A/N: Major angst warnings here, dealing with Daniel...

Regina sits in her car for a long moment, watching Daniel walk away. She can feel the dopey grin on her face at the memories of kissing Daniel again, of just drinking in his presence. The smile fades as she remembers what she's just done to Emma by even entertaining any thoughts of this going further with Daniel. Fighting the crush of guilty tears, she takes a deep breath and makes her way to her office. Stepping inside, she barely pays attention to the messages her secretary gives her and settles at her desk. Reminders of her life as it stands now come flooding back and she again wants to cry for what she's doing to Emma. She pulls out her phone and dials Emma's number, using her time waiting for Emma to answer to come up with a plan for what the hell she's going to do.

Emma is ripped from her game of darts, her accuracy thrown off by her missed lunch date, by her phone going off in her pocket. She pulls it out and smiles as the mayor's name shows. "Regina, hey, come up with a use for me?" She paces through the station to her office and puts her jacket on in anticipation.

"Oh, I have many uses for you, Emma dear," Regina replies with a chuckle, eyes closing at the sound of her lover's voice. "Turns out my meeting was canceled, but I still need your opinion on a couple of important city matters, if you have the time." She grins sheepishly as her stomach growls. "Can I possibly talk you into bringing me something to eat? Apparently I've been too distracted to eat."

Emma smiles into the receiver. "Not a problem, but no pie, I think you have a problem. What sounds good?" She scooped her keys and second badge up off her desk. She clips the tiny shield onto her belt and heads out of the station and into her cruiser.

Regina laughs at the pie comment. "I don't have a problem. I don't eat pie that often, Emma. But I would love a repeat of yesterday's lunch, if you don't mind? Grilled cheese with Swiss and tomato soup sounds really good right now." She won't admit it to Emma, but she needs the reminder of their life together before she does something so completely stupid as to contemplate dinner with Daniel, even thought she knows she can't resist. She can't meet up with Daniel again, can't entertain any further thoughts of him, not if she wants to keep her relationship with Emma. "And if I can't have pie, I want a chocolate shake. As thick and chocolaty as Ruby dares to make it."

Emma begins the drive to the diner, smiling at her lover's request. "Alright. Give me a few. I love you, see you shortly." She drops the call, eager to get to town hall. Emma pulls up to Granny's and pushes into the cafe.

Ruby beams and chews the end of her pen. "What can I get you Sheriff?" She can tell Emma is in a rush and doesn't even bother handing her a menu.

"Grilled cheese with Swiss, tomato soup, and your richest chocolate milkshake."

She grins in a lovesick manner and Ruby quips as she turns, "Love suits you, Swan." Her heels click as she pushes into the kitchen leaving Emma to roll her eyes.

Emma takes a seat at the bar and spins slightly on her stool tapping her fingers eagerly. After a few minutes Ruby returns, bags in hand, and after a quick exchange of cash, Emma returns to the car. She makes it quickly to the mayor's office and ignores the secretary's questions as she pushes the door to Regina's office open. Her hands shoot out to display her offering to the brunette who sits idly at her desk. Emma can't help but eye the woman's legs and lick her lips subtly. "Lunch?"

Regina licks her own lips as she takes in Emma standing in the doorway with her lunch, finding herself hard pressed to say whether she's salivating more over the food or her lover. "You are a goddess, Emma Swan," she says, standing quickly to meet Emma at the door. She presses a quick, hard kiss to the blonde's lips and grabs the food. Sitting on the couch, she removes the lid from the shake and digs into the bag for the spoon before taking a mouthful. "Mmm," she moans. "Not quite the pie, but it'll do."

Emma lets the kiss linger, even after the mayor has taken her seat, and then walks up behind her, setting firm strokes on her shoulders. "You've had a busy day then?" Her hands spend time going up the nape of Regina's neck, indexing the muscles there with her fingers. She leans down to place a kiss on the mayor's head, smiling as she devours the treat.

"Stressful is more apropos," Regina replies honestly, pausing to lean back into Emma's touch. "Sometimes I wish things were so very different." She finishes the shake with a sigh and holds her stomach. "Ugh! That was bigger than I expected it to be. I'm stuffed already." She tilts her head back to look up at Emma's face. "What did I do to deserve you?"

