Ok so I have started yet another fic. Ugh…I really should have waited till I conclude one of my others, but alas once an idea is in my head I can't get it out until I write it down and it totally impedes my writing of other stories if I don't get it out of my head. My original idea was to wait a while to post this, but then decided, why not post it now? No worries I am still working on Starting Over as well and am currently in the middle of my conclusion to Love Again. You should see the last chapter to that one posted this week and the next one to Starting Over tomorrow or Tuesday.

So as far as this fic goes. The beginning will flash back and forth from FTL to tell the stories of those that went back and then you will see the present day starting with the end of the last episode. This is mainly going to focus on the characters of Regina and Emma at first, but will become an Outlaw Queen fic eventually. I'm not really sure about a romance for Emma. Hook is going to be big especially in the first several chapters, but I will probably explore her feelings for Neal some as well. I don't really have a ship for Emma (other then SQ... I am a multi shipper till the end lol) so I'm not really sure where I'm going to take her character romantically yet. I'm just going to see where the story takes me. Always happy to hear opinions though. :) This is going to have a lot of angst so I am stepping out of my usual writing style of fluff.

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Enchanted Forest 6 Months Ago:

Six months. It had been six moths since they'd arrived back in the place that Regina would honestly rather have forgotten forever. This had been the place where her life had taken a horrific turn. Growing up she'd hated magic and swore that she would never become the monster that her mother was. Regina still had trouble figuring out how exactly she'd become what she feared the most.

She knew how of course…magic. Along with years of bottled up rage and no one to blame it on except the step daughter she'd once loved, but later despised. Her anger and rage had only grown as she continued along in her magical training. Learning magic had changed something inside of her and as she changed her heart grew darker.

Everything changed though after she cast the curse.

Not at first. No, at first she'd been the same woman she'd been so many years ago, the only difference was that in that world she didn't have magic which was honestly a relief. Even though her heart was still dark in the beginnings of the curse she did feel lighter…free might be a better word. Magic was like a drug and when it was available she had needed it, but when it wasn't there she was free from it's curse.

The moment when things had changed for her was the day that she adopted her son. Her sweet little prince. Henry was the first person who loved her…truly loved her since her father and she had loved him back. He'd become her entire world.

She'd made mistakes as a mother, many mistakes. Looking back now that she had a clear head and no longer deluding herself that her acts had been justified she could see that. For most of Henry's childhood they had been happy and carefree. It wasn't until he began to notice that nothing around him was changing that their problems had truly begun.

When Henry had been nine years old he'd asked her about his father. Regina thought that would be a good time to tell him about his adoption. Surprisingly despite her nerves he had taken the news that he was adopted very well. He'd looked to be in deep thought for a moment and had then given her a grin.

"So you mean you chose me? It wasn't like you got pregnant and I was what you got…you actually saw me and decided you wanted me?" He'd asked her.

Regina smiled and told him that from the moment she laid eyes on him she'd fallen in love with him. Henry had grinned and wrapped his arms around her neck telling her that he was the luckiest boy in the world because he had her for a Mom.

Six months later he began to pull away from her. She'd thought at first it was a sort of residual effect of finding out he was adopted and decided to put him in therapy sessions with Archie to help him work through it. She hadn't found out until Emma Swan came into town that he'd noticed that the town never changed and about the storybook that started it all.

She'd lost her son when he was given that book. She'd been so hurt…devastated really when he'd turned his back on her. She remembered wondering if the first ten years of his life really meant nothing to him. She wondered how the person she loved more then anything else in the world could really not love her back. She'd given him her whole heart and he hadn't wanted it.

It was Emma Swan who'd given her the first taste of hope that Henry really did love her. When he'd asked Emma not to let anyone hurt her she'd been given the hope that maybe he didn't hate her.

It had turned out to be true and after getting him back from Neverland Regina had truly thought for a moment that she may get her happy ending.

