A/N: I'd like to start off by thanking each and every single one of my readers and followers that have supported me throughout this story. This ff, unlike any of my others holds a very special meaning to me, therefore luckily for all of you who are highly enjoying this story, and unfortunately for all of you out there who decided to lecture me on how you were so upset due to me bursting Emma and Regina's happy bubble. I just want you to know that I will finish this story and SQ will be endgame. For all of you anonymous/guests reviewers that decided to complain about Regina cheating, when in reality she was forced. You really shouldn't jump to conclusions and I am not about to apologize in the direction I am taking this story with fictitious characters because, this isn't reality folks. This is simply me writing with the ideas my mind and heart flow with to give the real readers some distraction, happiness, angst and joy. If this story didn't go the way you wanted it to go because angst had to happen, the answer is simple. Stop reading. I guarantee you there are other author's out there who have written worst things than what I (according to those who complained) wrote in this story. Please don't bother commenting about how there are cruel enough things in the world either that we don't need to read about it. You may not want to read it, but it doesn't mean everyone feels that way. Angst and yes, romance too is what makes a great story. Please, I ask kindly that you allow those fans who are enjoying this story to keep doing just that. Lastly, to all my loyal followers and readers, I apologize for my ranting but things needed to be said. Now, without further or due... Happy reading! :) Oh, and I apologize for another sad chapter lol things will be like this for a while, but eventually things will bring our ladies back into each other's lives.

Ingrid knocked outside Emma's door for the eighth time the next morning. Which, just like the other times, went unanswered.

"Emma?" Ingrid called out, growing increasingly worried as she couldn't even hear a pin drop inside her bedroom. She knocked again, "I made breakfast. At least come eat something. Please?"

Silence.

"I'll have a plate ready for you, in case you're hungry." She paused, hoping for a reply behind the locked door. "I'll be downstairs."

Emma could hear Ingrid's footsteps as she left her door. Her body seemed almost lifeless as she laid in her bed. The state of her bedroom was no longer orderly, but looked as if a tornado had passed through and turned everything upside down. In her fit of rage, she had destroyed everything in sight, mostly using the cane Regina gifted her as a baseball bat against everything.

It's current state? It was torn in half, near her bed on the floor.

After the night she had, eventually she passed out from exhaustion. But even her tired, teary eyes weren't enough to help her completely sleep. Because every time she closed her eyes, she would see her. Regina.

She would see her beautiful brown eyes, her jet black hair that was as soft as her skin and always smelled like apples mixed with cinnamon. The scent was so strong, it made the soldier shut her eyes rather tight, trying to shake away the clear images and unmistakable voice that played in her head like an automatic audio recording.

"Well, what about you? I mean I would hate to be the only one in love here."

"Oh, I love you already. Nobody will ever love anyone as much as I love you."

"She told me you have a date coming up. Is that true?"

"That's quite personal, Ms. Swan."

"Is it Dr. Locksley?"

"God, no."

"Does it bother you that I'm not?"

"I couldn't dislike anything about you. It's impossible when you are as beautiful as you are. All that matters to me now is that you're mine."

"Have you never seen a naked woman before?"

"I have. But not one that's mine."

"Your turn, soldier."

"Now I'm in the most beautiful place on God's earth."

"I love you, Emma."

Her fist tightened around the pillow that was over her head. The redness of her swelled up knuckles still visible. Her hand shook as the memories in her head only became louder.

"Boy or girl?"

"A boy."

"What's his name?"

"Henry Daniel Swan-Mills."

"Loving you is the greatest gift of all. As for my wish… To marry you. And when I ask, because I will. I'll only wish you'll say yes. Because frankly, I wouldn't know how to live without you anymore."

"Nor would I."

"Nothing is alright anymore, Emma. Nothing"

"This… whatever you think we had needs to end."

"Listen to you. You want me to stop treating you like a child? Then stop acting like one. It's time for you to grow up, Emma and realize when someone doesn't love you."

The echo's of Regina's words, all those memories grew louder that Emma couldn't think of anything else to do but scream. The pillow muffling her screams of anger, pain and heartbreak, but they were still heard as Ingrid was once again outside her door- pounding this time with worry.

