.

“One minute.”

Ava sighed and dropped her bag. She sat down on the third step of the staircase and opened her book. Henry and Nicky were in a heated debate about who would actually win between Wolverine and the Hulk.

“No way! The Hulk's bigger and way stronger-”

“Yeah,” Nicky agreed, “but all he does is smash, smash, smash. Fighting isn't all about strength, it's also about technique.”

“Pssht.” Henry rolled his eyes. “You think Wolverine has technique?”

Nicky flexed his arms and did a monster voice. “Hulk SMASH!!!!”

“Watch it,” Ava snapped when he bumped into her.

“Sorry.”

“David,” Regina called again, walking toward him. “What…” she trailed off, confused. “What are you doing?”

He fiddled with the coffeemaker. “Making sure it’s really broken and not just-”

“We really need to get going,” she said, taking his elbow and pulling him away from the machine.

He stared after it longingly. “Yeah, okay.” He tugged her to a stop. “Hey, hang on a sec.”

“What?” She softened at his expression. “Yes?”

“Can we have lunch together today? You know like we used to do.” He saw the panic in her eyes. “Or are you going to continue avoiding me?”

“I haven't been avoiding…” It came out half-hearted, much like her attempts to put space between them.

She looked at their hands and rubbed over his wedding band with her thumb. She remembered placing it there for the first time. She remembered how her cheeks hurt from smiling that day. 3 January 2003. The lump in her throat burned.

“I’d love to have lunch with you today.”

He squeezed her hand and smiled. “Great.”

It was almost pathetic how little she had to do to please him. She could agree to lunch, and he’d smile at her like she placed each star by hand in the sky.

“Great,” she echoed, feeling nauseous again. She slumped against him, guilt weighing heavy on her shoulders. “I truly don’t deserve you,” she whispered, head on his chest.

He shook his head. “Please stop saying that.”

“It’s the truth.”

“It really isn’t.”

It was. She swallowed again, but it did nothing to ease the guilt burning her throat. She wrapped her arms around his waist and felt his encircle her.

There had been so many moments this weekend. So many self-indulgent moments. Weak moments. If she were a better person, she would have turned him away that night. She would have pushed him away and locked herself in her office. She would never have kissed him. Would never have…

If she were a better person, she would have…

She would have said no when he asked her if he was still allowed to kiss her. She should have said no. She should have done what she told Henry she was going to do. She should have asked him to leave. She should have said the scary words. She should have said divorce.

The colour would have drained from his face. He’d have fallen silent. The same way he did all those years ago when they were going through a rough patch. They were arguing almost every night after Henry fell asleep. She brought it up once, said it in anger, venomously, just wanting to hurt him. She could still see his face, the hurt and betrayal in his eyes. She remembered how he shrunk in front of her. The way he seemed to retreat into himself. They didn’t speak for days afterwards.

If she was a better person, she would never have pursued him. She would never have used Henry to get close to him. She would never have kissed him. She would never have agreed to that first date he so sweetly asked her to. She would never have drunk that forgetting potion. If she was a better person, she probably would never have cast the curse in the first place. If she was a better person, she would probably regret that she had.

But she wasn’t. And she didn’t. She felt badly about the harm it caused, the families living obliviously without each other. She wished she hadn’t killed quite so many people. Well… most of them deserved it. But she couldn’t regret the curse. Not when it gave her everything she’d wanted since she was a child – a family. Love.

“I’m sorry,” she said. “For the last few weeks.”

“We talked that out already.” He pressed his cheek against her head. His voice muffled. “It’s okay. Thank you for explaining it to me.”

She hadn’t. Not really. She’s distracted him from his pain and confusion with her own. It shouldn’t have worked, but it did. His need to be the hero and save her overpowered his desire for the truth. And so, her comforting him about his fears in what he described as the breakdown of their marriage turned to him comforting her while she broke down and cried, “I don’t deserve you,” over and over again.

The memory of that unsettled her. It was not her finest moment of manipulation, but it was effective. Regina let go of him and took a step back. She looked over his face and felt her stomach turn. She wished she had never seen that stupid shard of glass. That she wasn’t aware of this farce that was their lives. That she was still just his wife without any of the added complications of curses and evil queens and lives destroyed. She wished she’d taken his last name.

She supposed she must have stared at him too long. He looked at her curiously, a hint of concern in his blue eyes.

“Reg.”

“Do…” She realised what she was about to ask. She swallowed back her question. “Never mind.”

He squeezed her hand and smiled oh so adoringly at her. “No, come on, I wanna hear it.”

In the grand scheme of thing, it was… “It’s ridiculous. We should get going. The kids are going to be late for school.”

She tried to leave. He tugged her back by her hand. “Regina…”

Damn that smile. “It’s dumb.”

“All the more reason for me to hear it. You don’t have many dumb moments.”

That wasn’t true either. “Would it suit me?”

“Would what suit you?”

“Your name.”

He opened his mouth then closed it. “I’m confused.”

“Nolan.”

“Mills?” He now looked confused.

She blinked and waited. He looked more confused. He truly was obtuse sometimes. “Would Nolan suit me?”

“Ohh…” Finally, he understood her. “You okay?” He touched her forehead. “Hmm, no fever so… ouch.” She slapped his hand away. He laughed. “Where’s this coming from?”

“I…. I don’t know,” she admitted.  “It’s some… I’ve been thinking about it recently.”

He faltered. “You’re serious?”

“I don’t know.”

“Hmm.” He thought about it. “I don’t know,” he answered honestly. He looked at her, head tilted. “You’ve really been thinking about changing your last name?”

“No.” She wouldn’t do something that drastic at this point. Not with the curse so close to breaking. Not after getting her memories back. “I was wondering why I didn’t when we got married.”

“Ah.” He leaned back against the counter. “Well… I mean, we never really spoke about it and your name suits you. That’s not to say that Nolan wouldn’t have. If you wanted.”

“Did it… ever bother you? That I didn’t take your name?”

He shook his head quietly. A tiny smile lit up his face. “No.”

He said it so easily and honestly that Regina realised it must truly never have crossed his mind. But was that the curse’s effect or was it simply the way he would have responded had he been hers truly this entire time?

He exaggerated a look of concern. “Now, babe, are you sure you’re okay?”

She rolled her eyes. “Are you?”

“After coffee, I will be.”

The air changed. Lightened. She smiled and took his offered hand as they walked to the front door.

“Where’s Ava?” Regina asked, looking at the empty spot on the staircase.

Nicky pulled his beanie straight. “She finished her book, so she went to get another one.”

“Oh, for the love of…” Regina pinched the bridge of her nose and sighed loudly.

David lifted her wrist and glanced at her watch. “I guess we’ll have to get coffee after we drop them at school.”

“You’ve quite the one-track mind, David.”

Henry snorted. “You guys switched places. Mom used to be obsessed with coffee.”

They all looked in the direction of Ava’s hurried footsteps.

She skidded to a stop with a sheepish and lightly puzzled expression. “I thought we were waiting for David.”

“Quit complaining about my office.”

Regina wiped a finger along the end of the couch and showed her the dust stain it had left. “You have a decorating budget for a reason.”

“I just moved my things in.”

“You were assigned this space three weeks ago.”

“Yes and?”

She raised an eyebrow at her. The light of the broken blinds behind her reflected off Kathryn's watch. No. It wasn’t her watch. Regina glanced at her wrist. Bare. Then she saw it.

Kathryn simply laughed as she took her seat behind her desk. “Can we talk about something else? How are the kids? Ava’s art project. How’d that-”

“The children are well.” She eyed her suspiciously. “Are you really not going to bring it up?”

She froze halfway in setting her bag down. “Bring what up?”

Regina stared pointedly at her left hand. “Your engagement, Kathryn.”

“Oh! That!” She blushed scarlet and sputtered. “That… That um… I…” Her eyes darted up. She inhaled deeply, breathed out, “Jim proposed,” and ended up with a beaming smile on her face.

“I gathered.” She smiled genuinely. “I’m so happy for you, Kat.”

She looked at the ring on her finger and laughed disbelievingly. “I didn’t…  think… I…” She shook her head. “I didn’t think I would ever be engaged and I certainly never believed that the prospect of marriage would ever appeal to me, let alone make me this happy but…”

“It does?” she supplied in a soft tone.

Kathryn nodded vigorously, tears just barely staying in her eyes from the movement. “It really, really does.”

“Good.” She gave a short nod. She walked around the desk and slapped her on the shoulder.

“Hey!” She cried, affronted. “What was that for?”

“Were you really just going to let me prattle on about an office and not even tell me-”

“Of course, I was-”

Regina pulled her into a crushing hug.

“You have a funny way of congratulating people, Regina,” Kathryn mumbled against her shoulder, hugging her back just as tight.

“I’m glad you’re happy.”

“Thank you.”

She silently congratulated Jim on finally working up the courage to propose to Kathryn ‘I-Really-Don’t-See-The-Point-Of-Marriage’ Nolan. He’d been carrying that ring around for weeks now. He had planned on proposing to her that weekend Henry almost inserted himself into their plans to take a trip to their cabin, but then Ava and Nicky happened. Regina and David ended up signing paperwork to become their temporary foster parents. Kathryn wanted to stick around to meet her new niece and nephew and then well… things had been busy for a while.

Understandably, Jim’s plan to propose had been put on hold. Regina remembered helping him narrow down which ring to get her. She and Jim were close. He was the first one she told when she found out she was pregnant, granted it was by accident, but it still counted. She was the first call he made to ask for help in planning the proposal. Of course, he’d turned down all of her suggestions, but she was still his first choice in helping. She thought that too must have counted.

He made her promise not to tell David because he could never keep anything from Kathryn.

Regina had actually forgotten about that until this very moment where she stood hugging Kathryn. With everything that had been happening lately, she forgot a lot of things that didn’t immediately involve David and Henry.

She had friends under the curse. She had people she’d come to care about. People like Kathryn and Jim. Ruby and Granny. Eunice occasionally. Sure, Sidney even. Maybe. No, rather not. She had people she cared about. Would they hate her too when the curse ended?

Regina let go of Kathryn and put on her best smile. “I’m treating you to breakfast. You can tell me the story over croissants.”

Kathryn beamed at her.

“Should we invite Ava to sit with us?

Nick looked up with a frown, his sandwich still between his teeth. It was that seeded bread that only Mom used to eat. With all of his allergies, Nick started eating it too. Once he said he even liked the taste of it. Henry didn’t believe him.

“Whagh?” He asked, not bothering to chew or swallow his lunch.

“Ava.”

“Whagh ag’ouh ger?”

Paul sighed. “Chew your food, Zimmer.”

Henry looked at Nick pointedly. He rolled his eyes and made a great effort in doing as instructed. They were the first three to arrive at their table. They were waiting on the others who were getting their lunch from the school cafeteria.

Nick twisted in his seat to look over at Ava. Henry looked at her too. She was reading the book she ran back to her room for this morning. He couldn’t see the title from here.

He shrugged. “She’s reading.”

“Well, yes… but… she’s alone.”

“She’s reading.”

Henry kept looking at her, his mouth all scrunched up.

“She’s fine,” Nick said, sandwich halfway to his mouth. “If she gets bored or lonely, she’ll come find us.” He took another monstrous bite.

Henry nodded. That made sense. If Ava wanted to sit with them, she would. But… Henry still felt worried about her. He used to sit alone like that. He used to be the kid who would hide at some table away from everyone else and read his book.

The table filled up and Henry’s eyes drifted away from Ava to his friends. They chatted and joked and in between laughing and talking, Henry would occasionally look over Nick’s shoulder to make sure Ava didn’t look sad. If she looked sad, Henry thought, he would go sit with her.

Ashleigh cleared her throat and Henry’s attention immediately switched to her.

“Greetings, my fellow prisoners,” she said in a weird, almost English accent. She set her tray down at the head of the table like she was leading them in battle plans. “From my sack, I produce…” She paused dramatically and reached into her brown leather satchel. Henry had never seen her without it. “Ahem… drumroll please.”

Paul began a drumroll on the table. Nick and Melody joined in.

“Invitations!” Ashleigh pulled them free with a flourish.

“Invitations to what?” Nick asked.

She dropped the voice. “My birthday party.” She smiled really big and looked at him. Henry felt his face get warm. “Sarah,” she said, skipping over to her. She did a curtsey and handed over the invitation.

Sarah did not look amused. “Thanks.”

It sounded like pure sarcasm. Henry and a few others laughed. Ashleigh smiled even bigger. Sarah was grumpy all the time. If Henry didn’t know any better, he might have thought she was the dwarf and not Leroy.

“Melody, Paige, Oscar.” She handed theirs to them too. “Paul.” Then Ashleigh skipped to their side of the table. “Henry, Nicholas, and my very best friend in the whole wide world… Dana.”

Dana’s invitation had little green hearts around her name, Henry saw. He looked down at his own and lit up a little at his name in her neat handwriting. He read over the invite and started smiling. It was a costume party. The theme was Pirates of the Caribbean.

“Dibs on Jack Sparrow,” Nick said quickly.

Paul groaned. “You beat me to it.”

“That’s not fair. I wasn’t even done reading,” complained Oscar.

Dana claimed, “Elizabeth Swann.”

“No, Dana.” Ashleigh shook her head and crossed her arms over her chest. “It’s my birthday. I get to be Elizabeth.”

Dana sighed. “Fine.”

Melody grinned. “Calipso! Calipso! Calipso!”

“Hmmmm…” Paul pretended to think and rub his chin. “I want to be one of the creepy ocean pirates. With the shells and the fish and-”

“Do we have to dress up like a pirate?” Paige interrupted.

Ashleigh moved her tray and sat on the bench. She thought for a second. “You have to look like you’re from the movie. So… you could be a pirate or a lady or a lord.”

Oscar yessed loudly.

She looked at him. “If you’re a lord, you have to wear the wig-”

“Ooh dibs on Will,” Oscar interrupted.

Henry’s eyes snapped to him. No! He wanted to be Will. Will ended up with Elizabeth.

“Okay, fine, you can be Will.” Ashleigh said.

“Haha yes!” He punched the air.

“There’s a mermaid too!” She said to Paige, her eyes lighting up. “You could be one of the mermaids.”

Paige liked the idea of that. “A mermaid,” she said, smiling to herself.

Sarah took out a notebook and opened it to the last page. “We should write down everyone’s character.”

“Good idea,” Dana said. “That way no one will wear the same costume.”

Nick leaned across the table. “I’m Jack,” he said, peering to read the page. “Make sure you put me down for Jack Sparrow.”

“Not Jack the Monkey?”

Henry could tell she was being sarcastic, but Nick stopped to consider the idea. He started grinning and nodding frantically. He put his hand over the page.

“Wait! I change my mind. I wanna be the monkey.”

Sarah looked up, visibly confused. “W-What?”

“The monkey,” he said urgently. He tapped the page. “I want to be Jack the Monkey!”

She sputtered and tried to speak a few times before eventually just closing her mouth and writing down Nick’s costume next to his name.

Oscar looked up. “Does this mean Jack Sparrow is free?” His eyes lit up. He leaned over to Sarah. “I’m Jack then. Sparrow. Not Monkey. Jack Sparrow.”

She rolled her eyes and wrote his name down too. Henry quietly sipped his juice box as everyone else fought over who they wanted to be. By the time recess was nearly over, everyone at their table had their characters chosen.

Nick was Jack the Monkey, Oscar was Jack Sparrow, Paul was going to be one of Davey Jones’ crewmembers, Melody was Calipso, Sarah was going to be that woman who Jack stole the ship from… Henry couldn’t remember her name, Paige and Dana were going to be mermaids, Ashleigh was going to be Elizabeth Swann.

“Henry.” Sarah looked at him. “You didn’t say who you’re going as.”

Everyone looked at him.

He got nervous and stuttered. “Well I uh… I…” He glanced at Ashleigh and looked away quickly. He wanted to say Will. No. That was silly. He couldn’t be Will. He wasn’t… wasn’t… He didn’t… Maybe he could be Barbosa? Or even Blackbeard! “The… um…”

“You could be the parrot!” Nick suggested.

He immediately shook his head. “No, I uh… um… I’ll- I’ll be Will.”

Will! Will? Why Will? Why did he say Will? Everyone was going to think he was weird now. Oh no! And then no one would want to sit with him anymore. And he wouldn’t have any friends. And he’d have to sit with Ava and read. Not that he didn’t like reading. He loved it! He just liked having friends too. Okay, fine, he liked having friends more than reading. He didn’t like being alone anymore.

“Will. Okay.” Sarah wrote it down.

Henry’s eyes nearly bulged when he saw the name Will Turner next to his. He was going to be Will Turner. Will Turner! He was going to be Will. Wow. He felt impossibly happy about that and couldn’t stop smiling.

“It’s settled.” Sarah shut the notebook with a satisfied nod.

Ashleigh looked a little bit guilty. “Almost settled.” She lifted out more invitations. They were white instead of yellow like the ones she had just handed out to them. “I still have to pass these out.”

Dana leaned over the table and looked in her satchel. “Are you inviting everyone?”

She nodded happily. “Yep.”

Ashleigh said she was going to hand out the rest of the invitations during classes and that she would tell everyone to speak to Sarah about which character they wanted to be.

“I guess I’m the name keeper then,” Sarah said.

“Where the hell have you been? I’ve been trying to get a hold of you since breakfast!”

David pulled the phone from his ear with a wince. “Hello to you too, Kat.”

“Well?”

He sighed. “I was on patrol in the woods and my phone died. I just got back to the station.” He could hear her narrowing her eyes. He balanced the phone between his ear and shoulder as he focused on his computer monitor.

“Fine. You’re forgiven.”

“Just like that? Wow. Somebody’s in a good mood. Is Jim stress-cooking again?”

“Oh, as if you don’t know.”

“Don’t know what?” He asked distractedly. He was typing a report onto the computer.

“David! I just told Regina, you don’t have to keep pretending like you didn’t know about the proposal beforehand I-”

“Proposal!” He grabbed the phone and leaned back in his chair, report and computer forgotten. “What pro- Did Jim finally ask?” She didn’t even answer. “Oh my… Kathryn, this is great!”

“What makes you think I said yes?”

David froze.

She burst out laughing. “I’m just messing with you. Of course, I said yes. It’s Jim!”

“Not funny.” Despite his words, he laughed too. “Congratulations.”

“Thank you.” She sounded bashful.

“Is this why I have eleven missed calls from you?”

“After I told Regina, I was dying to speak to you. I wanted to tell you both together but… well, you’ve met your wife. Also, I wasn’t exactly incognito about it. I wore the ring to the office today.” She paused for a breath. “You really didn’t know?”

He shook his head. “I think we all knew he wanted to but… I didn’t think he’d actually ask you. Or that you’d say yes. Given how anti-marriage you’ve… always… been.”

“Ouch.” She sighed. “I know. Um… This is also why I called earlier. I want… I need to speak to you about all of this. About getting married and y… David, I’m scared.”

“Kat.”

“I’m really fricking scared. I mean, I’m happy too, but…” She took a breath. “I’m just scared too.”

Mom and Dad, he knew at once. He looked at Graham through the glass, mouthed “Sorry” as he stood up. Graham waved him off.

He paused by his office door and placed his palm over his phone as he pulled it from his ear. “My sister. I’ll be back in twenty.”

“Take thirty.”

“Thanks.” David grabbed his jacket off the coat rack on his way out. He put the phone back to his ear. “I’ll be at Town Hall in five minutes.”

She laughed under her breath. “Thanks.” He was about to hang up when she said, “I’m in my new office.”

“Oh. Which floor?”

“Second.”

“Took you long enough to settle in.”

She groaned. “Not you too.”

He laughed and hung up. David went to Granny’s for the food version of therapy – lattes and donuts. A few minutes later, he sat down in his sister’s recently dusted office. She’d taken down all the broken blinds and opened all the windows to air the room out, but it still smelt heavily of dust, old files and stagnant air.

Kathryn hummed while sipping her red velvet latte – her favourite flavour. “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.”

He set the box of donuts in between them. They sat on the floor, their backs against the wall, just looking at her office.

Kathryn flipped open the lid of the box. “Chocolate and chocolate-frosted donuts? You know me so well.” She sighed happily at her first bite. “You’re my favourite brother.”

He rolled his eyes and picked one for himself. They ate their first donuts in silence.

“It’s not that scary, you know.”

She exhaled shakily. “Logically, reasonable, rationally… yes. I know that. But… emotionally, that’s another thing.”

He nodded understandingly. “We’re not them.”

When they were teenagers, they used to steal his beer and cigarettes, climb onto the roof, look up at the stars and talk about their plans to run away or how when they were grown-ups they’d never ever ever be like their parents.

“Jim and I… we…” She took a deep breath. “We spoke about this, about what getting married would mean for me and… I told him why it scares me. He had the ring out on the table, still in the box, hadn’t even opened it.” She fixed her eyes ahead. “He told me that if I said no, he would understand, that he wouldn’t push it or try to change my mind. He said he just had to ask once because he couldn’t spend the rest of his life wondering what my answer would be.” She sighed wistfully, her eyes tearing. “It wasn’t even a… I didn’t even hesitate or think or… It’s Jim! I love him. How could I say no?”

David frowned. “If you’re having second thoughts-”

“No,” she shook her head. “I want to marry him. I want the dress and the wedding and to be able to call him my husband and not my boyfriend or partner. I want to be married to him.” She looked at him. “I’m just really scared too. I’m remembering all these… things… about Mom and Dad. All these memories… and they’re really freaking me out.”

David put an arm around her shoulders and hugged her. Kathryn breathed deeply.

“How did you do it?” She asked softly. “You didn’t even… flinch. Regina asked you and you said yes. Then the next week you signed the paperwork right here in this building. You just… dove in. Headfirst into unknown waters. How did you know you could do it? That you wouldn’t screw it up?”

He did screw up. He remembered Mary-Margaret’s whiskey kiss, her pink lace bra, and the feel of her sheets under his hands. He screwed up royally.

“You’re not going to screw anything up. You two love each other. You live together. The only thing that really changes is the government’s involvement in your lives – the aforementioned paperwork, taxes, etcetera.” She didn’t seem calmed by this. David rambled on. “Besides I was still half an amnesiac when we tied the knot. I only got all of my memories back a few years ago.”

Kathryn looked up at him thoughtfully, eyebrows furrowed. “Wasn’t that the year things started becoming tense between you two?”

David frowned. He’d never considered that that might been a contributing factor in their communication problems. “It was.”

“You started having problems the moment you remembered him,” she said, a realization uttered out loud. “And since then, we’ve been speaking about this a lot more, him, them, how we would be different.”

“We are different.”

She touched her forehead. “God, I hope so.”

He patted her back. “I’m sorry, Kat.” He gestured half-heartedly to the almost empty donut box. “This was supposed to be an attempt at cheering you up.”

She gave a small smile and tilted her head to look at him. “I think I just needed you here. Talk it out, y’know.”

She lifted another donut, leaned back against the wall, and ate it with mechanical stiffness. They sat in silence for a few moments longer, each letting their own thoughts marinate.

“We are different,” she said in a decisive tone. “We are. I may have inherited his assertiveness and proficiency in law and yes, I have his hair and eyes but… we’re not the same. I’m not him.”

“No, you’re not.”

“And I’m certainly not her.”

David tensed. Kathryn viewed their mother as equally deserving of blame as their father. She viewed her as a lesser villain in their story and not as the victim of her own. David could never get her to change her mind, even after all these years. It still bothered him that Kathryn spared their mother so little sympathy.

“I can defend myself. I can stand up for myself and should the occasion arise, for my children too.” She deflated. “Not that I’ll ever need to. Jim’s like literally the gentlest person I’ve ever met. I’m not worried about that. Logically I know that he… that we’re… that we’re going to… that this is the right decision but…”

“Emotionally…” He nodded in understanding.

The air became heavier. Not even the wide-open windows and freezing winter breeze could change that. David cleared his throat to speak and change the topic. Kathryn beat him to it.

“We wanted to do something to celebrate.”

“Like an engagement party?”

She nodded. “Something small. Just family. A dinner maybe.”

“When, where and what should we bring?” He asked immediately. Kathryn had said maybe, but he knew her. She never spoke in maybes.

She laughed to herself, walked over to her desk and pulled out her planner. “We wanted to have both our families over. So, on my side, that’s you, Regina, the kids. That’s five. On Jim’s, it’s his parents, his two brothers, their wives and Sam’s twins. That’s seven. Which in total makes fourteen including myself and Jim. Nine adults. Five kids. Jim’s parents don’t drink and neither does he or his brothers when they’re over.”

“Nothing alcohol-related I’m guessing,” he mused, answering his own question on what he was supposed to bring.

“No,” she answered distractedly. “Jim’s taking care of dinner. Which means I have all of next week to enjoy his stress-cooking.” Kathryn looked up from her planner. “Dessert,” she said, seeming to have just decided it.

“Dessert?”

She nodded. “I haven’t been around to dinner for ages. I miss Regina's deserts.”

“I’ll be sure to tell her that. Anything specif-”

“Blueberry pie.”

He nodded. “Okay. We’ll have to get something else too. Nick’s allergic to blueberries.”

“Crap.” She took out her diary and a pen and came to sit next to him. “I need a list of everything he’s allergic to.”

“Um… Shellfish, apples…” He tried to remember it. “Hang on. I have it on my phone.” He found the picture he took of the list on the fridge. “Shellfish, eggs, milk, any and all variations of nuts, apples, blueberries, kiwi and pineapple.”

She wrote it down and stared at the list. “I can see why he prefers Cheetos.” She closed her book. “He has a stash hidden in Eunice’s bottom desk drawer.”

He snorted. “Does she know?”

Kathryn laughed. “She’s a thousand and nearly blind in both eyes. No. Eunice doesn’t know.”

“Regina?”

She shrugged. “No clue. Dinner is next Wednesday.”

He startled. “Wednesday?”

“Yeah, Wednesday. I know it’s the middle of the week, but work-wise…”

David didn’t hear the rest. His heart pounded in his ears. He couldn’t figure out why. Just that… that… he was expecting to… he wanted to…  He thought… he… No. That was ridiculous. After what happened last Friday, it was ridiculous to think she’d still come to the bar this Wednesday let alone the next.

“Do you have something that day?”

“What? Oh. No.” He shook his head. “No, I thought I did but I don’t.”

“Okay.” She smiled. “Wednesday it is.”

He tried to smile back. He shouldn’t be feeling this. He shouldn’t be feeling disappointed or guilty or anything towards Mary-Margaret aside from platonic affection. He was married. He had a wife and children. He had a family.

His sister just got engaged and the only thing he could think about was how Wednesday was their night. Great. Not only was he a terrible husband for almost cheating, but he was a terrible brother too. He couldn’t even put Mary-Margaret out of his head and just be happy for his sister.

He couldn’t forget about Mary-Margaret, her whiskey kiss, her pink lace bra with the pink diamond stud at the centre of the little bow in between her breasts, and how he just left her on her bed and hadn’t spoken to her since.

“Wednesday it is.”

Chapter Text

“David, I really don't think we should be in here.”

“It’ll be fine. This is my sister’s place. She won’t mind.”

Outside of the small cabin, the winds howled, rain poured, and the sky rumbled with thunder. David tried his phone again. No signal. His radio. Nothing but static on the other end. It looked like they were going to be stuck here for a while. That is if the storm even let up enough for them to leave. It would be suicide to even think about going outside.

Mary-Margaret set the birdcage down by the door.

He was out patrolling when he heard a scream and went to investigate. He ended up saving her from nearly falling to her death into a ravine. She fell on top of him, and the other night flashed before his eyes. From her expression, he surmised she must have had the same thought. Needless to say, things were now incredibly awkward.

The crack of lightning through thick grey clouds forced them to find shelter from the storm and now they were here. In a deserted cabin. In the middle of the woods. Rain outside and warm flames in a rustic fireplace. A romantic set-up.

He struggled to push the thought from his mind not two seconds after it arrived.

Mary-Margaret rubbed her hands together and blew into them, trying to warm herself. Her breath came out in a white mist. He looked around the cabin and found the linen cupboard. He lifted out a blue quilt.

“Here.”

He put it around her shoulders. She shrugged his hands off but kept the quilt. David stepped back and looked out the window.

“Why are you out here? Shouldn't you be at school? Teaching?”

She pulled the quilt tighter around herself. The action was somewhat defensive. “Since when is it a crime to take a sick day when you’re not actually sick?”

His face burned. He shut up and turned away from her. A long time passed. Awkward minutes spent in agonizing silence.

“The rain is slowing down.”

He looked out the window. “Yeah.”

Hopefully, it would soon slow to a pace he could walk through. He dared a glance at her. He’d spent so much of the last few days hoping to see her again so that he could apologize and now that he was near her at last and could afford to, his throat closed around the words. David swallowed painfully. It was as if he hoped that with the physical action, he could metaphorically swallow his own fears as well. His own embarrassment, if he was honest enough with himself.

He let out a heavy breath. “I’m sorry,” he said to the floor. He couldn’t bring himself to raise his eyes. “About the-”

“That’s- I… Look, Dav- We really don’t need to talk about that now. Or ever.” He saw her shaking her head out of the corner of his eye. “We don’t even need to speak at all. To each o… other.”

His mouth tasted foul, of guilt and lies and betrayal. Worst of all was disappointment. “I don’t… That’s not what I want.”

She seemed just as surprised by his words as he. He’d meant to look up for only a moment. A sheepish stolen glance to gauge her reaction. Instead, their eyes locked, and David found himself unable to look away.

“Mary-Margaret, I’m sorry about that night. For just leaving you there like that. I-I never meant-”

“David…” She trailed off with a sad laugh, smiling through her pain. “You don’t need to-”

“I’m sorry,” he said again, imploringly, pouring every ounce of sincerity he could into those two words.

She looked away. His eyes fell hopelessly to the floor again.

“It’s… You don’t need to apologize for… You made the right decision that night. You left before anything actually-” She directed another one of those splintering smiles in his direction. “You’re married, there was alcohol involved and… well,” she took a shaky breath, “we never crossed any lines.”

Except they had. Perhaps not physically, but he… Had her hair been just a few inches longer, David worried he might have. David supposed that at the time, he’d just wanted that closeness again, that intimacy. He tried to convince himself that the only reason he hadn’t gone through with it was because the woman he’d been kissing wasn’t Regina. He’d nearly succeeded.

The truth was harder to swallow.

Yes, he had been using Mary-Margaret as a balm to his loneliness, and yes, he may have kissed her after too many beers and too much reminiscing about what being in love felt like. But it wasn’t the only reason he stopped. Regina may have been at the forefront of his mind, but there was a tiny nagging part of his heart that couldn’t bear to hurt Mary-Margaret.

That part had been growing bigger in the face of her absence in his life. The more time passed without seeing her or speaking to her, the more he missed her. The more he wondered. Somewhere along the way, somewhere between loneliness and friendship, he started… She became important to him. He began to care about her. Some days he could convince himself it was simply platonic. Others… he had to admit to himself that… that… that…

“I think I have feelings for you.”

Her head snapped up. “What?”

“I have f-”

“Don’t say it again!” She sounded shrill. He looked up. Her face was pale. “David, wha- what are you doing?”

He couldn’t look at her any longer. His eyes fell miserably to the floor. “I don’t know,” he admitted. “I just… that night, our kiss… It meant something and if…”

“No.”

He was unsure what she was objecting to. He might have asked; had she not beat him to speaking.

“I’m not doing this.” She shook the quilt off. It fell to the ground, soft as snow. She marched to the door and lifted the birdcage.

He set his hand over the doorknob just as she was reaching for it. “Wait, please don’t go.”

“Let me through.”

“It’s still pouring outside. It’ll be dangerous to walk in-”

“I don’t care.”

He saw the determination in her eyes and slowly stepped away. He spoke in a rush as she turned the doorknob. “I’ll drop the subject and even sit in a different room. Just… don’t…”

Lighting flashed across the sky. Thunder grumbled. David remembered the streaks of purple lightning he saw while kissing Regina the night he…

He stopped that thought and rooted himself in the present moment. The cold bit at his fingers. He stuffed them in his coat pockets. His face stung. He should have taken the scarf Regina suggested this morning. He felt an ache below his sternum. This entire situation was fucked.

