Chapter 11

Waking up in Emma's arms was quickly becoming one of the most amazing feelings in Regina's world. Especially after everything that had taken place last night. That honest and open exchange from Emma seemed so incredibly powerful. More exhilarating than any magic she'd ever encountered. She felt completely out of control yet safe, all at the same time. Emma trusted her and believed in her so much that the sheriff allowed her to maintain ultimate power over the possession bottle. And Regina cared for Emma so much that she knew the brave sheriff's trust was not ill founded. She would do anything to protect both the Savior and Henry at this point.

It felt good.

Emma stirred a bit in her sleep and turned her head so that it was mere inches away from Regina's face. The brunette smiled and carefully raised a hand to softly caress her cheek. She thought about all of the stars that had to line up for them to come to this place. All of the terrible tragedies both of them had to endure to create who they were and their understanding of each other.

It was then that sadness started to form on Regina's face. She contemplated the ramifications of all of her actions in relation to Emma. So much of who the sheriff had become was interwoven with the circumstances Regina had forced upon her. She loved Emma's strength, bravery and independence but it was possible none of those qualities would have existed if she hadn't had to withstand so much pain going through life as an orphan.

It made her wonder if she even deserved to love those characteristics. They were born of such sadness and loneliness that would never have plagued the girl if she'd been able to be with her parents.

Emma's eyes fluttered open to see a very distressed bedfellow. She blinked a few times before furrowing her brow in concern and raising a hand to try to caress away the sadness that had seemed to take up residence around brown eyes.

"That is not the 'good morning' face I expected to see after such a wonderful night," she stated lightly. "You want to fill me in on what happened in between falling asleep after mind blowing sex and waking up?"

Regina allowed a smile to cross her lips as she shook her head and answered.

"I was just thinking about you and my mind started to wander," she explained. "I know we've skimmed the surface of this subject before but I don't think I'll ever be able to make you understand how deeply sorry I am for everything you went through due to my actions."

Emma started to halt her dialogue, but Regina pressed a finger to her lips to silence her.

"I know what you're going to say but let me finish first," she warned and waited for Emma to nod before continuing. "I'm feeling selfish because, even though I've been responsible for so much pain in your life, it's created who you are as a person. If we had all stayed in the Enchanted Forest and you'd been groomed to be just like Snow, I never would have gotten to know you like this. I admire so much about you, Emma. I… feel so much when I'm in your presence and I know that it wouldn't be possible for me to experience that if you weren't exactly who you are. Not to mention the fact that we wouldn't have Henry."

Her face fell as she continued.

"I'm starting to think that one of the most terrible things that I am capable of is not wanting to go back and change things. Because, if I did, I wouldn't have either of you. And that is why I will never be able to forgive myself for what I've done to you. Because, even if I had the power, I'm too selfish to go back and change it."

Emma's heart was breaking for the torture Regina was putting herself through but it was also soaring at the idea that someone could care about her so much. The beautiful tragedy that was their story would never cease to amaze her.

"Regina, look at me," she held the face before her and forced their eyes to meet. "I don't want to change who I am. I don't want you to change who I am. I may have had some terrible things happen to me but they were essential to getting me to where I am today. I couldn't possibly feel the happiness I feel when I'm with you if I hadn't understood the sadness of my reality. And, while it is true that you were responsible for the setting of my life, you are not responsible for the actions of others. You didn't force my parents to put me in that wardrobe, you didn't create a foster system that can do more harm than good, and you certainly didn't force the hand of the monsters that destroyed my childhood."

Tears fell freely from both of their eyes as they looked on painfully at each other. Still, Emma continued.

"Words are big, Regina. Words are important. Not once, in my life, has anyone ever verbally validated all the wrongs I experienced. I may never understand how sorry you are for your part in it, but you will never understand how much your empathy means to me. You started to heal your part in my past the moment you showed me kindness. And I know it has been an incredibly bumpy road but, with each kindness you show me, you help me learn to trust and heal more. I like being me. But, especially here lately, I like being me most when I'm with you and Henry."

