A/N - Little fluff, big feels & a mighty reveal... or two.

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A pointy tongue poked out of a little mouth as Emma watched the now cool cookies being dished onto a plate. She pointed to the biggest one when Ruby asked which she wanted and bit into the gooey confection when it was placed in her hand, moaning in pleasure.

"Good?" Ruby tasted her own treat, smiling at how happy Emma looked. It had taken a lot of coaxing, but the promise of a cookie for helping bake made the little girl the Savior was forget why she was upset to begin with.

"So good!" Taking another big bite as the chime of the diner door caught her attention, beaming at the person who entered.

"I see someone managed to earn a treat." Regina opened her arms as Emma ran into them. "Oh, sweet one, it is good to see you smile." Kissing a little cheek and turned her grin to Ruby. "How was she?"

"Great! She even got done those math sheets you left with her."

Those had confused the wolf at first until Emma explained the purpose behind having to practice. Smiling now as she watched them hug. She knew her friends were really close and seeing their interactions with this side effect the last few weeks answered some questions about how close that was. Having observed the nurturing aspect of their relationship for a few years now, it made even more sense when Emma had willingly shared a few details of what the purpose of the spell was. That only further solidified the respect she and Granny shared for them.

At Emma's happy giggle over the Queen's affection Ruby marveled at how good it must feel for them to be so open with each other and she couldn't help feeling a little envious of them. Thoughts of almost having a taste of that freedom for herself at one point in the past returned. Stomach rolled when she recalled how it felt having that ripped away so suddenly and by the hands she least expected it to come from. Maybe it was time soon to consider taking a step outside the cage she kept herself in. Maybe that was the first step to healing her broken heart…

Regina studied the waitress wanting to question, but a quick glance at Emma had her reaching for a napkin instead for chocolate covered fingers. "Go wash your hands baby and get your things." Eyes followed little feet as they went to the restroom before finding the Ruby's again. Something raw there gave her pause and so she asked a different question. "How was Emma really?"

Grateful for the distraction. "Swan was bummed for while, but I bribed her with sugar. Seems to do the trick no matter what size she is."

Resigned to the fact that she was about to have a hyper six year old Savior on her hands the rest of the afternoon, Regina nodded still smiling. "Thank you for keeping an eye on her and Ruby, if you ever want to talk… about anything, let us know."

"I'll do that and hey, I meant what I said earlier. Granny and I want you to know that you both can count on our support." She put a reassuring hand on the Queen's shoulder. "We've heard some things from Snow. She's hurting and as her friend too, I get that, but it is obvious Emma wants to be with you even when she pretended to ignore you before you left earlier. She cried for like the first ten minutes."

"I appreciate that, more than you know. I'll be in touch, like I said."

Emma squeezed between them with Wonder Woman in clean hands a moment later. "Appreciate what?" Reaching for another cookie and sighing when the plate was pushed away by a royal hand.

"Appreciate Ruby and Granny's support. Say goodbye, the park is waiting and a surprise." She picked Emma up to her hip as the girl waved.

"Bye Ruby and thanks! What's my surprise?"

"Oh you will have to wait and see. I heard you were very well behaved while I was gone."

Beaming. "I was! I did all my math sheets and I even let Ruby check it. She helped me on a few I messed up, but one I right got all by myself."

"Such a hard worker you are. When we get home you can pick a sticker and we will put it on the fridge." Fishing out a new Marvel Hero pack from her pocket from the toy shop counter when she'd gotten the bike. Grabby hands took them happily.

"Mama, how come Ruby was sad today?" Asked as hands buckled her into the car.

"She was smiling when I picked you up." Then remembering earlier before the chat with Gold. "You didn't ask her?"

Green watched as the Queen got into the front. "I tried, but she said nothing… then I tried again and she still said nothing… and theeennnn a bazillion more times and she told me to put a little sock in it." Shoulders shrugged with a grin.

"Perhaps she will come to you when she is ready." Reaching over the back seat to tap a little nose. "Regardless, being cute when you are being noisy will only get you so far in life little swan."

