When Emma finally returned to the tiny loft after taking Henry back to the mansion, she threw her keys on the counter and moved to remove her boots. It had been a long day, and she just wanted to go to sleep and shut her brain off. Of course, that was when a burst of light signaled the reappearance of her fairy godmother.

Unable to contain her joy, Nova burst out excitedly, "So, what do you think of your soulmate?"

"Ugh, would you stop calling it that? Don't people date in your world?" Emma pouted, "I'm not going to base my entire life around a glowy ring."

Nova's face fell, "You don't like her?"

"I didn't say that. It's just…there's so much we don't know about each other, and now she knows about this soulmate thing, and how will I know if she has feelings for me or just thinks she does because of this soulmates idea, and it's just too much pressure," Emma tried her best to give words to how she was feeling and the worries going through her head.

"When have you ever known her to do something because she thinks she should?" Nova countered. "But if it will help set your mind at ease, I will show you a time before she knew you two were soulmates, so you can see for yourself."

"How are you going to do that?" Emma asked incredulously.

Shaking her head, Nova sighed, "Fairy godmother? Hello? Just look into this mirror, and tell me what you see."

Dutifully, Emma stared into the hand mirror. After a few moments, her own reflection became cloudy and began to show her a vision of another time and place. When the clouds disappeared, she saw Regina and Rumplestiltskin, and they seemed to be arguing. She focused all her attention on trying to make out the words they were saying.

"You made me into a monster. I won't let you do the same to Emma!" Regina shouted defiantly.

"Why do you care so much, dearie?"

"Because I…because she's Henry's mother," Regina finished lamely, not entirely sure herself why it mattered so much.

Rumplestiltskin laughed maniacally, "You keep telling yourself that, dearie."

"Why does it matter? You don't need her to turn dark when you just got three more evil henchwomen moving into town," Regina tried a logical appeal even though reasoning with a madman was clearly impossible

"Ah, but none of them are the Savior. Regina, think for a moment. Think about what all of that power the Savior wields inside her could do if she turned to dark magic," Rumplestiltskin explained.

"That's the difference between you and me. You see her only as the Savior. I see her as Emma and the woman I…" Regina stopped herself from finishing the sentence, knowing that her feelings would be used against her. She knew better, but somehow, her emotions always seemed to get the better of her where Emma was concerned.

Rumplestiltskin continued for her, "Love. Yes, I know, dearie, and while I am normally a huge fan of True Love and its raw power, you, dearie, will never act on your feelings, so I'm doing what every good gambler does—betting on a sure thing."

"True Love?" Regina asked stunned. Sure, she had strong, powerful feelings for Emma, but True Love?

"Deny it all you want, dearie. When the Savior gives in to the darkness, I will have my happy ending," Rumplestiltskin tittered with glee, dancing around in a circle.

The images began to swirl and grow dim until Emma's own reflection was staring back at her once more. She didn't know how to react to what she had just seen. Emma said softly, "She fought for me."

Nova put her hand on Emma's shoulder kindly, "That's what people who care about each other do."

"No one has ever fought for me before," Emma continued. "Everyone always left when things got difficult. That's why I had the 'leave them before they leave me' philosophy."

Nova grinned at her, "If there is one thing I know about Regina Mills, she never gives up. She doesn't love easily, but when she does, it's for good."

"I kind of figured that. If she is capable of being neighbors with her worst enemies for decades, she would never leave someone she cared about. Henry was really lucky to have her," Emma declared. "But when I told her about the soulmates, True Love thing, she acted like she'd never heard of it before."

"Regina believes that she will never have True Love. She probably repressed that part of her conversation with Rumplestiltskin." Looking into Emma's eyes, Nova continued, "I can show you one more scene tonight. Are there any other questions you need answered?"

Emma thought for a moment. She had so many questions. What was Regina like as a child? What did she want most out of life? Why on earth was she interested in Emma? She put all of those aside for the moment as she asked, "What made Regina become the Evil Queen?"

Nova gazed at her charge, "Are you sure you want to see that? What you see may horrify you."

"When I went back in time, I saw her as the Evil Queen. She is still Regina to me. Please, I just think this might help me understand her a bit better," Emma was determined.

Nova acquiesced, "Very well. However, there was not one single event that led to the creation of the Evil Queen. I will show you one of the key events tonight."

At Nova's nod, Emma searched the mirror for something beyond her reflection, and moments later, the image swirled, revealing Regina riding a horse. She looks no older than 16, but she is definitely Regina. As Regina rides, long vines protrude from the wildlife to stop her. Emma can feel Regina's feelings of helplessness.

"Mother, why are you doing this?" Regina forces her voice to remain steady.

Cora appears behind her, "Because you are making poor decisions, my dear. You aren't thinking clearly."

"Mother, I don't want to marry the King," Regina insisted, knowing that she was fighting a losing battle.

Cora laughed, "My dear, it's too late. I've already accepted on your behalf. Kings don't take kindly to rejection."

Regina pleaded, "Mother, surely there is something you can do?"

"A simple barrier spell to prevent you from leaving and getting any more silly ideas. I assure you it will not be as bad as you are making it out to be. A few years of warming an old man's bed in exchange for ruling a kingdom," Cora attempted to pacify her daughter.

However, for Regina, the mere thought of being intimate with the King sent feelings of revulsion through her gut. She didn't want power. She wanted freedom. She wanted love, just as everyone else did in the Enchanted Forest, except for her, the fairies never answered her wishes, so what good did fighting do?

Feeling hopeless, Regina closed her eyes and the vines put her back on the forest floor. Perhaps her mother did know best and had her best interests at heart. No, she definitely didn't, Regina decided. She was going to call on the only one who had ever been able to stand up to her mother: Rumplestiltskin.

"Regina looks so young," Emma commented as the image faded once more. "How could her mother just force her to marry someone she didn't love?"

"It was a different time back then. Remember, Cora had removed her heart, and that blinded her to her daughter's suffering," Nova explained.

Emma inquired, "Why didn't the fairies help her? You guys granted wishes all the time. Why didn't you save her?"

"The head fairy at the time believed that Regina was a lost cause. As Cora's daughter, Regina would grow up to be evil regardless of any interference from the fairies, and she felt our time would be better spent elsewhere," Nova clarified. "My personal belief is that the Dark One had made a deal with the head fairy in exchange for her disinterest."

"So the only one that Regina could turn to was Rumplestiltskin," Emma was finally beginning to understand. Regina was desperate, and when people were desperate, they did things they normally would never consider. In Emma's case, that meant stealing watches, and in Regina's, that meant making a deal with the Dark One. In Regina's place, she probably would have done the same thing.