A/N: Hello everyone! This is a one-shot that picks up at the end of ep 4x09. I wrote it after seeing the promo and promo pics but before the first sneak peek was released. So, any scene you recognize is based on those.

This is an OQ fanfiction so I won't get into how the Snow Queen is defeated.

That said, enjoy the angst and don't forget to let me know what you think of the story in your reviews! x

Disclaimer: I don't own Once Upon A Time, nor its character.

Shattered Hearts

She took a deep breath and closed her eyes for a moment.

Just one moment of quiet before the curse hit and all hell broke loose.

One moment to pray that Henry and Robin would be safe and would come out of this unharmed.

A silent tear slipped down her cheek when she saw the tiny shards of glass advancing towards her.

She tried to hold onto the memory of Robin and Henry, hoping the love she felt for them would be enough to keep the darkness at bay. It was a foolish idea, she knew that. Not even true love would be enough to stop or break this curse.

The fragments of glass hit her eyes, one after the other, and Henry and Robin's faces were pushed back to a remote corner of her mind.

Hope. Happiness. Love. It was all gone.

All that was left was hatred, anger, revenge and bloodlust.

Her heart and mind surrendered to darkness.

Regina looked around the dimly lit vault and smirked. Light magic wouldn't keep her in. She was determined to get out and she would but, first, a change of clothes was in order.

She raised her hands along her sides and a cloud of purple smoke engulfed her.

When she opened her eyes again, an evil smile played on her dark red lips as she looked at her reflection in the mirror.

Her once more long locks were pulled up into an elaborate bun held in place by pins covered in diamonds, the heavy dark make-up accentuated the bloodthirsty look in her eyes.

She was back into one of her signature outfits. Black leather pants, over-the-knee, high heeled boots and a black coat with tiny crystals embroidered along the low neckline that highlighted her breasts and a dark red coattail that reached her feet..

"That's much better."

She turned around and made her way up the stone staircase and out of the crypt. She flicked her wrist to open the heavy door but nothing happened. She tried pushing it open but when her hands touched the it, a flash of white light erupted from the spot she had barely brushed with her fingertips and she was sent flying backwards, her back colliding with the wall shortly after that.

Anger started bubbling up inside of her, she clenched her jaw and slowly stood up. Light magic wouldn't stop her, she was determined.

She gathered as much magic as she could then released it forward. A black vortex hit the door of the mausoleum so forcefully that it was ripped off its hinges.

The moment she was outside and no longer trapped by the protection spell she had placed around the building, she raised her arms to poof herself where she knew her prey was. The sheriff's station.

Emma stared in horror at her parents. Time seemed to have stilled.

They had let go. They had let go of each other's hands when mere seconds before her father had told Snow this was all just a precaution, that they would be fine because nothing can come between two halves of one heart.

But he was wrong.

The love in their eyes was gradually being replaced by anger and they stepped backwards to put distance between them. They looked like two strangers, these weren't Emma's parents, they weren't the ever so hopeful couple bound together by true love and one heart.

"Emma, we need to go." Elsa whispered to her "We need to fix this before something bad happens and the only way to do that is by taking down the Snow Queen and breaking this curse."

"You're right. We have to save them." She looked once more at her parents before turning her back to them to place Neal back into his stroller.

"You're not gonna save anyone." Snow's voice was unrecognizable and tears rolled down Emma's cheeks when she shut her eyes. She didn't want to look, didn't want to see her parents like this. It wasn't their fault, they couldn't control themselves and a part of her knew it but it still hurt. "Just because Rumplestiltskin used you to break a curse doesn't make you a savior, you were merely a tool, a pawn. Your magic can't save anyone, you can't even control it. You're dangerous, Emma, and everyone is afraid of you, not just us."

"Stop, please stop…" Emma wanted to scream at them but her words were breathed out in a whisper. Neal had started crying and she could hear Anna in the background trying to hold herself together in front of an angry Kristoff.

"You're a freak Emma. You both are." David added, pointing at Elsa.

