A/N: I'm delayed again, I know. Was taking a break, but I am back with a whole new update that I am quite proud of, if I do say so myself. I hope you all agree with me! And don't worry, their time to be together is nearing. Happy reading and thank you a million times for your endless support! :)

Regina awoke the following morning to a clean apartment, holding a single rose in her hand that Emma clearly had left for her by the bed before departing early this morning. Her lips parted in awe as everything had been placed back into its rightful place. Everything from the empty plates and glasses of wine and water, to the center coffee table and breakfast table had been placed back. She had to hand it to the soldier, she sure had a good memory.

"Whoa," Kathryn's eyes grew wide at the sight of the clean apartment, looking over at her best friend, "So… let me get this straight. If I ask you about all the banging last night- are you literally going to tell me that you and Emma, instead of doing the hanky panky- you two literally were moving the furniture?"

Regina threw a hard glare her way, "I'm sorry to disappoint you," she moved into the kitchen, preparing some coffee while Kathryn reached for two mugs, "But neither did we cleaned this up and we most certainly didn't make any noise."

Kathryn chuckled, setting both mugs down on the counter, "Oh, honey. I wasn't joking when I said these walls are pretty thin," she continued as Regina looked over to her wide eyed, "Trust me. You most certainly made noise." She elbowed her friendly playfully, "Emma certainly knows her stuff, huh? She had you chanting out her name like a prayer."

"Alright, Kathryn." She looked over to the living room area once again as the blonde beside her smirked, "I wonder when she had time to do all this."

Kathryn twirled the single rose with her fingers as she picked it up from the counter top, "And she still left you a rose. The kid most definitely has an old fashioned soul." She brought it up to her nose, inhaling the fresh scent, "I'll say this again, Gina. If you don't marry this girl- I will."

Ruby's classic red Mustang pulled just behind Emma's yellow beetle. A plastic bag in hand with two to go boxes as she made her way into Marco's garage, which had become his shop. Emma was sanding down a rocking chair she had just finished, whistling along to Otis Redding's [Sittin' On] the Dock of the Bay as it played out of Marco's old vinyl record player. Emma really enjoyed it. It had a sound like nothing else.

Emma's head looked up as soon as the music was suddenly cut off. Her smile immediate as her eyes looked at her best friend standing just beside the record player, which was near the garage door, "Hey, Rubes! Come on in."

"I hate to interrupt your jam session. I brought you some grilled cheese." Ruby smiled, stepping further inside the garage as the blonde placed the sandpaper aside. "I went to your house first, but Ingrid told me you were here."

"Yeah. Just trying to earn a little extra money." Emma took the bag from Ruby, walking to another table that was over on the other side of the garage, placing the bag down as she took out the containers. "Thank you so much. I'm starving."

Ruby chuckled, "You always are." Her eyes looked over at all the finished tables and chairs, "You really like doing this stuff, huh?"

Emma looked over at the finished pieces, nodding as she chewed on the first bite she had taken out of her grilled cheese, "It's pretty relaxing. Plus, it'll help me for when I buy that abandoned cabin out near the lake. I won't have to buy any furniture for it, I can just build it myself."

"Always a dreamer, Em. Are you still thinking about that cabin out in those woods?" Asked Ruby, "You have no idea what's out there."

"I've seen worst things. Trust me." Emma took another bite of her grilled cheese, both friends going quiet for a short moment before Ruby spoke again.

"I know I shouldn't ask…" The brunette paused, "But, how was it out there?"

Emma chewed quietly, taking a sip of her soda that Ruby also had gotten her, "It was a dessert that turned into a graveyard in a matter of minutes." She sighed, "It wasn't always like that though. We would have peaceful nights, even though they wouldn't last. It sure could become peaceful."

"Did you… ever…?"

The blonde soldier nodded, understanding what her best friend wanted to ask her.

"Do you know how many?" asked Ruby, curious about her experience out in the war.

Emma paused before answering truthfully, "Too many to count, Rubes. Let's leave it at that."

Ruby nodded, "Let's." She cleared her throat, watching Emma as the blonde picked up her phone, smiling down at the text message she had just received. "Things are getting pretty serious with the girlfriend, huh?"

Emma's smile only grew wider, placing her phone back down after she had replied. Her cheeks a shade of pink as she looked over at Ruby again.

"So, when is she coming to visit you for a change?" asked the brunette, taking a sip of her soda.

"Soon. We'll be together for good." The blonde smiled at the thought of that day.

"But she won't be living in Storybrooke. Or will she?"

