Queen of the Underworld

by Lady Razeli

Alternate Universe: Regina is living happily in her island paradise a safe haven among the criminal world when her son Henry suddenly decides to find his birth mother Emma. Setting them on a new path and changing their lives forever.

21. Chapter 21

Warnings: Violence as usual which means some people have to die. And Henry gets into some extreme trouble with the alcohol.

Author's Note: I decided to do a two chapter update since Chapter Twenty is so much shorter then this one. Hope you enjoy.

---

Chapter Twenty-One

"Oh my God, I'm sorry Regina," Emma groaned. Regina lay back frustrated. "I thought I could really I did."

"It's all right, we should sleep anyway tomorrow we start our revenge on France, and we should be well rested." Emma frowned and looked down.

"Do you want to go touch yourself?" Emma asked tentatively.

"No, I don't even want to bother," Regina told her truthfully. Emma looked distressed.

"I can just lay here and you can do what you need too, to me, I'll live." Regina made a face.

"I would rather become a nun then rape you," Regina told her.

"No, I'm asking you to just take what you need," Emma replied.

"No, you're asking me to rape you without your real consent based on my own frustrations, and I am too much of a lady to do that to you. The day I take what I need from you it will be with your full consent."

"But wouldn't I be giving it then?" Emma asked.

"Depends on the sex, sometimes what you need is not always what's given up front and so you have to take it, it's more about whose leading I suppose and your endgame. Sex is give and take and sometimes the lines blur."

"Well can I give you the ability to sleep with Red and Maleficent?" Regina paused in getting more comfortable. A part of her wanted to say yes and another part of her told her it would destroy her relationship before her and Emma actually did anything and they would probably never do anything.

"No," Regina told her "Put it out of mind, we get there when we get there, now come on let's sleep." Emma nodded and lay down. Regina pulled her close and kissed the back of her neck the way she liked and stroked her side. She was asleep within minutes and Regina soon followed.

---

"How are you feeling today sister?" Regina asked coming up on deck where Zelena was waiting and breathing in the sea air. They were on board a black Navy ship.

"Positively Wicked Sister." They grinned at one another. Zelena had woken up and she was angrier than Regina had ever seen her. Regina also found out some things about her sister. She had a very long rap sheet in Kansa apparently having conned most of the state's men out of thousands of dollars. And apparently killed a few just to send a message to an FBI Agent who was always after her. The heat had really been on when she had found out she was pregnant with Lena. Regina asked her why she hadn't told her and why Robin wasn't dead. Apparently Zelena had fancied herself truly in love and Robin hadn't really had enough to steal that she had known about. Not to mention she hadn't known what Regina was doing before and she had thought she hated her so much that she'd send her away without help if she weren't her innocent big sister.

"You sure you want to do this, you'll be killing someone," Emma pointed out. Zelena looked at her.

"Emma, I'm a thief and murderer in Kansas, I have FBI looking for me right now," Zelena told her seriously. Emma's mouth dropped open in surprise. "And now I want revenge for them nearly killing my daughter and making it so she grew up without a mother. I won't let that happen to Lena, I didn't get involved with my sister's more sinister acts because I was thinking about Lena. And now they've woken a sleeping beast."

"Well no one understands how you got there more than me, I won't keep trying to council you morally. But don't you think heels are impractical for killing?"

"Depends on who you're killing," Regina told her. Soon everyone was gathered onto the deck.

"I have split up France into six district zones and I have assigned each zone a color by now Graham has assigned the soldiers to their zones and they will be at your disposal. We have brought buildings where you and your main soldiers will live and work under the guise of French citizens. Graham is set up between all our zones and will remain an extraction point if it becomes necessary. We stick to the plan we do not go rogue, understand?"

"Yes, my Queen," They replied.

"Good, phase one are the businesses and farms, I want you to frighten them and send them running to their law enforcement. And then I want you to crush them and I want them to feel unsafe." Regina handed out new phones.

"These are all hooked up to a bank account where we will be pooling French money to cover the damages to our home.

"What about when they invade with their own army?" Ariel asked.

"Let them come, and shoot their own people," Regina told her seriously. "Maintain your innocence at all times. Let them never know how we are doing this. Never let them know that you are really the one in control. And let them know our new drones are watching their every move."

"What if they resist?" Ariel asked worried.

"Then we make an example out of someone. It will be your job to assess if they will care more about their own lives, their family, or some innocent person they don't know."

"I don't know if I can shoot someone, they'll die slow and you know die."

"It's all right Ariel, you aren't going into a section, your job will be to eventually return and handle negotiations. Except there will be no negotiation until the debt is paid and we have French Polynesia in our grasp, which shouldn't be too hard," Regina told them. "The real fight is here in France not there. They have one active base and on my signal it will be cleared of all French personnel." Everyone was preparing to exit the ship now. "Oh and one last thing as soon as you're there, set up these small satellites and keep them protected unless forced to evacuate. In which case destroy them and upload this chip as well when you arrive." They nodded. Soon everyone was off.

"What section do we have?" Emma asked.

"I'm surprised you even have to ask, but Paris of course," Regina told her as they took a smaller boat to the mainland. It took them less than twenty-four hours to be into place.

"What are you thinking about?" Regina asked Emma joining her of the balcony of their condo.

"How much different I feel," Emma replied. "I mean a year ago, I was starving and broken in Turkey, and before that I was here in Paris, not too far from this place, I was empty inside and convincing myself that she hit me because she loved me. I walked these streets every day without seeing it's beauty and now I find myself a little sad that we're going to destroy it."

"It's never too late to see the beauty in things," Regina told her wrapping her arms around her. "I'm with you here now and I love you so much so while it all still holds, try to see the beauty." Emma nodded. They fell silent as they watched the city, they could even see the Eifle Tower as it lit up the night.

"What are you thinking about?" Emma asked after a moment.

"The quiet," Regina told her. Emma looked at back at Regina confused. She could hear the singular noise of people's voices, the hum of engines, and the honking of horns. It wasn't quiet at all in her opinion.

"Quiet, there's car horns, engines going, people talking. I mean it's not super clear sounds up here, but you can hear it." Regina smiled at her.

"It's the quiet of normalcy, right now all those people they have no idea how their life is about to change. They don't know there's a storm on the horizon that can't be stopped. That's the quiet," Regina told her. Emma looked thoughtful.

"You always amaze me the way your mind works," Emma commented leaning back into Regina's embrace.

"Will you still think I'm amazing after I kill someone?" Regina asked her seriously suddenly feeling insecure.

"You've already killed someone," Emma reminded her. "The whole point of your island became that even criminals have the right to live in peace too if they so choose. And you could have taken that asshole with us, but instead you shot him in cold blood."

"This will be different Emma, he almost killed Henry and perhaps that's why you've handled me ordering him shot. But tomorrow I'm going to pick someone at random and I'll probably shoot them in the head in front of a bunch of people. They will likely have done nothing bad in their entire life." Emma was innocent.

"Shadow was innocent too," Emma pointed out.

"Shadow is innocent," Regina corrected. Emma nodded. "Don't let your grief consume you and talk you into doing something you normally wouldn't. Don't set your own morals aside just because I made you part of the council. I put you on because I needed someone who would care for the greater good of the people."

"I know you did and I do, a part of me hopes they won't resist too much, but another part of me can't help but remember how despite all the drama, I was the happiest I had been in my entire life. And I remember that for the first time when I smiled at Shadow she actually smiled back at me. And then her blood was all over my face and her eyes were blank, and the smile just melted off her face. I've had very few happy moments since then, and her smile has been haunting my dreams. Always the same she smiles and then it slowly fades away." Regina kissed Emma's cheek as she stroked the side of her head in comfort.

"I still have faith that she'll be all right and her getting shot will be just that a bad dream. And her smile and laugh is going to eventually chase them all away. We're all going to be a family again you'll see." Emma cried. She hadn't openly cried in a while, but Regina knew better. They were all holding back their tears. They went inside and Regina made her some hot chocolate before dosing it with a bit of bed time soup. Soon Emma was feeling better and tired.

"Sleep well love," Regina told her.

---

"Regina, what the fuck?" Emma asked when she came back. The news was on as there were already reports of criminals demanding shops pay out to the criminal Queen of the Underworld. Ariel was of course already making statements that the legal Queen of the country Underworld was not the same as the criminal Queen and she would not speak on France's behalf as they had brought it on themselves. Emma was angry, because she had woken up to find Regina gone and several people dead all around France. Reports coming in from Maleficent and Killian said they were met with immediate resistance and so had put two people down in the town square already. And Zelena had taken care of three higher up people in Parliament close to the President before she was extracted by Graham. Although Emma suspected she would have killed more people if he hadn't done so.

"I know Zelena got overzealous, but she said it couldn't have been avoided," Regina told her innocently.

"No, you drugged me so I wouldn't be there."

"Are you sure you didn't oversleep I did try and wake you, you were out like a rock," Regina told her. Emma frowned and crossed her arms. "All right, so maybe I love the fact that you're sweet and innocent. I like your clear conscience, Henry doesn't need another me, he needs an Emma." Emma frowned more. "You may not be able to admit to yourself because you're angry and grieving which is fine, and I can't say that ninety per cent of my motivation isn't revenge for Shadow alone myself, but I've already crossed the line. You have not, so I won't put you in a position to be a part of killing someone." Emma looked as if she wanted to yell but then her shoulders slumped.

"Then you have to stop Merida too," Emma whispered.

"Merida has already been stopped there's a reason Ariel isn't here all together she couldn't handle it. And there's a reason Merida is with Mulan, so that she doesn't cross a line. I knew what I was doing, it meant more work for the rest of us instead of controlling smaller territories instead of six larger ones."

"I wanna be so angry at you right now," Emma told her.

"I know," Regina replied. "But if I had let you go, I would have broken my promise to you, I know why you came and I know you're going to stay, but I said you wouldn't get mixed up in my criminal activity that I wouldn't force you to be a criminal." Emma hugged Regina before she went back to the bedroom and just lay down looking utterly depressed. Emma didn't want to admit it but she was actually grateful Regina had drugged her. She had felt like she was running at full speed down a path she wouldn't have gone if they had never met. And Regina had somehow changed the trajectory of her life yet again. Emma started crying when Regina just lay next to her for a little while and rubbed her back.

---

"So we are here to negotiate peace talks," The President of the United States said. Regina and their entire council sat stone faced against the French President, Scarlet, and a few of his advisors." It had been a long year of terrorizing the French people and increasing criminal activity and turning their own soldiers against the French people. And then their town was halfway ready. Ready enough to take on the French Navy. They took every island belonging to the French in the south pacific, and France of course was angry and responded and there was destruction everywhere. Regina hadn't spent all her time in France, once the structure was up most of them didn't need to be on sight to keep the payments coming in. Besides she was needed at home with her children where she was meant to be.

