A/N: Happy Sunday peeps!

Henry and Regina were curled up on a couch, watching TV with a handful of other women from the shelter when Emma returned. The room was quiet. Word had got out about the events which had taken place outside the building that morning. Regina's husband had turned up. He'd been shot. He'd found his family; tracked them down. But no one had spoken directly to Regina about it, recognising that the woman was not ready to talk.

Emma walked over to her girlfriend and tapped her gently on the shoulder. Regina smiled up at her and patted the space beside her, encouraging Emma to join her. But the blonde shook her head, jabbing her thumb over her shoulder.

"Henry, sweetheart, I'm going to talk to Emma for a bit. Are you ok here?"

"Do you have my iPad, Emma?" Henry asked, turning towards the woman standing behind him.

"Sorry, kid. I'm going to need to hold onto it for a bit longer."

Henry pouted. "That's not fair. And you missed lunch. You said you were going to eat with us."

"I know, I'm sorry. I had to do something for work and it couldn't wait," Emma replied. "How about I have dinner with you guys instead?"

This seemed to be acceptable to the boy who nodded his agreement and turned back to the TV as Regina untangled her arm from around her son's small body. Placing a kiss to the top of his head, she got up and followed Emma out of the room. All eyes watched them leave but no one said anything. Regina raised her eyebrows at Kathryn who nodded her understanding. Please watch Henry for me.

"How did Ruby take the news?" Regina asked as soon as they were in the corridor.

"I didn't fire her," Emma replied. "I know I said I was going to and I know I have the right to do so but I decided she deserves a second chance. She's on probation and she won't be back here until I and Belle think she's ready. But what happened wasn't only her fault. It was mine too; I was the one who put her on the rota. I have to take some responsibility too and it's not fair that she lose her job for my mistake. Are you ok with that?"

Regina reached for Emma's hand as they passed through the doorway into the reception. "Of course I'm ok with that," she assured, tugging lightly to stop the blonde who was marching towards her office. "Ruby made a mistake but I don't blame her for Leo's actions."

"I do but I blame myself too," Emma sighed, head hanging as she stared at her shoes, disappointment with herself finally showing.

But Regina wasn't having any of that. As far as she was concerned, Emma had done nothing wrong. Ruby had fucked up, sure. But the brunt of the responsibility had to lie with Leo. No one else was to be held accountable for his actions.

"This wasn't you, or Ruby," Regina said, gently coaxing Emma's chin up until they made eye contact once more. "It was Leo. Don't blame yourself. Don't blame Ruby. It's Leo we should be angry at."

"That's what I wanted to talk to you about," Emma admitted. "The cops are here to talk with you."

"Here?" Regina looked around, the place was empty except for Mulan who was studiously looking at her computer but evidently eavesdropping on their conversation.

"In the meeting room," Emma explained, pointing to the closed door on the far side of the room. "They say they have some news and they want to answer a few follow up questions based on the statement you gave this morning. They arrived two minutes before I got back from speaking with Ruby. I said I'd check with you before they ask any questions but I figured you'd want an update on … his condition."

Regina nodded at once. Emma's mouth set into a firm line and she turned towards the room. But Regina's hand in her own stopped her and she turned back to find the brunette standing in the exact same position. "What -?"

Before she could finish the question, soft lips covered her own. Her eyes fluttered closed as she melted into the kiss. It was short, tame and ended far too soon. But it did what Regina had intended, and reassured Emma that the woman's desire to find out how her husband was doing after the shooting had nothing to do with lingering feelings.

"Ok, let's go," Regina said with a gentle smile.

"Where's my mom?" Henry asked when Kathryn passed him a juice box.

"She's talking to Emma," Kathryn replied as she gave the same drink to each of her daughters.

"Mom and Emma love each other," Henry announced casually as he stabbed the straw into the box. "She told me today. They do kissing and stuff."

And stuff? Kathryn thought to herself. Please don't let a six-year-old understand 'and stuff'. But she was intrigued to know what Henry did understand about his mother's new relationship. So she sat down on the couch beside him and sipped her coffee. "Yeah, I know. Do you like Emma?"

"Most days. But today she took my iPad. And then she said she'd have pizza with us but she didn't come. She made a promise and she broke it. That's not nice."