Emma shrugged, "I don't know. We haven't exactly discussed our living arrangements yet. But we know we want to be together. And who knows… someday… we may even get married."

Ruby's brow raised, "Come again? Married?" She chuckled as the blonde nodded, "Em, you've been dating the woman for a few months, she takes your virginity and already you're thinking about marrying her?" She scoffed at her friend's smile, "Em, you know I am beyond supportive that you date whoever you want to date, but… don't you think you may be going a little too fast?"

"I love her." Emma's answer was plain and simple, without a single doubt in her use of words. She smiled, "And she loves me. She really loves me."

Ruby shook her head, "You got it bad, Em. I only hope you're right."

"What are you trying to say, Ruby?" Emma's eyes didn't move from Ruby's own eyes, the brunette was sure she wasn't even blinking.

Ruby sighed, "All I'm saying is that you can't be too careful. This is the first time you ever fall in love with anyone and here you are planning for the future with someone, who you don't even know that she will be coming back to Boston at all to be with you."

Emma knew where this was going, "Ruby…" her tone was a serious one.

The brunette raised her hands to stop her from talking any further, "Emma, don't look at me that way, alright? I'm your friend here, I only care about your happiness and that you'll never get hurt. And… need I remind you that I've had a few love interests while we were in school, so I know a thing or two about people. Especially people who have money."

"Well, you don't know anything about Regina." Emma paused, her eyes not moving from their place, "Sure, she has money, but I can tell you that she's not the type of person to flawn it in front of your face. She's very down to earth, she's dedicated, smart and amazing at her job. She was brought up well. She's been hurt too, and she knows a thing or two about dating- which I may not, that's true- but I do know people too, Ruby and Regina isn't at all how you think she may be. She's not one to play with anyone's feelings, so why don't you quit while you're ahead."

Ruby's eyes followed the blonde as she stood from her seat, disposing of both their now empty food trays and immediately getting back to work without uttering another word.

The brunette sighed as she walked up behind her best friend, wanting to say something, anything that would make her see that had no reason to be upset. She was just looking out for her. I mean she didn't know Regina, all she knew about her was what Emma shared with her and Ingrid and by looking at her pictures that the blonde carried with her. Yes, she seemed like a great person and she sounded just as had Emma described her. She truly meant no harm, although she realized that maybe her approach hadn't been the most careful one. Ruby had had a long distance relationship once, and it ended up with lies and nothing but pain. Okay, so she had bad luck, but that didn't mean Emma would.

Instead of trying to fix her careless mistake then and there, Ruby walked out in silence, got in her car and drove off to which Emma turned as soon as she heard the car driving off. The blonde sighed. So she was in love for the first time, and she has heard that first loves aren't always the ones you end up with, but that wasn't them. She glanced down at her phone, reading a reply she had received from the brunette back in Germany, telling her that she loved her and that she would call her tonight. After she closed her text message, her eyes caught the sight of the last picture they had taken together on the nurse's birthday. She had set it as her wallpaper and couldn't help but smile every time she laid eyes on it. It never failed.

That's when she knew… that no matter what happened in the future, no matter how long Regina took to come back to Boston. Even if she had to drive every damn day a good amount of hours to get to the city just so she can hold her. She would, because they wouldn't fail. No. She loved her and was determined to make this work. They would be together soon. They had to be.

Explosions were happening around her. The ground literally shaking, Emma was sure it would split in two at any given moment. She looked down at herself for a moment, wondering why she was back out there in that field, wearing her uniform, a heavy and cold weapon in her hands. Why was she back here? And why was it only her? She couldn't see any enemies, even though shots and explosions were clearly being heard and seen as they hit the ground around her and lifted the dirt with impact. Her hand suddenly stung causing her to look down at it. There was that cut again, fresh as if it were just made. She looked behind her and saw the same man she had killed that night after he was determined to eliminate her.

She hissed as it stung more, as if looking down at that cut made it hurt even more. That's when she noticed that she had no cane. There she stood holding onto her weapon, without a cane in sight.

"Emma!" She heard a scream that made her run towards the endless, dark dessert. Looking down again as her leg was carrying her with ease, moving with such as swift motion as before. It was no longer hurt. It was better and faster than ever, same as her other leg. She heard the scream again, in that familiar voice that only she would know who it belonged to. It wasn't a fellow soldier in distress. That was Regina's voice. She could hear it loud and clear, screaming for her help.

