There were few things in life that Regina Mills hadn't done or wouldn't do, but she tried not to lie to herself. When she'd told Peter Pan that there was nothing she regretted, it was the truth. When it came down to it, if she'd chosen any other path, made different decisions, Henry may never have come into her life, and that was... Simply unthinkable. And so Regina would change nothing about the course of her life.
Crouching over the Blue Fairy's body, however, looking up at the resolute emptiness on Tinkerbell's face as the realisation sunk in that her last chance to regain her wings was now a lifeless corpse... A hard, dark ball of shame twisted in the brunette's belly, and she regretted that her actions had ruined the lives of people who deserved better. Tinkerbell had done nothing for Regina but show compassion, empathy and friendship, at a time when everyone else had forsaken her. She'd lived in darkness ever since, banished from her own kind, subsisting on the natural magic of Neverland. And now the fairy's very last hope was extinguished.
So when Regina had woken up on the floor of the mausoleum - surrounded by the Charmings, Gold and her own shame at having been deceived by Pan... when Gold had noticed that the curse was missing, and they all digested exactly what that meant... the Mayor vowed to at the very least do what she could to make it up to Tinkerbell. Realistically, there was nothing she could do for the people of Storybrooke. Twenty-eight years worth of miserable lives couldn't be overcome in the short time they probably had left. And the attempt would be, frankly, beneath her. Tinkerbell, however... well, if they were going to be cursed into a new reality, it wouldn't be a bad thing to have another magical being on side, even if that being couldn't remember they had magic. If nothing else, their time in Storybrooke had proved that curses did not necessarily endure, that there was always wiggle room for things to change. They were already down one fairy, it seemed sensible to do what she could to reinstate another.
Regina found the blonde later that evening, swigging rum out of Hook's ever present flask. She wasn't certain, but it seemed that the damn thing was enchanted. He never appeared to be out of rum, that was for sure. She was sorely tempted to interrogate him about it - given the uncertainty to come it might be nice to be able to rely on a steady supply of her favourite Cabernet Merlot - but then again she couldn't actually remember a time when she'd ever gotten a straight answer out of the pirate, and now was unlikely to be an exception. So instead she'd gently extracted a mildly bemused Tinkerbell and here they were standing in the foyer of the mayoral mansion. The fairy gawked unapologetically, before directing a puzzled gaze at Regina.
"Regina... why did you bring me here?"
Rarely at a loss for words, the brunette nevertheless faltered. It seemed inconceivable to give voice to the myriad reasons that she was attempting conciliation, and so she simply shrugged.
"I want you to try again."
"Excuse me?"
A sigh. "I want you to try again."
"I heard you the first time. I just... You can't possibly mean what I think you mean."
"While we could argue in circles for some time about what it is you think I mean, we really don't have the time. Let me be clear. Tinkerbell, I want you to try the spell again. The spell to..."
"Find your true love." Incredulous. The fairy blinked at her for a long moment. "How could you possibly think that I would help you again?"
"It's not about me."
The fairy's laugh was brittle, bordering on manic. "It's always about you Regina."
"I admit that I am usually self-serving, but you need to trust me on this." A pause. "You once told me that pixie dust could find what people need. Right now, I'm relying on that being true. You tried to help me in order to save yourself, and I threw that back in your face." She couldn't hold the fairy's intent gaze. Took a fortifying breath, before forcing herself to look back. "I'm under no illusion that my happy ending is out there. I've never come across the man with the lion tattoo in the twenty-eight years that I've been Mayor of Storybrooke." Nor had she ever wanted to. It had been a relief when she'd realised that particular person had not been caught up in the curse. "What I believe is that the process is the key. If we can recreate the scenario that led to you losing your wings..."
"Then maybe I can get them back again?"
"That's the general idea."
"What if you're wrong?"
"Then what have you lost? At this stage the only dependable avenue for getting your wings back is... no longer an option. If this fails, you've lost nothing. And if we succeed... you, at least, will have your happy ending. However brief."
