Oh, look! I'm not dead! Well how about that, huh? It's my birthday today, and so whilst I have no friends I thought I'd upload a chapter (Jk lol haha, I'm off to the fringe in a minute, LOTR musical anyone? XD) and I got all the Once boxsets, needless to say my family have no idea how much binging they're gonna have to endure...

Anyways, here's a new chapter. Does this make sense? let's hope it does... Enjoy! XX


Regina sat up, noting that Emma was on top of the covers, seeing as it was becoming a fast feat to try and get them off of herself. She turns to the blonde who is groggily awaking herself, and sits on her side, the pad of her thumb gently caressing the back of Emma's palm subconsciously.

"Hey." Emma whispers into the silence, and Regina merely nods as a response.

"What's wrong?" The blonde asks, and Regina finds herself wanting to ease Emma's worry.

"It's just... I don't know what to expect when we go to sleep again. It's my turn for a simple term to put it in. It'll be about daniel, and I'm just confused, I guess." She says tentatively, suddenly worried that what she's about to say will hurt the sheriff.

"You love him. I love Tana. I think this is teaching us to let go."

"But I don't want to." Regina speaks so softly, Emma could have mistaken it for the wind, but she heard, and she understands.

"I'm not saying forget them, Regina. I could never forget someone like her, and I know you could never forget Daniel either, that's not what I'm saying, what I'm saying is move one. You've waited something like three decades for him. It's been fifteen years for me, and looking at you, I know our love for both of them won't just go away, but we can give that love we still have to each other."

"Four. Four decades, and it doesn't get better. I never imagined you to have such a way with words, Miss Swan."

"And I never imagined you'd look so good for sixty something." Emma snarked, not minding the fact Regina was calling her 'Miss Swan' in such a vulnerable moment between the two of them. The comment did however earn her a harsh slap to the arm.

"Ow, god it was a compliment! You do look good!"

"Why, thank you dear." Regina snarks, sitting up fully to rest against the headboard.

"I thought your first love was the thief?" Regina asks, spitting out the moniker she gave him quite harshly.

"I don't tend to tell people my first love was a woman. Neal was great, sure. He helped me get over some of my anger and tiny pieces of my grief. I cared for him, maybe I loved him, but not like I loved Tana... She was special. She was my first love."

"I can understand that.." Regina whispered, thinking of Daniel.

"Who was she?" Regina asked, hell, she had a million questions she wanted to ask the blonde, but a bombardment was one she didn't want to throw upon her.

"She was my best friend. We were in a group home together, and we got moved to that house. We mostly just kept out of the dad's way, the mom was a flake in front of him, he wasn't one of the good ones, usually drunk. We were just another cheque to come in. God knows they didn't use the money on us."

She looked down, suddenly nervous to talk about this openly for the first time, she fidgeted with her fingers staring at them intently as if they could give her the will to keep on talking. When she saw toned olive fingers still the movement and slip in between her own, she looked up, and saw a genuine, shy, yet genuine small smile grace Regina's lips. That was enough of a confidence boost. It gave her the words to continue.

"She was fifteen, I was about to turn fifteen in two weeks. Well, I think I guess. I mean, that's the day they found me... anyways, we snuck out to that place, the first one, and she told me to wait there because she had to get my present from the house. She wanted to give it to me early. So I waited, I got coffee for the both of us to share, I could only afford a cup. But she never came back. I shouldn't have let her go alone." Emma doesn't even notice the tears shedding on her cheeks until Regina's soft thumb is brushing them away. "He killed her. He was really fucking drunk and he killed her, and she had it in her hand, she was right by the door. It's the necklace." She points to herself, the one of the swan "It's why I always wear it." Regina held in her gasp from shock, held in tears that threatened to spill, held everything in, and pulled Emma into her arms.

"Tell me about Daniel?" Emma asks, and so Regina does, about the kind, loving stable boy that Cora killed, that she has come to realise it wasn't Snow's fault but if she blamed her she wouldn't have to blame herself. They're both a mess by the time they come apart, tear soaked cheeks that are twinned.

"So."

"So." Regina echoes.

"What will happen next? I don't think I can survive going to another place belonging to her." Emma explains, wiping away the tears on her face.

"Nor can I for Daniel. There's something I do need to tell you, though. About Rumpelstiltskin."

"God, what's he done now?"

"Not so much what he's done. Apparently he knows who the sorceress is that's been causing... all this." She gestures between the two of them, unsure if she can continue, knowing she should.

"Well, what'd he say? Can we stop it?"

"I don't know, apparently we started it."

"I'm lost."

"I know, dear." Regina chuckles, sitting up fully and bringing Emma with her. Somehow during their storytime they'd managed to lay back down again. "Apparently, in the future, there is some great danger in Storybrooke. And we had to save our children, somehow, in the past, - now, that is- it caused the spell."

"Crap. Did Gold do that?"

"Like I said, I have no idea. All I saw was a prediction of our future."

"Okay.. well... can you show me?"

"What?"

"The future. This might be easier to show than tell, right? And I have magic, apparently." She adds, still skeptical.

"It's difficult magic, dear."

"Well can't I just use a dream catcher to see your memories of looking into the future? Or is that way too complicated?" Emma questions, deadly serious and having a wrinkle to her brow Regina can only describe as cute. Gods when do I find Emma... cute?

"While entirely possible, dream catchers and memories are dangerous. I was never taught so thoroughly in them."

"But I've done it before."

"On a dog. I'm still quite mad at you for that."

"Right, yeah... well, is it easier than teaching me to see the future?"

"There wasn't much to see, Emma. It was just us, talking about how it was necessary for us to save our children from something unknown."

"Why do you keep saying that?"

"Saying what?"

"'children' as in plural... wait in the future we have more than just the kid?!"

"It would appear so.. I have no idea how far into the future that was, however."

"Damn."

"Yes, 'damn' indeed."

"So, what do we do now?"

"Now? Nothing. I have no clue what this spell is, what we have to save our children from. I was just planning on looking to the future and jumping along our timeline until I can find something of more significance."

"Right. Okay.. good plan... need any help?"

"I think I could, actually. Do you remember what happened with the wraith? How you could open the portal?"

"Uh, I did nothing."

"No, you did plenty, dear. You... kick-started my magic, gave it a boost. Prophecies will take a lot of energy out of me. If you could be near, so I could draw energy from you, I could hold more stamina with each attempt."

"Is drawing energy dangerous?"

"Not for a saviour, dear." Regina drawls, pulling the covers off of herself and picking out some fresh clothes, already moving around in the en-suite and setting up everything for a shower. Three days, without so much as a simple cleansing spell... "You head over to Granny's and collect my usual, I'm in dire need of a shower, don't you think?" Regina smirks as she pops her head around the door.

"Right yeah I'll do that." Emma gets up, tying her boots. "Hey, Regina?" She asks once she's done, meeting the brunette at the door. "I'm glad you're back." She says, giving her a chaste kiss on the lips.

The brunette can't help but smile, even once the blonde has stepped out of the mansion. "I'm glad too.." She whispers to an empty house.