I jump back and forth between the Enchanted Forest and New York. You'll recognize some scenes and lines.

Chapter 37: A World Apart

Enchanted Forest – Right after the curse

The purple smoke dissipated, revealing the very upset residents of the former Storybrooke. They were back in the Enchanted Forest and they were not happy about it. "We're back." Snow said with disappointment in her voice.

They found it very uncomfortable being in their old clothes. The amenities Storybrooke had to offer would be greatly missed, such as the bathroom. It was back to chamber pots for them.

Two people began walking towards the group and Snow instantly recognized Aurora. "You're back!" Aurora exclaimed as she embraced Snow.

"We're all back." Snow said as she returned the hug. "Can you give us an update on things around here?"

Aurora nodded and brought a few of them over to her and Philip's little gazebo. "The only real threat were the ogres, but we took care of them." Philip said once everyone was crowded around him.

"Congratulations." Snow said with a smile as she nodded towards Aurora's stomach.

She put a hand over her belly. "Is it that obvious?"

"You're glowing!" Snow exclaimed.

Regina rolled her eyes. "Why is she pregnant and I'm the one who's sick?"

"We have much to celebrate." Phillip replied ignoring Regina's comment. "You all are welcome in our Kingdom. If you need anything, we are at your service."

David nodded. "Thank you but all we need are horses. We have our own Kingdom and castle to get back to."

"Our castle was destroyed in the curse." Snow reminded him.

"Well played Your Majesty, you laid waste to everything." Hook said with a sigh which earned him a glare from the Queen.

"Not everything." Aurora chimed in. "Her castle still stands."

"Of course it does." Regina said with an eye roll. "I protected it."

"Well technically the castle doesn't belong to her it was Snow's before she took it." David replied without giving Regina a second look.

"To be fair, I married into it."

"That you did. And now we're taking it back. And you are coming with us!" Snow said.

Regina scoffed. "You can't be serious!"

"Regina, everyone out there is scared and confused. They need hope. What better way to do that than to return united? You're coming with us. I know you don't like it but you'll learn to. For our good…and for yours." Snow said firmly.

"Thank you again for the hospitality." David shook Phillip's hand. "We should begin the preparations at once."

"Good luck to all of you." Phillip said before they all walked away.

"You know we can't pretend this didn't happen." Aurora said quietly to her husband once everyone was a safe distance away. "They've returned. We have to tell her!"

"Aurora we can't. You know would happen to them. What she'll do."

"We both know if she ever found out that we hid this she would take it out on our child. We have no choice, she has to know. We have to trust that they can take care of themselves. It is not up to us to save them."

New York – 6 months later

Ally and Henry were walking home from school. Ally tried to strike up a conversation between them. "So, are you going to the dance on Friday?"

Henry shrugged his shoulders. "Don't know yet. Are you?" They've been pretty distant from each other for a while now, neither knowing what exactly drove them their separate ways.

"Yea, Ben Russo asked me to go with him." She said with a smile, her cheeks turning red.

Henry smirked. "Someone's got a crush!"

She nudged him. "Shut up!"

"Mom's never going to let you go with a Senior." Henry replied as he regained his balance.

"That's why I'm telling her I'm going with Kevin Hartly." She said simply. "And you will keep this secret."

"What's in it for me?" Henry asked.

Ally sighed. "I'll give you my allowance for two weeks."

"A month."

"Three weeks!"

"Fine." Ally said defeated. Henry continued walking with a victory smile on his face. They walked up the stairs to their apartment and Henry unlocked the door, allowing them to enter. Ally set her school bag down by the couch as Henry read a note off the counter. "Mom's gonna be late tonight."

"Perfect." Ally said with a smile as she headed back to her room.

"Where are you going?" Henry asked.

"Rachel and Sarah wanted me to go to a party tonight. Should be fun."

"Who has a party on a Monday night?" Ally shrugged her shoulders. "You're gonna get in trouble." Henry added.

"Why do you care what I do?" Ally asked annoyed. "You can go to that skateboard park you wanted to go to that mom won't let you."

He tilted his head in consideration. "I'll shoot the guys a text."

Ally came out of her room in a short black skirt and a pink tank top with her long curled brown hair pinned to the right side of her head. She was putting her heels on when Henry came out of his room with his skateboard. "I'm heading out."

She grabbed her purse. "So am I." She followed Henry out the door as he locked it behind them. Not even a minute later, they were already heading back into the apartment with Emma right behind them. "Did you really think you could sneak out and I wouldn't know about it?" She yelled as she slammed the door behind her.

