A/N: Thanks for the alerts, views, etc. :)

Mistakes are all mine.

I hope you like this chapter. Please let me know what you think. I'd really appreciate it. :)

Chapter 18

Regina woke up, sweating and shivering with her whole body. She felt as if she was burning and freezing at the same time. The brunette's breathing was excessively intense when she shot up from her bed, the after-effects of the dream clinging to her body. Everything had felt so incredibly real and yet surreal.

After seconds, the former Evil Queen knew that it couldn't have been just a dream. She wasn't idiotic after all and knew the powers of magic. Regina was certain that this dream and probably the other dreams as well had been memories. All of this could have really happened. Why had she forgotten all of that, how could she possibly forget someone as beautiful and breathtaking as the blonde. And how could Emma forget about all of this, too?

Yes, magic had to be involved. However it hadn't been hers, had it? She couldn't possibly imagine a reason as to why she would give up this kind of happiness. Thus someone else was responsible for this mess and that someone hadn't only manipulated her memories but the blonde's as well.

The image of her mother instantly popped up in her head as she thought about who to blame. She didn't necessarily want to blame her; Cora was her mother after all. However, Regina definitely knew that something was more than off with that woman, especially after that dream.

The former Evil Queen wouldn't do harm to her, at least not yet. She would not trust her mother though. Regina would just pretend to still be clueless in front of Cora about the real events that had taken place in the Enchanted Forest. Regina couldn't afford the older woman to get even more suspicious than she apparently was.

The first step in taking revenge of the one who had created the curse was of course to get all of her memories back. Her dreams didn't complete the whole story yet and she wouldn't wait for them to do so since they weren't chronological. Apart from that, her manipulated memories felt real and the dreams were just dreams after all. The brunette simply had to remember her lost memories faster than only by dreaming.

Regina thought that she would need Emma to do so. It was more than obvious to her that if all the things she assumed had happened were true, the blonde was indeed her true love. Thus the two of them should be able to break the curse.

There was still something holding her back. The brunette wasn't sure if they could really break the curse since the blonde was apparently happily married and even had a child. Emma couldn't even remember their love. So would true love's kiss be enough? Would it work if the blonde didn't believe in it? Did Emma even love her, this new version of Regina?

The brunette wasn't nineteen anymore; she wasn't that carefree, that much fun. Regina was a different woman than the young dark-haired beauty from her dreams. Emma had to remember her for all of this to work or had to at least believe that those dreams were real. How could Regina tell her about all of that without sounding like a complete psycho?

She needed Henry's storybook. Regina had to complete it in the best way she could. She hoped that the stories would trigger something inside of the blonde.

There was only one week left for the brunette to restore Emma's memories. Regina had to make the best of it.

An hour later at Emma's apartment

Emma opened the door of her apartment to find a dark-haired woman with a crimson gown standing in front of her. She gawked a little at the sight, especially after noticing that it was Regina. The blonde let her eyes wander over the delicious body of the inappropriately dressed woman before she looked into dark orbs.

Regina's tongue slid over her upper lip teasingly as she smirked at a still startled but apparently aroused Emma. The almost electric tension between them got higher as they kept staring at each other. Their cheeks burned because of the heat that rose within them.

The blonde's heart nearly jumped out of her chest and her breathing quickened instantly. She didn't know why she felt so familiar with this situation and with this kind of dressing style in particular. Emma was sure if anyone else would stand in front of her door, dressed in some medieval dress, she would have considered that someone to be crazy. However, she just found the brunette extremely appealing.

"To get more into character." Regina suggested huskily and held out some clothes to the blonde.

"What?" Emma asked as her eyes nearly fell out of her head.

"If we want to make this storybook as real as possible we matter-of-factly have to dress appropriately. So these are some clothes for you and Henry. Just take them, dear." The brunette replied and smiled at the younger woman.

"Um, okay." The blonde said after a while but finally took the clothes.

Emma stepped a few steps back to let Regina in. As soon as the brunette was seen by Henry, the little boy ran towards her and threw his hands around her thighs. In that exact moment, another flash overwhelmed Emma who still stood close to the door.

"…this dress is mainly for your satisfaction, Emma." Regina spoke up, wearing a gown that fitted to her red lipstick.

The blonde's grin increased once she saw the lust in dark brown orbs. She took a step forward and replied.

"It is beautiful. No, wait. You are beautiful. To me you are perfect."

The other princess blushed due to the words and took the blonde's hands in her own. Regina placed light kisses on their entangled hands before she smirked at her lover.

Emma smiled back but her eyes quickly darted from brown orbs to full lips. She closed her eyes once swollen lips suddenly captivated her own. A silent moan escaped the blonde's mouth when Regina's tongue begged for entrance.

Emma snapped out of the vision after a few seconds, feeling a radiating heat throughout her whole body. She blinked a few times and noticed that Regina and Henry already sat down on the couch.

The blonde walked over to them once she had managed to rid herself of those inappropriate feelings, still clueless about their meaning. Emma smiled at her little boy before she handed him his outfit for today, saying that it was from Regina.

Henry clapped happily as soon as he took notice of the knight's costume and nearly jumped on top of the brunette in order to hug her tightly. Regina smiled broadly as she wrapped her arms around him and softly ran her fingers through his hair.

Emma nearly melted as she watched the scene. It still amazed her how affectionate they were with each other. Henry's relationship with Regina was almost more intimate than his relationship with Neal. However, what exactly was between her and the brunette? It surely wasn't more than she had with her husband, right?

Neal was her best friend; he knew her for such a long time and they had fallen in love along the way. Emma was certain that she could never leave him.

Thanks for reading! :)