Author's Note: Hello my lovely and loyal readers! I just want to say how much I love and appreciate all of you. I also want to let you know that, due to a recent promotion, my job has been demanding a lot more of my time lately. That being said, my writing process has been, and will likely continue to be, a lot slower than usual. But I promise that I will keep writing and I will post chapters as often as I possibly can. Again, thank you all for reading and for all your comments. You're all the best. =)

CHAPTER 11

"Hold still, will ya?"

"My nose itches!"

Emma Swan sighed, using her fingernail to scratch the end of Shae's nose for her, then returned to blotting some olive toned makeup onto the vampire's face. After spending several days locked away in Regina's vault with Remus, Shae had finally overcome her bloodlust and was ready to rejoin the town of Storybrooke, eager to help Emma and the others find The Wicked Witch. Just as Shae had suspected, Emma and her parents deduced that The Wicked Witch of the West from the land of Oz was the one behind the new curse. What they still didn't know, however, was why, and what she was planning to do now that they were all in Storybrooke.

The other problem that they had to deal with was Henry. He hadn't seen Shae since the night they arrived in Storybrooke. Emma had been forced to lie to him once again, and told him that Shae was sick in the hospital, and highly contagious, which was why Henry wasn't allowed to see her. Emma knew that if Henry saw Shae in her current state, without his memories, he would be utterly confused, and likely scared.

Emma and Shae were down in Regina's vault. Shae was sitting on an old and battered trunk, and Emma was attempting to remedy the situation by using makeup to hide the paleness of Shae's skin. When Emma finally finished, she stepped back to admire her handiwork.

"Well… It's not perfect, but it'll have to do." She said with a sigh.

She bent down to reach into her purse, and retrieved a contact case from inside, handing it to Shae. "What's this?" Shae asked her.

"Colored contacts." Emma explained. "Henry will freak if he sees those red eyes."

Shae nodded, and carefully removed the lids to the case. She hesitated for a moment, nervously chewing on her lip ring. She then held the case back out to Emma.

"You do it." She said.

"What?" Emma exclaimed.

"Please?" Shae begged her. "I've never worn contacts before! I don't even know how to put them in!"

"You just, you know… Pop them in. It's not that hard."

"But… Just… I-I don't…"

Emma laughed, shaking her head in amusement. "Are you seriously scared to put contacts in your eyes?"

"No!" Shae cried indignantly. "I-I just… I've never done it before! I don't wanna mess it up."

Emma sighed again, taking the contact case out of Shae's hand and rolling her eyes. "Fine. Just… Hold still."

Shae obeyed, holding rigidly still as Emma stepped up close and leaned over her. She tilted her head back, and flinched slightly when Emma carefully lowered both the blue colored contacts into her eyes, but otherwise didn't make a fuss. She blinked several times, wiping away the moisture that had leaked onto her cheeks, then looked up at Emma expectantly.

"Well?" She asked her.

Emma furrowed her brow, placing her hands on either side of Shae's face and turning it from side to side, examining her eyes. They were a slightly darker shade of blue than Shae's eyes were when she had been human, but they were at least passable.

"Again… Not perfect, but they'll do." Emma replied with a shrug.

Shae smiled up at her, and Emma smiled back, gazing into Shae's now light blue eyes. A sudden tension built up between them as Emma kept her hands on Shae's face, gently caressing her cold skin with her thumbs. Shae gazed up into Emma's own hazel green eyes, and Emma bit her lip as they both fought back the powerful urge to kiss each other.

They both had thought a lot about each other the last several days, and about the other people in their lives, the ones they also loved. Shae so desperately wanted to see Regina, to tell her how sorry she was for attacking her, and for everything that had happened with Emma, and Emma herself was miserable over Neal's absence. No one had seen him since they all had arrived back in Storybrooke, and Emma was worried that The Wicked Witch had turned him into a flying monkey, just like the dwarves, and Little John. Though Emma missed Neal terribly, and Shae missed Regina, they both still ached for each other. Their hearts were filled fear, confusion, and immeasurable guilt. But Emma couldn't fight it any longer. She was heartsick over Neal's absence, and filled with fear over the threat of The Wicked Witch looming over their heads. In the year that they had spent together in New York, Shae had been Emma's source of comfort any time things got tough. Emma wanted that comfort again, now more than ever.

Shae gasped as Emma's lips touched her's, but she didn't recoil or push her away. As their lips parted, Shae wrapped her arms around Emma's waist and pulled her onto her lap. Emma entangled her fingers in Shae's hair as they kissed, and she was relieved to find that Shae's embrace was filled with the same desperate longing as her own. Though Shae's lips were now cold, they still felt familiar, safe, and comforting. They kissed slowly, passionately, desperately, wrapping their arms around each other as their tongues touched lightly.

"Oi, you two alright down there, it's been- Oh bloody hell!"

Emma and Shae both nearly leapt out of their skin, and they snapped their heads to the side to find Remus standing at the bottom of the stone staircase. He had finally set aside his medieval style leather armor and had borrowed some clothes from Shae. He was now garbed in a pair of frayed blue jeans, a black tank top, and Shae's spare black leather jacket. He was also sporting an utterly shocked, and quite angry, expression on his face.

"What exactly are you two doing down here?" He demanded hotly

Emma quickly vacated Shae's lap, and Shae rose to her feet, drawing back a few steps. Emma turned her back on both the vampires as she felt angry and confused tears welling into her eyes. They stood in awkward silence for a moment, neither of them really quite sure what to say.

"Remus… C-Can you give us a minute?" Shae stammered quietly.

Remus remained where he stood for a moment, his blood red eyes narrowed at the two of them. He then breathed out a relenting sigh, and turned on his heel. Once he had disappeared back up the stone staircase, Emma turned around to face Shae.

"Emma… We can't do this." Shae told her in a voice barely above a whisper.

Emma bit her lip, nodding as she fought back the tears. "I know."

"We… We just… This has to stop now."

"I know."

"I mean… With Neal… A-And Regina-"

"I know, Shae!" Emma shouted angrily, tears now leaking out of her eyes. "I fucking know, ok?"

Shae fell silent, glancing away from Emma and down at the ground, biting back her own tears. They stood in silence for a few moments, both their hearts aching with misery.

"Alright, well, obviously we shouldn't be alone together any more." Emma finally said, wiping the tears away from her face. "I think we should just… Stay away from each other for a while. Focus on finding The Wicked Witch, you know?"

Shae sighed, and nodded slowly. "Yeah, I think that's probably best." She muttered sadly. "Just… What do we tell Henry? I need to go see him, let him know I'm ok."

Emma sighed too. "I… I don't know." She replied quietly. "I just… I don't know."

XX

Regina smiled at her son as she handed him the ice cream cone she had bought him. She tried her best to smile through her own misery, but it was difficult. While Emma, her parents, and Hook searched the town for The Wicked Witch, Regina had offered to stay with Henry, for his protection, but also so she could spend some time with her son. As they walked side by side through the park, she tried to enjoy being with him. But, without his memories, all Henry knew her as was the mayor of Storybrooke. Her son had no idea who she was, and to top it all off, the woman she loved, her fiancee, had feelings for someone else, feelings that Regina herself had created. She was thoroughly miserable, but she kept smiling, for Heny's sake.

"Are you alright, Henry?" Regina asked her son after a few moments of silence. "Do you not like the ice cream?"

"Er, no, the ice creams great." Henry replied with a weak smile. "I… I just… I miss Shae. She's my mom's girlfriend, well, fiancee now, I guess. She got really sick when we first got here, and I haven't seen her since. I guess she's really contagious or something."

Regina sighed, smiling sadly. "I see. Well, I'm sure she'll be just fine. She has always been very… Resilient."

"You know her?" Henry asked.

"Um… Well, yes." Regina replied slowly. "We're um… Old friends."

Henry nodded, and Regina bit her lip as the boy fell silent once again. "So… You seem to like Shae a lot." She said with another sad smile.

Henry nodded again. "Yeah. She's awesome. She even beat a guy up for me once."

Regina raised her eyebrows in shock. "She did? What happened?"

"Er, well, there was this kid at school that was… Picking on me, because of Shae and my mom." Henry explained slowly. "He kept calling me, um… The, uh, f-word."

"F-Word?" Regina asked, brow furrowed in confusion. Her eyes then shone with understanding. "Oh… I see. I-I'm so sorry, Henry. That's horrible."

Henry gave her an unconcerned shrug. "It's ok. It didn't really bother me. He was a jerk anyways. But… When I told Shae and my mom about it, they both got really mad."

"As they should have." Regina said, nodding in agreement. "So what happened?"

"Well, my mom and Shae waited with me after school one day, and they found the kid's dad." Henry went on. "They yelled at him, and he… He called them both the f-word too, and Shae punched him in the face."

Regina laughed, shaking her head in amusement. "Well, I can't say that I feel sorry for the man."

Henry laughed too. "Me either. It was pretty awesome." He said with a smile. "I just… Miss her a lot. I wish she was here."

"Wish granted, kid."

Henry and Regina both spun around, and both their faces lit up with joy when they found Shae herself standing behind them, a wide grin stretching across her face.

"Shae!" Henry exclaimed.

The ice cream cone fell from his hand as he ran over to her. Shae laughed, lifting him into the air as he threw himself into her arms. Regina smiled, tears welling into her eyes as she looked upon the woman she loved. Shae smiled warmly back at her from around Henry's shoulder, but it didn't quite reach her eyes. Her now light blue eyes were filled with immense sadness.

"Are you ok?" Henry asked as Shae set him back down on the ground. "M-My mom said that you've been really sick."

Shae smiled down at him, nodding as she gently patted his shoulder. "Yeah, I was, but I'm… Better now."

"Are you sure?" Henry asked, his brow furrowed as he looked Shae up and down. "You look… Weird."

"Gee, thanks dude!" Shae cried sarcastically.

Henry laughed, and once again threw his arms around Shae. "I missed you." He whispered as he hugged her tight.

Shae smiled, gently ruffling his hair as she hugged him back. "I missed you too, buddy." She replied. She then knelt down in front of him, taking both his hands in her's. "Listen, I've gotta talk to the mayor, but we'll hang out later, ok? See that guy over there?"

Shae pointed behind her at Remus, who was quietly waiting a few yards away, leaning casually against a lightpost. "That's Remus, he's a really good friend of mine." Shae went on, waving Remus over. "Now, he's a little weird, but he's really awesome. He's gonna keep an eye you."

Henry's brow furrowed once again, and he looked irritated. "Why does everyone think I need a babysitter?"

Shae sighed, exchanging an anxious glance with Regina. "Look, I know you can take care of yourself, alright?" She said seriously. "But… This case your mom's working on, well… Let's just say there's some shady stuff going on around town. We just want to make sure that you're safe."

Henry nodded slowly, and Shae straightened up again as Remus approached them. "Right, Remus, this is Henry. Henry, Remus."

"Pleasure to meet you, Henry." Remus said chipperly as he shook Henry's hand.

"Cool accent." Henry said with a smile. "Where are you from?"

Remus's face fell, and he glanced nervously at Shae and Regina. "Erm… Well, uh… Um…"

"Iceland." Shae answered, stopping Remus from stammering. "Remus is from Iceland."

"Really?" Henry asked, mouth gaping open in shock.

Remus looked to Shae and Regina once again. "Er… Yes?"

"Cool!" Henry said excitedly, walking beside Remus as he led him away from Shae and Regina. "What's it like there?"

"Well, it's made entirely of ice, you see." Remus replied matter-of-factly. "That's why it's called Iceland."

Shae and Regina both laughed, shaking their heads in amusement as Remus and Henry walked away from them. When they turned the corner and were lost from sight, Shae finally turned to Regina. They stood in awkward silence for a moment, neither of them entirely sure what to say. Shae then stepped up to Regina, and gently drew her into her arms. Regina sighed, wrapping her arms around Shae's torso, breathing in her familiar and comforting scent.

