"You don't love someone because they're perfect, you love them in spite of the fact they're not."

-Jodi Picoult

Once Upon A Time

"Hey." Emma gave an awkward wave before dusting herself off and walking to join them.

"Are you alright?" Regina met her halfway, looking her up and down curiously.

"Yeah, I uh…I was looking for you and…kinda tripped over that rock." She pointed and laughed at herself. Regina lifted an eyebrow, noticing the way Emma's eyes seemed to be wandering a bit.

"Well what can I do for you, Sheriff?"

"Oh uh, well Henry came home today and was complaining about a talk you two had, I just-"

"I didn't say anything to upset him-"

"No, no, I know." Emma reassured quickly. "I actually figured you might be upset by it. I know has not been easy recently." She said and Regina blinked a few times.

"Oh…well actually, I'm fine." She said honestly and now Emma paused.

"Are you sure? I mean I know what he says hurts." She said and Regina looked back at Luca, running about happily, before stepping closer to Emma to keep their conversation private.

"Honestly, it's more like a chronic pain now. At some point, you stop letting it ruin you. You learn to deal with it and let yourself enjoy life again." She said simply, no sadness, only understanding in her tone. Emma was shocked by the answer.

"You're not…you're not like giving up on him, right? I mean in know he's not giving you a chance, but I still think he'll come around one day."

"And when he does…if he does, I will be waiting for him with open arms." She said truthfully. "I love him. I always will. In my eyes, he will always be my son. But he does not want, or need me. I won't force myself on him anymore."

When she finished, Emma couldn't think of anything to say. She knew Regina had stopped pushing Henry. That was obvious. Before Neverland, she didn't relent in her effort to have him back. Since their return, and the adoption of Luca, Regina had nearly completely stopped bringing it up. She stopped coming over to the apartment, stopped seeking Henry out to talk.

Instead, she greeted him kindly each time they saw each other. She always asked about him and his well being and smiled during the few times that no angry words were exchanged. She was welcoming every time Henry made any advance towards her.

Now that Emma thought of it, Regina had done everything she needed to go halfway and wait. It was up to Henry if he wanted to meet her in the middle. If he wanted to put any effort into having a relationship, Regina was ready and waiting. But it was up to him.

They stayed in silence for a few minutes, watching Luca. He was so carefree, it was a reassuring sight to see by both woman. He just had a light about him that was beautiful to see and it had them both unable to look away.

"You know…" Regina started, not looking away from her child. "…when I first saw Henry, when they put him into my arms, I just felt an immediate connection with him. Right away, I knew we belonged together…"

She trailed off for a moment, pausing and smiling as Luca turned to grin at them both before running off again. Emma just waited patiently. There were times recently that Regina opened up a bit more around her, and Emma found it was best to listen when that happened as to not ruin the moment and waste the opportunity to learn more.

Since they had made the decision to start over and get to know each other as if they didn't have a world of issues between them, they had actually become friends.

They had started by simply speaking politely to each other. No arguments, no accusations. Just conversations about relevant topics, usually in regards to the town. Without fighting, spending time together wasn't so painful, so meetings went on just slightly longer than normal, as town issues turned into casual conversation.

Once they had reached that level, Emma had been comfortable enough to speak openly with her in public without fear of repercussion. Regina had reached the point of inviting Emma to sit with her and Luca when they were out. Luca liked her, as she was kind to him, never glaring accusingly at them or whispering as he came near like so many others.

That led to Regina inviting Emma to sit when she was alone, in the very few times she was away from Luca. She was lucky that Granny was so in love with him, as the older woman liked taking him to the park from time to time, even when Regina didn't have a need for it.

Then all that led to them purposefully deciding to meet solely for the purpose of having lunch and talking as friends. They had reached a level Emma hadn't even thought possible. It was getting surprisingly easy with Regina. She told a few stories of her youth that were told without pain or anger and Regina had listened and laughed easily. She had even spoken of times in her own youth, before the world became a dark place for her. Her stories were also told without sadness or angst.

Henry was the sensitive topic. The only time it was brought up was when Emma was apologizing for his behavior. Regina accepted the words without much emotion and Emma hadn't questioned her on it until today. She didn't want to rock the boat now that things had finally calmed.

All in all though, Emma was realizing she really did like her. In these moments when she wasn't so heavily guarded, Emma really enjoyed listening to her. She was enjoying it more and more in fact and today, when Henry had told her what was said, she jumped on the opportunity to come see the other woman.

Her thoughts were interrupted when Regina continued.

