AN: This is just one of those times where I turn to writing for an emotional release. Fellow Evil Regal fans have made me feel unwanted, so I have to heal myself somehow. Hope you enjoy whatever comes out of this mess.

"Just go away, Regina. We don't need you here and nobody wants you here."

Regina didn't know why that comment, coming from the grouchy, drunken dwarf affected her so deeply. She was ready to rant or conjure a fireball when her facial expression merely shifted into an eerily calm expression. It was pleasant, almost without malice at all, if anyone were to wear that expression besides Regina. "Okay," her tone was agreeable, chipper even. "If that's what you want." The way she spoke was similar how she might speak to Henry when asking what he wanted for his birthday or Christmas present.

She turned on her heel and walked away. She paid no attention to where she was going, she was purely on autopilot. Where was Away, after all? Was it a place? She was sure she'd find it eventually if she just kept walking.

Walk, she did. Regina had tuned out the world around her, shutting down all but completely. She found herself at the town line, and didn't hesitate crossing it.

She hadn't heard someone notice her presence. She hadn't noticed that she had been spoken to.

"Regina?" It was Emma, who had never seen the woman in such a catatonic state before. It was almost as if she were sleepwalking. It was like the brunette had no awareness of her surroundings. She just kept on walking toward that town line. "Woah, hey, Regina!" And then she just crossed it without so much as a pause.

What the hell was that? Emma jogged to catch up to her. "Regina!" She caught her arm, forcing her to stop. "Where do you think you're going?"

Regina looked at her, but it felt more like she was looking through her, "Away," was her only answer. Her voice sounded haunted and empty.

Emma was getting worried. What happened to her? "Regina, do you know where you are?"

Regina only looked at her blankly.

"Damn it, Regina! You're freaking me out. Do you know who I am?"

Regina blinked at her.

"It's Emma. Emma Swan. Miss Swan. The Savior. Ringing any bells?" The blonde snapped in front of Regina's unfocused eyes a couple times.

"…Hate me…" Regina spoke, barely audible, the lightest of whispers.

"What was that?" Emma asked, hardly hearing her and unsure of what she'd said.

She lost her again; Regina crawled back into whatever shell she was hiding in.

Emma sighed. She was running out of ideas. "Do you want me to get Henry?" she murmured.

That earned her a reaction, albeit a silent one. Emma watched as her eyes became glassy and a single tear rolled down her cheek.

"What's wrong, Regina?" Emma lightly brushed the tear away with her thumb.

"…Don't…want…me…" There was that barely there voice again.

Emma could still hardly hear her. "Feel free to hit me or something; I'll know you're okay if you do." Emma couldn't believe she was not only willing to be hit by Regina; she was almost desperate for it to happen. She stepped closer to the usually sassy and bitchy woman, and pulled her into her arms.

Emma hugged her, and it didn't matter how much she tightened her arms, the other woman made no move to pull away, push her away, or return it. She just stood there, limp and unmoving like some sort of cross between a ragdoll and a statue.

"Regina, please," Emma was begging now. "I don't know where you're at right now, but I want you to come back."

That brought Regina back to life, so to speak. She let out a gasping sob and clung to the woman she claimed to hate, crying into her.

Emma was stunned. She never imagined she'd be in this situation. She began to rub her back in soothing circles. "It's okay, Regina. It's okay. I've got you." She even pressed light kisses to the top of her head.

"N-N-No…Nobody w-wants me here…"

"Who told you that, Regina?" Emma asked, shocked. After how many times that woman near single-handedly saved the town, someone had to go and say that?

"E-Ev-Everybody!"

"That's not true," Emma told her gently. "That's not true at all. Look at me?"

Regina shook her head against her shoulder.

"Please?"

Regina slowly looked up at her, her makeup a mess, tears streaking down her cheeks, lips quivering.

"I want you here," Emma told her, looking into her eyes. "This whole damn town would be destroyed without you here to protect it." She cupped her cheeks and gently stroked her tears away, still looking into her eyes. "You're my friend, whether you admit it or not."

Regina looked back into her eyes, tears drying as she assessed the truthfulness of what she said. "You want me to stay?" she asked, sounding more like herself.

Emma nodded. "Yes. I think I actually need you here, too."

Regina nodded to herself, and then finally her awareness of her surroundings kicked in. "We're outside the town line."

"You walked right out like you were in a trance, I tried to stop you but it was like your legs were the only part of you that still worked. I was worried about you."

Regina could feel herself blush, she'd made a total fool out of herself. "Let's…let's go back and pretend this never happened."

"I still don't know what happened, Regina. Did someone hurt you? 'Cause I can arrest them if they did, you could've been killed if you just kept on walking who knows where."

Regina cleared her throat. "That won't be necessary; he practically lives in a jail cell anyway. I merely over reacted to the words of a drunkard. I know better than to take drunken words seriously, but for some reason beyond me, I let them go straight to my heart."

Emma rose her eyebrows. "Leroy? Leroy told you nobody wanted you here?"

"I believe he also said I wasn't needed."

"What a piece of shit! Regina…" Emma went to hug her again.

Regina pushed her off.

Emma paused and then a smile broke out on her face. "You're back!" she exclaimed, relieved.

"Yes, Miss Swan, I am."

"Oh, thank god, I was getting really worried… I meant what I said, though. You are my friend, and…and I care about you. I don't want to see you hurt, and I swear, the next time I see Leroy, he'll be lucky if I don't punch him in the face."

Regina smirked. "Such hostility."

"Well, he pissed me off! You could have died – "

"Emma – "

" – and I'd be sad. Henry would be heartbroken. We'd miss you."

"You…would?" Regina was thrown for a loop by that. She never imagined she would actually be missed if anything happened to her.

"Of course we would! Were we not in the same mine a couple years ago when the trigger was activated and you were going to sacrifice yourself? 'Cause we were there and I think at one point we all had tears. So, yes, we would miss you, Regina Mills. You're family."

"I…what?"

"I said…you're family." Emma lightly nudged Regina's shoulder with her own.

"…Okay." A small smile settled on Regina's face.