notes:
i don't even know what to say. time got away with me and it took me actual ages to get back to updating this.
there will be one more chapter after this, kinda wrapping the story up.
i hope you enjoy!

Storybrooke was one of those towns that was just small enough to walk anywhere you possible needed to go. Which meant that the walk to Emma's new house only took them a small while. They didn't discuss strategy since there was an air of understanding floating between them. They hadn't been witches for nothing.

When they made it to the house, Regina could feel a strong magical charge pulsate from the house. She knew that magic well, having been consumed by it several times. It was very unique to Emma. The blonde was a product of True Love and that alone made her one of the strongest magical beings in all the lands, but the added taste of the Dark One's magic had given Emma's magic even more unique ability. It had made it even stronger.

And currently there was a lot of it in the air. Emma wasn't big on using her magic, in fact she only ever used it when the town was in danger or if she couldn't reach the remote when she was laying on the couch. But in order to have created this kind of charge, she would have had to use it a lot. It terrified Regina to her core.

"Can you feel it?" Regina whispered to her to companions as they all stood in front of the gate to the yard.

Both woman nodded because they could feel it indeed, but they shared a look. They had both noticed how Regina was nearly vibrating from the strength of it. It seemed to affect the brunette differently and it was pretty clear to the other two why that was that.

They made their way quietly though the gates, towards the wooden stairs that led them to the front door. All the curtains were down and there were no lights on. Regina took a gentle hold of the door knob but it was locked tightly.

Raising her hand slightly, she was ready to cast a spell to open the door when Zelena tapped her shoulder gently. Regina met her sisters eyes before they both looked down at their feet. There was something dripping down from under the door, something very red in color...

Before any of them could bend down to see it any better there was huge crash from inside the house. It made Regina's heart jump to her throat.

"YOU FILTHY SLUT, WHAT DID YOU JUST DO-"

Regina's fear skyrocketed as she threw her entire weight against the door, trying desperately open it. Behind her Zelena flicked her wrist in haste and the door opened, making Regina stumble through the doorway and into the house. The place looked like a mess. There were broken dishes everywhere, the furniture had been knocked over and there were stains all over the pristine white walls.

Another loud crash was heard from upstairs and Regina flew into the stairs, kicking off her heels as she went. She was sure her sister and friend would follow after her, because they all knew how this worked. It didn't take long to find where all the yelling was coming from. As she rounded the corner, she came by an open door that lead into the master bedroom.

What she saw made her blood boil and run cold at the same time. Hook was standing in the middle of the room and Emma was standing on the bed, leaning heavily against the wall behind her. There were stains on Emma's clothes, her face was death pale and her eyes were puffy from the tears that were still leaking out. She looked absolutely exhausted, like she was ready to fall at any second.

Hook looked like he had gotten his fair share of hits as well. There were clear nail marks on his cheeks and his clothes were pretty teared up. It seemed that he was nowhere near finished with his fight, where as Emma was ready to fall over. It made concern rise next to her rage - what had really happened?

"Regina?"

Regina turned to look at Emma, and she saw how relief shook her fragile body. There was hope swimming in the green eyes she so loved. No one had ever said her name like that and she felt like that somehow filled her with even more strength.

"What are you doing here?!" was spat at her by the pirate she hated with every fiber of her being. Hook had turned his full attention towards her, which she preferred because at least this way he couldn't hurt Emma anymore.

"I'm here to put an end to this. I'm here to take her home." Regina stood tall, being every inch of the queen she had once been. Once upon a time, people had scattered away in front of her, scared for their lives. And back in the day, they had every reason to be scared.

Hook laughed coldly before smirking. "She will never want you, Your Majesty. She is mine."

Regina swallowed thickly.

"She doesn't need to want me. I can live in the world where she doesn't return my feelings, but I refuse to live in the world where she is in pain, where she is with someone who doesn't see how unique and funny and beautiful she is. If she chooses not to want me, I'm going to find a way to be fine with that, but you will never ever lay a hand on her. Ever again." Regina didn't dare to look at Emma when she was speaking, even when she felt like it was important for the blonde to hear what she had to say.

