Chapter Twenty

The time came to tell Henry the truth. Emma and I took the day off so we would be home when he arrived. Placing the knife down, I leaned forward against the counter. To say I'm nervous would be an understatement. This is what I've been afraid of for nearly three decades. Everyone will remember everything I've done. Magic will be in Storybrooke.

Feeling my turmoil, Emma wrapped her arms around me from behind. "It's going to be alright. Henry will come home from school, we'll sit him down, and explain everything."

"I'm not as worried about his reaction as I am the rest of the town's. I know Henry will still love me but he won't be safe when they revolt." Feeling Emma begin to argue, I continued. "No amount of free Thanksgiving or Christmas dinners negates the terrible things I've done."

Resting her cheek against my back, Emma tried to reassure me. "You're right but you have me to help protect you. I promised Henry I would keep you safe."

"I know you did." Turning in strong arms, I cupped Emma's cheek. "Thank you."

"Moms?" Henry closed the door behind him. "Both cars are in the driveway."

"We're in the kitchen." I tried to keep my voice steady. "Can I get you a snack?"

"Sure!" Entering the kitchen, Henry plopped onto one of the bar stools. "You're home early."

"We decided to take the day off." Arranging apple slices and peanut butter on a plate, I slid it towards Henry.

"How was school?" Emma stole a piece of apple from my plate and ignored my glare.

"Good. I don't have much homework."

"That's good." Glancing at me, I answered Emma's silent question. "We need to talk about something important."

Studying us, Henry chewed an apple piece slowly. "Okay…" Getting to his feet, he took the plate and started towards the den.

"Why are you going in there?" I asked.

"Stopping at the door, Henry turned. "Comfier couch? It seems like the better place to have the conversation."

"Oh, okay." Pushing off the counter, I followed our son.

Emma and I sat on either side of Henry as he finished his snack. "What's up? You guys are acting weird."

"I want to begin with, I love you and I'm sorry." Don't sugar coat it. "I've lied to you about the storybook."

Looking between us, Henry sighed. "It is true, isn't it?" I nodded, waiting for anger. "All of it?"

"Yes. Everything in the book is real. Every horrible thing I've done is real."

"Regina," Emma pleaded.

Henry was quiet, staring into the fire that illuminated the fireplace. "So, all of those therapy sessions were for nothing. You tried to make me think it wasn't real."

"I did, yes." Placing my hand on Henry's, I continued. "I'm sorry. I was scared…am scared…of what will happen after the curse breaks. Emma and I wanted to tell you before we broke it. So you could prepare for what might happen."

Before Henry could panic, Emma spoke. "I'm keeping my word. I'll protect you both."

Relaxing, Henry chose his words. "Will magic come back instantly?"

"I'm not sure. Gold and I are out of practice so it might take some time to relearn. If you don't want me to use it, I won't. I'll give up magic if you ask me to."

"No. You'll need it to help protect yourself. Besides, I don't think you'll use it like you did back then."

My brow creased. "Why is that?" He's taking this very well.

"Because you have love again." Henry smiled motioning towards himself and Emma. "We love you and I know you want us to live a good life together. A simple-ish one."

"I do have love." Following the red string, my heart swelled seeing Emma's smiling face. "Much more than I deserve," I paused. "There is one more thing…"

"Are the comics true too? That the final battle isn't where good vanquishes evil by destroying it but light helping the dark by loving them."

"I think so. Do you remember the red string legend?" Henry nodded. "Well, that's also true. There's a string connecting me to Emma. It started to appear the day you brought Emma to town."

"Really?" He exclaimed, almost jolting out of his seat. "So True Love's Kiss will work between the two of you!"

"Yes, it should."

"When are you going to break the curse?"

"We're not sure yet." Emma began with an unsure laugh. "We didn't plan much after this because we weren't sure how you'd take the news. You've taken this pretty well."

"I am sad that you never got to grow up with your parents and that I've missed time with my grandparents but if the curse never happened none of this would have happened." Henry grinned. "You definitely wouldn't be who you are now. Growing up as a Charming? Yeah, okay."

