"I don't think it's a good idea," Seth said, regarding Emma across the dinner table with a look of intensity.

"I don't think you get a say," Emma retorted, raising a challenging eyebrow back at her brother. For the past six weeks, she'd done her best to shield her mother from any unnecessary stress, and that included not engaging Seth when he claimed that Regina was evil and Emma should stay far away from her, but she'd just informed her mother of Regina's offer to drive with her to Boston on the weekend, and she didn't want Seth to ruin it for her.

Afterall, it was the best solution. And Emma already had her heart set on going with Regina.

"Emma," Snow said, casting a sympathetic look at her daughter. "I'm sure Seth is just worried about you leaving town, you know, because of everything that's happened."

"That's not why," Seth insisted. "It's because Regina is the evil queen and she wants to do something bad."

Emma shook her head. "Seth, enough. She's just the mayor of a small town. What nefarious plan could she possibly have?"

Seth shrugged. "Who knows? She's insane."

"Seth." This time it was Snow who cut in, a hint of warning in her voice.

"If she wanted to do something bad, don't you think she already would have? Why would she wait all these years? And like, what was her plan? She just hoped that one day I would need to go to Boston so she can execute her secret evil agenda? Some criminal mastermind she must be. What if I didn't go, then what? Her plan would just be foiled?"

Seth stared back at Emma, and Emma couldn't help but feel sorry for him. As much as he was annoying her with this never ending fairy tale fantasy life he'd come up with, deep down she knew it must be the only way he could cope with the trauma he'd gone through.

"Regina is not evil," Snow said, drawing Seth's attention back to her. "And Emma's an adult. She's responsible."

Emma couldn't help but notice the emphasis that her mother put on the last word, as though it, too, was a warning.

"Of course I'm responsible," Emma agreed. "And an adult."

"And it would be best if all three of us didn't have to leave town," Snow continued. "And I'm sure you won't get into any trouble with Regina with you."

"Wait," Emma cut in, "I thought you said I was responsible. Regina's not, like, my babysitter or something."

"That's not what I meant. I just meant, you've never been out of Storybrooke before, and I trust Regina if anything were to happen."

"What might happen?" Seth piped up, and this time he sounded genuinely concerned.

"Nothing's going to happen," Snow insisted. "I just meant, if Emma didn't know how to book a hotel room, or got lost in the city and didn't know how to read a map."

"I know how to read a map!"

"I'm just saying, I prefer the idea of you going with a…"

"A more adultier adult?" Emma suggested. "In case I'm not as responsible as you thought?"

"In case your responsibility wanes once you see a big city," Snow replied. "You're still young, and you've been cooped up in a quiet, small town your entire life. I was eighteen once too, you know. I know how tempting a little trouble can be."

"I promise I will not sneak into any bars or whatever shenanigans you think I might get up to."

"Of course you won't," Snow said, shaking her head as though she just realized how ridiculous it was to think Emma would get herself into any trouble. "You've grown up a lot in the last few weeks. I trust you, Emma."

Seth sat on the corner of Emma's bed, watching her intently as she shoved clothes for the weekend into a duffle bag. She tried to ignore him, but she could feel his eyes on her every move she made. Finally, she turned around, giving him an exasperated look.

"Kid!" she said, throwing her hands up in the air. "Seriously. Give it up. I'm going."

"I know," Seth said quietly, though Emma noted he didn't look defeated, just pensive. "You always go."

Emma shook her head in confusion. "What are you talking about?"

Seth gave a half-hearted shrug. "You always used to go to her, back when we lived in the Enchanted Forest."

"I thought you said she was the evil queen in the Enchanted Forest?"

Seth nodded. "She was. But you always wanted to see her, and you always went. Even after everything that happened, you always went."

"Seth-"

"It's okay," Seth said, cutting her off. "I didn't figure it out until now. I couldn't figure out how she cast the curse when she was locked up, but then I realized… it was you."

