Regina stepped over the roots and pushed branches out of the way. Her best choice was to start at the source of the fire and backtrack to where Isabella might be. She smelled Blue's magic everywhere, and she scowled in annoyance. She took a step toward the right and paused when one tree caught her attention. Regina went toward it and placed her hand on the trunk. She sighed and closed her eyes, channeling a very underused aspect of her magic she hadn't used in ages. It reminded her too much of her mother, yet when she tapped into it, all she felt was her daughter. Regina opened her eyes and found herself standing in the same spot, except she was looking from the inside outward. It was strange being in a parallel world where everything was exactly the same until you looked a little closer and realized the clouds were a little denser. And that the air was a little thicker, and the temperature was a little cooler.

Regina followed the smell of smoke to a clearing behind the school, and she found Isabella on the ground with her back to a nearby tree. Ahead of her was the same large circle of fire that burned behind the school, except it was very clearly getting larger. Isabella was covered in sweat and dirt, and Regina stopped beside her with her hands on her hips.

"Your message was a little dramatic, but it got me here."

"How long did Kieran wait before she told you?"

"Well, it was past the ten minute mark, if that's what you're asking. This isn't the only fire burning up there. Or is it more like 'out there?' You've been secretive about this place since you were a kid."

"Because it's not easy to explain, especially for a kid. It's sort of like another realm, or rather it's a mirrored world to ours where the question is asked and answered what would happen if the Earth had no humans. On the average, this place is nothing but nature. Like a massive forest, but right now, you're seeing the school. But it's an illusion. Everything you see is a replication from my mind, but that building doesn't exist. You can't touch it or get close to it. The more you walk toward it, the further away it gets. The only things real here are the trees and the ground you're walking on. No humans were ever supposed to see it, but…"

Isabella got to her feet and shrugged.

"One day, this lonely kid lost her father and ran into the woods, wishing for a place where she could be alone. And I woke up here. This world protected and healed me. It gave me food, water, and shelter when I asked for it. It taught me how much I can do with my magic. It became my safe place, and now it's begging for my help. Mom, you - you have no idea how much pain it's in right now. You can't hear it, but I can. Your barrier is prolonging the inevitable."

"But why here? Why not out there?"

"Humans," she said. "In here, it's just me and the Earth. No distractions."

Some warning bells went off, and Regina frowned.

"How are we supposed to stop it?" she asked.

"Not we," Isabella said. "Me."

Emmett stood with Red and Belle by the bed. Em was still unconscious, but the black lines under their skin had receded. Their color was coming back, and they seemed to be through the worst of it. But there was still no response.

"It's like the sleeping curse," Belle murmured. "But without Regina, I can't tell."

"Yeah, Kieran's not the curse expert," Emmett said. "She has no idea what Em was given."

Red winced and said, "There is someone else we can ask, but none of us are going to like it."

"That's a bad idea," Belle sighed.

"A really fucking bad idea," Emmett added. "But if Mom is stuck helping Bella, and Kieran is on this one woman mission to kill everyone, we have very little choice."

"Gold is a selfish asshole," Red said. "But he also helped bring you guys back."

"And he has a lot to lose with Em being out of commission," Belle said. "Gold needs all the players on the board. Without one, his plans fall apart, and he can't manipulate the game to fit his needs."

Emmett rubbed his face and tried to think of any other option, but he couldn't.

"One hour," he said. "If this doesn't change in one hour, we go to Gold."

"And if it does change?" Ruby asked.

"Then we better hope Mom and Bella finish sooner rather than later."

Regina and Isabella stood face to face, emotions running wild, and Isabella tugged at her hair.

"Mom, we've been at this for twenty minutes! You can't change my mind."

"There has to be another way."

"You weren't even supposed to know that I was doing this!" Isabella blurted out. "Kieran fucked up my whole plan when she came into the woods to find me."

"Excuse me?"

Isabella groaned and dragged her hands down her face.

"Fuck, Mom, the moment I came in here and saw the fire, I knew there was only one way to handle it. Kieran walking into the woods wasn't planned, so I improvised. She would have thought something was up if I hadn't asked her to give you a heads-up or mentioned you at all. I never…" Regina stared at her in growing disbelief, and Isabella rubbed the back of her neck. "Kieran would have never let me do this had she known what I was up to, and she was trying so hard to come in here with me to help. So I lied and made her think it was an easy fix. Those ten minutes would have been enough time for me to do it, but I changed my mind. I didn't want you to-

"Find my daughter lying dead after some sacrificial bullshit?" Regina finished. "Thank you, truly, for considering me. I really appreciate the thought process behind it."

