Emma,

It's been five days since you disappeared. I have attempted to summon you more times than I can count and am met with only the sting of your absence. Why won't you appear? You are the first one I reach out for in the morning. The last before I go to sleep. I cry for you in my dreams. We are all so worried for you. We want to help you, Emma. Please respond to me somehow. Please...just tell me you're okay. This silence is tearing my heart to pieces and I can't bear much more of it.

How could you have done this? That was the stupidest thing you've ever done! That's saying a lot, because you've done some incredibly dumb things. I'm so angry with you right now. You should have let the Darkness take me. You are too important. I am expendable and deserving to be swallowed up by emptiness. You're the Savior, Emma Swan. This was not how this was supposed to go...and now you're gone. I'm holding on to this anger because if I let go of it, I will be left only with inconsolable grief. How could you leave me here, alone? You broke this curse, returned my memories and feelings to me, and now I'm left only with the dream of having your touch at my disposal. I ache for your presence, and I hate you for that. I hate that I love you so dearly.

I want to continue being angry with you, but I can't be and that only makes it worse. You sacrifice your own happiness for the benefit of others, and you take all of it one day at a time. To know that you had these feelings for me and allowed me to continue choosing Robin over you pains me more than I can fully express. Am I capable of such unconditional love? I don't deserve you, Miss Swan. I've caused so much pain and heartache to your family and to the people of Storybrooke. You believed in me and you fought for my happiness...even when it hurt.

Gold is slowly recovering. Things are terrifyingly quiet. I told them everything about us. Your parents were surprised, but incredibly supportive. Have I mentioned that their silver lining speeches still make me want to vomit a little bit? They have faith that we will find you. At least we can agree on that. Robin doesn't understand it and is still trying to convince me to reconsider my decision. He thinks that you're gone for good, and even if you return, you will not be the same Emma. Same or not, you are My Emma. You've had unfailing faith in me and my path to redemption. Now, it is my turn to have that faith in you. You have to know that I will always choose you, my love. I'm not going to lie and say that there isn't a part of me that loves Robin, but you are the second chance that I was given. I'm here. I'm ready.

I know you won't see any of this, but I can't help but to write it to you with the hopes that you will feel every word. You must know that I will do every possible thing I can think to try and get to you. I will never give up trying to find you and rescue you from this terrible Dark Curse. Even if I spend my entire life fighting for this cause. You're worth all of that and more. We have a love worth fighting for, and I will not relent. I will not give up on you, Emma Swan. Even if it takes my whole life. Even if it hurts. Even if it kills me.

If nothing else reaches you, wherever you are, please take hold of this fact: I Love You. I love you, and we'll beat this.

Regina stared down at the cursive writing she'd completed, her dark eyes staring over the drying ink. Her eyes burned from the tears she'd cried. It was more for her own internal healing that she wrote letters to Emma. Many of them said the exact same thing, but she couldn't hold all of her emotions in. Even if Emma hadn't heard a single word from her letters, writing them had proven to be therapeutic. Henry taught her that. It would seem that their child, as he grew, was becoming quite a wise young man.

"Come home to me, Emma," she whispered to herself as she brought the letter up to her lips and allowed her perfectly painted lips to leave a kiss marked on the paper as her signature. She could feel the tears forming in her eyes, threatening to spill over the brim of her eyelashes. God, this hurt more than she'd ever expected. More than anything else, perhaps it was the not knowing that hurt the most. Was she safe? Was she alone? What was Emma doing in this one moment? Could she stare out of her window up at the moonlight and wish upon a star in the hopes that Emma was doing the same thing? That was a silly thought, but she was starving for anything related to Emma at this point. Little did she knew that, in another world, was indeed doing something very similar...

Regina,

It's been five days since I sacrificed myself for you, and the image of you wrapped in the arms of another has been etched into my memory. I was foolish to think that you would have fought for me. Have you even noticed my absence? I have no doubt that Robin has been the perfect distraction. Each word in this letter bears the pain that has coated my blackening heart. Yes, I was once the Savior, and I made choices out of love...and this is where that got me.

