A/N - So here we are with a New Year upon us, and a new chapter. There was a lot going on, more so than usual, with us writing this next chapter. Personally, I had to deal with the emotional struggle of not being able to have children anymore and being sick A LOT. Daycare germs are no fun.

Also, we are not continuing with Nightfall. Sadly, after the debacle that was season 5A, we have lost the muse for that story and care little to continue it. We pretty much had the entire idea story plotted out, especially the bigger notes. Perhaps in the future we might revisit it but highly unlikely. Instead, we have another idea that really seems like fun that changes what happens at the end of Season 2 and 3A is entirely new. We might take some notes of Nightfall and weave it into our other story.

We hope that you enjoy this chapter and please let us know what you think. Most of all, Happy New Year!

Henry stared nervously at Emma, waiting for her to wake up. He had volunteered to sit with her until she woke, thinking that seeing him first would be easier.

What will she know or remember? he wondered. Or will she remember at all?

Henry watched and waited, Emma's body still and peaceful despite the turmoil going on inside her head. Her dreams were no longer dreams. They had turned into glimpses of her brief life in the Enchanted Forest, growing more vivid than the flashes she had already seen through the eyes of her parents. From seeing her mother, Snow White, smiling down at her despite the doom that was coming, to her father, Prince Charming, protecting her from the Evil Queen's knights, and to the muffled voices behind the door of the wardrobe before everything turned bright - it was all there. It was all real. She was the Savior.

She slowly roused and green eyes focused on the small form sitting by her.

"Henry?" Shifting on the bed, Emma brought her hand up to her throbbing temple with a wince.

"Emma! Hi!" he said in an exaggerated whisper, jumping up to stand beside her. "Don't move too fast. You might feel dizzy or something."

"I'm fine, Kid. Really." Henry tried to interject but Emma gave him a dirty look. "I'm fine. Besides, you know by now not to push."

Henry shrugged as Emma looked around the room. "Okay."

She recognized her room at Granny's and had no recollection of how she got here. "How did I get from the crazy cat lady's lawn to here?"

"Mom and… Miss Nystrom. Well, Miss Nystrom did the carrying you to her car and here. Mom said for you to come back here after you fainted," he explained, recalling how effortlessly the former knight had lifted and rescue-carried Emma.

"Wait… what? You're telling me that the Deputy Mayor carried me here without any help?" she asked in disbelief.

Henry shrugged. "Well… yeah. She's really strong, I guess!"

"Yeah. I guess," she said, trailing off as she glanced around the empty room. "Speaking of which, where are they?"

"Miss Nystrom went back to work, I think. Mom's downstairs, probably making Granny anxious," he said with a grin.

"Of course she is," she muttered and looked towards the door.

So far Henry was oblivious that Emma knew that everything that he was trying to tell her was true. The visions that were invoked allowed Emma to believe, but it was not as simple as her son would have hoped. There was a lot of fear and anger that had transitioned with this new information more than just Regina drugging her and lying to her. Regina had actually cast a spell on an apple that Emma ate, which backfired on her causing excessive infatuation between the two of them. That led to actual love and all that true love's kiss nonsense was all real, and it was traumatizing Emma Swan all over again.

She couldn't talk to Henry about this. Not with his simplistic mindset of her being the savior and needing to break the curse. What troubled her is that she knew how to break the curse, and that terrified her.

"Can you get her for me?" she asked after clearing her throat. "Your mom?"

Henry nodded, but looked dubious. "You sure?"

"Yeah," she said without eye contact, not wanting to get into it any further.

Allowing Henry the knowledge that she and Regina needed to clear the air may give the kid false hope. It also didn't help that Emma had no idea where the conversation would lead anyway.

He nodded and rose, giving her a hand a quick squeeze. "Okay. Take care, Emma."

The 10 year old left her room and clopped loudly down the stairs, giving Regina more than enough clue that he was on her way. She sat on the edge of her chair in the living room, eyebrows aloft.

