A/N: Hi everyone! I'm back with another story idea that I just couldn't get out of my head. For those of you reading my other stories, I promise to get updating on them soon! As for this story, this first chapter is pretty angsty, but the whole story will not be that way. This story will also not follow the season 2 storyline (so Emma and Mary Margaret won't end up in the Enchanted Forest, no appearance by Cora and Hook, and no Greg and Tamara).

Disclaimer: I do not own OUAT, its characters, or its storylines.

Set at beginning of season 2. Emma and Regina hate each other, more so now than before the curse was broken. That is, until a car crash unexpectedly brings the two together. Starts as Pre-SwanQueen, but SwanQueen endgame.

~And When We Came Crashing Together~

Chapter One: What Happened at 8:15 PM

It all happened too fast.

They were all having dinner, as per Henry's request. It was the fourth time Emma had joined her and Henry for dinner. The blonde had also graced them with her presence the last two Saturdays, which of course was all Henry's doing as well. She only agreed to let her spend the day with them because of him. Regina was trying her best to show Henry that she had changed. She even made the promise to him that she would not use magic, despite how tempting it was after Gold brought it to Storybrooke shortly after the curse had been broken three weeks ago.

Pretending to get along with one other wasn't particularly easy for the both of them. They still argued with each other constantly when Henry wasn't around, and Regina had her suspicions of Emma trying to steal Henry away from her for good. Somehow, they had managed to set aside their differences when they were with Henry.

Regina knew it wouldn't last. One of them would snap. But she was determined it wasn't going to be her. So when she noticed Emma's discomfort with trying to keep her cool that night, she took the opportunity to push her over the edge. Make this look like Emma's fault, and Henry would be mad at her. And that was exactly what Regina needed. A reason for Henry to want to spend less time with his birth mother and more time with her.

The minute Emma connected eyes with her, she gave her a fake smile that she knew would piss her off. It worked immediately.

If Regina had known the outcome of the night, she would have held back that smile.

Emma looked away from her gaze quickly and let the fork drop from her hand. "I'm sorry. I can't do this."

Henry stopped talking and turned to look at her with a frown on his face.

And now for the finish.

"Is it the lasagna?" Regina asked coolly, her eyes not leaving Emma's face. "I know I haven't always made the best lasagna…"

The blonde glared at her. "Seriously? You really think it's the lasagna?"

Regina looked down at her plate, as if she were upset by her comment. She listened to the conversation that ensued, refraining from grinning at her victory.

Emma stood up from her chair. "I'm sorry, Henry. I know you want this to work, but I'm afraid it's just not going to." Regina heard the blonde turn on her heel and begin to march out of the dining room.

"Mom, wait!" Henry pushed back his chair as he stood up. "Please don't go!" He went to follow her, but despite his pleas for her to stay, Regina only heard her footsteps grow fainter. She would be out of her house in a matter of a few seconds.

Hope the door hits you on the way out.

Regina took another bite of her lasagna as the front door slammed shut. Henry reappeared a few moments later.

"What did you do?"

She looked up and saw him facing her with a harsh stare.

"I didn't do anything, dear. I was simply listening to you talk about your day at school."

"No. You did something. She wouldn't have left if you didn't do something. Did you use magic?"

"Henry. Does it look like I used magic? She left on her own terms. I honestly don't know what happened. She just… Snapped." She picked up her glass of water and took a drink to hide her smirk.

"I thought you were trying to change."

Regina placed the glass down carefully on the table. "I am."

"Then prove it. If you are really trying to change, go find her and bring her back."

She didn't really have a choice. For Henry, she had to.

It had been raining heavily that night. It only seemed to get worse once she left the house.

Now that she thought about it, maybe it was foreshadowing what was to come.

Regina took off in her Mercedes and found the familiar yellow Volkswagen rather quickly. She knew Emma had spotted her because she sped up right away. It became clear where she was leading her to as she followed close behind. And it was the very last place she wanted to be.

The town line.

Emma knew she would be forced to stop her car if the blonde dared to cross the line. Regina wouldn't lose her memories, but she would lose something she couldn't let go of—her magic.

But she had made the promise to Henry.

He would argue she didn't need her magic. If she gave up her magic and crossed that town line to bring Emma home, Henry would really think she had changed.

She didn't have much time to think.

Like she said before, it all happened too fast.

She saw the "Leaving Storybrooke" sign in the distance when she began to lose control of her car. Something was up with Emma's car as well. Before she could do anything to prevent the worst from happening, she got blinded by a flash of lightning that hit the forest near to them.

Regina didn't remember much after that, but she knew what happened.

She hit Emma.

At fucking 8:15pm.

She never saw the damage. She had only seen the time on the clock and mumbled a few words before she blacked out.

