Snakes and Tales Part 4

A/N: Sorry for the long wait, guys. I've been working on this fic and it will now be about nine chapters long, which are mostly written/outlined properly now. Thanks for sticking with me. Enjoy! Reviews would be lovely :).

"Mom! Mom! SNAKE!"

Without even knowing it, Henry had called for both of them. It was the unmistakable cry for help that caused both of his mothers to react on instinct. The need to protect their child superseded everything else.

Emma and Regina ran into the kitchen to see Henry on the floor leaning back on his hands. The boy had scooted back up against the kitchen cabinets where he was apparently trapped in the corner. He didn't pause to look up at them, his terrified gaze was fixed on the foe positioned near his feet.

The Agrabahan viper was poised to strike.

"Kid, don't move!" Emma ordered. The sight of her son in danger her heart skipped a beat and then began to hammer with panic.

Henry was paralysed by the mere threat of its presence. The fact that there was a snake in an otherwise safe suburban home was not the prime cause for shock. It was because the snake had two heads, formed in a V-shape that joined the rest of its sinuous length. Both of the heads exuded danger, hovering in the air in hypnotic circles as they regarded their prey. Each had a tongue that flicked out between a pair of fangs to taste the air, no doubt detecting fear.

Both snake heads were within striking distance of Henry's lower legs. A single scratch from one fang would result in the rapid spread of neurotoxin throughout his small body. He could be dead in under thirty seconds.

"Mom, what is that thing-" Henry choked.

"Henry, stay very still," Regina said in a low voice, holding out her palm. "Everything is going to be ok."

"Regina!" Emma glared. "How is this ok? There's a deadly fucking viper at his ankles and it looks pissed."

"Don't swear in front of him."

"Hurry up and use your magic or Parseltongue or whatever. Call off your beast before it kills my kid!"

"Magic won't work directly on it."

Regina crouched and crept up behind the snake, making sure to keep herself in its blindspot. She reached out slowly and stroked her hand down the back of the scaly head closest to her. The snake hissed at the sudden contact coming from somewhere it couldn't see. Then sinuous reptile calmed and allowed the stroking to continue.

The eyes closed sleepily and the snake's body relaxed.

"It's working," Emma whispered in awe.

"I need you to conjure its box, dear," said Regina, without taking her eyes away.

"Me?! Have you forgotten about the rutabagas? I suck at conjuring."

"Yes, but your powers seem to work best in dire situations. This qualifies as one of those. Do it."

"Fine," she muttered.

Emma bowed her head and took a deep breath. She stretched out her arms in front and imagined the box occupying the empty space between her hands. She could picture it clearly. It was an aged wooden chest with rusty metal fastenings, the same one she had seen last night when Regina brought the snake to the seance.

The box is in my hands, Emma told herself. It's not in the home office sitting on the table where it was left last night. It's where I need it to be right now...

The snake could whip its head around any second now and sink sharp fangs into the skin of Regina's wrist. Or Henry's ankle. One of them could die. They both could die. They will die, unless I save them. I must have the box. This box that I already have in front of me...

A weight dropped into her hands. It was the box appearing out of nowhere. She had successfully conjured it with magic.

"Mom, h-how did you do that?!" wondered Henry.

Emma was in almost as much shock as he was. "I did it!"

Regina sighed impatiently. "Lower it to my level so that I can put the snake to bed."

At the very mention of the word "bed" the snake hissed and gave a grumpy expression, like a human toddler upon the announcement of bedtime. It regarded the open box that Emma held nearby with suspicion.

Regina resumed soothing the snake with her hand. Once it was docile enough to pick up she encouraged the creature into its box where it immediately curled up in a coil and went to sleep. Its four eyes were closed now. Keeping watch for any last attempts at a strike, she gently lowered the lid and turned the key in the lock.

Emma and Henry exhaled in relief. Now that the three of them were still sitting on the kitchen floor with the danger now safely ensconced, other matters became more important.

"Mom, what was that thing?" stammered Henry, still in shock. "It - it wasn't a normal snake. It had two heads."

"It's called polycephaly," said Regina. "It occurs when an embryo fails to twin properly. Usually two-headed snakes don't survive in the wild, they move in zig-zags because the two brains argue about everything. I trained this specimen myself."

