Regina held Henry's face in her hands, a happy smile on her lips, warmth in her eyes. "I will never let you go away again." Her voice lowered almost to a whisper. "I promise." He smiled back at her and she added, "I love you, Henry," and leaned forward, pursing her lips to press them to his forehead.

Just as contact was made, Snow cried out, "No!" but it was too late. It wasn't the warm rainbow wind of a breaking curse that everyone was used to, but a searing golden flash, dazzlingly bright, but somehow it didn't cause pain to those observing, and at the same time, the ground shook, setting everyone off-balance for a moment before stabilizing again.

"What was that ?" Emma asked, eyes wide.

Nobody answered, too busy jumping into action. David took several steps away from Snow, drawing his sword and pointing it directly at her while Regina quickly moved in front of Henry and summoned fire to her hand. Instead of the fireballs she normally had, this time her entire hand was engulfed in purple-white flames.

"David!" Emma yelped. "What are you doing ?!" She moved to pull him away, but Killian grabbed her arm.

"Stay back, love, you don't know what's going on. Trust me when I say that nothing you've known up until now has been the truth."

As if to prove his point, Snow's expression turned into a snarl, and she glared viciously at Regina. "You broke my curse! You were never supposed to be able to love! No one was supposed to love you !"

Emma frowned, asking, "Wait, your curse? I thought Zelena cast the curse?"

Snow's glare turned to her then, and she spat, "Oh shut up, you idiot child."

While Emma's mouth hung open in shock, David shifted between them, keeping the tip of his swords pointed at Snow. "Don't talk to my daughter like that," he growled.

After making Henry promise to stay back, Regina stepped forward, her hand still in flame, but her demeanor calm - if quietly livid. "I'll hand it to you, Snow, you had us all fooled for a long time. Playing the innocent victim routine. Running from the big bad Evil Queen, and nobody questioned it. Not even me. You were very thorough." Stalking closer, she grabbed Snow by the throat, a scream as the flames touched her strangled by the strength of Regina's grip.

"Mom!" Henry yelled, at the same time that Emma screamed, "Regina, what the hell ?!" Emma immediately threw out her hands, intending to use magic to blast Regina away, but although she could feel her magic, it didn't come out of her hands like it normally did.

Leaning close, Regina glared into the hate-filled eyes staring back at her. "What did you do to them?" she growled. "The ones who died. Where are they ?"

Snow's neck flushed red around where Regina held her, and the skin under her grip began to slowly blister and scorch. She struggled against the grip and even sent a pulse of her own magic against the other woman, but it only made Regina hold on tighter. Finally she gave in, and choked out, "Pur… purgatory."

Regina's hand flexed, loosening her grip just enough for Snow to breathe a little easier. "And how do we get them?"

"They'll come on their own," Snow answered, her voice raspy, the smell of burning flesh beginning to fill the air. "All but one."

" Who ?" Regina asked, her mind racing. Who wasn't in Storybrooke and hadn't died? Who was left? Then she realized, "The baby. You bitch ." The magical fire around her hand flared white, causing Snow's skin to sizzle quietly.

"Regina, stop," David finally said, stepping in and putting his hand on her shoulder. The flames disappeared instantly, although Regina didn't let her go. "She's… That's my baby," he said quietly.

At once, Regina's gaze dropped to Snow's belly, and her expression twisted in rage, although she finally released her grip entirely and stepped back, leaving a livid burn, mottled with red blisters and black scorches, across Snow's throat. "You'll pay for what you've done to my family and my kingdom."

"Perhaps," Snow agreed. "But not today. This little thing," she curved her hands over her belly, "protects me."

"For now," David interjected.

Snow continued as if he hadn't spoken, "And then you'll have to find me." With a grin, her eyes glowed white for a moment, and then she disappeared in a white cloud.

Once she was gone, David sheathed his sword and he and Regina turned to Emma and Henry. Regina's eyes widened as she saw her son watching her with a horrified expression, and she instantly became contrite. "Henry, I promise you, I'm not turning into the Evil Queen. Things are… different than you believe. Than everyone believed. I'm sorry you had to see that. I lost control."

"Wh… what's going on?" Henry asked, sounding freaked out.

"We'll explain everything," Regina promised, "but first let's get somewhere more comfortable." For a moment, her eyes turned from their usual deep brown to a vibrant purple, and when they faded back, they were in her office at the town hall.