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Thank you all for all the reviews and alerts, it really means a lot to me.

This one took me a little while longer cos I had a small blocking.

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Not beta-ed. All mistakes are mine.

Chapter 13 – Fight or flight

The two women sat silently side by side not knowing what to do or to say.

Regina just wanted Emma to understand that whatever picture she may have of her as the Queen no longer exists. She just wanted the blonde to see she changed and she truly loves her.

Emma had an internal battle inside her. Should she hate Regina for what she'd done? Or should she ignore it all because she knew that the Evil Queen and Regina were two different people and she loved the latter?

"We don't have to talk about this if you feel like you're not ready"

Regina gave in and broke the silence.

"True love, huh?"

Emma said and Regina took the hint that the blonde was ready to listen what she had to say.

"Yes. I know it sounds crazy, don't worry you were not the only one who were confused by it, I was too. I mean, from all I knew my true love was dead and that was it for me. But when you kissed me and even before that, you made me feel something that I haven't felt before and then I knew that my true love was not the person I lost long ago. You gave me hope, Emma. Hope to be better, hope to love and to be loved. Before you came around I was just a former Evil Queen, but then when you showed up and I looked in your eyes I knew that I could be something more than what I once was, if not for me, it would be for you. I know that for you and Henry I'm capable of everything. I love you, Emma."

Regina finished looking Emma in the eyes, hoping for the blonde to take it all in and to not reject her.

Emma listened to every single word and for as much as she wasn't sure how to absorb everything she just knew she had to, because in her heart she knew Regina was telling her the truth.

"I love you, too, Regina, I really do. But everything is so freaking messy right now that I really don't know what I should do. I mean, from as far as I know my… parents hate you, and apparently the rest of the town, also. And I love you, but it looks I'm supposed to save them from you. I'm…conflicted to say the least, and for as much as it hurts me – because believe me it does – I'll have to do something I'm not that sure I want to do it." Emma took one long breath before continuing. "I don't know how long it will take, but I'll have to keep my distance from you while I try to work my way into this mess we all seem to be in. I'm sorry, I really am, but it's the only way"

Regina merely nodded. She knew she couldn't speak, she would simply break down in front of the blonde and she didn't want that.

"Goodbye, Regina"

The former queen silently watched as the savior left before finally letting the tears flow freely.

SQSQ

Emma sneaked all the way up to her room at Granny's. She was tired, both emotionally and physically. The last thing she needed right then was a bunch of fairytale people shoving questions at her.

She threw herself in the bed and even though the idea of sleeping was quite tempting and needed she knew that she wouldn't be lucky enough to have at least five minutes of it.

Her thoughts were plagued by everything that happened earlier the same night and most of all she couldn't shake away the memory of Regina's reaction to what she had said. Hurt and disappointment were written all over the brunette's face, and even though she hated herself for causing it, she just had to do it.

The presence of the mayor in her life would do nothing to help her make the decisions she certainly will have to take; the mutual feelings between them would only cloud her better judgment.

The moment she said to Regina she would keep her distance made her own heart break, and she was reminded of the day she gave birth to Henry and how it pained her to give up her pretty little boy – though she knew she was giving him his best shot, the ache in her heart was quite an insistent one.

She felt exactly the same and for a split of second she almost thought about not doing what she had just suggested. Almost.

She didn't want to be away from the queen, but she didn't want to be in the middle of the cross fire between the citizens and mayor, either – oh, but she knew she should, because the Savior, the White Knight was supposed to fight for what was right, and if there was only one thing she was certain of was that love was the right thing to fight for.

Perhaps, one day – and she hoped it would be soon enough – she would build up the courage and fight for what is right for her, she would fight for Regina – even if she was the only one who didn't think it was wrong.

SQSQ

Regina was curled on her couch. She lacked the strength to go up the stairs.

She had been there for hours. Her eyes were red and puffy after crying nonstop. She hadn't even thought she had so many tears inside her system. Her chest burned and her heart was shattered.

She couldn't take the last two words Emma said to her, before going out through her door and not even stealing one last look over her shoulder, out of her mind.

"Goodbye, Regina"

She didn't think those two words could damage her heart so much like it did when the deputy said them at her.

The ache in her heart was way too much for her to handle. Though she hated to admit it, the blonde's rejection hurt her more than Daniel's death.

Only after the curse broke and through the pain of rejection did Regina took notion of one little thing. Daniel was not her true love, he was the first one but not the real one, and still he would always hold a special place in her shattered heart.

If it wasn't for him – or his death, as it seemed to be the case – she would not have Henry or Emma – even though she was not sure she would actually have the blonde by her side again – and for that she would be eternally grateful.

But the time for her to let go of his memory and move on had finally come – perhaps it came far earlier, she just wasn't ready to admit at the time. She had battles to fight. Battles that for once would not revolve around vengeance for a long lost love, though surely enough love was still the purpose of it, she would fight to have it.

She would fight for Emma. She had to fight for Emma.

The Savior was her true love, the one she had been searching for her entire life. She would not just sit and watch the blonde slipping away from her like that. She would not allow her happy ending to get away from her so easily.

Even if she still wondered why everything had gone wrong in life for her, she could picture a time where things would end well – even if the road to get there was a rather winding one and there were trying times to come, she knew she could get there if she just stand up for it – because love was worth it.