Chapter 5

Shae was standing with Regina in the back room of Gold's pawn shop, staring down at Prince Charming's unconscious body lying on the cot before her. The Prince had willingly been put under a sleeping curse in order to get a message to his wife in The Enchanted Forest, a message with details on how to stop Regina's mother from coming to Storybrooke. Apparently Cora, who was somehow still alive, had been thwarting Emma and Mary Margaret's efforts to return home. Regina and Gold were both desperate to stop her, and Shae couldn't help but share their concerns. She had never met Regina's mother herself, but she had heard stories, stories that chilled even her to the bone.

Charming had been under the sleeping curse for at least twenty four hours, and everyone was starting to grow concerned. Had the spell worked? Was David really able to find Snow White in The Netherworld, and pass along the information that she and her daughter needed to return to their family?

At the moment, Shae was not overly concerned about The Charming's. She was busy arguing with Regina about her heart.

"Why exactly are you suddenly in such a rush to get it back?" Regina asked her, sneering wickedly. "I'm guessing you desperately want to tell your little girlfriend that you love her?"

"Sure, something like that." Shae snarled back.

Ruby had insisted over and over again that she didn't care that Shae didn't have a heart, that she still wanted to be with her regardless of the fact that the vampire couldn't actually share her feelings. Shae did care about Ruby, but not in the way that she should, not in the way she thought Ruby deserved to be cared for.

Unbeknownst to Shae, Regina was keeping her heart safely stored away for one specific reason; She still loved her. She didn't want Shae to get any closer to Ruby than she already was.

"Well, you can tell Ruby that you haven't fulfilled your end of our bargain just yet." Regina replied scathingly.

"Well, I think I have." Shae snarled once again, stepping up close to Regina.

"And I disagree." Regina replied, glaring into the vampire's blood red eyes. "Besides, how do you even know that you will love her once you get your heart back?"

Shae held her gaze for a moment, but then turned away, chewing on her lip ring. "Ah, you've been wondering about that yourself, haven't you?" Regina went on, sporting another evil grin. "It's been almost thirty years since you've felt anything. You have no idea how you're going to feel about her."

Shae was about to respond, when Gold entered the back room. "Any change?" He asked, leaning on his cane.

"No improvement." Shae answered, still glaring into Regina's eyes.

"Oh, I'm sorry, did I interrupt a lover's quarrel?" Sneered Gold.

"No." Shae and Regina both responded in unison.

"He needs true love's kiss." Regina said as Shae stepped away from her. "He won't wake up until Snow White comes back."

"Until?" Gold asked, raising his eyebrows at the former Queen. "That's rather optimistic, don't you think?"

"What the hell are you talking about, Gold?" Shae spat, her mood growing more and more sour by the second.

"We're going up against Regina's mother." Gold explained. "The only chance Snow and Emma have of defeating her is with the squid ink, which we all hope our Prince Charming was able to tell his wife about. But, considering his condition, we have no idea if he was able to pass along the message."

"What exactly are you getting at?" Regina asked, folding her arms across her chest.

"We need to consider the possibility that it won't be Emma and Snow White that come through the portal." Gold replied darkly. "It'll be Cora. And none of us want that. Therefore, we must take necessary precautions."

"I guess I have to agree with Rumple on this one." Shae said, glancing over at Regina. "Your mother sounds like one nasty bitch."

Gold nodded at the vampire. "Oh, trust me, she is." He agreed earnestly. "Which is why we need to find out where they're coming through, and destroy the portal."

"But, whoever comes through will die." Regina said, seemingly concerned.

"Exactly." Gold replied with another nod. "But I'm confident that between the three of us we can conjure up enough magic to get the task done."

"Hold on… What if you're wrong?" Shae asked, glancing worriedly from Gold to Regina. "What if Emma and Snow are the ones that come through?"

"Then, I believe that's what people in this world call a 'win-win.'" Gold said, grinning in a way that Shae did not like one bit. "If we stop Cora, Regina is protected from her mother's wrath. If we stop Snow and Emma? Well… Regina becomes the only mother in her son's life."

Shae glanced over at Regina, who was staring silently at the ground, pondering Rumplestiltskin's words. Before Shae could say anything, Gold went on.

"Magic is unpredictable in this world." He said, still grinning. "If something… Unfortunate, were to happen while you were attempting to help, well, Henry could hardly blame you for that, could he?"

Shae stepped in front of Regina, bringing her face dangerously close to the former Queen's. "Regina, no, you can't do this." She said in a low, desperate tone. "If Emma and Snow are really the ones that come through, you can't destroy the portal, you can't do that to Henry. You're trying to be a better mother, remember?"

"She won't be able to be a better anything if Cora comes through." Retorted Gold. "And if she does, she will be a threat to everyone, especially Henry."

Gold stepped up next to Shae, both of them eyeing Regina expectantly. "If you truly want to be a good mother to Henry, to protect him, you'll help me destroy the portal." He went on.

Regina glanced from Gold to Shae for a few long, silent moments. She then looked at Gold, and slowly nodded.

"No!" Shae shouted furiously. "No, I won't let you do this!"

"My, my, that wolf girl of yours has certainly taken a toll on you." Gold sneered at Shae. "You used to be so… Sinister, so conniving."

"That's not who I am anymore." Shae snarled at him.

"No, it's not, is it?" Regina said, grinning devilishly. "What you are now, is my pet."

She held out her hand, and a puff of purple smoke appeared in her open palm. When it faded away, there was a glowing red heart sitting in her hand.

"Now… Sit!" Regina snarled.

She clamped down hard on Shae's heart, and the vampire fell to her knees, screaming in pain. After a few moments of agonized cries from Shae, Regina released her grip. She waved her free hand over Shae's heart, causing it to disappear in another puff of purple smoke.

"You're one manipulative bitch, you know that?" Shae spat through gritted teeth as she got shakily to her feet. She then glared at Gold. "And you… Well, I just really don't like you."

"The feeling's mutual, dearie." Gold replied, clapping the vampire on the shoulder.

Shae clutched her aching chest, watching silently as Regina and Gold marched out the door to the shop. With little other choice, Shae followed them, hoping against hope that somehow, someway, someone would stop them.

XX

Regina and Mr. Gold walked determinedly out into the woods bordering Storybrooke, Shae trailing reluctantly along behind them. The vampire had remained silent as she watched Regina lie to her son, telling Henry that she was going to make sure that Emma and Mary Margaret got home safely. She remained silent still as Regina and Gold ventured down into the mines, and watched as Gold used a dead fairy's wand to absorb all the fairy dust left in Storybrooke. She clenched her fists inside the pockets of her leather jacket, thinking about what Ruby would say if she saw her now.

"You're certain the portal is going to open up all the way out here?" Regina asked Gold as they walked through the forest.

"There." Gold replied, pointing to the wishing well standing a few yards ahead of them. "This is where things once lost are returned to us. This is where Cora will come through."

The three of them stepped up to the well, peering down into it. Shae was shocked to find that the water inside was bubbling.

"So, what are we waiting for?" Regina asked, looking at Gold.

They all stepped away from the well, and Gold turned around, raising the wand into the air. Shae watched in horror as rolling black clouds appeared in the air above them. A jolt of lightning shot down into the well, stirring up a bright green vortex, crackling with electricity.

"Doesn't matter who comes through now." Commented Gold, grinning devilishly at Regina and Shae. "No one can survive this."

"Regina, please, think about what you're doing." Shae pleaded desperately.

"I am thinking about it." Regina snarled back. "I'm protecting my son, and you."

"Me?" Shae asked, looking confused. "Why would you want to protect me?"

Regina was about to respond, but stopped when they all heard footsteps. Her, Shae, and Gold, all whirled around, and found Henry running toward them, Ruby close behind him.

"Mom?" Henry said, staring wide eyed at Regina. "You're not trying to help Emma and Mary Margaret are you?"

"Oh my god…" Ruby breathed, staring from Regina, to Gold, and then, finally, to Shae. "Y-You're going to kill them!"

She turned to Shae, panic in her eyes. "Shae! Do something!"

Shae clenched her fists, staring down at the ground, refusing to meet Ruby's eye. She glanced over at Regina, who was silently glaring at her. She sighed, then shook her head slowly.

Ruby's face fell into an enraged snarl. She stomped up to Shae, shoving her roughly backwards. "I stood up for you!" She screamed at the vampire. "I told Granny, told everyone that you were good, that you'd changed!"

Shae continued to stare silently down at the ground, which made Ruby even more angry. She shoved Shae again, and a loud smack echoed through the trees as she slapped her across the face. Shae staggered back a step, rubbing her cheek.

"You haven't changed." Ruby whispered, her eyes glistening with tears. "You're just the same as you always were, following Regina's every order like a damn puppet."

"I don't have a choice, Ruby!" Shae shouted, finally breaking her silence.

"Yes you do!" Ruby shouted back. "You always have a choice!"

"Actually, I'm afraid you were right the first time." Regina cut in, now glaring fiercely at the she-wolf. "Shae IS my puppet, and she will follow my orders."

Regina then turned her gaze onto the vampire, grinning wickedly. "Now, be a dear and take care of your girlfriend. She's starting to annoy me."

"What? No! I won't hurt her!" Shae replied defiantly.

"Then, I'm afraid I'll have to." Said Gold.

He threw his hand out toward Ruby, sending her flying backward. Ruby's back slammed into a nearby tree, and she slumped to the ground, where she lie motionless.

"NO!" Henry cried.

"RUBY!" Shae screamed.

"Sorry, dearie." Gold said as Shae rushed over to Ruby. "Her incessant yelling was starting to make my head ache."

Shae knelt down next to Ruby, staring helplessly down at her unconscious body. "Ruby? Ruby!" She shouted desperately, gently patting Ruby's cheeks.

"Mom, what are you doing?" Henry asked Regina, his eyes welling with tears.

"I'm helping you, Henry." Regina replied gently. "We can't let Cora come through, you have no idea what she would do to us."

"Emma and Mary Margaret are going to defeat her, they'll be the ones that come through!" Henry pleaded with his mother. "Good always defeats evil! You should know that better than anyone."

Regina stared down at her son in silent shock, obviously stung by the boy's words. "What I know is that my mother will destroy everything I love." She replied, kneeling in front of Henry. "That means you, and-"

Regina paused, glancing over at Shae, who was still kneeling next to Ruby, trying in vain to wake her up. She swallowed hard, her words catching in her throat.

"I just… I can't let that happen." She finished as she straightened up.

Henry pushed past her, rushing toward the well. Regina sped after him, grabbing him by his shoulders and holding him back.

"You can't! Stop it! You can't!" Henry screamed desperately, tears running down his face as he tried to break free of his mother's grip. "You're going to kill them! Please, no! They're going to make it through! We have to turn it off! You're going to kill them!"

Henry managed break free, rushing toward the well again. Regina grabbed his arm, pulling him back. "Shae!" She shouted commandingly.

Shae snapped her head up, and saw Henry struggling against his mother. "Shae, now!" Regina commanded again.

Shae got to her feet, glaring furiously at Regina as she stomped over to Henry. She wrapped an arm around his waist, effortlessly lifting him into the air. She set him back down in front of her again when she had drawn back a few steps, then wrapped an arm around his chest.

"No! Stop it! Let me go!" Henry shouted furiously, tugging at Shae's arm.

"I'm sorry, Henry. I'm so sorry." Shae said, her voice quiet and miserable.

"Emma and Mary Margaret are going to come through! I know it!" Henry screamed at his mother.

"Your Mother's right, Henry." Gold said darkly. "It's going to be Cora."

"No! No, it's not!" Henry insisted. He gave up on his efforts to try and free himself from Shae's iron grip, his arms falling limply to his sides.

"You said you wanted to change, to be better." Henry said to Regina, his voice cracking with emotion. "This is how!"

Regina's expression softened as she looked down at her son's tear stained face. She then glanced up at Shae, who nodded slowly.

"He's right, Regina." Shae said quietly. "You want your son to have faith in you? Then have faith in him."

Regina stared silently at the faces of the two people she loved most in this world, in any world. She bit her lip, struggling with the confliction inside her. She knew that if her mother came through that portal, she would cause nothing but pain for her, and the ones she loved. But, as she gazed down at Henry's hopeful face, she knew she had to stop. Shae was right, she had to have faith.

Regina turned around, stepping up the well. "Regina, no!" Gold shouted, rushing toward her.

Shae threw out her hand, sending the old man hurtling backward through the air. "Hurry, Regina!" She shouted.

Regina placed her hands over the swirling green vortex. Shae and Henry both let out gasps of shock as Regina's body jerked violently, beams of energy shooting up into her arms from the vortex. Her body continued to convulse as she absorbed its power.

