A dark curse is cast.
The hospital was quiet once Snow and David returned with Henry and Neal. With the main family in Emma's room and the rest of the team recuperating in the lounge, the staff was left to deal with the rest of Storybrooke in relative peace. There were no new incoming patients and it seemed things had calmed down, at least for the moment. Whatever the demon was up to, it had very little to do with them.
"So our only choice now is to find Hope?" Henry questioned, eager to help now that he was reunited with the group. "But Grandpa didn't say how we could find her?"
Both his mothers winced at the way he referred to Rumplestiltskin but nodded in agreement.
"That, or we find the dagger," Snow said. Regina frowned.
"It would certainly be easier to take control of the demon via the dagger. Unfortunately, I don't see how we can get our hands on it. The Dark Ones have always taken great care to hide or protect their dagger."
"So we find Hope," David said decisively, clapping his hands together. "Where should we start?"
"I don't know, Charming." Regina shot him a look of impatience. "As I've said before, she could be anywhere in Storybrooke."
"We'll send everyone out in search parties, then. She has to be somewhere."
"And risk getting attacked?" Snow interrupted, furrowing her brow at her husband. "The demon will come after us if it knows we're searching for Hope. For all we know, it already knows and is going after Hope itself."
"All the more reason for us to find her first," David insisted. "Gold said she's the only one that can help us defeat it for good."
"That's great and all," Emma said, finally speaking up after watching her family bicker back and forth for the past half an hour, "but it's getting late and as far as I can tell, we can afford to rest for the night. No more attacks have happened and I know we all desperately need some sleep."
"Emma's right." Regina put an arm around Henry and hugged her son to her while regarding the Charmings where they sat on the couch with Neal in their arms. "We all need to rest. The demon's not interested in us right now. Tinkerbell and I will put up more wards around the hospital and then we all need to sleep. We can regroup in the morning."
David and Snow murmured their reluctant agreements, lingering just long enough to kiss Emma and give Henry a hug before returning to the lounge to relay the plan to the others. Henry moved himself onto the hospital bed and leaned into Emma's arm as Regina stood and moved to the door.
"I'll be back as soon as Tinkerbell and I are done," she promised, and then she was gone.
"How are you feeling, Ma?" Henry's touch was gentle as he shifted to stretch out his legs next to her, leaning back against the reclined bed with one arm around her shoulders. It was startling how quickly her son was growing. Emma just sighed and relaxed back against him, mindful of the IV in her arm.
"A lot better than before. Your mom healed the worst of my wounds."
He nodded, eyes flickering down to her belly. "Did you really teleport behind the demon and stab it with a knife?" he asked after a moment, voice soft with awe. Emma snorted.
"Did David tell you that?" He nodded. "Yeah, I did. It wasn't as badass as you seem to think it is. I got stabbed right back, you know."
"Sorry." He grimaced and laid a hand softly over her stomach, having been shown the lingering discolouring on her otherwise mostly healed flesh earlier. "I'm glad you're okay."
"You and me both, kid."
"So… any ideas on how we can find Hope?"
"Not a clue. You?"
He furrowed his brow, eyes going distant as he thought long and hard. He looked a lot like Regina did whenever the brunette frowned and concentrated on something, and the familiar expression had Emma smiling with fondness.
"When the seven demons were first released from the box, they were really weak, right?"
"That's right."
"It took them days to grow stronger and start to influence other people."
"Yeah."
"So what if the same thing is true for Hope? Maybe she started out weak, and she's trying to get stronger?"
"Huh." Emma wrinkled her brow. "If she's like the demons, she would have to influence people and feed off of their emotions, right?"
"Right. But there hasn't really been a lot of hopefulness going on, just the demons' bad influence. So maybe she's still weak and in hiding?"
"That'd make sense. So where would a weak light spirit hide?"
"Somewhere with light magic?" Henry suggested, lifting a brow at her. Emma made a face.
"There's magic at the well, but I don't think it's necessarily light magic."
