"But, there is a risk. I am not sure if it will harm Emma or not. The question is, Regina, are you willing to take that risk to save Emma?"

Regina was willing to do whatever it took to save Emma, but to put her very life at risk wasn't something she was willing to jump into lightly. "I want to save her," Regina said quietly. "More than anything, Blue, but I am not sure if I want to risk her life to do that. Are you certain there isn't another way?"

"As of now, without being able to speak with the Sorcerer, this is the only way."

"Is there not a way to get to Camelot to find the Sorcerer?"

"There may just be," Blue replied tentatively. "But neither you or I are powerful enough to wield the wand that was found in the Apprentice's possession."

"There was a wand in his possession?" Regina asked. "There is a wand and I'm only now just being made aware of this?"

"Regina, there is nobody powerful enough to make it work, but—"

"But?" Regina snapped. "There is another way to use this wand, isn't there?"

"It contains enough power to enact the spell needed to split Emma and the Dark One's soul, to separate them. I cannot do that if Emma is not in Storybrooke."

"Of course not."

"When will you return?"

"We'll leave in the morning," Regina replied, keeping her voice low. "I am not going to tell her what we are going to do, not yet, not until we're back in Storybrooke. You do realize, the moment we cross the town line, Emma will no longer be in control of herself, don't you?"

"Yes," Blue sighed. "I'm well aware, which is why I am going to be prepared to enact the spell the moment she crosses back into Storybrooke. I was informed to clear this with you before I begin to gather the necessary items needed to perform the spell. Emma's life has been left in your hands, Regina. I hope you know what that means."

"I know exactly what that means," she said tightly. "Get what you need," she said after a moment. "I'll call you when we're near the town line."

Regina ended the call and placed her phone on the counter before turning her attention back to her cup of tea. She had only just finished pouring in a little milk before she felt Emma's arms wrap around her from behind.

"I'm sorry," Emma whispered into her ear. "I'm sorry if I went too far earlier."

"You don't need to apologize."

"I know. I still am sorry though. You aren't ready and I should've respected that."

She wanted to tell her it wasn't a matter of being ready to make that step in their relationship, but she couldn't as she lost herself in the sensation of Emma holding her close and her lips brushing softly over the side of her neck.

"Who were you just talking to?"

"Blue," Regina replied hesitantly. "She called earlier while we were out."

"Oh?"

Regina finished stirring the milk in before removing the tea bag and placing it in the sink. She turned in Emma's arms and glanced down at what she was wearing. A sly smirk curled over her lips when she saw she wore nothing but a tight white tank top and her red panties, likely one and the very same when she had answered the door that morning when she had first been in Storybrooke.

"We are going to return home tomorrow," Regina said and her hands found their way easily to rest on Emma's hips. "Please don't ask me to explain right now, because I am not so sure that I can yet."

"Did she find a way?"

"Possibly," she said with a small nod. "It's not for sure," she continued and she ran her thumbs over Emma's hips and slipped them just under the hem of her shirt to glide them along her soft, warm skin. "But it is far more than where we were before when it came to finding a solid answer on how to save you."

"Okay."

"Okay?" Regina echoed and Emma nodded. "You're okay with knowing only that much?"

"You'll tell me when we're almost home," Emma said and she leaned her forehead against Regina's and sighed softly. "I'm afraid."

"Of what?"

"Of what will happen once we're back in Storybrooke and I am not talking about me and the fact that I still have the Dark One's essence inside of me. I am talking about you. About us."

"Emma, I don't know what you want me to say," Regina whispered. "This past week with you has been not at all what I expected."

"What did you expect?"

"I have absolutely no idea," Regina replied and she cracked a smile before rubbing at Emma's hips in an attempt to reassure her. "We've been through so very much together, Emma, and while things are changing between us as I believe they have been for quite some time, we will get through this too. Together."

"As friends?" Emma asked and she moved her hands to where Regina's robe parted just over her breasts. "Or as something else?"

"We will need to take it one day at a time, my love," Regina said as she moved to kiss over Emma lips lightly. "And we've been well past just being friends for a while now, haven't we?"

"Yeah."

"It won't be easy."

"Of course not, but when is anything in life ever worth it if you don't have to fight for it?"

Regina smiled at her again. This was the side of Emma she had fallen in love with and continued to fall in love with over and over again. This was the side of Emma that she needed in her life and she was going to fight with everything she had to make sure that she saved Emma and saved the part of her soul that had yet to be touched by the darkness.

