A sigh could be the loudest sound of all in silence, Emma decided. She peered at Regina again, taking in the hunched shoulders and clenched jaw. It was the fifth sigh to come from the brunette in a matter of minutes so Emma slowly shut the book she had been scouring. They had been challenged by Hades to find a way to save Hook, who was not so suddenly extremely interested in Milah. Emma let out her own sigh, only to hear a reciprocal from the brunette across the table.
"Okay, what's up?" Emma pierced Regina with a glare but the brunette didn't even return the gaze.
"Nothing." Another sigh. Emma playfully rolled her eyes.
"You've been huffing and puffing for a while. What's going on?" Emma placed her book on the table to emphasize that Regina had her undivided attention.
Regina's eyes screwed shut, almost like she was trying to prevent tears from manifesting, before whispering lightly, "I'm in hell."
Emma snorted, gesturing to the orange flames outside of the mayor's office window, "Yeah."
"No… God, Emma. I'm in hell." Regina's eyes tightened, creating those sexy wrinkles at the corners. Cause you can find your friends sexy, right? Yeah, right. Totally.
"What do you mean?" Emma watched as Regina opened her eyes at last, revealing tears and utter sadness.
"I thought he was my last chance. Everyone pushed me towards him and I was, admittedly, happy for a short while. But, my god, what had my life come to? What am I doing? I'm going to raise my niece with him, the man who never chose me. I was standing outside that hospital room and I… I couldn't breathe. I felt trapped. I felt constricted. Just like I did in that giant wedding dress, in Leopold's bed, in my mother's grasp. This is killing me slowly. It's killing me. I can't… I'm in hell!"
"Regina—" Emma reached out to the brunette but Regina pulled her hand away.
"You told me to be happy but I'm so miserable in this situation. I want to choose my love, not let magic do it. And I finally knew what I wanted. Then you told him you loved him and you became a Dark One and you made us trek to hell for him. I'm in hell… for you… for him. I'm in hell."
Emma felt a realization bubbling in her mind and she drew her hand back, away from Regina's trembling one. She opened her mouth to speak but Regina spoke again.
"I realized what I wanted and its too late. Story of my life, isn't it? I realized I had to run away with Daniel but I couldn't run fast enough. I could've been a runaway Queen with an outlaw. I could've been happy with him then. But I ran away. It's too late for him and I. It's late. And now, you made me trek to hell to bring back a man that almost killed us all, almost killed our son. A man that sold me to Greg and Tamara, that helped my mother find me. And it makes me so… afraid. I'm afraid of my future, our futures. So, I'm sighing… because I'm in hell."
"Regina—" Emma felt her voice crack, with the lump in her throat growing by the minute.
"Have you found anything that'll aid us in saving the damn pirate?"
Emma stared at Regina in awe, "I don't give a flying fuck about that right now."
The harshness in Emma's voice made the brunette jump.
"Regina, you just confessed something so fucking important and there's no way I'm pretending that wasn't said."
"Yes, well, you love the pirate. It's why we're here, correct? So, lets get this over with. I have things to figure out once this fiasco is dealt with."
"Me too," Emma whispered, her green eyes never leaving Regina's, "I… actually, no. I have nothing to figure out—"
"Message received—"
"Damn it, Regina. Listen to me, will you?" Emma stood from her chair, making Regina also fly out of her seat, "I have nothing to figure out. I've known what I've wanted for a long time. I love him—"
"Miss Swan—"
"But I'm not IN love with him," Regina startled, watching as Emma traveled to her, "You know what Hook told me earlier today?"
"I'm sure it was titillating."
"He said that he forgot what love felt like, true love, until he saw Milah again. And… I wasn't even angry. The darkness made me feel so desperate for acceptance. But I realized that you, my parents, my son, you're all I need. You make me feel like found a home. With him, it felt like someone was squeezing my lungs, ripping my life from me. I wanted the easy version of love but it wasn't real. I know I'm not perfect, you know you're not perfect. But… why am I so bad at this?"
Regina chuckled, her laugh watery, "I think you're doing really well."
"I guess what I'm trying to say is… If I was going to be trapped in this hellhole for an eternity? I envision you and me and Henry and my parents. I envision you and I being so in love that Henry compares us to my parents."
"Let's not go that far, Miss Swan."
"Don't 'Miss Swan' me. You love me too much," She heard Regina gasp softly, "And I love you too, but like… real love. True love, not easy love. I'm IN love with you."
"Yes, I gathered that, Emma."
"I guess I'm not too bad, huh?"
"We're in hell for the pirate."
"Okay, I've been pretty shitty," they let out a chuckle, "let's get this over with and go home."
"Yes, dear."