Merry Christmas, dear Swen! As my gift to you, I've just released new chapters for most of my fics in progress today. Please be sure to check them all out and, if you're feeling generous, leave me some comments with your thoughts. Happy Holidays and have an amazing New Year. ;)

It didn't hurt, not like the time Cora tried to pull out her heart, nor the time the demon tried. She didn't feel much at all except for the warmth beneath her palm, the gentle thud of her heartbeat as her fingers curled around the organ and found it moving freely with her. Pulling it from her chest, Emma breathed out shakily, never having held her own heart in the palm of her hand before. It glowed a bright and vibrant red, each beat almost audible to her ears, the life-giving thump, thump, thump.

She didn't know the barrier had disappeared until Snow knelt down next to her, steadying her trembling hand.

"Mom," she gasped out, tears blurring her vision. "What if-"

"Have hope, Emma." Gently taking the heart from her daughter's hand, Snow White wrapped her hands around it and met those green eyes with her own. "Do you love her?"

Emma didn't even hesitate. "With all my heart."

With one swift twist, the heart came apart in two clean pieces, Emma sucking in a sharp hiss through her teeth as pain sliced through her like a strike to the chest. Her vision went black for a moment, hands pressing to the ground to keep her sitting upright as she blinked away the tears in her eyes. In the next moment, Snow shoved half a heart back into her chest, the other into Regina. Emma vaguely heard her name called out before she crumpled down next to the lifeless brunette, unable to fight unconsciousness. It lasted only a few long seconds, her brain groggily coming to as Snow shook her shoulder.

"Emma?" she whispered, eyes wide and afraid. The blonde grimaced at her, then immediately turned towards Regina, throat closing up when the woman remained unmoving.

"Regina? Regina…" She sat up, focused only on her soulmate as her mother sat back to give her a little room. Giving the older woman's shoulder a gentle shake, Emma waited, breath held, the urge to sob rising with each passing second. "Regina…?"

Nothing. Emma's breath hitched, tears spilling over her cheeks as she leaned forward, sinking against Regina's chest with a muffled sob.

"Regina… please…"

Her mother's hand pulled gently on her shoulder but she pushed her away, unable to accept that she'd failed. She couldn't. She'd only just found her, they'd only just… How was it fair? She grit her teeth together until her jaw hurt, tears burning at her eyes as a sob forced its way from her chest, one after another, Regina's satin shirt soaking up her tears as she clung to the motionless body beneath her. All she could hear was Henry's sobs, the boy collapsed in David's arms, each cry cutting through Emma's heart, just as painful regardless of the fact that she only had half of it in her chest now. And then- something else, a strange sort of relief blossoming through her chest, an emotion that couldn't be hers. She opened her eyes in alarm at the same time a raspy voice said,

"I can't breathe, Miss Swan."

"Regina?"

Emma lifted her head, pushing up off of the other woman's torso to meet warm brown eyes and a soft smile.

"Hi," Regina said, eyes crinkling with amusement.

"Hi," Emma replied, staring. Then she laughed, one short, startled bark of laughter that turned into another sob as she all but threw herself atop the brunette again, tears of relief pouring down her cheeks. Behind them, the others cried out with joy at her revival, but in that moment nothing existed outside of Emma and Regina.

"I'm okay, Emma," Regina whispered, eyes closing with exhaustion as she held the blonde to her, one hand stroking gently through her hair. Warmth and joy and overwhelming love flooded into her chest, the combination of both their emotions now freely shared between them. Tears trickled down her temples where she still lay on the ground but she made no move to wipe them away, just relieved to be alive and with her soulmate in her arms. "We're okay."

After a moment, Henry pulled free from David's arms and threw himself down on top of both of them, nearly bawling in relief as he clutched to his mothers with a death grip. The three of them remained that way for a long few minutes, broken from their moment when Snow gasped aloud.

"Emma, Regina, you're-" she pointed, alarmed. Henry scrambled off of his mothers and the others all moved closer to see that both women's chests were glowing, a soft, diffused golden light emanating from their chests just over their hearts. Emma pressed her fingers against the spot, confused, feeling nothing but warmth beneath the touch.

"What-"

"Saviors, I need your help."