"Shae!" Henry suddenly cried, pointing over at Gold, who was staggering to his feet.

"Stay here, Henry. I'll stop him." She told the boy as she released him.

"You sure you want to pick a fight with me, dearie?" Gold snarled as Shae placed herself between him and Regina.

"I'm sure that I've been wanting to give you a nice, fat knuckle sandwich for a long time now." Shae snarled back.

Gold didn't bother with his own witty retort. He summoned a fireball into his hand, hurling it at the vampire. Shae leapt out of the way, rolling across the ground and landing on her stomach.

"REGINA!" She screamed as Gold changed the fireball's course, sending it right toward Regina.

Regina was too busy trying to stop the swirling vortex to notice her peril. Shae threw her hand out again, stopping the fireball just before it hit Regina's back. She swept her hand to the side, the fireball careening to the right, crashing safely into a tree. She rolled onto her back, just in time to grab Gold's arm as he threw himself upon her, a dagger in his hand.

Shae screamed in pain as the tip of the dagger scraped against her cheek, her skin sizzling and smoking. "Where the hell did you get silver from?" She snarled through gritted teeth as she struggled to hold Gold's arm back.

"Oh, I've been saving this just for you, dearie." Gold snarled back with a dangerous grin.

They struggled against each other for a few moments, but Shae finally managed to overpower him. She shoved him off of her, causing the old man to fall back onto the ground. She grabbed the dagger that had fallen from his hand, tossing it into the trees as she got to her feet.

Gold let out a howl of rage from his spot on the ground, throwing his arm out toward Shae. The vampire was sent hurtling backward, grunting in pain as she smacked into a tree. She stumbled forward, attempting to steady herself. At that exact moment, a pulsewave of energy shot out from the well, sending Regina flying backward into Shae.

Shae fell face first into the ground, and Regina fell on top of her a second later, her forehead bouncing painfully off of the back of Shae's head. They both lie still for a moment, trying to steady themselves as the world spun around them. The forest had gone eerily still, the silence broken only by Regina and Shae's groans of pain.

"NO!" Henry suddenly screamed.

Regina used Shae's head as support, pressing the vampire's face into the dirt as she propped herself up. Shae groaned incoherently in protest as Regina turned toward the well. The vortex was gone, but nobody seemed to be coming through.

"Henry… I'm sorry, I'm so sorry." Regina whispered to her son.

Suddenly, a hand appeared over the side of the well. Henry gasped, and Regina stared in silent shock as Emma pulled herself out, Mary Margaret close behind her.

"Mom!" Henry cried.

"Henry!" Shouted Emma.

Henry ran forward, throwing himself into Emma's arms. Emma hugged him tight, smiling as Snow White threw her arms around both of them.

"Oh, I missed you." Emma whispered, kissing the top of Henry's head. "I missed you so much."

"I missed you too!" Henry said, tears of joy now leaking out of his eyes.

"What… Happened?" Snow White asked slowly, staring around at Regina, Shae, and Ruby all on the ground, and Gold silently slipping away into the forest.

"They saved you! They saved both of you!" Henry replied joyfully, smiling at his mother.

"Where's Shae?" Regina suddenly asked, staring all around her.

"Down here." Shae mumbled, her face still being pressed into the ground by Regina's hand.

"Oh!" Regina breathed in surprise, now suddenly noticing that she was sitting on Shae's back.

Emma and Snow both rushed forward, helping Regina and Shae to their feet. Shae spat out a mouthful of dirt, wiping her mouth with the back of her hand.

"Thank you." Emma said to Regina, smiling gratefully as she hugged Henry again.

"You're welcome." Regina replied with a curt nod.

"Snow? Emma?"

Ruby had finally regained consciousness. She ran toward Snow, embracing her tightly. She then embraced Emma, and when she pulled back, she looked over at the well, then around at everyone else.

"What happened?" She asked, eyes wide with shock.

"My mom, she stopped it!" Henry replied excitedly. "And Shae, she fought off Rumplestiltskin!"

"Really?" Ruby breathed, turning her wide eyes onto Shae. "Oh, you're hurt!"

Shae traced her finger along the gash the silver dagger had left on her cheek. "Yeah, well, the old fart is a lot stronger than he looks." She muttered with a painful grimace.

Ruby stepped closer to Shae, gently tracing the gash herself. She looked into Shae's eyes, her own suddenly very sad. "Shae… I-I'm sorry." She said quietly. "I shouldn't have-"

"It's ok." Shae cut her off, smiling down at her.

Ruby smiled back, throwing her arms around Shae's neck and kissing her deeply. Emma and Mary Margaret's mouths both gaped open in shock.

"Oh! Well, um, that's certainly, uh…" Snow stammered.

"Something." Emma finished, glancing at Regina in surprise.

"Yes, 'something.'" Regina muttered, looking away from the lovers as they kissed.

"Oh! That reminds me!" Snow suddenly exclaimed. She grabbed Ruby's arm, causing her to break away from Shae. "Where's my husband? I need to find him."

Ruby smiled, taking her friend by the hand. "Come on, let's go wake him up."

XX

Ruby led the group back to Gold's shop, and, once there, Mary Margaret woke her husband from his curse with true love's kiss. They all decided to celebrate the family reunion with dinner at Granny's. As Ruby grabbed Shae by the hand, the vampire glanced back at Regina, who had been standing quietly apart from the rest of the joyous group. Shae's brow furrowed when she saw tears in the former Queen's eyes.

Shae was sitting in a booth at Granny's by herself, staring down at the table, unable to get the heartbroken look on Regina's face out of her mind. She was roused from her silent musings as Emma slid into the booth across from her.

"So, you and Ruby, huh?" She asked, grinning playfully.

"Uh, yeah." Shae replied with a small smile. "It's still pretty new but, uh, she's… She's really great."

"Yeah, she is." Emma agreed with a nod. "Just… Do me a favor? If you gotta break up with her, make sure you at least tell her why. Don't just go running off, ok? Cuz it really sucks, trust me."

Shae stared back down at the table in silent shame. "Yeah, I know." She muttered sadly. "I won't make that mistake again, I promise."

Emma smiled, giving her a nod. She then reached across the table and grabbed Shae's hand, squeezing it gently. "Thank you, Shae, for what you did earlier."

Shae gave a modest shrug. "Eh, I didn't really do anything."

"No, you did." Emma insisted. "Henry told me that you convinced Regina to stop the spell that was going to destroy the portal, and that you fought Gold. In Henry's words, 'It was totally badass!'"

Shae laughed, and Emma did too, slowly shaking her head. "I'm guessing we all have you to thank for teaching him a new bad word."

Shae pretended to look offended. "What? Why do you automatically assume it was me?" She asked. "It was probably Grumpy. Dude swears like a damn sailor."

Emma laughed again, nodding in agreement. "Yeah, he does, doesn't he?" She said. "Seriously, though, thank you. Henry said that you and Regina… You're both trying to change, to be… Good. For what it's worth, I think what you both did today was a huge step."

Shae nodded, chewing on her lip ring anxiously. "Thanks." She muttered.

Emma's brow furrowed as she eyed Shae curiously. "Hey, you ok?" She asked. "You're doing that whole… Sulky, brooding thing that you do."

This time, Shae actually was offended. "I don't sulk, or brood!" She replied indignantly.

Emma rolled her eyes. "Right, sure you don't."

Shae let out a frustrated sigh, getting up from the booth. "I just… I've got something I gotta go take care of."

"What? But we haven't even gotten a chance to catch up!" Complained Emma.

"Yeah, well, we can catch up tomorrow or something." Shae replied, waving her hand dismissively. "Tell Ruby I said bye, alright?"

"Alright." Emma replied with a relenting sigh.

Shae nodded at her, then stepped out into the night air. She paused momentarily to light a cigarette, then set off briskly down the sidewalk. Her thoughts were once again on Regina, how miserable she had looked as she watched her son walk away from her, hand in hand with his real mother. If she had her heart, she thought she might feel sorry for her. Emma was right, Regina had taken a huge step in her quest for change, they both had. For reasons that were unknown to her, even after the way Regina had treated her earlier, it just didn't sit right with her knowing Regina was all alone in her house, likely wallowing in her own misery.

XX

Regina wiped the tears angrily away from her face as they continued to leak from her eyes. She had been sitting on the bench in her back garden for some time now, thinking about everything she had lost that day. Henry had his family back, his real family. Regina had adamantly insisted that, since she had raised Henry, she was his real mother. But, she was starting to feel that wasn't true, not anymore, not after the way she had tried to force him to stay with her, and especially not after today, after she had almost killed Emma and Snow White. If it hadn't been for Shae's words of wisdom, she may have never stopped the portal from being destroyed.

More tears soaked her cheeks as she thought about Shae. She had someone else now, someone who could actually love her properly. Regina knew that Shae and Ruby were good together, that Ruby was good for her. Ruby had never hurt Shae the way that Regina had, never betrayed her. And she most certainly had never, and would never, treat Shae the way that Regina had been treating her. All she wanted was to have Shae back in her arms, to hear her say that she loved her again. But, in her rage and her jealousy, all she had managed to do was push the woman she loved further away.

"If you hold onto something too tight, you'll either break it, or it'll pop right out of your hand, far, far away from you. And once it's gone, or broken, there is very little chance that you'll ever get it back."

Shae's words tolled like a bell throughout Regina's mind. She squeezed her eyes shut, more and more tears flowing down her face. She was thoroughly miserable, her heart and soul immeasurably heavy with the guilt she felt for everything she had done to Shae, and to her son.

"There you are!"

Regina jumped, snapping her head to the side and found Shae standing next to her bench. It was as if her very thoughts had summoned the vampire to her.

"What are you doing back so soon?" Regina asked, hastily wiping the tears from her eyes.

Shae shrugged. "Eh, Snow and Charming kept macking on each other. It was grossing me out."

Regina laughed sourly. "Yes, they are quite a disgusting couple."

"Right? They're all like," Shae then raised her voice into a mocking, sing-song tone. "'I'll always find you! True love conquers all! Meh, meh, meh!' Gross."

Regina laughed again. "That's quite an accurate impression of the two of them."

"Pretty good, right?" Shae said, smiling one of her cheeky and quirky smiles that Regina loved so much.

She turned her face away, wiping more moisture from her face as Shae sat down on the bench next to her. Regina was sure that Shae had noticed she had been crying, but the vampire decided not to mention it.

"That is a pretty great apple tree you've got." Shae said, pointing at the tree in the center of Regina's garden. "You know apples have always been a favorite of mine."

"Yes, I remember." Regina said with a smile.

"Well, you'll be happy to know that in twenty eight years, I never found a single apple that tasted half as good as the ones from your tree." Shae went on, smiling as well.

Regina raised an eyebrow at her. "Is that a euphemism for something?"

"What? No!" Shae replied, looking appalled. "Not everything I say is a euphemism. Get your mind out of the gutter, lady!"

Regina laughed loudly, and Shae laughed with her. Once again, Shae was able to make her laugh and smile when her mind and heart were clouded with darkness. She bit her lip, turning her face away again as she fought back more tears.

"Well, there's a Star Wars marathon starting in about twenty minutes, so that's obviously what I'm going to be doing with the rest of my night." Shae announced, leaping lightly to her feet. "By the way, super awesome that you were able to get cable in a fake, magical town."

Regina followed Shae back into the house. "I can't say I've ever seen it." She said with a shrug.

Shae whirled around, her jaw dropping in disturbed shock. "YOU'VE NEVER SEEN STAR WARS?"

Regina jumped, drawing back a step at Shae's sudden and rather angry outburst. "Um, no, no I haven't." She replied slowly.

"Jesus Christ! What have you people been doing for the last thirty years?" Shae grumbled in reply. She then pointed a finger very seriously at Regina. "Alright, listen here. Get some wine, make some popcorn. This is happening."

Regina chuckled, shaking her head slowly. "Fine, fine."

A few moments later, Regina sat down on the couch next to Shae, pouring two glasses of wine and setting the bowl of popcorn on the coffee table in front of them.

"Alright, buckle up, sister!" Shae said excitedly. "You're about to embark on an epic journey to a galaxy far, far away."

Regina laughed, shaking her head at Shae once again. She was thoroughly amused by how excited the vampire was. She suddenly found herself blushing like a little girl. She found Shae's nerdy enthusiasm to be quite… Adorable.

What Shae did next, however, was much less than adorable. She grabbed a handful of popcorn and shoved it into her mouth. She immediately grimaced, spitting the popcorn out into her hand.

"Ugh! Blech!" She cried, grabbing a nearby tissue wiping the now half chewed popcorn onto it. "It's like… Salty, buttery, crunchy… Awfulness!"

"Why did you tell me to make it if you hate it so much?" Regina asked, wrinkling her nose in disgust.

