Chapter 1

This is not good. This is so not good. Emma was thinking to herself frantically as the arrow pivoted from her head to Regina's. Glancing over her shoulder, Emma saw that the portal was beginning to close. Their time was running out.

"Regina! We have to go NOW!" she screamed at her friend. But she wasn't even sure that Regina could hear her. She was staring at the man holding the bow and arrow. Robin Hood. "Regina! It's not him. Remember what you said, he's not real! We have to go, the portal's closing!" But again, her shouts seemed to fall on deaf ears. Emma reached over and attempted to grab Regina's hand to drag her through the portal behind her, but as her fingers closed on her arm, the loud whooshing sound that represented the portal suddenly stopped.

Emma's breath caught in her throat and she looked over her shoulder again to see only dirt and ground as it had been before. The portal was closed. They lost their chance. She closed her eyes and released Regina's arm. The former queen hadn't moved and was still staring at Robin Hood.

The arrow was still pivoting between the two of them, and Robin said, "hand over all your money and jewels, now."

"Robin," Regina began, finally taking a step forward, and the arrow shot back to aim at her. He looked at her with confusion on his face. "Do I know you?" he asked. He sounded like he did faintly recognize her but couldn't place it.

"Regina, he doesn't know you here," Emma said. She held her hands out toward Robin as if in surrender, but then making a split decision, Emma waved one hand and his bow and arrow disappeared out of his hands and reappeared in her own. He blinked in surprise and then at her.

"You have magic," he said and Emma knew it wasn't meant to be a question. Then he looked at Regina, and his eyes widened in sudden recognition. "The Evil Queen!" he exclaimed and he took a step back in shock. "But you're the princess, unless I miss my guess, what are you doing with her and since when do you have magic?" it all came out in a flood of words, as if saying all his thoughts and questions quickly would get him out of danger. He took another step back and tripped over a rock. He landed with a thud on his back, grunting, but he quickly raised his hands in surrender to both of them. "I'm sorry!" he stammered, still speaking quickly, "I didn't know who – I mean – I thought you were… Please don't hurt me. I have a son!"

"We're not going to hurt you," Emma said exasperated, rolling her eyes. She threw the bow and arrow on the ground, and passed Regina who was still staring at the thief and hadn't said a word apart from his name since he'd shown up. She reached down and held out a hand to Robin. "Call me Emma. And you clearly recognize Regina."

Confused, Robin hesitantly took her hand and stood up. "The Evil Queen. How is this possible? I thought she was…" he trailed off.

"Locked up?" Emma provided. Robin nodded. "Yea, well… the Evil Queen is locked up. This is Regina. She's…" Emma hesitated, unsure how to explain. "Well, it's complicated," she finished knowing that it wouldn't be enough. Sure enough, Robin looked both confused and unconvinced.

"I don't understand," he finally managed. Emma nodded, expecting nothing less. Robin and Regina were staring at each other now.

"Robin," came Regina's breathy voice again. Emma turned to see Regina stepping forward, hand outstretched. Robin didn't move, but Emma saw him flinch when Regina caressed his face. Regina, seeing this too, lowered her hand sadly.

Robin looked like he was trying to maintain his grip on reality and when Regina lowered her arm, he stared at her. He knew it was a gentle and loving touch. Not something an Evil Queen would do to someone who'd just tried to rob her. "So, you're not the Evil Queen, then?" he finally managed to say after an awkward minute of silence.

Emma felt the need to suddenly be somewhere else, like she was intruding on an intimate moment. And maybe she was. She took a step back and turned back to where the portal had vanished. Now they had to find another way home. Her family was back there, and Killian. She didn't want to have to be separated from them again. And yet, here she was, once again apart from those she loved.

"No," Regina said. Emma tried not to listen, and yet, couldn't stop herself.

"Why did she say I wasn't real?" Robin suddenly asked. Emma turned to see him pointing at her.

"Oh, that… well, umm…" Emma began but then a shout sounded behind her.

"Face me villain!" Prince Henry shouted running forward brandishing a sword. He'd been getting good at being a knight lately. Emma smiled to herself, but then had to force herself to remember that none of those memories, nor this Henry, were real.

