Finding a loose spot in her restraints, Regina broke free from the rope's hold and lunged at Arthur–aiming for the sword in his possession.

The brunette managed to pin the man on the ground, but not before receiving a victory wound in the process. Hissing in pain, the former queen looked down at her body to see a deep cut on her right forearm.

"Regina!" The savior was the first to rush to the woman's side, her parents having been distracted by the fact Merlin had almost choked Snow to death.

"I'm fine," the woman reassured. "I've seen worse." Regina cradled the injured limb in her other arm.

Without warning, Emma took the body part in her own hand and then raised her opposite arm into the air.

"No, Emma. You can't–" Regina began, not wanting to cause the other woman harm.

"It's light magic," the blonde rationalized. "It's not going to do anything but heal you. I promise."

The brunette reluctantly nodded in acceptance, allowing the savior to heal her wound, and then the group returned back to the diner–their safe haven.

"You tackled him to the ground?" Henry exclaimed. "That's so cool!" The group had managed to return to the small restaurant without interruption.

Regina chuckled at her son's enthusiasm. "Yes, I suppose it is."

The brunette's eye caught a flash of yellow in her peripherals and her gaze looked up to see the savior storming out the door. Instantly, the woman's brows knit in concern.

She excused herself from the conversation with her son and then followed the blonde's retreating form to a wishing well, somewhat of a distance from their home base.

"You didn't have to follow me," Emma commented, not looking up from the small wooden box in her hands.

"I know. But you would've done the same," Regina pointed out.

The brunette noted the fact the savior did not offer up any arguments, and took it as a good sign to continue. "What's bothering you, dear?"

"Nothing," Emma was quick to answer.

Regina fixed the blonde with a pointed look. "You can lie to your parents, you can lie to yourself. But you can't lie to me."

Something about the woman's confidence in her statement struck a chord with the savior. Emma opened her mouth to respond, this time in truth, but then–

Regina let out a shrilling sound of pain, her hand clutching tightly to her wrist.

"Oh my god!" The blonde exclaimed, watching in horror as the woman's previous wound from the day reopened–blood oozing dangerously out of the injured limb. "What the hell happened?"

"Excalibur." Regina's eyes went wide in realization. She hissed again in pain. "Its wounds are…fatal." The woman cursed herself for not realizing the fact sooner.

"No!" The blonde refused. "You've work to hard to–" The savior cut herself off, her voice trembling with fear. "I promised you your happy ending."

Emma followed the woman's body to the ground, the brunette no longer strong enough to stand on her own. The savior held the woman protectively in her arms as she watched the color drain from the former queen's face.

"Please," Emma choked out, tears pouring down her cheeks. "There has to be another way."

Regina met her eyes with a saddened expression. "Tell Henry I love him," her voice broke out into a gut-wrenching sob.

Just then, an idea presented itself to the savior and her features turned dark. "There isanother way." Regina knit her brows in confusion as she struggled to maintain her ragged breath. "The sword. Excalibur. It's tethered to Merlin, so–"

"So what?" The brunette cut the blonde off harshly. "I don't think even he is powerful enough to save me from this fate." Regina let out a deep, shuddering sigh.

"It's okay, Emma." Tears once again threatened to escape the woman's eyes. "With you and Henry I had the chance to experience happiness again; happiness I never thought I would be able to achieve after Daniel."

Ignoring the woman's pleas, Emma continued, "I could remove his name from the sword and replace it with yours."

"You're not listening. Don't you know what that would mean?" Emma's gaze snapped to the defeated woman in her arms. "You would be turning me back into the Evil Queen."

"But I could save you!" The savior exclaimed, not understanding why the brunette was so against what she considered to be the perfect solution.

"I can't go back to be her again," Regina choked out between sobs. "I just can't."

"Please," the brunette begged. "Let me die as Regina."

And with her last plea, the woman's eyes closed for what she believed would be the last time.

"No!" Emma shook the woman's now lifeless form. "You're not dying," the savior decided.

Regina came to hours later, lying down beside the savior in a clearing in the woods.

"Regina," Emma made her way toward the brunette, taking her hand in her own. The woman met her eyes with an unbelieving expression.

"Emma?" Regina smiled at the blonde. She couldn't believe she was still alive. How was it–

The brunette felt her heart sink into her stomach. "What did you do?" She tossed the woman's hand away from her own.