"When I saw Luca in Neverland, I felt that again. That connection that we were meant to be family. That he was meant to be my son. I loved him instantly, as I did and still do, Henry." She spoke so tenderly, the way she did each time she talked about her children to Emma.

"I'm really glad you decided to bring him home." Emma said quietly and Regina turned to regard her. After a second, she smiled softly.

"As if I could have made another choice." She said and Emma nodded understandingly.

"So how was his first few days of school?" Emma asked, deciding to move back to easier topics.

"Well I was a little worried. He has a lot of energy that needs to be released and he can't do that enough during class. But now it seems, we may have found a solution. Apparently he has some hidden talents." She said as Luca kicked the ball up a few times, not letting it hit the ground. "They already asked him to join the team."

"Really?" Emma asked, impressed and Regina nodded proudly. "Wow, so like…you're a legitimate soccer mom now?" She grinned and Regina turned to her again.

"Does that mean something specific?" She asked curiously.

"Yeah. It means you have to wear jeans and drive a mini van." She laughed at the face Regina made.

"I will not drive a mini van." She said incredulously and Emma started laughing.

"I'm sorry Regina, but I don't make the rules." She kept laughing until Regina rolled her eyes.

"You're ridiculous."

"Come on, come play!" Luca called out to them.

"Sweetie, I have to start dinner." She tilted her head at him. He sighed, but then smiled again.

"Can Emma play with me?" He asked hopefully.

"Emma probably has to get home to Henry."

"Actually, Henry's out camping with my dad tonight." She shrugged and Luca grinned again.

"So will you play with me?"

Emma glanced at Regina, looking for permission to accept his offer. When she got a nod of approval and she was sure Regina was okay with it, she turned back to him and nodded happily. She took off her jacket and tossed it on the porch before joining him.

Regina stood for another moment. There were plenty of things she did differently with Luca than Henry. Other than the fact that she had made many mistakes with Henry and she didn't want to repeat them, they were completely different kids. They needed to be approached differently. But now, she almost found humor in the moment.

Regina knew that when she first met Emma, if she would have found her playing with Henry in her yard, she would have exploded. She probably would have pressed charges for trespassing. Now though, she found herself smiling at the blonde pair running about. She moved into the kitchen and opened the windows so she could watch them as she cooked.

Emma accepted the offer to stay for dinner. It was the first time they did something like this in a home, as opposed to the diner or someone's office. But then neither minded. The three of them actually had an enjoyable meal.

Regina was blown away when Luca went down for bed so easily afterwards. He usually needed awhile to calm down before hand, but then he and Emma had exhausted quite a bit of energy playing. He had fallen asleep during the first story, which was extremely abnormal as he generally pushed for at least three before finally succumbing to sleep. Tonight though, she watched his eyes flutter within the first ten minutes and simply stopped and kissed him goodnight before leaving him to his dreams.

"You didn't have to do that." Regina said as she came back to find Emma finishing the dishes.

"It's no problem. Dinner was delicious, thank you."

"You're welcome. Glass of cider?"

"Absolutely."

They sat down in the living room for a bit, drinking and continuing light conversation. Regina started a fire with her magic, not ashamed of it's use, and they both sat back and relaxed. Emma waited until the alcohol had created a calming warmth before voicing her thoughts.

"I'm really worried about Henry." She started, looking into the fire.

"What?" Regina knit her brow slightly as she regarded her.

"He's so angry all the time. I don't even think he knows exactly why. But I think he was expecting some perfect magical happy ending to happen once everything settled, but instead, he's stuck back in his normal life. Stuck with me."

"Emma, he choose you." She said, and shockingly, without any saddened emotions.

"I…I know, I just…I think he's frustrated that no matter where he goes, he doesn't get the ending he wants."

"As ironic as this statement is, at some point, we must all grow up. He simply hasn't learned how the world really works. The perfect family doesn't exist. He has to decide to be happy."

Emma was still surprised by the lack of sadness in her tone. She had truly managed to start living without letting everything hurt her. She was deciding to be happy just as she had said.

"Do you think…would you be interested, in spending time with us? Both of you with both of us?" She asked and Regina waited a minute before answering.

"You think that's a good idea? Not only does Henry not desire my company, but he made it clear that he doesn't want to spend time with Luca. I can handle what Henry throws at me, but I won't let Luca be hurt in the process."

"Right, yeah I understand. I just thought if we could start acting like everything is normal. Like we can all get along, maybe he'll start coming around."

"Perhaps. Maybe in some more time."

"Cool." Emma nodded, finishing off the rest of her drink. "So uh, do you think you might want to...to meet up again, like maybe we could-"

Emma was cut off by a yell from upstairs. Luca called out for Regina and the brunette was on her feet instantly.

