"This is rubbish," Rumpelstiltskin stated upon first sight of the forgery.

Regina scoffed. "What?"

"It's a fake," Rumpelstiltskin began. "You've spent enough time with the book. You should know the difference."

Regina faltered for a moment, but was quick to think on her feet, "They tricked me!"

"What, you think I didn't suspect you? I've been waiting for this moment. I knew it would come. Maleficent."

"Wait, I can expl –"

Maleficent waved her hand and Regina was hit with the sleeping curse, falling limp to the ground.

"Bring her to her vault," Rumpelstiltskin ordered.

Some time later, Snow and Charming, though mostly Snow, finally came clean to Emma, who had a supportive Hook at her side. Or, at least, he was trying to be supportive. Emma wasn't taking it very well.

Emma's eyes were dark and haunted as she felt her world flipped upside down for the thousandth time of her life. "This whole time, I was right. You were lying. I wanted to believe you. I wanted to believe in you," Emma spoke in staccato.

"We were just trying to protect you."

"Emma, are you all right?"

"No," Emma answered in monotone. "I'm not okay. I've got to go." She got up and headed for the door.

"Please, stop," Snow begged. "I'm your mother."

Emma made sure to look right into Snow's eyes as she replied, "I don't care."

Hook followed Emma outside after a bit. The tension in that house was rather awkward for him. "Hey."

"I'm just gonna need some time."

"August is awake," Hook informed, which was his excuse to get out of the house. "Your parents are with him."

"Is he - ?"

"He's going to be fine. Your friend is going to be fine."

Emma sighed, half in relief, half in aggravation. "Why did my parents send you?"

"Well, they didn't think you'd listen to them."

Emma chuckled darkly. "They were right."

Hook attempted to hug her, only for Emma to stop him with her hands on his chest, using them to push him away.

"I…I need to go." Emma bolted. She'd stop by and see August, but then… She needed to see Regina.

Emma learned a few things during her visit. One, she was pretty good at pretending her parents didn't exist when she wanted to, since for the first 28 years of her life they hadn't. Two, Gold's interest in the Author was to turn her dark. Three, the Author wasn't a person, it was a job. There had been many authors. When she left, she knew she definitely needed to see Regina.

She went to find Henry first; she knew he'd seen her. "Hey kid, where's Regina?"

"Probably still being undercover. The last time I saw her was when I had to give her the fake page after Cruella and Ursula followed her in."

"Do you know where they were going?"

Henry shrugged. "Probably back to Gold. Sorry, I'm not being very helpful."

"It's alright, kid. I'll just use my people finding skills. I just hope… Well, I hope that forgery was convincing."

Emma began her search, exhausting all the obvious options before going into Regina's vault, where she seemed to be hiding out in more and more lately. Maybe that giant house of hers was starting to feel too big for one person.

Whatever Regina's reasoning, Emma suddenly dropped that topic of thought when she found her. Oh, she was in her vault all right, but unconscious and unmoving on the ground. "No!" What had they done?! "Regina…" It was all her fault. Whatever they'd done to her was because that damn forgery was too obvious. She should have made a better one.

Emma dropped to her knees next to Regina. "Please…" She felt her neck, relieved when she felt a pulse, though concerned that it was slower than a normal one should be. "What did they do?" she whispered as she stroked a strand of Regina's hair gently out of her face. "No, not they," she corrected. "I. What did I do? This is all my fault… I never should have let you go undercover. I should have fought harder, we both know I can fight you and win if I'm determined enough." Emma felt tears swimming in her eyes. "I – " her voice broke. "I need you, Regina. You're the only person who makes any damn sense to me anymore…"

A sob escaped her. "Please wake up." She took Regina's hand in both of her own, squeezing it. She was hoping having human contact would help. "Don't – Don't you w-want to see Operation Mongoose become a success, hm?" She gave her hand another squeeze. "I know how to make it happen, I p-p-promise!" She practically laid down on the ground beside her. "Go ahead," she murmured. "Call me ridiculous, 'Miss Swan'. It would be…it would be great to hear your sassy, snarky voice right now."

Emma looked at her, studying her still face. Her eyes weren't even moving slightly beneath her lids as they would in sleep. She could only think of one thing. "You're under a sleeping curse, aren't you?" She caressed along her cheek. "Well, I'm the Savior, damn it!" she exclaimed with a burst of emotion before crashing her lips against Regina's still ones.

There was no bright light or gust of wind as Emma lingered there, and just as she was about to give up and back away, she felt those lips respond to her own and lean yet strong arms curl around her body. Emma knew she should definitely break it at that point, but she was so relieved Regina had woken up that her tears had spilled over, and Regina was just holding her so tightly, and the kiss was just so comforting that she let it go on. And on. And on.

Until, finally, the kiss had to break for air. "Regina," Emma murmured.

"Emma?" What the hell had she missed? Why was a massive mixture of emotions flooding Emma's face, and why were they in her vault? Regina tried to think back to the last thing she remembered and – oh. She'd been caught. Maleficent must have hit her with the sleeping curse too. But, then…how…?

