This is an idea I had and wanted to explore. There will be two parts to this story and I hope you enjoy it. Please Review :)

Disclaimer: I do not own OUAT or any of it's characters.

Emma's gun clattered to the ground. The clang of metal on concrete echoing through the silent warehouse. Something had drawn her to old cannery, though Emma could not name it other than pure intuition. Greg and Tamara had taken Regina and something inside the Saviour snapped. She had to find her. There was no doubt or hesitation, no regard for her own safety. If she had stopped a moment to think, she would have feared that the two deranged magic hunters would have heard her weapon fall to the ground, but the only thing she could focus on right now was the horrific scene before her.

In the centre of the room on a cold, medical style table lay the petite frame of the woman who for so long had challenged her at every turn. The normally intimidating and fierce Mayor had been reduced to this broken form before her and it made Emma's heart clench in pain. Moving forward she could see wires attached to Regina's temples, burnt patches of skin barely hidden beneath white tape. Time seemed to stop as icy fear gripped her heart and spread through every nerve as she saw the brunettes eyes closed, her body deathly still.

'No.' The whispered cry broke the stillness and the Saviour lunged forward, her arms moving the other woman to cradle her. 'Regina? Regina!' Hands shaking, she ripped off the wires and cupped the brunettes cheek. Desperation gave way to fear and she began to sob pleas to the empty room.

'Wake up Regina! Please, wake up!' Emma desperately searched for a pulse and yelped with utter joy as she felt a faint beat beneath her fingers. 'Regina please, fight! I know you're in there, wake up!' Chocolate orbs stayed hidden beneath dark, bruised lids. 'Stay away from any bright lights, do you hear me! Please wake up.' Her hoarse voice trailed out and she rested her face in the crook of the other woman's shoulder, tears quickly moistening the soft wool of Regina's top.

'I can't do this alone. I don't know how. How would I raise Henry without you? You were right, I'm not a mother.' Trembling breathes broke the choked whisperes. 'I need you Regina. I don' know how to do this.'

'You do Emma.'

Green, tear stained eyes shot up to see barely cracked lids. The unabashed joy at hearing Regina speak sparked hope in the blonde.

'You are his mother.' Shallow breaths punctuated each word. 'You are the Saviour. If anyone can do it, I know it will be you.'

'I need you though. Not just for Henry but for me.' Emma took a deep breath, words catching in her throat. 'I- I love you Regina. I have since the day we met. I can't explain it. I felt something on that first night. But then everything got in the way. You trying run me out of town, all the fights over Henry. Then the curse. I didn't let myself realise what I felt for you and now- ' She couldn't bring herself to say it. It would mean accepting Regina would leave her for good and Emma was not about to let that happen.

'Since the day we met I knew you would end me. The Saviour come to bring back happy endings and defeat the Evil Queen. I never thought that for a moment I could feel anything for you-' air wheezed out of Regina's lungs causing her to cough violently, the pain contorting her face. She pushed through the pain and tried to breath enough to continue, her voice barely a whisper. 'I love you Emma Swan. I shouldn't, but I do. Perhaps this is how it was supposed to be all along.'

'No! Don't you dare say that!' Anger bubbled up and Emma felt helpless in that moment. 'I will not lose you Regina. Not now. I can call for help. We can get you to the hospital-'

Regina drew every ounce of strength she had left and brought her finger to Emma's lips. 'It's too late, Emma. It's time to let go.'

'No! How can you say that! I'm the Saviour! I'm supposed to save you!' Emma desperately looked around the room, looking for something, anything that could help. Her heart slammed against her chest, blood raging through her veins. She stopped suddenly and looked back at the brunette. 'My heart Regina! I'll give you my heart.'

'No.' The words were firm and clear. 'Your heart is made of true love. It is the source of your power. Without it, you would die.'

'But you would live.' Emma's eyes were wide and frantic.

'And I wouldn't want to live in a world without you.' Regina's eyes slid shut, a deep rattling breath left her lips and her body began to sag in the blondes arms. 'I love you, Emma Swan.'

'No! No no no! Regina!' She shook the brunette hard, willing whatever gods were listening to bring her back.

