Henry came running into the hospital followed by Mary Margaret. When the hospital had called the school she'd driven him over. Emma caught him before he could run past her into his mother's room.

"Wooo kid. You can't go in there they're still working." Emma said holding his hand.

"What happened?" Mary Margaret asked.

Emma caught her eye and tried to shake her head so that Henry wouldn't notice but passed the teacher a folded piece of stationary. "I was serving a search warrant for evidence in Kathryn's kidnapping. I thought maybe her sudden change of heart was because Kathryn had escaped. I found her laying on the floor of the garage."

She didn't add Dr. Whale's theory, which was attempted suicide. They pumped her stomach but found no pills. Emma couldn't believe the idea that Regina Mills would commit suicide in her garage. "

"Was she near a spinning wheel?"

Emma frowned, "Wooden thing, yeah."

"It's the sleeping curse," Henry said as he took off his backpack and started to pull the book out. "She used an apple on you, but sleeping curses are usually done with a spinning wheel. There is one in our garage she never let me play with because it was some sort of antique with a sharp needle."

He showed the book page to Emma and when she took it she glanced over at Mary Margaret who was reading the note and it all seemed to fit into place. Henry looked between the two of them having the sixth sense of when adults were keeping secrets from him.

"What?"

Mary Margaret held the note up and started to read,

"My little prince, I hope that you know I didn't take this decision lightly. It has become clear to me that I was never destined to help you break this curse. My curse. Not only does it appear that I am a monster, but that when I cast this curse I set defense mechanisms for it which makes me a danger to anyone who might break it. Including you and Sheriff Swan. I don't want to hurt anyone. It appears I have hurt enough people for quite a few lifetimes. I am told that this spinning wheel will put its victim into a death like sleep and with me out of the way you can finally free these people. I am just sorry that I won't get to see you grow into the wonderful man that I know you will be, and I trust that Emma will figure out how to be a mother. Eventually. Try to make sure you eat some vegetables until she figures that out. Mom."

Emma ran her hands along the picture of sleeping beauty and the spinning wheel and something rushed over her as everything in this weird town fell into place.

Henry pushed himself into Emma's arms and he started crying for his mother.

"Regina always was one for theatrics." A voice came from behind the three of them. "This I didn't expect."

"You ... know?" Emma said.

Mr. Gold flourished a hand. "Finally a believer."

"Can we save my mom?" Henry said quietly. "She did this to herself to protect us all. If we break the curse we can wake her ..."

"That would require your mother to have a true love, and whatever the curse personality, her heart is still black from all that she has done. She's not capable of it."

Mary Margaret shook her head, "I'm still not sure I believe any of this but that ... is not how love works."

"Says Snow White the woman who never stopped loving the Evil Queen even as she burned the world to kill her. How ... Charming."

"I take it you know about this curse?"

"A thing or two dearie. Enough to know that what you need to break a curse is magic. It just so happens that I have a bit locked away. But getting it might be a tad... dangerous."

Henry looked up Emma with wide eyes, "Please ... my mom did this to herself so you could break the curse. Maybe if the curse breaks she'll wake up."

Emma looked over at the pawn dealer, who just shrugged.

But she was enough a mother now that she couldn't turn her back on Henry. "Mary Margaret could you stay with Henry." She stood up and looked at Gold. "This better not be impossible."

"It shouldn't be a problem for you," He smiled and shrugged as they got into the elevator, "It's only a little dragon, Miss. Swan."

Mary Margaret squeezed Henry's shoulder. "Why don't we read a story to your mom while she sleeps. Do you know which one she might like?"

Henry looked up at her and nodded quietly. Mary Margaret sat him in a chair by his mother's hospital bed and took the book from him. "Once upon a time when Snow White was a young girl her widowed father was searching all the land for a new wife. Someone who would love his daughter as her mother had and who would teach her how to be a lady. But the young princess was not used to so much riding and while passing the estate of a country noble family her horse spooked and ran away. She hung on for her life but she was losing her grip when suddenly a beautiful young woman, the best rider in all the realm, heard her cries for help..."

Mary Margaret was surprised how she was affected by the story, and as she looked at the slumbering face of the mayor she wondered if all of this were really true what their lives had been like.

The machines started beeping madly and the nurses and doctors rushed in and she pulled Henry from the room and wouldn't let him watch as they tried desperately to save his mother's life. In vain it seemed. After Dr. Whale turned off the last machine and called the time of death Mary Margaret took out her phone to call Emma with a shaking hand.

When she arrived back she looked like she'd been rolling around in soot and ash. Mary Margaret just shook her head. Emma squeezed Henry's shoulder and took him into his mother's bedside to say goodbye. He didn't even have time to ask about the mission to find magic. He didn't even want to ask about it. He gently touched his mother's hair and leaned in to give her a kiss.

"I'm sorry I didn't believe in you."

And with that a wave of light washed from them, over the room and the town sending everyone back as if blown by a high wind.

Regina's eyes opened and she looked at Henry... "You saved me."

From behind a mildly confused but happy Emma, Snow White spoke. "No Regina. The two of you saved us all."

Epilogue.

Most of the town was still finding its footing, and many weren't entirely willing to trust the Evil Queen no matter how the curse was broken. But life had to go on and Archie Hopper opened his office the a few days later expecting that more than a few people would need his help. What he didn't expect when he opened to door was the mayor.

"I... I've killed a lot of people and I don't even know how I'm supposed to live with that."

He nodded at the obvious understatement.

"Can you help me?"

"I'd like to try," he smiled and let her into his office and closed the door behind her.