Although there didn't seem to be anything wrong with her, both David and I insisted Emma be admmitted to the hospital after she woke up. Doctor Whale confirmed that Emma was perfectly fine, but recommended that she stay at the hospital overnight just in case. Mary Margaret offered to take shifts at the hospital, so I could get some rest. I thanked them, and politely declined; there was no way I was leaving her side after what had just happened. I sat in a chair next to her bed, watching over her while she slept. I couldn't look away from her face in the dim, yellow light of the lamp. It was so...surreal. I had been staring at the same face for over a week, recognizing only the outer beauty of her pink lips and pale skin. Now, every line on her face held a memory for me, every detail was another thing that I loved about her. How could I have forgotten this? How could I have forgotten her?

I tried to stay awake, but sometime in the early hours of the morning I dozed off. I was startled awake by screaming. My eyes flew open to see Emma thrashing around on the bed, screaming. I lept up and tried to shake her awake. "Emma! Emma!" I yelled. She continued to thrash around, almost smacking me in the face with the back of her hand. I reached over and pinned her shoulders down so she wouldn't hurt herself. "Emma! Emma, wake up!"

Her eyes snapped open, looking franticly in every direction, but focusing on nothing. Her breathing was erratic, panicked.

"Emma! It's okay, it's okay, it's just me," I tried to reassure her. "You're okay, you're with me. You're safe."

Emma's eyes finally focused on mine. Her breathing began to slow as she calmed down. "Regina..."

"It's okay, Emma. I'm here."

Emma sat up and immediately reached towards me and clutched me to herself. After my initial shock, I sat down on the bed beside her. I wrapped my arms around her and squeezed, trying to comfort her. She was shivering almost imperceptively.

One of the night-shift nurses rushed into the room. "What happened? Is everything alright?"

"I don't know..." I said. The nurse started studying the machine. "Slightly elevated heart rate, but other than that nothing seems to be out of order."

"I'm fine," said Emma, lifting her face from my shoulder. "It was just...a bad dream."

"Well, nothing seems to be wrong with your vitals," she said. "If you need anything, just call us, okay?"

Emma nodded and lowered her head again.

"Thank you," I said to the nurse. I watched the nurse to make sure she had left the room. "It's okay, Emma, she's gone."

"It was the room," she said in a shaky voice. "The room that Mary Margaret talked about, with the fire, the red curtains...everything." Henry had to be in that room every night?" I couldn't think of what to say to reassure her, so I just stroked her head slowly, running my fingers through her hair.

"Ssssh, sssshhhh, it's okay. It's over now."

Slowly, Emma's shaking subsided. I felt her muscles relax as she leaned into my embrace. "I'm sorry, Regina," she said in a low voice. "I know it shouldn't be that bad. Hell, Henry delt with this like a champ."

"You have nothing to be sorry for," I replied.

She nodded and nestled her head in my shoulder. We sat like that for a few moments, with nothing but the ticking of the clock and Emma's slow, steady breath disturbing the silence, and no movement but my hand slowly, methodically, rhythmically stroking the soft, golden curls of her silken hair. Finally, I turned my head towards the large face of the clock, whose hands indicated that it was past four o'clock in the morning.

"Okay," I whispered. "I think it's time to go back to sleep, Emma."

"No," Emma said, pulling back and shaking her head.

"Emma, you need your rest," I argued.

"No," she insisted. "I...can't."

I deliberated for a moment. "Hang on; I'll be back in just a second." I stood up, disentagling myself from her grasp, and ran to the desk.

"Regina?" Emma called after me, a slight hint of anxiety ringing in her voice. I searched around behind the desk until a found a small cardboard box with Emma's name on it. Finding what I was looking for, I returned to Emma's side as quickly as possible. When Emma saw me turn the corner I could see her shoulders relax; her face shifted from concern to curiosity as I approached, deepening as I fiddled with the items on Emma's side table. Then I shut off the lamp, struck the match, and lit the wick.

"A candle?" Emma asked incredulously.

