"Midnight, on the bridge. Come alone," Regina read to herself for the umpteenth time that day before stashing the note back into her pocket. She shivered in the cold, wrapping her arms protectively around her herself then looked over to the water glistening in the moonlight.
"Hello, Regina," a dark, sultry voice called out from the shadows. The woman's brown eyes snapped to the approaching blonde–clad in an all black leather jumpsuit.
"Emma," she greeted in response, trying her best to mask the tremble in her voice. "What can do for you?"
The blonde chuckled darkly in reply. "It's not what you can do for me. It's what I can do for you." The mayor furrowed her brows.
"I've come to make a deal with you, Regina. One I think you'd be rather interested in accepting."
The brunette shook her head at the woman. "The only deal I'm interested in is the one where you give us back our memories."
"I'm afraid I can't do that, your majesty." Regina shuddered at the title coming from the savior's lips.
Unable to hide her curiosity, the brunette asked, "So, what did you come for?"
"You."
Regina swallowed thickly. "What could you possibly want with–"
"I want you to join me, be on my side. After all," the Dark Swan began, leaning dangerously close to the woman's ear. "You owe me."
Regina could feel the woman's hot breath tickle her ear and shivered at the feeling. No, it was the cold, the brunette decided. It was definitely the cold. "And what makes you think I would agree to that?"
The blonde quirked a brow. "Maybe because you love your son? And you don't want to see him get hurt."
"You would never harm Henry." Regina didn't believe it.
"True, but you would." The brunette froze. "If we're not on the same side, Henry will have to choose between his parents. And I know that won't be an easy task."
"Of course it will," Regina retorted. "He'll choose the right side. The side of good."
The Dark Swan scoffed at the word. "You think what you're doing is good?" She shook her head. "I didn't see it before but now my eyes have been opened. Snow and Charming fool themselves into believing they know what's best and good for the world, but they're wrong."
"Let me guess, and you're right?" the mayor mocked the woman.
"The point is, Henry will lose another parent if we're not on the same side," the Dark Swan rushed to clarify, not wishing to speak any longer on the topic.
"Then join us, Emma," Regina pleaded. "You don't really want to let darkness consume you. Trust me, I–"
"No, you don't know!" Exclaimed the blonde in a harsh voice. Stalking toward the woman, she pointed an accusatory finger. "You don't know how it feels to have the darkness seep in and penetrate your every thought, feeling, and emotion!" The brunette began taking small steps backward, her eyes growing wide in fear.
"You don't know how it feels to have all these conflicting voices inside your head, screaming at you to do what they want!" Regina took a few more steps back as the blonde matched her stride. "You can't possibly know how–"
Regina's leg slipped, causing her to flip over the railing. Her hand grasped onto a metal rod just in time to keep her from falling into the water below. The woman's legs began kicking wildly into the wind.
"Emma!" she screamed. Looking down, Regina watched as the water below her begin to pick up speed and she heard thunder growling above her.
The Dark Swan casually stepped toward the edge of the bridge, casting her gaze down at the helpless woman below. "See how much good gets you?" she sneered.
Regina called out to the woman once more in desperation and she swore she saw a flash ofher Emma inside the blonde's darkened eyes. "Please," she begged.
A flash of lightning struck a nearby tree, causing the brunette to lose her grip and fall into the rushing water with a scream. The Dark One's eyes widened drastically at the sight. What had she just done?
The blonde poof'd to below the bridge, hoping to catch a glimpse of the woman, but she was having no luck.
"Regina?" She called out into the darkness. "Regina!"
Tears began gathering inside the Dark Swan's eyes. This was all her fault.
Just then, she looked up to see a darkened head bobbing at the surface of the water. Regina!
The blonde dove head first into the rushing stream and retrieved the woman. Dragging her onto shore, she checked her breathing. Nothing.
"Come on." She tried pumping her chest. "Come on! You can't die on me, do you hear me, dammit?"
Just then a thought dwelled on the blonde. Maybe.
The Dark Swan closed her eyes and leaned toward the woman's face. She placed a light kiss upon the woman's pale lips and then pulled back, too afraid to reopen her eyes.
When she heard nothing, the blonde broke out into sobs. Until–
A woman's coughing forced her eyes open. Regina! She's alive!
The blonde had been so caught up with the news that she hadn't even noticed her chance of apparel until the brunette pointed it out.
"What are you wearing?" She looked down to see herself in her old clothes–red leather jacket and all. "You're back, Emma," Regina breathed out in relief, still recovering from her near drowning.
"I'm back." Emma could not believe it. She looked to Regina, whose expression was now unreadable.
"You tried to kill me!" she accused. Emma threw her hands up in the air. "That was the Dark Swan, not me."
"But you saved me." Regina looked to her pruned hands. Glancing back up to the blonde's eyes, she said, "With True Love."
Emma gasped.
"Well, how else would you explain the breaking of the curse?"
She had a point. "So what does this mean?" Emma asked.
Regina shook her head. "I don't know." After letting out a shaky breath, she added, "But I'd rather figure it out later when I've had time to warm up." She shivered.
"Right, of course!" the blonde agreed.
The brunette looked up to the blonde and smiled. "Welcome home, savior."