Author's Note: And so here we have what transpired with Emma in the mirror. I want to give a HUGE shout-out to Gunner4Life for showing your support and giving me the confidence to continue with this story. So thank you! It really means the world to me :)

As always, I own nothing Once Upon A Time related.

Chapter Eleven: Mirror Mirror on the Wall, You Can't Hide, I See it All

Emma stood at the very edge of a grassy bluff. The old, weathered trees producing a canopy of leaves above her head, blocking most of the sunlight from washing over her pale skin. She had no idea how she'd gotten here or how long she'd been standing there, but she found that it didn't really matter as she was entirely content just being there. Up here, she could breathe clean air, clear her thoughts, and forget about the dirtiness of the drab city that was now miles beneath her in the distance. She sat in the plush green grass, crossing her legs and absentmindedly fiddling with the laces to her boots as she continued to stare at the city.

The city below looked entirely unfamiliar. There were no iconic buildings or structures that typically defined a city. It was just an endless concrete jungle; corporate offices and high-rise apartment complexes ascending towards the heavens with their bleak, mocking grayscale colors. The urban stalagmites hid from view all of the gridlocked streets meandering through the domineering buildings. Streets that - much like every other city, Emma imagined - were infested with rapists, drug dealers, murderers, and whores.

Beneath all the wretchedness of urban life was a glimmer of hope for people like Emma. The people that wanted nothing more than to exist, unnoticed and faceless. For Emma, the urban jungle was a safe haven with it's dark alleys, chop shops, and abandoned structures. Anonymity was easily achieved in a place where everyone is far too concerned with their own business to even lift their eyes from the ground to look at another person.

And for so many years, Emma did just that; merely existed as a faceless woman lost among the blaring horns and polluted air that was trademark to every city she had ever lived in. And for a while, it was enough to simply exist in such a place. But no longer. Not since that night, so many months ago when a little boy with a foolish grin and bright eyes knocked on her door. Standing at his meager height in the illuminated hallways of her apartment building, Emma found herself staring into the eyes of innocence; eyes that she once had but managed to lose with age.

She didn't know it then, but Henry was to become the first thing ever in her life that would make her crave more than the dirty, lackluster city life.

Now as she looks upon the city below her, a frown crept across her face. Nothing about the harsh air of the city could compare to the purity she felt now. She could practically taste the streets on her tongue as she contemplated the blanket of smog that coiled around the altitudinous structures.

Emma turned away from the city, walking away from the precipice, feeling a little bit lighter with the understanding that she had finally left behind a life that was anything but glamorous - in all manners of speaking.

There was no destination in mind as Emma strolled at a lazy pace through the densely packed forest. Everything was so quiet, save for the merry chirping of birds that remained out of sight and the crunch of earth and fallen twigs underneath her boots. Accompanied by the silence of nature, Emma continued to walk.

And walk.

And walk.

Daylight was waning, painting the sky in a pinkish purple amalgamation, when Emma stepped into a large clearing. The overstretching limbs of the trees gave way, opening up a small hole in their defenses to allow the light of the sky to descend to the ground. The grass was short but unscathed by human intrusions. And in the very center of the clearing was a lake; the water unnaturally clear for its stagnancy.

Curious, Emma walked to the edge of the water, transfixed by the translucent cerulean color. The small watering hole seemed endless in it's depths but from what Emma could tell, hosted no life.

A shadow stirred in the unerring depths that caused Emma to jump back in shock. Becoming super aware of her surroundings, she turned around in a full circle, scanning the treeline for any unannounced guests, here in natures little corner of bliss.

No discernable figures could be identified...but a few forlorn shadows of the trees came close to receiving a verbal assault before Emma was able to discern that they were simply shadows playing tricks on her brain. Satisfied that she was still alone, Emma turned her attention towards the captivating water once more. She squinted her eyes and peered through the surface looking for the figure in the depths. There was nothing, and Emma was quick to write it off as a product of her overactive imagination. Just as she was about to look away, the figured moved with incredible speed from one side of the pond to the other.

"That...was definitely not a shadow," Emma told herself out loud.

Fear gripped her heart as she watched the figure come closer and closer to the surface. But the closer it came, the less nervous she felt. It was strange, like she preternaturally knew that whatever this thing was, it was not a threat.

Emma smiled when the figure finally broke through the surface of the pond, sending droplets of water in every direction. Once the water had settled, a beautiful woman with sorrel hair and eyes floated effortlessly in the middle of the cerulean pool. Her skin, kissed by the sun, was bare as she basked in the encroaching night. A brutish smile parted her lips just enough to flash perfect ivories which laid beyond those sinister lips.

"I was beginning to think you'd never come," The woman purred, turning to float on her back. The calm water lapped at her skin with such gentility. Her breasts were exposed to the night sky and even from the distance, Emma could see the goosebumps stretching hungrily across every inch of visible skin.

She cleared her throat to speak, unable to tear her eyes away from adonis before her eyes.

"I'll always come to you...Regina," Emma admitted with a smile.

"And I to you Emma Swan," Regina whispered, closing her eyes and fanning her arms out at her sides. "Won't you join me?"

