Sorry for the delay. You know, life and all. And sorry for the vault/volt thing in the last chapter. I suck at spelling in my native language so it doesn't get any better in English.

Anywho! You guys are officially 165 lovely followers and I luv you very muuuch.

Enjoy!

Chapter 13

New truth, New Secret

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"Regina? Give me a sign."

The brunette's head shoot up. Emma was here? She had came for her? The former queen quickly brushed the tears of her face and jumped on her feet. She check herself in the mirror, not wanting to see a shade of her monstrous alter ego in her reflection. Problem was, she had broken every mirror after the curse stopped manipulating her, incapable of looking at herself. Regina waved her hand so that the broken pieces of glass would go back to their original state but the blonde was already here, looking like she was ready to race for the door.

"No more Disney outfit. Guess you're back."

Regina nodded, incapable of talking. Seeing that beautiful puppy face, the extent of she screw up took her by the throat. She was on the verge of falling in love again. For the first time since Daniel, she was ready to let someone love her and love that someone in return. Emma was she second most important person in the world, coming only after Henry. Their son.

And she had broken everything again. She had hurt Emma in ways she couldn't have pictured in her worst nightmares.

The blonde jumped forward, rushing to her. Regina braced herself of the imminent impact of the woman's fist in her jaw and... Emma wrapped her arms around her and started sobbing.

Regina stood frozen. What the hell was happening?

"Emma, are you under some kind of spell?"

"Why are you asking?" the blonde answered, crying on her shoulder. "No, I'm not."

"Because I... I hurt you."

"Even your worst self couldn't hurt me, Regina. Now stop talking. Please."

"Kay..."

Regina gently put her hands on the blonde, making very slow movement, afraid she might just burn the woman by a simple touch. Emma was crying in silence, holding her by the waist. This woman was amazing. She had seen her at her absolute worst, she had been hurt by her absolute worst, and yet she was here. Yet she cared about her and trusted that version of her.

Regina nuzzled in the blonde's hair, letting a tear of relief roll down her face. They stayed there until Emma stopped crying, when she had let out all her grief ans sadness, and the reality of thing started getting through the tick walls of the vault.

The next thing they did was run around town looking for Henry. The boy had somehow manage to break the containment spell and was no where to be found. Most of the citizens from Storybrook were gathering under the clock tower, looking for loved ones and exchanging apologies. A strange brand of happiness and relief was filling the air. As soon as Henry appeared, throwing himself into Regina's arms, she too felt some joy fell her heart. Until she noticed the boy was crying.

"Henry, it's over. It's going to be OK. I'm right here."

"I want to go home," the boy sobbed in her chest.

"Fine. I'm taking you back."

Regina looked up at her lover. Emma was right in front of her, petting the boy's head, waiting for her turn to be hugged. They never hugged together. Ever. That suddenly pained her more than anything, especially now that Henry needed it. And why couldn't they do what was best for their son? Because people were watching? Regina knew it wasn't the right time to be angry, and that after what she had done she had no right to be angry, but she still felt it. She was angry at Emma, at herself, and at the entire universe for not letting them be.

As the two biggest idiots on the planet arrived, Regina felt like killing one of them. They were the real problem here.

More hugs were exchanged but Henry never left the safety of her arms for very long. The kid was traumatized by what he had just seen, jumping at any sound, looking at everyone with fear.

"Emma I'm bringing him back."

"Do that. I'll join you as soon as I'm done."

"Is there anything we can do?" David asked, forever charming and clueless.

"No. I need to find Elsa. And bury Ingrid."

A shocked silenced followed and Emma took her leave, looking at the pavement. Regina felt like running after her and taking her in her arms, but Henry was her priority. And... people.

Hours later, as the night had fallen, Regina heard the front door open. She walked to the hallway and found Emma, looking exhausted and sad.

"Can I just stay here for the night? I know Henry is here but... There is the guest room."

"Of course you can."

There was awkward moment. This house had been their haven for weeks, the place where they didn't have to hide or pretend, and now that Henry was here they needed to act like nothing was happening. Regina felt her anger building up and decided to fuck it all!

She pulled Emma into a hug, holding the blonde tight against her, petting her hair and kissing her discretely on the side of her head.

"Reg..."

"Henry is in his room and you need a hug," the brunette said sharply.

She had had enough of that hiding bullish and she would not stand it in her own house. Emma was obviously at the end of her rope as well. She relaxed in her arms, letting her forehead rest on Regina's shoulder. There was a million thing the former queen wanted to say. That she was sorry, that she would never hurt her ever again, that she understood, that she knew Emma had only talked out of necessity concerning the good and the bad she had said, that it was over and it was all going to be OK. But there was one thing on her mind that she just couldn't keep in.

Holding Emma even tighter, nuzzling in her hair, she whispered : "You came back."

Emma made a sound, like she was going to say something, but the words got stuck in her throat, never passing her lips. Instead the blonde answered by nesting into Regina's neck, letting her pain ease a little.

"Mom? Are you OK?"

Emma almost jumped back, leaving Regina cold and empty. They had forgotten about Henry.

"Yes, I'm fine. You all right kid?"

"Yea. Are you having diner with us?"

"Sure."

"Emma is staying here for the night, Henry. She doesn't feel like going back home alone."

"Great," Henry let out with so much relief that it broke Regina's heart a little.

He was still scared out of is mind and Emma's presence would reassure him. He was a child. He should not have gone through the horror of seeing the worst in the people he shared his town with.

