Regina was sitting at her father's bedside when he opened her eyes.

"Regina," he said weakly.

"Father," she said smiling and gripping his hand tighter. She had kept a vigil at his bedside since she arrived, ignoring everything else that was going on around her or their home. She vaguely recalled someone bringing in something for her to drink which she never quite got around to drinking. She had been lost in her thoughts – thinking about her father and how he had to pull through this.

"Are you back? Are you home?"

"Yes, father," she said. Although she was sure he meant was she back in a permanent way, she didn't want to do anything to upset him. "I'm back."

"Good," he said. "Your mother and I have missed you. I've been worried."

"You don't have to worry about anything," Regina said, kissing his hand. "I'm fine. I'm here."

He moved his other hand and pointed at her. "What happened to your lip?"

"Nothing," she said. "I was clumsy and I fell."

"My daughter is not clumsy. You've always been graceful. You have the grace of a queen."

There was no way she was going to tell her father about the assassination attempts because she knew it would only upset him.

"Can I get you anything?" she asked, changing the subject.

"No," he said. "Knowing you are back and away from that monster is all I need."

His eyes were closing as exhaustion pulled him back to sleep. She continued to sit there, feeling bad about lying to him, but also relieved that he had missed her. She hadn't been peering into her parents' lives as she had with Emma. The sting of her mother's hidden past still bothered her. Still, she felt shame now for not checking in on her parents.

She wondered if there were signs that she could have seen that would have prevented this. All her mother had said was that he had been more tired lately and he had a lot on her mind. It wasn't until now that she realized her being gone must have weighed heavily on him.

Pushing those thoughts from her mind, she stood, deciding she needed to get out of that room for a little while at least. She left the room and walked down to her father's library, figuring it would be empty as she wanted some time to herself. But when she entered she found her mother talking with Daniel. She backed away to leave.

"Regina," her mother said. "Please."

Keeping quiet she entered the room, shutting the door behind her.

"I will leave you two to speak in private," Daniel said, giving her mother a bow.

"Thank you, Daniel, thank you for bringing my daughter home."

"You're welcome."

He left the room, but not before pausing slightly next to Regina and giving her a quick kiss on the cheek.

"He cares for you very much," Cora said after Daniel left the room.

"Still trying to find a suitable match for me mother?"

"No," she shook her head. "You found your match on your own with Emma."

Regina turned around to leave.

"Regina," Cora said. "This thing with your father … I love him. I think I loved him from the moment I first met him. His smile, his warmth. He helped me get through a difficult part of my life. When my brother died I turned to magic thinking it could take away my pain, but it couldn't. But your father, your father did. He brought me back from a very dark place and I have to believe that the same thing can happen for you."

Regina had turned back to face her as she spoke, but now she kept her eyes to the floor. She didn't want to think about the love she had lost.

"You do understand that the magic can't take away the pain you feel, right?" Cora asked her.

"The magic makes me powerful," Regina said, looking at her. "The magic makes me better than those silly women at court who think only of finding some suitable spouse. It makes me invincible."

"No it doesn't," Cora said. "It doesn't make you invincible. If anything it makes you think you are so that you don't see the next hurt coming when it does. I'm sorry. I'm sorry that I was so tough on you; that I pushed you toward being one of those silly women at court. And I'm sorry I didn't fight for you and Emma with the queen, but I promise you, Regina, I am ready to do that. I will find some way to make Queen Snow listen to reason. All I want is for you to be happy once more."

"It's too late for such things," Regina said.

"No," Cora said. "It's not too late for Emma and you or for you and me." She reached out for Regina, but her daughter pulled away from her, putting distance between them. Cora backed off as well, knowing she needed to tread carefully. One wrong word and she risked losing Regina forever.

Regina ended up taking a seat, but she didn't say anything and Cora saw for the first time how tired she seemed.

"Tell me what you want me to do," Cora said. "What can I do to ease the burdens that are weighing you down? Whatever you need from me, I will see it done."

Silence descended on the room and Cora waited patiently until Regina was ready to speak.

"Why is our world like this?" Regina said. "Why is that our stations in life determine who or what we can be? How is that fair?"

