A/N: Welcome back, everyone! Here we have another installment of The Hero's Way :) I hope you're enjoying reading it as much as I did writing it.

As before, laurathechef did a phenomenal job as beta, even though she prefers rugby to AFL. Still, no one's perfect :-D

I claim no ownership of the show, characters, settings, people, places, or events. Any resemblance to anything that happened in this world is entirely coincidental.

Enjoy!


The morning sun was just peeking its way over the trees hemming Storybrooke in against the sea as Regina drove Henry to school. Silence seemed to fill the expensive Mercedes as Regina tried to figure out how to explain her plan for the day without raising his hopes in what might be a futile effort. She discarded every beginning as too hopeful or too depressing. A persistent prodding of her right elbow drew her out of her reverie.

"Mom? Mom!" Henry called her.

Shaking her head, Regina pulled herself out of her thoughts. "Yes, Henry?"

"I've been trying to get your attention for five minutes now. Where were you?"

"Oh, I'm sorry," she apologized, "I was trying to figure out how to broach a certain subject with you."

"You know you can tell me anything, Mom," insisted Henry, "I'd like to think after the last few years that there wasn't much I couldn't handle."

With a sigh, Regina spared him a glance out of the corner of her eye. "I think I might have finally figured out a way to help wake your mother."

He turned in his seat to fully face her. "But that's awesome! I can't believe we can finally get her back!" Her answering wince quelled his enthusiasm. "Why aren't you more excited?"

"I am, sweetheart, I am. It's just…I don't know if it will work for certain, and I don't want to get your hopes up unnecessarily," she explained, "and even when we get Emma to wake up, there will probably be a lot of work needed to help her. A lot of really bad things happened to get her to the point of making the decision she did. It's not going to be pleasant to help her work past them."

"But she'll be okay, right?" he asked, and it hurt her heart to hear how small his voice sounded

Regina sighed again, feeling the weight of all her past actions pressing down on her at once. She had to give Henry an answer that would make sense to him without revealing too much for his teenaged worldview. "I have to do a lot of apologizing to Emma. It…I can't even begin to list all the things that I've done that have impacted Emma's life for the worse. I cast the Dark Curse, my soldiers and I were driving into the White Palace when the Curse hit, forcing Snow and Charming to shove her through that portal, and then all the abuse I heaped on her here in Storybrooke…So much of what has happened to her is either directly or indirectly my fault."

"Emma's really forgiving, mom. You're part of her family. I'm sure she won't hold anything against you, especially if you make up for all that by helping her find her True Love when you get her to wake up," Henry consoled.

"I never meant for any of this to happen. I didn't know they were going to put her through the portal by herself, or that she would end up on the side of the road in Maine. I didn't know all that she'd suffer in the foster care system," she was babbling now, but something about Henry's automatic forgiveness, or implication of Emma's forgiveness, had broken her defenses, "With a mother like I had, it took me until you came along to really realize how to love, and even then I tried to hold onto you too tight, because everyone I've ever loved has been taken from me…"

Henry put a hand on her forearm, careful not to pull hard enough to make her spin the wheel. "Emma knows all that, Mom. We all do. Trust me, after Cora came to Storybrooke, we all got a lesson into what your childhood must have been like. Emma knows that," he repeated, emphasizing his point, "And we all understand that. I know you've reformed, and so does everyone else. We will work things out when Emma wakes up, I promise."

His unwavering faith in her boosted her spirits. Regina gave her son a slightly watery smile before they each went back to watching the town passing by their windows. A comfortable silence, much improved from their previous awkwardness, settled over the car. After a few minutes, Henry turned to look at her again. "Mom? Didn't you know that Emma wasn't alone when she went through the portal?"

"What?"


David stared out the dining room window, mind working overtime on a particularly vexing matter that had kept him up a good chunk of the previous night. His arm was moving repetitively, but he was lost in his thoughts and paying it no mind. It was only his wife's gentle shaking of his shoulder that brought him out of it.

"David? Why are you painting Neal's face with oatmeal?"

He started, shaking his head and looking in front of him for the first time. "Oh, geez. Sorry, buddy," he apologized to his bemused son. Getting to his feet, he made his way to the sink for a wet paper towel to clean up the mess. Snow was feeding Neal his oatmeal by the time he got back, a plate of steaming scrambled eggs in front of an empty chair. The kid kept looking around at things, still unused to his high chair, but she was an expert, bobbing and weaving the spoon to land in his mouth every time.

She gave a short chuckle as he started wiping the food off Neal's face. "Where were you just then?"

"Sorry," David apologized, "I was just thinking about yesterday."

"What about yesterday?" Snow asked, keeping her focus on feeding Neal.

He huffed, sitting down to his own plate. "The witches. I can't figure out how or why they're in Storybrooke."

"I thought Regina said she was okay with it," Snow reminded him.

"She did, she did. I just worry that it might mean that the Dark One has found a way back," David mused around a mouthful of eggs.

