I'm baaack! Long time no see. It's been a crazy few weeks, but I owe you guys a chapter. Beautifullife0 asked for something with a nightmare, so this chapter is for you, love. Warning for mentions of abuse. Enjoy!

"Are we going to talk about the fact that you blocked me?" Regina asked, walking into Emma's office and sitting across from her. "Because you were the one that wanted the connection in the first place, and I'm pretty sure the point isn't to shut me out."

"I didn't want to worry you," Emma said, setting down her pen. "I was just going to take care of things and then come back."

"And what, blocking me seemed like the easiest way out?" Regina argued. "I don't need your protection Emma, I can handle going with you on a case."

"That's not what I meant and you know it," Emma said. "Come on Regina, you can't tell me that if you were doing something dangerous you wouldn't want to worry me either."

"I can't help you if I can't feel what's going on!" Regina exclaimed. "You could have died down there and I wouldn't have known because you refuse to let me help you."

Emma sighed. "It's called not wanting to appear weak, Regina. I can handle going after a little girl in the mine."

"And when it's a trap and suddenly the mine caves in again and someone puts a magic cuff on you?" Regina asked. "Or when they sneak up and kidnap you, knocking you out? Where does that leave me if I can't feel you?"

Emma paused. "I hadn't-"

"You hadn't thought of that, yeah I figured," Regina snapped, standing up. "When you start to think about how your Savior status affects people other than yourself, come find me." She poofed out of Emma's office, not allowing her to say anything in response.

Emma's mouth dropped open in shock. She really hadn't expected Regina to actually be so upset about the goblin situation. Sure, she hadn't dealt with those creatures before, but she would have figured it out.

"What was that about?" David asked. "I thought you knew by now not to mess with her."

"Funny," Emma said, running her fingers through her hair. "She's just overprotective."

David smiled before sitting in the chair Regina had just left. "Can I let you in on a little secret?" Emma nodded, looking at him curiously. "She isn't overprotective. You're just so used to having to protect yourself that the idea of being protected seems like overprotectiveness. She just loves you, that's all. And we know how Regina loves."

"With all of her being," Emma mumbled, nodding. "I know."

"I'll handle things here," David said. "Go. You're not going to be able to concentrate knowing that she's mad at you."

"She's never mad at me," Emma said, putting on her jacket. "Just very frustrated."

David laughed and shook his head. "Same thing."

Emma had checked Regina's office first, but she wasn't there. All that Emma could feel from Regina was anger and frustration, plus worry. And as always, the little flicker of love that Emma always felt coming from her. No matter how bad things got, that little flicker would always be there.

She poofed to the mansion next, instantly smelling apples. Emma winced. Regina only baked things with apples when she was angry. She slowly walked into the kitchen, clearing her throat to alert Regina to her presence. "Hi."

"Hi yourself," Regina said, not looking up from the apple she was cutting. Quite violently, in Emma's opinion.

"What did the apple do to you?" Emma teased, walking forward and leaning on the counter.

Regina rolled her eyes. "Jokes, really? That's what you're going with?"

Emma sighed before walking around to Regina and wrapping her arms around her waist, resting her chin on Regina's shoulder. "I'm sorry. Blocking you out was not what I should have done at all. I was trying to avoid worrying you, but obviously it had the opposite effect."

Regina just scoffed, continuing to cut the apple. Emma sighed. "Regina Mills, please put down the knife."

Regina sighed before setting down the knife. "I don't know what you want me to say, Emma."

"So just listen," Emma said. "I can't help who I am. I feel the need to protect you because of everything that you've been through already. I know that I don't have to, but I want to. You are the love of my life, and I don't want you coming with me to the mine in case you get hurt. I blocked you because I wanted that to keep you busy while I dealt with the girl. But David had to go ahead and sell me out."

"Well I'm glad he did," Regina said, turning around in Emma's arms to face her. "How many times do I have to tell you, you stubborn woman, that you are not alone? We are a team, and protecting or not, you do not get to do things alone because you think it's better. Your judgement is lacking when it comes to getting help."

"Hey," Emma protested. "I'm not that bad."

"Sure you aren't," Regina said, rolling her eyes.

Emma smiled in relief as she felt the anger and frustration begin to melt from Regina. "Are we okay?"