"I missed you." She whispered.

"I missed you too." Shae whispered back.

They pulled away from their embrace, and Regina gazed up into Shae's light blue eyes. She smiled, tears welling into her eyes once again. Shae smiled back as Regina gently caressed her cheek. Regina leaned in closer, staring longingly at Shae's lips.

"Regina…" Shae whispered, drawing back slightly. "Listen, I… There's um… Something I need to tell you."

Regina sighed heavily, dropping her hand back to her side. "I already know, Shae." She said sadly. "I was the one that gave you and Emma new memories, remember?"

Shae nodded, biting her lip hesitantly. "Right… Yeah, I-I know that." She stammered. "But, um… T-There's… There's something else."

"I know." Regina repeated quietly. "Emma told me that… That even with your memories returned, the two of you… Still have feelings for each other."

Shae sighed, and nodded again. "Regina, I… I'm so sorry." She whispered, taking Regina's hands in her's. "I didn't… I… I don't…"

Regina smiled, gently placing her hand on Shae's cheek once again. "It's alright." She whispered back. "I was the one that made it so the two of you never broke up. It's… It's my fault anyway."

"Regina, no, don't say that." Shae said, shaking her head slowly.

"It's alright, it's the truth." Regina admitted sadly. "I understand that this is all very… Complicated. I'm just… Happy you're here."

Shae nodded, smiling sadly back at her. "Look, me and Emma talked and… We agreed that we need to just… Stay away from each other for a while. Focus on our, you know, witch problem." She explained slowly. "And… And you and me, we uh… Well…"

"I understand." Regina said, giving her a weak smile. "Focusing on finding The Wicked Witch and stopping her from… Well, whatever wickedness she has planned is best for all of us. We will… Work out the rest after."

Shae nodded, and Regina nodded back. She then reached into her pocket, and produced Shae's ring. She smiled sadly up into Shae's eyes, pressing the ring into her hand.

"Until then…" Regina began slowly. "You should have this back."

Shae stared down at the ring in her hand, then back up at Regina. She opened and closed her mouth several times, staring into Regina's brown eyes. She then sighed, and nodded slowly, slipping the ring back onto her own finger. Regina bit her lip, tears threatening to leak out of her eyes. She then cleared her throat, and took Shae by the hand.

"Come on, there's something else I want to show you."

Shae eyed her curiously for a moment, but then followed after Regina as she led them out of the park. They walked hand in hand toward downtown Storybrooke. The street was filled with people milling about, and they all stared daggers at both Shae and Regina. With The Wicked Witch still at large, the townsfolk were all still under the impression that Regina was to blame for the new curse. Regina knew that it was for the best, but all the menacing looks the townspeople shot her way made her blood boil.

Shae suddenly stopped in her tracks, and gasped loudly when she saw what Regina was leading her toward. It was Shae's turquoise VW Bus, sitting along the street just outside Granny's Diner.

"Blanche!" Shae exclaimed, rushing over to her old bus. "No way, she's still here!"

Regina laughed, shaking her head slowly as Shae threw her arms out around the bus, smiling as she pressed her cheek against the cold metal door.

"Yes, I found it- her, this morning." Regina said. She then removed the VW's keys from her pocket and handed them to Shae. "Here. Look inside."

Shae gave her another curious glance as she took the keys out of Regina's hand. She hastily unlocked the back door, and when she pulled it open, she gasped again.

"Bianca!" She cried.

Shae's acoustic guitar was sitting on the floor in the back of the VW bus. Shae smiled excitedly at Regina, and Regina smiled back, watching as Shae picked up her old guitar. She placed the strap over her shoulder and strummed out a few chords, a wide grin on her face.

"Oh, she sounds just as beautiful as ever." She sighed happily. "Thank you, Regina. Just… Thank you."

Regina smiled, and was about to reply, but all that came out was a surprised gasp as Shae kissed her. It took them both a moment to realize what was happening, and Shae stepped back slightly once she did. They stared at each other in silent shock for a moment, but then Shae removed her guitar from around her shoulders, setting it back down inside the bus, and pulled Regina into her arms, kissing her again.

As it always did when the two lovers kissed, the entire rest of the world suddenly melted away around them. They wrapped their arms tightly around each other, kissing passionately, desperately, and gratefully. Regina smiled against her lover's lips, entangling her fingers in her messy hair as Shae's tongue brushed lightly against her's. For a moment, all of Regina's worries seemed to fade away. Shae was back in her arms once again, and in that moment, that was all that mattered.

"Shae?"

Regina and Shae gave a start as they broke apart, and found Emma standing on the sidewalk just behind them, holding a to-go bag from Granny's Diner. She was accompanied by her parents, who were both eyeing their daughter warily.

"Emma! Uh, hey!" Shae said nervously, stepping back from Regina. "W-We were just, uh- OOF!"

Mary Margaret, David, and Regina all gasped as Emma stomped up to Shae, and slapped her hard across the face. Shae stumbled back into her bus, her light blue eyes wide with shock. Somehow, Emma looked to be even more shocked than Shae was, and she clapped her hands over her mouth, her eyes wide as saucers.

"Emma!" Mary Margaret chided her daughter.

"What the hell?" Regina demanded furiously.

"I'm sorry!" Emma exclaimed. "I-I… Oh my god… I'm so sorry!"

Shae silently gaped at Emma, rubbing the cheek that she had slapped. Regina breathed out a bitter, sour laugh, rubbing her forehead and shaking her head slowly.

"Well, it seems like you and your fiancee still have some issues to work out." Regina said as she turned to Shae, spitting out the word 'fiancee.' "Now, if you'll excuse me."

"Regina! Regina, wait!" Shae called after Regina as she furiously stomped away. "Regina! Dammit…"

Shae breathed out a heavy, defeated sigh, sinking down on the rear edge of her VW. She leaned forward with her elbows on her knees, burying her face in her hands. Emma stood rooted in her spot in silent shock over her own actions, and she exchanged a nervous glance with her parents.

"Shae, are you alright?" Mary Margaret asked gently.

"Yeah, I'm just fucking peachy!" Shae spat sarcastically, then glared at Emma. "Thanks for that. As if things weren't complicated enough already."

"Shae, I'm really sorry." Emma said, her tone heavy with guilt. "I… I don't know what came over me."

Shae sighed again, rising to her feet and slamming the back door to her bus shut. She then stomped over to the driver's side door, and threw it open.

"Where are you going?" Emma asked, brow furrowed in concern.

"I just… I need to be alone for a while, alright?" Shae replied irritably.

Shae got into her bus, lighting a cigarette as she drove away from Emma and her parents. She retreated out to the abandoned cabin in the woods. She desperately wanted to go to Regina, to tell her how sorry she was. But she knew it would be best to leave her be for the time being. She knew full well how Regina got when she was angry, and she knew there would be no talking to her now.

When Shae arrived at the cabin, her brow furrowed in confusion when she found a broken glass lying in pieces on the floor of the kitchen. She thought back to the last time she had been in the cabin. It had been a few nights before, after she had run away from Remus and his friend Robin Hood, Regina's other true love. She remembered breaking down in tears on the floor of the cabin, but found it strange that she couldn't remember breaking the glass. She shrugged unconcernedly, retrieving a broom from the closet, completely unaware of just how concerned she should be over her missing memories.

XX

After failing to find The Wicked Witch, and failing to replicate the memory potion that was given to Hook, Emma came up with an interesting idea, one that she had learned as a bail bonds person. She had spread the word around town that Regina actually had succeeded in making her own memory potion, and was planning on using it to prove her innocence. Emma had called it, 'smoking out the perp.' If The Wicked Witch found out that Regina was making a memory potion, she would more than likely try to stop her.

Regina had agreed, though a bit begrudgingly, to join Emma on a stakeout of the mayor's office after nightfall. She had also brought along Remus, thinking that the extra vampiric muscle couldn't hurt. The three of them sat in Emma's little yellow bug, all carefully watching the second story window of Regina's office.

"So, what, we just sit here and wait?" Regina asked of Emma.

Emma shrugged and nodded. "Until The Wicked Witch makes a move on your office, yeah."

"I think it's all rather exciting, don't you?" Remus said from the back seat, grinning at both of them. "Lying in wait for the… Oh, what was that word you used?"

"Perp?" Emma offered.

"Yes, that's it. 'Perp.' What a strange word." Remus replied. "Still, though, I could do without this insufferably tiny horseless carriage."

"I told you, it's called a car." Emma said with a chuckle.

"Right, 'car.'" Remus muttered. "Another strange word. I think-"

Remus stopped short, and they all jumped as there was a sharp rapping on Regina's passenger side window. They breathed out a sigh of relief when they realized it was Shae.

"I just thought, you know, two vampires are better than one." Emma said with a sheepish shrug when Regina shot her an irritated glance.

Regina sighed, and rolled her eyes as she opened the door for Shae. There was some grunting, groaning, and swearing as Shae squeezed her long, lanky limbs into the back seat with Remus. When she had finally managed to get into a sitting position, Regina pulled the door shut.

"Sup?" Shae said to them with a nervous smile.

Regina ignored her, staring back up at the window of her office. Emma smiled weakly at her into the rearview mirror of her car. Emma sipped on her coffee, and Shae drummed her fingers on her knees as they all sat in uncomfortable silence. Remus glanced from Shae, to Regina, and to Emma, brow furrowed.

"This is uncomfortable." He announced after a few moments of awkward silence. "I am now uncomfortable."

"Thank you for saying that out loud, Remus." Regina muttered, her tone heavy with sarcasm.

"You're welcome." Remus replied chipperly.

"Dude, you've got to learn what rhetorical means." Shae said, rolling her eyes at her friend. "Google it sometime."

"What?" Remus asked, raising an eyebrow at her.

"Oh, right, you don't know what Google is." Shae muttered. "Uh, well, it's a… Thing where you can ask it any question and it'll, you know, come up with an answer. Here, I'll show you."

Remus watched silently as Shae pulled out her smartphone. "Ok, so, I'll type in, 'what does rhetorical mean?' And… Bam!"

Shae grinned as she showed Remus the screen. "Brilliant!" Remus gasped, grinning back at her. "That is simply fascinating! What else does the tiny rectangle do?"

"Oh, dude, all sorts of stuff!" Shae replied excitedly. "Um… Oh, here, it can play music. Check it out."

Remus fell silent again as Shae tapped her phone screen. He jumped slightly when a song started blaring through the tiny speakers. Regina sighed, and Emma shook her head in amusement when they realized what song Shae had chosen to play for Remus.

"All the single ladies!
(All the single ladies.)
All the single ladies!
(All the single ladies.)"

Emma bit back a laugh, and Regina pinched the bridge of her nose as Shae began mouthing the words and dancing to the song in her seat, mimicking the very ones from Beyonce's music video. Emma had seen her do the full dance once before. Shae had told her that she had learned the whole thing, but Emma hadn't believed her. Lo and behold, Shae actually did know it, and proudly preformed it for her and Henry in their tiny apartment in New York.

"Up in the club, just broke up,
I'm doing my own little thing.
You decided to dip and now you wanna trip,
'Cause another brother noticed me
I'm up on him, he up on me.
Don't pay him any attention.
'Cause I cried my tears for three good years,
You can't be mad at me."

Shae stared intently at Remus as she danced and silently mouthed the words. Remus watched her closely, bobbing his head to the music, a smile slowly spreading across his face. Emma exchanged a glance with Regina, who only rolled her eyes.

"'Cause if you liked it, then you should have put a ring on it."
If you liked it, then you should have put a ring on it.
Don't be mad once you see that he want it.
If you liked it, then you should have put a ring on it."

Shae held up her hand, pointing to her finger as she flipped it back and forth. Remus grinned broadly as he watched, and Shae smiled excitedly, nodding at her friend as he began doing the hand-flip move with her.