Emma sneezed and they both laughed. The girl tried to guess the surprise on the way to the park and squealed with delight when the trunk was opened and her beloved bike, a similar version of it, was taken out along with a matching helmet. Happy tears fell down little cheeks as she hugged her Keeper, overwhelmed at the gesture. It took longer than she would have liked to have the helmet fitted and to get her balance on the bike, but the wind rushing at her when she pedaled off was worth the wait.

Sitting on a bench to watch, the Queen followed Emma along the bike path with a smile. The girl slowed down upon seeing a group of kids playing soccer on the frozen field and Regina noticed Gabe among them and Neal. She wondered what the child was thinking and more so when Neal approached Emma. They appeared to talk and even smile at each other for a few minutes before the girl continued riding her bike around for another half hour before braking back in front of the bench, content and pink cheeked.

"Neal says hi Mama."

"I noticed you talking with him earlier?" A gentle inquiry.

"I told him it was me and he said he knew already, that Snow had told him." Emma popped the buckle under her chin releasing the helmet. "He liked my bike… Can he come over tomorrow to play video games? He doesn't care what size I am… he's one of the only ones who seems to feel that way aside from you."

"And Granny, Ruby, and David, even Archie and Ashley." Reminding of the people they had in their court. A gentle test. "And when you are ready to consider it, I think Snow too."

Emma dropped her chin chewing on that idea. "Maybe." But not wild on how it tasted yet. "I saw Gabe too." Shifting gears and plopping down next to her Keeper. "I know it's not the version of him from our other life, but I still miss that friendship."

Regina draped an arm around small shoulders. "I know that hurts you, but you'll make some new friends and maybe he will be one of them. When you were talking with Neal, why didn't you say go say hi to Gabe?"

"I don't know when I'll be this size and it's not fair to him if that friendship can't be something he can count on."

Big knowing words from such a small mouth. Regina wished Emma wouldn't over think things so much. "Well… we will cross that bridge when we come to it." She'd make sure they would. The little girl beside her deserved friends. "Until then we will call David and see about Neal coming to visit tomorrow. That's a start."

Eyes bright over that idea. "Thanks for my bike Mama. I was really surprised. That was your appointment, huh?"

"One of them, yes."

"And the other one?" Curious still.

Sighing. "Mostly successful for what it was, but complicated at best."

Emma's nose wrinkled. "Is this one of those times I need to not bug you to tell me something cause I can't know yet?"

"Yes. I need to think some things through. I will explain it all to you one day, though that may be a while away." Thinking over the oath. There were a few things she could share, but that could wait a little while.

"Take your time Mama." Turning eyes to the cold pond as the wind picked up. Her Keeper didn't ask much from her directly and she wanted to start doing a better job at giving the same courtesies afforded her in return.

"How about we go home and try another magic lesson? You are getting quite good at levitating things."

"Sticker for my paper and TV first?" Always trying to negotiate tube time first.

"If you like." Relenting to TV in exchange for the smile she knew was waiting to pop up with her affirmative.

"I do like! Let's go!" With a handle bar in one hand and the other in her Keeper's Emma led the way towards the car.

Her one show ended up turning into two and at the closing credits of the second Emma wondered, as she had that morning, at the patient permissiveness of her Keeper that day. First she'd gotten her request for sugary cereal for breakfast, tested with the band-aid in milk, was pouty complete with foot stomping and hadn't gotten a time out, the cookie she consumed went without comment, and now being granted another show thirty minutes more than she was usually allowed. Not that she was complaining about the extra treats, but it was unlike the Queen to allow so much leeway.

"Emma." Regina peered into the living room. "Time for your lesson."

"Coming." She turned off the TV and skipped into the kitchen after heels, sighing at the familiar fruit on the counter she normally practiced with. "More levitating?"

"To warm up and then I thought you could try some summoning."

"What about poofing?"

