"Emma, please! Please don't leave." Regina was running after Emma with tears. She didn't know what happened, but she knew that she had to fix it.
Emma turned around abruptly almost causing Regina to run into her. Emma was furious. "Why not? We have been together for how long and you're still comparing me to Daniel. "
Emma lowered her volume, but her eyes still showed how mad she was. "I'm sorry that he had to die, but I am NO his replacement. " Emma was yelling again.
"You think I haven't realized that over the years you have tried to make me dress like him. Not only that you have me eating like him, you make sure that we have the same hobbies. Hell when I started talking about having Henry become ours legally by adaption and changing his name you said "no". Regina…I just...I can't do this anymore." Emma turned around and continued walking towards the door.
Regina couldn't let this happen. In an attempt to stop Emma from leaving Regina grabbed Emma's arm. "No you got it all wrong."
Feeling her true loves arm, if she can even call her that, Emma stopped but didn't turn around. "No I don't. Regina do you even love me enough to enact a curse let alone keep my body preserved until you found a way to bring me back?" When no answer was given Emma chuckled. "Thought so; it wasn't until after Daniel told you to move on that you came running to me and at that point I already confessed my feelings. I was just Daniel's replacement to keep your bed warm at night. You didn't want to be alone so badly that you came to the Savoir for help."
Emma did turn around at this point with an endless flow of tears. She didn't even know she was crying. "It has been ten years since then. Ten years Regina and I can't move in, I still see Henry on your schedule, I don't even have a drawer for crying out loud. I was just too blind to notice how bad it was. Everyone in town knows it, but they wanted me to be happy." Emma took a breath. "Good bye Regina."
Just like that Emma closed the front door and didn't even hesitate as she started her car and drove away. Regina was left in the foyer on her knees with her hands on her face crying.
Emma was in front of the apartment door. She didn't know if she wanted to run up to her room and start crying or go to the kitchen and drink her sorrows away. Luckily she didn't have to think long. When she opened the door her mother was in the kitchen and when she saw her daughter she knew that something was wrong. She was grateful for her mother's presence and when she felt her mother's arms wrapped around her in a hug Emma cried into her shoulder.
Mary Margaret had never seen her daughter so miserable. She knew most of the story about her relationship with her step-mother. Emma wanted it all, but Regina kept her at arm's length. Mary Margaret walked them to the couch. It was early in the morning and figured that Emma hadn't slept all night. She was right, the minute she laid her daughter down she already cried herself to sleep. Mary Margaret looked at her sleeping daughter and frowned. This is one problem she couldn't fix; a broken heart. In the past she would march to Regina and yell at her, but over the years she could see the Regina's heart slowly healing and the goodness that was once there return. All thanks to Emma and Henry, even knowing about her past, loving her unconditionally. That, Mary Margaret knew, was one think Regina always questioned. Did people really believe that she was no longer the Evil Queen? Did people truly love her?
Henry came downstairs and ran to her mom when he saw her leaning against the wall by the front door.
"Mom, mom what's wrong?" He asked shaking his mom awake.
Regina opened her eyes and hugged her son. She felt him stiffen for a moment, but then he wrapped his arms around her and squeezed. "Mom, are you ok?" He asked not letting go of the hug. He could sense that she didn't want to let go.
"I think Emma left me."
"What?" He pulled back so he could see her face. "She loves you, why would she leave?"
"She thinks that she just a replacement for Daniel and that I'm trying to turn her into him."
Henry stood up and pulled his mom with him. Walking to the kitchen he spoke. "She's kinda right you know. I know you love her and everything, but you keep comparing Emma with Daniel. How would you feel if she was comparing you to Neal?"
Regina stopped and went pale for a second. "Not good at all."
"I mean my middle name is Daniel and at the time when you named me I get why it's Daniel. You loved him and you lost him. What I don't understand is why, after you guys were together a few years, you wouldn't let her adopt me?"
Regina stiffened. "How do you know about that?" She could have sworn that he was sleeping when they talked about it.
"You were rather loud. Why were you so adamant about letting her adopt me?"
"I don't know." Regina sulked.
