"Mom!" Henry's panicked voice called out to her from the gloom around her. Regina spun around, looking in vain for any sign of her son.
"Henry!" She yelled back desperately. She was standing in the middle of the forest surrounded by trees on all sides of her. Every way she turned looked the same as the last, and Henry was no where to be seen.
"Mom, help me!" Henry's voice came again and Regina whirled around, trying desperately to catch a glimpse of her son or any sign of where he might be. But the forest was empty and silent except for Henry's panicked cries.
"Henry, where are you?!" Regina was on the verge of panic herself, tears threatening to build in her eyes as she continued turning around in circles.
Suddenly, a sharp crack came from somewhere to her left and she spun toward it. "Henry!" she called, and wasted no time charging into the forest after the sound. "I'm coming!"
She found herself on a narrow path, thorns and twigs scratching and grabbing at her from both sides. She stumbled on a root and nearly lost her balance. "Henry?" she called. But the forest was silent. "Henry, are you here?" she pulled her sleeve free from another bush and felt a single tear slip from her eye.
She was just about to turn back when something ahead caught her attention. A light was glowing through the trees ahead. It looked like a fire. Maybe Pan's camp? Regina's heart started thudding faster. She hurried toward it and as it grew closer she approached it cautiously, half expecting Pan or a Lost Boy to catch her sneaking up.
She peeked through the trees and saw someone standing directly in front of her, his back toward her. She recognized the long black jacket instantly.
"Hook!" she pushed through the trees relieved, hoping he would have seen or heard anything from Henry.
"There she is!" Snow's angry voice interrupted her thoughts. Regina froze and looked over to see Snow, eyes red and full of anger, sitting next to Charming on elevated thrones, staring down at her. The light from the torches played across their faces making them look almost menacing.
Hook turned around and advanced upon her. "Have you seen Henry?" she asked all of them. But instead of answering, Hook grabbed her and began tying her hands together.
"What are you doing? We have to find Henry!" Regina demanded angrily. She tried to magic away the rope but nothing happened. "Why isn't my magic working?" Fear began to creep into her as Hook half-dragged her toward a wooden post. A strong sense of deja vu was beginning to take over her. She looked down at herself. Sure enough, she was dressed in the all-to-familiar drab gray tunic. The rough fabric scratched against her skin uncomfortably and was just as unflattering as she'd remembered.
"Regina, you are sentenced to death for all of your evil acts," Snow began and Regina felt all the blood from her face begin to drain.
"Snow! What the hell are you doing? We don't have time for this!" Regina yelled, frustrated, as she pulled helplessly against the rope Hook had finished securing to the post. Regina could almost feel the vein in her forehead bulging out as she struggled.
"This is your trial, Regina," Charming said, and he motioned to something ahead of him.
Regina looked at a tall judge's podium she hadn't noticed before directly ahead of her. Mr. Gold was sitting at it, white wig and all.
Regina gaped for a moment, lost for words. They had all lost their minds. "What?" She looked wildly back and forth between them all. They had to be kiding. But they all stared back at her, gravely serious. "Since when is he qualified to judge anyone?" she said, angry now. The ropes were beginning to chaf against her wrists.
"Because dearie, this is your trial," Mr. Gold smiled back, his grin that of a predator to it's pray. "And who knows you better than I do?"
Terror flooded through her. Someone had to stop this! She looked around desperately again.
"Mom!" Henry's voice sounded again from the darkness.
"Henry!" Regina's cry was frantic. She pulled harder against her bindings. "Can't you hear that?" she demanded to all of them, tears once again building behind her eyes. "I need to find my son!" she pleaded.
"Your son?" Snow's voice sounded hurt and angry and Regina noticed that her former step-daughters eyes glistened with tears. "Henry is not your son. He's Emma's..." Snow's voice cracked and she crumbled into her husbands arms.
Emma! Where was she? She would fix this, make everyone see that this was all a big mistake; make them find their son. Regina looked around desperately for the blonde woman but she was no where to be seen.
Charming looked at Regina with contempt. "You will have nothing to do with him or with this family ever again." He placed his arm around Snow protectively.