"No, but I think Emma's had a busy day today," Kathryn reasoned, adding in her head 'what with being taken hostage and then involved in a police shooting'.

"Yeah, well, I've had a busy day too. But I still had time for pizza."

Oh the sass, Kathryn mused. Henry was going to be a fun teenager, she could tell already. But she had a sneaky suspicion that Emma would be around to help Regina out when those mood swings hit in full force.

"I'm sure Emma will make it up to you later once she's finished work."

"Emma works loads. My dad did too. But Mom doesn't work. Do you work?"

"Not at the moment," Kathryn replied. "I have my girls to look after."

"Do you know what happened to my dad?"

Ok, that's not a question I was expecting, Kathryn balked. She had no idea what Henry had been told about that morning's events. To be honest, she had only a basic understanding herself about what had gone down outside the shelter. And she was sure that Regina would want to be the person to tell her own son the actions and consequences of the young boy's father. So she settled for the vague truth.

"I don't know much, Henry, I'm sorry. I'm sure your mom will talk to you soon though."

"Mom said he did something bad."

Kathryn nodded. "Yes, he did."

"Did your husband do something bad too? Is that why you live here?"

"Yes."

"Does that mean Emma might do something bad to my mom?"

"No," Kathryn replied quickly. "Not at all, Henry. Most relationships are happy and healthy. Most people are kind to each other and they love each other and want to spend their lives together. Sometimes relationships can be bad, but it's rare."

Henry's little forehead creased in confusion. "What does rare mean?"

"Not common," Kathryn explained. "If something is rare, it doesn't happen often."

"But it happens sometimes?" Henry clarified. Kathryn nodded. The boy cocked his head to one side, straw between his lips as he sucked up some juice while in thought. "I don't want to be in a bad relationship when I'm a grown up," he said at last. "I want to be nice to my family. Not like my dad."

"Henry?"

Both the boy and Kathryn looked behind them to see Regina standing there, glassy eyed. She had clearly overheard the last part of the conversation.

"Are you crying, Mom?" Henry asked, twisting around to kneel up and lean over the back of the couch.

"I'm fine," Regina said, wiping her eyes and reaching out to cup Henry's cheek. "I was just thinking about how much I love you."

"I love you too, Mom," Henry said, leaning out to place a clumsy kiss on his mother's lips. "Where's Emma?"

"She's working," Regina replied. "But I wanted to talk to you about your dad. Shall we go and sit in our bedroom where it's a bit quieter?"

Henry nodded and wriggled backwards and off the couch. Regina placed a hand on Kathryn's shoulder and squeezed her thanks. The blonde patted her friend's hand as if to say 'you're welcome' before turning her attention to her daughters, two of whom had started to fight over their latest toy.

Once again, as Regina walked out of the common room, she could feel people watching her. The day's events needed to be addressed sooner or later. As did her relationship with Emma. Perhaps later that evening, once all of the children had gone to bed, they should provide a brief update. But first, there was someone who deserved to know what had happened.

Inside their room, Henry climbed up onto his bed and picked up a discarded comic. Before he could open it, however, Regina began to speak.

"So do you remember how I said that your dad did something bad?"

"Yeah," Henry nodded. "You said he might not be able to come and see me."

"Exactly. Well, it turns out that your dad really missed you and he wanted to see you. So he came down to New York."

"Dad's here?" Henry asked, eyes lighting up with excitement in such a way that Regina's heart broke a little bit.

"He was but he isn't any more. The problem is, Henry, that I came here with you because I didn't think it was a good idea for us to live with your dad any more. Do you remember why?"

Henry nodded. "Cos Dad hit me and he hit you and hitting people is not nice."

"Exactly. And because of that, your dad can't just come and see us whenever he wants. He has to ask permission, like when you want to play on the iPad, you have to ask me first, right?"

"Yeah. I ask and then you say yes or no."

"Well, your dad didn't ask if he could come and see us. And when I told him he couldn't see you, he got angry."

"Did he shout?"

"A bit," Regina nodded. "He was angry with me and with Emma."

"Emma met Dad?" That was an odd thought. Emma didn't know his dad. Emma lived in New York, not up in Maine where his dad was in their home.

