"Look," Emma frowned when Henry got out of the car with her. "It's been a long night."

Henry pouted, coming around the car and just about latching onto her.

"And, it's almost -" She paused when her eyes fell on the clock tower. "Twenty fifteen?"

Henry shrugged. "That clock hasn't moved my whole life. Time's frozen her apart from me and Netta."

Emma eyed him strangely.

"The evil queen did it with her curse," Henry went on. "She sent everyone from the enchanted forest - Misthaven - here."

He can't be serious. This just gets weirder, and weirder. Is he okay?

"Hang on," She said, a hesitantly supportive tone sliding into her voice. "The evil queen sent a bunch of fairy tale characters here?"

Henry nodded. "Yeah, and now they're trapped."

"Frozen in time?" Emma pressed, unable to hide her scepticism. "Stuck in Storybrooke, Maine? That's what you're going with?"

"It's true!" He protested.

"Alright," Emma paused, seeing someone start to approach them. She lowered her voice. "Then why doesn't everybody just leave?"

Henry sighed. "They can't. If they try, bad things happen."

Emma was not sure what she was about to say, but it never quite slipped out. She pulled Henry back a little by the shoulders when a man and his dog came up to them.

"Hi," She said shortly.

"Henry!" The man had barely noticed her. "What are you doing here? Is everything alright?"

"I'm fine, Archie," Henry said, smiling and starting to pet the dog. "You don't have to worry."

The man - Archie - suddenly noticed the blonde woman and her car just by him.

"Who's this?"

Henry stood up, looping an arm around Emma with a grin.

"She's my mom, Archie!" He happily declared. "I found her all by myself!"

Archie nervously looked between them. "Oh," He said, coming back into the moment. "I see."

Emma sighed, shaking Henry off her arm.

"Alright," She said, tiredly rubbing her eyes. "You know where he lives?"

"Oh, yeah, sure," He spluttered. "Right up on the next few streets. The mayor's house is the biggest one on the block."

Emma quietly groaned, turning to Henry. "Seriously?" She could not hide her exasperation. "You're the mayor's kid."

Henry considered that with a bit of grimace.

"Uh…" He awkwardly smiled. "Maybe?"

"Hey," Archie cut in, seemingly surprised again. "Where were you today, Henry? I only ask because you missed our session."

"Oh," Henry paused. "I forgot to tell you. I went on a field trip."

Archie shook his head. "Henry, what did I tell you about lying? Giving into one's dark side never accomplishes anything."

Emma did her best to hide her discomfort, but drew Henry back again, gently pushing him towards the car.

"Okay!" She sent the man a pointed look. "Well, I really should be getting him home."

"Yeah. Sure, well…" He turned back for a moment when he started to walk away. "Have a good night and…you be good, Henry."

A few seconds passed. Emma waited until he was almost disappeared down the street.

"So," She said, turning back to Henry while the two of them got back into the car. "That's your shrink?"

Henry scowled, slamming his door shut and buckling himself back in. Emma did about the same thing, albeit looking a bit more amused than him.

"I'm not crazy!" He told her. "Come on!"

"I didn't say that," Emma reminded him, shoving her key back into the ignition. "Just…he doesn't seem cursed to me. Maybe he's just trying to help you."

Henry shook his head. "He's the one who needs help, because he doesn't know."

"That he's a fairy tale character?" Emma sceptically pressed as the car started up. "That's what you're getting at?"

"None of them know they're fairy tale characters," Henry patiently reminded her. "They don't remember who they are."

"Convenient," She said dryly. "All right. I'll play. Who's he supposed to be?"

Henry perked up a bit. "Jiminy Cricket!"

"Right," Emma glanced at him out of the corner of her eyes. "The lying thing."

"Yep!" Henry declared. "See, you're getting it!"