Shae downed her entire glass of wine before she responded. "I dunno! Movies and popcorn just… Go together." She said with a shrug. "At least that left a better taste in my mouth than listening to Snow and Charming babbling on about true love for an hour."

Regina chuckled, and so did Shae. They then fell silent for a few moments. "Can I ask you something?" Regina asked eventually.

When Shae nodded at her, she went on. "True love… Do you really think it exists?"

Shae shrugged. "Well, considering I just watched true love's kiss break an otherwise unbreakable sleeping curse, yeah, I guess I have to."

Regina nodded slowly, biting her lip, thinking about the night, years ago, that she had ran away from her apparent one true love. The fairy Tinkerbell had used her fairy dust to cast a spell, leading her and Regina to a tavern. Tinkerbell had told her that the man inside, the man with the lion tattoo, was her soulmate. But Regina refused to believe it, certain that it was a mistake, a trick. There was no such thing as true love.

That had all changed when she met Shae. Her world had turned upside down the moment that her lips connected with the vampire's for the very first time. Her and Shae had been so happy together for so long, and she had truly started to believe that she had found her true love, her soulmate. But, considering everything that had happened between them, she was starting to think that maybe she was right the first time.

"Why?" Shae asked her, giving her a curious stare.

Regina bit her lip again, choosing her next words carefully. "What you and Ruby have… Do you think it's true love?" She asked quietly.

Shae's face fell into a frown, and she glanced away from Regina. "I… I don't know." She replied slowly. "I'm not sure if people like you and me are actually allowed to have true love."

Regina frowned as well. "Do you really think that?"

Shae thought for a moment, then sighed heavily. "Oh, I don't know." She said with a small smile. "I guess even the blackest of hearts could find true love someday."

Regina nodded slowly, pondering Shae's words. She then shifted in her seat slightly, turning her body to face Shae. She took Shae's hand, staring remorsefully into the vampire's blood red eyes.

"Shae… I… I'm sorry, for the way I've been treating you lately." She told her. "Especially for today. I have been… Struggling, and I took my frustrations out on you. I'm trying to do better, to be better, for Henry. Treating you as poorly as I have been is certainly not a step in the right direction. I'm just… Sorry."

Shae stared silently at Regina for a few, long moments, seemingly unable to believe what she was hearing. She then smiled a warm and grateful smile.

"Thank you." She whispered.

"No, thank you." Regina replied, squeezing her hand gently. "For convincing me to have faith in my son, to do the right thing. And for this, for tonight. For leaving the party so… So I wouldn't be alone. I… Appreciate it more than you know."

"Well, I didn't… I just… I told you, I-" Shae began to stammer. She then stopped, breathing out a sigh, and nodding at Regina. "You're welcome."

Shae then gasped as a loud, symphonic note emanated from the television. "Shh! It's starting!" She said, excitedly patting Regina's knee.

Regina watched for a moment, then gave Shae a puzzled glance. "It's only scrolling text."

"IT'S IMPORTANT."

"Alright, alright. My god…"

Regina watched for a while, but, as much as she wanted to enjoy the movie, mostly due to Shae's gleeful excitement, the exhaustion from the day's events began to wash over her. Before she knew it, she found herself lying curled up on the couch, her eyelids growing heavier by the second. She was just about to fall asleep, when she felt Shae stirring by her feet. She ever so slightly opened her eyes, and smiled as Shae pulled the blanket off the back of the couch, tucking it gently around her.

Having seen all the Star Wars movies several hundred times already, Shae was not overly focused on the television herself. She was thinking about the question Regina had posed to her, about true love. She had said that perhaps someone like herself would be able to find true love someday, but she wasn't entirely sure if she believed her own words. She found herself reminiscing about a time when she had thought she had found true love, about the first time she had told Regina that she loved her.

XXXXX

Shae stared up at the tall, pointed towers of Queen Regina's castle as she walked up the pathway to the palace's grand doors. Regina had sent her out on a scouting mission a few days prior. Prince James and Snow White had retaken King George's castle, and his army, and Regina thought it best to send Shae out alone to see exactly how much of his father's army the Prince was able to gain.

A group of The Queen's soldiers snapped to attention as the vampire walked by, saluting her. "As you were, gents." She told them with a grin.

She chuckled as The Huntsman fell into step beside her. "Ah, my heart still gets all aflutter when men salute me." She said with a grin.

"What news do you bring The Queen?" The Huntsman asked her.

"Well, The Prince and Snow White have decided to change the color scheme of their army's uniforms. Terribly drab, if you ask me. I much prefer the old ones."

The Huntsman narrowed his eyes at the vampire. "I meant, about the size of the army." He grumbled. "Is it more vast than Regina's?"

"That's on a need to know basis." Shae replied. "And you don't need to know."

The Huntsman grabbed the vampire's arm roughly, causing her to stop in her tracks. "What exactly do you think you're doing, Huntsman?" Shae growled at him dangerously.

"I'm trying to help you." The Huntsman replied in a low voice, stepping closer to her.

"Help me with what?" Shae asked, eyeing him warily.

"I know what you've been doing, I know you've been sharing The Queen's bed every night." The Huntsman replied, dropping his voice even lower. "I've seen the way you look at her. You love her, don't you?"

Shae drew back a step, narrowing her eyes angrily at The Huntsman. "That's none of your damn business!"

The Huntsman stepped forward again. "Well, I'm making it my business." He said, glaring into the vampire's blood red eyes. "Heed my words, if you value your life, your freedom, you'll leave this place, and run as far away from Regina as you can."

"Trying to get rid of me, are you?" Shae sneered at him. "Well, I'm not going anywhere. I'm exactly where I want to be."

"Then I suggest you watch your step, bloodsucker." Growled The Huntsman. "Never do anything to betray The Queen, don't ever even think it. Otherwise, she'll steal your heart just as she stole mine."

Shae chuckled, shaking her head slowly in disbelief. "Oh, I see." She muttered, grinning devilishly at The Huntsman. "Sorry, my friend, but this isn't the first time I've stolen a man's lover. I'm not sure what it is exactly you men do in bed, but it must be terribly dull."

"She is not my lover!" The Huntsman snarled. "I meant that she literally ripped my heart out of my chest using her dark magic."

Shae's grin fell into a shocked stare. "Ah, I see. I always wondered what it was that Regina held over you. You've never seemed overly pleased to be here."

"Aye, that's because I'm not here of my own will." The Huntsman replied darkly. "She uses my heart to keep me prisoner here, to make me her puppet."

"I see." Shae muttered. "I had heard stories, seen her vault, but I've never actually seen her take someone's heart in person. Must be quite a site to see."

The Huntsman drew back a step, eyeing the vampire incredulously. "Does it not bother you that the woman you love steals people's hearts?"

Shae gave an unconcerned shrug. "Not particularly."

The Huntsman's face fell into a fearsome glare. "Then you're just as blackhearted as she is." He growled. "You two truly deserve each other."

"Aw! That's the nicest thing you've ever said to me, Huntsman!" Shae said mockingly, patting the man's cheek. "Now, get lost."

Shae turned away from him, continuing down the walkway toward the castle. "And take a bath!" She called over her shoulder. "You stink like a wet dog!"

The vampire chuckled when she heard some angry grumbling from behind her. She had now reached the palace doors, and she threw them open. Regina had obviously gotten word of her arrival. She was seated on her throne, several armed guards surrounding her.

Shae smiled as she approached her Queen. The butterflies in her stomach fluttered wildly, as they always did when she saw Regina. Even though she had only been gone a few days, she had missed Regina terribly. All she wanted to do was hold her in her arms, kiss her, tell her how much she missed her.

"Welcome back, my protector." The Queen said as Shae approached the throne.

Shae bowed low. "It's good to be back, Your Majesty."

When Shae glanced back up, she found Regina smiling down at her, a smile that she reserved only for Shae. She then cleared her throat, smoothing out her face.

"What news do you bring?" She asked.

"I fear The Prince and Snow White have managed to salvage almost the whole entirety of King George's army." Shae replied grimly.

Regina frowned down at her. "I see. And does their army rival the strength of my own?"

Shae gave another unconcerned shrug. "Perhaps." She admitted. "But, we have certain advantages that they don't."

Regina raised an eyebrow at her. "And what exactly are these advantages?"

Shae grinned, spreading her arms wide. "Why, the two of us, of course!" She replied, as if the answer should have been obvious. "You are a formidable force all on your own, and you've seen my particular abilities. Together, we could take down a whole score of their men before your own even have a chance to bloody their blades."

Shae took a step forward, grinning deviously. "They may have numbers, but you needn't fear that. When the times comes, we will unleash hell upon Snow White and her Prince."

The grin that spread across The Evil Queen's face matched the wicked deviousness of Shae's. "Your thirst for blood knows no bounds, does it?"

Shae gave another shrug. "No, it doesn't. It's my nature."

"Indeed." Regina muttered in agreement. "You have done well, my protector."

She stood up from her throne, waving her hand dismissively at her guards. "Leave us." She commanded.

Regina stepped slowly down from her throne, and, as soon as the doors swung shut behind her guards, Shae rushed forward, pulling Regina tightly into her arms, kissing her passionately.

"You came back!" Regina whispered as they broke apart, taking Shae's face gently in her hands.

"I always come back." Shae replied with a smile, leaning in and kissing her again.

The words they had just spoke were ones that they always said to each other anytime they were reunited after a time apart. Unbeknownst to both of them, those words were their ways of telling the other, 'I love you.' Regina had been aching to actually say it for quite some time, and so was Shae, but they were both afraid. They had both gained nothing but pain and misery from love before, and neither of them wanted to go through it again.

Shae couldn't hold it in any longer. The Huntsman had been right, she did love Regina. She loved her with her whole heart, her entire soul. She had never felt anything quite so intense in her life, not even when she had Nadia. She had to tell Regina how she felt. She only hoped that her Queen would feel the same.

"Are you alright?" Regina suddenly asked, staring into Shae's blood red eyes with concern. "You're shaking."

Shae glanced down at her hands, and noticed that were indeed quivering. She swallowed hard, nodding hastily.

"Yes… I-I mean, no." She replied uncertainly. "I mean… I think… I-I don't… I don't know."

"Shae, what's wrong?" Regina asked, placing her hand gently on Shae's cheek.

Shae let out a heavy sigh, attempting to stop her hands from shaking. She gently removed Regina's hand from her cheek, taking both of them in her own cold, pale hands.

"I-I need to tell you something… Something important." She said slowly.

"What is it?" Breathed Regina, now looking more concerned than ever.

Shae glanced down at her, swallowing the hard lump that had suddenly formed in her throat. "Regina… I-I think… No, I know… I-I, um…" Shae began to stammer.

She stopped, staring into The Queen's gorgeous brown eyes. "Regina… I… I love you."

Regina's mouth gaped open in silent shock. She pulled her hands out of Shae's grip, drawing back a step. "What?" She breathed.

Shae stepped forward, cupping Regina's face in her hands. "I am so deeply, ridiculously in love with you." She whispered softly. "When we're together, my mind is at peace, all the pain and the heartache I've endured in my many years seems to fade away, and the whole world, everything in life, actually seems to make sense."

Shae used her thumb to wipe away a tear that had leaked out of Regina's eye. "And when we're apart? It's… Agony." She went on, staring deep into The Queen's eyes. "It's been agony, you not knowing how I felt about you. I've been wanting to say it for such a long time, since the day you came back into my life, the day you saved me from Van Helsing and his men. I… I couldn't go on not saying it anymore."

Regina remained in silent shock. When she turned her face away from Shae, the vampire gently placed a hand under her chin, turning her head back to face her.

"Please, if you feel anything for me, if you're suffering too, please… Please, tell me." She whispered urgently, desperately searching The Queen's eyes.

Regina turned away again, stepping back and turning her back on the woman she loved. The fear she felt was too great, the pain of Daniel's death still fresh in her mind and heart, even after all the years that had passed. She couldn't do it, not again.

"I don't." She answered quietly. "I don't love you, Shae."

Shae stood rooted in her spot, her jaw dropping open. "What? N-No!" She exclaimed. "You do feel something, I know you do!"

"What you think you know is your own self absorbed delusion!" Regina replied scathingly, whirling back around to face Shae. "What I wanted from you was merely physical, nothing more. I feel nothing for you."

Tears started to stream down Shae's face, and Regina bit back her own. She knew she had just broken Shae's heart, and her own in the process. But it was better this way, safer, for the both of them.

"No…" Shae whispered, choking back a sob. "I-I thought-"

"You thought wrong." Regina snarled at her. "Now, get out!"

"What?"

"You are hereby relieved of your position and your duties." Regina commanded. "I can't have you around if this is how you truly feel. Your feelings for me will only get in my way."