"You are. And we were all doing just fine without you in our lives." Snow chimed in, her words daggers that were pushing Emma towards the edge of a breakdown.

"Emma, we really need to go." Elsa said, grabbing her arms forcefully enough for Emma to turn to face her "Anna will stay here with you parents, Kristoff and Neal but you and I need to go find the Snow Queen and defeat her once and for all otherwise they're all doomed."

Emma nodded in agreement and was about to turn around when she heard it.

"Going somewhere?"

She felt goosebumps forming on her skin before she even lifted her eyes to see who had just uttered those word. Not that she needed to look. There was no way she could ever forget that voice tinged with madness she had heard not long before in the Enchanted Forest.

"Regina…" This can't be really happening, Emma thought.

"That's a bit informal, wouldn't you say? Show some respect. It's Your Majesty."

"Regina, please don't do this…"

"I've endured your presence in my life long enough, Miss Swan." Regina growled at the blonde as she advanced slowly and menacingly towards her. "You took my son away from me, you made him hate me. But that wasn't enough, was it? No, you had to play hero so you brought Marian back and ruined my second chance at happiness."

She conjured up a fireball and threw it at Emma but Elsa was quick enough to block it mid-air by turning into a snowball then letting it melt before it could reach her friend.

"You want to be the hero and let me be the villain? Fine by me."

A second later, Emma was blown backwards by an invisible force and her back hit the wall before she fell to the floor.

Her head was spinning and she had to lean against the wall for support to get back on her feet while Elsa created a light blue shield around the two of them, Anna, Kristoff and Neal to prevent whatever Regina was throwing at them to actually hurt any of them.

"Emma, I won't be able to hold her off for much longer, do something!" she screamed over her shoulder. Regina's magic was stronger than hers and Elsa's body was shaking slightly because of the great effort it was taking to keep her dark magic at bay.

Emma closed her eyes in concentration and focused on getting them all out of there. Regina hadn't taught her how to materialize someplace else so she had to trust magic and rely on instinct, just like Regina had once told her. As she raised her arms the way she had seen her frenemy do countless times before, a white cloud of smoke enveloped the five of them and they disappeared.

Regina's last spell blew a hole in the wall the moment Elsa's magical shield disappeared. The room was now empty, since the desk Kristoff was handcuffed to had disappeared as well, except for Regina and the Charmings. Regina had been quick enough to keep Emma from taking the two of them out of the room as well, so they were still locked inside their cells.

She turned slowly, a smirk on her lips, as she was finally about to face her archenemy.

"I have to say, I couldn't have hoped for a better situation. You, locked behind bars, unable to run from me this time." She said, cackling "Of course this whole thing would be far too boring if I just snapped your neck. I want you to suffer and, by the looks of it, killing your dear, charming husband first wouldn't inflict you any pain."

Regina opened Snow's cell with a flick of her wrist and conjured up two swords, one black, the other plain silver, and threw the latter at Snow for her to catch.

"I wanna watch you bleed."

"You think I'm not gonna fight back?" Snow asked, her lips pressed together into an uncharacteristically mocking pout before her she shook her head "'Cause if you do, you are so mistaken!"

Snow was the first to lunge forward and attack, but Regina easily dodged the blow by leaping backwards, then advanced quickly to hit Snow. The air soon filled with the sound of swords clashing and blows being deflected as the two moved around each other in a deadly dance.

The tip of Regina's blade cut through Snow's sweater and left a thin flesh wound in its wake. It wasn't a deadly blow, it was only a few inches long, but it was enough to hurt her.

The Queen's eyes lit up when she noticed the blood. She lifted the sword to examine it then licked the drops of blood that stained the tip off of it, never once breaking eye contact with the girl who stood still a few feet away from her, her eyes throwing daggers at her stepmother.

"You taste so good."

She moved forward to hit Snow again but the girl's sword collided with hers, resulting in the blades remaining crossed between the two women, whose faces were now mere inches apart.

