Roni

Chapter Twenty Two

"Regina, she's a thirteen year old little girl, I promise you those dreams mean nothing," Snow whispers as her and Regina continue to fight in the privacy of Regina's bedroom.

After Ella's nightmare in the middle of the night, she had a very hard time going back to sleep. Finally, around ten o'clock in the morning, exhaustion washed over her and the young girl fell asleep soundly.

"Snow, if you could open up that tiny little brain of yours, for just one second, you will understand that it's not just a dream."

"Your attitude isn't helping right now," Snow scolds, folding her arms defiantly across her chest.

Regina knows all too well that pose means unless she calms down, Snow will stubbornly refuse to listen to another word her friend has to say. Regina swears that sometimes she feels as though she's still arguing with the ten year old, little princess, from all those years ago.

Regina takes a deep breath, trying to simmer her temper before she speaks. Through gritted teeth she attempts to explain the situation to the childish woman before her.

"Try and understand me, Ella is a very special girl. Do you know why? She is the Savior's daughter...born in Storybrooke...with unlimited access of magic..." Snow White stares blankly, waiting for Regina to continue. The former mayor inhales sharply and closes her eyes for just a second to relax. "I swear, sometimes I wonder how you managed to escape me so frequently all those years ago."

"Get to the point, Regina," Snow snaps in annoyance creating a smirk in victory to stretch across Regina's face, knowing she agitated the woman.

"Ella has magic," Regina whispers gently, still unsure if she should be breaking Ella's confidentiality.

Dark green eyes blow wide in astonishment as her pink, full lips part and she gasps dramatically. "Are you sure?"

"She confided in me, so you have to promise me, you will not say a word until she comes to you. I'm going to try and convince her to tell you and Emma."

Snow's pleading eyes peer into her friend's stern glare and Regina knows exactly what this woman is trying to express. After all these years, they all know Snow still isn't very good at keeping secrets. It's like a disease that spreads rapidly through her body, just itching to pour out.

"Snow," Regina drawls in a warning tone, "you asked me one time to keep a secret from Emma about Maleficent's baby. I kept my promise and put myself in danger for you. This is for your granddaughter, you can do it."

A small whimper escapes the former princess' lips, but she nods in agreement, knowing this is best for her granddaughter.

~~~~~~~

Later that afternoon Snow and Regina offered to take Ella out to eat at the nearby diner. It was past lunch time when she finally woke up and the younger girl hasn't had a chance to eat yet. They knew they needed to distract Ella from her horrific dream and it would be best to drag her out of the house.

A small bell over the door rings loudly, signaling a new arrival. Ella freezes in the booth across from Regina, her sparkling green eyes darkening instantly in fear, catching Regina's attention. She reaches her hand out over the table to comfort the girl, but Ella pulls both her hands off the table and places them into her lap.