Regina was alone when she woke the next morning. She had no idea how long Emma had stayed with her, but surely waking up in bed together was way beyond what was appropriate. Truth was, none of this was appropriate. But Regina was so far into this she didn't think she could ever surface.

She got up and went to the bathroom, splashing cold water on her face. She looked at herself in the mirror and frowned. What was she doing?! She was sabotaging her own happy ending, that's what she was doing! She had gone her whole life looking for happiness, and finally had it with Robin. Now she was caught up in an affair with Snow White's daughter, of all people, threatening to derail her relationship with her supposed soulmate. Regina sighed. He didn't feel like her soulmate. But maybe she just wasn't giving him a chance. Again, sabotage. She took a deep breath and let it out slowly. That's it. This thing with her and Emma had to end.

XXXXXXXXX

Regina was sipping her coffee in the booth while reading the paper. She hardly registered the bell on the door ringing as she sat and stared blankly at the paper in front of her.

"Hi," came a voice from above Regina's head.

Regina startled and dropped the paper onto the table, looking up to see Emma standing over her. Regina felt her face turn white as she looked frantically around the diner to see if people were watching. To say she was paranoid was an understatement. She hadn't had a chance to respond when Emma spoke again.

"Can I-talk to you for a minute?" Emma slid into the booth without waiting for an answer.

Regina panicked. "I don't think that's a good idea," she said as she looked around again.

Emma looked at her shyly. "Relax, no one knows anything." She saw Regina finally relax a bit but still stared at the table between them. "Look, we need to talk about this sooner or later."

Regina finally looked up and said quickly. "There's nothing to talk about," she half whispered as she smoothed out the newspaper in front of her.

"Regina," Emma pleaded but was cut off.

Regina didn't want to do this. But she had to, for her and Emma's sake. "No. No matter what mistakes we may have made, I assure you, it is over." She felt her heart pang as she saw Emma's face fall in disappointment. She gritted her teeth and continued. It had to be done fast, like removing a bandaid. "You have Hook. I have Robin. That's the way it's supposed to be. So I strongly suggest you leave me alone before anyone gets hurt because of our-mindless indiscretions. It's over, Miss Swan, now I don't expect to talk about this ever again. Is that clear?" She felt her eye twitch as Emma looked sadly across at her. She saw Emma's eyes drop as she wrung her hands furiously. Regina's heart felt like it was being ripped in two, but she had to do it. She resisted the urge to reach across and take Emma's hand. Instead she slid out of the booth and made a hasty exit out the diner door.

Emma watched Regina go as she forced back the tears threatening to fall. She watched out the window as Regina huffed off and slammed the door shut on her Mercedes. Emma was slightly shocked to see Regina rake her hands through her hair and lean her forehead on the steering wheel. Emma watched as the brunette flung a hand over her mouth and catch what looked like a sob. When Regina looked over, they made eye contact, both looking desperately sad.

Regina looked up to see Emma watching her from the diner. Regina wiped a tear from her face and cleared her throat. She turned the key and sped off.

XXXXXXXXX

Regina was finishing up some paperwork when there was a knock on her door. She barked out a "Come in," and looked up to see Robin walking in. She let out a small sigh and forced a smile. "Robin, what are you doing here?"

Robin smiled as he walked toward her. "Well, I was hoping to take my lady out for lunch."

Regina glanced over at the clock and saw that it was noon already. "Oh, well, that's sweet." She stood up as he approached, allowing him to take her into a full embrace. She sighed into him, remembering the comfort his arms brought her. She wasn't prepared though, when he pulled back and captured her lips. She jerked back in surprise, but caught herself and let him kiss her. When he opened his mouth to deepen the kiss, Regina was surprised to find herself reluctant. She allowed his tongue to push against hers for only a brief moment before she had to push him back.

"Robin, I'm sorry, that's not appropriate for the mayor's office."

Robin furrowed his eyebrows but then nodded. He ran his fingers through the hair behind Regina's ear, pushing it back away from her neck. He paused as his eyes caught something, but his hand was pushed away before he could look any closer.

Regina panicked, realizing Robin had just uncovered her hickey. She pushed him away and pulled her hair back down, clearing her throat as she grabbed her purse. "Well, shall we go?" She started walking to the door.

Robin just stared after her for a moment, not entirely sure he had seen what he thought he saw. But one thing was for sure, Regina was acting strangely. "Regina, is everything alright?"

Regina tried to will the color back into her face and put on a big smile as she turned to him. "Of course, why?"

Robin stepped forward, confusion on his face. He tried to read Regina's eyes, and he could see she was hiding something. Although Robin insisted on complete honesty in a relationship, at this moment he was afraid to know the truth. Instead of asking, he simply reached up and caressed Regina's shoulders. "Nothing. Lets go, shall we?"

XXXXXXXXXXX

Emma sat at her desk, staring off into space. She was flipping her pen between her fingers, leaned over some filing that desperately needed to be done. She was startled to hear Mary Margaret call her name. She looked up to see her concerned mother holding baby Neil in a car seat.

"Emma? Are you okay? I've been calling your name."

Emma snapped herself into the present and sat back in her chair. "Yeah, sorry, I was just, I don't know, daydreaming I guess."

Mary Margaret could see the turmoil on her daughter's face and gently put the car seat down on the desk.