"Dear god, there's two of them." Emma breathed with a small chuckle.

"Yes, they're quite the pair, aren't they?" Regina replied, unable to help chuckling herself.

"Brilliant! That was brilliant." Remus cried as Shae turned off the music. "I love it. What was that?"

"That, my friend, was Beyonce." Shae replied with a grin. "I'll for sure make you a playlist, cuz she da queen."

"Hang on, I thought Regina was the Queen." Remus said, brow furrowed as he pointed to Regina.

"No, no, different world, different kind of Queen." Shae replied, waving her hand dismissively. "What else, what else… Oh! Youtube is cool. Wanna see a video of a monkey sniffing his own butt then passing out from the smell?"

"Yes!" Remus replied enthusiastically.

"No!" Emma cut in. "Come on, guys, we need to focus here."

"Yes, you can show Remus all the wonders of the internet later." Regina said with a grateful nod.

Shae and Remus both pouted slightly as Shae stowed her phone back in her pocket. "Party pooper." Remus muttered.

Emma and Regina both rolled their eyes this time as the two vampires snorted with laughter. Emma then gasped, urgently grabbing Regina's arm. A shadow of a person was moving around in the window of Regina's office.

"We got her!" Emma said excitedly. "Come on, let's go!"

They all hastily vacated the car, Shae and Remus both struggling momentarily to free themselves from the back seat. They rushed into the town hall and up the stairs, stopping for a moment just outside the door of the mayor's office.

"You're sure she can't get out of there?" Emma asked Regina as she drew her gun.

"I sealed it with a blood lock." Regina replied. "Don't worry, I know what I'm doing."

Emma nodded, placing her hand on the doorknob. She then looked to the two vampires, who both nodded as well. Emma then slowly pushed the door open, and they all carefully stepped inside Regina's office. The room was dark, but it was obvious that The Wicked Witch had ransacked the place. There were various objects, papers, and broken glass strewn about the floor. Suddenly, they heard a noise from behind them, and they all whirled around to find a hooded figure standing with their back to them.

"Don't move!" Emma shouted, pointing her gun at the figure's back.

"There's nowhere for you to go!" Regina said heatedly.

To their immense shock and surprise, the figure suddenly disappeared in a column of bright green smoke. They stood in bewildered silence for a moment, all staring at the spot where The Wicked Witch had just disappeared from. Emma lowered her gun, slowly turning around to stare at Regina, Remus, and Shae, who were all looking just as shocked and confused as she was.

"I thought you said she wouldn't be able to do that." Shae said to Regina, her eyes wide.

"S-She shouldn't have." Regina replied quietly, her eyes just as wide as Shae's. "I-I don't understand, I put a blood seal on the entire room. No one can break through a blood seal, no matter how powerful they are."

They all exchanged a silent, fearful glance for a moment. "Who exactly are we dealing with, then?" Remus asked. "Who the bloody hell is this witch?"

Regina turned her wide, fearful eyes onto Remus, and slowly shook her head. "I have no idea."

XX

The next night, Shae was sitting in her cabin, staring blankly at the screen of the old, dusty television set, not really seeing the program that was on. After The Wicked Witch had slipped through their fingers once again, Shae had attempted to talk to Regina, to apologize for what happened. Regina was having none of it though, and left before Shae could get a word in edgewise. Shae sat forward on the couch, burying her face in her hands, her heart heavy with misery. She continuously struggled with her conflicting feelings. She missed Regina, wanted so badly to see her, hold her, kiss her, see the smile that made her unbeating heart flutter. But, at the same time, she couldn't stop thinking about Emma. She missed her too, missed her laugh, her smile, her stunning hazel green eyes.

Shae leapt to her feet, furiously kicking the couch as she did. She just wanted it all to go away. She wanted things to go back to they way they were, she wanted to be lying beside Regina, her true love, holding her in her arms as she slept. Or, did she want to return to her life with Emma and Henry in New York? She sighed again, rubbing her aching forehead. Somehow, she wanted both, and it was tearing her apart.

Shae jumped when there was a knock at the door. When she crossed the cabin and opened the door, she was surprised to find Emma standing on the other side. Shae could immediately tell that something was wrong. Emma's eyes were red and puffy, as if she had been crying.

"Hey." Shae said, eyeing her concernedly. "What's up? Everything ok?"

Emma opened her mouth to respond, but then shut it again. She bit her lip, more tears welling into her eyes, and she slowly shook her head. Shae hesitated for a moment, but then she gently took Emma by the arm and pulled her through the doorway.

"Emma… What's going on?" Shae asked once the door had swung shut behind her.

"It's just… All this, it's just… Hard, you know?" Emma replied slowly, her voice breaking with emotion. "The Wicked Witch of the West is on the loose, I keep lying to my son, and Neal is still just… Missing."

Shae watched with a heavy heart as Emma paused, tears leaking out of her eyes. "I just… I keep thinking about my life in New York, our life." Emma went on, hastily wiping the tears from her face. "It was… Good, a-and simple, you know? No evil witches, no being the savior. It was just… Us, and Henry, just living our lives."

"Yeah, it was nice." Shae said with a sad smile. "But… Emma, none of it was real."

Emma laughed sourly as she shook her head. "No, see, that's the thing, Shae. It was real, at least for us, right?" She said, more tears running down her cheeks. "It was real, and good, and… And all I was, all I had to be was a mother. A-And you… You were… My fiancee."

Shae bit her lip, staring down at the ground as she fought back her own tears. "Emma… I don't know what you want me to say."

Emma breathed out another bitter, sour laugh. "I don't want you to say anything, Shae." She whispered miserably. "Any time I ever had a problem you would just sit there and listen and… And be supportive. You always made me feel better, made me feel… Safe. A-And now…"

Emma trailed off into silence, squeezing her eyes shut as tears continued to stream down her face. Shae stood there in helpless and miserable silence, biting back her own tears, her heart aching.

"Now, all I want is for you to hold me and… A-And kiss me and tell me everything's gonna be ok." Emma whispered, her face twisting with sorrow. "I know I shouldn't… But… But… Dammit, Shae I don't know if I can do this."

"Do what?" Shae asked, brow furrowed in confusion.

"Stay away." Emma replied. "I can't stay away from you, Shae."

Emma crossed the room in three long strides, and threw herself into Shae's arms. She wrapped her arms around Shae's neck, gently squeezing two fistfuls of her hair as she kissed her with urgent and desperate passion. Shae held her tight, returning her embrace with the same amount of urgency.

"I don't know what the future holds." Emma whispered as they broke apart, gently holding Shae's face in her hands. "But right now, all I want is you. I want to forget about everything else and just… Just be with you."

Shae hesistated with her hands on Emma's hips, their noses brushing against each other, their lips almost touching. She thought about Regina, her beautiful, warm brown eyes swimming before her. She thought about the anger she had seen in those eyes just a day before, the sorrow, the pain. She felt the pain in her own heart, and in that moment, she knew she wanted to forget too.

Shae closed the miniscule distance that remained between their lips, and kissed Emma fiercely. They stumbled toward the bedroom, leaving a trail of their clothes in their wake. The fell onto the bed together, and Emma drew in a sharp breath as Shae slipped her fingers deep inside her. Emma moaned loudly, digging her nails roughly into Shae's back. She moaned into Shae's mouth, their tongues battling back and forth as Shae thrust her fingers harder and deeper inside her. Tears leaked down the sides of Emma's face as she came vigorously, and when she gazed up into Shae's eyes, she saw tears there as well. They lie there in silence for a moment, staring into each other's tearful eyes, Emma's ragged breathing the only sound to be heard. Emma gently cupped Shae's face in her hands, and they kissed again, both of them desperate to lose themselves in each other, desperate to forget about all their worries, if only just for a night.

XX

The moon was shining bright in the night sky, casting a pale light through the bedroom windows of the cabin in the woods. Shae and Emma were lying side by side, neither of them speaking, both of their hearts heavy with guilt and misery over what they had just done.

"What are we gonna do?" Emma whispered.

Shae breathed out a heavy, miserable sigh. "I don't know."

They fell silent again, both of their hearts aching, their minds filled with thoughts about the ones they loved. Shae squeezed her eyes shut, sighing again as she placed her hands over her face. She dropped her hands back to her sides again, and glanced over at Emma with wide eyes at the faint sound of someone knocking on the cabin's front door.

"Who the hell is that?" Emma asked, her eyes just as wide as Shae's.

"No idea." Shae replied as she sat forward. "I'll go find out. Stay here."

Emma nodded and Shae hastily got out of the bed. Their unwelcome visitor knocked again as Shae pulled on her t-shirt and boxers. She hurried over to the door, and when she pulled it open, her heart dropped deep into the pit of her stomach.

"Regina." She said, staring at the woman before her with wide, anxious eyes. "W-What… What are you doing here?"

Regina bit her lip, and she folded her arms across her chest, staring down at the ground. "Shae, listen, I… I don't like the way we left things the other day." She said slowly. "I understand how difficult the situation your in is, and the way I treated you just… Wasn't fair. I'm sorry."

Shae swallowed the hard lump that had suddenly formed in her throat, and she nodded hastily. "It's all good, you know? No worries."

Regina smiled weakly, and nodded back. "Can… Can I come in? I would like to sit down and talk, if that's alright."

Shae swallowed hard again, glancing quickly over her shoulder. "Er, well, uh n-now's not really a great time."

Regina opened her mouth to respond, but then suddenly spotted the clothes strewn across the cabin's floor. Shae attempted to pull the door shut, but Regina pushed her aside, stepping in to the cabin. Shae's hands began to shake as Regina silently stared at the pile of clothing.

"Is someone here with you?" Regina asked, slowly turning around to face Shae.

"What? N-No, of course not!" Shae said, trying her best to remain casual. "I'm just… Really messy and stuff, you know?"

Regina fell silent again, her mouth gaping open in shock as she stared at something behind Shae. Shae turned around, and was mortified when she realized what Regina was staring at. It was Emma's signature red leather jacket, hanging off the back of the couch where it had landed when Shae had tossed it across the room.

"No…" Regina breathed, her eyes wide with pure horror.

"Regina, listen." Shae began hastily, taking a step toward her. "I-It's complicated, ok? I-It's not-"

Regina wasn't listening. She turned away from Shae, and stomped down the dark hallway toward the bedroom. Shae rushed forward and grabbed on tightly to Regina's arms.

"Regina, don't!" Shae shouted as she attempted to pull her back. "Stop! Just listen, alright? I don't-"

The rest of Shae's words caught in her throat as Regina sent her hurtling backward with a blast of magical energy. Shae slammed against the wall, and crashed to the ground, groaning in pain. As Regina turned back around, Emma rushed out of the bedroom, dressed only in her underwear and shirt, her face panic stricken. She stopped dead in her tracks when she saw Regina.

"You…" Regina snarled, summoning a fireball into her hand.

"NO!"

Shae was on her feet again, and she rushed at Regina just as she was about to hurl the fireball at Emma. She grabbed Regina's wrist, and Emma stumbled back into the wall, watching as Shae and Regina struggled against each other. Shae managed to gain the upper hand, and she shoved Regina backward, placing herself between her and Emma.

"STOP!" Shae shouted at her. "Please, Regina, just listen!"

"LISTEN?" Regina shouted back, her eyes streaming with tears, her whole body shaking with rage. "Listen to what, Shae? About how sorry you are for fucking another woman? For lying to me? You said you were going to stay away from her!"

"I know! I know what I said!" Shae exclaimed. She paused for a moment, tears rushing down her face as she ran shaky hands through her hair. "Regina, I… I just… I-I don't…"

"Save it!" Regina spat at her. "You've betrayed me for the last time, Shae."

Shae's face twisted in sorrow, and she choked out a sob. "Regina, please…"

"You've heard the saying, 'three strikes and you're out,' yes?" Regina asked, pointing a quivering finger at Shae. "Well… You're out. You might as well go back to New York with your new fiancee, because I never want to see your face EVER. AGAIN."