"Regina, please, I-"

"You heard me. GET. OUT."

Regina threw her hands out toward Shae, sending the vampire shooting backwards, back out the doors to her throne room. Shae landed on her back on the cobblestone pathway outside the castle. She scrambled to her feet just as the palace doors slammed shut before her.

Shae whirled around when she heard someone chuckling behind her. It was The Huntsman, grinning at her in a knowing way.

"I tried to warn you." He said.

Shae let out a roar of rage, throwing out her hand, The Huntsman careening backward through the air. She held out her other hand as Regina's soldiers drew their swords, and one of the men's weapons flew out of his hand, and into Shae's.

Shae's eyes glowed red as she set upon the unfortunate soldiers. Blood splattered all over the cobblestones as the vampire raged, taking out all her pain and sorrow on the men before her. When only one man was left alive, he fell to his knees, begging for mercy.

"Please! Please, spare me!" He cried.

Shae threw the sword aside and, for a moment, the poor man thought he was saved. There was a loud, sickening squelching noise as Shae plunged her fist directly through the soldier's chest. He slumped lifeless to the ground as Shae held his heart in her hand, blood and guts dripping onto the ground. Shae clenched her fist, blood splattering onto her pale gray face as she crushed the man's heart in her hand.

Shae observed the carnage at her feet, her chest heaving with rage. She fell to her knees, her whole body shaking with uncontrollable sobs. The woman she loved didn't love her back. Her heart, her whole world, had once again been shattered.

The doors to the castle suddenly burst open. Shae leapt to her feet, expecting, hoping even, to find Regina. Instead, a score of soldiers came rushing out the doors, all armed with swords. Shae squeezed her eyes shut. This was it, it was all over. She, once again, had nothing left. The soldiers halted as there was a whirl of blood red smoke, and Shae was gone.

XXXXX

To properly celebrate Emma and Mary Margaret's return, Granny and Ruby decided to throw a welcome back party for them at the diner. Half the town of Storybrooke was gathered at Granny's, and once everyone had a drink in hand, David gave a toast.

"I just wanted to thank you all for joining us tonight." He said. "Mary Margaret and I, we have a saying… That we will always find each other."

He paused, smiling at his wife. "While I believe that with all my heart, I'd like you all to raise your glasses and join me when I say," He paused again, raising his mug of beer. "Here's to not having to look for a while."

"To Mary Margaret and Emma!" Ruby exclaimed, also raising her glass.

The party goers all cheered, raising their glasses and drinking deep. The bell over the diner's door tinkled, and they all turned to see who had arrived. The atmosphere in the diner instantly shifted as Regina stepped in.

"Sorry we're late." Regina said, smiling and holding up a casserole dish.

"What up, party people?" Shae sang out, dramatically jumping through the door behind Regina, her guitar strapped to her back. Her face fell into a frown as she glanced around at everyone's angry and wary faces.

"Woah, bad vibes in here." She muttered. "Came in a little too hot, sorry guys."

"Hey!" Ruby exclaimed, running over to Shae and throwing her arms around her, kissing her happily.

Leroy suddenly grabbed a large knife from off the counter, stomping forward and brandishing it furiously. "What the hell are they doing here?" He growled.

Shae sighed, leaving one arm around Ruby's waist and holding out her other hand. The knife flew out of Leroy's hand, and into Shae's.

"Rude." Shae said, narrowing her eyes at Leroy, placing the knife safely back onto the counter.

"It's alright, everyone, I invited them." Emma told the crowd.

"That's right, and Bianca and I are the entertainment for the evening." Shae said, pulling her guitar off her back.

The party goers all, a bit begrudgingly, went back to chatting amongst themselves. Shae began tuning her guitar as Regina set her dish down on the counter with the rest of the food.

"You named your guitar Bianca?" Henry asked Shae with a laugh.

"Of course! Why is everyone so surprised by that?" Shae asked indignantly.

"Ask her what she named her bus." Ruby said, nudging the boy's arm.

"What'd you name your bus?" Henry asked.

"Blanche."

"Why?"

"Because, she may be a bit old, but she's still damn sexy." Shae replied with a grin.

Henry laughed, and Regina smiled too, shaking her head slowly. Henry sat on a barstool next to his mother, and she put some of the lasagna she had made on a plate for him.

"I'm really glad you came." Henry told her, smiling up at his mother.

Regina smiled back. "Me too." She said, gently ruffling his hair.

"Any requests for tonight, little man?" Shae asked Henry as she continued to tune her guitar. She then narrowed her eyes, pointing at him. "Don't you dare say anything by Taylor Swift!"

Henry wrinkled his nose. "Ew, no!" He cried. He then looked down at the ground, thinking silently for a moment. "How about… We are the Champions?"

"Oh! Yeah, that's a good one!" Ruby said excitedly. "Do you know it?"

"Of course!" Shae replied, grinning at both of them. "Will you sing with me?" She asked Ruby.

"Me? No! I'm not any good." Ruby replied, shoving Shae's arm playfully.

"Yes you are! You're really good!" Shae insisted.

"No, I'm not!"

"Yes, you are!" Shae replied. "I said it last. No arguing!"

She planted a quick kiss on Ruby's lips as she hurried past her. Ruby laughed as Shae stepped into the center of the diner, strumming on her guitar. She started to play and sing We are the Champions, just like Henry had asked.

On the other side of the diner, Snow and Charming were chastising their daughter. They were not pleased that Emma had invited Regina and Shae.

"We're celebrating today because of them!" Emma was saying. "They helped us get home. No matter what they did in the past, we owe them our thanks now."

"Emma! They tried to kill us. Yesterday!" Cried Snow.

"No, they didn't." Retorted Emma. "Regina, she's trying to change for Henry. He believes in her. And, right now, that's good enough for me."

Snow and Charming exchanged a worried glance. Emma let out an exasperated sigh. "Look, I couldn't have changed if I wasn't given a chance." She went on. "So, she gets one, too. They both do."

They all glanced over at Shae, who was now singing the chorus to We are the Champions raucously, Henry singing along with her.

"Henry says that Shae is trying to change too." Emma told her parents. "And she has, I know it. You guys may have known her as an… An evil, hell raising creature back in the day, but that's not who she is any more, trust me."

"She broke your heart." Snow replied, folding her arms across her chest.

Emma sighed. "Yeah, but, you know, it was complicated."

"Emma, listen. You weren't there the last time we gave both Regina and Shae a chance to change their ways." David said seriously. "We gave them every chance to atone for the things they had done, and they both threw it in our faces."

"What are you talking about? What happened?" Emma asked.

David and Snow exchanged another worried glance. "It was the day we were going to execute Regina." Snow explained, then went on in a rush at the horrified look on Emma's face. "W-We didn't go through with it, obviously! But, before she was going to be executed, we gave Regina the chance to clear her conscience. But all she did was spout out more evil, more hate. And afterwards? We tried again, but she still tried to kill me, chose vengeance."

"And Shae? She decimated dozens of our soldiers trying to free Regina, without even a second thought. She enjoyed it, laughed about it." David went on darkly. "We stopped her, managed to capture her. And even after we told her that we had spared Regina, and gave her the chance to walk away free and take Regina away to some far away land, she refused, she tried to kill Snow, again. Said she'd rather stay in the dungeon and wait for the day she could rip our hearts out and feed them to us."

Emma stared down at the ground, chewing on her bottom lip. Snow took her husband by the hand, her eyes full of sadness.

"Look, all we're saying is that they've been given a chance before." Snow told her daughter gently. "And it did not go well. It did not go well at all…"

XXXXX

"When I look back at everything I've done, I want you all to know what I feel. And that is… Regret."

The once terrible and powerful Evil Queen was shackled to a post, garbed only in a gray cotton dress, completely stipped of all her magic, about to be executed. Snow White and Prince Charming expected her to show remorse for the things that she had done, to repent. But she wouldn't. She would not beg her enemies for mercy, she would not give them the satisfaction. She was The Evil Queen, and she would be just that, until the end.

"Regret, that I was not able to cause more pain. Inflict more misery. And bring about more death." She went on, her lips curling into a snarl as she glared at Snow White.

Snow closed her eyes, turning away from Regina with silent disappointment. "And above all else," Regina called out in a clear, ringing voice. "With every ounce of my being, I regret that I was not able to kill Snow White!"

Regina laughed maniacally as the crowd began to shout angry threats at her. "Arrows!" Commanded The Prince, leaping to his feet.

Four soldiers armed with longbows stepped forward, and that was the last thing Regina saw before a blindfold was placed over her eyes. Her heart began to race wildly. There was one more thing she regretted, a regret so terrible that she couldn't bare to speak it. She regretted that she hadn't told Shae that she loved her. Shae would go the rest of her days without knowing just how much Regina loved her. She had never regretted anything more.

"Take your aim!" Charming called out again.

Regina heard the sound of bow strings being pulled tight. She squeezed her eyes shut, tears running down her cheeks, Shae's face swimming before her eyes.

"FIRE!"

Regina's heart stopped, and she drew in a sharp breath, waiting for the pain. But, it never came. She heard cries and gasps of shock from the crowd.

"What's going on?" The Prince shouted angrily.

"Come now, did you really think I was going to let you idiots kill her? Please."

The blindfold suddenly flew off of Regina's eyes. Regina blinked a few times, and saw that the arrows were hovering in mid air, just in front of her face. A stranger in black leather armor and a black hood stood at the front of the crowd, arm outstretched at the arrows. The stranger drew down the hood, and the crowd drew in a collective gasp of shock.

"Shae!" Regina shouted, tears of joy now running down her face. "You came back!"

"I always come back." Shae replied with a wink.

With her arm still outstretched before her, she turned her hand, as if she were turning a knob. The arrows turned on the spot, pointing at their owners. Shae flicked her wrist, and the arrows flew forward, their tips burying themselves into the hearts of the soldiers.

"Oops." Shae said with a shrug, grinning at Snow White and The Prince. "It slipped."

The crowd gathered all broke apart, running hastily away from the vampire. The only ones that remained were The Seven Dwarves, Jiminy Cricket, Red, and her Granny. Shae stepped over the bodies of the dead soldiers, walking slowly toward Snow White and Charming. Red suddenly stepped between them, glaring fiercely at the vampire.

"Oh, go lie down, dog. Go chew on a bone or something." Shae said before Red could get in a word.

Shae flicked her hand casually to the side, sending the she-wolf hurtling through the air. She slammed into the stone wall, crashing senseless to the ground.

"RED!" Snow cried, leaping to her feet and making to run to her friend.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you." Shae said, wagging a finger at her and grinning dangerously. "We need to have a talk."

Snow stopped where she was, eyeing the vampire warily. "Now then." Shae went on. "I think it's awfully rude of you not to invite me to the party."

Snow and The Prince exchanged a puzzled but nervous glance. "Unless, maybe my invitation got lost somewhere?" Shae went on. "Pigeons aren't exactly reliable, you know."

"Guards!" Charming suddenly shouted.

Shae whirled around as a dozen or so soldiers all came running into the courtyard toward her, all armed to the teeth with swords, shields, and spears.

"I'm guessing that's all silver, then?" Shae asked, glancing over her shoulder at The Prince.

"That's right, your one weakness." Charming snarled in reply.

"Well, that, and powerful, dark haired women." Shae replied, glancing over at Regina and giving her a wink.

The vampire disappeared in a puff of blood red smoke as the soldiers reached her. She re-appeared on the platform with Regina, who was still tied to the post.

"Where do you people keep silver from, anyway?" Shae asked, resting her elbow on Regina's shoulder. She then looked down at Regina and shrugged. "Royalty… Am I right?"

"Stop showing off." Regina told her, rubbing her aching wrists as Shae magically unlocked her shackles. She couldn't help but smile at the woman she loved, though.

"You know how much I love a bit of showmanship." Shae said, pouting her lips slightly. "But, I suppose you're right. Best get on with it."

With her powers still gone, Regina remained where she was, watching Shae, a triumphant grin on her face. Shae disappeared again as the soldiers surrounded the platform, whistling at them as she reappeared behind them. The soldiers turned around, brandishing their weapons and advancing slowly toward the vampire.

Shea's eyes began to glow bright red as she sported another evil grin. "Oh, this is going to be fun."

She held out her hands, and two swords went flying out of the soldier's hands, landing in her own. She was a black blur of motion as she set upon the men, only re-appearing for seconds at a time as she took down soldier after soldier. Regina started to laugh maniacally, and Snow White and Prince Charming watched in silent horror as the blood of their soldiers soaked the ground.

There was a sickening crunch as Shae plunged a sword into the top of the last soldier's head, blood soaking his terrified face as he slumped lifeless to the ground. Shae tossed her swords to the ground, stepping around the dead men as she slowly swaggered over to Snow White and The Prince.

