Chapter 6

Regina sat, fingers tapping the glass that her hand encircled. Maybe this was a mistake. It would be so easy to return to Emma's room and start again; she could still erase all this. Change her memories and take her heart again, bury it in her vault. And then she wouldn't have to be alone, she thought.

She sighed because she knew, even if she did use magic to trick Emma into staying…again, she would still be alone. She'd learnt from her own mother how not to love, and how if you held too tight you would only drive people away. And if you were tricked into loving a person, it really wasn't love at all. True love wasn't something you could create, without any amount of magic.

In a sudden moment of frustration, Regina picked up her glass and threw it against the wall, watching it smash against the wall and shatter over the floor before she put her head in her hands. She'd always used magic. It solved everything. There was nothing she couldn't do without her power. And now…now, it had betrayed her.

What hurt the most was this wasn't the first time she had felt like this, so why did she keep blindly using magic, thinking it would change things? It hadn't killed Snow White, because she had had true love, it hadn't been able to bring Daniel back from the dead, it had soured her relationship with her mother deeply, she hadn't even been able to keep that little boy, Owen, in Storybrooke with magic; his own love for his father too powerful.

She sighed; it seemed everyone had something more powerful than magic besides her; true love. She'd thought she could live without it, power trumping every human emotion, but almost as soon as she'd landed in this world, this town, she'd realised how wrong she had been.

"Regina?" a small but steady voice interrupted her thoughts.

She pulled her head out of her hands quickly and tried to compose herself as she saw the blonde standing awkwardly in the doorway, "Hey," she said, a little stupidly.

Emma smiled, "Hey," she echoed as she took a few tentative steps forward, spotting the smashed glass, "What happened?"

Regina followed her eyes onto the pieces of glass strewn over the floor, cursing herself internally, the noise must have woken the younger woman, she shrugged in answer.

"You threw it," it wasn't a question so Regina just shrugged again, "Are you okay?"

Regina looked at Emma incredulously, after everything, why was there still that tenderness in those forest green eyes. Regina frowned, "I'm fine," she lied, before hesitating, "What about you?"

Emma ran a hand through her hand as she moved closer to the older woman, "Headache's gone," she smiled as she pulled out the chair next to Regina and sat down, "I don't know though," her brow furrowed, "I know you think it was just the magic, but I still…feel for you," she paused, "It hasn't gone away," she finished, slowly.

Regina frowned, "It hasn't?"

Emma shook her head, "Nope," she said simply, as her hand found Regina's, "I mean, I'm not exactly a fan of the way you took my heart to keep me here, not that I really understand how that's possible – "

"It's magi – "

Emma held up a hand, "I know, it's magic. But where I come from, magic is just from some land of fairy tale's, it's not real. Real people don't have magic. I thought maybe I was losing my mind… I don't know, maybe I am," she stopped and her shoulders dropped, "I mean…you're human, right?"

Regina nodded, "I'm human. And you're not losing your mind, Emma," to prove it, she flicked her wrist at the broken pieces of glass at the ground which reassembled themselves perfectly on the table, down to the last few drops of whiskey that had resided there before the smash. She couldn't help smiling at the wonder if Emma's eyes.

Emma blinked a few times, staring at the glass, "Right. Is that why you won't let me go into town?" she asked quietly, "Does everyone here have magic?"

Regina was taken aback by the question and stuttered, "Well…well," she sighed, "Not exactly. Not anymore," she sighed, continuing at the quizzical look on the blonde's face, "I took it away," she said softly.

"You took it away?" Emma repeated slowly, "Why would you do that?"

Regina hung her head for a moment, before raising it to meet those eyes again, and reached a hand to gently cup the other's woman's cheek, "I'm not a nice person," she almost whispered.

Emma tilted her head and half-nuzzled into the older woman's hand; it felt nice to be touched by her again, "I don't believe that," she whispered back, lightly pecking the palm of Regina's hand.

Regina's eyes widened, "Even after…after I – "

"You're just scared to be alone," Emma replied matter of factly and when, seeing the fear that entered Regina's eyes added, "But you're not alone now."

Regina grimaced, too afraid to hope, "But you don't want to stay, not really. Not now," it wasn't a question, more of a resignation, though she tried to hide the defeat in her tone.

Emma pulled Regina's hand from her cheek and ran it down her body, leaving it to rest over her chest, "Feel that?" she asked, "I have my heart now, right? I want to stay."

Regina's fingers tingled feeling the pulse under her hand and she couldn't help herself; she surged forward and pressed her lips against Emma's, one hand still resting on her heart and the other gripping her behind the ear and pulling her close. Emma responded eagerly for a few moments before she pulled away, licking her lips as she looked into Regina's dark eyes, pupils slightly more dilated than usual.

"But things have to be different, you can't keep me locked up in here, Regina," she said, a little nervously, tracing her fingers over the hand that the brunette still held over her heart, "I need to go out, I've hardly seen the town, I – "

"I know," Regina said lowly, "I know. This town…it's complicated. Nobody new ever comes here… not since… and not… not until now."

Emma's face wrinkled as she tried to understand these half-cut sentences, "Regina, what is this place?"

Regina sighed, "I'll tell you. Then you can really decide if you want to stay or not."