Dreamscape

by B of Ericaland

AU Every night when Queen Emma falls asleep she becomes Emma Swan, or is it the other way around? When she meets beautiful Regina in both worlds simultaneously, she begins to question all she's ever believed.

6. But in Your Eyes I'm a Queen

DISCLAIMER:: do not own but wish i did

A/N:: another update for everyone, as i feel bad about neglecting my other stories. but my finger has finally healed enough that i am able to get back to writing brand new chapters, so fragmented should get a new update soon, as well as more updates for this one, and with a little luck the conclusion of never gonna be alone. hope everyone enjoys the chapter, the storybrooke ones are the easier of the two to write... i've always been better with confrontation and angst over romance, but i'm excited to get to the next fairytale land chapter, so without further ado... enjoy and review.

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-Chapter 5: But in Your Eyes I'm a Queen-

Emma looked at the empty spot next to her in bed and tried to will the tears away. She touched the empty space, every part of her wishing Regina were there. She sighed and got up from the bed. If she could make it through today, she'd get another day with Regina. She had to look at it that way or else she'd go crazy. She searched the room for her clothes and noted that this situation wasn't going to work. She couldn't live at Granny's Bed and Breakfast forever with only two changes of clothes that she'd thought to throw in the trunk of her car before bringing the kid back.

She couldn't return to Boston either. A part of her feared that now that she'd found Storybrooke, if she left she'd lose it again. She couldn't risk that. Not until her twenty eighth birthday. After she'd made her choice, then she could leave, but not a day before. There was also the matter of her challenge to the mayor. It would ring pretty hollow if she claimed to be a patient woman and then left town the next day. For three and a half more weeks, Storybrooke would have to be her home. All of a sudden Mary Margaret's offer seemed that much more appealing. She decided to make a stop by the school and discuss it with her over lunch after she made a couple other stops first.

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The bell tinkled over the door as she pushed into Granny's.

"Emma!" A small figure slammed into her legs and arms encircled her hips.

"Hey kid. What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be in school?"

"We start late on Wednesdays and my mom wanted to buy me hot chocolate." He motioned for Emma to come down to his level. Once she'd bent down, he leaned in close, his voice dropping to a whisper. "I think she's trying to get me on her side."

"Henry, go finish your hot chocolate."

Emma and Henry's heads both snapped up to find the subject of their conversation standing a couple feet away.

Henry looked at Emma and she gave him a nod and a slight nudge. He sulked off back to the booth where his drink was waiting.

Regina's eyes narrowed. "Miss Swan, may I speak with you outside?"

Emma sighed, knowing she was in for it, but she nodded. She turned and exited the diner, the precise click of heels against linoleum her only sign that the mayor was following her. She turned to confront the brunette the second they were both outside, but she was surprised when Regina grabbed her arm firmly, almost painfully, and directed her away from the diner.

"Don't want them overhearing you murdering me?"

"Hardly Miss Swan. I prefer to torture and maim. Ending it quickly isn't quite as gratifying and it doesn't get you any closer to the information you need to know."

Emma frowned, a look of disgust crossing her face. "You're serious? You really are one sadistic bitch, aren't you?"

Regina's deep smirk was her answer. The brunette finally released her when they were two doors down from the little diner.

"Do you mind telling me why you brought me all the way over here?"

Regina crossed her arms across her chest. "I'm giving you an opportunity, Miss Swan. I'm not fond of making allowances, for anyone, let alone strangers, but you've made a point of getting my attention. It is not easy to do and that's earned you a chance to explain."

"Explain what?" Emma raised an eyebrow. "I wasn't aware that I've been anything less than honest the whole time I've been here."

Regina tapped her heel impatiently, but said nothing.

Emma grinned. "You don't want to admit that I'm getting under your skin."

"I'm sure I have no idea what you are referring to."

Emma stepped closer, her grin only widening. "I'll bet you spent the whole night searching your memories, trying to figure out where our paths crossed, cursing yourself when you came up blank. Maybe you thought back even further, to a time before Storybrooke."

Regina narrowed her eyes, but she didn't shy away from the blonde being close to her. In fact, she rose to the challenge, stepping up until their faces were inches apart. "There is no time before Storybrooke, Miss Swan."

Emma smiled. "Keep telling yourself that Madam Mayor. Maybe your so wrapped up in this charade that you truly can't remember where it is you came from, but I do."

Regina's gaze was still searing and angry, but she was searching Emma's face intensely.

"Why don't you just ask me what it is you want to know, Madam Mayor? Ease your fears; I won't lie to you."