"Mom -

"Isabella, you have done some stupid and impulsive things in this lifetime, but this? This takes the cake. I can't believe you were going to come in here and think it'll be fine if you save the town but die while doing it!"

"If that barrier breaks in here, the barrier breaks out there, and that fire spreads. No one will be able to stop it if that happens! Not you, not Rumple, not Kieran, or Em - no one! No matter how much magic you throw at it! Thousands of people could get hurt or die. Has that not clicked for you? That means Henry and Jess and Red and Granny -

"But that does not mean I have to be okay with losing my daughter! Do not ask me to do that. Don't you dare make me say goodbye to you when we can find another way."

"But there isn't."

Isabella swiped out her hand and had Regina wrapped in vines before the woman could blink.

"Isabella!"

Regina struggled against it, and Isabella knew in a magic fight, she would lose against her mother. So she cheated a little and pushed out with her hands, sending Regina further into the woods, hopefully buying her enough time. Isabella turned and hesitated before she ran headfirst into the fire. In the distance, she could hear the vines snapping and breaking, and she closed her eyes. She raised her arms out to the side and bowed her head, pulling the flames into her body.

Isabella didn't anticipate how it would feel, but it was nothing but searing pain. She grit her teeth and fell to her knees. She tried to imagine it like a towel, soaking in the excess, except her organs felt like they were being roasted alive. And then there was relief, a cooling sensation starting from the arms wrapped around her from behind.

"When will you ever learn?" her mother whispered in her ear.

Regina tightened her grip.

"I always find another way."

Kieran was in the study with Kara, Red, and Killian discussing what to do with Leroy when the door opened.

"Mom?"

Regina glanced at the others and silently conveyed she wanted to be alone with her daughter. Kara, Red, and Killian left, and Regina closed the door.

"Where's Bella?"

"Your sister is fine. She is unconscious in the woods behind the school."

"Wait, you left her -

"I will always love your sister, but…believe me when I say the last thing I need is to be around her right now."

"What did she do this time?"

Regina walked over to her decanter. She filled her glass with a healthy amount of scotch and started laughing, but it was hollow and reminiscent of those days back in the Enchanted Forest.

"It would seem the two of you have a lot of things in common. Including this disgusting and stress-inducing self-sacrificial attitude that will send me to an early grave. And if I ever have to save another child from dying, I will kill you three and save myself the trouble in the future."

Kieran was about to ask what she meant when it clicked, and she frowned.

"She said she was coming back."

"Yes."

"But she wasn't."

"No."

Kieran inhaled and turned on her heel, storming out of the study and out of the house. When the front door slammed, Regina called out for Kara. The superhero appeared, and Regina jerked her head.

"Go after her, but do not interfere. Understood?"

Kara nodded and sped after Kieran, and Regina placed her drink against her head. There was another knock on the door, and Emmett poked his head into the room. He was upset, obviously having heard what Regina said, but he didn't have the same relationship with his sisters that they had with each other.

"Come in here to keep me company while I hope your sisters don't kill one another?"

"They'll fight, and it'll be bad, but they'll be fine. They always are. I came here because I figured you would want a distraction. We can't figure out what they gave Em. Belle thinks it's a sleeping curse, but…" he trailed off with a shrug, and Regina finished her drink. She put the cup down and kicked off her shoes. She was tired and wanted nothing more than a nap, but she did need the distraction.

"After you," she sighed.

Emmett put his arm around her and led her out of the room. Neither one said it out loud, but his words rang a little flat. History proved the girls would figure it out, but Regina couldn't help but think that maybe Bella went a little too far in testing Kieran's forgiveness.

Bella gasped as she opened her eyes, and she rubbed the cold spot on her chest. She looked over to the side, noticing that she was back in Storybrooke, and the fire was gone. The only thing left was a large patch of burnt grass, but it was something that could be fixed. She frowned when it hit her that she was alone.

"Mom?"

There was a brief pause before -

"Not quite."

Bella slowly looked to the opposite side, and her stomach flipped inside out.

"Shit."

Kieran's face was clear of emotion as she flicked her wrist. Bella yelped as she was lifted off the ground into the air. She flailed as she was tossed and turned by a cold and vicious wind, and when it stopped, she went careening toward the ground. Bella threw out her hands to slow her impact yet still hit the ground pretty hard. She groaned and pushed herself back to her feet.

"Gonna go out on a limb and say Mom told you what happened?" she asked.

