Title: Home Is Where The Heart Is
Fandom: Once Upon a Time
Characters: Emma Swan, Regina Mills, Henry Mills, Captain Hook, Walsh, Snow White, Prince Charming, Granny, Zelena, Robin Hood
Category: Romance, Angst, Drama, Memory Loss (I mean, it's Once. According to canon it's not possible to write a story without memory loss.) Canon Divergence AU
Rating: M, for swearing and such
Word count: 57,406 (total)
Summary: Emma Swan is no one's fool. She's certainly not going to drink the strange liquid that the creepy Ren Faire Reject that's been stalking she and her son is offering her in the middle of the street - even if they are in front of a police station. So what's a girl to do? Nothing but go home and get engaged to the great guy in her life. And everything is pretty amazing until her son disappears without a trace. Then she has to go track him down in some tiny town in Maine populated by the strangest people she's ever met and a woman her son has unexpectedly bonded with.
Spoilers/Timeline: For Season 3, beginning with "Going Home"
Author's Note: Many thanks to Oparu for the beta and Race for the suggestions. This fic is better because of them.

Regina sat in her study, a glass of "something stronger" in her hand, with her legs crossed at the knee. She was alone. It was late and she was the only one still awake. Emma had gone to bed around the same time Henry had, never coming back downstairs after she had gone up to make certain that his teeth were brushed. Regina hadn't been waiting for her exactly, but they hadn't spoken - really spoken - to each other since it had happened. Emma wouldn't even meet her eye, looking somewhere just over Regina's shoulder or over her head. Once she had even caught Emma looking below her eyes, significantly below. Regina had arched an eyebrow and when that had gone unnoticed, given a little cough. Emma's eyes had snapped up and upon realizing that Regina had seen her, flushed all the way to the roots of her hair. After that, Emma had avoided her even more studiously.

There was a sharp, rapid knock at Regina's door, muffled by the thick walls of Regina's study. Setting her glass down with reluctance, Regina rose to answer it as she tried to ignore the exhaustion that had taken up residence deep in her bones. Before she had crossed the small distance between her study and the front door, the knock intensified into quick staccato bursts that wouldn't let up. With a glance toward the top of the stairs to see if this rude disturbance had woken Emma or Henry, Regina covered the last few steps quickly. She flipped the locks and yanked the door open, her other hand held low at her side, with her fingers curled up, ready to summon a ball of fire to her fingertips at an instant's notice.

"Snow?" Regina hissed taking in the woman before her. "What in the hell are you doing here at this hour of the evening?" She scanned the darkness beyond Snow for any movement even as she caught Snow's wrist and pulled her into the house. "There is something out there taking people and you thought it would be safe to stroll over here alone? Where is David?" she snapped, seeing no one and shutting the door behind Snow. She threw the locks as she waited for Snow's explanation.

"David is at home," Snow said, sounding very much like the teenager she had been when her father had denied her permission to go to a ball neighboring kingdom, fearing the journey might be too dangerous with the bandits that had become more and more fearless, even attacking carriages with the king's crest on them. "And I can take care of myself."

"No, you can't," countered Regina. "You can barely maintain your balance standing still." She was irritated because Snow was being an idiot, not because she cared. Because she didn't, not at all. "I repeat, why are you here?"

Snow drew herself up, or attempted to, but standing almost as wide as she was tall now, the gesture failed to deliver the impact she was looking for. Snow didn't let it stop her. "I saw you! You were kissing my daughter."

"Quiet," Regina snapped. "Don't be a fool." She glanced toward the stairs again, hoping against hope that both Emma and Henry still slept. When she saw no one at the head of the stairs, she grabbed Snow's forearm and drew her into her study, keeping a firm grip on her until Regina had shut the door behind them. Not convinced that precaution was sufficient, Regina cast a spell over the room to prevent anyone from eavesdropping. "Where is David?" Regina demanded. Surely he wouldn't be fool enough to allow Snow to come alone if he had known she was coming. Either he didn't know or he had followed Snow without her consent and that meant Regina needed to keep an ear out for the Charming idiot before he was caught up in the disappearances as well.

