Regina watched her son from the doorway of the room he'd escaped to for a moment. He sat, his head bowed, staring down. She decided that maybe telling Henry the truth would help matters. It sure couldn't hurt them. She spoke, "It's all true. Everything. Ruby is Red and the Wolf. Mr. Gold is Rumpelstiltskin. I'm..." she paused, "I guess I'm the Evil Queen. Mary Margaret is Snow White, David her Prince."

Henry sat in the first row of the chapel, facing forward, his arms crossed over his chest, "Don't make fun of me."

"Never." She sat down next to him. "Ask me a question. Any question."

Henry turned to Regina and she saw that he had tears in his eyes. "Do you love me Mom? I mean... really?"

"Yes."

He sniffed and blinked a bit, "But, I mean, you just wanted to hurt... You just got me because, because you wanted to hurt Emma, because she's Snow's daughter." Henry's eyes went wide and his slapped his hand over his mouth, "I didn't... mean... I mean..."

"Hey." He jumped a little and Regina modulated her voice, "Sorry. I've loved you Henry, from the moment that you were put in my arms. Is that what was at the end of the book? Emma being born to Snow and James?" Henry nodded just a little, "I had no idea Henry."

He looked up at her. "I don't believe you."

Regina crossed her arms over her chest as well. "About which?"

His voice was so soft that she almost didn't hear him, "Do you really love me?"

Regina pulled him closer, even as he wiggled for a moment to get away, "Every second of every day. Why do you think that I worry so much."

Henry frowned, "Worry?"

Regina cleared her throat, "Well, yes, I may get a bit... loud and..."

"...order-y?"

Regina narrowed her eyes at Henry. "Yes, well..." She paused for a moment, "Do you remember when you were younger? We were in the kitchen, I was making dinner, and you were trying to drive me quite insane by touching everything I was?" Henry shrugged and nodded, "What happened?"

Henry was silent for a second, "I started to touch the pot that had the boiling spaghetti in it, and you yelled at me to stop." Henry gave a bit of a hurf, "So, you're saying that you yell 'cause you care?"

"Sometimes... it's what comes to me first Henry. I'm not... I'm not proud of that, but I... I didn't have the best Mom to show me how to do it either..." She trailed off. "We'll go back to Emma's room."

Regina stood and it was Henry who stopped her from moving, a hand on his Mom's arm. "Will you tell me why you and Emma were out there? The real reason?"

Regina was silent for a long time. She walked to the very front of the chapel and turned. "When I was a young woman, I was in love. My mother, she..." Regina trailed off again and met Henry's eyes. "I lost the one I loved. I... think that..."

Henry cut Regina off, "That Emma's her..."

"Him... actually." Regina was a bit surprised when he laughed. "Oh, you think that's funny?"

Henry shrugged, "Not any weirder than you bein' my uh... great grandmother, or, whatever..."

"Step."

Henry rolled his eyes, "Whatever." He then thought for a moment, "Um, may I have a candy bar?"

"Yes."

Henry frowned, "Are you saying yes because you want to stop talking about everything, and bribe me?"

"Yes."

Henry smiled, just a little, then the smile went away and his head tilted to the side as he stood, "Emma..." And he was off and running towards her room.

Mary Margaret and David had finally left, and left her more tired than she thought she could be.

She nearly jumped out of her skin when a hand came down on her shoulder. She blinked up into the face of Mr. Gold, and he didn't look happy. "She... is mine."

Emma blinked still, trying to figure out what Mr. Gold's point was. "I don't... who?"

Mr. Gold dragged the back of his hand down Emma's cheek. "Regina, your new... beau... Once they let you go, you will leave this place, this town, everything."

"I- I can't."

Mr. Gold stood up straight and waved a hand dismissively, "You... and your son are the only ones who can. Take him if you must, She- is mine."

Emma pushed herself up in the bed. "I don't understand."

"Think for a second girl."

And Emma fell silent, and was nearly still. Then she looked up at Mr. Gold. "I'm not going to leave. And she's not yours, the story..."

Mr. Gold laughed, "Is a story. No, Cora never could guess my name... I helped her... marry above her station and in return, now and forever, Regina, is mine... " He leaned down so his lips were right next to Emma's ear, "...I just haven't chosen to use her yet."

Emma tried to push Mr. Gold away but he caught her hand in his own. A voice came from the doorway, "Get your hands off her."