"Not for a while yet, sweet one." The very idea of Emma flubbing that while this size and with powers so unsteady made her sick to the stomach. It was complicated magic, but she was confident they could work up to that in time with practice. "Now, extend your hand and image a string connecting from your hand to the object."

Emma sighed at the familiar words, but obeyed.

"Keep your arm straight… that's it, now lift slowly." The apple floated a foot off the counter and moved with the child's hand. "Good, now add another with your other hand."

Sticking out her tongue to concentrate at this new addition, Emma managed the second apple, though with some strain. Receiving a nod, she slowly brought the fruit down to the counter.

"Repeat that for me again." And Emma did three more times before adding a third piece of fruit and repeating the exercise again before she was satisfied and they moved on. "Now to summon. Hold out your hand and close your eyes… See the apple in your hand with a magnet on it, imagine the weight and shape resting in your palm where the other magnet is… now open your eyes and pull it to you."

The apple wobbled on the counter and scooted an inch toward the blonde. Emma let out a frustrated huff, but tried again, and again, until it finally fell on its side and rolled towards her palm. Not quite a summoning spell, but close.

"Good girl. I want you to practice that three more times and then you may be finished for today." Regina moved to put the rest of the fruit away, save the one apple.

Little eyes narrowed, wanting to be done with the idea as a thought crept in. "I did it though."

"Yes you did and thrice more won't hurt."

Practice was necessary and not something she was willing to compromise on, especially given the new information from Gold today on this being a permanent fixture in their lives. She sighed knowing she'd have to have that conversation soon. On little ears, it would be too much and instead she wanted to wait until Emma was an adult.

"But I'm tiiirrrred." Emma tried for an out wondering if she would be able to get her way one more time.

"Would you like a nap after you practice? It's still early enough for you to get some rest." Calling the child's bluff.

"No… but I don't wanna practice anymore." A lip stuck out.

"You need to Emma or your powers will not develop properly."

"But who knows how long that'll be a problem. What's the big deaaal?" In her whine she missed the brief flash of knowing cross her Keeper's face.

Quietly. "Please do as I ask of you."

"Nooo. I'm done."

"Three more and then you may be finished." Regina restated her expectation and placed a hand on hip regarding the girl.

"NO." A little fist pounded the counter.

"Emma Swan." A familiar warning against further argument and one Emma knew meant she did not wish to be pushed further.

Green eyes shimmered and she hopped off the stool. "Not my name." Mumbling and trying to physically push past her Keeper, who stepped in front of the doorway. "Move."

Leaning down and catching a chin. "That is not how you speak to me, nor do you tell me no, and what was that about a name?"

"Nothing." Emma tried to side step again, but her shoulders were caught gently and concerned eyes came into view.

"What is this about Emma?" Little lips were tightly pressed refusing an answer as they often were when Emma was angry with her. Regina sighed and let go of shoulders. "Go up to your room then to calm down and we will try again in a little bit."

Emma hesitated, wondering why she wasn't standing in timeout at the very least for her tone. It wasn't often that the Queen misread her cues and she wondered if she had miscommunicated somehow. Being sent to her room didn't mean the same thing. Between them it was a quiet acknowledgement of her need for space when she was mad at Regina and needed alone time to process while still keeping true to their dynamic, but she didn't want space just then and she wasn't mad; she didn't know what she felt and maybe that was the problem.

"But Mama…"

The brunette waited a long moment for an explanation and for little eyes to meet hers, but Emma wasn't giving her either to read off of. When neither was forth coming, she gestured to the doorway. "Go on. I want you sitting on your bed to calm down, no playing."

"I wasn't gonna anyway… Geez…" Grumbling as she slowly passed and a love tap quickened her feet.

Up in her room Emma plopped face first on her bed, reaching for her blanket to cover her head with, the scent of lavender and faintly now of apples soothing. She thought about her Keeper's words, the sense of urgency in the request to practice and wondered where that was coming from and also about her name.

