Name: Operation Sandman

Pairing: Established Regina/Emma (SwanQueen)

Fandom: Once Upon A Time

Summary: Emma knows that sleep is someplace that the 'Evil Queen' is unable to protect herself. She promises that she will to everything she can to be there for her love. Emma enlists the help of Henry, Belle & Aurora to learn how she can help Regina get rid of her nightmares of Leopold once and forever. Meanwhile, Regina meets with an old friend who lets her realize that she needs to trust Emma and let her in before she can truly be happy.

Warnings: This is female/female love here as well as depictions of marital rape and abuse.

Author's Note: This is a fic for my dear friend Franzi, I love this gal. She is seriously one of the best people in my life and I treasure our friendship. Familyship! 3 Happy belated birthday love!

Emma was cleaning up the kitchen after dinner when she was sure that she heard something coming from her and Regina's bedroom. She stopped in her tracks and listened to the sounds of their home. The soft whimper of her lover could be heard wafting down from their bedroom. Emma began the trek towards their room, she could tell that Regina was dreaming again. Dreaming was not the term that Emma would use, though she was pretty sure that nightmaring was not a word. As she walked to the door of their bedroom she saw that Regina was sleeping soundly. Emma watched her lover sleep for a moment wondering if she had just been hearing things. She knew that sleep never really came easily for Regina, always plagued by either her former self or the things that once happened to her. They never really talked about the past, it was too hard to face and not just for the Savior. Emma was about to turn back towards the kitchen when she distinctly heard the sound of her lovers voice.

"No..." Regina mumbled in her sleep. Emma always thought that the former Evil Queen's voice was so small when she heard her within one of her nightmares. She fought the urge to just go rushing to her lover's bedside to wake Regina. She now knew better than to just wake her up right away, learning that the hard way being on the business end of Regina's fist one night as she fought to slay long dead kings intent to ruin her new found goodness. Regina had felt so guilty over that night that she asked Emma to not wake her in fear of harming her lover. Emma carefully walked further into the room and stood by the bed watching as Regina's hands were stiff by her sides. There was something that was familiar to the way that Regina held her arms that Emma recalled from her own past. She never pushed her lover to tell her what they were about; she didn't have to because Emma knew. It was one of the horrors of growing up in the foster care system. Emma had seen the fear in Regina's eyes even when they had made love for the first time. She saw how Regina first tensed as she touched her. Even in the way that Regina allowed her to take control of her when they had sex. Emma couldn't say that she disliked it, mainly because of her own issues when it came to being intimate. However it something that she felt could be better. Emma knew that Regina probably didn't want to tell her about how Leopold had treated his queen, since he was her grandfather. She knew that her mother never told her anything except good things about him. However Emma knew that men usually hid things when it came to their proclivities. She knew that Mary Margaret never wanted to tarnish the picturesque view of the Enchanted Forest that she had tried to uphold for her daughter to know about.

"Please no more..." Regina said quietly as she tried to move her hands, which were seemingly being held to the bed by an unseen force. Emma didn't care if she got another black eye as she bent down and took a hold of Regina's hand.

"There is no more, Regina..." She said softly as she threaded her fingers though her lover's. Regina stirred as she felt this different sensation on her hand. She looked up in her dream as if something was going to be different however she still saw Leopold's face above her. It was a nightmare that she had had often. It was her wedding night and instead of the joy she should be feeling as a new ruler in her kingdom should feel, Regina was being introduced to the pain and degradation of being Leopold's new queen. Part of her knew that this was just a nightmare, yet it felt so real and she couldn't wake herself up. She shuddered as she felt as Leopold's hand go between her legs. He roughly tore at her undergarments, easily ripping them from her body. Regina tried to keep her legs closed to preserve her modesty, only to have her new husband wrenched them apart.

"You will give yourself over to me!" He said angrily as he mounted her body. Regina felt his manhood for just a moment on her thigh before he positioned himself and took what he wanted. This dream was always the same; it just depended on her stress level on how long it took for his assault to start, as well as how long it took to conclude.

Emma watched as Regina's body tensed and it took all that she had to not shake her awake. She moved to her side of the bed and got in beside Regina. She once again held her hand, hoping to give her lover some comfort from her nightmare.

Regina could feel Leopold inside her, stripping away every ounce of dignity that she had. He forced her to look into his eyes as he forced himself on her. Regina knew that part of him hated to see her dark brown eyes looking at him, replacing his beloved Eva's crystal blue orbs. She could tell with every thrust of his hips that he hated that it was her body he was entering instead of his true queen.

"Look at me, let me see your eyes, my new Queen." He said to Regina whose down turned eyes angered him. It was Regina's least favorite part of all of Leopold's indignities, if only he would just allow her to turn her head and pretend that he wasn't brutalizing her. She felt as he took a hold of her chin and forced her to look at him.

"No Leopold, please stop." She pleaded and was rewarded with a backhand to her cheek. Emma watched at it looked like Regina was struck in her nightmare. There was no way that she could just watch her lover be attacked that by her long dead former husband.

"Regina you have to wake up..." Emma said and was surprised when her lover's eyes flew open and her hands moved to strike out at the man that was no longer there. Replaced instead by someone whom she had grown to love more than her own life. Emma easily caught Regina's wrist with her own hand.

"It's ok, I've got you." Emma said watching as Regina's walls raised and she embarrassedly pulled her hand from Emma's grasp.

"I told you not to wake me up when I'm in a nightmare like that, I could've hurt you." She said getting off the bed and heading into the adjacent bathroom. Emma sat on the bed for a beat before getting up. She watched as Regina leaned over the sink and walked up behind her lover. The brunette could feel her lover's eyes boring into her, it made her feel even more ashamed about what had just happened. She felt as Emma stepped up closer to her.

"You are going to have to let me help you." Emma said wrapping her arms around Regina's waist. The former evil queen pulls from her partners comfort so that she can turn and look at her.

"You don't understand, I have never been able to trust anyone in my entire life." She said. Emma pulls back from Regina, visibly shaken by the revelation. She is hurt and Regina can see it in her unshed tears.

"Not even me?" She asks quietly. Regina hates hurting Emma but she doesn't want her to know the extent of her damage.

"Not even you..." She said before bypassing Emma and leaving their bedroom. Emma stood there alone, closing her eyes and allowing her tears to slide down her cheeks.