Author Note: This is my first story written so please be kind. I had this idea after hearing a song called Rootless Tree by Damien Rice- Live from Basement.
I don't own any characters of OUAT or anything with Damien Rice and his song. Just using my imagination and having fun.
"FUCK!"
Emma slammed Regina up against the front door.
"I said I love you, what do you want from me?"
Regina pushed Emma away from her.
"What I want from you is for you to stop this. To stop the yelling, stop the blaming. You are so full of anger and hatred I don't know what you want anymore or why you're here, why you're still with me."
Pacing back and forth Emma stopped and pushed Regina against the door again. "Jesus, Regina why do you keep doing this? I told you I love you what more do you want?
Regina closed her eyes and leaned her head against the door as she held onto the handle. She sighed, "I want you to listen to me."
She pushed off the door and stood in front of her.
"We've tried, at least I've tried to start over again with the slate clean. We were to move on from all that has happened between us or as you are always reminding me, what happened to you because of me, because of all the things I've ever done."
"You say you have forgiven me that you have moved on but you haven't. Can't you see what you are doing? Belittling me every chance, blaming me for every little thing that happens now. How can you say you love me and want a life together when you're always yelling at me or accusing me of something?"
"I've tried, I've tried so hard to let you go through what you need to, to help you get it out. But you won't let go, it's as if you want to be angry, to hate me and blame me."
Emma stood silently, no expression on her face.
"Does it make you feel better? Do you feel good when you yell at me? When you say cruel things to me to get a laugh from anyone who will listen? DAMMIT Emma! Why can't you forgive me so we can move on and be happy?" Regina looked at her as if pleading for her to say something but she remained silent.
"I have gone through so much and a lot of terrible things have happened to me and yes, YES God YES I've done a lot of terrible things. But most everyone has forgiven me and moved on, everyone except for you."
Regina sighed, "The one person that means the most to me won't forgive me, won't let it go."
"I've turned my back to the insults that I pretend not to hear, the emotional abuse and now the physical abuse. I can't anymore. I can't do this anymore, Emma."
Anger rose in Regina again as she found the courage and stepped up to Emma.
"You say you love me? Yeah well you know what? Fuck you!" She practically spat in Emma's face.
"You hate me but you won't admit it. This isn't love, I don't know what it is but I know this isn't love." Regina said, "I can't do this anymore, you are not the person you once were and that's on you not me."
"I told you not to take the damn dagger. I told you I would get through it as the Dark One. But you had to be the Saviour, you had to "save me" again." She said as she stepped back from Emma.
"You aren't the Dark One, Emma but you are so far from being who you once were, there is no light in you not when it comes to me. I never wanted you to go through that but you did it to yourself. I didn't force you but you blame me for it anyway. You blame me for everything that has ever happened to you."
"And I've taken that blame and I've done all that I can to make it up to you. I've thanked you for saving me time and time again. I've done all that I can to help you get over it and to forgive me. But you won't and I can see now you never will."
"So please hate me enough to let me out of this fucked up relationship because you don't want me and I sure as hell don't want you, not this you. This isn't the Emma I fell in love with, who I conquered witches and flying monkeys with and every other disaster this town has ever faced."
"I don't know who you are but you are not the person I fell in love with, who I cherished and wanted to spend the rest of my life with. Even when you were the Dark One at least I had hopes that I would get you back but now you're just the shell of the person I used to know."
"So please, hate me enough to let me go. Just let me go Emma, because we can't do this anymore. There's no love inside of you not for me, not any longer.
Regina slowly moved to the front door and opened it. Outside were 2 packed suitcases with Emma's belongings.
"So nice of you to pack my bags but I'm not going anywhere." Emma said with a wicked sneer.
"I can't live in this hell anymore. I just can't so you have to leave." Regina said shaking her head.
Emma stepped closer to Regina.
"MOM!"
Both women turned to see a fearful Henry standing at the top of the staircase.
Regina turned to Emma, "Please Emma, let me go. Just hate me enough to let me go."
Emma turned from Henry and looked at Regina one more time before slowly walking out and shutting the door behind her.
Regina released a breath she didn't realize she had been holding in and closed her tear-filled eyes.
"Is it over Mom? Is she gone? No more fighting?" Henry asked as he slowly walked down the stairs to his mother.
Regina took him into her arms and hugged him, never wanting to let him go. "It is, Henry, it is. I think she finally realizes that there's nothing left to hold onto."
"I'm so sorry Mom, but I'm glad she left." He told her, "I couldn't stand how she was treating you and if you hadn't made her leave I was going to. She hurt you Mom, so many times and you didn't deserve that. You were right."
Regina looks up at Henry now that he has grown another inch. "I was right about what, dear?"
