Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot and any unrecognizable characters and dialogue.

I meant to get this out so much sooner, but I spent so much time working on my holiday break, and now that I'm back in school and taking 21 credit hours, there's just no time. Hopefully I'll be able to get a head start on writing soon. Sorry for the awfully long wait, I hope you enjoy the chapter.

Chapter Playlist: 'Wandering Jane' from 'Jane Eyre: OST' and 'Han and Leia' from 'Star Wars: The Force Awakens OST'

Neverland

While Mayor Mills wandering around with that gloating smirk on her face was a common sight, the strange man and his child was not. Lillian twisted in her seat at the sight and shared a look with Ruby. The older woman tossed her head, as equally puzzled as her younger friend.

Setting down the mug in front of Lillian, Ruby bustled down the counter, setting a plate of the Mayor's regular in front of her. Nodding in thanks to the waitress, Regina picked up her utensils, halting when Graham sidled up to her.

"Good Morning, Mayor." He greeted warmly, as everyone pretended not to notice the sexual tension between them.

"The uniform suits you nicely, Sheriff," Regina told him, adding in an undertone, "so well-fitted."

He leaned even closer. "Want me to come over later?"

Before she could agree to his proposal, a high, childish voice came from her other side. "Hey!" She turned, startled by the little boy who was a stranger to her. "You like apple pancakes, too?"

"Who are you?" Regina demanded, scouring the diner for the absent parent. "Whose child is this?" Her eyes fell on Geppeto - Marco, she reminded herself sternly - and narrowed her focus. "Is he yours?"

The resident carpenter blinked. "Mine? No," he muttered, that aching emptiness expanding in his chest. "I was never so lucky."

"He's mine," a red-haired man with a rugged beard stepped up behind the boy. "And you'll have to excuse him. His manners are a little rough around the edges." The man chuckled, hands fondly placed on his son's shoulders. "I'm, uh, Kurt Flynn." He offered a hand, one that Regina ignored and he dropped the offer at her refusal. "Sorry to interrupt your breakfast, but we're, uh, looking to rent a hotel room for the night."

"Why would you need a hotel room?"

"The same reason that most people need one." Kurt raised a brow at her tone but didn't address it. "We need a place to sleep."

Regina forced a smile to her frozen lips. "Would you excuse me for a moment?" She turned to the awaiting sheriff. "Graham."

Granny bustled over promptly. "I got a room for you." She told the two in a brisk, no-nonsense tone.

Regina watched them follow Widow Lucas with a black scowl. "Who the hell are those people?" She demanded of her sheriff once they were out of earshot.

"Uh, I don't know." Graham replied, puzzled by her reaction, though he couldn't place why. "They just showed up. They were camping in the woods near the toll bridge. I was just as surprised to see them as you are."

"I don't like surprises, sheriff. I find them threatening." She told him sternly, uneasy for the first time since she'd awoken after the Curse. "And do you know what happens when I feel threatened? Bad things."

Storybrooke

Though Lillian had offered to accompany him, Gold felt that this was one journey he had to make alone. Approaching the stately mausoleum, unneeded cane in hand, he made his way into the depths of it. Regina stood, clothed head to toe in black, and he tutted in sympathy.

"Black was always your color."

Regina bristled in hostility at the backhanded comment, but never looked away from her mother's peaceful expression. "I'm here to bury my mother," she reminded him sharply. He didn't need to have Lillian's gift of empathy to sense the misery she'd cloaked herself in. "So if you've come to gloat… "

He leveled her with an even stare as he produced a rose from within the folds of his jacket. "I came to pay my respects. We had our differences," he admitted, placing the rose on top of the glass gasket. He didn't comment on the irony that was her mother's resting place. "But Cora will always have a place in my heart."

"You killed her to save your own life. You and that damned assistant of yours."

"Sadly, desperate times call for desperate measures."

Her lips twisted into a fearsome sneer. "Like getting Mary Margaret to trick me into killing my own mother? You and Lillian may be able to hide behind that dagger, but she can't. She's going to die for what she did."

Gold scoffed at the mad desire for vengeance that glinted in her eyes. "Oh, come on." He chastised mildly, willing her to see reason. "We both know killing her will cost you the thing you want most - Henry. Why don't you just give up this obsession with vengeance? You know it can never make you happy."

"Yes, it will."

"You had a whole curse worth of vengeance, and what did it get you?" He asked, beginning to feel more than a tad impatient with her attitude. "A gaping hole in your heart."

Regina's eyes were narrowed slits. "That was your curse."

"Which you cast." He snapped back as any sympathy he had for the poor woman evaporated in the face of her obstinate scowl. "Still haven't learned your lesson, have you?"

"What lesson?"

"The same one your mother learned a long time ago - you can't have everything." Seeing her attempting to ignore his words, he caught her stare and held it sternly. "She wanted power, ripped out her own heart to get it. You want vengeance? Henry's the price you'll pay. Time to cut your losses."

"Never." She swore lowly, ready to do whatever she had to do. "I will have my son, and I will have my vengeance. I will find a way to have everything."

Cautiously climbing down the stairs, Emma peered between the steps to see her mother's prone form in the bed. Emma and Neal had finally managed to return to Gold's shop, only to find Gold healed with Cora dead in Regina's arms. Lillian and Gold had been mute about the subject, but David had told her everything. Gathering her stone-faced mother in his arms, David had all but fled the scene, Emma and Neal on his heels as Regina swore vengeance.