"Is this supposed to make me scared? One pint sized former queen with a soft heart? Oh please." Hook rolled his eyes and took a step closer to Regina. But the brunette wasn't easily scared. She had gone trough terrors and nightmares most people couldn't even come up with. So one handed pirate did nothing for her.

"You should in fact be very scared." she could feel the magic pump in her veins like it hadn't done in a long time. "You saw how I ruled, you saw what happened to people who crossed me. You saw what I did to them."

That made Hook pause. He did remember, he had seen some of the deeds of the Evil Queen and the fear that had indeed lived in the hearts of her people. But his rage was taking over quickly.

"I don't care! You are not gonna take what's mine!" he yelled, spit flying in all directions.

"You don't understand at all do you? She is not yours to own. She is only yours if she decides that's what she wants. You could both belong to each other but she is not an object. You aren't the one who calls the shots, you cannot tell her what to do." Regina couldn't understand how stupid could one man be. How was this such a weird concept for him?

Hook was nearing her with faster pace now so Regina had no other choice but to act. Instead of using magic like she had originally planned, she raised her fist to hit Hook square in the jaw, taking great pleasure hearing a slight crack. That alone didn't make the pirate drop yet as he was wobbling backwards holding his jaw, looking both confused and outraged.

Having a bit of a hop, Regina kicked Hook in the middle of the chest which made him stumble back and smack his head against the wall. Regina saw how his body hit the ground but she didn't waste time seeing to him, knowing full well that her backup would be on the case. She ran towards Emma who damn near collapsed into her embrace.

"Regina..." Emma was crying now, the stress and fear leaving her body. It was all replaced with relief and happiness of seeing her savior. She had known Regina would come for her but then the situation had truly and utterly gotten out of hand when they had made it back into the house.

"It's okay, you are all okay now. I will take care of you, I promise." Regina was whispering into Emma's hair, holding her tightly. The blonde seemed fragile, like she had somehow lost weight from when she had seen her yesterday. That left Regina feeling even more concerned as she looked subtly around.

Zelena and Mal were taking care of the unconscious Hook. He seemed to be bound and Zelena nodded at her sister who whispered into the blonde's ear again. "Emma, I'm going to transport us into the hospital. I want to have you checked out. Is that okay?"

"I trust you with everything." Emma whispered just as quietly before closing her eyes. She was so tired that even keeping her eyes open was impossible now that she felt safe. So so tired. Maybe it was okay to sleep for a bit? Regina would wake her up.

That's when Emma lost consciousness.

"Mom, I'm fine, I promise." Emma was rolling her eyes hard as her mother made the third u-turn at the door. It was getting late and the little Neal was getting sleepy and cranky, having been with their parents in the hospital for the better part of the day. It was a clear sign for them to go home. Also Emma had to admit she was feeling slightly cramped.

She was laying in the hospital bed, wearing a pink hospital gown, feeling totally okay. None the less the doctors had deemed it wise to keep her over night 'just in case'. Emma had a pretty good idea her mother and Regina had something to do with the intensive care she was receiving, but then again, it was pretty damn nice to be so cared for.

Snow came by to give one final kiss to her daughters forehead before she finally followed her husband and son out of the room, with a promise to come and pick her up the first thing tomorrow morning. The room quieted and Emma left out a long breath of air.

It had been a roller coaster ever since yesterday. She remembered yesterday very clearly but some of the details of today were a little foggy in her mind. There was no memory of passing out but going from being snuggled into Regina's arms to being in a cold hospital bed was a bit of a give away that something had gone down.

After that there had been several tests and blood samples, worried son and parents. But the one person she had wanted to see and talk to the most hadn't come by and Emma had no idea why. Regina was her hero. She was her best friend. She was the woman who loved her... and who she loved back.

Hearing Regina's speech about feelings back at the house had made Emma breathless. She never in her wildest dreams could have hoped that Regina would actually return her feelings. Sure they were close, they had started hugging and she used to be at the mansion all the time but Regina was her best friend. She used to date Robin. After seeing how happy Regina had been with him, Emma had never let her mind wander to a place where she would hope they could be more.

