Hello Everyone,

I would like to thank everyone who has visited this little project, and those who have reviewed. They were very kind words and greatly appreciated. This will be the third update for this week, and I am sorry to say that things will begin getting INSANE for me at work. Please be patient. The story is already written it just needs to be typed. I will continue to update as much as I can but I don't know when that will be. Please know I will eventually. Don't give up on this little gem.

As promised I FINALLY have our leading ladies together. Please don't kill me if you hate it. I hope you all enjoy.

Thank You,
Snow


Regina and Henry arrived home from the hospital. He shot up stairs to get some comics or his journal so they can spend time together, and Regina veered into her study. Regina's world was not flipped upside down but that damnable woman infuriated her to no end. Regina let her anger solidify into a fireball and lit the logs in the fire place. Regina's eyes swooped to the one picture she kept of herself, Henry, and Emma together. It was at one of the autumn festivals that would be coming up soon. Ruby caught the three of them together, smiling and close, and sent the picture to Emma. Then the blonde sent it to Regina's phone and she made it into a photograph. She took the small picture and frame to the couch and sat down. She ran her fingers over Henry's image, then she looked at Emma's smile, her bright eyes, and her healthy skin. She shivered, and put the picture down on the table in front of her and conjured a blanket. The autumn days were growing short, and bitter. You could feel snow around the corner and it was just a matter of days before the first kiss of frost lay upon Storybrooke as the cold lurked behind every cloud and waited.

She sighed as she felt warmth seep back into her limbs and the fire radiate warmth further behind her into the room. Then it hit her with a flash of electric blue. Images and snapshots winged through her mind's eye. Green eyes, lips and hands. Shock, fear, and acceptance then… Regina gasped when they stopped and seized the bridge of her nose as she felt the onslaught of a migraine. She flicked her wrist and a glass of water and a bottle of Advil appeared before her. She snatched up the bottle dumped two pills into her palm then threw them back with a gulp of water. The effort just to put the water back on the table and not completely collapse onto the sofa was herculean.

"Mom? Are you ok?" Henry asked as he saw the pills and water on the table and his mother's grimace as she settled back onto the sofa. She smiled and placed a warm and on his cheek.

"Just a headache, my little prince. I have been getting them more and more but they seem to go away rather quickly. It's strange, but I think it's because of all the magic floating around Storybrooke. Too many events have happened and the mixture of magic, and transporting realms… maybe I'm not as young as I used to be," Regina said with a smile. She refused to lie to her son any longer. He has been lied to far too often and his heart can't take another lie from her. She could feel the end of her rope had been met with the one person that continues to love her no matter what, Henry.

"Maybe a vacation? As long as we have the scroll we can come back, right?" Henry offered as he smiled trying to help his mother as he clenched her shoulder. His warm hand comforted her, and it has been a fight to get that love back, his trust back.

"Oh yeah, and where might that be?" Regina smiled up to her son lovingly.

"Somewhere quiet and without magic," Henry offered,

All it took was Regina's nod and Henry was off like a rocket to her desk as he fired up her computer. No matter how much Regina relied on her magic she sometimes wished she didn't live in a place oozing with it. She never had these issues in the Enchanted Forest, but a lot has changed, and when you go almost 30 years without magic and then all of the sudden everything is magical again… It was like a caffeine headache when you have too much just because you love it but it doesn't mean you need it. Especially in a world were magic doesn't exist. Magic isn't spread out over the land, it is concentrated within the small square mileage that Storybrooke encompassed.

She turned her head to Henry and smiled at his intense search for getaways and then let her head roll back onto the back cushions of the couch. She didn't realize she fell asleep even when the scene that unfolded in front of her screamed alternate reality.

A forest of trees deep and vibrant in its details and a variety of green color. No other color showed in the trees even the ground was a dark almost black green. She walked down the path and came to a lake so still it was like a mirror reflected the area around her. There before her the forest shimmered in color. The leaves and trees shifted to a golden yellow, much like the color of autumn leaves, just as the wind flared up. When Regina looked back to the lake after opening her eyes to shield them from debris she saw a small narrow stone path that led to a golden pavilion in the middle of the lake. She cocked her head. Surely that wasn't there before.

She focused and noticed a woman with pale yellow hair flowing on the breeze, and a white Asian themed dress with long flowing sleeves, the collar high on her neck crossed in front with a sash about her waist. Regina approached the woman looking out over the lake staying careful on the slick stone that led to the pavilion and marveled when her foot slipped but caught and regained her balance then looked to her feet. She admired the clothes that adorned her body. They were simple in this dream, yes she knew it was a dream finally, and her black slacks, low heel boot, black silk blouse and black blazer felt wonderful, and looked wonderful. Closer and closer she came to the woman and all she could hear was the wind in the trees swirling lazily around their branches. When boots hit the wood of the pavilion with a solid thud on planks the most vivid green hit her, blasted the breath from her lungs. Her smile was more than enchanting, and ever so much more than beautiful. In that moment and in that space of time in that dream Regina knew those eyes, and that smile, all of the feelings in them… they were meant for her.

"Emma," Regina whispered. The silence was deafening, but her voice, even whispered, sounded like a gunshot. Emma's golden hair was tied back to the back of her head drawing her long hair away from her face then flowed down to her waist in waves of spun gold. Emma motioned to the other side of the small gazeebo where there waited a bench. Regina looked around over the lake trying for all she was worth to look away from Emma, but when she looked back Regina could not pull her deep brown eyes away. Her eyes were so soft and open, so green, so alive, and so very full of emotion. Her smile was caring and warm and full of… love. Regina shook herself free from those hypnotic green gems and looked back out over the lake. Then felt the wind once more and a lighter warm yellow like the color of the sun's rays swept over the woods and all around them.

