A/N: Again, Henry as running commentary, keeping Regina on the straight and narrow, or at least making her think about others and their feelings.
Regina couldn't help her reaction to Emma at Gold's shop. She was practically asking for it. She also knew without a doubt that Emma had not intended to cause the harm she did. That didn't mean that she wasn't going to get a few good shots in while she could. Yes, she had changed, she had evolved, but some things wouldn't change. She meant what she said to Henry, that she wasn't going to go after Emma, and that she was going to be civil with her. She sighed, thinking she had lasted all of 1 day.
"Why is change so hard?" she muttered to herself.
As she walked back to her car, she got the feeling that someone was watching her. With Elsa on the loose, she knew she needed to be on her guard. She spun around quickly, fireball at the ready only to see nobody. Out of the corner of her eye she saw a slight movement. She turned quickly to face the person and she gasped.
"What are you doing here?"
"Well your majesty, I heard the ruckus out here, and came to investigate. I saw the ice witch run off and I followed her. I figured if she can change the weather like this, it might be beneficial for us to know where she was hiding out. Coincidentally, she is hiding out at the same farm as the last witch. What should we do now?" Robin said smoothly.
It annoyed Regina that the man who came after her the other night was able to talk to her this way, like nothing was broken between them. He could just focus on the matter at hand, which she knew she should be doing too, but she just couldn't with him standing in front of her.
"We do nothing. I will tell the Charmings and Ms. Swan. You have no part in this. The fewer people involved in this, the better. Elsa is clearly psychotic. You need to worry about Roland and..." she stumbled over her next words. "Marian. Your family needs you to be safe and with them, not running through the woods after a loon who has no control of her magic and wants to freeze us all to death."
"Regina, I..." he started, but stopped as Regina turned to walk away.
She couldn't let him see her cry. It was bad enough that she couldn't say his wife's name without stumbling over it. She got into her car and pulled out her phone. She called Henry first. She knew that Emma probably hadn't called him yet, and he did seem to genuinely like the pirate. He needed to know what was going on so he didn't walk into something he wasn't prepared for.
"Henry, something has happened. Are you still with Archie at Granny's?"
"Yea mom. Is it bad? Is it this crazy weather, did you figure out what is causing it?
Regina sighed, considering whether or not she should have this conversation on the phone, "Yes, it's bad, and yes we know what is causing the weather. I'm coming there right now. I will tell you about it all in a few minutes. Just stay inside for now ok?"
"Alright Mom, I'll see you in a few."
As she drove slowly to Granny's, she called David and told him what Robin had told her about Elsa. David said that he was going to the hospital to pick up Emma and would tell her on their way back to the loft. He surprised her for the second time today by asking her to meet them there in an hour to come up with a plan. She wasn't expecting to remain in the "inner circle" after her moment with Emma earlier. She knew she needed to help them, there was no way that they were going to be able to succeed without her and her magic. She agreed and told him she would see them in an hour.
She pulled up to Granny's and walked quickly inside. It felt as if the temperature had dropped again. It wasn't safe for anyone to be outside for an extended amount of time.
She went to Henry immediately and told him what happened at Gold's shop and what she knew of Elsa. Regina was surprised when Henry asked how Emma was doing.
"She's fine." Regina said cautiously.
She hadn't thought to wonder about Emma. The whole town knew the pirate was in love with her, just as the whole town knew she had strong feelings for him, whether she admit them or not. What was she feeling right now? She wasn't one to show her emotions about anything but Henry. She would be fine. Hook was going to die, but she would be ok.
"Mom?" Henry paused before continuing, "I know she isn't your favorite person right now, but I'm worried about her. She was really opening up to him. She's never done that with a man since my dad. Even with Walsh, she still kept him at arms length most of the time. They were supposed to be on a date right now you know? Mom and Killian, their first one."
"Oh...?"
"Yea, and you know how things went with my dad. If Killian dies, I think it will break her."
Regina was once again surprised by Henry. When did he become such an adept reader of people? Maybe he had just become an adept reader of Emma. Looking at Henry, she saw that he really believed what he said. If Emma broke, Henry would be hurt. She sighed...
"I told you, he should already be dead, something is keeping him here, and I'm not sure what it is, but that is a good sign. Maybe there is some magic we can find...
"TRUE LOVE'S KISS!" Henry shouted. "I bet if Mom kisses him, he'll wake up. That's why he hasn't died yet. He loves her too much to let the ice get his heart. I know it!"
Regina looked at him and gave him a sad smile, "Sometimes true love's kiss is not enough, remember the memory curse? It wasn't enough."
"But it has to be," he whined, "She is the savior and he is her true love, whether she is ready to admit it or not. She deserves a chance at a happy ending." he ended vehemently.
"Well I will suggest it at our strategy meeting. I have to go now. Please stay with Archie. In fact, you two should go to the house now. There is plenty of food there and the garage is full of fire wood, so you two can keep warm."
"Ok Mom, keep me updated on Killian please. I really like him and he's good here with us all."
Regina sighed as she walked out of Granny's on her way to the strategy meeting. She was stuck between a rock and a hard place. There really was no known way to save him.