After collecting Henry and returning to the loft, Mary Margaret made a beeline straight for her bed and hadn't left it ever since. Holed up in the apartment, without knowing when or where Regina would strike, and keeping Mary Margaret's involvement in Cora's death a secret from Henry, everyone's nerves had been stretched to the limit.

"Anything?" She whispered loudly to her father, who stood at the kitchen island, Henry seated on the other side.

"She won't eat a bite." David replied, broad shoulders slumped in defeat.

Henry peered at them suspiciously, unable to shake the feeling that something was wrong. Though he'd been cheered to here that Cora was no longer a problem, something about their behavior rubbed him the wrong way. He also hadn't seen Lillian in days, and she wasn't answering his calls, and no one would tell him anything. "What's wrong with her?"

"Nothing." Emma answered too quickly for his liking, forcing a smile for his benefit. "She's just a little sick."

Henry however, had had enough of being lied to. "You guys are lying to me, aren't you? What's wrong with my grandma, and why haven't I seen Lillian?"

"No one's lying."

His eyes narrowed in irritation, and Emma held back a guilty grimace. "You are, just like you did about my dad."

"Henry, I - He's right." She faltered, unable to continue lying to her son when he looked at her like that. Like he looked at Regina. "No more lying."

"Emma… " David began hesitantly, not wanting things to become even more strained in the apartment.

"He deserves to know." The blonde said, shaking her head tiredly. Turning to her skeptical son, she rested her hip against the island. "Here's the thing, Henry. Cora's death… Mary Margaret was partially responsible for it, and that's why she's so upset."

"No." Henry denied, eyes widening in horror when neither his mother or grandfather said anything. Both wore pale, strained expressions, lips pressed together tightly. "No, no, she couldn't."

Emma ignored the sudden knock on the door, hoping for a mad thought that it was Lillian so she could smack the younger woman for the part she'd played. "She was trying to protect us."

"But she's Snow White," Henry swallowed thickly past the sudden lump in his throat, stomach churning when Emma merely gazed at him sadly. "She wouldn't hurt anybody."

David, sensing Emma needed some space, rounded the island to open the door, only to stop before he'd even made it more than three steps. It swung open, revealing Gold on the other side, expression decidedly annoyed.

"Get out!" The blue-eyed man shouted, startling his daughter and grandson. "Get out, now!"

"Oh, I think you're gonna wanna hear what I have to say - for her sake." He pointed to Mary Margaret, whose back was to them, with his cane.

Emma came to stand beside her father, Henry right before her. "What are you talking about?"

"Regina," Gold replied, watching all of them freeze at the mention of the name. "She's planning to strike back - against your mother."

Henry wormed his way to stand between Emma and David. "What is she gonna do to her?" He asked, his obvious fear prompting Emma to tug his closer.

"Oh, she didn't say." Gold said, and his unspoken threat hung in the air between them unpleasantly. Though he was still adjusting to his new role as a grandfather, he wasn't about to intentionally upset his grandson by outlining his mother's twisted plans. "Well, I bid you all a good day- "

"No." David snapped when the older man prepared to leave, halting Gold in his tracks. "You don't get to come in here and just drop a bomb like that. You're gonna figure this out, and you're gonna help us."

Gold spared him a patronizing smile. "And why should I?"

"Because aside from us being family now, Mary Margaret saved your life, and now you owe her a debt." Able to see that his words had struck a chord with the pawnbroker, David continued to press his luck. "And you always pay your debts, don't you? You're gonna help us stop Regina."

Storybrooke - Past

"Hi!" Owen chirped at the dark-haired teenager, smiling when startled blue eyes turned his way.

Somehow still surprised every time she saw the little boy - even though he had been there for several days - Lillian returned the beaming expression. "Hello," she returned as Kurt joined his son. "Settling in all right, are we?"

"Yes," Kurt said as he and Owen joined Lillian at the bar. The young woman, though a bit odd like all the residents of Storybrooke, was a sweet girl, in Kurt's opinion. She'd taken quickly to Owen, and he to her. "Getting a bite to eat before you head to work?"

Lillian nodded, looking down at her half-empty plate. As she and Owen settled into conversation, mainly around his schooling, Kurt smiled up at Granny. Half an hour later, as Lillian slipped from the bar stool and left with a fond wave, Regina strode in, eyes falling on the child that occupied her customary seat.

"Thank you," the mayor heard Kurt say as Granny handed him the check. "It was really good."

With a ruined mood and a scowl, Regina stalked to where the little boy sat. "You're in my seat."

"Sorry, miss… ?" Kurt trailed off, recognizing the woman but unable to place her.

"Mills."

"Mills."

"Mayor Mills," Regina added stress to the title before she looked back at the child. "I always sit in that seat."

He tilted his head. "But I'm already sitting here."

Shaken by his lack of fear - every person besides Graham that she had come into contact with feared her, in some way - she sat on his other side. "I-I just spoke with our mechanic." She told Kurt, who turned to regard her over the top of Owen's head. "He assured me that your car will be repaired by the end of the week."

The man blinked. "Really? He told me it would take at least two weeks just to get the parts."

"Well, things tend to get done quickly when the Mayor asks for them." Regina said, calmly assured of the power she wielded within Storybrooke. "And I'd hate to keep you from getting home to…?"

