THE INSPIRATION FOR THIS ONE-SHOT
AROSE FROM NEXT WEEK'S PROMO.

DO NOT READ IF YOU DON'T WANT TO BE SPOILT.

Thank you, Pris, for helping me with this! You rock.

The Snow Queen was messing with her, Emma knew that. But she also knew that her magic was out of control and that she opposed a threat to any mortal (so pretty much everyone except Gold) that's why she ran, that's why she hid herself.

The savior that needed saving, Regina's words echoed in her mind. The saddest thing was that Regina had been right, again: she was useless. Useless and alone.

Saying that was unfair, to be honest. It had been Emma the one that ran from the people who care for her. The savior was aware of that, but she still couldn't help feeling the way she did. No one understood her, and no one would. Because love could thaw a frozen heart, but couldn't hydrate a burnt person.

Emma considered her options as she paced from one side to the other. A ring of fire surrounded her, the flames growing higher or lower as she walked, as if they were following her pacing. She could run, outside Storybrooke she wouldn't be able to use her powers; and she was immune to losing her memories, so leaving town was probably the best solution. There was just one thing stopping her: her family.

A cracking sound startled her, and unconsciously, a fireball appeared on the palm of her hand. She clenched her hands into fists to make the ball disappear before she looked around, trying to find out who was her company. She hoped it would be the Snow Queen, that was the only person Emma didn't care if she hurt.

Sadly, it was another Queen who was walking towards her, someone who Emma didn't want to hurt. It was Regina. Wouldn't it be for her present ticking bomb state, she would be happy to see Regina, but not today.

"Regina, stay away,"

"No,"

"I could hurt you," Emma said, it was not a treat nor a warning, Emma was seriously worried about inflicting pain on Regina.

"You underestimate my power of self-defense, Miss Swan," Regina replied and sat on a log, few meters away from the fire that surrounded the place where Emma had been pacing.

"Damn it, Regina! Just leave me alone!" the blonde yelled, and the ring's flames flared up.

Regina smirked at Emma's desperate confession "Oh, my! I'm enjoying the irony of this situation,"

"Is that why you are here? To show me how annoying I was?" Emma asked annoyed at two lashes of fire whipped through the air. Regina was quick to extinguish the fire that had darted against her, but the ring remained untouched by her magic. "Well, congratulations, you've achieved your goal, now leave before I roast you,"

"Yes, that would be unfortunate - people would start calling me Regina Grills then,"

"Regina, this is not a joke,"

"I am aware," Regina stood up and walked towards Emma, who involuntary took a step back. The fire ring that surrounded Emma retreated with its creator, it was obviously a mechanism of self-defence that Emma didn't know how to control. "And to answer your question, I am not here to annoy you, I'm here to protect you,"

"To protect me?" Emma laughed, "From whom? Is not like there's another ticking bomb in Storybrooke," she laughed again and then she stopped, her eyes open as plates "Unless there is, is Elsa out of control again?" She asked worriedly and the flames grew in height up to Emma's size, completely blocking Emma from Regina's sight.

Regina shook her head "I'm here to protect you from yourself," the brunette explained "There is no bigger enemy than self-doubt for people like us, Emma,"

Emma studied Regina in silence.

"You were the one who wanted to be friends, Sheriff," Regina reminded her "So, this is me being as infuriating as you have been in the last days and not letting you give up on yourself,"

The blonde's face softened, and the flames around her lowered to their original size, which reached about Emma's shoulders, but at least now Regina could see the blonde's face. Emma didn't seem to notice the change on the flame's size, but Regina did.

"It seems like someone has grown attached to me," Emma chuckled and took a step closer to Regina, "I'm afraid," Emma confessed in a whisper.

With her confession, the flames around her blazed, but the intensity looked weaker than before. Regina took the opportunity to puff herself into the circle, knowing that the best way to calm Emma and extinguish the ring of fire was to catch her before she fell. Regina walked towards Emma, invading their personal spaces as they had done since the day Henry brought Emma to Storybrooke.

"And that's alright," Regina placed both of her hands on Emma's arms and looked into Emma's emerald eyes. There was a spark in them, and Regina couldn't decipher if it was due to the fire that surrounded them or due to something else, but she didn't overthink about it, she needed to reassure Emma that everything will be alright. "Being afraid doesn't mean you are a coward, Emma, it means that you have something to lose, like Henry, and your parents, and -"

"You," Emma interrupted her, knowing that Regina would never list herself among Emma's favorite people. "I can't lose you either. You, Henry and my parents... you are my family," she said, leaning to rest her forehead against Regina's shoulder.

Emma seemed to miss someone, but it didn't pass unnoticed by Regina "What about Captain Guyliner?" she asked carefully and wrapped her hands around Emma, not wanting to ruin the moment by mentioning the pirate, but curious about Emma's Freudian Slip.

Emma giggled against Regina's clavicle at the mention of Hook's newest nickname "You should stop giving him nicknames, Regina, it's mean," she told the brunette "And sure, he's important, so is everyone in this town. But, I care more about you,"

"You care more about me?" Regina asked genuinely touched.

"Yes, Regina," Emma said and straightened herself up, "I do,"

"Then you have to believe in me," the brunette looked at the other woman with a loving glare, "You have to let me help you control your powers,"

"I can't!" the savior said weakly. And she fell on her knees, showing Regina that she was done with this. "You've always said I'm a waste of magic, and you were right,"

"I was not right, Miss Swan. You are not a waste, nor an idiot, you just need a little bit of help to overcome this,"

"No, I'm useless,"

"You are not useless, you have done so many things,"

"I have?" Emma snorted, "I broke the course because I kissed Henry after he died because you poisoned him, you brought me back from the Enchanted Forrest after Mary Margaret and I fell trough the portal, you and Hook brought us back from Neverland, you saved my brother and defeated Zelena. All I do is fuck up,"

"I don't even know why I bother," Regina threw her hands in the air, "Typical hero behavior: you fail once and you think that everything is over. Well it's not, you have to stand up and keep on fighting!" she meant it as a motivational speech, but Emma didn't even move to stand up, "Very well, Miss Swan. Good luck with your life," the Queen added.

Regina was ready to puff herself to her house when she felt someone grabbing her by the hand. Not someone: Emma.

"Don't go," the blonde asked in a raspy voice, standing up and tangling their fingers together.

Regina looked down at their linked hands and felt how their magic combined. How it warmed Regina and seemed to calm Emma, since the flames were only one foot tall now.

"Everyone leaves," Emma said, still not letting go of Regina's hand, "Please, don't leave me,"

Regina nodded and stood in front of Emma, "Never," the brunette said, "I'll never leave you, Emma, I promise."

And that was a promise Regina Mills intended to keep.