Author's Note:
Holy hell. 50+ reviews and 200+ follows for only the first chapter? I freaking love you guys. The show might suck something serious this season, but the awesomeness of the SQ fandom makes the pain worth it for me, lol. Thank you.

I just wanted to let you all know that I have finally mapped out my notes for this entire story, and I can promise you, without a doubt, that the pain I'm putting you through will be worth it in the end, lol. It's just gonna take a little while to get there. So I do apologize for crushing your hearts into dust, but nothing worth having ever comes easy, right? :P

CHAPTER TWO
Broken

When Regina looked up, she expected to see the lush woodlands of the Enchanted Forest. Instead all she saw was the paved roads of Storybrooke, the area surrounding the two women completely unchanged. The purple cloud had dissipated, leaving confusion in its wake as a slew of people began to exit the buildings they had cowered in, looking around as though they couldn't fathom what had just happened. Regina couldn't either.

If the magic hadn't transported them back, then what had it done?

"We're alive," Emma breathed, apparently having convinced herself that the cloud was some sort of failsafe meant to kill them all. Regina had never believed it to be a death trap and she felt terribly guilty, as she should have taken a moment to ease Emma's worries. The blonde pulled away from Regina, the contact immediately becoming missed by the woman who feared she would never have it again. "So what the hell just happened?"

"I really don't know," Regina answered, as it was the honest truth. She had theories of course, but now was not the time to discuss them. Without thought she grabbed Emma's hand, weaving their fingers together as she told her hurriedly, "And it doesn't matter. First we need to be certain that Henry's alright. Because if he—!" Regina's voice broke, her expression masking in fear. Although the cloud hadn't affected them, there wasn't a guarantee that everyone else in town remained unscathed by its presence, and the thought that something could have happened to their son terrified her to her very core.

The same realization seemed to hit Emma rather quickly, and although Regina had begun pulling her by the hand towards the school, suddenly she was the one rushing in front, her boots giving her a speed advantage over the heels Regina wore. However the moment they barreled through the double doors of the school, they were instantly halted by a child's scream of terror.

Unfortunately, it had been Regina's presence that had caused it.

A little girl who couldn't have been more than eight years old stood in the middle of the hallway, pointing directly at Regina with an expression of pure terror, as though she were the very thing nightmares were made of. "It's the Queen!" she shrieked, causing the rest of her class that surrounded her to turn towards the two women in the threshold of the entranceway.

The teacher, who had no doubt escorted his students out of the classroom after the cloud had dissipated, noticeably paled at the sight of the woman before them. "Everyone, get back inside!" he ushered, herding the students like cattle back from whence they came. "Quickly!" The children responded immediately, looking terrified beyond measure that they had come just mere paces away from the woman who had cursed them all.

When once Regina would have rejoiced in the fear she instilled, now it only stood to make her heart ache as she watched the emotions play out on Emma's face at the response her lover's mere presence elicited from people. Within moments, Emma pulled her hand from Regina's grasp as though she had been burned, turning to face her with a mixed expression of disbelief and disgust. It made Regina feel about an inch tall.

Them, the peasants, they had never really mattered. But Emma? Her opinion of Regina meant the world.

"You need to leave," Emma told her fiercely, realizing it could only get worse from here once others were made aware of Regina's presence. But for the brunette, people's reactions paled in comparison to what they had come here for.

"I'm not leaving until I know—!"

"I'll make sure Henry's okay, alright?" Emma exclaimed, pushing on Regina's arm to try to guide her towards the exit. "But for fuck's sake, Regina, if this is the reaction people have when they see you, there are going to be some really pissed off, scared people who probably want your head and I can't—Jesus, I can't deal with that right now on top of everything. Just go home!"

Although that was probably true, Regina still had no intention of leaving solely for her own safety. Some things mattered more. "Emma, I'm not—!"

"This isn't a discussion!" Emma shouted, the force of her words actually making Regina back up a few paces. "Everyone in this town just got mind-fucked in a pretty bad way, and I'm not about to let you make it worse by terrifying everyone and their fucking mother just by existing near them! It'll cause riots and that's the last thing any of us need, alright? Now turn the hell around and get yourself somewhere safe until I can figure out a way to deal with… fuck, everything. Okay? I swear, I'll call you the second I have Henry, but I just… I can't—!"

Emma's voice cracked, the strength she was so desperately trying to hold on to throughout all of this madness beginning to fall away. She was trying, as best she could, to handle everything that was going on, but her eyes shone with helplessness at how utterly lost she felt in a world she had thought she knew. Now that she had taken a moment's pause it seemed the reality of the situation was crushing her, and the last thing Regina wanted to do was further her pain. She owed her that much and besides, the only other person in this world that Regina really trusted to keep Henry safe was Emma. It wasn't preferable, not by any means, but Emma was right in believing her presence would do far more damage than good at this point in time.

