I've been away for a few days for a short family holiday but back again now so... here it goes!

Chapter 25

The journey back to Regina's castle seemed endless. Emma had never felt more desperate in her life. Every few minutes her hand would caress the pouch with the potion Merlin gave her and her heart thumped in her chest. She had no idea if David and the others had managed to find Regina's heart or if they had even succeeded in avoiding Rumpelstiltskin. She could only hope that when they got back to the castle they would be there waiting for them.

Mary Margaret cast her daughter a sideways glance and saw the worry flashing across her face. She hurt for her. She remembered what it was like to be separated from her true love and the anguish is caused. Although she struggled with the idea that Emma and Regina were destined to be together, what mattered most to her was her daughter's happiness. She would do whatever it took for Emma to be happy.

"We'll get there," she whispered when Emma's hand lowered down to the pouch once again. She covered Emma's hand with her own and squeezed it reassuringly.

"It's going dark," Emma pointed out. Fear flickered in her green eyes. "If we don't get back in time and the others haven't found Regina's heart…"

"We will," Mary Margaret promised. "Don't forget that they have Ruby. I bet she was able to smell Regina's heart and lead them right to it."

She was trying to be optimistic but in reality she had no idea if what she was saying was true. Sure, Ruby's wolf instincts were great but she wasn't sure if she was actually able to smell out somebody's heart. She took a deep breath and looked ahead. They had a few more hours to go before they reached the castle and by then darkness would have fallen.

"What did Merlin say to you just before we left?" Emma asked unexpectedly.

"What?"

"He said something to you before we left Neverland. What was it?"

Mary Margaret sighed. "He warned me not to involve Cora."

Emma stopped in her tracks. "How does he know that's what you were thinking?!"

"It doesn't matter. What matters is that he seems to know that if we do involve her in this, things are only going to get from bad to worse," Mary Margaret replied. She furrowed her brow. "I can't believe I actually considered bringing her into all of this."

Emma's features hardened. "Maybe it's not such a bad idea. Desperate times call for desperate measures."

Mary Margaret's eyes narrowed and she looked at her daughter. "We should wait until we get back to the castle. If the others have succeeded then there won't be any need to involve Cora at all. There's a reason why it's better to let sleeping dogs lay, Emma. Cora is bad news."

"Not too long ago you would have said the same about Regina."

"Regina's different. She's nothing like her mother," Mary Margaret answered and grabbed Emma's arm and started dragging her along. It ended their discussion about Cora Mills. "We've got to keep going. C'mon."

For the next hour they walked almost in silence, speaking only when it was really necessary. Mary Margaret knew what lurked in the woods after dark and although most of it was friendly, there were some creatures, and people, whose paths she'd rather not cross. She picked up every sound, every rustling leave or snapping branch, and quickly identified them as animals or the odd hunter. The closer they came to the village, quieter it became. Animals didn't stray into the villages, knowing that it would be their end.

When they finally reached the top of the hill and looked down into the valley below Emma let her breath escape. They'd reached the village. Fires were burning in pits and behind the odd window a candle light flickered. She looked up and straight ahead and saw the castle on the next hill, overlooking the village and kingdom below. Her heart leapt up in her chest and she looked at Mary Margaret. The silver light of a half-moon illuminated both their faces and she recognised the relief.

"We're here," Emma whispered as they slowly began making their way down the hill and into the village. It was abandoned. Most people had gone to bed. Shadows moved behind windows but there was nobody out on the streets. Somewhere in the distance she heard a sheep bleating.

They crossed the village and reached the next hill. The narrow path that led up to the castle was steep and the mud and grass were slippery. Emma had to use all her strength to make sure she didn't slip back down as they walked their way up. About halfway Mary Margaret stopped her and covered her mouth with her finger. She pointed at two guards patrolling the outside wall.

"How are we going to get past them?" Emma hissed. "They're everywhere!"

Mary Margaret reached for her bow and took her aim. The arrows whizzed through the night and hit the far outside wall of the castle. The sound was dull but enough to attract the attention of most of the soldiers and they ran off into the direction of the sound, disappearing into the darkness. Mary Margaret shot Emma a triumphant look and her daughter just grinned as they continued their path up to the castle.

