Regina was standing in front of her. She cut her hair, again. It was even shorter than the first time she met her. The brunette wore a black, neckless jacket that made her haircut stand out even more, and a sad but determined look on her face. Her eyes pierced Emma's, as always. Her heart skipped a beat. She promised, as her friend asked her. She owed her. After all, as Regina herself just said, she did the same for her back in Camelot.
But there was a difference. A tiny yet enormous difference. She was not even remotely as strong as Regina, expecially now. She could never kill her son's mother. Her friend. Her eyes were so full of determination, and equally full of fear. That was Regina's only flaw: she was afraid of herself. That was the reason why the Queen would always win. Deep down, Emma knew that Regina had to accept herself, that that was her only hope to defeat the Evil Queen, but she wasn't brave enough to tell her. Actually, she didn't even see the Queen as a threat. What worried her the most were these Untold Stories Hyde kept talking about. She knew secrets could destroy people, more efficiently than the Evil Queen's plans. And her visions. She glanced at her hand. It was still, now, but how long before it started shaking again? The hooded figure who killed her… she gazed up at Regina again. Could it possibly be her? After all they went through? After that she sacrificed herself for her? Those hazel eyes were kind, warm. Even in the Queen's eyes, she couldn't find the hate she expected to see. The Queen actually remembered her much of the woman she met when she arrived to Storybrooke, just with a sparkle of madness that was never present in Regina. That detail actually scared her, and yet she couldn't feel herself really scared by the Queen. That woman was just Regina, her Regina, yes, a part of her, maybe the worst, but still. It wasn't the first time she met her, and maybe it wouldn't be the last. She didn't really care. Her Regina went through a lot, and she fought to be the person that right now was standing before her asking her to put everyone else before her, to kill her if it was necessary. Her Regina was a hero, and she was since a long time, even when the Evil Queen was still inside her. She was ready to sacrifice herself for them years ago, in the mines, when she was dying to stop the trigger. She sacrificed her happiness to save them with the curse. Her darkness was never an obstacle. Her fear was.
So Emma looked in those lovely eyes with hope blooming inside her heart. Regina would get it, someday. She was just Regina, no matter how much pain she might have caused in the past. The Evil Queen might be powerful, but just because Regina herself was damn powerful. She would help her, she wouldn't leave her alone. She would tell her the truth. Regina would never give into darkness again. She was strong. And, even if she wasn't strong enough, together they were.