How could this happen? How could her future happiness be ripped from the world so violently and so soon? It went against everything Henry and her mother had told her about love. True love was supposed to be the most powerful magic of all and now it was true love that had failed her. Snow White's voice echoed in her mind. The tales of how true love had helped her and her father overcome every obstacle thrown in their path. How she and David were two people sharing one heart- that was it! Emma would share her heart with Regina. Whether it was possible and how, the Saviour didn't know or even care. All she wanted was Regina.

Wiping the tears from her eyes, she reverently laid Regina's body back onto the cold metal. Whatever she was going to, it had to be now. She placed her trembling hand over her chest, the hammering beat beneath spurring her on. For a moment she wondered if she would be able to pull her own heart out, Cora had not been able to and this was something Emma knew nothing about. Her eyes fell back to the woman before her and all doubts were pushed aside by an urgent determination. Taking a deep, shuddering breath, Emma pressed against her flesh, willing her hand to break through. Within moments her fingers brushed against the beating organ and Emma swallowed hard as she wrapped her hand around it. Pulling her heart out was a sensation she could not describe and hoped she would never have to experience again.

Once out of her chest, she looked at the bright white, glowing organ. At any other time Emma would have marveled and wondered at its colour but right now all she could think of was Regina. Gripping both sides she focused on the woman again. On holding her, walking down the beach with Henry. She began to squeeze and twist the heart, pain ripping through her whole body as she let out a blood curdling scream. Fresh tears sprang to her eyes and she focused hard on Regina, her reason for doing this, until she finally felt it break into half in her palms. Gasping, she tried to regain composure and remind herself she was only half done. Leaning against the table to stabilise herself, Emma placed one half of her heart beside Regina's legs and placed her palm over the left side of her chest. Silently apologising for the intrusion, she again willed her hand to sink down and grasped the still, cold heart beneath. Literally holding Regina's heart in her hand, Emma gazed at the deep red organ, tracing the jagged black cracks that ran through to the core with her eyes. It was hard to believe that the mother of her son and the woman she loved had lived for decades with such an broken and cold muscle beating her life force. Placing it beside the discarded half of her own heart, Emma positioned the remaining half where she had just removed the other. Hoping beyond hope this would work, she pushed it in place and let go, eyes searching the brunettes face for any signs of life.

Nothing happened. There was no sonic boom like there had been when the curse broke. No sudden gasping and movement like she thought there would be. Regina remained as still as she had moments ago and despair began to settle on the Saviour. Moments passed and Emma could not force herself to move. She stood, staring at the woman she loved, frozen somewhere between disbelief and utter despair. It should have worked. Her love was true, she was willing to die for this woman. It should have worked.

Emma's fingers ghosted over Regina's lips, the tips brushing over the scar whose origins she would never discover. It hit her square in the chest that she would never be able to ask the brunette anything ever again, never see her smile or even see the cold, hard glare that had pinned her so many times before. Emma bent down, bringing her lips within millimeters of Regina's, her eyes slipping closed forcing shiny tears to fall on still cheeks. She met her loves lips and poured everything she felt into a soft and gentle kiss. After a few seconds that Emma wished would last an eternity her eyes shot open, her mouth beginning to move in perfect sync with the soft lips below her. Regina was kissing her back. Shock forced the Saviour to pull away and stumble back a pace.

'R-Regina?'

Chocolate eyes met green as the brunette slowly pushed herself into a seated position, legs swinging over the table edge to face a clearly confused Emma.

'How?!'

'I was going to ask you the same thing.' Regina's hand slid along the cold metal to steady herself and prove that she really was truly there. She broke her gaze with Emma when her hand brushed half of a beating heart. 'You used your heart.' Disbelief and awe filled her words and she looked back to see Emma moving quickly across the space between them and pull her into a searing kiss. Regina sank into the blondes embrace, kissing her with all the passion she could muster. Her body ached but the pain was nothing compared to what it was only a short time ago and though she still didn't know how Emma had brought her back, she knew it had healed more than just her body. Her hand fell over Emma's chest, just over the place she expected to find a strong heartbeat. Instead she felt nothing below her palm.