The blonde was clearly torn between skepticism and hope - with a healthy dose of fear thrown in for good measure. Her gaze went internal for long moments, long enough for Regina to actually start fidgeting. Strong fingers clasped and unclasped repeatedly, and it was the subtle movements that finally seemed to draw Tinkerbell's attention.
"But what are you going to do when the spell points you to your true love?" Challenging. "How am I to trust that you won't just renege on the whole thing again?"
Regina couldn't stop the laugh from escaping. "Tink, there is no way that your spell is going to lead me to true love. Love is something..." A breath. "That kind of love is something I no longer deserve. I probably never did. I have Henry, and he's all that matters. I believe that the spell will point us to him. He's my happy ending."
"I don't know Regina..."
"C'mon Tinkerbell. You told me that you've never seen pixie dust fail, and you were right then. I failed you." Admitting her wrongdoings didn't seem as terrifying anymore, now that everything was drawing to a close. "I did the wrong thing and now I want to make up for that." A pause. "Aren't you at least curious?" The Mayor deliberately reflected Tinkerbell's own words, wanting to spark the innate and ever-present hope that had been repressed for so long.
"Regina..." Warning. That hardness in the fairy's tone that Regina had put there.
"I believe this can work Tink. I believe in the pixie dust... and I believe in you."
The blonde blinked slowly. Her mouth slightly open like she couldn't quite believe what she was seeing. Regina watched, fascinated, as a gentle flush of colour washed across the fairy's face. As the vial of pixie dust began to glow - faintly at first, but rapidly gaining strength and depth. Tinkerbell looked down at it, touched it gently... almost reverently. The smile creeping across her features practically blinding in its intensity. After a long, long moment of just staring down at the vial, the blonde transferred her attention to the Mayor - and it was like being suddenly thrust back in time. There was the fairy who had tried to help her all those year ago.
Damn it, this might just work.
The last time Tinkerbell had cast this spell, following the trail had been a little more graceful. They'd literally floated along the glowing green path, the fairy's magic allowing them to take the shortest possible route.
Without magic, things got a little messy.
Following the path directly proved impossible, as the trail intersected with buildings and cut through the yards of the citizens of Storybrooke. No small amount of cursing and foot stamping ensued as time and again they found themselves stymied by the intricate layout of the town's streets.
Eventually, they found themselves outside Granny's.
Peering through the window, Regina was unsurprised to find the glowing green trail culminating at a booth. It was jarring, seeing Pan sitting there with the Sheriff and the Charmings, even knowing that it was Henry. Had to look away.
She turned to the fairy. The blonde was still staring inside, an unreadable expression on her delicate features.
"As I suspected, the trail led to Henry." A pause. "What now? What am I supposed to..?"
A shocked look, then a small hand grasped Regina's arm. "Regina! Look!"
Brown eyes quickly focused back on the activity inside the diner. Henry had got up from the booth, was moving towards the back of the diner - presumably to use the bathroom. What had caught the fairy's attention was the fact that the green glow hadn't followed him. Now that he'd moved, it was undeniably obvious that the path terminated with Emma Swan.
Terminated right at her chest in fact. A little to the left of centre. Precisely where the saviour's heart lay, in other words.
Regina clasped at her own heart in shock. Staggered back - one step, two. Before her knees gave out entirely and she sank onto the pavement. Vaguely, at the very edges of her consciousness, she was aware that Tinkerbell was urgently calling her name. Couldn't hope to respond though, as she pitched and tumbled in the swirling maelstrom of her mind.
The Mayor couldn't even pick out a single cogent thought. It was a seething, roiling, inky mess of words and pure emotions. Disbelief. Denial. Shock. Rage. Like being caught in an Atlantic tide, all she could do was surrender to it. Try to breathe. Pray to come out of it alive.
Finally wresting control of her mind, she allowed her thoughts to run.
