A/N: First story, bare with me. Let me know if there is a problem with formatting. I'm still learning. This story is not a happy one, so there are trigger warnings for violence and torture. For right now this is a stand alone, but if people are interested (or if my muse is in a giving mood) I do know how to continue it.

Obviously I don't own any of the characters or ONCE, so don't sue me. If I did own them, I certainly wouldn't be living in this tiny ass apartment...

Weakness

That was something she knew all too well. And something she had promised herself she would never feel again. However, the second her bedroom door closed, she felt her weakness crush the air from her lungs. She struggled to breathe as her once stone cold heart broke under the weight of it. Tears that burned her to the core left destruction in their wake.

How did this happen? How had she been so foolish to think she could have a happy ending - that someone would finally choose her for once?

Love is weakness. Love is weakness. Love is weakness.

This wasn't supposed to happen. Never again. Not to her. Hadn't she built her walls high enough that love couldn't ever break her again? Not since losing… HIM had she felt pain this crippling. Not since losing the boy that promised her happiness; promises of a future, the boy that promised her love.

"Weakness, you foolish, foolish girl. Will you never learn?"

Voices of those long since dead echoed in her mind as the tears continued to fall. A sob ripped through her from deep within, escaping her throat.

Clawing

Desecrating

Tearing

Eviscerating

A sob so loud, it broke the deafening silence of the dark, crying out through her empty home. Darkness had once been her only friend. It covered her like a warm blanket, making her feel safe from pain. But now that she had turned her back on it, the dark was suffocating. It felt like it would swallow her whole being. The world she spent years creating with sacrifice - HER sacrifice and that of others she took from them, was crumbling down around her. How did she get to this point? Her broken body slid to the floor in despair. How would she go on from here if she didn't have the dark to turn to?

Love is weakness. Love is weakness. Love is weakness.

It was that weakness that led her into the night to save her friend and the reason she was a crumpled mess on the floor now. When Maleficent showed up on her doorstep hours earlier begging for her help to rescue Lily from the new Dark One; the former Savior, the woman she had grown closer to than any other, she didn't even blink. No one knew where to find them and they were missing longer than was safe to be in the presence of a woman whose darkness was unstable and out of control. No one knew but Regina. She always knew exactly where to find her, even now.

She grabbed her stylish, black trench coat from the coat rack just behind the door and stepped out into the dark night. Taking Maleficent's hand, she turned to her old friend and said, "Let's go save her." Although, which "her" Regina meant was anyone's guess. Seconds later the two disappeared in purple smoke and reappeared in the woods by the cliff where Cruella met her end.

The scene they found themselves in was enough to turn their stomachs, this from two women known for their sadistic torture methods in their dungeons. Lily was splayed out across the cliff, obviously held down by magic. Her right leg was bent at an unnatural angle and the two could clearly see bone protruding from the tattered remains of her pants. Her face was bruised and battered so badly neither could make out what the once beautiful girl looked like before. Lily's agonizing screams sent chills down their spines as Emma (no, the Dark One) was crouching over Lily's midsection with something in her hand that Regina couldn't see. Whatever it was she was doing to the poor girl wasn't pleasant, if her blood curdling screams were anything to go by.

The blonde shifted subtly to the left, allowing both women to see her using the Dark One's dagger to fillet layer by layer of Lily's stomach. Regina's own stomach turned as Emma casually threw over her shoulder without even looking towards her audience, "You ladies enjoying the show? You missed the beginning, but I can demonstrate it again on her left leg. She does have two…" The maniacal laugh that followed set Regina's teeth on edge and had Maleficent roaring with anguished rage.

The strong scent of copper filled the air as more and more blood spilled from Lily's broken body. It overwhelmed Regina as she struggled to find her voice. This kind of violence she never thought she would see again, especially not from her closest friend. What happened to the woman that fought for her happy ending? Where was the woman she debated with over their son's bad eating habits (that he clearly inherited from one of them and it wasn't Regina), and what an appropriate bed time is for a boy his age?

Their son, that both of his mothers would give their lives for, and almost had on many occasions. THEIR son. Oh gods, Henry. What would she tell Henry if they ever made it off this cliff? How would she tell him that his mother, the one who he played video games with and read comics with, and taught him how to toss Cheerios in the air and catch it with his mouth, was gone. Because Emma Swan, the one they both knew, was long gone. The woman before her was a monster. The darkness so evil, that she fought for weeks, finally swallowed the light that was left inside her. There was nothing left of Emma now and Regina's heart was breaking into a million pieces to see it.

Regina knew what she had to do, even if it killed her to do it. She knew it would come to this the moment Emma handed her the dagger when they found her in the Enchanted Forest. It would come down to her to be the one who took Emma out if they couldn't find a way to save her from this curse. Emma had trusted her to be strong enough to keep her from becoming a monster. This wasn't what she wanted. She never wanted to be this way, torturing her former friend until she begged for death, which is exactly what Lily was doing now.

