Regina erased the line and quickly redrew that part more to her liking. She had been concentrating so hard that when her phone beeped it startled her. It was time for one of her medications. She didn't have any water out there with her on the couch having drunk the bottle she had earlier.

She set her sketchbook aside and went to the kitchen. She got to the fridge but before she opened it she felt a pain in her leg. She gripped the handle to the fridge and closed her eyes. She got these pains occasionally and she felt like it was her body's way of telling her 'hey the cancer is right here. It's in the leg that you will eventually lose.' She knew thinking like that was silly, after all she didn't need a reminder of her cancer—she had plenty already.

It passed and she got her water and walked back to the couch trying not to favor the other leg. When she got back Henry was there sitting with the sketchbook in his lap. "You drew this?" he asked holding up her current work.

"Yes."

"This is really, really good. I didn't know you could draw."

"I haven't done it in a really long time," she said sitting down beside him.

"Where is this?"

"That is where I grew up with my parents," she said. "I don't have any photos of back home obviously so I thought I might draw a few of the places from back there. I thought maybe you might like to see some of the world I came from."

Henry smiled, "Can you tell me about it, about growing up there?"

She took her medicine and then proceeded to talk to him for the next 40 minutes about where she grew up. He asked questions, nothing that was too uncomfortable for her to answer. She realized she hadn't really talked about growing up to anyone before. For the most part it was a subject she had no interest in talking about. She didn't like think about many parts of her childhood.

But Henry wasn't interested in asking her questions about her mother and father, so much as asking her about things like castles and even dragons. She had to laugh at the way he thought the Enchanted Forest was.

"Will you take me there one day? Just for a visit?" he asked.

She got the feeling he wasn't asking for a trip to the Enchanted Forest as much as he was asking her to be alive in the future.

"If we can find a safe way to do it, yes I will take you there," she said.

After that he seemed to sense she was tired –not that it was hard as she did keep yawning, and he excused himself. She didn't feel like walking upstairs even though she was more comfortable up there. Instead she lay down on the couch and slept.

…

Emma let herself into Regina's place. It had taken a couple of days, but she finally convinced her that perhaps it would be wise if she had a spare key to the place for emergencies. Regina was clearly against the idea but she had managed to convince her it was a smart idea.

She had come over each day since they had gotten back from Boston at varying times due to her work schedule. This time she entered and found Regina asleep on the couch. It had become Regina's go to place for naps or sometimes sleeping there all night. It also worried Emma that Regina's strength was so deteriorated by her treatment and medications that she didn't feel like going to her own bed.

They had a decision to make soon about her next treatment in Boston. Regina had put her off about talking about it a couple of times now. There was no way that she could go to Boston by herself again. Regina didn't want Henry there was about all Emma had managed to get out of her. Emma could understand why no Henry, but Regina didn't seem to want to have a discussion about options.

She entered the kitchen to start dinner. She was becoming more familiar with the set up in Regina's kitchen. She had made meals a few times now –for her and Henry. The first couple of times Regina insisted on sitting there to observe. Of course the observation part turned into Regina telling her how to prepare the food. Emma didn't actually mind, although she gave Regina plenty of eye rolls and exasperated looks, because cooking wasn't one of her strengths and no one had ever taken the time to show her how to do it.

Tonight she was going to make spaghetti, something she could handle on her own and something that Regina should be able to eat. The weight loss concerned her as Regina was still having issues eating – although in Emma's mind she wasn't really, she thought Regina just wasn't eating much of her own accord. Maybe she was afraid of eating much because of the potential of getting sick from it. Emma didn't know, and she added that to the list of things she wanted to ask the doctors and nurses in Boston.

She had made the arrangements with everyone she needed to in order to go to Boston, except Regina. She wasn't sure why the other woman kept changing the subject or saying she didn't want to talk about it yet. She was determined that after dinner she would speak to her. They would need to leave in a few days so there wasn't really much time for debate.

Dinner was almost ready when Emma glanced at the clock. It was after 6 p.m. Regina should have been up about 20 minutes ago. She knew Regina's med schedule now and knew her alarm should have woken her. It was time for her dose of anti-rejection meds – two pills. She hadn't heard the alarm go off so she went and found Regina still sleeping. She picked up the phone, examined it and then gently shook Regina awake.

"What is it?" a groggy Regina said opening her eyes.

"It's time to get up," Emma said and she went to the pill container, got out the two Regina needed and handed them to her along with some water once Regina sat up. "You didn't charge your phone so your alarm didn't go off."

Emma found the charger cord nearby and plugged in the phone.

"You have to be more careful," Emma said. "What if I hadn't been here?"

"Then I am sure Henry would have woken me," she said lying back down.

"It's about time for dinner."

"I'm not hungry."

"Not hungry isn't really an option for you. You have to eat. Now come on get up."

"Go away."

"I am not going away. You want to lay there and throw some sort of pity, woe is me fit, that is fine, but you are going to get up and get something to eat."

Regina sat up, "some woe is me fit? Is that what you think this is? I have cancer Miss Swan, I can't exactly go around doing whatever I like. I've never been able to go around and do whatever I like despite what you and others may think. I have been used by people my entire life and what do I get in return – cancer. So if I want to lie here, I am going to lie here."

Emma exhaled and then bent down, grabbed Regina by the arm pulling her up. "If you want therapy do deal with your shit, we can arrange some sessions with Archie, but for now it is dinner time."

Regina pulled away. "What are you doing here?"

"I am here because you are sick and you need someone around to help that isn't our teenage son."

"Why do you care?"

Emma paused. "Why do you have to question it?"

This time Regina paused and looked away. "What did you make for dinner, something that doesn't require supervision I take it?"

"Spaghetti."

"You probably used too much garlic."

Regina left as if it were her idea to go to dinner. Emma followed her surprised that it took this long for Regina to break down a little. She was sure she had such episodes in private, but this was her first one in front of Emma.

It was a small step, Emma thought, but an important one.