Mary-Margaret’s shoulders sagged. She closed the door.

She went to sit on the couch while David stood awkwardly. The air felt too tense to move in. He gingerly picked up the fallen quilt and handed it to her before he made his way to the master bedroom of the cabin.

“You should really get someone in here to screen calls.”

Graham hit the bullseye. “That was kind of the point of me offering you that job a couple months back. Remember?”

“Come on,” Emma groaned. “That’s like your tenth bullseye. How are you doing that? Is the board rigged or something? Did you install a homing chip in the darts?”

He laughed. “Your turn.”

Emma stepped behind the line of tape they’d put on the floor. She lifted the dart, aimed, did a few practice throws and pulled her arm back to-

The phone blared out angrily from David's desk.

Emma jumped. “What the hell man!” The dart fell on the floor. She glared at David's empty desk, at the source of her distraction, the ever-ringing phone. “Maybe you should get that.”

He looked too. “It’s fine. All the non-emergency calls go to voicemail.”

“And the emergency calls?”

“This is Storybrooke, what emergencies? It’s probably Mrs Ginger panicking about Pongo. She calls almost every day about that darn spotted dog.” He said that last part in an imitation of her voice.

Emma burst out laughing.

Graham cleared his throat self-consciously and scratched his neck. “It wasn’t that funny.”

“No, no. Definitely not funny.” She schooled her features. “Say it again,” she asked, trying not to smile.

He laughed at the absurdity of her request. “You still haven’t given me an answer.”

“To what?”

“You know what.”

She picked up the dart. “Uh…” The whole concept of defining things. One night stands she could do. Relationships? Not so much. “It sounds… You really want to do the whole restaurant and fancy clothes thing just so that we can talk about what we are to each other?”

“We don’t have to dress up and go a restaurant, but yes, I do think we should talk.” Something in her expression must have given her away. “Unless…”

The phone rang out angrily. She quickly picked up the phone receiver from David's desk. “Sheriff station.”

The other end of the line was silent for a few seconds and then a confused voice spoke. “Ms Swan?”

Shit. She winced. “Y-yep. What can I do for you, Madame Mayor?”

There was a pause and then, “Is David there?”

Emma looked around, half expecting him to appear out of thin air. “Uh… no.” She put her hand over the receiver and mouthed, “Where's David?” to Graham.

He looked at her thoughtfully, sighed and answered her. “He was out on patrol in the woodside. Near the toll bridge, I think. But that was a few hours ago. He must be biding out the storm in his patrol car or something.”

Emma relayed the information. A few seconds passed without words. “Was there a message or something?”

“No, I… I don’t know. I tried his phone earlier, but I couldn't get through. I thought I’d try the station. He's supposed to... Oh, never mind. I’m sorry to have bothered you.”

“Oh, no that's—” She hung up. “—fine.” Emma stared at the phone for a few seconds. She put it down. “Well, that was weird.”

Graham pulled the darts from the board. “Emma. I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable-”

“You didn’t. I just…” A ready-packaged lie nearly tumbled out. She reminded herself that she liked Graham. She wanted to be with him. She wanted to… She decided to be honest. “This is all new to me. I’m not used to… someone wanting to define things or have a conversation about where they think we’re headed. I’m not… This has never happened to me before.”

“We have that in common then.” He turned around. “I’ve never had an actual relationship before either.” He twisted the darts in his hands. He looked a bit nervous. “That’s why I want to do this right.”

“Oh.” It was the only word she could manage. She was… Emma was surprised, she supposed. Touched even. No. Ugh. She was speechless. She was… Damn her, she was swooning.

How could she not? Vulnerability, honesty, nervousness… Those words… That accent… Emma felt mildly disgusted at herself. Mildly. The rest was happiness, excitement and hope that maybe, just maybe she was cut out for this. For a relationship. That maybe she could be the type of person who laid down roots somewhere, who got the right amount of attached, who didn’t pick up and leave after two years of just mindlessly existing. She had an okay job, a good enough room with an amazing roommate slash best friend. She had Henry. Amazing, brilliant, weird (in a way that would definitely help his artistic side) and maybe a little messed up Henry. Perfect Henry. And… maybe she could have a normal, functioning romantic relationship too. Maybe she was cut out for this.

His pocket buzzed. David lifted out his phone, glanced at the screen, and swiftly answered. “Regina.”

“Finally!”

It was amazing that by simply one word over a call, he knew her exact facial expression. Fondness warmed his chest. Anxiety and guilt flooded it out. David slumped against the door and dropped his head against it.

“Everything okay?”

“No yeah uh ev- everything’s fine. I uh…” He caught onto the least confusing and most uncomplicated feeling he could discern from the dozens swimming around in his stomach. “I missed your voice today.”

“What?”

A little smile flicked up the corners of his mouth as he imagined her expression right now. Her surprised eyes, how she would try to hide her smile. He loved her. David took a few breaths and let that simple fact ground him. He loved her. He needed to figure out what exactly it was he felt for Mary-Margaret and what would be the best…

He loved her.

Regina. Regina! He loved Regina.

So why did it feel like he had to remind himself of that sometimes?

He pushed that thought down deep inside himself.

“Well, I um… thank you?” She cleared her throat and switched back to her usual tone. “You would have heard it a lot more had you answered your phone earlier.”

“What?”

“Oh, I only called about twelve hundred times.”

His eyes widened and, in a panic, he looked at his watch. Shit. He’d been in this cabin for almost two hours now. How in the hell…?

“Sorry. The storm’s been- The kids,” he remembered. “I was supposed to pick them up today. I’m so sorry, babe, I completely forgot.”

“Relax, I have that sorted. Where are you? Graham said you were doing patrol today. Are you-”

“No, no, I’m fine,” he assured, quickly understanding the reason she was calling him. “You checking up on me, Mills?”

“Of course.”

He smiled, touched by the immediateness of her response. “A bit cold and wet from the rain but overall… I’m okay. Taking shelter in Kathryn's cabin.”

“Good.” She sounded relieved. “I’ll pick up the kids. Do not drive in this weather.”

“I know, I know.”

“As soon as the storm lets up, you’ll come through to my office to give me a break from babysitting-”

“I thought we’re not supposed to call it babysitting when we’re the parents,” he teased, parroting her words from years ago.

She scoffed. “When they return to their default setting, I’ll rephrase. Until then… You’ll relieve me from babysitting, take the three of them home, and throw some pop-tarts at them or whatever it is you do for mealtime when I’m not there.”

“Hey, I cook more than you do.”

“I’ll be home sometime before seven to relieve you,” she continued on as if he hadn’t spoken.

“Seven? Wow. Someone’s getting off early. Your boss in a good mood or something?”

He could hear the new smile in her voice at his comment. “And then you’re off to the station for the night shift.”

“It’s Graham’s week for that.”

“Not tonight.”

“What?”

“One of the favours I owe.”

One of? “Wh… What favour?”

He heard rustling papers on the other end. “Sorry?” She sounded distracted.

He opened and closed his mouth quickly. “Reg, I’m missing several plot points here.”

“Answer one of my calls next time.”

There was no bitterness, anger or even annoyance in her tone. He felt snubbed nonetheless. Regina spoke to someone else. He couldn’t hear the words. Her hand must be over the bottom end of her office phone.

“I’ll tell you about it later. I think you’ll be amused. Or… no, probably not. I have to go now. I’ll see you at home.”

“I’ll save you a pop-tart.”

She hummed.

He loved how she could communicate dry amusement with nothing more than a simple hum.  “Regina,” he said anxiously, hoping she wouldn’t hang up before he got the chance to say it.

“Yes?”

“I love you.”

“I love you too,” she said after a moment’s hesitation.

The call ended with a simple click.

With a simple click and he was made fully aware of his surroundings. Fully aware of the fact that Mary-Margaret was outside of this room he’d been hiding in under the pretence of giving her space when really it was him who needed it to sort through his feelings and that stupidly timed confession.

It would have been safer to utter it to Archie than to blurt it out in front of her like that.

The rain stopped abruptly and all at once. He waited two minutes before he warily left the room. A small part of him hoped she stayed so that he might have another attempt at apologizing. This time for his confession and not for leaving her alone in her bed without an explanation.

Looked like he’d gotten his wish. She was still there.

“Mary-Margaret-”

She stood up anxiously and quickly. “You’re married.”

“I know.”

“You have a family.”

“I know.”

“Your wife is pregnant.”

“I know.”

She looked at him incredulously. “David…”

“I understand that this is insane,” he said quickly. “I understand the logistics of the situation we’re in. I do.”

“Situation? We’re n-not-”

“But I have feelings for you. Very real. Very intense. Very non-platonic feelings. And I have no idea what to do with them.”

“You think I do?” She shook her head rapidly. “No, no, no David, I… I’m not going to do this.”

“Do what? I’m not asking you to have an affair with me. Just a conversation. I need to know if…”

“If what?”

He was fully aware that not two seconds he told his wife he loved her – what’s more was that he’d meant it – and now, facing Mary-Margaret, he was… he was grappling with feelings for her too.

“I need to know if I’m going crazy or if there is something between us. If you feel something too.”

For a moment she looked like she might have said yes then her eyes fell to the floor. “What good would it do for you to know?”

He opened his mouth but couldn’t answer. It sounded an awful lot like a yes.

“I know you want to… talk about…” She shook her head, like she couldn’t bring herself to say the words. “You’re married, you have a family, you’re fostering two other kids. You have a… There’s Henry and Nicholas and- and…” She struggled to remember. “Um… uh… the girl-”

“Ava?”

“Ava. Whatever feelings you think you have for me you need to squash them as far down as you can because you’re never going to act on them. Not with me.”

She was right. He knew it instantly. This was the right decision. He was married. He loved his wife. But… No. He shoved that thought away too – before it could even form. His eyes burned. He nodded.

“You’re right. I’m sorry. This is…” This was his problem, this thing, these feelings. “I shouldn’t have… I’m sorry.”

The whiplash was intense. One moment he was fighting to understand a feeling that often overwhelmed and confused him and the next, it was as if it never existed in the first place. He felt like he was battling two realities that couldn’t survive on the same plane of existence. He felt like he was going insane. It didn’t make any sense how quickly he could be swayed, how his own feelings could make themselves true and untrue within a matter of minutes.

She moved to the door and lifted the birdcage.

“Mary-Margaret, you were… are,” he corrected softly, “a…”

Her hand paused over the doorknob. She looked at him.

“A really good friend.”

Her eyes turned soft and sad. She took a deep breath. “Goodbye David.”

“Oh!” Regina gasped as he wrapped his arms around her. She looked up quickly and relaxed when she saw it was him. “David.”

She moved a sleek black folded umbrella to one hand and set the other atop his. He’d admit he was surprised by the movement. Things had been better between them since… that night, but… well, he didn’t expect her to… This was going to sound horrible, but he thought her affection wouldn’t last this long. But maybe that was his guilt talking.

David squeezed her gloved hand and kissed the side of her head. She lifted her hand to his neck and tilted her head back to look at him. Her eyes paused on his mouth before they flicked up to his eyes.

“Hi.” She smiled.

He smiled back. “Hi.”

He remembered her soft, “I’ve really missed kissing you, David,” and leaned down. It was light and brief, barely a peck of the lips. When he pulled back, her face merged with another image. Her again, in dark and dramatic eye make-up, black eyes and even redder lips, much paler skin, a high and elaborate hairstyle and a dress that sported an outrageous amount of cleavage.

The image faded away to show simply his wife in her black winter coat and grey cashmere scarf, her skin tan and radiant. He took a chance and stole another chaste kiss. Black coat, grey scarf. He put the image away and let himself be entranced by the depth of colour that existed in her beautiful brown eyes and the serenity of her small, satisfied smile.

Her hand came back to rest atop of his. She looked at the school. They were a few minutes early and had to wait for the final school bell.

“I think we should take a trip out of town.”

Surprised again. Not startled, no. “Why?” He asked carefully.

“We need things for the baby. He’s due in seven weeks and we haven’t started on the nursery.”

The nursery. That metaphorical broken rib shifted to his lung – he couldn’t breathe for a few seconds. That couldn’t be true. No, surely not. Seven weeks? He was due in seven weeks. And they still hadn’t set up his nursery? No. It couldn’t be true.

Oh, but it was.

God, he fucked up. He was seriously fucking this up. His son’s nursery wasn’t complete – they hadn’t even started on it – and he was trying to figure out if he had feelings for Henry and Nick’s teacher. He was out of his mind.

He agreed instantly. “When do you want to leave?”

“You’re really going to agree that easily?” She tilted her head again, eyebrows furrowed in playful confusion. “You’re not going to complain that we could get everything we need here?”

His heart pounded against his ribcage. He tried to speak evenly despite it. “I think it might be a good idea to get out of here for a few days actually.”

“Really?”

There was an undercurrent of hopefulness in her voice that he wasn’t sure he’d heard before. “Yeah. We could make a small vacation out of it. Take the kids.”

She nodded like she’d wanted to suggest the same thing. “They do need new things. They’re outgrowing their clothes. But aside from that… I want to spoil them,” she admitted. “New clothes, things for their rooms, toys, DVDs, video-games, books, anything they want. Anything at all. And haircuts.”

David laughed under his breath. He recalled how her eyes had narrowed in on Nick's hair that morning. He rested his head on her shoulder. “Okay, Reg.”

His heart pounded on and on. He measured time by its frantic beats.

Ava was the first one out of school. She burst out of the building doors about a minute after the bell went off. Her face was partially covered, only her eyes unobstructed from view. She’d wrapped her scarf around the bottom half of her face, pulled her beanie down to her eyebrows, and drew the strings of the hood of her raincoat tight over the scarf. She spotted them by Regina's Mercedes and walked briskly toward them.

David noticed she was shivering.

Regina stepped out of his hold and took her into her arms. Ava’s bright blue gloves clutched at Regina's dark black coat.

“It’s freezing,” Ava bit out. Her green eyes flashed accusingly at him and Regina, as if blaming them for the weather.

“I know sweetheart,” Regina soothed, rubbing her arms. “Do you want to wait in the car?”

Ava shook her head.

“How was your day?” She asked in a soft voice.

Her response was a short and unhappy, “No.” Her teeth clattered. “Why do I have to wear this stupid skirt when it’s literally freezing outside? The trees are covered in ice. It makes no sense and it’s impractical.”

Regina gave a soft sympathetic hum. Her expression turned thoughtful. “Wait here.”

“Where are you going?” Ava asked as Regina headed toward the school.

The doors were overflowing with students trying to elbow past each other. David and Ava watched as they immediately parted for Regina to walk through. Ava turned to him.

“Where’s she going?”

He shrugged. “Heck if I know, kiddo. How’d your presentation go?”

Her answer was an angry, “They do Q&As here apparently. That was fun.” She pointed with her eyebrows to the building, hands stuck firmly in her pockets. “Look, there’s Henry and Nicholas.”

He spotted them in a group with a few other kids, quickly ending their conversations as they noticed their parents. Henry was walking backwards as he spoke to Nick. Ava cleared her throat.

He hopped forward and spun around before he could bump into her. “Hey Ava.” He smiled. “Hi Dad.”

“Hey Hen.” He got a quick side-hug. “Hey, Nick.”

“Hey.” Nick set his hand out for a fist bump – their usual greeting.

Henry looked behind them. “Is that…? It is. That’s Mom’s car.” He looked at David accusingly. “Why is she here? I thought you were picking us up today.”

“I got caught in the storm earlier. I didn’t think I would make it in time.”

Henry’s mouth scrunched up. He looked at the car distastefully. He and Regina had a fight or disagreement or something the weekend. They hadn’t spoken to each other in complete sentences since then.

“Where is Regina?” Nick asked.

Ava gave a lazy shrug and gestured towards their school.

Nick’s eyes widened. “Uh-oh.”

“What? Why?” Henry asked.

Ava shrugged again.

Henry looked to him inquiringly. “Dad?”

“I have no idea. Look, let’s just wait in the car, okay.” David herded them toward it. “I’m sure she’ll be back any minute now.”

“We’re going with Mom?” Henry was annoyed. “Why? You’re here now. Why can’t we just go with you?”

David sighed. “Henry…”

He managed to persuade them into unloading their backpacks into the trunk of the Mercedes. Ava, Nick and Henry piled into the backseat. Getting them into the car was the easy part, it turned out. They were in the car for no less than five minutes when-

Ava snapped for the tenth time that she was trying to read.

Nick groaned. “You’re always reading. We’re trying to have a conversation.”

“Conversation? You’re being-”

He groaned even louder. “Shut up!”

“You shut-”

“Hey.” David turned around in his seat. “What is going on back there?” Ava and Nick looked like they were seconds away from murdering each other. “Henry, switch seats with Nick.”

He and Nick manoeuvred over each other so that Henry sat between them. The tension didn’t dissipate. Nick kept making noises he knew would irritate his sister. They ranged from blowing raspberries to a horrible (yet hilarious) imitation of a neighing horse. Ava kept glaring and threatening him – she was creative, David would give her that. Henry looked bored by it all, and vaguely uncomfortable.

David eventually gave up on interfering. After, a further ten minutes he stepped out of the car altogether. He who sees no evil, and all that.

“Are Ava and Nicky at it again?”

He snorted. “Oh, yeah.” He frowned at the brown package in her hands. “What’s that?”

“This?” Regina looked proud of herself. “This is a pair of school pants for Ava. Courtesy of Kane.”

David wasn’t the least bit surprised. He probably should have guessed that’s what she would have gone inside for. Wait. “I thought St Meissa’s had a strict no pants rule for girls?”

“They do.”

“So, you… what, sweet-talked nuns into making an exception?”

She unlocked the trunk and carefully placed the package down. “Sweet-talk?” She laughed. “Darling, no. I asked to speak to the Headmistress and inquired as to why children are expected to suffer in the name of upholding medieval and asinine expectations of gender roles. Sorry I took so long. Kane was unexpectedly chatty.” She glanced at the package before closing the trunk. “Those should fit but if they don’t, I can take her to get it tailored. Or just get a different pair.”

David followed her to the driver’s door and held it open for her.

She touched his cheek before getting in. “Thank you.”

“Regina!”

She smiled warmly at him through the rear-view mirror. “Hello Nicky.” Her smile flickered for a second. “Hello Henry.”

“Hi Mom,” he said reluctantly.

“Regina, can you please tell Ava that she can’t spend every second of her life reading and to stop yelling at me and Henry whenever we try to have a conversation.”

Ava snapped her book shut. “Regina, can you please tell Nicholas that if he picked up a book every once in a while-”

She tutted. “No. I will not relay messages for either of you.” She readjusted the rear-view mirror and glanced at each of them through it. Ava and Nick grumbled to themselves. “Now, we’re going to take a nice, quiet drive to Town Hall. If you’re going to kill each other, it’ll happen there. Blood is a lot easier to clean off tiles than it is the interior of a car.”

“True.” Nick nodded solemnly. He looked at Ava, eyes narrowed. “Guns or swords?”

His humour had gotten darker lately. Regina was amused by it. David, not so much.

Ava scoffed. “Guns obviously.”

“Nuh-uh. Swords are cooler.”

“Guns are more efficient.”

“Nuh-uh. Henry,” Nick nudged him, “back me up on this. Swords, right?”

He thought for a moment. “Guns.”

Nicky sputtered in disbelief. “What?”

“Sorry.” Henry winced. “You can’t slice through bullets. We’re not in the matrix.”

Regina looked at David tiredly. “I still expect you to pick them up at five.”

“I know.” He looked at the kids in the back seat and winced. “Good luck.”

THUD!

Regina's head snapped to her left. Ava, Henry and Nicky sat busy with their homework at the glass table. They were there for less than an hour. Regina was so used to sounds of their bickering that she’d learned to tune them out to better concentrate on her own work. That THUD! shattered her focus. Thankfully the glass table was still intact.

Her eyes scanned over them. She realised within milliseconds of looking up that Ava had hit Nicky over the head with her hardcover novel which had in turn bounced off his head and fallen on the table with a loud resounding THUD!

Shoulders tensed, she quieted her immediate (and probably Cora-like) reaction (she’d been thinking of her mother a lot lately but that was neither here nor there) and decided it would be better to separate Ava and Nicholas from each other for the rest of the afternoon.

“Ava.” Her voice came out surprisingly calm and steady.

She met her eye. Death glare gone. Now sheepish. “Yes?”

“Pack up. You can sit out front with Eunice.”

She opened her mouth to argue – Ava didn’t like Eunice – but thought better of it and just nodded.

“Why does she get to go outside?” Nicky asked. “I want to go outside.”

 Regina had already turned back to her laptop. “Because she hit you first,” she said distractedly.

“But…” Henry’s voice. “Nick kicked her under the table.”

She hummed questioningly, already refocused on her work. “Okay.”

“Mom.” Henry’s voice again.

“Yes, Henry.”

“Mom!”

She startled and looked at him. “Yes, Henry?”

He turned to face her fully. “That’s not fair.”

“What’s not fair?”

He looked at her exasperatedly. “That Ava has to leave.”

“She hit-”

“After,” he interrupted fervently, “Nick kicked her. Put him in the timeout.” He looked across the table at him. “He’s the one being annoying.”

“Hey!” He cried, affronted.

“You are. I can’t focus on my homework.”

Nicky smiled, unruffled. “It’s just math. I finished that like twenty minutes ago. It’s easy. Do you need help? I can help you.”

Henry’s ears turned red. He grumbled into his hand. Nicky imitated him, eyes crinkling with amusement. Henry glared. Nicky mock glared, mouth twisting up into a smirk.

“Mom!”

The sides of her head started to ache. “Fine. Nicholas, out.”

“Yep!” He closed his book. He looked more than happy by the change.

It should have made her worry but… Regina honestly didn’t care. She had work to do. She needed the quiet. And Ava and Nicky made up almost as quickly as they fought. Two hours from now it wouldn’t matter who kicked who or who was made to spend the afternoon with Eunice. Two hours from now they would be at home with David and hopefully the pain in her temples would subside. She needed a drink.

It would be less than two hours until she had a moment of peace. And less than two months that she could have a drink in good conscience. Well… No. It would be more than two months. Breast-feeding and whatnot. Gods, more than two months.

“See ya,” were Nicky’s departing words.

The door closed softly behind him.

“When are you telling Dad?”

She jumped in fright. Her water spilled over her hand and wet the wrist of her shirt’s sleeve. “Henry!” She set her dry hand over her chest. “You scared me.”

“Sorry.” It fell flat. “When are you telling Dad?”

“Telling him what?”

She set her bottle down and grabbed a napkin from the holder next to what was once her beloved liquor cabinet and had since become the kids snack area. Its most recent addition was a mini fridge stocked with various beverages and after-school snacks. Regina wiped her hand and wrist with the napkin.

“When are you telling Dad that he has to leave?”

Her head whipped to him. “What?”

“You said you were going to, but you haven’t.” He crossed his arms over his chest. “So, when are you-”

“Shh.” She looked to the door leading to her private bathroom. Ava was inside. Regina kept her voice low. “Henry,” she began. “H…” She realised that was all she had. She couldn’t even think of how to answer him.

His face fell into understanding. “You changed your mind, didn’t you?”

She couldn’t answer him. Luckily, she didn’t have to. Ava exited the bathroom.

David had already left to take over Graham’s night shift. She had to assure him that she was confident the children would survive thirty minutes at home without an adult. Regina pulled into the driveway of 108 Mifflin Street not fifteen minutes after that assurance and found Nicky and Henry giggling in the kitchen, each armed with a can of whipped cream.

She sighed internally. When the cats are away…

Nicky’s eyes bulged when he saw her, cheeks puffed up like a chipmunk. Henry had just squirted some into his mouth and froze comically when he saw her.

Nicky was the first to recover. “Hi Regina!” He said with a beaming smile, whipped cream around the corners of his mouth.

She set her purse and laptop bag on the counter and shook her head. “You’re going to have a stomach-ache tomorrow, Nicholas.”

He smiled wider. “Worth it.”

She looked at them. “Have you had dinner already?”

“Yep.”

Henry wiped his mouth and guiltily placed his can on the island counter. It happened to be laden with other items as well.

Regina raised an eyebrow. “Whipped cream, marshmallows, caramel sauce… Hmm.” She looked at the boys. “What are you making?”

“Sundaes. Do you want one? We could make you one.”

As she was about to answer, Ava walked into the kitchen. Her nose nearly pressed against the pages of her book. Regina plucked it from her hands.

“Hey!” Her look of irritation turned to surprise. “Regina? When did you get here? David left like two seconds ago.”

Nicky snorted. “No, he left like forever ago.” He nudged Ava around the counter. “Come on, you have to help.”

“Help with what? I just wanted some water.” Ava glanced at her book worriedly. “The bookmark’s at the back of the book.”

Regina found it and placed it inside the book before closing it. “They want ice-cream sundaes,” she answered Ava’s first question. She came closer to help as well.

“No,” Nicky said. “You have to sit down. We’re making it.”

He was quite insistent about it. Regina sat down at watched as Nicky snapped his fingers and started ordering Henry and Ava around the kitchen. Fetch this. Fetch that. Bring me this or that. He demanded to be called Chef and took his job very seriously. After assembling four extravagant-looking sundaes, Nicky decided he was bored.

“Can we play videogames?”

Regina laughed. “Homework?”

“I did my homework at your office,” he whined.

She raised an eyebrow at him. According to Eunice, Nicky had spent two hours following the intern around. “All of it?”

He frowned and thought. She could see the moment the realisation hit him. “Well…”

Ava cleared her throat. “Well, Henry and I finished our homework. Can we play videogames?” She asked with faux sweetness, side-eying her brother.

Regina ate a spoonful of her sundae. It was slathered in chocolate sauce, dark chocolate chips, cherries and walnuts. Normally, the very sight of it would have given her a toothache. Now… She wanted to add another cup of glazed cherries and drizzle over some honey as well. David was right, Junior was going to have a sweet tooth. Not that they would name him that.

“Sure,” she answered.

Henry and Ava grabbed their bowls and raced to the rec room.

Nicky huffed and leaned onto his hand. “This is unfair.”

“Fetch your books, Nicholas,” she said laughingly.

He dropped his head to the counter. “Why?”

“So that I can help you with your homework.”

He tilted his head and looked at her. “Do I have to go to school?” She didn’t answer. He sighed unhappily. “Fine.” He made of show of dragging his feet and sighing as he left the kitchen. “What a cruel, cruel world…”

The novelty of a new school had finally worn off.  It may irk her, but Regina was glad that he finally felt comfortable enough to voice his true opinions, to get into ridiculous arguments with his sister every day, and to complain about homework.

His behaviour also made her realise just how much of his own personality Henry had subdued. Nicky and Ava’s bickering made her realise that the most unfiltered Henry had been, were those few months after he learned about the curse.

That must have been a horrible time for him. Learning that his entire world was nothing but smoke and mirrors. Discovering that one of his parents was a… tyrant, to put it lightly, and the other was the husband of her sworn enemy. The reality of their lives was hard enough for her to deal with. She couldn’t imagine how much harder it must have been to figure it out, to try and warn people, to be called crazy… and to have to deal with all of it alone at such a young age.

What a cruel, cruel world indeed, Nicholas.

“I don’t want to do this.” He dragged his backpack in by one of the straps. “Please don’t make me do this.”

She watched bemusedly as he took out his books, laid them on the counter, and willingly climbed onto his seat next to her.

“I won’t do it, and you can’t make me!” He said as he opened his English notebook and textbook. He uncapped his pen. “This is torture! Oh, my eyes, my eyes…. It burns. It burns!” He started writing. “What witchcraft is this? No! I’ve been hexed. Hands,” he begged, “listen to me. Stop writing. Stop, stop. I won’t… NO!!! Homework! It hurts. It hurts.” He screamed dramatically. “Ahhh!”

“Are you done?”

He shook his head. “Nope.”

This continued for a while. Nicky paused in between. “Regina, what’s clauses?”

He looked even more confused after she explained it.

“That doesn’t make any sense!” He dramatically fell forward on the counter. “It doesn’t make any sense.”

“Well-”

“Oh, the confusion. The… the…” Nicky turned his head. His cheek pressed against the counter. He looked at her.  “Psst,” he whispered, “what’s another word for confusion?”

“Confusion?” Her eyebrows drew together. “Puzzlement, perplexity, uncertainty-”

“No, never mind.” He dropped his head back down. “The confusion! When will it end?” He raised his fist to the ceiling. “When?”

Regina pinched the bridge of her nose. “Nicholas…”

“Hey,” he squeaked. “It’s Nicky.”

She tried not to smile. “Nicky,” she amended. “This would go a lot quicker without the theatrics.”

“I know,” he said smoothly. “I’m trying to drag it out.”

She looked at him curiously. “Why?”

He shrugged. “It’s more fun this way.” Contrary to his words, he focused his attention entirely on his homework and completed it quietly over the course of ten minutes, asking the occasional question here and there.

It took Regina much less time to demolish her sundae topped halfway with an entire tub of maraschino cherries and too many walnuts along with the remaining half a tub of rocky road ice-cream left in the freezer. If anyone asked, she’d blame it on Junior.

Ava and Henry returned to the kitchen, brought their bowls back. Regina cleaned the few dishes in the sink as Nicky packed away his books and stationery.

“Regina?”

“Yes Nicky?”

“I wanted to know if maybe… I know you’re the mayor andyou’resuuuperbusybutIcheckedwith Eunice and-”

“Nicky, sweetheart, slow down. You’re speaking way too fast. I can’t understand you.”

He sputtered. “I um w-wanted to see if you… um if you could… come to one of my soccer practices.”

“Sure.” She rinsed her hands. “When?”

“Uh this Friday. I know it’s not a game, but the next one is only a month away and I thought it would be cool if you could come to one of my practices too. Coach K- I mean er Jim? Uncle Jim?” He shook his head to clear his confusion. “Um anyway, he says I’m the fastest one on the team and-” His eyes widened. “Regina…” he said anxiously. “A-are you crying?”

No. Why would she… Shit. She was. “I’m not, I’m not.” She wiped her eyes. “I’m not, I…” Fucking hormones. She was crying. She tried to speak. Her throat swelled around the words. Junior!

“Uh…” Nicky ran out the kitchen, came back with a box of tissues from the living room and promptly shoved it at her.

She took a few and wiped her eyes. “Thank you,” she murmured.

He took his seat, still alarmed. He opened his mouth, hesitated, but asked. “Why were you crying?”

“I was not crying.”

He nodded, not because he believed her but rather because he didn’t know what else to do. “Okay.”

“If you tell anyone anything different, I’ll show Melody your baby pictures.”

He laughed off her empty threat. His eyes sparked. “It’s okay, Regina. Homework burns my eyes too.” She chuckled. Nicky fidgeted. “Do you want a hug?”

When was the last time Henry had offered her a hug? She couldn’t remember. She kept messing things up with him. She nodded. Nicky awkwardly hugged her. She remembered he didn’t like being touched, gave him a squeeze and let go, not wanting to make him any more uncomfortable than he must have been. He just witnessed the Evil Queen cry over an invitation to a soccer practice. More than that, he’d just made the Evil Queen cry by saying, obviously not in so many words, that he wanted to spend time with her.

“I’ll be there,” she promised.

He smiled excitedly. “Awesome!” He walked back to his bag and paused. “Just… don’t… cry there.”

That she couldn’t promise.

“You’re supposed to be in bed,” she said tiredly. It was after nine.

“I couldn’t sleep.” Henry walked into her home office and stopped cautiously in front of her desk. “Mom… Did you change your mind? About… Are you not gonna tell Dad anymore?”

She prepared herself to give him an answer. “Henry-”

“Because it’s okay if you did,” he rushed on. “It’s okay if you don’t want to tell him anymore. It’s okay if you want him to stay.” He swallowed nervously. “I want him to stay and if you do too… th-then… then may- maybe- maybe… then maybe we can just s-stay like this? Just for a little… a little b-bit longer.” He sniffled. Tears brimmed his eyes.  “Everything’s… everything is okay now. With you and Dad and Ava and Nick – I mean Nick’s more annoying and Ava’s grumpy but…” Another sniffle. He came closer. “I like things the way they are. With you guys and Emma and I don’t want…” He cried.

