So, um...we're sorry for this chapter but then...we're not...

TRIGGER WARNING for everything.

Enjoy - or try to.

Belle looked up from the book she was skimming through when she heard Ruby yawn. The wolf had been carrying a lot of weight around lately. Helping out with Henry and Tamsin, helping Regina, and helping find out what's wrong with Emma. It was a lot to handle with no sleep.

She breathed out a tiredly and closed the book. Ruby didn't seem to notice so she was able to make her way over to her and take the book from her hands. Ruby looked up to her and reached out for the book, frowning when Belle held it out of her reach.

"That's not funny, Belle. Please give me the book back." Ruby sighed.

"I'm not trying to be funny. I'm trying to..." Belle dropped down into the chair across from her and laid the book in her lap. "You haven't slept in days. I'm worried about you."

"Don't be worried about me." The wolf frowned. She shot up from her chair, almost angrily. "Be worried about Emma. Be worried about Regina. She's barely making it through the day anymore. The kids..."

"And you're working so hard like it's your fault." Belle argued.

"Maybe it is my fault!"

"It's not your fault." She said calmly, despite the fact that Ruby was fuming and upset. "Arthur was manipulating you. He hurt you and he hurt Emma...and Regina. But this is not your fault. This was a rough patch in their marriage that a terrible man took advantage of. "

"A rough patch." Ruby chuckled bitterly. Belle stood from her chair, sitting the book down in her place as tears fell down Ruby's face. "Emma is in a coma. My friend is a coma and her wife is silently suffering. Regina is fallimg apart and there's nothing I can do to help her except fix Emma."

Belle closed the distance between them, seeking to comfort Ruby somehow. It was unsettling to think that if this affected Ruby this strongly she couldn't possibly imagine what this was doing to Regina. And on top of these problems, the former queen had to deal with the fact that her daughter was present through most of the tragedy of that night.

"Ruby." Belle whispered, taking the taller woman's face into her hands. Ruby closed her eyes, forcing bigger tears to roll down her cheeks. "You're trying to do everything alone. You were lost in another realm for far too long if you don't know by now that I am here for you."

"I-"

Belle shushed her, thumbing away more tears. "I wanted to be there for you for a long time. You were my friend."

"Belle..." Ruby started, shaking her head. This was no time for confessions but a moment to not think about her friends' pain was a bit relieving. "You have no idea what it is that I feel for you. I had to leave because of it."

"I love you, too." Belle said gently.

Ruby looked confused, sadness in her eyes but hope in there as well. "How-"

"I spend most of my days buried in books and I watch human interaction very closely. Did you really think I wouldn't see the truth eventually?" Belle grinned.

After a moment of silence, Ruby still processing what was just said, Belle wanted to give her some assurance. Something to help.

"Belle-"

Ruby's words were muted as Belle leaned up to capture her lips in a tentative kiss. The wolf kissed back raising her hands to caress her neck, pushing forward into the kiss. To Belle's disappointment Ruby's tears did not cease but from the soft sound she let out into the kiss the comfort , or more of a distraction, was helping. Ruby pushed forward, backing Belle into a table, losing a hand in her hair.

She pulled back sharply, stepping away from the shorter woman. "I can't."

"Ruby..."

"I can't do this. Not now."

"You need to forget right now. Unfortunately, your problems will still be here in the morning." Belle said pressing her palm to Ruby's cheek. She connected their lips once more even though Ruby stayed stiff. "Do this for yourself. You can be strong for Regina tomorrow."

"Okay." The wolf whispered.

Belle gave her a small, sad smile and nodded. "Okay."

Snow placed Neal in his playpen where he liked to nap, unable to resist smiling as David sat on the couch with Tamsin, blowing raspberries into her cheeks and her stomach and inciting adorable giggles and squeals. She leaned against the counter and watched quietly.

Having Tamsin helped distract them from Emma's condition. Playing with their granddaughter and being grandparents was a satisfying distraction but at times it was difficult not to see their daughter in the little blonde. A perfect mixture of Regina and Emma but now that they didn't see Emma, Tamsin just looked like her more and more. Those blonde curls were very distinctive.

Just as Tamsin let out another tickled giggle, there was a knock on the door. Snow pushed away from the counter and moved to get the door. She brushed her hand over David's shoulder as she passed by and answered the door.

As she expected, Regina was on the other side. Her appearance was startling and Snow had to keep from gasping as she stepped aside to let the older woman inside. Regina paid her no attention, walking in robotically and refusing to look anywhere other than down at the keys in her hand.

