A/N: First, this story is not a continuation of Black, my first OUAT offering. I am tired of seeing Regina get the crap kicked out of her, and this is what I came up with. I've taken some liberties with the Regina/Cora relationship and implemented my own vision in some other things. I do hope you enjoy. Also, Rizzles readers of TBL, I should have the conclusion up in a couple of weeks.

Where there is desire
There is gonna be a flame
Where there is a flame
Someone's bound to get burned
But just because it burns
Doesn't mean you're gonna die
You've gotta get up and try

Try…

Try…

- Pink

Even as she sat primly on the plush couch, Regina's body was fraught with tension. She reached for the cup of coffee, knowing it would only exacerbate her current state, but her need for some level of normalcy won. Her skin and every fine hair on her body was attuned to the sudden changes in her home. Strengthening a resolve she knew was waning, Regina replaced the cup on its saucer and stood.

Cora had awakened.

For a moment, Regina traveled outside herself and watched her mother descend the stairs, noting the regal bearing swathed in the most expensive of clothes from the old world. Her eyes moved upward slowly until she came to a countenance chiseled from an array of angles. The shark like smile was the sharpest angle of all, and when it appeared, it cut into her heart just as it always did.

Regina turned, meeting one of her deadliest obstacles head on, and just as she had been five days prior she was taken aback by the blackness her mother emanated. A blackness, she herself used to revel in. As if she were missing a limb, her body actually ached in remembrance of simpler times, darker times. Regina's clenched, willing the feeling away. She was dirty enough. "Cora," she murmured flatly in greeting.

Her reply was a throaty chuckle. "Despite your loathing, I'm still your mother whether you wish it or not."

"I'm not a child. So, there is no need to pretend." Regina cut her mother with her own slashing, malicious grin.

Cora huffed. "Come now, darling. Can't we simply let bygones be…well wherever they go? I did it all for your own good in this world just as I did in the last. You have to be broken—"

"To realize my true potential…yes. I've heard it for the past five days and years before that. Find a new refrain." Regina interrupted through clenched teeth.

A condescending sound escaped from Cora Mills' throat. She stepped closer to her daughter, entering her personal space and poisoning the air around them. "You will have that simpering boy back and your revenge if you would just exercise patience and a little gratitude," she hissed. "Hook and I are just ironing out the finer details."

As a child, she would have flinched at her mother's intimidating stance, but as an adult, as she was now, she merely placated. Regina scoffed. "Well, if I were privy to them, maybe I could help speed matters up considerably."

Laughing outright, Cora peered at her. "I know it's been a lifetime, darling but I've never been a fool." She took a step closer, bringing with her the cloying sweetness of dark magic. "I know that you struggle. I can smell it…feel it, but you're weakening. It's calling to you…the power that rushes through your veins, and you're starting to listen to it. My presence here has opened old Daniel sized wounds and dug new ones even deeper." Cora's knowing smirk stabbed painfully at Regina, drawing blood. "Besides the Regina I raised…the woman I helped her become would have tried to mow me down where I stood the moment I made an appearance." Leaning in, Cora whispered in her ear. "You're pathetic."

Daniel's name dripping from unworthy lips made Regina see red. The surge of anger that rolled through her chest was breathtaking simply because Cora spoke the truth...the darkness was seeping through. Regina growled, sneered and before she had a chance to think, blackness swirled within her. After unclenching her fist, a fireball grew of its own volition.

Cora looked on fondly.

Her mother's expression made Regina gasp. She sucked in a deep breath willing the darkness at bay. The effort left her panting and weak. She doubled over, clutching her stomach as the unused magic boiled painfully within. "There are no words in this world or the other…to describe what I feel for you." The hatred surging played havoc with her hard won control.

"Good." Cora patted her on the head as if congratulating for a job well done. "Let's go with that."

Then, the chaos that Cora Mills brought with her was suddenly gone.