"Sleeping," Snow said, folding her arms over her chest. "He didn't see you kissing Emma today."

"And you managed not to tell him?" Regina murmured, raising her brows in mocking, stunned surprise.

Snow ignored her and focused her best dissapointed teacher expression on Regina instead. Regina hoped Snow wasn't counting on that to have any effect on her. "What were you thinking, Regina? She doesn't have any of her memories."

"You think I don't know that," Regina murmured, stepping back from Snow to collect her drink. "I-"

But Snow didn't let her finish what she was about to say. Hey eyes widened and she stared at Regina in bewilderment, comprehension rolling over her expressive features. She took a step closer to Regina and laid a hand on her arm. "Or is that what you were trying to fix, like Hook." Snow's brows furrowed. "Were the two of you together and we didn't know?" Her nose wrinkled and she looked grossed out. "I always thought there was something more than Henry between the two of you when Emma first came to Storybrooke. The way you fought was so..." She shook her head resolutely. "I don't want to know, but you two... you were in love?" She stared at Regina as if she had never seen her before. "Is that why you gave she and Henry those memories, a happy, wonderful life together? You wanted her to know what it was like to raise Henry. Oh, Regina!" She clutched Regina's arm tighter now and whatever utter shock this insane theory had provoked in Regina and stunned into silence was wearing off rapidly. "Were you trying True Love's Kiss to bring her memories back?"

"Enough, Snow!" Regina snapped, controlling herself enough not to push Snow away from her. As irritated as she was at Snow for making all these assumptions - and just how had she jumped from one kiss to true love in an instant - the woman's balance was too tentative at the moment to handle that. She took a careful step back instead, and yanked her arm away. "I can't believe I have to say this, but there was nothing going on between Emma and I before she left Storybrooke." At Snow's triumphant look, Regina rolled her eyes. "And there is nothing going on now either. Do I need to repeat that again so you'll understand me?"

"But I saw-"

Regina froze. Icy anger gripped her as she flashed back to another incident Snow had overseen. "Yes, dear," she purred silkily, stepping forward into Snow's space until there was only a breath of space between her and the swollen belly that preceded Snow. "And when you oversee things that are none of your business you immediately know every detail of that situation, do you not?"

For the first time, Snow faltered, her face going pale so abruptly that even in her anger, Regina shot out a hand to catch her. With only the pressure of her fingers on Snow's elbow, Regina guided Snow over to the couch and seated her on it before she paced away.

"I'm sorry," Snow whispered in a tiny voice. "I shouldn't have..."

"No, you shouldn't have," Regina said and paused to throw back the rest of the amber liquid in her tumbler. Then crossed the room to refill it. "But at least this time you haven't done anything I might regret?"

She glanced back to Snow and was reassured by a firm, quick, "No! No one knows."

"Good," Regina said. "I intend for it to remain that way." She took a deep breath. "I don't owe you any explanation."

"No," Snow said. "I suppose you don't, but Emma-"

"Isn't Emma right now," Regina cut her off. "You think I'm not aware of that, Snow? More than anyone except Henry." She shook her head. "We were almost friends in a strange way and now that woman isn't there. She remembers nothing of what we were or the things we had been through together. I miss her." The words were hard to say, even to Snow, talking like this where it was almost like talking to herself. "That doesn't mean I would do anything to take advantage of Emma. Now, or ever. We've fought many times and we may yet again someday, but it's always been a fair fight. I won't change that now. She kissed me." She looked back at Snow and wondered if the self-loathing and pain she felt was as evident on her face as it felt. Surely not. She had become far better at hiding her feelings than that, Leopold's one gift to her. "Is that good enough for you, Snow?"

"Yes, Regina," Snow said, still sounding like a small, chastised child. It was more irritating than the righteous fury that she had swept into Regina's home with.

