Chapter 12

"Is there anything else that you can tell us?" Emma asked, mentally trying to remember it all.

"Not that I can think of right now. That is the day that is burned into my brain. I can't forget it no matter how much I try. I think that Belle even tried a forgetting spell at one point when I was young to help me with the nightmares, but it was only temporary."

"You can't forget it?" Regina asked, rather intrigued with this bit of information.

"No, no matter what I do. No spell, injury, relic or potion can make me forget that day for longer than a week's time. It is rather annoying to remember it so drastically every time I try to forget it. It is like my brain or my magic keep it preserved for some reason. One in which they have decided not to share with me," Coraline told them.

"Would you be willing to let me try?" Regina asked her.

"I can't see where it will hurt anything."

"I'll do some research. I'll need you to come over so that we can discuss what you have already tried, that way I can rule it out. Plus, I don't want to hurt unnecessarily if I can help it."

"I know that, Mom. I understand the precautions. We need to find a way to get me back as well. Once I find my answers or whatever I can find out to use against the Blackness, I need to go back. I can't stay here. It doesn't matter how much that I want to stay or how much you want me to stay. We all know that I can't stay here."

Regina and Emma both took an uneasy drink of their tea and set the glasses back down. Coraline watched them wondering what they were thinking about in that moment. She eyed them and Emma broke first. She somehow knew that Emma would tell her anything if she asked, no matter how painful or hurtful. She wouldn't try to sugarcoat things to protect her.

"There isn't a way back," Emma stated.

"What do you mean that there isn't a way back?" Coraline questioned angrily. "There has to be a way back. I can't be stuck here. If I am it will change the entire timeline. This cannot be happening. There has to be some way back."

"There isn't," Regina replied.

"There has to be," Coraline countered again.

"The only way back is the way you came and you don't know how you did that, so there is no way back. Unless you can pick out which spell it was that brought you here, we can't help you. And, just to throw a big kink in that plan, the only person who ever created a time warp spell that worked was your Aunt Zelena and she didn't make it," Emma replied.

"Emma is the only one who has successfully gone through and come back through a time portal and she isn't the one that cast the spell. We really can't help you in this matter. I am sorry."

"What did Zelena use to open it?"

"Kid…"

"What did she use?" Coraline begged.

"My heart, your grandfather's courage, your uncle Neal, and she tried to use Rumple's brain."

"Well, I guess that isn't going to work. I sincerely doubt that Grams is going to just give me Neal. Plus, I am sure that it took an immense amount of dark magic to even begin to open a time portal. I am not really comfortable examining that side of myself," Coraline stated.

"I would prefer it if you didn't," Regina told her.

"Can we still look for a way? Surely the fairies have something that they can do? I mean, it doesn't hurt to look, does it?" Coraline asked them.

"No, Kiddo, it doesn't. I just don't want you to think that we are trying to keep you here. I mean I would love for you to stay, but I understand the importance of you getting back. We'll keep looking thought. It is kinda what we do," Emma told her.

"I know that. We don't give up, even when it looks really bleak. I think Mom refers to it as the Charming Curse. It doesn't matter how bad things get we find a way to make things happen."

"We do," Emma replied.

"You certainly do, Dears," Regina answered.

"I'm sorry…"

"Oh, Coraline, as much as I despise your grandparents some days, it is an endearing quality to have. At least they have welcomed me into the family somewhat. I can't tell you how many times since I have changed my path from darkness that I have been thankful for their never ending optimism. It was refreshing, especially after everything that happened with my own family. I am glad that you had people around you that loved you, that cared enough about you to risk their lives to protect you, and that you had love from someone besides us after we died."

"Mom…"

"No, Coraline, you don't have to have to apologize for being angry. I understand it. I…well, my upbringing wasn't ideal and unfortunately for your Ma, I caused her to have a less than ideal and loving upbringing. I hope that you felt loved and wanted as a child."

"I was until you were gone," Coraline stated.

"Did Belle and Red not love you?" Emma asked.