Ending the kiss and breathing in the warmth of Emma's beaming smile, Regina reached for the other half of their heart. 'How did you bring me back?' She held it reverently and examined the way it glowed white.

'I remembered something Mary Margaret told me.' Regina looked back to Emma and waited for her to continue. 'She said that she and David were like two people sharing one heart. You told me I couldn't live without my heart but I figured that half would do if you had the other.'

Placing the half in her hand over Emma's chest she asked quietly 'May I?' Emma nodded her consent and breathed deeply as Regina returned it to its rightful place. It was different than when she had removed it herself. There was no pain, just a growing warmth spreading through her body and out to the woman now living and breathing before her.

'You truly are the Saviour, Emma. I'm sorry I never told you how I felt sooner and for all I did to you when you first came here.'

'It's okay.' came the rushed reply. Emma's hands held the other woman's cheeks, grounding herself to believe Regina wouldn't slip away from her again. 'I want to put that behind us. I almost lost you today, Regina. I did lose you and I never want to go through that again.' She rested her forehead against Regina's. 'I was so scared. I thought it hadn't worked and you- you were-'

'Shh, I'm here now. You saved me.' Regina pressed forward for a short but tender kiss. 'I fear however, that we are not safe just yet.' She moved to stand and felt strong arms envelope her waist, supporting her as she balanced on still unsteady feet. 'Those two fools have the trigger and plan to use it, we need to find them and end this.'

Emma watched the determination set on Regina's face and felt bolstered by her presence. 'I agree but you need to rest. Let's get back to loft and regroup. I know Henry needs to see you, he has been beside himself since you disappeared.'

Regina nodded. She did feel exhausted and needed to feel her son in her arms again. She prepared herself to leave with Emma's help but paused when the woman didn't move. She followed Emma's gaze and found the reason for the blondes hesitance. Her heart lay on the metal table, cold and dead as she had been minutes before.

'What should we do with... ' Emma simply nodded towards the blackened organ, unable to verbalised what it once was.

Regina reached out and lifted it up for it to simply crumble into dust on her palm. Letting the remains fall to the floor, she turned to her Saviour who simply nodded her readiness.

Smiling softly, Regina turned away form the scene of her lowest moment and laced her fingers with Emma's. 'Lets go see our son.'

Three pairs of eyes flew to the opening door of the apartment. Regina entered, Emma's arms securely wrapped around her as they had the whole journey back. Even as she drove, one hand stayed laced with Regina's, a solid connection both women needed to keep events of the last hour from their mind.

'Mom!' Henry was on his feet in seconds, charging at Regina, flinging his arms around her waist and burying his face in her arms. 'I'm so glad you're OK!'

Wrapping her arms around his shoulders, Regina let the tears fall onto his messy brown hair. Kissing the top of his head and holding him was something she had missed for a long time now, ever since he had received the book. After dying, for however brief a time, she had vowed that she would do everything in her power to make up for all that lost time and the way she had made him feel. She felt a protective hand on her back and looked over to see Emma smiling brightly at mother and son.

'We got your message saying you had found her.' David moved around the counter and furrowed his brow at the noticeable shift between his daughter and the former Queen. 'What were they doing at the cannery?'

Emma glanced as Henry then back to David, a shake of her head enough to convey they should talk out of ear shot of the boy. He nodded in understanding, Regina's clothes and exhausted demeanour showing that something major had occurred. 'Henry, why don't we let your mom sit down? Could you get her a glass of water please?' Henry glanced at his grandfather before squeezing Regina once more and rushing to the kitchen.

Emma guided the brunette to the couch, lowering her down whilst Snow and David a exchanged confused glance as they sat on the coffee table opposite. Though both were burning with questions they remained silent, observing as their daughter knelt next to Regina, her eyes never leaving her face and their hands securely fixed together. Henry returned and fixed himself on his mothers other side and handed her the water.

After a few sips, the brunette cast a warm smile over to her son. He beamed back at her but despite his young years, worry danced in his eyes. 'Did they hurt you?' He asked in a small voice, so timid and soft it broke each adults heart.

