The streets were slick with sleet. It had been one of Storybrooke's worst winter storms and Regina happened to be stuck driving home from her office in the worst storm to date. Only daring to go at ten miles, turtles pace. She had wondered why she couldn't have remained home cuddled up with Henry, watching movies and drinking hot chocolate.

Making her way home, her attention had grown on a car off the side of the rode, crashed into the side the Welcome to Storybrooke sign. Putting the brakes she rushed out to check if the person or in the car needed her help. Regina's eyes had been squinted to keep the drops of both rain and snow from her eyes as she spotted a man hunched over the drivers seat. A stream of blood coming down his head.

"Oh my goodness," she whispered, slipping and sliding her way to the person. Gently did she sit the man back, looking at his face. He stirred and Regina couldn't help but whisper a silent thank god.

"Hey, hello. You were in an accident," she whispered, "Can you hear me. We have to get you to a hospital. Can you move?"

The man opened his eyes only in slits, looking at Regina. He slowly shook his head.

"No…hospital," he wheezed.

Regina couldn't believe this. He was bleeding from his head and the idiot who crashed into her sign that she knew would have to be repaired and she being mayor knew that she would have to rework the town budget to repair the now fallen sign. She couldn't believe he was denying the hospital.

"You're bleeding and could have a concussion. You need to go to the hospital."

The man gritted in obvious pain as he gripped Regina's wrist startling her.

"No. Hospital," he said through gritted teeth.

Regina sighed. "Fine, be difficult. I am only trying to help."

She paused to think what could she do with this person. He didn't belong to the town she knew that. It being a small town and all, question being why had he decided to drive into or rather crash into her town. Regina knew she couldn't leave him to freeze. Come morning the idiot would have hypothermia and properly be dead.

"Fine," she sighed, "Can you walk?"

He nodded just as she thought she must be out of her damn mind to think of what she was going to do but like she said, she couldn't leave him.

"Ok, come on. Lets get you into my car and we'll figure out the rest."

With a struggle, the man being bigger than she thought and taller to. They slipped and slide to her car. When she set him in the passengers seat, she noticed he had passed out. That was all she needed.

Getting to her house, she saw the soft glow of light within her house. Wondering to herself if Henry had gone to sleep or had he been watching television. Either way she needed him occupied while she did the dumbest thing in her life. Bring a stranger home.

…

Kathryn noticed her best friend had not moved from her car. She knew something had to be wrong. Looking over her shoulder, she spotted the tiny tot of Henry watching one of the Harry Potter films mindlessly.

"Henry honey, don't move ok. I'll be back," she said.

"Ok aunt Kathryn," he said, his attention fully on the screen.

She grabbed her coat and hat, rushed out of the house to her friend. Tapping on the glass of her car, Regina jumped up seeing her friend at her window. Slowly did she roll down her window.

"Do you think you've got the wrong house?" Kathryn joked, eyeing Regina curiously. She noted the weariness in her expression. That's when Kathryn's eyes caught the male sitting in the passengers seat.

"Gina darling, who's that?" she asked.

Regina took a deep breath, getting out of the car.

"That is to be your way of working a distraction as I get him upstairs," she said, rounding her way to the passengers side of the car and gently shaking the stranger awake.

Kathryn didn't say no more, running inside to keep Henry distracted enough so that Regina and her stranger clumsily and with a lot of noise made their way the stairs of 108 Mifflin streets white washed mansion. When she thought the coast clear, Kathryn ran upstairs just as the person collapsed on the guest bed of her friends home.

"Explain," she said.

Regina explained rather quickly how she found him on the side of the road, car wrecked in the town sign that she would now have to replace and how he refused to go to the hospital. Kathryn looked at the stranger.

"He's good looking," she said.

Regina rolled her eyes, "Tell that to Fredrick, your husband ," she said before looking at her new found houseguest. "What the hell do I do with him?"

Kathryn shrugged. "Keep him."

Regina scoffed. "Yes, because keeping a stranger in my house in absolutely normal, right?" she said. "No I can't keep him."

Kathryn shook her head. "Why not. It's obvious he's hurt. So you patch him up, wait till he wakes and get all the details out of him. Just who he is, why's he's here and if he's a murder."

Great, Regina thought. Just what she needed to think about, had she welcomed a murder into her home. She would have to keep Henry away from the guest room until further notice.

"Take Henry to your house. I will see what I do with this guy."

Kathryn nodded. Leaving the room. Regina studied the stranger, wondering why she had so easily agreed to keep him.

...

AN:

An idea that wouldn't leave my head. What do you think?

Continue?

DISCLAIMER: I don't own ONCE UPON A TIME.

Rights to ABC Network.