These Dreams

The Black Swan

Regina raised her head from where she was laying curled up on the chair across from Hook. She'd been in a deep, dreamless sleep but a noise - probably Henry rolling over in his sleep - and now she was awake. Given her pattern of late, she'd be awake for quite awhile.

She stretched her legs out, flexing her ankles in an attempt to get some blood circulating back into them, and rolled her head slowly on her neck. She glanced over at Henry, sprawled in his sleeping bag, and a smile touched her lips. Thank God for Henry. If it weren't for him...

Her thought were interrupted by a sound again, and this time it most definitely wasn't Henry - she'd been looking right at him. Regina cautiously lowered her feet to the floor and stood up, listening intently. There it was again...a slight scraping. She glanced over her shoulder again at Henry - who had stirred slightly but hadn't woken up - then she moved silently through the doorway and into the hall beyond.

The sound came again, the scraping followed by a slight thump, and she was readying a fireball in her hand when Henry's voice sounded behind her.

"Mom? Wh-what's going on?" His voice was cloudy with sleep, and he rubbed a tired hand over his eyes.

Regina put a finger to her lips, and Henry's eyes widened, and he nodded in acknowledgement. She moved forward, leaning around the doorway into the sitting room and flipping on the light. There was no one there. A cold gust of air ruffled the curtains, and she moved into the room, fireball still in hand. Henry approached behind her.

"Why is the window open?" he asked. "We didn't leave it open."

"I know." Her words were short and flat. "Henry, pick up the phone and call David. Now. You stay here - I'm going to check out the rest of the house."

"But Mom - "

"Do it."

Henry walked over to the telephone and Regina moved back into the hallway, walking into the kitchen and making a full circuit of the downstairs. By the time she'd finished upstairs, David was at the door.

"Are you okay?" he asked, stepping into the house. "I scouted the perimeter, but there's no sign of anyone."

"We're fine," Henry said.

"There's no one in here, either, but someone sure as hell tried." Regina led him into the sitting room, showing him the open window.

"Who would do this?" David asked.

"Why are you quizzing me?" Regina said. "I certainly haven't pissed anybody off lately."

"I'm going to go outside again and look more closely around the window area. Don't touch the window," David cautioned. "I'm going to dust for prints."

Regina nodded. "Henry, I think I'd rather have you sleeping upstairs and off the main floor."

"What if whoever it was is trying to hurt Killian?"

Regina's eyebrows raised. "Hurt Hook? Why?"

Henry bit his lip, looking over at Hook where he lay unmoving on the couch.

"Maybe somebody doesn't want him to find my Mom."

###

Emma was sitting at a rolltop desk, dunking a quill pen in the ink pot when the alarm sounded. A few moments later, a man's face appeared in the doorway.

"Begging your pardon, Cap'n," he said, with a bob of his head. "But you'd best come up top. We've got trouble."

"Trouble?" She looked around the room, trying to get her bearings.