A/N: So, we are finally here...we'll learn about the past.

I'm sure most of you are aware by now that it will not be pretty.

I have to say it anyway...without giving too much away...

TRIGGER WARNING: this chapter contains mentions of violence - in different forms including mental and physical abuse.

It was hard to write - I've been struggling with this chapter for a while - so, consider yourself warned.

And now let's move this forward...so our ladies will hopefully land in a better place in the end!

much love xoxo

ps.: thanks for the reviews, messages, follows and favorites! you're the best!


TAKE ME TO WONDERLAND

Chapter 13

Henry had been glowing when he had seen Emma entering the apartment and he had hugged her even tighter than usual, leaving Emma completely breathless.

Literally.

"I'm sorry, Emma. I didn't mean to hurt you", he apologized when she gasped for air, "Are you okay? Do you have to go to the hospital again?"

"No, don't worry, kid. I'm fine", she assured him quickly.

"You sure? Because I don't want anything to happen to you. I was so worried when you broke down in the garage."

"Henry, it's alright...I promise you. And I'm sorry that I've scared you. I didn't mean to. The other day...when this happened...I've had too much to drink the night before. A lot too much...and that was very stupid of me. And when I woke up I felt horrible...really, really horrible. But instead of resting I wanted to go to work...and I was upset and then I got a panic attack, but I'm okay now", she tried to explain the situation to him, hoping that he would understand better.

"So, it wasn't my fault?" Henry looked at her, insecurity shining in his eyes.

"What? No! Why would you think that, kid? It was nobody's fault, but mine. I should have taken better care of myself...but more important I should not have drunk that much."

"Well, I just thought that...because I made you promise me that you would help mom...and then you didn't talk anymore...that maybe it was me", he shrugged helplessly.

Emma knelt down to hug the boy, "You did nothing wrong, Henry. I mean it. Me and your mom...it was some stupid misunderstanding, but things are okay now. We have to talk some more later, but it's fine. We're good, okay?"

Henry seemed to be relieved and nodded eagerly, "Okay. But Emma...no more drinking. At least not so much that you get sick again."

"I promise."


Dinner had been delicious and Henry had talked about the fairy tale book non-stop.

And since his mom was The Evil Queen, at least at 'The Rabbit Hole', Emma had to be the White Knight. In Henry's world she was some kind of a savior, because she had saved his mom.

Emma had laughed at the comparison and even Regina had chuckled at the idea, which had caused Henry to cross his arms in front of his chest in mock annoyance, "You don't take me serious! You can't see it...because you don't believe. But I do...and it makes sense. It all makes sense."

"Look who has the heart of the truest believer", Emma stated with a smile and tickled Henry's ribs, causing him to giggle.

"Look who's bed time it is" Regina announced with a stern look.

"But Mooom..." Henry whined, "It's Christmas eve."

"Yes, and according to you, my little believer...I'm The Evil Queen...so, bed...now", she stated with a smirk and Emma had trouble to contain her laughter.

"So not fair...and even if you were the evil queen... you are my mom and I love you", Henry got up to hug his mom, who wrapped him in her arms instantly.

"Nice try, sweetheart. Now go, brush your teeth and get ready for bed. Emma and I will tuck you in."

"Fiiiine", he rolled his eyes, but stormed off to the bathroom anyway.


Once Henry was sound asleep Regina and Emma took a seat on the couch in the living room, each of them a mug of tea in hand and a tissue box on the table right in front of them.

Somehow Regina had a feeling that they might need it.

And Emma had offered to start with the talking, because she had a feeling that her past was not half as horrible as Regina's.

It felt awkward to talk about stuff they tried so hard to forget, to share what they tried to hide from the world, but both of them were aware that it was their only chance to fix things, to move forward from the siuation they had gotten themselves into.

To understand better.

"While I can't even remember my biological parents...I was not even three when they died...it's still weird, you know. They were the first people I've lost in my life...I can barely remember my aunt, but she was a sweet, elderly lady...she's been good to me...I wish I could have stayed with her for good, but I know why I couldn't", Emma started after she had collected herself, which had taken her quite a while, because she was not used to conversations like this. Usually she hid her feelings from the world and only very few people had ever been allowed to take a look at the world of her feelings, "Being a foster kid was hard...at times. A new home every other month...and it did not necessarily got better...I might have been young...but I'll never forget most of the shit there. Most of the foster parents don't even want the kids, but the money they get for taking them in...for them you are nothing, but a meal ticket...that's all. I never got physically hurt...besides a slap on the arm or something like that here and there, but the terror, the getting locked up at some of the homes I stayed in, getting treated like a dog or worse...the moving around...it has damaged me a bit I guess. But then I got to know the Swans when I was at the harbor one day...when I was about seven...because I had this thing for boats...we had some sort of a connection...and I must have impressed them somehow...becaue a few days later they came to pick me up from my foster parents and before I knew it they adopted me."

