"Um, Hi. My name is Emma Swan, and I'm here to tell you why I am in love with Regina Mills.
Regina and I… We have a history, all right. We used to be like black and white. I was messy, and childish, and immature. Regina was cleanly and pristine, mature, and responsible. This made being in the presence of the two of us almost as pleasant as listening to fingernails on a chalkboard. Wonderful, right?"
"However, that was three years ago. In us coming together to care for our child, Henry, we had to cooperate in order to keep our son happy. After the constant bickering over whose kid he REALLY was, we decided it wasn't worth the time to argue, and simply raising the kid together, as best as we knew how was most important. I love Regina Mills because just beneath her stubborn, hard-ass exterior, is a loving mother, and a genuinely caring and loving heart.
Regina and I went through some definite bumps in our past, but because of Henry, we became unlikely acquaintances. As Sheriff and Mayor, we did have to spend quite some time together, on top of us spending plenty of time raising our son. This led to some serious bonding time on our hands. Me bringing the woman coffee, her stopping by at Granny's to discuss my bad working habits, the usual drama between two townspeople.
But, when I saw Regina Mills in her raw, true form, I was aghast. This woman… This woman was perhaps the most passionate creature I had ever witnessed. She was willing to do anything for her town, and it's protection. She spent her own personal money on this town. I saw fire in her eyes when she found out that hell was in storybrooke, and that her clock tower had fallen. Of course, it could have been the fire from the actual pits of hell in a reflection, if you took it that way, but that's not what I meant. Her eyes glowed with fury when she found out, and her teeth bared like a beautiful, threatened wolf."
"Another reason I love Regina Mills- look at the woman. She is absolutely stunning. Her eyes are overbearing, deep pools of warm chocolate. I drown every time I look in them. Her lips look like they were carved and then painted by Picasso himself, and her face is perfectly and wonderfully heart shaped. Her face is expressive, you always know what she's thinking just by looking at it. Her skin is a beautiful olive color, which shines in sunlight. Just like her long, luscious black hair. It cascades down her back in perfect little waves, and her bangs always land right in place when she brushes them back.
This woman has class in her personality, and looks. She's always dressed in expensive, designer clothes and has the latest black pumps on her ever so tiny feet. So put together, and perfect."
"Regina Mills also has a vulnerable side, that I've been lucky to see only a few times. I cherish them all. Regina has been screwed over her whole life. Her happy ending is constantly taken away from her, ripped from beneath her nose. What you see is her hard exterior, because she's strong, and makes herself seem okay. I admire that. I also admire her admitting to me that she is in pain, confessing that she needs help. When Regina Mills is vulnerable, I see into her soul. It's the soul of someone who's been abused, and beaten, and broken down by everything around her. Yet she still stands through the storm, shoulders high, chest wide, ready to take the next hit."
"I admire Regina Mills for her superior strength. While in the face of death, which she has been in probably hundreds of times in her life, she holds a smile to her lips, ready to take the kill. She has no fear, nothing that can break her down. On the outside at least. She stands fiercely when she stares death in the face, ready for anything to happen. Not an inch of fear in her body or soul."
"I love Regina Mills, lastly, for loving and caring for my son when I could not. When I weakly looked away in that hospital room, unable to bring myself to acknowledge my son's presence, Regina Mills stepped in and gave him a mother's love, showed him the world for me. I could never love her enough for that."
Emma cleared her throat and swallowed thickly. "Thank you."
She started to walk off of the stage, but was stopped by Regina rushing up to her and hugging her. "You asshole," She cried in her ear, sniffling. " You told me it was a monologue about trees."
Emma chuckled and led Regina, still in her arms, behind the curtain.
Emma pulled Regina off of her and looked in her eyes. Drowning, as she always did. Regina smiled.
"You're such a great actress. That had so much… passion. I don't know how you made all of that up so easily."
Emma chuckled. "I didn't make it up." She sunk into Regina's face and she jumped against Emma, kissing her fervently. Emma held Regina close and kissed her cheek after they kissed. "I'm in love with you, Regina Mills."
Regina started crying. That's when Emma heard it. The roaring of the applause, and the call from the Mc.
"Emma Swan, you've won the competition for best monologue. You win a two-ticket trip to Hawaii for 3 weeks, and ten thousand dollars!"
Emma gasped and ran back on stage, taking the check from The Mc, Regina's hand tucked in her free one. Everyone cheered, and Regina wiped her eyes.
The Mc smiled. "Is this the lucky lady?"
Emma smiled over at Regina. "Hell yes," She chuckled.
"Well, Regina, that was quite some passion Emma showed for you. How did you feel about that? Did you know she was going to mention you?"
Regina laughed. "She told me her monologue was about damned trees."