"It's not," Cora responded. "But it is the world we live in."

"But what if it didn't have to be that way? What if we lived in a world where we didn't have to be defined by whether we were royalty or not, or be in some hierarchy within that royalty?"

"You are talking about this curse that he wants you to cast, aren't you? I suppose he finally told you about it."

Regina nodded.

"What did he tell you exactly?"

"Why?"

"Because," Cora sighed. "He is the Dark One and he is not to be trusted. Besides I would like to know if what he told you matches what he told me all those years ago."

Regina told her what she had been told and the questions she had asked about it. Cora had begun pacing about partway through the telling. When she finished Cora took a seat beside her.

"I know you feel like life has been unfair to you and that the circumstances of your birth and our family's social standing is what prevented you from being with Emma, but don't you see that this curse, this world that you would create is the same thing. You would put our family in power over Emma's and you think this is fair in some way."

"Aren't you tired of going to court and pretending to like the fact that Queen Snow sits on the throne and has all the power?"

"She was my friend once," Cora said. "I remember we used to be at court together when she was still just a princess and we would laugh and we would gossip and we didn't think about such things as social standing. It meant as little to me back then as it did to her. Perhaps if I had remained friends with her she would not have been as opposed to you and Emma being together and for that at least I am sorry."

"Will you tell me about him, about my uncle? You shouldn't have had to mourn him alone all these years."

"I haven't, not really," Cora said. "In her way, Snow too has mourned him."

"But she is the reason he was killed."

"No, she isn't. It's taken me a long time to see that, but it wasn't her fault. There was a war going on. You have grown up in a time when the war was over, but at its height, some wondered if we would be overrun completely. John, my brother, he was so brave and talented and I thought he was invincible. But even with my faith in his abilities, I was afraid when he volunteered to fight. I didn't want to lose him and so I went to Snow and I asked her to plead on my behalf to her father to ensure John was kept away from the fighting. Things were going badly for our side though and they needed knights like John and so he was sent. I cried when he left, but I still thought he would return until the day a couple of the king's guards showed up to tell us he had been killed in battle. Snow came at once to be at my side, but I didn't want to see her or speak to her. Her father doted on her and I believed that if she tried to keep John from the front lines there was no way her father would turn her down. John was very handsome and he liked Snow and for a while there I even thought that they might marry, but then Charming came into the picture about the same time as John was to be sent away to war. In my mind, I believed Snow didn't try hard enough with her father because maybe she didn't want a rival to her hand around her new beau. When I finally did speak to her, it was after John's body had been brought home and we buried him. She and I exchanged unpleasant words and our friendship was shattered forever. I left, I sought out someone who could teach me more about the magic which I knew I had in me and I ended up with him. You may think I don't understand what it is that you are seeking with your magic, but I do. I know because I have been there too."

Cora was surprised when Regina leaned against her.

"It hurts so much," Regina said and while Cora couldn't see her face she suspected Regina was crying. "After all this time, it still hurts."

"I know," Cora said putting an arm around her. "I know it does."

….

Regina felt a little odd riding on a horse. She hadn't done it in so long that she figured she might be a little sore later. Still, she loved the feel of the wind blowing through her hair as she picked up speed.

She needed to leave the homestead and clear her head. After speaking with her mother, she had sat and had some food with Daniel. Neither said much – but she appreciated that Daniel didn't press her to talk about anything. He seemed to sense that she was emotionally exhausted from her talk with her mother.

It wasn't just emotionally. She was also physically tired but she needed to get out of there. Before leaving, she again sat at her father's bedside for a while as he slept. She had a lot on her mind and she wished he was awake and well as he always gave her sound counsel when she needed it. They didn't always agree on topics but she trusted her father to listen to her and tell her things in a way that didn't sound like he was lecturing.

It was getting dark and Daniel wanted to accompany her, but she assured him that she would be fine. Her magic would keep her protected from any threats.

Whether she was conscious of it or not she was nearing the place where she used to meet Emma. Instead of moving away from it, she swung her horse in that direction. As she got there she saw another horse was tethered to a tree and she slowed up, wondering who had discovered this spot. She knew she should probably move along but she dismounted and tied her horse up.