"They did, but they weren't you. I wanted you. I wanted to be able to crawl into bed with you in the middle of the night when a storm raged outside. I wanted to be able to learn with you both. I didn't get that. I was…"

"I get it, Coraline. I do. We are here now to help. We are going to do everything we can for you," Emma told her, reaching across the table and taking her head.

Coraline smiled at her and didn't pull away from her. She stared at her mothers and wondered what life would be like with them, now. Emma met her gaze and held for a long moment.

"Remember, I didn't get my parents until I was older, too."

"I know. Grams and Gramps were good to me. But, the difference is that you still have your parents as an adult. I don't have that. I never got that. I got you both for about five years. I know that you didn't have them when you were younger," Coraline started.

"I didn't have real parents until I was twenty-eight. I wonder around the world thinking that I was never wanted, Coraline. I didn't know why they gave me up, only that they did. I've spent years trying to deal with that. You knew that you were wanted. You had love," Emma said.

"You gave up Henry though," Coraline replied.

Regina squeezed Emma's hand hard to keep her from saying anything. She eyed her daughter with disdain, but waited a minute to calm herself before she said anything. And when she did, she continued to hold Emma's hand letting her know that she would back that decision as long as they both could speak about it.

"Your Ma gave Henry up because she had to, not because she wanted to do it."

"Yeah, like Grams."

"No, not like Grams, Coraline. Emma didn't have a choice. Snow did. She could have kept the child and eventually she would have broken the curse. That is the source of resentment between them that they still have issues with today and I sure that it will remain that way for years. However, Emma gave up Henry because she was in jail. She couldn't keep him there. She had no family to care for him. She had no one who could come claim him. She gave him up in the closed adoption because she knew that he would have a better chance of having a forever home that way. And, he did. It might have been fate or it might have been Rumple's insane genius that I ended up with Henry, but that didn't matter to me. I had a son. I had a family. I wasn't going to lose it. Unfortunately for Emma when she did come back into Henry's life, I made their lives miserable. Henry has forgiven her for giving him up because he understood why she did and he also believes that it was part of her destiny," Regina told her.

"He does have the heart of the truest believer," Emma added.

"He does. He never gave up on us. He never will," Coraline replied.

"But, you are still angry with us?" Regina asked.

"Not as much as I was. I am starting to realize that you did what you did to protect the kingdom and me. It doesn't matter how I feel. I still won't have you. But, I'll remember what I had and this time together if I find a way back," Coraline stated.

"We will endeavor to do what we can," Regina added.

Will tore through her apartment. She knew what she was looking for and she didn't know how much time she would have before Coraline would return. And, if she returned quickly, she could only hope that she wouldn't bring Regina and Emma with her.

"Fireballs…" Will stated with a laugh.

She ripped open a closet. She grabbed a small bag and started throwing clothes into it. She made sure that she had a few changes. She rubbed the red ring on her fingers. She reached into the closet and pulled all the blue shirts that she had. They went into the bag.

"If you only knew how intimately I really knew your mother…"

Will stopped herself from thinking about those times in the castle. She didn't want to think about the longing to belong in a world she wasn't from but was destined to be in. Nothing about the witch queen or her step-daughter made any sense to her. Neither did the way her half-sister lived in hiding of her true self, but that was a whole other story.

"Oh, how the writers in this world got the stories wrong," she mused.

There were so many things that she could have told the Brothers Grimm and Hans Christian Andersen that would have made them blush more than their cautionary tales. Oh, yeah, the truth in their stories was often stranger than the fiction of the men wrote about. They had no clue was they were writing was wrong. They didn't have a first-hand account. They thought they were writing fables, not fiction based on truth.

She laughed. She wondered what everyone thought about their stories, or if they even knew about them. Regina must have some inkling if she was a functioning member of this world's society.

"What was it that Emma and Coraline both called her? Ah, yes, mayor…she is mayor of the sleep town of Storybrooke. And, Emma is their sheriff. I wonder if Emma knows who her boss really is. I would so, considering she knew that she was Coraline's mother…but still…"

She shook her head. She couldn't stay and have Regina find her. She had abandoned that post many years ago and she was not looking forward to the Queen's wrath.

