When she cut a small lock of her hair and handed it to him, he slipped it into a small vile with small piece of brown hair that she assumed was her son's.

"Henry, my boy," Rumple called out, "Come on out!"

The boy stormed out from behind a bookshelf and dove into his mother's arms.

"Mom!" he cried, squeezing her tightly. "Are you taking me home?"

"Yes, Henry," she told him, "but your mom is very sick. Rumple is going to heal her first, and then you and I will never see this man again."

Ignoring Emma, Rumple had already begun rummaging through his things to find the components of the potion Regina's condition required. When he found them and administered the cure, it took only moments for Regina to wake.

"Regina!" Emma cried, falling to her knees beside the woman and kissing her forehead.

"What happened?" Regina asked, looking dazed and confused.

"You had an allergic reaction. Henry's safe, but you need to give a lock of your hair to Rumple."

"Are you kidding me?" the woman screeched. "I'm not giving him anything!"

"Just do it, Regina! He healed you and is giving back our son. There's no point fighting him when we can just walk away."

"That's right," Charming chimed in. "We're all safe. That's all that matters."

"You piece of scum," Regina hissed at Rumple. "I'll-"

"Regina, no. He's right. We need to just leave," Emma said, handing Regina the scissors. "Do it."

At first, it seemed as though Regina was considering stabbing the kidnapper with the makeshift weapon she was holding, but she raised the blades to her hair and cut off a small piece, handing it over and withdrawing her hand quickly, disgusted by the man's touch.

"Get us out of here," Regina said to Emma, grabbing her son's hand.

Rumple said nothing else. Instead, he sat behind his desk wearing a mischievous grin as he watched the three leave.

"I don't trust him," Emma announced to the party as she ascended the stairs back to the surface. "That was too easy. What do you think he wants with our genetic material?"

"I don't know, Emma," Charming answered. "I'm just glad you're all safe."

"That was kind of scary," Henry said, following them as they passed through the doorway on the way out of the enormous tree.

"You were very brave, Henry," Charming told him. "Very brave. But you knew we'd come find you, didn't you?"

Henry nodded his head in confirmation and looked at his family.

"Where's Mary Margaret?"

"I wanted her to stay home," Charming answered. "I wanted her safe."

"Why did Mom get sick?"

"Well, she got ill for some reason or another, and when I gave her a plant to settle her stomach, she had a severe allergic reaction to it. I blame myself, but I'm also just thrilled that she's alright."

He shot the woman a glance that she did not comprehend and held her gaze.

Finally, she asked, "Why are you so kind to me?"

"You're family, Regina. If my daughter loves you, then I do too."

This brought a small smile to Emma's lips as she watched her family grow. Days before, she'd been lonely, even with the family she already had. But with this new addition, this woman who had so fervently lit up her heart, she had begun to feel whole.

"Thank you, Charming," Regina said softly, blushing and looking away, unsure of how to receive the verbal gesture of affection.

Instead of saying more about her feelings, Charming simply approached her and wrapped his arms around her, saying simply, "I'm so happy you're alright."

"Let's get the kid home, okay?" Emma said, interrupting the tender moment the two were sharing. "He's gone through enough, and I'm sure he needs his rest."

"I'm fine, Emma," the boy countered, "but I do want to go home."

"And that's where we're going," Charming said with a nod. "You ride with me."

He lifted Henry onto the horse and sat behind him, making sure to steady the boy as they traveled at full speed.

Author's Note: Hey, guys. Struggling with this piece now. Not really sure where to go from here. PLEASE let me know if you have any ideas. I'd greatly appreciate it, and I love any feedback you guys have to give! I feel like this story is going downhill fast, and I want to rescue it!