Disclaimer: I am in no way affiliated with Disney, ABC, Once Upon a Time, or the cast/characters of.

Chapter 1: The Ropes

Emma pushes her sword back into its sheath and stands up from her crouching position, sweat beading on her forehead. This town has been in shambles since the Wicked Witch decided to show up. Whatever it is she has up her sleeve, Emma wishes she'd get it over with so they can deal with the aftermath instead of this daily occurrence that seems to be occupying everyone's time.

"Is she gone?"

"Yeah, I think so," David says, moving on in front of her to check the other rooms, ever the protector. "I don't think she took anything, but I'm sure whatever it is she's after, she'll use Gold to get it eventually."

She sighs and moves a blonde curl away from her face.

"I don't know how much longer we can hold Zelena off. The baby is coming any day now and I'm afraid she's out for blood… and it's apparently not ours, either."

David nods a bit uneasily, unable to find the words to say to comfort either of them right now.

"Anyway, you should get back to Mary Margaret and Henry," Emma sighs, looking around the shop as they head towards the back door.

"Where are you going?"

"Regina told me to meet her at the tombs about an hour ago. She's not going to be happy I'm so late. Just, uh… let me know if anything gets out of hand, okay?"

She turns to leave, but David puts a hand on his daughter's shoulder. Having been privy to the Evil Queen's past, he's a bit hesitant to just let his daughter take off into the woods with her alone.

"Emma, be careful."

"You know I will. Besides, what is she going to do? Turn me into a frog?"

"No. That's not what I mean. I mean—Regina, your mother, and I… we're from the other realm. We know what she's capable of. We have no way to know for sure if she's changed for good. This curse could be something she's done. Or even something she and Zelena schemed up. We just don't know."

Emma smiles softly, feeling deep down that Regina has truly changed, but not wanting to get into this conversation right now, she nods and adds "I'll be sure to keep my guard up."

_.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._

In the tombs, Regina is making up a potion to protect Henry and his memories from anything Zelena might throw at them. If things are going to get crazy, she wants the peace of mind that Henry will be able to make it out okay and, hopefully, with his memories intact. She couldn't bear to go through what she has been through the past few weeks ever again, with him casually calling her "Madame Mayor," then rushing off to be with Emma. Quickly snapped from her thoughts, she jumps when she hears the heavy wooden door slide open.

"Miss Swan. You startled me."

She goes back to her potion, almost as if Emma's not even in the room. She does have that special way of letting her company know just how little she notices their presence- something Emma has grown begrudgingly accustomed to.

Shoving her hands into her back pockets, she walks over to Regina, peering over the brunette's shoulder.

"What's going on here?"

"A potion," she answers, nonchalantly.

"Well, that I could tell," Emma scoffs, rolling her eyes. "But for what?"

"Henry."

She rushes back over to her, putting her hands up as if to stop her. "Whoa, whoa… what do you mean 'for Henry?' I don't want him involved in this. No magic on my son."

"Our son. And he is already involved with this—thanks to your boyfriend," she says before adding a pinch of some sort of ash to the vial, making it bubble up before settling into a tiny crystal-like formation at the bottom of the glass tube. She holds it up to her dark eyes, observing it proudly.

"My wha—?" She shakes her head, but notes the tone in Regina's voice. "Anyway, I know he's involved. I just—I just didn't want him to be. I'd almost prefer him not having his memories back so he wouldn't be aware of all this so when this is over we can just go back to normal," Emma says, her voice trailing off, as she once again walks around the cold, dark room.

Regina drops the stone into her hand, clutching it tightly to her chest, before placing it into a tiny velvet bag and cinching the string.

She then turns to face the permanently-disheveled-looking blonde. "Back to normal?"

Emma raises her eyebrows and shoots a glance her way. "Yes, normal. As in back to our very normal lives in New York."

Regina opens her mouth to speak, but then purses her lips, forcing her mouth into a fake smile. She knows now is not the time or place to have this particular discussion.

"Well, when this stone is with Henry, Zelena won't be able to touch him or his memories. She wants to destroy what I care about most. And I won't let her."

Emma notices Regina's very much in her own head today— even more so than usual.

"Regina, are you okay?"

"Yes. Why do you ask?" She asks; her expression famously unchanging.

"You just seem a little distracted, that's all."

Her mind suddenly flashes back to earlier in the day and her hallway encounter with Robin. She doesn't know what has changed so suddenly within her to cause her to be so open with him. It frightens and excites her all at once. But today, she has more important things to worry about. She takes a deep breath and turns to face her protégé.

"No," she drags. "I am fine. Absolutely fine."

Emma raises her eyebrows in disbelief. She, of course, knows Regina is lying, but doesn't say a word. For some strange reason, and despite their ongoing feud, Emma has always felt some sort of special connection with Regina… she just can't put her finger on why.

"Shall we?" Regina asks coolly, forcing the large stone slab away with a flick of her wrist.

Emma just nods and follows her down the stairs and into an even colder, darker part of the tomb.

"I didn't think this place could get any creepier," she says, looking around. "I thought perhaps glowing, beating hearts in boxes was as strange as your sorcery got."

"You'd be surprised, Miss Swan, at how far my past reaches and how dark it truly is," Regina sighs, a slight disappointment in her voice, before stopping and placing her hands against the damp wall. She waits, then side-eyes Emma, motioning for her to follow suit.

Catching the hint, Emma slips her gloves off and pushes them into her pockets before standing beside the brunette, mimicking her actions. Regina closes her eyes and exhales, bracing herself with her feet.

The blonde attempts to do the same, but, after a moment, cracks one eye open to look over at her mentor. "Uh, Regina?"

"Yes, Miss Swan?" She calls, agitation apparent in her husky voice.

"What the hell are we doing?"

"Telekinesis. Relax your entire body and focus only on the wall moving. But be careful. I'm not sure how your… amateur… magic might react."

Emma rolls her eyes at the condescending remark, but then shuts them again, trying to follow the rules.

_.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._

Across town, Henry is sitting at Granny's with David when Robin Hood walks in. He nods and smiles at the young boy, aware of what he witnessed earlier, and knowing now that he is now making the connections.

"What's the deal with Robin Hood, huh?" David asks, nudging his grandson's elbow.

"Oh, nothing. I just caught him kissing my mom earlier."

David nearly chokes on his food. "Emma?!"

"What? No! Regina."

David's expression doesn't change. He may be even more surprised at that than he would be if it had actually been Emma.

He shrugs and takes a sip of his coffee. "Well, that's, uh, interesting?"

"Definitely. It's so unlike her to… well… love, you know? She was, after all, the Evil Queen."

"That she was," David trails, suddenly feeling worried for Emma all over again. What if something snapped in Regina all of a sudden? She's out in the middle of nowhere with his daughter. She could do anything to her and no one would know for hours. He manages to shake the thought from his head and turns his attention back to the young boy sitting beside him at the bar.

"Ice cream?"

"You know it!"


A/N: Thanks for reading! This is my first attempt at an SQ fanfiction! I am hoping to have a chapter a week up. Perhaps more! Reviews and suggestions, as always, are greatly appreciated!