Sleep was difficult that night.
The heavy comforter that had lulled her into blackness the night before felt suffocating now, and she found herself kicking it off and then ducking back beneath it when she got cold in an attempt to find a middle ground. Something about the room, the inn, felt off. She couldn't put a name to it, but the very bones of the building hummed with something. It called to her, whispering through the drywall without a voice. It made the tips of her fingers tingle in resonance.
And that was crazy.
That made absolutely no sense.
And yet she felt it.
She hadn't noticed it at first, though, she reasoned, she'd been exhausted. She'd only been at the inn for a day and this was the first time she'd really slowed down, though it was against her will.
Regina groaned, flipping onto her side and fluffing the pillow once more in hopes it would grant some reprieve, despite the fact that she'd tried just that several times now. She kicked the covers off one leg, hoping that would bring her to some sort of happy medium. She found herself opening her eyes, staring off into a dark corner of the room, trying to decipher the hum that emanated from the walls, resonating in her core - but it left her with nothing but a strange feeling in her stomach, twisting in her abdomen. She felt as if she should recognize it, as insane as that was, but nothing came, and she was left with nothing but frustration. She buried her face in the pillow.
Exhaustion overtook her eventually.
And when it did, she dreamt only of Emma.
The images shifted and flickered, melting into one another and slipping through Regina's fingers the moment she thought she finally had a grasp on them. They were vivid, too vivid for dreams, far too intense for Regina's addled brain to have pulled out of thin air.
Emma with her hair tumbling over her shoulders in loose curls, a stark contrast to the messy ponytails Regina had seen her in thus far.
Emma with her hands on her hips, staring Regina down with a challenge written all over her features, eyes hard but the corners of her lips curling up like maybe she enjoyed the fight just a little —
Emma throwing her across a room, then shoving her against a wall, one arm pinning Regina's own above her head as she shouted in her face, tears brimming in her green eyes -
Emma in red leather, over and over and over again. Always that red leather jacket: stretching tight over Emma's arms, slung carelessly over the back of a loveseat, tossed back inside of a yellow car before the blonde slammed the door after it. Hung over the back of a desk chair, Emma with her feet up on the table and tilting the chair back so that the ends of the sleeves dangled unceremoniously towards the floor. And then, finally, slid neatly onto a hanger, Emma rolling her eyes fondly in the background as Regina closed the door to the closet - coats go in the closet, Miss Swan, not on my banister -
And now Emma was laughing, sat next to her on a plush couch that nearly swallowed her slender frame whole, a radiant smile reaching her eyes in a way Regina was certain she hadn't seen in person. Sipping from a mug, legs tucked beneath her. Henry next to them in a leather chair, grinning, looking altogether too young. Emma's knees brushing Regina's leg, and then she's blushing. She reached out for Regina's hand, tangled their fingers together, and –
Emma.
Just Emma this time. Nothing but her green eyes brimming with warmth. Nothing but bare skin and parted lips and her cheeks flushed a deep red as she rolled her hips over Regina's thigh.
Regina awoke with a start, heart pounding hard beneath her breastbone. Her breathing was ragged, and she took a moment to center herself before she finally opened her eyes. That had been a hell of a dream.
Yellow light filtered through the gauzy curtains above the reading nook, just as it had the previous morning. She'd thought it was warm yesterday. Quaint. But this morning it felt harsh, and she winced against it, turning her back to the windows and reaching for her phone to check the time.
Oh, fuck.
Her phone.
Regina sucked in a breath, chest tightening as she realized she hadn't seen it since she woke up on those concrete stairs. The number of emails, calls she'd have to respond to -
She drew in a deep breath. There was no sense fretting about it until she could see what she was up against. She slid out of the bed and made her way to get dressed, determined to ask Mary Margaret about it first thing.
Or Emma, if she's around. Frowning, she shook off the thought. Emma had made it clear that she wanted nothing to do with her. Still, the dream was fresh in her mind, and Regina remembered the feeling of the blonde's fingers ghosting across her chest as she dabbed at spilled tea all too clearly.
No.
She didn't need to think about that. That was just...a fluke. Right? Because Regina reminded Emma of her ex.
The mysterious ex who was out there somewhere, who came back but always had to leave again.
You're taking her away and then giving her back over and over again.
God, she'd only been here a day, and these people were already doing a number on her.
What was this place?
