Emma looked around after they'd materialized again. They wound up in the stables, and they were fully clothed. And that's all she had time to figure out before she was being pushed off of Regina. She scrambled backwards, understanding that Regina needed to take a moment to herself.

She sat against a wall and picked up a piece of straw, playing with it as she cautiously took in the brunette, "Regina?"

"No." Regina glared at the White Princess. She continued pacing, continued thinking. How was she going to get out of this?

Emma stood after another minute of silence and stood in front of her, "We can get out of here now. I mean, Zambrano's in here somewhere, he'll take us wherever we want to go."

"You're proposing we run." Regina rolled her eyes. She turned from the blonde, but turned back angry, "I don't run from a fight! I'm the Evil Queen! I antagonize and fight and ruin everyone's lives! I don't run!"

"You're not evil." Emma said simply, "We can run, Regina. Just for now. Just until I can get my parents alone and tell them to call everyone else off."

"No." Regina's tone was low, threatening. What she was threatening, she was unsure. She turned away from Emma again.

"Regina!" Emma grabbed the brunette's arm to turn her back around. With that move she received a slap to the face.

"This is your fault!" Regina grit through her teeth.

"My fault?"

"Yes! If you hadn't have come here, I would still be dead to them and everything would be fine."

"I think it's safe to say that you weren't fine before I came here—Damn it!" Emma grit her teeth as Regina slapped her cheek again, "Stop hitting me."

Regina's anger bubbled over with sadness, "You're right. I wasn't fine before you. But at least my life wasn't in danger. At least I was living."

Emma shook her head, "You weren't living! You may as well have been dead. You've done nothing for the last 20 years but watch our other selves grow up! That's not living!" She received yet another slap. And this time she returned the favor.

Regina pulled back, a little shocked that the Princess hit her. She started walking away, "I knew you'd be my demise. I just hoped it wasn't going to be so soon." She turned around at her last words and stared at the blonde, "Silly me. Someone as ruthless and evil as me… I should have known better. I mean… look at my track record. I fell in love with Daniel; my mother ripped out his heart. I tried to forgive, tried to move on, but vengeance took hold of me and I became the Evil Queen. The Genie tried to save me, I trapped him in a mirror. The Huntsman…" She shook her head, "I took his heart. And then you came into my life, breaking my protection, making me feel again—!"

Emma walked the distance Regina had put between them as she ranted and with her last sentence, she took the brunette's face in her hands and kissed her. "I love you." She whispered. The look in her eyes was not only reassuring, but motivating. "We can get through this." She started to make light as she pulled away, "So my parents are a little overzealous with their trying to find their little princess. So, they've found out that you're still alive. And so they've found us making love… So what? We can all sit down and have a grown up conversation about it, don't you think?" She took Regina's face in her hands once more, rubbing the brunette's cheeks with her thumbs, "I won't let anything happen to you."

"You don't have magic, just how do you plan to protect me?"

Emma smirked, "Give me my weapons back and you won't be asking that question." She pulled back and gave the brunette a cheeky grin.

"Oh?"

"I'll have you know that I am the best swordsman, best fighter in these lands."

Regina rolled her eyes, "That's rather unnerving… The best these lands have to offer is you?" She waved her hand, giving Emma her sword, dagger and knife back.

Emma gave the brunette an unimpressed look, "Fine. Die. See if I care."

Regina tilted her head and looked at the Princess, "You would care."

Emma suddenly turned the surprisingly light banter serious once more, "All too much." She offered the brunette her arm, "Let's try to calm everyone down."

~0~0~0~0~0~

They had played Rock, Paper, Scissors to see who would get to stay in their building and do an evaluation of their patient after he was brought to a room and who would go get a late, probably not-so-appetizing dinner from the main hospital.

Allison was the unlucky winner and had to do all the walking.

Normally, this would be a non-issue, but this day, after their patient died on them a grand total of 6 times and had a few more complications on top of that, the two women were exhausted and walking seemed like an impossible feat.

