AN: Hi dears, I'm so sorry for the extra long delay, I have been a bit busy, you know, holidays, but I'm back and I promise to finish this story, I won't abandon it, just have patience with me please. I want to give a big hug and thank you for anyone who stayed loyal even after my lack of updates. You're awesome guys. Hope you're all having a nice summer! 3
Emma and Regina appeared in front of the vault, rushing in. Only when Regina had to move the tomb, she realized she was still holding Emma's hand and that it felt so natural she hadn't even noticed. Emma was thinking the same thing, because she sent a sheepish smile her way before letting her hand slip out of Regina's.
Regina ran down the stairs, Emma quickly following behind. And there he was, their son with his nose in a book, brows furrowed in Emma-like manner as he focused on the magical words.
"Henry." Regina and Emma said at once with a relieved smile.
"Mom! Ma! You did it!" Henry shouted and jumped up, running into the awaiting embraces.
"Are you okay?" Regina asked as she caressed the hair in the back of his head, something she had started doing when he was a baby and never stopped.
"Absolutely, but how about you two? What happened?" Henry asked eagerly, pulling away from the hug to inspect their looks.
"Where's David?" Emma asked first and looked around.
"Fell asleep a while ago, should I wake him up? He will be excited to see you!"
Emma and Regina exchanged looks in silent conversation ending in nods.
"Let him sleep a while longer." Emma said and looked at Regina, because she knew Regina was better at talking about emotions, even if just a slightly.
"Henry, we have to tell you something." Regina said and felt Emma's body heat next to her, so close that they were nearly touching. "About what happened."
Henry nodded and let her continue.
"You know whose curse it was, don't you?" Emma asked.
"Morgana's and Zelena's?" Henry remembered the two witches appearing together more than once.
"Morgana took hold of Emma and wiped her memory clean, expecting her to be her puppet for magic and destroying, so she wouldn't get her hands dirty." Regina explained and Emma jumped in.
"Well she originally wanted Regina, so no wonder she was angry when I couldn't do any magic."
"You couldn't do magic and didn't remember anything?" Henry asked in surprise and Emma shook her head. "Then how did Mom even? How did you find her?"
"A maiden helped me with directions to the castle and then I saw Emma in the garden. And when I found out she lost her memory I-… I started to make her remember, told her about her life and about you and she still couldn't remember."
"Of course, because there's only one magic more powerful than anything else." Henry smiled wittily and both women's eyes widened. "You gave her True Love's Kiss, didn't you?" he looked at Regina, who looked at Emma for help.
"It was kind of both sided thing." Emma shrugged with a shy smile.
"Cool!" Henry exclaimed with a grin.
"So you're okay with this?" Regina asked with insecurity colouring her voice.
"Sure, it was about time." Henry smiled and pulled them both into another hug.
Emma put her hand over Regina's and ran her thumb across it in soothing manner, offering her a smile Regina could only reciprocate.
It was okay.
"Henry," Emma said and pulled away. "Will you be able to keep this a secret for a while?"
"I know that you have blood of Snow White running through your veins, but if you could- ow!" Regina's smirk was wiped off as Emma nudged her in the ribs.
"Hey! Could we drop gossiping about my Mom?" Emma grinned and shook her head.
"I doubt it, since she is running this town in very poor manner." Regina deadpanned with a victorious smirk.
"Are you gonna fix the damage, Moms?" Henry jumped into their banter with a smirk looking so much like Regina's.
"Yeah, we just came to check up on you kid, and now we're off-" Emma looked sideways at Regina for confirming nod.
Regina wrapped her arm around Henry's shoulders, pulled him closer and kissed him in his hair, which was becoming more and more difficult as he grew.
"Let's go?" Emma smiled and outstretched her arm for Regina, who slipped her hand in Emma's. One final look at Henry and they poofed away.
They appeared in the middle of the town, just at the spot where the curse captured Emma.
Regina didn't wait for anything, her hands were up in the air, drawing complicated patterns and flows of purple magic shining through the air, repairing the damage around them. When Emma got a hold of herself again, she joined Regina with her silver flashes of magic.
In no time, the town was mostly repaired and most of the residents' attention was drawn to the centre of town where magic was happening.
With every second there were more people and more surprised and delighted shouts of "Emma!" and "She's back!".
Emma was looking around with a smile and her heart felt warm, like home. Suddenly she staggered as someone hugged her from back, unintentionally clashing into her with a thud.
"Emma! Oh thank god you're back! Why didn't you wake me up?" David exhaled happily and Emma patted the arm wrapped around her torso. "Good to see you too Dad."
He pulled away with a smile plastered to his face. "We were so worried."
Emma didn't know what to say to that, but he patted her shoulder and left to stand next to Mary Margaret, who came by as well.
Emma turned around to Regina, whose eyebrow was raised in amusement to which Emma could only shrug in response before they both broke into matching grins.
"You did it!"
Regina turned to the source of the sound and saw Tinker Bell with wide and proud looking smile, striding towards her.
"Yes, we did." Regina smiled in response. "Thank you. For the beans-"
"So did you figure out where I made a mistake?" Tinks asked mischievously with a tilt of her head.
"I think we need to talk, fairy." Regina said in a sassy tone, but the softness of her smile gave her away.
