A/N: After watching one of the episodes (S03E16) I had this unsettling feeling that the scene after the duel didn't happen as it was supposed to. I mean, Regina should have been injured after being thrown through a window, right? And I just don't aprove her decision of hiding her heart like that, so I finally decided to fix all of it. So, here you are, it's my version of what happened after the duel and I prefer this idea to what really happened in the show. Just because the show is making less sense every episode...

Disclaimer: I don't own Once Upon A Time nor any characters from it. If I did, SwanQueen would be canon.

"Regina!"

Every single part of her body hurt, her chest feeling as if Zelena's filthy hand was still reaching for her absent heart, her ribs that had cracked when she'd been thrown against that hideous heart, her throat that had been crushed, her lungs that had been deprived of the precious oxygen for a few moments and finally her head, arms, back and every part of her body that had made contact with the hard glass breaking it into countless shreds. She could literally feel the numerous slivers digging into her skin, making it burn, itch, and sting. And yet nothing of that stopped her from curving her lips into a tiny smile at the sound of Emma's concerned voice. She should have known that the Savior would rush after her, would be first to check on her, to fight like a lion to protect her as she had already done more than once. It was an appealing thought that after all those bad things she had done, there was still one person, who could look through that, who could see her as just Regina, not the murderous Evil Queen craving vengeance. It was reassuring. And even somehow endearing.

"Regina!"

She didn't have to open her eyes to know that the Savior was hovering above her, possibly frightened by the amount of blood, especially the red streams running down the side of Regina's face. Her blood was quite warm and a bit sticky, but somehow the wetness made her somehow comfortable. She must have been out of her mind to even think that but it was nice to feel something more pleasant than all this pain. And the warmth it provided was ridiculously comforting.

"I'm alive," she answered, her voice even hoarser than usual. She shouldn't be surprised, though, by the sound of it, she had been suffocated after all. "It seems that getting rid of me is not such an easy task, Miss Swan," she added after hearing a relieved sigh from above her head. She was absolutely sure Emma was frowning at her now, but she couldn't find the strength to open her eyes and look for herself.

"It's not the time for jokes, Regina," Emma said quietly and Regina couldn't do anything but smile a little wider. It was absolutely ridiculous but she felt so tranquil now, her mind was clearer than ever, wiped clean of all the anger and betrayal. She had faced the death and survived, so why would anyone deny her a bit of humor? "I was worried sick, Regina! I thought that you- I- You hit it pretty hard and-"

"It's okay, dear, I honestly feel like I'm being skinned alive, but it takes more than a few throws to kill me."

When there was no response she sighed shallowly and forced herself to open her eyes. Emma was right before her, crouching, their eyes on the same level, her hand held out as if she wanted to touch Regina but was afraid that she might cause even more pain. The Sheriff had never been good at hiding her emotions and now her face was filled with such genuine concern that even without her heart Regina felt the warmth spreading in her chest. She was deeply touched; no one had ever cared for her and now it turned out that the person who was worried about her the most, was the same person she should have loathed. Life was a curious thing; she was more than thankful that she survived, as now she had a chance to explore it a bit more. Of course, she had never intended on giving up, she was just too attached to her life to simply let it go. Yet she couldn't deny that for a moment, when her envious sister had thrown her towards the clock tower, for a tiny moment she'd been almost sure she just wouldn't make it. She was partially sure that it was her stubbornness that saved her.

"You're gonna be fine, Regina, I promise you," Emma said quickly, surprising Regina greatly with the near desperation in her voice.

She was absolutely sure that the Savior deeply believed in her own words. Regina could literally feel all the defenses she had always built around herself slowly crumbling down. Maybe it was caused by her head slamming forcefully into the floor earlier and she was probably slowly becoming insane but at this very moment she just couldn't care. Here was Emma, right before her, her sworn enemy at first, a woman who wanted to take her son from her, an utter idiot who dared to hurt her beloved tree only to make a point, here she was, putting all the ugly things between them aside and caring deeply about Regina's wellbeing. It was the most heartwarming thing that had ever happened to her.

She couldn't stop herself, her hand found Emma's on its own accord. The soft squeeze her fingers received made her fall into that blissful warmth all over again. A sigh slipped out of her lips followed quickly by a hiss as pain shot across her wounded ribs. Emma's hand was suddenly on her arm, squeezing it gently.

"It's okay, Regina, we're gonna get you out of here," the quiet reassuring words shot quickly from the Savior's mouth. "David, call Whale and get an ambulance here. Now," the blonde added when there was no reaction from her father.