Emma wanted to talk to Regina more than anything right now. She just wished the other woman would come by soon.

It was getting late though and the medication was truly starting to kick in. Laying down more comfortably she fell into a dreamless sleep. She slept so tightly that she didn't notice a puff of purple smoke transporting someone into the room. Neither did she notice when that same purple smoke took someone away just when the sun was starting to rise.

Snow was there to pick her up the first thing the next morning. Emma kept asking her mother had she seen Regina but Snow hadn't. She also brought Emma back her phone and the first thing she did was to dial Regina. The phone rang but no one answered. Emma decided that no matter what anyone said, she would be going by Mifflin Street today.

After they had sat down in the car, Snow had started her usual babble which Emma had turned off quite literally as soon as it started. What did catch her attention was Snow's choice of words when it came to Regina.

"... and before your adventure to your girlfriends house, I want you to have a proper meal. Dr. Whale said that -"

Emma whipped her head towards her mother and opened her mouth a couple of times. She did like the sound of that, but she was really confused how her mother knew anything about anything.

"My girlfriend?"

"Oh Emma... It hasn't been a secret how much you like Regina. That's why we were really confused with the whole thing you had with Hook. We didn't know what was going on and you two seemed to be happy. So we let it go. Your happiness was what made us happy as well." Snow turned to look sadly at Emma.

"Oh." Emma looked down. "I have always liked her. Falling in love took a minute but it has been there for a long time. She is the one, she has somehow always been. But there was the entire thing with Robin and pixie dust. He was supposed to be her soulmate. How was I going to compete with that?" Emma explained quietly, feeling the old sadness bubbling back to surface. She remembered seeing the happiness on Regina's face and knew she would never mess that up for her, no matter how much she wished they would end up being together.

"But that was proven false ages ago. What made you stay with Hook?" Snow had a lot of questions she wanted to ask. She wanted to understand what had been going on in her daughters head since she had always been very reluctant to share.

"I don't know... Maybe it was the fear of rejection. It took Regina so long to get over Robin and I felt like what she needed more was a friend rather than... love. And Hook... So many things had already happened and I felt like I had an obligation to stay with him, try to be happy. Even when I wasn't. But I tried my hardest so I wouldn't break my heart. I never thought Regina could actually ever love me." Emma was swallowing back her tears but it was clear her mother was hearing them none the less.

Snow had no further questions, not right now anyway. She reached to take her daughters hand and they drove back to the loft in silence.

They had barely made it into the apartment before Henry flew like out of nowhere to hug his mother. He had seen her yesterday and she had reassured him she was fine, but after all that had happened, he still worried himself sick.

"Are you okay, Ma?" he asked quietly, refusing to let go. He was so done with the constant chaos that always seemed to chase after one of his mothers.

"I will be, kid." Emma was more than happy to hug Henry for as long as he wanted.

"Are you going to see mom today?" it was like Henry had reached into her brain and come up with the thought that was dominating her entire brain wave.

"Have you heard from her? Where is she?" Emma knew that even if Regina would not answer her, she would never radio silence Henry.

"She is at home." of course she was. Mansion had once been yet another prison for the brunette woman but with her son returning to sleep in his own room and with her sister moving in with her had once again turned it into a home, a safe place.

Keeping her head, Snow made Emma eat a full meal before letting her daughter out of the house. Charming offered to drive her, but after every offer Emma assured her parents and her son that she was going to be fine. She felt great after the meal and as the doctor had said, there was no damage. None the less she promised to text everyone when she had made her 15 minute walk to the mansion.

Entering the fresh evening air seemed like the best idea she had had in days. It seemed purifying almost, like it was all going to be washed away.

Emma Swan had been in bad situations before in her life, but yesterday had been one of the biggest messes ever. Emma had known for ages that things with Hook weren't working out and the signs for that had been clear. He was a toxic person to be around. She just had no idea how to get out of it without him getting angry. It had been complicated. And it had gotten even more complicated.

She stopped in front of the mansion. The lights were on downstairs, when the upstairs was completely dark. It all reminded her a lot of the night Henry had brought her here, to Storybrooke. He had brought her home.

