A Promise Kept
Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters contained within nor the shows from which they appear in. Any coincidence to real life is unintentional. This story is not used for profit and is for entertainment purposes only.
Summary: Snow and Emma return to Storybrooke but something is amiss. Henry and Regina strive to find the true Emma and to that extent they contact a Dream-Walker: Morganna. (Swan Queen, Regal Red Belle teamwork, Regal Cricket, Evil Regal Mafia Coven, Mills family reparation, Merlin/Morganna)
Author's Note: A Promise Kept is second in a series of three connected stories, centering on Regina Mills, Henry Mills and Emma Swan. The prequel to this story is called Regina's Most Dreadful Nightmare. It is not necessary to read that story to understand A Promise Kept, however, many elements will slowly crop up over the course of the story, and it will be an important aspect of several points made in the story and ensuing sequel, so I would highly suggest reading it in conjunction with A Promise Kept. It may not seem that way, but the names used to identify characters are used deliberately. I'm including a quote from Batman Begins as I feel it resonates strongly with the series.
Chapter Notes: Thank you all very much for taking the time to read this series and your continued support! I cherish all of your comments, alerts and favourites. I love to read your thoughts! I apologize for the delay between chapters. Thanks for your patience and continued support- it means the world to me. I know I said there were only two chapters left, but there's going to be three simply because the scenes I've written are getting to be too cumbersome for one chapter. (Snarky Regina isn't dead, I assure you.)
"…But I know the rage that drives you. That impossible anger, strangling the grief until the memory of your loved one is just…poison in your veins. And one day you catch yourself wishing the person you loved never existed, so you'd be spared your pain. Your anger gives you great power. But if you let it, it will destroy you."—R'as al Ghul, Batman Begins
It was strange, Regina thought, how she could feel terror and elation simultaneously. Cora stood before her, shock and disbelief written clearly on her face.
"You will protect them?" Cora asked, paused in front of Regina, modeling like a toy doll.
Regina tilted her chin higher, false confidence giving way to posture practiced and perfected. Being Evil still had its uses. "You don't need to be good to protect what's yours," she spoke.
Cora laughed, bitter and skeptical. "Then how can you raise a hand against me, love? Do you think they will tolerate your evil in their lives?"
Regina grinned wickedly. "I'd say they could use a little magic in their lives," and she swept her hand in front of her. Taken by surprise, believing that Regina would never be able to stand up to her, Cora was propelled several feet backwards by Regina's magic.
There was a bizarre shudder that emanated from Regina's heart as she blasted at her mother, an invisible shockwave emanating from her chest and filling the room. The warmth from the action pricked at Regina's eyes and she couldn't help the small gasp that escaped her lips.
"Regina!" Emma called as she ran to Regina's side. Emma grasped at Regina's arm and the pulse of her magic began to flow in tandem with Regina's, all the sensation of the icy-hot patches of this world, made to soothe and heal.
It made Regina smile from the inside out.
Cora's fury caused her body to tremble and as Regina looked into her mother's eyes, she felt a well of pity and love swirl inside her. That could well have been her, refusing to take the hands offered, rare as they were. She felt guilt try to shove its way into her heart. If she could get another chance at love and family, why shouldn't her mother be afforded the same chance? If Cora's heart was missing, surely, surely, restoring it would make her better. Make her love Regina. Make it so Regina could have happiness.
Emma tugged on Regina's arm and snapped her out of her thoughts. Regina blinked up at Emma's eyes, unused to the gentleness she saw in them. "Is this what you feel like?" Regina whispered.
"What?" Emma's grip loosened momentarily but never left.
"Forgiveness," Regina breathed and she looked to Emma's heart. "Invictum," she placed a hand above Emma's heart, refused to acknowledge the flush to her cheeks or the way her heart sped up and pounded much like Emma's.
Emma's fingers traveled down to rest on Regina's forearm in her confusion. "Regina…"
"I see the problem, now," Cora's voice broke through to Regina and she and Emma separated but remained close together. "It's your heart."
Recoiling, Regina placed a hand over her heart reflexively. "No it isn't," she denied. "I love my heart and I'm not afraid to use it."