Snow and David exchanged worried looks and both silently agreeing that maybe someone should attempt to talk to her. Because the woman standing in their apartment now was not the woman who once was the Evil Queen. She didn't resemble the woman who had spent years by their daughter's side, saving the town and becoming a hero. Nor was she the woman who married their daughter that had so much light and vibrancy…and the sass that everyone was now missing.

This Regina? This Regina without her Emma was becoming a shell before their eyes. Consumed with unbearable amounts of guilt and sorrow, the former queen had lost a lot. She looked much thinner and tired.

"Regina, why don't you sit down at the counter? Stay for a drink?" Snow suggested. Regina took a seat without protest but it wasn't a guarantee she'd actually have the drink. Or talk.

It was terrifying that she couldn't even pretend to be content while her daughter was around anymore.

"Tea? Coffee?" Snow questioned, coming into the kitchen and pulling out the black mug Regina used to claim was hers every time she was over. The only reaction she even received was the woman letting out a strained breathed. She noticed Regina's trembling right hand and decided maybe tea would help more than coffee.

David tried to resume playing with Tamsin but she was distracted by the tv, not even noticing her mother had arrived and her grandfather couldn't really think any playful thoughts after the sight of his step-daughter in such poor shape.

If one could ignore the obvious misery the woman was in, maybe they could see the mayor in there. Emma's wife. Tamsin and Henry's mother. Maybe. But his eyes didn't show him mercy. It showed him perfect hair and make up and clothes on a woman who was withering away, eaten almost literally by guilt.

In all the years he spent feuding with Regina, he couldn't imagine now that he would've ever have wished this on her.

"Have you seen Emma today?" Snow asked gently, sitting the warm mug in front of the woman.

Regina sat her keys down and instinctively, wrapped her hands around the mug. Snow had to resist her own tears at the way the older woman's face crumbled and smoothed out within a second. Regina nodded in response to the question, determined to mask her heartache.

"Any news?" She asked worriedly.

"No." Regina quietly answered, shaking her head sadly.

"We're going to go visit later today. If you need us to take Henry and Tamsin tonight, we'd be happy to."

"No, it's fine."

Snow sighed and bit her bottom lip as her eyes connected with David's. She looked back to Regina, staring into the hot tea with no intention of drinking it. "Regina…" She reached out and placed her hand on her wrist. Regina closed her eyes tightly for a moment. "If you need someone to talk to, we're here. We're missing Emma too but I can see it's hurting you in far too many ways. You shouldn't hold that in."

For a long minute, there was only silence.

Snow worried that might have been too much to say. If it broke Regina in front of them, she's not sure what this day would end with. It was already too much that David had to go to work every day and see the man who'd pushed both Emma and Regina too far. If Regina broke down now, in front of her daughter who certainly would begin to cry at her mother's sorrow, there was nothing to stop him from possibly – no, unquestionably – murdering that man.

Instead of replying, Regina's eyes shifted over to the pictures opened up on the counter just off to the side. She swallowed roughly and pulled her wrist from Snow's grasp.

"You're moving." She said.

Snow looked over to the house featured on the page and the newspaper of house listings under it. Regina didn't want to talk about what was going on with her. "Well, yes…we're looking. Our family is growing-"

"You're having another child?" Regina asked, looking sick – or sicker than she already was.

"No. We haven't planned on it. We just want a bigger place to stay. We have two children and two grandchildren. We want to be able to accommodate our family. It's bit ridiculous to make you host every family gathering because your house can fit all of us." Snow explained. "Besides, Emma and David want a dog. She said you weren't fan."

"I would have…" Regina whispered. Snow and David's brows creased at the broken tone. It was implied that she would've gotten a dog if it'd bring Emma back, if it would have prevented all this in the first place.

Regina pulled her hands away from the mug and stood from the counter, forcing her keys into her pocket. "I think I should go. I have…work…to finish." She lied. "Tamsin."

David glanced to the child, fallen asleep with her thumb in her mouth. Regina spotted her on the couch and walked over, wringing her hands together before she gently picked up the little blonde from the cushions. He looked up to her, wanting to say something but nothing helpful coming to mind.

Tamsin stirred awake almost immediately and opened her eyes in confusion. She lifted her head from her mother's chest and looked up to her, seeming startled. Her face screwed up much to Regina's surprise. Tamsin pushed away from her and Regina put her down at her silent insistence.

"Tamsin, sweetheart, we have to go home." Regina explained, squatting down in front of the child. Tamsin gave her a hard look with her fists balled up, but she didn't seem to notice. The Charmings looked worriedly at each other, David standing from the couch while trying to figure out how to defuse the already tense situation. "You want to go see Mommy with Henry today?"

