A/N: Well, it's been a while and I'm so sorry about that! The past couple of months have been hellish and writing was alternatively the only thing keeping me going or the worst chore possible. Anyway, I finally finished this chapter and I'm posting it before leaving for Paris and the fairytale con on Friday. I hope you enjoy it, thank you all for your reviews, for reading, favouriting, alerting. For Ella, Vanessa, Sophia and Mel whom I'm going to meet very soon, and of course a huge thank you to Manon for her beta work!

United we stand, divided we fall

Regina broke from their embrace after a few moments, the heart wrenching sobs having died down but her breathing was still no more in control that it had been right after Cora disappeared. She could feel the tell tale signs of one of those full blown panic attacks she hadn't had to deal with since the early days of her marriage, before she had found an outlet for her pent up emotions in her lessons with Rumplestiltskin, and she really didn't want Henry to see this.

"I'm going to head upstairs and get changed," she managed to say, and all but fled the room.

Henry and David watched her leave worryingly but the Sheriff tried to tone it down for his grandson's benefit.

"She just needs a moment to herself, I'm sure she will be alright," he said and Henry turned towards him, doubtful. "Don't you have any homework to do before we go to Granny's?" He tried to change the subject and Henry groaned.

They spent the next half-hour working on his maths exercices but when they finished those and could still hear the water running upstairs, they began to feel uneasy.

"I'm going to check up on her," David announced and Henry nodded gratefully.

The Sheriff ascended the stairs slowly, and he remembered another time not so long ago where he had to go looking for her to reassure Henry. He was as unsure as to what he would find now as he had been then.

He entered her bedroom and walked to the ensuite. He knocked on the door and called her name several times but never got a reply. He hesitated and then half-opened the door.

"Regina?" he tried again. "Are you alright?"

Nothing, no sound from her, only the water running. It had to have turned cold by now, he thought, before stepping fully in the bathroom.

"Oh Regina," he sighed as he set eyes on her.

She was curled up on herself, sitting on the shower floor, shivering as the water spray hit her back. David grabbed a towel and approached her cautiously, trying not to startle her, still not certain she had heard him. He also tried not to let his eyes linger on places they had no business lingering on, silently ordering himself to get a grip.

Glassy eyes and blue lips, shattering teeth and dark locks hanging on her shoulders, she had no response as he shut off the water.

"Come on, you need to get out of here," he said but she only reacted when he surrounded her small frame with the towel, flinching away from him, wide, scared eyes finding his. He backed off immediately.

"It's just me, Regina. Just David. I only came in here to check up on you, that's all," he told her in a soothing tone.

She looked around, realising that she was still in the shower. "You're still here?" She asked, teeth shattering. "You should have taken Henry and left, it's not safe to stay with me. What if my mother comes back?" She was scrambling to get up but slipped on the wet tiles and David had to catch her.

"Easy there. We are not leaving you alone like this, especially when there is a risk that your mother may come back," he said, settling her gently on the ground but keeping his arms around her as he gave her a moment to get her bearings back.

"It's too dangerous, you should both go," she tried again but he tsked.

"Nonsense, we have to go to Granny's to celebrate Archie's return, remember? You need to get ready," he countered and she looked at him in disbelief until their current position seemed to register.

She squirmed out of his hold, tightening the towel around her, clearing her throat and he stepped back.

"I'm sorry," he said. "I will leave you to it, if you're sure you'll be alright, that is?"

Regina nodded, looking down, still uncomfortable.

"You won't do anything drastic like leaving us behind, will you?" David probed.

"If you are foolish enough to stay here, then I'll just have to accept that there is too much of the Charmings family trait in my son for his own safety," she replied, pushing past him, heading to her walk in closet.

"Good," he grinned and she rolled her eyes.

"Get out of here," she growled.

"Yes, Your Majesty," he bowed with a flourish and left the room. He sent a text to Archie, asking him to meet them outside of Granny's, hoping it would make it easier for Regina to talk. Even if she tried to put on a strong façade and pretended that she had recovered from her panic attack, he wasn't fooled.

"Is Mom alright?" Henry demanded as soon as David had set foot in the living-room.