Allison came back with Smuckers Uncrustable sandwiches, apple slices, two different flavors of Sun Chips, a chocolate milk, a regular milk, a Minute Maid Fruit Punch, and a bottle of water.

By this time, Eva had made it back to the locker room, dragged her duffle bag to the adjacent side of the room where Allison's locker was, and sat straddling the bench. She was actually ending up lying on the bench as she found herself leaning all the way over, she dropped her hands letting them skim the floor.

"I'm back." Allison said softly.

It took all of Eva's strength to sit up and look at Allison, "What did you get?"

Allison walked over, looking in her bag, "PB&Js, apple slices, milk, juice, water, Sun Chips. It's all they had. The kitchen was closed."

"For good reason." Eva checked her watch for the time before she reached out for the bag, "Two kinds of milk? Fancy."

"I didn't know what you liked…"

"You want the chocolate, don't you?" Eva had a knowing grin.

Allison smiled back, "I'll have whatever you don't want."

Eva took the chocolate milk, a sandwich, a package of apple slices and a package of Sun Chips that she already knew Allison liked and set them behind her. Then she took the white milk, the other sandwich and package of apple slices, and the other flavor of Sun Chips—the ones she actually liked more herself, and set them a few feet in front of her.

She then reached a hand out for her, "Come here. Face me."

Allison eyed her as she sat close to Eva, narrowly avoiding sitting on the food, "What are we doing?"

"Well…" Eva pulled Allison closer and brought one of the blonde's legs over hers then put one of her own over the blonde's, "I don't know about you, but I can barely stay awake, let alone sit up to eat. I figure, if we lean against each other, we have a better shot of eating…"

Allison leaned into the brunette and kissed her, "I think I like this idea. This means I get the chocolate milk." She reached past the brunette to the milk bottle and opened it.

The brunette took a moment to chuckle before opening her own milk bottle, "Yes it does."

They had a total of two minutes of peace in the locker room before Chris emerged from the showers looking a little too invigorated, "Now isn't that cute?" He asked as he moved to his locker. He looked back at them and frowned, "Oh no, you're eating. Serena and I were going to get you nachos at the bar as your prize for being awesome with that patient of yours today."

Allison and Eva were looking at him with sleepy, exhausted eyes. Eva repositioned her head against Allison's shoulder, cuddling her instead of using her for support, "I think we need to take a rain check for nachos…" She felt Allison nod by way of agreement, "I'm sorry, Chris, we're just exhausted. We're gonna camp out in an on call room until one of us can drive…"

"No!" Serena came from the showers, looking just as invigorated as Chris. She'd heard the conversation to that point.

"Yeah! We're asleep on our feet… our asses." Allison said as she took in the fact that she was sitting.

"No… Not 'No' for nachos rain check or going to sleep. 'No' to the on call room. Let's be honest: They smell of sex and aren't really used for sleeping. And the beds aren't comfortable. I can drive you to whoever's—I assume you want to spend the night together—in one of your cars and Chris will follow then take me to the bar. No big deal. Right, Chris?"

"Yeah! Of course! This girl makes an excellent point."

~0~0~0~0~0~

Emma and Regina started making their way from the stables to the castle, but were stopped.

"Let me guess…" Alexandra called as she came down the field from the side of the castle, "She's surrendering. She's in pain. She has nothing left to fight for; nothing worth protecting…"

"I'd hardly say I've nothing to fight for." Regina didn't flinch when her blonde princess pulled her sword from its sheath. "And I'm no longer in pain." She walked forward a few paces and gave the princess she didn't know a wicked smirk.

Alexandra looked passed Regina to Emma, "Everyone deserves to be happy. She deserves to be happy. The least you could do is to try to make her happy after all the pain our families and allies have brought her, right?" Her eyes shined bright with tears.