Emma groaned. "Don't remind me!" Becoming more serious, she ruffled Henry's hair. "I'm glad I got to have you and come here to fall in love with your mom." Henry's brow rose. "Your other mom."

Fixing Henry's hair, I gained his attention. "Do you have any questions?"

"Afterwards, you'll want to find an online school or something. I don't foresee Snow White continuing to teach. Or at least for a while."

Because she's probably going to try to kill me. "We will cross that bridge when we get there."

"Did you keep anything from the Enchanted Forest?"

"Yes, I kept a few things. Why?"

"Can I see it?" Hope and excitement radiated from our son.

Unsure, I met Emma's gaze for reassurance. "I don't see why we couldn't do that. It'll need to be after sunset."

"Tonight?" Henry looked between us. "Please?"

"Alright. We will go tonight. But," I became serious. "None of this leaves the house. Understood?"

"Understood."

Nightfall came and the three of us made our way to the cemetery. Once inside the mausoleum, Henry read the plaque. "Henry Mills." Peering up at me, he continued. "So, I'm technically Henry Mills Jr?"

"Yes, you are." Running my hand along the cold metal, I felt a lump beginning to form in my throat. "He was a gentle soul. A good man. He would have loved you."

"Is that why you named me Henry?"

Smiling down at our son, I petted his hair. "Yes. Later, if you would like, I'll tell you about him."

"I'd like that," he beamed.

"Once we enter the vault, please don't touch anything." Henry agreed as Emma moved the casket, allowing us to descend the stone steps.

Henry's reaction was much like Emma's when she first saw the shelves lined with books and other objects from my past life. "Wow!" Running to a nearby bookshelf, Henry reached for a book.

"Don't touch," I warned. "You are definitely Emma's son." These two will get in trouble one day because they look with their hands. But I love them both.

Henry grinned back at us. "I'm a good mix of you both." Turning back to the books, he read over the dusty spines.

Emma chuckled as she took a seat at the stone table. "What did you expect? He's a kid who loves fairytales."

Pinching the bridge of my nose, I folded the other arm over my chest. "The books you can touch." Leaning against the table, I watched as our son combed through the shelves. Something down here is different. What is it? I know it's been a week or two since Emma and I have been here but something is off.

Shifting forward, Emma spoke quietly as Henry flipped through a book at the far end of the room. "What's up?"

"I don't know yet." Unfolding my arms, I pushed off the table. "Want to see the rest?"

"Yes!" Henry beamed, reshelving the book he held.

Opening the secret door, I let Henry enter first. Before Emma walked by, I grabbed her wrist. "Keep him occupied once I close the door. I need to look at something."

Worried eyes studied me. "Is everything okay?"

"I don't know yet." Closing the door behind Emma, I made sure it was locked.

Entering the other room, I started from one corner and inspected shelf by shelf. Something is different. What is it? My stomach dropped seeing the layer of dust disturbed. Picking up the wooden box, I held my breath realizing its weight. Please still be here. My jaw clenched as I opened it. Damn it! It's gone. Someone's been in here. I'm sure Emma can feel something by now. Until we can talk, I'll have to keep my emotions in check around Henry. He's worried enough as it is. Placing the box back, I went to join them.

Entering the room, I smiled at Henry who was amazed by the sword Emma held. "What do you think?"

"This place is incredible!" Pointing to the case, Henry nearly bounced with excitement. "That's one of the dresses from the book."

"It is." Picking up the second sword, I unsheathed it. "This is my childhood sword. I'll teach you how to wield it, if you'd like."

"Really?" Emma and Henry questioned.

"Yes. Once you're a little older." As long as I'm not beheaded by then. Sheathing the blade, I held it out to our son. "Careful."

Taking the sword, Henry inspected the handle and sheath. "So cool!" Glancing towards Emma, I silently told her we needed to talk. "Why don't you break the curse now?" Holding out the sword for me to take, Henry took a seat on the small couch. "You said earlier that you wanted to tell me before breaking the curse." He looked between us. "Now that you have, why don't you try to break it?"

