once again, i am so sorry for the ridiculous wait... hopefully i'll be able to update more often now that i'm done my classes. i have one final to take next week and then i graduate on sunday, so after that i should have way more free time!

just so you know, this is a loooong chapter. there was no good place to split it, so i kept it as one. i hope you have a bit a free time to read this now :)

Regina knocked on the room at Granny's that Neal was staying at. She took a deep breath before plastering on a smile when Neal opened the door.

"Hey! C'mon in. Henry is just brushing his teeth. He should be out in a minute." He stood back and allowed her to walk in.

"Great. Thanks for taking him last night."

"No problem. He's been pretty quiet. Is everything alright?" Neal raised his eyebrow.

Regina studied the room around her as she debated her next words. He would find out eventually, just as the rest of the town would. But if she told Neal, he would tell his father. She certainly did not want to deal with Gold trying to play daddy and grandpa any time soon. She sighed as she settled on a lie. "Yeah, everything is fine. I'm afraid it's been a bit difficult for me to keep my promise to not use magic. We had a little argument."

"Ah. That I understand."

"Because of your father." Regina said simply.

Neal smiled. "Because of our father. He is trying his best to stop using magic too, you know. I realize it's not easy and you both are having difficulties."

"I suppose the apple doesn't fall far from the tree." Regina sighed before sitting herself on the couch.

Neal moved to sit next to her. "I talked to the therapist the other day. Dr. Hopper?" He waited for Regina to nod. "He said that magic for some is an addiction. Once you start down that path, it is incredibly difficult to step off it without help."

"So Gold and I should form a Magic Anonymous club?" Regina interrupted.

He shook his head. "No. I'm trying to tell you that I'm here for you. If you feel the urge to use magic, you can always talk to me. I get that you have been avoiding me because you don't want to deal with all the crap that comes with being the Dark One's daughter, but you still have me." Regina looked away guiltily as he continued. "I'm staying in town for my son, but I'm also staying for you. Because whether you like it or not, we are family. And I am willing to wait as long as it takes until you are ready to let me in."

Regina looked up at him again and gave him a thankful smile. She was saved from responding by Henry, who came out of the bathroom. He gave her a quick greeting and she watched him grab his shoes and put them on. Once he was done, he gave Neal a hug.

"Thanks for letting me stay over, dad."

"No problem, kid. Be good alright? I'll see you soon." Neal handed him his backpack.

Henry nodded as Regina stood. The three walked to the door and Neal held it open for them. Regina paused as she passed him. "Why don't you come over for dinner tomorrow night? You can tell me about Rumple before he was the Dark One. Is six o'clock okay?"

Neal's face lit up with a smile that reminded her so much of Henry. Now she knew where he got that look from. "Sounds good. I'll see you then."

Henry looked excited as Neal shut the door behind them. "So does this mean my whole family gets to be together?"

Regina felt her heart swell as she realized that Henry still thought she was part of his family. She reasoned that he wouldn't think that if he was still really mad at her. She also realized that she probably should have asked Emma if it was okay to invite Neal to dinner. She sighed before deciding that her house guest could go out to dinner with her mother or Ruby if she really didn't want to be around her ex.

Henry looked around when he realized that Regina was not leading him home, but next door. "Are we going to Granny's?"

"Yes. And then we are going to do whatever you want to do. Today, it's just the two of us. How does that sound?"

He grinned. "Awesome! Does this mean I can have ice cream for dinner?"

Regina groaned. "If it's what you really want."

Henry nearly bounced into the diner with excitement. He almost tripped Ruby, who was carrying a large tray of food. Regina put her arm around his shoulder to steady him as she led them to a booth. Once they sat down and ordered, he looked at her. "Is this because of..." He trailed off as he glanced at her stomach.

She leaned forward slightly. "It's part of the reason. I want you to know that you are still my son, Henry. Nothing will change that; not Emma Swan, not this baby, not anything. I'm always going to love you no matter what. And besides, we haven't had a day with just the two of us in a long time."

Henry gave her a timid smile. "I missed our days."

"Me too, sweetie."

Ruby brought them their drinks a moment later. She gave Regina friendly smile before asking Henry how school was going. Granny called her a moment later, so she excused herself and went into the kitchen.

Henry looked hesitant as he played with the handle on his mug of hot chocolate. Regina reached over to squeeze his hand. "How about after breakfast we can go to your castle and you can ask me anything you want? If you'll allow me in your castle, of course."

His face scrunched into a thoughtful look and he nodded. Regina couldn't help but feel nervous at what questions he was likely coming up with, but she tried to shake the feeling off. She would be honest with her son.

