(Disclaimer: I do not own Once Upon A Time or any of their characters. I'm just a fan having fun and looking to explore.)

After writing my one shot, and getting so many wonderful reviews I realized that I needed to write something else. I just love these two characters, there's so much depth between the two of them. This fic takes place during/after 2x10, and it's a multi chapter one, but with a definite end point, about 10 chapters, maybe a little longer if my fingers get carried away. Also rated M for some naughtiness in upcoming chapters and of course, Swan Queen. So let me know how you all like it, and if there are any mistakes or crazy inaccuracies, (again sometimes my fingers get carried away) please let me know.

The Painful Road to Love and Redemption

"We know how you are, and who you will always be." Emma emphasized. Regina couldn't believe what was happening. She had fought so hard to be the mother Henry wanted her to be, but who was she kidding. She had been the Evil Queen for so long, that was all anyone knew or saw in her. And the one person, other than Henry and Archie, (who was now supposedly dead) she thought she had a chance to convince that she could change was the woman she sent flying down her walkway. The woman now threatening to keep her son away from her forever.

Regina felt completely lost, especially with absolutely no one to turn to. At first she thought it was best to run and hide, but then the image of Henry flashed before her, and the anger and determination to prove her innocence dove into her. She knew the only way to prove she didn't kill Archie, was to re-convince this Savior of her innocence. With Snow, Charming and the Blue Fairy closing in, Regina quickly snatched Emma's arm, jerked the Savior into her, and flung her free arm into the air, sending both of them to a place no one would be able to find them, her secret room in her vault.

Emma had no time to react, and by the time she realized what was happening, Regina had already transported them. After a moment of confusion, Emma pushed Regina off her as she began to storm about Regina's hidden room.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" the Savior barked, but Regina ignored her and began pacing around nervously on the other side of the room. She wished she had an actual answer for the Sheriff, but she had no time to think things through. She needed to get away from everyone in town and needed Emma to come along with her. Regina's thinking process was quickly yanked from her though by the force of Emma's hand grabbing her arm and swinging her around to face her.

"I don't know where the hell we are, but you send me back, right now."

"Or what?" Regina asked, chucking a little. Emma's mouth opened as if she wanted to respond, but the Savior looked too angry to be thinking properly.

"That's what I thought." Regina stated, feeling more like herself. "Now, have a seat Ms. Swan."

"No," Emma answered, her voice shaking some of the items in the room, causing a satisfied smile to appear on Regina's face. There was something about finding out that Emma could use magic that intrigued her.

"I'll tell you what," Regina started as she walked up to the angry blonde. "I'll give you ten seconds, to transport yourself out of this room and if you do, I'll let you be."

"You know I don't know how to do that." Emma spat back.

"But I thought you could use magic?" Regina questioned sarcastically.

"I just discovered that I had that capability." Emma was getting more agitated by the second, which of course only added to Regina's large smirk as she stepped up even closer to the Savior.

"Oh, that's right. You've never really been taught how to use magic, have you? So not only are you not capable of leaving here using those abilities, but you also have no idea if the magic you used to see me apparently kill Archie was true, or if those visions were manipulated in any way. You just saw what you wanted to see, and then without so much as a follow through with your investigation came storming up to my doorstep." Regina was now nose to nose, both women staring into the other without the slightest blink. The lights in the room starting to flicker from their combined anger, but unlike Emma, Regina knew and understood magic. She was the one in control here, not the Savior.

"You're ten seconds is up." Regina stated without flinching or removing her gaze. "Now, sit down." But Emma didn't move. Regina's villainous grin brightened as she brought her hands up and pushed Emma across the room into the desk chair. When Emma began to jump back up, Regina flicked her wrist, causing ribbons in one of her small desk compartments to shoot out and wrap themselves around the Savior, binding her arms and legs. Emma growled and struggled against her restraints, but Regina just rolled her eyes at her and turned away to think about what she could do to prove her innocence.

"What do you want Regina?" Emma snapped, as she gave up trying to wiggle her way out of Regina's tight spell. "You can't just keep me tied up like this." Emma went on distracting Regina from her thoughts.

"God, you know what, just do whatever it is you want to do with me and quit stalling. Not like anything you do or say matters now, Henry will never..." With that, Regina snapped her fingers together and another ribbon wrapped itself around Emma's mouth. It was bad enough to hear the beloved Savior babble on while she was trying to think, but then to go on and say that Henry will never see or love her ever again was enough to silence the rumbustious blonde.

Now that Regina finally had some peace and quiet she could think clearly on how to get Emma to believe her. The best place to start was probably finding out why Emma thought she was innocent in the first place, but as Regina turned around to face the blonde, Emma looked like she was trying to shoot razors at the Brunette through her eyes. Regina knew it was probably pointless to question Emma after everything that had just happened, but she didn't really know where else to start.

"What was it that made you believe me originally? And don't say you never did, I read you quite easily at the police station." Emma mumbled obscenities through the ribbon, then with one wave of Regina's hand the ribbon covering her mouth was gone.

"I had a brief moment of insanity." Emma answered looking anywhere but at the Queen. Regina controlled the anger boiling inside her, knowing that Emma had every reason to be furious at her.

"I'm serious." She pleaded. Emma's eyes met hers momentarily, but then she turned away again.

"My gut, combined with your reaction when you found out about Archie. But I guess my gut was wrong."

"What if I can show you that you weren't." Emma looked back at her unconvinced.

