"We need a new plan," Emma decided the next morning. She stood around the kitchen island with her parents, Hook, and Regina, while Henry took a shower. None of the adults had gotten any sleep and it was obvious from their full cups of coffee, except for Snow; she drank tea. Making sure she could still hear the water running in the bathroom, Emma inhaled deeply and addressed their band of misfits. "Now that we know who it is we're dealing with, and that she's in town, we've gotta be extra careful about how we do this. One wrong move, and who knows what the hell she'll do this time."

"What do you propose, then?" Regina asked pointedly. "Go on a scavenger hunt and follow some clues? I don't think so, not when Henry's safety is at risk."

"You got any better ideas?" the blonde countered. When Regina had nothing to offer, Emma took that as a "no." "First thing's first, I guess. What exactly do you all remember?"

"Everything," David and Snow responded together. Regina was somewhat surprised that she didn't find it as revolting as she used to. "Going home, taking back the castle, the monkeys, Rapunzel—"

"Sorry, did you just say Rapunzel?" Emma wanted to know. She still had that pained look, the one that said, "I've got a headache." Shaking off her impending migraine, Emma went on. "Uh, ok, so basically nothing's been left out," Emma jumped in. "There aren't any missing pieces or anything?"

"For the record, Swan, I never actually forgot," Hook raised his… hook. He seemed quite proud of himself, as if his success should be celebrated.

Emma ignored the pirate's unnecessary comments and brought the focus back to the group. Everyone was waiting for her, the Savior, to say something. "Ok, so what do we know so far? Flying monkeys, green skin—"

"We're cursed in Storybrooke, Emma, she'll look like us," Regina said a bit impatiently. "Is this really how we're going to waste our time?" In an attempt to lower her temper, she pinched the bride of her nose and blinked slowly. "Someone needs to protect Henry. Now that everyone's got their memories back, he's bound to hear something odd."

"Are you volunteering?" Emma wondered.

The brunette whipped her hair over her eyes and started buttoning her coat. "Well, I am qualified."

"You're also one of our most powerful assets," Emma piped. She felt the flare in her cheeks and prayed that no one else noticed. Regina did, though. She always noticed. "What I mean is, we could use your magic."

"You have your own," the mayor waved. "I'm just a phone call away." Regina started gathering her things when Emma touched her elbow. "Can I help you with something?"

"Look, just be careful, ok? As far as Henry's concerned I'm on a case and you're Madame Mayor to him."

"Well, look who's gotten good at lying," Regina smirked. Emma didn't exactly find the comment funny, and neither did anyone else. In fact, Hook and the Charmings were starting to wonder what was really going on between the women. "I'm well aware of who he thinks I am," Regina added forcefully. Feeling the burn of their stares, she relaxed and stood tall; she wasn't going to let them see her moment of vulnerability- not like Emma. "He won't find out anything he's not supposed to."

"Guess that's all I can ask." Emma knew her lips were moving, but she wasn't exactly confident of what she was saying. The words just took on a life of their own and made their meaning known.

"I'll be downstairs when Henry's ready. Just send him my way." With that, Regina tiptoed out of the apartment rather undramatically. Emma was left to watch the back of the woman who was apparently her True Love.

When the moment passed, when Emma landed back on planet earth, she turned and found the other three looking everywhere but at her; they couldn't have been any more obvious. "Ok, new plan, then?"

While Emma, the drunk, and the two idio— royals devised a new strategy, Regina was savoring her time with Henry. She'd bought him an ice cream cone, something she'd never done before. She didn't used to indulge his sweet tooth, but this was different. In a way, it was like she was still acting as his mother, even if he didn't know it.

The two strolled through a part of Storybrooke Regina seldom went to. A concrete trail curved through the empty forest, right next to a pond. Ducks and other winged beasts flapped wildly as they swam around each other. Ironically enough, a white swan was among the creatures; its stare fixated on Regina as if knew her innermost thoughts and desires.

"Well, how does it taste?" Regina asked with a kind smile. When she looked at the young man beside her, he was just that: a young man. The top of Henry's head reached her nose, she didn't even have to bend down to speak to him anymore. A lot happened in a year.

"It's awesome," Henry said, one hand in his pocket, the other wrapped around the cone. "My mom used to take my little league team out for gelato. But this is just as good."

"Storybrooke's got its perks, I'll admit. I know it may not seem like much compared to New York, though." Regina stared straight on ahead, as she knew that if she let herself make eye-contact with Henry, she may just reveal everything.

