I don't own these characters.

10: Highway to Hell

Emma was terrible at hiding the fact that she had bad news, Regina thought. She was all nervous smiles, anxious chuckles, and worried squints. She put on a brave face that Neal and Henry brought, but Regina could see right through it. Of course, Neal and Henry were probably distracted by the two pizza pies and bottles of soda Emma carried and did not really notice the troubled look in her eyes, which had lines underneath them.

Regina decided to unburden Emma after their dinner of fairly greasy pizza and soda. It was a very poor last meal in her opinion, but Henry seemed quite happy, so it was fine. Emma looked like she had something sour, even after inhaling two slices. Neal studied Emma and Regina stepped in, not wanting him to upset her further.

"Henry, you should show Neal your comic collection," Regina suggested as she started to clean up the dining room. She had to shake away the memory of how shocked Emma and Neal were that they would eat pizza in the dining room, on plates. What were their childhoods like? Not that hers was any better, but she wished theirs was.

Henry's brow wrinkled. "Shouldn't we go back to the books?" He pointed to the living room. "We need to find someway to help you."

Regina offered him a soft smile as she shook her head. "Any researcher knows you need a break or you'll burn out before you reach your goal. We'll continue tomorrow."

Henry nodded and turned to Neal. Neal glanced at Regina and then at Emma. He could probably tell something was up. He would find out eventually. For now, he allowed Henry to lead him away from the table and to the stairs.

"My collection's pretty big. I've been collecting since I was four," Henry boasted as they vanished upstairs.

"Drink?" Regina offered Emma. It might makes things easier for the sheriff.

Emma shook her head. "No. I think me and this pizza are just going to get better acquainted." She reached for another slice out of the pie with extra cheese and ground beef. Regina nearly vomited when she looked at the choices that night, this or Henry's beloved pepperoni and peppers.

Regina made a noise in acknowledgment. "Ah. You overeat when you upset?"

"No, I overeat when there's food around." Emma bit into her new slice. It would probably be gone in four bites, like the slices before it.

Regina moved to tidy up their plates and get those to the sink. "So, tell me what happened."

Emma blinked and looked up at her with wide eyes. "Nothing happened."

"You've been giving me sad puppy eyes all night. I know you didn't just go out and get pizza. That's not in your nature. What happened?"

Emma scoffed and turned her attention to the table, trying to stare a hole through it. "You think you know me so well."

"Don't I? Now, tell me what happened to make your face so long." Tell me the bad news. I'm sure I already know it.

Emma sighed and dropped her slice onto her plate. She played with the edge of the plate, running her finger along it, just stalling for a long moment. "I had an idea. I mean, this thing is kind of taking you over pretty quickly. I don't think we'll figure it out before you drown in it."

Regina nodded. "Yes. I've considered this." By my estimation, the demon inside of me will have full control before the week is out if I keep doing what I'm doing. It was so hard to fight against something she did not understand, something that felt strange, but good, and something that could very well just be her.

Emma took a deep breath. "Well, what if… what if you left town?"

Regina sighed and rubbed her hands together. "That would be the most prudent thing to do, right?" She had considered this. To escape the magic, she should escape magic, but she did not want to be without her son. She could not be without her son.

"It doesn't have to be forever. Just until we figure this out, you know?" Emma looked at her, as if this was supposed to make this pill easier to swallow.

"I know." Regina licked her lips. This was the best bet, the safest thing for everyone involved. She should leave. "But, Henry…"

Emma nodded and picked her pizza back up. "I'm sure Henry would go with you. You're his mom and he understands that." She took another big bite.

Regina glanced upstairs. "Does he?" He seemed to think blood made family before anything else. She did not expect much of him. He was only eleven, so she did not fault him on this thinking. She just wished she had some impact on him in life for him to understand families sometimes chose each other.

Emma reached over and took Regina's hand. Regina could not understand why touching Emma settled her so much. Was it their connection through magic or was it just it had been so long since someone cared about her?

"Regina, he loves you. He'll go with you. Hell, Neal might go with you, too, and I'll be there."

Regina blinked. "You'll be there?"

"Of course, I'll be there. I'm not going to let you go just yet, not when you asked for my help. We can pack all of your books and go… somewhere. Once we find an answer, we can get things done," Emma explained.

Regina sniffled a little. Why was Emma sticking with her like this? "What do you get out of this?"

