Disclaimer: See Chapter 1

Spoilers: Anything up to 2x09 "Queen of Hearts" is fair game

A/N: Okay, dears, just to make sure you all know, because this is an AU everything after 2x09 is divergent from canon so the whole mess with Greg and Tamara isn't going to happen.

"The best place in the world is in the arms of someone who will not only hold you at your best but will pick you up and hug you tight at your weakest moment."

Unknown

Chapter 5: A New Arrival

Regina cast a quick glance at Emma as they continued through the woods. The blonde was in pain, and even though she tried to hide it, the way she ground her teeth every few seconds and how she stumbled slightly when she walked gave her away. The brunette was sure that if she hadn't had an arm around her waist, she would've fallen. The sun's light was fading rapidly, but she could see the marks her mother's lipstick had left on Emma and was sure she held some of her own.

"Why do you keep staring at me?" Emma's voice came out scratchy, rough, and a cough escaped her throat only moments later.

"If you," she paused to consider her words, "If you'd like, we could go to the mansion before going to your parent's apartment. You could clean up what my," her breath hitched for a moment but she quickly recovered, "what my mother did." She continued quickly, "I'd like to do that, but it's up to you. If you don't want to, we can certainly…"

Emma looked at her then, green emeralds connecting with her brown. She stopped walking, and Emma followed suit. She slowly closed her mouth, watching the blonde silently, trying to communicate with her eyes that she was serious. The blonde nodded her head before speaking, "I'd…I'd like that, Regina."

"Excellent," she smiled softly at the blonde before looking up at the sky, "It'll be dark soon, so let's…"

"Regina?"

She turned back towards the blonde, an eyebrow arched. She wasn't used to being interrupted, but then again, it was Emma she was talking to, "Yes, dear?"

"Do…do you…" She watched as the blonde closed in on herself, taking a step away from her, catching her bottom lip between her teeth, looking away. It was something she'd seen Henry do whenever he thought he'd get into trouble for asking something.

She instinctively took a step closer to her, placing two fingers under a quivering chin to raise the blonde's watery eyes to her own, "Emma, what is it?"

"I…I was…I…" the blonde takes a ragged breath, struggling to stay calm, "I need a shower. Can I use yours?"

She felt her heart clench painfully. The look of fear in the blonde's eyes made her anger at her mother all the more prominent. She gently threaded the fingers of her free hand into one of the blonde's, "Of course you can."

"Should we…my…David and Mary Margaret…" The blonde was barely able to form sentences, her emotions running high, mixing in with the adrenaline rush of magic.

"Emma," she stepped closer to the other woman, close enough that they were breathing each other's air and gently cupped her cheek, "take a deep breath. We can call David and Mary Margaret as soon as we get to the mansion."

"Can you poof us to the mansion? I don't know if I can walk that far."

"One, I don't poof," she rolled her eyes at the thought before focusing on the blonde again, "To be honest, I'm pretty depleted of magic. I'm not sure if I can…" She trailed off as she looked down at their interlocked hands; an idea struck her, "Just try to channel a little magic for me, okay? If we combine our magic, I should be able to get us to the mansion safely."

Emma nodded, her eyes closing, "Okay."

She felt Emma's magic seconds later, jumpstarting hers, fueling hers. Moments later, they disappeared in a cloud of purple smoke.

"You don't need to come over," Regina spoke in a low tone despite sitting in her study; she could hear the shower running, but she still wanted to keep quiet just in case Emma needed something. She'd just finished wiping the remains of lipstick off her neck when she remembered to call the Charmings. Stupid idea, Regina. Snow's volume rose in hysterics, saying something about having a duty to come over, but it was annoying enough that she pulled the phone away from her ear, "Snow! Gods, lower your voice! She's fine. She just wanted to get a shower before…" Regina nearly growled in irritation at being interrupted by Snow's need of assurance to make sure Emma was alright, "Do shut up, dear. Now as I was saying, Emma wanted to get a shower before coming over. I'm sure you did that the moment you could." The pixie haired woman agreed demurely, "We'll be over in about 20."