"Emma?! Are you alright?" Ingrid pounded, rattling the door knob which remained locked, "Emma, please open the door! Please!" She pleaded, her heart breaking at the sound of the muffled screams that were coming out of her room. Screams that soon turned into loud sobs. "Emma! Just let me come in and talk to you."

Emma sat up, grabbing a hold of the strip of pictures her and Regina took at the carnival in Germany. Her hands ready to rip them up as they were in position. But she stopped. Both their smiles staring back at her, which made her wish she could turn back time and be back there. Where her and Regina were their happiest, where nothing was coming between them. Where the brunette loved her and only her. Her hand crumbled up the picture, holding it tightly within her grip as she broke into loud sobs once again, screaming in pain all her heart ache, she only wish Regina could somehow hear it and just come back to her.

Hours passed as Emma was still a no show. Ingrid sat by the bottom of the stairs, standing as Ruby came right into the house after she had called her for help.

"Thank God, you're here." Ingrid followed the brunette as she rushed up the stairs, "She hasn't eaten all day. She won't even open the door or answer me. She just screams and cries herself to sleep."

"Give me a few minutes with her. She'll talk to me." Ruby nodded as Ingrid left her alone to deal with the blonde. She knocked as she turned to face the door, "Emma, it's me. Open the door."

Nothing.

"Emma…" Ruby called out again, knocking once, twice, "You could at least tell me to go away." She rattled the doorknob, "I'm not leaving until you open this door. You know me. I can sleep right outside your door, if that's what it takes." She sighed, leaning her forehead against the door, "Alright. Don't open the door, if you don't want to but you're going to hear me out. This isn't right for you to do. You're scaring the crap out of Ingrid, she's worried and I am too. I get that you got your heart broken, but the world doesn't end here, Swan. You have so much life ahead of you, you have Ingrid, you have me. Granny, Marco. We all love you." She paused, placing her hand on the door, "So please… at least have the decency to let us know you're still alive in there."

Silence.

Ruby sighed, "Fine. Have it your way. I'll just sleep outside your door until you decide to open up." She sat down by the door, patiently waiting for the blonde to respond.

Ingrid would check on Ruby from time to time and even brought her a sandwich as she kept her word in remaining right outside her best friend's door. Eventually heading to bed, as the brunette passed out by the soldier's door.

It was around three in the morning when Emma slowly opened her bedroom door. Her eyes looked down at Ruby's body as she slept leaned up against the wall in the same sitting position she had been before. As Emma made her way out of her room completely, she looked back once she heard Ruby's sleepy voice.

"At least now I can tell Ingrid that you're alive." Ruby stood to her feet, yawning, "Where are you going, soldier?"

Soldier. A nickname she will no longer hear come out of Regina's lips. "I need to get out of here." Emma's voice was so soft, it even depressed Ruby.

"Well, at least you'll be going out. That's a start." Ruby smiled, "So? Where are we going?"

"I meant me." Emma shook her head, heading down the stairs.

Ruby grabbed her arm, which caused Emma to turn again, "Not a chance, Em. I made a promise to Ingrid that if I got you out of this room, I would stick to you like glue. No way am I letting you go alone at this hour of the night."

"Ruby, it's a small town. I think I'll be perfectly safe." Replied Emma.

The brunette hurried down the stairs, blocking off the last step that lead towards the front door, "You want to go, fine, but you'll do it with me. Otherwise, I am not moving from this step."

Emma closed in the very little space she had between her and the brunette, her eyes displaying the same sadness and pain as her entire body was before Ruby.

"Move." Said Emma.

Ruby shook her head, keeping her hands on the rails, "No."

"I'm not going to kill myself, Ruby." Emma spat.

To which Ruby spat right back, "Either way, I am not letting you out of my sight."

Emma sighed, knowing perfectly well that her friend would not budge. "If you're going to come with me, you best move."

Ruby grinned happily, as she then moved away from the last step, holding the door open for Emma to head out first as she followed close behind, shutting the door behind her.

"So, where are we going?" Asked Ruby, watching Emma's every movement while trying to keep up with her quick pace.

"I don't now." Replied Emma, walking away from Ingrid's house without any sense of direction.

Ruby nodded, "You aren't going to be one of those who goes after the girl after she broke your heart, are you?" She stopped in her tracks as Emma did, turning to look at her with a deadly glare. "I'm sorry. I just… I don't think you should, you know, look for her. It'll save you from the pain."

