AN: Hey everyone! Been a while I know. Sorry about that. I have a bit of writer's block and also recovering from a surgery, so not much writing lately. I did manage to finish this chapter in a moment of boredom and I'm not very happy with the result, but I'm posting anyway cuz you've been waiting for quite a bit.

Anyway, happy reading.

"Yeah…I'm not wearing that." Emmett said looking at the uniform with disgust. He might be deputy now, but even after all these years there was a thing about police uniforms that he didn't like...It probably had to do with the years Emma lived on the streets and stole to survive. Every time Emmett saw a uniform, part of him felt like running, it was rather unpleasant."

Graham laughed at the expression on Emmett's face. "Why not? I heard women liked men in uniform."

"Funny." Em rolled his eyes at his friend. As if he needed a uniform to get women's attention. Besides, as much of a flirt as he could be sometimes, he was selective with the women he allowed into his life. Some people were extremely prejudiced.

"For the record, I don't need help with that…and…wait." He trailed off with a frown as the Sheriff watched him with amusement.

"I don't know if Regina likes men in uniform…but seeing you wearing it might surprise her?"

Emmett looked down at the clothes in his hands. To wear or not to wear?

"No, there's no way in he-." he was unable to finish as suddenly there was a violent shake, immediately followed by the phones ringing.

"Well that was fun…" Emmett pinched the bridge of his nose trying to keep the coming headache at bay. Regina had tried to reassure the town that the situation with the mine was under control, but Henry had decided it was the right time to question her in front of everyone. And he still insisted on continuing his operation and getting Emmett to help.

"Are you going to be okay?" Graham asked placing a hand on his friend's shoulder. It seemed like things with Henry were getting more complicated.

"I'll be fine. I just don't get it, during the thing with Gold it seemed like the kid was really worried about Regina's well being. That shows he really cares, but even with that and the trouble he got into, he's still insisting on that operation of his." The deputy was getting frustrated. It fucking hurt to see that renewed hope in Henry shatter again, when he told him he wasn't participating on any operation.

"He's a child, sometimes children can't comprehend that their vision of the world isn't…" Graham struggled to find the right words. "That they just don't know everything and aren't always right, I think."

"Yeah, I know. Believe me, I wasn't the most well behaved of kids, myself. I know what it's like to feel you know everything and you're always right." Emmett laughed. "I also know it can get others, people we care about hurt." He looked down sadly, thinking of Ms. Joyce.

"I'd hoped maybe things would get better with them, but you saw the kid questioning the Mayor in front of the town as she tried to, you know, do her job. I doubt she's very happy about it."

"Yes, though I doubt she'll do much about it. As strict as she can be she has trouble grounding the boy." Graham shrugged. "Even when she does, it's not exactly much of a punishment sending him to his room…"

"Where he has all his toys and comics?" Emmett asked with a snort. "I figured. He is a spoiled child…a good child but one who's never lacked anything. She loves him too much…" Emmett said as they got on the cruiser. They were going to get his things to graham's place, before they had to go to the station and work on all the paperwork the tunnel's collapse required.

Graham observed the other man, trying to understand how he did that. "I don't understand how you do it."

"Huh?"

"Regina, not only can you get easily under her skin, but you see things about her. Things the rest of us can't, I mean I've known her long enough to know that there's more than the cold person she shows everyone. But understanding her is another thing…you just met her and never doubted she loved the boy."

"To find people I have to be aware of how others behave and feel. Eyes can't lie if you know what to look for." Em sighed and slumped into the car seat. "The day I brought Henry here, she had her walls down. She hadn't noticed me yet, she was concentrated on Henry and the fact that he was safe."

Realization dawned on the sheriff. "Ah, but you were looking at her." That made sense, if Emmett saw something in Regina…beyond the obvious.

"Yeah…guess once I saw her, it didn't matter she put the walls up again?" He shrugged. "She loves him, that's all I wanted for my son when I gave him up. And she's hurt every time he pushes her away. I could have left that night, knowing that the kid was loved, I tried to leave actually."

