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Regina and Henry huddled together on the couch the next day, the former holding the portable DVD player on her knees while they watched movies. They made it through Finding Nemo and Lilo & Stitch. Henry said he needed a bathroom break when the second one went to the credits, so Regina set the player on the coffee table and got up to get them a snack. David had brought some healthy foods, but he'd also brought a bit of junk food, probably whatever was more in Henry's taste profile after having spent his time with Emma and Mary Margaret. She grabbed a bag of chips and poured them each a glass of water.

The music coming from the player when she made her way back caught her attention. It was a pop version of a familiar song, and once the words filtered into her mind, her eyes welled with tears that she refused to shed. She set the glasses down and the chips, biting her lip and shutting the DVD player with a slam.

"You okay, Mom?" Henry asked, hesitating as he drew closer.

Regina sucked in a slow breath, blinking away the tears and wiping her face and under her eyes just to be certain. "I'm fine, sweetheart. I just… like that song." Not that version though, the version she was thinking of was all instrumental, except for the soft, low voice of a handsome prince who wasn't hers, singing it softly into her ear.

"Okay," Henry answered hesitantly, not sure if that was the truth, but not sure it was his business anyway. "Uh, do you want to start a new movie?"

"Why don't you get one ready and I'll be right back?" she posed, heading for the bathroom. She shut the door behind her, then leaned against it and took a deep breath. She'd compose herself, then return to her son. It's all she could do anyway.

David called her early the next morning, and it took more energy than she had to force herself awake to answer it. That exhaustion was gone the moment she heard him say her mother's name.

"Slow down, what?" she said, shaking her head.

"Cora is going after him now. Right now. Regina… we can't do this without you. I hate to ask, but maybe you're the only one who can stop her."

"What about Henry?" she asked.

"Ruby's headed there now for him."

Regina started dressing. "How do you know it's right now?"

"Gold said he can feel it. He can feel his power changing. I don't know, Regina, but the poison is taking him slowly and he said he'll die soon, and he said if he knows Cora, she'll make sure to kill him before the poison does."

Regina smacked her forehead. "She wants his power. How could I not have figured that out?"

"Well, you've had a lot going on," he answered her softly, though she could still hear his panic at the edge of his voice. "Do you think you can stop her?"

Regina pulled on her boots, the phone held between her cheek and shoulder. "David, I told you before, I can't beat her."

"Maybe all of us together can."

Regina sighed. "I need to finish getting ready, I'll meet you at Gold's shop. Make sure Emma is there, I'm sure she can at least manage something while I try."

"Don't do anything that's going to get you killed," David said, a hint of worry in his tone. "Regina, if you think she's going to hurt you, leave, please."

"I'll see you soon." Regina hung up, grabbing her coat and slipping outside. She didn't want to wake Henry, but she also wouldn't leave until Ruby arrived.

By the time she got to Gold's, her mother was outside waiting for her. She'd known because even aside from David saying so, just after they'd hung up, she felt the spell on her house warning her that her mother was leaving.

"I was hoping you got the message. I was waiting for you," Cora told her.

"Of course. How are we doing this?" she asked, lifting her chin.

"That shepherd and his offspring are in there... Snow is missing. There's someone else, too, but he… feels insignificant. And, of course, Rumplestiltskin."

"Okay." Regina nodded; her heart racing as she stared at her mother. She wanted David out of there. Cora frowned, so she asked, "What is it, Mother?"

"My heart… someone is there. Go to your vault, get my heart. It's with my things there."

"Wait for me, then. I'll be right back." Regina headed off, going to find her mother's heart, though she didn't know who could be messing with it, or in her vault at all for that matter.

When she found Snow in her vault, her heart jumped in her throat. "What are you doing here?" Then, when she noticed what was in the other woman's hands, she added, "That doesn't belong to you."

"I… know. I was bringing it to you. Your mother can't love you without her heart, and I thought… uh, maybe if she had her heart inside her, maybe her love for you would stop her from trying to ruin this town. From trying to take Gold's power."

"She's always wanted what's best for me. That's love," Regina argued.

"But what about real love? Wanting what you want because she loves you so much? You could have a real mother," Snow said, holding the box with Cora's heart out to her. "Go. Go and put this back in her chest. And then she can really, truly love you, Regina."

Regina looked at the box in her hands and considered it, considered what her life would've been like if her mother had truly loved her as a mother does, and not as a placeholder for the life that she'd wanted, the life that Regina had absolutely never wanted but had been forced into. So, with those wishes in her head, she headed back to the shop.

Her mother was already inside, and it made her heart jump. She headed in, taking the heart out of the box and heading inside. Glancing around for Charming, she was relieved when she realized he wasn't there. She slipped into the back room, finding her mother facing Gold, speaking with him, no one in sight aside from that pair.

And… and she couldn't help it, she gripped the heart in her hand, setting the box on a shelf haphazardly and moving closer to her mother's back. She shoved the heart into her through her back, then moved between Cora and Gold.

…

…

…

…

…

….