Emma dips down to kiss the mayor, the taste of chocolate and her lover causes a collective humming in her. Her hands slide down her lover's chest, but she pulls away with a teasing smile. "Besides letting me be able to do that on a whim?" She circles the couch and takes the open spot next to Regina. She leans in and traces her lover's jaw with small, soft kisses. "I love you."

Regina moans softly into the kiss, the sound morphing into a groan when Emma removes her hands. Her eyes follow Emma, tracking the woman's movements to the couch. "I love you, Emma," Regina whispers, tears filling her eyes as Emma peppers her face with kisses. She feels the guilt and shame as she remembers kissing Daniel, wanting more than that. She really doesn't know what to do at this point about Daniel. "Oh gods, I love you so much."

Sensing the mayor's tension, Emma takes the empty cup from Regina's hand and sets it on the table. She intently studies her lover's face as one hand clings to the brunette's thigh. Her other moves slowly to Regina's cheek, running her thumb over her hard cheekbones, urging her tears to subside. She finds the mayor's eyes with her. "Has something happened? Your mother did-" she cuts off and feels sick just thinking about possible further threats to her family.

Regina swallows and shakes her head. "Not my mother, no," she finally says. "I... Emma, have you ever seen a ghost from your past?" She closes her eyes and leans into Emma's hand, needing the comfort and reassurance. "I mean, not just wished to see them, really seen them?"

Emma inhales sharply, caught off guard by the question but, at this point, prepared for anything with her lover. "I could claim Henry, I suppose." Her hand tenses around Regina. Her brow furrows softly, but she forces a smile to stay vigilant. "What happened, Regina? You know I'm not one for metaphors."

"Daniel," Regina whispers, unable to meet Emma's gaze. "He's in Storybrooke." She's instantly on her feet to pace, arms wrapped tightly around her chest to keep from losing herself again. "Fuck, what am I going to do?"

Emma is silent for a moment, she eyes the floor and her brain treks to remember the name's obvious significance. A stifled inhale and glazed look affirm her remembrance as she repeats the name in a knowing whisper, "Daniel..." She reaches to her chest where the namesake's ring once fell. Her blood pumps in her ears and she attempts to subdue any jealousy or emotion in her tone. "How did you not know? Wait, what do you mean 'what are you going to do?'" Her voice control breaks at the last question and her eyes lash up to the mayor's.

"He- I-" Regina can't even get the words out at first, hunching over at the tone of Emma's voice. She forces herself to straighten again and meet Emma's eyes. "He's a bagboy at the grocery store. I saw him this morning. I- Oh, Emma, I'm sorry." She barely whispers the last sentence, hunching over again, a hand pressing to her mouth to keep the sobs in.

Emma swallows hard upon translating the mayor's broken words. She is quick onto her feet and moves between the mayor and her door, her voice is colder than she can ever remember, but her current pain and confusion is overwhelming. "What did you do Regina?" Her face contorts and reddens as she attempts to contain her own tears. "Please tell me this is a horrible attempt at humor?" She reels a few paces back and forth, one hand on her hip and the other in her blonde locks.

Regina flinches at Emma's words and tone of voice. She's so close to losing everything again. "I just wanted to see if it was him, and then we talked, and..." She swallows back the urge to scream at the perversity of her life. "I kissed him. Emma, I'm sorry, I won't do it again. I just... He's so much like MY Daniel and I got confused. I swear to you it won't happen again. I don't even know how he got here. He was DEAD for more than a decade before I enacted the curse."

Emma throws her head back and can't control the laughter through her gritted teeth. "Fuck! You truly are evil, Regina Mills." She moves to swing the door open, throwing one last remark over her shoulder, "I'm going to pick up OUR son!" The door doesn't ebb close behind her before the tears sting down her hot face. She glares at the secretary's shocked expression and storms all the way out of the building, resisting the urge to kick every trash can she passes. She rips open her car door and slumps over the wheel, finally letting herself break down in a series of sobs.

