A/N- Hey guys. I want to apologize for the hiatus I've taken without notification. I know you probably hear this a lot, but I've been so busy I literally have no time for myself anymore. I'm trying my hardest to update when I can, and that means writing whenever I get a chance of free time. I really hope you are enjoying this story, and that you continue to stay with me through future updates. If there's something you like, don't like, think should be here, or not, WHATEVER, drop me a message. I'm always looking for that constructive criticism. You all are amazing. Keep being awesome :)
Something very strange had been happening to Regina Mills.
The new-found discovery of the woman she despised most bearing the memories, and partial soul, of the man she had considered her first love put her mind in a jumble.
She had repeatedly kissed Emma Swan; indulged in the feelings that transpired between them.
It seemed as if things were making a turn for the better.
And despise her regained sense of happiness, there was a slight twinge in her brain which felt the need to act...well, malicious.
It first started before she shoved her fist through a mirror, the voice inside her head pushing the depths of her heart back into blackness.
"I can't let myself get close again..I...I won't let life repeat itself..." She buried her head in her hands, a whimper of desperation and pain escaping her lips.
How do you know that's the way it will happen?
She cares about you...
And it has nothing to do with Daniel.
That sweet, enticing voice inside her head was soon replaced with the devil on her shoulder; the chip she had been carrying around for what seemed like decades.
Do you really think you can get away with being Regina?
That name means nothing anymore, and Miss Swan knows it.
She's just like him.
Think about it, are you so sure that he loved you?
Or did he try to use you as well?
Sounds like he was a pawn in Mother's game.
Or maybe...
Regina could hear the smirk in her evil counterpart's voice, her heart catching in her throat at the woman's next words.
Maybe it wasn't you he was really after...
"Shut up!" Regina reached into her own chest, but she did not pull out her heart. Instead, a swirl of black smoke appeared before her; the Evil Queen in the flesh.
"What do you want? Why are you here?"
Why am I here? That's a pretty simple question coming from someone who has obviously forgotten who they are.
"I know who I am!"
Oh really? So, in love with the Savior? I know you want her. I felt that kiss. The one that awakened her. You really have changed. Did you forget why you truly enacted the curse?
"You are young, and foolish. You don't understand anything! Everything has changed! I don't care about that anymore! I only care about-"
My point exactly.
One day you'll see...
When the entity faded, the brunette dropped to her knees, sobbing.
Feeling a comforting hand on her shoulder, she turned to see a familiar face staring back at her with a smile.
She really is just like you, isn't she...
The thought crossed her mind as the ghost vanished from her view and a familiar feeling returned to her chest.
The feeling that she was loved and missed.
That somewhere, the person she had once cared for was watching over her; protecting her.
"So what's going on with Madame bitchy-pants?" Ruby asked, her elbow on the counter as forest green eyes gazed into Emma's own.
"Hey, be nice. Besides...Your argument is invalid. I never see that woman in anything other than a skirt." When the chuckling subsided, the blonde's look became serious. She's...She's really changed, Rubes. I don't think she ever anticipated what has happened to be a possibility. Least of all happening to me, her worst enemy, you know?"
"I suppose. Em, you're...I know you're still you. I know this recent discovery doesn't change anything about you, but I want you to know that no matter what, I'm always going to be here for you."
She reached out, grasping the blonde's hand in her own and giving it a gentle squeeze.
Emma would've been shocked if it weren't her best friend on the other end of the counter; she thought nothing of it.
"I know, Ruby. And trust me, I really appreciate it. I can only hope you support the decisions I choose to make, no matter how strange they may be."
The wolf's eyebrow rose as she leaned forward to whisper in Emma's ear. The sultry sweet flow of words made the blonde shiver. "You and Regina?"
"I...Um...Well...She cares about me..and...Anyway, enough about Regina...How's Belle?"
The sudden change in topic threw the tension off for a moment.
