#sqw

Some people had sex with different people, she guessed. She wouldn’t be one of them. Her mother had made that quite clear.

“You won’t know right away,” Ms. French continued. “They may seem like regular dreams at first. But as you get older you may be able to learn to control them.”

Ms. French spent the next forty minutes outlining ways to control dreams and what sort of things people did to send their soulmates messages.

“Now, don’t get discouraged if you don’t meet them right away. It usually takes years to learn how to control your dreams enough to communicate with the other person. According to our state’s statistics, in Maine the median age people find their soulmate is 23, so you have quite a while before you might find your mate.”

When the bell rang there were excited whispers that radiated through the room.

“Weird lesson, huh?” Kathryn said as she and Regina walked toward their lockers.

“Well I think August is hoping you two dream share soon,” Regina told her.

“Ugh, I hope not,” Kathryn replied.

“Who do you want it to be?” Regina asked.

“Oh, I don’t know. Maybe David Charming?”

“Kathryn, you can’t be serious,” Regina scoffed. “He only has eyes for Mary Margaret. And that’s one match that I wouldn’t be surprised about.”

“Well who are you hoping for then?” Kathryn needled.

“No one in particular,” Regina said nonchalantly, closing her locker and starting to walk away.

“That’s a lie,” Kathryn accused, hurrying to catch up. “You hope it’s Daniel Colter.”

“So what if I do?” Regina asked, a little annoyed.

“Nothing’s wrong with that, Regina,” Kathryn answered, slightly taken aback. “Why are you snapping at me like this?” By then, they’d reached Regina’s conjuring class.

Regina stopped just short of the door. “Because why get my hopes up?” She then disappeared into her next class, leaving Kathryn behind.

***

A few weeks later, Regina had her usual reoccurring dream she had at least twice a month-- the only dream she ever had.

She was in an open field, the breeze blowing just right. Her hair braided in a way specific to her father’s work. She was wearing her favorite outfit and carrying her favorite book.

As she walked to the middle of the meadow where she knew a hammock would be waiting for her. However, when she arrived, there was a swan sitting in it. Annoyed, she threw her book at it.

Instantly she woke up in a cold sweat. Odd… that was normally a good dream.

Her mind drifted back to Ms. French’s lesson over shared dreams. It couldn’t be…

She leapt out of bed and retrieved her class notebook, where she had neatly written down all the ways she could control her dreams.

She glanced up at the clock. She only had a few more hours to sleep. She realized that wasn’t enough time to get back to sleep and control her dream, so she decided she would try to tomorrow night.

***

The next few weeks she focused her mind before bed. Regina prided herself at being a quick learner and this was to be no exception. However, she was having very little success and it was interfering with her sleep schedule.

“What’s going on with you?” Kathryn asked one day while they were walking home, noticing that Regina had practically fallen asleep in class that morning.

“I’m just tired,” Regina growled.

“I’ll say, but why?” Kathryn prodded.

“I…” Regina sighed.

“They’ve started, haven’t they?”

“I wouldn’t say ‘they’ have started. It’s only one dream,” Regina admitted.

“What?” Kathryn came to a dead stop.

“What what?” Regina asked.

“Regina… soulmates that only share one dream… that’s rare,” Kathryn told her.

“Ms. French never said anything about that in class.”

“That’s because it hasn’t happened in, like, fifty years.”

“Well that seems ridiculous,” Regina replied.

“No, it’s bigger than soulmates,” Kathryn insisted. “Soulmates that share one specific dream have a powerful amount of magic between them.”

“Mother will be pleased, then.”

“You can’t tell anyone else,” Kathryn told her quickly.

“Why not?”

“If the magical community finds out they’ll keep you separate forever.”

“That can’t be right,” Regina replied, frowning.

“It is,” Kathryn said. “I could probably find a few articles at the library.”

“Fine. I want proof,” Regina told her.

“Okay, but I warned you,” Kathryn said.

***

It turned out that Kathryn was right. She’d picked up article after article about soulmates that single dream share and brought them back to the table she and Regina were occupying in the library.

Regina read dozens of articles about the first identified couple that single dream shared and how they nearly destroyed an entire community. From that point on, any teenagers that spoken about single dream sharing was prevented from finding their other half.