Paying no attention to Emma's parents, Regina looked into the green eyes and smirked slightly. "What now, Miss Swan? Are you planning to take me out of here in your strong arms as you once did when there was a fire- Oh!" she gasped suddenly and hissed again quickly as she was unexpectedly hit by a realization.

"What? Regina, what happened?!" Emma's eyes grew bigger as she looked all over the brunette's face, searching for any clue. To her utter surprise and confusion Regina started laughing throatily, grabbing her own ribs as the pain shot through her chest.

"Roasted Swan! So that's what he meant! Oh, the hilarity," she exclaimed, utterly amused as the memory of Rumple's words directed at her back in the Enchanted Forest. How she had never thought about the fire in the town hall and connected it with that bastard's words was a mystery to her.

"Emma? I think she's babbling," Snow whispered somewhere on her left and Regina's laugh died immediately as she turned her head – a little too quickly, judging by the sudden dizziness she felt – and glared at her former stepdaughter whose face was instantly covered by a strong blush.

And yet before any words left her already open lips, Emma's hand started rubbing her arm gently and suddenly all the annoyance she felt towards Snow White was gone. She looked back into those emerald eyes that were watching her carefully; she felt safe again. The Savior was with her, willing to take care of her when she was all alone in her lonely life. What could possibly go wrong now?

"The ambulance is on its way," David announced, but neither women paid any attention to him. Instead Emma smiled slightly at Regina and gave her arm another gentle squeeze.

"I think it's time to get out of here. What do you say, Madame Mayor?" Emma's smile grew wider when Regina responded with one of her own. Taking it as an agreement, the blonde moved closer, crouching right next to Regina's side. With a hand on the brunette's elbow and the arm around her shoulders, Emma glanced at her with concern decorating her features again. "Do you think you can stand up?"

"Why don't we try and see what happens, Sheriff?" she suggested nonchalantly.

The arm wrapped around her shoulders was surprisingly comforting and in a mysterious way made some of the pain vanish. She wondered for a second if it was the Savior's magic at work but them she realized how truly tired she was. Deciding that it was possible that she was simply too exhausted to feel all the pain, she grabbed tightly the railing behind her carefully took a deeper breath. Deep inside her mind, she had this unsettling feeling that it was not going to end up well, but she wasn't just going to sit there and wait until someone decided that it was high time to help her.

It was painful. She nearly blacked out but with Emma's help – a great amount of it, to be honest – she somehow managed to get on her feet. Clenching her teeth to survive the wave of nearly unbearable pain, she closed her eyes for a moment in order to stop the sudden dizziness. She could clearly feel the arm still embracing her shoulders and it helped her realize that she did it. Slowly opening her eyes again, she glanced at Emma and was rewarded with a smile, a proud smile that warmed the hole in her chest. And before she knew it, the Savior was in motion, moving to her right side, her hands never leaving Regina's body as the fingers slid gently across her back, one hand carefully grabbing the Mayor's arm to place it softly over Emma's shoulders and the other resting on the brunette's waist with a true care. She couldn't help but absentmindedly leaned into the Sheriff's side, seeking safety and comfort.

No words were exchanged as they headed together, side by side, towards the staircase and the exit. Regina stubbornly tried to walk on her own but with each step she felt as if the wounds were torn open once more. The gratitude she felt towards the Sheriff was hard to describe as the woman seemed to sense the pain she was in and did her best to alleviate her suffering. Yet even with the precious help from the Savior, every following step was twice as hard than the previous one. At some point, she was absolutely sure that she was going to fall. Her knees went suddenly weak and the only thing that stopped her from hitting the hard surface off the stairs were Emma's strong arms embracing her tightly.

"Okay, that's enough," the Sheriff muttered, bending slightly and wrapping her arm around the brunette's knees.

A second later Regina felt unexpectedly weightless, as the blonde lifted her with a seeming ease. The sudden change of the position affected her poor ribs, which instantly burned with a new wave of great pain. Her fingers clenched around the red jacket as she closed her eyes. Resting her head on Emma's shoulder, she carefully took a deeper breath. It still hurt but not as much as a moment earlier.

"You truly are a white knight from Henry's stories, dear," she whispered, her voice barely audible. She smiled as Emma's chest shuddered with a quiet chuckle.

"Well, every queen needs her knight, right?"