“Henry.” Regina rushed around the desk to him. He shook his head when she tried to hug him but let her wipe the tears from his face.

“I just want to be happy for a little bit longer,” he said in a really sad voice. “Please don’t make Dad leave yet.”

She fought and failed to keep the tears from her own eyes. “I won’t. I won’t.”

He threw himself into her arms. “Maybe the curse doesn’t have to break. Maybe this is what Rumplestiltskin meant when he said Emma would bring back the happy endings. Us. Our family. The way things are now. It feels like a happy ending.”

“Sweetheart…” She sighed and loosened his grip enough to kneel in front of him. “That is such a lovely sentiment. Truly, it is.” She paused gently. “But it doesn’t work that way. You know that. The curse has to break.” His eyes welled up again. She took his face in her hands. “But not right now.”

He blinked a few times. “What?”

“Not right now,” she said again. “The curse is going to break, someday in the near future, but not right now. Right now…” She swallowed heavily over her paining throat. “I’m not going to tell David to leave.” Henry cried in relief. Regina felt her own tears fall. “Okay?”

He nodded hurriedly. “O-okay.”

She let go of his face and passed him the tissue box. Henry took it and went to sit on the couch, sniffing and crying as he went. It reminded her of when he had just turned six and stayed home from school because he had the flu. He followed her around into every room with his blankie or plushie and a box of tissues.

He was so young. He was only ten. He shouldn’t have to worry about any of this. Breaking her curse should never have become his priority. His priority should be his childhood – going to school, making friends, failing a few tests, gaining scars from climbing trees or trying to skateboard, joining soccer with Nicky and getting excited about scoring a goal.

“I wanted to do the right thing and to be a hero,” Henry said. “But a hero would have already figured out a way to get Emma to break the curse. A hero wouldn’t want the curse not to break just so he could be happy.”

She sat on the chair across from him, struggling to find the right words. “It’s perfectly normal to feel those things, Henry. It doesn’t make you any less of a hero. It doesn’t make your heart any less pure.”

“But…”

“Sweetheart, look at me. You are the bravest, kindest and strongest person I know, Henry Daniel Mills, and you are my hero. Being your mother was the greatest honour I have ever had. You saved the Evil Queen,” she said with a teary laugh. “Who else could have done that? Who else could have slain such great evil? And not by blade but by love?” Her hands shook as she reached for his. “You. Only you. So don’t you dare beat yourself up over wanting to be happy. I casted a curse that devasted kingdoms, that wreaked havoc among countless other realms, and much much worse all in the pursuit of my own happiness.” She paused to look into his trusting eyes. “I would gladly break it for yours.”

His eyes widened. “Y-you… you w…” He sputtered. “You’re gonna help me break the curse?”

“I am.”

Chapter Text

“All I’m saying is that you should at least consider it.”

Jim groaned. “It’s not really my style.” He lifted his end of the table and walked backwards towards Emma’s apartment building.

“That’s because you’re thinking of ‘The Hangover’ and strip clubs and all of that.”

“Isn’t that the blueprint for bachelor parties?” Graham interrupted.

“Don’t be such a guy,” Emma said. She turned to Jim, “If you’re not into that type of thing, you don’t have to do that, but you have to have a party or something to-”

“To symbolise the end of my life as a bachelor? Ha! Hard pass.”

She stopped in the middle of the street, forcing him to stop as well. “No. To celebrate the fact that the woman you’ve been wanting to marry since you guys were in high school said yes.”

“When did I tell you that story?” He asked, baffled.

“Shortly after ‘the woman of your dreams’ had just agreed to marry you. Come on, Jim. This is like fairy-tale romance. It has to be celebrated.”

“Since when are you such a romantic?”

She wasn’t usually. The kid’s optimism must have rubbed off on her. “Since when aren’t you?”

Graham clapped him on the shoulder as he moved past them, carrying a big potted plant. “She’s not going to let up, mate. Just say you’ll think about it.”

Emma sighed exasperatedly. “That’s not… Look, I-”

“No, you’re right. This should be celebrated. I’ll have a bachelor party.”

“Really?” she asked, sharing a confused look with Graham when he looked over his shoulder at her at Jim’s sudden change of tune.

“Yeah. On one condition.”

Emma then realised he’d played her. She was sort of impressed. “Which is?”

“You plan it.”

“Doesn’t the best man usually plan those?”

“Yeah,” he said in Henry’s ‘duh’ tone. Huh. The kid must have picked that up from him.

Emma’s eyes widened. “Y-you’re…” She sputtered. “You’re asking me to be your best man?”

“Best woman.”

Her voice wavered. “Seriously? Me? What about one of your brothers? Sam or Eric?”

He snorted. “I’m not asking either of those douches.”

Right. There had been tension for years between the three brothers about their father’s will and who would get the house by the lake when he passed. An argument that Jim refused to take part in and was particularly pissed about due to the fact that neither of his parents were even remotely close to dying of natural causes. Jim had vented to her about it during one of their dart matches at the bar.

“What about David?”

“David?”

“Yeah, you’ve known each other for years. You’re… close.”

Jim shrugged. “Close enough for future brothers-in-law, I guess. Truthfully, I’m closer to Regina than David and I’d… rather… not ask her.” He looked like it physically hurt him to even consider it. “Yeah, no that would be really weird. Do me a favour and please say yes, Em.”

“I…” She looked to Graham for help, but he wasn’t there. He must have already gone up.

“I don’t know if you’re noticed this, Emma, but you’re my best friend.”

All at once Emma realised that she was standing on the pavement outside her building, carrying up a new dining table to her apartment that she shared with Mary-Margaret, her roommate, a woman who had become one of her closest friends since she arrived in Storybrooke just three short months ago. Maybe even her whole life. In front of her was a man asking her to stand at his side when he got married. It almost threw her off-balance, how quickly her life changed. She had people she cared about and who in turn cared about her. She’d built bonds and a community in three months where before she’d gone her entire life before without any.

“I’ve never been in a wedding before,” she blurted. “The only time I attended one was… it was a work thing.”

“Bounty hunter days?”

“Something like that.”

He hummed and set his end of the table down. Emma followed his lead. “You’ll be fine.” He walked to her, looking expectant. “So?” He asked hopefully, bending a bit to search her eyes with his own.

Emma thought for a long moment, before she heard herself whisper a tiny, “Yes,” after which she was immediately enveloped in a tight hug.

“You’re crushing me,” she said, gasping dramatically to hide the fact that this nearly brought her to tears. She shoved him off and punched in the shoulder.

Jim groaned at the blow and laughed as he rolled out his shoulder. “Just don’t outdress me.”

She sucked air through her teeth. “No promises. I look devastating in a suit.”

He scoffed. “Have to run that past Kathryn first. She may want you to match with the bridesmaids.”

“Oof. Is it too late to back out?”

He returned to his end and began to lift. “Afraid so, Em.”

“Damn. Good thing I can make dresses work too.”

“I just realised I’ve never seen you in one.”

“We’re in Maine!” She exclaimed. “It’s freezing here.”

They laughed as they carried the table into the apartment building.

“What happened to the old one by the way? You never said.”

“Exactly that. It was old. It broke.”

That was the conclusion Emma had come to when she found the table lying on the floor one morning. Unfortunately, her roommate wasn’t at home at the time to confirm that theory. She decided to just go ahead and buy a new one. Her quest for a table had turned into a shopping trip with Graham who insisted she get a few plants as well. His definition of a few turned her apartment into a small forest.

Mary-Margaret was… behaving strangely this past week. All jittery and weird. Last night when Emma had finally decided to bring up the broken table, she’d stared at her like she couldn’t understand the correlation between the broken table and them needing a new one. Very strange. It could have to do with the affair that she may or may not be having with David. Emma saw him leaving their loft two Fridays ago, and from the muffled crying in the bathroom, she could only assume the evening hadn’t ended well for Mary-Margaret. At some point Emma knew she was going to have to ask her about it, but for the moment she preferred to delay it until it was absolutely necessary. The situation was very messy. Her roommate may or may not be sleeping with her son’s adoptive father. God, Henry would have a field day if he heard about this. Snow White and Prince Charming reunited at last.

Graham was waiting for them in the loft. He’d moved the broken table onto its side and leaned it against the island. The four mismatched chair were set near the screen that added to the pretence that small space occupied by the sofa and couch near the window was a living room. Emma and Jim set the new table down in the previous one’s place.

“This one actually fits the space better,” Graham noted.

He grabbed two chairs and slotted them at two sides of the table. The old one was round, made of wood and had chipped white paint. The new one was pretty similar aside from it being rectangular and actually having a decent paint job. Graham set the last two chairs down and took a seat. He nodded to the counter.

“Beers are over there.”

Emma glanced and took the two opened bottles. She passed one to Jim.

“Thanks for your help today.”

Jim smiled in a way that said ‘anytime’ and took the offered beer. He bumped with his shoulder. “No prob, Em.”

“Ahem.” Graham cleared his throat. They looked at him. “You two seem more in love than usual. Do I need to be worried?”

“Emma,” Jim said, as he slung an arm over her shoulder, “is gonna be my best man.” He looked at her. “Best woman?”

She shrugged and took a swig. “Either one.”

“Well, now you’re definitely getting a bachelor party.”

“Emma, Emma, Emma!”

She craned her neck took look out the open door. “Kid?” She heard his heavy footfalls on the stairs and set the beer on the island counter before walking outside. He was running up the stairs. Jim came out behind her.

“Emma!”

“Woah!” She quickly caught him as threw his arms around her middle. “What’s wrong?”

He pulled back, confused. “Nothing. I just…” He sucked in air quickly, slightly out of breath from running up the stairs. “I forgot to tell you. We’re leaving today. I came to say goodbye.”

“What?”

Henry took another gulp of air. “Yeah. Mom and Dad decided we’re going to Boston. I came to say bye.” He looked behind her. “Uncle Jim!” He jogged past her and hugged him.

“Hey, Hen. Have fun in Boston.”

Emma walked to the window in the stairwell and saw their car parked on the sidewalk, the four distinct figures of Regina, David, Ava and Nick inside. She looked back and saw that Henry was talking to Graham and Jim.

She tried to speak but ended up sputtering. “You’re leaving? Right now?”

He nodded. “Yeah.” He gave her another hug. “Okay bye.”

“Hang on.” She grabbed the collar of his brown parka jacket. “Let me walk you downstairs. Key word walk, not run.”

Still out of breath, he only smiled and waved goodbye to Jim and Graham.

“So, why Boston?”

“I dunno. It was Mom’s idea.”

“You didn’t ask?”

“Nope.”

Emma looked at him, confused. Less than two months ago, he was convinced his mother was evil incarnate and now he didn’t even bother asking why they were taking a randomly timed trip out of town?

He glanced at her, smirking. “Don’t worry I’ll bring you back a souvenir.”

“Souvenir? Kid, I lived there for eleven months before you showed up. In fact, there’s this pizzeria you have to try when you get there. Crap, I can’t remember the name. You know the subway station near my building, right?”

“Uhh… no. I took a bus to Boston then a cab to your building. I didn’t do any sightseeing during Operation Swan Princess.”

“Swan princess? Like the movie?”

“No. Swan because it’s your last name and Princess because that’s technically who you are. Snow White and Prince Charming, remember?”

She shook her head fondly. “Right. Whatever. I’ll text your dad the address if I remember it.”

They made it down the stairs and out the building. He looked at her, gave her another smile and let her fuss up his hair with a laugh before he ran off. “See you on Monday!”

Emma watched from the door as Henry got into the car. He and Ava had window seats and Nick sat in between them. Emma waved to him as the car drove off. He turned in his seat and waved back through the back window, smiling brightly, then he turned back, chatting animatedly with Nick.

“Bye kid.”

Well… there he went. With his family. This was a new feeling. When she gave birth, the doctor tried to hand the baby to her. She refused to touch or even look at him. She just begged the nurse closest to her to take him away, to give him to someone who could actually take care of him. “I can’t be a mother,” she’d sobbed. She used that fact to steel herself, to turn her hands to iron bars that clung to the railings of the hospital bed, fused them to the handcuffs around her wrists, and shut her eyes until he was out of the room. She didn’t watch them take him away. She imagined it would have felt worse than this, worse than realising that if his parents decided to take a spontaneous vacation there would be a very large possibility she wouldn’t know until after they’d left. Henry might not even remember to say goodbye to her until after they’d left town. At most she would have gotten a text message; a phone call if David felt generous enough to irritate his wife by contacting her. She was an afterthought. The realisation was gut-wrenching.

“Hi.”

Emma looked to her right. She recognised the man’s face – well, his beard – and nodded. “Hey.”

“You’re Emma, right?”

She stuck her hands in her pockets. “Yep,” she said, imitating Henry’s ‘yep’. It was less than two minutes and already she missed him.

He smiled. “I’m August.”

Her superpower intervened. She put on a tight-lipped smile and tried to leave.

“Would you like to grab a drink sometime?”

Oh crap, not this. “No. Thanks, but no.” Her stomach felt squirmy as she begrudgingly said the only thing that some men would back off upon hearing. “I have a boyfriend.”

“Yeah, the Sherrif. I know.”

“Stalker.”

“Observant,” he countered with a curious tilt of his head. “You’re kind of famous around here.”

She raised an eyebrow.

“This town’s tourism is… lacking. That and the article in the local paper about a dishevelled blonde sign crasher.”

For some or other reason when Emma looked at him, instead of the annoyance of a few seconds ago, she felt intrigue.

“I’m good,” she said, scoffing slightly at herself, quickly dismissing that intrigue as insanity. She nudged the brick keeping the building door open aside and stepped backward through it as it closed, feeling satisfaction at the sound of the buzzer indicating that the door had locked behind her before ‘August’ could even think of following her inside.

It should have been a simple four-hour drive from their home to the hotel, but the drive stretched on forever. Every ‘quick stop’ turned into another excuse to waste gas and time. Four hours became five, six, then seven, then nearly eight, as Nick, Henry, and Ava’s requests for bathroom breaks turned into snack stops and then eventually sightseeing detours. Regina would ordinarily be the one to shut down any talk of detours with a single pointed look, but she just leaned back in her seat, fingers drumming lightly on her knee, a soft smile as she let the kids talk them into a checking out an abandoned windmill.

She’d been in a particularly good mood since they left Storybrooke. She let him help her into her coat as they were heading out the door that morning, adjusted his scarf with a joke and a quick kiss to his cheek, took his hand in the car on the drive to Emma’s place. He’d been braced with tension, waiting outside Mary-Margaret’s building for Henry, worried he’d see her and that from nothing more than a glance, Regina would know something had happened. He sat forcing himself to breathe slowly, fingers turning white around the steering wheel, until he noticed the building door open and Emma walking Henry to their car. As soon as Henry was back in the car and Mary-Margaret’s building faded in the rearview mirror, his panic lessened. By the time they were out of Storybrooke, he noticed his mood lifting as well. Nick asked if he could pick the music, David readily agreed and let him, but that quickly turned into an argument over whose turn it was and who got to pick next and… That problem was quickly solved by turning on the radio station.

Ava went back to reading after that. Henry tried sketching for a few minutes but gave up after a pothole made him mess up a flower. Nick switched between looking out the window past Henry’s head, asking Regina questions about random words and their origins (David learned long ago she had an almost endless supply of obscure knowledge and random facts. She was particularly fond of languages and how words were formed. It seemed Nick picked that up too) and irritating either Henry or Ava for his own amusement. Then the first of the detours happened, the windmill.

He kept waiting for her to step in and dissuade them, but she never did. David supposed he could have taken up the mantle of ‘disciplinarian’ for the road trip and done the sensible thing by not letting them get hyped up on cheap gas station candy. Only… Regina had been right all those weeks ago when she told him Henry saw him as the fun parent while she got stuck with being the strict one, and that by default it made it easier for him to write her off as a villain in this whole curse thing he believed in. She was right. He often took the easy route by letting her be the bad guy. He should have been the stern one this trip, but why couldn’t they have two fun parents instead? If she wanted to spoil them on this trip, why shouldn’t she be allowed to do that? Why shouldn’t he go along with it? Besides they were good kids; they deserved a bit of spoiling.

They were nearly there. The hotel he booked was only ten minutes away. He glanced at Regina, about to ask for further directions, but she was asleep. He felt a pang of guilt at the awkward angle her head was rested at. He should have packed a travel pillow or something. He rolled out his shoulders, they were aching from driving all day, took the phone from her limp hand and glanced at the screen to see his next turn. He stole another glance at her. Her neck must be killing her, he thought. She’d gone back to sleeping in her home office instead of their bed two days ago. It was a blow he hadn’t seen coming and it hurt all the more because of that. Her neck, he thought worriedly. The couch in her office couldn’t be comfortable and now this angle…

There’d been a night where he wanted to tell her that he’d move into a guest room if it meant she’d go back to sleeping in their bed, hell a bed even. But he hadn’t been able to get the words out because to offer that would have been admitting out loud that what was happening was real and permanent and he couldn’t handle the thought that their new ordinary would be a distance so great. Their marriage counsellor, Marge, suggested they sleep in different bedrooms all those years ago and they’d both raised their eyebrows at the idea of it – even back then it hadn’t come to this.

Why was this happening now? Why was she pulling away? He thought of what he’d almost done with Mary-Margaret, and it seemed stupid to even think such a question. Maybe she could sense it on him, his dishonesty, his near slip-up, how close he came to ruining everything they had together. Before he knew it, they were parked outside the hotel. He could barely see the stars in the city sky, blocked out by all the lights. He’d been so used to seeing the stars at night – small town and all, he supposed – that it made him feel untethered for a moment. Like if he let himself drift up, he’d get lost somewhere between the city lights and the dark. He stood outside the car, stared up for a minute, shook his head at himself and got back in the car to wake Regina. She’d let him drive her car for the entire trip without worrying or teasing him about his driving. Very out of character, he thought.

“Are we here already?”

“Yeah,” he said in a low tone, eyes darting to the kids for a moment. They looked like angels while asleep, but once they woke up…

“The car’s still in one piece. Well done, Nolan,” she said with a sleepy laugh.

A few weeks ago, he wouldn’t have thought twice about kissing her after a little quip like that. Her main form of showing affection was teasing him. He learned quickly that the more creative the barb, the more playful of a mood she was in. This time he could only manage a slight laugh as she unbuckled her seatbelt and got out the car.

All he wanted was a shower, a bed, and to fall into a deep sleep. Unfortunately, that end goal involved waking up three kids who’d only fallen asleep thirty minutes ago. They whined and fussed the whole way from the car— “Why did you wake me up now? I was having the best dream!” and “Remember when I was little and you used to carry me to bed, Dad? Why couldn’t you just do that now?” and “Oh my god, shut up, you’re both so annoying!”—to the hotel lobby where a cheerful clerk handed Regina their room keys.

“Enjoy your stay, Mrs Nolan.”

David had made the hotel reservation under his name. The clerk must have assumed because they were married that she’d taken his name. A common mistake really, but not one Regina would usually entertain. He remembered the sting of it the first time she corrected someone. It wasn’t that she’d kept her name that bothered him. He truly did not care about that. When they got married, it hadn’t even occurred to him that she should change her name. The very premise of their marriage was that nothing of significance would change. They were already living together and raising Henry together. They were, for all intents and purposes, already married. Marriage, as he viewed it at the time, was just putting to paper the life they already had. She was always Regina Mills. He hadn’t expected a marriage certificate to change that. What stung the first time was how firmly she said it, how quickly.

This time, David stared in puzzlement when she didn’t correct the clerk. So… she wanted his name but wouldn’t sleep in the same bed as him? He bit the thought down. When she avoided his inquiring look, he realised why she hadn’t corrected the clerk. It would have been a step too far. He was unsure whether or not that was supposed to give him hope that things would get better. Did he even deserve that? Why should she not distance herself from him when he betrayed her trust like that?

Regina accepted the keys without comment and herded the kids toward the elevator.

“Can we have pancakes tomorrow?” Henry asked, his sentence halfway interrupted by a yawn.

“Mhm, yummy pancakes.” Nick yawned too. “With blueberry syrup.”

Ava rubbed at her eyes as she yawned, a thin red book hanging from her limp hand. “You’re allergic to blueberries.”

“There’s no blueberries in the syrup, stupid,” he mumbled.

The kids settled quickly into their triple room suite, each falling into a bed and asleep without much prompting.

In their suite, David quickly washed his face then took a too-hot shower to wash off the day’s exhaustion. He changed into his pyjamas, brushed his teeth, flossed, and swished mouthwash for exactly 45 seconds before spitting it out. He then applied moisturiser to his face and hands. He wouldn’t be able to sleep unless he did all these things in that exact order. Archie said that it wasn’t OCD, but it was a behavioural trait one may associate with it should these little routines come to have too much significance on his mental state. David didn’t think much of it. Everyone had their quirks. His was needing coffee first thing in the morning and having a step-by-step bathroom routine that he followed twice a day. He wasn’t flicking light switches or counting pieces of granola in his breakfast bowl. Not yet, Regina had quipped when they had this conversation a few years ago. It felt like a lifetime ago.

She was bundled up in blankets on the couch, glasses on, engrossed in her laptop, thumbnail between her teeth. It was an old habit from her childhood, something she did unconsciously when anxious, worried or overworked. Her childhood… the one she refused to talk about in anything other than vague terms. She was always so guarded, always skirting around the details. She admitted once to him that her mother tried to break her of the habit. She never said the words, but he recognised a familiar fear in her eyes. He saw the same in Kat’s growing up and knew it reflected in his own. The fear of a parent’s raised hand.

He walked toward her, gently touched her shoulders and kissed the top of her head. “Night sweetie,” he murmured. He made his way to bed and sunk into it gratefully.

She didn’t respond, was weirdly quite actually. Groggily, he raised his head and found her looking at him. It took him a few seconds to remember that she told him months ago she hated when he called her that. “Sorry. It just slipped out.”

Her gaze flicked between him and her laptop screen. A muscle near her mouth moved, giving the impression of a brief smile. Or maybe it was his imagination playing tricks on him, his exhaustion blurring the lines of hope and reality. He could barely keep his eyes open anymore.

“Sleep well, darling,” he heard her whisper.

Regina had not anticipated that Nicky would be the excited one. He kept darting from aisle to aisle like he was on yesterday’s sugar-high scavenging like a feral racoon through neatly organised clothes and toys and returning with tiny baby boots, dinosaur costumes or a stuffed monkey who he there and then named ‘Jack the Monkey’.

“Like my costume. Get it?” He asked, bouncing on his heels with a boyish grin.

He and his grin were gone before Regina blinked. She looked at the monkey in her hands and sighed as she added Jack the Monkey to the cart David was pushing.

David had taken charge of the list. Their list, the one she’d rewritten three times the night before, neat rows of practical items mingled with things she pretended were essential but weren’t: tiny socks, extra-soft muslin blankets, a set of silly baby mittens that looked like bear paws.

“There’s like… fifty things on here, Reg,” he’d said that morning, eyes wide. She’d just stared back at him until he dropped his gaze. “I guess we better leave soon,” he’d murmured, and that was that.

Nicky reappeared in front of her. “Regina, this one is soooooo cute. You have to get it. The baby will look adorable.”

“This one? Um…” She looked at the soft yellow onesie with a fur-lined hoodie with a raised brow.

A lion costume, she realised with a small smile, imagining David holding up Junior all Lion King style in front of the TV like he’d done with Henry when he went through his Lion King phase at two.

She looked up again and Nicky was gone again, trainers squeaking across the store’s battered linoleum. His voice echoed faintly over the tinny pop music crackling through the ceiling speakers. “And this one! And this one!”

She added the lion onesie to the cart and ignored Ava’s eye roll. Ava, ever the practical, kept an eye out for essential items and confirmed with David before she placed anything into the cart. She was a stickler for rules and had decided it was her job to remove anything not expressly on the list from their cart; except any of Nick’s suggestions that Regina took a liking to. So far Regina had only said no to two items, much to Ava’s irritation.

Somewhere behind her, she heard the faint squall of an overtired toddler and the mechanical hum of the store’s heater blasting stale warm air. It made the back of her neck itch. Regina shifted her purse strap to her other shoulder. It was digging into that same spot on her collarbone that already ached from hours curled on her office couch back home. She rotated her neck slightly, felt the crackle of a knot that wouldn’t ease. David had fussed about it in the car, his glances more frequent each time she let her head droop while pretending to sleep. She hated that she noticed him noticing these things. She hated that he noticed in the first place. Though she didn’t really have the right to that, not with this trip and her no longer ‘icing him out’ as he called her out on.

Her marriage was in a state she promised herself she wouldn’t think about this weekend. Compartmentalise, she said to herself. Compartmentalise. This used to be so much easier in the old land.

“This one!” Came Nicky’s voice from somewhere behind her.

“I’m gonna go check on Nick,” Henry said, walking off.

“We’re never gonna make it through this list,” Ava muttered.

“Not with that attitude,” David said, voice all fake bravado, shoulders heroically pushed back, and face determined. “Divide and conquer?”

Ava folded the list, tore at the line and gave the bottom half to David. “Deal.” She sounded relieved as she wondered off on her own.

David paused to read his half of the list and frowned slightly. “What’s muslin?” He asked himself.

Regina stifled a laugh. She knew she could have gotten all of this in Storybrooke. She should have. But the air of her idyllic creation had turned suffocating, like a corset she couldn’t unlace. She needed out. She needed a few hours where she could breathe and watch her children bicker over cartoon onesies and which colour bottle to get for Junior. They really needed to settle on a name for him. She was not naming him that.

“Um… Regina?” He inclined his head to the list. “Muslin?”

“It’s a fabric,” she answered.

Talking to him was easier here, Regina reflected. She felt like a normal person away from Storybrooke. More like her cursed self, more like Mayor Mills. Was that strange? Probably. Negotiating with store managers brought back the Queen. Insipid little people, she thought, restraining herself from sneering. They put up such a fuss. Some even refused delivery to a town “in the buttcrack of nowhere,” as one manager so politely referred to the culmination of the darkest curse in all the realms and, at one point, her life’s work. Insipid little people. She got them to agree in the end, but gods were they annoying.

Henry trailed a step behind her, dragging his feet as they moved to store number five. She could still smell the stale pretzel stand near the food court, the sweet fake butter and salt. Nicky wanted one so they stopped, but after a few questions he walked away empty-handed and sulking about his allergies. Regina was secretly glad; the smell made her stomach turn and her throat burn. The very thought of nausea made her want to give up, go back to the hotel, curl up in the bed and just not have to deal with any of it any longer. She paused by the diapers to take a few deep breaths.

“Reg?” David asked, coming towards her, hands full of shopping bags.

“Moooom. Daaaad.”

Henry’s voice cut through the on-coming nausea that would lead to David’s hand on her back and his tender voice asking if she was alright.

Regina turned to Henry immediately. “Yes, sweetheart?”

He stopped walking, petulant, dramatic in that way only ten-year-olds could be. “I’m hungry.”

Nicky pricked up like a meerkat, dropping a stuffed seal so fast it bounced off his shoe. He scrambled to Henry’s side, eyes wide. “Yeah, me too, actually. Can we get pizza? Please. There has to be lactose-free pizza somewhere in Boston.”

Ava looked up from where she sat cross-legged on the scratchy rug of a fake toddler’s play corner. “Pizza sounds good.”

Henry jumped in before Regina could answer. “Emma suggested we try this pizzeria she used to like. She told me the name of it this morning when we spoke on the phone and texted the address to Dad’s phone. Can we go? Please?” He elbowed Nicky, and both boys turned their best puppy-dog eyes on her, wide and shameless.

She flicked a glance at David for help, but he was already wrangling all the bags to one hand and tapping the name into his phone with the other, nodding absently. Typical. Fun dad, she thought, though not unkindly.

That was how they ended up in a tiny pizzeria that smelled like garlic and decades-old tomato sauce baked into the walls. The tables were sticky under her fingertips. Her coat still smelled faintly of the over-perfumed store air. She hung it over the back of her chair. She didn’t mind the little pizzeria or the fact that there were no wait staff. The kids fought over breadsticks, their voices overlapping. For one stupid, fragile moment, it felt real. She felt like she was just a mother out to dinner with her family.  She let that feeling wash over her.

Nicky was by the counter. He let out a little whoop and fist-bumped the air then turned to her beaming.

“They can make one for me too,” he said excitedly, slipping into the seat next to her. “No eggs or milk in the dough and dairy-free cheese on the pizza.”

“Is it even pizza then?” Henry asked as he chewed on his breadstick.

Nicky stole his soda.

“Mom!” Henry yelled, gesturing for her to do something.

Ava slammed her book shut, slid Nicky’s drink across the table to Henry, then reopened her book. “Trying to read here.”

“Go sit at the other table then,” Nicky said, elbowing her.

“Nicholas,” Regina sighed tiredly, though her amusement must have shone through because he just turned to her with a smile and continued drinking from Henry’s soda while swinging his legs under the table.

“Yes, Regina?” He asked sweetly, batting his eyelashes innocently.

David broke in here. “Give Henry back his soda and apologize to Ava.”

“Ew gross. I don’t want it back.” Henry’s face scrunched up in disgust. “His germs are all on it.”

Nicky’s smile widened. “He said he doesn’t want it back.” He looked over his shoulder at Ava. “Sorry.”

She snorted but didn’t move her eyes from the page. “Yeah, yeah now shut up for a few minutes.”

“It’s quiet at the other table,” he replied in a sing-song voice. “So we got Jack the Monkey and the lion onesie, right? And the toucan plushie. We can act out Lion King when the baby’s here.”

Henry shook his head and laughed at the suggestion. He looked at Nicky’s soda in front of him before warily taking a sip.

She was just a mother out to dinner with her family. She tried to stay in that moment, to revel in it as Archie suggested all those years ago. But the moment passed and with it came the crushing weight of reality and the exact choices that led her here. The warm reek of oil and sauce curled around her nose. Guilt rose sharp and sour in her throat. She pushed her plate away when David reached for the last breadstick.

“These breadsticks are amazing,” he said.

Regina found a smile, brittle but serviceable. “I think that’s my cue.”

She picked up the empty container and stood, inclining her head toward Henry. He understood immediately and followed.

“Mom?” He whispered when they reached the counter.

“Tomorrow,” she said softly, her palm absently drifting to her side where the baby pressed against a sore spot in her back.

Henry’s mouth popped open. “Tomorrow? Oh.” His voice fell to match hers. “Are you sure Dad can’t know?”

She only had to look at him for him to know the answer. His eyes fell. He nodded, shuffling his sneakers against the tiles.

“Henry-”

“It’s okay. I understand,” he said.

He didn’t and he shouldn’t have to. Why was she bringing him with her?

Henry looked up again, fake bravado like David’s from earlier. “Really Mom. I get it. Dad’s not in Operation Cobra Undercover. It’s just me and you for this mission.”

Heroes don’t lie. Heroes don’t lie. Heroes don’t lie. The words circled like a merry-go-round in Henry’s brain, spinning faster every time Mom said something she technically shouldn’t. ‘Heroes don’t lie’ as he watched Mom lie to Dad that morning. ‘Heroes don’t lie’ as he silently watched her talk him into taking Ava and Nick to a few stores while she and him went on a little outing of their own. ‘Heroes don’t lie’ as he eavesdropped their conversation and thought ‘that’s pretty clever, actually,’ when she told Dad it was a chance for the two of them to talk about everything away from all the chaos of their town. ‘Heroes don’t lie’ as he shared a mischievous smile with her, the smile they shared when they outsmarted people to get their way. They were a lot alike, him and his mom. A few months ago, he would have denied that endlessly. Now though, Henry didn’t view it as such a bad thing. Mom almost always won. If he was more like her, he could win too. He could have everything too. He wouldn’t have to lose. He could have his family; his mom and his dad, he could have Ava and Nick and even Emma in his life. Aunt Kathryn and Uncle Jim too. He wouldn’t have to lose anyone.

Dad took Mom’s car, so they relied on cabs or walking to get to “the place with answers”. Henry didn’t know that much about it besides that. Mom’s style was way less informative than his. He’d told Emma and Uncle Jim everything from the get-go so that they’d have all the information and would be better at helping him with theories or strategies or whatever for Operation Cobra. Mom’s approach was more on the need-to-know basis. It was the teeniest bit irritating because essentially his only job was to go into the place with her, not speak and try and do a bit of snooping for magical items in the shop.