"You think this is funny!?"

"No, no, of course not. I thought -

"Shut up." Kieran swirled her hand, and Bella was encased in a block of ice up to her neck. "I can't believe you!"

"Kieran -

"I said, shut up! You can't talk your way out of this. You looked me in my eyes and made me think you were coming back. You lied to me as if it were the easiest thing in the world, and you have the audacity to crack a joke about it! Tell me, do you remember when you said how we are a package deal? How you would never brace a blizzard without me, and I would never run into a fire without you? Or what about when you promised to communicate and listen? Or to trust me and be there for me!"

"Please, let me explain -

"No. There is nothing you can say to me right now that will change a damn thing." Kieran released Bella from the ice and stepped back. "You want my forgiveness? You have it. You did what you thought was best, and I respect that. I did the same thing, and you were more than right to be angry with me then. So it would be hypocritical of me to not give you a little grace. But you lied to me. You smiled and acted as if it was no big deal that you were going to do something that would potentially end your life. That…"

Kieran played with the ring on her finger before she removed it.

"In faith and loyalty, our blood runs true. And in honor and love, our bond will never falter." Kieran scoffed and tossed it at Bella's feet. "Consider this a formal disintegration of my oath to you. We keep hurting each other, and I am tired. So, from here on out, I owe you nothing, and you owe me nothing."

Kieran walked off, and Bella watched her go. She couldn't get her mouth to move, her legs to go, or her hands to reach out. She looked down at the ring and knelt down, picking it up.

Kara flew high enough that neither of them could see her, but she heard and saw everything. She took her eyes off of Kieran and focused on Bella, and Kara hated how some people said hearts couldn't actually break. Because at that moment, hundreds of miles above the ground, Kara heard one shatter into a million pieces.

Regina lay on the bed next to Em and ran her fingers through their hair. It was a sleeping curse, that much was obvious, and it was easy to kiss Em and wake them up. But the blonde was exhausted and fell back asleep under their own volition. She closed her eyes and ran her free hand over her ear, stretching her senses to the rest of the house. She knew Bella nor Rosalie were home, which she expected when Kieran came home without her ring and immediately disappeared into her room. Regina knew they needed to get past Snow and Charming before she could even humor mediating her daughters' relationship. Regina listened to her family - but then it hit her. She gasped and shook Em's shoulders until they woke up.

"What? What?" Em said groggily, shooting straight up.

"Henry! Where is he?"

"Neal has him," they said. "He texted that he was taking him for the day."

"You let him skip school?"

"Look, I didn't want the drama, alright? Plus, aren't you glad I did? You know, with the whole fire and everything?"

Regina scowled and said, "Just call Neal. I want to hear Henry's voice."

Em groaned and leaned over, reaching down to dig around in their pants pocket before they grabbed their phone. Em dialed Neal's number and put the call on speaker.

"Emma! Thank God, I was so worried! Where are you? We've been waiting for you for hours!"

Frowning, Em glanced at the screen and said, "Snow? Why do you have Neal's phone?"

"He's in the bathroom. I saw your name, so I answered. Where are you?"

"Why are you with Neal?"

"We were having dinner with Henry. Something you promised to be there for, remember?"

"What are you talking about?"

"David said you agreed to it this morning at the station."

"I feel like maybe that hit to the head I took is making things a little foggy because David wasn't even at the station this morning."

"You got hit on the head? When? Oh, God, Emma! Where are you?"

"I'm in the woods," Em lied.

"Why are you in the woods? You said you were on desk duty today."

Em squinted at the phone, and Regina cocked her head with a strange expression. Then, she placed the call on mute and said, "Okay, we were wrong. I know what potion they gave you."

"I thought you said it was a sleeping curse?"

"Emma? Are you still there? Emma?"

Regina sneered at the phone as she said, "That's what it looked like, but there's a curse that mimics the sleeping curse. David gave you a memory spell. It erases a specified time in your life and replaces it with fabricated memories, kind of like what I did with the Dark Curse. It takes a lot of magic, and it can be dangerous because the person will never recover those memories unless it's stopped while they were unconscious. Had I gotten here after you woke up, there would have been very little I could do for you. You would be exactly who Snow and David wanted you to be and remember exactly what they wanted you to remember."

"Hello? Emma! Emma, can you hear me?"

"So because you woke me up with a kiss," Em said, "you stopped it?"

"In short," Regina deadpanned.

"Aw. My hero."