"Yea, kinda." Ally mumbled.

"You should know better by now!" Emma snapped. "Just because I'm dating Walsh does not mean you two aren't my first priority."

"You sure about that?" Henry asked glaring at her.

Emma sighed. "Sit down. Both of you."

They both took a seat on the couch as Emma sat across from them on the coffee table. "Look guys, I've noticed that you two aren't as close as you once were and you've both been acting out lately. What's going on?"

The kids put their heads down and remained silent. "Is it because of Walsh?" Emma asked.

Ally looked up to meet her eyes. "I just feel like something's missing. It's not Walsh, I like him." She shrugged her shoulders. "I don't know."

"I don't have a problem with Walsh either." Henry added. "I just miss the things we used to do together. We don't do that anymore."

"Alright-"

"And I feel like you treat us like kids." Ally interrupted.

"You're 15 and 13. You are kids." Emma replied with a small chuckle.

"Regardless of our age, I want more freedom." Ally said.

Emma arched her eyebrows. "You want to negotiate what you can and cannot do?"

"Precisely." She said with a smile. Henry rolled his eyes. "All she wants to do is date older guys."

Ally slapped him. "Shut up!"

"Allison, you know the rules." Emma stood up with her hands on her hips. "That one's not changing. I'm also chaperoning the dance on Friday."

Ally's jaw dropped. "You're not!"

"Oh I most certainly am." She replied as she walked over to the kitchen to start dinner.

"This is why we don't do things together." Ally mumbled towards Henry. "She ruins everything."

Henry shot up from the couch. "You both ruin it! All you two do is fight and I'm so tired of it!" He yelled as he stormed off to his room.

Ally and Emma looked at each other. "It's not like I enjoy fighting with you." She said as she took off her heels and walked over to the kitchen counter.

Emma sighed. "And I hate punishing you but if it's the only way to get through to you, then that's what I'm gonna do."

Ally took a deep breath, trying to keep her patience. She wanted to change the topic, anything to stop the fighting. "Can we watch a movie tonight…or are you still going out?"

Emma caught the disappointment in her voice. "I'm staying right here." She put the pot of water on the stove before returning to the counter. "Are you finished your homework?" Ally shook her head. "When you're done, we can watch it. Henry can join us if he's not angry anymore."

She ran off into her room to do her homework while Emma got back to cooking dinner. It wasn't long after, that Emma called them to eat. Henry kept to himself as he picked at his chicken. "Kid, your sister and I made up." She grabbed Ally's hand. "See?"

Henry looked between both of them before putting his head back down. Emma sighed. "Henry, what do we have to do to get you to stop being mad at us?"

"Stop fighting."

"We did." Ally shot back earning a slight slap to the arm from Emma. She knew it was the way she said it.

"I mean for good." Henry corrected.

"Come on, Henry. That's impossible." Emma replied before taking a sip of her soda to relax.

"Then at least try harder."

"We will." Ally promised. "So movie tonight?"

"Just three of us?" He asked hopefully.

Emma nodded. "Just us, kid. Is that okay?"

He smiled. "It's perfect!"

Kevin Hartly picked Ally up to take her to the dance on Friday night. He had passed Emma's inspection but reminded him that she would be there chaperoning. Henry went with his friends, avoiding Emma at all costs. It wasn't cool to be seen with your mom at a school dance.

As soon as they walked through the doors to the auditorium, Ally dropped Kevin's hand. "I'm going to hang out with some friends. You can sit at a table if you want."

"Okay." He said nervously.

She already set her sights on Ben Russo across the room. She made sure some cleavage was showing before walking confidently over to him. "Hey Ben."

He glanced at her. "Hey." He turned his attention back to the pretty blonde senior he was talking to.

"Do you wanna dance?" She asked him feeling slightly awkward.

Ben turned back to her. "I'm sorry, do I know you?" Her mouth fell open slightly. "No, wait. Are you in my English class?"

She suddenly became nervous. "No, I'm Allison. The girl you asked to the dance on Monday. Remember?"

It took him a minute but then it clicked. "Oh the hot sophomore." He looked down her body which was hugged by a dark blue dress. "Sure, I'll dance with you." He linked his arm with hers and whisked her away to the dance floor. Something in her gut told her that this wasn't how it was supposed to be.

As she was dancing with Ben, she looked over to the tables and spotted Kevin sitting by himself. She felt bad but she didn't want to miss her shot with the cute senior boy. Ben pulled her closer once a slow song came on. She smiled as she looked up to him. What drew her attention away from his gorgeous face was her mother talking to Kevin.