Regina sagged and retreated into herself before nearly tumbling onto the couch. She cried out in frustration, needing to lash out, she swept the cup, saucer, and it's piping hot contents onto the floor. The resounding crash settled her. She needed to break something if she couldn't break someone. Regina yearned for it, and therein laid the danger. Her mother cracked walls Regina thought would be almost impenetrable, held tight by Henry's love and new found belief in her. Then, there was Emma and that…that which had formed between them.

Regina had no idea what that was but was resigned to the idea that now she may never find out. Hatred and fear had become curiosity and respect. Then, somehow it evolved further or maybe it had been there from the beginning, waiting for the veil to be lifted by the happenstance of inevitable events. Regina had seen her own confusion mirrored in Emma's eyes when she pulled her from the angry mob, and when they actually touched of their own volition, magic happened, literally.

They were the same underneath both possessing the horrible knowledge of what it was to be abandoned, to be devastated. They were scorched by it, changed by it, leaving a hard exterior shell that should have been invincible. Henry had been their kryptonite. Henry had been the weakness that brought them together and maybe even their savior.

The enmeshing of darkness and light should have never been able to give birth to goodness, but it did Regina had seen it, experienced it. It wasn't dark magic that dispelled the well. It was her love for Henry and the sudden surge of need for Emma that cleared the path. For once, in what seemed like an eternity, Regina felt pure…scrubbed clean of evil intent. The idea alone bolstered her, and the what ifs unearthed an age old longing, a craving that she resisted vehemently at first knowing the damage it could…would bring. Still, it whittled down her spine, leaving a trail of heat and took up roots growing even though the terrain wasn't the most fertile.

It was a longing that Emma returned. The evidence was new but written in her invitation, her hesitancy, a soft smile and the heat they generated when they were in the vicinity of each other. Outside Granny's, the air seemed to crackle with it as Emma stood in front of her and put her family and obligations behind her, even as old anger and resentment sizzled around them. It was to be their nature Regina knew with assurance… this passionate volatility.

She wouldn't have it any other way.

Green eyes flashed back at her emboldened, irritated but hungry and somehow tender. This was no trick of the light or falsehood. For one with such heavy soul, in that moment, Regina felt lighter than air. Her heart beat a tattoo against her ribcage despite the subject matter…despite the push and pull. Part of her wanted to run from it, but her better half stayed and reached out to touch what was growing into a palpable entity between them. Emma receded but the hunger in her gaze remained as did the softness.

A month ago she would have scoffed. She would have raged and laughed, but through it all…through everything, she had Henry's faith as tremulous as it was. It made her hope. It made her want. So why not this? Why not this…thing pulling them, changing them?

Raising her head and clearing long, dark tendrils from her face, Regina almost laughed out loud. The irony was rich enough for her to taste. Why not? Her destiny answered that question. Cora Mills answered that question. Regina was beginning to think that it was her lot in life to be broken and be reduced to nothing only to rebuild a hotter fire out of the ashes. However, this time, there was something in her that raged against the status quo.

Through the scathing looks and accusations, Regina held on to the truth and light that Henry…that Emma had instilled, despite their rejection and the staggering pain it left behind. It was indeed a devastating pain, deep and throbbing, and she felt every inch of it. In the face of it all, she found a freedom in feeling. Daniel had wanted her to feel again, and she had tenfold.

Epiphany had come then urging her to use the agony as a catalyst. A plan formed… to pretend…to immerse herself falsely in the dark world of magic to save this one. This ruse had been her first instinct instead of destruction. It was true evidence of change that crept upon her like a thief in the night softening her heart, but as the inky pitch slugged through her, Regina didn't know if she had the energy to resist it. She felt dirty and mired deep in a sticky tarry substance that threatened to pull her under. Anger and despair had replanted its seed, and slowly but surely it was usurping the roots that had been there before.