And the smile her mother gave her… her heart soared at the sight of the first genuine smile she'd ever seen on her mother's face.

"Regina…" her mother said, still smiling so widely.

"Mother." She smiled, too, something more heartfelt than she'd allowed since being back in Storybrooke.

But then her mother stumbled back two steps, the smile leaving her face as she patted at her chest.

"Mother?" Regina asked, reaching out and catching her before she could fall to the floor. "Mother, are you okay?"

Cora looked down at her chest, then up at Regina. Her voice was weak, but Regina focused in on it as her mother said, "Th…this… would've… been enough. You would've…. been enough." Then her eyes closed.

Regina shook her gently. "Mother? Mother!" She whimpered, looking at Gold. "You did this."

"I did nothing," Rumplestiltskin said.

Just then, Snow and David ran in. "Regina, stop!" the other woman yelled, halting once she saw Regina with Cora in her arms. Regina glared at her.

"You!" she growled. Stupid Snow White had the audacity to look ashamed after what she'd just done. "You made me kill her!" With a glance at David, Regina used magic to send herself and her mother's body to her vault.

When David saw that Gold was well, he shook his head and drove his wife and daughter home. Nobody spoke, except Emma, to say she was going to get Henry. When he was alone with his wife in the kitchen, David looked at her.

"All you said was that you did something bad, you didn't say you killed her," he started, his voice low.

"I didn't kill her, I just cursed her heart, and gave it to Regina to put into Cora's chest."

"Yeah, because that's not the same thing."

"Are you mad at me? I don't feel good about what I did, but if she had become the dark one, we'd all be dead."

"It didn't have to be by your hands, though!" He scrubbed his hand over his face. "Regina came to help us. She was there to take care of her mother, and instead of allowing her to win, you gave her the weapon that killed Cora."

Snow's eyes flickered, then she shrugged. "How do you know she was there to help beat her mother rather than helping her mother kill Gold?"

"Because I'm the one that called her. I asked her to help, and now… damnit, now she's going to think I was in on it with you." David sighed, resting his hands against the countertop.

"David, she's not good. I don't understand what happened that blinded you so much to the fact that she will always be evil."

David looked at her. "She isn't evil. She's… done evil things, I know that, but she has been trying to change for Henry. When we were in the Enchanted Forest, with no one around, she started to change, and she's still trying, but you and Emma don't ever want to give her the benefit of the doubt and all it's going to do is end up hurting Henry."

Her green eyes widened at the mention of Henry's name. "He can't know what I did."

"Good luck with that." He grabbed a duffel bag, shoving some of his things into it. "You know, she just had to lose Daniel all over again, and now she's just lost her mother all over again, too."

"What are you doing?"

"I'm going to Granny's. I'll stay at the Inn there."

"What? Why? Over Regina?" she asked incredulously.

"Over the fact that you're not the woman I married." He shook his head. "I'll pick up Henry later, and I'm going to take him to his mother, because she shouldn't be alone right now."

"Why do you care?" Snow yelled.

"Because she saved me and brought me back home so I could be with my family. So I'm going to bring her family back to her."

"Even now she's finding a way to come between us."

David looked at her sadly. "This time it isn't her, it's you. I love you, I have since I met you. But what we built together isn't this. And the woman I married isn't this you. I need some time." He looked away, grabbing his bag and slipping out.

Laying on top of the covers in a room at the Inn, David stared at the ceiling. He felt awful, his head pounding, his heart aching. Snow was, well, she probably needed him, but he wouldn't assuage her guilt right now. He felt himself torn between these two women, and that was his own fault, he knew that.

He had started with the flirting, and the kissing with Regina. He'd pursued her, knowing his wife was waiting for him here in Storybrooke. And now he found himself feeling too deeply for her. His love for Snow hasn't been the same since he got back, and she didn't deserve that. But Regina didn't deserve being toyed with, either.

Glancing at the clock, he decided he'd take a nap and then go get Henry. Actually, he'd have Emma meet him.

He woke up late in the afternoon, deciding that 3:30 was late enough to sleep. David took a shower, then put on clean clothes and headed to the station. Emma was filling out paperwork, her face scrunching.

"What are you hating?" he asked.

"I hate filling out crime reports. This thing with Mary-Margaret. It feels wrong filling out a crime report with my… mother's name on it. And I know she regretted it once Regina was gone, but it's still a crime, you know?"

David nodded. "Yeah."

"So, the Inn, huh?"

"I just can't do it. We've grown apart, and I understand that's mostly my fault, but I can't be in it anymore. I will always love her, but I can't see past this."

Emma sighed. "There's something there, between you and Regina, isn't there?" When David didn't reply, she continued, "Hey, I'm not judging you, and maybe that's wrong of me, but I don't have an attachment to you and Mary-Margaret together as my parents. But if there is something there, don't make it a public thing too quickly. I don't think that would be good for anyone."