As Emma disappeared to take a long and well deserved shower, Regina settled in the living room. In theory she was reading, in reality she was looking blankly at one page, thinking about her awful day. The blonde was no angel and some of her words had deeply hurt Regina, but she was here. She came back. Nothing meant more to her. Not the L word she had pronounced, not the fact that she was spending the night with Henry here, but just having her in this house, with her, meant the world.

"Mom...?"

Regina looked up from her book. Henry was in his pijamas, a thick sweater around his shoulders. He didn't look too good and Regina moved on the couch so that he could sit next to her.

"What is it honey?"

"It's about operation Mongoose. Do you think... Maybe you didn't get your happy ending yet because you didn't look for it in the right place?"

"I'm sorry?"

"I mean maybe... You know all the prince and princesses are always kind of the same and maybe you just weren't looking for the right thing. Person."

That was strange. Very strange. Was Henry giving her dating advice?! What the bloody hell had that day done to hi... Wait...

"Does this have something to do with what you saw earlier? With me and Emma hugging?"

"No."

That was a lie. And a very bad one. Was Henry suspecting something or was he just hoping?

"I mean. I know you guy are not like... together or anything..."

Silence. Regina couldn't lie to him bluntly like that. It was different from hiding the truth. She couldn't just look at her son in the eyes, after he had gone through a traumatic experience and crush his hope by lying to him. Especially as his hopes were hers, and that she was so tired and frustrated with those half-truths.

But of course, Henry being Emma's son just as much as hers, he read through that silence like Regina's thoughts were written all over her face.

"Are you...?"

"I... We're just trying, Henry. For now ,we are both just trying."

"Really?! Like together together? For how long? Why didn't you tell me?"

Regina couldn't really read through that. Was he happy or scared or angry or excited? The boy was just starring at her with wide eyes. Now that part of the truth was told, she might as well tell him everything.

"It's just been a couple of weeks. And things are complicated, I need you to understand that."

"Why didn't you tell me?"

"Because I didn't want you to... Expect anything. It didn't work between me and Robin, or between Emma and Hook. So this might also not work out either and I didn't want you in the middle of it."

"But Robin is married and Hook is a pirate. You're both heroes."

"Henry..." Regina let out, not really catching on anything but her son telling her that he saw her as one of the good guys. She had worked so hard to be just that, for him and for herself, that that little sentence brought tears to her eyes.

"You don't mind me and Emma trying to see if thing could work."

"Of course not," the boy answered, picking up on his mother's emotional state and warping his arms around her. "I just want you to be happy."

This time Regina actually cried. It was just a single tear, but it meant a lot.

"Thank you," she whispered as she kissed his hair.

"You're welcome."

She felt happy and relived. She always knew Henry wouldn't have any problem with the gay part of there relationship, she was more afraid of him to wanting both his mothers together. Not after Neal's death, Daniel attacking him, Robin being married... And the Evil Queen thing. And as always Henry exceeded all her expectations.

"Hey. Are you two OK?"

Emma took a step into the living room, obviously trying not to impose. Regina smiled. This awkwardness, this distance they had always put between themselves whenever Henry was around, it didn't need to exist anymore. The blonde was looking sexier than ever. Her wet hair was dripping on her white tank top, making the fabric stick to her skin, but all Regina could think of was that three way hug she had been deprived of a few hours earlier.

"Yea. We're cool."

"You don't need to sleep in the guest room tonight Emma," Regina gently put, watching Emma go from surprise to confusion, and from confusion to fear.

"You... You told him?"

Emma sounded somewhere between shock and horror. Regina suddenly realized that she had just forced the blonde's coming out on her. She had been so sucked into her relationship with her son that she had forgotten about Emma's fears. As if she hadn't hurt her enough in one day.

"It's OK mom. I had guessed anyway. More or less."

"And you're OK with that?" Emma asked as if it was the craziest idea on earth.

Henry finally picked up on the blonde's confusion and crossed the room to pull her into a hug. Emma didn't even move at first, her face still full of fear.

"Of course I am. I mean it's weird. Like really weird 'cause you guys tried to kill each other. But I like you better than Robin Hood."

The unbeatable logic of a 12 year old.

Emma finally reacted and smiled a little. Regina sat still on the couch, not wanting to break something else that day. And even if she was glad to be able to see it, this was an Emma-Henry bounding moment. She needed to respect that even if now she could be part of it too.

"And you don't mind that Regina is a... well... a woman..."

"No...?"

Henry sounded so confused that Regina couldn't help but giggle behind closed lips. He was still a little too young to understand the implications, and he really didn't care. If the world was as simple and straight forward as a 12 year old boy, maybe Emma wouldn't roll around at night wondering if she would ever be able to talk to her parents about herself, or just be able to walk into town holding hands with the person she was kissing when no one looked.

The blonde sighted with relief and squeezed Henry against her.

"You're the best, you know that kid?"

"Yea, I know. I can fly remember?" Henry joked as he pulled away to look at his mother in the eyes. "I guess I can't tell anyone about it, right?"

"No, you can't talk about this to anyone OK?"

"It's better for now Henry," Regina intervened before Emma could send to wrong message to the boy. "Things are complicated."

"Yea. And Grand Ma would kill you."

"There is that too," Regina laughed but she saw the blood leaving Emma's face.

The blonde's eyes found Regina's for the first time since she had entered to room. There was no anger there, just fear and relief. And... love?

The brunette had waited for that moment for en eternity. She walked to then and gently caressed Emma's cheek before setting her forehead on the blonde's. Henry didn't miss a beat and wrapped an arm around her, pulling them closer to him and against one another. Emma put down her head on Regina's shoulder as the brunette started petting her hair.

That was it. All she needed was right here. It was small, and broken, but she had found it on her own and without magic. This was all she ever wanted.