He was in the abandoned cabin in the woods. That much, Henry knew. A few years ago, Henry had discovered the lonely place. Other than his castle, the one his mother had destroyed, it had been his only place to run away to. His mother. Henry sniffed. About a week had passed since she had died. At least now he knew that Emma hadn't killed her. No, the position of 'murderer' had been reserved for Mr. Gold—the same evil entity who had trapped him here in this godforsaken cabin with no escape.

The doors of the cabin were locked from the outside—a poor design flaw—and Henry had already rattled them relentlessly. The windows were barred and, from what he could tell, it appeared as though one of Mr. Gold's lackeys might even be watching the place from the creepy black car lurking at the tree line.

Henry's jaw set, his eyes filling with determination. Mr. Gold had killed his mother and kidnapped himself. Henry would break out and save Emma before Gold did something worse to her. He would be her savior.

…

The woman in the black car watched the cabin in front of her with little interest. This wasn't her idea of a fun way to kill time, but the mysterious man who had saved her from living out the rest of her life in a dank cell had asked for a favor. And she wasn't inclined to disagree. But, if she were being honest, she'd rather be at the bookshop.

…

Soft chuckling filled the air behind Emma and Ruby as they remained frozen in bewilderment over the open coffin. The empty, open coffin. They exchanged a horrified glance, before turning to see Mr. Gold leaning heavily on his cane.

"Ahh. Emma." He said her name slowly, carefully, as though considering it. "Ruby. What ARE you doing?"

"Uhh, well, we just…" Ruby stuttered.

"Nevermind. YOU may go." Mr. Gold waved her aside.

"What? But, the coffin? Emma?"

"Go. NOW!" He spoke dangerously, and Ruby immediately complied.

"Now… Miss Swan," he started when they were alone. "Care to answer the question?"

"What does it look like? Regina's not dead, is she?" Emma stepped closer, into his personal space. She was determined to show this man how very little he could intimidate her.

Mr. Gold raised an eyebrow. "Is that so?"

Emma gestured toward the coffin and shrugged.

"Well, Miss Swan. I think you'll find that it's in your best interest to keepthat little piece of information between us."

Ooh, he was smug. And it filled her with rage. She tamped it down, though, knowing it was the desired reaction, and therefore, the one she could not show. "Why would I do that?" her voice was reminiscent of one humoring a child.

"Because, if you do… maintain discretion in this matter, I'll see to it that you go free. In fact, you can leave now, if you'd like." He produced a key from the front pocket of his vest and swiftly unlocked her handcuffs.

"Ruby…?" Emma trailed off.

"You will tell her that the body was sent off for an autopsy, and that is why it was missing when you two opened the coffin. You will tell her that it came back today and was promptly reburied after autopsy results showed that Regina died of heart failure, and not of a gunshot wound. You will tell her that all charges against you have been dropped."

Emma should have known he would have this all pieced out. Sometimes she got the feeling that Storybrooke was just one big chess game for Mr. Gold. And that he was always several moves ahead of everyone—except maybe Regina.

"And Regina?" Emma asked.

"She's safe. Just like Henry."

"Just like… Henry?! What did you do to Henry?"

"Let's just say… he's my ace in the hole. He's the reason I know you won't go searching for Regina. Because if you do," he leaned forward menacingly, "I will kill him. And if you search for Henry, I will kill Regina. Unless you're okay with being responsible for one of their deaths…?" His expression didn't match the questioning tone of his voice. No, he looked downright smug.

Damn him.

"Do we have a deal?" Gold asked.

Emma had no choice but to shake his extended hand before turning on her heels and running back toward town.

…

Regina groaned as she rolled over on the stiff concrete slab. She was sore as hell, and her current position was doing nothing to assuage that. Not to mention the amenities here were terrible.

She almost felt guilty for keeping Belle in here for 28 years. And then she remembered the bastard who put her here. And Regina wished she could have kept Belle here longer. Or just killed her off.

Regina stifled a pain-induced scream as she resorted to sitting up.

