A/N: Here is the new chapter, I hope you like it! Please don't forget to review after reading to let me know what you think! I may have the next chapter up by Sunday or Monday.

Kathryn was still waiting on the front porch, and Emma was trying to decide if she agreed with Regina that letting her in was a good idea.

"So of all people to match David up with, why did you pick Kathryn?" Emma asked, trying to buy herself some time.

"Well I needed to separate your parents somehow... And David and Kathryn knew each other back in the Enchanted Forest. In fact, they were supposed to be married."

"They were?"

Regina gave her a look. "Really Miss Swan, haven't you read Henry's book?"

Emma shrugged. "You know, I skimmed."

Regina glanced towards the front hall. "Well perhaps you should give it another read. Properly this time. It's full of bias but it'll be beneficial towards knowing who you're dealing with in this town."

"I guess so..."

"Anyways David and Kathryn seemed to be the logical match."

"And what, you think she's already over the way you upturned her life three decades ago and she just came here this morning for a nice chat?"

"She's probably here to discuss exactly that." Regina responded a little testily. "She probably wants to know what my goal with her was."

"I don't know about this Regina..."

Regina looked in the direction of the front door again. "Well we can't leave her waiting out there forever."

Emma sighed. "Alright fine, she can come in. I still have to go into town soon though, I can stay here for a bit but I can't just let Storybrooke tear itself apart. If by the time I have to leave I still think she's bad news, she's leaving before I do. Okay?"

Regina's eyes had a pained look in them which Emma couldn't quite read. The brunette nodded her agreement, before turning to go receive their visitor.

Emma followed behind, and she had her arms folded in distrust as Regina opened the door to reveal an apprehensive looking Kathryn.

Kathryn and Regina both just stood there for a few moments, staring at each other as if they were both hoping the other would speak first. Finally, it was Regina who broke the silence.

"Good morning Kathryn." She greeted in an inquisitive, but friendly tone.

"Regina, hi! I wasn't sure if you would see me after all that's been going on." Kathryn said, sounding relieved as she offered a strained smile. "I thought maybe you wouldn't be wanting visitors."

"Well... it depends on who they are I suppose." Regina gave her a small smile of her own before glancing back at Emma briefly. "Would you like to come inside?"

Kathryn threw a look towards the street before smiling and nodding. "Thank you."

Regina stepped aside to allow the blonde to pass her.

"So what can I do for you?" Regina asked curiously after she had closed the door.

"I just came to see how you and Henry were doing. I heard what happened yesterday."

"Pretty sure everyone in town has." Emma responded.

Regina glanced a little warily at her before turning back to their guest. "That's sweet of you Kathryn. We're both fine, Henry was hurt very badly, but thankfully Mother Superior was able to heal him before it was too late."

"That's such a relief." Kathryn said sincerely. "I can't even imagine how scary that must have been for him, for both of you. I'm happy you're both okay."

"Thank you, you're very kind." Regina gave a small smile in appreciation. She expected Kathryn to continue but the blonde just stood there somewhat awkwardly, looking in turn from Regina to Emma.

"Was that your only reason for coming here?" Regina asked kindly. "I don't mean to be rude, but I would have thought I'd be the last person you'd want to see right now."

"Do I need any reason more than that to visit a friend who's just been through hell?"

"Oh..." Regina said, her voice raised a little in surprise. "You still think we're friends?" At the look on Kathryn's face she realized how that must have sounded. "I'm sorry Kathryn, that came out wrong. What I meant was, you still consider me a friend?"

"Should I not?"

Regina was too stunned to answer. She shared a look with Emma, and the expression on the sheriff's face confirmed that she had heard correctly.

"No... I mean yes of course that's completely up to you, I just... I expected..." Regina sighed, not knowing how to proceed. "I just thought that once you remembered who I was you wouldn't want anything more to do with me."

"To be honest so did I." Katherine admitted. "At first anyways. But then I started to remember the person I got to know. Part of me told myself that it was all just an act on your part. You know, just using me to try to get between David and Mary Margaret... please tell me that's not true."

Regina nervously brushed her hair back. "Kathryn... I have to admit, those were indeed my true intentions in the beginning."

Kathryn nodded a little. Regina could see the hurt in the other woman's eyes and she felt a slight pang of guilt.

"Only in the beginning?" Kathryn asked.

