This is essentially the fluffiest thing I have ever written, and it's still kind of angsty in the beginning because I can't do straight sugary fluff, but still. Slight cavity warning - but I think you'll enjoy it.
Also, remember this is set after Zelena is defeated, but the finale never happened (I've pretty much erased it from my memory at this point).
Regina spun around, straining her eyes to see into the darkness. Shrieks and screams sounded all around her, but there was nothing that she could see. Heart pounding, she chose a random direction and started walking.
Almost immediately, she felt as if she was being followed. Glancing behind her, she saw nothing but the swirling blackness. Unable to shake the feeling, she began to go faster, panting heavily in terror as she struggled to find her way.
"Uh!" She cried out as she tripped and fell to the ground, pain shooting up her knees. As she made contact, the blackness was suddenly driven away by an ugly green light, forcing her to close her eyes from the sudden brightness. Blinking away tears, she looked up and gasped.
Her mother stood in front of her looking regal and imposing, wearing her favorite red dress and a disappointed look on her face. "Just look at you. Such a useless daughter."
Regina felt her throat constrict, but before she could respond, someone else stepped out from behind Cora, wearing a dark green gown.
Zelena.
Regina's mind raced, confused and unable to speak. The two women in front of her were dead, they had no power over her. Yet she found herself paralyzed.
Bringing a hand up to cup Zelena's cheek, Cora spoke once more. "You've met my firstborn, haven't you dear? So much more potential than you ever showed."
"I did my best mother." Regina growled out.
Cora scoffed. "Your best? Regina, your best was cursing an entire world to a small town, demoting yourself from a Queen to a simple Mayor. The Savior broke the curse within months of her arrival in town. Now you're playing house with her? If this is your best, god forbid I ever see your worst." She turned to smile softly at Zelena. "Your sister has such immense ambition, she took what she wanted all on her own. Very impressive."
The redhead laughed softly and mockingly covered her cheeks. "Stop mother, you'll make me blush. Now," Zelena sneered down at Regina, "what are we going to do with her?"
"You'll get what you always wanted my dear. Her heart."
Regina gasped and tried to get up - to fight back - but with a wave of her hand, Cora had her held in place. Zelena walked forward and bent down slowly, bring her face within inches of Regina's. Moving suddenly, her hand shot forward and into Regina's chest, grasping her heart.
Regina sat frozen with wide eyes, powerless to do anything. Zelena watched as her younger sister choked in pain, preparing to yank her hand back. She paused for a moment before tilting her head even closer.
"Never bring your heart to a witch fight."
Regina jerked awake, one hand flying up to cover her mouth and the other settling over her beating heart, ensuring that it was still there. Her throat felt strained, as if she had been screaming. Panting rapidly, she tried to calm herself down before she passed out. It had been awhile since she had had a nightmare of this magnitude.
A noise outside her door made her freeze, the fear left over from her nightmare slowly building up again. Her mind was screaming at her to do something, defend herself. The door slowly crept open and a dark shape shuffled into her room.
Emma had been sleeping in the guest room right next door when she was awoken by a scream that had quickly been cut off. Still half asleep, she jumped out of bed and stood in the hallway for a moment before a whimper in the room next to hers pushed her into action. Creeping quietly into the room, she immediately noticed her pale and shaking mate alone on the bed, a terrified look on her face.
Emma let out a small shriek and rushed forward, picking up the brunette and sitting on the bed with her in her lap. Cuddling her close, she started running her hands through the short hair and humming quietly. She could feel little tremors working their way through her mates body and hugged the brunette closer, hoping to make her feel safe. Her eyes flicked around the room, searching for any signs of danger.
Regina was still shaken from her dream and unable to produce any protests. She didn't want to coddled or pitied, and struggled to make her body obey - but it seemed perfectly at home in Emma Swan's lap. Annoyingly, she could feel her heart rate slowing as if Emma commanded it. As the rushing in her ears dissipated, she became aware of a peculiar sound.
"Shhhh… shhh, kay." Emma had obviously learned a new trick. It sounded as if she was trying to say 'you're okay' with her limited vocabulary. Regina shifted so she could look up at Emma's face, taking in the lightly glowing green eyes that were peering around the room. Emma noticed her gaze and focused on her face, removing the hand that was combing through Regina's hair to cup her cheek.
"Kay?" Emma's voice was quiet and soothing, and the humming hadn't dissipated, coming from the blondes chest and radiating throughout Regina's body, coaxing her breathing to calm down.
Feeling completely out of her element, Regina reached out a hand and awkwardly patted Emma on the shoulder. "I'm fine, thank you." Watching as the blonde's face lit up with happiness at the praise, she felt even more confused.
This wasn't her usual reaction to a nightmare - usually her panic escalated to a full blown panic attack and nothing - breathing exercises, medication, alcohol - could stop it from coming.
She tried to find the will to conjure a fireball, thinking that she should probably get Emma away from her. That was how she was supposed to react. But frankly, she was tired and still feeling very weak.
And it was very warm in Emma's arms.
She couldn't remember the last time she had been held like something precious. So while the little voice in the back of her mind - the one that sounded suspiciously like her mother - was bemoaning her weakness, Regina decided to enjoy it while it lasted. She unconsciously curled closer into Emma's warmth as the chill of the room broke through her adrenaline haze.
