And when you're needing your space
To do some navigating
I'll be here patiently waiting
To see what you find

("I Won't Give Up," Jason Mraz)

Chapter 20: Planning Session

"We need to get my mother out of that mansion," I said, pacing Charming's apartment.

He bounced Emma on his knee as he watched me, the little girl's laughter the only other sound in the apartment. Robin was in the next room changing Rachel's diaper and Roland had decided to take a nap on Charming's bed while Mal took Lily for a quick walk so the baby could get some air.

"Zelena no doubt has it protected with several spells and wards," he said. "But if anyone can get around them, I know it's you and Robin. I am willing to help you too."

I paused, smiling at him. "Thank you, Charming."

"Charm!" Emma chirped, clapping her hands. "Charm!"

He smiled widely, kissing his daughter's head. "Yes, I'm Charm, sweetheart."

Robin came back, bouncing a slightly disgruntled Rachel in his arms. I raised my eyebrow. "What's wrong with her?"

"I think she's just a little put out I changed her diaper," he said. "And I think she's due for a nap."

"Have you tried a lullaby?" I asked. Robin's voice had a magical quality to it that made us all relax enough to fall asleep.

He nodded. "She's refusing to go down but I'm pretty sure she needs a nap."

"Okay, I'll take her. See if I can get her down," I said, holding out my arms for our daughter.

Robin placed Rachel in my arms and I held her close. "What's wrong, baby girl?"

Tired, she said, rubbing her eye with her fist. Want Mama to read Rachel story.

I kissed her forehead as I turned to my friend. "Charming, do you mind if I put her down in your bed?"

"Of course not," he said before looking at Emma. "What about you, sweetheart? Are you tired? Do you want to nap?"

She shook her head, curls bouncing around. Instead, she reached for his face and grabbed his nose. "Charm!"

Charming laughed, his voice sounding weird as Emma still held his nose. "I'll keep entertaining this one while you focus on Rachel."

I nodded, turning to head into his room. As I did, I caught sight of Robin. He watched Charming and Emma with a strange look in his eyes, like he was fighting something inside himself. Glancing over my shoulder, I watched as Charming kissed Emma's nose and knew it was hurting Robin. He knew that Charming was Emma's father but so was he and the conflicting feelings inside him were warring for dominance.

Reaching out, I grabbed his hand and pulled him into the room with me. He frowned. "Rachel doesn't want me, she wants you."

"She wants me to read a story. It doesn't mean you can't be here," I replied, bouncing Rachel a bit as she laid her head on my shoulder. I wanted him there, wanted to give Charming time with his daughter.

Papa stay, Rachel told me and I relayed it to Robin.

He nodded, running his hand through his hair. "Okay, okay. Let me get the bed set up for her."

"Thank you," I replied as I reached into my diaper bag. "I'll get a book to read for her. Any preference, Rachel?"

Cat, she replied. Her voice was growing fainter even inside my head and I knew she would be asleep soon.

I chuckled, pulling out The Cat in the Hat from my bag. As I sat down on the bed, Robin glanced at the book over my shoulder. "I never understand that one," he said.

"What is there to understand? It's a fantastical story told in rhyme to help children learn language skills," I replied, opening the book. There really wasn't much more to it than that, so what had Robin all confused?

He shrugged. "But why does the cat wear a hat? Why would he want to?"

I stared at him, wondering just how many nights my husband had lain awake to ponder that question. "He's a very silly creature. That's why he wants to wear a hat. Because it's silly for a cat to wear a hat."

"Oh," he said, letting that sink in. He slowly nodded. "I guess that makes sense…in a way."

Trying not to laugh, I patted the spot next to me. "So, are you joining us?"

"Yes," he said, sitting close to me. "Read on, lovely."

I opened the book and began reading, keeping my voice even as Rachel grew heavier and heavier in my arms. By the time I finished the tale and the house was all clean again, she was sound asleep against my shoulder.

"Here," I whispered as I closed the book. I held it out to Robin. "Take this and I'll put her down."

He nodded, taking the book and tucking it back into the diaper bag. I laid Rachel down and arranged the pillows around her to keep her from rolling off the bed. Robin handed me a blanket to cover her with and I kissed her forehead. "Sweet dreams, sweetheart."

We heard the front door open and I took Robin's hand, heading back out into the living room. Charming glared at whoever had entered, which told me it was Maleficent. I sighed as I turned my head, finding her regarding him with a guarded expression as she leaned against Lily's stroller.

