Emma had to stay home from work the next day. Doctors order. Not to mention Henry was there to enforce them. She had no idea how he had become so responsible. Clearly he didn't get it from Neal, that son of a bitch. He left her with nothing but a car and a child. No help, no responsibility in the least. Of course, she was not the most responsible person in her life until she had Henry. She had memories of taking extra care being around him until their apartment burnt down and they moved to New York for her job. At that point, Henry was responsible enough for the both of them.

"Bye Mom!" Henry yelled to her by the door as he ran out the door to catch the bus to school. Emma looked out the window of her bedroom to make sure the bus had pulled away before she got out of bed. Emma quickly fixed the sheets on her bed, already wearing a pair of blue jeans and a tee shirt. She wanted to get out of the apartment as soon as possible. Anything to avoid another run in with Jake, and especially to avoid his lips. The thought of even having to endure another kiss from him made her stomach churn in discontent.

She made her way into the living room and found the Once Upon a Time book still on the sofa where she had left it the night before. She slid the book under her arm and checked the clock. It was early. Not too early; if she was actually going to work, she would have already been running late. It was however not too late to grab a cup of coffee.

She had never bothered to buy a coffee maker. It was faster to grab a cup, along with a bear claw, at the Corner Coffee dinner at the end of the street before work. A short walk, Emma arrived there in less then ten minutes. They had to brew her the coffee she wanted, so the waitress pointed out an empty table that she could sit at while she waited.

Emma nodded and took a bite, turning around to ram into another person, causing the book to fall out from under her arm and a wallet out of the other's.

"Oh I am so sorry..." Emma said bending down to pick up the book to find a square photograph of Henry. Emma picked that up to see a hand with nails painted in black rip it from her grasp.

Regina.

"Where in the hell did you get that!" Emma yelled trying to get it out of her hand and observe it closer.

"That is of no concern to you Miss Swan." Regina sneered bending down and retrieving a few loose quarter's that had rolled behind her.

For a moment, as brief as it was, Emma found herself staring straight at Regina's butt. As wildly inappropriate as it was, and strange, she had a hard time looking away from it. "I don't think I have ever even seen that picture!"

Regina stood up and held the picture close to her chest. "If I told you where I got the picture you wouldn't believe me."

"No! I am sick of your games! I am sick of head injuries! Tell me the truth Regina! The whole truth!"

"FINE!" Regina snapped. "But will you at least allow me to order my cup of coffee?"

Emma's face relaxed. "Yes. But I am not letting you out of my sight." The waitress handed her the paper cup with her coffee in it. "Get it to go, we are going back to my apartment."


Regina felt uncomfortable sitting in the living room of Emma Swan. First, because Emma had been so polite to her once forcing her to come. And second because she had created this house. Along with a comfortable life, and false memories of a house fire in Boston, Regina had redesigned Emma's wardrobe and house. She actually felt a scene of pride in herself for changing Emma so much.

Emma had laid the picture on coffee table next to a set of Xbox controllers and an unfinished glass of soda (probably either Coca-cola or Pepsi).

Emma sat down next to Regina taking a sip of her coffee. "Now. Where did you get this picture."

"I took it myself. He was eight." Regina stated placing her coffee down on a coaster.

"When he was eight, we were living in Texas. Last time I checked, it doesn't snow in Houston."

Regina shifted uncomfortably and took a deep breath. "No. You may lived in Texas when he was eight, but he did not."

"What are you talking about? He has been with me my whole life."

"Please don't make this harder then it has to be."

"Make what harder!"

Regina swallowed nervously. "Emma, 12 years ago, you didn't keep you son. You gave him up for adoption."

"No-"

"I adopted him on advice from my towns psychiatrist. He was the best thing that could have happened to me, after my past."

"What in your past would make you crazy enough to believe that you adopted a son that I have had for all of his life."

"Magic!"

"Magic?" Emma paused. She stared into Regina's eyes. She was not lying. "Magic isn't real."

"No. It is." True. Again. Emma could not talk. "To save every person you love dear, I had to wipe away your memories and replace them with good ones. I did the same thing with Henry."

"But- how- WHAT?"

Regina put her hand on Emma's shoulder. "I know it might sound crazy to you, but these flashes, or visions that you call them, are real events. You are slowly remembering those dear to you."

"But then why is it that most of the things I remember are about you."

"Please, like you would remember me..."

"No! I am serious. Henry too!"

Regina smiled. "Henry, he gets the visions too?"

"Yes and he is happy." Emma said. "They make me happy too, well, the memory, not what happens in the real world while I remember." She gestured to her forehead.

Regina stood up and slowly pulled the gauze off of Emma's forehead and whispered and incantation. She sat back down and pulled a compact for her blazer pocket and opened it. Holding it up to her face, Emma almost passed out in shock because the laceration that had previously cut deep into her forehead had completely disappeared. It was healed. As if nothing had happened. "That is a gift. I used the last bit of magic I had for you. To prove that I am not lying."

"I know you were not lying because of my-"

"Super power..." they said together.

Emma shock her head. "This is all, just so much. I just. Can you make them stop?"

"What?"

"The visions. Can you make them stop?"

"But I thought they made you happy?" Regina said with her eyes suddenly growing sad.

Emma wished to comfort Regina, but did not know any way how. "It's not like I am not appreciative of them, but I got hurt. I don't want to get hurt again is all."

Regina sighed. "Well, there is only one way I can think of making them stop. To make you remember."

"How?" Emma asked excitedly.

"True loves kiss." Regina answered quietly with her head down.

Emma stopped. True love? She didn't even know what true love was. She looked to Regina and slid closer to her when she felt another memory play before her eyes.

"Slowing the device; It is going to require all the strength I have." She saw Regina say shakily. They made perfect eye contact. Her eyes were beautiful, another fact that she took note of.

"You are not going with us are you. When you were saying good bye to him... You were saying good bye."

"He knows I love him, doesn't he." She said in defeat.

"Regina no. There has got to be a another way."

"You were right you know." She watched as Regina's eyes started to glisten. "Everything that has been happening has been my fault. I created this device. It is only fitting that it takes my life."

"What am I supposed to tell Henry?"

"Tell him that in the end, it wasn't too late for me to do the right thing." She said with a faint smile.

"Regina please-"

"Everyone looks at me as the Evil Queen. Including my son." Her voice quivered even more as she continued her speech. "Let me die as Regina."

In her vision she looked down, but now she found herself back on her sofa, looking at Regina's hands. She slowly reached forward and felt Regina take Emma's hand in hers.

"My gift to you is good memories. A good life, for you... and Henry. You will have never given him up. You have always been together." Emma heard as she looked up into Regina's eyes.

Emma suddenly leaned forward, and their lips met.