Hey, everyone, sorry again for such a long wait on an update. Like I said before, I'm working on multiple things at a time now. Good thing is, this story is getting close to being finished. I want to say thank you to everyone who has supported me through this story. I don't know where I would have been in this story without you guys. And a huge thanks to all my readers and reviewers. Thank you guys so much for the kind words and comments! Hope everyone enjoys!

A Savior Too Late

Chapter 20

A familiar sense of dread flooded her veins when the King saw the Queen before her. Her one eye widened as the blonde forgot how to breathe. Part of Emma had not believed or refused to believe Robin's confession. That was probably because the guilt due to her path of destruction would have eaten her alive as it was doing right now at this moment. As sad as it was to think, it would have actually been easier if Regina were actually dead. The King closed her eye and shook her head. How could she even think of that? Then again, without her heart, it was easy to imagine things like that.

Regina took in the appearance of her older self, noticing a small streak of gray hair in the side of the woman's pulled up hair. It had always been hard to picture herself growing old and getting gray, but now it was staring Regina dead in the face. That was about the only thing that appeared older about the Queen, though. Not even the slight crow's feet in her eyes had managed to grow. What the hell is wrong with me? Regina thought. Now is not the time to be vain. The Evil Queen, someone she vowed never to become again, was standing right in front of her. How did this happen? What happened to me…her? After the shock wore off, which didn't take long, Regina immediately ran to her Emma and clung to her hard. "Are you alright?!" she asked, worriedly.

Emma caught the woman she loved with expecting and strong arms. Closing her eyes and burying her nose into Regina's dark hair, she held the former Mayor protectively. Emma pulled away slightly and looked into glazed over brown eyes. "I'm fine," she answered with a smirk as she pushed some strands of Regina's hair behind her ear. Emma squared her shoulders and puffed her chest out a bit before proudly saying, "I'm the Savior, remember? It'll take more than that to take me down."

Scoffing, Regina rolled her eyes at the blonde's cockiness and placed a hand on her chest, giving her a gentle shove. "Yes, dear, and I should know it by now from the many times I've tried it," Regina snipped back. Placing a hand on her hip, she pointed a finger at the sheriff in the same manner she would do with Henry sometimes. "I warned you earlier not to ever scare me like that again. Now, you shall pay dearly for your insolence."

"Looking forward to it, Your Majesty," Emma replied, her grin growing bigger.

"You're really alive," the King finally exhaled, breaking the silence between her and her Queen.

Emma took Regina's hand and pulled them both a step back from the impending fight that she was sure was going to happen. "This isn't gonna be pretty."

"What are you talking about?" Regina queried, furrowing her brows in a confused manner. She realized Emma was expecting the worse, but why? She herself had been so happy to be back with her Emma even though they had only been separated for a short time. These two had been apart for what might as well have been an eternity, so why would there be an altercation?

"I'm pretty sure your future self knows everything my future self has done," Emma whispered the not-so-secret secret to Regina.

As if on cue, the Queen held out a hand with a snarl and the King's feet left the ground instantly. A low growl escaped the older Regina's throat as she squeezed down on the older blonde's throat with her magic. "How could you?!" the Queen asked, shouting in a threatening tone.

King Emma did not try to fight back with her hands. For one, she knew it would be useless. Secondly, she couldn't imagine using a magical attack on the woman she once loved. All she had to fight back with was words. "Regina, please," Emma forced out while trying to breathe, "I thought you were dead."

"And that gives you the right to do everything you've done?!"

"Regina, I'm sorry," the King gasped. Her current state was uncomfortable, but Emma knew she wouldn't die since she had already tried and it failed. Suddenly, her body flew into the wall behind her before she crashed to the floor. Emma held herself up on all fours, rubbing her neck as she gulped hard. She got to her feet and looked towards her wife with a more gentle expression.

"Sorry isn't going to fix what you've done, now is it?" the Queen stated in a softer tone, "Why? Why did you do it?"

King Emma bowed her head in shame. Only being able to feel hatred was starting to weigh heavily on her, especially now that her Regina was back. Now, Emma wanted to be able to feel love again. She wanted to be able to love her wife, but it was gone only to be replaced by her guilt. "I was broken," Emma explained as she peered back up to Regina, "I didn't want to feel my sorrow anymore. I made a rash decision—many actually—without thinking of the consequences. Regina, I thought you were gone forever. What the hell happened? Where were you all this time?"