Henry was still refusing to celebrate his birthday until they had a permanent home again, which led to Emma refusing to have her birthday celebrated and Regina didn't even bother with her own. She felt bad they were standing in solidarity in their unhappiness together, and she wanted to forget about her own for a day. Not to mention there was Shadow as they often went back and forth with waking her up and putting her back under. The last time her brain had put itself in a natural coma, and her immune system had been shot to hell, they would cure one infection before she got something else. So she had been isolated for a long while and they couldn't even touch her. But now everything was just stable and quiet. No infections, the swelling was gone, but her brain hadn't allowed her to regain consciousness.

"Right so if you will kindly release our islands and tell us who is behind the criminal taking of our cash, we can sign the treaty of Polynesia once and for all. And you'll also agree to not try and reclaim the island that is ours." Regina didn't even have to look at the others and neither did Ariel, Regina wasn't even tempted to speak in her stead to convey fear. When Ariel was serious you thought twice about not complying.

"The Queen has spoken there will be no end to this until you complete four tasks," Ariel told him.

"What's that?" the French President asked.

"Firstly the Sovereign nation of islands known as Underworld, and her new subjects which were once under French rule, will accept your unconditional surrender before you kill all your men at any time. You will pull back what is left of your fleet. You will pay the crown an estimated twenty billion dollars to help pay for reconstruction. You will hand over Scarlet Cooper for execution and all her associates who were part of shooting up Council woman Regina's house. And finally you will recognize once and for all that we are a sovereign nation."

"That was five things and this is bullshit, Regina's the Evil Queen, and I am the legal Queen of the island itself and will resume leadership over the area thanks to France," Scarlet told them all.

"Look just because you tried to kill me because I don't speak only when you say so doesn't mean you can falsely accuse me and shit," Regina told her. "Do you surrender or not, because we have a lot of work to do cleaning up your filthy ships in our waters."

"No we do not," The French President yelled.

"Suit yourself, we will take down France then," Ariel told him as they all stood up at once and turned for the door. Ariel took out her phone. "The cease fire is off, fire at will, and if you find anyone alive afterwards, shoot them."

"Wait, wait," He said. They paused.

"Maybe we can make a short term treaty for Prisoners," He said.

"We're listening," Killian told him.

"We'll trade you Scarlet Cooper for prisoners we weren't really going to give her an island anyway after the eruption." Killian looked down the line and they were all silent.

"Three hundred and fifty soldiers will be released to one of your ships as soon as she's on one of ours," Ariel told him.

"Done," He said. They signed an agreement while Scarlet just looked horrified and screamed at him not to do that. She was taken away by Graham and another of their guards. Regina had most of their hostages released and a boat took them away.

"Do you have anything to say for yourself?" Regina asked her once they were aboard one of their ships. Her hands were tied as she stood on the deck with everyone watching her. Including the camera crew that Regina had forgotten was on the American ship docked next to them filming the war.

"That I am your Queen, you all need stop all this foolishness and release me, they're the ones leading you astray."

"Scarlett do you realize that you're responsible for the deaths of three hundred people, fifty of which were children, and we still have one hundred missing members?"

"All devils anyway meant to be purged."

"No, not devils one was a very innocent one-year-old girl who was finally finding something to smile about. You see I had a daughter, and made my home, her home. We were all very happy until a bullet that was meant for me struck her in the chest before she ever had a chance at life after escaping certain death. She's lying in a coma now and might very well die, it's a miracle she still has life in her now."

"Good ridden then, nothing sharing your DNA should live. Where's that trial you promised me?"

"At the bottom of the fucking ocean with my daughter's life," Regina told her as she pulled out a knife. She cut Scarlet. "A cut for each child's life you stole. After that maybe we'll kill you." Mulan stepped up next.

"I lost five kids that night, five, they just wanted to live in peace and you took that away." Mulan left five cuts on her body and several people stepped up and said the names of their victims.

"Come to kill me now?" Scarlett asked Pan.

"No, that would be nice after what you did to a lot of people on this boat. I'm just here to give you something to make sure your blood doesn't clot." Pan poked her with syringe and then reopened some of her wounds. "That should help you bleed out nice and slow like a traitor." Scarlet was tied to a post and remained there bleeding for three days until she was so weak she finally collapsed. They got a lot of shit for it, but Regina didn't care.

"This is war, and instead of holding Scarlet in a cell and wasting precious resources on her we killed her to end our financial burden. Keeping her longer would have required we respect her humanity and we didn't want to do that." Ariel paused and listened to Graham before going back to the microphone. "I must correct myself, I have misspoken. We as a people will no longer say that traitor's name out of respect for our children lost. Now if that's all I suggest you all leave because the ceasefire is now over." Ariel walked away and they practically ran as the first shell went off.

"How are you feeling?" Regina asked Emma as they prepared to head back to Henry, Roland, and Shadow, it wouldn't do if they were killed in war.

"I thought I would feel happy once she was dead but I don't, now I don't know I just feel nothing. I almost hate myself for not putting a bullet in her head. I didn't exactly agree with the way we killed her, but so many people were fighting for the right to take her out, I know why you decided on this way. I have so many wars going on inside of me. One moment I want her dead another moment I don't. One moment the prescribed death is perfect and the next I should put a bullet in her head because it's more humane."

"That's normal, and to be honest I knew her long enough that I would have liked to have just put a bullet in her brain and been done with it," Regina admitted honestly. "But having been flooded with requests to take her life and fights breaking out. This was only fair, so that no one person took her life and all felt they had done the right thing." Emma nodded.

"Her death was conflicting for me, but now I still just think about Shadow, she's not back, it didn't make me feel better," Emma admitted as she sat down.

"No, it never does," Regina admitted. "When I killed your grandfather I thought it would make up for all my suffering and the three pregnancies I felt most strongly about. But as I sat there watching him die I just felt nothing and I even walked back upstairs to the nursery he made me build with this awful ache in my heart because I knew that I wasn't about to grab my bag and baby and finally leave that place."

"But you were able to live again, sometimes I think I shouldn't feel so much for her, because I didn't give birth to her."

"That's bullshit, should I not mourn Henry if God forbid something happened to him?" Regina asked her. "Blood is nothing when it comes to love. Henry is, my everything, I honestly probably would have been dead ten years ago if not for Henry coming into my life. Because of him I built stability for him and on that road for myself. I made friends I wouldn't trade for the world who are my family and I've managed to have someone who loves me that literally every time she looks at me I think I fall in love with her all over again. Shadow was with us a short time, but she fit so perfectly in with us I don't know why she wasn't there before."

"But how do I get over it, if I can't get over it, how do I help Henry?" Emma asked. Regina hugged her.

"You don't get over it. You just keep going and you learn to carry your grief and you remember that you have another child who needs you and their smile makes it a little lighter every day until it's not so painful to remember those good moments without falling apart."

"But Henry doesn't have another sibling," Emma pointed out.

"No, but we'll get through this together as a family. I did some reading, and we have to let him grieve the way he will grieve within limits." Emma nodded.

"God, why don't I read, you're so much better at this parenting thing, I bet she hated me because I didn't read." They both chuckled.

"I'm sure that wasn't it," Regina sniffed wiping some of her own tears. They finished packing and returned home, first to Maine to pick up Roland who was visiting his great-grandfather who was still very ill but at least moved to facilities with Dr. Whale, and to check on if his grandfather and father had returned. There was still no sign of them at all. They had even looked around French Polynesia and found nothing.

"Should we be taking care of him?" Emma asked as they headed to Florida. Maine had been great for quiet, but the school had been in ill repair and the repairs were taking too long for the children to be able to stay on track in both their world and the outside world, so they had sent most of the school age children to boarding schools or bussed them to another town and supplemented their education. Henry had asked to return to Florida, so Regina agreed since all of his normal friends were gone, and Violet was the only one left who might help provide solace.

"Well he came to us for help when he was all alone. Yeah his grandfather is able to hire a nanny now, but he's six Emma and his father is missing and his grandfather, and his great-grandfather might die. If you think we have it bad, how do you think he's feeling not knowing that the entire rest of his family except Lena might be dead?" Emma sighed.

"It's just weird, because I don't trust Robin," Emma admitted sounding jealous.

"He's an asshole, but I don't think he's such an asshole he would stress his son out like that," Regina told her. "If there's one thing I'm sure of, it's he loves Roland." Emma nodded. "And I think it's actually rather helpful to Henry having Lena, Roland, and Baby Emma around."

"Because of his father I don't know how beneficial he is, but the others I agree," Emma replied. Regina chuckled.

"You don't have to be jealous, I don't like him like that."

"Thankfully, I thought I was going to die when he proposed because you thought Roland was so cute, and he was, but I was looking at that douche and thinking I would rather she married Rose instead even if it was never me." Regina laughed. "I had to sacrifice myself for your greater good. You know that douche wanted me to tell him he'd make a great father for Henry, like Henry was wanting or something. I mean Neal's cool, but let's face it, Henry enriches Neal's life and not the other way around."

"True story there," Regina laughed. "I would say I can't believe he wanted you to say that, but the second time he talked to me, he was all oh Henry needs a man to do guy stuff with. And I was all I hunt, I fish, and I do sports, he doesn't need a man. And then he's all well Roland needs a woman, I don't want him awkward around women if I never find someone else."

"Asshole, he knows Roland is unbelievably cute why would you pass up a chance to play with him?" Emma asked her seriously.

"I know, so we went fishing so I could make a point, jerk had no idea what he was doing. Like he didn't even put any effort into pretending he could. Poor Roland had never fished before."

"Daddy still can't fish," Roland told them popping up. Regina jumped a little startled making Emma laugh. "Ha, I got you."

"Yes, you did, I thought you were watching your movie back there, alone." It was a six hour flight and they had entertained Roland, but now they were just looking for some quiet.

"The stewardess said I had to ask you if I could have another snack pudding," He told her.

"Haven't you had three already?" Emma asked him. He grinned at her.

"I really like them and at home I have to share with Lena, she always wants some." They laughed. Lena was a very demanding little sister, always wanting to share with her brother.

"One more, but that's it," Emma told him. He nodded happily and ran down the aisle.

"You're looking after him when his sugar rush hits," Regina told her. Emma pouted.

"But you're so much better at this discipline thing," Emma told her. Regina shook her head.

"Unbelievable we have been at this what a year and a half officially and you're still trying to be the fun parent, and make me the bad guy."

"But honey I am the fun parent," Emma told her.

"More like irresponsible, honey," Regina teased before she kissed Emma lovingly.

"Do boys also kiss other boys?" Roland asked appearing. Regina sighed and paused in moving her hand to some place naughty on Emma.

"Yes, Roland they do," Regina told him.

"Will they someday kiss a girl?" He asked eating a spoonful of pudding.

"Depends on how their sexuality works, some people like both and if they don't find one person to spend their life with they can maybe date a girl for a while and if that doesn't work out they maybe will also find a guy they want to be in a relationship with."

"Daddy says boys kissing boys is wrong, and girls kiss girls until they find the right man," Roland told her.

"That's just not true, boys can kiss, date, and marry boys, just like they do girls. And Girls can kiss, date, and marry girls just like they do boys. No one is wrong, everyone has a right to love whoever they want regardless of gender."

"There's a new boy I like at my dance school," he confided. "He takes ballet, but grandpa reminded me I'm not supposed to take ballet even though I wanna go back."

