Part Thirty-Eight: The One With their Hearts
Regina stood in front of the heavy doors of the mausoleum watching Emma run as fast as her legs could carry her.
Her heart was bleeding inside her chest.
Her eyes were full of tears that refused to stop falling like the rain drenching the soil of the cemetery.
Her soul was agonizing almost physically, calling and calling and calling for Emma.
Begging her to come back.
Begging her for forgiveness.
Begging her to stay.
But Regina couldn't do anything other than watch Emma go.
Watch Emma enter her car and drive away.
Watch Emma carry her heart with her.
She supposed it was appropriate that it ended there.
The cemetery was the resting place of the dead. The place where their bodies were buried and their soul found peace.
Regina felt dead inside.
But she would never find peace.
Because her peace had just learned the truth about her.
About what she did.
And she was running away as far away from Regina as possible.
To never be hers again.
To never be whole again.
You are evil.
Those words would haunt Regina until she took her last breath on earth.
The last words of the woman she loved more than life itself.
The last words of her True Love were now shattered into millions of pieces so small that Regina knew it would never be mended again.
She lost Emma.
And she deserved that.
Regina wrapped her arms around herself, the cold wind blowing small droplets of water against her body.
She wasn't quite sure what was tears and what was rain.
It didn't matter.
She just stayed and watch the place where Emma's yellow bug had been only a few moments ago.
She just stared at the spot she last saw the love of her life.
She just let that tiny ember of hope burn inside her heart, waiting for Emma to come back.
Waiting for life to return to her soul.
A moment pass.
Then another.
And another.
Regina wasn't sure how long she stayed at the mausoleum staring at the spot where Emma had parked her car.
And she was only vaguely aware of her phone ringing inside her coat pocket, the vibrations and ringtone slowly bringing Regina to a reality she did not want to face.
Regina cleared a tear from under her eye with the knuckle of her index finger before reaching inside her pocket.
Home.
Regina stared at the screen for a second and then another too long.
Home was Emma and Henry.
Could she truly still have a home when half of her heart was missing?
Regina pressed the green button on her phone bringing the mobile to her ear.
"Hello?" Regina said in a choked voice.
"Mom!" Henry said, and Regina could feel the concern in his voice.
And that made something both squeeze and warm inside her chest.
"What happened?" Henry asked, "Did you tell Ma everything?"
"I did," Regina said, a lump forming in her throat.
"And she believed you?" Henry asked.
"She did," Regina nodded to herself.
A soft sob escaping her lips.
"And what happened?" Henry asked "Why are you crying?"
"Because…" Regina cleared her throat fighting and losing against the new wave of tears "She saw everything. When she touched the book, she saw everything. Because…"
You are evil.
Regina cried again, her whole body shaking from both sorrow and the cold of the night.
She could feel the pain piercing her heart like tiny little needles.
She could feel her skin getting colder, to never find warmth again.
"Come home, mom," Henry said, his voice gentle on the other side of the line.
Regina closed her eyes, letting the word sink into her heart.
Wishing it would brand there, and stay forever.
But she knew it would never be.
Not without Emma.
Home wasn't just her and Henry anymore.
What she shared with Emma was real.
They had become a family.
There was no game, no half-truths when it came to her feelings for Emma.
She was the love of her life.
Her true love.
And her home would never be whole again without her.
Life would never be the same without Emma.
The one her heart belonged to.
The one her soul would always and forever crave for.
"Mom?" Henry said concerned, pulling Regina out of her thoughts.
Regina shook her head, swallowing the lump in her throat that never quite seem to go away.
"I'll be right there, sweetie," Regina said.
She finished the call and put her phone back inside her pocket before staring at the same spot again.
She looked for a moment.
Blinked her eyes.
And then she walked down the steps of the mausoleum and into the rain, letting the water wash the sadness of everything she lost tonight.
Perhaps she would never feel like a whole again.
But she still had half of her heart waiting for her at home.
Emma was inside her car, parked right in the middle of the road staring at the You are leaving Storybrooke sign.
The one Regina loved to tease her about destroying on her first night in town.
Emma gripped the steering wheel with force, turning her head to look at the road ahead.
She was on the edge of town.
All she had to do was step on the gas and leave this madness behind.
Everything.
All of it.
Including her.
Emma closed her eyes, taking a deep breath, tears falling down her face as heavily as the rain outside.
It used to be so simple for her.
To just leave and disappear and never be found again.
She did it for so many years.
But that was before her. Before him.