She managed to distract him by convincing him to talk about school and some friends that he was making. Much to her dismay, one of them was Jefferson's daughter, but she was happy that he was making friends. He explained the cool things he saw at the science fair and she laughed when he described how one of the volcanoes exploded all over the teacher.

Once they were done with their food, Regina paid and followed Henry outside. He grabbed her hand and nearly pulled her to his castle. She sat next to him on the small platform and braced herself for the multitude of questions she knew was coming.

"Did you know Aurora? From Sleeping Beauty?"

Regina blinked. She expected questions about Killian and the baby first, not questions about the Enchanted Forest. She shook her head. "No, but I knew Maleficent. She was my best friend."

"She cursed Aurora to fall into the enchanted sleep when she touched the spindle, right? And she was a dragon?"

"Right. Mal taught me how to make that potion so I could... curse Snow. She also showed me how to be a shapeshifter."

"Cool. Can you shapeshift into anything?"

"Anything I want." She grinned.

He grinned back. "Can any magical person shapeshift?"

"No, it's pretty rare. Most of the time the ability to shapeshift is natural, like for werewolves, and sometimes others can learn how to change. It takes a lot of practice and it is incredibly difficult. But once you master it, changing is easy."

"So you, Ruby, and Maleficent can change. Can Gold?"

"He always said that people were afraid of his true form so he had no reason to change into someone else. He could get everything that he wanted because he was the Dark One."

"Oh. Your mom can change too, right? Like she did when she pretended to kill Archie?"

Regina stiffened slightly at the reminder. "Yes. She has always been very good at shifting into someone or something else when she needs to."

Henry seemed to sense her lack of comfort with the subject, so he didn't push further. He was quiet for a moment while he looked at the forest around them. "Is Captain Hook going to move in with us once the baby is born?"

"How would you feel about that?"

"I dunno. He's cool and everything, but..." He trailed off.

Regina put her fingers under his chin and pulled him to look at her. "But what? You can talk to me, Henry." She said softly.

"Well my brother or sister gets to grow up with their dad. We both have an awesome mom, but Hook is always going to be there for them too. I wish... I wish he could be my dad too." Henry stared at his hands.

"Oh Henry."

He interrupted her. "I like Neal, I do. But he and my mom are never going to be a family, at least not like you and Hook."

"Henry." Regina waited for him to look at her. He looked guilty for voicing his thoughts so she gave him a soft smile. "Neal and Emma both love you very much. Even if they aren't together, they are always there for you. And so is Killian. I know he would be delighted to do things with you. In fact, you could show him how to play baseball or something."

They both laughed at the thought of the pirate trying to learn how to play a very foreign sport.

"This baby is not replacing you, Henry. You are still my son. You are most certainly a part of my family, including Killian and your little brother or sister."

"So can Killian be like my stepdad? I already have two moms, so why not two dads?" Henry smiled.

Regina laughed. "Absolutely. I'm sure he will be very happy to be your stepdad."

"Is he ever going to be my actual stepdad?" Henry asked curiously. He smiled at Regina's look of surprise.

"I don't know. We need to deal with my mother before anything happens. Perhaps once she is dealt with, Killian can move in. After that... I don't know. But for now, we have to deal with Cora."

"Okay. Can I help paint the nursery?"

"Of course you can."

"Can we start today? We can pick out the paint now!" Henry said excitedly. "Will Hook be upset if we get it without him?"

Regina smiled. "No, he won't. I'll send him pictures so he can help us too. Let's go back to the house and get my car, alright? Then we can go to the hardware store."

Henry gave her a big smile. They walked home quietly back to the Mills Manor, where Regina grabbed her car keys and met Henry in the car. She drove them to the town's only hardware store and parked in front. Henry rushed to get out of the car and she chuckled as he disappeared into the store ahead of her. She walked to the isle that held the paint colors. Henry was already studying them. He picked one up and showed it to her. "What about this one?"

Regina studied the color with a smile. It was a bright blue, similar to the shade in his room. "What if I have a girl?"

Henry scrunched his face and looked at the color again. "Girls can like blue." He shrugged and put the card back.

Regina picked up a pale yellow card. "How about this?"

He shook his head. "No way."

After a few minutes of browsing, Regina's eyes settled on a light green color. She smiled and held it up. Henry nodded instantly. "Perfect! It reminds me of an apple."

Regina laughed as she thought about the nickname she and Killian gave to their baby. She sent a picture of the color to him. "It is perfect."