"Alexandra…" Emma tried, "It's so much more than that…"

"Of course it is." Alexandra rolled her eyes, "I knew, if this happened, that it would be. And I knew deep, deep down that it would happen. I mean you felt nothing. You were stone. No curse lasts like that unless the cursor is still alive. I just hoped and prayed that it—" Her voice cracked, "That you'd never find her. That you'd stay as you were because…." She swallowed, "Because I'd be able to stomach the fact that it wasn't just a fantasy I'd built in my head and had crushed. I'd be able to tell myself that it was just because you had a heart of stone and for that there was no cure."

Regina studied the other girl, "You broke her heart." She turned to Emma. "She was the first, wasn't she? The first of them all."

Emma looked down ashamed. "Alexandra, I am so, so sorry. I know it probably means nothing now, but… I know how it feels now. I… I can feel now."

Alexandra let a tear fall, "I know. I can see it. I knew it the moment I saw you with her. She's the only time you ever felt."

"There's a reason for that."

"She cursed you!" Alexandra let out exasperated.

"No…" Emma swallowed hard, "She's my true love."

Alexandra pointed with her sword, "She is evil."

"She's innocent." Emma grit her teeth in anger.

"She's manipulated you!"

"She's the only one that's never tried."

Alexandra reared back in question. She never tried to manipulate Emma. She only loved her.

"Alex…" Emma took a few hesitant steps to the other blonde princess, "Whether you realize it or not you are just as responsible for your heartache as me. You tried to get me to feel; you said all it took was a kiss. You wanted me and I did feel connected to you because you'd been my only companion. I knew that if there was anyone that could break the curse it would have been you… But when it didn't break, you became the jaded one, the one that gets to place blame. I would have been perfectly content not trying to love… But you wanted me to love you. You tried to get me to love you. And I let you." Emma took a breath, "That's my fault and I accept responsibility for not walking away from you, but you need to accept responsibility that you wanted me and manipulated me into almost believing that your love would save me."

Alexandra let the tears fall free, "I've never not loved you, Emma. Even when we were little. You were my hero. And you…" She turned from her, away from them both.

"I know." Emma came behind her, "You weren't wrong, you know?"

Alexandra turned back to Emma, "How was I not wrong?"

"Love… Love did save me."

Alexandra looked into the eyes of the Evil Queen. She locked onto chocolate orbs; she would be able to tell if this woman lied, "Do you love her?"

"Yes."

All Alexandra could see was truth, a tortured existence that Emma always played up when they were little, but the truth. She nodded once before wiping her eyes and clearing her throat, "Your parents won't be pleased." She deadpanned as she looked to Emma.

~0~0~0~0~0~

They wound up at Eva's house. It was just that much closer to the hospital (not to mention the bar) than Allison's. Allison had opted to ride with Chris so he wouldn't be lonely and Eva rode in her Jeep with Serena.

They dropped their duffles as soon as they walked into the house, waved goodbye to Chris and Serena, and Eva locked the door. As soon as she turned around, she spoke, "They are so sleeping together."

"Right?" Allison asked knowingly. She was the first to move to Eva's bedroom, "I need to take a shower so bad after today. I might have to sit down inside…"

"I'll join you and we can keep each other upright like with dinner." Eva placed her hands on Allison's hips, guiding her to the bathroom in the dark. She changed the subject as she started the water, "I can't believe that he's okay. We did it. That was the toughest case I've ever had that my patient lived through…"

"I know. If I had any extra energy to spare I would have had you in a shower stall at work, I would have been on my knees and you would have been screaming my name. But I don't so we'll have sex tomorrow sometime. Maybe."

Eva had been chuckling softly at her girlfriend's words not at all surprised that the woman turned out to be a sex fiend. But it was the last word that caught her off guard, "Maybe?"

"I might still be tired." Allison shrugged innocently.

Eva gave her a look as she ushered Allison into the shower, "You'll still have sex with me."

"Oh great. I hear your confidence, Eva Zambrano. You'll get what you want. Just let me sleep for a day and a half first." Allison turned, shooting one of her best cheeky smiles before kissing the brunette's lips.