"You have fifteen minutes," Regina told her, the words hard to muster as she had never really backed down from anything before. "That gives you more than enough time. If I don't hear from you, I'll assume something's happened and I'll tear this town apart trying to find him. Do you understand me?"

Emma didn't argue her threat to destroy everything in her wake should something have gone wrong, as she no doubt felt that she would do the same thing. Instead she nodded wordlessly before turning away from the Mayor, sprinting down the hallway towards Henry's classroom.

Regina watched her go, heart pounding in her chest as she knew that should Emma find Henry, she would also find Snow with him. It was something Emma hadn't seemed to process yet and Regina didn't want to be the one to mention it, as it would probably only further her sense of panic. It furthered Regina's as well, since the last thing she wanted was to leave Emma with the woman who would undoubtedly waste no time trying to turn her daughter against her. Snow would never condone Emma's feelings for her, not after everything that had happened between them.

But Henry had and would always come first, so Regina reluctantly left the premises after a moment's pause. All she could do now was hope that her son was alright, for she didn't know what she would do should the worst have happened.

[x]

When Emma was a little girl, the only comfort that served her in times of loneliness was her vivid imagination. One of her favorite things was fairytales, as they gave her hope that one day she would be saved from the horrors that her childhood entailed. But as she grew older, Emma found herself wishing more for the strength of the heroes than the optimism of the damsels. It took many years for her to accept that no one was going to come rescue her, so she hardened herself and became a person that would never need to rely on anyone else for happiness, as she was sure no one would ever really care enough to give it to her anyway.

Now, however, as everyone in town looked at her as though she was the next coming of the freaking messiah, Emma realized she wanted nothing more than for someone to come rescue her from the insanity her life had become.

Emma had barricaded herself in her bedroom, unable to deal with Mary Margaret's smothering and Henry's insistence on knowing the details of how the curse had broken. Emma didn't have the heart to tell him that things between her and Regina were probably fucked beyond repair, as he looked so hopeful for their happily ever after and the family that they would never become. What made it worse, however, was that Henry's words had reminded Mary Margaret of her relationship with Regina, which caused a solid ten minutes of motherly concern that sounded more like a goddamn lecture than anything else; as if, after everything, she even had the right to comment on her life choices.

It was too much. It felt like everything was coming at her from all sides and as Mary Margaret tentatively knocked on the bedroom door, informing Emma that her father was here and would like to see her, Emma contemplated jumping out the damn window to try to escape this kind of mind-numbing suffocation.

After telling Mary Margaret that she just needed some space right now – a request that sounded more like an frantic demand because of the way it came out – Emma tried to ignore the muffled sounds of disappointment on the other side of the door as she sat on the floor near the bottom of her bed, knees pulled up to her chin as she stared at the text message she had just gotten. It was from Regina.

Emma hadn't spoken to her after her hasty assurance that Henry was alright and that she was taking him back to her apartment, and Regina had enough sense to give her the space she needed for a few hours to try to deal with everything that had gone on. Patience, however, was not exactly Regina's strong suit and finally there were five words taunting Emma on the screen of her phone, presenting her with another thing she didn't know if she'd ever have the strength to deal with.

"We need to talk. Please."

No. Fuck no.

There was a part of her – a very large part of her – that was still hoping that this was all just some kind of horrifyingly vivid dream. Yesterday everything was normal and yet suddenly today, today Emma felt like she had been repeatedly smacked in the head with a two-by-four over the revelation that she had Snow White and Prince-Freaking-Charming as her parents, and that Regina… Regina— God, no, she didn't even want to think about Regina. Not right now, and probably not ever. It made her throat close up and her eyes bristle over with fresh tears, forcing her to feel far more than she was emotionally stable enough for. Yet no matter how many times Emma tried to ignore the truth, it was still there; taunting her, destroying her.

Love.

She had known better, hadn't she? But maybe this kind of pain was just what her idiocy deserved. Emma had fallen in love with a woman that didn't really exist. Regina, her Regina… she wasn't real. It had all been a lie. Everything, all of it; just some fabricated bullshit to fit the Queen's intricate façade.

It fucking killed her inside.

Feeling the sting of betrayal pierce her heart once more, Emma quickly deleted the message, foolishly hoping that ignoring the problem would cause it to cease to exist. Her emotions, however, did not follow the path of her mind, and as Emma placed the phone down on the floor, trying to think of anything other than the woman who had cut her so deeply, a singular tear slipped down her cheek, reminding her that the façades she so often immersed herself in were nothing without Regina there.

