Emma entered Granny's diner and was instantly greeted by a furious Ruby. The waitress threw her towel down and approached her, arms folded across her chest.

"Where the hell have you been? I texted you like 3 times last night!"

Emma rubbed her eyes from sleep, sighing. "I was with Regina."

Ruby's eyes widened. "You were with the Mayor last night?! Like, with?! Whoa!"

"Not like that," Emma quickly interjected.

Ruby smirked at her. "Well it's obviously serious if you're on a first name basis."

Emma followed Ruby over to the counter as Granny flagged the girl back. "We didn't hook up, if that's what you're thinking. She thinks I can help her with the issues the council has been having."

Ruby let out a loud laugh. "Right. That's the reason the Mayor offered to share her bed with you last night."

"I stayed in a guest room," Emma muttered, though it was apparent Ruby wasn't listening.

"Ruby! Refill on coffee!" Granny barked.

With Ruby distracted, Emma took the opportunity to head upstairs to her room and pack. Regina had told her to pack everything, so it was lucky she didn't have hardly anything to bring. Her things were shoved into a box in a matter of minutes, and she left a little thank you note for Granny on the pillow.

Emma took one last look around the room, a feeling of uncertainness washing over her. This was all happening so fast—was she ready to give up nights of drinking to ease her emotions, to increase her happiness, to make her forget? It was now or never, she realized. It was never going to be easy.

"It's like ripping a Band-Aid off," she told herself.

Emma returned her room key to Granny and was just about to head back out when Ruby noticed her from the back kitchen. Granny muttered under her breath, offering Emma a sympathetic look.

"You're turning your key in? Are you leaving town?" Ruby demanded.

Emma sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose in frustration. "No, I'm not leaving town."

Ruby crossed her arms across her chest. "So, you're just leaving me."

Anger rose up inside her at the third degree she was receiving. She knew Ruby meant well and she was grateful for her—she was her first friend here after all—but she didn't need to share every detail of every day to the whole town. She came to Storybrooke to get out of someone else's control, not to fall back into her old ways.

"Ruby I'm not leaving you, okay? I'm just staying somewhere else for a little while, temporarily. It's for my own good."

Ruby's mouth opened in shock and a sneer came on her face. "Oh, I see how it is. You take advantage of my hospitality but as soon as you find a new bed buddy you spit it back in my face."

"There is nothing going on between Regina and I!" Emma defended herself, her voice rising steadily. "Did you expect me to live here forever? Granny has already helped me more than she should have. I'm still your friend, Ruby—"

Ruby held up a hand to cut her off. "Just go if you're gonna leave, then."

Emma sighed as she watched the waitress spin on her heel and stalk off. Granny shook her head and readjusted her glasses, typing in information on the old computer in front of her.

"Don't mind her, Emma. Ruby has the emotional stability of a young teen. She'll be over it in a day or two." Granny peered at her over her glasses and reached out to pat her hand. "Whatever you need to do, I wish you the best. You're welcome back anytime."

The bell above the door rang as a customer entered. Emma turned to see Mary Margaret and quickly embraced her friend, happy that someone was glad to see her.

The school teacher pulled back, a wide smile on her face. "So, I heard you had an exciting night last night!"

Emma's cheeks flushed and she averted her gaze. "Not exactly. I just went out with the Mayor for a while."

Mary Margaret gave her a knowing look. "Was that all?"

Emma was surprised to feel emotions rushing to the surface at her friend's question. It was a harmless inquiry, but it hit her hard. She blinked back the tears and looked up at her friend.

"She's willing to help me with some personal issues." The blonde sighed as Ruby passed them with a plate of food and a look that could kill.

Mary Margaret noticed the exchange. "Is something wrong?"

Emma sighed. "I'm moving in with Regina. Temporarily, so she can help me. That, and… apparently, I have magic of some sort."

"She's leaving us," Ruby snapped as she came back from delivering food. Both women winced as she stabbed an order ticket on the ticket holder as though it were Emma's head.

"Ruby, don't be so harsh," Mary Margaret tried to reassure the young woman with a hopeful glance toward Emma. "Emma will still be around. Won't you?"

Emma nodded. "It may take me a while to feel like myself again, but I promise I will never abandon you guys. You were my first friends here."

Mary Margaret pulled Emma into a hug once more. "I believe in you, Emma. You can do this. But if something does happen between you and the Mayor… you better keep me posted."

Emma made the motion of an x over her heart. "That's a promise I will keep. Though I'm not looking for a relationship right now."

Mary Margaret chuckled, laying her hand on the blonde's shoulder. "Of course not. But just in case…"

Emma rolled her eyes and playfully swatted her friend away. She could do this. All she had to do was stay clean. How hard could that be?

-3 days later-

Emma's stomach twisted painfully with nausea, her heart pounding against her chest. Her whole body trembled and her head felt as though it was going to split in two. Bile rose up into her throat and she quickly reached for the bucket beside her, dry heaving into it as she hadn't been able to keep anything down for days.

