A/N: I'm back! And semi-unemployed so I have loads of time to write. This new fic should be updated daily therefore so keep an eye out/follow for regular chapters of our favourite ladies. As always these are standalone inserts using a real line of dialogue from the show to prove how plausible SwanQueen is! Most of them will include sexy times although I didn't quite manage to get it into this chapter, sorry! Let's start with one of the best things Emma ever said, eh!

"I saved you. Now save me. And if you can't save me, do what no one else will willingly do. You're the only one who will get past their feelings and do what is necessary. Destroy me."

Her heart hammered in her mouth, her palms slick with sweat. Brown eyes were wide and pleading. Emma couldn't possibly mean it, could she? There was no way Regina was strong enough to do what Emma wanted from her. Not that it would come to that, she was sure, but even so. No, she couldn't do it. And surely the blonde knew that.

"Emma, please," she said, her voice trembling. "Please don't ask me to do that."

The blonde stepped forward and pressed the handle of the dagger into Regina's hand. Her fingers didn't clasp it however and it fell to the ground, bouncing slightly on the forest floor. Emma ignored the silver blade which held her name, looking instead into the deep brown eyes before her.

"Regina, you have to," she said quietly. "You're the only person I trust to do this."

Regina glanced around at Prince Charming, Snow, Henry, and Hook, all of whom were standing around the two women. Hook was glowering at her but the others looked completely unsurprised at what Emma had said.

"Not here," she muttered, waving her hand and enveloping the two of them in a pale purple smoke.

Once it had cleared, Emma looked around at the area Regina had magicked them to. They were in another clearing, the tall trees stretching high above them, towards the sunlight which fell in shafts through their leaves. Regina walked over to a tree stump and sat down, head in her hands. Emma bent down to pick up the dagger which had been transported with them before she too sat down on a log.

"Emma, I'm not as strong as you think I am," Regina said. "I won't be able to do it. Not that it will ever come to that, I'm sure, because we're going to get the darkness out of you. But … but if we can't, I don't think I'll have the strength to …."

She trailed off, looking directly into Emma's green eyes. She could see the blonde understood, that the blonde knew exactly what Regina was thinking. But she also looked stubborn, determined to follow through with her plan.

"I'm not saying it will be easy," Emma began.

"Easy?" Regina scoffed. "Emma, you're asking me to … well, to kill you. You're asking me to stab my best friend and -,"

She stopped abruptly, her cheeks red-hot. She couldn't say it. This wasn't the time nor the place to have that conversation. Not again. They had promised never speak of it after the last time. It was for the best not to keep raking over what Emma claimed could never happen.

"I know," Emma said, reaching out for Regina's hands. "It's ok. I know."

Regina dropped her gaze to the pale fingers interlaced with her own. Her skin tingled where Emma was touching her and she didn't dare look up, unsure what would happen if she did. She both hated and loved the way her body reacted to the blonde's touch. As Emma's thumb brushed over the back of her hand, she realised just how much she had missed it. Since that conversation, both women avoided even friendly physical gestures.

"No, Emma. Stop," Regina said, pulling her hands free, standing abruptly and walking to the far side of the clearing. She stopped just before she reached the darkness of the dense forest, knowing she couldn't leave before everything had been said. She heard Emma approach behind her after a minute or so but didn't turn around. She couldn't look into those green eyes, not now.

"I wish things could be different," Emma whispered, her breath hitting Regina's neck and the brunette jumped when she realised how close the younger woman was. "I'm so sorry, Regina. I never wanted to put you in this position but I can't trust anyone else."

"Then why did you pick him?" Regina exploded, spinning around and glaring at the startled blonde. "Why, Emma? If you don't trust Hook then why are you with him? You … we … it could have worked, you know? We could have been happy together."

Emma bit her lip, hating the pain she saw in Regina's face and wishing she could take it all away. But she knew she would never be able to reverse the damage she had done to her friend's heart when she chose Hook over her. Regina's expression was a mixture of anger and heartbreak, both emotions caused by Emma and neither she could soothe away.

