A/N: aloha! Here's another chapter. It was hard for me to write because writing Snow, James and Henry is different. I kinda left James out of the conversation but I felt like it was more a conversation between the girls since they were friends in Storybrooke. Don't forget to review and enjoy you awesome people.

A little reminder that English is not my first language and this isn't beta-ed so i'm sorry forall the mistakes you can find.

Emma's maid came in with a plate and a smile on her face.

As she placed it in a small table between them, Emma saw a dish with meat accompanied by chips and vegetables. A glass aside a bottle of water completed the meal.

Her stomach responded almost instantly to the smell. With all the running and the greetings she had forgotten she hadn't eaten anything since her early breakfast.

She smiled back to the maid, who bowed he head and left the room closing the door behind her.

'We kept your lunch. It still seems delicious,' Snow assured.

'Uhm thanks,' she muttered, still looking at the dish.

'Is something wrong Emma?' James asked as Emma grabbed a handful of chips and ate them all at once. The hint of accusation didn't go unnoticed.

She took the time to drink a glass of water before answering.

'When were you going to tell me you cast a spell on me?' she asked as if she was asking about the weather. It meant a lot of auto control since she felt the urge of yelling at them for hiding it.

She took another handful of chips and looked at her parents. The best word to describe their faces was puzzled.

'What spell?' Snow tried but failed.

Emma smiled with irony.

'C'mon. Did you think I would never find out? Who did it?'

James and Snow looked at each other, communicating without actual words. Finally, they gave up when Emma demanded louder.

'Who.'

'Rumpelstiltskin,' James revealed. The name hit her like a punch.

'Why would he make you a favor for free?' she asked suspicious.

'He didn't. We made a deal,' James spoke again.

Emma was about to ask what deal when Snow spoke before she did.

'When the curse broke, we found Belle walking aimlessly. We brought her here and took care of her but before you saw her he found out and offered himself to make you forget…'

'Regina,' Emma said, making it clear she remembered her. Snow nodded.

'Rumpelstiltskin said he could make you forget if we let Belle go with him. We doubted it but hen he offered leaving us alone too. We haven't heard of him since then.'

The silence invaded the room while Emma absorbed the new information.

'Why?'

'To protect you of course.' Snow didn't hesitate. 'She is dead so we thought that if we erased her from your memories you wouldn't…miss her.'

'And why would I do that?' Her auto control faded and she stood.

'Well, it's obvious, isn't it?'

Emma narrowed her eyes. Was it that obvious? Had she been the only one that didn't notice it back in Storybrooke? She shook her head.

'And Henry? What about him?'

'We thought he would be happier if he didn't remember.'

'She's dead! Why would he be happier? She was part of his life. He doesn't remember the woman that raised him! The woman who loves him!'

'Loves?' James asked.

'Loved, whatever. The fact that you are my parents doesn't mean you have the right to decide for me and not to mention Henry! The decision of forget her is our decision, not yours.'

She sauntered around the room running a hand through her hair.

'How did you find out?' Snow asked frowning.

'I…heard two fairies gossiping about it. They said it was only a rumor. I didn't know what they were talking about until I did some research and found out that Henry didn't remember his life before the curse. Then I just put two and two.'

In the corner of her head, she congratulated herself for coming up with such a believable lie.

'No, I mean how do you remember her?'

'We're talking about you allowing Rumpelstiltskin to cast a spell on me, your own daughter, and my son here and you are thinking on how do I remember? Really?!'

Snow stood too.

'We did what was best for you! Both of you. You wouldn't had to think of the Evil Queen and Henry would-'

'It's Regina!' Emma roared.

'It looks like you're on her side.'

'Maybe I am.'

'Are you defending her? She was evil, Emma!'

'She made the wrong choices, bad things, I get it! But she's not the only one, you know? What about Rumpelstiltskin, huh? You can't blame her forever.'

Snow narrowed her eyes.

'Emma, where have you really been?' she asked with suspicion in her voice.

Emma grunted and left the room with heavy steps and slamming the door. She left the plate behind; she wasn't hungry anymore.

When the door closed, James looked at his wife with a furrow on his face and Snow looked back at him, concern all over her face.

'Do you think she…'

'No,' James cut her off. 'It's impossible. Regina is dead.'


Regina. All Emma wanted is shouting her name to make her appear in the mirror of the corridor and ask her to take her to her castle, out of the palace, with her.

But she couldn't. She had promised Henry she would be there when he finished so she went to the only place in that palace where she could let off steam: the training area.

It was enormously spacious, supposed to be for the guards training but there she found a place where she was left alone with her thoughts.

She passed the sword station; there she could think too much. No, she needed something that required all her attention, no room for the reflections. She needed the archery.

Emma left the holster with her sword inside on a table and took an arch and a quiver.

With one fluid motion, she shot the first arrow. Right in the middle.

She had learned fast the first weeks on this land. She was good at it but she preferred the sword, so she only uses the arch in the training area.

She liked how thanks to the concentration it needed, she could evade her thoughts.

She felt anger fed her movements, making the arrows fly to the target fiercely.

By the end of the afternoon, Emma retrieved the arrows and put it back where she had took it along with the arch. Never forgetting her sword, she adjusted the holster back in her belt and headed to the room where she knew Henry would go after the lessons.

She dropped into the couch with a sigh, closing her eyes but she immediately opened them when she heard the footsteps.

Henry grinned when he saw her there.

'Hey, how was it?'

'Great! We spent the lesson talking about dragons. I love them! They're so cool. Can we have one? Please?'

Henry made his best puppy face and Emma couldn't help but laugh.

'I don't know, kid. I had to beat one and it wasn't a memorable experience.'

'You've seen one? Was it big? Was it hard to beat?' he asked amazed. 'Why hadn't you told me?'

It didn't sound accusatory but curious.

'I didn't remember. It was before breaking the curse.' Emma cleared her throat. 'Actually, I wanted to talk to you about it.'

Henry rolled his and approached a shelf.

'We've already talked about it, Emma.'

He took a box and came back with it, sitting on the carpet. Emma took a seat in front of him on the carpet as well.

'Yeah but aren't you a little bit curious about it?'

He shrugged as he pulled out a board from the box. It was the equal of a game board from the other world and it was his favorite.

'Sometimes I wonder about it but it's not something I care about. I'm happy here. I have dibs on the dwarf!' he said as he grabbed the small silver dwarf.

The game was like the monopoly but instead of buying, you invaded it. Emma looked at the little pieces. He always picked the dwarf, so she was left with a fairy, a troll and a knight. She always went for the knight.

'What about your friends? Don't you remember Paige? She was your friend.'

He frowned trying to remember but he failed and looked at the board again.

'I don't recall her.'

'What about your mother?'

He looked at her confused. 'You are my mother.'

'Yeah, but your adoptive mother?' she insisted.

He narrowed his eyes in another attempt to come back to that time. Emma had tried many times but it didn't work.

He shook his head. 'Negative.'

What if…

'And Regina? Do you remember Regina?'

Emma hadn't tried with her name; she had hoped he would remember at least the name before she told him but it never happened.

Something crossed his eyes like a flash as she said the name.

'Regina,' he mumbled.

Henry hesitated for a second but then it was gone. He shrugged again coming back to the game.

'Nope. Now, you start.'

He offered her the dices and she took them. Emma hadn't imagined it; it had happened. Maybe it would be easier than she thought.