"If she is here, I wonder if Rumple came, too," she mused.

She didn't want to think about the imp being in this world, especially if he had magic. But, she wondered why he would allow himself to come to this world. It had no magic. She knew that first hand. But, she enjoyed that fact immensely as well. It was hard enough being Vulcannonian in the Enchanted Forest and trying suppress certain urges. Here it was easy. There was no magic calling to her blood. The moon didn't faze her. It was only an ill-fated trip back from Australia to California that caused her to be lost and fighting to survive on some island in the Pacific. Her magic called to her then, but it was just strong enough to help her home. Since then, she hasn't mourned the loss of it. She has actually rejoiced.

Well that was until Emma left Boston. She'd lost faith in man again. Emma, while not a romantic liaison, was a friend that kept her grounded and their years together served to help her deal with her "specialness." There were times that she thought about telling Emma who she really was and why she couldn't really get hurt, but it didn't seem important enough to make Emma run away. And, she knew that she would run. Who wouldn't? No, she just kept living and surviving in the world. But, for the same reasons that she came to this realm, she couldn't make herself be happy. There was something that she was missing. She wanted more.

"So, Coraline, are you going to come home with us?" Emma asked.

Regina held onto her leg, not sure that she was ready for Coraline's answer. They were her mothers, but now, they knew more about why she acted the way she did. There was so much that they didn't understand or know and they both knew that it would take time. Regina just hoped that she would come back with them to Storybrooke so they could begin doing their research together.

"I need to go to New York," she answered.

"When?" Emma asked.

"I don't know, but I need to go."

"I'll take you," Emma offered.

"Why?" Coraline asked befuddled by her offer.

"Because, I know New York and you don't. I am your mother, too. Oh, yeah, I will worry about you until you come home. And, most importantly, because I can," Emma stated.

"I don't understand."

"What is there to understand, Coraline? You want to go to New York, then I'll take you. It is very simple," Emma told her.

Regina held fast to Emma's hand under the table. She could feel Coraline pulling away, but she could hear that Emma was going to fight to keep her. Her heart melted all over again for her new lover. Emma was going to fight for their family. She would, too.

"We could make a trip of it," Regina offered.

"A trip?" Coraline asked.

"Yes, it would be good to take a vacation. I am sure that Henry would love to go with us. He and Emma lived there for a year together. I am sure that there are things that he misses from there," Regina stated.

"Are you sure?" Emma asked her, turning in the booth.

"Yes, I am sure. It would be good for both of you. You could finally get some closure with Neal's apartment. It might good for all of us as a family," Regina stated.

"If you're sure," Emma started.

"I am, Emma. It would be nice to visit somewhere that I have never been as well. While you had the freedom to adventure around the country during the curses, I did not. I was always in Storybrooke. This is only the second time that I've been to Boston," Regina answered.

"And the first?" Emma questioned.

"Was to get Henry," Regina replied.

Emma's brows scrunched up in confusion. She'd had Henry in Phoenix while she was in jail. She didn't understand how Henry made it all the way to Boston before Regina got him. She had been under the impression that Regina got him right after birth.

"Don't fret about it, Dear. I am the only mother besides you that Henry has ever known. I picked him up from the adoption agency that Rumple worked with to get him. I didn't know that he wasn't from Boston until I got him. All I asked Rumple for was to find me a child."

"You weren't specific?" Coraline asked, starting to feel Emma's frustration with the topic.

"No, I really didn't. The imp thought I was coming to him to help me in procuring a child by nature means at first. I would have never asked him for that. No, I knew that he was good at getting things through curse. He retained some of his memories and identity. He had no magic and couldn't attack me. And, if he didn't want to do something that I asked of him, all he had to do was ask me: 'please'."

"That is why he said that after the curse broke," Emma murmured.

"Said what, Dear?" Regina asked.

"That your 'pleases' had lost their punch."

"Yes, because he couldn't refuse my 'pleases.' I put that into the curse. He could defy me as long as I never said 'please' to him," Regina stated rather smugly.

