Ariel ran as fast as her human legs could carry her back from the docks. She'd swum for two days without pause and didn't plan on slowing now. Not after what she'd witnessed back in Wonderland. Cora hadn't lied at all. The heart was exactly where she said it would be, and the person who guarded it was no other than her prince. He flinched and pointed a spear at her head when she appeared looking straight through like she was nobody. It broke her heart.

All those years of searching she assumed they would run into each other arms and sing a song together before having true loves kiss. She assured him she was there for the Queen of Hearts bidding and addressed him by name.

The use of his real name caught him off guard and his spear lowered a fraction. She dashed past him and grabbed the box from its resting place, not caring if there was a spell on it. Eric caught her and began dragging her away shouting for other guards to come. Thinking on her feet, she unclasped the bracelet and her legs gave way to a slippery tail. Eric was shocked and she wriggled away from his grasp with tears in her eyes. He had no idea who she was. She needed to get the Queen's heart back with its owner if there was any hope her prince was still there somewhere under the surface. Fastening the bracelet back on her wrist, she transformed back to human form and ran to jump out of the palace window. There as a river below and she swam away not once looking back.

Now back in the Enchanted Forest, she found a horse and raced towards the other Queen's palace. Her face steeled with single-minded determination to free her prince from his curse.

Some of the townsfolk were gathered in the banqueting hall the next morning enjoying the complimentary breakfast Regina was offering as part of their stay. The women had enjoyed the rest of the previous afternoon alone with their son walking around the grounds, and shooting the breeze. They avoided contact with everyone else just to keep some semblance of sanity and relax after the hectic pace of the last few days.

Ruby was in front of the line at the buffet table looking sheepish and the quietest anyone had ever seen her. Regina and Emma joined the line behind her and saw her wince as she reached for a bread roll. "Rough night?" Regina drawled and Ruby growled.

"Your friend is intense."

Regina chuckled and poured herself a coffee. "And yet, you went back for a second night in a row."

Ruby got a mischievous glint in her eye. "I said it was intense. I didn't say I didn't enjoy it."

She winced again trying to move slowly. It was clear she was in quite a lot of pain.

Regina took her to the side carefully with a concerned look and whispered out of earshot of Emma. "Talons?"

Ruby nodded in confirmation.

"Want me to heal it?"

"Yes, please, but..." She offered a toothy grin with just a hint of embarrassment and whispered, "...leave the scars."

Regina chuckled darkly and peeked down the back of Ruby's loose tunic to inspect the damage she had to work with. She breathed in sharply seeing the gaping gashes across her back. "I wouldn't worry about the scars. They're not going anywhere fast." She waved her fingers allowing the magic to knit the skin back together but stopped just short of a full healing. Instantly, Ruby breathed a sigh of relief and straightened up.

"Thanks, Regina. That was agony."

Regina looked at her with concern again. "Be careful. She's powerful. She should be restraining herself with you. Are you comfortable with her letting the dragon out?"

Ruby got a glazed over look in her eyes. "Don't worry about me. I bite back." She winked and went back to retrieve her breakfast with a spring in her step. Regina walked back to Emma wide eyed.

"What was that about?"

"Just providing some aftercare." Emma could fill the blanks in herself if she really wanted to. The least the queen could do for Ruby's assistance in this particular matter was offer healing powers. She was pleased she was enjoying herself, even if it was rough. They were both beasts, after all.

Emma stared her down as she sipped her coffee. "What?"

"Is she okay?"

"She's fine. Ask her yourself if you really want to know the bloody details." She bit her lip trying to hide the smile at her girlfriend's sudden prudishness. "Some people enjoy pain, Emma. It's not for you to judge."

Emma groaned and pushed the plate of pastries away from in front of her. She'd lost her appetite. Regina snorted failing to contain the laughter and almost choking on her coffee. Just then, a little mermaid stomped into the hall looking murderous. Regina's laughter stopped dead in its tracks and she nudged Emma. "I think our vacation is over."

