Once Upon a Time Fanfiction
Summary: What if the wardrobe only protected Emma from the curse, and did not send her to earth, instead she grew up an orphan in FTL.
Rating: T, Probably bad language and violence if my track record has anything to say about it
Pairing(s): Swan Queen
Disclaimer: I do not own Once Upon a Time or any of the characters that are mirrored in this fanfiction
AN: This is my first Once fanfic, so I apologize for mistakes and everything after
Chapter One: Who Are You?
Her memories were slipping between her fingers, and the harder she tried to cling to them, the more intangible they became until she could no longer remember why she needed to hold on to them to begin with.
"Good luck, my child." A croaking voice chuckled, bringing with it the smell of rotting wood and a vague sense of dread, "You shall surely need it."
She blinked into the blinding light, up at the old woman smiling down at her, a hooked nose, deep wrinkles, dead brown eyes, and when the crone smiled, it revealed mostly empty gums, interrupted occasionally by chipped, yellow teeth.
The young woman pulled back in fear at the sight, but when her hands shot out behind her to brace her fall, she found herself tumbling further and further into swirling purple madness, the sound of the hag laughing chasing her as she went.
Lightning flashed around, and she opened her mouth to scream, but the sound was sucked from her chest.
Just when it was nearly too much for her to handle, it came to an abrupt halt, and awareness slammed down around her.
She had time to suck in one shuttering breath, blink back the tears that threatened to spill, time only to realize she was moving still, only now it was forward, the smell of leather and something unidentifiable, but unpleasant assaulted her olfactory senses. It was dark and the sound of rain surrounded her, but she seemed to be protected somehow from the elements.
She had time to look up, time to see the giant looming object she was being hurtled towards just before she made impact, the sound of protesting metal and shattering glass was heard before a pain exploded in her head, and the darkness consumed her.
Jim Knight wasn't sure how he ended up at the edge of Storybrooke.
The gym teacher had been anxiously pacing his apartment, unable to calm his racing thoughts, he got in his car and drove most of the night away, not realizing her had reached the outskirts of the small town until the town sign came into view.
But wait, something was wrong. A flash of yellow caught his eye in the pouring rain, and when he turned the radio down, he could hear the sound of someone leaning on their horn.
He pulled his car close to the wrecked little VW bug and stepped out, squinting to try and catch a glimpse of what might be behind the spiderwebbed windshield. He groaned as he looked at the sign, then back over his shoulder before glancing at the car once more.
"This isn't my problem," he argued with the urge he felt to check on the well-being of the driver, "This could be a trap," he tried again, but his feet were already moving for the driver's side of the vehicle.
It took a heavy tug to pull against the door, wrenching it open. He looked over the mess of blonde hair of the female driver, biting his lip as he slowly reached forward, placing a hand on her shoulder and pushing her back so she was off the horn.
The sudden silence was deafening.
With a trembling hand, he brushed the curls away to reveal a face that was bloody and broken from its encounter with the steering wheel.
"Ohgodohgodohgod," he huffed as he placed two fingers on her neck, if he didn't feel a pulse, he was sure he was going to be sick.
Luckily, it was there, and Jim could breathe easier for a moment as he decided on his next course of action. Call the sheriff?
No, the chances of Graham being awake at this hour were slim to none. The sheriff of a sleepy town in Maine hardly had to be on call 24/7.
Apparently, this didn't matter anyhow, seeing as his body had started moving once more without him having told it to do so. He was reaching over the unconscious body, tugging the seat belt lose and pulling her into his arms, grateful she wasn't all that heavy.
He slipped twice on the slick, wet roads, catching himself each time, until he had to shift her weight and open the rear door of his car.
The drive to the hospital seemed to take an eternity, but before he knew it, he was stumbling through the bay doors with the woman cradled in his arms, head lolling back as he grunted a plea for help.
Hands were on him then, questions shouted too close to his ear for his liking as Dr. Whale began to order people around.