"She will be. She's gonna be down in a minute, why don't you put away your school stuff and get your coat?" He told his grandson and the boy looked at him doubtfully but surprisingly didn't argue.

A few moments later, Regina was descending the stairs, looking like her usual put together self, dressed in black slacks held up by a black leather belt with a golden buckle, a white shirt neatly tucked in and a black blazer covering it, but the nervous smoothing of invisible, and most certainly non-existent, wrinkles over her clothes gave her away. David realised that a few weeks ago he wouldn't have been able to tell the difference, to be perfectly honest he wouldn't have cared to look for it. So much had changed lately and things were still so messy, it was a good thing that he barely got anytime to stop and think about their situation.

If anyone had told him that he would one day have such conflicted feelings for his once murderous but not so Evil anymore stepmother, he would have had them committed right away. Now though, if anyone found out about his conflicted feelings, he would be the one being committed, if not worse. He shook himself and opened the door for Henry and Regina.

She insisted on driving and he indulged her, understood that she needed that bit of control, but he still kept a watchful eye on her during the mostly silent ride.

Archie was seated at one of the little tables outside of Granny's, holding back Pongo -the dog had become decidedly more animated once Regina had come into view-, waiting for them, and Regina's arched eyebrows and sideway glance let David know she had no doubt as to who was responsible for this embush. He smirked at her and led Henry inside the diner.

Archie pulled a chair out for her to sit in and Regina heaved a sigh before gracefully lowering herself on it, the dalmatian immediately setting its head on her lap and wagging its tail when she started petting him absent-mindedly.

"I understand the past couple of days haven't been easy for you," the former cricket started.

Regina snorted. "Says the man who has been kidnapped by a deranged witch and her pirate acolyte."

A smile pulled at the corner of the man's lips. "Your mother is certainly a one of a kind woman," he said.

"And we are all grateful for that, the world couldn't handle another Cora," Regina told him, rolling her eyes.

"I understand you have seen her today," Archie continued, causing the brunette to stiffen.

"Do not beat around the bush, doctor," she interrupted him, emphasizing his cursed title. "I know David called you."

Archie nodded. "He did, he was worried. He didn't say much but it seemed to have been a difficult encounter."

"Nothing has ever been easy with my mother, especially when the last time I talked to her she was lying in a coffin, pretending to be dead."

The therapist's eyebrows shot up, he hadn't heard that one before. "Do you mind to elaborate about that a bit?"

Regina shrugged, scratching behind Pongo's ears. "There isn't much to elaborate on. I couldn't afford to have my mother follow me here with the curse, so I sent Hook to kill her. I should have known he would be easily swayed by her promise of revenge, that's what I used on him in the first place. Out of the two of us, it seems my mother was Rumple's better student in the art of manipulation."

"She was taught by the Dark One as well?"

Regina nodded. "That's how I came to contact him in the first place, through one of her old books."

Archie started to finally get a better picture of this complicated story that was Regina's life and how she had gotten on the path that led her to the darkest abysses.

"What had you so afraid that you decided to have your mother killed?" He asked then.

Regina shivered. "Well, you've met her," she sighed when the once cricket only inclined his head, encouraging her to continue. "She has always been under the impression that my life was hers to play with. She even told me as much once. I wanted a fresh start, and I knew I couldn't take the chance that she would be part of the curse and try and use as a marionnette again. I guess I just hadn't realised I had already exchanged one puppeteer for another," the last part she said in a quiet, almost inaudible voice but Archie still heard her.

"Neither your mother nor the Dark One have any hold on you anymore. You're no longer that person," he said and the once and always Queen looked at him with an expression reflecting so much shock and surprise he had to stifle a chuckle.

"You really believe that?" She questioned, sounded unsure, so unlike her usual, confident self.

"I do believe it, I think you are working very hard to redeem yourself for Henry, you have already proven it on several occasions. You have held your ground against your mother, and even managed, from what I heard, to stop Mr Gold from killing the pirate. Does that sound like someone who lets herself be manipulated and enjoys hurting others?" Archie replied gently, offering her a warm smile and squeezing her forearm. "I also wanted to apologize for what I told Emma, about our sessions. I truly wanted to help but I went about it the wrong way and I am sorry."

