"So, is that why you're with her? Because you hate her mother so?"

Regina looked over to the woman speaking to her with a coy grin, "No, that is not the reason I'm with her…" She looked off to the side with a smirk, "It really is icing on top of the cake though."

"You hate my mother?" Emma barged into the room Regina was in with her friend… this blonde bitch that was really everything her name was: Maleficent.

Regina looked surprised to see Emma walking into their study, "Darling! What—?"

"Do. You." Emma took two steps forwards, intimidating the brunette even though they both knew she could kill Emma with the flick of a wrist, "Hate my mother?" She didn't let Regina even try to start a lie. She took two more steps so that they her tip to toe, "You hate my mother…" She said in revelation. She swallowed hard and walked out… quietly.

This was going to be bad… Regina just knew it.

"Oh dear…" Maleficent started.

Regina fell into a chair and covered her swollen, pregnant belly… she rested her hand on her and Emma's son and closed her eyes, preventing the tears from coming.

"I do hope everything turns out alright." Maleficent said in the most contrived, false voice. Regina could hear it through her pain, that is how fake the sincerity was.

Regina turned up to her friend, "Indeed." Regina nodded.

~0~0~0~0~0~

Regina waited three full weeks before she set out in search of her baby's other mother. She knew where she was, she just hoped that the blonde would come to her senses.

She was walked through the palace by members of the royal guard to Emma's doorway. She knocked, "Emma darling… open the door."

"You do it!" Came the spitting reply. As soon as she entered, Emma was two inches from her face, "Why are you here?"

"Because I need you." Regina admitted.

"No you don't. You don't need anybody." Emma replied, "You hate my mother, so why love me?"

"To make up for it?" Regina tried to joke. She sighed when her love did nothing, "Listen, darling… I need you to come home. We have to prepare for—"

"YOU!" Emma's voice was rough, "You have to prepare… I can't…" She shook her head, "I need time, Regina… This can't just be fixed with your puppy eyes and kiss… How will I ever know if what you feel is genuine or if you've just convinced me, my mother and yourself that you love me just to piss her off? How will I ever know if it's more than a game to you? I should have known the minute I told you I didn't play games that you were going to deal me into yours…. I should have known what I was entering into the whole time." She turned and looked up, arms crossed, "I can't look at you right now without thinking, 'She doesn't really love me.' Do you know what that's like?..." Emma turned back around and looked at her, "Can you imagine what it's like for me? I mean, my whole belief system is based on love and you…"

Regina reached out and clamped her hand over Emma's lips, "Come home." She begged.

Emma shook her hand and took Regina's hand from hers, holding it to her chest, "Baby, I can't…"

"But the baby…"

Emma blinked tears from her eyes and let them flow freely, "I can't do that either… not right now… maybe when he comes, but not right now."

"You're leaving me." Regina was wrapping her head around it all.

"No… you're leaving." Emma walked to her bedroom door, "I'm just not going with you."

All of Regina's emotions got the better of her. She couldn't handle any of them, "I hate you!" She screamed and shoved Emma's hands from her, "Don't you touch me!"

Emma pulled her hands back and watched with misty eyes as Regina left. If she had listened to the deepest part of her soul, she would have not listened to Regina and pulled her back in for a mind-numbing kiss, but she couldn't listen to that part… She couldn't do anything. She was frozen.

~0~0~0~0~0~

"Love is weakness, Maleficent…" Regina bent down rather gracefully despite her overbearingly pregnant belly constantly in her way and picked up the fallen staff.

"If you're going to kill me, kill me!"

Regina smirked as she took the blonde's staff and broke the bulb at the end, "Now why would I do that, Maleficent? You're my only friend…" She said as she turned it back around and took what she came for.

~0~0~0~0~0~

Rumpel jumped at the cell bars and reached out for her, effectively grabbing Regina's throat, "A horse? This is the curse to end all curses… you think a horse is going to do? Great power requires great sacrifice. The heart you need must come from something far more…precious."

"Tell me what will suffice."

"You need to sacrifice the heart of the thing you love most."

Regina pulled from his grasp, "The thing I love most is the very thing I hate most thanks to Snow White!"

Rumpel slumped, "Mm, is there no one else you twooly love?" Regina glowered at him, "This curse isn't gonna be easy. Vengeance never is, Dearie. You have to ask yourself a simple question: How far are you willing to go?"