"There's gotta be other places in Storybrooke that have traces of light magic." He leaned back into the pillow to consider the idea when the door opened, Regina slipping back inside with a newfound weariness about her.
"Hey," Emma greeted softly, holding out a hand. Regina didn't hesitate to take up the remaining space on the blonde's other side, curling up close and wrapping an arm around her waist as if to make sure they would not be separated again anytime soon. "You alright?"
"Just tired," the brunette admitted with a stifled yawn. "Tinkerbell and I used up most of our magic reserves to ward the hospital and set up charms to alert us if the demon or its beasts return. We should be safe here for the night."
"Good. Get some sleep, then. You look exhausted."
"Mm." Regina reached over Emma to give Henry's hand a squeeze before snuggling down and closing her eyes, going quiet with even breaths just a moment later.
"Mom's really beat," Henry murmured, reaching out to gently brush the hair out of Regina's face and tuck it behind her ear. Emma hummed, just content to have her soulmate and her son cuddled up with her in bed.
"We all are; it's been a long week. Get some sleep, Hen. We'll continue this discussion in the morning, okay?"
"Kay. Night, Ma."
"Night, kid."
He, too, nestled his head in against her shoulder and drifted off faster than he had all week, finally able to relax now that his mothers were here and safe.
It was around three in the morning when a flicker of light had Emma stirring from sleep. She squinted around the dark room, head lifting just a little from the pillow, her throat too dry and scratchy to swallow. There was a glass and a pitcher of water on the side table, but her arms were pinned beneath Regina and Henry's bodies, numb and tingly.
"Hey there," a voice whispered from the doorway. Emma blinked at the nurse who had tended to her earlier that day, an older woman with a warm smile and kind eyes. The nurse tiptoed over and did a routine check of the machines and her IV drip, beaming at the sight of Emma's family snuggled up with her. She, unlike many of the other personnel, did not fear the once Evil Queen and looked upon the three in the bed quite fondly. "How do you feel?"
"I'm okay," Emma rasped, prompting the nurse to hold up a glass of water with a straw for her. The liquid was cool and soothing on its way down her throat and Emma gave a thankful smile when she'd had her fill. "Thanks."
"You just press that button there if you need anything, anytime." The nurse gave her knee a pat before slipping out again, shutting the door and leaving them in comfortable darkness once more. Emma relaxed into her pillow again, eyelids drooping as her body easily sunk back into the slumber it so desperately needed. The last thing she was vaguely aware of was a soft glimmer of light and a warmth spreading through her chest.
They woke slowly and peacefully that morning, if not uncomfortably. Emma groaned at the lack of bloodflow in her arms, stretching them out and trying to coax feeling back into them once Regina and Henry were no longer sleeping atop her. Ruby had arrived shortly afterwards with a breakfast delivery courtesy of Granny taking over the hospital's cafeteria kitchen, arms laden with trays of fresh eggs, sausage, and fruit.
"How are you feeling, Rubes?" Emma asked as she shoved a sausage into her mouth, almost moaning at the taste of hot, greasy food. Ruby showed off her lack of bandages, of which she'd been covered with only a day ago.
"All healed up. Perks of being a werewolf." She grinned a toothy grin, which quickly melted into a smile when Grayson rolled into the room in his wheelchair, still awkwardly bumping into doorframes as he did so.
"There's our Big Bad Wolf!" Emma beamed, leaning over to offer the man her fist. For all the hell they'd been through these past few days, it felt like ages since she'd seen him last, somewhere other than in a hospital bed anyway. Grayson just chuckled and bumped his knuckles against hers with a little shake of his head.
"Glad you're still kicking, Sheriff. I hear you did some fancy teleporty-stabby tricks."
"Aw, it was nothing. Good to see you moving around. When will you be out of the chair?"
"Soon as the holes in my organs heal shut." He grinned wolfishly at Emma's cackle, the two sharing an odd camaraderie at having been laid up in the same hospital for life threatening injuries, it seemed. Regina and Ruby shared a look - one that was half exasperated and half fond of their other halves.