"You are worth it," Regina said as she held her gaze with Emma's wandering one. "You are so completely worth fighting for, Emma."

"You are too, Regina," Emma smiled sweetly at her, but it faded rather quickly. Regina shook her head and tried to hold Emma's wavering gaze. "I have to face what I've done eventually and I'm not sure that I can."

"You can."

"What if I can't?" Emma whispered tearfully. "What if I can't escape the darkness of what I have done? I have…I'm a murderer, Regina."

"That wasn't you."

"I killed before I became the Dark One."

"You were protecting our son," Regina said firmly. "It doesn't make it right, but you are not a murderer, Emma. You're not."

"How did you deal with everything you've ever done? How did you get past that, Regina? How did you chase the nightmares away?"

"I'm still a long way to go from redemption, darling," she whispered. "I have never been able to chase the nightmares away either, not until…"

"Until we got here?"

"Until you were there by my side at night," she finished and Emma nodded as tears began to fill her eyes. "I know that you haven't had any nightmares since we've been here and it's not only because we are not in Storybrooke, Emma."

"It's you. It's us, together. We're stronger together."

"Indeed we are," Regina smiled and she kissed away the tears as they fell down Emma's cheeks. "Emma, everything will be all right. You'll see. We have made it this far, haven't we? Don't cry, darling."

"I'm afraid," Emma whispered. "I'm afraid of what is going to happen when we go back to Storybrooke."

"I know," Regina sighed and she wrapped her arms around her tightly. "Come on, let me make you some tea and we'll go to bed shortly."

"Okay."

Regina worried her bottom lip as she made Emma a cup of tea. She was afraid of what was going to happen too once Emma crossed the town line. She was afraid that Blue wouldn't be able to do the spell quick enough and that the Dark One would take immediate control the moment Emma stepped over that line. She was afraid of what would happen to them, to their ever-evolving relationship, if they couldn't rid Emma of the Dark One's essence. She was afraid Emma would end up dead and she would lose her regardless of wanting to do nothing more than to save her.

There were obstacles they were about to face, most of which Regina herself wasn't prepared for entirely. She had to put her trust in the Blue Fairy because it was either that or never return to Storybrooke. It was their home, it was where their son had grown up, and it was where Emma's family was. Not going back was not a viable option at all and even Regina was beginning to miss the feeling of her magic inside of her. She had gone twenty-eight years without it before, but she wasn't sure she could go that long without it ever again.

They didn't speak while they drank their tea at the kitchen table and when Regina headed into the bathroom to take a shower, Emma retreated to bed, but not before they shared a soft, lingering kiss good night. Regina was quick to shower and to dry her hair before she changed into her pajamas in the darkness of the bedroom. She crawled into the bed next to Emma, and as she had most nights, she didn't relax until Emma's arms were around her and then she could finally succumb to the gentle pull of sleep.

[X]

"You know, we should come to the city a little more often, bring Henry, maybe buy one of those fold-a-way beds he can sleep on," Emma said as she slung their bags into the trunk of the car. "It'd be nice to get out of Storybrooke once in awhile, don't you think?"

"Yes, of course it would be nice. We'll definitely have to start planning some of the long weekends away," Regina smiled at her and she pulled her coat tight around her as the wind picked up. "It'd be a shame to waste the apartment if we never come to the city."

"Maybe next time I can take you around the city, show you some of the sights," Emma smiled and she slammed the trunk shut. "Henry and I used to loved going to the museums and to the zoo in Central Park."

"That sounds lovely, Emma."

"Yeah? You'd want to come with us?"

"Of course I would," Regina smiled back at her and pulled her keys out of her pocket. "Shall we get on the road? I'd like to make it back to Storybrooke before it gets too late."

Her attempt to leave before nine that morning had already been delayed—twice—and she certainly couldn't blame Emma for trying to put off the inevitable. First it was breakfast, which Emma insisted they go to the café down the street that just happened to be extremely busy, and then Emma wanted to run down the street to bring some fresh bagels home for Henry and to get a couple of bear claws for the drive home.

Emma seemed hesitant to get into the Mercedes, but she did anyway. Once Regina was in the driver's seat, she reached over for her hand and gave it a gentle, reassuring squeeze. Emma just pulled her hand free and leaned up against the door with a blank gaze staring dead ahead. Regina pulled out of the parking spot and out of the lot, merging into the busy traffic that never seemed to die down.