"Why not?" Emma asked.

"Because he says Daddy will say only boys who want to kiss boys go there, so he said if we find Daddy soon I gotta make sure I still work on my hip hop. I love hip hop, but I really wanna do ballet in class now." Regina had been home schooling Roland and improving his ballet with private lessons after he expressed wanting to dance professionally. And just hip hop wasn't going to fully cut it.

"Well that's not true, a lot of guys who want to kiss girls take ballet, and then they have no problem getting girl's attention," Regina pointed out.

"I don't want girls though." Roland pointed out back.

"Then you kindly tell them no, and become friends with the boy you like," Regina replied.

"But I don't wanna be friends with him Regina, I wanna kiss him." Regina and Emma couldn't help but smile at him.

"Well you should always be friends first," Emma told him. "It's important no matter who you want to kiss guy or girl." Roland nodded as he thought over his pudding.

"But I gotta take ballet in a class to see him and Daddy won't like that," Roland told them innocently. They both realized he was probing to see if they really approved of him liking this boy and would let him go to class, not so much the ballet.

"Well, Daddy's not in charge right now, he's off wherever and now we're in charge and we say you do ballet," Emma told him. "Your daddy wouldn't want you to disobey us would he?" Roland shook his head happily.

"I was thinking more like invite him for a playdate or something," Regina commented.

"We're his acting parents, he brought this on himself," Emma whispered. "Besides at least someone else should have said something you know."

"You don't want me to take ballet either Regina?" Roland asked. Regina realized it wasn't really about the ballet but the boy.

"Oh no you misunderstand honey, I'm perfectly okay with it, even Henry took a little ballet last year if I remember correctly." Roland smiled. He sat between them and hugged them both.

"It's better having two mommies, I love daddy, but he just doesn't get me, like a mommy does," Roland commented.

"Well you're always welcome to come to us for advice," Emma commented. Regina suddenly looked as if she had an epiphany.

"Wait a minute Roland, where is your real mommy?" Regina asked him. He shrugged.

"I don't know I told the police man her address, but it was empty, so I told him I remembered the old address and forgot I was supposed to remember the new address."

"You're too clever for your own good," Regina told him.

"Yeah, grandpa said that a lot," Roland replied. Roland stayed between them the rest of the flight except to pee. He liked when Emma read to him, but she was really tired of his favorite book, because he had gotten tired of the others in his selection for the flight. Regina got to play a space paranoids app she had made for Henry's last birthday that he didn't know about because he refused to accept presents.

"Regina, did we or did we not agree that we would let Henry claim the highest score first?" Emma scolded. Regina grinned as they exited the plane.

"We did and he will, for about a week before I crush him," Regina grinned. Emma shook her head at her.

"That's cheating if you already play."

"I didn't play pass level three I made this really hard," Regina told her as if that made all the difference. "Besides he has to learn life isn't fair, it's how we play games together. We always take the shot haven't you noticed."

"What am I gonna do with you two, that's exactly what he said when you were losing so bad during bowling?"

"I was having an off day," Regina told as if that was the only reason she had lost. Bowling had never really been her sport. Emma gave her a look that said yeah right as she scoffed. Regina stuck her tongue out at her before grabbing her hand. Soon they were in a private black car and arriving at their house. It wasn't easy to travel under the radar, so Regina had decided it was better to get the house with a wall and built in security system she could upgrade than the town house she had preferred before that kept them low profile.

"Henry?" Regina called as they entered. Emma was just really happy that Roland was already asleep and not on a sugar high. Regina took off her jacket and then helped Emma with Roland. "Henry?" Regina frowned as she looked around downstairs, but there was no sign of Henry. They had agreed that tonight he could stay alone until they got home. He should have already been dropped off at home by Violet's father. He had even checked in with Zelena that much she knew from the text she had received and he had texted her to confirm. The downstairs was empty it looked as if he had rifled through the kitchen for his dinner instead of anything frozen. She went upstairs followed by Emma who shook her head when she came in from checking the backyard.

"Henry?" Regina called again as she reached the top floor. There was still no answer. She went straight to his room seeing the bathroom door open and his clothes all over it. She knocked and still got no answer. "Henry?" She tried the door but it was locked. She knocked louder. "Henry open this door." She listened to see if he moved or not. Emma looked at her wondering what he could be so upset about. Regina heard a cough and what sounded like a gurgling and choking noise. "Fuck this." She took a step back and kicked his door in. He was surrounded by bottles from their liquor cabinet and beers. Regina ignored them for now as Henry was on his back vomiting and choking on it. She turned him over and cleared his airway, but he was still unconscious and she couldn't wake him. He was very pale and starting to get a blue tinge to his face.

"Oh my God what do I do?" Emma asked. Roland was now awake and allowed her to put him down.

"Call Nine One One, he stopped breathing!" Regina yelled. Emma started to run for the downstairs phone when she remembered she had her cell phone. She called and stayed on the phone with the operator before she went downstairs to let them in. She was just so glad that he had taken a breath again however shallow while she was on the phone with an operator explaining how their twelve year old son had drank too much while they were on their way home. Emma wanted to go into the ambulance, but she was freaking out too much, so she just pushed Regina in with him. She grabbed Roland locked the house and followed in her yellow bug. She had, had it brought over from France. An old acquaintance had been storing it, and she'd had no use for it on the island and had intended to have it brought to Australia for when she went to work, but hadn't done so.

"My car seat," Roland exclaimed. Emma braked. Put the car in park before she ran to Regina's car and realized it was locked. She went back to her own car, turned it off and took the keys where she found Regina's extra key. Soon she had Roland's car seat in her bug which took up most of the back, which hadn't been a selling point for Regina. Soon they were speeding after the ambulance, and she got pulled over for it, in the hospital parking lot.

"Just write whatever ticket you want, but I need to see if my son is all right," Emma yelled at him as she ran in with Roland. Emma went to the emergency and almost flipped out at the charge nurse. It was a few minutes before she came back.

"His mother is already back there, so if this is some kind of joke." Emma glared at her.

"I am his mother, I gave birth to him lady," Emma told her upset. She buzzed her in back and met her by the door. She took her to where Regina was filling out forms as she watched the doctors and nurses behind the curtain.

"I'm going to have to ask you to leave if you're not his birth mother, hospital policy clearly states that only his parents can be back here."

"We're both his parents," Regina told her annoyed they were even talking about something so trivial. Their son could die, and change everything for both of them.

"Birth parents, you know real parents Mom and Dad, not Mom and her lesbian lover," the nurse told her disgusted.

"Wow okay," Regina said astounded that she would be that rude, right at that moment and yet not. The nurse looked happy thinking she would leave now. "So you can go fuck yourself now, because while yes Emma is his birth mother, I am his adoptive mother legally, so you're going to go back to the front and hopefully help someone else, but my son by your own admission gets to have both of us by his bedside while he recovers. Here's his information by the way it lists two moms, and I'm pretty sure you ought to go reread your guidelines about same-sex couples before you get this hospital sued."

"How is he?" Emma asked grateful that Regina had handled the woman.

"I don't know, they intubated him, and he had a short seizure in the ambulance, and another one when we arrived. Another nurse came out and led them back out.

"It's better if you don't watch," She told them. "He's not completely stable, we're trying to get him through some seizures as soon as we're over the doctor will be out to talk to you. Just try to remain calm and get a cup of coffee." They nodded. "We're going to transfer him up to the intensive care unit, so you should make your way up there." She gave them directions and passes before she left them.

"I should have never agreed he could stay home by himself," Regina told Emma as they followed signs to the vending machines and chapel.

"It's not your fault, how were we supposed to know he'd do something so stupid at this age?" Emma sniffed.

"Is Henry okay?" Roland asked. "And I'm cold and thirsty." Emma and Regina realized he didn't have his jacket on. In the rush neither of them had grabbed it. Regina hadn't even grabbed her own. Emma took off her leather jacket and gave it to him before they both reached for their wallet.

"Shit your bag had my wallet because my jeans were too tight for my phone and my wallet," Emma told her.

"Where are your car keys?" Regina asked her. Emma checked her coat pockets.

"Oh shit, I don't know I rushed in," Emma told her. They all went back to where Emma had left her car, they were met by the charge nurse and the police officer.

"You left your keys in the car, I parked it properly too," He told her. "But now I need your license, registration, and proof of insurance."

"And I also need both of your IDs and insurance cards if you have them. What are you Cuban?" She asked Regina. Regina glared at her.

"We both left our wallets at home, I'll go get them," Emma told them.

"No, I can't let you out of my sight, but I will let her go get them," the officer told Emma.

"Thank you officer, I'll be right back." She took the keys from Emma and he told her where he parked it. Regina drove back home where she let her own tears fall and silently prayed to anything out there that this was not the end for Henry. She ran inside their home got her jacket and Roland's before grabbing her purse. She hated driving Emma's bug it was the worse car ever, but for some reason Emma was attached to it. She drove back to the hospital, parked, and hurried inside.

"All right officer here is her driver's license, registration, and proof of insurance," Regina told him before she left Emma to deal with him and went over to the charge nurse as she finished up with someone. She gave her, her identification and Henry's insurance card.

"Hmph lucky really, I was sure you were an illegal, and wouldn't have the money for the emergency fees."

"Oh I assure you even if I didn't have insurance, I would still be able to wipe that smirk off your face with my ability to provide for my son," Regina told her annoyed.

"I need the other one's identification too," She told her more than annoyed with Regina too.

"Well that I'm afraid you'll have to wait on." Regina took back her cards and walked back over to Roland where she took Emma's jacket back from him and secured his own before she gave him a dollar so he could get something to drink.

"Water only," Regina told him. He nodded. Emma accepted her ticket for parking in a tow away zone, speeding, and running three red lights.

"Thank you for being so kind about this," Emma told him. He nodded.

"Have a nice day." He handed her back her items and left.

"Wow you've been standing here all this time, with your gun showing and not one person has approached you about it, including the police officer who let you get away with a ticket and didn't even ask if you had a concealed carry permit?" Regina asked.

"Yeah," Emma asked. "Why?" Regina just shook her head.

"Must be so nice to be so white," Regina told her. "Like have you seen the news?"

"Well yeah but I mean well okay…." Emma couldn't find the words.

"Exactly." They turned to look at Roland and found him chugging a coke. Regina frowned at him.

"Roland did I or did I not tell you, you could only buy water?" Regina asked him sternly. He grinned. They both frowned at him and gave him a look that said they were not amused. His grin disappeared and he looked down.

"I'm sorry," He said. Regina took the can from him, he had drunk half of it already.

"This is mine now, and when we get upstairs, you're going to have a time out, I don't want to hear a peep out of you for six entire minutes understand?" Roland nodded. "When we get home we're going to have a very long session of how to listen." Roland pouted. He knew that meant, he would be doing labor to remind him to listen and follow through with what he was told."

"Daddy let me have coke," He pouted.

