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While Regina and Emma went upstairs to tuck Henry in Cora and Zelena stayed downstairs. Cora ran her hand through her hair. She looked tired and was paler than usual. Zelena looked at her worriedly.
"Cora, are you alright?"
Cora looked at her daughter and smiled slightly.
"I'm fine, honey, I'm fine." Then she stood up but immediately a wave of dizziness hit her. But before she could fall Zelena held her and kept her straight.
"Yes, I can see how well you are. Now, come, I'll get you to the couch where you can lie down." She said and guided her over to the couch. Cora's vision blackened at the edges and Zelena almost had to carry her. When they entered the living room Zelena put the pillows down on the floor to give her mother more room on the couch. Carefully she laid the older woman down and put a pillow under her head.
"I think that maybe it was all a bit too much for you." Zelena said and covered her mother with a blanket.
"Don't say that, honey. That makes me feel even older than I truly am. In the past I would have performed the spell without even blinking but now... I get weaker, Zelena. I become older. Don't misunderstand me, it's not bad, it's natural but I wish that I was younger so I would have more time to make up for my mistakes." Cora said weakly.
"Mother, don't say that, you've got plenty of time! You are not old!" Zelena sounded very upset. Of course she would never admit it but the thought alone that her mother could die someday made her sad and want to cry. Zelena tentatively sat down next to Cora on the couch and took her mother's hand.
"Oh, Zelena, of course I do but nevertheless I wish I had even more. Don't be sad, darling." Cora sat and brushed away a tear that Zelena didn't even know was running down her cheek. Cora then pulled Zelena down on the couch next to her. Zelena buried her head in the crook of her mother's neck and cried. Cried for all the lost time but also out of happiness that she now had a prospect at a better and happier future.
When Regina and Emma returned downstairs they found mother and daughter sleeping peacefully on the couch. Regina went over to them and covered also Zelena with a blanket. Shen then took out her mobile phone and took a quick picture to capture the moment.
The next hour not a word was spoken in the Mills household. With Henry, Zelena and Cora sleeping there were only Emma and Regina who were occupied by looking through old photo albums showing Henry from the moment Regina first held him to right before he ran off to Boston and brought Emma to town. Both of them were so deeply lost in their thoughts that neither heard Henry coming down the stairs.
"Ma? Mom? What happened?"
Both Emma and Regina's heads shot up and the both cried out in unison. "Henry!"
Startled by the sudden noise Cora and Zelena woke up and quickly sat up. Quickly they realized what is going on. Regina and Emma leaped forward and pulled Henry in a tight hug.
"Hey, it's okay. I love you too but could you let me go? I can't breathe." He said and reluctantly his mothers released him.
"Henry, my little prince, do you remember?" Regina asked with tears in her eyes.
"Yes, I remember- I remember you, mom. I missed you! All the time I knew something was missing and I was right. I love you so much, mommy." Henry whispered and hugged his brunette mother once more.
"So you remember everything? Also the fairytale thing? Everything?" Emma asked just to make sure. Henry nodded.
"Yes, and finally all the strange things that have happened since we came back to Storybrook make sense. I mean Ruby knew that I like Cinnamon on my hot Cocoa or why you knew so much about me, mom. Although I have to say it does not answer all questions. For example is this red-haired woman really your sister and who was this crazy woman in the boutique? She was really creepy."
Henry got aware of the fact that the two women he had just talked about where in the room when Zelena started laughing out loud. She almost fell off the couch laughing while Cora blushed to the point where her face looked like a giant tomato.
"Upps" Henry muttered and cleared his throat. Regina and Emma were chuckling as well.
"To answer your question, Henry, yes, Zelena is my sister. She enacted the second curse that got us back to this realm and the 'creepy' woman as you like to refer to her is in fact our mother. But don't worry it was only some misunderstandings that made her appear so creepy. Actually she is quite nice- at least since she got her heart back. You don't have to be afraid. Oh, and to make our family tree even more complicated Rumpelstiltskin, Mr. Gold, is Zelena's father." Regina explained to Henry while Zelena and Cora stood up from the couch and made their way over to the young boy.
"I see, you know that this makes my dad your brother?" He said to Regina and Zelena.
"Actually, he's only Zelena's brother because Neal and I don't share the same parent." Regina stated but was quickly interrupted by Henry.
"But it was you who told me that simply being blood related doesn't make a family but that love does. That means he could be your brother too!"
"Oh, Henry, let's use this evening to celebrate the return of your memories and start discussing theories and complicated family trees in the morning, alright?" Emma said smilingly.
"Okay" Henry said reluctantly. The rest of the evening they made pizza together and Henry started to get to know the newest addition to his family tree. They were all truly and utterly happy.
Thank you sunshine10294 for your idea! There will be a conversation between Neal and Zelena in the next chapter or in the chapter after that.