"Come on, come on, come on."

The phone rang a fifth time before clicking over to the automated drone of the voicemail.

"Crap."

Emma set her phone down a bit harder than she should have on the counter and immediately picked it up again to check for damage. Despite her desperation to get in contact with Regina (as evidenced by the dozen phone calls) she hadn't left any voicemails. For some reason that crossed a weird line into embarrassing. After all, what would she say, 'Hey, the glowing was because of our son I think?' Actually, yes, that was exactly what she needed to say and she needed to know if that was plausible. If Regina agreed or on a much more frightening tangent if she contradicted that possibility leaving the implications open to all sort of unbelievable things.

"Maybe you should take a break, for your phones sake?"

Mary-Margaret was seated at the island in the kitchen grading papers, as to what elementary school students were actually graded on Emma didn't know. Her work had been paused briefly to make herself some cocoa.

"Or you know, for your sake."

Even Emma would concede that she was acting a little manic. The lack of confirmation for her Henry theory had possibilities buzzing around her head in such a way that made focus impossible. She literally needed to know.

Relenting she groaned and sank her head down into her arms on the counter, the surface felt cold on her forehead and she could feel her breath fogging up the space left beneath her chin. She was the kind of woman who had a hard time dealing with problems that did not have forthcoming solutions. Quests were no problem, tell her the next step and she was climbing beanstalks and fighting dragons but unclear objectives baffled her. The feeling of needing to continue forward and having no idea how to do so was a particular annoyance. This was why she was so good at knocking down doors, if she couldn't ram her shoulder into a problem until it gave way she had no inkling of comprehension for it.

"She's being irresponsible, I mean what if Henry was hurt or something?"

"You mean if she wasn't already directly involved?"

Emma jerked her head up out of her arms, Mary-Margaret continued on with her papers as if she hadn't just used a cheap shot.

"She doesn't hurt Henry."

"Hurting someone and someone being hurt because of you are two different things."

This was quickly taking on the tone of two opposing sides.

"And if Regina didn't care about him being hurt she would have killed me the second she got her magic back, she knows that if she does anything to me she loses him. It is the literal embodiment of a stalemate."

Mary-Margaret looked blindsided by Emma's defense, as logically correct as it was.

"Emma, I know you want to see the good in people but I've seen this with Regina a million times. She gets people invested in her to alienate them and then she turns on them."

"That's not what this is. I have everything under control."

Okay, so she wasn't so sure about that.

"I know, but promise me that you'll be at least a little skeptical? If not for your safety than for Henry's, if he's the only thing standing between her and you then he of all people needs to be protected."

No matter how Mary-Margaret came off or her methods for communicating it the intention was always to protect her and Emma knew that.

"You know I would never let anything hurt him."

On cue the doorknob rattled and David came through the door accompanied by Henry.

"Hey, just dropping him off. I'm meeting Leroy at Granny's."

Mary-Margaret headed over to the door to kiss her husband goodbye as was the habit every time they saw one another. Emma guessed they were making up for lost time but as Henry joined her at the island to observe their farewell they were both pretty much making the same face of fascinated distaste with which one would watch their parents kissing.

Henry managed to avert his eyes first, "How's Operation Cider going?"

"What? I thought all of our operations were snakes."

"That's only when we're trying to hide them from my mom."

"Right."

"I was going to name it Operation Apple but Archie and I agreed that it sounded like a juice."

Emma snapped out of her semi-hypnosis as David closed the door behind him.

"Wait, Archie knows about this?"

Henry nodded.

No wonder he'd been so for the idea.

Mary-Margaret returned to her stack of papers.

"Well?"

"It's hit a bit of a snag, mainly that your mom refuses to answer her phone but I do not give up that easily."

Henry smiled and Emma was reassured that all of her effort was worth something.

"Now come on kid, I'll work on Operation Cider while you go take care of your homework. You live with your teacher, there is no excuse."