Emma's brow wrinkled. "Huh?"

"Is this just a way for you to save the town, Savior?" There had to be something more to this. No one ever just helped her. No one was ever this nice to her just for the sake of it.

Emma snorted and waved the question off. "Please, Regina. This is a way for me to save you, my kid's mother. Beyond that, I think you've kinda grown on me, like a fungus or something." She let loose a wide grin.

Regina scoffed and glared at Emma, but there was no teeth behind it. She did not put up a fight. Emma had grown on her, like a fungus as well.

Getting out of town was probably the best thing for Regina. Even in a quiet moment like this, she could feel the scratching just under her skin. This would get worse before it got better, if it got better, like most things in her life. Being without magic was probably the only way to turn it off. And, she was not even sure if that would work with a god's blood flowing through her veins.

"Do you have some place in mind?" Regina asked, trying her best to sound casual as anxiety gnawed at her insides.

Emma finished her pizza. "No, just out of town. I've lived a lot of different places, but I think we should just go somewhere close. We don't plan to be gone forever, right?"

"Right." Regina's stomach dropped. They might not plan on it, but she was almost certain she would not be able to return to Storybrooke while magic existed. "I have bank accounts ready for this and apartments in a couple of different cities."

Emma chuckled a little. "Why am I not surprised by that?"

"When the Curse broke, I did not know what to expect."

A blond eyebrow arched. "But, you expected the Curse to break?"

"I expected Rumple to be playing me as he often did and does. I just had no idea for how long. My point is that money won't be a concern for us once we do leave and depending on where we go, we will have a place to stay." Albeit, she might have to see how long Emma would stick by her side. Depending on where they went, she might only have space for her and Henry. If Emma planned to be there with her through every step, then she would have to get some place bigger.

Emma nodded. "That's good. Then, we can just focus on this. So, I guess we can tell Henry and Neal the plan when they come back down here."

Regina nodded and then went back to cleaning up the mess. Emma actually ate one more slice. Regina shook her head. She would have to cook something healthy for breakfast in the morning. They might end up having oatmeal considering the fact that Neal had also eaten four slices and Henry had two and a half.

About an hour later, Henry and Neal wandered back downstairs. The dining room sparkled. Regina and Emma sat in silence on the sofa. Regina sipped a cup of peppermint tea. Neal and Henry looked back and forth between them. Henry made himself comfortable in between them while Neal went back to the armchair.

"Were you impressed with his collection?" Regina inquired as she put down her teacup.

Neal nodded. "Not just how big it is, but how neatly it's kept. I've worked in a comic book store for a while and I've seen how kids his age treat comics."

"Mom is the one who bagged 'em and boxed 'em," Henry admitted with a shrug. He then looked between his mothers. "Are we all staying here tonight?"

Regina considered it. "There are the guest rooms and your room is always open to you."

"I figured it'd be easier to get back to studying tomorrow, anyway," Henry said.

"I'm not sure we'll be studying tomorrow," Regina informed them. Studying would be pointless right now. They needed to pack. She needed to pack.

Neal's brow wrinkled as his eyebrows knitted in close together. "Why not?"

"To buy some time, we decided it might be best for us to get out of Dodge until we figure this out," Emma said.

Henry's brow furrowed. "Why?"

Regina took Henry's hand into both of hers. "Henry, this thing inside of me… I can't control it. You've seen that. It's best if I go somewhere without magic, so I can't hurt people anymore. We can keep researching, but it would be best if I were somewhere else and couldn't use my magic."

"You mean we were," Henry said.

Regina blinked. "Excuse me?"

"You're talking like you're in this alone, like you're going to leave without us. Emma said best for us. We're all coming," Henry insisted, pointing to himself, Emma, and Neal.

Regina felt a jolt go through her. Henry wanted to be with her? He wanted her. Despite the day, she still could not believe her son wanted her.

"We can stay at my place in New York," Neal offered.

Emma scoffed. "You place is a shoebox. You could fit your place in one of Regina's guest rooms."

Henry nodded. "You could." It was a little disturbing to Regina to know her son had been some place unknown to her. But, he had probably been a few places unknown to her once she gave up custody of him. Would it have killed anyone to ask her, though? She shook that thought away.

