I ran to the stable crying. "Daniel?!" I called.

Daniel stood up. "What is it?" He asked, hearing the panic in my voice. I ran up and threw my arms around him.

I never wanted to let go.

"Marry me." I whispered.

"Regina, what are you doing?" He asked, confused. "What happened?"

"That little girl I saved today; that was the King's daughter. And now he's proposed to me! My mother accepted!" I was completely devastated. Then, an idea occurred to me. "The only way out is to run," I said.

"Regina, do you realize what that would mean?"

"It doesn't matter. All that matters to me is you."

Daniel smiled. "If I'm going to marry you," he said in a low voice, "let's do this properly." He reached over to the saddle and pulled out one of the gold rings. Then he ever-so-gently slipped it on my finger. It was a perfect fit. I was overflowing with joy, and I threw my arms around him and kissed him.

Then I saw something out of the corner of my eye. I turned, and there was my mother standing in the doorway.

"You could have at least left a note," she said dryly. She waved her hand, and sent us flying backwards. I tried to stand up, but another wave of magic sent me tumbling back on the floor. Daniel was already back on his feet, but before he could defend himself my mother had closed the distance between them and shoved her hand in his chest.

"NO!" I screamed, scrambling up.
Mother pulled her hand back, taking Daniel's glowing red heart with her. I rushed to Daniel, who had collapsed to the floor. Cradling his face, I begged and pleaded for him to come back. But he didn't move. I looked up just in time to see the last grains of dust fall from my mother's hand.

"What have you done?" I screamed.
My mother was calm and collected.

"You may not realize it yet, but this is your happy ending."

"What?!"

"Love is weakness, dear," she said. "The sooner you understand that the better."

I looked back down, but now instead of Daniel there was a woman. A strong, blonde, beautiful woman who now lay before me pale and without pulse.
Emma.

"NO!" I jerked awake, breathing heavily. I was sticky with perspiration, my mouth was dry, and my heart was hammering in my chest.

It was just a dream, I thought to myself. Even so, I was shaking violently.

I felt a cold hand on my shoulder. I jumped, startled.

"Hey, Regina," said a low female voice.
I turned at the familiar voice. Emma was lying on the bed next to me, her hair in a disheveled pile around her head. "What's wrong?"

"Oh, it's nothing," I said, trying to play it cool. "I just...had a nightmare."

"It didn't sound like nothing," she argued.

"I'm okay," I insisted. "I just...need some water." I swung my legs around to the side of the bed. The cool night air nipped at my bare legs and made me flinch. I was shaking so hard that I wasn't sure I could walk. I got up, a little wobbly, but made it out of the door and down the stairs. I walked down the dark hallway and flipped on the kitchen light. Somehow, the kitchen looked different in the middle of the night, more...vulnerable. I didn't know how to explain it, but it didn't make me feel any better. I quickly grabbed a glass from the cupboard & filled it with water from the tap. I took a sip. It was a little warmer than I liked, but at least it was wet.

Suddenly I felt something warm and fluffy placed on my shoulders. I realized that I was only wearing a short silk slip, and I had goosebumps on my arms and legs.

"I thought you could use this," I heard Emma say behind me.

I gratefully wrapped the robe around myself and put my arms through the sleeves.

"Isn't this your robe?" I asked, turning around to face her.

"Yeah, but your silk robe wouldn't have done much." She smiled. I tried to smile back, without much luck. Then I looked down and saw her plaid fleece pants. I chuckled a little. Emma always wore just a tank top and underwear to bed, so these were a bit of a surprise.

"Nice pants," I remarked.

She shrugged. "I was cold." She paused. "Wanna talk to me about it?"

"About what?" I asked, trying to act natural.

"You know what," she pressed.

"There's nothing to talk about," I said. My voice cracked, though, betraying my emotions.

"Regina..." Emma inched closer and gently squeezed my arm. "You know you can tell me anything."

I nodded. Traitor tears fell down my cheeks, collecting at my chin and splashing onto the hardwood.

"Whatever it was, " Emma said, still trying to comfort me, "it was just a dream."

"But it wasn't!" I shouted suddenly, losing all control. "It's my past, my present, my future." I was sobbing, bordering on hysterical. I could hardly breathe, but somehow I still spit the words out. "It was Daniel, the day we were supposed to run away together, the day he died. But this time...this time it was all my fault."

"But it wasn't," said Emma. "Regina, none of that was your fault!"

I didn't listen and continued. "Then, when I looked back at the body, it wasn't Daniel anymore. It was...you."

Emma was, for once, speechless.
"I...I..."

"Don't you see?" I yelled. "Can't you understand?" I slammed my hand on the counter in frustration and guilt and despair. Then my heart slowed, and my breathing lightened. I was still crying, but quieter now.
"It's me," I whispered. "It's always been me."

"Regina, what are you talking about?"

"Everyone I've loved is dead. Daniel, Father, Mother...I'm a time bomb, and it's only a matter of time before both you and Henry get hurt." I leaned on the counter and slid down until I was sitting on the hardwood.

Emma rushed to my side, kneeling in beside me. She grabbed my arms and turned me to face her. "Look at me Regina, and listen carefully. You are not responsible for all of their deaths. You can't blame yourself whenever someone in your life is suffering, and you certainly can't let it ruin your chance at happiness."

"I know," I said, managing a quick laugh between tears. I looked down, embarrassed at the scene I was making. When I looked back up, she was still staring intensely at me with her beautiful green eyes. They were entrancing. My crying began to subside.

"Why?" I asked her.

"Why what?" she replied, confused.

"Why are you always so good to me? "

She took my face I her hands and looked at me even more intently. "Because you are the most extraordinary woman I have ever met. Because you have always been there for me when I needed it most. Because you make me happier than I have ever been in my life. Because I love you."

Fresh tears formed in my eyes and slowly traveled down my cheeks. Suddenly, without realizing what I was doing, I leaned forward and kissed her. For a moment, Emma didn't know what to do. Then she leaned into me and kissed me right back. She threaded her fingers through my hair, grabbing it and pulling me closer. Her tongue explored my mouth, and expertly lead mine in an intricate, passionate dance. The only sounds that pierced the silence were our soft moans.

It was warm and cool, sweet and salty, gentle and rough all at the same time. So many emotions rushed at me all at once; I could hardly breathe, but I didn't want it to stop.

Eventually Emma pulled back to look at me.
"Are you ready to go to back to bed, Regina?" she asked.

I still couldn't speak, so I just nodded.
She smiled and stood, pulling me up with her. Then we walked, with our arms around each other's waists, down the hall and up the stairs to our bedroom. But I couldn't shake the feeling that there was more to the dream than what I was seeing. It took me a long time to fall back to sleep, and even then I felt uneasy.