Opening the gate, she made her way up the steps and to the front door. Golden letters of 108 were staring back at her when she lifted her fist to knock three times. Right away she could hear the distinct noise of high heels that were the signature wear for Regina Mills. Holding her breath she waited for the door to open but for some reason it seemed to take longer than ever before. Soon though, it opened and revealed the love of her life.

Regina looked like she always looked: immaculate and absolutely beautiful. Her dress had not a single wrinkle, her high heels matched the dress as always and her hair was perfectly curled. Regina had cut it short again some time ago and it reminded Emma of the time when they had first met. She had never met anyone quite like Regina before. They had had their differences but Emma had always been intrigued. There was something about Regina, to this very day and forever, that kept her full attention.

"Emma." Regina greeted formally, trying her hardest to hide her emotions. But Emma knew her better than that and she could see how her showing up affected the older brunette.

"Can I come in?" Emma asked gently.

Regina hesitated for a split second before stepping out of the way to let the blonde enter, closing her eyes briefly after the other woman passed her. She knew this was gonna happen, but she still had no idea what she would do. Closing the door, she led Emma into the livingroom.

"Would you like something to drink?" Regina asked after Emma had seated herself on the couch, their couch. It was the one all three of them snuggled into when they had family movie nights. Right now though she had to keep herself tightly in check.

Emma frowned. Regina hadn't tried to host for her in years but now it was clear to see that those old walls were build high up and thick again. Emma wanted to talk to her, she needed to. She had to settle this before anything went sideways.

"I don't need anything. Look, I just want to talk to you. I-" she started with a serious tone.

"It's okay, Emma. I understand." Regina somehow managed to straighten her back even more as she tried her hardest not to cry. People wanting to talk with people never meant anything good and even the possibility of rejection was nearly crushing Regina under it's weight. Things had changed for sure but she didn't dare to hope it meant anything.

"Regina-" Emma tried again, seeing the woman in front of her trying to shut down even tighter.

"No, you don't have to say anything." Regina took a small step back, clenching and unclenching her fists. She had to keep it together until Emma was out of her house. There was no way the blonde would see her cry.

Emma was getting desperate. She was unable to say more than a word before Regina was talking over her and it seemed like the brunette had made up her mind about how this conversation was going to go.

"I think it's best for you to go. I will come by and see Henry tomorrow-"

"NO!" Emma got up from the couch and strided towards Regina. When she reached the other woman, she took her hands tightly into her own. That made Regina's heart skip some beats as she tried her hardest to keep herself in check. "Regina, please." Emma pleaded quietly, her green eyes swimming in tears.

Having Emma show so much emotion made Regina calm down somewhat. There was a silence that wasn't really awkward since they were a long past that but it was definitely highly charged.

"Okay." Regina whispered eventually.

Emma looked relieved as she slowly pulled Regina to follow her by the hands. It was very much like it had been yesterday at the beach. Emma sat them down on the couch, their legs gently touching. Emma pulled Regina's hand to her lap and held it tightly.

Another charged silence filled the space. It was clear to Regina that Emma was trying to find her courage or her words, or possibly both. That made her heart sink.

"Regina, I-" Emma started bravely before letting out a puff of air. "I had all these plans as to what to say to you but none of them seem to want to come out."

Regina had no idea what that meant so she stayed silent, hoping for an elaboration.

"I mean, so much happened in the last 24 hours, like so much and it's hard to keep track of it all." Emma seemed to be talking to herself more than Regina, but it seemed like it made it easier for the blonde so Regina just listened.

"First I had the best day of my life with you and Henry at the beach but as soon as I made it home... It just went downhill from there. Well, I guess it has been going downhill for a while now but..." Emma was starting to ramble and her eyes were misting over. That made Regina squeeze their joined hands, which snapped the green eyes to meet brown.

"It's alright, Emma. Calm down." Regina whispered calmly. "You are with me now."

"Okay, okay." Emma breathed out and smiled gratefully.

"Are you okay?" Regina was getting concerned. It wasn't like Emma to be like this and the blonde had been through some pretty hard stuff before.