Emma ran a hand through the dark locks and leaned in to place a chaste kiss against full lips before speaking again.

"Please don't darken this because some person you used to be set into motion what would turn me into whom I am. You are not the Evil Queen anymore. You are Regina Mills. I am Emma Swan. And I am exactly where I'm supposed to be."

Regina shook her head once again and smiled at the amazing women before her eyes.

"When did you become so eloquent?" she asked.

Emma bit her lip briefly as she tried to decide whether or not to say what she wanted to say. Finally, instead of biting her lip, she bit the bullet and went for it.

"When I decided to try to make you understand that I love you, without actually saying the words," she said, swallowing hard. "Because even with all the craziness of this fairy tale business going on, that's what scares me more than anything."

Regina's heart pounded rapidly in her chest and her soul felt as if it was flying. How was it possible that this person she'd hurt so much, intentionally and unintentionally, could possibly love her back. As she tried to contemplate the words Emma spoke her face took on a panicked look which the Savior tried to put at ease right away.

"Hey," she tried to stroke Regina's anxiety away. "I didn't say that to scare you. It's a good thing. A good thing that I don't need reciprocated. Especially right now when you've got that look on your face."

"Oh no! It's not that, Emma," Regina's eyes widened as she realized that Emma didn't think she felt the same way. "I just -"

Emma cut her off, "You just need to stop worrying about all of this stuff, ok? This is supposed to be the good part. Let it be." Then she smiled and moved Regina on to her back before insinuating herself halfway on top of her. "Because I have way better ideas as to what we can do with the extra thirty minutes we have to kill before the alarm goes off."

Regina moaned with relief and smiled as Emma leaned in to kiss her. She then reached up to bury her hands in blonde curls before gasping in surprise and arousal when the sheriff shifted a leg between her thighs and rolled her hips.

Emma stroked a hand from Regina's face down her chest and torso until it shifted paths and ran back down to her ass. She elicited yet another moan from the brunette when she gave it a squeeze and then grabbed a thigh to wrap it around her body. She started a slow, firm grind against the writhing mayor.

"I'm going to start waking you up early every morning if this is how you choose to react," Regina burred before sliding her tongue over Emma's lips and requesting entrance. As it was granted she raised her left knee a bit more to apply greater pressure against Emma's core, causing her groan and move more insistently. Then Regina snaked a hand between then and softly massaged Emma's breast before pinching lightly at the nipple.

Emma pulled back to let out a gasp and smiled down seductively at the brunette.

"You know, if we started doing this a long time ago, we might not have had nearly as many verbal sparring matches," she leaned in to kiss her neck. "We could have gone at each other in a much more productive way."

"Is this what you call being productive, Sheriff?" Regina joked and then growled through gritted teeth as Emma bit down on her collar bone.

"I'm producing some pretty great reactions from you right now," Emma fired back before moving a hand down to cup Regina's wet mound. "Mmmm, I bet I can produce some more too."

And she would have, had the phone not rang from the nightstand and interrupted their progress.

"Oh for Christ's sake," Emma groaned as she noted the ringtone. "It's Mary Margaret. It may be important."

"Did you seriously assign her ringtone as 'Some Day My Prince Will Come'?" Regina asked with a frustrated chuckle.

"Hey, I'm one of the few people that know everyone in town is a fairytale character," Emma replied as she moved to grab the phone. "I had to find some way to make an inside joke about it."

She pressed the answer button and greeted her mother.

"Hey Mary Margaret. Is everything ok?"

Regina couldn't hear the other side of the conversation but she knew that something wasn't right from the confused 'What?' Emma expressed. The conversation was brief, but it didn't sound good.

"What's going on?" Regina asked, worried.

Emma let out a sigh before responding. She knew this wasn't news that Regina was going to take well.

"Mary Margaret had another one of those vivid dreams last night," she explained. "I told her if she had anymore to let me know right away. I can't be sure if it was just a dream or if it's connected to True Love, but there's a pretty good chance it's the latter."

