Well. Here she was!

Home!

She looked about. Yep. All uncursed.

That was rather easy.

Would have been easier if the damned fairy hadn't given her the detour.

The detour.

No, she would not think about that.

Not a bit.

She walked outside her front door and was engulfed.

Henry.

"Mom!"

"Henry. Oh my gods, Henry!"

And she hugged him so hard and long that he laughed, "Mom, if you hug me to death, you won't get to see me!"

Regina ruffled his hair, "That's my boy!" She frowned, "What are you doing here?"

"What am I doing here? It worked! You stopped the curse!"

"It's what I went away for, wasn't it?"

"Yes!"

Regina hugged him again. Then, "But Henry, your Mom."

"You're my Mom! Everybody asked everybody who I should be with but me! I want you both!"

That made tears come to her eyes, "Thank you."

Yes. This was why she came home.

Regina saw Emma standing a distance away. With that person.

"Congratulations, Regina." Emma walked forward, "You did it."

Regina shrugged.

"Hey! Mom!" Henry, shouted, pointing to her hand . "You got the One Ring! The ONE RING!"

"The what?" Regina looked and saw Robin's ring and chain in her hand. "No, it's not the One Ring." She hastily slipped it out of sight.

"Oh," Henry's face fell.

"I don't know, buddy," Neal leaned down to Henry conspiratorially, "Maybe we need to throw it into a roaring fire and see!"

Regina stared stonily at him, and then, "Emma, I want a DNA test, and I Want. One. Now!" She jabbed a finger towards Neal, "There is no way in hell this imbecile fathered my son!"

"Hey!" Neal protested, but Emma and Henry burst out laughing like it was the funniest thing they'd ever heard.

"It's not funny," Regina exclaimed to both of them. "I'm deadly serious!"

"Oh lighten up Regina," Emma chided. "Let's go to Granny's!"

"Hell no, everyone hates me there!"

"Not everybody," Emma said. "Tinkerbell has done nothing but talk about you the whole time you were gone."

"I bet she has," Regina growled, but she allowed herself to be dragged there, and yes, the little fairy came fluttering over.

"So, how'd it go?"

"How'd what go?" Regina blinked.

Tink just folded her arms and stared her down.

"It was what it was." Damn. Emma was listening in. "My detour, Miss Swan. Tramping through the woods for two weeks longer than I needed to because Tink dropped me off at the wrong place."

"Sure," Emma said knowingly. "Remember I can tell when somebody is lying."

"Yes, Emma," Tinkerbell eagerly moved to the blond, "Tell me if she's lying!"

"No, she can't tell," Regina glared at Emma. "Can you spell, maybe…. SIDNEY!"

Emma didn't take the bait and continued smugly, "I know you're holding something back."

"Congratulations," Regina said coldly. "Maybe it's time for both of you to mind you own damn business!"

"What is it Mom?" Henry had left the booth .

"It's nothing, Henry," Regina answered him.

He turned to Emma, "Moooommm!"

"Where's your smelly pirate, Emma?" Regina interrupted before Emma could answer.

Emma squirmed. Good! "He's not mine and he's gone sailing,"

"Because SOMEBODY broke his heart!" Tinkerbell chimed in.

"Shut it, fairy," Emma looked murderous.

"Well, that's one thing the two of us can agree on." And then Tinkerbell looked hurt, and so did Henry. "I'm sorry," she offered. For Henry. And Tink. She was almost her friend.

But even that couldn't dampen her joy at being with Henry again. Regina spent the rest of the day hugging him to death, then ending with them getting ready for bed with Emma leaving out the back. Oh yes, Grandpa Rumple had given Emma the house that joined the end of her yard. Wasn't that great?

Ok. Great for Henry. And it was all about him now. Only about him.

She looked at Henry's brown eyes. Not great. But doable.

And she had the satisfaction of knowing that Neal was NOT living with them.

Ha!

Regina tucked Henry into bed, he reminding her he was getting a little old for that, but just this night!

She kissed him and walked to her room.

Alone.

She would not think of him would not think of…and she could have sworn she heard Roland's little voice. She almost ran to the hallway to see. But of course not.

He wasn't there. He was gone too.

Her little hobbit.

She stood by the window but couldn't undress, couldn't go to sleep.

Was this how healing was supposed to feel?

Missing him so hard it hurt?

Yes.

This is exactly what healing feels like.