It had all been ruined by Pan's curse and to save everyone in the town and prevent Henry from being alone she'd had to let him go…with Emma. The hardest thing she'd ever done in her life was watch him drive away in that blasted yellow bug.

Now neither he nor Emma knew anything about their pasts. He no longer remembered her. The thought of that broke Regina's heart, but also strangely comforted her. It broke her heart because he would never know again how much she loves him. He would never know that somewhere in another world there was someone who loved him more then anything. It comforted her for those same reasons. He would never miss her or the people he'd had to leave behind. He would never be kept awake at night as she was wondering if maybe he'd done something different things wouldn't have turned out this way.

No this way he could be a kid…a happy kid. She knew that he was happy because she'd been the one to give he and Emma their memories.

She'd given them her memories. Her memories of his first step, his first day of school, the first time he'd rode a bike, his fifth birthday when he got the Spiderman costume that he refused to take off for nearly a week. They were her memories of their life together but now she was replaced with Emma. It tore her heart in two, but also strangely made her feel as if he still had a part of her with him. As if somehow they were still connected.

That was comforting.

The day they'd arrived in the Enchanted Forest she'd looked around just wondering what would come next. She supposed the thing to do would be to go back to her castle until she was told it had been taken over by a sorceress.

It wasn't that Regina couldn't handle the free loader who'd taken over her old kingdom, but truly she just didn't have any fight left in her. It had all drained away the moment her son drove across the town line. What was the point of fighting for something if you wouldn't be happy when you got it? She would never be happy without her little boy so why keep fighting?

Surprisingly enough the hate and anger was gone as well. She'd realized that where she was and the position she was in was of her own doing and as she'd told Henry before he drove away villains don't get happy endings.

He'd told her she wasn't a villain, but his Mom. She would hold onto those words for the rest of her life.

It was Snow who had made the suggestion she move into the castle with them. Everyone around the woman had looked at her as if she'd grown another head including Regina herself. The last thing she wanted was to live with Snow White again, but Snow had made a valid argument that the sorceress who lived in Regina's old castle was rumored to be very powerful. It would be to everyone's benefit for Regina to be with them incase at any point the woman decided to attack.

Regina had scoffed at first thinking how much of an idiot this woman really was and very nearly saying so until she'd heard Henry's voice in her head pleading with her to please take care of them…to help them.

If the fact that Regina was living here now wasn't proof that she loved her son she didn't know what would be.

It honestly wasn't that horrible. She had her own wing in the palace and for the most part kept to herself except for the dreaded royal council meetings that were held once a week. The sorceress in the castle had caused a fair amount of trouble, nothing yet in this kingdom, but it did warrant keeping an eye on her. Snow and David had made alliances with some of the people who had been left in this world and they were now trying to get back to some sense of normal.

Her only visitors in her wing of the castle were Snow, Neal, Belle and Tinkerbell. They all came to her for different reasons. Snow often came to check on her. Regina could see that the woman was sincere in her worry and she supposed she appreciated it. It was truly amazing that after everything she'd done the woman could still care about her. Regina also suspected that Snow now felt a connection with her. After all they had both recently lost a child and could relate to each other in that aspect. Regina never shared her feelings about loosing Henry with her former step daughter but she didn't object when Snow wanted to talk about Emma.

Neal had come to her room after about a month of being back. She'd been shocked to see him, but quickly found out that he wanted to know about Henry. After all he'd missed his whole life and even though he would never see him again he wanted to at least feel like he knew him. She hadn't wanted to talk to him at first, but again she'd heard that Henry like voice in her head asking her to please be there for him. So reluctantly she'd began telling him about Henry's childhood. She'd actually come to enjoy his visits above anyone else's because she loved talking about Henry. She loved remembering a time when she was truly happy and believed she had everything. She loved remembering her baby boy's smile and the feel of him in her arms. It gave her something she could focus on and be proud of. Of all the things she'd done wrong she'd raised a wonderful little boy.