"Well?"

"Emma's awake and wants to see you," he said, dropping onto the couch and reaching for his backpack.

Regina rose and smoothed her outfit. "Alright. You'll be okay down here?"

Henry smirked at her. "Of course. Good luck up there."

She made a face. "Thank you. I expect I'll need that."

Regina made her way upstairs, her mind fresh with the memory of bringing Emma the poisoned apples… the apples that had started this whole dreadful situation.

"You do realize you should actually come into the room to have a conversation, right?" Emma had heard Regina's heels clicking along the floor to know she stopped short of entering.

The brunette paled at being called out like that, hands tensing nervously into fists. Emma waited a beat before prodding her further.

"Unless you'd rather have this conversation another time, your Majesty?" she asked crisply, knowing that would get Regina's attention.

Squaring her shoulders, she stepped into her room with determined poise, unsure what to make of Emma calling her that. Brown eyes grazed over the blonde on her bed, her expression betraying concern.

"How are you feeling, Emma?" she asked, taking a seat across from her, unasked.

Emma focused on the glass unicorn that stood on the nightstand instead of her guest, missing the concern on the mayor's face. "Like shit."

It was the truth. Her head slightly pounded and her stomach was a bit queasy from nerves, not that she'd admit that to Henry when he was here.

Regina watched her intently, hands in her lap. "Can I get you anything? Aspirin? Alka-seltzer? A compress?"

She shook her head and sighed. "No. We need to talk. About … everything. But I doubt that can happen with the kid downstairs. So let's start with a question and go from there." Emma glanced up with a hardened look. She could finally see Regina's genuine concern, but she pushed that away to focus. "Back in the Enchanted Forest. When you were coming after my parents. You were coming after me too. Right?"

Regina's eyes widened, startled by the question. The expression quickly turned into a frown, remembering her victorious night; she'd swooped into their castle like a demon, exhilarated by the knowledge that she'd finally won. She had created her happy ending… or so she had thought then.

She finally nodded, holding Emma's gaze rather than look away. "Yes."

"And what were you going to do once you got a hold of me?" she questioned further. Emma needed to know.

Regina sighed and did break eye contact then because the black knights' orders had been clear: kill the child. Rumpelstiltskin had told her that the child, a product of true love, would someday break her curse and thus destroy her happy ending. Regina had been determined to secure her victory at any cost. She flushed, uncomfortable with that truth and memory, now that that child had grown up to be her happy ending.

"I was a different person then," Regina whispered sorrowfully. "A darker, frightened, hateful person. The knights' orders were clear. I'm sure you can imagine what they were."

She couldn't verbalize them now.

It was a hollowed victory in seeing Regina squirm with the ramifications of her decisions. How it led eventually led them to sitting together in a room in some bed and breakfast because of a curse that she had cast, making them practically the same age in appearance despite the years that Regina had on her. But Emma saw the shame and heard it, but it wasn't enough.

"I sure can, but I still need to hear it from you," she demanded.

Regina's jaw tightened to the point of aching. She looked back at Emma, gaze boring into hers. "Their orders were to kill you so you would be unable to break my curse, damn it," she growled. "But your father was faster than even Kalyn-"

She fell silent as it finally hit Regina that Emma was asking exceptionally sensitive questions that would only come from the Savior if she was a believer. She gasped and sat back in her chair, staring at her in shock.

"You… you believe now, don't you? The visions you'd had out on the street. You know."

Emma nodded severely, finding satisfaction that she could surprise Regina, but she was also wondering how it was possible to still love a woman that wanted her dead at one time.

"The visions were … odd. It was from my parents view, but I was able to piece together what happened on the night you cast the curse."

Regina's expression smoothed into one of her patented hard-to-read looks as she digested this. "And yet, as you collapsed, you were clinging to me, thanking me for protecting you. For staying with you."

Or, in your vision-addled mind, were you only crying out for your parents? Doubt nagged at the mayor.