Before the Queen could answer, another loud crash and explosion was heard outside of the castle. Everyone looked around, wondering how long the walls would hold up. It was the second loud commotion they heard outside in the few moments they had been there. "To make a long story short, your ex-girlfriend, Lily, has it out for both of us," the Queen uttered, causing the King's eyes to nearly bulge out of her head. "Right now, it seems like we have bigger things to worry about."

The King growled in anger and her eye briefly flashed red as her face twisted in a scowl. "I'll kill her," Emma grumbled out before stepping towards a window, "Avalon must have finally arrived with her armada." She glanced out to see what was causing the disturbance, but saw no signs of an army attacking her fortress, which caused the King to arch a brow in confusion. The thought of her daughter made her quickly turn to the Evil Queen. "Regina…Ava will want to see you. We should go to her."

"Yes!" the younger blonde interjected, "She's on the war path right now, but if she actually sees that you're alive, maybe we can stop all of this and fix it."

King Emma snorted and let out a small evil-like chuckle. "You're still so naïve. You still think like Snow White. Don't you see? Everything is beyond fixing. I've killed hundreds, maybe thousands. I brought the world to its knees. The only possible way you could fix things now is with my death."

The mention of death had the Queen quickly clicking her heels to the King. Her hand cupped Emma's cheek, stroking the large scar with her thumb. "Don't say that," she whispered with a trembling voice, "If I could do it, then so can you. Please don't give up."

"I already have," the King answered as she gently grabbed Regina's wrist, removing her hand, "There's a difference. You had your heart. I can't even put mine back. The Savior wasn't made to do the things I have done. I can't feel love or compassion. It's too late for me, Regina. I don't even feel the same way I did about you."

Those last few words stung the Queen's heart hard. "B-but…we had True Love…Emma, you promised me."

The King balled her fists up and clenched her teeth together before she snapped. "I know what I promised! I was an idiot back then! Don't you understand?! There is no such thing as True Love!" Emma turned away because she didn't want to see the hurt her words would cause. Of course, she didn't mean it, but she didn't trust herself not to physically hurt those around her that she used to love, especially Regina. She'd already tried on multiple occasions to kill their daughter. She had controlled Henry with the dagger. Emma had tried to kill both her parents. Plus, she even murdered her own little brother and Robin Hood. "Now…leave this place. Avalon has not seen you in two decades. She has grown into a respectable adult. She will be overjoyed to see you."

"I can't," the Queen stuttered between tears, "Lily thinks she has control over me, and for now, I have to make her believe that. I just came here to warn you of who the real enemy is. Emma, she's going to kill you and take the past you for herself."

"She can try to kill me, but not even I can do that," Emma answered, "Just go. I'll take care of her…"

"Then I'm staying here with you," the older Regina stated, "She thinks I came here to kill you anyways." She turned to their younger selves. "You two need to go and warn the others."

It hadn't been more than an hour since Regina had returned home from a visit with Dr. Whale. Surviving yet another wave of nausea, the now re-instated mayor placed her hands on the kitchen counter, dipping her head down with a sigh. Within her mind, Regina tried to figure out exactly how she was to run a town while also carrying a child within her womb. Ruling over the citizens of Storybrooke, she had down pat, and Henry was enough proof that she could raise a child while doing so. However, being pregnant was a whole new experience and while she was still in the early stages not to show, the life growing inside was already taking its toll on Regina physically. Worry filled her heart of the coming months, though the tough woman would never show it outwardly.

A knock on the door drew Regina away from her thoughts as she stood up straight, rubbing her temples in annoyance. She raked her fingers through her dark hair to straighten it a bit before her heels clicked down the foyer stairs to open the door. All signs of annoyances vanished when she was greeted with the sight of Emma Swan, who was wearing her typical skin tight jeans and red leather jacket.

"Emma," Regina spoke softly with an arched brow, wondering why exactly the woman in question would feel the need to knock rather than just letting herself in.

"Hey," Emma exhaled as if her breath had been lost. That's because the sight of the mayor before her did take her breath away. It had been for the past few days and Emma couldn't figure it out. Of course Emma had always found her new girlfriend incredibly irresistible, but something had been different about her lately. It was like there was some invisible force causing her to be extra attracted to Regina, if that were even possible. Even now, Emma was speechless; forgetting just what she had come over for or even what she was going to say.