Emma looked in her direction. She gulped knowing what she was going to do. But to her surprise, Emma just watched with her hands folded in front of her. Her attention was brought back to Ben when began kissing her neck. "Do you wanna take this party somewhere else?" She tensed. He then kissed her. It was sudden and unexpected but she didn't fight him; she wanted this. "Come on." He whispered in her ear.

She wanted the kiss, wanted to dance with him but nothing further, at least not yet. She wasn't ready. "No." She replied.

"What?" He was not used to people saying that to him.

"No." She said more firmly as she moved away from him. It was a mistake, a huge mistake on her part. There was a reason why her mother didn't let her date older guys. There was a reason Emma did everything. She didn't make eye contact with Emma or Kevin as she exited the auditorium. She just couldn't.

Emma was quick to follow her, watching the exchange from afar. She knew something went wrong. She looked up and down hallways but saw no sign of her. She caught a couple making out and separated them. "Did you two see a girl with dark brown curly hair go by?" She looked between the two of them. "Of course you didn't. You were preoccupied. Go back to the dance." She pushed them back to the auditorium.

She continued her search and went outside to see if she was there. Emma saw her sitting in her yellow bug. She tapped the driver's side window and Ally unlocked it for her to climb in. Once the door was shut, she turned towards the young girl. "How the hell did you get in here? My keys are inside."

Ally kept her head down. "Picked the lock."

Emma rolled her eyes. She would deal with that later. "So what happened?"

Ally leaned her head on the window. "You were right. I disobeyed your rule and went out with an older guy." She sighed. She was not going to tell her all the details. It was something Emma didn't need to know. "But it wasn't an actual date. He didn't even remember me."

Emma grabbed her hand. "You feel pretty crappy don't you?"

Ally looked over at her. "What the hell do you think?!" She snapped, her eyes glassy. "What kind of cheering up is that?!"

Emma turned her body to fully face her. "Well think about how that other boy feels right now, Kyle."

"Kevin."

Emma waved her off. "Whatever his name is. He's a sweet boy and you just threw him away."

"Just like Ben did to me…" Ally realized. "I'm just as bad as he is."

"Now that's not true." Emma said pulling Ally's attention back to her. "He doesn't care what happens to the people he uses but I saw your face when you were staring at Kevin sitting all alone. You felt bad."

"But I didn't do anything to fix it."

Emma looked at her watch." You still have time. I know you'll do the right thing, kid."

"He's gonna hate me."

Emma shrugged her shoulders. "Whatever the outcome, you'll still have to apologize. If he hates you, he hates you. If not, then you still have a shot. But I'll be here no matter what."

Ally knew she was probably speaking from experience and gave her a weak smile. "Thanks mom but I hate when you're right."

"Really? Cuz I love it!" Emma said with a huge grin on her face.

Ally smirked and shook her head as she got out of the car. She walked around to meet Emma so they could walk in together. She gave her a hug, something Emma was not expecting, but she returned the hug anyway. "I love you."

"I love you too, Ally cat." Emma gave her a kiss on her head. "But you're still grounded."

Ally sighed. "Figured." She began walking back inside with Emma close behind. She stopped when she caught sight of Kevin still sitting alone. "Go." Emma whispered in her ear before lightly pushing her towards him.

A slow song began playing. She took a deep breath before walking over to him. "Hey." She said softly.

"Hey." He replied giving her a weak smile. She took a seat next to him. "I'm sorry for ditching you once we got here. It was really stupid and selfish of me to do. I know how it feels and it sucks."

"Ally its-"

"No let me finish." She said putting her hand up to stop him. "If you hate me, I don't blame you but I do hope you accept my apology. I really am sorry for the way I acted and-"

He covered her mouth. "Do you ever stop talking?" She shot him a questioning look. "Yea, it sucked watching you dance with that other kid but I still like you."

She removed his hand from her mouth. "So you forgive me?"

He nodded. "Yea, but you owe me a dance."

She smiled and grabbed his hand. "I pay my debts. Come on." She brought him to the dance floor where he wrapped his arms around her waist as she wrapped her around his neck. They swayed to the music in the middle of the dance floor with a bunch of other couples.

Kevin was staring at her and she couldn't help but laugh. "What?"

"Can't I just look at you without it being a thing?"

She tilted her head. "I guess." She said with a smile but she also stared back at him. It was the first time she noticed the color of his eyes. Blue. Crystal blue. He was cute. Why didn't I notice this before? He's been here the entire time. She didn't think about it too long, she became lost in his eyes.