Emma gaped at him for a moment, before letting out a long sigh. "So, what, I'm the evil one?"

"No. You're good, and good always wins."

"What does that even mean?"

Seth cocked his head to one side, contemplating Emma. "That maybe I was wrong. Regina's still evil, but you're not."

"Seth," Emma said, getting up and coming to sit next to him, "the world isn't that black and white. People aren't all good or all bad, we're all just… human. Regina's not evil, she's just a lonely woman who's been through some sh-... stuff. She's not always good at human interaction and it makes her seem unfriendly, but she's not. Not once you get to know her."

Seth stared at Emma for a moment, and for once, she thought maybe she was getting through to him. "We've all been through stuff."

Emma nodded. "Yeah, we have. But we've got each other. I've always had your back and you've always had mine. And we've always had our parents, and our friends. We've always had people to love us and help up and we've never been alone. Regina hasn't had that. She's been alone."

"I've been alone."

Emma let out a sigh and put her hand on Seth's cheek, shaking her head. "No you haven't. You've always been with us."

"I wish that was true. Just… remember what I said, okay? And just pay attention. And come home on Sunday."

Emma smiled. "I will, I promise. You said I used to always go to her before, right?" she asked, decided to change her tactic.

Seth nodded.

"Well, then I must have always come home, right?"

Seth nodded again. "Yeah. You always come back."

"Then I'll be back."

"Are you alright?" Regina asked, as she noticed Emma fidgeting in her seat and looking anxiously out the window.

"Mm-hmm," Emma said, nodding quickly. "Just nervous. I've never left Storybrooke before."

It wasn't exactly true, and she didn't expect Regina to buy it, but she didn't know how to bring up what was weighing on her mind at the moment. She almost wished she'd protested more when Regina had insisted that they take her Mercedes. Whether or not Emma's car was, in fact, the death trap that Regina had insisted it was, Emma wished she were the one driving right now, as it would stop her mind from ruminating on crazy theories.

"Uh huh," Regina said, though Emma could tell she wasn't convinced. "Just nerves?"

Emma chewed on the inside of her cheek, willing herself not to blurt out what was really on her mind, but she couldn't help it.

"Was your story true?" It was out before she could stop it, and Emma turned to look at Regina with wide, expectant eyes.

"My story?"

Emma nodded quickly. "Yeah. About the queen and the princess… you know, with true love's kiss and everything? Was it true? And like, not a metaphor or anything, but… real?"

Regina raised an eyebrow and cast Emma a sideways glance. "Did it sound real?"

"I… I'm not even sure anymore," Emma admitted. "I mean, of course magic isn't real. Or at least I thought it wasn't… well, I guess I still think it's not, but…"

"But?"

Emma sighed. "The kid just got in my head. My brother… his crazy theories are getting to me, I guess."

"His theories?" Regina repeated.

Emma hadn't told her about them; Seth had specifically warned her not to, in fact, but she'd decided to keep it to herself because, well, why would Regina want to know what her kid brother was saying?

"He thinks we're cursed," Emma said, shaking her head as she said it. "Not like the curse I was talking about before, like how bad luck seems to follow me around. He thinks we're all living under a curse. Well, everyone except you."

"Oh. How did I get so lucky?" Regina asked, sounding slightly amused. "Oh! Does he think I cast this curse?"

"Yes. He thinks you're… the evil queen," Emma said, scanning Regina's face to see what her reaction would be. To her surprise, Regina seemed completely unfazed.

"And this reminds you of the bedtime story I told you," Regina assessed, and to Emma's relief, she still sounded amused.

"Well… yeah."

"Emma," Regina said, looking as though she were trying hard to suppress a smile, "it's a common theme in fairy tales, isn't it? Royalty, magic, curses, true love's kiss, all of that?"

"Seth hasn't mentioned true love's kiss."

Regina offered a small shrug. "He's a twelve-year-old boy. It's probably not as exciting for him as the curses and magic."