"Hello," I said, approaching her. I crouched down to look at Lily as she slept. "She looks beautiful."

"Thank you," Mal replied, her voice full of pride.

I straightened up to look her in the eyes. "I just put Rachel down. Do you want to put her in the bedroom too?"

"That would probably be best for her," she said, glancing down at her daughter. "I don't know how comfortable this really is."

"I'll go with you," I said, following her back behind the curtain.

She laid Lily into the crib next to the bed, tucking a blanket around her. I sat on the edge of the bed, checking on my own daughter. Rachel slept on, clutching onto Lady Bear as she dreamed. Content she was fine, I looked back at Mal. "So aside from the fact that Charming thinks you're going to skin him alive, how are things here?" I asked.

"Not too bad," she said. "As I said, he's a big help with Lily. And since he's convinced I'm going to poison him, he insists on cooking every meal. I'm not complaining."

I laughed and she smirked. She then continued: "He's actually a gentleman. He's been letting me sleep in the bed so I'm close to Lily and he's been sleeping on the couch."

"That does sound like Charming," I agreed, smiling as I thought of my kindhearted friend.

She sat down next to me, looking over at Rachel. "I heard Zelena confronted you the other day."

"I wouldn't say she confronted me," I replied. "She definitely cornered me to express her displeasure that I hadn't brought your egg to her. I expressed my disgust that she wanted me to help her kill an innocent baby."

"For which I'm really glad," Mal said, leaning over to rub her daughter's stomach. Lily rubbed her face but continued to sleep on.

I nodded before I thought of my own mother. "There is just one complication—she is holding my mother prisoner."

"You've mentioned that before," she said, taking my hand. "Are you two close?"

"Hardly," I replied, let out a wry laugh. I then turned serious. "But I can't just leave her with Zelena."

Mal nodded. "Understood. No one should be left with that witch, no matter how awful they are. I'll help you too."

I took her hand, touched by her offer. "You don't have to do that. I'm sure Robin, Charming and I can handle it."

"I know I don't have to do it," Mal protested. She paused before continuing: "I haven't really had someone I could call a friend, Regina, but I do believe I can call you one. And I've been given to believe that friends help each other."

"I would like to be your friend," I told her, touched by her words. "But you have Lily to think about…"

"You and Robin have Roland, Emma and Rachel," Mal pointed out. "I think all our chances of coming home to our children increase if we work together."

I nodded, knowing she was right and knowing she was determined to help me. "Okay. Why don't we head back out into the living room so we can plan everything?"

Mal smiled, standing. "That sounds great. Can we do it over some food as well? That walk worked up my appetite."

Laughing, I nodded as I stood. "I'm hungry too. Let's see if we can get Charming to go pick us up something from Granny's."

"Should be easy. He'll do anything to get away from me," Mal replied, making me laugh again as we stepped into the living room.

Charming did run out to Granny's for us. Once he left, I told Robin about Mal's offer. He raised his eyebrow and looked up at her. "Are you sure?"

She nodded. "I want to help Regina, like she helped me."

"Okay," he said. "Do you have your magic here in this land?"

"I do," she replied, sitting down on the armchair as I slid next to Robin on the couch. Mal crossed her legs. "Why do you ask?"

I cuddled next to Robin as he wrapped his arm around me. "Zelena has her magic so I can only imagine she puts up wards around her house. It would be good to have someone else besides Regina to deactivate them."

She nodded. "Smart. You're a strategist, I take it?"

He shrugged. "I guess you could say that. My men and I always made certain we had an escape plan before going into a job."

"And you're going to make sure we have that before we go rescue your wife's mother," she replied, sounding almost impressed.

"It's just like any other job," he said. "It's just this time I'm stealing a person rather than treasures."

Maleficent smirked, crossing her arms. "So you've never stolen a person before?"

"He stole me from Zelena," I said, raising my hand. "Back in the Enchanted Forest, before we got together. She took me and he rescued me."

"How sweet. And reassuring. You know what you're up against," Mal said, looking at Robin again.

He nodded. "At least she doesn't have the Black Guard here."

"She does have the sheriff," I pointed out, thinking of the man who had been a thorn in my side since I met him.

Robin waved me off. "He's nothing. I've been outsmarting him for years."

