Hey everyone, sorry for the long wait, it's been a busy few months! I hope you like the new chapter, writing it helped me get back into the swing of the story, hopefully the next chapter will be up much faster

As they drove in silence through the tree-lined roads leading away from Storybrooke, Henry could not stop thinking about what might have happened if Emma had not made contact with him when she did. Henry had been lucky, he had been spared having to make the difficult choice between calling an ambulance and calling one of his family members for guidance and for information as to when Emma would arrive. Perhaps there would have been enough battery left in his mother's cell phone to make two phone calls, but he had not wanted to risk it, he wanted instead to make the right choice the first time.

"Emma I think I made a mistake..." Henry's small voice said from the backseat as he brooded.

"Did you say something kid?" Emma asked, glancing briefly in the rear-view mirror at him.

"I think I waited too long. I knew Mom was watching the time so I didn't think I needed to... I didn't notice her fall asleep... I should have been paying attention. It felt like we were out there forever. She shouldn't have been outside for so long."

"Don't worry about that now," Emma replied with a heavy heart. "She's safe, we're going to get her to Boston. Just a few more hours okay?"

"But she should have woken up when you were carrying her, how could she sleep through someone picking her up? I think something's wrong."

"She's exhausted Henry."

"I know... but what if it's more than that? I should have called the ambulance. I shouldn't have waited so long. I should have just called the ambulance and she could have had help hours ago. There's a hospital not too far from Storybrooke isn't there? I remember Mom mentioning that once. She could have been there by now!"

"Yeah there is... but even if you had been watching the clock Henry you probably wouldn't have had to make that call. David told you to wait two hours right? I'm pretty sure I phoned you before then."

Henry's shoulders sagged. "I shouldn't have waited at all." He said in a small voice. "I think it would have been better to get her to a doctor as soon as we were out of Storybrooke. I think the cold was bad for her. If I had just called them she might still be awake right now."

"Kid, don't worry about it okay?" Emma insisted gently. "That's in the past, there is nothing we can do to change it now. You did good today Henry, I mean it. You got Regina to safety. I really think those people in town would have killed her today, but because of you none of them were able to get to her and that is what's most important right now."

Henry leaned forwards against the back of Emma's seat and watched Regina, it was a little difficult to see her from this angle but he could just make out her dark outline and the mound that was the blanket surrounding her.

Back in that forest he had known deep down that he should call 911, but if he was to be completely honest with himself, he had been too afraid. He knew Emma was supposed to have contacted them almost immediately after they had left town and so he knew something had gone wrong when she failed to do so. At the same time, he worried that if something had happened to Emma, that he would not have been able to stay with Regina if she was taken to the hospital. He didn't think they would let him stay with her in her room overnight and for however many days or weeks she would remain a patient there. He had been afraid they would take him away from her and try to put him with a different temporary family, and until she was better he would hardly get to see her. If she got better that was. He was also paranoid that calling an ambulance would confirm that Emma was never going to come, and the thought of these things terrified him. He had been torn between wanting to know if his birthmother was okay, and wanting to make sure his adoptive mother would be okay. He should have known better, he should have been smarter about the situation. Of course Emma was okay, she was the Savior, she would always be okay. He couldn't ignore the fresh guilt he felt when he thought about Regina. If he had not been so worried about what would happen to himself, and if he had not been so caught up on the what ifs, maybe she could have gotten to the hospital a lot sooner.

"I'm sorry..." He said in a shaky voice.

"For what?" Emma asked in surprise.

"For letting this happen to her. I think it's my fault she's unconscious."

"Henry you couldn't have done anything to prevent this."

"She wasn't letting me help her walk even though it was hurting her. She was pushing herself too hard, I should have said something sooner. And she was so cold... when David gave her his coat she didn't put it on all the way, she just had it over her shoulders and she didn't even do it up. I should have told her to put it on properly before we started to walk. Maybe this wouldn't have happened if I had."

"Henry she's just asleep..." Emma reasoned, thinking it best not to mention her own personal fears.

Henry bit his lip as he continued to watch Regina. He wasn't so sure. "Emma I'm scared."

Emma gave a small sigh. "I know kid. But don't beat yourself up over this. Regina is really sick, nothing you did tonight could have fixed that. Like I said, you've done an amazing job here. She just needs rest okay? That's all."

