"But I thought that you loved him."

"Love him! Mother, I didn't even like him."

Mother and daughter stood in what seemed like the longest moment of silence. Regina shifting her gaze to the stone wall behind her mother. The tears spilling down her face would not change her mothers mind, but they came anyways.

Cora stepped forward grabbing Regina's chin and pulled her face forward. Stroking Regina's dark brunette hair with her other hand. She stared directly in her eyes before speaking, "I don't care if you love him. You will marry him. You will become a Queen and so will your daughters after you because this isn't about love dear. This is about power. Clean your face up and pull on that wedding dress now. You are becoming the queen today whether you want to or not."

Regina nodded quickly. She wanted nothing more than for her mother to leave and the only way for that to happen is to agree.

Cora left with nothing more than, "Good Girl!"

Regina collapsed against the wall after that and let the tears fall quickly. She didn't want to move, but she felt a hand on her shoulder. She glanced up to see a blond standing before her. She had never met this woman before and she felt fear creep inside her.

"Did she really think that you loved him?"

Regina shook her head no and found herself answering the blonde woman without much reason, "She knows that I have no feelings for the king. She got rid of the one person I did love, and I guess she thought that would make me love the king."

"You can't force love."

"Who are you?"

The blond glanced at her feet. Regina was surprised to find that it took thought to answer a simple question. The blond glanced back up and as nervous green eyes meet brown she heard the older women speak softly, "Emma."

Regina could tell that there was more she was going to say so she waited patiently and after a few moments Emma continued, "I am from the future and I need your help because you are the only person I can trust here. I need you to help me get out of the trouble I'm in because that's what we do Regina, we save each other. All I have is a broken wand and the hope that you will help me."

Regina shook her head in confusion and went to stand up. She let the older woman help her. She saw that she was no longer the only one with tears in her eyes and she delicately wiped one off Emma's cheek. She went to answer Emma but before she could she heard Cora yell, "Ten more minutes dear and I will send in the servants to help with the dress."

Regina's face became distorted with fear and she pleaded with Emma for help. Emma instantly turned her toward the mirror and began to brush Regina's hair. Regina cleaned her face and the two worked in silence. Regina was stunning. Emma managed to put the hair up beautifully even with her limited experience. Regina was able to put on a light layer of makeup that didn't take anything away from her natural beauty.

As they finished a knocking came from the door and Emma quickly hid behind the changing curtain before a group of women came in holding a beautiful white dress covered in lace. They handed Regina a corset and instructed her to put it on behind the curtain.

Regina started to slightly panic it was a small space and Emma being there made it even tighter. She smoothly got behind the curtain without anyone noticing Emma. Once inside Emma smiled at her and turned around. Regina was grateful and even more grateful that Emma made no sounds as her elbow hit her as she put on the garment.

Emma waited patiently for Regina to finish and felt her place a hand on her shoulder as a way of saying goodbye to Emma as she exited the curtain. After that Emma could only be annoyed by the women arguing with Regina over the tightness of the corset. They won out after declaring it was Cora's wishes. The women finished and left telling Regina that someone would be there to retrieve her soon.

Emma stepped out quickly to see that Regina was in pain from the tightness of her corset. "Do you want me to loosen it for you?"

Regina looked up quickly, "Yes please!"

Emma made quick work of retying the dress in a breathable fashion.

"Thank you."

"No problem. Anything for you."

"Do I have to marry him? You are from the future, right? Is it that important? You could help me escape."

Emma sighed, "Regina there is nothing I want to do more, but…"

"No, I can't do this. Please help me."

"Regina if you don't marry him then nothing from my future will exist. I might not even exist, and Henry would definitely not."

Emma realized she said the wrong thing when Regina quickly asked, "Who is Henry?"

Emma took both of Regina's hands in hers and squeezed them tightly, "Henry is the most important person in your world and you love him more than anything."

"Am I in love with him?"

Emma quickly said "No"

"But you said"

"Henry is our son."

"OUR son?"

"Look I don't have time to explain everything, but you would do all of this again for him. You have told me that and you have to go through with this wedding."

Regina nodded her head before another knocking came at the door and she was torn away from Emma and into her wedding.

Regina couldn't stand the thought of marrying the king. She wanted to run back to Emma and beg her to explain. Beg her to come up with another way. Even if she did run away from the wedding she would be found and executed. She held her chin high as she feels her father guide her down the aisle.

She couldn't hear a word the priest was saying and only said "I do" because she noticed a silence. Then she felt the King reach forward and pull her in for a kiss. She tried to pull back quickly, but she found him pulling her closer with his aggressive hands

When he released her the crowd cheered. Regina felt like throwing up.

Emma stood in the crowd during the ceremony. She saw the disgust that was on Regina's face from the kiss and was worried for the night ahead. The only thought that kept her grounded was that Regina had made it through this before.