"I'm sorry, Henry."

When Mary Margaret answered David's call that evening, she expected it to be like any other call she had received from him those last three weeks. He was about to head home from the station. She imagined that Emma would be coming home soon, and she could hear all about how the dinner with Regina went.

"Hello, Charming. I expect you'll be home soon?"

"No. I'm heading to the hospital. I need you to pick up Henry and meet me there."

"Okay." She rushed to get her keys and put on her coat. "David? What happened?"

"Emma. She got in a car crash."

"What? How did that happen? She was at Regina's!"

"I know. And you'll never guess who else was involved."

No.

She wouldn't…

Her voice was a whisper when she responded.

"Regina."

"Yes."

"How bad is it, David?"

"I don't know. I didn't get out to the scene, but from the report I know Emma got the worst of it. Regina hit her. She fucking hit our daughter, Mary Margaret."

She tensed at her husband's words. She rarely heard him swear. "But why?"

"Why do you think? She has no soul that woman. All she cares about is making us suffer. Even after fucking twenty eight years, she still wants bloodshed."

She ran out to her car and jumped inside before the heavy rain could soak her too much. "I thought she was trying to change for Henry."

David sighed. "I know you believed in her to change. That there was some ounce of good left in her still. But we've given her enough chances show us that. And this? This was the last straw. She is not the same woman who saved you from the wild steed all those years ago. Regina is a villain, and she is never going to change because she just can't let go of the past."

"Yeah. I suppose you're right." She shook her head. "What am I going to tell Henry?"

"Just tell him they were involved in a crash. That's all. Don't say Regina hit Emma. If he asks, just say that it's inconclusive as who hit who right now."

"Okay."

The tears were starting to come. It had only been three weeks. Three weeks! She had barely gotten to know Emma as her daughter. She hadn't even heard her call her "Mom" yet. Hell, Emma was still working into the idea of seeing her and David as her parents. They had so much time to make up for… They couldn't lose their baby now!

"Emma's going to be okay. Our daughter's a fighter."

"I know. I know she is."

"I'll see you soon?"

"Yeah. Soon."

"I love you."

"I love you, too."

Mary Margaret hung up the phone then.

Why?

Why, Regina?

My baby…. You hurt my baby!

She slammed her fists on the steering wheel.

"When is this going to end, Regina? When is enough?"

When Regina opened her eyes again, she was in a hospital room. She had no idea how she had gotten there. Who had come to her rescue. What the time was, whether it was still the same day as the accident. She couldn't even remember how her car had collided with Emma's. But it happened.

I hit Emma.

I hit her.

Henry is never going to forgive me for that.

She turned her head slightly and was greeted with an instant flash of pain.

8:15.

What are the odds?

I hit her at 8:15 of all times.

The same damn time the clock tower was frozen at during the curse.

She slowly raised her arm to her head, but she could only bring it up halfway. She glanced downward immediately and saw both of her arms were handcuffed to the bed.

You've got to be kidding me.

If her head didn't hurt so badly, she would be shaking it.

Idiots. You really think these will restrain me?

She flicked her wrist and waited for the handcuffs to disappear. She frowned when nothing happened.

What the hell?

She tried again, but with no success.

"Yeah, nice try, but that's not going to work."

Regina looked up and saw David standing in the doorway. She narrowed her eyes at him.

"What have you done to me? Why won't my magic work?"

"Your magic has been restrained since you can no longer be trusted." He nodded towards her left hand, and she held it up to inspect it. There was a black cuff around her wrist, and she figured the Charmings had procured it somehow during the time she was out. She suspected that "somehow" had to deal with Gold. "Oh, and don't think you'll be able to take it off. Only Mary Margaret and I have the annotate."

"Well, it's not like Henry wanted me to use my magic anyway." She settled back in her bed. "What hell do you want, Charming?"

He walked over to her bedside. "You hit Emma."

"I didn't do it intentionally."

"I highly doubt that."

"What? You think I would kill her? I couldn't do that to Henry."

"You tried to put her under a sleeping curse."

"So maybe I did that. It doesn't mean this crash was something I meant to do to her. The weather was bad, and the road was slick. I lost control of my car and so did Emma. And after that, I honestly don't know what happened."

"Or you just don't want to remember what happened."

Regina glared at him. "I am telling the truth. She left dinner, and Henry wanted me to find her and bring her back. Ask him. I promised him I'd bring her back."

"You promised, huh?" David shook his head. "Didn't keep that one, did you?"

She opened her mouth, but she couldn't form the words to fire back with a remark. What could she say? She hadn't kept her promise to Henry, and now she was responsible for Emma's…

Shit.

No. She hadn't…

Henry would never want anything to do with her if that had happened.