"I guess," Emma agreed, half-heartedly. "But I guess he also never mentioned me getting hurt. Maybe it is a different story."

"Why would you be hurt?" Regina asked, and this time Emma detected a definite shift in her tone. She suddenly sounded more serious.

"Well, in his version, you're the evil queen and I'm the princess."

"Oh," Regina breathed. "That makes sense. You're princess, that makes him the prince, and your parents are the King and Queen? Emma, do you see where I'm going with this?"

Emma nodded. "He wants us to be the heroes."

"And you can't be a hero without a villain."

"And he needs the villain to be a person because we can't defeat a coma," Emma said with a sigh, as it all started to make sense. "But why would he pick you?"

"It probably seems to him that I came into your life the same night as the accident. I was there when your mother brought him home from the hospital. He's probably made some sort of association in his mind."

Emma nodded again. It made sense. "Yeah you're probably right. But, your story, was it true? Like, a little?"

"Was I ever a queen of a faraway land?" Regina asked with a small laugh, and Emma was relieved to hear the playfulness in her voice again.

"I thought, like, maybe it was a metaphor? And you were talking about, you know…"

"My someone," Regina said. "Maybe, a little. Maybe I let some of my real feelings slip into the story. I was making it up on the spot, you know?"

"I know. It had to come from somewhere. That's why I thought maybe it was true."

"Maybe we should listen to the radio for a while," Regina said suddenly, clicking it on before Emma could even respond.

Emma watched her for a few moments, before leaning her head against the window to watch the passing scenery. She wanted to talk more, but she knew she was probably pushing a little too far at the moment. She didn't exactly want to ruin the entire weekend by making Regina regret going with her within the first hour of the trip, and she supposed there would be time to talk later.

So she let it go

"Okay, we have to go down this hall, turn left, then left again, then right, then… another hall, and then left and we should be there," Emma said, running her finger along the path of the small colour-coded map inside the information package the school had sent her with her admission letter.

Regina nodded, but looked like she hadn't retained any of those instructions. "Just lead the way. I trust you."

Emma smiled, and set off in the direction of the registrar's office. She couldn't remember a time that she'd seen Regina look this out of her element, as she always seemed to be in complete control of every situation. Truthfully, Emma felt just as overwhelmed and lost in this big unfamiliar building as Regina looked, but Emma sort of liked the feeling of taking charge and leading the way.

To her relief, they made it to their destination without getting lost even once, and the office wasn't overly busy. She'd worried that it would be packed and they'd be waiting forever, but she supposed she'd missed the frenzy that this place would have been in the first few weeks of the semester, so her timing was good.

It didn't take long for Emma's number to be called, and she went up to the counter alone, and found there was only one document to sign. She shook her head in bewilderment as she returned to where Regina was still sitting in the waiting area.

"That's it?" Regina asked, looking slightly surprised.

Emma nodded. "Yeah, apparently. I don't know why they couldn't have just mailed that and had me send it back, but at least it's done I guess."

"Definitely much quicker than I expected," Regina said, standing and glancing at the clock.

Emma followed her gaze, and sighed. "It's only two o'clock," she said, a little dejected. "I guess we don't really need to stay overnight. We could make it home by dinner time."

"Or," Regina countered, with a small smile, "we have the entire day to do whatever we want."

"You still want to have a girls' weekend?" Emma asked, a smile creeping onto her lips.

Regina rolled her eyes, her smile growing. "You think I drove four hours for the thrill of sitting in a plastic chair in a waiting room? Of course I want to spend the weekend with you. And, you need some time away."

"Okay, cool. What should we do?"

"Well, I suppose we should find a hotel room now, and get ourselves situated, and then-"

"Regina?" a voice came from across the room, cutting Regina off. Both Emma and Regina's heads turned in the direction it came from, and Emma's eyes landed on a tall blonde woman staring at them in disbelief.

"Who is-" Emma started, as the woman made a bee-line toward them, her eyes wide as though she'd just seen a ghost.

"Mal."