The sound of a wolf howling sent a shiver down Emma's spine and Mary Margaret froze in her tracks. The howl sounded again and the dark haired woman's eyes lit up.

"It's Ruby!"

"How do you know?" Emma hissed.

"There hasn't been a wolf in this Kingdom since I was a little girl," Mary Margaret explained. "They were all killed when people were afraid of…" She hesitated and shame spread across her face as she remembered the people going out at night armed with pitchforks and torches. "People like Ruby."

"So they're here," Emma whispered.

"She must have seen or smelt us."

"We have to find them!"

"No," Mary Margaret answered and pulled Emma back when she was about to carry on walking. Emma reluctantly turned around and Mary Margaret's fingers slipped off her arm. "We have no idea where they are. Ruby's senses will lead them to us. We should wait."

Mary Margaret led Emma to a large oak tree halfway down the hill. It cast enough shadow for them to remain unseen by the guards when they returned. There they sank down to the ground and Emma pulled her knees up to her chest. All she wanted was to climb over the castle walls and find Regina. It hurt to be this close and yet feel so far away.

"You miss her, don't you?" Mary Margaret guessed her thoughts.

Emma nodded. "I know you don't like it but…"

"Emma, I'm not going to say that it's easy but this is clearly what destiny had planned for you all this time. You were born to be the Saviour but you're not just our Saviour, you're Regina's Saviour too."

Emma chewed the inside of her cheek. "Let's just hope that's true."

They waited for what felt like hours and watched from their hiding spot in the shadows how the guards returned to their posts. Emma counted six of them on this side of the castle alone and that didn't include the ones that surrounded the rest of the structure or the ones standing guard inside. They only stood a chance if they fought together as a group.

She was snapped out of her thoughts when a dark shadow flashed past her. She could have sworn she heard a growl but when she blinked it was gone. She leant forward, moving out of the shadows, and looked how a large creature leapt onto the back of two of the guards. They fell to their knees, let out muffled cry of pain and then stopped moving. Emma's eyes widened as she looked on how the wolf like creature continued to attack the guards that now came running, tossing them around like they were just leaves in the wind.

"Ruby," she whispered and stood up when she heard soft footsteps on the grass behind them.

"David!" Mary Margaret said when she recognised her husband as he appeared from the darkness and she leapt to her feet, locking her arms around his neck.

Belle was a few steps behind him and her eyes found Emma's before she reached into her pocket and took out the box they had found in Milah's tomb. Emma took a few hesitant steps towards her and her breath hitched when Belle opened the lid and she saw the softly beating heart lying inside it. She reached out a tentative hand and her fingers brushed against the pink organ. A bright flash blinded her and she saw Regina's face close to her own, a hint of a smile across her face. The first time they spent the night together in Regina's room at the inn. She could smell the faint hint of Regina's perfume and she dropped her hand back beside her body.

"It's hers," she said softly. "It's Regina's heart."

"Hey," said a voice behind them and they all turned around to see Ruby walk towards them. She put her red hood back on and smirked.

"I think you missed a spot," Mary Margaret said and wiped a drop of blood from Ruby's chin.

"Are they gone?" David asked and Ruby nodded.

"They won't bother us anymore."

"How are we going to do this?" Emma asked. "We need to get the heart back to Regina and she needs to drink the potion Merlin gave us." She reached into her pocket and took out the pouch with the phial. "If we all go inside we risked being noticed."

"We'll stay here," David said and looked at his wife. "Mary Margaret, Ruby and I will keep an eye on the guards outside." His gaze fell on Belle. "You go with Emma. Find Regina, put her heart back in her chest and then get her to drink the potion. If you do it the other way around it won't work. Regina needs to have her heart back for her to remember."

Emma glanced over her shoulder at the castle. They would have one shot at this and if they screwed up, Regina would forever be lost.

"You can do this," Mary Margaret encouraged her. Her eyes found her daughter's. "True love can break any curse, remember?"