"But you crashed into the town sign." The sheriff chuckled. "You sure you didn't do that on purpose?"

"And hurt my baby?" Emmett asked outraged Graham would suggest he would purposely crash the second love of his life. "Are you insane? I would never do that to my car. She's my home, dude."

"Right sorry…It is a beautiful car. How long have you had it?"

"Ah…that's a long story. It started with getting rid of the stolen car, I stole from my ex."

Graham raised an eyebrow at that. "Now you have to tell me more."

"You sure? Because it ends with me working as a stripper…" The deputy asked.

"Just don't go into unpleasant details."

Henry was supposed to be dropped at her office fifteen minutes ago. Apparently the bug, couldn't do anything right.

When she called the cricket and he assured her he had dropped her son at her office in time, she started to worry. Even though Mr. Swan had made a deal with Gold, he was still worried about his interest in Henry.

But, maybe…maybe there was a more simple answer. Henry had recovered his faith in the deputy after he saved them from Gold. He had tried to convince him of his theories about the curse again, even though the man had once more refused to get involved….maybe Henry was trying to talk to him again?

Picking up her phone, she dialed the man's number. "Mr. Swan."

"Madam Mayor? Wha- I mean, can I help you?" Asked the Deputy's surprised voice.

"Is he with you?"

"I'm sorry, he?"

"Henry! Is he with you?"

"What? No, I haven't seen him since the incident with the mine collapse."

"Dr. Hopper says he dropped him at my office twenty minutes ago, but he certainly didn't come in." Regina frowned.

"You don't think? Gold?"

"It is suspicious, I-

"Wait, hold on a moment madam Mayor." He interrupted her. "Dr. Hopper is here…"

Shit. Shit. Shit.

Archie had shown up at the station, desperate. He tried to call the Mayor again when it hit him where Henry could have gone. When his couldn't get in touch with her he'd run all the way to the station to tell the Sheriff.

Emmett and Graham had immediately gone with him to the mine and they found enough clues to let them know Henry was actually inside. Archie ran in before either of the men could stop him, the entrance collapsed and he was trapped inside with Henry.

By the time Regina finally got there the efforts to get them out weren't going well at all. The ground kept shaking and with every second Henry and Archie's time was running out.

"None of this is working, we need to find some way to punch through the ground. We need something big." A frustrated Regina insisted.

Emmett and Graham locked eyes. They had an idea of what could but…

"Explosives." Marco said as he approached them.

They really had no choice. What else could they do, really? Still Emmett had a bad feeling about it…and of course, as always, his instincts were right.

It didn't work.

It didn't fucking work and Regina looked like she was either going to kill everyone for their inability to get her to her son, or she was going to start digging with her bare hands.

Emmett found himself at lost on how to comfort her. He wished he could hug her, make the desperation in her eyes disappear, but he knew he wouldn't be well received. He shared a helpless look with Graham as Regina screamed at them and Marco that they could have killed Henry.

Emmett looked away with a sigh and stopped when he saw Pongo. Letting him out of the fire truck Emmett let him out of the fire truck, hoping maybe he could pick up Archie or Henry's scent. Pongo immediately ran over to a spot in the grass.

He found something!" The Deputy exclaimed.

And suddenly their hope returned when they found the air shaft. Regina wanted to go down, but he knew he had to. The idea that she might go down there and something could happen…he couldn't bear the thought that he might lose both Henry and Regina.

He locked eyes with Regina and dared take her hand in his. "Look you've been sitting behind a desk for years, I'm more used to these kind of things….let me do this."

The Mayor hesitated for a moment then moved so close to him that their breaths mingled. His heart skipped, when for the first time, Regina let down her walls, she looked at him and he could see her own heart. She let herself be vulnerable in front of others, her walls didn't matter anymore. She wasn't the intimidating Mayor, she was a desperate mother who just wanted her son back.

