It had been almost a year since she had reversed her dark curse and things had been starting to get better.

Okay, so her previously unknown half-sister was hell-bent on destroying her life and stealing her unborn step-grandson (although she still wasn't Grandma).

And her soulmate had no idea he was just that, and she had to keep him at arms' length to protect him.

And, of course, her Henry was still worlds away and oblivious to her very existence.

But her relationship with her stepdaughter was better than it had been in decades. She was finally able to be the queen she wanted to be, rather than the tyrant people wanted to see. People were beginning to see Regina, rather than the Evil Queen.

So, of course, something had to give.

And 'something' was the trip to find Glinda, which ended with a door in the middle of the forest that only Snow and David could pass through.

Regina waited impatiently, pacing the forest clearing with a scowl, trying the door every now and again to see if something had changed.

Then they returned, a light in their eyes.

"She knows," Snow said breathlessly. "She told us how to defeat her."

"Well?" Regina asked. "What do we need?"

"Emma," David said. "We need Emma. Because she became a witch of Oz, Zelena's magic is contained within her pendant. Once it's removed, she's powerless as long as the pendant is in tact. But only a purveyor of the lightest magic can defeat Zelena and she says that Emma is our best chance. So we need you to cast the Dark Curse again."

"Are you out of your mind?!" Regina demanded. "Even if I believe this Glinda, which I don't, in order for me to cast the Dark Curse, I'd have to destroy the heart of the thing I love most, which -for me - is Henry."

Snow's happiness dimmed and she sat down on one of the boulders. "There has to be another way to enact it."

Regina bit back her immediate response, but the second still wasn't great. "If there were, do you think I would have killed my own father?"

Snow's face fell.

"What about a magic bean?" David asked. "If we had one, we could open a portal. Or Jefferson's hat?"

Regina rolled her eyes. "I haven't seen my son in eleven months, one week and four days. Do you think that would be the case if there was a way back? There are no more portals. When I undid the first curse to escape Pan, to bring us here, it divided our realms. It placed a wall between them."

"So the Dark Curse is the only way," David murmured.

"Haven't you been listening?" Regina asked, frustrated. "I can't cast it!"

"But someone else can," David said.

Snow frowned. "Who?"

"You," David said.

Snow and Regina both stared at him, but he only had eyes for his wife, kneeling in front of her. "It's the only way. You can use my heart to cast the curse. We have to think of our child."

"Our child needs you," Snow said. "I need you. We'll find another way. We always find another way."

But there was no other way.

That became clear as they travelled back to the castle, Snow on horseback, David and Regina walking alongside her.

As they walked, Regina tried desperately to think of any other way to reach Emma.

"Could we get her a message?" Snow asked.

"We could," Regina agreed. "We could probably manage to get a note through a small rift, maybe. But even if we could, she doesn't remember us. And even if we got over that particular problem, she'd have no way of getting to us."

"How long will it take you to prepare the curse?" David asked. "It took months last time, right?"

"Not exactly," Regina said. "The time came from gathering the ingredients, all of which are now at the castle. It will take me a few hours, but I can get it ready today. If you're certain …"

"I am," David said firmly.

"Then I need you to talk to people," Regina said. "I need you to make it clear that this is your idea, not mine."

"Of course," David said immediately. "I won't let you take the fall for this, Regina."

Regina gave him a weak smile. "Thank you. Because I actually don't want to do this."

When they reached the castle, they went their separate ways.

While David went to break the news to their friends, and to console his wife, Regina headed for her storeroom, hoping that Zelena hadn't depleted it during her stay.

First of all though, she stopped off in the orchard, where Roland was darting through the trees, being chased by his father and a couple of the other Merry Men.

"Gina!" He called when he saw her.

Robin took one look at her face and said something to John, who nodded and began tickling the little boy, sufficiently distracting him, giving his father a chance to jog over to her.

"What's happened?"

"Is it that obvious?" Regina asked.

"Written all over your face, milady," Robin said, frowning. "I take it your trip wasn't a success."

"No, it was actually," Regina said with a sigh. "Unfortunately, the only person who can defeat Zelena is Snow and Charming's daughter, Emma."

"But you said there was no way back," Robin said.

"I said there was no way for me to cast the curse," Regina said heavily. "Snow's going to do it."

Robin closed his eyes. "So the prince …"

"Yes," Regina said.

"Is there anything I can do?" Robin asked.

Regina smiled weakly. "No. I just wanted to warn you that it was coming. Storybrooke is … different. Very different. Wherever you end up, head for the clocktower. It's the easiest landmark. I'll probably need to be with Snow, but I'll make sure someone …"

"You just look after your family," Robin said firmly. "We'll adapt; we always do."

