Chapter One

It was shortly after midnight when Regina finally returned to her mansion. Momentarily, she had considered that returning may be a mistake, since she knew Emma and the Charmings would be searching for her now that they truly believed she'd killed Archie, but she couldn't bear hiding out at her vault any longer. Being there reminded her too much of how alone she truly was in this world, and she just needed to get home, to where Henry was.

Well, not where he physically was, but where the memory of him currently resided.

She'd gone straight up to his bedroom when she got home, sat on his bed, hugged his pillow, and cried. Her tears were exacerbated by Emma's words reverberating in her skull.

He's not, he's mine!

Did Emma truly believe this, that Henry was her son and not Regina's? Worse yet - did Henry believe it? Did he really, truly believe that this woman who had been in his life for all of five minutes was his mother, instead of the one who'd raised him from birth?

Regina choked back her tears as an even more terrifying thought intruded her mind: was she starting to believe it?

She supposed it didn't really matter what anyone believed, because after what had happened, she was never going to be Henry's mother again. She couldn't hide forever, and even if she could, hiding would still mean separation. There was no way she was going to be able to convince everyone that she didn't kill Archie, and Henry would never trust her again.

He'd never love her again.

Regina was shaken from her thoughts by a loud banging at the front door. She swallowed back her tears and held her breath, willing whomever it was to just go away. The mob could come for her tomorrow; she just needed a moment to grieve.

But they didn't leave. The banging persisted, and Regina got up to look out the window. She couldn't see the doorstep from this vantage point, but she could see that no crowd had formed on the lawn, and no vehicles were parked out front. She bit her lip as a sudden thought occurred to her.

What if it's Henry?

She tried to convince herself to be rational. There was no way it was Henry, and yet-

Three more loud bangs and Regina was out Henry's door, practically running to the stairs. What if it was him? What if he'd woken up in the night and suddenly needed his mother - his real mother? Regina pushed down the tiny voice in the back of her mind telling her that even if it were Henry, it was more than likely a trap. She didn't care. She just had to see -

"Emma," Regina breathed as she pulled the door open.

The fear that Emma was here to arrest her or worse was only fleeting, replaced by confusion as Regina took in the sight of her. Emma was half slumped over, one hand holding her up against the door frame, seemingly the only thing keeping her from falling over. Her face was partially hidden by her hair hanging in front of it, but Regina could see enough to see there was a large gash on her jaw, and her hair was streaked in drying blood.

Shakily, Emma lifted her head enough for Regina to see her face. Her pupils were blown and she seemed to be having difficulty focusing.

"Emma?" Regina asked, unsure of what to say or do at this point.

"I didn't know where else to go."

That was all she said before collapsing forward into Regina's arms. Instinctively, Regina caught her, thankful that Emma had merely lost her footing and not passed out entirely, as she helped her steady herself on her feet again.

"I had to tell you…" Emma managed, her voice shaky and her words slurred. "Archie…"

"What about Archie?" Regina asked, stiffening but not releasing her grasp on Emma, as she still seemed unsteady, leaning a fair portion of her body weight into Regina.

"I saw… Archie."

Regina shook her head in confusion. "What do you mean? His body?"

"No! His… his… Archie. R'gina… I know… he's…"

"Emma, you're not making any sense. Come on. Come inside." Regina helped Emma through the door, shutting it behind them. "Tell me what happened."

"The boat… and Archie… I should… I should have believed you. He's… the boat."

"What boat? Emma, what are you talking about?" Regina asked, her voice rising slightly in the frustration of it all. For a moment, Regina had almost thought Emma was about to tell her that Archie was alive by some strange miracle, and her name would have been cleared. But now, it seemed more like Emma was intoxicated on some sort of substance, had fallen on her face and was here spouting nonsense.

Emma drew in a couple of breaths and closed her eyes, placing one hand firmly on Regina shoulder to steady herself. "Regina," she started, her eyes still closed. She seemed to be desperately forcing herself to focus. "Archie. Is. Alive."

Regina let out a small gasp. "Where is he, Emma?"

"I need to sit down."

"No, you need to tell me where he is so I can clear my name," Regina said firmly.

"I… I need to sit down."

Emma was swaying now, despite Regina's arm around her back and Emma's hand on Regina's shoulder, and Regina guessed she probably really did need to sit down before she fell over. Deciding laying down would actually be better, Regina waved a hand to poof them to the guest bedroom.

