"You've gotten too comfortable deary."

She had come to him in search of her sleeping curse and was now being lectured for her involvement in the personal affairs of her cursed self. But really she wasn't cursed, she was just living a cursed life. Her former teacher sat in judgment of her emotional entailments and her recent decisions, scoffing at her attempt to seed the sleeping curse from his hands. He was endowed with no such thing, being truly concerned with the toddler that clung to her and his suspicions thus far.

"You're falling for him." He was a wicked man really, laughing at the interludes between his speech. "And it would be quite the comedy if it weren't so pitiful." She recoiled at his assessment, feeling as though she were being scorned for failing to perform a trick or cast a spell. "You've fallen in too deep-Sooner rather than later, the curse will break and the man that you call your husband will wake up and realize that the mother of his child," he glanced over her once more, "children-is nothing more than a desperate sworn enemy out to exact revenge on his real wife."

"So to answer the question you've asked-No I cannot help you put the Savior to sleep, and to answer the question that you're too afraid to ask-Yes, you will lose everything." His last whisper stuck like a blow to the chest, forcing her to accept that she had indeed fallen in too deep.

Later that day the Sheriff entered his house expecting to hear rattling footsteps or smell pasta simmering on the stove. He expected a sullen child desperate to see his birth mother eyeing his adoptive mother as if she had slipped something in the pasta. He walked in the door and found silence, nothing more than faint sniffles and the creaking of the wood against his feet. "Regina?" Walking up the mini flight of stairs, he found the source of sadness to be his wife sitting at the head of the dinning room table with only a box of Kleenex and a cup of tea to soothe her.

"What-" He paused, seeing the suitcases lined up beside her. "Why are your bags packed?"

She lifted her eyes to meet his and the sight nearly broke her. Rumple was right, she had fallen for Prince Charming. She knew this by the way her body ached to be held by him, her lips yearned to be kissed by his and the only thing that had the ability to calm her was his voice. "My bags aren't packed-yours are." He took a step back and she motioned for him to sit, in which he did, almost immediately reaching for his hand.

She placed her hand in her lap, refusing any contact. "You're going to want to leave when I finish."

Finish what, he thought-What could possibly make him want to leave the woman he loved and the family that he cherished. The words that poured from her mouth came in a calm but at points in her story-frantic voice. The tears would flow and he was unmoving, the only change being the darkening of his eyes as he began to go through something. As he began to remember.

She let out a light gasp that could also serve as a hiccup, something he always teased her about but she was with great doubt that he would tease her about it now. Now that he stared at her with full on knowledge of her past, of his past. As he stared at a woman he hated with a wedding band on his finger that bound him to her. As he stared at a woman that he had tried to execute, knowing that a child was upstairs that shared their blood-her eyes and her hair, his nose and his lips. She had tricked him-She had used him, her tears said otherwise but he didn't care about them.

"Where is Charlotte?" Her mouth opened but she didn't say anything, only sniffling in response. His got up from the table silently, his only show of violence being the slam of his chair against the table as he 'slid' it forward. She jumped as it clanked against the floor, hesitating before she followed quickly behind him, making the sudden move to grab his arm.

The ferocity in which he pulled away should not have shocked her, nor should the hatred in his eyes but the little imp was right-She had fallen in and now she was feeling everything. He pointed a finger at her, eyes wide and face red. "You-I am not going to hurt you- I don't want to hurt you because you are carrying my child but so help me Regina-don't push me."

She stepped back at his words, feeling as though he might as well have slapped her. It would've been a easier blow to take. He turned away from her, his only show of anger being the cursed yell he let out as he ascended the stairs and his fist jutted out suddenly, punching a hole in a wall that they had painted together. Seconds passed, minutes passed and what could be transpiring filled her mind. She wanted to act but she was glued to her spot, only daring to move when she saw him once again with a sleeping toddler hanging on his shoulder.

"No." It was a guttural whisper that she knew he heard because he scoffed at her, reaching for the pink and purple coat by the door. "You-you can't take her-" She reached for him again and he yanked from her grasp, causing her to stumble back with a light cry.