Now that Jim had gotten the woman to the hospital, exhaustion shrouded him. Without answering any questions, he turned and walked away, back to his car, craving his bed and wondering if he should even call in sick for the day, or if anyone at the school would miss him.
"Is she awake?" Regina demanded as soon as she arrived at the hospital.
Watching the hospital staff scurry about like frightened field mice un her presence was almost enough to take the edge off the annoyance she was feeling since receiving the phone call at an unholy hour. She was the Mayor for God's sake, why should one hospitalized girl concern her? She nearly slammed the phone back down, but her hand was stayed when she was informed that she was a Jane Doe, someone from outside the town.
"That's impossible." She had murmured to herself as she went about her morning routine with barely a thought. No outsiders had ever stumbled upon Storybrooke. Not for the last twenty eight years. It was part of the curse she had enacted. She didn't want to risk exposing them.
In their time here, there had only been one new addition, and he was sitting at her kitchen table, trying his hardest not to nod off into his cheerios as she told him the plans for the day: Kathryn's until his appointment with his therapist, then tutors until it was time for him to start his riding lessons at the stables.
She loved Henry more than she thought would be possible the day they put him in her arms and she knew the adoption was final. However, it was beginning to get tricky raising him in a cursed town where no one seemed to be aging aside from him. Added to the fact that since finding out he was adopted, a wedge had developed between Regina and her son, she was ready to crush the first obstacle stupid enough to present itself to her.
Dr. Whale was taking a sip from his hidden flask, trying to summon the courage it would take to face the irritated Mayor. His last encounter with her, a failed attempt to get her to go out with him, had left him licking the wounds inflicted to his ego for days.
"Doctor," Regina snapped, causing the white coat clad man to start and pin on his heels, face paled under her scrutiny, "I hope for your sake that you did not call me here to waste my time and will, in fact, take me to see this unconscious woman."
"Ye-yes of course, right this way Madam Mayor," he ushered her with a trembling had to the room at the end of the patient wing they were standing in.
She knew that there was a man in a coma who had taken up residence in this room for the last twenty eight years, she smiled knowing why he was there and silently applauding her own genius way of keeping him and his "True Love" apart indefinitely.
He was sharing his observation room now, with another apparently comatose patient. Regina walked by his prostrate form, fingers lightly tracing his arm, before moving to the other bed a few feet away.
Whale noticed her small detour and mistook the expression in her face, "We had a shortage of private rooms and bed space available… this was the only place we could keep an eye on her until she wakes up…" he trailed off, withering under the glare of the Mayor.
"Are you going to tell me what happened to her?" Regina went on as she stood at the woman's side, eyes carefully tracing over the woman who had thrown her off her schedule that day, "Or am I to guess by the injuries I'm looking at?"
It was true, the woman's face was sporting some wicked black and blue bruises, and she could see smears of blood here and there that had been missed by whatever nurse had been tasked with cleaning her up, as well as bits of glass caught in the riotous blonde locks fanned out around her.
Regina grimaced, making a mental note to fire whatever nurse thought they could get away with a half assed job in her town.
"Well?" The Mayor snapped, impatience mounting.
"Right," Dr. Whale held the patient's chart against his chest as a shield between them, "It seems our Jane Doe was driving in the rain last night, and lost control of her car before crashing into the town sign." Regina's eyes tightened at the mention of the sign and the implication's that it had not fared well, Dr. Whale hurried on, "She sustained a blow to the head from the steering wheel, several superficial lacerations, and a fractured cheek bone. She had no forms of identification on her, and we were waiting for Sheriff Graham to get back to us once he gets done at the accident."
"Why, then, did you feel the need to contact the Mayor?" Regina tore her eyes away from studying the strangely peaceful look to the woman's features, there was a nagging feeling at the back of her mind that she couldn't seem to dispel.