"She did. And Emma told your dad that he couldn't come in and see you this morning because he hadn't asked permission. Dad got angry with Emma when she said that and Emma told me to come inside to make sure I was safe."

"Did Dad hurt you again?"

"No he didn't, but Emma was worried that he might, so she protected me."

"Like a knight?"

"What?" Regina frowned, her mind instantly thinking her son was referring to night time rather than a gallant hero who saved damsels in distress in Henry's storybooks.

"Like when the knight rescues the princess from the scary dragon," Henry clarified.

"Oh, yes, I suppose so. Emma didn't want me to get hurt so she told me to go inside. She wanted to talk to your dad and ask him to go back home. But your dad didn't listen."

"Did Dad hurt Emma?" Henry's eyes widened as he asked this question. He'd seen Emma today. Emma didn't look hurt.

"A little bit. But Dad was also shouting at Emma lots and so the police came to help."

"With the big, loud siren?"

"Later, but at first, there were just two police officers who walked from nearby to see if they could help."

"Help Dad or help Emma?"

"Help everyone. The police were worried that your dad might hurt Emma and they wanted to make sure he didn't." She deliberately left out that tiny detail about Henry's father pointing a gun at Emma. He didn't need to know that yet. When he was older, maybe, but not at the age of six. "The police were trying to help your dad not make any bad decisions but your dad wouldn't listen."

"He wouldn't listen to the police? That's bad!" Henry exclaimed.

"Yes, it is. And then the police got very worried about Emma and they had to make sure that your dad didn't hurt her so … so they shot him."

Henry's eyes blew wider than ever. "The police shot Dad?"

"Yes."

"Is he dead?"

"No," Regina replied at once. "I just spoke to a police officer and -"

"Was it the policeman who shot Dad?"

"No, a different one. It was a woman and she'd come to tell me that your dad is ok."

"He's not dead?"

"No."

"But he got hurt?"

"Yes. He had to go to hospital and they had to do an operation on his shoulder which is where he got shot. He'll be ok but he's in big trouble with the police."

"Because he didn't listen?"

"Yes. So after he gets better, he is going to go to have to go to prison."

"For not listening?" Wow, Henry thought. That's extreme. Maybe I should listen to my teachers more in class. Prison isn't somewhere I want to go.

"He made some mistakes and did some things which are against the law," Regina said, choosing her words carefully. "So you won't be able to see him for a while, maybe until you're eighteen, if the court decides that it's not safe for your dad to spend time with you."

"Because he might hurt me?"

"Maybe," Regina agreed. "Some adults will have a conversation with your dad and with me and with some other people who know lots about children and families and they will be the ones who help us decide if you can see your dad again. Do you understand everything I've told you?"

Henry nodded slowly. "I think so. Dad did some bad things to us at home and then he did some more bad things here so the police shot him to stop him hurting Emma. And now he has to go to prison to be punished. And because he's been bad, he can't see me. Is that a punishment too? Not being able to see me?"

"I suppose so. More a consequence than a punishment."

"What's a consequence?"

"It's what happens as a result of an action. So if I put the plug in the bath and left the tap running and then went out for lunch, what would the consequence be?"

"The water would go everywhere," Henry replied.

"Exactly. And the consequence of your dad hurting you and me and try to hurt Emma is that he needs to go to prison for a while."

"But that means I can't see him either. So it's like my consequence too?"

Regina pondered this. Her son wasn't wrong. Due to the way Leo had acted, their son had been left without a father. It wasn't Henry's fault; it was all Leo's. And yet her son was the one who was, in a way, being punished. Through no fault of his own, Henry was, for all intents and purposes, fatherless. His childhood was collateral damage.

"It's not a consequence of what you've done," Regina explained. "You haven't done anything wrong, Henry. But unfortunately, what your dad did means that his punishment affects you too. Imagine if I dropped our dinner on the floor. It would be my fault because I dropped it and I wouldn't be able to eat it. But you wouldn't be able to eat it either because I was cooking for both of us. So it was my mistake but both of us would have to wait until I cooked a second meal, right? Your dad made the mistake but his punishment is that he can't see you. And that means you can't see him either, even though you did nothing wrong. Does that make sense?"

"I think so," Henry nodded. "Can you still see Dad?"