Emma took note of the closer contact and began to rock back and forth, thinking the brunette was still frightened. The humming increased in frequency, sounding almost like a purr. The blonde couldn't help feeling some pride as she felt her mate's body relax into her. Obviously whatever demons had been bothering the brunette had been chased away.
The pair sat in silence for awhile, Regina floating somewhere in between awake and asleep, shutting off her mind for a few quiet moments. She was suddenly thrown from her warm haven when Emma abruptly jumped up, depositing her back on the bed and stepping away. Regina looked up at her, a pit forming in her stomach. What had she done?
She only relaxed when Emma stayed in the room, walking around and looking behind and under everything. Leaning back on the headboard, she watched as Emma hunted for a non-existent monster.
The blonde was extremely thorough, going so far as to open the balcony doors and check the shadows for a mystery assailant. She wondered if the monster had escaped while she had comforted her mate and momentarily regretted it. She quickly shook the feeling off, knowing that nothing was more important than her mate feeling safe and cared for.
Regina finally calmed down fully, and her eyes began to droop. She needed to send Emma back to her room, and reluctantly climbed out of her warm bed. Grabbing onto Emma's wrist, she tried to drag the other woman out of the room. However, instead of following her lead like usual, Emma gently extracted her hand and herded Regina back to her bed.
Continuing to gently press Regina onto the bed, Emma resumed making her usual series of grunts and growls, have exhausted her linguistic repertoire earlier. After ensuring that the brunette was covered up and tucked in, Emma returned to the doorway and simply stood there, apparently prepared to keep watch for the night.
Regina remained on her bed, staring at the dark shape that Emma made. Though her earlier confusion remained, she felt oddly… safe with the blonde watching over her. No one had ever cared enough to do that before, not even her own father.
The realization made her scowl, and guilt crept at the edges of her conscious thought. If she wasn't so damn weak, Emma wouldn't have to stand guard. She wasn't sure what to do about that - She didn't think that Emma would leave if she asked, and if she was truthful, Regina wanted her to stay.
She wasn't sure about a lot of things right now. She wasn't sure if the feelings she was coming to realize were just wishful thinking on her part, prompted by Snow's earlier observations, or if they were legitimate. They felt real, but she had never truly noticed them until Snow had mentioned it. Now they were all she could think about.
She also wasn't sure if Emma even returned her feelings or if they had manifested from the curse. It was true, Emma had spent a lot of time around her lately, but never indicated that she considered Regina to be anymore than a friend or co-parent.
Letting out a huff, she flipped onto her back and stared at the ceiling. She never once considered it would be Emma Swan that would reawaken her old wishes, but there they were, front and center. The desire to be held, to be cared for. To love and be loved. The possibilities were spinning within her mind, unable to be verbalized.
Sighing heavily, she closed her eyes and tried to empty her mind of her worries. There was no use in thinking about this until Emma was cured. She may be concerned about nothing - Emma may wake up and she would realize that the feelings were a result of the situation at hand.
Quite a while later, Regina finally fell asleep mid thought, utterly exhausted after the stress of the last two days.
-SQ-
Screwing her eyes shut, Regina tried in vain to stave off the flutterings of consciousness. She was warm and cozy, and felt truly rested for the first time in a while. There was a comforting weight at her back and she instinctively burrowed into its warmth.
Wait a minute… Regina froze in place, heart beginning to race. Her mind was still dulled with sleep, but she knew that she went to bed alone. She slowly opened her eyes, turning her head to look behind her.
Emma's head was directly behind her on the pillow, her body curled around the brunette's like a cat. The blonde had crawled into bed just as the first rays of dawn began to appear. Nearly fainting with exhaustion after her self-imposed guard duty, she had briefly wondered if this was a bad idea, before promptly passing out on top of the covers. Throughout the night, she had subconsciously moved closer to Regina, seeking warmth and comfort.
Regina watched for a few minutes, listening to the blonde's soft snores - more of a snuffling sound really. She was trying desperately to stir up some of her old anger towards Emma, and failing miserably. She should probably push the blonde out of her bed, perhaps throw some fireballs to achieve the desired effect. This was not okay.
But Emma looked very tired.
Regina let her head flop back down onto her pillow and blew out a heavy sigh. How could this have happened over just a few days? Was she so far in denial that she couldn't even recognize her own feelings anymore? Had she fallen so far into the darkness that she no longer knew her own heart?
Just a few days ago, had she found Emma in her bed, the blonde would have been roasted where she lay. Now, Regina found herself creeping quietly from the bed, doing her best not to jostle her. "If she wakes up, then I will have to deal with her. Best to let her sleep," Regina tried to reason with herself - but she still felt guilty that she was the reason the normally hyperactive woman was so exhausted.
Slipping on a robe, she turned at the doorway and looked back at Emma one last time. Shaking her head at herself, she began to walk downstairs to prepare breakfast.
"Gods, I need a drink."
This was finished earlier, but between laptop issues, a vacation with very little access to the internet, and general life stress, I had to wait to post it. Sorry about that!
I hope you guys enjoyed it, its shorter than previous chapters have been, we are going to be making some more progress with prompts next chapter. Reminder to give me prompt ideas if you have them, even if they are small. Also, reminder that I occasionally post things on my Tumblr at sammy431.
Please leave a review and let me know what you thought! Reviews make me want to write more, especially when I get to have such lovely conversations with some of you.