Regina shot Emma a furious, menacing glare, and then turned on her heel, marching toward the door. Shae stumbled forward, desperately grabbing on to her arm.

"Regina, wait! Please!"

"DON'T TOUCH ME!"

Regina whirled around, and a loud smack resonated around the cabin walls as she struck Shae hard across the face. Shae spun to the ground, landing hard on her hands and knees. Regina stared down at her in silence for a moment, watching as Shae's body shook with violent sobs. Shae then slowly pushed herself up on her knees, turning her miserable, tear stained face up at her true love. Regina knelt down in front of her, grabbing her by her chin and glaring viciously into her eyes.

"Don't you dare touch me, ever again." She said in a dark and dangerous whisper. "You've lost that privilege. I won't let you hurt me anymore, Shae. I'm done with you."

Regina released Shae's chin and shoved her backward. Shae fell weakly to the ground and began sobbing bitterly. Regina shot Emma one last glare, then disappeared in a column of purple smoke. Emma remained rooted in her spot, her hands over her mouth, her eyes streaming with tears. She walked slowly forward as Shae curled up into a ball on the floor, and knelt down beside her.

"Shae…" Emma whispered, placing her quivering hand on Shae's arm. "Shae, I'm… I'm so sorry."

"DON'T!" Shae shouted at her, wrenching her arm out of Emma's grip. "Dammit, Emma… Just… Just go."

"Shae, I-I'm sorry, I-"

"GET OUT!" Shae roared.

Emma leapt to her feet, startled by Shae's outburst. She then hastily scooped up the rest of her clothes, pulling them on as Shae continued to sob on the floor. She paused in the cabin's doorway, turning to glance back at Shae, who had finally pushed herself shakily to her feet. When she realized that Emma was still standing in the doorway, she slowly turned her watery, bloodshot eyes onto her, her lips curling into a vicious snarl.

"GET THE FUCK OUT!" Shae screamed at her.

Emma bit back a sob, stepping out into the night and slamming the cabin door shut behind her. The sounds of glass shattering and general destruction rang in her ears as Shae raged inside the cabin. When Emma was alone in her yellow bug, she finally broke down. She rested her forehead against her steering wheel, gripping it tight as she sobbed. She had ruined everything. Any hope Shae had of restoring her true love with Regina had been dashed. Not only that, not only had she just ruined Shae's life, she had ruined Regina's. Again.

XX

Shae spent several miserable days locked up inside her cabin in the woods, suffering alone through the tumultuous storm within her mind and heart. She had ventured out only a few times and attempted to talk to Regina, to apologize, to beg for her forgiveness. But, once again, her words fell on deaf and furious ears. She sent Remus to try and talk to her once, but as soon as he uttered Shae's very name, she threw a lamp at his head, and he promptly dropped the subject. The last time Shae had tried to speak with Regina, she herself was threatened with a fireball. After that, she gave up. Regina would never forgive her for what she had done.

The only two people that Shae allowed into the cabin were Remus and Belle, who had quickly become fast friends. Remus had always been the more intellectual type out of the vampirical pair, and was quite the bookworm himself. Since arriving in Storybrooke, he had taken to spending most of his free time in the town library. When Remus told Belle about his unending quest to find a cure for his vampirism, Belle was more than delighted to show him all the books about magic and sorcery that she had found in her time as librarian. Shae found slight comfort in their visits, but on one particular visit to her cabin, they brought with them grave news. Emma had finally found Neal, only to lose him again, this time forever, when he was murdered by The Wicked Witch.

Shae stood at the back of the crowd gathered in the cemetery, watching with a heavy heart as Emma sprinkled a shovelful of dirt onto Neal's coffin. With everything that had happened with Regina, Shae was hesitant to attend Neal's funeral. She hadn't known him very well, but she did know that he was a good man, and she owed it to him to at least quietly pay her respects. Her heart ached as she watched Henry shovel some dirt onto his father's coffin. He had no memory of ever meeting his father, and now he was gone. Shae's heart went out to the poor boy, and to his mother. Despite the feelings Emma had for Shae due to their fake memories from the past year, Neal, the father of her son, was the one Emma truly loved, had always loved.

Shae clenched her fists, glowering at the back of Robin Hood's head as he stood beside Regina. She knew that it was only a matter of time before Regina ran into her other true love, but she hadn't thought it would be so soon. The vampire's clenched fists began to shake with rage as she watched Robin Hood place his hand gently on Regina's shoulder, and she fought back the powerful urge to punch the thief in the face when Regina smiled at him, the very smile that made Shae's undead heart flutter inside her ribcage. She desperately fought back the tears that were welling in her eyes. Her passionate evening with Emma had only made her realize how badly she wanted Regina, how much she loved her still. Now, due to her own selfish desires, she was dangerously close to losing the woman she loved to someone else, someone that so happened to be her second true love.

After Neal was laid to rest, his mourners gathered at Granny's Diner for food, drink, and good company. Shae hadn't planned on attending the wake at all, but after some gentle but persistent coaxing from Belle, she eventually relented. Regina completely ignored the vampire's presence, and, though her heart ached with bitter misery, Shae made no attempt to even glance in her general direction. She was sitting alone at the end of the counter, downing her fourth glass of whiskey when Tinkerbell sat down next to her.

"Hey, Shae!" Tink said with a nervous smile. "Um… So… Listen, T-There's something I need to tell you."

"I already know, Tink." Shae muttered miserably.

Tink raised her eyebrows in shock. "Oh! S-So you know that Robin Hood is-"

"He's the man with the lion tattoo." Shae finished for her. "Yeah. I saw it the night I first met him. Seems like him and Regina are already getting along. Good for fucking them."

Tink bit her lip as Shae glared down into her empty glass. "Look, I-I heard about… About everything that happened with you and Emma, a-and Regina too. I'm… Sorry, Shae. Do you want to talk about it?"

Shae shoved her empty glass away from her and got up from her stool. "No." She growled.

She left a sullen looking Tinkerbell at the counter, and pushed through the crowd of people and toward the back door of the diner. When she was finally alone in the back hallway, she breathed out a shaky sigh, leaning back against the wall and slowly sinking down onto the floor. She rested her elbows on her knees, burying her face in her arms as tears leaked out of her eyes. She sat in silence for a moment, her heart aching, her head spinning. She was contemplating getting up and leaving, retreating back to isolation in her cabin when the diner's back door swung open, and Ruby stepped out into the hallway.

"Ruby, hey." Shae said, hastily wiping the tears from her face. "W-What are you doing out here?"

Ruby smiled sadly down at her, nervously fiddling with her fingers. "Tink told me you were out here, and I uh… I thought maybe you'd wanna, you know… Talk."

Shae sighed heavily, leaning her head back against the wall. "I don't wanna talk about it."

Ruby nodded slowly, then sighed herself, sinking down onto the floor and sitting cross legged next to Shae. "Look, I understand what you're going through and-"

"Ruby, you can't possibly understand." Shae said quietly, cutting her off.

Ruby bit her lip, nodding slowly again. "Right, well, I guess I don't, not totally." She admitted. "But… I do know what it's like to lose someone you love to someone else."

Shae's heart sunk, and her mouth gaped open, her eyes shining with tears once again. "Oh, Ruby… Ruby, I'm sorry, I-I didn't-"

"No! No… Shit, I'm sorry, Shae." Ruby cut in hastily, cringing slightly. "I-I didn't… I didn't mean it like that. I didn't mean to make you feel worse than you already do. I just… I wanted you to know that you're not alone. That's all."

Shae gave her a weak smile, and nodded. She then breathed out a heavy sigh, leaning her head back against the wall again, more tears leaking out of her eyes. Ruby watched silently, and slowly reached out, gently and soothingly rubbing Shae's arm.

"I screwed up, Ruby." Shae said in a quiet and miserable tone. "I screwed up big time, and I don't know how to fix it, if I can fix it. A-And with Robin Hood here I… I'm scared… Scared that I might lose her. Again."

"I know, I'm sorry." Ruby whispered sadly. "But it's like Snow and Charming always say… You've just gotta hold on to hope, right?"

Shae laughed sourly. "I don't think hope is going to help this time."

"Well, honestly, I think it's all you've got right now, you know?" Ruby replied with a small shrug. "Besides, if there's anything I've learned from those two, it's that true love always finds a way."

"Last time I checked, Regina's got an abundance of true loves."

Ruby sighed sadly. "Yeah… I know. But still I-"

"Shh! Wait." Shae cut in suddenly, sitting forward, her blood red eyes wide. "Do you hear that?"

Ruby listened for a moment, then furrowed her brow at the vampire. "I don't hear anything."

"Exactly, it's too quiet." Shae muttered. "Come on, something's up."

Shae and Ruby both got hastily to their feet, and hurried back into the diner. The mourners gathered inside the diner were all dead silent, staring with wide, fearful eyes at a woman by the door, a woman that Shae didn't recognize. She had shoulder length red hair, and was dressed all in black, a large green gem glistening from around her neck. What was most shocking, though, was the dagger that she was brandishing in her hand, a dagger that Shae recognized as belonging to The Dark One.

"Ah, Shae, there you are!" The woman called out merrily as she spotted the vampire. "Lovely to see you again!"

Shae eyed this strange woman warily, the way everyone else was looking at her making her anxious. "Who the hell are you?"

"Oh, yes, that's right, you don't remember meeting me, do you?" The woman replied, sneering in a way that Shae did not like one bit. "I'm Zelena."

Shae chuckled darkly, slowly nodding her head. "Oh, I see. So you're The Wicked Witch?"

"Guilty as charged." Zelena replied with a devilish grin.

"Good. I've been looking for someone to murder lately."

Shae shoved her way through the crowd, rushing at Zelena, her eyes flashing with rage. She was quickly stopped by Emma, who grabbed on tightly to the vampire's arms.

"Shae, don't!" Emma exclaimed, pulling Shae back. "There's too many people in here."

"Yes, do listen to your friend, The Savior." Zelena said tauntingly. "Sorry, I suppose she's a bit more than a friend, isn't she? I've heard the most scandalous rumors about you two."

"What the hell do you want, witch?" Shae snarled furiously, yanking her arms out of Emma's grip.

Zelena chuckled deviously, slowly sauntering over to Shae. The crowd hastily parted for her, and Emma drew back a step as Shae stood her ground. Zelena stopped just in front of the vampire, and Shae glared into her ice blue eyes.

"Oh, I've already got everything I want from you, my dear." Zelena whispered in reply, gently stroking her finger down the side of Shae's face. "Just make sure you're on Main Street with the rest of the town come sundown."

"Why?" Shae growled, firmly standing her ground, not even flinching at the witch's touch.

"Because, darling, Regina and I are going to have a little showdown." Zelena replied with another grin. "And I want you to be there to watch your Queen lose."

Regina took an angry step toward the witch. "I don't lose." She snarled.

"Neither do I." Zelena said, turning to Regina, still grinning wickedly. "I suppose one of us is about to make history. See you tonight, little sis."

Zelena let out a loud, devilish cackle, and disappeared in a cloud of bright green smoke. A stunned and fearful silence fell over the diner momentarily, then the crowd gathered inside burst into anxious muttering. Shae turned slowly to Regina, her blood red eyes wide.

"Did… Did she just call you 'little sis?'" She asked, brow furrowed in confusion. "What the hell is going on here?"

Regina sighed, rubbing her forehead as she turned to face Shae. "Apparently, The Wicked Witch of the West is… My half sister."

Shae's jaw dropped open in shock. "Say what now?"

"Regina, are you sure Cora never mentioned her?" Mary Margaret asked, her eyes wide and fearful.

"I'm pretty sure I would remember my mother telling me she had a love child with a scarecrow." Regina replied with an eyeroll. She then suddenly turned her eyes onto Shae again. "Speaking of… What was she talking about when she said you don't remember meeting her?"