Emma Swan. The saviour. Of all the people in all the realms, why did it have to be her? How could it even be her? Tinkerbell was so sure that the pixie dust was never wrong, how could Emma Swan be her true love when he was theoretically somewhere back in the Enchanted Forest with his poorly executed tattoo? It didn't make any sense.
Of course, none of this made any sense.
How could it be the Sheriff? They'd practically hated each other on sight, and had done nothing but argue and fight, sometimes physically. There were so many reasons why she disliked Emma Swan, why she loathed Emma Swan. It couldn't possibly be her.
And yet the pixie dust never failed.
The rational part of her brain - that same part that wouldn't countenance lying to itself - chose that moment to pipe up and offer its opinion.
How often was it true that love and hate are two sides of the same coin? Wasn't it true that before Emma had revealed that she was Henry's birth mother Regina had found her devastatingly attractive? Still found her infuriatingly attractive at times, especially when she was doing something idiotically noble, or when she was actually consciously parenting Henry.
That traitorous part of her brain chose that moment to remind her, in technicolor detail, of the extraordinary magic they'd made together. How just one touch had been enough to open the portal with Jefferson's hat, how they'd come together to defuse the crystal in the mines below Storybrooke. How they'd literally rearranged the heavens in order to engineer an eclipse in Neverland.
She'd know at the time that combining magic like that was not usual. Sure, it was easy for two practitioners to work together to produce an amplified effect. But to produce the kind of complementary force they had... it was extraordinary, and generally implied some deeper connection was present. Like true love. Regina had rationalised it away. Surely it had to be due to the strange, unregulated power that the saviour had, which in turn was ultimately all connected back to her and the curse.
Now... now it made a sick kind of sense.
Dear god, the indignity. The catastrophic irony of the saviour being the true love of the Evil Queen. She couldn't even imagine the look on Snow White's face if she ever found out. It would be almost worth it. She'd heard of cases in which people had sudden coronary episodes brought on by shock. What a delicious way to ultimately get her revenge.
But the guilt and the grief would destroy Emma. And the Mayor now found herself in a position in which she didn't want to see the Sheriff destroyed, and... Oh. My. God.
It was true.
It was almost like those first few moments of consciousness in Storybrooke, adjusting to a new reality. Like she'd been launched into one of those cheesy romance novels that this world was so fond of.
As her mind struggled to find its footing on this awkward new terrain, she was suddenly reminded of the abrupt turn around of affections between the two protagonists in her favourite play. How Shakespeare deliberately pointed out the farce in the enmity between Beatrice and Benedick, that their war had been nothing more than a disguise for deeper feelings.
Holy mother of god, how could she have deceived herself so thoroughly?
When her senses eventually returned, when she was once again able to direct her awareness to the outside world, her eyes focused onto puzzled green eyes.
"Regina? Are you okay?"
She could hear the genuine concern in the Sheriff's voice. Was finally able to allow herself to recognise that it had been there for a while now.
Kneeling on the cold pavement, looking up at the saviour... Regina laughed. Laughed at the irony, at the wasted opportunities, the fights and the tension and the ridiculousness of the situation she now found herself in. She laughed, because if she didn't she feared she might just go insane.
She saw the startled glance that the Sheriff directed at Tinkerbell, saw the questioning look, and the fairy's answering shrug. Somehow, through the mirth saw Emma's face cycle through shocked, to bemused, to fearful. It was that hint of fear that finally tamped down the feelings... allowed her to take a deep breath, and to relax.
"No Ms Swan, I am not particularly okay." Reverted back to the Sheriff's surname, because she wasn't sure she could keep her composure otherwise.
The blonde gave her a sharp look. "Here. Let me at least help you up. Did you fall or something?" A gloved hand held out.
Regina took a breath. Reached out and clasped it. Allowed the other woman to tug her to her feet. Did she fall? A huff of amusement escaped her as she stared at the Sheriff. "You... could say I fell. In a manner of speaking."
"What? Regina, you're not making any sense."
"A lot of things aren't making any sense to me right now Ms Swan. Join the club." Dry.