"Regina?!" Emma moved through the shots being fired her way, not a single one hitting her leg this time like it had happened back when she was looking for August. She ran as fast as she could, coming up to a cloud of white smoke, coughing as her lungs took it in. The soldier panted her way through, hearing a groan that didn't sound at all like Regina's this time. It was a male. "Regina?" She called out again, walking further on until she stopped, realizing that the gunshots and explosions had completely stopped.

Everything had gone quiet. Too quiet in fact and out in the middle of a deserted field, Emma knew that was never a good sign.

"Regina?" She called out, in a whisper this time. Smoke coming out of her own lips as the air suddenly became as cold as ice. She could feel her fingertips already freezing to death as they turned pink.

As the smoke cleared, she stopped walking any further as before her was Regina. She was wearing her usual scrubs, despite the cold, Emma couldn't see her body trembling, nor hear her teeth chattering due to the low temperatures. The woman was bent over and still as a rock, until she stood to her feet, looking down at the body that now laid before her.

"Gina?" Emma's voice trembled, puffs of white smoke coming out of her breath with every exhaling motion she took.

Her green eyes grew wide from the impression. They looked down to see blood was now dripping from her hand as she held a knife that was even bloodier. This didn't make any sense. Why was Regina even here? Whatever her reason, she must have been threatened, that's her only reason for killing someone. It was self defense.

"Emma…" Regina's voice was soft this time as she spoke, her eyes glossy with pools of unshed tears as they burned at her eyes. "I'm sorry."

A thud sounded as Emma had dropped her weapon she had been holding. Surrendering herself completely to the brunette before her. She ran towards her, pulling her in an embrace. "It's alright, Gina." She breathed out a puff of air due to the cold, "It's alright now. You're safe. You have me, I'm right here." She looked into the older woman's eyes, cupping her face in her hands, "You're okay."

The soldier leaned in, capturing the brunette's familiar, plump lips with her own pink, thin ones in a kiss that would make her feel exactly that. Only it didn't. As Emma parted, she noticed that Regina no longer responded to her kiss. Not like before. Her brows furrowed in question at the once again, coldness and still action the woman had been in before.

"Regina?" The question itself lingering in the blonde's voice.

"Emma…" Regina whispered, bringing her forehead against Emma's as both their eyes closed, "I'm sorry."

A sharp, gushing sound was heard, followed by another grunt. Green eyes grew wide in surprise as Emma slowly looked over to where she had felt a sudden pain right on her chest. A sharp metallic object had been plunged right in her heart. Her lips parted this time as she looked back up at the brunette who had now backed away a few feet from her. She had been betrayed. She let her guard down, something you must never do in war and she had been betrayed. She swallowed the lump that had formed in her throat, unable to speak. Her hand reached up to touch the handle on the knife. She wanted to pull it out, but her fingers were too numb and too cold to feel anything, much less gather any strength to do so.

Her jaw tightened as she could feel herself already slipping away. Her eyes burning with fallen tears as she softly grunted and gasped, wanting to hold onto dear life for as long as she could to know why. Why would she do this? Why Regina? Of all people. This wasn't right. It couldn't be.

The weirdest thing of all wasn't exactly that the woman she loved had just stabbed her directly in the heart. The weirdest thing was the look in her eyes as she watched as her very soul left her body as Emma dropped down to her knees next. Her once beautiful, mesmerizing brown eyes were now completely black. Like the night's sky as she laid on the now snow covered ground, looking up into nothing but darkness. Her green eyes losing the light they once had in them.

"No! No! No!" Ingrid came into the blonde's room as she screamed in agony, shaking her awake from the nightmare she was clearly having, but careful not to be so rough.

"Emma, honey, wake up! It's okay! Wake up!"

Emma gasped for air as her body shot up from her bed. Her hands quickly moving towards her chest as she touched the area right where her heart was. Beads of sweat formed on her forehead as a drop made its way down her temple, her breathing turned into gasps for air as Ingrid grabbed her face, forcing her to look her dead in the eye.

"Emma! Look at me!" Ingrid almost shouted, brushing back strands of blonde hair as thin ones stuck against drenched sweaty skin. "Look at me, it's alright. You're alright." Her arms wrapped around the younger blonde's sweaty form as Emma hugged her as tight as she could manage through panting breaths. "Shhh… you're alright, it was just a nightmare. That's all."

A sigh escaped the soldier, breaking her hug with Ingrid, trying to control her breathing. This wasn't the first time she had nightmares. She's had many, compliments of the war, but no nightmare compared to this one. This one felt so real, it scared the shit out of her. It felt so real, she still could feel the throbbing pain that knife caused as it was jammed right into her heart.

Ingrid reached over to turn on the blonde's desk lamp, and being the mother figure that she always was slowly rubbed her back, "Do you want to talk about it?"

