A/N The city of Boston is a part of Once Upon A Time's DNA. It is part of this story's DNA. This story is being posted as the bombing story is developing. To all our readers and friend in Boston, our hearts and prayers go out to you.
Reviews welcome. I own nothing.
Chapter 2: The Morning After the Night Before...
6:27 am The morning of the dream.
Mallie and Holly's guest room in Regina Mills' mansion
Holly's POV
I've had nightmares before. The running ones. The drowning ones. The falling ones. The scary ones.
But I never had one that had fire rushing towards me. A tidal wave of fire.
Thankfully I woke up. Screaming, but I woke up. The woman I slept with woke up too. Same dream. The woman I loved. The woman who loved me back.
That fact...that a woman, or anyone for that matter, would want to be with me and not run was the most amazing thing of a week that constantly played can-you-top-this on me.
Oh and how was your week, Holly? Oh, well I met this hot blonde cougar who thought I was the shit, we hit it off, and now me and my niece have run away with her to the sleepy little town in Maine.
Oh, and I also fought off three dragons, a werewolf, and Rumplefuckingstiltskin, saved Boston with the help of Snow White, Prince Charming, The Big Bad Wolf, the Evil Queen, and a genie who looks like that bad guy from Breaking Bad. And my new girlfriend is Maleficent, the witch from Sleeping Beauty. And a part time dragon.
And the Evil Queen ripped my heart out, repaired it and put it back and it's almost a s good as new. This after I almost died.
Oh, and did I tell you I can now shoot fireballs from my ass.
Beat that, bitches.
Maybe it all a dream. That I had a heart attack and all of this is going on while I'm in some goddamned coma. That this incredibly beautiful woman with luxurious lips and a more than perfect body is not real.
But she hugs me tight. That feels real.
She asks me if I'm alright. Sounds real (I told her I was).
Then she kisses me again. And again.
The hell with reality...
7:55 am, same morning. Regina's kitchen
It was the second time that 108 Mifflin Street had turned into what Emma would describe as Grand Central Station. Regina loved eggs out of the shell, but with the throng showing up at the mansion and the promise of something resembling breakfast forced her to break out the Egg Beaters. That, a skillet-full of sausage, and a loaf of bread for toast.
The everyday plates, silverware and glassware would do today. This was just a quick eat-and-chat with those who came, all brought together by the dream of fire.
Snow and Charming were there. The fact that Snow and Regina were civil to each other was a miracle in itself, let alone the fact that they had pretty much forgiven the other for past transgressions.
James was not that forgiving, but for the sake of peace, he gave civility a chance. He was rewarded with coldness at first, then one night, during Snow's "dark" period, for some reason he took Regina up on the offer of an ear. She listened, then she told him about the heart. About the dark spot. About how to make it shrink. And she told James she was in love with his daughter.
And yes we went ballistic, and yes he tried to strangle Regina on the spot, and yes Snow and Emma pulled him off and both gave him the message that as much as you may not like it, Regina and Emma were together, that the ship was sailing out of port, and to get on or get left behind.
Now the Snow and James and Emma and Regina are almost thick as thieves. They even laugh about the "lasagna seduction" of James/David before the curse was...reconfigured, you might say (It was Charming who mentioned "the only thing I missed was saying "Mrs Robinson, you're trying to seduce me.")
Ruby was there. Her granny was back at the hospital looking after Graham. After a year, it was still hard to believe that Rex was alive. She knew how he died. Even the reason. And yes it was hard to be around Regina after all that. But a year changes things. And in a funny way, Regina was one of the main reasons Ruby was alive. And the wolf could find a way to forgive the witch for one reason...if she was in the same situation, would Ruby have done the same thing. And if Snow and Regina could forgive each other...
Mother Superior was there. AKA The Blue Fairy. AKA simply Blue. AKA Reul Ghorm. Either way, fairies, or ex-nuns for that matter, should not look so beat up.
Blue spend most of the night attached to her protege. First, helping to rescue Nova from a house filled with ogres and trolls, all employed by whoever ordered Nova's kidnapping for whatever reason. Then having to deal with Nova and Dreamy later at what was the Convent. Or Grumpy. Or Leroy, whatever he calls himself.
There was hugging, thanking. Then yelling and screaming as Leroy professed his love for the young fairy and Nova returned the compliment, as Blue tried to persuade her not to give up her calling as a fairy for the love of a dwarf.
But Nova said it may be too stop anything. Nova's back was in pain because of the growing bumps on her back. She was becoming a full-fledged fairy anyway. But she also knew that she could also love like any other human. And both Leroy and Blue knew what that meant.