Emma saw where her eyes were trailed and she smiled at Ariel as she approached. "That was fast! Did you find anything?"

Ariel slammed the wooden box down in front of the queen in silence. Regina lifted the lid a fraction and saw her mother's blackened, beating heart thudding away inside. "It's definitely hers, or someone just as messed up." Her tone was uninterested and distant. She knew it was her mother's heart as soon as she opened the lid. She could feel the negative energy of it clawing at her aura screaming she wasn't good enough. She pushed the box to the side and picked up her coffee again. "Did you find him?"

Ariel nodded. "He didn't know who I was. He tried to kill me with a fishing spear."

Emma groaned. "Hey, it's probably like Cora said, right, Regina? He can't feel without his heart?" She nudged her under the table willing her to provide some comfort to the woman.

Regina softened. She hadn't meant to stiffen up, but the prospect of what came next had her on edge. "Of course. The longer he's been heartless, the harder it is to feel or have any sentiment attached to memories. It sucks and I'm sorry he tried to kill you." It wasn't quite the full truth. When she took a heart, people could still feel and had most of their memories unless she did something quite confusing to them. She hated to think what Cora did with her subjects. They'd be lucky if when their hearts were returned they'd be able to remember their own names. She smiled faintly and put a hand over the mermaids. "We've all been there if it's any consolation. There's still hope."

Ariel took in a shuddery breath ofn the verge of tears. "Thank you. That's all I needed to know. So we put her heart back in, then get her to return everyone else's. Problem solved."

"We'll do what we can. Emma and I will take it from here. Go get some rest. And thank you for all your help." She waved a hand and transported Ariel to a luxurious room complete with a giant glass water tank like the ones in Sea World, and conjured a salmon platter on ice. "Whatever you need, just ask." She flicked her wrist and went back to her breakfast as if nothing had happened.

"Are we going to talk about this?" Emma asked staring at the box uncomfortably. It just didn't seem hygienic having it sat there in between the pastries and jellies.

Regina ripped the foil wrapper off the miniature marmalade and spread it on her toast. "After breakfast."

Emma pulled a face. "Okay, but can't you at least put it away?"

Regina rolled her eyes and flicked her wrist causing the box and its contents to disappear. "Better?"

"Shouldn't you disinfect the area?"

"It's an enchanted heart. Not raw chicken."

After the awkward breakfast, the women went back to their quarters and began discussing the plan. Regina sat on the edge of the bed. "If we put it back, who knows what will happen. You know how powerful she is without it."

Emma ran a hand up her back in comfort. "Yeah, but maybe having a heart will make her more susceptible to love."

"Who is going to love her?" She snorted.

"You. Eventually, maybe. You'll never know until you put it back. She needs to heal, and so do you."

"I could say the same to you about the relationship with your parents."

Emma sighed. Regina was right. "Fine. Let's deal with your mommy issues first, though. You've had them longer than me."

Regina shook her head at Emma's words. She was grateful to her for lightening the mood though. "Are you implying I'm old?"

"Just that you've lived longer than me." She winked and the comment earned her a punch in the shin.

"Let's get this over with. I just want to go home." She swished her magic around them and transported them to the dungeons. Cora rose to her feet seeing the visitors and smiled when sje saw the box.

"Ah, the shark meat found it. How wonderful."

Regina scowled at the woman who'd been the bane of her existence her entire life. "Why do you really want it?"

"So I can feel the power of love."

"To what ends? It won't make any of the past right, and it won't make you powerful enough to break out of these enchanted bars."

"Perhaps not. It's pointless talking about this. You won't believe anything I say either way." With it being so close, she could already feel the pain of the past creeping into her consciousness. As Regina approached the bars, she backed away feeling fearful.

Regina noticed the shift in demeanour and opened the box curiously removing the heart and turning it over in her palm. "Come closer." She whispered over it and Cora felt her body moving forward despite her reluctance. Regina had a tinge of evil in her eyes and it crossed her mind to crush the heart there and then.

