March 10 2015:

Hey guys! Sorry I've been gone so long (about four months eeeep) the new job has been killer and I've been spending most of my free time exploring England and Europe! If you every have a chance to travel it definitely is a rewarding experience! Buuut all that to say, I'm perma back! I will be doing smaller updates every Sunday Night (about 1.5K) and will be bringing this story to the end in about another 10-20k words so I can start on a new fic! Depending on how this goes, I may extend this story but that is the plan right now. I apologize if there are any continuity errors (please point them out to me) since it has been awhile since I've had a chance to sit down and write.

As usual no Beta so all mistakes and Canadianisms are mine.

-Reighne

"Well despite how you feel, I believe you came to see me." Gold straightened his poster and let out a small smirk from the side of his lips, "Does it have to do with a small silver box?"

Regina visibly flinched from the information, "And how do you know this information, Gold? I hadn't spoken to anyone about it."

"It's simple really, no tricks." Rumple brushed a few strands of hair away from his face, "Another person came to me looking for it."

Emma stepped in front of Regina, aggression building in her veins, "Tell me who. I don't care what the price is!"

Gold laughed, "No price, Dearie, for this information. But I am going to warn you that you will not like the answer."

Regina crossed her arms over her chest, "Just spit it out already! Who came to see you about this box?!"

The dark haired man turned his gaze to the Sheriff.

"Snow. White."

Chapter 22: Snow Melts

"What do you mean Snow White came to ask about the box?!" Regina's eyes went wide with a mixture of anger, surprise and betrayal, "How could she possibly know about this box?"

The old man leaned onto his staff, "Well I wouldn't know now would I, Dearie? She came to me, asked me if there was such an object, I told her yes, and she left." He turned his head towards the blonde, "Although I will say, she was quite inquisitive about your rings."

"And what did you tell her exactly?"

"Oh I don't think I need to disclose that information to you. Maybe you should ask daddy-in-law these questions. Unless of course, you're already hiding something."

"There isn't anything that I would ever hide from them, I have nothing to hide anymore, so don't think you can manipulate me like you did when I was a naïve teenager. You aren't a part of me anymore, and I am not a part of you and your schemes." Regina turned to Emma with a scowl, "He is nothing more than a lying imp. I doubt that your mother has been here, he is probably using her against you, like he uses everyone."

Emma looked over at the shepherd, "How long has it been since she left?"

"Well, I'd say it was about two hours before you got here." Gold shifted his weight and let out a crooked smile, "I did overhear her speaking to the Blue Fairy."

The blonde gave a nod of acknowledgement and began to walk back to the car in silence and purpose. She slid into the driver's seat and waited for her wife to join her.

Regina got into the car in a huff and shut the door. As Emma began to drive away from the small cabin the former queen scowled, "Do you actually believe that manipulating imp? Take away the staff and the clothes that look like he got from a ninety-nine cent store and you still have the stinking pile of manure that was there before."

"Of course I don't want to believe him, but Mary Margret tried to take away my powers before. Maybe this is just another plot to do it? We are here and we don't know why, right? Maybe we fucked up. Maybe we were trying to do something we shouldn't have…"

"So what do you suggest we do? Act like we're getting a divorce so mommy and daddy don't try to destroy us with a box?" Regina huffed.

"We really need to think this through. I mean we can't just ask someone about what happened over the last few years could we? Wouldn't that do something to the timey-whimey space continuum?"

Regina placed a gentle hand on Emma's knee as she looked over at her, "I think I know a way to figure this all out. Let's head back…I think we need to talk to our son."

The two women waited patiently in the dining room of their home as Emma tapped a rhythmic beat with her fingers against the mahogany table. She let out a long sigh and turned to her wife, "Are you sure this is a good idea?"

The brunette nodded in confirmation, "I don't see any other way around this. We need answers and we need to find out a way to see what your mother is up to." Regina straightened out her shirt, "and besides, I'm quite confident he already knows something is amiss."

"Yeah I guess he has been suspicious of us since we got here," Emma gathered her hair together behind her head and tied it loosely into a ponytail, "Do you think he'll freak out?"

"That depends on how much Charming DNA he has inherited from you. If I recall, you and your father seem to run like wild dogs into the woods when discovering something new, am I correct?" Regina smirked as she took a sip from her glass of wine sitting on the table.

Emma held her hands up un defense, "Whoa whoa, first of all, David ran into the woods because he had just woken up from a 28 year coma and had half his memories, and through imprinting or something like that, he went to the woods because that's where he met Mary Margaret."

The brunette smirked and lowered her glass, "And then what was your excuse when you ran into the woods after you started to realize that the curse was real? Did you think that you could just click the heels of your Doc Martens three times and you'd go back to Boston?"

"Hey, that's not fair," Emma crossed her arms over her chest, "I ran into the woods to find out more about the curse."

"Oh yes, that is what I heard from the Treetrunk. You were so deep in denial that you couldn't see the forest for the puppet?" Regina laughed, "I always thought that the puppet was too young for you. Don't you usually go for the typical minimum of 200 years old?"

"Apparently not anymore!" Emma gave a flirtatious wink, "I like my women at the ripe age of 60."

Emma leaned over the table and gave the brunette a quick kiss when the deadbolt in the door clicked open. Both women let out a deep sigh in preparation. The door swung open to reveal Henry, backpack slung over his shoulder and his hair slightly messy. "Hey, Moms. How was your day?"

"Oh it was a little uneventful," Regina got up to get Henry's coat and bag, a habit that had never broke, "How about your day, Sweetheart?"

