"You know, you're really good with her."

Snow turned around in surprise, blushing when Charming came into the room with a small smirk. He sauntered over to where she was sat, holding Aurora whilst Stefan and Leah were at a royal functionary, where they didn't think they would be able to properly care for their young daughter themselves. The young princess, only a few months old, had been rather sleepy for the last few hours, and was still such when Charming approached her and Snow. Lazily, the baby stared up at him and Snow before gurgling a bit and rolling over in Snow's arms. He sat down next to her, and the two of them sat together underneath the window in the very plush window seat. The two of them took in the feeling of being under the soft light of the full moon. There was something about the moment which was so cosy, and relaxing. There was fear, and it permeated every thought that dared slip through their minds. Red. Lynn. What happened to them? Were they still alive? Were they being held captive? Had Regina found them? Was Regina torturing them?

"She's an easy baby," Snow said, managing a laugh. "As easy as a baby can be, that is. Even Regina never changed her daughter's nappies or taught her to use the bathroom. That was always the servants' job."

"You seem okay with taking care of everything with Aurora," Charming quirked an eyebrow. "Did you ever do those things with the servants to take care of Lynn?"

"No," Snow let out a short sigh. "I would have. But Regina never let me around Lynn. When Regina was enjoying herself and left Lynn to her grandfather and servants, I was never allowed to be anywhere near her. Henry bent that rule a couple of times, and thankfully Regina never found out."

Charming frowned. "I hate to ask, but what would she have done?"

"What hasn't she done to me?" Snow replied, quieting her voice when Aurora started to stir and whine a little. "She tried to have me killed," She hesitated. "She was abusive towards me after my - after she killed my father - and it built up over time. I don't think she meant to have me killed at first. But she did get there…and I'll never be able to understand how."

"Oh, Snow," Charming reached over and cupped her cheek. "It's going to be alright. The evil queen won't hurt you. We'll find a way to stop her before that."

"I'm more so worried about Lynn than myself," She replied, brushing Aurora's forehead, relieved when she saw the baby curl up in her arms in response to the gentle touch. "I wish I were sure Regina would treat Lynn the way Leah and Stefan treat Aurora. But I'm not sure about her anymore, about anything. She's changing, Charming, and -"

"James," He lightly pressed his fingers to her lips. "My real name is James."

Snow stared at him in disbelief, but then reached up with her free hand to hold onto his wrist, not wanting the sensation to end.

"James," She whispered, her eyes starting to well with tears. "I…"

"I didn't take that kiss for nothing," He said, his voice barely audible. "I…I've grown to trust you, Snow. Even when you tried to rob me that one time. Even when we kept running into each other. I didn't give you ever to Regina even when I could have gained a lot from it. I…I think I love you."

Snow began to silently cry, but then pulled his hand down, and leaned in to kiss him.

"I love you too."

Silence.

"We'll find her again," He finally got out. "Regina won't get away with this. Whatever she's done to Red and to Lynn, we'll make sure she is brought to task for it."

Snow weakly nodded. "She's become so different from the woman who saved my life," She paused, feeling sick at the thought. "She blames me for ruining her life…and maybe I did. But I never meant to hurt her. Why does she want to kill me?"

"Because she isn't the woman who saved your life," He said, draping an arm over her shoulders. "She is beyond coming back from this. She's…she's fully become the evil queen."

Snow looked up at him and then shook her head.

"I hope that isn't the case," She eventually said, her voice uneven. "But I'm starting to think you're right. And, she…" Snow's eyes fell on Aurora. "She's proof of it. Who curses a baby? How can anyone be that damn cruel?

"The Queen is…nothing like I expected her to be."

Henry and Fenella both glanced to Red, on whom they walked on either side, her on the woman's left, and him on the woman's right. She seemed completely exhausted, something that Sherry kept reminding them was not odd. They shouldn't expect her to be able to do everything at once. She had spent days - most likely weeks - trying to get to Willowsand, probably not even aware of quite where it was. Finding it, getting there, and all with the tiny princess couldn't have been a smooth journey. It was also the first interaction she, likely, had ever come across with a member of high class. That in mind, Sherry constantly reminded her wife, was precisely why the woman had no idea what exactly to think of the queen, let alone what to say to her. It was unusual. It was terrifying. Regina was by no means the most approachable person. She wasn't known for being particularly warm or sentimental. But she was. She was with her daughter, and her father. It truly was impossible to know whom she loved more, whom she loved the most.

