Some chapter notes for this is Cora makes an appearance but her appearances always fleeting, she's not so overbearing in Regina's life that she controls her. She's more of a huge snob. Also some implied violence and involuntary drugging of people.


Chapter Nine

"Happy Fucking Birthday," Emma grumbled as she put a candle in a cupcake and looked at the picture of Regina, Henry, and herself. The day passed as silent as it had in her youth, and was just as awful, although this time she found herself talking to the picture and actually pretending that Regina and Henry had shown up. On the island she had actually day dreamed about them showing up for her birthday. And every birthday with Lilly it was really more like it was Lilly's birthday in her opinion, but this year was supposed to have been different.

The days passed and Neal kept her posted on the International manhunt, and the crisis on the island. The citizens of the island were of course fighting back and Evil Regal Corporation was still running at full speed despite taking their Washington DC office down. And Neal said despite all efforts they couldn't find anything linking the corporation itself to any sort of organized crime, including money laundering. In fact, aside from Lilly and her diamonds they couldn't link Regina to any new crimes. And there was no evidence of any crimes being committed on the island despite holding the families of known criminals. The island was so self-sufficient it was hard to even believe that money even exchanged hands. And all outside money came from tourists who paid thousands if not millions of dollars.

"What do they even know about my grandfather's death, can they even link her to that?" Emma asked Neal over the phone. Her best chance of seeing Henry was clearing Regina's name.

"You were so hell bent on getting Henry from her now you want to help her. If they find her they'll take him and he'll be with you." Emma sighed as she shrugged forgetting that Neal couldn't see her.

"I know, what I was like before, but this meeting was different from the others Neal. She let me in, in a big way. I was in a family when I was in their home I realized that I couldn't erase Regina, that whatever she was she was she really loved my son in a way I want to love him. And now knowing what I do know about her, I realized now why she was so cautious, why she was secretive, she didn't want me to turn her in. But now Lilly's gone and blown everything up, and she's disappeared with my son and I have no doubt that if she's as good a hacker as everyone thinks then they aren't surfacing until it's absolutely safe." Neal sighed.

"All right, I'll look at her file." She heard him typing on the other end.

"I supposed technically it's all circumstantial. The guy was caught and interrogated for forty-eight hours, before he admitted it was Regina who paid him to do it. And that was after your mother's outcry that he had to be sent by her, and to be honest the interrogation reports look rather suggestive. To be honest this guy was railroaded and his public defender never had a chance. If you want to clear Regina, you might possibly have to clear a murderer. You would have to get his confession thrown out and get him retried. So if he never names Regina in his confession then what is she but a runaway bride?"

"Thank you so much Neal, obviously I'm going to have to think about that, that and I'm sure my mother would get in my way if I tried to free him."

"Just give it until the end of the year, it might be easier to exonerate her after she's caught, than before. Especially since we have no way of contacting her." Emma sighed.

"You're probably right, it's not like I can do anything right this second anyway. All right I'm going to go; I'll be late for my flight to Florida."

"Safe trip," he told her. They hung up and Emma grabbed her bag and left for the airport. She went to the blue Angel's show that Friday. She practically wore out the family photo in her hands as she looked around hopeful. She went the next day too thinking maybe they couldn't make it in time for the first show, or if they were forced to watch from afar at least maybe then Henry would know she was thinking of him too.


"She looks so sad," Henry commented as they sat on the hood of a car with binoculars. They were military grade allowing them a good view without getting too close. It was almost like being right there. "Mom can't we go over there?" Regina shook her head.

"There are too many people," Graham told her as he watched their perimeter. Regina rubbed Henry's forehead. They wouldn't have even been there if not for Henry repeatedly watching Lilo and Stitch to make a point until it drove her crazy. She looked through her own binoculars at Emma and for a moment she could just see the complete pain and anguish in her face. Emma was extremely lonely and it occurred to her that she had been lonely most of her life. Her mother was a bitch, but she never had any lack of love for her and she had found a best friend in her father. She hadn't felt the crippling sort of loneliness until she was married. He had isolated her from her parents most days, and she could just feel Emma's pain from their perch. Regina spotted the photo in Emma's hands in that moment, it had happiness in that photo. What had been an awkward photo and probably turned out to be the best photo of them all.