At least the bullet was gone now.

Gold had seemed content to leave her in her current state, bullet and all, but when she had started to deteriorate—when it looked like she might actually die—he had brought in a doctor from Boston to remove the bullet and treat her wound. It wasn't that he cared that she was in pain. He just didn't want her to die. Death was to kind a fate.

Which is why Regina found herself sitting in this—well, dungeon essentially— chained to the wall, with no knowledge of anyone's status in the town, except Henry. She knew that Gold had Henry—or at least that he claimed he did. He had been quick to taunt her with that development a day or two ago. And she had been updated on Gold's status as well. Mayor of the town. She shook her head furiously, rage pumping through her veins. A sharp pain surged through her side and she winced, defeated.

Emma. What had become of Emma? Did Gold go ahead and kill her? No—that was too kind. She hated not knowing, not being in control. And Gold knew that. He excelled at nothing more than playing mind games.

Regina sat back against the wall, contemplating her situation. The pain throbbed relentlessly as her left side made contact with the wall, but she ignored it. Regina had ignored her pain all her life.

There was no way out of here. She knew that well. She had designedthe place that way. Wow, had that come back to bite her in the ass. And she had no idea who would even want to come try to save her. It wasn't like she was on the best of terms with—well, anyone in the town. Henry was in Gold's possession, but Regina doubted he would do anything to try to regain the woman who, in his mind, was the evil queen. And who knew with Emma. She had seemed upset enough when Regina had gone unconscious after taking the bullet for her, but was that enough to atone for her other sins? Or would the woman just rejoice in Regina's absence? If she was even around to rejoice; Regina recalled that she had no knowledge of the blonde's fate.

Ugh. All this thinking was useless.

…

Henry focused his attention on the side of the cabin that wasn't being watched. He knew this cabin better than anyone, and he was actually quite disappointed in himself for not being able to find a way out yet. Seconds were precious. And he was not going to lose both moms at the hand of Mr. Gold.

There was a window that wasn't barred. It was really high, though. High enough that he couldn't reach it, and high enough that he was sure he would get hurt in the fall back to the ground, but Henry couldn't afford to question the quiet resolve in the back of his mind. He quietly began assembling furniture abandoned with the cabin to form a makeshift tower that he could climb to access the window.

Henry began his ascent of the precarious tower. It leaned unsteadily only once, and then he was at the top. What now? Henry had to admit, he hadn't thought this part through. The solid glass spoke of a window that wasn't intended to open. He was going to have to break it.

Henry reared his arm back, and punched as hard as he could. He heard a satisfying CRACK! as he steadied himself against the wall. The tower shook, before it righted. He aimed, and punched once more. This time, the glass splintered, and when he firmly pressed against the window, the shards fell to the ground below. Henry looked down at his bloodied right hand. Oh well. That would have to be dealt with later.

Henry climbed up onto the window sill, and perched straddling the sill for a minute, taking in the ground below him. Then he climbed through, and hung from the sill by his fingers, before dropping to the ground. He tried to land on his feet, but fell back with a thump.

Behind him, someone cleared their throat.

…

Emma sat on Mary Margaret's bed, defeated. What was she supposed to do? Even if she knew where to begin looking for Regina or Henry, she couldn't because Gold would go after the other. She was facing a problem in her life that she couldn't solve by running. She couldn't solve it by doing ANYTHING.

Mary Margaret laid next to Emma on the bed, feeling just as hopeless—not to mention completely responsible for Henry's disappearance. She didn't know why Emma had been let off the hook, but she had simply hugged the sobbing woman when she had returned, unquestioning.

They hadn't spoken a word—not even now, but somehow that was okay.

…

Henry turned his head slowly from his position on the ground.

"Are you alright?" the pretty woman asked. A woman he recognized—but from where?

Her eyes lighted in recognition, too, as he nodded.

She bent down, tearing off a piece of her shirt and wrapping it around his bloody hand. "You're the kid from the dungeon, aren't you? The one who always used to visit me at night?"

