Disclaimer: Once Upon a Time, Storybrooke and any recognizable characters are property of ABC Studios and the Walt Disney Co. No copyright infringement intended.

A/N: I went on a crazy writing spree a few days ago and now realized I've got something like the next four chapters all written. So I thought I'd come and leave you guys with one more chapter, ahead of time! Hope you enjoy!

Chapter 12 - The Guide

Regina still could not quite believe how radiant Henry was to have her with him. As they made their way to the knights, he would not stop talking about his lessons, and would eventually tug on her hand to point at something and then proceed to explain it. He became quieter, though, as they got closer, and, when she looked up from him, she understood why. David was looking at them, and did not seem happy.

"Regina? What are you…?

"She's on probation!" Henry's voice was so excited that she ignored David's presence for one more moment, and smiled at the boy. And then she noticed his frown as he looked from her to his grandfather, "Wait, if you're the king, shouldn't you be the one to decide that? So why do you look so confused?"

To his credit, the man's expression did change into a soft smile as he looked down at his grandson. "It is probably something Snow will inform me of later. You know how she is," he winked at Henry and gave Regina a look that informed her that this conversation was far from finished. "Now come on, let's continue."

Regina did not fight the urge to roll her eyes, and made a point in doing so while David was still looking.

After both of them focused their attention back to the lessons, she focused hers on Emma and Snow for a moment, a smirk appearing on her lips at the way they were both gesticulating wildly. It seemed like mother and daughter were having an interesting conversation.

"Emma, this was not what we discussed earlier," Snow put her hand through her hair, sighing as she looked at her daughter. She wasn't angry, but she was taken aback by the way things had happened. During lunch, they had talked and decided it would be good for Regina to go outside and take a walk, but nothing more than that.

"No, because you wouldn't even let me talk about this!" Emma answered, exasperated. "Did you even see her just now? Because I'm having a hard time believing I am the only one who can see this is clearly not the same Regina who cursed everyone out of here."

"Of course I see it, Emma," Snow smiled sadly, taking one step closer and reaching for her hands, "I mean, just the fact that she actually healed you says more than anything else you can say. I'm just…" she lowered her head, "I've been wrong on my judgment so many times before, and so many people got hurt because of it. Including Regina," she looked back up, "I need to do right by you. And in the slight chance that she is lying, and she takes Henry and goes…"

"She won't," Emma replied, facing her mother with a small smile, and gently tugging on her hands, "I mean, look at them," they turned and the blonde's eyes immediately found Regina's looking back at her, and her smile widened, "She could've taken him now. She could've done some magic on me when she was teaching me. Even on our way here. Or she could have used the moment I got hurt to get away, but she ran towards me to make sure I was ok," she argued, and looked at the younger brunette's eyes once more. "It's ok that you don't trust your judgment, and considering your history with her, I understand why you are so scared of giving her another chance, I do. But trust me. Please."

The queen let out a deep sigh and looked down, gently shaking her head, and then back up at Emma. "I will talk to David, ok? I can't just make this decision on my own, he should have a say in it, too."

This was as good as a yes for the blonde, who actually jumped in excitement. "Yes, this is more than ok. And you will tell him what I told you, right? Will you try to get him to agree?"

"We'll see how it goes," she did not want to make any promises, but the look of absolute joy on her daughter's face right now was almost enough to make her agree to anything. To know that she was the cause of that happiness. It was all she ever wanted to do.

"Thank you," and it was so heartfelt, so honest, that it made a single tear fall from Snow's eye as she nodded. And then, in a completely uncharacteristic move for Emma lately, she hugged her mother. Snow could only wrap her arms tightly around her, enjoying the contact while it lasted. It seemed too soon when Emma let go, but she knew that, after twenty-eight years away, it would always seem too soon. It was ok, because at least they were all together now. And there was no way she was doing anything to drive her away.

Regina's attention was now focused solely on Henry, in the way he moved, and reacted to the things he was shown. She was in awe at seeing this other side of her son, but at the same time it pained her that this was his world now. A world of wars, allegiances, kingdoms and knights. A medieval world, really. She wondered if he ever missed it. School, his comics, the mansion, his room. The thought made her close her eyes and sigh heavily.

"A lot on your mind?" Emma's gentle voice came from behind her, her footsteps slowly getting closer until she finally stood next to Regina and looked at her with a serene expression on her face.

"You could say that," the brunette replied, before gesturing back to where Snow was, "So… are you grounded?"

The blonde laughed, incredibly happy at Regina's light teasing. When it died down, it turned into a smile, "She's going to talk to David about your situation, tonight, and they'll let us know."

"I should have known," she smirked, "there was no probation at all, was there?" she looked at Emma, strangely proud of the woman – and their son – for the way they'd played Snow.

"Well, there will be now," Emma spoke, her expression matching Regina's. "I mean, you did save the princess' life," she shrugged.

"If the princess is so incredibly fragile that she can die from a scrape on her arm, then yes, I did," she teased, but the other's expression turned a bit more serious.

