I am so fucking tired and this story got worse the more I wrote but I would never deny you guys one of my stories so here you go. Hope you guys can still enjoy it. It's based on the promo pic for 3x12 or well.. the second half of season 3.
"where are we going?" Emma asks, casting a look over to the man in the passenger seat.
" Just drive." He responds, not even a small smile on his face. She probably shouldn't have hit him that hard.
"How do I know you're not kidnapping us."
He laughs then. " Because, my love, you're the one doing the driving. You'd be kidnapping yourself."
She wants to punch him in the face but she realizes that he's right, and there's something too familiar about him. She doesn't know what it is but she feels like that empty feeling in her heart is finally starting to fill. Slowly. It's like she's reaching for something but she's not quite there yet and she doesn't know how to get there. Maybe that's why it didn't take the strange man long to convince to come along with him.
She looks at Henry through the tiny mirror. He looks pretty relaxed luckily.
He didn't tell her much about what is happening. He told her his name is Killian Jones and they used to be.. something. The problem is that for some reason she can't remember it, and there's even more she doesn't remember. It's stupid but when she asks for an explanation he told her it was too difficult.
She asked him about that kiss too. Because who comes up to people randomly kissing them. Exactly. Nobody. He looked at her then, and she could see the pain in his eyes. For a second it was like she was in a completely different world. But then he spoke and the moment was over. " I was just hoping I could make you remember."
She had laughed. " A kiss can help me remember?"
"With the right person." Another wash of hurt flashed in his eyes and instead of opening her mouth she had stayed quiet and agreed to come along. Or to come home, as he had said it.
It's late when they pass a board that says 'Storybrooke'. Her heart clenches and her eyes lose focus for a second. She panics then because something is happening and she doesn't know what is and how to take control of it. She looks at Henry again, and he appears to be going through the same thing.
"Kid you okay?"
He looks at her, his eyes wide. "Storybrooke." He breathes.
Hook turns in his seat and looks at the child. "Welcome home."
As they drive through the village she slowly gets the control over her emotions sometimes. Yes, something seems off but it's probably nothing. This is all going to be some prank and her and Henry are going to be just fine.
"Oh no." Hook mutters, causing her to follow his gaze to the two people standing on the sidewalk next to what appears to be a diner.
" Emma!" The man yells and the woman almost collapses on the floor.
" keep driving." Hook says angrily, touching her forearm. She looks one last time at the woman on the street and then turns her head back towards the road.
" Who are they, why do they know my name?" She asks.
" You know their names too."
Emma rolls her eyes. " Right, I just can't remember. Look, I don't know what you thought was going to happen by me driving through this village but whatever it was it's not going to work okay."
Instead of answering her, he gestures to stop the car and then points at what appears to be the town hall. "We're here. You wait here okay, I'll come back when she's ready for you."
Emma frowns. "Who? Who's ready?"
He doesn't answer her.
Hook knocks on the door. No answer. He knocks again. Once again nobody responds. He knows she's here though. " Regina." He says. " Regina open up."
After a few seconds he finally hears something moving inside and not too long later the door is pulled open. Hard, cold eyes stare back at him. He isn't afraid though, because he can see the redness. She's been crying again.
"What?" She hisses.
He brushes past her into her office. " I found them."
She frowns, her hands on her hips. " What the hell are you talking about?"
" Emma, and Henry. I found them."
Her eyes widen and the cold disappears for only a second. "If you're making this up Hook I swear I-"
"You'll rip my heart out? Come on Regina, we're past that point I believe."
She starts pacing. "Where are they?"
" In the car. Downstairs." His head points to the direction of the door. "I came to make sure you're ready for this."
Tears have started to fall down her cheeks, but he's not sure she knows. "Do they- Do they remember?"
He shakes his head sadly. " I tried but no. I'm pretty sure they feel something though, something familiar but you know Emma."
Regina smiles. "She's stubborn."
" Yeah."
A comfortable silence passes between them and it's only when Hook's eyes land on the amount of potions spread out across of the table, is he reminded of the two people still waiting for him. Knowing Emma Swan, her patience is about to ran out and she'll come bursting through these doors herself. Want me to go get them?"
Regina stays silent a little longer, and he knows she's struggling with her feelings. "Get Emma."
She looks at him and for a second she allows her emotions to take control. "But can you take Henry with you? I don't.. I don't think I can handle him looking at me as if he doesn't know me."
He nods understandingly. She's been through enough and one more rejection from Henry will break her. "Of course. I'll take him with me to go to Snow and David. Perhaps it will trigger some memories."
"Yes, that sounds good."
It feels like half an hour before Killian finally returns, using his Hook to close the door. She still winces at the sight of that thing. He knocks on the window and she rolls it down. "You can come inside now, she's ready."
Emma frowns. "Okay. Let's go kid."
Hook holds up his hand. "Henry goes with me." When he sees the look on her face he is quick to calm her. "Relax, I promise you he is going to be just fine. I'm taking him to those people you saw before."
She isn't so sure about this until Henry decides on his own. "Ma, I got a good feeling about this. It will be okay."
She nods slowly but doesn't go inside the building before shooting a warning glare towards Killian. The decoration inside is very modern, lots of black and white and also a lot of bowls with apples. It causes another weird feeling inside her but she shakes it off. She's here, the Mayor's office. She knocks on the door, mostly to buy herself some more time to calm down.