"Do you promise not to block me ever again?" Regina asked. Emma nodded. Regina waited, smiling when she didn't feel any guilt indicating that Emma was lying. "Then yes, we're okay."

"Thank you," Emma said, smiling before kissing Regina. "I love you."

Regina smiled into the kiss. "I love you too."

Emma looked at Regina in concern as she got into bed later that night. "Why am I feeling nervousness from you? Something we need to talk about?"

"No," Regina said, continuing to just lay there staring at the ceiling.

"Nervousness and a little frustration," Emma noted, rolling over to face her. "And of course the underlying feeling of love that never goes away."

"Exhaustion, relief, and worry," Regina said. "Are we done naming what the other feels now?"

"You get defensive when you're deflecting," Emma said softly. She studied Regina closely, noting how she seemed tense even when lying in a comfy bed. "You're having a nightmare feeling, aren't you?"

Regina winced, giving Emma her answer. Emma reached over and grabbed her hand, squeezing it gently. "Just because you have the feeling, doesn't mean you're going to have a nightmare."

"I have one every time I get this feeling," Regina said tiredly. "With out without you sleeping next to me. It's not even worth it to try and sleep, I know what's going to happen."

"Says the woman who makes me sleep no matter what," Emma teased. "Hypocrite."

Regina smiled. "If I own the title, will you let me stay awake?"

"No," Emma said, leaning over to kiss her cheek. "But nice try. If you have a nightmare, we'll deal with it when it happens."

"We?" Regina asked.

"Now who's being the stubborn one?" Emma teased. "Stop distracting me and go to sleep."

"Wait," Regina said. "Will our connection let you see my nightmares, or just feel what I do?"

Emma shrugged. "No idea. Why? Something you don't want me to see?"

Regina just pulled the covers around herself tighter without saying another word. That didn't do anything but make Emma more nervous. Neither one of them had experienced nightmares so far during their connection. Tonight was going to be the trial run.

Regina sat in front of her mirror, studying herself. No longer did she look like the princess who had left home and still had her innocence. Now she looked like a grown woman. A queen.

She turned towards the sound of laughter from outside, getting up and walking over to look out at the garden. Snow was playing hide and seek with her father, making Regina's heart ache. She didn't understand why Leopold even needed to marry her. Snow didn't need a mother. She had her father.

Snow looked up and saw Regina, waving to her. Regina put on her brave face and waved back, determined to not show the princess and her father how they were getting to her. But as she glanced over at Leopold, she knew that she had blown it. And would be paying for it later. Hurriedly, she went back inside.

She sat back down in front of her mirror, trying to ignore the knot growing in her stomach. She tried to look past the fact that Leopold drank more than he should, and that he was probably drunk while playing with Snow in the garden. His kindness that everyone loved was really just his drunken state, but no one but the palace staff and Regina knew about it.

The door to her chambers opened, and Regina froze and seeing Leopold enter. She stood up and bowed to him as he walked closer, hoping that stroking his ego would lessen her torture. It didn't.

Leopold grabbed her arm strongly, making her wince. "What were you doing, spying on us? Or were you trying to plan another escape like last night?"

Regina shook her head, opting to stay quiet. It was hard to tell whether he wanted her to answer the questions he asked or not.

"So some other funny business then," Leopold growled, tightening his grip further.

"Please let go," Regina pleaded. "You're hurting my arm. There's no need to resort to being to violent."

"No need?" Leopold spat. "No need? I'll be the one who decides that, not you. You don't get to tell me what to do. I am the king!"

"Yes, I know," Regina said.

Leopold glared at her before throwing her to the ground. Regina caught herself, preventing her head from hitting the floor. That had left a nasty bump to explain to Snow.

Regina jumped as Leopold forcefully grabbed her chin and forced her to look at him. "I am your king. Don't make me have to tell you again."

"Yes Your Majesty," Regina said, freezing in place. The last time she had tried to get away from his grip, he had broken her arm.

"And if you ever spy on Snow and I during out afternoon time together again, a bruised arm will seem like the least of your problems," Leopold said. Regina gulped and nodded, trying to ignore the prickling sensation of tears in her eyes. Leopold sneered at her before pushing her away from him and storming out of the room. Regina just curled up on the floor and cried, wishing for Daniel to come rescue her. Only she knew that he couldn't.