~0~0~0~0~0~

Emma saw the arrow coming out of the corner of her eye. She grabbed Regina's shoulders and turned quickly. She didn't have time to register the fact that the arrow grazed her arm as her mother's harsh, angry voice filled the air.

"What the hell did you think you were doing?!" She started making her way for Regina.

Emma looked down at the cut on her arm, examining it. Physical pain was still a thing she had to endure on top of emotions. Great.

Regina simply smiled that wicked grin of hers, "Well had you not so rudely interrupted us, I would be doing your daughter."

Emma looked up, wide-eyed. Of course, she didn't know why she was shocked. She should have presumed that Regina would be nothing if not catty with her mother.

Snow glared, "She's still a child!" She was angry with this woman; that this woman had the gall to stand there like everything was all right, like she hadn't taken her daughter's innocence.

"Oh, Snow, I assure, she is no child." Regina smirked, "She is all grown up and knows exactly what she's doing."

"Mother, Regina hasn't tainted my virtue if that's what you're thinking. You can take that back off the list of the reasons you want my true love dead. I've not been a virgin for quite some time."

"That's for damn sure." Alexandra muttered looked at the ground.

"Your true love?" Snow gave her daughter a look, "Emma, my love, you can't feel emotion, how can you possibly think that Regina is your true love?" She didn't give room for Emma to speak, "You want to know why? Because she's put your unfeeling heart under another curse!" She raised her bow, another arrow already in place and aimed for Regina's heart, "Tell me how to break your curses."

"Love to. Can't." Regina moved behind Emma and waved her hand in Snow's general direction, vaporizing her bow and arrow. She stood on her tiptoes and wrapped an arm over her White Princess's shoulder, over Emma's clavicle, her hand taking rest just to the side of the blonde's chest. She gave Snow a wicked grin.

And it was in this moment that a battle cry was heard. The four women turned to find Charming leading the brigade to save the White Princess from the Evil Queen.

Regina merely rolled her eyes and waved her hand. Their weapons all disappeared and Red seemingly had no choice but to turn human from her current wolf form.

She stopped running and stood, looking around trying to figure out what happened. When she saw Hook's hook had been taken from him as had his and everyone else's weapons, she looked down at the Queen all the more miffed. She growled as she got closer.

"Calm down, doggy." Regina waved her hand once more; a bone fell to Red's feet.

Red was unimpressed to say the last.

Alexandra accidentally let out a soft laugh catching no one's attention but the werewolf's. Red looked at Regina and Emma and back to Alexandra wondering what had changed.

"Well." Regina turned to Snow, "Your move. What will the White Queen do? You can't kill me. Not without killing your daughter." She chuckled at Snow's reaction, "Not because of the curse you fool, because your daughter will be left heartbroken." Her smile was all too superior. "You could imprison me, but… that's only if you can catch me. And I'll bet about five minutes after you lock the cell door, I'll be released." She paused a moment, "You could, for once in your life, leave me alone. But then, what satisfaction would you have?" She pushed from Emma and walked around to stand in front of her, "This is quite the dilemma, is it not?"

~0~0~0~0~0~

Eva was the first to wake up. She'd never slept so long in her life, but she supposed it was because she'd never been so happy in her life. She would be lying if she said she wasn't waiting for the other shoe to drop, but she decided to relish in her happiness while she could.

She slipped out from under the hold of one Dr. Allison Cameron and crept around the room, finding her robe, before going out to the kitchen.

She was starving. It was basically dinnertime the next day, so she decided she had good reason to be hungry. But dinner didn't sound good. Breakfast did. She moved around the kitchen and after seeing that she didn't have enough Bisquick to make pancakes for two she settled for a couple of hot pockets. Of course, she was going to make sides with them, she wasn't completely hopeless in the kitchen. In fact, she loved cooking. She rooted around her freezer drawers, looking for the pre-diced potatoes—she liked cooking, she didn't like cooking from scratch after she just woke up. She also grabbed bacon and a few eggs.

She had the hot pockets and bacon sitting on plates in her microwave and was moving the potatoes around in the skillet when she felt arms wrap around her middle and the sound of someone inhaling in her ear.

