The Tie That Binds

Chapter Nine

There's an ominous howling shrieking in her ears and she's sure at any moment her eardrums might explode from the sheer agony of the cry. Maybe it's a tormented soul screaming for attention or maybe it's a warning, either way, she finds her feet moving to their own accord, closer and closer toward the miserable sound.

Everything around her is dark, haunting and she feels like she's trapped in some abandoned cave that sends shivers down her spine. Yet, she doesn't necessarily feel alone. It isn't much further into the black abyss where she feels a bitter cold wind smother her, forcing her long strands to whip wildly around her face.

Her body reacts without a single thought in her brain, reaching behind her to yank the sword free from her back. Words are being exchanged, but she can't comprehend much of anything besides the howling and she's sure she is stuck in some foggy dream. That's when, what can only be described as a creepy, faceless shadow with glowing yellow eyes, comes swooping in to attack. She's holding onto something for dear life in her other hand and she has a sneaky suspicion the creature wants it.

As the shadow dashes down toward her again, she swings her sword haphazardly in front of herself and crouches down behind a massive rock. She's petrified, all those haunting and terrifying memories from when she was a little lost girl in a new foster home, come stomping back to the forefront of her mind. She pulls her knees to her chest, exactly like she did when she was little and curls into a ball, pleading with someone to make it all stop. Please erase all these horrifying fears.

"Emma!"

She distinctly hears Neal's voice calling to her over the screeching of the shadow and she thinks that maybe he's trying to reach into her dream from the real world. She can't remember how many times he would have to wake her from nightmares when they lived in the tiny bug. Yet, this time, he's the one who sounds like he's in pain.

"Emma! Get out of here!"

She closes her eyes and grits her teeth, she needs to remember to stay mad and force those demons out of her mind. She doesn't have time to cower, she's not a child anymore and she'll be damned if she ever allows her fears to get the best of her again. She needs to find her anger, harness it and use it to fight her way out of this nightmare.

She inhales one deep breath and that's when she hears the stern, yet rough voice loud and clear in her mind. "Find your anger and use it to focus."

Her eyes spring back to life like her body was just pumped with adrenaline. She stares down at a candle cradled by a coconut and thinks about how pissed off she is that her son was stolen from her. She thinks about how furious she is with her mother for saying that she wants a replacement child, right in front of her. She reminds herself how Hook and Neal are wasting precious time because they keep fighting over her. She thinks about how her son's adoptive mother stormed off...

She thinks about the way a certain brunette kissed her so delicately as if she could fall apart at any moment...

A hot, burning flame roars to life atop of the candle. She thrusts the coconut into the air and watches in astonishment as the shadow is sucked into the flame.

Her mind is a swirling storm of mixed emotions and her body is struggling to calm itself back down from whatever the hell she just went through. She is gasping for air, staring dumbfounded at the coconut before her.

"How did you do that?" Neal questions.

"Regina," she breathlessly whispers.

"Regina," she yells as she viciously flings forward in bed.