He slammed the door behind him and the paintings of their family shook against the wall, clambering with the plaster. She cried, she sobbed-For their family, for their children. She was unaware of how close the curse was to breaking, unaware of how close she was to breaking. Everything was spinning out of control and she could do no more that grasp at the remnants of a life that wasn't even hers to begin with. She wasn't supposed to get attached and she wasn't supposed to have his children.

Her mind got caught up in the tantalizing dream of a family, her mind let go of her plan and before she knew it she had fallen for him in a way that crippled her ability to think clearly, to protect herself and her emotions. She was weak-love at it's finest. Now she had no one, the man she loved having left her with nothing more than an empty house to remember them by. Henry was with Emma per David's request, Charlotte and David were at the Bed and Breakfast and she knew that soon enough there would be talk. The Sheriff had left the Mayor-And later, The Evil Queen had tricked Prince Charming.

She was in a period of self loathing, scolding herself for letting her guard down despite the risk. Her mind had laundered the endgame, forgetting that the sole purpose was to have something to hang over Snow White's head, to be able to take her true love just as she had done her. She wasn't supposed to get hurt let alone heart-broken. But of course, her schemes never went according to plan.

Her heart always got in the way.

Days had passed since anyone had seen her face; she had called in sick each morning, working from home since all the files she needed were on her laptop. She needed time to get herself together, refusing to step-foot outside her house being a broken sniffling mess. Time was needed to regroup and rethink-To collect herself before she lost herself. The curse was going to break, she could tell by the spark she felt when she awoke each morning; it grew stronger and stronger.

Magic.

She didn't have much time to think, so she spent the time that she knew she had doing that exactly. But there were times when she would sit at the dining room table with tea, and a box of Kleenex staring at a door that her joy had walked through. She hated it-That he left with her happiness, that he left with the love that she had been longing for since she could remember. She hoped to maybe, just maybe see him walk through one more time with their daughter holding onto his finger-Three days later she did.

"Mommy!" Big brown eyes lit up upon seeing her mother, chubby legs carrying her as quickly as she could to a woman with waiting arms. Regina had stood from the table, bending at the waist to catch her daughter when she crashed.

The feeling brought a rush of warmth that she had been longing for, that she had been stripped of. "Sweetheart..." Soft words were whispered into her daughter's ear as she smoothed the braid down her back, eyes filling with tears as the tiny words, "I missed you" were mumbled into her shoulder.

"Charlotte why don't you go wait for me upstairs in your room, okay?" When she heard his voice, she stiffened considerably. She let go with a reluctance that was evident, especially when the toddler attempted to hold onto her hand.

"Can mommy come too?" She tugged at the woman's olive fingers, earning an adoring smile that crept onto Regina's face.

David opened his mouth, failing to speak; his wife always did the talking-the explaining, or rather, the woman he thought to be his wife. "I'll be up soon, honey just let me talk to Daddy." She stepped in where he faltered, something that he used to be comfortable with when he didn't look at his wedding ring and scowl.

Charlotte skipped up the steps, humming a tune familiar to the both of them. She left just in time, missing the moment of silence that they shared, that hovered between them. He looked at her and he was lukewarm-He had loved her so much, and there was such a passion behind it. He would have done anything for her love, jumped in front of any train for her safety and moved heaven and earth for her happiness. To have those feelings, all of those memories questioned-To know that Henry was right all along, to know that the life that he once knew was manipulated and he was just a pawn was like having the ground slipped from under him and sealed above him so that he could not escape the darkness he felt.

"Henry and Emma are coming over." He broke the silence with a revelation bound to cause a fight.

"I don't want her in my house-"

"This is as much my house as it is yours-You said that the day you married me." His words silenced her, hitting where it hurt. "Or should I say-the day you accomplished your mission."

