Disclaimer: I do not own OUAT in any way, shape or form.


Regina scoured each and every book she had in her vault, picking through old languages and dry material meticulously. Tired eyes drooped a little more as she flipped another page, she had been at it for hours, and if she had a window in her vault she might have witnessed the sun rising.

Slamming another tome shut and setting it aside with the other several dozen books that had not been of any use, the frustration that had been building in the most recent hours was only growing.

Two weeks had passed since she first laid eyes on Emma's scarred leg at the beach. She had forgotten about it almost instantly, but the night before had granted her an unexpected reminder and left her burning with questions.

Regina rarely dreamed anymore, not in the many years since she had first cast the curse that created Storybrooke. This night though, it came with a more clear and vibrant dream than she could ever recall having.

Shuffling along slowly, she moved with a crowd of women, all clad in khaki clothes. A prison uniform. Her eyes were fixed on the floor, hands over her belly as if to protect the child within from being jostled about too much. The ability to control her eyes seemed out of her reach, but she could just barely make out the fact that her belly was swollen immensely, there was no doubt that she would be having this baby any day.

Dread clutched her throat, though she couldn't decipher the cause of such anxiety. Her insides squeezed. A contraction. Breath growing heavy, she proceeded to walk into the bathroom to relieve herself, the baby was sitting directly over her bladder. As she walked towards an empty stall however, she caught a flash of her reflection, and suddenly she could control her own movements. Turning as quickly as possible with her heavily pregnant belly, she approached her reflection. Fingertips traced her face in the mirror, but it wasn't her face. In the mirror, Emma was reflected back at her, wearing the same confused expression and ghosting her fingers along one cheek.

Waking abruptly to the sound of her alarm clock, Regina cursed and slammed the snooze button. Holding a hand over her heart, the woman took a moment to compose herself before replaying the swiftly fading dream in her head. Her hand dropped immediately to the scar on her leg, tracing it as she had her face in the dream. Anybody else might have assumed that it was just that, a dream. However, Regina had learned a long time ago not to take anything for granted.

With her mission of discovery planned, a burst of energy lent itself to her morning routine, enabling her to get ready in half the time she normally required.

Having spent the day in her vault, Regina hadn't eaten, and no sooner did this thought cross her mind than she heard approaching footsteps. Watching incredulously as the very topic of her train of thought, and the catalyst for all of her research, entered the room with a smile and a bag from Granny's, Regina's fears were confirmed. There was absolutely something happening that was absolutely not normal.

"Hey, I thought you might be hungry." Emma offered the brunette the bag. Regina accepted it slowly and simply held it as she asked with wonder, "How did you find me?"

"I went to your office first and they said you hadn't been in all day. It's not really that hard to figure out." The blonde perched on the edge of the table Regina had been using, pulling a burger for herself out of the bag. "What are you doing down here anyway?" Emma took a large bite of burger, twisting to try and see the titles of the books scattered across the table.

"Nothing", Regina answer briskly, pushing the books nearest to her away. An unconvinced raise of an eyebrow from Emma drew out a scowl on the Queen's lips. "Why?"

Emma shrugged and answered around the half chewed bite in her mouth. "Just curious. There aren't any new crazies running around, so I just figured you were researching something if you were here all day."

Unbeknownst to Emma, she had hit the nail on the head, but it only fed Regina's irritation.

"Thank you for the food", she drawled the words, "But I really have to get back to work, so if you could just.." Regina gestured at the way out. Shifting from casually calm to vaguely hurt, Emma still pressed.

"Come on, just tell me. Maybe I can help?" She spoke hopefully, though inside she knew there was a very slim chance that she could do anything to help the woman that she could not already do on her own. "We make a good team, remember?"

The statement was innocent enough, but Regina knew just how true that sentence could ring. Pinching the bridge of her nose in an effort to fight her forming headache, Regina let out a clearly exasperated sigh. What was the harm in telling Emma, really?

"You remember at the beach a couple weeks ago? When I asked about your scar?" She spoke cautiously, continuing as Emma nodded. "Well.. it just so happens that I have a scar as well, one nearly identical to yours." Nodding again, the blonde was eager for Regina to get to the point. Regina was not the kind of person to waste words, so Emma was careful not to interrupt despite her surprise. "I do believe I can remember reading somewhere that two people with matching scars can produce their own form of magical bond, more specifically, the scars received as a child, or as a result of a traumatic experience."

Regina gauged the blonde's reactions as she explained, heartened to find that the woman was at the very least listening.

"I've been trying to find out some more about this supposed 'bond' but as you can see.." Regina waved a hand at the huge piles of books everywhere. Emma did not respond at first, not until it struck her like lightning.

"Wait a minute.. a bond? Like.. " She didn't finish the thought. "What kind of bond exactly?"

Regina shrugged helplessly, leaning back in her chair. "You know as much as I do at this point." Eyes directed thoughtfully at the stacks of books, Emma asked, "Could this be something really bad, or really good?" A roll of brown eyes answered back as Regina repeated herself, "I don't know, Emma."

Burger forgotten, Emma slid down from the desk and clapped her hands together with determination. "Right, so let's find out."

"As much as I admire your need to be a hero in every possible situation, I don't see how you would be able to help. Especially seeing as you don't know what to look for." Stating this matter-of-factly, Regina stood to retrieve the next batch of books, leaving behind a slightly wounded Emma.


Glancing down at her phone every couple of minutes, Emma waited impatiently for Regina to find answers. After the woman had flat out refused her help and shooed her away, Emma had been a bit hurt, but irritation won out after awhile. Who was Regina to say that she couldn't help?

Working herself up with each passing minute without a message from Regina, the blonde was nearly ready to go storm the vault when the station phone rang.

"You've reached the Storybrooke Police Station, this is Sheriff Swan. Could you please state the nature of your—" Emma was cut off by a scream before the call ended with a disturbing suddenness. Instantly on high alert, Emma raced from the station as if there were hell hounds nipping at her heels. She knew that scream, and she knew just where it must be coming from.


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