Thanks everyone for the reviews on this! Didn't expect so much enthusiasm for this story... And now it will be 5 chapters to add prompt 7 of #ECweek5 to the end!

Prompt 3: Bed sharing

Chapter 2: Nightmare

Granny went over the evening meal plan with the staff when an panicked Ruby entered the kitchen area. "Come quickly!" The old wolf frowned. "It's Regina." Granny didn't ask any questions and followed her granddaughter to the tower where they had been keeping Regina prisoner for the last three months.

The winter had come early and David and the dwarves had been called to the northern sides of the Kingdom to help villages survive the harsh conditions. A snow storm had taken the palace by surprise a couple of days ago, leaving a white blanket on the ground in its wake. "Hold on, child!" Granny was panting, unable to keep up with Red.

Red turned around. "It's Regina. She isn't waking up. Her fever spiked during the night."

Granny cursed under her breath. The former Evil Queen had started coughing a few days ago and despite blocking the window with wood, the drafty cell's temperature plummeted every night. Granny had tried to reason with David to bring the woman into the castle but the King had ignored each of her requests. Granny understood that David was blaming himself for Snow's death, but taking his frustration out on Regina only made her more withdrawn.

Even though Regina still didn't remember anything after Leopold's proposal, the Evil Queen had started rearing her ugly head. Regina was becoming more detached everyday. Her once kind and warm eyes had turned cold. Granny wasn't surprised: Regina was being punished for a crime she didn't remember.

The old wolf often wondered whether her life in Leopold's castle had been like living in a golden cage. Leopold had taken her freedom to choose much like David had. And now they were the ones breeding the monster.

Granny followed Red as the younger woman climbed the stairs leading to Regina's cell two at a time. They were both familiar with the dimly lit staircase, having spent hours with Regina, trying to keep her from her dark thoughts. Red had been opposed to the idea at first but after Granny had forced her to bring Regina her meals for a week, she had found that she enjoyed Regina's company - more than she should have. For the past three weeks, Red had spent her afternoons with their prisoner, playing games and catching Regina up on the latest gossips.

As soon as they entered the cell, Granny knew they would have to act fast. Regina was drawing shallow, raspy breaths. Her eyes were open but unfocused as if she already had a foot in the afterworld. The old woman sat on the bed near Regina and placed her hand on the woman's arm. She gasped in shock: her arm was freezing cold. She turned toward the guard standing in the jail door frame. "We need to get her to the main part of the castle."

"I can't do that without express order from the King."

"If we don't get her to a warm bed, she will die. You know as well as I do that she isn't the Evil Queen. Do you really want her death on your conscience?" When the man didn't move, Granny stood up. "Fine, we'll take her ourselves." She challenged. "Red, help me carry Regina."

As the brunette prepared to help her grandmother, the guard cut through and lifted Regina into a firearm embrace. "You'll explain this to the King." He warned.

"I intend to." Granny wrapped blankets around Regina.

"Daniel…" The brunette murmured.

Granny kissed Regina's forehead affectionately. "We're going to take good care of you, honey."

ECECEC

David was furious. Upon his return from the northern villages, his captain of the guards had informed him of Granny's decision to move Regina to the western wing. As he made his way towards the bedchambers, David clenched and unclenched his fists in attempt to keep his temper in check. What had the old wolf been thinking?

He entered the room without knocking, making Granny jump at the intrusion. She was sitting up on the bed next to a pile of blankets that David guessed were covering Regina. He gasped at the stifling warmth of the room. The three fireplaces had been lit and piles of wood had been accumulated near the earth. "What…" He started in a harsh tone.

"Shhh…." Granny shushed him sternly. "She's just fallen back asleep."

Stunned, David's gaze moved to the woman holding Granny's hand. She was as pale as the sheets and her labored breathing told David she was far from being out of the woods. A warm compress had been placed on her chest, an old folk remedy he had seen his mother used when he or his father had fallen sick. "What is she doing here?" He whispered between clenched teeth.

"Recovering." Granny answered before placing a feather in-between the pages of the book she had been reading to Regina. "She would have died in her cell."

"And?" David asked her.

"She is a human being, David. She is not the Queen! The woman you're punishing is not the one who has committed all these crimes!"

"We've been over this before and we've decided…"

"No." Granny interrupted. "YOU have decided to punish Regina because you can't punish Blue, you're already mad at yourself and you can't even fathom blaming Snow for what happened. It was a risky plan."

David clenched his jaw. "Never, do you hear me, never blame Snow for what happened! It wasn't her fault!"

"And it wasn't Regina's either! Nor yours or Blue! You need to stop blaming yourself and lash out on her! She didn't do anything to you! We have a chance to start over with Regina. Don't you think it's a chance we should take?"

"And when she remembers who she is? Then what?"

"Then you'll have the woman responsible for these crimes. I won't stand in the way of your decision."

David looked at Granny and the woman sleeping next to her on the bed. "Fine… she can stay here until she's recovered. Then, we'll discuss what to do with her."