“But how will I know which items are magical?” He asked back at the hotel, when they were alone. “I don’t have magic.”

“You’ll just know. There’s a certain pull you’ll feel. Unmistakable.”

That answer didn’t make any sense and frustrated him. He tried not to show it. “Okay… So uh when I feel the um pull-y feeling from a magical item thingi… then what?”

Mom’s smile was sharp, sudden and very scary. Her voice dropped to a whisper. “You take it.”

He imagined the Evil Queen would sound like that when describing how to pull hearts from chests. He hadn’t had that nightmare for a while now. Realistically he knew his mom would never rip his heart from his chest, but that nightmare had made trying to hate her a little bit easier all those months ago.

The wind whipped around the corner of every street and slipped under his hoodie and coat like it was trying to turn him into a snowman. Henry rubbed his gloves together and tried to keep up as they moved through the city. Mom walked fast. Her coat flared with each step, her heels clipped sharply on the sidewalk, and she didn’t flinch at the horns or shouting or the blur of a passing bus. She didn’t even look cold.

“A few weeks after the Evil Queen casted the curse,” Mom started in her story-telling voice as they walked towards The Place with Answers, “she realised it wasn’t what Rumpelstiltskin had marketed it to be. She was slowly pushed to the brink of madness by boredom and loneliness. The Queen decided to take up travelling. She hoped that if she explored this new realm, she would come to understand it. During her travels, she came across a man selling potions and magical cures in a herbal shop. ‘Another of this world’s charlatans,’ she though at the time, but he wasn’t. He was from the old world. He was like her. And what was more was that he still possessed magic. In this new realm, he could still do magic,” she said, sounding amazed.

Henry looked at his mother curiously. She sounded both excited and sad by that. Did she miss magic?

“I- The Queen recognised him. He…”

Henry got the feeling she was rewording whatever she was about to say and that it wasn’t the whole truth.

“They had a mutual friend in common.”

Henry nodded along like he understood what that meant. “So… we’re going to the Queen’s friend’s friend?”

“Yes.”

Henry mulled that over for a few seconds. “And this person… they’re gonna help us figure out how to break the curse?”

“Better,” Mom said in that same scary sounding voice. It was too cold to be her real voice. That’s what made it scary, Henry decided. “He is going to tell us which spell the Queen actually used.”

“What do you mean?”

“I told him about the curse when we met.”

Okay so we’re done with story mode, Henry thought, nodding so that Mom knew he was still listening.

“He frowned and told me that the darkest of curses was not some overcomplicated magical bean meant to traverse realms. He said the magic didn’t make sense. I said his relationship with Mal didn’t make sense-”

“Wait, who’s Mal?”

“-we argued and I left.”

Henry stopped walking. “Who’s Mal?”

Mom realised he wasn’t following and stopped walking too. She looked at him impatiently. Henry walked forward slowly.

“Who’s Mal?” He asked again.

“Our mutual friend.” Mom glanced at him. “Your book didn’t mention her?”

Henry quickly put the pieces together. “If you mean Mal like Maleficent then yeah,” he said carefully. “She was your friend?” He asked even more carefully.

Mom went quiet. Henry pressed his lips together and kept his eyes forward as they continued walking. The city was too noisy to talk anyway. Henry struggled to keep up with his mom. How was she walking that fast? Wait. If the curse wasn’t the spell Mom thought it was… then what was it?

“After I met him, I started wondering how many other people from the old world were in this one,” Mom said after two blocks. “I turned it into a game of sorts, but after six years of just endless travelling I realised that number was abysmally low. I gave up.”

Henry frowned. “How many did you find?”

“A few.”

“I can’t picture you outside of Storybrooke.”

“We’ve left Storybrooke countless times before,” Mom pointed out, amused.

“Well yeah but…” he sputtered. “That was family vacation trips and stuff. Not…”

He couldn’t picture it. Mom without Dad. Mom before she adopted him. Mom alone. He couldn’t picture it. He didn’t want to imagine Mom before she had him. As far as he was concerned the lady in the book was someone else and his mom just happened to be stuck with her history. She didn’t actually do all those horrible things. Not really.

“Never mind.” He shook his head. “Where did you meet…” What was his name? Did Mom say his name? What if she did and he forgot? It would be rude to ask now. “…this guy we’re going to? Here I mean. In this land… uh realm. Yeah. Realm.”

“Hong Kong,” Mom said. “But last I heard he’d packed up shop and headed for America, Boston specifically, so lucks on our side. It would have been much harder to convince your father to take an over-continental trip in the middle of winter for no good reason.”

“You could have gone without us.”

Mom snorted. “Have you met your father? He’s irritatingly overprotective.” She said it with a smile.

He stepped in gum and took a second to scrape the bottom of his shoe against the sidewalk, hoping to get it off. It wasn’t working. When he looked up again, Mom was more than a few steps ahead. Mom never looked back when she walked, always straight ahead, always assumed he was right there beside her. Henry jogged to catch up with her. He didn’t like her like this. He didn’t like so many glimpses of the Evil Queen in her daily mannerisms. It made him wonder if this really was The Place with Answers or if it was just some way for Mom to delay the curse from breaking. If it was… it wouldn’t exactly be such a bad idea. Heroes don’t lie, rang through his head again. Henry wanted more than anything to be a hero. But he would trade that title in a second if it meant he could keep his family for a bit longer.

If she didn’t know any better, Regina would assume that her feet had in fact frozen to the sidewalk outside the herbal store. It certainly was cold enough. As Henry kept reminding her.

“Can we go in already?” He whined, clinging to her arm and shivering. “I thought the weather would be better here, but Boston is just as cold as Storybrooke and I’m sick of the cold and Mom can we please just go in? Mom. Mom.”

She couldn’t feel the cold. Not really. Some long-lasting effect of a misfired spell attempt when she first tried to conjure a fireball back in the Enchanted Forest. The fire had burned throughout her palm and up along her arm to her shoulder and down her spine. It felt as if she was being consumed by flames from the inside, like it was licking up her bloodstream. There was no physical damage to her body, but cold temperatures had been tricky from that day onward.

“Mom!” Henry exclaimed, looking up at her irritably. “Can we go in already?”

“Yes,” she said distractedly, still, for some reason, unable to move.

Henry’s stare turned from irritable to confused. He slipped his arm out of hers, took two steps forward and pulled the door open.

“Mom.”

Regina met his eyes. Hazel eyes. Henry’s hazel eyes. They were darker when she first adopted him, only came into their true colour a few months later. She took a deep breath and following him into the store.

The store was dimly lit, the scent of herbs and old paper thick in the air.

“This reminds me of Mr Gold’s shop,” Henry whispered, suppressing a shiver.

A man emerged from behind a beaded curtain, sharp observant eyes, and a carefully controlled smile that dropped the moment he recognised her.

“You.”

It was very much the response she expected given how they’d parted the last time they saw each other. “Me,” she confirmed, relishing the obvious displeasure he exhibited at seeing her. “I’d like you say you’re looking well, Mushu, but I’d be lying.”

He hmphed, unimpressed. “Not all of us are so desperate as to drink the blood of a virgin simply to never age. You look the same as you did nearly thirty years ago.”

Regina touched a hand to her cheek and put on the Queen’s smile. “Monthly juicing cleanse. It does wonders for the skin.”

That time he did laugh.

She patted Henry on the head, “Go have a look around the store, Henry. See if any of these little trinkets catch your interest.”

“Mushu?” He asked, leaning into her side, looking up at her in awe, voice barely a whisper. “Like the dragon from Mulan?”

She gave him a look that said “we’ll talk later”. Henry sighed and dutifully wondered off.

Mushu’s drifted from Henry to her stomach. His eyes narrowed for a moment before he met her gaze and inclined his head towards the beaded curtains. Regina followed him into the back room and sat down in the chair he pulled out for her at the small round dark wooden table.

“Tea?” He offered, walking over with a beautiful copper-blue Gongfu tea set.

“Sure.”

He set it down on the table and began pouring two servings of tea. “Yesterday,” he said, “I received an email from a woman in Boston scheduling a meeting for today.” He sat down. “You’re nearly ten minutes late, Regina.”

She gave him a confused stare as she lifted her cup and blew on the steaming tea. “Am I? Pregnancy brain.”

He was once more unamused. “You can drink it. It is not poisoned.”

She smiled and set the cup down. “I’d rather not take my chances if it’s all the same to you.”

Mushu waved off her concerns and slurped noisily from his cup. “The last time we spoke you left after inferring hurtful things about my relationship with our dear Mal. I did not expect to see you again within my lifetime. Unless, of course, something went direly wrong. What ails you, child?”

Child? She hadn’t been called that in a very long time. The word brought back decades forgotten memories. Cora and her scalding tone. ‘Do not test me, child.’ The memory was sharp and sudden and nearly reduced her to a seven-year-old who wet her bed during the night.

“You’re much too old for this nonsense, Regina,” Mother’s voice snapped at her.

Regina gathered her composure and quickly said, “I’m not seeking medicinal advice. I’m here about the curse.”

“Oh, not this nonsense again.” He rolled his eyes. “The magic does not make sense. Oh ho ho the ‘darkest curse in all the realms’ merely transports people from different world to this one and erases their memories. Bah! No. Either it was incorrectly named, or you were lied to. At best it could be a containment spell, especially as this realm has been cut off from the others since the ‘great and terrible’ curse was casted.” He scoffed. “Pedestrian magic.”

She took a deep breath in and tried to tamper down her irritated snarl. “I am beginning to come to terms with the fact that Rumpelstiltskin may have lied to me about the curse’s origin.”

“No, why would he do that? He is such a trustworthy person. I’m shocked.”

She was also beginning to remember why she snapped and stormed off after a barely five-minute conversation with this man. Mal sure knew how to pick them.

“I need your help in understanding it.”

“Oh, is that all?” He asked in an oversaturated polite voice as he refilled his cup.

“No. I also need to know how to break it.”

At that, the smirk, the sneer and the sarcasm faded. “Why may I ask is that?”

“The…” she hesitated to say the word as he’d laughed at her the last time. “The Saviour is in town. She hasn’t gotten anywhere close to breaking it.”

Mushu leaned back in his seat and regarded her with equal parts concern and confusion. “And why would the castor want her curse broken?”

Her back began to pain from sitting down, though if she stood her feet would beg of her to relieve them of their pain. The room felt hot and stifling all of a sudden. She removed her coat. Her blazer stuck to her skin. She removed her blazer as well. “Can you help me or not?” She snapped.

He stared for a very long moment, expression unchanging, looking at her as if he was the frustrated one in this situation.

 “Well?”

“Of course I can help. I am unsure if I want to.”

Regina sighed heavily. Just like Rumple, always a price. “What do you want?”

“How is she?”

The question disarmed her. Regina considered her words carefully before answering. “Asleep.”

“Still?”

“Still,” she answered apologetically.

“And still in that form?”

She hesitated. “I couldn’t curse her too. She meant too much.”

“You have a strange way of honouring your friendships. Cursing her to twenty-eight years without that loss would have been a greater mercy that trapping her in that form. A sleeping curse would have been a greater mercy.”

“We’re veering off topic,” she said, irritated. She couldn’t afford to be crippled by guilt over Mal. Not now. Not here. “I came here because I need your help. I need to know how to break the curse. I need to know exactly what breaking the curse would entail because for the longest time I thought it would be my death.” There. The words were out. She couldn’t take them back now. “That the Saviour would defeat the castor of the curse and it would break. And if it is…” She swallowed heavily as the weight of her admission and its implications sunk in. “If it is, there are certain things I need to do beforehand.”

His eyes flicked down to her stomach and he grew gravely serious. “Do you have the curse with you?”

Anticipating this question, she pulled the scroll from her purse and handed it to him. “I do.”

“I assume the Dark One is cursed as well, otherwise you would have simply gone to him.” She nodded. He examined the scroll, turned it around, frowned at it and absentmindedly stroked his beard as he read it a second time. Mushu let out a crude short laugh and shook his head. “Oh, this is just like him, to take credit for someone else’s work. Just like him,” he muttered. His eyes lit up at the challenge the scroll presented. “I will need some time to analyse this.”

“How much time?” She asked desperately.

“I’m not sure. A few weeks or more, three months, perhaps a year? Who’s to say?” He rolled up the scroll and set it down on the table in front of them.

Her throat tightened so quickly and unexpectedly that it rendered her incapable of words. Time. That was exactly what she needed. Time. To make things right. And to draft a will.

A little metallic ding sounded through the front of the shop.

“Sorry!” Henry yelled in their direction. “Don’t worry, it’s not broken.” And then quietly, “I think.”

Regina looked at Mushu awkwardly. “I’ll pay for that.”

He didn’t look bothered.

“A few weeks you say,” she said, relieved, and instinctively touching her stomach. “I can work with that.” Regina reached for her cup, but he quickly stopped her.

“Don’t.” He got up, went to the counter and retrieved a different cup. He poured her a fresh serving. “Here.”

“I knew it,” she laughed under her breath as she took the new cup. “Poison on the rim, right?”

“Laced on the interior of the cup.”

She lifted her new cup and in a mock toast and took a careful sip.

“I really wish you hadn’t involved me in your miserable quest to leave your children without a mother.”

Regina flinched.

Mushu stood abruptly. “Let me see what item your boy damaged.” He exited through the beaded curtain.

She set her cup down in front of her and tried to breathe through dread she felt. A few weeks. A few weeks. Two seconds ago, it felt like a relief, now her mind was racing trying to figure out how to… It wasn’t enough time. How was she supposed to prepare? And Henry. What would happen to Henry?

She heard his sneakers squeak on the floor near the curtain. “Mom?”

“I’ll be right there,” she called, voice thankfully steady.

“Okay.” His footsteps retreated. She heard him asking Mushu a few questions.

She got up, pulled on her blazer and winter coat despite the still sticky air beating down on her.

Henry was looking at a set of vials while Mushu explained the items inside of them and their magical properties.

“Henry,” she called shakily. “Let’s go.”

He frowned, looked apologetically up at Mushu and then made his way to the door, lifting his hood onto his head. He pulled his gloves from his pocket and hurriedly put them on.

“I will contact you when I have information.”

“You have my email,” Regina replied cooly, before rushing out the door.

“Mom.” Henry’s voice finally reached her. “Please don’t be mad.”

“What?” They were in the hotel elevator, heading up to their floor, though Regina had no memory of the walk back to the hotel. Mad about what?

“I didn’t feel the pull-y feeling. I tried but it didn’t work. Please don’t be mad.”

Regina looked at him and felt her heart break at the pleading wincing look she saw on his face. Physically she’d been right next to him this entire time, but mentally she strayed between memories of the events leading up to casting the curse and plans on what to do after it was broken. “Sweetheart, I’m not mad.”

“You haven’t even looked at me or said anything since we left.”

“Henry,” she said, touching his shoulders and bending to look him in the eye. “I am not angry with you. Nor am I disappointed. I’m sorry for ignoring you. Our conversation just went… poorly.”

His eyes flicked between hers. “You promise you’re not mad at me?”

“Promise.” She stood to her full height, pulled him into a tight hug and kissed his forehead. He tried to pull away after a few seconds, but she held tighter until the elevator doors opened on their floor.

She was aware of her leg bouncing as she sat on the couch in her and David’s suite. She was aware of it but unable to stop it. She had been tense since they returned to the hotel. She shouldn’t have brought Henry with her. She couldn’t even remember the reason she decided to. David noticed something was off during dinner. She excused herself, claiming morning sickness and hid in their suite, away from his concern, away from his eyes pleading with her to be honest with him, away from him. She was quite productive in her twenty minutes alone. She reviewed the changes she ha slowly been making to her will over the last month, wrote letters to each of her children, and began drafting one to David. Though every attempt was worse than the last. She couldn’t manage to finish even one, ended up tearing all four attempts in frustration. Her damn leg was still bouncing.

“Regina.”

David entered their suite, carrying a clear plastic bag. She could see the contents – take-out, a box of crackers, a bottle of ginger ale, and anti-nausea medication.

“Are you okay?”

“I’m fine,” she said at once, hoping to shut that conversation down before it happened. She started packing away her laptop and the letters she’d written. She hoped he wouldn't notice the torn letter in her hands and quickly stashed it in her laptop bag. She slumped onto the couch once the mess was cleared, her energy now drained.

He cautiously approached her and sat down, not so near that he invaded her personal space but close enough that if she needed him, he was there. It irritated her that he knew her well enough to know exactly what she needed in moments like these. It irritated her that they’d had moments like these, moments where she needed him to calm her. It irritated her that he was so attuned to her emotions and needs that he knew when she was upset even when she tried her hardest to make sure he didn’t. It irritated her that he knew something was wrong in the first place. This was the one time in her life, Regina wished a man were more like her first husband. This was the first time she wished this husband would just ignore her and leave her alone. Why couldn’t he just leave her alone? Why?

“Sweetie-”

She was overwhelmed by anger, black, hot and dangerous anger.

“Don’t call me that,” she snapped. “And don’t use that voice on me.”

“What voice?”

“That voice.” She scowled. “It’s patronizing.”

His eyebrows knitted together, concerned, visibly struggling to understand what could have upset her. David placed the bag on the table in front of the couch. “I don’t mean to be patronizing,” he said. The apology was genuine, but his confusion was palpable.

Regina got up and walked away from the couch to distance herself from him. She felt an intense urge to break everything in the room, an urge so powerful she found herself pacing as a distraction.

“Reggie,” David reached out and caught her hand. “Stop,” he pleaded. “What’s going on? Talk to me.”

Junior chose that moment to interrupt. She looked down in irritation and noticed that his movement was visible through her clothing. It knocked the wind out of her and dissipated every ounce of anger from her body. She set a hand over him, trying to calm him, and internally apologising to him. This wasn’t good for him. All this stress. The worry. Her mind. Her mind was a chaotic mess, consumed by anger and screaming at her for creating this entire mess in the first place.

“For the longest time I thought it would be my death,” she heard herself tell Mushu.

My death. My death. She might die. She was going to die. She felt the tears well in her eyes and spill over her eyelids. Her breath caught in her throat. Chest burning. Unable to inhale. Before Regina could comprehend what was happening, the near panic attack morphed into sobs.

“Hey, hey, don't cry.” David spoke in the same tone she had called patronizing not two minutes ago, only now she was comforted by it. “Come here.” He pulled her closer, and she clung to him, eventually finding herself sitting in his lap on the couch, sniffling into his shirt as he held her. “Breathe, Reg,” he said soothingly. “Remember to breathe.”

She was going to die, and David was going to hate her. That was worse. That was far worse, him hating her. Gods, she didn't want to know what he was thinking at that moment, how hard he must be trying to understand her. She didn’t think she could keep blaming her behaviour on the pregnancy.

He was going to hate her.

She should distance herself from him. When he found out the truth about the curse and their life together, he would hate her. The more time she spent with him while she knew the truth the more it would hurt the both of them. She should be distancing herself from him. She should… but… well, fuck he’s comforting. He’s comforting. Sue her. She was going to die, sue her. Sue her for just going along with it, for taking whatever comfort he was willing to offer her. It was late, she was emotionally exhausted and well… he was her husband, wasn’t he? Yes, she answered herself. Yes, she thought again, soothing herself. No, he wasn’t! That was exactly the fucking problem, wasn’t it? Yes, but… his touch was unfathomably effective in calming her down.

Junior kicked again. “Hey, bud,” he whispered, lifting his hand and gently touching her stomach. “Feeling better? You went still a few minutes ago. Had me worried. You don't like it when Mom's stressed, do you?” The baby responded with another kick. “Yeah, me neither.”

Regina looked at his hand and placed her trembling fingertips under his. David guided her hand up to take his spot.

“He's really opinionated about this, Reg.”

At that tender blue-eyed look, Regina was on the verge of spilling all her secrets right then and there. She swallowed the words down and instead, in a pathetic effort to lighten the mood, said in a strained voice, “Clearly taking after you. And so young too. Why must you corrupt all our children with your overprotectiveness, David?”

He didn't respond, just tilted his head back and looked at her face, as if trying to ensure she was okay, as if trying to commit her features to memory.

“Can we sit like this for a bit?” He asked. “I've missed holding you.”

She had a feeling he was saying that more for her benefit than his, obviously aware that his touch calmed her down more than words ever could. He was hers. For the time being he was hers. At least that was the way she had decided to rationalise things. Regina laid her head back down on his chest. Until the curse broke, he was still her husband, he was hers. Mine. She closed her eyes and listened to his heartbeat, the crackling fire, and the distant sound of passing cars. His arm wrapped around her shoulders, while his other hand rested on her calf. Regina looked up at him. His eyes were closed and his head was leaned against the couch. She rested her head on his shoulder, her face half turned in the crook of his neck. Without thinking, she kissed the skin there, surprised by her own action when she felt his hum against her lips. His arm moved from her leg to her waist, pulling her closer as he adjusted his position. She responded with a pleased hum and placed a hand over his heart. Steady. She once tried to rip it from his chest. Regina winced at the thought and buried her face deeper against his neck.

She was dozing off when he moved. David stood up and carried her in a bridal style to the hotel bed.

“I think,” she said, blinking her eyes open, “you like carrying me.”

He gently set her down on the bed with a hummed laugh. She sat on the edge, trying to keep her eyes open. His fingers traced the side of her face, his touch light and almost ticklish. She leaned into his hand, needing him too much to pretend otherwise. His palm cupped her cheek, tilting her face upward, eyes on hers.

“Are you ready to talk about it yet?”

She shook her head rapidly.

“Okay.” He leaned down, his expression thoughtful. “Just… I’m here, okay? Please remember that. I’m here for you.”

His eyes remained on hers. Oh. Regina nodded in response to the unspoken question in his eyes. Her eyes fluttered shut as his lips brushed against hers in a fleeting touch before he pulled away. She leaned up, her hands gripping the lapels of his shirt, and drew him closer. This time, both of them were hesitant, unsure. She wanted to pull him on top of her like she had that night in her home office. She wanted to forget everything and return to the way things were. But what good would it do now?

“I love you,” she found herself whispering, a breath short of his lips. “So much,” she added, her voice barely audible. “So much, David.”

“I love you too,” he knelt in front of her, his gaze searching. “Regina... What's... What's going on?”

A teary laugh escaped her, and he furrowed his brows in concern. He wasn’t hers. What she was doing was going to hurt them both. It was going to make him hate her. But maybe it didn’t have to be that way. Maybe she could… No.

“I've...” She began, her voice trembling. “There's something I have to tell you,”

He nodded, concerned yet encouraging.

She should tell him the truth. But what would it matter? She was going to lose him. A confession wouldn’t change that. Regina took David’s face in her hands. Her eyes travelled over his features, etching them into her memory – his concerned and gentle blue eyes, his sharp nose and chiselled chin, his tender pink lips.

“So, tell me,” he said imploringly.

Her head tilted to the side, a quivering smile gracing her lips. “I don't know how to.”

He opened his mouth, hesitated, and then closed it again. She could see the words he wanted to say, the ones he was holding back. “Okay, okay, but when you do,” he spoke softly, “when you figure it out... will you tell me?”

“Yes,” she nodded, leaning in to rest her forehead against his. “I will.”

His grip tightened on her hands. “You know you can tell me anything, right?” He whispered gently.

Tears fell as she shut her eyes. He was going to hate her. She was going to die, trying to do the right things and in the end, David would hate her. He would hate her.

“I can’t,” she said in a broken voice. “You’re going to hate me.”

“Reg…” He held her tight. She nestled her head on his shoulder. “I could never hate you. I love you. You can tell me anything. Anything. I’ll still love you. No matter what it is, I’ll still love you. Whatever this is, we’ll get through it, okay. I need you in my life and nothing will ever change that. I promise. You can tell me anything. Anything,” he assured her, his voice filled with sincerity. “Whenever you're ready.” He pressed a kiss to the side of her head.

Regina released a sigh that nearly turned into a sob. “I'm really glad I married you,” she whispered, her voice choked with emotion. “And... I'm sorry for the way things have been between us lately. I know I've been distant, and-”

His lips met hers in a tender, firm kiss, interrupting her words. When they parted, he spoke softly, his eyes fixed on hers. “I'm really glad I married you,” he said, his voice filled with conviction. “Because I honestly cannot imagine a life without you, Reggie. I can handle a bit of distance,” he continued, his gaze unwavering. “You're working through things, and I understand that, but please don't shut me out completely. I need you.”

She looked down, couldn't meet his eyes. This was killing her. She should distance herself from him, it would hurt less when… the inevitable happened. But it was killing her to try. She couldn't stand the confusion in his expression whenever she pushed him away, the way his jaw crossed whenever she snapped at him. She couldn't stand all the arguments and tense silences, all the apologies she bit down. She couldn't stand keeping him at arm’s length anymore. It was killing her to be so cold and calculated with him, to raise all her defences against him when she wanted nothing more than to go running to him.

“I need you too,” she admitted, her voice barely above a whisper.

Chapter Text

“David,” she whisper-shouted. “David.”

He felt a gentle touch on his shoulder and rubbed his eyes and yawned, trying to fully wake up. “Wha...?” he mumbled, his voice thick with sleep.

He blinked his eyes open, still groggy from sleep, and turned to see Regina leaning against the open car door.

“Switch with me?” Regina asked. “I'm feeling tired.”

He reached to unbuckle his seatbelt. “Yeah. Okay.”

He stepped out of the car and held the door open, allowing Regina to move into the backseat next to Henry. She slid down into the comfortable position, her head finding a resting place atop his. David couldn't help but smile at the sight and closed the door gently.

He settled into the driver’s seat and noticed two takeout cups in the cup holders. One was empty and labelled “tea” with a red lipstick print on the lid. The other marked was hot and steaming and labelled “coffee.” He lifted the coffee gratefully and took a long sip, hoping it would wake him up.

Ava sat quietly in the passenger seat next to him, engrossed yet another novel. He glanced over at her, noting the peculiar black crocodile skin cover of the book she held in her hands. The words “The Curse of Ursula” glimmered in silver above the author's name, “J.D. Archer.”

“Any good?” he asked, attempting to start a conversation.

Ava nodded absent-minded, clearly not paying him attention.

As he started the car, a fleeting thought crossed his mind: what would it be like to have a daughter? He glanced at Ava and tried to guess what she might be thinking about. Regina told him she saw a lot of herself in her. He tried but couldn't. He didn't really know much about her childhood. They hadn't delved into that topic. Only a short-off answer of both her parents being dead when he'd asked about it. Perhaps that was what she saw. A closed book? Or simply coincidental mannerisms?

He glanced at Regina through the rear-view mirror. Everything about last night left him unsettled and worried. He could barely sleep, had just sat up watching her, making sure she was still there and not about to do something horrible, something that couldn’t be undone.

He replayed their dinner with the kids in his mind, trying to find some clue to the reason behind… There was no delicate way to describe the scene he had walked in on. It looked like she was having a breakdown. Throughout dinner she was distant, as if her mind were a million miles away and then she’d excused herself with an apology that she wasn’t feeling well—morning sickness, she’d said.

He felt like there was something he was missing. He kept thinking, trying to find a sign of… She was tense after that outing with Henry. Had something happened between them? Another fight? No, Henry would have told him. Things seemed fine between them. They were talking. What happened?

He felt frustrated and helpless. He hated feeling helpless. He hated not being able to help her. He hated seeing her like that. He hated that when she struggled, she shut him out.

Another glance at her brought a thought that devastated him. Was her secret the same as his?

They made it home by early evening.

“Why don’t you go lie down,” David suggested to Regina, taking her brown leather overnight bag from her hands shortly after she took it out of the trunk. “The kids and I can carry everything inside.”

She looked so fragile, didn’t even argue, just pressed her lips together and nodded. He kissed her forehead, the gesture as ineffective as putting a band-aid on a gaping bullet wound. He watched her worriedly, only looking away once she was inside the house.

“What’s up with Regina?” Nick asked him with a worried whisper.

Henry glanced at him then looked away quickly and grabbed some bags from the trunk.

“Nothing, kid. She’s just tired.”

“Hey Nick,” Henry called, nodding to his poster.

He was promptly distracted by it and went over to help unpack. They spent a few minutes unloading the car and carting all their stuff inside, him and Ava mostly. Henry and Nick were too distracted by peeking into the concerning number of shopping bags that had somehow managed to fit in the trunk of Regina’s car. Henry had taken it upon himself to sort the movies and videogames and pack them away in the rec room. Nick and Ava decided to unpack their new clothing and decorate their rooms.

Nick’s room followed a superhero theme of mainly Wolverine and the X-Men. One of his walls showcased a gigantic poster featuring the original comic book designs of the team. David helped install a comic bookcase similar to Henry's. Nick filled it with the new comic books they’d gotten him and a few he’d bought himself with his savings. Placed between the comic books were the four new action figures from their trip and the dozen or so his mother had gotten him before she died. On the lowest shelf he put the few novels he had, mainly science fiction although he admitted to never having finished any of them.

“I don’t have a long enough attention span,” he joked.

The door of his room proudly sported a simple red 'N'. Henry had chosen an 'H' in a medieval font similar to those in really old storybooks – the ones where the letter looked like a picture. As for Ava, her black door had an elegant gold calligraphy letter 'A' with delicate flowers and swirling golden vines.

David knocked on her door.

“Come in,” Ava said.

He turned the doorknob and stepped inside. Ava was busy transferring her clothes from the shopping bags onto hangers inside her small walk-in closet. Her shoes were already neatly packed. Twelve pairs lined the two shelves adjacent to the hanging space.

She’d already set up her desk, arranged it with a wooden stationary holder and an old silver lamp that must have been gathering dust somewhere around the mansion. It was vintage and contrasted nicely against the white desk. On the windowsill, a few potted plants added a touch of nature, while a cosy purple throw blanket was draped over the window seat. A stack of a dozen books with black, brown, and blue leather covers sat nearby on the floor. The room looked like it was taking shape. He was impressed by all the progress she'd made by herself.

“Need any help?” David offered.

“Um…” She looked around. “Not… I don’t think so, but thanks.”

Finished with her closet, Ava moved on to her jewellery. She carefully placed rings onto branches of a strange tree-shaped wire object.

David glanced around the room. He had restless energy pent up in him and needed to find something to do to distract himself. The baby’s furniture wasn’t set to arrive for another two weeks, so the nursery wasn’t an option at the moment. He noticed a plant in a semi-spherical glass bowl, a chain attached to either end of its circular opening.

“Pot plant?” he asked, confused.

“Yeah. It was to be hung. I was thinking of putting it near the window, but I need to put a hook or something in the ceiling first.”

“I think I have some in the garage,” he said. “I’ll be back in a moment.”

Tools acquired, he came back into her room, pulled her desk chair over to where Ava wanted the plant, installed the hook then hung the plant.

Ava was transferring her schoolbooks from an old faded red bag to a new sleek, black backpack with shiny gold zippers. David noticed her packing few sketchbooks into her desk drawers, and wondered if she, like Henry, also enjoyed drawing.

Once the plant was up, he returned her chair to its spot by her desk, David looked around the room. It hit him then. This was her home now. Regina was right when she called bull on his assurance that Ava and Nick would only be with them for one day. It had been eight weeks now. This was their home. His suddenly teary eyes took in her desk, the new bed she finally allowed them to buy her, with its dark ripple-patterned purple bedding and black silk pillowcases, her reading nook—the custom bookcase Marco had designed, built and installed just last week, its shelves rapidly filling with every new book Ava received, the eggshell white walls and warm wooden window frame, the fluffy cushion on the window seat and her light purple throw. This was her home. Hers and Nick’s and Henry’s. And he was jeopardising it. He jeopardised it that night he went home with Mary-Margaret. Whatever Regina had yet to tell him could not possibly be as bad as what he had done. He fucked up.

“Nice,” Ava said, grinning. She was looking at the plant.

David blinked quickly and cleared his throat. “How on earth are you gonna water it?”

She shrugged and laughed. “I… didn’t really think that far ahead,” she admitted.

“Dad, Ava, pizza’s here!” Henry called out.

