Setting: While this story does take place in Neverland, I have basically ignored most of the storyline. Nope, not sorry at all about it either.

Author's Note: First Swan Queen Fic. Sweet! I would like to thank Y02Mustang, AnnaCorinn, and Commasplice103 for beta reading this for me. Your comments and suggestions are always appreciated.

Regina bent over, panting heavily. That last sprint to the cove was harder than it should have been and she knew it. Confusing Peter Pan and the Lost Boys took a bit more magic than originally thought, almost draining what little energy she had.

"Still have that bean, Henry?" Emma looked to her son, both winded but not nearly as much as Regina.

The boy dug into his pocket and held up the magic bean he had stolen from the Lost Boys and nodded.

Tinkerbell finally joined them. The excitement from the adventure was evident in her smile.

"Tink?" Emma asked.

"Regina's trick did it. It should take them a little bit to figure out those soldiers aren't real." The dewinged fairy grinned widely at her friend.

Still panting, Regina straightened up, resigning herself to what had to be done. )

"Time for you three to join the rest." She pointed to the now fixed Jolly Roger floating in the beautiful blue waters of the cove.. Movement could be seen on deck as Hook, Rumplestiltskin, Snow White, and David readied the ship to set sail.

Tinkerbell looked sadly at her, knowing what was coming next and not liking it one bit.. An idea stuck her. "I've decided to stay with you."

The determined look on the fairy's face confused Emma and Henry.

Hadn't it already been decided to bring Tinkerbell back to Storybrooke? Emma distinctly remembered that little meeting a week ago while Regina slept, recovering from the energy drain it had taken to repair the ship.

Regina looked startled, then smiled sadly.

"Thank you dear, but you have to go back with them." The tired woman had no intention of letting her friend stay in Neverland any longer.

"But you'll be all alo-"

"I will be fine. Go." She gestured to the ship.

Tinkerbell opened her mouth again.

"Please." Regina was trying so hard to do the right thing. It was all she had been trying to do since adopting Henry. In Neverland, though, she had finally accepted there was no hope for her. She would always be the Evil Queen whose evil doings, magic or otherwise, would be her defining character trait. No amount of love could stop it. She was a monster.

The two women stared at each other intently, neither giving an inch. Finally, Tinkerbell sagged in defeat. She felt like she was always failing Regina in some way, just like all the others in the sad woman's life. The fairy wiped away a tear that fell.

"Go back to my cave. There are things there that should be helpful. It's hidden so that the Lost Boys can't find it. You should be safe there for a while." Without another thought she ran up to the brunette and hugged her close.

Regina stiffened, unused to being hugged by anyone other than her son. Anger was normally behind any actions involving her and this was a strange but welcomed happening. She slowly raised her arms to wrap around Tinkerbell and hugged her back. When the small group had rescued Henry, he had gone straight to Emma to hug her close. By the time he had let go of his blonde mother it was time to run. But in that moment Regina knew she had done the right thing.

"Mom?" Henry looked confused and worried. While he did not understand what was going on, he had a bad feeling.

Stepping away from Tinkerbell, Regina turned to her son knowing it would be the last time she would ever see him. The fairy wrapped her arms around herself and sniffed as she walked to stand by Emma.

What on earth is going on? The Savior was confused and it showed on her face as she studied the woman before her intently, trying to understand what was happening.

"Henry." Regina's eyes filled with tears as she looked at her son who had grown so much in the last couple of years. She could still see the little boy who had looked at her with such awe at the things she knew and she could also see the man he would be. Tall, strong, and handsome with a heart bigger than could ever come from her. She wrapped her arms around him for the last time and held him close.

"Mom, what's going on?" Henry could start feeling the edges of panic start to intrude. Something wasn't right. His mom looked more tired than he had ever seen her and he held on tight.

"It's time for you, Emma, and Tinkerbell to get on the Jolly Roger." She refused to look at Emma knowing that her resolve to do the right thing was being tested enough. Personal feelings could not interfere, no matter how strongly she felt about the blonde.

Emma stopped breathing. No.

"You can't stay here!" He was truly starting to panic. He just got his Mom back, she couldn't leave him. Their happy ending was so close. He knew it was.

Shouts where heard in the distance.

"I love you, Henry."

He clutched to her tighter.

"Wait!" Emma took a step towards them.

A wave of Regina's hand and all three felt their world tilt and a bright light blinded them.

"Damn it!" Emma yelled in frustration as she appeared on the Jolly Roger.

"Mom!" Henry ran to the side of the ship and watched as in the distance his mother ran from the shore to hide in the forest, away from the approaching Lost Boys.

