PROMPT: Emma finds Regina crying, and when she asks her what's wrong, Regina tells her that she doesn't love Robin and it's not the right lion tattoo. Emma tries to comfort Regina, and Regina notices the Lion Flower tattoo on Emma's wrist and she puts all the pieces together.

Emma pressed the doorbell one more time, but no one came to answer the door. "Do you have your key, kid?"

Henry nodded, pulling the keys from his bag and unlocking the front door of the mansion. "Where do you think she is?"

"Maybe in the garden, I'll find her. Go upstairs for now, 'kay?"

And Regina truly was in the garden, sitting against the apple tree, hugging her knees against her chest. She didn't even notice Emma's presence as the blonde walked slowly to her, but Emma definitely noticed Regina's face, soaked with tears that were still falling from her eyes. Emma's heart clenched painfully - it was a long time since she had seen Regina crying; and then it was because of Henry, and he was alright now… So there was only one another reason why Regina would be upset.

As Emma came closer, Regina finally saw her and slightly widened her eyes, immediately trying to wipe her tears away. "Oh, I didn't know you were her. I must have lost a track of time." She started raising up, but Emma quicky sat down next to her and pulled her back down.

"Henry went to his room. He's fine."

Regina gratefully nodded as new tears made their way to the corners of her eyes. After everything they'd been through, she didn't mind crying in front of Emma.

The blonde reached out and placed her hand on Regina knee, gently squeezing it. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing," the former queen almost whispered.

"You're crying, Regina," Emma remarked softly. She paused for a while. "Is it about Robin?"

Regina lifted her head up and almost desperately searched Emma's eyes for an answer. "How…"

"I saw how you pulled away from him today at the diner. So is it?"

"No," Regina said, shaking her head. "It's me." She sniffed and wiped her cheeks.

Emma watched her, wanting to help her. "Hey," she whispered, making Regina look at her again. The blonde sadly smiled. "Tell me. It will help."

The brunette took a deep breath. "He was supposed to be my second chance. My soulmate, true love or whatever. I wanted what he represented so badly that I didn't even realize I didn't love him. I thought… I thought I would find a way eventually, but it gets worse every day. I'm not even able to look at him anymore."

"Are you sure it's not just a fear? Tinker Bell said the pixie dust had led to him."

Regina snorted. "I know, but that was decades ago. I was a different person back then. So either the pixie dust doesn't count anymore or I'm not able to love."

"No, no, no," Emma said immediately, shifting in her pose so she was sitting in front of Regina, her hands placed on Regina's legs. "You are able to love. What about Henry? Are you trying to tell me that you don't love him?"

"Of course not."

"There you have it. Then maybe the pixie dust worked, but you gave that chance up back then. Maybe now it's someone else. And maybe the pixie dust led to him because your true love hadn't been born yet, and it chose the most suitable person that was available."

"You know, Tink had to point out something that this person should have had. I mean it would have been more difficult for the dust just to search my true love without any clue. So she looked for something significant and unique."

"What was it?" Emma asked curiously.

"A tattoo."

"A tattoo?" Emma questioned doubtfully.

Regina nodded. "Yes, like the one you have on your wrist." The brunette reached out for Emma's hand and turned it up, letting her finger caress the skin where the tattoo was.

"I noticed it a few weeks ago. How long do you have it?"

"Um, since I was eighteen. After I had to give Henry up. I needed something to hold onto. I should have chosen a different tattoo, but I liked this one. And every time I looked at it I thought about my little baby boy, about home I'd never had… And it always brought some hope."

Regina slightly smiled.

"Mary Margaret said that it's like the flowers that had been on symbol of her kingdom, so it would make sense that it actually did bring me home. But she also said that there were snowdrops on the family crest, and I'd been told this was a lion flower."

"A w-what?" Regina gasped, immediately letting go off Emma's hand, staring at her in a pure shock.

"A lion flower. What's happened, Regina?" Emma was watching her, trying to figure out what had happened to her so suddenly.

Regina looked into her eyes. "My soulmate was supposed to have a lion tattoo," she whispered.

Emma sharply exhaled, searching Regina's face for emotions she desperately needed to see. But then she saw something that was very important. She wouldn't force Regina into anything, she wouldn't decide anything at the moment. She wanted Regina to think about this newflash and realize what it meant on her own.

But what Emma saw was hope. And not just hope. A relief. And if Regina was relieved that her soulmate wasn't Robin, but Emma…

Regina jerked forward and threw her hands around Emma's shoulders, comforting herself in the blonde's embrace. Emma hugged her and lowered her face into a crook of Regina's neck.

"Is it a good thing?" she whispered very quietely.

The brunette smiled and kissed Emma's cheek. "It is. It's a very good thing."