"What an idiot! There had to be another way," said Regina, mustering all the disgust she had left for the Savior's decision-making. Why does she always have to make things so complicated? Regina thought, missing her best friend already. That's what Emma had become for Regina—her friend. In the best of ways, Emma was everything she'd ever wanted or needed in a partner; someone who truly had her back in every instance. And where was she now? Sucked up into some vortex of evil to god knows where, facing the darkness inside of her all by herself. This was a problem. When Regina said so, Snow mistook her assessment as Regina acting ungrateful of Emma's sacrifice. "She saved your life, Regina!" Snow exclaimed, seemingly shocked that the former Queen would take the event of Emma Swan becoming the new Dark One so lightly. Regina scoffed, "You think I don't know that?" she knew perfectly well the implications of Emma's actions. Better than anyone else standing here, she mused—which was exactly why she had to jump to action quickly, before anyone else managed to screw anything else up in her life.
This had to happen just when she had finally seen her true feelings for Emma in the Enchanted Forest, in the land where she was a hero for the first time. She chose Emma and Henry over Robin Hood that day, and in the moment she stepped in front of Henry, she had made up her mind for the final time about what she really wanted. Now, all she wants is Henry… and Emma; their family. All Regina could think about when she awoke to find herself lying whole and unharmed in the main street of Storybrooke was how she wanted to take them both home, make them dinner and watch her favorite people laugh off the traumatic events of the recent past. "Emma" had been the first word she mouthed as she came to, amazing herself with her own candor. It was time to stop pretending. But instead, Emma ran off to check on Hook, and Robin pulled Regina into a tight embrace before the newly heroic Queen could utter her love's name again.
She looked at Robin, appraising him as he held her, swaying. "My love, I'm so glad you're all right," Robin exhaled as he held her tightly, as though he never wanted to let her go again. Uh oh, this isn't going to be easy, Regina thought. She still had sympathy for the man. He was a great person, or at least he tried to be, and there was plenty to love about him. Unfortunately, it just wasn't the same. When she first met him, the attraction was real. But there's something about having the man you're almost falling in love with going back to his wife who turns out to be your sister who turns out to be pregnant, that makes him a bit of a turn-off now. She fancied herself a bit of a sapiosexual, and Robin just didn't seem to be using the muscle between his ears much lately. Who really wanted to date their wicked sister's sloppy seconds anyways? I am a Queen and a bit more refined.
She led Robin away to have a conversation with him in private. They had plenty to discuss. Hopefully nothing too serious happened between Emma and the pirate before she had a chance to have that conversation. She'd worry about that later. First, she had to break it off with the lousy thief who failed to steal her heart, or keep it safe, for that matter.
…
Emma ran up the stairs to meet Hook before tackling him to the bed in her excitement. "Sorry to worry you, love," growled the pirate, as the princess pinned him down and a puzzled look crossed her face for a split second before she opened her mouth. She paused, thinking for a moment about what to say, wondering why Regina's face just flashed behind her eyes when she thought the words "I love you". She suddenly remembered what she wanted to do before Hook had so gallantly fought, and died, for her. "I wanted to tell you something back there…" Emma began, and paused. You could almost hear the crickets. Mom and Dad must be listening from downstairs, Emma thought, wanting to magic some noise-canceling headphones on the pair of them. "Yes…?" Hook answered, trying and failing to hide that he sensed where this was leading, albeit slower than he liked. "I wanted to say… Thank you, for sacrificing yourself for me," she forced out. It seemed anti-climactic, even to her. "Of course, love," Hook sighed as the corners of his eyes lost a sliver of their smile.
"Come on, let's go get some food," Emma said as she hopped off the bed and turned to hide her conflicting emotions as they clouded her face. She really was bad at covering up her true feelings. But this was worse. She couldn't even figure out what her emotions were telling her right now. Everything was such a jumbled mess. Well, sorting this out was going to take time, and she simply didn't have any of that to spare. She took the thoughts that were forming the knot in her stomach and forced them to the shadows in the back of her mind. It was definitely time for some food to replace the knot. Besides, maybe Regina's back at Granny's, her mind whispered to her like an unwelcome sidekick. She shook her head free of the thought as she grabbed her red leather jacket and Henry's book and headed for the door, with Hook and her parents trailing behind her.
…
When Emma showed up at Granny's with the rest of the crew, her dark-haired best friend was deep in conversation with the forest dweller, who ushered Regina out of the diner as Emma looked on. She took a break in the conversation with Hook and her parents as an opportunity to speak with her orphaned dragon friend instead. Just then, Belle burst in the door to warn the heroes of the danger they'd soon face; the untethered darkness that threatened all of their lives, their happiness, everything. Emma and the heroes rushed over to Gold's shop to help. For what seemed like the thousandth time that day, she wondered where Regina had gone.