"Well…" he drew out the word, "She clearly has no emergency contact, and we don't know if she has insurance or any liability factors so-,"
"So you need my permission before you make a mistake." Regina finished with a disdainful huff, "Right, do a full work up on her, we shall figure out the billing issue should she awaken. Now if you'll excuse me-,"
She began to take a step away from the bed when warm fingers intertwined with where she had left hers on the hospital bed. Her eyes followed the path from the offending fingers, to the pale wrist, arm shoulder, neck until she finally arrived at the contorted look of pain on the woman whose eyes were still shut, though it seemed she was making an effort to open them.
Regina returned to her former station by the woman's side as she watched the fight. She seemed to win out, as green eyes, glassy and dilated from drugs and a concussion, blinked and tried to focus up at Regina.
"Where?" she tired, her voice too weak to be made much of. The woman licked her lips and cleared her throat.
Without thinking, Regina reached for the water just that rested on the table between the two patients, filling a small cup with the contents before handing it to the woman who smiled her thanks. The entire exchange made without sacrificing their intertwined fingers- not that either woman noticed.
"Where am I?" She tried once more, her voice still gruff, but Regina was having trouble figuring out if it was normally like that, or it if was a product of her current state.
"Storybrooke, Maine." Regina responded, "Do you know what happened?"
The woman shook her head, not taking her eyes, slowly becoming clear, off of Regina's.
"What's your name?" Regina tired once more, with patience that surprised the quiet, observing doctor.
The blonde frowned, eyebrows coming together as she seemed to concentrate harder than should be necessary, the Mayor was getting the feeling that the woman couldn't remember.
"Let's try something else, what do you remember?" she unconsciously leaned forward slightly, resisting the urge to brush the woman's hair off her face.
The woman's eyes flashed, "I remember," her hands trembled slightly as she licked her lips once more, "I remember…" her eyes screwed shut once more, "I-I can't…" she shook her head and opened her eyes once more, looking at Regina with a gaze filled with confusion and pain.
"It'll be alright." Regina assured her, patting the hand she still held, darting a glance up at Dr. Whale, "I need to speak with your doctor, but I'll be back…" the Mayor felt strangely reluctant to leave the woman's side when she looked so fragile, it was reminding her of something that she cared to never remember, "In the meantime… why don't you get some rest, alright?"
The woman nodded, obediently closing her eyes, the fingers that had been gripping Regina's so tightly, slowly went slack and the Mayor was able to extract her had. She looked to Whale before nodding her head towards the door, a clear indication that he should follow her once she stepped out.
"What's wrong with her?" Regina demands, even her whispers causing the man to flinch and feel uncertain.
It isn't fair really, no one has ever made Victor Whale feel incompetent, not when it came to his work as a doctor and especially not a woman.
"Amnesia," He supplies with barely a stammer this time, "I suspect it's form her head trauma."
"Well, how long until she can remember who she is?" Regina demanded, "I'm sure she'd like to leave our town and return home as soon as possible." She tacks on at the last minute, not caring for the slight concern she could hear in her own voice.
She rolled her eyes internally, as if the Evil Queen held concern for a woman she only just met, who destroyed her town sign, no less.
Dr. Whale gave a shrug, forgetting for a moment with whom he was speaking, that is, until her eyes narrowed dangerously at the gesture, "The science surrounding amnesia is a bit… under-discovered. It may be a day, it may be a month, she may never fully recover her memories."
"I don't accept that answer," Regina's hands were placed firmly on her hips, "How can you go back in there and tell that poor woman that there is nothing you can do for her to assist in regaining her memories?"
"It's difficult with such a complete… well tabula rasa effect," Dr. Whale shoved his hand's in the pockets of his white coat, fingers brushing the cold metal of his flask, a shiver of longing running down his spine for another taste of the liquid courage, "Our Jane Doe is a blank slate, she doesn't even remember her own name. Her physical recovery will be the easy part. A day in the hospital for observation at most. As for her psychological scaring… only time will tell, Madam Mayor."
