Sorry for the long wait! Life got away from me, but I have finally gotten a little free time to continue! Hope you enjoy! Xo.


It'd been roughly an hour since Emma arrived and the two women started to converse a bit easier. They stayed on easy topics, such as horseback riding, gardening, and Emma's love for all kinds of food. It wasn't until Emma mentioned her mother that things took a darker turn. Emma's laughter died down at the cold look displayed on Regina's face.

"I'm…uh…I'm sorry. I didn't mean to talk about her…" Emma stammered.

Regina looked down and smiled disappointingly. "She is your mother." The brunette looked back up and met Emma's apologetic gaze. She sighed and rolled her eyes. "Stop looking at me like that; it'd be a real pity for your face to get stuck that way," Regina tried lightening the mood.

Emma straightened her shoulders and sighed as she looked up, avoiding brown eyes. "May I ask you something?"

"Only if you stop hiding and look at me." When their eyes met, Regina nodded at Emma to continue.

The blonde took a deep breath, gathering as much courage as she could to venture into the topic of her mother. "If you ever got your freedom, would you retaliate against my mother?"

Fear was evident in the blonde's voice, and Regina couldn't help how her stomach knotted up. What was she supposed to say to the woman across from her?

At Regina's silence, Emma's gaze fell and her stomach turned. "Oh…" she sighed.

Regina exhaled loudly and stood up. "Don't worry, Princess. It isn't like I'll be getting out of here anyway. Your mother is safe from me." She turned around and began to pace slowly. Emma's eyes burned holes into her and she felt uncomfortable being stared at. Frustrated, she whipped around and threw herself in front of the blonde, anger burning in her eyes. "Will you stop studying me? I am not some caged animal."

Emma's eyes bulged, but she didn't back down and leaned forward. She grabbed onto the bars in front of her, challenging the brunette. "I wasn't studying you. I was just-"

"Just what, Miss Swan?" Regina's face was nose to nose with the blonde, eyes fuming, heart racing.

"I was thinking about what I could possibly say or do to make you reconsider! Jeeze, Regina!" Emma pushed herself away from the bars and stood up. She ran a shaking hand through her still damp locks, adrenaline coursing through her veins.

Regina rolled her eyes. "Why even entertain the thought? Your parents will never let me out. They know better."

Emma sighed, feeling the effects of the day starting to catch up to her. Her shoulders dropped and she stretched her neck from side to side. Regina slowly calmed at seeing the blonde's current state, the anger being replaced by concern.

"Are you okay?" Regina asked softly.

"I'm fine." Emma turned to her, the frustration in her voice all but gone. "I'll be fine. But Regina…" Emma moved back over and knelt in front of the brunette, "would you really hurt my mother?" Her voice was childlike, and as Regina stared into her eyes, she knew that she couldn't do anything that could bring Emma pain.

"No." Her response was so quiet, that Emma had almost missed it. She watched as relief washed over a pale face and saw the blonde visibly relax. Curious, Regina tilted her head. "You do know that they won't let me out? Even if you ask. Do you realize that if you even told them that you found me, they'd make sure that you'd never see me again?"

"I have to try, Regina… This is cruel… You can't be in here until the end of time. If there's something I can do to fix it, shouldn't I at least give it a shot?" Emma could see the conflict burning in Regina's eyes.

"But if it doesn't work then…"

At Regina's hesitation, Emma finally understood. "Then you'll be alone again." Regina looked down when Emma completed her thought, wringing her hands as anxiety started to build within her. Seeing this, Emma reached through and took one of Regina's hands in her own. "Regina, look at me, please." Reluctantly, Regina did as the blonde asked, tears in her eyes. "Then we'll find another way. I promise," Emma said giving her a soft smile. "By the way, you called me Miss Swan. You know who I am now…"

Regina claimed her hand back and rid her eyes of the threatening tears. "Yes, well, I like it better," she nearly pouted, causing a deep chuckle to come from the blonde.


That night after Emma left the brunette's prison, she took her time walking home. The sky had cleared a short time before, leaving the ground beneath her slippery and the air cool against her skin. She had tried to leave the blanket with Regina, but the stubborn queen insisted that the blonde take it with her to keep her warm.

Before she knew it, the castle was before her. Being lost in thought of the queen's escape plan had made the time pass in the blink of an eye. She had tried thinking of different ways to break the queen out of there, but none of them would work. Well, except for one… But she needed more information about that before she could move forward with it.

As the blonde finally made it to her bedroom, she rested against the silk sheets and closed her eyes. She didn't like deceiving her parents, but it seemed the only option if she was going to make this work. With a light sigh, she began piecing together the first part of her plan until sleep pulled her in once more.


The next morning, Emma rose and went in search of her mother. After finally locating her in the new nursery, she mustered up what courage she had to begin her plan. "Good morning, Mother," she greeted the woman with a smile.

"Good morning, my sweet girl," Snow stood from the rocker, folding the baby blanket she knitted and placed it into the bassinet. "What do you have planned for today?"

"Well, I- I was wondering if it would be okay if I went riding today? I mean, my first trip outside of the castle went very well, and I'd love to continue to explore."

Snow's face fell at the mention of her daughter leaving the castle and she clasped her hands before her. "Will you be taking any guards with you?" Snow knew the answer before she asked, but she felt the need to voice her question.

Emma sighed. "I will be okay without any, Mother. Especially on horseback. No one gave me any trouble last time, and I promise that if anything happens, I'll come straight home." Emma's palm started to sweat as she watched her mother chew over the idea. After what felt like eternity, her mother sighed and moved closer to her.

"Alright, you may go."

Relief flooded through Emma's veins and she jumped with delight as she hugged her mother. "Thank you so much! I'll be careful! Don't worry!" She made a quick dash for it in hopes to avoid Snow changing her mind, and made her way to the stables. In her haste, she nearly plowed through her father and a couple of his guards and paused for a quick apology before she was off again.

A confused Charming was soon met by his wife and he questioned where Emma had been off to in such a rush. "Surely she's not that hungry," Charming joked lightly, sensing the discomfort Snow was feeling.

Snow grabbed onto his arm lightly and rested her head on his shoulder with a sigh. "She's growing up, Charming… Our little girl…" She ran her hand slowly over her small baby bump and and looked up into his eyes, seeing questions and concern flowing from them. "She's off to go riding. Alone."

Understanding his wife's turmoil, he shifted her in his arm, enveloping her, and looked down into her eyes. "I know you worry, my love. Would it make you feel better if I asked Blue to keep an eye on her while she is out?"

"But if she finds out, she will think that I don't trust her or believe in her, Charming. I know how important her independence is to her; it'll just put a wall between us…"

"Then if she finds out, blame me. I'm okay being the bad guy. In the end she'll know it was just a precaution and she'll forgive me eventually."

Snow pondered on this for a moment before smiling up at her husband. "You really are my hero, you know that right?" She lifted up on her tiptoes and wrapped her arms around his neck as she kissed him gently.

"I'll send for Blue, now." He smiled happily and parted from his wife after kissing her sweetly one last time.


The next chapter is where things start to get tricky! Stay tuned to find out what happens next! Please leave a review to let me know if you're enjoying this! Xoxo.