Regina sat up with a gasp, instantly feeling arms wrapping around her. "No, let go," Regina pleaded, struggling against the embrace. "Please I'll be good, just let go."

"It's just me," Emma said gently, slightly tightening her embrace to get Regina to stop struggling. "It's just me, you're safe."

Regina immediately relaxed at hearing Emma's voice, instantly melting into her arms. "I told you I was going to have a nightmare."

"And I told you that we would deal with it together," Emma reminded her gently. She rubbed her hand up and down Regina's back, hoping to soothe her. The feeling of fear that she felt coming off of Regina was so overwhelming that she didn't know how Regina was dealing with it herself.

They sat together in silence for a few more seconds before Regina spoke. "Well?"

"Well what?" Emma asked, pausing in her soothing movements to look at Regina in confusion.

"Did you see my nightmare?" Regina asked.

Emma sighed. She had been hoping that Regina had forgotten about that specific aspect. "Yeah, I did."

Regina immediately tensed. "All of it?"

"Yes," Emma said softly, resuming her soothing movements as Regina tensed even more. "Relax, we don't need to talk about it if you don't want to. You're safe."

Regina pulled away from Emma and got out of bed. "We need to go see Rumple and get this connection reversed."

"Why?" Emma asked, watching as Regina went to stand by the window. "Because I can see your nightmares? I'm sure that you can see mine too."

Regina shook her head, not saying anything else. Emma slowly got out of bed and went to join her, focusing on the emotions Regina was feeling. The most prominent one was embarrassment.

"Hey, look at me," Emma said gently, turning Regina towards her. "Nightmares do not make you weak. Seeking comfort after them does not make you weak. You are not broken. I am not going to suddenly be scared off by everything that you've gone through and leave. If anything, it makes me love you more because you've gone through all of that and you're still standing."

"I just want them to go away," Regina said, wrapping her arms around herself. "I'm so tired of having to experience those things over and over again."

"I know," Emma said. She gently pulled Regina's arms away from herself and replaced them with her own, hugging her tightly. "We'll work through it."

Regina sighed and completely relaxed. The comfort of being with Emma helped to calm her down, and made her feel as if one day the nightmares could go away. "Why do I have them when I'm with you? You never have them when you're with me."

"You've been having nightmares longer," Emma said simply. "Your mind needs more time to heal before it can be soothed simply by my presence."

"Are you insulting my brain?" Regina asked, smiling.

"No," Emma said, chuckling. "I love your brain. Except for when it gives you nightmares. My point was that you need to give yourself time to heal and move on from everything."

Regina sighed in frustration, pulling away from Emma. "Do you know how long ago those things happened to me?"

"And how long has it been since you actually talked about it?" Emma asked. "You can't expect yourself to heal when you don't talk about the issues."

"Since when are you a therapist?" Regina teased.

Emma rolled her eyes. "You are hopeless."

Regina shrugged. "Perhaps. But in my experience, talking about it makes it worse." She walked back over to the bed, sitting down on it and curling her legs under herself.

"Why?" Emma asked, following her and sitting next to her on the bed. "Don't you want to get it off of your chest? Vent about all of the horrible things that happened to you?"

"Talking about it makes it real," Regina said softly, looking at her hands. "If I just think about it as a nightmare, then I can blame it on my brain for being over imaginative, even though I know that what happened was real."

Emma looked at her sadly before pulling her close. They sat in silence for a few seconds before Regina spoke again. "I don't want your pity, Emma."

"It's not pity, it's sympathy," Emma said. "No one should have to go through everything you did."

"Sympathy and pity are basically the same thing," Regina argued.

Emma sighed. "Why do you need to argue everything I say?"

"Precision of words, dear," Regina teased. "It's very important."

"You and your queen vocabulary," Emma said, rolling her eyes affectionately. "Fine. Yes, I feel bad for you. But only because I love you and don't want to see you hurt. So deal with it."

Regina laughed. "Thank you."

Emma smiled and kissed the top of her head. "Anything for you."

This was so long, I'm sorry. But not really. Anywho, if you guys have a situation that you want me to put them in (like the nightmare) that focuses on their connection, let me know. Also, please take the poll on my profile page!