Regina leaned into Rumpel's cell, "As far as it takes."

"Then please stop wasting everyone's time and just do it! You know what you love… Now go kill it!" He stuck his neck as far out as he could.

Regina gave him once last look before turning and walking away, "Oh… and that thing in your belly… it's coming a lot sooner then you think." He pushed himself back into his cell and turned away from her.

~0~0~0~0~0~

"How bad is it? Maybe I can help…"

"I have to cut out the heart of the thing I love most…" Regina didn't turn to see her father's face.

"Me." Henry concluded.

"Daddy, I don't know what to do…"

"My dear. Please. You don't have to do this."

"I have to do something." Regina's strut turned waddle didn't lose its fierceness as she pushed passed her father and exchanged places with him.

"Then move passed this. I know this may sound self-serving, but you don't need to enact the curse."

"But I can't keep living like this! What they did to me! What they took from me! It's eating me alive daddy…"

"But if the price is a hole that will never be filled, why do it? Stop worrying about what they did to you, and start over. We can have a new life… with the baby."

"But what kind of life? All I've worked for; all I've built will be gone! My power will disappear. They already think I'm nothing…"

"Power is seductive… and so is love. You can have that again…"

Regina leaned into her father's hold, "I just want to be happy."

"You can be. Of this I'm sure. I believe given the chance, we can find happiness… together. But the choice is yours."

"I think you're right. I can be happy." She looked into her father's eyes, "Just not here." And with that, she ripped her father's heart out.

It was in this moment that she felt a contraction. Rumpelstilskin was right… she would have him sooner than she thought. She had to hurry.

After throwing her father's heart into the fire, she slowly and surely made her way back to her bedchamber and called for her doctor.

Emma was on her horse riding swiftly as she was taught along the road that led to Regina's castle. She knew she was going to grovel and be in so much trouble for even thinking she could waltz back in there, but she had to do it. It was at this point that she saw the black cloud start to take everything over… "Damn it, woman!" She kicked her horse into riding faster and pushing into the oncoming cloud.

She had heard of the curse Regina was going to enact, she just never thought she would actually do it… and it wasn't until she was consumed by the unholy power that she knew just how much she had hurt her. But, she pressed on.

The castle was beginning to crumble and crack, but she heard Regina's screams. She dodged the falling debris as she neared the brunette' bed chamber and flung the door open, "Regina!" She cried as she ran over to her.

Regina turned and looked at the mother of her child, "I hate you!" She screamed, "Get out!" When all Emma did was come closer she flicked her wrist and pointed at her, "I said, 'GET OOOOOOUUUT!'" She screamed as the rest of her powers drained from her and hit the blonde square in the chest.

She wasn't sure what spell she cast, but she saw Emma get absorbed in a bright, white light then disappear completely. She would have thought about it further, but her current position let her think of nothing else but pain.

She closed her eyes as tears ran down her cheeks and pushed with all her might.

~0~0~0~0~0~

Once she opened them again, she was in a completely different place. She looked around at the white walls and the lights she had never seen before that shown brightly down on her and everyone else in the room.

She blinked a couple more times before Dr. Whale got through to her, "Alright, Madam Mayor, you're doing good, I just want you to give me three more pushes. Ready?"

Regina felt the pain coming back and started shaking her head, "I can't! It hurts too much!"

Dr. Whale shook his head, "No. You can. And you have to. Henry is counting on it."

"Henry?" Tears flew from her eyes instantly.

"Yes Regina, your son…" Dr. Whale said, "He needs you to push… Ready?"

Regina took three big breaths: the first as she realized the true extend of what she had done to the first Henry, the second in remembrance of her father, and the third for this new Henry that was currently giving her hell. After these breaths, she nodded.

"1, 2, 3. Push!"

~0~0~0~0~0~

Emma had never felt so alone. She didn't know what Regina was doing to her, but she knew it was probably bad. She fell for what felt like ever and landed in sand. When she looked around it was night. She didn't really understand what was going on. She was next to some metal thing that looked like it could be a torture device and she saw lights that weren't of fire… they were bright white and illuminated the ground and were set certain lengths apart from each other.

She looked around some more and found chair like contraptions hanging by chains… no doubt more torture devices. She avoided them along with the first metal beast thing and walked around for a few moments.