"Please Emma." Regina added with defeat in her voice. Emma glanced down at the chair, then back up at her. Without thinking twice, Regina waved her hand, freeing Emma from her restraints. The Savior stood up and rubbed her wrist, taking a few minutes to think before answering her.

"And how are you going to do that?" Regina took a deep breath, how was she going to convince the Savior of her innocence, then it came to her. Regina took in one more encouraging breath before taking a few steps toward her.

"By showing you everything I've been through since you and Snow were sucked into the portal."

"You can do that?"

"With someone who can also perform magic, yes, it's quite simple. When dealing with those without our capabilities is when it gets a little tricky."

"How do I know you won't manipulate what you show me?" Regina softly smiled.

"That all-knowing gut of yours." Emma still looked at her blankly, but at least she wasn't yelling or trying to flee. She was at least going to give Regina a chance.

"Fine." Regina reached out for Emma's hands, but she jerked them away.

"What are you doing?"

"This is how it's done dear. I have to send my memories to you, and it requires contact with the receiving party." Emma hesitantly gave Regina's her hands and twitched slightly as Regina began running circles over the top of each hand with her thumb.

"Close your eyes." Regina added softly, and after another pause, Emma complied.

Regina kept her word and showed Emma everything that had happened to her, after she and Snow went through the portal. Starting with what happened immediately afterwards with David. Henry seeing who she was and wanting nothing to do with her. Regina then becoming desperate to get her son back by using magic, only to realize that she was becoming the woman she swore never to become, her mother. Then Regina showed Emma how she went to Archie after losing Daniel all over again. The pain with seeing Daniel almost caused Regina to pull away, but she knew Emma needed to see everything. Next was Henry's burns he received after going into the Netherworld. Her and David actually agreeing on more than one thing those few days. Followed by the ultimate fear she felt after Mr. Gold convinced her that her mother might be coming through the portal, and not Emma and Snow. Regina's thoughts clearly showing that despite what Gold had said to her, she didn't want to kill them, but was so terrified of her mother, she went along with Gold's plan. Thankfully, Henry got to her in time and got through to her. When Regina soaked up the curse to save Emma and Snow, she was close to death, but that was the price she was willing to pay to prove to Henry how much she loved and believed in him. Finally, the despair she felt when her son walked away from her in Gold's shop after Emma had returned. It was eating her alive to be alone every night, to walk into Henry's room, only to find it empty. Still, Regina remained positive and went to the party Emma had invited her too, only to receive nothing but cold glaring eyes from everyone there. She had no one. Regina thought Emma was beginning to believe in her like Henry, but it was quickly revealed by the Savior that Archie had pushed for her to be invited to the party. Yes, that had made her angry with Archie, and yes, she confronted him about it, but she then went home and the next thing she knew she was in the police station being question by all the Charmings about his death.

Regina opened her eyes first and stared into Emma trying to read her thoughts through her closed eyes. After another minute Emma opened hers as well, but looked like she was still trying to process things. Neither woman realizing that they were still holding hands.

"Well?" Regina asked, the sorrow unable to leave her before she spoke after reliving all that pain and loneliness all over again. Emma glanced down at their hands and gently removed hers before turning around still going over everything.

"Emma, I swear to you. I didn't harm Archie. You have to believe me. If you don't, what chance do I have. All I want is my son to be a part of my life again. And you of all people should know that's all I want." Emma took a few steps forward before turning back to face her.

"Fine. Say I do believe you. Then who killed Archie?"

"I can help with that too."

"How?"

"You used magic to see this person disguised as me kill Archie correct?" Emma nodded. "Let me see what you saw. There might be something there you didn't see."

"But I don't know how you do that?" Regina smiled as she stepped back up to the Savior and took her hands.

"All you have to do is think it. Close your eyes, go back to Gold's shop, and see what was shown to you all over again. I'll do the rest." Emma shut her eyes tightly, but all they could see were scattered flashes.

"Relax Emma," Regina said soothingly. "Just breath. In and out. And simply see yourself back in Gold's shop." Emma complied, and after a few more jerky images, things started to become clear. Regina could see Gold wave the dream catcher over Archie's dog Pongo. She could even hear Gold's smug voice as he tried to direct Emma on what to do. Then she saw Pongo's memories as Emma had seen them. Herself in Archie's office, then herself sucking the life out of him, but something felt off, and right before Regina could figure out exactly what, everything went black.

"Wait," Regina cried out squeezing Emma's hands. "What happened next?" Emma opened her eyes and looked at her confused.

"What do you mean? That was it." Regina tore her hands away from Emma and began to shake her head as she paced erratically back and forth.

"No wonder you thought it was me, you didn't even finish the damn dog's memories."

"What else was there to see?" Regina came to a halt and faced the Savior annoyed.

"Of course you didn't see it."

"See what?" Emma questioned, even more puzzled.

"I don't think Archie's dead."

"What are you talking about? There was a body." But Regina wasn't listening to her.

"Come on," Regina grabbed Emma's coat and tossed it at her before gracefully sliding into her own.

"Where are we going?"

"To find out what the hell is going on?" Then with an elegant wave across the mirror on the wall, the walkway of Regina's vault appeared, sending Emma's jaw to the ground.

*Just another quick note (mostly because I'm paranoid) I know there were probably a number of fics written during/right after this episode, I did my best to go back and make sure my story was different, but if anything is too repetitive please let me know. The last thing I want is to upset my fellow writers.