He rubbed his hand over his eyes, and then looked intently at her. "She and I bonded when we were in the Enchanted Forest. I saw a side of her that I didn't know existed, and before I even realized it, I fell for her. It's not her fault. And I don't think it matters anyway because she'll never trust me after today. Not that she feels the same way about me as it is."

"I wouldn't know." Emma shifted awkwardly in her chair, worrying her pen between her fingers, the soft tap of the ends taking turns hitting the paper were the only sound for a long moment.

"I'll finish your paperwork if you go get Henry for me," David offered.

"Get Henry?"

"Yeah, I'm taking him to Regina's tonight. She needs to be with people who love her, and Henry's one on an unfortunately short list.

Emma thought about arguing for a moment, but she had a feeling Regina wouldn't do anything to hurt Henry, she'd proven herself enough, and she trusted David's judgment for Henry's safety. "Okay, I'll get him."

By five that evening, they were walking into the mansion.

"Mom?" Henry called out, dropping his bag by the stairs. Regina came out of the kitchen, her eyes rimmed red and her shoulders slightly bowed in. Her eyes passed right over David and onto Henry.

"Hello, sweetheart." Her voice was just slightly raspy, so she cleared her throat. "What are you doing here?"

Henry tilted his head. "You don't want me here?"

"Oh, of course I do, I'm just surprised." Regina moved to him, wrapping her arms around his shoulders and kissing the top of his head. She noticed his bag. "Are you staying tonight?"

"Yep!"

David rubbed Henry's hair. "Why don't you go unpack while I talk to your mom?" Henry obediently grabbed his bag and headed upstairs, so David looked at Regina and shoved his hands in his pockets to stop himself from pulling her into a hug. "I thought maybe you'd like some company."

"What, yours?" she asked, a bite in her voice.

"Henry's. And mine, if you want, but I understand if not. Regina, please hear me when I say I had no idea. I didn't know until I found Snow and we ran to stop you. I would have stopped her if I'd known. I didn't want you to have to face Cora, I felt bad asking you to, and as much as I would've wanted to help you, to, in some grossly masculine way, protect you, I would never be the one to do what Snow did."

"I don't need protection."

"Which is why I included that it would be gross. If anything, we've proven that I'm the one who needs your protection." He gave her a small grin.

"I'm not making dinner. We can order out." She rolled her eyes.

David reached out with one hand, awkwardly squeezing her upper arm. "I was actually thinking I'd cook."

It was a lovely evening. Regina sat at the island while Henry and David made their dinner, the three taking turns asking favorites. She'd learned that David's favorite color was red, same as hers, and that his favorite movie was anything by John Hughes, Henry's favorite was Jurassic Park, which Regina knew. David had learned that she preferred reading to watching tv, that she liked flowers, and she actually liked tending to a garden. It felt so different learning more about him with Henry, more innocent than the ways they learned about each other in the Enchanted Forest. Then, as the three of them sat down to eat the baked chicken, broccoli, and rice that the guys made, Henry relayed all the details of his current video game to David. Regina didn't mind listening to him and watching how David reacted so favorably to her son. She felt a pang of guilt for taking fatherhood away from him, he obviously would have been great at it. Maybe he would still have the opportunity, he and Snow could have more, they were young enough that they had plenty of time for a handful. She frowned to herself, wishing David was hers, imagining him at her dinner table every night.

Henry helped with the dishes, then they sat down to watch a movie, her son settling between her and David on the couch. He was out half an hour before the end, and when the credits scrolled, David lifted him up and carried him upstairs.

When he came back down, he returned to the couch, closer to her this time, his body twisted to face her. "I know you're probably not doing well, but are you okay? You've had a rough few days."

"I've had a rough life," she answered dryly.

"I know." David reached for her. "Come here," he murmured, scooting closer and wrapping his arms around her shoulders. He squeezed her body gently against his own, then buried his face into her hair. It only took a moment for her to relax against him, but then he felt her shoulders shaking, heard a soft gasp, so he tightened his grip and pretended not to notice she was crying.

They sat like that for a while, then when she pulled back, he reached for a tissue and gave it to her. After she wiped her nose, he cupped his hand over her jaw and tilted her face back, then leaned down and kissed the corner of each eye.

"I can stay tonight, if you want. I'll sleep on the couch and be here, if you want me to."

Regina, torn by the intimacy of his kisses and the need to be alone, met his gaze with her own. "I'm okay. I doubt your wife would be okay with that anyway."

"Mm, no, I'm sure not."

"Call me tomorrow? I can come over."

"Don't take Henry away tomorrow."

"No, no, I didn't mean that. I meant that we could all spend tomorrow together, too. You can't tell me this evening didn't take your mind off of everything."

Regina leaned into him without realizing it, her body drawn to his, tucking against him. "It did, and I'd like that again tomorrow, if you can get away."

"I told you, anytime you want me here, I'll be here. That's what friends are for, right?"

"Thanks, Prince Charming," she teased lightly. "But for now, I'm kicking you out. I'll see you tomorrow."

"I'll buy breakfast," he promised. Then, he kissed her forehead and headed out.