"I didn't have to do that, you know." Shae said, gesturing to the dead soldiers. "You'll find I'm just as harmless and loveable as a teddy bear, unless you make me angry."

Shae stopped just in front of The Prince and Snow White, her face falling into a menacing scowl. "And you've made me very, very angry."

"We knew you'd come to try and save Regina." Snow said hotly. "We're more than prepared for you."

"Right, let me guess what's in store for me next…" Shae said, tapping a finger against her chin as she thought. "I'm going to guess… Archers on the battlements?"

Snow and Charming exchanged another worried glance. The Prince then raised his hand in the air and, just as Shae had guessed, a score of thirty or so soldiers popped up all over the battlements circling the courtyard, pointing their silver arrows down at Shae. She was surrounded, and outnumbered, but the vampire was still unconcerned, continuing to joke sarcastically.

"Oh! I got it right! Do I win a prize?" She asked Snow and Charming, clapping her hands excitedly. "Is it a pony? I've always wanted a pony! Oh, don't tell me. I want it to be a surprise!"

"Do you ever stop talking?" The Prince asked irritably.

"I do, actually." Shae answered with a cheeky grin. "When I'm killing and making love."

Shae chuckled as Snow and The Prince glowered at her. "I'm willing if she is." She went on, pointing at Snow. "Sorry, Charming, you're just not my type."

Shae laughed again as they continued to silently glare at her. "No? Ah, well, too bad. Guess I'll just have to kill you then."

"ARCHERS!" The Prince bellowed.

Faster than anyone could blink, Shae rushed forward, grabbing two shields from the fallen soldiers and holding them out at her sides, crouching down behind them. As the archers all fired their shots, Shae spun in a circle, the arrows shooting harmlessly into the shields. Shae threw the shields to the ground, moving quickly as the archers all reloaded their bows.

Shae disappeared in another puff of red smoke, and was lost from sight as she set upon the soldiers on the battlements. Snow White let out a cry of shock, grabbing The Prince's arm as a dead soldier landed in front of her, his head twisted all the way around grotesquely.

"Fools!" Regina shouted, laughing evilly once again. "You had no idea exactly what she was capable of, did you?"

The Prince and Snow both leapt back as another dead man landed in front of them, an arrow protruding from the center of his forehead.

"You're all doomed!" Regina snarled, laughing louder.

Shae reappeared in the center of the courtyard, holding a soldier by either side of his head. Charming and Snow rushed forward, but stopped when Shae snapped his neck in front of them, the poor man slumping to the ground at the vampire's feet.

"Well, that certainly was fun." Shae said, her face speckled with blood. "But I'm through playing games."

She disappeared again, reappearing momentarily behind Snow White. She grabbed her by her shoulders, and was gone, appearing again on the platform next to Regina, holding a dagger to Snow White's throat.

"SNOW!" Charming shouted, rushing forward.

"Now then." Shae said, a triumphant ring in her voice. "We'll be going now, and dear Snow is coming with us. You'd better hope Regina is the one to kill her, because what I have planned is very slow, and very painful."

"Oh, my plan is very much the same." Regina replied, grinning deviously.

"Really? Oh, well nevermind then." Shae said with a shrug. "It's going to be slow and painful either way."

"You're a monster." Snow snarled.

"Sticks and stones, darling, sticks and stones." Shae replied nonchalantly.

"BLUE, NOW!" Charming suddenly shouted.

"What?" Shae breathed.

"SHAE!" Regina cried in alarm, pointing up at the sky.

Shae spotted The Blue Fairy racing through the sky toward her. She shoved Snow White away from her, leaping through the air and off the platform as the fairy hurled a ball of fairy dust at her. She tucked and rolled deftly, landing on one knee. She spun around, putting her hand out just in time to stop another ball of fairy dust in its tracks.

"FAIRIES ATTACK!" The Blue Fairy shrieked, pointing down at the vampire.

Shae swept her hand to the side, sending the dust ball she was holding in mid air flying into the stone wall. She whirled around, and watched in horror as a very large group of fairies came flying over the battlements and straight toward her.

"NO!" Regina screamed. "SHAE, RUN!"

Shae rolled out of the way again as several balls of dust came pelting toward her. She dodged left and right as she ran toward Regina, and leapt through the air as a ball of fairy dust landed behind her. Regina gasped in horror as at the exact moment Shae disappeared in a whirl of red smoke, several fairies surrounded her, pelting her body with dust.

Regina jumped in fright as Shae reappeared next to her, crashing down onto the wooden platform. Regina helped her back to her feet as the fairies hovered before them. Shae threw her hand out at them, but nothing happened. She tried again, and again, then stared down at her own hands in confusion.

"What have you done to me?" She growled at the fairies.

"You've been stripped of your magic." The Blue Fairy answered, looking smug. "You're powerless, helpless as a mortal now."

"Guards!" Prince Charming bellowed.

"I can still use a sword." Shae snarled. "I can still fight!"

"No, Shae, don't! They'll kill you!" Regina begged her, grabbing her shoulders and turning her body to face her.

Regina then threw her arms around Shae's neck, kissing her urgently. Shae hesitated for a moment in shock, but then she wrapped her arms tightly around her, kissing her back fiercely. They broke apart when they heard pounding footsteps, and saw another score of soldiers rushing toward them.

"No! I-I can't… I have to-" Shae stammered, her face stricken with panic.

"Shae, stop! Just stop." Regina pleaded, tears welling in her eyes. She took Shae's face in her hands, staring deep into her eyes as the tears fell down her face.

"I love you!" Regina told her desperately. "I'm sorry I didn't say it before, sorry that I turned you away. I was afraid. But I do love you, I love you more than anything."

"Oh, Regina… I love you too." Shae breathed, pulling her into her arms and kissing her again.

The soldiers were upon them now. They pulled them apart, dragging Shae off of the platform. "Take her away!" The Prince commanded them. "And put The Queen back in her shackles."

"No! No, don't!" Shae screamed, struggling against the soldiers that were holding her arms.

"Archers!" The Prince shouted as Regina was once again chained to the post.

"SHAE!" Regina screamed, her eyes streaming with tears.

"REGINA!"

"Take your aim!" The Prince commanded once again.

Regina choked out a sob as the soldiers dragged Shae around the corner, and she was lost from sight. The blindfold was placed over her eyes once again. She clenched her fists as she faced death for the second time that day. At least now, this time, she got to tell Shae that she loved her. She could die in peace, now knowing that she had amended the one thing that she regretted most.

XX

"FIRE!"

"NOOOO!"

Shae kicked and screamed as the soldiers dragged her farther and farther away. She screamed, cried, and swore at them all the while as they marched her down into the dungeons. They tossed her in a dark, damp cell, slamming the door shut behind them.

"Long live The Queen, eh?" One of the soldiers sneered at her through the bars.

"FUCK YOU!" Shae screamed back.

The soldiers all laughed at her as they walked away, leaving the vampire alone in the dark. Shae screamed into the silence, punching the stone walls of her cell furiously. She finally collapsed to the ground, the flesh on her knuckles a mangled mess.

"Regina…" She sobbed, pressing her face into the cold, hard ground.

It had happened all over again, she had lost the woman she loved. The thing that she had feared most all the while she had been with Regina, falling deeper and deeper in love with her, had actually come to pass. She curled herself into a ball as she sobbed wildly, pulling at fistfulls of her hair.

"I'll kill them…" Shae whispered into the dark, pushing herself up onto her knees. "I swear to you, Regina, I will rip their still beating hearts out of their chests for what they've done to you. They'll pay… THEY'LL PAY."

She slammed her fists into the ground, and collapsed to the floor once again, her body shaking with sobs. She had no idea how long she lie there in her cell, sobbing uncontrollably. There were no windows in Snow White and Prince Charming's dungeon. It could have been minutes, hours, days, weeks, the vampire had no concept of time any more. The only thoughts that filled her head were those of rage, sorrow, and, most of all, vengeance.

The sobbing had stopped now, but she continued to lie in a ball on the ground, the pain deep in her heart too great to even sit up. She did pick her head up, however, when she heard a door creaking open. She heard footsteps, and saw torchlight in the distance, two figures coming closer and closer.

She got to her feet when she realized that the figures were that of Snow White and Prince James, the two people she hated most at that particular moment. They stopped just in front of her cell.

"BASTARDS!" Shae bellowed.

She rushed forward, reaching through the bars and managing to grab Snow White by her throat. For one, glorious moment, Shae saw the fear in her eyes as she struggled for breath. Then her Prince managed to free her, and she stumbled back, gasping and holding her throat.

"I told you it was pointless to come down here." Charming said, glaring at Shae.

Shae pressed her face against the bars, grinning at them, her eyes wild with rage. "Yes, you'd better just kill me." She spat. "Because when I break out of here, and, trust me, I will break out, I'm going to tear you both to FUCKING PIECES!"

"You're not going anywhere, bloodsucker." The Prince snarled at her. "You have no powers. You heard The Blue Fairy, you're as weak as a mortal now."

"Sure, I may be now." Shae agreed, still grinning madly. "But I know how fairy dust works, I know it won't last forever. And when the time comes, I'm going to unleash hell on you and everyone you love."

"That time won't ever come for you." Snow said menacingly.

Snow placed two fingers in her mouth, whistling loudly. A moment later, The Blue Fairy fluttered in, carrying a large sack of fairy dust. She hovered just before the bars of Shae's cell, glowering down at the vampire.

"Oh, I really look forward to ripping those damn wings off you and shoving them down your throat." Shae snarled at her. "Maybe I'll shove that wand up your ass too, for good measure."

"Pathetic creature…" The Blue Fairy spat back at her.

She reached into her sack of fairy dust, and tossed a handful at Shae. It hit her in the chest, and her whole body glowed with a pale blue light for a moment. Shae fell to her knees, feeling all the power and energy draining out of her once again.

"Wait!" Shae called out as Snow, Prince Charming, and The Blue Fairy all turned to leave. "Please! C-Can I see her?"

Snow exchanged a curious glance with her husband. "I won't try to escape, won't cause a fuss, I swear it." Shae went on desperately, her wild rage from just moments before now gone. "I just… I want to say goodbye."

Tears began to flow down the vampire's cheeks as she gripped the bars of her cell, staring up at them pleadingly. "Please… Just let me say goodbye to the woman I love."

Snow White's expression softened as she stared down at Shae, head bowed, her body shaking with sobs. She stepped up to the cell, kneeling down in front of her. She placed her hand over Shae's, and the vampire snapped her head up, eyeing her warily.

"You really are just a pitiful creature of darkness, aren't you?" She whispered, staring into Shae's eyes sadly. "What kind of life have you had? What kind of horrors have you seen and been through? I can't even begin to imagine the kind of things you've endured that made… This."

Shae pulled her hand away from the bars, away from Snow. She wrapped her arms around her legs, drawing them up to her chest and resting her head on her knees.

"What does it matter?" Charming asked his wife. "She's terrorized us and our entire kingdom alongside Regina for years. She just decimated dozens of our soldiers, and laughed about it! Snow, she's evil!"

Snow waved her hand dismissively at her husband, and turned back to Shae, who was now slowly rocking back and forth.

"You really love her, don't you?" Snow asked her quietly.

Shae stopped her rocking and picked her head up, glaring at Snow with bloodshot eyes. "Let me tell you something, Snow White." She snarled. "We vampires feel much more intensely than you humans do. You and your Prince? You've no idea what love really is, what pain really is."

She dropped her head back onto her knees, resuming rocking. Snow glanced back at her husband sadly. "Snow… Don't." Charming said slowly.

Snow ignored him, shaking her head and turning back to Shae. "She's still alive."

Shae picked her head up again, staring at Snow with wide eyes. "What?"

"Regina, the woman you love, she's still alive." Snow repeated with a smile. "We didn't go through with the execution."

Shae scrambled onto her knees, gripping the bars of her cell tight, staring into Snow White's eyes. Snow held her gaze for a moment as Shae silently searched her eyes.

"You're not lying, are you?" Shae breathed.

"No, I'm not." Snow said with shake of her head. "We showed mercy, but, when we tried to help Regina, tried to get her to change, she couldn't. She had a chance to walk away, to start anew, but in the end, she chose evil, chose vengeance."

"We cast a protection spell." Charming went on. "Now, there's nothing she can do in this world to harm either of us now."

Shae nodded slowly, taking in everything that they were saying, her head spinning. "But there's still a chance for you, Shae." Snow said, placing her hand on Shae's again. "Maybe, there's a chance for both of you."

"What are you talking about?" Shae asked, eyeing her suspiciously.