“There are plenty of rumors as to why there haven’t been single dream sharers in so long,” Kathryn told her, biting into an apple she’d brought with her. “ One rumor is that word doesn’t get out that a couple has been identified. Another one is that couples who realize early, go into hiding. The most interesting rumor is that single dream sharers have a proclivity for coming from single dream families and that all or most of the gene has died off.”

“I don’t come from a single dream share family,” Regina said certainly. She loved her parents-- each in their own way-- but they weren’t the happiest of couples.

“Maybe your soulmate does,” Kathryn suggested.

“Or maybe it’s like you said-- rumors.”

Kathryn shrugged. “Either way, you can’t tell anyone.”

Regina looked at the sea of material she had just read through. Keeping it a secret was obvious. She didn’t want to end up lonely, torn from her other half.

“I have to find him, then,” Regina said with determination.

“Wait, look at this,” Kathryn said, mid bite of her apple.

Regina sidled over to her friend and looked at where her friend was pointing.

“What is that?”

“It’s… well it’s sort of an old and slightly forbidden way of controlling your dreams,” Kathryn admitted.

“What do you mean by ‘slightly’?” Regina asked. “And why didn’t Ms. French tell us about any of this?”

“The government doesn’t take into account people like us, Regina,” Kathryn said. “They don’t expect sixteen-year-olds to go searching through old archives about single dream sharers or other ways to control dreams. They set the curriculum and Ms. French teaches it.”

“Why is this one illegal?” Regina asked.

“Because it has a high risk of being dangerous,” Kathryn explained. “Doing this might make you lose control of your body.”

“What happens? You can’t get up? You die?” Regina pressed.

Kathryn shrugged. “No one knows. Not for sure, anyway.”

“Explain,” Regina demanded, sitting down.

Kathryn pulled out an article that looked like it was ancient. “There was… a study done once. Completely unethical, never fully released or proven. One man claimed that using this method-- especially with single dream sharers-- caused the soulmates to switch bodies.”

“Why would that make it illegal?” Regina asked.

“We haven’t taken illicit magic yet, but body swapping is one of them,” Kathryn told her. “You could be tried for kidnapping, treason, or worse.”

Regina took in a shaky breath. “What percentage of non-single dream sharers can achieve this?”

“The numbers say less than 1%,” Kathryn told her.

“And… single dream sharers?”

“50% if one soulmate does it and… 100% if both soulmates use this technique on the same night.”

Regina pushed back from the table, imagining the prospects. Using this technique made controlling the dream easier, meaning she would have a better shot at connecting with her soulmate, but using it also meant that she and her soulmate might switch bodies.

“I want to try,” Regina whispered. “If my soulmate comes to school as me tomorrow I’m counting on you to help him.”

“Regina, it’s dangerous!” Kathryn exclaimed.

“Don’t tell me you’re not the least bit curious.”

“I…” Kathryn hesitated. She wanted to know if it was possible. “Okay, fine, I’ll take care of him.”

Regina stood up and hugged her best friend. “Thank you.”

“You better hope no one finds out.”

***

Regina settled down into bed like usual. But she knew this wasn’t like every other night. She’d set out an appropriate outfit with a note on it in case her soulmate woke up in her body.

As she laid there, she stayed very still, deepening her breathing like she was already asleep, attempting to trick her body into putting her into sleep paralysis.

She felt it in her toes first and the sensation inched up her body, while at the same time it fogged up her head.

Stick with it, Regina. Perseverance!

She didn’t know how long she could sit still like that, the feeling very uncomfortable, when…

She was in an open field, the breeze blowing just right. Her hair braided in a way specific to her father’s work. She was wearing her favorite outfit and carrying her favorite book.

As she walked to the middle of the meadow where she knew a hammock would be waiting for her. However, when she arrived, there was a swan sitting in it.

“Don’t scare it away,” she whispered to herself.

As she cautiously walked toward the swan, it noticed her, quickly getting out of the hammock as if apologizing for being in her space.

Strange. Animals don’t normally act like that. Unless…

Regina dug into the recesses of her conscious mind, retrieving an animal to human transformation spell.

She approached the swan as it curiously regarded her, letting her approach it. When she was mere inches away she recited the spell.

