A-N: Someone asked me why Regina`s true love kiss didn't just break the curse... I hope this chapter answers that question!

Summary: The sleeping curse it forcing Regina into seeing a part of herself she has always wanted to avoid. Emma and Henry are trying to figure out how to break the curse. And in The Enchanted forest, a young Regina finally feels loved.

Chapter 3:K

Regina:

The room was red. There were no doors, no windows, and even the hole above her, where she had fallen through, where she was fairly certain the room with the mirrors had been, had disappeared. More fearsome maybe, than the impossibility to escape, or maybe to add to that, the room was on fire. She felt the flames lick her clothes, her skin. It hurt, but the physical pain, oddly, made it possible for her to focus.

She knew, like in the room above, no matter how she searched, she be unlikely to find an escape. Furthermore, she realized, she was in a land without magic. She could not have been transported. She must, simply must, still be in that hospital. This was all just in her head…

Unless the Dark Curse had been broken. Unless they were executing her, burning her.

But if that was the truth, wouldn't it be better? Her body would die, freeing her soul from the sleeping curse. Freeing her soul from the pain it had been in for all these years.

She considered again, for the shortest moment, the ability that she had been transported to a place with magic. A place where her body could have actually been moved to a place with magical flames, such as these. The only portal that could possibly be used, she had used to get the apple…

A pain, sharper than any of the flames could inflict, cut through her chest. Suddenly, she saw something appear from the corner of her eye, something that, in order to reach it, would have her face the fire, head on. The strangest thing was that, no matter the pain, the heat, the sticking of her clothes to her skin, the fire did not scare her.

What did scare her was the fact that the room seemed to know this. That it seemed to come up with new things for her to fear.

She wanted to avoid the object, but it seemed to move with her, or maybe her feet simply didn't obey her anymore and followed it. And suddenly, she realized.

This was what the people of this world called `Hell`. No matter how long she searched, she knew, for her, there was no hope, no home to get to. She had nothing to win. Which also meant, in her case, she had nothing to lose. Resigning, she neared the object and looked up.

She could see herself, reflected, vaguely at first, but the flames around her became more visible as she blinked, revealing her form… Slowly, she saw how her fairytale-self started to appear.

Younger, happier, the time before she had met Snow, her time with, or even before, Daniel.

She smiled at the image, the relatively simple clothes, the eyes, so kind. It ached to see the woman she once had been.

She saw herself change, little wrinkles of pain appearing in her forehead, her face, wrenched in agony.

She wanted to reach up, to her own face or her reflection`s she wasn't sure, but felt she was stuck in time, frozen, as the flames danced around her and the image in the mirror changed again.

Her wedding day, -her wedding night- the pain in her eyes, the robot-like sensation she had felt, the burning of the tears she had been unable to shed, clearly visible in her features.

The speech the King had given where he had called Snow `the fairest of them all' and had not even acknowledged her existence…

But then, another change…

Her face as she plotted to kill, as she reached for the snakes she now wished would have bitten her. Her face, now almost inhuman, as she reached inside a huntsman`s chest and took his heart.

And there it happened. As the image in the mirror looked at her with a glint of amusement in her eyes, she changed into a woman she had sworn she never would become.

Her mother stared at her. The heart in her hand pounding as the flames made the eyes flicker.

`No!`

She screamed, reaching out in agony, as she saw her mother squeeze the heart, the heart of the one she loved most, turning it, along with all her hopes and dreams, to dust.

And she knew.

She had failed.

She had become her mother.

Emma:

The blonde woman sat, facing the warm beverage in front of her. Mary Margaret, her roommate –her mother?!- sat across from her and watched Henry –her grandson?!- with endearment in her eyes as he sprinkled cinnamon on his cocoa.

`It`s so funny. I know no-one who does that, but here you and Emma are, with the same little quirk.'

She was so kind, her voice sounded soft and caring. It was still hard to believe that everything Henry had told her was true. In less than 24 hours everything had changed. Everything had shifted.

`Well, it must be a family thing.`

Emma tried to make it come out light. Teasing. Jesting, as they had so many times Henry`s stories. And for a moment she thought she had succeeded, but then Mary Margaret looked up and followed Emma`s eyes.

`What is that?'

Pushing the shining hilt of the dagger further under her leather jacket, Emma cleared her throat.

`Nothing.`

She could see Mary Margaret – Snow White?! Hell, she was never going to get this!- didn`t believe her, and she was glad Henry interrupted them.

`Tell me again how it happened?'

As she told him how Regina had kissed him on the forehead and inhaled the black smoke, he took out his book. The book that spoke the truth. Mary Margaret was talking to Ruby –Who would be Little Red Riding Hood according to the book she had just proclaimed was her guidance- and Henry got closer to her, whispering.