David didn't know what to do with himself. His restlessness had only increased. The kids had their dinner in the rec room while playing video games. He checked on Regina once, had brought her some food, but she was asleep in the middle of their bed, her back to the door and curled into a foetal position. He covered her with a thin fleece blanket and switched off her bedside lamp before he left their room, his heart weighing heavier in his chest as that feeling of helplessness enveloped him. He wanted to do something. He needed a distraction from the reality that there was nothing he could actually do in that moment that would have any significance on anything that mattered. He needed something to keep his hands busy and mind preoccupied.

He thought about the nursery again, their son’s room. He considered taking down the shelves and painting the walls that yellow he and Regina decided on a while back—back when they first planned to decorate it. But it was something they planned to do together and with everything that had happened between them lately… it didn’t feel right to…

He settled for reorganising their kitchen cupboards, preparing a small section for where the baby’s things would need to go.

“Dad.” Henry entered the kitchen, with Nick by his side. “Nick and I just noticed our stuff’s not ready.”

“Yeah,” Nick nodded.

He turned his attention to them. “What stuff?”

“Our stuff. Our uniforms. For school. Tomorrow.” He’d mastered his mother’s talking-slow-in-case-you’re-slow tone.

“What’s wrong with your uniforms?”

“The shirts and pants are all wrinkled,” Nick answered.

“Oh, are you looking for the iron?” David asked, realizing their predicament.

“Iron?” Henry's eyes widened in disbelief. “You want us to iron?”

David looked back and forth between Henry and Nick. “Don’t you usually iron your clothes?”

“Uh no Mom does.”

Seriously?

Henry’s face scrunched up, confused. “Dad?”

While he was racking up overtime, taking unnecessary night shifts, volunteering to do evening patrol and meeting Mary-Margaret at the bar on Wednesdays Regina was staying home, helping them with homework and ironing their school uniforms? He was baffled by the thought. Especially baffled considering he’d never even seen her in the same room as an iron before.

“Where are your uniforms now?”

Henry shrugged and looked at Nick who made a face before shrugging as well.

“Probably still in the laundry room,” Ava called from her room.

David packed the last bowl into the cupboard he was currently busy with before closing it. He turned to the boys. “Come on.”

“Where are we going?” Nick groaned.

“Laundry room,” David answered. “Ava,” he called, tone clear that she was to join them.

She groaned loudly. Her door opened and she stomped loudly to where they were. All three kids followed him in the direction of the laundry room and by their expressions it was clear none of them had ever been in there before. Nick immediately jumped onto and sat on the counter usually reserved for folding and/or sorting laundry.

“Are you gonna make us iron?” He whined.

“No.” He found the wrinkled white shirts and creased grey pants still in the dryer along with their navy cardigans, took them out and placed them onto the hangers nearby. He handed each child their uniform. “I’m going to take advantage of this little learning opportunity and teach you to iron.”

“That’s even worse,” Nick groaned.

David explained the basics and set the iron to an appropriate temperature for the fabric. “Who’s first?”

Ava set her bookmark and closed her novel. “I’ll go.” She ended up with a faint pleat on the left leg of her pants that David had to help smooth out. Her nose returned to her book not two seconds after she finished with her shirt.

“Henry, you’re up.”

Nick hopped off the counter. “Nuh uh. Birth order. I’m older.”

David was momentarily surprised by his words but didn’t show it. He didn’t know why he was surprised. The three of them spent almost all their time together—home, school, Regina’s office after school or the station. They were inseparable. They were family. Birth order. It was true that Nick was older than Henry—though only by four months. But that phrase, ‘birth order’ and ‘I’m older’ that was something Kat would use to get best pick of certain things growing up. He looked at Henry and Nick and saw for the first time that they were brothers. The weight of that realisation was quickly interrupted by Nick clearing his throat.

“David, the iron.”

“Right.”

David quickly reminded Nick of what to do and then stepped away to let him try on his own. It wasn’t that difficult a concept to grasp, and once Nick realised that he stopped the dramatics he put on when he was doing something he didn’t want to.

He became engrossed in the task, carefully pressing his two shirts and pants, painfully precise as he smoothed out creases and wrinkles. Nick looked suspiciously at the iron. “That was easier than I thought it would be.”

“Most things are,” David said. Like telling the truth? his conscience asked him.

Ava scoffed, eyes still on The Curse of Ursula, and muttered, “I had money on you burning yourself.”

Henry laughed then very politely set his hand out. “You owe me five bucks, Ava.”

“You actually bet on me?!”

“At least I didn’t bet against you.”

Nick considered him point then turned to his sister with furious eyes. “You’re mean.”

Henry was the slowest to pick up the ease of the task and did actually end up burning the side of his left hand. David ran the burn under cold water and treated it with ointment from the first-aid kit.

Once the school uniforms were ironed and Henry’s burn had been treated, David decided to check on Regina. She was awake when he entered the room this time. He could see her through the slightly ajar en-suite door, splashing water onto her red face. She moved to the vanity, not having noticed him yet. Her one hand was on the back of her neck, rubbing it for a moment before she began brushing her hair. She paused when she saw him in the mirror reflection, eyes red and puffy, obvious effects of crying.

“David,” she breathed, voice hoarse. She caught his eyes in the mirror. “Why are you watching me like that?”

David was about to ask, “Like what?” when he caught a glimpse of his own expression in the mirror. He looked exactly how he felt— anxious, full of regret and overflowing with remorse. Naturally he took a page from her book and deflected. “Did you hurt your neck?”

“What?”

“You were rubbing it just now. Did you hurt your neck?”

She sighed but went along with the change in topic. “I must have slept awkwardly in the car. That or I may actually be getting old.” She looked at her brush. “God, I really hope that isn’t a grey hair.”

He knew she was trying to make a joke, but she sounded too defeated. He touched her shoulders. “How about a massage, hmm? Let me work out some of these knots.”

Her shoulders stiffened. “That’s okay. You don’t have to-”

“I want to.” He looked at her reflection. “Please.”

She hesitated but eventually relented. “Alright.”

Her shoulders eased under his hands. David began to knead the knots in her neck and shoulders, applying gentle and careful pressure. He had no idea she’d been carrying this much tension in her body.

“You’re so tense,” he murmured, dropping a quick kiss to her hair.

Her shoulders stiffened once more at that. David continued massaging her neck, using small circular movements with his thumbs to coax her into relaxing. Silence enveloped the room. It was a good silence. Not the kind that his thoughts would fill. This was their room; their sanctuary and his burdensome thoughts wouldn’t dare intrude.

“David, stop.”

Her tone worried him. David gulped uneasily and withdrew his hands. She turned to face him. He didn’t like the look on her face. Not one bit. His stomach dropped and he instinctively took her hands in his, silently begging for her not to say or do whatever she was about to.

“Regina-”

“I'm going to sleep in another bedroom tonight,” she said softly.

“Reg...” David trailed off, shaking his head. Please don’t. Please.

“And I think it would be best if I continued to do so until...” Her voice wavered, leaving her sentence unfinished.

Panic surged through David. He thought back to the night he almost cheated on her—no, let’s not mince words now, he did cheat on her. He went home with another woman. And somehow Regina had found out. She knew. She knew. She knew. She knew. She knew. How the hell did she know? He braced himself for her to confront him, to tell him how he’d hurt her. Maybe that’s what had upset her in Boston. The trip with Henry, the torn-up paper she stuffed into her bag. Maybe she found out and had contacted a divorce lawyer or something. She knew and sh-

“...until I can tell you the truth. I owe you that much.”

What? She didn’t know. Wait, the truth? The truth about what? He couldn’t make sense of anything anymore.

David became speechless. He froze in place as she put on her grey robe and left the room. The gentle click of the door echoed in his ears. What the hell just happened?

That night David laid awake in bed, contemplating how he should have reacted and the things he should have said or done. He shouldn’t have let her leave. He should have insisted they talk things through. Hell, he should have owned up to what he had done because it was eating him alive.

He thought about how this was her house before it became theirs and how if anyone should be sleeping in another room or on an uncomfortable couch in an office, it should be him and not her. He was the one who... who... He couldn't even bring himself to complete that thought. An image of a pink lace bra with a diamond stud at the centre flashed in his mind, followed by their son’s empty nursery.

Their son was due in seven weeks, and they hadn't even set up his room. All the stress she’d been dealing with couldn’t be good for either her or the baby. He needed to find a way to solve everything, to admit to what he’d done, to help her tell him this secret that was causing her so much pain, he needed to fix things.

He… He needed a fucking drink.

Chapter Text

Emma shrugged on her blue leather jacket and tried to put on her sneakers without untying the laces. She shimmied her feet into her shoes and glanced at her roommate, one arm getting twisted in her jacket.

“It's just after seven,” she said.

Mary-Margaret looked up questioningly.

“Don't you usually leave this time?”

“No,” she said quickly. “Well, yes, but I… um… I… I’m following your advice,” she blurted out. “Taking time to myself. Not putting my job before my sanity and all that.”

Emma raised her brows. She was unconvinced. “Good for you,” she said, going along with the obvious lie. She was worried about her, especially after their awkward conversation about David last night. “Hey um Jim and I are getting coffee this morning. Do you wanna join us?”

“No thanks. I think I’ll just grab something from Granny’s on my way to work.”

She glanced at her once more, feeling concerned. Maybe she should try and persuade her. No. Emma stopped herself. Mary-Margaret was an adult. She could take care of herself.

“Okay. I’ll see you after work then.”

She glanced up when the bell above the door jingled.

“Jim.” She waved him over to the table she was sitting at.

He nodded at her mug. “Cocoa?”

“No.” She smirked. “Coffee.”

“Yeah right. You have the tastebuds of a four-year-old. There’s no way that’s coffee.”

“You don’t even drink coffee!”

A young waiter approached their table. “Good morning, folks.” He saw Emma’s cup. “Can I get you a refill ma’am?” She shook her head. He looked at Jim. “What can I get you today, sir?”

“Oh, I’ll just have some black tea.”

He wrote it down on his notepad, looked between them, realised they weren’t going to order anything else, and left somewhat disappointedly.

Jim raised his eyebrows at her and indicated with his eyes toward her mug.

“Caramel latte,” she sighed, before taking a sip.

He laughed. “Knew it.”

“How’s the wedding planning going?”

“I had a nightmare where I touched her purple binder.” His eyes widened slightly. “I didn’t survive.”

“Purple binder? The wedding planning holy grail?” She laughed. “Come on. Rookie move even for a dream version of you.”

“No, seriously. Kathryn is scary when she goes into planning mode, Emma.”

She laughed again. “Oh, hey, speaking of your bride-to-be,” she said, trying to be casual. “I’ve being meaning to ask, is she okay with me being your best man?”

“Yeah. Why?”

“Are you sure?”

“Positive.” He smiled at her, somewhat puzzled. “Why do you ask?”

“Oh, you know just…” Her phone started ringing. Emma took it out of her pocket and frowned at the screen. “Regina's calling me.”

His eyebrows shot up. “I thought you weren’t on speaking terms?”

“So did I.”

“Maybe it’s Henry.”

“That would actually make more sense.” Emma hit the green button and answered. “Hello?”

“Ms Swan.”

Ah crap. Emma winced and shook her head. Jim made a sympathetic face.

“Do you mind picking up Henry, Ava and Nicky this morning? Something came up and neither David nor myself are able to.”

“Um… sure.”

“Thank you.” This was usually the point in the conversation where she would hang up. “How soon can you get here?”

Emma’s eyebrows knitted. She looked at her watch. It was 07:05. School didn’t start for another hour. “Um… how soon do you need me there?”

“Good answer. Within the next five to ten minutes.”

What? That was… And she hung up. Typical. Emma rolled her eyes.

Jim was watching her curiously. “What was that about?”

“It looks like I’m acting as a chauffeur to the Mills kids today.”

“Ah.” He nodded like it was the most normal thing in the world.

“You wanna be my co-pilot? We could stuff them full of chocolate donuts and hot cocoa, maybe go to the castle, you know for nostalgia’s sake.”

He smirked at her. “You miss Operation Cobra meetings, don’t you?”

“No, pfft of course not.” She smiled at his knowing look. “Can you blame me? Aside from the insanity of the concept, it was great bonding material. I really got to know the two of you. Sir Fredrick.”

He rolled his eyes at the mention of his storybook persona. “Okay, Saviour, I’m in.”

“Hey, kid,” Emma smiled. She ruffled Henry’s hair as he walked out the door. He had a new haircut.

“Hey, Emma,” he said distractedly. He was adjusting the straps of his backpack. “Uncle Jim!” He said in surprise.

Nick came out after him, his hair cut in a similar style. They both wore their school uniform, light brown pants, black shoes, white shirts with the blue school cardigan. Nick’s uniform looked newer, she noted.

“Hey, Nick.”

He smiled. “Hey, Em. Coach K.”

“Where's Ava?”

“Probably applying lipstick,” he said with an eyeroll. “She’s acting like such a girl today.”

Jim glanced at him. “Why do you say that, Nicholas?”

“She put on lipstick and asked Regina to braid her hair. She never usually cares what she looks like. Aaaaaaand,” he added, like it was the most damning piece of evidence, “she didn’t pack an extra book today.”

Henry stopped struggling with his backpack. “Seriously? She didn’t pack a book?”

Nick looked at him with wide eyes. “Nope.”

“Does she have a really thick one with her today?”

“Nope,” he said, popping the ‘p’ sound. “She’s still reading The Curse of Ursula.”

“No,” Henry gaped. “But…” He lowered his voice. “She’s been reading that since yesterday.”

Nick nodded gravely. “I know.”

The boys quietened when Ava walked out. She did not look like the kid Emma remembered. Her hair looked like it had been treated or dyed or something. Highlights! She’d gotten highlights. Her eyes looked greener. The school pants were new too. And yep, Nick was right, lipstick too. Emma immediately knew what was up. Ava had a crush.

Regina followed Ava.

“Ava.” She held a book out to her. “You forgot this inside.”

Nick and Henry exchanged a worried glance.

“Oh.” She took it. “Thanks Regina.” Ava hugged her. “See you after school.”

“Have a good day, dear,” she said, letting go of her. “Does everyone have their lunches? Ava? Henry? Nicky?”

“Yes,” they all groaned at the same time.

“Mom, you asked that like fifty times already.”

“I'm just checking,” she said, bending to hug Henry. “Goodbye sweetheart. Have a great day at school. I love you.”

He hugged her. “Love you too, mom.”

Emma’s heart melted a bit. That was too cute.

“Nicky,” she called.

He was already down the path, but jogged back and immediately hugged her. “See you later, Regina.”

She smiled and kissed his forehead. The kids ran to the bug.

“Jim?”

“Gina,” he smiled. He greeted her with a hug. Emma didn’t know why she was surprised by that, or by the fact that Regina hugged him back.

“What are you doing here?”

“Emma and I were grabbing coffee when you called. Figured I’d tag along. It’s good to see you.”

“You too,” she said warmly.

He touched her stomach. “How’s the youngest Mills?”

“Exhausting,” she said with a heavy sigh, seemingly unbothered by him touching her.

Emma’s eyebrows shot up. She knew they were close to some extent, but she hadn’t actually seen it before. Emma must have zoned out because the next moment Jim was walking past her to the bug, and she was alone on Regina's doorstep.

Regina cleared her throat. “Thank you. For picking them up this morning.”

“No problem,” Emma said before quickly turning and leaving. She had no desire to make things any more awkward than necessary.

Regina stood outside the bathroom door, her hand covering her mouth to prevent herself from gagging at the sound of David throwing up inside.

“Are you going to puke again?” she asked after the toilet flushed.

“No,” he groaned.

“Are you contagious?”

Another groan, followed by, “No.”

She hesitated. Her morning sickness hadn't subsided, even though she was 34 weeks into her pregnancy. If she saw or smelled anything remotely disgusting, the chances of her throwing up were alarmingly high. She wouldn't be of much help if that were to happen.

“Can I open the door?”

Silence.

“David?”

“No,” he immediately replied, sounding closer to the door than before. “I'll be out soon. Just give me a minute.”

She paused. “Are you okay?”

She heard a soft, weary “no” from inside and made up her mind. Regina opened the door and stopped uncertainly when she looked at him. He was leaning on the counter, barely standing.

“David,” she said worriedly, placing one hand on his back. His head snapped up at the sound of her voice. “God, you're a mess,” she muttered, observing the bags under his eyes, the scruff on his face, and the state of his clothes. She spotted a stain on the front of his t-shirt, but she looked away before determining whether or not it was throw-up.

He scoffed. “Thanks, Reggie.”

“I called Emma to pick up the kids. They just left.”

He nodded and put his head back down. She rubbed his back. “How do you feel?”

“Like shit.”

She rolled her eyes. “Are you in any physical pain, David? Is this food poisoning, or are you coming down with something?” She ignored the sense of déjà vu she felt when she asked him that.

A self-deprecating laugh escaped him. “I'm hungover.”

She paused, frowning. “Well, that's an easy remedy then. Come on,” she said, coming to his side and lifting his arm over her shoulder. They walked like that to the kitchen, where she filled a mug with unsweetened black coffee and placed it in front of him.

“Drink.”

“Oh, that's cold,” he groaned, staring at the mug in disgust. She didn't say anything, just stared at him until he took a sip. “Are you not gonna ask?”

“Ask what?” She had already turned around and was clearing away the dishes from breakfast. “Ask why you didn't come home until after midnight? Why you were passed out in the living room this morning? Why you're throwing up before eight in the morning? No, David. I'm not. You're an adult, free to do whatever you want. The only limit I will impose is where it interferes with your parenting. Then I'll ask.”

Silence. He sounded meek now. “Do you care?”

“What?” She turned around and looked at him.

He looked up and met her gaze. “Do you care about me?”

“Of course, I care about you. You're my husband.”

Doubt creased his features, and he shook his head, not believing her. “You don't act like it. Sometimes you really don't act like it, Reg.”

She squeezed the dishcloth in her hands, trying to contain her anger. “Are you going to ask?” she said, turning his own question on him.

Confused and baffled, he asked, “Ask what?”

“Ask how I covered for your ass so that none of the kids were even aware you were in the living room this morning? Ask who's been making the meals while you've been gone every night since we got back from Boston? Who's helped with homework? Who's packed lunches or found misplaced shoes? Who's attended soccer practice or watered Ava's stupid plant? Are you going to ask about any of that? No? Then how about who put that trashcan near the sofa in case you needed it? Who covered you with that blanket or took off your shoes?” He fell silent. “I care.”

He shook his head. “It doesn't feel like it.”

She laughed sarcastically, throwing her hands up in the air. He was acting like a petulant child. “Well, please enlighten me as to how I prove this to you then. What do you want? Do you want me to question the drinking? I don't understand why you've taken up a habit you used to be so vehemently against, and yes, I'm concerned, but I also recognize the need to blow off steam, and honestly, I didn't think taking shots while playing darts at a bar was such a bad thing. Forgive me for not playing the part of a 50s housewife and interrogating you when...” She lost steam in her rant. “You usually come to me if something serious is going on or if you want to talk. I thought you needed the space,” she said, finishing softly.

“But why do I always need to go to you?” He pleaded. “Why can't you just be there?”

“I am here,” she snapped. “You're the one who...” was going to leave. Her eyes widened at what she was about to say. Shit. “...who leaves every night.”

He stared at her. “Is that you imposing a limit?”

“Is that what this is? A stunt for me to chain you like a dog to the garden wall? What do you want from me?”

“You're impossible.” He chugged back what was left in his mug and got up. “I'm gonna take a shower before I head in.”

“You're going to work in that condition?”

He was already on the stairs. “Unless you plan on chaining me to the garden wall... yeah.”

She could feel a vein throbbing in her forehead. Here she was, fighting tooth and nail to keep this idiotic oaf until the curse broke, and he was acting like an ass. Furiously, she followed him out of the kitchen, stood at the bottom of the staircase, and said, “You're not driving. I forbid it.”

He stopped and stared at her, his face giving nothing away. She hated when he did that, when he decided not to wear his heart on his sleeve—or rather, his emotions on his face.

“Fine,” was all he said.

Henry sat at his castle, watching the ocean waves as he sipped on his cocoa and nibbled on a chocolate chocolate-frosted donut. Ava and Nick were on the swings, talking between themselves, and Uncle Jim and Emma were sitting on a nearby bench. They were talking about Uncle Jim and Aunt Kathryn’s wedding. Emma seemed really excited about it. Henry tried to be, but couldn’t.

He just felt sad. Everything was falling apart. For the last six months, he’d wanted nothing more than for his parents to get a divorce. For Dad to see Mom as The Evil Queen, to leave her and take Henry with him. He wanted Prince Charming to save him and help him to his happily ever after. But now… now his parents could barely be in the same room together.

He hated it. He hated the way they were around each other. Things were better in Boston but as soon as they got home, they went back to how they had been before that. Mom promised him she wasn’t going to make Dad leave, but that didn’t mean she wanted him to stay. That didn’t mean that she wanted to stay married to him. And if she didn’t want to be Dad’s wife anymore, then maybe she didn’t want to be his mom either.

Henry couldn’t bear that thought. It made him want to curl into a ball in bed and just stay there and cry for an entire week. But he couldn’t do that. He needed to go to school and pretend everything was fine. He needed to figure out how to get Emma to break the curse even though it might kill his mom. He heard what she said to that guy at the potion store.

His whole life was falling apart, and he had no idea how to fix it. He couldn’t just give up on the curse, not now that Mom had decided to help him break it. She wasn’t going to let him. But why would she try to break the curse if it could kill her? Not even heroes would do that. Maybe she wanted to die. He froze at that thought. Is that… Was that possible? Did Mom want to die? Maybe she did. Ever since she got her memories back, she was miserable. Maybe she hated this too. Maybe she hated this so much she didn’t want to be alive anymore.

Henry’s throat closed and the cocoa in his stomach made him feel sick. Mom was miserable. Dad was miserable. Everything was going wrong, and it was all his fault! For probably the millionth time, Henry thought that if he stayed under the curse none of this would have happened. If he had never left to find Emma everyone would still be happy. Mom and Dad would be gross and in love and kissing and talking all the time. Their house would be filled with laughter and music and happiness instead of these long unbearable silences when his parents were home at the same time.

His family was breaking apart in front of him and there was nothing he could to it stop it from happening. He felt helpless and small, like a little kid with the weight of the world on his shoulders.

He took the book out of his backpack and waved Emma over.

She walked to him. “What’s up, kid?” She looked at the book. “Operation Cobra meeting?”

His throat tightened and eyes burned. Henry shook his head quickly. He climbed down the playground, handed the book to her and began digging in the sand.

“Errr, kid, what are you doing?”

His hands hit the red metallic box in the dirt. He took his keychain out of his pocket, lifted the smallest of the three keys on there and unlocked it. He turned to Emma.

“We’re done with Operation Cobra,” he said.

Emma looked at him in surprise. She crouched next to him. “You sure?”

He nodded quickly.

She looked at him with an expression full of sympathy and squeezed his shoulder before she passed him the book.

Henry looked at the brown leather cover one final time, fingers tracing over the letters, before he put it in the box, locked it and covered it with sand.

By the time the box was no longer visible, Henry could breathe easier. He took the box’s key off his keychain, took Emma’s hand, walked to the waves, and threw the key into the ocean.

Emma pulled him into her side and hugged him tight. “You okay, kid?”

He smiled. “Never better.”

Ruby placed a takeout cup on the counter, and David handed her the money for his order. “Thank you,” he said.

Mary-Margaret glanced up from her page briefly, trying to be subtle as her eyes followed him out of the diner to his cruiser. She noticed that he looked a little worse for wear. Quickly, Mary-Margaret averted her gaze when someone sat down in front of her.

“I thought you hated that book?” Emma said, gesturing towards the novel Mary-Margaret had stopped reading a few days ago.

“I was just...”

“Just...?” Emma prompted.

Mary-Margaret sighed. “Lately, he's been coming here every morning around this time to get coffee.”

She gave a sad smile. “You know he's married, right?”

“I know, I know, I know. I just like to... come here to... see him.” She realized how creepy that sounded as she was saying it.

Emma raised an eyebrow. “So, you're a stalker.”

“No,” she quickly responded. “Not really,” she mumbled, aware of Emma's pointed look. “Maybe a little bit. But, Emma, it's not like I'm following him. I just happen to know the time he gets coffee in the mornings, well, the mornings he works.” She felt embarrassed, her cheeks turning pink. “I don't know... I just... I...”

Emma shrugged. “You like him,” she stated simply.

Mary-Margaret nodded, feeling ashamed. “Yeah.”

“He's married,” she emphasized. “And his wife, the Mayor, is pregnant, and you two already... almost... you know...”

She lowered her head. “I know.”

Emma reached across the table and took her hand. “Just don't do anything stupid.”

Regina was in her office. She felt dread build within her whenever she glanced at the clock. Every tick brought her closer to the end of the school day. She would have to fetch them in a few hours. And while she loved them, she truly, truly loved them, if she had to spend another afternoon with them…

With everything that had been happening with David and the elusive curse crafter who still hadn't contacted her, her patience was paper-thin. One more outburst or fight between them and she was going to snap. Usually, if she felt this overwhelmed, she would call David and ask him to cover for her, but he was being an idiot and she was still furious with him over their argument this morning. Aside from that, she needed a more permanent solution.

Regina called Ruby, who used to be Henry's babysitter, and asked if she wanted her old job back. They spoke on the phone, and Ruby explained that while she would love to help out, Granny was currently training her to take over the business.

“I do have a friend who needs a job, though. Her name is Ashley. Ashley Boyd,” Ruby suggested.

“Does she have any experience?”

“Regina,” Ruby chuckled, “Henry is like the most well-behaved kid on the planet, and Nick and Ava aren't far behind. Taking care of them is a breeze.”

“So, that's a no,” Regina concluded.

She groaned in response. “She doesn't have experience, but she really needs a job with flexibility, and she's great with kids.”

“How old is she?”

Ruby hesitated. “Nineteen.”

“Nineteen?” Regina scoffed, “No wonder she's 'great with kids.' She practically is one.”

Ruby ignored her comment and continued, “She has a car, so she can pick them up in the mornings, drive them to and from school, and babysit them after school. Oh, she can cook simple meals too if you and David are ever late and need someone to do that.”

She thought about it for a moment. “Tell her she has an interview at my office today at 1 PM.”

Ruby sounded excited and said, “Sweet!” despite the fact that it was only 45 minutes away. “Oh, hey, before I forget, she just had a baby, so if she brings it up be nice.” She hung up immediately after.

Ashley arrived promptly at 1 o'clock. Well into the interview, Regina ignored Ruby’s advice.

“Ruby mentioned that you recently had a child,” Regina said after she’d already asked the most important questions.

Ashley startled and nodded. “Yes, a girl,” she answered, her voice slightly trembling. “Lexi. Well, her full name is Alexandra, but we just... just call her Lexi for sh-shor… for short. She’s three months old.”

Young. “Where is she? Daycare?”

Ashley hesitated and stumbled over her words. “No, she's at home with her dad. Sean. He and I... Well, I haven't really figured out what we are just yet, I-”

“That's not what I asked,” Regina interjected sharply, cutting Ashley off.

Ashley's mouth snapped shut, realizing her mistake. “Right, of course, sorry, Madame Mayor.”

Regina's irritation was palpable, and if the vein on her forehead was throbbing earlier, it was now pulsing visibly. Trying to maintain her composure, she took deep breaths and rested her hand on her stomach to calm the baby. Junior was furious with her. I’m sorry, she said to him.

She addressed Ashley with a hint of genuine remorse, “I'm sorry. My head is killing me. Just... Just be quiet for a few minutes, please.”

Ashley looked at Regina's hand on her stomach and then at her face. Something like understanding passed over her eyes. “Are you talking to me or the baby?”

“Both.”

She smiled. “You're about a month before your due date, right?”

Regina nodded, slightly surprised by how quickly Ashley had guessed.

Ashley nodded back, her tone kind. “I was insanely angry around that time too. Everything used to set me off. I'm not gonna take it personally,” she reassured. “What do you expect from me in this job?”

Regina adjusted herself on the couch, still keeping her hand on her stomach as the baby settled. “I need someone to pick the kids up in the mornings, take them to school, pick them up after, take them home, keep them occupied for a few hours, maybe take Nick to soccer practices a few afternoons a week and Henry to his sessions every Tuesday.”

Ashley nodded, taking in the requirements. “That's simple enough. Will I be able to bring Lexi with me if my babysitter cancels or if Sean has a shift?”

“As long as it doesn't interfere with your ability to ensure that my kids' homework is done and uniforms are hung up, you can keep her strapped to your chest for all I care,” Regina replied, shifting uncomfortably in her seat. Junior, please stop moving, she begged. “Do you currently have another job?”

“It's a part-time gig waitressing at Granny's, but I could really use an extra source of income-”

“Quit.”

“What? I can't just-”

Regina interjected. “I'm going to need you full-time.”

Ashley sputtered in surprise. “It sounds like you'll only need me a few hours a day. I can't-”

“You need a job with flexibility that will allow you to keep Alexandra with you so that she receives all the attention she requires, and I need someone to keep my walking headaches away from me,” Regina stated bluntly.

Ashley hesitated, processing the information. “How exactly is my salary going to work?”

Smart girl. Always ask about the money. “What's your average weekly income at Granny's?”

Ashley quickly did a mental calculation and shared the figure with Regina.

Regina tripled the amount and jotted it down on a notepad. The second figure she wrote down represented Ashley's monthly earnings if she worked for Regina. She showed Ashley the page, and her eyes widened in surprise.

“You just need me to pick them up, drive them places, and watch them after school?” Ashley asked.

Regina nodded, wincing as the baby moved again.

“And I can bring Lexi with me?”

Another nod. Regina extended her hand. “Are you in?”

She eagerly shook her hand. “Yes.”

“I suppose the money alone is enough incentive, but I'm going to say it anyway. I expect them to be cared for to the best of your ability.”

“Understood.”

“Can you start today?”

“Wh-what? I mean, yes, sure.”

“Excellent.”

Her home used to be a solace after a long day at the office. Today, her office had been the solace. She’d had four blissful hours without the kids. Four blissful hours of near silence. The noise she walked into tonight may as well have been a warzone. Ava and Nicky were locked in a heated argument over some toy, their voices raised in frustration, and music blasted from Henry’s room.

Regina sighed, already feeling the fatigue creeping in. She set to work immediately, playing the mediator between Ava and Nicky. Nicky clung to her side afterwards, pestering her with questions about nearly everything. She’d forgotten quite how many questions children ask since Henry stopped speaking to her all those months ago.

“Regina.”

She very nearly snapped her pen in frustration. He’d followed her into her home office and alternated between browsing the shelves of her library and looking over her shoulder as she fixed the town budget.

“Yes, Nicky?”

“I’m hungry.”

She sighed, closed her laptop and got up. Regina had no energy left to cook, so take-out was the only option. Yet, even this simple decision led to another argument between Ava and Nicky, this time over whose turn it was to choose the place. Regina, exasperated, ended up ordering from three different places just to keep the peace. Afterward, she retreated to the kitchen, where she opened a jar of pickles and a sleeve of saltine crackers, devouring them in frustration. Junior finally decided activate strange-cravings-mode, but Regina was too emotionally drained to care about the fact that she usually wouldn’t be caught dead in the same room as her meal this evening.

Eventually, eight-thirty rolled around and Henry and Nicky went to bed. At this point, Regina decided to take a shower. She usually wore matching pajamas, but pregnancy was not agreeing with her. She felt uncomfortable in the maternity wear, and her eyes were drawn to David's t-shirts hanging on his side of the closet. The material looked soft and comforting, and her body yearned for his touch, his warmth. She missed the sensation of his skin against hers, the way his muscles flexed under her fingers, the intimacy they shared. But she quickly pushed those thoughts aside, locking them away in a mental box, determined to focus on the present.

Regina selected one of David's t-shirts, deciding not to overthink things. It would have to do. Exhausted, she sat on her bed, realizing it was the first time she had done so in what felt like an eternity. Since her self-imposed exile from their shared bedroom, she hadn't experienced a single decent night's rest. Most nights were haunted by visits from Leopold, Cora, or Rumple, and sometimes Mal. Those encounters left her more shattered each time. She wished she could have done more to help Mal.