"Yeah…" Emma breathed, her eyes wide with shock. "And what did she mean when she said she has everything she wants from you?"

Shae glanced around at everyone's wary and suspicious eyes. "Hey, I have no idea, alright?" She insisted irritably. "This was the first time I've ever seen her!"

"Not according to her." Regina snapped.

"Then she's a fucking liar!" Shae snapped back.

Regina rolled her eyes at Shae, breathing out an irritated huff. "Whatever, it doesn't matter. This is my fight."

"Where the hell are you going?" Shae demanded as Regina stomped toward the door.

"None of your damn business!" Regina spat over her shoulder.

"Regina! Wait!" Shae called out in vain as the door slammed shut behind Regina. "Son of a BITCH!"

She kicked out a nearby chair, causing it to topple over. "Hey!" Granny shouted angrily from behind the counter. "Destroying my diner isn't going to help anything!"

"It's just a chair, Granny, calm your wrinkly old tits!" Shae shouted back.

"That's enough!" David cut in before Granny could retort. "Look, we all just need to calm down. We need to start locking down Main Street before dark. Come on."

Emma and Mary Margaret hurried off after Regina, and Shae, a bit begrudgingly, went with David, Belle, and Tinkerbell to begin securing Main Street for the upcoming battle. Remus, who had not known Neal at all, had skipped the funeral to go hunting in the woods. He joined them a short while later, and they all brought him up to speed on the situation. The sun was hanging low in the sky by the time they had finished, and they all took one last sweep along the street.

"Right, if we position people there, there, and there, we'll have the whole street covered." David told the group as he indicated the different spots with his finger.

"I'll talk to Blue, see if we can get any reinforcements." Tinkerbell said with a nod.

Just then, Emma and Mary Margaret returned, and they both hastily rushed up to them. "No way!" Emma cried as she heard Tinkerbell's plan. "You heard Zelena, she said no interference."

"Emma's right, she'll make Rumple level the entire block if she doesn't get a crack at Regina." Belle said in a dark tone.

"So, is it true, are they really sisters?" Remus asked of Emma and Mary Margaret.

The both nodded gravely. "Regina found a letter in her vault that confirmed it." Mary Margaret replied.

"Bloody hell…" Remus muttered, glancing at Shae, his blood red eyes wide. "That is shocking news, indeed."

"Where is Regina now?" Asked David.

"She disappeared." Emma answered with a sad shake of her head. "Something in that letter upset her."

"Shouldn't we try and look for her?" Tink asked, looking worried.

"Well, she was pretty clear that she didn't want any help on this one." Mary Margaret replied with a small shrug.

"What? No, we can't just let her do this alone!" Remus exclaimed heatedly. "I know full well just how powerful she is, but apparently so is this witch."

"No, she's getting help whether she wants it or not." Emma said determinedly.

"But we don't even know where she is!" Cried Belle.

"I think I do." Shae said, finally breaking her silence. "I'll find her."

They all stared silently at Shae, then exchanged an anxious glance with each other. "Er, no offense, my friend, but I'm not so sure she wants to talk to you at the moment." Remus said slowly. "Just the other day, she threw a lamp at my face at the very mention of your name."

"Yeah, I fucking know that, Remus!" Shae spat angrily.

"Alright, alright, no need to be rude." Remus muttered, rolling his eyes at her.

Shae sighed heavily as she rubbed her forehead. "Look, I just… I need to do this, alright?"

Without waiting for a response, Shae promptly turned on her heel, and set off toward the woods. She was certain she knew exactly where to find Regina. She knew she wouldn't be able to talk her out of the fight with her sister, but she at least had to talk to her. She had to tell the woman she loved how sorry she was, and beg for her forgiveness.

XX

Regina sat alone on a fallen long deep in the Storybrooke woods. She stared down at the letter in her hands, her tears slowly dripping onto the parchment. It was a letter from Rumplestiltskin to her mother, a letter that Regina had read countless times. She always turned to it any time she needed comfort, needed strength. In the letter, Rumplestiltskin talked about how powerful Cora's first born daughter was. Stunning in every way, the last line of the letter read. She now knew that Rumplestiltskin wasn't talking about her, he was talking about Zelena. That meant that the man who taught her everything she knew about magic thought Zelena was stronger than she was. There was no way she could win this fight.

Regina crumpled the letter in her hands, choking out a sob as she did. As she faced what she was certain was about to be her death, her heart was consumed with fear, but most of all, confliction. The pain of Shae's betrayal was still fresh in her mind. She was so angry with her for what she had done, and yet, she couldn't help but wish she was at her side now. She knew that Shae would have something helpful to say, and even if she didn't, Regina felt that her very presence would make her feel stronger. Even though Shae had betrayed her in the most horrible of ways, she couldn't help the ache she felt inside for her true love.

There was something else, however, that made the confliction in Regina's heart all the more worse. She had found the man with the lion tattoo, or rather, he had found her. She had run in to Robin Hood the very next day after she had caught Shae with Emma. Though she was still in an immeasurable amount of pain over Shae's betrayal, she couldn't help but feel an intense attraction to the noble thief. She felt a certain pull toward him, a kind she had felt only once before, when she had found Shae in the clutches of Van Helsing, about to be executed. When Shae fell from the post and into her arms, she felt the pull in her heart immediately. She remembered the way her heart had fluttered wildly as Shae smiled up at her, how she was left breathless as she stared into her blood red eyes.

Was what she was feeling toward Robin a sign? Had Shae's actions set her on a new path toward love? Regina bit her lip, burying her face in her hands as more tears streamed out of her eyes. Shae had caused her so much pain, but she knew, she felt it inside that, even after all the heartache, she still loved her. Regina sighed, straightening up again, finding no answers, only more questions, questions that would likely never get answered, not if her newfound sister had anything to say about it.

"I thought I'd find you here."

Regina turned around on the log, and found Shae herself walking toward her. Regina smiled, and, for a moment, all she wanted to do was run to her and throw herself into her arms. She desperately wanted to kiss her, to tell her how much she missed her. But then, she remembered what she had done, the pain she had caused her, and her smile fell into a bitter snarl.

"What are you doing here?" Regina demanded, hastily wiping her tears away. "How the hell did you find me?"

"I just… Know you, Regina." Shae replied as she came to stand in front of her.

"What are you talking about?" Regina snapped.

Shae laughed, and smiled knowingly at her for a moment before she explained. "Back home, there was a certain spot deep in the woods outside your castle that you would go to any time you were upset." She said. "A certain spot in a clearing, just like this one, and you would sit on a log to be alone with your thoughts, a log just like that one."

Regina eyed her suspiciously as she pointed to the log she was sitting on. "How do you know that?" She demanded, glaring furiously at the vampire. "You used to follow me there, didn't you?"

"'Course I did." Shae replied with another smile. "What kind of Royal Protector would I be if I let you go out into the woods all by yourself?"

Regina breathed out a bitter, surprised laughed, shaking her head slowly in disbelief. "Why… W-Why didn't you-"

"Say anything?" Shae finished for her. "Well, I knew you didn't want to talk, that you just wanted to be alone. So I chose to… Respect those wishes."

Regina folded her arms across her chest, raising an irritated eyebrow at her. "And yet you seem to be perfectly fine with bothering me now."

Shae sighed, the smile slowly fading from her face. "Yeah, well, this time I have something important to say." She said quietly. "Regina… You can't do this. You can't go fight Zelena, it's a suicide mission."

"Yes, well, I'm afraid I have no choice." Regina replied bitterly. "She said that if I don't show up she'll start killing people. I… I can't let that happen."

"You do have a choice." Shae said, slowly shaking her head. "Let me fight her for you."

"Shae, she'll kill you."

"Maybe, maybe not." Shae replied with a shrug. "If not, then, hooray! Dead witch. And if she does kill me… Well, I was prepared to die for you once before, this time isn't really any different."

Regina sighed, rubbing her aching forehead. "Shae, do you really think dying will make up for what you've done?"

"It's a start."

Regina opened her mouth to retort, but then shut it again, staring at the vampire with wide, baffled eyes. "Wait, you think dying for me is… Is only a start?"

Shae nodded, her eyes suddenly immensely sad. "Yeah. What I did, it was… Awful. I… I hurt the person that I love most in one of the worst ways possible. I'm not sure even death could make up for something like that."

Regina bit her lip, glancing away from Shae and down at the ground as more tears welled into her eyes. Shae then stepped forward and knelt down in front of Regina, gently taking both her hands in her. Shae had remove her colored contacts when Henry left with Hook after Neal's funeral, and her now blood red eyes glistened with tears as she stared deep into Regina's eyes.

"Regina, I love you." She whispered, her voice cracking with emotion. "I've been in love with you since the day you saved me from Van Helsing, and I-"

"If you love me so much, then why did you sleep with another woman?" Regina demanded furiously, cutting off Shae's gentle, quiet words. "Hm? Why did you sleep with Emma when you said you were going to stay away from her?"

"I don't know, Regina." Shae admitted miserably, tears now leaking out of her eyes. "I just… Don't know. I wish I had a good answer, a good excuse. But I just don't. There's no excuse for what I did, and trying to come up with one would just be stupid."

Tears flowed freely down Regina's face as she stared down at Shae, her heart aching with misery. "Look, I knew I wouldn't be able to talk you out of this fight, but I had to try." Shae went on, gently squeezing Regina's hands. "You know, back when you were about to sacrifice yourself to stop the trigger, I meant what I said. I meant it when I said that I had nothing to go back to without you. And I still mean it."

Shae paused for a moment, her face twisting in misery as more tears rushed down her cheeks. "Regina, I… I know that if I face Zelena and I die, you'll be able to move on. You've got-" She paused again when she thought about Robin Hood, but then shook her head. "You've got Henry, so you'll be able to have a life without me, a happy life. But… But if you die…"

Shae's voice broke with emotion, and she choked out a strangled sob, her hands starting to shake as she held Regina's tightly. "Regina, I have nothing without you." Shae went on in a desperate whisper. "If you lose this fight, I… I couldn't bare it. I can barely handle being without you now, knowing… Knowing how much I've hurt you."

Regina gasped as Shae suddenly reached out, cupping her face in her hands and staring desperately into her eyes. "I hope, and I wish, and I pray every moment of every day for your forgiveness." She whispered, her voice quavering. She then paused again, dropping her hands back to her sides, sighing heavily as she hung her head. "But… But I know I don't deserve it."

Regina watched as Shae rose to her feet, wiping away her tears with the back of her hand. "Just… Do what you need to do, Regina." Shae told her with a weak smile. "I'll be on Main Street with everyone else, no matter what."

As Shae turned to leave, Regina suddenly leapt to her feet. She rushed forward, and Shae stopped, turning slowly around as Regina grabbed her hand. Regina didn't speak right away, she only stared up into the eyes of the woman she loved. She then gripped the front of Shae's leather jacket, and pulled her in close, kissing her deeply. Shae stood rigid in shock for a moment, but then she placed her quivering hands on Regina's hips. Regina held their kiss for a moment, and then pulled back, placing her hand gently on Shae's cheek, smiling into her eyes.

"I forgive you." She whispered.

Shae's jaw dropped open in shock, and her lips trembled as she stared down at Regina, her blood red eyes wide. "What?" She breathed.

"I forgive you, Shae." Regina repeated, smiling as she gently caressed Shae's cheek with her thumb. "You're right, I might not survive this fight. And I'm not going to take all this rage, all this pain to my grave. Not… Not when I'm still so deeply in love with you."

Shae breathed out a bewildered laugh, her eyes shining with tears. "You… You are?"

Regina nodded, placing her other hand on Shae's face. "Of course." She whispered, smiling as tears rushed down her cheeks. "What you did hurt me to my core, but… But I've done a lot of things to hurt you too. I mean, I ripped out your heart and held it hostage for twenty eight years. And I sent you away from me, gave you new memories, a new life, with a new woman to love you and care for you."

