Regina answered an email from her phone while waiting on her lunch order. A hotel in Storybrooke made no sense. They were in the middle of nowhere in Maine, and nearly ninety percent of the town had no idea how to interact with the outside world. Regina turned down the proposal and hit send. Ruby bustled around the diner, carrying plates and bowls by the armful, and Regina smiled at her niece as she greeted each customer with respect some of them didn't deserve. Ruby had a heart for people, but it was rarely reciprocated because of the wolf thing. Regina hated it.

"Have you seen the Sheriff today?"

Regina shook her head and took the to-go bag from Granny. "No. I know Killian dropped her off around eight," she said. "But I haven't seen her since."

"Snow watch," Granny muttered just as the bell rang.

Regina picked up her bag and was about to leave when she heard it.

"Congratulations, Snow!" someone shouted.

Snow White beamed and put her hand on her stomach. Regina's blood ran cold, and she tightened her grip on her bag. Granny's breath caught behind her, and Ruby froze in the middle of the diner. All eyes were on Snow and the way she cradled her stomach.

"Thank you so much! David and I are honored to have this blessing," Snow said. "This child is our second chance at a happy ending.

Regina backed away from the crowd and carried her food into the alleyway beside the diner. Regina breathed in the cool air to chase away the disbelief and anger in her heart. Did Snow seriously call that child a second chance? Regina could only hope neither David nor Snow were stupid enough to say that to Emma's face. Regina walked with purpose toward her car, eager to get to the station or her phone, which she stupidly left in the glove compartment. But Regina cursed when David ran down the sidewalk. Regina caught a brief glimpse of Emma, and she was happy to see Emma had on her new uniform. Regina briefly admired how well the shirt framed Emma's arms, her muscles on full display, and shook her head to focus. Regina walked on the balls of her feet to approach the duo from behind David, making sure to stay in Emma's eye-line. Emma noticed her, but beyond a quirk of her lips, Emma gave nothing away.

"I've been trying to reach you for the last couple of hours," David said, a little out of breath.

"Sorry. I went to see Eric and lost track of time," Emma explained tightly. "What can I do for you?"

"Look!" David pulled out a small item and handed it to Emma. "We went to the doctor this morning, and we wanted you to be one of the first people to know," he said.

Regina wanted to point out that Snow just announced it to the entire town not even a minute ago, but she stayed quiet.

"This is a sonogram," Emma said.

"Snow's pregnant!" David exclaimed. "It's a boy, and she's about fourteen weeks. We didn't want to get your hopes up, but now that we know for sure, we're ready to share it with you."

"D-does Henry know?" Emma asked.

"No, we're thinking of having a family dinner to make a more formal announcement. Snow's in there now asking Granny if we could have the place tonight," he said.

"Wow, this is," Emma paused and swallowed, "great."

"I know!" David grabbed Emma's shoulders and let out a teary laugh. "Can you believe it, Emma? It's our second chance!" he exclaimed.

Regina pushed herself into action when she saw the familiar glow in Emma's eyes, and she stepped around David.

"There you are, Sheriff Swan."

Regina plucked the picture from Emma's hand and threw it behind her in David's general direction.

"Hey!"

"No one cares that your wife is carrying the anti-Christ."

"You're just jealous," David said.

Regina glanced at the sonogram, then back at David.

"It looks like something I would scape off my shoe," she deadpanned.

"Do not call my son it," David gritted out.

"Would you prefer indistinguishable mass of cells? Disgusting, parasitic growth? I have plenty of options for you to choose from."

"For someone who can't bear children, you sure have a lot to say about mine."

"I urge you to remember the only reason you still breathe is at the behest of your grandson." Regina clasped her hands in front of her and cocked her head. "But I must admit I am a bit curious. Did you have sex on Neal's bed to keep with tradition? Or was that leech conceived in the back of your pickup truck? Both are ideal locations for you and your wife."

David stepped up to Regina, and Emma pushed him back.

"Go inside," she ordered.

"Emma-

"That was not a suggestion," Emma snapped.

David clenched his jaw and went into the diner. Once he was gone, Regina pinched the bridge of her nose and sighed.

"I apologize," she said. "I did not intend to-

"You look beautiful today."

Regina opened her eyes and said, "What?"

"I said, you look beautiful."

"Are you okay?"

"I'm fine, but if something feels off, I promise to call."

"Ensure that you do, Sheriff."

"Yes, your Majesty."