"We're giving you the same choice." Snow answered with a gentle smile. "Go to Regina, take her somewhere far away, and the two of you can start fresh, together."

Shae's brow furrowed. "She'll never agree to that."

"She would, if you asked her to." Snow insisted. "She loves you, I heard her say so, I saw the way she looked at you. She'll go with you if you ask her to, I know she will."

Snow shifted slightly in her spot, and Shae saw a glint of silver from inside her cloak. She glanced back into Snow White's eyes, an evil grin spreading across her face.

"You're all fucking idiots."

Shae reached through the bars, grabbing the dagger out of Snow's belt. Snow leapt to her feet, and so did Shae, plunging the dagger straight into her heart. Shae laughed triumphantly, twisting the dagger into her flesh. She stopped when she noticed that Snow White did not seem to be in any pain. She pulled the dagger out, which was free of blood.

"What?" Shae breathed in shock.

"Oh, Shae, I had so much hope for you." Snow said sadly.

"Now the protection spell has been cast on you as well." Charming said, stomping up to the bars and wrenching the dagger out of Shae's hand.

"I guess you and Regina really do deserve each other." Snow said, stepping back from the bars. "You're just as blackhearted as she is. And now, you'll never leave this cell."

"Oh, that's where you're wrong, Snow White." Shae sneered at her, pressing her face against the bars, her red eyes crazed with rage again. "I will get out of here. It may not be today, it may not be tomorrow, but, someday, I will. I'm immortal, remember? I've got all the time in the world."

Snow gave her one last sad, pitiful glance, and turned away, walking with her husband back toward the entrance of the dungeon.

"I'll get out of here, you'll see!" Shae shouted after them. "And when I do, I'll make you beg for death, I'll make you wish you'd never been born!"

Charming glared back at Shae, wrapping an arm around his wife's shoulders. Shae let out a wild and maniacal laugh. "I'LL RIP YOUR HEARTS OUT AND FEED 'EM TO YOU!"

Shae continued to laugh as the door slammed shut behind Snow White and The Prince. Her laughter grew and grew until she was cackling madly. Regina was still alive. Nothing else mattered, nothing else was important. The woman she loved was still alive, and that was all Shae needed to know. It didn't matter what Snow White or The Prince did now. So long as Shae and Regina were still alive, nothing would keep them apart, not for long.

XX

Weeks later, Snow White and Prince James still held Shae hostage. The Evil Queen did know at least that Shae was still alive. Snow White had sent her a message, saying that Shae was their hostage, and if Regina tried anything to harm them in any way, they would harm the woman she loved. With the protection spell that Snow White had cast, there was nothing Regina could do at the moment. She may not be able to harm them in this world, but she might be able to in another. In this new world, a world without magic, she was certain that she would be able to find Shae. She would be reunited with the one she loved, no matter what.

Regina was standing in her throne room, listening to the Captain of her guard as he reported on the ingredients to her curse his men had been sent out to find. The door to the throne room suddenly burst open with a bang, and she heard a very familiar voice.

"I'm back, you miserable sons of whores!"

Regina whirled around, and saw her guards rushing toward the door, toward a person garbed in dirty, sackcloth breeches and a tattered shirt to match, a person with pale skin and jet black hair.

"Shae!" Regina cried, rushing toward her.

When Shae spotted her Queen, her face lit up with joy. "Regina!"

Shae tried to run to her, but stumbled weakly and fell to the ground. Regina dropped down in front of her, her knees screaming in pain as they smacked against the ground, be she ignored it, she didn't care. She didn't care one bit that there were soldiers in her throne room, that they were being watched. She threw her arms around the woman she loved, kissing her desperately and gratefully as tears fell down her face.

"Oh, Shae, it's you, it's really you!" Regina whispered, placing her hands on either side of the vampire's face. "You came back!"

"I always come back, remember?" Shae replied with one of her cheeky and quirky grins that Regina loved so very much.

Regina laughed, kissing her again. When she pulled back, she finally got a closer look at Shae, and was mortified to find her sackcloth clothes were ripped and torn, long, deep gouges in her flesh underneath. She even had one on the side of her cheek, stretching from her ear all the way down to her chin.

"What did they do to you?" She breathed in horror.

Shae shook her head, grimacing in pain as she cupped Regina's face in her hands. "It doesn't matter, it's over. I'm back"

Regina pulled Shae into her arms again, holding her tight, running her hand through her messy black hair. She squeezed her eyes shut, more tears leaking out of her eyes.

"I missed you so much." She whispered, pressing her forehead against Shae's. "Oh, Shae… Shae, I love you."

"I love you too, Regina." Shae whispered back with a smile.

Regina smiled too, choking out a sob and kissing her again. She gently squeezed her arms, her shoulders, her cold, pale face, still unable to believe she was real. She half expected to wake up from a dream at any moment. But she didn't, Shae was real. She was really there, back in her arms again.

"So…" Shae said, smiling into her eyes. "What's all this about a curse?"

XXXXX

The party at Granny's was in full swing, the people gathered inside finally moving past the initial shock and discomfort at Shae and Regina's arrival, dancing and singing along merrily to the songs Shae played on her guitar.

Regina sat in a booth, alone, watching and listening as Shae played and sang the song What I Like About You. After much persuading, and several mugs of beer, Ruby had finally agreed to sing along with her. The rest of the residents all clapped along to the beat as the two lovers both sang to each other, dancing along as they sang.

"What I like about you,

You keep me warm at night.

Never wanna let you go,

Know you make me feel alright, yeah!

Keep on whispering in my ear,

Tell me all the things that I wanna' to hear,

'Cause that's true,

That's what I like about you."

"Everybody!" Shae shouted.

"That's what I like about you!" Everyone shouted back.

They all clapped and cheered as Shae finished the song, and Regina glanced away, clenching her jaw and fighting back tears as Ruby kissed Shae, the woman that she still loved. Regina couldn't bare it any more. She got up from the booth, pulled on her coat, and quietly made her exit. She only got a few steps down the sidewalk when a voice called out to her. She turned around and found Emma following her out the door.

"Hey! Uh, Archie made a cake." Emma told her. "You don't want to stay for a piece?"

Regina gave her a small smile, shaking her head slowly. "I'm fine, thank you."

Emma smiled back, nodding slowly. When she turned to go back inside, Regina stopped her by grabbing her arm. "Thank you." Regina said again.

"You just said that." Emma replied uncertainly.

"I know, I-I mean… Thank you, for inviting me."

Emma nodded. "Well, Henry wanted it. I'm glad you guys got to spend some time together."

"Me too." Regina replied with an earnest smile. "I'd like to see him more. Maybe… You'd consider letting him stay over sometime? I have his room just… Waiting for him."

Emma's face suddenly fell into a frown. "Oh… Um, I don't really think that's best."

Regina's smile faded too, curling into an angry snarl. "I see, because you know so much about parenting in the five minutes you've been with him." She snapped bitterly. "Talk to David. At least he took care of him while you were away. Like I did, during the ten years you were away the first time."

Emma glared at her, obviously stung by her words. "Right, thanks for coming." She snapped back.

"Wait!" Regina said, grabbing the blonde woman's arm again as she turned to leave. "I-Im sorry, I shouldn't have snapped at you like that."

Emma sighed, turning back around slowly. "I… Haven't been at my best lately." Regina went on. "I've been trying, for Henry, but certain… Things, have made it difficult."

Emma frowned again, eyeing Regina sadly. "It's Shae, isn't it? You still love her."

Regina glanced away, staring down at the ground. A stray tear leaked out of her eye, and she hastily wiped it away.

"It doesn't matter how I feel, does it?" Regina replied miserably. "She has Ruby now, the two of them are… Good, together. Shae deserves to be loved properly."

Emma nodded sadly, staring at Regina with pity in her eyes. "Yeah, well, she can't love Ruby back, she can't love anyone, for that matter. Not without her heart."

When Regina continued to stare at the ground without response, Emma went on. "Maybe… Maybe it's time you gave it back, don't you think?"

Regina bit her lip. She was so afraid that, once her heart was returned, Shae would be lost to her forever. She would fall in love with her wolf girl, and never see Regina as anything but The Evil Queen ever again. But, she also knew that Emma was right. It wasn't fair to keep holding Shae's heart hostage, it wasn't fair to keep her from actually developing real feelings for someone who obviously cared for her very much. It didn't matter anymore how Regina felt about her. If she was going to move on, she had to let Shae go, just as she had with Daniel.

"Yes, I think you're right." Regina replied quietly, glancing back up at Emma.

Emma looked positively shocked. "Really?"

Regina nodded, smiling sadly at her. "Tell Shae to meet me at my vault as soon as she can."

Emma smiled, nodding back. "I will. You're doing the right thing, Regina. I really can see that you're trying to change."

Regina nodded again, and turned her back on Emma, starting down the sidewalk toward her car. She choked back a sob, tears now streaming down her face. Once again, she knew Emma was right. Giving Shae's heart back really was the right thing to do, but knowing she would lose the woman she loved to someone else hurt. It hurt so very, very much.

XX

Shae hurried up to Regina's father's mausoleum. Once inside, she found the coffin had already been pushed aside. She descended down into the vault, staring down the long hallway, past the yellow curtains covering Regina's stolen hearts. Her eyes widened when she saw that the mirror at the end of the hallway was swung open, revealing a small room beyond.

"I fucking knew it!" She exclaimed as she stepped through the gap, spotting Regina sitting at a table at the far side of the room. "What the hell is this place?"

"It's a… Safe room, of sorts." Regina replied. "Protected by a blood seal. No one can enter without me, or, without my blood, I suppose."

"Huh… Cool." Shae replied with a shrug. "So, what's going on? Emma said you wanted me to meet you here, that it was urgent."

"Yes, I um… I have something for you." Regina replied slowly, getting up from her seat and grabbing a small, wooden box from off the table in front of her.

She stepped up to Shae, and, when she opened the box, the vampire gasped. Sitting inside, was a pulsing, glowing red heart.

"I-Is that-" Shae started to ask, eyes wide with shock.

"Your heart." Regina finished for her, smiling sadly up at her. "I think it's time you had it back."

Shae shook her head in bewilderment, her mouth opening and closing several times in stunned silence. When she didn't, or couldn't, respond, Regina went on.

"I feel that you have more than fulfilled your end of our deal." She explained. "And now… Now it's time that I fulfill mine.

Regina took Shae's heart in her hand, and set the box down. Shae took Regina's free hand, squeezing it gently. "Thank you." She breathed, smiling gratefully.

Regina nodded slowly. "Y-You're welcome." She replied. "Now, I've never returned a heart after this long of an absence before. I'm not sure what exactly is going to happen, how you're going to feel."

Shae nodded in understanding, and Regina nodded back. She brought Shae's heart up to her chest, hesitating as her own heart ached with sorrow. She squeezed her eyes shut, biting her lip as tears fell down her cheeks.

"Y-You're crying…" Shae breathed, looking concerned.

Regina shook her head, staring up into Shae's blood red eyes. She then smiled, placing her free hand gently on the vampire's cheek.

"Goodbye, Shae." She whispered miserably.

Shae's brow furrowed in confusion. "Goodbye? What? I-I don't-"

She let out a great, shuddering gasp as Regina shoved her heart back in her chest. Shae stumbled back a few steps, clutching her chest, her eyes wide. Regina gasped as Shae's pupils dilated, and she collapsed to the ground. Regina rushed over to her, kneeling next to her as the vampire's body shook and convulsed, her wide, dilated eyes gaping up at the ceiling.

"Shae? Shae!" Regina cried.

Shae couldn't hear her. There was a massively loud ringing in her ears, and Regina's safe room disappeared as her vision went stark white. Bright, swirling colors flashed before her eyes as every single emotion that had been diluted over the past twenty eight years pulsated wildly throughout her entire body.

First came fear, a fear greater than she had ever felt in her life. Next was anger, rage, bitterness, and then sorrow, a sorrow so deep and so great that she felt like it was going to swallow her whole. As soon as it came, it went, and was replaced by happiness. She heard her own voice laughing, laughing with more joy than she had felt in years.

Lastly, a sudden warmth spread from her chest, all the way down to her feet. She had felt the same warmth before, but not for a very long time. She remembered the last time she had felt it, the memory flashing before her eyes clear as day, as if it had only been yesterday.

"Am I not enough for you?" Shae heard herself ask Regina as The Queen stood before her. "Is my love, our love, not enough for you? Because it's everything to me. You're everything to me."

Shae saw tears leak out of her Queen's eyes. She took her face in her hands, pressing her forehead against Regina's. She felt the warm, wet tears roll down her own cheeks.

"Regina, I love you." She whispered.

Regina smiled, and Shae felt her fingers brush gently against her cheek. "And I love you, Shae." She whispered back. "I love you, so much."

