I had kind of a hard time writing this chapter, and I owe a lot of the content to my beta, who came up with the basic outline for me. I hope you enjoy the return of a favourite character we haven't seen in many chapters, and the closing of a couple plot holes. I love you all so much for the reviews, follows and favourites! They really drive me to keep writing, and I want to give you all snuggly hugs! Enjoy!

Regina came down the stairs, tugging at the sleeves of her turtleneck until they sat comfortably on her arms. She walked across the foyer and into the kitchen, sans the typical clacking of her stilettos; her feet were still far too sore to wear her usual heels for more than a couple of hours tops. Upon entering, she saw Henry sitting at the island counter, munching on a bowl of frosted mini-wheats. She smiled at him, walking over to place a kiss on his head.

"Morning, Mom. I already made you coffee." He smiled weakly up at her.

"Thank you, Henry. That was very sweet of you, but you know you don't have to keep trying to do everything for me. I'm not exactly crippled, dear," Regina said softly, taking a mug from the cabinet.

"I just wanna help. I don't know how to help make things better for you, 'cause you won't tell me. I'm sorry about ruining those shirts in the wash." He stared glumly down into his bowl.

The brunette felt her heart break a little at her son's admission, and she crossed to the island, leaning on it to get down to his eye level. "My dear Henry. You are so brave, and I am so lucky to have you as my little prince, but there are some battles that you can't fight."

"But, there has to be something I can do!" He stared into his mother's eyes with a look of stern determination.

Regina softened, smiling sadly back at him. "You already have, dear."

The boy cocked his head to the side, asking, "How?"

"By simply, simply being here, and being strong for me. The fact that you care at all has given me my own strength." She reached over and took Henry's hand, squeezing it.

"Of course I care..." He took a deep breath. "I know you're trying to change, even though you did some bad stuff. But...you're not entirely like that anymore, are you? Even though I knew that already...I really hated you for what you did to Emma. She didn't deserve that."

Regina looked away, unable to meet her son's gaze. "I know, Henry..."

He silenced her by squeezing her hand back. "I didn't think I could forgive you for that, and...I still kinda haven't. It just made me so mad." He stared intensely at his mother, his big, hazel eyes swirling with emotions Regina couldn't even begin to name. "But, it changed."

"How? I mean, I am glad that it did, but I thought that I had lost you forever."

"Man, sometimes you're as dumb as Emma, Mom." He smiled teasingly at her insulted look. "C'mon, you're Emma's True Love. She's the Savior! She can save your heart. And if you can be saved...you can't really be a bad guy forever, right?" Regina just nodded slightly, a look of hurt plastered across her face.

"Hey," he said, calling her attention back to him. "You're my mom too, y'know. And...I'm sorry for what I did. I didn't know what to do, and I was angry. Honestly, I think one of the reasons why I was as angry as I was, was 'cause I couldn't fully hate you. I've always loved you, Mom."

Regina wiped a tear from her eye. "I love you too, Henry. Always."

"How come you're crying?"

Regina laughed a little. "Sometimes, you're as dumb as your other mother, dear," she jokingly said, booping his nose when he made a face. "Sometimes mothers cry when they hear their children say such beautiful things. And sometimes they cry when they're so astonished at how grown up and mature their children have become."

"Aww, c'mon, Mom! Don't get all mushy and stuff on me! You're embarrassing me!"

"Oh really? In front of what audience am I embarrassing you, dear?"

"Ugh! You know what I mean." Henry's eyes flitted to the time blinking on the microwave. "Holy crap! I'm gonna be late!"

"Language, Henry," the brunette scolded.

"Er...darn, I'm gonna be late?"

"Better."

Henry slid off his chair, taking his bowl to the sink. Afterward, he walked over to his mother, and both knew what he was about to say. "Are you going to be okay, Mom?"

Regina placed another kiss on the crown of his head. "Yes, Henry. I will be okay. Now hurry up, and pay attention in your classes!"

"Bye, Mom." He hugged her tenderly, careful not to hurt her before dashing out of the kitchen to scoop up his bag and slip on his sneakers. A moment later she heard him call out one last good bye, and the front door clicked shut behind him.

