Okay, so, I know that this has been an unusually long break between chapters, but there's a really good reason for it! I have taken these past several weeks to do a massive editing overhaul of my story, and I am glad that I did. For those of you who have been with me since the beginning, there have been some important changes. Much to my chagrin, I actually left out some sections of the story that I never meant to. The biggest of these being the entire first half of Chapter 11, and the first segment of Chapter 28, and a third whose number I cannot remember; though, I believe it came before Chapter 11. Other changes include consistent tenses, and some new, but minor dialogue. I thank all of your for your patience, and trust me when I say these edits are for the better, and I'm glad that I took the time to do them. So, without further ado, the new chapter! Enjoy!

Emma sat up, pajamas soaked and stuck to her skin from sweat. Her chest rose and fell rapidly, and she immediately brought a hand up to cover her eyes, groaning loudly. The images of her dreams slipped through the fingers of her memory like smoke, and she was left with a sick, haunted feeling in the tight knot that seemed ever-present in her chest.

She flopped back down onto the thin mattress of her cot, running both palms over her sticky face. When she pulled them away, she felt a sort of grainy grit on them, and opened her eyes to look. She saw dozens of tiny flakes of burgundy scabs coating her palms and fingers.

Confused, Emma sat back up again, grabbing her cane, and hoisting herself unsteadily to her feet. There was a small mirror on the far side of the cabin. When she finally reached it, a small gasp escaped her lips. The long scratches that Regina had left on her face weeks ago, that had relentlessly refused to heal, that constantly cracked, re-opened and oozed blood, were falling away.

Shakily, she picked away at the flaking skin, and when she had removed a majority of the scabs, Emma found that her face looked almost...normal. She had four, thin, red lines running vertically along the right side of her face. As relieved as she initially felt at finally seeing her face mostly unmarred, she couldn't shake the feeling of guilt settling over her, like she felt that she didn't deserve to be in good health.

A long sigh blew out across her lips. Of all the shit she has endured in her life, this was perhaps the most bizarre. Nothing made sense, and she was full of conflicting and confusing emotions. Half of her just wanted to do what she's always done, and that was run. But the rest of her...she knew she had to stay. If only for Henry, but she had a nagging feeling that it was more than just the love for her son keeping her there in Storybrooke.

She limped over to the front door, slipping past it, and sitting down on the porch, as she was apt to do many days. The air was clear and definitely cold, and she watched tendrils of steam rise from the glassy surface of the lake. Emma shivered, remembering that she was still in her pj's, but not willing to summon the energy to get up and change, or at least grab her jacket.

The blonde propped her elbows on her knees, resting her chin in her hands, and focused on her heart and breathing. In for two beats, hold, out for three. In...one...two...How blind have I been? Out...one...two...three...After all, the trees are already changing. In...one...two...Maybe there will be snow soon? Out...one...two...three...The frosts have already set in...In...one...two...Getting wood to keep warm in the cabin is going to suck...Out...one...two...three...How long am I even planning on staying here? In...one...two...At least I'd be warm in jail...Out...one...two...three...Would Regina even let me turn myself in?

Emma sucked in a sharp breath, remembering everything that had happened the night before. She had sat outside with the mayor, discussing...nothing, really. At least, it seemed like nothing. Their conversation was small, and nothing had genuinely transpired. But that wasn't entirely true, was it?

Regina had told Emma something incredibly important. She had told her that she wanted Emma to have the chance to fix the mess they were swimming in. Regina told her that she didn't want her in jail, that it wouldn't do anyone any good. She told Emma that there would be a next time; another visit.

The blonde rubbed her hands over her face, blowing out a long puff of air. "What am I even doing?" she muttered to herself. "This is a good thing, right? Second chances are good things." Emma sighed heavily. "I don't think I deserve a second chance."

She stood up slowly, descending the few porch steps, heading out to the edge of the lake. The distance alone wasn't far, but the effort the blonde had to put in to get her body to cooperate was the true challenge. By the time she reached the water's edge, frost-glazed blades of grass crunching under her boots, she was panting slightly.

She knelt down, her own frozen skin barely registering the cold of the earth beneath her, giving her already exhausted limbs a rest. Emma picked up a small stone and lazily threw it across the water. She watched the ripples fan out, disrupting the calm reflections on the surface of the lake.

"Remember when you wanted to die?" she asked aloud. "Remember when you thought it would have been better for everyone if you just walked into that lake and never came out? If I had done that..." She squeezed her eyes tightly closed, swallowing at the thought. "God, if I had actually done that, let myself die... You know, I think it might have actually hurt Regina even more. Which sounds weird, but, if I had killed myself, then she'd never have gotten closure. She'd have never heard my sorrow, and Henry... "God, Henry. It would've killed him. It's still killing him, probably. He hates me, I think. I have to make this right, don't I? But how? How the fuck do I even begin to correct any of this? Well, I've kinda started, haven't I? I mean, I did apologize to Regina, and I am sober now...not that I had a choice in that matter.

"I showed Erika to Regina. I think...I think that was a good gesture right? And she said she'd show me Stuffy. Why would she be nice to me anyway? I mean, I thought she'd wanna beat the shit out of me. I did try to give her that chance last night, but... Fuck, she's probably right that there's been enough hurt already.

"Regina's always right, isn't she? I was a fucking moron to think that was a good idea. What was up with her last night anyway? I mean, has she always had hallucinations? I know that schizophrenia tends to show itself in guys in their early twenties, and late twenties for women. Maybe she's a schizo?

