A/N: You guys, I'm away for the weekend, so I'm using my phone to post and I can't reply to the last reviews, I'm sorry! I hope you won't hate me after yet another cliffhanger, and as always, enjoy!

CHAPTER 23 – Regina – Found

Somehow, watching the night slowly give way to the morning, its pitch black hue ceding to a deep purple that shifted to pink and, eventually, to a spotless blue – the total absence of clouds suggested that this Christmas wasn't likely to be a white one – filled me with an unexpected sense of dread that hit me completely out of the blue. I knew for a fact what it meant: it was a natural instinct whispering, 'time is up'.

This was it. I knew it for a fact. Today, on Christmas Eve, I was going to face yet another one of my demons – and a very powerful one, at that… this time around, all by myself.

Slowly but determinedly, I walked back to my apartment, took a shower and got ready, precisely like any other day. I didn't have work to attend, nor errands to handle; but I figured a small trip around The City would be a salutary-enough way to spend the day. Better than to wallow in fear and dashed hopes, anyhow.

I numbly walked to the other side of the road and entered the small diner just across the street. It wasn't as crowded as Granny's would be at seven-thirty in the morning, but it still housed more clients than I had expected. My particularly formal attire (at least, to the standards of that place) earned me a couple of curious glances, but I had grown used to ignoring other people's opinions, during the three years since the curse broke.

I took a seat at one of the empty tables – the counter was already occupied by five or six construction workers – and patiently waited for the waitress to come get my order. It took her longer than I would normally like, but then again, it wasn't as if I had to rush anywhere.

"Hi!" she welcomed me with a perky voice and a wide smile, not dissimilar to Ruby's usual behavior. "What can I get you?"

"A plate of pancakes with apple syrup on the side and a black coffee, please" I dictated. Just as she turned away to leave, after a moment where I abandoned every last slice of dignity, I added, "Actually- I'll get a hot chocolate with cinnamon, as well."

It was going to be, probably, my last day on Earth: I could indulge the desire of feeling Henry and Emma – and, admittedly, even Snow – close for the very last time.

The waitress came back to my table not too long after with a tray full of food and drinks and placed my order in front of me, excusing herself immediately to go welcome the latest client. If I were to be honest, I was far from hungry; one glance at my pancakes was enough to make my stomach turn, the anxiety inside of me threatening to make everything I ingested come right back up. However, I could use the energy coffee and sugar would provide me, so I started sipping on the hot beverage that wasn't there as a source of comfort.

I took my time finishing, losing myself in the sporadic chimes the bell at the entrance made every time a new customer walked in, the chaotic chatter of the twenty-or-so people in the diner, the gargling noise of the coffee machine. It was enough noise to distract me from thinking too much about what was going to happen that very day and about my family. The irony of it all wasn't lost on me: there had been a time when I would spend my nights trying to ignore the noise, rather than embrace it. Perhaps that had been my mistake from the beginning, come to think of it.

I was contemplating the whipped cream melting at the heat of the hot cocoa, dyeing the chocolate a lighter shade of brown and letting the cinnamon dissolve, when I felt it. An intense pulse of magic, worryingly close. It hadn't been someone using it; more likely, just a magic user that had happened to be close enough to me that I was able to feel their power.

Except for the fact that I wasn't supposed to be able to feel their power.

There were only two possible explanations for that occurrence: either the magic belonged to someone so mighty that they were able to use it even in this land; or it belonged to someone I was so deeply connected to that I was able to perceive them.

I didn't know which option was the most frightening. But then I recognized the essence of that magic, and as the door opened once again, I stood up and accidentally knocked the mug of chocolate off the table, effectively drawing everyone's attention on me.

A thick silence engulfed the diner at the sound of my mug shattering. I could feel everyone's eyes – some curios, others concerned – on me, but I couldn't stop staring, my heart thumping faster than ever, at that absolute, unbelievable…

"… Idiot!" I let out, and it wasn't angry, really, although I wanted it to sound so. I knew my knees were about to give out soon at the sight of Emma standing there, hence I took some deep, steady breaths as I regarded that beautiful, brave and irksome face, and took in every detail of her person – the predictable bags under her eyes, the messy hair, the crumpled clothes. After I was able to overtake the overwhelming wave of utter shock at seeing her right there, in front of me, in the middle of a random diner in New York, I asked, "How did you find me?"

At Emma's slight smirk, I couldn't help but roll my eyes at my terrible choice of words.

"Well, you know how it is, Regina…" she began, and I shot her a glance so murderous every other person receiving it would have already been darting the opposite direction. But that was Emma, and my glare only made her grin broaden. "… No matter where you are, I promise…"

"Don't you dare," I threatened, but she continued, impervious to my tone.

"… I will always find you," she concluded, and I didn't know if I wanted to slap her or kiss her.

