A/N: Howdy! So, I am now 17… pretty scary, huh? I have been looking forward to writing again so here I am, on my first full day of being 17, writing another chapter of a beautiful love story. Life has just seemed a bit 'meh' at the moment but writing is definitely helping :)) HAVE YOU GUYS BEEN WATCHING ALL THE SWAN QUEEN IN S5 I MEAN WOAH!?

Regina,

Before anyone will tell you otherwise: it was for you. I'm scared now, really scared but it makes it a whole lot better to know that I saved the woman I love. I have no idea what is going to happen to my journey. All I know is I want your journey to be a happy one. Take Robin Hood and have the perfect family that you so crave. That you so deserve. Hey, maybe I wasn't the one to give you that…. But I sure am the one to grant you it.

Impulses are a funny thing. I just knew saving you was the one thing I needed to do. An impulse. I guess loving you was an impulse.

I need you to protect my family. From me. I can feel the darkness, Regina. I can feel it eating away at every bit of Emma inside of me and, oh, I want so badly to just hold on to her. She is the one who loves Henry, who loves you.

And she will always be in there… waiting for a day that will never come: A day where you can bring her out. When you break my curse.

I saved you now you save me,

Emma

Regina,

Hi.

Maybe we could have left it at "hi"? Maybe then I wouldn't be here now, crying because our "hi" went on for too long? Hi. We could have had mystery yet we chose pain. We could have had safety yet we chose desire. We could have had stability yet I chose love.

I guess now our "hi" becomes an even longer "bye".

And then they stop. The pile has ended. The envelopes are all opened and Regina is scratching at the ground with her nails willing Emma to appear out of the dust. No. No. NO. There has to be more! There has to be!

She rocks back on her heels, hitting the wall with a thump that does little to faze her. She is channelling everythingon Emma, as if thinking of her alone will materialize the blonde. Lost. She is so lost without the paper that told her everything about the everything that is Emma Swan. Her Emma Swan. The Emma Swan that loved her unconditionally. The Emma Swan that centred her world like a gravity that she wasn't aware was the only thing that kept her standing. Bye. She couldn't just end like that. Love just doesn't stop. Why does there have to be such a thing as finality?

What if Emma Swan was her end before she even got to say goodbye?

But Regina Mills is never one to give up lightly. She has a tenacious grip on anything she puts her mind to and will fight for it. Heck, she cast a curse to avenge that stupid princess. And she can sure as hell do that and more for Emma.

She tears out of her vault on foot, too fractured to focus her energy on magic. The woods stretch out infinitely as she plunders through, nettles scratching at her ankles and laughing as she stumbles over log after log after log. The edge of town, a microcosm of her whole world, emits a soft glow as she breaks out in to the road. She stops and breathes. One two three four… and then she's running again, fighting for a love that she may be too late to save.

"Regina!"

The brunette doesn't stop until lean fingers press in to her forearm. Snow's brow is crinkled in concern; a discarded drawing that doesn't meet the child's expectations. Regina pulls away and detangles her dishevelled hair, suddenly centred by an all too familiar voice. She smiles weakly at the petite brunette but fails miserably.

"Regina Mills, that was a quite a sight to see! I have never had you pegged as a late night jogger?" she chuckles softly, reaching out to grab her former step -mother's hand once again. And Regina finds she is grateful for the stability.

"I need Emma," she enunciates, inhaling sharply and turning away from the other woman.

Snow's eyes begin to dance with knowing and a small smile teases the corners of her down turned mouth. Miss Mills had always been a woman of intrigue but for once, the former Princess was certain of the answer.

"So… I guess you know now?"

"What," Regina snaps, pivoting back to face the brunette yet dropping her hand in the process.

"Emma. You know how she felt all this time?"

Felt. And it's enough to make Regina collapse. Her gravity gone; perhaps forever.

"She wrote me these letters. So many letters. And she cared, this whole time she cared. More than that, she loved me. And I didn't know! I had no idea-this whole time-she-Emma-" she's shaking, sobs begin to rack her body and she falls, the pavement cradling her broken shell.