Regina pushed herself upright, shivering against the chill of the air as the comforter fell away. She scrubbed her hands over her face, hoping the pressure would bring her back to reality. It didn't help much, though. She dropped her hands back into her lap with a frustrated huff before tossing the blankets back completely and swinging her legs over the edge of the bed. A hot shower, that was what she needed. It would clear her mind.
In the end, the scalding water only left her with a slight redness at her shoulders and a little bit of nausea.
She descended the spiral stairs twenty minutes later, fully dressed in a pair of slacks and a sweater that she hadn't remembered being quite as tight at her shoulders as it felt today. Her mind flashed back to the pilling she'd seen on her other clothes – this one sported the same. She peered carefully around the railing as the common area came into view, though she was well aware that her footsteps would've given her away at this point.
If Emma was down here, she would've had plenty of time to collect her son and clear out.
The thought was grim, and she pursed her lips, trying to push it to the back of her mind. She needed to focus on…well. She wasn't actually sure.
A part of her wanted to run. Grab her things, find her keys, and make a break for the garage. She scoffed internally at her dramatics – like anyone would try to stop her.
Although, she thought, the memory of Mary Margaret's wide eyes resurfacing, maybe somebody would.
Even still, a larger part of her wanted to stay and unravel the mystery that she was slowly becoming convinced she was already tangled up in.
The living area was empty, but Regina could hear voices filtering in from the dining area. She could identify one as Ruby – but the others were unfamiliar to her. She knocked against the doorframe before she entered, and Ruby greeted her with a bright smile. Next to her was a petite brunette, and to the brunette's right an older woman. The dining table had been cleared off of all dishes and its dressings, replaced instead with an overflowing basket of clothing that the three were steadily working through folding.
"Morning, Regina," Ruby greeted her. After Regina responded in kind Ruby jumped, turning towards the other young woman and sliding her arm around her slender frame. "Regina, this is my girlfriend, Belle, and my grandmother, Eugenia."
"Hello," Regina said, nodding to each of them in turn. Belle flashed her a rather sweet smile that grew into a grin when Ruby pressed a kiss to her cheek. The motion made Regina's heart ache, though she wasn't quite sure why. She was lonely back in the city, sure, but –
Then again, was she? It wasn't like she could quite remember.
"Goodmorning, Regina. It's nice to meet you." Belle's voice was warm, a lilting accent that was comforting.
"You too," She said, and then turned her attention towards Ruby's grandmother. "It's nice to meet you as well, Eugenia."
Her eyes narrowed, and she tilted her eyes to the side. After several seconds, she finally said, "You can call me Granny." The older woman snorted, irritation lacing her voice. "You know you call me Granny."
"Ah," Ruby cut her grandmother off with a laugh, pushing past Belle to wrap her hands around Granny's upper arms. "Granny, you know Regina didn't mean anything by it." Granny gave another grunt at that, casting a glare in Regina's direction before turning her attention back towards the dress she'd been sliding onto a hanger. "Sorry about that. She gets a little confused sometimes," Ruby said, eyes landing back on Regina. They were wide, apologetic, but also –
Afraid.
It was buried, carefully concealed, but it was there.
Regina offered what she hoped was a reassuring smile. "I understand."
"I'm not confused, girl," Granny spat. Ruby opened her mouth to reply, but she was cut off by a voice from behind Regina.
"Of course not, Granny." Regina jumped, spinning around to find Emma standing at the foot of the stairs. They made eye contact, and Emma raised a brow. "Could you stop doing that every time you see me? You're stressing me out."
"Stop doing what?" Regina asked, and Emma pressed her lips together in a dry smile.
"Jumping three feet in the air. I'm not going to bite you." Ruby gave a little cough, which Emma pointedly ignored.
"Right," Regina said wryly, deciding it was better not to point out that the reason she was so startled every time was that Emma had proven that she did, in fact, bite. "Sure."
Emma rolled her eyes, stepping farther away from the stairs. The motion put the common area behind her, lining her up just so to make the fireplace a backdrop behind her.
Regina's vision went spotty for a moment, and then black – and then there were just images. They flooded over her, just as intense as her dreams if not more, though they'd pulled directly from them:
That last one. Emma, naked, with her legs splayed over Regina's thigh.