"No." Tamsin said, suddenly looking scared. Regina still hadn't decided about taking her memories of that night but she could see now that leaving them was hurting. "Mommy is bad."

Regina suddenly felt sick, face turning dangerously pale. She shook her head and reached out for the child who pulled away. She was devastated to hear those words. "No, honey, Mommy isn't bad. She's just sick. She…she's just…very sick."

"You made Mommy sick. You made Mommy go away." Tamsin yelled with tears in her eyes. She pulled away from her mother's reach and headed for her grandparents bed, curling herself into their pillows.

Snow followed the upset child, leaving David to watch Regina struggle to breath. Her eyes turned wet and her hands were shaking beyond her control. She hurried out of the apartment and David got around the couch quickly to go after her.

Regina darted out the door and pressed her back into the wall, trying to get a breath in but being refused at every attempt. The weight of the words her daughter had shouted crashed down on her. They were true. Every word about her at least. What happened to Emma was her fault and she did make their daughter's mother go away.

She sunk down to the floor just as David appeared outside the apartment, closing the door behind him. He knelt in front of her and reached out a nervous hand, never having witnessed this kind of anguish in Regina before. The moment his hand met her leg, she her body shook with silent tears, true pain showing on her face.

"Regina…"

She sobbed openly, pulling her knees up to her chest.

"I killed my wife." She said in the middle of her breakdown. "I killed her…"

"You didn't kill Emma. She's…not dead." David argued, edging closer to her.

"I made her go away." Regina sniffed, tears falling faster from her eyes. "I hurt her and pushed her away. I've ruined this family. It's my fault and I have to live with that forever."

David's face fell from its calm mask and he launched forward, wrapping Regina in strong arms. Her body felt weak and bony and she willingly turned in his arms, unable to fight to get away from the embrace. She cried into his chest and David sunk down to the floor completely, pulling the woman as close as possible without breaking her. He rested his chin on her head with an attempt to alleviate her sorrow with a gentle moving hand against her back.

"Everything will be fine." David murmured because he knew she wouldn't accept the answer that it wasn't her fault.

"Tamsin-"

"Tamsin will be fine. I think you should take her memory of that night. We all agree." Regina let out a shaky breath, unable to protest even if she wanted to. "This is hard for all of us but it's worse on you if you let this guilt take over. Just make something easy for yourself."

"I killed my wife…I killed her…"

"You didn't kill Emma. She's…not dead."

"I made her go away. I hurt her and pushed her away. I've ruined this family. It's my fault and I have to live with that forever."

Emma closed her eyes against the voices running through her mind. She wasn't sure how exactly she could hear this considering her physical body was undoubtedly still in the hospital and they couldn't have been having this conversation in her room. However, when it came to magic, she had long ago given up on the idea of questioning how things worked.

When she first came to Storybrooke, she would have never imagined that she would have married Regina, had a baby born from magic with her and then ended up in purgatory with the first Dark One who seemed to be spending her final moments in existence trying to torture her with her family's grief.

"Your wife wouldn't need to feel such intense misery if you were to wake up." Nimue said, sounding almost hopeful.

The woman seemed to be getting more than desperate and Emma would be lying if she said that she didn't find that oddly satisfying. This spirit had been manipulating her for months and now she was stuck with her as they both slowly faded away. Forcing her to listen to the sounds of her distraught wife and children though made Emma wish that she could have actually drove that dagger straight through Nimue's heart and twisted it as she begged her for mercy.

At the thought, Emma clenched and unclenched her fists. It was becoming abundantly clear that the influence of the Dark One hadn't completely left her system, the Savior would have never had a thought like that.

She finally opened her eyes and inspected the first Dark One. The spirit's entire right and left arms had dissolved into nothing. Though she was trying to hide it, she was clearly still terrified as the darkness began to bite away at the other areas of her body.

"I can't choose to wake up." Emma replied with narrowed eyes as the sound of Regina's sobbing continued to fill her mind. If she could just wake up on command, then she would already be running to hug her wife tightly. But even if she could do that, she knew that it wasn't an option if Nimue returned with her then it would have all been for nothing.

"Your daughter is afraid of you, are you willing to die knowing that?"

Emma swallowed hard and shook her head. Her head lolled to the side as she looked down to her right arm. Her left arm was already completely gone but her left had only disappeared to her elbow. Nimue was definitely disappearing faster than she was and she could only assume that it had something to do with True Love.