"Regina, please. Don't let me die without it." Emma placed a hand on Regina's shoulder seeing the scary look of a psychotic glint in her eyes. She squeezed it causing Cora to tremble in pain and double over.

"Regina, enough!" Emma stated firmly.

She looked at the woman she loved with a pained expression. "Why should I put it back? What's she ever done for me?"

"She gave you life. Even if that's her only redeeming quality, you wouldn't be here without her. Choose to be the better person."

Regina reached through the bars and dragged Cora by the collar until her body was crushing against the bars. She could sense the fear and something else for a brief second a she squeezed the heart once more. With a final show of force, she plunged it deep inside the older woman and let go. The force of the action sent Cora reeling backward and clutching at her chest in agony.

"It hurts. Take it back! I don't want it in me!" She tried to find the strength to rip it out herself, but the pain she felt was excruciating and weakened her. She fell hopelessly into a sobbing pile on the floor as the full force of her repressed feelings hit her in unrelenting waves, each more horrific and painful than the last.

Regina watched frozen to the spot. She'd never seen her mother show any weakness. This terrified her more than anything else. Emma held her rigid frame trying to offer some comfort.

"I'm sorry, Regina. I tried to give you everything. I didn't want you to suffer like me. I loved you more than anything. You and your sister."

"My sister?"

"I gave her away before I had magic. I had nothing to offer her. I'm sorry. I'm so deeply sorry. I see how wrong I was about everything now."

Regina averted her eyes unable to witness any more of this. In a low tone, she spat, "Good. It's about time you repented." She waved her hands and poofed herself away from the dungeons. She needed air and time to herself without Emma cooing over her. She sat by the stream close to the woodcutters cottage and stared at the current washing over the pebbles and stones below. She'd done a lot of shitty things over the years but it was childishly compared to Cora. Her mother would have many years of suffering to look forward to now she had her heart back. It was a strange comfort to her knowing this. It was the only way either of them could ever go a way to healing the past.

Emma poofed beside her and Regina groaned. "Can't I have one minute's peace to myself? How did you know I was here?"

"I know you, Regina, and I know you don't really want to be alone. What are we going to do now?"

"Banish her back to Wonderland, get her to return those hearts, then go home."

Emma sighed. "If you banish her, how will you know she's returned them?"

"I have a realm jumping mermaid on call."

Emma knew this wasn't the long term solution and the new role Athena had charged her with wouldn't let that happen. She'd have to figure something out and soon. "I have a better idea." Regina looked at her expectantly and she continued. "Let Ariel go back to Wonderland. Teach her how to return a heart and maybe send a few willing volunteers back with her. Then we go back to Storybrooke on Hook's ship with that bean, and work everything else out once we're there."

"And my mother?"

"We take her with us. Put her in magical rehab, or sessions with Archy, or something."

Regina laughed heartily at the notion. "She'd hate that!"

"Bonus."

Regina's brow furrowed. "Poor Archy. I should really give him some refreshers. A lot has changed in psychology since the eighties."

Emma smiled knowing she'd won the battle this time. "Yay! New project for you!"

She scowled knowing Emma had talked her around in record time. "And what makes you think the mermaid will be up for this little plan of yours?"

"Because she has someone waiting there for her and a chance."

"Heart magic isn't easy, you know. It requires skill, years of training in the black arts and a..." She trailed off with a gasp as Emma pulled her own heart out. "...steady hand. That's different you have magic."

"Give her a chance. She's pretty good at breaking into places. That's gotta be like a transferable skill." She was only half joking but Regina looked at her like she was dimmest person on the planet. She had to ask herself at least three times a day how they were true loves. They were complete opposites in so many ways, yet that was the beauty of it. She smiled at her and stole a quick peck on the lips. "What was that for?"

"I love you."

"I love you too."