A couple of months had passed. Henry was back in Storybrooke, living in the mansion and spending most of his time with Regina, looking after her but trying to make sure she didn't know that was what he was actually doing. It turned out that Madeline wasn't as understanding as Henry had thought she would be and the relationship ended up coming to an end but the way he saw it was if she couldn't understand that he needed to be with his family right now then clearly he was better off out of it. Of course he hadn't told Regina this.
Regina was sat at the kitchen counter, a cup of coffee in front of her while Robin was making some breakfast. Emma came strolling in with Henry behind her both their arms full of grocery bags. "Delivery's here." Emma said chuckling at her own joke and making Henry roll his eyes at his blonde mother.
"You need to get a life. When you start laughing at your own jokes you know something is bad." Henry said as he placed the bags on the counter.
"Hey! I am a funny person." Emma replied shoving Henry lightly on the arm. "Right Regina?"
"What?" Regina asked looking up to Emma and Henry. "Erm...Yes...I guess..." She wasn't quite sure what she was answering but she didn't want the others in the room to know that.
"She's just saying that to be polite Ma." Henry smirked.
"Shut it kid. Your not too old to get a clip round the ear." Emma laughed back.
Henry just stuck his tongue out at his blonde mother and then walked over to his brunette mother who looked lost in her thoughts. He placed his hand on her shoulder and placed a kiss on the side of her head. "Good morning mom." He said. She hadn't been up when he had gone to meet Emma to get some shopping in. It seemed she slept more and more these days.
"Morning Henry." Regina replied giving him a big smile. "Where did you go?" She asked looking up into his eyes.
Henry hesitated for a moment about to remind her that she had known he and Emma were going to get the shopping in but decided against it. She didn't need reminding of the fact she had forgotten it. "I went with Ma to get some food in. To help you guys out." Henry answered.
"Oh...thank you." Regina replied. She then looked over to Emma. "Thank you Emma."
"That's alright." Emma said with a smile. As she looked at Regina she couldn't help but notice the difference in the woman. She didn't look like the all powerful Evil Queen and Mayor that she had once looked like. Her face was bare of make-up, she was dressed in what looked like yoga pants and a plain black top. The most dressed down she had ever seen Regina. She looked completely different and that scared Emma a little. She wondered if her illness was taking a toll on her. She had noticed, like everyone else that Regina was forgetting more and more. It wasn't just silly little things anymore. It was more noticable things.
Robin walked over to the bin, throwing away the tea bag that had been stewing in his cup. He opened the bin with his foot on the pedal and looked down to see Regina's phone sitting in there, covered in whatever had been put in the bin that night. He reached down and picked her phone up. "Regina..." Robin said making Regina look up at him. He held up her phone.
"Oh no..." Regina said as she stood up from the stool and walked over to Robin, taking her phone from him. "I was looking for that last night." Regina muttered as she walked over to get the dish cloth and clean her phone up.
Robin looked over to Henry and Henry sighed a little. He looked over to a confused looking Emma who had seen Robin and Henry's looks. "That was a couple of months ago...her looking for her phone. We found it in the fridge then." Henry explained quietly as all three of them watched Regina trying to clean her phone.
"Do you think it will still work?" Regina asked as she turned back round to look at Robin.
"I'm not sure Regina." Robin replied as he walked over to her. He took the phone from her and pressed on a couple of buttons. "I will see if I can get it to work okay?" Regina nodded and she walked back over to the stool she had been sitting on before.
"I can't believe it was in the bin. I looked everywhere for it." Regina said.
"I know. It must have fallen in." Robin replied glancing up at Henry and giving him a small smile. "Why don't we head out for that walk Regina? Get some fresh air."
"Okay. I will go get my trainers on." Regina replied, pushing herself back off the stool and heading out of the kitchen.
Emma looked over to Robin. "Does that happen a lot? Her thinking things that happened months ago were only the night before?" Emma asked.
Robin shrugged his shoulders. "On and off. The doctor says it is normal. Something about her mind getting confused, not being able to assess time in a way I guess." Robin explained.
"It's horrible to see her like that." Emma said. Robin and Henry both nodded their heads. Agreeing with Emma one hundred percent.
Regina was up in her and Robin's bedroom, sat on the bed and putting on her trainers. She had been up there quite a while trying to tie the laces on her trainers. It was like she knew what to do but she had forgotten how to move her fingers to tie the laces. She could feel herself growing annoyed and impatient but she tried to stay with it. She had managed one loop and was working her fingers to try and make the second loop. Slowly she managed to make it and then tried to tie them together.