Emma resisted the urge to say something sarcastic. Instead, she finally took a look around at the street signs. Then, she started off. Things were a bit confusing, to say the very least. At the same time, it wasn't all that surprising. It shouldn't have been that surprising. How could she have known the layout of a town she had never been to before? She tried not to think too hard about all of the odd things Chloe (and, occasionally, her wife Sherry who was much more level headed) had said over the years. Had she ever mentioned Lynn having a brother? And had she ever mentioned that Lynn's mother was the mayor? Was that something recent she just hadn't thought relevant to mention? It wasn't as if they talked too much about her town. She did pause, stalling the car a bit, when she remembered the most intense conversation they ever had about Storybrooke. After everything with the Watsons. After everything with the trial. The courts had done a damn good job keeping the Mills family private, especially as plaintiffs. It was hard to think about. Her mind kept coming back to one erroneous comment Chloe had made while very drunk, so drunk she had nearly spilt her wine on herself during their conversation that night.

"Henry," Emma turned to him, still stalling the car. "Do you know a Chloe Norwood?"

He nodded excitedly. "You know her?"

"She and her wife have been friends of mine for about…six or seven years now," Emma admitted. "I met them when they were performing at a bar, but we didn't get super close until these past few years. How do you know her?"

"She and Sherry are Netta's godmothers," Henry chirped. "They're also my mom's best friends."

Emma raised an eyebrow. "So, who does that make them?"

"Lady Fenella Chloe and Lady Sherrilynn of Willowsand," Henry said, perking up more. "They're not major players, though. But they are close to the queen. They're a lot nicer than her, though, and a lot…more good."

Emma eyed him strangely. She tried to suppress what was on the tip of her tongue. She was very much unsuccessful.

"Chloe once told me her birthday is September the 26th, 2001," She briefly went silent in disbelief at herself. "And that her wife's birthday is December the 3rd, 1993. But that's impossib -"

"Those were their birthdays when they first came here," Henry explained. "No one started ageing except me and Netta until I was brought here."

Emma tried to hide just how much more intensely her heart was pounding in her chest. She said nothing, unsure of what she could say when she began to drive off again. Her mind was wandering, again, back to another strange conversation but, this time, of that same day, with Henry.

"What's that?"

They had turned onto to the interstate leaving Boston. Traffic had been becoming much more steady and predictable. She had finally taken full notice of what Henry was paging through in his arms.

"I'm not…" Henry had shaken his head. "I'm not sure you're ready."

Emma had raised an eyebrow. "Ready for some fairy tales?"

"They're not fairy tales," Henry had calmly told her. "Every story in this book actually happened."

Emma had just barely resisted the urge to roll her eyes.

"Of course they did."

"Use your superpower," Henry had just about dared. "See if I'm lying."

Emma had finally looked fully at him for a moment before her eyes went back to the road.

"Just because you believe something doesn't make it true."

"In this case?" Henry had paused, sounding almost embarrassed. "That's exactly what makes them true. You should know that more than anyone."

Her had mind whispered that she was going to regret asking, but she could not help herself.

"Why's that?"

"Because," Henry had said simply. "You're in this book."

Emma had started to chew at the inside of her cheek. "Oh, kid," She said as delicately as she could. "You've got problems."

"Yep!" Henry had agreed. "And you're going to fix them."

She tried to push those thoughts out of her mind.

She could not let herself dwell on all of the weird conversations.

She stalled the car again, taking a look around.

Finally, she saw what she was sure had to be the house.

As it happened, it was the biggest one on the block.

When she pulled up in front of the house Henry had pointed out as his family's, the first thing she thought was that it was nothing like she imagined it. Then again, she wasn't quite sure what she had expected. It was not surprising to her that Henry's family had money. That made sense. She knew they were nowhere near as wealthy as the Watsons, but they were well off enough. Just because they wouldn't have been able to fight legally for Lynnetta on their own did not mean they weren't wealthy. They just were not the wealthiest. They had to be, by appearances alone, in the top three percent of the country. Not billionaires, but most certainly self sustaining millionaires. How had they managed that? What had their jobs been before they moved to this quiet mountain town? She was almost jealous. Then again, what would she have to do with a house this massive? A million different reasons flooded into her mind. She was single, didn't have a job that could be considered completely steady. She pushed those out, looking to Henry before pulling into the empty driveway. She parked. Turned off the car. Pulled the key out of the ignition. Stepped out, waiting for Henry to do so himself. Albeit sending her an almost sad, pleading look, the two of them started up the garden path to the house.

"Please don't take me back there," Henry pouted. "I want to stay with you for a while."