Henry looked out of the window and could see that they were getting close to the Interstate. He was silent as he watched the cars and streets and lights ahead of them. Emma hadn't told him to put his seatbelt back on as he continued to lean forwards against her chair. He wished Regina could have sat in the back with him but there was not enough room what with the extra bags that didn't fit into the trunk at the front of the bug. But even if there had been room, it would not have made sense logistically for Emma to try to maneuver an unresponsive Regina into the backseat.

Once they reached the Interstate they did not stay on for long, soon Emma veered off into a commercial area full of restaurants and gas stations.

"Wow... I half expected everything to be closed." Emma commented as she pulled into the parking lot of a coffeehouse. She had forgotten that they were still several hours away from midnight. "It feels like three in the morning."

"That's because you've been up for two days straight..." a quiet voice laced with sleep scolded from the passenger's seat.

Emma's head whipped around. "Regina?"

"Mom!" Henry immediately sat up.

Regina moaned softly as she shifted positions under the many layers of coats and blankets that had accumulated around her. She looked a little confused as she took inventory of them all.

"Hey!" Emma greeted in surprise, her eyes wide with relieved shock. "Oh my god you're awake! Shit! I thought–" She stammered. Her heart was beating fast. "Shit Regina..." She whispered again. "I thought you were..."

"Thought I was what?"

"Never mind..." Emma responded quietly.

"Where are we?" The brunette asked in a groggy voice, still waking up.

"Still way too close Storybrooke unfortunately." Emma responded. "We've still got a long haul. How are you feeling? You passed out back there in the forest."

"I figured as much..." Regina responded in disappointment. "I couldn't remember getting into the car." She leaned into the pillow beside her, closing her eyes.

"Are you feeling alright? I'm stopping for some coffee, I can get you something if you want, or if you need to use the bathroom –?"

"I'm fine thank you. I think I'll just stay in the car. Although... I might have to take this off." She said, tugging slightly at David's coat.

"Getting a bit toasty under there?" Emma grinned. "Well I'm glad to hear it. You were freezing when I first found you guys."

Regina took in a deep breath, forcing her eyes open again as she sat up a bit straighter. "Henry." She breathed in worry. "Is he okay?" Her eyes found his before she finished her question.

"I'm okay Mom." Henry was beaming.

Regina visibly relaxed, reaching a hand out for him. "I'm sorry sweetheart." She said softly. "I didn't mean to leave you alone out there."

"He was fine, he did really well." Emma assured her proudly. "Hey kid, you coming in with me?" She asked as she undid her seatbelt.

"No, I'll stay here too."

"Do you want me to grab anything for you?"

Henry shook his head.

Emma got out of the car and then looked down into the backseat at him. "Do you need to use the bathroom? We've got a long drive ahead of us." She reminded him.

Henry didn't respond. He looked back at Regina.

"I'll be fine here on my own Henry." She assured him gently. "Go with Emma."

Without waiting for a response Emma pulled her seat forwards so he could get out. "Come on, I don't want to stop again if we can help it."

"Okay..." The ten year old grumbled, climbing out of the car.

"Here, before I go in I'll help you with that coat." Emma said to Regina. "Put the pillow over here for a second." She reached out a hand and Regina passed it to her. Emma propped it up against her own seat and then locked and closed the driver's side door. She moved around to the other side of the car and opened the passenger's door. Regina had taken the blanket off and put it with the pillow. She undid David's coat and Emma helped her out of it, tossing it gently into the backseat. Regina hugged herself briefly, rubbing her hands over her arms before reaching for the blanket again.

"Let me guess," Emma said knowingly. "Now you're cold?"

Regina breathed a small laugh, quickly burrowing under the blanket. Emma helped to wrap it around her again. "Don't worry, you won't be for long. Are you sure you don't want anything here?" Emma asked gently, tilting her head towards the coffee shop.

Regina gave a small shake of her head. "I'm fine."

"Okay, we'll be quick." Emma promised with a touch to Regina's shoulder. Her hand lingered there for a little too long. She was so relieved that Regina was awake that she hardly dared to leave her again. Finally with a look from Regina to push her, she carefully closed the door. Regina watched the pair disappear into the shop. She followed Henry and Emma with her eyes until they disappeared around a corner.

She gave a small, disconcerted sigh as she took in the area around the car. Her gaze drifted to the unlocked passenger's door. Feeling a sudden growing nervousness at being in this unfamiliar and busy commercial area alone at night, she quickly reached to lock the door. She knew it was impossible that anyone from Storybrooke would be around, but still she felt better knowing the car was that little bit more secure. She brought her pillow back to her side again and placed it against the door, leaning into it gratefully and closing her eyes.