He could tell just by looking in her dark, soulless eyes that she was not happy with his response, so he quickly found himself searching for an escape, and he found it in a ruckus sounding at the end of the hall, "If you'll excuse me Mayor Mills," he ducked his head before making his retreat.
Regina ground her teeth together, counting to ten in her head before donning her best political smile and walking back into the observation room holding half of the dynamic duo that, once upon a time, were her sworn enemy, and the woman she felt this strange draw to.
She reclaimed her spot beside the woman, fighting whatever medication she was on and opening he eyes once more, trapping Regina momentarily as she noticed the small flecks of gold in the pools of green.
"I take it the news isn't good, then?" the woman broke the silence, quirking an eye brow at her, "I mean, judging from your forced smile and the way your hands are picking at the hem of your shirt, I'm pretty screwed, right?"
Regina was taken aback by the woman's words, the way they tumbled out of her mouth, unbidden, uncensored… no one spoke like that to Regina. It was refreshing. But more than that, it was maddening. It did, however, effectively serve to pull the Mayor out of her stupor.
"Though I do think I could have worded it more eloquently than you," Regina huffed, "I'm afraid you are correct in your assumption. The doctor tells me you have amnesia, and he can't say when its effects will wear off."
"Great," the woman plopped her head back down on her pillows with a grimace, "That's just… that's just my luck. I think, anyway, who knows for certain, right? Not like I have any memories to compare this to…" she grumbled.
"I can assure you, Miss-," Regina cut herself off, realizing she didn't know the woman's name, "I assure you that you will have whatever you need to assist with your amnesia."
The woman pulled a face, "Does that mean I have to stay in the hospital? I get the distinct feeling I don't like hospitals."
"You'll have to speak with Dr. Whale about that, I'm afraid," Regina found herself glancing down at her watch out of habit, but noticing the time, she gave a heavy sigh. She had several appointments that morning, none of which she was looking forward to, but couldn't get out of never the less.
Who would have thought being a small town mayor in the middle-of-no-where-Maine would have been so demanding? Certainly not Regina. It was the same bureaucratic dribble day in and day out over the last twenty eight years. In fact, coming to the hospital to visit the unknown amnesiac was the high light of her week, hell, her month thus far. And that was just… sad.
"Some where you need to be?" the woman asked, tone dripping in sarcasm, but there was a sad light in her eyes that couldn't be hidden by smiling lips.
Regina straightened, she could not believe she had started to feel sorry for her she was Regina Mills, the Evil Queen, the hard ass Mayor… no, she couldn't show any sign of weakness. So, instead, she replied in kind.
"Unfortunately, this town does not run itself," she pulled at the end of the sleeves on her jacket, fixing a non-existent wrinkle in her skirt.
The woman rolled her eyes, "What are you, the Mayor or something?" When their eyes met and she saw she hit her mark, her smile disappeared, her jaw slackened, "Holy shit, you are the Mayor." Regina quirked an eyebrow at the curse and she immediately scrambled out an apology, "What's the Mayor doing talking to me? Or do you go around seeing all the patients?"
"Not, usually, no," she allowed, "You are a… special case."
"Right, amnesia." She pointed to her head, "I'm sorry, I'm sure you have a lot of Mayoral stuff you need to handle, I don't want to keep you."
"I really must be off," Regina agreed, taking a step back, but the flash of sadness that passed in the other woman's eyes had her mouth moving before she could dictate its actions, "But, perhaps I could come by around noon. You're more likely to get sick from what they dare to call food in this place, I'll bring you something."
The woman's face lit up, though it was clear she was trying not to show how much this gesture meant to her, "Thanks-," she trailed off with an expectant look.
"Regina," the Mayor supplied, after a beat.
"Thanks, Regina." She smiled as she tasted the name on her tongue before giving a mirthless chuckle and rubbing the back of her head with the hand that wasn't hooked up to an IV and all other sorts of wires, "I know it's not fair, I don't have a name to give you."