In their other life she'd written it in full several times a day at school. At first hating it, not having her memories at the time of the conversation they'd had before the spell that Mills as an addition was needed for the relationship they'd have. Then slowly over several months of use she came to own it as hers, especially once her memories were returned and the sacrifice Regina had given on her behalf to grant her a do over was revealed. She'd come to love the familial connection it meant coming from red lips, even if she was in trouble. Also of the connection to Henry who was a Mills.

And she missed it dearly.

Her mind moved to her first conversation with her parents about the spell. Snow had added White to her name and it had jarred her ear to hear it. There was no attachment to that name and she wondered why Snow had used White, but there was a pull to better understand the woman who said it and to mend the friendship that had once been between them. Even after the incident earlier that week in the loft. She had done a lot of thinking since then. After she had asked Snow to let her go, the Princess had started to say the words she needed to hear, the deeper ones that needed saying between them, but the trigger took over leaving them unsaid. Eventually she had to try again with Snow. One last time. That was a conversation for another day and she forced her thoughts back to the present. The wait on her bed didn't last much longer. A few minutes later there was a gentle knock on her open door and she sat up, pulling the blanket off as she was expected to do.

"Come in."

"Are you ready to talk or do you need some more time?" Regina sat on the edge of the bed, close to the child who shrugged, but seemed willing. "Why don't you want to practice?"

"Why do you want me too so much?"

There was no attitude attached to the question, just genuine wonder so the Queen allowed the slight deflection. "For a few reasons, namely for the routine you need when you are small. You are not in school, but you need schooling. Also, because I want you to be able to use your magic efficiently no matter what size you are."

Emma licked her lips sensing something more. "And what else?"

"That is attached directly to what I need more time to think about and what we discussed at the park that you said I could take my time with. I wouldn't ask you to do something if it wasn't a necessity, especially if you have such an aversion to it. We talked about that this morning, remember?"

"Oh… right." Emma dropped her head, now feeling bad for being stubborn about it. "I meant what I said about giving you time and about trusting you to make the decisions when I'm small. I'm sorry and I'll practice when you tell me to."

"Thank you. We will go back downstairs so you may in a few minutes. What else had you upset? I didn't quite catch what you said about your name."

Blushing and tearing up. "I said 'not my name' when you said Emma Swan."

Concern wrinkled the brunette's face. "Baby, why would you say that?"

"Cause it's NOT!" Snapping like a stretched rubber band when she didn't mean to.

Regina observed the child, replacing her ready scolding remark with a softer question when those hurt eye met hers. "Where is this coming from Emma?"

"From before…" Salt rolled freely now. "It went away and I want it back. It's mine." She knew she sounded completely childish, but that's how she felt, all of her, and her six year old emotions weren't helping any.

Brown eyes closed, filling with her mistake, both of them. Emma hadn't needed space in the fit downstairs, her girl had been asking for consistency that was expected when misbehavior occurred. Being as liberal as she has been today because of having to leave the upset girl and the unsettling chat with Gold hadn't helped matters. Emma always tried to take an extra cookie when one was given and today, figuratively and literally, was no exception with her allowances. And the name… That hadn't come naturally after ten months of another ones use. She'd assumed upon their return Emma wouldn't want the attachment of Mills and had been trying to respect the real name Emma had in this life.

Breathing was harder as sobs shook little shoulders. "I finally gots a last n-name that m-meant something more, and-and-and—"

Regina pulled the girl into her lap and rocked as Emma calmed in her arms. "I made a mistake, a few of them and I am sorry for missing your cues downstairs and not thinking about how the name difference would affect you. I should have. I've also been distracted today and I wanted to give you some extra treats when I know you have had a hard time as of late."

Little nod as the day made more sense and a yearning whispered to completely belong. "I like my name the way it was before."

Dark eyes closed on the precipice of possibility. "What do you need from me Emma?"

A sensitive root was exposed. "I need it for reals. In this life, our life now, and I don't care what anyone thinks. It's my name."