"I'm sorry Kathryn. You know the kind of person I used to be so I'm sure knowing this truth about me doesn't surprise you, but I promise, as our friendship grew and I got to know you better, I felt badly for the way I had been using you. That's why I stopped pushing you towards David and encouraged you to follow your heart."

Emma nervously fiddled with her phone at the partial lie. It was true Regina had felt remorse for what she had been doing to Kathryn, but part of the truth was that she had given up on trying to fix David and Kathryn's marriage, not because she wanted Kathryn to find her soul mate, but rather because she had realized that a shared true love's kiss between David and Mary Margaret may have been the only way to break the curse.

Regina shared a look with Emma, knowing what she was thinking. Kathryn's expression was troubled, but she looked as if she believed what Regina told her.

Regina wrapped her long cardigan more tightly around herself and rubbed her hands over her arms. Having the door open had allowed the crisp morning air to cast a chill over the front hall.

"Why don't we go somewhere more comfortable to talk." She suggested. "Would you like some coffee? I just made a fresh pot."

"No, I'm fine thank you."

"Let's all take a seat in the living room then." Regina offered.

Kathryn nodded her agreement, and then followed the brunette through the hall with Emma bringing up the rear. The last time Kathryn had visited she had brought muffins and excessive hugging in her wake, this time was quite different.

As she settled into the couch, Regina observed Kathryn's nervousness with a frown. "Is something the matter?"

"Oh no, it's just... everything's changed so much and I was afraid that you would... I don't know..."

"You were afraid that things would have changed between us as well? Because of who I am." Regina asked, putting it as mildly as possible.

"Well... I guess so, yes."

Regina nodded slowly, a tentative look on her face. "To be honest I thought the same thing."

Kathryn offered a small, relieved smile when she realized Regina didn't seem angry at the presumption. She didn't even seem to have returned to the Evil Queen personality Kathryn had assumed she had been hiding for the past twenty-eight years. So far, Regina appeared to be the exact same woman Kathryn had happily been able to call a friend for the past year. Kathryn realized that Regina too had been worrying about the loss of a friend, and she found that comforting somehow.

"But haven't they changed?" Regina asked, not unkindly.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean I'm a whole new person to you now. And I have to say, I am surprised to see you here after what I did to you, after what I did to everyone in this town."

Kathryn nodded softly. "Well, I can't say that I'm not upset. And I realize you were never particularly fond of Frederick or myself, but what I want to know is… what did he and I do to you that was so terrible, that you had to tear us apart in this new world?"

Regina opened her mouth to respond but hesitated when she realized she didn't have a proper answer. "Kathryn... it wasn't completely personal, actually it wasn't at all personal. Not against you anyways."

"The whole point of the curse... it was so you could get revenge against Mary Margaret right?"

"Yes it was." Regina replied quietly.

"So then why did you do this to us?" Kathryn asked with a slightly desperate look in her eyes.

Regina held her gaze remorsefully for a few moments as she tried to think of the best way to respond.

At that point Emma cleared her throat. "I don't meant to interrupt, but it sounds to me like this is maybe a discussion that you two would probably prefer to have on your own." She said, getting up.

"Emma you don't have to leave on my account." Kathryn insisted, beginning to stand up herself.

Emma waved her down. "No don't worry, I was already leaving anyway when you arrived." She patted her Sheriff's badge. "Duty calls and all that."

"Oh I see. Is it about the trouble down on Main Street?"

"Unfortunately yeah. I don't know what the hell everyone is fighting about but I can't let it get any worse than it already is."

"You're brave to go out there."

Emma shrugged. "Bravery has nothing to do with it, it's my job."

"Even still."

Emma nodded, giving a tired sigh. "So, are you two gonna be alright while I'm gone?" She asked, mostly directing her question at Regina. Emma didn't want to leave her there if she didn't feel safe.

Regina gave her a small, reassuring smile. "We'll be fine."

"Okay, well just give me a call if you need anything then."

"Thank you. Do you want me to lock the door behind you?"

"No no don't worry about it, I've got my keys, thanks." Emma smiled.

Regina returned her smile with a soft one of her own. "Be careful out there."

"I will. See you guys later."

Regina and Kathryn both said their goodbyes and watched as Emma disappeared from the room. They heard the door open and close, but even after they heard the door lock they remained in a slightly uncomfortable silence.

"So, why did I take Frederick away from you..." Regina stated more than asked as she repeated Kathryn's question. "It's hard to explain now. As Queen I had very different motivations. I suppose I could just tell you that by reuniting you and David, I was merely ensuring that he would hopefully be off limits to Mary Margaret, but that's not the whole truth. As I said it's difficult to explain."