"Just bring him to me."

Emmett swore to himself that he'd bring her son to her or die trying. He squeezed her hand gently, trying to offer some comfort and replied sincerely. "I will, I promise."

Most of the time afterwards was a blur for Emmett. He pulled off his jacket and prepared to be lowered down the air shaft. It wasn't long before he found Henry and Archie.

Regina stared as the deputy took off his jacket. She was already shaken by the situation and the strange moment they had just shared…and now.

He had a tattoo.

She was absolutely sure he didn't have it when she went to see him at the Bed & Breakfast. At least she thought he didn't have it….she had gotten distracted.

She was sure she would have noticed a lion tattoo…

It was bigger, in a different place on his arm and much more detailed than the one she had seen many years ago…but still she couldn't help but wonder if it was a sign.

It didn't matter right now, though. Bringing Henry back safely was what truly matter at the moment and for the first time in decades, Regina prayed, wished for a miracle. And for the first time ever her wishes came true, when Emmett was pulled out of the shaft along with her son.

Regina rejoiced in hugging her son tightly and feeling him hug her back. Maybe it was that the day had already being full of firsts, maybe she was just so happy that she couldn't find it in her to be harsh, or maybe it was her doubts about the Savior's true role.

Maybe it was the damned tattoo.

Whatever it was, she saw him standing to the side rubbing his neck and smiling at her and Henry and she did something crazy. She stepped away from her son and nodded to the man who, once again had been her and Henry's savior, and watched as he blinked in confusion, before realizing the precious gift she was giving him.

She saw him step closer and gulp, looking at her for confirmation, before he knelt in front of Henry and for the first time hugged his son. The huge smile on Henry's faces was worth it, even if a part of her still worried about letting them interact.

"Deputy…" She said as they pulled away from the hug. "Thank you…truly."

He shook his head and smiled at her. "I promised I'd bring him back to you…I keep my promises."

She observed him for a moment and noticed how her stare had an effect on him. "After we've dealt with this situation." She finally said motioning to Graham and the other workers who had been helping. "Why don't you join us for dinner tonight?" It was risky, she knew, but she needed to know more about this man, who against all predictions or prophecies, seemed to help her of all people, instead of the rest of the peasants he was supposed to save…and maybe this would win her a couple of points with Henry.

"D-dinner?" Emmett blinked at her, as if not understanding her words. She noticed Henry was doing the same and gaping at her.

Regina cleared her throat. "Yes, dinner. It's the least I could do after all you've done for us."

Despite his own surprise, Henry elbowed Mr. Swan on the side and begged him to accept. "Say yes, please." He was obviously hoping to spend more time with the man, who had respected Regina's wishes and kept his distance.

"I…yes! I'll be there."

"Excellent, seven sharp, Mr. Swan. Don't be late." She said briskly and led Henry to the ambulance to be checked up.

Emmett stared at Regina as she walked away.

"You okay?" Graham approached him and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Did she say something?"

Emmett looked at him, still a little overwhelmed. "I think I died in the mine."

Graham frowned confused. "Because she let you hug Henry?"

The Deputy shook his head. "Because she asked me to join them for dinner."

"Oh." Graham's eyes were wide as he nodded. "Yes, you're dead or dying and this is in your mind…or maybe you're actually working your charm on her." The Sheriff smirked offering his deputy his jacket back.

Emmett rolled his eyes. "Right…" He chuckled taking his jacket from Graham. "She said it was to thank me for saving Henry…."

"She really loves him, maybe she really just feels grateful." Graham nodded. "Or maybe she's warming up to you. I mean, you did help her with Gold and now this…who knows maybe you'll get a kiss out of it."

Emmett laughed. "One can only hope."

"Just don't run off to Boston and get another tattoo."

"Shut up!"

AN: I might or might not write a one shot, or maybe a flash back here of how Emmett got his new (but still yellow) car. It's an interesting tale of stripping and running from obssesed fans :P