' Look, she took back the curse. The blue fairy told her she could do it. If she only let love in her heart again.`

He had found the page and pushed it towards her.

`Someone who casts a curse can never be the one to break it. It`s like, against the law of Magic or something. But they can take the curse themselves, like, you know, a sacrifice.'

`So if she would have taken back the Dark curse she would have, what, forgotten who she was? Been send to another world?'

`No, actually, that`s the story. The blue fairy is asking her to reconsider the Dark Curse. She says it is the only curse one can not take back, unlike all the others. She says that`s why it`s called Dark, because it is like Death.'

Emma tried to let the words enter her mind, but she felt as if everything around her moved in slow-motion. She heard the boy talking, but had trouble to connect the sentences with their meaning.

'It just says that the magic is in the heart of the person who casts the spell, that's why only they can take it back. They say it's extremely painful though.'

Emma swallowed when she saw a wave of sadness, mixed with admiration in her son`s eyes. How was she supposed to tell him what Rumplestiltskin –Hey! She was getting the hang of this.- told her? Regina may have been the Evil Queen in his book, and he may have gone to look for Emma to save him –and the rest of the town- but Regina had also been his mother for all these years. She had changed every diaper, nursed every scrape, soothed every fever. She had been the mother, Emma had not been able to be herself. And, despite being delusional, -which he had ended up NOT to be- he hadn't seemed to be suffering from any permanent damage caused by his upbringing. He was a good kid. She could only take credit for half the genetics there… The other half, she didn`t want to think about. And the rest was all Regina…

Regina… With her fiery eyes, standing in front of her on that porch, fighting for her son. Regina, helpless, certain that Emma would let her to be burned in the fire. Regina, begging her to keep their son safe.

There was something about those eyes that made her want to forget about the Regina, who had, so kindly, offered her an apple cobbler.

' And now? She took your sleeping curse?'

`Yes. And since she cast the spell herself, there is no-one who can take it back. Only true love`s kiss can safe her now.`

She felt the hilt of the dagger, cold against her skin. Why was this so hard? It should be a no-brainer. She would protect her son from a woman who, only moments before, had tried to kill her with a poisoned apple and she would break the curse…

Only… would she?

What had Rumple ever done for her to trust him? Maybe he just wanted Regina out of the way, so he could step up and be mayor. And, as for the protecting part. Hadn`t Regina just made the ultimate sacrifice?

True… She had caused the boy to be poisoned first…

Although Emma herself was not completely blameless there. Had she believed him. Had she just allowed herself to believe. To feel the magic in the blanket she had been wrapped in, to look when August –Pinocchio- had told her to look –she was pretty sure now she would have seen wood-, to really read the stories that had been in his book. Had she, even, kept a better eye on him, maybe he would never have eaten the cobbler. And never have been cursed. It may not be the same as casting a spell on him herself, but it was pretty close in her book.

So to kill Regina? In the fairytales she remembered, from when she was a kid, she recalled the bad guys did usually end up at the end of the sword, knife, or other deadly weapon of the brave knight. But this task made her surely doubt if she was cut out –ahhh the irony of her own thought- to be a hero.

So what then? Save her? But only true love`s kiss could do that, and, for as far as Emma knew, Regina had no true love.

' So does your book tell you how I break the curse?`

Hoping she would see him leaf through the pages in search for the answer, she looked up. But found his soulful eyes instead. They looked like pools of sadness and disappointment, as the boy slowly shook his head in denial.

…

Once upon a time in The Enchanted Forest:

`Daniel, would you come for a ride with me?`

Regina heard her own words, and for a moment felt shocked about their boldness, before the tingling feeling washed over her again. She had never really looked at the stable-boy, but now his eyes, the shape of his mouth, everything about him until the rough callus on his hands fascinated her. She did not pay attention to the saddened blonde girl who watched, from behind a wooden door, as she took Daniel`s hand and reciprocated his broad smile. He helped her up the horse she had mounted by herself many a time, and she didn`t mind. His hands felt safe, and warm, and his kindness was something she had longed for, for the longest time. She cherished herself in its radiance.

It seemed like it all went past her, as if there was no such thing as time, or other people. There was just him. His smiling face as she looked up from the path Rocinante seemed to know to follow, without her guidance. When the steed stopped, she automatically slid of its back, surprised but thrilled to find Daniel`s arms waiting for her. As they surrounded her, her chest seemed to roar, and a warm sensation rushed through her.

For the first time in a long time, she felt safe, she felt home…

She looked into the eyes, longingly gazing into hers.

Without pausing to think, she placed a delicate hand on his chest and leaned forwards to kiss him. She did not notice his slight hesitation, and smile lingered on her lips when they met his'. Neither did she catch the hint of golden skin, flickering in the top of a near-by tree.

For her… All was well, because, for the first time since she could remember, she felt loved.

TBC

Still handing out pastries for reviews:D