"Please try." Kathryn insisted gently.

Regina studied her gaze for a few moments, she could see this meant a lot to Kathryn. "Alright..." She began, thinking over her words before starting. "Well... all those years ago I believed that I'd been denied the life I thought I deserved. I'm sure you're aware of my personal history?"

"Of course."

Regina nodded. "I was robbed of my chance at true love and happiness. And so, over time I developed a certain loathing for anyone who was fortunate enough to live with those things. I thought that maybe if everyone shared in my pain, and I watched as they suffered like I did, then maybe somehow that might make up for what I would forever be denied. I hoped it would fill the void so to speak."

"I see..."

"So as I said it was never personal. I mean, of course it feels personal to you, but I didn't separate you and Frederick to punish the two of you for something you did. I'm sorry, if I could take it back now, believe me I would."

Kathryn nodded in appreciation. "Did it help? Seeing everyone else lose their happy endings here?"

Regina's eyes narrowed thoughtfully at what sounded like a loaded question. However she couldn't find a hint of sarcasm or hatred in the other woman's expression, nor in her tone of voice. She was genuinely interested in the answer.

"No..." Regina responded. "For a while maybe but it didn't last long. Living in a town deprived of love is quite debilitating. After a while it takes its toll on you."

"And I guess that's when you adopted Henry?"

"Yes. For a while he filled my life with happiness again, I had someone to love, and someone to love me in return. But I let what I had slip away."

"What happened?" Kathryn asked quietly.

"The curse was partially to blame. It was never meant to be permanent, I know that now. But I am also at fault for losing him. At a time when Henry needed me most I wasn't there to support him."

"And that's when he went to go get Emma."

"Yes. He'd grown depressed, thinking that he wasn't wanted by his birth parents. He told himself that I didn't care about him either, and I'll admit that he had grounds for believing that. Of course I did love him more than anything, but as everyone knows, I'm not always the warmest person to be around. I could tell that something was wrong but instead of showing him the love and support he needed I put him in therapy."

Kathryn sighed, shaking her head sadly. "I'm sorry Regina, really."

"Don't be sorry for me. Things have since worked out between me and my son. I'm the one who should be apologizing to you. After all, I did tear you away from your true love when I knew all too well the pain it causes."

"But the difference was that I didn't even remember Frederick. I didn't have to live knowing that I would never see him again, not like you and–?"

"Daniel." Regina's eyes softened, she didn't know how to respond to that. "How are things between you and Frederick now? I suppose the two of you have been reunited?"

Kathryn nodded, a smile growing on her face at the thought of him. "As soon as the curse lifted it's like I'd woken up from a dream. All of the memories of our life together just came rushing back. I realized he was the gym teacher here so I went to the school immediately to look for him. He looked a bit different, but as soon as I saw the look in his eyes I knew we were going to be okay."

Regina gave a soft smile as well. "I'm happy for you Kathryn."

"Thank you." Kathryn smiled too, but it didn't last long. "But... there is something else I have to ask you."

"What is it?"

"Here in Storybrooke... were you ever actually trying to help me? Or was it all just a ruse to keep Mary Margaret away from David?"

Regina tilted her head apologetically, this was all so complicated to try to explain. "Well like I said, once we became friends I did feel terrible for manipulating you. But our friendship wasn't entirely a lie. And in the end I knew that the best way I could help was to allow the curse to break and to let you be reunited with your true love."

"Hold on, 'allow the curse to break'? You mean you had something to do with it?"

"Yes," Regina said in surprise. "I thought you must have known?"

Kathryn shook her head. "You wanted the curse broken?" She asked incredulously.

"Emma and I were working on it together. I couldn't let Henry grow up in this town anymore, not while it was frozen in time and everyone was living under false identities. He saw right through the curse, I needed him to know that he was right. I realized that trying to convince him otherwise was wrong."

"Wow, I had no idea. How did you guys manage it?"

"In the end it was all Emma's doing actually. It's a long story and it didn't go according to our plan, but it was always going to be her. She was born to break the curse."

"Hmm..." Kathryn said, folding her arms thoughtfully. "So... now that the curse is broken, how are things between you and Henry?"

"Much better, but we still have a bit of a ways to go I think. I did still lie to him for ten years after all. We've been trying to start over, and I think it's going well."