Killian responded a moment later. 'Green apple paint for our little Apple. I love it'

They asked one of the workers for a gallon of the paint and waited for her to complete the order. Henry was excitedly explaining all the things that he was going to teach his brother or sister as they grabbed the necessary tools to paint. It only took a few minutes for the girl to hand the paint over. They brought their things to the cashier and paid. Henry insisted on carrying the can out to the car. The drive back was filled with him asking questions about what the baby's room was going to be like. They brought their things into the house and into the guest bedroom that was to be turned into the nursery.

Regina flicked her fingers and the furniture disappeared. She grabbed newspapers to place on the ground and showed Henry how to tape near the woodwork. Both of them changed into older clothing in case the painting got messy.

They finished the first wall and Regina stepped back. "It looks good. Let's take a break for lunch."

Henry nodded and they went downstairs into the kitchen. They both washed their hands and Regina started to make sandwiches for them.

Henry sat at the island. "Mom?"

"Yes, sweetheart?"

"Well my birthday is coming up and I have an idea of what I want."

"Is that so?" Regina asked with a smile. "And what would that be?"

"A trip to Disney World with you, Hook, Emma, and Neal." He gave her a hopeful smile.

Regina paused to look at him. "Disney World? In Florida?"

Henry nodded. "Yeah. It would be really fun! Plus you can take a break from your mom for awhile."

"I don't know, Henry."

"Please, mom? I really want to go."

"We will see, okay?"

"Okay. It could be really good bonding before the baby comes." Henry tried one last time.

Regina gave him a look as she realized what he was trying to do. She slid his plate over to him and poured them both glasses of apple cider. "What do you want to do later?"

"Can we go to see Hook? He said he would take me sailing again."

"Sounds good. I'll text him and let him know that we are coming over." Regina picked up her phone and texted Killian.

They finished lunch quietly and headed back upstairs to finish painting. Much to their surprise, it didn't take them long to finish the room. Henry gave Regina a look and accused her of using magic to hurry it along when he wasn't looking. She laughed and denied using any magic. The two of them changed into clean clothes and washed any extra paint off of them.

Henry waited patiently for her downstairs and opened the door for her when she stepped off the stairs. She wrapped her arms around his shoulders and together they walked to the marina. Henry grabbed her hand and they stepped past the barrier. Killian was waiting for them. He was leaning up against the side of the ship when they entered, but he stood up when he saw them. He gave Henry a high five. "Ready to sail, mate?"

Henry saluted him. "Aye, aye Captain!"

Killian smiled. "Good form, lad!"

"Thanks!" Henry glanced at his mother. "Can I go explore the ship?"

"Absolutely." Killian responded.

Henry grinned and disappeared below the deck. Killian waited a moment before pulling Regina into his arms and kissing her. She wrapped her arms around his neck and deepened the kiss, before pressing a soft kiss to his lips and resting their foreheads together.

"Hi." She said breathlessly. "How are you?"

"Better now that you're here, love. I'm guessing things are better with Henry?"

"Yes. He helped me paint the nursery." She pulled out her phone to show him a picture of the completed room.

"It looks fantastic. So he isn't mad at you?"

"No. He was upset that Apple will grow up with both of us as a family, but his parents aren't together. He wants you to be his honorary father."

Killian raised his eyebrows. "Really?"

"Mmhmm." She hummed.

"Wow. I'd love that."

"Good, because he is already asking when you are going to be his actual stepdad." Regina grinned.

He laughed. "And what did you tell him?"

"That we had to deal with my mother first." She answered. She tilted her head back so she could study his face. "What are you thinking?"

"Well-"

Henry joined them on the deck and interrupted Killian with an excited, "Mom!"

Regina let go of Killian, but he kept his arm wrapped around her. "Yes, Henry?" She asked with a smile.

"This ship is awesome! Captain, can we go sailing now?"

"We can. Do you remember what I showed you last time?"

Henry nodded proudly and moved to the wheel. Killian let go of her to join him, but she pulled him back. "Don't think you are getting out of telling me what you were thinking."

"I wouldn't dream of it, love." Killian pressed his lips to hers. "C'mon, I'll show you how to sail." He grabbed her hand and pulled her to the upper deck, where Henry was eagerly waiting.

"This is so cool! First I learn how to dance like a prince and then I get to sail a pirate ship! Grace is going to be so jealous!"

Regina and Killian laughed. He nodded. "Indeed she will. Let's adjust the sails."

Regina waved her hand and instantly the sails were adjusted, the ship was untied from the dock, and the anchor was lifted. "We are ready to go."

Killian gave her a look. "That's cheating, love."