Mal had been heartbroken. She kept micro dosing on weak-brewed sleeping potion until one day she went for a full dosage. Regina used the curse to bring her to Storybrooke and keep her safe. Mal was tucked away under the library in dragon form. In those early days of her curse, Regina would visit her almost every week. She hasn’t been in years. Perhaps it’s time to pay her oldest friend a visit once more.

David awoke in their bed, his body jolting upward as if escaping from some nightmarish grip. He was drenched in sweat, his heart racing, and his breath coming in quick, shallow gasps. His mind was still caught in the strange and disturbing nightmare he had just experienced within the depths of some ominous dungeon.

Beside him, Regina lay awake, concern etched across her face. She must have been trying to wake him because she looked genuinely worried. He had come home late, well past ten, and the sight of her in their bed, wearing his t-shirt no less, had both broken and mended his heart. He missed her desperately, and her presence here was a bittersweet surprise. Questions about why she was here began to form in his mind, but he pushed them away. He missed her too much to care about the reasons for her change of heart.

David had been so careful not to encroach on her space, not to touch her, fearing she might wake up and flee. But now, as she held him in her arms, he realized he had been overly paranoid. She hugged him tightly, pressing his face against her chest. Just having her there with him was calming him down, the steady rhythm of her heartbeat against his ear became a lullaby.

He settled down, laying his head atop her chest and placing his hand gently over her stomach. Regina asked about the dream, but he struggled to recall it clearly.

“Bad dream?”

“You could say so. It was weird,” he muttered, still shaken. “I was trapped in a dungeon, like something out of a really messed up fairytale.”

Regina tensed briefly, then her hand moved to the back of his head, her nails tracing small, soothing circles on his neck. It was a gesture she knew comforted him, made him feel safe and drowsy. He'd told her so many times before how much he needed her, and in moments like these, it was undeniably true. The nightmares had been increasing in frequency and vividness since their return from Boston. Sometimes, he turned to drinking to escape them, to forget, but it was never a real solution.

With her beside him, though, the those messed up dreams faded into the background. He didn't feel the overwhelming urge to reach for a bottle of vodka just to regain a semblance of control. All he needed was to listen to the reassuring thump of her heart beneath his ear, to feel the warmth of her skin against his hand on her stomach. It grounded him; it brought him back home.

David buried his face in the curve of her neck, inhaling deeply, savouring the familiar scent of her hair. He had missed waking up next to her, missed being able to touch her without hesitation.

He whispered softly, his voice a mixture of confusion and gratitude, “You're here.”

Regina's fingers on his neck tightened slightly, and she whispered back, “It would appear so, yes.”

“Are you going to stay tonight?”

There was a pause, his breath held in anticipation. Finally, Regina broke the silence. “Go to sleep, David.”

He must have fell asleep shortly after that because when he awoke the next morning, she was gone, and her side of the bed was already neatly made, the sheets crisp and cool, as if she had never been there. David couldn't help but wonder if the entire night had been an elaborate and cruel dream.

Chapter Text

There had to be an answer in one of these books, she thought as she scoured over the tomes she’d retrieved from her vault that morning before work. Regina had decided to do her own research. Well, to continue her research. It had been two weeks since Boston. Two weeks since that man promised her answers and only delivered silence. Two weeks! How long does it take to figure out a curse you didn’t design?

Regina frowned. She didn’t know the answer to that. She genuinely didn’t know, and it was beginning to worry her how long this would-

Her laptop notification chimed, indicating the arrival of an email. With a sigh, she stood from the couch in her office and checked her emails. If it was another one from Kathryn about this damn wedding, she swore she would-

Him! It was from him. Her hands trembled as she clicked to open it and read the contents. It was a message asking her to return a call using the provided number, emphasizing the need for a private conversation. Regina immediately dialled the number, skipping any formal greetings and going straight to the point.

“What needs to be done to break the curse?”

There was a momentary pause on the other end of the line. “I’ll spare you talk of my methods on how I figured out the solution to your dark curse and instead answer the question you should have first asked. Your death is not instrumental, Regina.”

Time stopped.

“Are you certain?” She asked, clutching the phone to her ear.

“One hundred percent.”

She collapsed into her chair with relief so strong she felt herself crying. The panic and fear that had plagued her for weeks now disappeared at his words. There was silence on the other end of the call as he allowed her to collect herself.

“I’m sorry,” she said. “I just…”

“You’re relieved. That’s good,” he said with a heavy sigh. “There was a part of me that feared you may want to die.”

She shook her head vehemently even though he could not see her. Die? Why would she want to die? She’d wanted to die for most of her life before the curse, but now? No. Not now. Not when she had so much to live for. Not for as long as she could help it.

“I don’t.”

“That is good.” He sounded contemplative. “Let me answer your first question now.”

She tried to focus on his words but could only manage to tune in every few seconds. Her main thought was: “I’m not dying.”

The solution was two-fold, he said, 1) instil belief in the Saviour and 2) wait for her to commit an act of true love, most common method was by kiss. It was so simple she felt foolish for even asking him. Though who could have predicted that the darkest curse ever created could be broken by something as austere as a kiss? This entire mess had started with a stolen kiss in a stable, now it was to end with one. Ironic. Or perhaps she was seeing things that weren’t there? Rewriting it to her benefit?

Oh gods… This was exhausting. All this thinking and thinking and analysing her thoughts to determine if she was doing the right thing. It was exhausting. Regina pressed her fingers to her temples and massages gently. Screw you, she thought, talking to her cursed self.

What use is a conscience anyway? What had she gained from listening to hers? What good was a heart? Feelings? Gods, why did she decide to act on her feelings all those years ago? How far had ‘feelings’ ever gotten her? She should have just done what she intended to do; screw him then forget about the incident until the unlikely event that her curse broke and she needed to gloat. That was it. It was so stupid, but it would have hurt Snow, and that was the intent. Insane as it was, that was the intent – to ensure that even if she was defeated, even if true love prevailed, she hurt her in an irreparable way. They would never be even, but that was as close as she could get.

“Hey, are you okay?” David cupped her face. “You seem off.”

No, no, no. She winced and shut her eyes. Screw you, she thought again, pushing that memory away. When she opened her eyes, she focused on her laptop screen. She closed her email box. Construction plans stared back at her. Right, the playground. It would be completed soon. Ready for public use. Right.

She stared at it, her mind empty, unable to think or concentrate. Every time she tried, her mind would run rampant. It jumped from one line of thought to next without even so much as a link or interlude. One thought was constant: “I’m not dying.” Mostly followed by: “Thank the gods.” or “What do I do now?”

And upon that last thought, her mind would inevitably drift back to him, to David, to his thoughtfulness, his sweetness, how even when things weren’t great between them, she never doubted that he loved her. The relief transformed into overwhelming happiness. She wasn’t going to die. And now, all she wanted was to share this news with him. For the last decade he had been the person she ran to with good news, the first person she called. But now, she couldn’t. Her relief, her happiness, was now tinged with sadness and regret and an overwhelming urge to just see him.

“But why do I always need to go to you?” He pleaded. “Why can't you just be there?”

He had a point. She hadn’t been there for him, not lately, not the way he had always been there for her.

She glanced at the time on her laptop. Had he eaten yet? Maybe they could talk? Would he even want to? She took out her phone. Her hands trembled as she composed and edited messages, agonizing over them for five minutes before finally hitting send. She stared at her phone, willing him to read it, and after he had, bracing herself for a response like “no” or “go to hell”— something she knew he would never say, but still feared. However, no response came. She stared at the screen for another few minutes. Still no response. He’d clearly read it but hadn’t sent anything back. Tears welled up in her eyes, but she refused to let them fall, instead she pushed her head back and blinked until they disappeared. She had ignored him since they got back to Storybrooke. If he decided to do the same, she had no one to blame but herself. She couldn't keep doing this to him—ignoring him until she couldn't bear it anymore, then taking just enough to sustain herself before shutting him out again. It wasn’t fair.

Her intercom buzzed, startling Regina.

Eunice's voice came through. “Madame Mayor. Your husband’s here. Shall I send him in?”

She glanced at the books on the couch and quickly got up, placing on hand to the desk as support – the cute baby bump she had sported not two months ago now more closely resembled an upside-down camel hump – before she rushed back to the couch and packed away her stack of elvish spell books and tomes on curse crafting.

“Madame Mayor.”

Regina pressed the button on the intercom on her desk. If he had arrived any other day, hell, yesterday even, she would have firmly declined. Now, she had to gulp before answering, and a heavy “yes” escaped her throat.

David knocked softly before opening the door. Regina winced; she could not recall a single instance where he had ever knocked on that door before.

She didn’t have to die. She wasn’t going to die. She was going to live. She was going to give birth to their child. She was going to meet him. She was going to hold him. And raise him. And maybe David would be there too. The simple thought brought a smile to her face, but it quickly faded as David’s eyes turned guarded, almost pained. He may not hate her, but he was hurt. She had hurt him.

“We need to talk,” he said simply.

Dread twisted her stomach, but she managed a nod.

He closed the door behind him, nervously wringing his hands as he took a seat on the couch. Regina followed suit, sitting in the armchair opposite him.

His leg bounced. It was subtle, but she noticed it. Of course, she noticed; she was his wife, and she knew him as well as he knew her. When he looked up, the pain in his eyes shattered her.

“Regina, I don't understand you,” he said. “One minute, you want nothing to do with me. I mean, you haven't even looked at me all week, and now you're asking me to have lunch with you? Can you please… I just want to understand.”

She took a deep breath. She was going to have to tell him. He deserved that. “I… Do you… That secret I talked about in Boston-”

“No,” he interrupted her, vehemently shaking his head.

“No?” She repeated, confused.

“No,” he said firmly. “Forget it. I don’t want to know. I changed my mind.”

“David-”

He shook his head in frustration. “I don’t… I don’t care about that right now. I know I brought it up, but I don’t… I seriously don’t care about the ‘why’. I just need to know that this is gonna stop.”

“What is?”

“This.” He gestured between them. “This.”

“Us?” She asked, panicking.

“No,” he said frustratedly. “Whatever has been going on between us, the silences and the tension, and you avoiding me, I want it to stop. That secret… I couldn’t care less about it, Regina. I just need to know that… whatever… this is will stop.” He interrupted her next words too. “That means things go back to the way they were. We talk, we have lunch together, we sleep in the same bed and… I miss you,” he said imploringly. “I don’t give a crap about why this has happened, just promise me that it’s going to stop. I need you. Please, Reg, please I need you.”

She was about to speak.

“Don’t placate me by saying you need me too like you did in Boston,” he said darkly. “Don’t give me that crap again. Especially if you don’t mean it.”

“I meant it,” she defended instantly.

“Meant?”

Regina realised her mistake. “I mean it,” she corrected.

“Promise me,” he begged. “Please just promise me that.”

She had to tell him. It was only right. But if he was begging her not to tell him then… No, she snapped at herself. He was cursed. If he knew the nature of what she was going to tell him he would feel differently. She had to tell him.

She nodded and said, “I promise,” speaking both to his request and her decision to tell him. That was one part of the problem solved, but he didn’t look relieved. “You don’t believe me,” she realised.

He looked away.

Her throat hurt. “David…”

He closed his eyes as if he was in pain. “I want to. I really, really want to.”

Getting up, she sat beside him, gently touching his face and making him look at her. “I’m here.” His eyes flickered between hers, unsure and hesitant, so hesitant. “I promise.” And I’m not going anywhere until you tell me to.

“Is there something wrong with us?” He whispered. “Something broken?”

Her eyebrows furrowed. “What do you mean?”

“We always do this. Things are great until they aren’t, until we don’t even know how to speak to each other let alone trust. Are we always going to be like this?”

Regina's heart ached at his words. Her hands dropped from his face. “I don’t know.”

His gaze fell to the floor and a heavy, uncomfortable silence enveloped them.

“Maybe we are broken,” she said at last, finally saying aloud something she hadn’t even wanted to admit to herself.

“Maybe we are,” he echoed, his voice low.

Chapter Text

Ruby handed him the takeout cup, shaking her head. “You’re like an addict.”

“I guess that makes you my dealer, Rubes.” David passed her the money and gulped down the coffee. “Thanks for the daily fix.”

“Anytime,” she said, already moving to the next customer.

He turned to leave but found himself unable to move when his eyes landed on her. Mary-Margaret was there. Again. She was at a table near the entrance, reading the same book he’d seen her with for nearly two weeks now. It was a Denise Sterling novel. She was a slow reader, he knew, but not that slow. And she hated the author.

Let it go, David, he said to himself. Just let it go.

He walked to her. “Good morning.”

She looked up, apparently startled. “Morning.”

An awkwardness crept into the silence that followed.

“Good book?” he asked, a smile tugging at the corners of his lips.

“Oh!” She looked at the cover, as if surprised to see it in her hands. She was already nodding when she noticed the author’s name and grimaced. “No, not at all.”

This is strange, he thought. Awkward silences and stilted conversations. It was exactly like the early days at the bar. It was… It was so familiar. So easy. It was like… It was low stakes.

He missed her, he realised suddenly.

She got up so abruptly David worried his expression must have given away his thoughts. “Mary-Margaret-”

“I should go,” she said, quickly gathering up her things. “School starts in…”

They both checked their watches. David raised his eyebrows. “You’re cutting it kinda close.”

“Part of the thrill,” she said with a bright smile and cringed immediately after. “Well, uh… it was… nice. To… see you.”

“Yeah, you too.”

He missed her. He missed her? Did he? Did he truly? No. No, David concluded. No, not miss, but… Their conversations, their dynamic, their friendship, relationship, whatever it was, it was over. He hadn’t fully realised or accepted it until that moment. The loss of it saddened him. Yes, that’s what it was. He didn’t miss her. He was grieving her. He was grieving something that could have been, something that never was. It would have been easy and uncomplicated. It wouldn’t have hurt. With Regina it hurt.

He stopped the cruiser outside Mr Clark’s drugstore to pick up the refill for his prescription.

“You memorised it down to the week?”

“Down to the date. November 8^th,” she said matter-of-factly. “Six days before our son’s due date so… please just keep taking it until then.”

“Reg…”

She looked down, jaw clenched and hands in fists, worried, yet trying not to look it. “It could be fatal.” He was about to remind her yet again of the statistics, but her eyes gave him pause. “I just… You shouldn’t take any chances. I need you to… to be here.”

“I am here,” he sighed, pulling her into a hug.

“Good.” Her head pressed against his chest; her words mumbled onto his shirt. “You can’t leave me.”

He kissed the top of her head. “Not gonna happen anytime soon.”

David looked at the orange pill container in his hand. It was for his takotsubo cardiomyopathy medication. “You can’t leave me,” she’d said. And not one week after that, she’d started icing him out. He sat in his car a moment longer and just stared at the container. ‘Takotsubo cardiomyopathy’ was the medical term, but it was more commonly known as ‘broken heart syndrome’ and in that moment, David realised the irony of it all. Broken heart syndrome. It felt as if his heart had been in pieces for the last few months now.

David was going back and forth with himself over whether or not he had feelings for Mary-Margaret, what to do about those feelings, and whether or not this was him trying to justify a decision that would hurt him and his wife.

“Mary-Margaret.”

She startled and her red pen scratched across the script she was marking. “David?”

He entered her classroom. “Can I talk to you?”

“Are you... Are you okay?” She stood to face him.

“I think we,” he started. “I think we... How long have we known each other?”

“I...” She thought about it for a few seconds. “I... don't know. A while.”

A while. A while. None of this made sense. “I'm struggling to remember how we met.”

“That’s what you want to talk about?”

“Yes. No. I don't...” He shook his head. “Do you remember when we met?”

She took a moment to consider it. “No.” She looked up and then took a step back.

It was then that he noticed how close he was to her, then that he felt her breath against his chin, and their eyes found each other's. He suddenly saw her, pale and beautiful in a glass coffin, her long dark hair and red lips. He saw himself leaning over her still body and kissing her.

He kissed her.

“Oh, I should not have done that. I should not have done that. I shouldn’t have done that,” he repeated to himself once enclosed in the safety of his cruiser. “I shouldn’t have done. Why the hell did I do that?”

There was something wrong with him. There was something wrong with him. What the hell was wrong with him? What the hell was wrong with him? What was wrong with him? Oh god, oh god, oh god. He dropped his head onto the steering wheel. “Why did I do that? Why did I do that? Why did I d-”

The bell for recess went off. David startled, looked up, and realised he was parked outside his children’s school. Shit. His phone beeped, startling him again. There were four text messages from Kathryn.

Why aren’t you answering your phone?

I need to talk to you.

David, meet me in my office ASAP.

It’s an emergency.

He sighed and started the car.

“God, you look like shit.”

David flinched. “It’s good to see you too, Kat. What did you want to talk about?”

She got up and quickly closed her office door. “I…”

He looked at her expectantly. “You said it was important.”

“It was. Is,” she said quickly. “I… Look, I have no idea how to say this so I’m just going to show you, okay?”

“Okay…” He followed her to her desk where she lifted a manilla envelope. “What’s that?”

She handed it to him. “It’s uh… Just look inside.”

He turned the envelope over. Regina's name was on the other side. “Kathryn, why do you have this?”

“Regina took a day off last week. She wasn’t feeling well. I needed something from her office for a meeting. I came across that and I thought it was…” She gulped. “It wasn’t what I was looking for. She hadn’t opened it yet, so she hasn’t seen what’s inside but… David, you need to…”

He frowned at the envelop in his hands. He warily opened it. His eyes widened at the contents. “Where… Who sent this?” He checked the envelop. There was nothing other than Regina's name on the one side.

“I have no idea.”

It was… pictures. Pictures of him and Mary-Margaret. At the bar, playing darts, smiling at each other across the pool table, hand-in-hand in the street on that night, him kissing her in the alley, talking in Kathryn’s cabin, him putting the blanket around her shoulders. He froze at the last two. It was of that night. In her loft. On her bed. His hands on her face. Hers on his belt. Literally seconds before he stopped and left. He felt sick with guilt.

“Are you still seeing her?”

He looked up at Kathryn’s soft voice.

“What?”

“The woman in the pictures – her name’s Blanchard, right? Henry’s teacher? – are you still seeing her?”

What? Seeing her? He wasn’t… “No.”

“Good,” she said with a grimace. “That’s good at least. Does Regina know?”

“No.”

“Shit,” she sighed. “I mean guessed as much with the envelop but I hoped I was wrong. What the hell, David?”

He flinched at her tone.

“I mean what were you thinking? How long have you been-”

“It was one night,” he said quickly. “It was one night, and nothing even happened.”

She raised her eyebrows and gestured to the photos still in his hands. David quickly shoved them into the envelope and set it down on Kathryn’s desk.

“I made a mistake, okay. A stupid, stupid mistake that I’ve been trying to fix for weeks now. I’m trying to tell her. I know I have to tell her at some point, that the longer I lie about it, the worse it’ll be when…” He swallowed uneasily. “I made a mistake.”

Kathryn let out an anxious laugh. “It’s a bit bigger than a mistake, David.”

“Don’t you think I know that?” He snapped.

“I don’t know what you know. We haven’t talked in god knows how long. You’ve been ducking my calls and avoiding me.”

“No, I haven’t.”

She ignored him and gestured to the folder. “I understand why now. I thought it was just this thing with Henry and Emma coming to town and all of that, but I get it now. But I mean I…” Her voice softened. “You could have told me, you know. I would have taken your side.”

He faltered at that. “What?”

She sighed and gestured to the couch. David followed her and sat down. “Look, I love Regina and I’m not disputing that what you did was wrong, like seriously fucked up wrong, but you’re my brother. I would have taken your side. I’d have helped or listened or supported you or whatever. I know we weren’t that close growing up but since the coma, since you woke up, I thought we were… I thought we’d connected more. Bonded, you know. I thought we had that type of relationship.”

“The type where I’d tell you if I...?” His throat burned. He shook his head. “Kathryn, I could barely even admit it to myself. How would I have said it out loud?”

She touched his back and let out a heavy breath. “What are you going to do?”

“I don’t know.” He dropped his head. “I know I have to tell her. I just can’t bring myself to. I don’t want to hurt her.

“She’s going to find out. I found two more of those envelopes since that first one. Someone wants her to know. It’s better if it comes from you. If you explain it to her. You have to tell her.”

“I know.”

“Today.”

His head snapped up. “What?”

She gave him a look. “I can’t keep coming into her office and rummaging through her desk to steal away envelopes that are addressed to her. She’s going to notice at some point, David. You need to tell her.”

“Is there something wrong with us? Something broken?”

“What do you mean?”

“We always do this. Things are great until they aren’t, until we don’t even know how to speak to each other let alone trust. Are we always going to be like this?”

“I don’t know.”

That was the worst answer she could have given. He dropped his eyes, couldn’t bear to look at her any longer. His guilt was too strong. She was prepared to tell him her secret, but he wasn’t yet ready to do the same. She didn’t even know he was keeping anything from her. This was all so fucked up.

David thought of these last few weeks, months really, of the tension between them, the silences, the arguments that sprang up out of nothing, the way they wouldn’t meet each other’s eyes. He thought of his own part in the distance between them. He thought of how he’d continuously blamed her. How he was still doing that.

She’d asked him to lunch to talk and the first thing he did was turn it into a conversation about how she’d been avoiding him. He cut her off when she was about to tell him her secret because he wasn’t sure he was ready to hear it. But more than that he wasn’t prepared to confess what he’d done. Not yet. If she told him this terrible thing that had caused her to pull away, he would have to tell her the reason he’d let her, the reason he hadn’t fought harder, the reason he let things get so bad between them; and the truth of it wasn’t Mary-Margaret or the fact that he’d gone home with her. The reason was that he couldn’t bear the thought of telling Regina, of losing her and, worse than that, hurting her. It would be easier to tell her if she hated him, if things were bad between them, if… if…

“Maybe we are broken.”

“Maybe we are,” he heard himself repeat absently. He blinked a few times to keep his eyes dry and in that short moment realised the weight of what he’d said. “We’re not,” he said quickly, turning to her. “We’re not broken. I shouldn’t have said that.”

A pained glance down. “It’s the truth.”

“Regina,” he said firmly, taking her hand. “I shouldn’t have said that.” It was one of her worst fears. That there was something fundamentally wrong with her. That she was inherently unlovable. That she was broken. She had the same scars as him. In her eyes was the same fear of parent’s raised hand and in her mind, the wounds of their words. “I’m sorry.” He leaned forward and pressed his forehead against hers. “I’m sorry.”

Her eyes closed and she nodded against him.

David swallowed uneasily. “If anyone’s to blame for this, for what’s happened between us…” He took a breath and pulled away. “It’s me.”

She frowned. “David-”

“Just…” He squeezed her hand. “Just let me… get this out. Please.”

Regina looked at him and although she was confused her eyes were soft and sympathetic, so understanding that David couldn’t bear to face her. He dropped his eyes and stood abruptly. He tried to speak, to force the words out of his throat, but found himself pacing instead. He was uncomfortably aware of her worried eyes on him, the tension in her shoulders as sat there, waiting.

Things hurt with her. But more than that, he felt things more deeply with her. Everything was amplified. The good, the bad, all of it. Everything was intense. And if he had to choose between feelings for Mary-Margaret, a relationship that was easy and uncomplicated and didn’t hurt, and his love for Regina, a love that he felt so extremely it had the ability to cripple him, a love that overpowered all sense of logic or reason, a love so powerful he’d rather die than be without… well, it was barely a choice. He’d rather spend every single day with his heart in pieces next to her than with someone else who didn’t make him feel an ounce of what she did.

“I ch-”

They both jumped at the harsh trill of Regina's mobile on the glass coffee table. She quickly picked it up and frowned at the screen. “It’s the school.” She looked up, confused. “I have to…”

“Yeah,” he nodded, relieved at the interruption. “No, go ahead.”

She accepted the call. “Hello?”

He listened as she spoke to Principal Kane, frowning as she did. “Is everything okay?” he asked after she hung up.

“No.” Regina shook her head, frowning in confusion at her phone. “It’s Henry. Something happened with a teacher.”

“Did she say what?”

“No. Only that it was urgent.”

He grabbed his jacket. “We should probably get going then.” He offered her his hands to help her up.

She took them gratefully. “Thank you.”

Regina shrugged on her coat, slipped her phone into her pocket and walked through the door David opened for her. She grabbed his arm when they were outside.

“Can we talk tonight? After we’ve sorted whatever trouble Henry’s gotten into. Get everything out of the way between us.”

He nodded immediately. “Yeah.”

Chapter Text

“An incident with a teacher,” David repeated as they walked towards St. Meissa’s Elementary School. “Is that really all the information that was given?”

“For the third time, David, yes. Though if extend your patience by a few mere moments, you can cross question Kane about what her exact words were.”

He opened the door for her. “Forget I asked,” he mumbled, rolling his eyes at her snarky response.

They passed Gayle. She was St. Meissa’s secretary and Eunice’s older sister. The elderly woman gave them a kind smile, said Principal Kane was in her office and reminded them to take a left at the end of the corridor to get to her office.

“Reg?” He asked when she faltered at the end of the corridor.

“I’m worried about him, David.” Her knuckles turned while against the black leather strap of her handbag. She looked at him tensely. “Henry never gets into trouble.”

“I’m sure it’s nothing serious,” he soothed, coming to her side. “He probably disagreed with an overly sensitive nun who decided to send him to the principal’s office for running his mouth. He has got your tongue after all.”

The joke didn’t land. She didn’t even acknowledge it, only glanced past him with cloudy eyes.

“The same thing happened with Ava last week. It’ll be fine.”

“What?” She turned to him.

“Yeah. Don’t worry about it. I handled it.”

“Why didn’t you tell me?”

“Because it wasn’t a big deal, and she didn’t do anything wrong.”

“Why didn’t you tell me? And why did they call you and not me?”

“Why did they…? Are you serious?” He asked, shocked at the implication of her words, that he was somehow a back-up call in regard to their children’s wellbeing. “My signature’s right next to yours on those forms, Regina. Like I said, it wasn’t a big deal. Principal Kane heard Ava out and even apologized for the whole thing. It wasn’t-”

“You still should have told me.”

I would have had we been speaking or if you weren’t avoiding me, he thought but didn’t say, internally trying to quell his irritation. He didn’t want to lash out at her because he felt hurt. They’d been doing that too often to each other. “I should have told you, I’m sorry.”

Regina looked at him for a moment before she straightened her spine, channelled the composed persona she often used at work, and took the turn they had been approaching. She forewent the knocking-on-the-door formality and entered the office as if it were hers. David followed and shut the door behind them.

Henry leaned forward on his chair to peak behind Regina at him. The first thing David noticed were his red-rimmed eyes and runny nose. The second thing was the look of anger Henry directed at him. Henry sank back into his seat with a defiant scowl.

“Sweetheart,” Regina sighed upon seeing him. She immediately went to him, crouching to look him in the eye. “What happened?”

Henry turned away and didn’t answer. His jaw wobbled as he tried to deepen his scowl.

Principal Kane cleared her throat. “Madame Mayor, Deputy Nolan, I want to thank you both for coming in on such short notice, especially given the importance of your work.”

“Of course,” David answered. “What’s this all about?”

“Why don’t you take a seat?” Kane gestured to the two unoccupied seats next to Henry.

Regina continued looking worriedly at Henry. David set a hand to her shoulder. “Regina.”

She struggled to stand on her own. He bent to take hold of her arm and help her up and into the seat next to Henrry.

“Let me begin by saying that we understand the complexities of Henry’s situation. The safety of our students and staff is our top priority and while we are sympathetic towards your… unique family circumstances…”

David frowned. He was unsure if she was referring to the sudden appearance of Emma in Henry’s life, Ava and Nick becoming their foster kids, or whatever else was floating around the small-town gossip chain about them lately.

“…we also cannot encourage behaviour of this kind. This incident is quite troubling given that Henry has never acted this way before or displayed any signs of animosity towards this particular teacher.”

His frown deepened at her phrasing. Did that mean Henry displayed signs of animosity towards other teachers?

“Now, I want to once again assure you that I understand Henry’s situation is-”

“Are you going to tell us what happened or are you going to keep skirting around the subject with pretty worded assurances?”

“Regina,” David breathed tiredly, taking hold of her hand.

She glanced at his hand atop hers and then at him, one eyebrow lifted in a look of warning. “Speak bluntly,” she said to Principal Kane.

“Madame Mayor, your son had an… outburst in class earlier today. During a mathematics lesson, he threw a book at a teacher and unfortunately it hit her in the face.”

“You did what?” Regina asked Henry, eyes practically storming.

David glanced at him, shocked. “Why would you do that? Which teacher?” His first question was directed at Henry who continued to scowl at him, and the second at Kane who looked so uncomfortable he wondered if there was a tack on her seat.

“Ms Blanchard,” answered Principal Kane.

David stopped breathing for a moment. His eyes darted to Henry. He was already looking at him, with such contempt that David was sure his heart had stopped.

“Is Ms Blanchard alright?” Regina asked after a long moment’s pause and without much concern in her tone. It was a perfunctory question.

“She’s fine,” Henry groaned.

“I was not asking you,” Regina said cooly.  

She looked at him. An entire conversation seemed to pass between them with just their eyes. Henry recoiled and returned to sitting glumly with his arms crossed against his chest.

Principal Kane nodded. “Ms Blanchard is fine. Unfortunately, this incident will have to go in Henry’s permanent record.”

David tried to pay attention to the rest of the meeting but found his thoughts drifting. It was no mystery to where, or should he rather say to whom, they drifted. He focused well enough to grasp the gist of what was said, and that Henry’s punishment would be a three-day suspension. Kane went easy on him. Once the meeting was over, he helped Regina up again and kept one hand on the small of her back as they left the office, Henry in tow.

“Wanna explain yourself, bud?”

Henry ignored him and instead went to his mother’s side. He reached for her hand. Regina pulled back sharply. “Oh, no, don’t hide behind me.”

“Mom?” He said in confusion, small and quiet.

Regina held her resolve. “You were asked a question.”

“I…”

“Well?” When he didn’t answer, her anger seemed to increase. “What the hell were you thinking, Henry?”

“Regina. Let’s just get out of here first.”

When they approached her car, Regina opened the back door and shot Henry a dark look. “Inside. Now.”

David caught her hand before she slammed the door after Henry. He guided her a few steps away from the car. Henry cautiously reached out an arm and pulled the door closed. He looked at them through the window. Truth be told, David was a little confused by her sudden anger at him. Regina very rarely got angry, truly angry at Henry and when she did it never lasted more than an hour, at most.

“Why are you so upset about this?”

“Excuse me?” She spun on him. “Why aren’t you more upset? He assaulted a teacher, David.”

“I was right there in the meeting next to you.”

“When has he done anything like this? Henry’s not violent or hostile or animus. When has he… Oh god, it’s me, I’m messing him up.”

“What? No,” he said at once, rubbing her arms. “You’re-”

She shook out of his hold. “Don’t,” she snapped. “Just don’t.” She looked at Henry through the window. “We need to talk to him. This is… This is completely unacceptable. I won’t have this.”

“Reg, baby, you need to calm down.”

The dark look in her eyes rooted him to his spot. “If you place any value on your life, Nolan, I strongly advise you to never repeat those words to me.”

He gulped uneasily. It was true that over the course of their marriage he’d become numb to her dramatics. It was also equally true that he’d learned to differentiate between her playful threats that she said just for the sake of saying them and her real ones – although, the real ones had never been directed at him before. Well, never when the threat in question was his life.

“I seriously think you need to take a moment-”

“David, move.”

“-to breathe before we talk to him. If you go in there like this and bite his head off it’s only going to make things worse. He’s obviously upset. He needs time to calm down.” He gave her a look. “Quite frankly so do you.”

“Fine,” she said through gritted teeth. “I’ll take a moment to breathe in the freezing air and continue to expose myself to the possibility of frostbite.” At that last part, she stuffed her hands into her coat pockets and glanced at the school. “On second thought, maybe I should have a word with Ms Blanchard.”