"David-"

His brows wrinkled in mock thought. "Or was it when Charlotte was born-" His voice spun with anger and sorrow, the shine in eyes betraying his front and displaying his hurt. "God, Regina did you mean any of it?!" She was silent, pulling the long sweater she wore closer to her body as he berated her. "Because what pisses me off-is that I KNOW I did, I know I meant it even though I was cursed..." His voice shook with an emotion that he would never vocalize, trembling with a rage that he would never show her. "Now I remember everything and I still feel like I'm supposed to come home to you and that-That makes me hate you." He loved her so much that he hated her, he loathed the fact that the curse couldn't erase the feelings that he felt for her even if they were spawned from an evil plot. "Oh what-You don't have any sarcastic comments or any smartass remarks-" He was turning red, his anger penetrating the moment so that he was screaming and she was silent.

"I'm sorry." It was a whisper that felt like rocks in her mouth until she finally muttered the words. It was a whisper that rendered him unsatisfied, staring at the woman that would probably cost everything he knew to be right.

"You're sorry-You're sorry that you used me or that you had my child or that you've probably tried to kill me as I slept next to you-"

"I never-" Her voice rattled with dryness and she swallowed, regaining her strength. "I never...ever tried to hurt you-"

"Physically.." He supplemented, shrugging his shoulders at her words as if they were just another piece to the puzzle, something to add to her list of deeds. "But you can't deny that you messed with my head once in a while and whose to say that I can trust you not trying to hurt me or Charlo-"

"No!" It was a frightening cry that trumped his screams. "I will take your yelling and screaming-your anger." She swallowed, eyes rimmed with reddening tears. "I will take it because I know what I did was wrong but you will not question my love for Charlotte-I love her, I love all my children."

"Oh really-" He spat back, words biting at her heart. "Tell that to Henry."

He knew her weaknesses, because she had let her guard down as if they weren't cursed and they were really married. She had cried in his arms countless times, knowing that she was the Evil Queen but still pained by the fact that it was all that her child saw her as, that he didn't look beyond her past to see that she loved him. He knew her love-her weakness, and he used it against her.

The doorbell rang and a response was not allotted, the Mayor shaking with a rage that she couldn't express and the Sheriff moving to open the door, revealing his co-Sheriff and the boy that he had a hand in raising for 5 years.

"Everything okay?" Emma questioned, having heard the screaming while they walked down the path to the porch. David was reddened from anger, eyes wet with unshed tears that he attempted to brush off as he opened the door wider, squeezing Henry's shoulder.

"Did you bring it?" David questioned. Henry nodded, pulling the book from behind his back, throwing a suspicious glance at his mother. Regina's eyes widened as she saw the oak colored rectangle being passed to David's hands, her own hands reaching for the table for stability as she sat down.

"Hey kid, why don't you go find Charlotte?" Emma suggested, stuffing her hands in her jean pockets. Henry's eyes pleaded to stay and her eyes widened in disapproval in which he laughed, the contortion of her face being an amusement to him. He ran up the stairs and Regina couldn't help the tinge of jealousy that hit her at his willingness to listen to her in comparison with their near non-existent relationship. "Are you guys okay?"

She asked with good reason, never having seen the Mayor in such a mess, a causal mess to be specific. Regina tugged at her sweater once more, looking at the floor as she sat at the head of the table. David ignored her anger, her hurt, and sat down at the opposite side, motioning for Emma to sit as well. He set the book in the middle of the table and heard Regina audibly scoff at his actions.

"What's with the book?" Emma asked, leaning back in her chair.

"Emma we'd like to ask that you keep Henry for a little bit."

"David-" Regina began, voice at a near scream. Emma, leaned forward, not knowing if she heard him correctly not. She and Henry were just reaching that place where they were comfortable, no precepts. Regina was backing off and they were allowed to spend more time together, but was she ready to be his mother-She didn't know the answer to that. Sure, she wanted him and her heart told him that she was right to do so but despite her wants and feelings, what mattered was if she was ready to undertake such a task.

"Some issues..." His eyes roamed in Regina's direction. ".. have come up that we have to deal with and I'm not going to be staying here-I'll have Charlotte and I'd-we'd like Henry to stay with you and M-Mary Margaret's for the time being." He tripped over the name of his true love, his heart sinking at the hurt that she would experience finding out that he had loved and had a child with another woman. That he still loved that woman.

