Frankly I'm tired of playing with this chapter so here we go. Let's get it out here and move on.
Disclaimer? I don't own "The Voyage of the Dawn Treader" by C.S. Lewis but Henry does read a couple of lines from it in this chapter.
When Henry opened the door to Emma's room, Regina had fully expected to see Snow and David at Emma's bedside. She wouldn't have been shocked to find Lily trying to engage Peter and attempting getting to know the boy. Mulan and Aurora would be there with their newborn of course, having promised to look after Peter while she was with Henry.
Emma of course would be in much the same position she had been in last night. Facedown on the hospital bed, perhaps her wounds would be exposed to that they could breathe. Or they would be covered with fresh bandages, sparing Henry from having to see the true extent of his mother's injuries.
What she saw however was completely different.
Instead of a room full of Emma's loved ones Rumpelstiltskin stood with his hands over Emma's injuries. Magic thick in the air as it was being pumped into the wounds. Healing them.
"What the hell is going on here?"
"Henry you're awake!" Snow ignored Regina's demand and moved her focus from her daughter to her grandson. "We were so worried about you."
"What are you doing imp." Regina snarled pushing Henry into the room and leaving him at his grandmother's mercy so that she could examine Emma for herself.
Rumpelstiltskin chuckled merrily in the face of her anger, "Just what it appears dearie. I am saving the Savior at the request of her lovely parents."
"The blue gnat said that her wounds could not be healed without costing another person their life." Regina stated casting a glance at the pair of heros who should have balked at such a price.
"We know that Blue has an unfortunate aversion to werewolves." David admitted meeting Regina's hard gaze. "She has refused to heal Red once or twice in the past. So I called Gold to see if there was anything that could be done for Emma." David looked to his wife. "We hoped that maybe he knew a different way around it."
Regina scowled darkly, "And what was your price Rumpel?"
"To heal someone as close to death as Miss Swan the price was quite high." Rumpelstiltskin giggled clearly pleased with himself.
"Rumpel-"
"Emma's magic."
Regina froze as David's admission cut through the air like a knife. The room went frostily silent as the brunette turned slowly eyes cold and hard.
"Excuse me?"
"Gold is going to take away Emma's magic in exchange for healing her and saving her life. Not even he could do anything about the werewolf curse-"
"You imbeciles!" Regina cut Snow's explanation off with her own angry outburst. "Do you understand what you have done?"
"We made a deal to save our daughter's life "
"You made a deal and Emma is going to have to pay for it." Regina snarled, looking more like the Evil Queen she had been than the softened Mayor who ran the town. "Magic is apart of who Emma is, taking it away from her is like cutting off an arm."
"I think you're exaggerating." Snow scoffed, undeterred by Regina's anger. She was confident the other brunette wouldn't hurt her. Especially not in front of Henry. "Emma survived twenty eight years without magic. She will be fine."
"She also survived twenty eight years without you. Are you trying to make it more?" Regina snarled, it took every ounce of self control that she had to keep from setting Snow on fire.
"That was your fault!-"
"That is not the point here." David cut off his wife's angry shriek. "Emma will be fine. Gold is healing her and she will deal without magic. She is strong, I believe in her. Magic got her into this mess anyway, maybe we would all be better off without it."
"Mom." Henry willed his mother to stop fighting and rolled himself to Emma's bedside. He took her hand and pulled her to look at his other mother.
Regina's gaze softened as it landed first on Henry's watery eyes and then on Emma's naked back. Rumpelstiltskin stepped back now that he had finished what he had come to do leaving chocolate eyes an unhindered chance to drink in the sight before her.
What had been open wounds covering pale flesh was now ropy pink scars that trailed across her back from shoulder to hip. Her lower back once so covered in blood that Regina couldn't see the wounds clearly was now clean. And covered in more scars. It almost looked as though the blonde had been whipped, if not for the regular spacing between the scars even as they crossed over one another.
Her eyes flickered to the monitors by Emma's bedside. The numbers on them meant nothing to Regina, except that they were green and the blonde's heart seemed to be thumping along strong and steady.
"She's really alive." Henry sobbed openly now clutching his mother's hand in his own tightly.
"She is."
"She came home."
Regina wrapped an arm around Henry's shoulders to comfort him. "Emma came home for you Henry. She loves you more than anything."
The door slid open breaking the tender moment.
"I'm sorry." the redheaded woman apologized as she opened the door a crack to peer inside. "I didn't mean to interrupt. I just wanted to check on Emma."
"Who are you?" Snow asked sharply still riled up from her argument with Regina.
