A/N: What Emma experiences when it comes to having nightmares is what I experience except for being physically violent. Trigger Warning for physical and sexual abuse.
Emma was lying in bed next to her girlfriend and was sleeping peacefully. She had recently moved in with her son's other mother and everyone was happy with the arrangement. She was finally able to call this her home and this place was where she truly felt safe.
The blonde would occasionally reach over to make sure that this wasn't a dream. She pulled Regina close to her and the brunette snuggled as close to the blonde as she possibly could. They promised to never keep secrets from one another, but Emma did have one that she kept to herself.
As a child, she had nightmares that caused her to wake up shaking. She would have to touch something and try to calm herself down. On occasion, she ended up crying quietly under the covers. The worst nightmares for her were when she couldn't tell if she was awake or not. There were times when she became violent and waking her up would be difficult to do. Emma has yet to experience a violent episode with Regina.
In the beginning of their relationship, Emma would always sleep in her new home that she bought after becoming the Dark One. Regina wanted to know why Emma wouldn't stay the rest of the night, but she always found a way to avoid it.
Regina didn't like the thought of Emma leaving during the night because it reminded her of the times when she was with Graham. Her relationship with Emma wasn't just a fling. Although it was hard for Emma to express her feelings, she did reassure Regina that it wasn't a fling for her and that she did care about her.
-A Few Weeks Ago-
"Emma, if you leave through that window again, then whatever is going on between us is over!" Regina snapped as she tied her purple robe around her waist.
Emma turned around and faced Regina, "I hate sneaking around as much as you do and hiding this from everyone. I would prefer to go out the front door instead of the window, but I don't feel like I have much of a choice."
She ran her hand through her hair, "I know we agreed that this was okay, but I can see that this isn't working out."
"If that's truly how you feel, Miss Swan."
"Don't you dare go back to calling me 'Miss Swan' when I haven't done anything wrong! The reason why I don't want to do what we're doing now anymore is because I want us to be together, officially. I want to be able to hold your hand and walk down the street with you, to give you a kiss on the cheek before you go to work, and to come home to you through the front door."
"Are you telling me that you're ready for all of that?"
"Yes Regina, I'm ready for all of it."
-Present-
Regina was happy that she could have Emma in her life more. What she loved the most was that at the end of the day, the two of them would sleep in the same bed.
Regina was woken up by Emma making whimpering noises and she tried to soothe the younger woman.
Emma was becoming violent with her and Regina was doing all she could to keep both of them safe.
Without any warning, the blonde ended up on top of Regina and wrapped her hands around her throat. Emma was choking her.
Regina used her magic to get Emma to release her. Emma landed on the floor and cursed. "What the hell was that for, Regina?" Emma said as she tried to stand up.
The former Evil Queen touched the area where Emma's hands were and winced. She wasn't unfamiliar with this situation since it had happened a few times when she was married to Leopold. He, of course, took pleasure in it.
"You were strangling me and I had no choice but to defend myself." Regina said matter-of-factly. She waited to see how Emma would respond.
Emma turned on the lamp on the bedside table with her magic and looked down at her hands.
She had hurt the woman that she cared for most in the world. This can't be real though. She would never hurt Regina.
The Savior glanced at Regina for a moment and ran out the door. This was the reason why she was so scared of sleeping next to Regina.
What if Regina never wanted anything to do with her? The worst part of it all was that a small part of Emma liked the look of fear in Regina's eyes.
