The Jolly Roger rocked back and forth, the sea heaving it from side to side. Regina tried to steady herself within her cabin, holding on to the small wooden table next to her bed, she rolled her eyes and sighed as she looked at the frayed rope that constituted her hammock-her bed. She was not fond of boats, or the sea, her stomach lurched with every sway and dip of the old ship as it was tossed about in the choppy water. They'd been sailing for what seemed like ages, but according to the date it had been just under a week. A Sudden violent jerk of the boat knocked Regina off her feet and sent her flying backward to land with a thud on the hard floor. Regina just lay there for a moment, her eyes closed, mind racing, stomach turning. She absolutely hated this, if hell was real she was definitely in it, stuck on a boat with the people she hated the most.
Suddenly Regina heard footsteps approaching, rapid at first but then slowing, as they got closer to the door. Regina slowly opened her eyes and turned her head so she could see under the crack of the door. She squinted a bit and then rolled her eyes; she hoisted herself up into the lone chair in the room and watched the shadow under the door. The light flickered as the person on the opposite side of the door seemed to nervously hop from foot to foot. Regina just quirked a finely sculpted eyebrow and waited. After several long seconds there was finally a knock on the door and before Regina could answer the door was creaking open. "Nice of you to knock Miss Swan but I believe you're also supposed to wait for an answer before walking in." Emma just shrugged as she continued to walk in, "hey, its my room too...just be happy I knocked."
Regina eyed the blonde as she kicked off her boots and flung herself into her hammock. "I really am in hell," Regina muttered to herself. "What was that?" Emma questioned as she adjusted herself in the hammock to achieve optimum comfort. "Nothing," Regina retorted as she watched Emma wrap herself up with a blanket, she looked like she was in some type of cocoon. Regina rubbed at her temples, her head was pounding, and she was trying very hard not to expel the contents of her stomach.
She slowly got up from the chair, steadying herself as best she could and then walked over and climbed into her own hammock. As she lay there she stared up at the ceiling. Ropes hung from beams and water dripped down from small holes that littered the ceiling. Her mind began to wander, she thought of Henry and how close she was to finally getting some semblance of a happy ending before having it all ripped away by Greg and Tamara. She finally proved herself to her son, she could be good, she could do the right thing, and what had it gotten her? Stuck on a boat with people who still, regardless of the scarifies she was willing to make to save them, look at her like she's evil. She let the tears fall freely down her cheeks, she tried to choke down the heavy sobs that were coming but it just hurt so much. Her body silently shook as she wept into her pillow, grateful for the dark so that no one could see how broken she was. As the night went on Regina's sobs stopped and she drifted off into a restless sleep. The boat continued to rock relentlessly, Regina's hammock swaying back and forth with the motion of the boat. Her eyes suddenly shot open as her stomach lurched and heaved; she fell from the hammock with a loud crash. Her head was spinning, her vision becoming blurry; she could just make out Emma sitting up in her hammock before everything went dark.
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Slowly the world began to come into focus. Regina blinked a few times and slowly began to sit up. She rubbed her temples, her head still slightly pounding. She felt terrible. She turned slightly to prop up her pillow and then leaned back against it. It was then she realized she was in Emma's hammock...and not only was she in Emma's hammock but she was also in one of Emma's old t-shirts. At that realization Regina jumped out of the hammock and went straight over to where her trunk was on the other side of the room. Before she could open it she noticed the note on top:
"I knew as soon as you saw what you were wearing you'd be over here first thing. Take 3 Advil and keep the candy on you, they help with seasickness.
-Em"
Regina looked from the note to the bottle of Advil and bag of ginger candies that sat on her trunk. She smiled to herself, she hated to admit it but she'd actually have to thank the sheriff. She threw the trunk open and started rummaging through it searching for something appropriate to wear. When she had packed this trunk prior to the curse being broken she hadn't taken in to account the possibility of being stuck on a grimy boat, Gucci suits weren't going to cut it here. Finally she pulled out a pair of black jeans and a white V-neck, these would have to do. Once she was dressed she made her way from the cabin to the deck of ship, as she climbed the stairs she could hear the sound of the gulls become louder and louder. It was very bright on the deck, she squinted her eyes as they adjusted to the intense light. When she could finally see again she noticed Emma over talking with Snow and Charming, still not feeling 100% Regina decided to avoid that group for the time being and wait for Emma to be alone. She reached into her pocket and popped a ginger candy into her mouth. She hated the way they tasted, but it did wonders for her seasickness. Regina decided she mine as well explore the deck a bit, she hadn't really been out of the cabin much since they set sail. Walking along the deck, the wind blowing her hair back from her face, the salt in the air, it wasn't so bad being on the deck.
"Nice to see you out and about Madame Mayor," Gold's voice cut through Regina like ice, so much for a nice walk on the deck, "I see you have some color back…you no longer look so green," he finished, coming to stand right next to Regina. "You can drop the formalities Gold, Regina will do just fine," she shot back not looking at him. He was the last person she felt like dealing with right now. Gold studied her expression before he spoke again, "you could use magic and be done with this seasickness yet you choose not to? Hmmmn has the evil queen actually changed? Or is she just too weak still to do simple magic?" Regina continued to look straight ahead at the open sea, "Henry wouldn't want me to," she responded coldly. Gold chuckled, "Well lets see how long this lasts, you need that power Regina, you crave it, depriving yourself from it will do more harm than good." Gold continued to stare at Regina as the words sank in, "and when you finally break down, I'll be there, watching you fail…again." Regina remained expressionless, Gold continued laughing to himself as he turned and walked away. What Regina would give for some unfortunate accident to occur and to have Gold fall overboard she hated that little imp. She turned her attention back to the open sea and watched the waves rolling on the horizon. Henry was out there somewhere, and she was going to do whatever it took to get him back, to be a family again.