"Daddy's not here, and Daddy wouldn't give you coke at ten o'clock at night either," Regina reminded him. She took him by the hand and led him back over to the nurse where she gave her Emma's ID. Once she was finished she told them they could head up to the ICU waiting room. Regina was surprised she didn't make one more race or gay attack at her. Once upstairs they were told to have a seat instead of being able to go sit in Shadow's room. They hadn't been able to visit her for a few days, and were also eager to check in on her. Regina and Emma shared the rest of the coke as they waited nervously and Roland did his time before he was able to ask all his questions. They tried to be as honest and explain things to him clearly until he was satisfied. Finally, though the doctor came out.

"It's good you found him when you did, I don't think that there was any brain damage. You found him just in time, while his blood alcohol was through the roof, we managed to pump his stomach and remove a significant amount. We're now also cleaning his blood to help him remove the alcohol from his body faster and giving him fluids. We've also got him intubated but we're confident that as we continue his supportive care he won't need it. We'll do an MRI scan once all the alcohol is gone from his system."

"Can we go in now?" Regina asked him. He nodded.

"Yes, after you talk to the social worker," He said.

"Social worker?" Emma asked. "Are you kidding me?" He shook his head.

"He's a twelve-year-old kid and he well exceeded the limits of a grown man." He left them to fume as he pushed a button and was let back inside. After another ten minutes they met a social worker.

"Who's this, there's no mention of a third child in the family," The man commented.

"My soon to be stepson," Regina lied. "His father is away at sea."

"Daddy's a sailor," Roland told him looking cute.

"I was under the impression that you two were a couple," He said.

"God that nurse, look I'm Henry's birth mother and Regina adopted him as an infant, we've been co-parenting for the last three years after Henry found me."

"So you have no legal rights to the child?" He asked her. Emma frowned.

"No, I guess not," Emma replied. On the island this hadn't been an issue what Regina said went. So she was talked to equally at doctor's visits or school. Out here that was obviously not the case.

"Whose home does he reside in primarily?"

"Ours, we moved in together to become a blended family, this was before I met Roland and his father," Regina told him. He looked at them suspiciously.

"So there's evidence of old abuse on Henry from a burn, and now this incident with the alcohol, you can see how. We also saw that on radiographs that he's had a broken arm and leg. And then there's the matter of your daughter, whose very thin for her age and small even at the beginning of her treatment in three different hospitals in three different states. She also has evidence of an old break in her arm." Regina and Emma weren't surprised that Shadow had, had a broken arm before. "Not to mention the gunshot wound."

"You'll be allowed to see Henry and Hunter, but you aren't allowed to leave the hospital with them. And Henry will not be released into your care when he awakes until the issue of abuse has been cleared," He told Regina. "And given the evidence so far we'll be taking this one as well. Do you have any idea how we can get in touch with his father or his mother?"

"Regina is my mommy," Roland told him upset as he held on tight to Regina's hand.

"It's okay Roland, no, I don't know where his biological mother is, I haven't been able to contact his father in a few days, they were running into a storm when we last talked so their communication might be down. But his great-grandfather is up in Maine, he stays with him half the time, he's just with me down here while his grandfather is sick, so he's down here visiting me. A six-year-old is a lot of work."

"Right do you have written letter from the grandfather?" He asked.

"No, generally you don't get that from family," Regina told him drily. "I will call him now, and he'll tell you. Now look I don't hurt my son, we'll answer all your questions, but you are not taking Roland. You can have a doctor look over him, I'm telling you he's fine."

"Fine, I will have a doctor look over him." Roland was perfectly fine and answered all their questions. He grudgingly had no cause to take him especially when his grandfather weighed in on the matter concerning Roland. They sat by Henry's bedside afterwards with an appointment to visit the social worker tomorrow to resolve the matter. And that was only after he made them take a blood alcohol test and a drug test. They called Zelena to take Roland home and visited with Shadow a bit before a sympathetic nurse moved them both into the same room.

"What are you doing?" Emma asked waking up. She stretched and looked at Henry's vitals. Everything was steady. Someone had even come in and unhooked him from the machine that helped clean his blood of alcohol. His face seemed to have some color returning to it.

"Hacking child protective services, I wanted to know if the doctor reported us over childhood injuries or that fucking nurse downstairs."

"Regina no, we can't go all evil on him yet, we have to think about Henry," Emma pleaded.

"I know, don't worry I'm holding off and it was that bitch you know. She said his medical records looked suspicious. And also I was worried that someone broke in and forced Henry to drink, but the security system only noticed Henry in the house, and security cams have him going into the fridge for the beer, I can only reason he took the other stuff too. Also Maleficent said only his finger prints were on the bottle. No instructions to do this on his phone or computer."

"Knowing that doesn't make me feel better, did he mean to kill himself or hurt himself?"

"I don't think so," Regina told her. She showed her a video. "From his phone." He was jumping on his bed having a good time and already drunk. "I don't think he realized what kind of damage he could do to himself or that he was over drinking." Emma frowned. Emma's alarm went off. She looked at it.

"Fuck we have to get to that social worker, who's going to stay with him, I'm almost afraid if I leave, they'll take him away or worse he won't wake up too."

"Not a chance, I got two nurses on the day shift looking for an extra pay day to keep me informed on him and if any suspicious people come near him. Maleficent has decided to come and sit all day because baby Emma is getting used to being without her starting by her favorite thing to do hanging out with Red, who also has dog training to complete. Plus, she's intimidating as fuck and no one is getting pass her." Emma nodded, if Maleficent hadn't been trying to get to know Lily she didn't think for a second she wouldn't have started off scared of her. Sometimes she still scared her. They both stood up and kissed Henry and Shadow. Maleficent arrived as they were leaving. They thanked her before leaving as well.

"You get the dirt on the social work as well?" Emma asked.

"Of course, I have to make sure that if I can't do this legally that I can burn that son of a bitch." Emma nodded. They went to his office right away and he put them in separate rooms.

"Can we make this quick?" Regina asked him. He sat down and opened a notepad.

"Can you please describe how Henry's various injuries came about?" He asked her.

"He was cut out of Emma's stomach in Brazil and the Red Cross building was on fire. I don't really know what happen or how Emma got out, but Henry was left behind. I got lost from my hiking group and found my way there quicker because of the smoke. When I got there I heard him crying and then screaming really. He had just caught fire and the smoke was getting thick. I grabbed a blanket that hadn't lit up yet, and put him out before I ran out with him. The burn scar use to cover his entire arm. The natives put a special poultice on it until my group found me and helped us back to the cities. I paid for everything, and he's very lucky that, that's the only scar he has from that fire."

"Did you report that he was your child or Emma's?" He asked.

"I didn't know Emma, but yes I reported and yes she was looked for, but no one claimed him. So I spent two years legally in the country of Brazil. I even married a guy to stay so that I could adopt him. He was my foster son, and eventually I legally adopted him. Regina showed him on her phone the picture and article that went out. Legally under Hague regulations set up by the United States I was allowed to adopt him, and in any case since I was married and my husband at the time was a legal citizen of Brazil, we got priority."

"Do you have his adoption records?" He asked. "Where is his father?"

"We got a divorce, he fell in love with another woman, and wanted someone who could have children. He didn't realize that I couldn't when I wanted to get Henry. And we cut his parental rights when Henry was five years old and he didn't want to establish a relationship with him anymore. I'll have his adoption records faxed over."

"His medical records said he had the measles and ended up hospitalized. Did you vaccinate him the first time or pay a doctor to say you did?" Regina looked at him annoyed that he was trying to nit-pick for anything

"I vaccinated him on time, but as you know you get a second shot in case the first one doesn't work. We were in Los Angeles and I had delayed his second shot because he had gotten the flu, and he must have played with the kid from some anti-vaxxer because next thing I knew he had the measles and pneumonia. I can get a sworn statement from his pediatrician if you like?"

"I'll accept it as part of my investigation." Regina took a deep breath to calm herself. "And when did Henry break his arm?"

"Three years ago, we were in France meeting up with Emma this was before our arrangement. She was a bit immature back then and kind of scoffed at my rule about if we're having quality time, we should be more proactive in putting our phones away. So he decided to break the rules and was jumping on his bed without my knowledge. I only heard him fall and he was tangle up in his blankets with a chair over him. I took him to the hospital immediately."

"She accused you of child abuse then," He stated.

"She didn't know me then and her sole goal was to get Henry back. But the doctor kindly told her that, as per their policy they talked to Henry alone and concluded that he had broken his arm as we both said."

"And his broken leg?" He asked. "That was within the same year I believe."

"I suppose. It was Emma's birthday, they went out to have their first flying lesson together, I stayed home for that. And then the plane had engine trouble I guess, and they both barely made it out with their lives. He broke his leg when they hit the coral reef.

"I was unaware of any plane accidents around here."

"It didn't happen in Florida, it happened in the South Pacific. We were on Underworld," Regina replied.

"So you also take your child to criminal hide outs."

"Not a criminal hideout, all those people were pardoned and a lot of people bring their children to Underworld on vacation because of the amusement park that was there," Regina replied.

"Where did Henry go to school? My investigation so far turned up spotty attendance at a Florida school."

"He's been home schooled most of his life, he attended school on Underworld, which had been tested by New Zealand officials and found to be one of the top learning systems in the world on par with Finland. But then everything fell apart because of France, so I home schooled him again while we were in Maine, and he asked to come back here, so we moved again."

"You move a lot. "

"Not really, we traveled a lot before, but our home here is our main home for now."

"What kind of stability does Henry have without a home?"

"Plenty, he has a home with me, as I said our main home got destroyed and we have to start over yes and that's tragic, but there are a lot of refugees around the world that have that same problem."

"But even before that it seems you never spent too much time there."

"We spent a great deal of time there. Underworld wasn't a stationary island. So we were able to see a lot more of the world and learn a lot more than most kids about history and culture. This is ridiculous my son is very well educated, check his progress at his school if you haven't already he's in the top zero point sixteen percent of his class. So no I haven't been shirking on his education and while last night's performance doesn't say so, he's a very well behaved kid dealing with life right now. Life's not fair our home is gone, but he'll get through it because he has all the love and support he needs. And what he doesn't need is you going on some witch hunt for abuse that's not happening."

"That's why I have to get to the bottom of this and help him. What about Hunter she was shot, did one of your criminal friends do that or you?" He asked her.

"No, that was the French army, there were bullets flying everywhere, even I got shot. Henry and Emma got lucky. It's a miracle she's alive, but we were all having family dinner when that occurred."

"Her broken arm, she's barely two years old."

"I don't know what happened to her before she was in my care. She was on a boat with thirty others and half dead. One of our fishing boats pulled them up brought them to the island. It was mostly children and they were all fostered out to different homes. Henry, Emma, and I felt like we had a good family environment and since Underworld has no marriage requirements for adoption we decided to take her in. We think they escaped from a camp, because she was extremely filthy, she had worms, and rashes. It was all very tragic and it was all clearly documented, but she didn't have a break when we got her, and I'm surprised her arm healed correctly at all. She was only in our care for a few weeks when the French attacked. Look Henry's injuries are common place considering he jumped off his bed the one time, and was in a falling plane in another. You've got no case and I know for a fact that Emma and I tested negative on all counts of substance abuse. So here is what's going to happen, because I'm sick of answering these questions on your fishing expedition."