"So, do we have a new gameplan?" Ruby asked, settling behind Grayson's chair and scratching gently at his head, fingers threading through his hair and over his scalp. His eyes fell shut and he leaned back into the touch with a content sigh. Emma half expected him to whine and thump his foot like a puppy dog (neither of which happened, much to her disappointment.)
"Not… at the moment," Regina admitted after a moment, frowning. "I thought I might do some research. Hope will be drawn to anywhere that has the most light magic; surely there's somewhere in Storybrooke that fits the description."
"Well, we're here when you need us," Ruby said with a nod. "Until then, I think Granny and I will stay here at the hospital, keep things under control and whatnot."
"And the others?"
"Sticking around, most likely. Strength in numbers and all that. Now that the demon got what it wanted, I think we're all more leary of it than ever."
"Bad guys generally don't stop at winning battles; they want to conquer the entire war," Grayson murmured, silvery eyes blinking open once Ruby stopped her ministrations. "Besides, becoming the Dark One can't be its end goal, right? It's gotta be after something else."
"Killing Hope, for one," Regina muttered, sighing.
"What else could it possibly want?" Henry asked, brows wrinkling together.
"To watch the world burn?" Emma shrugged. "Who knows, kid. All we know is that the demon is dangerous and trapped in Storybrooke, which means it's gotta go."
Regina stood then, straightening out her shirt and frowning down briefly at the permanent creases in them. Leave it to her to be concerned about her wardrobe at a time like this, Emma thought fondly.
"The barriers will have likely worn off by now. I'm going to go reinforce them with Tinkerbell, then we'll bring back a few books from my vault and start brainstorming," Regina said, turning to look at her girlfriend and son still sitting on the bed. "Will you two be fine here until then?"
"Why don't I come with you two?" Emma offered, a crease of concern appearing on her brow. Regina smoothed it away with a brush of her fingers and a soft smile.
"I'd feel better if you stayed here with the others." Her other hand briefly smoothed down Henry's hair and the message was clear; protect our son.
"Fine," Emma relented with a sigh, fingers loosely circling Regina's wrist. "Be careful, okay?"
"I'll be careful, I promise." Ignoring the werewolves behind her, Regina leaned in to press a kiss to Emma's forehead, then Henry's. "See you soon."
With a brief nod to Ruby and Grayson, the brunette was gone, sweeping out of the room with all the flourish of a Queen. Emma watched her go and Grayson chuckled at the look on her face.
"Cheer up, sheriff. She'll be back before you know it."
"Easy for you to say. Your girlfriend's right here."
Ruby spluttered. "Wait, wha-"
"You can't have gone through all the shit we've just gone through and not be together right now," Emma pointed out, her son nodding emphatically.
"Yeah, but, I mean, we-" Ruby's hands flailed about, pink tinging her cheeks. Grayson, for his part, just grinned in amusement, taking no offence whatsoever. "No one said anything about girlfriends and boyfriends-"
"Call it what you want, Rubes, you two are so dating."
The brunette groaned and blushed, swatting Grayson on the chest for his shit eating grin but then immediately looking regretful as he laughed and cringed in pain all at the same time.
"Take it easy, I've come too far to only die now because you made me laugh," he wheezed, hands cradling his torso as his laughter only sent another shock of discomfort through his body. Ruby rubbed at his shoulder in apology.
"Emma-" The door nudged open again and Regina stuck her head in, blinking momentarily at the spectacle of Grayson hunched over in his chair and Ruby fussing over him before her dark eyes landed on the blonde.
"That was quick," Emma joked, smiling. "Did you forget something?"
"I actually wanted to speak to you about something first. Can we talk outside?"
"Sure." With a shrug, the blonde slid off the bed - moving only somewhat gingerly as her wounds were a lingering discomfort - and ruffled Henry's hair before leaving him to entertain the werewolves. Regina was already striding down the hall and Emma hurried to follow.