Belle occasionally came to visit as well. Regina still couldn't figure out why. Truthfully she thought that the woman sometimes just got lonely and needed to feel as if she were doing something useful. What better charity project then the Evil Queen? That wasn't really fair though. In all of her visits Belle had never made her feel less then anyone else. She supposed that if Belle could see the good in the Dark One then perhaps she saw it in her too. She'd offered her a sort of friendship and although Regina had no interest in being anyone's friend she couldn't really say that she minded having the girl around. It was something to break up her boring and often lonely days.

Tinkerbell was probably the closet thing to a friend Regina had. She was the only one that Regina would let see her when she was having a hard time. She didn't share all of her feelings with the woman by any means, but she did share snippets. Sometimes it felt nice just to talk to someone.

She gently moved her pencil over the paper on her desk and didn't even glance up when she heard the light knock on the door.

"Regina?" she heard Snow's voice call from the other side. "Can I come in?"

Regina sighed. "If you must." She answered still not looking up from her drawing.

She heard the door open and Snow's soft footsteps towards her. She could feel the woman looking over her shoulder.

"It looks just like him." Snow told her looking at the picture she had drawn.

Regina just shook her head. She gently touched the paper on her desk. "The eyes aren't right." She told her. "They don't have that spark the way Henry's do."

Snow looked at the woman who stared sadly at the picture of her son. They hadn't even had time to save a photograph of their lost children. It was almost as if they never existed at all…except in their minds.

"I wanted to see if you would like to come to dinner tonight." Snow asked her as she did nearly every night.

Regina laid her pencil down and looked up at Snow for the first time since she entered the room. Snow had found out not long after coming back that she was pregnant again and her belly had started to round. Her face had grown a bit fuller and she truly did have the glow of a pregnant woman. "No thank you, I'll take it in my room."

Snow let out a sigh. "Regina, I really wish you would get out more. It isn't healthy to sit in here in the dark all day."

Regina huffed at the same conversation. "Dear, I do not sit in here all day, I go outside quite often." she gestured to the open curtains "And as you can see I'm not in the dark."

"But you never go around people Regina. You need to get out of your solitude." Snow sighed and rubbed her belly lightly. "This isn't what Henry would want for you."

Regina's eyes snapped back up to Snow's and for a moment she could see the fire that had once been there. "Henry wouldn't want anything for me Snow because Henry doesn't know that I exist. I now mean no more to him then a stranger he meets on the street."

"You know what I mean Regina." Snow huffed. This woman could be so infuriating. "Are you going to make me say it?!"

"Say what dear?" Regina raised a brow.

"I'm worried about you Regina! I…" She paused for a moment. "I don't want this for you either." She laid a hand on the woman's arm. "I want you to be happy."

Regina glanced down at her hand for a moment before looking back up into Snow's eyes. "Happiness isn't meant for me Snow. I appreciate the concern." She briefly laid her hand on the other woman's "Really I do, but it isn't necessary. I'm not falling apart or descending into an evil dark place, I have simply accepted my fate and this is it. I'm not meant to be happy."

Snow sighed wishing there was something she could do to get her out of the dark place she was in. "Regina…"

"You really should stop worrying dear." Regina patted her hand before standing and walking towards the window. "It's not good for the baby."

Snow looked at the woman's back for a moment before her lips turned up slightly. "Be careful Regina, someone may actually start to think you care."

Regina looked back at Snow and studied her for a long moment causing Snow to fidget a bit under then intense glare. "I care because Henry would."

Snow swallowed when she saw the pain reflected in the other woman's eyes. Despite their pasts she wished there was something she could do to help Regina now. Yes she and Regina had a horrible relationship for a very long time, but even Snow could see that her relationship with Henry had changed her former step mother. The woman had given up everything to fix Pan's curse and in doing so had actually given her daughter and grandson their happy ending despite the fact that neither would remember any of them.