“What?” He quickly followed her gaze to the school. David struggled to maintain his composure. “Why?” He asked, hoping his voice didn’t betray his thoughts.

“I want to understand what the hell happened.”

“Shouldn’t we get Henry’s version first?” He asked, trying to think of a reason, a convincing reason, to keep her far, far away from Mary-Margaret.

“Henry isn’t speaking at the moment, dear. I doubt he’ll be more forthcoming with information in the next few minutes if he wouldn’t explain his logic to his principal or school counsellor.”

School counsellor? He must have zoned out during that part of the meeting.

“Unless you’d prefer to speak to her.”

By the tilt of her head, David knew this was a trap. Either he could say no and let her have at Mary-Margaret or he could say yes and confirm the hint of suspicion in her eyes. David thought of both scenarios. Regina would verbally tear into her. Her words would cause such intense whiplash that Mary-Margaret might inadvertently or explicitly tell her about what happened between them. Or… He could let Regina go with Henry and he could speak to Mary-Margaret himself, find out what happened today. But who was to say Henry wouldn’t give the same information? It was a trap. Either way he was screwed. He forgot how calculating she could be sometimes.

He was at Mom's office, and she hadn't spoken to him at all. Henry looked at her from his seat on the couch, but quickly turned away when their eyes met, shifting his gaze to the glass table. He, Ava, and Nick used to do their homework there after school before Mom hired Ashley. Mom spoke to Aunt Kathryn on the phone. She told her she wouldn't be able to attend the meeting with the construction crew because something had come up with the kids. Henry gulped; he was in trouble. After Mom hung up, she paced across from him.

“Explain yourself,” she demanded.

His eyes began to tear up. He couldn't help it. Mom was mad at him. Mom had never been this mad at him before. Not even when he drew a treasure map on the living room wall in orange crayon. Or when he was playing with her lipsticks and accidentally ruined the white fur mat that used to be in her and Dad’s room under her vanity table. He was banned from their room after that though. He had never seen her this mad before. He hated that she was mad at him. It only made him angrier.

“I thought you hated Snow White,” he muttered.

Mom stopped pacing and turned slowly toward him. Henry looked up apprehensively, realizing that she was fuming. “So, you thought I'd be proud, is that it?”

He knew not to answer that. He gulped and looked down at his shoes.

“If so, you are sorely mistaken. My feelings toward her are not what’s being discussed right now, nor are they of any importance. This is about you.”

“But you do! You hated her. You tried to kill her. In the book, it said you spent years trying to-”

“Henry, that is enough!” Mom took a deep breath and ran a hand over her face and into her hair. “This wasn't... I didn't care about her. It wasn't about who you hurt; it was the fact that you did it at all. To hurt anyone isn't like you. But Ms. Blanchard, your teacher... Henry, what happened?”

“I...” He didn't know how to say it. It felt as if his throat had closed around the words.

Mom didn't move or speak at all. She just watched him, waiting for an answer.

“I don't know what happened,” he finally managed to say. He tried to find a way to tell the truth without it sounding so horrible, but what came out of his mouth was, “I don't want the curse to be real.”

He looked up, and her anger was gone now. She looked confused and hurt, like she just wanted to help him, and that made him feel worse than when she was mad at him. Tears welled up in his eyes, and spilled over despite his efforts to rein them in.

“Oh, sweetheart...”

Henry didn't dare to look up. In a matter of moments, she was by his side, sitting next to him on the couch. She took his hand and told him it was okay, that no matter what happened, everything would be okay.

He ripped his hand away from her. “No, it won't! How can you say that?!”

“Henry...”

“No!” He jumped up. “I don't want it to be real! I don't want the curse to be real, and I don't want it to break. I don't want you to die. If you have to die for the curse to break, then I'll tell Emma to leave myself. I'll tell her I never want to see her again and that she should never come back here. I don't want you to die. I don't want the curse to break. I don't want Dad to remember because when he does, he'll hate you, he'll hate us, and he'll leave. He'll be with his real family, with Emma and Ms. Blanch- I mean Snow White? Whatever! He'll leave. He won't be my dad anymore. He'll go back to them, and I'll be alone. You'll be gone. Dad will leave. Ava and Nick will be with their real dad, and I'll be alone. I don't want the curse to break! I don't want to lose my family. I… I… I… hate her! That's why I threw the stupid book at her. She's ruining everything.”

Mom's eyes were wide. She looked terrified and somewhat nauseated, but only for a moment before her expression changed again.

“Henry.”

Her voice changed too, softer, like she was telling him a bedtime story or putting a band-aid on his knee. She was in mom-mode now, her nothing-but-you-matters mode. She didn’t care about herself. She wanted to be good. He remembered what she told him on his tenth birthday.

“For the last few weeks you’ve stopped looking at me like I’m a monster. I don’t want things to go back to how they were. I want to be honest with you. I want you to trust me.”

His tears fell faster. She was going to die. He was going to lose his mom.

“Mom,” he cried, rushing into her, hugging her tight. “I don't want to lose you. Please, please, I don't want you to die. We don't have to break the curse.” He said that over and over again, just crying.

“You won't lose me, Henry. I'm always going to be here.”

He shook his head, eyes closed. “Don't lie to me, Mom. I heard what you s-said in-in B-Boston.”

“Henry-”

The intercom buzzed.

Regina had a meeting. She got up to tell Eunice to either reschedule or tell Kathryn to cover it. By the time she looked back to the couch, Henry was gone.

David approached Mary-Margaret's class and found her nursing her eye with an icepack.

“Mary-Margaret,” he said.  “I just came from the principal's office. I wanted to see if you're okay.”

She looked up cautiously. “I'm fine. I don't know what happened.”

He stopped at her desk, caught between sympathy for her and suspicion that Henry knew about them. “Can you walk me through it, as clearly as you can remember?”

Mary-Margaret began to recount the incident, her voice tense. “It was math class. We were going over sums on the board, and I asked him to come up and do one of them, but he refused. You know he's been struggling with math, and I thought participation would help. Then, he accused me of picking on him, saying I called him up almost every lesson. He was getting worked up, and I tried to calm him down, but it seemed to make him angrier. He yelled at me, told me he hated me, and then he threw his math textbook at me.”

David winced, the sympathy winning out. “Can I see it? Your eye, I mean.”

She allowed him to inspect her injured eye. It looked bad, really bad. Like someone gave her a helluva black eye. “How big was the book?” He wanted to ask. She said it was the math textbook. Oh crap, that thing was huge. Henry and Nick complained about having to lug it around when they had homework.

“I just don't understand what came over him. Is everything okay at home?”

David gave her a somewhat guilty look and sighed, leaning against the side of her desk.

“There's only one reason Henry would have done something like this. Did you say anything about what happened between us to him?”

Her eyes widened. “Why would I do such a thing?” She exclaimed. “I haven't told anyone, anyone, David. Why would I tell your son?”

Then there really was only one other explanation. “I think he saw us. Earlier today. In your classroom.”

Mary-Margaret's eyes grew even wider as she whispered, “Oh no.”

Regina's heart raced as she spotted Henry at his castle. She hurriedly exited her car and rushed toward him, a mix of relief and frustration washing over her. She hadn't known he even heard her in Boston. He hadn't said a word for two weeks. He kept that secret locked inside for two weeks. He must have been worried sick this entire time and she hadn’t noticed. She berated herself for being so focused on her relationship with David that she had completely overlooked her son.

“You have to stop doing this. I can't exactly chase after you in this condition,” she said, gesturing to her stomach.

Henry remained silent and unmoving, his eyes fixed on the distant clock tower. “I didn't think you'd find me here.”

“Then you should have kept Operation Cobra's home base a secret.”

He startled and turned to look at her. “How did you...?”

“I do listen to you, Henry.” He pressed his lips together, mirroring a familiar gesture of David's. The resemblance brought a sad, sardonic smile to her face. “You look like your dad right now.”

Henry shook his head fiercely. “I don't want to talk about David.”

“David?” She repeated, surprised. “Since when do you call him that?”

“He's not my dad, not really, so-”

“Don't you dare.”

“It's the truth. He's just-”

“Don't you dare,” she warned, lifting a finger. Henry fell silent. Regina sighed and lowered her hand. She considered climbing the short wooden staircase and sitting next to him, but a short glance at the creaky wooden planks deterred her. She stood in front of him instead. “Whatever is going on right now, your battle is not with your father. I won't allow what happened between us to happen with you and him. Henry, I know you're scared he'll leave, and in all honesty, he probably will, but that has nothing to do with you and everything to do with me. He's still going to be your father. He's always going to care about you. He is always, always going to love you. No matter what. Curse or no curse, he'll always be your dad.”

Henry hopped off the wooden playground onto the ground next to her and clung to her, refusing to let go. “What about you?” He whispered against her coat. “What's gonna happen to you?”

She rubbed a hand through his hair and sighed in relief. “I have some good news on that front,” she said, smiling weakly at him as she led him to a nearby bench. Her feet were killing her. She surmised her conversation with the potion crafter.

“True love's kiss?” Henry exclaimed. “But that's... that's... that's so simple! I thought it would be something dark and complicated.”

“So did I.”

He shook his head. “So that's it, huh?”

“That's it.”

“No, I mean—” He snapped his mouth shut. “Never mind.”

Regina looked at him curiously.

He hesitated. “It just... it kind of sucks that no matter what you do, no matter how powerful the spell or curse or whatever, everything can just be broken by true love's kiss. It's kind of... unfair. I mean, you had to kill grandpa...”

Regina flinched at how casually he said that.

“...and Emma just kisses some guy and the spell is broken. It should be something more complicated than a kiss. Anyone could fall in love and kiss someone. Only a few can cast curses. That's why Rumplestiltskin chose you and not Zelena. I mean, the prophecy said Cora's daughter would cast the curse so it could have been either of you, but he chose you. That must have been for a reason.”

Regina stared at him in stunned disbelief, struggling to process it all. “What? What prophecy?”

Henry idly kicked a rock. “It doesn't make sense that if it took so long to find someone to cast the curse, it could be broken so easily.”

“Henry, wait, what did you... Prophecy? What prophecy?”

“The... I... In the book, it—”

“The book,” she said darkly. “I think it's time I see this damn book I've heard so much about. Where is it?”

“Um...”

At that moment, her phone started ringing. She would have dismissed the call, but it was from the school. “Oh, what now?” She growled before answering. “This better be important.”

It was a large part of David’s job to seek answers, to solve mysteries – granted those mysteries were more in the realm of the missing gnomes and vandalised cars. He was good at it too. Detective work. But when it came to himself… Well, that was another story entirely. He couldn’t understand why he had kissed Mary-Margaret in the first place. He saw a flash of a glass coffin in his mind’s eyes before, and it was as if that image had compelled him to do so. Thinking back on it, it was strange. Henry's insistence that Mary Margaret was Snow White and he was Prince Charming only added to his unease. It was like Henry could see through a hidden layer of reality that David couldn't quite grasp. No, that was insane.

“Maybe I'm just overthinking it,” he mumbled to himself.

But then, another memory surfaced, one that sent shivers down his spine. Regina. The rolling purple clouds, the cracks of thunder, and that vision of her in a striking dress with sharp eye makeup and dark, blood-red lips. It was all so vivid, so unsettling. He couldn't shake the feeling that these memories were somehow connected.

He tried explaining it to Archie but couldn’t quite put it into words.

David hesitated, feeling a lump forming in his throat. “There are these… flashes, images?” he struggled to find the right word. “Memories,” spilled from his lips and David found the choice fitting, “or maybe they're just fragments, and they're haunting me. They feel real, yet distant, like they're from another life.”

Archie leaned forward, his eyes focused on David. “Memories? Can you describe them?”

David struggled to find the right words, his mind a jumble of images and emotions. Purple clouds, thunder, and Regina. She looked... different. Mary-Margaret, pale and beautiful with ruby-red lips inside a glass coffin straight out a fairy-tale. “No,” he said at last. “I can’t describe them. I think they might be… It may be similar to the coma. Suppressed memories.”

Archie frowned. “Are you certain?”

He nodded desperately. “Hypnosis helped the last time. Can…” He cleared his throat. “Can we try that again?”

“Mayor Mills,” Kane greeted her outside her office, a hint of hesitation in her voice. “We couldn't reach your husband. I'm sorry to have to call you twice in the same day, but there was another incident, this time with another student, and—”

Regina was in no mood for pleasantries. “Which one?” She interrupted, her tone sharp.

“Excuse me?”

“Which one was it? Ava or Nicky?”

Kane opened the door and gestured for Regina to enter. Nicky noticed her and immediately sat up straight in his seat. “Regina!”

Regina's eyes widened when she saw him. “What happened to your face?”

“Jackson hit me,” he replied, his voice a mix of anger and frustration.

Kane cleared her throat. “Mayor Mills, why don't you have a seat?”

“No, wait,” Nicky jumped up. “Jackson hit me first.”

“Sit down, Mr. Zimmer,” Kane said firmly.

“No! You're not listening to me. He hit—”

“Another word and your suspension will become an expulsion, young man.”

“Nicky,” Regina intervened, placing both hands on his shoulders. He looked up at her, and the anger quickly melted off his features. “Sit down.” He blinked a few times, then obeyed. “Do you want to tell me what happened?”

“Yes, of course, as I was—”

“If it's all the same to you, Principal Kane, I want to hear it from him,” Regina said, her eyes never leaving Nicky's.

Nicky hesitated, his relief now replaced with trepidation.

“Go ahead,” she said in a tone that was both soothing and stern. “I'm listening.”

“Jackson hit me first. It's not fair that I'm in trouble. What was I supposed to do? Just stand there and do nothing? I was defending myself.”

“Mayor Mills.”

Regina looked at Kane, her eyebrow raised. “Is that true?”

“Well, yes, but...” Kane glanced at Nicky, shook her head slightly, then sighed. “We have a zero-tolerance policy for violence, and quite frankly, the level of aggression Nicholas displayed is concerning. He kicked the other student, Jackson Olsen, in the privates, and when he fell over, he punched him repeatedly in the face until one of the teachers on duty noticed the fight and pulled him off.”

Regina looked at him with alarmed eyes. “Nicky!”

“He deserved it.”

“Nicky.”

He slumped lower in his chair. “He did.”

Regina took a calming breath. Then another. She counted to ten, then to twenty. None of these fucking calming exercises seemed to work. “Nicholas,” she said in a strained voice, “explain yourself.”

“Jackson's an asshole,” he grunted.

“Language,” she snapped.

“Sorry,” he mumbled. “Jackson’s...” He looked up at her for a second. “I’m sorry, but there’s no other word, Regina. He’s an asshole. He’s been one to Henry since we started fifth grade. After what happened today in class with Ms. Blanchard… I don’t know, he just… he wouldn’t shut up! So, during recess, I went over to try and speak to him. I thought I could, I don’t know, make him understand that Henry is… different. Like this curse thing that he believes in. It’s weird, but it’s not bad or— or crazy or anything like that, but Jackson was…” He made an angry sound, similar to an animal, and shook his head. “He wouldn’t listen. I figured it was useless, so I gave up and tried to leave. He shoved me. It made me mad, but I let it go. I mean, I said something sure, but I didn’t do anything. I just kept walking. He shoved me again, and I fell. When I stood up, the three of them were right in front of me. Him, Justin, and Duke. They surrounded me. He punched me, and I just saw red. I kicked him, and then…” He glanced up at Regina and quickly averted his eyes. “I don’t really remember what happened after. I don't know.” He looked up, at Kane this time. “I know you said I punched him ma’am, but I don’t really remember that. I just remember feeling angry. Like really angry.”

Regina turned to face Kane. “Another suspension, I assume?”

Kane nodded, her lips pressed into a thin line. “One week's suspension and two weeks of detention upon return.”

“And the other students?” Regina asked, her gaze still fixed on Nicky. “Jackson, Justin, and Duke, were the names he gave. I assume you're going to be looking into the issue you've been made aware of.”

“Issue?”

Regina's stare turned icy. “Yes. This other students' belligerence. Specifically, the taunting and goading regarding my sons.” Nicky's head snapped up to her. She ignored the movement and his startled eyes. “Or does your zero-tolerance policy not extend to bullying?”

Kane cleared her throat uncomfortably. “We'll look into the matter, Mayor Mills.”

Regina gave a curt nod and stood, finding the task more difficult without David's help. “Nicky, grab your bag.” She stopped by the receptionist's desk. “Could you make an announcement for Ava Zimmer, please? I may as well save myself another trip before I get called down here a third time.”

“Yes, of course, Mayor Mills.”

Nicky hesitantly stood next to her, his focused on his shoes. “Am I in trouble?”

“What do you think?”

He let out a loud sigh. “I think there are four new video games from Boston that I'm not going to get to try out for the next week.”

“Week?” She scoffed. “Try the next month.”

“Month?” He exclaimed. She raised an eyebrow at him. “Fine.” He sighed again. “I'm not gonna say I'm sorry because I'm not.”

“I didn't ask you to.”

“Kane said I had to. Before you got there. She said I have to write Jackson an apology letter.”

Regina hummed. “Well, I suppose you'll have to write an apology letter, then.”

David's eyes fluttered open, and the sterile, white surroundings of the hospital room greeted him. He felt disoriented, his head throbbing with a persistent ache. As his vision cleared, he noticed Archie sitting beside his bed.

“That’s too bright,” David croaked, his voice hoarse, and eyes squinting at the bright florescent lights above him. “What... Where am I?”

Archie leaned forward, concern etched across his face. “We’re at the hospital,” he replied in his therapist voice, that almost whisper tone his voice often took on when they spoke of serious topics.

“What happened?”

“David. Don’t you remember? We tried hypnosis to help you recover some memories, but something went wrong. You went too deep, and it disturbed you.”

David's brow furrowed as he tried to process what Archie was saying. The memories of the hypnosis session were a blurry haze, like fragments of a dream. He remembered the pain, the overwhelming sense of dread, and then...

David clutched at his head, his fingers digging into his hair as the memories flooded back. The pain he experienced under hypnosis returned, sharper than ever. The sound of his screams echoed through the room. Distantly he was aware of Archie’s voice calling out, “Nurse! We need help in here!”

David's body convulsed with the intensity of the pain. Moments later, medical staff rushed into the room, their voices a cacophony of concern and instructions as they administered a sedative to calm his trembling form. As the medication took effect, the pain began to subside, and he gradually fell into a fitful sleep. When David woke up again, the hospital room felt more familiar, and the pain had receded to a dull ache in the background. Archie was still sitting by his bedside, watching him with a worried expression.

“Archie,” David murmured weakly, his voice barely above a whisper. “What... what happened?”

Archie sighed heavily, his gaze sympathetic. “David, as I mentioned earlier, the hypnosis didn't go as planned. I have no idea what this is. I’ve never seen anything like it. Whale ran some tests while you were… asleep,” he said uncomfortably. “I tried calling the Mayor’s office, but she wasn’t available and her secretary was less than forthcoming.”

David's heartbeat increased. He felt it in his chest and heard it on the monitor next to his bed. An overwhelming sense of unease washed over him at the mention of Regina. It was as if a voice in his head was screaming “danger, danger, DANGER.”

“No,” he said firmly, his voice trembling. “Don't call Regina. Call my sister. Call Kathryn.”

If Archie was confused by his request, he didn’t show it. He did as asked, and twenty minutes later a confused and worried Kathryn Nolan strode into his hospital room.

She took one look at him and asked, “What the hell happened to you?”

Ava took her bag from her shoulders and set it at her feet. She pulled on her seatbelt.

“How come Ava gets to sit up front?” Nicky complained.

“If it wasn't apparent before this, it is now; I'm Mother's favourite,” she said with a sickly-sweet smile.

The way she said it made it clear to Regina that she was quoting some book or another. Ava did that sometimes, said things in conversations referencing a book she'd recently read. She had a tendency to forget that what became common knowledge or trivia facts to her, other people weren't necessarily familiar with.

“Clearly,” Henry grumbled.

Regina glanced at her. Ava seemed to realise what she'd said just at that moment. Her cheeks turned scarlet.

“For the moment, yes,” Regina said, smiling slightly, “but don't get used to it. Which book is that from?”

Ava beamed at her, clearly happy that Regina knew she was quoting something. “Serpentine.”

“Why does that sound familiar?”

“Kathryn lent it to me.”

“Right.” Regina remembered it now. She frowned, thinking back to certain scenes. “How far are you?”

“I finished it today during recess.”

So much for innocence then, Regina thought. Well, there wasn’t anything she could do about that now. She sighed. It seemed as if today was meant to point out all her parenting flaws and oversights. “Did you enjoy it?”

Ava shrugged. “It was interesting.”

“This is so unfair.”

Regina glanced at Nicky and Henry through the rearview mirror as she started the car, unsure who had spoken, and giving them both warning looks. They looked away. Ava raised her eyebrows at the sudden silence in the car.

“Um... as grateful as I am to be pulled out of school before P.E., can I ask why?”

“Sure.”

Ava waited for an answer, realized her mistake, then groaned out loud. “Regina.”

“I said you could ask. You should have phrased your question better, dear.”

She rolled her eyes. “Why did you pick us up? Does it have anything to do with Nick's smashed up nose and Henry's kicked puppy look?”

Regina waited for the traffic light to turn green. “Nicholas and Henry have been suspended from school.”

Ava frowned at her. “I heard about Henry,” she said. “What happened with Nick?”

“It's not—”

“An incident with a bully that is not open for discussion at the moment,” Regina interrupted. She looked at Nicky through the rearview mirror, another warning look that had him withering away.

“This is so unfair,” he muttered against his palm, elbow propped against the car door. He stared out the window for the duration of the car ride.

As Kathryn drove David away from the hospital, the car's interior seemed to close in around him. He felt suffocated, unable to escape the memories that had resurfaced during the hypnosis. His sister's concerned glances only added to his discomfort. She’s not really your sister, some voice in his head warned.

“What happened back there, David?” Kathryn finally asked, her voice filled with worry.

She cast a sideways glance at him. He sat in the passenger seat with his hands clenched in his lap. He tried to speak, to put into words the turmoil that had overtaken him, but the memories and emotions were too overwhelming. He shook his head, unable to articulate the chaos inside his mind.

“I'm not in the best place right now, Kat,” he finally managed to whisper.

Kathryn kept her eyes on the road, her expression understanding. “Of course,” she replied immediately. “Is this about... you know, what happened with Mary-Margaret?”

David shook his head, unable to sort through what felt real and what felt… absurd. The curse isn’t absurd, that voice snapped at him. He simply needed to be alone with his thoughts, to process the flood of memories that had returned to him.

Kathryn pulled up in front of her house and turned off the engine. They sat in the car for a few minutes, a heavy silence hanging between them. She broke the quietude gently, offering a lifeline. “I'll make some tea for you. It might help.”

David nodded and followed her inside. It felt like only seconds later a warm mug was being pressed into his palms. His gaze dropped to the tea inside. He stared at it, the steam rising from the liquid, the heat of the cup against his skin—sensations that should have been so familiar. He knew the mug was hot, so hot he should not have been unable to hold it, but he felt disconnected from his own body, as if he were merely an observer of his own existence.

Kathryn settled beside him. They were on the couch in her living-room. He couldn’t recall even walking through the front door.

“You’re starting to scare me, David.” She spoke softly, choosing her words with care. “I haven't seen you like this since... we saw… dad…” She cleared her throat. “Since that night,” she said instead, her voice quivering.

He remembered the night she was talking about. Both versions of it. David Nolan’s memories included him walking in, alongside his thirteen-year-old twin sister, on their father raping their mother. He remembered his father calmly standing up, pulling up his pants, walking to their bedroom door, shutting it in their faces. The click of the lock. Their mother’s muffled cries. David, the shepherd, James the Prince, Prince Charming’s memory was similair. He walked in alone and his father yelled at him to, “Get the fuck out, boy!” He’d ran. He didn’t return home for two days. Afterward, they never spoke about it. This was true in both versions. Both versions.

You remember then? That voice asked. No longer arrogant and urgent, mournful now.

He shut his eyes. He remembered. He remembered it all.

He nodded slowly, the weight of that memory heavy on his shoulders. He looked over at Kat. She wasn’t really his sister, but by God it was a comfort to have her. To know that there was someone who understood this pain that ate away at him. It would have been a comfort to grow up with her, to have had her from the beginning. He hugged her.

Kathryn pulled him close. “Archie told me about the hypnosis. Was it… the memory it pulled up… was it that bad?”

He let out a shuddering breath against her shoulder. “Worse.”

“You're both grounded,” Regina sighed as she settled into the seat across from Henry and Nicky, who sat on the couch in her home office, their eyes downcast.

“Now, Nicholas, this is your first time, but Henry's familiar enough with what exactly being grounded entails,” she remarked, her gaze shifting to him. “Would you like to explain the rules, dear?”

Henry sighed, recognizing her tone as an instruction rather than a question. “No TV, no computer or video games. No leaving home except for school, school stuff, and family things. But I guess we can't go to school anyway because we're suspended, so no leaving at all this week. And extra chores,” he finished, meeting her eyes cautiously. “How long are we grounded for, Mom?”

Her eyes briefly shifted to Nicholas, prompting him to answer. “Ugh,” he groaned. “A month.”

“One whole month?!” Henry exclaimed. “Can I still see Emma?”

Regina softened her expression. “Of course, you can still see Emma, but you will be escorted to and from your visitations.”

“What about my sessions?” Henry inquired.

She frowned. “I thought you wanted to stop going.”

He raised his eyebrows. “Mom, I don't think now is the time to cancel my sessions. Aren't you worried I'll have more 'outbursts'?”

It was comments like that, moment likes this, that worried Regina. It sounded like something she’d have said to Cora. Earlier, in her office he sounded just like her, projecting anger and hatred onto someone who wasn’t to blame simply because they were the easiest target. The fact that that person just so happened to be the same one she’d blamed all those years ago was too eery a  coincidence to not be terrifying. She didn’t want him to lose his mind the same way she had, to head down the path she had, she didn’t want to create him in the image of the Evil Queen. She’d rather suffer a thousand deaths than let him darken his heart the way she’d darkened hers.

It was difficult for her to accept any form of criticism about Henry. In her eyes, he was perfect. But this incident forced her to admit that perfect wasn’t infallible. He was a child. He was her child. Which meant he had within him a great capacity for violence. She set a hand over her stomach unconsciously. Her unborn son would have the same. She had to nurture their kindness, their goodness, their compassion.

“I'm kidding,” Henry said, rolling his eyes.

Nicky watched Regina closely, waiting to see her reaction. She looked at Nicky, then at Henry again.

“Principal Kane asked Nicky to write a letter to the student he hurt, an apology for his actions. I think you should do the same.”

Henry's eyes darted up. “What? No. No way. I'm not doing that. I'm not apologizing to Ms. Blanchard.”

“Yes, you are,” Regina said firmly, enunciating each word clearly. Henry stared back for a few seconds before relenting and looking away.

“Nicholas.”

He looked at her quickly. “Yes?” Nicky squeaked.

Regina gave him a small smile. “Can I have a few minutes alone with Henry, please?”

Nicky nodded quickly and exited the room, closing the door quietly behind him.

Henry looked up meekly. “Are you... Mom, are you mad at me?”

“No,” she said after careful thought. Not anymore at the very least. “I understand why you did what you did, and I… I’ve… I’ve done far worse. No, Henry I’m not mad at you.” She waited for him to feel relieved before she added, “I’m disappointed.” Her words had the intended effect. “I thought you knew better. I thought I taught you better. Clearly…” Her throat hurt. “Clearly not.” She shook her head slightly. “I have to think of something to tell your father,” just now realising that David would need an explanation for all of this. A safe explanation, a sanitized version.

“Tell him the truth.”

“What?”

“I was scared of the curse breaking. I was scared he'd leave us for his true love. Then you won't have to lie to him. I know you don't want to lie to him anymore.”

She was still lying to him. “Is that the truth?”

“Yeah. That's the truth.” He let out a long sigh. “Can I tell you something I've been thinking for a while now?”

Was it about the prophecy he had chosen today of all days to spring on her? She wanted to know. Simultaneously, she wished to avoid the topic altogether. “You can tell me anything, sweetheart.”

“It would have been better if I was just crazy. If the curse wasn't real. If it was just something in my head that I made up because I couldn't deal with the fact that I was adopted. Something I came up with to get back at you and Dad for not telling me sooner.” He sniffed, letting tears well up in his eyes and turn them into glassy hazel marbles. His hands curled into tight fists at his sides. “It would have been better if some sessions with Archie could have solved all our problems.” All at once, his tears fell and everything he had been bottling up came out in aching sobs that wracked his small frame. Regina sat down next to him, and Henry wrapped his arms around her, burying his face against her torso. She held him tight. “I don't want any of this to be real,” he cried into his mother's chest. “I don't want any of this to be real. I don't... I don't... Mom, I'm sorry. I'm so sorry.”

“Shh,” she whispered soothingly. “You have nothing to be sorry for.”

“I ruined everything.”

“No, you didn't. No, you didn't.”

“Yes, I did,” he cried. “You were happy. You and Dad were happy before I went and found Emma. I shouldn't have left. I shouldn't have... I'm sorry. It's all my fault. I'm sorry.”

“It's not your fault. None of this is your fault.” He shook his head, and she held him even closer. “It's mine,” she said firmly.

He eventually calmed against her, lifting his head and gazing at her with tired, red-rimmed eyes. She brushed a finger over his chin, her face creased in a sad expression, similar to his own. He used to look up at her like that when he was just a baby, when his biggest problems were a full diaper or an empty bottle.

“Did I ever tell you how difficult you were those first few months after I adopted you?” she asked.

He frowned, confused by the sudden change in topic. “Like all the time, Mom. You used to leave out the adopted part, though.”

“I am sorry about that.”

“I know.”

A tiny smile tugged at her lips as she kissed his forehead. “You used to cry all the time. Endlessly. Sometimes for hours. At first, I thought there was something wrong with you, some underlying health issue. That's why I had that background check done on Emma. I thought... I thought that if it was something genetic, I...” She shook her head. “You weren't the problem. You had no underlying health issues. You were perfect. Are.” She continued stroking his hair, her touch gentle. “The problem was simply that we were strangers to each other.”

His eyebrows furrowed. She smoothed it with her thumb.

“We needed time to bond, but eventually we became inseparable. I don’t know if you remember this, but you used to come to work with me every day until you were three-and-a-half-years-old.”

Henry smiled, puzzled and delighted. “Really? Every day?”

“Every day.” She continued stroking the softness of his cheek, the smoothness of his eyebrow and his hair. “Do you understand what I’m trying to tell you?”

He thought for a second. “Not really.”

“You don't have to worry about me or my happiness, Henry. You are my happiness. As long as I have you in my life, I'll be fine.”

He frowned again, deep in thought. She expected him to say something but watched as he instead set his head back down. She observed his shoulders rise and fall with his breath.

“Mom,” he finally spoke up.

“Yes?”

“I love you.”

She held him tighter for a moment. “I love you too.”

“Mom.”

“Yes?”

“You're kind of squishing me.”

She chuckled softly and let go of her embrace, looking him over with a hint of worry.

“Mom.” Henry looked sheepish. “What's gonna happen now?”

“Now?” Regina glanced around her office, realizing that she had less time to prepare than she thought. “I think there's a tome in my vault that has instructions on how to create a potion that will return lost memories. I had enough ingredients for a forgetting potion all those years ago. Perhaps I'll have the necessary items for a remembering potion this time around.”

“You're gonna tell Dad?” Henry asked, suddenly fearful.

She understood that fear all too well but couldn't show it, not in front of Henry. She had to be brave for him. “Well, as you said, it's the right thing to do. If I want to be a better person, a good person... If I want to redeem myself, I have to do what's right.”

Regina had waited for Ashely to arrive before she left and returned to her office. She collected the tomes she’d been using for research on curse crafting and put them into the sturdy leather book bag that she’d used to transport them from her vault. It was heavier than she remembered.

“Mayor Mills.”

She startled. Felix stood in the doorway of her office, watching her with alarmed eyes.

“Let me help with that,” he said, quickly coming to her side and taking the bag from her before she could even decline his help. “What’s even in here?” he asked, grunting as he tossed the sack over his shoulder.

