Reset

"Having regrets?" Gold asked her as he looked started to pour a dark silver liquid into small vials.

"No, of course not," Regina bristled, "at least I won't once you've done your part."

Gold paused mid-pour and looked up at Regina, "which I am doing right now," he protested.

Regina took a sip of her tea and looked away from him.

"You know, it would just be easier to forget the boy entirely, then you'd be able to create the potion yourself," Gold commented with a sigh.

"I don't want to forget him, just.." Regina searched for the right word, "dim.. my feelings for him."

"It's a fine line, Dearie," Gold commented as he continued to pour the potion into the vials.

"Yes, one you clearly misjudged before, that initial swill you gave me had very little effect," Regina snapped.

"It should have been enough," Gold pointed out, "but this will do the job, I have doubled the dose so your feelings shall be suitably.. diminished."

Regina nodded regally, "and the other matter?"

"In hand, you may want to prepare.. whatever it is you need to prepare.." Gold shrugged as he lowered the larger bottle and began putting stoppers into the vials and placing them in the aluminium briefcase.

"It's all in hand," Regina whispered as she sipped some more tea.

Gold nodded and closed the lid of the briefcase and locked it, "one potion a day, no more," he explained, "or you really might forget him entirely."

Regina placed her teacup and saucer down on the table and stood up and approached the workbench and held out her hand to take the briefcase. Gold held it slightly away from her, "if you feel it's not working then come back to me, don't take two."

Regina reached forward and snatched the case, "of course, I'm not a fool!"

Gold nodded and indicated the paperwork with his eyes, "do you want your copy now?"

Regina looked at the folder with contempt, "do what you wish with it," she sneered as she left via the back door.

Chapter 5

Trying to keep a secret from Henry was usually impossible, especially when you were entrusting a secret to a group of fairy tale characters. However Henry was so preoccupied by Operation Cobra that Emma and Mary Margaret had had plenty of time to arrange for Henry's surprise birthday party at Granny's diner.

On the morning of his birthday the Charming's had given him his birthday cards and presents from them and then packed him off to school, promising him that Mary Margaret would cook a special stew for him that evening. Henry hated stew but he smiled gratefully as he waved goodbye and made his way towards the school bus.

Emma had spent most of the afternoon setting up a superhero birthday party in Granny's with Ruby and David. Henry still didn't have that many friends and therefore it had been decided to invite the whole town to completely fill out the diner.

"Have you heard from Regina?" David asked as he stood on top of a ladder to hang a bespoke printed birthday banner with Henry's name and the faces of his favourite superheroes.

Emma shook her head, "no, not seen her, I went to the house a couple of times but she was out."

"I saw her a couple of times yesterday," Ruby said.

"How did she seem?" Emma asked.

Ruby shrugged, "like Regina.."

"Gee, thanks, Ruby," Emma laughed.

Ruby made a face and quickly turned away, causing Emma to pause in her counting of paper Hulk cups and look at the brunette, "what?"

"Nothing," Ruby shrugged again.

"No, there's something," Emma pressed, "what is it, Ruby?"

Ruby turned to face Emma with a wince, "she.. she seemed happy. She was smiling, saying hello to people, she even called me Ruby and not Spot the Dog.."

Emma looked unhappy and Granny quickly added, "it was probably a fluke, nothing to do with Henry.."

"Actually," David said from the top of the ladder, "I saw her the other day too.."

"Let me guess, she was doing cartwheels at the park?" Emma asked, "wait, why did you see her?"

David climbed down the ladders with a tense expression, "I.. kinda went to talk to her about Henry.."

Emma closed her eyes and leaned on the counter before looking up at him, "and I'm hearing about this now?"

"It wasn't a big deal," David promised, "I just.. Henry's been talking about her being up to something so I just wanted to talk to her.."

"And?" Emma pushed.

"She didn't care," David said with a sad smile, "I'm sorry, Emma. She said she had nothing to do with Henry anymore.."

"There's more," Emma surmised as she looked at his guilty expression.

"We.. kinda argued," David admitted.

Emma closed her eyes and counted to five, "how bad?"

"She threw me over her fence," David confessed.

"Great," Emma muttered, "is there more?"

David nodded, "I threw her off of the council.."

"What?" Granny shouted from behind the bar, "why did you do that?"

"She threw me over a fence!" David reminded the older woman.