"You said please for Henry, didn't you?" Emma asked.

"I did."

"And, Rumple being Rumple found out somehow that Henry was Ma's and made sure to get him for you once he knew that he was up for adoption?" Coraline asked.

"He did."

"And the rest in history now," Emma added.

"Yes, Dear, it is," Regina replied.

"So, it's settled then, we'll all go to New York?" Coraline asked.

"Yes, Darling, it is. We need to go back to Storybrooke first though. I need to make sure that your Grams hasn't burnt down the town. Also, I want to talk to Ruby. I need to make sure that she is okay with us being gone longer than a few days. Plus, we will have to get Henry."

"I think that I would like to talk to Grams," Coraline added.

"Are you going to tell her about Prince Neal?" Regina asked, concerned for Emma and Coraline.

"No, not yet. I think that I can help her learn to deal with you two being an item. Don't get me wrong, I love Grams, but she is a little temperamental when it comes to the two of you. Trust me when I tell you that she'll come around and when she does, she'll become your biggest advocate. She just needs time. She needs to know that you aren't going to hurt Emma," Coraline said.

"I have never directly hurt, Emma."

"You did try to poison me," Emma added.

"That was the only time. The rest of the time I was just trying to get you to leave. I never went out of my way to hurt you like I did your mother," Regina quipped.

"I know."

"And, why is that, Mom?" Coraline asked with a knowing smile.

"If you are smiling like that, Coraline, then you already know the answer. You want to share? Or, should I?" Regina questioned her adult daughter.

"I think that it would be better coming from you, Mom."

"Very well," Regina replied.

"And, what would that be?" Emma inquired.

"That I started to care for you, Dear. And, in starting to care for you, I didn't want to hurt you. I just merely wanted to keep you out of my way. You were good for Henry, but I was still afraid that he would leave me for you. When you made him stay with me, I realized that you really didn't want to take him from me. You wanted him to have stability and love. Something that you never had really growing up and that was something that I was readily able to give."

"It was and it is."

"Thank you," Regina responded simply.

"There is no need to thank me for that. It was all you. As, Snow told you, Regina, you do love deeply and heaven help anyone that comes after those you love. I've seen it firsthand. I've been on the receiving end of it and now, I'm one of the ones that you are willing to do anything for. You also know, several times over, that I feel the same about you as well," Emma replied.

"Alright, alright, you two, what are we going to do now?" Coraline asked.

Truth be told, she loved her mothers. She was happy for them, but she knew that she didn't want to see them in the extremely early stages of their relationship. She could wait to see them together once the "honeymoon period" was over.

"We need to go back to Storybrooke."

"I drove myself here," Coraline stated.

"To Boston, yes, we know. But, we need to get back. We can start our research and start a plan for us to go to Boston to get whatever answers you feel you need. I only have one question for you, Coraline," Emma told her.

"Yes, Ma, what is it?"

"Can we trust you to go back home?"

"Home?"

"To Storybrooke," Regina added.

"Yeah, I will follow you back," Coraline stated.

"Good. Do we need to take you back to Will's apartment? Should we call her?" Emma inquired.

"She gave me a key."

Regina's eyebrow shot up. Emma held her tongue but smiled at the daughter. Coraline offered nothing further.

"We can go by her place and get your stuff. From there, we'll decide what to do. Does that sound good with everyone?" Emma asked.

"Sounds good to me, but I think I should call her first. I want to see what she is up to. She left the dinner really quickly and I don't think it was for a job. I know that is what she told me it was a call, but it was just the way she left," Coraline stated.

"What do you mean?" Emma questioned.

"It just seemed odd. She seemed out of sorts about something. She looked out the window, answered her phone and then left. She gave me the key and told me to call her later. She was gone literally just moments before you came in, but I didn't think about it until now."

"You think that she was running from me?" Emma asked.

"I don't know, Ma. I really don't know. But, why would she run from you? She is your friend, right? She is the one that got you started bounty hunting?" Coraline asked in reply.

