To say Emma was miserable would be an understatement. Hook was gone. Robin was gone. The losses they had suffered felt far greater than what Emma could bear. It would have been enough for her to suffer a loss like this alone. She was used to losing people at this point. Now, she had to witness Regina losing her second chance at love. When she'd witnessed the memory of Regina losing Daniel, her heart ached. She never wanted to see the woman who had worked so hard to overcome her grief to be punished again. They'd come so far together. Emma was terrified that she'd lost the woman she had become friends with. Regina was the only friend she'd manage to make and keep successfully in her life. The irony of that was not lost on her. It had been difficult for her to give Regina the space she knew she wanted after Robin's funeral. After two weeks of not even catching a glimpse of her, the Sheriff was growing anxious. Regina might not be ready for company, but it was a risk Emma was willing to take. Even if she was strangled to death by her magic grip or fireballed into oblivion, she needed to see her.

It took a few minutes of poking around her vault before Emma was able to coax Regina into making an appearance.

"I don't want company." Emma heard her tired, strained voice call out from behind her. It sent shivers down her spine. She was both nervous and excited.

"I know you don't. But you know what they say…misery loves company," she said with a half-hearted laugh as she raised the bottle of alcohol she brought as an offering.

Regina sighed as she walked in and roughly grabbed the bottle from her. Without looking at the blonde, she poured two generous servings. When Regina had finally turned to offer a glass to Emma, it was all Emma could do not to gasp at her tear stained, tired eyes. The look on her face felt like a punch to the gut. Emma took the glass and drained half of its contents in one gulp. Regina smirked.

"What? Am I that hard to look at now?"

"No!" A pained expression took over Emma's face as she fumbled for the words to make up for it.

Regina waved her hand dismissively. "Save it. I know I look like hell, which is why I didn't want company. But since you were so insistent…"

Emma frowned. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry for everything, Regina."

Suddenly, she felt the sting of Regina's palm colliding with the side of her face. Shock washed over her as she saw the anger and tears threatening to pour from her eyes. "Why did you save me from the darkness, Emma?"

"What," she barely managed to whisper.

"Why did you really save me from the darkness that night?"

She waited as Emma kept silent. "You gave this bullshit Savior speech about not wanting to see my happiness destroyed, when we all know you did it because you were afraid of what I'd do to everyone. You did it because you didn't trust me. You did it because you knew you wouldn't be able to save me, and it was easier to martyr yourself than to live with your failure. Now you're miserable because, for once, your actions caused you to lose someone you love, not just me. Now, you think you can come here so we can be grief buddies and I can just make all your shitty feelings go away?"

This time, Regina was shocked to feel the reciprocation of a slap to her face. Unlike Emma, the sting made her feel alive. "Fuck you, Regina."

As Emma stormed out of the vault, Regina threw her glass and watched it shatter against the stone wall.

Emma had tried so hard not to reflect on the moment she decided to save Regina from the darkness. Now, as she tossed and turned in her bed, it was all she could think about. The moment kept repeating itself in her mind. She watched the darkness pull Regina in and felt her whole body go numb. Instantly, she wanted to react, but then she looked at Robin and remembered her place. He was her true love, after all. If anyone got first dibs on saving Regina, it should be him. When she saw him fail, she knew. It was always supposed to be her. Without hesitation, she stepped towards her, just to be halted by Regina's voice telling her not to. The tears that filled her eyes threatened to give away everything she'd been trying not to think about. Emma wanted to be responsible for Regina's happiness. If that meant she had to take the darkness, she would do it. She trusted Regina more than anyone else to be able to save her. When Hook tried to talk her out of it, she realized she was choosing Regina. She was telling the truth when she told him she loved him. Now, Emma was left wondering if she'd chased him so hard, literally followed him to Hell and back, just because he seemed to be her only option. With Hook and Robin both gone, because of her, all she was left with was this storm of emotions she didn't know how to handle. When Regina had accused her of only saving her out of fear of her darkness, it had cut her down. She truly believed Regina knew that Emma had seen past all her demons. Learning that she didn't, broke Emma. That night, Emma cried herself into exhaustion.