"I am now." there was that relieved smile again and Regina felt instantly better. Damn her heart.

"Will you tell me what's on your mind?" Regina asked quietly as if speaking too loud was going to break something delicate between them.

"Regina, I... I have thought a lot about what happened yesterday and about what you said." Emma paused and Regina held her breath, too scared to even breathe. She had known that this would eventually come up.

"And I feel stupid." that made Regina frown deeply and squeeze Emma's hand without noticing. She had no idea what was happening but she didn't like Emma calling herself that.

"I feel stupid for not seeing what was right in front of me the entire time." Emma whispered and a lone tear fell from her eyes, going down her cheek. "I didn't dare to dream that you would feel that way about me. It was too good to be true."

Regina was sure her heart had beaten out of her chest because this definitely couldn't be happening. It was as Emma put it, 'too good to be true'. Still her brain tried to throw water into the burning fire that was her heart in order to let Emma finish.

"Regina..." Emma whispered before locking eyes with the brunette. "Do you love me?"

It was a weird sensation. The logical reaction to this would have been a total freak out if her inner turmoils before were anything to go by. She should have stood up, denied it and bailed. But what happened instead... was peace. She felt at peace with her feelings, with her love for the blonde. Maybe it had something to do with what had gone down yesterday or maybe it was what Emma had just said. Regina didn't know. But she knew what she was gonna answer.

"I do."

Regina didn't know what kind of reaction she was expecting from Emma, but the tears that started to leak from her beautiful green eyes were not that. It was very unusual for the badass Emma Swan to cry and get emotional, and even when Regina was the person she did that most with it was still always a surprise.

"Emma? Are you okay?" Regina laid a hand on Emma's shoulder.

There was a sudden sound in the air. It was the most beautiful sound in the world and Regina could say it was her favorite, right after the baby babble Henry used to produce when he was a baby. Emma was laughing. It was so carefree and happy.

Regina was sure the confusion was clear on her face because Emma tried her hardest to calm down to be able to explain. Eventually she calmed down, taking a hold of Regina's hands.

"What was that?" Regina was faster than Emma, as she was adamant in getting a word in before Emma even opened her mouth.

"That, Regina, is called laughing. I don't know have you heard about that before but-HEY!" there was a hard jab into her ribs that made her jump away.

"This isn't funny, Emma." Regina whispered, looking down at her hands. She was trying her hardest not to let Emma's response hurt her but she was only human, and her heart was already bruised and broken. It was unfair to jump to conclusions but it started to seem an awful lot like a rejection.

"I didn't laugh because it was funny." Emma said, sitting down next to Regina again. "I laughed because I'm happy." she looked at Regina, hoping the queen would be lifting her gaze which she quickly did.

"Happy?" it was easy to hear the hope in Regina's voice.

"Yes. I love you too, Regina." Emma said, not wanting to prolong any of this anymore. They had wasted enough time playing games and not knowing what the other one really thought.

Regina couldn't breathe. It seemed so unreal to hear those words, said by Emma no less. It was like all her dreams were coming true but somehow she couldn't believe it. She had to make sure.

"Really? You are not just saying that because I said it first, are you?" Regina whispered, her eyes still wide and her voice wavering.

"No, of course not! Regina, I have been in love with you for years but it took me time to come in terms with that. Also there were few male shaped bumps in the road." she rolled her eyes. "I wouldn't say that if it wasn't true. I love you." a swallow. "I love you so much, Regina."

It seemed like the emotions were getting the best of the blonde as well. Regina was sure she and the gorgeous woman in front of her were feeling the same things. Remorse for all the opportunities missed and time wasted, but still feeling incredibly happy and even maybe not believing this was all happening.

"I love you too, Emma." Regina whispered, wanting to say the words, wanting to taste them.

The blinding smile she received somehow made up for all the months of heartache. They were here now and they had nothing but time.

Emma lifted her hand, carefully placing her palm against Regina's cheek. Brown eyes locked with green and they held their gaze. Yes, they really had nothing but time. It was Emma who eventually leaned in, her breath hitching slightly. Regina was holding her breath, her eyes slowly slipping shut.

