When Emma was nine, she was put in a group home in New York where she met a fifteen-year-old girl named Jade. She was dark-skinned with curly black hair and absolutely beautiful features. She loved playing sports and watching TV, a tomboy through and through. Usually that didn't matter but, in the foster system, being anything but what your gender told you to be was taboo and would likely get you nowhere. Emma liked to think that her flannel and jeans was the reason no one adopted her, not her devil may care attitude or rebellious personality.

Anyway, one day Jade was hysterical, running around talking about visitors that would surely adopt her because she was going to wear a pink frilly dress that she would've teased other girl's for wearing and a pair of Mary Jane's. Emma didn't understand her and would just roll her eyes. Jade was one of those girls that you wanted everything to go right for them because she was so sweet, didn't have a mean bone in her body. But Emma knew that changing her appearance and tomboyish ways wouldn't help, as she would grow crazy of being someone she wasn't. She did admit that the idea was rooted in a good place.

If you wanted to be adopted, you couldn't be a girl that liked to play rough and watch sports or a boy that liked theater and dance. No, you had to be what society told you to be. If you were a girl, you played with dolls and never spoke your mind. If you were a boy, you roughhoused and knew all of the baseballs stats of that year. That's what those couples that adopted wanted: perfection.

So, Jade got all dressed up, straightened her beautiful hair in order to make it more, as she said, 'Caucasian looking', and brushed her teeth several times. She talked using proper language, removing slang, and with an effortless speech pattern. The visitors were a straight, white couple from Texas, who carried a bible everywhere and could recite any passage at any time. Jade worked so hard to be proper, to be what they wanted, but the couple had their sights set on Abigail, a short, white girl with a cross on her necklace. They immediately took Abby home and Jade was inconsolable, disappoint so deep that it cut her down to a stub. Emma watched Jade deteriorate and she was watching her son fall victim too.

Emma rubbed her face, not wanting to watch as her son sobbed to the point of dehydration. Snow was trying to comfort him but Emma knew Henry and he was past the point of reason. He felt like he failed his mother. The kiss hadn't worked.

"I love my mom! It should've worked!" He screamed over and over while Snow repeated her consoling words.

"I know, sweet boy, I know." His sobs were so loud it made everyone flinch every time he sucked in a shaky breath. Emma had tried talking to him but he was angry with her, said it was her fault because she had kept the secret and that she should've known better. And he was right. Emma should've pushed Regina harder, pushed her to come clean. The blonde knew it wouldn't have mattered though, as his kiss wouldn't have worked before, just like it hadn't that day. She passed a shell shocked Charming on the way up the stairs to check on a comatose Regina. The woman had fainted after Henry's kiss didn't ease the pain or discomfort, tears rolling down her face with disappointment. It seemed it was recurring theme in the apartment. Emma stopped at the top step, checked on the brunette, and sat gingerly on the stair. Henry's cries gained volume and Emma couldn't imagine how painful it was to sob with such ferocity.

"I love my mom!"

"We know, sweet heart."

Emma wrapped her arms around her knees and tucked her face into the space between her legs and her torso. She wanted to cry and scream but for some reason, she couldn't. She felt numb. Regina had just gotten her life back; finally loose of the reins Cora, Leopold, and Rumple had been tugging on her with. She was happy, making amends and plans. It wasn't fair. She was too hyped on adrenaline and shock to cry, even if it was all she wanted to do. But no, she had to stay strong for their son.

"She can't die! I just got her back!"

"I know, Henry. It'll be okay."

But would it? No, not for a long, long time. If they lost Regina, things would go downhill and fast. Emma was inexperienced at motherhood and she hadn't dealt with a cold, let alone a loss this extreme. And Emma felt a depression plunging on her. She finally found a love that was true and deep. How was she supposed to move forward without Regina? They were a unit, a united front.

"I want my mom!"

Snow stayed silent this time, apparently out of things to say, and Emma was grateful. She didn't want her mothers false hope and lies. Because things weren't going to be okay and Emma wasn't sure about Henry's love. It was easy to be sure when disaster hadn't occurred. Now, hope had flown out the window and landed in a gutter to wither away.

"My, my, dearie," Emma lifted her head slowly as she heard Rumple's heeled shoe walk near her, "It didn't work."

She scoffed, "How could you tell? Was it the sobbing kid or Regina laying comatose in that bed?"

She heard Rumple sigh, "What have you tried so far?"

Henry cried out and Emma cringed, "Henry's kiss didn't work and… my kiss didn't work."

Rumple tapped his cane against the floorboards, "Were these kisses simultaneous?"

"What?" Emma felt a thrill of hope crawl up her spine.

"I suppose," Rumple drawled, "that you both had a hand in breaking her heart. If that were true, you both would have to give her true love's kiss simultaneously. I've never seen or read of such a case but, with magic, anything is possible."

"Are you pulling my chain, Gold?" Emma rose from the step to full height slowly in an attempt to intimidate but the man just smiled.

"My dear, what would my motive be here? I'm a monster, a beast, but I don't enjoy seeing children this way."

Emma hurriedly called for Henry, "Get up here!"

The boy continued crying, ignoring her completely, but Emma called for him again, "Kid, we have a chance to save her! Mr. Gold thinks we might have to kiss her at the same time because we both had a hand in it."

Henry snapped his body towards her, his face pink and his eyes bloodshot, "What?"

"Get your ass up here, kid! We might be able to save her!" The boy ran up the stairs like a bullet, crashing past Emma and landing on the right edge of the bed where Regina was resting, her skin sickly pale and her hair sticking to her face because of perspiration. Emma took Regina's left side before she peered at her son, who was already staring at her, before nodding.

"Simultaneous, dearies." Rumple repeated as Snow and Charming watched from a far, their expressions grim. But Emma and Henry's eye turned to the brunette as they moved forward at the same time and pressed their lips against Regina's forehead. After a few second, a flash of blinding light shimmered from Regina's chest and burst outward, sending everyone flying. Regina sat up with a shuddering gasp as she felt her heart mending and pulsing with joy. Emma and Henry sat up cautiously, their concern's laying with the brunette they loved. Snow and Charming rose from the corner of the room and walked forward slowly. Rumple watched from the ground with interest.

"Regina?" Emma whispered, feeling Henry's hand squeeze hers. The brunette blinked rapidly before letting out a laugh, "Babe, say something."

Regina smiled at them, "When are we going to Six Flags?"

A/N: That's it! We've reached the end. Thank you for reading and reviewing and all that good stuff. Also, I am taking prompts!