Authors Note: Thank the vodka for two updates in one day. Also, blame the vodka for a poorly constructed chapter. I guess I could've waited for tomorrow to post this but I just couldn't - not with knowing that it was sitting on my desktop waiting to be read. There's not a lot of dialogues in this chapter, it's more insight on both Regina and Emma's behalf. I look forward to hearing what you guys think!

Thanks again to all you followers, reviewers, and favorite-ers...it's because of you that I keep updating this fic.

Same story...I own nothing Once Upon A Time related...but I wish I did.

Chapter Seven: Sweet Dreams Are Made of Me

Regina laid in the very center of her lavish bed. The comforter was pulled up to her stomach, leaving her chest and arms exposed. For the better part of a half an hour, she had been struggling to find a comfortable sleeping position. The excitement dancing around in her body was to blame for her restlessness. She couldn't wait to set the next part of her plan in motion, far too eager to be rid of the Savior who threatened to break her curse. The curse she had sacrificed so much for. All she required now was patience. And patience was something the Queen was not blessed with an abundance of.

She wanted results, she wanted them now, and if it weren't for her body slowly shutting down from exhaustion, she would've been acting on her plans at this very moment. But sadly, fatigue weighed on her limbs like darkness over a haunted house. It was unavoidable. Just another annoying thing about a world without magic. No wonder it took people so long to accomplish anything in this dull land. Their bodies needed natural sleep and unfortunately for them, they didn't possess the ability to create potions strong enough to keep fatigue and exhaustion at bay for days at a time.

Tossing to her right side, Regina buried herself further under the comforter and closed her eyes, welcoming the darkness of sleep. It was only a moment, but she felt herself drifting further and further away from consciousness. Then an obnoxious beep brought her back to reality as her dark eyes scanned the room for the beeping perpetrator. She didn't have to look far though. Sitting atop one of the bedside tables was the cell phone which belonged to the Sheriff, screen still lit from receiving an alert. Groaning irritably, Regina rolled closer to the edge of the bed to reach the phone.

She squinted at the harsh LED screen, barely able to make out who the culprit behind the alert was. Regina grinned wickedly as she soon realized it was a response to the text she had sent to Mary Margaret not so long ago. She wondered for a moment why the schoolteacher was still awake at this hour. That seemed a little out of character for her. Unless you factor in Mary Margaret's pre-curse persona, then perhaps being awake so late wasn't such of a strange thing.

Regina bit her lip at this thought, but after a few seconds consideration, she dismissed any and all apprehensiveness about it. The curse was strong, yes, but it was completely logical if small slivers of the people they were back in the Enchanted Forest slipped through every now and again. Plus, Regina had a solution to the potential curse breaking problem. A solution that was currently sleeping in the room next to her. With a satisfied smile, Regina opened the message from Mary Margaret.

Emma don't do this. Don't run. I know you're scared and running was the solution you used in the past. But don't do it. I need you, we all need you…Henry needs you. Please come back and just talk to me.

Finding it difficult to resist the urge to type a message that says 'I hate you and I'm never coming back', Regina decided it'd be best to let the Saviors mother worry all night long about the woman who was the daughter she didn't know she had. There was just something so twisted and yet so pleasurable about her nemesis' silent suffering. It's that type of suffering that is so much more gratifying than ripping out her heart and squeezing the life out of it. Maybe because emotional pain are a worse fate than physical pain. After all, you can recover from pain, wounds heal; infections fester then dissipate. But emotional pain, that's a whole different story. Not even time can heal those wounds. And every time you try to treat an emotional wound, it just rips right open again. Over and over and over again. Eternal torment.

Regina fell asleep with the Sheriff's phone lying forgotten on the pillow next to her head. The phone itself was thankfully silent for the rest of the night.

Emma had been sitting on the edge of the bed, staring at the door for many minutes after Regina's departure. God damn that confounding woman. Why does she always have to speak in riddles? Things would be so much easier if she just said exactly what she intended to say instead. Jesus she was infuriating.

With nothing else to do but ponder on questions that she'd never get an answer to, Emma resigned herself to slipping underneath the covers and hoping that her dreams wouldn't be anything like the hallucinations she'd been having. From the moment her head hit the pillow, Emma knew it was going to be a tossing and turning sleepless kind of night. Though she was sure that if she didn't have a million questions bouncing around in her skull, sleep would have come incredibly easy. She had to admit, after an ice bath, she felt much more comfortable. Her skin was no longer burning nor was it covered in a sheen of perspiration. That was a most welcome change.

And hell, her body felt great. Light, nimble, but strong and balanced. A body capable of scaling the walls of the Mayor's manor with perfect grace until she found the window of Regina's bedroom. She could slip in agilely, stealthily, so not to make a sound. To take the Mayor by surprise…

Emma shook her head at the thought. Why did everything come back to the infuriating woman? Emma sighed and closed her eyes, making a mental catalogue of reasons why her mind insisted on thinking of the Mayor. Sure, Regina always weighed heavily on her mind but it was more because she was practically expecting for her to pop up around every corner. Regina's omniscient presence was unsettling and had kept her on edge from the very first day in Storybrooke. Emma thought about the events of the evening, starting with the Mayor's first appearance.

