Disclaimer: See Chapter 1

Spoilers: See previous chapter

A/N: Sorry for the long wait. Enjoy

"Discovery consists of looking at the same thing as everyone else and thinking something different."

Albert Szent Gyorgi

Chapter 9: Discovery

Monday morning came far too early as far as Emma was concerned. Or maybe that was because yesterday had been so emotionally draining. She and Regina had talked until the brunette deemed it time to go make dinner. She had stood, unmoving in the doorway, watching the older woman go about the kitchen, getting everything ready. After dinner, once they had checked Henry's homework, the three settled in for a quick movie. Henry, to both her and no doubt Regina's thankfulness, didn't mention their lack of enthusiasm at his movie choice, though because of the excitement of the day's events, he may not have noticed. After they'd sent him to bed, they sat in front of the TV, watching the credits roll on the screen, neither talking for long moments before Regina had suggested moving to the study, which she agreed to. They settled on the couch on opposite ends, opening the bottle of wine still there from the night before…or had it been there since the night she came over? Either way, it didn't matter. Alcohol was alcohol. The drinks were poured, and the silence lasted until the first sip. After that, they talked and talked, staying up far later than they normally would. It was Regina's inquiry about her past with Neal that surprised her, but she surprised herself more by how easily she could talk about the adventures she'd had with her ex. Every con, every tender moment, every argument, everything that lead up to pregnancy. To prison. To Henry. When they'd eventually headed to bed, neither she nor Regina questioned that she followed the brunette to her room.

She ran a hand over her face, yawning, as she sat up and looked at the time. The smell of breakfast coming from downstairs was enticing, but she knew if she stayed and ate, she wouldn't make it to the station before 9. It sucked, but she needed to get to the station early. After changing in the guest room, she headed down the stairs. If today wasn't too hectic, she could grab a shower during lunch, hopefully. Why did I have to wake up so late?

Bidding the two Mills good-bye had been more emotionally troubling than she'd wanted to admit, let alone show; watching them sitting at the table, chatting quietly over breakfast, had her smiling. She grabbed her jacket from the living room and hollered a bye as she headed out the door, her voice barely obeying her. They were her family, and they…at least Henry…loved her. Though with the way Regina was acting, she didn't doubt other woman did too.

She made it to the station before 9, even after she stopped at Granny's for a coffee and a bear claw. Hopefully she wouldn't get too many calls. If the paperwork didn't get done, Regina wouldn't be happy. With a smirk, she settled into her chair, grabbing a pen. She just hoped today wouldn't be too bad.

Two hours later, elbows deep in paperwork, she knew that hoping wouldn't get her out of anything. This week, it seemed, was going to start the way last week ended.

"Emma?"

Really shitty.

She looked from her paperwork with a scowl. Neal stood just inside the doorway of her office, hands in his pockets and a sheepish look on his face. She put down her pen, a frown slipping onto her lips.

"Neal," her voice was anything but friendly, though it didn't bother her, making her ex wince slightly. Good, "What do you want?" She didn't have time for pleasantries, not with the amount of paperwork she had.

"I wanted to know if you and Henry wanted to get dinner with me tonight at Granny's."

"Can't," she replied shortly, picking her pen back up, "I have another magic lesson with Regina, and Henry doesn't want to see you."

"You can't know that our son doesn't want to see me!"

She glared at him, annoyance shining in her eyes and voice as she spoke, "He's not our son, Neal. He barely knows you."

"Yes, he is, and if you would let him see me sometime, he could get to know me!"

"No," she hissed back angrily, feeling her magic start to pulse in her fingertips, "Henry is my son and Regina's son. We decide together what's best for him. You don't have a right to call him your son."

"And you do?" he challenged back, "You gave him up!"

"To give him his best chance," She was shouting, her magic dancing on her fingertips, "I couldn't raise him; I wasn't in the right mind set; still in prison, hurt from your betrayal, thinking…believing…that I couldn't be a mother! But when Henry found me, when he told me he was the baby I gave up for adoption, I didn't run. I loved him. And he already loved me. All that I felt for him, it never changed. I gave birth to him, Neal. He's my son. Regina did an amazing job raising him. She loves him so much, and he loves her. He's her son. But you? You, Neal, don't have any claim to him. You knocked me up and sent me to prison. You may be his biological father, but you don't have any place in his life unless he wants you there. And right now, he doesn't."

"Regina can't love anyone but herself," Neal shot back, taking a step forward, "she doesn't love Henry, and whatever you may think, she doesn't love you."

She stood, anger clouding her voice, "Get out of my office before I arrest you for harassment."

He ignored her, his hands balled into fists, "Don't you see?" he asked softly, "Don't you see that loving her is going to be your downfall?"

"Get out," she growled out, stepping into his space, "Loving you landed me in prison. I may have gotten Henry because of you, but you were my downfall."