Cora chuckled darkly. "Others should be. I'm dangerous because I don't have one. You're wicked because you have one."
Why couldn't her love for her mother go away? Regina clenched her jaw together tightly.
"She's not wicked!"
Regina felt tendrils of fear and hope wind their way throughout her body, much like her veins. She and Emma turned as one to see Henry had broken free of his bonds and was being restrained by Archie, the others forming a protective barrier around him. Merlin, Morganna and Gold had stalked their way to Regina and Emma's sides to stand as a front against Cora while David was assisting Snow in cutting her bonds.
"I'm afraid she is, little boy," Cora replied.
Before her mother could taunt her son further, Regina's lip lifted in a sneer and she engaged her mother. "I don't have to be 'good' to defeat the likes of you," and the anger and hatred filled her easily once more, any possible threat to her remaining love demanding that barrier of protection.
Cora's eyes glittered as she took in the wall of magic users in front of her. Regina squinted at Cora, trying to figure out her mother's plan and what she could do to stay one step ahead. She took a quick breath when Cora's lips lifted and she held out her left hand, palm up. A puff of smoke burst from above it and a small, golden box dropped into her palm.
"How did you get that," Morganna demanded shakily.
"Really, you have to ask?" Cora laughed. Sparks dropped from Morganna's fingertips but she stopped herself from attacking Cora. Regina took that as a bad sign. "Regina, perhaps this will show you just how tenuous your alliance is," and she clenched her hand and crushed the box between her fingers, gold dust filtering out from her hand to the ground.
"Henry!"
"Snow!"
Forgetting herself yet again, Regina whirled around to see that her son and Snow had both collapsed, unconscious, into the arms of their loved ones. "Henry!" She screamed alongside Emma and they ran to their son's side.
"Regina, what happened, you can fix it, right?" Emma wheezed out, eyes bulging in fright.
Regina placed a hand to Henry's forehead and reached out with her magic. "No, it can't be," she whispered. She grabbed his shoulders and turned him around in Archie's embrace. The necklace was broken. Terror clenched hard at her throat before being melted by her fury. She rose to snarl at her mother. "You will pay for this," she swore.
Cora stared back at her daughter indifferently, only a slight twitch in her lips betraying her. "I'll be back for you," she promised Regina and disappeared in a plume of magic.
The clicking of Morganna's heels brought a comfort to Regina in their monotone simplicity. She fell to her knees beside Regina and inclined her head towards David and Snow. "Bring Snow here," she commanded.
David's wild-eyed look shifted from Morganna to Regina who nodded. He acquiesced quickly and lowered himself and Snow to the ground next to Emma. The group congregated around them. "Regina, do you know what's going on? Why are Snow and Henry like this?"
"It's my curse," Morganna answered instead.
"The Sleeping Curse," Regina clarified.
Emma made a grunt of frustration and heaved forward and yanked Regina to a standing position by her shirt collar. They batted arms as they struggled for dominance. "This is all your fault!" Emma screamed and bulldozed them into a wall.
Regina beat at Emma's forearms. "It isn't! I've never intended to hurt Henry and you know that! Let go!"
Emma snarled as David wrested her away from Regina. "She's right, Emma! Hurting her isn't going to help anyone." David and Regina glanced at each other for a moment before giving a slight tilt of the chin to each other. "I know this is a lot to handle but we've got to keep clear heads here."
"Cora did this to prove a point to Regina," Gold intoned and everyone turned to look at him.
"That good and evil couldn't get along," Belle said.
Exhaling through her nose, Emma scowled down at the ground before looking to Regina, a wounded expression on her face. "Sorry," she mumbled lowly. She shuffled toward Regina and Regina's heart caught as her memories of Henry doing the same moping gesture flooded her heart. Emma peered up from under her lashes, jaw still declined submissively, and spoke in a voice no one but Regina would be able to hear. "Forgive me?"
Slightly astounded, Regina grappled with her words momentarily. "Okay," she gave the softest of her true smile to Emma and felt it grow when Emma gave an answering one.