Snow frowned. "Didn't they say they made a potion from a mermaid scale?"

"Have we ever taken the word of those two for granted before?" he pointed out.

"Okay, that's a fair point. How about we just keep an eye on them and see what happens? If they look like they're causing trouble or if something happens that we can only attribute to the Dark One, then we can start working against them. Sound good?"

He nodded. "I can get behind that."

"Good," Snow acknowledged, smiling, "Now, I have something else related to yesterday that I wanted to talk to you about."

"Oh? What's that?" David wondered as he went in the kitchen to put his plate in the dishwasher. Every time he used a convenience this world had that made life easier than it was in the Enchanted Forest, he had the niggling thought that they should be grateful to Regina for the curse. Not, obviously, for the devastation it caused his family, but now that they were back together, or would be once Emma was awakened, simple things like dishwashers were powerful inducements to stay where they were.

"I think I know a way to push Regina into waking Emma up, assuming she can."

"Oh? Color me intrigued. What's your plan?"

She let out a malicious chuckle that had him looking over his shoulder with wide eyes. "Simple, Charming. We're going to make her brown eyes turn green."

David opened his mouth to ask for clarification, but a knock interrupted the moment. Snow beat him to the door. Checking the peephole, she pumped her fist. "Yes!" She waited a beat before flinging the door open to a startled Regina. "Hello!"

"I have an idea," declared the former Evil Queen after she shook her head.

"Oh! I had an idea too! Come in, come in!" Snow urged, barely giving Regina time to enter before grabbing her hand and pulling her to the table.

David watched as Regina's entire being softened as she watched Neal play with a toy at his high chair. Her expression, stern when she entered, melted into a warm smile. Her posture relaxed until she was hunched over, making silly sounds to get Neal laughing. The damnedest thing was that Neal was eating it up, too. He couldn't stop giggling and waving his hands at the once-Evil Queen. Maybe she had done some terrible things in her past, but here in Storybrooke, she really had turned over a new leaf.

"So, I was thinking," Regina began, but Snow interrupted, too eager to keep Regina off-balance so she wouldn't suspect what the Charming's were up to.

"May I go first?"

Regina wanted to speak; he could see that written across her face. She'd come over here with a real brainstorm for how to wake Emma, but if their hunch was right and Regina was the one who could break the curse, Snow had to push her. Regina deflated. "Okay. What's your plan?"

"A kissing booth!" Snow exclaimed with overdone enthusiasm.

Regina's mouth fell open.

"Well, not exactly a kissing booth. More like, we figure out the eligible bachelors in Storybrooke and let them have a chance to wake up Emma. True Love's kiss is the only thing that can break the curse, right? So it's win-win! We find Emma's True Love and she wakes up!" Snow bubbled, pouring it on thick. David had to bite the inside of his cheek to avoid laughing at her overdone excitement. Decades of hunting each other had taught them every little button the other had to push.

"Have you lost what passes for your mind?!" Regina exploded. "Can you even begin to fathom what a violation that would be to wake up to? Half of the men in Storybrooke leering over at you while you sleep, while one lucky schlub stands there drooling over your daughter?"

Regina was getting so worked up she was panting. He felt a momentary stab of guilt for messing with her like this, but the odds of her ability to wake up Emma rose every time he thought more about it. They had to put Regina on the defensive. "We both agreed, Regina. It's the only way we know of to wake her up," he pressed, schooling his expression.

"And what happens when she does wake up to see some random guy from town standing there and you two in the background? Do you have any idea what she would do to you two for pimping her out? Not to mention the poor bastard last in line to kiss her!"

"She's our daughter! She would love us for waking her up!" protested Snow, bristling. David's eyes widened just the slightest bit as a note of real indignance crept into his wife's voice. If they weren't careful, this confrontation would devolve into a real fight, which wouldn't help anyone, least of all Emma.

Raising his hands, he stepped in between the women, a common position for him even in Maine. "Okay, let's take a step back here. We all have the same goal, right? Waking Emma up? Let's focus on that. Regina," he gestured to the older woman, "You came here with an idea of your own, so if you don't like our plan that much, why don't you tell us what yours is?"

For the first time in his memory, David saw a flustered Regina. She immediately closed her mouth. Twisting her fingers together, she started walking around the room, looking at everything except them as she visibly tried to marshal her composure. After the third lap, he tried again. "Regina?"

She finally gave up. With a huff, the Mayor turned on her heels and faced them directly. "A dream catcher."

"I'm sorry?"

Regina rolled her eyes, and David had to fight a grin. They were back in familiar territory. "I use a dream catcher. I think that when Emma pricked her finger, she was thinking of the individual who has the best chance to wake her up."

Snow twitched so hard her arm almost shot out and punched his shoulder. "You just said you didn't want to violate Emma's privacy by having the men of Storybrooke kiss her awake, but you're talking about reading her mind! How is that not any worse of a violation? God only knows what you'll see," she accused.

