AN: So, I was inspired by Les Miserables – I dreamed a dream, more specifically Anne Hathaway's version. It got me thinking of a scene where Regina was lying in a hospital bed and Snow was outside the door listening. I hope you guys like and I do the song justice.
I dreamed a dream in time gone by
When hope was high
And life worth living
Cold. That is the first thing that comes to mind as she looks around the room. The frigid white walls decorated in colors designed to be restful but come off as akin to a decorators choice for a funeral home. A funeral home, a place where she will be in a few hours. She chuckles humorlessly. If she was lucky that is. If they took pity on her and not simply throw her into the river. She shifts slightly. The bed is somewhat lumpy with padding and sheets that are trying to mask the thick plastic covering the mattress. The IV pole with a digital monitoring system that tends to beep every time you move is her only solace that she was still in the realm of the living. None by her side as she lies on her deathbed. She swallows, a lump in her throat at that thought. She had hoped that Henry would come see her, but she was wrong. For no one mourns the wicked.
She takes a deep breathe and her lungs ache, reminding her of her life short-lived. Lung cancer. When Whale had given her the news, she had felt numb. She hadn't the will to fight. Her entire life she had fought. She is tired. As she stares up at the white ceiling, she couldn't help but shed a tear as she thinks of all the moment she had fought.
Closing her eyes, feeling the pain in her chest increase, she sings.
I dreamed a dream in time gone by
When hope was high
And life worth living
Snow didn't know why she was here. She only knew she needed to be. She needed to see Regina before she was gone. Gone. Snow didn't know to process the thought. Her life without Regina seemed like a far off dream. The queen had been her friend, mother and enemy. She made Snow into the person she was today, Henry as well. Snow has never stopped loving her. She needed Regina to know that. So, here she was, outside her hospital room. Gathering her strength and steeling her heart, she approaches the door, only to stop at the sound of singing.
Her voice is trembling but she doesn't care.
I dreamed that love would never die
Her throat is burning as she holds back the tears.
I dreamed that God would be forgiving
Her voice cracks. She takes a breath.
Then I was young and unafraid
And dreams were made and used and wasted
Regina was singing? Snow opens the door slightly. The queen was laying on her back staring at the ceiling. She looks so fragile. Her once regal frame seems so small, her cheeks are gaunt
As they tear your hope apart
As they turn your dream to shame
She gasps as her lungs burn. Her thoughts go to Daniel. Dear sweet Daniel.
He slept a summer by my side
She chokes back a sob, as she thinks of the one who had set her free. Rumplestilskin.
He filled my days with endless wonder
She coughs and the taste of blood fills her mouth. Her thoughts take her to a dark place. Leopold.
He took my childhood in his stride
Her throats burns like an inferno and her lungs ache as her teeth bloody.
But he was gone when autumn came
They had all left her.
Henry. Henry.
And still I dream he'll come to me
That we will live the years together
Her tears fall freely with reckless abandon.
But there are dreams that cannot be
And there are storms we cannot weather
She gasps for air that seems to never be enough, blood filling her lungs.
I had a dream my life would be
So different from this hell I'm living
So different now from what it seemed
Her world is going dark and she feels her throat close, whether from hr tears or the cancer she does not know. Her eyes chasing something and meets a pair of brown eyes. She is not alone. Those eyes say many things, but something resembling sadness and grief speaks to Regina.
Now life has killed the dream
And she smiles. She isn't alone. The world blurs and darkens.
I dreamed.