Emma remained silent, looking into her best friend's eyes as she took in her words. She shook her head as she finally spoke, "Nothing can save me from what I'm feeling right now."

Ruby followed Emma as the blonde kept up her quick pace, "Alright, I know a thing or two about heartbreak. So maybe you'll always be carrying that pain with you, but at least I can help you numb it."

Emma stopped walking once again as she turned to her friend, "How?" She turned to the direction to which Ruby was looking. She looked down as she felt Ruby's hand grab onto her wrist.

"Come on, I bet you Leroy will let us stay there for as long as you need."

"No." Said Leroy, for the fourth time as he stood outside of the Wooden Whale, Storybrooke's only bar.

"Come on, Leroy! Don't be a mood killer." Ruby whined.

"Do you realize what time it is? I'm already closing."

Ruby pulled on the man's coat as she whispered to him, "Come on. Can't you see Emma really needs a few drinks? She just got her heart broken. Worse than broken, shattered into a million pieces by the woman who swore her undying love. Give her a break. Haven't you ever been in love and had your heart broken?"

He had, but Leroy was always one tough son-of-a-bitch that he wouldn't show it.

"No." Was his answer, serious and dry like him.

Ruby rolled her eyes, "Ugh, Granny is going to kill me. Look, I'll give you free breakfast for a week."

Leroy looked over at Emma, taking in her vulnerable state as he looked right back at Ruby, "Make it a month."

Ruby grinned, kissing the man on the cheek as he stepped aside, allowing them access to his bar.

Once inside, time flew by. It was around five in the morning when Emma sat down her sixth beer bottle. She was pretty drunk to say the least, which made it worse since she had no food in her stomach. She would have thought that drinking would have solved her heart ache, like Ruby said, but to her surprise it only made her think about Regina much more.

She began wondering what she was doing right this minute. Raging with anger as images of her and Robin came to her mind. She would picture her in bed with him, doing things that she didn't even want to think about, but couldn't help it. Her harsh words on that day she ended things playing in her head like a broken record.

"Don't you feel just a little better?" Asked Ruby, lightly patting the blonde on the shoulder.

Emma placed her bottle down after she took her last drink from it, her eyes red and teary again as she looked over at her best friend.

"She really did a number on you, didn't she?"

"I don't want to talk about it." Emma focused her eyes on the empty beer bottle that was nurtured by her hand. Her focus moving towards her swollen knuckles. At least that pain had numbed.

"Em," Ruby said softly, "I know it's hard."

"Do you?" Asked Emma, tears running down her cheeks. Her voice slurring a little now.

"Yes." Ruby nodded, "Remember Dorothy? I was madly in love with her, I thought we would make it. I was sure of it. And then she left."

Emma chuckled, without even cracking a single smile, "Dorothy left because her parents forced her to move away after you two were caught making out in her house. She didn't leave you because she found someone else."

"Okay, but she still left-"

"Ruby, if you are trying to compare your tragic love story to mine, don't. It's not the same, alright? And if this is your idea of cheering me up, let me tell you, you are doing a lousy job."

Ruby couldn't help growing furious, "First of all, I am not trying to compare anything. I am simply trying to say-"

"You're trying to say that I shouldn't be wasting my time crying about Regina, because not everyone ends up with their first love. And that you understand better than anyone about heartache because you went through the same situation with Dorothy. Right?" Emma stared down her best friend, "Well, I can't stop myself from crying. I wish I could, I wish…" Tears ran down her eyes, as her voice broke, "I wish I could rip out my fucking heart and stop feeling this way, but I can't. I can't because it still fucking beats for her. And call it a curse, but it always will." She paused, her hand tightening around the bottle she nursed, "I'm not just going to forget in a day what happened, Ruby. Everything she said. The way she looked- I could tell she wasn't being totally truthful. Even if she said she was."

Ruby's eyes were focused on her best friend, remaining quiet as she allowed her to vent. She knew Emma wouldn't mean some things she would say. She was hurting.

"I know her, Ruby. Or I thought I did." Emma paused, "I just wish I could know what changed. We were finally together. Sure we fought, but we were happy." She chuckled, sobbing a little, "Sometimes I think, I should have just listened to you. And Graham."