"Ms..." He started.

"No, we're done, I'm going to go wait by my son's bedside, my lawyer is going to talk to your boss, and you're going to leave us alone." Regina stood up and left out. She went to the room Emma was inside of and clearly fuming.

"Let's go, we'll leave them to the lawyers on their little witch hunt."

"Great, because she's pissing me off anyway," Emma told her. They both left and Regina saw her lawyers had already arrived.

"Assholes asked me if you broke his leg like you broke his arm, because of what I did in France. How do they even know about that?" Regina shrugged.

"I don't know, maybe they contacted the doctor." She adjusted her seat in Emma's car. It was too cramped for her tastes. "I'm just so done with this entire thing, we have too much to deal with concerning Henry's wellbeing already."

"So what do we do one of your famous disappearing acts?" Emma asked.

"No, because if anything happens to him again and we need the hospital we'll be on some secret list, they'll ask why we ran and then I have to possibly kill more people and it just gets messy with CPS. We're too far into this, I should have had him killed last night but I thought he would be reasonable and he wasn't he was just fishing. So I told the lawyers that they would do what they had too to block them from blocking our rights."

"You mean your rights, I have no rights because he was born in Brazil, that makes him a citizen there, and under Brazil law he was declared abandoned and adopted by a Brazilian citizen. The lady was very good at reminding me I had no real ground to stand on outside of Underworld, except I also didn't really have ground there." Regina frowned.

"I guess that's something we should talk about when we're settled," Regina told her.

"No, it's fine for now, you're the kind of person that needs an axe to protect herself. I'm sure you won't drop it unless we break up, but even then with Henry you won't drop it completely on my neck. But if we ever get married I expect things to change."

"If I die he's yours so you kind of have an axe as well," Regina told her. On one hand she felt a little bit ashamed that she needed that against Emma, on the other hand she got a bit of a warm fuzzy feeling that Emma knew her so well.

"I'm starting to really get this game of chess you play with everybody. Except I'm not really sure if you've been able to call checkmate on me yet." Emma glanced at her but Regina's face gave nothing away as she thought.

"No, not you, we're not exactly playing chess anymore and even before I never won. I got rid of a few pawns, and got rid of Lily the technical queen simply meaning she was coming at me from all directions, but I never really got you when we were rather at odds. Now it's more like we play on the same side." Emma couldn't help but smile. Back at the hospital they arrived just in time for the doctor to extubate him. He coughed, but didn't wake up.

"He should wake up in the next few minutes, but still be a little groggy. By cleaning his blood for him we took a lot of work off the liver, and his values have gone back down to normal. Depending on how he's feeling and another check. I think by tonight you can take him home provided he has no more problems."

"Oh thank God," Regina said as she felt like a huge knot just left her chest. Emma stopped looking like she would faint at any given moment. They spoke a few more minutes about him needing to probably rest a few more days before returning to school and good therapists in the area for pre-teens with emotional problems, drinking problems, or extreme depression. Neither of them wanted to think about that, but Regina took the list knowing that it was something that had to be addressed.

"Well I will leave you two, to handle this, Red is officially freaking out as Emma now has explosive diarrhea. The story of my entire life these days." Emma and Regina both made a face. "Yeah it's that bad, wait until she sends you pictures." Their phones beeped and they both looked before they both cried out in horror.

"Oh your gonna need the hose for that," Regina told her.

"It has to stop exploding or else it gets the hose again," Henry murmured.

"Oh Henry," They all groaned.

"Where am I?" He asked. He opened his eyes groggily. "My throat hurts." Emma poured him some water.

"You're in the hospital, and don't worry that's normal," Regina told him as she stroked his head. He accepted the water from Emma.

"How are you feeling?" Maleficent asked him.

"Like I got hit by a truck, you guys didn't have to take me to the hospital it was only a little alcohol," He grumbled.

"Only a little?" Emma repeated. "You had six beers and half a bottle of vodka, that's not a little for you, that's an extreme amount. You're lucky we came home when we did, you could have died last night." Now that he was okay Emma was very upset. Henry was about to reply when he vomited up his water. He had to be cleaned up, and Emma decided she would rather help Maleficent or she'd yell so much they really would think she abused Henry.

"I don't think I've ever seen Mom so mad," Henry commented sadly. "Why aren't you mad?"

"Oh I am furious Henry make no mistake, I'm just better at holding it in until we're home. And you almost killed yourself she has every right to be angry and I don't blame her for leaving. We're trying to raise you a certain way so that the conversation we'll all eventually have won't be so one sided. So it's better she left. The doctor said you can come home tonight if you are feeling fine."

"I wanna go home now, I don't like it here."

"We'll see if you can hold down water later and I'll think about asking for an early discharge." He nodded as her phone beeped. She kissed his forehead before taking the call outside. She came back in only a few minutes later and helped him to the bathroom where he peed more than enough to satisfy the nurse and give her a sample. He gave Shadow a kiss and stroked her head sadly.

"Where's Roland, I thought for sure he would be hanging onto you," Henry told her jealously.

"He's spending time with his sister since both Emma and I spent all night here by your bedside," Regina replied noting that obviously they had to talk about Roland. "Anyway we have a bigger problem, because we were here and I had to put this bitch nurse in her place, she called child protective services on us. I've agreed they can talk to you, so tell the truth, and we can finally clear this up with them. They already went on a fishing expedition with Emma and I trying to see if we both lied."

"You weren't even there though," Henry groaned. Regina nodded.

"Yes, and I might get a little shit for that," Regina groaned.

"I'm hungry," Henry told her.

"I'll see when lunch is around here." Regina stepped out to talk to a nurse.

"Oh he just missed it before he woke up, but I'll call down to the kitchen," She told her. Regina nodded.

"Thank you, we appreciate it." Regina went back in, and listened to Henry avoiding the subject of the last night and talking about school and Violet. Regina was fine with avoiding it, she just wanted to be done with these abuse allegations. It was three when the social worker, his boss, and her lawyers came in. She left out and watched them talk to Henry who got really annoyed with the social worker, who looked like he kept pushing until his boss put an end to it.

"You're cleared," He told Regina. "We will not be interfering with you and your son. But I do think you should talk to your son about your daughter's condition. Even though she may not be physically dead, you are all still grieving there is still a loss in the family if her vegetative state continues. She may never wake up and you may decide to discontinue feeding her. I can recommend a grief counsellor, she's use to dealing with children that lose parents, but I don't think this will be any different." Regina nodded.

"Thank you, I appreciate you not turning this into a witch hunt like your worker." He nodded and gave her the number of a doctor. Once they were gone and she thanked her lawyers. She went to the doctor to see about early discharge, except Henry threw up the first bite of his sandwich and there was a little blood so they decided to give him an endoscopy.

"You going to give me an enema too?" Henry asked worried.

"No an endoscopy they put the camera in your mouth," Regina explained.

"Is mom coming back too?" Henry asked worried.

"I have no doubt she's getting another speeding ticket right now," Regina told him. She was right about that as she saw the paper Emma stuffed in her pocket just as they were bringing in, Henry's sedation for the endoscopy. She gave him the extra reassurance he needed before he didn't fight them on the sedation.

"What happened?" Emma asked. "I thought you were asking for early release."

"I was, but he took one bite of his sandwich and waited with the nurse to see how it agreed with him and then he vomited up said sandwich and a little blood. Also we got rid of the social workers after they talked to Henry. The boss also recommended a grief counselor, so after we yell at him we have to talk about our feelings." Emma made a face. "I know, I know, but we're his parents and we have to suck it up."

"I barely deal with it myself, he'll lose hope that he can deal with it."

"But you deal with it," Regina told her. "We go on and that's important." Emma sighed.

"You can come in," The nurse told them. They went inside and saw Henry had a huge ulcer.

"My guess is, this was not his first time sneaking alcohol." They sighed. "We'll send you home with some antibiotics for the bacteria in his stomach and medication to reduce the acid in his stomach." They nodded. He was half asleep when they took him home. Regina yawned. Once they were home. They put Henry to bed.

"I dumped all the alcohol," Emma told her as she saw the empty bar when she came down from her shower. "I was so pissed off I dumped everything that was left and you should probably put clothes on, Roland will be back soon. Zelena said he's been a nightmare stealing sugar so we also have to deal with that. And she said we can ride out Lena's sugar high since we sent him there like that." Regina groaned. She had come down in a towel on purpose, but Emma proving to be the exact opposite of her. Regina liked sex when she was stressed out or upset it made her forget and focus on something else for a few minutes. Therefore, she relaxed, and Emma was the complete opposite it was the absolute last thing on her mind.

"Right," Regina said. "Can you make me a sandwich; I haven't eaten since the plane." Emma nodded.

"What kind?" Emma asked as she walked up the stairs.

"I honesty don't even care anymore," Regina told her feeling grumpy. She went back upstairs frowning as she angrily wondered if she had enough time to touch herself, but the doorbell was already being rung twenty times by most likely Roland, unless he was already unreasonable from lack of sleep. She heard the door open and crying.

"God damn it," Regina whispered as she finished getting dressed. "Just exactly what I needed after traveling over a day and not sleeping or eating for almost twenty-four hours." Regina seriously thought about locking her door and putting her headphones in and leaving Emma to it, but that would be cruel. She took a deep breath and went downstairs to see Zelena watching Emma struggle with Roland.

"I was going to leave Lena, but I think that would be cruel to you," Zelena told her. "But you do owe me a babysitting day."

"Yeah, that's fine, I will take her another day and overnight too, if you don't leave her here now," Regina told her.

"Done sis," Zelena grinned. "Got a hot new guy, I've been wanting to ask out anyway." Zelena left and Regina just went to her sandwich which wasn't made and Emma had been about to choose tuna.

"Ew," Regina murmured. Tuna was the last thing she wanted. She put it back and made a sandwich from some leftover chicken and opened a bag of chips. Emma fell as Roland ran around.

"A little help here please," Emma groaned as Roland stepped on her. Regina looked up from grabbing more chips.

"Oh you're doing fine Emma, you don't need me right now," Regina told her before eating her chips. She let Emma struggle for a few minutes before she made some warm pudding and mixed in some of Maleficent's bed time soup.

"Roland snack time," Regina called. He struggled away from Emma again who had just caught him. Emma was left holding his shirt in disbelief. He ran in and snatched the bowl from her. Emma came in and frowned.

"Regina what the hell, the last thing he needs is more sugar," Emma cried. Regina caught Roland and the bowl as he fell asleep.

"Come take him," Regina told her. Emma hurried over and took Roland.

"Good call," She told her. Regina nodded as she stored the pudding in the fridge out of Roland's reach. She finished her sandwich while Emma got Roland to bed. She looked around the kitchen and noted it was a mess and the living room was no longer any better.

"I just can't," Regina grumbled. "Just fuck it." She went upstairs to find Emma getting undressed. Regina frowned when she saw some light scars as usual that Emma hadn't said were from Lily but she was sure they were. She also frowned deeper when she realized she had never managed to get Emma completely naked. They never got past bra and panties.

