A.N I'll keep it brief. I know... A change for me. A great big thanks to all who reviewed. I'm getting excited as we near the 100 mark… Feels like a milestone or something. *grins* And 200+ followers. You guys are totally epic in my eyes. Enjoy the chapter!

Charlie

Chapter 11

Regina fled, she ran as if the hounds of hell were chasing her. Down the stairs and out the front door, not even pausing to close it. She didn't stop for shoes, she didn't think about a jacket, all that was going through her mind was that she had to get away. The problem was there was no running from this, no running from the emotions that were flooding her, taking her over but she tried and the harder she tried, the more panicked she grew.

She'd never run away from anything in her life, she had always been the person to make people flee. She was a queen, the Evil Queen to be exact and yet this… The flight response was so loud she was helpless to ignore it. She dashed down the street, no place in mind, her feet carrying her away from the person that had her so afraid… Away from the only person, a part of her was sure, who could also quell that fear. So it continued to grow until all she knew was gut wrenching terror.

Her heart was pounding loudly in her ears, her breathing getting shorter and shorter so that she was gasping for breath. She crashed through the cemetery towards the mausoleum, towards the reminder of who she was. She slammed into the door, in her panic forgetting that it was locked. Without conscious thought, her hand sparked as pain lanced through her brain and the door was unlocked. She stumbled inside and down into the room below the crypt.

Regina crawled into the furthest corner, surrounded by the remnants of the Evil Queen and curled up into a ball. Control it. She tried to compose herself as she had done thousands of times before but she couldn't. She felt like her entire life was out of her control and all that thought did was make her worse. Her chest got tighter and tighter, the pain crushing as she tried to remember how to breathe. Her heart was racing, there was a buzzing in her ears and just when she thought this might be the end of her, a breath thundered from her chest and she heaved it back in, faster and faster, still afraid that each one might be her last. Her body shook from head to foot and her heart felt like it was going to come right out of her chest. She put a palm over it, to make sure it stayed, to make it safe. Her thoughts were a mess and she couldn't focus on anything other than the mind numbing terror that had overwhelmed her.

Regina Mills, whose composure was legendary such was her control, was trapped in a panic attack and she had no idea what was happening or how to stop it.

Before Emma could even climb out of bed, she heard the front door open. "Shit." She tumbled out and got up, jamming her feet back into her boots and grabbing her jacket off the floor. Before her arms were even in the jacket, her feet were on the move. She raced out the front door, slamming it after her and looked up and down the street but it was deserted. "Shit. Shit. Shit. Which way, which way?" Her hand slapped her leg in impatience as she tried to decide. She turned to go left but as soon as she took a step, some instinct told her it was wrong and she headed the other way.

As she jogged, she tried to puzzle out what had just happened. One second she had been enjoying pretty much the best kiss she'd ever had and had been wanting more, then Regina had been pushing her away and running. She was the runner, not the brunette so what had forced her to? Had Emma pushed too far? Too hard to get the other woman to see herself as she viewed her? Had the kiss they shared been too much? Unwanted? She frowned at that possibility except Regina had been the one to initiate it. As much as the blonde had wanted it, she would never have forced the issue. Just what was the brunette so afraid of? Me?

Did any of it even matter right then? The easy answer was no. Regina was out there alone, her magic unstable and memories taking over whenever they wanted to. She couldn't let the other woman go, not knowing about the depth of the instability of her magic, something she still hadn't had the time to tell her about, or the possible temporary solution she had come up with. Emma had to find her, had to make sure she was safe. If she had caused this, she would make sure the brunette was safe then leave her alone, as much as it would crush her to do so. Try… I'll try to leave her alone… Try to do what she asks. She snorted to herself, Like that'll ever happen.

She found herself walking to the cemetery, no idea as to why her feet had led her there but not questioning it. Where Regina was concerned, it was safer not to question anything at the moment because she knew she had no answers. Their magic was connected so it stood to reason that maybe that's why she just knew where to go, she was drawn by Regina's magic. It was as good an answer as any.

As she got close to the mausoleum she saw the doors were wide open. She stepped inside and looked around. When she didn't spot the brunette she headed down the stairs.

As Emma reached the bottom of the staircase, she held her breath, listening for any sign that she wasn't alone down here. It wasn't her favourite place in the whole world, surrounded by reminders of who Regina had once been but it made sense that this was where the brunette might have come. Regina was fighting so hard to convince herself she was still, and only, the Evil Queen. To convince herself that she didn't deserve another chance, that she didn't deserve to be happy so to surround herself with the evidence made a dark sort of sense.