"Mind poofing me into some real clothes?" she asked, plucking at her scrubs with a frown. Regina gave a flick of her hand and Emma was magicked into something more familiar - skinny jeans and a sweater with a red jacket on top. The blonde looked down at herself with a smile.
"Hey! My clothes from yesterday. I guess the originals were too ruined to be saved." She shook away the mental image of her old clothes, soaked in her blood and cut away from her body when she'd been on the operating table. These were clean and good as new. "Thanks."
Regina just hummed, moving them away from the room they'd been staying in. Someone coming down hall towards them made her pause and she whirled around, linking her arm with Emma's and pulling her around the corner before the blonde could see who it was, leading her down another corridor and back around until they took the long route to the main entrance.
"Where are we going? I thought you needed to reinforce the barrier with Tink."
"I do, but I wanted to speak to you outside first. It's… important."
"Regina?" The tone of voice struck a note of nervousness in the blonde. Normally when people said that phrase, someone got dumped. She frantically thought back to see if she'd done anything wrong in the past few hours but nothing came to mind. "Is everything okay?"
They were out of the entrance doors and moving towards the street now. Emma dashed forward to grab Regina's wrist and halt her progress.
"Hey, what's going on?"
The brunette had no choice but to turn around and face her, and when she did, Emma's eyes fell upon a dark stain edging out onto the chest of her blouse from beneath her jacket.
"You're hurt! What happened? Who did this to you?" Emma grabbed her by the shoulders, fingers unintentionally digging into her flesh as she realized how familiar this all felt. "The demon did this, didn't it? It came after you again!"
Wincing slightly, one hand hovering over the hidden wound on her chest as if to protect it, Regina grasped Emma's forearm with her other hand. "It's okay, Emma. It's not as bad as it looks."
"You're bleeding through your shirt, Regina!"
"Emma, listen, please. I need you to do something for me."
"Anything. What is it?" Green eyes were wide, desperate to do whatever it was that would aid the brunette. Regina relaxed in her arms somewhat, managing a small smile.
"It's a spell. A protective barrier of sorts, much more powerful than what Tinkerbell would have been able to help me with. I need you to recite your half of the incantation for it."
"I can do that." Emma straightened up, eyeing the blood stain on Regina's shirt warily before squaring her shoulders. "Let's do this, then. And then we'll get that looked at later."
"Of course." Reaching out, Regina clasped Emma's hands within hers, giving her fingers a reassuring squeeze. "Once I begin my half of the incantation, I need you to finish it with: Sum tuus. Ego dedi vobis potestatem. Can you remember that?"
Emma repeated it quickly, nodding her head as the unfamiliar words rolled from her tongue. "Yeah, sure, simple enough."
"Good." She paused, then, brown eyes softening as her lips lifted into another small smile. "Thank you for helping me, Emma. Are you ready?"
The blonde nodded in the affirmative. Regina cleared her throat and began, voice dropping into something huskier than ever, smooth and deep like a shot of whiskey. Purple flared to life within her eyes as the magic took hold of them, cementing their hands together until the incantation was complete.
"Da mihi cor tuum," Regina began, her voice a purr. "Da mihi potestatem super vos."
Without faltering, Emma echoed her end of the spell. "Sum tuus. Ego dedi vobis potestatem."
A warmth rushed over them as the spell took hold, a faint light glowing over their conjoined hands before fading away and releasing them. Blinking and feeling an odd buzz over her body, Emma gave a baffled smile.
"That felt weird. Did it work?"
Slowly, sensually, Regina's hand snaked up between their bodies and pressed flat against Emma's breast, a finger tapping her chest just over where her heart was located.
"Oh, yes, it worked perfectly." She leaned forward, pressing their lips together in a soft kiss, her teeth tugging on Emma's lower lip as they came apart. "Now there's one more thing I need you to do, love…"
Emma's eyelids drooped, her breathing shallow as her gaze flickered down to those plump red lips she adored so much. "Yeah?"
"Emma!" Regina shouted - except it wasn't coming from the Regina in front of her. Turning her head towards the hospital entrance in surprise, she saw a second Regina running out with Tinkerbell on her trail, Snow and David and the others just behind them, alarm on their faces.