"Hmm? Belle? Oh, she's doing fine. Always at the Library, that one. I can never tear her away from books. It's the one thing she loves most in this world, I swear.."
"Other than you? C'mon Ruby, that girl is so smitten for you. And I know how you feel about her..." At the mention of her girlfriend from the Sheriff, the woman's eyes flashed yellow for a moment, and she turned around to regain herself.
"Are you all right? You almost wolfed out on me for a moment there..."
"I'm fine. I'll be right back." She clutched her chest, dashing for the freezer, where she moved to the back where no one could hear her groans of agonizing pain; passing out the other night had rendered her without any memory of the transpired events.
It had been well over five minutes since the waitress excused herself, and when Granny was screaming for her granddaughter from the kitchen for the hundredth time, it alerted a feeling in Emma that told her there was something wrong.
She quickly made her way to the freezer, spotting Ruby in the back, clasping her chest as if she were having a heart attack.
"Hey! Rubes, are you all right?"
"Yeah...Just...Just cold...Sorry."
"Sorry? You're clutching your heart as if you're going to collapse on me. Are you sure you don't need help?"
"Emma...I'm fine...I..." Her eyes flashed yellow again and she moved closer to the blonde until the other woman's back hit the shelves holding up various types of frozen food.
"Hey...Ruby...Hello?" Flushed skin getting closer and closer to her own, the blonde tried to back away to no avail.
When the brunette's lips pressed against her friend's, Emma pulled away, shock adorning her features.
"Woah! Ruby? What was that all about? You have Belle, and I..." She almost wanted to say she had Regina; but the way the woman she cared about flip-flopped over her feelings confused her to no end.
"I...I care about someone. And not only that, but you can't do this to her, Ruby. You can't hurt the woman you love. She practically went through hell with Gold for how long before you two were together...Just...Just forget this ever happened. I'm not doing this. Please...Don't break your girlfriend's heart..."
The brunette nodded her head for a moment, eyes gazing at the ground in embarrassment.
"Em...You should go. I'm sorry."
Without hesitation, the blonde dashed out the freezer door. She couldn't hear the cry of pain coming from the wolf.
But the sorrowful sound that escaped her lips wasn't from rejection.
Good girl.
Don't worry...I only need you for a tad bit longer. And then you can be with your precious Librarian again.
But for now?
You belong to me.
Emma sat on the bench facing the sea.
The quiet and serene feeling of a strong, salted wind grazed across her face.
So many things raced through her mind; confusion being one of them. Life hadn't been any easier since she and Regina shared something indescribable.
And what was going on with Ruby?
"Emma?" Her thoughts were interrupted as the young voice of her son reached her ears.
"Hey kid, what are you doing here? Your Mom and grandparents must be worried sick."
"I...I wanted to talk to you about a few things that I heard-"
"Henry, what did I tell you about eavesdropping? How you shouldn't do it because two people like having a private conversation without someone listening in on their hidden lives?"
"I'm sorry...I couldn't help it...Grandma was crying, and Grandpa was...Well he was comforting her. I could tell they were talking about my Mom. But...they were also talking about..." He couldn't finish his sentence, only sat next to her, placing his hand on her own.
"Is it true?" The whisper was low, but the intensity in his eyes was something else.
"Yes...Henry, it's...It's true."
"Do you remember everything? About her Mom? About..."
"No. I don't know what that was like for him. Maybe there's things in his past that he doesn't want me to know about because he's afraid how I'll react. Everything is new and frightening. Henry, I'm...I'm still me...But who I am? I..."
"You are my Mom. You're Emma, the Savior. And maybe...Maybe you're Mom's first love too. You're brave, and noble, and you're just like him. You could save her...You could be her True Love..."
"That's crazy, kid. The woman doesn't think anything of me. I'm 'Miss Swan', 'Sheriff', nothing more, nothing less. The past few weeks have proven that..."
It's almost like she wants to open up, like her heart wants me...But then something in her just pulls away...
