I hope this chapter doesn't seem too rushed. I had a lot of trouble with writer's block on this so it wasn't easy to write. The next chapter might be the last but don't worry. I'm already planning a third and final story to the series. Thank you so much for reviewing! Let me know what you think and I'll update soon!

Chapter 21 We Just Keep Going Forward

It was silent and tensed as Regina and Emma did the dishes. Emma washed while Regina dried and neither of them knew what to say to each other. Henry was taking a shower and now that the only buffer between them was gone, the atmosphere in the room was thick with so many unanswered questions… questions that desperately needed to be discussed.

Regina needed to know why Emma was doing this… why she was intent on being so nice to her and Emma… well she just wanted to know what was going on inside the brooding former Queen's head.

Clearly the depression was still there, Emma could see it in her eyes.

"Alright enough of this," Regina grumbled, throwing down the dishtowel on the counter. Emma's gaze snapped to the shorter woman in surprise. "Why are you doing this?"

"Doing what?"

"Why are you being so nice to me? All I wanted today was to lock myself up and stay in bed but you and Snow won't let me. Snow… I understand why she's doing this. Her intentions are clear but you… You hate me so why are you doing this?"

"I don't hate you Regina," Emma sighed as she turned off the water and dried her hands with a paper towel. She could see the intense emotions flickering in her eyes for just a second before the walls went up and Emma briefly wondered how Snow dealt with this… how she managed to pull Regina out from behind the distrustful mask she always protected herself with.

Well, Snow wasn't here and Emma needed Regina to know that she could trust her too and maybe things would be better between them.

"I told you before… I just want you to trust me emotionally."

Regina averted her eyes and slowly shook her head in disbelief for those words. Both of them had harbored so much hate and anger for each other. Why should she trust Emma now?

"You can pull me out of bed, you can distract me by getting me to make breakfast, and you could get Henry to spend time with me, but it won't make me trust you." Those words were said with so much venom and disdain. The depression that had occupied her dark eyes were now replaced with an emotionless gaze.

"Look, last night… I've never seen you like that before. I know you're heartbroken and that right now you feel like you're in the bottom of a dark hole that you can't get out of. I know what it's like to be hurt by the person you thought loved you. I just want to help you even if you can't trust me." Regina took a step forward, not caring that she was invading Emma's personal space. Anger was flashing in her dark brown eyes and her gaze was cold as ice.

"I don't need your help," she growled, her voice hushed in a threatening tone and with that she turned and regally headed for the door but the moment she pulled it open to leave, her walls came crashing down and all that remained was the hurt and pain.

Jason was standing there, his bruises looking no better than hers.

Emma watched from the door and she didn't have to see Regina's face to know the kind of emotions that were clouding her eyes. Just by her posture, she can tell she was shocked, scared, and even hurt. It was silent for a second and the couple didn't break eye contact until Jason nervously spoke.

"I figured you might be with Mary Margaret and when no one answered the door I thought maybe Emma might know where you were," he explained. She didn't say anything and he watched her pained expression become angry. She shook her head in disbelief and closed the door in his face.

How dare he! How could he think it was ok to show up like this without so much as a word before? He didn't even call her or come after her and he made her believe that he hated her and now here he was and she didn't even know if he was either going to stay with her or break her heart even more than he already had.

"Regina! What are you doing?" Emma exclaimed in disbelief the moment the door slammed closed and Regina turned to face her before storming off to her son's room without so much as a word. Emma sighed in annoyance for the Mayor's behavior and opened the front door once she heard Henry's bedroom door slam shut.

"Did you make your choice?" she asked him. He was still standing there but this time hurt and regret clouded his warm brown eyes. It hurt that Regina was angry at him and it hurt even more that it was because of him. He didn't mean to keep her waiting for so long. He just needed time to think and accept what he had seen last night.

"Yes, I did," he said softly.

"Are you going to hurt her?"

"No." His voice was full of genuine honesty and Emma knew he was telling the truth so she stepped aside and let him in.

"I'll talk to her," she said when she noticed him searching the room for his girl but of course Regina was nowhere to be found. She walked down the hall and was surprised that Henry's door was unlocked.