"Has she been seeing David?" Regina asked, sitting up in bed.

"No," Emma shook her head. "I agreed with you that that they would be one of the last happy endings we fixed. I've been keeping her away from him. So, it's gotta be another couple."

"But who?" Regina wondered aloud. "Everyone we've gotten together so far hasn't seemed to have any effect. Has anything new happened that I'm not aware of?"

That's when it started to come together for Emma.

"Umm…" she paused, not wanting to tell Regina about her personal undercover mission but realizing she had to. "It could be Belle and Mr. Gold."

"What?" shock painted Regina's face as she took in Emma's admission. "How could it be Belle and Gold? Belle is locked up in the psyche ward of the hospital!"

"Not anymore," Emma corrected her and tried to calm her down. "I know I should have talked to you about this before but I didn't think you'd be too keen on giving Gold his happy ending considering your past together. I just wanted to try and help Belle by getting her out of that hospital. 29 years is a long time to be locked up for something you didn't do."

"Oh my God, Emma, you can't just go around making decisions that could affect both of us," Regina argued.

"I didn't think it would matter," Emma defended. "Gold didn't really seem to be the True Love type and it wasn't fair to Belle. She didn't do anything wrong."

"It was never about punishing Belle, Emma," Regina explained. "She was simply collateral damage."

The exasperated look on Emma's face drove Regina out of any anger she was feeling over the sheriff's decision to free Belle.

"God, what am I saying," she rubbed at her forehead and tried to collect herself. "This isn't who I am anymore… who I want to be. I'm sorry."

"Hey, it's ok," Emma said gently as she put a hand on Regina's shoulder. "I should have talked to you about what I was planning to do before just going in guns-a-blazing. Maybe you would have had some insight into whether or not this would happen."

"Even if I did, you'd still be right to have taken Belle out of that place," Regina shook her head. "What I did to her was completely deplorable."

Emma was starting to worry about Regina's state of mind. She almost seemed tired and defeated. It was so unlike her to constantly berate herself. She took the woman's face in her hands as she spoke.

"Regina, you did what you did a long time ago," she explained. "Just look how you're reacting to it now. You're not behaving like the Evil Queen anymore. We are going to get through this. I just need to talk to Gold about maybe putting on the breaks with the romance for a bit. That guy really doesn't waste any time."

Regina looked at her and wished she could believe her when she said that everything would be alright but she knew it wasn't. It never was when she was coming so close to attaining her happiness. But she had to put on a brave face for Emma. The Savior was trying so hard to do the right things. She wasn't about to make her feel bad about it.

"I'm sure he was just overwhelmed with her presence," she said with a soft smile, regarding Belle. "I know the feeling."

Emma smiled back at her cautiously. She could tell that there was still a great deal of worry hiding behind Regina's features but she decided not to push it.

"Me too," she agreed, leaning in to place a soft kiss against the mayor's lips. "Stop by the station later and I'll let you know how things go with Gold. Try not to worry so much."

"Alright," she smiled back as she waited for Emma to dress and leave the room.

As the door closed her gaze fell upon the very important bottle resting on top of her dresser.

As Gold prepared the tea that morning he did so with a smile because he was making enough for two. He and Belle had talked well into the night in between kisses and cuddling. It was the best day he'd experienced in all the years he'd been in this world and it was just the beginning. His attention wandered from his task when he heard Belle enter the kitchen wearing one of his dark robes.

"Good morning," she greeted him with a smile.

"Good morning, Belle," he beamed back. "Did you sleep well?"

"I did," she answered. "Too well, perhaps. I had some of the most vivid dreams."

His features sobered as soon as the sentence was out.

"What kind of dreams," he asked, worried.

She continued smiling, "Dreams about us actually. It was weird, we were like in some kind of castle and you looked so different but I could tell it was still you. I don't suppose you own a castle somewhere with a grand library?"

He thought about how to answer, not wanting to lie. He settled on levity.

