A/N: Short chapter, I'm sorry. It's been sitting in my drive for a while and I couldn't get beyond what I had so I decided to post it as is.
Mistakes are mine, mine, mine. Please refer me to them if you find any. Review or comment, if you wish and happy reading!
Regina woke to silent tears streaming down her face. She rolled over onto her side and curled up, forcing herself to not make any noise. Her gaze rested on the blank white wall as she tried desperately to subdue the feeling of panic and fear that had carried over from the dreams. Being held down like that…
A tiny sob escaped despite her efforts so she pressed her fist against her mouth, somehow hoping it would stop the noise.
There was a tentative knock on her door before a crack of light spilled in from the opened door. "Mommy?"
She tried to subtly wipe away traces of her tears before sitting up, a watery smile on her face. "Henry. What are you doing out of bed?"
"I had to go potty," he said, shuffling inside once he had confirmed that she was, indeed, awake.
"And you can't go back to sleep," she finished gently. She reached down and pulled him up beside her, tucking him under the sheets. "Want me to tell you a story?"
He shook his head, a lock of hair falling into his eyes. She brushed it away with a small smile. "Can you sing, Mommy? I like your voice when you sing."
"Alright. What song do you want me to sing?"
"A song for my son!"
Regina was surprised. "That's an odd song choice. Why would you pick that?"
"You were singing it and I asked Miss Lowell what it was. She said it was A Song for my Son." He looked suddenly unsure and fiddled with the edge of the sheet. "We can sing something else."
She pressed a hasty kiss to his forehead. "No, no, we can sing this song. I was just surprised."
His expression brightened and he smiled widely at her. "Okay."
Regina cleared her throat before beginning, her voice low and melodious. "I don't where the time has gone, since those little boy days. Doesn't seem that long."
Henry snuggled into her arms, trying to hum along with her singing. She smiled. "Yet here you are, it's your wedding day, and there's one thing, darling, I'd like to say…"
"What's that, Mommy?" he asked, sleepily, his voice muffled by her pajama shirt.
She stifled her laughter, hugging him closer. "Be kind, be sweet, be a gentle man. Care and share and always be fair. And remember now that you have taken a wife. Or husband," she added. Henry giggled slightly but it was a slow one. She pulled back a bit to see his eyes fluttering close. Pressing a kiss against his head, she closed her own eyes. With Henry with her, perhaps she wouldn't dream tonight and suffer through that experience again. "You will always be my son...my loving son...good night, Henry."
"Night, Mommy."
You'll always be my baby boy, she promised silently as she drifted off to sleep, holding and being held close by her son.
Emma stared up at the ceiling, a morose frown marring her face. She had woken up soon after Regina had disappeared from the dream and had remain in bed, loudly chastising herself. Whether or not the Regina in her dream was the real one, she had seriously overstepped her boundaries, forcing the woman into a vulnerable position.
She'd apologize tomorrow night. That is, if Regina would show up after how she had behaved.
"Mills! You off medical leave yet?"
Regina straightened in her chair as her team leader approached, a file in his hand. There was a tiny burst of hope as her eyes alighted on it. Please be a case.
"Officially off medical leave, sir. As of this morning." She reined in her hope and put on her best professional expression. "Doctor Lee approved it."
"Good." He handed her the file with a curt, "Meeting's at two in room 32B. Don't be late."
"Yes, sir."
She flipped open the file as soon as he disappeared. There were three sheets of paper in total, two of which detailed her mission and the third covering a list of names. She recognised a few of them but most of them were unfamiliar. She blinked as she read through the list again.
The name 'Emma Swan', in bold and underlined, stared up at her.
"You said we had to stay away from the city until things cleared up."
"Yes, I did. And we're going to remain absent from Boston. It's just you that I need."
"For what?" Emma asked, stomping her shoes to get rid of the mud from her boots before slipping them off. She had gone outside to check the perimeter of her properties and had slipped, falling and sliding into a ditch. Ass sore and body covered in filthy mud, she had finished her check and went back to the cabin in a foul temper. It didn't help when Gold had called and demanded she return to Boston.
"An item that I forgot to pack with me."
"I'm gonna need a bit more than 'an item', Gold." She shrugged out of her coat, leaving it in a heap at the front door. "I'm good at finding things but not that good."
There was an irritated sigh on his end. "A floppy disk, Miss Swan. It's blue and has 'E.G.' written on the label."
"A floppy disk." Emma tried to keep the laughter from her voice but the chilly silence on the other end told her she had failed. "Who keeps floppy disks anymore?"
"I've had my contacts arrange for a day when there are few Enforcers patrolling," Gold said, ignoring her little jibe, voice smooth and calm. "You have Friday and Saturday to retrieve it."
"What's so important about it anyway? And why those two days?" She sat on one of the stools in the kitchen, not willing to sit on anything else before cleaning up. There was a patch of dried mud on her cheek and itched like crazy. She scratched at it.
"None of your business, Miss Swan. Friday and Saturday will be busy days since it's the weekend. You'll have a better chance of slipping in and out without being detected or caught. I expect you to call me once you're out of the city with the item."
"Wait. How am I-"
The dial tone answered her, Gold having hung up. She huffed in irritation. Always had to have the last word.