"Henry, stop!" Emma commanded. Henry stepped in front of Emma, but he seemed unsure whether he should point his sword at Regina or Robin.

"Have either of them hurt you, mother?" he asked without turning.

"Henry, stop this," Regina said.

"How did you escape your prison? I hope you're prepared to go back there now!" he said fiercely, finally deciding to keep his sword on Regina. The tip of it was dangerously close to her throat.

"Ok, that's enough," Emma said, growing tired of the idiocy of this world. She waved her hand again and the sword vanished from Henry's hand and reappeared next to Robin's bow on the ground. Henry gasped and spun to face his mother.

"Mom, what happened?"

"Henry," she said carefully. She was embarrassed to say that she had to look up to face him since he was taller than her now. "Listen to me, this is not the Evil Queen."

"She killed the King and Queen! She killed my grandparents!" he shouted. And then he blinked, as if only then remembering what had happened. "And you, you went with her! Who are you? You're not my mother!" He took several frightened steps back, bumping into Robin. Emma had been acting on instinct when she'd frozen him, she must have only frozen his body, and not his mind. He'd seen their interactions.

"I am your mother," Emma said sternly. She looked up at Regina, brain working fast, "and now, I am the Queen."

"Emma," Regina said. "They're never going to understand what's going on here." She sounded like she was in pain. She probably was, Emma realized. Her son and Robin had both just called her the Evil Queen. But that's not who she was anymore. And Emma was not about to let her loved ones think of her that way, real or not.

Emma waved a hand and both Robin and Henry were frozen in invisible bonds. She left them enough freedom to listen, speak, and move their heads, but she didn't want them running away. They both gasped and attempted to free themselves.

"Regina, if we're going to get home, we're going to need help, and I don't think Gold—Rumpelstiltskin is going to help again. We need allies, and who better to help us than them? A knighted prince and a prince of thieves make good allies," Emma said. "We need to explain."

"I'm sorry I caused us to miss the portal," Regina said, finally realizing her mistake. Emma nodded and then they both turned to Robin and Henry, still frozen.

"I order you to release us!" Henry said in a commanding tone.

"I am your mother, and also the Queen. You can't order me," Emma pointed out.

"My mother doesn't have magic," Henry shot back.

"Yea, well, now she does, kid," Emma said. She sighed and then went on, "Listen, I'm going to need you both to listen, and really hear me. This is a long and complicated situation, and we're going to need your help to get out of it." They were both staring at her. "This… reality. It isn't real. Regina and I are really from a place called Storybrooke. My real mother and father – Snow White and Prince Charming –"

"King David!" Henry corrected her loudly.

"Prince Charming," Emma went on as if the interruption hadn't happened, "are still there, waiting for me. And so are you, Henry." He blinked at her. "In that land, Regina had split herself in two. One version became the good woman, friend, and hero you see here, Regina." Regina shot her a very grateful look. "And the other became the Evil Queen you both know. The intention had been to destroy the Evil Queen without harming Regina, who had become a good person despite her… past. But it didn't work, and the Evil Queen got free. She got her hands on a magic lamp and wished that I had never been the savior, which brought me here, essentially creating this reality."

"You're mad," Henry said quietly staring at his mother. "'Storybrooke?' 'Hero Regina?' 'Savior?'"

"Right, I should add that in reality, the Evil Queen did cast the Dark Curse, which is what brought everyone to Storybrooke in the first place. I became the Savior in order to break the curse," Emma explained. Regina was watching both of the men, nodding.

Henry was staring at them both clearly thinking they were insane. Robin, however, looked curious, "And where am I in this fantasy world?"

"This is the fantasy world. This reality is the one that's not real," Emma cut in.

"Of course," he said patronizingly. Of course they didn't believe her. The story was insane and she knew it. "But assuming you're telling the truth, where am I? You both clearly know me."

Emma hesitated and glanced at Regina. Regina gazed at him with lost love in her eyes, "We…" she hesitated too, but then went on, "lost you. I lost you."