"Anything's possible, I guess," he quipped before offering her a cup. "Would you like some tea?"

"That would be lovely," she said, moving closer to him. "Thank you."

He knew that with the way she was looking at him she wanted him to kiss her and, as much as he wanted to do just that, he thought it better to play things safe.

"Why don't you have a seat and tell me more about these dreams of yours?" he asked.

She looked at him curiously, but decided not to press further.

"Sure, that sounds wonderful," she answered.

He was just about to sit down with her when he heard the doorbell ring.

"Are you expecting someone?" she asked.

"No," he answered. "But I think I might know who it is. Please excuse me, dearie."

As he opened the door, and beheld the form of one Emma Swan, his suspicions were confirmed. The dreams had not been restricted to Belle. The whole town must have been afflicted with them as well.

"Sheriff Swan," he greeted. "I'll hazard a guess that you're here on official business."

"I'm afraid so," she nodded. "May I come in?"

"Certainly," he moved to usher her in and lead her into the kitchen.

"Good morning, Belle," she smiled at the brunette. "How are you doing? Is Mr. Gold treating you well?"

"I couldn't be in better hands, Sheriff," she beamed. "Thank you so much for getting me out of that place. I'm starting to remember more and more. I think that soon I'll know exactly who I am."

Emma's smile remained but the rest of her face fell slightly as she took in the implications.

"Yeah, I think there's probably a lot of that going around right now. Do you think, perhaps I could talk to Mr. Gold in private for a few minutes? It's official business."

"Oh, sure," she replied, moving from the chair. "I'll just go take a shower and freshen up. Take your time."

As she made her exit the two remaining parties in the kitchen looked at each other wearily.

"We have a problem," Emma stated seriously.

"Indeed we do," he agreed. "I assume that you think the problem is arising because of me and my relationship with Belle?"

"I'm afraid so," she answered.

"Are you absolutely sure?" he asked, hoping it wasn't the case.

"I've kept pretty close tabs on all of the love birds in town," she explained. "You and Belle are the only new additions."

She swallowed hard, trying to gather up the courage to ask the delicate question she knew she had to ask.

"Were you and Belle physically intimate in any way last night?" she finally spit out.

"Yes," he answered right away. "We were."

"Then I think we both know what's going to happen if you continue to go down that path," Emma insinuated. "And how dangerous that could be not only for you, but for many other people in this town."

"Namely the mayor," he gritted his teeth as he spoke and it caused her blood to boil.

"Yes, namely the mayor," she agreed, moving into his personal space. "A mayor who took great pains to make sure she didn't put herself and, by proxy, you in this very position."

"I'm well aware of that," he admitted.

"And that means…" she paused, his sentence finally settling in. "Wait, what? What do you mean, aware of what?"

Now it was Gold's turn to be surprised.

"You mean she didn't tell you?" he asked curiously. "Even after she'd realized that Belle and I were causing the dreams to come back?"

"Tell me what?" Emma pressed.

He sighed and pulled his gaze away, unable to meet hers.

"When the dreams started the first time it didn't take long for me to figure out that they were probably being caused by you and Regina," he shook his head before his next sentence. "It was me who gave Regina the bottle. What's worse is I told her that if she didn't use it I'd take matters into my own hands. She may have been on the path anyway, but I gave her no choice in the matter."

Emma's eyes were wide and her mouth was agape as she took in his words. Her chest heaved as she felt the sting of a betrayal she'd never even anticipated. Finally she found her bearings.

"Are you telling me that, for the first time in decades, Regina Mills learned how to act and feel like a normal human being and you made her revert back to the sadistic control freak she likes to fall back on just to save your own ass?" she asked.

"Well, that wasn't exactly what-" he tried to defend himself but was cut off.

"Then," Emma moved away and started to pace in front of him, "you made my relationship with her a living hell by forcing her to take my fucking life away from me?"

He was beyond speaking at this moment. He knew it wouldn't make any difference. So, when she slammed him back up against the counter and finished off her rant he simply stood there and took it.