Detox was a bitch. She had attempted it once before, back in Boston. She and Neal both had, actually, wanting to come clean and break away from the unhealthy lifestyle they were living. That lasted about an hour before they were both scrambling for the bottles of booze in the fridge, lighting up a joint to take the pain away.

Through it all, Regina stayed by her side. She made her bland foods that helped a little with the nausea, changed her bedsheets when needed, and often sat by her bedside to keep her company. It was a comfort that Emma had never experienced before. Though, that didn't change the fact that she would rather die than to go through this for another second.

At first, Emma had been hesitant. Regina had searched through her things, getting rid of the mini bottles of liquor she found. Then, the woman had turned to her with a serious stare.

"Do you have anything else with you that I need to worry about? Drugs?"

When Emma had shook her head in answer, Regina sighed. "I know you have something of the sort with you. You can't truly come clean if you don't take that first step."

Emma had reached into her pocket and pulled out the two bottles of prescription pills, giving them one last wistful glance before handing them over.

Regina had given her a smile, lifting her spirits a little bit. Emma found when her fangs showed just a little bit, it made her look rather adorable. Not the monster that society had claimed them to be, or the sexy fiend of every teenage fantasy novel.

"You can do this, Emma. I will be with you the whole way through it."

Now, Emma was desperate. Desperate for a drink, a hit, something to take her mind off the fact that her skin was crawling and she itched all over. She was both freezing and burning up all at once, unable to find even the slightest relief.

A knock at the door sounded, and Regina entered with a glass of water. She sat on the edge of the bed and stayed silent for a moment. It scared her, how much this detox was changing Emma. She was violently ill; her skin was pale, her eyes sunken in. It was as though she could wither away at any second.

"How can I help you, Emma?" Regina asked, avoiding asking her how she was feeling, as they both knew the answer to that.

Emma attempted to sit up, managing to just barely lean back against the pillows for support. "I just need a little drink. Or just one pill, just one. That will help."

Regina shook her head sadly. She had researched the effects of detox and the toll it takes on a person, and it wasn't pretty. She knew Emma was only going to get worse before she got better. She had forced herself to stay strong as she listened to Emma's cries, wanting nothing more than to take away her pain.

"I can't do that, dear. I threw what you gave me away. Besides, it'll only be a few days more before you start to go back to normal." She held up the glass for Emma to take. "To speed up the process, you need to drink as much fluids as you can."

Emma grudgingly took the glass, drinking half of it before setting it down on the night stand beside her. She shivered, pulling the covers up to her chin. She knew Regina was only trying to help her, but she didn't understand the hell she was in.

Regina seemed to pick up on that thought, for she shook her head. "I know how this feels, Emma. When I was younger, I tried a detoxing of my own. Though, me being the creature that I am, I had to go back to what we survive on."

"You tried to stop drinking blood? Why?" Emma asked.

Emotion welled in Regina's eyes, and she attempted to keep it at bay. Perhaps she could get Emma to open up if she revealed the truth about herself. She hated reliving the past, but maybe it wouldn't hurt for her to come clean as well.

"I fell in love," Regina started, looking down at her hands in her lap. "I was young, born just 15 years prior. My family was wealthy; my father was a respected leader, alongside my mother. We had servants and cooks, gardeners and such to tend to our estate. A boy came to work for us—a human."

Regina paused at the memory in her mind. Her mother had been wary of allowing such a young man onto the estate, especially since Regina had just gained control over her bloodlust. Zelena was not even aware that she needed to be in control of herself at the time. It wasn't the smartest idea. But Regina had fell in love the moment she saw him and begged for him to stay. Her parents had agreed, though they had a strict rule that Regina nor Zelena could be alone with the human, lest they lose control. Regina had followed that rule dutifully, until the day came where she couldn't avoid him any longer.

Regina was out in the garden picking a bouquet of flowers to arrange in the study. Her parents had warned her to steer clear of the human, and so far, she had. That didn't stop her from admiring him from afar; watching as he picked up bale after bale of hay, his strong arms lifting them effortlessly, his blue eyes bright despite the heat, his dark brown hair that curled behind his ears just so. She was smitten.

"Excuse me, Miss?"

Regina glanced up from her activity to see the young man, not much older than her, in front of her. She straightened up and offered him a smile, of which he returned. "What can I help you with…?" She drew out the last part of her question, hoping he would fill in the blank.

"Um, Daniel," the boy answered.

"Um, Daniel…" Regina mused, her mouth curled up into the tiniest of amused smiles. "What a peculiar name."

The boy stepped forward to explain, his cheeks flushed in embarrassment. Regina could tell from his aura he was nervous and shy.

"No, it's simply, Daniel, Miss," the boy stammered, eyes staring at the ground.

Regina laughed, feeling herself becoming flustered at the boy's appearance. The boy's head snapped up, his eyes meeting hers. They both paused. Regina's gaze moved to his neck, the throbbing pulse point. She tried not to think of what was within.

"I was hoping you could tell me where the garden tools are kept. The man I was working with didn't give me much direction."

Regina smiled at him, making sure to keep her fangs hidden. "Of course. Follow me."

The boy did so and soon, the journey to the shed was over. Regina turned to go when she noticed he was fiddling with his hands, not entering the shed.

