Once Upon a Time 1. Chapter 1

**Prompt?! The 'new' curse was cast and Emma has to break it and the only to do it is by kissing Regina (true love and stuff) but Regina doesn't remember her or Henry. Something like that**

* * *

"Henry c'mon," she tried as she sat in front of his closed bedroom door, "we knew it wasn't going to be easy…"

She fell back but managed to catch herself by placing her palms on the ground to hold herself up when his door opened suddenly, he paid no mind to her back hitting his legs and she could only supress a gasp at the sight of his face. His eyes were red and puffed from the obvious amount of crying he had done in the last hour, tear tracks still glistened down his sore looking cheeks and he looked completely defeated.

Emma stood quickly and frowned sympathetically at him, she had been worrying about their return from the moment she had drank the potion, if Hook would have told her the complete truth of what had happened she most likely wouldn't have been able to do it…she wouldn't have been able to face what was waiting here for her if she knew. "Look I understand-"

"No!" he practically roared effectively cutting her off, "no you don't understand, she has never looked at me like that, it's like I wasn't even there! She just…looked right through me" he began sobbing once more but pushed at the arms Emma attempted to place around him, "even when I told her I hated her, even when I told her she wasn't my real mom…she never ever looked at me like she did today and I just…I can't!"

She attempted to talk again, to soothe him but once more he cut her off once more, "why did you make me drink it? Why did you bring me back here?! She doesn't even know me!" he practically screamed, "at least before I didn't remember her, at least I didn't know what I was missing!"

"Henry, please I didn't think-"

"No because you don't think do you! You don't think of anyone but yourself!" and with that he slammed the door leaving a bemused and severely guilt ridden Emma left standing in the hallway simply staring at the splintering wood. She didn't hear the sound of footsteps until the elderly woman rounded the corner with nothing but a polite smile on her face, no recognition of the blonde and none of the usual fire dancing within stern eyes…Granny had returned to being the dowdy owner of a diner and a B&B, it was only 18 months ago that the woman had been brandishing a crossbow and warding off evil.

"Is everything okay dear?" she asked whilst looking back and forth between the young woman and the door.

She smiled tightly in response before taking a steadying breath, "yeah…just a little family disagreement, that's all"

The woman nodded her understanding; after all she was having to deal with the sullen Ruby once more…that hurt more than it should have. The young brunette had been somewhat of a good friend to Emma and now had

no recollection of her…this sucked.

"Okay well your payment has cleared, you're all set until the beginning of next month…" she explained handing Emma's credit card back to her, "just out of curiosity, how long do you think you will be staying with us?"

Now that was something the blonde had absolutely no idea about, days, weeks, months? "As long as it takes…"

* * *

_"And you just expect me to drink this?" she asked with a raised eyebrow, this had most certainly been the strangest few days of her life…at least she thought it was…but when she thought of the ludicrousness of the situation, it didn't seem to feel that surreal, it felt normal almost welcomed…she'd always had a need for some sort of excitement in her life, she was naturally curious, something Henry had most definitely inherited from her, normalcy was not something she envied or valued, it was something she had attempted to avoid all of her life and looking at the scruffy, self-proclaimed 'pirate' before her, she could say with some certainty that she had succeeded._

_He rolled his eyes, the light of the room glinting from his metal hook every time he twitched his wrist. "No love, if I know anything about you then I can say with complete confidence that you will not just drink it because I told you to…it will be because you want to"_

_"And why exactly would I want to do that, Captain Hook?" she couldn't help the mocking tone that entered her voice upon addressing him as something so ridiculous, he most certainly had some sort of character disillusions but she would play along for now…there was something niggling in the back of her mind as she watched him, watched the way he flirted with her yet shot straight back to serious within seconds…he knew how to talk to her, how to get under her skin and as much as it was disconcerting, it felt familiar, it felt as if they had done this dance before…plus she couldn't see any dishonesty within his eyes, his gaze was unfaltering as she stared at him._

_He merely shrugged in response, he was good she would give him that; she did want to drink it if not only to prove him wrong but perhaps…to prove him right?_

