AN: Thanks to everyone who read took the time to read this story and review/subscribe. I have never had so many subscribers for one chapter, it totally blew my mind, thank you all so much. I had a few people say Daniel was OOC. He was supposed to be. The Daniel Regina fell in love with is dead. The Daniel in my story is not the loving Stable Boy. Yes, he looks like him, and may even have his memories but it's all an illusion. Truth be told the 18 year old Regina died that day too. I got this idea after someone said if Daniel came back and Regina had to choose between Henry and Daniel who would she pick. In my head, I always knew without any doubt it would be Henry but that does not mean she won't struggle a bit beforehand.

"Let him go Regina," Daniel said holding the brunette tightly.

"NO! He has to know how much I love him, no matter what anyone says he is my son. Daniel let me go, I have to talk to him he has to know." Regina pulled away but Daniel grabbed her arm pulling her back. Surprised at the force he used she looked down at his hand then back up into the blue eyes she loved so much. Now Daniel's striking blue eyes looked indistinguishably dim. He was different, not the man she fell in love with.

"Regina darling we talked about this. How it would be best for everyone involved if we just left. We can have the life we've always wanted; just you, me, and a ton of our own babies. That boy is selfish and doesn't care at all about you. Where was he when your mother died?"

"Enough, I am going to go find him take your hands off of me," Pulling her arm back. Regina's eyes narrowed, her voice was dangerously low, much like when she was the evil queen. Daniel took a step back surprised at her anger and he even seemed a little frightened of her darker side. She glared angrily at him and then ran after Emma and Henry. Daniel shook his head and followed her.

Henry ran until he felt like his chest was going to burst and then he keep running. He ran straight to Neal's room at Granny's banging on the door until his father opened it. When the door opened, Henry rushed into his arms, out of breath with tears streaming down his face. Neal looked the boy over worried that he was injured.

"She is leaving," Henry cried. Neal bent down doing his best to console the crying boy.

"Who's leaving?"

"My Mom," Henry said in-between sobs. As he said it, Emma came rushing up the stairs to his other side. Dropping to her knees and wrapping her arms around the boy.

"Your Mom's right here." Neal patted Henry's back trying to comfort the crying boy looking up at Emma with confusion and anger.

"He means Regina, she is leaving with Daniel."

"It's ok buddy, you have us we're your family."

Regina stood at the end of the hall watching Henry embrace both of his biological parents. She heard Neal's words and watched Henry nod at him. Regina turned and walked away. Regina had her answer; she did not need to see anymore. The only one who seen her was Emma. Daniel was leaning on the wall with his arms crossed, outside Grannies waiting for her.

"Are you ok?"

"Yes."

"Did you tell him, what you needed to?"

"No, you were right. He is with his real family."

"Come on let's get you home. I am sorry about all of this darling. From now on, I think it is best if you don't see any of them. I don't like how that boy treats you. I can't wait until we leave this terrible place and start over."

"He has every right to treat…"

"No he doesn't." Daniel wrapped his arms around Regina and pulled her in close. Kissing the top of her head and rubbing the small of her back.

"You don't understand." Regina pushed his hands away, tears streaming down her face. She shook her head and was unable to look at him.

"Understand what, the child you raised treats you like you're a despicable evil witch. He wanted absolute nothing to do with you until you told him you were leaving. Then he makes you feel guilty for wanting to move on. You can't spend the rest of your life locked away in that house. You will go crazy and I won't let it happen. Regina I found you completely alone, after your mother died. No one, not even your son bothered to see if you were ok. I hate Cora, but I also hate seeing you miserable. You were so lost and broken. Honey I never want to see you in that much pain again. Where was your son? Did anyone even ask if you were ok?"

"Daniel there is so much you don't understand."

"Then explain it to me, please."

"I did horrible, unforgivable things to people. I am an evil witch."

"Never, no matter what anyone says you're still the girl I loved all those years ago."

"The girl you loved is dead."

"No she's not, you changed once, and you can change again. We can go back to before everything fell apart."

"You really think that is possible."

"Yes."

"I cursed an enter town and made my own son feel crazy. What kind of person does that? My own son looks at me like I am the Evil Queen. Now he thinks I don't even love him." Regina ran a shaky hand through her hair. Daniel wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close.

