…It seemed to be many months later, but Emma couldn't be sure. She and Regina were living together in domestic bliss. She knew that much. She remembered months of kissing and talking and sharing meals and sharing the most comfortable bed…
Still, life in Storybrooke needed a bit more excitement. Something was drawing Emma toward the city where she and Regina had shared their first moments together.
"We need a vacation." Emma kept saying. For some odd reason, the thought didn't occur to her to actually invite Regina on that vacation.
"Life in Storybrooke is boring?" Ruby's lilting question was rhetorical. She agreed with Emma. Still, at least Emma had a hot girlfriend to keep her entertained. Ruby kept talking about how attractive Regina was—she usually stopped short of talking about how great she was in bed.
"Yes, I mean at times. Regina can't do any more healing spells. She can't make things levitate or blow up. Though…" Emma pursed her lips and slid her empty mug around on the table in front of her until Granny noticed and came over with a fresh cup of cocoa. This was her fourth cup. It was a lot of hot chocolate.
"What were you going to say?" Ruby leaned forward, as though Emma might impart a great secret. Her eyes flitted down to the creamy, chocolate mess in Emma's mug and she grimaced.
Leaning as well, Emma shook her head and whispered, "Stop making 'ew' faces at my cocoa. I like sugar. And anyway. So the other day, I caught Regina and Henry using a chemistry set in the driveway. They blew up three plastic bottles with various substances in each and then listed the time it took for each to explode. I ended up drenched in soda after getting too close to one."
"Funny." Slumping back again, Ruby laughed. "But still boring. Does Regina still have that apartment in the city?"
"Yup. She just never let it go." Emma nodded. "Wanna stay there with me? Can you take some time away from work?" She was unprepared for the reaction she received, but took Ruby's joyful scream as a 'yes'.
Initially, Regina was petulant at the idea of what she kept calling 'separate vacations'.
"I have time to spend with you and all you want to do is party with your promiscuous friends." Were her first words. Unfortunately, they were uttered over dinner with Henry at the table. Emma slammed down her fork.
"What's promiscuous? And who is promiscuous?" Henry asked carefully. "And don't fight. I hate it when you two fight."
Regina's mouth fell open. "Henry you can't tell us…" She shook her head. For a moment, Emma was confused. When did they ever fight in front of Henry?
"Promiscuous is a word that your mother uses when she's revealing her true age." Emma interrupted her own thoughts. "And when she's being judgemental and unnecessarily jealous and oops…" Regina was on her feet and out of the room by this point.
Emma placed a hand on Henry's head briefly. "We're ok. We're just figuring a few things out. Don't worry ok?"
"She hates it when her food gets cold." Henry sighed melodramatically. "Hurry back, all right?"
Taking the stairs two at a time, Emma slid around the corner and walked quickly through the hallway to Regina's—and her—bedroom.
"Ok…so the age joke wasn't a good comeback." Were her first words.
"Is that your idea of an apology?" Regina stood at the window, arms crossed, watching as Emma leapt upon the bed.
"Actually, yes, I am sorry for that part. As for you calling Ruby names…you're overreacting. But I get it. Until now we've just been happy and in love and totally blissed out with one another. Now we're deeper into the relationship. And neither of us has ever been here with anyone."
"Oh." Regina moved closer and stared at her hands. They shook slightly. "I suppose you're right."
"I'll only be gone a week. With your blessing." Emma was firm on that last point. She patted a spot next to her.
"I apologize for not trusting you with your hot waitress friend—my very own ex-lover—during a week in close quarters in the city." Regina's hand slid through Emma's hair soothingly.
That was odd. The wording of it. Regina sounded weird and who said 'ex-lover' all old-timey like that? Emma shook her head again.
"Ok. And you really don't have to worry about us. You're the only old lady with wolf-like senses whose bones I wanna jump." Emma grinned at Regina's muttered objections to being called 'old' yet again. "Let's go downstairs. Our son is worried about your stew becoming icy and inedible."
"We were talking about Ruby, not Granny." Regina reminded her. "And I don't have wolf-like senses. I have magical abilities. Including eyes in the back of my head and a sixth sense if my lover is cheating on me…"
Then it hit Emma.
Something was seriously off between them.
"Regina…" She squeezed her thigh hard. "Babe…when did we move in together?"
But Regina's face could no longer be seen. Her head had just about spun around on itself and now Emma was staring at the back of it…
And screaming…
"Emma!"
Now someone was screaming at her.
"Emma!"
Hands were shaking her shoulders but she couldn't wake up. All she could do was scream and scream until she started choking and coughing. Someone was throwing water on her.
It was Snow White. She had just tossed a glass of icy water in her daughter's face. Emma could see her but she couldn't speak to her or move to get out of the way. The water was helping though…
"What the hell is happening?" Snow's voice droned at first but then sharpened and screeched in the air around Emma.
"A really advanced glamour. Something designed to convince us that an entire invented reality is the life we're living." Regina's voice was slow and deep and really odd sounding. "Someone is delving into Emma's subconscious and twisting her thoughts then feeding them back to her."
"Who?" Snow's voice sounded better now. Emma's heart began to pound less quickly.
"I think…" Regina paused, turning to Snow with a grimace. "I think it might be…"
"Spit it out goddammit." Snow was growling now. Emma wanted her to stop. She reminded Emma of a wolf or something.
"Cora…" The name died on Regina's tongue.