In the honor of that horrendous abomination of an episode, I will treat you with yet another chapter. We're nearing the end though, so be prepared. I hope you'll like this chapter, and as always, I would love to hear what you think. You reviews really fuel my passion to keep writing. And no, I didn't enjoy writing Regina like this (maybe just a tiny little bit) Much love, xo.

Regina turned over in her bed and moaned when her ribs throbbed. Her eyes were closed, but even if she were to open them, she wouldn't have seen much. The dark curtains covering every window in her room made it impossible to tell what time of the day it was. She'd also unplugged her alarm clock and her phone was off. She had shielded herself from the outside world as best as she possibly could.

She didn't know for how long she'd been lying in bed. The last time she'd seen what was behind her curtains was after she'd gotten home from Mary Margaret and David's apartment that night. She still couldn't remember how she got home. She hadn't talked to them since. Or Henry.

Regina let out a small cry. Henry. As far as she knew, her son now hated her more than he ever had. And on top of everything else, that was simply too much to handle.

She turned again. A silent tear slid down her cheek and left a wet spot on her silky pillow. It seemed all she did lately was cry. The only thing she got out of bed for was to go to the bathroom. And that was just on the other end of her room. Which reminded her of why she was even awake…

She swung her legs out from under the covers and put a hand to her forehead when everything spun around. The last thing she'd eaten was that grilled cheese. She still didn't know how long ago that was. She wasn't trying to starve herself. She just simply didn't feel hungry.

She rose to her feet slowly, gaining her balance, and ignored the ache in her broken bones before she moved unsteadily towards the bathroom on her bandage covered legs. The oversized shirt she'd been in ever since she got home fell loosely from her shoulders and covered her to just above the knees. It was Emma's. She didn't remember how she'd gotten it. She thought maybe she'd taken it from Emma's room in the apartment before she left, but she couldn't be sure. Everything was sort of a blur. The only reason she knew it was Emma's was because it smelled intoxicatingly like her. Not so much anymore after Regina had been sleeping in it for what was probably several days, but she was still able to imagine the scent of the blonde. Sometimes she swore she could even smell her in the air, as freshly as if she was in the room. Whenever that happened it left Regina curled up on her bed, sobbing. Most things did lately.

She avoided looking at her reflection in the mirror. She knew it wouldn't be a pretty sight. Much had happened since she'd left the hospital, and many days had passed. Already then, her reflection had terrified her to the very bone.

Regina padded back to bed and crawled under the covers. She covered her face half in silk and laid thinking as she always did. Sometimes, when the days got too lonely and it hurt too much, she would talk to her. She would have small conversations with Emma, imagining how she'd laugh all bubbly at something Regina said, and how she'd tease her when she was being prudy.

It helped. A little.

But mostly she just laid there, thinking. Day dreaming of how different it all could have been. Trying not to do anything stupid. And most of all, trying to glue her broken pieces back together.

A hard task when you had no glue.

There was a sudden and very subtle knock on the door. Regina stiffened and it hurt her ribs. Someone was here? Who was here? No one had come to see her even once. She half-way thought she could have been left alone forever.

That's what she'd hoped for, at least.

"Regina?" a tentative voice came from outside the door.

It was David.

What was David doing here? Last time she'd seen him he looked like he'd never speak again.

"Go away," Regina spoke up, her voice raspy.

David answered by opening the door.

Regina ignored his intrusion and laid perfectly still in bed.

"Jesus, Regina. When was the last time you opened a window in here?"

Regina didn't appreciate his judgmental tone.

"I don't know," she whispered, because it was true.

David had no intention of asking her permission when he pulled apart the curtains and what looked like the early afternoon sun shone in brightly and Regina burrowed her face in her pillow.

"Don't!"

"I'm letting some air in here."

"I don't like the sun."

David didn't say anything, but Regina could feel him staring at her.

The sound of the windows opening was yet another intrusion to the perfect prison Regina had built herself and soon the cool air filled the room and Regina felt like she was going to choke.

The bed gave away as David sat down on it.

"Regina?" he asked, softly this time.

Regina peered out from her pillow with one eye.

David looked terrible.

He obviously hadn't been sleeping, his eyes red rimmed and soggy. His face was stubbly from an unshaved beard and his skin looked ashen. It was like the male version of Regina's own reflection in the mirror that day at the hospital.

"You don't look too good yourself," David mused, the humor in his voice half-hearted. He tried with a smile, but Regina simply continued to stare at him with wide eyes.

He reached a hand forward for Regina's shoulder, but she jerked away.

"Regina…"

"I don't want you here. Get out."

"Regina, I'm just here to - "

"It's my house! I just want to be alone in my own god damn house!"

Regina's voice was getting shrill from screaming. Her blood was pounding uncomfortably in her ears.

"Just hear me out, please? Then I'll leave. Promised."

