Setting: This is set after they save Henry from Neverland but before season 3 b. It assumes that Gold died at the end of season three B as did Neil in Neverland, and that Regina and Emma were able to stop Pan's curse before it sent them back to the Enchanted Forrest.
This is the same story as Dream Vine, but I felt the need to change the name and the summary because it was originally designed as a one shot that I then decided to expand due to the amount of positive feed back I got on Ao3. Get's extremely angsty later on but is also very fluffy! I hope you all enjoy, please tell me what you think I love to hear people's comments and opinions. Happy reading everyone :)
"No touching," she said as Regina turned around. "Got it." Regina raised a single sculpted eyebrow.
"I'm serious Miss Swan," she said. "Even something as apparently innocent as a flower or a feather can hold dangerous properties, even to the touch." Emma nodded.
"I know Regina," she said, trying to sound annoyed at the brunette's patronisation. Regina rolled her eyes, indicating that Emma had succeeded in this, and turned back to rummage through the draw she had been buried in.
"So," Emma said, walking up behind her, "what are we cooking up today?" She peered over Regina's shoulder to look into the open draw and frowned down at the assorted jars, boxes and bottles, each filled with a variety of random objects, fluids and, much to Emma's distaste, animal parts.
"This is not Home Ec. Sheriff," Regina sighed, turning around with her hands now full of little rounded jars. "You are progressing at an unexpectedly impressive rate," Regina said, the shadow of a smirk playing at the corner of her full dark lips. Emma bowed grinning.
"Thank you master," she said, her voice overflowing with a deep mock seriousness. Regina rolled her eyes yet again at the blonde, concealing her amusement, and continued as though Emma had not interrupted her.
"Today I'm going to show you how to make one of the most useful spells I know. One that you yourself have used many times." Emma looked at her, all mockery swept aside, and her smile replaced with a burning curiosity. "I'm going to show you how to make a locator spell."
Emma followed Henry's scarf as it slithered through the air in front of her, leading her out of town towards the forest. Regina had enlisted their son's help, so that they could test the quality of Emma's spell making skills. Although it hadn't been the most difficult spell she had ever created, and it had not been a particularly long day at the sheriff's office, Emma felt somewhat drained as she trudged through the trees after the scarf, stumbling every now and then over a root or fallen branch. She rounded the corner of one final tree and found her son sat on a log at its base, Gameboy in hand. He looked up and grinned at her.
"It worked!" he yelled. Jumping up he ran to give his mother a congratulatory hug. Emma let out a little "oof" as he collided with her, but he seemed not to notice. "You did it," he grinned. "Mom said you were getting really good at this stuff."
"Did she now?" Emma smiled wearily. The thought of gaining Regina's hard earned praise, even if it wasn't to he face, made her feel a little warmer inside, despite the fact that she seemed to be feeling the cold autumn air a little more than usual this evening.
"Come on kid," she said, putting an arm around his shoulders. "Let's get you back to her then. Or she'll think I failed and I'll never hear the end of it."
By the time Emma's bug pulled into the driveway of 108 Mifflin Street Emma was feeling completely exhausted, not to mention the fact that she was shivering ever so slightly, despite having the heating on full blast.
"You okay Ma?" Henry asked, looking at her as she pulled the key out of the ignition with trembling fingers.
"Yeah," she said, forcing a smile. "Just tired is all." Henry nodded but the crease in his brow stayed stubbornly in place.
"Let's get inside and maybe Mom will make you a coffee," he suggested. Emma grinned. Although Granny's coffee was perfectly fine, Regina's expensive whole bean home ground stuff was always amazing. And now that she thought about it, Emma realised that Regina always seemed to make it exactly how she liked it.
They trudged inside and despite the warmth of the house Emma kept her brown leather jacket on, along with her gloves.
"It worked then?" Regina grinned, giving he son a quick hug.
"Yep," Emma smiled tiredly. The grin slid promptly from Regina's face as she looked up at the blonde sheriff and her somewhat pale shivering form.
"Emma are you feeling okay?" she asked, a hint of concern colouring her voice.
"Yeah," Emma nodded. "I just need a coffee is all."
"I think she is coming down with something," Henry said quietly to his dark haired mother, who frowned at him as she ushered them both into the kitchen.
"I never get sick kid," Emma grinned non-too convincingly. "I'll be fine don't worry," she added for good measure as Regina turned her concerned gaze on her. She merely hummed disbelievingly at the blonde's words, and set about making the coffee. Emma sat heavily on one of the bar stools and put her cold fingers between her legs as she waited patiently for the coffee. She felt cold, and more exhausted than she thought she ever had done in her life. Perhaps the kid was right, perhaps she was coming down with something after all. The thought in and of it self half worried her. She had meant it when she said she never got sick. She swayed slightly on her stool, the room spinning a little and she grabbed at the breakfast bar to steady herself.