It took over two hours just to get out of the city and even then the interstate was nothing but bumper-to-bumper traffic. Still, Emma hadn't said a word since she'd gotten into the car and every time Regina did glance over at her, she saw the same blank gaze upon her face and she had barely moved an inch since they had left.

The silence between them, save for the radio that was playing quietly, gave Regina plenty of time with her thoughts and none of which she wanted to dwell on in the least. Almost four hours into their journey home, they were not even halfway to Boston and the traffic on the interstate didn't seem to lessen at all. Regina got off at the next chance and found a gas station a block away. She filled the tank, unaware that Emma had left the car at all until she ducked her head inside the open driver's side window.

"Damn it, Swan," Regina groaned and she grabbed her purse and made her way to the gas bar to pay for the tank and to look for Emma.

The small gas bar was empty and she scanned the aisles quickly before walking over the register where the cashier, a teenaged boy with shaggy hair and a face full of pimples was more interested in his phone than in her.

"Excuse me?" Regina asked as she rapped her knuckles on the counter in front of him. "Have you seen a blonde-haired woman come through in the last few minutes?"

"Uh?" The boy scratched at the back of his head. "She asked for a key to the bathroom. I advised her not to, but she took it anyway."

"Where?"

"Around back," he shrugged. "You gonna pay now or what?"

Regina sighed and took out the credit card she very rarely had to use. He took the car and glanced at it, furrowing his brow before trying to swipe it on the debit machine. Each time he did, a low beep sounded and he tried again.

"You got any cash, lady?"

"Ma'am," Regina corrected him. "How much?"

"Fifty and change."

"How much?" She repeated as she opened up her wallet. "Fifty and change is not acceptable."

"Fifty bucks and seventy-three cents, lady—ma'am."

Regina pulled out a few bills and resisted the urge to throw it at him. "Around back, you said?" She asked and he just nodded dumbly and she didn't even bother to wait for her change before she was out the door and heading around to the back of the small building. She stopped when she reached a door with the word "washroom" spray painted over it messily. "Emma?" Regina called out and she banged on the door a few times. "Emma, are you in there?"

Regina had to resist the urge to try to kick down the door when Emma didn't answer. She wasn't even positive that Emma was even in there at all and for all she knew she could've taken off to avoid returning to Storybrooke. A part of her couldn't blame her if she had, but after a few minutes passed, she door opened and Emma stepped out.

"If you got to go, I wouldn't. It's pretty nasty in there."

"Emma, are you all right?"

"Why wouldn't I be?"

"Emma."

"Is the tank full?" Emma asked and Regina just nodded. "Then lets go. You wanted to be back in Storybrooke before it gets dark, right? We've got a whole hell of a lot of miles to cover before dark."

"Emma—"

"Let me know if you get too tired to drive and I'll take over, all right?" Emma cut her off and she stalked towards the Mercedes without looking back. When she reached the passenger side, she looked over at Regina. "Well? You coming or not, Gina?"

Regina shook her head and followed Emma back to the car. She got in behind the wheel and slammed the driver's door shut before turning to look at Emma with a raised eyebrow. "What were you doing?"

"What do you mean?" Emma asked as she picked at her short nails. "I had to go to the bathroom and well, if you saw the state of it, you'd need a pep talk too."

Something about the way Emma fidgeted told her that wasn't the only reason she'd ran off to the dirty gas bar bathroom. She chose not to raise more of a concern since she was really not in the mood to start bickering with Emma when they had a long drive ahead of them. Instead, she flashed a forced smile at Emma before pulling out of the lot and back out on to the road.

"Hey, stick to the back roads for a while," Emma said before she pulled out her phone and brought up the maps app. "The interstate is going to be backed up for miles."

"And you are going to trust that app to not let us get turned around?"

"Hasn't failed me yet."

Regina sighed and came to a stop at the stop sign. "Which way?"

"Uh," Emma trailed off while studying the map. "Left."

Regina fought the urge to roll her eyes. It was going to be a lot longer of a drive than anticipated and with the odd way that Emma was acting since before they even left, it was going to feel a long longer than it would be.

[X]

An hour outside of Storybrooke, Regina rubbed at the back of her neck, her muscles sore and stiff from sitting in the same position for nearly eight and a half hours. Emma, as before, didn't say a word unless it was directing her to another road or back on to the interstate. And just as before, it gave Regina plenty of time to think.

