With a groan, Regina stirred. She disentangled her arms from the covers, trying to shield her eyes from the sunlight streaming through the window. It had taken a long time to cry herself to sleep once she had begun, and she was feeling the aftermath this morning. She felt drained, exhausted, and she wasn't ready to waken just yet. Squeezing her eyes more tightly shut, she tried stubbornly to go back to sleep, but the bright rays of sunshine caressed her face, urging her to consciousness.
The sunshine... She bolted upright, flinging the covers away in alarm.
The curtains! The window! Both were wide open!
Not even pausing for her slippers, she flew out of the bed to the aperture, reaching out to touch the drapes in disbelief. Her fingers made contact with fabric, and magic sang through her veins. She snatched back her hand with a gasp. Her protection spell was still there, but it was not the same. Somehow, it was amplified, and there was a second signature of magic underlying her own. She pressed her fist to her chest, unnerved by the steady hum of unknown power.
Someone, or something, had been in the room with her. A flicker of alarm passed over her fine features. It wasn't possible - no one could have tampered with her spell. Her unease grew; she was breathing too fast, she realised. She took a deep breath to settle herself, and fresh air filled her lungs. It was sweet and clear, but not crisp with the energy of a bright autumn morning, as it should be. Instead, it brought night-sweet scents of honeysuckle and apple-blossom, as though the breeze gently bore their fragrances beneath the cool light of a full moon.
"What the hell is going on?" she cursed aloud in apprehension.
She swung away from the window and snatched her phone up off the nightstand. She punched at the keys, and it rang for a long, tense moment.
"Did you die in your sleep?" she snapped when Emma answered at last.
"Regina," Emma slurred, her voice thick and sleepy, "Do you know how early it is?"
"There's been a break-in," Regina said brusquely, ignoring the question.
"Wh-at?" Emma said, failing to stifle a yawn, "Where?"
"My house," Regina said. She added softly, "My room."
"What!" Emma exclaimed, fully alert at last. There was a flurry of movement on her end of the line.
"Regina, what happened?"
"Just get here. Bring Gold."
Regina hung up, denying Emma the opportunity to ply her with more irrelevant questions. She stifled a shiver as she glanced back at the window, somehow flung wide to let in the sea breeze. She took a moment to gather her wits, then pointedly turned her back on it to see about getting dressed.
Half an hour later, there was a knock at the door. Regina, artfully attired in a tailored sapphire-blue and black pant-suit, swept through the hall to admit her visitors.
"It's about time you got here," she shot at them, before the door was even fully open.
"Pleasure to see you too, dearie," Gold's voice mocked her.
Emma rolled her eyes, foregoing a greeting altogether, and gestured for Regina to step aside and let them in.
"What happened?" Emma asked as they ascended the staircase and entered the room in question.
"I have no idea," Regina snapped, "That's why I called you. I woke up this morning and the curtains and window were wide open."
She gestured heatedly toward the guilty fixtures, and Emma raised an eyebrow.
"Was the latch broken?" she asked evenly, trying for patience.
"No," Regina's voice turned frigid at the trivial question, "And neither was the protection spell that I sealed it with when I shut it last night. Yet this morning, the window and curtains are wide open. Riddle me that, Sheriff."
"You sealed it with a protection spell?" Gold interrupted. His hands rested loosely on his cane, his face impassive.
"That's what I just said," Regina hissed at him.
"Why?" Gold asked, undeterred by her disdain.
"What do you mean, why?" Regina retorted, "There's clearly a criminal on the loose!"
"Why did you seal the window with a protection spell, before the break-in, dearie?" He said it patronisingly slowly, as though trying to make himself understood by an imbecile.
Regina glared at him, clearly reconsidering her idea that he might be of use in shedding some light on her dilemma.
"Regina," Emma sighed, stepping between them, "Will you just tell us what exactly happened last night? Then we can try to figure this out."
A miniscule flash of apprehension flickered across Regina's features as she recalled exactly what had happened last night. The expression brushed over her face in a heartbeat, so small that none but an expert in fear would have even noticed. Emma didn't see it, but, of course, Gold did. His hands tightened imperceptibly atop his cane, his curiosity piqued. Well, well. The imperturbable Evil Queen was afraid - how very, very interesting.