Regina finally took a step back, the anger rolling off her in waves. "I am not afraid of anyone Miss Swan, least of all you."

"I didn't say you're afraid of me. But you are afraid."

"And what, pray tell, terrifies me so?"

Emma leaned in close, her mouth inches from Regina's ear. "Losing control." She pulled back a little. "You just can't stand it that I know something you don't. Am I here to help you? Hurt you? Or maybe I'm just here to fuck with your head."

"That would not be wise, I can assure you."

Emma shrugged, leaning casually against the wall of the shop they were standing in front of. "You have no power over me."

"Why are you here Miss Swan?" Regina's expression was pulled tight; she was almost to her breaking point.

Emma pushed away from the wall. "Finally, a question. Not exactly the one you're burning to ask me, but it'll do for now. I'm here because Henry wants me here." She held up a hand to stop the objections that were getting ready to fly from the mayor's mouth. "But I'm also here because… I care about you."

"You don't even…"

"Know you?" Emma smirked. "You're not quite so certain of that anymore, are you?" She glanced over to the clock tower. She wanted to have gotten her coffee and be on her way by now. Well, so much for the caffeine boost. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I've got errands to run. Please say goodbye to Henry for me, Madam Mayor." She turned and set off down Main Street.

"Miss Swan?"

Emma turned back.

Regina was looking at her with an unreadable expression. Her eyes were black as midnight and distant. "Do you know who I am?"

Emma tilted her head, contemplating the woman who'd made her short time here much harder than it needed to be. Despite all that, despite the void she saw in her eyes, despite all the differences, she still saw the Regina from the Enchanted Forest. She knew they were the same person, just two separate pieces of the same soul. "I do." She nodded. "Forgive me if I do not bow," Emma closed the distance between them in three strides, "Your Majesty." She felt a small glimmer of satisfaction in the pit of her stomach at the look of shock on Regina's face and she let herself revel in it for a moment before she turned and stalked away.

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A paper ball flew through the air, narrowly missing her face and made a perfect arch down into a wastebasket next to an empty desk. She glanced into the room the projectile had come from and saw Sheriff Graham readying another paper missile. She stepped into his line of vision, holding her hands up in mock surrender. "Cease fire."

"Miss Swan." His feet fell from the desk as he tried to make himself look as if he were at least a little bit of a professional. "What… uh, what can I help you with?"

She stepped into his small office and looked around. Graham definitely had little to no organizational skills. His office was in utter disarray, papers and case files strewn on every free surface. However, it did appear that he was an excellent shot; his own wastebasket was filled to the brim with the paper projectiles. "Failed NBA dreams?" She raised a quizzical eyebrow and gestured towards the wastebasket with her head.

He looked down at it and grinned. "You should see me with darts."

Emma raised an eyebrow, leaning against the door frame with a cocky air. "I'm sure you give all these small town folk a run for their money, but you might find me a little more challenging. Pool and darts are two things I am considered pro at. I could beat you with my eyes closed."

Graham's eyes took on a playful sparkle. "We'll just have to see about that Miss Swan. You may find me a little more adept a marksman than you might think."

"I'm always up for a challenge. Name the time and place and we'll see who's top dog around here."

"Lost Boys Pub, down on Spruce. 7pm."

Emma nodded. "You're on."

Silence settled between them.

Emma cleared her throat. "I came to see you about the deputy position."

"You want to be my deputy?"

Emma nodded, pursing her lips in distaste. "I need a job if I'm going to be sticking around; my savings will last me awhile but not forever. And I'm hoping, maybe if I try and establish myself here, the mayor might take me somewhat seriously."

"Mayor Mills is…"

"Complicated? Difficult?" Emma scowled. "Yeah, I've gathered. But she's also important… to me." Emma shifted uncomfortably. It was one thing to feel something for Regina, it was another thing entirely to admit it out loud. "So, can I score an interview?"

"No need. The position's been open for quite a while. The editor of the newspaper is the only other applicant and, truth be told, I don't want another of the mayor's claws embedded in the Sheriff's office. The job's yours."

Emma grinned. "Great. Oh, just one thing."

Graham raised an eyebrow. "Uh oh, should I be worried?"

Emma rolled her eyes. "No. I just… can't work nights."

The corner of Graham's mouth turned up in the beginnings of a smile. "Need your beauty sleep?"

Emma gestured down the length of her body. "What can I say? It takes work to look this good."

Now it was Graham's turn to roll his eyes. "Fine, I get it, no nights… Deputy Swan."

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She stormed into the Sheriff's station, not caring that the slamming of the door against the wall and the furious click of her heels alerted Graham to her arrival.

