No Way Out

Disclaimer: I don't own anything.

A/N: Trigger warning for thoughts of suicide/attempted suicide. Based off the song No Way Out by Phil Collins.

There's no way out of this dark place

No hope, no future

I know I can't be free

But I can't see another way

I can't face another day

~"No Way Out" by Phil Collins ~

All she wanted was her chance at a happy ending.

Snow White had her Prince Charming. They had their daughter. Geppetto had his son, Pinocchio. Even Rumpelstiltskin found his true love in Belle.

She should have had her happy ending with Henry, but he didn't choose her. He didn't want her. She was nothing to him now that he had his birth mother back in his life.

She was Evil. A Witch. A Monster. Soulless. Heartless.

The amount of good she did was easily outweighed by the amount of bad she did. Her attempts at redemption were only met with scorn from the townspeople. She was trying to be better, for Henry. But that didn't matter, because she couldn't change what she'd done before.

Even Henry wouldn't listen to her.

"Why did you lie?" he asked, his lower lip trembling. "I thought you changed."

"I did, Henry," Regina insisted as she kneeled in front of her son. "I promise. I'm trying to become a better person, for you! I just want what's best for you."

"But why did you lie?" he asked, raising his voice. "If you wanted what's best for me, you would tell me the truth! You wouldn't hide it from me! But you did, just like you always have! You're never going to change! You're always going to be the Evil Queen!"

"Henry, please," Regina pleaded, tears forming in her eyes as she held onto his arms. "Sometimes… the truth can hurt. I wanted to protect you from it, because I care about you and I don't want to see you get hurt. I love you, Henry"

Henry yanked his arms out of her grasp. "If you really loved me you would have told me! I had a right to know!" Regina tried to place her hand on his arm again, but he quickly pulled it away. "Let go of me!"

"Henry—"

"I hate you! I never want to see you again!" he yelled. "I wish you never adopted me!" He ran out the door, leaving a stunned Regina behind.

The silence that followed was deafening.

Four hours had passed since Henry's abrupt departure. When he was a toddler, he used to have temper tantrums where he would yell at her and go up to his room, but he would be back later to apologize and tell her that he loved her. This time was different. Regina knew he wasn't coming back.

She lost the only person who truly mattered in her life. The only person who kept her sane and happy.

The only person who kept her from turning completely evil.

No matter how he felt towards her, she still loved him, and she still wanted what was best for him. She wouldn't wreak havoc on the town to get him back, as she would have done years before. She wouldn't throw a hissy fit and rip out someone's heart. Not this time.

No one loved her. No one cared about her happy ending. Everyone wanted her dead.

If that made Henry happy, then maybe it would make her happy.

She hesitantly walked up to her bedroom and opened up the drawer of her bedside table. She pulled out the locked box and set it on her bed. She then went and sought out the key from the top shelf of her closet. Tears filled her eyes once more as she sat down on her bed and unlocked the box with shaking hands.

Before the curse was broken, Graham had insisted she have some form of protection in case someone should break into the house and try to hurt her or Henry. She had obliged, but only because she knew she couldn't rely on her magic back then. When the curse broke, she locked it up to keep Henry from finding it. She had her magic now, but it seemed fitting to not use it at the present time, because that's what Henry always wanted. He wanted her to be magic free. That was how she would end it. No magic.

It was heavier than she remembered it being. She stared at it, the realization of what she was about to do starting to hit her.

It was for the best. She had lost everyone she loved. She had nothing left.

She clicked off the safety. The sound echoed in her ears as she turned the barrel towards her. Her fingers grazed the trigger as the tears fell from her face.

The front door slammed downstairs.

"Regina!"

One tiny pull and it would all be over.

"Regina, where are you?!"

The frantic voice barely registered in her mind as she stared down at the dark object in her hands. The thundering footsteps that followed were like whispers in a crowded room.

"Regina!"

She didn't look up at the voice coming from the doorway. Her mind was solely on the task at hand.

"Please, Regina, don't do this." The voice used the same pleading tone that she had used with Henry mere hours ago. "You're needed here. Trust me, whatever is wrong… I promise I'll make it better."

One tiny pull away from her happy ending.

"Henry told me what he said, but I guarantee he didn't mean it. He needs you, Regina."

Henry needs her?

"You're his mom. He may pretend that I am, but we both know it was always you. You were there for him for his whole life. I can't be a mother like you. I don't know how to take care of a kid by myself. I need you."

She needs her?

"Please, Regina."

Regina felt the warm hands on hers as they slowly pulled the gun from her grasp. She heard the click of the safety being put back on, and that's when it hit her. That's when she fully realized what she had just been about to do.

The sobs that escaped her were loud and heart-wrenching as two warm arms encircled her, providing Regina with a feeling of acceptance. Something she'd never felt before. The voice soothed her, providing words of comfort.

"You're going to be okay," the shaking voice said. Regina realized that some of the tears she felt on her cheek were not her own.

"Emma… I…"

Emma shook her head lightly, silencing Regina. "I know." She took Regina's face in her hands and opened her mouth to say something before closing it and giving Regina a small smile. "I know." She took a deep breath and released it slowly. "I know," she repeated in a whisper. She leaned forward and placed her lips on Regina's cheek, lingering for a few seconds before pulling the woman into her arms again. "And I promise that I'll help you through this. I'm here for you, Regina. I once promised you I would never stop trying to save you, and I don't intend on breaking that promise."

Regina let the tears fall into Emma's shoulder.

"I will always save you."