Still beaming despite being forced into his homework Henry nodded again and headed upstairs removing his backpack as he went.

"So, is Operation Cider what's got you so fired up?"

"It sounds silly when you say it."

"It sounds silly because an eleven year-old came up with it."

"At least it's not something out of G.I Joe."

"So, what exactly is Operation Cider?"

Emma sighed, prepared to explain, "When I asked Henry what he thought about the whole magic lessons thing he said his favorite thing about the curse being broken was that he finally had something he'd always wanted."

Looking up from the counter she noticed she had Mary-Margaret in partial suspense.

"A family."

Mary-Margaret's eyes reflected sympathy; she had spent most of her life knowing exactly what that felt like.

"But even after everything Regina is his family too, she's his mom."

Putting her elbows on her papers Mary-Margaret gathered her daughter's hands into hers.

"Look, I know how important it is to have a family, to feel like you belong; but for Regina family isn't like that. She had more than one chance to be a part of a family and she destroyed it, she destroyed mine twice and I don't want to give her the opportunity to do that again. Not when I finally have you."

Emma inhaled and felt her mother squeeze her hand.

"I know, and I promise, I won't let that happen. I just have to find a way to get her to talk to me."

"You're the sheriff."

In unison Emma and Mary-Margaret's heads jerked up to look at the upper floor of the loft, Henry was standing there leaning against the railing.

"You could always arrest her."

Of all the terrible ideas she'd executed to get to people (and being a bail bonds person had shown her more than one terrible idea) arresting a powerful sorceress to talk about feelings was probably one of the worst. Something that Ruby was taking ample opportunity to remind her.

"Do you have to do this here? What if she goes all evil queen and takes out the counter?"

As if fearing that it would soon be taken from her Ruby was cleaning it for the fifth or sixth time. Waiting outside of Regina's house for her to have a reason to leave was a bust and there was only one surefire way to lure her anywhere. Regina hadn't given her much of a choice but she was still loath to exploit it. The bell on the Diner door jingled and Emma winced knowing who it was. She heard the clack of Regina's two quick steps inside and then stop, no doubt seeing that she had been duped.

"Hello Sheriff Swan, I don't know why I keep accepting my son's invitations, you'd think I would have learned by now that you have no reservations towards using him to achieve your own ends."

Okay, she deserved that, besides there was more verbal abuse coming and no point in trying to talk her way out of it. Turning away from the counter she unlatched her handcuffs from her belt, Regina's eyes widened with confusion.

"Mayor Mills, you're under arrest."

She couldn't make eye contact.

"Excuse me?"

"For trespassing and property damage."

Emma held the handcuffs at the level of Regina's waist hoping she would cooperate.

"This is about Gold's shop?"

No such luck on the cooperating thing and Regina was boring holes into her, she moved around behind her hoping that would stifle the guilt.

"I tried to warn you but funny story, you didn't pick up your phone."

If she was going to feel terrible about this then she was at least going to teach Regina a lesson. Grabbing her wrists she gathered them behind her back, Regina didn't fight, she was too stunned by the fact that Emma was actually daring to arrest her.

"So let me guess, you're going to lock me up until I agree to pay the damages that I already agreed to pay."

"Sure, something like that."

Ruby looked like she was enjoying herself.

"This is blatant harassment."

"I'll be sure to report your complaint to the mayor."

Regina didn't think she was being funny.

"Come on, we're going to the station."

"So you can what? Coerce me without witnesses?"

Ruby was smiling with her arms folded on her undestroyed counter, "Oh, she wouldn't have to worry about that anyway."

Emma's brow furrowed, "Ruby."

She shrugged, feigning innocence.

Regina made less of a fuss than she'd expected in walking to the sheriff's office but a 'fuss' didn't really seem to become her. Instead she had resolved herself to silent, seething compliance- until Emma made to put her in the jail cell.

"You're kidding."

Emma just held the door open and gestured.