Her fingers seemed to fall causing the laces to untangle and she groaned out in frustration. Robin walked into the bedroom to see Regina looking frustrated and trying to loop the laces together. He sighed and walked over to Regina, crouching down in front of Regina placing his hands on her legs. "Are you okay Regina? You have been up here for a while." He said softly.
"I can't...I can't..." Regina stuttered a little trying to form the words in her mind to be able to speak them to Robin. She was finding it hard and her frustration was rising. She took a deep breath trying to take it slow. "I can't..."
Robin watched Regina's battle willing her to be able to talk to him but knowing if he let her continue she was just going to get angry at herself and lash out. So he placed a hand on her cheek making her look at him more. "You can't get the laces." He said speaking for her. She sighed, looking defeated and nodded her head. She could feel tears in her eyes. "That's okay Regina. I can help you with that." Regina just nodded her head and she moved her hands away from the laces, letting them fall. She watched as Robin took the laces in his own hands and slowly looped them up and tied them together. He repeated his actions with her other laces and she watched intently taking in everything he had done as if trying to will her mind and her body to remember this for the next time. She would give anything to not have to try so hard to remember the simple things in life. Robin looked up at her once he had finished, his green eyes searching her own brown ones. "There you go. Are you ready for that walk now?" He asked. Regina nodded her head again and she let Robin gently pull her up from the bed. Robin quickly walked over to the wardrobe grabbing a jumper for Regina. Walking back over to her he held it out to her. "It's a little chilly out there. I don't want you to catch a cold." He said in a soft voice. He leaned over and brushed his lips against hers.
"Thank you." She replied. She took his hand and they walked out of the bedroom and back downstairs to where Henry and Emma had been. "Are you...c-c-coming with us?" Regina asked stuttering in the middle of the sentence but managing to express what she wanted to.
"We thought we would join you if that is okay?" Emma said with a smile. "I need to head back to mine anyway so..."
"I want to go down to the beach." Regina said turning to Robin.
"Well that is what we will do my love." Robin said kissing the top of Regina's head. He helped her put on her jumper before grabbing his own. Henry and Emma grabbed their own jackets and they headed out of the house, Henry locking up the house behind them. They walked down the path, Robin clutching onto Regina's hand as she leaned into him.
Henry walked to the other side of Regina and Emma beside Henry. "Is Charlotte home tonight?" Henry asked as he stuffed his hands into his jean pockets, a habit he seemed to pick up from his blonde mother.
"Yes she is. Zelena has told me she has been causing trouble as usual." Robin chuckled.
"Whats new there?" Henry laughed.
"Yes she is very much like her mother." Robin laughed back. "Roland has to work the nightshift tonight so he will probably be in bed all day so I doubt we will see him."
"Has my sister made another appearance?" Regina asked drawing everyone to look at her with slight confused looks on their faces.
"We seen her a couple of days ago Regina. When she came to the house." Robin replied.
"She hasn't attacked since?" Regina questioned.
The other three dawned on what Regina was talking about and what time it was in Regina's head. She was back to the time that she and Zelena were fighting, at each others throats and discovering their deep family secret of being sisters. Emma looked to Robin not sure what to say or do. The doctor had spoken to Robin about Regina doing this, had told him not to correct or contradict her. To relate to what she is saying. To her that is the reality she is in. That is the time she is in and correcting her could only infuriate and annoy her, gaining her frustration to rise and making the situation worse than it could be.
"Mom that..." Henry started but Robin shook his head at the young man telling him to stop and Robin started to talk.
"No she hasn't attacked since Regina. I think you managed to warn her off for now. We are one step ahead of her for now." Robin replied, Henry looked at Robin with a confused look but didn't say anything.
"Good. I can't have that wicked witch getting the better of me." Regina said firmly.
Emma smiled a little as there in this sad situation she saw a bit of the old Regina. The Regina she had fought against and with over the years. "No we can't let that happen and we won't let that happen."
I apologise for the time it has taken me to get this chapter up for you all. I am trying to juggle writing this with work and also course work so been a slight nightmare. Anyway I hope you are all still enjoying this story. I hope to have the next chapter up for you quicker than this one was. I also want to say if you have any suggestions/requests of what you want to happen in the story or what Regina should do or the family feel free to let me know as I am always happy to take suggestions/requests.