"Why am I here?" Regina's voice ghosted between the two women as she sat across from this prim and proper, almost angelic version of Emma Swan. Another soft smile appeared on Emma's lips and Regina could swear her stomach flipped.

"This is your dream, well for a moment at least, you tell me. While we are at it, ask yourself why you have me dressed this way? This is hardly Emma attire now is it?" Emma smiled then winked at the ex-queen. Regina didn't miss the mischievous look in Emma's eyes nor did she miss the wink tossed her way.

"Fine, fine, fine. We are here to discuss something you, well we, cant in person," Emma said as she looked away from Regina and then over the placid lake.

"What can we possible discuss that we can't fight about when I am awake?" Regina huffed then crossed her arms glaring at Emma. It was her only armor right now, her only wall was to be the Mayor. She watched Emma raise her hand toward the lake and then nodded forward making Regina follow her gaze. Out of nowhere a small raft floated before them. On one side stood Robin with a bow strapped to his back and a look of adoration split across his scruffy cheeks. Regina smiled back at him, feeling her heart warm. Then on the other side was a confused woman, dressed in a red leather jacket looking like her badass self.

"What are you doing here?" asked Emma from the raft. Regina cocked her head to answer but was cut off.

"Choose," said the Emma from the pavilion indicating the two people before her. Regina watched Emma in the raft stand alert, and worried but stood quietly and expectantly. Regina's head whipped around to the woman beside her.

"What do you mean choose?" Regina gritted. Emma sighed and waved her hand. All at once the two figures were lifted off the raft clutching their throats gasping. Robin's wheezes and coughing pulled her attention to him then Emma.

"This.. isn't sup..posed to be…Happening," Emma in the Red jacket wheezed.

"Regina," rasped Robin pleading clawing at his throat.

"No!" Regina screamed and lifted her hand to save them both but her magic would not work. She looked to Emma next to her. She sat serenely with no emotion just a nod as to which she would choose. A tear slipped down the brunette's cheek as she squeezed her eyes closed. She felt a cold hand slip around her jaw then a thumb wipe away a fallen tear. Regina opened her eyes slowly afraid of which once she had chosen and saw Robin before her and a small watery smile slid to her lips as her hand went to his wrist to grasp him, to know he was there, with her.

She looked around and her lips parted and broke away from Robin. It was red. The whole world was red. The trees bled into one another, the leaves the color of blood, and the ground was stained a deep black cherry, the sky became the color of watered down gore. She looked to Emma. She was gone. She searched for Emma from the raft, ran from the pavilion and almost tripped on slick stones and flew from Robin's outstretched hand to the path she came down.

Her lungs burned, and her legs felt like lead. Deeper onto the red path she sprinted looking this way and that. On a hill where she began this nightmare she spotted black jeans, black boots, black jacket, but golden hair splayed about a crimson path. Regina staggered down next to the body and turned it over and placed her hand to her mouth in a watery gasp. Tears flowed as she took a shaky hand and cupped Emma's ice cold cheek. No color, no rosy tint to her lovely cheeks, no beat from her heart. Her head bowed over her friend and she once again found her eyes shut trying to hold back tears. When a hand grazed her cheek she almost shrieked from fright. She felt the palm to her cheek and she leaned into that icy hand knowing it could be only one person. Slowly, eyes opened and brown and green caught and Regina's heart shattered. Gone were the vivid mischievous eyes of the savior. Before her was a body the very edge of death.

"I love you," a shaky whisper floated up to Regina's ears. She broke and collapsed onto herself curling into her own frame wrapping her own arms around her chest trying to keep this away, keep everything away, and every one away but that hand… it stayed. Her heart ripped in two. She heard those words again, and couldn't open her eyes. She was afraid to look at Emma. She heard her name again, over and over but she slowly shook her head refusing to see. When the voice stopped, she could do nothing but gaze down at the beautiful yet pale face of Emma Swan. Even on the verge of death she was stunning. Regina let once hand slip down to the cheek of the savior. Emma moved her head slightly and kissed Regina's palm causing the former queen to lose the breath in her lungs.

"It's the truth, Regina, but you have to do me a favor," Emma whispered. Regina nodded and leaned forward almost touching Emma's lips. A hand stroked her jaw and her cheek and Regina swallowed and licked her lips. She closed her eyes feeling Emma's shallow breathing on her mouth.

"Wake up," Emma exhaled then dropped to the ground.

Regina's eyes flew open. She looked around. There was the fire she lit, the couch she laid on, then she looked up to see Henry holding her shoulder shaking her awake. He came around in front of Regina.

"Are you ok?" he said barely above the crackle of the fire not 15 feet from them. He was afraid to make any sudden movements. Then she nodded, but watched like a frightened animal ready to bolt as Henry lifted his fingers to her cheek and ever so lightly bushed across her skin. She looked at them as they came away wet.

"Then why are you crying?" he asked softly. Regina flew from the couch waved her hand extinguishing the fire just as she grabbed Henry's wrist. In a second and a plume of purple smoke she held Henry's hand in a death like vice, and the other was banging on a paint chipped door. He watched his mother, he saw tears slipping down her cheeks splashing onto the wooded dirty floor before her.

She didn't care that her hand began to hurt or the knuckle of her middle finger split open or her hand where she pounded on the door began to bruise and scuff raw. She didn't hear the footsteps behind the door, she didn't hear Henry try to talk to her plead with her, all she heard was the lock turn and the door open revealing a mess of blonde hair. Regina's body propelled forward and threw her limbs around shoulders feeling warm strong arms come about her body, all the while sobbing into the arms of the very person she felt die in her own embrace, on a cold ground, painted red, in a nightmare that could become all to true.