Shae squeezed her eyes shut, and Regina leaned forward, pressing her lips to Shae's cheek, kissing her tears away. "But, in the end, we always end up finding each other again, forgiving each other." She went on, gently brushing back Shae's messy black hair. "What is it that Mary Margaret said? We've always had a vicious sort of love."

Shae laughed, slowly nodding her head. "Yeah, still pretty damn accurate too."

Regina laughed too, gently wrapping her arms around Shae's neck, placing her hand on the back of her head as she kissed her again. Shae sighed, her tears mingling with Regina's as they kissed slowly, passionately, and gratefully. Somehow, against all odds, their true, vicious love remained as strong as ever.

"Oh, Regina…" Shae whispered when they broke apart. "Regina, I'm so sorry."

"I know." Regina whispered back, smiling up into her eyes. "And I forgive you."

Shae smiled back, gently caressing her lover's cheek. "Thank you."

Regina smiled too, placing another kiss on her true's loves lips. After a few moments, Regina pulled away and glanced up at the sky, where the evening sun was hanging low over the treetops.

"There's still some time left before sundown." She said, glancing back at Shae and gently stroking her cheek. "And there's something that I want before then."

Shae raised an eyebrow at her. "What's that?"

Regina smiled into her lover's eyes. "You." She whispered. "If these are truly to be my final moments, I want to spend them with you, and only you, Shae."

Shae smiled back, and she wrapped her arms around Regina, holding her tight as they both disappeared in a cloud of purple smoke. They reappeared in Regina's bedroom, and they found each other's lips again as Regina pulled Shae's black leather jacket off of her shoulders, tossing it lightly to the ground. They quickly and urgently tore at each other's clothes, breaking away from each other's lips for only a few short seconds at a time. As soon as they were both naked, they fell into bed together, and made passionate love to each other for what might be the last time before Regina faced her sister, and possibly her death.

The evening sun was slowly disappearing beneath the horizon, and it cast a burnt orange glow across the two lover's bodies as they lie in bed together, tangled in each other's arms as they kissed slowly, passionately, desperately. Regina reluctantly pulled away, and tried to stop her heart from hammering as she gazed out of her bedroom window at the setting sun.

"We should go, it's almost sundown." She whispered, gently caressing her lover's face.

"Wait, before you go off to face impending doom for the billionth time…" Shae began with a small chuckle. She smiled as she removed her ring from her own finger, and held it out to Regina. "I want you to take this."

"Now, before you saying anything, it's not… That." Shae went on quickly before Regina could retort. "It's just… It's always brought me luck, you know? Maybe it will for you too. Maybe… Maybe it'll help keep you safe, because I… I might not be able to."

Regina smiled into her true love's eyes, taking the ring out of her hand and slipping it onto her finger. "Then I'll take this ring with a promise." Regina said, gently taking Shae's hand in her's. "If I do somehow survive my, as you put it, 'impending doom,' then I promise, as soon as my sister is taken care of, I… I will marry you."

A wide, joyous smile slowly spread across Shae's face, and her eyes shone with tears once again. "R-Really?"

Regina nodded, smiling back. "Yes. As soon as Zelena is out of the picture, we'll get married. As quickly as possible, preferably. Before anyone or anything else splits us apart again."

Shae laughed, nodding in agreement. "Alright, I think I can agree to that."

Regina laughed too, all the pain and the heartache from the last several days melting away as she lie in her true love's arms. For a moment, the power of love and forgiveness allowed her to forget all about the impending battle with her sister, and even Robin Hood, her supposed other true love. She no longer thought about him. All she thought about, all she felt, deep in her heart and soul, was Shae's love, and her own love for Shae.

"I love you." Regina whispered, smiling as grateful tears welled into her eyes.

Shae smiled back, placing a gentle kiss on her lips. "I love you too." She whispered in reply. She then placed her hand on Regina's cheek, and stared very seriously into her eyes. "You can do this, Regina. You will survive this."

Regina bit her lip, lightly running a finger across the many scars on Shae's chest. "How can you be so sure?"

Shae laughed lightly. "Because you're… You." She said with one of her quirky grin's that Regina loved so very much. "You're the most badass bitch I know. And… And I'll be right there with you. I won't let anything happen to you, I promise."

Regina sighed, slowly shaking her head. "Shae, you can't interfere. Zelena said she'll kill anyone who tries."

"Then let her try." Shae whispered, staring determinedly into Regina's eyes. "If this is the end for you, then it's the end for us both. We're in this together, Regina. Till the end, remember?"

Regina smiled, a single tear leaking down her face, and she nodded. "Till the end."

The two lovers kissed again, and they spent another few desperate moments wrapped in each other's arms. As the sun finally sank below the horizon of the town of Storybrooke, they reluctantly vacated Regina's bed, and hastily got dressed once again. Shae took Regina's hand in her's, and placed one last kiss on her lips, before they both disappeared in a cloud of purple smoke.

XX

"Well, well, well, looks like my little sister is a sniveling coward after all." Zelena sneered, glaring around at the faces of the people gathered on the dark main street of Storybrooke. "What say you, Rumple? Who do you want to kill first?"

Zelena grinned wickedly at Mr. Gold as she brandished the dagger that controlled him and his dark, dangerous powers. Gold didn't respond. He only clenched his fists, staring silently down at the ground.

"He's not killing anyone." Emma said, pushing through the crowd and stepping determinedly forward. "If you want to fight someone, Zelena, fight me."

Zelena barked out a mocking laugh. "Sorry, dear, I don't dance with amateurs."

"Then why don't you dance with someone your own size?"

Zelena whirled around, and the crowd drew in a collective gasp as they spotted Regina, with Shae following closely behind her.

"There you are!" Zelena exclaimed, sporting another devilish grin. "And you've brought your pet vampire. I see the two have you have made nice."

"That's right." Shae said, grinning back at The Wicked Witch as she and Regina stood before her. "And I'm not going to let you hurt her."

"Neither of us are." Snarled Remus, hastily shoving through the crowd.

Zelena laughed again in a mocking way as the two vampires stood protectively between her and Regina. She then raised The Dark One dagger in the air, and Mr. Gold threw out his hand. The crowd cried out in alarm as he sent Remus flying backward through the air.

"REMUS!" Shae shouted as her friend hit the ground hard, rolling across the pavement before coming to a stop.

"Not another step!" Zelena snarled, brandishing the dagger dangerously as Remus sprang immediately to his feet, rushing toward her, his blood red eyes flashing with rage.

Remus stopped in his tracks, his fists clenched, glancing between Shae and Regina anxiously. Regina then took an angry step toward the witch, glaring furiously into her eyes.

"Enough!" She shouted irritably. "Why are you doing this, Zelena? What the hell did I ever do to you?"

"Isn't it obvious?" Zelena replied, glaring back at her sister. "You were born."

Shae snorted with laughter from beside Regina. "That's all? You're just jealous?"

Zelena continued to glare at Regina for a moment, then turned her malicious gaze onto Shae. "She got everything." She said quietly, her voice shaky with emotion. "Including you."

Shae glanced curiously at Regina, then raised an eyebrow at the witch. "Me? Why the hell do you care about me?"

"Because, despite all the evil my sister has done, she got the one thing I never had!" Zelena shouted furiously. "Unconditional love! Despite all the horrors she has committed, she was given true love. Tell me, how exactly is that fair?"

Shae chuckled again, shaking her head slowly in amusement. "Well, I can tell you one thing… It's not that simple. It never really has been"

"Of course it is!" Zelena spat bitterly.

"Enough of this!" Regina snarled, taking another step forward, bringing her face dangerously close to Zelena's. "So that's it? You're going to kill me just because you've never been loved?"

Zelena barked out another loud, mocking laugh. "Kill you? I never said I was going to kill you." She replied, wagging a finger at Regina. "See, I might have told a teensie, weensie lie earlier. It's not me you're going to be fighting after all."

Regina glanced silently over at Mr. Gold, then raised an eyebrow at her sister. "I see. So you're going to make Rumpelstiltskin do your dirty work, is that it?"

"Oh no, my dear sister, he's just here to keep the rabble at bay." Zelena replied after laughing at Regina once again. "No, I've got someone else under my thumb that's going to bring about your destruction."

Zelena grinned at her sister as she held out her hand. There was a puff of bright green smoke, and the crowd gathered on the street gasped loudly as a glowing red heart appeared in The Wicked Witch's open palm. Regina drew back a step, staring wide eyed at the pulsing heart.

"You see, you're not going to be fighting me." Zelena went on, sporting another dark and evil grin. "You're going to be fighting… Her."

Zelena clamped down on the heart in her hand. Regina gasped, slowly turning her head as she heard a strangled cry from beside her. Shae had suddenly collapsed onto her knees, her face twisted in pain, her hand clutching at her chest. Time seemed to slow to a crawl, and the sudden ringing in Regina's ears drowned out the gasps and cries of shock uttered by the crowd gathered around them. She stared down in silent horror as the woman she loved cried out in pain, her heart clutched firmly in The Wicked Witch's grasp. After a few moments of delighting in the vampire's anguished cries, Zelena finally released her grip on Shae's heart, and Shae stared up at her in complete and utter shock.

"W-What?" She breathed, rising shakily to her feet. "How?"

"Oh, it was ever so simple, darling." Zelena sneered wickedly. "You see, all I had to do was pretend to be a damsel in distress, and you were putty in my hands."

Zelena barked out another loud, evil laugh, then raised her voice into a high, mocking tone. "'Please, help, I'm terribly lost in the woods!'" She cried, sneering at the crowd around her. "'Oh, please, can I trouble you for a glass of water?'"

"The broken glass… I-It was you!" Shae whispered, her blood red eyes wide. "But… But why? Why don't I remember?"

Zelena laughed again. "Because, I told you to forget. Because now that I hold your heart in my hands, you are nothing but my puppet, forced to do my bidding."

"You're insane if you think I'm going to hurt Regina." Shae snarled at the witch.

"I'm afraid you'll have no choice." Zelena replied with a grin.

"I can fight it."

"Are you sure about that?"

"Damn sure!"

"We'll see." Zelena said in a dark and dangerous tone. She then brought Shae's heart up close to her face, and whispered into it. "Kill Regina."

The crowd gathered on Main Street cried out in alarm once again as Shae's arm instantly shot out, and she grabbed Regina by her throat. Regina let out a strangled cry, clawing at Shae's hand as she slowly lifted her into the air. Shae clenched her fingers around Regina's windpipe, and Regina gasped in vain for air. She saw Remus rush at Zelena, who raised the dagger in her hand once again, and Remus was blasted away by Mr. Gold. Regina shifted her gaze back onto Shae, staring into her blood red eyes, eyes that were full of malice. As the corners of her vision started to grow black, she reached out, gently brushing her fingers down Shae's cheek.

"Shae… Please…" She choked out, tears leaking down her face.

Shae continued to snarl at her, clenching her hand around Regina's throat even tighter. Then, all of a sudden, her gaze softened, and her hand suddenly began to shake. She then released her grip on Regina's throat, and staggered backwards. Regina crashed to the ground, landing on her hands and knees, drawing in a great, shuddering gasp, coughing and sputtering as she gulped down lungfuls of air. Shae stared down at her own two hands in horrified shock, then rushed to Regina's side, kneeling down beside her.

"Regina! Oh my god, Regina, I'm so sorry." She whispered, grabbing onto Regina's arms as she got shakily to her feet. "A-Are you ok?"

Regina nodded silently, rubbing her aching neck, her chest heaving. Shae then grinned triumphantly at Zelena, who was standing with the vampires's heart still in her hand, her mouth gaping open in utter disbelief.

"Told you I could fight it." Shae snarled tauntingly.

"Well, well, it seems like your love for my sister is stronger than I thought." Zelena muttered quietly, glaring at both Shae and Regina.