…

There was several weeks Emma spent barely speaking or socializing with anyone. She was on edge and word had spread, thanks to Leroy. People found themselves actively avoiding the Sheriff and she couldn't say she minded. It was hard enough for her to be present enough for Henry.

Always perceptive, it was Henry who began to put the pieces together. He knew Emma felt guilty. That was obvious to everyone. It was when she'd bristled a little too aggressively at the mention of his other mother that he noticed there was something more. He had genuinely been trying to help and honestly missed their family time together when he suggested they all meet for dinner. When he wouldn't accept the first two excuses Emma gave him, she yelled.

"Your mom doesn't want anything to do with me! Now drop it!"

Henry was stunned into silence. It was rare for Emma to yell at him like this. He knew it wasn't really directed at him, so he allowed himself to breathe a little.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to upset you."

Emma sighed, kicking herself again. "I know you didn't, kid. I just…don't want you to get your hopes up that things are going to be the way they used to be. A lot has happened, and most of it is my fault."

"No, it's not! You've always tried your best to do the right thing."

"Yeah, and I apparently suck at it. I don't know what the right thing is anymore. Every time I try, I end up hurting your mom. I'm done."

"What do you mean, you're done?"

"I mean I'm done being the Savior and trying to fix everyone's problems. I just make it all worse and hurt the people I love most."

Henry sighed, "Mom, this always happens right before things get better. Things always seem really dark before the best things happen!"

"Henry, give it a rest! Nothing I do is going to bring Robin back…or Hook," she added quickly.

"You don't need to bring them back. You just need to find your new happy ending."

"There is no happy ending, Henry! Let it go," she yelled as her palms smacked the table.

Ruby walked over to their table quickly as the whole diner gazed at her. "Emma, maybe you should take a walk."

Emma sighed and walked out of the diner. Ruby sat next to Henry and wrapped her arm around him. "Are you ok?"

Henry shook his head. "This is all wrong. It's not supposed to be like this. I know there's another ending out there for both of my moms. They're just too scared to look for it."

Ruby smiled sympathetically, "I know that feeling. Looking for your happiness is terrifying after you've lost someone you love. You'll always fear the feeling of that loss again. It's hard to face."

"How did you overcome it?"

Ruby sighed, "I think part of me still is. It helped finding my family. Once I was able to learn to love who and what I am, things got easier."

Henry sighed, "We're a family and they won't even be in the same room together, even for me."

She rubbed his arm, comforting him, "Give them some time, Henry. Those two are particularly stubborn and they've been through a lot. It's going to take a little longer than you want, but I think they'll get there. Just hold onto hope, like Snow says."

Henry nodded. "Thanks, Ruby."

That evening, he went back to the loft where he'd been spending most of his time without his mothers. He poured through this storybook and memories of everything that had happened. As he did, his author powers took over, and he was lost in a trance. The next morning, he woke up to find his room littered with pages. As he gathered them, he noticed that every page was about his two mothers. With newfound hope, Henry took the pages and ran downstairs to find the one person who might be able to help him.

Snow was sipping her coffee and talking to baby Neal as Henry bounded down the steps. "Good morning, Henry!"

"Grandma! Is Grandpa here?"

"No, he left for work already. Is everything ok?"

He nodded. "I need your help…with an operation."

Snow perked up, excitedly. "Really?! What kind of operation?"

"I don't have a name yet, but…this one is just for us."

Snow placed a hand to her chest as she smiled. "Oh, Henry! I'm honored! Of course, I'll help you! Does this have anything to do with Emma?"

"Yes! It's about both of my moms. We have to help them be happy again."

Snow put her hand on his shoulder. "I would love nothing more than to help both of them be happy again, Henry. Sometimes, those kinds of things have to work themselves out in their own time. Look at Regina and…Robin…" she drifted off sadly.

"What if mom didn't have to make the same mistake she made all those years ago with Robin? What if there was a new chance?"

"I'm listening…"

"I think my mom has another true love."

Snow leaned in fascinated. "Who do you think it is?"

"Emma."

Snow's jaw dropped. "I…Henry…"

"I have proof too!"