"See, kid? It's biology," said Emma. "Nothing weird going on here. Just a rare snake that's all."

Henry wasn't convinced. "Then how did you make the box appear like that?"

"It wasn't what it looked like -" started Emma. "I brought the box in from out there, you just didn't see me do it."

"NO!" Henry cried angrily. "I know what I saw. You pulled it out of thin air."

"You were scared. Distracted. It makes it hard to think properly-"

"Stop lying to me! There was a two-headed snake and it got sleepy when she touched it. You made something appear as if by magic. I don't understand what's going on here. There's something weird in this town. I know you've been keeping something from me. Why won't you tell me? I deserve to know."

"No, you want to know. That's not the same thing."

Henry was desperate and he obviously couldn't understand why his mother was trying to hide the truth from him, whatever it was. He turned to Regina. As the other witness she must have seen it too and he appealed to her to back him up with testimony.

"You saw it too right?" Henry pleaded with her. "That weird snake could have killed you. Why did you go near it? Why did you save me? My Mom is lying isn't she."

Regina bit her lip and shook her head imperceptibly. She spoke quietly. "I think you should listen to your mother, Henry. She knows best."

The twelve-year-old leaped to his feet. "NO! You're both lying. I'm not crazy! I want to go home."

Regina got up and took his arm, pre-empting his intention to run off. "Henry, stop. You're not going anywhere while you're this angry, darling. You could get hurt."

Henry frowned. "Why are you calling me 'darling'? I'm not five. You can't tell me what to do."

"You're right, Henry. That's your mother's job, to keep you safe at all times. Something she has failed at recently. I'm sorry."

Emma covered her face with her hand, unwilling to see the lancing hurt in the other woman's face. "We can't keep doing this. Regina, we gotta tell him the truth."

"Fairytales?" Henry let his skepticism show by scrunching his face.

His eyebrows had hit his hairline at several points during Emma's narration. The three of them were sitting in the lounge room now. Emma was in the process of explaining in a somewhat jumbled manner the origins of the magical town of Storybrooke and its residents. She was careful to leave certain facts out, hoping that she could shield him from the bits she didn't want him to know.

For a former fervent believer he was having trouble accepting the ideas. "Uh huh. This is your big explanation for why we're here?"

"Yes," said Emma. "I really am on a case. Kinda. There's this person I'm chasing."

"Who is it? The big bad wolf?" Henry snickered.

"No, it's-... nevermind."

"Mom, you seem really sincere about this but it's not possible. It's crazy. You know that, right? There's no such thing as magic. Fairytales are just stories. There's something weird here but the people in this town are just regular people."

Emma was starting to get exasperated. "I am actually telling you the truth! This is what you wanted to know. Magic is real. That's how I was able to conjure the box out of nowhere. What do you want us to do - put on a magic show?"

"Maybe later. Ok say magic is real, everyone in this town is a fairytale character, and you're on a case. But why do you have magic powers? Who are you really?"

"I'm… Snow White's daughter," she muttered.

"You think you're a princess?"

"Well, no but-"

"Nobody who knows you would believe that. You're too much of a dork, Mom. Fairytales are kinda lame anyway."

Emma shot a glance at Regina and got a sneaky idea. "Yeah, you're right, kid. Fairytales are lame. Especially the villains. They always lose! Not one of them was badass enough to take down an easy target like one of those pretty little princesses. All they had to do was break up a marriage. How hard can that be? Henry, you've seen the Disney movies. Why don't you rank them for us?"

"Maleficent is awesome. She transforms into a fire-breathing dragon. Plus she's Angelina Jolie. Enough said."

"Mmhm," Emma nodded, going along with it. "Good point. Anyone who defeated her would have to be some kind of badass wouldn't they."

"Yep. Next there's Ursula the Sea Witch. Because she turns into a giant octopus at the end and causes a whirlpool in the ocean. Impersonating someone else is a cool tactic for evildoing. She wasn't just going to break them up she was going to marry the Prince herself. That's twisting the knife."

"Valid argument."

"Then it's Jafar. He was awesome for most of it but getting tricked into becoming a genie was pretty stupid. He gets on the list for having a great minion and for the whole strategy to manipulate the Sultan psychologically. He plays the long game."

