Fear not, my friends, this story is FAR from over... like I said, it's going to be an ongoing saga... Emma's still only 6, she needs to get back to her adult self eventually! And I have BIG plans for the teenage years ;)

Chapter Twenty

It was shortly after noon the following day that Regina received a phone call to her office from Storybrooke Elementary.

"Hello?"

"Hi, Regina," Snow's voice came through the other end. "Are you busy?"

"Just working," Regina replied with a shrug, as she glanced at the paperwork on her desk, knowing that Snow knew just as well as she did that the Mayoral paperwork was mostly just for show.

"Oh. Well, I was wondering if you could come pick up Emma? Something happened on the playground at school today. She got in a fight with another child, and she won't really talk about it, but she's very upset, and she only wants you."

"I'm on my way."

When Regina arrived at the school, she headed immediately to the office, where she found Snow sitting with Emma on the sofa. Emma had her arms crossed and a little scowl on her face, but she brightened up the moment she saw Regina step it.

"Gina! Are you gonna take me away from here?" Emma asked, hopefully.

"Yes, Emma," Regina nodded, as she shot a questioning glance at Snow.

Snow turned to Emma. "Emma, remember what we talked about? If you won't tell me what happened on the playground, you have to tell Regina, right?"

Emma pouted, but nodded reluctantly. "I guess," she mumbled, as she looked back up at Regina again.

"The other kid said Emma punched him in the face for no reason," Snow explained, as she stood up. "I don't believe that's true, but Emma won't tell me anything."

"I don't believe that's true, either," Regina agreed, as Emma ran over to her and latched on to her hand. "I'll see what I can do."

Regina led Emma out to her car as Snow headed back to her classroom to finish teaching for the day. "Alright, Little One," Regina said, once they'd reached the car, as she crouched down to be at Emma's eye level. "What are we going to do about this fight on the playground?"

Emma shrugged. "I didn't even get to play on the swings," she said, completely avoiding the topic, "I had to go straight to the principal."

"I see. What if you and I go to the swings at the park and have a little chat?"

Emma shrugged. "I guess."

Regina stood up and opened the back door for Emma to climb in. The girl definitely didn't seem herself at all today, and Regina wasn't sure if it was still the aftermath from the emotional day the day before, or if something else was bothering her. Either way, she was determined to find out.

The ride to the park was a silent one, as Emma just sat and stared out the window, and the park was thankfully empty when they arrived, since most of the children of Storybrooke were still in school. The moment Regina opened the door, Emma hopped out and ran over to the swings, jumping on the first one she reached.

"Push me, Gina?" she asked, hopefully, once Regina had reached the swings.

"I thought maybe we could talk a little first," Regina said, sitting down on the swing next to Emma.

Emma pouted and looked at the ground, kicking her little legs to try to get the swing started on her own, and it was clear to Regina that whatever had happened, Emma really didn't want to talk about it.

"Emma," Regina said, as she watched the girl become more frustrated with the swing that just wouldn't start. "Emma," she said again, more forcefully, causing Emma to finally look up and meet her eyes. "Come here." Regina patted her thighs, and Emma sighed, getting down from her swing and climbing, somewhat reluctantly, onto Regina's lap.

Regina put her arms around Emma, holding her safely on her lap as she rocked the swing gently. "So… let's talk about what happened on the playground."

Emma shrugged, still looking at the ground. "Nothing. Some boys are mean."

"Was a boy being mean to you? Is that why you punched him?"

"He was saying things about me that weren't nice," Emma confessed. "He was telling lies."

"What was he saying?"

Emma paused for a long moment, playing idly with the ends of her hair, before turning to look thoughtfully in Regina's eyes. "Gina… is there something wrong with me?"

Regina drew in a sharp breath, suddenly worried for what, exactly, this boy at school had told Emma. It was a safe assumption that all the adults in Storybrooke - even the ones who hadn't known Emma personally - knew that this little girl was once the full grown Savior, but what were the odds any of those parents had told their children?

"No, sweetheart, there is absolutely nothing wrong with you. What did that boy tell you?"

"He said I'm not like the other kids. He said I grow too fast and it's bad magic," Emma confessed, her bottom lip beginning to quiver. "I don't wanna be bad!"

Regina sighed and hugged Emma close to her. "You're not bad, baby. You don't have a bad bone in your body, I promise. And there's no bad magic in you."

Emma pushed herself away to look at Regina again. "But he said the same thing the fairy said, when I lived with her. Something is wrong with me!"

"Nothing is wrong, Emma, but there is something very special about you. And it's not bad, it's very good, but some people don't understand it," Regina began to explain. She hadn't wanted to even attempt to explain to Emma what was happening, at this age, but she supposed it really was only a matter of time before Emma, herself, realized that she was getting older much quicker than the children around her. She would be seven soon, and going to school, she would figure it out for herself before long.