Like that kiss we shared was everything...But she acts like its nothing...
"Would you give up, though? Emma, haven't you been given a second chance? Hasn't Daniel?"
The blonde was taken aback at her son's statements.
"When did you get so smart about everything kid? You're growing up every day and...Yeesh, it's like I can't keep up. If it's one thing I have to thank Regina for, it's your intelligence," she ruffled his hair and grinned when he quickly tried to make it neat again.
"Some of it is from you, Emma. Please don't be afraid. I know my mom is scared. Wouldn't you be? If you lost someone long ago and found out they were back, how would you feel?"
The blonde's eyes peered away. She had known that feeling since the arrival of Neal.
And at first, she had felt anger towards the man for everything he had put her through. But when she thought about it, she couldn't hate him.
He had given her something that was so beautiful she had done what was best to protect it.
He had helped give her Henry. And that was enough to eradicate any negative feelings that brimmed in her heart during those years before she met her son.
She wondered how Regina must have felt, losing Daniel, yet having nothing but anger for so long that she managed to curse everyone who stood in her way; watching as his lifeless body was wrapped in her arms, and knowing there was nothing else she could do to get the person she loved back.
She didn't have a Henry.
She had nothing of his to carry on with her to ensure that his memory would be alive. Enacting the curse only had turned his memory into negativity; a reason as to why she became what she was for all those years.
I'm a monster...
"You're right, Henry. Look, the truth is I know nothing about this person I'm supposed to be. All I want is for your Mom to be happy. But she is so...she's confused about what she wants because she's afraid, just like I am."
The boy leaned up and hugged the woman tightly.
"So just be you? You're already an awesome person. The only thing different is that you have memories from someone else. That's all."
Emma laid back on the bench, her arm draped around the one person in the world she loved more than anything else.
They talked about school, about some things in her kid's life.
About a few things they didn't know regarding each other.
And never once did she feel alone.
"Ok, I got this...Regina, I think we should stop running around our feelings and...Dammit, it doesn't sound any better written on paper! She's gonna think I'm a huge idiot...More than she already thinks I am anyway..."
The blonde's rambling was cut short as the town Librarian burst through the door.
Emma hastily threw her letter in the desk, slamming the drawer shut.
"Uh...Hi, Belle...What can I do for you?"
"Yes...Can you help me? Please..." The woman's eyes were red, puffy, as if she had been crying.
"What's wrong?" Something didn't feel right, and pretty soon she was standing. Her chair pushed against the wall.
"It's..."
"Is Ruby all right?!"
"I don't know, Emma...I haven't seen her! She called me last night, and let me know she was coming home, but that was the last I heard from her! I went to Granny's and she said she hasn't seen Ruby since after closing last night!"
Heel-clad footsteps were heard against the floor, and the blonde looked up to see Madame Mayor in the flesh.
"Sheriff Swan, what's going on here? Why is there a concerned citizen in your office while you're standing here dumbfounded?"
"Regina, please, stay with Belle. I need to find Ruby. She's been missing since last night, and last time I checked wolfstime isn't for another two weeks."
And with that, she was out the door, looking for her friend. The worst possible scenarios going through her head.
"Ruby!"
The voice echoed through the woods echoing the response of a lone, familial, howl.
"Shit, Ruby!" Emma ran towards the noise, only to be cornered by the brunette.
But she didn't look like herself.
Something was off.
The smile that routinely accompanied her features was replaced with a primitive snarl. Her clothes were torn, stress accompanying her features.
"Rubes, it's me, Emma. Your Lemur, remember? What's going on? You've been acting strange. Belle misses you. Please, let's go home. You can make me those pancakes that are freakin' amazing..."
"She can't do that, dear. She has yet to fulfill the plans I have in store for her."
A grin in the darkness appeared as a cloaked figure stood behind the wolf-woman.
"You!"
Emma grabbed her gun from its holster as she watched the figure carefully place a hand on the brunette's shoulder.