Regina was about to protest, but the days in bed away from sun and nutrition had left her too weak. She nodded.

David exhaled in relief.

"Thank you. So…"

He hesitated.

"We're planning Emma's funeral, " Regina could tell that saying those words hurt him as much as hearing them hurt her, "and we just wondered if you want to contribute with anything? We know how much you… What I'm trying to say is… You probably - "

"Yes, I loved her. Go on."

Regina could have sworn she saw a blush creep up David's neck but before she could make sure, it was gone.

"Yes. And therefore we think, Mary Margaret and I, I mean, that maybe you know something we don't. We've known her for the same amount of time as you know. But maybe you…"

"Are you asking me to help you arrange the funeral of your daughter, because you think I knew her better?"

David's face contorted.

"No. I mean yes, I guess partly. But mainly, we just thought you'd want to be a part of it. We're willing to leave everything behind us so we can get through this together."

Regina snorted.

"Gee, how generous of you."

David's face instantly changed to one of anger.

"Unless you don't care that is, in which case we're more than willing to let you rot in here on your own."

Regina shrunk under his words and looked at him with big eyes. He sighed.

"I'm sorry. My temper's a little… short these days."

Regina nodded.

"I understand."

Truth was, they probably understood each other better now than ever. Regina just wished more than anything that the reason behind it had been anything other than what it was.

"I'm sorry," Regina whispered, her voice suddenly so small.

David furrowed his brows.

"What for?"

Regina looked away, unable to meet his gaze.

"Everything. If it wasn't for me… if I hadn't…"

"Hey," David stopped her, reaching for her shoulder and this time Regina let him. He gave it a tight squeeze, "Don't. We all did things we're not proud of. We're giving you a second chance Regina. All we ask for is the same thing in return."

Regina's eyebrows hit her hairline.

"You… you want a second chance, from me?"

David nodded, indifferent to her surprise.

"Well, yes."

Regina thought for a long minute. She didn't want to leave her bed. She didn't want to deal with real life because that meant dealing with the fact that Emma was gone. But she felt so alone.

"Okay," she said, nodding, "I'll help with the funeral."

David beamed a smile so bright it startled Regina and when he lunged forward to hug her she did nothing but sit stiff in his arms.

"Thank you, Regina. Thank you so much."

Regina smiled tightly into his shoulder. When he pulled back, a little color had regained on his cheeks.

"Take your time to get on your feet again. Take a shower. Eat something. You look like you haven't eaten for days, Regina."

Regina blushed, almost feeling like a child being scolded by her father.

David rose from the bed and made his way for the door.

"Just meet us at the apartment when you're ready."

Regina nodded in response and blinked. She was really getting out of bed. She just had to get used to that thought. It seemed like centuries ago that she'd actually been outside or even done something slightly human.

"Oh, and Regina?"

She looked up to meet David's gaze.

"I'm sure Emma would have wanted this."

With that, he disappeared down the hallway and within the minute Regina heard her front door open and close. It took her another hour of crying into Emma's shirt before she gathered the strength to throw it over a chair and step into the shower.

The next couple of days organizing the funeral were painful, but it also felt good to do something productive, to somehow keep busy even if it was with the worst thing imaginable.

Regina was surprised at how easy it had been to work with the Charmings. They'd agreed on most things, and the minor disagreements they'd had were settled with a minimum of yelling.

Regina, of course, had won most of them. She'd also gotten a few of her own ideas through.

Emma's casket would be decorated with yellow and red roses. And with much effort she'd convinced Mary Margaret and David to have a quote written on Emma's tombstone: "The swan, like the soul of the poet, by the world is ill understood." There had been no disagreement on what Emma should be wearing. Red leather jacket. Tight denim jeans. White tank top. And her Sheriff's badge.

It had felt good, to do these things for Emma. Regina wanted nothing but the best for her, although she knew that nothing could really do Emma justice. All she could do was try. And if she was to say so herself, she'd done a good job.

Now came the hard part.

Attending the funeral itself.

Regina had been standing outside the church for half an hour, petrified to go in. The official funeral didn't start for another hour, but she was to be here to make sure everything was in order. She was dressed in a tight, black cocktail dress with lace embroidery at the seams. It was a closed jewel neckline, but the upper part of back was bare. Mary Margaret had helped her get into it, making sure the bandages around her ribs weren't visible. She wore short gloves. Because of her bad legs, she wore flat ballerina slippers. And because of her bald patch of hair, she'd been forced to wear a ridiculous looking hat with a black netted veil covering half of her face. With her she had a clutch which she'd decorated with silver rhine stones - in the form of a swan. Everything was in black except for her deep, red lips and the white cast on her arm and legs. This was the most dressed up Regina had been since she'd gotten back to Storybrooke and she felt oddly wrong, compared to how she'd usually feel in an attire like this.