Regina and Henry.
Her family.
Emma let go of the steering wheel, letting her body fall back on the seat.
There was a heaviness inside her chest, squeezing her heart like a rotten fruit, crushing everything inside of her.
She couldn't center herself.
There was so much rage inside of her.
So much sadness.
So many lies.
She saw everything when she touched the book.
She saw the whole truth.
All the craziness that was a reality.
She saw who Regina really was.
Beautiful.
Innocent.
Deadly.
Evil.
Emma closed her eyes, bumping her head against the headrest.
Her soul was agonizing.
She could hear it screaming in pain.
She could feel it in every inch of her body.
It wanted her.
It wanted to be reunited, wanted to be a whole again.
But that would never be possible.
Because Regina had taken that right away from her.
Emma opened her eyes, trying to make sense of the things the book showed her.
She was so confused.
Everything inside her was a mix of love, pity, and fury.
The girl forced to turn into a woman.
And the woman forced to turn into The Evil Queen.
Emma wanted to rip the heart out of all the people who hurt Regina.
Just like she saw her doing it with so many people.
If they were innocent or not, if they deserved what came their way, Emma didn't know.
All she knew was that in the end, Regina was the judge and the executor of her own desires.
Emma opened her eyes, staring at the road ahead of her again.
The night was as dark as her heart was right now.
The windshield was as blurry as her mind was.
She could hardly see the road ahead of her.
Emma turned the engine on, gripping the steering wheel when she stepped on the gas.
The car moved less than an inch before Emma hit the brakes abruptly her whole body jerking forward.
She couldn't leave.
She couldn't stay.
The woman who gave her everything was also the woman who took everything from her.
The one person who could bring her comfort was also the reason for her distress.
Emma let the tears roll down her cheeks, sobbing as the ache in her heart became unbearable.
She could feel her.
She could feel Regina in her heart, in her soul.
She was taken by her.
The pain she was in was so similar to Emma's.
Perhaps even worse, because Emma could feel the guilt, the regret.
The fear.
It was oppressive the mixed feelings inside of her.
Hers and Regina.
Emma tried to block them like she did when she went after Jefferson, but it was impossible now.
She couldn't shut herself down.
She couldn't stop herself from feeling.
All she wanted was Regina.
Emma reached inside her pocket, tapping her contact list on her phone.
She slid her finger on the screen until she found Regina's number.
My Queen.
It had been a joke, because of how Henry always called her The Evil Queen.
So, Emma wanted to change that.
Even if just for herself.
Because Regina was hers.
They belonged to each other.
She was her Queen.
Was she being fair?
Yes, she saw all the darkness inside Regina, the cruel things she did in the Enchanted Forest, the lives she took without a second thought.
But she also saw the innocent girl who was manipulated by everyone around her.
Until she was broken.
Until she became a weapon.
Just like Emma was.
None of them truly had a choice.
They both had struggled through this world being used and abused until they had decided enough was enough.
Regina by turning into The Evil Queen.
Emma by running away from the orphanage and living out of small crimes.
But then again, if it wasn't for Regina, she wouldn't have ended up abandoned and alone, would she?
No, she wouldn't.
But perhaps it wasn't fair to blame that on Regina.
It was her parent's choice to send her away.
To choose the realm, to abandon her so she could save them one day.
She didn't have a choice in that just like Regina didn't when casting the curse.
Because her whole life Regina was manipulated to that moment.
They filled her with so much hatred that in the end, she had no choice.
It was either casting the curse or succumbing to the final darkness.
Perishing from the world, like smoke in the air until nothing was left.
And Emma couldn't bare the thought of that.
Even in her deepest sorrow, she could not imagine a world where Regina wasn't in it.
Where Regina wasn't Henry's mother.
Where Regina wasn't hers.
Where she didn't trace Regina's skin with her fingertips.
Even if just for a moment, even if all they had was a second in the world…
Emma tapped her finger on the green button and then pressed the phone to her ear.
The phone barely rang once before Regina's voice came through.
"Emma?"
But Emma couldn't talk.
Her name on Regina's lips soothed something deep in her soul and Emma wanted desperately to hate that.
To hate her.
But she didn't.
She couldn't.
She never would.
I'm yours and you are mine.
No matter what she did, Emma knew in her core that would always be.
"Emma, please," Regina cried.
Emma closed her eyes and cried too, letting her head fall on the headrest.
"Where are you?" Regina asked.
"Town limit," Emma whispered.
It was all she managed to say.