"Emma! Where's Emma?" Regina yelled, ignoring the pity-filled look Hook was giving her. "She'll fix this!"
Snow straightened up and looked at her, horrified, as if Regina had just grown an extra head. Charming glared at her. "Emma is dead," Snow's tears fell freely down her face.
Regina felt as if someone had just ripped her heart from her chest. All the air in her lungs was forced out of them and she couldn't seem to inflate them again. "What?" she asked in a disbelieving whisper.
"You killed her, Regina," the hatred in Snow's voice was unmistakeable.
"No!" Regina's own eyes spilled with tears. "I didn't!" she looked around wildly. "She can't be dead!" She turned to look at Hook for help, but he wouldn't meet her gaze, and Regina noticed his eyes were wet with tears.
"We'll I think we all know how this is going to end," Mr. Gold interrupted, ignoring Regina's pleas. "Regina, this court finds you guilty!" his voice rose in glee at the verdict and he lifted his arm, the gavel in his fist. With a deafening slam, the gavel fell, sealing her fate.
"No!" Regina screamed again, but Hook was already advancing on her. "Please, don't do this!" she pleaded with him.
"Sorry, Love," Hook freed her from the column and began leading her toward the edge of the clearing.
Regina tried to twist her head around to try to plead again with Snow but they were gone and when she looked back Hook was leading her through a cemetery. She glanced at the gravestone next to her and she almost choked in disbelief. Henry Mills Sr. was etched deeply into the hard stone. Her gaze spun to the grave on her other side and fear flooded through her. Cora Mills.
As they walked she kept catching glimpses of familiar names. King Leopold, others she recognized as former guards. There were hundreds, possibly thousands of graves. Many with names she didn't know but too many that she did. "What is this?" she whispered, afraid she already knew the answer.
"These are all of the people you've killed," Hook didn't turn to look at her, his gaze set firmly ahead. Regina looked in front of her and noticed they were heading toward a particular grave, someone stood leaning down over it. Apprehension roiled in her stomach.
As they approached, the man at the grave turned toward them. Neal looked at her, anger and pain in his eyes. "I loved her," he said accusingly. "We were going to be a family."
A cold certainty trickled down Regina's spine. She turned toward the grave and as she read the name, she felt like vomiting. Emma Swan. "Emma," she whispered as she sank to her knees, tears flowing freely now.
"Why did you do it, Regina?" Neal demanded. He reached and wrapped a hand around her throat, lifting her to her feet.
"I didn't!" she choked out.
A sharp scraping sound filled the air and Regina looked over to see Hook leaning over a gravestone. Slowly, he dug his hook into the hard marble surface. The noise sent shivers down Regina's spine even as she fought for air.
She watched as he dug out an R. Then an E. G. I. N. A.
"No!" Regina barely managed to get out as Neal's grip tightened around her throat.
"Now it's your turn to pay for what you did," Neal's angry face was the last thing she saw before she woke up.
Regina shot up in bed, covered in a cold sweat. Her eyes roamed frantically as her hands went up to her throat. She breathed in deeply for a moment as she tried to calm down.
Then she saw Emma in the bed beside her, naked, and she remembered what had happened the night before. She'd slept with Emma. The knowledge should have made her feel happy but, in the wake of the dream, she didn't know what to feel.
She pulled the sheet up to cover herself and then whispered Emma's name desperately, nudging the other woman slightly. "Emma!"
The blonde woman groaned and opened her eyes. When her gaze settled on Regina's face though a smile played across her lips. "Regina?" She reached a hand to brush against Regina's hair.
Regina didn't know what to say. She opened her mouth and closed it. Seeing Emma alive and well had relieved some of her fears.
Emma noticed Regina's distress. "Regina, what is it?" she was more awake now.
"Nothing," Regina tried to sound sure of herself. "Just a bad dream. We need to find Henry," she kept the sheet clutched in front of her chest.
Emma nodded. "I know, I dream about him too," she said sadly. "We'll find him though. I promise." Emma sat up and ran a hand once again through Regina's hair. Then she leaned in and kissed Regina softly on the lips.