_She had felt it, for so long now; she had felt the certain emptiness that lay within her memories. It always felt as though she was watching a reel of someone else's life and she had just been superimposed onto the film. She was there, she could see it but she couldn't feel it…couldn't smell or taste the memories as she could those of her childhood. She could still smell the piss stained hallways of her first foster home, taste the desperation and despair in the air that stuck to every kid like a second skin as they prayed nightly to be taken away somewhere nice, to be free from the shackles of abandonment and begin to feel the type of things they saw portrayed in shitty lifetime movies where the parents would find the kids after some sort of misunderstanding and gush about how much they had always loved them and searched so hard to find them._

_Bullshit…but then…no, as a teenager, as a young woman…she had held so much bitterness for the two that had abandoned her on the side of the street…the parents that hadn't wanted her and let her fall into the shithole that was the foster system yet now…now she couldn't do it, she couldn't feel the anger she once had….it was gone and when it had changed she couldn't tell._

_It was these thoughts that allowed her hand to remain around the flask, to tap her fingers against the cool metal…there was another for Henry, one that she was supposed to slip into his drink once he had returned home from school…like that was going to happen._

_The man, Killian he had called himself, didn't seem to be here with malicious intent…in fact, there was a certain fondness shining in his eyes as he watched her debate her decision. If this really was some kind of ploy for whatever reason, who would look after Henry should something happen to her? There was no one, there never had been…but there it was again…the feelings as if that wasn't actually true, that there had been someone, there had been people who cared…strange._

_She could always just reject the man once again, knowing he'd come back once more as he had done every time, but Emma Swan had always been one to act on her instincts and her instincts were screaming at her to drink the liquid…so she did._

_The room spun as she fell towards the ground, strong arms caught her but she could focus on nothing but the images flashing through her mind at a frantic speed._

_A clock, a big white house, a Dalmatian, a diner labelled as Granny's, a little apartment…it felt like home…it was home! Mary Margaret…Snow White, Prince Charming, her parents! A cloud of purple smoke, a beanstalk, a giant, a diamond trigger, a boat, a boy…Neverland! Coming home, a shadow, a change…a green cloud chasing them slowly turning to purple…and then black._

* * *

She had almost tackled Killian to the ground upon regaining consciousness, he had been expecting a kiss but we don't all get what we want. The past year had been nothing but a lie, the memories of raising Henry had been tampered with to replace the woman who had raised him with her…to rectify her biggest regret and it had been her supposed enemy who had done it…the same woman who couldn't even remember her own son…couldn't remember her…

She had questioned Killian about his retained memories, how had he kept his when all others had been affected by the new curse? He was a complete enigma, he only spoke of a confidant from their land who had helped vastly and would continue to help from the outside until the time came for them to reveal themselves…okay then.

He had briefed both mother and son about how things were going to be upon their return, Emma had lived through it before whereas Henry hadn't and as much as they had tried to tell him not to get his hopes up in the slightest and as much as he had tried to prepare himself, nothing could have prepared him for the moment he was able to reunite with his adoptive mother…

* * *

_"Emma" he whispered as they moved along the street, the town hadn't changed, the curse had restored what had been taken, well everything except for memories but that would follow soon if Emma had anything to do with it, true loves kiss was fated to break it and that is exactly what she was going to do…and she knew exactly who her true love was, she was currently walking on the opposite side of the street looking as simply breath taking as ever…if only Emma had noticed it before._

_He was tugging insistently on her arm, his fixed gaze on the brunette meant that he hadn't seen the longing mirrored in green eyes, "I know kid, I see her…I know you want to talk to her but-" and he was gone, walking across the street to talk to the woman who had no idea who he was._

_Emma couldn't well chase after him and drag him away, that would look completely suspicious, so she did the only thing she could, she followed him._

_"Hi," he breathed as he stepped onto the pavement and in front of the older woman stopping her in her tracks, Emma was apprehensive about this…she didn't know if Regina remembered ever being the Evil Queen or what she was truly like without all of that to hold her down, all of the hate to fuel her fury…what was the real Regina Mills actually like?_