The voice was like an echo in her head, and from the way only Regina's expression narrowed, they were the only two that heard it. Motioning for the others to stop speaking, Emma quickly climbed to her feet and gently lifted Regina with her, the two leaning together for balance.

"Do you hear that voice?" Regina asked quietly. Emma nodded.

"Yeah. Who's-"

"I am Hope. Please, you must help me. The Sins must be stopped."

They exchanged a look, the others falling silent around them as they sensed that something was happening outside of their knowledge. Henry just clung to Regina, attached to her side with no intention of releasing her any time soon.

"Where have you been? We were searching for you," Emma muttered, frustration sparking within her. Had they found Hope sooner, Regina wouldn't have had to die - temporarily or not - at all. The brunette's arm squeezed around her shoulders, a touch of comfort.

"I was weak. I had to gather my strength. The sharing of your heart has given me the power I need. There is not much time, Saviors. The curse will be upon you soon. If we do not defeat the Sins, their wrath will be unleashed upon the Enchanted Forest."

"Mulan and Aurora," Emma whispered in realization. There was a small kingdom trying to rebuild their lives there. They couldn't knowingly send the demon to ruin another world full of innocent people. "We can't let that happen. What do we do?"

"What you both have always done. Use your magic together. Combined with my newly restored power, you will be able to defeat the Sins. Please, we must hurry."

Nodding to each other, Emma quickly relayed the conversation to the others while Regina squeezed Henry to her for another long minute, stroking his hair as he cried softly into her shirt.

"I watched you die," he rasped, knuckles white as he gripped the fabric of her shirt with a vengeance. Regina pressed soft kisses to his forehead.

"Shh, shh. I know. I'm so sorry, honey. I'm here now. I'm okay."

"Regina," Emma whispered, feeling a tug of urgency within her from Hope. The brunette nodded, kissing Henry again before motioning for Snow.

"Take him, keep him safe, please." Snow nodded and pulled him to her even as Henry's eyes flew open in panic, reaching for Regina with desperate hands.

"No! Mom, I don't want to leave you!"

"We'll be okay this time, Henry. We have to do this." Regina reached for Emma's hand, linking their fingers together. When Henry looked to his blonde mother, he could not hide the fear and mistrust in his eyes, the look cutting Emma deeply. She barely bit back a sob.

"Henry, I'm sorry…"

"I will shield you from the Sin's influence, Savior. You will not bow to their commands again."

The promise did very little to help - the damage was already done from the way Henry stared at her, the memory of watching her kill his other mother fresh in his mind. Blinking back her tears, Emma looked to her parents and found nothing but acceptance in their gazes.

"You brought her back, that's all that matters," Snow said softly to her, before pulling the blonde down to place a soft kiss to her forehead. "Go. Finish this."

"Kick some ass, Em," said Ruby, the others echoing her sentiments. With Regina's hand in hers, Emma felt the magic rise between them, lilac smoke swirling around their bodies and spiriting them away. When it all cleared, they stood by the apple tree in Regina's backyard, everything quiet and peaceful around them.

"Is it here?" Emma whispered, glancing around with her hands raised defensively. Regina shook her head, taking Emma's hands in hers and giving them a gentle squeeze.

"I just wanted a minute with you."

"Regina…" Shoulders sagging, Emma blinked rapidly and sucked in a breath, trying not to cry again - because gods, she's cried more in these past two weeks than in her entire life put together. It was a futile attempt, because as soon as the brunette cupped her face and pulled her in for the gentlest of kisses, those tears overflowed and spilled down her already chapped cheeks.

"I'm so sorry," she whispered, chest aching with pain, still remembering the way those brown eyes had lost their light, lashes fluttering shut as she had collapsed to the ground, dead. Regina felt the echo of her pain within her own chest, their halves of their heart sharing every emotion, and soothed it over with as much love as she could muster.

"You listen to me, Emma Swan. If not me, she would have forced you to sacrifice Henry. Better me than him. You did what you had to."

"But I fell for her trick. I helped cast the spell. If I hadn't-"

"Don't. Don't blame yourself." She pulled her in again, kissing her once, twice, three more times, Emma's soft whimpers dying from her lips. "You were an idiot, but you're my idiot. And now we're stronger together than we have ever been before."

"Regina…"

"We can end this now, Emma. We can defeat the demon and go back to our lives… We can start our life, together."