"I said that?" she said in disbelief, not remembering that at all. Something that profound she should have some recollection. Emma remembered the entire vision after all.

"Yes. You were begging someone not to leave you alone," Regina said matter of factly. "I assured you that I was here. That we were. As you fainted in my arms, you thanked me."

She knew Regina was telling the truth but it didn't stop her from countering. "Are you sure I wasn't desperately looking for my parents instead?"

"Thanking them for dropping you in a magic wardrobe to this horrible land?" Regina asked, coming just short of scoffing. "I doubt it."

Still… perhaps it was just the vision of her parents' love that she was reacting to.

"So now you're a guru in visions? Or you just don't want to believe that I wasn't looking for you?" she asked plainly.

Regina twitched, discomfited. "The idea has since occurred to me."

"Least we know where we stand there," said Emma as she pushed herself against the backboard of the bed with an unreadable expression. "Because I sure as hell don't know where we stand right now."

Her true love had wanted her dead and her parents dead or locked in this cursed life without ever knowing they loved each other; she had adopted her son, and tried to magic her away with those damn apples - and that didn't even add up the rest of the atrocities she committed being the Evil Queen that she had read about in that book. How could Emma look past all of that?

Regina kept her outward appearance in check, but - inwardly - she was seething and had murder in her heart, with Mr. Gold as her target. All of this was his fault! He had orchestrated every moment of her life, starting with the ruin of her mother by having trained Cora. Everything he had done had led them to this point, pushing Regina to the evil queen sorceress she'd become, consumed with her revenge.

She blinked and centered her gaze back on the blonde across from her. "Nor do I. But, as I'm sure I am the last person in the miserable town that you want to see, I'll see myself out."

Regina rose to leave.

"If that were true, I wouldn't have asked you up here to talk. Yeah, the conversation's hard and uncomfortable, but it is what it is. So if you can't handle it? Fine. Leave. I can figure out other things to do now that I know the truth." She slid her legs over the side of the bed to sit up but moved no further. The pounding in her head needed to settle first.

The mayor paused, looking at her pensively, half-frowning. "You'd want me to stay and talk?"

"Doesn't matter. You want to leave," she said with a wince as Emma glanced up to look for her jacket.

Regina rolled her eyes, going back to her original, early assessment of Emma that she could behave like a petulant child at times. She stared at her. "I assumed you'd want me to go."

"You know the saying, Majesty. When you assume, you make an ass outta you and me," she shot back quickly. "Good job."

Regina smirked at that sass. "Thank you. It's one of my talents."

Rising on unsteady feet, Emma wondered how long she had been out for to still be wobbly - and the blinking digital clock wasn't going to provide any answers. With a sigh, she looked at Regina and honestly didn't know what to say, but the scowl on her face spoke volumes about how torn she was.

"I know my apology is useless… but I'm sorry. For all of this. And that is not easy for me to say," Regina said tersely, folding her arms over her chest.

Emma shook her head pensively. "Please. You're not sorry at all. All of this got you Henry."

She gave her a wide-eyed, startled look. "I love my son. And, no matter what machinations brought him to Storybrooke, I'm thankful for it. But, that doesn't mean I'm happy about what it took for me to know him and raise him."

"But regardless, you're still making excuses. Sure we're a product of our upbringings, but I didn't decide to go on a murderous rampage after Neal up and left me pregnant in prison. ANd he was the love of my life at the 's the difference with us, Regina. You made the choice to do what you did. I get the pressure you were getting from multiple directions, but how can I possibly believe you're sincere if you take no ownership of your decisions?"

Emma sat back down on the bed, her heart racing as hard as her head was pounding. This conversation should have probably waited, but she needed to try and understand the woman she had fallen in love with.

Still loved … she admittedly only to herself.

"You don't understand," Regina said, shaking her head. "You have zero comprehension of what my life in that land was like! How could I take ownership over my decisions, when none of them were mine?"