"O... kay..."
"Ms Swan, I'm going to insist that you are Benedick, you understand. I refuse to align myself with that misogynist idiot. And besides, I've always loved Beatrice."
Green eyes bugged out comically, and Regina was grateful that her assumptions regarding the blonde's lack of cultural education included the Bard. Emma turned towards the fairy, clearly at a loss.
"Tinkerbell, what the hell is going on here?"
"Yes Tinkerbell. What exactly is going on here? How is this..." A curt gesture between herself and the Sheriff. "...even possible given what happened last time?"
The fairy shrugged. "Things change. It's been a long time, and many, many things have happened since then. Not the least being your curse. I'm guessing that the curse... among other things..." A glance towards the diner, where the outline of Pan's body was clearly visible as Henry peeped through the window at them. "...has meant that..."
"Will somebody please tell me what the hell is going on here?" Frustrated.
"Ms Swan... You will remember our chat back in Neverland, when you asked me what I'd done to Tinkerbell? Let's just say I'm trying to make amends. Doing what I can to see if we can get Tink her wings back."
The open-mouthed disbelief shouldn't have stung the way it did. A breath, and then she focused on the fairy.
"I... accept what the spell is saying. I made you a promise that I would do what had to be done, and I intend to hold to that. What do I need to do Tink? How do I..?"
"Seal the deal?"
A wince. "Crass, but yes."
"I don't know." Blunt. "It's never been my policy to hang around and watch when people... work things out."
"Right." Helpful. "So I'm going to need to improvise?" Perfect. "Tinkerbell, would you mind staying here for just a moment? Make sure Henry and everyone else gives Ms Swan and I a little privacy?"
"Sure." The fairy stepped forward, a small hand briefly clasping Regina's own. "Good luck."
"Ms Swan, would you mind stepping this way for just a moment please?" The Mayor didn't exactly want to try this in front of the diner windows. She only worked well with an audience when she was sure she would succeed, and right now she was anything but sure.
"Only if you agree to let me in on what the hell you're doing Regina. This... this... whatever, is making my skin crawl."
Charming. Oh god, the layers of meaning now. "Ms Swan, if you please..." Regina held an arm out, indicating that the blonde should proceed her down the street. "I will explain... as much as I can for now."
Green eyes bored into brown for a long moment before capitulating. "Okay, let's go."
The two figures walked in silence to the end of the block, until Regina deemed that they were far enough out of earshot to avoid too much gawking. Turned, resolute, to face the other woman.
"I know that you're shocked, Ms Swan, but I truly am trying to help Tinkerbell get her wings back. I don't feel inclined to give you the entire sordid story, suffice to say that Tinkerbell was trying to help me by casting a spell, and I rejected the... advice given by the spell. And she suffered the consequences. I'm hoping... We've cast the spell again, and what I'm hoping is that by accepting what the spell has told me, that her magic will come back."
"That's a long shot."
"I know. But it seemed worth the effort. Ultimately if it fails then we've lost nothing by trying."
"And you're really just trying to help Tinkerbell?" The blonde practically stuttered every time she uttered the fairy's name. She could accept every other part of the Enchanted Forest, but something about the fairy was hard for the Sheriff to embrace.
"I am." A breath. "You have no reason than to think the worst of me Ms Swan, I understand that." A truth. And it hurt.
"That's not..."
"It is." Firm. "I've done some terrible things, and I know it might be hard for you to believe, but many of them I'm not proud of. The way I treated Tinkerbell is one of them. She tried to be my friend at a time when I... wasn't ready to let go of my anger, and my hate. With the uncertainty ahead, I thought I should at least to make some amends." They stared at each other for a long, silent moment. Regina could feel the air becoming charged between them.
