I feel I'm really on a roll with this, so I'm sticking with it.

Read~Enjoy~Review

Chapter 5 – The Price

Emma really liked Myranda and talking with her was easy and natural. Myranda showed her everything and Emma realized that Regina was no where near as evil as people made her out to be. "Why does she want others to think she's so bad?"

Myranda looked around. "You'll have to ask her, Emma. I'm not at liberty to answer that. Just know, she has her reasons."

Emma bit her lip at that as they continued walking through the greenhouse. "Does she have a suitor? I mean, she's beautiful, powerful, and so kind. Surely she's got a line of men who'd like to be with her."

Myranda stopped and looked at Emma. "She doesn't date anyone. She was in love once, and lost him, and will not date another. If she does…get lonely, she has a line of women that warm her bed. Maleficent is the most frequent."

Emma had never heard of a royal who slept with the same gender before and her parents had told her it was unheard of. "Really?! Women?"

Myranda's face was hard. "Don't judge her, Emma."

Emma shook her head. "No, no, you misunderstand. I prefer women also but was told that royals aren't allowed to be with the same gender. This…this changes everything."

Myranda let out a breath and gave a soft smile. "Your parents don't allow it, not the entire world. No offense, but from what I've heard of your parents, I'm surprised you even have a son."

Emma shrugged. "They wanted me to be with a man, so I was with a few of them. Looking back, it was stupid, but I wouldn't change a thing if it gave me Henry." She rubbed her arm. "Speaking of, can we go back now?"

Myranda nodded. "Yes, we've been gone long enough."

"Regina, someone did that to him on purpose!"

"I know, Mal." Regina sighed as she looked through her ingredients. "It's fairy magic." She shook her head. "Those insects will do anything to keep in favor with Snow White."

"Emma has no idea." Maleficent sighed. "Someone is trying to kill her son, but she has no idea." She looked at Regina. "You'll help him, right?"

"Of course I'm going to help him." Regina snapped. "He's an innocent in all of this. So is his mother."

"So, what will her price be?"

"That is my business, Maleficent. Now, please, I need these ingredients from the green house." She said, giving Mal a list.

"Sure thing." She said and went to the door. "Go easy on her."

Regina just huffed and gave her a look until Mal left. She then shook her head and went to the window, wondering just how she was going to tell Emma the truth. She knew she had to; the princess had to know how serious this was, but that didn't make it any easier. She saw Myranda and Emma coming in and went to the doorway. "Emma? May we have a word in here please?"

Emma looked up and swallowed, sensing something was terribly wrong. "Yes, of course. Thank you, Myranda."

Myranda gave a small courtesy and headed to get lunch started as Emma came into Regina's potion room. She felt tears in her eyes and fear in her heart. "Please tell me you can help him."

Regina gestured for Emma to sit and when she did, she nodded. "I can and will help him, Emma. However, I wanted you to know what is causing his illness." She poured out two tumblers of an amber liquid and sat next to Emma. "My homemade cider." She offered.

Emma took it and downed it, sensing the seriousness of this. "Please, just tell me."

Regina sighed. "He's been poisoned. All of his symptoms are work of magic; fairy magic."

Emma's eyes went wide. "What? Someone was making him sick on purpose? But he's just a child!" Emma ran her fingers through her hair as her skin began to itch with anger filling her. She stood up and started pacing. "You said it's fairy magic?"

"Yes, Emma. I'm sorry, I don't mean to upset you, but yes. They poisoned something and once it was inside him, they activated it." She sighed and reached out to the princess, holding her arm. "Do you know who would have done this?"

Emma wanted to scream, cry, and throw things, but she tried keeping it all in. Regina's touch seemed to somewhat calm her down, though her tears were flowing. Someone was trying to kill her baby boy. She shook her head. "I have no idea why anyone would do this. The Blue Fairy is very close to my mother, but…" She stopped and felt sick. "Oh gods. My parents! I knew they hated that I got pregnant and hated that I named him Henry, but this?" She shook her head in shock. "They…they said…" Emma tried, but her sobs overtook her.

Regina felt terrible and she pulled Emma close, hugging her and rubbing her back. How could any parent do this to their child or their grandchild? She hated Snow and David more than she ever had before. "Emma, it's going to be okay. I know you're angry and you're allowed to be, but my dear, we will heal him."

Emma pushed away, needing to be angry. "And then what? Then I go home and have to fear for his safety? I can't do that! I can't put him in danger!"