She shut off the phone and set it down before running a hand over her face. She's fine. She's fine. She's fine. The phrase kept drumming in her head because, no, no, she wasn't. Not after what Cora had done. If only she had gotten there sooner. She could've…no, thinking like that isn't going to change anything. A loud thump sounded from upstairs, making her jump before rising to her feet and making her way out of the study. She headed up the stairs quietly, listening for any sound of running water. It was still going.

She reached her bedroom and cautiously opened the door. Soft light filtered in from under the door in the adjacent bathroom, leaving the rest of the room cast in darkness. She walked to the door, her hand on the handle, "Emma?" No answer. She carefully turned the handle and opened the door, peering inside.

The shower curtain was left open, though the water remained dutifully in the shower. Emma was sitting against the wall, her head tilted upwards as the water beat down on her. As Regina got closer, she took notice of the room's temperature. The shower was fairly warm when she'd turned it on, but there wasn't any steam fogging up the windows. In fact, it seemed rather…she moved quickly over to the shower, running her hand under the spray to find it icy. Turning, she saw that the hot had been turned completely off. She turned quickly towards the blonde, throwing her shirt off so it didn't get any wetter than it was, wincing only slightly as she stepped into the shower, reaching behind her to shut off the cold. Taking in the far away glaze of the blonde's eyes, she frowned before kneeling down, taking the younger woman's face in her hands.

"Emma? Emma, can you hear me?"

Emma's gaze instantly flickered to hers, "Regina?" The savior's voice came out with a mix of confusion and pain.

"What are you doing on the floor, dear?"

"I…I don't know." Green eyes shifted away from her.

"You don't have to lie, Emma," She spoke softly, trying not to anger the woman, "Not to me."

Emma looked at her again, their eyes connecting, and she could see her pain reflected back, "It was too warm…I could feel her hands on me."

"So you tried to turn it down…" She added quietly.

"And I turned it off. I was able to get my hair washed before…before I felt uncomfortable."

She nodded at the answer before gesturing at her position, "Did you slip?"

"I…I must have…"

Regina stood carefully, reaching out her hand for the blonde to take. Pulling her up, she resisted the urge to look down at her body, keeping her gaze on her face, looking into her eyes, "I've called your parents. They're expecting us soon."

"Okay," Emma spoke softly before taking a small step forward, biting her lip, looking at her, "Regina?"

Regina drew in a quick breath as Emma's nude form brushed dangerously close to her own. Gods, I can't think when I'm near her.

"Yes, dear?" She visibly shivered when Emma leaned forward, close enough that their breath mingled together. She was half-certain the blonde was going to kiss her, but instead, Emma took a step back.

"If…could you see if I got every mark?"

Standing half-naked in front of the nude woman, Regina was sure she wouldn't be able to deny her anything, "Of course."

Snow and Charming looked up at the sound of the front door opening. Emma walked carefully into the apartment, grateful for Regina's additional support. They'd opted to use magic for transportation, ("it's faster," Regina had insisted) but Emma still wasn't used to the rush of it all. She'd stumbled only slightly when her feet touched the ground, but even though she'd grabbed the door handle, Regina still reached out an arm to steady her. She and Regina entered the apartment, the door shutting behind them, and even before Snow and Charming could get up, heavy footfalls were heard rushing down the stairs. They barely had time to look up before Henry was running into their arms.

"Mom! Ma!" The ten-year-old threw his arms around his mothers, and they immediately knelt down to hug him back. "I knew you would do it, Mom! I knew you would bring Ma home!"

Emma smiled despite feeling tears slip down her cheeks. There had been a moment when she thought she'd never see her son again. She pressed a kiss to his hair and caught Regina's eyes out of the corner of her own.

"I knew it too, kid," She spoke to their son, but her eyes remained connected to Regina's, "I knew it too."

He pulled away from them and grinned, "Are you hungry? What happened when you were there? Grandma wouldn't tell me anything."