_The woman's dark eyes widened in surprise at the sight of the boy, she had been lost in her own little world, something that happened quite frequently these days…or for as long as she could remember if she was being completely honest. The young boy looked nice enough, his clothes were well made, his hair nicely trimmed around inquisitive eyes so she smiled for the first time in what had been a while._

_"Hello, can I help you?"_

_This cut him more than he had thought, no matter how much he tried not to he had created some kind of idea that upon seeing him, just one look could break the curse on her mind…he couldn't have been more wrong. There was kindness within her familiar brown eyes but nothing more, no love; no unadulterated adoration shining for him, there was nothing…_

_"I…uh…" Emma could see he was beginning to drown in the shock and rejection he was feeling, she could see it in the way his shoulders automatically slumped. She should have known, he didn't have the heart of the truest believer for nothing…in a way she had almost convinced her own self that just one look would do it but no, there was something more at play here and she was most definitely going to find out what it was._

_"Henry? Oh boy, don't do that again to me son!" she cried as though she had been chasing him around the whole town, "I'm sorry ma'am, is he bothering you?" she almost flinched at the lack of emotion within Regina's eyes, she had never seen the woman in such a way, utterly defeated and devoid of anything…it was a terrible thing to see._

_The brunette shook her head vigorously whilst shooting a small smile back at the blonde, "no, no of course not…are you new here?" she tilted her head to the side in confusion as if such a thing was shocking…then Emma realized, if this curse was the same as the original then it was shocking, no one was supposed to be able to find the town unless they knew where it was and she certainly did._

_"Oh uhm yeah, we just drove in today," she smiled, "complete strangers, not a clue where anything is…" she was rambling for reasons unknown._

_Regina's eyebrows raised as she waited for the woman to stop talking, "well, I'd be happy to show you around some time" she surprised herself with the offer, she wasn't a sociable person to begin with yet she was willing to give a complete stranger a tour of the town?_

_Emma smiled warmly, Henry still stuck in his own little world of denial whilst his mother's chatted as if they were meeting for the first time, well for Regina…they were._

_"I may take you up on that," was she flirting? She couldn't help but smile at the blush her comment received…did Regina like her flirting?_

_"Very well, until we meet again then Miss?"_

_"Emma" she had to stop herself from shouting, she would not be known as Miss Swan again, not after all of the progress they had made during their time in Neverland, "I'm Emma and this is my son Henry"_

_"Well then Emma," she noticed the shiver that ran through the blonde at the sound of her name, "Henry," she smiled warmly at the slightly strange but somewhat endearingly sweet boy, "I hope to see you again soon, my name is Regina by the way" she called as she began down the path once more, both sets of eyes watching as she walked._

_Emma gave a nod in response and took Henry by the shoulders and led him towards Granny's, all completely unaware of the dangerous set of blue eyes watching every move made by the mother and son combo…this would not do._

* * *

_**Should I continue?**_


	2. Chapter 2

"_Kid?..." she called tentatively, Henry's head remaining still on her lap not doing anything to alleviate her suspicion of Hook's plan. Sure he had brought back her memories and was apparently still in love with her; not the most comfortable of situations to be in, but a lot had changed in the past year…maybe even his allegiances. Something terrible had happened to her family and friends, the people she had left behind almost a year ago and now it was up to her once again, up to the saviour to once again make things right and it wasn't fair! _

_She had literally been awakened from her blissful state of ignorance to go and save their asses once more! How exactly had they coped before her?! It was ridiculous and once she had sorted things, once she had saved them and vanquished whatever big bad it was this time, if she could vanquish it, she was going to be having a serious talk with everyone. _

"_Mo-mom?" came a small voice from below her, Henry's body had shifted slightly in order for him to look up at her, his eyes widened as the images flashed before his eyes once more, he shot up and out of her grasp. "Oh my God, oh…oh my God!" the reaction was exactly the same as hers had been, "we need to find them, we need to save them Emma!" it was then he actually turned to her in the same pyjamas from that morning, adhering to the illusion of family that his adoptive mother had created, had given them…the memories that had come from her own mind yet contained a blonde rather than a brunette, he knew it now but did Emma? "You…you do remember right?" _