"Honestly honey when you cast that curse the only one who seems miserable to me is you. You were all alone, no one loved you how very sad that must have been for you." Regina decided not to mention her 28-year long relationship with the heartless huntsman. In the back of her mind, she knew her long lost love would never approve of such a union. Daniel keep taking but Regina could only think about her sins and even thou Daniel said he would forgive her past indiscretions. She knew even he couldn't forgive her for somethings.

"Look around everyone life improved because of you. How can you possibly be evil?" Daniel said shaking Regina out of her musing.

"No one aged; they have those fancy toilet things, and now a Stable Boy can merry a Lady. You made a few mistakes; we will get through it together. I know the person I loved is it there and she can come back again."

"I made more than a few mistakes." Regina sighed.

"It's all in the past, were together now, and I promises I am going to take you away from this place and no one will ever hurt you again." Daniel and Regina walked back to her Mansion his arm never leaving her side, her head resting on his shoulder.

After comforting Henry, Emma ran after Regina who left abruptly. Wishing she could convince the brunette to come back, and that their kid needed all of his parents in his life, not just his bio ones. Emma only made it out side in time to see the happy couple waking away wrapped in each other's arms. Seeing Regina with Daniel make the blonde's skin boil. Emma could not explain why, but she could not stand Daniel. She told herself it was because it was all a trick, one more thing to fuck with the already fragile psyche of the former queen. Deep down she was starting to realize the truth. Why did it have to take seeing her nemesis happy to figure how much she cared about her and wanted to be the one that made Regina smile the way Daniel and Henry did.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

Regina became a wreck over the next week. Daniel was slowly proving he was not the man she had fallen in love with. Constantly commenting on what she needed to change, or how she never would have done something before. Regina knew he was different he acted almost like Leopold did when they were married. She was different too but after so much time feeling unloved and forgotten. She didn't even care anymore. If he wanted her to change, she would for him. She would do her best to be the young sweet thing he loved so deeply. Nevertheless, before they left Regina decided, she would do one final act of rebellion and contact Emma. She needed to make sure Henry would be taken care. She knew he would be furious but she didn't care.

Regina set up a secret meeting with Emma down by the peer. Regina had planned to simply walk up and hand the blonde-haired woman a check, but of course, Emma had other ideas. The woman could never make anything simple for her. Regina handed the Emma check and turned to walk away.

"What is this?" Emma stood there staring at the check.

"I wanted to make sure Henry would be well taken care of."

"I don't need your money."

"Take it; keep it for when he gets into an Ivy League College. We both know he will."

"Regina, he doesn't need money, he needs you. He needs his mother."

Taking a deep breath, Regina walked up to the blonde. "Now he has her." Emma could tell saying the words deeply wounded the other woman. Emma stood, uncomfortably shifting her weight from one foot to the other. Emma knew she had to fix this or the other woman would be gone forever.

"You're his mother to; or what, since tall, dark, and annoying walked back into your life did you forget that?"

"In all my days, I will never, ever forget about my son. For once, I am doing the right thing. Henry deserves so much better than me. I didn't realize that until I saw him with you and Neal."

"Regina your just taking the easy way out by saying that. "

"I saw you together, you're a real family something I never could give my son." Regina turned to walk away.

"You know he isn't real," the blonde's words stopped Regina dead in her tracks. "He is just some magic trick of Gold's. Do you really think the real Daniel would ever ask you to choose him over your own child?"

"It's real enough," Regina whispered.

"You're pathetic;" the words stung but Regina refused to look at the blonde-haired woman. "To think there was a time I was actually jealous of you." Regina turned to see an angry blonde inches from her face.

"Little Miss Savior, jealous of the Evil Queen. Don't make me laugh Ms. Swan."

"I never saw you as the Evil Queen Regina. A bitchy, pain in my ass Mayor yes, but I never saw you as the Evil Queen. You have always been Regina, Henry's Mother, to me."

"Really, that's why you said he wasn't my son when you thought I killed the cricket, and wouldn't even let me have him for a night."

"You want the truth; I didn't want him to go home to you because I was scared."

"I would never have hurt…"

Emma cut Regina off, "I never thought you would hurt him. I was scared I couldn't be half the Mom you were. I was afraid of losing him."

"Ms. Swan, Henry adores you."