"Yes you do, now why?" Henry was going to get to the route of his mom's problem; perks from years of therapy.
"I don't…"
Henry interrupted and yelled this time around. He knew that his mom will only realize the truth if she was angry.
"Henry I do…"
"WHY?" Henry yelled on last time.
"Because you're mine and she's not going to take me from you." At that Regina covered her mouth. Maybe Emma was right that night?
Henry sighed and gave his mom a quick hug. "I think it's safe to say that he never took me away from you and in the last decade has she done anything to prove that she would? I'm sorry to tell you this mom, but when I was eighteen I legally changed my last name to Swan-Mills."
Regina looked at her son. "What, why did you?"
Henry smiled and hugged his mom fiercely. "Because you are both my mom's and I love you both."
"I think I screwed up."
Henry laughed. "Go bring Ma home."
Emma was sleeping on the couch when she heard a very loud knock. Not wanting to get up she turned over. There was another knock. Obviously her mom wasn't home, but Emma didn't want to be disturbed. Another knock and then another.
"GO AWAY." Emma yelled, but instead of listening to her there were three more knocks.
Emma growled and rolled off the couch walking to the door. "I said go" Emma said while opening the door. She stopped when she saw Regina. She was shocked, normally it was Emma who came graveling back after a first; even if it wasn't her fault, she just loved Regina too much to stay away.
Emma stepped back as she stumbled. Regina, seeing this as an invitation, walked in. Emma closed the door on instinct still too stunned to do anything otherwise. Before Emma could say or do anything she noticed that Regina was hugging her tightly. Emma just couldn't get over the fact that Regina was here and was still a dear caught in headlights.
"Emma I am so, so sorry. Henry told me he changed his name it Swan-Mills and we talked and he helped me realize that I'm stuck in the past. Please don't leave me. I can change, we can make this work. Please, I love you don't leave."
Emma looked at the clock in the kitchen. She pushed Regina off and walked to the couch. Running her fingers through her hair Emma took a deep breath and turned around. "Regina it's only been a few hours. That is a lot of soul searching to do during that time. I just don't know, what if…"
Sensing Emma's retreat she walked up to her and grabbed her hands. "I know I'm asking a lot, but please believe me when I tell you that I want to make this work. I love you!" Regina let go of her hands and cupped her face running her thumbs over her cheek bones.
"I don't know why I refused to see that you really love me despite my faults and that you wouldn't take Henry away."
"Henry, what has he got to do with this?"
"I am so used to people taking everything from me that I naturally suspect it from everyone. Henry helped me see that I was wrong. We've been together for ten years and you helped me raise Henry and helped him see that I'm no longer the Evil Queen."
Emma looked at her quizzically. How had Regina realized this in two hours?
Regina spoke when she saw Emma questioning her. "Please believe me. I'll even go to Dr. Harper if it'll help."
"You will go to Dr. Harper, willingly?" Emma cocked an eyebrow.
Regina laughed and pecked Emma's lips. "Yes, I will go to counseling."
"If you of all people are going to go into therapy then I guess I have no choice, but to take you back." Emma smiled.
Regina smiled back with tears about to fall. "Really, you really mean it?"
"Yes I really mean it."
Regina pulled Emma into a hug wrapping her arms around her neck while Emma hugged her by the waist and spun her around.
"Thank you so much Emma. I truly do love you so very much."
"Well how can a lady refuse a beautiful woman begging her to take her back?"
It was Regina's turn to cock her eyebrow. "Oh, and how many woman have begged for you to take them back exactly?"
Emma kissed Regina's pulse point before she answered. "Just one, we were together for ten years. Then she broke my heart them came back a few hours later graveling for me to take her back."
"Oh and what happened after that?"
Emma leaned to whisper into Regina's ear. "We lived happily ever after."
"I sure hope so because you will never see me begging ever again."
"I think I can make you beg again."
Regina looked at her with a 'yea right' look before she realized what type of begging Emma had in mind. She couldn't say anything fast enough before Emma kissed her fully on the lips.
"I think I'm going to like this happily ever after endings after all." Regina thought as she was pushed to the couch where Emma had her begging once again.