Regina could only nod and breathe out a 'Thank you', trying to convey how grateful she was for his support with those two simple words.

They stayed quiet for a few more moments, Archie's hand still on her arm, Pongo's head still on her lap, the swishing of his tail the only sound breaking the silence around them.

"Isn't this supposed to be your 'Back from the dead' party?" Regina spoke at last and Archie chuckled.

"I guess it is. We should probably go inside," he replied. "But I won't move until I'm sure you're following," he added when he noticed her hesitancy.

Regina rolled her eyes, cursing under her breath that he knew her too well. "Alright, let's do this then," she sighed.

They entered the diner together and Archie gave her a reassuring smile and headed towards Gepetto, who clapped his shoulders warmly.

Regina studied the people gathered, her eyes lingering on the table around which Henry, David, Snow and Emma sat, but she decided against joining them. Her son and his grandfather she could handle but she was still smarting from Snow's accusations from earlier that day.

She went to the counter, ordering her usual coffee and was caught off guard when Granny managed to smile at her without looking like it hurt her to do so. Maybe she had hit her head somewhere? Regina shook her head at the retreating woman's back.

"You two are so alike sometimes," she heard a soft voice speak from her right and she turned to see Belle sitting on one of the barstool, nursing an iced tea.

Regina gave her a questioning look and the smaller brunette indicated the corner where Mr Gold -for Regina had trouble calling him Rumplestiltskin in her mind when he looked so… normal- sat. He seemed extremely uncomfortable to be here and it made Regina smirk.

"You can't seem to recognize that people are grateful or appreciative when you do something good," Belle continued.

Regina scoffed. "They rarely are and we rarely do anything that warrants this kind of reaction," she replied.

"And don't I know it," the younger woman retorted. "But today you stopped him from killing Hook when I couldn't, that has to count for something."

"It can't be that easy," Regina said, disbelievingly, and Belle shook her head.

"I'm not saying everything is forgiven and forgotten, just that I am enough of a decent person to acknowledge that you're trying. If I can give a chance to Rumple after everything he has done, it would be very hypocritical of me to not try and give you one as well. Even if you did keep me locked up for more than 28 years," she added after a pause.

The Mayor nodded slowly, impressed by Belle's poise. "You've got some guts. That's good, you're going to need it, if you intend to stick by him. He is not going to make it easy for you."

"The last time you gave me advice on our relationship, it didn't end too well for me."

"Well, that was the intent."

"And now?"

"Now," Regina sighed, looking over her shoulder towards the table where Henry sat. "Now, I'm trying to be a better person for my son, and that means not retaliating against Rumple for sending that wraith after me, and putting a stop to that macabre game of ours."

"What happened between you two? How did it get so far?" Belle asked, biting her bottom lip and lowering her eyes at the intense, searching look Regina gave her.

"You don't want to know that," she replied, after a long moment.

Red saved her from further questioning by bringing the burgers Belle had ordered and Regina's coffee. She even surprised the Mayor by addressing her a smile as well.

What the hell was going on with people? Regina wondered, bewildered, as she followed Belle's progress across the room to Rumple. She found the imp watching her intently and nodded at him, he responded in kind, silently sealing a truce between them that would hopefully last.

She sipped her coffee slowly, pondering what to do next. She loathed the idea of parting from Henry and having him spend time with Snow, given how hostile her former step daughter had been recently, but she knew it was the best option for him, the only way to keep him safe from Cora… He wasn't going to like this at all.

She walked to their table, trying not to pay attention when both Snow and Emma stopped talking abruptly as she appeared. She drew Henry to the side, leaning forward to look him in the eyes.

"Henry, honey, I think it would be best if you stayed with Emma and your grandparents tonight," she told him softly and he stiffened immediately.

"No, Mom, no, I want to go home with you," he protested and she shushed him by pressing her index against his lips.

"Henry, it's not safe right now, not with Cora around. Who knows what she plans to do next? I can't risk you getting hurt," Regina explained.

"Mom," Henry tried to speak and it came out muffled so Regina slid her hand away. "I don't want you to be alone," he said earnestly and she melted.

