Gold's heart was being drowned in darkness. He had gone back to his dark ways and it was literally killing him. The only way to save Gold was to somehow remove all of the darkness from his heart. The Sorcerer's apprentice was able to remove the darkness from Gold's heart. Unfortunately, that darkness needed to find a host. Emma, Snow, David, Cora, and Neal were standing in the middle of Main Street looking around for the darkness. Regina turned and saw the darkness heading for her and Emma. The mayor shoved her wife to the side and the darkness swirled around her.

Emma was a bit dazed when she looked up and saw her wife, "Regina!"

"No, don't," she yelled. "Snow, David, don't let her stop me."

Snow and David took ahold of their daughter, "it should be me. You deserve the light and happiness. You've worked so hard for."

"The children need you."

"They need you too."

"No, they need someone who can care for them the way they deserve."

"I don't want to lose you."

"You'll never lose me. Just trust me."

The darkness lifted Regina into the air and then she disappeared. All that remained was her cane and a dagger that said 'Regina Mills' on it. Everyone was shocked by what they had just witnessed. Emma picked up the cane and the dagger. Without saying a word to anyone, the sheriff walked home.

The next day, Regina walked into her house and found her family in the dining room, "I see you started eating without me."

Emma looked up, "what are you doing here?"

Regina chuckled, "I live here."

"No, not anymore."

"Excuse me?"

"As long as you're the dark one, you can't be here."

"What about our children?"

"You can't see them."

"They're my children too! Why don't you ask them what they want?!" Regina looked at her daughters and noticed they had their heads bowed. They were afraid of her. "I did this for you."

"And I hate you for it."

Regina gasped, she turned and rushed out of the house. She ran to her vault where she broke down and cried.

Regina slept in her vault that night. When she awoke, she saw a giant stone with a sword in it. As she approached the new object, she realized there was writing on the sword. It was Excaliber. Every other dark one made their way to Storybrooke. The plan was to join Regina's dagger with the sword to snuff out all of the light magic. Something Emma and the rest of Storybrooke discovered. They had to come up with a plan to stop Regina. One that didn't end in Regina's death. Emma was desperate to avoid that and vetoed any plan that could cause the death of her wife. She wanted her Regina back and killing her as the dark one wouldn't bring the woman she fell in love with back.

The night the dark ones decided to put their plan into motion had arrived. Emma, Snow, David, Cora, Gold, Neal, Ella, and the children raced to stop Regina. Emma hadn't realized that the girls had followed. Regina held Excaliber in her hands. She turned and surprised everyone by holding the sword up so it could absorb the darkness that stood there. "Regina, give me the sword," Emma said.

Regina turned towards her family with tears in her eyes, "I can't. If you were dark then I'd be able to let you do this, but I still wouldn't."

"Do what?"

"I want you to know that you're the best thing that ever happened to me. You're the love of my life." She looked at her children, "I love you more than anything. Don't ever forget that."

"Regina?" Emma had a bad feeling. Using magic, Regina took the sword and impaled her abdomen with it. "Regina!" The sword crumbled and Emma ran to her wife. She caught the woman just as she fell. "No, no, you can't go. I can't lose you."

"No one...deserves this...more...than me."

"You do not deserve this."

"I love you. Sorry, we...missed...twenty."

Regina's eyes rolled back in her head, her eyelids shut, and her body went limp, "No!" Emma screamed. She held her late wife's body and sobbed. Snow, David, Cora, Neal, and Rumple comforted the children. Ella comforted Henry. Suddenly, Regina's body vanished, "what the hell?"

"She went to the Underworld," Rumple said.

Emma had an idea. She wasn't going to let her wife go that easily. The sheriff decided to go to the Underworld and give her wife half of her heart. Cora, Snow, David, and Gold agreed to go with her. Neal took the girls home and the boys and Ella joined the others.

Emma went straight to the mayor's mansion in the Underworld. She knocked on the door furiously and felt hopeful when she heard footsteps. Relief washed over her when Regina answered the door. Unfortunately, Regina was not relieved.

"No, Emma, no," Regina said softly and desperately, "what did you do?"

"I came to get my wife back."

"Wait, you're not..."

"No, I'm not."

Regina breathed a sigh of relief. "Emma, the only way I can leave is if someone stays in my place."

"I'm going to give you half of my heart."