Emma took a sip of her tea and a deep breath, aware this was far from over.

And it would not get any easier.

"What's your worst foster care experience?" Regina wanted to know, causing Emma to think back for a moment, "I think...that one day I came back from the playground dirty, because I fell... it had been raining all night, so it's been quite muddy. And I was late too...as a punishment I didn't get dinner and I had to sit on the stairs...outside...till midnight...without a jacket...and then it started raining again...but they would not let me in...been sick as hell afterwards."

Yep, that had been one of the worst. Definitely. She had suffered from nightmares for days how she had been kneeling in front of the door, knocking, begging. But nobody would open. Like the night it actually happened. She had been so scared, she had been afraid that they would not let her in till the morning.

"That's horrible, Emma. I'm so sorry."

Regina did not know what else to say. She had never thought that Emma would have experienced such horrible things throughout her childhood.

"It's okay. It's just a memory now...and when I started to live with the Swans things got better for me...although they did not turn out the way I wanted them too...I never thought they'd travel so much...that I would be one my own so much. I had expected to find a new family, a real mom and dad..." she took another sip of tea, struggling for the motivation to keep going, "As I told you before...the Swans have been nothing, but good to me. And I owe them a lot...but my childhood with them was practically one where I spent most of my time with nannies. I was extremely close with one of them, Nancy...she suffered a stroke when I was about sixteen...the day she died I had my first panic attack...doctors said it had been the stress...and the loss...the fear of being alone...something like that."

"Is that why you had a panic attack in the elevator the other day? Because you..." Regina did not dare to continue, because she did not want to impose anything.

"Yep. I had a lot to drink that night when we...you know...because I couldn't handle the situation. Stupid, I know. I was so sure that I had lost you...like for good...and then I bumped straight into you and Henry...I just couldn't handle it", Emma shrugged helplessly.

"I get that, because I felt the same way...that...that I had lost you", Regina admitted weakly.

"Never."

Emma was deadly serious and her voice was proving it.

No, she would never abandon Regina. Never.

When Emma felt a squeeze on her hand she looked at Regina and smiled.

Yes, they would make it through this.

And while she had been mad and hurt before – there was nothing to forgive. At least not in Emma's eyes. They had both overreacted out of fear and hurt and that was human after all. It happened.

It did not mean that it had not hurt, but Emma also was aware that they had needed that to see how much they really wanted to be a part of each other's lives.

And now they would get it all out to start from scratch and she had a feeling that they would come out stronger – together.

"So, where was I..." Emma started to talk once again, "Don't think my childhood was all bad. I had a good life once I had gotten adopted. It was just not what I..."

"What you expected", Regina stated matter-of-factly and Emma nodded, "Yeah. I wanted a family so bad...we became one later on though. We might not be super close, but we are doing alright now...when I turned fourteen they would take me with them occasionally...on their travels. That was pretty cool. And then I got my first model jobs when I started college...and I decided that I wanted to make something out of myself...so, I saved up all that money...and while the Swan family name for sure has opened doors for me...I built up my whole event management thing with my own money."

Regina smiled, "I'd say that's pretty impressive. Most people..."

"Most people would be happy with wasting their family's money, I know. Like Mary Margaret, David and Belle. Don't get me wrong...they are my friends and I love them...because they are good at heart...but I don't like their attitude towards money...but that's probably because I know the real world too...since I haven't always been wealthy. And money is not everything. It can't fix a broken heart..."

The first tears were welling in Emma's eyes and Regina pulled a tissue out of the box and handed it to the blonde, who chuckled in an attempt to lighten the mood, "Smart move to bring that tissue box, Miss Mills."

Regina chuckled as well, "Yeah, I had a feeling that we might need it...Miss Swan."