She thought about her relationship with Emma over the years, from the first night they had met all the way to where they had been just the night before. While they had gotten out of control, Regina had wanted more, but she knew stopping that from happening had been the right thing to do. More than once over the eight and a half hours of next to near silence in the car, save for the radio playing quietly, she had to squirm in her seat to alleviate the arousal that coursed through her body.

"Regina, stop the car," Emma said suddenly, sounding panicked as she reached out to grab onto Regina's forearm. The move caused Regina to swerve on the road. "Regina, stop the car!"

"Emma, what is it?" Regina asked. "Why do you—"

"Stop the damn car!"

"Let go of me this instant before I crash and kill us both!"

"Then stop the car right now, Regina!"

Regina pulled her arm out of Emma's tight grip before easing her foot on to the gas and pulled the car to a stop on the gravel shoulder. Emma was breathing heavily and already had the door open before the car came to a complete stop. Regina struggled to shift the gear into park and get out of the car to run after Emma in to a small clearing in the dense woods.

"Emma, stop!" Regina called out. "Stop running!"

Emma didn't respond, but she did stop running before she disappeared into the trees on the other end of the clearing. Regina caught up with her and stopped just a half a foot away. When Emma turned around, she had tears streaming down her cheeks and she was shaking. Regina just wrapped her arms around her and guided her head to the crook of her neck while rubbing a hand soothingly over her back.

"What's wrong?"

"I—I can't go back."

"Emma—"

"I can't go back, Regina. I can't."

"Why not?"

"You know the moment I step over the town line that I'm not going to be…me anymore. I am going to be the Dark One and I can already feel how angry it is the closer we get."

Regina had the same fears, but it was more based around the spell that the Blue Fairy was planning on doing the very moment that Emma stepped across that line. Emma struggled against her, but it was weak and when Regina allowed her to lean back a little, she brought up her hands to cup Emma's face and to wipe away at the tears on her cheeks. She shook her head and leaned in to place a soft kiss to Emma's forehead.

"I know you are afraid of what will happen, but I assure you that it's going to be taken care of, Emma."

"How?" Emma asked. "How is it going to be taken care of, Regina?"

"Do you trust me?"

"I do."

"Then I need you to get back into the car, Emma."

"No," Emma said roughly. "I am not getting back in the car until you tell me what you aren't telling me. What is going to happen when I cross the town line, Regina?"

Regina sighed and took a step back from Emma. It was already beginning to grow dark and they should've already reached Storybrooke's town line hours ago. She told her only what she knew that the Blue Fairy had told her the night before. Emma just shook her head and fought her tears as she kept her hands at her sides with her fists balled tightly.

While Regina didn't know the details, at least not as of yet since she still had to make that phone call when they were near the town line, she told Emma exactly what had been said in their conversation.

"You trust her, Regina?"

"Do I have a choice?" Regina asked. "Right now, there is no other way."

"I don't want to believe that."

"You have to, Emma, because I spent weeks looking and found nothing. Nothing."

Emma stalked off quickly, but thankfully it was in the direction of the Mercedes. Regina waiting for a moment before following her back to the car, but neither of them got in. Emma was still shaking as she paced along the road and Regina walked around to the driver's side of the car and leaned up against it.

"Your parents trust her, isn't that enough?" Regina asked and it caused Emma to slightly falter in her steps and she shrugged. "You know we can't stay away forever. Even if we did, the Dark One is still inside of you."

"You think that I don't know that?" Emma snapped. "I thought—when I saved you from it killing you, Regina, I thought that it wouldn't be this hard. I saw the Apprentice remove it from Gold and I thought…maybe you could find a way."

"I tried, Emma."

"I know you did!" Emma cried out and she shook her head furiously. "I know you—"

"Don't you dare tell me that I didn't try hard enough, Emma," Regina said through gritted teeth. "I did everything I could. I tried to—"

"I know!" Emma shouted at her. "I know you did, Regina. I know!"

"Emma," Regina sighed and she hesitated to reach out for her. "Get in the car, please."

"What if it fails?" Emma asked. "What if she fails? What if she's not quick enough to cast that spell?"

"You need to have a little bit more faith than that."

"Do you?"

"I have to," she replied. "I need you to do that too, even if only a little."

Emma shook her head and it was only then that Regina took those few steps forward and reached out to grab a hold of Emma's hands. She expected Emma to pull back immediately considering the state that she was in, but Emma didn't pull back to pull away, she pulled her hands free from hers and enveloped her in a tight embrace.

"Regina?"

"Hmm?"

"If this works," Emma murmured into her neck softly, "can I stay with you for a little while? Just in case?"