She heard quick panicked breaths coming from somewhere in the room, "Regina?" The breathing became erratic, almost like the person was struggling to get air in and out. When her eyes adjusted to the dark, she spotted slight movement in the far corner. She moved slowly and quietly, hands outstretched, much like she had when she first approached young Regina in that haunting memory. She stopped and crouched down about three feet from the trembling woman.

She studied her, noting the difficulty breathing, the tremors wracking her body, the hand clawing at her chest over her heart and the eyes wide and unfocused. She worried that in her fear, Regina would try to remove her own heart to stop whatever she was feeling and Emma couldn't let that happen. No matter what the brunette was feeling, removing her heart, cutting off those emotions would only have bad results in the long run.

Emma recognised the symptoms all too well, having suffered her fair share of panic attacks over the years, a life growing up in the system a perfect breeding ground for them. She wasn't sure what to do, every person was different when it came to what helped get the panic attack under control. All she could do was do what usually helped her and hope for the best. She prayed she didn't make it worse but she couldn't just let the woman continue to suffer, it wasn't in her not to help, especially where the brunette was concerned. Regina had told her often enough that she couldn't leave well enough alone and the woman was right, she had to try. She knew the panic attack would eventually subside on its own but taking in the bare feet and lack of jacket, Emma knew this had to be resolved sooner rather than later otherwise the brunette was in danger of freezing to death or at the very least, developing frostbite and losing a few extremities. I like her extremities… I like all of her really… Whole and in one piece.

"Shhhh, Regina. Everything's okay. You're having a panic attack. I know it feels scary and out of control but you will be okay. I'm here, you're not alone." You don't ever have to be alone again. Emma yearned to hold her but made herself wait. She kept her voice calm and strong, "Can you focus on your breathing for me? Slow it down into nice deep easy breaths." She kept repeating herself, varying the words but not the message, hoping to penetrate the blind panic surrounding the other woman.

Regina was locked fast in the panic attack, her mind whirling a hundred miles a second as she struggled for the control she felt she lacked. A calm voice filtered through all the noise and she clung desperately to it, forcing her mind to focus on the sound, if not the words. The voice soothed her as nothing else did, it felt like safety and she so desperately needed to feel safe. "Slow your breathing, Regina. Nice deep breaths."

She felt someone move closer, something warm was spread over her and then a hand took hold of hers and pulled it away from where it was frantically clawing. They took it and pressed it over warm material, "Feel my chest move, feel the slow deep breaths. Try to match them. You can do it, just focus on the movements."

Emma talked, the same smooth calm voice for what felt like an hour. She had no idea exactly how much time had passed and she didn't care, all her attention on the woman curled up on the floor. She had moved as close as she had dared, removing her jacket to place it over the brunette and ignoring the chill that spread through her, she had crouched down. She'd taken the brunette's hand and placed it over her heart, holding it there and slowly but surely Regina calmed, her body relaxing and her breathing getting easy.

As the panic left her body, Regina became aware of her surroundings and the fact that the half of her that was in contact with the ground was chilled to the bone. A shudder shook her body and she forced herself to sit up, grateful for the jacket surrounding her. She removed her hand from Emma's chest, immediately missing the warm contact and wrapped the jacket more firmly around herself, sinking into the warmth and scent of the blonde, allowing herself the comfort both brought. She had no idea what to do now, she had completely lost control of herself once again and it left her feeling extremely vulnerable. Her knee jerk reaction was to get angry and that was an emotion she felt comfortable with so she let it fill her.

Emma shivered in the cool air, with only her tank top for warmth. She briefly ran her hands up and down her arms, trying to get her circulation running again. She could feel her lower body starting to cramp in her crouched position. Finally she broke the silence, "We have to get you home. You're freezing."

Regina wanted to snap at the blonde, something witty about stating the obvious but as much as she clung to her anger, she didn't quite have it in her to do so. Not yet. I just need a few more minutes. She nodded and went to stand. She scowled as Emma put a hand on her to stop her, "You're in no condition to walk." The blonde looked pointedly at her bare feet.

Regina's lips thinned, "I will not let you carry me like some sickly child. I will manage." Though she wasn't quite sure how she would, the queen in her demanded that she try. Her voice sounded rusty to her ears, like she hadn't spoken a word in months.

