The amount of editing I was doing to this chapter was getting ridiculous (it was written before chapter 10, but not entirely realized) I feel that I could have kept editing it if I didn't force myself to post it. So I hope you guys still like it. Stole a portion of dialogue from 'The Cricket Game' because it was necessary.

Please leave some feedback, I'd love to hear if I'm going alright with this.

"Regina!" David boomed, dashing through her front door. She startled, making her way out of the kitchen with surprise written across her face as the door slammed shut behind him. He reached for her, his eyes frantic as he leaped up the steps in one bound and grasped her arms. "You have to run, you have to get out of here."

"What? Why?" She stumbled back, trying to pull her arms free but David wouldn't allow it.

"We saw you do it, Regina. Snow and Emma, they're coming for you."

"Did what? David," Regina's brows knitted together. "If this is about Archie..." She trailed off, shaking her head as a loud knock came to her door. She moved to release herself from his hold, attempting to head for the door, but he stopped her, pulling her back towards him and forcing her to meet his eyes.

"I don't want to know why you did it, Regina, but you need to run." He pleaded with her and Regina's expression only became more perplexed. Anger started to bubble up inside of her. She thought that she'd managed to convince him she was trying to change. She'd been trying so hard, she wasn't using magic, she wasn't hurting anyone. She didn't want to hurt anyone and he didn't believe her. The thought of it rattled her more than she'd expected.

"You don't believe me." She breathed, feeling his fingers digging into her arms; savoring that connection even though it was starting to hurt.

"I was there, in Gold's shop. We saw it through Pongo's memories," He let out a shuddering breath as he emphasized. "I saw it." A tear came to Regina's eye. She tried to pull away as a small whimper escaped her but David held her tighter. "I don't care, Regina; every part of me is telling me to help them lock you up but I can't." She looked up at him, shocked at the words leaving his lips. "I can't do that, you have to run."

"I can't just run, David,"

He cut her off. "Regina, this isn't just about the baby. I wish it were, for Snow's sake, but it's not." He moved in closer to her, ignoring the incessant knocking on the door and Emma's voice shouting for Regina. He moved closer until he could feel her rounded belly against his abdomen and lowered his forehead to rest against hers. Regina stared up at him in confusion; her body tensed and her bottom lip sucked in between her teeth – the closeness between them felt so strange but instead of his tight grip scaring her, she felt safe. "I can't explain what I feel, Regina. I can't name it. But when we walked out of Gold's shop, I knew I had to warn you."

"Even though you think I murdered him."

"I saw," He breathed, sliding his hands down her arms until he could grip her fingers. "But I don't want to believe it." His lips curved in a tentative smile as he realized what he'd said. He didn't want to believe it. He'd seen it with his own eyes but his heart was telling him it was wrong. She was innocent, she had to be.

He moved his hands to her belly, pressing their hands together over the fabric of her blouse. She'd changed so much, he had to believe it wasn't a lie; for the sake of his baby he needed her change to be real – someone had to be setting her up; but yet he couldn't imagine who.

"Then don't." She gripped his hands desperately, betraying her own pride as she begged him. "I didn't do this, David. I didn't, I wouldn't..." She let out a long sigh, pressing her eyes closed as she rolled her forehead against his. "Not Archie, he was the only one that wanted to help me."

The knocking came once again, this time followed by the door knob shaking violently. They were trying to get in. Regina's eyes widened and David watched her watch the door carefully. He could see her face change. The tears in her eyes dried up and her lips straightened out. The mask of the Evil Queen slipped into place and she gently removed her hands from his.

"Regina," He warned, reaching for her again but she held her hand up, silencing and stalling him with just a look.

She stepped down toward the door, taking a deep breath before opening it. Emma and Snow stood on the outside; Snow had her arms crossed over her chest and Emma's fist was raised above her head, ready to knock again had Regina not answered.

"Miss Swan." She greeted without emotion, letting the door fall open further.

"I saw you do it. I saw you choke the life out of Archie."

"David," Snow gasped as David stepped down to the doorway, appearing behind Regina.

"I can explain," He started, but Regina ignored them both, cutting him off as she addressed Emma – she wasn't yet ready to acknowledge what exactly it meant for him to be standing on her side of the metaphorical line.

"How is that even possible?"

"Gold," David said quietly at her shoulder. "A dreamcatcher." Emma and Snow watched the exchange silently as Regina's head tilted to the side, listening closely to him with a nod of her head before she turned back to meet Emma's eyes.

"You're going to trust Gold when he's probably the one behind this?"

"We didn't trust him," Snow's eyes flickered between Regina and David and she swallowed when she saw his hand slip from the woman's elbow as though her eyes had scolded him; a part of her wished they had. "That's why Emma used magic instead." Her voice faltered, proud of her daughter but heartbroken at the sight of her husband's hand on her enemy in any way other than to force repentance.

"You can use magic?" Regina took an imperceptible step toward Emma with a look of surprise and wonder on her face. "The savior, of course; well I can only assume he warned you then."

"Warned me about what?"

"That magic always comes with a price."

"Well that's a price we're both going to have to pay." Emma stated and David noticed Emma's nervous glance to her right as Regina questioned her. He turned to see what she could be looking for, realizing there was a very likely chance that Snow and Emma hadn't come alone. They feared Regina – and rightly so – and they were intelligent women. The odds of them confronting Regina without some sort of magical defense, was laughable.

He scanned the trees and hedges with his eyes, searching for the Blue Fairy.

