Emma puts her hand in my neck and pulls me a little closer to her, even though I thought it was not possible. She strokes my lower lip with her tongue demanding and I grant her entrance.

It is pure madness, even if it is not real...

I sink more and more into the kiss. With closed eyes, I perceive every little movement between us, feel your breath, which passes into mine and her heartbeat, which is also much too fast...

...And slowly...

... I realize that what I am doing right now is not wishful thinking.

I'm really kissing Emma right now and she's returning my kiss, even intensifying it. For the moment I ignore the questions in my head like what does this mean? if maybe she does have feelings for me? or is she just so hurt that she needs this?

Questions upon questions, but I simply enjoy the seconds in which I am closer to Emma than ever before.

I can't say how long this kiss has lasted now, but it is the best kiss of my life. If I hadn't been sure I loved her before the kiss, I definitely would be now. Never in my life, have I had such intense feelings for someone, not even Daniel...

Normally, every thought of him makes me sad, but not at this moment, which fills me with an incredible feeling of happiness. I start to smile into the, by now stormy, kiss, which dissolves in a split second, so that the kiss does not stop. The desire to be able to stay in this moment forever is overwhelming as the fear, of rejection, becomes stronger again. New questions creep into my head... What if there will never be such closeness again? What if she regrets the kiss? What if she doesn't like it? Then she would have broken it off... What if she runs away again? Or she ends our friendship? What if I hurt her with it? What if she really just needs this right now because she's so hurt? Oh god, what if it's really like that? Then I'm basically taking advantage of your situation right now...

With this thought that won't let me go, I break away from her and look down at the floor. A tear runs down my cheek and I don't manage to look at Emma, who is trying to get her breathing under control again.

I'm so sorry Emma, please forget what just happened..." I barely manage to say before I turn around, run outside and start crying. I hear Emma calling for me, but I just keep running.

What have I done? I put everything on the line, and all because I couldn't control myself, because I thought it was a daydream and I let myself fall into it. What am I supposed to do now? I can't fix this, and she won't forget it either. It should not have happened. My entire feeling of happiness, which I felt so strongly earlier, has now disappeared and deep despair spreads through me.

Because of all the thoughts in my head, I overlook a branch and stumble, but can just keep me on my feet.

Only now do I notice that I am still dressed only in a towel. It's a miracle that it's still there and hasn't come off my body when I kiss it or run away. No sooner do I realize this than I start to freeze badly. My wet hair whips me, by the wind again and again in the face, which feels like torn. The tears, which are dried by the wind, stick to my skin and probably cause the torn feeling. I ignore the trembling of my body and sat down on a nearest rock, only to think further about everything and not yet have to face the consequences.

Emma's view

Regina, please wait," I call after her. I want to tell her that I don't want to forget the indescribably beautiful kiss. That I have fallen in love with her. I want to run after her, when the thought of our conversation the other day at the cliff comes back to my mind. Regina was not well and had been staring at the lake for a long time. I asked her what was wrong with her, since she had had such deep black circles under her eyes. She said it was only because she didn't sleep enough.

I don't believe you. I believe that you haven't slept well the last few days, it's obvious. But there's something else, something that's bothering you even more." Had I said to her...

"No, I can't tell you, that would change something between us and I can't risk that."

Did she say to me, was that it, did she want to hide from me that she also has feelings for me? I begin to believe it, which makes me her words

I... So... I'll tell you..." "I have fallen... ...in love..."

"Not if the love is not returned..."

also come to mind again.

She had dodged my question about who the person was, but I had assumed at the time that I knew him, but not that I could be the person... How blind I must have been. Henry's action, which Regina had told me about, I now see with different eyes. Did he suspect that there might be feelings between us? Had he planned this not because he wanted a real family, but because he wanted to help us? Did Ruby know about it? If so, why didn't she say anything? None of that matters now anyway, I need to find Regina and talk to her.

My heart, which was broken with the sentence 'I have fallen in love', is suddenly put back together again, the pain goes away and I suddenly feel light and carefree. Even the letter from my parents falls into the background. For this moment, only Regina and my love for her is of importance.

At once I run, keep a lookout for her and think about where she might have run to. I absolutely have to find her, I finally have to tell her the truth, I should have done it much earlier. We both could have been spared so much suffering, so the saying 'love makes blind' actually has some truth to it, who would have thought that. Of course I was in love before, with Neal, Henry's father, but you just couldn't compare. My love for Regina is stronger, more intense and takes my mind away. She is more than I ever dared to dream.

Regina's view

I don't know how long I've been sitting here blaming myself and crying... My heart hurts so much... I know many types of pain, but I don't know this one and it scares me. Which is not surprising because the pain comes in a different form every time. You think you are prepared for it the next time, but you are wrong, because the pain is different every time, even if it is in the same place. I had to learn this the hard way, because the pain hit me every single time unprepared and every time it overwhelmed me.

Suddenly someone puts a jacket over my bare shoulders, I flinch before I hear the melodious voice of Emma.

There you are Regina, why did you run away? We need to stop running from each other all the time!"

I look up and see a loving smile on her lips. Why is she smiling? I must have hurt her... Emma sits down by me and puts her hand on mine, intertwining them.

I'm sorry, Emma," I can't say more as a wave of guilt overtakes me again.

"I'm not." She says and I look at her questioningly.

It took me a long time to put the pieces of the puzzle together and realize what I really want, to see what I have and what I could lose. Before Henry brought me to Storybrooke, I was alone. But he saved me, through him I found a family, our wonderful son, Ruby and Granny, are the family I never had, but something was missing. There was still a big black gaping hole in my heart and I didn't know what I was missing..." I want to interrupt Emma, tell her that she doesn't have to tell me that I've lost her now, but she interrupts me when I start to speak.

"Let me finish, please."

I nod and she resumes her words.

,As I said, I didn't know what I was missing until the point we became friends. But it's not our friendship that I've been missing, it's the feeling of safety, security and complete trust. Regina, I realized quite a while ago that although I had found a family, I was missing a home and..." She takes my chin in her hand and turns my head so that I have to look her in the eyes.

Regina... My home is not a place, my home is you. You are the one person who has managed to break through all the protective walls I have built around myself. You are the person who keeps me from running away, the reason I stayed this morning instead of leaving. You are the person with whom I can feel safe and secure.

I'm not sorry for the kiss, because if it hadn't happened, I probably never would have dared to tell you what I'm about to tell you."

She puts her hand to my cheek, gently brushes a tear from my cheek, and leans forward slightly so I can feel her breath on my lips. I try to turn away, but I can't, so I close my eyes.

"Look at me, please..." Reluctantly, I open my eyes. My head can't realize what Emma has just told me, so I sink into my thoughts once again. Emma was right, we really do often run ahead of the other way. Or rather, I don't run away from her, but from my feelings...

Emma's view

It is not difficult for me to summon up my courage after my speech just now, I look her in the eyes and start to smile.

I love you Regina" I finally say what I have not let go of for an eternity.

The words don't seem to have reached Regina yet, so I put my lips on hers and kiss her gently to get her attention.

I love you Regina" I breathe into the kiss, detach myself from her and say: "And everything I just said to you, I meant it from the bottom of my heart!