She took a deep breath, noticing how she was shaking. She still walked unsteadily, and every step ached in different parts of her body. She knew she had to go in, before the Charmings came looking for her. She just needed a moment to unknot her stomach and throat.

Another five minutes passed before Regina pushed the church door open with much effort. Inside, the scent of roses hit her like a wall. In a small vase by each bench was a single red and yellow rose, next to each burned a small candle on a stand. On the aisle leading all the way from the door to where Emma's casket would stand was a garland of the same roses on each side. At the top, the garland moved in a circle around a big marble table, where the casket would be placed. Two tables stood behind the marble, on them stood an overwhelming amount of pictures. Pictures of Emma, of Henry, of them together, of Emma and her parents, Emma the day she got promoted to Sheriff, at the welcome back party, play sword fighting with Henry and David, with whipped cream on her upper lip and a coco in her hand, and so many others.

Regina walked up to the table and picked up one rather small picture, positioned in the center of all the others. It was the only picture ever taken of Emma and herself, from the evening where she'd had dinner with the whole family at Granny's diner. It wasn't a very personal picture, given that neither one of them had wanted to admit their feelings for one another. Nonetheless, to Regina it was beautiful and the most treasured thing she owned. They were in the middle of sharing a plate of fries that Emma, after much arguing, had convinced Regina to eat from. Both their hands were reaching for the plate as David had suddenly burst out a "Smile!" to which they'd both looked up. Emma's smile was cheeky, evidence of her victory in getting Regina to eat something that unhealthy, while Regina looked annoyed. But if you knew her well enough, you'd see the sparkle of adoration in her eyes. She remembered clearly how she'd wanted to poke Emma with a fry with ketchup on the end and kiss it off her face, and how much she'd had to resist the urge to do so.

Regina put the picture back and exhaled shakily. She was starting to feel the now so familiar rush of panic settle in her. She closed her eyes tightly and pinched the bridge of her nose in an attempt to stop from crying. The church filled with the echo of footsteps.

"There you are!" called Mary Margaret from the opening of a door on the left side of the church, "Come, we're in here."

Regina took the outstretched arm Mary Margaret offered her with some reluctance, and let the pixie haired woman help her walk. The room was small and didn't contain much else but a couple of chairs and some tables. David was sitting at one of them, hovering over some paperwork. At the far back of the room stood a large wooden box. It wasn't until they walked further into the room did Regina notice it wasn't a box. It was a casket. An open casket.

Regina screeched and turned away, nausea overwhelming all her senses as she gasped after air.

"Regina, what's wrong?" asked both of the Charmings in concern.

Regina had her eyes closed, trying to force out the image now carved on the inside of her eyelids.

"I thought," she tried, but her voice died in her throat. She leaned against the wall and opened her eyes to fix David and Mary Margaret with a stare so torn between fear and anger it was impossible to tell which feeling was the dominant one.

"I thought we'd agreed it would be a closed casket," Regina managed to say, a crippling feeling making all the tiny hairs rise on her body. Both David and Mary Margaret shrunk a little at the sound of her voice.

There was a moment of silence before Mary Margaret spoke up.

"Yes, well… David and I agreed this would be better. That way the people who want to also get the opportunity to put something in the casket with Emma."

Regina groaned.

"I told you. I can't do that. I can't stand up there and talk while seeing her. I can't. It's too much. It's too painful."

"But this way people can get to say a proper goodbye."

"I already said goodbye. I said goodbye when I watched her bleed out right before of my eyes, " Regina croaked, clenching her shaking hands into fists.

Mary Margaret flinched.

"Regina, please…"

"No, no pleases. I know she's your daughter. I know you didn't get to tell her all the things you wanted to. But let me tell you something, I did. I did and it doesn't feel better. It doesn't matter how much you get to tell, when you know that no matter what you say, you can't stop it from happening," Regina was crying now.

The room fell silent, the only sound that of Regina sniffling. Mary Margaret was staring at her with a pale but determined face.

"I'm sorry, Regina. I am so sorry you had to go through that, but our decision stands. The casket will be open."

Regina growled something under her breath and kicked at a chair nearby, making both of them jump.

"Fine! Have it your way. I'll be in out here if you need me. There's no way I'm staying in here."

Regina turned on her heel and was about to exit the room when Mary Margaret's voice spoke up behind her again.

"For what it's worth Regina, I know everything about feeling powerless. I had my baby girl ripped out of my arms not ten seconds after she was born. I'm sure you remember. And now I will have to bury her after knowing her for less than four years. Don't think you're the only one in pain here."

The venom in Mary Margaret's voice turned Regina's blood to ice, and she stood still for a minute before exiting the room without a word, the lump in her throat so thick she felt like she was going to choke. She collapsed onto the bench in the front row and sobbed into her hands, not giving any thought to how her makeup left thick, black, stripes down her cheeks.