"Good," Regina murmured, feeling anything but. "I'll call David to come get you," And swept out of the room to run into Emma, leaning against the wall as if she owned the place, her arms crossed casually over her chest. "Emma!" Regina exclaimed in horror, then relaxed as she remembered the spell she had cast over the room to muffle sound. There was no way Emma would have been able to tell what they were arguing about. "I thought you were asleep," Regina said, easing back from Emma, who had reached out instinctively to steady Regina and herself when Regina had crashed into her. The way her fingers slid down Regina's bare arms made her shiver.

Emma shrugged. "I heard noises. It sounded like an argument, so I came to check and make sure everything was okay." She was still refusing to meet Regina's gaze.

"Everything's fine," Regina said, as she shook off whatever surge of feelings Emma's hands on her had sent reeling through her body. "But you may not wish to go in the study. Mary Margaret Blanchard came over to speak to me. I was going to call David to come get her now." Emma had let go of her completely now. It shouldn't feel so disappointing.

"What did she want?" Emma said, looking concerned. "I didn't know the two of you were friends."

"We aren't," Regina said and knew even as she did that the words were a lie, whether she would admit it or not. Or perhaps it was more than that. They would never be the mother and daughter Snow had always so desperately wanted them to be, but they were something. Family. Even if there were times she still loathed Snow. Like now. Regina sighed. She would have to explain and she didn't want to. "I was married to Snow's father when I was very young," Regina admitted. "Sometimes it causes Snow to think of me as a mother figure. I never shared the sentiment, but there are times she forgets that." Regina grimace. "I suppose I was too adept at playing the part."

"You married Snow's dad?" Emma said, her eyebrows shooting up. "You're barely older than she is."

"Yes, well, it wasn't my choice," Regina snapped defensively. "My mother-" She bit the words off her words. It wouldn't make sense in the context of this world, not the way it had been meant to in the Enchanted Forest. It wasn't always easy here for women, but there she'd had no choice at all. "It doesn't matter. What's done is done. Excuse me, I need to call David before he wakes and worries."

"Regina," Emma called as Regina swept past her. When Regina hesitated, Emma held her hands out low at her sides and shrugged with one shoulder. "I'm sorry. It was none of my business. It sounds really fucked up but I shouldn't have made it sound like I'm judging. I've made enough shitty life choices. I don't throw stones at other people for what they do with their life." Her voice softened. "Especially not if it wasn't their choice."

Something that wasn't irritation was threatening to break free from the protective fury that was wrapped around Regina. She nodded once, sharp and quick, and then swept past Emma before it could.

Breakfast the next morning was a subdued affair. Regina had bought groceries so there was no need to venture out to Granny's. She was happy to have a chance to fix all of Henry's favorites. Henry who was still far too quiet with his face buried in one of his comics. Regina hoped Emma wasn't observant enough to notice it wasn't one that he had brought with him, but one of his favorite old issues that had resided for years on the bookshelf at the end of his bed. He reread it when he was feeling sad and needed a boost. Regina touched his shoulder as she set plates down in front of he and Emma. Henry smiled back up at her in appreciation, but his eyes still looked sad and reddened, as if he hadn't slept well the night before or had been crying. Regina wished she could ask. Instead she nudged his chin up with one crooked finger and gave him the smile that only the two of them had ever shared. "It will be okay," she said quietly. Regina hadn't forgotten that Emma was sitting there, but Henry needed her and she wouldn't let him down again.

"Thanks," he said softly, clamping his mouth shut a little too abruptly on what she suspected would have been a carelessly tossed off, "Mom." The words didn't matter though, because Henry threw his arms around her and hugged her right there at the table. Regina swallowed her automatic response to admonish him that this wasn't table manners and held him back, lightly stroking one hand through his hair until he let her go.

"This is really good, R'gina," Emma mumbled around a mouth full of food. "How did you learn to make hashbrowns like this?"