"Now that you two have kissed and made up, does someone mind explaining what the hell is going on and how we can wake Snow and the kid up?" Leroy demanded. Emma and Regina scurried back to stand above their son while David returned to Snow's side. "Snow and Henry's curses were both broken, and by True Love, so why are they asleep again?"
David shook his head. "The curse lingers after it's broken. Not even True Love can completely dissipate the spell." He looked to Regina. "Why is that?"
Regina shrugged and turned to Morganna. "Yes, Morganna, is there a way to truly break the spell?"
Merlin glanced at Morganna. "That's quite a spell, if even True Love can't abolish its effects."
Morganna smirked deliciously. "Of course it is, darling. You doubt my skills?" She haughtily tossed her hair over a shoulder and looked back to Henry, face going serious. "Rumplestiltskin demanded it be so."
Emma folded her arms and glared at Gold. "You had her make the curse?"
Gold blinked owlishly. "It was necessary for events to play as they should. Besides, her payment for sheltering Mordred in Wonderland had to be steep."
David let out a breath as he plopped next to his wife. He shook his head. "Okay, putting aside all the questions about that stuff for now, Morganna," he addressed the witch, "every spell can be broken. If the effects still linger, that means it can be fixed, right?" He looked up at the group who were eyeing him with various degrees of skepticism. David laughed at Regina's slightly impressed look. "Hey, I pay attention sometimes," he said self-deprecatingly.
"Hmph," Regina attempted to hide her approval under a scowl and rolled her eyes at Emma's cheeky grin.
"Did the box contain the original spell," Merlin inquired.
"Yes," Morganna answered.
Red nudged Regina who jumped slightly, not realizing the woman had moved so closely to her. Regina glanced at Emma, who Red had stepped in front of in order to be closer to Regina. "What does she mean by that?"
"Oh," Regina exhaled, feeling strange but touched by the gesture. "Spells of a certain magnitude have a distinct method of being cast. The creator of the spell casts it and stores the spell in a central location, and all subsequent casting of the spell draws power from the original spell. It's like a bottle of perfume, in that the main essence is stored inside the container and when you release it, the scent comes out, drawing its power from the bottle." She paused to see Red nodding along. "So Morganna's spell was contained in the box my mother destroyed, thus forcing the spell's energy to go to the last remaining vestiges of its place in the worlds, like Henry and Snow, effectively recasting the curse. Does that make sense," she gently inquired and felt a smidgen of pride when Red nodded and grinned back.
"Thanks," Red said.
"You're welcome," Regina replied automatically.
"You're a pretty good teacher," Red smiled and Regina felt a wave of embarrassment.
"Aurora!" Emma yelled suddenly, causing Red and Regina to cringe as they were the closest and received the full blast of her outburst. Her face flushed red as they glared at her. "Aurora and Henry could communicate in their dreams, so she must have fallen under as well." She looked awkwardly around and her eyes landed on Nova, clutching the Looking Glass in her hands. A thin veil of blue glowed around it, indicating that Nova used her magic to keep the device safe during the fight.
"Mulan just confirmed that as well," Nova nodded. "I'll relay the message to her."
"Morganna, what is the counter-curse?" Gold asked, drawing the attention back to him and Morganna.
Morganna clucked disapprovingly. "Let me try to explain this simply. A sleeping curse endures whether or not the caster lives. Breaking that curse involves breaking it in the dream world where the afflicted lie."
"Like Regina said," Red crossed her arms and scowled down at Morganna who rolled her eyes.
"Yes, but as I'm a Dream-Walker, I used The Dreaming to augment the curse."
"So we go into Dreaming and destroy it," Regina asserted amidst nods and murmurs of approval.
"Not so fast, darling," Morganna chided. "We would have to go into the Dreaming world of one who used the curse. And none of you are getting in my mind." She shot a venomous look to Gold.
"That leaves Regina, then," Gold said, unperturbed by the scathing look.
Regina nodded quickly. "Anything to save Henry." After a moment, she huffed, irritated. "And Snow, and that other person who helped Henry and Emma."