Hands fisted and clenched at her side as a cornucopia of emotions roared through her. Regina wished for stillness. She wished for an end to the noise in her head and the chaos that seemed to always reign supreme. In Henry's smile, she found a semblance of peace. In Emma's eyes, she gleaned the potential. Where Regina should have felt betrayal and disdain toward them, there was acknowledgement for her hand in this. There was determination to prove that the past held her prisoner no longer.

As she stood once more, Regina peered down taking in her pristine appearance. Then, her eyes roamed toward the coffee stained area rug, and with a wave of her hand, it disappeared making the darkness bubble a little closer to the surface. Still, the muck that covered her was deceptively invisible, but the desire to be clean…purified, however dwindling, was still present. Pacing between the couch and the coffee table, an idea took shape and form. Emma's light had been bright enough to burst through before blindingly white in its clarity. It would be again.

Emma was the key.

Had it only been a few days since they'd seen each other? It felt like a millennium. Despite Emma's reception it would be good to see her, breathe her. Anticipation and awareness reared its head.

Regina told herself no lies. It was going to be an uphill battle convincing Emma of her intentions. That in itself was an understatement to say the least and nearly insurmountable to say the most. Regina searched deep for the resolve and the patience to deal with a Charming's epic stubbornness. The same resolve she unearthed to walk into Granny's with the world against her. It was a world she created out of hate and pain, but somehow in that vacuum, she found enough love and hope to want to save it. So, she crossed that threshold like a queen of old poised even in the face of impossible odds. Regina took a deep breath. It was all or nothing. She knew what it was to have nothing, but now, she realized that she just wanted it all.

Regina stopped mid stride, searching her mind for the perfect spell to deceive Cora. While her mother was like a sponge soaking up, learning and mastering as many spells as possible, Regina had been a true student of the arts picking spells and incantations apart to make stronger, more powerful ones. She was formidable, but not as formidable as she needed to be. Here, Regina needed to become a true practioner to steal just enough time to renew herself and possibly gain a secret ally for the war ahead.

Nightfall, Regina knew, would be the perfect cover needed, and her best chance to get Emma alone. Nerves assailed her, causing her to forego the light dinner she planned, but she hid it well in snark and vitriol as Cora appeared once more.

"Still in the same spot I see. Not in that dungeon you call a bed chamber nursing your wounds?" Cora bared teeth with this smile, eager to rip her pray to shreds.

The words burned, but she ignored the sting. A dark chuckle escaped Regina's throat instead. "Did I ever make anything easy for you?" She didn't wait for the answer. "Then why should I start now?"

Her mother's gaze turned thunderous. "Your lack of respect for your betters borders on uncivilized, darling." Then within a few seconds her eyes seemed to gleam with unmitigated joy. "I've taught you well." Cora cooed.

Regina's answering laughter was bilious. "I always knew you to be disillusioned, but this surpasses even your psychosis." Regina charged forward until they were mere inches apart. "You taught me nothing but the best way to detest you. Rumple takes the honor of molding the darkness." She sent a silent thank you to the Heavens that he was no threat, for the moment.

Color drained from Cora's already pale face. Violence erupted and before she could blink, Cora's hands were securely wrapped around Regina's throat. As the air was sucked both magically and physically from her body, Regina's gaze bore down into one so like her own.

"I will break you." Cora hissed.

Somehow through it all, Regina's lips curled into a vicious smile. "But…you won't kill me," she husked. "You need…me."

With an unlady like growl, Cora released her.

They glared at each other with murderous intent. Regina wanted to cough. She wanted to soothe her wounds but willed herself still.

Cora sighed, and her eyes softened. "What has happened to us? This isn't what we should be."

Regina rolled her eyes. "There's a colloquialism in this world, Mother…" That one word dripped with venom. "You catch more flies with honey." She sneered. "I don't remember any sweetness just acid that ate away at me…at everything, and this is the result. Live with it, or die. The latter wouldn't pain me at all." Regina finished in a deadly whisper.

