She pushed Robin away. "Go. I'm fine." He opened his mouth to protest but she grasped his hand, squeezing once. "We'll talk later, but for now, just go." He shook his head, but backed away.

Regina pinched the bridge of her nose as the two idiots and the handless puppy continued to argue over who should take the dagger. It was so predictable. Hook whining about 'she said she loved me, she'd want me to' and Snow with her 'she's our daughter, it's our job to protect her' and endlessly nauseating variations on those themes.

As their volume went up and they moved closer to each other she walked to the dagger and picked it up. It had always felt dark, always called to her magic, but this was different from when it had Rumplestiltskin inscribed. It was teasing, almost as if testing her.

Her thoughts were blasted by the screech of Snow. "Regina! No. Don't."

"Don't what?" She whirled on them. "She did this to protect me. You don't seriously think any of you can grasp the situation better than me, with not one brain between you? Protect Emma? You bought her a one way ticket to a place I told you was miserable, and expected what? She'd be raised by wood nymphs? You stole someone's goodness to prevent even the mere possibility that she had potential for darkness. Then lied to her. That turned out well." She dangled the dagger between her finger and thumb.

Hook stepped forward, pirate bravado in full swagger. Before he could open his mouth she sneered at him. "And you? You've switched sides more frequently than Henry switches characters in Mario Smash."

"But Regina, we're her parents," Charming said. Snow smiled at him as if that was the wisest thing said in decades. "She asked us to keep the dark from her. We understand that darkness," Snow said.

A bark of laughter burst from her throat. "The only dark you know comes in a package marked 'Dove'. What you did to Lilly wasn't dark, it was shallow and untrusting. You are confusing dark with dim. Dim you know."

Snow's mouth hung open and Charming puffed out his chest.

"What Emma has just become — well, you can let me help her, or you can try your luck with the former Dark One, should he wake up. He was a coward before he went dark, so I'm sure that without magic, he'll jump at the chance to face off with her. Besides, you two can't manage to not lose each other periodically, so I don't think you should be trusted with the dagger. What exactly would you protect it with, a brigade of bluebirds? Because short of shoving it up one of your dwarves backsides, Emma will figure out where you hide it."

Hook piped up. "I've experience with hiding treasure."

"Yes, and losing your ship. Emma has powerful magic and now is dealing with the powerful darkness. She'd bat those eyelashes, have this dagger in an instant, and leave you high and dry. Then what?"

Hook, Charming and Snow looked at each other, but between them couldn't come up with a counter-argument. "As I thought."

"But we want to be with you, with her."

"Yes, well, we all have disappointments. Please have Henry stay with you until I know it is safe for him." Without another word, Regina gathered her magic and transported herself into her foyer.

Turning the light on, she took a moment to examine the dagger, the name etched there. Taking a deep breath, she readied herself to summon whatever Emma had become.

"Hey."

Her head snapped to the voice. Emerging from the kitchen, Henry's leftover pizza in her hand, Emma smiled. The dagger came up, arm across her front, her other hand, magic at the ready.

Blonde curls waved across the creme colored sweater as the familiar laugh of Emma broke the silence. "Regina. I saved you. I'm not going to attack you." Then she arched an eyebrow. "Or at least not that way," she added then popped the last bite of pizza into her mouth.

Regina tried not to dwell on what way Emma could mean, but that was difficult when Emma's tongue darted out to moisten her lips. She lowered the dagger. "Are you… how do you feel?" she asked Emma.

Emma shrugged. "Not sure how to describe it. I'm just glad I didn't go all scaly like Rump in the unenchanting forest. Gold is so not in my color scheme."

She rolled her eyes. Apparently, darkness hadn't altered her genetic propensity for idiocy. "If we're being honest, red leather isn't your best either."

"Really?" Emma snapped her fingers and Regina swallowed hard at the sight of her in a red leather corset, black lacing down the front. Her eyes betrayed her as they shot straight to the cleavage now on display.

Emma grinned. "Yep, that's what I thought."

"Don't be ridiculous." Where did the rush of heat come from? Emma should not be having this effect. "You sacrificed yourself for my happiness. Robin is—"

Emma waved her hand, smile disappearing. "Please, don't. I was there in New York. He treated you like crazy Alex in Fatal Attraction. His code is more important than you. Besides, you said it in Isaac's story — a man isn't your happy ending."

Regina's blood was pulsing hard against the skin in her neck. Hoping Emma would see it as anger she said, "Yes, and you just told that swarmy, double-crossing, boyfriend of yours you loved him."

Emma scratched her head. "I thought I was going to die. I say stupid shit when I figure I'll never have to deal with the consequences."