Archie clapped a hand to Regina's shoulder which she petulantly squirmed out of but his smile was undeterred.
"Now that everyone is on the same page, I'll send Regina and Emma into The Dreaming," Morganna stood, brushing her dress down while doing so. Protests abounded from the group and Morganna let them spout off for several moments before raising her voice above the crowd. "Sure!" Morganna's chipper tone echoed. "What's a few more dozen?" She deadpanned and stared everyone down. "I'm not powerful enough to send you lot frolicking in the Dreaming!"
"You did it before," Emma pointed out.
"That was to The Dreaming in general, not the part of Dreaming where the curse lies. I'll have to access Regina's mind directly and that will take time to gather enough magic," Morganna explained.
"I can lend you some of my magic," Merlin offered, standing next to Morganna so that their shoulders touched: an action that had an immediate effect on Morganna's demeanour.
"If it only were that easy, darling," shaking her head, Morganna sighed. "Regina's conscious mind may allow you all in but her unconscious isn't as likely to offer you a basket full of apples." She looked around to see Regina and Emma share an embarrassed glance. "Regina is very powerful magically; add to that her knowledge of Dream-Walking. These combined create powerful barriers that take a lot of magic to counter. Why do you think I haven't killed Arthur this way?" Merlin and her exchange sour looks. "Emma has connections to both Snow and Henry by blood which will help in breaking past the barriers."
David stepped forward. "I'm Henry's grandfather, I should be able to go," he looked to Regina for approval and she nodded, Emma giving her father a skeptical look.
"Are you kidding?" Emma inclined her head towards Regina.
"Not now, Emma," David replied and it was clear Regina bit back a scathing comment as well as Emma before both sighed and calmed down.
Morganna cleared her throat impatiently. When the attention focused, she continued. "This Regina," she points, "may not use magic on you but who knows what her curse may throw at you?"
"What do you mean?" David asked quickly. "The curse has a mind of its own?"
"Of course it does," Morganna snapped. "It exists in the Dreaming, where it has its own form. There it can and will hurt you. It is very possible to die in Dreaming," she intoned direly. "That's what the counter-curse does: it will take the curse from Dreaming and manifest it into a physical form."
"So that's how it's truly destroyed," Merlin said. Morganna nodded. "It's a very powerful curse."
"Yes, darling, it had to be. The price I paid was steep," Morganna loftily answered but a haunted look remained on her face.
"So I'll send you in, too," she pointed to David, "and if it becomes too much of a strain to keep you in there, I'm bringing you back. Emma and Regina are our best bets."
Regina's hands fiddled together restlessly. "What will we find in there?"
Morganna shrugged carelessly. "The past, present, future, alternate realities. All is possible in the Dreaming." She felt a twinge in her heart as Regina's face paled, obviously reminded of things she'd never want to relive again, let alone willingly allow anyone else to see. David stepped closer to her and tentatively laid a hand upon her shoulder. Regina flinched but didn't break away from the gesture, one that had Emma's face in a knot of confusion. "You'll be encountering the part of Regina's mind that cast the Curse."
Regina and David shared a forlorn look. "Well, shit," Regina swore softly, eliciting a chuckle from David and an odd look from Emma.
"You never cuss…this must be serious business," Emma mumbled.
"Duh," David teased and smiled when Emma clocked his shoulder. "It's The Evil Queen we'll be facing and that's not good for anyone," he said and gave Regina's shoulder a squeeze.
"And I'll be busy fending her off with two tag-along idiots, Henry and someone who doesn't know how to and shouldn't use magic," Regina sighed with an air of long-time suffering.
"Hey! I can use magic, you told me yourself!" Emma protested and stepped closer to Regina.
"All magic has a price, Miss Swan," Regina warned gently. "I don't want you to give something you're not prepared to lose."
Emma looked taken aback. "But you do," she whispered. Regina swallowed audibly as an awkward silence overtook the room, the only movements happening were those of Morganna and Merlin, preparing their magic for the trip into Dreaming. Emma kept her eyes on Regina and inched forward so that they were in each other's personal space. "The problem with all of you is that you think that magic is the only thing that comes with a price," she muttered, staring at Regina even after she looked to the ground.