Emma stepped impossibly close to the water, the toes of her boots only an inch from the water which separated the two women.

"It's getting late…" Emma sighed regretfully as the pinkish sky was quickly giving way to indigo.

"Oh, Emma. Time does not exist here. Come, don't be shy," Regina cooed. "The water is exquisite."

"But...it's getting dark, it must be getting late," Emma reasoned.

Regina chuckled, sending ripples along the surface of the water.

"Imagine, Emma, there are no hours or minutes or seconds here. The sky becomes dark because that is simply what it does. Just as the trees continue to produce oxygen which your lungs continue to filter into your blood. It is simply a function; a reason for it to exist."

Emma pondered on this for a moment. Sure, it made sense...kind of. But at the same time, it had to mean something. There just had to be something deeper than doing something over and over, for eternity, just to merely exist. Why exist at all if it serves no greater purpose?

"And if the sky were to uh, stop changing?" Emma asked, kneeling down so that she was closer to the perfection only a few feet from her.

"It won't," Regina answered.

"But...how do you know?"

"The sky is not a living thing. It does not have the conscious ability to think or to feel. And that is why it does it's job so perfectly. It does the only thing it is capable of doing; changing color. The sky will continue to change it's colors; it's inevitable. Just as the sun will surely rise and fall in cooperation with the moon." Regina explained, turning her head to look at the perplexed blonde woman kneeling on the shore.

"I thought the sun made the colors in the sky. And when the sun sets, the colors disappear along with it," Emma said aloud.

Regina swam closer to the edge of the pond. "As do many people. But the sun has a different function entirely, dear. The sun merely provides light."

"And heat," Emma reminded her.

Regina waggled a finger in front of her face. "No, Emma," she chuckled. "Providing heat is the function of temperature."

Emma furrowed her brow, now completely confused. "But if the sun's only purpose is to provide light, why does it set? Why not provide light all the time?"

"Because, dear, there must always be a balance. There must always be light but there also must always be darkness."

"But -"

"Let's talk of this no more, Emma. Come, join me," Regina extended a hand to Emma.

Nodding her head, Emma stood to undress herself, peeling garment after garment away from her blanched limbs. As each garment was dropped to the forest floor, Regina's smile grew wider and wider, unable to hide her happiness at the prospect of stealing Emma...for good.

When the blonde was standing stark naked in the light of the moon, Regina took a moment to appreciate the site before her. Legs, long and lean provided sturdy support for a pleasantly toned midriff. And above that, two perfect globes of flesh that Regina had the strongest urge to caress. Emma gave a small smile before taking her first steps towards the water once more.

"Yes," Regina encouraged. "Come to me."

Emma's eyes fixated on Regina as she lifted a foot in preparation to enter the pond. She gingerly dipped her foot in the water, feeling the coolness wash over her. Her eyes closed, as the faint menthol feeling enveloped her foot.

And then it grew warm, pleasantly so. Emma hummed in appreciation and opened her eyes to see Regina looking so very anticipatory in the water. Emma smiled brilliantly. The water was growing ever warmer around her foot until it became hot. Too hot. She tried to fight through the pain, wanting nothing more than to wrap her arms around Regina and stay there with her until...forever. The intensity grew and grew until Emma could no longer withstand the pain.

She pulled her foot from the water with a yelp and glared accusingly at Regina for a second before inspecting her burned skin. Even in the darkness of night, she could see the skin was red and heat was rolling off of it in waves.

"What the hell? What gives?" Emma shouted at Regina.

But Regina backed away from the shoreline. She had a look of disbelief on her face as her eyes narrowed and she adopted a more menacing look.

"Tainted," Regina spat, as if she had just tasted the uncooked entrails of a cow. "Just like all the rest."

"W-what are you talking about?" Emma asked, still studying her afflicted foot.

"You, Emma Swan, are tainted, dirty, unworthy…" Regina began listing off insults at rapid fire pace. "I should have known. You would be just like them."

Emma stood, snatching up her panties and bra as she was beginning to feel more than a little uncomfortable with the sudden change of events.

"I don't understand!" Emma yelled, throwing her hands up in the air. "Tell me what's going on!"

Regina cupped her hands together, gathering water in them, and slowly pouring it down her exposed chest.

"This water is enchanted. It will only allow those that are worthy of my love to swim in it. Otherwise, it will burn." Regina explained. "You harbor so much anger, so much hatred, and self-loathing. Yes, I can see it now."

Emma stared at the brunette with wide eyes, seeming to have forgotten the shirt she held in her hands for the time being.

"Regina, I-"

"Silence!" Regina sneered. "Look, Emma, look at who you are." She instructed, pointing to the surface of the water.

Confused, Emma glanced at the water. The surface was becoming cloudy as lines and shadows and colors began dancing on the surface. She stepped closer, watching as a reflection of herself formed on the water.

"You are pathetic and weak. And it is because of that that you are unwanted. Not even your birth parents wanted you. And like a used condom, they threw you on the side of the road as an infant. Worthless trash that wasn't even worth the monthly check your multiple foster families received for caring for you," Regina's voice was cold and biting.