"So nobody gets left behind right?" Regina asked Henry. He looked at her excited and she looked at him confirming what he was thinking.

"Right nobody gets left behind," Henry told her. Graham started to protest.

"I know Graham, but we have lawyers working on it, it's time to face the music on this crime if it comes to that." He sighed and nodded. They got in the car and drove closer where Regina told him that Emma had their tickets. He waved them through remembering her. Henry and Graham went to get them a couple of corndogs first. Graham thought it was better if Regina sat down first that way if anyone was watching Emma, they'd know if something was amiss. Regina walked up the stairs of the bleachers. Emma wasn't even paying attention; she was working the photo between her fingers probably for the hundredth time.

"You are not looking well Ms. Swan," Regina told her as she sat next to her at the top of the bleachers. Emma looked at her in surprise and disbelief, but there was Regina well dressed as ever and sitting right next to her.

"I…. I…" Emma started.

"Hi Emma, corndog?" Henry asked popping down next to her, he hadn't waited for Graham's okay. But Graham seemed to be ready for a quick extraction. She turned and smiled even more when she saw Henry. She hugged him close careful of the three corndogs he held. Regina took hers which was covered in mustard and ketchup.

"So when does the show start?" Regina asked before biting into her corndog.

"You guys came," Emma finally got out. "I thought I would never see you again."

"Yeah well I let you into my family and we don't leave family behind," Regina told her pointing to the picture she still held in her hands. Emma blushed as she hadn't wanted them to see how worn it was from her holding it so often.

"Exactly, and I felt really sad about missing your birthday, I had a big present planned honest, but it was too dangerous still," Henry told her.

"What changed, why would you risk coming to this dumb show?" Emma asked.

"This show is anything but dumb, it's an important memory for Henry, besides a little birdie may have told me that the evidence against me was circumstantial. And my lawyer might be working magic in the court of law," Regina told her.

"You hacked my phone?" Emma asked her. Regina shrugged.

"Like I said a little birdy figured it out," Regina told her. The show started and they all fell silent and Emma was just so happy to watch Henry's face in amazement as the planes did their tricks.

"Have you heard from Maleficent and Lilly?" Emma asked when they were back in her hotel room and Henry was down for the night. Regina was staying at the hotel, but in a nicer suite so Emma joined them.

"Yes, Maleficent sent Lilly to Rio to disappear. She was able to come back after she got rid of the diamonds. They should be tracking them any day now. It took a lot of resources to get rid of them without a trace. Their initial path is the only thing connecting them to Lilly and unfortunately me. But with your permission we'll be exposing your lovely mother's father's experiments. Ingrid is going to testify and a few others from our past."

"Anything to keep Henry in my life, and not on the run like a criminal." Regina nodded as she poured them both a glass of wine. They both sat on the couch in silence. "Did you do it, did you kill him?"

"I didn't kill him," Regina lied.

"I mean did you send the hitman after him?" Emma asked.

"I can't answer that Ms. Swan, you should have plausible deniability, your life is enough of a train wreck as it is." Emma nodded taking that as a yes.

"Why did you run then, why not combat these charges before?" Emma asked. Regina shrugged.