Regina wasted no time in tracing his steps to the door, throwing the lock. One of her hands lingered on the knob, the other was pressed against the cool wood along side her forehead. She wondered if it would always be this way now. If her life would forever be defined by fear that she couldn't quite conquer, by weakness and powerlessness at the hands of a blonde she almost wished had never become a part of her life. Would she remain trapped on the new plane of damaged that she found herself roaming for the rest of her life? When will I be free?

It was shortly after noon, and Regina was in her study, working on a crossword puzzle to keep herself distracted, sipping on some constant comment tea - though she was sorely tempted to add a splash of whiskey to it. Soft jazz played throughout the room, the meandering melodies also helping to keep her mind from troubling thoughts or memories. She was writing in the answer for 13-down when a loud knocking sounded from the foyer.

Regina jumped, startled by the intruding noise, leaving a long slash of ink across her puzzle. The knocking sounded again. She took a steadying breath, setting her glasses aside. She strode somewhat cautiously to the door, and a third set of knocks greeted her ears.

"Who is it?" she called through the door.

"Just a friend," came a softly-accented male voice. Regina's expression immediately soured.

She flipped the lock, pulling open the door. "You're no friend of mine, Gold. What do you want?"

"Here I thought you had better manners, dearie. Perhaps I am simply concerned with your wellbeing?"

Regina let out a disbelieving laugh. "The only person you harbor any concern for in this town is yourself."

"Yes, but after all of our history together, your majesty, I would be remiss if I didn't come to see how you're doing after your last...encounter with the sheriff."

"I'm perfectly fine. That woman may have harmed my body, but that's all the damage that she'll ever be able to do."

Gold chuckled, placing both of his hands atop his cane, which stood directly in front of him. "Regina...We both know that you can be a really bad liar." Regina glared at him, her upper lip twitching. "Had any bad dreams, dearie? Seen a figure from the past? Feeling a little...mad?"

"I have no idea what you're talking about," she spat.

"My, my. Those bruises look rather painful. Curious, considering how long it's been since you first received them. Why, it looks as if you got them yesterday."

Regina's eyes narrowed. "What do you mean?"

Gold's smirk only widened, clearly enjoying his cat and mouse game. "You're smart, Regina. Surely you can figure this little puzzle out."

The mayor had no stomach for the imp's cryptic games. She stepped backward, beginning to swing the door shut, but the tip of a cane jammed its path. "Remove your little stick at once, or so help me I will call Sheriff Nolan," she growled at the man.

"True Love, dearie!" He plastered on the greasy grin of his that she loathed.

"What?"

"How does the phrase usually go? Ah, yes. People do crazy things for love. What people don't know is just how crazy one can get when a rift - more like a chasm - comes between someone and their True Love."

"That woman is not my True Love!" The mayor's temper flared, and it almost felt like having her magic back.

Gold merely chuckled at her denial. "We both know there was only one way to break that Sleeping Curse, Regina. Deny it all you want, dearie, but I know that it was your kiss that woke dear Emma."

The brunette's face was contorted into an ugly mask of fury, and the expression coupled with her silence only made Gold's smirk broader. "Why am I affected by this?"

"Whatever do you mean?"

"Don't play coy with me, Gold. Why is this happening to me and not to others?"

"I'll make you a deal, dearie." Regina's jaw clenched furiously when she heard those words. "You admit your connection to Ms Swan, and I'll answer your question."

"Why do you care? What do you get out of it?"

"Let's just say...I'm a fan of True Love."

"That answer isn't good enough for me! What's in it for you?"

"I offered you a deal, Regina. And the terms of that deal grant you the answer to only one, very specific inquiry. The true question is, just how badly do you want to know?"

Regina's lips were pursed tightly, and she regarded the man standing so casually on her porch, smiling patiently, waiting for her answer. Much to his delight, she relented, just like all other times in their murky past. Some things just never change.

"Fine. I'll admit that I have some...feelings for Miss Swan that aren't classified under hate or loathing." Gold blinked once, silently conveying his need for more. "I might have some vaguely-romantic inclinations toward the woman," she gritted out through clenched teeth.

"That wasn't so hard, now was it?"

"Answer my question, imp!"