As much as the blonde was clearly amused by her own small joke, Regina remained serious. She tilted her head slightly as if absentmindedly trying to hide her face in the crock of Emma's neck, when she whispered softly, "Nearly every person I've ever met strived for my death and you, Emma, you of all people should abhor me the most and yet it's the sixth time you've rushed to save my life. I wish there was a way I could repay you for everything."

She could literally feel Emma's hesitation. "Oh come on, Regina, you don't have to repay me. As I recall I've once told you that I'm gonna keep saving you-"

"Because that's what good people do. Yes, I remember, Miss Swan."

"Yeah, exactly. Besides, why do you keep counting that? Shit happened, I saved you, let's move on."

"It's healthy to have some good memories among the dark past."

Emma's whole body tensed instantly and despite being truly exhausted, she was certain that she was going to hear a deeply moving speech in which the Savior would try to convince her that she should at least try and look at her own life in a different way. And of course the Sheriff didn't disappoint her after a moment of hesitation.

"Regina-"

"I pissed her off," she cut Emma off immediately, quickly changing the subject. She was just too tired for this redeeming conversation.

"Huh?"

Regina rolled her eyes before closing them and resettling her head to find a more comfortable spot on the blonde's shoulder. "My sister. I told her that our mother abandoned her." She couldn't really help the small smile as Emma's chest rose with a deep and heavy sigh.

"Regina," the Sheriff groaned. "You know, sometimes I'm absolutely sure that you're a masochist. You can't just walk around and insult every single living person!"

"It's not my fault that I'm forced to deal with fools," she answered softly, shrugging carefully.

She felt another sigh, but Emma spared her a lecture and she was glad for it, as the sleepiness was slowly engulfing her and the simple act of thinking was becoming difficult. She barely even noticed that they stopped moving. And truth to be told, she didn't really care about what was happening with her now. She was safe in Emma's arms and that's what really mattered. As much as she should hate the woman, Regina was fully aware that Emma Swan would never take advantage of her vulnerability to hurt her. Maybe the blonde was supposed to defeat her but Regina simply knew that the Sheriff would do everything to find a different way, to avoid bringing any pain. And that knowledge allowed her to relax, to put faith in the Savior and trust her to keep any danger away from the former Evil Queen. Hearing Emma's slightly worried voice, but not recognizing the words, she sighed and let the darkness pull her into the blissful abyss.

A soft regular beeping sound was what welcomed her back in the world of living. It wasn't difficult at all to guess where she was. Lying on a not so comfortable bed, her mind slightly muddled by what she guessed were painkillers, she tried to open her eyes. The room was dark and quiet. She turned her head slowly and immediately noticed the tubes and wires attached to her body. Ripping them out was rather tempting but she wasn't as foolish as those people in the movies. She glanced at the vital signs monitor showing the strong and regular beating of her heart. She knew she wasn't going to die, but seeing a real proof of it was quite reassuring. Since there was this white thing she didn't really recognize attached to her finger - she'd seen it in the movies, but wasn't really sure what it was used for - she tried to reach her head with her right hand. The unexpected resistance immediately brought her attention to the side of the bed.

A soft smile decorated her face in an instant and the warmth spread across her chest at the sight. Her hand was grasped loosely by Emma's, while the blonde's head was resting on her other arm on the edge of the bed. She seemed to be relaxed in her deep sleep. She was still in the same clothes, apart from the red jacket that was hanging on the back of the chair she was sitting on. As much as Regina didn't understand why Emma would want to stay with her all night instead of going to her own bed to get some real rest, she was deeply touched by the gesture. She absentmindedly gave the blonde's fingers a soft squeeze. Immediately the other woman stirred and after a second she raised her head, looking around confused. When their eyes met after a moment, Emma smiled before she rubbed her face, trying to make the sleepiness go away.

"How are you feeling?" the Savior whispered softly, grasping Regina's hand more firmly. She hid a yawn behind her other hand and grimaced when there was an audible crack as she tilted her head. Regina's smile grew significantly at that.

"I feel like I was thrown through a window and drugged with the painkillers afterwards," she answered quietly, observing the blonde with amusement, as the woman turned her head in every direction, trying to ease the stiffness.

"Not surprising, since that's exactly what happened," Emma muttered, withholding another yawn.

Regina shook her head, growing serious. "What are you doing here, Emma?"

Maybe it was caused by the medicines, but for a second she was sure that she saw a glint of panic in the emerald eyes. "What do you mean? I'm making sure that you're okay, that's all," Emma shrugged.

"But why? We are hardly friends," the brunette pointed out, looking at the woman carefully. Her curiosity grew instantly when Emma averted her eyes, while her grip on Regina's hand tightened.

