Snow stormed down the corridor, her eyes focused on the back of her daughter's head.

"Emma!"

Emma turned around, a smile on her lips that quickly faded at the sight of the other woman's anger.

"Snow? What's wrong?"

"What do you think's wrong! I saw you!" Snow hissed, grabbing Emma's arm and pulling her into a thankfully empty room, "I saw you with her!"

Emma frowned, playing innocent, "Saw me with who?"

"Regina!"

Emma stiffened, jerking her arm away. "And what, exactly, did you see?"

"You were at the stables, kissing! What the hell do you think you're doing, Emma?" Snow ranted, failing to see the upset and hurt on her daughters face, "That woman is trouble, she's killed who knows how many people, she tried to kill me more than once, she cursed to whole Kingdom-"

"And I love her."

Snow froze mid rant as she heard the quietly uttered words. "What. Did. You. Say?"

"I love her, Snow. But you know that already, because I told you well before the curse broke. I told you on your couch in Storybrooke, and you were okay with that because you cared about me," Emma felt tears welling up and she urged them not to fall, "You were okay because you loved me!"

"I thought that it would have passed by now!" Snow protested, getting angrier with each passing moment, "I thought that you would have seen just how evil she was and you would have stopped wanting to be with her!"

"It's love, Snow! You of all people should know how strong love can be," Emma yelled, the tears getting dangerously close to falling, "But apparently not."

"True love, Emma. True love is strong! What you have with Regina is, it's fake and it's wrong and-"

"No, don't! I don't want to speak to you right now; I want to speak to Mary Margaret!"

"What are you talking about, Emma? I am Mary Margaret! I'm the same person, I just remember my real life now."

"Your real life? That was your real life, just like this is! But you're the same person, right? If you're the same person then why are you reacting like this?" Emma wiped away her tears furiously, hating that she had begun to cry while staring Snow down, "When I told you that I'd fallen in love with Regina, when I was sobbing on your couch because she didn't love me back, do you remember what you told me?"

"Emma-"

"DO YOU REMEMBER!" Snow stayed silent, "You told me that if Regina loved anybody, she loved me. You told me that you didn't like her and you had no idea why I was in love with her, but you accepted it because she made me happy! You knew that she had done horrible things but it didn't matter because she made me happy! Well guess what, Snow? She still makes me happy, and I'm not going to give her up because I love her. I love her more than I've ever loved anyone else in my whole life. I'm sorry, Snow, but I love her more than I love you, and if you make me pick between you…"

Snow was crying now, "We're family, Emma! I'm your mother and I love you, and I'm not going to let you make this mistake! Family always finds each other."

"She is my family. Regina and Henry, they are my family. I love you and I love James, I really do. But make me pick and it's not going to end well, that I can promise you."

The room fell silent, both women staring hard at the other and purposefully ignoring the tears burning down their cheeks.

"What about Henry?" Snow said at last.

"I talked to him last night. He says that he's staying with his Mom, no matter what. But he doesn't want to lose me either, and I refuse to let him go again."

Snow nodded, looking down at her hands before sniffling and taking in Emma's red and puffy face, "Well then, I guess that's my decision made. Because when it comes down to it, I can't lose you or Henry. So if that means gaining Regina too… I suppose I should let the guards know she's welcome."

Emma's face broke into a huge smile, a relieved sob choking her. Snow opened her arms and Emma rushed forward to hug her.

"Mom…"