Regina just nodded, making her escape before Roland could come running - usually a balm to her heart, she had a feeling that his presence would just make her cry now.

Ivy met her at her storeroom. "Is it true?"

"Unfortunately," Regina said. "The irony hasn't escaped me."

"Can I help?" Ivy asked.

"Thank you, Ivy, but I need to be alone for a while," Regina said. "What you can do is head to the clocktower when we get back. I've told Robin to take his men there; someone will need to help them adjust."

Ivy immediately agreed and Regina continued on her way, setting up her cauldron exactly where she had the first time.

She worked in silence for several hours; she had studied the curse so extensively initially that she didn't need the recipe again.

Every step was ingrained in her mind.

After a few hours, Snow and David joined her, wordlessly watching her work.

Finally, Regina heaved a sigh, and turned to look at them for the first time since their arrival. "It's ready."

"No," Snow whispered. "There has to be another way to get to Emma."

"There isn't," Regina said gently. "You know if there were, I'd have gone back to Henry. This is it. This … sacrifice."

"Snow," David said. "We have to do this. You have to do this."

Regina stepped away, giving the couple some privacy to say goodbye. As she did, she tried not to think about how she once thought that her stepdaughter's broken sobs would make her happy.

Now it just hurt.

"Okay," David said finally. "Do it."

Regina took a deep breath, turning back to face them, not bothering to hide the emotion on her face. "I won't lie; this is going to hurt. But it will work."

David nodded. "That's all that matters."

Regina grasped his shoulder, plunging her other hand deep into his chest, barely flinching when he gasped in pain.

When she withdrew, she was clutching a heart, unsullied and bright.

"Charming …" Snow whispered.

"Don't say goodbye," David said, smiling at her.

Regina took Snow's hand, gently pressing the heart into her palm.

"I love you," Snow said, tears streaming down her cheeks. "I love you more than anything."

"Which is why you need to crush it," David said gently. "It's okay."

To Snow's credit, she didn't look away, keeping her eyes locked on her husband until his heart turned to ash in her hand and his body collapsed to the floor.

As smoke began to billow, Snow dropped to her knees beside him, burying her face in his unmoving chest.

Regina, however, was distracted by the ominous noise of a broom swooping through the air, her eyes landing on her half-sister as she landed in front of her. "Zelena?"

"Did you really think you could enact Rumple's Dark Curse and I wouldn't know about it?" Zelena asked.

"No," Regina said honestly, "but I didn't really care. How did you get through the blood magic this time?"

Zelena raised an eyebrow. "What blood magic?"

Regina rolled her eyes. "Fine, don't tell me. You're too late anyway."

"Actually, I'm not." Zelena looked down at Snow. "I'm afraid you sacrificed your charming husband for nothing."

"Mama, he can't die in vain," Snow said.

"She's bluffing," Regina told her. "Once the curse is enacted, it can't be stopped."

Zelena smirked. "I may not be able to stop it, but that doesn't mean I can't spice it up a bit. How does a forgetting potion sound?"

The curse bubbled ominously, the green of Zelena's magic mixing with the black smoke of the curse, alerting Regina too late to the fact that her wicked sister had dropped an extra ingredient in to the cauldron on the way in.

"Oh, sorry," Zelena said with mock sympathy. "Did you need your memories in the new land? Were you planning to stop me? Or, for that matter, recognise me?"

"We'll find a way," Snow said fiercely.

"Without knowing any of this?" Zelena asked. "I doubt it. You'll be too busy looking for your husband. You won't even know about his sacrifice. Just endlessly wondering where he could be. Always fearing the worst." She smirked, mounting her broom again. "Pay attention, sis. This is how you take away a happy ending."

Regina closed her eyes, ignoring her sister's departure.

"Mama," Snow whispered.

"We'll be alright," Regina said immediately.

Snow ignored her. "Mama, I need to rip out my heart."

Regina faltered, her horror clearly showing on her face. "What?"

"Charming's right," Snow said, her voice choked with tears. "We have been of one heart since the day he woke me from the sleeping curse. If you split my heart in half, we can both survive."

Regina sighed, kneeling beside her. "Snow, I know your love is strong, but … This isn't like plucking a flower. How do you know it will work?"

"Faith!" Snow answered passionately. "Belief! I believe my heart is strong enough for both of us."

"But if you're wrong, you'll die," Regina said gently.

"Please!" Snow seized Regina's hand, pressing it to her chest. "Please Mama - do it!"

Regina closed her eyes, drawing the girl closer, before pressing her hand forward once more, removing her second heart of the day.

When she gripped the heart to try and split it, Snow grimaced, falling back to lie beside her husband, her eyes fixed on David's face.