"I'm sorry, I need to go check on him."

"Oh, it's cool. I'll let myself out." Emma smiled, getting up and moving out of the room. "Goodnight."

"Goodnight. Oh, and Emma," Regina started and the blonde turned. "I'd love to. Just give me a call." She said and then started moving up the stairs. Emma grinned before turning again and leaving.

Regina ran right up the steps. As soon as she was in the hall, Luca was out of his room and coming to her. She hurried as she saw his eyes wet.

"Oh sweetheart, come here." She dropped down and he was in her arms instantly. He let out a choked sob and she held him tighter, holding the back of his head with her hand. "Shh, it's okay." She rubbed his back with her other hand and could feel him shaking against her. With a thought, she transported them to her bed. That magic was usually something he really enjoyed, thinking it was an adventure to not know where she would take them, but this time, he was too preoccupied.

She sat them against the headboard and pulled him securely into her arms, lifting a blanket around them to keep them warm. They stayed like that for a moment as Regina resumed rubbing small circles on his back. She gave him a little time before speaking.

"Was it the fire or the shadow?" She asked gently. He sniffed a few times before responding.

"It was both." He said and Regina tilted her head slightly, looking down at his face.

"You had both dreams?" She asked curiously.

"No, the shadow was there before the fire."

"Oh." Was all she said, but her mind was working.

Usually, he either dreamed of being trapped with the fire around him, or the day the shadow came for him. The first time he had told her of the fire dreams, she had immediately thought of Henry and his room of fire. But Luca remembered a few small details that led her to believe it as a bedroom he was trapped in, and almost certainly was one he had truly been in. She had even consulted with Archie on it and he agreed.

She was curious now if the fire was related to Pan's shadow. It didn't make sense though that it would do something like that. It was meant to retrieve children, not hurt them. That would defeat the purpose, especially considering it had obviously wanted Luca.

"Mummy?" He said as fresh tears fell. He only ever called her that in the few times he was truly scared.

"Yes, baby?" She spoke softly, trying to soothe him.

"I did it." He said and pressed his eyes closed. She suddenly had a thought, but hoped it wasn't right.

"Did what? It's okay, you can tell me anything."

"I started the fire." He said and Regina closed her eyes for second, holding him tighter again. She was right. A few other things were falling into place in her mind now, though she hoped it wasn't all true.

He had a family before the fire. He didn't after.

"To stop the shadow?" She asked carefully.

"Yes, he kept coming every night. I tried to use a candle because they don't like the light. I think I dropped it." He started crying again and she rocked him, placing a kisses on his head.

"It's okay, baby. It's okay."

It was all making more and more sense now. The children in Neverland always started forgetting their families they left behind, so they wouldn't care to go back. Luca only had remembered the last place he had been before being taken. The first dreams had started the week he got here and only increased. His mind was trying to work through the memories.

"Are you angry?" He asked and Regina's eyes shot open.

"What? No. No, of course not." She wiped his tears away, but they continued.

"I did bad things."

"Oh, sweetie, that was an accident. It was just an accident."

"But I did bad stuff with the Lost Boys too. I'm bad like they say." He said and Regina could see he was just feeling suddenly overwhelmed by everything. She certainly understood his grief.

"Listen to me, Luca." She said and continued to rock him. "Having accidents, making mistakes, or doing bad things, doesn't make you a bad person. I have done plenty of bad things in my past. You are such a good boy, Luca. I love you so much and that will never ever change."

She just held him then while her words sunk in and his tears slowed. He started to calm eventually and closed his eyes as his mother rocked him back to sleep.

Over the next few weeks, while the nightmares completely discontinued and Luca seemed to be handling the knowledge of the fire better, others around him continued to treat him as an outsider. It hadn't been a problem during the remainder of the summer when they kept mostly to themselves and Regina hadn't let him with anyone other than Granny. But now that he was around other kids, he had become a target.

Most of the kids at school wouldn't talk to him. He was the Lost Boy. He lived with the Evil Queen. He was bad. That was the general knowledge. Luca was, ironically, the only one who didn't know the full extent. He hadn't had the exposure and Regina hadn't sat him down to explain her evil past. That was one of the few reasons she agreed to talk to Dr. Hopper. She still hadn't grown the confidence to start confessing stuff yet though.

The relief he had, was playing soccer, which immediately became his favorite activity. He was very good at it, and that had earned him tentative friendships with the other kids on the team. They were a bit skeptical, but Luca was already one of their best players and that was hard to argue with. The problem was that they were all older. One or two grades above Luca, therefore leaving him alone during the school day.

