Old Habits

Regina was back in her secret vault looking inside a treasure chest that held different types of containers with ingredients for her dark sorcery. She closed the chest and walked over to a niche where a small box rested in the middle of the sacred place. The sorceress retrieved a scroll from inside the box and gave it a thoughtful look, reading the list of ingredients needed to cast such a curse.

She had everything needed except for one ingredient; the heart of the thing she loved most. She frowned thinking about it, troubled by having to rip out Emma's heart.

- "I can't do it." Regina mumbled.
- "Of course you can, dearie!" A voice came from behind her.
- "Rumplestiltskin. You come uninvited, as always." The brunette turned around.
- "You have dark circles under your eyes, dearie." The Dark One pointed at her. "Look what True Love is doing to you." Her mentor commented with sarcasm.
- "What do you want?" Regina raised her voice with anger.
- "I'm just checking on my little apprentice, can I not?" He replied with innocence.
- "I can't rip out Emma's heart." Regina said to him.
- "Don't let her false love confuse you, dearie." Rumplestiltskin told her.
- "No, I mean I CAN'T rip out her heart. Why?" She asked her mentor.
- "Well, that's interesting. Are you sure you did it correctly?" The imp asked.
- "Of course I did, but I couldn't grab hold of it and it was difficult to keep my hand inside her chest." The brunette explained.

The Dark One kept walking around the room thinking about what could possibly be wrong. He had some ideas but finally the answer struck him like a thunder.

- "The blue wench!" Rumplestiltskin was furious again.
- "You mean the Blue Fairy?" Regina came closer to him.
- "Of course! That bitch can't keep her wand out of my business." The Dark One said in a bark.
- "Your business? I thought this was MY business." Regina focused on the imp.
- "Regina, you're my brightest apprentice! I only want you to succeed in your revenge." The Dark One quickly answered.
- "Is that so?" Regina wasn't convinced.
- "Of course it is! Why else would I have come back to free you from your stony cage?" He assured her.
- "Fine." Regina muttered.

After having her encounter with Emma, anger was getting the best of Regina. Years of rage and darkening her heart had taken its toll and old habits were hard to break for the brunette. It seemed as though not even True Love could save her in the end.

They went on with theories of how they should proceed with the next step. Ripping out Emma's heart was impossible for the brunette, but every spell had an undoing; the mentor assured his apprentice. The tricky part was to find Emma's.

One of the mirrors hanging in the walls started to glow and the genie trapped inside warned Regina about a guest in her palace. The image of Emma running around the hallways yelling Regina's name was displayed and both mentor and apprentice looked at each other without needing to voice their deal. The Dark One vanished and returned to his castle, just as Regina appeared in her own to meet the stubborn princess.

- "I believe you were banned from my fortress." Regina yelled from behind her.
- "We need to talk." Emma said to her.
- "I'm all ears, princess." The brunette replied while looking at her manicure uninterested in the blonde.
- "Look, I'm sorry about earlier." The blonde said remorseful.
- "I've heard that before. Tell me something I don't already know." Regina said with disdain.
- "Regina, please. Give me another chance?" Emma begged.
- "You just won't give up, will you?" The brunette half-heartedly laughed.
- "Never. I will always find you." Emma honestly assured her.
- "Right. That thing that runs in the Charmings linage." Regina felt disgusted.
- "I love you, Regina." Emma cried out.
- "Lies! You just want to use me and save your family from their punishment." The brunette yelled.

Emma rolled her eyes and sighed. It would be one of those discussions she had always tried to evade in her life. She usually managed to escape whenever a man came with a love confession, but a few times she had to break their hearts directly and hated their begging for a second chance. She always found them "not good enough" for her and being the one getting rejected this time was giving her a new perspective. "Payback is a bitch." She thought to herself.

Regina was a piece of work; she had a keen mind and a sharp tongue to complement it. She always knew the right words to say in order to cause more damage than any weapon that cut through flesh. Emma didn't really want to face her but the strong feelings she had for the brunette obligated her to endure whatever Regina might throw her way and she needed to come up with the right offer.

- "Is there any way I can prove my love to you?" Emma said softly.

Regina raised an eyebrow and twitched her lips. Her brain was quickly gearing the answer to go with her plan and the blonde had put herself right in the spot were mentor and apprentice wanted her.

- "Give me your heart." Regina said and flashed a devilish smile.
- "What?" Emma shook her head in confusion.
- "Do you trust me?" Regina questioned.
- "I guess… I do." Emma answered nervously.
- "Emma, there can't be love without trust." Regina said with a soft voice, placing a hand delicately over her arm.

The Evil Queen came closer to her princess pet, she caressed Emma's cheek with the back of her hand and looked deep into green eyes. Regina was a mistress of manipulation, just like her mother, and performed her saddest gaze upon the blonde falling victim of her game.

- "I don't know how to do that." Emma answered with honesty.
- "It's fine, Emma. I believe you and I'm sorry for testing you." Regina whispered with a sad voice.
- "I will do it. I want to prove it to you." Emma insisted.
- "You don't have to. I already said…" Regina was talking when Emma interrupted.
- "I'm doing it! I want you never to doubt me again." Emma firmly said.

Regina applauded herself mentally; she was proud of the manipulation skills she learned from Cora. She let tears stream down her face adding the final touch to her performance. Emma couldn't stand seeing her love cry and didn't hesitate to hug her tightly. The blonde kissed crimson lips with despair and didn't let go of her. Regina had mixed feelings of pride in her success but she also felt guilty for playing with the other girl's feelings. She had no doubt now that Emma did indeed love her and she was troubled once again about casting the curse.

The brunette felt her walls break in the entrapment of her Savior's embrace. She remembered Cora's words: "Love is weakness", as the princess continued to kiss her but she didn't really want to fight against what she was feeling that moment. Giving into Emma's pure display of love filled her with emotions she had been deprived of, so she told herself she would let her win this time.

Regina's lips were parted by her lover's slithering tongue. What had started like and innocent kiss was slowly escalating into a more vibrant display of passion. Emma's smooth thieving techniques were proving their expertise, as she had managed to ease Regina's sleeves down her shoulders to roll her lips over olive skin without the brunette's realization. It was the wet sensation of Emma's tongue over her collarbone what made her aware and blush for a first time.

Daniel was no longer the first thought in her mind when she felt the heat of love rise in her body; it was blonde curls and green eyes all she could think and yearn for now. Regina succumbed in Emma's strong arms and let herself be carried to bed by the person that seemed to have always been meant to be her life partner.