A/N: this episode oneshot was awkward in every way imaginable to write. Also, ep 2 was woefully Regina-less so no insert for that, sorry!


"Well, between the snow monster and the cave-in, it seems like the Saviour needs saving these days," Regina remarked before she turned back to Marian.

"Do you want to be my back up?" Emma asked challengingly.

Regina paused. "Sure," she nodded, standing up and walking quickly away from Marian and leaving Robin standing beside his frozen wife.

Just as they passed through the door, Hook caught Emma's arm.

"Do you want me to come too?" he asked, his blue eyes worried.

"I'll be fine with Regina," Emma replied shortly before slipping out of his grasp and leading the way from the mayoral office.

They walked in silence out of the town hall until they got to the car park. Both looked around, wondering where to start their search for the second ice wielding magical power source.

"Let's take the cruiser," Emma said, pulling the keys to the sheriff's car from her jacket and leading the way over to the car. Regina followed, wordlessly climbing inside.

They drove for a little while, Emma deciding they ought to start at the ice wall since that was the only other example of magic they knew of which could act as a clue for who had cursed Marian.

"Why didn't it work?" Regina asked after a long silence.

"What?" Emma said, glancing over at the brunette who was staring out of the window at the Storybrooke forest flashing past.

"The kiss," she replied. "Robin's kiss should have woken Marian. What David said about the ice being a barrier doesn't make sense. Gold, sure, it's a substance. But the cold hasn't taken over her skin yet. Robin's kiss wasn't working against an icy barrier. It just … didn't wake her."

"I think you know why that is," Emma said quietly after a pause.

"Me."

Emma nodded but said nothing. They kept driving until the ice wall loomed into view. A dwarf was patrolling along its length and he nodded curtly as the two women stepped from the car before he continued into the forest and out of sight.

Regina walked up to the wall, running her hand over the ice and trying to sense the magical power who had conjured it. Spells and curses left traces, clues as to who cast them and Regina was focusing hard on identifying any unusual marks. Emma watched her work, knowing her own understanding of magic was too limited to be of any value to Regina.

"Anything?" she asked when Regina climbed back down from a ledge and onto the road once more.

"Nope," Regina replied. "I have no idea who created this but I can confirm it wasn't Elsa."

"I told you that already," Emma pointed out.

"Well, I had to make sure," Regina snapped back. "You seem a little infatuated with our new visitor and I wouldn't have been surprised to learn that her blue eyes and blonde hair had blinded you to the truth."

Emma scoffed. "Hardly," she said. "Elsa isn't my type."

"No, apparently you prefer scruffy, ill-mannered one-handed pirates," Regina said, stalking back to the car and climbing into the passenger seat.

"Nah, not really into that either," Emma replied as she followed.

"You should probably let Hook know then," Regina sneered as Emma sat down beside her. "That man pines after you in the most pathetic way."

"It's not his fault," Emma sighed, running a hand through her hair. "I didn't realise True Love could be one sided. If I had, I would have made sure to keep him at bay from the start."

"Oh, True Love is a tricky beast," Regina nodded. "And the worst thing is that it can be unrequited."

"Like Robin's love for Marian?" Emma asked. "Or like Robin's for you?"

Regina's eyes widened as she turned to stare at Emma. How did the blonde know that when even Robin hadn't picked up on anything? She supposed there was no sense in lying now, given the younger woman was clearly more perceptive than Regina gave her credit for.

"The latter," she admitted quietly.

"But you know who your True Love is," Emma prompted. Regina nodded. "Are you going to act on it?" Regina shook her head. "Why not?"

Regina looked away from Emma and wiped her prickling eyes quickly, determined not to let the other woman see her crying.

"Regina." A hand landed on her arm, the touch warm and reassuring.

The brunette turned slowly back, her heart in her mouth as she wondered how much Emma had guessed about what she felt, what she knew to be true. The atmosphere in the car was heavy with anticipation, both women aware that their lives were possibly about to change forever.

"Why didn't you say anything?" Emma asked, breaking the silence. "I mean, how long have you known?"

"Since we destroyed the trigger together in the mines," Regina admitted. "That kind of combined magic is … rare. I knew then that there was something between us, a connection of sorts. And then when we moved the moon …,"

"Why didn't you tell me?" Emma asked.

"Tell you what?" Regina scoffed. "That we're True Loves? That we're destined to be together? That what you feel for Hook isn't half as powerful as what your soul feels for me, even if you don't know anything of it yet?"

"Yeah," Emma nodded. "Or something like that. And as for what I feel for Hook, I knew it wasn't anything serious. He's far more invested in our relationship than I am and I hate myself for that but it's the truth. Anyway, if you knew we were True Loves, why start anything with Robin?"

"Because you had Hook," Regina snapped. "You seemed happy with him so I knew I had to move on."

"You can't move on from True Love," Emma pointed out. "It's the most powerful magic."

"And as a result of that, I've been miserable for two years," Regina said.

"And I've been happy?"

"You seemed it," Regina countered.

"I would have been happier with you."

There was a heavy silence, brown eyes locked on green as both women tried to decide what their next move would be.

"I might not have know it was True Love," Emma began, "but I knew I felt something powerful for you ever since we met. When you ran out of your house towards our son and you hugged him, my heart skipped a beat. I wanted to get to know you, I wanted to be your friend, I wanted you in my life. And then, what with everything which transpired between us, those feelings got all twisted up into anger and distrust. But they were strong feelings, Regina. Everything I feel for you, good or bad, is intense."

"That's the connection," Regina explained. "True Love heightens everything. It's part of the magic."

"Except our perception," Emma joked. "If we've both felt like this, how have neither of us picked up on the other's emotions? How many years have we wasted, Regina?"

"Too many," Regina replied.

"I don't want to waste another second."

Emma leaned in towards Regina and kissed her soundly. Regina's hands cupped Emma's cheeks at once, angling the blonde's mouth as her tongue slid along the seam of her lips, prying it open slightly. Emma whimpered as the tip of Regina's tongue entered her own mouth, the taste of the older woman more delectable than she would ever have imagined. She moved closer, shifting in her seat and placing her hands on Regina's hips, drawing the other woman's body to her. Regina's hands threaded through blonde hair, the strands silky and smooth beneath her fingertips.

"Wait," Emma said, breaking the kiss and panting slightly.

Regina moved back at once, wiping the traces of smudged lipstick from around her mouth.

"I need to talk to Hook," Emma said. "I'm not a cheater and even if I was never particularly committed to our relationship, I owe it to Killian to end things before anything more happens between us."

"I understand," Regina said, sitting a little straighter in her seat. "Shall we get back to searching for this mystery ice wielder?"

"In a minute," Emma said.

She reached over and turned Regina's face gently towards her. Their lips connected once more, the kiss tender and full of promise. Regina moaned as she felt Emma's teeth graze across her sensitive flesh before she sucked her lower lip into her mouth. Arousal coiled low in her belly and she pulled back, knowing they needed to stop before things went too far.

"Sorry," Emma said, smiling almost guiltily. "I couldn't resist."

"Drive, Emma," Regina chuckled. "Before I can't control myself and we end up in the back seat of this car."

Emma's mouth dropped open as she stared at the salacious smirk on Regina's face. She pulled out her phone and texted Killian, saying they needed to talk, before she turned the key and pulled away from the ice wall and headed back towards Storybrooke.