"I'll be right there,"
The phone call went mute after that.
And Emma sobbed like a child when the nothingness invaded her again.
Dark and silent just like the phone she was still pressing against her ear.
Emma stared out the rain, the shapes of the water on her windshield turning into something horrible in front of her eyes.
A moment pass.
And then another.
Silence was all around her apart from the howls of the wind.
And the screams in her mind, heart, and soul.
She wanted Regina with the same force she wanted to be away from her.
It was all so devastatingly confusing.
She could understand some of Regina's actions.
Some of the rage.
Emma felt the same most of her life, so she knew that feeling of being desperate and alone.
She same dark fire that burned in Regina's heart had burned in hers too.
They were the same in that sense.
But unlike Regina, she didn't go out in the world ripping hearts out of people's chests for fun.
She didn't burn villages just to punish Snow White, leaving families homeless.
Although, in a way, Emma did try to punish her too.
Her mother.
And father.
It was the whole reason she started to steal cars.
It wasn't just because she needed a way to support herself after she ran away.
She wanted to punish her parents for abandoning her, she wanted to punish the world for not loving her.
So she stole cars, had fun with them, took everything valuable from inside, and then she ditched the car somewhere far away.
Somewhere hard to find.
Somewhere similar to where she was abandoned.
She always imagined one of those cars belonging to the people who abandoned her and Emma took joy in pretending to punish her parents by abandoning something they cherished.
Which was an idiotic thing to do because they obviously didn't cherish Emma.
And it was always hard to find a safe ride back to the city.
Back to the next car, she would steal.
The next business she would scam.
The next and the next and the next until the day she ended up in jail.
Even now that Emma knows the whole truth the sentiment still lingered in her heart.
The same black spot that tinged so many of her actions.
Other things were more important to them.
Their lives and the realm were more important to them.
Yes, the dark curse would have ripped them away to Storybrooke.
But Emma would take Storybrooke over many places she lived growing up.
She saw her father's heart when he put her inside the wardrobe.
Yes, there was love there.
So much love.
But there was also greed, of him as King and his wife as Queen, defeating the Evil Queen with the aid of their long lost daughter who heroically came back to save them all.
it was just vanity.
Not even once did either of them thought about what would become of their hope child.
Emma looked in the rearview mirror when the sound of a car approaching pulled her out of her thoughts.
She saw the bright yellow lights getting closer, nearly blinding her due to the contrast of the night.
Her body tensed when she saw Regina's Mercedes pull up beside the yellow car.
And then her heart was racing inside her chest when Regina opened the door and sat in the passenger seat, a few drops of water running down her coat.
Emma turned her face and stared at the windshield, looking at the road blurred by the shapes of the water on the glass.
The silence stretched between them.
She could hear Regina's breathing, smell her scent, their forged scent.
Feel the fear in Regina's heart rippling up to hers.
Like small vibrations touching her skin and then entering her pores, running wildly inside of her like smoke.
There was no hope.
"I'm sorry," Regina whispered, her voice small.
"For what?" Emma asked coldly.
"Emma…"
"No, just…" Emma closed her eyes, soft tears falling down her cheeks "Why?"
"Why what?" Regina asked, "Why I cast the curse, why I lie to you…"
"Why did you tell me?" Emma asked.
She turned her face to look at Regina, her own heart bleeding at the pain so evidently on Regina's face.
"Why telling me the truth now?" Emma cried "Everything was perfect, everything was good I was in love with you, we had a family, why tell me, why ruin what we had?"
"I told you, I can not risk your life anymore," Regina said looking at Emma "As much as I wanted to take everything myself, my past keeps finding ways to hurt you and I can't let that happen anymore. I can't protect you alone anymore"
"I can protect myself," Emma said seriously "I always have"
"That night at Jefferson, I thought he was going to kill you," Regina said "Either because you would try something stupid to protect me or to punish me for what I did to him. Either way, I could only see you dying without knowing what you were dying for"
"I would die for you," Emma said angrily "I would die for the woman I loved. That was all I needed to know"
"But not me," Regina said looking at Emma "Do you have any idea of what I would have done to the world if he had killed you?"
"Let me guess," Emma said sarcastically "Cast another curse?"
"Burn it to the ground until I found a way to bring you back to me," Regina said her voice dripping with seriousness and fury.
Emma nodded slowly, turning her face away from Regina.
"Did you know who I was from the beginning?" Emma asked.
"No," Regina said "I only find out later. After we were together"
"When?" Emma asked, facing Regina again.