I pursed my lips and flared my nostrils before striding towards her and tackling her in the tightest of hugs.

I fought against the heat that pooled behind my eyes – No crying, today! – and hid my head in the crook of her neck, breathing in her scent to prove to myself that yes, she really is here.

She held onto me just as tightly, as I witnessed a fiery battle between the part of me who never wanted to let go and the one that wanted to keep Emma as far away from danger as possible.

Eventually, it was the second one that won. "You shouldn't be here."

"Yeah, well, I am," she replied, headstrong, "and I'm not leaving. Not until I help you get through whatever this whole thing is about."

I sighed deeply and broke the hug, cupping Emma's face instead and losing myself in her eyes – wide with worry and so, so full of love. "You are an idiot, Miss Swan. The biggest of them all."

She chuckles at that. "Some would call it bravery."

"Yes, well, I didn't say you were the only idiot," I retorted. Then, I let my thoughts crawl back to more pressing issues. "I swear, I'm starting to think your mother's incapability of keeping a secret might be pathological," I said with a sigh, finally separating from her and shooting an apologetic look at the waitress as I slipped on my coat and left a generous amount of money on the table.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, she obviously told you to come to New York, didn't she?" I retorted.

"My mother knew you were here?!" she exclaimed, her voice high-pitched.

I gave her a startled look as I grabbed her hand and lead her out of the diner, purposefully ignoring everyone's invading stares, still fixated on us. "If your mother didn't tell you I was here, how did you find me?"

Thankfully, she didn't make any references to her parents' corny catchphrases, this time. "I tracked you down from the text you sent me. You forgot I used to do that kind of stuff for a living, back when I was a bail bondsperson."

I nodded, humming briefly my understanding. "And why, please tell me, did you decide to come to me despite my clarity about not wanting to be followed? What, in that note I left you, was so difficult to comprehend?"

Emma's face lost any trace of hilarity, as a grave look took over it. "You said goodbye to everyone," she murmured. "You said goodbye to everyone except me."

I stopped abruptly at her words, flabbergasted at her response. She held her gaze downwards, although I could read the rejection and abandonment swirling in her eyes. "Of course I didn't say goodbye," I murmured, and my voice cracked on the last word. "I would have never been able to leave, if I did."

Finally she looked up, eyes tormented. "You left," she echoed.

My heart clenched at the accusation her words held. "I did." There was no point denying it. "I needed to know you'd be safe."

"Safe from what, Regina?!" she almost yelled, taking a step back to properly look at me. "Why can't you just tell me what's going on?!"

"Maybe not in the middle of the sidewalk, what do you say?" I walked quickly to the other side of the street, where that god-awful yellow bug was parked, right behind my Benz, and led her to my apartment.

"This-" she began, looking around in disbelief, "this is the place Henry and I used to live in…"

"Pardon?" I asked, incredulous.

"When you erased our memories," she explained, "we lived here. Did you not know that?"

I shook my head. That surely was an incredible coincidence.

"Well," she said, taking a seat on the couch as if she was in her own home (and, well, she sort of was), "go on. Explain."

I took a deep breath. "Several months ago," I elaborated, "the day after our return from the Underworld, I was visited by someone. She said she would seek revenge for something I did back in my Evil Queen days: I had failed her, and she wanted me to pay for my wrongdoing. She didn't precise the day our confrontation would take place, so I immediately retrieved my last memory curse and left the city, distancing myself from you and Henry as much as I could.

"You see, my mother may have made many unforgivable mistakes – there's no denying that. But she had always been right about one thing: love is weakness. Look at us! Daniel, Neal, Robin, Hook… look how much we have suffered. If she were to use you or Henry to get to me, I don't think I would ever heal again. I couldn't let that happen. You are my weakness, Emma. That's why I left."

I sniffled – quite ungraciously, admittedly – as I finished that mock of an explanation, and I couldn't bring myself to look directly at her. I couldn't handle any more blame.

"You know," she said, gently taking my hand between hers, "Henry said something, after you left, yesterday. Not to me – he was talking with my parents, and I unintentionally overheard the conversation. He said that yes, maybe I would be in huge danger if I were with you; but we've managed to accomplish the unthinkable together, we've turned the impossible into child's play. We're nothing short of invincible. And he's right, Regina. Our son believes in us, and I believe in him." She squeezed my hand and I finally looked at her. "Besides, a very wise person once said that True Love is the most powerful magic of all."

I let out a shaky breath and nodded brusquely. To say that I was terrified would be an euphemism; but then again, Emma was so confident… she believed so much in us, she was so, undoubtedly convinced that we were going to make it… Perhaps I had been spending too much time with a certain overly-optimistic person, because, despite all the odds being against us, I was starting to hope.

