Regina was still and silent as she sat on Emma's bed, her legs crossed neatly. On the outside, she was poised and calm as ever, but the Evil Queen had never in her life been more anxious. Her insides never so twisted, her heart never so loud as they were in this moment. She took a deep breath, letting the laughing, bright voices from downstairs hurl daggers at her. 'But that's why you're here, Regina. That's why you're doing this.' she reminds herself. 'To let it go. To let her go.'

A week ago, they had all returned from Neverland. Both mothers clinging to their formerly stolen son through the duration of the trip home as if they'd never see him again. Regina had begun to feel a real sense of family with Henry back and she and Emma finally feeling a sense of unity as parents that they'd never shared before. Regina had felt hope that things could change for the three of them, that Henry would be theirs, and Emma...well maybe she could begin to explore what feelings had blossomed from deep within her when it came to the blonde woman she'd grown so close to.

But when they made their way off the Jolly Roger, and Regina's eyes fell upon a scruffy man, whose eyes crinkled as he beamed up at the party, all her future hopes and dreams for her son and his birthmother were crushed, so instantly, to dust. As Emma and Henry's eyes shone with tears of amazement and joy, and the two bounded away from her and towards a completely different future, Regina realized that it had all been a delusion. A beautiful, yet incredibly hopeless delusion. The Evil Queen doesn't get a happy ending. A few months ago, the Charmings had made it clear to her that she doesn't deserve her son. And now, it was clear to her that she didn't deserve Emma either as the blonde was reaching cautiously for the hand of her ex, smiling brightly with her son wrapped around their waists.

And now, here she sat, a week later, broken and desperate for closure on her dream that would never come to be. The voices downstairs began to die down, and she could hear them saying goodnight to their visitor who could be called family in perhaps months, Regina realized bitterly. Soon there were two pairs of footsteps on the stairs, and Regina could hear Emma's gentle voice as she tucked Henry into bed and kissed their son goodnight.

Regina stiffened as she watched the door knob turn, and waited as Emma slowly entered her room. The blonde looked exhausted as she rubbed her eyes, swinging the door closed behind her with her foot. As her hands fell away from her eyes, Emma jumped in surprise to see Regina sitting in her bed, as if it were nothing.

"Jesus, Regina, what the hell?" Emma gasped in alarm, rubbing her hand consciously through her hair.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to startle you," Regina replied honestly, still trying to decide whether to go through with this or not.

"It's fine, I just..." A concerned look crossed Emma's face as she asked, "Is something wrong?"

"No, I wanted to...come by and give you something," Regina answered, her fingers fiddling around a ring in her hand. She uncrossed her legs and stood up slowly, moving over to Emma, but keeping a comfortable space between them as she held up the ring.

Emma's brow wrinkled in confusion as she scrutinized the small object. "A ring? You wanted to give me a ring?"

A smile pulled at Regina's lips because she knew the greater meaning it held for her. "Do you remember when we saved Storybrooke, Emma?"

The blonde chuckled, stuffing her hands into her pockets. "How could I forget?"

Regina's eyes shone brightly as she continued, "The diamond that we shut down, I kept it."

"Please tell me you're not planning to destroy all of Storybrooke with it," Emma said, but her words were only meant to tease as her trust of the brunette had grown immensely since Neverland.

"I had it made into..." Regina paused before finishing, "a ring. This ring."

Emma still wore a look of confusion as she questioned, "And you want to give it to me?"

Regina nodded as she offered it to the savior who accepted it with bemusement.

"Why?"

Regina chose her next words carefully as she answered, "Because it's one of my fondest memories of you, Emma." The blonde opened her mouth to reply, but the brunette cut any words she could say off. "Because in that moment when you pulled away from your parents and you told me that..." The next words caught in Regina's throat and she had to fight the heat welling in her eyes. "Because when you told me that 'I might not be strong enough, but that maybe, together we are.' I realized that..."

A tear escaped, and Regina stopped to quickly brush it away before Emma could truly witness how undone she was becoming. She looked down, avoiding Emma's knowing gaze as she finally admitted in four trembling words, "I love you, Emma."

She could hear Emma's intake of breath and the blonde's lip part as if to respond, so she continued, allowing everything to just flow out. "And it's because I love you, that I won't stand in the way anymore."

"Regina, I—"

"No, Emma, please just listen to me," Regina interrupted, her eyes finally connecting with green. "I don't deserve you. I'm a mess and broken beyond repair." The silence rang through, dawning truths upon Regina as she sighed wearily, "I'm the Evil Queen." She took a few more steps closer to Emma, eyes studying every inch of the strong, beautiful face she'd fallen so helplessly for. "But you're the savior, Emma, and you're so much more than I could ever hope to be."

A broken smile spread across Regina's lips as she reached up, allowing her fingers to grace Emma's delicate skin. "Your future's so bright, and I never could..." She sighed, shaking her head as more tears cascaded down her cheeks. "I never would tarnish that, Emma."

It was as if Regina held Emma in a trance as the brunette inched closer and closer until she and the blonde were just a breath apart, and she leaned in slowly, letting her eyes drift closed as her lips gently graced Emma's the way she'd always dreamed. Regina allowed her guard down for that simple moment in time, raising her hand to stroke Emma's cheek. She wanted to memorize every last bit of the kiss, every sense. But Regina knew that every dream must come to an end, so she slowly pulled away, her eyes averted downwards, missing everything that Emma's eyes held for her, and breathed, "God I wish you didn't have to forget this."

Emma opened her mouth in protest as tears blurred Regina's vision and the Evil Queen raised her opened palm and murmured, "But you do."

The words Emma was going to say, died in her throat, falling back into that of unknowing as she blinked slowly. When the Savior opened her eyes, all that was left was an empty room, and a small ring that weighed heavily in her hand.