"The day of the storm"
Emma looked at Regina surprised, memories of that day creeping under her skin.
The despair she felt.
The agony.
The heart that didn't seem to stop aching, just like now.
"You wanted to break up with me," Emma said. She turned her face to look at the windshield again, her heart filling with coldness "You wanted to break up with me because I was a threat to your curse"
"No," Regina said, her voice slightly choked "I wanted to break up with you because I knew you would never forgive me for what I did. Because I was in lo…."
"Why one year?" Emma asked interrupting Regina "Why did you ask me for a year?"
"I was trying to find a way to break you out of the deal you made with Gold. To take your place instead," Regina said and Emma turned her head to look at her again "I was in my vault when I found the parchment with the original curse. I was sad and upset because I couldn't find anything to take your place. I couldn't find anything to break you free from that imp," Regina said her voice full of rage "I cried on top of the parchment, one of my tears soaked the paper and something was revealed to me"
"What?" Emma whispered.
"That the Savior would break the curse when she reached twenty-eight years old," Regina said "Prophecies are usually very specific so I figured that after your turned twenty-nine…"
"I would lose the power to break the curse," Emma finished for her.
"Yes," Regina nodded, "I thought that the only way to keep you safe was by keeping you from fulfilling your destiny"
"And then you would gloat on your victory," Emma said bitterly.
"Then I would love you without any fear in my heart," Regina said "I would love you freely and keep the promise I made you, to tell you that I love you every day for the rest of our lives"
Emma closed her eyes, taking in the words that were stabbing her heart.
"I love you, Emma," Regina said and Emma could feel the truth in her words "I have been in love with you for a long time"
Emma sobbed, letting all that pain that sank inside her heart out.
She longed to hear those words.
Longed for the year to run fast, to hear Regina finally say what she knew, she always knew what she felt inside.
But once again, something else was more important.
The curse was more important.
To Regina.
To her parents.
Even her son.
"All you truly care about is your precious curse," Emma said.
"I don't give a fuck about the curse, Emma," Regina said firmly "All I care about is you and Henry"
"Liar," Emma said bitterly.
"Call me whatever you want, the lowest things you can think of and I'll take it, I won't fight you back," Regina said almost angrily "But not this. Never this. Don't you dare doubt my love, doubt how I feel for you and Henry. You know how I feel, I know you can feel my heart. You know I love you. You know you are my true love"
Emma closed her eyes trying to find a way to escape Regina's words.
Trying to find something, anything to throw back at her face and hurt her.
But she couldn't.
She couldn't fight back when she knew Regina was telling the truth.
Their hearts were somehow connected.
Emma knew Regina loved her.
She always knew that to be the truth.
She felt it in her heart.
She still did.
"This is so fucked up," Emma said, cleaning her tears.
"I know," Regina said "I am so sorry, Emma"
"Are you?" Emma asked, looking at her "Do you have any idea how miserable my life was?"
"No, but I can imagine," Regina said "Mine wasn't a Princess fairy tale either"
"I know," Emma whispered.
"I know what I've done and I will always carry the guilt of the harm I caused with me," Regina said "But if I say I regret it, I would be lying. I can't regret it, Emma. Because if I haven't done what I did, I wouldn't have my son. And without him, I would never have found you. I would never fall in love with you. And I can not imagine living in a world where you aren't in it. I can't imagine living a life where I dont love you"
"Stop" Emma whispered again.
"I will love you until I take my last breath," Regina cried "You are the one, Emma. You are the only one. And I will live and die loving you"
"I want to forget," Emma said.
She turned her head to look at Regina, her heart so, so small inside her chest with all the pain dancing freely on Regina's features.
"I want a memory potion," Emma said.
"What?" Regina asked surprised.
"You said you have ingredients to make potions in your vault," Emma said "I saw in the book you could make people forget things. Make me forget"
"Emma, I can't do that," Regina said, her voice failing.
"Why not?" Emma asked "We were happy, I was happy. I don't want anything to do with this curse and this Savior. I just want things to go back to the way they were,"
"Emma…"
"Let's just go back to the lake house," Emma begged, tears rolling down her face "Make me forget, and let's hide there. You'll get your year, and then the curse will be saved and everything will be okay again"
"I'm sorry, but I can't do this, Emma," Regina shook her head "I won't do it"
"Why?" Emma asked.
"Because I vowed I would never take anything away from you anymore," Regina cried "You deserve the truth"
"I don't want the truth," Emma shouted.
