"Okay, Regina, I don't know what your problem is with not being able to walk," Emma said jokingly, descending the stairs to Regina's vault with Hope in her arms while she had long since poofed downstairs.
Regina looked up at her gloomily and raised an eyebrow. "I hope your laughter indicates that you're not serious," she replied bitterly. "Constantly using magic is exhausting. You'll stop laughing when you have to carry me up and down the stairs."
Emma just shrugged her shoulders and sat down on one of the chairs standing around to nurse Hope, who had been whining for a while. "I'll manage, you don't weigh anything."
"Don't push your luck!" Finally, she moved slowly along the rows of shelves, hoping that something helpful would catch her eye.
"Are you looking for anything in particular?" Emma wanted to know.
"No." Shaking her head, Regina turned to her with the wheelchair for a moment before turning her attention back to her magical objects. "I was hoping that something down here would still have enough magic to activate the portal in the tree. But I'm afraid I was thorough with my search back when I..." She broke off and shook her head.
"When you what?" Emma tilted her head and stroked Hope's head, who sucked greedily on her breast.
Regina rolled her eyes. "When I wanted to poison you. Satisfied?"
Emma giggled and shook her head. "Feels like another life."
"Tell me about it!" She broke off and stared at a book that caught her attention. Straining for a moment, she pushed herself to her feet to reach the top shelf where it stood and then sank back into the wheelchair with the book in her lap.
Immediately interested, Emma tilted her head to decipher the title. "'Magic fusion'? What's that?"
"It's what we've been doing for years. Bundling our magic to create a stronger version together," Regina explained and opened the thick tome.
Emma looked at her in astonishment. "But I didn't think that was possible. Because of the whole aura thing and my pregnancy and all that."
"That's true," Regina nodded. "But if that was all there was to it, this tome certainly wouldn't have over 800 pages," she pointed out, running her finger over the table of contents.
"You think there's a way around this problem?" Emma said happily, adjusting her sweater again and putting Hope on her shoulder so that she could burp.
"Possibly. If it is, then I'll be in the Enchanted Forest sooner than we thought," she nodded, bent over the book, lost in thought.
Emma faltered and stared at her. "Wait a minute, I think I misunderstood you: You? I think you meant us?"
Taking a deep breath, Regina looked up and into her eyes. "No, I meant me," she said quietly. "Emma, when the wardrobe was still in perfect condition, it could only carry two people. Do you really think we can open a portal that can easily send three people to another world?"
"You're going to leave me here alone? Again?" Emma heard her voice becoming shrill, but she couldn't help it at that moment and she didn't really care.
"It's not for long. I'll go to the Enchanted Forest, adjust the Dark Curse with Zelena's help and then we'll be back in no time, all of us!" She looked her in the eye, trying to smile.
"You don't even know if this plan will work, and even if it does, you don't know how long it will take. Maybe you need ingredients that only grow every blood moon or something!" she said agitated.
Regina came over to her and gently put a hand on her cheek. "I wish there was another way. But right now, it's the best plan we have. And God knows we've thought about everything for a long time. First, I have to find the solution in this book, if there is one, and then we'll see."
Emma took a deep breath and tried to absorb the warm feeling emanating from Regina's hand.
"Henry?" Hesitantly, Zelena put her hand on her nephew's shoulder and then sat down next to him on the landing, groaning.
"What are you doing here? You should be in your bed," Henry said tonelessly, not looking at her and only briefly checking that she was sitting safely and wouldn't fall into the water at the next opportunity.
Zelena snorted and looked at him from the side. "I've truly had enough of this." She hadn't seen Henry in a while, the last time was before Hook's funeral service and it had been over a day by now. "Do you come here to brood?"
"I come here for peace and quiet," he replied more gruffly than intended, finally looking up at her. "I have a feeling we've lost our way. We'll never get back home."
Zelena shook her head and leaned back on her forearms, looking up at the almost night-black sky. "If you say that with your unwavering optimism, what am I supposed to make of it?"
He shrugged his shoulders and ran his thumb over a nail head sticking out of the wood. "The Blue Fairy is still looking for a solution, but she's not making any progress. And we wouldn't even have a chance to tell my moms about our success, if there was one. It's hopeless and there's no way to sugarcoat it."
"I don't think Emma called your sister Hope for no reason, Henry," Zelena pointed out. "Her birth alone is a miracle and should make us happy."