It kind of broke Snow's heart a bit that the one person Regina had loved, the one person she'd allowed in and cared for for ten years of his life didn't even know she existed. He was the one person that could testify that there was more to Regina then an Evil Queen who had cast a curse on an entire land. Snow could testify to that too considering that she was the only one who had known Regina before she'd been corrupted by magic, but Regina didn't want her help to attempt to get others to see the good in her. Regina couldn't care less what the people of the kingdom thought of her now. The only people she tolerated visits from was herself, Neal, Belle and Tinkerbell, but it wasn't as if she'd allowed any of them to see inside of her. She had secluded herself in her own world where Snow was honestly afraid that she would stay for the rest of her life.

At least she'd agreed to help them against the sorceress that had taken over Regina's former home. Snow felt that at least that was giving the woman some sense of purpose. Perhaps if she had something to fight for or someone to stand up to it would help bring her out of the dark place she was in.

Snow sighed. "I will have your dinner brought to your room." She lifted a hand to Regina's shoulder and ignored when she felt the woman stiffen a bit. "I'll be back to see you tomorrow."

Regina simply nodded and waited until she heard the door shut. She'd found out several months ago that telling Snow not to bother with her daily visits was a waste of breath. The good and pure Snow White had made it her mission in life to try and help the Evil Queen. It truly amazed her how completely naïve the girl could be. She would never stop trying to help people (even the ones who didn't want it like herself) It was just who she was and somehow over the last months Regina had come to accept that.

The hatred she once felt for her former step daughter was no longer there. Annoyance yes, but not hatred. She just didn't have the energy to hate her anymore and honestly finally letting that go had been a relief. She'd really done her best to be civil to the woman in honor of Henry. She knew that he would want more then anything for her to no longer hate Snow White with every fiber of her being.

The truth was she would still do anything for her son…even if he didn't have the first clue who she was.

She sighed as she heard the door open again but continued to stare out her window.

"Snow while I appreciate the offer of having dinner with every fairy tale character in history I would rather not." She stated.

When she received no answer from the insufferable woman she turned only to find a small boy standing in her doorway.

The boy studied her for a moment before speaking. "Can you help me find my Daddy?"

Regina simply stared at the boy for a moment…just for a moment when she'd caught sight of the boy from the corner of her eye before seeing him fully her heart had leapt. She'd been reminded of when Henry was this small and would come in to see her in her room.

"How did you end up down here?" She asked. Her voice still wasn't quite steady. God, she missed her son.

"Daddy was talking to a man and I thought it would be funny if I played hide and seek from him, but then I couldn't find my way back." He looked at her with big dark eyes that looked as if they could overflow with tears at any moment.

She'd seen him before but had never talked with him. He was the son of that bandit, Robin Hood. The man sat in on all of the council meetings. He seemed to be the one person who had information on the mysterious sorceress. In his travels he'd heard several rumors about the woman and his information seemed to be quite helpful. Regina wasn't fond of the man himself. He was arrogant and cocky and quite frankly if it wasn't for the fact that he was helpful with his intelligence on the witch who now lived in her castle she would have written him off completely.

"And does your father know he is supposed to be seeking you?" She asked him.

The boy shook his head slowly the first tear falling down his cheek. "I think he might be mad that he can't find me."

Regina looked at him for another moment. The tear rolling down his cheek touched something in her heart. "I doubt mad would be the right word, I would say worried would be a better one." She knelt down so she could look the boy in the eyes. "It isn't safe to run off and not tell anyone where you're going."

The boy nodded. "I'm sorry." Another tear fell.

Regina gave him a slight smile and reached her hand up to wipe the tear from his face. "I think it would be a good idea to get you back to him before he calls out the royal guard don't you?" She asked the boy.

He nodded again. "You'll help me find him?"

She smiled at him fully. "I will." She stood up and took his hand. "I've seen you around the castle but I'm sorry to say that I don't know your name."

The boy smiled up at her tears forgotten now that he was on his way back to his father. "I'm Roland." He told her. "What's your name?"

She smiled back at him. "Regina." She told him as they walked down the hallway towards the courtyard.

The boy smiled again. "Your name starts with an R like mine!" he pointed out.