"Oh Regina," Emma exclaimed running into their bathroom and closing the door quickly.

"Awesome," Regina whispered angrily. She apparently couldn't even look at Emma naked.

"I'm really sorry," Emma said coming back in a towel. "You don't have to see me naked don't worry. "

"Why would I worry?" Regina asked confused as she got in bed. "Is this a Lily thing again?" Emma blushed as if realizing for the first time that Regina might not feel the same way about her being naked.

"I'm sorry, it was such an automatic response I didn't even realize that I was assuming you were like her again." Regina forced a smile.

"So does that mean you'll drop the towel now?" Regina asked hopeful as she stood up on her knees. She got excited just feeling hopeful.

"Oh no, you haven't had sex in like almost two years now and I wouldn't want to tempt you when I know I'm not in the mood for sex. I'm not that cruel." Emma picked up her clothes.

"Yeah we're way past that by now," Regina said looking at her ass. "So past that." Emma blushed and walked backwards into the closet.

"Sorry." She put her clothes in the hamper and got dressed. Regina just waved her off she was too use to this familiar dance. She was not getting anything unless she gave it to herself and the one time she had tried to suggest that they see other people sexually that had ended in tears and Regina had blamed it on alcohol and pretended that Emma was the one who had brought it up and apparently liked the idea of Red when she was ready. She had hoped and crossed her fingers Emma might even just consider it when they were sober as she thought about why she had brought that up while drunk. But that had only ended in Emma going, you know I don't really want to try that right. It had crushed her inside, but she had kept a straight face. She had to stay strong for Emma, she wanted to take their relationship to the next level, she couldn't act like a kid and not have a serious relationship all her life. And she had to remember that Red and Maleficent were her best friends first and just sex later. What she wanted with Emma, she did not have with them, they had simply never quite progressed to that level.

"What are you thinking about?" Emma asked getting into bed too after her shower.

"Oh just what to do about Henry, I want to yell and scream and spank him, but he's obviously doing this for a reason and I don't want him to not talk to me. I don't know if he needs therapy or if we just need to talk about it as a family. Then there's Shadow herself. I feel like I should be at her bedside every moment of every day but that's just not possible, and I feel like we're being cruel and prolonging her life because we can't let her go. And I still have to find Robin or his father, and figure out what the fuck is going on there because we can't keep Roland forever, I mean we could, but he belongs with his dad. And fuck me, I don't even want to begin to tackle work." Regina let out a long breath and rubbed her face, she was so stressed out. She looked at Emma who was only in her fresh bra and panties. She looked at the ceiling instead and didn't add that she just really needed a good fuck so that everything didn't seem so overwhelming.

"Regina?" Emma asked tentatively.

"Hmm?" Regina asked as she was focusing on her breathing to release her stress and focus her mind on anything other than what she was not getting.

"You haven't cheated on me right?" Emma asked. "Because Lily cheated on me and I wanted sex even less after that." Regina turned to look at her seriously.

"Why are you asking me this today?" Regina asked her. "And to answer you, no I have not been with anyone else since Rose." Emma shrugged.

"Red and Maleficent are always asking me if I've slept with you yet, and the way they talk you use to get it every night and I just thought if they're still so willing, and you obviously want it. And you actually haven't even tried since before we went to France and took over. I know Henry has also been rather needy and sleeping between us despite his age, but I thought for sure you would try during the peace talks." Regina wanted to scream a little as she added relationship problems, as long as Emma didn't have a problem, she could pretend it was personal problem, she was struggling with waiting for sex.

"I was too distracted during the talks and France, but it wasn't because I was sneaking off with Mal or Red. Yes, I use to be able to get them to come over every night and yeah they'd probably still do me if I asked. But they've been very respectful of our relationship, and I have not asked. And I'm sorry I haven't been like putting in as much effort into our make out sessions, but you and I are complete opposites sometimes. You're stressed and the last thing you want is sex, I'm stressed and sex is literally in my top five things for stress relief."

"See that's why I had to ask," Emma told her. "Even if you didn't physically cheat, did you have sex with someone some other way, cybersex or texting or I don't know anything like that."

"No, I haven't," Regina told her. She had certainly been thinking about it to help relieve herself in a different way, but it was just going to have to be porn now whenever she found the time to watch that.

"Okay good, I just had to ask," Emma told her looking relieved. Regina nodded trying to not be hopeful that this was one of those truth moments that made Emma say okay we can try and really try. And just maybe she could enjoy an orgasm again. "Glad we could talk about this, now let's get some rest."

"Yes, right sleep, I haven't had that in almost a day," Regina replied. She lay back again, and Emma cuddled up to her. Regina just put her arms around her. Sex wasn't everything after all, the point of dating Emma was that they were supposed to also have an emotional connection as well, a strong one that wasn't based on lust.

"You're the best girlfriend ever giving me all the time I need and understanding that stress doesn't turn me on." Regina smiled at her

"I want us to have a healthy relationship, I think we've both had enough of the dysfunctional kind." Emma nodded.

"I agree too which is why I'm so glad you're so understanding about sex and when I get weird because all I've really got to know what's normal is that dysfunctionality."

"Well now you've got me," Regina told her seriously. She pulled Emma up so she could kiss her. She'd be lying to herself if she said she didn't want to tempt her. The kissing got more intense, but Emma pulled out of the kiss when Regina grabbed her ass.

"I'm really not in the mood," Emma told her.

"Well maybe we should try to put you in the mood," Regina suggested.

"How?" Emma asked curiously. "I can tell you now we can make out for over an hour and I'll still not be in the mood." Regina nodded as she thought.

"Fair enough, so we kick it up a notch, maybe we could watch por….or not, stupid idea, it's just a way some couples get in the mood," Regina told her. She already knew porn was not going to help her with Emma as soon as she started to say it as Emma had gotten a look of disgust.

"Ewww no, porn is extremely degrading towards women."

"Of course it is, how about dirty talk?" Regina suggested after a moment thinking that would get Emma fired up and it would certainly get to her.

"How does that work?" Emma asked sitting up so she was sitting on Regina.

"Well dirty talk is a range of things, on the lighter side you might call your partner a bitch, or a slut, or a dirty whore…." Emma started to make a face. "That's not all though, dirty talk without that is you might talk about a fantasy for example."

"Like what?" Emma asked. Regina looked thoughtful for a moment before she got excited.

"Like I'd tell you how I would go out to a bar and meet your eyes across the room. And you'd head towards the back and I'd follow you and maybe I'd find you out back in an alley and push you up against the wall and run my hands all over your body…." Regina ran her hands over Emma's thighs, but Emma stopped her.

"So you wanna rape me?" Emma asked alarmed.

"No, no, that's not what I meant, I'm just making things up from examples, okay?" Emma nodded, but looked a little unconvinced. "You know what fuck dirty talk who needs it, how about a nice bath sometimes a bath does it."

"No, I don't really wanna get wet again," Emma told her. Regina nodded.

"All I have left is for you to masturbate."

"In front of you?" Emma asked.

"God, I hope so," Regina told her as an alarmed look appeared on Emma's face. "But no you can go touch yourself in the bathroom. It doesn't have to be in front of me if you don't want." Emma twisted her mouth.

"I guess I could give it a try." Emma got off of her and went into the bathroom. Regina sat up thanking every God she knew. Regina was already thinking about the sex and how she was going to sleep better than a baby right after it. She already threw off her pants and shirt. Except then Emma was in the bathroom for thirty minutes so she teased herself a little to keep interested. It didn't take much but she had to stop herself she was looking for Emma to give her an orgasm after all.

"Emma?" Regina called. Emma came out of the bathroom.

"Sorry, I'm finally ready," Emma told her looking embarrassed.

"That's okay," Regina told her grabbing her hand and pulling her into her. She was on her knees in the bed as she pressed her body up against Emma's and kissed her deeply. Regina had to control herself and take it slow. She didn't want to go fast and end both of their fun. She was just moving her bra straps down when Henry called one of them.

'No, no, no, no, no,' Regina thought.

"Mommy!" Henry moaned. "My stomach is hurting, but I'm hungry." Regina pulled back.

"He's definitely calling you, he knows I can't cook him anything that won't hurt his stomach more."

"Well you stay here and keep that lovely mood, don't move." Emma nodded. Regina grabbed her robe and got out of bed. She went to Henry and gave him his medication and informed him about his ulcer and how as soon as they were all rested they were all having a very long chat with him. She went downstairs and made him a spinach omelette. He ate that happily and when it didn't come back up he was even happier. She kissed his forehead.

"Thanks mom," He said happy.

"You're welcome, try and get some sleep okay?" He nodded.

"Will you come back up and lay next to me?" He asked as she got to the door.

"Just for like ten minutes, but I kind of really need to just nap in my own bed today," Regina told him. He pouted but nodded. Regina took the plate back downstairs and came back up. She lay with him for ten minutes which turned to fifteen, but he at least went to sleep. She snuck out and was relieved when he didn't call her back. She went back to her own bedroom completely excited but saw Emma had fallen asleep. She sighed.

"Why do I fucking bother," Regina grumbled. She picked up her shirt and pants off the floor and just put them on as Henry woke up and called her again. If she didn't go, Emma would have to go, at least one of them should rest nicely without a kid foot in their back or stomach. She went back to Henry's room and stayed with him.

"At least you're happy for the moment," Regina told Henry seeing the content smile on his face in his sleep. She kissed his forehead. At Dinner though she was really regretting Henry's bed and thinking about buying him a bigger bed, but he'd gotten a smaller one saying they weren't staying Florida long. He didn't want to waste the money before they moved back to the island.

"Ooh yay it's pizza night," Emma grinned happily.

"I thought you might like that, too bad for Henry though, he can't have any of this." Henry was on the couch looking quite unhappy with his low fat cottage cheese next to some boiled chicken and rice and only a small amount. Roland was happily watching cartoons and eating pizza.

"Well since Emma is down here now, what the fuck were thinking drinking like that?" Regina asked him angry. Henry gulped. "And according to your ulcer this isn't the first time you've had a drink, how long has that been going on?"

"It was no big deal, I just had a little to drink."

"No big deal?" Emma asked him getting upset herself again. "You didn't have just a little drink of beer Henry, you put yourself in the hospital. You almost died here in your bed from choking on your own vomit."

"Not to mention my trust in you is broken, I can't believe I now have to lock the liquor cabinet since apparently you steal alcohol and drink it," Regina told him.

"No, we're no longer drinking anymore," Emma told her.

"We are?" Regina asked turning to look at Emma as if she just wanted them to be on the same page. Emma nodded.

"He could be an alcoholic, we should nip this in the bud now," Emma told her. Regina nodded as that made sense.

"Just checking but the bottle of scotch you did what with that?" Regina asked.

"I dumped it, all of it."

"Great, okay just making sure you didn't hide the thirty-five-year-old six-hundred-dollar bottle." She had found it tasted better than any other scotch she had tasted over thirty-five years. And she had wanted to get a little night cap in before bed that night. It was the only thing else that helped her body relax on short notice.

