There. I said it. I said that I wanted her too. Maybe not in so many words, but I said something.

"Y-you do?" Emma stammered.

"Yes, but I can't kiss you yet. I can't be with you yet. Not until you know the whole story. The true story." I tried desperately to keep my voice from trembling.

"Mom?"

My stomach fell. This will have to wait. Stepping away from the blonde, I spoke. "We're in the kitchen, Henry."

"Talk later?" Emma asked quickly.

All I did was nod as Henry joined us. "I wondered when you were going to wake up. I can make dinner soon if you're hungry."

"Are we having the rest of that soup?" He yawned, coming over to lean his head against me.

Wrapping my arms around him, I petted his hair. "We can do that or something else." I felt Henry's forehead. "Still a little warm but that could be from sleep."

"Soup is good."

"Can I get you anything before I start dinner?"

"No. I think I'm going to just play video games."

"Okay. Let me know if you need anything."

"I will." Making his way back towards the living room, Henry stopped by the counter. "Do you want to join? Either of you?" He looked between us with hope.

Emma spoke first. "I'm down for playing unless your mom wants to."

"I'll get a book and read while you two play. Emma knows what she's doing and won't get your character killed every two seconds."

"I'll go set up." Rushing to the living room, Henry powered on his PlayStation.

Stepping closer, I whispered. "Once he's asleep for the night, we'll talk." Noticing the spiraling panic, I took Emma's hand trying to reassure her. "It's going to be alright." I hope.

"Okay."

Hours passed and Henry finally wanted to sleep. Tucking him in, I kissed his forehead. "Goodnight, Henry."

"Night, mom. Thank you for letting Emma stay."

"You're welcome. Get some rest."

"You too." Flipping off his light, I closed the door.

Once I was finished with my nightly routine, I checked to make sure Henry was sound asleep. Knowing that he was, I sent Emma a text.

Coast is clear. Come in when you want to talk. -R

Leaning against my headboard, I played out every possible outcome. This might be the last day Henry or Emma want to speak to me. Everything I've worked for is about to crumble. Toying with the string, I sighed. I might even lose my soulmate. Knocking lightly, Emma popped her head in, eyes closed. "I'm decent."

"Hi." Closing the door behind her, Emma cautiously made her way towards the bed. "Can I sit?"

"Sure." I watched as she came to sit about a foot away.

"How do we start this? You said we couldn't be together until I knew the truth."

"Correct." Anxiety is radiating off of her. Does this have to do with the dream she had?

Toying with the blanket, Emma chewed her lip. "Do you," she paused. "Have you ever known someone named Daniel?" My heart pounded. "Who worked with horses."

How? How the hell does she know about Daniel?! I won't lie to her but I need to know what she knows first. "I did know someone named Daniel who worked with horses, yes. Why do you ask?"

"Is he dead?"

"Yes." I don't like where this is going.

"How?"

"His heart…it gave out." Emma met my gaze. She knows I'm not lying but I'm not telling the truth either. "Why do you ask?"

"The dream I had this morning, the one you felt, was," she chose her words carefully. "It had you, Daniel, and your mother in a stable. Dressed in clothes that looked like they were from a storybook."

"What happened in this dream?" I tried to stay calm. This conversation is going to hurt. At least she'll be able to feel how much and know I'm not lying.

"You met up with him and were going to run away together. Your mother found out and ambushed you. She acted like she accepted your choice to leave but…" Her voice trailed. Pain radiated through the string. "She killed him instead. Said it was out of love and that she was doing what was best for you." Emma's voice cracked as she clenched her fist. "She thinks love is weakness."

"What do you think it is?"

Relaxing, a soft smile ghosted the younger woman's lips. "I think it's strength. You have to be strong enough to allow yourself to be vulnerable. Patient enough to let things play out." Meeting my gaze, she finished. "And caring enough to accept the flaws of another person. If you love someone, and it's meant to be, you can find a way to unpack any baggage someone has."

"That's quite a lot." She knows. But how? I don't think she knows everything.

Taking my hand, Emma asked the one question I never wanted her to ask. "Did you cast a dark curse that sent everyone here to Storybrooke?"

When I tried to pull away, Emma tightened her grip. She gave me the same reassuring look I gave her earlier. "Yes." Relief washed over me. She finally knows. Someone finally knows. Emma was quiet. I couldn't read her facial expression or figure out what she was feeling. The red string still connected us and hadn't lost any of its color. "Emma?"

Peering down to our hands, Emma caressed mine with her thumb. "I don't know what to say. I've got so many different thoughts at once."