"I see you still have the ability to make demands like a queen, your majesty. And I, your humble servant, shall comply." The brunette rolled her eyes at his simpering statement. "The curse that you cast...it stole our happy endings, yes? So why hasn't half of Storybrooke gone crazy from being torn from their True Loves?"

"Yes. Why haven't they? Why are David and Mary Margaret still sane? Or Cinderella and her prince...before they got together again, that is. Or the dwarf and his fairy?"

"The answer to that is quite simple, dearie. Those loves...they were all born and nurtured back in our world. Their romances were not formed in this realm, and so are, in a sense, protected. You, and your sheriff, on the other hand, well, whatever has happened between you two-"

"It happened in this realm." Regina finished quietly.

"Precisely. If I were you, I'd get a move on, before Henry has lost both of his mothers to madness."

"Both?"

"True Love is a bridge between two individuals, Regina. You cannot sever one without the other. Your madness is her madness."

"I've heard enough," she snapped.

"Yes, I daresay you have. Good day, your majesty." He hadn't even fully descended the porch steps when he heard the door and lock slamming behind him. He smiled to himself, having successfully planted the seed in the Queen's mind.

Regina stormed through the mansion to her study, positively fuming with fury. Before she knew it, she had pulled the crystal stopper from the decanter of cider at the mini-bar. She lifted the weighty container, ready to pour herself a deep glass of liquor, when the tape she and Henry placed on it caught her eye.

She glared at the little marker, as if hoping that her own sheer force of will would make the thing go away. Her urge to drink in order to abate her emotional turmoil was strong, but the need to do right by the son she adored was stronger - but only just, after her interaction with Rumplestiltskin.

She gripped the decanter so tightly that her fingertips turned white, and the cider inside sloshed around a little. "He thought he had me backed into a corner," she said to the empty room. Only the soft tones of her music responded. "He thought he found a way to trick me into admitting a truth I kept hidden." She smiled to herself. "The joke is on you, Rumplestiltskin. I don't love her, nor will I ever!"

She set the crystal bottle down, but refused to remove her hand from it. She was ashamed of the fact that even if she couldn't ingest the liquor, just being so close to it felt grounding. "I'm sorry, Henry... I'm just not strong enough right now." She squeezed her eyes shut, and heard the echo of his voice crawling to the forefront of her mind.

Honestly, I think one of the reasons why I was as angry as I was, was 'cause I couldn't fully hate you. "No," she whispered, but her voice shook. I've always loved you, Mom. "No!" she said more firmly. "It's...It's not like that with us! That's not the way I feel about her!" She was no longer sure whom she was trying to convince of her disdain for the blonde, but the only thing that mattered to her was the fact that she wasn't doing a very good job of it.

"She has given me every reason to hate her! She's taken my power, my security, my trust and confidence! And left nothing but pain in my body and heart in her wake of chaos. The only thing she's managed to fail to rip from me is my son!"

Pain in your heart? asked the little voice inside her head.

"I thought I could... No. It doesn't matter what I thought. What matters is that I don't like her!"

Yet, you still cannot find it within yourself to hate her. Curious really. I wonder why that is?

"It doesn't matter why I don't hate her!" she snapped out loud.

Why always matters. What is it about her that prevents you truly hating her?

"Enough. Go back to whatever shady corner of my mind you've crawled from, and be silent once more!"

Is it her loyalty?

"Quiet!" She clenched her fists at her temples, eyes shut tight in frustration.

Or the way that she somehow manages to help you, even though you never asked?

"I said enough!"

Perhaps it's her beauty that has you so disarmed?

"Do not think me so shallow! Now leave me be!"

How could we forget, though, that there is no singular way to sum up one's love for another.

"I DO NOT LOVE EMMA SWAN!" the brunette bellowed, whirling around, scooping up the decanter and hurling it into the fireplace where it exploded in a brilliant array of golden droplets and hundreds of sharp, glittering shards.

She heard one last whispered word before silence occupied her mind.

Liar.

Again, a HUGE thanks to my best beta, Jasmine, for giving me a lot of much-needed help this time! She would also like you to know that she's opened her talented self up for prompts as well, and you can send them to her on her Tumblr at obligatory-regal-name. tumblr. com and you can find me at Writers-Dilemma. tumblr. com