"Then you are free to go," Regina said "Cross that sign and go. Never look back again, stay away. Let time erase us from your memory"
"You know I can't do that," Emma said "I am not leaving my son again"
And you.
Something whispered in Emma's heart.
But Emma refused to listen.
"We can make a plan for Henry," Regina said "Work out visitation, both Henry and I can cross the town limit without trouble. We can work out some sort of shared custody"
"Yeah," Emma nodded "Maybe that's for the best"
Silence fell upon them filled only by the sound of the pouring rain.
A moment pass.
And then another.
Emma closed her eyes, breathing Regina's scent.
It calmed her, centered her.
Made the screams stop.
It called for something inside her.
Something filled with love and happiness.
Something easy and free.
"I love you, Emma," Regina said.
And those words were so simple and so powerful.
Beautiful.
It mended her heart, piece by piece without her even noticing.
"I'm sorry fate was so cruel to make me your true love. But I can not say I regret that. I will never regret loving you. You showed me what real happiness was, what true love feels like. I will never apologize for loving you. You made me a better person, to myself to my son, and to you. I will never regret or will I ever forget a single moment we spent together. I'm sorry I lied for so long. It was selfish at first but that changed. I don't care about the curse. All I care about is knowing that you are safe"
"Regina…"
"You have a choice. You can go and never come back to Storybrooke. You can stay and break the curse. I will make sure to stay out of your way. If you wish to never see me again, I will make sure you won't. Whatever you want, whatever you decide, I will respect your decision"
Emma had barely taken a breath when Regina opened the door of her car.
Cold wind blew inside making Emma's skin shiver.
She watched Regina close the door and go back to her car, driving further and further away from her.
And the moment she was out of view, the second her scent no longer lingered in the air, Emma was left with a coldness inside her heart that had nothing to do with the rain.
Regina cleaned the tears from her eyes with her hand, gripping the steering wheel with the other as she drove away from Emma.
Her heart was bleeding inside her chest.
She could feel it dripping, slowly draining all the happiness inside of her.
All the hope.
She couldn't bear the idea of never seeing Emma again, of never holding her in her arms.
Never kiss her lips.
Touch her skin.
Make her smile.
It was death in life losing the one she truly loved.
But Regina would respect whatever Emma decided.
Even if it killed her second by second, hour by hour, day by day.
Regina would respect Emma's decision to leave her.
She had promised a long time ago that she would never hold her up to her promise.
Of not running.
Of asking Regina to not let her run.
How could Regina ask her to stay when was the reason Emma was leaving?
When she was the one who broke her heart?
When she was the one who made her life miserable even before her first days in Storybrooke.
Regina would always love Emma, that much she knew.
It would never be another for her, not even a fling.
She couldn't even bear the idea of another touch upon her skin that wasn't Emma's.
No, Regina belonged to Emma now.
She was hers.
And she would forever live in the memories they made, loving Emma with all the love she gave to her.
The love that took that darkness away from her heart.
Regina shook her head, putting both hands on the steering wheel as she entered the town.
She wondered if Emma had crossed the town limit yet and if she would leave Storybrooke forever.
If she would only see her whenever she dropped Henry with her or maybe not even that.
If she was going to live caged in this cursed town, trapped inside another curse inside her heart.
She had failed.
She failed the one person she wasn't supposed to.
The one person she never wanted to hurt.
But for once, Regina would be gentle on herself.
She knew in her heart that what she did was to protect Emma.
To keep her safe.
For once, her actions weren't entirely selfish.
For once, she understood she couldn't control everything.
And for once, she told the truth.
To her son.
To her lover.
To herself.
In the end, Regina did the right thing.
Even if it cost her everything.
Or almost.
Regina smiled when Henry flashed behind her eyes.
He understood her.
He saw her evil, the bad things she did and he embraced her.
He gave her love.
A chance.
Even before he knew about the curse.
When he was just a little kid and Regina was his whole world.
And Henry was hers.
He was her first ember of love.
Her first step into becoming a better person.
And Regina refused to give any step backward.
She wouldn't become the person she used to be.
The person who took and took and took without giving anything back.
She wasn't going to turn into The Evil Queen ever again.
Her heart was touched by love.
And she refused to blacken it again.
She refused to live numb without feeling anything other than hatred.
She wouldn't go back to her old ways.
Not even to protect herself from shattering.
Regina parked the car in front of the mansion, running to the gate and then to the door to avoid getting completely wet by the rain.