"Of course you can."

Emma pulled back a little with a shy smile curling over her lips. "Yeah?"

"Yes," Regina smiled back at her before leaning in to place a soft kiss upon her lips.

"Do you have a way to stop me if I—"

"Emma, I assure you that everything is going to be fine. There will be no need for me to lock you up in an enchanted cell or slip the leather cuff on you to render you powerless."

"Do you have that potion?" Emma asked. "The one you used before to get me out of Storybrooke. Can you use it again?"

"I have one vial in my purse," Regina replied. "If that is what you want, then that is what we can do, but not before we're about to cross the town line, all right?"

Emma nodded and with one last small kiss shared between them, they returned to the car together. They drove in silence for nearly forty minutes before Regina called the Blue Fairy to tell her they were close. They spoke briefly and after Regina was convinced that Blue would be able to handle the spell on her own, she explained the plan to use the potion on Emma to knock her out temporarily before they crossed the town line. She even had the call on speaker so Emma could hear everything that Blue had to say for herself, but she didn't utter a single word as she found the vial in Regina's purse and clutched it tightly in her right hand.

Regina drove on after ending the call with the Blue Fairy. The tension was growing, not just within themselves, but between them as well. Regina turned to glance over at Emma several times, but Emma not once met her gaze.

"Use it now," Regina said as she motioned to the potion vial in Emma's now open palm.

"Now?"

"Yes, Emma," she said quietly. "Now."

"Wait," Emma said and she reached out to place a hand on Regina's shoulder. "Stop the car, Regina, please."

"Emma—"

"Please," Emma trembled and Regina eased her foot on the brake and shifted the gear into park. "I don't know if I can do this."

"Emma, everything is going to be okay."

"Is it?"

Regina nodded even though she had her own fears of the Dark One overpowering the potion and disappearing before the spell to extradite its soul from Emma's could be enacted. She clenched her jaw tightly and kept her gaze locked with Emma's and felt a shiver run down her spine when Emma licked over her bottom lip slowly.

"I could use this on you," she murmured quietly. "I could knock you out with this potion and run."

"Then why don't you?"

"Because I can't," Emma sighed. "I can't run. I can't leave Henry or my parents," she whispered and she moved the hand on her shoulder to cup the back of Regina's neck and she smiled a little. "And I can't leave you either."

Regina understood her struggle and she wanted to give her as much time as she could until she felt ready, but that would never come. Emma was far from being ready and her fear was at an all time high. Regina just leaned forward to kiss her softly, their lips lingering for a moment or two before Emma pulled back and let go.

"I trust you," Emma said as she pulled the small cork off the vial. "I trust you to keep me safe and if it doesn't work, Regina, I trust you to do what needs to be done."

"I'm not going to kill you."

"You will have to if it comes down to it."

"Emma—"

"Promise me, Regina," Emma trembled. "I've already taken too many lives and if this doesn't work, I want you to make sure that doesn't happen again. Promise me, Regina."

"Emma, I—I promise you I'll do what I have to do," she replied, her voice wavering slightly as she was overtaken by her own emotions.

She watched Emma with tears in her eyes as she poured the potion over her head and within second she slumped back against the seat and the glass vial rolled out of her lip hand and on to the floor by her feet. She shifted the gear back into drive and reached for the scroll that would allow them to pass over the town line together.

She saw the Blue Fairy waiting along with a few others she'd brought along with her from the convent. They weren't alone either and she groaned quietly when she saw Snow White and Charming standing by the sheriff's cruiser about twenty five feet back from the fairies. She should've expected them to be there along with the dwarves who were off to the side of the road.

She held on to the scroll with the hand she had on the steering wheel and reached over to grab Emma's hand in the seconds before the car rolled across the town line. She slammed her foot on the brake immediately and let go of Emma's hand. David was the first to reach the passenger side of the car and he pulled Emma out, gently laying her down on the asphalt while Blue led the other fairies into a chant that was the very beginning of the spell.

Regina exited the car on shaky legs and she braced a hand against the hood and watched with bated breath as the swirl of magic flowed around the circle the fairies made around Emma's unconscious body.

"Regina," Snow said quietly as she approached her. "Regina, tell me this is going to work. Tell me that she's going to be okay."

"I—I don't—I—"

"I can lose her like this," Snow whimpered. "We can't lose her like this."

"We won't."

