Broken

"I believe much has happened to you in the last twelve hours."

Regina jumped at the sound of Robin's voice greeting her immediately. She had been expecting to come home to an empty house. She rolled her eyes at the sudden change of events. Her plans were to pour herself a whiskey, run a hot bath, and finally have some quiet time to process the last twelve hours Robin had been missing her for.

Nothing ever goes as planned, Regina thought. Why even bother making any?

She reluctantly walked to her living area where Robin was sitting in front of the fire, and he was wearing an expression that broke Regina's heart.

"Darling," Regina said, sitting across from him.

"You are not yourself," Robin went on. Regina had not even come to kiss him when she entered. After Regina and Emma had disappeared Robin and Gold (who had taken a peculiar interest in Emma's intentions) had scoured Storybrooke looking for them to no avail. It was as if Regina had been sucked into a black hole.

"Robin," Regina said, hardening her gaze. "I am myself, I promise."

"There's no telling what she has done to you," Robin said.

"Emma?"

"The Dark One!"

Regina took a breath, but she understood what Robin was doing. She put her hand over his, and their happy memories raced through her. However, her heart had finally spoken the truth aloud to her, and she knew there was no going back.

"Listen," she said. "We need to be honest about what we want."

"I have been honest," Robin said, almost with callous.

"I know you think you have," Regina said. "But if you listen to your heart you will know it is not my name written there."

"These are lies!" Robin said standing and pacing. "What kind of dark spell does she have you under?"

"I know it might be hard for you to stop and understand," Regina said. "But this is why it's so important we stay in touch with what we truly want, and not just give to images or cling to the easiest option."

"I cannot believe this! We've got to find Merlin!" Robin was headed for the door, but Regina appeared blocking him in a puff of purple smoke.

"You know love spells don't really work," Regina said. "Right?"

Robin nodded. Regina took his hand and pressed it over her heart. "Feel that?" she asked.

"Your heart," Robin said.

Regina did not want to take it this far, but she knew there was no other way Robin would believe her. "Rip it out," she said.

"Don't be ridiculous-"

"I'm serious," Regina said holding his hand tightly. "Rip it out," she said definitely.

Robin had never taken a heart before, but he concentrated on getting to Regina's when his hand suddenly sunk into her flesh like moist earth. He grasped her heart, warm, and beating with life. It came from her chest into his hand like plucking an apple from a tree.

"Satisfied?" Robin asked, although he still could not see the point. Until Regina lowered her eyes, Robin studied the thing and was shocked to see there was a name burnt into the surface of Regina's heart...and it was not Robin Hood.

Emma Swan

Robin's reflex was to squeeze the heart, burst it into black liquid like one of Regina's rotten apples. Yet Regina yelped when he squeezed the slightest bit, and when he looked at her he saw she had fearful tears in her eyes.

"I have never known you as the Evil Queen," Robin said bitterly. "Until now. You're breaking my heart, Regina."

"I'm sorry," she whispered, suddenly ripping Robin's heart from his chest suddenly. She held his heart before him and Robin saw it was blank. It was just his own heart; no name inscribed at all. "See?" Regina said. "You only think you love me because of what the writers have done...or the author or whatever, but it's not real. Your heart has never been mine, but your own," Regina said sadly.

With that, she gently placed his heart back in his chest. Robin held Regina's heart in his hand, although he knew it would never read his name. Had he ever truly loved anyone? He felt like a lost boy as he sadly handed Regina's heart back to her.

Regina stepped back from the door and let him pass. He opened the door, turning back, to look at her sadly. He opened his mouth to say something, but stopped. "Goodbye, Regina," he said.

And he was gone, leaving Regina with her heart in her hands. She looked down and ran her finger over the inscription: Emma Swan.

Meanwhile, Emma the Dark One was playing with her son in the loft of her shared apartment with the Charmings. With a flick of her wrist Emma raised the carpet square Henry was sitting on and blazed him around the bedroom while he laughed with his arms in the air.

Emma landed him safely on the bed.

"Can you fly?" he asked.

Emma shrugged. "I suppose," she said. "If I need to. My powers are pretty much endless it seems, but there are always new discoveries."

Henry smiled. "So...are you a villain?"

"Believe it or not, kid, that's a tough question. See, as humans we want to file everything into its proper place, and yet it never works out so evenly. There is no light or dark, only light and dark. Whichever one dominates you is what's important, and you can trust that I will do whatever it takes to keep you and your mother safe. Are you excited to live in the Mayor's house again?"

"Yeah," Henry said. "I like it here too..." A thought occurred to the young mind. "Why do you and mom want to live together now?"

"Well...this might be hard for you to understand, but Regina and I are in love," Emma said simply. Henry's eyes lit up. "We want to live together as a family, can you imagine that?"

"I knew you'd figure it out!" Henry said jumping up on the bed. "I always knew that the only thing that could break the spell is if we could give the Evil Queen her happy ending, that's the whole reason I brought you here!"

He threw his arms around Emma's neck and held her tightly. Emma pulled him back to look in his eyes. "Wait, kid...what are you saying? You're saying you knew your mother and I always belonged together?"

"Yeah," Henry said simply. "It was always so obvious. You think people won't understand you love each other just because your two girls?"

"Women," Emma corrected, hugging Henry to her. "You know something, Henry, you might be the smartest kid in the world."

He beamed at Emma when Emma suddenly shuddered violently.

"What's wrong?" Henry asked.

"Nothing," Emma said. "Your mother is calling me. I must go to her. Start packing," she said. "We go home tomorrow."

Henry smiled as he watched Emma evaporate in a puff of smoke. He knew Snow was downstairs with Charming and he braced himself as he headed their way to break the news,

"Your majesty," Emma appeared. "May I be of assist-"

Regina grabbed Emma and pushed her against the wall kissing her passionately and ripping at her robes trying to get them off as quickly as possible. Emma was enjoying it until she realized Regina had been crying.

"Wait, wait," she said pushing Regina away gently. "What's wrong?"

"Robin just left," Regina said. Emma put her arms around her and stroked her hair gently.

"I know it's hard," Emma said. "Pain is such a strange thing. Think of how necessary it was for you to set him free."

Regina nodded. She didn't want to talk anymore, in fact she couldn't stand one more moment discussing or processing. The last eighteen hours had been the most tumultuous of her life. She kissed Emma and relief instantly flooded her body as Emma folded her into her arms taking them both up the stairs to the bedroom in a puff of black and purple smoke.

They shed their clothes and got into bed disappearing from the world into passion and endless pleasure.

Sweet relief, Regina thought as Emma kissed her lower...lower. Such sweet relief.