"Don't get cocky," Mal warned him. "That's when you can make the most mistakes."

"I know," he replied defensively. "And I won't. There's too much at stake for that."

I rubbed his leg as we both glanced over to where Roland was playing with Emma. He rolled a ball to her and she threw it back, clapping each time he caught it. It was a sweet sight that reminded us of what we had to lose.

The door opened and Charming entered the apartment, carrying a bag from Granny's. I jumped up and reached for it. "Here, let me help you."

"Thank you," he said, handing me the bag. He then took off his coat and turned to hang it up as I headed to the kitchen.

Mal jumped up at that point. "I'll help you set the table," she offered.

I thanked her, taking out all the containers as she took out the plates. Looking up at my husband, I asked: "Can you get everyone cups and something to drink?"

"I can do that," Charming said, pulling up his sleeves. "This is my house. You're all guests. Well, except Mal."

"And that's why I'm helping," she pointed out, holding up the plates with a raised eyebrow.

He nodded and Robin clapped him on the shoulder. "I'm going to make sure Roland washes his hands. Why don't you get the cups for Regina?"

"Sounds good," Charming said, heading toward the cabinet. As Robin ushered Roland to the bathroom, he gave me a wink. I smiled back at him, loving how he could still take the lead even though he was no longer the leader of the Merry Men.

Working together, we quickly had the table set up. Robin helped Roland into his chair as Charming put out the food. I then placed Emma in a high chair, giving her some food of her own to mostly play with. Some would end up in her mouth and she would be entertained as I sat down next to her. It was pretty much a win/win when it came to raising a toddler.

"Thank you for the food," I told Charming. "We appreciate it."

"Thank you for the company. It's always great to see my friends," he said, smiling at Robin and me.

Roland beamed at him. "I love seeing you too, Prince."

"Thank you, Roland, it's great to see you," Charming replied, grinning at him.

Mal rolled her eyes. "We're all happy to see each other. Can we move on and start eating? Please?"

Charming glared at her but I nodded, jumping in to keep the peace. "That sounds like a good idea. We don't want the food to get cold."

Roland looked at the door before looking back at Charming, frowning. "Is the princess coming?"

As Charming grew somber, staring at his plate, Robin reached over to rub Roland's back. "Princess Snow had other plans."

"Oh," Roland said. He then asked: "Are you sad because the princess doesn't remember who you are?"

"Roland," I chided softly.

Charming shook his head. "It's okay, Regina. And yes, Roland. I am sad because the princess doesn't remember me. I miss her."

"Oh," my son replied, now sad himself.

"But," Charming added, smiling, "I have you and your parents. So that makes me happy."

Roland brightened, smiling again. "I'm glad we make you happy, Prince. Does seeing Emma make you happy?"

"Charm!" Emma babbled, clapping her hands again at the mention of her name.

He chuckled, nodding. "Yes. Seeing Emma makes me very, very happy."

"Seeing you makes her happy too," Roland told him.

As if to prove her brother's point, Emma disappeared in a puff of white smoke and reappeared on Charming's lap. She clapped again before reaching out to him. "Charm!"

"Hello, Emma," he cooed, picking her up. "How are you?"

She reached out and played with his face, standing on his lap. My heart melted at the sight and I resisted the tears that were forming in my eyes. It was a beautiful sight, one I doubted I would ever get used to it.

A knock on the door disturbed us and we all stared at it. My heart hammered in my chest, imagining an irate Zelena on the other side. "She wouldn't come here…right?" I whispered.

"Not unless she has a death wish," Mal replied, glaring at the door. "Which I would be more than happy to grant."

They heard another knock as Charming rose. He handed me Emma as he headed toward the door. "We'll see who it is and then deal with it," he said, reaching for the door handle.

We watched as he opened the door a bit, peeking out. Relief filled his voice as he exclaimed: "Mary Margaret! What a surprise!"

"Hi, David," she said. "Am I interrupting something? Is now a bad time? I probably should've called before stopping by…"

He shook his head, standing aside to let her in. "I'm just surprised. You said you had plans for today so I assumed…"

Snow walked in, wearing a white coat and pink beret that matched her scarf. She smiled as she looked around, clutching her purse tighter. "I know. But it seems the blood drive wasn't as popular as we thought. I hoped your invitation would still stand."

"It does," he insisted, reaching out. "Here, let me take your coat. I got some food from Granny's, so I'm sorry there isn't anything for you."

