"This is it" Regina said as they approached a stretch of road that was indistinguishable from any other.
Emma leant over the steering wheel, looked up and around.
"Where is it?" she asked
"I have to open it" Regina said
She got out of the car, closed the door and sighed deeply. She didn't know how long it would take to break into her own curse.
She glanced back at the car. Emma had turned around to check on Henry who was fast asleep. As Regina watched her stretch through the space to reach him she felt reassured.
"How you doing kid?" Emma whispered and stroked his hair.
He didn't stir and she smiled at his innocent, sleeping face. Not for the first time she found herself starting wondering how she could have made something as good as him. She made this little human, or she started him off at least, she had Regina to thank for what a lovely young man he was turning out to be.
Shadows drew quickly across his and she turned around. Light was coming from Regina's outstretched hands and spreading out and up across an invisible barrier.
Emma watched as long as her eyes could stand, then she shielded her them as the car filled up with light. The light was gone as suddenly as it had come. Emma could hardly see anything, the remnants of light scarred her vision. She couldn't see Regina.
She got out of the car and stumbled around it, her eyes slowly clearing of dark blotches that impeded her. The invisible barrier was barely tangible. It looked like thin melting plastic, curling and shrinking away from its burnt edge by itself.
"Oh my god!" Emma said as she noticed Regina on the floor on the other side of the car.
"Regina!" she said as she knelt touched her face.
"Come on Regina, you did it, we can go now, wake up" Emma felt for her pulse and found it.
"Thank god" she breathed out.
She pulled her phone out to call an ambulance. No reception. She knew first aid but something told her it wasn't enough.
Regina's skin was cold. Emma's mind raced through all options ahead of her.
They could turn around and drive back to a town they passed a while ago and hope they had a hospital, but how would she explain what had happened to her?
She could drive ahead and hope there was one closer and that they might understand. Her options had options and she crouched at Regina's side frowning at nothing, her eyes trained on thin air as she scanned through each one.
"Ok" she snapped out of it.
She opened the passenger car door and pulled Regina's body to a sitting position. She knew it was risky to move her, but she didn't have a choice. She lifted under her arms and let her head fall softly back into her chest as she set her down on the car seat.
Regina's shoes scraped the Tarmac. Somewhere in Emma's mind she knew she'd get in trouble for that later.
She lifted Regina's legs carefully into the foot well and clipped her seatbelt on. She closed the door gently and took a few deep breaths.
"Henry" Emma reached back and touched his leg while she drove slowly into the town that had been only minutes from the magical border.
He sat up.
"Are we there yet?" He asked, rubbing his eyes
"Yeah" Emma said "your mom opened the...barrier thing, then she passed out so we're going to make sure she's ok before we do anything else" Emma said, glancing at Regina, Henry and the road alternately.
"She what?" He said, sitting forward to check on his mother.
He touched her arm, there was no response.
"She's going to be fine" Emma said, hoping she was right.
She glanced at him again. He sat back and looked out of the window, trying to hide the worry on his face.
Emma ignored the banging in her chest as she strode into Storybrooke General Hospital reception holding unconscious Regina in her arms. Henry followed, running slightly to keep up with her.
"I need some help" she called to anyone who was listening.
"Oh my" the receptionist gasped and her hands flew to her mouth.
"Is that-? No! Who is that?" She heard a chorus of whispers from nearby visitors.
"Madam Mayor?" A young doctor appeared. "This way" she said to Emma and they marched through the waiting room to an almost empty ward.
Emma placed Regina down carefully and the doctor began checking her immediately.
"What happened?" She asked
"Is that the mayor?" Another doctor came over and stared at Regina before looking questioningly at Emma.
"Will you come with me, please?" He asked
"No, I'm not leaving her" Emma replied
"She's not going anywhere" the doctor said with a smirk.
Emma's silence was her reply. He sighed. He looked pointedly at Henry and back at Emma. She got the message.
"Hey kid, go find a coffee machine, will you?" She asked and handed him her wallet. He ran off in the direction of vending machines.
"What happened?" The doctor asked "she has been gone for...well a while" he said. "How do you know her?" He asked now looking Emma up and down.
"She just passed out on the way here, like all the life just went from her. We were outside, just by the car, taking a break from driving and she just passed out. She's my-" Emma stopped herself. She didn't know what she and Regina were, or what people in this town would think. Not that she cared what they thought, but this was Regina's town, she might care.
"Friend" she finished awkwardly "and Henry's her son"
The doctor considered that for a moment. Emma used the brief window in questioning to assess him. 'Young-ish doctor, likes to do his hair, rude to the other doctors, kind of a creep, clean coat, not very busy, recognises when to back off though, confused about how long Regina has been gone for, what does that mean?'
"Of course, Henry!" He said "well if you're not next of kin-"
"I am" Emma interrupted before he could send her away. "I'm Henry's birth mother so we're related" she knew she was clutching at straws. She lined up further arguments in her head just in case.
The doctor looked over at Regina and back at Emma. Emma couldn't quite discern what his smug smile meant, though she guessed it was probably lewd and gross. If she wasn't skating on such thin ice she would have dressed him down for it, but she kept her mouth shut.
"And your name is?" He asked
"Why don't we start with your name?" Emma asked.
"Oh" surprise replaced smugness on his face and he held out his hand. "Dr Whale"
"Emma Swan" she shook his hand firmly.
Emma and Henry spent their first night in Storybrooke sitting on their beds in a room at Granny's B&B. They ate lasagne from take-out boxes
"Am I going to go to school here?" Henry asked
"I don't know, kid. Your mom might have meant to enrol you" Emma replied and slurped her lemonade.
