A/n Here it is a little St Valentines special. As always tell me what do think and happy day to everybody!

Disclaimer: I don't own them in any way.

Note: This idea comes thanks to my girlfriend (she knows why).

Scribbled hearts

At first, many many centuries ago, the witches and wizards knew how to grab the hearts of the people because in them it was written the name of the person who they loved. Kings and Queens wanted to know who was their true love and with them hundreds of citizens of their kingdoms requested the same.

But the wizards and witches got greedy and they thought that they could actually use that magic for their own purposes, that's why when, after too many wars and too many stolen hearts the practice was considered treason on its own rights and abandoned. Many history books didn't ever wrote what had happened as it was the wizards who wrote them and were too ashamed to even consider to put that part of their own story in a book.

That's why when Rumplestiskin learnt how to steal heart he was surprised that almost no one knew of that practice and he used it once and again. However, he didn't realize that in the stolen hearts a little set of letters usually formed a name.

It was his second pupil, Regina, who realized that.

After she actually learned how to do it and killed a young woman with it Regina returned to her castle and plucked out her own heart, considering the option of killing herself and finally be free.

But she didn't do it since there, in the middle of her heart, written on gold, was a name that glowed even in the darkening heart: Daniel.

Daniel's name made her remember why she was there in the first place and she promised to herself to keep fighting until she found something that she could do to save the man that had died years ago. Even if only she could listen to his voice for one second.

As years passed she plucked her heart out many other times, thirsty to see the name of the one who had loved most but, as she saw after the first times, the name was quickly fading, leaving her now almost completely black heart in a blank state.

She tried to fool herself but she knew the truth, Daniel was fading away, just as her innocence had been destroyed and Daniel, the sweet Daniel, couldn't follow her anymore.

She refused to see her heart until the day before the curse, the faded letters were still legible and she cried over her heart, muttering Daniel's name with tired lips and broken voice.

Once in Storybrooke the lack of magic had made it impossible to see her heart and, in a way, she was relieved since she feared that the letters could still be disappearing inside of her. That's why, every year, on Daniel's death, she went to her own apple tree and craved his name at the base of it, near the roots.

As years passed by she often looked at her ring and wondered if Daniel would have been happy with her decision, would have tell her to move on. She knew that somewhere in the city the man with the lion tattoo could exist but she didn't want to see him and she even doubted that she could love again. That's why she used Graham once and again, to make herself feel something that wasn't laced with loss or despair.

But then Emma Swan had happened and she had brought back the magic that she loved and dreaded and as she had been brought to her cell she had plucked her heart out, trying to not be seen by the Charmings or the blonde.

Daniel's name wasn't there, the fading letters weren't there anymore and Regina realized that it was already too late, Daniel had seeped between her fingers and she couldn't reach him anymore.

When the man had appeared in front of her she had cried and had fought back with everything she had had, believing that she could find something to make both of them finally happy. But it hurt too much to see her love in such state and when Daniel had pleaded to be free she had realized that she couldn't tie the man to a life that he wasn't going to understand.

That night her heart burned and she mourned the second death of her love.

Then Emma had been back and as Regina looked at that woman she felt how her trust came back, brought it by a set of green eyes that promised her that she could be redeemed. She wasn't sure of how that could happen but as the blonde's magic had engulfed her in the mines she was suddenly bathed in what appeared redemption and in Daniel's plea of loving again.

She hadn't believe it, of course, since her only love would always be the stable boy, the one who had met her way before she had become the Evil Queen.

But Emma had seen her as Regina and as Neverland occurred the brunette started to think that maybe…

Then Pan's curse had hit Storybrooke and she had found herself in the Enchanted Forest without Henry, without Emma, without her family and she had decided that she couldn't take it anymore. Searching for a place where she could bury her heart she had grabbed it and hold it, looking at it and scoffing when she had seen the patches of light that covered the black ones. Redemption.

But just as she was about to start she saw that something glowed on the other side of the heart, just at the opposite side of where Daniel's name had been.

And there, in faint writing that turned stronger as Regina looked at it, was Emma's name written, glowing softly between the dark patches of Regina's heart, just like Daniel had glowed.

She had cried and had nodded at Snow's request, too distraught to even pay attention to the woman; this was the second time that she had lost someone before even having it.

But then, just when every day seemed to be the same as the previous one, she had woken up on Storybrooke, her house, her life, restored once again and as she waited for Emma and Henry she glanced at the craved tree that had reappeared in her backyard with fondness.

"I will never forget you" had vowed to it and she had known that she was doing the right thing.

That was the reason behind her decision of not leaving her heart with Emma, deciding that it was better with Robin instead since she didn't know how to tell the blonde that her heart already belonged to her. Too coward to admit it she had found herself pushed against Robin by everyone in town who knew about the lion tattoo and as she had glanced at Emma and the pirate she had decided that, maybe, it was for the best. Villains didn't have happy endings; maybe they couldn't even achieve what their hearts wanted.

But Emma had brought back Marian and Regina had find herself without even that option, condemned to see Emma's relationship with the pirate as her hear burned, ready to explode.

It had really been that long journey? Regina had asked when she had been there, glancing at the shots that Emma had requested, her warm green eyes as gentle as ever.

She already knew the answer, it had been a really long journey, one that she didn't even knew how was going to end but as Henry had called for them and Emma had asked to be part of the Operation she had realized that she could wait a little more if that meant that she could see Emma's smile once again.

That night, when she had plucked out her heart, she had seen the blonde's name chasing away the darkness that was still on it and had smiled.

Maybe one day she could end her journey, maybe one day she could tell Emma what she really felt about her without magic or fairy dust.

And she knew that Daniel would be proud.