She never saw the officer, that was just making her neighborhood rounds, in a daze after seeing her literally fall from the sky. The policewoman shook her head over and over again as she saw the girl pop right back up and start looking around. She knew that no one would ever believe her if she reported it… she didn't even believe it herself. She watched this blonde girl walk around.

Emma came to a metal poll with a large sign; it had the word, 'Park' written on it. She cocked her head, "Park?" She looked around confused. She heard a noise and turned around, expecting a large beast to take her away. She immediately reached for the sword her father gave her, but found nothing at her side. She swallowed and looked up again… Alas! It was only a woodland creature… she didn't see the other woman keeping her distance.

Emma shook her head at her own worry and looked down. She found her shoes were not the same… and her royal garb seemed anything but. She started walking along the black road looking for something that might be useful… something to tell her where she was, but she found nothing. She started digging in her pockets for any kind of information, but found nothing.

She walked out of the 'park', whatever that was—the policewoman slowly trailing behind her—and found a bunch of brick lined cottages. She started along the street in wonder, looking at them all. She wanted one of these… they seemed nice and quaint. Just as she was about to make her way to her favorite's entrance, a voice stopped her.

"Hey!" The voice called softly into the night sky.

Emma turned around slowly, cautiously.

"What are you doing? Do you live there?"

"No… but I like it. I would like to live there… I'll just have my father make claim after I find him." She started for the door again.

"No, hey! Wait!" The policewoman ran after Emma and grabbed her arm.

"How dare you! Unhand me this instant!" Emma pulled from the woman, "Do you have any idea of whom you've touched?"

"Do you have any idea of how much trouble you're going to be in if you break into that house? I'll have to arrest you…"

"Arrest me?" Emma laughed, "You're a woman!"

The policewoman raised her brows, "And…"

"And there are no women officials… at least not where I hail from." She had to remember she wasn't in her world… things were obviously very different here..wherever Regina sent her.

"And where is it you… hail from?"

Emma opened her mouth, but then shut it, "I'm not sure I should say… Am I still under arrest?"

The woman smiled, "No… you're not under arrest. But you need to come with me. I'm gonna try to get you somewhere safe."

"Is it unsafe here? It looks quaint…"

"It can be unsafe if you don't know your way around…" The officer said then turned and stuck her hand out, "I'm Jessica."

"Emma." The blonde replied as she decided this woman was okay.

They walked back into the park to Jessica's car.

"What are those contraptions?" Emma asked as they walked by the metal torture device and the torture chain chairs.

Jessica wanted to laugh, but kept her face cool, "Those are swings… and that is a jungle gym… they are playthings for children." She explained.

Emma only nodded until Jessica stopped her in front of her patrol car, "Is it some sort of carriage?"

Jessica raised her brows, "Oh my girlfriend is so not going to believe this…" She mumbled under her breath as she opened the door for the woman… she still logically could not put together the events of the night. "Yes, it's like a carriage… here it's called a car." She shut the door and walked to her side. She got in, shut her door and turned the car on. Emma was watching with intent fascination. She watched everything the woman did… even buckle her seat belt… she mirrored that when she found she had one too. "So, Emma.. tell me about yourself… You don't need to tell me where you're from if you don't want to…"

"No it's fine… I hail from the Enchanted Forest… I am the Princess of my kingdom."

"A princess? Wow…" Jessica nodded along… she knew this woman was crazy… or maybe she was for believing her—but she saw the woman fall from the sky… fall…from the sky. She knew she should have taken her in, but something inside of her compelled her not to…

"It's actually quite boring and unimpressive… the only thing that makes it so is my parents… Who they are and what they stand for."

"And who are your parents?"

"Snow White and Prince James… Well, Prince Charming is how he's known I suppose…"

~0~0~0~0~0~

"Snow White and Prince Charming are her parents?" Erin, Jessica's girlfriend whispered harshly in the kitchen.

The both leaned over to check and see if Emma was still in their dining room, thankfully she was. She smiled and waved at them both. They both waved back then straightened back up.

"Erin… what do you want me to do? Lock her up? She won't have a chance!"

Erin shook her head, "I thought I made my rule clear on no more strays… that includes crazy people!" She grit.

"I don't think she's crazy…" Jessica bit her bottom lip, "There's one more thing I didn't mention…"

"And what is that?"