"If I wanted to," Regina nodded. "But I don't want to see your father any more, Henry. I'm very sad about what he did today and the fact that he hurt Emma and -"

"He hurt Emma?" Henry interrupted, eyes aflame with anger at the thought.

"A little bit," Regina nodded.

"Is Emma ok?"

"Yes, she's fine."

"Did you kiss it better where Dad hurt her?"

"The doctors made her all better at the hospital," Regina replied, realising as she spoke that she and Emma hadn't discussed the blonde's injuries. Was she horribly self-involved?

"Did Dad say sorry to Emma?"

"Not yet, but I hope he will," Regina replied, knowing full well that the chances of Leo apologising to Emma were minimal. "Do you have any other questions?" Henry thought for a bit and then shook his head. Regina smiled and kissed his forehead. "You're a good boy, Henry. Thank you."

"Can I have my iPad back now?"

"The police took your iPad to check something," Regina informed her son. "But when they bring it back, yes, you can have it."

"The police have my iPad? That's cool!" Henry exclaimed.

Regina listened attentively as her son launched into an announcement that he wanted to become a police officer when he was older because it meant he got free iPads. The two of them made their way back to the common area and resumed their place on the couch. Regina didn't want to do anything more than snuggle up with her son for the rest of the day, the rest of the weekend. She curled her arm around his back and pulled him close. To Henry's credit, he allowed the contact as he pondered whether police officers also got free PlayStations.

When Emma stepped out of her office just after eight that evening, she was unsurprised to see Mulan and Ella whispering conspiratorially together. She raised her eyebrows pointedly at them when they noticed their boss' presence but said nothing.

"Are you ok, Emma?" Ella asked as Emma pulled out her key to lock her office door.

"I'm bruised but I'll be fine, thank you for asking," Emma replied. "I presume Mulan has told you what happened here this morning?" There was a nod of confirmation. "We're still on high alert but we think we know how Leo found Regina. Still, make sure you monitor the CCTV feed closely tonight, just in case."

"Understood," Ella nodded. "How is Regina?"

"She's ok, I think. She's talked to Henry about Leo after we heard an update from the cops. The man is under arrest and will be up in front of the court on hostage taking charges as soon as he's well enough to leave the hospital. Henry doesn't know everything but he knows he won't be able to see his dad for a long time."

"And Ruby?"

Emma glanced at Mulan who shrugged in casual defiance. She didn't care if Emma knew she'd gossiped about a fellow team member. Ruby was a friend as much as a colleague. "She's on probation," Emma replied. "She won't be working here until Belle signs off and I'll be monitoring her closely for six months. She made a mistake and she knows it. But I know I made a mistake in allowing her to come back so I'm not firing her. I decided it wasn't fair."

"Thank you," Mulan replied. "I think that was the right decision."

Another curt nod and Emma made her way towards the rear of the shelter. "Aren't you going home?" Ella asked.

"I'm having dinner with Regina and Henry," Emma replied. "It's been a long day for all of us."

Ella looked sideways at Mulan who grinned at her. Another piece of gossip confirmed. "Congratulations, Emma. I'm really happy for you."

"Thank you, Ella. Have a good night. Mulan, you can head off if you've completed the handover."

Emma had already decided that she needed to speak with the women in the shelter about her relationship with Regina. The cat was out of the bag. Which was an expression which Emma hated; who put cats in bags? It made no sense. But nevertheless, she had decided that, in light of their relationship reveal, she needed to make some sort of announcement. She was yet to discuss this with Regina, however.

So as soon as she entered the common area, which she was pleased to see fairly busy, she headed straight for the brunette to explain her plan. Regina nodded her agreement at once. "I was thinking the same thing," she said. "It's better for them to hear it from you than the gossip mill."

"And I want to reassure them that Leo's appearance doesn't mean the shelter is in any way easy to find. It's important they know our security measures are still in place. Where's Henry?"

Regina pointed to the far side of the room where Henry was playing with Roland. It was past their bedtimes but it was a Saturday night and it had been an intense day for everyone.

"Do you mind if he's in the room when I talk?"

"No, I've talked to him, go ahead."

With Regina's approval, Emma made her way over to the breakfast counter and called for everyone's attention. The room fell quiet at once. Emma hesitated before beginning. She was usually unaffected by speaking in public and rarely felt nervous. But this was different. This wasn't just about the women; this was personal, about her.