"What did you do to Ruby?! Why are you here?!"
"Because, my dear, we have unfinished business! I'm here to take your heart. But I hear there is something oh-so-special about it! Would you tell me what it is?"
A voice in the back of the blonde woman's head screamed at her to keep quiet, and for a moment, barrel pointed at the cloaked person, Emma didn't dare raise a sound.
"No?" A sly grin was evident in the figure's words. "I hope you don't kill your crazed best friend, dear. She's already weak as it is..."
"Wait!" Emma called to the figure, watching the body fade in a heap of purple smoke.
She had never been so scared in her life, watching as her best friend transformed in mid-air, a row of sharp teeth aiming for her upper arm.
The wolf had acquired its target, her fangs sinking into the woman's bicep, knocking her gun away, and enabling the beast to pull back for another menacing bite; this time in the shoulder.
Blood seeped from her wounds as she reached for the gun, crawling to the weapon and trying to fend the beast off.
"I'm sorry...Ruby..." Came the whimper of pain as she shot the wolf in the shoulder.
Her body was unable to sustain any wounds and she found herself falling back into darkness.
"Daniel?" The sultry voice of the young man's fiancee enabled his eyes to quickly open, glancing around the stables for any sign of trouble.
Tonight was the night.
They would run away, finally be together.
Husband and wife.
"Regina? I'm here," he wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her in for a passionate kiss.
"Are you ready my love? Or...is that doubt in your eyes?"
"No doubt, my Queen. Excitement...Happiness. I am so lucky to have you in my life. But I do fear for us. I fear what would happen if-"
He was soon cut off as the young woman pressed a finger to his lips.
"Then we will run. But I will not lose you. I will not marry that man. Not when I love another. His daughter looks up to me, and maybe I can teach her a thing or two about true love. Maybe I can teach her to stand up for what she truly believes in instead of this world picked out for her by someone other than herself," tears brimmed in her eyes as she imagined a cruel fate for Snow White, the girl who held her secret dear.
The only person she trusted besides the man before her.
They embraced again, one final time in this wretched place, before turning towards the stable doors.
This was it, all it took were a few steps, and she was free.
They dashed out together, hand in hand, ready to face the world on their own, a life they had dreamed of living.
But it was all stopped abruptly when she showed up.
Cora Mills.
"Mother?" Regina wondered how the woman knew, and quickly her mind went to that little girl she had treated like a lifeline.
"What do you think you're doing, Regina? Turning everything we've worked hard for into nothing? You run away from your future husband, the King no less, to be with this man who has nothing? What could a Stableboy offer you?! Nothing!"
"I don't care! I'm leaving with him! This is my true love, mother! Don't you remember what that was like?"
She saw the wheels turning in her mother's head, as if reminiscing on the past. And for a moment she wondered if it really were her father playing in the woman's memories.
"I understand how you feel, my child. And I only want what's best for you. I know you are in love, but to throw it all away? Are you sure it's what you want?"
Regina smiled genuinely.
"More than anything in the world." And she embraced her mother, the woman wrapping her arms around her daughter, whispering in her ear.
"I only want you to be happy..."
Daniel walked over to the pair, smiling down at Cora, noticing how she smiled back at him, as if accepting their relationship.
"Your Highness, I assure you that I can protect your daughter. I might seem like someone you would deem worthy, but I promise that I will do whatever it takes to make her happy. I know you want what's best for Regina."
"You're right. I do...I always want what's best for her."
The woman's smile became maniac as she thrust her hand into Daniel's chest, pulling out his heart.
He fell to the floor, gasping in pain as she squeezed the muscle until it turned into dust.
His eyes closed, his heartbeat ceased, and all that remained of the young man was the lifeless body in his lover's arms.
Back in Storybrooke, in the hospital ward, room 146, Emma Swan awoke screaming, her hand clutching her chest as if her heart was reduced to nothingness.