"Is there something else?" She asked.

"I didn't catch your name," Daniel said.

"My name is Regina."

Daniel bowed to her, his eyes bright and mischievous. "Thank you, Regina. I hope to see you again soon."

Regina nodded to him, handing him one of the flowers she had picked before walking away. "Perhaps you shall."

Regina picked at her pants, a nervous habit she had acquired from being around humans for so long. "I tried to follow my parent's rules to not be alone with him, but he seemed to always know when I was outside and would show up to talk. Then we started spending time together." The woman folded her knees up to her chest, lost in the memory. "I should have known better."

"Regina, you don't have to explain. It's alright," Emma tried to reassure her.

Regina shook her head, allowing her emotions forth. "If I'm going to help you, then I need to come clean about myself. Truthfully, Emma, I've found myself attracted to you. You're beautiful and funny and kind…" Her voice cracked and she swallowed past the lump in her throat. "Daniel is the reason I'm so careful."

Emma moved forward, taking the woman's hand. "I trust you. And the truth is, I like you too." She offered Regina a small smile. "You've been really kind and helpful to me since I've been here. You don't have to amend your past to me—it won't change how I feel."

"Not even if I told you I hurt him?" The Mayor's voice was barely a whisper now.

"I hurt the person I loved, too," Emma confessed, blinking away the memories. "I think if we know what we've done and we atone for it, and we make the choice to be better people, then that can't be held against us forever."

Regina found solace in Emma's words. "Maybe you're right." She glanced toward the blonde, swallowing her natural instincts. "You don't know how much I want you, Emma."

Emma tilted her head, sensing that the woman was afraid of herself. "Maybe you can… Zelena didn't hurt me when she bit me. Maybe it would help you, too."

Regina contemplated Emma's offer, biting her lip. Daniel had trusted her, and she had betrayed him. Emma was showing the same trust now, but she didn't understand just how quickly vampires lost control. She got lucky with Zelena.

"Please?" Emma's voice was quiet.

It would take away some of Emma's suffering if she gave in. And Emma was going to need it, sooner or later. The way her magic interacted with the endorphins would make it absolute torture without it. She could ask Zelena… but she didn't know if she could handle knowing what was happening with the emotions she had just admitted to Emma.

Taking a deep breath, Regina turned to face the blonde. "Okay. But just a little bit. Alright?"

Regina leaned in, brushing Emma's hair off to the side and exposing her neck. Her fangs protruded from her mouth, aching with want. She gently bit down, feeling her sharp fangs penetrating the blonde's neck even so. Emma gasped, and Regina glanced up to make sure she was alright.

Then, her instincts took over. She pulled the blood from the small wound into her mouth. It was hardly any at all, barely enough to cover her tongue, but it was enough. Images flashed through her mind of the last time she had drank from the source, centuries ago.

Daniel intertwined Regina's fingers with his own as he waited for her to speak. Regina had expected him to run after she had revealed what she was, what she fed from to survive. Instead, he had moved closer, reassuring her.

"I love you, Regina. Nothing will ever change that."

Next thing she knew, she was standing over him, covered in his blood. He lay on the ground, violently pale, unmoving. One could say he was sleeping, as his eyes were closed. But Regina knew it was not so, for his chest failed to rise and fall.

"Regina!"

Regina turned to face her parents, who had come to the barn once they smelled the freshly spilled blood. They had expected to see a slaughtered horse or another animal. Certainly not a human.

"Regina, what have you done?" Henry asked his daughter in quiet horror.

A sob erupted from the young girl's throat, and she covered her face with her hands so she didn't have to look at the sight of her lover any longer. She had done this; Daniel had trusted her, loved her. And she had betrayed him in the worst way possible.

"Regina?"

Regina pulled back from Emma's neck to see the young woman watching her, completely unharmed. Even so, she hugged Emma tightly, thankful that she hadn't lost control. Emma gently pushed her back, anxiously studying her.

"Was the girl in the barn you?"

Regina blinked in surprise. Emma had seen her memory?

"You saw it too?" She asked.

Emma nodded; eyes glassy from the endorphins. "Is that why you were so afraid of me?"

Regina brushed away the tears that had fallen down her face. "Yes. That, and your magic is part of what makes us crave you. I didn't want my sister to make the same mistake I did. I wanted to spare her that pain."

Emma smiled and took her hand, careful not intertwine their fingers as she had seen Daniel do in Regina's memory. "I'm proud of you. You can stay in control. You're not the same person you were back then."

Regina smiled at Emma's encouraging words. "Thank you, Emma. But this can't become a regular occurrence. I've stayed in control because I've stayed away from drinking directly from humans. I simply helped you get some relief. Is that understood?"

Emma nodded. "I understand."

Regina stood to go, but Emma pulled her back. "Would you mind staying with me for a little while? Just until I fall asleep?"

"Of course." Regina laid beside Emma and pulled her into her arms, watching the slow rise and fall of the blonde's chest as she slowly drifted off. Whatever the reason Emma ended up in her town, Regina was finding herself glad she did.