She couldn't bother to go around the house and park in the garage.
She needed her son.
She needed to know she still had him, that he still loved her.
That she was still worthy of love.
Regina opened the door, gasping for air when Henry's body collided heavily against hers before she was even inside.
"Where is Ma?" Henry asked looking up at her.
His eyes glowing with hope.
Regina closed her eyes, unable to say anything.
Unable to break Henry's heart.
She shook her head, trying to keep the tears behind her eyes.
She wished she could avoid this.
She wished she could take away his sadness and disappointment and keep it all to herself.
Let him be the happy boy he was before…
Before he knew of the curse.
And after they were a family.
Henry closed his arms tighter around Regina, his small body hugging her and mending a piece of her broken heart.
"We'll be okay," Henry said.
So wise for his age.
Regina held Henry tightly, a rebel tear escaping from the corner of her eyes.
Regina knew Henry would be okay.
She would make sure of that.
No matter what it takes, no matter how much she had to bleed.
Henry would always be okay.
The rain behind her howled with the wind, droplets of water drenching her coat, making Regina shiver from the cold.
"Let's close this door," Regina said.
She let go of Henry and closed the door behind her, discretely cleaning the tears from her face.
"Let's go into the kitchen," Henry said.
"Are you hungry?" Regina asked, removing her coat.
"Nope," Henry said "But I went on google while you were out just in case Ma decided to be stubborn. I searched how to comfort someone after a break up"
"You what now?" Regina blinked her eyes.
"We need ice cream, snacks, and wine," Henry said.
He paused to look at Regina, tilting his head to the side.
The movement was so similar to Emma's that for a second, Regina could feel another thorn piercing her heart.
"Am I old enough to drink wine?" Henry asked.
Regina scoffed, a hint of a smile playing on the corner of her lips.
"What do you think?" Regina arched an eyebrow.
"Okay, I'll stick with soda," Henry said "Come on"
Regina followed Henry to the kitchen, a genuine smile reaching her lips for the first time that day.
On the island, Henry had all kinds of snacks, ice cream that was probably half melted by now and wine that was most likely warm.
How could she have ever raised such a kind and gentle boy?
You are evil.
Regina shook her head, willing the words out of her heart.
Yes, perhaps she was evil.
But with Henry, she did something good.
Henry sat on the island, opening an ice cream pot.
Regina kissed the top of his head before sitting next to him, taking the spoon from his hand and then gathering some ice cream in it.
"What are you going to do about the curse?" Henry asked, "Can you break it?"
"I don't think so, Henry," Regina said, "I think only the Savior can break the curse"
"But the curse is weak," Henry said back.
"Only while Emma stays," Regina said sadly.
She couldn't feel her anymore.
That place in her heart that belonged to Emma was silent, dark, and cold.
"Do you think she'll leave Storybrooke?" Henry asked in a small voice "Is she leaving me again?"
Regina put the spoon down, lifting Henry's chin to meet her eyes.
"Emma loves you, you are her son," Regina said "Whatever she decides, whatever she wants, it won't affect your relationship with her. I promise"
"I want us to be a family again," Henry said.
Regina held the urge to cry, leaning forward to kiss Henry's forehead.
"I'm sorry, honey," Regina whispered "This is all my fault"
"You can't take all the blame for yourself, mom," Henry said seriously "Although most of it is,"
Henry smiled cheekily at Regina who rolled her eyes and pinched his nose with her fingers.
"Mom?"
"Yes, honey?" Regina asked, taking a spoonful of ice cream.
"My book said that after the curse was broken the final battle would begin," Henry said, "Does that mean Emma and you will fight?"
"I don't think so, sweetie," Regina said before licking the ice cream "You know I would never fight Emma"
"But what if she wants to fight you?" Henry asked concerned.
"I am not fighting back, Henry," Regina said defeated "You don't have to worry about that"
"But I do worry about that," Henry said "You are my mom, I don't want you to get hurt"
Regina smiled lightly at Henry, cherishing his cheek.
"Don't worry about that," Regina said "Don't worry about anything. Curse or no curse you'll be safe, Henry. That I swear to you"
"Mom…"
Henry's speech was interrupted by the sound of metal scraping against the front door.
Regina rose from the island in an instant, her heels clicking furiously against the floor as she left the kitchen.
Her heart was racing inside her chest, her mind conjuring images of another fairy tale character awake and seeking revenge by breaking into her house.
But what she was not expecting was the person who stood in front of her door, drenched to the core, eyes cold, and a furious expression on her face.