"I'm sure we can come up with something to call you." Regina assured her before forcing her feet to take another step backwards, "For now, I really must be going."
"I'll see you later, Regina." She nodded to her, this time, the sadness was substantially less.
The Mayor turned on her heel and walked out of the room, out of the ward, out of the hospital, verbally berating herself for acting like a hapless moron for reasons she couldn't understand herself.
Besides, she had enough on her plate for the day, she couldn't afford to allow herself to be distracted by this Jane Doe. She would burry herself in meetings and paperwork before going to Granny's to pick lunch up for her lunch date-
Date? That's a bit presumptuous of you, isn't it? That nagging voice in her head that sounded strangely like her mother pestered.
It's just a phrase, she growled as she slammed the door of her Benz with a bit more force than necessary, startling Dr. Hopper as he walked his dog.
As petty as it may have been, scaring the old bug made her feel a bit better as she drove to city hall, forcing all thoughts of the blonde amnesiac away for the time being.
Saturday's were difficult for Mary Margret Blanchard.
Monday through Friday, she could distract herself with the duties of being a teacher- more time consuming than one would think. Grading papers, calling parent's, planning lessons, reviewing the extracurricular activities she was in charge of…
In comparison, she had far too much time on her hands on the weekends, so she volunteered at the hospital. Visiting with patients, changing out flowers, hanging up pictures drawn by her students in an attempt to lighten up the place a bit.
When she was focusing on other people, it made it infinitely easier to ignore the lonely nagging she could feel radiate through her entire being. The constant feeling that she was missing something huge, like her entire heart had been ripped from her chest.
So, around ten in the morning as she made her normal rounds through the Trinity Ward of Storybrooke General, Mary Margret went through her normal routine. Checking on patients she knew by name now, having visited the hospital in her free time for the last… well, for as long as she could remember.
The familiar tug that often pulled her to check on the comatose patient at the far end of the ward seemed to be doubly demanding, and she had to consciously force her feet to move at a slower pace, not wanting to finish her rounds a moment before absolutely necessary.
When she did finally make it to John Doe's room, she noticed the change. He was still fast asleep, but he now had company. It wasn't a family member or a friend like she and the hospital staff had been waiting for, it was another patient. A blonde woman, who seemed to be in the process of attempting to glare a whole in the ceiling.
"Your face is going to stick like that if you keep it up," She quipped, startling the woman slightly, "Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you." She apologized, noting the spike in her heart rate registered by the machine beside her.
"Hi," the blonde squeaked, struggling to sit up in her bed.
"Oh! Here, let me help you." Mary Margret abandoned her cart of flowers and finger paintings and moved to the side of the woman's bed, lifting the remote from where it sat wedged between the mattress and the metal railings, "You see, if you just push this button, the bed will adjust."
"Huh," the woman took the controls form Mary Margret and began to play with the buttons, contorting the bed in different ways for a moment before settling on just having her head lifted so it looked like she was sitting up, "Thanks, you're the first person I've seen in here since the Doc left. I've been plotting ways to escape…" she admitted sheepishly.
"Not a fan of hospitals, huh?" Mary Margret smiled, finding herself relaxing despite not knowing the woman with whom she was talking.
"Apparently not." She grumbled, looking away.
"I don't believe I've seen you around," Mary Margret scrambled to fill the awkward silence, "What's your name? I'm Mary Margret, by the way."
"That is the million dollar question, isn't it?" the woman smirked, "I'd phone a friend, but I don't even know if I have any."
Mary Margret frowned, "You don't know your name?"
"Seems I bumped by head while driving," she gestures to the discoloration on her face she's sure is there, since she can feel it whenever she forgets and goes to itch her nose or whatever.
"Oh, I'm so sorry."
The woman simply shrugs, "I've been trying to remember something for the last few hours. But it's like there's a big ol' wall between me and everything."
"Well now," Mary Margret moved to sit in the visitors chair, something's she's never done while visiting John Doe's room before, "Let's see… how about we start with something simple, hm?"
