A/N: Since so many of you are interesting in this story being wrapped up, I am trying to condense a great deal of story into a small space. There will be a few more chapter versus the 15 to 20 that I had planned. I don't think that will hurt the integrity or meaning of the story.

Thank you all so much for reading this story and for letting me hear from you. This was my first multi-chapter fic so it means a lot to see it coming to a conclusion finally.

And thank you a million Jenn for always reading and helping me with my stories. You will never know what a boost you have been to my confidence and desire to write.

Regina paced about the kitchen. This had been an eventful day. In a few hours her life had gone from miserable and empty to having Henry back with all his memories and soon, soon, Emma.

She had made sure the house was free of any sign of Henry or Emma having been there before. No photos, no trinkets, no video games. She had to make Emma believe this was only her second visit or else risk scaring her off. She couldn't afford to lose her before she had her.

The lasagna was hot and beside the apple cobbler in the warmer. She had set the table and opened the wine. She had changed her outfit no less than eight times and spent far too long in front of the mirror. She wasn't vain. That wasn't it at all. She just wanted to be at her best. And looking good made her feel in control.

And the last thing I feel right now is in control.

Regina sighed and picked up her keys, checking herself one last time in the hall mirror. She was going to be late if she didn't hurry up. She had to arrive right at six. Not a minute sooner lest she seem eager. Not later or they may think she wasn't coming. She shook her head at herself and let out a breath of stale air. She'd forgotten to breathe. She was being silly. Everything would be fine. It would all be fine.

~ (SQ) ~

"I'm just saying, don't you think these people are… weird? I mean, they act… off." Emma was adjusting her collar as Henry moved from the door to the window and back again.

"Weird? No. I think they are all pretty nice. Especially Regina. I like her." Henry smiled at his mother. He was excited to see his other mother again soon. They needed a moment alone to talk about getting Emma's memories back. Maybe this is time for an Operation.

"Don't get me wrong, I like her too. But… ugh. I don't know. Maybe it's me being a cynical old lady but people just aren't this nice, Henry. Something is up." Emma adjusted her collar again and pulled at the cuffs. "Does this look ok?"

"Hmm? What?" Henry glanced at his mother, tearing his eyes away from the Storybrooke street below.

"This. Does it look ok?" Emma gestured to her shirt.

"Um, yeah. Sure. You look fine. Are you ready now? We can't be late. She'll—" Henry smiled at the street as Regina's car pulled up. "She's here! Let's go."

The boy bounded out the door, his mother calling after him to slow down and wait for her. Pulling the door to the room closed, she rolled her eyes and said mostly to herself, "Something is definitely up with this woman."

~ (SQ) ~

The evening had been a nice one. The food was delicious and both Emma and Henry had moaned and went on about how amazing the lasagna was. The blonde had confessed that she too made a lasagna but it wasn't quite as good as this one.

Regina had stood to get the dessert when Emma's cell phone sounded in her pocket.

"Oh! I'm so sorry, Regina. I thought I turned this off." She glanced at the screen and noted it was her boss calling. "It's work. Would it… I mean, would you mind if I took this?"

Regina smiled and nodded, indicating it was fine. "Please, feel free to use my study for some privacy if you like."

Emma gratefully grinned and dashed into the room, "Hello, Frank! Yeah, we are having a great time." Her voice faded as the door clicked closed behind her.

"Well, I guess we will wait on the dessert." Regina sat again and smiled at her son. She reached over and squeezed his hand on the table top. "I've missed this. I've missed you… so very much."

Henry squeezed her hand in return. "Me too, Mom. I'm so glad to be home." For a moment they just enjoyed being together but Henry's mind was going in a million different directions. "So, how are we going to fix this?"

Regina withdrew her hand and sat back in her seat. "I don't know, dear. I honestly don't know. But we will. Right now the important thing is to keep her here and happy until I am able to sort this out."

Henry nodded. "Ok. Then that's what we will do. Happy Ma, in Storybrooke. Got it." The boy hesitated a moment as he fingered at his napkin on the table. "Mom?"

"Yes, son?"

"Can I ask you a question?"

Regina quirked an eyebrow. "Of course. You can ask me anything."

"Well, see, I was having all these dreams about you guys but… I mean… I dreamed about you and me getting dinner ready and Emma coming over. It was the first dream I had with your name in it or with you and Ma interacting. So… why'd I dream that? That never happened." Henry raised curious green eyes to meet her thoughtful brown.

"So you dreamed of us, the three of us, having dinner… like this?" Regina crossed her arms and pulled absentmindedly on her bottom lip, thinking about his words.

"Yeah. I mean, not just like tonight, but we made lasagna and she showed up on time. We all laughed about that. And you both seemed… happy. Like friends. Like we ate dinner together all the time. Why would I dream that?"

"I suppose that is just another thing we don't know, Henry. Your mother and I had discussed in Neverland that when we got you back and returned home we would try to do things differently. We were both so distraught and we realized we needed to work together to make things better. So… we had agreed to weekly dinners but, there is no way you could know that." Regina shrugged. "Maybe your memories were trying to make themselves known and family dinner was something you had been subconsciously wanting for us."

Henry nodded. "Maybe." He paused a beat. "Can I ask you something else?"

"You know you can. What is it?" Regina leaned on her elbow on the table and smiled at her beautiful son. Mine and Emma's son.