"Well, let me get this out before I'm a total mess", Emma sighed, "I had been working as an event manager for only a few months when I met Jade...in fact I had landed my first big deal and I was out...celebrating with the girls...when I met her at a club. I bumped into her, spilled my whole drink over her dress...and well...I apologized and got her another drink...and we started talking...and that British accent of hers...it was kinda...hot...you know?"

Emma smiled apologetically, feeling a bit weird to tell Regina about her ex girlfriend.

"I see", the brunette did not know what to do with that information. She was not as uncomfortable as she thought she might be, but it was still awkward.

"It's not like I didn't have girlfriends before...but it was never anything serious...but with Jade...it was different from the beginning. We just clicked. Same interests and stuff...and yeah...we were together for almost two years when I found out...that", Emma took a deep breath, "When I found out that she was not the person I thought she would be. I came home early from a business trip one day...and I caught her on the phone with someone...talking about how she finally had the story she had been looking for to move her career."

Regina looked at Emma in confusion. What was that supposed to mean? She had expected Emma to tell her that she had caught this woman cheating on her, but obviously it was something completely different.

"Turned out she was a journalist from London, looking for a scandal...and that we had not met by accident. That she had been there to get to know me...because she thought the Swans were hiding some big, dark secret, since the shipping company is quite successful. Always has been. And I was only there to get her insight...to help her dig up dirt..." Emma could not hold the tears back any longer, "I was so stupid...I should have known better. I don't even know if she ever found anything...because I called my father right away...to warn him and he...he took care of it. I mean he has a lot of influence and he knows some powerful people. So, in the end she couldn't do any damage to my family and her career was over as well...but I...it took me forever to get over it. It's still hard sometimes...that was about two years ago."

She could still feel the pain in her chest as if it would have happened yesterday. She would never forget how a betrayal like that felt. She had thought she would never trust someone again...till she had met Regina and her son.

Regina shook her head in disbelief, "I can't imagine why somebody would do that. A job is just a job. Success is not everything...I'm so sorry, Emma."

"It's not your fault. And I've learned from it...no more relationships for me. I'm not good at opening up to people anyway", she shrugged, "But just so you know...if it wouldn't have been for Ruby...Killian and Graham...I wouldn't have made it through all this shit. Ruby was there day and night...because I couldn't be left alone for a while. I had countless panic attacks during that time, because I could not handle the emptiness...the loneliness I felt."

It had been hell. Pure hell.

She had felt like a piece of shit, like an old toy someone had thrown away. Countless nightmares had it made impossible for her to get rest for a while, but somehow she had made it out of this, not without some battle scars though.

Regina nodded, "Miss Lucas has told me a bit about her own history during that little get together a few weeks ago...I guess I understand why the two of you are so close...because you've always been there for one another when it truly mattered."

"That we have. She's the best friend I ever had."

They fell silent for a while till Regina cleared her throat, obviously struggling for words, "I guess it's my turn then."

God, she was so not ready for this. She would never get ready for this.

But she had to get it out. She had kept quiet for so long and it had eaten her up alive.

"My childhood was not that bad, actually. At least not at first. My parents were not as wealthy as your family...though we had a nice house and everything...but my mother was very strict. I've been a daddy's girl from the beginning and that made it even worse...I never could do anything right in her eyes, I was never good enough, but well...my dad would always make me feel special, so it was okay. Till he left my mother when I was twelve. He was gone from one day to the next, leaving me nothing, but a short letter...saying that he could not handle this life anymore...that he was sorry and that I would understand when I would be older...and then life became hell", Regina swallowed audibly, but kept on talking anyway, "My mother had always been big on her imagine and being left by her husband...well, let's say...she could not keep the facade of a 'perfect' family up anymore...and she started drinking and whenever she did she got so angry at me...blaming me for my father's disappearance...and after a while she started hitting me...she gave me that scar above my lip by the way. I was almost seventeen by then...and I had been late...I had forgotten time while I was in the libray...preparing for an exam and she got so mad...and I ended up crashing into the mirror...there was so much blood..."

It had hurt so much and it had taken her forever to stop the bleeding while her mother had emptied another two glasses of whatever she had had that day.

Emma did not know what to say, because 'sorry' would not nearly cover it. How could a mother do that to her own child?

"That night I left the house once she had passed out from drinking...and back then I thought that had saved me...now that I look back...I should have stayed at home...because it was the beginning of an even bigger hell...but I did not realize that back then..." Regina's hands were shaking slightly, but Emma did not dare to touch her. She would not make that mistake a second time. And yet she wished that she could give Regina some comfort, but she had yet to find a way to do that.