"Hey, we need to move fast, right? We just go there and then plan our next move. It's a good base of operations and all, right?" Neal countered. He had a point and suddenly they had a destination. They would pack tomorrow.

-8-8-8-8-

Emma helped Regina and Henry pack. Regina seemed to be taking more than what she would need for a short trip, but Emma did not say anything. Regina probably traveled like the queen she was, with a whole bunch of unnecessary junk. All of her personal items went into the Mercedes while all of the books and research material went into the Bug.

"Who rides with who?" Henry asked, standing on the porch of the house. He pointed back and forth between the Bug and the Mercedes.

"While we figure that out, maybe Emma should let her parents know she'll be off on a little field trip for a while," Regina pointed out.

Emma winced. That made sense. "Uh… yeah, I should go do that."

"Maybe even talk to them a little," Regina added.

"Uh… maybe." Emma was not sure if she would be able to talk to her parents in the way Regina wanted her to. If her parents wanted to act like everything was normal, she could do the same. No sense in rocking the boat, right? Despite the fact that her parents upset her, at least she still had them. That was better than nothing.

"All of the books are packed. We'll meet you over at the loft," Regina said. "By then, we'll also figure out who is riding with whom and, hopefully, you'll have had a good discussion."

Emma sighed and decided to go. She wished someone would volunteer to be there for moral support, but she knew she needed to do this on her own. She needed to be strong with her parents. So, she got into her car and pulled away.

"Why is this bothering me so much?" Emma asked the air. Because if her parents could so easily abandon her or be disappointed in her, saying something to displease them might mean she could lose them forever. She had long decided that these parents were better than no parents. This family was better than no family.

The drive seemed to take forever and no time at the same time. She did not understand it. She did not get a chance to steel herself for this or even figure out what she would say to them, if she should say something.

"This isn't a big deal. I mean, yeah, I know they're not going to like this or whatever, but I'm coming back. Plus, this is the right thing to do. They'll respect that, right? I mean, I'm doing the right thing," Emma muttered as she got out of the car. They did not seem to respect it too much before, though.

She marched upstairs and stared at the apartment door for a long moment. They were going to argue with her over this, she knew it. Her stomach twisted and flipped. Was this something that could cost her their love? She had already been acting against their wishes, but again, she could not just sit by while her kid's mother lost herself. Regina had done a lot for them. Yes, she had done a lot to them, but also for them and sometimes the good needed to outweigh the bad. Taking a deep breath, Emma felt like she would just have to let them know this was the right thing to do. She entered the loft.

"Emma!" Mary Margaret practically beamed as soon as she stepped through the door. She moved from the kitchen and rushed over to hug Emma, who awkwardly returned the embrace.

Emma felt a little guilty for being upset with the woman. It was clear Mary Margaret loved her. Just not as much as she loves David, not as much as she would love you if she raised you, not as much as she'll love a new baby if she has one. Emma swallowed those thoughts down and stepped away from her mother. She had to take a breath.

"Hey. How are you?" Emma asked.

Mary Margaret smiled. "I'm fine. I'm fine. You?"

"I'm good. David here, too?" Emma looked around, not seeing any sign of her deputy.

"In here!" He poked his head out of the bathroom. His face was covered with shaving cream. She blinked at the sight. It never occurred to her that David shaved, for some reason. He did not seem to need it when they were trapped in the endless Hell of Neverland.

"I just wanted to let you guys know I'm gonna be gone for a few days. Regina decided to leave town until she can get this magic thing under control and I just want to help her get settled," Emma explained as casually as possible.

Mary Margaret blinked and then her eyes opened wide. "Regina's leaving?"

"For now. It's best. She knows she has trouble controlling all of that magic, so she thinks it's best to just get away from magic," Emma replied.

"Sounds like a good idea," David said, stepping out completely out of the bathroom, possibly to hear everything happening.

"Yeah, I think so, too," Emma replied. Wow, this is going pretty smooth. It was a very pleasant surprise. "So, I'll be back in a few days, okay?"

"Do you want us to watch Henry?" Mary Margaret asked with a smile. She was eager to spend time with her grandson.

"No, no, no. He's actually coming along," Emma answered.

David's mouth dropped open. "You sure that's safe?"

"Yeah. Why wouldn't it be? The real danger seems to be here. Besides, he's worried about his mom — and she is his mom — so, it makes sense to take him. Don't worry about. Neal's coming, too. It's fine," Emma tried to assure them.