"I can't let you do that. You don't know that will work."

"You mother, Gold, my parents, the boys, Ella, and I all came down here to rescue you."

Regina grabbed Emma's upper arms, "Emma," she said in a desperate voice, "you have to let me go."

"Would you if you were me?"

Regina paused and sighed, "probably not."

"You didn't see the looks on our children's faces when you died. I did and I know that they need you. That they want back as much as I do. What about Henry? He's getting married."

"I protected you and that's what matters. Our children need you more."

"Why?"

"Emma, you know why."

"Because you're disabled? You have been an incredible mother. They love you and nothing will change that."

"I didn't sense that they loved me when I became the dark one."

"They were afraid of losing you."

"Or were they afraid of me hurting them?"

"The boys are here with me so that should tell you something." Emma took out her heart and tried to split it in half. It wasn't working. "I don't understand."

"I've been dead for too long. That won't work."

Emma convinced Regina to see them off. The sheriff explained that there was nothing they could do to save the mayor because she needed someone to take her place. Everyone said goodbye to Regina before leaving through the portal. Regina hugged her mother goodbye. Suddenly, she felt herself being spun around and shoved. It didn't register until it was too late, that Cora had saved her daughter's soul. She stayed in the Underworld so Regina could go home to her wife and children.

Everyone was stunned when Regina came crashing to the ground. "Regina!" Emma ran to the woman, "are you alright? What happened?"

Regina was a bit dazed. Then it hit her, "no," she whispered, "I have to go back."

"Regina, what happened?"

The mayor began to cry, "my mother took my place."

"Oh, honey," Emma pulled her wife into a hug. "Let's get you home so you can rest." Emma and Henry pulled Regina to her feet. The blonde wrapped her arms around Regina and teleported them home. They ended up in their bedroom. Emma helped her wife get into bed and waved her hand to change Regina's clothes so she'd be more comfortable. The sheriff dug out Regina's cane and propped it against the nightstand. Regina hadn't needed it since she became the dark one. Emma changed and climbed into bed and took her wife into her arms. Something she never thought she'd be able to do again.

Somehow, Hades had made it out of the Underworld and to Storybrooke. He was constantly torturing Regina. Hades was hell-bent on taking over Storybrooke and he'd get rid of anyone who got in his way. He also hated when other's escaped the Underworld and Regina had done just that.

"I don't want you alone at any time," Emma said.

"So you're just going to follow me everywhere?"

"Hades is trying to kill you and we don't know how to destroy him."

"I'm tired of all of this."

"I know and we will take that trip when this is all over."

"It better be a damn good one. I've been to the Underworld and back. I need relaxation."

Henry ran into the room with the storybook, "there are new pages."

"What?" Emma asked.

"There are new pages that tell the story of Hades and how to defeat him."

The two women looked through the story, "mother," Regina said. "I don't know how she did it, but somehow she got these pages in here."

"I guess we know how to defeat him."

"How do we get that crystal from him without getting killed?"

"I'll do it," a familiar voice said. The two women turned and saw Zelena standing there. "I know exactly how to get that crystal from him."

"Zelena, you could be killed," Regina said.

"I'm not the one with a family who needs me. Besides, it's about time I did something good for once." Emma and Regina followed Zelena in case she needed help. They waited out of sight for Zelena to destroy Hades. They saw a bright light flash and ran towards the scene. Zelena stood there, crying.

Regina took her sister into her arms, "you loved him?"

"With all my heart, but I knew nothing would ever be enough for him. It was the right thing to do."

"Thank you, sis," Regina said.

"Yeah, thanks, sis," Emma said with a smile. Zelena returned the sheriff's smile. The witch had been wrong. She did have a family. One who loved her. One who wanted her.

Cora had made it to Mount Olympus. She had finished her unfinished business and was greeted upon her arrival.

"Are you Zeus?" Cora asked.

"I am," he answered.

"What am I doing here? I should be in the Underworld. Not that I don't want to be here."

"No one has redeemed themselves as well as you have. You made amends to those you wronged the most. You put your heart back in and allowed yourself to love and be loved. Then you made the ultimate sacrifice. You sacrificed yourself for your daughter. Because of you, her wife and children were able to have her back. Then you helped them defeat Hades. I have an incredible offer for you and yes, you do deserve it."