"I know you want to protect me, my little Prince," and it felt so good to be able to call him that again without him rejecting her, "but I can't fight off Cora if I know you could get hurt. Your safety is too important to me."

"What about yours?" Henry insisted.

"I'm a big girl, I can take care of myself, sweetheart," she replied, smiling fondly at his protective attitude.

"You shouldn't have to, I'm the man of the house, that's my job," and though he was playing the tough act, he sounded a bit petulant, still like a child, and for that Regina was glad.

"And you will get back to that job as soon as Cora is gone for good," she promised him, and when he looked doubtful she held out her little finger. "Pinkie swear?"

He huffed, rolling his eyes at her and her smile broadened as she saw him struggling to hide the way the corners of his lips were beginning to lift up. He hooked his little finger to hers and nodded. "You know we haven't done that since I was like six," he felt the need to point out.

"Doesn't make it any less powerful, now does it?" Regina replied instantly.

Henry then hugged her tightly. "Be careful, Mom, I love you," he whispered against her stomach, and it was only because of her very strong will not to cry in this very public establishment that she managed not to let any tears leak.

"I love you too, my little Prince," she returned.

She led him back to the table and told the Charmings that Henry was going to spend the night with them. Well, she mainly addressed Emma because she liked to pretend that Snow didn't exist at the moment, and she wasn't sure she could handle the way David was looking at her, he had seen way too much already. She didn't wait for a reply, just pressed one last kiss on Henry's hair and left.

As night fell, a very bored pirate was trying to find a way to pass the time in his cell, though after having counted the number of holes in his blanket and the cracks in the ceiling he was growing a bit desperate.

"Well, well, well, look what the cat dragged in," the smooth voice of Cora resounded in the police station and Hook tensed up immediately, twisting to look at her standing in the doorway, the dwarf supposed to watch him sprawled on the ground, snoring loudly.

"Thought you had forgotten all about me now that you're finally where you have so desperately wanted to get to for so long," he told her bitterly.

Cora chuckled. "Oh my dear, dear Hook, of course I hadn't forgotten about you, but you were foolish enough to let yourself get caught. I had to let the lesson sink in."

The pirate snorted in disgust, thinking that if it was the kind of lessons Cora wanted to teach it was no wonder Regina had rather wanted to have her killed.

"Yes, well, lesson learned and all that. Now can we get to the part where you free me?" He asked, waving around his hand to show the inside of his cell.

"Not just yet, you look so much more receptive like this. What did you tell them about me?" She interrogated him, walking closer to the bars holding him prisoner.

"Not much, I played the clueless sidekick who didn't ask any questions, too interested in his revenge and not much else," he replied and Cora's grin widened.

"I'm sure you were very convincing in that role. So they don't know about the little surprise hidden on board, do they?" She asked and Hook's eyes narrowed.

"That family reunion didn't go down the way you expected it to, did it?" He countered, smirking when her lips pinched and she glared at him.

"That is none of your business. Now, answer me," she growled, using her magic to seize and bring him closer to her until she had a good grip on his chin and was digging her nails into his skin through the bars.

"Alright, alright, no need to become violent, though I wouldn't say no to different circumstances," he managed to say and leered at her but she only tightened her hold. "They don't know about what we have on my ship," he told her quickly, massaging his jaw when she released him.

"Now, that is good news," Cora exclaimed gleefully and Hook looked at her confused. "My daughter is at the moment well surrounded by all those people who pretend to care, but if we create the right distraction I might be able to talk to her alone and convince her of my sincerity."

Hook valued his life too much to let her know what he really thought of the idea.

"And to complete this plan I also need to do a little detour to see your favourite crocodile, I think this part is what you're going to love most," she trailed off, waiting to be sure she had his full attention, and she certainly had it. "You see, if he accepts the deal I have to offer, then it will lead him out of town. Do you know what he won't be able to use out of the borders of this town?"

The pirate looked at her, swallowing hard, not believing that it could be that easy. "His magic. The crocodile will be without bite," he breathed and Cora nodded.