Her sacrifice had been an act of True Love strong enough to banish the Dark One's spirit from her body for a few minutes but it wasn't strong enough to do so forever. The comatose state that her body was currently in was the only way to protect the town from what she could have become under the influence of the darkness. Even if Tamsin spent the rest of her life thinking of her as a monster, at least she would have the rest of her life to think so.

When Emma didn't reply, Nimue tried again. "Your wife is going to spend the rest of her years thinking that she killed you, do you think she'll be able to live with that? She's not looking too good right now; do you think that she'll go back to being the mother that Tamsin and Henry need?"

"Regina raised Henry for ten years. She…doesn't...need me." Emma replied, trying to not allow tears to fall down her cheeks. She didn't want to give Nimue the satisfaction of actually thinking that she was getting to her, though she had no doubt that the spirit was still somehow connected to her psyche because she was smiling.

"No arguments there." Nimue muttered.

"Fuck you." Emma growled.

David stared into Emma's office, missing seeing her in there rushing to finish paperwork or eating bearclaws or playing with Tamsin on the days she brought her to work on a slow day. He leaned back in his chair and looked down to the bearclaw sitting on his desk. The sight and smell just made his stomach turn.

He picked it up and dumped it in the trash bin next to his desk. Not exactly sure why he thought that was a good idea. A nice reminder of his daughter that he hoped to see back in that office again one day soon? All it turned out to be was a reminder that she wasn't there because she was in a coma.

Footsteps pulled him from his thoughts and he looked up to Henry walking in. He was growing tall, growing older…thinking about playing baseball at one point.

"You wanted to see me, Grandpa?" Henry asked, dropping his bag to the floor next to the chair he took.

"Yeah…" David leaned forward. He clasped his hands together on top of his untouched paperwork. "I wanted to talk to you. How are you…holding up at home?"

"I'm okay I guess." The teen shrugged.

"It's alright to admit you're not okay, Henry."

"I'm honestly fine. I know things aren't good right now but I know Ma's going to be fine." Henry said firmly, leaving no room for debate.

"Okay, well…What about your mother? I want you to be honest with me about her." The teen could see the concern and worry in his grandfather's eyes. He could tell something happened. "Everything."

"She's…not the same." He admitted quietly. "She…"

At his resigned sigh, David knew maybe it was becoming even harder for Regina to keep pretending to be perfectly fine in front of her children. Especially, after the breakdown he had witnessed only a few days ago. They had stayed outside the apartment for over an hour before her tears ceased. He promised not to tell anyone.

"I guess that's the hardest part for me. I know Mom's trying to be strong but it's ripping her apart. She's sick. I can see it." David nodded, averting his eyes for a moment at the memory of how frail her body felt during that embrace. "She sleeps at weird times and only for a few hours. She cries a lot…about Ma. About Tamsin. She told me she still thinks she's the Evil Queen because of everything that's happened."

"We all know that's not true. Even as the Evil Queen she wasn't devoid of love but now she's capable of so much of it…Henry, your mother is having a rough time because she loves Emma so much. You know, that, right?"

"Yeah, I do."

David nodded and sighed. "Anything else?"

"Well, I don't really think she eats. She sometimes only makes enough for me and Tamsin…or enough for all of us, including Ma." Henry said quietly. "But I guess that's kind of obvious. I don't want anything to happen to her, Grandpa. It's hard on me too but if I need to be, I can be strong for her. She just won't let me. Always says everything is fine."

"That's the thing, Henry. You're her son. It's never your job." Henry's brow hardened, something angry passing over him. He found that to be a stupid unspoken rule. "It's my job. It's your Grandma's job. Emma's…Ruby's. Not yours. And I know we haven't been doing a very good job but we'll do better. None of us ever doubted how much your mothers loved each other but it was a surprise that's it has hit her this hard. She shouldn't feel this guilty."

"You promise?"

"I do." He assured. "In fact we're going to come over for dinner. We're not going to push too hard but maybe if the house doesn't feel so empty, your mother will feel a little less..."

"Not okay." Henry finished.

"Yeah. Not okay."

Regina just stood in the hallway.

It was exactly 1:02 am and she had no idea why she had decided that now would be the right moment to do what she wanted to do since that day at the Charmings' apartment. The thought of Tamsin actually being afraid of her mother made Regina physically sick and she had to hold back tears every time she thought about it. She had decided that she would have to follow through on Henry's suggestion.