Regina gave a step back, bumping into Henry behind her.
"Emma," Regina gasped surprised.
Emma took another step inside the house and then another, water soaking the floor.
Regina couldn't quite read her.
Or even feel her.
Even this close, that part inside of her that belonged to Emma was still empty.
Her own emotions were too messy inside of her.
Emma look at Regina her expression blanked and drenched.
Henry moved from behind Regina and put himself in front of her.
"If you came here to hurt my mom," Henry said protectively "I want you to know that I won't let you"
Emma blinked, tearing her eyes away from Regina, and looked at Henry.
"I didn't come here to hurt your mom, kid," Emma said seriously.
"Then what are you doing here?" Henry asked.
Emma looked back at Regina and she could see tears falling from the corner of her eyes, mixing with the droplets from the rain.
"I came here to tell your mom that our deal is off," Emma said a hint of a smile playing on her lips "She does not get to wait a year to say…"
"I love you," Regina smiled her own tears rolling down her cheeks "I love you, Emma"
Emma smiled at Regina and walked in her direction, crashing their lips together.
Regina melted herself on Emma, clinging to her cold wet clothes, wrapping her arms around her neck as Emma wrapped her arms around Regina's waist pulling her closer.
Regina kissed Emma with abandonment, kissed her with all the love she had inside her heart, kissed her like she would if this was their last time.
She let that moment wash over her, she let all that love she had inside broke into every nerve, vein, and limbs, she let it fill her heart, and then she opened to Emma, bare and raw.
She let her feel everything.
She let her see what she truly meant to her.
True love.
And then Regina let the most beautiful and precious hope invade her at every stroke of Emma's tongue, at every move of their lips, at every pull to a closeness of their bodies.
Even when there was no more space left between them.
They still pulled and kissed and sank fingertips.
They kissed claiming and surrendering to each other.
Hearts finally mended.
And souls intertwined.
Emma broke the kiss slowly, pressing her forehead against Regina's, both of them breathing ragged.
"I love you too," Emma whispered.
The smile broke free onto Regina's lips.
And she leaned forward to press her lips against Emma's again.
But the second their lips touched, the earth shook under their feet a louder thunder echoing in the house.
"What the hell was that?" Emma asked holding Regina's shoulder as her eyes roamed through the house.
"It's the curse," Henry said.
"It's getting weaker," Regina said right after.
"Right," Emma cleared her throat "So, it's all true, huh?" She asked, looking down at Henry.
"I told you I wasn't lying," Henry said cheekily.
He moved closer to Regina, wrapping his arms around her waist.
"Are you staying with us?" Henry asked, looking hopefully at Emma.
Just as Regina was.
"I'm not going anywhere, kid," Emma smiled at him before looking at Regina "Not without my family"
Regina smiled at Emma, soft tears falling from her eyes.
At that moment, Emma opened herself to Regina.
That dark and silent place inside of her was filled again.
She could feel Emma.
She could feel her in her heart.
She could feel everything, her anger, her confusion, her insecurities.
But mostly her love.
"I'm so sorry," Emma whispered.
"Don't," Regina shook her head "You have nothing to apologize for"
"But I do," Emma said, looking so painfully at Regina.
Henry unwrapped his arms from around Regina, cleaning his throat.
"I'm going to my room," Henry said before looking at Emma "I'm glad you are back, Ma"
"Me too kid," Emma smiled softly.
Henry walked to Emma, hugging her mid-waist.
Emma hugged him back, soft tears falling from her eyes and a loving smile playing on her lips.
A moment later, Henry walked up the staircase, leaving both of them alone.
Regina stretched her hand to Emma, fear shadowing her heart.
But the shadow vanished like smoke when Emma smiled at her and eagerly took Regina's hand, intertwining their fingers together.
Emma's hand was so cold.
It almost felt like ice, melting in her warm skin.
"Let's get you warm up," Regina said.
She pulled Emma with her, both of them silent as they walked up the staircase, to their bedroom.
Regina took Emma to the suite, letting go of her hand for a painful second to let the warm water fill the tub.
She looked at Emma, her hands shaking when she took a step closer.
She pushed Emma's jacket off her arms, her eyes always looking at her, always looking for permission.
Emma just nodded, soft tears rolling down her cheeks.
Regina felt rage consume her heart when she looked at Emma's arms, so badly wounded.
Her hand wrapped in a nasty gauze.
Emma lifted Regina's chin to meet her eyes and pressed her lips softly against hers.