Regina kept her own eyes on Snow's, watching for any sign of actual pain as she carefully pried the heart apart.

But Snow kept breathing and kept smiling, even after Regina was holding two halves of a heart, and her own heart lifted with hope as she pressed them into the Charmings' chests.

Snow sucked in a breath, immediately scrambling to sit up, clutching David's hands

For a second, nothing happened, then he gasped, his eyes flying open, automatically reaching for his wife. "Snow … What's happening?"

"You're okay," Snow sobbed, clinging to him. "We're both okay."

"Did it work?" David asked, his eyes falling on the smoke. "I don't remember it looking like that before."

"You explain, dear," Regina said flatly. "I have to go." She didn't bother with the door, her magic carrying her to Robin's side.

He startled at her appearance. "Milady, what …?"

Regina didn't let him finish, her hand fisting in the front of his shirt and using it to pull him towards her, their mouths colliding.

His arms immediately came around her, one hand cradling the back of her head, fingers sinking into her hair.

"Regina …" he murmured against her lips. "What's happened?"

Regina pulled away just far enough to speak, pressing her forehead against his. "We found a way to save Charming, but Zelena added a forgetting potion."

Robin's eyes widened. "What? How much are we going to forget?"

"Hopefully just the last year," Regina said, "since we arrived back here. If I had time, I could probably figure out an antidote, but I don't have the potion, and I don't have time. The curse …"

"The curse!" Grumpy shouted from somewhere in the castle. "It's here!"

Regina rolled her eyes. "Anyone would think he didn't know it was coming."

"So we won't remember any of this?" Robin asked.

"Oh she'll remember," Regina said darkly. "But no, we won't. And everyone's going to assume I did this again."

"They trust you," Robin said.

"Maybe now," Regina said. "But this time last year, they definitely didn't. When the first curse broke, people tried to kill me with their bare hands!"

His arms tightened. "I won't let them."

"You won't know me," Regina pointed out with a weak smile.

Robin kissed her again, slow and languid, and in spite of the fears running through her, she couldn't help melting into him with a moan. "I swear to you," he whispered, "I could never forget you."

"You …"

"Hear me, Regina," Robin said firmly, cupping her face in his hands. "I could never forget you."

The door flew open and Roland came racing in, tear tracks on his cheeks. "Papa, everyone's scared!"

The couple parted, bending as one to pick the little boy up, holding him close.

"It's alright," Regina said softly. "The curse is going to take us somewhere safe. There'll be lots of new things for you to explore."

Roland nuzzled his face into her neck. "Promise?"

Regina swallowed past the lump in her throat. "I promise."

Robin held them both close, pressing a kiss to Roland's head, then Regina's, as smoke began swirling around them.

"I'm sorry," Regina whispered, just for Robin's ears. "I wish I'd been braver."

"We'll be alright," Robin murmured. "Just have faith."

Regina closed her eyes, breathing in the scent of forest that she had pretended to complain about all those months ago.

When she opened them, she was lying in her bed in Mifflin Street. Stretching with a yawn, she tried to blink away the fuzziness of sleep, trying to remember the details of her dream, which she was sure had been a good one.

And then the reality hit her.

She jolted out of bed, grabbing her bathrobe as she did. "Henry?!"

But there was no answer. His room was quiet and un-slept in.

And of course it was, because now she remembered watching Emma drive away the day before.

Except …

No, it couldn't have been the day before.

Because Regina reversed her curse.

Didn't she?

Someone was pounding on the front door and she turned away from Henry's empty bed, tears prickling at the back of her eyes.

"Before you ask," she said loudly as she approached the door. "I have no idea what's …"

As she flung the door open, her words died in her throat, finding Snow and David standing on the doorstep.

Snow's hair was once again the length it had been back in the Enchanted Forest, but the biggest shock was the size of her stomach.

"… happened," Regina finished weakly.

"Regina, your hair," Snow said blankly.

For the first time, Regina realised that her own hair was longer again, falling in waves around her shoulders. "My hair? That's what we're focusing on? You look ready to pop!"

"I am," Snow said, caressing her bump. "The paper says that it's just under a year since we said goodbye to Emma, but we don't remember any of it."

"Neither do I," Regina said.

"Then … what happened?" David asked.

Regina shook her head. "I have no idea."

So, folks, that's the end of Little & Broken, which means I can now post the last chapter of Ohana Means Family. Look out for Family Means Nobody Gets Left Behind, coming soon - which was originally going to be Wooden Swan with a sideline of Outlaw Queen, but will now be Outlaw Queen with a sideline of Wooden Swan. So if you're not a Wooden Swan fan, I really hope you'll give it a try anyway.