"Well, that should be a solid foundation for a relationship."

"Hey, looks who is talking. Pixie dust and a tattoo?"

"He's my true—"

Emma wagged a finger. "Nope, Soulmate. Not the same. I was just watching a video clip from an Oprah interview—"

Regina snorted.

"Hey, it was my day off. As I was saying, that author Elizabeth Gilbert was saying Soulmates are meant to challenge you and you shouldn't marry them."

Emma moved closer. Regina's brain told her to keep some distance between them, but her feet seemed to ignore her. Her eyes kept drifting to the displayed cleavage.

"Sometimes they are meant to come in, point out something, then go away. Time for Robin to go. Away. Far away."

Very close, now. Her eyes were bright, but not changed. Her skin was still… flawless. Her voice was low, but still the Emma she knew. Or was she? In an effort to regain her control, she snapped, "Put a shirt on."

Emma chuckled and with a click of her fingers, a sheer black, form fitting shirt appeared on her. How that was even more distracting confounded her and she frowned.

"You weren't specific," Emma said, as if reading her mind. "Might want to be careful what orders you give me."

"It wasn't a command."

"I know. Funny how the darkness came with a mental manual as far as my new personalized dagger goes."

Emma paused, then looked her up and down. "You've been dressing more conservative lately," Emma said. "I miss the straining buttons, the peak-a-boo camisoles. Are you voting Republican now? I'll bet you spend hours convincing yourself that what you have with Back-To-Nature-Boy is how love is supposed to be. He comes for dinner, you all play house with Henry and Roland — except on boy's night, of course."

"Emma, stop. This isn't you."

"It is. Yes, I feel the dark, but it isn't controlling me, if that is what worries you. But it is keeping my over-zealous habit of being polite, being the good kid that doesn't want to upset anyone, that … extra-goodness tamped down a bit."

Regina shook her head. "As annoying as that can be, that is you. It's why you saved me."

"No, my do-gooder parents saw fit to give away that balance — as if being the child of true-love wasn't enough. I think this is more how I should have been. Now I'm feeling a bit more Yin Yang-y than Savior white. You know, a bit of black in the middle of the white, or white in the middle of the bl— you know."

As Emma rambled and tried to explain the awful metaphor, Regina stepped back, conscious of the door behind her.

"Besides, you worked hard to challenge me, push my buttons," Emma added, a glint in her eyes.

"That was before we were friends."

Emma grimaced and sucked air through gritted teeth. "Yeah, that's a bit of a regret there."

Regina stomach twisted. Emma must have seen the shock because she was quick to explain.

"Hey, Madam Mayor of Nobody-loves-me town. I don't mean I regret being friends. I mean I regret not having hate sex, because—"

Shock overrode common sense. "You wish. I wouldn't condescend to…" her words, and anger faltered. "That was never a thought—"

Emma's laugh was genuine and she closed the distance again. "But, a fairy tells you your happy ending is in a bar and off go the panties? And how great is the sex?" Her voice rose in false enthusiasm.

Eyebrows raised, Emma leaned in closer. Close enough for Regina to smell her sweat and feel her breath on her face.

"I'll bet it is all kinds of traditional happy ending fairytale sex. He's on top laboring away for a whole two minutes and you fake orgasm."

She wanted to deny Emma's words. It wasn't that bad, and there was more to a relationship than sex. But nothing came out. Her pulse was pounding yet it wasn't anger flowing through her. Emma head dipped to the side and she felt a hand brush her hair past her ear and felt moist hot air against her skin.

In a husky, deep whisper, Emma said, "Admit it, you want to let a little of the Evil Queen out. I know I do. Pissed off Mayor: hot. Evil Queen: scorching. You won't need that dagger to get me to do anything you want."

Regina stepped back bumping into the door, gripping the dagger tightly. "That is what you're after? This was all a ruse to get me to forget the one thing that can—"

Emma stepped back. "What? No. I don't want it. I'm not stupid. If things do get worse, you're the one I trust."

There was no humor in the green eyes that couldn't hold her gaze. What she saw as they flicked away was far more vulnerable and she could not imagine Emma faking such emotion. "Emma, I… This was not what I expected."

"Don't look at me. You know I'm impulsive. You just keep getting screwed over and I couldn't let it happen again. I hate that this had to happen for me to say anything. I'd never force anything or deceive you. You've always been honest with me." A slow grin evolved. "Brutal, sarcastic, sass-filled honesty, but… you are hot when you do that."

