Emma struggled against the invisible bonds wrapped tightly around her body, her face flushed from frustration and exertion. She glared at Regina, her green eyes flashing.

"Lemme go!"

"No."

As the woman neared, Emma went limp, the fight disappearing from her body. If she wasn't going to let her go, she wouldn't, so there was no point. She watched with narrowed eyes as Regina lifted a hand and showed her the bared wrist. There was a black mark the size of a penny at the base of the wrist. It looked like a blurred outline of a circle with three curved lines pushing out from the middle and touching the outline. She glanced up into dark eyes. "What is that?"

"I was hoping you could tell me." Regina lowered her arm and frowned down at her hand, rubbing at the mark. "But doubtless this is your fault."

Emma rolled her eyes. "Alright, you have got to stop blaming me for things. How is this my fault?"

"I didn't get this before I touched you."

"What? Come on, you can't be serious." Emma tried to shift again but she was only able to bunch up her clothes, making it even more uncomfortable. At least her feet were touching the ground this time. "Pretty sure if I was going to tattoo you, I'd remember."

Regina glared at her, her brown eyes flashing with irritation. "You are such -"

"Up and at 'em, princess!"

Emma sat up abruptly and head butted August, hard. They both swore and clutched at their heads.

"Son of a bitch," they both moaned in varying degrees of pain.

"What the hell, Booth?" Emma rubbed gingerly at her sore forehead, knowing there would be a nice mark forming. Her heart was still pounding from being pulled suddenly from her sleep and dream. She tried to remember what it was but all she got was dark eyes and something that looked like a circle. Her brow furrowed in concentration until it twinged in pain and she pressed a hand to it. "Shit, that hurts."

"Excuse you, you're the one that head butted me." August straightened and sat on the edge of her bed, a red spot vivid on his forehead. "I should be the one complaining."

"No one wins in a head butt, August. So I'm allowed to complain. And what the hell were you doing, leaning over me, anyway?" She scooted up on the bed and leaned against the headboard. "And don't call me princess."

"Caught that, did you?"

"Yeah, and next time, I'll make sure to aim for your nose." She squinted at her alarm clock then groaned again. "It's five in the morning, August. Is the sun even out yet?"

"Sunrise isn't until quarter to six." He dodged out of the way of an incoming pillow, laughing. "Come on, Emma, don't they say waking up early is good for the body?"

She smacked him upside the head with her remaining pillow before hugging it to her body. "Only crazy people get up at this time."

"Well…"

"Shut it."

He shrugged, standing up and holding out his hands for her. "Anyway, I didn't come in here to argue about your sanity so get up already."

"You still haven't told me why you felt the need to wake me up," she said, pulling herself out of bed. She shoved at him a little when he didn't move fast enough and dodged his retaliating elbow. "It better be important."

"Yeah, according to Gold, it is." He turned around when Emma gave him a pointed look and counted the cracks in the wall as she started changing. "Seems like he's got an announcement to make. And before you ask, no, I don't know why he wanted to do it now and yes, there's hot chocolate downstairs. Ruby's awake and so is Neal and Mary Margaret. David and Abigail are still at the hospital with Fred."

It was a little nippy so she slipped on her red leather jacket. Her mouth pinched when she noticed a slight tear on the elbow. It was probably from the tackle two days ago. She tapped August on the shoulder as she walked past, sighing a little. "How is he?"

"Came out of his coma a few hours ago. Abby's beside herself and David's about ready to call in Mary Margaret." He followed her down the slightly rickety stairs, keeping his voice hushed as they passed the three closed doors on the way.

She arched a brow. "Wow, he must be desperate."

"I know right? I'm surprised he volunteered to go with her in the first place considering their history."

"He's not a bad person, and I think he feels guilty for the way he treated her so don't tease him too much, okay? He's trying."

"Should've tried to keep it in his pants," August muttered, grunting when she elbowed him hard in the ribs. They stepped into the kitchen where everyone but Ruby were seated around the tiny table. Neal smiled at her and made to stand but Emma avoided his eyes as she went over to where Ruby was hovering near the stove and leant against the fridge, crossing her arms. August shot her a knowing look when Neal sat down with a disappointed frown. He remained standing in the doorway, thumbs tucked into his belt.

"So. What's the announcement, Gold?" Emma asked quietly, smiling at Ruby in thanks when she was handed a mug of cinnamon hot chocolate.