It did not matter either way.

She had been devastated by anything happening to Lynn, and to have her back in her arms was more emotional than anyone could have fathomed, very much including herself.

"She's a complicated woman," Henry replied, his voice as steady and kind as always. "She is also, I am sure, more than grateful that you were able to not only keep her Lynn safe but ensure they were able to be reunited."

Red chewed at the inside of her cheek. "That I expected. She's her mother, and I knew she would want to protect her. I just hadn't realised the extent to which this hurt her."

"It hurt just as much as the death of Lynn's father," Henry said, shaking his head. "Lynn is all she has left, and she will do anything to ensure both of their happiness."

"That's what a lot of people can't see at a first glance, Ruby," Fenella added. "They see their queen, and they see her as cold and obsessive. They see her as stalking Snow, and harassing her at every turn. What they don't realise is why. She has a lot of anger towards her, and rightfully so. But that isn't something people are particularly comfortable with. It's not a sympathetic way to be. She doesn't have any other way, though. Lynn is her reason to live, and that is why she will do anything for her."

Red hesitated. "I don't know what to say," She paused. "I've never been able to see her that way. I've always, and please forgive me this, seen her as vengeful, and without care or empathy."

Fenella sighed and turned to Red.

"Regina's not as cruel as she might seem. Honestly…she's just sad. She's good company when she feels secure, and she never feels safe without knowing Lynn is too. But she is sad, and does scare her, who wouldn't it scare? It's only that she has seen so much."

Red bit her lip.

"I've never seen her that way. By some measure, it's strange to think of the queen as so…human."

"She doesn't want to be thought of that way, as anything but intelligent and tactical," Henry admitted. "It isn't hard to understand, she's been insecure all her life about showing emotion because of the way her mother treated her. But she means well, especially by Lynn."

"That's more than clear," Red agreed, glancing back to the manor where she knew Regina was with Lynn. "She really does love her."

"She does," Fenella stretched out her arms as she went on. "Regina felt like her entire world was crashing in on her when her fiance died. When she was forced to marry Leopold and then tell him she was pregnant with Lynn and would not risk her pregnancy at all, even if it meant she weren't fulfilling any of her royal duties up to and including consummating their marriage. That wouldn't have harmed her pregnancy by any means, of course, but she was paranoid and I can't say I blame her for that."

"She was also incredibly lonely," Henry added, shaking his head. "I was rarely allowed to see her. She was just about held prisoner in her own palace. The kingdom was told the queen had fallen pregnant and was in weak health. They believed Leopold when he said that, and when he talked about having another heir to the throne. What they didn't know was how he was treating her."

Red's lips fell into a flat line. "It's almost too hard to believe," She finally said. "But, evidently, I haven't ever been able to see any of this in shades of grey…"

"Shh…it's okay. Nothing here can hurt you. Nothing will ever hurt you again."

Lynn sniffled, curled up against her mother, still crying from the nightmare. Regina didn't know what to do other than hold her daughter steady. Seeing it just about killed her. Not being able to keep Lynn safe had just about killed her. It was clear, too, that Lynn was more than just traumatised. She was sick. It had been over a week. Over a week, and the queen still couldn't figure out what was wrong with her baby girl. Lynn could barely keep food down half the time. She struggled to walk. Sherry had to stop her from hitting her head in the bath. It was overwhelming. It was heartbreaking. What had they done to her? Had they been starving her to the point where she could barely remember how to eat? Had they starved her to the point where she had become so malnourished it would take her ages to recover? She didn't want to know, but she also wanted to know exactly what had happened. To take care of Lynn, to ensure she could get well, she wanted to know. To find and destroy Snow for harming her daughter, she had to know.

What made it worse was this helplessness was all too familiar.

Even Lynn's presentation to the public hadn't been on her own terms, or her mother's.

"The queen and I are ecstatic to present to you our newborn princess!" Leopold had declared from the balcony where he, Snow, and Regina, the baby tightly in her arms, stood before the thousands of people looking up, members of the public and the nobility alike. "After fears for her health and that of the queen, we have brought a healthy baby girl into the world!"