"You ruined my life!" Snow screamed at her, pushing her backwards, then swung her sword and missed Regina only by an inch, causing even more rage to bubble up inside of her opponent.

"I ruined your life?" she barked then used her free hand to punch Snow so hard the girl was knocked to the ground.

"You took Daniel away from me because you couldn't keep your stupid mouth shut! He died because of you!" Regina stood tall above her, the black sword pointed at her neck so she wouldn't move.

"I tried cursing you but you keep coming back." She moved the tip of the blade down towards her chest "Let's see if death is enough to rid me of you once and for all."

Regina grabbed the hilt of the sword with both hands and raised the blade so it hovered right above Snow's heart. She was about to stab her when the pixie haired woman raised her legs and kicked Regina backwards towards David's cell. He took advantage of the moment Regina needed to recover from the blow to take her sword away from her. She turned to face him but, by doing so, she didn't see Snow coming towards her and grabbing her by the collar of her dress with one hand and by her waist with the other.

With all the force she had, Snow pulled Regina back, away from the bars of the cell and sent her crashing into the sheriff's office glass door, which shattered into a thousand pieces. Regina lay unmoving on the ground for a few moments before she started moving again. For a while the only things that could be heard were Regina's heavy breaths and the noise of the glass crunching beneath her weight as she tried to stand up without getting the tiny shards stuck into her skin.

She growled at Snow and gripped the doorframe on both sides for support. She panted as she stared at the girl like a predator trying to decide how to take down its prey, strands of hair out of place, her eyes wild.

A low, guttural sound escaped through gritted teeth "Enough."

She used her magic to lift Snow from the ground and slam her against the brick wall and ropes immediately wrapped around her ankles, waist and wrists, preventing her from moving despite her best efforts.

"This ends now."

Without warning, Regina plunged her hand into Snow's chest and pulled back when her fingers wrapped around her heart. Half of her heart.

"Seems like someone has more darkness in herself than she cares to admit." The half of the heart Regina was holding looked nothing like it did when she had taken it out of Snow's chest back in the Enchanted Forest to split it between her and Charming. At the time, the organ glowed a bright red light with a lonely, small, black spot right in its centre, a reminder that Snow had not only been the cause of her lover's death but had also killed her mother. That light was almost out now, darkness was slowly devouring it, one bit at the time.

"And you're next, Charming."

Regina started squeezing but, the moment she did, a wave of energy swept through the room, throwing Regina a little off balance.

She gasped, startled. She looked at Snow, then David, then down at the heart in her hand.

"Oh my God…" She whispered covering her mouth with her free hand. "Snow, are you alright?"

The princess nodded and Regina slowly released her from the ropes and caught her in her arms when she fell forward.

"This is gonna hurt. I'm sorry…"

"I know." Snow said sympathetically "I know it's not your fault, you couldn't…" her breath caught mid-sentence when Regina pushed her hand back into her chest and out again "…help it."

While Regina used her magic to change back into her normal clothes, Snow helped David out of his cell. He pulled his wife into a hug and held her tight for a second. No explanation, no words were needed to justify the things that had been said.

The three of them ran out into the street. The curse hadn't lasted that long, thanks heaven, for the town had already been thrown into chaos as it was.

Two dwarfs were lying on the ground, soaked in blood, surrounded by their friends, who were trying to determine the injuries' gravity. Some people were helping other limping forms towards the hospital but Regina paid them no attention. she was scanning the crowd for only two people.

"Mom!"

She turned around and had barely enough time to open her arms before Henry's body came crashing into hers.

"Henry!" She cupped his cheeks and started checking for any possible injury, even the smallest cut or bruise "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine mom. Are you? You're bleeding…" He raised his hand to her forehead and wiped away a drop of blood to show her. It must've been the glass, she thought.

"Don't worry. I'll be fine, it's just a scratch. Have you seen Robin?" She asked, already looking around for him.

"No, I haven't. But I'm sure he's fine."

And still, there was this feeling, something in her gut, that told her something wasn't right.