Regina rolled her eyes and waved her away. Emma grinned and shoved her hands into her pockets before heading in the opposite direction. Regina glanced at her outfit. She wore a red sweater dress with black thigh-boots, and Regina frowned in confusion. To her, the dress and boots were plain. Regina hurried and grabbed Emma's arm, stopping her from getting too far. Emma looked back at her, expectant. Regina felt a burst of affection for the woman in front of her. She glanced around before she kissed Emma on the cheek, leaving a lipstick stain behind. Emma's face turned redder than usual, and her eyes widened in surprise.

"Thank you for the compliment," Regina said.

Emma squeaked out something close to a response before walking away. Regina could just make out the face-palm Emma did before turning the corner, and she laughed as she headed to her car.

Killian finished his glass of water just as Neal slid into the booth across from him. Killian was sweaty, tired, and hungry, which meant he was in no mood for whatever Neal was about to say. Unfortunately, his food hadn't arrived, and Killian was stuck for the time being. Neal dumped the contents of a folder onto the table between them. They were pictures of Killian with Regina outside the house, the grocery store, and even the ship. Killian knows Regina's going to kill whoever took those pictures. He slid one image to the side and revealed the most recent one of Killian kissing Regina's cheek, but the angle makes it seem worse than it is.

"The Evil Queen and Captain Hook," Neal said smugly. "Who would've guessed?"

"Stalking is illegal in this world, Baelfire, and stop calling her that."

"That's who she is. She's evil, Hook. She cursed an entire group of people out of spite and jealousy, and you're playing house with her?" Neal snorted and leaned forward. "Hey, listen. Between the two of us, how much are you paying her? Because I heard rumors back in the day that the Evil Queen had no problem getting on her knees for the right price. Is she a good fuck, or does she lie there and-

Killian grabbed Neal by the hair and slammed his face into the table twice. He stood and tugged Neal's head back. Neal's nose was broken, gushing blood down his mouth and chin, and the few people in the diner went quiet. Killian tightened his grip on Neal's hair and scowled, looking Neal in the eyes.

"While I promised Emma I would make an effort to be a better man, even I have my limitations. So, let me be clear, Baelfire. If you ever speak ill of Regina in my presence again or continue to have someone stalk her, I will slit your throat in front of your son and send your head to your father as a Christmas present. Do you understand?"

"Y-yes," Neal choked out nasally.

"Good."

Killian slammed Neal's head against the table again, knocking him out. Killian threw a twenty on the table and carefully collected all the images, sliding them from under Neal's head. He placed them back in the blood-stained folder and left.

Killian knocked on the door and poked his head into the office. Regina waved him in and stood from behind her desk.

"Yes, he's here. I will, Granny. Thanks."

Regina ended the call and pointed to the couch. Killian locked the door behind him and sat down, placing the folder on the table.

"Granny wanted me to tell you that you owe her diner a deep cleaning."

"Okay."

"What happened?"

"She didn't tell you?"

Regina shook her head and sat down next to him. Killian pointed to the folder, and Regina put on her glasses before picking up the folder. Regina dumped the contents on the table just as Neal did in the diner. When she saw the pictures, Regina frowned and scooped them into one pile. She stormed over to her fireplace and threw them inside, flicking her wrist in the process. A fireball left her hand and set the images ablaze.

"Who gave you those?"

"Technically, I stole them from Baelfire. He made lewd comments about you that I took offense to, and I broke his nose. I also told him I would slit his throat in front of Henry and send his head to Rumpelstiltskin for Christmas if he spoke badly about you again."

"Killian," she sighed. "You can't do stuff like that."

"Why the bloody hell not? I was not going to allow him to disrespect you in the manner that he did!"

"Killian-

"Enough!" Killian stood up and moved toward her. "I am no hero, and I never will be. I am who I am, and that will never change. You are my best friend, Regina. I chose you. I trust you, and I love you. So I will always defend and protect you. This is not a conditional friendship where I pick and choose when to demand that the individuals of this town treat you with some modicum of respect. What Baelfire said was disgusting, vulgar, and completely out of line. He is lucky that I only gave him a broken nose and a concussion. In my world, his actions would have given me every right to remove his head and display it on my ship. So, no, I will not apologize or feel guilty for caring about you. I only regret doing what I did in Granny's place of business, and I will accept whatever punishment she sees fit. But you will not disparage yourself in my presence for the sake of this town or men like him."

Regina's eyes welled with tears, and Killian sighed. He wrapped his arms around her and kissed the top of her head. Regina cried into the crook of his neck, and Killian held her tighter.