However, now that she was standing outside of her daughter's room, all she could think about was what had happened when she had lied to Henry. She had been so close to losing him and the thought of losing another family member physically hurt her. If Tamsin ever found out the truth, there was no telling whether she might react in a similar way to her brother. But there was also the fact that Tamsin believing that Emma Swan-Mills was anything other than the Savior she had always been made the former Evil Queen nauseous.

If Emma never woke up, having one of her children seeing her as the villain forever would devalue her memory and it would only leave her child completely traumatized for the rest of her life. Just earlier, she had seen the little blonde flinch when she had performed a simple spell, she was clearly terrified of magic.

"It's the right thing to do, Mom."

The brunette paused in her pacing of the hallway and realized that she must have been loud enough to gain the attention of her son who never seemed to actually go to bed. She looked over to the lanky brunette and she offered him a weak smile, but didn't reply.

Henry knew exactly what the look meant. She wanted him to continue to convince her.

"Tamsin doesn't need these memories, they're not memories of the real Ma. It'll only be hurtful to her in…the long run…" He said, trying not to swallow hard at the end of his sentence. He didn't want to admit it but despite his hope, there was still the distinct possibility that Emma would not be surviving this ordeal.

The act of True Love had already happened with the Savior taking the dagger to the heart for her wife and daughter, if that wasn't enough to ensure her survival, then he wasn't really sure what would be powerful enough to save her at this point. He did know, though, that there was no sense in allowing Tamsin to remember anything. She was too young to have seen something like that and he couldn't really see any way that she would ever actually find out in the future unless someone decided to tell her. Either way if Emma lived or died, there was no way that anyone in Storybrooke would actually tell her the truth.

Regina looked over to the door and for a moment she allowed herself to take a trip down memory lane. She allowed herself to think about a time two years ago when Tamsin had a nightmare. She had woken up that night to find that Emma wasn't next to her, she had gone to searching for her wife. The door to Tamsin's room had been open and she found the little blonde curled up in Emma's arms as they both lay asleep. Regina had simply leaned against the door frame and watched them sleep for a good couple of minutes. She had drunk in just how adorably similar the two blondes were.

Now, when she woke up and Emma wasn't next to her, she would get the urge to go and check Tamsin's room. On the one occasion that she had actually allowed herself to do so, she had found Tamsin asleep with her face scrunched up as she tossed and turned. A hollow feeling had grown in her chest as it occurred to her that the only person who could possibly soothe the little girl was the very person who she was having nightmares about.

She took a step towards the door and looked over her shoulder, only to receive an encouraging nod from Henry.

She took the final step forward and pushed the door open.

The room was in complete darkness with the exception of the stars illuminating the ceiling. Emma had carefully put them up there as Regina insisted that she could have simply done the same with magic, but the blonde had been adamant that she wanted to do it herself.

Regina swallowed hard and looked down from the ceiling and to the bed. As expected, Tamsin was tossing and turning while making the occasional whimpering sound. The brunette took a few deep breaths and made her way over to the bed, sitting gingerly down on the edge to ensure that she didn't wake up the little blonde.

Regina simply watched her for a few moments, she looked like she was physically in pain and she just knew that she was reliving that night again as she had many times over. In that moment, she knew that this was the right decision. Her little girl was being tortured by her own mind and it was her job to protect her from that torture. Emma would have done it without a second thought if it meant protecting their daughter from pain.

The mayor closed her eyes for a brief moment and allowed herself to imagine what she wanted Tamsin to remember.

She saw images of the blonde staying home with Henry all night. She wasn't poofed away to the clearing and she never saw Emma do anything. She would remember that Emma had saved Regina when Henry had been told what had happened and she would remember sitting in the hospital worried with her brother, both of them waiting for their mother to come back to them. As much as Regina wanted to take away every bad moment, she knew that there was no way she could let Tamsin believe that Emma would be fine in the event that she didn't pull through, that would only make things worse for her.

Regina opened her eyes and then held her hand over the disturbed girl's forehead as she whispered a short incantation. When she was done, she watched as the girl stopped tossing and turning and all of her muscles seemed to relax at the same time. She suddenly looked more like the girl who had been asleep in Emma's arms and Regina only wished that was an image that could see again. She leaned down carefully and placed a soft kiss to Tamsin's hair.

"It's going to be okay, Mom." Henry assured as he stood in the doorway.

So it has abruptly come to my attention that we are at the end of this story. The next chapter will be the last, followed by an epilogue.

Withgirl and I thank you guys so much for hanging in there with us. Co-writing this has been a journey we've enjoyed. Hope you've enjoyed.

Until next time...