Regina stiffened at first but the feel of Emma's lips on her own made her feel warm and safe and excited her all at the same time and the dream faded further from her mind.
Emma noticed Regina's initial reluctance and frowned. "Listen, Regina, I'm sorry if everything was too fast. I mean, I know last night was probably not the time... I mean, I loved it...but, I wasn't...I didn't intend to..." she struggled to find the words.
"Emma," Regina placed a hand on Emma's own, quieting her. "Last night was amazing," she smiled and realized how true the words were. "It's not that. I just want to get our son back and forget this whole island," she reassured the other woman.
Emma smiled and nodded. Then she lay back in the bed and held out an arm. "Come back to bed. We can't do anything right now. Tomorrow, as soon as the sun comes up, we'll start another search and we won't stop until we find him," Emma promised gently.
Regina lay down in Emma's arms, her back up against Emma's front and Emma wrapped her arm around Regina's waist. The blonde woman leaned in to plant a soft kiss on the base of Regina's neck.
Regina wasn't sure why, but here in Emma's arms she felt safe and she believed that everything would be okay. They would find Henry and get back to Storybrooke and could, just maybe, start becoming a real family.
The remnants of the dream lingered though. Even though it was a dream, there was still truth in it. She wasn't innocent, not by anyone's standards, even her own. She'd made more than her fair share of mistakes in the past.
But as Emma pulled her tighter, closer, she knew she would do whatever it took to make sure that she didn't repeat those same mistakes again.
xxxxxxx
Snow made her way down to the beach with Charming where Hook was already attempting to start a fire. The light was just breaking over the horizon, but it seemed she wasn't the only one unable to sleep, knowing that they were so close to Henry, and to possible danger.
She had slept fitfully off and on all night, waking up Charming every time she'd gotten up until he had suggested they go down to the beach and wait for the others to awaken. It hadn't helped her nerves that her daughter had wandered off with that pirate last night, who Snow didn't trust in the least, and Snow hadn't seen either one since. Until now, here Hook was. She looked around quickly for Emma but didn't see her anywhere.
"Good morning," Hook nodded at them as they approached.
Charming nodded in acknowledgment. "Is Emma still asleep?" Snow asked.
"Well, I am not her keeper, but I would assume so. I haven't seen her or Regina yet," he looked away at the last sentence but not before Snow caught a look of something unidentifiable cross his face.
She narrowed her eyes at him, trying to figure out what he was hiding from her but he refused to look at her again. Instead, he busied himself arranging firewood he must have gathered earlier.
"You've been up for a while," Charming said indicating the large pile of firewood next to the pirate. Apparently her husband was as suspicious of the pirate as she was.
"Couldn't sleep," Hook said simply, still not looking up. "You wouldn't be able to either if you knew what this island is hiding."
Snow looked at him, still not convinced but decided to drop it for now. Hook wasn't good at keeping secrets and she'd find out soon enough.
"Snow!" Charming's voice came urgently. She turned to see him crouched in the sand, holding something in his hand. Hook looked over as well.
"It's an arrow," Charming stood with the arrow in his hand to show it to the others.
"There's blood on it!" Snow gasped. "Where did it come from? Did you and Emma run into Pan or the Lost Boys?" she turned to look at Hook, her gaze almost accusing.
Hook looked just as alarmed as the rest of them, "I've no clue where that is from," he said defensively. "When Emma and Regina left everything was pretty quiet." His eyes widened as he realized his mistake and he looked away desperately hoping Snow wouldn't pick up on the slip.
"Wait, Emma and Regina left?" Snow almost screeched the last word. "Where did they go?" she advanced upon Hook threateningly, and Hook looked nervously towards Charming but he just looked back at Hook expectantly.
"Um, firewood?" he knew his lie wouldn't be convincing but he didn't have anything else.
"How many people does it take to get firewood?" Snow was beyond upset now. Whatever this pirate was hiding he would tell her. However right now she needed to find her daughter. "I'm going to go check on Emma," she didn't wait for a response but spun and hurried back onto the ship.
"You better hope that she's okay," Charming threatened.