"That night I met Daniel for the first time...I was walking through the streets and he just got out of his car and asked me for the way to some bar in the area...he was so handsome. And he was nice to me...I could not even believe that a guy like him could have any interest in me...he was about twenty when we first met", Regina closed her eyes for a second. It had been too good to be true, she should have known it.

"He asked for my number and I gave it to him...and so we met again. And again...I fell head over heels in love with him...and back then I was so sure that he loved me too. After a while he took me with him when he went to parties, got me a fake ID and everything and I felt kind of...well, cool I guess. So, when he offered me some pills at one of these parties I did not think anything of it...and besides...I wanted to escape the shit at home so bad that I did not even care..." Regina shrugged helplessly, "I was so naive, but things with my mother had gotten only worse with every day that had went by...so, I kept sneaking out, meeting Daniel. He was my boyfriend after all...and shortly before my eighteenth birthday my mother found out about him and freaked out...told me I was a whore...that I was not allowed to see him again...that night I ran away for good...straight into Daniel's arms."

Regina shook her head as if she could not believe herself what she had done back then, the first tears running down her cheek and this time it was Emma, who grabbed a tissue to hand it to her, "It's okay. You didn't know...it's not that your mother gave you much of a choice."

"I suppose...but still. I was so stupid...because living with Daniel turned out to be not nearly as good as I had imagined. He was living in the old, shabby house of his grandmother, who had left it to him when she had died...and when he wasn't working he was partying...and I got more and more into drugs. What had started out with a pill here and there became an addiction and of course we ran out of money at some point...and a few days after I turned nineteen...we were running out of drugs too...and there was no cash to get more...but his dealer offered to give him some for free...if...if he could have his way with me."

Regina took a deep breath after that admission, trying to get rid of the feeling of utter disgust, "I did not want that creep anywhere near me and I told Daniel that...but he begged me, told me that he would still love me...that it would solve our problems...I still don't know how he talked me into it...it's really beyond me. But in the end I had sex with that man and I felt so horrible, so dirty...I couldn't look myself in the mirror anymore."

She could remember every horrible detail about that night. The smell of that man, his merciless eyes, how he had touched her, the pain she had been in. How many hours she had spent in the shower afterwards, how she had smashed the mirror with her bare hand, because she had been so disgusted by herself.

And Regina was afraid that Emma would not look at her the same way ever again as well.

Like Daniel – although he had promised that nothing would change, but the truth was that everything had changed that day.

Emma had to see now that she was not the person she had seen in her. She had to.

But when she met Emma's eyes there was no disgust, just sadness and worry and Regina was barely able to handle that.

How could Emma not judge her?

"Did it happen again?" Emma asked all of a sudden, "Did you have to...to sleep with other men after that?"

Regina gulped, but forced herself to continue. This conversation was getting physically painful, but now that she had opened the door to the darkness of her past there was no way back, " I was supposed to. Daniel thought it would be the answer to his prayers...me working as a prostitute...making a shitload of money...that way he could have kept the drugs coming...but I didn't want to do that. I just couldn't...and I decided to run away, but he caught me...and he beat me up worse than my mother ever had...and then he locked me up in the basement, chained to the heating pipe. I begged him to let me go...told him that I loved him...that I would find a job, but he wouldn't listen...he just laughed at me...told me what a silly girl I was...that I would complie eventually...because I was a whore after all and that he could never love someone like me."

That was when Regina started to sob heavily, not able to keep the pain in anymore. God, she had been so desperate, so scared.

She did not know for how many weeks she had been in that basement, but it had been a while. She had lost track of time at some point and all hope had left there.

How many times she had cried on that smelly mattress Daniel had gotten her, how she had bruised her knuckles by hitting the walls out of desperation. More than once.

Emma was sitting there, feeling completely helpless, but she had to do something.

She simply had to

She knew she could not rush anything with Regina and that's why she reached out, offered Regina her hand and waited.

She would not take it and "force" something onto the brunette, because it would probably backfire, but she wanted to give Regina some comfort, so she had to offer an option.

And Regina took up on it - much to Emma's surprise, probably even to her own.

Emma squeezed Regina's hand careful and gentle, just for a moment, but it was enough to calm Regina, to make her feel safe and understood.