"Ma?" Henry's little voice quivered slightly, saturated with concern. Regina spun around at the slight commotion and rushed to Emma's side as she saw the young woman sway dangerously again. She put an arm around the blonde's shoulders to steady her and placed her free hand to her brow. Her frown deepened.
"Emma you're burning up," she mumbled. "You have a fever."
"I'm just tired," Emma muttered, leaning into Regina's warm body as she did so. Her eyelids felt heavy, and the room seemed to be tilted at an odd angle.
"Emma, how do you feel other than tired?" Regina asked, shaking her shoulder a little in an attempt to keep her focused. "I need you to tell me exactly how you are feeling."
"Tired," Emma mumbled. "And cold, and dizzy." Regina scowled to herself and cursed under her breath.
"Mom what is it?" Henry asked, his eyes wide with fear for his younger mother.
"Emma, this is very important," Regina said, shaking the woman's shoulder again, as Emma had nestled her head, eyes closed, into the crook of the other woman's shoulder. Regina cupped her cheek in her hand and turned her face up, forcing Emma to open her eyes and look at her. "Emma, I need you to tell me, did you touch anything that you weren't supposed to when we were in my vault this afternoon?" Emma refused to answer, merely attempting to rest her head back against Regina's shoulder.
"You'll be cross with me," she said, an almost child like fear wavering her voice. Regina smiled softly to herself and gently turned Emma's face upwards so that they were looking at each other again.
"I promise I won't be cross," Regina said gently. "Tell me Emma, please. What did you touch dear?"
"Was just a purple flower," Emma grumbled. Regina sighed. Dream vine.
"It is bad?" Henry asked, his voice scarcely more than a whisper. Regina smiled reassuringly at him.
"She'll be okay sweetheart, I promise," Regina said. "Emma only touched it. She'll be ill for a day or so, and I'll warn you now Henry, this fever is going to giver her nightmares. But she'll be okay." Henry nodded, the fearful expression still masking his face. "She has us to look after her. How could she not be?" He smiled a little at that, and the fear in his eyes was replaced with hard set determination.
"How can I help?" he asked.
"Go call your grandparents and explain what happened. Emma will have to stay here tonight where we can look after her. Then get a bowl of cold water and bring it up to the guest room." He nodded and once he had disappeared Regina transported the now unconscious Emma up to the guest room in a puff of purple smoke.
Once she had settled Emma on the bed, she changed her into one of her favourite tank tops and a pair of Regina's own silk pyjama shorts with a flick of her hand. She pulled the comforter up around the sleeping blonde and then sat herself in a chair next to the bed. There was no hope in keeping her awake, the sedative in the plant's sap was too strong. The only hope they had of possibly controlling the nightmares that would come was to try and keep the fever down. And of course, wake her up and be there for her when they inevitably did come. Regina silently thanked every god she could think of that Emma hadn't ingested it. If ingested, the little flower's sedative was so strong that it induced a nightmare-fuelled coma that could only be reversed with a very precise antidote, the ingredients for which were hard to come by. Regina didn't even know if some of them existed in this realm.
Henry walked into the room with a bowl of water and a washcloth and tried to force a smile. He had her habit of masking his emotions, and although he wasn't as good at putting on a brave face as her, he had certainly picked up her talents of shutting people out when he was hurting.
"Thank you sweetheart," she said quietly. She soaked the washcloth and wrung it out before placing it on Emma burning brow.
"If the flower Ma touched causes nightmares, shouldn't we be keeping her awake?" Henry asked, concern creeping into his voice despite his best efforts. Regina sighed.
"Unfortunately Henry the sedative in the flower your Mom picked up is too strong. She'd fall asleep despite our best efforts. But if we can keep the fever down, hopefully we can keep any nightmares at bay." Henry only nodded, and frowned as Emma scowled in her sleep and mumbled something incoherent. Regina soaked the cloth again before reapplying it, Henry watching in silence all the while. At the touch of the cold cloth Emma relaxed a little, her forehead smoothing over, her fists, which had been clenched around the sheets, relaxing. Regina looked up and gave Henry what she hoped was a reassuring smile. She extended her free hand to him and he took it, allowing her to draw him closer and pull him into a one armed hug.
