We can go on and on

Won't ever feel too long

I'll always call you home

And we'll go on and on

("Making Plans," Miranda Lambert)

Chapter 23: A Seed is Planted

"We need to add eye of newt," Harold read from the book. He made a face. "Please tell me it's not a real eye."

I chuckled, shaking my head. "Eye of newt is just mustard seeds."

"Oh," he replied, sounding relieved. "So adder's fork is?"

"The tongue of an adder snake," I told him. I looked up, frowning. "And also not needed for this potion."

Harold looked sheepish as he flipped some pages in the book. "Sorry. I got curious and was looking at a few other potions."

"That's okay," I said. "But I do need the next ingredient for the potion we are working on."

"Right. We need some St. John's wort," he read. "That doesn't seem very magical."

I chuckled, picking up the next ingredient and adding it to the small wooden bowl to be crushed. "Magic always has its roots in nature."

"You sound so wise," he teased her.

"Comes with experience," I replied, mashing up the St. John's wort. "You'll get there too."

Robin entered the room, kissing my cheek and then shaking Harold's hand. "You both look very busy."

"We are," I told him. "Do you mind handling dinner tonight?"

He shook his head. "I can make us some hamburgers. And the girls will enjoy their usual mashed dinners."

"You mean Rachel will. We're introducing more solid foods to Emma's diet, remember?" I gently prompted him.

Harold nodded. "We're slowly introducing solid foods to Jeff as well."

"Right, right," he said, rubbing the back of his neck. "Maybe I can give her some cut up hamburger and see if she likes it."

"Sounds like a plan," I replied, focusing on adding the St. John's wort paste to my potion. "Can you see if we have any coriander in the kitchen, please?"

Robin frowned. "Are you making a potion or a meal?"

Harold chuckled. "I asked her the same thing."

"I need to concentrate," I told them, reaching for the eye of newt. "If you two want to gossip, go into the kitchen and leave me alone please."

"I'll leave you alone to focus on your magic. But if you need anything, just give a shout," Robin said to me, kissing my cheek before heading into the kitchen.

Harold grew solemn again. "Sorry. Do you need me to do anything else?"

"Can you chop up those dried berries over there?" I asked, motioning to the small bag. I tossed him some gloves. "Use these. They can cause blisters."

He took them, putting the gloves on. "Can anything else hurt me?"

"A few other ingredients, but only if consumed," I replied. "And we're definitely not doing that."

"Do I want to know what they would do?" he asked.

I gave him a look. "I think you know the answer to that."

He swallowed, nodding as he picked up the berries. "Good point. So I guess no potions that would be consumed would use these ingredients?"

"There are but they are dark magic ones," I replied, a shudder running through me as I thought of Zelena possibly using some of them. It spurred me to get this potion done so we could rescue at least some of our friends.

"Are you sure you don't want to stay for dinner?" I asked Harold as we cleaned up from our potion-making session.

"Thanks for the offer but Patty and Jeff are waiting for me," he said, putting on his coat. "I'll see you tomorrow at the center."

I nodded, showing him to the door. "Thanks for your help."

"I'm always happy to help and to learn," he told me. "I hope we can do this again soon."

He left and I closed the door behind him, leaning against it with a sigh. Roland came down the stairs, studying me. "Is something wrong, Mama?"

I shook my head, pushing away from the door to hold my hand out to him. "I'm just tired. I think we need to cuddle on the couch before dinner. What do you say?"

Roland cheered, taking my hand as he ran down the remaining stairs. He continued toward the living room, dragging me with him. We collapsed onto the couch and he curled against me, resting his head against my chest. "I love you, Mama."

"I love you too, my little knight," I told him, kissing the top of his head. I conjured up a blanket and wrapped it around us, snuggling with him as a movie played on the TV.

Every so often, I noticed he would stick his finger in his mouth and wiggle it for a bit. I raised my eyebrow, realizing what was going on. "Is one of your teeth loose?" I asked him.

Panic filled his eyes as he lowered his hand. "I didn't do anything, Mama. And I've been brushing my teeth. It just got loosed."

I chuckled, brushing my hand through his curls. "I know, sweetheart. That's normal. Those are your baby teeth and now that you're growing up, they are falling out so new teeth can grow."

