Regina severely underestimated what it would mean to have sixteen boys and men of all ages, sizes, and builds in her home when none of them have bathed in almost a week. Thankfully, she had three bathrooms and the patience of a Saint. More importantly, she had a best friend who didn't ask questions and would happily help her when she requested it. Regina opened the door with a grateful smile, and Ruby shuffled in with six bags of shirts, socks, underwear, and pants. Not to mention an additional three bags of shampoo and conditioner.

It was a good thing she wasn't hurting for money.

Ruby whistled, glancing around the living room where men waited patiently for their turn to shower. Henry passed out bottles of water and fruit, and the men showed a surprising amount of gratitude. Then again, most of them were barely older than Henry. They were essentially children in Regina's eyes, and that prompted a lot more questions about how they ended up with Emma.

"Whoa," Ruby said, putting down the bags. "Something you want to tell me?"

"Later," Regina chuckled. "Help me first. I need a large and two smalls in everything."

Ruby dug out three shirts, and Regina got the pants and underwear. She placed each on top of a towel and washcloth, and she added the shampoo and conditioner as well.

"Okay, Reuben, Mikal, and Simmons, come here, please," Regina said.

The three men in question shuffled over, and Regina handed them their clothes based on their sizes.

"First, boots off and in the corner, please." The three did as told, and Regina put her hands on her hips. "Now, Reuben, you get the bathroom down here. It's down the hall and to your right three doors. Mikal, you get the bathroom upstairs. It's the second door on the right side. Simmons, your bathroom is downstairs. It's the first door on your left. You have to twist the handles for the showers to work. If you go to the left, that's cold water. Twist the handle to the right, it's hot water. Pull gently to get the water to come out, and when you're finished, push the handle back in. Leave your dirty clothes in the baskets outside of the bathroom, and I will take care of them. Good?"

The three men nodded, and Regina shooed them away. She didn't see Emma mutter something as they passed her, and they gave small salutes. Regina had already started separating everything else based on who was left. Henry jogged over with her phone, and he gestured to the number for the pizza place. Normally, she would cook, but she was in no mood to do so. And she had no desire to make Granny do it either. So she sighed and turned to Ruby.

"Can you give me a moment?"

"Sure, I am in no rush. Not with this story being juicier than Sean and Ashley getting a divorce."

"Wait, really?" Henry asked. "I thought he and Ashley were fixing things."

"Nope, Ashley couldn't forgive him for cheating."

"So she asked for it?"

"Mhm, and she's looking for spousal support since he makes more than her at the bank."

"Wow," Henry said. "Talk about a plot twist."

"Are you two finished gossiping?" Regina asked dryly.

"For now. I have to tell him about Jasmine and Eric's little rendezvous at the Rabbit Hole."

Regina rolled her eyes and dragged Henry over to Tobias.

"Are there any food allergies or preferences here?" she asked.

"Not that I know of. We ate whatever we could."

"How much do you think they can eat?"

Tobias snorted and said, "Enough to put you out of a home, I assure you."

"Noted. Thank you." Regina tugged Henry back to Ruby and rubbed her eyebrows, trying to think of what to get for the group. In the end, she over ordered and hoped for the best. "Order fifty large pizzas. Get twenty pepperoni, twenty deluxe with sausage, and ten cheese. Add five orders of those knots that you like, and please, get me a salad," she said.

Henry finished typing the order and said, "Got it. Do you want me to get any drinks?"

"No, the kind of drinks these men want have an age requirement."

"Sweet! Can I -

"Absolutely not. Go," she said.

"Worth a shot."

Henry went into the kitchen to make the call, and Ruby side-eyed her.

"Do you want to give me your card and go get the probably insane amount of beer they'll want?"

"Probably."

"Okay. But these wouldn't happen to be the pirates who came in on that funky ship I saw earlier? The one that has mysteriously vanished from the docks," she said.

"These are those pirates, yes," Regina admitted.

"Okay. I won't push, but why?"

"They needed to shower."

"Most pirates do, but why here? Why you?"