"You?" Robin asked, confused and curious.

"We… we were…" Regina couldn't finish the sentence.

"Friends," Emma finished. "We were all friends. But… you were killed." Regina cast her a grateful look, clearly not having wanted to admit that they had been together.

"Was it a good death, at least?" he asked cheerfully. Henry gave him a look that clearly said he thought he was an idiot.

"You died saving me from Hades," Regina managed to say truthfully.

"Hades?" Henry cut in, curiosity getting the better of him. "The god of the Underworld?" Regina and Emma both nodded.

"You really believe this, don't you?" Robin asked.

"It's the truth," Emma said simply. Henry raised an eyebrow, clearly indicating his skepticism.

"I would have thought you'd be the first to believe us kid. You were always a believer," Emma said. Henry looked at her, with a unreadable expression on his face.

"I don't have time to live in a fantasy world. I am the Prince, and future king," Henry said proudly.

"Looks like our son is a bit different here," Emma said to Regina, who chuckled.

"Our son?!" Henry exclaimed.

"Oh," Emma said, carefully. "Well, you see, in our world, I grew up believing that I was an orphan before I found out I was the savior. And when I had you, I didn't think I was ready to be a mother. So I gave you up for adoption, and Regina actually raised you until you were 10, when you came to find me to break the curse. Since then, we've both been your mothers."

Henry stared at her. "You gave me up?" he asked quietly.

She nodded sadly, but then looked at him sharply, "you believe me?"

"No," he said quickly, looking away, "You're clearly insane, whoever you are. Maybe some witch that the Evil Queen has trained and used a glamour to look like my mother. What did you do with my real mother?" His voice rose angrily with every word.

Emma sighed and she heard Regina echo her. They looked at each other, both asking the other what they wanted to do.

"Well, I believe you," Robin said cheerfully. They both stared at him.

"You do?" Regina asked at the same time that Emma said, "Seriously? I don't think even I would believe me."

"Indeed, only a fool would make up a story like that and expect to be believed, it's too ridiculous for it to be a lie. A lie would be much more believable. Therefore, it must be the truth," Robin explained more to Henry than the others. Emma felt her eyes go wide, but she waved her hand and released Robin from his bonds.

He breathed easier, as though he'd been holding his breath the entire time, but he nodded graciously at her. The three of them looked at Henry.

"Henry, we need your help, please believe us," Emma said. He looked at them consideringly, and then he looked at Robin Hood.

"You really believe them?" he asked.

"Yes, I've seen my share of true villains. These two are not like them," he said smiling.

"And who are you?" he asked.

"Robin of Locksley, at your service, my Prince," he bowed.

"Ten minutes ago, he was robbing us because you were the Princess. Now it's 'my Prince,'" Regina said to Emma in a carrying whisper.

"Sounds like the Robin I knew," Emma shot back, a grin on her face.

Robin glanced at them, having heard the exchange, a small knowing grin on his face, but Henry stared daggers at the other man, "Robin of Locksley? You mean, Robin Hood, don't you? The thief?"

"Don't hold that against me, young master. I do what I have to do," Robin said. Henry scoffed, but Emma and Regina laughed.

Seeing Henry's face, Emma stopped laughing and looked at him, "Henry, listen to me, remember when you were little and I was explaining why you didn't have a dad?" Emma asked. He looked at her surprised, but then nodded. "I was telling you how your dad was a brilliant hero and he died saving the kingdom and you said you'd wish you'd known him?" He nodded again. "Well, you did know your real dad. In my world, after you brought me to Storybrooke, we refound him too. He showed you how to be a hero."

"My father is alive there?" he asked, forgetting to be skeptical.

Emma felt a pang. "No, he died a hero in that reality too. Just, several years later, but wouldn't it have been nice to know him? If you help us, that reality will become real again, and you'll get to remember him," Emma said hopefully.

"Uh, Emma?" Regina said quietly. So quietly that Henry couldn't hear. "You know that our reality is still going on, that this Henry isn't real."

"I know that," Emma said, just as quietly, "but we need his help." Regina nodded and Emma turned back to Henry who'd been trying to listen unsuccessfully. He didn't ask what they were saying.