"Nope, I didn't want any alcohol in this house, from now on this is a dry house, Henry."

"And you're grounded for the next three months, you won't be enjoying anything with your friends," Regina told him as she returned her focus to her child. She could mourn her scotch later. "And we're going to go talk to a few people as soon as you're better about how alcohol changed their lives for the worst. Maybe that will help you put your life into perspective and see that becoming a binge drinking alcoholic, is not the way to solve your problems."

"Three months…." Henry cried.

"Henry you have a large bleeding ulcer in your stomach, you're lucky not to have a hole in your stomach right now!" Emma yelled. He looked down feeling ashamed, Emma rarely ever raised her voice at him. Henry knew he had really fucked up if Emma was also mad. Henry also looked at his stomach.

"Wait there's a hole in my stomach?" He asked afraid.

"Not yet, but if you continue down the road you're going we'll be taking you to the hospital for a hole in your stomach because you developed an infection and the acid in your stomach will burn all the rest of your organs." Regina didn't know if that last bit was true, but it scared Henry and that's what she was going for. He cried out and hurried over to her. Emma and her had moved into the living room and were now in front of Henry. Well she was now sitting in the big arm chair and Emma was standing. She patted him on the back.

"We're going to help you avoid that situation," Emma told him stroking his head. He looked at her.

"Promise?" Emma nodded. He vacated Regina's arms to get some comfort from Emma. She hated that he sometimes made a conscience effort to get comfort from her, but Emma was starting to realize it was rather unconscious, that he automatically went to Regina and not necessarily that he didn't want comfort from her. Sometimes when they were out, she watched how he just seemed automatically gravitate towards her and just as automatically her arms were around him stroking his head and he got a cute little content smile on his face.

"Am I grounded too?" Roland asked.

"Just your hard labor," Regina told him. "You need to learn to listen and no sweets for three months." He pouted, but nodded. She turned back to Henry. "Now how long have you been drinking?"

"Since we got to Maine, at first I just snuck a beer and it helped me sleep, but when I came here and you had to go away I told Violet. She helped me talk to Seth and we snuck out and drank every night in the barn. Everyone in sixth grade is doing it there now Violet just wanted to be cool, but I just wanted to forget everything. I don't have a home anymore and Shadow is never going to wake up. Sometimes I think it would be easier if she were dead, but then the thought of that just hurts me too. And I don't like the way Roland hangs on you so much like you're his mommies, but you're my mommies."

"They are my mommies," Roland told him pouting.

"Watch your cartoons," Emma told him. He pouted more, but turned back around.

"Henry home isn't always a place," Emma told him. "I spent my entire life without a home, and I understand more than anyone how that must feel for you. But right now I don't feel like I lost my home. Yes our physical home is gone, but the memories are still with us. And the thing that I learned about home is that the physical will come and go for many reasons. But I still have you and Regina, and you guys are my heart, and my home is where my heart is. We're what makes home, home, not the physical house itself."

"But what about Shadow?" Henry asked. "She was part of our family and she's not here."

"No, she's not, but Henry she is still part of our family in a coma or dead. That's why we didn't leave her in Maine. We all needed to be close by especially in case she woke up."

"But she's never going to wake up. I went to visit yesterday and the nurses didn't hear me coming back with my soda. They said she was a lost cause and we should pull the plug on her. Do you think that?" He looked at them both sadly. Regina sighed.

"No," Emma told him resolutely.

"I wish it were so easy for me to answer the same, but I don't know at this point Henry. Apart of me thinks like Emma, and another part of me thinks that maybe we are being a little selfish by keeping her alive. We don't know what her mental state will be at all if she did wake up and what kind of life we would be subjecting her too. And I wonder if that's fair to her to live a life where she might really be aware of her surroundings. Where she can't grow in body and mind. Death might be merciful for her and more peaceful."

"What's after death?" Henry asked. "Why is death preferable?"

"Depends on what you believe in, but most people believe that there's some version of heaven led by some version of God," Regina told him.

"What do you believe?" Henry asked them.

"I believe that there is something nice out there, but I can't take any major religion at face value, always with a grain or gram of salt," Emma told him.

"Yes, I think that's the way to put it, you and I we've traveled a lot of places and seen a lot of religions. But most believe that there's a place you get to go that's nice and I believe in that and it's possible to be reincarnated."

"Like in India," Henry said remembering. Regina nodded. "How do you get to heaven again?" He looked at them both. "What if Shadow isn't good enough for heaven?"

"All babies go to heaven, I think, but I know for sure Buddhist believe that there is a cycle of rebirth to facilitate your learning over several life times, and once you do that, you can enter their version of a peaceful after life. But generally babies, and children are considered innocent. But I like reincarnation believing that someone will be back comforts me," Regina told him.

"Is that why I'm Henry?" Regina smiled at him.

"Well I don't know if my dad's soul is also your soul, but my life is certainly empty without a Henry in my life." He smiled back at her and went back to her arms. He kissed her cheek. She stroked the side of his face.

"What about you mom, were you going to name me after someone who died?" He asked. Emma shook her head as she finally sat down across from them. Roland immediately took the spot in her empty arms to her surprise, he normally wanted Regina too.

"I didn't have a name picked out yet and for a really long time I didn't believe in anything after death or know anyone who had died except you. So I kind of avoided naming you, because then your death would be too real for me, but I can't imagine naming you anything other than Henry Daniel. Although Daniel wasn't on your father's grave, so where does that come from?" They all looked at Regina who looked as if she didn't want to say at first.

"The son I lost, I really wanted to name him Daniel, and I thought it was such a miracle that I found Henry, and Daniel just seemed fitting."

"I'm not your first son?" Henry asked surprised.

"Well you're my first living one," Regina told him.

"But what happened to him?" Henry asked sadly. "Why don't I have a brother?"

"I'm your brother," Roland grumbled sadly. Emma hugged him and whispered that Henry didn't mean to hurt him with his words.

"It was with your grandfather, I fell down the stairs when I was six months pregnant," Regina lied. Henry frowned and hugged her more.

"I'm sorry mom."

"It's okay, I have you now, and that gives me a lot of joy," Regina told him just hiding her grief. It was a rather traumatic memory.

"But you guys are sure that Shadow would be safe?" They nodded.

"She is a baby, so I don't have to wonder at all," Emma told him. "I know it's hard but you have to let yourself feel the grief now, eventually it will get easier to deal with from day to day. And no amount of drugs or alcohol will help you do that. It only numbs you to the world and harms your body."

"You aren't doing drugs too are you?" Regina asked. He'd had a toxicology screen, she knew he wasn't, but didn't mean he hadn't tried it somewhere or something."

"No, I didn't even try smoking on the island," Henry told her. Regina nodded.

"Good," They told him.

"Are we finally allowed to celebrate your birthday, just the family?" Regina asked. He nodded his head.

"But I only want one present," He told her. "And it's really important."

"What is it?" Regina asked.

"I think mom should have another baby with Dad, and then it won't be like Shadow ever left," Henry grinned as if that was the best idea ever. "We should let her go, so she doesn't have to suffer and then she can be reincarnated into the new baby."

"What?" They asked.

"Think about it," He told them. "You lost baby Daniel, but you felt better after you found me. And you lost me mom, but you said it was kind of therapeutic for you when you got to shop for baby stuff with me for Shadow. And then we got to love Shadow so you got to do some of the stuff you missed with me. So now I need a baby brother or sister to help me deal with the death of Shadow even though I also hope she'll be back in the baby you know."

"I'm here," Roland told him angrily.

"But you're not a baby Roland, we can already do the fun stuff, but I missed a big part of your life," Henry told him. Roland smiled and settled back no longer upset.

"Yeah, we need a baby," Roland agreed.

"Oh, but like Regina and I aren't even there yet in our relationship, work and children always comes first, we just kind of fell into that with Shadow, but I don't know that I would choose right now for us to just have a baby together," Emma told him seriously.

"But you already have us," Henry pointed out.

"That's different we both literally had you with the intention of being single mothers and now we co-parent because it's not fair to either of us to lose you. You're part of the deal on both sides if we want to be together romantically," Regina told him. "Doesn't mean you're ready to also add on another child."

"You know what I can solve this right now," Emma told them. "I can't physically carry a child anymore. It's really hard to get pregnant, but I'm sure I can't physically carry a baby after what happened to us. So problem solved no baby."

"Adoption?" Henry asked.

"The right way it takes years Henry and even then you're not guaranteed a baby, it could be someone Roland's age. For a baby we might be waiting forever," Regina told him. Henry frowned and thought for a long moment.

"Oh what am I doing I have two moms," Henry said to himself as he hit his forehead.

"You have the baby with Dad." Regina made a face.

"Eww like have a kid with his DNA." Henry frowned at Regina and gave her a look that said really. Emma couldn't help but laugh.

"What am I?" Henry asked her.

"Sorry I didn't mean it like that sweetheart. You definitely got like ninety percent of Emma's genes thankfully." She gave him a smile. "And any case I'm pretty sure my fertility is like ruined."

"What why, because of the fall?" Regina paused for a moment before nodding

"Yes, I'm sure that's it exactly," Regina told him. He frowned and picked up her phone. "What are you doing have you forgotten you were grounded?"

"No, I wanted to look something up on google, please." Regina unlocked it. He paced as he typed something and Regina brought pizza over.

"Oh I knew it you were totally lying," Henry accused Regina. She paused in eating her pizza. "Falling down the stairs does not cause infertility."

"I knew you shouldn't have let him look," Emma sighed. Regina nodded.

"And this says you don't even have to have sex with Dad that they can fertilize your eggs on a dish and then put them back inside of you."

"Henry, can you understand that the last time I was pregnant it was very traumatic for me?" Regina asked him. He nodded. "Can you also understand that Emma and I are still working on our relationship?" He nodded. "Can you understand that I don't want to have a baby fathered by Neal?" He shook his head no.

"I'm fathered by Neal, so what's the difference."

"I didn't have to do anything with Neal, I just can't Henry with your dad okay, I just can't. He's your dad, and that's perfect for you. But he's not someone that I would have wanted to have a kid with myself. He's just not for me."

"You hate me," Henry frowned.

"No, I don't, don't say that. I'm not getting pregnant like I said Emma and I have issues to work on to better our relationship and choosing to add the stress of a child when we can clearly abstain from it is insane." Regina just wanted to shudder at the stress she would put on herself just trying to get pregnant. If by some miracle she got pregnant she would be worried every day that something was going to happen, and if she made it through that part there was still the fact that she and Emma were not sleeping together. And she already knew how bad that could get, she had actually almost been willing a few times to sleep with her dead husband. A pregnancy would ruin them at this point in their lives.

"Issues what issues?" Henry asked. "Every time I turn around you're holding hands or kissing. It's almost weirder then when you both just hated each other."

"Just issues," Emma replied trying to hide her embarrassment but Henry picked up on it.

"Oh you mean because you never put the, don't come in, sign on your door anymore," Henry said. "Mom stuff." Emma sighed.