She knew what she feeling.
She could feel her.
And Regina let her own tears fall down her eyes when she understood the depths of the gesture.
Their hearts were beating as one once again.
Emma reached for Regina's blouse, trying to unbutton it.
And Regina laugh lightly when Emma cursed under her breath.
"Let me," Regina said softly.
Regina unbuttoned her blouse, looking at Emma.
Emma watched her every movement, watched every button that was open, and every inch of skin that was slowly exposed.
When Regina slid the blouse down her arms, her whole body was shivering.
A shiver that had nothing to do with the cold.
A shiver that had everything to do with the fire in Emma's eyes.
Emma took a step closer to Regina, pressing her hand over her heart.
She palmed her free hand there and closed her eyes, listening and feeling every beat of the sweet song of love Regina's heart was singing.
"I was so scared I would never feel this again," Emma said lowly.
"Me too," Regina said, covering Emma's hand with her own.
Emma opened her eyes, boring her eyes into Regina's.
"True love," Emma said.
"True love," Regina said back.
Emma pressed her forehead against Regina, her breath softly tickling Regina's lips.
They stayed like that for a moment before Emma's hand slid up her back, one soft and another rough, unhooking Regina's bra.
"At least that I can still do," Emma said cheekily.
Regina smiled and kissed Emma's lips before reaching for the hem of her blouse and pulling off her body along with her bra.
They finished undressing, both of them watching the other, both gasping for air when skin was exposed as if this was the first time they saw each other naked.
In a way, for Regina, it was.
It was the first time she was truly naked in front of Emma, with no lies between them.
With nothing but the love she had in her heart.
The love that belonged to Emma.
The love that was Emma's to take and claim.
A moment passed.
And then another.
The silence stretched between them as their eyes roamed over what they thought was lost forever.
Regina took a step closer to Emma, moaning softly when their nipples brushed.
She took Emma's hand between hers and turned to the tub, turning off the water and then getting herself in first.
Emma followed her and Regina lowered herself onto the tub, Emma's back pressing softly against her front.
She wrapped her arms around Emma, allowing herself to feel and hope and dream that this was real, that Emma was real, that in the end, true love wins.
That the lesson her mother taught her was never true.
Love was never weakness.
Not being brave enough to fight for it was.
"I'm sorry about what I said," Emma whispered "I'm sorry I called you evil"
Regina's whole body tensed, as her arms closed tightly around Emma.
Emma ran her fingertips over Regina's arms under the water, until some of the tension vanished, until Regina loosened her embrace a little, until she felt like she could breathe again.
Emma turned in Regina's embrace, looking into her eyes.
"It wasn't fair of me," Emma said "What I said"
"You were right," Regina looked down, unable to meet Emma's eyes "I was evil"
Emma lifted Regina's chin until their eyes met.
And then she held Regina's face between her hands, looking at her with a seriousness Regina feared for a moment.
"You weren't evil, but I was," Emma said "I saw everything, how you were used and abused and I still accused you as if the people around you weren't to blame too"
"Emma…"
"You have done… quite some horrible things…" Emma said carefully "But what was done to you… I don't excuse your actions but I can understand them"
"You don't have to," Regina said "I know what I was back in that life, I know what I took with magic"
"I used to steal cars," Emma said "I was an expert at the age of seventeen. I also broke into and robbed people's summer houses, and small stores, and I have scammed a lot of tourists out of their money"
"I don't think that compares to what I did," Regina said, a playful smile on her lips.
"Oh, trust me I know," Emma laughed "But what I'm trying to say is that we all have a past. And we all deserve a second chance"
"Are you sure you want to stay?" Regina asked.
She put her hand on Emma's cheek, cherishing her skin.
"I won't blame you if you want to go," Regina said sadly "I won't blame you if you want to leave me"
Emma pulled Regina's hand from her cheek to her lips, kissing her palm.
"I'm not going anywhere," Emma said "I thought about it a lot when I was in the car. And you were right. If you haven't done what you did, I wouldn't have had Henry. He wouldn't be our son. I wouldn't have found you. As fucked up as this is, I have to believe everything happened for a reason. I have to believe it happened so I could find you"
"I love you, Emma," Regina said softly.
"I love you too, Regina," Emma smiled.
Emma turned around again, resting her head on Regina's shoulder and intertwining their legs under the water.
Regina held Emma in her arms, contemplating the most beautiful bliss her heart could ask for, her soul at last free and in peace.