Regina wants to follow Emma, wants to stop her and explain herself, apologize until she's hoarse. But she knows that it will only make things worse at this point to cause a public scene. She crumples into a heap on the floor, body wracked with sobs. After a moment, she's suddenly on her feet, swiping at her cheeks as she runs out of the building, ignoring everything as she searches out the cruiser. Seeing it still there, she runs up to the car and throws the door open to climb in before Emma leaves. She reaches for Emma. "Emma, please let me explain..."

Emma is ripped from her fit by the passenger door being thrown open. Emma retracts from the mayor's hand and her voice is splintered as she speaks in a heated tone, "No. No, you don't get to explain. I am sick of you exposing things to me. This fucking town and fucking you have baby-fied me. Out there" - she gestures vaguely to the rest of the world - "I did the explaining, I understood the way everything worked." She pauses to claw at the steering wheel desperately. "I trusted you, I fucking trusted you. Do you know how difficult that was?" She can't help the sob that escapes, she inhales a few balancing breaths and swallows down her sadness, replacing it with a numb tone. "Please just get out."

"Would you rather I'd lied to you again?" Regina retorts acidly, lashing out in an attempt to feel something other than the guilt and pain. "I thought I was doing the right thing to be honest with you, Emma, like I'd promised you. You say you love all of me, good and bad, but when you're confronted by the bad, you fucking bail on me and lay all the blame on me." She takes a deep breath and scrubs roughly at her eyes. "You talk about how hard it is for you to trust? Do you understand what it's like for me to open up to you? To expose every fucking raw nerve that I've buried for longer than I care to remember?"

Emma finds her voice louder than she intends. "Your damage is not my fault! It's baggage you brought here!" She brings her hand up to cover her mouth and she closes her eyes as she pushes herself back into her seat. Her knuckles turn white as her fingers move to grip the steering wheel to anchor herself. Tears slip down her face as she attempts to find some relief from the pain in her chest.

Regina nods slowly. "You're right. It is my baggage, and I clearly was wrong in trusting you with it. Maybe I should just fuck Daniel while I have the chance, because he certainly seemed interested." The minute the words are out, she regrets them. "FUCK! My mother was right. I am useless and don't deserve someone like you. And..." Her voice trails off. "Mourn your love. Emma, wait! What if she's doing this?"

Emma rattles the wheel at her lover's words and grits her teeth. "Apparently I am not doing it for you! Get out of my car, Mills." She pushes her door open and rounds the car to swing the door open for the mayor. "Stop blaming your fucking rampant hormones and betrayal on your mother. I DO have to go pick up my son, so for once maybe you can figure your own shit out without hurting EVERYONE. You will have the house to yourself, so enjoy that!"

Regina sits there, arms wrapped tightly around her chest, and doesn't meet Emma's gaze. She wants to lash out again, wants to blast Emma with the magic tingling along her fingertips, wants to kiss her until neither of them has any breath left in their lungs. "Don't do this, Emma," she finally says, surprised at how steady her voice is. "You're the fucking Savior and you promised to protect OUR family." She steps out of the car and reaches up to touch Emma's cheek, unable to stop the tendril of magic from transferring to Emma's skin. "You are the one I love, and I am not going to give up on you or us. No matter what happens with Daniel or my mother, I am NOT giving up on us, but I have five more days to figure out what the hell is going on with my mother."

Emma slams the car door shut once the mayor is clear of it, moving her face from the mayor's hand in the same motion. She bites the inside of her cheeks and searches her lover's face. Regina's isn't lying, she knows, but the sick feeling in her stomach at the image of Regina's mouth on another's is stifling. She swallows the blood she can feel in her mouth and rests a hand on the top of her car, tapping on it with her fist nervously. "You promised to protect us, too, y'know?" Her voice is quiet and pained, but the tears don't come. She sighs, defeated. "I need to go get Henry. I will have him home for dinner."

"I will protect us, Emma," Regina replies, voice still eerily calm despite the turmoil churning through her entire body. "I swear it on my life that if I can't protect you and Henry, I'll die in the process. I will deal with Daniel. I don't know how yet, but I'll do it and I will always come home to you." She pauses and sighs. When she speaks again, there's fear in her voice. "Please come home for dinner with Henry. Just... Please come home, Emma."

