So this chapter more or less picks up where the last chapter ended, so still focusing on the fallout of Henry finding out about Regina's past trauma. After that I'm open to hearing suggestions for future chapters.

When Emma woke up from their nap she took notice of the clock and realized that both she and Regina had slept longer than they had intended. She also noticed that she was alone in bed which meant that Regina had taken the girls back to the nursery and that Apollo likely followed her out. When she rolled out of bed she quickly looked in on the twins who seemed to be peacefully sleeping, probably having been fed by Regina when they woke up. As she headed downstairs Emma could hear the piano playing and she figured that Regina still had the upper level of the house soundproofed with magic because she didn't hear the music playing until her feet hit the first step at the top of the staircase.

When she got downstairs she saw Regina still dressed in the clothes she slept in, sitting at the piano playing around with some chords before she actually seemed to launch into an actual song.

Well, you almost had me fooled

Told me that I was nothing without you

Oh, and after everything you've done

I can thank you for how strong I have become

'Cause you brought the flames and you put me through hell

I had to learn how to fight for myself

And we both know all the truth I could tell

I'll just say this as I wish you farewell

I hope you're somewhere praying, praying

I hope your soul is changing, changing

I hope you find your peace

Falling on your knees, praying

I'm proud of who I am

No more monsters, I can breathe again

And you said that I was done

Well, you were wrong and now the best is yet to come

'Cause I can make it on my own

And I don't need you, I found a strength I've never known

I'll bring thunder, I'll bring rain

When I'm finished, they won't even know your name

You brought the flames and you put me through hell

I had to learn how to fight for myself

And we both know all the truth I could tell

I'll just say this as I wish you farewell

I hope you're somewhere praying, praying

I hope your soul is changing, changing

I hope you find your peace

Falling on your knees, praying

Oh, sometimes, I pray for you at night

Oh, someday, maybe you'll see the light

Oh, some say, in life you gonna get what you give

But some things, only God can forgive

I hope you're somewhere praying, praying

I hope your soul is changing, changing

I hope you find your peace

Falling on your knees, praying

The last few notes of the song played out and died and suddenly a heavy silence settled over the room and Emma felt like she was breathing too loud.

"I can feel you watching me." Regina turned and saw Emma standing there with a sad smile on her face.

"Didn't mean to intrude, I just heard the music and figured I would find you here. How are you feeling?"

Regina shrugged her shoulders in response, "I could probably sleep more, but if I do I won't sleep at all tonight and with the girls' eating and sleeping times still being worked out I should sleep when they do." Emma took a seat next to Regina on the piano bench.

"That only answers part of my question, so I'll try again. How are you feeling?" Regina sighed and looked at her wife, "drained. I didn't think talking about it with the doctor would take so much out of me, but it did."

"I'm really glad you told her everything Gina, I think it'll really help you. It might not feel like it, but asking her for help was a big step."

"I'm just so sick of it controlling parts of my life Emma. I mean my "dark days" are debilitating and some of them are a direct result of my first marriage. I'm just so sick of falling apart exactly 12 times every year."

"Hey, you are allowed to fall apart anytime you need to, ok? If you want to have a day of crying and letting stuff out then you get to have those. You don't just have to have your dark days baby. And who knows, maybe therapy could help make those days just a little bit less dark."

"I hope so." Regina stood up from the piano and pointed upstairs. "Are the girls still sleeping?"

"Yeah, my folks are up there with them. I can send them home whenever you feel like having the house back to ourselves."

"I think your mother and I should have a conversation first, don't you think?"

"Gina I already had a talk with her about this and she knows how bad she screwed up, yelling at her won't fix anything."

Regina nodded her head, "you are right it won't. Although I have no intention on yelling at her, but I do think I have a right to talk to her about what happened." Emma backed off realizing that Regina was right, she had every right to have a heart to heart with Snow over what happened.

"I'll go get her. You guys can talk down here, just…take it easy Regina, making yourself sick with stress won't make things any better."

"We'll be ok dear. But I think clearing the air would be a good idea." Emma nodded and went upstairs to get her mother. Minutes later Snow came downstairs, looking a bit terrified as she approached Regina in the living room.

"Emma said you wanted to talk to me."

"I do, please sit." Snow took a seat on the couch and she was a little surprised when Regina joined her.

"We have to address what happened a few weeks ago. Otherwise it'll hang over us like a bad cloud."

Snow nodded and immediately launched into a frenzy of apologies.

"Regina, I know I'm sorry doesn't cover it, but I am so sorry I let it slip to Henry what happened to you. I had no idea he would react that way and I…I guess I didn't think much at all. I'm sorry."

Regina took a deep breath and nodded. "You're right about a lot of things. You weren't thinking or you would've known we were keeping this from Henry until he got older so that he wouldn't react the way he did. Now, maybe he would have still been angry, but because of this he angry at himself, you and someone who has been dead for decades. I know Emma told you explicitly not to say something and you did it anyway and I honestly just want to know why. Why did you feel like you just had to say something about consent to him?"

"Regina…when Emma told me, or confirmed what daddy did…I felt so awful that I played a role in what happened to you and when Henry started talking about it, I just kind of saw red and I wasn't thinking about the backlash or what it would do to you." Regina nodded and looked at her former step daughter with a gentleness that Snow wasn't expecting.

"What happened…all those years ago…it wasn't your fault."

"But if I hadn't pushed so hard for a new mother, if I had kept your secret about Daniel, none of this would've happened. You would've been safe."

Regina thought about her words carefully. "You may have done all those things, but you were not the one who assaulted me. The blame lies with your father and it always will. He made a choice to hurt me and he made it many times over, but it was his choice that drove him to violence against me, not your desires for a mother. Besides, if I hadn't lost Daniel, I never would've met Emma, Emma might never have been born, we never would have existed in the same time and I never would've married her which means those two babies upstairs wouldn't be here and my 14 year old might not be here either. So yes, I suffered, I suffered a great deal for many year and some would say I got what I had coming to me because of my past evil doings, but every dark moment brought me here and here, in this moment, I'm ok and I am loved and that is more than I can say for the woman I was when I married your father."

Snow had tears in her eyes and so did Regina.

"How can you possibly forgive what I did, back then or a few weeks ago?"

"Holding onto anger is like drinking poison and expecting the other person to die." Regina stood up and straightened her shirt, trying to look put together even when wearing PJs.

"I can forgive what you did because I don't want to hold onto that hurt anymore. I need to talk about it, work through it and hopefully one day put it behind me. I've told Emma and Henry and I will tell you, I cannot have him in my house again Snow, even as a memory its too much for me. So yes, I forgive you, but you need to understand one thing."

Snow waited for a rant of anger, but instead she got a tearful Regina trying to be strong and not cry.

"You have to promise me that when the girls grow up, they hear about this from me and from Emma, when WE decide they are ready to hear it. I spent enough years having someone take my choice and my voice away from me and I will not have it in my house. Are we clear?" Regina was almost shaking she was so upset and Snow nodded her head, unsure of what to do.

"I promise Regina." Regina swallowed some of her tears and pointed upstairs.

"Perhaps we should go check on our spouses and make sure they aren't corrupting my children."

Snow smiled and stood up from the couch and began to follow Regina up the stairs.

"I love you Regina."

"I know, I love you too."

Ok, so it's not the most earth shattering chapter but I wanted to get it out there. If there is something you want to see in the coming chapters let me know. Updates are sporadic because of school and internship applications so my life is a mess and then you add terrible mental illnesses and my life is just a party. So bear with me, but thank you every one for reading. The song is Praying by Kesha…for the love of God go pre-order that album.