Emma wanted to believer her but somehow she couldn't. She just nodded and looked at Belle. Together they started for the castle and when they reached the top of the hill they walked around the bleeding bodies of the guards. Large pools of blood had begun to spread across the grass and the mud. A couple of soldiers had their heads missing and Emma felt a shiver creep down their spine when she looked down into a pair of dead, hollow eyes.

"It's late," Belle said as she they snuck their way inside through the now unguarded doors. The corridors were lit with torches, casting eerie shadows across the walls. "Regina will probably have gone to bed."

"Great," Emma muttered. "So all we have to do is find the Queen's bedroom."

"Here, wear this," Belle said and removed the cloak she'd been wearing. When Emma arched an eyebrow she grinned. "The guards will have been told of a blonde woman inside the castle. The least you can do is try to divert the attention."

Emma put on the cloak and pushed her blonde hair under the hood and they started down the corridor. The sound of their footsteps bounced off the walls and Emma cursed the torches that illuminated their path. She'd rather move in the dark, which would give them the advantage if someone came from the other way. She and Belle stayed close to the walls, attempting to move from shadow to shadow but every so often they had no choice but to walk in the light.

"Mary Margaret gave me a basic lay out of the castle," Emma whispered when they reached a large marble staircase. Her hand brushed across the railing and the stone felt cold against her skin. "Regina's bedroom is in the West Tower which can only be reached via this staircase."

They climbed their way up the stairs and reached the floor above. It looked identical to the one they had just come from but there were less torches here and Emma sighed in relief. She turned to Belle and managed to see the outline of the other woman's face. Curiosity got the better off her. "Why are you doing this?" she wanted to know. "Why are you helping us and not him?"

Bella looked up. "Because I want him to remember the man he was, the man he can be again. He wasn't always the Dark One. I know that the good part of him is still in there somewhere."

"Why did he do this to Regina? She had nothing to do with what happened to Milah."

"But she's the one who cast the Curse, even if he made it and when she did she broke her promise to him so he tricked her by adding the part where a Saviour could break the Curse," Belle answered. "Rumple and Regina have been trying to outdo each other ever since. He wanted the Evil Queen back but there was only one way that he could do that." Belle's eyes found Emma's. "By erasing you."

Emma swallowed hard. "Maybe if we get Regina back, we can bring him back too."

"I hope so," Belle answered softly. "I really do."

"We err…we should probably get going," Emma said softly and she peered down the corridor to see if it was clear. It surprised her that they hadn't encountered a single guard yet.

"It's quiet, isn't it?" Belle said, like she'd read her thoughts.

"Too quiet," Emma replied. "I don't know how many men Ruby killed but surely she didn't get them all?"

"Maybe they're out there looking for her?"

Emma didn't answer. They had reached the end of the corridor and after passing through an archway they were now faced with a heavy wooden door. Her heart hammered in her chest as she reached out and grabbed a firm hold of the metal door handle. She closed her eyes and then pulled the door open as quietly as she could. It creaked and she flinched, holding her breath. She expected to hear Regina but was greeted with silence and she carefully looked around the door. They were in the right place.

The large four poster bed stood against the wall furthest away from her. Candles had been placed around the room and the small flames lit up the room. A dressing table and large mirror took up most of the wall to her right and there was a large window to her left. Emma carefully entered the room and glanced out of the window. She noticed that it looked out over the oak tree where she and Mary Margaret had been hiding. She squinted but didn't see them in the shadows. She tore her eyes away from the window and her gaze fixed on the bed. Regina was asleep

She lay on her side, with a strand of dark hair falling across her eyes. Her chest rose and fell softly and Emma was touched by the softness of her features. Now that she slept any darkness had been erased from Regina's face. She looked pure, almost fragile, and she had to resist reaching out and touching her. She turned to look at Belle. The brunette stood behind her and held the box with Regina's heart. Her eyes found Emma's.

"Do you know how to do it?" she whispered and the blonde shook her head. Belle reached into the box and picked up the heart. The pink glow filled the room and lit up her face. "You take it and just push it back into her chest."

"Have you ever done it before?" Emma hissed but Belle shook her head.

"I've seen it done many times though."

Emma looked from Regina to the beating heart. "I don't know if I can do this."

"You have to," Belle encouraged her.