"Simpler than my name?" She challenged wryly.
"Yes," the teacher nodded, undeterred, "Liiiike, what is your favorite color?"
The woman seemed to consider this seriously glancing around the room until her eyes landed on something she liked, a painting on Mary Margret's cart that she couldn't quite make out beyond vague shapes and colors, "Green."
"See?" Mary Margret smiled, "Now you know something about yourself you didn't before."
"I'm practically normal again," despite the sarcastic words, the smile on the blonde's face was genuine.
"Small steps," Mary Margret looked up at the clock on the wall, knowing she still had the children's ward to visit, not to mention geriatrics and the NICU. "You'll see, keep taking small steps and soon enough, they'll turn into big steps." She rose to her feet.
"Thanks Mary Margret." The woman smiled, though the expression didn't reach her eyes, "I'll be sure to work on that."
The teacher gave the patient a small wave as she pulled the cart out of the room. She stopped briefly, picking up the painting that had caught the woman's eye, revealing her favorite color. She strode back in the room quickly, taping it up near her head, "Try and brighten the place up a bit." She explained with a blush before retreating once more.
She missed the smile that was aimed at her in her haste to leave before she made things more awkward for the poor woman.
The woman, for her part, was glad for even the smallest change in scenery.
She didn't know much about herself, but it was becoming clear to herself that she was not built to sit still for long periods of time.
So the painting that Mary Margret put up beside her was studied extensively by her quick eyes. Absorbing the broad strokes of bright color, since she still couldn't make up much detail.
Great, apparently she needed glasses.
She filed that fact away, adding it to the measly pile she was accumulating in her mind, the only things she knew about herself. Her favorite color was green, she hated hospitals, she did not like being idle, and she loathed silence.
But that's what she was stuck with. Her roommate wasn't very good company, and Mary Margret, who only stayed for five minutes at most, was the only person who she had seen since Dr. Whale poked his head in a few minutes after Regina left.
At the thought of her name, the woman's eyes roamed once more to the clock in the room, seeing that she still had a good half hour before she should start to expect the Mayor to return with the promised lunch.
She tried to convince herself it was because of the way her stomach was grumbling and not craving the company of the regal Mayor that had her taping her fingers impatiently as she alternated between watching the door and watching the clock.
It was absurd to miss a woman she had spoken very little to. It probably didn't help that she had spoken only to three people thus far, narrowing the pool of people she could miss. But the Mayor was a conundrum, a puzzle she just couldn't figure out.
She had learned more about the people visiting her for brief moments then about herself in the hours between.
While Regina had shown kindness and concern, a strange gentleness that seemed to startle the other woman herself, to the blonde, the nurses and doctors seemed to be terrified of her. She had watched through half closed eyes when Regina had spoken to Dr. Whale outside her room. He had cowered under the weight of her gaze and whatever words she was throwing at him.
She thought perhaps the man was innately cowardly, bowing to whomever confronted him, but after the Mayor left, he snuck a sip from a metal flash pulled from his coat before ordering people around and checking on other patients. Her presence was the only thing that seemed to reign in his ego.
So, why then, did Regina treat her with kindness when she seemed to favor intimidation?
The woman turned that over in her head for a few moments before moving on to her other visitor. Mary Margret.
The mousy woman with the pixie cut seemed to have trouble keeping her eyes from wandering to her comatose roommate, even in the short time she was visiting, she counted ten times that Mary Margret let her eyes wander carefully over the John Doe.
It made her wonder if she actually knew him and just didn't tell anyone, letting them continue to believe no one knew who he was. The blonde squashed that idea almost as soon as it cropped up. It didn't fit with the woman she watched, the almost motherly way she spoke with the other patients and even to her. Mary Margret wouldn't do something so intentionally cruel.
Fate seemed to be the only cruel one. How was it that she had the ability to pick up on all these little nuances in others but knew next to nothing about herself? Where was the justice, the sense in that?