"You did!" Tinker Bell beamed happily and took hold of both Regina's forearms. "You've found your happiness!"
"And we would prefer if it could stay secret for a while until we figure out the disasters this town had suffered." Regina said quietly in warning, but Tinks nodded in understanding.
"Of course."
"But there's something else we need to discuss," Regina stopped her, when Tinks pulled her hands away.
"Uh, sure?" Confusion spread across the blonde's face. Emma turned around to look at Regina and stepped in for help.
"Do you have magic?" Regina went straightforward to the core of the problem.
"No, not right now, who told y-"
"Who did it?"
"We don't know, probably Morgana – why would anyone from Storybrooke want to take away all the magic?" Tinker Bell asked and it was obvious that she trusted that version.
Emma wrapped her fingers around Tinks' upper arm like she had done all the years ago when she kick-started Regina's magic. "Try something."
The fairy flicked her wrist, but nothing happened. Emma looked up, meeting the gaze of Regina, who was now closer to them, her brows furrowed.
Regina pinched the bridge of her nose and sighed in frustration.
"Why? What is it?" Tinker Bell pressed as she took step closer to Regina.
"Morgana is not that strong with her magic. If she had taken your magic away, a touch of somebody with working magic would restore it." Regina explained and Tinks' eyes widened.
"Are you saying someone from here had done it? But who would do that?"
"Really?" Emma interfered with voice blending sarcasm and frustration.
Tinker Bell turned to her. "You know?"
"Take a wild guess, Tinker Bell. It's a matter of trust. And there are some people difficult to trust." Regina said, not breaking eye contact with the fairy.
"Mr Gold?" Tinker Bell asked and her gaze flew from Emma to Regina and back.
"We have been informed that he isn't here, is he?" Regina said in slight annoyance and Emma touched the small of her back, just briefly with the lightest of touches.
"Wait," Emma interfered as she felt a tingle of magic travelling from the tips of her fingers up her arm. "Regina, you try it. Touch Tinker Bell."
"Why?" Regina asked, but obeyed.
"Tinks, try something." Emma ordered and the fairy nodded, turning her palm upwards. A pouch with fairy dust appeared in her awaiting grasp.
"It's working." She said in bewilderment, a smile appearing on her face.
"I think it's the necklace. Maybe Gold would know how to restore the magic…." Emma pondered out loud.
"But who did it?" Tinker Bell pressed.
"We'll see…" Regina said mysteriously, intertwined her fingers with Emma's and poofed them away again.
When the surroundings finally stopped spinning, Emma took a steadying breath and looked at the building in front of them. The convent.
One simple questioning look thrown at Regina got her an explanation.
"I thought we should squeeze her a little." Regina shrugged and stepped forward. Emma immediately followed, with a smirk gracing her lips. Suddenly Regina halted mid-tracks and outstretched her arm in front of Emma to stop her too.
"What-"
"Ssssh!" Regina pointed towards the convent and Emma listened closely only to notice two people standing in front of the door and arguing. She shuffled a bit to see more.
Mr Gold was standing there with Blue, but the words couldn't be deciphered from their distance, so all that was left was body language. They were obviously arguing. Only after few seconds, Gold lost his temper and pressed Blue against the wall, his forearm under her neck.
Emma gasped and looked at Regina, needing help in inner conflict of 'Let's see where this goes' and her Saviour role. Regina's gaze told her to choose the first.
They didn't have to wait for long. Not even two minutes later, Gold let go of Blue, who fell to the ground and massaged her neck while coughing. The man strode away. As he was walking past the bushes where Emma and Regina had been hiding, the former queen addressed him.
"Didn't you wipe fairy dust off her wings?"
"Ah, Regina, you're back with the Saviour, I see… Do you have your part of the deal?" Gold asked with his usual sly smile.
"What is happening here?" Regina asked instead of answering his question.
"Dangerous deals with wrong people. Now, where's the necklace?" he insisted, squinting his eyes.
Regina fished for the pouch between her breasts – not very refined for a queen Emma would say if she could stop staring – and handed over the necklace. Gold looked over his shoulder to the place where Blue was standing just a moments ago before hiding into the convent.
"With this, I will crush her like the moth she is," he smirked with obvious pleasure and Emma couldn't resist asking any longer.
"What actually happened in the town? Why is there no magic? And why the hell was half of the town in ruins?"
"As I said, dangerous deals with the wrong side. Now if you excuse me," Gold said, typically avoiding answer, and then just left.
Emma turned to Regina with incredulous look. "I- don't have any idea what is happening."
"From my point of view, I would say that Blue allied with Morgana without even needing the curse, wanting to take over this town too. What would happen to the citizens is still a mystery, but for some reason Gold didn't like it and the necklace is going to help him have upper hand over the fairy." Regina explained her train of thought about the possible villainous plot.
"So like… 50 Shades of Shady Blue?" Emma grinned and raised her eyebrow.
"You've been waiting to use this terrible pun for a very long time, haven't you." Regina narrowed her eyes, but the corners of her lips betrayed her in a little smile.
"Maybe." Emma grinned in response and Regina just shook her head.
"Hey, we could try asking Belle about all of this? Maybe her boyfriend let something slip?" Emma suggested and Regina immediately liked the idea of possibility for finding out more.
"Let's."
And Emma automatically slipped her hand in Regina's to let her poof them both away.