Without a response to her lover, she rounds the cruiser and climbs in, slamming the door shut. She passes one last fleeting glance at Regina and pulls out slowly. Her drive to the school is angry and reckless, and she is thankful for little traffic in the tiny town. As she pulls up, Henry is waiting on a stoop, knelt over picking at his shoes. She isn't very late, the last car is still pulling away, but she snarls internally at the mayor. She rolls down the passenger window and greets her son, attempting to keep her emotions hidden, "Hey, kid."

Henry perks up off the step and opens the car door quickly. His backpack is tossed on the floor and he sits cross legged as he buckles his seat belt. "I told Mary Margaret about us seeing Kathryn today, she was pleased," Henry explains.

Emma smiles and squeezes his leg before pulling out of the drive, her son is an easy distraction. "We have to be sensitive okay? She still isn't fully recovered." He nods knowingly and the rest of the drive is silent as they make way to the Hospital.

Regina watches Emma drive away, heart clenching painfully in her chest. She stands there until long after the cruiser disappears from sight, trying to contain her emotions. She wipes at her eyes angrily and heads back inside. She passes her secretary and says, "Cancel all of my appointments for the rest of the day and tomorrow. Reschedule them for next week. I'll be working from home, but don't you dare interrupt me unless it's absolutely vital." She stalks further into her office, cleans up her desk, and throws away her uneaten food before she leaves. She makes it home quickly, changing into the comfortable clothes before she heads off toward the clearing in the woods. As she walks, she sends Emma a text message of "Keep Henry tonight. I'll talk to you tomorrow."

Emma's phone vibrated softly, letting her know a text has arrived as she drives. She fears looking at it after her and Regina's quarrel and waits until they park to draw her phone from her pocket. She reads it silently and then tosses it on the dash. "Looks like it's just us tonight, kid."

Henry frowns. "But dinner?"

"Yeah, I know, apparently the mayor is working late." She hates lying to Henry, but it's the easiest response. They both seem to sigh in unison as they pull from the car. They slump into the building and Emma gets to work, running down the accident with Katherine, while Henry remains observant but quiet.

Regina hates the fact that she's probably playing right into Emma's insecurities about the whole Daniel situation, but she needs to take some time to figure out what she's going to do. She doesn't want to lose Emma, not for anything in the world, but the thought of one more chance with Daniel is so tempting. She arrives at the clearing and is instantly greeted by the sensation of the local magic. It wraps around her like a comforting embrace and she drops to her knees to cry.

"Feels good, doesn't it?" Cora skips the overtones of drama and steps out into the clearing. She is gauzed in a dark black dress reminiscent of a past life. She moves quickly to clear the gap to her daughter. "Please stand up and collect yourself, Regina, you look like you are groveling. Let me help." With a quick turn of her wrist, the mayor is gently brought to her feet.

Regina knows better than to fight her mother's magic. "What do you want, Mother?" she asks wearily. "Can't you just leave me alone with my misery?" She pauses and stares at her mother for a long moment. "You didn't have anything to do with him being here, did you?"

Cora's face takes an innocent mask. "I don't know what you are talking about?" Even she can't hold the composure and a sinister smile creeps across her face. Her arms cross on her chest. "You seem disappointed. Seems I can't even give you a gift now without you reprimanding me."

"A gift?" Regina asks incredulously. "How is the sudden appearance of my dead first love a gift? You know that I love Emma. I may have just completely ruined any chance of happiness that I have because of your little gift." A harsh sob escapes her lips and she wraps her arms tighter around herself. "He's so much like my Daniel..."

Cora moves to comfort her daughter, her hand pulls up on Regina's face. "He is, Regina, and he can always be..." She trails off with the lift of an eyebrow and drops her hand. "Believe it or not, plucking that poor stable boy's heart from his chest never set easy with me. I have seen my grandchild, he is lost, he needs a father, you know. While Ms. Swan is gruff in her own sensible way, she is not that." She pauses and her voice hardens slightly. "You can keep him, he will love you as he once did...I can let him remember..." She fades, obviously hiding the kicker of her plan.

