"Look at me"

Regina and Emma were out in the woods, looking for Henry, and it wasn't the first time the teenage boy had run away. While the queen blamed his adoptive mother Emma for his bad behavior, the savior knew there was something, or more someone else to blame for all this. But Regina refused to even talk about that.

These two women had been good friends for years but now they hardly spoke. And if they spoke nowadays, they only argued. It had been like that since Robin had appeared in Regina's life. The queen who had searched for her happy ending for so many years, had finally found it. Emma didn't know what to think about it, mostly she felt hurt, since she was in love with Regina. But she saw how happy the queen seemed with Robin so she chose to take a step back. A decision she would regret later on.

Because as the years passed, the savior finally saw Robin's true colors. And Emma could only watch as her strong queen, crumbled to dust in front of her. She hated it and she didn't approve of the way he treated either Regina or Henry. He was violent pig, but he was good on putting on a facade. So to other people, Robin was a good and honorable man. The man who'd married the evil queen and finally made her happy.

Emma kept her distance but she kept a close eye on Regina, and soon she started to see all those signs others missed. Emma noticed those small weird marks appearing on the queen's arms, and she questioned why Henry all of a sudden started to act out.

The teenage boy ignored what he was told, picked fights in school and his grades suddenly dropped. Regina tried to shrug it off with saying "he's a teenager now, miss swan", but the savior refused to accept that. Something was wrong. And it had been like that since Robin came into the mix.

"Henry! " Regina screamed, even if she knew it was hopeless. Henry knew this forest on the back off his hand, and if he didn't want to be found, he wouldn't be found. He had played here every day as a kid, so he had the upper hand.

Regina groaned as she realized the sun was about to go down, so Robin would be absolutely furious if she didn't come home soon. And if was almost like Emma could read her mind, as she suddenly spoke up.

"Regina, you can go home if you have to. I can keep looking for Henry.. I don't mind being on my own." she said with a gentle voice. The queen didn't even reply to her kind words or as much as meet the savior's eyes.

It would hurt to much to look into those kind, green eyes. It would make Regina's heart break because she didn't want to be reminded of what she had lost that day, Robin had shown up on her doorstep. That she had lost Emma.

Robin had blinded her judgment as he gave her all Regina could only dream off. He made her smile, made her feel safe and he treated her like the queen she was. Sadly Robin was nothing more than a spider who lured its prey into its web, and when Regina had realized her mistake, it had already been too late.

"Regina, hey, can't you at least answer me when I speak to you! " Emma snapped as she grabbed the queen's arm, making her turn around.

"shy should I, miss swan? " Regina snarled. "Our son is still missing so I don't see a point with us standing here like idiots, talking!"

Emma quickly noticed that Regina did everything in her power to not meet her eyes, so the savior took a step forward and cupped Regina's head in her hands and as their eyes met, there it was. Clear as day. A black-eye.

Emma froze and Regina too. She hadn't seen the black eye earlier because it was almost perfectly hidden by makeup but as she stood much closer now, she saw it perfectly, and it made her blood boil. The queen took a deep breathe before she finally pulled away.

"like I said, we don't have time for small talk, so let's move" Regina snapped, but her voice broke.

"No" Emma scoffed.

"No? " the queen repeated and turned around.

"You heard me Gina! I said no! And why you wonder? Well because I can't keep turning a blind eye to this! Robin's hurting you and it's his fault that Henry is acting out and running away and damn you if you deny it, Regina!" Emma said with a low and dangerous growl in her voice.

Regina just sighed, because the savior was right. There wasn't a point denying it anymore. She had always had an excuse for her bruises on her arms, but this, the black eye, wasn't something Regina could shrug off. She didn't want to either, because she was growing tired of it.

"Regina look, I can help you with this, but only if you let me" Emma said carefully as she took a step closer. The brunette shock her head as the tears started to roll down her cheeks.

"There is nothing to do miss swan. We're married. And I have to accept my faith" Regina replied and Emma almost gasped at those words.

The strong queen Emma had grown to love was nowhere to be found. She would never say something like that. Ever! She would have ripped Robin's heart out if his chest and be done with it.

Instead Emma saw a broken woman in front of her. Fear shining in those otherwise beautiful eyes and it broke the savior's heart. She knew how it was to live in a abusive relationship. Henry's father had been an asshole too, just like Robin, but Emma had upped and left him long before he had been able to break her. Regina had already been broken, because Robin had shattered her spirit, but Emma would be damned to let this madness continue.

"I'm gonna make that bastard regret the day he first laid a hand in you Gina" Emma stated, and it was true. She wasn't afraid of that man. She wasn't afraid of anyone. Beside that, he was just a pathetic excuse for a human. And when it came to Regina's wellbeing, the savior was prepared to anything to bring back her happiness that Robin had robbed from her.

"Why do you even care, miss swan? " Regina asked between sobs. She hated the fact that she was crying, but she couldn't stop herself.

"Because I love you Regina. I love you with all my heart… " Emma quickly replied, as she took Regina's shaking hands in hers. Their eyes met and the savior offered her a gentle smile.

It felt like a tornado of feelings hit the queen all at once. Suddenly it felt like she couldn't see anything else but Emma in front of her. Nothing else. It both amazed her but it mostly scared her.

The queen simple shook her head as she turned her back at Emma, even if knew she was right. Robin was a terrible man and he was the reason Henry behaved like he did. But despised that, he was still Regina's husband. And she had made him a promise to love him through sickness and health, until death did them apart. And Regina was old fashioned. She couldn't just up and leave him. It wasn't right. A promise was still a promise, right?

Emma frowned when Regina pulled away but she didn't blame her. She got that this was fucking terrifying and hard. And she also knew what Regina was thinking.

"You don't have to stay with Robin just because you're married you know. There is a thing called divorce here in our world.." Emma said and when she realized those words were said out loud she cursed herself for being so clumsy.

"I know miss swan, but I can't leave him.." Regina signed, still with her back against Emma.

"And why to hell not?" emma said, her voice laced with concern and anger.

"Miss swan.. You know how much hate some people already have for me… and if I leave Robin.. I just give them more reasons to dislike me.. " Regina said as she turned around.

"Fuck what others think!" Emma scoffed. "You're a queen Regina and those people.. They are nothing else but simple peasants!"

The words took Regina totally by surprise. But it was like it lighted a fire inside of her, a fire she thought had died long ago. It was like her heart started to beat again and once again, the only thing she saw was Emma. Emma's blonde hair, her green honest eyes and that amazing smile.

"Regina, listen.. Your happy ending isn't a man.." Emma said carefully as she once again walked up to the queen and gently took the queen's hands in hers. This this Regina didn't pull away. Instead she pulled Emma closer, so close that she could feel her breath on her skin.

"I know this isn't gonna be easy Gina, but believe me, I know how unfair life is. How it hurts and how people hurt you. But screw that. And screw what others think and just.. Think about what you want" Emma said as she laid one of her hands on the queen's chest. "and think about what your heart wants" she added and their eyes locked.

"so, tell me, is the savior ready for her final battle, hm? " Regina asked. "To fight for her happy ending? " Emma pressed her lips against Regina's and when they parted, emma smiled.

"I'm ready to fight for you, my queen" Emma answered. "I will not let my happy ending slip through my fingers. Not this time."

"Then my beautiful soldier, led the way" Regina chuckled. "But first, let's find our son"