After being banned from the secret meeting, Henry found himself walking around Storybrooke without a clear place in mind. He knew that he was going against his moms' orders when they told him to stay inside and be to safe. But can you really blame him? He was 14 years and he was bored. He was also curious about the contents of the box which, based on the faces of his moms and the emergency meeting that they organized because of it, must have serious and possibly had to do with the safety of the town. After seemingly walking towards the docks, Henry saw in complete shock how a portal opened itself and a tall man with grey hair and a burned face came out of the water. To say that he was afraid was an understatement, and when that said portal started buzzing again and a very tired and angry Rumplestiltskin came out of it, Henry knew that his Mom had not been exaggerating about being in danger. He slowly hid himself under some boxes and held up his breath as much as possible so he wouldn't be heard.

"Remember Rumple, you now work for me." the man said evilly. "All magic comes with a price, and your price is that dagger of yours."

"You control me, but let me tell you that what you plan to achieve will not occur. I have seen it not happening." Rumple sneered.

"Yes, so have I. It will not happen until we change some things." the man smiled wickedly. "After all, one of the perks of being the Dark One is that brain and magic of yours."

"With having lived as long as you, one would expect Mephisto to know some things about magic."

"Oh, but I do know Rumple." Mephisto answered him while laughing. "Still, I need some juice to pump me up and start the spell that I intend to cast."

"So I'm just a battery."

"More like a vessel." Mephisto said while moving towards the sea again. "You will come to my aid every time I ask and I forbid you from helping anyone. That, and also you cannot tell the truth." he finished while putting the dagger in his pocket. "Be ready for my call." Mephisto finished while walking right back to the portal and leaving an angry Rumple stare at the sea with resignation.

Henry was in complete shock. What he had seen had been both thrilling and terrifying. He knew his Mom's would scold and punish him for running away but it was imperative for them to know that there was a new threat in Storybrooke and that it was powerful enough to control the Dark One.

"That went better than expected." Emma smiled.

"Which part? The one where your parents were surprisingly ok with us being together or the one where you convinced the town of my innocence without much trouble?" Regina sassed.

"Can I say both?" the blonde smiled softly and took the brunette's hand. "You know that what they said is not true."

"That I am no longer the Evil Queen?" Regina asked softly.

"No, you are still her." Emma simply said. "I didn't get to meet her but, based on what Mary Margaret told me, the Evil Queen was a strong, resourceful and determined woman. In what she used those traits was her mistake, a mistake that she has spent quite some time trying to mend." Emma smiled and kissed Regina chastely. "And I think that it's time for everyone to realize this."

"You truly are incredible." Regina said in complete awe. "Whatever have I done to deserve the affection of such a beautiful soul?" she mused quietly.

"Hey, look at me." Emma prompted Regina while tilting her chin up. "You deserve this. You deserve happiness. Even if it is not with me, I will help you get your happy ending."

Instead of answering Regina looked at Emma and kissed her with all her might. She wanted Emma to know how she felt, what she felt, and how deep her feelings were. It was beyond doubt, Regina realized, that Emma loves me as much as I love her. Never, after Daniel, had anyone placed her happiness in such an important place, much less fight for it. Would she be able to do the same for Emma? Yes she would. Regina knew that she was a selfish woman, and to the rest of the world she would always be that way, but with Emma and Henry it was different. If she could she would give the world to them. But what she could, and would do, was give them the small goodness that remained in her heart. She would give them her life if it meant their safety. Regina was too overwhelmed by the level of love she felt, and yet she found herself craving Emma's touch. She wanted Emma to understand it all. She wanted Emma to understand all of her.

"Emma..." Regina husked while kissing Emma's neck. "I want..."

"Whatever you want I'll give it to you. Because it is already yours" Emma swore while moaning softly.

"I want you to place your hand in my heart." Regina whispered with adoration. "I have never been good with words and sometimes my actions are not enough."

"Regina you don't have to prove anything to me." Emma said a little scared of hurting Regina.

"It is not because I want to prove you something. It is because I want to show it, to share with you what I am incapable of saying out-loud." Regina promised with fervor. "It will not hurt me because your intention is not to do so."

Emma gulped, afraid but yet willing to do what Regina said because she understood the brunette's needs. She also had the same trouble with showing emotions and feelings, but for some reason it was easier to open herself up to Regina. Maybe it was because she had been hit and scarred so many times when showing she cared: Daniel, Cora, Henry and Robin were clear examples of times when Regina's love led her to sorrow. And, what surprised and made Emma love Regina even more was the older brunette's determination at still wanting to open up her heart to love again, at showing her soul to Emma and sharing their feelings and emotions. I promise you I will never let you suffer again, Emma promised internally.