Henry smiled briefly. "Yes. And I'm glad you're out, I really am. You're a good person. But I have to go now. I have something to do." He began to get up.

The woman looked hesitant. "I wasn't supposed to let anyone leave the house…"

Henry fixed her with a desperate look, "You HAVE to let me go. You're not evil! Not like him."

"Who? Mr. Gold? He saved me."

Henry looked down, sadness gracing his face in a way he knew would win her over. "Before he saved you, I was there."

Belle, or whatever her name was in Storybrooke, sighed. "Run before I change my mind."

Henry fixed her with a winning grin, and ran straight for Mary Margaret's.

…

"Go to hell." Regina spat when Gold stepped into the room with her. It was a shame she was chained to the wall, or she would have killed him and made a run for it.

"Ah, ah. Is that any way to greet the man who has your dinner?" He produced a small sandwich from behind his back. He took two large bites out of it, leaving it only about a third of its original size, before he threw it at her.

Regina struggled against her chains, trying to maneuver her hands around to where she could pick it up. When she couldn't, she knew she would have to lean over and eat it off of the slab she had been sleeping on. But she wouldn't give Gold the satisfaction of doing that now in front of him.

She sneered up at him. "What do you want?"

Gold leaned in, stroked her cheek. Regina pulled away as though she'd been burned.

"You. Suffering."

…

Henry burst into Mary Margaret's, out of breath.

Both women sat up quickly at the sound and ran toward the stairs.

"Henry!" Emma yelled when she spotted him at the bottom of the stairs. She ran down and pulled him into a tight hug. "What are you doing here?"

"Mr. Gold had me. I broke out."

"Oh no, Henry. You have to—you have to go back."

Mary Margaret, who was standing behind the duo, looked to Emma incredulously. "Have you lost your mind, Emma?"

"Look, Gold threatened to kill Regina if he found me with Henry!"

Mary Margaret stumbled backwards, unbelieving. Henry just looked up at Emma excitedly. "My mom's alive?"

"I'm fairly certain she is, kid. But she's being held by Mr. Gold, like you were. And he said if I came after one of you, he'd kill the other."

Henry looked scared at this new information. "But… I can't go back there!"

Emma bent down to his level, and looked him in the eyes. "Yes… yes you can. I will come for you, once I figure out where Gold is keeping your mom. Do you believe me?"

Henry nodded furiously. Of course he believed her. He turned to leave, and then turned back slowly. "Wait."

Emma looked at him patiently.

"I might know where my mom is."

…

Henry had left after that without a fight, but not before he told Emma all about the dungeon where his mom had kept Belle, how to get in, when to go—everything. They had made a plan. Emma would break Regina out at midnight, and Henry would escape again at that time. They would rendezvous at the mayor's house. Once all together, Gold wouldn't have any control over them, and they could tackle that issue together.

Henry hadn't liked the plan. He wanted to rescue his mom now, but Emma had told him 'no' in no uncertain terms. It was too dangerous.

Which was why, as any good ten-year old boy would, Henry was on his way to the hospital to see his mother.

…

Emma had known it had been too easy. Henry wasn't a very good liar. She couldn't stop him, so she was focused on the other end of the deal instead. She took a deep breath, and stepped out through the door of the apartment. Emma was off to see Mr. Gold, himself.

…

Henry typed the code into the keypad before glancing around to make sure no one was watching. It was dark out now, and the hospital was mostly empty. The door creaked as Henry opened it. He flew down the steps in a fit when the door slammed shut behind him.

At the bottom of the steps, he took several deep breaths. Henry approached the abandoned nurse's station, grabbing the keys quickly off of the counter.

He didn't even have to guess what cell she was in. Henry ran for Belle's old cell and tried several keys in the lock before he found the right one.

Regina looked up harshly when he entered, clearly expecting someone else, but her eyes immediately softened when they settled on her son. "Henry!" Her voice was rough with emotion as tears glistened in her eyes.