"Cooking shows, dear," Regina answered as she turned back to the stove to retrieve her own plate. She needed a moment to collect herself.

"Well, it's awesome. I make pretty mean scrambled eggs, but nothing like this. Your french toast is light, fluffy and crunchy." Emma poked at the delectable in question before shaking her head and carving off another huge bite with her fork and shoving it in her mouth.

There was a loud knock on the door before Regina could reply. Henry shot out of his seat and bolted towards the front door, with a shout of "I'll get it!" trailing him.

"I don't think-" Regina began.

"It'll be fine," Emma said. "I know there's some crazy stuff going on in town right now, but he should be fine in broad daylight, right?"

"Of course," Regina said and wished fervently she believed that.

"Mom!" Henry bellowed from the front door. "It's for you!"

Regina rose just as Emma slipped off her stool and called, "Coming, kid. Maybe it's one of the people I interviewed the other day," she said, as an aside to Regina. "Maybe they remembered something."

"Perhaps," Regina agreed noncommittally and sank back to her seat. It hadn't been her Henry was calling. It didn't sting, or it shouldn't. There were appearances to maintain, of course, but she didn't have to like it.

"Stay and finish eating," Emma said, when she noticed that Regina had risen. "You cooked all this for us. You should have a chance to enjoy it too." She flashed Regina a smile and actually met Regina's eyes for half a second before she ducked her head and dumped her plate in the sink, then went out to the foyer.

Regina was pushing her eggs around on her plate when she heard Emma happy cry. "Walsh!"

The fiance. Henry had told Regina his name the other day. Without another bite, Regina rose, scraped her plate off into the garbage and began the dishes.

"What are you doing here?" Emma blurted out in shock even as her body leaned into Walsh's hug on autopilot and turned her head to catch a quick kiss. His lips, dry and chapped, brushed across hers and Emma drew back to stand beside Henry, who was still holding the door. She dropped her arm over his shoulder and stuffed her free hand, the left one, the one without a ring on it, into her back pocket. It was a work thing, and she was here working. In Emma's line of work, it wasn't smart to flash around information about your relationship status or tempt an otherwise not upstanding citizen into jumping the bail bondsperson for a quick pay day. Walsh wouldn't understand though. She'd have to talk to him later. Until then, maybe she could just slip it back on before he noticed it wasn't there.

"I heard you were having a rough time of it," Walsh said, reaching out to ruffle Henry's hair affectionately. "And I thought maybe I could come cheer up two of my favorite people." He grinned at Emma. "I hope you don't mind."

What could Emma say to that? Walsh was a sweet man and it was a really sweet gesture. "Of course not. I had some work to do today. I need to follow up on a few things, but..."

"Just give me a few hours," Walsh turned up the winning smile a few notches. "It'll make your whole day better, I promise."

"Okay," Emma said against her better judgement. A day had already passed without the chance to look into Neal's death, but Henry had needed her. He always came first. This town was starting to get under Emma's skin. She wanted to find out what had happened to Neal. She suspected they were related to Neal's death and get back to the relative safety of the city with Henry. Most of all Emma wanted things to go back to normal. "What about you, Kid?" Emma asked, squeezing his shoulders in a gentle hug. "You up for some fun?"

Henry shook his head. "You go ahead. I think I'm going to stay here and read for a little while."

"Henry," Emma said pleadingly. She let her arm slip from around his shoulder as he stepped away from her. "Come on, kid. It might do you good to get out."

"Do I have to, Mom?" Henry asked. He wasn't being rude, but it was plain that he didn't want to go.

"No, you don't have to," Emma said. More and more it seemed like she had no idea what was going on with him these days. It hurt. Emma knew the teenage years were supposed to be hard, no matter who the parent and child was, but she and Henry had always been so close. It hurt more than it might have. "Make sure it's okay with Regina if you stay here," she murmured, summoning what she hoped was appropriate mom voice to cover what she was feeling. Less than five minutes later they were out the door.