The memory dissipated, and Shae found herself on the floor of Regina's safe room, staring up at the ceiling. She sat forward, and suddenly realized that her face was wet. She wiped a hand across her cheek, rolling the moisture around in her fingers. She started to laugh when she realized what it was; Tears. For the first time in twenty eight years, she had cried.

"Shae? Are you alright?"

Shae jumped in shock, and turned her head to find Regina kneeling next to her. She gasped as she felt her heart lurch in her chest. She scrambled up on to her knees in front of Regina. She reached out, her hands shaking violently, and cupped Regina's face in her hands. She stared into her beautiful, brown eyes, gently brushing a stray lock of hair out of her face, tucking it behind her ear.

"Regina…" She whispered, more tears running down her face.

"Shae?" Regina breathed, staring up into the vampire's eyes, her own full of shock and confusion at her sudden, gentle embrace. "Are you alright? What are you-"

She didn't get to finish the rest of her sentence. Shae pulled her in close, and kissed her full on the lips. Regina gasped, tears leaking out of her eyes as their lips parted. The two of them had kissed twice since Shae had returned to Storybrooke, but this time, this kiss, it was so much different. The way Shae touched her, held her, it was almost as if…

Regina's train of thought came to a screeching halt as Shae shoved her roughly away. Shae had broken out of her trance and had suddenly realized what was happening, what she was doing. They both fell back onto the floor, and Shae staggered to her feet, her whole body shaking, her eyes wide and wild.

"Shae? What's going on? Are you ok?" Regina asked, grabbing on to a nearby chair and hoisting herself to her feet.

Shae didn't respond. She stared silently down at her hands as they shook violently. She then looked back up at Regina, her eyes filled with shock, confusion, and fear.

"I have to go." Shae muttered.

"Shae? Shae, wait!" Regina called after her desperately.

Shae stumbled up the steps of Regina's vault, slipping on the last one and falling flat on her face on the concrete. She pushed herself back onto her feet, her legs shaking. It was the middle of autumn, in Maine, so it wasn't anywhere near being hot outside, and Shae didn't ever get hot anyway. But, somehow, her whole body was covered in a layer of cold sweat.

She found herself rushing down the deserted main street of Storybrooke. Her head was spinning wildly, all the sudden intense emotions she was feeling making it hard to focus. She stopped outside Granny's diner, peering through the window. The party was over now, and the diner was empty except for Ruby, who was cleaning the tables.

Ruby jumped, whirling around as the diner's door burst open. "Shae?" She asked. "What are you-"

Shae rushed toward her, cutting off her words as she pulled her into her arms and kissed her desperately. Ruby smiled, taking the vampire's head in her hands. When she felt the cold sweat covering Shae's face, she pushed back, brow furrowed in concern.

"Are you alright?" She asked, placing her hand on Shae's forehead. "You're… Sweating. I didn't know you could sweat."

"Uh, yeah, maybe, I-I don't… I don't know…" Shae stammered, placing her shaky hands on Ruby's shoulders. "I-I… I just… Just…"

She then sighed, pulling Ruby against her body and kissing her again. Ruby wrapped her arms around Shae's neck, placing her hand on the back of Shae's damp, sweaty head. Shae suddenly pulled away, staggering backward, staring at Ruby with wild, confused eyes.

"N-No… I don't… I don't understand…" She muttered.

"Shae, what the hell is going on?" Ruby asked, now gravely concerned. "You look insane, and you're all sweaty!"

Shae clutched the sides of her head, shaking it side to side violently. She closed her eyes, tears streaming down her face. She then turned her back on Ruby, stumbling shakily back out into the night. Ruby called after her, but Shae couldn't hear her, the ringing in her ears blocking out everything else.

She broke out into a run back down the main street, sliding to a stop at the front door of Archie's office building. She ran inside, up the steps, and stopped in front of Archie's door. She pounded on it three times, waiting anxiously.

"Please be here, please be here…" She muttered as she bounced on the balls of her feet.

The door swung open, and Archie was shocked to see Shae standing before him. "Shae? What are you doing here?" He asked.

"I-I don't know…" Shae said, trying to stop her body from shaking.

"Oh, alright… Well, please, come in." Archie replied, stepping aside and gesturing for Shae to enter.

Shae nodded, stepping into Archie's office, stumbling shakily into an end table next to the couch. Pongo, Archie's dog, got up from his spot on his dog bed, sniffing Shae's leg and whining, seemingly concerned about the vampire.

"Are you alright?" Archie asked, also concerned. "You look… Ill."

"I don't know…" Shae said again, clenching her shaking fists.

"Please, sit down, tell me what's going on." Archie replied gently, gesturing to one of the couches.

Shae sat down, and Pongo leapt up on the couch next to her. Shae patted him on the head a bit warily, and the dog simply panted happily.

Archie sat on the couch across from the vampire, his eyes full of concern. "Um… I… I-I got my heart back." Shae told him shakily.

Archie's face lit up with surprise. "Oh, I see. Regina actually gave it back?"

When Shae nodded, he clapped his hands excitedly, beaming at her. "Well, that's wonderful news! How do you feel?"

"I-I don't know… Lot's of things." Shae replied uncertainly.

"Yes, well, it has been an awful long time." Said Archie, nodding gravely. "It will most likely be disorienting at first, but I'm sure it'll pass."

"I kissed her." Shae suddenly said.

"Who? Ruby?"

"No, Regina. Well, Ruby too, but Regina first."

"Ah, I see. That's what's got you so upset." Archie replied quietly.

Shae nodded again, and Archie leaned forward, eyeing her intently. "How did it feel?" He asked. "When you kissed Regina?"

Shae folded her arms across her chest, bouncing her leg anxiously as she thought. "I-I don't know…" She muttered. "It just felt… Felt… Right."

"I see." Archie said, nodding slowly. "Tell me more."

Shae leaned forward, folding her hands between her knees and staring down at the floor. "It… It was like the last twenty eight years never happened, like she had never taken my heart in the first place." She went on. "All the rage, all the pain I felt because of her was… Gone. It is gone. Replaced by… By… I-I just… I don't know…"

Her voice trailed off into a mumble, and Archie nodded again. "And what about when you kissed Ruby?" He asked her. "How did that feel?"

Shae chewed on her lip ring, shaking her head slowly, her eyes suddenly very sad. "It wasn't the same." She said quietly. "I did feel something, but… But…"

"It wasn't the same as what you felt with Regina." Archie finished for her.

Shae nodded sadly, placing her hands over her face and letting out a frustrated sigh. "What… What does this all mean?" She asked, dropping her hands back into her lap. "What's happening to me?"

Archie sighed, leaning back in his chair. "Well, this may be hard to hear… But I think it's Regina that you truly love, not Ruby."

Shae squeezed her eyes shut, shaking her head angrily as more tears ran down her face. "No… No, no, no… I-I can't… I… That doesn't make any sense."

"I've found that love is the one thing that makes the least sense of all in this life." Archie replied with a sad smile. "We have to listen when our hearts speak to us, and from what you've just told me, it seems that your heart is speaking quite loudly."

When Shae shook her head silently again, Archie went on. "Our hearts can't lie to us." He said, leaning forward in his chair again. "You have yours back now, search it. What's it telling you?"

Shae stared down at the ground, trying calm her mind, to focus on what she was feeling. But she couldn't, all she could think about was Regina, her face swimming before her eyes. She thought about Ruby too, her brilliant, beautiful green eyes, her gorgeous brown hair, her full, soft lips. She suddenly snapped her head up, staring wide eyed at Archie.

"I know what I have to do." She breathed.

Shae suddenly leapt to her feet, startling Pongo, who jumped quickly off of the couch, and went back to his dog bed, huffing irritably as he laid down.

Archie also rose to his feet, looking pleasantly surprised. "I see! Well, I'm glad I was able to provide you with some insight."

Shae nodded, and the doctor's arms were pinned to his sides as Shae gave him a tight and grateful hug. "You're a good dude, Archie." Shae said as she released him. "I know the degree is fake and stuff, but you're good at your job. Thanks."

Archie laughed lightly as Shae hurried out the door. He shook his head slowly, turning around and taking a seat behind his desk. He got out a pen and a blank sheet of paper, writing down the things that he and Shae had talked about for his files, just in case Shae ever wanted to speak with him again. He suddenly snapped his head up when Pongo started barking in alarm.

"Regina? What are you doing here?"

XX

Shae broke into a run again as she stepped out onto the sidewalk. She smiled, laughing out loud as she ran. She felt lighter, happier, and more determined than she had in a very long time. The buildings and houses of the town of Storybrooke rushed past her in a blur, and she slowed to a walk as she approached her destination.

She threw open the door that stood in front of her, stepping over the threshold. She stared all around her, searching, her head spinning wildly again.

"Shae?"

Shae whirled around, and she smiled, her heart soaring as she saw the woman she loved slowly descending the steps.

"Regina!"

Shae ran to her as she reached the bottom of the steps. She took Regina into her arms, and kissed her deeply, gratefully, urgently. Regina immediately threw her arms around her, still confused about what was happening, but not concerned. She had Shae in her arms, that was all she cared about.

"Regina…" Shae breathed as they broke apart, cupping her face in her hands. "I-I love you… I still love you."

"What?" Regina asked, her eyes welling with tears.

Shae nodded, tears rushing down her cheeks. "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry, for everything, for all of it." She whispered. "I-I… I just… I love you."

Regina choked out a sob, smiling as tears of unparalleled joy streamed down her face. She threw her arms around Shae's neck, kissing her again. Shae held her tight, kissing her back with the same amount of grateful and desperate passion.

"Oh, Shae… Shae, I love you too." Regina whispered, pressing her forehead against the vampire's.

Shae pushed her back slightly, staring into her eyes with shock. "Really?"

Regina nodded, breathing out a laugh as she gently stroked Shae's cold, pale cheek. "That's why I was so cold to you… It… It hurt so much, not being with you, watching you with someone else."

"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry." Shae whispered, pain in her eyes.

"Its ok!" Regina whispered with a smile, gently brushing back Shae's messy hair. "Oh, Shae… I'm sorry too. I'm sorry for everything that I've done to hurt you. As long as I live, I swear I will never do it again."

Shae smiled too, gently cupping Regina's face again. "Me too." She breathed.

Regina laughed as Shae kissed her again, the familiar feeling of her soft, cold lips against her own making her heart hammer in her chest.

"I-I want to start over, with you." Regina said, staring up into Shae's blood red eyes. "That is, if you want to, if you'll have me."

Shae nodded, smiling down at her. "Of course. I want that more than anything." She whispered. "Oh, Regina… I love you. I love you so much."

"I love you too." Regina whispered back.

Regina felt Shae's arms, her neck, her face as they kissed again, unable to believe that this was real, that she was real. If this really was a dream, she prayed that she would never wake.

"You came back!" Regina whispered as they broke apart.

"I always come back." Shae replied with a smile.

Shae leaned in to kiss Regina again, but she suddenly pushed Shae back, her face falling into a frown. "What about Ruby?" She asked her.

Shae's brow furrowed. "What about her?"

"Have you told her? About… About all this?"

Shae opened her mouth to respond, then shut it again, her eyes growing wide with sudden realization. Regina gasped, stepping back out of Shae's arms.

"You haven't, have you?" She asked indignantly.

"Regina… Listen, I-"

"No! No, this stops now!" Regina replied hotly. "I may have been a lot of things in the past, but I have never, and will never, be the other woman!"

Shae nodded hastily, running a hand through her messy, black hair. "Right, you're right, you're absolutely right." She muttered in reply. "I gotta tell her. I'll go right now."

"Now? It's the middle of the night!" Regina cried as she followed Shae toward the door.

Shae spun around, taking Regina's face in her hands, staring determinedly into her eyes. "I don't care." She whispered. "I don't want to spend a second longer than I have to without you."

Regina smiled as Shae kissed her once again. "Hurry back." She said when Shae pulled away.

Shae nodded. "Wait for me?"

Regina nodded too. She watched as Shae ran down the walkway leading up to her house. She then gasped, placing her hands over her mouth in shock as Shae turned down the sidewalk, tripping quite spectacularly and landing flat on her face.

"It's good!" Shae called out as she leapt lightly to her feet, giving Regina a thumbs up. "I'm all good!"

Regina laughed, closing the door as Shae ran off again. She leaned her back against the door, laughing again, more joyous tears running down her face. She could hardly believe what was happening. All she had to do was wait patiently for Shae to return, and they would be together again. They could start over, start a new life, together. She smiled, wiping the tears from her face. All she had to do was wait.