"New Jersey," Kurt answered, equal amounts of sadness and affection in the twist of his lips. "Home of the boss. Anyway, thank you, your mayorness. Mayor… whatever." He stood up, with Owen following suit. "We really appreciate it. Let's go."

As he passed the dark-haired woman, Owen paused and reached into his pocket. Retrieving the lanyard he'd made, he held it out for Regina to take.

With wide eyes, Regina twisted in her seat to stare down him. "What's this?"

"It's a gift!" The little boy cheered with a smile on his pale, pointed face. "For letting me sit in your seat."

Unable to believe her ears, she regarded him dubiously for several seconds. "For me?" She asked finally, taking it with a tremulous smile when he nodded brightly. Clutching it tightly in one hand, she watched him go to Kurt, who watched the proceedings with an amused smile.

Regina stormed dramatically into Gold's Pawn Shoppe, heels clacking loudly on the polished wood floor. Gold was behind the main display case, perusing through a book. At the sound of the bell, he glanced up lazily, lips thinning at the sight of the mayor. As Regina approached him, Lillian peered in from the back room, eyes widening in surprise.

"I'm not happy." Regina announced without preamble, staring Gold down as if she expected him to have all the answers.

Lillian sidled up to Gold, and they shared a look.

"I believe Dr. Hopper's office is down the street."

Her eyes narrowed. "Oh, I don't wanna talk to him." Palms pressed flat against the glass, she leaned close to him with a hiss. "I wanna talk to you."

"Very well, Madame Mayor." Gold visibly squared his shoulders in preparation for what was most likely going to be a verbal assault. "What is it you wanna talk about?"

"This town. This isn't the deal we made."

Gold's head tilted just so to the side. "I'm sorry," he said without meaning a word of it. "I don't know what you're talking about."

Regina paused, looking between their two confused expressions, feeling some of her righteous anger slowly ebb away. "You don't, do you?" It was a rhetorical question that needed no answer. Swallowing with difficulty, Regina looked away from the polite, puzzled faces that she had seen every day since awakening in Storybrooke. "I was supposed to be happy here."

"Forgive me, but, um, you're the Mayor." Gold pointed out delicately, clearly of the belief that Regina was suffering from the beginnings of a psychotic break. "You're the most powerful woman in the town. What is there to be unhappy about?"

"Everyone in this town does exactly what I want them to!"

Of all things, Gold had the audacity to smile at her outburst. "And that's a problem?" He asked, while his assistant gazed in concern at the distressed mayor.

"Well, they do it because they have to, not because they want to." Regina defended mulishly, more perturbed by the passive behavior of both Lilith and Rumple than even Snow's. "It's not real."

"I'm sorry," Gold began quietly, eyeing her as if he expected her to shatter. "What exactly is it you want?"

Disappointment gathering like a storm cloud around her, Regina shook her head with a fearsome scowl. "Nothing you can give me."

She was gone then, footsteps fading beneath the sound of the bell tinkling. Crossing the street, she made a beeline for the phone booth. Dialing for the Inn, Granny swiftly redirected her to the right room, and her heart skipped a beat when a male's voice answered.

"Hello, Kurt? It's Mayor Mills." She smiled, even though he couldn't see it. "Good, you're still here. I would love to see Owen before you leave. Would you like to come over for dinner tonight?" She waited with bated breath, exhaling silently in relief when he accepted the invitation. "Great."

Storybrooke

When he saw the size of his father's home in Storybrooke, Neal couldn't say he was surprised. Having lived in abject poverty, with only his spinning to sustain them, his father more than likely reveled in the wealth he had managed to gather. From what he'd gathered around the town, his father owned literally every building and, even when he hadn't had his magic, inspired a great deal of fear.

Climbing up the steps, Neal paused before the door, pulling his phone from his pocket one last time. Emma's text reassured him once more that his father was nowhere on the premises, having gone to help protect Emma's mother. Reaching for the knob and finding it unlocked, Neal slipped into the house, frowning at the elaborate setup.

Ignoring the more than likely priceless and exotic knickknacks that covered almost every inch of space, he headed for the stairs. According to his son, Lillian's unused room in the manor was the third room to the left, and he found it without trouble. Painted in a delicate hand was the outline of a lily flower and he cautiously knocked on the door.

There was no answer, but before he could knock again just to be sure, the door creaked open. Peering inside, Neal felt his shoulders slump in relief when he saw the sole occupant of the room. Dressed head to toe in black, with her bare feet and legs tucked beneath her and exposed by a skirt, Lillian sat on the bed facing the window.

He paused at the sight of it, having never seen her wear anything other than pants and trousers before. She didn't turn from the window at his approach, or when he carefully seated himself beside her. Chin resting on her open palm, she inhaled deeply and he waited for her to open up to him.

"It's all my fault."

"What is?"

She took a shuddering sigh. "Everything. I knew what Rumple planned and I let him do it… I even charmed Mary Margaret to make sure she knew what heart to grab."

Neal reached out to brush messy curls away from her face. "Lily… it's not your fault."

"You were there, Bae. David was very clear about who he blamed for what his wife did." She snapped before visibly deflating, though caught the way his mouth tightened at the reminder of David's behavior. "And he was right." She twisted in her seat and turned pained eyes on him. "I could have done something - I should have been the one to use the candle, not Mary Margaret."