Gold cleared his throat. "Yes, well, it's regarding your little incident two days ago at the wharf."

Emma huffed in irritation. "Look, the thing went to hell and we apologized -"

"It might be beneficial to you if you would let me finish before going off on a tangent," Gold interrupted, looking equally annoyed. When she remained quiet, he nodded sharply. "Good. As I was saying, my announcement is in regards to that incident. My contacts have told me that the Enforcers have doubled patrol yesterday and they're starting to systematically search the city."

"Why would they do that?" August asked, frowning.

"I'm not entirely sure but it seems like they're initializing a new plan to root out the rebels."

"By searching the entire city?" Emma shared a confused look with August. "That's a lot of power and resource they can't afford."

Gold tapped his cane. "I know but until they realise that, we need to make ourselves scarce."

Mary Margaret leaned forward, her cup of tea abandoned. "What are you suggesting?"

"Go to your bolt holes and keep your head down until I give you the go ahead to return."

"That's fifteen people, not including us, that we have to relocate," Emma said. "And eight of them are children."

Gold tipped his head in Mary Margaret's direction. "Miss Blanchard has volunteered to take them into her custody whereby her own contacts will take care of a child each. The other seven will be informed once they've awoken. Miss Swan?"

"Yeah?"

"You and Mister Booth will, unfortunately, be on your own. They have descriptions of you both and it would be best if neither of you were in the company of the residents here. You understand the necessity, of course?" His look was expectant, underscored by a glint of warning, and both Emma and August knew there'd be no point in arguing. They nodded in agreement. "Very good. Now, here's what's going to happen…"

"Mills."

Regina looked up from her desk, scowling at the interruption until she saw the grinning blond man. She stood up hastily, nearly knocking over the small pile of paperwork.

"Instructor Dubon," she said, giving him a salute. "I didn't expect to see you here."

He returned her salute then chuckled. "No need to be formal, Mills. I'm just visiting today."

Regardless, she remained stiff in her posture but gave him a small smile. "It's nice to see you again, sir. It's been some time."

"Five years," he murmured, leaning against her desk. "I think it was during the awards ceremony."

"Congratulations again on receiving the Ares award, sir."

"Thank you." His smile faded as he peered at her with concern. "I heard about the incident a few days ago. Are you alright?"

Regina nodded stiffly, a little embarrassed that news of her injury had reached him. "Yes, sir."

He regarded her silently for a moment before sighing affectionately. "You know I'm not going to think any less of you if you aren't, right?"

"Yes, sir."

"Regina."

Her face tightened. "I'm fine, sir."

"Sir, sir, sir," he muttered, pushing off the desk. "Always for protocol, you were. Alright, Mills, I won't pry but I'll be around base for a few weeks if you need someone to talk to about anything."

"I'll consider it, sir." Regina relaxed when she realised he wasn't going to push. "Thank you for taking the time to visit me."

"It wasn't a chore," he said, dismissing her thanks gently. He held out a hand, his brow quirking with interest as she shook it, the movement having pushed her sleeve up and revealing her wrist. "Nice tattoo. Didn't take you as one for body art."

Regina flinched and tried to casually tug the cuff down. "Ah...yes. I thought it might be an experience."

"Quite a permanent one," he noted, not missing the discomfort she was exuding but deciding not to comment. "Well, I'll take my leave now and let you get back to your work."

She nodded. "I'll see you around, Instructor."

Once he left, she sat back down, rubbing her wrist. It had started as a black smudge but had somehow...arranged itself into a symbol. She eyed it, wondering what it meant. A part of her knew it had something to do with the rebel she had the unfortunate luck of meeting. She wanted to go out and search for her but she'd been put on desk duty following the failed mission. It probably hadn't helped when she had refused to let the doctor heal her. She shuddered as her past memories surged to the forefront, the violence making her nauseated. Pushing the images away as best she could, Regina continued to work on her paperwork.

"You sure you'll be okay?"

Emma rolled her eyes. That was the tenth time he'd ask her that since they got on the phone. "Yes, I'll be fine. This isn't the first time I've done this."

"I know that but we normally disappear for a few days and this could be weeks, months even. What about food? Water? Did you stock up? How about electricity? What if-"

"Oh my god, August, you're worse than Mary Margaret." She jerked the wheel slightly when the car went over a pot hole bigger than she had expected. "Look. You worry about things on your end and I'll worry about mine. If it makes things easier, I'll give you a call in a couple of days, okay?"

