Regina sits, back to the cold stone, her eyes are closed. She is listening intently. Waiting. Shivering.

No wait, take me!

She clenches her fists as she goes over it. Again.

Dammit Emma!

She had woken up sprawled face down on the hard ground, sore, confused. Her head was pounding from where she'd been hit to knock her out. It was dark, it smelt... damp, and musty. She'd raised her head, casting about for Emma, taking in her surroundings. Emma was bleeding from her head, the red liquid staining her hair in a demonic halo. Heart suddenly pounding, she had crawled to the blonde and tried to assess the damage. Emma was breathing. Good. She grasped the prone woman and pulled her with a little effort onto her side. Emma flopped over, her limbs loosely moving to either side of Regina's thighs. There was a shallow graze just behind her ear, the hair around it matted and tangled in red. Regina took off her jacket and pressed the sleeve to the blondes head, tucking the rest of the black material under as a pillow. She pressed and pressed and willed the wound to just stop.

The stupid, brave idiot. Emma coming back for her when Regina shouted at her to run, to save herself. The infuriating idiot, clearly already falling apart - clearly struggling as it was - bending down and hefting Regina into her arms like it was nothing. Except it was, it was survival, and terror, and Emma and her infuriating saviour complex.

Regina tried her best to ignore the chorus of emotion that sprang up at the actions of the blonde. The tight feeling of something she didn't easily recognise at someone coming for her, putting themselves in danger for her. Emma had done it recently as well - hunting for her when Mendall had her. Emma and her family. Family. Snow sitting by her side as she slept, David and his steady words and steady presence. The faint memory of waking up pressed back against a warm body and blonde hair tumbling over her shoulder. It was alien and it was frightening. But not as frightening as the current situation right now.

They were in some kind of dank... cell... Roughly hewn rock and solid looking bars criss-crossed the opening - a burning torch off out of sight down the cave like corridor threw some gentle light into their prison. There was wall... and floor. And a bucket. Regina's lips instinctively curled in disgust. Surely not... she looked back to the unconscious woman. At least she was breathing.

Regina's heart sank as she tried to call her magic and... nothing. She let out a sigh of harsh frustration. She hadn't noticed the dark cuff on her arm before. Emma had one fit snugly to her wrist too.

Well... Shit.

"R'gina."

Her heart flew into her mouth as the blonde began to stir, face going through a whole roster of emotions before settling into a deep frown.

"Stay lying down Emma, you have a head need to stay flat for a while. OK?" The other woman's smoothed out momentarily as Regina spoke.

"M'kay. " Her face slacked out again as she slid back into unconsciousness, apparently comfortable enough to just listen to Regina without argument. It was comforting. It was worrying.

They were quiet for a while, Regina unable to get away from the mantra of 'thank you thank you thank you' to whatever higher power there was that Emma was apparently competent in the face of head trauma, however minor. She didn't relish ever having to talk to Henry about Emma being injured or worse.

She considered the sleeping woman, lifting the cloth carefully. The bleeding did appear to have stopped. Her shoulders dipped in relief, sucking in a deep breath. Her head would need some kind of bandage - padding. She knew from a lifetime ago, from leading armies into bloody battles, that head wounds were not to be trifled with. Emma needed to be careful.

Regina settled back, her back aching a little from too many nights sleeping rough and bending over Emma at an awkward angle. She stayed in the little nook created by Emma's curled body, acutely aware of the blondes steady breathing.

So where were they?

What did their captors want? She imagined it wouldn't be anything pleasant. Revenge? Vengeance for their leader? How did men come to be on the island? They were just supposed to be boys.

She remembered the frantic struggle to escape - running, running as fast as she could - she remembered dark faces with darker intent materializing out of the trees. Out of the black of night. Blades and malevolent eyes glinting in the bright moonlight.

If they were being held here by a group of angry vengeful men... Regina clenched her jaw as fear pooled in her stomach.

No... Sans magic, they were pretty defenseless. Emma could pack a mean punch, she had first hand experience of that - and Regina was not bad either but neither of them were really equipped for a fight. Those gleaming blades, cruel edges sharpened. Regina shuddered.

