A/N: Hi! Yes I am so very sorry for the rather long hiatus… life got in the way but I am back and this break has come to an end. I apologize for making you guys wait, and hope at least half of you are still around to read the story. Thank you!

After the previous night's conundrum with Gold, the late night shower tryst and the earlier time travel with Henry, Emma was successfully spent. The blonde awoke to cold deliciously scented sheets and looked around. Regina was not in sight.

After a much needed cold shower, she got ready to face yet another brand new day. Not much searching the mansion was needed, after a few minutes she found the former Mayor in her study. She was sitting on one of the couches determinedly focused on a single white candle that sat on the coffee table in front of her.

The neutrally colored candle intermittently flickered, one second the desired flame almost ignited and the next completely gone. Regina sighed frustrated, both fists tightly closed. At this Emma smiled from the door, the brunette had not even noticed her standing there.

"Easy there my favorite fire starter… it looks like you're going to burst" Emma joked lightly.

Regina closed her eyes and pinched the bridge of her nose.

"My magic is an absolute disaster right now, How am I supposed to keep Gold in check if it comes and goes as it damn pleases?!"

Emma walked towards her lover, and softly approached her.

"Hey… come on Regina, Don't you think you're being a little too hard on yourself?"

The blonde placed her hand on the brunette's back and sat next to her.

"I can't afford anything less Emma… I don't know what that imp is after, I must have my magic under control and successfully be one step ahead of him… I know how his mind works, as long as we're oblivious to his intentions we are not safe. Magic is all we have… or not."

"That bastard is not getting anywhere near you or Henry Regina I promise… Even if I have to kill him myself… Besides, he's behind bars and you said it yourself… he doesn't have magic either."

"If I have magic, malfunctioning or not… I am sure his must definitely be present too. I assume he is also having problems with it."

"Well… if he's having technical difficulties, that'll buy us some time to figure something out. I mean you said I have magic right? maybe I can help…"

The former queen raised her eyes and met the blonde's gaze.

"Magic is…"

"Complicated" Emma mused.

Regina softly shook her head.

"No… Magic takes a very unwavering kind of focus… I… It would simply take too long"

"But Regina I've obviously found that place before, I ...uh... got you pregnant didn't I?"

Regina scoffed, lightly rolled her eyes and smiled. Emma had a way, the simplest of ways to make everything go away even if for a few seconds.

"You're right princess… you most certainly did."

Emma placed both hands on her knees and sighed.

"I'm glad you found some humor in this… we may not know what Gold is up to, but I now know what our son is trying to do"

Regina's demeanor changed.

"What do you mean?"

"Let's say that now I know first hand why you freaked out when Gold told you about Henry's portal jumping thing"

"So eloquent dear… why? did he talk to you?"

"I wish it had only been a talk, he scared the crap out of me this morning…"

Regina's eyes widened as she grew impatient and more worried by the second.

"Why? What are you talking about?" She rolled her eyes and sighed "Please use your words"

"I walked in on him opening a time tear and jumped right after him"

"What?!"

"I know… it scared the shit out of me, the kid actually took us to the past… your past to be exact"

The brunette was now borderline having a heart attack.

"And you've chosen to only now tell me this?! Em-"

The younger woman quickly took Regina's hands.

"I know… look he's ok" She said softly. "I'm glad I was there, at least now I know what's going on inside him, Regina he's trying to change your past in order to prevent the horrible life you've had"

The older woman sighed and buried her face in her hands.

"Oh Emma…"

The blonde sympathized with her lover's worry and traced soothing circles on her back.

"I'm sorry I didn't wake you. You needed to rest and I've already talked to him… he promised me he would stop, though I'm not so sure he will… I think you need to talk to him, he's burdened by so much for a kid his age…"

The other woman ran her hand through her dark hair and closed her eyes.

"I know… and it's all my fault"

"Regina don't…"

"Emma he is! He's hurting, and it's all because of me"

The blonde placed her hand on Regina's chin and turned her face so their gazes would meet sincerely. The pain she saw within brown orbs simply broke her heart.

"There is no blame in this Regina… you are his mother, he adores you… and he simply doesn't want to see you in pain, haunted by your past. Look he's just a boy, in his innocence he's only being your knight in shining armor…"

"He's just a boy with magic beyond his years… You have absolutely no idea how dangerous it is to tamper with timelines…"

"He's actually amazing, I think we underestimate how together he has it… I am not condoning or justifying him doing this, but honestly… this kind of power cannot simply be given to someone who doesn't have the ability to understand it, he is made of magic Regina… he didn't learn it, it is his essence… besides, he's incredibly mature and understanding… I agree, I want him to stop doing this, but I honestly think it has to come from you…"

Regina faithfully listened to her lover's words letting them sink in, analyzing the absolute truth behind them.

"He told me he wants to find the moment your mother takes out her own heart"

Regina's eyes reddened and glazed with tears she did not try to stop from falling, and they indeed did fall.

"Ever since that morning after the curse broke I've seen this torment in your eyes… I've… I've noticed your behavior, I tried to push it to the back of my head… simply hoped it would pass, but Regina this is not you… and I believe our son has seen this pain in your eyes even before I knew he existed, he simply wants to make you truly happy… he wants to give you—"

"Peace…" Regina finished.