"Where's Regina?" David asked.

"She's still on that damned island. Where's the lifeboat?" Emma glared at Hook.

He knew better than to say anything and just pointed.

"I don't care if I have to tie her up and drag her here, we aren't leaving without her." She stomped to where the lifeboat was hanging.

"No." Snow White spoke up. "We will leave her here. That woman has brought nothing but pain to this family and if she wants to stay, then fine. Storybrooke will be better off without her."

"I'm not going to leave her here after all she did for us!" She spun around to stare down her mother. "And she's Henry's Mom!"

"You're his mother."

Emma was livid. She was beyond tired of these stupid people and their stupid ideas.

"She raised him. She adopted and loved him his whole life. If it weren't for her, he wouldn't be the wonderful kid he is today. THAT makes her his mother." Emma turned back to the lifeboat and started getting it ready to be lowered to the water.

"Where's the magic bean?" Snow asked anxiously. She wanted out of this realm and back to Storybrooke, hopefully before Emma could find away to rescue the Evil Queen.

"I-I dropped it running away from the Lost Boys." Henry kept his head down and eyes on the deck, maybe if they couldn't see his face they couldn't see the lie.

Emma stopped checking the lifeboat and exchanged a silent look with Tinkerbell.

"Tink, help me get this damn boat down and watch out for Lost Boys. Everyone else, get the ship ready to leave as soon as I bring Regina back."

"She can't leave."

Everyone on board, except Rumplestiltskin, turned to look at the fairy.

"Why the hell not?" Emma was tired. She wanted to get Regina, go back to Storybrooke, and sleep for a year... after a long hot shower.

"Magic is different in every world. In Neverland it ties you to the land. The more you use magic the stronger it holds," Tinkerbell explained.

Emma paled as the implications set in.

"I told you she couldn't be trusted!" Snow White straightened her posture regally. "She tried to get you to use your magic, she was tricking you to-"

"She thought I still had some fairy dust." Tinkerbell huffed at Snow White while frowning. Good thing she didn't still have her magic or she would make the woman break out in polka dots... and poof her hair away... and...

"Fairy dust?" Emma interrupted the fairy's thoughts. "What does that have to do with anything?" I really need to start studying magic.

"A little sprinkle of Fairy Dust releases you from Neverland. It's why Pan is always tricking fairies to be his friend." Sadly, Tinkerbell sat on a pile of rope on the deck. "She didn't want you to know."

"Why aren't you stuck here?" David frowned at Rumplestiltskin.

"Because I brought some fairy dust. I have no desire to live in that place forever." He flicked his fingers at the land in disgust.

"You knew?" Emma's voice was calm.

"Of course, dearie." A little more of the imp he had been for centuries showing through.

Before anyone could stop her Emma had the man by the collar of his jacket and was leaning him over the side of the boat. "And you didn't tell Regina?!"

"She never asked," he snarled back

"Ma, don't! Maybe he knows how to help Mom," Henry rushed over.

"That I do." His grin devious. "Care to make a deal?"

Emma opened her mouth, ready to make any deal to get Regina back.

"No." David walked up and pulled his daughter away. "She's not making any deals with you."

"David!" Emma growled and tried pull away.

But David was determined and pulled his daughter to the other side of the ship.

"I can't leave her."

"I know." He looked into her eyes with an understanding smile.

"She's Henry's-"

"I know, Emma." David whispered.

The others on the boat stared over at them, unable to hear what was being said over the creaking of the boat as it rocked on the calm waters of the cove.

"You can't leave her here anymore than I could leave Snow." He was trying so hard to be understanding and to only let the love he felt for his daughter show.

Emma was speechless.

"After I woke Snow in the Enchanted Forrest, I did a lot of reading about the magic of True Love. I had wanted to see if we could use it to stop the Evil Queen." His eyes never left his daughter's. "Together you used Jefferson's hat and stopped that trigger."

David took a deep breath, bracing himself for what needed to be said.

"True love is the most powerful magic of all- the only magic to transcend any realms and break any curse."

Emma's eyes widened in fear.

"I won't let us return home and have your and Henry's lives ruined by this. You go get her off this island."

"David?" Her voice shook as tears filled her eyes.

He pulled her into a hug and whispered. "I love you so much, Emma. I want you to be happy. She does that and that is all that matters." For the first time since remembering who he was, he felt his baby girl needed him to be her dad and held her close as the sniffles started. He had always believed his and Snow's True Love would defeat the Evil Queen and it did, just not how he had expected it to.