It was utterly ridiculous, that she hadn't pieced things together before now. But then even if she had she would have been in no position to accept the truth. People like Snow White and that nauseating prince of hers had such strong belief in the absoluteness of truth, like truth was something concrete and incontrovertable. People like Regina, and Gold... and Hook... people who occupied those liminal spaces in the rigid black and white of other people's world views... they could see that like everything else, truth was subject to time and place and circumstance. Everyone had their own truth. And Regina's was staring her in the face right now, assessing her... and apparently for once not finding her wanting.
A shrug. "Okay."
"Okay?"
"I believe you Regina."
Her heart fluttered. "Thank you."
It was quite possibly the most sincere they'd ever been with each other.
"So what now? How do I help?"
Yes how indeed? Regina thought about the ways in which these things usually went. Invariably there was a kiss involved, and while they had appeared to reach some accord here on helping Tinkerbell, the Mayor doubted that the blonde would agree to any kind of physical intimacy without a whole lot of explaining that Regina just wasn't prepared to do. Especially given that she was certain the 'true love' business was not reciprocated. That was something else that never seemed to sully the perfect world view of Snow White. Sometimes love - even true love - didn't go both ways.
"Ms Swan... I really have no desire to explain any further what the spell is about. Would you agree to do one thing without needing me to give you a reason?"
A snort. "Come on Regina. Give me something to work with here. I'm not going to agree to anything blind."
It was worth a try. "A hug."
"Say what now?"
"A hug Ms Swan. An embrace between two people."
"I know what a freaking hug is, for... You want me to hug you?" Incredulous.
"Yes. As odd as it sounds, Ms Swan, I believe that a hug may be enough to trigger the spell." She hoped so. Because the green glow emanating from the blonde's heart was beginning to get disconcerting, and asking for anything more seemed impossible. This was mortifying enough.
Blonde eyebrows furrowed as the Sheriff stared at her for so long it became more than uncomfortable. But she dared not look away. This was never going to work if she couldn't maintain as much trust and honestly as humanly possible in the circumstances. Eventually the lines on the blonde's face relaxed, and then Regina gasped as Emma simply grabbed her by the shoulders, tugged their bodies together. Strong arms threaded around her back.
Regina melted.
Her own arms wound themselves around the other woman's waist, her cheek resting lightly against Emma's collar bone. Eyes closed. Cognisant that nothing but complete surrender would suffice, she allowed herself - after more than 30 years - to open her heart and feel again. To surrender herself to another person.
She felt rather than heard Emma's startled gasp. Tore herself away from the embrace to follow Emma's gaze back towards the diner. A golden glow suffused the fairy standing there, shining brighter and brighter until she was forced to look away. A flash, more intense than daylight.
Blinking away the spots in her vision, Regina quickly made her way up the street, painfully aware of the muffled curses and heavy bootsteps of the woman beside her. They reached the fairy at the same time as the patrons of the diner began spilling onto the pavement.
The fairy's grin was brighter than the flash had been, more intense than the green of her newly magic-infused dress. Delicate wings fluttered, shimmering gently behind her shoulders.
"It worked! It really worked." Tinkerbell threw herself at the Mayor, and for the second time in as many minutes Regina found herself in an unexpected embrace. She ignored the stares and murmurs of the people around them, let herself bask in the fairy's joy for a long moment before pulling away. "Thank you Regina."
A huff. "Don't thank me. If it wasn't for me..." She trailed off, the silence more than adequately implying her intent.
The fairy shrugged. Stepped forward and placed a gentle kiss on the brunette's cheek. "Thank you for believing in me now." A giggle, and then she simply rose into the sky before disappearing in a shower of sparkles.
A warm hand slipping into her own startled her. "Mom?"
Brown eyes blinked, looked away from the space Tinkerbell had recently occupied. "What is it dear?"
"Ahhhhh... What just happened? With Tinkerbell?"
It was so hard to look at him like this. So she smiled at him briefly before shifting her gaze. Which was promptly captured by a pair of inquisitive green eyes.
Damn.
"She got her wings back dear." Keep it simple.
"I could see that mom. But how? What did you do? Why was she thanking you?"
"It's complicated Henry."
An outraged huff. "Come on mom..."