Emma was continuing the "show", as she flippantly called it, by piercing her captive's hand with her dagger, the other soon following the same fate. She moved to the girl's bare feet and this time wasn't as swift in her movement. She slowly pushed the dagger through flesh and bone, wanting it to hurt as much as possible. The Dark One had been saying something, but Regina couldn't hear it. She couldn't hear Maleficent's cries for her to stop as her daughter screamed in agony. The former Evil Queen couldn't hear any of it. She barely snapped out of her haze in time to grab Maleficent and stop her from surging forward. They needed to get Lily off this rock, and soon. She didn't have much time left before her heart gave out or she lost anymore blood. They needed to be smart about this or none of them would make it out alive.

The blonde moved again back to Lily's torso. With a snap of her fingers, the shirt disappeared. Now she was tracing her finger over her chest in a pattern. More screams. More blood. It almost looked like she was carving something into Lily. Emma was using magic to carve something into her chest. Regina squeezed Maleficent's trembling hand as she started to move away. Both women were moving now, slowly circling the pair on the rocks. A decision had been made the second Regina let go of her friend's hand. She had no choice. The once evil queen very subtly swirled her hand in her pocket, calling for the vile she kept in her nightstand since they returned from Camelot. It was something she hoped she would never have to use.

"You wanted to know why I am doing this, Maleficent?" The Dark One spat her name as if it left a nasty taste in her mouth. With another wave of her hand, the blood from Lily's chest disappeared and the pair stopped moving as they could finally see the grotesque lines carved into pale skin.

LIAR

"This bitch was spreading lies to MY son! She was trying to turn him against me, just like she did years ago with that family. She will NOT take another family away from me! He's MINE!"

This felt all too familiar to a fight Regina had with her son's other mother long ago on her front steps. Except this time, their roles were reversed. Oh how times had changed. Regina quickly locked eyes with the older blonde across the rock. Now was the time to act. Silent communication was something Regina was exceptional at. In just a look she told the other woman to wait for her signal.

Regina stepped closer and boldly said, "OUR son."

"Excuse me? What did you just say?" Emma was angry now. Before she was calm while torturing the girl fate had kept pushing her towards in her youth. That was much more frightening. Regina wanted her angry. Angry was something she could deal with, and something she hoped would tip the scales in their favor. She just needed to give Maleficent a window of opportunity to grab her daughter and hopefully, magically transport her to the nearest emergency room. They were out of time. Lily's chest was barely moving as she struggled to breathe. The girl's skin tone would give Snow a run for her money. It was now or never.

"I said, OUR son. He's our son, Miss Swan. Just because you became the Dark One does not give you the right to say you are Henry's sole parent. Last time I checked, I raised him, while you were off doing God knows what."

Perhaps Regina pushed a bit too far with that last comment. She wanted the woman angry, not pissed off enough to kill her. And the way she was looking at her at the moment was enough to make the brunette think she just might. Just then, Emma disappeared and reappeared right in front of Regina, her delicate features distorted with a fury no one had ever seen from the once docile Sheriff.

"What the actual FUCK did you just say to me? Because I know you aren't stupid enough to imply that I'M the bad parent, Your Majesty! Or did we forget about the village of helpless peasants you slaughtered while hunting my mother? Or the fact that you were so miserable in your pathetic little life that you cursed an entire realm for 28 years because your poor Daniel had his heart ripped out and crushed by your psychotic mother? You know what the sad thing is, Regina? Even if she hadn't and you two ran off together, he still probably would have suffered the same fate. Except this time it would have been you ripping his heart from his chest because the crazy apple doesn't fall far from the tree!"

The resounding slap that followed echoed across the cliff face. Both women were caught off guard as Regina withdrew her hand. While slapping the Dark One in the face was not the smartest move (it wasn't like Regina planned it), it was just enough of a distraction for Maleficent to reach for her almost lifeless daughter. Before Emma fully realized what was happening, Maleficent placed her hand over Lily's and magically transported them to the hospital where there might be a chance of saving her life. It was a miracle she survived this long.

Taking away the prey of a predator is a very dangerous thing. And a predator is exactly what was standing in front of Regina, because now the prey IS Regina. Once the Dark One realized that Maleficent and Lily were gone, her rage and hate became solely focused on the woman that was left standing on the cliff. In an instant, she threw Regina into the nearest tree with a force so hard that both could hear the crack of bone breaking. Before the brunette could slump to the ground, the vengeful blonde had her by the throat and began to squeeze.

