Prompt: 'Emma falls in the shower and breaks her arm, Regina finds her.'

Author's Note: Set around season two where their relationship was still rocky. I don't know what the prompter had in mind, but I took this a little deeper than I anticipated. (Sorry, I was in a plot-full mood!) Hope you still enjoy! Most likely a oneshot.


Emma was late to pick up Henry and Regina was furious. Apparently the 'I'm going to do my best by Henry' speech had all just been a facade. The woman couldn't even be bothered to collect their son on time and the sheriff even had the audacity not to answer her calls. Regina was beyond furious.

With an angry flick of her wrist, the former mayor appeared inside Emma's apartment. It was actually Mary Margaret and David's apartment, but apparently the saviour was now entitled to inhabit any building she pleased. Regina, underneath all of the anger, was honestly more disappointed than anything else. She really had believed what the woman had said. And she couldn't believe that Emma would let Henry down like that. The boy was struggling to trust her as it was and Regina wasn't going to let this imposter let him down. No matter what speeches she gave.

"Sherriff Swan, how dare you infringe the arrangements we made!" she yelled furiously. The lack of response only irritated her more. "And how dare you not pick up your phone!"

Silence.

With a raised eyebrow, Regina stepped forward, deeper into the apartment. She could see Emma's coat hung on the rack and could hear the faint thrum of a shower, confirming that the offender was in fact here, which the mayor had doubted for just a moment. She approached the source of the noise and stood outside the door. "Miss Swan!" She yelled irritatedly, having no personal intention to enter the room. That seemed more than a little juvenile. Her brow furrowed when there was a further lack of response. Emma must have heard. There had to only be a metre or so actually between them. With her confidence slightly shaken, Regina tried instead a smaller, "Emma?"

Nothing.

Even if it wasn't Emma, would the true occupant not want to assert that? If anything to prevent the risk of her entering? Regina knew that the bathroom door didn't have a lock. Of course Snow White and Prince Charming would be so sickly enamoured, that they'd put trust above practicality. She'd scoffed when she'd first found out. She wondered how Emma felt about this particular lack of privacy... 'No, I'm angry at her,' Regina thought to herself. 'She doesn't get my sympathy.' She knocked on the door loudly. "Miss Swan."

This had to be a joke.

"If you don't respond, then I'm coming in," she said loudly.

"Fuck," Emma said softly to herself. She was sat in the bathtub, shower water bouncing off of her body, cradling her broken arm. This was such a mess. And now Regina was going to burst in, see her naked, and make everything a hundred times worse. "Regina," she said as loudly as she could. "Please don't come in. I'm sorry, this is such a mess!"

The mayor's anger faded instantly as she heard Emma's voice crack. This was new... "Emma... Are you okay?"

The saviour swore to herself again, irritated by her own predicament, and rested her forehead down on her wet knees. If only she could get out of the bath and put a towel on. She'd tried a couple of times but the jolting pain radiating from her left arm had just made things impossible. "Why did I have to slip," Emma scowled to herself. She looked at the closed wooden door, just waiting for Regina to burst in and rant about betraying their son. It really was an accident. Emma had been in such a rush to get ready to see Henry that her mind had wandered elsewhere and she'd let herself to slip in the first place. Regina had it so wrong and it also hurt her (more than she cared to admit) that the brunette had so little faith in her. It especially broke Emma's heart that she had managed to unintentionally hurt Henry. Why did she have to leave her phone in the living room.

"Emma?" Regina asked again, the level of concern in her tone increasing. She was Henry's mother after all... That was why she cared, she told herself immediately.

The saviour sighed. "I-I fell... And I think my arm's broken..." she called out.

Regina gasped and her hand instantly went to the door handle. She was about to twist it when she faltered, reminding herself of the situation Miss Swan was actually in. "Emma, can I come in?"

The blonde cringed, cursing herself for the hundredth time. She knew she had to say yes. "Can you close your eyes somehow?"

"I'll do my best. Are you stuck?"

"Yes," Emma said deflatedly.

After mentally preparing herself for a moment, Regina twisted the handle and entered the steam filled room. Her eyes wandered down to the figure in the bath sat holding an already bruised arm to her chest, her knees high. Thankfully, for Emma's sake, all Regina could really see were parts of her breasts. In the circumstances, her modesty was actually relatively in tact.

"Are you alright?" Regina frowned.

"No! Stop gawking and help please?" Emma said desperately, unable to control the shakes in her voice. She was grateful that the shower water was disguising the tears on her cheeks. It was embarrassing to be so publicly crying but her arm was absolute agony.

"What do you want me to do?"

The saviour hung her head sadly. She didn't know what to do. All she felt was stuck and embarrassed. She just desperately didn't want anyone else to see her like this. Who knew when Mary Margaret and David would return home?

"Stop panicking and tell me what you need," the former mayor said remarkably softly. Emma didn't know that Regina even had the ability to be gentle. All she'd seen was fire since day one.

"Towel," she murmured quietly. "And for the shower to be off."

Regina nodded and retrieved a white, soft towel, as well as reaching over and switching the shower off, wetting her clothed arm in the process. She suppressed a sigh and instead leant down to hand the woman the towel.

"I-I can't move it," Emma said softly about her arm. She didn't dare remove her hand from its support position at the risk of knocking the affected one. The consistent hum of pain was more than a warning not to do so.

Understanding her request, Regina pulled the towel back to her own body, opened it out fully, and then enclosed Emma's front with it herself, holding it securely against her shoulders so that her body had guaranteed cover. "Can you try to stand?"

Biting her lip, Emma nodded. Perhaps it would be easier knowing that Regina would catch her if she fell. The saviour's eyes watered at the light shakes her brake had to endure but she managed to eventually stand fully. She leant forward slightly and allowed Regina to wrap the towel fully around her so that her back was covered too. The latter wrapped her up closely and then helped her to step out of the bath.

Emma wasn't sure whether it was the relief of being out of the situation, or Regina's attentive movements, but for some reason she stepped forward further, leaning against the woman. The mayor was surprised by her actions but soon realised that Emma just desperately needed comfort and decided to relent. Wary of putting any pressure on her arm, Regina only loosely held her but found herself comforted by the light weight she felt on her shoulder as Emma rest her forehead there.

After the peculiar embrace, Regina found the saviour some easy-looking clothes to put on and then gave her the privacy to do so, using the time to call their son and explain the situation. They sat in silence on the way to the hospital. Once there, Emma's arm was set and cast and the journey home would have mirrored the same silence if not for a soft, "thank you," from the sherriff. It was so timid that Regina wondered if she'd imagined it. This fall seemed to have really shaken the woman.

"It's quite alright, dear."

"Wow, you've come far from the furious 'Sherriff Swan' when you first stormed in..."

'And she's back', Regina thought to herself "That was before I knew what happened."

"I know, and thank you for the hug as well... I'm sorry, I don't know why I did it."

Regina glanced to her for a moment. Emma's hair was still wet, her eyes still red and a little puffy. "Please don't be sorry."

Neither woman knew what that afternoon meant in terms of their relationship but both were intrigued to see how it would or could progress.