"See," she said quietly. "She's okay." She removed the damp cloth and placed her dry hand on the blonde's brow. "Her temperature is even down a little." Henry forced a weak smile, and it was at that point at which his stomach decided to growl loudly. Regina smirked.
"What do you say we leave your Mom to rest and go have some dinner?" Henry nodded.
"Okay," he said quietly.
They ate in virtual silence. Regina wanted to reassure her son that Emma would be just fine, but in reality she knew that it would get worse before it got better, and that the nightmares would be hard for Henry to watch. The only thing she could try and do was shield him from having to see her go through that. By the time they had finished it was past nine o'clock, and Henry had school the next morning. They washed the dishes and tidied up, neither talking to the other, as they both knew that neither of them would share how they were feeling, and all they could do to comfort each other was put on a brave face and tell each other that Emma would be okay with them looking after her. Once they were finished, Regina turned to Henry and tried to force a smile.
"Time to get ready for bed Henry," she said, trying her hardest to pretend as though everything was normal. "You have school tomorrow and you know your grandmother will blame me if you start falling asleep in class." He merely nodded, and Regina couldn't help but frown at how little resistance he was putting up. Usually bedtime was at least a minor battle.
As Regina tucked him in Henry looked up at her, his eyes filled with worry for his other mother.
"You care about Emma, right Mom?" he asked. Regina's breath hitched, caught off guard by her son's question.
"Yes Henry of course I do. Very much," she said. He had no idea how much.
"You promise you'll look after her tonight? If she has really bad dreams?" Regina smiled softly at her son and gave his hand a little squeeze.
"I promise. Goodnight my little Prince. I love you."
"Love you too Mom."
Regina had hardly closed Henry's door when she heard a whimpering coming from her guest bedroom. As she approached it grew louder, Emma crying out against some unseen terror. Regina hurried into the room, shutting the door behind her and waving a quick sound barrier over it so that Henry wouldn't have to listen to his mother's terrorised cries. Emma was curled up in a tight ball in the bed, tangled in the sheets and clutching the pillow next to her, her knuckles white. Regina sat one the edge of the bed as Emma whimpered wordlessly. She froze when she saw the tear tracks that scarred her face. She had never seen the blonde this vulnerable before. She hadn't even really thought it possible for her to look so lost, so broken.
"Emma," she said, gently shaking her shoulder. "Wake up Emma." But the woman only continued to whimper and cry in her sleep. Regina shook her shoulder a little harder and smoothed back her damp hair from her face. "Emma wake up," she said again as she tucked blonde hair behind her ear. With another gentle shake of the shoulder Emma's eyes fluttered open and she stared groggily around the room.
"Where am I?" she mumbled, her voice still a little cracked and teary. "What's happening?"
"It's okay Emma, you were just having a nightmare. You're in my guest room. You're okay."
"I am?" Regina smiled softly and rubbed a hand up and down her shoulder soothingly.
"You are dear. It's just the affects of the plant you touched earlier remember?" Emma nodded, still frowning. Regina put a hand to Emma's brow and frowned.
"You're burning up again," Regina muttered, almost to herself. "That would explain the nightmare and why it was so hard to wake you." She reached for the bowl of water and dipped her fingers in, scowling at the warmth that had seeped into the water over the past hour or so.
"I'll be right back," she said to Emma who looked up at her through round fearful green eyes. "I'm just replacing the water," she explained. But as she went to stand Emma grabbed her hand, stopping her. Tear sparkled dangerously behind her eyes.
"Please don't," she whispered. Regina couldn't figure out if it was the request itself, or the fear in the Saviour's voice that made her stop. But she sat back down none the less, and simply conjured a few ice cubes to float atop the water.
"Okay," she said softly. "I won't go anywhere if you don't want me to." Emma nodded and kept hold of her hand, sending butterflies to Regina's stomach. They fluttered nervously as the two of them sat in silence.
"May I ask you something?" Regina asked quietly. Emma looked up at her and nodded. Regina reached for the washcloth, soaked it, and then placed it across Emma's brow before asking, "What was it that you were dreaming about?" Her voice wavered slightly as she asked the question, unsure if she really wanted to know what could make the Saviour cry.
"The foster system," Emma mumbled. "Being an orphan. Being lost and unwanted. My parents leaving me, abandoning me to start a new life with a new baby and leaving me behind." The last words were hardly more than a whisper, and the tears that were sparkling in her eyes threatened to break loose.
"It was just a dream Emma," Regina said. "It was just the night vine playing on your fears." Emma looked down.
"I know," she whispered.
"Don't let it make you forget that you have so many people around you that love you and who care about you deeply. Your parents, Henry," and me, she added silently.