"Really? None of them were yours?" she questioned harshly. "None of the decisions that you made once you were queen were yours at all? You can't blame everything on Gold, Regina. He pulled the strings, but you made the decisions that ruined lives because yours was. It didn't have to be that way."

Regina stared hard at her, realizing this was going to turn into the exact same sorts of conversations she had had with Henry when he began to believe in his book. She grit her teeth, unsure she was ready to go through that again.

She doesn't understand what my life was like! Regina thought, hurt at the unfairness of this.

She knew she had been atrocious as the queen; she had earned the "evil" moniker, after all. But, had her life not progressed the way it had, had her mother and Rumple not coerced her behavior, had not left her bereft…

She doesn't understand. And I don't believe she ever could… not like Henry has begun to. Emma's too old, too jaded from this world to comprehend.

"Believe me, I never wanted power. I never wanted to be queen. I never wanted to be alone and unloved. But, that was the life that was handed to me. I knew no other way, Emma," Regina said, her voice dropping to a whisper. "I had been manipulated and punished my entire life. It was all I knew. Henry was the only one who ever made me feel like I could grow from my past to be better. And, look how well that has turned out."

For Regina, her words were not about trying to convince Emma. She had no faith that the blonde orphan could ever understand. Regina just needed to admit to herself, now, how broken she was. How broken she still was.

Emma had shifted on the bed, twisting so she could look at Regina while she spoke and couldn't help hearing the anguish of a woman pouring her heart out. Her own fear simmered underneath the surface as the anger was abated away.

"Kid's fine," she admitted. "And he's a good kid because of you. I can't argue against that. He's … well, he's done nothing but defend you since all the shit went down between us."

"Yes, Henry is a good boy," Regina agreed. "But I remain a terrible person."

"This is where I get so confused about you! How can you be a terrible person and raise such a good kid!" Her arms went up in frustration. "I've seen terrible parents be terrible people to their own kids. And those kids either get the fuck outta the situation and get better because they're strong enough to do it, or become just like them. But I've never seen a terrible person willingly raise a good kid because they wanted something better than what they had and still be terrible."

The brunette really had no way of explaining her parenting philosophy. She only knew that she loved Henry more than life itself and she wanted him to be good.

"Well," Regina said with a shift of her shoulders, "now you have."

"That's all you have to say?" she asked, narrowing her eyes hopelessly.

"What do you expect me to say, Emma?"

"I don't know. Something that makes sense of all of this!" she snapped in exasperation. "I just don't understand how after everything you've done, and fuck it even me, that you and me are supposed to make sense despite the fact you wanted to kill me before you even met me."

At that, Regina did truly look remorseful. She sat back down, on the edge of the bed, across from Emma and was silent a few moments, gathering her thoughts.

"We're supposed to make sense because Rumpelstiltskin arranged the curse that way. I cast it, but he wove your parents' true love into it, making you the Savior," she said. "My desire to kill you, as a baby, was impersonal. You could have been any child… though I understand that means little to you, since it was your life at stake."

She swallowed hard, feeling sick from all of this as Emma waited for her to continue.

"I only wanted to be happy. To finally be happy," Regina whispered. "Here… happiness came in adopting Henry, in raising him as my son. It's not the happy ending I imagined, but I feel such joy in seeing him grow up well. Even when he disobeys me. And as for you, Emma… I had never meant to hurt you in this land. I had only wanted you to go away. When the spell encouraged us to fall in love… it… I was thankful for that. You taught me that I could change for the better. But, I know I made very dark choices to get to that point."

"Damn it," she said, puffing out her chest in annoyance because Regina's explanation did make sense and the woman offered no excuses. She did as Emma had asked and took ownership of her own motivations and decisions just like that. It was infuriating and it scared her.