Touched at the conviction coming from the little girl, Regina felt her core flutter. "There would be paperwork involved, but changing your legal name as an adult is doable. People do it all the time for a variety of reasons."

A hiccup and sniffles. "I need to."

"Alright, I'll see about getting the necessary papers together for you next week."

Green looked up as the root soaked in the rays of hope. "I really get to share your name?"

"Your desire is a gift I will cherish always and an incredible honor, baby."

The little girl shifted up to wrap arms around the heart she called home. "Until it is official will you say it like it's supposta to be?"

"Emma Swan Mills." Red lips wrapped around the name, again feeling as if it had always been there waiting for the breath of life and maybe in some ways, it had.

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Late Sunday afternoon brought some much needed companionship for Emma with Neal's visit. David dropped him off and the girl dragged him into the living room for a video game marathon. He was amazed that his older sister was younger than he was at the moment and enjoyed the camaraderie while they played round after round of Mario Cart on Henry's old gaming system. The girl was able to negotiate extra game time in exchange for more time spent practicing her magic before Neal arrived. The trade off was worth it for Emma's third win in a row. Neal buried his head as his sister jumped around the living room in a classic victory dance that would put any NFL receiver to shame. Even with size some things never change.

"I win again! Pay up Neal!" She grinned up from the split she was in on the floor.

"Fine, here." Neal broke his cinnamon cookie in half and gave it over in reluctant payment.

Emma moved back to the couch and happily chewed her winnings as Neal reset the game. She felt a familiar tingle and smiled, looking forward to being an adult after a few days in her half pint suit.

But the tingle didn't last as long as it normally did.

"Woah…" Neal's blue eyes bugged.

Wide green doe ones blinked rapidly at new hands and feet. Wiggling her limbs felt gawky and heavy. Panic hit and Emma yelled. "GIIINNNAAAAA!"

Heels echoed from the study into the living room, halting at the archway, a hand going to a regal throat. 'So this is what Gold meant… Damn his riddles.' Regina thought and moved quickly to sit next to the teenager Emma now was. "It's okay. Take a deep breath."

"H-how is t-this…?" Emma's shaking hands covered her foreign face as she struggled to breathe as instructed, eventually finding a rhythm with her Keeper's gentle coaxing. The shock was like reliving the first moments of the do over spell all over again.

"We will talk about that soon just keep focusing on your breathing."

The Queen kept a hand on Emma's knee while pulling her phone out to send a text to David to pick Neal up early. She gave the boy instructions to gather his things. Within the next ten minutes it took to calm Emma down fully, the doorbell rang.

"Are you alright for a second while I talk to David?" Standing after Neal ran to the door, the teenager's hand still firmly clasped in her own.

Emma blinked a few times processing and let go of her Keeper. "Yeah… I'm good."

But she wasn't.

The Queen saw Neal out while giving David a brief update on what happened before returning to her charge. When she entered the living room Emma was standing on tiptoe and peering into the angled mirror over the fireplace, fingers poking her face.

"This is too weird and how… I don't get how this could happen."

"I think I might." Regina sighed and sat down on the couch.

"What'd you mean?" Green reflected brown in the mirror.

"I didn't know you would be a teenager again, but I had a suspicion that your little self would continue to 'grow up' so to speak when you shrank, only I thought it would be like how you aged and grew normally in our other life over the course of ten months."

A pale jaw dropped. "B-but to go from being six to…" Emma thought for a moment how old she felt and based on her current appearance. "Thirteen… Barely I think… is like a huge jump." Spinning around, she finally joined the Queen on the couch.

"I wanted and needed more time before telling you some of the details about my appointment yesterday, but now…" Reaching out to take the teen's hand once more, she sighed. "I went to visit Gold to get a better sense of what he knew as the author of the spell and for a few other reasons we will discuss at another time."

Emma paled, mixed on her feelings about that. "You said we would do that together."

"No, you implied that." Recalling clearly their conversation at the diner after Gold interrupted their lunch. "I told you I didn't want you anywhere near that Imp no matter what size you were and I still mean that." Lifting the teen's chin when green eyes tried hiding. "Am I clear?"