"Why didn't you?" He asked, weary to learn about the inner workings of his father's mind, but worried about Lillian's state of mind. "Why'd my father send Emma's mother to do it when you could have done it just as easily?"

"He wanted me at the shop… just in case." She didn't say why, and she didn't need to. Even though he'd only met Cora for mere minutes, Neal had heard enough about the 'Queen of Hearts' in the last few days to fill a book. "If she'd become the Dark One, I was the only one who could have stood a chance against her."

His frown deepened at how haunted and unsettled she looked. "What else?"

"I was also supposed to… to get rid of the problem if the poison didn't do it first."

Everything within Neal went cold at her words, and he couldn't stop himself from staring at her in horror. She visibly blanched at his expression and looked away, hiding her face behind a curtain of hair. He stared, unable to comprehend what she'd just admitted to him.

"My father… asked you to kill him?" He choked out, "if the poison didn't do it?"

"Anything to stop Cora from becoming the Dark One. I won't apologize for what I did… I did what was necessary to protect the ones I love." She told him, already bristling at a perceived lecture. Distantly, he wondered how Emma and the others treated her; did they treat her as the adult she mentally was, or as the teenager she appeared to be?

"I'm not going to lecture you - you're an adult, Lily," he said, watching her defensive posture melt away at his words. "I won't pretend I'm surprised about you and my father keeping secrets, why did you?"

Her lips twitched into a wry, pained smile. "I suppose our reasoning was pretty similar to you keeping the whole fiancee thing a secret too."

He visibly blanched. "Emma?"

"I just have very good ears." She returned with an impish smile that quickly faded when he didn't return the expression. "What is it?"

"Are you upset with me? About keeping Tamara a secret from you?" Her opinion mattered to him, it always had. Even when they had been two teenagers running away from the lost boys and pirates in Neverland, he would look to her first.

Lillian raised a brow. "You deserve to be happy Bae, you've always deserved to be happy… even when I couldn't give it to you." She reached for his hands and he gave them, smiling when she gripped them so tightly the metal of her ring dug into his skin. "You're my best friend, Bae. You always have been." Abruptly, she sobered and fixed him with a critical eye. "Of course, I'll need to meet this girl first, to make sure she's good enough for you."

Neal's laughter echoed through the empty house.

It looked as if a whirlwind had torn through the inside of the mausoleum when Gold and David arrived. Ripped dresses and broken belongings were scattered about the floor. Side stepping the mess, and feeling only faint traces of Regina's presence, Gold turned to his companion.

"Well, it appears we just missed our dear Queen," he noted, a trace of irony in his words. While he was miffed at being strong-armed into physically lending his services to the Charmings - Lillian was the one they would normally prefer, not him - he had resigned himself for the time being.

David, hand on his gun holster, carefully wandered deeper into the mausoleum. He could tell Gold was unimpressed by the destruction around them, but David was unnerved by the sight.

"What is this?"

"These are Cora's belongings," the older man told him quietly, eyes searching through the thrown about items. He focused on a set of scrolls and books, able to recognize them for what they were. "Looks like Regina's planning to use one of her spells on Mary Margaret." Scanning the area, his attention fell onto potions chest nestled into a niche in the wall. "Something's missing," he announced, drawing David's attention. "Chimera blood, and viper's eye."

David was almost afraid to ask. "What kind of curse do you need those for?"

"The Curse of the Empty-Hearted."

"Empty-Hearted?" Emma repeated once her father and Gold had returned to the loft and announced what they'd found. "What the hell does that do?" She looked between them, finally pinning Gold in place. To the side, she was aware of her mother watching them quietly from her bed, sitting up for the first time in days.

Gold opened his mouth to answer, only to turn when the door behind them opened. Lillian, still dressed head to toe in black with ripped stockings on her otherwise bare legs, entered, Neal at her side. "Regina's going to cast that travesty of a curse?" She asked, clearly having heard Emma's dulcet tones from the stairwell.

Gold nodded, eyeing her with concern, though it swiftly switched to satisfaction after taking in her appearance. She looked better than she had this morning, or the morning before that. Bae's presence seemed to have helped her immensely, and he noticed with no small amount of amusement that his son's hand rested lightly on the small of her back, producing an interesting reaction from Miss Swan.

"Lillian," Gold greeted, expression softening even further at the sight of his son. "Bae. I trust you two are well?"

Lillian nodded but didn't speak, though she looked up warily when David approached them. Torn from wanting to protect her if the blond man became agitated, and knowing she wouldn't thank him for it, Neal remained at her side, allowing his hand to slip from her back. Before David could speak or act, and even though she'd tensed as if expecting a blow, she was saved by Henry's appearance at the top of the stairs.

"Lillian!" The dark-haired boy nearly shouted before he flew down the stairs and launched himself into the teen's arms. Catching sight of his father, Henry reached out as an afterthought and yanked Neal into the hug. "Dad!"

"Hey, buddy," Neal snickered, feeling his ribs creak in protest beneath Henry's hold. "Nice to see you, too." Ruffling his son's hair briefly, the older man raised his head in Gold's direction. "So, what's this about a curse? The… faint-hearted, or something?"

"Empty-hearted," Gold corrected lightly, too pleased that his son was speaking to him for mockery. "Which, in theory, has the power to make someone love you."