"Oh, that's okay," she insisted. "I can just have something to drink and talk with everyone."

I looked up, smiling at her. "I can always split my sandwich with you. I don't mind."

Snow smiled softly. "Thank you, Regina. I appreciate it."

"I'll pull up a chair for you," Charming said, rushing past her to grab one to place next to me.

"Here, I'll take Emma," Robin said, taking her from me. He bounced her a bit as she laughed. "How's my sweet girl?"

Charming paused for a moment before setting down the chair. He motioned for Snow to take her seat. "Here you go."

"Thank you," she said, settling in next to me. She reached out and took my hand. "And thank you for sharing your food with me."

I smiled at her, giving her half of my sandwich. "Any time. I don't think I could've eaten all of it anyway."

"So not many people showed up the blood drive?" Charming asked, eager to get his wife's attention again.

She sighed, shaking her head. "Only about ten people. But we don't usually get a lot of people."

"Is there a shortage of blood here in Storybrooke?" I asked, curious. The small town seemed pretty safe and I never saw anything too traumatic while volunteering in the hospital. I doubted they needed a lot of blood.

"Not really," she admitted. "But it's always good to have it on hand. You never know what might happen."

I nodded. "That sounds reasonable."

"Well, maybe your next drive will be more successful," Charming said, smiling softly at her.

A pink tinge came to her cheeks as she smiled back at home. "I hope so too."

"You know what? I'll go next time," he said. "So you're guaranteed at least one person."

"Thank you," she said, finally taking a bite of the sandwich half I gave her.

Emma started to hit the table with her little hands, trying to twist out of Robin's arms. "Charm!" she demanded.

"He needs to eat, sweetheart," I told her, hoping she would calm down and we weren't heading for a full blown tantrum.

She frowned, banging her hands harder. "Charm! Charm!" she chanted.

I exchanged a look with Robin, who nodded. He stood, holding a screaming Emma. "No, Emma. You cannot go to Charm right now. We're going to go outside and calm down."

"No! No!" she screamed, trying to climb over his shoulder. Robin kept a good hold on her as he opened the door. I just hoped she didn't use her magic to get away from him as the door closed behind them.

"Sorry about that," I apologized to Snow and Charming. "It's hard to teach a toddler she can't always get what she wants but we're trying."

Snow nodded but looked confused. "Who's Charm?"

"That's Emma's special name for David," I replied, recalling Charming's real name. It still felt foreign on my tongue. "We're not sure why. Kids do that."

"Well, I think that's sweet," she said. She turned to Charming. "You must be so good with children."

He blushed as Mal jumped in. "He's wonderful with children, especially with my Lily."

"That is amazing," Snow said, looking like she was falling in love. Again. "I think it's great when men have a way with children."

"I definitely agree," I said, glancing at the door as I wondered what was taking my husband so long rather than celebrating that my friend was finding her way back to her husband, even if she didn't know who that was. Did Robin need my help though? Was Emma giving him a hard time?

I wiped my mouth before placing my napkin down next to my plate. As I stood, I excused myself. "I just want to make sure everything is okay with Robin and Emma."

They nodded and I slipped from the apartment, closing the door behind me. I turned to find Robin sitting on the stairs, rocking Emma. A few sniffles drifted from her, telling me that she had had a meltdown in the hallway. "Everything okay?" I asked.

"Yeah," he replied, rubbing her back. "We had a good cry and I think she's coming around."

"Good," I said, sitting down next to him. I reached for Emma's hand. "How are you, Princess?"

Emma still want Charm. I could hear her hiccup and sniffle in my head.

"I know and you can spend time with him later, but you need to let him eat now. Okay, sweetheart?" I asked her.

Okay, Mama, she told me. Emma be good.

"Good girl," I praised, rubbing her back. "Are you ready to head back inside now?"

She nodded before burying her face against Robin's neck again. He nuzzled her before standing. "I guess we can head back inside."

"Yes," I replied, standing up as well. I then kissed his cheek. "You're the best father, you know that?"

He grinned. "Well, I'm always grateful for a compliment. But what brought that on?"

"Snow," I told him. "She was talking about how good you and Charming are with children. It just reminded me how lucky I am to have you."

"Huh. I guess I have to thank her," he teased, his grin morphing into a full smile that revealed his dimples. He gave me a quick kiss before turned back to the door.