Henry came came thundering down the stairs. How many times had Regina told him that one didn't need to sound like a rampaging herd of elephants when descending? Perhaps in a few more days, she would become annoyed with it again, but at the moment, she was still enjoying hearing him crash through the house.

"Hey, Mom," Henry called as he swung into her study. "Do you think it would be okay if I went over to Grandma's house for a little while? I haven't really had a chance to see them since we got back into town because Mom..." he shrugged and toe a wrinkle in the rug. Regina made a mental note to fix that.

"I don't see why not." She pursed her lips. "We just have to make certain your mother doesn't see you on your way over there and wonder why I'm allowing you to roam all over town."

"That and you're still worried about all the disappearances," Henry said matter of factly.

Regina smiled wryly, but didn't try to debate the point. "That too. Do you have everything you need?"

Henry nodded and hefted the backpack that was slung over one shoulder in response. "Got it."

"Excellent, then let's go," Regina said and held her hand out to Henry. He took it without hesitation. It didn't surprise Regina after the past few days, but it did send a little thrill through her heart. There had been days, weeks, months, when she had thought Henry would never trust her that easily again.

"What are we-" Henry started to ask, but his words were cut off as purple smoke flared up around them and engulfed them.

An instant later Henry was stumbling away from Regina, off balance from the translocation. Henry caught himself on the back of a chair and laughed. "You can do that and you still drive?"

Regina snorted. "It's considerable more difficult to accomplish with an armload of groceries, but I suppose it is one of the perks."

There was a delicate cough from the far side of the room. "We, uh, we didn't know you were coming to visit this morning, Henry," came Snow's voice, drifting over to them. Her usual cheer sounded strained.

Regina raised her eyes. She had a suspicion of what she would find, but she didn't want those suspicions confirmed. To her complete lack of surprise, she found Snow and David in bed. The covers were pulled all the way to their chins in a thoroughly unnatural way. Regina arched an eyebrow at them and Snow had the grace to flush. "Henry wanted to come spend some time with the two of you this morning. He hasn't had a chance to see you since he's gotten back," Regina explained.

"Of course," Snow said. "That sounds wonderful, Henry. We've missed you." Neither she or David made a move to get out of bed.

"Snow's been feeling bad this morning," David said apropos of nothing.

Regina rolled her eyes even as she caught Snow elbowing David beneath the covers. "Why don't you go up and look for that book you couldn't find at home, dear?" Regina suggested to Henry. "Maybe you left it here."

He wrinkled his nose. "So the curse just like put stuff back where we left it."

Regina shrugged. It was magic. "I suppose so. It can't hurt to look."

"Right," Henry said. This time, undistracted by the vagaries of magic, he took her hint and sprinted up the stairs to give his grandparents a moment.

"Do try to remain clothed while Henry is here," Regina commented as she turned her attention back to David and Snow. "I would prefer he not return any more traumatized than he already has been."

"Regina-" Snow started to explain, but Regina held up an imperious hand.

"Call me when he's ready to return home and I'll pick him up in the same way. Emma is venturing around town this morning and Henry was supposed to be staying home because he didn't feel like coming out. It would be hard to explain why he's with you." There. That was safer than saying that Emma was somewhere out around the town with her fiance. A stranger who never should have been able to get into Storybrooke - no small concern after the damage Greg and Tamara had done. But all Snow would care about was that he was Emma's fiance and if Regina knew Snow there would be an interrogation - of her. Snow would want to know what this meant, what he looked like, and if he seemed right for Emma. Regina had no answers and then, even worse, Regina didn't think Snow would be able to resist the urge to meet the man and meddle. No, it was best all around if Snow didn't know he was here. Regina didn't wait for Snow to reply. With a dramatic flick of her wrist, she was back in her own home again.

Regina took one step toward the stack of mail on the kitchen table and froze with the certainty that someone was in her home. No one should have been able to do that but she and Henry and now Emma. She was just about to take a closer look around the room to see what had been done when the phone rang. Regina took a careful step back, never stopping in her scan of the room as she reached for it. It might be Snow or David calling about Henry.