"My name is Zelena." The redhead slipped inside the room, standing tall as the blonde's family scrutinized her. "I'm a healer. I was treating Emma and Falicier in the forest. They were both torn up in the wolf attack."
Falicier was the name of the Dream Walker Emma had struck a deal with. Regina turned to finally focus her attention on the healer. She had been so absorbed in the return of Emma with Peter and a dog. Not to mention Henry's awakening, that she hadn't spared a thought to what might have become of the very person who made it all happen in the first place.
"How is Falicier faring?" It made sense that the man would also be in the hospital if he too was recovering from Nathan's attack.
"He is dead." Zelena smiled sadly, "He did not survive the trip through the portal. Honestly I am surprised that he survived as long as he did. Unlike Emma he only woke once and that was for a few moments at most."
Regina couldn't help the relief that flooded through her system at the news. Falicier's death was the reason her connection to Emma had broken. Not because Emma had been skirting death herself.
"I cannot express how happy I am to see you in Storybrooke Zelena."
Rumpelstiltskin drew the attention of the room to himself. His eyes were sparkling like a child whose Christmas had come early.
The healer's head whipped around to focus on the imp. "How do you know my name? Did you know me before the curse?"
"I know a great many things." a mischievous smile stretched widely across Rumpelstiltskin's face now.
"Did you know me?" Zelena pressed, hoping beyond hope that this strange man would be able to tell her about who she used to be.
"Once upon a time."
"Will you tell me who I am?"
Rumpelstiltskin shook his head and gathered his cane making his way out of the door. "Perhaps one day, but not today. I am a busy many and have much to do."
"Wait!"
Regina turned her attention back to Emma as the blue eyed woman chased the imp out of the room. She couldn't focus her concern on anyone that wasn't her family. Without consulting Snow and David she reached around Henry to punch the call button for the nurse.
"Regina what are you doing?" Snow demanded a frown deeply etched onto her face.
Ignoring her Regina ran her fingers through Henry's hair until a nurse entered the room. "Yes?"
"Could you please call Doctor Whale? Emma has been healed but I would like him to check her back anyway." Regina gestured to Emma's new scars as she spoke.
Wide eyed the nurse nodded and ran out of the room. A moment later she was back with Whale in tow. "Regina if you were going to just heal my patients you should do it before they get here. It would save us all a lot of trouble." Whale muttered as he checked the monitors by her bed.
"It wasn't me Victor." Regina defended herself and reluctantly stepped back to give the doctor room to work.
"Well everything looks good. Her numbers are fantastic, everything looks normal. The amount of scarring she has is more than what I would expect from magical healing but less than what she would have had if she healed normally." Whale jotted some information down on the chart that was kept at the foot of Emma's bed. "If you all wouldn't mind giving us the room we can settle Emma on her back and get her more comfortably situated."
"We'll be right outside." David conceded for the group before Regina could refuse. He took the handles of Henry's wheelchair and rolled his grandson out of the door ignoring Henry's protests.
Regina eyed the nurses but silently acquiesced to Whale's request and turn on her heel to follow Henry and David. "Come along Snow."
"I want to stay and watch over my daughter." Snow insisted stubbornly.
"Whale won't dare to hurt her." Regina stated evenly, leveling Whale with a gaze that reminded him just who she used to be. She griped Snow's elbow and lead her from the room.
"Hurting people is what you do." Whale sneered as the two women joined the men in the hallway.
"Mom, Emma is going to be ok now right?" Henry asked, picking at the arm of his chair distractedly.
"Of course sweetie. You mother is nothing if not stubborn. She is going to be fine." Regina kissed the top of her son's head and gave his shoulder a reassuring squeeze.
"What's going on? Why is everyone outside?"
"Aunt Lily!"
Regina turned to see Lily approaching them with a to go container in her hand. "Hey kid, glad to see you up and rolling around. What's going on with Swan?"
Regina accepted the container that Lily handed her and stepped back from Henry so Lily could wrap an arm around his shoulders and rub her knuckles into his scalp. Peeking inside she found an omelet and a plastic fork.
"Grandpa Gold healed Ma." Henry smiled up at Lily, glad that his family was all where they belonged.
Lily frowned, "I thought she couldn't be healed." Cobalt eyes seeking out chocolate, silently asking who had died so Emma could be healed.
"I believe Rumpelstiltskin accelerated her natural healing." That was why he could do it without the cost of another life. Her body healed before it gave out.
"Why are we all out here then?"
"Whale and the nurses are flipping her over, we are giving them room." David supplied gruffly, as Lily cracked the doors open to peer inside. "And giving her some privacy."