Her musings were cut short when the door to her room slid open once more, and she glanced up from her lap to see Regina standing with a brown bag in her hand, shifting uneasily from one foot to the other.
"You came back," She tried to tamped down the smile that fought to break out over her face.
"Well, I am a woman of my word, if nothing else." The Mayor flipped her hair back with her free hand before striding into the room as if she owned it.
"I'm going a little stir crazy in here." The blonde admitted, playing with the fringe of her blanket before stilling her hands and watching as Regina pulled a tray on wheels to the side of the bed, between the visitors chair Mary Margret had occupied before and the bed.
"I don't see why, with the stellar company you have," Regina smirked at her roommate before going about pulling things out of the paper bag, at this distance, the blonde could read Granny's Diner in bold lettering.
"He's not very talkative." She shrugged, "And aside from a volunteer candy striper that came by a couple hours ago, I've had no one to talk to."
"What?" Anger flashed in the Mayor's eyes as she slammed down the styrofoam container in her hand with a bit too much force, nearly tipping the tray in the process, "I left here nearly six hours ago and no one has come in to check on you?"
The blonde gave a shrug, far too nonchalant for the Mayor's liking, "Seeing as the only company that would have come of being checked on would have been Dr. Whale, I think I prefer the solitude."
Regina made a mental note to speak with the good doctor before she returned to work, she didn't need to worry about the woman any more than she already was. She continued to unpack the lunch, "I hope you like chicken, since I didn't really know what to get you."
"Honestly, I'm so hungry I'd eat anything." Her nose twitched and her mouth watered as the scent of food wafted towards her.
"Have you remembered anything?" Regina asked as soon as they were settled in with their meals, the blonde eating hers with gusto that fascinated Regina much like a car wreck would have.
The woman gave a shrug, swallowing her food before answering aloud, "Nothing of importance. I like the color green, I hate hospitals and sitting still. But I'm seriously sick and tired of trying to dredge up my memories, can we talk about you instead?"
"Me?" Regina repeated back with a confused tilt to her head,
"Yeah," she took another bite of her food, washing it down with a gulp of water, "What's your favorite color?"
"Purple," Regina answered without much thought, surprising herself by even having a preference for something as mundane as a hue.
"I could have guessed as much," the blonde gave her a lopsided grin.
"How so?" Regina demanded, sitting straighter in her chair.
"Purple, color of power right? Symbolizing royalty," the blonde went on, shocked by this random knowledge she seemed to possess, "You're the mayor, obviously a powerful woman. I would have made the conclusion sooner or later." She nods.
"Those are quite the deduction skills you have," Regina rolled her eyes, refusing to be impressed.
"You better be careful, Madam Mayor, that amount of snark can't be healthy for anyone." She quirked her eyebrow, hiding her smirk behind her glass of water.
Whatever Regina's reply was, was interrupted by a nurse walking into the room, "I'm sorry, but Dr. Whale gave some forms I need you to sign, Miss."
She practically tiptoed into the room, avoiding Regina's glare as she passed the clipboard to the patient. She scurried off as soon as her hands were free, much to the amusement of both women in the room.
"Why are they so afraid of you?" the blonde asked as soon as the door was closed.
"I've proved to be a woman who isn't to be trifled with," the Mayor adjusted her shirt cuffs, "It isn't my fault some people seem to be inept and are too witless to handle a reprimand."
"Remind me to never get on your bad side," she widened her eyes in mock fear.
"I have a stack of paper work concerning our now severely damaged town sign that says you're already well on your way there." Regina frowned at her.
"Right," a blush spread over her face, "Sorry about that, I'll pay for it…"
"With what money?" Regina challenged.
"Right," the blonde repeated, the redness on her cheeks and neck darkening, she focused on the form in front of her, requiring her signature on the bottom of the page, no one seemed to think it was a problem asking the amnesiac for her signature.
"It's quite alright, dear," Regina pat her hand in mock comfort, "I'm sure we can find a way for you to pay the town back."