"I-" the Sheriff hesitated and unconsciously started playing with her pendant. "I don't trust Whale. As far as I know he could have poisoned you. I just wanted to be here when you wake up, to see that you're fine," she admitted quietly and carefully glanced at Regina. "I was worried about you. I mean, what would I tell Henry if something bad happened to you?"

Regina frowned and raised her brow. "You wouldn't have to tell him anything, he doesn't remember me," she said sadly, her eyes never leaving the green ones. This time she clearly noticed the panic. It was rather hard to miss as the deer in the headlights look on Emma's face was an obvious proof. Surely it was gone as soon as it appeared. She had no idea what could it be that the blonde was clearly afraid of telling her. And surprisingly even to herself, she didn't want to push. She was sure – or rather she was hoping – that the woman will tell her what was going on when she was ready for it. So she decided to simply leave it and change the subject and judging by the gleam of relief in the green eyes, Emma was thankful for that. "So, are you going to tell me what Victor said?"

"Uh, yeah, they did an x-ray and you have three fractured ribs and aside from that, only some cuts, a few of them are quite deep, but you'll be fine," Emma explained quickly, trying to smile reassuringly. "Oh, Whale suspects that you may have a concussion and he said that you shouldn't try to get up, just in case. So if you need anything, you can tell me, I'll bring it to you."

She wanted to thank Emma for her willingness to help but refuse, saying that there wasn't anything she needed. But as soon as she opened her mouth, there was an idea in her mind. An idea that halted her just before the words left her lips. An idea that forced her to think deeper about it, to consider it carefully. She felt Emma's grip tightening on her hand and as she looked deep into those emeralds eyes, she was immediately sure that it was the best way.

"Actually, there is something you could do for me," she said slowly, carefully, observing the blonde's reaction. And that reaction both taken her aback and made her feel that warm in her chest again.

"Whatever you need," was Emma's quick and short response.

Regina smiled softly, wondering why it had had to take her wicked sister to make her realize that here she had a woman who could be a perfect friend. The only one who was ready to trust her and believe in her not caring about her dark past. She felt like she had been blind all that time. And it made her wonder, when everything had changed. They had started as the adversaries and now here they were, in the hospital, Emma falling asleep uncomfortably on the edge of Regina's bed and why? Because she cared. Because she wanted to be close to the brunette. And the sincerity on the blonde's face assured her that she was doing the best thing now.

"I want you to go to the forest," she said, her voice quiet and still husky. Her request was met with a confusion, but she hardly expected anything else. "I want you to go there and bring something to me. Robin Hood is guarding it, but if you hand me my phone, you can call me when you get there and I'll make sure he won't be any trouble," she explained quickly, seriously, making sure that Emma understood how important it was to her.

"You want me to go there now?" Emma asked hesitantly, but when Regina confirmed, she simply nodded. "Okay. I'll go. And what is it that you want me to bring?"

"You will see once you get there." Regina saw that the Sheriff was not happy about the lack of the information, but she didn't want to speak about it aloud. There was a high chance that her sister was spying on her and she didn't want to risk.

She carefully explained to Emma where she was supposed to go and after a while she was left alone in the room, her hand clenched tightly around her phone. Her hand felt so cold without Emma's fingers wrapped around hers tightly. It seemed like an odd thing to feel but she had missed the blonde's touch the second it was gone. On the other hand, she shouldn't be so surprised remembering how much security Emma's touch had given her back in the tower, when she couldn't even get up on her own. She hadn't been ready to admit it back then, but even during the fire in the town hall, she had felt much safer with the blonde's arm wrapped around her, helping her get out from the hell, bringing her to the safe place. In her mind, Emma's associated with safety and comfort, so of course it made sense that she missed the touch. Yet she just couldn't shake the feeling that there was something more behind it, something deeper. However, as much as she wanted to think about it, to understand it all, her mind felt just too tired, blurred with the medicines. She was deeply hoping that the pain killers wouldn't knock her out before Emma's return.

Thankfully she didn't have to wait too long. Her phone vibrated after barely twenty minutes, which wasn't surprising at all since there was no traffic at night and Emma would get to the forest by car in no time. Not even glancing at the screen to check the caller id, she pressed the button and brought the phone to her ear.

"Regina?"

She couldn't help but roll her eyes at the suspicion in the man's voice. She still wasn't really sure why of all people she let him guard her heart. For all she knew he could have been her sister's spy, trying to get close to her and destroy her in the most evil kind of way – by breaking her already wounded heart.