"Yes," I responded. "Henry left it for you. He said that after he was cursed and he had these nightmares, David would light a candle next to his bed; apparetly, it's supposed to keep the nightmares away."

Emma chuckled. "Is that what David told Henry, or what Henry told you?"

"Yes." Both of us began laughing quietly.

"Okay," I whispered after a moment. "You really do need to sleep, Emma."

"Wait!" She grabbed my arm, pulling me closer. "...will you lay down with me?"

"I'm not sure if Dr. Whale would approve..."

"Please?" Emma stared up at me, pleading me with her brilliant green eyes.

I sighed. "Alright." I walked around to the other side of her hospital bed, so that she could be nearer to the candle, and carefully laid down beside her. As my head sunk into the pillow I could smell Emma's unique scent in her hair. No product, no perfume, just pure...Emma. It drove me crazy. I took a deep breath, letting myself lose myself in the smell again. I put my arm around her waist, shivering as I grazed the soft, smooth skin of her arm. I felt her chest moving up and and down, her back pressing against my chest with every breath. I sighed as I nestled my face into her hair.

I've missed you, Emma.

"Cheers!" The diner erupted in applause and clinking glasses. Almost the entire town seemed to have squeezed their way in to celebrate Emma's return. There wasn't much room for movement with that many people. Emma and I weren't complaining, though; we were...conserving space. We had our hands wrapped around each other's waists the entire night, never letting go. Of course, everyone wanted to talk to Emma; she was the town's favorite public figure. Emma was charming, however, and kept insisting that all of the credit went to Henry and me, for never giving up on her.

"Well, you made it a little easier, being so easily loveable," I said in a sarcastically sweet tone.

Emma rolled her eyes and turned to smile at me, "Uh-huh. Sure, Regina."

"Well it's the truth!" I insisted, feigning innocence.

"Ugh, get a room!" Leroy waved a disgusted hand at us and walked away. Both of us busted up laughing: it felt good messing with Leroy again. I turned my head just to look at Emma again; I had to keep reminding myself that she was really there, that I wasn't just dreaming. But there she was, looking as gorgeous as ever. She was listening intently to something Ruby was saying. Then she noticed my staring, looking at me from the corner of her eye and winking.

Boy, if we weren't in public right now...

"Emma! Regina!"

"Mom!" Emma guided me to the Booth where Mary Margaret and David sat and pulled me into the seat. "What's up?"

"Just celebrating with the rest of the town," Mary Margaret replied. "We really missed you, Emma."

"I know." Emma smiled at her mother in loving appreciation. "I missed you, too."

There was a moment of silence at the table. Then David cleared his throat. "I don't want to spoil your celebration, but there are matters we need to discuss."

"David! Not now!" Mary Margaret hissed.

"The sooner we talk about it, the sooner it can be dealt with!" David insisted.

"It's okay, Mom," Emma reassured her. "What is it, Dad?"

"You've been awake for days now, but we haven't heard anything from Cora. No one's seen her, no one knows her whereabouts."

"Maybe," Emma countered, "but you took care of Spencer."

"Yes," David allowed, "and I'm much happier knowing that he's out of this town."

"Yeah," said Emma." Lets see how New York treats him."

"But Cora is still out there. Who's to say she won't come after you again?"

"David's right, Emma," I said. "My mother doesn't tend to let go of things like this." I laid my hand on top of hers on the table and stroked her smooth skin with my thumb. "I won't let her hurt you again."

"Well, then, what are we going to do?" asked Mary Margaret.

"Whatever we have to," said David, his face hardening.

"No," I insisted. "We're not killing her."

"We don't want to any more than you do, but it may be our only choice at this point."

"No, we can't. She's finally got her heart in her chest. She was only trying to do what she thought was best for me. Her perspective is skewed, but she's trying."

"Well, her skewed perspective almost cost me my daughter!" David shouted. "I'm sorry, Regina, but unless you have a better idea, we can't take that chance."

I folded my arms and slumped back in the seat. David followed my example, staring out the window with his face set in determination. Emma wrapped her arm around my shoulder and stroked my shoulder reassuringly.

Suddenly realization dawned on me. "David...I have an idea."