"No! Oh God, not you! Not you…" Whether she'd screamed aloud or not, Regina couldn't tell. All she knew was heartbreak, knowing what would come of this next fight with-with-it was too much for her to even think his name!
"I can't do this, Robin, not right now. I can't, I can't!" Regina found herself back on the ground, nearly choking on her own sobs. She could handle Emma, Rumplestiltskin, and Belle hating her; she knew she'd earned it. Hell, she probably earned to be burned at the stake if she was being honest. But to hear it from her kind, gentle, benevolent love would just be too much. So she beat him to it.
"I'm sorry, okay!" Regina cried. "I'm sorry. For everyone, everything I've screwed up, in this world and the next! I 'm a monster! I kill people, torture them, abuse them, yet I blame everyone else for my problems. I never even apologized for what I did to you and your family-to Marian!"- her voice broke but Regina barreled forward, still sobbing, not giving him any chance for rebuttal- "I killed her Robin! I would have done it again if Emma hadn't saved her! But I painted her as the bad guy for saving an innocent woman from me. You both deserved so much better… you deserve so much better than me, Robin."
It wasn't a warning, or even a cry for sympathy. She didn't want Robin's pity; she wanted him to know the truth and run as far away from her as possible. She loved him too much to lie to him anymore.
When Robin finally spoke it was with a strange mix of confusion and gentleness. "Regina," he said slowly, lovingly. "It's over."
The former queen peeked up at her lover through wet eyelashes. Pain and uncertainty replaced her usual self-confidence. "What?"
Robin walked over and knelt down to where she remained in a broken heap. "The curse ended half an hour ago, darling. It's alright now."
Gently Robin pulled her up and into his arms, and Regina clung to him as she continued to weep. "Why do love me Robin? Why do you love a monster?"
He smoothed her hair and answered, "You were a monster, yes. But you want toknow what I see right now? I see a woman who once let hatred consume her striving to be better; for love and for herself. I see a woman who is starting to realize that happiness does have to be earned, and that the path to redemption may be long and hard, but that it's always worth it in the end."
It took her a few moments to find her voice, and it came in a broken whisper: "It's so easy to forget." Robin waited patiently for further explanation so she continued. "To just say 'damn it all' and take the easy way out. I could become the Evil Queen again in the blink of eye if I wanted to."
Her eyes began to swell as she admitted the truths she'd been thinking since she'd starting trying to be a better person. "And I'm terrified."
"No one expects you to be perfect, darling. The fact that you're expressing your fears and opening up about the past is huge step in the right direction. There will be missteps sometimes, and I can't imagine how tempting it must be to want to do things the easy way. But you are a strong, courageous, and smart woman; I'm rooting for you, Regina. And I hope you are, too."