"And after all the terrible things you caused to happen to me, I bring your True Love to your doorstep and you bring us right back to the position in which we were after the first incident," she grabbed him by his jacket collar. "Is there any reason I shouldn't just go grab Belle right now, expose you for who you are and send her running into the hills?"

His brow furrowed as he tried to discern whether or not she was finished. After a suitable pause he finally answered her question.

"No," he said. "There is absolutely no reason you shouldn't ruin my happiness right now. I've certainly had a hand in ruining yours. But I don't think you will. Because you are a good person, Emma Swan. You are truly the Savior of us all. And, I know it won't mean much to you right now, but I swear to be on your side. It's not often that I find myself in the debt of another but, because you brought Belle back to me, I owe you a great deal."

"And why should I ever trust you?" she asked through gritted teeth.

"Luckily for you, my cooperation doesn't require your trust," he explained. "You have the power here. I am simply offering my allegiance in hopes that, perhaps, you care enough about Belle's happiness to not separate her from her True Love."

Her nostrils flared as she tried to decide whether or not she wanted to throttle him right there. Her internal struggle was cut short by the sound of a timid voice coming up behind her.

"Is everything alright in here?" Belle asked, worried.

It took Emma a second to let her anger go and release Gold from her hold but she finally did. Turning, she moved to face the worried woman behind her. And as she looked into Belle's eyes she knew that, as much as she wanted to destroy Gold for what he'd done, she couldn't do it if it meant hurting an innocent.

"Um, yeah, sorry Belle," she apologized, looking down and placing her hands on her hips. "We just had a disagreement but," she looked back to him, "I think we're on the same page now. Can you just give us another minute?"

Belle looked cautiously, first at Emma and then at Gold, not knowing whether to stay or go. Emma noted her worry and tried to put her at ease.

"I promise, no physical contact on this round," she tried a joke.

After another few seconds of apprehension, Belle finally acquiesced and moved out of the room.

With one hand on her hip and another squeezing her forehead, Emma turned to address Gold once more.

"Alright, this is what's going to happen," she started. "You're going to hold off on kissing Belle until tomorrow so that I have time to figure out how the hell I'm going to stop this entire town from exploding and coming after both you and Regina. And once it does, once the curse breaks, you will be such an unwavering ally to both me and Regina that poets will scramble to write epic tales of your heroic support. Are we clear?"

"Crystal," he answered with a nod.

"Good," she nodded curtly and then headed for the door.

"Emma," his voice halted her but she didn't turn. "I know you have no reason to believe me but I want you to know that I'm sorry for the role I've played in all of this as far as it concerns you. You did nothing to deserve any of this."

She nodded, "You're right about that."

And, with her exit, she sincerely hoped he could at least adhere to her first request.

The loud pop and clack of sensible heels echoed in the nearly empty Sheriff's Station but Emma barely noticed because her head was buried in Henry's book as she tried to figure out a way to save the day before everything fell apart.

Her concentration was finally broken by a familiar glass bottle being placed on her desk. She looked up at an obviously worried Regina. She decided a friendly ribbing might be the best approach to whatever the mayor was thinking.

"While I do appreciate you wanting to keep a part of me close to you all day, it's probably best leave the very important 'Essence of Swan' locked away somewhere in the McMansion."

Regina huffed, annoyed at Emma's cavalier attitude and pulled the stopper from the bottle to illustrate the seriousness of the situation.

"I'm not drinking that yet," the blonde shook her head. "You might as well put the top back on."

"You can protest all you like but I'm won't be stopping that bottle again," Regina explained, shaking her head and pocketing the stopper. "You need to drink it, and get yourself and Henry out of here. I can't have either of you getting caught in the crossfire of what will happen around here once the curse breaks. And I suggest you drink soon. You're ridiculously accident prone at times and I'd hate to imagine you licking your life force up off the linoleum."

"I'm not leaving this town, Regina," Emma said staunchly and moved around the desk to stand next to her. "If I have to drain that bottle then so be it, I'll drink, but I'm not leaving you."