Emma shook her head, not wanting to burden the only mother she ever knew. Not with what went on inside her head, with what went on out there in the middle of the night dessert.

"Are you going to be alright?" Ingrid asked, clearly worried about these nightmares the blonde constantly had.

"Yeah." Emma nodded, "I'll be fine. I'm sorry if I-"

Ingrid quickly shook her head, "You never have to apologize for things you can't control." She paused as Emma finally made direct eye contact with her own blue eyes. A warm smile greeting her through the very little source of light the desk lamp provided. "Situations. Things that one must do sometimes to survive can be the hardest things that we ever have to do. And they'll probably haunt you until the end of time, but that doesn't mean they'll hurt you forever." Emma looked down as she felt Ingrid's warm, comforting hand cup her own.

Emma gave Ingrid a tiny smile. She had to be right. Ingrid knew it all, she was a wise woman if Emma ever met one. She's seen her gone through enough shit of her own with her deadbeat ex of a husband to know what she's talking about.

"Okay." Ingrid rubbed the younger blonde's bicep, leaning in giving her a kiss on the temple, "Try to get some sleep. Good night."

Green eyes followed Ingrid as she pulled the door open, "Do you think a love like ours is meant to last a lifetime?"

Ingrid turned back, taking her seat next to soldier on the bed. Her eyes locked to her green ones, "Ruby's words cut deep?" She sighed as she took notice in the blonde's silent shrug, "She talked to me. She felt really bad about what she said to you."

"I know she's just looking out for me, but…"

"Long distance is tough, Emma. It's like being in a war, you go out there blindly not knowing what you're about to face." She paused, "I was in a long distance relationship, once." Ingrid nodded once she gained a surprising, raised brows look from Emma, "Oh, yeah. I was younger than you are now, and he was my first love too. And that fear you're feeling right now, that question that is racing inside your mind without a single clue to an answer- I've felt it."

"Does it ever go away?" Emma asked.

Ingrid shook her head, "No, honey it doesn't. But regardless of whatever anyone says. What does your heart say?"

It was in that moment that Emma's cell started to vibrate. As Ingrid reached for it, staring at Regina's picture, she handed it to Emma. That's when the younger blonde knew that Ingrid was right. No matter what anyone said, they could prove everyone who doubted their love wrong. Regina promised she'd call her tonight and there was her phone, vibrating off the hook just waiting to be answered.

"I'll leave you to answer that." Ingrid smiled, making her way out of the bedroom, closing the door behind her as Emma picked up the most expected call of the night.

"Hi." Emma's voice was a whisper as she spoke through the phone.

"I can't describe how much I've needed to hear your voice. I had the toughest, busiest day."

Emma's smile was sad as her nightmare (because that's all that was) still lingered in her mind. She couldn't tell Regina about it either, she couldn't burden her with something that horrifying. Then again, the woman was a nurse.

"Emma? Are you there?"

"I'm here. Sorry, I just… I've had a rough night. Bad dreams, you know."

"Do you want to talk about it?" There was a moment of silence, "Emma?"

"I was just… back there." Emma paused, deciding to quickly change the conversation, "Are you still coming to Boston?" She asked flat out.

"What?" She didn't need to see her to know Regina had that question written all over her features right now, "Of course I am. That's the plan, that's always been the plan, even more now that I've met you." As she paused, Emma's stomach turned in shame. "Why would things change?"

She had to come clean, "I… I had a dream." She paused, bending the truth of the dream a little bit, "More like a nightmare," she chuckled, "You were called me to tell me that you weren't coming after all. That this, us was just a game for you. That you never truly loved me." She sighed, "I'm sorry, I know I shouldn't worry, but I can't help-"

"You can't help it. I've had dreams of that myself, only you're the one realizing that all this wasn't what you truly wanted."

That took Emma by surprise, "You have?"

"Yes. But that only makes me remember how much you truly love me. And I know you. I know you would never do that." Another pause, "Would you?"

That question finally made Emma chuckle. And with that chuckle and just hearing the voice of the woman she loved, made her know that everything was going to be alright. "Never. I love you way too much to ever do such a stupid thing like that. You're my heart."

She could hear the smile in Regina's words, "The same way you are mine, soldier. Always. And don't ever forget that."

"Can you promise me that?" asked Emma with a full on smile on this time, which made the brunette chuckle.

"I promise."

It was then that Emma knew. This would work. Nightmare's in the past. Regina loved her and that's all she needed to know to feel at peace. Nothing, absolutely nothing could destroy them.