Day 4 of Winter 2015 Swan Queen Week.
Emma stormed to the manor furious for believing in Regina; her parents only fueling her rage even more by rambling on beside her about how evil she is and that no matter what she'll never change. Emma's life had been one storm after another ever since Henry knocked on her door, and although she would never regret her decision to come to Storybrooke, she felt that in the process, she was losing apart of herself. She was losing the part that called the shots, that knew right from wrong regardless of how people felt and what the evidence suggested.
With that in the back of her mind, Emma took control of her anger, stopped in front of the manor and placed her hand on her stomach.
"Emma, what are you doing?" David asked, but she ignored him as she stared down at her hand. Her gut was never wrong. Never. So why was she questioning it now? Because of magic? Because of something she didn't know about until just recently and still couldn't understand. No. This was wrong. Marching up to Regina's doorstep and accusing her of doing something she saw using magic; something that could be manipulated. This wasn't her.
"I need to speak to her alone." Emma stated.
"No," Mary Margaret spat back.
"It wasn't a suggestion." Emma replied and hurried down the walkway with her parents ignoring her and following after.
Emma rolled her eyes at her parents as she knocked on Regina's door. It took a minute, but Regina finally answered looking perplexed.
"Swan, I'm assuming you're here to apologize?"
"Not exactly," Emma replied quickly as she shoved Regina inside and slammed the door behind her before her parents could follow, locking it with a flick of her wrist without even realizing it.
"What the hell are you doing?" Regina growled, but Emma was on her quickly.
"You need to explain yourself." Regina's mouth fell clearly not understanding anything Emma was saying. "I saw it, I saw you kill Archie."
"What?" Regina's confused response only twirled Emma's gut more. "We went to Gold's shop and I saw you choking the life out of him using my magic."
"You can use magic?" Regina questioned ignoring everything else she had said.
"That's not what's important here." But Regina wasn't listening; her eyes were shooting back and forth as she stared at a blank spot on the floor. "Regina?"
"It can't be." Regina glanced up at Emma for a split second before spinning around and marching away from her.
"Regina!" Emma called after her. "We're here to talk about how it's possible for me to see you kill someone, yet still believe you're innocent?" But all Regina did was stare at her hands to her arm and back again. "Regina." Emma whispered suddenly concerned as she slowly approached her.
Regina glanced up. Her eyes watering as she slowly reached up and cupped Emma's face with one hand. "I didn't kill Archie," she said gazing into Emma's eyes as if seeing her for the first time.
"What are you doing?" Emma barely let out unable to see pass Regina's innocent eyes.
Regina let a smidgen of smile through as she kept her eyes locked on Emma's. "I knew it was you," she finally let out, "but I refused to believe it. I thought it was a sick trick Gold was playing at, at first, but I can't deny it anymore."
Emma was beyond confused, yet she didn't back away. "What are you talking about?"
"True love," Regina responded, but then shook her head and pulled away, causing an emptiness to fill Emma's body.
"Regina." But she didn't turn. She stood there with her hands on her hips. "What about this Archie thing?" Emma went on a little shaken by what Regina had said, but kept on point.
Regina shot her head over her shoulder annoyed at the question, then spun back around and charged her. "There's only one way to get this through to you," and with said, Regina's mouth found the Saviors. Emma's initial instinct was to pull away, but something inside her kept their mouths locked.
Emma saw everything clearly for the first time. Her mother's betrayal at a young age, Regina's wrath, Henry's life after she gave him up giving Regina purpose and replacing the Evil Queens soul; all of this and so much more, ending with Regina home the night Archie was killed.
Emma pulled back forgetting how to breathe, "it wasn't you," she stuttered and found herself falling onto Regina's lips once more, her hand racking the woman's back pleading Regina to give her more. As Regina opened her mouth, their tongues rushed in, longing for one another as more memories of each of their lives passed through them. The pain, the happiness, everything flowed through their bodies, and they finally understood one another completely for the first time.
When they finally pulled away, the both almost collapsed. They were drained, yet with a single glance up at the other, they began to laugh. They found each other, in the most peculiar way.
"I don't think your parents will be thrilled." Regina said, standing up straight with a lustful grin.
"They'll manage." Emma responded reaching out for Regina's hand. "But right now, we have to find Archie's killer. Do you mind lending a hand?"
Regina stared down at her hand and laced their fingers together, not believing they hadn't been doing this the whole time. "I'm all yours."