Regina smiled at the woman she loved, gently caressing her cheek. Shae smiled back, placing her hand on top of Regina's. Emma glanced back at her parents, who were both smiling hopefully. She then glanced over at Remus, who was once again back on his feet, and grinning triumphantly. For a moment, despite all odds, it seemed that Shae and Regina's true love was strong enough to fight off The Wicked Witch.

"No matter." Zelena went on, waving her dismissively. "I suppose you just need a little push."

Zelena then waved her hand over Shae's heart sitting in her open palm. Regina and Shae both watched, their eyes growing wide with horror as Shae's heart turned from glowing red, to bright green. Time seemed to stop again as Regina slowly turned her head to the side. She gasped as Shae's eyes began to glow with the same bright green light as her heart. For a moment, Shae simply stood there, her now glowing green eyes wide. She then turned her gaze onto Regina, and her lips curled into a fearsome snarl.

The townsfolk cried out in shock as Shae threw out her arm, blasting Regina backward off her feet. Regina hurtled through the air, crying out in pain as she crashed down onto a car parked along the street. She slid off the car and down onto the ground, pushing herself shakily back to her feet. Shae was standing rigid in her spot, and Zelena stood next to her, grinning deviously at her sister, Shae's glowing green heart pulsing in her hand.

"Now then, one of two things is going to happen." Zelena called out to her in a taunting tone. "Either you kill your true love, or your true love kills you. Either way, I win."

"Stop this, Zelena!" Regina shouted back. "This is about you and me, not her!"

Zelena laughed loudly, slowly shaking her head. "See, that's where you're wrong, little sis. It has everything to do with her. I'm going to destroy everything you hold dear, starting with your true love."

Zelena thrust out her hand that was holding Shae's heart, and all Regina and the others saw was a black blur of motion as Shae rushed forward. Regina only had time to let out a startled gasp as Shae seized her by the front of her jacket. She then spun her around, and sent her flying through the air once again. Remus reacted quickly, his own body a black blur as he placed himself right in Regina's landing path. He grunted painfully as Regina's back crashed into his chest, and the two of them spun, rolled, and bounced across the pavement. When they finally came to a stop, they both lie there groaning in pain for a moment. Remus then staggered to his feet, and he held his hand out to Regina.

"Are you alright?" He asked as he helped Regina up.

"Fine, I'm fine." Regina muttered, brushing herself off.

They stood side by side, watching warily as Shae advanced slowly toward them, her fists clenched, her glowing green eyes fixated on Regina. Remus then turned to Regina, and placed a hand on her shoulder, staring determinedly into her eyes.

"Right, you hold Shae off, and I'll get her heart back from this damn witch." He said quietly.

"Remus, no!" Regina cried, pulling him back a step as Shae drew ever closer. "You heard Zelena, you can't interfere!"

"Like hell I can't!" Remus snarled back.

Remus took a furious step toward Zelena, but Regina quickly stepped in front of him. "Remus, don't! Please, you need to keep everyone else safe." Regina pleaded with him. "There's no telling what she plans to do. Trust me, I can handle this."

Remus hesitated for a moment, glancing from Regina, to Shae, then to Zelena. He then breathed out a relenting sigh, and nodded. Regina nodded back, and Remus stepped aside, backing away toward the crowd of onlookers. Regina then drew in a shaky, steadying breath, and turned back to face her true love, who was now under The Wicked Witch's evil spell.

"Regina!" Mary Margaret suddenly shouted. "Regina, you need to kiss her! It's the only way to break Zelena's spell!"

"I'm afraid that's going to be rather difficult." Zelena said before Regina could reply. "Seeing as she's going to be trying to kill her and all."

Zelena thrust Shae's heart out once again, and the vampire rushed at Regina. Shae leapt through the air, fist raised, but, this time, Regina reacted shockingly quick. She brought up her arm just in time to block Shae's blow, Shae's fist bouncing harmlessly off of Regina's forearm. The townsfolk watched, their eyes wide, mouths gaping open in shock as Shae and Regina exchanged vicious blows. Even though Shae moved with superhuman speed, Regina's reflexes were just as lightning quick. Somehow, she seemed to anticipate Shae's every move.

The vampire and The Queen soon became a combined blur of motion, and the onlookers watched their hazy figures with bated breath. Finally, Regina gained the upper hand, and she sent Shae careening backward with a blast of magical energy. As Shae crashed to the ground, Regina turned toward her sister, grinning triumphantly, her chest heaving with exertion.

"How?" Zelena demanded, looking just as shocked as the rest. "How is this possible?"

Regina was the one that laughed mockingly this time. "Did you forget?" She asked her sister with another grin. "Shae and I spent years together. She was the one who taught me how to fight with fists and sword. I know exactly how fast she is, how strong she is. I know her every single move."

Regina paused, her grin broadening as she took a determined step forward. "Shae can never win against me." She snarled dangerously. "Pretty soon, all her magic, all her power will be drained, and she'll be completely useless to you. Face it, Zelena. You've lost."

Zelena glared silently at her sister for a moment, then glanced over at Shae, who was back on her feet, standing rigidly in her spot, her glowing green eyes once again fixated intently on Regina. Zelena then turned back to her sister, sporting her own wicked grin.

"I don't lose." She snarled.

Zelena outstretched her hand up toward the traffic lights hanging above Regina's head. As they came crashing down toward her, Regina threw up her hands, stopping them in their tracks. As Regina sent the traffic lights shooting harmlessly to her side, Zelena thrust out Shae's heart, and Shae disappeared in another black blur as she sprinted at Regina.

"NO!" Remus suddenly shouted.

Remus rushed forward, tackling his dear friend bodily to the ground just before she reached Regina. In the instant that Regina was momentarily distracted, Zelena threw out her hand that was free of Shae's heart. Shae and Remus were lost from Regina's sight as she was sent flying through the air, crashing straight through the glass window of the clocktower. She landed hard on the top of the metal staircase inside the clocktower, her entire body screaming in pain. As she shakily pushed herself up onto her knees, Zelena appeared before her in a whirl of green smoke.

"You don't realize what you had, do you?" Zelena snarled, glaring down at her. "You never did. You got everything I ever wanted and you didn't even deserve it."

Regina glared silently back at her sister, her chest heaving, her heart hammering inside her ribcage. Zelena then knelt down in front of her, a dark and devious grin stretching across her face.

"But that's all going to change now, little sis." Zelena went on in a dangerous whisper. "I'm going to take it all away from you."

"Then why don't you get it over with?" Regina snarled back at her. "Go ahead and kill me."

Zelena laughed in another mocking tone as she straightened up again. "Did you already forget? I'm not going to be the one to kill you."

The Wicked Witch waved her hand over Shae's pulsing green heart still clutched in her fist, and Shae herself appeared beside Zelena in a whirl of bright green smoke. Regina pushed herself up onto her feet, and stared helplessly at the woman she loved, whose eyes were still green and glowing. Zelena grinned wickedly at her sister, and once again held Shae's heart up close to her lips.

"Finish her."

Regina let out a strangled cry of pain as Shae's arms shot forward, and she wrapped both of her cold, pale hands around Regina's throat. Regina tried to cry out again, but no sound was able to escape her lips as Shae's fingers squeezed tightly around her windpipe. She sunk slowly and shakily back down onto her knees, and Shae went down with her, tightening her grip around Regina's throat, snarling viciously into her eyes. Regina dug her nails weakly into Shae's hands, blackness slowly creeping toward the center of her vision. Zelena watched with an evil grin on her face as her sister choked and gasped for air.

"Shae… P-Please…" Regina managed to choked out, tears leaking out of the corners of her eyes.

Regina's head began to spin, the blackness threatening to take over her vision. This was it, it was all over. Regina was about to die at the hands of the woman she loved. She was certain that, with her heart still firmly in Zelena's clutches, Shae herself would soon follow her in death. Regina took solace in the hope that they would be reunited once again. Perhaps, in death, she could finally be with her true love.

"Shae, I… Love you." Regina whispered desperately.

She squeezed her eyes shut, her body growing weaker and weaker by the second. Suddenly, she felt Shae's hands begin to shake from around her throat. She opened her eyes again, and found that her true love's eyes were still glowing green, but her brow was now furrowed, as if in confusion. Shae's face then twisted in pain, her whole body quaking violently. She then let out a strangled groan, and released her vice like grip on Regina's throat.

Regina slumped backward onto the hard, metal landing, her chest heaving as she gasped desperately for air. She coughed and sputtered violently, her neck aching from where Shae's fingers had been. The inside of the clocktower spun around her, and she heard Zelena's furious shouting, but her exact words were drowned out by the ringing in Regina's ears. Suddenly, she remembered what Mary Margaret had said, and she shakily pushed herself back up onto her knees. She reached out her arms, peering through hazy eyes at Shae, who was still kneeling in front of her, her hands clamped on either side of her head. Regina's hands made contact with Shae's leather jacket, and she gripped it tight, jerking her forward and pressing her lips firmly to her true love's.

"NO!" Zelena shouted.

A pulsewave of magic shout out from between their lips as Regina kissed Shae. As soon a she felt it, Regina leaned back, staring into Shae's now blood red eyes. Shae blinked several times, her eyes wide and unfocused. She then turned her gaze onto Regina, and a smile slowly crept across her face.

"You did it!" Shae exclaimed.

Regina laughed, grateful tears leaking out of her eyes. She threw her arms around the woman she loved, kissing her again. For a brief moment, they both forgot all about The Wicked Witch, who still held Shae's heart in her hand. For a moment, all they cared about was the fact that their true love had conquered all odds once again.

"Oh, Shae…" Regina whispered, gently caressing her lover's face. "Shae, I love you."

Shae smiled into her eyes, placing her hand tenderly on Regina's cheek. "Regina… I-"

Shae suddenly gasped, and her body gave a violent lurch. Regina stared into Shae's blood red eyes as they widened, her pupils shrinking down to pin points. Regina then slowly looked up at her sister, and watched in horror as sparkling gray dust slipped between the fingers of her clenched fist. She turned her eyes back onto Shae, who was now falling forward. Regina caught her by her shoulders, and Shae slumped limply into her arms. Regina's ears began to ring again, and her body began to shake as she stared down into the gaping blood red eyes of her true love.

"No…" She breathed in horror, turning her gaze up at her sister. "What have you done?"

Zelena laughed in a wickedly triumphant sort of way. "Isn't it obvious? I've crushed the heart of the thing you love most."

Zelena squatted down in front of her sister, grinning into her eyes. "Don't worry, you'll be seeing your true love soon enough." She whispered dangerously. "I'll be coming for your heart next."

The Wicked Witch barked out a devious cackle as she straightened back up. She then held out her hand, and a broomstick appeared in a puff of green smoke. Regina watched as her sister mounted the broom, cackling evilly as she soared through the shattered window of the clocktower, disappearing into the night.

A deafening silence fell over the clocktower as Regina stared down at Shae lying lifeless in her arms, her blood red eyes gaping up at the ceiling. She leaned her head down, and placed her trembling lips to Shae's. She hoped against hope that true love's kiss would once again wake her, save her. But nothing happened. There was no magical pulsewave, no sudden gasp. Shae remained still and lifeless in her arms.

Regina's mouth gaped open, the sound of her own screaming drowned out by the deafening ringing in her ears. Her body shook with violent sobs as she hugged Shae's limp body desperately against her own. She threw her head back, screaming into the air again, screaming furiously at whatever god or gods that were. Suddenly, faces swam before her. Emma, Charming, Snow White, Captain Hook. She heard their own cries, saw their lips moving, but none of their words reached her. She saw Emma kneeling in front of her, saw the tears streaming from her eyes. She watched as Emma rested her head on Shae's shoulder, her body shaking with violent sobs. Emma then slowly reached out, using her thumb and forefinger to gently push Shae's eyelids down over her wide, lifeless eyes.