"Doesn't that break magic laws?" Emma demanded, pulling from the very limited knowledge she had - most of which came from the slew of Disney movies she'd seen in her youth. "You can't bring someone back to life, you can't force someone to love you."

"This particular spell can make someone think they love you." The pawnbroker corrected mildly, making sure to refrain from needling her, if only a little. Lillian must have caught the flow of his emotions, for she quirked an eyebrow at him. "And, if you're as desperate for love as Regina appears to be, you just might believe it," he finished, lowering his gaze to where his grandson had gone white.

"She's going to use it on me, isn't she."

Unable to allow his grandson from being involved more than he had to, conscious of how young the child was, David moved to guide Henry toward the stairs. 'Hey buddy, why don't you go back upstairs, let us handle this."

"NO!" Henry ducked away from his grandfather's hand and sought refuge on the other side of his father, turning to face his mother. "Emma! You said you were going to be honest with me," he made the words sound like an accusation, and Emma barely held herself from flinching. "Now, why is Regina using this curse."

It was Gold who answered. "Because it's the only way she can get everything she wants." He told his distraught grandson, well aware of Bae's similar reaction. "That she can get you."

"But if all she wants is me… " Henry began, ceasing when everyone, including Gold, stiffened at his words.

"Your mother is a complicated woman," Gold told him gently, withholding the scoff at how idiotic Regina was acting, even if she had an excuse for it. "She wants your love of course, but she also wants vengeance. On Mary Margaret."

"How does the curse give her both?" David asked, more disgusted than curious.

Lillian spoke up for the first time since her arrival, too pale features twisted into a sneer of distaste. "She needs Mary Margaret's heart; the last ingredient she needs is the heart of the person she hates the most."

"You have to stop her."

Gold canted his head mockingly at Emma's demand. "Oh, I don't have to do anything." He said with relish. "On the contrary, I believe warning you fulfills my debt."

"Not even close!" David moved as if to bodily force the pawnbroker from leaving the loft. "This is my wife's life we're talking about."

Emma quickly jumped in. "Not to mention your grandson's!"

Aware of how closely Bae was watching him, Gold chose his words carefully. "I will do my best, but, well wars do have costs."

While Emma and David glowered at the older man, Lillian and Neal looked ready to commit murder. Lillian's arms immediately went around Henry, who pressed closely to her, while Neal wrapped an arm around them both.

"No one is touching him," Neal swore lowly, prepared to rip Regina apart with his bare hands if he had to. "Do you hear me?" Henry was peering up at him with frightened eyes. "We'll take you back to New York, buddy, she can't get you there."

"'We'?" Emma echoed, disliking the idea that her ex was making premature travel plans on her behalf. "What do you mean, 'we'?"

"Me and Lillian," Neal answered, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. "We can keep him safe, in New York, while you all deal with his curse-crazed mother."

By now, everyone minus Mary Margaret, who was still watching them blankly, stared at Neal and Lillian with various degrees of surprise. Emma's cheeks had gone from flushed to stark white, back to flushed in a matter of moments, and the accompanying emotions caused Lillian's lips to twitch.

David, it seemed, could read his daughter's intent before she could move, and he had an arm wrapped around her, firmly steering both her and the conversation back on track. "You'd really be willing to risk your own grandson's life like that?"

"Well this is a blood feud, dearie; one that goes back a long time." Gold reminded him flatly. Some days, he couldn't understand why Lillian would ever have willingly aligned herself on the side of 'good', especially given her distaste for Emma Swan. He could also never surmise just why she and Prince Charming had forged such a strong bond in less than two year's time. "And the only way you can end a blood feud, is by the spilling of more blood. That is the only way I know to eliminate your Regina problem."

"What does that mean?" David demanded, though already knew the answer.

"You've seen Old Yeller, David, you know exactly what he means," Lillian intoned quietly, conscious of Henry going stock-still in her arms.

Despite everything that had happened between Regina and herself, Emma looked stricken. "Is there no other option?"

"I'm afraid not."

Henry ripped himself from Lillian's grasp, refusing to listen to another word. "Stop! Listen to yourselves!" He faced his family, staring hard at each and every one of them, his back turned to Gold. "You're talking about killing my mom! You used to be heroes. What happened to you?" Shaking his head without waiting for an answer, he stomped to the door, grabbed his coat, and ran out of the apartment.

Without a sound, other than to raise a tired hand to her rub at her neck, Lillian tore after him. Neal sighed heavily, shared a look with Emma, and followed after the dark-haired teen. Passing by his father, who turned his head just so, Neal glared harshly before he too slipped out the door.

"Henry," Emma sighed, knowing he'd be well taken care of and protected with Lillian, even if she did still want to punch the teen in the face. "No matter how this plays out," she told her father, who stared after his grandson with concern. "We need to keep him as far away from it as possible." She grimaced. "Maybe he should go to New York with Neal."

That said, she nearly ripped her coat from the hook and chased after the trio. Left behind with a mutinous looking David, Gold sighed heavily.

"She's right," he told the fuming, worried man, wanting to stress the importance of his words. "Cora is more dangerous because she didn't have a heart; Regina is even more dangerous because she does."

Hand in hand with Henry, Lillian gently directed the dismayed boy into Granny's diner, both of them all but ignoring Emma as she trailed awkwardly behind them. Neal had already arrived at the diner, still too new at fatherhood to feel comfortable comforting his son. Catching up to Henry had been easy, getting him to cooperate however, was another thing that even Lillian was having difficulty with.