"I had no need too until now," Regina told her. "I was happy; my life would have gone on unnoticed just the way I wanted it. Until Henry found you I had no worries, but the reason I left was because I was twenty years old and I was nothing to my so called husband and his selfish daughter. Your mother could do no wrong. She was a part of his experiments, she married the guy he picked out for her, chose the career he picked out for her, and she listened to every word he said. Every morning he'd start the day by telling how beautiful she was, how special she was, how it was her job to make sure the world knew the world revolved around her. And she did, we were the same age and she tormented me like a mean girl at school. She was the mean girl at school actually because we attended the same school and my marriage to her father was like a social bullet to the head for her. She changed schools over it and I homeschooled my last three years. The debutante ball, was a disaster because she stepped on my dress as my father was escorting me down, because she knew I would be marrying her father soon. My Aunt before she died of a heart attack had worked hard resewing her own debutante gown with my mom from the days when my father's family had money and she ruined it."

"Wow I knew my mother was a bitch, but wow." Regina nodded.

"Every morning I woke up it was too a new bruise, a new disappointment he didn't like my cooking, I was too slow getting dressed, the dress I chose looked too good on me next to his daughter. It really didn't matter everything I did was wrong. And he forced himself into my bed every night. I ran away so many times I lost count. He would stop supporting my parents for months at a time every time I ran away. My dad couldn't work anymore and my mother squandered all our money trying to pretend she was high society or give me a background that wouldn't allow anyone to look down on me. She still squanders my money today, but back then he controlled everything including down to the advice my parents gave me. So by the time I was twenty I'd had it. I put my hacking skills to good use when I was eighteen, and I took only what was due to me in the prenuptial agreement. I knew that without money he'd keep tracking me to the ends of the earth. So I used his money to build Neverland a place where I could be happy. From there it warped into its own shape and form, into something so much more than I had ever dreamed." Emma frowned.

"That's how you knew Lilly hit me," Emma admitted with a sigh.

"Yes," Regina answered.

"Why do you trust me?" Emma asked. "I mean is it because you think I'm weak for not turning in Lilly." Regina shook her head as she drank her wine.

"You aren't weak Emma, just caught in the middle, and no I don't trust you because you don't rat Lilly out. I trusted you because you didn't rat me out in your interrogation. You had every opportunity spill everything you know about me, or mention the control room on the island but you didn't. Even though you knew spilling anything that might help them catch me would almost guarantee that Henry would come live with you."

"No it wouldn't have," Emma told her. "He found me, I have no doubt that if you avoided jail, he would go running back to you, and you wouldn't let him stay five minutes in a house where Lilly would live alongside him."

"Damn straight about that," Regina replied as Emma nodded and drank her wine.

"Also I didn't think about if there was a control room in that moment. I mean it occurred to me once that everything is so computerized that there must be a central place it was all controlled from or that you used the pods to travel under water. But I confess that I was literally so depressed that just like that everyone in my family was gone that I didn't think about it." Regina chuckled.

"And here I thought you actually cared," Regina mused. Emma chuckled a little too.

"I do care now, I didn't in the beginning when you disappeared again, I was really angry. But the more time I spent alone, the more time I just wanted Henry's birthday to be real. I don't know how or when it changed but I stopped wanting to take him from you, and I started wanting to just be with you…both."

"Well you're welcome to disappear with us that and I think Henry would have my head if I didn't mean that in the sincerest way possible. Besides no one should be alone on their birthday, and Henry has big plans to make up for it."

"It doesn't include Octopus does it?" Emma asked worried outwardly though inside she was smiling that they had remembered. No one had ever really remembered. They both chuckled.

"No, it's for your birthday so definitely all the grilled cheese you can eat," Henry chimed in, appearing from behind the couch with a grin. He climbed over and settled onto Emma for once making her smile. If he wanted closeness he always moved closer to Regina for the physical comfort and only let her offer verbal comfort.

"Oh well then we're going to need a lot of grilled cheese," Emma told him making him laugh.

"I don't know it is an unbirthday party though, because it's not your birthday anymore technically," Henry told him. "And everything is a little backwards at an unbirthday."

"Well that's why we put the bread between two slices of cheese." Henry sat up looking at Regina amazed at her idea.

"Oh that is the best idea you've had." Regina laughed.