"One sec." Regina turned around. "Sorry, I meant to say this earlier, but I need the rest of you to please remove your shoes and place them in this corner. I would rather you not track dirt and fish remains through my home."

Emma rolled her eyes at the comment but took off her boots. The rest were quick to follow, and one of the men raised their hand as they settled back down. Regina squinted at him. She knew he was a twin, but she couldn't remember which twin it was, and he smiled.

"I'm Gregory," he said.

"Right, right. I apologize. What can I do for you, Gregory?" she asked.

"Um," he paused and glanced at Emma, who gave a short nod. Gregory sagged in relief and continued, "Would it be okay if some of us caught a quick nap while we waited?"

"Of course?" she said, confused.

Gregory, and a few others, immediately lied down and put their hats over their faces, and Regina looked at Emma. Emma just shook her head, and Regina figured that was a conversation for a later time, or one of those things she'd have to accept and move on.

"Weird," Ruby muttered.

Regina was about to respond when Mikal, Simmons, and Reuben appeared, freshly showered and re-dressed. Regina blinked and looked at the clock. They had only been in there for ten minutes, if that long. She was about to call the next three when Emma whistled sharply.

"Gregory, Grayson, and Vik, get your shit. You can nap longer if you shower now," she said.

The three jumped up and went over to Regina, who pointed out their bundles. They then waited for directions, and she sent Vik downstairs, and Gregory to the one upstairs. Grayson half-shuffled past Emma, and she patted him on the shoulder. Reuben, Mikal, and Simmons joined some of the men on the floor, and they were asleep within minutes.

"What the fuck?" Ruby whispered. "That was crazy, right?"

Regina nodded in agreement. The pirates who went to sleep first were already knocked out, softly snoring and comfortable on what should have been a hard floor, but they looked as if they were getting the best sleep of their life. The rest were relaxed and waiting for their turn. And then it hit Regina. They were on solid land, protected from the elements, and safe. Their behavior was that of someone at peace after constantly being on edge. And Regina knew that kind of peace. It was hard to come by, and she promised herself she would never take it from them.

"So are you going to give me the basics of what's going on or keep staring into space?"

"It's complicated."

"Like sleeping with your ex when you're married, or falling in love with your best friend even though she's straight and engaged?"

"What?"

"Hey, those are real scenarios. But how complicated are we talking about here?"

"My soulmate came to Storybrooke and brought a bunch of drama with her, but she's already the love of my life, and I want her to fuck me until I pass out."

Ruby blinked and said, "I think that might be the first time you have ever been so -

"Crass?"

"Honest," Ruby snorted, holding out her hand. "Give me your card. I used all that cash you sent me, which, by the way, scared the shit out of Granny. Two hundred bucks don't appear out of thin air like that, and she almost changed religions."

"I wasn't aware she believed in God."

"She doesn't, but she was close to praying big time when that envelope showed up."

Regina chuckled and pulled out her wallet, handing Ruby her card.

"What kind am I getting?"

"Beer is beer after the first three," Regina deadpanned.

"Got it."

"Oh, take my car too."

"Seriously?"

"Please don't make me regret this, but you walking back from the store with eighteen boxes of beer will attract all types of attention."

"And me loading it into your Mercedes won't?"

"Jeremy can be discreet. Tell him who sent you, and pull around back."

"Regina, how many times have you ordered so much alcohol that you needed discretion?"

"I was housebound for a year with a son who hated me," Regina pointed out. "Jeremy understood and made concessions."

Ruby shook her head and said, "I'll be back soon. And when I return, we're going to circle back to the whole fucking your brains out comment. I have questions."

"Go," Regina said, pushing her toward the door. "And get me a whiskey, please!"

Ruby saluted and left the house, and Regina blew out a long breath. She had a half second before she recognized the warmth at her back, and she glanced over her shoulder.

"May I help you?"

"Curious to see if we have exhausted you yet, your Majesty?" Emma whispered in her ear, hands gliding along her waist.

Regina hummed and allowed herself to lean back into Emma's embrace, and she said, "Not quite."

"I see."

"Tell me about the company you keep. How did you end up with so many boys at your beck and call?"