Well, Regina had certainly turned up at pretty much worst time – or the best depending on which way you look at it. What started out to be typical Mayor-Sheriff banter took a quick turn and it was the Mayor helping Emma when she couldn't help herself. Granted, she looked like a complete ass in front of Regina…but the Mayor understood. And that was weird.

She understood and refrained from being too bitchy. Well, that was new. Any time the Mayor had a chance to degrade Emma, she'd take it. No questions asked. But she had instead, opened her home to her as a place of refuge. She drew Emma a bath and held her when she was having a hallucination induced panic attack. Emma was naked, and Regina was there. And that red top. And what the hell was with her brushing through her hair as if Emma were a child. And that laugh.

Emma was stuck on one thought. That laugh. It was a sound sweeter than sugar and it was quite possibly the most beautiful laugh Emma had ever heard. Though she couldn't quite figure out why that was. So she laid there in bed, staring at the ceiling, not even realizing that she was grinning like a fool. Emma supposed, the reason she was so spellbound by something as simple as a laugh, was the fact that Regina never really laughed. She was always cold, aloof, never even cracking a genuine smile. But there she was, kneeling behind Emma's own body, running a brush through her hair as if it were the most normal thing in the world. Like they were best friends at a sleepover. And she laughed.

Emma decided that the laughter was something she liked. And she'd like to hear more of it. As she remembered the Mayor's final words to her before exiting the bedroom, everything started making just a bit more sense.

"Because things are not always what they seem to be at first glance, Miss Swan."

Maybe the dreaded Mayor Mills wasn't really as bad as people made her out to be. Maybe, she was just misunderstood. People are the product of their pasts. And maybe the Mayor had a past just as bad – if not worse – than Emma had. It would make sense. It would explain her callousness, her abrasiveness, and the fortified walls surrounding her as if she were Fort Knox; locked up tight.

Regina had opened herself up just a bit. She probably didn't even know it. But if there was one thing Emma was very adept at, it was reading people. For Regina to relinquish her power-clothes and opt for something far from authoritative, made her believe that Regina didn't feel the need to assert her power during their interaction. The gentle gestures Regina had made, feeling her forehead and brushing her hair, both were unnecessary. And both women knew that. But unnecessary as they were, they were also very much welcomed. Such things seemed to come naturally to Regina, though Emma never would have guessed it. She imagined Regina to rule her household much like she did Storybrooke; with ruthlessness and unwavering discipline.

However natural ruthlessness came to Regina, tenderness come just as naturally. And Emma was once more reminded that there must an unfathomable depth to Regina. Maybe even deeper and darker than the Marianas Trench. That was part of the allure…part of the desire. The desire to give Regina the chance to be known. The desire to be the person that knows Regina. She was sure there would be a lot of pain, darkness, and misery. But hell, as the old saying goes, misery loves company, and between herself and the Mayor, there was plenty of misery to go around.

At some point in the night, not too long after lying down on the extraordinarily comfortable pillow, Emma had fallen asleep.

She watched from midway up the hill as a beautiful brunette girl, with perfectly plaited hair, came galloping over on a magnificent chestnut steed. She jumped from the beast as he was still slowing to a canter and ran to a man waiting patiently underneath a huge tree. They embraced. They were talking animatedly, though Emma couldn't hear the exchange of words. And then from somewhere across the field there came the shrill cry of a child.

From over one of the hills, further away, came a stampeding horse carrying a frightened girl in its saddle. The plait-haired brunette was on her horse again, chasing down the wild mare with the screaming child. Her own steed caught up with younger girl's so fast it was almost unbelievable. Stretching a hand out to the kid, the brunette pulled her onto her own horse and slowed as quickly as possible. Emma ran over to the girls as quickly as her feet would allow. By the time she reached the scene, the brunette and the child were smiling at one another, completely oblivious to Emma's presence.

"My name is Snow…Snow White," The young girl spoke with all the delicacy of freshly bloomed flower.

The older woman, smiled at the child. "Mine's Regina."

Emma blinked in astonishment. But when she opened her eyes, things were completely different. She was in a stable, standing beside a young man as he stroked the mane of one of the horses with expert precision. The stable doors came bursting open, and the brunette – Regina – came running in. She threw her arms around the man and kissed him passionately. And when they pulled away, both Regina and the stable boy looked in each other's and eyes confessed their love for one another. Regina wrapped her arms around the man once more and gave him a chaste kiss on the cheek before rushing out of the doors just as quickly as she came in.