"You are a mother now, Emma," Regina said pointedly. "You don't get to just think of yourself anymore, you need to think of Henry, and his best interests do not lie in a town where fireballs may be thrown at will."

"Henry is going to be fine," the blonde fired back. "He's got two of the strongest women in… hell, the world, looking out for him. Plus, we don't even know if the magic is coming back along with the memories. No one is going to be able to hurt that kid."

"You can't promise that," the brunette head shook tiredly as she looked away. "You have no idea what I've done to all of the people in this town. Not all of the stories are in that book. And even if the entire town wasn't going to be after my blood, Gold will be. And he is, by far, a stronger adversary than me. You have to go."

"Gold isn't going to harm so much as a hair on Henry's head or yours," Emma moved in to take Regina's face in her hands. "I talked to him this morning and he told me everything. Everything about how he was the one who forced your hand, about how terrible he felt about it when I brought Belle back to him. I made him promise to be our ally."

It would have been so easy to look into those adoring green eyes and simply agree to trust in their confidence but she just couldn't. Emma was too valiant, and being the hero during the coming storm could get her killed. Regina couldn't risk that. She knew she had to put her foot down hard.

"I don't believe I'm making myself clear," she said, her voice dropping an octave as she removed Emma's hands from her face. "This isn't a request. It's an order. You are going to act like an adult and get my son to safety because I can't do it. You will drink the contents of that bottle and you will leave Storybrooke without looking back because if you don't," brown eyes drilled into green. "I will figure out how to rip your heart from your chest and force you to do so the old fashioned way."

"No you won't, Regina," Emma called her out. "You're lying I can tell."

"Oh, do not pull that crap about your super power with me," Regina tried to call her bluff. "You might have Henry believing it but we both know better."

She watched as Emma's eyes challenged her and she knew that her best bet was to leave as soon as possible before she broke completely.

"You will pick Henry up from school today and you will both be well out of town before sundown," she warned. "I'm not discussing this anymore."

The view from behind her as she stormed out looked every bit that of the Evil Queen but, if anyone had been able to see the front they would have seen nothing above the pain in Regina Mills' eyes.

As Emma sat in the squad car and waited for Henry to emerge from the school, so many thoughts ran through her head regarding everything that was going on. It felt like the world was closing in around her.

Well, not the world.

Storybrooke.

Storybrooke was on the verge of exploding into chaos. The world around it was fine. It was safe. It was predictable. And it was one she'd learned to navigate very well.

She allowed her mind to wander into the territory of the outside world, and what it would be like to make a real life in it with Henry. No parents that were her age. No scheming pawn shop owners. No crazy magic… And no Regina.

She looked at the vial sitting on her dash. She ended up stopping it with a pencil eraser, for reasons that she honestly couldn't fathom.

That was her life in there. It was dangerous to just keep it haphazardly housed in that bottle. So why hadn't she drank its contents?

She took a deep breath as she finally allowed the truth to flow forth and overtake her senses.

Regina.

It was the last link she had tying her to the dark mayor. If she drank from it she was truly free.

And Emma had always been a runner.

At the end of it all, she was afraid of herself. Afraid, that once she truly had the decision to make, that she'd let her fear overtake her and lose the one thing that had felt more real than anything else in her lonely life: Storybrooke.

Storybrooke was Henry's smile, and his whimsy, and everything that was wonderful about the absolute faith of a child. It was Mary Margaret's good heart and bad decisions, all stirred up into a cup of cocoa with cinnamon on top. It was Ruby's kind demeanor and penchant for dressing like a transvestite hooker. It was Archie's conscience and the guidance that led her to the person she'd miss most in Storybrooke should she decide to leave.

Because Storybrooke was also every soft touch and kind word she'd ever shared with Regina. It was the passion of their fights and the stillness of their hearts when they rested in each other's arms. It was home, love and forgiveness all wrapped up in a house on Mifflin street.

