So since Season 5 is out on Netflix, I decided to do something from the beginning. Nothing too far in, just in case people haven't seen the whole thing yet.

Regina shut the door to Merlin's tower before pulling out the dagger. Emma's dagger. Emma was the Dark One. Regina shuddered at the fact that Emma was the Dark One because of her.

"Staring at it isn't going to make my name go away," Emma said, looking around the tower. "Believe me, I wish it was that easy."

"Why the hell would you give this to me?" Regina hissed. "You know that there's no way that I can destroy you."

"I know that you'll do what's necessary if I become a danger to Henry," Emma said.

"That's not the point," Regina argued. "You're giving me complete control over you."

"Exactly," Emma said, turning to face her. "I can barely control myself right now without having the dagger. It's too much power."

"So you decided to hand it off to me?" Regina scoffed. "The one person who could put their feelings aside and be able to destroy you? That's how you put it, yes?"

Emma winced. "Regina-"

"Let me talk," Regina said. Emma's mouth snapped shut, and Regina remembered that she was still holding the dagger. Wincing, she quickly put it back into her jacket. "I can't just destroy you. You know that."

"I know," Emma said softly. "But no one knows about us, so it made the most sense."

"Is that supposed to make it easier?" Regina asked. "Because we're dating in secret, that's suddenly going to make it easier to destroy you?"

Emma sighed. "Have you ever done trust falls before?"

"What?" Regina asked. "What does that have to do with this?"

"Have you?" Emma asked. Regina shook her head. "Me giving you the dagger was like a trust fall. You're the only person that I trust to catch me when I'm falling. And trust me, I'm already falling."

"How is destroying you catching you?" Regina asked.

"Because the whole point of catching the person is to make them feel safe," Emma said. "As you're falling, you're relying on that person to catch you. And when they do, you feel so safe. Destroying me and getting rid of the darkness may be the only way to make me feel safe again."

"It may not even come to that," Regina argued. "We'll find a way to get rid of the darkness. I know we will."

"It's just a precaution," Emma said. "If you don't want to do it, I'll give it to someone else."

"No," Regina said quickly. "I'm not sure I want anyone else touching this dagger."

"Why not?" Emma asked.

"If we're treating this whole situation like a trust fall, then I want to be the one to catch you," Regina said. "Because no matter what happens, I will always be there to catch you whenever you fall."

Emma slightly smiled the first smile that she had since she had taken the darkness for Regina. "I should fall more often then."

Regina shook her head. "For right now, I'd like you standing. You may be struggling, but I know that you can keep standing. It's what you do."

"And what if I can't?" Emma asked. "What if standing becomes too hard and I fall?"

"Then I'll do what you asked me to do," Regina said. "I'll catch you."