Hey guys sorry this took so long! My best friend surprised me by coming down to visit for my birthday and, naturally, we had way too much fun and stayed up way too late every night and I got basically nothing done hahaha! But here you are, another update :) enjoy!

"Can I talk to you outside?"

"Regina".

"Now!" Her tone was more demanding and she shot Rumplestiltskin a threatening stare before she turned and left him with Henry and James hot on her heels. She pushed through the curtain separating them from the back of the shop and continued to swing the front door open and stood on the sidewalk outside with her arms folded over her chest.

Not many people had come down this way before the curse was broken and now that it was, the people avoided Rumplestiltskin like he was the plague. She knew they wouldn't be interrupted or easily overheard from where they were, "I am not putting you under a sleeping curse."

"Yes, you are."

"Are you insane?! James, you are not going to wake up!" Her voice was already raising in to a yell. Her arms were at her sides now, moving in gestures as she spoke, frustrated with such a suggestion.

"Of course I'll wake up, Regina. When I'm in there she will kiss me and everything will be fine, it worked once it will work again," he reached an arm forward to comfort her and she didn't pull away, but she didn't lean into it like she usually had.

Regina shook her head, "James I'm not even entirely sure that that will work," there was a great deal that no one knew about the sleeping curse, even the victims themselves weren't all that useful in giving information.

"What do you mean?"

"You aren't going to be there and neither will she. Just your souls will be there. Have you ever tried to kiss a soul?" She didn't know the answer but she couldn't risk losing him, especially not to her sleeping curse. The very thought made her feel sick.

James paused for a moment, he had never thought of that, "it's still worth a shot. If it doesn't work then you'll know for future reference."

"Oh you're just hilarious," she squinted her eyes slightly and leaned forward through her entirely sarcastic tone.

"Call it optimism," he shrugged lightly and met her stressed eyes.

"There is a big difference between optimism and stupidity, James."

"Even if it doesn't work in there she will kiss me when she returns," he knew Regina had no other argument than that she just didn't want him to go under. He knew he would win this argument if he just waited patiently. He didn't want to leave her here waiting for him to wake up, but they needed to get Snow and Emma back and they needed to get their message through to stop Cora.

"And what exactly makes you so sure that she will make it back here alive?" She folded her arms back over her chest, irritated by how determined he was.

"We always find each other," he couldn't help but smile hopefully.

"Yes and do you know how incredibly annoying that has been to me over the years?" She closed her eyes and nodded slowly as the words came out before she opened them again to find his shoulders shaking with a silent laugh. She did not approve.

She was not exactly happy with his reaction and he could see the hidden worry for him behind her mask, "please Regina. I will ask Rumplestiltskin to make it for me but I would much rather have you make it," he paused and watched her shift her weight uncomfortably with her arms still folded over her chest, "I trust you to not do anything to it that could hurt me. I do not trust that man."

She nodded at his words and looked down at the ground, "you really want to do this?"

He nodded slowly, "yes," the worried expression on her face gave him pause. She really didn't want to let him go under, it was written all over her but he couldn't not see Snow and they couldn't not deliver their message and most of all, they couldn't send Henry in that deep again.

Regina dropped her arms limply to her side and looked across the street letting out a defeated sigh. He was dead set on going under and there was nothing she could do about it no matter how much she hated the idea. Acknowledging her loss she closed the distance between them wrapping her arms around his middle and resting her head on his chest, "promise me you're not going to just float away in there. Promise me you'll come back to me."

His arms instantly held her close and he nodded, "I promise," he kissed the top of her head lovingly before he laid his cheek along the side of her head, "I promise."

...

"What do you mean the old fashioned way?"

"You're about to join a quite distinguished club, Charming. Before such innovations as the apple, back when the sleeping curse first came to be, a more direct method was required," Rumplestiltskin held the spinning needle between his fingers as he explained, "through blood."