"Regina, it's not your fault. He was an asshole...and I'm so sorry all this shit happened to you...but it's not your fault...you hear me?! And I don't think any less of you because of this..."

"How can you not?" Regina was barely able to hold Emma's gaze.

"Because you did not ask for this, because you had no choice. And even if you had worked as a prostitute out of your own free will...it would not have made you a bad person."

"Most people would think otherwise..." Regina stated dryly.

"Well, I'm not most people."

"No, you aren't." Regina managed to give Emma a small smile. It took her a while to calm down, but Emma's presence was helping her a lot since Emma was still here after all she had told her and it did not seem like Emma would turn her back on her. That was what kept her going, what made her push herself to continue although it did not get any easier. Not the talking, not the story. "I don't know for how long I was in that room in the basement...I was cold and hungry most of the time...Daniel often did not get me food for days...I was in so much pain...cold turkey is the worst and when he realized that he started to bring me a pill here and there...to make me agree to do what he wanted...but I couldn't...and whenever he got mad he hit me...like my mother did before...so, I could have stayed with her as well...and then...one night he went to some party I guess...I heard him leave the house and I tried everything to get free...but it was to no avail...and when he came back drunk...he..." she closed her eyes, not able to face Emma anymore, "he raped me...for the first time."

She would never forget that pain. The pain of her heart breaking while the man she had loved violated her.

It was the ultimate betrayal, because she had trusted him. He was supposed to keep her safe, not harm her. He should have taken care of her, he had promised it.

Oh, how many sweet promises he had made in the beginning.

He had broken them all in the end.

Regina got herself another tissue, wiping the tears from her face.

The awful truth – it was finally out. At least most of it.

As much as it hurt to talk about all this she felt like a huge weight was finally being lifted from her shoulders.

And that was the reason why she continued to tell the rest – not without struggling with every word though, "After that night...after he had crossed that line...I knew I would not get out of this alive. I knew that Daniel would never let me go. But after some weeks I became sick...and Daniel brought a friend of his over...a med student or something...and he told him that he thought I was pregnant."

Emma's eyes went wide in shock and horror.

Henry.

Oh God.

She felt sick, wanted to vomit.

"Daniel freaked out and this guy...he told him about a doctor, who would be able to do an abortion...where he could take me without anyone asking questions...but I promised my unborn child that I would get out of there...that I would find a way to keep it safe. And I did", Regina took a sip of her meanhile cold tea, "That man...I'm not sure if he even was a real a doctor...he was nicer than I thought he would be. Once Daniel had dropped me off and he saw the marks on my ankle...from the chain...he asked me if I really wanted an abortion. I was so weak and exhausted from all the puking, but at least I found the strength to shake my head...that was when he brought me some food and something to drink. And he told me he had called a friend, who could help me get a job and a place to live, that he would take care of Daniel. And before I knew it Gold was there to pick me up."

Emma was rendered speechless. What did you say to that anyway? There was nothing that could make Regina's past go away, there was nothing to make this any better.

But hell, she was so angry. How could somebody do stuff like that to another person?

"What happened to Daniel?"

Regina took another sip of tea, "He got arrested for drug dealing only weeks after my escape and ended up in jail, because obviously he already had a long juvenile record. And last time I heard something about him was the news that he had gotten killed in a fight during his jail time."

"Serves him right." Emma was not sorry. Not at all. She would have probably strangled him herself if she had ever met him.

"I guess it does." Regina dropped her head, taking a few deep breaths.

Emma was not sure if she should ask, but she had to know, "Does Henry...I mean does he know about his...I wouldn't necessarily call him father...but...does he know?"

Regina shook her head, "No! And he can never find out. Never."

"Don't worry. I won't say a word. To anyone", Emma promised sincerely, "And since Daniel is dead he won't show up out of the blue either."

Regina nodded, "You have no idea how grateful I am for that."

Silence fell over the room for a while, but Regina broke it eventually, eager to get this over with once and for all, "Gold might be greedy, but he is not the worst...you know. Back then I had nothing...no money, no place to go. He offered me to pay for my medical treatment...gave me that apartment...and while it wasn't the fanciest place...it was mine...I got away from the drugs for good and he even gave me some money to buy some baby stuff...and shortly after I turned twenty-one I had Henry...I thought it would be hard to keep him...to look at him...after what Daniel had done to me...but I couldn't bare the thought of giving him away either...although I've thought about giving him up for adoption more than once. But then I looked into his eyes for the first time, his gentle eyes and when he held onto my index finger with his small hand...I knew that it would be okay. That I had to raise him to be a different person...to be loving...and kind."

