Mente Sonum

Chapter 2

Emma peered back at Severe, who pulled some leather restraints from the pocket of her scrubs and lifted them into the air for both her and Regina's eyes, "I'm going to place these on you."

Emma turned and smirked when she saw Regina's eye roll. The brunette outstretched her wrists and Severe snapped on the restraints. Emma felt her apprehension fade a bit with each snap of the leather cuffs.

"Behave," Severe turned from Regina to Emma, "And good luck."

The door to the room clanked shut, the metal scrapping, causing Emma to shiver. She finally looked to the wooden seat Regina had offered and slowly pulled it a safe distance from the cot before unceremoniously plopping down. She felt brown eyes following her every move and while she should've felt unnerved, she felt... warm, as if she had had this woman's attention before.

"So, dear, new job?" Emma swallowed audibly before nodding. Regina just chuckled, "What made you choose this occupation? Insanity, perhaps?"

Emma couldn't stop the small grin that lit up her face at the sarcastic quip, "No, I've always felt a weird connection to people that had mental illnesses. This is my way of... making a difference."

"I see. Have you always lived... here?" Emma quirked a brow at the brunette's stumble but she let it slide. She figured if the woman was delusional, the name of the city in which she was institutionalized wouldn't really matter much.

"No, I just moved here from Boston." She watched as Regina looked off to the side, looking contemplative.

"Fate has a strange sense of humor." Regina muttered under her breath. Emma pretended to not hear it.

"Severe told me a bit of your story," She watched as Regina's lips tilted upward and her shoulders shrugged, "I'd love to hear it from you though."

"The story of how I became imprisoned in this depressing hell pit or just a summary of my entire existence?" Emma lifted her legs, settling on sitting Indian-style.

"Either one. I'm not hard to entertain." The blonde leaned back, her muscles relaxing a bit. She felt much more relaxed after speaking to the woman. She didn't seem unwell, mentally or physically, but it was more than that. Emma felt an eerie connection to the patient, to Regina. It was almost as if she had known her for a long time, as if they were settling down for brunch, not listening to tales while in a padded room.

Regina hummed and Emma felt heat spread through her abdomen, "I was born to Cora and Henry Mills... a very long time ago. I was taught how to be a lady, how to drink tea and how to fill out dresses in a way that would entice any man. I was also taught that making mistakes was not allowed. My mother made it so that I would shake and quiver when I accidentally got dirt on the lace of my dresses or spent too much time at the stables for her liking... She was..."

"A bitch." Regina chuckled a bit at Emma's interruption but conceded with a nod.

"It went that way for many, many years, or at least until I turned sixteen. I then became rebellious, riding until my back hurt and my horse wanted no more, dressing in riding clothes and discarding most dresses. I was a bit of a tomboy, I suppose. That's when I met Daniel, the stable boy."

"Let me guess, first crush?" Emma lifted her legs so that she could prop her chin on her knees.

"No, it was more than that. He was my world, my true love." Emma saw Regina's eyes grow dull, almost as if recalling a scene in her mind. The brunette absentmindedly itched at her forearms.

"Bad breakup?" That caught Regina's attention once more. The older woman shook her head.

"He... he passed away," Regina sighed, "He was killed."

"Oh, shit." Emma cursed under her breath. Regina cleared her throat, peering at Emma curiously, as if trying to gauge something, but the blonde cleared her throat, "That must've screwed with..."

Emma gestured toward her own head. Regina quickly shook her head, "No, that didn't send me over the edge, so to speak. It kick started a journey that would certainly lead to my downfall."

"Lead to your downfall?" Emma chuckled, "You make it sound like some epic villains defeat."

"It was, dear." Emma's mouth fell open.

"Oh, yeah, the curse and the Blind Witch thing."

"The Wicked Witch."

"Right, that. Anyway, what, uh, lead to your downfall?"

"After my love was killed, I was forced into a marriage by my mother—"

"Like an arranged marriage? Where the hell did you grow up?"

"The Enchanted Forest."

"Right."

Emma couldn't hold back the upward tilt of her pink lips but wiped the back of her hand across them quickly in an attempt to hide her amusement. When she peered back up at those soulful brown eyes, she caught a glimpse of sadness.

Emma cleared her throat, "So, uh, this... Enchanted Forest? What's it like?"

Regina lifted her legs and pushed slowly, allowing her body to slide backward until her back banged into the wall. The brunette leaned her head back and sighed deeply, "It's... out of this world."

"I'm sure." Emma stared at the white, crisp bed sheet, trying to avoid that burning stare, "You know my son's name is Henry. Like your dad."

She peered at the brunette from under her lashes and felt her heart skip a beat at the soft expression on Regina's face.

"How is he?" The blonde smiled lightly, not noticing the strange way Regina had phrased the question.

"He's a cool kid," Emma chuckled, "So smart and sweet. I'm real lucky."

"I'm glad to hear that." Regina whispered, a faraway look in her eyes. Emma watched the brunette pick at invisible lint on her grey sweatpants.

"You alright?" Regina didn't meet her eye.

"I'm just tired, dear. It's been nice chatting but maybe we could pick this up another time." The brunette whispered softly and Emma swore Regina's lashes were a bit too shiny. The blonde wasn't sure what had upset the other woman. Before she could question it, the brunette slide down the wall until she was flat on her back on the bed then turned away from her.

"Um, okay," Emma gingerly rose from her seat, putting it where it was originally, before knocking on the metal door. As she waited for the guard to let her out, she turned and whispered to the quiet room, "This has been nice, ya know? I don't talk to many people, too busy with the kid and all that. And I know this may sound weird but... I feel like I know you, ya know?"

The door slid open slowly and Emma turned away from the other woman, not expecting a response, when an amused voice came from the bed, "Very eloquent, dear. Goodnight, Emma."

"Goodnight, Regina."