The couple exchanged looked, brows furrowed and eyebrows curled. It was like they were communicating telepathically, disagreeing with her plan. Apparently, it was fine for them to leave her, but not okay for her to leave them, or maybe it was not okay for Henry to leave them. Maybe they wanted Henry more than they wanted her. No, that's stupid. You're being stupid. They make you stupid. Fuck this.

"Look, I just wanted to let you guys know because we're leaving like right now," Emma stated. No sense in trying to talk to them now, about this plan, about Neverland, about anything. She could see it would only become an argument.

"What? No, Emma! We need to discuss this!" Mary Margaret declared with wide, panicked eyes. She reached out, taking Emma's hand. It did not feel like concern to Emma. It suddenly felt like control.

Emma stared at them, trying to figure them out. Why should they discuss this? It was not like they discussed the decision of staying in Neverland when David was poisoned. Or even like they discussed when David was poisoned. Hell, they had not even discussed what it meant for them to be her parents, for her to be their child, or what it was like for her to grow up an orphan. Suddenly, now, they needed to discuss something? That seemed a little hypocritical, especially when her decision was not forever.

"There's no time. I actually should grab some gear while I'm here and then I'll see you guys later," Emma said and she rushed up to her room.

Yanking a duffel bag from under her bed, she just dumped some clothes in the bag. Anything not in her room that she needed, she would just buy on the way. She had more than enough experience in this crap, after all. With the bag full, she shouldered it and marched back out to the common area to find David and Mary Margaret whispering together.

"You guys can talk about it all you want, but I'm gone," Emma said, marching for the door. She did not care what they were talking about. Her decision was made.

"Emma, we need to talk about this," Mary Margaret said, moving to stand in Emma's way.

Emma rolled her eyes and easily slid by her mother. "We did. Bye."

Emma opened and closed to door. Maybe that was rude, but right now she did not care. She had bigger things to worry about, and again, it was not like her parents ever discussed anything with her. Why should she be different? Why should she be considerate of them when it seemed they only wanted her conditionally? She had enough conditional parents in her life.

"Emma, wait!" Mary Margaret and David both called after her.

Emma hurried to the street. The Mercedes awaited her, as promised. Regina, Neal, and Henry all piled out. She offered them a smile as she threw her bag into the Bug.

Henry turned to her. "So, I figured we could all rotate on this trip, so everyone gets to sit with each other. I'm gonna start with Mom and then at the first pit stop, I move to you and then at the next pit stop you rotate to Mom."

"It's also to give everyone a break from driving," Neal added in.

"Oh, so Regina is letting someone else drive?" Emma smirked.

With a scoff, Regina rolled her eyes. "Not on your life."

"I thought as much. Okay, let's get this show on the road," Emma said, hitting the top of the Bug.

"Emma, wait!" Her parents came out of the apartment, which she had been hoping to avoid. "Emma!" Mary Margaret and David came out to the curb, standing a few feet away from Emma.

Emma groaned and rubbed her head. "I'm leaving, guys. This is happening. You can't talk me out of it."

Henry jumped in immediately, staring at his grandparents. "Talk you out of it? Why would they want to talk you out of leaving? Why don't you want Emma to help Mom?" Henry gaped at his grandparents with wide, watery eyes.

"Of course we want Emma to help. We just don't think everyone needs to leave for that to happen," David explained.

"Well, we can't let her go alone," Neal chimed in. "That's not what family does."

Emma could not believe the tearful smile on Regina's face. As much of a jerk Neal could be, he definitely kicked ass at this big brother thing already. Regina probably needed that, just like Neal needed someone to take care of him, which Regina seemed ready to step up to do if last night's prepping of the guest room and healthy breakfast was a sign of anything.

"Right. Family is supposed to be there for each other," Henry said with a nod. He took Regina's hand and smiled at her.

"So, we'll straighten this whole thing out and be back soon," Emma told her parents, who seemed speechless. It was nice to have backup.

Mary Margaret and David stood there, just kind of staring at them. They had not expected this united front, Emma guessed. Or maybe they were not used to people really opposing them. They were royalty, after all.

"We'll see you later, Grams. Gramps." Henry trotted over to them and hugged them.