"I don't know how to get past it all," Emma admitted and sought out Regina's gaze. "I honestly don't. And even if we take out the you and me part, Henry's hoping for me to break the curse. Then what? I … I just get my family back and Gold wins? It makes no sense. None of this does because I'm pretty sure that some endgame sorcerer shit that he was banking on didn't include you and me falling in love."

Falling in love…! Regina's heart briefly soared to hear that off Emma's lips despite the gravity of the situation. Then, she frowned slightly, thinking.

"Yes. If the curse broke, your family would know you again. The townspeople would remember who they really are," she said. "And, yes, whatever Gold's long term plan was… he could act on it at last."

She supposed that Gold might have foreseen them falling for each other - whether by Regina's trickery or not - but so long as he got what he wanted, would it matter to the imp? Regina didn't think he'd care. Emma breaking the curse was what was critical to him and - if they didn't reconcile on their own - what lengths would he, or could he, go to to secure it?

"I don't know if you can ever forgive me. But… I… If there's any way I can show you that my heart has changed, that I want to do right by you and Henry, even though that means my curse will break… I will."

Emma looked away in anguish, knowing that Regina had already proven her heart had changed twice over. The apple curse that she was under was broken by the very woman that had created it and had confessed to everything. Regina explained why she had done it and what changed between the two of them. Hell, Regina almost died in a car accident to get Emma Swan back, and not she was reiterating the same thing once again. The message was clear and Regina hadn't changed her story as Emma would hope, because it would make things easier catching the woman in a lie. Then she could easily run away. Again.

The problem was simple. Emma had long since given up on finding a family or even love. Now she was about to have all of that thrown into her lap all at once if she gave into her feelings and believed in Regina. Everything else would fall into place and the entire town could prepare itself for whatever Gold wanted ... and accepting that Regina changed in time. Perhaps a long time but it could happen.

"I …" she shook her head and searched Regina's gaze. "I'm too scared to find out what that could even be. Or what that means for us."

The brunette sighed. "Then… you're trapped here, regardless. I hope you do realize that now and stop trying to cross the town line. The curse's power will only continue to exert itself, becoming more violent."

Regina was so aggravating. Emma wasn't sure what to do and admitted that she was scared and the best advice that was offered was don't cross the town line?

Well, crap. I'm really stuck here. But … at least she cares about my personal safety but come on.

"Duly noted."

"So you… want to leave things as they are?" Regina asked, confused. "That's what I'm hearing from you."

"Of course that's what you'd hear. I said I was scared. I didn't say what I was gonna do except not cross the townline," she responded back with veiled patience.

Regina bit her lower lip delicately. "If you could forget all the insanity of the curse, of the stakes… if none of that existed and I was just an idiot that you'd fallen for… would you be able to forgive and offer me a second chance?"

Emma balked. "How do you expect me to forget all of that?! If that's the case, we're back to where we were before I believed in this crap. Thinking you drugged me. Do we really need to rehash that?"

"I didn't mean literally," Regina said. She flinched and stood, moving to the corner of the room as Emma looked on at a loss. "Emma, all I am really asking is if there is a chance you can forgive me for all of this. Because, honestly, if there isn't…"

She left the phrase hanging because Regina didn't know how to finish it. She only knew that Emma would remain trapped, that the town would remain in curse-induced ignorance, and that their lives would go on in this stalemate. The key players would know what had to happen to effect change, but no one would be able to do anything. But could Emma really find it in her heart to forgive Regina when she never allowed anyone else in her life such a pass?

"I don't know, Regina," she said honestly. "What can you do to help me see past everything that's happened?"

Regina pursed her lips, conscious of how tense she felt. It was as one wrong move would spell disaster, and it was so difficult to avoid that outcome.

"Can you allow me the time to help you see past our history? To help you see a future for us?" the mayor countered. "To earn your trust and love?"

Emma looked away, tears pricking her eyes because in a way, she felt as if she had no choice but to give Regina a chance. She was a prisoner in Storybrooke because of the curse and unlike the citizens here, knew exactly what the stakes were and had to shoulder the burden of being the Savior. The decision was out of her hands, much like it was before she ran away.