"It's not too bad, actually," said the teenager, a little surprised at his own admission. "New York's cool and all, but sometimes, even with all the people there, you feel…"

"Alone," Regina finished his thought. She knew the feeling well; in a place where she'd once ruled over the inhabitants, it meant nothing if she didn't have someone to share it with. "But that's the nice thing about smaller towns: everyone knows everyone. It's like… it's like a big family…" As she said it, it dawned on her just how much she'd come to rely on the people around her, including Emma. Whether she liked it or not, the Savior was now one of the few people she could actually trust.

Henry and Regina continued down the path for a bit until he slowed to a stop. "Can I tell you something?"

Overcome with joy that Henry felt comfortable enough to confide in her, Regina said, "Sure."

The young man positioned himself in front of the mayor and now, she had to look at him. She did, however, manage to keep a lid on all of her emotions. Henry's hazel spheres lured her in and she was reminded of the first time she'd held him. When he opened his mouth, his changing voice startled her. "I don't think it was just the case that brought my mom to Storybrooke."

Afraid that he was starting to catch on, Regina shifted. "Uh, what do you mean?"

Shaking his ice cream unintentionally, Henry verbalized his thoughts quite eloquently, more so than Regina was prepared for. "I think she needed time away from the Big City."

"Wh- why do you think that?"

"My mom's boyfriend, Walsh, well, he proposed to her," Henry explained.

Almost as if she'd been slapped in the face, Regina felt the wind knocked out of her. It would seem as if she wasn't the only one who was hiding something. And now that she thought about it, Emma had mentioned a fellow of that title, but Regina hadn't worried herself over it. "Oh" was all she could say.

"The next thing I know, she's taking a job in Maine?" Henry asked, though it was rhetorical question. "My mom never takes a job anywhere if it involves me missing school."

"What do you think happened, then?" Regina wanted to know for two reasons: one, to hear Henry talk even longer, and two, to find out what really happened with Emma and the man Henry mentioned.

"Dunno," Henry shrugged. "But we probably wouldn't be here if she said yes."

"And how did you fell about it? Did you like this… Walsh." The man's name was laced with more venom than she'd intended, but she couldn't exactly help it. The nerve of Emma and her hypocrisy.

"I liked how happy he made her," Henry said without missing a beat. "And, you know, it would've been nice to have more than two place settings at holidays." He gave Regina a faint smile, though she saw right through it. Where his mature sense of bravery tried to emerge, his youthful helplessness followed closely behind.

Although she knew that she couldn't make an definite promises, Regina also knew what her son needed now more than ever was reassurance. "I think one day you'll have more family than you'll know what to do with," she murmured.

Henry flashed his teeth, "You think so?"

With a genuine grin, Regina resisted the overwhelming urge to pull him in for a hug. "I really do."

With her mind stuck on Regina and Henry, Emma jumped back as Hook hacked at a bush of berries. David had said they grew in the forest, but she wasn't expecting so many red marbles. It was as if they'd been grown their purposefully and methodically. How they were still thriving in the frigid cold, Emma had no clue.

"Here we are, Swan, together again," the pirate mused. "Just like old times, eh?" The gravel beneath the man's boots crunched loudly, and sent Emma shuddering. "Come on, love. You can't say this isn't a bit exciting?"

"I can, and I will. This ins't a bit exciting," Emma said through gritted teeth.

Hook's childish manner was quickly shed as he slashed through another branches of berries. "Thinking of Neal, Swan?"

"No, I'm— uh, I mean, yeah, you caught me. I'm… thinking of Neal." As she said it though, Emma realized she actually hadn't been giving much thought to the father of her child. A blanket of guilt wrapped around her as it hit her that the only person who infiltrated her thoughts was Regina. It wasn't everyday that you found your, supposed, True Love and broke a curse with them.

"I may not be the Seer, but I'm sure he's all right," Hook said amicably. If he could help it, he wasn't going to let his jealously be known any more than it already had.

"Or could've already been turned into a flying monkey," the blonde said cynically.

"Wouldn't be the first time, would it?" Hook chided, though he regretted it the moment he said it.

"Let's get one thing straight here, ok?" Emma planted her feet firmly into the ground and set her hands on her hips. The impulse to come clean was all too real, but she knew it wasn't the right time. She had Hook's attention, that was for sure. How she used it was another issue. "Whatever you think is gonna happen between us, probably won't. I'm not interested in a relationship right now; I just wanna get the creep who did this, got it?"

"I find that hard to believe, Swan. After all, who was it that convinced you to drink that potion?" Hook had the most arrogant smirk Emma had ever seen on a person, and one thing was for sure: she never wanted to see it again.

