Title: Metensomatosis

Spoilers: This has Spoilers, sort of for 'The Stable Boy' episode. If you haven't seen that episode yet, you may not get all that's going on, or you may be spoiled for the episode.

Disclaimers: I don't own any of these characters.

A/N: I know, I know. I have to finish Coming Together. And I'm nearly there. But this popped into my head and I just couldn't help it.

Emma leaned her head against the cell bars and slowly blew out a breath. She was tired, so tired. Before, her life had been non-stop, that was true. There had always been the next idiot who thought that he or she would succeed at jumping bail where others couldn't. And Emma would catch all of them.

Sometimes in her old life she had been so tired that she hadn't even remember brushing her teeth, or putting on her bed clothes. But, it had been a good tired. The pure tired of hard work and some hard play. A physical tired.

This was mental. She could probably go out and run half the Boston Marathon and not die, but spending another day between Regina and Sidney, David, Mr. Gold, August. Not to mention Mary Margaret and Henry, who although they meant well were pulling just as hard on her. She wasn't sure she could do it anymore.

She turned and stared at the walkie talkie on one of the empty Sheriff office desks. She'd thought it'd be a good idea. Stay. Stand up for a boy that she was pretty sure she loved, and that she definitely knew that she owed. For giving him up, for helping create him in the first place. But...

She took the Sheriff's badge off her belt and looked at it for a moment. Then nodded to herself and started moving.

Regina strode into her office. She was pleased with how nearly everything in town was going. Sidney was well positioned, her son had quit yammering quite so much about the story world, and Mary Margaret was as unhappy as Regina had ever seen her, had ever seen anyone.

It was when she went to sit behind her desk that she saw it. Sitting in the middle of the desk like a beacon calling to her. The Sheriff's badge. She picked it up with a frown, the day was going downhill. She couldn't see what Emma would get by resigning.

She picked up her phone. "Sidney, where's Emma?" Regina's frown deepened, "Are you sure? Don't you take that tone with me Sidney. You're sure, you saw her... car... driving out of town." After another affirmative from Sidney Regina hung up without another word and stared down at the badge again, "Reinforcements, is that what you're doing Miss Swan?"

Emma looked around. Her Bug had died before she'd gotten out of town, and her phone's charge was beyond gone. She'd walked towards the building she could see from the road looking for a person, a telephone. Instead she'd found horses. Three of them.

She smiled as one leaned over its stall and let her stroke it. "Hey there... well, I don't know if you're a boy or a girl. So, hey there..." She spotted a basket of carrots and picked one up, "Bet you like this huh, they're one of my favorite too. Parts of 'em don't get stuck in the teeth like with broccoli. There ya go."

"What's your play Miss Swan?"

Emma turned to face the door of the stable. "Excuse me?"

Regina gestured with the hand that held the Sheriff's badge. "First, you give me what I assume is your resignation. For future reference, those who participate in civilized society use a letter as well. And now, you're in my stable."

"Yours? I didn't know. I was looking for a phone."

Regina stared down Emma, "A phone. That's the best you can do? You won't find anything here."

Emma sighed, "Mayor Mills, I'm not looking for anything, except a phone. You've won. I'm..." She blew out a breath, "I'm so damn tired. During the days its you, Sidney, Mr. Gold, even Henry and Mary Margaret. Then at night..." she trailed off, "At night all I ever do in this town is have nightmare after nightmare." She glanced around, really seeing the place for the first time, "Huh... most of them seem to take place here too..."

Regina walked closer to Emma, "That's not funny."

Emma held her hands away from her body, "Do I look like I'm joking. I'm no ones white knight. So... I'm gonna go back to chasing stupid people and you can go back to your posturing with Mr. Gold for power and destroying the lives of everyone in this hamlet. Sound fair?"

Regina took another two steps towards Emma so that they were less than an arms length away from each other, "And Henry?"

"He has a roof over his head, three squares, you love him in your own- unique- way. I'd suggest an ankle bracelet though, for when he's out of your sight."

"I don't believe you."

Emma shook her head, "I don't care. I'm leaving." Emma paused, "I'm also not sure why you seem to care that I'm leaving."

Regina didn't answer the question, but gave an order "Tell me what the nightmares are."

"What?"

Regina took another step forward. She was in Emma's personal space and the horse gave her a bit of a nudge that she ignored, "Tell me."

Emma pursed her lips for a moment, then shook her head, "Whatever. Fine. I'm here..." She took a deep breath, "I'm here and there are two dark black... forms. They're not distinct people, not even people shaped, but in the dream I know they represent people, women I think. Although, one's more grey than black. The black one engulfs me. I try to move but am stuck in the ground." She trailed off and closed her eyes. Her hand drifted to her heart.

Her eyes flew open as Regina put her hand over Emma's. "Wh-what are you doing?" The dark haired woman also had a curious expression on her face, one that Emma couldn't decipher.

Regina didn't move, but did speak, "And... after the dark form engulfs you, it feels as though your heart has been ripped out. And you're staring up at the ceiling, the grey form over you, but not attacking. And then you wake up."

It was Emma's turn to frown, "How did you know that?"

Regina took her hand away and looked Emma up and down, "Take off your shirt."

"What? No... Madam Mayor."

Regina pushed Emma's hands aside and unbuttoned two of Emma's shirt's buttons and pulled the shirt to one side. There was a pink mark under where Emma had put her hand, "I- I can't believe. I never thought..."

Emma pulled back a step and buttoned one of her buttons again. "What are you muttering about? It's just a birthmark. It's always been there." She paused, "Now tell me how you knew what happened in my nightmare?"

Regina shook her head, "It's never easy, ever, is it. I know what happened because I was there. I was the- the grey form. My mother the black one. She- she reached into his chest and pulled out his heart right in front of me, then crushed it in her hand. He died and it was all because that... that little brat was too stupid. All because Snow White the great and awesome and pretty and smart," the sarcasm dripped from Regina, "fell for my mother's obvious trick."

Emma shook her head and took another step backwards, "You're crazy... the whole town is. I'm going to leave."

Regina closed the distance between them and grabbed Emma's hand. "Don't. Please."

Emma stared down at Regina's hand, "Because of a couple of bad dreams and a birthmark?"

"No. Because all your life you've been searching for the other half of your soul. Oh, you've had relationships, and some even worked for a brief bit, but, part of you felt empty, alone, adrift no matter who said they loved you." She paused, "You're... you're Daniel, my Daniel, reincarnated. I can feel it in my soul."

Emma forcibly pulled her hand away from Regina's. "I'm not this... Daniel."

Regina put her hand on Emma's cheek, "Tell me that you haven't felt something too." She stepped as close as they'd been during the problems at the mine. "A- tension- a-"

Emma spoke, "-spark." She leaned forward and didn't have to go far. Her hands found Regina's face, her lips found Regina's lips. In their kiss as in life they jockeyed for control. Neither woman lost or won as they got lost in a haze of lust and love.