"Oh thanks, but I thought I had more than one good idea under my belt." Henry nodded.

"You do, but this is the best right now," He replied.

"Wait, what's an unbirthday party exactly?" She asked worried.

"You never watched or read Alice and Wonderland by Lewis Carroll?" Regina asked her.

"No, what's that?" Emma asked her.

"For one it's our new favorite bed time story, but I accidentally left the book," Henry told her.

"I'd rent the movie, but Henry and I really try to read the books before we watch the movie on family night for most things." Henry nodded. Regina covered Henry's ears and explained to her what Alice in Wonderland was exactly.

"I have questions to answer for homework before I can watch the movie," Henry told her as if to explain why he had went along with the ear plugging. He then proceeded to try and explain the rules of an unbirthday. He paused. "Mom I don't know how to explain an unbirthday."

"Well to quote the book, your birthday is only one day a year, but there are three hundred sixty-four days of the year it's not your birthday, so it's an unbirthday every day."

"Yes, that's it so you see we have three hundred and sixty-four days to make up for your birthday," Henry grinned. Emma couldn't help but grin back.

"You know I think it's you who have the coolest ideas," Emma told him. He grinned as she hugged him close.

"I don't know the cheese on the outside of the bread is just great," He said making them laugh.

"Well it's way pass your bedtime, and I think Emma is going to run away with us tomorrow, yes…no…. maybe…. need puppy eyes to convince you of it?" Regina and Henry gave her their best sad face that she couldn't help but laugh.

"Well how can I resist a face like that?" They grinned at one another.

"You can't," Henry told her as he hugged her goodnight and kissed her cheek.

"Can you come lay with me?" He asked Regina. She nodded. He climbed into her arms as she stood up. She was already in her pajamas having wanted to get comfortable. They were comfortable in bed when Henry decided there was enough room for Emma.

"Emma come on, we can't sleep until you're here," Henry called. Regina wanted to stop him but it was too late. Emma came in after a moment and she looked just as uncomfortable about it, but Henry just looked at her expectantly.

"Just until you fall asleep," Emma told him. He nodded. She took her red leather jacket off and her boots before climbing into bed and getting comfortable. Henry lay on his back and pulled Emma's hand onto his stomach near Regina's. They were both very aware that he had them almost touching.

"All right I'm going to tell you two a bedtime story in the tradition of the unbirthday." They chuckled.

"All right, what do you have in mind?" Regina asked.

"Space Paranoids part five, a continuation," Henry told her making Regina laugh.

"Oh I hope it's more exciting than part four," Regina told him teasingly.

"The next one is always more exciting mom," Henry told her seriously. "If you remember correctly in part four, Agent Henry D and Regina L. push forth to the maze to find the savior. The enemy is hell bent on keeping the savior locked up because she knows their real weakness, one that could bring down their empire."

"Wow, this sounds exciting," Emma told him. Henry nodded.

"It is, so far their journey has been rather slow because Regina stepped in a pothole and twisted her ankle." He shook his head as if to say Regina should have been more careful.

"It was dark, I couldn't see," Regina told him as if to make excuses for her character.

"Uh huh, lucky for you Henry D. has found a medipack and you are now healed." Regina cheered as he continued his story until they freed the savior who of course turned out to be Emma in this case. "The savior then introduces herself as Emma…." He looked at her for a middle name. She looked confused.

"What I don't know this is your story I'm just listening," Emma told him.

"What's your middle name?" He asked.

"Oh, I don't have one, I'm technically just Emma, but I couldn't go to school without a last name." She fell silent realizing how tragic that had just sounded. Henry and Regina looked at her and then each other.

"Jennifer," Regina said at the same time Henry spoke.

"Space." Regina looked at him.

"Really Henry space?" She asked him. He nodded.

"You chose Jennifer," he shot back. "That's really normal." They laughed.

"I prefer Jennifer if I have a say," Emma told him. He huffed.