David shifted his embrace so that his hands were on Regina and Emma's shoulders simultaneously. "Emma," he began but cut himself off, shaking his head. "I don't know a lot about magic, and less about what's involved in using it, but I do know about the price of love and hope." He paused, thinking of what dreadful things happened to his daughter and all he could not protect her from. Then, it occurred to him that such things had happened to Regina as well, and that she was now actively trying to prevent Emma from walking down a similar path. In that moment, he knew that he could and would be able to forgive Regina as she was now, as the person she was becoming.
And it was alright.
He smiled slightly, remembering how he let his own vengeance and retribution prevent him from doing so in the past, insisting on Regina's execution. The woman before him was changed and if someone from such a dark and troubled life could try, he could, too. "…and forgiveness," he said softly and looked at Regina and back to Emma, their similar wide-eyed looks blossoming a warmth in his chest.
Regina smiled openly and almost laughed at the incredulous looks from David and Emma, both blinking rapidly and blushing. "Emma, just…I know you don't know how to use magic but it will activate according to your will. So, don't think about throwing fireballs or anything at me, a simple punch will work again," she smirked ruefully.
"She's gonna hurl fireballs at me or lift me and torpedo me straight into the ground or something," Emma reminded Regina with her own smirk.
"I guess I'll just have to find you then before you do anything inane," Regina rolled her eyes but caught Emma's eye and knew she could see her amusement.
"I will always find you," David mocked in a deep baritone, eliciting disgusted groans from Emma and Regina, both screwing up their faces and shoving him in the chest. He let out a loud grunt and rubbed his chest. "You two make quite a team." He lowered himself down to Snow once more.
Emma scratched her head while Regina puffed and scowled, turning from her. "I guess we do."
"What about Cora?" Archie inquired and Regina thought it progress when only her shoulders and jaw stiffened and not her heart.
"It would appear that we may not have been as successful at out-maneuvering her as we had hoped," Gold mumbled, face darkening and for just a moment, Regina thought she could spy a hint of sadness there but brushed it off as a play of the light.
"We can't kill her," Belle shifted pensively. "Would we be able to contain her?"
"There is a spell I have in mind that would work against Cora, however Regina would need to cast the spell and Emma would have to use the octopus ink she retrieved from my old cell," Gold said.
Regina pursed her lips but nodded her assent. "Yes. My mother needs to be stopped. Through any means necessary," she darkly muttered and locked eyes with Gold.
"Hey, let's not add matricide to your list of dark deeds," Emma laid a hand on Regina's shoulder. "Let's try to contain her first." At Regina's disbelieving look, she shrugged. "I don't like her being around my family or… just around in general. Your mom may be a piece of work but I get it. Why you love her."
"No, you don't," Regina snapped and batted Emma's hand away, both resorting to scowling at each other.
"Can you two not fight now? Please?" David implored and nudged Emma's shin with his forearm.
"Unity is of the utmost importance when combating Cora, and we cannot afford the luxury of petty grievances especially when we're going to have to split our forces," Gold said.
"How do you mean?" Red asked, glancing between Belle and Gold.
"You need an item for a containment spell and there's one powerful enough to prevent Cora from escaping back at my shop," he explained.
Belle frowned and folded her arms. "Cora is probably counting on us figuring that out. Maybe that's where Hook disappeared to. It's an ambush."
"It most certainly is," Regina said. "My mother likely is somewhere else, preparing something for me specifically, but having Hook lying in wait for Rumplestiltskin will serve both their purposes. They're likely expecting you to go along and that's how they plan to hurt Rumplestiltskin: by going after the heart."
"I'm not going to stay behind," Belle stubbornly insisted. "We can use that against them. Let Hook believe he has the upper hand, trick him into thinking he's already won. He'll get reckless and that's when we can take him down. I'm not asking permission," she crossly stated and looked to Gold.
Gold and Belle stared at each other for a few moments before Gold sighed. "If Miss Lucas comes with us, she will be able to help anticipate a strike, no matter which form Hook may take."