"I saw her… I saw how she wound up in the park."

"How?" Erin cocked her head in curiosity.

"A bright light came out of nowhere… like I thought it was maybe a meteor or something… but she came from the light and fell the next… I don't know how far until she hit the ground… then she popped back up and started walking around."

Erin's brows knit, "So you're saying that… what? Some magical creature got pissed off with the daughter of Snow White and Prince Charming and sent her here?"

Jessica tried to answer, but was cut off, "She wasn't just any magical creature…" Emma looked at them both as she set her mug on the counter, "She was my bride… my love." She smiled as she thought of Regina, then she swallowed and shook her head as she remembered what she had done. "I had abandoned her when she was most vulnerable, and her want for revenge took over… As soon as I realized I had made a mistake, it was too late… the curse was cast… And when I finally got to her to apologize… and to be there for her… and our son that she was birthing, she cast me here in her anger…"

"You and your bride?" Erin asked.

Emma nodded, "Indeed."

"Two women?" She continued.

"Such as yourselves.." Emma knit her brows.

"You were having a baby?"

The blonde nodded again.

"How?"

Emma knit her brows, "Um well… in my realm, it has many names, but I like to think our son was made by love…"

"Two women can do it in your realm and get pregnant?"

"Only when one is magical…" Emma provided.

"Awe, that's so cute!" Erin said.

"Are there not magical women here?" Emma asked.

"No." Both Jessica and Erin provided.

Emma only nodded, then after a moment, she looked at them both with sincerity, "Listen I ask of your help. I only ask to know how this world works, how it functions, who are the kingdom's leaders, and where are the magic people?"

~0~0~0~0~0~

"He's ten years old, Sheriff! He's not going to be 'okay'!" Regina growled at the scruffy man.

"Madam Mayor, I assure you, he will. I'm sure he's just at one of his many hideouts… You two yelled at each other, you had a fight. Let him clear his mind." Graham put an unwelcome hand on Regina's shoulder, "He'll come back when he's ready… you're his mother."

~0~0~0~0~0~

It had taken so many searches, but he finally found his other mother. He knew it was a stroke of luck. He somehow knew what city to search in for his mother… he assumed it might have been a power that Regina once had, and gave him while he was in her belly.

He tracked her down to Boston… it felt like it took ages, but he finally got there.

"I'm your son." He told her.

"Hey, wait… kid! I don't have a son!" Emma stared down at him… she saw Regina and herself and she knew she wouldn't be able to deny it again if he persisted.

"Ten years ago.. did you and your wife have a baby?" Henry asked. Emma stopped completely, "I'm him." He said as he sat down.

Emma stared at him, tears came to her eyes as she swallowed hard, "You are so big!" She whispered out and hugged him, "What did she name you?"

"Henry."

"Henry… after her father." Emma nodded and hugged him again, "She doesn't… talk about me, does she?"

Henry looked at her seriously, "Emma… the curse was much more than anyone could know… She doesn't remember you… She's created some sort of story in her head that she believes… She thinks that I had a father and his name was Daniel… but he left town just before I was born."

Emma cocked her head, "And how do you know different?"

"Because I just do… I'm obviously right… You know me… I know you see both you and her in me… I do too. She'll remember once she sees you I know it!" He said insistently, "We have to go! Please. You don't know how miserable it's been!"

~0~0~0~0~0~

Seeing Regina again was like falling in love all over again… it was also like being stabbed in the heart… Regina had no idea who she was… what upset her the most was how upset Henry was.

She had eventually calmed him and told him that this was just something that was going to take time… and eventually he gave in. He hugged her and told her that at least she was here.

Regina had no idea what to think as she let Emma inside her home that first night…there was something familiar about her but she couldn't place it. She didn't know if she was going to like this or hate it.

~0~0~0~0~0~

Regina tried to rid the woman of her town many, many times, but for some reason the damned frustrating woman wouldn't leave. She walked into the Sheriff's Station after making sure that Graham had in fact gone on that hunting trip he had asked to go on for the last ten years. She strut in, coat over her shoulder, and as always, exuding her arrogant confidence.

She found Emma… the deputy—She had to roll her eyes at that—eat a bear claw… she had to roll her eyes at that too, "Deputy Swan."