The Regina in her arms curled further into her loose embrace.
"Regi-?"
"Protect me, Emma," the one in her arms said. Emma immediately pushed her behind her and planted herself in the way as the others neared, weapons in hand. The second Regina faltered only momentarily before coming to a stop a few yards away, pulling Henry safely behind her.
"Emma, that's the demon!" she said, David and Snow protectively flanking her on either side. "She's not me! You need to get away from her, quickly!"
"I- I believe you," Emma said, her voice rising an octave with a tinge of fear.
"Then why are you protecting her?" David questioned, gripping his sword as if prepared to lunge as soon as his daughter was out of the way.
"Get out of the way, Emma," Snow added, an arrow already notched in her bow.
"I can't." A muscle twitched along the column of Emma's neck. Her entire body tensed, but no matter how much she tried to will herself to move, she remained firmly in place. "I can't move my body."
"Of course not, dear. You gave control of your body to me." Then Regina - the demon - behind her purred, arms loosely embracing Emma in a perverse hug. To the real Regina's horror, the demon pressed a delicate kiss to the side of the blonde's neck. "So this is what it's like to own the Savior. You must have a lot of fun with this one, Regina."
"Get your hands off her," Regina snarled, jealousy flaring at the sight. Delighted at her reaction, the demon laughed, the sound sending a shiver down Emma's spine.
"Emma, take us to the well."
Unable to resist the command, Emma flicked her hand, white smoke coiling up around her and the demon's body and spiriting them away. The last thing she heard was everyone screaming her name, and then she found herself stumbling next to the old well in the woods. The demon smiled and wandered over to where a myriad of ingredients lined the edge of the well, already sifting through them and dumping various items over the edge.
"What do you want with me?" Emma gasped, shaking off the dizziness as the control spell from earlier kept her rooted to the spot, unable to escape.
"It was in the incantation, Savior. It's not my fault you don't understand Latin."
When Emma continued to stare at her, uncomprehending, the demon sighed heavily as if explaining was a waste of her precious time.
"Your heart, you fool."
"My…" Emma's hand moved to her chest in disbelief. The many ingredients lining the edge of the well now made sense. "You're- you're casting a dark curse!"
"The fact that Hope decided to take up residence in your heart makes it two birds with one stone," the demon giggled, hands gesticulating gleefully as she tossed in more ingredients. The fact that she continued to use Regina's appearance and voice made the sight all the more disturbing.
"Why? Why are you doing this?"
"Your world is boring, Savior." Dark eyes rolled dramatically. "I have no desire to be trapped in this little bubble of magic for eternity. I think I'll start with the Enchanted Forest instead."
When she turned to glance over her shoulder, Emma was struggling in place, veins protruding and muscles trembling against the invisible force that kept her trapped.
"Oh, stop being so dramatic. I can control the curse, you know. I've designed it so that it only takes me. The rest of this pathetic little town will remain here with their memories intact. Think of it this way, Savior; they'll all be safe and I'll be gone in another world. That's what you want, isn't it? To protect everyone? The only cost is your heart."
"I don't think so." Regina, the real Regina, appeared in a plume of purple smoke, the others behind her, hands linked in a long chain of people. She looked tired, the magical drain heavy from teleporting so many people all at once, but Snow and David supported her from either side.
"Emma, dearest, I hear you've been practicing your magic. Put up a barrier around us," the demon commanded. With a flick of Emma's hand, a gold-tinted barrier rose up, shielding them and the well from the others. Regina's immediate reaction was to lob a fireball which fizzled out uselessly against the impenetrable barrier. With a hiss of frustration, the brunette set her hands upon its surface and tried to break it with her own magic.
"Oh, don't strain yourself. Your magic can't overpower that of the child of True Love." The demon grinned, peeking into the well before clapping her hands together gleefully. "Oh! It's ready. Come here, Savior. It's time for the final ingredient."