"Alright. Yes." she said quietly. "I can."

At least she might not have to go it alone if she had Henry and Regina to help her. They had plenty of time to figure it all out since she wasn't capable of going anywhere like she usually would. There was no place to run. Not anymore.

Regina swallowed hard, feeling just as frightened and trapped as Emma did. "Thank you, dear."

"Yeah." She straightened up on the bed and sniffed to get herself under control. All of these feelings bubbling under the surface were getting to her. "So… what now?"

Good question.

"Why don't you take the afternoon off to continue recovering from what you've endured today," Regina suggested, thinking off the top of her head. "I'll take Henry home and explain where things stand. And then, if you're hungry… perhaps you'd like to come over for dinner. Or, we could meet you at the diner, or anywhere else."

That was the closest Regina would get to rambling. The woman was a decisive as they come but in her defense, she was giving Emma options and that was important to recognize that. Plus she knew it was the afternoon, finally having an idea of what time it was.

"Well, I'm always hungry. That's not changing any time soon, so ...why don't we just do dinner at your place. But seriously though? I don't want Henry getting his hopes up or making this out to be what it is, or isn't. It's just all of us eating together. Starting fresh." Emma eyed her. "Right?"

Regina gave a sober nod. "Yes. Only dinner. But, that does beg a question: do I share with him that you believe?"

"Yeah. I don't wanna lie to him. So, he just has to keep the savior business to a minimum. I'm still the deputy, and I'll still do whatever needs to be done to protect the town from… whatever. There's just so much going on with us that his enthusiasm has to be … tempered." She chuckled. "Or whatever's possible with a ten year old."

Regina half-smiled and gave her a nod. "I'll talk to him after we leave here then, and try and set his expectations straight."

Brown eyes took in Emma Swan, her heart aching because she knew her expectations were set as high as Henry's would be. Despite how insane it was, Regina wanted Emma back and it was going to be difficult to make her feel safe and to fully open her heart once again.

"Call me later. Let me know how it goes just in case we need to eat at the diner as a backup or something," she offered.

Regina nodded again. "Alright. I will. Take care of yourself this afternoon. The truth is an awful shock, so give yourself some time."

"Not enough time in the day for that, Regina. So I'll try and be on my best behavior at dinner. I'll even chew with my mouth closed." The smallest hint of a smile was there, but it faded quickly as Emma felt the exhaustion just seeping throughout her body.

Regina wanted to reach out to her with affection, but she didn't dare presume. Instead, she nodded toward the bed. "Rest. I'll call you later. And we'll see you this evening."

Emma nodded and slipped under the covers. "Right. Tell the kid I'll see him later."

"I will."

She stepped forward and patted the end of the bed, fixing the quilt for her. Regina was reluctant to go, but clearly, she had to. She stepped toward the door, giving her a long look.

"Later, Emma…"

Despite being mentally and physically exhausted, Emma knew what was happening. How Regina wanted to linger and how, buried so deep, a part of her wanted the mayor to stay.

"Later, Regina."

They had started off as enemies and fell into this helpless relationship so quickly because of a curse and destiny. They needed time to heal. To take things slowly and see if there can be a true reconciliation between them.

"Wait. Regina?" Emma said suddenly before Regina was out of earshot.

She stopped in an instant and looked back at her. "Yes?"

"I get it to an extent. Not being able to make decisions for yourself," she quietly admitted. "It was like that for me until I ran away."

Regina gazed back at her, compassion in her eyes as her many escape attempts ran through her mind. "You were so lucky to be able to run."

"Yeah. I really was." Sighing, Emma glanced towards her with a sympathetic look. "There was a lot you still could've done differently, but I just wanted you to know that I at least get it."

She nodded, hands clasped together. "Thank you, Emma."

"Yeah," she said looking away, feeling suddenly conscientious. "So... see you later tonight."