"What proof?"

Henry dropped the pages on the counter in front of her. Slowly she started to look over each page filled with moments that had been shared between Regina and Emma. "Henry, where did these come from?"

"I must have written them in my sleep last night. I was trying to find some answers in the book for something to help. When I woke up, I found these all over my room. It's like my author powers were connecting all the dots that we didn't. It's been right in front of us all along!"

"Well, to be fair, none of us would have imagined the Evil Queen and the Savior together when all of this began…"

"But…" he asked hopefully.

Snow looked over the pages and then to Henry carefully. "But…I think you might be on to something here."

"I knew it!"

"But we have to be delicate about this. We can't just tell them they're supposed to be together. That will drive them even further apart."

"So, how do we do it?"

Snow thought for a moment. "We have to help them see it themselves."

"Operation SwanQueen is a go then?"

Snow smiled. "Yes, it is."

…..

"Are you sure this will work," Henry asked her.

"No, I'm not, but I hope it will," Snow answered in her classic encouraging way.

They had devised a plan to try to get Emma and Regina to agree to a family dinner. She and Henry had agreed that the first step in their operation would be to attempt to re-establish the family dynamic. How could they possibly fall in love if they couldn't even be in the same room together? Luckily for them, Emma could never manage to deny Snow much of anything. She felt slightly guilty using the guilt of those missing years to manipulate her own daughter, but she reasoned it was for her own good. Henry was hoping he'd have the same success with his mother.

Regina scowled at her office door when she heard aggressive pounding coming from the other side of it. Someone had a death wish.

"Who the hell-" she began to yell as she threw the door open. She swallowed her words instantly when she saw her son standing before her. "Henry!?"

"Can I come in?"

"Oh, Henry…" Regina instantly wrapped her arms around him, burying her nose in his hair, breathing him in. She kicked herself for letting him be away from her for so long.

"I missed you."

"I missed you too, my little prince."

He smiled softly at the nickname. "Does that mean I can come home now? I'm tired of staying at the loft. The baby keeps me awake."

Worry instantly came over her. "The loft? You haven't been staying with Emma?"

Henry shook his head. "She's been really upset too. You both kind of…shut me out…" he said gently, trying to not to make her feel too guilty.

Regina felt anger and guilt spiral within her. She wanted to scream at Emma for abandoning Henry once again, but she had done the same thing. Though, she reasoned, if she had known Emma had also left Henry alone, she would have been there for him. "I'm so sorry, Henry! I didn't mean to leave you alone. Of course you can come home."

He smiled and hugged her tightly. "Thanks, Mom. I really missed you…and my room."

She laughed as she kissed the top of his head. "I missed you so much."

"Would…would you be willing to do something for me," he asked in a voice all too familiar to Regina.

She looked at him skeptically. "What? You're going to milk me for comic books now?"

Henry grinned, "Only if it'll make you feel better…"

Regina smacked his arm and laughed with him. "What is it?"

"I really want us to have a family dinner at Granny's, like we used to."

Regina sighed. "Henry, I don't know if I'm ready to-"

"Please, mom! We've all missed you. I miss having my family together. Its' not good for you to be alone."

Regina defenses started to show. "Is this some ruse for the Charmings to make sure I'm not off becoming the Evil Queen again?"

"No! Mom, we all know you're better than that. We really just miss you. Please?"

She looked at him and finally sighed in defeat. "Fine. I'll go to dinner."

Henry smiled and kissed her cheek. "Thank you, Mom!"

"Of course, my sweet one. I'll meet you later at Granny's and then we'll go home together."

When Henry left, Regina couldn't help but wonder if Emma would be there. Henry had mentioned that Emma had been distant as well. She had a strong suspicion that he was organizing this whole thing just to get them to talk to each other again. The more she thought about it, the more she realized that none of this could be easy on Henry. It wasn't fair to him. Suddenly, she felt a surge of guilt at the thought that pushing Emma away the way she had caused Emma to retreat from everyone. If there was nothing else she could do right now, she could try to make her son happy. Maybe seeing him happy could help her feel something better too.