A/N: Thank you so much to the few of you who reviewed the last chapter! I know I'm not always the best at replying, but I read and look forward to receiving them, and I always appreciate you taking the time to leave some comments!
Emma, Regina and Henry were just settling down to watch their first movie of the night. Emma waited for Regina to choose her seat on the sectional first, and was surprised when the brunette opted to sit in the middle of the main part of the couch, rather than in the corner where she could stretch her legs. Emma picked up the decorative pillow from the corner and claimed this seat beside Regina, just as Henry came over from the kitchen carrying two bowls of popcorn that they had successfully made on the stove.
Emma had offered to keep some unsalted popcorn aside in a separate bowl for Regina, but the brunette had politely refused, saying it probably tasted like cardboard. Emma hadn't seen Regina eat anything since her green smoothie dinner, and was a little worried about it. Emma had offered to make several things but Regina had declined all of it.
"Thanks kid." Emma accepted one of the bowls of popcorn from Henry.
About thirty minutes into the movie Regina started getting fidgety. "I'll be right back." She finally whispered, hoping not to distract them. "You don't need to pause it, I've seen this movie enough to remember what happens." She brushed her fingers through Henry's hair as she got up and disappeared into her room.
When Regina returned, she had changed into her pajamas and was wrapped in a throw blanket that had been brought from her home in Storybrooke. Emma and Henry had stopped the movie anyway because Emma had finished her bowl of popcorn and decided to make hot cocoa.
"You look cozy," Emma grinned as she washed the olive oil residue from the popcorn off of her hands.
"I was feeling a little cold so I thought I might as well just change." Regina responded.
"I'm making cocoa for me and Henry, do you want one? I put enough water on for three. Or we have tea," Emma opened the cupboard for Regina to see the choices. "I bought a bunch of chamomile yesterday so we should be well stocked in that for a while."
Regina's eyes swept over the different types. "A chamomile does sound nice. It's been a while since I've had one."
"Coming right up."
When they settled back on the couch, Emma moved the pillow again, putting it next to her. Regina, still wrapped up in her blanket, sat down close beside her.
Emma had never seen the original Star Wars movies before, and by the time the credits began rolling after the first one had concluded, she felt like there was a lot she had missed. Not long after they had resumed the film, Regina had curled against Emma's side and throughout the movie this had gradually turned into a lying down position. Emma and Regina were now taking up most of the sectional couch, with each of their legs stretched out across a different side of the ninety-degree angle. Emma was still sitting up, but Regina was lying across the couch with her head resting on the pillow that was now in Emma's lap. Henry was curled up in a corner on one of the only available cushions but he didn't seem to mind.
"What did you think Emma?" He asked. He looked over at her and saw her gazing down at his other mother with a soft look in her eyes. "Emma?"
"Hmm?" Emma asked, not looking up.
"Is she asleep?" Henry changed his question. He'd noticed Emma had been watching Regina almost as much as she had been watching the movie.
"She's still awake." Came Regina's tired voice.
Henry watched as Emma smiled, brushing her fingers through Regina's hair, before wrapping her arm lightly around Regina's small frame.
"Are we watching the next one or do you want to save it for another night?" Emma asked Regina.
Regina groaned softly before pulling herself up into a sitting position. "That's up to Henry."
"So you liked it then?" Henry asked Emma excitedly. "I wasn't sure."
"Yeah it was good!" Emma grinned. In truth, she could just sit there for another two hours watching Regina resting in her arms, but the movie gave her an excuse not to move. Besides, the film was actually good, when she was paying attention to it that was.
"Awesome! I'll change the discs." Henry said, shooting out of his seat.
Regina's stomach growled a little and she rubbed it in annoyance. She didn't feel like eating right now. Emma's eyes quickly dropped to Regina's stomach too. "Do you want something to eat now? It's been a while since dinner and you didn't have that much."
Regina frowned, thinking over the options. Nothing sounded very appetizing. "I don't know… there's nothing I really feel like to be honest."
"You gotta eat something." Emma replied softly. "I could make some soup… or a salad? A piece of toast? I could run down to the bakery and get you a muffin if you want. The doctor did say you needed to consume more calories."
Regina half rolled her eyes. "No… it's okay." She said. "Maybe I'll just get some water. It'll tide me over."
