"You did what?!" Ruby exclaimed as Emma sat at the diner counter later that afternoon
"Its crazy, I know. But it just sort of happened... And I loved it!" Emma replied.
"So what did she say?"
"She said yes! I still can't believe it Rubes! I'm getting married!"
"Oh my God! Congratulations!" Ruby stepped around the counter and embraced the blonde. "What do your parents think?"
"I haven't told them yet. I haven't even given her the ring! I told you it just happened!"
"What do you mean it just happened?"
"I don't know, we were making love and I just...God Ruby I love her so much and all I could think about was how I don't want to spend a single day of my life without her by my side."
"Wow! I'm kind of jealous Em...what you guys have is so rare and special and beautiful. I'm really happy for you buddy."
"I know, thanks." Emma smiled.
"So have you bought the ring yet? When do you plan on giving it to her?"
"Yeah, I got it on my way here earlier. We will tell my parents about it at dinner tonight. I was thinking of giving it to her then."
"That's perfect! What does Henry think? I bet He'll get really excited!"
"He's always been okay with it...well as okay as He possibly could be, with new memories and all. We're supposed to discuss how we'll get his memories back later tonight. He adores Regina so I hope he doesn't change his mind when he gets them back. It'd kill Regina if he acted like I did."
"He loves you both, you're his moms! Of course he'll support you!"
"I hope so. I better go and inform him about our dinner plans. Thanks Rubes...for everything and especially last night. Everything was perfect."
"Anytime." The younger brunette responded as Emma took off.
"Come again!" Tinkerbell said, turning her full attention to the older the brunette seated by her side.
"I'm getting married..."
"Oh My God! Did Emma...or did you?"
"She did. She asked me to marry her!" Regina almost squealed.
"And you said yes?"
"Of course I said yes. What did you expect I would say?"
"I don't know, I just...I always thought you'd ask her."
"Why would you think that? And I did ask her first, she just doesn't know it yet."
"Huh, what does that mean?"
"I'll tell you all about it some other time. Right now I have to get ready for dinner with Emma and her parents. We're telling them about the engagement tonight."
"Can I come and watch! I would kill to get a shot of Snow's reaction!" the blonde said, raising up her phone and shaking it.
Regina laughed, "I know, right! And no, you can't come just to watch. Emma would kill me!"
The two women laughed as they both stood up and embraced each other. "I really am happy for you Regina. Its about time you got your happy ending. You deserve it"
"This is only the beginning," she brunette said as they pulled apart. "And thank you. I wouldn't have done it without you".
"That's what friends are for," Tink smiled and then walked out of Regina's house smiling. Genuinely happy for her friend. It was time for her to experience some happiness and love in her life and there was better person to offer her that than the blonde saviour.
"Just don't be a stranger. I've barely seen you since you got back. I hate to think how often I'll get to see you once you get married."
"I'll try not to be. Emma has a really...naughty way of keeping me busy" Regina smirked.
"I did not need to know that" Tink laughed as she headed for the door.
"Mom, have you seen my game boy?"
"Yeah, its in my suitcase. And you should really be careful with your things young man. You shouldn't leave things just lying around."
"Sure, thanks." Henry said as he headed for his mother's suitcase. He opened the upper zipper and while pulling out the said item, a piece of paper fell out. Picking it up, he noticed that it was a photo, so he decided to look at it. He was startled into silence by shock and confusion.
"Henry! Did you find it?" Emma's voice brought him back to the present.
All thoughts of the game forgotten, he quietly started making his way towards his mother, his eyes never leaving the photo in his hands.
"Hey, are you alright? Regina, Mary Margaret and David will be here soon..."
"What is this?" he said without missing a beat. "Why do you have a picture of you, me, Mary Margaret and David that I don't remember ever taking?" he place the photo in the blonde's hands.
"Umm..." not having something to say wasn't a usual occurrence for Emma. In fact she could count and name the number of times that had happened in her life and this right here was one of them.
"You said you and Mary Margaret knew each other way before I was born so there is no way that I could have ever met them and even if I had, why would I forget that?"
Emma sighed, there was no possible way out of the situation. She needed to come clean and she would need Regina by her side while she did it.
"Can we talk about this some other time?" she tried.
"No! You've been lying to me ever since we got here, I deserve to know everything!"
"No you don't, I'm your mother and I know best, so you're gonna have to deal with this for now, understood?!"
"Yeah...whatever!" the boy replied and then ran out the door.
"Henry!" Emma called but He was already gone.
Grabbing her jacket and phone, Emma ran after him, bumping into Ruby on her way out.
"Hey, are you okay?" the brunette asked.
"Its Henry. He found out that I've been lying to him and he ran. He doesn't know anyone or anywhere here and he left his phone, he could be in danger, I have to find him!"
"I'll just drop this off for Granny's and let her know then I'll be right with you. I'll help you look for him. You should also call your parents."