But it was also all about to change for the worse.

She knew she didn't have much time to make a decision. Henry would be exiting the school soon and she needed to do it before he got in the car and she lost her nerve either way. Grabbing the bottle, she pulled the eraser from the top and looked inside at the glowing liquid. It was 29 years of fire, bravery, despair, loneliness, fear, and a few precious instances of love. And it had gotten her this far. It was time to just take it back and go from there.

"Bottoms up," she said to no one but herself.

Tossing every drop back into her mouth she swallowed and was instantly filled with one of the most intense sensations she'd ever experienced. Goosebumps covered her skin, hair stood on end, and she felt like the energy of the stars existed within her heart. It took a few seconds for her to even remember how to breathe again and she tried to bring it all back down to a more manageable level.

The sound of a knock at the passenger door forced her out of the overall experience and she shook it off before pressing the unlock button for Henry.

"Hey Emma," he climbed in the car and shut the door. "You ok? You look like someone just scared you awake or something."

She took another deep breath and looked into his sweet, dark eyes before brushing soft bangs out of his eyes.

"Yeah, something like that, kid," she said with an assured smile as she started the car.

"Are we going straight to my mom's," he asked, "or are we gonna sneak some milkshakes at Granny's first?"

"Neither actually," she shifted into drive and looked at him. "Things are about to change, Henry. I need you to trust me, can you do that?"

He simply looked at her as if she were slow, "I traveled out of state, brought you back home with me and told you I believe in fairytales. I've been trusting you for a long time, Emma."

She smiled sadly at the truth of his statement, "Alright then, kid. Here we go."

And with that the cruiser pulled away and started them on their journey.

It was dusk and the setting of the sun behind the clock tower was breathtaking as Regina allowed it to wash over her from the vantage point in Henry's bedroom. She'd been in there for a while now; her only company a bottle of cider and the silent foreboding of things to come. She thought she'd be angry, perhaps even plotting some kind of revenge against Gold for so aptly ruining the one real chance at a happy ending that she'd ever had.

Instead she felt incredibly at peace. For the first time since Daniel died, she had done the right thing. She'd protected the people she loved.

Emma and Henry would be well on their way to Boston by now. Safe from the madness that would soon flood the streets of Storybrooke. And that's what mattered.

It was all that mattered, in reality.

It created a fullness in her heart that she'd never before been able to experience.

Her heart was so full there was no room for guilt over her past crimes or even her hatred of Snow White. She wondered if she'd even try to put up a fight once they came for her.

She didn't have to wonder for long. A resounding knock at the door startled her out of her stupor and her muscles tightened.

She may have been sorry for what she'd done, but that didn't mean she'd just be lynched without a fight. A smile crossed her lips at the thought.

"Some things never change," she said to herself before strutting down the stairs to meet the mob.

But, as she tore open the front door, ready to fight, she saw one single form; that of the sheriff. Emma Swan stood there in all her oafish, arrogant, do-gooder glory. Hands stuffed in her back pockets and an obnoxious smirk on her face.

"I told you to leave town with Henry," Regina stated; rage tinting her voice.

"And I have never been good at doing what you tell me to do," Emma replied as she stormed in, shutting the door behind her, taking Regina's face between her hands and crushing their lips together with everything she had.

It was more powerful than any of the other kisses they'd shared and Regina knew immediately that the curse would end as it finished. As much as she wanted to fall into Emma at that moment she also wanted to throttle her for making this decision. Pulling back, she grabbed the collar of the red jacket and turned them until Emma's back was slammed against the front door.

"You stupid, selfish child," Regina growled, pushing her fists harder into the blonde. "Do you have any idea what you've done? You've broken the curse; I can feel the magic running through me. It's out there now and none of us are safe anymore!"

"Good," Emma said in defiance. "Then we don't have to dread it anymore."

"Where is Henry?" tense words escaped through tight lips.