"So, whose ass are we 'bout to kick?" she asked eagerly, after deeming my reaction acceptable.

I looked at her gravely. "Aphrodite's."

"Aphrodite?" Emma repeated, puzzled. "Isn't she, like, a goddess or something?"

"She is. The goddess of, among other things, fertility and procreation."

"Why would she be angry at you?"

"Have you ever read anything even minimally related to Greek mythology?" I asked rhetorically. "The Olympians tend to hold a grudge for the most insignificant of reasons, and they're probably the most vengeful people you'll ever come across."

"So, are you saying that she's trying to kill you just for the hell of it?"

"Well, not exactly…" She waited patiently for me to elaborate. I sighed. "Years and years ago I… I took a potion to impede my mother from controlling yet another portion of my life. The concoction… it made me sterile," I choked out, "and I- I was pregnant when I took it." I paused for a second, both to let Emma properly assimilate the information and to pull myself together. My voice was trembling as I continued my stammered explanation. "I was pregnant with Leopold's child. I wasn't aware of my condition, at the time; it was a realization that came to me only right after I had ingested the potion. It hurt, of course – there was a baby growing inside of me! – yet I couldn't help the rush of relief that washed over me. I hated Leopold. He… I'm not saying that he used to force himself on me, but it wasn't consensual, either. I was so young, so scared, and I felt so immensely powerless!" I angrily looked up, fixing my gaze on the ceiling to stop the tears that threatened to spill. "I think that the main trigger that caused me to become the Evil Queen wasn't as much Daniel's death per se, as the fact that – between Snow telling my mother and Cora and Leopold subduing me at every given occasion – I was never in control of my life. Becoming the Evil Queen gave me power over so many people, and I finally felt able to employ some control not only over my life, but other people's as well.

"Anyway, I'm getting off topic," I added after a pause during which Emma didn't comment, shaking my head as if it would free it from those memories. "The point is th-"

"You," Emma interrupted, causing me to finally meet her gaze – glassy and somehow sympathetic, although mostly admiring, "are the bravest woman I have ever met."

And there was such respect in her voice, almost on the edge of veneration, that it had my breath catch in my throat and my hands cupping her face as I kissed her with utmost despair and gratefulness. She deepened the kiss with zeal, her hands on my back pulling me impossibly closer to her. Immediately, my desire for her ignited, and I could tell from Emma's shaky breaths and dilated pupils that she wanted me just as hopelessly… Yet, neither of us pushed those kisses forward. We both wanted nothing more than feeling each other close, especially considering it might be the very last time we'd have a chance to do so; but a goddess was there to kill me – or worse – and we needed a plan of action: an aimless approach most definitely wasn't the best strategy.

As these unwelcome thoughts sneaked inside my mind, I reluctantly broke the kiss and sighed. I took a moment to take in reddened lips, flushed cheeks and shiny eyes, and I silently promised I would survive this encounter just to get a chance to spend more time with the wonderful woman in front of me.

"I love you," I whispered. It was the first time I admitted it to Emma, and the fear rushing through me paled at the immense truthfulness of those three words. Every ounce of anxiety and worry for what was coming next disappeared: I was with Emma. Nothing else mattered.

And as she moved a hand to rest on my chest, right above the broken organ that was fiercely pounding with the last iota of hope it allowed itself to have, she breathed out, "I love you too." I saw the purple and white mist of our magics starting to glow around us and grow stronger every second, and I knew we could defeat any danger that would come our way. In the limited space separating Emma and I's bodies, completely unexpected but also unsurprising, two gleaming crystals materialized from thin air, projecting rays of red light around the room and filling the air with fierce, raw power.

I lowered my gaze, essentially breaking eye contact with Emma. I was glad she kept her hand on my chest, her soft touch rending physical the emotional connection between the two of us: I mused that I needed that link just as much as she did. Then, focusing on the miraculous apparition, I entrancedly looked at the jewels and gasped.

Two halves of a broken heart, so red that the color seemed to bleed through the air around them, were levitating right next to Emma's arm, at the exact same height as our hearts, and slowly rotating, chasing and escaping each other, as if there was an invisible force pulling each one towards its other half.

I saw Emma hesitantly raise her left hand and I mimicked the movement, grasping one of the crystals at the same time Emma grabbed the other. Then, looking at her for confirmation, I directed it to Emma's awaiting one, willing to dovetail them together. I was surprised to feel an unforeseen force show resistance, not dissimilar to two magnets repulsing each other; however, a heartbeat later they tugged at our hands and, in an explosion of blinding red light, they slot in and perfectly fit together.

When the flash finally faded away, both Emma and I were somehow panting, and looked at each other once again, needing the confirmation that what had just happened was real.

Then, I saw a somewhat sinister glint in her eyes. I let out a strangled gasp as she thrust her hand forward and ripped my heart out.