Emma nodded as she took out her phone and did just that. Fifteen minutes later they were all at Granny's and having looked everywhere for Henry with no luck, they were planning the next cause of action.
"Have you called Regina?" Snow asked her.
"Ugh! She should have been the person to call and I totally forgot! She's never going to forgive me if anything happens to him. How could I have been so stupid to leave that photo and there and send him in my suitcase!?"
"Hey, its not your fault. You couldn't have known and Regina will understand that" Her father engulfed her in a loving and supportive embrace. "Go, call her now."
A wave of excitement went through Regina when she looked at the vibrating phone and saw who the caller was.
"You just can't stay away, can you?" she grinned.
"Regina...?" the wide smiled that had been on her face disappeared immediately. She'd recognize that tone anytime. Of Emma in distress, in desperation and helpless.
" Emma, what's wrong?"
"It's Henry," Emma cried. For some reason hearing the other woman's voice had made her more emotional.
"I'm on my way," Regina replied, gathering her car keys then almost decided against it. She would have just poofed herself to Emma's side had she not heard someone knock on her door. Figuring she had to check it out, she made her way to the door, the other woman still on at the other end of the phone line.
"Tell me what happened,"
"He found out that I've been lying to him...and then he ran. I should have just told him the truth but I was so scared. So I told him that we'd talk about it later, I figured that would have given me sometime to get to you and ask you to come but he...I lost him Regina. I'm so sorry." The blonde chocked on her last words. What Regina wouldn't give to be right by Emma's side that very second. To hold her as they both worried about their son, as she soothed her and told her that it was not her fault. She absently pulled the door open, only to come face to face with the said son.
"No you didn't," Regina breathed, letting out a breath she didn't know she had been holding.
"Huh?"
"Yes, I did."
Both Henry and Emma said at the same time. Emma sobbing some more.
"No you didn't sweetheart. He just got here." She spoke to her phone. "Come on in Henry." She told the boy while she still held the phone to her ear.
"He's here and he looks perfectly fine." She told Emma. "Would you like to come over? We can have dinner right here together."
"I'd love to but I doubt he even wants to see me right now. You just go ahead. Would it be okay if he spent the night? I can still come over after he goes to bed."
"Okay, I'll see you later." Regina hung up and then approached the living room where the teenager was sitting, fidgeting.
"Was that mom on the phone?" he asked.
"Yes, you had her worried sick!"
"I'm sorry, is it okay that I came here? I didn't know where else to go."
"Of course it is. This will always be your home anytime you need it. How did you get here?"
"I asked around," he said, looking down at his fingers.
"Do you want to talk about it?...about why you ran away, I mean."
"No..."
"Fair enough. Would you like something to eat? Theres some left over lasagne. I could heat it up for us."
"Sure!" the boy's face beamed, his eyes making contact with the brunette for the first time since he got there and he was not surprised by the warmth, comfort and safety he found there. He didn't know why but it had always been so easy feeling those things with her, since they met all those months ago. It was what made him come to the woman in the first place.
"Hey, do you know someone named Killian?" Henry asked when they were sitting down to eat.
"Yeah, He's...your mom's...old friend. Why?"
"I ran into him coming here and I was really mad at mom so I told him that I wanted to go back to New York and He offered to give me a ride on his boat but I couldn't go through with it. I'd miss you and mom so much. I just wish things were different." He said, his full attention was on the fork in his hand, which caused him to miss the murderous look on Regina's face at his revelation of hook and his attempt at playing the boy's hero.
"Can I ask you something?" Henry's voice brought her back.
"Of course. What is it?" Regina didn't fail to notice how nervous he looked.
"When we met in New York, you told mom that you had a son. What happened to him?"
"Um...I lost him" Regina said, clearly surprised by the boy's question.
"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have asked.
"No, its okay, sweetheart. Really. I don't mind." she said, placing a gentle hand on the teenager's. "Can I tell you a little secret?"
Henry nodded, a grin on his face at the realization that he was about to be let in on a secret by the woman he'd come to think of as a second mother and friend.
"Ever since I met you, I haven't thought much about him. And even when I do think about him, I don't feel as sad as I used to. You and your mom make me so happy that I don't miss him as much as I did before."
The boy smiled, "He must have loved you so much. He was really lucky to have you and I bet you didn't lie to him like mom did to me..."
Regina tried to swallow the lump in her throat, "Oh, sweetheart, how I wish that that were true. Henry, your mom would never hurt you and if she did lie to you, I'm sure there's a very good and valid reason behind it. She loves you more than anything, you should always remember that," she took his chin between her thumb and fore finger and lifted his face up so he was looking at her. He didn't say anything but the words seemed to sink in. "One day you'll understand all of it and you'll thank her for it. Now, why don't you go get ready for bed, you must be tired" she smiled at him but she noticed how hesitant he looked as they both stood up.