"Oh," he said, sounding relieved. He then frowned. "Will it be painful? Like when Emma and Rachel teethed?"

"It might," I replied honestly. "But I don't think it will be as bad for you as it is for them. If it does hurt, just let me know and we'll give you something for it, okay?"

He nodded, thanking me. An odd look crossed his eyes before he asked: "What will happen to my tooth once it falls out?"

"We'll put it in an envelope and put it under your pillow. The tooth fairy will come and give you some money for it," I told him.

"Money?" he asked, eyes wide. "Really?"

I nodded. "Yep. First tooth usually costs about a dollar. All subsequent teeth are a quarter."

He grew thoughtful. "How many teeth do I have?"

"A lot," I replied, knowing he was probably trying to add up how many quarters he would get. "But they'll fall out over a couple years."

"Oh," he replied, his face falling a bit. He then brightened. "But it's still cool to get a quarter every now and then."

I laughed, kissing his forehead. "Yes, it is. Now, you'll need to tell me or your father right away when that tooth falls out, okay?"

He nodded solemnly. "I will, Mama. I promise. And I'll tell my teacher if it happens at school."

"Tell your teacher what?" Robin asked, coming out of the kitchen.

"If my loose tooth falls out," he replied, kneeling so he could show his father the tooth in question. "Mama says it means my adult teeth are going to come in."

Robin grinned, nodding. "Yes, it does."

"And that the Tooth Fairy comes and leaves money in exchange for teeth that fall out," he continued.

"Oh," Robin replied, his eyes going wide as he looked toward me. I nodded at him and he smiled. "Right. Yes. The Tooth Fairy."

I tugged on Roland's shirt. "I think dinner's ready. Why don't you go wash your hands?"

He sat back down, looking disappointed. "We didn't really get to cuddle, though."

"Don't worry," I assured him, rubbing his back. "We can continue cuddling after dinner. Okay?"

"Okay," he replied, hopping off the couch. He hurried out of the living room and headed toward the bathroom.

Robin leaned against the couch, frowning now. "The Tooth Fairy? Who the hell is that?"

"As far as I know, it's a legend told by parents to their children. They leave their teeth under the pillow and we exchange it for money," I explained. "Gives them a thrill and like they earned something."

"Ahh," he said, understanding lighting up his eyes. He grinned. "I get it."

I nodded as Roland returned. Smiling, I asked him: "All clean?"

"All clean," he confirmed, holding up his hands for me to inspect. I nodded and he skipped toward the dining room.

Robin held out his hand to me. "Help you up, milady?"

"Thank you," I said, taking his hand. He helped me to my feet and I stretched. "We should go get Emma and Rachel."

He nodded. "You take one and I take one?"

"That's what I was thinking," I replied, heading toward the stairs as he followed me. We headed up to the nursery, finding both girls standing in their cribs.

Emma raised her hands up and smiled as she declared: "Papa!"

"I guess she wants me," he replied with a chuckle, picking her up. He kissed her cheek. "Hello there, Princess."

Rachel bounced in her crib as I approached. She smiled as she raised her arms to me. "Mama!"

I paused, surprise filling me as I realized I didn't hear that in my head. "Did…Did she just say that?"

"She did," Robin assured me, coming to stand by me. "I must say, I'm a bit put out that you were both their first words."

I chuckled, picking up Rachel and cuddling her as I looked at him. "I'm sure you were Roland's first word, right?"

"I was," he replied, bouncing Emma a bit.

"And I'm sure we'll have another baby one day," I told him. "Maybe you'll be their first word."

He smiled. "Maybe."

"Mama," Rachel said again, patting my cheek to get my attention. Rachel hungry.

I chuckled, kissing her cheek. "Okay, sweetheart. Let's go get something to eat. I'm sure your brother is itching to get some food on his plate as well."

Robin's eyes widened. "Roland, right. I can't believe I almost forgot about him!"

"It's okay," I assured him, heading toward the door. "We just had a big moment."

"That's true," he agreed, kissing Rachel's cheek. "I'm so proud of you, sweetheart."

She looked up at him, blinking a couple times before smiling and declaring: "Mama!"