Regina tilted her head forward as if waiting for an explanation, but when she realized the sheriff was completely dumbfounded, she pushed the door back and stood to the side. "Come in, Miss Swan," she ordered.

Accepting the offer, Emma glided past Regina while scrunching up her nose, questioning the use of her generic nickname, "We're back to that already? What have I done to piss you off already?"

Ignoring the question, Regina shut the door behind her and followed her girlfriend up the foyer. When the question hadn't been answered, Emma turned to face her and place a hand on her arm. Regina's attempts to push her worries into the back of her mind had failed when it came to Emma. The Savior saw right through her.

"Hey, what's wrong?" Emma inquired in almost a whisper, worry evident in her eyes. Over the few years of being enemies, she had learned how to read Regina and see through her many masks.

Regina tried to appear taken aback and replied with a quick, "Nothing."

"Liar."

That damned superpower was quite irritating at times. Regina brushed a strand of hair from her face as she let out a heavy sigh. Then she took one of Emma's hands into her own and looked straight into her green eyes with a serious expression. "We need to talk."

Those were the four words no one ever wanted to hear from their significant other. Emma gulped and felt a pit form in her stomach. Her mind immediately began to jump to the worst case scenario. "Regina, what did I do? Whatever I did, I'm sorry."

"What?" Regina asked, "What are you talking about?" She was apparently not well-versed in relationships and what those words could do a person. Then she saw the brokenness flash in Emma's eyes and realized what had been running through the blonde's mind. Regina's eyes widened and she shook her head, one hand coming up to cup Emma's cheek. "No, no, you didn't do anything," she quickly explained, except she paused for a moment to consider her words. "Well, maybe you did, or maybe I did, but…" She closed her eyes and took in a breath before continuing, "Can we please just…go sit down and talk?"

Emma gave a slight nod, a knot of nerves still tight in the bottom of her stomach. Regina gently pulled her to the study with the fireplace, the same place they shared apple cider on the night they first met each other. Taking a seat on one of the sofas, Emma looked to the mayor expectantly before asking, "Are we gonna need a drink for this?"

"I do not believe so," Regina answered as she slid into the spot next to the blonde, still clinging to her hand, "Besides, I cannot drink."

"Why not?"

"Well…Emma, there's something I need to tell you."

After exiting the dungeon, Regina and Emma quickly found themselves on the defensive with four guards at the end of the hallway. "You there!" one guard shouted towards them to catch their attention, "Just what do you think you're doing?!"

"You mean she didn't tell her guys she freed us?" Emma queried to no particular person, but herself. She glanced over her shoulder to Regina, knowing she would have some sort of input.

"Really, Miss Swan?" Regina quipped with an eye roll.

"What?"

"She didn't exactly have time to tell anyone anything," the brunette shot back, "Besides, she's about to let her so-called 'kingdom' fall. The King isn't going to be throwing around orders to anyone."

The blonde's forehead creased with the look of offence and confusion as to how Regina could come up with such a conclusion. "Oh, and you know me so well after the short amount of time we've been together?" Emma argued back, ignoring the guards that were closing in.

"Excuse me?"

"You sure are quick to make the assumption that the King, who is me, is willing to give up on everything."

"Well, the mounting evidence of her actions so far should be enough proof, would you not agree?" Regina said matter-of-factly, her frustration rising, "And for your information, Miss Swan, that is not what I meant. I have been in the King's position before, or have you already let that slip your mind? She knows she is about to be defeated. The only thing she has left to do is to attempt a Hail-Mary. My only concern is what that will be."

"What was it for you?"

"The curse."

"Oh, right."

"Now, if you are done trying to instigate an argument, can we take these guards down?" Regina pointed out.

Thankfully, the hallway was a long one, but by now, the guards were on top of them. Emma glanced ahead with a surprised expression before quickly looking back to Regina. They both shared a nod before they each held one hand out and magically knocked the guards out of their way with ease. The two women exchanged triumphant smirks before running onwards to escape the castle.

The whole structure continued to shake, and Emma could only wonder just how big of an army her future daughter had managed to gather.

Finally, they had made the clearing to which the castle could be seen. Avalon let out a victorious sigh and in the first time in hours allowed herself to smile. She knew they were getting close to ending this nightmare. She could feel it in her bones. Her triumphant feeling was washed away when a ball of light shot up from ahead of her group. It hit the top of the dome of the castle's barrier shield causing the spell to fizzle out completely. Ava narrowed her eyes to get a better look at the area the ball of light had come from. Suddenly, explosions began erupting from all sides of the massive castle. Something was not right. None of the scouts sent out had been ordered to make their way through the secret entrance.

