This one-shot was based on a story prompt from a Complete the Story book. I was unable to write this as just a drabble, so I decided to make this a full-blown casual one-shot. Enjoy, and make sure to leave a review!

It flashed through the sky and then was gone. Emma was sure she had seen a UFO and was equally sure aliens were here to secretly make contact with a human being. Maybe they would choose her. Maybe she would get to finish their ship. Maybe… she was so high on pain medication she didn't know what was real anymore.

"Miss Swan that was simply a bird that you saw. Now get up off the sidewalk and quit making a fool of yourself!" Regina hissed, cheeks burning in embarrassment as people stopped to stare.

Of course Emma's teeth were so bad she had to go to Boston to get work done. Of course Regina was the only one able to take her. Of course she would act like a complete idiot as a result of the pain meds and refuse to cooperate.

"Regina, they want to take me home! I'm an alien living in a human body! My whole life has been a lie!" Emma shrieked.

"Emma Swan if you don't get in the damn car right now, I will leave you here and you'll have to find your own way back to Storybrooke," Regina growled.

"Regina?"

The brunette turned to see none other than Robin Hood himself, hand-in-hand with his wife Marian. She forced a smile and tried not to roll her eyes. Fucking perfect.

"What are you doing here?" Robin asked, glancing down at a half-unconscious Emma.

"Emma had some dental work done. Unfortunately, getting her in the car is harder than I thought," Regina answered, giving a sharp tug to the blonde's limp arm.

"Let me help." Robin was quick to haul Emma to her feet and gently set her in the passenger seat of the car.

"Get your filthy hands off me, forest hobo earthling," Emma slurred, head lolling to the side as she batted Robin away.

Regina failed to hide the smile tugging at the corners of her mouth. Poor Robin looked confused, and the brunette quickly realized he didn't quite understand the modern world yet.

"She's just a little… out of it," Regina explained. "They gave her some medicine that made her more unfiltered than she usually is."

"Get me in your bed and I'll show you unfiltered," Emma mumbled.

Regina quickly shut the door before turning back to the couple. She chewed on her bottom lip and wrung her hands, suddenly nervous. This was the first time she had seen Robin since he left town to be with Marian, and it was almost as if the wound he left was opening again. He looked so damn happy that it physically hurt.

"Well, I would invite you to lunch but it seems you're, uh, you have your hands full," Robin finally spoke, rubbing the back of his neck nervously.

"We will soon too," Marian said with a smile.

Regina's eyes fell down to where the woman's hand was. How she hadn't noticed her swollen belly before, she didn't know.

"Oh, you're…" the words died on the tip of Regina's tongue.

"Expecting," Robin finished. He stepped forward, intertwining his hand with his wife's once more. "Roland will have a baby sister soon."

"That's… wonderful. I- "

Regina was interrupted by Emma opening the car door. A blessing in disguise.

"Regina, can we get some French fries on the way home?! I'm hungry!"

"I better get going," Regina said.

Robin nodded, holding out his hand for her to shake. Regina did so somewhat awkwardly, practically ripping her hand back from his grasp. Then she got in the car and with some difficulty began to drive. Curse this deathtrap of a bug.

After a few miles of driving out of town, Regina slammed on the brakes and pulled the car over. Glancing at the unconscious blonde beside her, she rested her head on the steering wheel and began to cry. Fuck Robin. Fuck him and his new life. She was destined to be miserable, it seemed.

Even if he had stayed, they never would have lasted. He would constantly be wondering 'what if' while holding Regina's hand, his wife a few feet away with his son. Regina would never have been able to give him the family he dreamed of. He always talked of having more children, giving Roland a brother or sister to play with.

When Regina would try to delicately explain her situation, that she would never be able to bear children and give him what he desired, he would silence her with a kiss.

"I'm sure there's a magical spell to reverse the effects. We can be happy, Regina. You, me, and our family."

That always seemed to bother her. Why couldn't he be happy with just her? Why did there always have to be more? They had Henry and Roland, why was he pressuring her to better herself?

Love was about accepting the other's flaws and imperfections, not straining to change them.

"Damn you, Swan," Regina cursed, nose reddened from crying.

She wanted to blame Emma so badly for bringing Marian back, for ruining her life, but she just couldn't. Not anymore. Emma was simply being Emma. Always striving to help those in need, even if it meant hurting herself. Robin made the decision to leave. Robin was the one to hurt her.

"I'm sorry," Regina whispered, knowing how she had hurt the blonde's feelings these past few weeks.

Not only Emma's, their son's as well. She had been acting selfish, always finding someone else to blame. She was done trying to push her problems on innocent people. She was done with the evil side of herself.

Looking at the blonde sleeping peacefully next to her, she realized that's who she wanted to be like. The perfectly imperfect, annoying, kind, sarcastic, bratty Swan that she had come to love. She could start over, mend her own broken heart.

She reached over and stroked the blonde's cheek, gently rousing her from sleep.

"Em-ma… Emma dear, wake up."

Emma's green eyes popped open, bleary and tired. She whimpered softly, and Regina realized she was probably in significant pain.

The brunette helped her sit up before grabbing an ice pack and the bottle of pain pills from her bag.

"Are we almost home?" Emma asked, voice deep and throaty from sleep.

"Not yet. You need to take some more medicine to keep your pain under control," Regina said softly as she helped her swallow the pills and drink some water.

Emma looked at her with wary confusion as the brunette tucked a lock of hair behind her ear and held the ice pack to her swollen face.

"Why are you being so nice?"

"What do you mean?" Regina answered her with a question.

"I mean you were a complete bitch on the way down here. You didn't even let me touch my own radio, refused to stop for food, and now here you are doting on me like you would Henry," Emma said.

Regina couldn't help but chuckle at the blonde's honesty. There was her Emma.

The blonde squinted as she became more lucid. "Did we see a UFO earlier?"

Regina turned to face the woman, fidgeting with her hands again. "Emma, I want to thank you."

"For what? Ruining your life?" Emma asked. "Because you have every right to hate me. I brought Marian back and I screwed up your chance at a happy ending. I do ruin people's lives. It's why no one ever wanted me. I- "

Regina leaned down and stole the words right from the blonde's mouth with a searing kiss. How dare Emma think such things about herself. And Regina would be damned if she didn't prove her wrong.

"Ow," was the first thing Emma said when Regina finally pulled back.

The smile on her face gave her away however, and her eyes sparkled. "This better not be some drug hallucination. Because I am going to be pissed if I wake up and you're back to being Queen Bitch."

Regina gently grasped her chin, causing the blonde to yelp in pain. The brat deserved it.

"I want to thank you because you made me realize that I don't need Robin to be happy. He left me. It's not the end of the world. Besides I'd much rather share my bed with the beautiful Swan that I love," Regina said.

"Okay, I am definitely hallucinating. Now Regina Mills is being cheesy romantic? Wait 'til Henry hears about this," the blonde said with a cheeky grin.

Regina kissed her once more before starting the car. "Go back to sleep, Emma. We have a long drive."

As the twinkling lights of Boston fell behind them, so did Regina's darkness. For once in her life, she felt free. Thank God for Emma Swan.