It was like an earthquake but also like the softest cotton candy ever. It was maddening in the best possible way and in no time there were hands pulling on clothing in order to bring the other one closer. It seemed like nothing was enough, like there was uncontrollable need for more.

Magical beings or not, they eventually had to break apart to catch their breaths. Gently leaning their foreheads together there was a silence. But then...

"Do you think we should talk about this?" Regina whispered. It was all so good, so incredibly wonderful that she wanted to make sure they were both on the same page. It had been a tough couple of days for everyone.

"Yeah, probably." Emma sighed, because she knew they had to. For their future.

Taking a gentle hold of Emma's hands again, Regina whispered. "Will you tell me what happened with Hook?"

Emma let out a sigh before closing her eyes. "It wasn't pretty, I can tell you that."

Regina felt torn. On the other hand she wanted to enjoy this moment of happiness with Emma and forget about the filthy pirate. But she needed to hear what happened, especially if she had done something to trigger Hook.

"I just mean that... He called me." Regina had to get this out of her chest.

"Oh I know." Emma said which made Regina snap her head towards the blonde. Emma didn't seem upset or angry, but Regina didn't know what she was feeling either. Raising her eyebrows in question was enough as Emma continued.

"He mentioned that when he was screaming at me. Also it was clear to see he wanted to prove something at the diner." there was a chill running down Emma's back. "It was disgusting."

"I'm so sorry, Emma. I didn't mean anything by it, but he-" Regina could feel a bile rise to her throat as she thought about what Hook had done to Emma.

Emma lifted her finger against Regina's lips to silence the other woman. "No, please. It made me feel so cared for, when I heard you stood up for me."

"But he didn't... He didn't do anything else to you? Without you wanting to...?" Regina didn't want to say the words out loud so she tried to find a way around them, but still making Emma understand what she meant.

"No, oh my god, Regina no!" Emma took a hold of the suddenly pale cheeks of the woman she loved. "Regina. Look at me please."

It took her a minute but eventually the brunette turned her eyes to meet the piercing green ones. There was calmness in them, but that didn't stop Regina from feeling sick.

"He never took advantage of me. I would have never let him. I know I wasn't myself a lot of time with him, but I still know how to stand up for myself. He did want you to see what he did in the diner, he wanted to own me. And in that specific moment, I was too stunned. But I promise you, nothing happened. I'm okay and we are here now." Emma was serious, taking her time to make sure Regina understood that there was no reason for her to feel guilty.

"But I thought I caused it. I thought it was my fault he was all over you. I thought he was going to do something to you." Regina was breathing heavily.

"Regina, none of it was your fault, I promise you that." Emma gently moved the thumb across the soft cheeks of her sons other mother. It seemed so unreal that they had actually reached this point, where touching each other meant the same thing for both of them.

Regina looked up to the green eyes in front of her. She did believe Emma, because no matter what Emma Swan had always been truthful with her, even in hard and difficult situations and about horrible things. She did not sugarcoat things for her and she didn't want her to. Regina respected the honesty.

"What happened when you made it back into the house?" she whispered, finally ready to listen.

Emma breathed in before launching into her story. "He was furious when we made it home. He had been in foul mood for a longer time now but I think the whole diner scene was just the last drop. He started yelling and calling me names. Then I yelled and I'm sure you saw the broken dishes?" at Regina's nod, Emma continued. "Yeah, that was me. I hit him with few of them too. It was literally just an explosion of things he had kept bottled up, quite literally. It wasn't pretty."

"But your magic, I- I felt it, all around the house." Regina asked, feeling confused.

"I tried using magic like you taught me to, but I think it was all just too much for me to even attempt to concentrate. But I could feel it pumping like during our lessons. I think it made me more tired than anything." Emma thought, looking into nothingness, trying to picture that feeling again.

"Something for us to work on then." Regina whispered and leaned her head on Emma's shoulder.

They breathed deeply together for a while, in sync. It calmed down the beating hearts and overthinking brains in the simplest, most organic way possible. Neither of them knew how long they were silent for but eventually Emma asked with a normal voice.

"What happens now?"