Emma watched her daughter slow dance with Kevin and couldn't help but smile. She was hoping things would work out between them; she wanted Ally to be happy. Her attention shifted when she saw her son dancing with a girl. Henry. With a girl. Her jaw dropped. This was something she was not expecting to see and she wasn't prepared for her son to start dating yet. "There's gotta be alcohol somewhere around here!"

Enchanted Forest – soon after the curse

They had been walking back towards Regina's castle, well their castle now. Red alerted Snow that the Queen was missing. "What if she's planning to turn on us?" Red exclaimed.

Snow sighed. "I'll take care of it, don't worry."

She took off into the woods where Regina was last seen. She heard something and approached with caution. Snow hid behind a tree when she got closer, just in case. She saw Regina hunched over burying something. "What are you doing?" She asked trying to get a better look into the hole.

Regina was slightly breathless. "So now you're following me."

"We were worried…and it looks like we were right to be. What. Are. You. Burying?" She asked firmly.

"Nothing that concerns you." Regina replied without looking back.

"Is that a heart?" Snow asked shocked when she saw the familiar glow.

"Go away!" Regina yelled. She wanted to do this alone.

"It's yours, isn't it?" Snow questioned.

Regina stood up and wiped the dirt off her hands. "I am not having this conversation with you."

Snow took a step forward. "I know you miss the kids but this isn't the answer, Regina. No matter how much pain you may feel, you can't just bury it in the woods!"

"Watch me!"

"You won't feel better." Snow said quickly. "You won't feel anything."

"That's the point!" Regina snapped. "I can't keep walking around knowing that I'll never see Henry or Allison ever again. That they don't even remember who I am."

Snow took a more confident step forward. "I know exactly how you feel. I just said goodbye to my daughter for the second time, my grandson and sister too. I'm not going to tell you that it's easy to move on because it's not. It's going to take time but things will get better." She pointed to her heart in the ground. "With that. You will be happy again."

Regina looked at her with sad eyes. "I can't be happy without them."

Snow grabbed her hand. "Try, for Henry and Allison." Regina closed her eyes and took a heavy sigh before bending down to put her heart back in her chest. All the pain and heartache came rushing back. Allison. Henry. She would never see them again, hold them, hug them. "The prophecy didn't come to pass. The one with Ally and Henry." Snow added.

She stifled back her sobs before turning around and walking past Snow. She knew what the younger raven haired woman was getting at. "Now, let's get back to our castle."

New York – 1 year later

Emma put the plate of pancakes on the table just before the doorbell rang. Neither Henry nor Ally was making any move to answer it so Emma made her way to the door. When she opened it, a man in a black leather jacket. He smiled. "Swan." He took a step forward.

She put her hand up to stop him. "Whoa, do I know you?"

"You have to come with me. Something's happened. Something terrible. Your family is in trouble." He warned her.

"My family's right here." She said firmly. "Who are you?"

"And old friend." He answered somewhat out of breath. "I know you can't remember me but I can make you." He pulled her lips to his and kissed her which earned him a hard knee to the groin. He stumbled back into the wall in pain "What the hell are you doing?!" Emma whisper-yelled.

"A long shot." He answered trying to get through the pain. "I had to try. I was hoping you felt as I did."

"I'm gonna call the cops." She said.

"I know this sounds crazy but you have to listen to me! You have to remem-" She slammed the door in his face and locked it. Emma walked back into the room slightly out of breath. She was still trying to comprehend what just happened. "Who was that?" Henry asked before taking a bite of his breakfast.

"No idea." She replied. "Someone must've left the door open downstairs." She replied glaring at Ally.

Ally glared right back at her. "It. Wasn't. Me."

Emma sighed before she sat down next to them. "Come on, let's eat. School soon."

Emma had to get rid of this guy. First he shows up at her door and kisses her, next he's stealing Walsh's seat at dinner. She went over the conversation with him again and again trying to piece together the information but she was still confused. She was an orphan but her parents needed her? He was already a stalker, might as well add lunatic to his name. When she met him at Central Park, more crazy shit spilled out of his mouth. He wanted to her to actually drink something from a little purple bottle. She wasn't stupid. The police arrested him in no time, thanks to Emma. He wouldn't be bothering her again.

Enchanted Forest – A few days after the curse

They picked up a few extra people along the way, a thief and his merry men for one, something Regina was not too thrilled about. They had a run in with flying monkeys and had figured out the Wicked Witch of the West was in town. They couldn't get into the castle due to a barrier spell and everyone was completely exhausted.