"The moonlight woke me," Regina was saying as Gold turned his attention back to her actual words. Her voice was hard, annoyed, insinuating that she had no desire to be questioned about the sincerity of her explanation. "I may have been a little irate - it was late, after all... So, I sealed the window shut."
"With a protection spell?" Gold mused out loud, "That must have been quite a moonbeam, dearie."
Regina's eyes narrowed dangerously. Emma saw fit to step in again.
"You know my superpower, Regina," she said drily, "I get the feeling there's a lot more to this story than you're telling us."
"Fine," Regina flung her hands up in annoyance, "There was something in here."
"What do you mean, something?" Emma's eyes narrowed in turn.
Regina met her gaze darkly. She weighed her options, realising that she would have to be more forthcoming with the facts than she would like if she wanted their help. She knew she was out of her depth on this one, and her pride would have to take a backseat. Finally, her shoulders lost their tension. She would tell them the story – enough of it to help them help her, anyway.
"I woke just after midnight," she said. Her voice was soft and distant, and her eyes held a far-away expression as she remembered with startling clarity. "It was magic that woke me. It was like, I don't know, a tugging sensation... like... yearning, I suppose... I tried to trace it, but when I opened my eyes to the moonlight it felt like my chest exploded. It was a feeling I can't explain. Heart-wrenching, perhaps... Yes, that's the best way to describe it..." She closed her eyes as the ghost of the sensation flowed through her once more. "It was like a bottomless ache that doesn't really hurt, but takes all your breath away..." Her voice dropped to a whisper, and then faded away. A soft frown creased her fair brow above her shuttered eyes.
Emma's voice was suddenly loud in her head. "Regina! What's happening? You're glowing!"
Regina snapped back to the present. She caught a glimpse of a faint shimmer surrounding her, but it faded away almost as soon as she opened her eyes. Caught by surprise, she traded a startled glance with Emma before she could stop herself. Then, she realised that she was showing weakness. In front of Emma... and Gold, of all people. And Gold was watching her, with that condescending expression he had perfected.
"Anyway," she dismissed the subject acidly, brushing at her spotless black skirt as though tormenting invisible flecks of dust, "Somehow, the whole thing was keyed to the moonlight. Since I didn't know what it was, I sealed the window. Are you happy now?"
A moment of prickly silence followed, and Regina squared her shoulders. Gold was scrutinizing her uncomfortably closely, and Emma was looking at her with an irritating amount of concern.
"What?" she hissed at them. She planted her hands on her hips in a warning stance.
"Nothing!" Emma responded quickly. She knew when not to press Regina and held up her palms in mute surrender.
Gold ignored them both and stepped to the window. Looking thoughtfully down his nose at the sill, he narrowed his eyes as he probed at the remaining wisps of power hanging in the air. He tilted his head to look more closely, and a faint sparkle on the edge of the opening caught his eye. Regina watched suspiciously as he leaned lightly on his cane and reached for the sill. He plucked at something nearly invisible with his long fingers, and then swivelled back towards the two women, holding his prize aloft.
"You appear to be right, dearie." His tone was carefully neutral. He held out a single, long strand of hair to her. "You were definitely not alone."
With a troubled expression, Regina made no move to reach for the strand, so Emma took it instead. She studied it curiously. At first glance, it appeared black as a raven's wing, but as she turned it to the light, it shimmered with myriad tiny sparkles of silver. The effect was unusual - night dark, but bright as moonlight.
Regina had backed against the wall, clutching at her chest protectively. "What the hell is that?" Her eyes had narrowed to slits, and her face was pale as cream.
"It appears to be a strand of hair, dearie," Gold stated.
"Yes, I can see that," Regina snapped her glare from the strand to Gold's smug face, "What is it from?"
"Not what, dearie," Gold answered with a pleasant smile, "Who."
Regina's face, if it was possible, paled even further. Emma glared at Gold.
"You seem to be taking an unusual amount of pleasure from tormenting Regina over this," she accused, "What do you know?"
"I may have some ideas," Gold smiled glibly, "But I think I'll let you figure it out on your own."
"Gold!" Regina shouted. She tore herself away from the wall in renewed fury. "If you don't tell me what you know, I'll have your head on a plate!"
"I think not, dearie," Gold sneered, holding up one finger to stay her, "This isn't the Enchanted Forest, after all. Now, if you'll excuse me, Belle is waiting for me, and I have real business to attend to."