"Madame Mayor?" The oddity of hearing a strange voice speaking words that usually only came out of Emma's mouth combined with her battle-ready distraction threw Regina for a moment.

"Who is this?" she demanded. Fire flared in her palm. It burned white with the heat of her irritation.

"Robin Hood," the voice on the other side identified himself. "They said I should summon you on this strange device. We've captured the beast."

"Captured the beast?" Regina repeated, not bothering to hide her skepticism. "I heard that thing. I don't think your band of merry men took that thing down."

"I should say we captured one of them," Robin Hood continued. "We believe there are many more, which is why they seem so fearsome."

Regina rolled her eyes. Peasants! "Very well. Tell me where you are and I'll be there in a moment." She hesitated, a worrisome thought occurring to her. "Who was 'they'?"

"They?" Robin parroted back at her.

"The people who told me to call you," Regina explained. Her hand clenched tighter around the receiver.

"Ah, yes, it was Snow White and her Prince. The folk at the hospital suggested I tell them of this but when I did they directed me to you. They were watching a boy and Snow White is in no shape-"

Regina hung up on him and his long winded explanation. It was possible this was some sort of distraction to get her out of her home again, but Snow and David wouldn't be behind it. Someone impersonating them perhaps.

"Hello, Dear," someone sneered from behind her. Her back itched with the target that Regina had no doubt was on it as she pivoted on one heel to face her intruder.

"Can I help you?" Regin asked. She was the Evil Queen if some idiot thought they could come into her own home and frighten her, well they could think again.

"Oh, no, I'm doing just fine," the green woman said, with a wave of her hand that was meant to look casual. The loathing on her face as she stared at Regina said just the opposite. "Actually I'm here to help you."

"And how do you propose to do that?" Regina asked, skeptical that there was anything this woman wearing a ridiculous gaudy dress and an actual witches' hat - something that hadn't in fashion for ages even in the Enchanted Forest - could help her with.

"Why, by telling you what's going on here. It's delightful. You'll love it," the woman said with a confiding air.

Regina rankled at the implication this woman knew her at all. "Am I supposed to know who you are?" Regina asked as she made her study and dismissal of the woman in front of her plain, with a sweeping up and down glance at her.

There was a momentary flash of anger across the woman's face and then it was gone, or more accurately - buried. Regina took note. It would be easy to anger this one. She had learned over time and her own experiences that could be a liability. "No, I suppose you wouldn't know," the woman snarled. "You with your cushy, sheltered life. And let's not forget those pesky memory issues. Not so nice now that the shoes on the foot, is it?" She laughed. It wasn't a pleasant sound. "My name is Zelena and I'm your sister, dear."

It was Regina's turn to laugh. It felt good. "Neither of my parents were green, dear. I think you must be mistaken." Zelena's hands clenched into fists at her side and she looked like she wanted to break something, Regina preferably. It made Regina want to laugh again so she did.

"Think this is funny, do you?" Zelena hissed. "You won't be laughing for long, sis. Mommy dearest isn't around anymore for me to get my vengeance, so I'll take the only one I have left."

Regina folded her arms across her chest. This might have been amusing for a moment, but it was rapidly losing its appeal. "Should I even bother to ask, why me? I think I would have remembered meeting you, much less wronging you in some way." She could try a little logic while she pumped this idiot for information.

"Because you had it all - the magic, the kingdom, the riches, a life of privilege - and you threw it all away for nothing." Zelena took a step closer. "It should have been mine! I was the oldest, mother's first born. You were nothing."

"I don't recall seeing you around the old family estate, dear," Regina noted. She kept her voice just as calm as Zelena's was desperate and hateful. It would goad her even further and so far it was being very informative, even if Regina didn't believe half of what the woman was saying.

