AN: Thanks to everyone for all of the wonderful reviews. Just a hint, the more reviews, the faster I update (*cough* not extortion at all *cough* ;) ) 3

Emma dropped the gun, hands shaking. She turned to face Regina.

Regina gasped as she watched Emma's eyes visibly darken until the irises were as dark as the pupils themselves. She backed away slowly, barely registering the shouted voices outside. Or what used to be outside, before the house itself faded into the blackness.

…

Henry was still at the door. He watched the world before him unravel, being rubbed out of existence much as an oasis as one approaches in the desert. Storybrooke, the most elaborate mirage anyone could have conceived, ceased to exist.

…

Regina felt the change sit heavy on the air. Every breath seemed to suffocate her. She gasped as her hair grew in length, her attire in grandeur. A mob of angry ex-Storybrooke residents burst through the door to find the Evil Queen and the Dark One staring at each other with horror. They had come to take Regina, and so she went calmly, with a sort of solemn acceptance.

Emma, for her part, was not quiet. She threatened the citizens who captured the queen. She surged toward them, screaming obscenities, eyes glazed and teeth gritted. She looked like she could kill; she hadkilled.

"What should we do?" and other things were mumbled amongst the crowd. James—King James—stepped into the room, a sense of regal authority accompanying him.

He took in Emma, sadly. "Take her too," he ordered, and the citizens complied. They dragged both women into the night before Henry could offer any protest.

Someone laid a hand on his shoulder. Henry looked up into Mary Margaret's, or rather, Snow White's, eyes. She offered him a sympathetic smile. "Henry," she said affectionately.

He whirled around to bury his face in her side. She hugged the boy as he sobbed. "Come on. Let's get you to the palace."

…

Regina stretched and groaned. Was it really morning again? She had no concept of time ever since she had been locked up.

Her desire to keep her eyes closed was overwhelmed by the smell of some sort of food in the air. Regina opened her eyes to find a bowl of broth on the small stand next to the bed. The bed and that tiny table—if you could call it that—were the only two pieces of furniture in the room. Regina took in her surroundings again, wincing as she did. In a sickeningly ironic twist, the walls, ceiling, and floor of the room were covered in mirrors, pieced together to make an almost solid sheet covering every surface. That alone was enough to make one go crazy. The fact that the mirrors also contained Regina's magic only added to the horror of the situation. She hadn't seen her son in days, and she vaguely registered occasionally being concerned for Emma's safety as well.

Regina contemplated that often: the last scene in Storybrooke. Emma had been well aware of the consequences, but she had shot Mr. Gold anyway. To save Regina—and Henry, of course.

Regina shook her head. It seemed as if the two of them would never stop saving one another—or owing one another.

Registering that the soup must be getting cold, Regina grabbed the bowl and settled back on her bed. Closing her eyes to shut out the hideous room, she lifted the first spoonful to her mouth.

…

Even though Henry had pictured the return to the fairytale land thousands of times in his dreams and daydreams, this was never one of the outcomes he had envisioned. He had never imagined anything short of a happy ending awaiting him, and certainly had not expected the complicated monstrosity that had developed.

In short, he was distraught.

And as much as Snow and James—his grandparents—tried to cheer him up, he could not be consoled. He wanted to see either, or ideally, both of his moms, but it wasn't allowed. His royal family claimed it was too dangerous.

Did they not remember all of the good that Emma and Regina had done recently? Could you really condemn them for their wickedness without considering the rest of the story?

Henry shook his head. He had been the one in Storybrooke who had argued very plainly that the line between good and evil was solid, that the world was black and white. But near the end, he had begun to see the shades of grey. And they prevailed even stronger here than ever before… for him anyway.

At that moment, a knock sounded at the door. "Come in," Henry yelled vaguely, although he couldn't say that he even cared who was on the other side.

Snow White entered. "Time for supper, Henry. Won't you join us?" She asked sweetly… almost sympathetically. Henry knew she was trying, anyway.

"No thanks," he mumbled.

Snow stepped in further, grabbing his hand she led him out of the room. "You have to eat, Henry." She admonished slightly.

Henry just sighed.

…

At supper, James did his best to cheer his grandson up. He spoke of the lessons Henry could now partake in: riding, hunting, and so on. Things he thought any young boy would be absolutely thrilled to learn. But it only seemed to make Henry more gloomy. James exchanged a glance with Snow across the table.

Snow leaned forward, looking Henry in the eye. "Sweetheart, what can we do for you to make you feel better?"

Henry wasted no time with his request: "Let me see my moms."

Snow sighed. "Henry, you know we can't do that. It's too dangerous…"

Henry sunk even deeper into his seat.

James reached over and covered Snow's hand with his own. "Maybe…"

Henry looked up hopefully, while Snow shot him a glare, pulling her hand back. "Maybe what, James?!" she asked somewhat incredulously.