"No!" Regina screamed, banging her fists against the shield to little avail, her own magic fizzling on her fingertips and having absolutely no effect against Emma's gold barrier. "Emma, fight it! Stop!"
Helpless, Emma took uneven steps towards the demon until they both stood next to the well. As the demon lifted a hand with her fingers splayed, she idly wondered if her heart might be protected by True Love like it was when Cora once tried to rip it out. She prayed that it was.
"Don't look so sad," the demon said in a mock pout, red lower lip jutted out as she tisked in fake sympathy. "Your sacrifice won't be in vain, love. The others will be safe once I'm gone. They can finally live out their happily ever afters."
She smiled, feral, and plunged her hand into Emma's chest. The blonde choked out a gasp as her name was screamed from the outside of the barrier, voices rising up in cries of outrage. Fingers closed around her heart and tugged - the tug became a harsh yank when it would not move. Some part of her sighed with relief even as she cried out against the pain.
"Must you make everything difficult?" the demon grunted, pulling fiercely again before finally withdrawing her hand with a scowl. For a moment, Emma's chest glowed with a soft golden light. The demon sneered at the sight, her next words directed at Emma's chest. "You think you're so clever, don't you, Hope? Well, you're still too weak to fight me, and you can't do anything against me once I'm in another world."
Whipping around, the demon's dark eyes skimmed over the crowd still banging against the barrier before her eyes landed on Regina.
"Emma," she snapped out, the blonde stiffening to attention once more. "Bring Regina into our barrier."
"No!" Emma cried, even as her hand shot out of its own accord and gestured in their direction. Regina was enveloped in a swirl of white smoke, reappearing inside the barrier next to the blonde. She threw up her hands in a defensive gesture, ready to fend off the demon.
"Fight it, Emma," she said, chancing a sideways glance to meet terrified green eyes.
"Regina, run," came the whisper. The demon beamed.
"Take her heart."
"Emma!" David shouted, at the same time Snow cried out, "Emma, no!"
Before Regina could even comprehend defending herself against her soulmate, Emma's hand was in her chest. Brown eyes widened and her lips parted, exhaling shakily as fingers slid around the beating organ within her. A sob escaped Emma as she plucked the glowing red heart out, sending Regina stumbling with a gasp of pain. On the other side of the barrier, the others cried out at the sight of the organ cradled in Emma's hand.
"Good girl," the demon purred, clapping her hands together in delight. "Hold it out over the well, would you?"
"You have to fight it," Regina pleaded, a hand pressed to her chest where her heart was now missing. She moved forward and grasped the lapel of Emma's red leather jacket, clinging to her even as the blonde reached out and held her heart over the edge of the well. "Emma, you're stronger than this!"
"I can't," Emma sobbed, tendons visible against her neck and veins creeping upon her temples as her entire body shook, helpless and unyielding no matter how hard she tried to wrest back control of her body. Tears streaked down her cheeks as she turned her head towards where the demon watched just a few feet away. "Don't make me do this! Please! I'll find a way to take out my own heart! Just don't make me do this!"
"That's very touching, Savior, but I don't have time for that," the demon sighed, absently inspecting her fingernails. "You should really be thankful. It's just one life to save the rest-"
"No, no, no," Emma cried desperately, tears blurring her vision. She knew what was coming, knew that there was nothing she could do about it. Terror gripped her heart and she fought with all her might, tried to will herself to shove the heart back into Regina's chest. Her body still ignored her. "Please, no!"
"Emma," Regina called to her, voice little more than a broken whisper. "Emma, look at me."
Green eyes met brown, both glazed with tears. When Regina smiled, it was one full of love and resignation.
"I'm sorry, Regina, I'm so, so sorry-"
"Listen to me, it's not your fault."
"I screwed up. I should have known it wasn't you. I helped with her spell-"
"Emma, it's not your fault." Regina cupped her face, fingertips swiping at Emma's tears even as they kept flowing. "I don't blame you. It'll be okay, I promise."