"Impressive list," said Emma slyly. "I notice you didn't mention a certain someone."

"Who?"

There was a beat of silence. The bait had been laid and the trap was set. Emma kept waiting for Regina to jump in and stop her or correct any of the misleading things she'd said and tell Henry the truth instead. Or be irritated enough to defend the badassery of her fairytale alter-ego. But she never did. Until now.

Regina grabbed Emma's arm and dragged her up off the couch. Between gritted teeth she said, "A word in the kitchen, please."

"As long as there's nothing dangerous in there," came Emma's retort. "... except you of course."

Once they were alone (out of earshot of a curious yet strangely skeptical Henry) they whispered to each other in vehement tones.

"I know what you're doing, you're trying to get me to confess my identity. You are not to tell him, Emma," Regina snapped.

"What else can I do?" she shrugged defensively. "He knows too much now to be satisfied with anything less than the truth. You're a huge part of the explanation."

"I don't want him to know who I am."

"He still loved you the whole time when he knew you were the Evil Queen. You didn't even make his Top Three Badass Evil Villains. He probably thinks of you as a crone with a basket of apples who ends up falling off a cliff."

"Yes, and that's better how?"

"He'll come around when we explain it to him. Trust me."

"With no context for it he will not understand the evil things I've done. Not all of them are in the distant past. I've done more than hand out poisoned apples. I never wanted him to know."

"But that's who you used to be. You're assuming that he won't see who you are now instead. Don't think I don't see how much you've changed. You were able to go all the way to the dark side and fight your way back. In some ways that's more impressive than if you were good the whole time. Henry's a smart kid. He knows my history so he knows that sometimes decent people have a past they're not proud of. Give him the chance to judge for himself. He loves you, he just doesn't remember it right now."

Regina shook her head. "I don't want him to know I'm his mother."

Emma startled, not expecting that at all. "But why?"

"Because you will have to tell him the whole story. About how you gave him up for adoption at birth. He doesn't remember me, he only has memories of you. Think of how much it'll hurt him to know that you gave him up. It will be like losing the only mother he has ever known. Spare him that pain."

"Oh, I know what that's like. I know. But it's already hurting all three of us! The secrets are choking the life out of you. The truth will be painful for him. Whatever I do here it's going to hurt both of you in the long run. I can't keep doing this."

"I would rather hurt myself than him. Don't you remember when you first met him? He hated me. He was so upset when he realised he was adopted-"

The two women jumped at the voice behind them. A twelve-year-old boy was standing in the doorway with his hands stuffed in his hoodie pocket. Their son had been eavesdropping again.

"I'm adopted?" said Henry in disbelief.

Emma went over and reached out to comfort him but he flinched away. "Henry, I'm so sorry-"

"You're not really my Mom?"

"Yeah I am, I gave birth to you," said Emma breathlessly in a rush until the words stuck in her throat. Just say it, like ripping off a band-aid. Get it over with. "I put you up for adoption. I didn't raise you for the first ten years. Only this last year was real."

"What? Th-that's crazy. I remember everything we did together, when I was little..."

"Your memories aren't real, I wish they were. I wish I was there for you when you were growing up. But it's not the way it really happened."

Henry was clearly struggling to deal with the news. He was confused and definitely hurt, Emma could tell he was trying to be brave though. Trying to tell himself that it couldn't be real. It must have been torturous to hear contradictions to the happy memories he held in his mind. But he would also know that there could be no other reason why his mother would say such things if they weren't in fact true.

"You gave me away?" asked Henry. "You didn't want me?"

"I did," Emma choked up, and her eyes filled with tears. "I wanted to keep you so badly. I wanted a family of my own. But I was so young, I was just a stupid kid at the time. I wanted you to have a better chance in life than I could give you. I wanted you to have a home. I was in jail and even once I got out I didn't have a home to go to myself let alone one to give you."

Henry was fighting it but he started to cry as well despite trying to hold it in. "I feel awful."

"I know, but there is some good stuff in the memories you don't have. I promise."

"I'm not sure I believe you. If you weren't around what happened to me? Where did I go?"

"You weren't alone, you went to a family who wanted you. You had a Mom who gave you a really good life. C'mere, I want you to meet someone."