The thief and his merry men proved to be useful and allowed them all to rest in their nearby camp. Regina retreated to the corner of the camp, like she always did, where she could be alone. She didn't want to deal with these people; she just wanted her kids back.

Snow was absolutely irritating, her optimism bursting from all sides. Regina had enough for the day, a lifetime for that matter. She sought solitude but it was something she wasn't going to receive. She felt a poke on the back of her shoulder. Regina turned around with hateful eyes ready to yell at the person who disturbed her silence but they softened once she saw who it was. "Roland."

"Hi." He said shyly.

She gave him a soft smile. "Is there something I can help you with?"

"Thanks for saving me the other day." He whispered.

"It was no trouble, dear. I'm happy you're safe." She replied in a soft voice.

He shifted his weight as he hugged the stuffed monkey Regina had given him. "Why are you sitting all alone?"

Regina lowered her gaze. She remembered Henry at his age, always asking questions. "Sometimes grownups need to be alone, to think some things over."

"Is this one of those times?" He asked her.

She nodded. "Yes, Roland. It is indeed one of those times." She was hoping that would send him on his way but Roland had other things in mind. "Are you sad?"

Regina was caught off guard by the question that came out of the four year old's mouth. He was smart for a little boy, just like Henry had been. Roland was a very curious and inquisitive child, picking up on people's demeanors. "Well, honestly, I am sad Roland."

"What's wrong?" He asked as he clutched the monkey tightly.

She took a deep breath. "My little boy and girl were sent away from me and I miss them terribly." Why she was opening up to this little boy, she didn't know but it was better than talking to Snow. "And before you ask why they were sent away, it was an adult matter."

He tilted his head and stared at her for a moment. He walked around the log she was sitting on and took a seat beside her. "No one should be alone when they're sad. That's what papa always says." He handed her his stuffed animal. "If you hug him, you might feel better." He said before he began to draw his finger in the dirt making a picture. It was such a nice gesture that she couldn't help but smile.

She watched him as he continued to draw pictures peaceful. It brought her an odd sense of comfort, just sitting there in silence. He was a pretty well-behaved child which truly surprised her. "Roland, does your father know where you are?"

"I don't think so." Roland replied as he kept his concentration on the dirt drawing before him. He was a few feet away from her as his pictures took up space around them.

"Don't you think he's worried about you?"

"I guess." He said as he shrugged his shoulders which earned him a slight chuckle from the Queen. He was getting too close to the woods for Regina's liking. "Roland, come back over here."

"But I'm not done my picture." He whined.

"You can start it over again but closer to me." She replied keeping her patience. "Come on now."

He walked over to Regina as he covered his yawn with his hand. Dirt now resided on his face. She smirked. "Someone's tired."

He put his hands on his hips. "Nuh ugh!"

She laughed, something she hadn't done in a while or had a reason too. "At least let me clean you up a little." She took some of the water in her canteen bottle and dumped a little on her cloak. She pulled Roland lightly towards her and began wiping his face to clear the dirt, his hands were next. "Do you feel better now, miss Queen?"

Regina chuckled. "You can call me Regina and just a little." She finished cleaning his hands and rested her cloak to her side.

He leaned on her knees. "I promise I will try to cheer you up everyday…cept when papa has me doin other things."

It was a kind gesture but he wasn't one of her kids, how could he make her happy? "Roland, that's very sweet but I'd rather you run around and have fun."

"I can have fun with you." He said with hopeful eyes. "I'm good at keeping promises." Regina gave him a soft smile.

"Roland! What are you doing?!" Robin snapped making Roland jump back from the Queen.

"Just talking to the Queen." He replied calmly when he saw who it was.

Robin bent down to his level. "How many times do I have to tell you not to run off?"

"I wanted to make Regina feel better."

Robin looked up and noticed the Queen for the first time. "Go back to Little John, Roland." He lightly pushed him back towards camp.

"Pardon me, m'lady but-"

"It's Your Majesty." She corrected. "How many times do I have to remind you?!" She stormed off back towards the camp, wanting nothing to do with the thief.

He sighed. Regina was more of a handful than his four year old. He knew camping with her would be difficult.

I wanted to show how Emma evolved into a mother and their interactions as a family. To clear things up, the memories Emma, Ally and Henry have is that Emma adopted Ally when she was a little girl. I also wanted to show how each side was dealing with things. So, who wants to go back to Storybrooke?