"Regina was with her last, why is it my fault?" Hook grumbled. "It's not like she needs a babysitter."
xxxxxxx
Regina hadn't been able to fall back asleep. She had tried, but every time she would drift off she would think of Henry and of her nightmare and she would be wide awake again, all thoughts of sleep long gone. Emma, on the other hand, had fallen back asleep almost immediately and Regina marveled at how she could sleep so soundly. She supposed that Emma didn't have years of failures and regrets keeping her awake at night.
An urgent knock came from the door, "Emma?" Snow's voice came from the other side as Regina's eyes widened in alarm and she hurried out of the bed, Emma still soundly asleep. Regina's heart pounded. She pulled on her clothes quickly. "Shit!" she hissed to herself.
"Emma?" Snow called again, and this time, the door pushed open and Snow walked in. She stopped suddenly seeing Regina. "Oh, uh, have you seen Emma...?" her voice trailed off as her gaze settled on the blonde asleep in the bed behind Regina. Regina said a silent prayer of thanks that the sheet was currently covering Emma - and her lack of clothing from her mother's gaze. Although she was sure her hair was a mess and Emma's clothes were all over the floor but she couldn't help that now.
Snow's eyes widened. "What are you doing?" she whispered accusingly, sounding alarmed. And then her eyes widened further as she took in Regina's rumpled appearance as understanding slowly sank in. She looked back at Emma and a look of horror crossed her face, "Oh my god!" She looked like she was about to be sick.
Snow turned and hurried out of the room, Regina swore again and hurried after her. "Wait, Snow!" She hissed, trying not to wake Emma. Chasing after the younger woman, Regina couldn't help but notice that this whole situation felt horribly familiar.
Snow was in the hallway dimly-lit hallway, one hand on her chest as she struggled to comprehend what she had just seen. Regina stopped and stood uncomfortably next to her and Snow looked up, her greenish eyes wide with confusion and disbelief, into her former stepmothers eyes.
"Snow, it's not..." Regina began desperately.
"What?!" Snow yelled, her shock giving away to anger which took Regina off guard. "You're going to tell me it's not what it seems? Because I would sure like to know what the hell it is then?" Her tone was dangerous and Regina paused.
"I didn't exactly plan this. I just.." Regina struggled to express her feelings for Emma to this woman who she had hated for so long. "I think I have feelings for Emma," the words came out reluctantly, and Regina looked into Snow's eyes desperately wishing for her to understand.
"You what?! Emma is my daughter!" the veins in Snow's neck bulged out as she continued staring in angry disbelief. "I don't want you anywhere near her!"
The words stung. Regina felt her heart harden at the statement and her face clouded over defensively, "Emma is an adult and she can make her own decisions. It's something she should be quite good at actually, considering you've never been there for her before," Regina shot back acidly and regretted the statement as soon as it came out of her mouth. The darkness vanished from her face and her eyes widened desperately. She reached toward Snow, "Wait, I didn't mean..."
Suddenly, Snow grabbed her arm and pushed her up against the wall in one quick movement. Snow brought her face level to Regina's and stared into her eyes with hatred. "And who's fault is that?!" Snow hissed. "It's because of you that I have missed out on 28 years of my own daughter's life. It's because of you that I have spent most of my life living on the run. Everything that has happened is because of you," Snow's fingers dug painfully into Regina's arms. "Everything you touch, everyone around you gets destroyed by the blackness inside you. I will not have you destroy my daughter too. You've taken away my family once before and I will not let you take it away again."
Regina clenched her jaw and glared back at the younger woman. She shoved Snow off of her and straightened up, "I have no intention of hurting Emma," she spat.
"People get hurt whether you intend it or not." Snow leaned in close, "That's what you do best. If you really cared about Emma, you would stay away from her before you ruin her life too,"
Anger and fear at losing Emma clouded Regina's senses and, without conscious thought, Regina flung out her hand. Thick vines formed out of the wall and wrapped themselves around Snow's body, pulling her back and holding her tightly up against the wall. "You can't make me stay away from her," Regina challenged, fire in her dark eyes. There was barely discernible hint of desperation to her tone and she hated Snow for it. "Funny how a couple days ago you were telling me how we should all be friends," she flung the words spitefully at the younger woman.