"Is there one thought that's most prevalent?"

Thinking for a moment, Emma met my gaze once more. "Thank you."

My brow creased. "Thank you?"

"You were honest with me. You didn't try to lie." A soft smile set me a little at ease. "You have some guilt from it but you did that when you were blinded by anger and hungry for revenge."

"The regret you feel is that I've lied to Henry for his entire life. And that I, indirectly, ruined your life." I paused. "That part is new."

"You made my life harder. You didn't ruin it. If you hadn't cast the dark curse, I wouldn't have been put in the wardrobe and I wouldn't have had Henry. If none of that happened, we wouldn't be sitting here. We wouldn't be around the same age and I wouldn't be the person I am. You wouldn't be the person you are because you wouldn't have adopted Henry. I don't know if I would be in love with you if we were in the Enchanted Forest."

She's actually okay with this? "You are truly incredible." I paused, feeling love through the string and into my chest. "How do you know about the Enchanted Forest and the wardrobe?"

"Henry's book. The one that you saw."

The missing pages. Those must tell her story. "The one with the ripped pages?"

"Yes." Entwining our fingers, Emma smiled. "Eventually, we'll have to tell him. He might be upset at first but ultimately, he wants you to be safe and happy. Twice now, he's asked me to protect you when the dark curse is broken."

"He does?" She nodded with a smile. "How does he know it'll be broken?"

"That's what the book says. He doesn't know how it'll break. He doesn't think it's a battle between good and evil though."

"What does he think it is?" I have so many questions. At least Henry wants to make sure I'm safe.

Emma's cheeks turned pink as she smiled sheepishly. "He thinks true love will break the curse."

"Where did he get that idea from? And when have the two of you talked about all of this?"

"You know those comic books he got when the video game was released?" I nodded. "Well, that story is about a female knight and an evil Queen who fall in love. That love helps reverse some of the darkness done to the Queen's heart. Henry knows that things will turn bad when everyone gets their memories back and finds out what you did so he's been trying to figure out a way to keep you safe from everyone in town. Especially," she paused. "My parents…"

"Mary Margaret and David Nielsen also known as…"

"Snow White and Prince Charming." Disgust washed over Emma's face. "I could have grown up being a Charming? All sickeningly optimistic and naive."

"In the Enchanted Forest, yes. You were either "good" or "evil." There was no gray category."

Scratching her head, Emma shrugged. "I kind of want to thank you again? That sounds terrible."

"You took this a lot better than I expected. Why is that?"

"I've seen a lot. Most people who do bad things have a reason. They're in that gray area. Like I've said before, you can't be entirely bad. Otherwise, you wouldn't love Henry the way you do. I've also had a lot of time to think about it. Some people wouldn't get past the thing you did that ultimately took me from my parents. But you didn't know what would happen."

"I didn't care. Emma," I paused. "I've killed and tortured people. Literally ripped their hearts out and crushed them like my mother did to Daniel. I didn't care who I hurt." A single tear ran down my cheek. "I killed my own father to enact the curse." My throat ached with pain.

Leaning forward, Emma wrapped her arms around me. "Stop thinking you're a terrible person." Nuzzling her face in my neck, she held me tightly. "You're not that person anymore."

"How do you know?"

Shifting back to sit, Emma took my hands in hers. "Because you have love in your life now. You're not just living for yourself. You're living for Henry too."

"I was terrified of this moment. I knew with every fiber of my being that you would find out and take Henry. Never let me see him again."

"I meant what I said. I will never take him from you. He is the light in your life and helps reverse some of the darkness."

"You're helping with that too." Taking the string between my fingers, I toyed with it. "This started to appear on your twenty-seventh birthday. That morning, I woke up with a feeling in my chest that I couldn't place. Then you arrived and I saw the string. Over time, it became more pronounced and eventually connected."

"I woke up with that same feeling. I couldn't see the string at first. Then it started to appear on my wrist. I panicked when I saw it connected us."

I laughed remembering that day. "You narrowly missed the table on your way out."

"Yeah…" A soft blush crept up Emma's neck. "I think the string is one reason I was able to believe Henry's theory. If the red string legend was true, an enchanted forest with magic and fairytale characters isn't much of a leap. And then the sparks between us." She paused. "Do you know what that was?"

"No. I can only assume it's because you're the product of true love." Emma's nose scrunched causing me to laugh. "You think true love is cliché but not soulmates?"

"I guess it's because they are so disgustingly sweet and optimistic."

