Reset

“But then the guy was like right up in my face and I had to explain to him that this is how bail works, you’d think he’d know but anyway.. so I’m halfway through giving him a damn legal lesson when the woman turns up, you remember the woman from the club? And I’m like no way do I want to be in the middle of this but no way do I want to miss it either.”

“Emma?” Regina whispered.

Suddenly the rambling voice stopped, “Regina, thank God, are you okay?”

Regina opened her eyes and noticed it was pitch black. She realised she was laying down with on a muddy, grainy surface. Emma was beside her, although it was dark the sound of her voice told Regina that Emma was on her side with her back to her.

“Regina?” Emma asked again in panic.

“I’m.. I’m fine,” Regina said because that’s what she thought she should say. She had no idea if she was fine or not, she was still piecing everything together.

“I was so worried,” Emma told her, her tone rough with anger and panic.

“I’m sorry,” Regina replied, “I’m.. I’m okay,” she tested the theory by sitting up and then she began to remember who she was, where she was and what had happened, “what were you talking about?”

“I was telling you a story, trying to get you to wake up,” Emma said and then defensively added, “you wanted me to not move so I didn’t but I had to do something, once you I don’t know.. whatever you did.. the light went out and you collapsed.”

Without thinking Regina conjured another floating fireball to light the cavern and instantly gasped at the strain she felt through doing something relatively simple.

“Are you okay?” Emma cried in panic.

“Yes,” Regina said, “sorry, I..” she realised she would be able to comfort Emma a lot more if she could see her. She carefully held onto the wall and stood up and then took a step over Emma and into the running water of the stream and kneeled in front of Emma.

“Hi,” Emma smiled.

“Hi,” Regina smiled back, “how are you feeling?”

“I can feel everything again but I ache like a mo.. a lot,” she replied, “but I can feel, I don’t know how I can ever thank you enough.”

“Well, you’ll have time to think about it,” Regina announced with a gloomy expression, “my magic reserves are almost completely drained. I need to rest before I can magic us out of here.”

“I can walk,” Emma insisted and began to attempt to move but stopped when Regina put her hand on her shoulder to stop her.

“No, you must remain still for at least another hour,” Regina said and then realised that she was touching Emma’s bare skin. And then she looked at the shivering cold woman in front of her and realised she was still only wearing her bra on top, her skin covered in little bumps from the cold air above and the cold water below.

Regina looked in panic, “your clothes, I vanished them.. I..”

“It’s fine, I’m okay,” Emma lied easily.

“I don’t need your superpower to know that that is a lie,” Regina said and quickly took her black long sleeved sweater off leaving herself also in just a black bra.

“Great, now we match,” Emma chuckled.

Regina ripped at the seam of the material and tore it down the side and then laid the extended material over Emma’s body.

“What about you?” Emma said.

“I’ll be fine,” Regina replied, “I’ve not been sat down here for.. how long have you been here?”

Emma frowned, “no idea, when did you phone me?”

Regina thought about it, “around eleven?”

“Say around half eleven then,” Emma said casually.

“That’s about ten hours,” Regina said with a raised eyebrow, “you definitely win the sweater.”

“Guess I should have come over to see you instead,” Emma smiled.

“Why didn’t you?” Regina asked tenderly.

Emma laughed lightly, “I didn’t want you to see me weak..”

Regina chuckled, “well, that worked out well for you.”

“Yeah,” Emma said and her eyes drifted off into a memory before she whispered, “I had a panic attack.”

“Down here?” Regina asked.

“No, yesterday lunchtime,” Emma explained, “Henry was tearing down the street on his bike and I’d caught him and told him off. Said I’d meet him for lunch at Granny’s and then it hit me. I’ve had them before,” she admitted, “I know the sensation before you get one. I sat in an alleyway.”

Regina felt her heart clench, “you didn’t want to come over in case you had another panic attack?”

“No,” Emma shook her head lightly, “I didn’t want to come over because you were so nice the last time, you know, when you were nice Regina,” she smiled, “and I knew I’d just break down if anyone was nice to me.”

“I can’t be the only person who’s nice to you,” Regina shook her head, “you’re loved in this town, Emma.”

“But you don’t need anything from me, you don’t expect anything from me. I can be a screw-up and it doesn’t matter. I’m not your legal guardian, your boss, your employee, your daughter, your potential Godmother,” Emma took a deep breath, “it’s just so easy to be with you.”

Regina sniggered, “did you ever think you’d say that when you first arrived in town in that monstrosity you call a car?”

Emma laughed too, “no.. how things change, eh?”