"Exactly, and all you need to do is lead the Charmings to our friend on board and let me do the rest. I am certain that he will take one look at the pretend Prince and become extremely angry for some reason," Cora stated and Hook threw her a curious look. "Ever wondered who took out the giants?"

"The Prince did that?" He replied in disbelief.

"The real one yes, but our shrunken giant doesn't know any better, does he?"

It was early, too early but David hadn't slept well, so instead of turning and turning on his side of the bed trying not to wake Snow, he decided to get up and do something productive like preparing fresh coffee.

He was worried about Regina, had checked his phone each time he had awoken during the night, and every few minutes since he had gotten up, in the hope that she would send a reassuring text or to be sure that he didn't miss any call for help.

Rationally, he knew she was okay, that she was more than capable of taking care of herself, that she wasn't going to fall back under her mother's influence in one night, but still, just like Henry last night, he was anxious to hear from her. His grandson had insisted on calling his mother before going to bed, and had ended up falling asleep while clutching the phone in his hands, with Regina talking to him long after his breath had evened out.

Emma stumbled down the stairs, trying to sort out the knots in her hair, just as he was pouring himself a cup of the brewed beverage.

"Thought I smelled coffee," she grunted, sitting heavily on one of the counter stools.

"Don't need to ask if you want some then," David said, amused by her antics. He placed her cup in front of her and she groaned as she inhaled its strong scent. "You do know you're supposed to drink it, right?" He mocked her, smirking when she threw him a withering look in reply, not bothering with actual words.

"You think she is alright?" Emma asked, so softly he would have doubted he had heard her if he hadn't seen her lips moving.

He didn't need to clarify who she was talking about. "I hope so," he answered, a bit perplexed by the question.

"I don't even know why I care, I mean we notoriously don't get along and it even came close to murder a couple times but…" Emma sighed. "No matter how much I hate it sometimes, she is Henry's mom. She is always going to be the one who did everything I should have been doing if I had just gotten my shit together. I tried to convince myself that it was all an act, that she didn't really love him, but after what happened the past few days, all the crap she had to deal with and she didn't waver. She put Henry's best interests above everything else. I wasn't even able to do that not that long ago!" She exclaimed.

David studied her, wondering for how long this has been building up. "That's an awfully big speech for so early in the morning," he said and she huffed, rolling her eyes.

"I was being serious," she insisted and he nodded.

"I know you are and I'm glad it finally got through to you, if only for Henry's sake," he stopped talking and they both turned their heads when they heard movement in the bedroom.

Snow emerged from the room a few moments later.

"Good morning," she announced in a chirpy tone and they both hid their winces, not really feeling cheerful, by taking a sip of their coffees.

"Morning," they replied.

A knock on the door prevented any further questioning about why they were up so early. Emma went to open it, her eyebrows flying up as she came face to face with Mr Gold.

"What are you doing here?" She blurted out, but he seemed unfazed by her tone.

"Not bothering with pleasantries then, good. Let's get right to business. You remember that favor you owe me, Miss Swan?"

"Yeah," Emma replied, cautiously.

"I'm cashing it in," Gold announced and Emma swallowed heavily.

"It's not a good…" She tried but he prevented her from continuing.

"You do honor your agreements, don't you?" He asked, but it wasn't a question, she knew it. "I need to find someone, so we're leaving today. Pack a bag," he ordered, and it appeared to be the end of the conversation for him but neither David nor Snow would have it.

"Leaving?" Snow exclaimed, followed very closely by David who asked "Where?".

"Wait, find someone...Who?" Emma wanted to know and Gold sighed impatiently.

"My son. And it has to be today because every minute I'm here is a minute closer to me killing Hook. So it's really best for all concerned if I leave. And you're going to come with me," he declared before adding. "Oh, and we have a long history, so know this, and know it to be true. If any harm comes to Belle while I'm gone, I'm killing all of you," he threatened and they all gulped.

"What's going on?" Henry asked, sleepily, slowly descending the stairs, trying to tame his wild hair.

"Hi, kid," Emma greeted, turning away from Gold. "Hmmmm, what would you think about going on a trip?" She asked him, faking a bright tone and understanding she had failed when Henry stopped abruptly and looked at her with narrowed eyes. He looked so much like Regina in this moment that Emma felt her heart clench a bit and she swallowed uneasily.

