Regina reached the Evil Queen's bedroom and could hear Emma talking. She pushed open the large doors and was face to face with the Evil Queen. Regina had anger flowing through her body when she saw Emma chained like an animal.

"What do you think you're doing?" Regina snapped at the Evil Queen.

"Oh, how lovely it is that you decided to join us." The Evil Queen said nonchalantly as though Regina was late to dinner.

Regina cursed under her breath, "Release her."

"Or what? You can't use your magic at all to save her."

"I don't need my magic to defeat you."

The Evil Queen scoffed.

Emma watched as Regina had rushed The Evil Queen, but noticed that the Evil Queen did nothing. She seemed too curious to figure out what she might do.

Regina had punched the other woman as hard as she could.

The Evil Queen was wiping the blood off of the side of her mouth.

"I didn't think you had it is in you."

"It appears that you don't know me at all."

"Oh but I do know you. You are me."

"I might be you, but I am not who I used to be."

"And how has this changed, exactly?"

"Our son."

"Son?"

"Yes, Emma and I have a son together. His name is Henry, after my father."

The Evil Queen pursed her lips, "That is a very fitting name for your son."

Regina looked at Emma, who tried to give her a reassuring smile, despite bleeding some from her mouth after the Evil Queen had slapped her.

"Nice punch, Regina."

"Thank you, Miss Swan."

For a moment there, it felt like the two of them were actually getting along.

"As I said before, I'm the only one that can take that wristband off of you, Regina."

"I want to make a deal with you."

"Oh? I didn't know that Emma was that precious to you."

With another flick of the Evil Queen's wrist, Emma felt the chains pull her down until she was on her knees.

"You're hurting her!" Regina shouted.

"Why do you care? She's not our happy ending. Did you not forget what today is?"

"Of course not. I know that today marks Daniel's death."

"You're insulting his memory by trying to rescue Emma."

"Daniel's dead and he's never coming back. I tried and it failed. Emma is who I care about."

The Evil Queen had a fireball in her hand, "How dare you speak ill of him!"

Regina was standing her ground, "Daniel wanted us to move on and find someone that we love."

"How could you love this...this woman? What's so significant about her?"

"She's different than Daniel, but she has a heart just like his. She might be a pain at times and maybe she is stubborn as crazy, but she is willing to fight for my happiness. Have you not seen how much she did all she could to keep me safe? Can you say that anyone would do that for you?"

The Evil Queen was taken back by what Regina had said.

"What new deal do you want to make?"

"I want you to release Emma and allow her to return home."

"No, I would rather send you home."

"Henry needs both of his mothers!"

"I overheard you talking to Emma that you were the one raising Henry, not here. I'm sure that Henry will need you more than he will ever need her."

It was like the Evil Queen spat the word, "her" when speaking to Regina.

"Do it."

"Emma?"

"Just do it, Regina, go home."

"No, I'm not leaving you!"

"It's okay, I'll be fine, Regina."

"You won't be okay! You're already chained like an animal."

"I have been in worse situations."

Regina walked over to Emma and bent down, "Don't try to be the hero this time. You're coming home with me."

Emma looked up at Regina with tears in her eyes, "You have to go. Trust me, Henry needs you. You can use a spell to erase his memory so that I don't exist. You did it before with everyone, so just do it again."

"I can't, Henry would never forgive me, Emma."

"You have to, please. I wouldn't be begging you like this, but please, Regina. If you really care about me as much as you say you do, then you'll do this."

"Emma…"

"If you don't do this for me, then I will never forgive you."

Regina stood up and approached the Evil Queen again.

"Let me return to Henry. Emma will stay here, but I want there to be a reasonable time limit."

"A year."

"That sounds a bit too long."

"I think it's a good amount of time. If she makes it through the year, then I will return her. If she disobeys me once, I will have you present at her execution. I won't, however, have Henry witness it."

"Deal." Emma said.

"Very well then." The Evil Queen said as she had a magic bean appear in her hand after she extinguished the fireball in her hand. She threw it on the floor and the portal opened up. She made the wristband disappear from Regina's wrist.

"You better leave now before I change my mind and keep her here forever."

Regina looked at Emma one more time, "I will always find you."

Emma nodded, "You better."

xxx

Regina jumped through the portal and had landed outside in front of her house, the exact spot where her and Emma had been arguing when this all started. She heard the door open and Henry ran outside as fast as he could.

"Mom, you're back! Where's Emma?"

Regina stood up and dusted herself off, "Henry, I have to tell you something."

"What? Mom, where's Emma? I tried looking for her…"

"She's with the Evil Queen."

"No! How could you leave her?" Henry shouted.

"Henry, listen to me. Emma sacrificed herself so that I could come home."

He was crying and Regina wiped his tears away.

"She didn't have to be the stupid hero this time, Mom."

"You're right, Sweetie, but that's what a Charming is, a hero."

"Will she ever come back?"

"Yes, she has a year. If Emma doesn't listen to the Evil Queen within the year then…"

Regina didn't want to say that Emma was going to die.

"Then what? You can tell me, I can handle it."

"She would put Emma to death."

"Emma wouldn't let that happen. If she promised to come home, she will. She has to come back because I miss you two fighting over me. I miss it when you would get upset with her and call her 'Miss Swan'. I want to see you talk smack about Emma's clothes and her yellow bug."

Henry couldn't stop crying and Regina held onto him for dear life.

"You're right Henry, she'll make it. She made it this far and she's not the type to give up this easily."

xxx

A few months had passed and Emma wasn't worse for wear like she had imagined. The Evil Queen didn't treat her like complete shit like before. Emma was on her knees next to the mirror that the Evil Queen sat at. She pulled at the metallic collar that was locked in place and it was impossible to find an opening. It was like it had been sealed around her throat, permanently.

"No matter how much you fight to try to get that off of you, it will only constrict further."

Emma felt it tighten around her neck and she was gasping for air before a purple glow surrounded the collar and it returned to its original size.

The blonde was inhaling as much as oxygen as possible.

The Evil Queen looked down at Emma and clutched tightly onto her hair, "Be a good girl and sit there quietly. You don't want to know what I will do if you don't."

Emma didn't reply immediately and she felt the Evil Queen pull her hair.

"I'll be a good girl."

"Say it."

"No."

She felt the Evil Queen pull her head back, "Say it."

"Your Majesty."

"Good."

Emma felt her release her hair and did everything she could not to cry out of frustration.

She could handle as much physical pain as the Evil Queen would do to her, but there was no way in hell that she wouldn't put up a fight.