"Look." A breath. "A long time ago I did something that led to Tinkerbell losing her wings. Tonight we had a second chance, and I made the right decision this time."
"That's all you're going to give us?" This from the Sheriff.
"I'm afraid so. What happened was between Tinkerbell and I, and I think it's better for everyone if it remains that way."
"But..."
"I'm sorry Henry. I'm not going to discuss this. Now I'm sorry I've disrupted your time with Ms Swan and your grandparents. I'll leave you to it." She clasped his shoulder gently, then looked up at the blonde. "Ms Swan, if you could be so kind as to drop him home at a reasonable hour for bed?"
Released her grip, before resolutely turning and walking away.
The time had passed too damn quickly after that. After Tinkerbell had come back with the Black Fairy's wand, it had all moved so fast. There were moments of joy interspersed. Moments that would likely stay with her forever. Henry, back in his own body, running out of the tower straight into their arms. Their little family.
The memory was indelibly seared into her brain.
And now here they were, standing in the middle of Main Street. Waiting for the curse to roll in.
In the last few minutes there had been so many sighs and meaningful glances that Regina was practically nauseated. Almost, almost succumbed to an eye roll that would be satisfying, however inappropriately timed. But then... then she would look at Henry and have to fight back her own desperate sigh. The entire situation filled her with the desire to scream and curse and rend her clothes, a veritable indulgence in Greek tragedy. But in these final moments as Mayor, likely in her final moments of life - or at least freedom, because god only knew what punishment the citizens of the Enchanted Forest would wreak upon her when they returned - she would be damned if she'd give them the satisfaction of seeing her grief. And so she retained control. Teeth clenched, nails biting into soft palms - iron willed.
It was touch and go there, for a moment, when Henry approached her of his own volition, tried to take the blame. Complained that it wasn't fair. It was so like his infant protestations, he was always so certain about justice, about what was right and wrong and what was fair... It was clearly genetic. She couldn't leave him thinking that he was to blame in any way. Even though it soothed some of the ragged edges of her soul when he told her, in his round about way, that he knew she loved him. So she played the role, took the title of villain to absolve him of any wrongdoing.
And then... then he gave her the most priceless gift of all, made her so happy that she worried this might be her happy ending after all and the lifting of the curse might not work. "You're not a villain. You're my mom." After all his years of believing she was evil, that she was the enemy to be vanquished... this was the most precious gift she had ever been given. It was a close call for a moment... her control. Regina surreptitiously dried the tears that had managed to escape on his jacket as they embraced. Ruthlessly clamped down on the sobs that threatened to betray her when she realised this would be the last time she'd hug him. That she'd never know how tall he'd finally get. Never get to see how handsome he'd become.
She stood by as the Charmings hugged out their goodbyes, as Snow White murmured platitudes that were echoed by James. Waited as the Sheriff farewelled both of the unworthy men in her life. And then it was finally her turn.
It had been hard enough before, to reign it in. With Emma looking to her like she had the answers to everything. But now the Sheriff was just staring right into her and it hurt. It hurt so much to know that she'd just come to this realisation, and both Henry and Emma were being torn away.
Clearly, karma was far from done with her.
But right here, right now, she had the opportunity to do something right. Something selfless, for these two people that she loved.
"Emma." Now seemed the time to lose the formalities. It would be the last chance she'd ever get to use the other woman's name. "There's something I haven't told you." Oh so many things I haven't told you.
"What now?"
"When the curse washes over us, it will send us all back, nothing will be left behind... including your memories. It's just what the curse does. Storybrooke will no longer exist, it won't ever have existed - so these last years will be gone from both your memories, and we just go back to being stories again."
"What will happen to us?"
"I don't know."
"That doesn't sound much like a happy ending." These Charmings and their happy endings. Would they ever realise that very few people truly get happy endings?
"It's not. But I can give you one." I can give you this last gift. Of a life without me.
"You can preserve our memories?"
"No. I can... do what I did to everyone else in this town... and give you new ones." Better ones. Happier ones.
