Title: Who Knew
Category: TV Shows » Once Upon A Time
Author: Alwaysbringback-up
Language: English, Rating: Rated: K+
Genre: General

Chapter 1: Who Knew

Pairing: SwanQueen

Disclaimer: I don't own any part of the OUAT universe. All characters belong to Adam and Eddie, the show's creators. I promise that my writing is done purely for recreational purposes only. No ill harm is intended.

So I wrote this for SQ week! The prompt was Mistaken for a Couple. I sort of ran out of steam on this one, but I hope that it is still acceptable.

Regina sped to a stop outside Veil, Colorado's foremost hospital, and let out a shaky breath. It took her a while for her to relinquish what could only be a death grip on the steering wheel, and even then it was difficult and reluctantly done. She'd been holding onto the leather covered wheel so tightly for so long, in fact, that the muscles in her hands seemed to have forgotten how to let go. Regina gritted her teeth together in pain, as she felt her stiff fingers twinge in pain - at being straightened out. And as blood was allowed to flow back into her distal extremities, she felt her hands begin to shake violently, and grimaced. While silently hoping that Emma - in her currently disconnected state - wouldn't notice, Regina shook out her hands and reached down to her buckle to release her seat belt. She threw open the driver's side door of her car, and practically vaulted from the vehicle. Her adrenaline had been pumping for what seemed like hours now. After all, she just couldn't seem to shake off the feeling of panic she'd felt when she witnessed Emma badly hurt herself on the ski slopes. The blonde, being the stubborn woman that she was, insisted that she could handle the advanced course, despite the fact that Regina told her more than once, that such an act was sheer idiocy. Regina had muttered that word under her breath quite a few times already today. Emma Swan was an idiot. But the thing is, Regina also saw Emma (in no uncertain terms) as being her idiot.

After all, that is the word that Regina would use to describe the woman that had wheedled her way into Regina's heart a long time ago. And, as you might guess, when Regina called the blonde by such title, she was not intending the term to be used in a derogatory way, but rather in an affectionate one. Regina was just kind of strange that way. She'd gotten so used to making cutting remarks during her tenure as the Evil Queen, that even now when she had put all of it behind her, she still found herself insulting people on a regular basis. In fact, she might do it even more now, than she used to. Even when she felt love and warmth towards someone, she often covered up her feelings with various tones of hostility and sass. I dare say, Regina found it a very difficult habit to break. Even when something sounded like a slight, deep down Regina felt much differently. And in Emma's case, this was even more of a truth.

Regina opened the passenger side of the car, and leaned down unbuckling Emma's seatbelt.

"Alright, Swan," Regina told her as she wrapped her arm around Emma's back, "Up and at em'"

"Oww…Oww…Oww," Emma whined, as Regina carefully eased her out of the passenger side of their rental car and into a standing position. The brunette grunted just a little with the effort, as the blonde quickly transferred all of her weight onto her.

"Are you sure you can even walk?" Regina questioned.

"I'm just a little dizzy," Emma mumbled. "I got my bell rung pretty good, you know."

"I'm well aware, Miss Swan," Regina cringed inwardly at the memory of seeing Emma strike her head almost ruthlessly on the ground. She'd struck her head so hard in fact, that Emma had cracked her helmet nearly in half. The way that the blonde had fallen so still afterwards, was clearly enough to send tremors through the brunette's body at the mere memory. Though, she wasn't entirely sure she could claim so. Because she'd never stopped shaking.

"Easy," Regina grunted. "Lean on me, Emma," Regina commanded, "It's okay. I've got you."

Regina and Emma's bodies bumped together a little bit, as they very slowly and painfully made their way down the bleached concrete sidewalk and towards the Emergency Room doors. They wove slightly back and forth as they walked. Regina's boots clicked in a steady rhythm on the sidewalk as they progressed, and Emma found herself becoming distracted by the way Regina's warm body was pressed against hers in many places. It was easy to space out. After all, the blonde still felt the overwhelming fatigue that had taken over after her nasty fall.

Regina awkwardly led Emma up to the main doors of the Emergency room, pausing briefly. She was grateful when the doors sensed them and parted on their own. Emma took another step forwards and stumbled.

Regina exhaled sharply as the blonde nearly fell down, and Regina was forced to tighten her grip around Emma's midsection. She felt Emma's weight tug against her own, nearly pulling her off of her feet. Thankfully, Regina was able to counteract the motion before falling. "For god's sake, Emma!" Regina chastened the blonde, "this isn't a race!" Emma's left arm was wrapped tightly around the brunette's shoulders, as the blonde half-limped and half-hopped along on one leg. Emma seemed to slow her pace, leaning heavily on Regina as they progressed.