"I would NEVER," the former Evil Queen shouted, marching over to get in Snow's face before realizing what she was doing and stopping in the middle of the room, "I would never betray her confidences like that. At least, not anymore," she finished with a wince and a half-shrug, acknowledging her past.

Almost giddy at how close Regina had come to revealing her real feelings, David had to physically calm himself down. "What assurances do we have that you're serious, Regina? How could you prevent yourself from accidentally seeing her private thoughts?"

"I could enchant the dream catcher to only show me the time immediately before she went to sleep. Say, the last half-hour or hour. My thought was that whomever she spent the most time thinking about in those moments is most likely her True Love, either familial or otherwise, and would have the best shot to wake her."

Snow shook her head and folded her arms, daring Regina to fight her. "Not good enough. What assurances do we have that you'd keep your word?"

David reached out and put his hand on his wife's shoulder. Their goal was good, but that was a bit too heavy-handed for his tastes. "Would you swear an oath?"

With a huff, Regina looked at them as if they were her court jesters. "If that's what it would take for you two to agree to this, yes. I'll swear any oath you want. I'll even swear a blood oath that I will see nothing of Emma's memories beyond her final hour she was awake, and will tell no one but you what I see. Happy?"

"I don't think a blood oath will be necessary, David. What if we just think of this as doctor-patient confidentiality? Only you're more of a magical doctor than medical. Hey! M.D. either way. That should be easy, right?" Snow grinned, knowing she had the older woman trapped.

"Fine. You two idiots draw up whatever you think you need and get it to my office today. I'll enchant and use the dream catcher tonight after Henry's asleep, to make sure he doesn't see anything. Is that acceptable?"

David and Snow shared a look, communicating with their eyes, before turning back to her and nodding. "We agree. I'll meet you at your office this afternoon, under cover of official police business," he said, "just in case Cruella or Ursula gets any ideas."

"Good," said Regina, grabbing her purse and heading for the door, "Now there's just one more thing we need to discuss. Archie."

Snow's brows furrowed as she appeared unsure of Regina's meaning. "What about Doctor Hopper?"

When Regina answered, she slowed her speech as if talking to a child. "Emma, your daughter, put herself under a sleeping curse. That's not the decision of someone for whom every moment of every day was sunshine and daisies. When we get her woken up, she's going to need a lot of help. She'll have whatever the three of us plus Henry can give her, but I think I know her well enough to say that the first thing she's going to do is wall herself off from us, try not to show any weakness. There may be times when only Archie will be able to get her to open up."

"So you think we should plan a schedule in advance?" David asked.

She nodded. "We should have a course of action in place."

"I think that's a wise idea, thank you, Regina," Snow agreed. "We can call Doctor Hopper over to your office today and work something out. If the dream-catcher idea works as well as you think it will, it's something we should be ready to do."

Taken aback at Snow's ready acquiescence, Regina could only nod. "Well, I'll see you this afternoon and with any luck Emma will be sitting at that table by this time tomorrow."

Snow waited until the door closed behind Regina before turning to David with an ear-to-ear grin. "Well, that table or another one. Maybe one in the Mayor's Mansion would have a spot for her?"


"So, let me get this straight: not only did you fail to bring the Savior to me, you couldn't uncover her location in one of the smallest towns in this world!" Rumplestiltskin hissed.

Cruella and Ursula shared a concerned look. "It's not like they're advertising it all over the town, Rumple," Cruella reminded him.

"It's true. We're new here, too. If we started showing up every random place, it would raise suspicions against us," chimed Ursula.

His face took on the fierce, feral expression of a hungry wolf. "I don't care! I need that Savior's blood so the author can have ink to rewrite our endings, in case you forgot that little detail. Once the Author has been found, which I've spent my days working on, we can force him to change anything I – I mean we – want. Who cares what the townspeople will think of you then?"

"We still have to be careful, Dark One. If we're found out before we find the Savior, you finding the Author won't matter."

"Yes, darling. Your oh-so-quaint town will be up in arms and boot us back over the town line before you could think of your next move."

"That's for me to worry about. I need the location of the Savior at the very least. Better still you bring me her sleeping body so I can do what needs to be done. Now get the hell out of my sight, and you had better not come back without news of the Savior's whereabouts at the very least," he ordered, turning his back on the two women.

They left without another word, barely holding onto their anger. They were powerful by themselves, doubly so together, but neither of them were deluded enough to think they could take on the Dark One in any realm. When she was sure they were far enough away from the Dark One's lair that even he couldn't overhear them, Ursula turned to her companion. "Do you ever think…?"

"That we picked the wrong ally? All the time, darling."

"I wonder if there's anything we can do about it."

Cruella gave her a look. "I think if we really wanted to, there are any number of people in that idyllic little hamlet who would love to know that the Dark One is back within its borders."

"Something to think about," Ursula murmured.


A/N: Cracks within the villains' ranks as the heroes solidify? Hmmm whatever could be going on in Storybrooke and what will Regina see in Emma's memories? Stay tuned, dearies :) Reviews are motivation!