"Nothing I haven't seen before." Lily supplied absentmindedly as she ignored David's hint to leave the doorway. "I think they are almost done."
"What does that mean?" Snow demanded hotly, "Did you and Emma-"
"That is none of your business." Lily cut her off, voice cold and hard. A tone Regina had never heard from the brunette before. "You obviously don't know anything about her, so piss off. I won't tell you shit if she won't."
"Language Miss Page." Regina snapped warningly.
Blue eyes rolled, "Sorry mom." Lily piped in imitation of Henry.
Lily stepped to the side as the doors opened to let the nurses out of the room. Whale stopped in the doorway and addressed Snow and David. "We'll move her to a different room tonight. We'll keep her on an IV until she wakes up."
"And when will that be?" Snow asked, tucking herself into her husband's side.
"Right now it's just a waiting game. Emma will wake up when she is ready to." Whale shrugged and moved out of the doorway to let the family cram into the room.
Regina slipped into the room behind Lily and Henry, giving Snow and David a warning look. While she was there Lily was also going to be welcome in Emma's room. She didn't know what the couple had against Lily, but she wasn't going to allow them to shut out the woman Emma considered family.
"She looks like she could just wake up at any moment." Henry whispered softly rolling up next to his mother, taking the hand that Lily hadn't claimed on the other side of the bed.
"And she will." Lily whispered, just as softly.
The door banged open with the force of a tiny blonde's excitement. Peter raced into the room ahead of Mulan and Aurora. He ignored the room's occupants, except for his target on the bed. He clambered onto the bed, Kodi left on the floor in his hurry to see Emma. A confused frown marred his young face as green eyes took in the woman who was supposed to become his mother.
"Hello everyone." Aurora greeted the room with a large smile, happy to see Emma surrounded by her friends and family.
Chocolate eyes stayed focused on the bed as both Henry and Lily turned to observe the newcomer. Lily having met Peter before turning her focus back to her best friend. Henry however took in Peter with his own frown. As Snow flocked to the newborn in Aurora's arms, Regina moved to the bed and put a hand on Peter's back.
"Peter, Emma has been healed. She is going to be ok." Bright green eyes swiveled to her, disbelief shining brightly those orbs.
"Your world has some magic of its own." Mulan commented, joining Regina by the bed to inspect Emma for herself. "Zelena worked hard for months trying to help Emma heal. And your doctors heal her in hours."
"Actually it was magic. Gold healed Emma." Snow corrected eyes trained on the sleeping bundle in her arms. Excited that she would have one of her own soon.
Lily's head whipped around so violently that Regina heard her neck crack. "What do you mean Gold healed Emma? I've not been here long but even I know you aren't supposed to make deals with that man. What were the terms?"
"Emma's magic in exchange for saving her life."
"What the hell kind of deal is that? Emma isn't even awake to say if she's ok with that!" Lily got to her feet, outraged on behalf of her friend. "If she's got to pay for it shouldn't she have a say?"
"We are her parents, we know what's best for her." David stated firmly, tone leaving no room for argument.
"The hell you are!" Lily's voice went up a pitch, "You may be responsible for giving birth to her but you aren't her parents. You gave that up when you chucked her into a wardrobe!"
"You don't know what you are talking about." Snow handed Phillip back to his mother and fixed Lily with a hard stare.
"I read Henry's book. There are lots of pieces missing, like Regina's side of the story." Lily got into Snow's face. "But everyone has a choice. And you chose to throw your infant into a wardrobe knowing she was going to end up in another realm. You are damn lucky that Emma was found, otherwise she would have either frozen or starved as an newborn on the side of the fucking road."
Snow opened her mouth to retort but Regina beat her to it. "Miss Page I think that is enough for today." She put a hand on her arm and gently lead her out of the room. "You have had a long couple of days. Take a break, go home and get some sleep. I will let you know if Emma's condition changes."
Lily clenched her jaw and looked from Regina's hard eyes to Henry over her shoulder. He was biting his lip and looking at his grandparents as though he was seeing them for the first time.
"I'll be back in a few hours." She conceded and stormed out of the hospital.
"So…" David fumbled for something to say as an uncomfortable silence filled the room. "Mulan, Aurora, do you have a place to stay yet? I know several of the people who came before you have set up a camp in the woods."
"No we don't have a place yet. We have been a little preoccupied." Aurora admitted offering Mulan a chance to hold Phillip so she could give her arms a break. "Mulan was going to track down Little John tomorrow to see what he had set up."
"Nonsense. The forest is no place for a newborn when there is other housing available." Regina scowled, appalled at the very idea of living in the wilderness with an infant.