"Um, hi everyone, sorry to interrupt your evening but there are a few things I want to talk with you about in light of what happened this morning."

All eyes were on Emma, eager for the truth after an afternoon of whispered theories. A glance around the room told Emma that, in addition to Henry and Roland, most of the children were still up. Some of the younger ones had ignored her but most were listening. She needed to censor her words to make sure they understood what they needed to know but weren't provided with too much information. That said, she also didn't want to lie nor provide too little information. The truth was important.

"I am sure you've heard that there was an incident here this morning. The husband of one of our guests came to Swan's Shelter and an altercation occurred. I placed myself between the woman and the husband to keep her safe. The police were called quickly and were on scene very fast. Under threat from law enforcement, he took me hostage with a firearm. When he refused to release me, the police had no choice but to use their weapons. He is recovering in hospital and will be arrested when he regains consciousness.

"We have already established how our location was revealed and it happened because one of my team made a mistake. They have been disciplined and we will be ensuring this never happens again. As you all know, every possible effort is taken to keep you safe and my team are committed to doing so. However, we are human, and mistakes happen. Rest assured, we'll do everything in our power to avoid anything like this happening in the future.

"Finally, on a personal note, there is one more piece of news which I feel you should be aware of and which you should hear from me directly." At this point, Emma's eyes drifted over to Regina. "I have started a relationship with one of the women in here." A flurry of whispers could be heard around the room but Emma pressed on. "This is not something I condone usually but there are extenuating circumstances.

"Regina and I," she gestured to the brunette whose cheeks pinked slightly as all eyes flicked over to her, "have known each other since we were sixteen. We met at high school in Maine. Her chance arrival here over a month ago has rekindled feelings which seem to have been harboured all these years. We started dating a few weeks ago and decided to tell you all today. In light of the morning's events, many people already realised we were together. However, our relationship had nothing to do with the way I dealt with the situation today. Had any of you been in danger, I would have done the same thing. In my position here, I pledge to keep you all safe in here and that is what I will do. That said, I sincerely hope that there will never be a repeat of today. I'm off duty now but I'm having dinner now with Regina and Henry so if you do have any questions, please feel free to approach me or Regina," she added, to which Regina nodded her agreement at once. "Thank you for your attention and I hope you enjoy the rest of your evening."

With that, the informal meeting dispersed. Regina got off the couch and made her way to Emma.

"Was that ok?" Emma asked.

"Perfect," Regina nodded. "Are you hungry?"

"Yes." With a jolt, Emma realised she'd barely eaten all day. It was very unlike Emma to miss meals.

Regina placed a gentle hand on her forearm and moved past her into the kitchen to begin cooking. Emma slid onto a barstool and offered to help. Two minutes later, she was chopping an onion.

"Emma?" Henry poked the blonde in the knee at the same time as saying her name just to make sure he got her attention.

"Hey kid, how are you?"

"Good, thanks. Mom said Dad hurt you. Are you ok?"

"I'm fine, Henry. Thank you for asking."

"Mom said you love her now."

Emma glanced at Regina who was smiling and shaking her head in exasperation. Trust her son to be so direct. Luckily, Emma's autism meant she preferred this sort of conversation to one which skirted the point. "Yes," the blonde confirmed, "I do love your mom."

"But Dad doesn't?"

"Your dad made a mistake," Emma offered. She didn't really want to get into a conversation with Henry about his father in her role as Regina's girlfriend. She didn't want to appear bias. "But he still loves you."

"Mom says Dad can't see me now," Henry pressed. "Is that because he was bad?"

"Yes," Emma nodded. "We have to make sure you're safe."

"So you and Mom are going to look after me? Like having two moms instead of a mom and a dad?"

"Well, maybe. Right now, your mom is going to look after you. But I'm here too. Whenever you need to talk or you have a question, you can come to me. Is that fair?"

"Yeah, ok," Henry agreed. "Can I help you make dinner?"

"Sure," Emma nodded, reaching down and lifting Henry onto the seat beside her.

Regina smiled as she watched her son and girlfriend, sitting side by side, work together to prepare their evening meal. Was this her future? She wondered as she stirred the pan of onions. If it was, she couldn't wait to experience it.