After picking up the clothing thrown haphazardly across the floor and laying out fresh clothing for Emma to change into when she woke up, Regina decided that paperwork could be done tomorrow. She then took it upon herself to call in a personal favor from David on her lover's behalf. Since Emma pulled doubles for him twice that week, he agreed to come in a few hours early so that Emma could "help Regina with their memory potion." David, though, had already dropped by the station to surprise/relieve Emma, so he knew that Emma had been gone for at least two hours. He made a note to himself to talk to Emma about what was really going on behind the ruse of a memory potion; he couldn't just approach the subject without tact. He needed a plan, a strategy, which is what he decided he would work on for the next eighteen hours while he was working. Right after he finished his hand of solitaire…

Meanwhile, Emma was now awake and in the kitchen with Regina. The two were deeply immersed in food prep and conversation when they heard the front door slam and a teenager huff and stomp up the stairs. Henry was home early, but neither addressed it, deciding it was better to give him time to cool off. Instead they continued cutting vegetables for dinner. Regina was doing most of the work while Emma was obnoxiously close, refusing to allow the brunette to be more than two feet away from her. When Regina put the ingredients into the large soup pot, put the lid on, and turned the heat on medium low, Emma wasted no time before she attacked the woman's lips. Regina returned the kiss with passion. The kiss turned from urgent want to slow desire. Since Emma and Regina crossed the physical threshold just a few short hours before, they could not seem to get enough of each other.

The two were interrupted from their romantically enchanted state by a knock on the front door. Regina pulled away, only to crash her lips once more against Emma's. Pulling away again, she looked into Emma's eyes, searching for forgiveness, to which Emma responded with another hasty kiss. Regina pulled back again and sighed, "To be continued?"

Emma thought for a moment, seemingly debating her answer. "Maybe," she finally responded with a wink. "I want to go check on Henry anyway. He is supposed to be at the tennis courts."

Regina nodded. The two walked in step, hand-in-hand until Emma stood at the bottom of the stairs. She squeezed her lover's hand as they parted ways. Emma took the stairs at a quick pace. Regina's prime instincts pushed Regina to tell her lover not to run in the house, but instead Regina turned her attention to the guest just beyond the door when she heard Emma's soft tone address Henry from outside his door. When Regina opened the front door, Emma looked over her shoulder as she entered Henry's room to see who Regina was greeting. She was surprised to see Dr. Tremaine, Ashley/Cinderella's formidable stepmother, who also happened to be Storybrooke School's competent and dedicated headmistress and a cornerstone of the community. "Dr. Tremaine, what brings you here?" Regina tried not to sound too worried at the headmistress's presence.

"Mayor Mills, may I come in? I have an issue I wish to discuss with you concerning your son."

"Of course." Regina opened the door and welcomed the woman into her home. "Follow me to my study. We can talk more openly there. Can I interest you in something to drink? Cider perhaps?"

"No thank you. While there are few things I enjoy more than a glass of your cider, I am on official business, and this is not the only stop I have to make this afternoon," Dr. Tremaine pointedly noted.

"Very well then. Should Emma also be present for this meeting?" Regina asked as they walked into the study. She heard Emma and Henry leaving Henry's room and descend the stairs.

"Sheriff Swan's inclusion in this meeting is between the two of you. I do ask that Henry be included though," the headmistress stated.

Regina let her posture fall. This cannot be good. She called out, "Emma. Henry. Can you join me and Dr. Tremaine in my study?" Neither answered right away, but after a couple of minutes, they did as they were told. When they entered the room, Henry was carrying a glass of ice water in one hand, and the other held an icepack against his cheek and eye. Regina drew a sharp, audible breath upon noticing her son's cheek and eye, which despite being partially blocked with an icepack, she could tell were red and bruising. She could also see that Henry had been crying. Emma put an arm around Henry's shoulders, a silent gesture of solidarity, and guided him to the sofa in the study next to his mother. Regina understood that Emma must already be aware of Henry's situation and that she was unwaveringly in his corner. Seeing Emma's loyalty to Henry, whether justified or not, caused Regina's heart to swell, but she was not allowing herself to succumb to her emotions, not now anyway. Emma sat down on Henry's other side.

Regina was out of the loop, and she was anxious to hear what was going on. "Dr. Tremaine, let's not waste any more time. What brings you here?"

"Mayor Mills, Sheriff Swan, it has been brought to my attention that Henry is not quite as focused on his school work as of late. While I try to avoid the rumor mill of this town, I am aware that your family is undergoing some exciting changes. I imagine I should congratulate you, should the product of the unavoidable rumor mill be true. I think that Henry's grades will settle out once your family adjusts to this new dynamic. His lack of focus is typical for students undergoing changes in their home lives—even changes that seem to be an improvement." Emma and Regina looked at each other. 'Seem to improve home life,' Regina thought, 'What on earth is that supposed to mean?' Emma, as though hearing her thoughts, shrugged. "Then again," the headmistress continued, "I also understand that he has been training vigorously to compete in the upcoming tennis tournament, but I am sure that I need not remind you, Henry, that if your grade point average continues to fall you might not be able to represent Storybrook Schools in the tournament. Anything below a 3.5 will cause you to be disqualified, as it sits, you're currently at a 3.85, down from your previous 4.0." Regina felt some tension release hearing that her son's GPA was still within a redeemable A- range.