And Emma felt every word of it. Tears shown in her eyes as every word cut a little deeper into her heart.

"Regina...stop, p-please," Emma whispered.

"So unloved and unwanted that even that thief of a boyfriend threw you under the bus. And so there you sat, rotting in prison as your stomach grew and grew with each passing month. Hating yourself just a little bit more each day."

Tears were rolling freely down the blondes face at the resurrected memories of her past She covered her mouth with her hands in an attempt to stifle the choked sobs in her throat.

"And then you threw away your son just like your parents-"

"I wanted to give him his best shot!" Emma fired automatically, her voice tinged with pain and sadness.

"No, you threw him away because you didn't want to change your life for him. You didn't want to give up your life for him. You didn't want the responsibility of caring for another life. That is why you threw him away. Because you are selfish."

Emma couldn't take it anymore. She didn't want to hear it. Regina was wrong. What she had done was a selfless act. Giving Henry up for a chance at a better life was the hardest decision she ever had to make. But it was the necessary decision. She couldn't have provided for him the way a proper family would have been able to. But it's not like she loved the idea of sending him off into the system, as she was far too versed in the horrors of being an orphan. He deserved a chance at a better life.

He deserved a better life.

Selfish? How dare she call that selfish when Emma paid the price for her decision every single day. There wasn't a night that went by when she didn't think of him; what did he look like, was he happy, did he have lots of friends, what was his name? An endless string of questions constantly floating through her brain, day in and day out. It was maddening.

Over the years she learned to deal with it. To only face one question at a time. And as such, Emma had dreamed up a version of her son. He was a happy boy, his name was Chase. And he was smart. He wanted to learn to play the guitar and he also wanted to play football. He had a mop of dirty blonde hair and brown eyes, like his father. But his sarcasm came from her, and nothing pleased her more than that. He would grow up to be successful...handsome...perfect.

But each day that went by, the emptiness within her grew and grew. It became unbearable and yet incurable. How was that selfish? How was is selfish to take on all of this pain and misery for her son to have the chance at a good life?

Her tears of sadness turned to tears of anger as she thought more and more about it. Then there was Regina, swimming lazily about in her stupid fucking pond.

"You can call me selfish and pathetic all you want, Regina. But from where I'm standing, you're no better off than I am." Emma yelled at her, wiping her tears with the backs of her hands. She finished pulling on all her clothes and even got her boots on in record speed.

"How dare you talk to me like that!?" Regina recoiled, spinning around so that she was facing the blonde once more.

"You want to spew all this shit at me and make me look like the bad guy here? Well your enchanted waters have surely done a great job weeding out all the unworthy souls Regina but look where that's left you. Alone. All alone. And I'm sorry for you because I would rather live with my pain than spend the rest of my days alone," Emma's tone was decibels lower than what it had been previously.

Regina however threw her head back in a fit of laughter.

"You think you are so much different than me? Oh, silly little Emma Swan. You are just as alone as I. No one wants you, no one needs you, no one loves you, and no one ever will," Regina purred. "One day you're going to wake up and realize that your existence is pointless and that you're nothing but a burden upon anybody you cross paths with. And do you know what you're going to do?"

Emma just stared, not willing nor wanting to speak with the vile woman any longer.

"You're going to end your pointless life and there will be no one at your funeral. No one will bring flowers to your grave. No one will remember the weak and pathetic Emma Swan," Regina spat out her final words before dipping beneath the surface of the lake and simultaneously erasing the reflective image of Emma from the surface.

Just like that, Emma was alone once more. Held captive by the events that just transpired, she looked helplessly at the abandoned lake. She watched in a daze as the water began to harden, making screechy cracking noises as it did so. The transformation was quick; within moments the cerulean lake that was once so inviting was now nothing more than a huge chunk of ice, cold and hard.

Emma dropped to her knees, her legs unwilling to support her any longer. And she sobbed; chest heaving uncontrollably, pitiful moans falling from her lips, tears staining her face. She sobbed for what felt like the longest time. And when all her tears had been exhausted and her body went limp, Emma felt nothing but anger.

Anger that came from the darkest, untouched corners of her mind. Because when all was said and done, everything that Regina had said was true. And she hated herself for that. She hated herself for being weak and for deluding herself into thinking she wasn't. She had never known the tender warmth of a mother's touch and hated herself even more knowing that her son never received that love from her. She hated herself for what had happened to her in the foster system. She hated what her life was and what it had become. She hated that she hated it. She hated her parents, whoever they were. In this moment, when hate controlled her every thought - she hated everything; the sun, the stars, the moon, and the stupid fucking sky.

Emma slammed her fists against the cold, unforgiving frozen lagoon; desperate to feel something, anything other than this soul-consuming hatred. Over and over she pounded her fists onto the surface until her knuckles were raw and the blood smeared across the crystalline surface.

When her body refused to move and her mind refused to dwell on her pain any longer; her world shattered and everything faded into a dizzying, comforting, salvational darkness.

Author's Note: I'm stoked to release the next chapter and I really think you guys will like it. I'm debating on releasing it a bit early instead of waiting. Perhaps you could persuade me to do that...