"Em – Emma, stop." Regina choked out. It took all of her strength not to black out from the pain. She was pretty sure from her blurry vision that being tossed into a tree (again) had given her a concussion. And that crack they heard definitely was her clavicle breaking, and possibly some ribs. If she survived this night, it would be a miracle. Emma had stopped trying to choke the life out her old friend, only so she could hear the words being said. You can't yell at a dead woman.

"Who the fuck do you think you are, lady? This was none of your business! You know why I chose this place, don't you? I thought it seemed fitting. Cruella threatened my son here and you saw what happened to her. That lying bitch deserved everything she got. Don't stand there and tell me you wouldn't have done the same to someone who tried to take Henry from you! In fact, I distinctly remember you trying to poison me with an apple turnover just for trying to be in his life. What makes you any better than me, hmmmm? I really want to know." Emma still hadn't stepped out of Regina's personal space and had no intention of doing so. This felt so familiar to her. It reminded her of fights with the Mayor in the past where the two were a hair's width apart and neither would back down.

Regina was still gulping for air after nearly passing out from lack of oxygen. Yeah, definitely some ribs were broken. The only reason she was still upright was due to the forearm across her chest, forcing her back into the rough bark of the tree. She could still feel the vile of potion in her coat pocket, and she was praying she wouldn't have to use it. If only she could reach Emma. She had to still be in there somewhere. If Regina had to use that potion, she might as well throw herself off that cliff because her heart would never recover and Henry would certainly never forgive her. So she was going for a hail mary pass here as she was truly out of options. And the one option she had left would destroy what was left of her already blackened heart.

"Oh Emma, I never thought I was better than you. How could you ever think that? I was terrified of you. You had so much light, and everyone immediately fell in love with you, especially our son. The entire town took to you in a second, a complete stranger, and hated me. Even with no memory of their past, they still didn't want me." Regina couldn't fight the tears that rolled down her cheeks. She couldn't hold back, not if she wanted to save her friend.

"I never once thought I was better than you, because you have always, even from birth, been better than I could ever be. Emma, please. You are so strong, so much stronger than me. Please, you can fight this. You can still come back from this. Come back to us, to Henry. We need you." Regina's heartfelt confession was enough to break the Dark One's hold on Emma, if only for a few seconds. Because what came next was all Emma Swan.

"Regina." The light green color returned to the blonde's eyes, a color Regina never thought she would see again. Even the posture of the former Sheriff had returned to her body as she took a step back.

"Emma? Is… is that you?" Regina couldn't believe what she was seeing. Maybe it was the concussion or she was blinded by hope, but she prayed what she was seeing was true. And as she heard the next words from her friend's mouth, she knew it was.

"Regina, kill me. Please! I need you to kill me." The broken look on Emma's face said it all. She meant ever word she said.

"I can't do that. Emma, don't ask me that! I won't, you can fight this! I know you can." Regina was not above begging at this point. She knew that the vile in her pocket could do exactly what Emma was asking of her. Merlin had given it to her while they were in Camelot in case they couldn't find a way to stop the Dark One from completely taking over the woman they once called Savior. She kept it; never wanting to have to be the one to kill her son's other mother.

"Regina, there isn't much time. I can't hold on much longer. Please, you need to do this for me. You are the only who can. I don't want this. I would rather die than continue to hurt people I love. Please, I am begging you. Do this for me. I need you." They both knew Emma was losing the fight over the Dark One. It was taking everything she had to keep the darkness at bay while pleading with her friend to take her life. The heartbreak on her face matched the one of the brunette standing in front of her.

This was not a request Emma could make of anyone else. Regina was the only one strong enough to do what needed to be done. The former Queen had always thought of herself as weak. Emma was the only one that knew the truth. Her friend was the strongest woman any of them had ever known. After years of darkness, she was strong enough to choose the light. She battled her inner demons and won. It was the only reason Emma knew she could ask her to do this for her, even if it killed her to do it.

Regina slowly reached a shaking hand into her pocket and pulled out the vile of blue liquid. It couldn't end like this. They had come some far! Of all the people that deserved a happy ending out of anyone, it was the two women standing alone on this blood spattered cliff. Or so they thought. Neither realized that the screams earlier had drawn someone else to cliffs in the middle of the forest.

"Regina, please look at me." A gentle hand tilted Regina's chin up to the face of the woman she knew better than any other. That same hand wiped away the tears that fell from mocha eyes.

"There has to be another way, Emma. There has to be."

"There isn't. It's okay. Regina, I trust you."

And with that, never breaking eye contact, Regina dropped the vile to ground at their feet. As it shattered, a blue mist swirled around Emma's feet working its way up her body. Blue mixed with black wrapped around the body of the blonde, slowly pulling the soul of the Dark One with it. Regina refused to let go, even when all she could see were tear-filled green eyes looking back at her. The last thing Regina heard before Emma's body hit the ground was a quiet, "Thank you, Regina."