Emma furrowed her gentle brows into a sincere expression of pure empathy and sympathy, a soft grin and nod of agreement complimented it.

SQ

After her talk with Emma, Regina decided to take Henry out for a walk.

The afternoon was fresh, the signature smell of fresh rain lingered in the atmosphere as the brunette walked along her son. The bench under her beloved apple crisp was their destination.

Henry noticed the bench was still wet from the earlier rain fall. He swiftly took off the leather jacket his other mother had recently bought for him and placed it on the wooden object.

Regina smiled and caressed his blonde locks.

"Thank you my love…" The woman said with tenderness only he brought out of her.

Henry smiled and sat next to his mother. He looked to his folded hands and held his bow.

"Are you mad at me mamma?"

Regina placed her hand under his chin and brought his brown eyes to meet hers.

"Never…"

The brunette smiled sincerely and sighed.

"Henry I know your magic is simply amazing… not even if I tried my very best could I ever understand the magnitude of what is it to be you" The woman finished with a soft smile.

"I can only imagine how incredibly difficult it must be for you to be able to have access to a person's lifetime of happiness and pain by simply touching them, have access to their story… specially... mine."

Regina felt horribly ashamed that her son actually knew and felt with vivid clarity what she had done, who she had been.

"That is a truth that has been very hard for me to come to terms with, because this means you know very dark things that a child should never…"

Regina clenched her hands and closed her eyes. This was difficult, her jaw clenched and she swallowed. Saying these things out loud meant that her mind roamed through the peak moments of her past. Her mother's abuse, Leopold, the king who stole her innocence… a young bride who had to comply to her duties as a wife, the horrid blackness that this conjured within her… shaping her into a miserable adult who wanted nothing but to inflict pain… the pain that was inflicted to her and clung to each one of her corners.

"I just need you to know that… I am so so—"

Henry quickly took her hands.

"Mamma I always have known… that changes nothing, I love you no matter what, but the pain and sadness in your eyes… there's so much more now"

Regina's eyes shed two tears that rapidly raced each other on the free fall.

"That…" She let out a small laugh as she wiped them away. "My beautiful boy is because I have you… Henry the moment you were placed in my arms and I laid eyes on you, everything changed… you changed me and the thought of losing you was the very thing I dreaded most…"

He was fully and faithfully present with his mother; the boy squeezed her hand and smiled comfortingly, almost as if trying to help her convey the whirlwind of emotions that coursed through her being.

"This is not very easy for me to say to you, because you are my child, my sweet boy… but I am terrified, I feel so so very sorry you had to endure so much alone… I feel that it is my fault life was so cruel to you trying to punish me for the things I've done…" Regina finished as her voice broke and her mouth curled into a brief and honest pout.

"I'm so sorry Henry"

Henry's eyes were red rimmed and quickly glazed with tears that stung and fell, the boy wiped them with the long sleeve of his white shirt.

Regina embraced her son and kissed the top of his head as his cheek collided with her chest and she freely allowed more tears to fall.

Henry held her tightly his eyes closed, he gasped and they quickly opened them.

And that's when he saw her.

He felt her.

He smiled.

They parted and Regina oblivious to what her son had just seen behind his magical eyes seriously pierced his gaze.

"Now young man… I need you to promise me that you will stop the time travel…"

Henry beamed brightly and nodded, showcasing that smile that was almost identical to hers.

"I promise… I won't do it again" The boy promised with fresh excitement.

Regina furrowed her brows and smiled at his sudden change of mood.

And in that moment she saw a tall handsome blonde man in his late twenties, his shoulder length hair tucked behind one of his ears. His posture was effortlessly elegant, he buried his hands in his pockets, grinned at her and continued to walk.

Regina's breath was taken. He looked so very familiar, she didn't feel threatened; though she did notice a lingering sadness in him. Her mouth agape, she quickly broke out of the trance and furrowed her brows momentarily. Henry was completely unaware of it all.

The woman shook it off and held her son's hand and smiled.

"let's go home…"

SQ

Two weeks passed and they had been the best Regina had had in a very long time. She had been able to enjoy her family in a brand new way, she felt that for the first time in ages she could actually breathe easy and look forward to their future and still feel some sense of safety enveloping the actual contemplation.

That was until this morning of course, her lovely bubble had been shattered as she rushed to her bathroom falling on her knees and emptying the contents of her stomach into the toilet. Emma was laying in bed reading a book she quickly put down and ran to the brunette who was now almost embracing the bowl as she hovered above it. Emma furrowed her brows and fell to her knees too, she placed a few strands of brown locks behind her lover's ear.

Regina's hand tightly gripped on the edge of the toilet seat.

"Hey… are you ok?" Emma voiced softly.

Regina waited for the heaves to subside and nodded.

"It looks like your breakfast disagrees…" Emma said "Come on… why don't you wash your face while I get you some water…" The blonde said as she helped Regina up.

Emma left the bathroom and marched downstairs while Regina watched herself in the mirror after washing her face. In that instant, just like lightning it hit her… the brunette placed her hand on her stomach, thoughts of her earlier week's weakness and light headedness… that particular feeling she just now acknowledged.

Magic.

But it wasn't only hers… it was Emma's too.

The same exact magic she felt with… Henry.

"Oh my God…" She breathed out.

Once again thank you! I'd love to hear from you guys, so please review or contact me if you feel so inclined.