"I have to," Emma pointedly reminded him. "I'm sure your parents are worried sick about you."

"I don't have parents," Henry said, tucking his story book under his left arm. "I just have a mom, and she's…a bit evil."

"Evil?" Emma could not resist the urge to roll her eyes this time. "That's a bit extreme, isn't it?"

"She is," Henry sighed. "She loves me and Netta, but I think she often pretends things are better than they actually are."

"Kid," Emma said, reaching to knock on the door. "I'm sure that's not tr -"

She almost smacked a woman in the face when the door suddenly flew open. She jumped to the side when the woman ran out, and she awkwardly shook hands with the uniformed man who stepped out just behind her. He was tucking what she knew to be the start of a missing person's police report under his arms.

"Henry? Henry!" The woman hugged the ten year old, looking about ready to cry. "Are you okay? Where have you been? What happene -"

Henry wrenched out of her arms and ran into the house, only turning around by the stairs to yell:

"I found my real mom!"

He disappeared inside the house.

The two women stared at each other, each stepping towards each other.

"You're…" The woman - Regina, Emma's mind corrected her - said, her voice anxiously softening. "You're Henry's birth mother?"

Emma awkwardly waved. "Hi. I'm Emma. Swan"

"I'll…" The uniformed man looked between them and then turned back to head up the stairs. "I'll just go…to check on the lad, make sure he's okay."

Regina hesitantly stared at Emma, briefly feeling dizzy before waving her into the house.

"How did he find you?"

"That's the thing," Emma said, startling when the door shut with a clang behind her. "I'm not quite sure. Do you know?"

"I have no idea," Regina replied, turning around to stare at her again, arms crossed. "When I adopted him, he was only three weeks old. Records were sealed. I was told the birth mother didn't want to have any contact."

Emma sighed. "You were told right."

Maybe that decision was a mistake.

"And the father?"

Regina's voice cut into her thoughts. Emma flinched and then shook her head.

"There was one."

Regina raised an eyebrow. "Do I need to be worried about him?"

"Nope," Emma replied, dryly popping the word. "He doesn't even know."

Regina tensed. "Do I need be worried about you, Miss Swan?"

Emma quickly shook her head. "Absolutely not, I -"

"Madame mayor, you can relax," The officer came back down the stairs, starting towards the door without looking back. "Other than being a tired little boy, Henry's fine."

Regina nodded shortly. "Thank you, sheriff."

The door slammed shut again behind him. The two women stared at each other again for a few seconds. Then, they started back into the sitting room. Emma found her mind and eyes wandering again. This was the kind of life she had only dreamed of as a kid. How could Henry think his life was at all bad when he had everything? Life was good, for him. He clearly had a good home. A sister. A mother. She could not help but pause every few seconds, taking in the family pictures. They were so normal. How could he at all think they were cursed? This life was good. There were clear signs of tragedy. Emma paused when she saw the baby pictures, and the young child pictures of a girl who she knew had to be Lynnetta. Then there were the ones with her - no older than six or seven - and Henry, him a baby. Him through times she had never thought about, and never seen. It almost hurt. Henry had to have thought about her a lot if he had gotten it into his head to track her down. He was clearly a smart kid, too. How could he possibly think that everyone around him was cursed, and that his mother was responsible? She tried not to think about the feelings her heart had started to find towards him. She barely knew her son. She had never meant to know him. She closed her eyes for a few seconds to try and forget. It was then her eyes fell on a wall of metal butterflies, clouds, and, below them, medals from swim competitions from local to national hanged.

Her heart sank.

They must have been Lynnetta's.

Seeing a picture of Lynnetta, her mother, and brother that had to be fairly recent proved that she likely would never be able to do that again.

"Are these…" Emma spoke so quietly she had not expected Regina to hear her. "Are…"

"My daughter," Regina said, her voice breaking. She did not speak again until she was sure she had regained her composure. "She's been through so much. I hope she'll eventually be able to get back to that again."

Emma turned to her, and fought with every fibre of her being not to hug Regina. To her relief, they started walking again, finally stepping into the sitting room.