In an instant, the swan transformed into a beautiful blonde, but before they had a chance to speak, their hands touched and Regina felt a shock go through her body before everything went dark.

***

When Emma Swan woke up she was disoriented. She was most certainly not in her room.

She sat up quickly and noticed a pile of clothes-- again, not hers. On top of the clothes was a note.

Dear soulmate,

After you read this I need you to destroy it. My name is Regina Mills and I may have used illegal magic to find out who you are? Okay, I most certainly did. Using this technique we may have switched bodies, hence the note. I need you to be me for the day. I know I set myself up for a slight disadvantage in your body, but I’ve told my best friend, Kathryn Nolan (she’ll approach you) about what might happen.

Body swapping is illegal, so I need you to try your best to be me.

There were a few more pages with detailed instructions, but Emma’s mind was reeling. She and her soulmate had body-swapped. And her soulmate is a woman.

She ran to to the mirror to examine her temporary face-- the face of her soulmate.

Wow, she beautiful, Emma thought.

Remembering the rest of Regina’s letter, she followed it the best she could. Skirts were not Emma’s thing, but she assumed Regina must wear them regularly since her closet was full of them.

Getting to school was fairly easy, as Regina told Emma that she and Zelena would walk there together. Finding her homeroom class was slightly more difficult and Emma was starting to get nervous. Where was Kathryn?

“Regina!” Kathryn called.

Emma whipped around to see a small blonde coming her way. She stayed silent, not sure what to say.

“I need to talk to you,” Kathryn said, nonchalantly.

Oh crap. She wasn’t even sure if this was Kathryn.

Kathryn led her to the bathroom and turned toward her expectantly. “So?”

“So…?”

Kathryn’s eyes widened in disbelief. “You’re either a really good liar, Regina or… you’re not Regina.”

Emma shuffled her feet and scratched the back of her neck nervously. “Are you Kathryn?”

“Oh my god! Wow… okay. Keep it together, Kathryn,” Kathryn babbled to herself. She took a deep breath and stuck out her hand. “Hi. Kathryn Nolan, official best friend to Regina Mills, and your caretaker for the day.”

Emma shook Kathryn’s hand even if she felt a little silly. “Um… Emma Swan, Regina’s… soulmate, very confused and overwhelmed.”

Kathryn took a small step back. “Emma, huh?”

“Surprise! Regina’s queer!” Emma chuckled nervously.

“That’s neither here nor there,” Kathryn replied, waving it off. “I probably could’ve guessed.”

“So… Maine,” Emma started.

“Oh shit,” Kathryn whispered. “You’re not from Maine?”

“Nope,” Emma told her, shrugging.

“Where do you live?”

“Massachusetts. Boston, to be exact,” Emma answered.

“Interesting,” Kathryn mused. “Well, we have a lot to talk about today!”

Emma smiled at her nervously, glad to have a guide-- she only hoped Regina was doing alright in her foster home…

***

That night, Emma did as the letter instructed. She burned it hours ago, but she memorized the important parts.

Alright Emma, you can do this.

She took deep breaths and laid very still. She felt it in her toes first and the sensation inched up her body, while at the same time it fogged up her head-- exactly how Regina told her it would feel.

Suddenly, she was in her dream. A few months ago a hammock had appeared so she sat in it. But she had clearly been trespassing, because this huge horse approached her, steaming mad. It wasn’t until the night before that the horse turned into Regina.

“Regina?” Emma called.

“Over here,” Regina called from Emma’s body.

“Well this is surreal,” Emma muttered. She walked toward her cautiously-- she didn’t want to switch back just yet.

“Was Kathryn good to you?” Regina asked.

“The best,” Emma replied.

“I guess she knows I’m bi, now,” Regina said, blushing.

“She actually took that pretty well,” Emma replied. “Um… how was your day?”

“I’m sorry,” is all Regina could say.

Emma shuffled her feet. “I’m used to it, it’s okay.”

“I’m going to come find you,” Regina promised.

“Kathryn told me we have to be careful.”

Regina smiled sadly. “Yeah, we do, but… you’re worth it.”

“You hardly know me,” Emma replied, confused as to why anyone would ever look at her with such love.

“I can’t wait to get to know you better,” Regina told her.