Another tentative knock came from the door. It was ignored, Emma furiously brushing the proof of her sorrow from her face as though it sickened her to feel emotion for someone who had proven they didn't deserve it.

The knock was repeated. "Emma?" came the small voice of her son, its volume suppressed by his uncertainty.

Emma closed her eyes, trying to gather up what was left of her strength so that Henry wouldn't see how broken she had become. He believed she was some sort of superhero, able to take on the world and conquer anything, and since everything she had ever known had shattered before her in the span of a day, the last thing Emma wanted to do was destroy her son's image of her as well. She knew how horrible it felt, to believe in something so strongly, only to see it was complete bullshit in the end.

After taking a shuddered inhale of breath, Emma forced herself to answer, "Yeah, kid?" Her voice broke the words in half and she winced, hoping he hadn't noticed.

The hesitancy before his question indicated that he probably had. "Can I come in…?"

Picking herself up off the floor, Emma swallowed hard, hoping she looked far more put together than she felt. Running her fingers through her tussled hair a few times, Emma responded with, "Sure," trying to make it sound light and easy, as though nothing in the world had changed; like everything was still normal.

The lie didn't even sound close to convincing.

Still, Henry opened the door. Peeking his head in, he took in the sight of his birthmother, giving her a small, reassuring smile. "Hi," was all he said in greeting, apparently unsure how to proceed now that Emma had let him in. As he was most likely around to witness her blatant refusal of both Mary Margaret and David's requests, the allowance was probably very unexpected for him. But Henry was different; he was the one thing, throughout all of this, that had remained unchanged.

Emma quirked her lips upwards in response, though it seemed a little forced. "Hey." Nodding her head to indicate the world outside her bedroom door, Emma asked, "Everything alright?"

"Yeah," Henry answered, moving more into the room so he could close the door behind him. "Grandma and Grandpa are talking in their room. Or kissing, I don't know. There were noises." He made a face and it was mirrored by Emma, finding anything sexual to do with Mary Margaret really strange now, as she was no longer her friend and roommate, but her—

Emma internally scowled. She still couldn't find it within herself to say the word in her head, let alone out loud. It was all too screwed up a concept, and even when she could momentarily find that small part within that was able to accept it, it only stood to make her really, really bitter. The last thing she wanted to do right now was even think about the family that had abandoned her. She had enough to deal with as it was.

Still, she didn't want to have her kid scarred for life just because her parents' twenty eight year separation left them with an overactive libido, so she quickly assured Henry, "They're probably just talking. They haven't seen each other for a really long time. At least, not as…" Emma shrugged haplessly, unable to explain the quasi-duel lives everyone in the town now had. "Whatever. You know."

Henry nodded, understanding. He scrunched up his face in thought as he looked up at her, and Emma wished it didn't feel as dissecting as it did. After a few long moments, Henry looked her in the eye and told her, "I know you're mad at my mom."

Distress masked over Emma's face in the span of a second, unable to hide how the mention of Regina affected her. "Henry…" she tried, not wanting to have this conversation with him. Especially not right now.

Henry, however, wouldn't let her finish. "I know she lies," he told her. "I know she's done bad things, but that was when she was evil. Now she's not, cause she loves you. You saved her, Emma, like you were supposed to. The curse wouldn't have broken if you didn't."

It was hard, trying to keep composed throughout this entire interaction. Any mention of Regina made Emma's throat constrict so tightly that it felt as though she were suffocating. And yet still, the feeling paled in comparison to the agony of her heart breaking in half. It was that emotion which caused Emma's eyes to swim with fresh tears, finding herself unable to hold them back despite how hard she tried. She was far too broken for this conversation right now, and the last thing she wanted was Henry witnessing what his adoptive mother had done to her.

Turning away from him, Emma chose to stand over by her bedroom window, looking out at the world that had changed so drastically within a matter of hours. "It's a little more complicated than that," she told him after a few seconds, the pause enabling her to suppress the onslaught of emotions that had been threatening to consume her. At least, for the moment. Emma shook her head as she ran her fingers through her hair, trying to dismiss the heaviness of the topic. "There's a lot going on right now, kid; more than just the stuff between me and your mom. It's gonna take me a little bit to process it all, you know? Maybe we should talk about this later."

Her voice was strong, steady; much more assured than she actually felt. Emma would almost be impressed with herself for being able to sound so put together, if not for the fact she knew Henry could see right through it.