"Darling, maybe he could go see one of them. Just one. With company, of course, to ensure his safety." James reached down to touch his sword, "I can accompany him."

"And which of his moms do you suggest? Which is the lesser of two evils?" Snow hissed.

James fixed her with a hard look, admonishing her silently for talking of Henry's mothers that way in his presence. He glanced over to Henry, before pushing forward. "Emma is in a bit of a state right now. I suggest Henry go visit Regina. She has been fairly compliant, and I think it would be good for both of them."

Snow got up and left the table. James looked after her briefly, concerned, but looked back to Henry as he began to speak, "Do you mean it? Can I really go see my mom?"

"Henry, we truly just want you to be happy. And if that's what it takes…"

Henry leapt up and hugged James. "When can we go?!"

"We'll go first thing tomorrow. For now, you must get your sleep. Go on."

Henry ran excitedly from the table. Tomorrow couldn't come soon enough.

…

That night, Henry retrieved his book from underneath his bed. He hadn't bothered to look at it since they had been transported to Fairytale Land, but he wanted to understand this place he now found himself in better… before seeing his mother the first time. So he decided to read himself to sleep, much as he had done several times in Storybrooke. If he imagined hard enough, Henry could almost believe that he was scared Regina would barge in any second to discover him leafing through the forbidden literature. He smiled.

Henry flipped to the end of the book, and noticed pages there he hadn't seen before. Pages that detailed the events of the last few weeks. Pages that further explored the situation in which Henry now found himself. And pages that looked toward the future.

Henry gasped in horror when he read them. He had been so certain his predicament could not get worse.

He was wrong.

…

Henry dragged James out of bed before the sun was even up the next morning. The king groaned; if it had been anyone but his grandson, there might have been more dire consequences.

James led the boy up to Regina's room, just a floor above their own in the grand castle. Before he unlocked the door, he fixed Henry with a stern gaze and knelt down to his level. "I'm going to give you some alone time with your mom. But I'll be right outside. Shout if anything is amiss, promise?"

"Why would you do that?" Henry sounded astonished.

James stood up, looking down at Henry sadly. "Because it's what you want. And you deserve that." He turned the key in the lock, ushering Henry in. "Don't be long," he whispered after him. Then James shut the door firmly.

His mom was asleep when Henry walked in. "Mom!" he hissed.

Regina stirred. It had been several days since she had actually spoken with another human being. Henry's voice immediately lifted her from her slumber, and as her eyes shot open, Henry tackled her, hugging her. Regina's eyes filled with tears as she sat up and hugged back fiercely, like she would never let go.

Regina chuckled lightly, wiping her eyes. "Why is it that every time I see you these days, it's such an emotional meeting?" she joked.

Henry laughed. "I missed you."

"Not as much as I missed you, darling. Have they been treating you well? Taking care of you?" She lifted his chin up forcing Henry's eyes to meet hers.

Henry wrinkled his nose. "Of course. It's Snow White and Prince Charming." He tossed back as though that were obvious.

Regina winced slightly. She was glad to hear they were taking good care of Henry, but it still hurt slightly that he assumed that they would simply because he firmly placed them in the category of "good."

Regina looked her son over. He looked so handsome in the clothes of her realm—so regal. Henry could very well have been born here. He was a natural royal. It was then that she noticed he was clutching his fairytale book to his chest. "Why did you bring that?" she asked; Henry detected the distaste in her voice.

"Because it's changed. And I was afraid if I didn't bring it you wouldn't believe me."

"What changed?"

Henry snuggled up against his mother in bed, laying the book open across their laps. He opened to the final pages, explaining as he pointed out the words and pictures. "Emma was the child of Snow White and Prince Charming. She was a kid whose parents were the perfect example of good by themselves, and of true love when together. "

Regina sighed. "Meaning…?"

"I'm getting there!" He nudged his mom's shoulder lightly as admonishment for being so impatient. "Because of her parents, Emma, inside, is as good as you can be. Now Emma is also the Dark One because she shot Mr. Gold. That's as evil as you can be."

"Henry," she said lightly, "Emma can't be both thoroughly good and evil."

"Exactly!" he exclaimed, glad that she had caught on so quickly. "That's the problem. Right now she has these two competing forces inside of her."

"So… what?" Regina still wasn't following.

Henry looked up to his mom, completely serious and solemn. "If one side or the other doesn't win out, and soon… she will die."

Regina gasped. Henry flipped to the next page in the book to prove his point. She examined the text and pictures of the page over and over, but the truth was there plain as day.

"We have to find a way to save her." Henry looked up to his mom again, as if asking for guidance.

Regina knew he was right. They would have to find a way to save Emma… again. And this time it wouldn't be as simple as stepping in front of a bullet.