"She's… She's not dead, is she?"

"No. But you did a pretty good number on her. You're lucky she's not dead. You would surely be done for if she was."

"Look. I'm sorry about what happened. I really did not mean to hit her."

"Sure you didn't." He began turned around when Mary Margaret came running into the room. "Mary Margaret?"

"Emma woke up."

"Well, that's great news."

"Yes, but… Something's wrong, and we need Regina."

"I'd gladly help you, dear, but I'm a little stuck at the moment." Regina gave her a curt smile and raised both of her arms to emphasize the metal cuffs that locked her to the hospital bed. "Thanks to you two, of course."

Mary Margaret ignored her mocking tone. "She's completely in a panic. She's screaming for Regina."

"She's probably just remembering when Regina hit her. She's screaming out of fear. Let's go talk to her."

He headed to the doorway, but Mary Margaret stepped in front of him, shaking her head. "No, David. I've already tried to calm her down, but she only got more agitated. She's scared, and for some reason, she only wants to talk to her."

"You can't be serious. We can't leave her alone with Emma. Not after what she did to her."

"I know, but…"

Dr. Whale knocked on the door, causing the three of them to look towards him. "It's getting worse. The both of you need to make a decision, and fast. Either I'm bringing Regina over to the room or we're sedating Emma."

Mary Margaret looked up at David with tears in her eyes. "Please, David. Please. I don't want them to sedate her."

David glanced back at Regina, reluctantly reached in his pocket to pull out the key to the handcuffs, and then nodded to Whale. "We'll get Regina over there." He came back to her bedside and began to take off the first cuff. "I might be taking off these handcuffs, but you're not getting your magic back."

"Oh, I didn't think I would. That's okay. I can be patient."

He glared at her as he pulled the other cuff off, a little more forcefully than the first one. "You will not hurt her."

"What? Did you think I would go in there and strangle her with my bare hands?"

"You are going to help our daughter," Mary Margaret yelled suddenly. "If you hurt Emma any more than you already have, I swear I will kill you myself."

Regina couldn't keep the smirk off her face. "Snow White kill me? I'd like to see that happen."

"You're powerless without your magic, and you know it," David snarled at her.

She folded her arms across her chest. "And if you kill me? I'm sure your grandson would be very appreciative of that."

Whale stepped in, rolling a wheelchair over to her side. "All of you can argue later. I need to get her over there now."

David faced her with a serious stare as Whale helped her out of the bed and into the wheelchair. She glanced at Mary Margaret briefly as she rushed out of the room and then met David's eyes when he began to speak.

"Promise me that you will help her."

As much as she didn't want to make a promise to him, she knew she had to. If she didn't agree to it, she would lose Henry and that was not a sacrifice she wanted to make.

"I promise. I'll help Emma."

It only took a minute to get to the room. As soon as she was in the hallway, she could hear Emma's distressed cries. She held her breath as they approached the doorway. She never really cared about the blonde's wellbeing, but hearing her sound so scared… So vulnerable... Well, deep down it struck a chord. Despite the past she shared with her insufferable parents, she didn't like what she was hearing. This wasn't the same Emma she had been sitting across from at the dinner table. This Emma was completely helpless.

One smile to piss her off and this was the result.

She never meant it to end like this.

David stepped aside as Whale wheeled her into the room. Mary Margaret was at Emma's side, trying to take hold of her hand, but Emma was not having it. Regina rolled her eyes. The woman knew she didn't want anything to do with her, and here she was sparking the fire yet again by getting close to her. Emma was obviously in a frantic state at the moment and needed space from her. The blonde shook her head fiercely and started to scream at her.

"No! No! I don't want to talk to you! Get away from me!"

"Emma, honey. It's okay."

"No! Go away!"

When does Snow ever know when to stop meddling with things?

"You tell me Emma doesn't want to talk to you and yet here you are, aggravating her more." She smiled kindly at Emma when she looked at her. "You wanted to talk to me, dear?"

The blonde's reply came as a whisper. "Regina."

She gave a small nod, being cautious of the growing throbbing in her head. "I can take it from here. I'll yell if I need you two." She smirked. "Or Emma will."

Mary Margaret frowned at her last sentence, but instead of fighting with her, she followed Whale out of the room and left the two alone. Regina stood up slowly from the wheelchair and leaned on to footboard of the hospital bed for support. She was not looking forward to this long recovery.

"So. Heard that you were screaming for me?"

"Yes," Emma said hoarsely.

"I can imagine you remember that I hit you with my car."

"You… You did?"

"You don't remember the crash?"