"Yeah, I get you." Pulling away and letting attitude edge along her tone.

Catching a chin fast when Gold's malicious eyes pierced her mind. "You need to more than get me Emma. I mean it. You are to stay away from Gold, all of you." Searching green, new green she'd never seen before. One version she hadn't counted on when she sealed a promise in blood. She wasn't worried about managing the six year old version or the adult Savior, but this girl, this sparking ember, looking in her eyes was the unknown.

"Yes, I understand… But what'd he say? Did he say this would happen?" Emma fought not to roll her eyes as she nodded, wondering why that urge was there at a moment like this at all.

With what was at stake with the deal that needed to remain hidden least their safety become forfeit Regina chose her words with great care. "Things were said. That the tether that was meant to keep you an adult upon our return to this world broke and that is causing your shrinking." Pausing for a deep breath when her heart hurt. "And there is not a way to mend that."

Pink lips parted, eyes filling. "So… I'm… gonna randomly grow and shrink forever?" Emma really didn't mind the change of sizes between being an adult and six, just the unpredictability and lack of control over it. But now there was this to go with it… She hadn't been the easiest to deal with at this age and she could feel the beginnings of a dark voice, a self doubting one she thought she had put away, creep back into her head telling her such.

"Only until another way comes to light." Regina explained, pulling the foreign body into her arms.

Emma blinked, slowly following the trail of bread crumbs she was being given. "He has something doesn't he? What is it? A spell or a potion? What does he want for it?"

"Not everything is worth pursuing." Firm in that not being an option for them.

The girl guessing wouldn't break the promise she had sealed, but she couldn't confirm anything. She was confident in her magical knowledge and even with her limited magic to find a way around the oily man's offer, to ensure their safety, get Emma what she needed, and free their friend from a marriage the beauty had no say in.

Emma pulled back. "But if he has something then we can fix this now. I need to be able to control this Gina!"

"I know and we will. I promise." Holding up a hand to stop the barrage of questions pushing to spill from the blonde. Seeing the need in green eyes for something more she relented. "I will make a trip to the vault and get the book we used for this spell—"

"You never let me help." Emma interrupted, crossing her arms.

"I'm sorry if it feels that way to you, though that is not the case as you will see if you don't interrupt me." At the annoyed shrug given she continued. "I plan on having you help me research a solution, starting tomorrow if you are still this way when you wake up." Sensing that would probably be true. "You can come to Town Hall and begin the task there, after our stop to the mausoleum for the book in the morning." It wouldn't hurt to have another pair of eyes looking for another option if her own theory didn't pan out and this way she could supervise Emma's eagerness to help.

Dropping her sour expression for a more hopeful one, the new teen offered a small, but game smile. "I can do that… but, how will this work now? I know how to be six and how to be an adult with you and our dynamic, but…?" Frowning as more uncertainty flooded her life.

Regina paused in reflection. Before the spell they had each had a few years to wrap their heads around how Emma being six would work between them and ten months of that actual experience not to mention years together as they were with their dynamic as an adult. This was new territory, or was it? The Queen wasn't sure, but the crestfallen version of Emma sitting here needed her to be.

"It will be something in between. My expectations and rules for you are the same. We will have to be patient with each other though. I imagine at this age you felt quite independent. Then there are the start of hormones and the ups and downs that come with emotions at this age." Feeling a bit overwhelmed with the idea of her girl being a teenager, she took another deep breath.

"Will I ever be six again?" Longing rested there.

"I definitely think so." The words Gold had given her about Emma's shrinking hadn't been a condition of her end of the promise so she could share them freely. "Gold specifically said you'd shrink and grow, but that the age between was a 'back and forth twist' we would have to figure out. He also said heartache not mended or someone was coming soon. I never thought…" Hands gesturing.