"Stop…Stop…Stop," Regina said finally. "I can't do this any longer. We need a wheelchair."

"Over there," Emma said, inclining her head towards an empty chair. "Why don't you go get it. I'll just wait here for you."

"Are you sure you can stand on your own?" Regina asked, her brow furrowing as she looked over at Emma's face, scrutinizing the blonde. Emma had an altogether vacant look in her eyes, and Regina knew that the blonde couldn't balance on her own. It was clear to her now that the blonde shouldn't be left alone, as the blonde would likely tip forwards and fall. Then, she'd wind up hurting herself even worse. "Okay. Nevermind," Regina sighed. "It looks like we'll just have make it a little further."

"Miss?" a voice had Regina looking away from Emma. "Do you two need help?" a man in a navy security outfit asked, as he walked. Mercifully, the man was bringing over a wheelchair.

"Oh, Thank god!" Regina said gratefully, as he came to a stop in front of them. "Thank you so much!"

The man engaged the brakes on the wheelchair and then helped Regina carefully lower Emma into the chair. He carefully lifted Emma's left leg onto the platform. Regina would never admit it, but she felt her leg twitch in empathy, as Emma let out a poorly concealed whimper from the pain.

"I'll bring you over to Registration," he said as he disengaged the brakes and wheeled Emma over to the Check-In desk.

For the next few minutes, Regina answered the Nurse's questions about what was bringing in the blonde. This was mainly because Emma seemed to be a little out of it.

By the time they had finally settled in the waiting room, Emma's nausea kicked back in. Thankfully, the nurse in triage had given Emma a basin. Because otherwise, Emma would have been throwing up all over the floor.

Emma let out a groan as she retched into the basin. Regina instinctively, pulled Emma's hair back from her face, and held it. Regina's brow furrowed as she rubbed soft circles on Emma's back. Emma moaned, as the convulsions stopped and she closed her eyes. Saliva dribbled from Emma's mouth as Emma tried to get rid of the terrible taste that was left in her mouth, in the vomit's wake. Regina reached up to wipe it away with a tissue.

"I'm so sorry," Emma told her honestly.

"It's alright," Regina told her gently. "It's okay, Emma."

"No," Emma tried to tell her. "It's not. It's gross, and it's not fair to you. You shouldn't have to take care of me like this."

"I don't mind it," Regina told her sincerely. Emma looked at her with a look full of skepticism. "Honestly," Regina asserted. "I've actually gotten quite used to it over the years. Taking care of Henry all of these years, has prepared me for this sort of stuff.

Emma felt herself gag as another wave of nausea hit her. For a second, she thought that she was going to get sick all over again, but she managed to tamp it down at the last minute.

"You're okay," Regina said softly. "You're okay, Emma."

"Damn, concussions suck," Emma groaned, as she leaned back again.

"Yeah," Regina agreed, "Well, maybe that'll teach you not to be such a show off next time."

"It was an accident," Emma argued.

"Uh huh, sure," Regina told her teasingly, though her feelings were anything but light. "Face it, Emma. You fell and hit your head, because you were showing off," Regina said. "And instead, you wound up making a fool out of yourself."

"Fine," Emma huffed. "I was showing off. The people in the Olympics make it look so easy...I didn't think it would actually be that hard to land a jump."

"Of course the people in the Olympics make it look easy, Emma," Regina cried out in exasperation, "It's their fucking job!"

"Look," Emma sighed, "I'm sorry, okay? I was stupid. What else do you want me to say?"

"Why did you even feel the need to show off, in the first place? It's not as if anyone would have thought less of you for starting out on the bunny hill."

"It's stupid," Emma groaned.

"I won't be able to agree with you, until you tell me why."

"I was sort of trying to impress someone," Emma said before quickly clearing her throat.

"Who?" Regina looked so utterly puzzled in that moment that Emma found it cute. "Were you trying to impress Henry? Cause I'm sure he'd rather just have his mom, as opposed to a mom who thinks she need to do a 1080 back grab, or whatever the hell it's called."

"No, not Henry," Emma told her. "Look, please don't laugh, okay? But I was sorta trying to impress you..."

"You were trying to impress me?" Regina asked with genuine surprise evident in her voice.

"Mmm," Emma hummed. Regina was well aware this wasn't an actual answer. Emma closed her eyes, letting out a deep sigh.

"Nuh uh," Regina reprimanded the blonde, "No closing your eyes, Emma. You're not allowed to go to sleep. The nurse was very clear about that."

"Hmm?" Emma hummed without opening her eyes.