_She smiled warmly, though it didn't reach her worried eyes, as she stood from her place on the ground. Her hand moved to brush his hair from his eyes, a gesture that had seemed so natural to her only hours ago yet now? Now it just felt so forced and fake because it was, it was something that belonged to one woman and one woman alone. "Yeah Henry," she sighed deeply brushing invisible dust from her pyjama bottoms, "I remember"_

* * *

That had been the beginning, the start of their new 'mission', as Henry had already taken to referring to it, although coming up with an actual name for it had been pushed to the back of his mind when thoughts of his adoptive mother had come into his mind.

Their relationship had strengthened in the small amount of time they had together, it was cruel and unfair that he had only been able to see just how much she truly did love him and had changed for short bursts in both Neverland and Storybrooke…tiny moments in which she had allowed her walls to crumble in front of others just because she thought that Henry didn't need her anymore, just because she had allowed her desire for him to want her, to love her cloud her judgement and mistake Pan for her own son. The hurt and despair he had glimpsed in dark eyes had been the breaking point for him, the first time in 2 years, since he had gotten the book, which he could see it again, the love shining so clearly.

And now he was here, curled up in a ball on his bed wishing he could see it just one more time. She had smiled upon seeing him but it wasn't the same, it wasn't the expression full of love, fear, hope and sheer happiness that his presence normally garnered from her…it was a polite smile from a nice enough woman…it wasn't his mom.

He felt a little bad for leaving Emma stranded outside of the room, he had bustled passed her as soon as Granny, who didn't know who she or they were, handed over the keys and slammed the door in his mother's face…a little overdramatic and completely not what the situation needed right now, he could see how much the blonde was hurting also, Ruby's lack of recognition had hit her hard…but he had lost his mother, his last real memories had been of her collapsing, her tears as she said goodbye and her look of despair as the car rolled away and the green cloud, slowly turning purple, engulfed them taking away the only home he had ever known in the process. It was too much for him to handle after everything that had happened.

The soft knocking came again, it had been happening periodically for the last hour yet he hadn't moved an inch, he couldn't face her, he couldn't see his own hopelessness mirrored in her eyes, he couldn't hear the forced optimism in her voice telling him that all would be okay because it wouldn't…it couldn't…how could it?!

He was emotionally drained and felt his eyes beginning to drop as sleep tried to pull him into its inky depths, tomorrow Emma had agreed to meet with Regina again…well, the walking shell that Regina currently was. Tomorrow he was going to have to go through all of these feelings again though they would be prolonged and strengthened for every second he remains in her presence, for every glance he shoots her way to find his mother still had not returned no matter how hard he wished otherwise…they needed to save her, they needed to bring her back.

* * *

_Her back ached as she lifted herself from the ground, she had no idea how long she had been lying there but guessed it to be no longer than normal. The voice was there still, the hum of laughter echoing throughout the darkness as it had for…well, for as long as she could remember. A face always seemed to be just out of her reach, it was there yet remained hidden behind some kind of veil, a distortion spell no doubt, one for the purpose of suspending reality until the caster deemed fit for their reveal. It was quite theatrical in execution, waiting for the right moment to swoop in. _

_The only reason she could think of the need for such dramatics was the element of surprise, they wanted to shock her, wanted to catch her off-guard which led her to strongly believe that it was someone she knew. For a moment she had suspected her mother, could the woman do such a thing from beyond the grave? It wouldn't surprise her, but no, Cora had never been one for such mundane and rather childish activities. She enjoyed the instant fear that crossed her victim's eyes, especially if that person was her daughter. This was someone else. _

_Regina could sense the power, could feel the thrum of darkness that had always been so intoxicating to her, willing her to drink it in, to let herself become inebriated on the sheer thrill of it but she couldn't…not with her son now in danger, not now that they were back in their realm. She didn't know how she had come to be here, nor did she care. _