She considered him for a moment. Had he always had that scar on his face? “Research.” She packed away her laptop into its case and lifted her purse. “Come along.”

He followed her to her car and placed the book bag in the trunk. She shut it and turned to see him touching his shoulder.

“Your research is very heavy,” he said. “Be careful.”

He had all the charm of a tall pestering fly. “Yes, thank you.” Regina quickly dismissed him.

After returning the tomes to their correct spots on her bookshelf in her vault, Regina ran her hands along the spines of her spell books. Before long, she found the one she was looking for. She opened it and reviewed the ingredients she would need to craft the potion. To her surprise and dismay, every essential element was readily available within her vault. She stared at the vial she poured the potion into. Mixing the potion was the easy part. It didn’t require any particularly strenuous effort on her part. The hard part would come after – administering it to David and giving up the life she’d created and come to love; losing him.

“You are aware that’s not part of your job description, correct?”

Ashley startled and turned around. “Geez!” She exclaimed, a hint of reproach in her tone. “You scared me.”

Regina was taken aback by that. This woman once cowered at her feet, and here she was cooking in her kitchen. She’d gone soft, she realised, partially disgusted with herself.

“What are you doing?”

Ashley quirked her head towards the fridge. “I noticed the menu up on the fridge, Henry showed me where to find your recipe book and it was pretty straight forward. It’s nearly done.”

“And what pray tell prompted such an act of generosity?”

“Besides the fact that you pay me way too much to babysit such self-reliant kids?”

No one would have dared speak to her like this in the old world. She’d gone soft. They’d remember that, wouldn’t they? Would it even matter? When the curse broke would it matter who she’d been under it?

“Ava told me what happened today. W-with the boys,” she clarified at Regina's confused look. “I thought I’d help out.” Ashley set the spoon down and stepped away from the stove. Regina's eyes immediately fell to the child in her arms, wondering how she’d only noticed her now.

“Oh. Yes. That was quite… Well…” She ran out of words and merely gestured towards the stove before muttering a low, “Thank you.”

Ashley brightened. “No problem” she said. “I checked on them all about ten minutes ago. Ava’s sketching and the boys are upstairs playing with action figures.” She got out a serving dish and transferred the contents of the small pot on the stove, the one she’d been stirring, into it. “Here.”

Regina sat at the counter and took the offered fork, too tired to contemplate the absurdity of Cinderella cooking in the Evil Queen’s kitchen. Was this girl not close friends with Snow? Would it matter? Perhaps they’d write this off as a realistic fever dream.

She tried some of the steaming creamed spinach.

“Well? What do you think?” Ashley asked.

She didn’t realise how hungry she was until then. “I think I should have hired you months ago.”

She laughed. “Thanks. The chicken is roasting in the oven. It should be done in like… ten minutes maybe.”

Ashley’s eyes darted to the clock on the wall. Regina followed her gaze. It was an hour after she said she’d be home by. No wonder she cooked. The children must be hungry, Regina thought with a trace of guilt. No parent of the year award to her then.

“I won’t keep you any longer. I’m sure you want to get home.” Regina slid off her seat. “Let me walk you out.”

Regina waited politely at the door while Ashley gathered the diaper bag and bottles from the kitchen before following her.

“Hey, can you hold Lexi for a second?” Ashley asked, hands full as she tried to balance her child and two bottles.

Regina was momentarily taken aback. In their realm, she wouldn’t have even been allowed in the same room as this child let alone… Holding her would have been- No, it was inconceivable.

“Sure,” she said, at last finding her voice.

Regina took the child carefully. It had been a little close to ten years since she’d held something this small and delicate in her arms. She adjusted quickly to the soothing weight of the child against her chest and her perfect baby scent. She found herself enchanted by the baby's smile.

“Hello there,” she said in a soft tone. “I don’t believe we’ve met.”

Lexi’s tiny fingers wrapped around Regina's index finger and the contact nearly brought her to tears.

“Thanks,” Ashley said, turning back around.

Regina looked up. She’d buttoned her coat and had the diaper bag slung over her shoulder. Ashley gently took Lexi back and swaddled her in a thick winter blanket before leaving. Regina stood by the door, silently watching Ashley buckle the baby into the car seat of her blue car before she drove off. Her car was now alone in the driveway. David had not returned home yet.

David. David… She imagined getting to hold her own child the way she just held Lexi. The thought gave way to the overwhelming relief that she didn’t have to die for the curse to break. She imagined holding her son, her and David’s son. She can see it so clearly in her mind’s eyes. She could see David holding a little blue bundle. His proud and teary blue eyes that she hoped he passed on to Junior. She could almost hear his small, disbelieving laugh as he held their baby. He’d kiss her forehead, tell her he loved her, and smile oh so adoringly at her.

This was by no means a grand daydream. It was simple and caused a warm, happy glow in her chest. It hurt all the more because, although simple, she knew it would never come to pass. The vial in her pocket burned through the fabric against her skin.

It took him a few hours to sort through his memories, and by that time, it was dark outside. David reached for his phone to check the time but found the battery had died. Glancing at the clock in the hallway, he found that it was nearly nine. Relief washed over him; it wasn't too late. David decided to walk home, scribbling a quick note for Kat. He’d caused her enough worry today. He had no idea where she’d gone to, but Jim must have been with her because their house was silent. His mind was a jumble, and he felt like he was operating on autopilot. Upon entering the mansion, he noticed Regina in the kitchen.

An alarm rang in his head. Danger danger DANGER.

“I was worried you weren't coming home,” Regina said with an apprehensive smile. “Would you like some tea, dear?”

The alarm blared again. Danger danger DANGER. It rang the first time her met her too. She had visited him after he woke up from the coma. She’d passed it off as a mix of mayoral duty and genuine concern as she was the one who’d found him. He remembered it suddenly. The moment she found him on the side of the road. He was conscious for less than a minute, enough time to take in the rain pouring down, the coldness of her hands on the sides of his head, her face above his, and her voice. “Don't die on me, Charming,” she’d said. That was a decade ago.

No. He rejected the memory. It didn't make any sense. There was no way she could know. The thought was maddening. He rejected it vehemently. He wasn't cursed. There was no curse.

“David?”

Regina's voice pulled him back to the present. She held up a mug. “Tea?”

No, no, no no no no oh no. This couldn't be happening. He couldn't accept the idea of a curse, of Emma being his daughter, of all the memories rushing back. It was too overwhelming. It didn’t make any fucking sense. He looked at Regina. There was simply no way she had any knowledge of the curse. The thought was maddening. All these years, all this time… No. He rejected the thought with every fibre of his being. The longer he looked at her, the less sense any of this made. He’s not cursed. There was no curse. There could not possibly be a curse. Emma! His heart beat painfully in his chest at the thought of placing her in the wardrobe. Emma! He couldn’t even convince himself it was a coincidence, that she wasn’t his child, that he wasn’t her father. He knew it. He knew it with everything in him. Emma was his daughter. The same Emma that was Henry’s mother. That would make him… His eyes lower to Regina's stomach. No. No. This cannot possibly be real. It cannot be happening. This was too much. It didn’t make any sense. He wanted to run far, far away and only come back once he has made sense of everything, but he couldn’t seem to move at the moment.

“David?”

“I'm gonna go upstairs,” he said, taking a step backward out of the kitchen. “I... No, thank you,” he added, jutting out his chin in the direction of the mug still in her hand.

“Are you alright?”

David nodded hastily. “Yeah, yeah, I'm fine. Just... I need a minute.”

Without waiting for her response, he rushed out of the kitchen and upstairs into their bedroom. Panic and confusion washed over him as he hastily began throwing clothes into a duffel bag at the back of their closet, intentionally avoiding Regina's side of the closet.

Regina stopped as she heard the distinct rumble of David's truck outside. He never used it anymore, and the sound sent a jolt of confusion through her. She quickly headed outside. Thunder rumbled overhead and cool rain began to drizzle. The garage door was open. The sound of the truck’s struggling ignition carried through the rain that began to pour. She went back inside to fetch an umbrella. She heard the engine had come to life and by the time she stepped outside and reached the driveway, the noisy, rusted truck was already gone.

Chapter Text

Nicky winced when she wiped his nose with the disinfectant. “That stings.”

“Sorry.” Regina frowned sympathetically. “I’m nearly done.” She set the bloodied cotton swab down and applied some antibiotic ointment to the open skin. She put a large wolverine band-aid over the cut on his nose. “There.” A decade’s worth of muscle memory of bandaging up Henry’s scrapes and scratches prompted her to lean forward and kiss Nicky’s nose.

To her surprise, he didn’t react at all. “Finally.” He hopped off the bathroom counter and looked at his reflection in the bathroom mirror. Regina, feeling slightly self-conscience, quickly packed away the first-aid kit.

“Nicky.”

He looked at her. “Yeah?”

“I didn’t say it yesterday but thank you.”

 “For what?”

She set the first-aid kit back inside the cupboard under the sink. “For standing up for Henry.”

“Oh.” He shrugged. “Okay.”

Regina smiled slightly. “It was brave of you to try and talk to Jackson first. Of course, I don’t approve of what happened afterwards but… I appreciate that you saw a problem and tried to solve it.”

“That… The stuff he said about Henry…” His head dropped. “It wasn’t the only reason I… I lied yesterday, I do remember what happened. I… He called me a…” His voice trembled. Nicky angrily wiped at his eyes.  “It’s so stupid.”

She kept her voice level. “What happened?”

He rubbed his eyes and shook his head. “He called me a little f... A bad word," he said instead, eyes tearing. "He said I was just protecting Henry because he’s my boyfriend. It's so stupid. I don’t think of Henry like that. He’s like my brother but…”

“What Jackson said really bothered you,” Regina realised, her tone gently inquiring.

His head was bowed, as if he was ashamed of himself. “I think I… I think he’s right. About me… being gay.” 

Regina leaned against the counter and let out a long breath. She thought she had a few more years until she had to have a conversation around sexuality, but perhaps that was naïve on her part. She was quiet for a few moments, absorbing the weight of what he had just told her. “That’s not a bad thing,” she said softly. “It’s perfectly alright if you are.”

He worried at his bottom lip. “So… you’re not mad at me?”

“Of course not,” she replied immediately. “How could I be?”

His lips trembled and a sob broke forth from him.

“Nicky?” She asked in concern.

“I’m sorry. I just… I didn’t want you to be mad at me.”

Ignoring all thoughts about their cursed selves and how he might hate her when he discovered the truth, Regina pulled him to her. He held onto her tightly. “I’m not mad at you,” she reassured him. “I could never be mad at you for this.”

“I… You’re the first person I told I might… be… this way," he said against her chest. "I didn’t- I don’t know what I’d say to Ava. I don’t want to disappoint her.”

“You don’t have to tell anyone anything and as for disappointment… I don’t think Ava would be disappointed. You’re both really intelligent, kind-hearted people, and I think she would be proud of you for realising this at such a young age.”

“Really?” He asked in small voice.

“Of course.” .She deliberated whether or not to share the memory that came to mind, but decided it may be helpful for him to hear it. She let go of him and took a small step back to look at him. “I was Ava’s age when I had my first kiss,” she told him. “Her name was Sarah.”

“Sarah? That's a girl's name."

Regina met his surprised gaze with a faint smile. “Yes, Sarah.” Sarah. She hadn’t thought about her in decades. She was their scullery maid. Not that she could tell him that. She didn’t think there was an equivalent of that job in this world that didn’t violate child labour laws. “She was the daughter of our maid,” she said, deciding on that minor detail change. It was not technically a lie. Sarah’s mother was employed in their manor as well. Before Cora had her killed and made Sarah an orphan. “We used to play together when we were children." His open and utterly trusting expression made Regina feel comfortable enough to share more. "A few years after that I fell in love for the first time. I fell in love with a boy named Daniel. He was... everything to me.”

He must have caught onto the sadness in her voice. "What happened to him?"

She flinched, momentarily unable to speak. "He... died." She saw it happen in her mind and felt tears prickle at her eyes. "It was a very long time ago," she said, more to herself than him, wanting herself to get past this hurt but still, decades later, unable to. "After Daniel, I met a woman named Mal who helped me grieve him. She taught me how to survive, how to feel strong and inspired a major wardrobe change." Regina laughed to herself, thinking of how she replicated Mal's plunging necklines a few years into her reign as Queen. "She was my best friend and in time, I grew to love her too."

"As a friend?"

"No," she said, laughing slightly. 

“But…” He looked confused. "David? I mean you're... I don't..."

She nodded, understanding the question he couldn’t verbalise. “When I was growing up, I didn't really understand a lot of things about myself. It took me a long time to figure out who I was and what I wanted. I didn't learn the word ‘bisexual’ until I was much older.” Not until after she’d spent nearly two decades in this world and after she adopted Henry, truth be told. “But looking back, I can see that I've always been attracted to both men and women.”

“Bisexual," Nicky repeated. "You're... bisexual?”

Regina nodded. "Yes." 

“Does David know about…?” He asked, still confused. “…that you’re…?”

Regina thought for a moment. “I haven’t hid it per se, but we haven’t spoken about it either,” she admitted. David may have caught her admiring Ruby once or twice, but she didn’t think he connected the dots or thought anything of it. "I'm not ashamed of it. It's not anything to be ashamed about." She looked at him intently until she saw him accept her words.

He stepped forward and hugged. “Thank you," he said. "You’re the best.”

Regina stiffened for a moment, eyebrows raised in surprise, before she held him just as tightly. “You’re not too bad yourself, Nicholas.”

“Sooooo…” Nicky said as he took his seat at the dining table.

Regina decided that they would be having breakfast in the dining-room instead of the kitchen today. Largely because the stools in the kitchen were entirely too uncomfortable for her to sit in and she desperately needed to sit, but also in small part because she and David usually prepared their breakfasts and school lunches in the kitchen together in the mornings. If they ate in the kitchen, it would amplify his absence, and for Henry’s sake she was not going to do that. She set a box of Cheerios for Henry and Nicky as well as their respective cartons of milk. For Ava; her favourite brand of granola and salted caramel yogurt. There was a bowl of fruit on the table too.

“What did Ms. Blanchard do to piss you off?” He asked Henry.

“Language, Nicky,” Regina reprimanded.

He rolled his eyes. The gesture startled Regina. A month ago, he had been too scared to look her in the eye, and now he felt comfortable enough to roll his eyes at her. She was baffled by it.

“Did she give you extra homework again?”

Henry froze with a spoonful of Cheerios halfway to his mouth. His eyes darted to his mother. She gave him a look. He shook his head at Nicky and ate his cereal in silence.

“Fine, don't tell me,” he pouted. “I won't tell you who Ashleigh has a crush on.”

“Who does Ashleigh have a crush on?” He asked quickly, a little too quickly if Nicky's manic smile was anything to go by.

“Why are you interested in Ms. Boyd's romantic life?” Regina asked.

“Gross, not that Ashley, Regina. Ashleigh Milton,” he said in a sing-song voice.

Regina looked between them and saw the tips of Henry's ears turning red. Still a little boy then, not a sadistic sovereign in the making. She was relieved.

“Are you guys talking about Ashleigh again?” Ava asked, coming into the dining room.

“No!” Henry yelled.

Ava grabbed a banana and sat next to Regina. She turned to her with a mischievous smile. “Henry has the biggest crush on her.”

“No, I don’t!”

“Yes, you do,” Ava said. Her French braid swung slightly as she turned to face him.

The apples of his cheeks were pink. He sputtered for a few seconds before blurting, “Ava has a boyfriend!”

Her smile dropped and eyes widened.

Regina looked between the two of them. Nicky met her eye across the table and laughed into his cereal. Henry’s chair scraped on the floor. He bolted from the room, an angry Ava chasing after him. Regina contemplated going after them, but the thought of standing was enough to make her ankles protest.

“Wag agwe ghuno goo-”

“I’ve told you countless times to chew before you speak, Nicky.”

He chewed his cereal in horrendously loud bites and swallowed heavily. “What are we gonna do today? Me and Henry. Are we going with you to the office or is Ashley gonna babysit us?”

She blew on her tea to cool it. “Ms Boyd should be arriving soon.”

“Sweet.”

“She’s been made aware of the fact that you’re both grounded so don’t even think about those videogames.”

Nicky dropped his head on the table. “Not fair.”

The doorbell rang. “That must be her,” Regina said. “Could you get the door?”

He nodded, standing up as he slurped the last bit of milk from his bowl before wiping his mouth and leaving the room.

“Ashley help!” Henry yelped, sounding closer to the dining-room. “She’s trying to kill me.”

“What? Who?” Ashley, although obviously flustered, was a surprisingly good mediator between the two of them.

Regina massaged her temples as the yelling decreased in volume. A few minutes later the lot of them entered the dining-room. Ava and Henry sat down sulkily and resumed eating. Nicky refilled his bowl of cereal and munched on it, looking between the two of them. After a few seconds of tense silence, Henry peaked up at Ava. She looked at him at the same time and they both started laughing.

“Morning,” Ashley chirped, pushing in a stroller. “Your paper was outside.”

Regina took it. “Thank you.” She carefully unfolded it with one hand, raising her mug of tea to her lips with the other. The mug shattered onto the floor when she saw the front page.

The door to the loft slammed open. Emma startled and looked up from her breakfast bear claw. Mary-Margaret rushed inside. She was frantic and had a stack of newspapers clutched to her chest.

“Woah, did you steal the entire block's newspapers?”

She dumped them onto the table. Her eyes were frantic and hands trembling. “Did you not see them?”

“Um... no.” Emma shook her head, puzzled. She lifted the newspaper at the top of the pile and stared in shock at the front page. There, in full display, was a paparazzi style picture of David and Mary-Margaret making outside the Rabbit Hole below the headline Teacher-Parent Affair: Scandal Strikes Mayor's Family!

Emma's jaw dropped. “Oh shit.” Her eyes caught on the first sentence.

It appears that the idyllic family life of Mayor Mills and Deputy Sheriff Nolan is far from perfect. In re…

Emma forced her eyes away from the rest of the article. She looked at her roommate.

“I think I’m gonna call in sick today,” Mary-Margaret said decisively, looking ill.

She could only nod, watching in wide-eyed horror as Mary-Margaret retreated to her bedroom and pulled the doors closed. Emma pulled out her cell and went upstairs to her room. Her fingers fumbled as she typed in the number.

Her call was answered in ten seconds.

“I just saw the paper. Does Henry know?” Emma asked immediately.

The person on the other end of the line sucked in a breath. “No. And I plan to keep it that way. At least until his suspension is over.” Her voice softened. “He’s dealing with a lot right now. This would…”

“This would make things worse,” Emma finished for her.

Regina sighed. “Impossibly worse.”

“C-can I see him today? Just for a few hours.” It took an alarming amount of time for her to receive an answer.

“You may.”

Emma breathed in relief. “Thank you. Don’t worry. I won’t say anything.”

When Mom told him Emma would be picking him up, Henry was slightly suspicious about it, but he quickly decided to implement the plan he’d thought up during breakfast.

“Do you know how to pick a lock?”

Emma frowned and turned to him. “Why?” She asked cautiously.

“I need the book.”

“Oh, well in that case, I can help you. Just don’t tell your parents, okay?”

He mimed locking his lips and throwing away the key.

“Let's go, kid.” She grinned and started the car. “Does this mean Operation Cobra is back on?”

Henry faltered. “Um…”

After the curse broke, Dad was going to leave. So were Ava and Nick – but maybe they could still be friends afterward? Henry hoped so. He’d miss them too much. But, after the curse broke it would just be him and Mom. And the baby. It would just be them. They could be a family, the three of them. It wouldn’t be like it was, but he’d have his mom and that was enough. Maybe Dad would want to keep in touch, but Henry couldn’t count on that. The baby would eventually need to know about the curse, about his parents, about Mom and Dad. The town was going to hate Mom. They would tell his brother the worst things about her, and although she did really bad things, Mom was good too. She had good moments too. He read them in the book. He had to find the book so that his little brother would know that too. Henry had to make sure he understood that Mom wasn’t all bad. She wasn’t evil or a villain anymore; she was just their mom.

“No, Operation Cobra is dead. This is a new mission.”

She nodded gravely. “Okay. What's the new mission called?”

“Little Brother.”

So, it finally happened, Regina thought, staring at the newspaper on her desk.

They'd found each other. Snow White and Prince Charming had finally found their way back to each other. That wasn’t the part she was stuck on. She had expected it to some extent – not the lie, not the affair, that part had truly shocked her. What she didn’t understand was why, if they had shared true love’s kiss, had nothing happened? They should have regained their memories at the very least. Or the curse should have broken. And unless the entire town decided to fuck with her and pretend otherwise, the curse was still very much intact. No, it would not have broken from their kiss, she corrected herself. That would render the Saviour useless.

Regina couldn’t help but think Emma was useless in this. She had no interest in the curse or magic or any of this. She only cared about Henry and making sure he was okay. Not entirely useless then. If anything happened to her, he’d still have Emma in his life. He’d still have a mother.

The article was ridiculous. It painted the situation as some small-town scandal, made Mary-Margaret the villain and her the victim. She rolled her eyes so many times while reading she had a slight headache. Cynicism was her go-to coping mechanism, she knew, but she had no idea how to deal with the fact that while she had experiencing unrelenting emotional turmoil, her husband, because that is what he was, that is who he thought he was, curse aside, he married her in this world, her husband had been having an affair.

She had no idea how to deal with that. Next to the newspaper was a plain manilla envelope. She opened it when she first arrived at her office and saw it sitting innocently on her desk, her name in neat print. It was pictures. She’d gone through them enough times that every inch was covered in her fingerprints. They kept the most salacious of them out of the newspaper. The pictures of the two of them in her bed. The close-up of Mary-Margaret’s hands on his belt.

Well, it was no mystery to where he’d fled to last night then. Regina felt the familiar lacing of rage and hate, as tight and suffocating as a corset, at that thought. She was blind. There had been signs.

*a few weeks ago

Regina pulled the car over outside Granny's. David unclipped his seatbelt, reached for the handle, then stopped, frowned, and looked at her. “You no longer drink coffee, and your drink preference changes every two days now thanks to Junior, so… what do you want?”

“I'm fine, thank you.”

He tilted his head. “No, come on. I can't come back without anything for you.”

“David,” she said, smiling. This felt like them, like before that damn shard of glass. “I'm fine.”

“Tea? Hot cocoa? Vanilla milkshake? A gallon of rocky road ice-cream?”

She smirked. “Alright, fine, I'll have tea.”

“Coming right up.”

Her phone rang, and she stayed in the car to answer it.

“Regina,” began an irritating voice.

“Eunice,” she sighed.

She spoke briefly, distracted by the sound of things falling. She looked to the source of it. David had bumped into Snow. Her books had fallen. Regina watched with growing dread as he apologized and helped her to pick them up. She watched them closely. They seemed awkward around each other. The dread dropped like lead to the pit of her stomach. Her eyes flicked between them. Something had happened. That or something was about to happen.

They were destined for each other. Not even a curse could trick them into believing otherwise. It was bound to happen.

But not yet, she decided. Her eyes followed Mary-Margaret as she left the diner.

Regina saw David and Mary Margaret talking inside Granny's by the door, seething with jealousy. One word came to mind for that girl, and then she pictured it across Mary Margaret's car windows. Some part of her subconscious, the part she had decided to call the Evil Queen's voice, whispered, snickering, “There's some spray paint in the garage. Red for her lips.” Regina pushed the thought away, refocusing as she saw David leaving the diner with two takeout cups.

She got out to meet him. “Thank you.”

David offered a quick smile. “You're welcome.”

Regina took the offered cup gratefully, humming at the taste, before she handed it back to him.

“I think this one's yours,” she said, and they swapped cups. She pouted after a sip. “I like that one better.”

David gestured to the car. “Shall we get going?” He took a sip. Some of her lipstick transferred from the lip onto his mouth.

Regina reached out for his jacket, tugged him closer, and kissed him hard, one thought in her mind: mine.

Surprised, David touched her neck and ended the kiss softly. “What was that for?”

“Since when do I need a reason to kiss my husband?” she replied, expecting him to grin or laugh. She wasn't prepared for the soft way he looked at her, pleasantly surprised but also sceptical.

“You don't,” he said, rubbing his thumb across her neck and pecking her lips. “Are we still on for lunch?” Vulnerability crept into his voice, breaking their façade of lightness.

“Of course,” Regina assured him.

*present

Emma and Henry stood on the beach, the waves crashing gently in the background.

“I heard about your suspension.”

He froze and locked eyes with her. He wore the same expression he had before he revealed David's fairy-tale persona.

“Are you mad at me?”

“What?” Emma asked, confused.

He dropped his head guiltily. “I hurt your mom.”

Oh right, the curse. “No,” she said softly. “I’m not mad at you. More confused than anything else. Why um… Why’d you do it, kid? It’s very… unHenry of you.”

He sighed. “I saw her kissing my dad at school. It felt like she was breaking my family apart and- I got really upset.”

How in the hell could Mary-Margaret not tell her this? Especially after she specifically asked about it. Oh, they were going to have words later. That was for sure. She tried to calm down for Henry’s sake, but she didn't entirely succeed. “Kid... um... I...”

“I know it was wrong,” he said quickly. “Mom and I talked about it.” His voice took on a glum quality. “She wants me to write Ms Blanchard a letter apologizing for… that… for what I did.”

Emma paused, surprised. “Your mom… the supposed Evil Queen wants you to apologize to your teacher, who you believe is Snow White?” She asked slowly, sceptically. She hoped he could see the irony in that, and that it may lessen his curse obsession.

Henry nodded. “It didn’t make sense to me either." His eyes widened. "I mean…”

She raised her eyebrows questioningly, confused by his sudden panic.

He huffed out a breath. “Oh whatever, you don’t believe me about the curse anyway. What’s the point in lying?”

“Kid-”

“I didn’t think she’d be mad at me, but she was.”

“Your mom?” Emma asked, confused by the line of conversation.

“Yeah.” He stuffed his hands in the pockets of his coat.

Emma followed him, eyebrows furrowed as she tried to make sense of his mind. “Because of the Evil Queen and Snow White thing?”

“Yeah.”

“Oh God. Henry please tell me you didn’t…”

He was quiet.

“Of course you did,” Emma breathed. “I’m guessing she didn’t take that well.”

“She yelled at me.”

Emma winced. She felt bad for Henry. Regina was… not exactly the easiest person. Emma startled when she realised Mary-Margaret had used those exact words when describing the mayor all those months back.

“Oh kid…” She sighed and looked at him helplessly.

She wished she knew how to help him. Aside from assisting in these ridiculous side quests slash missions. Half the time she had no idea what she was doing with him, if she should be indulging in this fantasy of his or trying to snap him out of it. Archie suggested she play into them, but Emma was unsure if it was doing more damage in the long-run than good. She felt truly lost when it came to Henry.

“Oh kid…” She said again.

Emma wondered what would happen when he returned to school, he’d know about the affair by then. And if he was angered over a kiss and the hypothetical breaking apart of his family, he’d be enraged by this. Not to mention how awkward it would be for both him and Mary-Margaret if she were to remain his teacher. They reached the box. Henry quickly uncovered it. She crouched at his side and began picking the lock.

“You gonna be okay in class?”

Henry stopped and looked at her like he hadn’t actually considered that before. “I… I don’t know. Maybe Mom can talk to the principal and ask for a transfer.”

“Maybe,” she agreed quickly. “Guessing you’re still mad at Mary-Margaret then?”

“Yes. I'm mad at Dad too,” he stated matter-of-factly. “But he and Mom are talking again, or at least they were when they came to pick me up yesterday. They were on the same side again. It felt good to see them like that, even though they were both mad at me, and I got into trouble. I don't want to mess that up, so I'm not gonna tell her what I saw.”

Oh boy. She was relieved she didn’t have to be the one to tell him that his mother, and possibly the entire town knew about the situation. The lock nearly gave way. Emma turned her full attention to it.

“You were right.”

She looked at him sceptically. “About what?”

“I shouldn't have tried to break them up.”

Emma struggled to find an appropriate response but ended up falling short. So, she chose to remain silent. Messy. This situation was so incredibly messy. The lock gave way. Emma pulled it from the box but left it closed.

“You want the honours?”

He gave a goofy grin and nodded, pulling the lid open. His smile fell. She followed his horrified gaze. The box was empty.

Regina came home a few hours ago. Eunice’s sympathy felt too close to pity for her to stomach. She sent Ashley on her way. Her life was falling apart, but the only thing she wanted in that moment were her cookies. She rarely turned to food for comfort, preferring instead to find it at the bottom of a bottle, but Junior served as a hinderance to that preference. She headed to the pantry, pulled down a suspiciously light jar and looked inside only to find it empty.

“Nicholas Adrian Zimmer.”

“Regina?” Nicky poked his head into the kitchen.  “How do you know my middle name?"

He was so nonchalant. It irritated her. “Did you do this?”

He looked at her like he didn’t understand her. “Do what?”

Regina held up the empty jar and gave it a frustrated shake. “Did you finish the double chocolate chip and cherry cookies?”

He crossed his arms over his chest. “What makes you think it was me? Did you even ask Ava or Henry? Henry's notorious for stealing snacks.”

“Notorious?” She raised an eyebrow. “That's a big word.”

Nick shrugged, somewhat sheepish. “There was nothing else to do so I finished all the spelling exercises for the month.” He shook his head. “It wasn’t me and it’s really unfair to blame me. I mean it’s not like I’m the only one here.”

Just then, the front door swung open, and Emma and Henry walked in. Nick's head whipped toward the door.

“Henry has been with Emma for last three hours and Ava is at school. Try again.”

“Innocent until proven guilty?” He tried before running from the kitchen.

She followed him slowly, her expression furious. “Nicholas.”

“Woah, where’s the fire?” Henry asked.

Emma caught Nick by the back of his shirt. “Not so fast, kid.”

Henry saw the cookie jar in her hand. “You ate Mom's favourite cookies?” He winced. “Emma, you have to at least let him get a head-start.”

Regina's eyes narrowed, and she warned, “Don't you dare.”

Nick twisted and slipped out of Emma's grasp, making a run for it past all of them.

Regina called after him, “I'm not chasing you again, Nicholas!” two seconds before she moved to do exactly that.

“Mom,” Henry’s voice stopped her. “Where’s Dad?”

Her eyes darted to Emma who looked just as startled by the question as Regina felt.

“Why do you ask?”

His eyebrows furrowed. “I just realised I haven’t seen him since yesterday afternoon when you picked me up from school. Is he at the station?”

She opened her mouth, a little white lie ready to spill forward. “I don’t want to lie to you anymore and I don’t want any secrets… any major secrets between us from this point forward.” She told him that less than two months ago.

“Hey, kid. Why don’t we-”

“It’s alright, Emma,” she said, sighing softly. “Henry, I think we should talk.”

He looked at her, then at Emma, and understanding fell over his face. “It’s bad news, isn’t it?”

Regina nodded. “I’m afraid so, sweetheart.”

“Is it about Dad?”

Emma stepped backward. “I’m gonna give you two some space.”

Henry didn’t even so much as look at her before she left. He kept his gaze firmly on his mother. Once the door was shut after Emma, his face fell.

“Dad knows, doesn’t he?”

She took a step towards him. “Henry…”

“He knows and now he doesn’t want to be here. He hates us.”

“He does not hate you,” she said fervently. “He loves you, Henry-”

“If that were true he’d be here. He’d stay.”

“Henry-”

He ducked under her arm and ran up the stairs to his bedroom, slamming the door closed behind him. She heard the lock on his door click into place just as she made to go after him. Regina sighed and sunk to the bottom of the staircase, the empty cookie jar still in hand.

Regina warily raised her hand to the door of Kathryn Nolan’s cabin and knocked. A few seconds later the door swung open. Her eyes prickled. She didn’t expect the sight of him to bring tears to her eyes. Then again, Regina didn’t account for the lack of warmth in his gaze. She was so used to him looking at her with love in his eyes that she hadn’t even considered what it would feel like to go without it. She composed herself quickly, but her initial reaction could not be helped.

She held the manilla envelop out to him. “I suppose this is what you were trying to tell me yesterday. In my office.”

David glanced at the envelop in her hands but did not take it. “Were you trying to tell me about the curse?”