He sighed as I tried not to laugh. "She just started speaking. Give her some time, okay?"

"Okay," he said, kissing Rachel's forehead. "I just have to be patient, right, sweetheart?"

She cooed in response, blowing a few spit bubbles at him. I chuckled, kissing her cheek as well, as we headed downstairs to join Roland for dinner.

Robin and I returned to Storybrooke a few days later, once again with Emma in tow. She played with a set of plastic keys as we crossed the town line, the familiar sense of dread washing over me. I forced myself to focus on her to keep my thoughts from turning dark.

"Are you excited to see Charming again, Emma?" I asked her, keeping my voice as light as possible.

She let out a peal of laughter as she banged her hands against the tray of her car seat. "Charm!"

"That's right, sweetheart! We're almost there and then you can see Charm for a few hours," I replied before turning around to face front again.

Robin reached out and took her hand. "You okay?"

I shook my head. "There's just something about coming here. I always feel like Zelena's watching."

"Probably because she is. I wouldn't be surprised if she had spies everywhere here in Storybrooke," he replied.

"That's not very comforting," I told him, shooting him a withering look.

Even though he wasn't looking at me directly, he still grimaced. "Sorry, you're right."

I sighed. "You do have a point though. She probably does have spies watching our every movement every time we come here."

"That's why we're always very careful," he replied. He then glanced at the bow and quiver in the back. "And always on guard."

"Right," I replied, stretching out my fingers. I needed them ready in case I had to cast a spell of any sort.

We turned onto Charming's street and found a spot in front of his building. Robin turned off the car as I climbed out, going to get Emma. She clapped her hands as I unbuckled her. "Charm!" she exclaimed.

"Yes, sweetheart," I cooed, picking her up. "We're here at Charm's place. Let's go inside and see him, okay?"

She laughed but clung to me as we hurried toward the front door. Robin held it open for us and we stepped inside, eager to get to the safety of Charming's apartment as soon as possible.

He met us at his door, his eyes lighting up when he saw Emma. Charming held out his arms for her. "Hello, princess," he said.

"Charm!" she exclaimed, clapping her hands.

"She's very happy to see you," I told him, kissing his cheek. "Hello, Charm."

He chuckled, before stepping aside so I could enter his apartment. "I'm very happy to see all you. Makes me feel normal."

"Normal?" I asked, frowning as I took off my coat. "What do you mean by that?"

Charming sighed as he ushered Robin into his apartment, closing the door behind them. "I just feel like I'm going crazy since I'm one of the few people who know the truth who everyone is. Every day is an exercise in restraint as I keep from walking up to people and shouting the truth to them."

Recalling my time at the hospital with Ilsa and John, who had no clue who they really were, I nodded in understanding. "I know the feeling."

"We're working to get you out of here," Robin told him, clapping his shoulder and giving it a reassuring squeeze.

Charming nodded. "I know and I appreciate all the work you two are doing. I just…I just wish we could break the curse instead."

"We're trying," I told him. "None of us want to wait until Emma is twenty-eight for that to happen but right now, I can't find a way to get around that."

He sighed, kissing Emma's cheek as she tugged at a string on her coat. "It's so unfair to put such a burden on her," he said softly.

"I know," I replied, "but I don't think Zelena really cares about that."

"She doesn't care about anyone who isn't herself," he agreed.

I paused before saying: "Well, I think she cares about her mother in her own way."

"Another person who would put her own self-interest above everyone else's," Charming pointed out, sighing as he took off Emma's coat. He then set her down and she toddled around the apartment, looking for something to entertain her.

Taking out a toy for her, I set it on the floor as I asked: "Is Mal around? We should probably all talk together."

"I'm right here," Maleficent said, exiting from the bedroom. "I just put Lily down for a nap."

"We'll keep our voices down," Robin promised.

Charming moved toward the kitchen. "Does anyone want some tea? Or water? Or some snacks?"

"I'll take some tea," I said. "And what do you have for snacks?"

"Not much," Maleficent replied, crinkling her nose. "Unless you like stale tea biscuits."

He shot her a look. "I told you I had just bought them from the store that day. They must've already been stale."