"Regardless," Cora brushed Regina's comments aside with a wave of her hand. "I will not stand here and take any more abuse from an ungrateful child. I'm retiring for the evening. Do try not to let this world crumble even more without my presence."

"Good night." Regina said brightly at the neon puff of purple smoke. She waited a few more seconds until the smoke completely dissipated. Cora had taken the bait. Now, it was time to let the rest unfold.

Regina peered at herself in the floor length mirror, gathering strength and a wealth of confidence from her regal stance. Her head was held high. Shoulders were back and she stood tall, firm. If she looked the part, she could play the part. Form fitting black slacks and a matching blouse were a simple enough uniform to carry out her plan.

Her lips began to move and piercing brown eyes swirled with purple tendrils as magic surrounded her. After several seconds, she peered at an extraordinary likeness of herself, but the eyes were empty. Regina stepped forward, leaning toward her clone and placing a brief kiss on each eyelid.

Eyes identical to her own flooded with a semblance of awareness, programed to respond to Cora in Regina's usual brisk manner if needed. She sucked in a deep breath, weakened by the spell and the blackness that beckoned with each magical use. At this point, Regina knew it was a necessary evil.

"Change into your night clothes," Regina whispered. Turning, she didn't wait to see if the order was carried out. She knew it would be.

She pressed a hand to her stomach, centering herself and gathering reserves. Tilting her head back as wafts of purple smoke surrounded her, Regina thought of Emma.

Regina stood as still as death and peered through the semi-darkness. With an inaudible whisper, she cast another spell, cloaking them in silence. Moving forward slowly, she was in no way prepared for the sight of Emma. Her stomach clenched and warmth burst into her chest, nearly stealing her breath.

Blond tresses spilled over a crisp white pillow and seemed to light the dark. Regina stared greedily at pale features. Beautiful in repose…beautiful in everything. Still, Emma's face was marred with tension. Her mouth pulled downward and lines creased her forehead. Regina wondered if she was thinking of her, dreaming of her in concern or apology.

The habitual wife beater graced her torso and brief boxer shorts completed the picture. Blankets had been kicked away as if Emma fought against their audacity to try to imprison her. Regina inched closer still until she neared the head of the bed.

As if sensing a disturbance, Emma's body tensed. A mere nanosecond later, green eyes opened and lips parted in a surprised huff. Emma shuffled backward.

It was now or never. "Miss Swan…" Hesitance and hope dripped from her words.

Emma's eyes widened even more, and then something incredible happened. The verdant gaze softened. "No… it's Emma," she whispered.

The warmth in Regina's chest became a raging heat. Her resulting gasp was loud enough to reverberate. For once in her life, Regina was speechless. "I…" There had been nothing in her life this easy, having to scrape, manipulate and command to get a semblance of what she wanted or needed. For this moment alone, Regina knew she would cherish Emma always.

Emma was willing to fill in the silence. "I knew you didn't do it…couldn't do it. I should have gone with my gut." She pushed a hand through messy blond curls. Her expression was sad, regretful. "Sorry, Regina for being like everyone else. When Cora and Hook showed up, I don't think I've ever felt shittier in my life."

Revealing her frayed, tattered defenses, a sound escaped Regina's throat. It sounded dangerously close to a sob. She covered her mouth in surprise and embarrassment.

Emma's lips lifted at the corner. Her expression held understanding and compassion. "It's okay…well not really, but you know what I mean." She sighed. "Henry is beside himself. Wanted me to charge in and rescue you." Emma paused. "Hell, I wanted to."

Regina basked in that statement. It was solid evidence that she was wanted…needed. Still, hearing Henry's name, made Regina extend her senses. He wasn't in the apartment. Panic ceased her, piling on top of the million other emotions she was feeling. "Henry!"

"Shhh!" Emma brought a finger to her lips.

"Speak normally. No one can hear us."

"Oh, okay. Well, Henry's with Archie. They're safe."