"Our main goal was to tell you the truth," Emma offered.

"Now that I know, you can break it." Henry paused, a grin forming. "So, I am technically your little prince."

Laughing, I cupped the back of Henry's head. "Yes you are. Emma and I need to discuss a few things before we break the curse." Glancing at my watch, I hadn't realized how late it had gotten. "We need to head home. Prince or not, it's past your bedtime."

Once Henry was asleep, Emma and I made ourselves comfortable in the den. Wrapping her arms around me, she spoke softly. "What had you freaked out earlier? I nearly dropped the sword when I felt it."

"Someone besides us has been in my vault. They took the apple I used on Mary Margaret."

"The poisoned one?" I nodded. "That's not good." She paused. "You brought that here?"

"Poisoned apples are hard to come by. Especially here." Let's leave out the fleeting thought of using the apple against you. I'm so glad I didn't.

A nervous laugh vibrated the blonde's chest. "With that cocktail of emotions, I'm not sure I want to know what you just thought about." Becoming serious, Emma'a grip tightened. "My money is on Gold. He seems the type. I'm also not one hundred percent sure he doesn't know the truth."

"At least we're on the same page. Since he's the one who wrote the curse, I'm not surprised that he would do something to make himself remember the truth."

"Tomorrow is my turn to patrol. I'll stop by the cemetery and see about video footage. Maybe that'll give us some answers. Would the apple still work here?"

"Yes." Taking Emma's hand in mine, I followed the red string. "Since you arrived, magic has been creeping back in. It's just under the surface now."

"We'll have to be careful not to eat anything then. An apple could be cooked or juiced into almost anything."

"It's safe to assume Gold is behind this. That being said, you're the one we have to worry about. There's no point in putting me under a curse. I'm the one he wants to torment." I'll be damned if Gold harms one hair on Emma's head.

"Why don't we just break the curse now? Henry knows the truth. I know we can't leave Storybrooke. Especially since Henry knows who his grandparents are. He will want to meet them. But what's keeping us from breaking it now and jumping head first into everything. You'd have a few hours to figure out your magic situation before everyone else woke up."

Leaning forward, I shifted to meet Emma's gaze. "You always did like to lead with actions and not strategy."

Smiling sheepishly, the younger woman shrugged. "That's why we make such a great team."

"We do make a great team." Cupping Emma's face, I glanced at her lips. We're actually going to kiss. The curse will break and everything will change. "Are you sure you want to do this?" Both of us are terrified.

"I am if you are."

Closing the gap between us, I kissed Emma. Warmth and excitement filled my chest. I'm finally kissing Emma Swan. The woman I'm destined to be with. As the kiss deepened, Emma's hands tangled in my hair. Letting my forehead rest against hers, dread replaced excitement. Nothing happened. No burst of magic. Pulling back, I looked at the string. It's still there. "It didn't work. Why didn't it work?"

Feeling my impending spiral, Emma took my hands in hers. "Hey, look at me. Regina, look at me." Meeting her gaze, a wave of calm washed over me. "I love you and I know you love me. There has to be a reason why this didn't work. We were destined for each other. Maybe that has something to do with it. I don't know. All I know is that we're going to figure this out together."

"I don't know." My mind raced with any explanation. Leaning back into the cushion, I thought aloud. "Red and yellow are the colors of true love. We shared that."

"The night on the couch when Henry fell asleep on us?"

"Yes." Something crossed Emma's mind and made her expression unreadable. My brow rose. "What's that look?"

"It…it doesn't matter right now. Let's try to figure this out first." Emma stammered, looking away.

Studying the blonde, I noticed her breathing was shallow and she looked in any direction but mine. I wonder. "Emma," I purred. The younger woman jumped as I placed my hand on her thigh.

"Don't use that tone," Emma whined. Covering her face, she leaned her head back. "We waited all this time to not kiss or have sex because we thought it would break the curse. Now we find out we could have done things. Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed the other day but…" Her hands fell, an almost grimace on her lips. "I've wanted to be with you, actually with you, for so long now."