"Excuses, excuses," Mal replied, though I wasn't sure if she was teasing him or not. Given their strained relationship, I leaned toward not.

Especially when Charming tensed up. "It's the truth. Everyone in town is complaining about how bad and old most of the food we get is."

I frowned. "Really? That doesn't sound good. Why don't the stores get a new distributor?"

"I don't know," he replied. "And I can't really go to a town council meeting to find out, can I? Zelena would certainly pounce if she saw me. Same for Maleficent."

"That's true. But there is probably one person who does go to town council meetings," she said, pointing toward the ceiling.

I looked up and realized what she meant. "Snow. Or rather Mary Margaret. She probably does."

"She probably does," Charming agreed. "I should talk to her, see what she knows. But it probably goes back to Zelena anyway."

"Oh, I wouldn't be surprised," I replied. "But she has to have a middleman doing her dirty work."

Robin nodded. "Or at least someone paying her to look the other way."

Charming pointed at him as he nodded in agreement. "That's probably it."

"Looks like we have a mystery to solve," I said, determined to find whoever was at the heart of this.

Maleficent held up her hand, frowning. "I'm sorry. Why do you have to solve this mystery? Don't you have other things to worry about?"

I paused, thinking it over before shrugging. "These are my friends. I need to help them however I can."

"But you're doing that," she argued. "You're trying to find a way to break the curse. And you keep coming back to this godforsaken place to check up on us. I think you're doing enough."

"It doesn't feel like it," I confessed, my stomach twisting in knots.

She studied me and it felt as if she were looking into my very soul. Understanding filled her eyes as she said: "You feel guilty because you were not caught up in the curse."

"I was never going to be caught in the curse because I came from this world," I protested, bristling a bit.

"Doesn't mean you still don't feel guilty," she argued. She then glanced over at Robin. "Or perhaps you feel guilty because you got to keep him?"

I glanced over at Robin, spotting a flash of guilt in his eyes. My own filled me as well and I swallowed, realizing Mal was probably right. But I wasn't ready to unpack all of that yet, so instead, I said: "I just want my friends back."

Her eyes softened and she nodded, patting my hand. "Of course. But you have to accept your own limits. You have a family to think about as well. It won't help anyone if you destroy yourself in the process."

"I'm not going to destroy myself," I told her, holding my head up a bit higher than I probably should've. "I'm going to destroy Zelena if…"

I caught myself, realizing I almost proved her point for her. She grew smug as she finished my thought. "If it's the last thing you do?"

"It's just an expression," I insisted.

She didn't seem convinced as she replied: "Of course it is."

Charming cleared his throat. "Right now, Robin and Regina can do more than either of us can. They can go out among everyone else and because they are outsiders, they don't have to pretend they've known these people their whole lives."

"You don't either," she argued with him. "Don't you pretend to have amnesia or something because of that coma?"

He sighed. "Yeah, but it only does so much. Many keep repeating memories I'm supposed to have in an attempt to jog my memory. It's annoying."

"That does sound annoying. I'll give you that," Mal replied.

"Thank you," he replied. "So you can understand why I try to limit how much time I spend out in public."

We all nodded and I said: "I guess the animals at the shelter don't ask too many questions."

He chuckled, leaning against the counter. "They do not. And it's a blessed relief."

"I'm sure you can talk about that all day but we don't have the time," Mal replied, jumping back into the conversation.

I nodded, reminding myself that we had a limited amount of time. We couldn't leave Rachel with Barb for hours and we would need to meet the bus once Roland got home from school. That meant we needed to get to the point.

"Right," I said, looking at Maleficent. "The potion is ready. We can get you and Lily out of town today."

She perked up at that, hope shining in her blue eyes. "We can get to safety? Away from Zelena?"

"Yes," I told her. "You'll have to stay with Robin and me for a little bit while we get you set up in the outside world."

Her body sagged a bit with relief. "I don't mind. That sounds like heaven right now. I mean, Prince Charming has been a surprisingly gallant host but it'll be nice not having to worry about Zelena all day and all night."

Charming nodded. "I understand. And I'm really glad you're getting out of here for that reason."

"Thanks, though I know you're really glad not to share your loft with a baby," she replied.