"What are you talking about? There isn't enough houses vacant right now for all the families that came through the portal." David crossed his arms, a frown marring his face.
"The warehouse the dwarves turned into apartments. Two floors of apartments are available specifically for the people who Emma brought from the Enchanted Forest." Regina settled into the chair by Emma's bedside. "I had them blocked off when Emma told me she was planning to bring anyone who wanted to go to Storybrooke with her."
"The same ones Grumpy is angry over? You know he wanted one of those." Snow protested on behalf of her friend. "He worked hard on those apartments especially."
"I am sure that the families with young children will appreciate all his hard work."
"We really will Snow." Aurora promised, offering the woman a grateful smile. "And thank you Regina for your thoughtfulness and generosity."
Mulan handed Phillip back to Aurora. The look of loathing Snow was shooting Regina could only be a warning to an oncoming fight. "We will be back tomorrow to see Emma. I am glad that Emma chose to put her faith in you Regina, you seem to have thought of everything." With that the warrior retreated.
If war had taught Mulan anything, it was how to pick your battles.
That was one lesson Snow never seemed to have learned.
The door had barely closed before the pregnant woman rounded on her former step mother. "You know Regina. There is something I just haven't been able to wrap my mind around since Emma has come back."
"I am sure there are many things that elude you." Regina sniffed, stroking Henry's hair affectionately. It hadn't escaped her notice that he had yet to stop staring at Peter. "How can I enlighten you?"
"Why did Emma go to you for help and not us? Not her family?"
Regina bristled, what did Snow actually think she would have been able to do? "I cannot help that Miss Swan chooses to look to me for help rather than you."
"And you helped her but we could have helped too!" Snow threw her arms up in exasperation and then remembered what Neal had told her in the waiting room the day before. "You've known that Emma is alive for months."
A perfectly sculpted eyebrow rose, "Yes dear. Is there a question there?"
"How can you have kept our daughter a secret from us!" Snow exploded, oblivious to the way that Peter recoiled to the far side of the bed in fear. Pressing himself against the unconscious blonde trying to appear as small as possible. "She's our daughter you had no right."
"Until she came back she might has well have stayed dead." Regina's eyes were sharp and cold.
"Regina!"
"Grams." Henry cut in, still not removing his eyes from Peter. "Mom was trying to protect us by not giving us hope. So we could heal in case Ma never made it back."
Snow opened her mouth to continue shrieking but silenced herself as David's arm encircled her waist and pulled her against him. "Is he her son?"
"As much as Henry is mine." Regina reached out and plucked Kodi from the floor and offered the wolf to Peter. "You look exhausted. We will watch over Emma tonight, go home and get some rest.
A strangled croak escaped Snow as she took in Peter with new eyes. David nodded gratefully, processing the information the best he could. "Thank you Regina. We will be back in the morning."
He lead his stunned wife out of the room before anymore shouting could be done.
Regina settled into the less than comfortable armchair by Emma's bed when she was finally alone in the room with the boys and the sleeping blonde. She was exhausted, so much had happened that she could barely keep up anymore.
"So you're Peter."
Chocolate eyes riveted from Emma's face to Henry as he offered Peter a tight forced smile. Regina's heart hammered in her chest, hopefully Henry wasn't going to lash out like he normally did when he was upset. It was doubtful that he'd had enough time to process what their discussion earlier.
"Peter, this is Henry. He is my son, and he is also Emma's son." Regina explained softly when green eyes swung to her in confusion.
"You can't replace Nathan." Peter clutched Kodi close to him and stared at Henry defiantly. The boy who romped with an oversized wolf hound was starting to emerge.
Henry frowned, "Who is Nathan?"
"My brother! My real brother!" Peter began to shake like a leaf as he bravely fought off tears. "Emma told me about you, said that you would be my brother! But you can't be!"
Regina's heart broke. While Henry was terrified he was being replaced, Peter apparently was afraid of Nathan being replaced. Henry gaped at him and turned wide eyes to his mother, unsure of what to do or say now that the five year old had tears running down his cheeks.
The brunette scooped the young blonde into her arms and held him close, unsure of what she could say that would comfort the boy. "Peter listen to me." She waited until vibrant green eyes met her own. "Henry isn't going to replace Nathan. No one can replace him, and we know that."
Silence stretched for a long moment before Peter finally asked, "Is Henry a Swan?"
"No sweetie, he's a Mills like me." Regina said softly, letting the young boy crawl back on Emma's bed.