"I know," she said again. Regina continued to re-soak and apply the cold wash cloth, and as Emma's temperature dropped again her eyelids began to feel heavy.
"I don't want to go back to sleep," Emma whispered, forcing her eyes open to look up at Regina. The older woman smiled sympathetically at her. "I'm frightened."
"I know," Regina said. "But I'll be here if you need me. My room is only across the hall." Emma squeezed her hand tighter at the thought of Regina leaving her side.
"Will you stay?" she whispered. Regina could feel the butterflies in her stomach getting flustered again, her desire to run away from what she was feeling arguing with her desire to stay and take care of Emma. She nodded.
"If you want." Emma shuffled over slightly to allow Regina to slide under the comforter and sit next to her in the bed. She put aside the wash cloth and smoothed back Emma's hair rom her flushed face, earning an approving sigh from the blonde as Emma's heavy eyelids fluttered shut.
"I'll be right here. You're safe Emma." She smiled as the blonde's hold on her hand loosened ever so slightly, and she was once again pulled into unconsciousness.
Regina was woken by a sharp poke to her side. She opened her eyes and rubbed them, momentarily confused by her unfamiliar surroundings. The guest room, of course. She had fallen asleep sitting in the bed next to Emma. The blonde squeezed her hand tightly and Regina looked down to find her face crumpled and terrified as she clung to the sheets and to Regina.
"Please," she cried quietly. "Not them. Please don't hurt them." Regina smoothed back damp blonde from Emma's brow. The fever was worse than it had been all night, and what ever it and the nightmare were making Emma see, it was clearly terrifying her. Emma clung harder to Regina as the brunette tried to wake her.
"No!" Emma cried, tears seeping from under her closed lids. "Regina!" she screamed, sitting bolt upright as she woke.
"Emma, it's okay it was just another nightmare," Regina said, putting a hand on the blonde's shoulder. The contact made her jump and she turned, simply gaping at Regina. Her green eyes were wide and tears ran freely down her cheeks.
"It was just a dream Emma," Regina said quietly as Emma continued to stare at her.
"Regina?" Emma's voice broke and she flung her arms around the older woman. "You're okay," she sobbed into her shoulder. Regina froze, caught off guard by the action. The butterflies in her stomach flapped excitedly as she realised that one of the people in her dream that Emma had been begging for, or trying to protect, must have been her. She wrapped her arms slowly around Emma as she cried, rubbing large soothing circles on her back.
"I'm okay Emma," she whispered. "It was just a dream. I'm okay."
Once Emma's sobbing had subsided a little, Regina lowered them down to the pillows and Emma nestled into her, resting her head above her heart. She listened to it beat in the silence, allowing the steady sound to reassure her that Regina was safe, that she was okay. Slowly her breathing returned to normal, and her grip on Regina's shirt relaxed as the tension in her body slowly dissipated.
"I'm sorry," she mumbled into the dark.
"For what?" Regina asked, absentmindedly trailing her fingers through the blonde's hair, gently teasing free the tangles.
"I'm not usually so clingy, even when ill," she muttered. Her cheeks grew hot, and she knew it had nothing to do with her fever.
"Before tonight I wouldn't have thought you even knew what the word meant," Regina chuckled. Emma frowned.
"I'm sorry for causing so much trouble," she grumbled. "You're probably exhausted."
"It's not your fault Emma," Regina said. "The dream vine takes your worst fears and forces you to live them through the most vivid and realistic of nightmares. If it were me, I would want someone I trusted by my side also."
"Still," Emma whispered. Regina gently clasped the sheriff's chin between her forefinger and thumb and turned her face up, forcing green and brown to meet.
"It's okay Emma," she smiled softly. The blonde nodded slightly, conceding defeat. Regina placed her palm on Emma's brow.
"Your fever seems to have broken," she mused. "You should be able to get some proper sleep now." Regina made as thought to move and Emma's hand closed around her shirt automatically. Regina paused, and then settled further under the covers, allowing Emma to snuggle closer.
"Just in case," she said softly, allowing Emma to keep her there without forcing her to ask. The butterflies in her stomach flapped approvingly.
When Henry's alarm went off the next morning the house seemed oddly quiet. He got up and got changed for school, but when he arrived downstairs for breakfast, neither his mother nor his breakfast was waiting for him as usual. She couldn't still be in with Emma could she? He crept upstairs towards the guest room, and when he poked his head around the door a broad grin stretched across his face. He closed the door behind him, leaving his mother's sleeping soundly in each other's arms, and decided he would make his own way to the bus today.