"This sucks. I don't wanna be a teenager again. Puberty once was enough!" Her eyes felt hot again with tears and tired already with the wide range of emotions she'd felt in the last twenty minutes; panic, shock, anger, and hope. She just wanted to sleep and for the first time the idea of a nap sounded amazing.

"Why don't you rest for a while and let this soak in. I'll come get you when dinner is ready." Reading her girl like a book.

Emma leaned in for one more hug, smiling softly when a kiss was added. "Can we have carbs? Like deeeeep dish pizza carbs?" She stood and stretched. "I need to indulge."

"Pizza and salad, yes."

Rolling eyes found the ceiling, but chose not to fight a battle she wouldn't win. "Deal."

By the time the Queen conjured up a set of PJs her new size, comfortable flannel pants and a sweatshirt, her nerves settled. Emma was able to rest for a little over an hour before being awakened. Groggy, irritated, and starving the teen blindly followed her Keeper downstairs and blinked at the silverware bundle she was handed before it clicked that it was one of her chores to set the table. She inhaled the pizza and even her salad before going back for seconds, then thirds having forgotten how much she could pack away at this age. With her stomach hosting a food baby, she leaned back in her chair with a sigh and caught amused brown eyes watching from across the table.

"What?"

"You remind me so much of Henry right now."

Emma grinned. "Kid's swag like that, what can I say?" Then remembering the Queen's lack of slang awareness at that confused look. "It means cool or hip."

"I was referring to your appetite, but I can see that too." Regina smiled back and stood to clear her place as the teen followed, helping with the rest of the dishes. The hot water came on and plates were added with soap to soak.

"Can I watch some TV?"

"It's getting late and we have an early morning. Would you like to continue our book or do you want to read on your own before bed?"

Rocking back on her heels, Emma thought about that offer; internally battling teenage desire to be on her own with what she needed to feel better over the sudden switch up that happened that day. "Can I do both?"

Full lips smiled. "Tonight, yes. Go get ready for bed and read for a bit. I'll join you when I am done here."

Emma wandered upstairs, splashed some water on her face and did a halfway decent job at brushing her teeth. She took a long minute to study herself in the mirror and eyes she never thought would be looking back at her again. Pain, need, anger, and mistrust rested in their depths. 'I'm back.' It said and she shook her head to clear the dark picking voice from her mind.

Padding across the hall to the lavender room, it took a second to find the book they were reading together, 10,000 Leagues Under the Sea, and a new Harry Potter spin off she'd picked up at the store before the spell was cast. She dug her I-Pod out of her nightstand and flopped face down on the bed. With ear-buds planted Emma became so lost in the fantasy and music that she startled fifteen minutes later when a hand crested her shoulder.

"Geez! Knock, you scared me." Blowing out a hot breath as she yanked ear-buds out, missing the raised brow at her tone.

"I did, three times and when I saw you couldn't hear me I came in." Knowing Emma was sensitive about her space.

"Oh... sorry."

Green eyes finally caught up with her Keeper who came to sit near the head of the bed. Emma turned off the I-pod and made a mental note to keep the volume lower next time. She awkwardly tucked herself into the Queen's side, limbs still too new, as she handed over their book, but like always, eventually fell asleep against the shoulder supporting her.

After settling Emma in bed and completing her own routine Regina decided to begin making her theory on a solution for Emma's random shifting a reality. The ingredients were some things she already had on hand and she'd pick them up in the morning at the vault along with the promised book for the teen to look through. Crafting the spell would take a few weeks. Pouring her magic into the spell a bit at a time instead of all at once wouldn't drain her like it had when she'd delayed Snow's labor in their other life. Careful and precise, she'd be able to function almost normally if not a bit on the tired side. That was crucial due to Gold's current involvement.

As she stared at the notebook page in hand her mind went back to his words. He had been right when he said Emma was a handful and she was in the best way Regina wouldn't ever trade. She wondered though how much more that would be true now that she had a feisty teenage Savior to look after in addition to a six year old.

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A/N - Totally taking ideas and prompts for this new version of Emma. Hope you liked the chapter!