Eva turned and smiled, "I woke up because my stomach was growling. I figured you'd be hungry too."

"I am." Allison confirmed breathing in the wonderful aroma of breakfast, "It smells like breakfast. I love breakfast."

"Are you always goofy when you first wake up?" Eva turned from the potatoes to look at her lover.

The blonde gave the brunette a quick peck on the lips, "Only when I'm content in life and have a person keeping me warm at night."

"So starting now and ending never you'll be goofy when we wake up?"

Allison gave a double take to the brunette in her arms. She watched the blush form on Eva's cheeks and smiled, "Yuh huh." She kissed the other woman's cheek twice before Eva got the hint and moved for an actual kiss.

~0~0~0~0~0~

Charming moved from the pack of people and made his way over to the Evil Queen, though he was sure to keep his distance, "We have you outnumbered, Regina. Do you really think you can defend yourself this time? You obviously didn't even know your shield was down—"

"Based on the performance you saw in my bedroom?" Regina asked arrogantly, "I'll admit I'd no idea my perimeter was infiltrated. I was more than a little distracted. Your daughter—"

Regina didn't get to finish her sentence. Before she knew what was happening, Charming started for her, probably wanting to rip her apart with his bare hands. But what came as an even bigger surprise was the swiftness with which her White Princess moved.

Emma was in front of her, the tip of her sword against her father's throat. "Daddy, you taught me how to wield a sword, do you really want to risk coming closer?"

Charming and his daughter stared each other down, sized each other up, but they didn't speak.

~0~0~0~0~0~

"You guys HAVE to come to the bar tonight. You haven't been in like a month! It's our thing! Come on!" Chris tried as he threw his scrub shirt in his locker. He looked over to Allison first, having a sneaking feeling that he could get her to cave before Eva.

"Well it's not our fault. We've just had things to do…" Allison looked away guiltily.

Serena gave the other blonde woman a look, "Making sex is not an excuse to bail on your friends."

Eva gave Serena the same look that her friend gave her girlfriend, "Last time was our one month. That was important."

Serena merely rolled her eyes, "Fine. But no more important sex reasons. We still haven't even had those nachos."

Allison looked at Serena, "What is with you and the nachos?"

"Hey, it's not only her…" Chris said, "And yes, if you've forgotten Eva and for your information Allison, they are that good."

Allison looked over to Eva, silently asking what she wanted to do.

"We'll meet you there." Eva gave the other two a look.

"Yeah? Alright!" Chris smiled approvingly.

Allison decided it was time to give the other two a hard time, "You know this won't be a double date… I mean, Proctor and Tuck are still coming…"

Both Chris and Serena were unimpressed with Allison's words. They stalked out of the locker room as they were both fully dressed.

Eva walked over to her lover, "Now, that wasn't very nice." She had a grin on her face.

Allison merely smiled her own cheeky smile, "Sometimes I can't help myself."

"Mhmm." Eva obviously did not believe her.

~0~0~0~0~0~

"Emma! Emma." Regina pulled on Emma's shoulder after she saw what exactly Emma was doing for her, after she saw that Emma was willing to fight her own parents for her. "No. Put it down." She pushed on Emma's arm, trying to get her to lower her sword.

"Charming! Back up." Snow pulled on Charming's arm after she saw her daughter pull her sword. She watched Regina pull on Emma just as she pulled on Charming. There was something different; something had changed Regina over the last 20 years. And it obviously wasn't death; it was deeper than that. Then she looked at her daughter.

Emma listened to Regina and lowered her sword but not without catching her mother's eyes. She tore her eyes from the other woman and sheathed her sword once more, trying to distract herself from the intense stare.

Snow watched on with an acute awareness of what she was witnessing.

Emma could feel. Emma could love. Emma loved her enemy. Emma was in love with her enemy, with one Regina Mills.

What's worse is Regina was so obviously in love with her daughter as well.

How could this have possibly happened?

AN: Thoughts and feels?