"Henry's academic performance and lack of focus aside, however, he has demonstrated a bit of aggression over the past few days toward some of his peers. I cannot say whether the aggression is undue. And frankly, I wish for that to be left to your family to resolve if at all possible. I am, however, unable to overlook today's altercation."

Hearing that Henry was involved in an altercation, and judging from the look of his face, a physical one, at school caused Regina's eyes to bulge and her jaw to drop. She looked from her son to Emma. Henry looked ashamed and upset, but Emma was stoic and kept her arm around her son. Whatever happened, Regina was trusting Emma's support was not without reason, so she reached out and took one of Henry's hands and clasped it tightly. "Again, since I am unable to confirm whether Henry was being provoked, he and the other two young men who were involved in the altercation are receiving the same punishment. They will have five days of in-school isolation and will serve detention on those five days as well. While in detention they will be doing community service on school grounds—nothing too strenuous that could potentially cause the school any form of liability, though. Finally, Henry will be unable to represent Storybrook Schools in tennis for the five days that he is facing these reprimands; this includes practice."

Regina nodded solemnly, "Very well, Dr. Tremaine. I appreciate your consideration of the situation, and I respect your judgment in the sanctions." Emma looked at the headmistress and nodded in agreement. Regina then turned to look at her son. His expression was lost on her. There was a sense of shame, but over the last few months, he had changed so much. Beyond the boyish look of disappointing his mothers was the solid expression of a man owning up to his actions. Henry was becoming the man he is being raised to be. "Is there anything else we should be made aware of?"

"Only that your son is an exemplary student other than this misstep and his academic performance as of late. I hope that this will not become and habit and deter him from achieving his potential." Though Dr. Tremaine was speaking to everyone in the room, she was, in actuality, only addressing Henry.

He spoke up for the first time, "Of course not. This won't happen again."

The headmistress gave a sincere nod upon hearing Henry's words before speaking again/ "I would like to add off the record, that if I discover—as I suspect I will—that Henry was being harassed beyond typical schoolyard provocation and his aggression was the result of being bullied, his aggressors will face more severe sanctions than those I have just laid out for you. We have a zero tolerance policy for bullying at Storybrook Schools." The headmistress looked from Emma to Regina and continued, "If you find, after talking about this incident as a family, that there is anything along those lines that needs to be brought to my attention, call or drop by my office first thing tomorrow."

Regina answered for the family, "We most certainly will. Thank you."

"Then I will take my leave. Thank you for your time, Mayor Mills. You too, Sheriff Swan. If I can be of any assistance in the upcoming relocation project, please let me know."

"Thank you, Dr. Tremaine. I will see you out." Regina stood to guide her guest out to the foyer.

"There is no need. Have a good evening."

Regina stood for a moment and watched the headmistress leave. Instead of going back to the study, she turned to her kitchen and went to stir the soup. She lingered over the stove, wondering about the day's events. Things were changing. She and Emma just sat through a meeting concerning their son. Together. Not just as co-parents, but together. Thinking of the fullness of the word together, her stomach flipped and tightened. She felt herself flush with arousal. Their afternoon had affirmed their together-ness. And while she expected the aftermath to be loaded with tension and unanswered questions as it had been with others in the past, she was surprised at the sense of completion that she felt.

Things were, in fact, changing, seemingly for the better—even Dr. Tremaine noticed. Regina could not help but see the meeting regarding Henry's altercation as an affirmation of the unity that she and Emma were developing and sharing. She had wondered lately how they would work together when it came to serious matters of parenting such as discipline. The answer she received today was beyond her expectations. Emma was going to be an excellent partner. They complimented each other very well in times of crisis. Even though she did not yet know what provoked Henry's behavior, she knew that Emma did. And Emma's support of Henry encouraged Regina to stand by her son, their son. She trusted Emma's judgment without question.

Regina was pulled from her musings, though, when she heard footsteps behind her. Henry was entering the kitchen followed closely behind by Emma.

"Mom?" Henry inquired.

"Yes, dear?" Regina tried not to seem overly eager to talk with her son about the day's transgressions.

"I was wondering if it would be alright if I go to the stables for a while. I won't ride unless David comes by on his rounds. I know I am going to be grounded, but I need some time."

"Do you want me to drop you off?" Regina walked around the table and cautiously reached out to her son.

"No thank you. I think I will just ride my bike there, if it ok with you."

"Whatever you need. Please be home for dinner by 6:30." Regina ran her hand through his hair and softly caressed his cheek.

"Ok Mom." Regina pulled back her hand and watched her son turn toward the door that would lead to the basement where he kept his bicycle.

"Henry?"

"Yes?" He glanced over his shoulder.

"Please be careful. I love you." Her voice was quiet but it still shook with emotion.

Emma saw Regina struggling and chimed in. "Yeah kid. Come back in one piece. Or don't. More dessert for me." She roughed up his hair when he walked by. When he tried to duck away from her rough love, she pulled him into a headlock. She rubbed her knuckles into his scalp, all the while being mindful of his injuries from his fight.

"Okay okay! Ma!" Henry began to laugh.

Emma let him go then looked at him sincerely. "We love you kid. Call if you need us. Be home at. . . Whatever time your Mom told you to be home."

"6:30. I will see you then. I love you. Both of you." Henry waved as he left.