"All right Emma J. has now been recruited and now we must continue the fight against evil." Henry went on with his story until he realized that both Regina and Emma had fallen asleep.

"Night moms," He whispered and kissed both of their foreheads before going to sleep.


"Where are we going?" Emma asked once they had safely boarded a private jet. Regina looked up from her computer where she was just erasing any sightings of herself anywhere really and Emma for that matter or Henry.

"Cuba," Regina told her. "The Americans are still occupying my island unlawfully so it's not really safe."

"But Cuba is, they're members of Interpol." Regina nodded.

"Yeah, but they have no legal grounds to arrest me anymore. Buying diamonds isn't exactly a crime, and they can't prove that I got Lilly to steal them for me. I've looked at both of your finances and internet history. She was already shopping around for million dollar homes before the hit went down and she didn't cover her tracks well at all as she planned with those guys she killed. Before and during the crimes she committed my only connection to her is through you, and she'd already killed them. And Henry called you not me to invite you both along, which you will attest too truthfully in court. Plus, they can't prove any money laundering or organized crime charges. Regina didn't mention trafficking drugs since she didn't keep drugs on the island and piracy was hard to prove and plus they didn't suspect her of that.

"Regina good news, we pushed the American's back, we should probably head to Fiji instead it is a good operations base." Regina nodded. Graham had them change their trajectory.

"Stop in Cuba for food though," Regina yelled up front as she hit print. Henry brought over the new passports.

"How the hell did you…" Emma started looking them over. "I'm now Jennifer Morris." Regina nodded.

"As far as anyone is concerned you are on a plane back to Europe and disappearing into the Italian country side with your parents' money," Regina told her.

"I like the sound of that." Emma told her. They fell silent as everyone perked up for the decent into Havana. They stretched their legs and ate while Graham stocked up for a longer trip. The vintage cars were absolutely amazing in everyone's opinion, but they disagreed on who had the best food during lunch before they had to leave, with Regina promising a real trip back to visit. In Fiji it was raining when they landed, but the showers were always brief but heavy.

"Wow you can see everywhere," Emma commented as they sat looking at the screens. The island had about one hundred American soldiers on the island; still more were situated on five different aircraft carriers. Their soldiers had pushed the one hundred soldiers back towards the beach on which they had arrived on.

"Where is everyone?" Emma asked. Life had not continued on the island.

"A good portion of people were taken because they were small time criminals, and they're heading back now Interpol and the USA took them away and then left them stranded but we took care of our own. But there are quite a few people including children who are still here. Some children are without parents because they just took people. We've been blaring propaganda for weeks showing a population of mostly women and children, it makes them hesitant to bomb us. Which is how I wanted it for when my soldiers moved in. But we moved them ages ago just in case."

"The president is making an address," Graham told her. He put it up on a screen. The president said he was ordering an airstrike of the island as it was the only way to combat the hostile forces. Regina typed something and then picked up a microphone. She took a deep breath and pushed the microphone.

"This is the leader of the Underworld you will ceasefire and unoccupy my country or I will be forced to retaliate against the United States of America." Emma looked as if Regina was crazy and tried to take the microphone from her, but Regina held her off. "If there is an airstrike, I will consider this an act of terrorism and an act of war." They watched the president being taken out of the press conference room

"Red says they're entering the war room now." Graham whispered. Regina nodded as she clicked on a few things and the war room appeared, thanks to Red placing a hidden camera she could see them and now she had hacked their systems.

"Good evening Mr. President, I'm glad you could join us." They all looked shocked to hear her voice, it was obviously through a scrambler meant to change her voice a bit on their end. Regina released the button.

"Regina they're going to consider this an act of terrorism," Emma whispered.

"What they're doing is an act of terrorism," Regina replied back. "They have no jurisdiction here."

"Who do I have the pleasure of speaking with exactly?" He asked.