"What's wrong?" she asked, concern in her voice.
"That was his room, wasn't it?"
"Yes it was. But he'd be more than okay with you using it," she smiled at him.
"You sure?"
"Yes I'm sure. Not go on and get some sleep and if you need anything, just come find me, okay?"
"Okay..." He walked a few steps and then he turned back, walked towards the brunette, hugged her and then ran towards the stairs.
"Sweet dreams." Regina shouted after him.
"You too." He shouted back before disappearing completely out of sight.
"Hey,"
Regina pulled Emma in an embrace the second she laid eyes on her."Are you okay?" She asked, her lips pressed on the blonde's hair and pushed the door shut
"I was so scared" Emma replied honestly, doing her best to keep her tears at bay but failing miserably.
Regina pulled away gently and took the other woman's face between her hands, brushing her tears away. "I know. But he's here and he's fine. And I promise that we are going to do even the impossible to get his memories back, okay?"
"Okay," Emma replied and then fell back into the older woman's arms.
"Have you eaten?" the brunette asked.
Emma shook her head, "I'm not really hungry. Can we just go to bed? I want you to hold me till I fall asleep."
With the wave of Regina's hand, they were both changed and lying on the brunette's bed. Emma's head rested on Regina's shoulder and her hand was on Regina's waist which she held onto like a lifeline.
"Now get some sleep. You need it." Regina planted a kiss on top of Emma's head.
"I love you," the blonde said as she drifted off into the mush needed sleep.
"I love you too," Regina said, pulling the younger woman closer to her. Happy and content that she was holding the woman she loved in her arms and her son was sleeping in the next room. But sad for the anguish and fear the blonde had had to go through in the past few hours.
"Mmmh, something smells amazing," Emma said as she slipped her hands around Regina's waist the following morning.
"Good morning, darling." Regina replied, leaning her head backwards on Emma's shoulder so she could plant chaste kiss on the other woman's lips.
"Good morning," the blonde replied. "I didn't hear you wake up" she pulled away and took a seat at the kitchen table.
"You looked so peaceful and beautiful in your sleep and after the night you had, I didn't want to wake you. So, are you ready to face the day?"
"Yeah, I guess. We have to do this as soon as possible. I'm so grateful He found his way here. I'm sacred to even think of what could have happened to him otherwise."
"Yes, especially with people like hook roaming the streets." Regina said in anger.
"Hook? What does hook have to do with this?" Emma asked.
Regina took the seat next to her and started telling her all about her conversation with Henry the previous night. "He thinks that I'm the good one and that I'd never lie to him like you did. If only He knew...the number and kind of lies I've told him in the past and still continue to tell him..." Regina said, oblivious to the figure standing at the door to the kitchen.
"So you're lying to me too?"
Both women jumped up from their seats at the sound of their son.
"Henry, I..."
"I thought you were different. I thought I could trust you but you're just the same." He said, running out of the kitchen and out the front door.
"We have to go after him. You're the only other person he knows here, he doesn't have anywhere else to go." Emma said and the next minute both women were running out the door to go after their son who hadn't made a decision on where to head and was standing by the road. But when he saw both women get out of the house, he went to cross the street, not noticing the speeding car heading his way.
"Henry, watch out!" both women screamed.
But everything happened so fast and the next thing he knew, Regina was pushing him out of the way and then there was a crash and the brunette was lying still on the ground. And then there was a flash of light everywhere. Tonnes of familiar pictures ran through his mind as he regained his memories. Him finding Emma in Boston and bringing her to Storybrooke, Emma breaking the curse, Neverland, Saying goodbye to his mother at the town line. His mother. When everything cleared, Emma was on the ground. Frantically trying to wake Regina.
"No no no! Regina! Wake up. Please wake up! This can't be happening!" She shook her, crying.
"Mom..." he called, causing his blonde mother to look up to him. But his eyes were on the woman lying on the ground with blood on the sides of her mouth. "I remember." He said, as he got down on his knees and took Regina's hand in his own. "I remember." He repeated. And then tears were falling down his cheeks.
"How?" Emma whispered.
"An act of true love." A voice from behind her said. "I spoke to your parents last night and I was on my way here to tell you two, I saw what happened."
"You mean, like in frozen?" Henry asked. Earning a confused gaze from the blue fairy.
"I don't get it. Then why isn't she waking up? She should have woken up." A hysterical blonde spoke for the first time.
"I wish I knew why." The shorter brunette answered. Sadly staring at the unconscious woman lying on the ground, her family by her side and overtaken with grief.
I feel terrible that I haven't been able to update sooner, please forgive me. And I also know some of you won't like this chapter or how I chose to proceed, forgive me for that too. I would appreciate your inputs on what you think should have happened. What you want to happen and what you generally think of the story so far. Thank you so much for everything. You guys have been a real blessing! Xo!
-A