"I said no going to sleep," Regina repeated, her voice louder this time. Emma still didn't open her eyes. She felt the blonde drifting further and further away from her and she began to panic. She started shaking the blonde. "Hey! Open your eyes, Emma." Still nothing. Emma's head dropped onto Regina's shoulder. "Emma! Emma, please! You're scaring me."

Slowly, almost reluctantly, the blonde shook herself out of whatever hold sleep was trying to place on her, and the blonde's eyes blinked open.

"Sorry," Emma said sheepishly, "It's just that I'm so tired."

"I know. It's a result of the concussion. The nurse was very clear about one thing, though. You can't go to sleep, because you could slip off into a coma."

"Yeah," Emma faintly nodded. "I'll do my best to stay awake."

"Is there anything else I can do?"

"Just keep talking to me," Emma nearly whispered as she averted her eyes. Regina could see the faintest of blushes on Emma's face. "You have a nice voice, and I like it. Plus, I've never been particularly good at ignoring you, so it should keep me awake."

"How's your head?" Regina asked. She tried to ignore the sentiment behind Emma's words. The last thing she wanted was for things to become awkward between them.

"It hurts," Emma sighed. "It feels like someone dropped an anvil on my head."

"Yeah," Regina nodded. "Well, they said to keep the ice pack on it." Regina reminded her. "Here," Regina said softly as she moved the basin aside and took the ice pack from Emma's limp hand. She gently lifted it to the side of the blonde's head. Emma's eyes lifted towards the brunette. Regina met Emma's gaze, her eyes boring deep into Emma's beautiful green eyes. She felt her breathing hitch a little.

"You know, I don't think I ever thanked you for bringing me, so thank you," Emma said breathlessly. She too was finding it hard to breathe as she looked into Regina's warm chocolate eyes.

"Of course," Regina said softly. "I had to make sure you were okay." Regina swallowed thickly, not sure if she could say it aloud. "You really scared the hell out of me, Emma," Regina spoke finally, the concern in her expression and voice genuine. "And by that…I mean that you really really scared the hell out of me this time."

"I'm really sorry," Emma replied. "I didn't mean to."

"We're not in Storybrooke, Emma," Regina said in a whisper, under her breath. "I can't use magic here. So when I saw you hit your head like that, and then you were so still, I was so afraid you'd broken your neck. I…" Regina felt tears spring to her eyes.

"Hey, Shh…" Emma said as she reached out for Regina's hand and gave it a squeeze. "It's okay. I'm okay," Emma said honestly. "I mean - I've got a bit of a killer headache -and well, I…I think I blacked out for a little while," Emma trailed off, seemingly losing her train of thought.

"You do realize that you're not doing a very good job of reassuring me, right?" Regina said, a teasing glint in her eyes.

"Yeah," Emma nodded. "Sorry about that… I know I'm normally pretty terrible at this kind of stuff. So with a concussion on top of it, I'm probably making no sense at all."

Emma felt a bit of a shiver travel up her spine as she felt Regina's hand squeeze hers back. The blonde felt the loss of Regina's touch immediately, as the brunette pulled her hand out of Emma's grasp, although she knew that she didn't have a right to feel anything.

"Hold still," Regina instructed her. "I'm just going to take a little look. I want to make sure it has stopped bleeding." Emma's heartbeat began to quicken a little in her chest as Regina lifted the pack away from her head, and briefly leant forwards to examine the contusion. Carefully, the brunette prodded the swollen flesh with her fingertips. One thing was obvious; Emma had a sizeable bump on the side of her head. Emma winced, involuntarily pulling away from the brunette's touch.

"Ouch," Emma gasped. Regina frowned, looking closely at the wound.

"How does it look?" Emma asked tentatively, her voice quavering ever so slightly.

"Not pretty, I'm afraid," Regina said honestly. "You're probably going to need some staples. It'll also probably take a while for the swelling to go down." Regina paused, thoughtfully. "Let's just say that you won't be doing any more Snowboarding while we're here."

"Mmm, well there goes the rest of my vacation," Emma sighed morosely.

"Aww, come on," Regina said, "It's not as if it's really the end of the world. Besides, we already knew that you wouldn't be doing any more snowboarding this week. Because either you broke your ankle, or you very badly sprained it." Regina replaced the ice pack, pressing it to Emma's head.

"Yeah," Emma nodded. "I guess that's the price I pay for being stupid. It's just everyone else is going to be skiing and I'm going to be stuck in the ski lodge. And I feel bad. I'm probably going to need someone to look after me, and I don't want to be the one responsible for ruining someone else's vacation."