"Don't belittle this, Regina," she took one step to her side so that their shoulders were touching, "What you did was pretty amazing, you know that, right?"

"I'm still trying to understand what I did."

"You made the choice to be good," she explained, as if it was that simple, "You used your magic for something completely selfless."

Regina had to chuckle at that. "Don't be so sure." It was true. The moment she saw Emma hurt, she felt something she wasn't sure how to explain. It made her uneasy, so really, making sure Emma was ok ended up being something completely selfish, considering how relieved she felt after healing her. But she was not about to admit that. So she smirked once more. "Maybe I really wanted that probation."

Emma saw right through her, but played along, bringing her hand to her chest in a dramatic gesture, "And here I thought I was special."

"Don't flatter yourself, dear."

They both fell into a comfortable silence as they turned to watch their son, who chose that moment to look and, with a big smile at seeing both his moms, waved at them.

They both saw it when Snow approached David and they walked away, leaving Henry to practice with someone else, and Emma tensed slightly, knowing that a lot depended on that conversation.

Following her line of sight, Regina observed the two as well, soon choosing to turn her attention back at the boy. There was no point in stressing now.

"If they send you back there," Emma started, looking at Regina, "I'll stay there with you," she said without hesitation.

It was enough to soften the brunette's features. She really wanted to say that this was ridiculous and that Emma needed to stop doing these things and just be free and live her life and stop worrying so much about her. Only she knew she didn't mean any of that, because at this point, she had grown so used to having the annoying blonde around that she was not about to say she should leave her be. It was selfish, yes, but Regina was pretty sure she was doing enough good lately that it warranted her that bit of selfishness. So she just nodded, quietly.

It wasn't long until the boy came running towards them. "Did you see me? Do you think I'm good?" he asked and grinned widely when both his mothers nodded in agreement.

"Do you enjoy yourself when you're doing that, Henry?" Regina smiled, wanting to test the waters, to make sure her son was really doing what he wanted, and not simply what he thought he was expected to do.

He nodded and looked at her, "It's much cooler than learning Math!"

That earned a chuckle from both women, and Emma reached to ruffle the kid's hair as they walked back to the gardens. "Mom?" he looked up at Regina after a few minutes of silence. "Is it true that you're teaching Emma how to do magic?"

"Yes," Regina answered carefully, knowing what her son thought of her doing any kind of magic, "But only because she asked me." She grinned upon seeing the disbelief on Emma's face, and shrugged. "What? You practically begged me, Ms. Swan."

"Why did you ask her?" he turned his head from one to the other, and they weren't sure if he was upset or simply curious.

"You've seen it, Henry," Emma sighed, "I was hurting people, and I needed to learn how to control it." Both mother and son scoffed at the same time, causing them to laugh quietly and Emma to roll her eyes. Even Regina knew how absurd it was, the notion that the Evil Queen was the best person to teach anyone about control, so she couldn't even resent Henry for agreeing with something she had said herself. "What? It's true! I didn't want Blue to teach me because, seriously… you both know my powers are closer to Regina's than the fairies'."

"So you're using dark magic?" Henry looked at her, suddenly tensing.

It was Regina who immediately lowered herself so that she was on his level. "No, Henry," she spoke firmly, "Emma is practically made of the purest form of magic there is, she can't access the same kind of darkness that I have, she probably couldn't even if she wanted to, ok? So you don't have to worry about that. Ever."

Emma couldn't help the feeling that Regina's words were meant to reassure her more than their son, and she was incredibly grateful for that. So she felt like she should say something too. Lowering herself so that she matched Regina's position in front of the boy, she smiled at him. "No one here is using dark magic anymore. It's just that… Regina here understands better what it's like to be angry and a bit scared sometimes. Did you notice how the fairies seem always happy and at peace? Do you really think that's anything like me?" she asked him with a smile.

He was quick to shake his head. "Not really, you're moody sometimes. And you don't always let me do whatever I want like Nova does."

It was Regina's turn to be taken aback, and she looked at the blonde in surprise. Emma looked back at her with a shrug. "What? Since you weren't around, I thought you would appreciate it if the kid still had some discipline. I don't want him to become a spoiled prince, either."

"I'm glad we're starting to agree on this," she rolled her eyes, but Emma could see a small smile she was trying to hide.

"Yes, that's really great for everyone," he rolled his eyes, making his birth mother laugh at how he was every bit Regina's son when he did that. "But are you ok, mom? Using magic again?"

"I am," she assured him, "I am teaching Emma, but I am also learning things myself," she smiled and slowly reached out to cup his face, "I am learning to access my magic from a lighter place, so it's not dangerous like before."

"And you don't want to hurt anyone now?" he asked, still unsure.

"Sometimes I do, Henry," she knew better than to lie to him again, and, more than she wanted for him to be proud of her, she wanted him to be able to accept the parts of her that probably would never change. "But I am fighting it, every day. Because I truly want to be better."