XX

DING-DONG

Regina snapped awake, sitting bolt upright. She glanced bewilderedly all around her. She was in her living room, the morning sun shining through the window. She frowned, staring at the beam of sunlight on the floor. She must have fallen asleep waiting for Shae. She gasped. Shae hadn't come back last night.

DING-DONG

Regina jumped at the sound of the doorbell. She got up from the couch, trying to stop her heart from hammering as she went to the door.

"What's going on?" She asked Emma and David, who were standing on her porch, their faces grave.

"There's been an… Incident." Emma replied slowly. "We need you to come down to the Sheriff's Station."

"Oh my god…" Regina breathed, her heart hammering even harder now. "Is it Shae? What's happened?"

Emma and David exchanged a dark and serious glance. "We'll explain everything at the station, alright?" David said.

Regina glared at him, and was about to retort when Emma cut in. "Please, Regina." She pleaded. "Please… Don't make this any harder than it has to be."

Regina glanced between their grave and serious faces for a moment, then let out a relenting sigh. "Fine. Lead the way."

XX

Emma and David put Regina in the back of the squad car, and they drove speedily downtown to the Sheriff's Station. Mary Margaret and Ruby were there waiting for them. Ruby's eyes were red and puffy, as if she had been crying. She stared daggers at Regina as she walked by.

They put Regina in the interrogation room, Mary Margaret and Ruby watching on the other side of the one way glass. The former Queen soon learned that Dr. Hopper had been found dead in his office, and they were trying to pin the blame on her.

"Ruby saw you going into his office last night." David said, glaring down at her as he stood on the other side of the table.

"Then she's lying! I was home all evening." Regina insisted.

Emma and her father exchanged a glance, seemingly unconvinced. "There's… Something else." Emma said slowly, turning back to Regina.

"What?" Regina asked, alarmed by the sudden sad look in Emma's eyes. "What aren't you telling me?"

"It's Shae." Emma replied. "She's… Missing. There's a chance that… That she's dead too."

Regina's face fell, and she placed a hand over her mouth. "What?" She breathed.

Emma heaved a heavy sigh. "I know… She went to see you at your vault after the party at Granny's last night." She went on. "She came back a little while after that, and Ruby said she was acting strange. She saw her go into Archie's office, and after that we don't know what happened. We found a half finished file about Shae on Archie's desk. We think he was writing it when he was killed."

"Archie was the last one to see her." David said. "And we can only assume that whoever killed him is also responsible for Shae's disappearance."

"Please, Regina, I know you care about Shae." Emma said quietly. "If there's anything you can tell us that can help us find her, please, tell us."

Regina sighed heavily, staring down at the table. "Dr. Hopper wasn't the last one to see Shae last night." She said. "I was."

Emma and David both stared at her in stunned silence. "What?" David asked.

Emma stepped up to the table, staring intently down at Regina. "She went back to your house after she saw Archie?"

"So maybe Shae killed him…" David mused when Regina nodded.

"What? No! She wouldn't!" Regina insisted angrily.

"She's killed before." Replied David.

"No, Regina's right, Shae didn't do it." Emma retorted. "She had nothing against Archie, she's not a killer anymore. She's changed."

David stepped up close to his daughter, dropping his voice low. "I told you before, Shae and Regina, the two of them are incapable of change, no matter how many times we've given them the chance. Why should this time be any different?"

Emma glared at her father, matching his low town. "Because, it IS different."

She pushed passed David, and took a seat across the table from Regina. "Regina, I know you wanted to see Shae last night because you were going to give her heart back." Emma said, staring intently at Regina once again. "Did you?"

"Yes, I did." Regina answered.

"Really?" David asked in a disbelieving tone.

"Yes, of course!" Regina replied indignantly. "I said I was going to, so I did. She was a little… Out of sorts afterwards, disoriented, which is understandable since she had been without her heart for so long."

"Ok, so, after you put her heart back, she went to the diner to see Ruby." Emma said slowly. "After that, she went to Archie's, and after that… To see you. Why?"

Regina gave her a dismissive shrug. "I haven't the faintest idea."

"You're lying." Emma said, pointing an accusing finger at her.

"Excuse me?" Regina asked in outrage.

"You weren't before, but you are now." Emma insisted. "Why did she go back to your house? What aren't you telling us?"

Regina glanced away from her, biting her lip. She knew full well that Ruby was watching on the other side of glass. She had no idea if Shae had told her about her feelings for Regina before she went missing.

"Please, Regina." Emma begged her. "You've got to tell us the truth, here."

Regina sighed, glancing back into Emma's eyes. "She came to see me because… After she had her heart back, she… She realized that she still loved me."

A stunned silence fell over the interrogation room. Regina looked away from Emma and David's shock plastered faces, tears welling up in her eyes again.

"What?" Breathed Emma.

"You're joking." David said, glaring down at her.

"No, I'm not." Regina spat through gritted teeth. "She left my house around midnight last night to… To go break things off with Ruby."

The door to the interrogation room suddenly burst open, and Emma leapt to her feet as Ruby rushed in, glaring furiously at Regina.

"Ruby, no!" Mary Margaret shouted, who was hot on Ruby's heels.

Ruby ignored her, shoving Emma out of her way, sending her stumbling back into her father, both of them crashing to the ground. She drew back her fist, and hit Regina square in the jaw, causing her to fall off of her chair and onto the floor.

"YOU BITCH!" Ruby screamed as Mary Margaret pulled her back by her shoulders. "Where is she? What did you do to her?"

"I didn't do anything to her!" Regina spat as she got to her feet.

Ruby shoved Mary Margaret away from her furiously. She stomped back over to Regina, grabbing her by her throat and slamming her into the wall.

"If you've hurt her I swear I'll-" Ruby snarled fiercely.

"I love her too!" Regina shouted in Ruby's face. "Why would I hurt her?"

"Because all you've ever done is hurt her!" Ruby shouted back.

David and Emma finally managed to scramble to their feet. They both grabbed Ruby, dragging her out of the interrogation room. Emma slammed the door shut behind her, and Mary Margaret wrapped her arm around Ruby's shoulders, leading her out of the Sheriff's Station.

"What do we do now?" David asked his daughter.

Emma sighed, staring through the one way glass at Regina, who was now sitting back at the table with her head in her hands.

"We let her go." She replied. "We let her go, and we find the truth."

XX

Emma and David, along with Mary Margaret and Ruby, all met up at Archie's office. They searched it from top to bottom, looking for any clues that might lead them to Archie's murderer, and prove Regina's innocence, even though Emma was the only one that thought she was.

The only clue they found was the file that Archie had kept about Regina, which was suspiciously empty. Emma was still not convinced, however.

"I don't know how it is in fairy tale land, but in the real world, it's usually hard to find evidence." Emma told her parents and Ruby. "This has been way too easy. Unless, someone wants us to find evidence."

"You think she's being framed?" Mary Margaret asked her daughter.

Emma nodded. "Yeah, I do. And there's only one person that would resort to killing to do it, only one other person, besides Regina, who's strong enough to kidnap, and possibly kill, a vampire."

They all immediately understand Emma's train of thought, and they rushed off to Mr. Gold's shop. Gold vehemently denied having anything to do with killing Archie or framing Regina, and Emma believed him. She always knew when someone was lying, and, this time, Gold wasn't. He was, however, more than happy to help them find the truth.

With Gold's help, Emma was able to use her magic to extract Pongo's memories using a dreamcatcher. They all gathered behind Emma, staring down at the dreamcatcher. Emma focused on the jumbled swirl of colors that had appeared inside the dreamcatcher, and they gasped when the jumble suddenly cleared. They were seeing through Pongo's eyes, and watched as Shae entered Archie's office.

"Oh my god!" Mary Margaret exclaimed. "It's working!"

"Yeah, I guess it is." Emma mumbled in shock.

They all watched with bated breath as Shae sat and talked with Archie for a while, momentarily losing her from sight as Pongo walked away from her. However, they did see Shae walking out the door, and Archie sitting down at his desk after she was gone.

"So, Shae didn't do it!" Ruby said excitedly.

"Then who did?" Asked Belle.

"No…" Emma breathed as Regina walked in to Archie's office.

They watched as Archie got up from his desk, walking over to Regina. They talked for a minute, and everyone drew in a shocked, collective gasp as Regina grabbed Archie by the throat, lifting him into the air.

Emma dropped the dreamcatcher onto the floor, unable to watch any more. She turned to her parents, who were both standing rooted to their spots in stunned silence.

"You were right all along…" Emma breathed, tears welling up in her eyes.

"I'm sorry Emma…" Mary Margaret said, a silent tear running down her face.

"What about Shae?" Ruby asked, her face panicked. "We still don't know what happened to her. Do you think Pongo saw her too?"

"Only one way to find out." Gold said, bending down and picking up the dreamcatcher from off the floor. "Same concept as before, except this time focus your thoughts on our undead friend."

Emma nodded, taking the dreamcatcher from Gold. She held it out in both of her hands and, once again, everyone else crowded around her. She closed her eyes, focusing on Shae, picturing her pale face and blood red eyes in her mind.

"It's working!" Ruby exclaimed.

Emma opened her eyes, and saw downtown Storybrooke in the dreamcatcher. It was dark out, and it looked like Pongo was running down the street. They saw Shae walking down the sidewalk, and the vampire knelt down when Pongo ran up to her. She looked concerned, saying something as she patted him on the head. Her head suddenly snapped up, and she stared wide eyed at something behind Pongo.

"Oh no…" Emma muttered when Pongo turned around, and, once again, saw Regina.

Shae and Regina spoke for only a second, and everyone in Gold's shop gasped again when Regina pulled out a dagger. Shae backed away, looking frightened, shaking her head and waving her hands. Her mouth then gaped open with a silent scream as Regina plunged the dagger straight into her heart. Shae fell to her knees, and Regina placed her hand on her shoulder, both of them disappearing in a cloud of purple smoke.

"NO!" Ruby sobbed, tears streaming down her face.

"Oh, Ruby… I'm so sorry." Belle muttered, hugging her friend as she cried.

"I can't believe this…" Emma breathed, tears now leaking out of her own eyes. "She… She killed Shae too. Why? Why would she do this?"

"I don't know, Emma." Mary Margaret said sadly. "Maybe she thought Shae would change her mind, tell Ruby that she loved her instead."

"We have to find her…" Ruby snarled, her eyes bloodshot with tears. "She has to pay for this."

Emma nodded determinedly. "You're right. Lets go lock her ass up."

XX

There was a rush of purple smoke, and Regina appeared inside her magical safe room. She fell to her knees, sobbing into the silence of the room. Emma, her parents, and Ruby had just confronted her at her house, saying that they used magic to see what happened to Archie and Shae. They said that they saw her do it, they saw Regina choke the life out of Archie, and saw her stab the woman she loved in the heart with a silver dagger.

Regina sobbed again, beating her fists into the floor furiously. Who was doing this to her? Who had taken her love away from her, again? Whoever it was, she silently cursed them to deepest, blackest part of hell.

She suddenly sat up when she heard a noise from over by the entrance to her safe room. A red-haired woman was standing before her, smiling down at her, a woman that Regina knew all too well.

"Mother?" She breathed, staring wide eyed at Cora. "What, I… I thought we stopped you. H-How did you get through?"

"Determination, dear." Cora replied with a grin, sauntering over to her daughter. "You're my daughter, after all. I had to see you."

"It was you…" Regina whispered in sudden realization. "You framed me for the cricket, for Shae. Why? Why did you have to kill her?"

Cora frowned down at her daughter's miserable, tear stained face. She gently cupped her hand under her chin, smiling sadly.

"I'm sorry, dear, but that loathsome creature was simply in the wrong place at the wrong time." Cora replied gently.

"She's not loathsome!" Regina cried furiously. "She's… She's…"

Regina let out another sob, placing her hands over her face as tears streamed out of her eyes. She was in too much pain to argue, or to even care that her mother was somehow in Storybrooke. Shae was dead, the woman she loved was dead, murdered by the hands of her own mother. Regina had truly lost everything.

Cora knelt down in front of her daughter, pulling her into her arms as she sobbed. "Shh… There, there, I've got you, mother's here now." She cooed softly.

"You wanted me broken." Regina snarled, pushing away from her mother.

"Not broken, darling, just receptive." Cora replied, gently wiping away a few tears from her daughter's face. "I didn't want you to reject me, not again. I love you, I just want to be by your side again."

Regina choked out another sob, resting her head on her mother's shoulder as Cora pulled her into her arms again. Cora gently rubbed Regina's back, grinning devilishly all the while. She had lied to her daughter, she did want to break her. And now, with her detestable vampire lover gone, her daughter truly was broken. Regina needed her mother now, more than ever. Cora's grin broadened. With the vampire safely out of her way, things were now finally starting to go according to plan. Regina was now putty in her hands.

XX