He wasn't okay with it but after Emma threatened him a few times, he finally acquiesced and left her alone with the promise of hunting her down if she forgot to call. She threw the phone down on the passenger seat once he hung up, reaching unconsciously for her left shoulder.

Regina slammed her phone on the marble counter when her mother finally hung up. She paced for a few minutes, trying to get her temper under control. It was something she did every time her mother called her up. A form of meditation, some would call it; repressing the urge to blast something into oblivion, she called it. Her hands clenched as she recalled her conversation with Cora.

"Darling, I understand that you have reservations but this is a good opportunity," Cora said.

Regina frowned down at the counter, her fingers tapping at the blue and grey swirls. "For whom, exactly? I like where I am, Mother."

"Nonsense," Cora said dismissively. "You're a field agent, Regina. You should be in administration, mingling with the more important people, not...labouring beside the commoners."

"There's nothing wrong with field agents, Mother," she said defensively. "And don't call them commoners. It's rude."

"Oh, I know that. I just meant you deserve better," her mother said, soothingly. "I just think…"

Regina closed her eyes in irritation as her mother yammered on about climbing the social and bureaucratic ladder. The same thing over and over. It had always been a point of contention between them that Regina had decided to pursue a career in law enforcement rather than politics but like the scheming person she was, Cora had adapted and was now attempting to push her daughter into the political side of her agency.

"Mother," she interrupted, tired and fed up. "We've been over this countless times. I'd appreciate it if you would stop trying to plan my life."

"The one time you planned your life, you got an inconvenience out of it," Cora snapped back, sounding offended at both being interrupted mid speech and at Regina's continued defiance.

Regina ground her teeth, pushing down the spark of anger at the dig. "Leave him out of this."

"Then go to the dinner. That's all I want."

Highly doubtful, Regina thought moodily. "Fine."

"Very good," Cora said happily. "I'll send you the details later. Good night, dear."

"Good night, Mother," she replied dutifully.

She hated it whenever her mother did that and she hated the fact that, in the end, she would always give in. She slumped against the counter, feeling trapped.

"Mommy?" A soft pattering of feet then tiny arms wrapped around her thigh. "Was that Grammy? Did she make you angry again?"

"Henry," she breathed, the tension in her body leaving her as she bent down to lift up her son. "No, baby, I'm not angry."

His green eyes stared at her accusingly. "You're lying. You always look angry when Grammy calls or visits."

She pulled a face before leaning down to nuzzle his soft cheek. "I'm not angry. Just...frustrated. Do you know what that means?"

He shook his head, his brown locks flipping into his eyes. She smiled and pushed back his hair. "It means Grammy says something I don't like but I can't say anything about it."

"Oh," he said, frowning. "That's not good."

"No, it isn't," she agreed. "Do you know what else is not good?"

There was a knowing look in his eyes as he squirmed in her embrace. She had to stifle a chuckle. "No, Mommy."

"When my baby boy stays up after bedtime."

He pouted, stilling his struggle, and gave her his best puppy dog look. "But Mommy…"

She gave him a stern look, carrying him to his bedroom. "No buts, young man, except yours in bed. You have kindergarten tomorrow."

He sighed dramatically as she set him down, bouncing back and flopping down on the bed. It was cute, especially since he was wearing his Batman onesy. Regina pulled the covers up as he settled into bed before reaching up to push back his shaggy hair. He would need a haircut soon, she noted, running her hands through the soft brown locks.

"Mommy?" he asked, his eyes starting to close from her gentle action.

"Yes, Henry?"

"Can you tell me a story?"

"You need to go to bed," she said quietly.

His eyes opened, pleading despite the sleepy haze she could see he was struggling to push back. "Please? A short one."

"A short one, and straight to sleep with you, okay?"

He grinned in response and pointed at his small bookshelf across the room. She crossed the room and mulled over the choices before picking one and holding it up for him to see. "This one?"

He shook his head. "No. Fairytales."

She arched a brow. "None of those stories are short, dear."

Her response was even bigger puppy dog eyes. She rolled her own, acquiescing with a sigh, and picked up the heavy book of fairytales. "Where on earth did you learn to do that?"

He clapped quietly when she settled next to him on the bed, the book resting on her lap. There was a little bit of shuffling as he moved to her side. "Hanny from kindy always get into trouble and Miss Lily always scolds him about it so he does the eyes thing so she won't make him go sit in the corner."