"You can't- you can't promise that-"
"You'll be okay. Henry will be okay." Regina's lips twisted, smiling and yet wavering as she, too, cried. "That's all that matters to me. You'll both be okay."
"It's a beautiful day to cast a dark curse," the demon sang, watching them with a gleeful smile. Outside the barrier, the others cried out. Snow and David threw themselves at the barrier again and again. Henry sobbed, screaming, as Ruby clung to him to stop him from throwing his little body at the barrier. "Crush her heart, Emma."
"Regina," Emma sobbed, her fingers twitching and slowly tightening around the organ, the vein in her wrist bulging as she fought with everything she had. Regina just kept smiling, tears blurring her eyes as the pain in her chest grew.
"It's okay, Emma. Take care of Henry for me. I love you."
For a moment, they were standing at the town line again, hands clasped, cheeks wet.
My gift to you is good memories. A good life for you and Henry.
You would do that?
You will have the life you always wanted.
Ashes fell into the well, crumbling away as Emma's hand turned over and released the remains. Eyes fluttering shut and fingers slipping from red leather, Regina fell, collapsing lifeless to the ground.
The demon was laughing and saying something. Her words sounded garbled and unintelligible as Emma sunk to her knees, heedless of the swirl of smoke and magic growing to life within the depths of the old well. Shaking hands grasped Regina and pulled her up into her lap, cradling her limp body against her chest as a sob broke free.
She'd killed Regina.
"The curse will be upon us soon," the demon crowed, a perverse replica of Regina as she spun on her heels and nearly danced away, laughing. "It's been a pleasure, Savior."
Emma didn't look up - not when the demon disappeared in a plume of black smoke to await the curse, nor when her parents continued to throw themselves against the barrier, shouting her name.
It was Henry's heartbroken screams that had her lifting her head, deadened green eyes finding them at the edge of the barrier.
"Your heart, Emma!" Snow's cheeks shone with tears but her eyes were fierce with determination. "You can split your heart with her like I did with David!"
"Mom! Mom!" Henry cried out, his face contorted with pain even as he reached helplessly for his dead mother. Ruby struggled to hold him back, unable to bear seeing him try to throw himself against the barrier again. David and Snow moved to assist her, their arms encircling the sobbing boy.
"But I- I killed her," Emma gasped out, the reality of it hitting her like a stab to the heart. "I killed her because it couldn't take out my heart."
"But maybe you can," David said, staring at her with a soft expression, one that Emma didn't think she even deserved after what she'd just done. Killed, murdered Regina in front of them all. "She's your soulmate, Emma. If you love her, you can split your heart for her."
"You can do this, Emma," Snow said, giving her a pained smile. "Trust in your love."
"We have faith in you."
"Save her, Ma, please!"
Every word cut into her like a hot knife, lashing at her back as she knelt hunched over Regina's motionless form, the brunette cradled in her arms. She could hear the scuffling; David and Snow holding tight to Henry as he sobbed, desperate to run to both his mothers despite what Emma had just done- and what she now needed to do.
Ruby, August, the fairies, everyone else; their silence was suffocating, hanging over her like a thick fog, and Emma's eyes blurred with unending tears that fell and stained the satin dress shirt of the woman in her arms. A shaky hand found its way to Regina's pale, colorless cheek, gently stroking the unresponsive face, a thumb brushing over the familiar scar on crimson red lips.
"I'm sorry," she whispered, voice cracking and broken. "I'll fix this, Regina. I promise."
Carefully lowering Regina's lifeless form to the ground, Emma settled her right hand against her own chest and took in a deep, steadying breath. She could feel her own heartbeat beneath her fingertips, pounding erratically with fear and pain and a million other emotions that she couldn't even put words to. All she knew was that she had to do this; it had to work. The alternative was too painful to even consider.
She looked down at Regina's face- peaceful, as if she were simply asleep- and one emotion came to the forefront, the most powerful feeling of all that stilled her trembling hands and readied her heart for what was to come.
"I do love you," Emma breathed out, before plunging her hand into her own chest.