Zelena sniffed. "It doesn't matter. I'm going to fix it. She should have kept me. I wanted it and you," she sneered, tugging on the sleeve of Regina's dress and flipping a long curl away from Regina's face dismissively. "You didn't want it at all. I would have been better than she could ever have imagined."

"Kept you?" For the first time, Regina wondered if it could be true. But this was too good to pass up. Whether she was mother's daughter or not, Zelena's dismissal of her question meant there was another sore spot there. Regina would be more than happy to poke it. "No wonder I never met you, if she gave you away, dear. I'm sure she must have had a good reason," Regina said, with mock sympathy as she laid her hand on Zelena's arm.

"She was wrong," Zelena repeated, almost stamping her foot. Regina had almost forgotten what it was to fight like this, the rush of blood through her veins. The way every fiber of her body sang with the need for victory, and more than that, the need to crush her enemy beneath her heel.

"Prove it," Regina snapped. "Nothing you've said so far has convinced me you could be the daughter of Cora Mills. There's just been a lot of whining."

Zelena was close now, close enough that she reached out to touch Regina's cheek. Her fingertips ghosted along until her nails bit in and dragged down Regina's face. A drop of blood glistened on the end of one green nail as Zelena held it up between them. "Didn't you wonder how I got in here, Sis? Only family or blood could get through that seal."

Regina shoved her hand away, not caring that she had tipped her own hand with the gesture. "So you're going to kill me. Is that it? Let's get to it then. It gets tiring after so many attempts. Yours is one of many." She hadn't missed that weak spot. Zelena didn't like being ordinary, just the same as everyone else. Regina would exploit every flaw she could find.

"Oh, no," Zelena said as she drew back with a smile. Not quite the result Regina had intended. "I have something special planned for you. I could have done it all without telling you, but where would be the fun in that. I want you to know - to understand - what I'm about to do to you. You see, sister dear, right now my faithful minions are collecting the things I need and bringing them to me. But you don't care about that," Zelena said, with an airy wave. "You care about the boy, Henry." Regina stiffened. "I knew I'd gotten that one right," Zelena said. "You made it so obvious, but it's always nice to have confirmation. Don't worry. You'll get to see him again, before I kill him. Or should I leave him alive? I haven't decided which would be worse. Maybe you can help me decide. You see, I've decided to go back in in time to right some wrongs, fix things so I'm the daughter Mother keeps. With any luck, you won't even have been born," Zelena hissed. "Then neither will the boy. So what's worse? Knowing he will never have existed or watching him die in front of you." Zelena snapped her fingers. "I've got it. Why not both?"

Regina lunged for her, arms outstretched and fingers clawed. Instead of backing away or trying to shove her aside, Zelena laughed and threw her arm out, but her hand was open, not closed as if she were going to throw a punch. Too late Regina realized what she was doing, but then Zelena's hand was already inside her chest, her fingers wrapped around Regina's heart. Regina gasped for breath as those fingers tightened and dropped to her knees. There wasn't even a chance to fight. Her legs just gave way. How many times had she seen it happen to her own victims. Regina stared up at Zelena as she was held immobile against her will, even as every muscle in her body struggled to fight back for Henry.

Zelena stroked her cheek again, nails grazing the raw lines she had left before. "Thanks, sis. I needed this," she hissed and yanked Regina's heart from her chest. Regina sucked in a ragged breath and fell back against the bare floor, hitting hard with nothing to break it. "Enjoy," Zelena snarled and vanished in a whirl of green smoke.

Regina lay there for a moment until she could move - breathe - again. Then pushed herself to her feet and brushed her dress off. Zelena might have her heart - and Regina could feel the gaping emptiness in her chest, the vast nothingness where all her love for Henry should be - but Zelena was clearly still an ameteur. She hadn't commanded Regina not to fight against her. Maybe she wanted to see Regina try. It didn't matter. Regina had spent years, decades with her Huntsman's heart in her possession. She knew more about passive resistance than Zelena could ever imagine and as long as Henry's life was on the line she would never stop fighting. Mother had been heartless, but look at all that she'd accomplished. Horrible things, yes, but she had accomplished them. There was no reason that Regina couldn't save Henry, save them all. There was just one thing Regina needed first, The Savior. Not because Emma was the Savior, but because she was Emma, Henry's other mother, and together nothing could stop them when it came to saving their son.

