A/N: Here is Part1 of Regina telling her story to Emma, enjoy

After Henry ran off to bed, Emma had nodded off. Regina tucked him in and came to sit back down on her bed.

She saw the way Emma's hair fanned out against the dark sheets.

She sighed, "What have I done to you." Regina wished she had never cast the curse, Emma carried so much weight around with her, but it disappeared when she was sleeping.

Regina pulled back the covers to get in bed.

Emma stirred, stretching her arms, hitting Regina in the face.

"Shit! I'm sorry!" Emma fumbled to pat Regina's face.

"I didn't break anything did I?" Regina just glared.

"No, I've fine. Probably just bruised, it'll match the old marks nicely…"

Emma's shoulders pulled in, Regina noticed her mistake.

"Emma, it was… I was kidding, I'm sorry."

Emma didn't move.

"Were you going to let me just sleep here?"

Regina looked across the room.

"You were asleep, of course I was, but… I did want to talk." She shifted her gaze back to Emma.

"Do you really want my story?"

…

Regina sat there nervously as she waited for Emma's response. Almost taking back the offer if Emma hadn't spoken up.

"If you want…I would really like to hear it."

Regina had opened her mouth to retract the offer.

Then focusing on the task at hand.

"Oh, right. Well I grew up in the enchanted forest as you now know." Regina would look anywhere but Emma's face.

Emma wrapped her arms around her legs and set her chin lightly on top of her knees in concentration.

"Yes, I know that part." Emma laughed.

Regina's face didn't relax though.

"I-my mother had plans for me. She had wanted to be a Queen, it didn't quite happen for her, so it was my job to keep the trajectory of our family name. I hated learning how to be a lady, I couldn't keep time well, I showed emotions…"

Regina clasped her hands and mumbled.

"I was always punished anyways, nothing was good enough."

She glanced over at Emma, whose expression had not changed. Seeing no reaction helped her keep going.

"But my father, he… was wonderful, he loved me, I believe. He would take me out riding, horses, and we would have a lot of fun. We did the things that a proper young lady should never do. My friends were my father and my horse, Rossinante, until the day I met Daniel."

Regina smiled in remembrance.

"He… was such a gentle quiet boy. Until I was rude to him." Regina laughed at the memory.

" He knew he could get fired, but he wouldn't let me talk down to him. He said that he was a person too, and that he didn't deserve my anger. I ran out of there angry of course, how dare he speak to me. Later mother had caught me late to another lesson. When I tried to run she used magic and bound me with branches, it hurt, because you see they were like sticks pressed hard into my skin, the clothes I was wearing didn't help much. Sometimes she would have to heal the wounds later… but Daniel saw." Regina looked lost for a moment till Emma reached out and touched her hand.

Regina shaking herself out of it continued.

"When mother finally let me go, she left me outside in the cold to think about what I had done. Daniel gave me his coat. And I was in love with him ever since. I was kinder to him and he was more understanding about what went on behind closed doors. It broke my heart when my mother killed him…" Regina's thoughts drifted. What would have happened if Daniel had never died?

Regina had forgotten Emma was there.

"So, how did he die?" Emma asked quietly.

Regina looked her straight in the eye.

"Snow and her father were passing through and your mother's horse ran away. I saved Snow's life. Later to find out my mother staged the whole thing."

Emma saw a flash of anger.

"And, I proposed, we run. Snow caught us, I told her about true love and the magic it can hold. I made her promise not to tell mother. She did of course, and his heart was ripped out in front of me. And then I had to marry your grandfather…"

She would have stopped soon anyway but Emma's hand grazed hers again.

"Oh, do you want me to stop?" Regina asked quickly, not wanting to upset Emma further, was this bringing about the blonds own memories? Regina didn't want to cause her pain.

Emma shook her head.

"Please go on. You just looked like…" Emma watched the way Regina's eyes darted back and forth between her own.

"You needed a moment." Emma squeezed her hand.

Regina blinked back tears and nodded.

"Thank you… I, I don't know if I can talk about Leopold tonight…"

There was an angry tremble that didn't go unnoticed by Emma.

"Did he hurt you?" Emma's voice quiet but Regina could detect the anger under the surface.

Regina got up from the bed and ran to the bathroom.