Trigger warning for self-harm. Won't be as bad as you think, I promise.

Regina sighed as she walked into the mansion. Emma was going to be gone for the rest of the night with Snow and David, and Henry was most likely holed up in his room.

It was times like these that Regina scared herself. Whenever she was alone, and felt alone, it always led to things that weren't supposed to happen.

Luckily, she had managed to keep it hidden from Emma and Henry. She didn't want to scare them away with her inner darkness.

The inner darkness started to get stronger, and Regina knew that she was going to have to let it out. And the only way that she could do that included a sharp object and little cuts.

She went into the kitchen and grabbed a small knife before heading up to the bathroom. The darkness could come out; she just had to force it. And even though it hurt her, it was worth it in the end. Getting it out would help Emma and Henry.

"Mom?" Henry called. "Where are you?"

"In the bathroom," Regina called back. "What do you need sweetheart?"

"Dinner," Henry said from right outside of the door.

Regina jumped at how close he suddenly was. The knife was on her skin, and she was ready to cut. Great timing Henry.

"I'll be out shortly," Regina said. "Just give me a minute."

"Okay," Henry said. He felt that something wasn't right, but how would he know? He pulled out his phone and texted Emma to get home as soon as possible. If anyone could figure it out, it would be Emma.

Emma walked into the house, and was immediately bombarded by the feeling that something wasn't right. Henry quickly walked into the foyer, ready for her to help Regina with whatever was going on.

"What's going on?" Emma asked. "It's really quiet in here."

Henry nodded. "Too quiet. She said that she was going to be out shortly to make dinner, but that was half an hour ago. She's never this neglectful."

"I know," Emma said. "I'll go see what's going on, okay? As for dinner, I'm sure your mom has some stuff that you can eat."

Henry nodded before going into the kitchen. Emma took a deep breath before heading upstairs, intent on figuring out what was going on. No matter what happened, Regina would never leave Henry alone like this.

Stopping at the top of the stairs, Emma listened for any indication as to where Regina might be hiding. Everything was quiet until she heard a sniffle from the bathroom farther down the hall. Sniffles were never good.

"Regina?" Emma called. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," Regina called back. "Just give me a moment."

Emma walked to the door and tried the handle, breathing a sigh of relief when she felt it begin to open. "Henry texted me. He said that you had skipped out on making dinner, and he was worried about you."

The knife clattered onto the counter as Regina's eyes widened. The darkness had made her forget about Henry.

"Are you sure you're okay?" Emma asked. She turned the handle a little more, ready to open it as quickly as possible in case Regina needed anything.

"I'm fine," Regina said. "Apologize to Henry for me, and tell him that I'll be out shortly. You can go home."

Emma frowned. Something wasn't right still. Regina's voice had been laced with pain, and something had clattered onto the counter. Something metal.

"Regina," Emma said. "I'm going to ask you this one more time. Are you okay?"

Several seconds passed before Regina's muffled reply came through. "No."

Emma quickly opened the door, gasping when she saw Regina. The counter and sink were covered in blood, and the knife that Regina had used was in the sink. Regina herself was standing with her back facing Emma, holding her arms tightly against her chest.

"Regina, turn and look at me," Emma commanded gently. When she didn't turn, Emma reached out and grabbed her arm, turning her around.

Blood was gathering on Regina's shirt, evidence that she had indeed been cutting her wrists. "What did you do?" Emma asked.

"Nothing," Regina mumbled. "I accidentally cut myself while making dinner."

"Don't even try that," Emma scoffed. "You didn't even start making dinner. The only thing you did in the kitchen was stealing the knife."

"It's not stealing if it belongs to you, Regina pointed out.

Emma rolled her eyes. "That's not the point. The point is that you hurt yourself, and for no reason whatsoever. You haven't done anything wrong."

"Don't be so sure," Regina said softly. Emma's gaze softened, and she reached forward and gently tried to pry Regina's arms away from her chest.

Regina tensed and went to pull away, but Emma slightly tightened her grip. "You're bleeding and need help. Let me help you."

"I don't need your help," Regina said, trying to pull away.

"You could pass out from blood loss if we don't take care of your cuts," Emma said gently. "Regina, please. I want to help."

Several beats passed before Regina reluctantly held out her arms for Emma to assess. Emma gasped at the cuts that went up Regina's arms from her wrists to her elbows.

Hearing Emma's gasp, Regina went to hide her arms again, but Emma was too quick. She grabbed Regina's wrists gently and steered her over to the toilet, gently pushing her down. "I'm going to heal these with magic."

"No," Regina protested. "I want them to heal normally."

"But then you'll have scars," Emma said.

Regina shrugged. "It'll just be an addition to the collection."

Emma winced. "Don't talk like that. Now be quiet and let me work."

Regina went to say something again, but Emma gave her a look that gave no room for argument. Regina sighed before slumping against the back of the toilet in defeat.

Emma smiled before using her magic to heal Regina's cuts. Once her skin was back to normal, Emma gently ran her thumb over both wrists. "There. All better."

"Thank you," Regina said, going to pull away. Emma held on tighter, staring intently at where the cuts on Regina had just been.

Regina sighed before looking at Emma in annoyance. But the annoyance quickly turned to concern when she saw the look on Emma's face. "Emma?"

"Why would you do this?" Emma asked. "Why would you make yourself bleed? You could have died!"

Regina looked down at the floor. "I'm sorry."

Emma sighed before gently forcing Regina's eyes to meet her own. "You don't need to apologize. I know why you did it. I've done it too. But you have people who love and care about you, and would be devastated if you died because of these cuts."

"I suppose," Regina said softly.

"What I don't understand if why you didn't say anything," Emma said. "Why didn't you tell someone that you were going through this?"

"I don't know," Regina mumbled.

Emma shook her head. "Don't pull that. Why didn't you tell anyone?"

Regina bit her lip and looked down. "I'm not used to getting help. Or appearing weak."

"Asking for help does not make you weak," Emma said strongly. "Honestly, sometimes it takes more courage to ask for help than anything else."

Both women jumped as Henry knocked on the door. "Is everything okay in there?"

"He can't know," Regina whispered, starting to panic. "He can't know about what happened. Please."

"Okay, okay," Emma whispered back. "I won't say anything about it."

"Hello?" Henry called. "If no one answers, I'm knocking over the door."

"Easy kid," Emma said. "Everything is fine. We'll be out in a minute."

After he left, Emma turned to Regina. "No more of this. Okay?"

Regina looked at Emma sadly. "I can't promise-"

Emma leaned forward and kissed her, cutting her off. "No more. Promise me."

"No more," Regina agreed. "I promise."