One of the first things Emma had realized she had liked about Walsh was how easy it was to be with him. He was one of the most relaxed people she knew. Nothing flustered him. He hadn't blinked when Emma had mentioned what she did or that she had a kid. He'd known about Henry from the beginning when they'd gone into Walsh's shop. He never pressured her for more than she was ready to give in their relationship and he was always up for anything. Even when he had proposed and Emma had freaked out, it had come with a hundred release valves and get out of proposal free cards. None of that had changed. Being with Walsh was easy and sometimes easy was nice. It gave her a chance to relax and breathe for a moment, walking down mainstreet with Walsh's arm around her. She enjoyed his warmth and steadiness, but there was something that was bothering her and she couldn't quite place it.

They had been walking for a while, strolling really, when they came up to Granny's. Walsh saw her eyeing it because he grinned at her. "Need a bearclaw?"

Honestly, Emma wasn't feeling it. She was still stuffed from the magnificent breakfast that Regina had fixed for she and Henry, but that wasn't the expected answer. So she grinned and said, "Oh, yeah." Granny's bear claws were pretty awesome in their own right.

Walsh's phone rang just as they stepped inside. He winced and fished it out of his pocket. "Sorry, gotta take this. It's the shop. I left Phil in charge and you know how that is."

"Right," Emma said, although for the life of her she couldn't remember what Walsh had said about Phil before. Maybe the guy was new, but then why would Walsh have left him charge? Why not... Emma struggled to conjure up the name of any of Walsh's other employees. She had seen them that day at the shop and Walsh must have mentioned him in all the time they had been dating, but suddenly she couldn't recall a single individual name. There were a few 'that guys', but... it was odd.

"Okay, yeah, got it," Walsh said, from a few feet away where he'd stepped out of the meager flow of traffic in and out the door. "We're on then." He clicked his phone locked and slid it back into his pocket. He came out with a tube of chapstick at the same time he flashed Emma an apologetic grin. "Sorry about that." He applied a thin layer to his lips and leaned in to kiss her.

Emma stopped him with a hand on his chest. "How did you know things weren't going great here?"

Walsh laughed, glancing down at her hand. "I could tell when you called. It wasn't that hard, Emma."

"And that was enough for you to just drop everything and drive up to Maine," Emma said, alarm bells ringing more and more loudly in her head as she said it out loud.

"Of course," Walsh said. "I'm your fiance, Emma. I love you and Henry. I would do anything for you."

Emma tilted her head and let her hand drop from between them as she took a step back. "But you implied that Henry had called you when you got to the mansion."

"So?" Walsh said with a shrug and another little careless laugh. "Is it wrong for me and Henry to talk now? You know we text."

"No," Emma said slowly. "But the thing you don't know is Henry's not so happy about me agreeing to marry you right now. He got pretty upset and he ran away out here to find his biological father."

"Emma-" Walsh began.

"So," Emma kept going, ignoring Walsh's interruption. "If Henry didn't tell you and I didn't tell you either, how did you know where we were staying?"

Walsh reached for her wrist. Emma yanked it back just as quickly. "Sorry," Walsh said, holding his hands up in surrender. "Just give me a chance to explain?" He reached for her hand again and this time Emma let him take it. There was nothing he could or would do to hurt her with it, not in broad daylight on main street. Not when she knew very well how to take care of herself. He raised her hand to his lips as if he were going to kiss it when a cloud of dark, purple smoke erupted behind Walsh. Emma jerked away from him reflexively, stumbling back a step as the smoke disappeared and Regina emerged.

Regina looked her up and down and snapped, "We have to go. She has Henry and she's going to kill him."