They hugged him back and then turned their attention back to her. "Emma, you should wait. We can talk about this. You're being too hasty," Mary Margaret said.

Emma had no desire to entertain them, but that feeling intensified when she noticed the dark aura around Regina. Regina's patience ran thin. Not wanting to risk Regina losing control and possibly go full out demon, Emma urged everyone into the car.

"There's nothing to wait about. We'll be back soon. Love you!" Emma jumped into the driver's seat and started the car.

"Yeah, love you!" Henry shouted as he returned to his mother and Regina pulled off.

They left Mary Margaret and David standing on the curb. Emma felt a little guilty, like she had done something wrong and she could lose her parents. But, then she remembered how easily they liked to walk away from her anyway. She could do everything right, like break the stupid fucking Curse, help save the town from certain doom, not even get mad at them when they lost Henry, and they would still abandon her at the drop of a hat. She did not owe them anything. They owed her!

Neal looked at her for a while. "You okay?"

"Yeah." As okay as she could be sharing a car with him, anyway.

"Tell that to your face."

Emma tried to not laugh, but failed. "Shut up." And just like that, she was seventeen all over again.

-8-8-8-8-

"Do you feel okay?" Henry asked Regina as they made their way to the town line.

"Ask me that when we cross the line," she answered honestly, letting out a tense breath. Right now, she just felt that burning sensation, that clawing under her skin. It felt like this thing inside of her was breathing, wanting out now. The faster they got out of town, the better.

He nodded and for a while, they were silent. When they finally drove out of town, she gasped, sounding strangled even to her own ears. It felt like something twisted inside of her and popped. And then… nothing. Henry looked at her with lines under his eyes.

"You okay?" he asked anxiously.

She opened her mouth. "I…" She took a deep breath and noted that it did not feel like there were ants crawling under her skin. It did not feel like there was a creature about to tear her apart and wear her skin. "Yes."

He smiled. "Good."

She smiled at him. And then they were back to being silent. She wanted to say something, but she feared if she did, Henry would just take it the wrong way and hate her again. Or worse, he was silent because he remembered he hated her since she was no longer in danger.

Henry broke the silence as usual. "Mom?"

"Yes?"

A blush burned his face. "Uh… I love you, you know?"

Her eyes went wide and she glanced at him very quickly. "I love you, too, Henry."

"In Neverland… I was kinda scared I'd never see you again. They tried to make me forget, but there's a lot of little things I actually remembered that I forgot before, like perfect PB&J. I was upset with you and I treated you bad, but you still came to rescue me."

She smiled at him again. "I'll always come to rescue you, Henry. No matter how you feel, you'll always be my son."

He nodded. "I'm… I'm happy I'm your son."

She did not know what to say to that. "But… you have your real parents."

"Emma and Neal are cool, but they're not you. I know I don't seem like I get, but I get it. It just… it doesn't come out right. I mean, I talked to the Lost Boys and I know, despite your faults, you weren't a horrible mom. You used to be a horrible person, but you're getting better."

"I'm trying."

"I get that and I should try, too. I don't wanna lose you, Mom. Well, I don't want to lose any of you, but you know… I was pushing you away."

She shook her head. "I understand why." Lies hurt, especially from someone that was trusted, not that she trusted Rumple.

He stared at her with hope in his eyes. "Yeah?"

"Yes. I completely understand now. It's all right. I promise to be better, to you, in general. I don't want to… well, I want to be me. Not the Evil Queen, not Madam Mayor, just me. A big part of me is being your mother and I want to be the best mother possible. So, how about we just try to look forward?"

"Okay. But… do you think this magic thing is the reason you turned evil before?" he asked.

She shook her head. "I don't think so. I was corrupted, yes, but this thing inside of me is something totally different. Neverland unleashed this power. I've never felt anything like it before." She wished she could blame it all on whatever this was, but the inner demon thing was too new. She had to own up to everything before. It was her. Yes, it was her under an influence, but it was still her.

"Well, we'll get rid of it for you. We're a pretty good team." He grinned.

Regina was not so sure about that. She did not do well with teamwork, which was evident with Emma in Neverland. She took charge or she took off to get things done. She would see how things went.

Added to that, she was not sure there was a way to "get rid of" this thing inside of her. She just needed to be without magic. No, she had not read everything on what could happen to her, but so far, everything pointed to her being a demon and demons were led by dark desires, which they obtained through magic.