Regina took Emma's hand and planted a sweet kiss on top of it while quietly chanting soft words. When the blonde's hand started to glow she realized that her spell had worked and that the only thing left to do was for Emma to push her hand inside. Regina looked at Emma and smiled lovingly while moving the hand to her own chest.

"Now you will simply push your hand in and go for my heart." Regina said softly. "Try not to squeeze so hard and feel the magic direct you towards its target."

Emma nodded, and after receiving another encouragement from Regina she pushed her hand inside, immediately feeling the physical barrier of Regina's chest expanding and making space for her hand. She closed her eyes and did what Regina had told her to do, to let the magic lead her naturally towards her destination. As the hand moved in she saw Regina's eyes flutter shut and grimace a little bit. Emma recoiled and tried to take her hand out but was stopped by Regina's other hand.

"But it's hurting you." Emma said worriedly.

"Not painfully. It is another kind of hurt." Regina said with tears in her eyes.

Emma understood what Regina meant the moment her hand touched Regina's heart. A white light surrounded the room and engulfed the two of them in its brightness. Regina opened her eyes and smiled brightly at Emma who looked completely shocked.

"This is what you make me feel." Regina said radiantly. "Every time you touch me my heart explodes. It feels and moves as if it had never been hurt." she continued in awe.

"That white light, I have seen it before." Emma said dumbly.

Regina nodded. "That light is very unique. That light is pure magic. Unpolluted and raw magic. It is the most powerful magic of all."

"I thought True Love was the most powerful magic of all." Emma said in awe.

"Commonly it is easier to find True Love's magic, but when there is True Love shared between soul mates..." Regina looked at Emma's reaction before continuing. "Then the magic that you saw is the result."

Soulmates? Emma thought in complete shock. I'm Regina's Soulmate? She looked at Regina and saw the love and fear of sharing that revelation with Emma, the fear of being rejected yet again after opening her heart. This woman was just like her, and yet she was not. She was her own person and had her own life, yet she was able to understand Emma without hesitation. They had even lived the same experiences of love and pain. Of being used and then dumped time after time. This made Emma realize that this woman had lived her life without even realizing it and that she had lived Regina's life too.

Regina looked at Emma's face and instantly saw and heard Emma's thoughts. She had read in Rumplestiltskin's books about this connection that Soulmates shared, but to experience it was too overwhelming. She followed Emma's internal conversation and went back to the time where the two of them had practiced with that truth spell.

(Beginning of Flashback)

After Emma calmed down from her moment of sadness, Regina felt that the air in the room had grown deeper. What had started as a simple lesson had evolved into a heart to heart that she knew for certain was going to change the relationship the two of them had. Regina gulped in anticipation, knowing what was going to happen next. She knew she had to share a burning truth with Emma, not only because it was part of the spell, but because Emma had done the same first.

"I married King Leopold when I was 17." Regina said while looking at the wall. "And things in our world were different than here. My mother never told me about sex and what one was supposed to feel. You met her, so surely you realize how little to zero concern she could have had on the matter. I was never able to be with Daniel in that way." Regina whispered sadly. "But I did feel the attraction and the need to have more than hidden kisses. Still, we always stopped before things went further because we wanted our first time to be special. I know that here your age of sexual awakening comes at an early age, but in the Enchanted Forest virginity was sacred. Most noblewomen remained virgins until their marriage, and only ever knew the touch of their husbands. So, imagine a naive, hidden from society young girl's fantasies about her first time. I wanted to feel loved, I wanted to feel connected, both physically and emotionally to the man I loved, reason why I was just waiting for was for our wedding night to take the final step." she hissed angrily and then laughed. "But you know that never happened."

Regina stopped her tale to see Emma's reaction. She expected to see pity or sorrow, but instead she was met with understanding and calmness. This made her soften her gaze.

