2. A Child's Faith

Regina sat up in the bed and looked at David.

"So are you going to tell me what's wrong with Miss Swan or what?"

David had his arms crossed, "Why do you even care?"

"I don't," Regina shot back, "but Henry does and given the fact that your wife just saved me I have to start accepting the fact, as hard as it may be, that we are family so if there's something wrong with Emma I should at least know about it."

David looked at the woman. Despite all that their families had gone through with each other they were family and most likely Regina would find out one way or another.

To make a point David chose his words carefully but enough to put Regina in her place. "Henry's father is gone."

Regina sat up a little more despite feeling weak. "What do you mean gone?"

David shrugged, "Emma says Tamara killed him. I don't know the whole story. She won't talk about it."

A sadness and realization sunk into Regina's eyes. "What's this going to do to Henry?"

"What's what going to do to me?"

David and Regina turned to see Henry walk over. They hadn't even heard the door open. Regina looked at David. It would have been so easy for her to be the one to break the news to her son. She would have done that in the past but given all that she had recently been through, all that the Charmings had risked for her she owed them at least that much to keep her mouth shut.

Henry noticed the look on their faces. "Gramps what's going on? Where's my mom, where's Emma?"

"She's upstairs," David replied.

Henry placed his bag down and began making his way to the steps.

"Woah, woah," said David. "Henry hold up," he said leaving Regina's bedside and coming to Henry.

Henry stopped and turned to David, "What's wrong?"

David placed a hand on Henry's shoulder, "Mary Margaret is upstairs with her. Your mom isn't doing too well Henry. Something happened today."

The boy's eyes lit up, "Did she do it did she find Tamara?"

"Yeah kid she did but something happened, something bad. Neal was with her."

Henry searched the small apartment. "Then if he was with Emma where is he, why isn't he here?"

David turned to look at Regina. He wanted to stall as long as possible, to spare the boy the pain but he was going to face it soon enough. Something like this couldn't be hidden. Regina gave David a sympathetic nod and David returned his attention back to Henry.

"Your dad's gone Henry. Tamara…she…she…"

Henry looked at David and tears started to well in his eyes. He backed away and kept shaking his head.

He quickly raced up the stairs yelling "Mom" as he went.

As Emma heard Henry come up she sat up and turned to sit on the edge of the bed.

Henry saw his grandmother in the room but paid attention to Emma.

"It's not true right?" Henry asked. "Dad's not gone."

Emma wiped her tears and took a quick breath. She had to be strong for him. Though she hadn't said it she had made a silent vow to Neal saying that she would be there for their son. He wouldn't lose both his parents and grow up the way they did. She knew that mourning Neal was far from over but at least for now she could gather up whatever strength she had. Henry had all ready lost her father she would not let him lose her too to a common human illness like depression.

She stood up and walked over to Henry. Mary Margaret sat on the bed and watched the two.

From the look in her eyes Henry feared that it was true.

"Mom?"

"I'm so sorry Henry."

"No. I don't get it dad was fine what happened?"

Emma looked at Mary Margaret and then back at Henry. "Let's take this downstairs."

Though Emma was nowhere near ready to tell her family what happened she figured telling the story all at once would be easier than telling it separately.

Henry walked ahead of Emma and down the stairs followed by his mom and grandmother. David turned at the sound of their footsteps and Regina struggled to get out of bed. She was still weak but she didn't want to look it.

Emma nodded, "Glad you're okay," she said to Regina.

"Thanks," Regina replied. "Wish I could say the same."

Emma placed a hand on Henry's shoulder. "Come on Henry, let's sit down."

"Are you going to tell me what happened now?"

"Yeah kid I am."

"We'll leave you two alone," said David.

"No," Emma said raising her voice slightly more than she had intended. "I want you to hear it, all of you," she said directing some of that attention to Regina.

They all took a seat at the table including Regina, grabbing a stool from the bar counter.

Emma brought her hand up to her chest playing with the swan that wasn't there. She longed to have it now, she longed to have something physical that belonged to Neal and it's not like she could exactly do this in the bug. She did her best to hold back her tears.

"I was right about Tamara, Henry. We looked for her in the warehouse and your dad was with me. Tamara snuck up on us. I was knocked out for a bit but when I came to we fought. Henry, your dad was shot."

"That doesn't mean he's dead," Henry said trying to think of something to justify it.

"I know and I'm getting to that." She looked up at her parents, "Tamara had one of the beans," and then she turned back to Henry. "It created a portal. I was dangling from a pipe and it started to give way just like the floorboards." Emma reached for her son's hand and held them for a minute. Emma could feel her eyes get blurry as tears began to well up. She blinked them away and continued. "Your dad was a real hero Henry. He was injured but he saved me. I was about to take him to a hospital but the floorboards cracked more. Neal slipped and I held onto him, I really did. I would have gone with him to but-," Emma couldn't bring herself to finish her sentence.

"But what," Henry asked wondering what it was that had stopped her.

"You," she said with a weak smile. "We couldn't let you grow up without us, not again."

Henry looked down, "You sacrificed your true love for me," he said in understanding.

"Henry, I-," Emma said not knowing what else to say.

Henry just smiled, "You can stop denying it. I know you loved dad and I know he loved you too. I'm not an idiot you know, I know what love looks like."

Emma just shook her head, "Are you sure you belong to me and Neal?"

"I'm smart and I'm sneaky. I'm pretty sure that runs in the family. We'll get him back you know."

Now Emma was really confused, "What?"

"Dad, we'll get him back."

"Sweetie," said Regina, "I don't think Neal is coming back."

"Yes he is," Henry shot back.

Emma looked at her son, "Henry did you just-,"

"I heard what you said," Henry said finishing for her, "but that doesn't mean anything. Dad was shot okay but that doesn't mean he's dead. Whatever world he ends up in I'm sure he can be healed and dad has world jumped before."

"Henry we don't know that," said Emma.

Part of her wanted to have faith in Henry's endless optimism but her heart was still too broken to consider any other options at the moment.

Henry got up from the table and went to his backpack. "Dad's alive!" he said as he rushed upstairs.

Emma and her family could only sigh. Regina came and took Henry's place at the table.

"Give him time," Mary Margaret said placing a hand on Emma's.

Emma raised her eyebrow, "Have you met my son?" she asked being sarcastic.

"She's right," said Regina. "Henry won't let this go. Once he gets it into his head that something is true he has a tendency to seek it out to the end," she said glancing over at Emma.

"So what do we do," David asked.

Emma took a breath and looked at no one in particular. "We take control of the situation. If Henry believes that Neal is still alive that's only going to put him in danger and we can't have that with Tamara and Greg still out there so we find them."

"And we make them pay," said Regina.

For once Emma didn't disagree with the woman. Tamara had played them from the beginning and Emma knew it. She owed August who had died trying to warn them and more importantly she owed Neal. Tamara had used Neal to get to magic, had tricked him into loving her, had hurt him and Emma wasn't about to let her get away with that.

This was her town, her family, and no one was going to stand in the way of that.

To Be Continued in Part 2 of the

'I Need You Series'