"She cheated when we painted the nursery, too." Henry pointed out.

"It's not cheating." Regina defended.

"If you say so." Killian teased. He turned to Henry. "I'll put her out of the port and once we are on the open seas, you can sail, alright?"

"Okay." Henry nodded.

Killian expertly brought the ship out of Storybrooke's marina. As soon as he knew they were clear, he stepped back so Henry could take over. Regina looked a little nervous, so he pulled her into his arms. "Relax, love. He's a fast learner. He will be fine. I'm quite confident that the two of us can stop anything bad from happening."

Regina leaned against him and they watched as Henry steered. She rested her head against his chest and sighed happily.

Eventually, Henry convinced her to sail the ship so Killian showed her how. She picked it up quite quickly and she steered for a while before Killian decided it was time to bring the Jolly Roger back to the port. He and Henry hopped off to tie the ship back to the docks before Killian helped Regina onto the dock.

"Thank you, kind sir." She said teasingly.

Killian mockingly bowed in response. "It is my honor, Your Majesty."

They turned to see Henry grinning from ear to ear. Regina blushed and looked down.

"Where are you off to now?" Killian asked.

Henry looked at his mom. "Can we go to Granny's again for dinner?"

"Yes, we can." Regina responded with a smile.

"Can Hook come too?" He asked.

Regina looked at Killian, giving him the chance to decide for himself. He hesitated. "I would love to, but I don't want to take the chance that Cora might see us."

"What if we got the food to go and we ate it in the park?" Henry suggested.

"That's a good idea." Regina said as she thought about it.

Henry turned to Killian again. "So will you come with us then?"

"Sure. I'll meet you there in a few."

Regina nodded, understanding his reluctance to be seen together while Cora was around. Since the time she caught him at the manor, they had been much more careful about seeing each other in public. While she knew that she could handle herself against her mother, Killian was doing everything he could to prevent Cora from laying a hand on her, even if it meant that they could only see each other at night or when her mother left. She gave Killian a quick kiss before she and Henry started walking to the diner.

The usually busy diner was relatively quiet, so Granny looked up when they entered. She greeted the mother/son duo and pointed at the counter for them to sit. Regina followed her gaze as she looked at Ruby, who seemed to be flirting with one of the customers. The older woman rolled her eyes and Regina smiled. She asked for her regular -minus the coffee- and Henry wanted a burger and fries.

"Coming right up." Granny gave them a kind smile. She looked at her granddaughter again. "Ruby! Get back to work." She barked.

Ruby rolled her eyes and moved over to clean the next table. It was clear that she was still talking to the customer as she worked. Henry leaned closer. "Who is she talking to?"

"I don't know." Regina answered. He looked familiar, but she couldn't place him without seeing his face first.

The bell above the door rang as Killian walked in. He gave her a slight nod and sat on the far side of the counter. Granny moved over to talk to him and he ordered his dinner to go as they had. Henry looked around as Ruby's friend stood up. He pulled on Regina's sleeve as he finally saw the mystery man's face. Regina turned to face him and bit her lip to keep from laughing as she realized who it was.

Her lieutenant blushed furiously at being caught by his boss. She gave him a sweet smile. "Hello Zane. How are you?"

"Fine, Your Majesty. Hello Henry." He replied quietly in an uncharacteristic moment of nervousness. He glanced over at Killian, who was scrolling through his phone. Zane gave Regina a curious look and stuck his hands in his pockets. "What are you two up to?"

"We are spending the whole day together like we used to." Henry replied happily.

"Sounds like fun."

Henry nodded.

Zane grinned before turning to Regina. "I'd like to talk to you tomorrow, if that's all right. I think we have some business to handle."

Regina frowned. "Is everything alright?"

"Yes, it's nothing to worry about. But you told me to check in with you."

She nodded. "Right. That sounds fine. You can come over at any time."

"I was actually hoping you would join me for a walk instead. Perhaps in the morning?" Zane raised his eyebrow.

Realization crossed her face as she figured that Zane didn't want to talk business with her mother around. "That would be lovely."

He nodded and gave Henry a friendly smile. "Perfect. I'll see you guys later." He waved at Ruby again before leaving the diner.

Granny placed their food on the counter in front of them and Regina paid her. "Have a good night."

The older woman smiled and nodded. "You too dear."

Henry waved and grabbed the bag of food before pulling Regina out the door with him. They walked to the small park and set their stuff on one of the picnic tables.

"I think your lieutenant has a crush on Ruby." Henry said matter of factly.

"Really? And why do you think that?" Regina asked with a smile.

