Prompt Four: "There was much to hate in the world, and too much to love."

-Gregory Macquire

In Regina's experience, hate was much easier to feel. Not that there were more things to hate, because in her experience, there were many more things to love, but hate didn't come with any of the unnecessary complications that love did. Love meant change. It meant you had to compromise, and, most of all, love meant loss.

The loss of hate was not something to be mourned, after all.

Which was why she had no problem throwing herself into loathing and abhorrence, why she had no problem forgetting how to do anything but hate, even if it meant damning herself. It was simple, easy, and it's consequences minimal. Or, so she thought, until her heart was darkened beyond repair, and all she felt was numb.

Standing on the door of the apartment of the Charmings, who she was starting to build a tentatively friendly relationship with (Not nearly as easy as it sounded), she was wondering if giving up hate once and for all was really worth it. After all, said a traitorous voice in her head, it would be so, so, easy to go back to her house, pretend this never happened, and once more begin planning mass destruction.

She took a deep breath and ignored the voice, before knocking on the door. A few excruciatingly slow seconds later, the door opened, and Emma Swan was standing right in front of her, with a posture that could only be described as defensive. "Miss Swan-Emma, I just wanted to inform you that the situation has been dealt with and no further difficulties will be arising in the near future" she said in a purposely formal tone, without any inflection

"Good. Is that all" Emma asked her with an equally inflectionless tone, ready to slam the door in Regina's face.

Regina was about to say yes, leave, and hole up inside her house, away from the world, when she managed to stop herself, saying "no. I was wondering, if, I could maybe talk to your mother" Regina said, managing to keep a steady tone the entire time.

If Regina thought Emma was on the defensive before, then she was now a bulletproof two ton tank shooting rockets.

"And why do you think I should let you do that" Emma asked her in a tone of fake politeness. "If you think that I'm just going to magically trust you alone with anyone in that apartment, then you clearly have more problems than I thought."

"Very well. This talk may be better with you there anyways, it would spare me from having to repeat myself" Regina said after a moment, and Emma, both intrigued and befuddled, reluctantly allowed Regina in.

"Emma, what's she doing here" Snow said, pointing at Regina, with enough venom in her voice to shock Regina, who had thought Snow incapable of it, and a glare that could stop a charging rhino.

"She said she had something to say, and I was curious" Emma said with a shrug, faking not having her defenses up, but she could see the gun in Emma's hand from under the table. She wasn't in the least bit offended, such actions were, after all, quite justifiable when your mortal enemy was sitting in your living room drinking a conjured cup of coffee.

"Indeed. I, quite simply, have come here to apologize. For" here Regina's words caught in her throat, and the shocked expressions on Emma and Snow's faces really weren't helping. "For everything. Past, present, and, let's be honest here, I'm going to do something to someone in this room in the future, so I'll just apologize in advance for that as well" she said, giving the other two women a while to stop being completely and totally shocked.

"I-You're joking, right? You're actually here to kill us aren't you" Emma said, unable to comprehend Regina wanting to do anything else. If it wasn't so understandable, Regina would be rather offended. However, her previous actions hadn't exactly filled them with confidence in her abilities to show remorse and not attempt mass murder at the drop of a hat.

Snow, however, shook her head in response to Emma's comment. "I don't think so, Emma. That wouldn't be Regina's style, she'd prefer to murder us publicly, probably with pyrotechnics. She's telling the truth" Snow said.

"I know I've done far too much to be able to expect forgiveness from either of you, but I'd still like to try" Regina said, and Snow stood up and hugged her lightly.

"I know, you have done too much to ever be forgiven, but, somehow, I want to forgive you anyways."

There were a lot of things in the world to hate, more than could ever be named. But, in the end, there were even more things to love.

I know, I know, I skipped another two days, but screw it. Here's day four (Or, you know, seven, but semantics) Still, I hope you enjoy it all the same.