The realities of living in this weird town were starting to sink it. One step at a time, she told herself.
"Well I don't want to get behind. Can you enrol me?" He asked
She didn't know. She wasn't his legal guardian but she was kind of the closest thing he had to one at this point. She didn't want to step on Regina's toes either.
"I'll tell you what. We'll go by the hospital first thing tomorrow morning and then take you to school" she said
"And breakfast?" He asked.
Emma looked around the room for a fridge, coffee machine or anything to cook on. There was nothing.
"Granny's" she said and he smiled
When they arrived at the hospital the sheriff was talking with Dr Whale. He introduced himself and shook her hand. He shook Henry's hand too which she thought was cute. He seemed quite serious, though he was young, her age maybe.
"You're not in trouble" he said, there was an interesting lilt to his accent.
"I know" Emma replied "no crimes have been committed"
"Assault?" He asked
Emma bristled and Henry put his hand in hers
"It wouldn't be a huge leap to make" he said though not threateningly. He said it flatly, indifferently, like he didn't believe it himself but had to ask.
"She wasn't assaulted" Emma said "I told you. She passed out on the way here"
"Right, there are no witnesses either way. What were you coming here for? Where had the mayor been? She's been gone for...a while" he said.
Emma noted the same confusion that had been in the doctors eyes the day before.
"Look, we just came to see how she is. I have to take my kid to school" she said
Henry squeezed her hand. She realised suddenly this was the first time she'd called him hers, and he knew it.
"Let me give you a lift" he said
"In your cop car? No thank you" Emma said.
His brow furrowed slightly.
"I don't want to show up at the school to enrol Henry in a police car. People might get the wrong idea" she said.
He nodded and the corner of his mouth twitched at what could have been a hint of a smile.
"You can walk us there though" she said, and he did.
As they walked he pointed out various town landmarks. The diner, the pawn shop, the chemist, the garage. It was a small town but it had everything they needed.
Emma didn't understand where the fairytales characters fitted into all this. Was everyone in the town supposed to be one or were there just a few? Who were they? Why hadn't Regina prepared them for this? But she knew why. Regina had expected to be here with them, to help them, to help everyone.
Emma knocked on the classroom door.
"Come in" the reply came.
Emma entered a classroom of children painting birdhouses.
"Hi" Emma said to the teacher "this is Henry Mills, he's starting here today"
"Henry Mills" the teacher said vacantly, as if she was trying to find a memory that wasn't there "of course, welcome back to class, Henry" she motioned where he could sit.
He looked up and Emma and she smiled at him. He was off. He let go of her hand and she felt her stomach flutter.
"Remember class, you're making a home for these creatures" she said before making her way over to Emma.
"I'm Mary Margaret Blanchard" she said, Emma shook her hand.
"Emma Swan" she replied.
"Emma?" Mary Margaret asked and looked at Emma like she knew her for a moment. After a pause she added "that's a nice name" and her placid expression returned.
Emma made her way back to the hospital. As she walked she couldn't shake the feeling of emptiness, that everything around her was hollow, like if she walked far enough she'd find the end of the set and the backdrops would be fake, like The Truman Show. She sat on a bench along a nice but ordinary path, and called Max.
"Well it's been what, two days and you need your big bro already? How are you?" His deep, reassuring voice answered
"Well for one, I'm older than you" she started "and for two, not that great" she hadn't realised until he had asked her how 'not that great' she was feeling.
She was alone in this weird town where everyone was friendly but wary too. She told him about the sheriff and the doctor and the teacher, leaving out the odd details that could arouse suspicion.
"That sounds really hard. She didn't tell you your parents names before she passed out?" He asked
"Nope" Emma replied, she wondered what she would do with them here anyway. Would she want them to know who she was?
"And they have no idea what caused it?" He asked.
"Caused what?" Emma asked, jumping, like she might have accidentally said something about the curse.
"Regina's...condition. I hope she's ok" he said
"Oh no. Well I'm outside the hospital now so I'll see if there's any news. I guess they'll run some tests" she said
"Keep in touch." Max said "love you"
"Love you too" she said and hung up.
Speaking to her brother had reassured her, though she sank back to feeling awful when she learned nothing new at the hospital. Regina hadn't gotten any worse but she hadn't got better either. She went down to Granny's.
"You look like you need some coffee" Ruby said, putting a steaming cup down in front of Emma.
"Thanks" Emma said.
She looked at Ruby who nodded at some people who had just entered the diner. She wondered if she should ask her about the town, about how long Regina had been gone.
'If she was a fairytale character, who would she be?' Emma wondered. Ruby looked back at her and caught the end of her curious gaze.
"So, new girl" Ruby said, leaning on the counter "Henry in school now?" she asked
"Yeah" Emma said "I'm not really sure what to do with myself" she took the coffee
"Want a job at the diner?" Ruby asked quietly
"I heard that" Granny shouted from somewhere nearby.
Ruby rolled her eyes. Emma smiled at her.
"Have you had a look around the town?" Ruby asked
"Yeah Graham gave me a tour this morning" Emma said and sipped the coffee which was surprisingly good.
"Uh huh" Ruby said, eyeing her knowingly
"What?" Emma asked. "I know what that look means but you're wrong" Emma told Ruby, though a smile crept out as she said it.
"You're a terrible liar" Ruby said, hitting her with the cloth she held and turning to serve some new customers.
"I'm an excellent liar" Emma protested.