Emma opened her eyes and looked around the room. Why was she back in the bedroom? The last thing she remembered was trying to leave town and then...nothing. What had happened?

She sat up, stretching her arms above her head. She went to get out of bed, but found that she couldn't move her legs. Eyes widening, Emma tried to move. She could feel her legs, but for some reason they weren't moving.

"You're awake," Regina said, walking in with a tray full of food. "I was worried you weren't ever going to wake up."

"Did you do this?" Emma asked, pointing at her legs.

Regina nodded. "Couldn't have you trying to run away again."

Suddenly everything came rushing back. Regina trying to get everything out of her, and then she had tried to leave. Just as she was getting hopeful that Regina would let her go…

"You knocked me out?" Emma asked.

"I had to," Regina said. "You were being unreasonable and I couldn't have you creating a scene in the middle of the night. I figured we could talk when you woke up."

"I can't believe you used your magic on me," Emma said.

Regina winced. "I'm sorry. I didn't want to. But something was clearly going on and I wasn't about to let you leave feeling like you had to otherwise something would happen to Henry and I."

"The dream," Emma said softly. "I was trying to leave to protect you and Henry."

"So you keep saying," Regina said, sitting on the side of the bed. "And you told me about the dream. But that still doesn't explain why you think leaving is the way to go."

"Sometimes running is easier," Emma said. "If I'm not anywhere near you, I can protect you. She'll come after me alone instead of using you two to get to me."

"You are not going to use yourself as bait," Regina said strongly.

Emma shrugged. "If it brings her to me so I can kill her, then I'll do that willingly."

"You cannot put yourself in harm's way just to take her down, and you certainly don't need to leave because of her," Regina said. "Isn't that just letting her win?"

"No," Emma said quickly.

"Why would she even come after me?" Regina asked. "We're connected. If I hurt myself in any way, she hurts too. That's how this works."

"That didn't stop her in the dream," Emma whispered.

"Emma, the Evil Queen in your dream was a figment of your subconscious," Regina said gently. "You only know the side of her that would do anything to see her plan completed. Trust me, she's not going to kill me to make you hurt. That would risk her own life."

Emma's eyes widened. "But she would go after Henry. You have to go check on him. Right now."

"Henry is fine," Regina said soothingly. "Stop giving yourself anxiety over nothing. I sent him to Snow and David's and put a barrier around the place. The only people that can get in or out are you and I. They can't even leave."

"She is you," Emma said frantically, struggling against the magical hold that Regina had on her legs. "If you can get in, so can she. She could be there right now."

"She isn't," Regina said, putting her hands on Emma's shoulders to stop her struggling and get her attention. "There's an alert on the barrier if anyone gets in, even us. Just to be on the safe side."

"How do I know that you're not her?" Emma asked, trying to scoot away from Regina.

"You don't," Regina said sadly, dropping her hands from Emma's shoulders. "You have no idea how badly that I wish that I had never let the Evil Queen out of me. This is all my fault. If anyone should be leaving and being bait, it's me."

"No," Emma said, her eyes widening. "Don't you dare. Don't do that. Please don't do that."

"Hey, hey, easy," Regina said soothingly. She grabbed Emma's hands in her own and squeezed them gently. "I'm not going to do anything reckless like that. Not unless it's needed."

Emma went to argue against Regina being bait at all when Regina's phone rang. They both jumped before Regina picked up her phone. "Henry? Is everything okay?"

Emma watched anxiously as Regina listened to Henry speak. Judging by Regina's facial expressions, it wasn't good.

"I'll be there soon," Regina said. "Be safe." She hung up her phone before slipping it into her pocket and standing up.

"Where are you going?" Emma asked.

"The Evil Queen is outside of the apartment," Regina said. "She's not doing anything, but the barrier worked. She couldn't get in."

"So why are you leaving?" Emma asked.

"Because I want to talk to her," Regina said. "There is a truce that needs to be made. If anyone is leaving town, it's her." She flicked her wrist, letting the hold she had on Emma's legs go. "You can come with me, as long as you promise not to say anything."

"Fine," Emma said. She quickly got out of bed and got dressed. They had an Evil Queen to negotiate with.

"Well look at who it is," the Evil Queen purred. "My weaker other half and her pet."

Regina rolled her eyes. "We didn't come here for you to insult us. We came here to make a kind of truce with you."

The Evil Queen laughed. "A truce? With you? I don't think so."

Emma went to say something, but Regina grabbed her hand and squeezed it gently. Emma mentally cursed as she remembered the deal she had made with Regina. No talking.

"It benefits you more than it does us," Regina said. "Are you sure that you're not interested? Or are you just too afraid to make any more deals?"

The Evil Queen's smirk dropped from her face. Emma smiled. Regina definitely knew how to push the buttons of her other half.

"Fine," the Evil Queen said. "What is this truce of yours?"

"There's a cabin out in the woods that I'm sure you could liven up a bit," Regina said. "You live out there away from us all, and leave us alone. No more meddling in our lives."

"And where does this benefit me?" the Evil Queen asked.

Regina smiled. "I'm so glad you asked." She waved her hand, poofing the sword from Emma's nightmares into her hand. Emma winced at seeing the thing that was supposed to kill her.

"You leave us alone, and we won't kill you," Regina said. "We both know that this sword only kills one of us and the other lives."

The Evil Queen's eyes widened. "Point taken. And if I choose not to take this truce?"

"You'll look down and see this sword sticking through you," Regina said, adjusting her grip on the sword to get ready to throw it.

The Evil Queen smiled. "You're not as weak as I thought you were. No matter how hard you try, you will always have darkness inside of you. I'll take your truce, but I expect you to visit. I can get rather lonely."

Regina rolled her eyes. "I know."

In a cloud of purple smoke, the Evil Queen had poofed away to the forest. "There," Regina said, turning to Emma. "Problem solved, no more choosing who has to die."

"Yeah," Emma said absentmindedly, looking at the place where the Evil Queen had been moments earlier.

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

"I'm fine," Emma said, shaking her head.

"And there they go again," Regina said softly. "The walls are back up."

Emma chuckled bitterly. "They're always there. With you they're just a little lower."

Regina pulled Emma close by the hand that she was still holding and kissed her. "Let's work on getting them lowered all the way."

"That's going to be one heck of a challenge," Emma said.

Regina just smiled. "Challenge accepted."