Emma was suddenly gone, and Regina felt hands on her arms. She screamed at whoever was pulling at her, whoever was trying to take Shae from her arms. She clung desperately to the woman she loved, refusing to let her go. She then suddenly found herself on her feet, watching as David and Hook carefully lifted Shae's body into the air. Regina was gently supported by Emma and Mary Margaret, and the three of them followed after David and Hook as they carried Shae from the clocktower.

The crowd that had gathered to watch the witch fight was still milling about on the street, and Regina saw shock and horror in all their eyes as they watched Hook and David carefully lay Shae's body down onto the ground. Remus quickly pushed his way to the front of the crowd, and when he saw his best friend lying motionless on the ground, he cried out in horror. Regina watched as he ran to Shae's side, falling to his knees next to her, screaming as he shook her by her shoulders, screaming at her to wake up. When Shae showed no signs of movement, Remus turned his panic stricken gaze onto Regina. He rushed over to her, grabbing her roughly by the arms, shaking her violently.

"DON'T JUST FUCKING STAND THERE!" Remus screamed at her. "DO SOMETHING!"

Regina opened her mouth to speak, but her words caught in her throat. She shook her head, and Emma and Mary Margaret both squeezed her arms gently as she choked out a sob. Remus then turned to the crowd gathered along the street, all of them staring silently down at Shae's lifeless body.

"DO SOMETHING!" He screamed at them all. "SOMEONE HELP HER!"

"Remus…" Regina whispered shakily, finally finding her voice. "Remus, please…"

"YOU!" Remus exclaimed, pointing a shaky finger at Mother Superior. "You! You're a fairy, aren't you? Fucking do something, will you?"

Mother Superior opened her mouth to reply, glancing at Tinkerbell, who was standing beside her, her eyes streaming with tears. Mother Superior seemed unable to reply, and she placed her hands over her mouth, slowly shaking her head, tears spilling out of her eyes.

"FUCKING USELESS! ALL OF YOU!" Remus screamed at the crowd.

"REMUS, STOP!" Regina cried, wrenching her arms out of Emma and Mary Margaret's grasp. She staggered over to Remus, choking out another miserable sob as she gripped the front of his jacket. "Remus, there's… There's nothing we can do…"

"NO!" Remus shouted back, his blood red eyes wide and wild with panic. "No, there has to be a way! We can save her! Regina, we… We have to save her!"

"We can't." Regina whispered, her voice quavering with emotion. "Remus, she's… She's gone."

Remus shook his head vigorously, tears spilling down his cold, pale face. "No…" He whispered desperately, his hands shaking as he gripped Regina's arms. "No, I can't… Regina, I can't… Not again…"

Regina sobbed again, her face twisting with misery. "I'm sorry… I-I couldn't… I couldn't stop her…"

Remus released Regina's arms, and he staggered back over to Shae. The crowd watched with heavy hearts as he dropped to his knees beside his old, dear friend. For a moment, he simply stared silently down at her, placing a quivering hand on her forehead. He then choked out a sob of his own, and fell forward onto Shae's chest, digging his fingers into her black leather jacket as he began to sob violently. Regina shakily stepped up next to him, and slowly sank down onto her knees, resting her head on his shoulder as she cried with him.

Regina had no idea exactly how long she sat there in the street, kneeling beside Remus. Her knees were screaming in pain, her body shaking from the cold night air, but she didn't move, she didn't leave Shae's side. Her tears had finally subsided, and she watched as Remus slowly and gently brushed back Shae's messy black hair, a horrible, gaping void of numbness consuming her mind and body. Shae, the woman she loved, the one she had always loved, was gone. She was really and truly gone. There was no saving her this time.

"Regina, Remus…" Mary Margaret whispered from behind them. "I-I'm sorry, but… We have to get her out of the street."

Remus glanced at Regina, his eyes miserable and bloodshot from all the tears. Regina nodded at him, and Remus nodded back, slowly rising to his feet. Regina remained in her spot for a moment, staring down at the woman she loved more than anything in the world. She then leaned forward, her tears dripping down onto Shae's cheeks as she placed on last kiss on her true love's lips.

Regina stood beside Remus, gently gripping his arm as they watched David and Captain Hook carrying Shae's body away. Mary Margaret and Emma followed slowly after them, but Emma suddenly stopped, turning to Regina, her eyes red and puffy from crying.

"Regina, I know we've had our differences lately." Emma began quietly. "But… I promise you, I will do whatever I can to help you with Zelena. She needs to pay for what she's done."

Regina stared silently into Emma's bloodshot, hazel green eyes. Mere hours earlier, Regina had felt nothing but resentment and loathing for The Savior. But now, all she felt was the pain of Shae's loss. As she stared into Emma's eyes, she knew that she was feeling the same exact pain.

"She will." Regina whispered quietly, a single tear rolling down her cheek. "I swear it. My sister will pay for taking my true love away from me."

XX

The people of Storybrooke once again gathered in the cemetery for a funeral. As Shae's casket was lowered into the ground, her mourners stepped forward, taking up a shovel and sprinkling dirt down onto her coffin. Belle was the first to go, then Ruby, followed by her grandmother, Tinkerbell, Mother Superior, and The Seven Dwarves. Emma went after her parents, and, once she was finished, she handed the shovel to Henry, watching miserably as her son took it into his shaking hands. Even though he had no memory of Neal, his father, Henry had still been sad about hearing of his death. When Emma broke the news of Shae's death to her son, his reaction had been much different. Due to the fake memories Regina had given him, Shae had been a part of Henry's life for nearly five years. He had loved her dearly, just as he did his own mother, and had been hysterical over her loss. Emma had stayed up through most of the night with him, holding him as he cried, her own heart aching with misery.

After Henry had weakly tossed a shovelful of dirt onto Shae's casket, he handed the shovel over to Remus, who in turn, handed it lastly to Regina. Remus stepped aside, and Regina stood silently over Shae's grave with the shovel in her hand. She had spent the entire morning in daze of shock, but, as she stared down at Shae's coffin, half covered in dirt, the realization of what was happening suddenly bared down upon her. She was overcome with emotion, tears streaming out of her eyes, her hands shaking as she gripped the shovel tight. Suddenly, the shovel fell from her hands, and her knees buckled. Remus quickly knelt down in front of her, pulling her into his arms as she began to sob bitterly.

"Why is the mayor so upset?" Henry whispered to his mother, gazing up at Emma with red and puffy eyes.

Emma sniffled quietly, clearing her throat as she wiped tears from her face. "Um… Well, her and Shae were… Really close." She replied quietly. "She just… Misses her a lot."

Henry nodded slowly, his eyes welling with tears once again. "Yeah… Me too."

Emma sighed, gently brushing back his brown hair. "I miss her too, kid."

"You're gonna find whoever killed her, right?" Henry suddenly asked. "They killed Shae, and my dad. You're… You're gonna make them pay, right?"

Emma's mouth gaped open in shock as she saw the sudden bitter rage in her son's eyes. For a moment, she wasn't quite sure how to respond. Her first instinct was that of a mother, which made her want to chastise him, tell him that revenge was never the answer. But, she saw the pain behind the anger in Henry's eyes, the same pain that ached deep in her own heart.

"Absolutely." Emma replied in a determined whisper. "They're going to pay, Henry. I promise."

XX

In the days following Shae's death, Regina barely saw or spoke to anyone. Emma and her parents were all worried, but they respectfully kept their distance. They knew that there was nothing they could say to quell the immeasurable pain that Regina felt deep in her heart and soul. The only other people that felt Shae's loss as heavily as Regina did were Emma, Henry, and Shae's oldest and dearest friend, Remus. No one in town had seen hide nor hair of Remus since Shae's funeral, and Robin Hood and his Merry Men continued to patrol the woods, searching for the vampire. But, it seemed that Remus, in his grief, had completely disappeared.

On the third day after her true love's murder, Regina woke to the morning sun casting a beam of sunlight upon the empty side of her bed. It was the very spot that, just days ago, Shae had been lying, holding her in her arms, kissing her lips, telling her how much she loved her. Regina lie still for a while, silent tears streaming down her face, her heart aching with misery. Then, suddenly, something seemed to rouse her from her mournful daze. She quickly vacated her bed and donned her robe, stepping out of her bedroom and into the hallway.

"Mom!"

Regina jumped, whirling around, startled to find Henry also stepping out of his room. He smiled joyfully at her, and her mouth gaped open in shock as he threw his arms around her.

"Henry?" Regina breathed, staring down at her son with wide, confused eyes. "W-What are you doing here?"

"Um… I live here, duh." Henry replied slowly, raising an eyebrow curiously at his mother.

"W-What?" Regina asked, shaking her head bewilderedly. "Wait a minute… You… You remember me?"

"Of course I remember you, you're my mom!" Henry replied matter-of-factly. He then took Regina by the hand, leading her toward the stairs. "Come on, Shae's making chocolate chip pancakes!"

Regina stopped in her tracks, her heart lurching inside her ribcage. "S-Shae? She's… She's here?"

"Well, yeah!" Henry cried obviously. "It's Sunday. She always makes pancakes on Sunday. Now, come on!"

Henry took his mother by the hand again, and Regina followed her son down the steps. Her head was spinning, her heart hammering wildly. When she stepped into the kitchen, she tugged her hand out of Henry's grip, clapping her hands over her mouth, gasping in complete and utter shock. Standing at the stove, clad only in her boxers and a black t-shirt, was Shae.

"Good morning, beautiful!" Shae exclaimed as Regina entered the kitchen.

Regina stood rooted in her spot, staring at the woman she loved as she smiled at her. She then slowly walked forward, stopping just in front of Shae, reaching out a shaky hand. She gasped again when her hand made contact with Shae's chest. She placed her other hand on her chest, then on her neck, her cheeks, running her fingers through her soft, messy hair. She stared into Shae's blood red eyes, her own welling with tears. She threw her arms around her, choking back a sob as she felt the coldness of Shae's lips against her own.

Regina felt Shae's strong, loving arms holding her as she kissed her. Regina held her tight, kissing her slowly, gratefully, desperately. When she finally pulled away, she placed her quivering hands on either side of Shae's cold, pale face, smiling into her eyes.

"Oh, Shae…" She whispered, tears leaking out of her eyes as she gently caressed her face. "It's really you, you're… You're really here!"

"Of course I am!" Shae replied, smiling back at her. "Were you expecting someone else to be cooking you breakfast in their underwear?"

Regina sobbed joyfully as Shae gave her one of her quirky grins that she loved so very much. She threw her arms around her, gently feeling her body as she kissed her again, unable to believe that she was actually real.

"Wait… Wait a minute, I don't understand." Regina muttered as she suddenly pulled away, staring confusedly up into Shae's blood red eyes. "I… I saw Zelena crush your heart, watched you being buried. Shae, you're… You're… Gone."

Shae slowly shook her head, smiling as she gently tucked a stray lock of Regina's hair behind her ear. "No, not gone." She whispered. "Just… Lost."

Regina furrowed her brow, shaking her head in confusion. "W-What? Lost?"

"That's right." Shae replied with another smile. "But you can find me again. You just have to use this."

Regina glanced down as Shae gently placed her hand on the left side of her chest. "My heart?" Regina asked, shaking her head once again as Shae nodded. "I… I don't understand. Shae, what are you talking about?"

Shae slowly and sadly shook her head. "I'm sorry, but… That's all I can tell you."

"What? Why?" Regina asked.

Shae smiled again, gently cupping Regina's face in her hands. She leaned forward, and Regina's eyes fluttered closed as she placed a gentle, tender kiss on her lips. Regina's heart fluttered in her chest, the feeling of Shae's lips on her's causing more tears to leak out of her eyes. She opened her eyes again as Shae pulled away, and her brow furrowed when she saw that Shae's own eyes were suddenly filled with sorrow.

"Because, Regina… You're about to wake up."

XX