"Why are you bringing me here?" He demanded, almost petulantly, the sulky expression reminiscent of his toddlers years. "I don't want to talk to her."

Lillian made a conscious effort not to roll her eyes. While Henry had been a very sweet child, he'd had his tantrums, and though she doubted he'd throw himself on the floor, she was unwilling to deal with such behavior again. "Well, you're in luck," she gestured toward where Neal sat, nursing a much needed cup of coffee. "You're here to talk to him."

"Hey, buddy!" Neal forced a smile, eyes creased in an attempt at happiness. Though Henry didn't have Lillian's gift of empathy, he narrowed his eyes at the too chipper words. "I saved you a seat."

Henry sat down, scooting over without protest when Lillian nudged him. Standing alone, and feeling very adrift, Emma stood and shift listlessly before quickly deciding to remove herself from the situation.

"I'm going to go get a coffee."

Neal barely looked in her direction. "Yeah."

Ruby, dressed in skin-tight, red leather pants waltzed up with a tray in hand. "Here you go!" She placed the ice cream on the table, flashing the trio a wide smile. "One large sundae, extra everything."

Neal smiled up at the dark-haired woman, while Lillian raised an eyebrow at the pants. "Thanks, Ruby!"

She grinned once more, reaching out to ruffle Henry's hair affectionately before twisting on her heels and strutting off. Neal immediately pushed the sundae towards his son.

"Extra everything?" Henry asked, expression far too severe for his childish features.

"What?"

Henry leveled his father with a suddenly amused stare. "You think I don't know a bribe when I see one?" He pointedly pushed the sundae to the sight without even glancing at it.

Neal tried not to wince at how easily the eleven year old saw through the ruse. "That obvious, huh?"

Henry didn't deign to reply to that statement. "So, what do you want?" He asked seriously, leaning forward, hands clasped and an appropriately sober expression.

"After everything that's been going on lately, Lillian and I really think you should come to New York with us." Neal said, watching the humor leave his son's eyes.

"What?" Henry asked, twisting his head around to look at Lillian. "You guys were… you were serious about that?"

"Yes," Lillian answered. "It's not safe here, Henry. If we get you to New York, we'll be able to keep you safe… I'll be able to keep you safe."

A long, meaningful stare was shared between Lillian and Neal, one Henry couldn't read for the life of him. The moment passed quickly, and both parties were suddenly smiling at him again.

"So, what do you say, buddy?" Neal asked, a winning smile that crinkled his eyes. "Wanna come with us back to New York?"

"New York." Henry slumped back against the booth. He'd thought that his father's earlier offer in the loft had been made in the heat of the moment. "You want me to go New York?"

"Regina can't cast that curse if you're in New York," Neal regretted mentioning Henry's adoptive mother the moment he saw the pain flare in his son's eyes. "There's no magic there."

Henry suddenly perked up. "So, we should find a way to get rid of magic." He said, blind to look Lillian shot Neal, who tried to take it all in stride. "My mom wouldn't want to cast the curse, my family wouldn't want to kill her, it would solve everything!"

Neal leaned forward, a contemplative crease to his brow. While he agreed with his son - magic had only even brought pain to his life - he also knew the solution to getting rid of magic wasn't as easy as his son thought. "Yeah," he gravely nodded in agreement. "You know what, you're right! But until then, why don't you come with us?"

Still attempting to hide her hurt reaction at Henry's behavior, Emma accepted the cup of coffee from Ruby with a halfhearted smile. "Thanks, Ruby."

Beside her, Greg Mendell, with faint bruising along his forehead, caught Ruby's attention. "Can I get this sandwich wrapped up to go?" He asked, smiling when Ruby took it with a guarded smile. "I was thinking about going on a hike."

"A hike, huh?" Emma asked, careful to keep the faint stirrings of panic out of her voice.

"Well, Dr. Whale said it would be good for me to get on my feet." His easy-going expression turned bashful. "Plus, I'm kinda a nature photography nerd."

"He said you'd be back in Pennsylvania by now."

Greg offered her a shrug. "This town's starting to grow on me," he said as he handed Ruby some money in exchange for his wrapped sandwich. "Thank you very much."

Both women watched him leave, neither of their expressions the slightest bit friendly. Sighing tiredly, Emma handed Ruby some money, nodding at the other woman's tense expression, and stalked back toward the booth. Lillian was sitting side by side with Neal now, head in her hands, his hand rubbing between her shoulder blades.

"Everything okay?" She asked, wary of the both of them. It was in her nature, she supposed, but the way they acted around each other… part of her wanted to blame it on the fact that they considered each other siblings, but another part screamed something entirely different. Quickly tamping down on her runaway thoughts, Lillian was now looking at her strangely, Emma cleared her throat. "How'd it go, by the way?"

"Went good," Neal answered as his hand stopped rubbing, but did not move, on Lillian's back. "He said yes."

The blonde nearly did a face plant in surprise. "Seriously?"

"Yeah, he's in the bathroom right now," Neal said, catching Ruby's attention before he grinned up at Emma. "I'm just gonna go home and pack. Not bad for day three as a dad if I do say so myself."

Emma struggled to reply when her eyes fell onto the empty seat across from Neal and Lillian. "Wait, where's his backpack?"

