As much as I would like to own them, all the characters and plot of Once Upon A Time belong to ABC – I own nothing.

Ok so I hope you enjoy this. I really found this prompt hard to come up with something for so don't judge me as I chose to do a rework of the season 2 finale mine scenes (I think we all needed this though). Anyway, have fun and I will see you tomorrow.

Thank you again to all the people liking, following and etc. (including over on Tumblr too) as well as everybody reviewing. It's good to know you like it! :D

Day 4 / Canon Divergence AU

"Here it is. Once it stops glowing it's destruction is achieved and then, well, then we'll see the real carnage. I'll try to contain it's energy as long as I can."

"It won't be long. They'll have the bean soon. Then we can get the hell out of here."

Regina paused for a few short moments, unsure of how to say the next sentence out loud. "Slowing the device, it's going to require all the strength I have."

It didn't take very long for Emma to understand exactly what she meant, a frown slightly forming on her face. "You're not coming with us, are you? When you said goodbye to Henry, you were saying goodbye."

Regina broke her gaze with Emma to look down at the crystal before looking back up at the blonde. "He knows I love him, doesn't he?"

"Regina, no. There has gotta be another way."

"You were right, you know. Everything that's happening, it's my fault. I created this device. It's only fitting that it takes my life."

"What am I supposed to tell Henry?"

"Tell him that in the end, it wasn't too late for me to do the right thing."

Emma couldn't help but feel pain radiate through her chest at the other woman's words. "Regina, please..."

"Everyone looks at me as the Evil Queen, including my son. Let me die as Regina."

Emma's eyes dropped from Regina to the crystal and back up again before she turned to walk away, Regina already prepping her hands over the humming object. But then Emma stopped not knowing why she turned around in the first place. Maybe it was the pain in Regina's face when she asked her to die as herself, or maybe it was the unshed tears she could clearly see just bursting to overflow down the brunette's cheeks. Whatever it was she couldn't leave the mine without telling her. Not when she was so willing to give up her life to save everybody else, or at least buy them some time. If Emma hadn't been sure before, she was damn sure about her feelings now.

"Regina..."

Before she could stop her Regina had already connected herself to the trigger, her purple magic flowing from her hands to the glowing device. When she opened her eyes as the initial surge of magical power subsided a little the tear that had been dying to burst free rolled down her cheek. But still, as Emma felt the urge to run deep down in her gut, she couldn't leave that mine without telling Regina the truth, even if she had just signed her death warrant.

"Regina..."

"Emma, go!"

Shaking her head she refused to listen to both Regina and her gut feeling. "No!"

"Go now!"

"No! I won't leave until I get something off my chest!"

"You don't have time, now go!"

"Regina I love you!"

The other woman seemed to freeze, despite the magic flowing from her hands. "What?"

"I love you!"

"Do you really think this is the time?"

"Yes. Not when I don't think I'll ever get the chance to say it to you again."

"But-"

"I just needed you to know"

Before Regina could react the blonde had turned and was already running out of sight and out of the mine. Trust Emma Swan to drop a bombshell like that at the most inappropriate time and then run right after.

The next time Emma came back she had three other people with her.

"What are you doing here?"

"You were willing to die to save us. That makes you a hero. And now we're gonna be hero's"

"We're gonna open a portal, throw this thing into a void"

"No. You don't know that it'll work"

"We have to try"

Charming ushered Snow and Henry to the side. "Everybody, step aside."

Emma had her back to everybody, feeling inside the pouch for the bean but came up empty.

"Emma?" Charming questioned.

"It's empty. Hook."

"I can't contain this much longer."

Emma looked up, her eyes meeting Regina's. They really were screwed now. She turned her gaze to her left, looking over at her parents as tears glazed over her eyes. "Mom, dad."

She let herself fall into the embrace, finally letting her parents be her parents. It wasn't until Henry pulled away that Emma realized where she wanted to spend the last moments of her life, however long they may be.

"I love you Henry."

Then she pulled away. She joined her son and the woman she loved and before Regina knew it not only was Henry hugging her Emma was too. That's when she realised that she had something to say before it was too late. "I love you too Emma"

Emma only smiled sadly, a tear running down her face as she embraced the woman she loved from the opposite side of their son.

When Regina looked back down at the trigger she sucked in a breath before looking back down at Henry. "I only wish I was strong enough to stop all this. I'm just not."

In that broken whisper Emma's mind seemed to click as if by a flick of a switch. Pulling away from Regina she moved so that she was stood in front of her and the trigger. "You may not be strong enough, but maybe we are."

Regina couldn't believe what she was hearing but when she saw the determination in the other woman's eyes she knew she was completely serious about what she had just offered. Her gaze fell to Snow, Charming and Henry and as if understanding just by the look in her eyes they all moved well out of the way. Emma took one last gaze at Regina's face before offering her hands up over the trigger, taking a breath as she let herself relax.

Soon enough her magic was flowing from her finger tips and they both watched as her bright magic mixed with Regina's purple. Regina let a small smile cross her lips before she focused back on the trigger, feeling Emma's magic clearly as they pushed a little more with every passing second. Moments later before they could react they were both being flung in opposite directions into the hard mine floor.

It was a minute before they all woke up, temporarily unconscious from the sheer burst of power the trigger had emitted. David laughed as he pulled himself up into a sitting position. "We're alive!"

"Emma!"

David pulled Emma to her feet and as soon as she was up the blonde shakily walked over to the brunette and offered her hand. Regina gratefully took it and allowed Emma to pull her to her feet, a little surprised when the blonde saviour pulled her in for a bone crushing hug.

"We did it" She gasped in surprise, showing no signs of letting Regina go any time soon.

"Yes, we did" And before Emma could pull away she cupped both sides of her face and pulled her in for a fervent kiss, not caring who else was watching, i.e. Snow and Charming. When she pulled her lips away from Emma's she let her forehead rest against the blonde's. "But don't ever do something so stupid like that again. Next time think before you speak about your feelings out loud"

Emma frowned, now quite knowing what to say. "Um, I'm sorry?"

"Gotta hand to Henry. He's right about a lot of things."

Emma turned her gaze away from Regina but made no move to let her go from her embrace. "Yes, he is. Isn't that right, kid? Henry?"

"Henry?"

"Henry?"

They started frantically moving through the mine, Mary Margaret frowning when Emma crouched down. "Emma, what is it?"

"They took him"