"No, I'm not that hungry," Emma replied with a gentle smile, wiping her eyes, "and nothing fun happened, kid."

Henry turned to Regina just as Snow and Charming approached Emma. The royals no doubt wanted to hug their daughter, but the moment they tried, Regina saw it: the tensing of muscles, tightening of a jaw, the sudden fear of assault. In short, Emma felt that they were too close to her, her voice quiet as she spoke, "Please, don't touch me."

"Henry, would you get me a glass of water, please?" Like she suspected, he nodded and went to do just that. She turned to Emma, gently placing a hand on her arm, which she didn't doubt Snow and Charming saw, but she didn't care. She leaned in closer so only the blonde could hear, her voice a mere ghost against the blonde's ear, "Go get some sleep, dear. It'll just take some time to get use to their touch again."

Emma sighed softly in acknowledgement, pulling out of the brunette's hold. She frowned, casting a glance at her parents before heading towards the stairs, "I'm going to bed." She passed Henry and ruffled his hair, "G'night, kid."

"Goodnight, Ma." The boy handed Regina a glass of water, a smile on his lips, "Here you go, Mom."

Regina smiled softly, watching Emma head up the stairs, "Thank you, dear." She took a small sip before setting it down, turning to the Charmings, "As promised, Miss Swan is home."

"Mom?"

She turned towards her son, "Yes, Henry?"

"Stay here tonight?"

"What?"

"Stay here. You could sleep on the couch. I'll be right upstairs with Ma."

"Henry, I don't have a problem with you staying here, but I don't think—"

"We don't mind, Regina." Charming spoke up, and she turned towards the two.

"You don't?" She arched an eyebrow in both confusion and surprise, "Are you sure?"

"Of course we are," Snow smiled softly, "It's late. You don't need to walk home just to…"

"I have magic." She pointed out.

"Please, Mom," Henry squeezed her hand softly, "I'd feel better if you and Ma were both here."

She sighed, "Very well."

It was the whimpering that woke Henry two hours later. He sat up, rubbing his eyes. He looked around, disoriented, before the sudden twitching of his blonde mother's leg forced his gaze to her. She was tossing and turning, hands clenching and unclenching the sheets tightly, her eyes screwed shut, almost like she was in pain. He moved swiftly from his bed to hers, worry creasing his brow.

"Ma? Ma, wake up. You're dreaming," He shook her shoulders, trying to jolt her awake, "Ma, it's just a dream. Wake up."

She continued to thrash on the bed, stuck in whatever night terror held her captive. He was going to shake her again when she whimpered once more, and he heard the name that tumbled out after, "Regina."

Oh, he sat back with a small smile, she needs Mom. It was like when he was younger, needing his mom to help him wake. He stood from the bed, exiting the room as quickly and quietly as he could, before making his way down the stairs to the couch. He shook his mother the moment he stopped in front of the couch, "Mom, wake up."

She jolted awake almost instantly, reaching out her hand to cup his face, "Henry? Henry, what's wrong?"

"Ma's having a nightmare, and I can't wake her."

"What?" she mumbled, still not fully awake, "Your mother could sleep through a tornado, Henry. You just have to try ha—"

"But Mom," Henry quickly interrupted, taking her hand and trying to tug her up, "She's calling for you."

Regina was barely aware of Henry stopping outside the doorway while she entered the room, her entire focus on Emma. She sat beside the writhing blonde, unsure of how to proceed. It wouldn't do well to freak the blonde out more. She reached for her shoulder, "Emma, you need to wake up, dear."

She didn't have a chance to touch her, recoiling at the sound of her name coming out in a tone that was almost…fearful, "Regina." She swallowed hard, feeling tears prick at the corners of her eyes. Henry was wrong. Emma wasn't calling out for her, she was calling out because…because she was being hurt by some phantom of her. She moved to stand, determined to get one of the two idiots to wake the blonde, when Emma muttered again, thrashing, "Regina, she'll hurt you. Don't." Oh, realization dawned on the former queen, she's dreaming about what happened.