What the people couldn't see was the look of disgust and betrayal Leopold had sent his wife.

"Her name is Lynn Mary Anne," Regina had stepped forward, pushing Snow and Leopold back the little she could. "And she will be -"

"She's my baby sister!" Snow had shrieked.

Leopold had grabbed Regina's arm and discreetly pulled her back, his wife too startled and too focused on keeping her daughter safe to react.

"She will never be queen," He had growled. "She has no claim to the throne."

"Momma…" Lynn whimpered. "Don't go…"

"I won't," Regina promised, her voice briefly wavering. How can you promise her that when you weren't able to keep your promise to always keep her safe? "I will never let that happen to you again."

Lynn sobbed, holding onto her mother as tightly as she could, her little fists clutching her gown. "Snow take…" The little princess coughed out. "She say you bad momma…"

"Lynn," Regina stared at her for a few seconds, unsure of what to say. "What did she say to you? That I'm some sort of evil queen?"

Lynn suddenly looked up at her mother and then started sobbing again. "Yes…" She barely managed to say.

Regina's heart sunk, and her hands began to shake.

All she could do was hold Lynn as close against her as she could.

To her relief, that seemed to help.

"I love…" Lynn eventually stopped crying enough to speak. "Need you momma…"

"I love you too, Lynn. Truly, I'm so glad I have you," Regina whispered, lightly stroking her daughter's hair. "Because not having someone…that's the worst curse imaginable."

She startled when the doors to the room opened. Lynn briefly started crying again, but stopped when she realised, like her mother, that it was only Red.

"Your majesty," She nervously bowed, and entered only when Regina tilted her head towards the chaise lounge not too far from the bed where she was with Lynn. "I hope I'm not imposing, I just…"

"You are not," Regina shortly replied. "You saved my daughter from what I can only imagine was horrible abuse. You are not imposing on me or her at all."

Red still looked down at her feet, her heart slamming against her ribs.

"Look up, child," The queen sharply cut into her thoughts and, briefly afraid, Red did so. "I want you to know that you're more than welcome to spend time with myself and Lynn as you wish. You have done something I seriously doubt anyone else would. That's quite admirable. I hope you know that."

Something shifted.

Red could have sworn her vision blurred.

Then, she realised, the woman in front of her, was just about the furthest thing from what she had previously believed.

"Your majesty, I…" Her throat went dry. "I have a confession to make."

Regina raised an eyebrow. "What might that be?"

"I had been with Snow and the man she was travelling with," Red felt to be mere centemetres from death. "I lied to members of the guard and told them Lynn was my daughter…and I only brought her here because I couldn't keep her from you anymore. I am just as guilty, your majesty…and I am so sorry for whatever pain I've caused yourself and Lynn."

Silence.

Anger was palpable.

Then, to her shock, the queen stood up after delicately tucking Lynn in, her little girl already starting to fall asleep, having exhausted herself.

Red's breath hitched, expecting her heart to be ripped out of her chest.

Instead, the queen knelt down in front of her, eyes cold, and one hand tilting her head up from her chin.

"Telling me something like that is foolish," She hissed, but, then, to Red's shock, she smiled. "But also brave."

She could barely breathe.

"Your majesty, I -" She rasped.

"Hush," Regina eyed her closely before lowering her hand, letting Red readjust herself. "Tell me everything," She finally said. "What happened to my daughter? And what could possibly have convinced you to bring her back to me if you were cavorting with Snow White?"

Replies To Reviews:

jasouatfan: she really is, and understandably so. Regina is the only person Lynn has ever felt safe around, and she is so young that she couldn't even imagine how to cope without her. having Red there, even if she had been misguided at the start, was the best thing that happened among all of the trauma surrounding what happened to her, and especially considering just how young she is, truly a very young child.

Sammii16: of course! i always appreciate knowing people are enjoying my stories.

barattajennifer: figuring out how she's going to go forward is absolutely the scariest task before Red. she doesn't know what to do, or what to think, and how could she? she's in one of the worst positions ever, and she is stuck, unsure of what the right thing to do is, now.