"Till when? Morning? Regina if you're hungry now you should eat something."
Regina gave a soft sigh. "There's nothing I want." She repeated truthfully.
Emma's brow furrowed until an idea came to her. "I bought some animal crackers at Whole Foods the other day. They're an okay snack for you to have and they're not messy or anything. You could even just have like two if you want. Want me to go get them?"
Regina gave a small sigh as Henry sat back down beside her. The title menu for The Empire Strikes Back was playing on the screen in front of them.
"Come on, you've got to get your strength up." Emma said softly.
Regina huffed a little. "By eating children's cookies?"
Emma grinned. "Every little bit helps."
Regina's gaze drifted sideways in thought but there was the ghost of a smile on her lips.
"They're organic." Emma's voice raised temptingly.
Regina breathed a small laugh. "Well I suppose I could try one."
Emma beamed. "Great. I'll be right back. Henry? You want anything?"
"More cocoa please!"
"Are you sure? All this sugar is going to keep you up all night." Emma teased.
"Will not."
"Alright," Emma said, smiling despite her disbelieving tone.
When Emma returned, she handed Regina a small bowl of about a handful of animal crackers. Regina eyed them a little warily but when Emma sat down beside her and looked down at the bowl pointedly, Regina gave a small eye roll and picked one up. When she took a small bite Emma smiled happily.
"I know they're nothing fancy," Emma said. "But what do you think?"
"They're not bad…" Regina admitted after swallowing her first taste.
"Last week the nutritionist said they were a good renal snack right?"
"It sounds so appetizing when you put it like that." Regina retorted, taking another bite of the first cookie. She held out the bowl to Henry.
"Thanks," he said, taking one and examining the animal he had gotten. "Which one did you get?"
Regina looked down at her nibbled cookie, she hadn't thought to check. "I think it was an elephant."
Henry ate his in one bite. "They're good." He mumbled as he chewed.
Regina uncharacteristically ignored his poor manners as she offered the bowl to Emma, who raised a hand in amiable refusal. "I'm alright, I'm stuffed full of popcorn. Just don't go letting Henry eat all those." Emma raised her eyebrow at him as she peered around Regina.
"We have more in the kitchen!" Henry defended. Regina offered him another, but smiled softly at Emma as she did so.
"Fine." Emma sighed, she should have known Regina would delegate the eating of her food. "I'll go get the bag then. When those are gone I'm re-filling the bowl." She threatened, getting up to go grab the bag.
In the end, Emma had been satisfied with the small amount of cookies Regina had eaten. It still wasn't much but it was a start. They were only about an hour and a half into the movie but Regina had fallen to sleep curled up against Emma, who was nodding off as she sat with her arms wrapped around the other woman.
Henry had been watching them again. At first he had been annoyed that Emma hadn't been paying attention to the movie, but when he realized how content Regina was, he didn't say anything.
He was sitting close by them as they all shared a blanket, and he kept getting distracted by Emma brushing her fingers through Regina's hair, or by Regina snuggling closer to Emma. He supposed Regina was still recovering from her kidnapping, and he knew she always felt the safest when Emma was by her side, but he was kind of wishing Regina would cuddle with him as they watched the movie, just like she used to when he was younger.
As the night grew longer, ultimately Henry had fallen asleep against Regina, even as she continued to rest against Emma. Before he knew it, he was awoken by Emma softly shaking him.
He rubbed his eyes. "What time is it?"
"Just after midnight," she said softly, now moving onto waking Regina.
Regina softly groaned in protest.
"Sorry," Emma said, "We all fell asleep. Maybe we can watch it again tomorrow."
Regina blinked groggily as she checked the time. "Henry go brush your teeth and get ready for bed, I'll come say goodnight in a minute." She said quietly.
"Okay," Henry sighed, just wanting to go to bed.
"Let's get these dishes cleaned up." Regina said tiredly to Emma.
Emma helped Regina up, and then pulled Henry into a half hug. "Night kid," she said, kissing the top of his head.
"Night…" He yawned.
"Here Regina let me get those…" Emma said, reaching out for several mugs that were on the coffee table. Regina was already holding her own dishes, and the bag of cookies, and had been about to pick up the rest.