Red nodded seriously. "Sounds good. We haven't any more time to waste, so we should get going."
A solemn breath was taken by the whole group. Gold gave a nod to Regina before exiting the room, Belle and Red flanking his sides.
"Where's the ink?" David asked, looking at Emma.
"Right here," Emma patted her rear.
Regina wrinkled her nose. "Really, Miss Swan?"
Emma rolled her eyes playfully and pulled the scrap of paper from her pants pocket and twisted her wrist several times, batting Regina in the face with the paper. "How do I use it, Your Majesty?"
"Give me that," Regina demanded and yanked the paper from Emma's hand. She quirked an eyebrow at Emma's name written numerous times across the page. "It's a simple enough spell that anyone could do it," she sniffed as Emma huffed irritably. "It's a special spell that won't have any cost associated with it, luckily for you. All you will have to do is hold the paper up to your lips and blow like you're whistling across the sheet. What you would have to do is think of what you want the magic to do."
"Work?" Emma grinned cheekily and Regina fought her own smile.
"Obviously," she recovered from her moment of hilarity, "Imagine, as clearly as you are able, the magic working and unfolding in front of you. See the entire scene through to its conclusion in your head. It's like writing the story of a film and watching it play simultaneously. Does that make sense," she asked in a softer voice.
Emma furrowed her brows, contemplating Regina's words. "I think so," she said warily and held a hand out for Regina to return the paper. She did so immediately. "I'll keep it safe for now." She paused, shifting her eyes to the side. "Ruby was right…you are a pretty good teacher."
Regina cleared her throat ostentatiously and ignored the compliment. "Right, it wouldn't do for you to waste it in Dreaming," Regina agreed instead and looked away from Emma's gentle grin. She looked up to see Morganna's eyes closed tightly in concentration. "Are you about ready, Morganna?"
"Just a few more moments," came the distracted reply. Merlin laid a hand on her forearm and closed his eyes as well and Regina could feel the pulse of their magic fill the room.
"I guess it'll be up to us to watch over you guys," Leroy said and bounced on his feet, looking toward the doors. "Ah, what's the point, the old bat can just teleport here," he grumbled.
"Merlin and I can create a mild perimeter of magic that would temporarily disable teleportation, like the one Cora implemented," Nova told him. "It would at least give us a little time to prepare."
"We're gonna need all the time we can get," David nodded. He shifted in surprised as Regina knelt at his side and looked at Snow, a strange mixture of scorn and affection on her face. "Regina…?"
Regina clenched her jaw and tentatively touched Snow's cheek where a large gash had sliced into her skin. A deep purple mist fell from her fingertips and changed shades several times as she brought her hand back up and waved it up and down Snow's body, healing the various abrasions suffered from the fight. "We'll bring them both back, David," she ground out and stood, refusing to meet his eyes. She stiffly made her way back to Henry's side where Emma was already kneeling next to their son, watching Regina with wide eyes. She dutifully reminded herself not to lash out at Emma despite her unsettled state.
She had stood up to her mother, but, most importantly, to herself. There was a harsh journey ahead for her and everyone but Regina knew, without a doubt, that it was a journey that needed Henry and Snow. A perplexed grin twisted her lips as she ran a gentle hand across Henry's head. There were things Henry said to her, about helping her believe in herself. It was so very pleasant to have someone who believed that she could change, and for herself even. Archie's presence next to her threatened to make her smile more genuine but she fought it because that was an action—a trust—that was not so readily given from her. She was being forced to trust others now and it grated her nerves, raised her suspicions before the tiny voice in her head became louder, stronger, imploring her to do this for herself, to not let herself be wholly consumed once more.
"I'm scared," Emma whispered, her shoulder brushing Regina's. Despite being incredibly focused on her own thoughts, Regina didn't startle at the sudden physical connection. Her finger burned in a tiny band near the juncture of her knuckle, like it was a ring. She slowly lifted her gaze to meet Emma's and felt an overpowering wave of magic and something else wash over her.