She took Emma's hand and placed Regina's heart inside it. Emma watched as it beat slowly. She was holding Regina's heart in her hands, felt it beat against her fingers. Tears welled up in her eyes as she looked at the dark haired woman asleep in the bed. Her own heart hammered against her ribcage as she slowly moved closer to the bed. The sound of her boots scraping across the wooden floor made her flinch and she froze. Regina stirred but didn't wake.

"Do it!" Belle hissed from the other side of the bed. "Before she wakes up!"

"I think she'll wake up when I push my hand into her chest, don't you?" Emma retorted.

Her hand hovered over Regina's chest and she focused on the area around her left breast, slowly coming closer until her hand almost made contact with Regina's body. She closed her eyes, pulled back and then suddenly slammed forward. Her eyes snapped open at the same time Regina's did and she felt her hand slide smoothly through Regina's body and into her chest. Her fingers still clutched the heart and its rhythm increased as it recognised the body it belonged with. She let go and felt it slip from her fingers. Her eyes then found Regina's and the dark haired woman stared up at her. First anger but then fear flashed across her face.

Emma was about to reach out and touch Regina's cheek when she felt a hand on her shoulder and was forcibly turned around. She looked straight into the face of Rumpelstiltskin. "I think that's quite enough, dearie."

He threw her across the room like she was nothing but a feather and Emma's head hit the wall. The world changed into a blur but she scrambled back to her feet. She looked around for Belle but didn't see the brunette in the room. Her head was spinning and throbbing but she managed to focus on the bed. Regina had slipped out from under the sheets and was now standing next to the bed, her eyes darting from Rumpelstiltskin to Emma and back.

Emma saw Rumplestislkin round the bed and trap Regina between himself and the wall. He slowly reached out his arm and his fingers brushed against Regina's chest.

"NO!" Emma cried out and she extended both her hands.

Without really knowing what was happening she released a bolt of energy that erupted from the tips of her fingers and shot across the room, hitting the imp in the back. He turned around in surprise, a devilish grin spreading across his face.

"Well, well, well," he cooed, "looks like the Saviour can do magic."

"Stay away from her," Emma hissed. She felt the blood trickle from the cut on her forehead down. It had reached her lips and she could taste it on her tongue. The adrenaline pumping around her veins somehow numbed the pain. "Or I swear I'll rip you into so many pieces they can bury you in every single Kingdom across these lands."

Rumpelstiltskin cocked his head. "And what exactly do you plan to do to stop me?"

Emma smirked. "True love breaks every spell, remember?"

What followed was an eruption of magic that left the walls of the castle shaking. Somewhere in the distance someone cried and Emma could have sworn it sounded like Belle but the sound was quickly followed up by the sound of walls crumbling. She shielded her head with her arms at the ceiling over her head began to fall. Large pieces of stone fell to the floor and she ducked out of the way just in time to avoid a piece that could easily have killed her. Dust filled the room.

She fell when more pieces of stone rained down on her and cried out when she felt something wet run along her leg. It was cold and when she looked she noticed the faint silver glimmer against the stone. The phial containing the potion had broken. Her hope of saving Regina was gone.

"No," she groaned as she scrambled onto her knees. "No, no, no!"

She looked up to see a dark shadow move across the room and then stop. Rumpelstiltskin kneeled down beside an unconscious Regina and his fingers hovered over her chest. Blood clung to the Queen's dust stained face and Emma felt the anger roar in her chest. She leapt to her feet and the energy began building up inside of her. It burst out with such force it knocked her backwards but she saw it hit Rumpelstiltskin with such force that he was thrown across the room and disappeared into a cloud of dust.

Emma rushed to Regina's side and fell down beside her. Softly she brushed the hair out of her face and looked down to see how tired dark brown eyes opened.

"I'm sorry," she whispered through her tears. Her hand covered Regina's. "I tried. I tried to save you but I lost."

She leant in and brushed her lips against Regina's. The kiss was soft and sweet and her teardrops landed against Regina's cheek. She shivered when she felt the other woman's hand against the back of her neck and slowly pulled away.

"No," Regina whispered. Her voice was rough. "You saved me."