"You have no idea." I groaned.

Green eyes lit up. "Could you do magic?"

Nodding, I chuckled. "Oh, yes. There was only one person who's magic was stronger than mine. I did enjoy a good fireball."

"Rumplestiltskin?" I nodded. "That must have been a blast. And made things so much easier. Gold is a creep here. I can't imagine adding magic into that."

"Some things were easier, yes. It wasn't pleasant. That's one reason why I had him locked up back then." I couldn't fight back a yawn any longer. "It took me a while to get used to not using magic after I enacted the curse and woke up here."

"It's getting late." Standing, Emma stretched. "Will you tell me more about your past? I want to know the queen side of you too. The good, the bad, and the ugly. All of it."

The queen side. She didn't call me the Evil Queen. Even after reading the storybook. "Are you certain?" She nodded. "Alright. Once Henry has gone to bed, we'll talk."

"I don't want to break the curse without knowing everything. I also don't want to break it until you're ready and we can keep you safe."

"Even though you really want to kiss me?" I grinned seeing a deep red rush to the blonde's cheeks. "I couldn't resist."

"You want to kiss me too." She smirked. Becoming serious, Emma debated her words. "I heard you talking to Graham earlier. I walked away when I realized who you were talking to."

"I didn't want to start something with you if I was still with him. You deserve better than to be the other woman."

Warmth radiated from Emma to me. "Thank you."

"You're welcome."

Xxx

Over the next few days, everyone got over the flu. We fell into a routine without realizing it. Each night, after Henry went to bed, Emma would come into my room and I would tell her about my past. Every gory detail. Overall, she understood why I did what I did. She may not have agreed with it, but she never judged me.

Eventually, it was time for us to go back to work and school. Tossing her bag into the bug, Emma hesitated. "Regina?"

"Yes?" I placed my briefcase in the backseat and gave her my full attention.

Glancing towards the door, she spoke quietly. "What are we? Are we together? Just friends? I want to know. I love you and I think you love me too but I don't know how we should act in public."

Cupping the woman's cheek, I smiled. "I love you too." Warmth filled my chest. I didn't think I would ever say that to someone besides Henry. It feels nice. "For now, let's keep our relationship between us." Pain filled us both. "Until we tell Henry." As if on cue, the front door opened and my hand fell. "Are you alright with that?"

"Yeah. It sucks but I understand. Although, he may have his suspicions already."

"Ready to go?" Henry joined us. His attention turned towards Emma. "I guess since we're not sick anymore, you're going back to your place?"

"Yeah. But I'll still come for movie nights and stuff." Emma did her best to lift Henry's spirit.

"It won't be the same."

"I know." Giving Henry a side hug, Emma ruffled his hair. "I'll still be around though."

"You better be." He smiled.

"Alright, I need to get you to school. Class will start soon." I watched as Henry climbed into the backseat. "I hope you have a good day." My eyes lingered a moment before getting into the car. This is going to be harder than I thought. Not kissing her is hard enough. Now we have to act like we're acquaintances.

"You too." She smiled, her eyes doing the same. Turning on her heels, Emma made her way to the driver's side and started her metal deathtrap. I followed behind her until we went our separate ways.

"Mom?"

"Yes, Henry?" I glanced at him in the rear view mirror.

"Do you like Emma?" He continued before I could answer. "More than friends."

Damn it. Emma and I planned to have this conversation with him together. "I care for her. Why?"

Looking out the window, he answered. "I wouldn't be against having two moms. I really like Emma being at the house. She makes us both happy."

He's definitely smarter than the average ten year old. "I don't think she's going to be moving in anytime soon."

"That's okay. Do you think it'll happen eventually?"

I've never been so happy to see Henry's school in my life. I am not ready for this conversation. "I'm not sure. Here we are." Coming to a stop, I turned to meet Henry's gaze. "Have a good day at school. Don't forget your lunch and backpack."

"I won't forget." He smiled. "Have a good day at work."

I watched as he ran towards the main entrance. He's too smart for his own good. This is definitely going to be harder than I thought.

Arriving at the office, I sent Emma a message before starting work. We'll be telling Henry sooner than expected. He asked a few questions on the way to school. I wanted to let you know and see when we could sit down and talk with him. -R

Settling in, I started the pile of paperwork that had accumulated while I was gone. My phone buzzed with a response as I finished a file.

I didn't think it would. He's a smart kid. Maybe Saturday when I come for movie night? It's only a few days from now. -E

That will work. -R

Awesome. -E