"…me, too," Regina softly stated and leaned back against Emma, the action causing the other woman's eyes to widen and then crinkle. Emma knew how hard it was to trust as well…and Regina knew that Emma would also be a part of her journey and that they both could benefit from helping each other heal.
She was looking forward to it.
"Why'd you heal Mary Margaret?" Emma asked.
Regina furrowed her eyebrows. "I did it because I wanted to, not because I felt I had to. Things are even more complicated with your mother and me than even us," she wryly commented. "I honestly have no interest in speaking to Snow or apologizing or any of that." She turned her head to stare at Snow's body, knowing that Emma was aware of her lie and an indifferent mask slipping on and off again quickly. "What's done is done; we never have to get along." Emma wondered if either of them truly believed or wanted such a thing. "But that doesn't mean that we can't be civil for your sake, dear," Regina murmured and Emma startled.
"I feel discombobulated," Emma admitted after several seconds, a part of her relishing the steady heat emanating from Regina's body. Regina quirked an eyebrow at her, waiting for her to elaborate. "One second I'm pissed off, the next I'm all warm and fuzzy…you get what I'm saying?" She exhaled, frustrated.
Regina took a moment to seriously consider her statement which actually caused Emma to feel a little happy. "Despite the dreadful description you just spewed out, which in itself is discombobulated as you aptly put it," Regina rolled her eyes in conjunction with Emma, "I do understand what you're grasping at and I, myself, feel a bit out of sorts. With all the sojourns into Dreaming and stress from our situation, our magic is amplifying our emotions and is making it harder for us to get a handle on them."
Emma tilted her head quizzically. "But you've been using magic for a long time, shouldn't you be alright?"
Regina shrugged half-heartedly. "It's been 28 years since I've used magic, and it works differently in this world."
"Oh, right, I forgot you had trouble with the Wraith and the hat but it looks like you can use it fine now," Emma noted. "Why is that?"
Feeling the heat creep up her neck, Regina knew she wouldn't be able to hide her blush from Emma. "I…needed to relax. And your magic helped me," she admitted shyly, felt a bit better as Emma flushed slightly.
"Me? What? How?"
Regina held her hand out to Emma. Emma eyed it for a moment before placing her hand in Regina's and let out a small gasp of shock as their magic flared up. "Holy crap! Am I like some sort of magical superconductor or something?"
Laughing, Regina squeezed Emma's hand and was delighted that she didn't pull her hand away. "In a way. I think that also affects our state of emotions."
Emma's eyes darted around suspiciously and Regina glared at her before Emma turned back to her and Regina realized she was being teased. "So that's why you're being so nice."
Huffing, Regina released Emma's hand in favour of folding her arms across her chest and pouting. "If you're going to be so flippant about this, perhaps I shan't find you in Dreaming and leave you to fend for yourself."
"Then I'll never leave you," Emma promised and felt a strange jolt hit her straight in the heart as Regina whirled back to her, face going pale.
Morganna's voice cut off any further thoughts from either woman. "Okay, I'm going to send you three into Dreaming now. You're going in together, but I'm sure you'll be separated once your awareness returns. What you'll need to do is find Snow, Henry and Aurora. Once you find them, you'll need to all be together and find the Curse, which shouldn't be too hard, since it'll likely try to prevent you from doing much of anything."
David looked to Morganna and Regina. "Uhm, I haven't been to Dreaming. What's it like?"
Regina waved a hand at him. "Magic."
"Ha ha," David let out a fake chortle. "Very funny, Regina."
"Nah, that's about right," Emma agreed. "It's weird and anything can happen. So. Magic."
"Brilliant, dear," Regina commended and snickered as Emma shoulder checked her gently. "Just be prepared for anything. Since I'm the magic user here, I'll do my best to help you out as soon as possible. Just think about finding Snow," she said.
"No problem there," he grinned as Regina made a gagging noise.
"On my count, you're going to lose consciousness. Good luck," Morganna said. "Three, two, one…"
Regina felt twin points on either side of her skull burrowing pressure into her. It was like a series of jackhammers. She grunted, fighting the sensation, before the blackness edging from her eyes slowly overtook her vision entirely.