"Regina," she said, pushing it open and the sight before her was heartbreaking. Regina was lying on the twin bed with a freshly showered Henry curled into her side. The look in her eyes was distant as if she were somewhere else and her fingers absentmindedly played with Henry's own hand. He was talking to her, trying to get her to feel better and she suddenly felt like an outsider looking in. Regina's relationship with Henry would always be different no matter what Emma did and as much as she hated to admit it, she'd always be a tiny bit envious of her son's adoptive mother.

"Talk to him mom. It'll be ok. He loves you I just know it." He was so hopeful and so concern for her and Emma couldn't help but let out a small smile of pride. He really was a great kid.

"Henry," she said as she made her presence known. Regina didn't look at her and Emma could see she didn't want to talk.

"Yeah?"

"Could you give us a minute alone please?" He looked hesitant at first, looking between both of his mothers before finally nodding in agreement.

"Sure," he replied, getting up from the bed and before he left he looked at Regina.

"Just remember what I told you," he whispered before giving her a hug and finally leaving the room. It was a tensed silence and all they could hear was the door closing and Henry's footsteps down the hall. Regina remained sitting against the headboard but this time her arms were folded across her chest much like a pouting teenager and she still wouldn't meet Emma's gaze. She briefly wondered what Henry had told her but didn't question Regina. Whatever it was, it was between them. She sat on the bed and laid back against the headboard beside Regina. It was quiet and Emma waited for her to take the first word. After a while that seemed like forever, she finally spoke.

"He's going to leave me," she stated, her voice no higher than a whisper. Emma turned to look at her and she could see the fear in her eyes.

"You don't know that."

"He thinks I'm a freak. He's scared of me and he should be because I'm evil."

"No, no you're not… not anymore at least," Emma said harshly as she sat up to face her. Regina finally made eye contact but the walls were going up and she held the same defiance in her expression she always seemed to save for the sheriff. "Snow's right and I know I haven't exactly been supportive but you've changed and the fact that Jason fell in love with the real you, I know that he won't leave you. Talk to him."

"You think this is the real me?" she asked, her eyes suddenly hopeful and Emma could see the walls going down just a little.

"Yes, I do and I know that Jason loves you for who you are."

"He can still love me but it won't stop him from leaving me. What if my past is too much for him to accept?" The fear was shining in her eyes and the walls were crumbling down. Regina was letting her in emotionally and Emma couldn't help but give her a small smile. She took her hand and gave it a comforting squeeze.

"Well then you're just going have to go in there and find out."

Emma was right. She needed to talk to him. What Emma had told her and the genuine concern in her eyes had helped Regina to pull off the mask and let the other woman in. She now knew that Emma was only trying to help her and there was no personal gain involved. For the first time, she trusted her emotionally and it felt like a weight has been lifted off of her shoulders. Maybe things will be better between them and even better for Henry. Regina nodded and tried to gain her confidence. She could do this no matter how much she was hurting right now. Sensing her fear, Emma stood and held out her hand.

"Come on, you could do this."

Regina only hesitated for a second but she slowly took her hand and pulled herself up from the bed. All she could do now was hope that Jason wouldn't hurt her more than she already was. The words Henry had told her in confidence before Emma came in echoed in her head. He said she was strong and no matter what happens she'll survive because that's what she does but just in case, he was there for her if she fell. She didn't know how he got so smart but those words motivated her to face this and take on whatever fate had in store for her.

Jason was waiting nervously on the couch as Henry walked in. He needed to make sure this guy wasn't going to break his mom's heart. He sat next to him and gave his best intimidating glare, one that he had obviously picked up from Regina. He noticed the bruises too and wondered what had happened. All he knew was that Jason now knew about his mom's past and the secrets of Storybrooke but it didn't explain the bruises on both of their faces.

"Hey kid," he greeted him, noticing the glare. "I'm not here to hurt her."

"I know because you love her, right?"