Regina looked on in confusion. "I thought Cora-"

Emma shook her head. "No, he showed up on our doorstep. I guess keeping him alive was part of whatever scheme your mom and Hook are cooking up. He escaped from Hook's ship during some kind of fight on board. He told us everything, which wasn't much beside the bad guys were here." Emma reached out but as if unsure of herself and the moment, she pulled back and patted the bed instead. "Sit. I can't imagine what you've been through."

Regina took tentative steps forward and lowered herself onto the open space. Even in the beginning, she had never been able to resist this woman's pull, and at this point, it was almost a compulsion. Their gazes met, and in such close proximity, the air around them came to life. Regina's heart slammed against her chest, but she couldn't look away, nearly losing herself in a few scant seconds.

"Regina…why? How…did you—"

"I had to see you." She answered breathlessly, and a burden of sorts was lifted. To hear those words out loud was a release… an acknowledgement that flooded the universe with a knowledge that couldn't be retracted.

Emma's face transformed with a radiant smile. It was blinding, and Regina could hardly believe it was all for her. "I'd be lying if I said I haven't thought about you…other than the fuck up, I mean. But, how did you get away from Cora?"

"Cloning spell…I don't have much time. I needed…I can't keep fighting her. She's winning, and I won't be what I was before. It'll be worse. She's planning something…something large scale, but she doesn't trust me yet with the details."

The wrinkle in Emma's forehead reappeared. "What do you mean she's winning?"

Regina glanced away, and when she looked back, confession spilled from her lips. "She knows what buttons to push. I didn't think there was any way she could get through—"

"I won't let her. We won't let her." Emma's expression and her tone held such conviction that Regina believed.

She blinked and found herself silent once more. Someone was on her side, and it was an odd occurrence to say the least. The seconds ticked by before she found her voice again. "I wish I had more to tell you- something to tell your…parents." That word was thick enough to chew.

Emma smirked. "Thank you. I know they're not your favorite people in the world, but they're not Voledemort. You can say their names."

Regina barely resisted the urge to roll her eyes. Leave it to Emma Swan to make light of such a potent subject. She sighed instead. "He didn't…" Regina paused, realizing she was about to engage Emma in the ridiculous. "You're insufferable. I come here under precarious conditions-"

"Ah, there she is."

Regina was taken aback by the statement. "What are you referring to, Miss Swan?"

"I was referring to you or this version of you. It seems like forever since I've seen the woman and not the former queen. I like it…a lot, but the uber bitch is always a treat."

Regina's eyes rolled at last, and despite the seriousness of the situation, she felt her lips curl upward. A frission of awareness trickled down her spine at Emma's flirtatious words. "Can we get the more important aspects of this conversation out of the way first? Before we engage in…whatever this is?"

"If we must, but we know she's planning something. It will help to have a double agent on the inside."

Regina scoffed. "Or your parents could simply believe I'm attempting to corrupt you and their plans for my mother's sake."

Green eyes held resignation. "You're probably right, but I'll make them listen. They won't have a choice."

"How—"

"They don't have the best track record of being right where you're concerned, Regina. Now, about the other thing…"

A sudden gasp exited her throat. Regina looked down to see Emma's hand covering her own. Electric tendrils raced their way up her arm and gushed toward the rest of her body. For several seconds, Regina couldn't breathe.

Her eyes found Emma's only to see her just as affected. When their fingers laced together the charge intensified, but Regina didn't dare end the embrace.

"That's us? Our magic?"

Regina nodded and swallowed. The intensity was mind blowing. "It…shouldn't be able to mesh this way." She felt the light rolling through her just like she needed it to.

"Well obviously, it didn't get the memo, but that's not all it is…" Emma lifted their joined appendages, and when her hand was close enough, she brushed her lips over sensitized flesh. "I've been wanting to do that for a long time."

The caress went straight to Regina's core, landing there and curling a hard knot into her belly. "By that, do you mean holding my hand or kissing me?" She asked huskily.