"I can and will protect her from you," Snow spat back, her glare defiant as she strained against her bindings. "But I wont have to. Look at you! Emma hasn't seen the real you, the person we all know you really are. Once she does, she won't want anything to do with you." The two women glared at each other for another moment. Regina advanced angrily toward Snow who struggled reflexively. A spark of apprehension, almost fear, flashed across Snow's features and Regina stopped in her tracks. For a moment, Regina saw herself in Snow's eyes - and she hated herself for what she saw there.
Regina breathed in deeply to calm herself down. Her heart was pounding and rage ran through her veins like fire. How dare she forbid me from seeing her, she thought furiously. But the truth of Snow's words nibbled at the edges of her thoughts mingling with the ghost of her nightmare, and she tried desperately to push them away.
She looked at Snow, suddenly ashamed and angry at herself for letting her anger and fear get the better of her. All she'd done is prove Snow right. She waved a hand and the vines dissolved in purple smoke. Snow looked at her, eyes filled with deadly determination, "Stay away from Emma," she didn't wait for an answer, just stalked off down the hall, leaving Regina alone in the gloom.
xxxxxxx
Emma awoke to find Regina sitting fully dressed on the bed across the room, staring at her hands with a glum expression. Emma sat up, instantly alarmed. "Regina, are you okay?" she asked worriedly. "Did you have another nightmare?"
Regina looked up, taken by surprise. The worried expression on her face quickly changed to a smile, but Emma knew her well enough to know that it wasn't genuine. It was the smile Regina used when she was putting up a wall. "No, I'm fine. Just waiting for you to wake up so we can start searching for Henry."
Emma furrowed her brow and got out of bed, not bothering to cover herself. Regina looked away, a little embarrassed at Emma's unabashed nakedness. "Okaaay," Emma said slowly, obviously confused. Regina's refusal to look at her stung and Emma didn't know what was going on with the other woman but she knew whatever it was, it wasn't good.
Emma pulled on her clothes hastily and then came to sit next to Regina on the bed. "Regina, I know you. I know something's wrong. Tell me," she reached a hand and brought Regina's chin up until she was looking her in the eyes. Regina's mercurial brown eyes swam before her, a multitude of emotions fighting in them but Emma couldn't pick out one in particular. She sighed. "Please, Regina, talk to me," she begged.
Regina looked warily at her. She opened her mouth. "I'm not good for you," she said finally, and the hurt in her eyes broke Emma's heart.
"Regina, of course you are!" Emma said incredulously. She leaned in to kiss the other woman but could feel Regina's hesitance. Regina backed away slightly.
Emma once again felt the sting of the rejection sharply. How had things changed so fast from last night? Last night had been the best night of her life and she had hoped had been special for Regina as well but she couldn't help but feel that she had made a huge mistake. She'd rushed it and had scared Regina off. Again. She was upset with herself. She hadn't intended to sleep with Regina, just wanted to do something special for her, to get her mind, to get both of their minds, off of Henry. But then she had to go and push too far too fast. It was just like her. Emma cursed her own stupidity. But, at the same time, she recalled how Regina had responded to her last night, thrusting and moaning and licking, and just the thought was driving Emma crazy again. She refused to believe that she had misread Regina so badly.
"Regina, I'm sorry," she began but Regina cut her off by standing up suddenly.
"Don't be sorry," Regina said. "You didn't do anything wrong," she looked down at Emma for a moment and Emma saw vulnerability in the dark eyes before her. Regina hesitated but then something must have won out and she reached a hand out toward Emma.
Emma took it and got to her feet and was surprised when Regina planted a soft, lingering kiss on her lips. Thoroughly confused at Regina's hot-and-cold attitude, Emma just looked back at her in shock.
Regina held her in her arms for a moment and Emma tried to sound reassuring. "Let's go find the others and get our son back," she smiled, relieved that she and Regina seemed to be okay. This whole thing was very new for both of them and she knew there would be setbacks and obstacles they would have to face but Emma was determined to prove to Regina that whatever was thrown at them, they could handle it together.
Regina smiled shakily and nodded, allowing Emma to lead her out to the ships deck.