"Yes, of course I do but…"

"You're having trouble accepting her past," Henry stated, sounding so much older than his twelve years of age. Jason nodded, shame filling his eyes and Henry understood how he was feeling. After all, he loved Regina before he discovered about who she was and what she had done. She was just mommy then and when he got his book of fairytales and started putting the pieces together, he found it so hard to believe that the mother he loved was actually the Evil Queen and the possibility that she was pretending to love him hurt more than anything. It broke his heart. He started pulling away from her and in response Regina tried everything she can to pull him closer which ultimately destroyed their crumbling relationship. He knew what Jason was feeling and he could tell that even if Jason loved her he was having trouble deciding if he could still love her knowing who she was and what she had done. He didn't want their relationship to crumble the way his and his mother's did.

"Did she ever tell you why our relationship got so bad?" he asked.

"She talked about it but she left out all the details," Jason replied in confusion, knowing there was more to the story.

"See Snow gave me this book…"

"Snow?"

"Snow White, she's my grandma but you know her as Mary Margaret."

"Mary Margaret?" He was so confused and then there was the fact that he was still processing that fairytales were real. "She's Regina's best friend. Doesn't the Evil Queen hate Snow White?"

"She's not the Evil Queen anymore and they made up. Anyway Snow gave me this book of fairytales…"

Jason listened intently to Henry's story and he was astonished that this boy knew exactly what he was feeling. He grew up believing Regina was just his mom and nothing more until that book was placed in his hands. Henry knew what it felt like to love someone with a past so big and dark and question if it was ok to love that person. Henry and Regina were still mending what they once had and the fact that Henry still loved her deeply he knew he could too which was why his eyes shined with nothing but love the moment Regina entered the hall. Emma was behind her and she smiled softly, noticing the way he was looking at the former Queen. Regina looked nervous and wouldn't meet his gaze but he kept looking at her, barely noticing Emma calling Henry and leaving the room.

It was quiet and he could see her getting uncomfortable. He slowly approached her, not at all liking the angry bruises on her face. He couldn't help put curse Spencer and his accomplices in his head.

He reached out and softly raised her chin so she would look at him. Even though he had come here to tell her he wasn't leaving her, he didn't fully believe that he could handle her past but after hearing Henry's story he knew without a doubt that they can work this out because he loved her and that was all that mattered. Her eyes were full of so much hurt, shame, and fear and it broke his heart to see her like this. It was then that he realized she must have thought he left her and he mentally berated himself for not calling her last night in reassurance.

"I should have called you to tell you I'm not going anywhere," he said softly and her eyes lit up with astonishment. She really thought this was it… that it was over and he was here to say goodbye. Luckily Henry was right. He loved her enough not leave her but the guilt for what she had done too was still eating away at her.

"I should have told you the truth sooner instead of making you fall in love with someone I wasn't."

"Hey, no," he said as he took her face in his hands, being careful not to put pressure on her bruises. "I fell in love with the exact same person you are now. I fell in love with you regardless of your past. I just needed time to think and process all this. I never meant to hurt you."

"I never meant to hurt you either," she whispered, not being able to stop the single tear from sliding down her cheek and Jason gently wiped it away with his thumb.

"How about we start over?" he asked.

"I've had too many of those Jason. How about instead, we just keep going forward." His lips were so close to hers and she hadn't even realized that he had closed the distance between them. The moment those words were out of her mouth he took her lips with his, kissing her with nothing but genuine true love.

How could he love her though knowing the things that she must have done? That question kept burning through her mind and she abruptly pulled away to meet his soft brown eyes.

"What's wrong?" he asked, noticing the anguished look in her eyes.

"I was evil Jason. How could you love someone who destroyed countless of lives… How do you think I earned the title of the Evil Queen?"

"That doesn't matter because that isn't who you are anymore. I fell in love with Regina… the girl behind the mask and I'll never leave you because of your past. I'm sorry that I made you doubt that even for a second. I love you Gina." All the pain that she felt suddenly became too much and she couldn't stop the rapid tears from sliding down her cheeks. For once in her life someone stayed and loved her for who she was. Jason pulled her into his embrace and did what no one but Snow and Henry had ever done, he just held her and he didn't let go.