"Mom!" He was all-out bawling as he ran to hug her. He wrapped his arms around her, and Regina rested her chin on his forehead, wincing at the pain, but not for a second considering complaining. She struggled against the chains in an attempt to return the hug, but to no avail.

"Here," Henry said simply, trying a few keys out before he found the right one. He gave her a triumphant smile as the key clicked and her hands were free. Regina's hands immediately went to Henry's face to wipe away his tears.

She had a million questions for her son, but first, they had to get out of here. "Come on." She grimaced when she stood up. Henry offered her shoulder, and she gratefully leaned lightly on it. "I know another way out."

…

Henry had filled his mother in on the important things as they made their way to the second entrance to the underground dungeon—the entrance in the woods. He told her of the plan he and Emma had made for tonight.

Regina had scoffed. She knew Emma wouldn't have fallen for Henry's claims that he would return to the cabin—especially if he had an inkling where his mother might be. All of a sudden, she began shaking with horror.

"Mom… are you—are you okay?" Henry asked uncertainly.

Regina shook her head as if to clear it, then smiled tightly down at Henry. He could tell it was forced. "I'm fine. But we have to hurry."

"What's wrong?" Henry looked genuinely scared. He had never seen his mom lose her composure like that.

"Emma's in danger," was all Regina said as she took his small hand and began running for the entrance.

…

Regina led Henry straight to Mr. Gold's house, knowing and dreading that the dragon's lair was the first place Emma would go. Sure enough, Emma's Bug was parked outside of the house.

"Stay here, Henry. I mean it. Get in Emma's car, and lock the doors. This is incredibly dangerous."

"Mom?"

Regina bent down impatiently, but embraced her son in a quick hug.

"This time—will you make sure both of you get out okay?"

Regina's eyes filled with tears. She caressed Henry's cheek. "I'll try my best."

The door was ajar when Regina approached the house. She entered as quietly as she could.

The scene in the hall in front of her made her jaw drop. Mr. Gold's hands were up, and Emma had her gun pointed at his heart.

"Emma?" She had Mr. Gold's attention, and he smirked at her as though he were the one in control of the situation.

Emma's eyes leaked tears, but her gun remained fixed on Gold's heart, and her eyes never left his. "Regina! I thought you were dead."

"I did too, for a while." Regina joked. "Your son rescued me."

"Our son." Emma corrected without any hesitation. "Where is he?"

"Safe." Regina thought it best not to give up too much information. She stepped forward and ran her fingers through Emma's long blonde locks. "You need to lower your gun, dear."

"Give me one good reason." Emma seethed, "One good reason why I shouldn't kill this bastard right now."

Regina looked down sadly. Emma needed to hear this. Nothing else would convince her otherwise. "You would become cursed."

That got Emma's attention. Her eyes flickered to Regina's while her gun remained trained on Gold. In that instant, she knew.

Mr. Gold chuckled dangerously. "What a lovely little reunion."

"Shut up!" Emma spat ferociously. She lowered her gun, before turning to face Regina.

"Can we talk about this later?" Regina asked hopefully.

"No, we're going to do this now. You're… the evil queen?"

Regina just nodded. "But… I don't feel like her anymore. Not since you…" she stepped forward and placed a hand on Emma's cheek. Emma leaned into the touch.

"Regina," she whispered. Gold chuckled darkly, before surging forward and grabbing Regina, his own pistol in hand. He placed the end of the barrel against her temple.

Emma's gun had trained on him again in an instant, but now she dropped it on the floor.

"What the hell are you doing?" Regina cried at Emma.

"I'm not going to lose you again."

Mr. Gold smiled widely.

Everything after that happened so fast. Henry at the door, screaming for his mother. Mr. Gold aiming his gun at Henry. Regina knocking it out of his hand resulting in a harmless shot toward the ceiling. And the resounding gunshot made by the bullet that exited Emma's recovered gun and pierced Gold's heart.

With one reflex action, Emma transformed into both the White Knight and the Dark One.