Ruby shrugged, "You shouldn't have, Em. You were in way over your head for her, it's normal. Hell, I was even surprised when Ingrid called me and told me what had happened," She chuckled, "She said you even beat up that dead beat. Messed him up pretty good."

Emma remained silent, her eyes focused on her swollen knuckles.

"Can I tell you a secret?" Asked the blonde.

Ruby nodded.

"When I was hitting him…" She paused, looking at her hand, not daring to look Ruby in the eyes, "I thought I wasn't going to be able to stop. Because a part of me didn't want to stop."

"Because it wasn't him you were seeing." Said Ruby, "It was that Robin guy. Wasn't it?"

Emma looked over to Ruby, nodding slowly as more tears ran down her eyes.

"The good thing is you did stop. And hey, I know this is probably the last thing you want to hear right now… but, in due time that pain you feel right now, it will go away. Maybe never a hundred percent but it'll become less and less. Trust me." Ruby locked eyes with Emma's green ones, cupping her hand with her own, "You just need to go on, find things to distract yourself with. Write about what you're feeling-"

"No." Emma shook her head, "I don't really think I could write right now."

"Well, then get a dog. Get laid if that will help make matters better," She continued as Emma chuckled, "But don't mope around, making Ingrid miserable. She's really worried about you, Em. We all are."

"She's right, Swan." Said Leroy as he stood behind the bar, "I know a couple of girls who could introduce you to some other lovely brunette's if that's what you're into. Classy girls. Anything to make you forget all about that bitch who-"

"Leroy." Ruby shook her head at the man as Emma threw a deadly glare his way. Because Emma may be hurting, and it didn't matter to her how much Regina had changed over night, how much she hurt her. No one was going to disrespect her in her presence.

"Sorry, just trying to help."

"I think I got it." Said Ruby, looking back at the blonde who was still glaring at the man as he went about his business. "Never mind him. And look, do me a favor. At least when you get back home later, talk to Ingrid. Open up to her, tell her how you feel like you told me just now." She paused as the blonde locked eyes with her again, "It's true, what Dorothy and I had can't compare to what you had with Regina and, I'm sure if I tried now I probably could get her back. But I don't because it was years ago and I've moved on and I'm sure she has too. It doesn't pain me as much anymore." Ruby smiled, "That will be you someday. But for now, I can tell you this. If you allow that pain to eat away at you, Emma it will destroy you into a person you yourself won't even recognize anymore."

"Who are you and what did you do to my friend Ruby?" Asked Emma, which made Ruby smile, happy to know that at least the blonde's sense of humor was still a little intact.

"There you go!" Ruby nudged her, even when Emma still didn't crack a single smile, "There's hope for you yet, Swan. Now all you need to do is crack a smile."

Before heading home, Emma had convinced Ruby to drive her towards the woods. As they walked the rest of the way.

"Do you even know where we're going?" Asked Ruby, following the blonde's every step as she wasn't at all familiar with the woods like her friend was.

Emma continued walking, without stopping once. Her mind playing the night she had brought Regina through this very same path that night.

"Whoa." Ruby stopped at the sight of the cabin as they finally reached it, her eyes focused on the old location. "You mentioned this place, but I always thought you were making it up. Who's is this?"

"Mine." Emma's eyes focused on the cabin. "I bought it a few days ago. I was planning on fixing it up and surprising her with it."

Ruby stared at her friend blankly. "Well, are you still going to fix it up?" Asked Ruby.

Emma remained silent, until she shook her head. "No. I like it better this way. It's sort of a representation of how I'm feeling on the inside, you know."

"I don't understand, Em. Fixing this cabin was always your dream. So, you're saying you just bought it to leave it to rot?"

Emma looked over at Ruby, "Maybe some things aren't meant to be fixed, Ruby." She paused, "Regina was right about one thing. It's time for me to grow up. Grow up and stop living with my head in the clouds, "She chuckled, tears making their way down, "Because I never know when someone will break my heart."

Ruby stretched out her arms towards the blonde, embracing her in a hug as Emma moved into her body. She sighed without saying another word. She just allowed the blonde to sob right into her shoulder as her arms wrapped around her form more tighter.

She felt so helpless. Wishing she could do more to help Emma in her time of need. But this was a battle- a matter of the heart- that only she, herself could get out of. When she was ready.