"In our world, boys become men at a young age." Emma rested her chin on Regina's shoulders and clasped her hands over her stomach. "It seems to me, my Queen, that you lived in your castle for far too long, forgetting about the lost boys and girls that never make it to Neverland," she said.

"Enlighten me then, pirate."

"Very well." Emma turned them around so that Regina was facing the group. Tobias had succumbed to his own exhaustion and was propped against the wall, sleeping with his hood over his face. Emma subtly pointed to Grayson and Gregory, who were making their way back into the living room with Vik. "Grayson and Gregory were pickpocketing in the streets when I found them, barely old enough to dress themselves without help. I gave them a place on the ship in exchange for someone to mop the deck whenever the others were too hungover to get their asses out of bed. Reuben, Biggie, and Vik grew up in an orphanage where most of the money went to the caretakers instead of the home or the children. I found them half-conscious in an alleyway next to a puddle of their own piss.

"Simmons, Mikal, Ulrich, and Radson are former merchants who were left for dead by their own men because they refused to help murder children and women during a village raid. I found them almost starved to death on a raft, floating at sea. Timmy, Harlan, and Witt were prisoners in Wonderland, Isaac, So-So, and Poor Boy are stowaways I picked up from Agrabah, and Zack saved my life when a bunch of wannabe pirates jumped me on my way back to a tavern. I know their stories, they know mine, and I swore my life to them the moment they joined my crew. They are good boys who became even better men, and the ones that still have growing to do, are protected from a world that only wants to harm them They needed to feel safe, and they do here," she said.

Regina watched Zack, Ulrich, and Isaac head to the bathrooms, not surprised they came up with a system of their own in her absence, and the other three joined the group in resting. She glanced back at Emma.

"Your father taught you well," she said.

"He was a brutal and cold man with a heart of stone. I know who he was, and I accepted him from the beginning. I have to believe that Fate placed me with him because I would be safer there than wherever Snow wished to send me," Emma murmured. "And once I stepped back and saw him for the Captain that he was, I understood why he fought for and with his men. He showed me that protection and respect went a long way, much longer than fear and making them expendable. I expect greatness from them because I know greatness is in them, and I make sure they understand that the only thing standing in their way of becoming incredible sailors and men is themselves."

"Fear is not always a bad thing," Regina said.

"No, I suppose it wouldn't be when it was the very same weapon that you wielded and destroyed thousands of lives with. Tell me, what did you feel like when you watched your curse swallow villages whole? Did you hear them scream? Were they begging for mercy? Was their panic coursing through your veins like the sweetest drug?"

Regina closed her eyes and squeezed the hand still on her stomach. She hadn't thought about those days in a long, long time, but Emma had expertly pulled each memory from the depths of her mind and made her relive them.

"You miss it, don't you?" Emma whispered. "The carnage, the madness, the chaos."

Regina squeezed harder at Emma's hand, feeling her magic leak free and swirl around her, and she gasped when a foreign magic mixed with hers. Her eyes opened, and Emma's free hand was out in front, tendrils of black seeping from her palm and intertwining with purple. Regina could taste Emma's darkness, just like before in the apartment, except it was darker than anything she had ever experienced. More than anything she went through with the Dark One.

"You feel it now, don't you? What you've been missing?"

Regina bit her lip to keep from whimpering.

"Take it."

Emma's command was unnecessary, as Regina had already begun pulling their combined magic into her body. What Emma gave, she took, and her eyes rolled upward. Emma was the sole thing keeping her upright. There were no warning bells. No alarms. Just silence and the utter feeling of relief, as if she'd been carrying one half of a burden for her entire life.

The rest of the world faded away.

"Are you going to tell me the truth now?" Henry asked, coming into the room.

Emma nodded and ran her fingers through Regina's hair with one hand. When Regina collapsed, Henry was quick to escort Emma to the study. She spent half of that time reassuring him that Regina was okay, just sleeping. Naturally, his inquisition lasted until the food arrived. Emma wasn't upset. It was his mother, and Emma was essentially a stranger. Still, Emma was glad it was Henry and not Ruby interrogating her. She only agreed to stay with the men because Henry convinced her everything was alright, but Emma knew his reassurance was only a front. He would demand answers in private, and sure enough…

"Your mother's magic is resetting. Nothing painful or dangerous."