"That is unimportant, what you need to know is that I make the decisions no one else. Now order your ships to pick up the one hundred men you have occupying my country and go home. We have been surprisingly peaceful only using rubber bullets and only shooting deterrents at your planes in our airspace."

"You are a criminal strong hold, and are holding many fugitives running from the United States of America and many other places around the world."

"So is Brazil and Mexico Mr. President, but I don't see you invading them," Regina replied. "Obviously you've bitten more than you can chew, and I assure this will not end well for you, if you do not get off my island and send your boys home." Regina watched as the hundred men were hit with tranquilizers except one.

"Brazil and Mexico are actual countries."

"Mr. President, in a folder in front of you, you will find the treaty of the Underworld in which you officially recognize the island as being under its own sovereignty and government. You agree to never take any military action against us. And in return we agree not to take any military action against you. Sign it and leave it on the table, it will find its way back to me eventually."

"I'm not signing this," He told her. "We don't negotiate with terrorists." Regina sighed.

"I don't think you understand how serious I am, Mr. President, so let me show you." Regina released the button and looked at Graham who had on a head set.

"Alpha, Five, Bravo, Omega," Graham repeated three times." Within minutes the president was in a panic receiving reports of old warehouses being blown to bits in ten major cities including one near Washington D.C. They were in a panic trying figure out if it were a stealth plane or operatives, and if it were operatives how did they get inside the country.

"The next time I blow something up it won't be without casualties," Regina told them.

"This has so escalated out of control," Emma groaned as she sat with Henry. Regina watched as the president started to sweat and she grinned.

"Your sweat tells me you now know how serious I am, Mr. President," Regina told him.

"If you think blowing up a couple of buildings is going to frighten me you have got it all wrong." Regina just watched him squirm for a moment before she nodded to Graham.

"Bravo Six, Alpha Nine," He said into his headset. Their screen showed multiple bombs.

"These bombs are planted at the Pentagon; do you think your bomb teams can find them all in the next ten minutes?" He tried to run out of the door, but it was locked. Red had taken care of that.

"We have to alert the Pentagon, they have to evacuate the building," He said. They tried to call out, and Regina interrupted the call and made it sound like a bomb threat.

"Is there really five bombs?" Emma asked as they watched the countdown clock.

"No of course not Emma, that would be an act of terrorism," Regina told her. Emma looked relieved.

"Oh Thank God because I was afraid I'd have to turn you in or something."

"No, don't do that, mom's a master of illusion," Henry told her. Regina motioned for them to be quiet.

"You have five minutes before the pentagon is a memorial site," Regina told them. Sign the treaty now and order your soldiers away from my country."

"We don't negotiate with terrorists," He told her. Regina sighed over the microphone and nodded to Graham. The picture they saw of the clocks sped up.

"You now have two minutes," Regina told them.

"Wait, wait," He cried after someone told them it would not be enough time to fully evacuate the area. "Pause the clock, pause the clock."

"No, you have less than two minutes to sign the treaty now," Regina told him. "Maybe some live feed will help you." Regina nodded to Graham who changed their screen to fleeing people, but not fast enough.

"All right, all right, pause it, I'm signing the treaty of Island independence, the United States will not take any military action against any islands under the sovereignty of the Underworld and I will immediately pull back my troops in the interest of fostering trade and friendly relations between our two countries." Regina paused the clock at two seconds as soon as he'd ordered the troops to leave the island and return home immediately.

"Good boy, now leave the treaty on the table and go announce it to the press immediately," Regina told him. She watched him sign it and put his seal on it.

"God I love when they never read the contract," Regina grinned. "Send in Scarlet Cooper, Graham."

"Who is Scarlet Cooper?" Emma asked.

"The face of the Underworld in the International community," Regina told her. They switched back to the press room in which the president announced a ceasefire to the press and that he had signed a peace treaty called the Island of Independence. And then he started to sound crazy as he mentioned the bombs that had gone off all over the country and five bombs they had stopped in the Pentagon from going off until they could be found. The press was filming it all wondering what he was talking about and noticing his dilated pupils and his sweaty demeanor. Soon there were questions about if he were high.