He came out of his office to meet her, having already expected her to come chew him out. "Hello Mayor Mills."

"You hired her?" She slammed her purse down on the formerly unclaimed deputy's desk, a place that was now Emma Swan's territory, though except for a couple files stacked in one corner, it looked just as impersonal as it had that morning when it had been vacant. "Are you out of your mind?"

"I'm not sure I understand what you mean. I know you wanted Sidney in the position, but he simply wasn't as qualified as Emma is. He has no law enforcement experience whatsoever, whereas Emma…"

"I wasn't aware time spent behind bars counted as law enforcement experience." Regina rolled her eyes and fixed him with a glare.

"I called Emma's employer in Boston. They only had the best things to say about her work. I think she'll make a fine Deputy."

"Since when did you start referring to Miss Swan by her first name?"

Graham looked slightly perplexed. "Regina, if she's going to be working for me, I'm not going to continue to refer to her so formally."

"I want her out of this town Graham. How do you expect me to accomplish that goal when you and that fool teacher of my son's keep giving her reasons to stay? Miss Blanchard and her bleeding heart tendencies I expect it from, but you… I thought you'd have more common sense than that."

Graham frowned. "Emotions have nothing to do with business. I'm making the best decision for Storybrooke, not the best decision for you."

Regina raised an eyebrow, a smirk finding it's way to her full lips and taking up residence. "I am Storybrooke, dear. I thought you knew that."

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"Emma, what a pleasant surprise. Come in."

Emma shifted uneasily but stepped further into the classroom. She held up the large bag in her hands. "I brought you some lunch from Granny's. I didn't know what you like, so I pretty much ordered all the basics, cheeseburger, fries, grilled cheese, hot dog, salad. You can have your pick of whatever."

Mary smiled. "I'm a cheeseburger woman."

Emma grinned, a slight look of relief colouring her features. "Good, I was really hoping you wouldn't swoop in on my grilled cheese."

Mary shook her head and grinned. "With me, your grilled cheese will always be safe."

Emma set the bag on the front desk and pulled out their respective lunches.

"Not that I don't appreciate it, but what brought all this on?" Mary took a seat and motioned for Emma to do the same.

Emma bit her lip. "I wanted to see if the invitation to rent your other room was still available. I'm planning on staying here a while and I thought about what you said. It's impractical to try and live at the bed and breakfast, and if Mayor Mills reacted that badly to me getting a job, I'm sure she'll do exactly like you said when it comes to the apartment."

Mary raised an eyebrow. "You found a job? That's fantastic. Henry will be so thrilled when you tell him."

Emma nodded. "You're looking at the new Deputy of Storybrooke."

Mary grinned. "I'll bet the mayor was livid when she heard."

Emma chuckled. "Graham said a vein in her forehead was bulging and she'd turned an alarming shade of purple with rage when she came to confront him."

Mary giggled. "I shouldn't be happy that Mayor Mills is upset by this, but it's rather refreshing that she isn't getting her way for once. The room is absolutely still yours if you want it."

Emma nodded and took a bite of her grilled cheese, a grin crossing her face. Regina was not going to like this and Emma surprisingly liked that.

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Lost Boys Pub wasn't hard to find once she got directions to Spruce Street. Spruce Street was a small turn off in what could pass for the industrial part of town. It had only one building on it, hidden in the shadow of a small warehouse. The pub was small but looked like a place she might frequent in a big city. She normally opted for the Cheers type vibe and made a home at those type of bars whenever she moved to a city. It really was nice to have a place where everybody knows your name, even if they'd never run into you out there on the streets of the city. You could be a doctor, lawyer, prostitute, and so could everyone else, but once you walked through the door, you all came down (or up accordingly) to each other's level. And there was an unwritten code, Emma had found, that bartenders seemed to fall under the same regulations as priests and doctors; they didn't blab your business to everyone they met. However, that vibe kind of lost its appeal in a small town like this. You would certainly run into every patron you found in there in town at some point or other. Every eye would be upon you, especially since you're the Deputy as well as the new novelty around town. It was as private as she was likely to get in this town, which just meant that she was likely to get her business advertised in the morning paper and not on the billboard off Emerald Oak.

She opened the plain door and found herself in a dimly lit and haphazardly furnished bar. All the tables and chairs looked as if they'd been constructed on shipwreck artifacts that had washed ashore on the beach one block away. But it wasn't the normal corny shipwreck theme, with fake fishing nets with plastic crabs and fish adorning the walls. This actually really looked as if they were trying to make a homey place out of items they'd found. The bar itself was the only item that was obviously purchased, but even it had a comfortable feeling to it. She liked this place and knew she'd probably spend quite a few off-duty hours whiling away time here in the next month.