Walking through the woods, she kept an eye on her surroundings. While it was doubtful there was anything here to pose a danger to her she remained cautious.

She came to the clearing and saw a petite-looking man with his back to her. Then he turned.

"Regina?" Emma said in disbelief.

Regina didn't respond as she took in the sight of Emma dressed as a man standing in the very place where they had once shared so many precious moments.

"Regina," Emma repeated, this time coming toward her. Regina stepped back as she neared and the action was enough to get Emma to stop where she was at. "How is your father?"

It may have been the last thing Regina expected to come from Emma's mouth. She looked around her – checking for the trap that this must be.

"We're alone," Emma reassured her. "It's just you and me here like it used to be."

Regina didn't want to be there suddenly. An onslaught of emotions hit her and she took several steps back – her mind telling her to flee this place.

"Wait," Emma said. "Please. Please don't go. I came here to find you. I need to talk to you. Please. Will you stay and listen?"

"How did you know I would be here?" Regina asked, her eyes still searching the area behind Emma wondering if the queen's guards were hidden there somewhere.

"I didn't know you would be here," Emma said. "I was on my way to your parents' home; I heard about your father. Is he ok?"

"I don't know," Regina said. "If you were headed there, why are you here?"

"I didn't know what would happen if I just showed up there, so Tink went ahead to see if you were there first."

"Who is Tink?"

"We're alone," Emma said, as she kept seeing Regina's eyes dart back and forth. "There is no one here to interrupt us this time. There is no one here but me."

"Is that supposed to be reassuring to me?" Regina said as she walked to her left. She couldn't risk turning her back on Emma, but she needed to see if they were indeed alone. Emma moved with her – keeping an eye on her.

"I would hope it would be," Emma said. "What happened at the ball, you have to know that wasn't … I had nothing to do with that. I wasn't trying to have you captured. When I saw you there in my room, my heart soared. I missed you so much, I have missed you since the day those riders took you away. And yes I know that was my fault; I trusted the Dark One and I came out as the fool. I swear I never intended for any of this to happen. I only wanted us to be together. That is all I have ever wanted since the moment I saw you in my garden."

"I wish I had never entered your garden that day," Regina said.

"You don't mean that," Emma said. Already she felt the desperation creeping into her voice. She knew this was most likely her only shot at this and she had been caught unaware when Regina entered the clearing. She thought she would have more time to collect her thoughts before speaking with her.

"Oh no?" Regina said and her eyebrow raised slightly as did the corners of her mouth into a sly smile. "As far as I can tell the only good thing to come from my meeting you was learning that I have this magic, magic I will use to destroy you, your family, and your fiancé Killian."

Emma did not like the way Regina was looking at her – it wasn't the way Regina was supposed to look at her.

"He's not my fiancé. I was forced into that and do you think if I had any intention of marrying him I would be here now," Emma said moving toward her. "I'm here for one reason and that is to see the woman I love and make her see that I love her and only her and hope that she sees that too so we can stop this, whatever this is that has happened to us. Regina, it's me; I'm standing here in our place ready to do anything to make you see that you are the only one I want to be with. We can run away together as we had planned. We could go to your parents' and seek asylum with them until my parents see that the only way I ever return as princess is with you by my side. If they can't accept that then they can find someone else to give their kingdom to because I will renounce any claim to it if I don't get to be with you."

Her little speech caused Regina to back away from her so Emma moved with her, coming closer until Regina raised her hand out in front of her. Her magic flung Emma backward and she landed several feet away from Regina. She looked up at Regina who was now sneering at her.

"You dare to use my love for you as a ploy. What was that, were you trying to get close to me to capture me and take me back to your dungeon?" Regina said. "If I didn't have something so much bigger planned for you, I would destroy you now."
"I would … I would never use our love as a ploy," Emma said scrambling to her feet. "Our love, not just yours. I don't know what the Dark One has told you but he's been manipulating you, making you believe things that aren't true."