The kid didn't say anything in response. Instead he moved from behind her, enveloping Emma's waist in a tight hug. Emma felt her throat tighten again but swallowed it, allowing her hand to rest protectively against his head. She wished he couldn't see how badly this had affected her, but he had always been far more intuitive than they gave him credit for.

"Don't worry," Henry assured her softly, his fingers holding tight to the fabric of Emma's tank top. "True Love means always having a happy ending. You won't be sad for long."

Something inside Emma broke at her son's words and she had to bite her bottom lip to stifle a sob. Her vision blurred and she held onto him tighter, simultaneously wishing that she had the kind of optimism that he did, as well as being terribly saddened that, at the end of the day, Henry was sure to be disappointed by their relationship's failure. Maybe Regina had been right all along; maybe they shouldn't have even started this, because it was going to tear Henry apart once he realized that there really was no fixing what had been broken.

The sound of the phone ringing cut through the emotional moment, but only enough to make Emma want to crush the damn thing beneath her boot so that she would never have to hear that stupid ringtone ever again. I knew you were trouble when you walked in…

It was Regina.

Henry knew it too and he was off of her in a flash, running to grab Emma's phone before she could, as he knew she wouldn't answer it if she got to it first. "Henry, don't—!" she tried, but it was of no use. Henry wanted them to talk and he was going to make sure they did.

"Hi mom!" he answered victoriously, quickly backing away from Emma as she tried to make a swipe for the phone. He nearly tripped over her pile of laundry in the process. "Yeah, she's right here, hold on," he said after a moment, which made Emma shoot him a dangerous look that was ignored. Instead he just held out the phone to her, this innocent look plastered on his face that he knew Emma could see right through. "She wants to talk to you."

Emma's eyes flashed. "You're grounded," she muttered furiously as she yanked the phone from his grasp. She pointed towards the door, silently demanding privacy for the situation he had forced her into her against her will. Henry shot her a shit-eating grin before turning to leave, apparently proud of his little stunt. Emma was going to have to have a serious conversation with him later, because this really wasn't funny. She couldn't fucking handle this right now.

After the door closed behind Henry's retreating form, Emma inhaled an unsteady breath, trying to gather her composure enough to at least dismiss the woman on the other line. She could just hang up on her, but knowing Regina that would only provoke her to do something stupid like come over. That was the last thing Emma wanted.

Putting the phone up to her ear, Emma firmly informed her, "Regina, I don't want to talk to you right now."

"I know that, I just…" Regina trailed off for a moment, sounding as though she were gathering the courage to say what she needed to, in fear of what the response would be. When she finally did, the words came out rather broken and small. "Emma, I… I need you."

There was something off in Regina's tone. The plea wasn't uttered out of a love lost, but rather with an air of foreboding distress. Sensing that something was terribly wrong, Emma pushed her anger towards the woman aside for a moment, her instincts taking over at the sound of Regina's fear. "What is it?" Emma asked, clutching the phone tighter to her ear as a sense of panic filled the pit of her stomach. "What's wrong?"

All that could be heard for a moment was the sound of Regina's breathing, and a faint shuffling in the background as she moved from one place to another. "Do you remember telling me that there would be people who would seek to have my head?" Emma's stomach dropped to the ground before Regina even finished with, "Well, it seems they've come for it much earlier than I expected. They've… there is a mob outside my house right now. They haven't tried to break down my door yet, but once they do, I… I honestly don't think it'll take very long."

Emma was already halfway out of her bedroom door once Regina had finished her explanation, her heart pounding in her chest at the thought of an angry mob tearing the woman apart. "Stay where you are," she told her as she grabbed her gun out of the locked box it was kept in, holstering it within seconds. "I'm coming. If they get in, hide. Do you hear me?"

After Regina murmured an affirmative, Emma quickly hung up the phone before shoving it into her back pocket. Henry was already running towards her from his previous place on the couch, knowing immediately that something was wrong by the shift in tone. "What's going on?" he asked, sounding just as frantic as she felt. His eyes were wide, frightened. "Is my mom okay?"

"She's fine. Everything will be fine, I promise," Emma hastily assured him as she threw on her coat. Grabbing her keys from off the island counter she told him, "Just stay here, okay? I'll be back soon." Henry tried to protest, but it was cut off with a firm, "Do as I say!" before she fled from her apartment, slamming the door behind her.

As Emma hurriedly got into her car, she desperately tried to suppress the fear that was creeping up her esophagus, threatening to make her violently ill. No matter what she might feel about Regina, the last thing she wanted was for her to get hurt, and it frightened Emma to realize that if the entire town started to believe that the Queen should be executed, there really might not be anything she could do to stop it.

TBC…