"So, you don't think that I'm real?" he asked coming to the correct conclusion anyway. Damn! "And if I'm not real, and none of this is real, you just need a way to get home?" Emma and Regina nodded. "Fine, I'll help, but not because I believe you. Because I'm curious to hear about this other world where I knew my father."

Emma released the binding spell and Henry relaxed.

"So what do we do now?" Regina said, eyeing Henry, but directing the question at Emma.

"I'm not sure, another bean might be difficult to come by, but what other portals are there?" Emma asked.

"There aren't many: beans, those silver slippers, but those are in Oz, and I so don't want to deal with this reality's Zelena. Jefferson's hat, but he's probably in Wonderland, as is the white rabbit. Can't exactly ask a mermaid to carry us underwater… What about the sorcerer's wand?" Regina said hopefully. "Any idea where the apprentice is in this reality? Is he still alive?" Henry and Robin were looking from one to the other with amazed looks on their faces.

"Dead," Emma said regretfully. "Your evil twin killed him in this reality before the war ended."

Regina growled in her throat, but then said, "What about the wand? Any idea what happened to it?"

Emma shrugged, "no idea. Magic wasn't something that really concerned me before today, or rather, in this version of events." Emma felt herself cringing and raised a hand to her head. " Oh man, now between my real history, this version of events, and the false memories you gave me about raising Henry, I have three different sets of memories. What a nightmare." Regina scowled at her, and Emma smiled back adding, "Just saying…"

"Going back to the discussion," Regina said pointedly. "Maybe we should try to find the Apprentice's cottage and do a search?"

"Don't you think Rumpelstiltskin probably cleared the place out the second the Apprentice died?" Emma pointed out.

"He was still in that prison cell when I got here, so I don't think he would have been free to do that," Regina said.

Emma raised her eyebrows thoughtfully, "you might be right, but—"

She was cut off by Robin Hood, "This 'Apprentice' that you both speak of…" They looked at him and waited for him to continue. "He wouldn't be an old man who lived in the woods by himself, and had a penchant for collecting brooms?" Emma stared at him, but then nodded. "And this wand, green with vines curling around it and a spherical end covered in carved flowers?" Regina and Emma both nodded, getting excited. "I'm sorry to disappoint you both, but the wand was stolen shortly after the old man was killed."

"Stolen? By who?" Regina asked, suspiciously.

"By myself," he said, grinning.

"So you already have it?" Emma exclaimed excitedly.

"Afraid not," he continued, grin fading. "I had meant to use it to save my wife from execution, but before I could, it was stolen from me too." Emma cursed and looking at Regina, she caught a guilty look on her face. She had been the one to sentence Marion to execution, and she was sure that Robin knew that. His eyes had found hers but there did not seem to be any hate or resentment there. The man certainly didn't hold a grudge. It was impressive. Emma noticed that while Henry had been remaining silent, he'd been listening intently.

"Do you know who stole it from you?" Emma asked, turning her attention back to the thief.

"A one-handed pirate," Robin said immediately, expecting the question.

"Oh hell," Regina muttered and Emma felt her heart skip a beat. She knew what was coming.

"Did this pirate have a hook, dark hair, and long leather jacket?" Emma asked, already knowing the answer.

Robin seemed surprised, but nodded, "Indeed he did, your Highness. I believe he's known as-"

"Captain Hook," Emma finished quietly. "Killian."

"I swear to god, Emma, if Captain Guyliner causes us trouble, I'll kill you both," Regina said, sounding annoyed.

Emma felt a stab of annoyance, "This coming from you? We wouldn't be in this mess, if you'd had your wits about you and jumped through the portal with me when we had the chance."

Regina had the good grace to look ashamed, "Okay, okay. So both of our…" her eyes shot to Robin, "friends are now involved. How do we find your pirate?"

"Your pirate?" Henry asked, finally saying something.

"I have a good idea where to start," Emma said, answering Regina's question. To Henry, she added, "I'll explain on the way." And with that she turned and started walking back to her castle, the others following in her wake.