"I know, Dear." Taking Emma's hand in mine, I stood. "Let's go to bed."

Confused, Emma looked from our hands to my face. "Regina…"

"To sleep. We'll figure the rest out later today." Pulling the woman to her feet, I wrapped my arms around her waist. "At least now we can do this…" Tangling one hand in golden locks, I kissed soft lips again.

Xxx

Hearing our alarms, both of us groaned. Nuzzling into my hair, Emma kissed my shoulder. "Morning." She smiled. "I'm so glad I can do that now."

"Good Morning, Dear." Rolling to face the sleepy blonde, I tucked hair behind her ear. "I have a feeling you're going to be kissing me a lot now."

A sleepy smile tugged at pale lips. "You have no idea."

"We need to get up. Henry will be awake soon."

"I know but I want to lay here for a little longer." Snuggling into me, Emma sighed contently.

"Five minutes." Resting back into my pillow, I thought about last night's events. If our kiss didn't break the curse, what kiss will? Someone, probably Gold, stole the only magical item that works in Storybrooke and I have no idea what he's planning. He's probably going after Emma.

"Stop." Emma kissed me softly. "Whatever is coming, we'll face it together." Hearing Henry's door open, Emma sat up and stretched. "That's our cue. I'll cook breakfast while you get ready."

After I showered and finished getting ready, I joined Henry and Emma in the kitchen. "How is breakfast?"

"Good." Henry finished his cinnamon toast. "Don't worry, Mom made eggs and sausage too."

"I put yours in the microwave to keep it warm." Emma finished her coffee. Rinsing the mug, she placed it in the dishwasher. "My turn."

"Thank you for making extra."

"You're welcome." Brushing past me, Emma took my hand and squeezed it gently.

Taking my food from the microwave, I sat across from Henry. "Ready for school?"

"Yeah. It'll be weird knowing who everyone is." His eyes met mine. "I remember the rule. What we said last night stays here."

My stomach churned. "I'm sorry you have to keep this secret. We really thought our kiss was going to work." I hate that I put Henry in this position. "Any thoughts on why it didn't?"

"With other curses, there was something big on the line that supercharged emotions. Prince Charming was newly in love with Snow White when he kissed her. You and Mom were meant to be together from the beginning. Maybe that has something to do with it?"

"Possibly." I'm terrified at what would have to happen for our kiss to work. "Do you think the comics would have an answer?"

"No." Henry's face fell. "I've read over them dozens of times."

Placing my hand on my son's, I squeezed gently. "We'll figure it out."

"Ready to go?" Emma zipped up her coat. "I'll drop you off before I clock in at the station."

"Yup!" Hugging me, Henry dashed off to get his backpack and coat.

"I'm leaving shortly." Fixing Emma's scarf, I let my hands rest on her chest. "Talk at lunch?"

"Yes." Dipping her head, Emma kissed me quickly. "Lunch is in the fridge. See you this evening."

"I'm ready!" Henry called from the foyer.

"Love you." Turning on her heels, she started towards the door.

"Love you too." After starting the dishwasher, I gathered my things and went to work.

Around lunchtime, I felt anxiety and dread radiate from Emma. She must have seen the tapes. It must be Gold. Pausing my work, I dialed her number and waited.

"We were right. It was Gold who broke in and stole the apple."

Leaning back in the chair, my own dread filled my chest. "Be careful. Don't eat or drink anything. He's clever." I paused, trying to think like him. "Is there anything you can charge him with?" Before Emma could answer, the caller ID on my office phone lit up with Storybrooke Elementary's number. "One second. Henry's school is calling."

"Take the call. I can wait."

Picking up the phone, I answered. "Mayor Mills speaking."

"Miss Mills, Henry collapsed at lunch. He's being sent to the hospital."

Hey, everyone! May is going to be a hectic month so I wanted to update this beforehand. Since I'm not sure how much writing I'll get done in May, there might not be an update until June or July. I'll do my best to update as soon as possible. Thanks for reading!