Regina left to go into the kitchen, and as Emma grabbed the rest of the dishes, she watched the other woman sadly. Regina seemed bothered, and Emma didn't know if it was because the woman was just really tired or if there was something else. They still hadn't told Henry about them, but planned on doing so the next day once they had all settled a bit more. As for right now though, all Emma wanted to do was gather Regina in her arms and hug and kiss her until there was a smile on her face again.
When Emma joined Regina in the kitchen she set the cups down gently on the counter. Regina was filling the sink with hot water and soap.
"Regina you don't have to do that now, just leave them for the morning." Emma urged. "Or… we do have a dishwasher you know." Emma opened the door of the appliance beside the sink and waved a hand to present its interior.
"I don't mind, I'd rather just have them out of the way." Regina said, barely giving the dishwasher a glance.
"Okay… Well then in that case, I'll help you. I'll dry and put away."
Regina looked over and gave what was barely a smile, keeping her eyes downcast. She opened the cupboards under the sink and found dish gloves, which she put on.
Emma watched the other woman out of the corner of her eye, and after a few dishes she asked, "Regina are you okay?"
"Mhmm," Regina responded, her voice raising in an obvious lie.
"Regina…"
"I'm fine," the brunette responded quickly, but quietly. After handing Emma the last mug and giving her another small smile, she briefly looked Emma in the eyes and the blonde saw that Regina's were a little teary.
Regina touched Emma's arm softly. "I'm sure Henry's just about ready for bed now. I'll go tuck him in." She glanced towards the small hallway before pressing her lips lightly to Emma's cheek. "Goodnight."
"Goodnight," Emma mumbled, frowning in concern as the brunette left the room.
Realizing she was still holding the dripping mug, Emma quickly dried it and put it away.
She wondered if she should follow Regina into Henry's room to also say goodnight, but then she thought it might be awkward since she had already bid her farewells to both of them. Feeling a little disconcerted, Emma headed towards her own room for the night.
Henry had just gotten into bed and was still sitting up when he heard a soft knocking on his open bedroom door.
"Henry?" Regina's soft voice asked before she lightly pushed the door further open.
He gave a small smile, which she returned as she sat down on the bed in front of him.
"I'm sorry we missed the movie. I know you were excited for Emma to see it." Regina said.
Henry shrugged. "It's okay, we can watch it again another time. That's if you and Emma both want to."
Regina smiled appreciatively, "well you know I will always watch it with you, but I'm sure Emma enjoyed the movie too."
Henry nodded. He didn't mention the fact that Emma had spent half of the movie watching her instead. He wondered if Regina had noticed it as well, but didn't want to ask. He supposed Emma must just be relieved that Regina was back home too. "Is it weird not being at the hospital anymore?" He asked.
Regina's eyes softened as she brushed her fingers through his hair. "A little… but not as much as I thought it would be. I think having you and Emma close is making the transition a bit easier for me."
"Are you feeling better now than you were a few weeks ago?" Henry asked in a small voice.
Regina reached for his hand appreciatively. "I am."
Henry looked a little relieved. "It's really nice having you back with us. I was scared…"
Regina frowned. "What were you afraid of?"
Henry chewed his lip, dropping his gaze away from hers. "That you would never get better enough to leave the hospital. After what happened in the car on the way here… I was scared you might not wake up… and then when they said you might not remember us…"
"Henry," Regina said softly, shifting closer to him. "That was weeks ago now. I'm fine. I feel much stronger than I did when we first arrived in Boston."
Henry nodded. "But you're still not better."
"No… that will take some time I'm afraid."
Henry sniffled a little and Regina frowned sadly. "Henry it's late." She said gently. "We can talk more about this in the morning, but it's well passed your bedtime already. You need your rest."
She was about to stand up so she could fix the blankets around him, but when he noticed her withdrawing he quickly placed his hand over hers.
"Mom," his voice broke, and Regina saw the tears in his eyes.
"Henry, what is it?" She asked in concern, instantly moving to sit beside him. He burrowed himself into her embrace.
"Mo-om," his voice trembled as he held her close.
"I'm here Henry," she soothed, rubbing soft circles on his back.
"It was all my fault Mom," he sobbed into her pajama shirt.
Regina's brow furrowed sadly. "No, Henry I've told you before, when I–"
"I'm not talking about the night you took the pills Mom." Henry's shaky voice said.
