Who thought paint could save them?

Chapter 4

Emma is walking passed the school to the station, but hears Henry calling after her, "Emma! Hey, Emma!"

Emma turns to him and smiles brightly, "Hey kid!" Then she gives him a look, "What are you doing outside?" She looks up and sees Mary Margaret, who was moved up to seventh grade the year before, outside with the rest of his class. She waves at her roommate then silently asks for a couple minutes with him. Mary Margaret only nods and turns back to her class.

Henry turns back to Emma from looking at his teacher as well, "Emma, I think something is wrong... I don't want you to get hurt! And I don't want Mom to either... Please..." He clearly doesn't know what he wants her to do or not do.

"Henry... I'm fine... I'm not gonna get hurt. Your mom is fine too... besides, I'm pretty sure she can handle herself, alright?" She gives him a look, telling him she's not sure what he needs from her.

"No, Emma..." he pulls her down, "I think people are going to be getting their memories back soon..." Emma knits her brows and leans closer, "And I'm sure that Mom is positive they are..." He takes a breath, "Emma, I'm worried about her!"

Emma knelt down to one knee and looked up at him, "Henry... I know you like your Mom now, but... In order for me to know the real facts... Kid, I need to know something." He nods, "Do you love your mom?" He stares at her, "Henry..."

Henry has tears in his eyes as he nods, "Yeah."

"Alright." She smiles at him, "Then... when people start getting their memories back, you and me are going to have to do our damndest to make sure that she's protected. We're all she's got. We are the only two who love her." He nods and wipes his eyes, embarrassed that he let the tears fall, "You okay?" he nods again. "Alright then, Kid. Go on back with your class." He dives in to hug her and she holds him with everything she's got. "Go, go. I'm meeting your mom at the station..."

Emma walks into the station and hears her lover's voice after she shuts the door, "Emma... Darling, lock the door."

Emma turns to see Regina sitting in a chair in one of the cells. She gives her a dirty smirk, "Well, my, my baby, I didn't know you were into role-play... I would have gotten us in on this the second night be made love..." She winks as she locks the door and starts to walk saucily over to Regina, "But honestly, honey, you couldn't come up with anything more imaginative than the 'Sherriff and the prisoner'?"

Emma looks at Regina's face and senses the seriousness of the room, "What's going on?" She sees that Regina is holding the only two sets of keys to the cells... Regina's skeleton set of keys to the town, and Emma's set. She looks down at her belt to find that sure enough, they were gone, "Regina... Why did you lock yourself in jail?"

"How long have we been together?" Regina looks up at Emma.

"Two months..."

"Remember our first date?" Regina asks her. Emma nods and grins, "Remember what you asked me during dessert and I told you that you would know soon?" Emma nods slowly, "Well, I need to tell you while it's still early in this relationship... while it's still 'soon'... and while there's still time for you to break it off."

"Regina, come on..." Emma grabs onto the bars, "Let yourself out of there and come here..."

"Emma will you sit down please?" Regina gestures to the chair she brought from the desk in the open area.

Emma turns around to see the chair, but something else catches her attention... the painting from two months ago. It's the one she had been working on the night she learned of the shed and of Regina's insane talent with spray paint. She reaches out and touches it...touches her own painted face, traces her finger over the now textured part that was a scrape on her face from something. She touches the sword that Regina painted her with defending... a baby in her arm.