Emma held out her arm and tucked her son under her wing. He was getting so tall now. She remembered back to when she first met him and he was so little and cute. She hadn't known him for long and he was growing up so fast it was unbelievable. Sometimes she wanted to slow down the march of time so that she could spend more of it with him.

The two of them were teary and sniffling. Emma was over fearing the worst for this conversation, afraid that Henry would be devastated, but he was taking it better than expected. That only left one more person whose pain she could alleviate. She had a plan for that too.

It must have been strange for Henry that Regina had been watching the whole thing silently. It would have made him wonder what the real connection was between her and his Mom. It was strange that they had had this very important conversation in an acquaintance's kitchen.

But Regina was not unaffected by observing it. In fact, she looked terrified stiff.

Emma led Henry to stand in front of Regina like she was going to introduce them, as she had the first time.

Henry was confused. "Madam Mayor? But, Mom, I already know her. Kinda."

"Regina is your Mom too. She adopted you when you were a little baby and brought you to Storybrooke. This is where you lived with her, it's your home. That's kinda why we're here."

Henry tipped his head and stared at his adoptive mother's face like he was seeing it for the first time, which technically he was. He had no memory to trace for familiarity, but the way she was looking back at him was most definitely not that of a random stranger.

The boy gave her a very familiar lopsided look. "Regina? You're my Mom? I have two mothers?"

"Yes," Regina whispered. "I've missed you, Henry."

"Mom said you had a son who was lost… someone you loved very much. That was me?"

Regina nodded, but she couldn't help smiling a bittersweet smile for her son. A single tear broke and trailed down her cheek. "I know it's strange because you don't remember, but I want you to know that no matter what you hear being said about me in this town, I do love you. I always have."

Henry suddenly became shy. "I don't know what to say."

"You don't have to say anything."

"Um, so that's why you were shocked to see me that day when we first came to Storybrooke. At the diner?"

"Yes, I didn't think I would get to see you ever again. It was… a surprise."

Henry's brow furrowed. "So what happened? If only last year was real, how did my real memories from before that get overwritten by fake ones? And if Emma and I have lived in New York for a whole year why weren't you with us?"

Emma sighed. "It's a long story, kid."

All of a sudden a grin flashed over Henry's face and he was off and running with a new theory. "Ha, I bet I know what happened! That's why we're here isn't it? Because of Regina. She loves you. We had to leave and for some reason she got left behind, but you couldn't forget her could you, Mom? You came back for her. You love her too. That's why you guys are always whispering behind my back and sneaking around to be together. It all makes sense. It's so weird that you're my parents and magic is real. The three of us are a family. We have a home. This is awesome! There was a fairytale right under my nose the whole time."

Regina stammered. "But she doesn't - that's not really it - we're not -"

"You've read too many books, kid," Emma muttered. She laughed nervously under her breath and raked her hand through her long blonde hair.

"Whatever," Henry grinned knowingly from one mother to the other. "I'm starving. I'm gonna go make some pancakes."

After the kid disappeared things didn't get any less awkward. Emma wasn't sure which was worse. He had gone from devastation at the news that he was adopted to thrilled at the idea of having two parents. He was going to be disappointed when he found out that she and Regina weren't really together. Not in the past, not now, and probably not ever.

"Um, how are you doing. You ok after that?" said Emma.

Regina rolled her eyes. "You act like I'm going to burst into tears every time I interact with him. I'm fine. Or I would be if you'd stop asking me that every five seconds."

"You are not fine."

"Only because you are irritating me by asking me if I'm ok."

"I only ask because I want to know! Because I-" … care about the answer. Fuck it, it's true and you won't let me tell you.

The finish to her sentence was in the air unsaid. Regina heard it.

"Then maybe you should think about the consequences of what you're doing before they end up hurting me. Are you intending to take my son back to New York after this is over? Are you going to cosy up to the handless wonder and let him co-parent Henry with you? I will not allow you to push me aside on this."

"No," said Emma firmly. "Henry-stuff is between you and me. But if we stay, you and I gotta figure something out. Something healthy that works for all of us. Playing tug-o-war over the kid is not ok. We can't go back to doing that all over again."

"I know that," Regina snapped. "But you don't get to make decisions for him by yourself. He's my son too."