"Oh, Regina," Snow whispers, drawing circles over the older woman's back. "How could you not see it?"

"I-I-I didn't think I could see it. Robin-and Emma- she's just everything- and I'm-I'm-"

"You're Regina Mills. And she's Emma Swan. Simple as that," Snow says firmly, pulling a shaking Regina up to her heels. "Regina, don't let a tattoo and some pixie dust define you. Emma let herself be imprisoned in a doomed relationship because she thought she wasn't good enough for you."

Regina snorts at this, "Emma Swan is good enough for this whole insipid town, and you know it."

Snow brightens, "Of course I do. But you're just as good enough for her, Regina."

A sniff elicits from the older brunette.

"I mean it! She has always loved you and I'm pretty sure you have always loved her. So get off your high horse and go and save her!"

Regina rolls her eyes, still watered from tears, "You're not my mother."

"I might be soon," the petite woman giggles, giving Regina a gentle push towards the direction of Emma's new mansion. Not a home. Not yet.

Her palms begin to sweat in a way that is entirely unfamiliar to the brunette, as the mansion veers in to view. It's just Emma inside. Emma who loved you. Loved.

And Regina doesn't think anything could ever hurt more.

She takes several tentative steps up the pathway before taking a similar number of deep breaths. Then there's the door and she can't breathe. Come on, you're Regina Mills for goodness sakes! The infamous Evil Queen and the even scarier Mayor! Pull yourself together and knock.

She stares and stares until her vision blurs and the three numbers adorning the wooden panels are like hazy blobs in winter sunshine. Now.

And she knocks. One. Two. Three…. Four. Five. And now she's hammering on the door frame attempting to reach her. Regina begins to trace circles in the window adjacent to the hulk of wood that is trapping Emma, or most likely she wants to be trapped. Sighing, the brunette turns away from the house, from her, and trudges back down the gravel. She has no idea where to go now; there really is no point in looking for someone that doesn't want to be found.

To her left, the great yellow monstrosity that is Emma's bug catches her eye. It really is disgusting yet Regina can never seem to hate it enough to magic it away- probably because it would be like magicking Emma. And today Regina wants nothing more than to crawl inside it and mourn the loss of its idiotic owner. She summons purple mist to her finger tips, enabling the door to click open and her slender form to slide in to the passenger seat. Smells of Emma and chocolate and burgers and even Regina's own perfume drift up her open nostrils as she smiles. Never underestimate the comfort of familiarity. And right now Regina has now been more grateful for the metal coffin on wheels bringing Emma back to life for her again.

She doesn't notice the note taped to the steering wheel until several minutes later. The stars had begun to dance across the sky; Regina enraptured by their motion as she painted constellations like infinity was her canvas. Perhaps it was… until she read the note.

Madame Mayor,

I never thought I'd ever call you that again. I thought by now it would be something more than "Regina". I guess no matter how far we travel, somethings never change. You're still the mayor that never loved me back.

I am trying so hard to resist it for Henry… for you. The darkness doesn't take well to resistance; neither does it take well to love. I saved Robin, Regina; I saved him because you begged me to. I SAVED HIM BECAUSE I LOVE YOU.

Hook wants to move too fast. I can't do it. I can't do any of this anymore but I'm going to have to. I don't want to be alone. I DON'T WANT TO HAVE SIT THERE AND WATCH YOU HAVE YOUR HAPPINESS WHILST I HAVE NOTHING! Is that selfish? Probably. I don't care. I am selfish. I'm allowed to be selfish now because I've ditched the hero complex and the red jacket: I'm the dark one.

I begged you too, Regina. I begged you to open your heart to me, to Emma Swan. I told you I loved you and…. You chose him. YOU COULDN'T IGNORE SOME STUPID PIXIE DUST AND A LION TATTO! YOU COULDN'T! Why was it so hard for you to believe in us? WHY!? Because I have been over and over it in my head and I can't understand.

I loved you, Regina Mills. And now I am going to love black instead.

The Dark One

A/N: I'm not entirely happy with this chapter but I am very conscious of time and how long I am making you guys wait- sorry! I will try and be back asap with the next update. A review would make me smile very much :))