Emma bit her lip nervously, "I was thinking more along the lines of teleporting."

Regina shook her head, "Out of the question. The last time…" She didn't want Emma knowing what had transpired upon her return to the mansion. "It's best I don't."

Emma sighed, this wasn't the place she wanted to have this discussion. The cold was seeping into her now that she had given her jacket up to the brunette and all she wanted to do was get warm. She hugged herself, trying to keep some of the heat from fleeing her body. "About that… I was talking to…" She stopped, not wanting Regina to know Snow's involvement because the brunette was more than likely to shut down the idea before even hearing her out if she knew Snow had been involved. "Well that's not important but I have this theory. I know you said your magic has been unstable but it hasn't been all the time."

Regina studied the blonde, "What do you mean, not all the time? Every time I have used magic in the past four days it has resulted in undesired and often dangerous after effects."

Emma sucked in her lower lip then let it pop out, unaware that Regina's gaze had zeroed in on the movement, "When you teleported us to Snow's, when you… Ahhh… Had hold of me, your magic had no after effects. It was only when you left, when you let go, that anything bad happened."

Regina frowned in concentration, "So what are you saying? That if I happen to be touching you, my magic stabilizes?"

Emma smiled slightly and shrugged. "That's the theory."

Regina processed this, tried to find the flaw in the theory but her desire to get home overruled any argument she might have made. "I suppose it's the best option we have. As much as it pains me to admit, you are right, I'm in no fit condition to make the trek home and the situation is only going to get worse the longer we stand here." The brunette got to her feet and would have fallen if Emma hadn't quickly moved to catch her. She shrugged off the other woman's hold, forcing the tingles that had quickly spread through her body away. "One more thing, before we attempt this theory of yours. I'd like your word that no one will know what has transpired this afternoon."

Emma wasn't sure whether the brunette was referring to the panic attack or the kiss that had led to it, part of her wondered if it wasn't both. "Uh…"

Regina straightened her spine, and stared down the woman before her. "Your word, Ms. Swan."

The fact that Regina even felt the need to ask irritated Emma and she couldn't disguise it, "Sure, whatever. Won't tell a living soul… Or a dead one." She laughed but it lacked any humor, and folded her arms over her chest. "We can even pretend it never happened if you like. Go back to the usual crap."

Regina looked at her for a moment, her mood unreadable. "I think that would be for the best."

Emma wanted to leave it there, her heart hurt and she didn't want to risk subjecting herself to any more, but instead found herself saying, "But if you ever do want to talk about it…"

Regina averted her gaze so Emma couldn't read the lie in them, "I won't."

Emma's inherent lie detector pinged but she didn't call the brunette on it, instead she stored the information away and reiterated her point, "But if you do, I'd be up for that… Just so you know."

Regina ignored the statement and the heat that spread through her because of it, "So how do you propose we do this? Will holding your hand suffice or does there have to be more contact?"

Everything in Emma screamed for her to lie, to say they needed to be in each other's arms but when, and it would be when, she was caught in the lie she was afraid it will not have been worth the fallout. Instead she replied, "Pretty sure if you just hold my hand it'll work." She unfolded her arms and stuck out her hand, waiting for Regina to take hold of it.

Regina looked at the offered palm as if it might bite before slowly reaching out her hand and wrapping her fingers around the blondes. She looked into green eyes, "You're sure about this?"

"Yep."

Regina rolled her eyes, "Eloquent as ever, Ms. Swan. Just so you know, this isn't the end of this discussion. I want to know what prompted this theory." She didn't wait for a response, summoning her magic and bracing herself for the pain in her head to start. Instead she saw Emma's hand start to glow where it joined with hers which puzzled her. She would have to question the blonde over that too. At the last second she noted, with surprise, that instead of her usual cloud of dark purple, her magic took on a light lilac colour and then they disappeared.

The man who was crouched on the stairs down to the room below the crypt growled in frustration. He had been so close to finally getting his revenge and then the Savior had wandered in, ruining his opportunity. It hadn't been a complete waste though. He had garnered some excellent information. "So the Evil Queen's magic is unstable. I can use that to end her and if the blonde bitch gets in my way again…" He shrugged, "Collateral damage. Regina will pay for what she did."

A.N *grins wickedly and lets out a chuckle* Hope you enjoyed. C.