The advantage he had, was the fact that adults were finding it harder to resist him. He was working hard to be polite to the teachers, trying his best to keep from getting in trouble. He would be polite, they would smile, he would smile, then they would fall in love with him. Even the tall man in the tie commended him on his behavior, giving him a new note to take to his mother for that reason. That bought Luca another ice cream.

As helpful as soccer was for both Luca and Regina, who got to spend a more appropriate amount of time in the office and bring less work home, it was only three days a week and so they had to find activities to fill the other days.

Today, Regina decided to take him to the park after school. He got to run as fast and hard as he liked, and Regina could multi task a conference call as she watched. When one of the men droning on in her ear addressed her personally, she finally stepped away from the sounds of yelling children to better hear and respond.

Luca was just lost in the fun of the playground. He loved coming here and could entertain himself all day climbing and running about. He was so lost in his fun, that he backed right into another kid.

"Sorry." He said immediately and moved to step around him. The kid had other ideas though, and moved into his path.

"You're that Lost Boy." He said with a frown.

"I'm not a lost boy." He said casually, again trying to step around and again, being blocked. The bigger kid looked around them and then smiled.

"Didn't you come here from Neverland?" He asked, stepping uncomfortably close to Luca.

"Yes, I was taken there. But my mum brought me home."

"Oh right, the Evil Queen took you back to her lair." He said, lifting his chin superiorly. Luca frowned and tilted his head.

"I don't know what you're talking about." He said and the bigger kid laughed.

"I'm talking about your mum," He said mockingly. "the evil witch, taking in the evil Lost Boy." Now when he spoke, Luca's eyes narrowed.

"My mum is not evil." He gritted out and the other boy stepped closer.

"She is the evil around here. She's the worst one. Worse than the Dark One. I mean at least he didn't curse us all here. She's an evil bitch and-"

Luca surged forward and shoved the other kid right in the chest, pushing him hard enough to make him fall backwards a few feet in shock. Luca was noticeably smaller, but there was fire in his eyes and it caused the other boy a brief moment of pause.

"Don't talk about her like that." He said, still through clenched teeth, his jaw set.

"Oh you're going to regret that Lost Boy."

He grabbed Luca's shirt, but the boy was fast. Luca leaned forward and threw his arms out as he pulled back and let his shirt be ripped off over his head. Fighting like this was something he was no stranger too. He was lurching forward again, intent on using the other boy's loss of balance from pulling the shirt to shove him back, but as soon as he was moving forward, an arm came from behind him.

Regina reached him just in time. She came up from behind and threw her arm over his shoulder and across his torso, the other arm wrapping around his waist, and she pulled Luca's body back into hers.

Luca didn't know what was happening and automatically tried to pull away, but Regina held him tightly. It took him a few extra seconds to hear and understand her voice.

"Luca. Luca, stop. Sweetheart, stop." She spoke right into his ear and he seemed to suddenly snap out of it, stopping his fight against her, though his breathing was still deep and fast. "Good boy. That's my boy." She smiled before she heard a soft laugh in front of her and her eyes turned hard and cold as they slowly moved up the form before them. The kid froze and swallowed hard.

She wanted to scare the living hell out of the kid. She wanted to lift her hand and show him the magic he feared so much. She wanted to string him up in the monkey bars.

But then one glance up and Regina saw all the other kids and parents were watching them now. She was almost shaking herself with the desire to do a little damage to the other kid, but then she reined it in. For Luca more than anything else. She did though, turn her eyes on him once more while removing the arm around Luca's waist to reach out.

"Give me, my son's shirt, now." She said slowly, her tone low and dangerous.

The kid looked like he may actually pee his pants or throw up…or both. He started lifting the shirt and Regina snatched it aggressively from his hand, making him flinch. She curled her lip into a snarl before replacing her arm around Luca and disappearing in a cloud of smoke.

Regina released Luca when they appeared in the house. She stepped back and took a few deep breaths, trying to think through how to handle this. She had been shocked to check on Luca and see him shove another kid. She had never seen that angry look on his face before. He looked enraged as he surged forward and then when he tried to again.

What had her angry though, was the other little twerp grabbing her son. The way he fisted Luca's shirt and towered over him threateningly had Regina's blood boiling instantly. She couldn't voice that though. Especially not to Luca. She had to teach him or else they would have some real problems in the future.

She took him by the hand and brought him into the living room. Making sure to relax herself further, Regina sat him down and kept a hold of his hand.