Controlling her rapidly increasing temper, Emma glared at the cocky pirate. "Just because you got me back here, doesn't mean that I did it for you."

"Feisty, are we?" Hook folded his arms over his chest.

Before he had the chance to react, a hand came down and made contact with the side of his cheek; a hot stinging shot through his entire body. "Don't be sexist, Hook. It's not attractive."

They spent the rest of their journey in silence, except for the hawks and frogs expelling their natural sounds. It wasn't a pleasant travel, by any means, but they'd come too far to turn back now. The sooner they found what they were looking for, the better.

Emma and Hook's boots left footprints in the fresh snow as they climbed up the steep hill. She thought she'd seen something back in the woods and when the tiny dwelling came into view again, she knew it had to be important. "A farm house?" Hook bemused. "That's it?"

Already done with his juvenile attitude, Emma scanned the yard for anyone else. "It's all we've got."

Regina and Henry were walking back into town, a feeling of resolve settled within her. It had been painful, yes, but spending the day with Henry was better than nothing at all, even if she was just Madame Mayor. He laughed in ways she hadn't heard him laugh before, she saw a new confidence in his being. It was clear that whatever Emma had been doing with him in New York, it had to have been good.

Regina shielded Henry from the various characters of Storybrooke as best she could. She deflected his questions and changed the subject numerous times. It was getting harder the more people they passed, and it only become truly difficult when a stranger approached them.

"Regina, do you have a moment?" Robin Hood asked calmly. Henry saw the bearded man and the way he addressed Regina; there was a tenderness to his voice that others seemed to lack.

"Not exactly, no," the woman said with an anxious glance at her son.

"I think I can find my way back to the apartment," Henry suggested. "If you two want a minute-"

"Yes."

"No," Regina and Robin answered together. "All right, but make sure to go straight there. Don't stop for anyone," she instructed the boy. Although he found the directions odd, Henry followed them to a T, Regina made sure of it. She followed him with her eyes until he disappeared into the home of countless other characters, sure that he was safe within those four walls. When she turned back to Robin, he looked rather confused.

"He's your son, isn't he? The one you mentioned before?" the hero deciphered. The name Henry rang a bell, but he didn't dare say it. As a parent, he understood that children's names are sometimes considered sacred and not to be used by strangers. Then again, Robin and Regina weren't strangers.

"What is it that you want?" Regina asked tersely. "As you can see, we're quite busy cleaning up this… mess."

He saw the way she had trouble keeping composure; not a lot of people would be able to read her the way he could, except for maybe Emma, but the blonde woman wasn't a concern of Robin's right now. The last he remembered of Regina, she was in her Enchanted Forest getup: black dress, pinned up hair, low collar. Now, in clothes made from this world, she looked less… powerful.

People were starting to stare again through shop windows and on the street, and Robin was aware of the Queen's firm protection of her privacy. So he made it brief. "I merely wanted to see that you were all right. Is that not what suitors do?"

Regina opened her mouth to dispute the man's haughty assumption of his privilege and was fully prepared with a fiery comeback, when Emma and Hook pulled up in the yellow Bug. She never thought she'd be so glad to see the Savior and pirate more than she was right then. However, once her relief subsided, she wondered what Emma and Hook were doing together. She'd been sure that David was supposed to be with them.

To her own mortification, Regina's face said just that. As Emma came closer, she looked directly at the brunette. "We found something," she explained curtly. "Something you gotta see."

Regina all but saluted to the sheriff and gave Robin her best apologetic look. "As I said, we're quite busy." Emma made note of the way Regina said "we." But, she also caught the blatant tension between Robin Hood and Regina; something was definitely up.

"Regina, please. This is important as well," the other man pleaded. He seemed a bit too comfortable being so informal with the brunette, and that too bothered Emma. It had taken her months to stop referring to Regina as "Madame Mayor," who did this guy think he was?

"Regina," Emma said with more conviction. "Are you coming or not?"

"Of course!" the mayor snapped. She made no effort to apologize to Robin, but instead, walked away and left the man standing alone on Main Street. It didn't feel as gratifying as she'd hoped it would have.

Hook, still unaware of true nature Regina and Emma's relationship, hobbled a few feet ahead of them. They were going to get David before returning to the eery farm house; it never hurt to have some back up. Besides, what was more intimidating than Prince Charming, Captain Hook, the Evil Queen, and the Savior coming after you? The only two missing were Rumplestiltskin and Snow White.