Regina chuckled at the boys enthusiasm. "It does. So I assume you know your ABC's?"

The boy nodded. "Daddy has been teaching me. I still don't know all the sounds that letters make, but I know R because it's what my name starts with. Daddy's name does too!"

Regina nodded. "How old are you Roland?"

"I just turned five last week." He grinned proudly. "Daddy says I'm growing up to fast."

Regina smiled. She remembered that feeling. Every time Henry had another birthday she would find herself wondering where the time had gone. "Kids do grow up fast." She stated.

"Do you have any kids?" He wanted to know.

She gave him a sad smile. "I do…a son, but he isn't with me anymore."

The boy studied her as they walked side by side. "Why not? Where is he?"

"He's in another world, I had to let him go so that he would be safe and happy." She shared with the five year old.

"That's sad. I bet he misses you." The boy told her.

Regina felt a pang in her heart but only nodded as they walked into the courtyard. She spotted the man immediately. He hadn't yet seen them but she could see the panic on his face as he searched behind hedges calling for his son. She knew that feeling as well. Henry had hidden from her when they'd gone to the park one afternoon when he wasn't much older then Roland. She'd turned around for what seemed like half a second and when she'd turned back he was gone. He'd had very much the same idea as Roland, thinking it would be a funny trick to play on Mommy, but the shear panic that Regina had felt as she searched for her little boy thinking up all the horrors that could happen to him when he was all alone she would never forget.

"Here I am Daddy!" The boy stated still holding on to Regina's hand and waving with his other one.

The man looked their way and instantly Regina saw the relief cross his face. He was across the court yard in less then three seconds before he plucked his son off the ground and held on to him as if his life depended on it.

"Jesus Roland you nearly gave me a heart attack." He held his son close to him. "Why didn't you answer when I called for you?" He asked. "Where were you?"

The boy pulled back and looked at Robin with wide eyes. "I'm sorry Daddy. I thought it would be fun to play hide and seek, but then I went down a hallway and couldn't find my way back." He told his father. "But then Regina found me and brought me back to you."

Robin looked at the woman for the first time. She was wearing a somewhat simple black dress (simple in that the clothes the woman had worn before the curse struck were rumored to be much more extravagant.) The dress was a velvet material with a silver border around the neckline, a neckline that rode low on her chest. Not too low, but low enough that you could certainly appreciate the view. It was tight around her waist but flowed out at the hips and down to the floor.

"Thank you." He told her. He hadn't been sure about trusting this woman at first, but after David had told him of the things she had done to save the people of the kingdom from destruction he felt better about her. Apparently she'd given up her son…not only given him up but given him happy memories with his birth mother.

Robin wasn't sure that he could have done the same. What hell it must be to have to say goodbye to your child.

She gave him a slight smile. "You're welcome."

"Are you mad?" The little boy asked.

Robin looked back at his son with such relief on his face. "I'm not mad buddy, but you know better then to go running off without telling me where you are going. I was very worried something bad may have happened to you."

Roland poked out his lip a little. "I'm sorry Daddy. I just wanted to play hide and seek."

"It would appear that you hid yourself so well that you didn't even know where you were." Regina couldn't resist lightening the moment a bit. This kid had quite the pout.

Robin chuckled a bit at her comment. "You certainly did."

Roland grinned and looked at Regina. "You found me though!"

She smiled back at him. "I did." She looked back at Robin for a moment before turning her attention back to the little boy. "I really should be getting back. My dinner will be delivered soon."

Robin nodded. That was why he never saw her at dinner. Did she dine alone every night? "Thank you again for bringing him back. Sorry if he interrupted whatever it was you were doing."

What ever it was she was doing? Staring out the window wishing that her life could have turned out differently. Wishing that for once she could keep the people she loved most close to her. She couldn't say she minded a break from that daily activity. "It wasn't a problem." She smiled at Roland. "Your boy here is quite the charmer."