"Yes, Robin, it's me, you can trust Miss Swan and give it to her. I was the one who sent her to you."

"And how do I know that it isn't any kind of a trick? How am I sure that it's really you?"

She sighed impatiently. She really didn't have time for such little games.

"And how would you know that it would be me if I was the one who came to you instead of Miss Swan? You have to trust me, just like I did leaving it there with you."

There was a moment of silence on the other side and then she heard Emma's voice, but couldn't recognize any words. Yet judging by the tone, the blonde Sheriff wasn't really happy about Robin's reluctance to believe in Regina's words. She was starting to be anxious and she hoped that she hadn't been wrong when she'd left the heart with the man. If she had been, it would mean that she had just unnecessarily endangered Emma and that was something she really wanted to avoid.

"Okay, I will trust her. For now," Robin finally said and Regina immediately released the breath she hadn't even realized she was holding. Yet before she could say anything, he announced quickly, "But I'll check on you first thing in the morning and if it turns out to be some kind of a trick, I'll hunt her down myself."

Regina rolled her eyes, part of her mind sure that Emma was doing exactly the same thing. "Yes, yes, preferably when I'm awake," she muttered, hoping that the man wouldn't wander around her room while she was unconscious. "Thank you, Robin, for staying there. You should go to your son now," she added after a moment, her voice softer when she mentioned the boy.

Not giving him any time to response, she ended the call and put the phone aside. She didn't need it anymore tonight, she was sure that Emma would be back as quickly as possible. Waiting for her return, she kept staring at the ceiling, her thoughts wandering around, but not focusing on anything important.

Her eyelids were slowly falling when she finally heard the footsteps. She was instantly awake again and she glanced at the door exactly the moment when they opened, revealing the blonde woman. A simple brown purse was in her hand, a frown on her face. In two steps Emma was at her bed again, sitting on the visitor's chair and carefully placing the bag on the bed. She must have already known what was inside, if her gentle moves were any indication. Regina raised her hand and placed it upon one of Emma's to bring her attention. The emerald eyes found hers immediately and she smiled softly at the woman.

"Thank you," she said sincerely and Emma just shrugged as if it wasn't a big deal. But for Regina it was.

"No problem. But next time you should reconsider leaving such things with a guy you met like what, few days ago?"

She felt a blush creeping slowly on her face and hoped that it was dark enough so Emma wouldn't notice it. Her own idea, so brilliant in the beginning, seemed to be even more foolish every time she thought about it.

"That's exactly why I asked you to bring it now," she admitted slowly. She could literally feel the woman's confusion. Not wasting any time she grabbed the purse with her other hand, careful not to replace the small device on her finger and looked deeply into the blonde's eyes, before placing the bag in her hand. "Emma, I want you to take it. I want you to keep it safe with all that fierce power that is hiding deep inside you." The Savior's jaw hung open but she wasn't done yet. "I know you can keep it safe," she continued, her voice strong, determination clearly audible in her words. "I know I can trust you." She gently placed the blonde's other hand on top of the purse and held it there. "I know you, Emma. I believe in you," she whispered, her eyes never leaving the green ones.

And that was when she noticed something inside Emma breaking. In a second all the confusion and surprise was gone, replaced instantly by a deep, strong determination. Emma's whole face hardened as she closed her hands gently around Regina's heart, careful not to cause any pain. Her heart was safe from now on, Regina realized with a small smile, as Emma nodded fiercely. She needn't have to worry about it anymore, she understood without any spoken words that the blonde was ready to defend Regina's heart at any cost. If anyone wanted to get to her heart, they would have to walk over Emma's dead body to touch it. She had never met someone like the blonde Savior, someone so devoted to her despite their rough past.

"You have my word, Regina, no one will ever touch your heart," Emma whispered, her voice so full of emotions, of promise and of threat and in that moment, holding the blonde's hands protecting her vulnerable heart, in that moment, the moment of understanding, the moment of reconciliation, she felt even closer to Emma than ever before. She couldn't speak, her throat tightened with emotions, so she nodded, hoping that sincerity on her face would tell Emma how grateful she was.

A sudden heat burst beneath their joined hands. They both looked down at the same time and were equally shocked to see a white light embracing their hands for a second before it disappeared inside the purse. Regina gasped as she suddenly felt a warmth in her chest and she immediately know that nothing wrong could ever happen to her heart now. Emma's light, good magic protected it. It was more than she had ever dared to hope for. She slowly looked back to Emma's confused eyes and smiled softly. She had nothing to fear now. She was safe.