With a burst of magic, Regina sent the dagger to a place she thought would be safe for the time being. Then, with a speed that had Emma's mouth dropping open, she gripped her jaw and spinning her, shoved her into the door.

If Emma wanted the Evil Queen, she'd get her wish. Regina let everything from the night rip through her. Her mind kept telling her she'd regret this, but Emma had touched something raw in her.

She pressed her thumb into the sensitive spot on the underside of Emma's jaw, just inside the bone. "You piss me off with your damned heroics. So the darkness took me; we'd have figured something out. No, instead you jump first then ask how far the drop is. Fall into portals like it's a sport and challenge evils without the vaguest notion of what you are up against. You are lucky to be alive, and I absolutely loathe that I find your impulsive, brash nature appealing."

A smile started to form on pink lips, but Regina wasn't going to let Emma get the 'I knew it' or any other such sentiment out of her mouth. Pressing forward, she smashed her lips onto Emma's and kissed her. Her hand slipped lower and she made its presence known, pressure on the throat making Emma moan. She bit down on the blonde's lower lip and when she opened her mouth to gasp she shoved her tongue in, dominating.

Emma's mouth felt better than it should, better than she'd fantasized. And a part of her hated to admit she had. Emma's hands wrapped around her waist, and she pressed her body forward, thigh pressed between Emma's legs. The rumbling groan Emma released encouraged her to rock her leg until Emma broke the kiss. "Oh, fuck. Way hotter than I imagined," Emma breathed out, voice huskier, spiking Regina's arousal.

"You have no —"

"Idea what you're capable of," Emma said, chuckling. "But I'm starting to get an inkling."

Regina drew her hand down from Emma's throat, tracing her clavicle, then down the valley of her cleavage until she reached the red leather. She hooked her finger inside and tugged Emma towards her. In that instant, air rushed around her and Emma was behind her, pushing her into the door. Emma's body pressed against her and her hand gripped her throat. There was no pressure, but rather, Emma's fingers stroked her skin. Emma's other hand snaked around her waist and slid under her shirt. She shuddered at the warm fingers that teased against the underside of her bra.

Emma's tongue played with her earlobe before she whispered, "Oh, Regina. The things I want to do with you. To you." She felt the slow release of moist air as Emma breathed against her neck. "But I am not going to."

Regina's stomach twisted. She pushed back from the door and Emma stepped away. She spun, heart hammering hard. Words rushed through her head, but nothing came out.

Emma's eyes met hers and there was a coldness that she'd never seen before. "At least not until you get over feeling obligated to lash yourself to someone who has yet to make even the vaguest commitment to you," Emma said. Regina couldn't tell if it was anger or sadness in her voice.

"So you've come here to torture me. Does this amuse you? Have you given in so easily?" she asked, voice straining not to break.

Emma's jaw tightened. "I told you, the darkness hasn't won. Hell, it isn't a battle because for once I feel a bit more whole. I want you. I have, at least on some level since the night I brought Henry home, but something prevented me from telling you. But I've haven't been sitting around self-analyzing for fuck's sake. I got here a few minutes before you."

"Why here?" Regina asked. An idiotic question worthy of Snow. The rolling of green eyes told her she thought so as well.

"Regina, I'm not going be another who forces you into doing something you don't want or into believing something you don't."

"I believe in true love and the magic of it. How can you not?"

Emma chuckled. "I didn't say that. You don't believe the legendary thief— oh and by the way, all of the actors who played him in movies were better looking."

"Is there a point to —"

Before she could finish, Emma's lips were on hers. Gentler. Briefer. "Shh," Emma said, ending the kiss. "In here." Emma's fingertip touched her head, "Your entire history, experience, says that he's your destiny." Emma's finger made a slow, burning path from her brow, to her cheek, to her jaw on down her throat to stop at her breastbone. "But here," she continued, "you don't feel it. You'll settle because the darkness still in you tells you that is the best you can do."

She shook her head, but what did Emma know? She opened her mouth to tell her but this time, Emma's finger pressed against her lips, stopping her thoughts from becoming words. "I do not want you to regret anything between us, even though you want this as much as I do. I may have saved anyone the darkness attacked, but what I feel for you is what Killian…"

Emma stepped back, gave her a soft smile and announced, "I have to go." Before her mind could process the moment, Emma was disappearing in a cloud of pale grey smoke.

Her mind went to the dagger. She would demand answers, the truth from Emma, now before she did whatever she'd so abruptly disappeared to do. But as her hand stretched out to call the dagger, she stopped. She'd taken it to protect Emma from those who would make demands on her — demands most had been making since the first curse was broken and everyone knew her as the Savior. She'd be damned before she became one of those people.