We headed into Charming's apartment, finding that lunch had been cleared away while we were gone. Maleficent was no longer in the living room and Roland had climbed onto the couch, lying on his stomach as he started to zone out. It seemed a nap was in his future, I realized before my attention was drawn to the kitchen.

Snow and Charming stood close together at the sink. He washed while she dried, the two chatting softly as they worked together as a team. I knew some part of Snow remembered that he was her husband, her other half, and that's why they seemed to just be in sync naturally. Judging by the smile on her face, "Mary Margaret" realized it and I believed—I hoped—she was developing feelings for "David."

I didn't want to disturb them but she caught sight of us, frowning. "Is Emma okay?" she asked, concerned.

"She's fine," I assured her. "She's had her tantrum and is calm now."

"I also think she's ready for her n-a-p," Robin said, still rubbing Emma's back. "I can feel her going."

I stepped back and looked at Emma. Her eyes were closed and I nodded. "Yeah, she's almost out. You can put her with Rachel on Charm's bed."

He nodded, disappearing into the next room. I approached the kitchen, smiling at my friends. "Is there anything you need me to do?"

"I think David and I have everything handled," Snow said, glancing over at Charming. She then looked back at me. "Why don't you sit down and relax?"

"Please. You're my guest. You should relax," Charming added, motioning to the couch. "Can we get you anything?"

I shook my head. "I think I'm good. You two should sit as well. No need for you to be on your feet the entire time."

Charming nodded, turning to Snow. "You go sit down and I'll be right there. Do you want something to drink?"

"Just some water, please," she said, moving around the island to enter the living room as Robin returned as well. They both paused at the couch as I realized Roland was now sound asleep there.

Robin moved forward, picking him up. "I'll put him on the bed too, though I think we're starting to run out of room."

Snow jumped up, turning to Charming as her green eyes lit up in excitement. "David, do you have spare sheets?"

He frowned in confusion. "No, I don't think so. Why?"

"We can make a makeshift bed for Roland," she replied, looking thoughtful. Her face brightened. "I'll run up to my loft and get some of my spare sheets and blankets. I'll be right back."

Charming nearly vaulted over the island to catch up with her as she approached the door. "I'll come with you. You know…to help you carrying things."

Her cheeks turned even redder as she seemed unable to meet his eyes. "I would like that. Thank you."

They left and Maleficent exited from the bedroom, carrying Lily. "Are they gone? I don't think I can't handle that much…fluff."

"They'll be back," I said. "And it's a good thing Snow is falling for Charming again. That might help break the curse."

"I thought Emma had to break the curse?" Mal asked, motioning toward the bedroom with her head.

Robin shrugged as he rubbed Roland's back. "We're hoping to find a way to break it sooner rather than waiting for her twenty-eighth birthday."

Maleficent nodded. "It would be nice to see Zelena defeated a lot sooner than about twenty-six and a half years from now."

I pressed my finger to my lips as the doorknob turned, signaling to her to stop talking about the curse. We had to keep pretending for Snow's sake, especially if we didn't want to scare her off or give her a reason to turn the townspeople against us. Our chances of defeating Zelena would decrease dramatically if that happened.

The door opened and Charming and Snow came in, both carrying blankets and pillows. Robin raised an eyebrow as he looked them over. "Roland doesn't need all of that."

"Yeah," I said. "He's a kid. They'll sleep anywhere. They're quite lucky like that."

Snow grew sheepish. "We may have gone overboard but we're going to make it fun! You'll see."

"He's asleep, Sn…so you don't have to do too much," Robin said, covering his gaffe well enough.

"It's for when he wakes up," she insisted, smiling. "He's going to love it, trust me."

Robin and I exchanged looks and I shrugged before motioning toward the bedroom. "Go ahead. Just please don't wake Rachel. She takes after me and will be grumpy until I put her down again."

Charming chuckled as he guided Snow into the next room. "We'll be quiet. Don't worry."

They disappeared behind the curtain as I scooted over on the couch, patting the space next to me. "Why don't you come here, Robin, and lay Roland over the two of us?"

"My arms are getting tired," he admitted, sitting down next to me. He laid our son over our laps and Roland rolled closer to me, snuggling against my body. I ran my fingers through his curls, watching him sleep on.

"You two look so happy with him right now," Maleficent said, smiling softly at us. "You have just as much reason as me to want to break the curse but one giant reason not to."