"You are worth protecting at whatever cost," he whispered. "And I will spend the rest of my life proving that to you."

Regina didn't respond but instead cried harder. Killian pulled her down to the couch and brought her into his lap. He rubbed her back and rocked her side to side, humming an old sailor's tune under his breath.

Emma entered the hospital room and inwardly scoffed at the pathetic look on Neal's face. Snow and David were already there with Henry, and Gold stood off to the side near the window. He nodded at Emma before returning his attention outside.

"Hi, Ma," Henry greeted.

"You shouldn't be here," Emma said.

"It's his father," Snow argued.

"Not by choice," Emma muttered. In a louder voice, she added, "What happened?"

"Killian attacked me," Neal said nasally.

"Why?"

Neal went silent at that, and Emma arched an eyebrow.

"Let's see. So, you went to the diner where Killian was trying to have lunch after working all morning at the warehouse renovation. You showed him pictures of him with Regina. And when you made inappropriate comments about Regina in front of Killian, he reacted in defense of his friend. Stop me if I'm wrong," Emma said.

Neal shifted in his spot, and Emma rolled her eyes.

"Why did you call me here?" she asked.

"I want to file charges against Killian."

"You're kidding."

"He broke my nose!"

Emma pointed at the door and said to Henry, "Outside."

"But-

"Out."

Henry pouted and stomped out of the room. Once the door was closed, Emma punched Neal in the arm.

"Ow!"

"You want to file charges against Killian after you accused him of paying Regina for sex?" Emma hissed.

"It was a joke!"

"Then so was his response."

"What!"

"I am not arresting Killian," Emma said flatly.

"You have to!"

"Says who?"

"Okay, I think maybe we should take a step back and revisit this tomorrow when emotions aren't so high," Snow said.

"There is nothing to revisit. I am not arresting Killian, and that is my final decision."

"Emma, that's not fair!"

"Neither was showing up in my life after twenty years," Emma snapped.

"You can tell me to leave at any time."

"The only reason you are still is here your father wants you around, and the kid eavesdropping on this conversation thinks you hung the moon. If it were up to me? I would have had Regina toss your ass over the line without your memories months ago. Now, if there is nothing else, I have an actual job to do."

Emma walked over to the door and yanked it open. Henry stumbled forward, and Emma tugged him into the room. She pushed him toward David, slamming the door behind her as she left. When the door opened a second time, Emma turned, fully expecting to see Snow, but it was Gold. He held up his hands in surrender, and Emma deflated.

"What?" she sighed.

"May I walk you to your car?" he asked.

"Fine."

Emma and Gold walked to the cruiser in silence. Once they were outside, Gold touched Emma on the shoulder to get her attention.

"You do not owe him anything," he said softly. "Over the last several months, I have found that my previous actions have brought me nothing but pain. I am tired, Miss Swan, and I merely want peace."

Emma unlocked her door and opened it.

"I have to go."

Gold stepped away from the car, and Emma closed the door. He watched as she drove out of the parking lot, and Gold sighed to himself. After Snow's announcement and what happened at the diner, Gold felt Regina's control slipping. She was flaring more and more, sending out signals with her magic that only he felt, and they were concerning. Regina was falling apart and didn't even know it. Gold couldn't let that happen, so he turned away from the hospital and returned to his store. He cast a spell to ensure no one could enter, and he went to the back. Gold opened his safe and removed Regina's journal, a box, and a single bean. The second bean was still growing, still buried deep within the woods behind his store, but Gold could use the first one to find whichever child it took him to. He placed the bean on the floor and picked up a spray bottle full of purple water. Gold took a deep breath before spraying the bean, and the bean exploded into light. Gold squinted as the portal grew in size, and he didn't hesitate to step forward.

Gold entered a bedroom without looking around and quickly placed the box and journal on the bed. He summoned a piece of paper and a pen, scribbling a quick note. He left the letter and the items on the bed, jumping back into the portal before it closed. He stumbled out into his store and blinked at the change in light. The portal closed behind him, and Gold sat down behind his desk with a heavy sigh. All he could do was wait.

If you are who I hope you are, the child of a Queen, then these items are for you. I have not found the others, but I am searching as fast as I can. But the reunion of your family is crucial to the survival of the Queen. Her heart cannot take the separation much longer, and her magic can only do so much before it triggers a shut-down. I have left you with something to lead you in the right direction, but it will be your magic that activates these items. I have done all that I can at this moment.

Rumplestiltskin.

The letter flittered to the ground-