"Did you do something to Ma to make her… I don't know… more healthy?" Henry wrinkled his nose at the word.

"More healthy? What do you mean?"

"Like, she makes me drink milk with dinner. She never lets me have soda except for special occasions. She even cooks me a real breakfast everyday instead of cold Pop-tarts and cola. Did you do that?"

Regina's face colored with embarrassment. "I don't know what you mean, dear."

"You did! Oh my god! You made her healthy when you gave her the new memories, didn't you?" Henry grinned and poked Regina playfully in her side making her squeak.

"I may have put a few memories in her mind that made her more conscious of her health, yes. I wanted to be sure you had something more than pizza and cheese-whiz for supper every night." Regina arched a proud brow high and pretended to be bored with this line of talk.

"And her clothes? You did that too, didn't you?"

"Don't look so smug. It isn't a good look for you." Regina folded her arms again in a pout. "So, I helped her look her best. Not every occasion calls for jeans and leather. I needed her to be able to get a good job so you wouldn't be living in that death trap of a car. People will hire an attractive woman in nice clothes even if she isn't very experienced."

Henry studied her a moment. The way she had said attractive made something in Henry's mind click into place. In his dream journal, without his proper memories, his dreams had implied his two mothers were more to each other than enemies turned friends. In fact, he'd assumed they were a couple. He hadn't given it another thought since the book had returned his memories, but now…

"Attractive?" Henry raised a quizzical brow.

"What?" Regina registered then what she had said.

"You said Ma was attractive."

"Well… yes… I did. And she is. Anyone can see that. She… she… she has nice hair and a not awful face and she obviously works out. So, as I would say that Snow is pretty… I can also say Emma is attractive." Regina snapped her mouth shut to stop her word vomit as Henry's eyes bore into her.

"Ok. Sure. And you just had her eating healthy so that she would make me eat healthy, right? It wasn't because you cared about her health. I mean, Ma hasn't had a cheese burger in a year… not one… but that was what… just a part of the package to keep me well fed?"

Regina stood abruptly. "I'd better check on the cobbler."

Henry merely followed her into the kitchen. "It's ok, Mom. If you care about Emma's health and happiness, no one would think it was weird."

Regina glared at the boy. She hadn't meant him to follow her into the kitchen and continue his questions. "Well, ok. I can admit that. I do care about Miss Swan. I didn't wish her to die of a heart attack and leave you alone in the world. And I wanted her to be happy in her new life with you. Of course I did. Why wouldn't I? She and I haven't always gotten along but… well, I am aware that over time we have become something like friends and… well, we have been able to do more together as allies than as enemies. So, sure. I'm sending her away, for what at the time was meant to be forever, with our son and… naturally I would want her to be happy. To be safe. To be well taken care of. So she could take care of you. And so you would both live a good life. So I made some minor changes to her appetite and her taste in clothes. So what? After all we've been through, it was the least I could do. There. Are you happy? I admit it. I care about Emma. But don't make more of it than there is."

Henry's chin fell to his chest and his eyes bugged out. For a moment, his mother's ramblings had struck him silent. She stood before him, wringing her hands and trying very hard to seem casual. It wasn't working in the least.

"Oh. My. God. You love her, don't you?"

"What?!" Regina nearly shrieked, her voice coming out much louder than she intended. In a calmer tone she went on. "Don't be silly, Henry. I don't love her. I care about her. But I don't—"

"You do! You totally love Emma! This is huge! Oh my god! This is… this is… Oh my god!" Henry hadn't considered when he began this line of questioning just what his mom loving Emma could mean.

"I do not love her. We are barely friends. And she… she… even if I did love her, which I do not, she would never love me, Henry. So, just drop this, ok?" Regina hoped her son was listening to her but he was rambling to himself.

"It's perfect really. I mean, I always thought Emma would come and destroy the Evil Queen and I guess in a way she did because you aren't her anymore but wow… I never thought about this. I mean…" Henry looked up at his mom to address her for the first time since he went on a tangent. "Emma was meant to bring back all the happy endings, Mom. And now… she is yours. How cool is that!"

Regina looked shocked. "You mean… you wouldn't be upset if I loved Emma? You… you like the idea of us being together?"

"Of course I like the idea! What kid wouldn't want his parents to be happy together? This is great! We can get Ma to remember with True Love's kiss… from you! And then, when she remembers we can be a family. A real family together!"

Henry was so excited about his perfect plan, he didn't notice the sadness on Regina's face. "But, Henry, if she gets… I mean, when she gets her memories back, she won't want to be with me. I'm… I've done too much in my life to ever be accepted by her."

Henry smiled so wide his face nearly split in half. "So… you admit you do love her. Don't you?"

Color washed over Regina's face. She hadn't realized that she had inadvertently admitted it by no longer denying it. She sighed. She couldn't lie to Henry. "I do. I love her very much."

Henry launched himself into her arms. "Then everything is going to be fine. I love you. I love her. You love her and soon, she will know she loves you too and everything will be fine. We can call it Operation—"

"No. No operations, Henry. Stay out of this. If Emma loves me… well, that is something between us. But I agree, somehow everything is going to work out. I just know it." Regina hugged her son close to her and hoped she would come to believe what she had just said to him soon.

Everything will be fine.