"Well, looks like we can go in the front door," Hook chimed in.

"I wouldn't recommend it," Henry replied blandly with crossed arms.

"Hm, right," Robin joined in, "It could be a trap."

Gold shook his head and finally stepped up to offer his input. "You people really don't get it, do you?"

Everyone turned to the imp with sudden accusing expressions. "What's that supposed to mean?" the younger David inquired, "Did you have something to do with this?"

"If I did, don't you think I would be alive to see all of this, dearie?" Rumpel replied with a sneer, "No. The Regina of this timeline has been alive all this time. Only her apparent loss caused the Savior to fall into darkness. Therefore, she became the villain that everyone focused on. Meanwhile, whoever actually kidnapped Regina is the real enemy and they have been using the Evil King as a diversion for their own scheme. Oh, how awfully familiar this sounds."

Henry's animal eyes lit up with realization as he remembered something. He looked to his sister and said, "Ava, whoever took Mom intends to force you to kill the King."

Ava's brow furrowed with wonder as she cocked her head to the side. "What are you talking about? And how do you know that?"

"I-I'm not sure," Henry stuttered, "I don't know how I know. I just kinda do. I guess it comes with being the Dark One."

"It seems like the gift of foresight stayed with the dagger," Gold injected, "You just don't know how to use it properly."

"That doesn't matter," Ava said, verbally swatting Gold away, "How can she force me to kill the King? I mean, I know I said I would kill her, but that was in the heat of the moment. Plus, I don't even know how she can be killed. She's tried to crush her own heart and so have others, but none have been able to."

"But you can," was Henry's response.

"How?" However, Avalon quickly shook her head, pinching her brow. "No, no, I don't want to know. I don't want to kill her." She turned on a heel and walked forward toward the castle, but did not realize her people weren't following her.

"You're still so sure she can change her ways, Ava?" her older brother questioned, standing firmly in place.

Ava spun back around and stared in shock as she saw no one proceeding with her. "How can you say that, Henry?!"

"I've seen what she's done! I've seen the things she's made me do!"

"And we both know about the things that Mom has done, but you forgave her and loved her anyways!"

"Mom had her reasons, I see that now. Ma has already done way worse than the Evil Queen."

"The King had her reasons, too! Of course I'm mad as hell at her for killing Neal, and yes, it will take a long time to forgive her, but I can only imagine what she went through when she believed Mom was dead!" Tears welled up in Avalon's eyes as she peered at the rest of her people. "What's wrong with you people?! You managed to give the Evil Queen a second chance! The King used to be your Savior!" Thinking about not having either one of her parents caused the tears to fall. "I know she's done terrible things…but think about who she used to be before this. Think of all the things she did for all of you before this. Like Gold said, she's not the real enemy here. Right now, I think she needs all the support she can get from us. We cannot let her down right now. There is still good in her, I know it." She looked back to her older brother and gave him a glare that was very Regina-esque. "We cannot let our moms down."

Snow, who had been standing back and listening to their leader, took a step forward with a soft smile. She would have made the speech herself if she had not been so confident that her granddaughter could manage on her own. A single tear streaked down her cheek. Snow placed two hands on Avalon's shoulders and gave her a defiant nod. "I am so proud of you, sweetie," she uttered, "You made the right decision. You have it in you after all. I had started to doubt, but…that's exactly what Emma would have said." The older Charming smiled with narrowed eyes, but a proud smirk.

"I have what in me?" Avalon questioned with confusion, blinking back her tears as her grandmother pulled her into a tight hug.

"You'll see," Snow replied as she pulled back, "But first…" She held a fist up as she turned to the army they had gathered. "I am with Avalon! Those of you who are not, please disband immediately and stay out of our way!"

"The same goes for me!" Charming affirmed before limping to the other side of his granddaughter.

The people whispered amongst themselves as to what to do. Surely if Snow White and Prince Charming endorsed her, she had the correct intentions, right?

"I shall always stand by your side, Ava," Roland added as he joined them.

"As will I," Thatch supplemented in a cocky tone.

Not one person disbanded and once everyone was in agreement, the army moved forward, ready to save the King and to fight an unknown enemy.

"What do I have in me, Grandma?" Avalon reiterated.

"A very special heart."