"Well I see him at the diner a lot. Last night, he and Ruby took a walk together after her shift. I saw because I was at my dad's room in Granny's. And his face got all red like he was embarrassed when he saw you."

"I think you're right, Henry."

"We should have Operation... Red." Henry looked thoughtful. "Yeah, red as in Red Riding Hood or the color of love. Will you help me set them up?"

Regina laughed. "I don't think they need any help, sweetheart. They will figure it out on their own."

"Yeah, but we should help them figure it out faster!" Henry turned as Killian finally joined them. He waved at the pirate before the older man kissed Regina and sat next to her. "Captain, will you help me with Operation Red?"

"What's Operation Red?"

"We are going to convince Ruby and Lieutenant Zane that they belong together! Maybe we can start with the scene from 101 Dalmatians! Do you think we could borrow Pongo and another dog?" Henry said quickly.

Killian looked confused at the movie reference, but he smiled. "Ruby and Zane? It is that obvious now?"

Regina turned to look at him. "You've known about their little flirtation?"

He nodded. "It gets kind of boring when you aren't free, so sometimes I go on the rooftops and watch people. Recently, the two of them have been talking little walks together. They are very secretive about it though. It's... kind of cute. How did you know?"

"I know Zane better than anyone else. He was the only officer at the palace that hadn't known Queen Eva, so he was loyal to me. I trusted him, so we got to know each other pretty well. I figured that he had feelings for Ruby, but I wasn't sure until Henry and I saw them flirting." Regina grinned.

"Which is why we need to help them! Will you help me, Hook? Please?" Henry gave Killian his best puppy dog eyes.

The pirate tried to resist, but ended up sighing in defeat. Regina laughed as he replied. "Alright, lad. What's the plan?"

Henry grinned from ear to ear and they spent the rest of the dinner throwing ideas back and forth. Regina gave them a few ideas, but she was content on sitting back and listening to them. After a few over the top suggestions, she laughed and shook her head. "How about we just set up a romantic dinner for them?"

The two boys went silent as they thought it over. They looked at each other and nodded seriously. Henry looked at her again. "How can we do it?"

"Well, I could send Zane on a mission and we could sneak into his home and make the dinner for him. Somehow, we can get Ruby over there and surprise them."

"He is living in one of the homes that you created for your army, right?" Killian asked.

"Right. He has a private apartment because of his status. It's at the edge of town, so no one will see us sneak in."

"That's perfect! Can we do it the night after tomorrow?" Henry asked.

"Sure."

"Awesome!" He said. "Can I go on the swings for a bit please?"

Regina sighed before nodding. "Sure, sweetheart."

Henry grinned as he ran to the nearby playground. Killian pulled Regina closer and kissed her forehead. She pulled her legs across his lap and leaned into him.

"Neal wants to talk about our father. I invited him over for dinner tomorrow." She answered his unasked question.

"Are you nervous?" He asked quietly.

"Not really. I'm just not ready for things to change, I guess. I've been avoiding him and Rumple because I don't want to deal with them being part of my family. It's stupid." She sighed.

Killian shook his head. "No, it isn't. You grew up as an only child. It's just been you and Henry for the last eleven years. Now you have a father and a brother that is a couple hundred years older than you. It's different, and I can't blame you for not wanting to deal with it."

Regina chuckled. "It is different. I keep forgetting that Neal is much older than I am. He looks so young. Do you think Emma has realized how old he is yet?"

He laughed. "Probably not. So he was a couple hundred years old and she was what, eighteen, when they met?"

"Something like that. Although I suppose that I can't judge. After all, you are older than Neal."

"True..." Killian said slowly. "But I look damn good for my age, don't I?" He winked.

Regina laughed before pressing her lips to his. "Yes, you certainly do."

They leaned back and watched Henry run around the playground. After he tired of the swings, he pulled his wooden swords from his backpack and handed one expectantly to Killian. The pirate took it and joined him by the slide, where they battled for control of the castle. Regina laughed and pulled out her phone to record the sight. She sighed as she watched them -her boys- act as if they were a family. It warmed her heart watching them fool around together. Regina had always known that Killian was going to be a wonderful father and moments like this proved that to her.

Her phone vibrated with the arrival of a new text and she opened it. It was Emma, wondering where they were. She felt slightly guilty for forgetting to tell her houseguest where she and Henry were going, but she was surprised it had taken the blonde this long to ask her. She assumed the Sheriff had just gotten home from work. She answered with a short explanation and a promise to return home soon. Regina watched Killian dramatically fall to the ground as Henry cried in victory and climbed to the top of the playground.

