Sorry I haven't updated in a while. It's been a crazy few weeks.


"Come on, just one more place!" Mary Margaret pleaded. Henry put on his puppy-dog face, and even Neal pretended to beg. They all wanted Mary Margaret to continue the tour, but Emma was exhausted. They'd been everywhere possible - the dwarves' cottage, Lake Nostos, Firefly Hill, Troll Bridge, the Werewolves' Den and various other parts of the forest. Emma was anxious to get back to the palace, to take a shower, to sleep. There was no way she was going to another one of Snow's "famous locations."

"We've been out for hours-"

"Please, mom!" Henry said, grabbing her hand and squeezing gently. Emma shifted her gaze to Neal who shrugged, who somehow still has some energy. Emma rolled her eyes. She couldn't let Henry down.

"Where is it now? Down the rabbit hole?" she asked Mary Margaret sarcastically.

"It's a surprise," she said before snapping her reigns, shocking her horse into action. She took off at full speed, galloping in a curvy path. Emma shook her head and followed after both Henry and Neal had passed. As much as Emma wanted to love this, it was hard to adjust to.


Emma hopped off her spotted horse and took a long deep breath. Neal tied their horses to one of the trees, though Mary Margaret said they wouldn't wander. "It's just over here," she said, pointing left. They followed her into an open field surrounded by colorful trees. Emma could recall this scene from Henry's book - though she couldn't remember what it was.

"What is this place?" Neal asked, searching the horizon for an answer. In the distance, Emma could spot a nice-sized house, though it looked abandoned. Off to the right were the stables, an old wooden building that matched the one outside the castle.

Henry's eyes suddenly lit up and he turned excitedly towards Mary Margaret. "This is where my mom grew up, isn't it?" he asked. She nodded, smiling somewhat sadly. At first, Emma was confused. She obviously hadn't grown up here. She'd been raised in ratty old foster homes, not a gorgeous house with endless, green fields.

And then it clicked. Regina had lived here. Cora, too. Along with her father, Henry, and the Daniel she knows so little about.

"Why are we here, Mary Margaret?" Emma asked, almost sourly. She expected Mary Margaret's last place of the day to be somewhere a little bit more meaningful to her; not to Regina.

"I wanted to show you where it all started," she said, as if it was obvious. She took a seat on the soft grass, smoothing her skirts and brushing her hair back. "When I was about your age, Henry, I was riding through the countryside with my father and his guard. My horse went . . . well, berserk. Before I knew it, I was speeding through this field, unable to gain control. That was until Regina saved me. She rode up beside me and scooped me off of my horse and onto hers." Mary Margaret smiled, looking down at the hilly fields with a bit of nostalgia. "She saved my life."

Neal looked a bit uncomfortable, Henry was a bit desolate, and Emma was still confused. "I know the story, Mary Margaret. It was in the stupid book," she laughs. "But why . . "

"Because, Emma," Mary Margaret starts, smiling sadly at her daughter. "It's why I am who I am today. She is why. Not only did she save my life, but she gave me the gift of seeing good in people. She opened my mind up to the notion that people were truly good inside, no matter what evils they have committed. Regina . . there was a time when she was so dark it was horrifying. But every time I faced her, every time I had the chance to kill her . . . I remembered this moment. I remembered how kind she was, how caring. Regina taught me that everyone has a heart, and that I should trust that mine will tell me what to do."

Emma looked at her a bit shocked, having not expected that at all. I mean, at all. She knew her mother to be sentimental, but never would she have guessed she could tear up talking about Regina.

Henry stood up and started wandering off in the field, getting some space. When they went back to the Enchanted Forest, Regina came along. But she vowed to stay away from everyone else, separate herself from their lives. They were all on good times with her at the time, but Regina was worried that she would become the evil queen again, and wouldn't let that happen. So she isolated herself in another kingdom, away from everyone she knew. Even Henry.

Neal got up to keep an eye on him, giving the two women some space. Emma looked at him in appreciation. "I know that it may seem like I don't appreciate you, Mary Margaret, but I do," Emma said, barely a whisper. She couldn't hide the fact she was nervous. She never talked like this. "I don't know if I would have made it this far - if I even would have broken the curse - had it not been for you. You have so much hope, so much faith in me. You trust my decisions . . and I thank you for that. And if that's because Regina saved you that day, then I guess I should thank her, too." Mary Margaret smiled slightly, though Emma felt too awkward to even grin. "I don't know. This is . . . stupid. I just . . I wanted to say thank you. For everything. For being here, for giving me hope. I love you for that."

Mary Margaret was tearing up now, and she couldn't stop herself from pulling Emma into a tight hug. She pressed her chin against her shoulder and Emma squeezed her back. "Oh, Emma," she murmured, tears dripping down her cheeks. It was amazing how good it felt to be held, Emma thought. By her mother. "I love you, Emma."

She took a deep breath and decided to just say it. What the hell, right? "I love you, Mom."

Mary Margaret sucked in a breath and Emma knew that she'd done the right thing. She was no longer Mary Margaret. She was mom.