"Yes?" A voice calls out and Emma has to do everything to stop herself from panicking.
"It's Emma. Emma Swan."
The door is pulled open and Emma is face to face with the woman Killian had been talking about the whole time. She knows that her face isn't showing any emotions but inside she's freaking out.
"I know that." The woman says, opening the door wider to let her in. When Emma steps closer she notices the redness in the woman's eyes.
"Are you okay, Miss.."
"Mills." Regina fills in for her, her heart clenching painfully in her chest. She's glad she sent Henry with Hook because this is enough pain.
"But Regina is fine."
Emma feels something again. That stupid feeling that has been eating her alive for the last year. "Regina." She breathes and it feels so normal to say that name.
"Yes."
Emma takes a deep breath, forcing herself to stay calm in the presence of this woman. "So what's the plan?"
Regina smiles at Emma's familiar stand and gestures towards her table. "This might seem a bit odd but-"
"Trust me, It can't really get any weirder after Killian and all."
"It really can, my dear."
Emma smiles a soft smile and follows the woman to the table. There is a wide range of bottles with some kind of weird potion in them. The most disturbing thing though, is that some of them glow.
"How even-"
"Magic."
Emma's eyes widen and she chuckles. "Magic? You're kidding right?"
Regina shakes her head. "No. It's also what caused your memory loss."
Okay, this is just ridiculous. She thought that these people were actually serious but now it just seems like she's in a bad episode of punked. And she's not even a celebrity. Or well.. .she might be. Who knows, right?
"Magic caused my memory loss? Okay I'm sorry but that just sounds ridiculous."
Regina sighs and the blonde notices that tears are forming in her eyes again. "I know it does, but you have to believe."
They both stay silent for a while until Regina steps up to her and takes her hand. She looks almost afraid to do so and Emma wonders what the woman is struggling with. "Emma. Please."
She looks down at their hands and slowly nods. "We can try, right?"
Regina smiles and releases a deep breath. "Yes."
Five potions later and nothing has happened yet. Emma is sitting on a chair, still a bit dizzy from the last potion. "And?" Regina asks her, her eyes hopeful again.
Emma closes her eyes and opens again. Nothing. She still doesn't remember.. whatever she's supposed to remember. She shakes her head in the negative.
"I'm sorry." She says when she sees Regina stare at the last and final potion.
"Just.. try the last one."
Not wanting to piss the other woman off, Emma quickly drinks the last one, a red one. Her throat heats up and her stomach makes a pleasurable flip. She closes her eyes and smiles. "It feels like.."
"Love. It's true love." Regina says. She leans over the table, watching Emma.
The blonde puts the empty bottle back on the table and looks at Regina. She sighs. "I'm really sorry, Ms. Mills like I am trying to believe and do everything that you said but it just won't work."
Without further notice Regina suddenly stands, grabs the empty bottle that Emma just put down and throws it against the wall.
"Wow! Calm down!" Emma says, rushing over to the older woman. When she's standing in front of Regina she notices the tears that are no longer being held back. Regina's head falls in her hands and her shoulders start to shake.
"It's okay. We'll figure it out."
The brunette looks up then and Emma sees how exhausted she is. "No, we won't. Because you'll be gone long before I have a new solution. You don't remember anyone, Emma. You don't remember .. us. You have no reason to stay."
"Us?" the blonde asks with a frown on her face. Why wasn't she told about this sooner.
Regina shakes her head. "Never mind."
She tries to create some distance between them but Emma won't let her. Soon she's face to face with the stubborn woman she's come to love so deeply. Some things really don't ever change.
"I do not really know what we were. We were mothers, we both had had a lot of pain in our lives. We were broken and I think we just needed something, someone to lean on. We did it in the worst way possible but even in the beginning I knew that there was more between us. Nothing ever happened but we sort of found this way of parenting together. He was our son. Not mine, not yours, ours. We were his moms, and I felt like I had finally found my happiness."
"Our son? You mean Henry?" Regina was right, this just keeps getting weirder.
"Yes. He's ours. I mean, I adopted him but he's your biological son."
Emma's confusion gives Regina the opportunity to escape. "I hope you don't mind that I at least say goodbye to Henry, even if he doesn't know me. I'm sorry for everything, I thought this was right."
Emma opens her mouth to respond but something stops her. Right. Maybe Killian had been telling the truth before, and knowing this new information Regina had to be that person.
"Regina wait." She says and she practically runs over to the woman, turning her around quickly and pressing their lips together. It takes a few seconds but then Regina responds, their lips are moving over each other and soon Emma's tongue finds her way into Regina's mouth. They both moan into the kiss and Emma presses Regina even closer to her body.
Something happens then, she feels it everywhere. It comes from the both of them and spreads across the room and beyond. She pulls away suddenly when her mind starts spinning.
"Oh my." She says, her hand clutching her forehead.
"Emma?" Regina asks, her eyes searching the ones of the former sheriff.
When it's calm in her head again she looks up. She looks up at the former Evil Queen and mother to her son. "Regina." She breathes before smiling widely at the woman.
"You remember?"
She nods and draws Regina in for another kiss. "We definitely need to talk later, but for now.. let's go find our kid."
Regina smiles and Emma is sure she's never seen her this happy before.