The blonde snorted, hearing the joking tone in the Mayor's voice, glancing up to see that, despite the serious set of her face, there was a light in her brown eyes, bringing them to life in a way they didn't seem to be when she was glaring down the nurses or tearing a new one to the doctor.
Without thinking, her hand moved over the sheet, affixing her signature to the line at the bottom. She wouldn't have even realized she did it unless Regina's hand froze on hers, eyes darting to the looped cursive.
"Did you just…?" She trailed off.
"Huh," the blonde lifted the clipboard, studying the penning, blushing once more, "I, uh, seem to also need glasses, would you mind…" she tilts the form so Regina can read it for her.
"I see your penmanship is atrocious," the Mayor mumbled, tilting the form to better catch the light, "Emma? The last name's a bit hard to make out, it looks like an S and a scribble."
"Okay," she let the word trail on, "So I can't remember by name, but apparently I can sign it? How does that make any sense?"
"Muscle memory," Dr. Whale grinned from the door way, his eyes looking less glazed over than when the blonde had seen him last, "We sign our names so often, it becomes imprinted in us, it's why we do it without having to consciously think of it." He seemed to smug having come up with this.
What he didn't say was that it hadn't really been his idea at all, but Mary Margret's. She had told him in passing, something she had realized when signing out for the afternoon.
They didn't need to know that.
"So what is our patient's name?" He asked, striding into the room with a walk that was cocky enough to be called a swagger, holding his hand out for the clip board still gripped tightly by Regina.
"Emma," Regina supplied before finally giving it up after a brief glare to put the doctor back in his place.
He squinted at it briefly, "Emma Swan." He read, the scribbled signature nothing compared to the doctor's own atrocious writing. It came with the profession, "Does that sound familiar."
The woman- Emma shrugged, "I honestly have no idea."
"Well, at least we have something to call you now, Miss Swan," Dr. Whale smiled as he tucked the clipboard under his arm.
"Emma Swan," She tried out the words, frowning slightly, waiting for the familiarity to click, for something, hell, a giant freaking neon sign to tell her that this was right. But she just didn't know.
"Yes, well," Dr. Whale took a step back, his high slowly fading under the watchful glare of the Mayor, "I'll leave you to get adjusted to it while I go fill out some forms."
When the door shut behind him, a silence filled the room, Regina watched the pensive look on the woman's face, "How does it feel to have a name?"
Emma looked to her, the frown ebbing away slightly, "I dunno, I don't really feel any different." Much like the other little discoveries she made about herself, it wasn't really earth shattering. It didn't help the wall in her mind, it didn't fill her with anything but a nagging feeling that this supposed to be every day knowledge and didn't hold any significance.
"I mean, yeah, apparently I'm Emma Swan," she rolled her eyes, "But that doesn't really tell me who I am, does it?"
She looked so lost, Regina wanted to say something, anything to help her. And that was so out of the Evil Queen's character that it startled her to her feet, "I'm sure you'll discover that as well, in due time."
"You're leaving?" Emma sat up further, "Already?" her eyes darted to the clock before quickly returning to the Mayor.
"I wasn't joking about the mountain of paper work waiting for me in the office," she explained, gathering up the trash from their lunch.
"Right," Emma nodded, face falling.
"I'll see you later," Regina assured her without thinking, just wanting the frown to disappear from her face, "Perhaps tomorrow for lunch?" she offered.
Emma nodded with a small smile, "Sure thing, you've got a town to run, go on," she shooed her a little with a wave of her hand, feeling pathetic that she was relying so much on this woman she didn't know.
Regina bit the inside of her cheek and nodded, "Good day, Emma Swan." She spoke softly as she left.
And somehow, when Regina spoke her name, it finally clicked for her. It became her name, simply because she liked the way it sounded in the Mayor's mouth.
"Bye, Regina." She smiled in response, settling back in for another few boring hours, already counting the minutes until tomorrows promised lunch.