Curse Gone Wrong

Nightmares

Snow White

I squealed when the ground beneath Charming and I broke away and we started falling, we were falling through a portal, Henry threw the bean, and now we were falling. "ENCHANTED FOREST!" I heard Regina call from above us, I closed my eyes and clung to my husband, forming memories of our life in this world, the portal cleared up and I saw a huge ocean beneath us, the freezing waters right below Maleficent's castle where my husband proposed. I braced myself and clung to him tighter, plunging into the icy waters. Shortly after I heard Hook and Henry fall in, the water was paralyzingly cold, then I saw Regina and Robin falling, my daughter safely swaddled in her arms, and Roland tucked in his father's. The four of them fell in and only Robin and Roland came up. "Is everyone okay?!" He yelled, holding the small boy close.

"My mom! She can't swim!" Henry yelled, Robin and I immediately took a deep breath, Henry grabbed Roland and Robin, David and I plunged down into the icy waters. They were dark and murky, but I saw my daughter's golden hair floating in Regina's struggling arms. Robin dove deeper and wrapped his arms around her waist, I swam closer and took Emma, David helped pull Regina and the four of us started to make our way to the surface.

"REGINA! OH MY GOD ARE YOU OKAY?!" Robin exclaimed, she burst into a coughing fit and shivered in Robin's arms, taking large gulps of air. She was okay, but we still had a long swim to shore.

It was nightfall by the time we reached land. I still kept my daughter in my arms and carefully removed her freezing jacket, along with mine and laid it next to the fire. The men were off finding fire wood and food for the next morning so it was just Regina, Emma and I.

"Are you okay? I didn't know that you couldn't swim." I said quietly, she scooted closer to the fire and warmed her hands. "No one knew, I just never liked the ocean, it was a part of the world that was a mystery and I liked to keep it that way. Plus, it seems so childish to lack that skill, so if anyone knew the horrible Evil Queen was afraid to put her face in the water... well that would have been bad." She sighed, I just smiled and moved my daughter against my chest. Regina had put a sleeping spell on her with heavy poppy infusion to make sure that she would stay asleep until we returned home, or found the ingredients to change her back.

"How is she?" Regina asked, I looked up and sighed, brushing my little girl's hair out of her face gently. "She keeps talking in her sleep. She keeps asking for her mama. I just-" I stopped talking and contemplated about what I was doing, was I really going to lose it in front of my stepmother? But she looked genuinely concerned, so I continued. "I can't help but think I caused this. The minute I found her again, I have wondered and wanted to know what my little girl was like as a child, scenarios of a happy little Emma running around always filled my thoughts, but now I see how broken she really is, in her mind we left her on the side of a freeway, unwanted and unloved. I question my decision every day, whether we should have given her up or not, but now I regret it more then ever, I mean look at her, she has been abused, rejected, used as a food ticket her whole life! I made it sound so easy for her to just put her walls down and let us in because I was her mother. As if that was some kind of special access into her heart, but I am the one who made her so closed off! I ruined everything and now I am finally seeing the full consequences laid out in front of me!" I sobbed over her sleeping body, moving her hair behind her ear.

Regina stood up and sat next to me on my log, taking my freezing hands into hers, I looked up and felt my tears cool my face. "Hey. This is not your fault." I started to protest but she gave me a look that told me not to. "It's mine. I was the one who forced you to give her up in the first place, I was so insane with power that I saw no mercy. Your love was so strong that it blinded me, making me heartless and weak. Snow, I am pregnant and I can not wait to meet my baby, you felt the exact same thing but I took that joy away from you. If someone did that to me now, I'd be furious, in no way is this your fault, you were giving your daughter her best chance, because if you didn't we would probably all still be in that stupid town living that same stupid day over and over again. Everyone's past is ugly, and we try our best to put it behind us, your relationship with Emma is healthy and strong, she loves you and forgave you for your wrongdoings, this is just a part of the ugly past that no one likes to see. This would be like me watching myself poison you over and over again, it was a horrible thing for me to do, but look, you are my best friend and family. This isn't your fault Snow, we will get Emma back and she will be okay. I promise." She said squeezing my hands and then wrapping her arms around me, I gave in and started crying, pressing my face on her shoulder, she just rubbed my back and shooed away the boys until I finished.