Watery green eyes lifted to meet her gaze, guilt and remorse swirling in their depths, a self-directed anger at having hurt the love of her life at all. With a shove, Regina pinned Emma against the trunk of the apple tree and kissed her hard.

"Tell me," the brunette whispered, gripping her by the lapels of her red leather jacket.

"I love you," Emma breathed out against her lips, clutching to her just as hard, tears falling. "I love you with all my heart."

"And I love you." They kissed again, arms tightening around each other, pressed heavily against the tree for balance. "With all my heart, and now yours."

"Saviors…"

Regina smirked, Emma giving a watery laugh as they both pushed off of the tree and straightened up, feeling a new surge of energy rush through their bodies thanks to Hope. Holding out her hand and feeling Emma immediately link their fingers together, Regina smiled.

"Let's finish this."

The next swirl of lilac smoke set them down in the middle of main street, just paces away from where the demon - still wearing Regina's appearance in her Evil Queen glory - strolled leisurely down the middle of the road. Turning at their arrival, her surprise registered for only a moment before she snorted.

"You don't give up, do you, Savior? You should have just left things alone. Splitting your own heart? That just makes you weak," she spat.

"No, it doesn't." Emma glanced sideways, meeting soft brown eyes and a trusting smile, the rush of love and reassurance echoing in her half of their shared heart. "It makes us strong."

They both struck at once, hands thrown out as their magic blasted from their palms, Emma's white almost gold and Regina's red now a bright, beautiful fuschia. Caught within their magic, the demon screamed and thrashed, shock in her gaze when she realized there was something different about their combined magic - Hope. Hope's power thrummed in their veins and it burned her now, searing away at her darkness.

"No!" she shrieked, furious, pushing back with her own dark magic. Emma and Regina only pushed harder, stepping forward in tandem as the demon fell back and scrambled painfully on the pavement, the old wound on her chest bleeding profusely as their light magic overtook her.

"Get the hell out of our town," Regina growled, watching as the darkness puddled and pooled around the demon's withering body. She and Emma took another step forward, pushing every last ounce of magic they had, Hope's power flaring within them like a bright burst of light burning away every shred of darkness. The demon screamed, a raw and inhuman scream as it coiled up against the pavement, nothing but a thrashing shadow of inky black.

And then, in a bright flash and an explosion of light, the demon was gone, a blank and unnamed Dark One dagger clattering hollowly to the ground.

Emma panted, hands buzzing and tingling as she dropped them to her sides, sucking in great lungfuls of air as the rush of power just as quickly faded from her body and left her tired and breathless.

"Emma," Regina said softly, breathing just as hard. She reached out a hand for her, smiling brilliantly. Taking her hand, Emma pulled her into her arms and held her tightly, kissing the side of her head and laughing in disbelief.

"We did it," she gasped, the two of them stumbling and swaying on the spot, hands clutching at fabric and fingers burrowing into hair. Emma pulled back just a little, licking at dry lips as Regina beamed at her.

"We did it," she confirmed, breathless. "It's over."

They both leaned in, closing the distance and kissing each other hard, and for that moment, nothing else in the world existed. Nothing but the soft hum of Hope's power in their shared heart as the spirit went quiet within them, allowing them their moment.

"Emma! Regina!"

It was Snow's voice that brought them both up for air, watching as their friends and family hurried down the street towards them, Henry in the forefront as he sprinted for them.

"We saw the flash of light," said David, looking around for signs of the demon. His eyes fell instead on the tendrils of darkness rising up from the dagger, fear clutching at his heart as the shadows gravitated towards his daughter and Regina. "Look out!"

They spun, alarmed, without time enough to do anything more than jerk away in surprise as the darkness lunged forward and grappled onto Regina like a lifeline. Emma was flung back by a blast of energy, she and Henry crashing to the ground as the darkness grew and became an angry vortex whipping around the brunette, caging her within.

"Regina!"

"Mom!" Henry screamed.

"It must be tethered to a new host to be contained!"

Emma scrambled up, all but throwing Henry into Snow and David's arms before lunging to pick up the dagger from where it lay on the ground. She turned back to the vortex as Regina stumbled and struggled to see her through the shadows.