"Chemistry is haaaaard" Henry crossed the room and slumped into a chair at the dining table, "Just a few more weeks until the end of the year…"

"Aww cheer up, Kid, I'm sure your mom can help you with that." Emma leaned placed a reassuring hand on the teen's shoulder, "How's Esmeralda?"

Henry cocked an eyebrow, "Wait a minute…you guys only have small talk like this when you're about to tell me something ridiculous. What is it now? Is the only known race of unicorns now zombies set on taking over Storybrooke?"

"Well don't you just have your mother's sass." Emma laughed before her eyes turned serious, "I actually think we should all talk in the study." Emma looked up at her wife who then gave her an approving nod.

The three entered the study littered with notes, files and the whiteboard covered in a differential diagnosis. Regina closed the door behind her and cast a spell to lock the room from magic and to soundproof it before sitting down on the couch to join Emma and Henry. "Henry, we need your help. What we are about to say needs to stay between us. This is a huge risk and we are genuinely worried about your safety but we have no other choice," Regina looked to the floor and back to her son, "Emma and I are from the year 2014. I have no idea how or why were are here now."

Henry tilted his head slightly in confusion, "But, it's 2014 now? I don't get it."

"Right, Kid, however our 2014 was actually five years ago. Something has been messing with time. Kind of like how before the curse broke, everyone just accepted whatever year it was."

"I see…to be honest, I knew you guys were acting weird. It's like you don't really know what's going on around you. I mean usually you two are a well-oiled machine. Mom brings you lunch at the station on her way to the office and you usually pick me up from school on your way back from your patrols." Henry scratched the back of his head, "And in the past week you both were running around as if you didn't already know where things were and stuff. It was just as awkward as when you two first started datin…OH MY GOD! FIVE YEARS AGO? YOU TWO AREN'T TOGETHER!"

"That's correct." Regina straightened out her top, "We…have realized that there may have been a few things that we have been missing out on as just being friends."

"So have you been faking the lovey-dovey stuff or is that real?" Henry smirked at his blonde mother, "because I remember when you were trying to get her attention."

"Hey, I am a regular romantic, I can swoop your Mom off her feet." Emma wiggled her eyebrows, "But yeah…it started off that we were just going along with it to not disturb the timeline here but honestly? I've fallen in love with her."

Emma looked up and Regina who returned a loving smile, "Henry, we do need your help with something."

Henry turned to his brunette mother, "Sure, what's up?"

"We're trying to figure out what happened and who's behind this. We think that whomever is to blame, they aren't doing it for the right reasons." Regina looked back at Emma then to Henry, "We found something that could negate my powers. And well…your Grandmother was asking Gold about it."

"Are you sure?" the teen asked quizzically, "Grandma hasn't spoken to Gold in years, he ran off to New York or something."

Emma interjected, "He actually has been living a quiet life, but we went to see him about this object and he let us know that Mary Margaret was already asking about it. From what I know about it, it could do some damage."

Henry sat back into the couch and tapped his chin, "You know, Grandma has been acting really weird lately too. She and I usually go for a hike through the woods once a week but for the last month or so she's been going alone."

"Do you know where?" Emma asked incredulously.

"Right outside the hospital near the town line, not really sure why though." Henry paused and took a deep breath, "Is Grandma trying to hurt you guys again?"

Emma furrowed her brows, "What do you mean by 'again'?"

"Well when you and Mom got together, Grandma was furious for a while. She was convinced that Mom was casting a spell on you in order to gain control of your magic." Henry crossed his arms in thought, "I think it was a little while after the whole Author of the book thing and when you went evil for a little bit with Cruella, Ursula and …I don't remember who else."

"Henry, dear, do you remember how she was going to accomplish that?"

"No idea really. It kind of stopped when you saved Mom from being evil. True Love's kiss and all."

Emma got up and started to stretch out her arms, "Alright, you know what we have to do? We need to call it a night and sort this out tomorrow. All I want to do right now is eat dinner, watch some old episodes of the Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt and go to bed. We can deal with this tomorrow morning."

Regina sighed, "You know what, dear? That sounds like an excellent plan."

Henry jumped to his feet and gave a small fist pump, "Awesome! Then tomorrow you can take me out of school and we can start on 'Operation: Garden Snake!"

Emma laughed, "Why 'Garden Snake', Kid?"

"Because its right in our backyard!" The teen guffawed in his now-too-tall frame.

"That's adorable, dear, but you are going to school tomorrow." Regina lowered the spells and picked up her phone, "Shall we order in tonight?"

3:42 AM

Regina turned to Snow, "Why must you get involved in every aspect of my life? Do you ever for a second understand that meddling in other people's business has done nothing but caused chaos and death?!"

"She's my daughter! And I still can't help but think you have her under some sort of spell!" Snow straightened her back as she spat the words back.

The Queen narrowed her eyes and spoke in a calm but terrifying voice as she moved her face just inches away from her former rival, "You gave up the right to her wellbeing when you put her in a box and shipped her off to Maine."

"And you gave up your right to any pity the moment you slaughtered a million people to fix your broken, mommy issue abused heart." Snow slowly turned around and began to walk away when she heard a quiet plea from behind her.

Regina's eyes met the ground, silently begging to be heard. "I love her will all my heart, Snow. I know it doesn't mean much to you but I feel remorse for everything I did. But everything that happened, brought me Henry and brought me together with Emma and who knows if I've been changed for the better…but because I know her; I've been changed for good."

A/N: I love it when you guys review and leave comments! Please please please tell me what you think! And don't forget to follow me on tumblr! (Reighne-sq)