Killian pretended to be holding on for dear life after Henry 'stabbed' him. He looked up at her and winked. "M'lady, please. Help a poor pirate out."

Regina smiled as she stood and walked over to him. "And how might I save you? You've lost so much blood already."

"True Love's Kiss!" Henry shouted from his place above.

She pretended to think about it for a moment. "Could it work? Could it truly save this dashing pirate?"

"There's only one way to find out, love. And soon, please." Killian said with a smile.

Regina smirked as she kissed him. Killian sat up quickly and pulled her closer as he kissed her fiercely. Henry cheered and made his way down the slide to join them on the ground. Killian stood and helped Regina up.

"You did it!" Henry said enthusiastically.

They laughed. Killian nodded and wrapped his arm around Regina's waist. She smiled and pulled Henry to her side. "You've become quite the knight, Henry. I'm proud of you."

Henry's smile widened. "Thanks, mom. Now I just have to learn how to ride a horse! Will you come with me next time I go to the stables so I can show you my steed? I think I'm almost ready to ride."

"I'd love to. Perhaps we can go tomorrow."

"Yeah!" Henry shouted. He tired to cover a yawn, but was not successful.

Regina smiled. "Why don't we get you home before Emma comes looking for us?"

"Okay." Henry said dejectedly. "Bye, Hook."

Killed looked surprised as the boy wrapped his arms around his waist. He returned the hug, and ruffled his hair. "Bye, Henry. Be good for your mom, alright?"

"Of course! I'll wait over there, mom." He said before grabbing the wooden swords and his bag.

"He's quite perceptive, isn't he?" Killian asked as he watched him run.

Regina nodded. "Yes, he is."

He turned to give her a light kiss. "He's going to fall asleep the second you get home."

"He's usually pretty good about fighting it. He might last ten minutes."

The pirate laughed. "That's quite possible. He seems to be doing much better than last night. I think today was a wonderful idea."

Regina nodded. "It was. I'm glad he isn't mad. He is going to be a wonderful older brother."

"He will. And speaking of older brothers, when are you going to tell Neal that he is going to be an uncle?" Killian smiled as she glared at him.

"I don't know. Tomorrow, I guess. Secrets don't last long in this town and its going to be obvious soon enough. I suppose I'll have to tell Gold soon, too."

Killian raised his eyebrows. "If he doesn't hate me enough already, just wait until he finds out that I got his daughter pregnant." He winked.

Regina laughed. "I can't wait to see the look on his face. It will be one more thing to look forward to after my mother is gone."

He nodded. "Yes, it will. We can tell him together."

"I can't wait." Regina kissed him. She glanced at Henry, who was leading against a tree, struggling to stay awake. Killian followed her gaze and laughed.

"I'll let you go now. I'll talk to you later. Be safe, love."

Regina nodded. "I love you."

"I love you too." Killian gave her a goodbye kiss and walked in the direction of his ship.

She headed over to Henry and wrapped her arm around his shoulders as they started to walk back to the house. It was clear that Henry was falling asleep by the way he kept his head down and allowed her to guide him home. By the time they reached the manor, he was leaning against her and she was trying not to laugh. She pushed open the door and helped Henry through it.

"Henry? Sweetheart, we are home." She said softly. There was no way she could carry her 11-year-old up the stairs to his bedroom.

He opened his eyes and nodded tiredly before giving her a hug goodnight and trudging up the stairs. Regina walked into the kitchen, where she found her mother and a very uncomfortable-looking Emma. Despite the fact both of them had been living in the same house for weeks, Emma still felt awkward being left alone with Cora. Usually, Regina and Emma return from their separate offices around the same time, so Emma's time with Cora was limited.

"Regina, how are you dear?" Cora said as she looked up from her spell book. "Did your day with Henry go well?"

"I'm fine. It went quite well. What are you two doing?" Regina said as she set her jacket down.

"Well, Emma insisted on cooking for us and I am reading up on some spells Rumple suggested." She answered.

Emma rolled her eyes as she stirred the pan. "I do know how to cook, you know."

"Mhmhm." Cora answered as she returned to her book.

Regina sighed as she leaned over to read the spells her mother was looking at. "What kind of spells?"

"Nothing horrible, Regina. Don't worry."

"Too late." She muttered. "What are you making, Emma?"

"It's called a tex mex dinner. It has rice, chicken, corn, and cheese. It's good, I swear." Emma insisted.

"Alright. I'm afraid that Henry and I already ate and he went straight to bed. But you can put whatever is leftover in the fridge." Regina smiled. She sat at the island next to her mother.