Regina wiped the tears from her eyes and continued to watch and while she knew the spell was a complex one, Blue had assured her that it wasn't impossible. Somehow, the fairies had located the Dark One's dagger and it was clutched tightly in Blue's right hand and the wand that had one belonged to the Apprentice in the other.

She wasn't sure when she had reached for Snow's hand, nor was she sure when the ripple of magic in the air became heavier, but it felt as if time had come to a stop as the fairies continued to chant and the magic flowed around Emma's body.

She felt Snow grip on to her hand when the magic tried to enter Emma's body and was instantly rejected, forced out by the Dark One's magic as it was clear it was fighting to keep a hold of Emma completely. Her body started to move, but her eyes remained closed. Every violent jerk of her body caused Regina's breath to catch in her throat and she wanted to surge forward, but whether it was to help them or stop them, she wasn't entirely sure.

Regina let go of Snow's hand at the first sickening crack when Emma's back arched clear off the asphalt and it was Snow's grip on her arms that stopped her from surging forward, from crying out that they were hurting her.

"She's okay," Snow whispered, her grip tightening. "She's okay, Regina. She's strong. She can—"

Snow gasped at the second sickening crunch of bone and Regina's tears burned in her eyes and she tried to swallow past the growing lump that had risen in her throat. Blue started chanting louder, both hands trembling as she took a few tentative steps towards Emma and she lowered the dagger towards her chest slowly.

The fairies stopped chanting, but the magic continued to flow around the circle they had created. Regina watched as Blue used the wand and touched it to the edge of the dagger, chanting quietly just under her breath. Regina could taste the magic, a mix of dark and light, and it made her skin prickle. She glanced down at her trembling hands as tiny little shocks of red and purple light shot out and she balled her hands into tight fists before looking back over at Emma.

The first threads of blackness began to rise from her body and it swirled around the dagger that Blue held over her chest. Regina knew exactly what she was doing and that was confining the Dark One within it's own dagger, something that shouldn't have even been possible and might not have been if it hadn't been for the Apprentice's wand.

Every minute that passed felt like an eternity and Regina could do nothing but stand there and watch, just as everyone else that had come there was doing. Snow didn't let go of her, but her grip loosened after a handful of minutes had passed. With the last few tendrils of darkness sinking into the dagger, Emma's eyes went wide as she gasped loudly. Blue pulled the dagger from her and turned towards the town line. She threw the dagger hard and it soared through the air, disintegrating the moment it hit the barrier.

"Emma!" Snow cried out and she surged forward and past the fairies that still stood in a circle around Emma. "Emma!"

Emma looked weak and her pale skin looked ashen. Regina watched her chest rise and fall one last time before she pushed past the fairies and fell to her knees beside Emma's lifeless body.

"Regina, what's happening?" Snow asked tearfully. "Is it the potion?"

Regina shook her head slowly and she could feel something inside of her break. "No," she murmured and she reached out to check for Emma's pulse. "No."

"Is she—"

"Yes."

"No!" Snow wailed just as David knelt beside her and wrapped his arms around her tightly. "No! She's not dead! She can't be dead! Regina, fix this. Do something! Save her, please!"

But everything faded away and all Regina could see was Emma lying lifelessly on the ground in front of her. Her hands shook as she lifted one to wipe at the solitary tear that had slipped free from Emma's closed eyes. Her skin was clammy and cold, but still she let her fingers trail over her cheek.

Regina had known that it might be impossible for Emma to survive the spell. The Blue Fairy hadn't needed to tell her that the risk was high because she knew. She knew and now she wished they had never returned to Storybrooke because it was all for naught.

"Regina," David said as he reached out for her. "Can you save her?"

"I—I don't know how."

"You do," he said. "You do know how, you're just afraid to."

"Why are you afraid, Regina?" Snow whispered. "Please, save her."

Regina knew what David was suggesting, to save Emma with True Love's kiss. She was afraid for many reasons and mostly because she wasn't certain it would even work or if it were even possible that they were each other's True Love.

"Regina, you have to try," David said. "Please."

"Try what?" Snow asked him. "David, tell me!"

"I think you know," he said and he looked over at Regina. "Please."

Regina wet her lips before looking back down at Emma. Her heart felt empty yet full at the same time as she stared down at the woman she once thought she'd never harbour any feelings for other than ones stemmed in hatred. Those feelings were long gone and replaced with nothing but love. Whether it was True Love or not was something she was about to find out for herself.

"Come back to me," she whispered so softly as she ducked her head down and pressed her lips to Emma's gently. "Emma, come back to me. I love you…"