The reception was a grand affair and Regina was made to sit by her husband during the whole thing. She watched as he hammered back drink after drink. She hoped that he would fall asleep before anything could happen tonight.

Regina knew her duty as his wife. She was afraid though and had no one to tell her what it was like.

It was getting late and a very drunk King Leopold excused himself and his wife. After winking at everyone at the table he grabbed Regina's arm and led her down the hallways and back to his chambers.

Emma followed quietly behind. Felling rage boiling up as he slammed Regina against a wall. He stuck his tongue down her throat.

Regina was not surprised that Leopold couldn't wait to get back to his room. She was shocked though when he wouldn't listen to her pleads to stop, "Please stop. We should get to your room. Please. Please."

"I think not. I'm going to have you in this hallway like the slut you are," his breath smelt like whiskey against her skin. He reached for her dress, but before he could he collapsed on top of her. Dragging her to the floor with him.

She felt someone push his body off her and looked up to see Emma.

"Emma please don't let him hurt me. Please."

Emma wiped the tears off her face and pulled her into her arms, "He's not going to hurt you. I'm going to protect you. Nothing is ever going to hurt you."

She knew it was a lie, but in that moment, she believed that she could stop everyone from hurting Regina.

Regina was shocked when Emma was able to levitate Leopold down the halls and into his room, "I thought that you needed my help to do magic."

"I do."

"Looks like you have all the skills you need."

"You are the only one who can fix the wand because you have the ability to harness dark and light magic."

"I don't know magic."

"Yet"

Emma began to pull a shocked Regina down the hall and into an empty room that contained old armor and weapons.

Before Emma could speak a spot of smoke appeared in the room and left an angry scaly beast. At which Regina jumped back from. She didn't want the dark one there. He completely ignored her and glared at Emma, "I told you the dangers of changing the past. What have you done? I thought you wanted to return to your world not a world without you even in it."

"There has to be another way. I'm not going to let the King rape her!"

"Is that what happen the first time Dearie? If so then it must happen again for me to get my son back and for you to get your son back."

"We will just have to figure something else out because I'm not letting this happen."

"It is not possible to keep the world you know intact and change the past. You have to make a choice. Do you think her anger to cast the dark curse just popped up overnight? She needed that torture and pain. I suggest you make a decision before I return."

Emma sat on the cold stone floor and yelled in frustration. Regina for her part was confused and scared for herself and for the new blond in her life.

She reached for Emma's shoulder causing beautiful green eyes to stare back at to her, "You told me that I wouldn't want the past changed and yet tonight you altered it. Why?"

Emma grasped her hand tightly, "Regina the truth is that while I know that you wouldn't want it changed, I also know that I could never let anyone hurt you like that. I don't want you to go through the pain."

"Could you tell me more about Henry?"

"He is the most wonderful kid in the whole world. He is so smart, sometimes too smart. He has your wonderful sass and he believes like no one else in any world."

"My sass? I'm not sassy."

"Yet," and Emma laughed at the adorable confusion on the innocent girl's face.

Regina giggled along with her before getting serious again, "I know I don't know Henry yet, but I can tell that he means the world to both of us. I think we should leave the past alone because having the two of you in my life sounds like my happy ending and I don't want to ruin that."

"Regina, I can't ask you to do that."

"You're not asking. I'm telling you. Its my choice not yours. I want what is best for both of us."

Regina slides down to the floor and wraps her arms around Emma tight as tears stream down both of their faces.

"You love me a lot Emma and I have very few people in my life who have ever cared like you do. I won't lose you."

Emma nods and Regina places her soft lips on Emma's. Emma returns it a before pulling away.

"I can't. You don't care about me like that Regina. You're in love with Robin not me."

Regina scrunched her eyebrows in confusion, "I don't understand. You said we share a son and that we save each other. You care about me don't you?"

"Of course, I care about you! Its complicated."

"It shouldn't be"

"I'm sorry"

"Don't be sorry just promise me if my memory is wiped to save the future then you will make me realize what we could have when you get back."

"I will try"

"You have to do more than try," She reached towards Emma and kissed her again with more aggression and need this time. Emma returned it and allowed Regina to deepen the kiss pulling her close.

It was broken up by Rumpelstiltskin's return, "Well isn't this lovely. I need a decision now Emma."

It was Regina who spoke first, "The past is staying the same. Do what you must to fix tonight."

"Good," Regina was suddenly gone, and Emma began to panic, "Don't worry she is asleep next to the king where she belongs. I have given her and him false memories."

Emma nodded and handed him the wand, which he fixed with a purple potion. Just before he was about to send her away, she stopped him, "I want them all to be fake."

"What do you want to be fake?"

"Her memories with the King. I want to be able to go back to Storybrooke and be able to make sure she was never actually touched by the man. I want to take away that pain."

"That is dangerous. I don't know of every or how many encounters they had. It could change the future."

"I don't care"

"Fine," he said sending her away .