Another Season 6 related chapter!
Regina watched as Emma fought with the hooded figure. It looked like she had the upper hand, but sword fighting could be unpredictable. One moment you were winning, and the next you were dead.
Regina gasped as the hooded figure kicked Emma in the stomach, sending her flying. "Get up, get up," Regina pleaded.
Emma rolled over, rising to her knees just in time to block the next blow from the hooded figure. She pushed the figure away, getting to her feet and continuing to fight.
Out of Regina's peripheral vision, she saw Snow, David, Hook, and Henry running to Emma. "Yes, please help her," Regina said. "She can't do this alone."
Suddenly, the figure knocked the sword from Emma's hands, sending it skidding across the concrete. Regina looked down in horror as it stopped right in front of her. She tried to bend down to pick it up, but found that she couldn't move. Why couldn't she move?
The sword suddenly vanished in a cloud of maroon smoke, and Emma looked at the spot where it had been with wide eyes. Snow, David, and Hook watched in terror (Henry had his face buried in Hook's chest) as Emma turned back to the hooded figure. "I'm not going to let you hurt them," she said.
She raised her hand, but stared at it as it started shaking uncontrollably. The hooded figure took a step forward and stabbed her right in the stomach.
"No!" Regina screamed.
"Emma!" Regina screamed, bolting upright. She was panting harshly, and the vision of Emma being stabbed right in front of her wouldn't leave her mind.
She looked next to her at Emma sleeping soundly. But that wasn't proof enough. In her desperation, Regina reached over and pulled the covers off of Emma, beginning to check her over for any injuries.
Emma slowly opened her eyes, confused as to why she was suddenly cold. She reached over and turned her bedside lamp on, illuminating Regina's tear-stained face as she frantically pressed her hands over Emma's stomach.
"Regina?" Emma asked. "What are you doing?"
"You have a wound on your stomach," Regina said, her eyes glazed over. "I have to stop the bleeding."
Emma looked in confusion at the spot where Regina hands were. There was no wound. "Regina, I think you had a nightmare. There's no wound there."
"Yes there is," Regina insisted. "I saw you get stabbed. I was there! I tried to give you your sword back, but I couldn't move and it stabbed you."
Emma put the pieces together and realized that Regina had just had a nightmare about the vision Emma had told her about.
She went to sit up, but that just made Regina panic more. "No! If you sit up the blood flow will just increase. That can't happen! You could bleed out!"
Emma realized right then and there that Regina's nightmare had freaked her out a lot more than any other nightmare she had ever had. And that was saying something.
"Regina, look at me," Emma commanded.
Regina shook her head. "I have to watch the bleeding."
Emma put her hands over Regina's. What she was going to do next would probably make things worse, but she had to snap Regina out of it before she could calm her down.
Grabbing Regina's wrists, Emma pulled Regina's hands off of her stomach and quickly sat up. Regina immediately started struggling against Emma's grip, crying and chanting over and over again that Emma would bleed out.
They struggled for several minutes before Emma managed to pin Regina's arms to her sides. Both of them were panting harshly, and tears were streaming down Regina's face. Her eyes were no longer glazed over, which Emma was thankful for, but there was still terror in them.
"Take some deep breaths," Emma said soothingly.
"I can't," Regina gasped out.
"Yes you can," Emma said, pulling her into a tight embrace. She rubbed a hand up and down Regina's back, sighing as she felt Regina checking her for wounds again.
"I'm fine," Emma said. "No one stabbed me. I'm not dead. I'm right here."
Finally, that seemed to register in Regina's brain. She relaxed completely into Emma's arms, relishing in the comfort of her embrace. "It felt so real."
"I know," Emma said. "I could tell."
Regina winced. "Sorry for waking you up."
"That's not what I meant," Emma said. "I don't think I've ever seen you react this strongly to a nightmare. Not even the ones about your mother."
"All of my other nightmares were memories," Regina said softly. "This one was different. And so much stronger."
Emma kissed the top of her head. "Maybe I shouldn't have told you about the vision."
"No," Regina said quickly. "I'm glad that you did. I want to know these things."
"But it gave you a nightmare," Emma pointed out.
"I know," Regina said. "But I want to know those kinds of things anyway. No matter what it does to me, I want to be there for you."
Emma sighed. "Okay."
They sat there for several moments before Emma yawned. "We should probably go back to sleep."
Regina tensed. She didn't want to have another nightmare. Especially about Emma's vision.
"I know," Emma said. The second hardest part of Regina's nightmares were convincing her to go back to sleep after having one. "But you can't just avoid going to sleep again. I'll be right here."
Regina bit her lip before nodding. She may not want to go back to sleep, but she trusted Emma. She would be right there. Every time.