He smiled at her like he used to do when he was much younger, back when it was just the two of them and she was his entire world. "I know you do. And I believe in you." He threw himself in her waiting arms for the second time that day, and, also for the second time, she couldn't help the tears that fell from her eyes. Looking to the side, she saw Emma watching the scene with nothing but happiness.

Those were the two people who had told her, openly, that they believed in her. That they believed she was more than just an Evil Queen, and that she could find the person she used to be. More than that, they had been showing that they believed.

"Hey kid," Emma suddenly spoke, causing the other two to break apart and Henry to look at her, "Wanna see something really cool?"

The moment she said this, Regina knew there was no way this was going to work. She had a pretty good idea that Emma was going to attempt something with her magic, and part of her was actually curious to see how things would turn out. When she saw the younger woman focusing, and nothing happening, she smirked, amused by the scene.

Emma was starting to get frustrated. It seemed that even a small thing like getting her own clothes cleaned from all the dirt was too much for her still growing abilities. But then she saw the look of absolute enjoyment on Regina's face. Oh, I am so doing this.

It actually helped her focus. She calmed herself down, finding that peace that she needed in order to maintain control over her powers. And then she looked at Regina again, with a smirk of her own. It happened so quickly that Henry was laughing before the brunette even registered what was going on. And then she looked at herself and saw the horrid and pink princess-like puffy dress that she was wearing.

"Are you kidding me, Ms. Swan?" she snapped her fingers and was soon wearing a black pencil skirt and a white shirt. And then she wondered why she hadn't thought to magically change from her dirty dress the second she got a chance.

And Henry saw it, the look on Regina's face as she so naturally changed outfits. It was nothing like before. She was perfectly calm, she wasn't angry, and he then understood what she meant a few minutes ago. Maybe her problem really wasn't with magic itself, but with where the magic came from. He wasn't sure. But, either way, he had a feeling that he should trust both his mothers to keep each other in check, and that, together, they would find some sort of balance.

He then observed Emma trying to focus once again, and stifled a laugh when nothing happened.

"Honestly, Emma," Regina rolled her eyes, and missed the look on her son's face at the first name that rolled so easily out of her tongue now, "I see your biggest motivation for getting it right is to make me look like an idiot, otherwise it doesn't work," despite the words, she smiled as she got closer to the woman, and took both her hands with ease. "Go on, close your eyes."

With Regina's magical help, it was easy for Emma to envision the clothes she wanted, and make it happen. "Thanks," she said, blushing a little as she retreated her hands, remembering Henry was there. And the kid was looking intently.

"Is that how you help her?" he turned to Regina, "You use your magic to keep her calm?"

She smiled, because of course he would think the exact same thing Emma did when it first happened. "Not really," she started, her voice soft as she tried to explain, "When I take her hand, it's more to… guide her through it. So she doesn't have to do it alone."

The choice of words surprised Emma, and she suddenly felt safer than she had in a long time, and found herself hoping, for some reason, that the brunette felt the same way.

"Did you have to do it alone, when you learned?"

She did not expect the question, but two curious sets of eyes were already waiting for her reply. "Yes," she replied sadly, "But I was taught differently. Very differently."

Neither had to ask anything else to know that there was no chance the way she was taught was good, or pleasant. Henry frowned. "I wish you'd had a good teacher. Like you're being to Emma. I think you wouldn't have been so angry."

Emotion immediately overwhelmed her, because, for once, he seemed to really get it. That she hadn't done the things she did because she woke up one day and decided it was fun to be evil – although, if she was honest, at some point she truly felt that way – but because someone molded her into the person she had become. She let him, sure. She was not strong enough to fight the hold he seemed to have on her, but Henry could see that it was so much more complicated than the way he once made himself believe it was.

And she saw it in Emma, that anger, the need to use it to channel her magic, simply because no one ever told you there was another way. She flinched at the mere thought that Emma could've been anything like her if she hadn't asked for help as soon as she realized she had magic. It brought a genuine smile to her face, that she could see she was actually helping, and the changes were already visible.

"Don't worry about that, Henry," she spoke softly, "It's in the past, and it's different now, right?"

He nodded enthusiastically, "Yes, because now you've got us!"

"Exactly," she winked at him, glancing at Emma after doing so, to make sure she knew she was included in the moment.

When they approached the road by which Emma had her accident, Regina watched carefully on the direction the horse came from. She could see the stables not too far away, and, now that she was sure Emma was ok, she needed to know what was really going on. But there was no way she would leave them alone out there.

"It's getting dark," she spoke casually, but as soon as the words left her lips, she realized she had no idea of what was expected of her now. Emma had mentioned her parents discussing the subject, but what was she supposed to do until they said something?

Emma was having the same problem. She'd started to make her way inside, but didn't even take the first step before she hesitated. Finally, deciding that it was ridiculous for the three of them to stay out there in the dark, she held her head up and marched back into the castle. And if anyone had any problem with this, well, she was the freaking princess, and she'd be damned if she wouldn't play that card to keep Regina away from that cell for as long as she possibly could.

She smiled when she saw Regina taking Henry's hand and following her with the same confident look on her face. Not that she expected any less from the woman.