"And now he knows that too. He seems ok with the news, even though he doesn't remember you. He's always had this fantasy of having a big family. I'm worried that he's got this idea in his head now… about us being together."

"Well, he's going to be disappointed. It's natural for children to want their parents to be together, but it doesn't necessarily make it a good idea. He has a very active imagination. But he will see reality. "

Emma glared and crossed her arms. "There's a solution here, if you'd quit being so stubborn."

Regina obviously wasn't going to pretend she didn't understand what was meant by that. Her eyes flashed dangerously and her voice dripped with sarcasm. "Oh. You're saying that we ought to get together so that I can be mother to your child because it's convenient for you? Why does this sound so familiar. It almost feels as if I've lived it before."

"Godammit Regina, I didn't mean it like that! I am NOT like my grandfather. I just us want to-... forget it. You're determined to hate me so why should I bother."

Argh! Why does she have to be so excruciatingly difficult?! Emma was ready to tear her hair out in frustration. She had not meant it like that at all. The last thing she wanted was any kind of arrangement like Regina's first marriage.

Regina murmured to herself and shook her head. She looked up directly into Emma's eyes, showing half-fire and half-pleading. "Why do I keep living this over and over? I was Snow's Stepmother, I'm Henry's 'other' Mom, even with Robin I'm- … I'll always be second to the memory of someone's dead wife. I can't live like that. When do I get to be thought of as the first in someone's heart?"

"Do you really love this Robin guy?" asked Emma, dropping her tone. "Or do you love the idea of being in love? Of having somebody. Because there's a hell of difference between the two, and I know how tempting it is to want someone just so that you're not alone. I've been there. But if this guy thinks of you as a second chance, or as a consolation, then he's stupider than he looks."

If I had you, thought Emma, if you were mine I would hardly be able to think of anyone else. The rest of the world would fade away and the only one I'd see would be you. Standing in front of me in that fucking gorgeous red dress that probably cost more than my entire wardrobe put together.

"Robin is a good man," said Regina, almost defensively.

"He probably is," Emma conceded. "And if he truly makes you happy then that's enough for me. I'll back off. But I'm selfish enough to say that I wish you would make another choice."

I wish you would choose me.

"What are you saying, Emma? I don't have your superpower. I can't tell when you're telling me the truth."

"I'm not lying and I'm not leading you on. When I came here this morning to make you breakfast I was going to make my intentions clear. But I can't read your mind, you have to give me a little something to go on. If you keep pushing me away you will succeed. I want you in my life. What do you want?"

Regina looked as vulnerable as Emma had ever seen her when she answered. "I want Henry. I want you both to stay in Storybrooke. I want us to-"

"Yeah?"

Say it. Please say it. God, you're killing me. I need to know.

Regina's face said it all, but the words were stuck. Her lips parted slightly. Whatever she had been about to say, the moment was broken by the curse of modern technology.

Da-ding-ding!

Emma nearly jumped out of her skin when the phone in her back pocket rang. She exhaled and fished out the device to check the screen. There was a new message from David saying that Mary Margaret had gone into labour and they were about to go to the hospital.

Emma was about to become a big sister. That alone was a scary thought which she didn't have the time to process right now. She had to focus on the real danger. Zelena wanted the newest Charming child for whatever nefarious plan she had that involved baby parts, a heart, and some courage.

"Is something wrong?" said Regina, frowning.

"Yeah, my Mom's in labour, which means they're both in more danger than ever. I have to protect my family. Zelena's after the baby."

"You're more powerful than she is."

"Only because of what you've taught me. I guess we'll soon see if those magic lessons have paid off."

"What do you want me to do?" said Regina.

"Help me."

Emma stepped closer to her, trying to show her what she felt. To get her help, to be sincere for once, hoping that she'd understand how dire the situation was. She hoped desperately that they could all let go of the past and forget whatever tension was between them for the moment and do what they had to do. They could achieve so much if they worked together, they had the power to move celestial bodies and open portals to other realms. All they had to do this time was protect one tiny important life.

Help me. Come with me. I need you.

It was as if she'd said those thoughts aloud.

Emma wasn't sure if she imagined it but she thought she saw a small smile appear before Regina turned away. In three seconds the woman in red swept up her keys and went into the kitchen to quickly round up Henry so that the three of them could head for the hospital.

The baby was on its way.