"I don't know, he took it with him." Neal said, startled by the change in conversation.

The blonde stared at him incredulously. "To the bathroom?" She demanded shrilly. "Did you really fall for that? He's your son."

"He's running," Neal breathed, eyes wide.

Without a word, Lillian disappeared in a swirl of purple smoke, leaving the two parents to stare at one another before their bodies finally caught up with their brains.

While the search for Henry began, Regina was strolling casually up the stairs to Mary Margaret's loft. Unlocking the door with a careless flick of her fingers, all the while thanking that the Charmings were so complacent that they hadn't thought to put up a protection spell, Regina cautiously entered the loft.

Mary Margaret was sitting up in bed, staring into the distance in the general direction of the door. She didn't react when Regina came into her field of vision. Stalking forward with purpose, the mayor had just begun to raise her hand and summon her magic, before Gold stepped out from behind a pillar.

"Nice try, dearie," he taunted lightly, hands clasped comfortably on the handle of his cane. He almost smiled at the thwarted look on Regina's face. "Did you really think it was going to be that easy?"

With a black scowl, Regina looked past Gold to stare into Mary Margaret's blank eyes. "He can't be your guard dog forever." She snarled lowly before turning on her heel and storming out of the apartment.

Storybrooke

Catching sight of Ruby from across the street, Lillian lifted her hand in a wave before she crossed. Before she could, however, the piercing sound of the police siren halted her progress. Too stunned to move, she did little more than watch as first Kurt Flynn's truck flew down Main Street, pursued closely by Graham in his cruiser, Regina in the passenger seat.

As they followed the road toward the outskirts of Storybrooke, Ruby took advantage of the lull in traffic to jog across the street to her friend. "What the hell was that about?" She demanded with a toss of her long hair.

Lillian's eye followed the vehicles until they sped out of sight. "I have no freaking clue."

It was only later, according to the gossips around town, that there had been a misunderstanding. Graham had thought the elder Flynn had been driving while under the influence, but the two had left town soon after.

Soon, it was all forgotten.

Storybrooke

"Henry!" David shout echoed through the mines. Lillian was at his side, Emma and Neal just behind them. Ruby was at the had of the party, sniffing frantically through the dense, stale air of the underground tunnels.

Emma lent her voice to her father's. "Henry!"

"Down here!' Ruby announced, leading them into a corner of the mine. "He was in here."

Neal looked at his surroundings doubtfully. "Why would an eleven year old kid run away to the mines?"

Lillian leveled a heated stare Emma's. "Well, I can't say that it's the first time."

Before his already upset daughter could finally explode on Lillian, David interjected, "I think I know what he was looking for." His flashlight landed on the open box dynamite. "That's what the dwarfs use for blasting."

"What the hell would he want dynamite for?" Emma demanded.

Lillian and Neal shared a frightened look. "To get rid of magic." The latter replied.

"Wait, what?"

Neal looked guiltily at his ex. "At the diner he said someone should get rid of magic."

"So, he's going to blow it up?" Ruby asked in confusion. "How?"

Lillian's features rapidly whitened. "I think I know."

While he knew that little Henry Mills was more than likely not a boy scout earning his merit badge, Greg also knew the boy was unlikely to go with a complete stranger in the woods. Memorizing the phone number on the backpack before the kid ran off, he quickly dialed the number, hoping the person on the other end would pick up.

Seated in her office, Regina frowned when the unfamiliar number flashed across the display of the phone. "Hello?" She answered primly, smoothing all signs of annoyance from her expression or voice.

"Hi," the equally unfamiliar voice responded at once. "Is this Henry's mother?"

Unseen, Regina's lip curled. "Who, may I ask, is asking?"

"My name's Greg Mendell."

"Who?"

This wasn't the first time he'd gotten that reaction, and Greg wisely held back a chuckle. "The guy that crashed his car outside the town." He told her, continuing before she could reply. "See, I was out here hiking in the woods and he was by the White Pine Trail. And he was all by himself."

Regina sat up straighter in her chair. "What was he doing out there? Is he okay?"

"I don't know, he ran off." Aware that his answers likely did nothing to calm the obviously agitated mother, he added, "but he seemed a little upset, and I just thought that you would want to know. That's all."

"I'm on my way."

Knowing her son wouldn't take too kindly if she just appeared magically in front of him, Regina transported herself within walking distance of the wishing well. As predicted, Henry stood, dynamite resting on the lip of the well. As he struck a match, Regina approached.

"Henry?" She called out faintly, hands held up to show him she meant no harm. "What are you doing?"

His face screwed up in an unhappy scowl. "I'm getting rid of magic - it's ruining everything." He told her, adding, "and you can't stop me."

"All that's going to do is get you killed." She told him, steadily advancing.

"You're just saying that because you need magic," he accused with flinty, narrowed eyes. "So you can cast that curse on me." That said, he returned his attention to the dynamite. The flame had just touched the end of the explosives when Regina waved her hand, vanishing the match and dynamite.

"I can't lose you Henry," she told him brokenly, coming even closer. "You mean too much to me."

He glared up at her. "Then don't cast the curse. Don't kill Mary Margaret."

"Henry, she has to pay."

"The curse, it won't make me love you for real. It'll be fake."

"But it will be something." She insisted. "I know it's hard for you to understand right now but you'll see. We can be happy," she reached out to touch his arms. "We can have everything."