"A trip?" The boy asked, looking from Mr Gold's irritated expression, to Emma's expecting one, to David who was shaking his head disbelievingly at his daughter, to Snow's encouraging smile, and he frowned.

"Yeah, you see Mr Gold here needs our help to find someone out of town, and I thought it could be a good opportunity to spend time together," Emma explained, dread slowly filling her stomach, as Henry's grip tightened on the handrail and his expression darkened.

"Out of town," Henry repeated. "You want me to leave Storybrooke with you?" He asked to clarify.

"That's what I said kid," she teased, pasting on a smile that felt so forced her muscles couldn't cooperate for long.

"What does Mom say about it?" Henry questioned and Emma hesitated for a second too long. "She doesn't know, does she? You didn't even ask her?"

"I just heard about it, Henry. I wanted to know if you were alright with it first," she tried but he shook his head.

"Are you going to tell Mom? Or are you just going to try and take me away again?" The boy snarked and Emma sighed.

"Don't be like that, kid. I'm not trying to do anything, I was just suggesting that it could be good to go together."

"Well then I'm saying no. I'm not leaving my mom all alone. Especially now," Henry says vehemently.

"Don't you think that with Cora around she wouldn't want you to be far from here and safe?" Snow intervened, in a gentle and appeasing tone, taking a few steps towards him.

"Snow," David began warningly, but Henry cut him off.

"Why don't you just call her and ask then? Or are you afraid of how she is going to react?"

Emma and Snow exchanged a look and stayed silent.

"You're only pretending to believe she wants to do good," Henry yelled. "You're like everyone else, you only think about the bad things she did before. She is trying so hard but you don't want to see it. She only has me and I'm not leaving her behind."

With that, he jumped down the stairs and ran out, with both Emma and Snow calling out for him. Emma started to follow but David held her back.

"Leave him be, he needs time to cool off. How did you think it was going to go exactly?"

Emma deflated. "It unraveled pretty fast, didn't it? I don't even know what I was thinking."

"As entertaining as this little display was, we are on a schedule here, plane to catch and all that, now would be a good time to start moving," Mr Gold spoke up, tapping his cane on the floor.

"Can you give us a minute here? I already agreed to help you," Emma retorted, rolling her eyes.

"You don't seem to understand that you're the one who owes me. I have been very patient, and frankly I hope for your sake that young Henry is right, and that Regina is indeed changing because if I were her and I heard about what you just tried to do with her child, I would dismember you slowly and enjoy every minute of it. So when you think about it I'm doing you a favour by removing you from the line of fire," Gold argued in a low, dark tone.

Emma found it a bit ironic that he would use that against her, when not that long ago he was encouraging her to take her rightful place as Henry's mother, but she guessed that now that he had what he wanted he could show his true colours.

Henry ran and ran, not seeing anything, not caring about the weird looks he was getting for being out in the streets in his pyjamas, he just wanted to go home.

He couldn't believe Emma would try to do something like that again, to take him away when his mom needed him the most. He was so mad at her and Snow for acting as if his mom's opinion didn't matter, as if she didn't need to be told about where he was.

He knew it was his fault, that he had rejected Regina for a year, told them she didn't love him and that he didn't want to be part of her life anymore, but he was a kid, a stupid kid who didn't know any better. They were the adults, they should see that he didn't really mean it, that the way she handled his adoption and his origins and lied about the curse didn't erase 10 years of love and care.

He slammed into someone, and when he looked up his whole face illuminated as he recognized the person he wanted to see the most right then.

"Mom!" he exclaimed and embraced her tightly.

She didn't reciprocate though and that seemed strange to Henry. She cupped his cheek to see his face and a strange smile appeared on hers.

"Henry, is it? Yes, you're her boy, aren't you? I must say this is unexpected but you couldn't have timed this better."

Henry paled as he realised that this woman was not his Mom but the woman they were all trying to stop.

"You're Cora," he breathed and she grinned.

"Smart boy, but shouldn't you call me Grandma?"