"I haven't kissed you yet. You'll know when I do." Green eyes darkened with promise.

Regina sucked in a surprised breath, and the knot in her stomach slithered wetly. A heated flush suffused her face. Despite her conviction and her need, fear rushed her making her doubt everything. She tried to pull her hand away. "This is serious, Miss Swan." Her words were an admonishment.

Emma refused to release her, holding on tighter and pulling Regina toward her. "It's Emma, and I know it is. I joke, but believe me I know the seriousness of the situation. This…this is serious too."

Emma's free hand wrapped hotly around Regina's neck before fingertips ghosted over her cheek. A pleased sound escaped her throat, and Regina leaned into the caress, as if she had any choice. The shock of the touch, more profound than the last, resulted in a riot of Goosebumps and the firing of every synapse eager to bask in the energy they created. For some reason, her mind replayed the statement about the woman she was and the queen she used to be. That was when she knew that it was Emma who brought out the woman in her, and she reveled at being out of hiding. "Is it?"

Emma nodded as she inched closer. "You bet your sweet ass it is."

A whimper resulted as all of Regina's senses were overcome by the nearness of this woman. "You should hate me," Regina whispered as their foreheads touched, and by its own volition, Regina's hand snaked into thick blond tresses holding on for dear life.

"But I don't…I can't."

Knowing that she was about to be completely overwhelmed, last second panic ceased her. "You—" Regina murmured brokenly.

Emma's stare was confident and hungry. "Regina…shhhh. It's okay to want this."

The first brush of lips sent Regina reeling toward space. She felt the heat, the need all the way down to her bones. She shuddered and cried out, tangling her hands further in Emma's hair and returning the kiss greedily. When Emma's tongue flicked her bottom lip, Regina growled and opened wide. Twin groans resulted when tongues met and slid moistly. Her heart stuttered as brightness exploded from deep within. In this embrace she was clean, more pure than ever.

Arching into Emma's body in her search for more contact, Regina found herself sprawled in Emma's lap. Then suddenly, Emma's hands were everywhere, scoring her scalp and back with unbelievable heat. Regina's nipples tingled and hardened, while further south, the tingling resulted in a wet gush of arousal.

With a mind of their own, Regina's hips rolled forward. Emma moaned and roaming hands found purchase there, clenching at quivering thighs and the well rounded globes of Regina's ass. Emma tore her mouth away and panted in the burning space between them. "Fuck…we're in so much trouble."

Breathing harshly, Regina nodded vehemently as if there was any doubt. An erotic haze descended, leaving her foggy and her body pliant. She licked her lips and relished the taste coating them. "Crudely put, but yes…I agree."

Emma peered at her with glassy eyes. "You can think after that?"

Peering at her in wonder, a grin pulled at Regina's lips. "Barely."

Emma's hands flexed, reminding Regina of their placement. She trailed a trembling hand down a strong forearm and covered Emma's hand with her own.

Emma squeezed causing a pleased gasp and an eager roll of hips. Regina whimpered at the stinging bolt of need that assaulted her.

Green eyes glinted at her knowingly, and it was followed by a smirk.

God, did she love that smirk. It served to only make the haze more difficult to disperse. "We…don't have time." Regina muttered breathlessly, regretfully.

"Make time. I don't know when I'll see you again. We have to make this real." Emma's gaze was sad and pleading, reminding her that there was an if hidden somewhere unspoken.

Whatever remained intact inside Regina melted. Her fingertips traced over Emma's forehead; past remarkable eyes; distinctive nose and cheekbones before she got to moist lips. She had to make sure Emma was real and not a product of a mind that had lost itself more than once. "You… don't hate me?"

Emma shook her head and captured Regina's lips once more, weaving a tale of need and acceptance that left Regina trembling. Only when each breath became a keening sound, did Emma's mouth descend, trailing hotly over her neck before warm suction completely took her breath away.