Emma gave her a look. "Of course you already ate. I made enough for a small army. And how is the kid already in bed? What did you do to him?"

"He had a long day. We did a lot today. And we painted the baby's room."

"Wow, already? What color is it?"

"I'm 12 weeks along, Emma. This is a good time to start preparing for the baby. Henry wanted to help, so we decided to do it today. And you can go ahead and see."

Cora looked up from her book to disappear in a puff of smoke. Emma rolled her eyes. "Make sure this doesn't burn for a moment, alright?"

Regina gave her a look before waving her off. Emma left to go upstairs and Regina stood to check on the food. She had to admit that despite Emma's lack of cooking skills, the meal did look and smell good. Cora returned to her seat a moment later and Emma walked into the kitchen shortly after her.

"It looks wonderful, dear." Cora said.

"Yeah, it's a nice color. Reminds me of-" Emma started.

"Apples?" Regina interrupted. She smiled. "That's what Henry and I said."

"Did the baby's father agree as well?" Cora said nonchalantly.

Regina paused before sighing. "Mother, I already told you that he doesn't matter. He isn't going to be in our lives."

"Are you sure, Regina? You never know when your past could come back to haunt you."

She scoffed. She certainly knew that. After all, she hadn't expected her mother to come back into her life.

Cora continued. "What if he wants to be in your child's life? You don't want another custody battle, do you?" She gave Emma a pointed look. "We could just get rid of him now."

"Mother, he isn't in the picture now and he isn't going to be. You don't need to worry about him."

"He already is part of your life, Regina. You can't just pretend he doesn't exist."

"And why is that?"

"Why are you being so secretive? I'm not going to harm him unless you want me to."

Regina narrowed her eyes at her. "I doubt that. My child is safe, so there is nothing to worry about. Her father is not in the picture, end of story."

"Are you sure?" Cora pressed.

"Yes, mother! It was just a one night stand, alright? He means nothing and he certainly doesn't care about his child. Let it go!" Regina yelled. She took a deep breath and ran her fingers through her hair. She let her irritation show so Cora would think that she was angry with the father, not her.

Emma finished cooking and gave her a timid smile. "So, uh, her? It's a girl?"

Regina relaxed slightly and smiled. "I don't know for sure, but I have a feeling."

The blonde nodded. "I always knew Henry was a boy. I could just tell. Do you have any names picked out?"

"Not yet. But before I forget to tell you, I invited Neal to dinner tomorrow night."

"Are you kidding?" Emma gave her a look.

She shrugged. "I figured you could hang out with Ruby or your mother if you didn't want to be around him."

"Neal is Baelfire, correct?" Cora asked.

Regina nodded. "He wanted to talk about everything, so I just invited him over."

"And his mother is dead?"

"Yes. Rumple killed his wife Milah."

Emma coughed on her drink. Regina raised her eyebrow as Cora gave her an odd look. The blonde shook her head. "Milah, aka Hook's True Love, was Neal's mom? Are you kidding?"

"No, I'm not kidding. How do you know of her?"

"I saw Hook's tattoo when we were on the beanstalk. He told me about her. That's why he and Gold hate each other, isn't it?"

Regina nodded.

"The pirate stole Rumple's wife from him. She left her son to be a pirate and she paid for it with her life. Rumple did what any of us would do. The pirate will pay eventually as well." Cora said.

Regina paled slightly as she turned to Cora. "Mother, are you and Gold planning on killing Hook? Is that what you two have been up to lately?"

Cora misread Regina's worried look as concern for her. "Oh dear, don't worry about me. I can certainly protect myself from a lowly pirate. Rumple's plan is almost ready. We can rid the town of that bastard before he steals someone else's wife."

She looked horrified, and opened her mouth to speak before Emma interrupted. "He's not causing any harm here. He hasn't even tried to be near Gold for months. You can't just kill him."

"Of course we can, dear. I only needed him to get to Storybrooke. He should have been dead as soon as we landed here, but I decided to find my daughter first." She reached over to squeeze her daughter's hand.

"But if he hadn't stolen Milah, you never would have met Rumple. So technically, Regina wouldn't exist without him. You wouldn't be here, talking about your grandchild, without him. So as thanks, you should let him live." Emma knew she was grasping at straws, but she hoped the odd logic would convince Cora to leave him alone.

Cora gave her a look. Regina finally composed herself and gave her mother a sarcastic smile. "She is the Savior. She wouldn't be doing her job if she didn't try to save everyone, including the pirate. Unfortunately, if you kill anyone in the town, Snow and her dearest husband will force Henry to move back with them." Regina took a deep breath, not caring if she looked as desperate as she felt. "Please, mother. I don't want to lose Henry again. Hook is of no concern to us now."