Regina stood straight as she listened, aiming to hide what she truly thought of this plan. This plan that was bound to come crashing down on top of them. She held the curse lightly in her left hand and took a tense breath as she came to realize how close he was to pricking his finger and falling asleep.

"By pricking one's finger on the needle of a spinning wheel, one falls under the spell," with that he turned to Regina and offered her the needle, "your majesty, you did his wife. I'm sure you'd like the honours," he waited as she left Henry's side and took the needle from him, shooting him a glare as she did so.

She held the needle in her fingers and stared at it momentarily as she came to terms with what she was about to do. She was about to send one of the only people she had ever loved in to a sleeping curse, one that she had concocted herself so there would be no doubts in its quality. She lifted both needle and vial to eye level and slowly placed the needle in to the curse watching it take hold and feeling James' eyes on her the entire time.

When the vial was empty she lifted the needle and sadly looked over it. As she bent down to place it on the wheel she contemplated pricking her own finger. She could deliver the message herself, granted Snow would not be pleased to see her instead of Henry, but she could do it. She would gladly do it to keep Henry from getting hurt any further and to keep James from having to suffer through it as well. She knew she would never be woken up, but really people would get over it. James would have Snow and Henry would have Emma if every thing went accordingly and things settled. She wouldn't have to worry about her mother hurting her. God knows after all she had done she deserved a sleep filled with dreams made of her own regrets.

It would be so easy, just a prick of the finger, "it's all yours," she looked up at Charming and by the look he gave her she was sure he had been ready to pull her away if she had made any move to prick her finger. The relief showed in him when she turned from it, she should have expected him to know what she was thinking, he had gotten quite good at it.

James watched her retreat back to her son before he eyed the spinning needle and rubbed his hands together to try and shake off some of the anxiety. Regina was safe from the wheel where she stood and that weight lifted off his shoulders. He took a deep breath as he got closer to the needle and moved his hand forward and was grateful for Henry's interruption, he wasn't ready yet.

"Good luck," he smiled and hugged him tight. He could feel the nervousness in his grandfather as he returned the hug with one hand in his hair and the other around his shoulders. He didn't want James to do it, he wanted to do it, he didn't want anyone else to have to go through that fear. The burns weren't so bad, as long as there was magic to heal them right away he felt he would be alright. He did see where James and his mother were coming from though, he just wished they didn't decide on this.

James smiled gently down at Henry, "it's gonna be alright," he truly didn't know if it was going to be alright. Things could go terribly wrong and he could be stuck in an endless sleep but he had faith. Faith that Snow would make it back alive and faith in Regina that she would keep him safe and work to wake him.

"How do you know?"

James looked up at Regina and found her anxiously playing with her fingers but standing tall and strong almost hiding the fact that her dark eyes were growing glossy with fresh tears. "Well," he reluctantly pulled his eyes from her and looked down at Henry and he sat down on the small bed holding Henry's hands, "how did you know Emma would save you after you ate the turnover?"

"I believed in her," he smiled weakly.

"The way Snow and I believed she'd come back to break the curse. That's the kind of faith that runs in our family," his words were not meant for only Henry, they gave himself confidence and it was likely that they gave Regina some sort of comfort as well. He watched as Henry lifted the necklace over his head.

"This helps control the flames in the room," he hung the necklace over James' bowed head, "it'll keep you safe."

The fact that Henry had given him his only comfort for his own sleep caused a lump to form in his throat, "I will guard it with my life," he assured the boy and gave his hands one last squeeze before he turned and walked back to Regina. She was barely holding it together, he knew she wanted to stay strong and that she didn't want Henry or Rumplestiltskin especially, to see her break. He offered her a sad smile as he stood up and silently invited her to come to him.

She cocked her head slightly and took a shaky breath before she all but ran to him, trying hard not to break in front of Rumplestiltskin and her son. She gripped his face between her hands and pulled herself up against him, savoring his touch before it was taken away. She tried to memorize what he tasted like when they kissed in case he didn't wake up and she soaked up the warmth his body provided when hers was pressed up against his before that too was taken away.