Regina shot them a dirty look, then she leaned over and took the call off mute. Em bit their lip to keep from snickering and finally answered Snow.

"Sorry, I think I hit a dead zone," they said. "Anyway, I was getting some files out of the cabinet earlier and snapped my head up too fast; knocked myself out for a bit."

"Oh, Emma, you really shouldn't be exerting yourself so much. That's why you have your father and Neal to help you. A good Sheriff is only as good as her deputies."

Em flinched hard, and Regina placed her hand on their arm.

"Right," Em said. "Of course."

"Now, are you on your way? The lasagna is warming in the oven, but I don't want to dry it out."

"Oh, I love lasagna," Em said, glancing at Regina.

"Great! Then it'll be ready when you get here."

"Cool." Em took a chance and added, "Is Henry with you tonight or Regina?"

"Why would Henry be with Regina?" Snow asked slowly.

Em realized the misstep too soon, but they recovered and said, "I don't know. That kind of just came out."

"Oh, I see. You seriously must've hit your head a lot harder than you think if you're forgetting Regina lost custody of Henry several months ago. He still hasn't accepted the news, and he locked himself in the room. So, if you could please get here and explain to him that we're telling the truth, that would be great."

"Yeah. Yeah, okay, sure. I need to finish up out here, and then I'll be over."

"What are you doing in the woods, anyway?"

"Looking for Leroy. I saw him running around earlier covered in blood."

There was a heavy pause before Snow said, "Oh, your father can handle that. Just get here."

"What?"

"I said -

"Can you hear me?"

"Emma, are you still there?"

"Hey, I think - call - dead zone -

Em hung up and tossed the phone back to the floor. They covered their face to muffle their scream, and Regina pursed her lips.

"It would seem Snow has erased me from your life completely," she said.

Em dropped their hand and looked up, saying, "And yet…"

"And yet." Regina bent over and kissed Em on the lips, smiling. "Here you are," she said.

"Here I am," Em murmured, kissing Regina back. "But you do know I'm going to have to go over there and rescue our son, right?"

"Yes, but you will not be going alone."

"Oh?"

Regina smirked and patted Em on the stomach.

"Get dressed, dear."

Regina leaned against the wall with her arms folded. Killian and Charlie sat on the couch, Em on the floor in front of them, and Emmett and Kieran took up the love seat. Red was there with Belle while Granny made tea in the kitchen. Sam, Jess, and Ruby were upstairs, choosing to sit the rest of the night out after the stressful morning. Kara was outside on the roof, and Kieran made an offhand comment about meditation. Everyone left it at that. Regina glanced at her children, seeing the empty spot between them, but then Emmett's head snapped to the door. It opened, and Isabella came in with Rosalie. She immediately went over to Kieran. Kieran stared at her impassively, and Isabella tapped her fingers against her thigh.

"I make emotional decisions that have consequences that I rarely consider, and I make excuses for them when they happen. I push people away when all I want is to keep them close. I fight and I curse and I can be mean for no reason at all. I can be an awful human being to the people that I care about. And I always thought that if I ever lost Emmett, I could recover, but I would be empty. If I lost Mom, I would know pain every day, but I would push myself forward. But I knew that if I ever lost you, my world would be over. And right now, I am looking at the end of all that I know, and I am hanging on to the tiniest of hope that you will see me and smile again. That you will feel that warmth that I do when I look at you. That I have regained your trust and your love."

Isabella hunched in on herself for a moment before she straightened and tucked her hair before her ear.

"I cannot do life without you, and I do not want to do life without you. I should have never walked into the woods today. I should have never looked you in the eyes and promised something I had no intention of keeping. I should have listened to you, to Mom, and I should have never put my mate in that position either. I made a decision that impacted more than me, and I will spend the rest of my life apologizing for it and showing you that I will never do it again."

There was a pause after she finished, and Kieran tilted her head. She stood and put her hand on Isabella's neck, and Regina saw the shudder that went through her daughter. Isabella returned the favor by putting her hand on Kieran's, and Kieran's eyes closed. Eventually, they broke apart, both crying for what Regina assumed were similar reasons, and Kieran held out her hand. Isabella dropped the ring into her palm, and Kieran sat back down. Isabella nodded once and went to Rosalie on the other side of the room. Em cleared their throat, and Regina pushed off the wall.

"Now that we are all here," she said, "we need to discuss our next steps. Snow and Charming have done everything in their power to hurt everyone in this room. But with Blue gone, we have the upper hand. But do not underestimate them. We have no idea if they had contingency plans. We never expected them to go this far, but that was a mistake on our part. Right now, they have Henry, and they will not hesitate to use him as a bargaining chip, unfortunately. But a divided Snow and Charming is a lot easier to take care of than a united front."