"I'm sorry he dragged you out of your life," Regina said, gesturing towards one of the plush chairs for Emma to sit. She did so first, and Regina did the same across from her after a few seconds of hesitation. "I really don't know what's gotten into him," She added. "Things have been difficult for him lately, and I…to be completely honest, I wish I knew why."

"The kid is having a rough time," Emma shrugged. "That shit happens."

Regina sighed. "You have to understand, ever since I became mayor, balancing things has been tricky. You have a job, I assume."

Emma blinked in surprise but quickly nodded. "Oh, yeah. I keep busy."

"Imagine having another one on top of it. That's being a single mom…so I push forward," Regina paused, her voice softening a little bit. "Am I strict? I suppose, but I do it for his own good. I want Lynn and Henry to excel in life. I don't think that makes me evil, do you?"

"I'm…" Emma said quickly. "I'm sure he's just saying that because of the fairy tale thing."

Regina eyed her strangely. "What fairy tale thing?"

"You don't know?" Emma incredulously replied. "I thought you would have."

"Yes, well -"

Regina cut herself off when she finally took a moment to look at the woman who had brought her son home. She was familiar in a way that was both unsettling and a relief. She's the woman from the past. What past, though? She had not been in Misthaven. You can't let her know what's really happening. It's not worth risking anything, especially not now. Regina glanced towards the stairs. That was when she remembered what Lynn had said when she had called Graham the second she got home and not found Henry there. What she had said to her mother the second she got home. Henry got the book of fairy tales back, momma! She had not bothered to look. The only thing she was relieved about was that the lie about not knowing about Henry's new obsession with fairy tales came easily. In any other situation, it would have terrified her. The woman across from her - Emma, she silently corrected herself - did not press. It was a relief. Any of her friends absolutely would have, and for the best. It was for the best, right now, and with this woman, however, to not let on anything that could suggest the truth. She could hear Lynn's voice from when she was much younger coming back to her. Tell me the story about the lady with the pretty hair again. Was that this woman? No, it couldn't be. Could it? She -

"Again," Regina said, sounding more anxious than irritated, much to her surprise. "What fairy tale thing?"

"Oh, you know, his book," Emma said with patience and understanding Regina had not expected. "How he thinks everyone's a cartoon character from it," Emma went on. "Like, he thinks his shrink is Jiminy Cricket."

Regina could not hide the anxiety which kept bubbling up in her chest.

"I'm sorry, I…really have no idea what you're talking about."

"You know, what, it's none of my business," Emma said, turning around in surprise when she heard footsteps coming towards the sitting room. "He's your kid. And I really should be heading bac -"

"Of -" Regina fell silent, seeing her daughter slip awkwardly behind one of the walls into the sitting room. "Of course, I -"

"Lynnetta?" Emma suddenly exclaimed. She stared at the teenager who had been trying to hide behind one of the walls between the front hall and the sitting room. "Hi, are -"

"How do you know my name?" Lynn anxiously exclaimed before her mother could.

Emma paused, uncomfortably looking between her and Regina, who seemed increasingly on edge.

"I'm the bounty hunter the Watsons had contacted. The…ones they wanted to, well…I'm not going to make you all relieve that. But I'm the bounty hunter who submitted anonymous testimony on behalf of the prosecution. I suppose it's not rational to keep it anonymous to you guys now, all things considered, since you were able to…get at least some justice.."

Lynn ran into the room the best she could with her limp and heavy brace to hug Emma, very much startling her. Regina could only stare. That's who defended Lynn? There's no reason to lie about that, though it can be verified fairly easily, if need be. But…

"Thank you," Lynn whispered, trying her best not to cry. "It was really important that was in there, the DA said so."

Emma awkwardly hugged her too, looking over to Regina. She kept watching her, well aware the woman was watching her, even while Lynnetta sat down on the couch.

"I suppose I have more than one reason to be thankful for about you, Miss Swan," Regina stood up suddenly, starting back towards the stairs. "I'll let you two talk. I need to check on my son."

Replies To Reviews:

jasouatfan: absolutely. Henry knows there's more nuance, but he is young, and facing a massive shock, especially with what Lynn and Chloe have both admitted to him.

barrattajennifer: what have they done indeed…

Coral Skipper: well i hope that this didn't disappoint, then!