"So, what was all that about?" Emma asked flippantly. She didn't want to come across as too strong, but she had to know. The way Robin acted towards at Regina, it was clear he held a deep affection for the woman.

Maintaining several feet between herself and Emma, Regina kept her hands in her pockets. "I don't see how that's of any concern to you," she said. "He's not the one we're after."

"He's sure as hell after something, Regina. What's going on? What aren't you telling me?"

The last thing anyone wanted was a full-on confrontation, especially not a real one. Emma had seen Regina's magic and what she could do when she was angry; an earthquake was the least of her worries.

"I could ask you the same thing, Emma," Regina spat. She used every ounce of self-control in her being to keep her voice down, but the fury could not be hidden. "It seems as though I'm not the only one with a secret, hm? Someone by the name of Walsh ring a bell?"

At this point, Hook had stopped to watch the interaction behind him, unsure of whether or not to intervene. After all, he only had one good hand. If either of the women began throwing punches, his chances of breaking it up were slim. "Ladies," he jumped in guardedly, "perhaps you'd like to talk inside?"

But Emma dismissed his attempts to pacify them. "Oh please," she griped, "it's not like I've told anyone else! Even David and Mary Margaret don't know."

"That is not the issue here, Emma. The issue is your outright duplicity! You said nothing of a fiancee, why should I have done the same?" Regina wished she could take it back as soon as the words escaped her mouth. The vein in her forehead was pulsing and her ears had turned the color of her modest lipstick.

It was as though Emma had just lost all sensation in her hands and legs; she wasn't even sure if she was still standing. She prayed with every fiber of her soul that Regina was lying, that she'd just said it to hurt Emma. But she used her superpower on the woman; Regina was telling the truth. Painfully conscious of the scene they were making, and that Hook was across from them, Emma turned away from Regina and addressed the pirate. "I'll grab David, you stay here." She didn't wait for Hook to object or for Regina to say anything else and dashed into the apartment. All she could hear as she took the stairs by threes was Regina's voice in her head, repeating, "You said nothing of a fiancee, why should I have done the same?"

When she got to her parents' home, she hurriedly pounded on the door. There was an audible scuffing of chairs against the floor and within seconds, Snow was smiling at her daughter. That smile, however, was erased in the blink of an eye. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing," Emma cleared her throat. There was another woman in the dining room, but Emma only saw her red-orange curls. "Listen, is David here?"

Snow frowned in confusion, "No, he went to meet you guys… didn't he?"

Awkwardly stuffed together in Emma's car, she, Hook, and Regina drove into the forest in search of David. From a distance, they could make out two figures in the clearing: one was clearly David, but he was in mossy robes. The other was on his knees, his back towards the oncoming group. The closer they got, however, Emma realized the guy on the ground wasn't a stranger: it was David.

The three heroes jumped out of the vehicle and rushed to one of the Davids- the only one left. His cheeks were flushed, there was dirt in his hair, and he looked as if he'd just battled against another dragon. Emma lent and arm for him to grip as she staggered to his feet. "What the hell was that?" she panted.

David brushed off the twigs and mud from his clothes and shook his head, still reeling from it all. "My deepest fears," he said, as though it served as explanation enough.

"Your what?" Emma may have been the daughter of Snow White and Prince Charming, but damn, shit still got too weird sometimes.

"My deepest fears," David repeated, now to Hook and Regina. "It came out of nowhere and somehow knew what I was most afraid of, stuff I haven't even told Mary Margaret. It attacked me, but I managed to destroy it with the hilt of my sword."

"Where is it?" Regina asked boldly. "Your sword?"

"That's just it. When it disappeared, so did the hilt. It was gone before I could grab it," David said. "I've only ever come across this type of thing once before, back in the Forest. I hadn't realized it was so hard to win."

At Hook and Emma's grossly evident puzzlement, Regina stifled her current emotions for them both and took a moment to enlighten them. "When we conquer our fears, our true courage comes out. You overcame yours with your sword, and in turn, your courage was transferred into the being."

"And that means…?" Emma let the question end on its own. It was more addressed to David than Regina.

"It means the Witch is playing with us," the Queen muttered. "Items we hold most dear, symbols, are very powerful things. They hold more meaning than people give them credit for."

When the game of 20 questions was over, the gang moved onto the farm house Emma and Hook had stumbled upon earlier. It looked just as it had before, even the snow hadn't melted yet. White slats, and empty porch, and dirty windows all made up the possible hiding place of the Wicked Witch.