"Luca, we need to talk about what just happened." She started and Luca dropped his head, though he did look back up and give her his attention. "Sweetheart, you cannot go after people like that. You can't lash out. I know there are a lot of rules here you're still learning, but you have to know that fighting isn't okay here." She said and Luca looked down again.

"I'm sorry. I just got angry." He said quietly.

"I understand that people make you angry sometimes. I understand that more than anyone. But we cannot strike against people. Even if it's justified." She said, her own past fueling her words. She saw Luca look like he was going to say something before rethinking it. She waited, but he stayed silent in this thoughts. "What was it that got you so upset?" She asked gently.

"He was just being mean." He replied but Regina narrowed her eyes.

"Tell me what he said, Luca." She assumed it had been another crack about being "The Lost Boy", but then didn't understand why he wasn't just telling her. He generally told her everything.

"…he just…" He hesitated, taking a deep breath and still not meeting her eyes. "…he called you something." He finished and Regina opened and closed her mouth. She wasn't expecting that at all and took a moment to reply.

"Okay, well what did he call me?"

Again, Luca hesitated.

"You can tell me. You know you can tell me anything." She encouraged.

"He kept calling you…" He looked up at her. "…he called you evil. He said you were the Evil Queen." He finished and Regina froze.

This had been her thought everyday since she brought him home. When and how she could tell him of her past without scaring him away. She had spent months agonizing over it. Several sessions with Archie coaching her in how to approach it. Yet she still wasn't ready.

She nearly fell apart when realizing suddenly, that this was the exact age Henry had discovered her past. When he had started pulling away from her. She just barely got Luca, she didn't know if she'd survive him turning his back on her too.

But then she knew how much worse it would be if she kept the truth from him. She may have a chance at getting him back if she confessed now. If she brushed him off and he discovered she had lied to him…well Regina knew just how bad that could be.

"Sweetie…I need to tell you a story." She started, trying to suppress the burning behind her eyes.

Luca gave her his love so freely. He had trusted her from the first moment they had met, and that had never changed. He spoke openly to her, never afraid to tell her his feelings. But then that was because he hadn't had a reason to be afraid.

And now Regina had to give him one.

She turned on the couch to face him fully. She took his hands, using the moment of having him willingly touch her to try and calm herself. It only made her more sad though, her fear increasing at the thoughts of what he might be like after this.

She couldn't stop now though. She couldn't repeat her same mistakes again. She couldn't lose another son.

"Alright…"

She sucked in one more deep breath.

"Once upon a time."

Regina wanted to get up and run. She wanted to disappear in a cloud of smoke. She wanted to be anywhere but face to face with the one person who still loved her.

She had told him everything. Everything in an age appropriate fashion of course, but it wasn't pretty. She nearly choked when getting to the part about trying to poison Emma, but accidentally hurting Henry instead. Somehow, telling of her childhood and then the betrayal of Snow, all the way to the curse casting hadn't been as painful. Getting to her mother had been another point she had to sensor, though she felt a tear slip out at that part of her story.

She explained her trial and error in trying to get Henry to accept her again. She was careful to keep from sounding like a victim there. She told him what she did, the mistakes she made. She needed to tell this story as impartially as possible so that there would be no accusations of dishonesty later.

Luca had never stayed so still for so long in his entire life. He had always loved stories and his mother had the ability to captivate him any day. Today though, he couldn't have lost focus even if he tried. He hardly blinked, never once looking away from her face, even in the times she had turned away in a lost thought or moment of released emotion.

He had not seen this coming. He heard plenty of whispers over the months, but the whole world was so unfamiliar to him, he didn't dwell much on what he didn't understand. Now though, the bits and pieces he heard fit into her story. After she finally silenced, he hadn't known what to say, instead blinking and staring straight at her.

Regina just couldn't take it. He had said nothing and her fears were overwhelming her. Her emotions were rising and gaining control and to her complete dismay, tears started falling down her face.

She turned away quickly, horrified at the display in front of the young boy. Her hands reached up to wipe furiously at her eyes, trying to shake the emotions she couldn't contain.

Just when she went to stand, to finally get away from this room where her young child was about to accept the evil of his mother, she felt a soft hand on her shoulder. She turned very slowly and parted her lips as her jaw started to fall open.

Luca leaned up on his knees before pushing himself over to Regina. She could do nothing more than stare as he used those small fingers to wipe away the tears staining her cheeks. That had her right on the edge, right at the point of losing it all together.

And then Luca wrapped his arms around her. He let his hand rub soft circles on her back, just as she had for him when he was upset, and used the other to hold her close. Regina was still gaping when he placed a small kiss on her cheek and she was completely gone when he spoke into her ear.

"It's okay, Mother. It's okay. I love you."