"You really shouldn't be learning anything from Hanny," she said dryly, perusing the contents page for a short story. "He sounds like a troublemaker."

"Am I a troublemaker?" he asked, peering up at her. She ruffled his hair in response. "Yes, you're a terrible one."

He giggled, cuddling even more into her side. "What story are you gonna tell me?"

"Going to," she corrected, her eyes catching on one title. It wasn't short, far from it, but it sounded interesting enough. "I don't know. Which one do you think is best?"

"Hm." He sat up a little, closed his eyes and pointed at a random spot. Regina moved his finger out of the way and peered at the title. "Looks like we're reading Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs."

"Will you do the voices?" he asked sleepily, head resting against her chest.

"Of course," she said softly, reaching up to pull him closer. "Now, let's see. Once upon a time, in kingdom far away…"

"Seems like I dream about you a lot."

Regina whirled around and stared at the blonde woman leaning casually against a tree. "What are you doing here?"

Emma quirked a brow. "This is my dream. Better question is what are you doing here?"

"This is my dream," Regina retorted, crossing her arms.

"No, it's not."

"It, in fact, is."

"No. It's not."

"Yes, it is."

"Nuh uh."

"Ye - why am I arguing with you?" Regina snapped. "This is completely childish."

There was a smug grin on Emma's face. One that Regina felt the urge to smack off. "You started it."

"No, I didn't," she replied automatically then scowled. "And we are not doing this."

"Doing what?" Emma asked innocently although her lips were twitching in amusement. To Regina's horror, she felt her own move in response. She tamped down on the urge, not willing to show anything besides indignity at the woman.

"Enough of this," she growled, uncrossing her arms and stalking closer. "You're nothing but a figment of my imagination. You don't exist."

There was a sly look in the other woman's eyes as a wicked smile flitted around her lips. "Okay, let's go with that theory then. Why are you 'imagining' me? Did I leave that much of an impression?"

"This is ridiculous," Regina snapped.

"Yeah, probably," Emma agreed. She looked thoughtful. "Have to say, dream you seem to act the same as real you. You definitely left an impression on me."

"And what is that supposed to mean?"

"You sound as bitchy in my dreams as you are in real life."

Regina was speechless at the blunt and rude woman. How dare she!

"Cat got your tongue?"

"You rude, crass, miscreant of a person!"

"Ooh, that hurts." The woman pressed a hand to her chest, her face twisted in mock pain. "I'm so harsh on myself."

Regina had had enough. She wasn't about to take this sort of attitude even from a figment of her imagination. It would be horrifying if someone like that existed. "I don't need my sleep tainted by the likes of you."

"Ah, wait, wait," Emma said, stepping forward when Regina was about to turn away. "You still think this is your dream?"

Regina glared at her. "Of course this is my dream."

"How do you know that?" She held up a hand defensively. "And I'm legit curious here."

"This is the clearing in the woods behind my house," Regina said, after determining the woman was being genuine. "I used to play here a lot."

"By yourself?"

She stiffened. "Yes. What of it?"

"Nothing, nothing. Geez, you're pretty touchy, aren't you?"

"And you're infuriating."

"That's been said using less fancy words." Emma cocked her head, curiously. "Hey, here's an idea."

"No," Regina said immediately, earning her a playful scowl. "Whatever inane thing you're thinking of, I want no part of it. And it is still ridiculous that I'm speaking to you when you're me."

Emma rolled her eyes and huffed, sounding exasperated. "As I was saying before I was interrupted...how about we have a test? To see if this is real and not an actual dream?"

"That would imply there was some doubt on my part," Regina responded after tamping down her automatic 'hell no' to the idea. "Which I don't have, as a future reference."

"Yeah, yeah," Emma said, waving a dismissive hand. "But let's just test it, okay?"

Regina was reluctant, believing that if she indulged in what amounted to a sleeping delusion, she would have to submit herself to a psych eval. In the end, however, she decided that nobody needed to know about this. Just this once.

"Alright. What's this test?"

A/N: Hey guys! Thanks for the reviews, follows and faves! This chapter is a bit slow, as is the next one but, muse willing, it should pick up speed after that. Thanks for your patience in waiting for this chapter.

As a note, this AU!Henry is about five years old. No particular reason except that I can imagine baby Henry filled with adoration and love for mama Regina.

This story is unbeta-ed so all errors are on my part.