Emma knew Mary Margaret was about to pry, so she tried to distract her doting mother. "David's out on a call, I'm not sure how long he'll be."

"Emma," Mary Margaret put her hand on Emma's forearm, forcing the blonde to look at her. "What's wrong?"

Emma swallowed and tried to smile. "Nothing's wrong."

"Emma, I am your mother. I can tell when something is wrong, and by the look on your face its something serious. Tell me what's going on," Mary Margaret said softly.

For a moment Emma thought about it. But no, she couldn't tell anyone, especially her mother. "No, nothing, I swear, I'm fine."

Mary Margaret tightened her grip when Emma tried to get up, forcing the blonde back into her seat. She didn't say anything, just looked at Emma and waited.

Emma couldn't deny the pleading in her mothers eyes, and figured she could ask for advice in the vaguest possible way. "Look, it's just-I'm not sure. It's like, everything is just how it's supposed to be. Right? Happy endings are supposed to make you happy."

"But you're not? Happy, I mean?" Mary Margaret asked tentatively.

Emma pursed her lips. "I don't know. I mean, I've got you guys, which I've always dreamed about. And Henry, which is-more than I ever dreamed possible. And Killian," she paused to look at Mary Margaret, who was stone faced, listening intently. "Killian is, well he's great, I mean he's really changed." Mary Margaret squeezed her forearm in encouragement. Emma looked up at her. "And, I know he cares about me, and he thinks I'm his happy ending."

"But you're not so sure," Mary Margaret stated.

Emma slowly shook her head. "I don't know, I mean, I like spending time with him, and it's good to have someone care about me...it's just, I don't know, not what I expected True Love to feel like."

Mary Margaret nodded slowly and pursed her lips. "What did you expect?"

Emma shrugged her shoulders. "I don't know, I guess. I didn't expect...this. I expected something more special, more-passionate."

Mary Margaret straightened her posture. Finally a subject she could weigh in on. "Well, it just so happens the person you are talking to is an expert on the subject of True Love." She smiled as Emma chuckled and took her hand. "It IS special, and it IS passionate. It's like, you meet this person, and suddenly your entire life changes, even if you don't notice at first. All of a sudden your heart comes alive. Every time you're with that person you finally feel whole. And when you're apart...you feel an emptiness that you can't explain. It's hard to breath, and your chest aches. And when that person is in danger, you risk everything to save them, because you know you couldn't go on living without them. You even sacrifice your life for them. And when you are together...you can feel your souls crying out for each other. And when you kiss..." Mary Margaret looked up at the ceiling and shook her head.
She shrugged. "It's magic."

Emma couldn't stop a silent tear from falling down her cheek, as she felt vulnerable in a way she never had before. Instead of shutting down like she usually did, she found herself bravely opening up. She sniffled. "What if I do have that...just not with Killian?" She asked softly.

Mary Margaret looked at Emma, surprised but happy that her daughter trusted her enough to talk to her about this. "Then you go for it. You have to, because you would regret it for the rest of your life if you didn't." When Emma shook her head and squeezed her eyes shut Mary Margaret scooted closer. "Emma, Killian will understand."

Emma shook her head as more tears fell. "I'm not so sure about that," she said as a small sob came out with it.

Mary Margaret reached over and put her hand lovingly on Emma's head. "Then another reason why he doesn't deserve you."

Emma brushed her tears away and dared to look her mother in the eyes. "What if-what if they don't feel the same way? What if pushing Killian away only makes me more unhappy because they reject me?"

"Love is worth fighting for, Emma. And if this-person- is lucky enough to have stolen your heart, then they are the luckiest person in the world. And believe me, coming from the expert, you don't have anything to worry about. She feels the same way," Mary Margaret smiled when Emma looked up at her in surprise. She just nodded and petted Emma's hair down the back of her head. "Whether or not she admits it, now, there's where your battle will be. Because if there's anything I know about Regina, it's that she's stubborn and prideful."

Emma nearly fell out of her chair. How did she know?! Why wasn't she freaking out about it? "How did-"

Mary Margaret grabbed her hand and kissed the top of it. "Please, Emma. Expert, remember? Lets just say all the signs are there if you look close enough. Look, I'm not saying this path will be easy, and yes, people will get hurt. But, sometimes you gotta...kiss a lot of frogs to find your prince. Or-princess. Or-Queen. Whatever."

This exchange finally made Emma laugh, until finally she buried her face in the crook of Mary Margaret's arm and let herself cry. Mary Margaret clung to her daughter and rocked her as she let her emotions out. She smoothed down the blonde locks and kissed her gently on top of the head.

Just as Emma started to get control of herself and pull out of her mother's embrace, she heard a voice call from the other side of the office. "Emma?"

Emma looked up to see Killian standing there, concern and confusion written on his face. She immediately sat up and wiped the tears off her face, accepting a tissue offered by Mary Margaret. She blew her nose as she stood up. "Hi, sorry," she sniffled.

Killian took a few tentative steps into the room. "What's happened?"

Mary Margaret looked at Emma, and an entire conversation played out with just their eyes. Emma nodded and motioned for her to go. With that, Mary Margaret picked up the car seat and nodded to Killian as she exited the station.

Killian came over and was about to hug Emma when she put her hand up to stop him. "Swan, what is it?"

Emma shook her head, wiping her nose with the crumpled tissue. She dared to look him in the eyes. "I can't-I can't do this, Killian."