"Thank you, Dad."

David couldn't keep the goofy grin off his face at the name. He pulled away and rubbed her arms in comfort. "Let's get you in that boat," he said, in a voice loud enough to carry to the others.

"Regina doesn't deserve a second chance. She's just a monster who won't stop until she has destroyed all of our lives!" Snow White shouted, not understanding why her daughter was so set on saving the unsavable. What did she say to Charming to get him on her side?

Rumplestiltskin saw his chance to finally be rid of a tool that was starting to annoy him and ruin plans he had worked so hard to implement.

"Listen to your mother, dearie. That monster has no heart-" He was interrupted by Emma punching his jaw. The surprise and force of the blow knocked him over the side and into the water.

"Emma!" Snow White was shocked at her daughter's behavior.

The Savior ignored her and boarded the lifeboat as Tinkerbell and David lowered it.

"We can't just let him drown. He's family!" Seeing everyone ignore her pleas, Snow found a rope and lowered it to the splashing man.

As Emma pulled the boat up onto shore, she was pretty sure her arms were going to fall off.

"Fuck." She huffed. "That's it, I'm making Regina teach me how to poof places." As quietly as possible she followed the path she had seen Regina run down earlier. The shouts of the Lost Boys were closer, but not too close to cause her to worry.

After getting lost twice and tripping only once (she was quite proud of that), she found Tinkerbell's cave. She had no clue where the Lost Boys could be, so she decided not to call out and silently entered.

"SHIT!" Emma dove to the side just in time to avoid a fireball. "Don't shoot!"

"Emma?" Regina tiredly extinguished the fireball in her hand. "What the hell are you doing here?"

"Nice to see you too." Emma grumbled as she hauled herself to her feet. "Ouch. Hey I think you burned some of my hair."

"Emma." Regina pinched the bridge of her nose in frustration.

"Aw, man. You did. Now I'm gonna have to get it cut." The blonde frowned at the bit of burnt locks.

"Miss Swan."

"Maybe you could magic it back? It took me forever to get it this long-"

"MISS SWAN!"

"Ssshhh! No need to shout." Emma frowned at the glaring woman. "What's wrong? Whoa, you look exhausted."

"Of course I'm tired. I've been using magic constantly to help you people. Why are you here? You should be on the Jolly Roger going through the portal by now." Why this woman never did as she was told was beyond her comprehension. It must be what happened when you were the genetic offspring of two idiots. Regina grimaced. Her son came from that genetic line, she only hoped it skipped him.

"You think I could leave you behind?" Emma interrupted the other woman's musings.

"You really don't have a choice in the matter, dear," she sighed.

"Christ, Regina! You can't keep doing this!" The blonde threw her hands up into the air angrily.

"This?" Hands on hips, Regina prepared for a fight.

"This sacrificial lamb thing. You don't need to die to make things right. You are worth so much more than that."

"What?" That threw Regina for a loop. She had expected some tripe about always believing in good and working together to solve problems.

"The only thing dying will do is hurt everyone who cares about you." Emma felt tears begin to fill her eyes as she continued her rant and stepped closer. "There's nothing noble about dying, it doesn't solve anything, all it does it leave you dead."

It was silent in the cave, the popping of the flames lighting it the only real sound.

"You can't leave Henry alone. He was devastated when he got to the Jolly Roger. He loves you."

Emma took Regina's shaking hand and laid it over her own wildly beating heart. Looking into Regina's eyes she spoke her own truth and hoped she was believed.

"I love you."

Tears filled Regina's eyes, never daring to hope to hear those words come from the other woman.

"You do?" The brunette whispered desperate to hear it again.

"Yes." Emma reached out and tucked a lock of brown hair behind an ear. "I love you."

Slowly, giving the woman in front of her plenty of time to pull away if this wasn't something she wanted, Emma lowered her head and kissed Regina softly on the lips. Pulling away, Emma opened her eyes to see how the other woman would react. She halfway expected to be slapped.

Regina opened her eyes to see a nervous blonde watching her. Without pausing to think about what she was doing, she pulled Emma to her by her shoulders and kissed her. This time there was nothing tentative or soft about it. The kiss was about passion and love, feelings long suppressed and finally released.

A blast of light filled the cave and Regina could feel the thousands of little threads that held her tethered to the land break one by one. Startled, she pulled back to stare open-mouthed.

"See?" Emma smiled as she caressed Regina's cheek. "I will never leave you behind."

"I love you." Regina couldn't keep the words back any longer.

Emma grinned. "Let's get back to our son and go home."