Snow had watched in horror as Regina's body went flying through the clock tower and it felt like her entire life was flashing before her eyes. She couldn't die. She couldn't die like this surely. At the hands of some evil sorceress. She was always strong. She was Regina.

And she needed her.

She hated that she couldn't get to her fast enough. For one thing Emma actually physically held her back. She kept forgetting she was pregnant, or at least how pregnant she was, but really it didn't matter if she was pregnant with twin half ogres she would have tried to get to her. Her frightened animalistic shout of Regina's name echoed in the silence of the streets as a sizable crowd remained quiet while the Queen was tossed around like a rag doll.

But desperation only got Snow so far, or really it only got her so fast, and David and Emma climbed the steps faster than she did.

"Regina?"

"I'm fine..." Her voice was quiet and pained and Snow was afraid to see her condition.

"You won..."

"Don't be so surprised. It turns out she wanted my heart. Thankfully I wasn't stupid enough to bring it with me..."

Of course Regina was alive, Snow thought quietly as David helped her down the stairs. Regina wouldn't die. Not like that. But as she walked behind the group she saw the difference in the Queen's gate. In her swagger. She was hurting more than she let on. Snow put a hand on David's arm, "She's got at least a couple of broken ribs... I think I should take her home and be with her tonight."

David looked torn and for the first time looking back into them Snow wondered if he knew. He certainly knew that she loved Regina. That much was impossible to hide. But could he possibly know? Not that she thought he was stupid, but somehow Snow thought she could carry on an affair with Regina indefinitely without even considering if David would find out.

But the look now was tired and a bit raw, and a bit disappointed. It said without saying, 'I know how you look at her when you think no one else is looking.'

But then he nodded, and all those worries about her marriage and her entire life collapsing under the weight of her obsession went away, "You are right. She shouldn't be alone tonight. She's never going to let us take her to the hospital."

"She's Regina. She'd think of it as weakness."

"She thinks of everything as weakness." David countered.

"For her it is."

She touched his arm and gave him a kiss, but even as she walked away she wondered for the first time if it was the beginning of the end of something. And if she should stop to mourn that, or even stop to stop it ending. But her eyes weren't on David but they were on Regina whose hands were grasping the roof of her Benz like she was dreading the very idea of folding herself into the driver's seat.

And she choose Regina.

At least for this night.

"Don't even think about it. You aren't driving home like that."

"Well, I'm not driving home at all so that isn't an issue princess." Regina said with a sneer. Her old sneer. One that both hurt and Snow found reassuring. If Regina could hate her, just a little bit, she could love her too. Though without her heart...

"Where is your heart?"

"I'm not going to tell you."

"Regina..."

"Go home Snow."

"You shouldn't be alone tonight."

"Go home to your Prince." She turned to look at her, leaning against the car. "I'm really not in shape to baby you today Princess."

Snow glanced around. "Then let me baby you, my Queen. Don't try to do this alone."

Regina gave her a glare, and Snow tried to remember she didn't have hear heart in her. She wondered if she should even try to be around Regina without it. If it would just hurt too much. "Meet me back at the house if you must. But I'm not your baby."

Snow nodded. "You are not. You are my Queen."

Regina grunted a bit in disgust and shook her head as she got in the car and sped away leaving Snow standing in the street. She should have gone back to the loft. She should have written the night off. Regina with her heart could hurt her. Regina without it... might be more than she could take.

But she didn't go to her home, she went to the mansion. She drew a hot bath for Regina, found her first aid kit. She knew Regina would have one. She had a teenage son even if he wasn't staying with her at the moment and set out the materials to clean the cuts and bruises she knew had to be all over the older woman's body.

She went through a glass clock face.

The night had really shocked Snow to her core. It was the first time she'd really thought she would lose Regina. No. That was a lie. There had been the tunnels... and the near execution. It was the first time she thought she would lose Regina since she'd felt like she really had her. She tried not to think about the fact that she had this thought at nearly the same time as she first thought about the possibility of losing David. And it wasn't David who she was waiting for now.

She heard the door open and the sound of car keys being placed on a table.

"Did you get your heart?"

"It's safe." She said with a sigh.

"It's safe... where?"

"Someone is keeping it safe." Part of Snow was jealous and angry that Regina would trust her heart with someone. With someone else she quickly added. And Regina clearly saw what she was thinking, "Oh, my beautiful self centered princess. The Wicked Witch already wants your baby. Should we really make it easy for her by having you carry around my heart in one of your hideously ugly purses?"

"My purses aren't ugly."

"You were really helped by the fact that other people picked out your clothes for you when you were in the palace." Regina said with a sigh.

"I'm going to trust that you are meaner because you don't have your heart in your chest." Snow said with an inhale of breath. "I drew a bath for you, now go up and clean yourself off. I know you've got a lot more pain than you are letting on."

Regina looked like she wanted to retort back. But she also looked like she desperately wanted to sink into a warm bath. So she took that option. She was in there for a long time. Snow wanted to go in and clean her wounds herself, but the thought of sitting on the floor in her condition, or rather the thought of trying to get back up, dissuaded her.

Regina appeared again, wearing a bathrobe and leaning in the doorway, her hair still damp.

"You are still here."

"I am."

"You don't think I'm going to say mean things to you?"

"You say them with your heart in." Snow shrugged. "Part of loving you is loving all of you."

"What about your Prince?"

"What about, David?"

"You don't think he's going to wonder as you stay overnight at my house more and more?"

Snow inhaled. She didn't want to think about this, so of course Regina was going to force her to think about it. "I ... think... I'm here now and this is where I want to be."

"Now."

"Now." She agreed. "Can't I just pretend for one night I'm not throwing away a perfect marriage for the woman who tried to destroy my life?"

"If it was perfect you wouldn't be with me. And it seems to me that you are doing quite the job of destroying your life." Regina paused and closed her eyes. "And perhaps I don't want to be responsible for it."

"Regina... you aren't responsible for what I want." She got up from the table and kissed her passionately on the lips. "And what I want is you. I've always wanted you, my Queen."

And after a moment Regina kissed her back. Because even without her heart she wanted Snow.

And Snow had enough heart for both of them.