"Yeah, she was."

"Then, it doesn't make sense. Wouldn't she just call someone else to take the call? Why would she rush out of here? And, when she left, why didn't you see her leave? You should have seen her leave," Coraline mused.

"We can ask her when we get to her apartment, Darling. Go ahead and call her. I'll go settle the bill," Regina stated.

"Are you sure? I can get it. It's no problem," Emma told her.

"You've already paid for enough in this adventure, Miss Swan. I think that I can handle a bill or two. I do know how much you make, remember?"

"Only because you are the one that signs my pay stub," Emma teased back.

Regina shook her head and pushed at Emma. She got up out of the booth and let Regina out. Regina walked up to the counter to pay. As soon as she was out of ear shot, Coraline leaned over to Emma and Emma leaned closer to her.

"Look, I know that you and Will are friends," she started.

"Yeah?"

"I know that she drugged me."

"Okay…"

"I am not mad. I should be, but I'm not. I should have expected something of the sort coming from one of you non-magical friends. They will do almost anything for you, Ma, and I think that you know it," Coraline told her.

"I do."

"I also know that Mom doesn't know and it is going to stay that way."

"Why?" Emma asked.

"Because I don't think that Will would survive her wrath if Mom ever found out."

"Agreed," Emma replied.

"I suspect that you aren't going to tell her either."

"Nope."

"Did you procure another night her after you talked with Will this morning?"

"I did."

"Good."

"Why good?"

"Because you and Mom need some time alone without any distractions."

"Distractions?" Emma asked.

"The town, Henry, your parents, you know distractions," Coraline answered.

"Alright, but why?"

"I think that I need to talk to Will."

"About?"

"It's personal," Coraline stated as Regina walked back up.

"What's personal?"

"Nothing, Mom, we were discussing my interests back in the Enchanted Forest," Coraline said.

"Your interests?"

"Yes, things that I liked to do."

"Like?" Regina asked, sounding half concerned and half amused about their obvious cover up.

"Archery for one."

"You would. I am sure that Snow taught you to shoot. She is a very well taught archer."

"She did, but it was mostly Henry that taught me and that was in secret," Coraline answered.

"Why in secret?" Regina asked.

"Because you didn't want me to fight. You tried to keep the fight from me. I think it was also because I volunteered to join Charmings army at the tender age of three. Grams and Gramps, Emma, Red, Belle, and Henry all looked amused by the prospect, but you didn't. I don't know what it was, but you weren't going to allow me to join the army."

"But, you went and did it anyway, didn't you?" Regina asked pointing at her arm.

"That wasn't me really joining the army, that was more of me making a statement to myself."

"Which was?" Emma asked, suddenly concerned about her line of thinking.

"I was a princess in hiding. I had no parents. I couldn't tell anyone my name, but I could be in the military and serve dead queens with no problem. Most of the Elite Guard was dead and they had fallen on the field outside of the Winter Castle the day…I lost everything. The Personal Guard was a little different. They trickled in from fields far and near. Slowly amassing a platoon, but they never left the compounds. Red and Belle wouldn't let them."

"Why not?"

"Belle spoke to their captain once, what about I don't know, but the next night Red came home with the tattoo upon her right arm. Belle was almost furious, but she never said anything to Red. Well, at least, not to her face anyway. I didn't understand what the tattoo was and what it meant at that time. It wasn't until years later and many history lessons that I learned of its power. I hoped that one day I would be able to live up to the sacrifices and ideals that my Queens did. I was young and foolish and I really didn't know anything about my parents."

"What happened?" Regina asked.

"When I came home from the tattoo artists, Red turned as soon as she saw it. She was so angry with me, but she couldn't touch me. I didn't understand. Belle was so angry with me as well. It didn't make any sense. They were teaching me to help with the rebellion, but I wasn't allowed to join it. I didn't put it together until they took me into a tower."

"A tower?" Emma asked.

"Yeah, the Remy Tower at Rumple's castle."

