"Why did it bother you so much? Me calling you 'Miss Swan', that is." Regina stared intently at the blonde. Emma was no longer the Dark One and they all returned from the Underworld unscathed, even though the pirate had to be left behind. Though she'd never admit it, Regina was ecstatic. That filthy mongrel made her seethe.
She's pulled from her thoughts by Emma's deep sigh, watching the blonde twirl a loose piece of string that was hanging limply from her old tank top. She'd taken to wearing thin tank tops again (another thing to be grateful for).
"I don't know, Regina," the brunette stayed quiet, knowing she wasn't finished, "I saw how everyone looked at me when I was the Dark One. There was fear or concern in their eyes. It was infuriating me. I worked so hard to be what they expected me to be–"
"We don't expect anything from you. We just want you to be okay."
"My parents wanted their princess, the town wanted their Savior, Henry wanted his mom, Hook wanted… a 'blonde distraction'. They wanted their version of me back. But you? You just wanted me to be… okay. And every time you called me 'Miss Swan', I felt like I was losing you, like I was losing the one person that just wanted what was best for me."
"Emma, I was angry. You understand that? I wasn't trying to hurt you. I retreat when I'm afraid. I didn't know what was going on. You were keeping secrets. I… I felt like I was losing sight of you. So I retreated. It's what I do. But… I'm sorry that in doing what I do, you felt like I was abandoning you."
"I'm sorry for losing sight of what's important."
Regina nodded slowly, a small smile twitching at her red lips. Emma reached forward and grabbed the olive hand gently.
"Never again."
Regina shivered before whispering, "It'll be okay Emma. It will get better."
"You're still here with me. So is Henry and my parents. It already is better."