"I mean, I remember there was an accident. But how it happened, or when it happened, I have no idea. The only thing I really remember is yelling your name before our cars collided and seeing your face… You looked so damn afraid, Regina. Like you knew you lost everything. And I thought… I thought you may have been dead."

"Well, I'm here. I'm alive."

"I thought they were trying to hide the fact that you'd died."

Regina followed Emma's gaze towards the glass windows, and she knew she was referring to her parents. "No, but they didn't exactly want me here."

"Oh."

She looked back at the blonde. "I'm sorry about what happened. This was my fault. I angered you at dinner, and if it hadn't been for that..."

"We had dinner?"

"Yes. You, me, and Henry. You don't remember that either?"

"No."

"Well, I suppose that night is somewhat hazy. Even I can't remember everything that happened. It'll come back to you."

Emma seemed distracted, lost in thought at something she had said earlier. She waited for the question to come and was completely thrown off guard when she asked it.

"Who's Henry?"

"Henry's your son, Emma. You don't remember him?"

The blonde's green eyes began to water. "I mean, I know I have a son, but I gave him up for adoption years ago. I never thought I'd see him again, and, well, I guess I have. You're his adoptive mother then?"

"Yes."

"You're okay with violating the terms of the closed adoption?"

Regina only nodded, at a loss for words at her realization that Emma had completely forgotten who her son was. If she didn't remember meeting Henry, then that meant she wouldn't remember the curse being broken. Or that the woman trying to comfort her earlier was her mother. That her mother was Snow White and her father was Prince Charming and that she was born in the Enchanted Forest.

She had no idea that she was the Evil Queen. She was simply Regina, the face of the woman she had crashed into.

Emma interrupted her thoughts. "Where are we? This looks like a rather small hospital for Boston."

"That's because you're not in Boston. You're in Storybrooke. Storybrooke, Maine."

She laughed. "What? Storybrooke? I don't think I've ever heard of it before."

"Most people haven't. It's a... Small town."

"Oh. Okay. Hm. I honestly don't remember why I'd be heading here. But I guess I must have been visiting with you and Henry since you said we were eating dinner before the crash. You said I got mad? What happened?"

Regina wasn't interested in conversing about the dinner. She needed to determine how much of the past Emma had forgotten.

"Tell me, Emma. What's the date?"

She didn't know the date herself, but she knew the day of the dinner was on May 12th, 2012. That the crash had happened at 8:15 that evening. That she had to be out long enough for the Charmings to go talk to Gold and get the cuff currently stuck on her wrist. At the minimum, she guessed at least a day had passed since the crash.

"Um… Well, I don't know how long ago this whole accident happened but it was... Um... October, I think? My birthday was coming up, so it had to be. I guess that means it must be somewhere around October 22nd? If a lot of time hasn't passed, of course."

"And the year, Emma?"

"2011."

Six months. She had no recollection of the last six months she'd spent there.

Regina fell back into the wheelchair and put a hand to her mouth. All the hatred she had for this woman subsided in that moment. She could see this as an advantage, even a win. She could claim Henry as her son now that Emma remembered nothing of their past together. Minutes ago, she may have fought for that. But now that she was in that room with her, seeing all those cuts and bruises and bandages on her, knowing that she had really done terrible damage to her, she just couldn't. She couldn't do that to her.

Emma frowned at her reaction. "That's not right, is it?"

"No, dear," she said sadly. "I don't know the exact date either or how much time we've been here in the hospital, but I do know the crash happened on May 12th, 2012."

"That means… I can't remember six months of my life?"

"Yeah. And what a six months it was."

"I'm sorry."

Regina glanced at the glass windows again, catching sight of the Charmings watching her intently. To make sure she didn't try to hurt Emma any further. Well, it looked like she had broken that promise, too. She had hurt her further. She had taken away memories from her, the most precious of them being the last three weeks that she had spent with her family. Emma would now be separated from her family once again because she didn't remember who they were. All because of a simple desired victory at dinner that resulted in her smashing her car into Emma's.

When she separated Emma from her family with the curse and took away everyone's memories, she had felt nothing but satisfaction at what she had deemed to be her happy ending at the time. But this? It wasn't the same. This was heartbreaking to her.

"I'm sorry," the blonde repeated quietly.

Sorry.

She's sorry.

She thinks she has to apologize to me for not being able to remember.

Regina looked away from the windows and down at her now shaking hands. She could feel the tears coming.

She was wrong when she thought only one of them would snap when her and Emma had pretended to get along with each other for Henry's sake. It was never a matter of who would going to break. It was just a matter of who would reach that point first.

Emma's moment was at dinner.

And now, this was hers.

Regina spoke with a voice choked with sadness.

"It's not your fault, Emma. It's mine. I took that time away from you."

Should I continue? Leave a review and let me know what you think! :)