Lips and teeth nipped at her ear, but Emma's soft breathless voice almost made her come undone. "I love…that you love our son unconditionally."

Regina moaned as she realized her shirt was being unbuttoned. Seconds later, her bra was quickly pushed aside.

"I love that despite everything you walk around a town full of enemies like you own them."

It wasn't poetry, but it was exactly what Regina needed to hear and feel…complete acceptance for who she was. When soft hands lit a fire on her bare torso, Regina cried out, throwing her head back and arching into the touch. Emma moaned in her ear, reminding her that she wasn't the only one effected…the only one moved. Hands encased her breasts squeezing softly but urgently before fingertips grasped at rock hard nipples, making her hips undulate and continue to seek solace for the swollen throbbing flesh within.

When Emma's mouth took the place of wondering fingertips, Regina was sure she died that moment only to find herself reborn whole. "Emma!" The name was ripped from her throat as if it had been there always, waiting.

Ragged breathing and soft moans filled the space around them, but the slide of Regina's zipper provided a heated baseline for the erotic sounds surrounding them.

Emma's hand was blazing as it slid inside her slacks and her mouth turned ravenous, suckling each nipple deep as if she were trying to draw sustenance from them. Regina was in no way familiar with the sounds leaving her lips and the need pummeling her body. Still, she reached out for it voraciously.

Emma's mouth made the journey upward over her neck back to Regina's lips. "Look at me," she whispered as her tongue trailed inside.

Regina felt heavy eyelids flutter as she worked to fulfill the request. Green eyes were swirled with purple, and Regina knew that hers were doing the same. Magic crackled around them, singeing the air. This belonged to them. The seeping darkness almost seemed like a figment of her imagination.

Firm fingertips met moist flesh regardless of the clothed confinement. Emma groaned. "Oh, God."

And as fingers glided home, Regina released herself to the maelstrom. Each thrust seemed deeper than the last. Regina clenched around fingertips as they scraped slick walls, filling her and owning her. Indecipherable words, whispers fell from her lips into Emma's. Until, despite the pleasure bombarding her, Regina realized there was nothing indecipherable about it. It was one word…a name. Emma.

The green eyed gaze remained resolute, firm, and dark with satisfaction. Lips met and clung, breathing the same air.

Regina's hips rolled like pistons meeting probing fingers. The pleasure was thick, roaring through her like syrup until it covered every inch. Then, she felt the inevitable end thundering toward her from somewhere far, far away, creeping closer with each breath. Regina whimpered, "Don't…want it to end."

Emma moaned and redoubled her efforts, bringing her body into each undulation. "Regina…"

Suddenly, oblivion took her, swallowing her whole. Regina screamed and trembled as orgasm rushed her and wrung her dry. The scream turned into a loud keening as Emma refused to stop, dragging her toward the undertow.

Soft lips bought Regina back to reality. She met them and whimpered as the caress caused a pleasant aftershock. For what seemed like an eternity, they peered at each other through the silence, communicating the bevy of things that neither was quite ready to say.

Emma released a long shaky breath. Her gaze resigned but burning with unresolved need. "You have to go…"

"I don't want to…" Regina added hurriedly.

Emma smiled in a way that cut through her heart like none other. "I know, and I don't want you to either. I'll tell Henry-"

"I know you will." Regina interrupted, and for the second time in her life, Regina realized she trusted. She captured Emma's lips in a kiss of thanks for this, but it quickly transformed to something else.

Emma released a sound into the air before whispering, "Please…be careful."

Regina nodded as she removed herself from the slice of peace that she had garnered for herself. With a wave of her hand, clothing was adjusted, but Emma's scent blissfully remained.

Emma rose from the bed then, bending to pick up jeans that lay haphazardly on the floor. "Is there some way you can let me know you're safe?"

Watching the display, Regina answered softly. "Our magical essences merged. I think you'd probably feel if something….and vice versa." Regina paused. "Where are you going?"

