I was supposed to be doing my homework and this happened.
There's a fire, a big, nasty, smoldering fire, engulfing their house, just like that fake fire that Gold had staged during the sheriff campaign. But this one's worse. It's bigger. It's hotter. It's real.
"Regina!" She screams, feeling like she's being engulfed in the flames, and then she sees her across the room, and the girl across the room looks absolutely terrified. And somehow, Regina can do nothing about it. "Regina!" She screams again, desperately, angrily. She wants more than anything to save her, to leap across the blaze and drag her out of the mansion again, like she had in that first fire. But she can't. She's powerless to the flames that are licking up the walls. And then she realizes it. Regina is in the kitchen. With the gas stove.
"Emma!" Regina yells to her. "I love you."
And then there's an explosion.
And she's gone.
Gone. Gone. Gone.
"Regina!" Emma shrieks as her eyes fly open. She's hyperventilating, her large chest heaving up and down as she attempts to catch her breath. She glances to her right, where Regina shoots up quickly, taking Emma into her arms and helping her to sit up, cradling her in her bare arms.
"It's alright, my love," Regina whispers to her, making a piece of Emma's stubborn blonde hair off of her forehead. "It was only a dream."
"It wasn't a dream, Gina," Emma pants, her widened green eyes meeting Regina's concerned brown. "it was a nightmare."
Regina looks down at the woman in her arms, and she feels her trembling slightly. The nightmare must have gotten Emma good, because she had never seen Emma like this. Her guard was down, lower than Regina had ever seen it. She holds Emma close to her warm body so that she might be able to calm her down.
"Do you want to talk about it?" She asks, smoothing Emma's hair. "Sometimes it helps if you talk about it." She feels Emma nod against her shoulder, pulling away a little bit but not breaking contact. Regina could see that Emma was deathly afraid, almost as though she feared that if she let go of Regina, she'd be gone.
"There...there was th-this fire..." Emma stammered. "It was here, and you and I were-we were downstairs and y-you were in the kitchen and suddenly, there was an explosion that I can only assume was the stove, and you...you were gone." There's a tear running down the sheriff's face, and the former Evil Queen reaches up to her and wiped that little tear away with her thumb.
"It's okay, Emma, I'm right here." Regina turns her girlfriend to face her. "And I'm not going anywhere."
And somethings cracked in Emma, and she buries herself in the raven-haired woman's arms, crying. Regina holds her tighter, tighter. She runs her hand up and down her back and attempts to calm her down. She whispers in her ear, and she kisses her on top of the head.
"Calm down, my love." The woman whispers to Emma, who in the moment seems like a small frightened child. Regina sees that somewhere inside of Emma, this nightmare had brought back something else, something bigger than both of them. And somehow, Regina can feel exactly what it is.
"I'll never leave your side, Emma. I'll need abandon you." She finds the exact words.
"You promise?" Emma stops her crying and looks up at the woman she loves.
"I swear on my life." Regina nods with an evident pride in her voice. She had the most beautiful woman in the world in her arms, and she had no plans of ever letting her go. "Do you trust me?" She sees the corners of Emma's mouth twitch, like they were forming a smile.
"I do trust you, Regina. I trust you with my life."
So yeah. Thanks for reading. Reviews are much appreciated.