For the next few couple of hours, she played car games with Henry and they did their best to be normal. He seemed very relieved and happily played. His demeanor helped her relax and then they had to switch. Neal got in the car and the air felt… not tense, but still heavy.

"So, I figure if we're going to do the sibling thing we should… you know, talk about things we're curious about. Keep the air clear or whatever," Neal said.

"What would you like to know?" she asked, eyes on the road. Every lesson life had taught her told her not to share with, play everything close, but that had not worked in the past. He backed her up against Snow and Charming and he stood up to Rumple for her. This counted for a lot.

"Well, I guess how you ended up with Henry would be a good place to start."

"It's not very hard to figure out. For twenty years nothing happened in Storybrooke. It was like living in a very boring movie. I took up many hobbies, but none filled a void I had. I had always hoped to be a mother, but never had the chance. I decided to adopt."

He arched an eyebrow. "And it just so happened you adopted Henry?"

"Well, the adoption was arranged by your father. I don't know how he did this without his memories, but I know this was all set up for him to get Emma into town, so she could break the Curse and he could go looking for you."

He frowned and snorted through his nose. "Fuck him. He could've endangered my kid." He glanced at her. "No offense."

It was hard to say none taken at those implications, but considering the fact that she had lured about a dozen children into the home of the blind witch and left poor Owen an orphan to the world, maybe his concern was not completely unfounded. "Be that as it may, I adopted Henry. I'd like to think it was just circumstances that Emma gave birth to him, but I'm not so naïve. He is my son and I love him regardless. Is it my turn to ask a question now?"

"Uh… I guess." He glanced away and then looked at her again.

"Did it not bother you to sleep with a seventeen year old? After all, you're hundreds of years old," she pointed out.

He shook his head. "I'm not as old as you think and I guess not as mature as I should be. The portal I jumped in led to a different realm and time, kinda like your curse. So, I ended up here… I think anyway, but it was the late 1800s or something. I never got the exact date. Then, right after that, I ended up in Neverland trying to help Wendy and her brothers and I have no idea what the hell time it was there. I have no idea how long I was trapped there, but I was a teenager the whole time. Flash forward to me getting here and it was the 1990s." He scratched his chin. "I was actually in my early twenties when I met Emma, but mentally, I have no idea what sort of space I was. Neverland screwed my head up so much, Emma might have actually been the mature one between the two of us."

This was an adequate explanation. And while someone in their twenties being with a teenager might be frowned upon in this realm, in this country, she was just a teenager when she married Snow's father and no one in the Enchanted Forest batted an eye. And, who knew what Neverland did to someone who was not there voluntarily for years, possibly decades.

"My turn, huh?" He wiggled his eyebrows at her.

Mentally, she groaned. He thought he was cute. How the hell could Emma stand him, even if she was only seventeen?

"Hmm… Well, I know you were this Evil Queen person or whatever. Tell me about that. How'd you get to that point?"

Regina sighed. "It's a long story."

"We got time."

Regina nodded; that was true. So, she basically told him her life story without filtering it. Her mother wanted her to be queen and went to any lengths to make sure she listened and to get her on a throne. Her father, trying to be there for her, but also frightened of her mother, so he would not step in when her mother hurt her. Then, there was their fall from grace, which was quite literal. Her father's country lost a war and he lost his title. Her mother only got worse as she lost her precious status, even though they were not poor by any means.

"I managed to hold onto a kind nature and when I was a teenager, I fell for my riding instructor — a stable boy," Regina continued. She rushed through what happened with Daniel, still feeling that hole in her heart over him. "Our romance was short-lived."

She tried not to sound bitter as she described Snow's hand in Daniel's death and how absolutely defeated she felt after he died. She could feel cracks inside of her, wishing Snow's death and then Rumple showed up. He helped her get rid of her mother, gave her hope she could get Daniel back, and introduced her to magic.

"I had little interest in magic until Rumple helped me get rid of my mother. It was then I realized I could have power. I could be the one who made things happen rather than have things happen to me," Regina said.

"Yeah, except he wasn't teaching you for self-defense."

"I realize that now. At first, I thought I'd be able to bring Daniel back. Magic took him from me, why not use it to bring him back? I could then have my Happy Ending. Rumple made it seem like he would help."