Rumplestiltskin watched curiously as his monster rushed in to what should be her enemy's arms to say her goodbyes with a heartbreaking kiss. The way they held on to each other, like if they were to let up on their hold in the slightest some great harm would come to them caught his full attention. Interesting.

The raw emotion that came from both of them caused his chest to tighten, he believed Regina was foolish for even trying to build something with the prince but now? Now he could see it. He could see the way they felt about one another, the inkling of love created between them. He didn't think she would be able to love again, having it ripped away so brutally the first time. He would have bet on it. Now he was curious on the outcome, he did not know the answer and that did not happen very often. He did not know who Charming would choose. His dear Snow White or perhaps his damaged but lovely Regina?

As James pulled her closer and she clung tighter he felt something switch inside of him. It was something he could not ignore no matter how hard he tried. He hadn't wanted to go under and leave her alone but with her goodbye kiss he suddenly felt overwhelmed by pain and and sadness at the thought he may never see her again. Much like what he had felt when he took Emma from Snow's arms to put her in the wardrobe. A love for her had suddenly risen in him that was so strong he wondered if it could break any curse.

She pulled herself up even harder for the last second before she let go of him and slowly backed up, reluctantly leaving the safety that was him. She didn't speak a word, fearing she would entirely lose her composure and the tears would fall without her consent. She kept a steady eye contact with James' piercing blue eyes as she backed up to Henry's side. She dared a glance at Rumplestiltskin giving him permission to start spinning, he kept his features schooled tightly but she had known him far too long to not read between the lines.

She could see the intrigue he was trying to hide, like a puzzle that had fascinated him and he was unable to finish it. She didn't know what it was exactly that had caught his attention but she believed it to be something to do with her and James. Her eyes quickly made their way back to James as she stood behind her son and gripped his small shoulders. He had started to sit back down, likely to help break his fall when he went under but his eyes never left her as he did, heartbreakingly so. Both broke the contact when the wheel began to spin and they moved their eyes to the cursed needle.

James stared at it, willing himself to prick his finger and push aside his strengthened feelings toward Regina just for now, just so he could focus on the curse. Taking a deep breath he raised his hand and neared the needle but paused, "when I awake I'll be in that fiery room?"

Rumplestiltskin stopped the wheel, "not exactly. That room is for those who have already awoken from the curse, return. You, however, are being put under for the first time."

He let out a frustrated huff, "then how will I know where to go?" He shot the question to Regina as well but didn't expect her to answer when he saw the way her features had softened with worry, "how the hell am I supposed to find a room with no door?" He fixed his eyes back on Rumplestiltskin.

"And that, dearie, is the conundrum we are all depending on you solving. Now I say this with the utmost sincerity, good luck," with that he began spinning the wheel once again.

James scoffed quietly and quickly looked over toward Henry and Regina one last time. He nodded subtly to Henry, saying a final goodbye before he looked back up to Regina. She tightened her grip on Henry's shoulder but the boy didn't seem to mind, what got to him was her small sad smile that she momentarily offered to try and reassure him that everything would be fine. It lasted only a moment before she could not longer hold it and the sadness washed over her figure once again.

He wanted hers to be the last face he saw before he went under. Reluctantly he moved his eyes to the needle and stared at it. I can do this. I will wake up. Regina will find a way to wake me up. With his faith in Regina strong in his mind paired with the image of her face he lifted his hand and pricked his finger, almost immediately feeling the effects.

She had been holding her breath as Charming neared the needle but she hadn't noticed until his body slumped on to the small bed and it was pushed out of her. She stood waiting, just waiting for his lifeless form to move again, to calm her erratic heart even though she knew it wouldn't. She couldn't move, she wanted to but her feet felt as though they were fixed to the floor as she stared at what she had done to the man she loved.