She felt the slap before she saw it, her face stinging as she leaned back against her desk for leverage, "Son of a…" She shot her fist out, surprise coloring her face when he caught it. That was when she tensed up, her mind blurring. Neal was fading from her line of sight. In a matter of seconds, he was no longer in front of her. Cora was.

Neal let go of Emma's fist the second he saw her eyes glaze over, worry settling in his gut; the last time this had happened, she collapsed.

"Emma?" he grabbed her shoulders, shaking her, "Come on, Em, snap out of it!" He was going to be roasted if he didn't do something. What had Regina said? It was a flashback? Yes, that was it, "Emma, it's not real. It's a flashback!" He shook her once more, slapped her cheek lightly, hoping something would pull her from her trance-like state. When nothing worked, he took a step back, dejected. How could he not be able to save the woman he loved? His dad's words rung in his ears: her magic is drawn to another.

As much as he didn't like Regina, he knew that she could help. Grabbing Emma's phone from where it rested on the desk, he slid it open and went to her contacts, immediately finding Regina's name in the list of favorites, alongside Henry. Hitting Regina's name (pointedly ignoring the picture of the brunette, a soft smile on her face, no doubt taken by Henry, as it stared up at him) he waited for her to pick up.

"Emma," the woman's tone was pleasant, warm, which made him frown, "are you regretting not having breakfast?"

What the hell? Did they have a booty call or something? Not wanting to delve into those thoughts, he spoke in a rushed tone, "Regina, you need —"

"Why are you calling me on Emma's phone?" She sounded jealous, worried even.

"She's having another flashback, Regina," He growled out, unable to keep the frustration from his voice, "You need to come to the station and help!"

He didn't get a reply, the line going dead seconds after the last word left his mouth. Before he could even think to call her back, she appeared in a cloud of purple smoke in the middle of the station. The moment he saw her, he hung up and set the phone back on the desk. Before he could speak, she was pushing past him, her face a mix of fury and concern.

"Emma," her tone was soft as she gently lowered the blonde to her knees, kneeling in front of her, sepia eyes staring into glossy emerald, "Emma, focus on my voice. She can't hurt you here. We're home, safe. You, me, Henry."

"I'm here too, Emma," Neal spoke from behind her.

She rolled her eyes, "Hush, you fool." She didn't appreciate him trying to help, not when he no doubt caused this flashback as well. She turned back to the blonde, gently stroking the red mark on the blonde's cheek. She wanted to be angry at the spawn, but Emma was her priority. Anger would have to wait. "Emma, dear, please, listen to my voice. Everything's okay now."

A tense moment passed and then another before Emma spoke softly, "Regina?"

The older woman watched as the glossy look vanished from the blonde's eyes, and a smile stretched on her face, "It's me, dear."

Neal watched from the doorway, astounded, as Emma, who never let anyone get too close to her, to touch her, allowed Regina to keep a hand on her back; her hand stayed there for longer than what was needed, that he was sure of. As quietly as he could, he slowly backed away. His dad had been right. Magic or not, Emma was drawn to someone. And it wasn't him.

"I still can't believe you won't let me go after him," Regina muttered softly, sitting on the edge of the blonde's desk. She watched her work, determined to stay for a few more minutes to make sure she was truly okay, "He needs to…"

"It wasn't his fault," Emma interrupted, "He didn't know."

"It's the second flashback he's sent you into," the Queen protested, "And he struck you this time."

Emma looked up at her, setting her pen down, "Going after him won't change what happened."

"Maybe not, but he kisses you the first time and then he slaps you…"

"Sounds like someone's jealous."

Regina arched an eyebrow, her tone incredulous, "I most certainly am not!"

"I can tell when you're lying, Regina."

Regina ignored her, changing the subject, "What did he want?"

"To have dinner with Henry and I. I told him Henry didn't want to see him and that I had another magic lesson. We got into an argument," she looked at the brunette to see her watching, attentively, "I told him that you and I get to decide who Henry gets to see. Then he tried to call Henry his son."

"He's Henry's biological father."

"That doesn't make Henry his kid." Emma replied, softly.

"I suppose it doesn't. Do you not want Henry to see him?"

"Truthfully? No. And Henry doesn't want to see him."

Regina gently took her hand, and their eyes met, "How about we ask Henry later tonight?"

"Regina, you know Henry doesn't want to see him."

"Henry doesn't want to see him because you don't want to see him and because I'm…" she coughed softly, "the point is that Henry can decide on his own. Right now, we need to get you practicing your magic so you can help fight the flashbacks."

"When you leave, you're not going after him, right?" She didn't answer, so Emma nudged her with her knee, "Regina…"

"Oh, very well, I won't."

Emma sighed softly, knowing that Regina wouldn't let the incident go for a while, but she trusted that the older woman wouldn't do anything rash, "Thank you."

"You're welcome."

A/N: This was basically a filler chapter. The climax is coming soon. Also, I'll be starting my junior year of college in a couple weeks, so updates might be a little more spaced out. Keep with me though. More to come.

Hime no Kowai Shumi