"That you did, Regina. You did an amazing job", Emma assured with a smile.

"Henry is the one good thing that came out of this. And to have him I would endure all of this over again", Regina admitted, "As horrible as it was...it gave me my son. And he is everything."

It was Emma's turn to nod, "Why did Gold hit you time and time again? Or was it someone else?"

Regina glared at her in surprise, "How do you know?"

"Henry told me...after he saw you all bruised in my bedroom", Emma explained and Regina sighed, "It was Gold. He has quite the temper at times. But it was never more than a few bruises and probably a split lip or something. I'm so sorry Henry had to see that though. You have to know...he offered me this deal...that he would pay for all my stuff and I had to work for him...at 'The Rabbit Hole'...that's how I became The Evil Queen...that way I could pay him back...he took my passport so I wouldn't disappear on him...and I had to sign that borrower's note, but I did not care...because I could keep Henry. There was this old lady living in our building...before Eugenia...who looked after him...she was working for Gold too...cleaning the club and stuff like that...so, it was okay. I knew he would never agree to let me go, not even if I would be able to pay all that money back...but I didn't care anymore. So many people have taken from me as they had pleased...have seen me naked...I've gotten so numb over the years...it doesn't matter anymore. I've learned to put up a mask at work...and that has worked out well...till I met you. Because you did not stay away...you had to know what's underneath."

Emma looked at Regina, a decent smile on her face, "And I'm glad that I did. It's been the best idea I've had in a while."

"You think so?" Regina still could not wrap her head around this. How could Emma still like her, care for her?

She was not worth anything.

"I think so."

There was no hesitation in Emma's voice, no doubt.

Regina seemed to be lost in thought for a moment, "I've never talked about this...to anyone. Not that there would have been anyone to talk to about stuff like that. Do you think we'll ever get over this? Our past...do you think all that has been broken can be repaired? Because as you may have noticed...I can't even have anyone touch me...I flinch when someone raises their freaking hand..."

"I think you are a lot stronger than you give yourself credit for. I mean seriously, Regina. After all that you've been through...you raised Henry. All by yourself. You are so brave...and you are a fighter, a survivor. And now that you have started to talk about it...you might find a way to deal with it...in a better way. And I'm glad you told me...I'm so sorry that you had to endure all of this, Regina. You have no idea how sorry I am", Emma answered honestly, "Talking helps a lot. Not that I would be an expert on that...but I'm glad I had Ruby and the guys back then...and now I have you too...to talk about stuff...like you have me. And knowing that there is someone who listens, whom you can trust...helps more than anything."

"You're right...I never thought it would help...I never even thought I would be able to talk about this...to anyone...but now that this huge weight has finally been lifted from my shoulders...it feels nice...I almost feel free", Regina admitted, seemingly surprised by the realization, "Do you think we'll get over our fight too?"

Emma nodded, a smile on her lips, "I think we already have."


Emma had went to use the bathroom and when she had returned to the living room Regina had fallen asleep on the couch.

The conversation had worn her out completely, Emma had seen that.

They had not cried as much as she had expected, feared even, but it had been unbelievably painful, heart wrenching none-the-less.

She sneaked to one of the closets, sure that Regina kept some blankets in there, grabbed one and put it over Regina's sleeping form., careful not to startle her.

She took in the sight in front of her, realising how peaceful Regina looked.

But she also looked so small, so fragile.

Vulnerable.

Now that the cards were on the table, the past was revealed.

Yes, Regina Mills was a truly broken soul with a badly damaged heart.

And after everything she had told her today Emma understood better now.

She knew now why Regina questioned everything, why she expected the worst at all times.

After all Regina had been through it was a wonder that she had not lost her mind.

And Emma was aware how precious Regina's trust was, how lucky she was to have gained it.

Learning about Regina's past had left her heart broken, but it had also left her seeing the person behind The Evil Queen.

The woman behind the mask.

Their conversation had left her seeing Regina for who she truly was.

For who she had been.

And Emma could also see who Regina could become.

The mask was gone, the darkest of secrets were revealed.

And they were left bare, uncovered, with nothing, but the truth, no matter how horrible it was.

They would find a way to deal with it, to make it better, because after all the day had proven one thing – they did trust each other.