Granny sighed but took the small victory. "Since you're here, do you mind staying with her while I go make another compress?"

David rolled his eyes in exasperation. But before he could tell Granny that he did, in fact mind, she had gotten up from the bed and thrusted the book in his hands. "Read to her. It keeps her calm. She knows that someone is here with her."

The King gave her an incredulous look but before he could argue, Granny was already gone. He shook his head and placed the book at the foot of the bed, unwilling to spend another second with the Queen. However, the small whimpers stopped him from leaving. Regina was squirming on the bed, only making her breathing worse.

Despite his best judgement, David grabbed the book and took Granny's place on the bed. "You're ok." He told Regina before taking her hand. The contact seemed to appease the woman slightly and for the first time, David wondered whether Granny and Jiminy were right. The woman sleeping on the bed wasn't the same evil sorceress he had spent the better part of the year fighting alongside Snow. He made himself comfortable as he resumed reading where Granny had left off.

"... So sudden was it, and so unexpected, that Buck was taken aback." David felt a small pressure on his hand and he turned his attention to the brunette next to him. Regina was awake and her eyes betrayed her fear. She was too weak to escape the man who had tried to kill her and had imprisoned her for no apparent reason.

It was then that David realized that he had been no better than Regina had. The Evil Queen had taken pleasure in torturing her victims and in seeing the fear in the villagers' eyes if they were unlucky enough to cross path with her when she was having a bad day. And deep down, David had enjoyed knowing that he was subjecting her to the same fear. He wasn't proud of his actions.

Granny was right. They had a second chance with Regina. They had a chance to do right by her. "Hey…" He said softly, caressing the back of her hand with his thumb in an attempt to soothe her anxiety. "You're ok. Granny is going to be right back."

He watched as Regina relaxed on the bed. He tucked the blanket around her more snuggly and resumed reading to her the book Granny had selected.

ECECEC

David knocked on the heavy oak doors leading to Regina's bedchambers. In the past two weeks, he had grown closer to her and they often spent part of the afternoon together, reading their favorite books to each other. Today was David's turn and he had chosen a story he knew Regina would love.

"Come in," came her voice.

David entered her bedchambers and was surprised to find her sitting in an armchair next to one of the fireplaces. "Hi." She greeted with a smile.

"You're up!" He came to sit on the other armchair facing her.

Regina nodded. "My father came to visit." She was wheezing slightly, betraying the fact that she hadn't fully recovered from her pneumonia. "Thank you."

"You're welcome." After many discussions with Granny and Jiminy, David had finally allowed Henry to come and visit Regina. But his greatest fear had remained: would seeing her father on a regular basis trigger Regina's memories?

Regina's breathing became more labored as she re-positioned herself in the armchair. "He brought me new books." Regina pointed to the small pile on the nearby table.

"And I've brought you my favorite one!" David smiled at her. "But I think it's time for you to lie back down." He announced as he stood. Regina didn't fight him as he slowly walked her back to her bed.

"What did you bring?" She asked as David was helping her on the bed.

Once she was settled comfortably on the pillow, David answered her. "It was my favorite book as a child. My mother used to read it after dinner."

"What is it about?" Regina asked while David walked back to the fireplace to retrieve the volume.

"A little girl who finds a wounded wild horse and nurses him back to health."

Regina smiled at him and lifted her covers up, inviting David to join her in bed. David climbed on the bed next to the beautiful brunette and wrapped one arm around her. Regina settled her head on David's shoulder and watched as he opened the book on his raised knees.

Regina was sound asleep after the first page. David repositioned her in a more comfortable position and just watched her sleep. Her features were relaxed and she looked innocent. She was innocent. He reminded himself. David closed the book and rested his head on top of Regina's. Soon, he started dozing on and off.

David woke when Regina began stirring in his arms. "No… please, no!" She begged in her sleep.

"Regina!" David shook her gently to raise her from her nightmare. "You're ok. You're safe here." When she began trashing in his arms, David shook her more forcibly. "Regina, wake up!"

Regina's eyes shot open. She was breathing hard and she was drenched in sweat. "No…" She whispered again.

David held her into a warm embrace, whispering soothing nonsense in her ear. When her breathing finally came back to normal, David released her. "You're ok? It was just a nightmare."

"It felt so real." Her voice was small.

"What were you dreaming about?" David resumed rubbing her back.

"I was in a village. I was dressed in black and yelling. I was mad but I didn't know about what. Suddenly my hands were on fire…"

David swallowed hard. His heart was racing in his chest: had the dreaded moment finally come? Had Regina started to remember who she really was? "Do you have those nightmares often?"

Regina nodded. "They started about two weeks ago. Just before I got sick."

David closed his eyes but a lone tear managed to escape. He was about to lose the woman he had learned to care for in the past couple of weeks; the woman who had managed to take some of his pain away. Soon, there wouldn't be any more care-free afternoons spent in bed with a book. Soon, he would have to make a decision he no longer was capable of making.