CHAPTER 7

"Ms. Swan? What are you doing here? I thought you were gone for good."

Emma shrugged, "I came back." Then she decided to go all in. She stepped closer to Regina, "I came back for you."

Regina's eyes swept down to Emma's mouth before she took a step back. She shook her head to clear it. "I have no idea what you think that means but I can promise you I'm not interested."

Emma took another step to close the gap between them. "What I know is that for the past month I've done – things." She looked down at her hands while she began playing with her fingers, "things that I'm not proud of. I started to become a person that I thought I had outgrown. And when I look at when it all started. When I began to regress to – the past I needed to find where it all started. And it all came back to you."

For every step forward that Emma took, Regina had taken one back. She hadn't even noticed that she'd ended up backing herself into a corner until her back hit the wall.

Now Emma closed the space in between them. "There's something here. Between the two of us. And I know that you feel it too," Emma's breathing had become ragged the closer that she moved to Regina.

Regina's heart was pounding in her ears. She knew this was a dangerous position for her to be in. But something about the woman was – for lack of a better word - spellbinding. "I have no idea what you're talking about."

Emma arched her eyebrow as she leaned her head down closer to Regina, "really?" She grabbed ahold of her hand, "Then what's this?"

A heat had begun to radiate from their conjoined hands. It began where their skin touched but it ran through the both of them like a current. It was a dizzying heat that made it hard to think, hard to breathe. Regina didn't want it to end. But she knew she had to. Or she would.

She twisted her body away from Emma until she was on the other side of her. She let go of her hand even as her body screamed in protest. She walked away to get space between them. She needed to remember who this woman was. She was the savior who was destined to break her curse. And that would also break her.

She took a deep breath to calm her racing heart. The more air she got, the more common sense returned to her. She could just imagine the hordes coming after her. Coming after her children. She couldn't let it happen. Not because she cared about her curse. But because the cost of it breaking were too high.

If it was she alone who suffered the consequences then she would be alright with that. But Henry was already becoming lost to her. And her little Luka. She couldn't even complete that thought. Her little Luka didn't deserve any of this. It was her job as their parent to keep them safe and happy. And she would do that regardless of what it cost her.

She ran a trembling hand through her hair, "I have no idea what you think is going on here Ms. Swan. But I assure you that it is not mutual."

Emma knew the spell had been broken. Regina was on the run from her. She just couldn't figure out why. She knew that she felt everything that she was feeling. Why not run with it? "You're a coward."

Regina bristled. "How dare you?!"

"This is real Regina. I just spent the past month trying to deny it and I ended up doing nothing but hating myself. There's something here. Something between us." What she did have for the first time in her life was someone to call home. And for a woman who'd spent her entire life without that, she would fight to the death before allowing someone to keep her from it. "And you think it's that easy? Just a switch that you can turn on and off?"

Regina stood with her arms crossed defiantly across her chest, "my hormones do not rule my life Ms Swan. I would suggest you stop allowing yours to."

The woman was infuriating. But Emma could see past her mask. She saw the pain but also the longing. Regina wanted this as much as she did. But she was fighting it and Emma had no idea why. Henry hadn't said anything about her being involved with anyone. And Regina herself hadn't either. So Emma was at a loss as to the root of Regina's anxieties. She nodded and backed away, "I'm going to be staying at the inn for a while. I'll let you get on with your day," Emma turned and walked back to her car.

"Mom!" Henry called out as he ran toward her.

Emma spun around and let out a big sigh. For some reason dealing with Henry just wasn't the same as dealing with Regina. Even though Emma understood that he came as part of the package, she still just wasn't sure about this new role that the kid had insisted on appointing her to.

"You're staying right? You have to break the Evil Queen's curse," Henry turned and sneered at his Mom. "So that we can have our happily ever after," Henry's face shone with excitement. He looked like a little puppy. If he had a tail she was sure it'd be wagging so hard it'd almost tip his body over. He was practically trembling with anticipation of this event he seemed positive about.

Emma frowned. She looked past Henry at Regina who in that moment looked so small and sad Emma just wanted to hold her. "Sure kid, whatever. I'm going to be sticking around for a little while anyway."

Henry grinned. He walked back over to his Uncle while glaring over at his Mom. "Your curse is about to break. Then we're going to have our happy endings back."

Graham cleared his throat and grabbed ahold of Henry's shoulder. He pushed him in front of him. "We're going back to the station until your Mom is done with work," He gave Regina an apologetic look and waved to her as he trotted off behind Henry.

Emma pulled out from her parking spot. She gave Regina a wave as she passed her by to head toward the inn.

Regina just stood and watched. Nope. Nothing was ever going to be the same again.

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO

Graham arrived at Regina's with Henry at about the same time that Zelena arrived with Luka. The kids ran inside and Graham and Zelena walked around the back of the house to have a seat.

Graham filled Zelena on what had happened earlier.

Zelena just shook her head as she listened. Her little sister had been through so much in her short life. Well, not exactly short anymore. But in her mind they were all still forever young.

Regina was the one who had fallen prey to their Mother's greed and ambition. And even now she was still paying the price.

"I'm telling you babe, this is it. The curse is about to be broken."

Zelena nodded sadly. She knew her sister didn't deserve the position she was in nor what was to come. It was just cruel irony that the one to save them would also be the one to destroy all they had. "It sounds like the story of Regina's life. A little bit of happiness, a whole lot of pain," Zelena rested her head on her husband's chest. They stayed that way until Luka came out to tell them dinner was ready.