'They did.' Regina didn't want to scare or upset him but after everything they had been through, she knew she had to honest with her son. Of course she was still his mother and her job was to protect him so she refused to give any further detail. Instead she settled to tell him of his other mothers heroism. 'Emma found me though and I am going to be just fine.' He glanced to Emma and they shared a grin. It struck her how alike the two truly were, matching grins and sparkling eyes.

'What happened with Greg and Tamara?' David asked, feeling more than a little uncomfortable in the moment. Snow had yet to speak but the way she squeezed his hand told him that she was as unnerved by all this as she was.

Emma tore her eyes away from her family and looked to her newly found parents. 'They weren't there. Regina thinks she knows what they might do next but we need to come up with some sort of plan.' She glanced back to the brunette. 'And you need to rest.' Her voice was warm but firm and Regina could only nod in agreement. 'Henry, could you help your mom upstairs please?' Though she didn't want to let her love out of her sight, she had to tell Snow and David what happened at the cannery and she certainly wasn't going to tell Henry that his mother had died, even for only a short time.

Mother and son climbed the stairs to Emma's room as the blonde watched every step. Once they were both securely at the top Emma stood only to collapse onto the couch, wondering just how to recount the afternoons events.

Snow spoke for the first time. 'You look exhausted, Emma. What happened? How did you know she was at the cannery.' Emma blew out a long breath and prepared herself for whatever they could throw at her.

'I don't know how I knew. I just followed my gut I guess. Something pulled me to the docks and I found her.'

'This family has a knack for finding people.' David smiled at his daughter, hoping to ease some of the tension in the room. Emma simply nodded, a weak smile barely forming in kind. The couple waited silently for her to continue.

'I searched inside and found no trace of those bastards. I did find her though.' Her voice wavered as the memory flooded her mind, still all to raw and painful. Anger edged her next words. 'They had her strapped to a table, wired up. They- they tortured her. Took her magic and left her for dead.' Tears built again though Emma wondered if she had tears left. It took all the control she had not to bolt upstairs and check Regina was still there, that it wasn't a cruel joke and her pain was the punch line.

Snow's hand settled over her own, urging her to continue. 'I tried everything to wake her up and she did. I told her I loved her.' She waited for Snow to rip her hand away, for her to start shouting about how wrong it was to love her sworn enemy. To her surprise, her mother rose and sat next her, arms pulling her into her side. 'She told me she loved me too but it wasn't enough. I lost her.' A deep shuddering breath passed her lips and she concentrated on the next part of their story, the part that truly mattered. 'I used my heart to bring her back. It was something you said, about two people sharing one heart. I shared mine with Regina. She has one half and I have the other. We love each other and it saved her.'

If her parents disapproved of her feelings they didn't show it. Snow held Emma tighter and David took both her hands in his own. 'Does she know what Greg and Tamara are going to do next?'

'Regina said that they have the fail safe. It will reset everything, returning everything to before the curse was cast.'

'Are they going to use it?'

'Yes, but Regina thinks we still have sometime. They don't know how to activate it. It won't take them long to work it out though. We need to find them as soon as possible.' She moved to stand but swayed enough to force her back down.

Concern filled Snow's eyes and she shook her head. 'You need rest. We will call the dwarves and a few others in town. They can keep an eye out for Greg and Tamara and contact us as soon as they are spotted.' Emma gave no argument and accepted David's help to stand. The couple watched as she moved towards the stairs and ascended slowly.

'She shared her heart.'

David wrapped his arms around his wife and pulled her close. 'She knew what she was doing. It was the only way to save her.'

'Emma's true love is Regina. After everything that went on between us, destiny still saw fit to make that match.' Disbelief laced her voice and if she had not seen first hand how Regina looked at her daughter, the love that now seemed to flow through the very air between them, she would have thought it a sick joke.

'It is difficult to believe but there is nothing we can do right now. If it is true love then we know better than anyone than to try and stand in its way.' He turned her chin up to look in her eyes. 'First we have to save the town and make sure that Emma's actions don't count for nothing.' He pressed a soft kiss to her forehead. They glanced once again to the room upstairs before getting to work.