Henry squirmed away, shaking his head. "Not like this."

Before Regina could reply, Emma's shout cut through the air. "Hey Regina! Get away from my son!"

With a snarl on her lips, the dark-haired woman turned on her heel. "He's not yours. He's mine." She told the blonde and her companions, undaunted by the guns trained on her, and held up the curse. "And after I cast this, you'll never see him again."

Lillian's expression was mutinous. "As if we would ever let that happen."

"If you want to kill Mary Margaret you're going to have to go through us." Emma said, finger pressed against the trigger.

A grin broke out across Regina's painted lips. "Okay," she acquiesced, summoning a fireball.

"Stop!" Henry shouted, running between his feuding family.

"Henry!" Lillian snapped, half-tempted to summon him to her side.

"Get out of the way!" Neal told him, sword arm tensed in preparation for Regina's attack.

"Not until someone helps me destroy magic!"

"You can't just get rid of it Henry - not even by blowing it up!" Lillian all but screeched, red eyes trained on Regina.

"Magic isn't the problem, kid." Emma refused to look away from Regina, who glared right back. "It's her."

Henry was shaking his head. "It's not just her, it's everyone. Look what magic did to Mary Margaret." His eyes swept to his mother," look what it did to you," they cut to Lillian, who stared back sadly. "And to you! It's ruining everything. It makes good people do terrible things."

"And bad people." Emma added quietly, shoulders loosening even as her grip on the gun tightened.

"Please," Henry begged, swinging his head to meet Regina's gaze. "It's going to destroy my family. Help me get rid of it."

"I can't do that Henry," she told him, a lump forming in her throat. "But there is something I can do." Without a word, she summoned a fireball and crushed her hands together, reducing the curse to ashes.

Henry peered up at her, swallowing thickly. "Thank you." He whispered, though did not move to embrace her. Without a word, he ran to Emma, who wrapped an arm around him and holstered her gun. Regina watched the five of them leave, the taste of bitter disappointment on her tongue.

Still watching over Mary Margaret, Gold nodded along with Lillian's words as she spoke to him through the phone. "Okay." He said, terminating the call and turning to the still silent woman on the bed. "That was Lillian. It seems that Henry convinced Regina to destroy the curse." He pocketed the phone. "Which means, my services are no longer required."

"How do you do it?" Her hoarse, whispered query made him pause.

Turning back to her, Gold raised a brow. "Do what?"

"Live with yourself," her eyes finally raised from the bedding, and she made eye contact for the first time in days. "Knowing all the bad things you've done."

"Well, you tell yourself you did the right thing." He told her gently, far more than he had intended. Flippancy would do him no good he knew, and if he caused permanent damage to her already fragile psyche, David would come after him, guns blazing. "And, if you say it often enough, one day you might actually believe it."

Hours after the debacle at the wishing well, Regina found her unwelcome solitude interrupted by an even more unwelcome, persistent knocking on her front door. Storming down the stairs to wrench the door open, she stiffened at the sight of Mary Margaret on her stoop.

"You."

"Kill me," Mary Margaret rushed before her step-mother could launch into a tirade.

Regina blinked owlishly at the younger woman, barely able to formulate a response. "What?"

"Regina, we have been fighting for so long. It's cost us so much." Mary Margaret stepped closer, tongue like lead in her mouth. "It has to end before anyone else dies. So please, just do it."

"Henry would never forgive me," Regina muttered, inwardly mulling over the pros and cons. "But do you know what my problem is? I never learn from my mistakes." Without warning, she shoved her hand into Mary Margaret's chest, delighting in the pained gasp the woman released. Holding the heart up, she paused when something caught her eye. "Huh."

Blinking passed the pain-induced tears, Mary Margaret stared. "What?"

Holding the heart up, Regina twisted it around so Mary Margaret could see. "Do you see that?"

An icy feeling invaded her empty chest at the small, black spot that stained the once pure heart. "What did you do to it?" She demanded weakly.

"Oh, I didn't do that." A smile wound its way onto Regina's face. "You did it. You darkened yourself."

The other woman's eyes grew even wider, tears spilling over and trailing down her ashen cheeks. "No… no. No."

Regina' smile widened. "Yes," she hissed at the broken woman on her stoop. "And once you blacken your heart, it only grows darker. And darker. Trust me. I know."

"So crush it. Do it," Mary Margaret goaded her. "Crush it. Get it over with."

"And put you out of your misery?" A laugh, brittle like glass, escaped Regina's lips. "I don't need to destroy you. You're doing it to yourself. And along the way, you'll bring down that perfect little family you fought so hard to reunite. And then Henry will be mine."

"Please kill me," Mary Margaret begged, as if she hadn't heart Regina's words. "Please just kill me."

"You see, I can have everything." Shoving the heart back into Mary Margaret's chest, she didn't wait for her to recover before adding, "Thanks to you. Now get off my porch." Twisting on her heel, Regina slammed the door in Mary Margaret's face.

Standing at the curb, with a perfect view of the scene on the porch, Greg lowered his phone, stopping the video. Racing across the street to his car, his eyes fell onto the lanyard that hung off the keys in the ignition. "I'll find you dad," he whispered the oath to the key chain, as he had for almost three decades. "I promise."

Thoughts? Comments? Questions?

Note: I'm currently working on the next chapter.