Emma sniffled and wiped at her cheeks, then her eyes. It was easier to look into Regina's eyes when her own weren't so blurry from tears. ""You were always right about my mother, and you got hated for it. And that's not right. She's not good and I'm - I'm only the damn Savior because she...well, all but killed Maleficent's child. I know what it takes for you to get your happy ending, and I'm willing to do what it takes. No one in this damn town is more deserving of a happy ending than you."

"Slow down, Emma. Take a deep breath and slow down. Tell me what happened."

Emma took a deep breath and slowly let it out. "My parents – my mother, told me everything. I feel like I've been lied to my entire life – and – well, I mean I was, but…but this? I should have never been born if that was the cost! She's – She's selfish a-and mean and she always has been! She ruined my life before it even started, and she did the same to Maleficent's poor baby! You were right, Regina. Evil isn't born, it's made. But selfishness? Selfishness is a god damned choice that my mother constantly makes! I hate her Regina, I HATE her! I understand you so much more now…"

Regina winced and sat up. "Emma…you said you know what it takes for me to get my happy ending. What exactly is it?"

"I… The only way for the villains to get their happy endings is for there to be no Savior."

"Emma Swan, you are not dying!" Regina grabbed Emma by the shoulders and gave her a good shake. "That is not the way, do you understand me?! You do not get to be a martyr for my sake."

"I didn't say I had to die."

Regina's eyebrows drew together. "Then what the hell are you talking about?"

"In order for the Author – a job, not a person, by the way – well, not just one person, to rewrite anyone's stories or happy endings is for me to go dark."

Regina nearly felt her heart break. "What about – ?" She cleared her throat. "What about Hook?"

Emma scoffed. "Hook is a villain too. That relationship is a doomed one. You know what he told me? I'm his happy ending. Which, you know, he can't actually have unless the Author gives it to him, which can't be done while I'm still the Savior. Hook is in love with the Savior. So, you see…he really doesn't get to have me either way."

Regina blinked a few times. "I was under a sleeping curse…"

"I know."

"Yet you woke me up. The only ways to wake from a sleeping curse are Maleficent lifting it, or – "

"True Love's Kiss."

Regina took a moment to process that. "Robin was never my happy ending, was he?"

"Guess not."

Regina cupped her cheeks and stroked her thumbs along Emma's skin. "Are you sure about this? Going dark?"

"I have never been more sure of anything in my entire life."

"What about Henry?"

"I won't hurt him. Even when you were at your worst as the Evil Queen, you never hurt anybody you cared about unless you were directed to by Rumple. And I met her, she was very sexy making me kneel at her feet as she insulted me with terms such as 'street rat'."

"You don't expect me to go back to being her, do you?"

"Of course not. You've worked too hard to get where you are now. I like this version of Regina. Snarky and sassy, but good. You made yourself this way. Now it's time for me to make my own choices too. I won't hurt you either, you know."

Their eyes met and they kissed again. The kiss lingered for a long while, each learning their way around the other's mouth, tongues dueling. When it broke and they panted their eyes locked as they spoke in unison the best truth either of them had heard all day,

"I love you, Emma."

"I love you, Regina."

They came together again and again like magnets, Regina feeling a bit lighter with every kiss and Emma feeling a bit darker.

"What are you going to do to her?" Regina asked, resting her forehead against Emma's.

"Make her feel the pain she made me feel. The pain she made you feel. The pain she made Maleficent feel. Let's see how she likes it when Neal disappears."

"Emma! He is your baby brother."

"Relax; I'm not going to hurt him. I'll give him to Maleficent. She missed out on motherhood because my stupid mother was too afraid of how I might turn out. Her love isn't unconditional, it comes with requirements. Well fuck that, my brother deserves better, which Maleficent will be. You raised Henry so well, and if you and Maleficent were friends, then she must have the same loving heart."

Regina just stared at her for a moment before smiling. "She would love that."

"And Snow would be scared shitless. Twice as worth it."

"I like this Emma already."

Emma grinned. "You'll like me even more in a minute. That is, if you're not too much of a good girl to partake in sins of the flesh."

Regina's eyes twinkled. "Good, perhaps, but definitely not innocent." She smirked and flipped them over so Emma was pinned to the floor with her straddling on top.

Emma grinned wolfishly. "Prove it."

"Well, if you insist."

Regina grabbed Emma's shirt and ripped it open down the middle and pressed kisses and bites all along the newly revealed skin. Her hands worked at unbuttoning Emma's jeans as her mouth went lower on her body. It wasn't long before she'd tugged the jeans down, underwear going down with them. Regina wasted no time, getting in between her thighs and acquainting herself with Emma's forbidden fruit.

Emma moaned in ecstasy and grabbed Regina's hair.

Regina proved herself. She proved herself multiple times, until the blonde went from begging for more to begging for her to stop.

"I don't…I don't think I can walk," Emma panted breathlessly after the last round.

"You don't have to." Regina wrapped her arms around her and poofed them to the couch in Snow's living room. Naked.

"Why are we here?" Emma hissed.

"Just wait."

It wasn't long before Snow walked into the living room, yelped, stammered, "I-It…it's porn!" Before her eyes rolled up into her head and she fainted on the spot.

Regina smirked at Emma. "Worth it?"

Emma couldn't even answer, she was cackling too hard.