"Let me finish, you never let me get a word in edge wise." Emma started pacing back and forth. "The thing is I am not the person everyone wants me to be. I no hero and I have no clue how to be a good Mom. I never had a Mom, so how can someone who never had a family possibly raise a kid as well as Ms. Perfect Regina Mills. I can never be as good or perfect as you."

"I have been called a lot of things in my life but, never perfect."

"Can I finish," Emma yelled, and Regina nodded. "You're a lot to live up to lady, and I try but I am not you. Seriously, last week the kid had fucken dynamite. I don't think you ever left him alone lone enough to get a hold of heavy explosives. Oh and who took them a way little, Ms. Freaken perfect." Regina inwardly smiled at the blonde's words, not even Daniel called her perfect. He was still deeply in love with the girl she used to be not the woman she had become.

"It was my fault he had the dynamite, he never would have tried to blow up the well in the first place if I hadn't been so desperate for his love. Just another reason why I should leave," Regina whispered the last part but Emma heard it just the same.

"No, you shouldn't," Emma stopped "He could have blown himself up, but he didn't because you stopped him. He has 6 parental figures now, yet you're the only one who stopped the kid from..." Emma stooped stared Regina down. It is not just the dynamite it's everything. I have no idea what I am doing I am drowning.

"Ms. Swan I am sure you will do just fine."

"No I won't because guess what, I am not the only mother that kid has, and I am not going to let you walk out of his life. Trust me; I know what it is like to be tossed aside by people. I have been my whole life. I am not just going to let you do it to our son not without a fight."

"Emma I am not tossing Henry aside, I am giving him what he always dreamed of, you and his father."

"Sometimes people think they want something, they think it's their dream until one day they fall asleep and the dream they prayed for turns out to be a nightmare."

"Deep, Ms. Swan did you practice that little speech."

"Shut up, you're not the only one who ever had a fucked up childhood."

"I never said I did."

"You didn't have to. I met Cora, the bitch tried to rip my heart out."

"She is quit found of that."

"Any way my point was when I was little I had a family a real family."

"Is this going somewhere?" Regina crossed her arms and rolled her eyes.

"Until I was three, I had a family. They had their own kids and sent me back." Emma had tears in her eyes. Regina stood silently a mask of indifference on her face. "No matter what fucked up shit you did, I never thought you would do that to him."

"I am not sending him back, I am giving him his best change and that happens to be with you."

"No your wrong Regina, I hated you for so long until I realized why I disliked you so much. I hated you for being everything I wasn't, you know that."

"You mean evil, cruel, untrusted worthy, and manipulative." The brunette rattled off some of her less noble qualities.

"No, you were the parent I could never have been, a single mom, who ran a whole town and still made it home in time to make their kid dinner and check his homework. Not to mention you looked amazing while doing it. You're strong and brilliant and so much more than what everyone thinks or gives you credit for." For a second Emma smiles, the same way she did when they had first met. The same lonely eyes staring her down begging for something Regina wasn't aware of at the time. Nervously the blonde's hands were shoved into the pockets of her coat. Suddenly Regina had the image of a scared awkward woman wanting a home and family. Emma had always wanted them to be a family. Seeing the blonde in a whole new light, scared Regina to her core. Yes she had wished for love, for someone to truly love her and accept her but she never though in a million years that person would be Emma Swan. The list of reason why it could never work flashed in Regina mind. Shaking her head, Regina turned and practically ran, but Emma was faster and managed to side step and get in front of the older woman.

"Emma I can't…we can't have that talk… not now, not ever do you understand." Grabbing the brunette's hand Emma figured this was her last chance.

"Regina listen to me, I need to tell you something before you leave."

"I have heard enough." Pulling her hand away, Regina stormed off. Emma collapsed at a nearby bench shaking her head in disbelief. She had been so close to telling Regina the truth and now she was going to be out of her life forever. A year ago she had wished for this. The infuriating Mayor, to be out of her hair forever. Now all she wanted was for the brunette to feel something for her other than contempt.

"You sure know how to fuck up your life Swan," Emma said as she full broke down tear streaming down her face.

AN: I was planning for this to only be a two shot but if you guys like where this story is going let me know, either review or PM and if people want me to continue then I will. If not this is where the story ends.