When they materialized upstairs, Emma was laying on her back atop the duvet, and Regina was sitting on the edge of the bed, leaning over her. In this light, she could see that the injuries on Emma's face were much more extensive than she'd thought. There was no way this was the result of a drunken fall; someone had assaulted her.

"Emma, what happened to you?" Regina asked softly, pushing Emma's hair back from her face to get a better look. She was trying to be gentle, but Emma still flinched. "I can heal you."

Emma shook her head. "No. No more magic," she said, closing her eyes.

"Emma?"

"I'm tired," Emma said, her slurring becoming more apparent than before.

"Emma. Do not fall asleep. You need to tell me what happened," Regina said, poofing a cool washcloth into her hand so she could begin cleaning the wounds on Emma's face.

"Ouch," Emma muttered quietly.

"It would hurt a lot less if you would let me heal you. Open your eyes."

Emma's eyelids fluttered slightly. It seemed to take a great deal of effort to open them.

"You've been drugged," Regina assessed, from the look of Emma's glazed over eyes and dilated pupils, combined with the drool that was beginning to pool at the corner of her mouth.

"I think so," Emma whispered, her eyes closing again. "I don't… member…"

Regina swallowed, knowing Emma was losing consciousness. She dabbed at the cut on her forehead again, and this time, Emma didn't react. "Emma?" Regina tried, but she didn't respond.

Regina debated her options as she worked on cleaning the wounds on Emma's face in earnest. Since she was now unconscious, Regina didn't have to worry quite so much about being gentle, and could clean them properly.

For a moment, she wondered if she should call the Charmings, but decided against it almost immediately. Emma may have now known Regina was telling the truth, but chances were she hadn't filled her parents in yet, and trying to explain why Emma was badly injured and unconscious in her home would be difficult, all things considered. On top of that, Emma couldn't tell them what she'd seen and they certainly wouldn't believe Regina if she claimed Archie was alive, when she had no way to prove it.

Regina frowned as she started on the cut on Emma's cheek, just below her eye. This one was deep enough to cause Regina some concern. It likely needed stitches, and despite Emma's request for no magic, Regina knew she couldn't just leave it as it was, and she certainly couldn't take Emma to the hospital. She hesitated for just a second, before healing that one cut with her magic, and moving on to the cut on Emma's jaw.

By the time she was finished with Emma's face, her cloth was already stained pink with blood, and Regina waved her hand to materialize a fresh one to continue on. As far as she could tell, Emma's leather jacket had protected her arms, but there was another gash near her collarbone and blood on the front of her white tank top. Lifting the hem enough to check, Regina was relieved to see that there were no cuts on Emma's abdomen - the blood must have come from her face - but there was a large, dark purple bruise forming, as though someone had kicked her hard in the ribs.

Regina's frown deepened as she waved a hand over the area to heal it, knowing that it would be extremely painful for Emma when she woke up if she left it as it was. She guessed Emma hadn't had the presence of mind to check her own injuries, so maybe she wouldn't realize that Regina used any magic on her at all.

Finally, Regina held her hand over Emma's forehead, using her magic to diminish whatever substance she'd been given, and help clear the fog away. She needed Emma to be present enough to tell her what she'd seen.

"Emma," Regina said, leaning in close as she shook her shoulders gently. "Emma, wake up."

Emma stirred slightly, and let out a small groan, but didn't open her eyes.

"Emma, please, this is important."

"I'm tired," Emma whispered back, but this time, her words weren't slurred, to Regina's relief.

"I just need you to talk to me for a minute, and then you can go to sleep. I promise."

Emma let out a long sigh and opened her eyes, blinking against the harsh light in the room. "Regina?" she asked, narrowing her eyes in confusion. "What… am I in your house?"

"Emma, I need you to focus right now," Regina insisted, trying to keep her voice even and calm. "Tell me where Archie is."

"What?" Emma shook her head in confusion. "You know where he is. You killed him."

Emma tried to sit up, but Regina stopped her with hands on her shoulders. Regina knew that any other time, Emma could have overpowered her easily, but right now, she was still too weak. "No. You saw him. On a boat? Where is he."

"What are you talking about?"

"You came here and told me that Archie is alive, Emma. I need you to tell me where he is."

Emma shook her head quickly. "No. No, no… I don't remember coming here. I don't… I don't know how I got here. Regina… what did you do to me?"

"I didn't do anything to you, other than take care of your injuries. You showed up on my doorstep covered in blood and barely coherent. What do you remember?"

This time, Emma's confusion turned to a look of fear. "Nothing."