"But that doesn't really fit her. She wouldn't really be able to function, would she? Did...did I do that? Did I hurt her so badly that she's not even right in the head any more? Actually...I'm not even right in the head. I've been seeing Graham all over, and that's totally not normal.

"But...didn't she say that she felt the air get warmer when she saw her ghosts? 'Cause that happens to me too... Is that standard for people who see ghosts? Man, something's just not right. Something's happening to us...and I'm the cause, aren't I?" Emma blew out another frustrated sigh, picking up a fistful of pebbles, and chucking them at the lake.

"She touched me last night. Regina Mills fucking touched my face, and God... I felt so warm. I felt so deliciously warm when she touched me. I can't even describe... Well, since no one's listening, I want her to touch me again. There, I said it! I wanna feel warm again!" The blonde frowned deeply, her hand coming to graze her left cheek where Regina's fingers had resided less than twenty-four hours prior.

"She made me feel warm... Henry didn't, and neither did Mary Margaret, or Ruby, or anyone who touched me. Regina Mills...her touch, it just... It felt like...magic."

"I'm sorry...what?" came the confused response.

"You heard me quite clearly, Sheriff. I would like to drop all charges against Miss Swan." Regina's tone was steely, her eyes hard, and David still wasn't sure if that was the mayor's idea of a joke.

"I heard you, Madame Mayor, but...why? She..."

"What, dear? She what?" the brunette demanded.

David shifted uncomfortably in his seat. "She assaulted you. Rather publicly, I might add. I would advise you to not drop the charges."

"Of course you would, dear. I know precisely what you saw that day, having directly experienced it myself. I know exactly what Miss Swan did to me. Naturally, one would think that pursuing legal action against my assailant to be the most logical course of action, and it's true. Unfortunately, logic doesn't always seem to apply, even in a situation that seems as black and white as this one."

A crease formed between the man's brows, and he sank down into his chair after pulling one up for the mayor as well. "Seems? What's changed? What's different, Regina?"

"Far too many things for comfort, but I wouldn't expect you to understand any of them," she said carefully, lowering herself into the seat and setting down her purse.

"Regina, listen. I want to do as you ask-"

"So do it!" she snapped.

He waited patiently for her brief flare of anger to subside. "I want to, but I need a good reason here as to why. I need something pretty compelling to convince me not to arrest her and put her on trial when she's found."

The brunette scoffed. "You need no such thing, but if you're going to be so stubborn, then I have at least one reason for you." She narrowed her eyes at him. "My son."

David cocked a brow. "Henry? I'm not sure I understand."

"Did I not just say moments ago that I wouldn't expect you to understand any of my reasons for wanting to do this? But I will try and make you and your simple mind understand, seeing as you have no children of your own.

"Henry is a smart and sensitive boy, and I love him dearly. However, as much as he may love me, he loves Miss Swan as well. She has been his hero since the moment he found her...until she attacked me. He has had to bear the weight of far too much grief and anger since then. Can you possibly imagine what seeing his idol, his White Knight, on trial for attempting to murder his other mother?"

"So...you're doing this, in part, for Henry's mental health, yes?"

"Would you not also do the same, Mr Nolan?"

His frown only deepened. "I'm not sure..."

"Excuse me?"

"I can appreciate the will to defend and protect your child, but that's not justice, Regina," he said earnestly.

"Don't you use that word! Justice? How is there any justice being done? What do any of us know about justice?" she spat.

"Regina, you can't protect Henry from everything! You can't let him think that she can get away with a crime like that! It...it sets a bad example! He'll have to learn the realities and consequences of one's actions one way or another."

The brunette shot the man a look of deep disgust. "Is that how you see things? Is that what you think my son needs? He's not even a teenager yet, and you think that this is the way that he should learn about consequences?"

"That's...that's not what I meant."

"Oh, am I setting a bad example? Henry should see compassion and understanding, not the mother he loves thrown in jail!"

"Regina..."

"No! You don't understand, exactly as I predicted! No one could possibly understand why I, of all people, would want to give Miss Swan a chance to redeem herself. I know that you and the rest of the simpletons in this town could never fathom my reasoning, but here's a little piece of information for you, Sheriff. Miss Swan actually had a motivating reason for acting against me! She should have handled herself better, but, in truth, it was a misunderstanding."

"A misunderstanding? Regina, what kind of misunderstand warrants that kind of retaliation?"

"Nothing! I just told you that she should have acted differently! All of this goes beyond aggravated assault! It is far more complicated than you could ever know, and even I don't understand it fully, but I am trying to do what's best."

"And how, Madame Mayor, can you know what's best, when you haven't even seen Emma since the incident?"

"I won't pretend to know all the answers, Mr Nolan, but let's just call it intuition, shall we?"

"Intuition? I still don't think-"

"Good. Stop thinking. I am still your superior, Sheriff. I suggest you do as I asked. Drop the charges, and speak of this to no one." Regina said with deadly finality. She fixed David with a final glare, before scooping up her purse and exiting the station without a backward glance.

As always, you can find me on Tumblr at Writers-Dilemma. tumblr. com and you can find my amazing beta, Jasmine, at obligatory-regal-name. tumblr. com

Thank you all so much for you love and support! This has been an amazing experience, and I can't wait to see this through to the end!