Neal scoffed and shook his head. "That's what the devil does."

"I was desperate. I really needed Daniel back. He was the only good thing in my whole rotten life. I can't explain to you how much I felt like I needed him. I needed him for the life I wanted, for the freedom I longed for. Rumple made it seem like he was going out of the way for me. He got the Mad Hatter to take him to another realm and got Doctor Frankenstein. He made it seem like he was making an effort to bring Daniel back to me. They made me hope, so much hope, and then squashed me a second time when the experiment failed. It was at that point I wondered, why was the rest of the world allowed to be happy and all I got was despair?"

Neal shook his head. "He had you right where he wanted you."

Regina could not deny that. From that point on, no one else's feelings mattered. It was just about her pain, her suffering, and how she might relieve it. Of course, hurting others had never relieved it, but it was a good distraction. Besides, if she could not be happy, why should anyone else?

"Now, my turn," Regina said. "Did you really just abandon Emma? Leave her to take the blame for what you did?"

He blinked, like he had not expected that. "She told you that?"

"I knew she had gone to jail and I've heard her reminding her mother that it was your fault. What did you do?"

His shoulders dropped as he sighed. "I listened to August. You might know him better as Pinocchio. He scared me by telling me he knew who I was and then he told me about her destiny. I justified leaving to myself with the destiny thing, but I was just really afraid of someone knowing who I was. I was scared my father would find me or Pan would find me again."

"Two devils were after you."

"Yes, and I was just so scared. Hell, maybe even subconsciously this thought of settling down with Emma scared the crap out of me. I know I was wrong and I hope Emma lets me make it up to her."

Regina wanted to scoff, but she held her tongue. He had not judged her, so she would try not to judge him. It was hard, though, because his actions hurt Emma and even her son, even though she was certain Henry had a better life under her than he would have had with them. Still, she disliked what Neal did to Emma. They would have to learn to work passed it.

-8-8-8-8-

Emma squirmed in her seat. According to Henry and Neal, Regina was really talkative today. It was weird. But, she had not said anything to Emma yet. She'll talk to Neal, but not me? Shit. That hurts.

"We should be there soon," Emma eventually said to cut into the silence.

"Yes."

"So, you were serious about no one else driving."

"Obviously."

"Uh…" Emma searched her mind for something to say. "Henry said you said you feel better."

"Emma."

"Yeah?"

"What happened with your parents?" Regina asked.

"Huh?"

"You practically ran out on them and peeled off when they came out. What happened?"

"What does it matter?"

Regina glanced at her. "Because it's bothering you. You've stuck your neck out for me during this thing while you're being bothered by something. Tell me."

Emma huffed, but it poured out of her. "They're hypocrites. All of a sudden when I have a thing to do, they want to talk it over, but any other time, they just do stuff and hope for the best. They wanted to talk about this, our little road trip, but did they want to talk about staying in Neverland? No. Did they ever want to talk about getting back to the Enchanted Forest and if I want to go? No. They're just going to do that. They treat me like a kid, but don't wanna know about my fucked up childhood and then they're upset over the fact that they didn't get to be there with me to grow up. Have they ever bothered to ask how the hell I feel over that?" She pointed to herself with both hands.

Regina nodded. "Snow has never truly been able to see beyond her own issues and Charming seems to feed into that. They're the most important things in each other's lives and they haven't had a chance to adjust to you in their lives."

Emma shook her head and scrunched up her face. "You're defending them?"

Regina sucked her teeth and looked almost disgusted by the very idea. "Of course not. I would never take on the impossible task. Just informing you why they are the way they are. Maybe you should give them a little time. There's been much going on since you broke the Curse."

Emma pouted a little. She wanted Regina to just be on her side. She did not want to be reasonable about this. "Was this how I was when I went after Neal before Henry?"

"No, this is how you were when you were encouraging him to sneak around."

Emma scoffed and glared playfully at Regina, who smirked. Emma felt more like a mother after their trip into Neverland, but she understood she had a ways to go. She was not sure if her parents understood that and she did not want to give up on them.

"I've been looking for parents all my life," Emma mumbled.

"Well, you know where they are. You don't have to give up on them."

Emma nodded. This was quite true. If she could learn, then they could learn.

-8-8-8-8-

Next time: life outside of Storybrooke and life inside Storybrooke without the Savior and the Evil Queen.