Emma reached into her pocket and took out the pouch. It was wet. She could feel the broken shards of glass inside and carefully took them out. The pieces lay in the palm of her hand and she showed them to Regina. "I did what I could," she whispered. "I tried to…"

Her voice was cut off when something pierced her shoulder and she cried out in agony. She rolled onto her side and saw Rumpelstiltskin standing behind her, his dagger raised over his head. The broken shards of glass and the pouch slipped from her fingers as she moved away from him. Blood gushed from the wound on her shoulder and the pain was horrific. Even in the dark, dust filled room Emma could see the evil glint in the imp's eye. She knew he was here to kill her. He was here to finally achieve what he'd been longing for. He had broken Regina and he had broken her. She lifted up her chin with pride and looked him in the eye.

"I'm not afraid to die," she said. "I lost Regina. You won. But I won't beg for my life. You'll never get that pleasure!"

He slowly came at her, the dagger raised above his head. She didn't close her eyes. If she was going to die then she would look death in the eye. She wanted him to see her eyes before he killed her, she wanted him to remember for the rest of his life what he had done. How his own greed, his own cowardice, had gotten the better of him and turned a man into a monster.

The purple flash stunned both of them and Emma watched how the dagger slowly slipped from Rumpelstiltskin's fingers. The sound of the blade landing on the floor cut through the moment of stunned silence. Then he spun around and as he did Emma saw Regina behind him. Blood trickled from her lip but her dark eyes were blazing. She'd raised both her hands and held a ball of fire in each palm. The flames lit up her face.

"I remember," she said darkly and shot the first fireball at Rumpelstiltskin. She missed and he responded with his own ball of magic. She easily stepped out of his way. "I remember."

Emma crawled across the floor and grabbed the blade. The Dark One's dagger. She turned it and noticed Rumpelstiltskin engraved into the handle. It was a beautiful piece of craftsmanship but she also knew it was the most dangerous weapon out there. Her fingers closed around the handle and she staggered back to her feet. Her gaze fixed on Regina and Rumpelstiltskin who were now circling each other like a predator circled its prey. He moved before she did and the magic hit her on her arm, bringing her down to her knees with a cry of pain.

"Coward!" Emma shouted and he spun around at the sound of her voice.

The glint in his yellow eyes disappeared when he saw the blade raised above her head. He didn't have time to blink before the dagger cut through the fabric of his robes, sliced through his flesh and chipped his ribs before piercing his steadily beating heart. The rhythm instantly slowed and his eyes widened as he staggered backwards. The blade slipped form Emma's hands and fell back down to the floor, stained with the blood from the Dark One. He died at her feet.

Emma ran over to Regina and carefully wrapped her up in her arms. The dark haired woman slowly opened her eyes and looked up at Emma.

"You did it," she said weakly.

"How?" Emma breathed. "The phial was broken. The potion was gone."

"Not all of it," Regina whispered. "A drop remained on one of the shards. A drop was all it took."

Tears welled up in Emma's eyes. "Oh Regina…" She let her fingers ghost across Regina's cheek and kissed her forehead. "I love you."

"I love you too," Regina breathed and Emma slowly helped her to sit up. She never let Regina's hand slip out of her own. "I love you because you loved me when I couldn't love myself."

Emma smiled through her tears and her gaze drifted across the room, coming to a rest on the lifeless body of Rumpelstiltskin. The dagger lay not far away from him and she carefully reached out abd picked it up. Slowly she turned it over and noticed that the handle no longer had Rumpelstiltskin engraved into it.

"Whoever kills the Dark One gains all his power," Regina said softly as she watched Emma turn the dagger over in her hand. "Their name appears…"

Emma showed her the blade. There was no name. It was empty. "There's nothing here."

"What?" Regina whispered. "But that's…."

Emma put the dagger back down and stood up. She reached out a hand and helped Regina to her feet. She wrapped her arms around her lover and pressed her tightly against her chest. Regina's arms snaked around Emma' waist and she finally relaxed. Their hearts seemed to beat in unison and Emma kissed Regina's hair.

"It's the end of the Dark One," she whispered. "Now everyone' s free."

Thoughts? I'd love to hear them!