"What a tease," Emma said, jabbing the man in the ribs with her elbow. He didn't notice. He just smiled at Regina's retreating form. Emma sighed and walked out of the doors of the stable. Wishing to know the mystery man's name, Emma turned around to ask him but gasped audibly as she was met with an image of the man and Regina locked in a loving embrace once more.

They looked at her with surprise and horror on their faces. Emma didn't know why, but she turned and ran. There was something about that embrace, something so personal, something she felt she wasn't supposed to see. Embarrassed and unable to say anything, Emma just ran as fast as she could.

It was dark, and cold. But Emma kept running. She heard her name being shouted from somewhere behind her.

"Snow! Wait!"

My name isn't Snow! Why am I being called Snow!? But she didn't stop, not even to think about that. She just kept running until she came to the outskirts of a forest. Continuing along the muddy path, Emma ran. She glanced over her shoulder to see if she as still being followed and saw Regina speeding after her, calling her name over and over. Regina was gaining ground quickly, and with one last wind of energy, Emma willed her feet to carry her even faster. Though all she managed to do was trip and fall face first in the dirt. Within seconds, Regina was on top of her.

"Snow! Are you okay?" Regina questioned with fear in her voice.

She looked so young. So pretty. So innocent.

"No. No. Why were you kissing that man in the stable? You're to marry my father. You're to be my mother." Emma answered before even thinking about it, eyes filling with tears as she looked upon the face of a younger Regina.

"Oh, Snow, please. Listen to me. Hey. Your father, King Leopold, he's a kind and fair man… But I don't love him."

"I don't understand. Why not?" Emma begged to understand.

"Love doesn't work that way. Love, true love, is magic. And not just any magic – the most powerful magic of all. It creates happiness."

"And that man in the stables… You love him?" Emma felt like she had just been let in on one of the biggest secrets ever. Love could do that? She pondered on this thought and dreamed up a man, her own Prince Charming that would be her true love. The one that would be responsible for her happiness.

"With all my heart."

The ground opened up and swallowed Emma whole. She plummeted at an incredible speed, narrowly avoiding tree roots and falling debris during her descent. Emma opened her mouth to scream but the sheer velocity of her fall prohibited any sound from escaping. She was falling right towards a huge rock protruding from the wall of the hole she was falling through. So fast, so close, she was about to make contact with the boulder. Emma quickly shielded her face as the rock collided with her shoulder blade. The force of the collision flipped her over so that she was now falling, face first towards the bottom of a seemingly endless hole.

Keeping her eyes open was becoming incredibly difficult. Each time she opened them, the force of the air dried them out so much that she quickly closed them again. Emma was reaching out with her arms, desperate to grab ahold of something – anything – to stop or at least slow her descent into…god only knows what. After minutes of panic-stricken groping, she had come up empty handed. Just how long had she been falling? How far? She had no idea.

Attempting to open her eyes once more, she saw a brilliant light. Warm, welcoming…comforting. She wasn't scared anymore, she felt relieved. There was something more than an eternal vortex of darkness. She fell into the light with a smile on her face.

Emma gasped and shot straight up in bed. Her heart was pounding a mile per minute and her breathing came in overexerted pants. The thin layer of sweat had returned to coat her skin once more. It took a long time to get her breathing under control and once she finally did, Emma looked around the unfamiliar room, completely forgetting for a moment that she was in Regina's house.

"Regina…" Emma whispered to the empty room. She then shook her head in disbelief. "I've been spending way too much time indulging Henry in all this Operation Cobra business," Emma laughed at herself, laying an arm across her head and closing her eyes once more.

In the next room, Regina was wide awake. She had allowed herself only the necessary amount of sleep to rejuvenate her mind. And when she awoke, the blonde was sleeping just as deeply as Henry was. It was habit to check in on Henry, no matter what time she awoke during the night. Some might say it's overprotective, but Regina just wanted to make sure he was safe. Though she highly doubted anyone would be stupid enough to try to abduct him in the middle of the night from her house. And that same habit extended to the blonde in the room just down the hallway.

When she saw that Sheriff Swan was sleeping so peacefully, Regina knew how easy it would be to invade and control her dreams. She didn't want to, not at first, but then she thought about how much easier it would be this way; to show her the things she so desperately wanted to say but just couldn't find it in herself to do so. It was too painful to relive the memories over and over. Not to mention each time she visited these particular memories, her hatred for Snow grew greater and greater.

Letting her hatred for Snow White get the best of her, Regina wasted no time infiltrating the mind of the sleeping Sheriff. To show Emma her story. Through her eyes. To make Emma see. To make her understand.

Regina briefly touched Emma's forehead and imagined the exact moment she wanted Emma to see. She felt her powers tingling underneath her flesh as they osmosed from her fingertips into Emma's brain.

"Sweet dreams, Savior," Regina whispered and placed her lips gently on the crown of Emma's head.

It had only been about a half hour or so when Regina heard the blonde stirring about in the room next to hers. She smiled in satisfaction upon hearing the blonde blame her dreams on Henry's storybook.