…
As the heroes ran into the street, following the darkness, the Queen and the outlaw had just finished their conversation. "So you understand, then, why I can't be your true love?" Regina had questioned Robin, looking into his charming face, wondering for a moment whether she was doing the right thing. After all, why was she so quick to give up someone who seemed to love her so deeply before she even knew if Emma's feelings were reciprocated? His answer silenced her doubt, though, as he huffed, "Well, no. Not really, Gina. I don't understand why you keep trying to push me away, when all I ever wanted to do was love you." His unwillingness to hear her out was getting on her nerves. This, she thought, is why Emma is still the only one who understands me. She thought of all the times she and the sheriff had only needed to share a glance, and in a moment could have an entire conversation with their eyes alone. That ability was something she felt was only shared between true soulmates. Having to explain herself to a thief who lived in a tent suddenly felt beneath her. She was just about to make a snarky comment to that effect when Emma, the Charmings and the Apprentice ran out of Gold's shop. She met the blonde's anxious look with her own questioning one. "What's going on?" Regina asked as she jogged towards the group.
…
**Flash to the Dark One's prison cell in the Enchanted Forest**
Emma… At least I think I'm still Emma… paced back and forth across the damp rocks of the cell—if you could call it pacing, anyways… It was really more like marching against gravity. She couldn't "apparate", as she'd started calling it in her head, which she thought was a word from some other story about magic somewhere in her memory. Though, she could walk on the walls and the ceiling like a vampire. The spells placed on this cell specifically to house the Dark One kept her magic chained to that time and place. She found her thoughts racing faster and faster as the Darkness started creeping into her memories. Emma began to explore all the new memories that came with being the Dark One… Memories of both past, present and future began to run together as she struggled to place them in a pattern that made sense, like an impossible puzzle of eternity, with all of the random pieces flying into her psyche at once. It was overwhelming and intoxicating all at once. To understand that every single detail of every moment mattered—and yet, nothing did. That knowledge alone could have made her insane, at the very least. At the most, it would do what it had already started to do: completely deplete her resolve to be the Savior of anything or anyone. When nothing mattered, she no longer had a responsibility to pretend there was a difference between right and wrong. Because she already knew the outcome of every situation, or the possibilities of every interaction, she was free to act without fear of repercussions. She never again had to give pause to think of others. Everyone would die, and she would remain powerful. Finally free of the burden of keeping all those idiots happy and alive.
Idiots, the newly platinum-haired Swan smiled in the darkness, her brows hooding her pale green eyes as she thought of the sexy Evil Queen's enemies in the forest. My parents, she remembered suddenly, though she felt nothing but disdain for their mere existence. The Dark One shouldn't have parents. It isn't dignified. I'll just have to kill them later. It made her smile crease her face deeper at the thought of how happy Regina would be to see her longtime enemies slaughtered. I'll bring their heads to her like a cat would bring a dead mouse to leave on the doorstep. She'll love it. Emma pitched her head back and released a soprano cackle at the thought.
…
Back in Storybrooke, Hook was making Regina wonder if she hadn't been touched by the darkness for a few seconds too long, because the more indignant he became about being the one to get Emma back, the more murderous she felt. She had held on to Robin as Emma was being transported by the darkness presumably to another realm. She did so to stabilize herself so she wouldn't run after Emma and throw herself into the inky blackness like her dense former beau had done for her. For whatever reason, her grasp on him made his thick head think that they were still on. He was the least of her worries, though. Her princess, her Savior, her Emma, was in grave danger. Simultaneously, Emma was a danger to the whole town of Storybrooke as well as whatever realm she had landed in. God, why couldn't anyone just be HELPFUL for once? Why did the Charmings always have to create problems for her to solve? She was lost without the Savior at her side. I guess I'll have to be the Savior enough for both of us now, Regina realized suddenly, choking back tears that threatened to give her away.
She didn't have time to cry. She had to get Emma back. Operation Mongoose was still in motion. Regina wouldn't stop until she had her happy ending. At least now she knew what it looked like. How had she not seen it sooner? If she had been able to talk to Emma, maybe she would have understood that she was Regina's happy ending, before Swan jumped into action to save her but ended up ruining everything all over again. When I see her again, I'm going to slap her… Then I'm going to kiss her. But first I'm definitely going to slap her.