"Emma! No!" The blonde hesitated, clutching the weapon hard in her hand even as Regina tried to stumble away from her. "There has to be another way!"

"There isn't." The darkness swirled violently around the brunette, closing in on her with only one intention: snuffing out the light. And Emma could feel the fear within the half of the heart Regina had, a half that was light and good and deserved so much more than being smothered, not after everything they had gone through. Not after everything they had fought so fiercely for. "You've worked too hard to have your happiness destroyed!"

Time almost stood still. The gust whipped sharply at their clothes and Regina could only focus on Emma in that moment, saw the resolve in those green eyes and felt her heart sink in response. Regina's lips moved, speaking, her voice drowned out by the vortex, but her words were clear to the blonde.

"You are my happiness."

Emma smiled. Then she thrust the dagger forward.

The darkness grabbed hold of her and swapped targets, pushing away David where the man had tried to circle around to pull his daughter out of harm's way. Regina stumbled back into Snow and Henry's arms as the vortex swallowed up Emma in her place, screaming out her name but getting nothing in response. Slowly, ever so agonizingly slowly, the wind died down and the vortex petered off until Emma was left standing there in the remnants of black smoke, clutching the dagger, a stunned look on her face.

Silence suddenly descended upon the street, everyone frozen in place, mouths agape.

"Emma…?" Regina whispered, pushing away Snow's hands and taking a few tentative steps forward. When Emma blinked up at her looking somewhat sheepish, she rushed to close the distance and grasp the blonde by her shoulders, tears in her eyes. "Why?"

"People do crazy things when they're in love," Emma teased softly, her voice raspy. She held the dagger up in her hands, somber but unsurprised to see her own name now etched into the black blade.

"Oh, Emma…"

"I can do this," she said, managing a small smile. "I can fight it until we find a cure."

"Ma?" Henry inched towards them, eyes wide and upset. Emma lowered the dagger again, expression falling when he did not make a move to hug her. "You… you're the Dark One now?"

"Yeah, kid," she replied, voice barely above a whisper.

"You did it to save Mom."

Reaching forward, Emma gently linked her fingers with Regina's. "Yeah."

Without another word, he stepped forward and put his arms around her, hugging her tightly. Emma closed her eyes and breathed out, feeling Regina hug them both, their warmth enveloping her in the way it always did.

"Oh, Emma," Snow whispered, David's arm around her shoulder as they and the others moved in closer, eyes on the dagger in her hand with various looks of empathy and pain. Ruby and Granny lowered their heads, the former looking somewhat ill with unease. Nova looked about two seconds away from bursting into tears.

"I can do this," Emma insisted, voice strengthening as she met her parents' gazes. "I'm the Savior. I won't let the darkness control me."

"We'll be here for you, every step of the way," Regina murmured, squeezing her hand. They both shared a small smile, one that faltered as an orb of light escaped both their chests, joining back into one and floating just near their heads. When Hope spoke next, it was a soft echo of a voice, audible to everyone there.

"The curse, Savior. It is upon us."

The group turned all at once, watching as a tide of grey smoke washed over the town, spreading from the well's location and making its way towards main street at an alarming speed. Some of the others shifted uneasily, but Snow frowned and pinned Hope with a stare.

"The demon said it wouldn't take any of us," she reminded them, standing her ground. "We'll be fine, won't we? It will wash over us and disappear?"

"The curse was meant to take the Sins…"

"Who was also the Dark One," Emma finished faintly, realization hitting her like a freight train. Regina's hand tensed in hers, wide brown eyes finding her gaze as the grey smoke rushed towards them, seconds away from overtaking the group.

"No!" Snow cried out, looking to the orb of light for help. "Hope! There has to be something you can do!"

"I'm sorry. There isn't."

"Emma?" Regina clutched at her hand, the panic in her eyes mirroring Emma's.

"I'll find my way back to you," the blonde said, feeling Henry's arms crushing her in a vice-like hug in an attempt to keep her there. "I'll always find my way back to you."

Regina threw her arms around her soulmate and her son, pulling the three of them tightly together as the smoke crashed over them all. She cried out as the pressure of Emma's hand in hers disappeared and the sound of a dagger clattered to the pavement.

When the smoke cleared and the town was left perfectly intact, Emma was gone.