The only difference this time, was the bomb shelter's doors. "That lock wasn't broken before," Emma said, already reaching for her gun. Charming made the brave offering and clutched the handle. Hook extracted his own blade and Regina prepared with magic, it was invisible, but it was mighty. "Ok, go ahead," the blonde nodded to her father, the end of her piece aimed steadily.

The moment David lifted the iron doors, Emma put her finger on the trigger. When there was no sign of immediate danger, she loosened her grip just a bit, journeyed down the steps, and surveyed the tine enclosure. The only thing she found harmful was the stench of sour milk and old gym socks.

"Do you feel that?" Regina asked the Savior, completely disregarding their prior argument.

"I don't know, but whatever I'm feeling isn't good," Emma replied. "What is that?"

"Dark magic," the Queen seethed.

Emma moved closer to the middle of the room until she was face-to-face with a metal bar. In fact, it was more than a bar; it was an entire prison. Wooden borders and square-shaped ties in the steel bands surrounded an empty pen. "Why would the Wicked Witch want a cage? Monkeys?"

"Not monkeys," David tugged the string above his head and the light filled the room. In the center of the cell was a handcrafted, ancient, wooden bench. And in front, sat a large wheel with eight spokes. Scattered pieces of golden hay were spread around the floor and David picked up a single thread. "How many people do we know who can spin straw into gold?"

"Rumplestiltskin," Emma breathed.

The revelation hit every member of the group differently. David wasn't particularly thrilled, but he wasn't disappointed either. If the Dark One was back, that meant he would know how to get ride of the Witch. More importantly, if the Dark One was back, that mean Gold had lived.

Among the party, however, Regina was the happiest. Her teacher had truly survived it all. If they could just find him, Zelena would quake in her boots at the very notion of going up against both Rumplestiltskin and Regina. She didn't care where they had to go or what they had to do to get Gold back, now that she knew he was alive, Regina had a new mission.

The entire car ride back was spent without anyone saying anything. It had been yet another grueling day back in Storybrooke, and all Emma wanted to do was see Henry. She didn't want to be around anybody, not even her parents, but she knew there were few places she could go with her son. Everyone in town had their memories back, and everyone in town was a different storybook character. Although Ruby had kept it quiet, Emma wasn't so confident in the rest of the town's acting abilities. She still didn't know how to explain it to him. Emma even began to have a new appreciation for what Henry had done back in 2011. To have such guts as a kid, believe in the stories, and tell someone about it took more courage than Emma thought she had in her.

When they got back into town, she and her carpool buddies began going their separate ways. Emma was fully content to part from Regina without another word, but the brunette had other ideas. Before the sheriff got too far, the mayor caught up to her and gently grabbed her arm. "Emma, wait," she beseeched.

"What?" Emma didn't even turn to the brunette.

"I… I wanted to ask if I could see Henry again tomorrow? Maybe take him out for breakfast?"

The jealousy and hurt that Emma had been brewing turned into compassion for the woman. It was one thing to be mad at her, but Emma wasn't going to punish Regina with Henry as a pawn. Using the last bit of patience she had in her, she spun around and met Regina's gaze. "Yeah, ok. I guess that's fine. I'll keep working on 'the case,' then."

"Thank you." If Emma didn't know any better, she'd say that Regina smiled. What she wouldn't have given to see that smile more often.

While the idiots- Zelena saw all of them as idiots- chased after useless leads, she was one step ahead of them. Now that she had Charming's sword, what was left of it, she'd already seized control of the biggest threat. Yes, she saw Charming as a threat. Regina was easy, almost too easy. Charming, though, was so blinded by his own fears and stoicism, he wasn't thinking straight. And that made him dangerous.

Zelena had gone the whole day with Snow White, chatting like girlfriends and laughing together. It made her sick. On the bright side, the mother-to-be suspected nothing. Two down, three to go.

She'd had a feeling they'd find where she was staying, and before they could locate anything incriminating, Zelena moved the important items: her clothes, and the wizard. He was somewhere no one would think to look, somewhere only he couldn't escape, left in solitude. It was just a matter of time before Zelena set that part of her plan into motion; for now, Rumplestiltskin would just have marinate in his own madness.

A/N - Hello, dearies! Here's the newest update! Hope you enjoyed it. Like I said, there will be some scenes from the episodes, but only those I find most crucial to the story, and I definitely I found Regina and Henry's time to crucial. Don't worry, I'm not going to make some stick love triangle. I think we've all suffered enough with those (*cough cough* CS/SF). Thanks for the reviews/follows/favorites! More to come soon, folks!