Cora sighed. "I will ask Rumple to leave him alone."

Regina nodded. "Thank you. I'm going to the office for a bit. I have some things to do."

Emma gave her a look that said she was clearly not happy to be left with Cora again.

Her mother gave her a disapproving look. "Regina, you work far too much. It can't be good for the baby."

"I'm okay, Mother. I am the Mayor again. I have work to do. Running a town is not quite the same as running a kingdom. There is quite a bit more paperwork involved."

She was clearly not pleased, but she nodded her head anyways. Regina said goodbye to them and left. She stuck her hands in the pockets of her coat as she made her way to the marina. She stepped through the barrier on the Jolly Roger and called out Killian's name as she moved across the deck. He walked up the stairs and she quickly hugged him. He wrapped his arms around her with a confused look on his face.

"What are you doing here, love?"

"My mother-" Regina started. Killian pulled back to examine her face. She shook her head. "No, she didn't touch me. But she and Rumple were planning on killing you. They had a plan, and Emma and I managed to convince her to leave you alone, but what if she was lying? It wouldn't be the first time that she did that. I don't know if I could survive losing you, Killian."

Killian pulled her back into his arms and held her tightly. "Regina. It's okay, I'm not going anywhere. She isn't going to hurt me, okay? I'm pretty difficult to get rid of." He felt her laugh. He pulled her hair out of her face and rubbed her back comfortingly. "I'm going to be here for you and Apple. We are going to watch our little baby grow up together, and no one- not your mother or that crocodile - will get in the way of that, alright?"

She nodded and sniffed. "Please just be careful, Killian."

"I will, love. I'll be fine." He kissed the top of her head. "How long can you stay?"

"I told my mother I was at the office finishing up some paperwork."

"On a Saturday? And she believed you?"

Regina picked her head up and smiled. "She hasn't quite grasped the fact that I can have the weekends off if I finish all my paperwork."

"Good. Hopefully she won't realize any time soon." He grinned. He let go of her, but grabbed her hand.

"Where are we going?" She asked as he pulled her to the stairs. "I can't stay the night."

"I know that, love. But unless you would like to continue standing on the deck, we are going to my room."

"To?"

Killian gave her a look. "To lay down. Unless, of course, there's something else you'd rather do."

Regina laughed. "Laying down is fine. We need to talk anyways."

He paused as she sat down on the bed. He joined her and studied her face.

"It's not bad, I promise! What you said, earlier... about being Henry's stepfather? What were you going to say?"

Killian ran his fingers through his hair. "I love you, Regina. I want to spend the rest of my life with you. I was going to ask how you feel about marriage. I know that your first marriage didn't go well, but I just thought, or well maybe I didn't think about it. I just..." He mumbled nervously.

Regina just smiled and kissed him. "I want to spend the rest of my life with you too, Killian. As a family."

He looked surprised. "Does that mean you will marry me?"

"It means that I might be open to the suggestion. If you asked properly, of course." She bit her lip. "This isn't like my marriage to Leopold. In any possible way. I love you so much. I do want to be with you."

"Good." He pulled her closer to kiss her. "I promise that I will never treat you like he did. Ever. You mean the world to me. I will treat you like the queen that you are every single day that we are together, marriage or not."

"Killian..."

"Let me finish, love. I've spent the last 200 years wasting my life. I was too preoccupied with getting revenge that I didn't realize what I was missing out on. But you made me realize how much I want a family. I'm going to be a father and I have never been happier. I couldn't care less about the crocodile. For the first time in along time, I have a family again. I have you to thank for that, love. And I will do whatever it takes to make sure that you know how happy you make me."

"I do know, dear. Because you make me just as happy. Making Snow suffer.. it doesn't matter anymore. I know now that it's not going to make me happy. But you do. And for that, I am grateful." She smiled as he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her so they were both laying down."Do think that maybe our quests for revenge weren't a complete waste? They brought us together after all. If you hadn't gone to Neverland to figure out how to kill Rumple, you would been dead by now. If I hadn't want to get revenge on Snow, I wouldn't have cast this curse and we wouldn't be here now. I did a lot of things that I regret, but it gave me Henry, you, and Apple."

"I think you're right, love. It makes you think of things differently, doesn't it? Maybe all of the pain we went through brought us together."'

that last part was my favorite to write :) i hope you like it! feel free to let me know your thoughts in the reviews :)

the next person to review will be my 100th reviewer and i will try to write whatever prompt you give me! :D