"And that is a check mate," Regina grinned a few hours later as Scarlet met with the Vice President.

"As of today the treaty of Island Independence will stand, it has come to my attention that the President's judgement has been sorely compromised by drugs. That he landed our troops on the island illegally as well as that of the UN. We have pulled back our troops to safety and want to thank the Underworld for using nonaggressive methods to defend themselves until we could sort this out peacefully. And once the President is fully impeached, Congress has agreed that we will resign the treaty not only with Scarlet Cooper, but with the entire Underworld Council present on their island." There was a lot of clapping and then Scarlet made a speech about how they were so happy to finally have peace and be fully recognized by the world as their own country.

"Do I work magic or do I work magic," Regina told them high fiving Henry and Graham.

"You work magic," Henry told her. "Does this mean we can go home?" He asked.

"It does," Regina told him with a grin.

"Wait so you go back to hiding out what about your trial, they'll arrest you if you show up for peace talks," Emma told her.

"Oh no it'll take place on our island to make a point," Regina told her.

"All right and I just need to know a few things going forward like are there actual bombs in the pentagon and if there were actual causalities from those buildings you blew up?" Emma asked.

"Completely staged for our movie Underworld has not fallen," Graham told her. "Here look contracts with news anchors to report the false blowing up of buildings, they were recorded by us. Here are the receipt purchases and the license to blow it up in a movie."

"And I've never been able to physically set foot in the pentagon without an escort since I was like fourteen, and I hacked the place, but times are changing."

"All right then I have only one thing to say," Emma told her.

"What's that?" Regina asked.

"Let's go home," She said. They all grinned and spent a few days in Fiji watching the progress of the ships before they and many others returned home.


"Now the house is perfect," Henry said as they all stood back and looked at the new family photo up on the wall of the house. They had come back to most of the island in ill repair and the sanitation system was an absolute mess as the soldiers hadn't followed any of the rules about flushing urine first and it had been an absolute mess it had taken weeks to get all cleaned up on the UN's bill too when it got out that some waste had backed up the system and spilled into the ocean. Green Peace had been all over it. In their new family photo dressed in Emma's favorite color of yellow, taken outside on what had been turned into a natural waterfall they had created. Well it was half natural, but what was most distinct about their new photo was the new necklace Henry and her had agreed on making. They were seeing a whole new Emma in being a part of his life and they felt that deserved a reward. Now Henry had a heart with both of their names on it. And they both had two halves of a bigger heart that said Henry Daniel on it when they were all together.

"No, not yet," Emma told him as she brought out a small brush inside. She wrote in excellent calligraphy on the wall. Ohana means family over the picture and under it that means nobody gets left behind.

"Now it's perfect," Regina smiled as Emma stepped back to admire her work.

"I know it's Disney, but this family has been through a lot, but now we have each other," Emma told them. "Thank you both, for letting me in and not giving up on me." Regina and Henry gave her a hug.

"Now let's say we open the rest of our presents today?" Red asked them as they nodded happily. Emma was the most moved by a picture book as was Maleficent who had wanted to spend it with Lilly but it would seem she had ditched Rio and gone who knew where. Unfortunately, that also meant she missed a court date.

"Ingrid surprisingly was a goldmine for photos," Regina told them. "She also managed to find Dr. Page who was just so sad, but he gave us everything you need to know about Lilly's childhood." Maleficent hugged Regina.

"This is the best present besides my daughter, maybe I can bring her back from the abyss she seems to be hanging over," Maleficent nodded.

"And I just got you a stupid watch, and here you are coming up with thoughtful gifts," Emma muttered.