With that, Regina lost her strength to stand. She fell to the ground in a pile next to her friend's body. She was broken. The one person in all the realms that truly knew her was gone. What was she supposed to tell Henry? How could she tell him that she killed his mother? He had already lost Neal. Losing Emma would completely shatter his world, because it was certainly shattering hers. Five years ago this crazy, wild blonde turned their whole world upside down. After years of fighting each other, and then fighting for one another, this couldn't be where their story ends.

The brunette used her good arm to reach the face of the woman before her and tucked a strand of blonde curls behind her ear. The peaceful smile on her face was one Regina hadn't seen since she sacrificed herself to save Regina from the Dark One's curse. And it pissed Regina off.

"How dare you, Emma Swan! How could you make me do this? You snuck into my town, and broke my curse. You wormed your way into my son's life, into my life damn it! You made us care about you, you made ME care about you, and then you go and leave me!"

Regina started pounding her fists into the former Savior's chest. She couldn't feel the pain in her shoulder or ribs. The only pain she felt was her heart breaking in two. She continued to hit the lifeless woman as she yelled more.

"You promised me my happy ending, but what you didn't understand was there was no happy ending without you in it, you idiot! You don't get to leave me, you can't. Miss Swan! Emma, I - I love you." And as she said it, Regina knew in her heart it was true. Regina Mills, former Queen of the Enchanted Forest was in love with Emma Swan and had been long before either of them realized it.

"Come back to me, Emma. I need you." Regina leaned down and placed the most gentle of kisses on the pale lips before her. She whispered as she kissed her one more time, "I love you."

A wave of magic that blew around the pair on the ground was so powerful that Regina had to close her eyes to shield herself from the brightness of it. Of all the curses that the two had broken over the years, this had to be the strongest one yet. It was the magic of True Love's confession that healed not only Regina's injuries from the fight, but had brought a flutter to the blonde's closed eyes. The older woman hadn't seen the movement as her eyes were still closed, but she definitely heard the most beautiful sound in the world.

"Regina."

In a flash, chocolate colored eyes met green. The older woman couldn't believe what she was seeing. Emma Swan was alive. She watched as her chest slowly rose and fell. She felt the heartbeat beneath her hand. It was the most breathtaking sight Regina had ever seen.

"Regina, I… I don't understand. I thought, I thought I died. Didn't I? How am I here right now?" The blonde had yet to comprehend what exactly had taken place.

"True love's kiss," Regina whispered.

"What did you just say?" Emma was always a bit slow, but it was part of the reason Regina loved her.

"I said, True Love's Kiss. That's how you are here. Alive. I didn't know. I was yelling at you because I was so angry that you made me do that, that you left me. You made me love you and I was so angry, it just slipped out. The second I said it, I knew it was true. I had no idea, Emma. To think we wasted all this time, when my happy ending was right in front of me. Emma, it was always you. And now we can be together as a family, with our son!"

Regina was so excited that Emma was back, the Dark One's curse was broken and that they were true loves that she missed the panic on Emma's face. Emma scrambled up from the ground and backed away as Regina stood up. The blonde started to pace back and forth as she attempted to process all of the information coming at her. She was completely overwhelmed. Regina finally picked up on her new found love's silence.

"Emma? Emma, say something. Say anything. Emma, please. I love you!"

"But I'm with Killian," was all Emma said before she ran, leaving Regina alone and heartbroken.

That is how Regina ended up alone in the dark of her bedroom, crying on the floor. All her life, everyone chose everything but Regina. Not once did anyone ever put her first. Her mother chose power over her daughter. Her father chose fear over protecting his little girl that needed him. Snow chose having a mother over letting Regina be free. Leopold chose a trophy wife in the body of a young girl to warm his bed. Rumple chose to destroy Regina's life by manipulating her into a life of darkness to get back his precious Bae.

Even Henry who had once loved and adored her ran to Emma because he found out who she truly was. She didn't want to even think about how many times Robin chose his honor over her, because honorable men stay with their wives instead of choosing the mistress. She had let him go, she had to. Why she was with him again as her sister was carrying his child was as heartbreaking as it was pathetic. What she had with him wasn't real. She knew that now. She felt the power of true love and it wasn't with him.

Emma, Emma was her true love. She ran away from her as fast as she could. So she cried. She cried for the life she should have had. She cried until her eyes burned and her body ached. After what felt like hours, Regina crawled into her bed and prayed for sleep to take her. After tonight there was no going back. She couldn't pretend it didn't happen. She couldn't take it back. It was far too late for that. Her magic couldn't even fix the emptiness she felt inside.

Daniel said to love again. And so she did. She chose to love again. She chose Emma, and she chose HIM.

"You foolish, foolish girl. Will you never learn?"

Love is weakness. Love is weakness. Love is weakness.

A weakness she unfortunately knew all too well.