_The beatings and lashings were instantaneous though she received no reason for why, normally an attacker liked their victim to know why they were receiving such punishment, dared them to rebuke their statements but none had been given to the brunette and no questions had left her lips…not a sound had, after all, she was practised in the art of torture, both giving and receiving. She knew the thrill of a scream, the satisfaction of a pathetic whimper; she knew it all too well and that fact alone turned her stomach. _

_She had been far too gone in those moments, too lost in the darkness and her thirst for vengeance to truly see what she was doing, to allow the still innocent glimmer in her heart to stop herself from falling even further. She was clearly paying now, though something told her this wasn't a simple act of revenge, it was something else, someone else…someone as calculating as she had been in her height of power, possibly even colder…she needed to discover who though. _

_Regina's heart had nearly leapt from her chest when a shimmer of light had appeared through the usually never-ending darkness, it had grown and brought with it the sight of her town, her creation. The familiarity of it tugged at her heart, she hadn't understood just how much she had come to love the place until the second curse had been cast. To see it now, in all of its former beauty was breath taking, it was enough to allow her a few minutes of forgetting, of relief from the constant pain she had been forced to endure. _

_The scene seemed to be moving around the town as if a camera panning along, she caught glimpses of faces, Leroy…he looked to be inebriated as his legs struggled to keep him upright as he stumbled along the pavement. Kathryn, the face of her 'friend', the face of a woman she hadn't seen for a long time came into view slowly, her arm around another's. Regina's breath caught in her throat as his face came into view, David's…what? _

_Her eyes widened as she watched Mary Margaret scurrying past in the same way that the brunette had scowled at many times in the past during the time of the curse…they were back, the curse was back…what did that mean? Who could have done this? Rumple was dead, he had died in order to save them from the wrath of his father…who else had the power to do such a thing? _

_Her thoughts were cut short at the sight of a pair she knew should not be there…Emma and Henry…had they been pulled back here by the curse somehow? No…she had made sure, she had cut all of their ties with the town when she had implanted her own memories into the blonde's psyche…what was going on? _

_She could feel something now, a tugging sensation in her lower abdomen as she watched her son…no, Emma's son now, she fought to swallow the lump rising within her throat, whispering animatedly whilst looking at something across the street. Again the sight panned to reveal the subject of their focus…her! _

"_Oh my god," she breathed as she watched Henry powering towards…her body? A clone of her? Some sort of mirage? What the hell was it because it sure as hell wasn't her! She was here, her mind was here, her heart…her heart was definitely here…she couldn't hear the conversation but she could see the emptiness in the eyes of the cursed Regina…could feel the breaking of her heart at the look of complete longing and devastation in not one set of eyes…but two, although the blonde was skilled at hiding the emotion, it was still there just as it was in Henry's. _

'Henry…Henry, I'm here please don't be sad" _she willed out as if he would be able to hear her, _'Please Henry don't be sad…I love you!' _Nothing, she watched as Emma smiled warmly at her, the cursed woman smiling back though with nothing behind her eyes, no emotions, no nothing and that was exactly what her son was focusing on. He had always been perceptive, had always known that her eyes were what gave her away; she just hoped Emma did too. They had been in enough arguments, lied about their feelings to one another for so long that surely the woman, the apparent human lie-detector, could tell. She hoped for her son's sake at least, that she could…otherwise, without the Saviour on the other side trying to help…Regina was sure what she was going to do. _

_A sharp whip to her, already bloodied, back brought her attention away from the screen almost biting through her tongue in her rehearsed attempts to stop from crying out. The time had come, the light had faded, her eyes closed now as she lowered herself to the ground in feigned resignation. She would let them believe they were winning, let them think that they were breaking her but with every crack and tear in her skin, with every hum of laughter she could sense within the air, her strength only grew, her desire to survive only doubled and with the new knowledge of her son and Emma's return her resolve only grew…she would make it back to them, she would make it back to her family. _


End file.