She spotted Graham standing in the far left of the bar, taking aim with a dart. "Starting without me, now that's just unfair."

Graham looked over and smiled. He pointed at the clock. "It's 7:06. You're late."

"Took me awhile to find this place. It's a little off the beaten path."

Graham nodded. "That's what I like about it. Neither Regina nor any of her informers would be caught dead in this part of town."

Emma looked around, taking in the six other patrons. No one was paying any attention to them, but she still felt like someone was keeping tabs on her every move. "Maybe not the obvious ones, but I feel like she has eyes everywhere."

"I wouldn't be surprised if the buildings themselves informed back to her." Graham looked dismayed.

Emma chuckled. "She does seem to know everything that happens in this town."

"That she does." Graham looked pointedly at the dartboard. "Ready to lose Deputy?"

Emma grinned. "Ready to get your ass handed to you by a girl Sheriff?"

"Bring it on Swan."

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Emma played one of the best games of darts she'd ever played and Graham still beat her. But always one to come back swinging, she challenged him to three games of pool and each time she wiped the floor with him. Billiards was obviously her superior skill. As they played and enjoyed each other's company, they also drank their weight in alcohol.

Finally, after tequila number- was that four or six?- she decided to call it a night. It was almost midnight and while the curse allowed for her to be tugged by this world randomly at any time of the night from the other world, the reverse was not true. No matter how much anyone in the Enchanted Forest tried, they wouldn't be able to wake her up, not until she fell asleep here.

"I'm going to go back to my apartment now." Emma looked at Graham and pointed to the door.

He shook his head. "You can't drive."

Emma frowned. "I didn't. I left my car at Mary Margaret's and walked over. I'll be fine."

Graham was too inebriated to look unsure so he just wrapped an arm around her shoulders and declared that he would walk her home "like a proper gentleman should".

It was ten blocks back to Mary Margaret's place and they made it through nine of those without any trouble. But as they turned onto Mary Margaret's street for the last final stretch, Regina seemed to materialize out of nowhere, a look of blatant disapproval on her face. It was only then that Emma made out the shape of Regina's Mercedes parked behind her bug on the curb in front of Mary Margaret's place.

"It reflects poorly on this town when the entirety of it's police force is publicly intoxicated."

"I see no public about." Graham held up a finger as if to emphasize his point.

For some reason, Emma found this phrase and especially the way he said it as if it were a scientific fact, utterly hilarious. She started laughing so hard that she doubled over.

Regina rubbed her temples. How could they be so juvenile? "Graham, I'm driving you home. You've consumed far too much to make it there walking by yourself. Go get in my car while I take Miss Swan upstairs." When he didn't immediately move, she pointed a manicured finger toward her car. "Now!"

Emma winced at the volume of her voice, pushing Graham gently in the direction of the black Mercedes, knowing if he didn't go, Regina might raise her voice again and she couldn't have that.

Graham finally stumbled off towards the car and Regina immediately gripped Emma's arm fiercely and steered her inside the building that used to be some sort of small factory. Mary Margaret lived upstairs in the converted loft. Regina dragged her upstairs and Emma started to make a (slightly wavy) beeline for the apartment door, searching in her pocket for the key Mary had given her, but Regina stopped her.

Emma blinked, trying to focus her mind. Of course Regina would wait until the moment she was unable to fight back to attack her. The woman was hardly above cheating to win apparently. Somehow, it disappointed the blonde.

"Miss Swan. It seems you are quite content with ignoring my warnings and insinuating yourself into my town and therefore my life. But I want you to stay away from me, and my son." She smoothed down the fabric of her skirt. "You are temporary."

Emma frowned. "Thank you for stating your desires like an adult, even if you did follow it all up with what I think was an insult. I will take them into consideration. Goodnight Madam Mayor." She pulled her arm from Regina's grip and stumbled to the door.

"Miss Swan, it wasn't a request." She glared at the blonde. "I don't want you around me or Henry."

Emma shrugged. "Tough."

"Why must you be so difficult?" Regina let out an exasperated breath.

Emma opened the door and threw a smile over her shoulder at the brunette. "Because I care about you." With that she disappeared into the apartment and closed the door.

She shuffled straight upstairs to the small spare bedroom on the second floor of the loft. She still hadn't unpacked her one box of possessions but that could wait. At this moment, the bed, sleep, and her Regina were calling for her. And right now she felt like answering.