Author's note: I know it's been, well, years! I'm so sorry. I'm going to work on wrapping this one up for you. Only a few more chapters, I think. Till then, I hope you will all forgive the LONG wait. Also, this is unbeta'ed because I decided to do this on a bit of a whim and they're all asleep, any and all mistakes are mine.

Chapter 14

She leaves Wren and the boys with Robin and Snow, who insisted on staying and watching over them. Climbing into Emma's bug, she breathes a sigh of relief as she sits back against the seat. She cannot remember being so scared. Once she finds her sister she's going to make sure that witch gets exactly what she deserves once and for all.

Emma's door opens, and the blonde gets in her own sigh escapes her as the door shuts. "You know, I really thought things were starting to calm down around here." Regina looks over at her, giving her a look Emma can't misinterpret, one that has the blonde backtracking. "I mean, aside from you missing and all."

Her eyes roll up to the roof of the bug, and she tugs her attention forward. "Let's just get this over with."

The drive to Gold's is quiet. Both of them lost in thoughts of Zelena being on the loose and how they'll protect the ones they love. She thinks of her sister, of her vulnerabilities. Does she have any? She has to have some kind of weakness. Zelena's jealousy of her being first and foremost. She wants Regina out of the picture. Wants to take everything she has, and she nearly has, twice. Yet she's been stopped each time.

Still she can't help but think if her sister going to flee now that her cover's been blown? Or will she stay and hide in Storybrooke, wait for a time to attack when they wouldn't suspect her. When they eventually drop their guard. Hell, Zelena could very well wait as long as she wants to. She waited this long to come after her after all.

Then she thinks again of her family, of Zelena snatching Roland or Wren, and her heart picks up its pace.

She knows what she wants to do but it will take them away from everything they love. They can, though. If it will save them all from her sister then why not? Swan was happy away from there. More than happy, in fact. In fact, not more than a year ago she wanted to pick up and leave Storybrooke for good.

Looking over at Emma, Regina says, "You and Henry were happy in New York?"

Emma's brows furrow, like she doesn't understand where her question was coming from, but hesitantly, she confirms, "Yeah, why?"

Her shoulder lifts and falls, and she returns her gaze out the window. Onto the town, her town. "What if we go back there?"

"What?"

Regina can't help but laugh, and it's humorless and full of nothing but disbelief. "We're clearly not safe here. And I can tell you right now there's nothing Gold can do to stop her or more importantly, find her for that matter. She can hide here for as long as she wants just waiting to pounce."

Emma pulled off the road next to Gold's shop.

The blond turns off the engine and shints in her seat to face her. Her expression is serious when she says, "Regina, just because she got to Robin-"

"It's not just, Robin!" she interrupts, her voice rising. "It's all of them! Robin, Hook, Henry. She goes after the ones we love and uses them to get to us."

"So what, we run? Hide?"

"If that's what it takes to protect my family, then yes. Absolutely."

"That won't solve anything, Regina," Emma begins, in her irritatingly calm voice. "You'd still be leaving her here. What about these people? We can't just leave everyone to her."

She takes a deep breath and lets it out slowly between her lips. "You're the savior, isn't that your job?"

Emma bristles at that. Her lips purse and her eyes narrow at her. "And let me guess, in this little plan of yours, you take Henry with you?"

Regina's eyes bore into the blonde's. Doesn't she see this is the only way for them to be safe? She can't believe Emma is making this about who gets to keep Henry. Regina's more than sacrificed her time with her son enough. "If it means getting him away from Zelena, yes. Can't you see that? I'm trying to protect him."

"I want to protect him too but this isn't the way."

"This coming from the woman who not a year ago wanted to take him away for the same reasons."

"That was before-"

"Yes, I know. Before you realized what it meant to have your family… spare me. I've had enough of Emma Swan getting what she wants. I have a family and I'm going to protect them. If you want to stay here and play hero, so be it." Regina opens the door and says with a final, "Unless Gold has a way to stop her, Robin and I are leaving."

When she gets back to the hospital it's late.

She and Emma spent a while at Gold's. The Imp only providing more questions than answers to their problem. Once they were done, Regina went for a walk. Emma didn't want her to be alone but Regina needed time to think. So it was with a heavy sigh and slam of her car door that she left.

Carefully she pushes open the door to Robin's room. The boys are fast asleep, as well as Robin, and Snow looks up from the chair she's been sleeping in with Wren in her arms.

She gives Regina a small smile and rises to her feet. "They all just fell asleep a little bit ago," she whispers to her, then looking down she laughs a breathy laugh. "All except this one here."

Regina's gaze follows Snow's and a smile pulls her lips up when she see's her daughter looking up at her wide awake. "Thank you."

Snow places Wren in Regina's arms. "No problem. How did things go with Gold?"

"Just about as well as I thought they would," Regina murmurs softly.

Snow gives her a knowing look. "Well, I better go call David. He's going to pick me up."

"Thank you, again."

"You're welcome. Try and get some rest."

Regina carefully removes her coat while she holds her daughter, placing it on the chair Snow vacated then removed her heels one at a time. When she's finally comfortable, she returns her attention to the baby in her arms. Her little blue eyes staring up at her without a care in the world.

Running a finger over her soft cheek, Regina says, "Hi, baby girl."

"How did it go?"

Regina turns to see Robin awake and watching her. "Hey, so you are awake."

She knows him. Knows he wouldn't have slept until she returned. With Zelena on the loose, she wonders how any of them will sleep well until it's all over.

Making her way over to his bedside, she tells him, "He had no answers for us. We have no way of finding her, even with his help."

Robin frowns, says nothing. He's looking at her, at her holding Wren, his brows knitting together as he thinks. "What do we do now?"

"I have an idea, but I don't know if you'll like it." She looks away, down at their daughter. She's certain that like her, he will do anything for his children, but she's not sure about how he will feel leaving behind everyone.

Robin is holding out his hand, a small half smile pulls his lips up and he tells her, "Come here."

It's with a smile, that she takes his offered hand and sitting close, she shits Wren to her other arm where he can have Wren close to him as well. "I think we should leave Storybrooke."

"If that's what you thinks best, I won't argue it."

She looks at him. Her dark eyes meet his blue in awe. "You'll go just like that?"

He looks at her earnestly for some time then replies, "Regina, you and our children are my future. If we need to leave to be safe, to keep our family safe, then that's what we'll do."

Their daughter's coos draw their eyes, and Regina finds her daughter hands in the air. Splaying and clutching as of reaching for her. A laugh escapes her and draws one from Robin as well, and soon Wren has a hold of Regina's finger.

"I want to watch her and our boys grow up without having to worry about some wicked witch out for revenge," she tells him, with a bit of edge to her voice.

"And I want the same but..." he trails off and she sighs. Pretty sure she knows where this is going. "Have you talked to Emma about this?"

Swallowing, she admits, "I have."

"And?"

He waits, and finally, she pulls her eyes away from Wren. "She doesn't want to leave everyone unprotected from Zelena."

He's nodding and shifting his eyes over to the cot where Henry and Roland are sleeping. "I can't blame her for that, but it's reasonable to think once you're gone Zelena will have nothing she'll want from this town. I imagine the Imp will be here to keep things in line. She could always come visit."

Regina smiles. Her chest burns with love for this wonderful man who would pack up and leave for her. Soon he is leaning towards her and she closes her eyes and meets him halfway and their lips meet in a soft kiss.

Settling down against him, with her head on his shoulder, she thinks decisions can come later. And whatever they decide, she's sure they'll get through it.

Together.