Disclaimer: I do not own OUAT in any way, shape or form.

Yeah.. so this turned into a two shot when an anon on Tumblr requested a continuation!

There was a part of Regina that still grimaced when the hot spice of hot chocolate topped with cinnamon caressed her tongue, that small fraction of her that had not yet surrendered to the effects of carrying the Savior's heart within her body. That minuscule voice within was what urged her when she would stand before her mirror and trace what she felt was the shape of the thing beating just beneath her fragile flesh.

Crush the stupid thing and be done with it forever.

By the gods.. she had come to adore the marginally different yet unique flavoring that cinnamon offered. And not merely on her hot chocolate. The spice had become ever more present in her pastries, apple or no, and the pancakes that Henry delighted in every Saturday morning.

If only that were the single change that the Savior's shining heart had prompted.

At the least, Regina could be grateful that Henry no longer held the same sort of animosity towards her, not since she had used her magic to erase his memory of the blonde woman and who exactly she was to him. Doing such a thing to her only son had been painful, yes, but necessary.

Emma had not improved as of late, and in some small way Regina could not help but blame herself. Yes, she was truly fully at fault, but what was to be expected when her little kingdom was threatened by an outsider? Were she still who she was in days of old, the blonde would have been disposed of in a much more permanent manner than a mere sleeping curse.

Cinnamon was not the only craving that had begun to invade however, though she wished it were so. With the presence of Emma's.. Miss Swan's heart, came the emotional baggage the blonde had hidden so well. Pain of rejection by anyone she cared for, fear that she would never be loved, the agony of never knowing just who she was in the world because there had really been no one to show her.

And yet..

With this weakness and uncertainty came evidence of the strength that thrummed like a steady heart beat, no pun intended, just beneath the surface of the Savior's soft skin.

Soft skin? Regina shook the thought loose and made a conscious decision to retire early this night. She was obviously sleep deprived.

Of course, this decision was swiftly forgotten as she entered the hospital, settling into her customary seat beside Emma's hospital bed. The blonde was her fascination, the sole thing in this town that she had not be able to control without putting her under some sort of magic.

Then again, seeing as the whole town was some sort of magic.. In any case, Emma had proven a nuisance that Regina did not understand enjoying until it was too late, the deed was done.

Regina stood from her chair and approached the Savior's side, trailing a hand just above the sharp curve of a cheekbone, face sunken just enough to be noticeable due to the inability to nourish the woman properly even through an IV. The unhealthy appearance settled wrong in Regina's gut for reasons she was not fully prepared to deal with.

Murmuring in her sleep, Emma's faint voice caught Regina's attention, causing both of her hearts to jump.

"Emma.." The girl in the bed fell still and didn't move again, not even as Regina stepped closer and brushed her limp blonde locks away from her face. What was this fascination with the woman? Was it truly just the heart in her chest, or something more? This was her enemy, and she would be completely in her rights to swiftly dispose of the blonde. But the desire to do so was non existent.

Regina's fingers were curling into her own chest before she could honestly consider the consequences of her actions, Emma's heart coming out with a sucking noise, as if it had no want to leave the brunette. In a quick movement, before she regret it, Regina returned the heart.

The monitors surrounding the blonde jumped and gave several frantic beats for a short few seconds. A wave of her hand had Regina silencing the annoyance, focusing only on the blonde in the bed.

Regina didn't deserve to hold such a pure heart.

As she made to leave, doing her best to turn her back on the obsession she had developed for the blonde intruder, Regina hesitated and returned to the bedside one last time.

Without knowing really why she was doing so, the brunette leaned forward and brushed her lips over the blonde's cheek. And forehead. And just once, tentatively, across her lips. There, she reasoned, now with that out of her system, she could move on with her town and her son.

She was leaving already by the time Emma's eyes began to flutter and did not see the plaintive gaze that followed her as a tired throat could make no noise.