On impulse, she reached out to draw a strand of hair back from Emma's peaceful face. It surprised Regina to realize she wanted the other woman to talk to about this. Her relationship with Emma had changed drastically over the past few months. The curse breaking. The blondes trip to the Enchanted Forest - the blonde calmly stating she wasn't dying, the blonde pushing her out of harms way. Screams of 'he's my son', anger, festering, black. Cora. Sorrow. Greg. Pain. Unimaginable pain. Hearing Emma's name. The flood of hope as she realized someone was coming for her. Henry. Rage, fear, terror.

Now.

It was such a lot to deal with, and really, she knew she hadn't dwelt on any of the events of the past while in any great detail. Things either being too painful or too fraught. And now?

She didn't know what was going to happen to them but it wasn't going to be good.

Regina tried to focus on Emma's breathing again. She needed her to wake, she needed Emma's particular ability to distract her and help her focus. She needed Emma.

She looked up sharply at the loud sound of boots echoing towards them suddenly - a frission of fear trickling down her spine as loud male voices reached the cell. Emma pushed herself up on her arms, groaning as she did, which had Regina looking down at her in concern before returning to the bars.

"Well well, awake are we?" A giant of a man, clad in hair and leather and cruel metal walked into view. He grasped the bars, peering at the two speculatively. "Your Majesty, we are bored... you are our entertainment."

Regina froze, breath rushing out of her lungs.

No.

Other men joined the first, the light cast by the lone torch making their faces into ominous blurs

"What do you want with us?" Regina closed her eyes as Emma's voice croaked. "What are you going to do with us?"

Emma stood, she touched a hand tentatively to the back of the head before turning fully to their captors. The swagger that Regina normally associated with the blonde was returning. Good.

Except that Regina noticed the blondes fist tucked slightly behind her, out of the view of the men... and it was shaking. Not good. Anxiety clawed it's way up Regina's throat as she rose looked between their jailors and the apparent solid stance of the saviour.

The man in front smiled, dirty and unpleasant "The Queen is coming with us." He nodded to his comrades, watching as it was unlocked and three of them entered.

"No she's not!" Regina gaped as Emma growled and backed up to Regina, her arms out protectively.

The three men closed in. It was all happening too fast for her to really process. She was shoved and jostled and pulled. Deafening shouts and grunts and Emma's distinct cries of pain - Regina hit out at the nearest one but it was like a fly trying to batter down an elephant and she found herself held with her arms pinned painfully behind her back. "Let's go little lady," he growled, breath putrid, teeth broken. Emma let out an enraged shout and dodged the two engaged with her. Regina was dropped from the painful hold as Emma swung her arm and the man... actually went down. It had all happened in a flash and Regina found herself pressed back against hard stone with Emma breathing heavy in front of her again.

"No, wait!"

The blonde drew up her head, taking a deep breath. "Take me instead, I'll give you a better show than she will." Emma stood up tall, face hard and challenging.

God damn, if she was going to let Emma do this agai-

"Suit yourself."

"Emma, no!" Regina gasped, grabbing the blonde's arm. She wasn't letting the woman do it again. Not again.

Emma, head down, pulled her arm from Regina's grasp and exited the cell. One of the faceless men held his arm front of the brunette, preventing her from following. She kept her eyes on the blonde as she passed down the corridor out of sight, fists still shaking.

Regina winces as a sharp pain draws her back to the present. She carefully unfurls her fingers, inspecting the red half-moon imprints on her palms.

Where was Emma? What were they doing to her? She brings her knees up, tightly hugging them.

What the hell were they going to do?


Dark. Teeth. Shining metal. Masculine laughter. Bodies. Heart racing, head pounding - ducking, swinging. Falling to the ground. An elbow to the face. A boot to the ribs. Spitting blood. Her fist crunching a nose with some satisfaction. Howls of pain. More laughter.

"Look she's holding her own."

"She's doing not bad."

"Scrawny bitch like that should be easy enough."

"She's fast though-"

"Shit, that was Markus's nose-"

A scream of metal and a scream torn from Emma's throat.

Emma bolts upright, pulse pounding in her ears. She gulps at the cool night's air, hands fisting painfully tight in the sweat soaked sheets.

Shit.