"You have no grounds to lock me up, we've already discussed the damages."

"Gold insisted."

No he hadn't.

"Come on, let's get this over with."

Regina did as asked, however reluctantly and Emma shut the door behind her.

"The handcuffs?"

"Turn around."

Emma undid one of the cuffs through the bar but instead of removing the other she slapped the empty one around a prison bar. Regina glared at her, "Are you trying to be funny because I'm not amused."

"Nope, I'm trying to have a conversation."

With Regina secured she sat down on the arm of the couch.

"Normally one doesn't arrest someone to have a conversation."

"Well, we're not exactly normal are we? You're the 'Evil Queen' and I'm the savior, that's what I'm working with."

That wasn't much to argue with but it didn't justify her methods.

"Fine, what was so pressing an issue that you had to arrest me to discuss it?"

"Your magic."

Regina rolled her eyes, "Wonderful, so you've locked me up until I can explain something to you that you have no hope of ever understanding."

"I just need to understand the part about the glowing."

"The 'glowing' is completely normal, it's magic, things glow."

"You didn't act like it was normal and Belle-"

"Belle?"

The accusatory tone made Emma feel like she'd done something wrong, "Yeah, I asked about it."

Now Regina looked angry, maybe the locking her up had been a good idea.

"Fantastic, and what did Belle say?"

For all of her wanting to have this very conversation she was finding it a lot harder to speak than she had planned.

"Okay, listen, we have a son."

Regina raised an eyebrow at her phrasing.

"I mean, we don't have a son but Henry is your son and I'm his…other parent person who gave birth to him," she took a breath to try and regain herself, "So we're stuck with each other and maybe that's why you were," Emma made a few frantic gestures to try and pantomime glowing, "glowing."

"What?"

"I don't know. It was the only thing that came to mind that had anything to do with true love."

Annoyance melted into a smirk, "Is that what she told you? That it means true love? That silly girl knows nothing about magic except how to fall in love with people who will chose it over her."

"So what's your explanation?"

Regina shrugged, "I told you, it's magic. Things glow. Now, will you unlock these ridiculous handcuffs?"

"Not yet, what about all the busted furniture in your house?"

That was something she didn't seem to have a ready answer for.

"Tell me, or I go and get myself lunch and leave you here to think about it."

"Alright," She sighed, "I seemed to be having some trouble controlling my magic. I was angry and broke some furniture."

"Uh-huh, trouble controlling your magic which I'm sure has nothing to do with the completely typical full body glowing."

She'd been caught.

"Fine, you're right. We're connected through Henry, I can't deny that and because of it I couldn't take your heart."

There, that was all she'd wanted to know and yet she didn't believe it, Regina was just saying what she wanted to hear.

"That's it right? It's Henry. There's nothing else?"

"Like what?"

Despite the dangerous nature of her question Regina's expression hadn't changed.

"I don't know, anything else to take into consideration?"

The implication dawned on her.

"Of course there isn't."

Emma suddenly looked terrified.

"What? What is it?"

"You're lying."

"What?"

"You're lying. I can tell."

It seemed as if Regina was having difficulty inhaling, her breaths were evident in the movement of her chest.

"That's ridiculous."

"No, it's not. What aren't you telling me?"

"Nothing."

"I can-"

"I know! You can tell when I lie! I get it!"

It took a lot to get Regina to raise her voice and the sudden shouting made Emma flinched. Regina turned away as much as she could while chained to the bars and tried to occupy her attention by straightening her shirt and brushing a strand of hair away from her face. Neither of them spoke, Regina exhaled and Emma worked up her will.

"Is there something else?"

Still facing away Regina tilted her head up to look at the ceiling of the cell and sighed, "I don't know."

When there was no response she turned back, "Do you need me to look at you so you can use your 'super power'?"

"No."

Standing up Emma unlocked the handcuff first and then the jail cell, she pulled the door open for Regina to leave.

"That's it?"

Emma nodded, "That's it."