Kathryn smiled. "That's good. I knew you guys would be alright in the end."

"Thank you." Regina replied softly.

"Speaking of new beginnings..." Kathryn began. "Do you remember how I was considering moving to Boston to go to law school?"

"Of course?"

"Well, that's just it, Frederick and I have talked it over..."

"Talked what over?"

"We want to leave Storybrooke." Kathryn admitted. "Since we believe going back to the Enchanted Forest isn't an option, we think a new start in Boston could be good for us."

"I see."

"But the thing is... the curse on the town line. We won't be able to retain our memories of the Enchanted Forest if we leave, and that means we won't be able to remember what we mean to each other either."

"Oh..." Regina frowned, not knowing what else to say.

"There has been talk of your planning to leave town with Henry and Emma. I heard you guys were planning on going back to Boston? If you do, would you consider taking us with you?"

"Oh–"

"I was hoping if we crossed the town line with you, you could help us retain our memories. We could part ways once we get to Boston or we can keep in touch, it's completely up to you."

"Kathryn–"

"We may not have been friends back home Regina, but here in Storybrooke things were different. Whether your intentions were true or not, you were there for me at a time when I really needed someone. Despite our differences there is a part of me that still cares about you. I know it's a lot to ask, but please just undo the spell on us. If there is anything I can do for you in return just tell me what it is and I swear I'll do it." Kathryn finished, finally allowing Regina a chance to speak.

"Kathryn... I'm sorry. First, there still remains the problem of the people who don't wish me to leave. And second... magic may have been brought to Storybrooke but mine hasn't returned. And even if it had... I haven't the first clue as to how to lift the spell on the town line. I wish I could help you Kathryn, I really do. I just can't."

"Can't or won't? This was your curse, surely you must have a way? Please Regina, I need to get out of Storybrooke. Please just take us with you."

"It's different for the three of us, we were never victims of the curse so the town line has no hold over us. I promise, if I could remove the spell I would. I don't care anymore whether or not people wish to stay in town."

Kathryn gave a troubled sigh, sinking back into her seat a little. "So you really can't do anything about it?" She asked sadly.

"No, I'm sorry Kathryn. I've begun to realize… there is a lot about the curse that Rumplestiltskin chose not to share with me." Regina's brow furrowed as she thought over what was going on in town. "I do have one question for you though, how did everyone find out that we were planning to leave? It hadn't even officially been decided yet."

Kathryn sat up straighter again to respond. "They heard it from Mary Margaret. She couldn't tell them when you were planning to leave so they blocked all the exits just in case. They didn't want you to be able to leave without them knowing."

"Mary Margaret?" Regina breathed.

"Yeah. She was upset because she didn't want to lose Emma again."

"I see." Regina said, shaking her head a little in disappointment.

How was she going to tell Emma that Mary Margaret had been the one to betray their plans? The woman who was not only Emma's mother, but someone Emma considered to be one of the truest friends she had ever had.

"Well I'll admit I'm not very surprised." Regina continued. "I'm sure Snow would do anything not to be separated from her daughter again, and I can't say I blame her."

"It's still strange to think that Emma is David and Mary Margaret's daughter." Kathryn commented.

Regina nodded softly, but she had other matters on her mind. "Did they say what they would do if they caught us? The townspeople I mean."

Kathryn gave her a sympathetic smile, recognizing her tone. "I don't know what their plan is. I think there are many who are just hoping to convince you to lift the curse on the town line before you leave. They don't want to be trapped here. But of course, there are others who do simply just want to see you suffer. I'd be careful." She finished a little quietly.

Regina gave a tired sigh. "Well, even for those who aren't pining for my execution, they might not be so willing to believe that I'm unable to fix the border."

Kathryn nodded in understanding. "What will you do?"

"I don't know." Regina responded quietly.

"And your illness... it's still getting worse isn't it?" Kathryn asked, observing the tiredness in Regina's eyes and the paleness of her skin.

"Yes." Regina folded her arms, glancing towards the door. "Also, about that..."

"Don't worry." Kathryn cut her off. "You asked me not to tell anyone about it and I'll keep that promise for as long as you want me to, I swear."

"Thank you Kathryn." Regina's eyes softened. "But everyone in town... do they really still not know?"

"Surprisingly no. At least I haven't heard anyone mention it." The blonde sighed, shaking her head sadly. "You'd think with all this magic around that something could be done to help you."

"I couldn't agree more."