Regina had delayed sharing with Henry the outcome of her conversation with Emma until they'd reached the park. She'd decided that going home would feel too claustrophobic and that, perhaps, a good way to bond with her son would be to go somewhere he wanted to go. They sat on a pair of swings side-by-side, which Regina found horrendously uncomfortable. Henry just went along with this without asking too many questions because he knew this was how his mother operated. To remain quiet as she processed everything in order to give her son a coherent answer and anticipate any questions so she would not become easily agitated or feel a loss of control.

Henry lightly rocked the swing back and forth, gym shoes digging into the wood chips that covered the ground and made small streaks where the dirt peeked out. He gave his mother a knowing look but decided to let her start the conversation so she kept that control. He had a feeling she really needed to have that.

Regina gave her son a sidelong look, fingers of one hand curled around the chain link that supported her swing. With no preface, she said, "Emma is going to join us for dinner, at our house, if she feels up to it this evening."

Her son sat upright, neck snapping towards her in exuberant surprise! "This is great news! She's giving you another chance!"

She half-smiled because Henry's reaction was exactly what Emma and she had predicted. Her fingers tightened on the chain and offered a half-shrug.

"Emma… recognizes that the situation is complex. I wouldn't go so far as to call it 'another chance' just yet, Henry. This is more like a… truce. And dinner is the peace offering," she suggested. "That means we both need to go easy on her. No talk of the curse or destiny. We're just having dinner together."

"So … you two aren't back together?" he said with a frown. "Well, I guess it's better than nothing. Oh!"
He twisted in the swing, the chains twisting above him, so Henry could look directly at his mother. "But you still got to bring your A game tonight! Plant the seeds of getting her back!"

Regina blinked at him. "Bring a game with me? I don't understand. Emma doesn't seem like the type to play chess."

"No, mom!" he smiled patiently. "Bringing your A game means doing the best thing you can tonight to help Emma realize that you guys belong together! Or at least get her thinking about it more."

"Oh!" Regina laughed softly, embarrassed by her ignorance. Then, looking more serious, she asked, "Do you feel that's wise, Henry? Perhaps Emma needs more time to recognize that I'm genuine in being… good. I don't want to scare her off."

"I guess it depends on how you go about doing it?" he asked, unsure.

She nodded, finding it surreal that they were even having this conversation. Regina decided to shift to gentler waters. "What would you suggest we have for dinner?"

He gave Regina a toothy smile. "Mom. Do you even have to ask?"

She lifted a brow. "Pizza? Really?"

"No! Your lasagna!" he replied with a grin. "Everyone loves it!"

Regina chuckled. "Alright, my prince. Lasagna it is. Would you like to help me with the preparations?"

"Yes!" he exclaimed, though his excitement never actually waned during the conversation. "Do we need to go shopping?"

She paused to mentally inventory the pantry. "Yes. And you're allowed a can of soda tonight, as a thank you for being such an amazing son, Henry."

"If I'm so amazing, can I have two?" he asked hopefully.

"You can buy two," Regina countered with a good-natured smirk.

"Yes!" He thrust both fists into the air, feet kicking upwards in victory as the swing turned back around.

Chuckling, the mayor rose and tried to walk after feeling squashed by the swing's seat. She lifted a brow at her son. "Ready to go shopping then for… Operation Dinner?"

"Mom! No!" He hopped off the swing and became so serious. "You don't name the operation with something so obvious! It has to be more subtle. Like would you have believed Operation Cobra was about breaking your curse?"

Regina shook her head. "No, I suppose not. Well, what would you suggest then?"

"Hmm," he looked thoughtful. "What about … Operation ... Spark?"

It was as good as any to Regina; the codename secrecy was more to appeal to Henry's thoughts and viewpoint. She nodded in approval. "Good. Operation Spark it is. Let's get to work then."

A/N - Hey, at least they're having dinner together as a family. Baby steps considering how this all started out.