"Look at my lip. Do you see the scar? Is that not real? Your assassin did that. If I hadn't have woken in time he would have succeeded in killing me," she said. "After your first one failed, I assume you got a better one. He made it all the way into my room as I slept. I woke to him standing over my bed with the knife he was about to stab me with. This happened in the ensuing struggle. Do you have any idea what it has been like to have to constantly be on guard for someone trying to kill you?"

"I didn't send an assassin after you. I wouldn't. I couldn't. I love you. I will say it a million times if I have to, but I love you," Emma said. "He is lying to you. He even made a deal with my mother that she would keep you away from me and in return, he would take you away with him to some other world. He was with my mother that night at the ball after you disappeared. He tricked me and he tricked you."

"No," Regina said shaking her head, but Emma could see Regina was at least thinking about what she said. "He has shown me who I really am."

"No," Emma said. This time she rushed forward and she took Regina's hand in hers. "No, he hasn't. Please tell me it's not too late." She pressed her lips to Regina's, but Regina didn't kiss back. She tried again, but still no reaction. When she tried the third time with nothing to show for it, she stared into Regina's eyes – pleading with her.

Regina pulled away but Emma kept a hold of her. "It can't be too late," Emma said. "I don't accept that. I don't accept that I would meet you and fall in love with you for it to end like this. Please. I didn't send an assassin after you. I don't want to marry Killian. I only want you. Please, Regina, I want to be able to hold you in my arms and have you look at me like you used to – like you loved me and you wanted what I wanted. Please, my heart only belongs to you."

"You gave me over to him," Regina said. "I was so scared and you gave me to those men."

"I know, I'm sorry. I was desperate. I didn't want to be married to anyone but you and you said we couldn't run away because of your family so when the Dark One appeared to me, I took his deal. I'm sorry," Emma said. "I will do anything to make it up to you. Please don't say it's over between us; it can't be. Look me in the eyes and tell me you don't still feel the love for me that I feel for you."

Regina did look at her and Emma hoped she was conveying the love she felt so that Regina would see it and believe her.

"Me loving you wasn't the problem. I was a fool for you," Regina said as she broke eye contact. "And the moment I am out of your sight, you are kissing your new love – the soon to be the prince of the realm. If you loved me, you would not be doing that. You wouldn't have become engaged to him if you loved me. No, I was an inconvenience to you once you were done with your little dalliance so you got rid of me."

"No," Emma said. "I've never kissed him. The most he has done is kiss me on my hand and I will not kiss him. I will not marry him. I will not share my bed with him. You know how my mother is – she forced that engagement upon me after … after I told her the truth about us."

"You told her the truth?"

"Yes," Emma said giving her a weak smile. "I admit I didn't intend to like I did, but I hadn't heard from the Dark One. He told me he would contact me when it was safe for me to come find you, but I never heard from him and I was getting depressed and she was pushing me toward making a decision about marriage and I let it slip. I told her I was in love with you and you were the only one I wanted to be with. She reacted poorly, but I haven't wavered in my love for you. My love will never waver. The question is do you still love me?"

Regina moved away from her again, but Emma wasn't going to allow it. She grabbed Regina, forcing her to face her.

"Do you still love me?"

She looked into Regina's eyes and she could see uncertainty in those eyes. Her only hope was that the uncertainty was about whether Emma loved her and not being uncertain about her love for Emma.

"I still love you," Regina finally admitted.

This time Emma pulled her in for a hug. She was afraid if she let go of her that she would disappear. "I love you," she whispered into Regina's ear. "I love you so much and I will make this up to you, I swear. I'm never going to let you go." She pulled back but only so far as needed to press her lips to Regina's once more.

Regina kissed her back and it served to ignite Emma's passion even more. She had missed Regina so much, missed being able to touch her, kiss her and hold her. She kissed harder and faster, kissing her like she had never kissed her before. They had never done much more than kiss and touch a little, but now Emma felt an urgency and a need to show Regina that she was the only one she ever wanted. Pausing only a moment, she stepped back and took off the cloak she wore and laid it on the ground. Swooping back to take possession of Regina's lips she gently guided Regina down the ground so they might lay together.

"I love you," she repeated. "From this moment on, I will let nothing separate us ever again."

She kissed her again before Regina could say anything.