Then the younger woman collapsed in tears, with both the dwarf and the fairy catching her. Leroy and Blue looked at each other with their arms clasped around Nova and they knew they both, in their own way, loved the younger woman. A quiet understanding. And as they took Nova to bed, Blue, with deep sigh, gave a reluctant blessing.
A Google Hangout was started on the laptop that was placed on the table. Emma had just started it up with a sleepy quartet...Henry, Holly, Mallie, and Maddie...made their way downstairs...slowly but with great hunger.
Regina observed that sausage and eggs cooking works better than an alarm clock, probably thinking of Emma's own scarfing sessions in the morning.
The four sleepily gathered around the table. There wouldn't be enough room for everyone, so Henry and Maddie stayed at the table, while Mallie and Holly stayed at the prep island, hands seemingly glued to each other.
"Looks like they have love flu," Emma observed to Regina, recounting their own experience with their hands stuck together almost a year ago thanks to that magical malady. Regina simply smiled, not just at the memory of what happened to them that time, but the fact that it seems her best friend from the Enchanted lands has found her heart in this one.
8:10 am The Hangout.
The hangout started with the laptop now hooked into Regina's large flat screen in the den. The camera was posted for a wide shot of those at Regina's. Pictures of those chiming in remotely were filling up the screen at the bottom.
Snow started the session by asking everyone on to relay their recollections of the dream they had last night. It was universally the same: a happy thought, a pleasant dream, followed by a Storybrooke being engulfed in flames...
Regina: So what does it all mean...and why does it seem we're all getting this dream?
Holly: Wait I have to ask, is this a Storybrooke thing? I had that dream, and so did Maddie...same dream that Mal had...
Maleficent: It's like I tried to tell you this morning, honey. When we lived in the Enchanted Forest, people would receive messages about things that were to happen through dreams. It could be good or bad, but you got the dream because what happened involved you personally.
Maddie So we're gonna die...?
Blue: Now sweetheart, it doesn't mean that we're going to die, but what it does mean is that we are all involved in whatever is going to happen and if we don't act, what happens in the dream would be a result.
Granny (on screen): I've had several message dreams before. The last one we ignored.
Holly: What happened?
Granny: Storybrooke. That's what happened.
Snow: Guys, let not bring up old business. Dr. Whale, how are all the people at the hospital.
Dr. Whale (on screen): They're all doing fine. Your dad, Regina, is stable, so is Gold. They're going to be here for a couple of days.
Emma: And what about that blind woman who was attacked at Gold's store.
Whale: She's being released today. I'll be taking care of her afterward...
Snow: Oh, really?
Whale: It's not that. This is different.
Holly: What gives...
Regina: Oh, nothing...just that before she attached herself to Charming, Ms. Blanchard and the good doctor had one of his famous one-night...examinations..
Whale: ...and I was nursing a nice shiner that David administered to me when he found out...nice right, by the way.
David: Any time...and I mean it.
Maddie: This isn't Storybrooke...it's Port Charles...
Holly: Chicken...
Maddie: Ok...
Granny: Chicken?
Holly: Just a nickname...
Snow: Can we get back to business? Anything else?
Whale: Ok...Graham was released this morning...
Granny: He has a room here at the inn. That's why Ruby's with you this morning...
(Ruby waves and mouths "Hi Granny!" Eugenia Lucas responds with a smile..)
Whale: Graham was only in for shock. Gold had knife wounds to his back and side. He should be alright.
Emma: Sounds like Hook. That's one down.
Whale: Ginger was also suffering from shock. But about your father, Regina.
Regina: Yes...
Whale: His injuries seem more internal. As if someone or something went in and caused the damage
Emma: Cora.
Regina: No...I still don't believe that she's alive. And if she is...she wouldn't harm Daddy.
Emma: She harmed you.
Regina: Maybe...but not Daddy.
David: So now what?
Emma: Well, we have a busy day. A lot of people we need to question. Ruby and I are going to talk to a lot of people. And Gold's the first up.
Regina: I'm coming with you.
Emma: Why?
Regina: Daddy. And I have a few questions of Rumpelstiltskin myself.
Blue: And...ah...Holly, isn't it?
Holly: Yes...?
Blue: You and your niece will need to know a lot more about this town, and the people in it. And soon. And Holly...
Holly: yes...?
Blue: Regina tells me that you have...abilities?
Holly: Why are you asking?
Blue: We need to find how how you got them.
Holly: Look, I love you guys, but I'm not going to be some pincushion...
Regina: Has this happened before...have you been...examined?
Blue: You are not a pincushion, and you will not be...but if you have any powers we need need to know what they are. You had the dream too, as well as your niece. There has to be a reason for that. And we need to know, Holly. You need to know, too.
TBC
Next: Questions. Answers. And the fate of Cora.