"Emma," She gently grabbed onto the blonde's shoulders to keep her steady, leaning closer to the woman, taking notice of the tears that slowly began to leak from behind closed eyes, "Emma, come on," She felt her magic spike, triggered by the distress they both were feeling, "open your eyes. Wake up. It's okay now."

Emma shot awake with a gasp, tears streaming down her cheeks.

Emma's barely aware of her actions as she nearly catapulted herself into an upright position, clutching tightly onto the only other person in the room. Regina. Her dream had felt so real. Had seemed like it had really happened. Yet as she clutched at the brunette's shirt, her body bowed forward with her head barely touching the woman's shoulder, she took in the familiar atmosphere: One window, a green curtain open slightly, allowing a sliver of pale moonlight to enter onto the worn oak floors, a small oak dresser, Henry's small bed, and she was nearly hyperventilating on her own bed. She was in her room. And Regina was…what was she doing?

She pulled back slightly, looking at the brunette through teary eyes and tousled hair, and instantly the brunette stopped whispering against her ear, a blush of all things tinting her cheeks.

"Regina?"

The former queen cleared her throat slightly before speaking, "Yes, dear?"

"What are you doing?"

"I…I was…when Henry had nightmares, I used to talk to him to help him calm down. I was trying to do the same with you."

"Oh," she looked away, her face heating with a blush of its own, "thank you."

"You're welcome. Would you like to talk about it?"

"No," she answered a little too quickly, looking back at the woman, "No, I'm fine now."

"Very well. I'll send Henry back in."

Their son heard his name and entered the room, hesitantly, "Is everything okay now?"

"Yes," Regina answered, starting to rise from the bed, a smile on her lips, "Everything's okay."

Emma's fingers wrapped quickly around her wrist, prompting the woman to look at her, but Emma wasn't looking at her, instead opting to staring intently at the bed, "I was wondering if maybe I could sleep next to both of you."

Henry walked over to the bed and sat down beside his blonde mother, taking one of her hands and squeezing it, smiling at her when she looked over at him, "Sure, Ma."

"You don't think it's weird?" her voice came out choked with so much emotion that Regina felt her heart clench.

Stepping around the bed to get on the opposite side of Emma, Regina spoke quietly, mindful of the two idiots downstairs, "Of course not, Emma. Needing to be next to…to family after a nightmare is perfectly acceptable."

Henry smiled at her before snuggling into Emma's front, still holding her hand in his, "Yeah, exactly."

"Family?" Emma asked softly, confusion clouding her voice.

Regina swallowed roughly before wrapping her arms around Emma's body, making sure she had Henry's free hand in one of hers. With a flick of her wrist, the blankets repositioned over their bodies. Taking Emma's free hand with her own, she squeezed it softly, "Yes, dear. A somewhat dysfunctional family at times, but a family."

Emma smiled, feeling tears slip down her cheeks, "Ok."

Within moments, the three were asleep.

Sunlight was filtering through the windows the next morning, though by the look of the sky, there was a possibility that it might rain. Snow and Charming were enjoying their morning coffee, talking quietly amongst themselves, when there was a knock at the door. Charming stood, making his way over. With a quick look out the peephole, he opened it.

Rumple stood at the doorway, a smile on his face, a man standing next to him, "Good morning, Charming."

"Gold," he said with a small nod of his head.

"I hear Miss Swan made it back here alright."

He narrowed his eyes, "She and Regina did, yeah. They're upstairs, sleeping. Henry too. What do you want?"

"Oh, nothing really. It's just that my son here," he gestured to the man next to him, "just got into town. A mutual friend brought him. He seems to have a past with Miss Swan."

Charming cast a glance over at the man.

He extended his hand, a smile on his face, hazel eyes warm, "Neal."

A/N: You all trust me, right? So when I say that Neal doesn't have a chance with Emma in this story, you'll believe me? Good, now that that's settled, please leave a review. Next chapter will be up soon. Also, my other laptop crashed, so I'm on my netbook for the time being.

Hime no Kowai Shumi