So this is a chapter I am REALLY excited for. I thought this was a brilliant idea and I hope you agree. I would like to give a LOUD heads up to the guest beta for this chapter, oldmcpiper!

REVIEW!

Mary Margaret feels like she had nightmares all night. All her subconscious can think about is that Emma might not be home when she wakes up. It seems weird, whenever she sleeps now, in her dreams, she is resilient and deals with hardships easily. In the time after a dream ends and before waking up a magical thing happens: a person's subconscious, which controls the dreams, and their active mind drift together. That is why on this night Mary Margaret suddenly feels confronted by some part of herself.

You need to protect her. A voice comes out of the depths of her mind. Her brain, the part holding the person who Mary Margaret thinks she is, races as she tries to understand.

'What are you talking about?' She knows that she might be crazy for talking to a voice inside her head, but something is making her investigate. There has been a nagging feeling for a while and maybe this dream will help her find out what it is.

You need to find her. She needs you. The voice sounds exactly like hers except it is strong yet gentle. It feels like the voice is softly prodding her to find someone.

'Who? Who do I need to find?' Mary Margaret's mind calls out to the mysterious part of her. The sensation of talking to herself in a state where she can't feel anything physically is strange. But she refuses to awaken.

Emma. The way the voice tenderly says her roommate's name makes Mary Margaret want to shudder in some yearning way, but her body is disconnected from her mind. Instead, Mary Margaret allows herself to feel what the voice is telling her to. The emotions rush over her and they feel motherly. She knows that she has always had a soft spot for the young woman for some reason but this is deeper.

A conscious thought comes across as a sentence in their conversation. 'Emma hasn't come home yet. Something's happened to her.' And suddenly the whole atmosphere of the interaction becomes fogged with fear. Mary Margaret senses the anxiety getting closer to her and lets the voice inside of her head start to slip away. But then the voice or whatever it is, helps push away those fears.

You can save her. She needs you. The cryptic messages are getting annoying; The subtle hints don't help her. Mary Margaret starts to feel her physical senses returning to her. Her time is growing short!

'How can I save her? I don't know where she is.' She mentally begs the stronger voice to guide her.

You can find her and save her. She needs you. The voice sounds farther away, and everything is becoming more desperate as Mary Margaret's mind tries to keep the voice from drifting away.

'Emma is tougher than I am! What do I have that can save her?' At this point Mary Margaret can feel that her arm is numb from sleeping on it, her toes are cold, and her hand is wrapped around the soft blanket. A moment goes by, and panic engulfs her because maybe she just lost the strongest, most hidden part of her- the part that could help her.

We love her.

The revelation startles her and abruptly she is jolted awake. Mary Margaret can feel the sweat on her forehead but all her focus is on that one statement. Well besides the whole 'we' thing, the thought that she loves Emma makes her tingle. She doesn't know how to process that fact. She does know that the voice was right- that somehow the blond has indeed earned her love. The voice was also clearly set on the idea that Emma needed her help. It scares her to think that someone so strong could need someone like her. But then again, some part of her is that brave voice inside of her. If only she could summon that strength now…

The phone ringing surprises her and she jumps before answering it.

"Hello?" Mary Margaret's voice still sounds as if she just awoke but her mind is wide awake.

"Mary Margaret? Granny, she is there." Ruby sounds like she added that last part with the phone away from her face. Mary frowns as she hears the concern and relief in Ruby's tone. Her heart races as she thinks of what this is probably about. Emma.

"What's wrong Ruby?"

"Ruby give me the phone. Mary Margaret, this is Granny."

"Hello, could you please tell me what this is about?" She can't keep the clear distress in her voice from being heard. Granny sighs on the other end of the line.

"Well, when I came in today I noticed that there was blood on the sidewalk outside the restaurant…" Mary Margaret's ears buzz loudly as her world spins wildly. She is hardly aware that she slumps down on the cold hardwood floor. Her body feels disconnected from her mind like in her dream, but this time it doesn't feel secure. She can barely comprehend that Emma is hurt but then the voice's words come back to her.

You can help her. She needs you. That snaps her back to reality and stops her from drowning in fear. She starts to register Granny's frantic voice on the phone.

"Ummm, sorry Granny. Can you say that again?" She was barely aware that Granny had been talking during all of that.

"I checked the security footage from last night, and I think you need to come down here to see it for yourself." Granny does not sound hopeful and Mary Margaret just nods before realizing that the woman on the other side can't see her.

"Sure. I will be right there." Her voice cracks as she tries to gather herself. Mary Margaret presses "end" and gets dressed in a fresh clothes. She doesn't bother with any makeup or jewelry as she races out the door. She barely glances at the clock which reads 10:55 am. Her mind is consumed with the horrible thought the whole way there: no one has seen Emma in over eight hours.

What did you think? I really hope you like this as much as I do. Check out Oldmcpiper's work in OUAT also. :)