Robin grinned and bounced Roland a bit on his hip. "He is that." He smiled.

She nodded. "Goodnight Roland. Perhaps we will meet again sometime…" she leaned in and said in a whisper. "Next time lets just make sure your father knows where you are first."

The boy smiled. "Ok."

Regina turned to walk back towards her room. Being around a child reminded her so much of Henry. She wondered what he was doing…if he was happy. How she desperately wished there were a way back to that world, but short of casting another curse there wasn't. Even if she wanted to cast a curse (which she didn't) it would be impossible. To cast the curse you had to sacrifice the heart of the thing you love most and there was no one left.

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New York Present Day

Emma walked back towards her apartment after dropping Henry at the bus stop. It had been a strange morning. It wasn't everyday that a strange man with a hook for a hand showed up at her doorway claiming to know her. He'd kissed her rambling something about how he thought that it might work.

What the hell?!

Well she supposed there were crazy people everywhere, but this guy went past crazy right into being a complete and total lunatic.

He'd said her family was in danger. What the hell did that even mean? She had no family except for Henry and he was perfectly safe. She'd been sure to walk him to his bus stop this morning worried that the crazy man may show up again. Henry had whined that he was to old for his Mommy to be walking him to the bus stop and said all the kids would make fun of him, but she hadn't let up. She was still somewhat shaken about the strange events of the morning. Luckily the man had gone away and the walk to the bus stop had been uneventful.

The breeze was chilly but Emma didn't mind. It cleared her head and she was finally beginning to feel calm again, that is until she turned the corner and saw the man in question standing at the door to her building.

He began speaking the minute she spotted him. "Emma, I'm sorry about this morning but…"

"Look creep" she interrupted him. "I told you to go away. This is your last warning, if I see your face around here one more time I'm calling the cops and you can talk your crazy to them."

"Emma, please…I just need you to listen to me for five minutes, I promise I will leave you alone if you give me five minutes." The man pleaded with her.

Emma let out a huff. He was a persistent psycho she would give him that. "How the hell do you even know who I am?" She wanted to know.

"I told you we knew each other before…in another life I guess you could say." He told her.

Emma rolled her eyes. "The only life I have lived is this one and I have never seen you before."

"That you remember." Hook told her. "Your family is in danger Emma and you are the only one that can save them. They need you, please just listen to me."

"I don't have any family." She told him. "Look you obviously have the wrong person so why don't you just go away and find the right one."

"Not until you take this." The man pulled out a rather large book from his bag and held it out to her.

Emma glanced down at it making no move to take it. The book was old and tattered. The gold title on it read Once Upon a Time. "And what the hell would I want with some fairy tale book."

"It isn't just some fairy tale book Emma, It's the story of your life…You and Henry" He told her.

"Ok that's it! You are creeping me out! How in the hell do you know my son's name?!" she raised her voice at him.

"I told you, we knew each other once." He sighed continuing to hold the book out to her. "Look I know all this sounds crazy, but if you take this book…if you read it you will remember."

"You're out of your mind." She told him shaking her head and walking toward the door of her building. "I'm calling the police."

"Just take the book Emma…take it and read it and I will leave you alone." The man held it out to her. "I promise."

"I take that stupid book and I will never see you again." She asked with a raised eyebrow.

He gave her a cocky grin that for some reason infuriated her all the more. "Not unless you want to." He told her.

"Well I think it's safe to say that won't happen." She returned.

The man shrugged. "Then you have nothing to worry about taking this book."

Emma reached out hesitantly but finally decided to give in. She closed her fingers around the book and when she did she felt a strange sensation in her hand… a sort of tingling.

She shook off the strange feeling. Obviously this lunatic had her imagination working overtime. "Ok she said as she held the book at her side. I took it, now get lost."

The man smirked again. "When you do decide you want to talk to me I left a note inside the book where you will be able to find me."

Emma returned his smirk. "Well I'm sorry you wasted all that time writing down your info because I can promise you that you won't be hearing from me."