Henry took a deep breath. "I'm sure you're right. But it's so damn frustrating. When I think about how much I used to want to go to the Enchanted Forest... And now I'd do anything to get out of here."
"Times change," Zelena said, shrugging her shoulders. "You lived here with your family, you raised Lucy here. Even if the past year in Hyperion Heights is more present in your mind, you can't deny it. Did you ever talk to them about how they would feel about living in Storybrooke?"
"The opportunity hasn't really presented itself. As you know, we've had other things to worry about lately." He looked her in the eye before his gaze drifted over the waves again.
"You've spent more than half your life in Storybrooke. Aren't you homesick?" Zelena asked.
"Of course I'm homesick!" Henry replied more fiercely than he intended. "But I love my family even more than that. And if they want to stay here, then of course I'll stay with them. But Zelena, you know what? I have no idea why we're even worrying about this. Because there's no way to get to Storybrooke!" Henry jumped to his feet and then held out a hand to his aunt.
"I can manage." Snappishly, Zelena struggled to her feet.
"Maybe, but I don't want anyone else in my family to fall into the water and drown." Henry looked at her darkly and then put his arm around her to escort her back to the castle.
"You mustn't lose hope, Henry," Zelena said quietly as they parted at her chamber.
"I'm afraid it's too late for that. Good night, Aunt Zelena." With that, he trotted back down the corridor, shoulders slumped, and disappeared around the next corner.
Hope was already asleep in the crib that Emma had bought for her from one of Storybrooke's little stores, while the two women were still awake. Regina had had a great time when Emma had put the appropriate amount of money in the cash register, because otherwise she would have felt like a thief.
"Don't you want to try get some sleep, Regina?" Emma asked, holding a hand over her mouth to stifle a yawn. "It's almost midnight already."
Hunched over the book, the brunette had been sitting there for hours and absolutely nothing had disturbed her. She had let Emma persuade her to spend the night in her and Hook's house, as her own had been empty for some time and Emma didn't want to keep rearranging the crib.
"Regina?" Gently, so as not to startle her, Emma placed a hand on her shoulder.
Nevertheless, Regina flinched and turned to face her. She looked at her questioningly out of tired eyes.
"It's late," Emma whispered. "We should sleep, tomorrow is another day."
Regina shook her head and ran a hand through her hair with a sigh. "I still haven't found anything useful."
Emma slowly took a seat in the chair next to her and reached for her hand. "You'll find something, I'm sure of it! But not tonight."
Regina nodded hesitantly. "You're probably right."
Emma looked at Regina's hand in hers and stroked it gently with her thumb. "You have no idea how glad I am that all three of us got here safely," she whispered. "In my experience, things would normally have gone wrong," she joked.
"By the time Hope was born, you should have realized that good things happen to you," Regina whispered so as not to wake the baby. "If she wakes up a lot tonight, you can wake me," she offered, smiling gently as she looked over at the sleeping girl.
"Thank you," Emma replied. "But I think you've already done enough today."
Regina raised a brow questioningly and looked at Emma.
"You've calmed her down several times, although that would have been my job. And you've been looking through this book for ages. The letters must be blurring before your eyes by now," she explained.
Regina waved her hand and took a sip from her glass of water. "That was nothing. Despite everything, I haven't found anything."
"The main thing," Emma replied, "is that we're doing well here for now. One day more or less doesn't matter."
Regina looked her in the eye for a long time before squeezing her hand. "I know you're not keen on me finding a way into the Enchanted Forest."
Emma's gaze slid to the ground.
"Hey, I hear you. I woke up in the hospital all alone too, just like you suddenly found yourself here alone. But Emma, this time you know where we all are and that we'll be back as soon as we can," she said calmly.
"But that's no guarantee of your success. Regina, think about it: no one has come back yet and they will have kept trying," Emma said. "You only have this one plan with the Dark Curse. If it doesn't work, then that's it. You don't have another ace up your sleeve."
"I'll find a way, count on it." There was a seriousness in her words; she had to do it, no matter the cost.
"Okay," Emma replied, barely audible.
Regina gave her an encouraging smile. "See you tomorrow then," she finally whispered.
Emma nodded before standing up hesitantly, leaning over to Regina and pressing a kiss to her cheek.
A soft smile flitted across Regina's face again before she made her way to the guest room.