The dreadful tingling in her body pulled Regina out of her shallow sleep quicker than a bucket of ice cold water. How long she'd slept, she had no idea. Wasting no time, she summoned a fireball, flooding the room with red and orange light.

"You really don't get it, do you," Regina murmured, meeting the clone's dark eyes as she stood there next to the door. "You're never going to have me."

"We're connected," the clone said, her voice void of emotion. "You can't push me away forever."

"I don't have to. Our connection can and will be severed and then you'll finally be gone from existence for good."

The clone narrowed her eyes, pressing her lips together. "I'm not going to let them take you from me. You're mine."

Regina growled and tossed a fireball at her, but once again the clone disappeared just in time.

She swallowed hard and lay back against the bed. The more she heard that phrase – "you're mine" – the more it affected her, reminding her of the times she hadn't been free, either from her mother, Leopold, Rumple or even the curse itself. It played in her mind, over and over and over again, making it impossible for her to sleep or calm her mind. It didn't take long for her to come to a decision, slipping out of the bed and padding out of her room, always ready for the clone to appear.

Knocking on the guest bedroom's door gave no response, so she carefully opened the door, wondering for a moment if the clone had gone after Emma too. But no, the Savior was sprawled out on the bed, snoring lightly in a manner very similar to Henry's.

"Miss Swan," she said, stopping at the foot of the bed. "Miss Swan."

"Hm?" Emma mumbled, blinking owlishly at Regina. "What?"

"Our house guest just made her appearance," Regina said. "We only talked, but I have a feeling she'll be back soon."

"Damn," Emma muttered. "You want me to sleep with you?" She blinked, blushing even in the darkness. "I mean, if the clone comes back, it's better if we're in one place. I didn't mean sleep with you, like that," she sputtered.

"That's a good idea," Regina mused, thankful that she didn't have to suggest it herself. Having Emma so near would be comforting, although she'd rather give herself up to the clone than admit it.

Back in Regina's bedroom, Regina slipped in under the covers while Emma stood by the door, shifting her weight from leg to leg in discomfort. Such a different sight than the clone standing in the same spot, Regina noted. It was a little fascinating how two people who looked so similar could still seem so different.

"Are you going to sleep while standing, Miss Swan?" Regina, raising her eyebrow.

"No, uh, I just, I'll just sleep on the floor," Emma mumbled. She didn't seem to know what to do with her hands.

Regina rolled her eyes. "Don't be ridiculous. As much as your father's genes are charming, that won't be necessary. The bed is big enough for the two of us. Besides, you'll be of no use to me if you walk around with crippling back pains tomorrow."

"Oh," Emma said, her lips turning up in a smile. "If you're okay with it..."

"It's perfectly fine."

Emma nodded, made her way around the bed and slipped in under the sheets. "Damn, these sheets are even better than the ones in your guest bed. That's just insane," she remarked, turning towards Regina with a blissful smile.

"I enjoy quality," Regina replied. "And I would also like to get some sleep tonight, if you don't mind."

"Yeah, yeah," Emma said, her smile unwavering. "G'night, Regina," she hummed and closed her eyes.

Regina stayed silent, watching the woman in front of her for a little while. Somehow the mere closeness to her made things feel better. Even though the blonde irritated her immensely at some points, most of the times these last few days the only things she'd felt around Emma was warm and safe. She huffed to herself, quiet enough not to wake her bedmate, and turned on her back. Was she actually feeling something for Emma or was it just gratitude and safety from the clone she felt? She never did answer that before sleep claimed her.

"Regina!"

A loud yell pierced through Regina's foggy mind, rousing her from sleep. She mumbled a few curses; for once in several days, she'd actually slept really well.

"Regina, she's here," Emma said, nudging her shoulder.

"I know," Regina mumbled, opening her eyes as she felt the tingling in her body.

The clone was standing at the foot of the bed, teeth bared and her fists opening and closing. "You can't have her," she hissed. "I'm not going to let you take her."

"This is so weird," was all Emma had time to mutter before the clone lunged for her with a furious screech. She landed on top of Emma, hands curling around Emma's neck, choking her.

"Emma!" Regina cried, about to ready a fireball when the tingling suddenly rose in intensity, sucking all the strength out of her. She fell down on the bed, helplessly watching as Emma stopped struggling against the clone. For a moment her blood froze as she saw the clone smile ferally at Emma's inaction.

Then, without a sound, the clone was torn from Emma and flung away from the bed like a rag doll, hitting the wall with a loud crack. If it was the the wall or something inside the clone that had broken, Regina couldn't tell.

"Fuck," Emma croaked between coughs, wincing as she massaged her throat. "That was too close."

Regina stared at the clone and then turned back to Emma. "I thought–" She swallowed hard, forcing away tears that threatened to spill. "What did you do?"

"I'm not sure," Emma said, sitting up to lean back against the wall. "I just wanted to protect you. I wanted to make something to keep her out." She looked with a sheepish expression at the glimmering dome that now surrounded the bed. "I guess I made a shield or something."

"You did," Regina noted, ignoring the warm feeling that spread throughout her body at the thought of Emma protecting her. "I think it will keep her out for now. Hopefully, it'll hold until morning."

"I hope so. So what do we do with her? Just let her go?" Emma shot a glance towards the form of her clone, who was slowly getting to her feet.

"We'll deal with her tomorrow," Regina said grimly. "I doubt she'll take lightly to us sharing my bed even if you leave. We'll have to end this one way or another very soon."

The clone finally stood up, if slightly unsteadily. Touching the shield, she hissed and flinched, quickly pulling back her hand. With a last hateful look at Emma, she was gone.

"You don't want to do anything now? If we wait..."

"From what I've noticed, she's always been the strongest at night. If we want to defeat her, it'll have to be during the day."

Emma nodded, lying down on the bed with a sigh. "Okay. Guess you should get some sleep now, then."

"You need to sleep as well," Regina noted with furrowed brows.

"Not if that means leaving the shield unattended. I don't even know if it'll stay up when I'm asleep." Her expression hardened. "And if she comes back, I want to be ready."

"Fine," Regina said as she pulled the sheets up over her shoulders. She hated feeling powerless.

"Hey," Emma mumbled and scooted a little closer. "It'll be okay; we'll figure something out." She grasped one of Regina's hands, covering it with her own and squeezing gently. "We'll get rid of her. I won't let anything happen to you."

Regina just stared back, losing herself in those soft, green eyes shining with care and... other feelings. She swallowed thickly, averting her gaze but let her hand remain in Emma's protective grip. "Thank you," she said so quietly none of them really knew if she'd actually said it.