"What does that mean?"

"Your mother's magic was tainted," Emma said, frowning. "Like someone had been playing with it, making it weaker little by little. Regina would not have noticed, but I did when she used it to get us here. I needed her to relax enough to let her guard down, so I could go in and fix the damage. I gave her some of mine, so it might take a moment for her body to -

"Reset," Henry finished.

"Indeed."

"Okay."

Henry sat on the floor next to them with a plate of pizza and a soda.

"Can I ask you a question?" he said.

"Other than that one? Yes."

"What was it like? Growing up with Blackbeard?"

"Strange," she admitted. "I knew he was an evil man. I knew he had killed people. There are families out there who have lost someone because of him. There are realms still recovering from his incessant need to destroy what he could not have. If he could take it, he did. If he could break it, he did. If he could burn it, he did. Whatever he wanted, he did, and I saw the madness in his eyes when he spoke. I knew everything bad about him…"

Emma tilted her head and smiled.

"But this was the same man who taught me how to walk. He taught me how to swim. He taught me how to climb and fight and protect myself. He gave me my first sword, my first gun, my first hat, and my first Captain's coat. He bled for me, killed for me, and died for me. My father never raised his voice. He never raised a hand to me. I was his treasure, and he treated me like it. I am who I am because of him, and I am who I am in spite of him. Does that make sense?"

Henry bobbed his head and took a bite of pizza. She let him get his thoughts in order, and then he swallowed and twisted around.

"I hated her for a bit," he admitted. "In the beginning."

"Why?"

"At first, I thought it was because she was the Evil Queen," he said. "But then I heard her story, she filled in the pieces that weren't written down, and I understood her. She didn't have anyone by her side. No one supported her, loved her, and protected her. So when it all went bad, she was alone. Her Mom, Rumple, the King, and even Snow, they betrayed her in so many ways and at so many different times. Sure, most of her actions were awful, and there's a lot of blood on her hands, but it's - she's still my Mom. She's not completely Evil, but she's not good either. So I think I was mad because she didn't trust me enough to have her side. I hated her for not giving me a chance to protect her like she'd protected me."

"Children aren't supposed to protect their parents," she said.

"And yet that's all that we try to do," he shot back. Emma inclined her head in agreement, and Henry stared at the floor. "Look, I don't know if you're going to be good for her, but she's been waiting for you for a long time. You made her smile, even when she didn't know you. You gave her a reason to keep going, even when she didn't know if she would ever meet you in this lifetime. So if you are good for her, make sure you treat her the way your father treated you," he said, lifting his head. "She's your treasure. So protect it. Fight for it."

Henry visibly swallowed the rest of his sentence, but Emma got the hint.

"You are far too smart for a thirteen year old," she said.

"Or maybe you're not smart enough. When are you going to shower?"

"When she wakes up."

"Good because you are starting to stink."

Emma snorted and glanced at the woman in her lap, and she knew then that even after she avenged her family, leaving Regina - and Henry - would not be an option. Emma sighed and leaned back against the couch, closing her eyes. Her fingers never stopped moving through Regina's hair, and she never noticed the body watching through the crack in the door.

Ruby tiptoed away from the door and ran into a brick wall. She cursed, not used to someone getting the drop on her, and she turned around. Tobias looked over her shoulder into the room, then at Ruby again. He jerked his head further down the hall, and Ruby followed him. Once they were a safe distance away, Tobias folded his arms. He inhaled, exhaled, and clicked his teeth.

"Emma's safety has always been my priority," he said.

Ruby nodded slowly and said, "I can say the same for Regina and Henry."

"So we have an accord then? No one comes after my family -

"And no one comes after mine. Seeing as they are now one in the same -

"Our goals are aligned," Tobias finished.

"It would appear so."

Tobias held out his hand, and Ruby grabbed hold. They shook on the unspoken vow, and Ruby had the strangest feeling her life would never be the same again.