Do you know how many times I have revisited that final moment? You couldn't have waited a few more fucking minutes for my departure to run into his arms. I am the Savior and it was expected that I take the full brunt of all the shit for everyone in the town, but you couldn't have given me that one glimmer of hope that my sacrifice would have had some sentimental meaning to you. I'm surrounded by darkness, Regina. I'm scared. I'm hurt. I'm angry. I don't think I can fight this alone, yet I'll be damned if I come running back to you and your forest hobo.

I can't be happy for you. I can't. You made me feel something that I've never felt in my life: hope. I have loved before, but there was an overwhelming feeling that the rug would be pulled from underneath my feet. You were the first one that made me feel like anything was possible. That we could achieve anything and everything. I should have known when you chose him not once, but twice. You have crushed my belief that hope exists for me. I am left now with the reality that these voices whispering in my mind are to be my only companion. The bullshit out of all of this is that I still feel everything I felt before. I still feel so much love for you, Henry, my parents. It is there creating an ache in the middle of my chest that is practically debilitating. All of the voices from previous Dark Ones tell me that it's only a matter of time before the ache subsides. Thank God. I just want the pain to stop.

I am in another world right now, but I feel the pull for my dagger. I won't allow you to fill my head with lies and excuses. Luckily, I can't come to you when you summon me. I am too far away for that, which is just as well. I'm not your puppet to control. I know it's you trying to summon me, and I can tell you right now...my dagger does not belong to you. You can't force me to forgive you, Regina. I won't. When I return, I will take back my dagger and my life. There is something bigger coming to Storybrooke and I can't stop it. I don't know that I want to. Maybe it's time, for once, that I leave the rescuing to the rest of you fucking heroes. I'm tired of always stepping in to save everyone. Nobody was there to save me when I was a child. Nobody was there to take the darkness in my place. As far as I'm concerned, you guys are on your own. I did my part, and you see how well off I am. Good luck, Regina. You'll need it.

Emma held the piece of paper in her hands as she sat in a dark room. To anyone on the outside looking in, it was silent...but Emma's mind never shut off. The voices...they never. Fucking. Stopped. Foolish Emma! Give it up. None of them are looking for you; It's time to show them what real power looks like.

"Agh! Shut up!" She growled she tossed the pen away from her. With a firm flick of her wrist, she threw the pen aside, caring little as the pen hit the concrete wall and shattered. "I fucking know that, but I don't need you to remind me. So shut the hell up," she said to the empty room, a reminder once again that she was completely alone. The voices hushed and she pushed herself up to stand, moving to walk over to the window. The stars were out tonight. Was there anyone from home waiting to hear from her? Was she missed?

"Good luck, family. You'll need it," She whispered as she pushed away from the window and walked back to the paper that was on the desk. A small curse left her lips as she was, once again, reminded her that this Savior would not be there to save them. Reaching down for the paper, she reached into her pocket to pull out a small lighter. With a thumb flick, a small flame formed and she brought it to the edge of the paper. Her letter now became...nothing. It didn't matter. She had a new role in a new life and she needed to focus on that.

- Regina's Office -

A soft sigh escaped Regina's lips and she turned to see the paper on the desk. Making her way over to the desk, she lifted the letter she had just written. Pointless. Emma wasn't going to get it. Moving the letter to the candle flickering on her desk, she allowed the corner to catch fire. Flames formed instantly as it touched the paper. Within seconds, the letter balled up In a shriveled black mess. Her thoughts and emotions would stay hidden in a burnt letter. Both she and Emma burned their letter and watched as the flames engulfed their written emotions. Maybe it was better that way...but to be honest, Regina just couldn't shake the feeling that something was very off. Something was coming...and it was coming for them.