I just wanted to try something new and see if you like where this is going. I would really appreciate a review, so that I know whether it looks promising or not ;)

DISCLAIMER: I don't own anything, just this profile

Dreams

She had these dreams lately. Dreams of her ex-boyfriend Neal. Over the years she had proven to be successful in forgetting about him, but over the last few weeks he seemed to have sneaked his way back into her subconscious. And she did not like it one bit.

After all, Neal was the one who knocked her up and left her to rot in jail. He betrayed her, and there is no way that she can ever forgive him for that.

Indeed he did leave her something: the keys of the yellow bug. The car she was ironically still driving in, twelve years later.

'And there is another constant reminder of his existence,' ponders Emma. She walks towards the window in her bedroom and holds the dream catcher they found years before, in her hands. The beautiful material and the neat finishing are all signs of professional craftsmanship. The blonde weighs the object in her hand like it is some sort of magical artifact.

She cannot deny that it does mean something to her. The time they had spend together were intense and adventurous, and there is not a man in the world who she has ever loved more than Neal. That is the reason why she kept the Native American dream catcher. As for the same reason as to why she kept the swan keychain that was now hanging as a necklace around her neck.

Emma returns the dream catcher to its place in front of the window, and stares absentmindedly outside. Her fingers are curled around the pendant.

''What are you doing Mom?''

The voice of her son wakes her from her daydream. ''Nothing really, just thinking.''

''About what?'' says Henry in the curious way that only he can do. He walks into his mother's bedroom and plumps down on the bed. He looks at her in a peculiar way. ''You are holding that pendant much more nowadays than you did before,'' he states as a matter of fact.

''I do?'' Emma did not even realize that she did. Her dreams must be the reason why.

''Yes, of course you do, almost the entire day long.''

She can't help but smile at her clever son. ''Okay kid, now you're exaggerating.''

''Am not,'' he replies, keeping a straight face.

''Oh you so do. But that is okay, I can handle it.''

''Fine, but you did not even give a real answer to my question yet.'' As his mother does not react straight away: ''why are you standing here, staring like that?''

''I told you, I was just thinking.'' At this point, her son's curiosity touches a nerve. She is not ready to tell him about his father yet.

''I know, but what were you thinking about?'' Henry is now eagerly swinging his legs back and forth above the ground.

''Henry, I really do not want to get into this,'' says Emma in a tone that hopefully makes it clear to her son that he should drop the question.

Luckily for her, the boy leaves it – for now – and nods silently where after he makes his way down the stairs.

Emma cannot help but to feel a little pang of guilt. ''Hey!'' she yells after him, ''shall I make us pancakes for breakfast?''

''Sure,'' mutters Henry almost unintelligible from his position downstairs.

That same night, a similar dream as the nights before haunts her. She twists and turns in her sleep, and she is bathed in cold sweat.

''Emma wait!''

''What do you want from me? Go away!'' Emma tries to run as fast as she can, but it seems like some invisible force is keeping her from moving fast enough. She feels herself moving on turtle speed, while Neal is approaching her quickly.

''Emma! I just want to talk to you, please wait!'' his voice is getting closer and closer.

''No, go away! I never want to see you again!'' She has never felt so frustrated in her life. Neal, the man she once loved and now hates is haunting her and there is nothing she can do to stop him.

''There is something important I need to tell you. Please Emma, I won't hurt you!''

She never gave herself the chance to turn around to face him, too afraid of going through too much pain for her to handle. With every step he moves closer to her, the more she starts to panic. ''Leave me alone!''

It does not take much longer for Neal to catch up with her.

She feels his hand on her shoulder, and the impact of his movement forces her to turn around to face him. She freezes the moment she has to look into his dark eyes.

It are the pleading eyes that she is so well acquainted with now. The unshaven face, the brown hair she used to lovingly go through with her fingers… All is familiar to her, yet the clothes he is wearing look… different. So different even that they appear to come from another world.

Neal wears some sort of brown cloak, with trousers that seem to be made out of a sackcloth. The boots he is wearing are made out of leather, but are in a style that is not familiar to the blonde at all.

''Emma, please listen to me. There is something really important I have to tell you. And there is not much time. I am here to warn you. Your family is…''

Right at that moment Emma wakes up, still sweating and shivering now from the aftermath of the dream.

She glances at the alarm clock that is standing on her bed stand. It indicates 3:37am. Not much prospect for joy. Every time she had a dream like this, she had not been able to fall back asleep.

She feels that her body is completely exhausted, and even Henry started to notice it too recently. Once or twice he has made a comment about the dark circles underneath her eyes and he even joked about how forgetful she was lately. She even forgot to give him his lunch for school the other day, something she always made for him.

The realization that this cannot longer go on like this is present, but she simply doesn't know what she can do about it.

There is something else to worry about too. The dreams were always very similar, however it was just since this week that Neal actually did caught up with her and tried to tell her something.

'I am probably just going insane,' she thinks in herself.

The rest of the night she tosses and turns, but sleep won't ever come to drag her with him. The dream however won't either, which she considers to be the only positive result of her insomnia.

What Emma doesn't know however is that something important is looming on the horizon. It is desperately trying to break through, but was not successful up and until now. Nevertheless, it won't give up, and True Love is the exact reason why.

Thank you so much for reading! xoxo