"Emma," Regina said, trying to decide exactly how to explain this to a child, when she still barely understood exactly what forces were at play here. "I didn't want to tell you this until you were older, because I'm not sure you'll understand, but I'm going to try to explain what's happening, alright? But I don't want you to be scared, because it's nothing bad, I promise. And you know I'm going to protect you, no matter what, right?"

Emma nodded, though her eyes betrayed her nervousness. Regina guessed she should be surprised. Emma had had a bombshell dropped on her just yesterday, and now she was going to get a whole new onslaught of unexpected information.

"Do you know what reincarnation is?" Regina asked, hopefully. To her dismay, Emma shook her head, no. "Okay. Well, I'm going to try my best to explain this so you understand. You do grow faster than the other kids, but it's not bad magic, it's good magic. There's a reason you used to go away in your sleep, and the reason is, you've already been a kid before, and grown up, and now you're a kid again."

Emma scrunched up her nose in confusion. "How?"

Regina shook her head. "I'm not entirely sure, baby. All I know is, you grew up to be an adult, and you did a really, truly amazing thing, and you saved this whole town from bad magic, and somehow, after you did that, you got a second chance to have a happy childhood. Those places you went to in your dreams, before, and those memories you have of different homes you've lived in, those things all happened a long time ago, the first time you were four, or five, or six. What's happening now, you being here, in Storybrooke, with your parents, and Henry, and me… this is your second chance."

Emma nodded, slowly, processing the information. Regina supposed that for a child to possessed magic, and who had been raised by a fairy in the Enchanted Forest until she was four, and who was well aware that her parents were fairytale characters… perhaps this information wasn't all that hard to absorb, as strange as it was.

"What are you thinking, Emma?" Regina asked, finally, after a prolonged silence from the girl.

"I'm thinking… I don't care if I'm different as long as you still love me," Emma said, grinning up at Regina.

"Always, baby girl."

"Gina…. I'm really sorry about yesterday," Emma said, her grin falling a little.

"It's alright, Little One. You reacted just how I thought you would. It's not your fault. I did a lot of bad things, and I know why that would upset you. But I promise I'm a better person, now."

"I know… but, people always tell me I'm bad, too. That's why no one adopts me. I feel bad 'cause I made you feel bad."

Regina hugged Emma tightly to her again. "You're not bad, Emma. No one adopted you before, because you needed to be able to find your way back home to Storybrooke. I know that's hard to understand, but that was a long time ago, and you have your family here, now, and we all love you so much."

Emma smiled again, and looked up at Regina. "Push me on the swings now?" she asked, that hopeful look in her eyes again.

"Of course, Little One," Regina said, lifting Emma off of her lap so she could get back on the other swing. "I'd do anything for you."

After dance, Regina brought Emma back home to the loft, and Snow cornered her the moment Emma took off up the stairs for her toys.

"I take it you got my message?" Regina asked, noting the intense look in Snow's eyes.

"Yes! You told her? Regina, I don't think she's ready!" Snow insisted.

"It doesn't matter if she's ready or not, kids at school already know. That boy she punched, he told her she's different. And Snow, she handled it much better than the news she got yesterday, which, if I remember correctly, you were in complete support of me telling her."

Snow sighed. "I know. I'm sorry… I just… I wanted her to be able to hold on to her innocence a little longer, you know? To relive her childhood as an actual child."

"She's still an innocent, Snow. This doesn't change anything. Emma's still just a child, she just now knows what is happening to her. Or, at least some of it. You know we're going to have to tell her about Henry eventually, right?"

Snow nodded. "I'm not looking forward to that conversation."

"Well, we'll wait until she's older. She's a resilient little girl, she'll be fine. And it's better this way, because she was going to catch on soon enough that all her little friends stay little, while she gets older."

"You're right," Snow agreed, though she still didn't look overly happy about it, and Regina really couldn't blame her for that.

"Speaking of getting older, those kittens of hers are going to have to find new homes soon," Regina pointed out.

"Oh? Well, that sounds like your problem," Snow said, teasingly.

"Hmm, maybe… except for that she wants to bring one here."

"No. Not a chance," Snow said, shaking her head vehemently.

"What's the matter, Snow?" Regina teased. "Afraid they'll scare the birds away?"

"I have a magical six-year-old and a baby, I do not need a kitten," Snow insisted.

"We'll see," Regina said, with a wink, before heading up to Emma's room to say bye to her.

"Gina," Emma whispered, as Regina entered the room. "Did you tell Mommy about the kitty?"

"Yes," Regina nodded, having done just what she'd promised Emma she'd do on the car ride over to the loft. "But I think she might need a little more convincing. Work on that pout, Little One, you'll win her over in no time."

Emma grinned and nodded, before getting up to give Regina a big hug. Regina scooped her up in her arms and gave her a kiss on the forehead. "I'm so happy to see that smile back, Little One," she said, as she gave Emma another tight squeeze. "I'll see you tomorrow."

"You'll see me tonight when I come say good night," Emma corrected.

"Yes, you're right. Good bye, Emma."

"Bye Gina. I love you!"

Regina smiled, as Emma's little voice tugged at her heartstrings yet again. "I love you too, Little One."