"Yeah that exactly," Emma grumbled as she blushed hard that even Henry had noticed they were not having sex. Regina just sighed and ate her pizza. She was not talking about her sex life with her twelve-year-old son and she couldn't do that with pizza in her mouth. Henry looked thoughtful for a moment.

"But wait are Aunty Male and Red sick and can't do Mom stuff anymore?" He asked alarmed thinking he had missed something. "Are you sick?" He looked at Regina very worried and making her choke on her pizza. Emma patted her back until her throat was cleared.

"Thank you," Regina told her as she sat back down and the look of concern slowly relaxed from her face.

"You can't have a baby because you're sick," Henry accused.

"Henry, I'm not sick okay, I'm in perfect health except for that baby issue which is a real thing," Regina told him.

"Then why don't Aunty Male and Red come over for dinner and then go into your room after I go to bed?"

"Because Emma's in there now," Regina told him. He looked confused.

"So Aunty Red and Male go in there together sometimes," He said as if that was normal. Regina placed a pillow over her face.

"Oh my god, you shouldn't know that," Regina cried into the pillow. When she looked up Henry just looked confused and Emma was just redder then a tomato, and Roland was trying to figure out what exactly they were talking about as he stole another slice of pizza.

"I don't get it," Henry told her seriously.

"Well you know we explained that sometimes mom stuff happens without people dating." He nodded. "Well that's what that was, and sometimes when people date they don't like to do mom stuff with other people while they're dating. It's considered really bad if that's what you agree on, but you do it anyway. So Aunty Male and Red don't do that anymore so that I can keep my promise to Emma to do mom stuff only with her."

"But you don't do mom stuff with Mom," He told her. "And I never heard Mom do mom stuff with anyone else and you could hear everything from her room." Emma blushed harder.

"I'm glad I never did," Emma murmured just quietly enough that they heard her.

"So are you sick Mom?" He asked turning on Emma. "From what I understood from our talk this is a very important thing in a relationship that as long as you're comfortable and with a consenting adult you should try to please your partner as part of a healthy relationship."

"Well I'm not comfortable Henry," Emma told him wishing she didn't have to defend herself to her son. "Lily hurt me, so we're working on it together. Regina and I are not sick, we're just being responsible adults and waiting until we're both consenting." Henry groaned.

"Well I don't want a birthday or celebrate Christmas or anyone else's birthday, until the birthday present is a baby. I'm taking my punishment to my room now." He grabbed his bowl of food and stomped up the stairs.

"Why do I feel like, I'm the one who just got in trouble?" Regina asked Emma.

"Because we refused to have a baby and he's a little bit spoiled," Emma replied. Regina groaned and sat back. "I know what book do we want to choose for his grounded reading."

"The Indian and the cupboard I think for one and Holes is also good," Regina commented.

"Agreed," Emma told her.

"You haven't read either of those have you?" Regina asked.

"No, I'll go to the library tomorrow morning," Emma told her. Regina nodded.

"What about me?" Roland asked.

"We'll pick out three for you since the books are a little shorter at the library tomorrow while you're at school okay?" Regina asked. He nodded happily before he ran back over to the television. Regina stood up feeling more tense and no longer hungry. She didn't want to think about Daniel and she just barely pushed those thoughts down. She had to do something to refocus her mind even just for a bit.

"I'm going for a run," Regina told Emma. Emma nodded. Regina went upstairs and changed. She told Henry she was going not that he answered her to show he was in fact quite upset by her refusal. She didn't feel bad about it though, a baby was a huge responsibility and Regina thought it would be a mistake if at right this second they had another one. Regina was sure their current problem would only get worse with looking after more kids and she would either break up with Emma or cheat on Emma first. She already had a high sex drive, and she already knew a pregnancy was the last thing that would help that. She kissed Emma goodbye and Roland when he insisted before she went out for her run. After a few kilometres she slowed down and looked to see where she was. It was a busy street with quite a few bars. She checked her phone case, she had stuck a fifty-dollar bill in, just in case. She went into the nearest bar and ignored the guys staring at her ass in her shorts or her chest in her sports bra.

"What will it be?" the bartender asked. Regina was about to ask about their best scotch when she remembered she was supposed to be sober for Henry.

"Just a water please with lemon," She sighed. He poured a glass of water and squeezed a lemon into it. He took two dollars out of her fifty and gave her back her change. Regina took her water to a corner seat to rest. She sighed sat back and watched people over her glass. Now that she was in her corner no one was really paying attention to her except for the few guys that wandered over asking to buy her a drink which she refused.

"I said no thanks, I'm with my friend now," A woman told a guy as she sat down with her glass of wine. "Thanks for meeting me here." Regina played along easily.

"No problem, I was nearby on my run when you called," Regina replied. "We can talk about Matthew all night." The guy sighed and walked away. They both rolled their eyes, another man's name always made men go away.

"Thank you for that, I'm Danni, and it's not short for Danielle," Danni introduced. They both laughed.

"I'm Regina," Regina introduced herself.

"Can I buy you a drink for saving me from that fool?" Danni asked.

"You could, but I'm supposed to be staying sober right now, my son got into some trouble, so his mom more than me decided we would all stop drinking together. And I want to lead by example so here I am with my lemon water."

"His mom?" Danni asked.

"Oh I adopted my son, and we reconnected with his birth mom, and now we're dating," Regina told her. Danni nodded.

"Oh what a crazy turn of events." Regina nodded. "Life is cool that way I guess. But I when I was looking for a way out I couldn't help but notice you didn't look exactly happy." Regina shrugged.

"I've got a lot of stressful events going on that's all and you know a drink at a bar might normally have done it."

"If I may, I own a massage parlour a few blocks from here. Well it's a whole spa thing, but if you want I could give you a massage free of charge tonight. You did do me a solid, he looked like the kind of guy that takes what he wants, and I didn't want to leave here alone tonight anyway."

"Oh no, no I couldn't end your night early," Regina told her.

"You wouldn't be, I've been here half an hour and I just wanted a glass of wine before I went back to my empty house," She told her. Regina nodded.

"Well I do really love massages; I haven't had time for a good one in a long time." Danni grinned.

"Then please allow me," Danni told her. Regina nodded and they both finished their drinks before they left together. The guy followed them about a block before he left them alone. Once he was gone Regina looked up Danni as she talked about her spa. Everything on the surface checked out about her. Plus, she was not bad to look at, she had blond hair like Emma's, but she had a thicker body which was not a bad thing in Regina's book, and she had brown eyes. They went inside her business and she turned on the lights.

"Very nice, and you found a good space," Regina complimented. She nodded with a smile. It wasn't the getaway kind of spa, but it was definitely a nice way to kill a few hours before going back home. They went in back and she showed her where she could change into a towel.

"There's a quick shower if you want, since you went for a run." Regina nodded.

"I think I would," Regina told her. Danni nodded and left her alone. She took a quick shower, dried herself and got dressed in a dry towel. She took her phone and folded workout clothes with her to the massage room where Danni had already set up some aroma therapy candles and tray full of oils. Regina picked out the sweet almond oil before she got on the table and lay down. Danni knocked before she came in.

"Hey ready?" Regina nodded. Soon Danni got started as they talked mostly about her. But half way through Regina realized she wasn't paying attention. It had been awhile since anyone other than Emma had really rubbed their hands over her body so Danni's touch felt great in multiply ways.

"Oh gosh, Regina you're really tense, I'm going to get the hot stones, now I'm really glad I ran into you tonight." Regina let out a deep breath. The right thing to do would be to stop the massage and go home, but Danni had magic hands. She ignored her sexual feelings as the massage just felt really good. And honestly she was thinking a deep tissue massage would take her mind right off the sexual feelings and right into bliss.

"Trust me you're well on your way to solving that problem," Regina told her. Soon she had hot stones and Danni pulled off one of the best deep tissue massages in her life. If this massage was followed by Maleficent in her bed she could just imagine how well she would sleep that night or any night. But in all honesty she realized, she just really wanted to be close to Emma in every way, and cuddle after and that, that would be the best sleep she ever got. Especially when preceded by a deep tissue massage, she seriously had zero ideas how she had ever gone through life without Danni being her only massage therapist, a girl could think she died and went straight to heaven.

"I don't even know how you don't have a bigger place, that was absolutely amazing," Regina complimented later as they left. "I'm going to tell my friends; they're going to love it as much as me." Danni grinned.

"Oh thank you, but don't, this place will be closed, we've got to move out, we don't have the money for the rent, and I couldn't find any investors to help build the business. They wouldn't even look at my proposal. And I'll be moving back to the Midwest with my mom."

"What, no finding someone who can do what you do on the massage table is like impossible," Regina cried. "You have to go see a friend of mine down at Castle investment. Just go in Monday morning first thing ask for my investment banker and don't leave until he sees you. Pitch him your spa idea, he'll listen."

"I don't know," She said.

"What can it hurt, do you really want to move back to Midwest with a failed business behind you, or do you want to know you gave it everything you had?" Regina asked as a black car appeared. "Monday first thing, Castle investment." Regina got in her black town car and went home.

"You were out awhile," Emma commented when she came into their room. She paused before going into the closet as Emma turned on the light.

"Yeah it was a really nice run," Regina commented before going into the closet and changing into clean panties and bra again. She found a pair of shorts and her new nightmare before Christmas shirt. She came out of the closet and hopped into bed. She kissed Emma, but Emma didn't really kiss her back.

"You smell like almonds and your extra not grumpy were you with another woman?" Emma asked upset. "And to think I dosed Henry and Roland with bed time soup so we can try." Regina sat back and was a little annoyed herself for even being hopeful. It wasn't going to happen, she knew that, so why didn't her body get that already.

"I wasn't, I stopped in a bar okay, but I remembered at the last minute we weren't drinking so I ordered a water and a lemon. Then I met this girl…" Emma started to look angry and get out of bed, but Regina stopped her. "Stop jumping to conclusions and listen." Emma sat back and crossed her arms. "She pretended to know me to get away from this guy and he was really creepy, so she was grateful for my help and said since she didn't want to walk out alone, to say thank you she wanted to give me a free massage. Her business was only a few blocks away and so I agreed since I have been extra tense lately. And there I got the best platonic massage of my life and nothing more that is all. I don't even know if she's gay or straight, I just know she worked her magic and I feel great and if you would allow me I just really want to fuck you."

"But you'll probably be thinking about her, tell me she wasn't hot?" Emma asked her.

"She was, but honestly her blond hair just made me think of you," Regina told her truthfully. "And I won't be thinking about her, I'll be too busy trying memorize every inch of you to think about her."

"You're such a player, you know that, you have corny lines," Emma told her.

"But the words have never been truer," Regina told her. She pulled Emma was so she was lying perpendicular to the bed and straddled her. She laced her fingers in Emma's above her head as she kissed her deeply before moving onto Emma's neck.

"Regina stop please; I don't want to anymore tonight." Regina stopped and unlaced her fingers from Emma's and just like that all the tension was back. She got off Emma and Emma quickly went to her side of the bed. "Can we just cuddle?"

"We can," Regina told her. Emma nodded and happily got back into her arms after turning out the light. Regina didn't sleep even half as well as she thought she might.

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