He frowned. "I don't mind at all. Lily is a great baby. And it helps me when I miss Emma."

Charming glanced sadly at Emma, who sat in the living room playing with Princess Bear, oblivious to our conversation. I swallowed past the lump in my throat, knowing it was not fair that he wasn't able to raise his own daughter.

I reached out and covered his hand with mine, saying softly: "We're going to break this curse and then you can be together with Snow and Emma again. I promise."

"I know," he said, his voice thick with emotions. He turned his hand up to give mine a squeeze. "Thank you, Regina."

Mal stood up from her chair. "So, when do we make my great escape? Now?"

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Charming's face fall and he knew he was disappointed thinking he wouldn't spend a lot time with Emma. When I shook my head, he perked up. "Not right now. Robin and I have something to do and you probably need time to pack for you and Lily."

"Well, yes," she admitted with a sigh. She started to back up. "I'll go start packing while you do…whatever it is you need to do."

Mal disappeared into the next room as I turned to Charming. "Do you mind watching Emma for a bit?"

He shook his head, gazing lovingly at her. "I will take whatever time I can get with her. Take your time."

"Thank you, Charming," I said, gently squeezing his hand. I then crouched and got Emma's attention. "Be a good girl for Charm, okay?"

She smiled widely before clapping her hands. "Charm!"

I laughed, kissing her forehead. "I'll take that as yes."

"We'll be back soon, sweetheart," Robin said, scooping her up. He kissed her cheek as she laughed before handing her to Charming, who cuddled her close.

After we put on our coats again, he waved to us. "Don't worry. We'll be fine. You two stay safe out there."

"We will," I assured him, letting Robin help me into my coat. I smiled up at Robin. "We're a great team."

He kissed my cheek. "Yes, we are."

Charming sighed, looking up at the ceiling. "I miss being part of a great team."

Biting my lip, I stepped forward and placed my hand on his arm. "And you will be again. I promise."

"Thank you," he whispered before smiling again. "But I'm holding you up. Go! Emma and I will be fine."

"Come on, Regina," Robin said softly, taking my arm. "We don't have much time before we need to leave."

I nodded, backing away as I blew a few kisses to Emma. "We'll be back soon, Princess. Love you!"

She laughed, waving at me and Robin before we stepped out of the apartment. I sighed, leaning against the wall next to the door. "While I love seeing Charming, I always feel so guilty," I said.

"I know," Robin replied, leaning against the wall with his arm. He pinched the bridge of his nose. "It's not helped by the fact that each time he calls himself Emma's father, my mind tells me that I am. Then I have to remind myself that no, he is and so I feel even guiltier."

I reached out and pressed my hand against his cheek. "I think at this point, you're both her fathers. She's just going to have to have two."

He grinned, leaning into my touch. "I suppose so. Just like she's going to have two mothers."

"She's going to be so confused when we break this curse," I said, taking his hand as we headed back to the car.

"Unless we can't break it until she's twenty-eight," he replied. "Then we should have plenty of time to explain it to her."

I frowned as he unlocked the car. "Let's hope it doesn't take that long. Can you imagine coming here, growing older while Charming and everyone else stays the same?"

"Not really," Robin said, helping me into the car. He leaned against it. "I also don't think I could handle this guilt for that many years either."

He closed the door and I leaned back in the seat, sighing. When he got in on the driver's side, I said: "We need to break this curse."

"I know," he replied, starting the car. "Let's go see if we can find some clues on how to do that."

I nodded as he pulled away from the curb. Looking back at Charming's building, I vowed once again to do everything I could to rescue everyone and do it soon.

We parked in front of Gold's Pawn shop and climbed out of the car. Robin came to my side and took my hand. "Are you sure about this?"

"No," I replied, "but unfortunately, he's the only one with answers in this town. And I think he wants this curse broken just as badly as us."

Robin glanced at the florist across the street, nodding. "He wants Belle back."

"I would want you back," I told him, giving his hand a squeeze. "And I would do anything to achieve that."

He nodded, raising our clasped hands to kiss them. "Me too."

I reached out and opened the door, the two of us stepping into Gold's shop together. He stood behind the counter, scowling at us. "Took you long enough."