"Of course I'd take him in -and I don't mean to pry but-Why can't he stay with Regina, why aren't you..." Her words faded when David's eyes left hers and moved to his wife's, the ice in his stare impalpable to strangers.

"Regina why don't you tell Emma why I'm no longer living here with you-Explain why Henry can't live here with you, why Charlotte is not being left here with you." His anger was clear, making the blonde want to interject and say that she didn't want to know, that it was none of her business but the staring competition between them was far too intense to interject.

"I am not a child here for you to scold and reprimand." She spoke up, eyeing David and only David. "If and when I am ready to discuss such matters with Ms. Swan-I will, but until then-I suggest you leave the subject alone."

"Oh no-" He shook his head, turning his body to face her in a challenge. "You don't get to tell me how to handle this-Not after what you've done and certainly not with the blood on your hands." He turned to Emma, who was rightfully confused and uncomfortable at this point. "Emma the curse is real."

She paused, her eyes crinkling as she laughed. "Not you too David.."

"Emma-Emma listen to me, you weren't abandoned." He opened the book to the page where his sword was drawn as he held her to his chest and fought off Regina's men. "Your mother and I put you in a wardrobe to bring you here so that you wouldn't be cursed with us, we-"

She stopped him, her hand raising as she turned to look at the paling woman seated in the head seat of the table. "Regina-" Her words fell silent as she stared into the woman's eyes, filled with hurt and loss, anger and sorrow. She looked into her eyes and she saw her history flash before her, she saw the truth. A vivid remembrance of a life once lived but a life she never lived passed her eyes.

When the light filtered her eyes once more, they held the stare of the woman that began it all. The woman said nothing to defend herself and the exposing of the skeletons in her closet continued. For a minute there was silence, thoughts boggling everyone's mind until a question, that would open the floodgates, was posed.

"What happened to Graham?" Regina's eyes darkened slowly and she attempted to put her emotions at bay.

David would have thought that she would want to know about her parents-that he was her father. Instead, they both found themselves staring at Regina who was mustering up the pieces of her broken mask.

"He was a liability to the curse." She spoke cooly, her heart pounding, tears brimming-her face betraying her tone.

"So you-" She gripped at the lapel of her red leather jacket, her hands burning with a fury to ring the woman's neck. "You killed him."

David's eyes widened at the realization that even why they were married, she hadn't changed. "I released him."

He reached for his daughter and she recoiled at his attempts. She stood and slammed her chair against the table, but it failed to fall as it had when her father had done it days before. Regina was unmoving at the sound, at her actions until the blonde made a move to call down their son to leave and found that he was already standing there.

"So I was right."

"Henry." Regina stood, the crumbled pieces of her face falling back to the floor. He backed away even though she made no movements towards him, Emma's back preventing her from doing so.

"You're the Evil Queen-And you killed Graham, I was right." His voice was triumphant but tears filled his eyes at the revelation that he had. No one wants to believe that their mother is capable of what he had long accepted her capable of doing. Emotions were pressed and with a protective hand, Emma took a hold of her son's shoulder before he had a chance to meet Regina's eyes again. The door slammed for the second time that week and once again, their family photos shook against the wall.

Slowly, she sat back down in defeat, noting the eyes that were on her. "Go ahead-Tell me what a monster I am." She dead-panned, no longer surprised by his outbursts.

"I held you."

She lifted her head, rearing back. "What?"

His hand met the face of the table in a hard slap that made her jump. "I held you-I held you when we found out that he died-I was upset, you cried because you were friends-I held you." His words came out as a mantra, the night of Graham's death playing in his head. He couldn't help but feel like a fool, holding what he thought to be his mourning wife when in actuality, she was a murderer.

And the love he felt was clouded by the hate he had for her.

"Charlotte!" He bellowed, mirroring his daughter when his chair slammed once again. She came charging down the steps and he picked her up, tucking her arm when she reached for her mother. He left wordlessly, having nothing to say as Charlotte's hand opened and closed in a show of goodbye.

The curse was close to breaking.

She was close to breaking.

And David, he was close to breaking as well.