This is gonna be the last chapter. I might come back to this story some day, but I'm just really busy at the moment so I wouldn't be able to update much but thank you to everyone who has reviewed, I have loved hearing from you guys.

~The Lonely Geek

Prompt: Regina finds out something awful from Emma's past and is heartbroken it happened to her.

"Want another drink?" Emma asked Regina a while after they had both finished their beers and Regina nodded.

"Yes please," She smiled, passing her glass to Emma so she could get Ruby to do a refill. When Ruby was handing the glasses back, she slipped and accidentally spilt one of the beers on Emma.

"Oh my gosh I am so sorry," She gushed immediately, picking up a few napkins and starting to dab at Emma's shirt. "The next drinks are on the house."

"It's fine," Emma smiled, taking the napkins out of Ruby's hand. "I know how much of a clutz you can be at times, I'm used to it."

"Hey, I'm not a clutz," Ruby protested. "I just slipped." Emma rolled her eyes, smiling slightly.

"You so are," She smirked. "Clutz." Ruby glared in mock anger.

"Fine, if I'm a clutz, then you're a cow," She laughed, still joking. Emma's smile suddenly disappeared from her face. Ruby immediately backtracked, scared she had taken it too far. "I didn't mean..." She trailed off. "I took it too far, sorry." But Emma wasn't listening. She was already halfway to the door.

"I'll see you later Regina, don't bother waiting up for me," She said, flashing a look at Regina.

"I'm really sorry," Ruby apologised to Regina. "We always joke around and call each other names, I didn't think anything of it. Can you tell her I'm really sorry when she calms down a bit?" Regina nodded.

"It wasn't you," She told Ruby. "You just have to be really careful when insulting her, even as a joke. She hasn't had an easy time in life." Then she pushed the beer back towards Ruby. "I should get back. Emma probably won't be back for hours, but I need to be there when she is."

"Sure," Ruby nodded. "I'll be more careful next time."

"You wanna tell me what that was about?" Regina asked Emma in the early hours of the morning when Emma finally slipped into their bedroom.

"I told you not to wait up for me," Emma said, shrugging her jacket off. It was clear to Regina, even in the dimly lit room, that she had been crying.

"And?" Regina shrugged. "I wanted to make sure you were okay." She patted the empty space in the bed next to her. "You seemed fine earlier."

"I-Ruby just reminded me of something," Emma told her, slipping into bed, and snuggling her head into Regina.

"I guessed," Regina replied. "It normally is."

"When I was 10, the family I was with used to beat me and call me a cow whenever I made a mistake. Even small things, like forgetting to do my homework or spilling the milk." Regina's eyes brimmed with tears as she began to stroke Emma's hair comfortingly. She never understood why anyone would do such horrible things to Emma. She didn't deserve any of it.

"In that case, cows are my favourite animals," She whispered, her heart heavy with the fact that she could comfort Emma for the rest of their days, but Emma would never fully heal. The scars of her past were too deep. Emma giggled slightly but mixed with the tears it sounded more like a hiccup. "I'd go and hunt them down at rip out their heart and squeeze it until it turned to dust if you didn't stop me."

"I don't want you turning your heart dark on my account," Emma told her, turning her head to look Regina in the eye.

"I don't care about me," Regina told her. "I care about you. I'd burn the entire world if it kept you safe."

"I'll do my best to keep out of danger then," Emma told her. "I don't think the Storybrooke fire department is big enough to deal with that."

"I'm serious Emma," Regina told her. "You deserve so much better than me. I'm so scared I'll do something stupid and you'll put your walls back up again."

"I don't want better though," Emma smiled, kissing Regina. "I want you."