"Emma said Nathan and I could be Swans if we wanted. Like her." Peter settled on the bed by Emma's hip. "But if you're a Mills…"
Henry seemed to catch on to Peter's thought process faster than Regina. "Then I can't be replacing Nathan."
Pride swelled within Regina as Henry offered Peter a genuine smile this time. Minutes bled into hours and Peter and Henry seemed to get along. Henry animatedly explaining tv to the five years old who was quickly enraptured by cartoons.
Lily returned to the hospital with dinner just as Whale was having Emma moved out of the ICU. With more than a little strong arming, Regina had Whale move Emma into a double room with Henry.
Days passed slowly, Emma's condition remaining unchanged. Henry moving from his wheelchair to a set of crutches, his head injury proved to be only superficial and it wasn't long before he was discharged. He was excited to find that they had taken in Balto, if only temporarily. The little family formed a sort of routine. Peter would either sit with Lily at Emma's bedside or spend time with Balto in the yard while Regina worked and Henry returned to school.
When Henry returned from school and Regina from work. Neal had enough sense to stay away from Regina and the boys while they were visiting Emma in the hospital. And their visit ended when Snow and Charming arrived shortly after dinner time. Aside from dark looks being thrown between Snow and Regina the days that ebbed by after Emma's return were thankfully uneventful.
Until the fifth day as they approached the hospital a car horn screaming caught Regina's attention. Her head swiveled to the source of the sound and her stopped at the sight.
In the middle of the road stood a little boy frozen in fright as he stared down an oncoming truck.
"Henry take Peter inside." Regina barked giving the small blonde a shove towards Henry and the hospital doors. She gave him no time to react before disappearing in a cloud of purple smoke.
She reappeared in the middle of the road and scooped the boy up into her arms.
The horn blared again and tires squealed loudly in their attempt to come to a stop.
When chocolate eyes focused on the truck it was three feet from her.
There was no time to magically teleport out of the way.
Instinctually Regina flung magic at the car and crushed the little boy closer to her chest.
A grunt escaped her as she hit the pavement after impact.
"Rolan!"
Chocolate eyes blinked open as the boy in her arms scrambled free and ran towards the man Regina assumed was his father. She got to her feet and glanced at the frozen truck.
A second later and she could have been a smear on the pavement.
"What did I tell you, don't run off without me." Rolan's father was checking him over thoroughly, looking for any sign of injury with worried eyes. Once he was satisfied that his son was ok he turned to the woman saved him. "Thank you. Thank you so much."
Regina waved him off and turned her focus to the truck, a snarl forming on her face as she identified the driver. Walter Dunham, aka Sleepy.
"Is everyone ok?" The dwarf slipped from the truck, looking more awake than she had ever seen him. "I must have nodded off for a second. When I looked up there was the kid and then you-"
"Consider your license revoked effective immediately." Regina snarled furious that he had been behind the wheel of a vehicle at all.
"I'm sorry, it was an accident."
"Your apology is irrelevant. Your irresponsibility nearly cost a child his life. Do you understand that you narcoleptic neanderthal?" Regina hissed venomously, "You will apologize to that man and his son. And then you will wait right here for Mister Nolan to come collect you."
Regina could already hear the police sirens coming down the street. Someone must have already called the sheriff's office. Deciding that she herself was unharmed, she had only been bumped and knocked over. While Sleepy was talking to the boy and his father Regina slipped away.
Soreness set in as Regina settled into what had become her chair at Emma's bedside. Henry and Peter had already made themselves comfortable, oblivious to what had happened outside.
Henry was more than glad to share his passion for books with Peter. It turned out Peter was fascinated with books and reading. Apparently learning to read was something that Nathan had wanted to do. Emma had started to teach him before he died.
Chocolate eyes took in Emma's sleeping form as Henry cracked open his book and began to read. If Regina truly didn't know any better she would say that Emma was just taking a nap. But the blonde was too still, just a shade too pale.
"No one will blame Eustace if at this moment he shed tears."
The brunette took Emma's unresponsive hand in her own and clenched it firmly. God she wished Emma was awake to see the boys huddled together like they had been doing this for years.
"He was surprised at the size of his own tears as he saw them splashing onto the treasure in front of him."
Henry's voice filled the room as he took them on an epic adventure where a boy turns into a dragon. It felt as though it was too soon before they were gathering their things so Regina could drive them back home for dinner. The boys said their goodbyes, Peter needing convincing to leave Emma's side before they slipped from the room.
Regina lingered by Emma's side for a moment longer before she stooped and pressed her lips to the blonde's forehead.
"Don't be so stubborn Miss Swan, it's time to wake up."