Will ran around the apartment. She removed any sign that she had come back there. She hoped that Emma and Coraline would understand. She couldn't face Regina. She couldn't face the lot of them together. She would crack and tell them who she really was and what she was really doing in this realm. It wasn't something that she would ever be prepared to do. No, running was an easier solution, no matter how bad of coward it made her look.

Her cell phone rang and she looked at it. It was Coraline. Her heart dropped. She didn't want to answer it, but she knew that if she didn't that Coraline would come looking for her. And, if Coraline didn't, then Emma would. She knew that her behavior was odd and she knew that they would question it.

Coraline might have only known her for around forty-eight hours, but it was enough between them. Emma had known her longer. And if Coraline questioned her actions and told Emma about them, she knew that Emma would jump on the bandwagon with Coraline. She couldn't have that. She needed to calm down just enough to throw them off her trail. She needed to get out of Boston and get out of it tonight. She needed to go to Storybrooke. She needed to find out if Rumple had come over with the Regina and what part she had in one of his sick plans.

"Hello, dear, what can I do for you?" Will asked answering the phone.

"Where are you?"

"I'm on a job."

"Where?" Coraline pushed.

"Does it really matter?"

"I want to see you."

"You can't while I am working, Dear. I'm sorry. Besides, shouldn't you be bonding with your mother? Isn't that why you were meeting your mother and Emma at the diner?"

"It is Will, but Emma wanted to see you, too," Coraline told her.

"I know. I am sorry for that, too, but she knows how spontaneous this job can be. To be honest, I needed the money from this job. I had to take it. It should be down quick enough, though."

"Will are you going to come back to the apartment?"

"I should when I am done," she lied.

"You're lying. You aren't coming back. Where are you, Will?"

She could hear the desperation building in Coraline's voice. She didn't know what to tell her. She couldn't stay.

"I'll be back there later, Coraline. I have to go. I have to go…I have my mark. I'll call you later. I promise. I'll call you. I know that we need to talk, but I can't do it right now. Go home with your mother and find your answers there. I have to go. I am sorry. I have to go."

She hung up the phone and grabbed some paper. She gauged that she only had a few minutes before Emma and Coraline would come busting into her apartment. She needed to be gone before they got there. She needed to be on her way to Storybrooke.

She wrote Coraline a simple letter. It didn't discuss feelings or what had transpired between them. It was only meant to give Coraline closure about their time together and that she didn't need to dwell in the past. She could tell that she and Coraline could have built a relationship if they chose to pursue it, but there was so much from the outside that would destroy them and pull them apart. It would have never worked and she knew it. It didn't matter that she was Regina's daughter…well, it did, slightly, but Coraline must never know that. She mustn't find out that Will knew Regina. In the end, she left a card with an email address and a phone number. It would have to be enough between them until Will could face her own demons and fears.

She grabbed her bag and ran out. She ran to the bank of windows in the hallway and saw Emma pull up in the Storybrooke cruiser and park. She turned and ran down the back stairs. She would have to speed to find this Storybrooke, Maine before they made their way back. She could only hope that she could get there and find what she was what she looking for. She didn't want to hurt Emma and she didn't want to hurt Coraline, but she didn't see any way around it, now.

Emma led the way up to Will's apartment. She knew which one it was from her time spent with her in Boston. Many a night they found themselves sleeping there, waiting for a clue or some break in their cases. She knew that apartment intimately but she had to admit that she never knew Will during all their times. No matter how drunk they were, they never crossed that line.

But, now, Emma could see that Will and Coraline had. She wondered what drove them to their intimacy. But, she also knew that Coraline would never tell her. It was their secret to keep and Emma would allow it. She wouldn't break her friend's or her daughter's trust. But, she didn't want Coraline to suffer because of whatever happened between them.

Coraline opened the door and went in first. Emma behind her and Regina followed. She could see the haunted look come over Emma, but she didn't speak of it. She could tell that they were upset at Will's absence but she didn't know why. She assumed that it was because Will and Emma were friends and that she had endowed some knowledge of this friendship to her. She would not pry, at least not yet, into what was creating their solemn mood.