Mr. Gold smirked and turned, not letting go of Emma's wrist, "Say... please..."

Regina's eyes sparked, but she didn't move. Mr. Gold tightened his grip and something snapped in Emma's wrist. The blonde only just managed to swallow back most of her yelp. And somehow Regina kept a hold of Henry. "Here's what will happen. Mayor Mills will stay here, run our little town, life will be as it has always been. Miss Swan, you will take your son and you will leave town, never come back, either of you. Live the happy life that you will never get here..." When he spoke those words he looked directly at Regina, who was giving him her best death glare. "Does that sound agreeable to all?"

Henry spoke up from behind his mother, "That makes no sense, you totally asked Snow White for Emma's name? So why are you gonna let her go?"

Mr. Gold glanced over at Emma, "She's nothing, you're nothing..."

Emma took all the energy she had left, sat up, and in the same move, grasped Mr. Gold's other wrist. She raised an eyebrow, "Maybe in the other world you're something powerful, but here... you're just like everyone else..." She moved her hand and the snap seemed to reverberate throughout the room.

Mr. Gold grit his teeth, "My broken wrist changes nothing, she is mine, and if you and your son."

Emma cut him off, "Her son. Henry Mills is Regina's son. Got it?"

Mr. Gold didn't dignify Emma with a response, "If you and your son stay here, I will destroy both of you." He tilted his head to one side, "I told you that you wanted me on your side."

The four of them stood that way, in some weird horribly disturbed tableaux for what seemed like forever. It was Regina who finally broke the silence. "I have a deal."

"No more deals."

Regina bantered back, "One last deal. My life... my soul, whatever my mother promised you, for yours."

That hung there for a long moment until Mr. Gold let Emma's wrist go, and the blonde did the same with Mr. Gold's and he turned. "Be clear."

"My life back, you stop with your damn... pleases, and... everything, and I return Belle to you."

Henry gasped and Emma frowned. But, neither Mr. Gold or Regina seemed to notice them in the room anymore. Regina held out her hand, "Is it a deal?"

"It's a trick."

Regina slowly shook her head, "It isn't."

"You will let me see her first."

Regina quirked an eyebrow, "I will not. Do we have a deal or not... Rumpelstiltskin? My life and soul for your true love. It's much better than a chipped glass isn't it."

"Teacup, it's a... fine, yes..." He practically slapped Regina's hand instead of shaking it. "Yes, we have a deal. Take me to her."

Regina waved a finger and took out her cell phone. She dialed and put it to her ear. "Yes, let Belle go... yes I'm sure. No, the hospital's fine. We'll meet you in the lobby."

Emma had one arm, the one with the now broken wrist, over Regina's shoulders, while her other was held in an almost death grip by Henry. And none of the three said a word as a stretcher was wheeled in the ambulance entrance to the hospital. Mr. Gold turned to Regina. "I will des..."

Regina rolled her eyes and cut him off, "Just kiss her Rumpel... alright. Kiss her."

Mr. Gold walked over to the stretcher. It was his Belle on it for sure. He looked back at Regina for a moment, then closed his eyes and waved his hand in a circle once, then threw it towards the sky the second time he went around. Regina nearly collapsed to the ground, it was as if she'd lost a hundred pounds. Her heart seemed to want to beat its way out of her chest, and she blinked at what came over her when she looked at Emma, then Henry.

There was a worried, very worried look on her son's face. "What, what is it?"

He reached up and wiped away wetness, "You're crying."

Regina kissed the top of Henry's head, then closed her eyes and put her hand to her heart, "I've never felt this... I thought..." She ran out of words and simply pulled Henry and Emma closer. "Thank you."

By the stretcher Mr. Gold was totally still, he'd brushed a bit of hair off of Belle's forehead, but he wasn't sure if he wanted to kiss Belle. If he wanted to know once and for all if he was her true love or not.

Finally he leaned over the stretcher and put the barest of kisses on Belle's lips. At first nothing happened, then he felt a hand on the back of his head and the kiss deepened. Finally he had to pull back, "Belle?"

Belle smiled, "What took you so long hot stuff?"

Henry had watched Belle and Rumpelstiltskin, and turned back to Regina and Emma, who, he was grateful, weren't kissing at that moment, "Now what Mom?"

Regina smiled just a little, "I think that we all start living happily ever after again Henry."

Fin ~ April 7th, 2012