There was more detail to the picture now, but it wasn't just images anymore. The fireplace crackled behind them, and Regina could feel the heat coming off of it as if she was there, could feel the fleece of the blanket they'd thrown down over the carpet. There was a thin sheen of sweat over Emma's skin that hadn't been visible in her dreams, beading at her clavicle and rolling down her breastbone. Regina could not only see it now, but feel it slipping beneath her fingers as she held Emma's forearms to keep her steady. Emma's hair was piled up on her head, messy, as if it had been done in a hurry, and several escaped strands were plastered to her skin with the heat and exertion as she rocked against Regina. And, her body –
It felt so familiar to Regina in that moment. Her eyes roamed over Emma's form, taking in her taut muscles and the curve of her breasts, the pink of her nipples, the way her throat worked as she swallowed. The way her ribs pressed at her skin as she gasped –
"Hey!"
Regina blinked, and the vision was gone.
She slumped back – she was in a chair, she noted, somebody had put her in a chair – and tried to steady her breathing. It was coming ragged, much as it had when she'd woken up that morning. Somebody had their hands on her shoulders, holding her up, and she looked up to find Emma only a few inches away.
She looked panicked, her eyes wide as she let one hand go to cup Regina's cheek. "Regina, hey. Look at me. Can you see me?" Regina did her best to nod, and Emma breathed out a sigh of relief. "Good." She turned towards the others, adding a quick, "She's okay," before her eyes returned to Regina's. She ran her thumb over the curve of Regina's jaw, and Regina realized that Emma had actually been concerned. That it was more than just looking out for her physical wellbeing, but almost like…she cared.
Regina blinked again, finally beginning to feel a little more centered. Emma was still so close, though, and her gaze landed on the smattering of freckles over the bridge of Emma's nose. They were so light she hadn't noticed them before. But then her eyes dropped to Emma's lips, flickered to the fireplace and back and oh, she was suddenly overcome with the urge to pull her close and just kiss her.
And she must not have been very inconspicuous about it, because something flashed in Emma's eyes, some kind of impossible understanding, and Emma closed off immediately. She dropped her hands, both of them, and the place where her palm had wrapped around Regina's arm felt cold in its absence.
"She's okay," Emma repeated, steady this time, not a trace of that breathy relief to be found. Ruby and Belle were at her side, too, Regina realized, and she made an effort to sit up in the chair.
"Are you sure?" Belle asked, one hand extended towards her as if to catch her if she fell.
"I'm fine, really," Regina said. "It was just…a fainting spell, I think." That sounded weak, even to herself. "Probably just a side effect of the concussion."
"What's going on here?" Mary Margaret's lilting voice came from the hall, and Regina looked up just in time to see her pop her head in the doorway.
"Nothing," Regina said, at the same time Granny piped up, "Mayor fainted." Mary Margaret's eyes darted to Granny's at that, but they returned to Regina quickly.
"Oh, no! Should I call doctor Whale?"
Regina shook her head. "No, no. I'm fine, thank you." She pressed a palm to her forehead. "I think I just need to take it easy for a few hours."
Mary Margaret regarded her with suspicion, but eventually she nodded. "Alright. But if it happens again I'm going to call." She waved to the others. "Let's give her some space, everyone, okay?"
Ruby nodded, catching Belle's hand in her own and leading her grandmother out with her other. Once they disappeared into the kitchen Emma turned towards her mother.
"I'm going into town. I'll be back later." She spared a glance towards Regina, the first time since she'd pulled back, expression unreadable. "A word in the hallway, mom." It was a command, not a request, and with that she turned and stalked out the door. Mary Margaret flashed Regina an apologetic smile before darting after her daughter.
As soon as they'd cleared into the hall Regina stood, pushing her chair back as quietly as she could. There was a door on the opposite wall of the one that led to the kitchen, and she turned the knob quietly. It opened to a dark, disused office space, a small open frame leading to what Regina realized must be the front desk. She stepped inside as lightly as she could, creeping as close to the entryway as she could without being in sight of the front door.
Emma's voice was low, but she wasn't whispering. It was the quiet kindling of bottled anger, the way ice starts to snap when the temperature gets too low.
"That's never happened before. Whatever you put in that vile fucking potion this time, don't ever fucking do it again. Or you'll regret it."
The words were like steel, the threat ringing loud and clear, and even Regina flinched. She didn't catch Mary Margaret's reply, only heard the hushed, dismissive tone of her voice. Emma's reply came out harsh, plain, devoid of any cushion:
"I don't care that you're my mother."
With that the door slammed, hard enough that Regina could feel the vibrations in the paneling that she was leaning against, and she ducked back into the dining room before she could be caught eavesdropping once more.