Henry hugged her a little harder. "What you said to her, everything you said, it was all true. She doesn't deserve your love, Mom. She doesn't deserve someone as good as you."
Regina let out a sob after hearing those words from Henry.
At one point in their lives she never thought she would have Henry's love again and after all this time, after all they have been through, and now this heartache he does love her and he will never know how much that means to her.
No one really believed her when she said that Emma wasn't herself, how she had been acting as if nothing mattered anymore. She hid it so well from everyone else. Only when she got home did she show her true self.
"You're shaking Mom, why don't you go in the study and lay down I'll get you a cup of tea." Henry said as he pulled out of the hug. He took her hand and lead her to the study door.
"Thank you Sweetheart, I think you're right." Regina says as she slowly walks to the couch.
"Just lay down and I'll be right back." Henry tells her before hurrying to the kitchen."
Regina lied on the couch and closes her eyes. She was trying so hard to keep the tears at bay but she couldn't hold them in any longer.
With everything she's been through, with everything she'd ever done, all the vengeful feelings, all the "evil" she had in her she has never felt so hurt and hated by anyone as she did with Emma. Maybe it's because she didn't care who hated her back then but being treated this way by Emma hurt more than anything.
Loving Emma was so easy at first even as the Dark One she had her moments where she was still the lovable person she always was. Breaking that curse was a curse in itself it seems. She was never the same after that. Her heart had taken a beating with the Dark One's curse and at first she seemed like herself but it wasn't true, her light wasn't real.
Emma was and still is full of darkness.
Regina sighed as she thought about how Henry had seen the darkness in Emma as well. He'd heard it all, he'd seen it all.
The last thing Regina ever wanted for him to know was how Emma had been treating her.
That's what was hurting her the most right now. Emma is his mother too and he needs her. She worried about how their relationship would survive now that he'd seen what Regina had been hiding from everyone, what Emma had really been like.
Another sob from Regina makes Henry get to the study with his Mom's tea a little faster.
"Mom?"
Regina opened her eyes and looked at her son. He's had to grow up faster than most children. He has seen and endured so much in his young life and it seems he's going to go through so much more.
"I'm all right Henry, really. This has all been just so hard for me and now finally giving up on Emma and I has taken a lot out of me." Regina lays back against the pillow as tears roll down her cheeks.
"Mom, you didn't give up on you and Emma. You didn't give up at all. I heard the things she would say and the things she would do to you." Henry looked away as memories of the past month go through his mind.
"You fought for her, you fought to help her. You took the blame for things that were never your fault. And the things she would say to you, I never knew where they were coming from but she just kept going on and on." He said then looked at her, "You were so strong, Mom I don't know how you took it all. So many times I wanted to stop her from all the yelling and everything but I was ... I was.."
Regina sat up. "What Henry, you were what?"
Henry looked away and quietly said, "I was afraid of her and I didn't know what she would do. I feel like a coward, Mom. You needed me and all I did was go to my room and turn on my music to drown out her rants. I'm so sorry Mom I should have stopped her but I was afraid of her. I'm still afraid of her. She's not Ma anymore."
Regina let out a small gasp as she sat up and took Henry in her arms. "You were not a coward. What Emma and I went through was between us. I wish you had never heard any of it."
Regina placed her hands on either side of Henry's face so that he's looking at her. "Oh Henry, I love you with my whole being. I'm so thankful you are here with me now. Please know you have nothing to be sorry for. It wasn't your job to try and help me or to stop Emma."
Henry tried to look away from her, feeling ashamed for not helping.
"Henry, look at me. Understand that Emma loves you even with whatever is going on with her. She never stopped loving you. She would never ever hurt you, Henry she wouldn't. Please believe that."
With Regina's hands still on his face he nodded his head as tears roll down his cheeks.
"My sweet boy, I'm sorry you had to witness what was happening, I wish you wouldn't have had to live within it. I'm so, so sorry Henry." Regina said as she took her hands away from Henry.
She started to cry now knowing that Henry was afraid of Emma, afraid of his cool Mom. It broke her heart not knowing what will become of their relationship as Mother and Son.
No child should be afraid of their parent.
She knew all too well with her own Mother and up until a few years ago, what it was like with Henry. She is so thankful that her son forgave her and still loves her.
Henry pulled his mother into a hug. They both held each other tight as they cried for the one person who has been such a huge part of them. Who had meant so much to them but can no longer be in their lives as she is lost with nothing left inside of her to give them.
A soft click from the kitchen goes unheard by Regina and Henry who are still holding on to one another. Brisk cool air from a closing door passes through the house as Emma leaves the two people she loved the most. Hanging her head after hearing the words Henry said. Hearing how he was afraid of her made her see what she's been denying for months.
She was a monster as the Dark One and even though she was no longer under the curse she is still that monster and will always be.