"To get Snow and Charming up. They should know what's going on." Emma stopped and turned. "Well, not everything that just went on."

Regina's eyes rolled.

"Heh."

"You be careful as well."

In reply, Emma surged toward her, reminding her that what happened in this room was a hard won reality. "Later," she mumbled as they parted.

"Later," Regina whispered in return.

Then, Emma scrambled out the door, leaving Regina alone but feeling fuller than she had ever been her entire life. She extended her senses once more, enabling her to hear the banging on Snow's bedroom door.

"Emma's what's wrong?" Charming's voice was clear as crystal.

"We were right. Cora and Hook are up to something big."

"How do you know?"

"Regina…she's on our side."

There was a decided pause in conversation.

"Emma," Charming sighed.

"Don't go there with me! You were wrong both of you. We're doing this my way."

Regina smiled and disappeared in a purple cloud.

When Regina reappeared in her own bedroom, she knew she had been gone longer than was prudent. The eyes of her clone were dead once more. She searched the room for entry, but found none. With a wave of her hand, the clone vanished to nothingness.

She lowered herself raggedly to her own bed as tiredness claimed her. She closed her eyes wearily only to open them again a few seconds later.

The form of her mother solidified.

Regina steeled herself for the oncoming confrontation.

"Really, darling, I know all your secrets. Parlor tricks don't fool me."

Regina almost smiled at the understatement, knowing it was an ingenious bit of magic.

The shark bared her teeth. "Even if I wasn't privy to everything, I can smell her all over you from a mile away!"

Tilting her head to the side, Regina noticed that her mother's gaze, her bite, and her words did not even come close to hitting their mark anymore. She rose from the bed. "I like the way she smells, Mother," she sneered.

Cora tsked as she closed the minute distance between them. "This is so disappointing, but I guess that I'll just have to change some of those finer details."

Without warning, Cora's hand plunged into Regina's chest. Her back bowed forward and pain assailed her as fingertips grasped at their quarry. Regina opened her mouth to scream.

Blinding white light poured from her chest, sending Cora sailing across the room into the far wall. Regina watched in surprised satisfaction as she slumped to the floor unmoving.

Regina felt Emma's momentary panic and then the warmth of relief. She glanced down at her chest, feeling her heart beat strong and sure. Magic was indeed unpredictable here and the mixture of darkness and light even more so. Regina ambled toward her mother slowly, nudging her with the toe of her shoe. There was nothing save the crackle of residual magic that charged over her body.

There was a momentary pang in Regina's chest for this woman and the mother she wanted. It dissipated quickly in her renewed fervor not to hang on to the past.

It was over.

A sob permeated the room.

The shrill ring of the phone was a surprise. It seemed like ages since she'd heard that sound. Moving toward it, Regina picked up the receiver, knowing who was on the other end. "Something happened, didn't it?"

"That, dear, is an understatement."

Emma's chuckle was delightful to hear. "We're coming over. Henry can't wait to see you."

Happy laughter bubbled up from somewhere deep. A loud rustling greeted her ears, followed by one of the sweetest sounds ever. "Mom! I'm sorry. I love you, and Emma says we won! Is she right? Are they gone?!"

Regina bit her lip and smiled through the hurried questions and apologies. "I love you too, Henry, and yes, we won. Cora's gone."

"What about that slimy Hook guy?"

"He's nothing to worry about."

"Okay, I believe you."

Regina's eyes closed as something heartfelt and comfortable settled over her. "I'll see you soon." Her voice was thick and full of all she hadn't learned to say.

After a few seconds of silence, "Hey," Emma murmured.

A dam inside Regina broke, releasing a riot of emotion more overwhelming that what she'd felt before. She fed it all into one word. "Emma…"

"I know. I'll see you in a few. Just hold on."

Even as she listened to the dial tone, Regina whispered once more, "Emma."

She really had been the key to everything.

The End.