She wanted to go back to sleep, she wanted to dream the rest of the drive away and she didn't want to wake up until they had reached the hospital. She knew it wasn't going to be an enjoyable trip otherwise. She had slept through the first twenty minutes or so, hopefully that was a good sign. After only a few minutes of sitting in the car by herself, she had reached that trance-like stage that sometimes comes before falling to sleep: those few moments where one is not quite sure if they are lucid or if they are dreaming. Just as Regina was slipping into the depths of the dream world however, she was roused again by the sound of the key in the lock.

"Sorry," Emma said sheepishly after opening the door, "I didn't mean to wake you."

Regina made a sleepy noise. "You didn't." She replied, rubbing her eyes a little.

Henry clambered into the backseat and Emma pushed her seat into its upright position and got in. She had a brown paper bag stuffed under her arm and a coffee clutched in her hand.

"I'm just going to drink this here; I want to get the caffeine into me as fast as possible. Don't worry, I'll be quick."

Regina nodded indifferently, she frowned, lost in her thoughts again. She was looking away from Emma as the other woman drank her coffee.

"Damn that's hot." Emma hissed, before taking another sip.

"Why don't you let it cool off first?" Henry suggested.

"Need it now." Emma replied, grimacing a little at her next sip. She took the lid off of the cup to let some of the heat escape. Despite the searing heat, Emma relaxed back into her seat as the hot coffee hit her system. She had desperately needed this.

Her head tilted a little to the side to check on Regina, and she found that the brunette's eyes were on her.

Emma's expression changed at the look on Regina's face. "What is it?" She asked, sitting up a little straighter.

"Is... is Mary Margaret okay?" Regina asked.

Emma slumped back into her chair again, relieved that it wasn't something else. She breathed a small sigh. "She's fine." She said gently, despite the pang she felt in her stomach at the memory of what had happened to her mother. "She'll be okay, trust me. David says she's going to heal really well."

Regina closed her eyes, shaking her head. "I knew it was a bad idea." She said in a haunted whisper. "She could have been killed."

"But she wasn't, and no one else was hurt. That's what's most important."

Regina's brow creased in worry. "But what happens if they go after her again? And David and Kathryn and everyone else who helped us? What if they decide to punish them for letting me escape?"

"They won't..." Emma said thoughtfully.

"But how can you know that?" Regina whispered.

Emma leaned her head back against her seat. "Because as soon as the townspeople were sure you were gone they started easing up on us. I think they know it wouldn't do any good at this point. Damn though, it was crazy... They were crazy."

"They really hate me." Regina agreed softly, shaking her head. "I've never seen them act like this before. Well, at least not on this level."

"Yeah... I've never seen anything like it. It's like they were under some kind of spell." Emma mumbled, taking another sip of her coffee.

Regina gave a discontented sigh, before leaning into her pillow again. "Is it really over Emma?" She asked quietly.

Emma felt a tug in her heart at the tone in Regina's voice. She reached over and took the other woman's hand in her own. "Yeah it is." She smiled. "No one can hurt you anymore. You're safe." She breathed a heavy sigh. "Now all we need to do is focus on getting you better. We're so close Regina."

Regina gave a small, tired smile in return as she squeezed Emma's hand. She didn't feel close to getting better, but at least now that no one would be trying to kill her she stood a far greater chance.

"Just a few more hours." Emma encouraged.

"A few more hours..." Regina repeated softly. She turned to check on her son, realizing that he had been very quiet. Her heart warmed when she saw that he had fallen to sleep. "Oh Henry..." She mumbled. "He's completely worn out."

"Yeah," Emma smiled. "I'm glad he's getting some sleep. He had a long, rough night. I guess we all did..." She finished quietly. She felt sick just thinking about where Regina had been less than a day ago.

"I wish you could get some rest too," Regina said, feeling guilty.

"Hey, I'll get plenty of that when we get to Boston. Trust me if there's a couch in your hospital room, my name is already on it."

Regina breathed a small laugh. "It's all yours."

Emma hummed her approval as she finished the last of her coffee. "I'll just go throw this out and then we can get out of here okay?"

Regina nodded and Emma got out of the car.

Once she was back she leaned down through the open door into the vehicle. "Are you sure you don't want anything before we go?"

"I don't need anything."