"We'll see." The man told her. "Have a good day Emma."

Instead of answering Emma turned and walked back through the door of her apartment. She took the elevator to the third floor and pulled out her keys. When she pushed the door open to her apartment she turned and locked the dead bolt just in case the man decided to come back. She looked down at the book in her hands that he had convinced her to take. Why in the hell would anyone want to give her a storybook?

Well he was obviously crazy and he did have a hook for a hand. She smirked to herself. "Probably thinks he's Captain Hook."

She threw the book on the table where it landed with a thud.

"Creep." she said again walking towards her computer to get a little work done.

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"Hey Mom." She heard her son call out when he walked through the door.

"Hey kid, I'm just finishing up here." She called back from her computer. "You hungry?" She asked knowing that was a stupid question. These days he was always hungry.

The boy shrugged. "I could eat." He told her as he dumped his backpack on the table. "What's this?" He asked gesturing to the book she'd thrown there earlier.

She'd nearly forgotten about her crazy visitor from this morning. "Oh, that's just a book some crazy guy wanted me to take."

Henry sat down at the table looking at it with interest. Her son loved to read. She often wondered where he'd gotten that trait. Emma had never been much of reader. It wasn't that she didn't enjoy it, it was just that she really didn't have the time or patience to do much of it.

"It looks like some kind of fairy tale book." he said as he opened it and flipped through the pages. He looked at it for a few moments. He stopped at a picture of Snow White eating the apple while standing next to the Evil Queen. "But in this one it's like all the characters are mixed together in one big story." He flipped another page and saw a picture of a town called Storybrook. "And it looks like they are in modern times." He said with some excitement.

Emma raised her eyebrow as she brought a sandwich to the table. "Well at least someone's going to get some enjoyment out of that ratty old thing." She smiled at him affectionately. "I should have known you would like it."

Henry looked up and smiled as she laid his sandwich down. "Thanks Mom." He told her as he went back to flipping through the book. The last page drew his attention. "Hey that looks like our bug." he told her pointing at the picture of the car that looked to be parked on the town line.

Emma glanced over his shoulder to look at the picture. "It does doesn't it?" She felt an eerie since of déjà vu.

Henry flipped yet another page to see the face of a woman surrounded by a purple mist. It was the same woman who'd been in the former pictures of the Evil Queen except in this picture she was saving the town. She had a tear rolling down her cheek. Her face seemed familiar for some reason. Almost as if he had seen her before but he couldn't place where it had been. He read the words on the page that talked of how the Queen Regina had given up the only person she loved to save the towns people from ruin. To save him from being cursed.

Henry furrowed his brow and moved his hand over the picture of the woman. He touched her face gently and that was when it happened. Image after image began to flash into his mind. His first day of school when he'd ran out of the classroom and leapt into his mothers arms. The woman he leapt to had been his blonde mother, but when he pulled back to smile at her he saw the brunette's face. His ninth birthday party when he'd begged for an xbox. It was his blonde mother's face who gave it to him, but when he looked back up from the box it was the brunette smiling at him. All the images that flashed through his head from his childhood started with the memories that he knew with his Mom, but were then replaced with the brunette woman that stared up at him from the page of the book.

Then came the devastated face of the woman we he screamed at her outside of their house that he'd found his real mom. Her heart broken face when she realized she'd finally gotten him back after the trip to Neverland, but would have to lose him again. The tear that rolled down her face when he told her she wasn't a villain, but his Mom.

Henry could hear someone calling his name in panic before he snapped out of the collage of pictures of his past. "Mom!" He gasped.

"Henry…Jesus. I'm right here. Are you ok? Don't try to move I'm gonna call an ambulance." Emma told him.

"No! Wait!" He told her as he looked around disoriented. How had he ended up on the floor? "I'm ok."

"Henry your not ok, you passed out!" Emma told him.

"No…Mom…I'm fine…I remember." He told her looking at her with wide eyes.