"He's at Mary Margaret's," Emma explained. "As much as you might not like it, Snow White is one of the most beloved of all the fairytale characters. No one is going to hurt her and I left strict instructions with Henry to keep both of them locked up in the apartment. He couldn't be safer right now."

"That's certainly more than I can say for his birth mother," Regina warned. "You will go pick him up right now and drive out of this town. You're no longer welcome here."

She turned her back on Emma and moved into the study to pour another drink. But this time, instead of physically lifting the carafe and tipping it into the glass, she concentrated hard and flicked her wrist. A perfectly measured tumbler of scotch sat on the bar and both women took it in. She could feel Emma behind her and grabbed the glass to show her the reality of the situation.

"Do you see that, Sheriff?" she asked, holding up the evidence. "I have magic again. And that means I can make good on the threat I issued this afternoon."

Emma moved in toward her as if she had nothing to lose. She grabbed the glass and tossed it violently into the fireplace before removing her jacket and entering Regina's space.

"Then do it," she motioned toward her chest.

The brunette looked at her as if she'd absolutely lost her mind.

"Take it, Regina," Emma ordered loudly.

And as if her body were following orders to which her mind had not consented, Regina's right hand thrust forward inside the offered chest. The invasion forced a pained gasp to escape from Emma's throat as her arms reached up instinctually to grasp at the form of the woman before her.

"Take it! It's yours anyway!" the blonde grunted as tears started to form in her eyes.

But there was simply no way that was going to happen. As Regina stood there, Emma's heart beating strong in her hand, she felt the depth of their connection wash over her. Tears now fell from brown eyes, as well as green, and neither woman could move.

"I can't," Regina answered, barely able to manage a whisper.

"Why?" Emma asked, trying to sound in control, though her heart was in the other woman's hands.

"You know why," Regina answered, afraid of what she'd admitted.

"No, you say it," Emma ordered, forcing the brown eyes to meet her own. "My heart is literally in your hand right now, Regina. I love you and I am laying everything on the line for that love. I'm not doing that alone. Now, tell me why you can't take my heart."

Brunette bangs fell across a furrowed brow as she looked back down to the chest her hand was buried in. Her thumb softly, reverently, stroked the pulsing organ and caused gasp to emanate from its owner. It brought Regina's attention back up to a face that looked back at her with unabashed belief and affection. And so much faith that it gave her the strength she needed to finally speak the truth.

"I love you, Emma."

It was everything they both thought it would be and more. It was freedom, adventure, home and happiness and it brought them both to their knees before Regina delicately removed her hand from Emma's chest and pulled her into a desperate hug.

"I love you so much, Emma" she admitted, through tears, into the blonde's neck. "I'm sorry it took me so long to say it."

"I love you too," the blonde said through a relieved smile. "And I'm not going to let anything happen to you. We are going to get through all of this together."

Regina pulled back and moved her hands to the blonde's face, "I can't lose you or Henry. I can't deal with what would happen after that."

"And I am going to make sure that doesn't happen," Emma promised. "I'm the Savior, Regina. I'm going to save you and everyone else in this crazy town until no one needs to be saved anymore. And you, Henry and I can be the stupid, boring family I've never even dreamed of having."

"You have to understand that I will do anything I have to do to ensure that happens," Regina warned, implying the lethality of her protective nature.

Emma shook her head but kept her gaze, "And I'll be here to save you from yourself if things get too intense. This is it, Regina. This is me not running. It's me, for once in my life, taking control of my own destiny. One that I hope you'll want to be a part of. But no matter what, it's going to play out here, in Storybrooke."

Regina stroked the strong yet insecure features of a face she never thought she could love as much as she did.

"No matter how hard I try, it seems that I can never succeed in getting rid of you, Ms. Swan," she said as endearingly as possible; causing Emma to smile.

"Yeah," Emma smiled and let out a soft laugh. "Curses, threats, and even intimacy can't seem to keep me away… Looks like True Love really is the strongest magic of all."

"I hope so," Regina agreed before an angry and thunderous knock at the door intruded upon the beauty of the moment. "We're going to need it to be."