Mente Sonum

Chapter 3

And so a pattern emerged. Emma would arrive in the mornings, after dropping Henry off at school. She'd take breakfast from the cafeteria to the cell for Regina and carried a small lunch bag for herself. They'd eat in silence, just enjoying each other's presence. Then came the interesting part. They'd talk.

Regina told her about her dead husband and how he'd mistreated her.

"He was an egotistical man, saw me as a possession to be controlled and taken. Suffice to say that I didn't shed a tear when I heard of his passing."

Emma would describe her childhood.

"It was rough, full of foster parents that couldn't care less and a system that was just as broken as I was."

They talked about Henry, even though the blonde noticed that Regina would get very quiet when the conversation flowed there.

Once in a while, Emma had been able to convince Regina to leave her cell and walk through the corridors. They even started heading down to the main area to play checkers. Regina almost always won, claiming she had been the best strategist in The Enchanted Forest. Emma attempted to put the minor, not-so-sane locations and names in the back of her mind. Instead she pretended Regina was from the south, where she grew up on a ranch with horses and a stable boy that loved her fiercely. She still wondered how the brunette ended up on a highway in elaborate clothing but every time she asked, Regina would just smirk.

"All in due time, dear." Whatever that meant.

A month passed by before Emma felt they had cultivated a true friendship. It almost seemed like it was them against everyone else in the asylum. The blonde felt so much affection toward the brunette patient, loving when Regina smiled at her or held her hand as they walked to the main area. It felt, startlingly enough, like love. Emma pushed the thought away. She'd only known the woman for short period of time, even though her heart kept telling her she knew this woman, somehow and from somewhere other than that cell.

Sometimes Regina would say things that made her chest constrict simply because they felt so familiar, like she'd heard them before.

Like when they talked about hobbies.

"I used to make cider. If you could have a glass, you'd said it was the best apple cider you've ever tasted."

Or when two other patients started talking smack about being the best checker playing duo.

"I can't beat Tony and Dale! I'm not as good as them!"

"But maybe we are."

Or when they plotted a prank against Nurse Severe and Regina chuckled, "Operation Viperfish."

"What?"

"Every good plan needs a name, dear." And for some reason, her mind flashed to Henry.

Moments like those began increasing and it almost was like Regina watched her, trying to gauge Emma's reaction to her words.

On the one month anniversary of her getting the job, she brought two cupcakes into the cell.

"I would've brought a candle but we're not allowed."

"That's alright, Emma. All that matters is that we aren't alone as we make a wish."

She watched as Regina closed her eyes, lips slight parted, "Make a wish."

And she did.

If only wishes came true for people like her, Emma thought sullenly as she peeked at the brunette woman biting into the small vanilla cupcake.

If only.