"I'm sorry," Emma said for what felt like the hundredth time since they had spoken almost a year before. "I'm so sorry, Regina. But I have to stay with Hook."

"Whatever," Regina said, pushing past Emma and walking away.

Emma glowered after her. Why did the brunette never listen to her? Almost without conscious thought, she felt the magic rise inside her. Regina let out a little squeak when her feet suddenly fused to the mossy floor. Ignoring the rush of warmth the action had caused inside her, Emma stalked towards Regina until she stood in front of her once more.

"I need you to take my dagger," she said, low and dangerous. Regina's eyes widened in fear. She had never heard Emma speak to her in that tone before. The hairs on the back of her neck stood up as Emma continued. "I need to know that you have the ability to destroy me if things don't go to plan. You need to keep Henry and my family safe."

Regina swallowed at the mention of their son. She closed her eyes and a single tear slid from beneath her lid. Henry's crooked smile appeared in her vision but he faded at once when a cool finger touched her cheek and wiped away her sadness. She snapped her eyes open and looked into the familiar, sympathetic face before her.

"What if I can't?" Regina asked, her voice hoarse. "What if I can't separate my feelings, Emma? I don't know if I'm strong enough to destroy the woman I love just like you're not strong enough to leave Hook."

Emma bristled slightly at the veiled jibe but stepped closer, her hand sliding around to cup Regina's jaw. It was Regina's turn to shiver as she found Emma's face inches from her own, a smooth palm against her face.

"You are strong enough," Emma said firmly. "You're the strongest person I know, Regina, and you're the best mother I could ever have hoped for my son to find. If it comes down to it, I know you'll do what is necessary to protect Henry. I know it."

"But I don't," Regina said. "I don't know if I'm strong enough to lose love again."

Emma's eyes crinkled with sadness at the look on the older woman's face but she knew what she needed to do.

"But you don't have me now."

Regina let out a sob and her knees buckled. She collapsed to the floor, her arms wrapped around her knees as the tears flowed from her eyes. Emma's heart constricted as she saw what her words, what her lie, had done to her friend. But she needed Regina to do this for her. And if the only way to make the brunette believe there was no chance for the two of them was to break her heart, again, then she knew she needed to do it. She glanced up and saw Rumplestiltskin peering out from behind a tree, rubbing his hands together with mirth. She narrowed her eyes at him before dropping down beside Regina.

"I'm sorry," she said. "Regina, I'm so sorry. But I need you to take this dagger and I need you to promise me you'll destroy me if the darkness takes hold."

Regina shook her head, her body wracked with sobs. Emma sighed and stood up, waving her hand. Regina shrieked as she found herself suddenly flying through the air and her back colliding heavily with a tree. She struggled against the invisible ropes binding her there as Emma stalked towards her, eyes darker than Regina had ever seen.

"Regina," she said when she reached her. "I need you to take that dagger, and I need you to promise to do whatever it takes to protect our son. I don't know how much longer I can control myself and you refusing to listen is forcing me to use dark magic. We both saw what I almost did to Merida a few minutes ago. So, I'm going to tell you one more time; if you fail to remove the darkness from me, destroy me. Take Henry back to Storybrooke and move on with your life. Save yourself. Ok?"

Regina's red-rimmed eyes were wide and pleading but she knew she had no choice. Taking a shuddering breath, she nodded once.

Pale lips pressed hotly against her own, the salty tears spilling into her mouth as Emma's tongue begged for entrance. Hands grasped her hips, pulling their bodies tight together as teeth nibbled on tender flesh. Emma explored Regina's mouth for the first time, a breathy moan escaping as she tasted the older woman on her tongue. Just as Regina was about to respond to the sudden, impassioned embrace, Emma vanished in a cloud of dark grey smoke.

Flushed and panting, Regina fell forwards from the tree and landed heavily on the ground. She got to her feet quickly and looked around. The clearing was deserted. On the log where Emma had first sat, however, a silver dagger was glinting in the afternoon sunlight.

A/N: bit of angst to start this fic off. Don't worry, the fun smutty stuff will be back very soon. In fact, chapter 2 is going to be HOT!