Regina choked on her rage, and he turned and strode out of the room. She recovered a heartbeat later and made to fly down the stairs after him, but Emma caught her arm.
"Regina," she warned, "Let him go."
"Let him go!" Regina exploded, rounding on Emma instead, "Someone has invaded my personal space, with magic I don't recognise! My safety is at stake!" Her eyes flashed dangerously. "Oh, wait... that's right! No one cares what happens to villains!"
Emma stood her ground. "I care. And you're not a villain anymore - to me, you're family. Don't let Gold get to you."
Abruptly, Regina deflated. She sank onto the edge of the bed and cradled her head in her hands, stifling a sob. Silently, Emma sat down beside her and put an arm cautiously around her shoulders.
"Regina," she said quietly, giving her a gentle squeeze, "I can't help you if you don't talk to me."
"I can't very well tell you anything if I don't know what's going on," Regina spat half-heartedly, but she leaned into Emma's embrace despite herself. A soft sob escaped her; she was too tired to fight.
"If I didn't know you better," Emma said softly, "I'd say you were afraid."
"The Evil Queen? Afraid?" Regina laughed bitterly and sat up, shrugging Emma's arm from her shoulders and straightening an imaginary crease out of her skirt.
"Well, what then?" Emma prompted. She folded her hands in her lap, avoiding eye contact so as not to provoke her.
Regina tilted her head back and looked at Emma sideways.
"I don't know what happened last night," she admitted finally, "But perhaps it did frighten me. Just a little bit."
She leaned forward again with a deep sigh. Emma sat silently, waiting.
"I don't know how to explain the magic of last night, Emma. The... feelings it invoked in me," she said hesitantly, trying to find the right words, "I've never felt so lost, or so alone... The emptiness was terrifying, like something is missing inside me. Like I'll never be whole again."
She looked over at Emma, who now met and held her gaze. She was truly worried; Regina could see it in her eyes. Quickly, she made an attempt to lighten her tone, and shrugged with a smile. "Usually, when I'm feeling low, I think of Henry. He's my light in the dark."
Emma relaxed a little at that, smiling too. They shared a warm thought of their son, whom they'd both worked so hard to protect.
"But," Regina rubbed her palms against her thighs before rising to her feet, "Last night, thinking of Henry didn't work."
Emma watched her as she began to pace the room.
"I pictured Henry's face, his beautiful, beautiful smile... but I couldn't hold the image in my mind." Her distress began to seep through her voice, despite her best efforts to keep her tone level. "No matter what life throws at me, I can always, always, see Henry... But, last night, there was something else, something more powerful..." She stopped pacing and turned to face Emma, her turmoil finally evident upon her face. "It scared me, Emma - what could be more powerful than a mother's love for her son?"
"Oh, Regina," Emma whispered. She rose to her feet and crossed the space between them in three short strides to enveloped Regina in a hug. She met no resistance, and held her together until she could compose herself. "Nothing is more powerful than a mother's love for her son. I should know."
Regina sniffled and tried to pull back, but Emma stayed her with her hands on her shoulders.
"I couldn't hold him in my mind, Emma..." Regina whimpered, so quietly that Emma barely heard her, "There was something stronger than that in this room last night."
"Well, whatever it is, we'll figure it out." Emma pushed the words out with more assurance than she felt.
She'd never seen the usually unflappable Evil Queen this close to the edge of losing her resolve. Rage and fury were one thing, she'd seen Regina lose it like that before, more than once. But this... this was different. Terrifyingly so. She'd never seen the powerful woman look so broken and afraid, and it scared her. Regina was the one everyone turned to when the going really got tough. The one you could trust to show up with fire and brimstone when it counted.
But she didn't look as though she could light a dry twig at the moment – even with the help of a match.
"Come on," Emma said at length. She gave Regina's shoulders a gentle shake, trying to spur them both to action. "Let's go get something at Granny's."
She wagered that getting out and about would help them both; it was certainly better than staying in a room that was beginning to feel oppressive.
When Regina didn't respond immediately, she added, "You can even stay with us for a few days, if you like..."
The comment had the desired effect. Regina's head snapped up and her eyes flashed. She pulled away with her customary sneer. "Granny's, fine. Camping with the Charmings...? I don't think so!"
She strode out of the room without a backward glance, and Emma, smiling wryly, followed the Evil Queen to Granny's.