"She's not here," Coraline said breaking the silence.

"It appears not," Regina stated.

Emma found the note, read it quickly enough and handed it to Coraline. She knew enough by the words that Will had written were more than what were she hadn't. She watched Coraline's face for any betrayal of emotion and found none. She knew in that moment how much she was Regina's daughter. But, she knew a second later that she was her own as well.

"She is gone. I'll be just be a minute. I'll go with you."

"If you wish, Coraline," Regina answered her as she watched her walk into another room to gather up what belongings she had there.

When she left the room, Regina grabbed Emma by the hand and pulled her towards her. Emma moved willingly and stared into Regina's eyes trying to figure out why she grabbed her so. She pulled her close enough that Emma could feel her breath on her ear.

"What aren't you telling me?"

"What are you talking about, Regina?"

"Something more happened between Coraline and Will and neither of you are talking about it. Shall I ask her when she comes back? Or, will you tell me?"

"I don't know if something actually happened, but I believe it did. Coraline doesn't wish to talk about it and it seems that Will didn't want to deal with it. It is their business and that is where I am going to leave it. As you should as well. She is our daughter, but she is an adult."

"If Will hurt her in any way…"

"She hasn't yet. She's left. She maybe on some case, but whatever the reason, she's left. And now, Coraline must deal with that on her own. She is like you in that manner, my Queen."

"And what is that?"

"She doesn't know how to love well."

"Well, neither did you, either, Dear," Regina retorted.

Emma spun around and grabbed both of her hands in her own. She stared down into her chocolate brown eyes and smiled. She leaned down and brushed a soft kiss across her rosy lips.

"I didn't until I met you and saw how fiercely you loved Henry. I believe that our children have taught us how to love. They brought us together, Regina and they have healed our pain."

"And, we should do the same for our daughter."

"I plan on it."

"Where is Will?" Regina asked her.

"I don't know. I really don't. All I can tell you is that something about meeting me and you today spooked her, but as to why? I don't know. She has always been a private person. She didn't want to teach me anything when we first met. But, she took pity on me. Got me off the street. Taught me to survive without being a thief and a con. She took the skills that I had learned in my illegal profession and turned into something that I could get paid to do. She saved me from myself when I had no one and nothing, Regina. She is the closest thing that I ever had to a real, honest friend and the loyalty of a sister."

"She's hurt our daughter, and yet, you defend her, still," Regina replied.

"I would do the same for you."

"I would never ask that of you," Regina stated.

"You don't have to, because I love you. And, neither does Coraline, Henry or even Will. They have all earned my love and trust. I'll call her later and hopefully, she can explain her absence today. But, I will not seek her out and hurt her because Coraline is upset. That isn't healthy and what would that teach our children."

"That revenge is a dish best served cold, my Dear," Regina replied.

"And, how did that work out for you and Snow? Hmm? You've forgiven her and she you. You are now with her daughter, which may be by some considered to be part of your vengeance, but I know better. Regina, she has the emotionally stability of a teenager. I know what that is like. More than likely she developed some sort of crush on Will. Will has taken a job because she needed the money. She is a hard worker and a loyal friend. I doubt that she has actually done anything to hurt Coraline besides not being here. We need to let them deal with it," Emma said.

"You want me to just let this go?"

"I want you to allow our daughter to make her own decisions. If she wants to be upset, let her. We can go around punishing the world populace because they upset our family. It would be an all-out war between us and the rest of the world. And, trust me that it won't end well for anyone in that situation," Emma explained.

"I don't like this."

"Neither do I. We'll take her back with us to the hotel. She'll be fine. We'll help her get through this and will find a way to save us all."

"I'll get her a room," Regina stated.

"Her own room?"

"You want her lodging with us, Dear?"

"It would save money," Emma offered.

"But, it would stop plans that I have for you."

"By all means, let her have her own room then, my Queen," Emma told her with a bow.

A/N: There is an Easter Egg in this chapter. To first person who can tell me what the Easter egg is and what it references, there will be a prize. Please PM your answers. Thanks.