"Instead I found myself engaged and married to a man that I did not know and three times my age." she whispered while tears started to fall from her eyes. "I thought that by being a good mother to Snow and being a respectful queen to him it would be enough, but the reality was the opposite: He also wanted a woman. But the thing is that I really was not one. Physically yes, I was capable, but I had the innocence of a young girl. I was naive and willing to please if it meant no more pain, which led me to think that the king would wait. But he did not." Regina was crying openly now. "We slept in separate chambers, and for the first months he came every night. Every night I had to feel him inside of me, hear his grunting and crying when he realized that I was not his dead wife. I felt like an object, like a slave that was only meant to receive whatever came her way. After he finished his business I was terrified of what had happened. I was so scared of being able to conceive and have a child with him because I knew that I would never be able to love it as my own. Every time I would have been reminded of what had happened, of how he came to be. That would have made me incapable of seeing him, of loving him as a child should be loved. Not only that, but every night I went to sleep I had nightmares where I could see Leopold's disgusting face. I did not want that child to be unloved. No child should doubt their parents' love." Regina said while crying harder.

She instantly felt soft hands caress her face in the same fashion that she had done before, and surprisingly she got comfort from that touch. Long fingers were stroking her hair and lips were kissing her face. It had been too overwhelming to share the truth with Emma without having something to anchor herself to. Still, knowing that what came next was more shocking than what she had already shared, Regina grabbed Emma's hand and squeezed it.

"I was so terrified of giving that kind of fate to a child that I secretly went to a witch and asked for her help. I told her that I was bound to the King and that I did not want to bear him a child. The woman, in exchange for protection under my rule and immense wealth, gave me a potion. A potion that would ensure I never have a child." Regina cried even harder if it was possible. "At the time I was young and desperate, and the mere thought of a child gave me these feelings of hate that I refused to have, so I did not hesitate to take it. At first, I did not feel anything because I was planning my revenge, but then the years passed and I felt such an emptiness that could not be filled. I knew right away what I was missing, and realizing that I was incapable of filling this need, to never truly have a child of mine, I entered a small depression: I realized that I would never have everything I desired because of my own hand." Regina chuckled darkly. "You can imagine the irony when I searched Rumplestiltskin and asked him to procure me a child."

"I wish I would have been there." Emma said fiercely. "I wish I would have been there so I could have protected you. I don't care if he was my grandfather, but what he did, hell what your mother did to you was wrong. You deserved better. You deserve better."

Regina smiled softly and kissed Emma's cheek softly. "But Emma, you helped. Without you even knowing it you gave me hope, you gave me love again: You gave me Henry."

(End of Flashback)

Because of their new found link Emma was able to feel all the emotions that Regina was having while watching her memories, and after witnessing their old heart to heart she knew that what they had would last forever. It was the second part of the promise she had made to Regina, the part where she promised her help with finding her happiness. Ironically, it seems that their happy endings were linked together and, without realizing it they had started to walk towards this day. Emma smiled. It was totally worth it.

"Reginaaaa." Emma said in adoration while taking her hand out of Regina's heart and grabbing her face. "I love you." she said before lowering her lips on top of hers and kissing her soul mate with all her might.

"You love me?" Regina asked in complete shock after that spellbound kiss. "You really do?"

Emma nodded. "I love you so much it hurts to now think of your life without me in it. I may be the Savior, but that doesn't mean that I'm not selfish enough to let you be without me."

Regina smirked a little and sat herself on top of Emma. "Then don't." she whispered. "You took my heart Emma Swan, and you saved it. It belongs to you now."

Emma kissed Regina reverently. "The moment you held me after telling you about my shitty past was the moment I realized how much I loved you. At the time I thought it was just friendship, and that I was jealous of Robin Hood because he stole time that I could be spending with you." Emma snorted in clear disgust at the mention of his name. "But now it's obvious that I was jealous of him being with you."

Regina nodded. "I think it is clear that I felt the same way when I saw you with Hook in Neverland and then again after we came back. What I thought was just hate for him turned to also be jealousy."

"You were really jealous? You could have anyone you want Regina." Emma said in awe.

"And yet the only person I could ever want is you Emma." Regina smiled softly and started to bend down. "I want you to be mine."

Emma nodded and got closer to Regina's face. "I am already yours Regina Mills. And I will always be."

Regina smiled lovingly and lowered her lips to make full contact with Emma's. This time their kiss was passionate and out of control, each woman craving to touch the other until oblivion. Emma felt Regina's weight on top of her lower area, and stifling a high moan she started to slightly thrust her hips up and down. Regina shuddered at the contact of Emma's hips hitting her core, and after it became too much to bear she lowered her hands to Emma's pants and started to open them. Emma smirked softly and used her own hands to rake over Regina's back. The skin felt soft and it made Emma moan while detaching her lips from Regina's mouth and taking them to her neck where she started to suck softly.