"If you hurt me, my mom will destroy you, both of them actually," Henry said, trying to pull away from her but she was holding him too tight.

"I have no intention of hurting you, my darling boy," she chuckled. "No, you are a far too precious bargaining chip."

"Please, just let me go to see my mom," Henry begged.

"Oh but we will see your mother, only it will be on my terms," she informed, and then they disappeared in a cloud of dark blue smoke.

David was starting to think they would never catch a break in this town, Emma had barely been out of the door that Bashful had called to inform them that Hook had some very important revelations to make. The pirate hoped to negotiate his release with this piece of news.

When they had asked why he had waited until then to talk he had replied that he had thought Cora would free him, but since she hadn't he wanted to change allegiance. He had led them back to his boat where they had found who they were told was Anton, the giant who had helped Emma get the compass back in the Enchanted Forest. Only he had lost a few inches in height, and had been terribly unhappy to see David once he had woken up, the deputy Sheriff had the aching jaw to prove it. The shrunken giant had fled then and they hadn't been able to find him yet. He and Snow were just coming back to the apartment for a bite to eat.

He hadn't found a moment to check on Henry, he was surprised not to have heard from Regina, he would have expected some yelling at least, maybe even threats. He dialed her number and she picked up on the third ring.

"Though I find it almost sweet, and if you ever repeat this to anyone I will have to hit you, that you're checking up on me, it's unnecessary," she greeted and David frowned, this was not what he had expected.

"David?" She called out.

"Hmm, yes I'm here, I'm just surprised...Anyway, I wanted to know how Henry is," he fumbled with his words and there was a pause.

"I haven't seen him today, isn't he supposed to be in school?" Regina replied, any teasing intonation having disappeared from her voice, replaced by concern.

David's stomach dropped. "You haven't heard from him at all?" He asked and Snow looked at him, her eyebrows drawing together in a frown.

"David, what's going on?" She demanded, and he took too long to answer for she appeared before him in a cloud of smoke, her phone still clutched in her hand, stumbling and looking around as if she had reacted in an unconscious manner and wasn't sure how she had gotten there. He reached out to her, holding her elbow.

"Where is my son, David?" She asked, gripping his arm.

"I don't know," he admitted and the few hints of colors remaining on her face vanished.

"What happened?" She questioned in a trembling voice.

"There was a misunderstanding this morning between him and Emma and he took off. I'm really sorry, I was certain he was with you," David explained in a low tone.

"A misunderstanding? What could have possibly driven Henry away like that?" Regina insisted, sensing he was withholding something.

He sighed. "Look, Gold came by earlier, he called on a favor Emma owned him. He needed her to help him find someone out of town, and Emma asked Henry if he wanted to join them…"

"She did what?" Regina exclaimed. "What the hell was she thinking? And when was I to be informed? Once she had kidnapped him and taken him past the town line?"

"She wasn't thinking, she admitted it herself. She acted too rashly and he thought she was trying to take him without your approval," David tried to back his daughter up but he realised he was doing a poor job at it when Regina's expression grew even more somber.

"It looks to me that he was right to be worried, and that you were going to let it happen," she growled, then wrenched her arm free of his hold and walked quickly towards the door.

"Regina!" David called after her and ran to catch up with her, not even noticing that Snow was following close behind.

He managed to get in her way outside. "Regina, you know I never would have let Emma take him away without informing you."

"Really? Because you have a strange way to prove it. Now, I have to go and find my son," she retorted, trying to get past him but he wouldn't let her.

"Let me help, please."

"It's been hours without him contacting any of us, don't you get it? She has him, my mother has him, and if anything happens to him, I will never be able to forgive myself for ever putting him in harm's way, and I will never forgive you either," her voice cracked, and once more he reached out to her.

"Regina…" he began, but panicked yells and screams interrupted his attempt.

They turned towards their source and saw several people running in the street, and a giant form moving further away.

"It seems you have bigger problems to deal with," Regina remarked and disappeared before David could utter another word.

He stayed still for a long moment, watching the place where she had just been standing, and then turned towards Snow, whose blank face and clenched fists didn't bode well.

"Once we have dealt with this, you and I are going to talk," she said, and headed off to face the newest crisis.