"Hey," Regina said softly, meeting Emma's eyes. "If that's what you're worried about, then don't. I'll stay back and take care of you."

"You'd do that?" Emma asked, her brow scrunching up in confusion. Regina nodded. "But - But why?" Regina opened her mouth to reply, but before she could do so, a voice startled them both.

"Emma Swan?" a nurse asked as she walked up. "We're ready for you." Regina pulled away the ice pack, and handed it back to Emma. Emma gave Regina a grateful smile. The brunette had truly gone above and beyond the call of friendship today. "Your girlfriend is also welcome to come back with you, if you'd like," the nurse offered with a gentle smile.

Regina didn't know why, but she chose not to correct the nurse. The resulting look of confusion on Emma's face as the blonde struggled to process what was happening, was just adorable. Regina stood up and followed after the nurse, who had already started wheeling Emma towards her room. Emma kept looking back over her shoulder at Regina, her eyes full of questions, that Regina wasn't sure she was ready to answer. Still, the world kept on spinning. They arrived at Emma's temporary room, and the blonde was wheeled inside. Together, the nurse and Regina lifted Emma out of the wheelchair and into the bed. Where Emma, gratefully sagged back against the pillows. She was spent. Both physically and emotionally.

"So, tell me about what happened?" the nurse asked as she met Emma's eyes, and then Regina's.

"Well, we were snowboarding as part of our family vacation, when Emma took a nasty fall. She tried to land a rather high jump, and her back leg didn't hold up to the force of the landing. She hit her head very hard on the ground - hard enough to crack her helmet - and blacked out for a good minute or two. It took me a while to reach her. And even when I did, she wasn't responsive. Thankfully, we were able to bring her around, while we waited for the medics to bring her down. They recommended that Emma be brought to the hospital immediately. They actually wanted us to have an ambulance bring her, but Emma insisted she didn't want to make a fuss. And now, here we are."

"So you're her wife, then?" the nurse asked seriously.

"Oh!" Regina gasped, suddenly taken off guard. "No. We're merely friends. I'm actually just tagging along with Emma's family. I...I should have been more clear about who I was."

"Hmm..." The nurse hummed under her breath, almost as if she wasn't completely convinced. "All right, so I'm anticipating that the Doctor is going to want some imaging of your head, just to make sure there's not any sort of a brain bleed. So you should probably expect to be getting a CT, an x-ray, and possibly even an MRI. Just to make sure there's not damage to your C-spine. With a fall such as you've had, there can sometimes be a fracture of the vertebrae in your neck. The spine is flexible, but even so has a breaking point. He'll also probably want to get an x-ray of your ankle."

The door opened, and the Doctor quickly stepped inside. "Ah, it would seem Josie's already anticipating my orders once again." He quickly turned to Emma and held out a hand. "You must be Emma, I'm Dr. Rosco."

"It's nice to meet you," Emma said gently as she shook his hand. "Though I wish it were under better circumstances."

"Yeah," he nodded, "It sounds like you've had a bit of a nasty fall."

"You can say that again," Regina said, causing the Doctor to quickly turn in her direction.

"Oh, I'm sorry," he said as he turned to Regina. "I didn't mean to be rude. You must be...Emma's wife."

"Oh no," Emma stuttered, "I'm not… I mean- we're not. We're not married or even dating. I mean I'd sort of like her to be my girlfriend, but she's… She's so out of my league it isn't even funny." Emma lifted her hands to her face, attempting to shield her and her sudden embarrassment; She was aware that Regina's eyes were now widened in genuine surprise. "Oh my god," Emma groaned, "I have no filter. I hit my head so hard that I literally have no way to filter my thoughts."

"Emma?" Regina finally found her voice, as she gently pried away Emma's hands from the blonde's face. "Hey. Just slow down a minute, okay? Do you actually mean to tell me that you have feelings for me?"

"I… Well, yes," Emma admitted. The nurse looked back and forth between the two women in surprise. She was clearly entertained.

"You have to be kidding me!" Regina burst out. "I've been wanting to ask you out for months, but I convinced myself that you could never feel the same way about me."

"We're both idiots," Emma told her, giving the brunette a megawatt smile. "Look, Regina, I know this isn't exactly the best time or place to do this, but do you want to…do you want to maybe go out with me sometime? We could get some dinner, or could do nothing at all. I wouldn't even care as long as it's with you.""

"Yes," Regina said honestly. "I…I'd really like that, Emma."

And that is the story of how the two women were mistaken for a couple, and then quickly realized that they both had feelings for eachother.

A/N: So that's it! Sorry it's so short! Please hit the review button if you have a moment!