"Hello to you too," I said, rolling my eyes as we stopped in front of the counter.

"Oh, spare me the sass," he spat out. "I just had to watch you two be lovey-dovey outside my door for about five minutes. I get to be testy."

I sighed, leaning against the counter. "Fine. Just as long as you answer our questions, you can be as grumpy as you want."

He leaned against the counter as well, smirking at me. "And what makes you think I'm going to answer them?"

"Because it's clear you want to break this curse too," I replied, motioning behind me. "Especially if you want Belle back."

Robin nodded. "Sounds like very good motivation to answer our questions, if you ask me."

"Well, no one is asking you," Gold snapped at him.

I frowned. "Don't talk to him like that."

"Don't order me around!" he yelled at me. "You've come into my shop uninvited and you are now harassing me. I think a call to the sheriff is in order. Arrange a reunion of sorts."

He looked up at Robin as he said that. I did the same and noticed how his jaw tensed up. Taking his hand, I gave it a comforting squeeze. "He doesn't remember who you really are," I reminded him.

"It doesn't matter," he told me. "Our hatred of each other is so ingrained, no curse can undo that."

Gold nodded. "That is true. And I'm sure the Queen would love to have one or both of you in jail. Don't you have little ones to care for?"

I bit the inside of my cheek, knowing he was right. So I just threw up my hands. "Fine. If you don't want to help, then it looks like the curse will have to continue for another twenty-seven years."

Turning, I reached out for Robin's hand again. "Come on. Let's go. You were right. This was pointless."

"I told you he wouldn't be able to help," Robin added, following me as we headed back to the door.

"I know," I replied, playing along. "It was foolish to think he could. He's probably as clueless as we are."

We had just reached the door and Robin's hand was on the handle when Gold called out for us to wait. Neither of us looked back at him, waiting to hear what he would say next. It would determine if our plan had worked or not and if we were going to stay.

"What exactly do you want to know?" he asked us.

I frowned, glancing at Robin. He gave a little shake of his head and I called back: "Would you be able to answer us?"

"I can't make any promises as it is going to depend on the question," he replied.

Robin gave a slight nod and I pulled back, turning to face Gold. He looked nervous that we were going to leave him stuck in the curse. Maybe he would give us some answers now, I thought as we approached the counter again.

I leaned against it. "How will the curse be broken?"

"You know that," he replied. "True Love's Kiss."

"Any True Love's Kiss? Like if I were to plant one on Robin right now…" I trailed off, letting him fill in the blanks.

Gold scowled. "Please don't do that. It wouldn't break the curse and would just serve to make me lose my lunch."

"Very funny," I told him. "Okay, so we can't break the curse. Who can then?"

"And why should I tell you?" he asked.

I slammed my hands on the counter, making both him and Robin jump. "Damn it, stop with your riddles. Either you want us to break this curse in the next year or you want to wait almost three decades. Make up your fucking mind!"

Gold recoiled. Next to me, Robin looked proud. He leaned forward, kissing my head. "Keep it up," he whispered.

"Well?" I challenged Gold, folding my arms. I glared at him as I waited for his answer.

He sighed, stepping forward again. "Fine. I used a very special ingredient while preparing for the Dark Curse. The essence of the True Love shared between a princess and her prince."

That was a big clue and I found myself feeling grateful to Gold. Holding his gaze, I softened mine and my posture as I said: "Thank you."

"You're welcome." He then straightened up, waving me away. "Now, go. That's all you're going to get from me."

"Thank you," I told him. I took Robin's hand and we left the store together, getting back into the car.

We sat there for a few minutes, just processing what Gold had told us. It all circled back to Charming and Snow. "We need to talk to Charming," I said.

"Agreed," Robin replied, starting the car. "Let's head back so we can talk to him before we need to head back home."

He pulled away and drove back to the loft. I hoped we could find an answer and felt more hopeful now that we could break the curse soon.

Then we could all live happily ever after again.

A/N: Hey, everyone! Look what else is getting an update now that I'm quarantined! I hope everyone is continuing to stay safe and I'll do my best to keep giving you some reading material as quickly as I can (keeping in mind that I still am working from home during this time).

-Mac