Please, don't spoil everything this time.

Chapter 16 : Don't get killed.

"Hum... sorry. I know you still see me as the Evil Queen, and this is who I am, and I know we are not really friends... but, thanks Belle, for what you did."

"It's okay, the other woman answered with a smile. It was nothing. And now ?"

Regina regained her composure, and smiled again.

"Now ? I will do as I told you. I am going to make these hearts go back in their owners' chest."

The two women entered in the vault which used to be Cora's and which now belonged to Regina, and Belle couldn't hid an air of disgust on her face which appeared when she saw the boxes where all the hearts were.

"Aw... what kind of person can be enough horrible to do this ? I mean, who does keep hundreds of hearts in a room where she can take it, and use them ?"

"Well... my mom did, just as I myself did it. But now, it's entirely over."

Some other hours passed, while Regina was taking from her vault one heart after one, listening to Belle, who was identifying to who every heart belonged, and, using her magic, she then brought them back to those who used to have them in their chest.

After four hours of work, Belle and Regina finally had the possibility to stop, and they both sat down on a chair, and both had a relieved sigh.

Finally, it was done ! After all these years of terror and horror, the former queen finally did it. Well, she still had many things to fix, but she was slowly succeeding to make it.

She was redeeming herself.

And it felt good, to finally do it.

Well, it was not over, but she was beginning to think that it could be done, and she told herself that her mother finally lost, she lost on her, lost her influence, and she, in the end, didn't succeed to make her fall, to make her become like her.

"So, now, I guess it's ended, Belle said."

"Yes, yes, answered Regina to the other woman with a relieved air. We did it Belle, and I want to thank you for this. Without you, I don't know if I would have even found the list. In fact, she added then, without you, I would probably not even be here."

"What do you mean ?"

Regina looked at her friend, and she sighed.

"How can I say it... Hum... I already apologized, for trying to use you against Rumplestiltskin, and again, I am deeply sorry. But now, I am not here to apologize, but to thank you. Without you, Rumplestiltskin would still be the same. You saved him, helped him to see how wrong he was, and he then helped me realize how wrong I was. You saved him, yes, but by doing this, you saved me too... And, then, many other people who now have a better life, thanks to you."

"You're the one who decided to change, you decided to help them."

"Yes, but it doesn't change the fact that I was the person who destroyed their lives first. It was just justice that I helped them getting their happy ending back. You're a true hero Belle, don't let someone tell you the contrary."

Belle blushed, hearing her friend's compliment, and she took her hands.

"You know, Regina... you're not a hero, but I don't think you're a villain anymore. And I am really glad Rumple finally helped you and fixed his own mistakes, just as you did, and I am happy that we are becoming friends too."

"And I am too."

"And I think that people should know what you just did... And so it would be easier for them, to see you in a good way. To see that you're changing."