"Meaning?" Killian asked.

"We separate them."

"And how do we do that? You know Charming won't leave Snow's side for anything," Red said.

"He might," Regina said. "He has a sense of honor that can't be denied, even for his True Love."

"Again, what does that mean?"

"Is Leroy down in the basement still?" Kieran asked.

"Yeah, why?"

Kieran and Regina went down the stairs and turned on the lights, finding Leroy hanging from the ceiling. His chin was tucked against his chest, but he was awake. Regina hung back while Kieran picked up a knife from the table and jammed it into his stomach. Leroy cried out.

"Good, you're awake. I need your assistance," she said.

"Fuck you!"

Kieran twisted the knife, and Leroy screamed. Satisfied, Kieran pulled the knife out and tossed it back on the table.

"I need you to get Charming to come to your rescue"

"Screw you, you wicked bitch! I ain't doing shit for you!"

"Not willingly, no." Kieran reached in and pulled out his heart. "But when are you going to learn that in my family, sometimes it is less about what you want to do, and more about what you need to do."

Across town, far from his family, Henry sat on his bed and swung his feet back and forth. Something that Henry never appreciated was being underestimated. He was a child, sure, but he wasn't an idiot. Ever since his grandmother found out about his brother and sisters, she started sneaking around with Blue and the dwarves. It made him nervous enough to go to his father, who he thought would be on his side, but he wasn't. Neal told Snow, and one cup of hot cocoa later, he woke up in the loft and locked in his bedroom. Then they were saying that Regina wasn't his mother, that he hadn't lived at the mansion since he was a kid, and Henry knew it was a lie. But they kept telling him that everything would be explained at dinner. But on top of it all, it was strange to think that his grandmother drugged him, and that his father betrayed him, but…

Henry sighed and stopped swinging his feet, choosing to stare at the window. He hadn't eaten in a few hours, mostly because he was scared, but also because he knew he wouldn't be able to hold it down. He was afraid for his family. Not the one that showed their true colors, but the one that made him feel safe and answered all of his questions, especially Em. That was a surprise for him, but at the same time, not really. Em had always been different, and Henry was excited to get to know his new parent.

If only he could figure out a way to get out of the loft.

Henry had no phone, no way of getting out, but he had a very desperate idea that would probably get him hurt enough that his mother would sense it. She always knew when he was hurt. So, it was worth the try.

Right?

Henry snatched a pillow cover and wrapped it around his tiny fist. He saw it in a movie, so it couldn't be that hard. Henry placed it against the window and closed his eyes. He drew his arm back, and with as much strength as a ten-year-old could, he slammed it forward.

Except the window didn't break.

Henry didn't register the pain at first, but when he did, his eyes widened. The door to the room swung open, and Charming stared at Henry, then his fist. Henry heard someone screaming, and it took him far too long to realize it was him. Charming ran over to him and held his hand.

"Dammit!" Charming shouted. "Snow!"

Snow sped into the room, and then she saw Henry. She dropped down beside him.

"What happened?" she asked.

Henry couldn't find it in him to tell the truth, let alone lie, and all he did was cry.

"Snow, this is really bad. We have to take him to the hospital," Charming said.

"We can't. You know that!"

"His hand is broken," he exclaimed. "We can't let it set wrong, or he'll be in worse pain."

Snow dropped her head into her hands, and Henry was starting to think she would cave, but she didn't.

"I'll grab some ice. Emma will be here soon, and we can go from there."

"Snow -

"Please, you've trusted me this long. So I need you to trust me now. Emma's already on her way, and Neal is in place. We're almost there. Just a little longer, please."

Snow kissed him on the head and left, and Henry couldn't believe it. Charming sighed and picked up Henry.

"Let's -

Charming stopped when his phone vibrated, and he dug carefully in his pocket. He pulled it out, and Henry was in too much pain to try and eavesdrop.

"Hello?"

Charming frowned.

"Leroy, what - yeah. Okay, okay, calm down. I'll be right there. Let me take care of something, and I'll come and get you. Keep pressure on it, okay?"

Charming hung up and looked at Henry. Then he sighed and shook his head.

"I need to go. Go to the kitchen, and Snow will get you some ice. When Emma gets here, she'll take you to the hospital."

"But-

"It'll be fine, Henry. It'll all work out, I promise."