"You hated Daniel, Mother," Regina says, shaking her head. "You said it over and over. And now you expect me to believe that you regret killing him? You wanted me to marry Leopold, you ACCEPTED his proposal for me." She takes a deep breath, letting the magic soothe across her senses. "Henry doesn't need a father, he needs both of his mothers." She starts to pace, arms still tightly wrapped around her midsection. "My gods, Mother, do you realize what you're doing to me by bringing him here? I kissed him today, I wanted... Wait, what are you saying? What do you mean you can let him remember?"

"Remember your first kiss, remember his proposal, remember his love. I brought him here, I hold his memories much like you do the rest of these poor transplants." Cora pauses. "I saw the ring you had strung around that poor girl's neck. Clinging to something, aren't we? You want that girl to be the young Daniel so much, you make her dress the part? You can't blame a mother for taking pity, can you?"

Regina shakes her head again. "I don't want your pity, Mother. I want MY life, MY freedom, MY happy ending. I once thought that was Daniel" - it hurts to say that - "but now it's Henry and Emma. The ring was... I thought it would protect her from you, that the purity of that love would protect her, but it didn't. That's a sign that I can't ignore." She spins to face Cora again, eyes narrowed. "What are you planning, Mother? I still have five days left from your little ultimatum, and Daniel is suddenly here. What game are you playing with my heart?"

Cora's face settles into the sweetest disposition it can to break the last portion to her daughter. "All magic comes with a price, that includes love, that includes me bringing the boy." She pauses and steps closer to her daughter. "In five days, one must take his place apart from the living. Your swan song ends, or the boy gets ripped from this world forever, no one will remember him in this plane except you, just as before he came. After I confirm Swan's removal, Daniel will remember everything. It's that simple." She inhales deeply. "I guess my gain, along with your happiness, is that the sheriff's threat to the curse is diminished. Our safety and reign on this town and these people remains vigilant."

Regina stares at her mother, color draining from her face as she realizes the extent of her mother's cruelty. "You cannot be serious. You brought him back to make me kill one of them? You sadistic bitch!" She collapses to her knees, mind reeling with the implications of what she has to do. "And now, thanks to you, if I choose Emma, I still may not get her in the end because I fucking kissed Daniel. I have no happiness either way." She pauses. "Wait. IF I were to choose Daniel, what of memories of Emma?" She doesn't want to choose that way, but she needs to know all of her options

Cora swallows at the question and gestures vaguely/ "I am sure we can come up with something now that you are practicing again. If you seek release from Ms. Swan, it can be obliged. Even Henry can be rewired if we wish it. On a grander scale though, the other inhabitants of this town may be a lot to wipe." She grimaced at her daughter once again on the ground. "Up, Regina." Her wrist twists to return her daughter to her feet. "I beg of you, now that you have Daniel, please do not revert to a vagabond."

"So you're saying that everyone but me loses all memory of whichever one I choose to die? That's... How am I supposed to make that decision? How cruel are you, Mother? Wait! Don't answer that. If you really loved me, you wouldn't be doing this." She sighs and scrubs at her face. "Emma won't even believe me if I explain this to her. How in the hell am I supposed to decide? Why couldn't you have just left me alone? And how did you get here in the first place?"

Cora's hand fans away the barrage of questions. "Magic is tricky, Regina, you couldn't just leave your blood behind. Like it or not, we are bonded." She moves forward once more to touch her daughter's face. "Your reign is all I champion for." Cora retracts slowly. "I will be here in five days. I trust you will have things sorted. I love you, Regina." She turns and walks out of the clearing, dissipating into the trees.

Rather than making things easier, Regina realizes that coming to the clearing has actually made them worse. How is she supposed to choose between Daniel and Emma? She chews at her lower lip as tears slip down her cheeks again. She can remember what feels like every second of her life with both people, and she cannot make a decision. For every pro she can find for one or the other, an equal con appears. And Henry is at the crux of it all. "Oh gods, what am I going to do now?"