"Then you won't." Regina said, watching Emma. "In fact, I will not help him if you're going back because it is a waste for everyone. "Now, I need you to try and calm down so we can discuss this. I know you're upset, and you have every right to be, but please try and…"

"My parents did it." Emma said, seemingly not to have heard Regina. "I know they did. They kept telling me that maybe it was better this way. Maybe Henry dying was a sign that he wasn't meant to be. What a load of rubbish! They wanted him dead! For what? Why? I abdicated my crown so their golden boy could be king! If they wanted me and Henry to leave, they only had to say so!" She was pacing and Regina knew she had to let it out.

Regina got up and grabbed her tumbler, handing it to Emma. "Throw this." Emma balked at her, but Regina nodded. "Throw it." Emma did and Regina magicked up another. "And this." Emma repeated this a few times before it was obvious, she was tired. "Feel better?"

Emma nodded. "A little." But after the anger came more tears. "If they were mad at me, they should have poisoned me, not my son." Emma sobbed. "How do I explain that his grandparents wanted him dead?"

"You don't have to, Emma, he heard them." Regina said, knowing this would hurt the princess. She told her what Henry had told them and decided this was enough. "Emma, my price to help Henry is that you two never go back. You stay here, with me for now, and never let them hurt you or him again."

Emma looked at Regina. "That's not a price, that's a reward. You're giving me a safe place to raise my son; surely I owe you more than that." Emma bit her lip. "Regina, I can't stay here for free and let you heal my son."

Regina nodded. "Then Henry is to be my heir. I have no heirs, and he is already named after my father, so he will be educated to rule the kingdom as I so wish. You will be my advisor because the time is coming where I will need to do trades with the other kingdoms, and I cannot and will not do that on my own. You will rule beside me until the day comes that we hand over the thrown to Henry."

Emma was stunned. "Wait…are you saying I have to marry you?"

"Certainly not, though I'm not sure why you're acting as though that's the worst idea ever. No, we do not need to be married for this to work. We simply need to be a team. In the end, I do have all say, but I want your opinions and suggestions. Emma…I want to rule with you. I've wanted that ever since you were ten years old and gave your doll to the daughter of your cook because she didn't have one. You are kind, fair, and just, and I want to rule with you."

Emma honestly didn't know what to say. "If I say yes, you'll save Henry?"

"I'll save Henry simply if you agree to never go back there. I'm asking you to rule with me. You can disagree, but the price is that Henry becomes my heir and you two never go back to the White Kingdom."

"I…" Emma stalled. "I never want to go back, so it's a deal."

"All of it?"

Emma hesitated. "On one condition." She knew she had no right to this but was glad when Regina just raised a brow. "Kiss me."

"What?" Regina asked, though truth be told, she wanted to. She just had no idea the princess would be so forward.

"Kiss me. If we're to rule together, I don't see why you can't kiss me."

"The two have nothing to do with the other!" Regina said, rolling her eyes. "I will kiss you, Emma, but not like this. Not here, not now, and not while your emotions are on high. But make no mistake, you will be kissed." With that, Regina turned back to her potions.

Emma was stunned but smiled a little. "Fine. Thank you, Regina. May I go see my son?"

"Yes of course. You don't have to ask. This is now your home too, Queen Emma. We'll figure out the parties and announcements later."

Emma left, not saying anything as all of this was still so sudden to her. She went to the room and saw Henry in his bed. He smiled at her. "Regina said she can make me all better."

"I know, my prince." Emma said, hugging him. "She's amazing."

"I wanna stay here forever."

"Your wish is my command." Emma said, kissing his temple. "This is our new home."

"Blue! If she is gone to someone with magic, they will know right away that you poisoned him."

"Your majesty, forgive me but it was not I that did that." Blue said, gritting her teeth. "You informed me you had a rodent problem, not that you would be poisoning young Henry. When you said the bait was taken and I activated it, I had no idea it was inside Henry. Then, you wouldn't even allow me to heal him. I'm sorry, your majesty, but this is all your own fault."

"Get out of here!" David yelled, turning on her.

"David, how could you?" Snow asked, beside herself. "I mean, I hated how he was brought into this world, but I never wanted him dead."

"Yet you kept telling her it would be for the best if he was dead."

"That didn't mean I wanted to kill him! Our daughter will never forgive us or come home!"

"What do I care? She has been a silly, stupid girl for far too long. I have David the Second and he will rule the kingdom just fine. Emma can go be the whore she is somewhere else!" He turned and stormed out of the room.

Snow shook her head sadly, watching him. "If you'd have given her the time of day, she wouldn't have rebelled." Snow said softly. "Heck, if I'd have treated her fairly. We only have ourselves to blame."