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"I miss her.." Henry whispered impossibly quietly, "I saw her twice this week and both times she ignored me. She doesn't care about me, she doesn't love me anymore."

"That's not true," Emma denied, internally hoping that she was right, "she was just hurting.. like you.. I think you both need to talk."

"How can I hate her and love her at the same time?" Henry asked seriously.

Emma took a deep breath, "well, it's.. hard to say. Emotions are funny things, we feel more strongly about the people closest to us. No matter what someone does, sometimes we just can't truly hate them. It's the sign of a good person."

"I don't feel like a good person," Henry admitted.

"Henry," Emma said seriously as she sat up a little to make eye contact with him, "there's fault on all sides here, you, Regina.. even me.."

"What did you do wrong?" Henry frowned.

"I should have tried to patch things up between you both," Emma confessed, "I shouldn't have let things get to this point."

Henry sniffed and nodded, "she's not up to anything, you know.."

"I know," Emma agreed.

"She just didn't want me anymore," Henry breathed.

"Oh," Emma cried and pulled him into a hug, "that's not the case, Henry, I promise you."

Emma's phone beeped and she sighed as she looked at the screen and bit her lip, "er, Henry?"

Henry wiped his eyes, "yeah?"

"You know that stew Mary Margaret promised?" Emma questioned.

Henry sighed, "yeah.."

"It doesn't exist, there's a surprise party at Granny's," Emma admitted with a small smile and was relieved when a smile broke out on Henry's face as well.

"Really?" he sniffled.

"Really," Emma smiled, "think you're up to it?"

Henry hastily rubbed the tears from his face and nodded.

Chapter 6

Two hours later Granny's was buzzing and the superhero face masks were a big hit, Emma was taking a few steps back to snap a picture of Granny as Ironman when she bumped into someone, "oh, sorry!"

"Sorry, Emma!" Spiderman's female voice replied.

"Belle?" Emma asked.

Belle pulled the mask up and smiled at Emma and the women exchanged a laugh, "these masks are brilliant!"

"Yeah," Emma said, "I was the Hulk but then David took it to scare Mary Margaret.. is Gold here?"

Belle shook her head, "no, he is working."

Emma frowned, "isn't it a bit late to be working?"

Belle shrugged, "it's something for Regina," she sighed, "is she here?"

Emma shook her head, "not yet, I'm hoping she comes, for Henry's sake.."

Belle grimaced and Emma sighed, "you think she's not coming?"

Belle sadly shook her head, "I.. I shouldn't say anything.."

Emma pulled the woman behind the counter and into the kitchen area, "tell me," she demanded.

"I don't really know anything," Belle countered.

"Tell me what you think you know," Emma replied.

Belle looked at the chefs and then pulled Emma towards the fire exit and out into the alley beside the diner, "look, you can't tell anyone I told you this.."

"I promise," Emma nodded.

"Regina came to Rumple a few weeks ago, she was shouting at him about her happy ending. They thought I was out, I'd popped back into the shop to get something and they were really going at it, she was throwing fireballs at him and everything. She told him that he owed her, that he'd ruined her life time and time again," Belle turned to look around to ensure they weren't being overheard, "then I couldn't hear anymore, they weren't shouting as loudly. Soon after I find out that Regina was giving up Henry, I was shocked, anyone can see how much she loves him, loved him," she corrected.

Belle took a deep breath and said, "then Rumple was being secretive, I knew something was up so one night I snuck into the shop and I knew he had been brewing potions, I can always tell, it's the smell in the air. So I looked at his spell books and I saw that one had been moved and when I took it out there was a sheet of paper in it, like a bookmark. It was on a memory spell, it looked very complicated and I think it was to help someone forget how much they care for someone."

"Regina drunk a potion to forget about Henry?" Emma blinked.

"I don't think it's that simple," Belle explained, "the potion doesn't make you forget entirely, just dampens the feelings. And Rumple has been making a lot of the potion, I think it's an ongoing thing."

Emma looked shocked and stared open mouthed at the floor as she dealt with what she was finding out.

"I'm so sorry, Emma," Belle whispered, "as I say.. I don't know anything, it's all guesswork really."

"No," Emma breathed, "it.. it all makes sense!"

Emma looked up at Belle, "thank you," she said as she turned and ran off down the alleyway and into the main street and jumped into her car that was parked outside the front of Granny's.

She quickly started the engine and sped her way towards Mifflin Street, she half parked half abandoned the car outside of number 108. She ran up the pathway and glanced at the Mercedes parked in the driveway before hammering heavily on the door.