"Henry, I want you to go with your grandparents to the hospital. Snow has a little cut she better take care of. Stay with them until Emma returns. I'll be back soon, I promise."

She didn't give him time to reply before she disappeared into purple smoke, only to reappear seconds later where the Merry Men's camp had been until that afternoon.

Something was wrong. Something was terribly wrong. She could feel it in her heart.

She kept screaming Robin's name as she searched the area but no one responded.

Her heart was racing, her head started spinning for the lack of oxygen as she looked around frantically, breathing way too quickly. Panic had gripped her heart and she didn't know what to do, where to look. Until she got closer to the road and spotted a huge tree with chains all around it.

She sprinted towards it but the moment she reached the other side of the tree trunk she wished she hadn't. Robin's body was limp against the wood. He was as pale as a ghost, his face almost completely drained of blood, his lips were turning a bluish hue.

But his face wasn't the first thing she had noticed, because the two arrows that were buried in his chest had caught her eye first. Blood was still dripping from the wounds, staining his clothes.

Regina could barely feel her legs as she moved towards him, her sight blurry because of the tears that still hadn't fallen down her cheeks.

"No, no, no, no, no! You don't get to leave me, Robin!" Her voice cracked mid-sentence. She made the chains and arrows disappear with the aid of her magic and fell to the ground with him.

"Robin. Robin, please look at me…" she whispered in a pleading voice.

Robin's body shook ever so slightly and he coughed up some blood. He opened his ocean blue eyes and looked at her. He was weak and she could tell that even keeping his eyes open was a struggle.

"Regina…"

"I'm here, Robin." She smiled through the tears and pulled him closer to her so his head lay on her lap. Robin lifted his hand slowly to cup Regina's cheek.

"I'm sorry, Regina… I should've chosen you from the start. That way we would've spent more time together…"

"Robin, everything's going to be alright, I can heal you." Her hands hovered over his wounds creating a purple glow but nothing happened.

"W-What…"

She ripped his shirt open with shaky hands to reveal black streaks similar to blood vessels that were spreading quickly and had almost reached his heart.

"It's Nightshade."

Poison. Deadly poison.

"Who…"

"Regina, don't blame who did this, the only one to blame here is the Snow Queen."

He coughed up some more blood and Regina let tears run freely down her face and fall over his body.

"Why are you smiling?" she sobbed, unable to control herself and she tried not to look at the ink on his wrist that reminded her of their connection.

"Because at least I'm gonna die in the arms of the woman I love with my heart and soul."

At those words Regina bent over his chest and let her body be wrecked by sobs that she tried unsuccessfully to muffle with her hand.

"I love you, Regina"

"I love you too"

She kissed him for what she knew would be the last time. Her lips wet and salty because of her tears, his stained with blood. Bud she didn't care about any of that.

"I wish I had come into that tavern that night. If I had, none of this would've happened…I just… I just found you, Robin, please don't leave me"

"Shh…" Robin tried to reassure her "It's okay, Regina. You're gonna be okay…"

He paused for a second then whispered "Tell me what would've happened if we had met that night."

Regina looked at him through the tears and grabbed his hand before closing her eyes and taking a deep breath to calm herself.

With a shaky voice raised just above a whisper, meant only for him to hear, even though they were the only ones there, she started telling him what would've happened had she entered the tavern that night. How they would have spent hours talking, never growing tired of each other's company. How he would have kissed her and how she would have let him and how she would have begged him to run away with her, far from the palace. They would have gotten married and they would have had children who possessed her beauty and his sense of honour. And then they would have grown old together. They wouldn't have had to flee from snow queens and evil sorcerers. They would have had a normal, simple life, together. A life filled with happiness and love, of days filled with laughter and cuddles in front of the fireplace.

She had felt his grip on her hand loosening at some point but hadn't dared open her eyes. He had slipped away, his eyes had fluttered close somewhere along the story and he was wrong. She wouldn't be okay because she had just lost her soulmate.