"You cursed them, and they were miserable."
"They didn't have to be." A breath. A smile. "My gift to you is good memories. A good life for you... and Henry. You'll have never given him up. You'll have always been together."
"You would do that?" At this point, there is nothing I wouldn't do.
"When I stop Pan's curse, and you cross that town line... you will have the life you always wanted."
"But it won't be real."
"Well your past won't. But your future will. Now go. There isn't much time left and the curse will be here any minute."
One last embrace with her son. She dropped a kiss onto his temple. Risked a last glance into pained green eyes before stepping back. Out of their lives.
No one spoke then. Snow White walked forward, placed a gentle kiss on her daughter's forehead. And then they were leaving, walking towards the yellow death trap and away from Storybrooke forever.
Emma literally had a foot in the door, was half inside the Volkswagon when she paused. Straightened.
"No!"
"Emma! You have to go! What are you doing?" Snow's voice was high-pitched. Frantic.
"Being the fucking saviour damn it." Leaving Henry by the car, she strode back to the group. Regina briefly wondered what on earth she thought she was doing, and then suddenly Emma was before her and the look on her face was so determined it stopped the breath in her chest. "Last night, that spell. I asked around and I looked in Henry's damn book and what I came up with..." Green eyes flickered away for a moment, looked behind her. Returned with a sense of urgency so intense it was painful to see. "Just be straight with me Regina. What was the spell?"
"Emma..."
"We don't have fucking time to be coy Regina. Tell me! Were you trying to find..." For all the Sheriff's courage, she faltered now.
And so Regina placed her faith in the saviour again. "True love. Yes." She was vaguely aware of the muted gasps behind her. Ignored them, intent on the face before her.
"It's me?" Barely audible.
Her chest suddenly too tight for words, she nodded. Felt the prickle of tears biting at the back of her eyes.
"It's me, and yet you're sending Henry and I away?"
"I must. It's the only way. I must give up the thing that I love the most in order to break the curse. You assumed that was Henry and I let you. But it's both of you." Pained. "You're my family."
The blonde threw her hands in the air. "This is bullshit. There's got to be another way."
"There's no other way that I can guarantee you and Henry will be safe. Emma." Agonised. "You need to go. Now."
The indecision contorted the Sheriff's face. Regina could practically read Emma's thoughts, and when they resolved into a determined frown she gasped. "No. There's one thing that always seems to work in the stories. One last thing we can try."
And then Emma Swan was kissing her.
For a split second Regina was aware of the world around her. Could sense the curse about to break over them, practically smell its pungent, oily magic.
Then she sunk into the kiss and nothing else seemed to matter. One hand curved up and clasped the back of the blonde's neck, the other held onto her waist for dear life. She could feel the pressure of the saviour's hands on her shoulders, and then the lips that had been merely pressed against hers softened, and shifted. And what had started as an urgent gamble turned into something delicate and profound.
The magic slammed into them.
But it wasn't the dark magic of the curse. It was light and pure and Regina smiled in delight as Emma gasped into her mouth. It was their magic.
It was working.
Regina was torn then. Torn between wanting to kiss Emma forever and watching the magic happen. She could feel the same struggle inside the blonde, and wondered then exactly how deep this connection between them went. It decided her. A last brush of her lips against Emma's, and she broke away. Opened her eyes.
Purple clouds were chasing away the last of the acrid green.
Everyone was staring at them. Shocked.
She couldn't suppress a grin.
A hand on her cheek, and brown eyes were drawn back to green. "It worked." Tentative.
"It worked."
"It freaking worked!"
Emma grabbed her, picking her up in an exuberant hug. Regina spotted Henry over the saviour's shoulder, suddenly terrified of his reaction. His mouth was hanging open, gobsmacked. But then he caught her eye and grinned and it was as if the sun just peeked out from behind the winter clouds. As he raced towards them she wondered if finally this wasn't all over.
If now all three of them could have their happy ending.