Sorry for not posting yesterday, I got food poisoning and it was not a fun time. This chapter is after Regina says that she's going to go face off the Evil Queen in last week's episode.

"Regina!" Emma called, running to catch up with her as she left the diner. "Wait!"

Regina stopped but didn't turn to look at Emma. "You know that I have to do this."

"You don't," Emma said. "She's going to kill you. We both know that she's ruthless and will do anything to get rid of you."

"She can't hurt me without hurting herself," Regina said. "Unless she has some trick up her sleeve."

"She has all of your darkness," Emma said. "I can't let her hurt you."

"It's my fault that she's here," Regina said. "I have to end this once and for all, no matter what it does to me. Even if she kills me, it will be for a heroic cause."

"I am not going to lose you to your worse half," Emma said. "Henry and I can't live without you, and you're putting yourself in immediate danger."

Regina finally turned to face Emma. "There's a chance that I could reunite us. She'd be gone for good."

"But then you'd be dark again," Emma said.

Regina shook her head. "I'd be back to how I was before we separated. No one is supposed to be a completely good or evil."

"And if she kills you from the inside?" Emma asked.

"Stop freaking out," Regina said. "Everything will be fine."

"Oh yes, because it's just an everyday thing to rejoin with your evil half, or fight her to the death," Emma said sarcastically.

"Normal in this town," Regina said. "You have to trust me. I can do this, and then everyone will be safe again."

"At what expense?" Emma asked. "You could die."

"Could means that there's a chance that I won't," Regina pointed out.

Emma rolled her eyes. "Very funny. I'm serious. What happens if she kills you? She'll completely destroy the town and ruining everyone's happy endings. She'll probably even take Henry to try and be his mother."

Regina shuddered at the thought. "I can't promise that things won't end as planned. But I have to try."

Emma bit her lip before stepping forward and wrapping her arms around Regina. "Please don't leave me."

Regina squeezed Emma gently. "I'll try my best."

Emma paced back and forth in the diner, waiting anxiously for Regina's return. It had been what felt like hours since Regina had left for her encounter with the Evil Queen, and Emma's panic was slowly increasing.

"Emma, maybe you should sit down," Snow suggested.

Emma shook her head. "I can't."

Snow went to say something else, but the bell on the door of the diner cut her off. Emma spun around, instantly running over and bear hugging Regina.

"I'm fine," Regina said before Emma could ask. "I'm perfectly fine."

"You're alive and that's all that matters to me," Emma said, burying her face in Regina's neck. "I was so worried this whole time."

"I know," Regina said. "But everything is over now. You don't need to worry about the Evil Queen anymore."

"You're not dead," Emma mumbled.

Regina chuckled. "No, I'm not." She rubbed her hand up and down Emma's back to soothe her.

"She's been pacing this whole time," Snow said. "I was worried she was going to wear the tile through to the ground."

"She didn't hurt you at all?" Emma asked.

"Just a little throwing around and sword fighting," Regina said.

Emma pulled away. "Sword fighting?"

"I'm fine," Regina repeated. "Neither of us scratched the other."

"Probably because she didn't want to hurt herself," Snow said.

"About that," Regina said. "We're kind of separated now."

"You're what?" Emma asked.

"Separated," Regina said. "She wanted to kill me without killing herself, so she cut the bond between us."

"So is she dead?" Emma asked. "If you're separated that means that you could kill her."

Regina shook her head. "I gave her some of my light and took some of her dark. She's a changed person now."

"You didn't kill her?" Emma asked.

"I didn't need to," Regina said. "There's always a way around killing someone. She sees that now too."

"And she's not going to come after you?" Snow asked.

"No," Regina said. "She won't come after any of us ever again."

"I'm proud of you," Emma said, hugging Regina again. "But don't ever scare me like that ever again."

Regina chuckled and hugged her back. "I'll try my best."