"Em...ma..." Regina choked in clear arousal. "Do not stop." she whispered while continuing to take Emma's clothes off.

Instead of responding Emma used her mouth to bite softly Regina's shoulder, which earned her a soft grunt. Smiling to herself, Emma kept going lower and passed her lips through Regina's breasts, which were still covered by her bra and shirt. Feeling them perk under her ministrations was encouragement enough to raise Regina's shirt and press her mouth over a mound and kiss it.

Regina hissed at the feeling of having Emma's mouth on her breast, and after enjoying the feeling for a couple of seconds she lowered her hand over Emma's panties and closed it in front of her core. Teasing it lightly with her knuckles she heard Emma grunt and push her body down in a clear attempt to get friction. She smiled to herself at seeing how much Emma desired her, the warmness of Emma's core a clear sign of her arousal.

Emma was so ready for Regina. She felt her whole body exploding every single time she felt a caress or touch. She was on fire and Regina was the only one capable of turning it off. Her fingers started a slow path on the brunette's skin, moving from her neck towards her lower back, goosebumps rising with every brush of her hand. During a long time she had fantasies where this occurred, and now that it was a reality she hoped she would make Regina be as satisfied as she was now. Seeing Regina's face of bliss was a sign that until now she was succeeding. Emma unclasped Regina's bra and again attacked her breast, sucking and licking them lightly while using her hand to pinch and move the other one.

Regina gulped and felt warmness spread between her legs. She looked up and saw Emma concentrated on sucking her breasts while enjoying the feeling of Regina's hand grinding with her clit. It wasn't enough to let her come but it was good enough to make her feel good. Regina took her hand away from Emma's hair and lowered it between them so she could discard Emma's panties, wanting that last barrier that separated her from the blonde's intimacy completely gone. When she finally had Emma naked from the waist down she looked in awe at the woman in front of her and licked her lips in anticipation. She lowered her fingers and got ready to finally penetrate Emma who had caught up with what was happening and was holding her breath in anticipation.

"Moms! Moms!" the two of them heard Henry scream from the front door.

The two aroused women were distracted from their bliss by the sound of Henry's voice and assumed that they had just imagined the noise. Nevertheless, when they heard the door banging they separated and stood up from the bed, both frustrated beyond compare.

"I swear that if it's not a life or death situation I will kill the kid myself." Emma groaned while looking for her discarded panties and pants.

Regina did not answer her, merely locating her clothes and quickly putting them on, none the less checking herself on the mirror to see if she was presentable enough. Last thing she wanted to do was to scar her son for life with the image of the two of them together in a compromised position.

"We have not told Henry." Regina realized. "About us being together."

"Shit, you are right." Emma cursed and got herself a scolding look from Regina. "Since he ruined the mood I guess we can tell him now."

Regina nodded, and after softly kissing the blonde one last time the two of them made their way downstairs in a complete mess and saw a very ruffled and scared looking Henry search for them.

"Henry!" Regina screamed. "I thought you were in your room!" she choked out, confused by her arousal mixed with the fear of knowing Henry had been gone.

Henry shrugged. "I'm sorry, but I got bored and left."

"Henry you promised us." Emma said disappointed.

"I know I did, but I thought Mom was exaggerating."

"You thought?" Emma asked while suspiciously looking at him. "What made you change your mind."

"I saw my grandpa talking with another man on the docks." he said quietly.

"David?" Regina asked. "Nothing suspicious or wrong with that I guess."

"My other grandpa. " Henry said.

"Mr. Gold was at the docks?!" Emma screamed. "He pretended to leave town so we wouldn't find him. What an ass."

"No Ma." Henry stopped her. "He said he was being controlled by the other man because the other man held his dagger."

"So the imp lost his dagger. Again." Regina scoffed. "Seriously, he should be more careful with it."

"Mom, the old man with the burned face stole it from him."

Regina flinched. "Burned face?" she asked with a small voice.

"Wait, you know who Henry is talking about?" Emma asked worriedly.

"He gave his name, am I right?" Regina asked Henry.

He nodded. "He said his name was Mephisto."

Emma saw all sign of life disappear from Regina's face. Whomever this Mephisto guy was, he was clearly powerful. Probably more than Mr. Gold himself. These were very bad news indeed.

"You know him?" Emma asked a shocked Regina.

"Everyone does." Regina said. "Mephisto is just the short name of Mephistopheles, the devil himself."