I glanced toward the curtain as my heart sank. "Emma."

She nodded. "Her parents wake up, you lose her. Can you bear to give her back to them after raising her for so long?"

"We wouldn't lose her," Robin replied softly. "Snow and Charming are our friends. We're Emma's godparents. We're always going to be in her life."

"There's a big difference between being parents and godparents, though," she pointed out.

I frowned, wondering what she was driving at. "Do you want us to break the curse or not? Because right now, it sounds like you're trying to talk us out of it."

"Or are you trying to hurt Charming and Snow still?" Robin asked, eyeing her suspiciously.

She shook her head. "I'm not trying to hurt them. I'm trying to make sure Regina doesn't get hurt."

I was touched that she cared so much about me already but as I glanced over at the bedroom, I said: "I think I'm going to get hurt no matter what. The best I can hope is that we can figure all this out without too much heartbreak."

"Good luck with that," she told me as Snow and Charming came back. I wasn't sure if she meant it genuinely or as a backhanded comment.

Snow paused, frowning as she looked between me and Mal. "Good luck with what?"

"Dealing with the mayor," I replied, trying to look and sound annoyed. "She's still after me to help her with some mysterious project and I'm still trying to get her to accept my 'no.'"

That seemed to placate Snow and her smile returned. "We've set everything up for Roland without waking the girls up. Why don't you bring him inside, Robin?"

"Gladly," he said, picking up Roland. He followed her into the next room as Charming watched wistfully.

I called his name softly, drawing his attention to me. "What's going on?"

He rubbed his face before sitting next to me on the couch. Sadness filled his voice as he said: "Emma had kicked off her blanket so Snow covered her again. She then kissed her forehead and it just…it just struck me how unfair it is that she doesn't realize that Emma is her daughter, our daughter."

"I know," I said, knowing it wasn't enough as I rubbed his back. I shot a look at Maleficent but she held my gaze with a neutral one of her own.

Snow and Robin returned and I slid away from Charming. However, she noticed the change in his demeanor and frowned. "David? Is something wrong?"

"Just tired, I guess," he lied, pretending to yawn. "Putting together that fort took more out of me than I thought. I should probably turn in early tonight."

"Why don't I make you some coffee? How do you take it?" Snow asked, moving toward his kitchen.

Charming jumped up, following her into the other room. "You don't have to do that. You're my guest. Go…sit down and rest."

Robin sat down next to me, wrapping his arm around me. He leaned closer to whisper: "What's really bothering Charming?"

"Emma," I replied, "and the fact his wife is cursed."

He nodded and sighed. "That would bother me too."

I cuddled against his side, wondering what it would've been like if that fairy hadn't rescued him and Roland from the curse. How would it feel to come into Storybrooke and to see them but know they didn't know me? What if I had to start all over in getting him to love me again? What if his cursed persona didn't love me?

As if reading my mind, he held me closer and kissed the top of my head. "I don't know who that fairy was but if we ever find her, I'm going to give her the biggest hug."

"Me too," she whispered. "I don't know what I would've done if I didn't have you or Roland and had to raise Rachel on my own."

"Thank goodness neither of us have to find out," he whispered as Charming and Snow returned.

She smiled at us, leaning back in her seat as Charming settled next to her. "What are you two whispering about?"

"Sweet nothings," Mal said, covering for us. She scrunched up her nose. "It's quite nauseating."

Snow let out a sweet aww as she grew wistful. "I hope I could find someone who loves me as much as you love Regina, Robin."

"I'm sure you will," he said before glancing over at Charming. "Who knows? Maybe he's already right in front of you."

His meaning wasn't lost on Snow judging by the way she quickly glanced at Charming before averting her eyes, her cheeks turning pink. She stared at the cup of tea in her hands. "Maybe."

I rubbed Robin's knees. "Well, I hope you just keep your eyes open and be willing to take a chance. I know that's what I did and it certainly has paid off."

She nodded. "I think I can do that."

"Can we move on from the romance talk?" Maleficent asked, rolling her eyes. "It's making some of us sick."

I shot her a look but Snow chuckled. "I'm sure we can find something we can all talk about. Like…when do you think spring will finally arrive?"

Leaning back against Robin's chest, we settled into some more banal conversation and it was almost like we were back in the Enchanted Forest.

Almost.