Emma turned around, mouth full, "Madam Mayor." She greeted with a cheery face, "What a pleasant surprise."

"Mhmm." Regina took the woman in, "You have…" She looked around and gave Emma a napkin, "Here." She shook her head.

"Oh, thank you." Emma wiped her mouth and hands, "What can I do you for?" She asked consciously taking a step closer to the brunette.

Regina took a step back, "Do you mind?"

"Mind what?" Emma grinned.

"Not getting in my personal space?" Regina insisted, "You always do that!" She invaded Emma's as she let the frustration take her for a moment.

"And you don't?" Emma asked with a gesture to how close Regina was to her.

The brunette only glowered. She stared into Emma's eyes, "You like it when I get in your space…. You get off on it."

"Are you saying that you don't get off when I get in yours?" Emma's voice lowered an octave as she pushed off her desk and started walking them across the room, "Are you saying that you don't like it when I'm this close to you? Are you saying that you don't get turned on when you think I'm going to kiss you?"

"Who says I think you're going to kiss me?"

"Would you not like it if I did?" Emma put her hand to the side of Regina's head against the wall and put her weight to one foot. "Tell me you wouldn't. Tell me how much you would hate me if I pressed against you right now and kissed those perfect fucking lips of yours. Tell me you wouldn't writhe beneath my touch as I started shedding your clothes. And tell me that you wouldn't come all the way undone the second I touched you where no one else but yourself has touched you in a good ten years."

Regina swallowed a couple times. She wanted to come back at the blonde, but she had absolutely nothing. "Oh fuck it!" She huffed out as she grabbed Emma's neck and pulled her to her. Their lips met in a heated kiss at first it was glorious, and then she jumped slightly as the wave after wave of memory, both happy and painful came back to her.

She pulled from Emma, but the blonde just moved her kisses to her neck, "God, Regina…" Emma whispered out, "You have no idea how long I've wanted this…"

"You are why I am in so much pain… you're the hole I cannot fill." Regina pushed her away.

"Regina I—"

"NO! You! You… I hate you!" Regina tried to walk passed her, but Emma stepped in front of her.

"Well, I love you!" She looked deep into her eyes, "I should have stayed… I just couldn't… I couldn't process it all, alright! Well, I've had ten damn years to process it… I've been completely isolated from my family and friends… and it's time we start making up for it!"

"Why do you get to ride in this town on your high horse and get everything you want? Why do you have no fault?"

"I'm not saying I don't have fault, darling… I'm saying that it's about time we get this family up and running the way it should…" Emma took Regina's face in her hand and rubbed her cheek with her thumb, "I will never ask you to get along with my mother… but I will ask you to give me another chance… to let me prove my love for you again… I have done nothing but pine for you for ten and a half years…"

Regina shook her head. She couldn't listen to this… this bullshit… not after all these years, "NO! I hate you! Don't touch me!" She cried at the blonde before shoving passed her and walking to the door.

It was the second time Emma had heard those words… the first time she lost her love and what seemed like her life because she couldn't move… this time, she would move. She sprinted after Regina, grabbed her upper arm and turned her around. She brought the woman's lips to her once more, and try as Regina might, she stopped resisting almost immediately and melted into her long lost wife.

"I still hate you for leaving me…" Regina said as Emma pressed her forehead against hers.

"I hate me too…" Emma conceded.

"I wouldn't have cursed the forest… or…" She got choked up. "Kill…"

Emma knew what she was going to say… her son told her what she had done to enact the curse. She kissed Regina's forehead, "I know." She held her tight, "I know."

"It's your fault."

"I don't dispute."

After about ten more minutes of just holding each other and sway gently every so often, Regina spoke once more, "He looks like us both."

Emma smiled and looked down, "I know, my darling… He's got your brains and wit."

"And your family's charm…"

"He does have that." She gave a cocky, charming smile.

Regina hit her, "Why have I already forgiven you?"

"Because you know that you will be able to drag my punishment out, and whenever I get angry in the future you will only need remind me of this… you'll be able to hold it over me…. I'll be at your will, and you like that…"

"You love it." Regina looked at her love.

Emma grinned and nodded, "But most importantly… we are each other's true love, and we have to have a happily ever after… it's the rules… That's one of the first things I learned when I first landed in this land.. I learned that our people's stories in this world get their happily ever afters… that and what a park is."