"Alright." Emma said, getting her keys out and sliding in. "But just let me know if you need anything. I know I told Henry I didn't want to stop again but I want you to be comfortable. If you need to stop, just say the word and we'll stop. It doesn't matter what it's for."

Regina's eyes softened. "Thank you."

"So, you ready to finally do this?"

A small smile reached Regina's lips in a silent yes. She closed her eyes, breathing a tiny, alleviated sigh.

They had been on the road for less than an hour but so far the drive had been silent. Regina was curled up in her corner of the car again and Henry was still fast asleep in the backseat. Despite the caffeine intake, Emma was having a rough time staying focused. She had already eaten the sandwich she had bought at the last stop and while it had given her a bit of energy, she now found herself longing for a second coffee. The only problem however was that she didn't know if it would actually help. What she really needed was a distraction, something to keep her mind occupied. She didn't want to turn the music on and keep the others awake, but she didn't know if she had much of an alternative. She quickly glanced at Regina, she knew Henry was asleep but with Regina it was often harder to tell.

"So... Henry mentioned that your legs were hurting while you guys were walking earlier..." Emma said, bringing up the first thing she could think of and keeping her tone low so as not to wake Henry, and possibly not to wake Regina either.

Regina made a small noise, her eyes sleepily blinked open as she turned to look at her.

Emma felt bad, she knew Regina was trying to sleep but she needed to talk to someone, she needed Regina to keep her mind alert.

"Is it because of what Whale did or is it from the illness?" Emma asked, already wishing she had chosen a different topic.

"Mm, I think both to be quite honest..." Regina responded in a quiet voice, leaning against her pillow again and breathing a heavy sigh. "Blue may have healed the broken bones but the damaged tissue and the muscle around them... well that's a different story. I suppose we'll have to wait until we get to Boston to know the complete details. Right now I'm not sure what the hell is going on in there." She mumbled, allowing her eyes to fall closed.

Emma shook her head. "I really wish my parents would have just let me kill that son of a bitch."

Regina breathed a cheerless laugh. "Who, the Blue Fairy or Whale?" She asked with a bite to her tone, despite knowing all too well who Emma was referring to.

Emma clenched her jaw as she thought of the pair. "Both. What they did to you is... unforgiveable."

Despite Emma's sinister intentions Regina felt a tug of gratitude in her heart, she looked over at the blonde with softened features. Emma's gaze was fixed straight ahead, she was gripping the steering wheel much too tight, clearly angered by the thought of Regina's kidnappers. Regina didn't want Emma to kill anyone, and she didn't want her to feel such hatred or anger either, but the fact that Emma would even consider going so far just to protect her... well, Regina had to admit it felt nice to have someone who cared for her that much.

"Perhaps it is," Regina commented, "but as I said before, I wouldn't have wanted either of them to die at your hands. It's not worth darkening your heart because of it. They are not worth it. Trust me, it's hard to come back from. It will never leave you, and it won't change what's already happened."

Emma didn't respond. She just kept staring ahead, her mind obviously reeling.

Regina breathed a quiet sigh before leaning back into her pillow again. It was going to be a long drive, she suspected. Already the rumbling of the small car was starting to make her ache, just as David's truck had before they had left Storybrooke.

Just a few more hours. She told herself again.

She closed her eyes but Emma's voice once again called for her attention. After a few conversation turns, Regina soon realized that it didn't matter to Emma what they spoke about, as long as Regina kept talking to her. Regina tried to stay awake as long as she could for Emma, but after only about fifteen minutes Emma began to notice that Regina was drifting. Emma pulled off of the Interstate a second time and found a relatively busy, well lit area to stop.

"Where are we?" Regina asked sleepily, lifting her head slightly and trying to force her eyes open when she realized they were parked.

"A gas station." Emma replied. "I'm just going to take a quick power nap; I think it will help a lot. Is that okay? I really do want to keep going but I'm a little worried I might fall asleep at the wheel. I didn't realize how tired I was."

"Of course," Regina replied as she closed her own eyes again. "It's not worth the risk, take as long as you need."

"I'm sorry, I will get you there soon Regina, I promise." Emma placed a gentle hand on the brunette's arm.

"I know you will," Regina replied softly, placing her hand on top of Emma's. "But take care of yourself first."

Emma's yawn cut off her response to Regina. She withdrew her hand and found a comfortable position in her own chair. It was less than thirty seconds before she had fallen to sleep.

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A/N: Thank you for reading, please review! Take care xx