Looking hurt by the action, Emma defended, "I saved you, Regina. I knew you were in no state to make a life or death decision, so–"

"So what?" Regina argued. "You decided to make it for me?" The brunette managed to rise to a standing position, despite still being weak from before.

"Please. You shouldn't be standing so soon," The blonde advised.

"I shouldn't be alive," the woman snapped back.

Both women fell silent.

All she had worked for with Henry–everything she had done to redeem herself–it was all gone.

Overwhelmed, Regina summoned her magic and disappeared into a murky plum cloud of smoke, leaving the savior all alone.

It isn't for a whole month that anyone hears from or sees Regina again. During her absence, the team of heroes managed to defeat both Arthur and Zelena and restore Camelot to its former glory–leaving Guinevere in charge.

Although they still hadn't found a way to destroy the Dark One's curse, the team returned home to Storybrooke to continue their search for a cure alongside Merlin.

After a particularly rough day for the blonde–the one month anniversary of the brunette's last appearance weighing heavily on her–Emma decided to take a drive to visit the site of Henry's old castle.

"Lovely weather tonight, isn't it?" Emma was startled by a gravelly voice approaching her from behind.

Her eyes snapped to the source and her jaw hit the ground. "Regina," she gasped in awe.

"No, not Regina," the woman corrected in a dark, sultry tone of voice. "The Evil Queen."

Emma's body froze instantly upon hearing the title fall from the other woman's lips. Something about the woman claiming the title as her own chilled the blonde to her very core.

"Don't worry, dear. I'm not here to punish you for what you did to me." The queen rounded the savior as if she were a shark with its prey. "Quite the opposite in fact."

Emma swallowed thickly. "Yeah?" she questioned the woman, mesmerized by her captivating appearance.

"I'm here to offer you a deal," the queen paused in front of the blonde, wearing a knowing smirk.

The brunette continued, "I've come to realize that all this 'being a hero' talk is exactly that–just talk." Emma flashed the woman a questioning look. "I tried my best to do right for my son, but what did it get me? Nothing. I almost died if it wasn't for you and your insistent need to save everyone."

Emma opened her mouth to object, but the queen didn't allow it.

"So I've decided to offer you a chance to change your allegiance, against the heroes, so we can finally have our happily ever after," the woman finished.

The blonde took a second to once again pick her jaw off the floor, and then responded earnestly, "And what makes you think I'd want to change sides at all?"

The queen gave the savior a once over and then said, "Because I know you, Emma." She took a step closer to the blonde, placing her palms on either side of the woman's shoulders. "You never wanted this–to be a savior. All you wanted was to have your family back and make sure your son was safe."

"You can still have that if you join me. And I can assure you, I won't need you to be anymore than you already are Em-ma," the queen husked into the blonde's ear, causing chill bumps to appear on her pale skin.

The brunette pulled back from the woman, giving her time to collect her thoughts.

"If I were to join you–and I'm not saying I am–" Emma was quick to clarify. "Would you still want to destroy my parents?"

The queen tilted her head in thought. "Only if they tried to get in our way."

The blonde nodded at the information, casting her gaze back down to the ground.

"Oh, and there's one more thing," the brunette announced. When the savior's eyes glanced up at her, the queen pulled the woman close, capturing her lips roughly with her own.

The blonde moaned at the feeling and then pulled away, flashing the queen a questioning look. "What was that for?"

"Just some extra incentive," the brunette answered with a cat-like grin.

A whole new wave of questions flooded the savior's mind. Did the queen know of her feelings for the brunette? Is she using them to trick her? Or did Regina truly reciprocate her feelings but, like her, was too afraid to admit it aloud?

"Have you reached your decision yet, dear? I'm growing dreadfully tired of waiting." As if proving her point, the queen made a show of checking her nails.

Emma knew if she didn't go with the queen, she ran the risk of never getting to see Regina ever again. But if she did agree to go with her, she may lose herself in the process.

Always the savior, the blonde announced that she would join the queen in her efforts to fight for their own happy endings. Though she had not embraced the darkness as much as Regina had, Emma was convinced that–if the woman truly returned her feelings as much as she hoped–her Regina would eventually return to her.

And for now, that hope was enough for the blonde.