"I am not complaining this is the new Royal Oak Watch, I've been looking at this one for a while, and if I were honest, I may have been hinting at this to Henry, besides they go perfectly with my new heels and honestly I can't wait to rock these with my Christmas present to myself."

"Treat yoself," Red, Maleficent, and Regina said to one another pulling out some beautifully designed dresses.

"Oh guys you got the same one," Regina cried. "Just in a different color."

"How was I supposed to know you would like the same dress as me?" Red asked her.

"Because this is me we're talking about," Regina told her. Emma and Henry chuckled.

"Fashion show, who wore it best," Henry called out.

"All I'm saying is maybe you guys don't wanna compete when I have shoes and the watch to match."

"Oh but did you get the matching purse?" Red asked.

"Or the hat?" Maleficent asked.

"Touché," Regina told them. They all hurried off and Emma, Henry, and Graham were treated to a fashion show. They were all laughing as they all tried to out pose one another when her mother interrupted the fun.

"Oh dear no, wearing the same gown is so unbecoming of you," Cora told her looking disgusted. Regina immediately frowned.

"Uh mother it's Christmas aren't you supposed to be like twenty-five thousand miles away from here?" Regina asked her with a fake smile. She left to go change back into her clothes. Her mother was asking Emma who she was and what she did for a living. And there was also someone new in her house and she was pregnant.

"Who is this mother, you don't normally travel with pregnant women."

"Nice to see you too little sis," She told her with distain.

"Regina, you remember Zelena," Cora told her.

"No, not really, because you sent her away almost as soon as she introduced herself," Regina told her.

"Oh cool, I have an Aunt," Henry said looking up to pay more attention to Zelena.

"Oh that remains to be seen," Zelena told him. "Why did you bring me here, Cora, I came to you for help, instead you push me on a plane so that I can see how you've set up Regina for life, before you drop me off in some convent again?" Cora rolled her eyes.

"Regina may I speak to you privately," She asked ignoring Zelena.

"No, what is it that you have to say, because I'd like to get back to Christmas with my family," Regina told her.

"Then, she is your problem now, I have enough problems denying that you were involved in any sort of criminal activity, and I will take my usual check in Euros now." Regina glared at her, but wired her cash to her European bank account.

"Just go, mother walk out and avoid everything like always," Zelena told her. Cora left without another word leaving Zelena and a room full of people feeling awkward.

"Hi, I'm Emma, Henry's biological mother," Emma said introducing herself.

"Zelena, Cora's bastard first daughter, not worthy of recognition or a little money like this one," Zelena told her.

"Look you've got the wrong idea, I'm sorry for what Cora did to you, but trust me you lucked out. And you have the relationship wrong, she doesn't give me money, I'm not paying her back. She comes to me when she runs out of money trying to outdo all those idiots she ditched you for. But she may have actually did you a favor, I don't expect us to be buddies, but I don't leave my family with nothing."

"So you're not going to kick us out on the street, because I don't know where the homeless shelter is here," Zelena told her.

"There isn't one, we don't have homeless people, Emma has my last room here, but I can set you up at the presidential suite where you can have everyone at your beck and call. While we sort out more permanent housing if you want to stay on the island. Or do you have someone to go back to in New York?" It wasn't exactly the last room, but she didn't know Zelena.

"No, he left me for his wife, he told me she was dead, but that just wasn't true," Zelena told him. "I've been very sick during my pregnancy, so I lost my job and I'm about to be evicted from my apartment, that's why I went to Cora."

"Well, I'll have someone pack up your apartment and you can stay here on the island until the baby is born, and then you can decide if you wanna stay or go." Zelena nodded.

"I would like that," Zelena told her.

"Well if you're going to stay, I think if we do a little resewing, you could wear my ball gown, it didn't suit us so well, but with your red hair I do believe this green will suit you nicely." She was immediately pulled into the group as they wrapped the dress around her and returned to celebrating Christmas which eventually turned into loud karaoke singing and dancing while making Christmas dinner.


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