"Why here?" the husky tones dance across the small space between them.
"Why not?" is the only reply before the blonde lets out a cross between a laugh and a squeal of excitement that reminds Regina so much of when Henry was a child discovering a new place for him to hide in the mansion whilst his mother feigned confusion at the clear sight of his feet poking out from the bottom of her drapes or behind a slim lamp.
The splash of water close by was enough to pull her from her memories…they were Emma's now and she had given up her claim to them some time ago. She shouldn't be here, she knew she shouldn't but it couldn't be helped…it wasn't a choice so much as it just was.
The first time the brunette had allowed herself to sleep only to fall into a dark abyss as she was pulled towards some sort of light, she thought they had gotten to her in her sleep, that they had finally realised they couldn't live with knowing that this was all her fault and so had snapped and relented in smothering her in her sleep…seeing Emma was therefore even more of a shock.
The blonde didn't know who she was, couldn't know who she truly was but every now and again she would fill her dreams. They were strange, they felt real, the places they went were like the illustrations she used to find in the foster families stash of children's books. They were made on pure imagination yet she couldn't help but feel an odd sense of familiarity with the places. Things seemed to be where she remembered them..but that was preposterous, she could have 'remembered' them, she'd just imagined them…
She could smell it as well, the dusky night air, the damp wood that lay close to the lake she often frequented, it's waters reflecting an odd sort of dancing light that came from nowhere and everywhere…she could smell her. Always.
She could almost taste the vanilla and apples hanging from the essence of the woman, could always feel her dark eyes tracking everyone of her movements with a strange sort of awe and wonderment running through her. It was strange yet completely welcomed by the blonde for she held the same fascination with the mystery brunette. "Who are you?"
Regina's lips turned up in recognition of the question, the same one that made its way into every unconscious meeting of theirs, the same one she would never answer and Emma knew this yet she couldn't help but ask. "It is of no great importance" came the usual reply.
"Ah, but that is where you are wrong" Regina laughed softly as blonde hair shone a dark gold upon spreading behind the now floating woman in the lake. The brunette couldn't help but lower herself onto the bank, allowing her bare feet and calves to slip into the cool, tranquil liquid. "It is of great importance to some"
Dark eyebrows rose in question and, as always, Emma couldn't shake the sense of deja vu that the expression never failed to evoke within her.
"It is of great importance to me."