"How's that?" Regina's worried tone of voice drew his attention back.

"Henry." Emma's face fell. "He believed in you," David could feel Regina's shoulder tense where his chest pressed against her back but as Snow's devastated eyes caught his movements again, he stopped himself from touching Regina; instead he flexed his knuckles by her side before stashing his hand in his pocket. "His heart's gonna break. That's both our prices."

"No," Regina gasped, tears springing to her eyes. "I will not let you poison Henry against me." Emma turned to walk away, stepping down off the front porch and heading for the gate. David tried to grasp Regina but she was away from him faster than he could think.

Snow staggered back as Regina pushed past her and David reached out for his wife, steadying her before she shoved his hands away. "Don't," She ground out before their attention was drawn back to Regina, chasing Emma down the path.

"I want to see him," Her voice raised to a strangled, angry cry. "He deserves to hear my side of the story, he's my son!"

David opened his mouth; unsure of what he was going to say but certain it was in defense of them both. No matter what Regina had done, she'd never hurt Henry and Emma knew that; they all did. But before he could speak, Emma whirled on them violently. "No he's not he's mine! And after this you're not getting anywhere near him! Do it!" Emma shouted and Regina's eyes turned to her left where the Blue fairy appeared from behind a thick maple.

There was magic burning in her hand and as she launched it at Regina, David's knee-jerk reaction was to throw himself in front of her. Snow screamed his name but all David saw was the ball of light flying through the air as if in slow motion. Regina pulled at his jacket, knocking him back out of the way.

"NO!" He screamed, but was silenced by Regina catching the ball of magic in her hand.

They all stared dumbly at her as she pressed the magic between her palms, turning to Snow with her nose scrunched in disgust. "My child is innocent, those were your words." Emma and David and Blue watched with baited breath as Regina's tear-filled eyes bore into her once-step-daughter. "You said my child was innocent and now you threaten her life with fairy-dust."

"Regina," Snow gasped and jumped back when Regina tossed the spent magic to her feet and turned back to Emma with anger burning in her eyes; magic crackled in her hands but it didn't materialize as she took a step towards the blonde.

"You will not keep my son from me!" She threw her arms out towards Emma, throwing her three feet off the ground and ten feet down the path. Snow dashed to her daughter, awkwardly helping her from the ground as Regina stomped down the path towards them.

David's heart nearly beat out of his throat at the sight of them ready to rip each other apart. "Regina, stop this, please." He called out to her, taking a step down the path but Blue held him back as Regina glared over her shoulder. In that instant, the Regina he'd come to know, was gone.

She turned back to Emma; her eyes ablaze with menace. "So much for fairy dust," She hissed, ignoring the way her stomach churned at her own words – she knew she had to stop but she couldn't. She couldn't let them take Henry from her forever. "Maybe some of your new-found magic can save you now."

"I don't need it, I already won." Regina's face fell at Emma's words. "There's no way Henry will swallow your lies about Archie now." The words cut through Regina like a knife and her anger fell away from her eyes as terror set in. She turned from Emma, taking a few steps back toward David and Blue. Her eyes met David's and she felt his name fall from her lips but no sound came out. His eyes pleaded with her and she felt the baby move within her.

Spinning back, she met Emma's eyes, and then Snow's and then glanced down toward the hand on her belly. She had to stop herself. She couldn't do this. For the first time in her life she knew that she couldn't fight; not if she was ever to see Henry again.

"You can pretend all you want but we know how you are and who you will always be. And one day your child will know it too." Regina's eyes glistened with tears as she looked back up to Emma. The woman took a threatening step forward, handcuffs in hand; but her words poured over Regina's heart like acid.

Regina let out a sob, unwilling to let Emma humiliate her further, and threw her arms in the air, disappearing in a puff of purple smoke.

"Where'd she go?" Blue questioned, staring at the same spot on the pavement Emma was; where Regina had been standing.

No one answered the question. "How could you," Snow breathed out and Emma glanced at her before realizing she was looking straight at David. "You were warning her, weren't you? You were helping her? Even though you saw her do it." Snow's eyes filled with tears. "Her magic really has taken you in, hasn't it?"

"No," David took a step towards her but Snow shrunk back. "Snow, it's not like that, please."

"Maybe its best if you don't come back with us." Emma spoke gently, squeezing her father's forearm as Snow turned away from them completely. He watched desperately as the three women made their way down the path and away from Regina's garden. Blue looked over her shoulder as they turned behind the hedge, though in her expression she offered no reassurance.

David didn't know what to do. Regina had disappeared and his wife and daughter had walked away. He turned around, looking back up at Regina's house as he fought the tears that sprang to his eyes. He didn't understand what was going on. His heart was battling with his head and his mind was telling him to follow Snow, but his feet just wouldn't move and his eyes wouldn't break from the shining gold numbers on the door.

He knew he was supposed to want Snow. He knew that he was supposed to want to chase after her and make everything better, to apologize profusely and beg her to forgive him. But he couldn't help wondering – and fearing – where Regina had gone. He'd heard her sob as she'd disappeared and he couldn't help but imagine her huddled in the dark corner somewhere, weeping over everything that she'd lost.

His eyes widened as he remembered the last place he'd seen her so distraught and the image of her broken and sobbing suddenly brought back the memory of her standing in the centre of the stables with a man she'd loved for over a lifetime, frozen by her own magic.

Taking a deep breath, David turned and headed for the stables. If he was going to search for her, he'd start there.

To Be Continued.