"Remember? Remember what Henry?" She shook her head and knelt beside him as he tried to stand. "I told you not to move, I don't want that to happen again."

"It won't because I remember now." He told her as he stood up.

Remember? What the hell was he talking about? He must have had some kind of hallucination when he passed out. "Henry. I am taking you to the hospital."

"No." he told her again. "I don't need the hospital…it's the book Mom…I remember. You have to look at it!"

The book. Emma glanced frantically to the table. That crazy man had done something to the book. He'd put something on it that caused her son to pass out and hallucinate. She would find that asshole and kill him.

"It's real!" Henry told her. "All of it! We've just forgotten. You have to look at the book Mom! Please!" Henry pleaded and reached for it again.

"Henry no! Don't touch that thing." She said pulling her son back. "That crazy man has done something to it. I'm calling the police."

"No Mom, you can't! You have to look at it!" Henry looked at her with pleading eyes. "You have to remember."

"Remember what Henry?" She asked exasperated.

"Our lives. Your parents…my Mom." He told her.

"Henry I'm your Mom." She shook her head. "And I don't have parents, they gave me up remember."

"My other Mom." Henry corrected. "And your parents gave you up to save you from the curse. We lived in this town…Storybrook. It's where our families are."

Her son sounded as if he'd completely lost his mind. She blinked at him. It was strange but what he was saying seemed to resonate though. As if deep down it didn't sound completely bat shit. "You don't have another Mom, Henry, You've been with me since birth…trust me. I remember."

Henry shook his head. "You only remember because she gave you her memories…please. Just look at the book."

Emma shook her head looking at the book on the table. It would be crazy to pick that thing up again especially since it seemed to give her son strange delusions but there was something about it…something about what Henry was saying.

She moved towards it almost afraid to touch it again. She looked at the page that still laid open on the table. She saw the woman with the tear rolling down her face and in the background she could make out the forms of a man and a woman who did look familiar. Their faces seemed to call to her form the recesses of her mind. Where had she seen these people before?

She stepped closer and upon inspection saw another face in the background. This one she knew without a doubt.

"Neal?" She looked at the man standing behind the brunette.

"My dad." Henry answered her.

Her head snapped up to her son. "How do you know that?" She asked him. She'd never told him about his father, the man who had left her to rot in prison.

"Because I've met him…I've met all of them. They're our family." He told her.

Emma looked at the faces of the people on the page and in the far corner she saw the face of them man who'd shown up on her door step that morning. The man who'd given her this book. Had he somehow been stalking her for her whole life? How could he know about Neal and why would he put him in this book.

"It's real Mom." Henry told her from beside her.

She shook her head as she sat down in the chair in front of the book. "That's impossible Henry."

She stared at the page as if daring it to prove her wrong. All of these faces…she knew them. She'd seen them before. Had she read this book? None of it made since. She moved her hand hesitantly over the page and when she finally allowed her fingers to make contact she saw it all.

She was giving birth to Henry but instead of holding him she told them to take him. Another birthday celebrated alone until the ten your old boy showed up claiming to be her son. The curse breaking and meeting her parents. Falling into the hat and ending up in a different world. Being rescued by the woman who had raised her son. Henry being taken to Neverland. Her and his other mother working together to get him back. Pan casting a new curse and Regina telling her the only way to stop it was her taking Henry away. Regina telling her she would give her new memories…happy ones…a life with Henry. Driving away and watching in the rear view mirror as her family had been enveloped in the purple mist.

Emma gasped as if waking up from a nightmare.

"Mom?" She felt Henry place a hand on her shoulder then looked up at him with wide eyes.

"Oh my God."

XXXXXXXX

Ok! So those of you who know me know that I am highly motivated by reviews! Please tell me what you think!

Most of you who have read previous stories know that I mostly just write great big balls of fluff. This story is going to have a lot more angst and a very slow burn as far as romance goes. Hope you enjoyed and please please tell me what you thought of the first chapter.

Come say hi on tumblr if you would like. Im thequeenstolemyheart there! :)