Emma and Rachel woke up about an hour later, both wanting to be entertained by us adults. Snow volunteered to take them for a walk and though I had some concerns about Zelena going after them, I knew it was for the best. We could talk freely without her around and the girls would be out of the way as well. So I bundled them up against the early spring chill, tucked them into the double stroller and kissed both their foreheads. After telling them to be good for "Mary Margaret," I let her leave the apartment.

Robin wrapped his arms around me. "They'll be fine. Zelena won't do anything stupid and Snow is still there inside Mary Margaret. She won't let anything happen to the girls."

"I know," I said, rubbing his arm before kissing right over his tattoo. "I still worry, though."

"Well, they won't be gone for too long. We should start planning if we want to get your mother out soon," Maleficent said, heading toward the table.

I nodded, stepping out of Robin's embrace. Taking his hand, we walked over to the table as well. Charming rolled out a set of blueprints and I paused, staring at it in awe. "Is that Zelena's house?"

He nodded. "I made friends with someone down at the town records and got this from them."

"This is a very thorough curse," I said, impressed. "It created actual blue prints? Wow."

Robin chuckled "Only you would be impressed by this."

"Flirt later," Mal said, looking over the plans. "So this is the layout of her house?"

I looked it over and nodded. "Looks like it. I was only inside once though."

"It looks like it to me too," Robin agreed. "I never forget a place once I case it."

Mal looked up at him, raising her eyebrow. "So you still remember the layout of my palace?"

"I do," he confirmed.

"That's a bit concerning," she murmured.

Robin tensed up beside me and he scowled at her. "It's not like I'm going to steal from you any time soon. Or ever. I've given up that lifestyle."

"Yet here you are planning another heist," she shot back.

"That's different," he argued, red creeping up his neck toward his face.

I decided to jump in, knowing we didn't have time for them to continue bickering. "We're trying to save my mother. Let's focus on that, okay?"

"Right," Charming said, drawing our attention back to the blue prints. "Regina, do you remember the room your mother is being kept in?"

"This one," I said, pointing to the bedroom on the second floor I recalled Zelena taking me to.

He nodded before looking over the blue prints again. "How many servants does she have?"

"None," I replied. "It seems she's either doing everything herself or using magic to do it."

Charming chuckled. "I can't imagine Her Majesty can do anything for herself, not after having so many things done for her all the time."

Mal frowned. "There's a lot about Zelena you don't know. I wouldn't make assumptions about her—it will only work against you."

We all stared at her and I realized there was a lot about Zelena I didn't really know. "Do you know something about her time in Oz?"

"We weren't really confidants," she replied, "but I know enough to know I more than you."

My mind flashed to the storybook Emma had received for her birthday. It had been some time since we had read it to her but now I wanted to rush home to read it. Since it had all our stories in great detail, I believed it had to have Zelena's as well. We could now doubt get some great insight into her from it.

Charming crossed his arms, glaring at her. "I thought you were on our side. Why are you holding onto her secrets?"

"Because they aren't hers to tell," I told him. "I trust Mal and believe she is on our side. You need to as well or this won't work."

He blew out in exasperation but nodded. "Fine. I'll try to give her the benefit of the doubt."

"How generous of you," Mal shot back.

I glared at her this time. "And you need to stop antagonizing him. Put whatever happened between you in the past, where it belongs. Got it?"

She sighed but nodded. "Fine. I'll let bygones be bygones. For now."

"I'll do the same," Charming said, glaring at her.

Realizing it was the best we were going to get, I sighed and decided to move on. Turning to Robin, I asked him: "So what do you propose we do?"

He rolled up his sleeves, going into planning mode. As we all put our heads together, we started to come up with a plan to save my mother.

A/N: Happy anniversary to this verse! Four years ago today, I decided to pull the trigger and post the Outlaw Queen/Outlander mashup I had been writing for most of the summer. I didn't know what would happen and I just hoped it would find an audience. Well, it certainly did and now here I am, four years later, with several stories under my belt and so many wonderful people who are reading my stories. Thank you all so much.

This chapter is dedicated to all of you because without your support, we wouldn't be here. I love you all.

I know this was a bit heavy on Snowing, but that's important for the story and moving toward breaking the curse. And I know this got a bit dialogue-heavy but I promise the next chapter will have more Outlaw Queen and go a bit lighter on the dialogue.

I will be at OUATNJ this weekend. If you see me, don't be afraid to say 'hi'! I promise I don't bite.

-Mac