Regina shook her head softly. There was confusion written all over her face.
"I mean when we were bringing you to the hospital here." Henry continued. "In the car, Emma asked me to look for a hospital that would be closer than Mass General and I said I couldn't find one."
"But sweetheart that wasn't your fault, you were just telling her what the phone told you."
Henry shook his head. "I saw one… the one we ended up passing. Remember Emma got really mad because it had been so close? But by the time she saw it she had already given you the Tylenol."
Regina didn't react, her eyes were still wide in confusion and she just waited for him to continue.
"I told Emma I didn't see it…"
Regina shook her head again, "Henry I don't understand. Why would you hide that from us?"
Henry sniffled. "Because I knew how badly you wanted to come straight to Boston, and Emma didn't want to listen to what you wanted." He sobbed. "You asked her for Tylenol and she wouldn't give it to you unless we had to go all the way to Boston. You told her you didn't want to go to another hospital but she wouldn't listen. I didn't want everyone to be against you again. You didn't want to leave Storybrooke in the first place and we were going to make you. I didn't want you to have no one on your side again. I didn't want you to have to go somewhere else you didn't want to go."
"Henry…" Regina whispered, her eyes softening.
"It's my fault you almost died that night. It's my fault you could have lost your memories."
"Henry my life wasn't in danger that night. I was just exhausted from everything that had happened. Remember, by morning I was stable. I woke up and my memories were fine."
"But they might not have been. You might not have gone unconscious if you hadn't taken the Tylenol and if you had gone to another hospital. I'm sorry Mom. I'm sorry I lied."
Regina pressed her lips together as she continued to mull over the new information. She breathed a heavy sigh. "It's okay Henry," she whispered. "You were only trying to help me."
"You're not mad?" Henry sniffled, looking up at her.
Regina shook her head. "I still made it to Boston didn't I? I was able to see Montgomery that night… not that I knew it at the time… But she waited for me, I think I was meant to go there that night."
"But the doctor said the Tylenol could have hurt you."
"She said it didn't help, but the pills were mild, they hardly did any damage, if any. I think it was just that everything else that had happened to me that day had caught up with me. There is only so much one person can take Henry. And don't forget that I had already passed out in the forest just after you and I had left town… I was very worn out that day. It could have happened even if I hadn't taken the Tylenol."
"So it's not my fault?" Henry asked, his expression a little hopeful.
Regina shook her head. "You said you wanted someone to be on my side; that means a lot to me Henry. I wanted to go to Boston that night and because of you that's where I ended up."
Regina felt a tear run down her cheek as she hugged Henry close. "I don't want you lying to me or Emma ever again, even if you think it will protect us… but thank you for looking out for me."
"I really did just want to help…" Henry's small voice said as he closed his eyes and savoured the comfort of her embrace.
"I know sweetheart."
"Are you going to tell Emma? She's going to get really mad at me."
Regina breathed a soft sigh. "She might be disappointed, but I don't think she would be angry with you."
"You don't?"
Regina shook her head. "I won't tell her if you don't want me to… I'll let you tell her in your own time. You can tell her when you're ready, like you did with me."
"Okay…" Henry replied in a tiny voice, he didn't think he would ever be ready to tell Emma, but it felt good to finally tell someone.
"Is it a relief to get this secret off of your chest?" Regina asked softly, as if reading his thoughts. She continued to brush her fingers comfortingly through his hair.
Henry nodded.
"I can imagine…" She said softly, closing her eyes. "It's not healthy to keep things bottled up. Trust me, I know." She looked down at him, he didn't appear to want to let go of her anytime soon, so she shifted a little to sit back against the headboard. "Thank you for telling me Henry." She whispered.
Regina held him until he had stopped crying and fallen to sleep, and then she carefully moved out from underneath him and pulled the blankets up to his shoulders. She placed a soft kiss to his forehead and then left to go to her own room. It was now one o'clock in the morning and she was glad she had already gotten ready for bed. After brushing her teeth she pulled the covers back on her new bed and settled into it. It was very comfortable and a lot more spacious than either of her hospital beds had been, but she found herself unable to sleep. She even tried holding the giraffe plush, but no matter what she did still couldn't get her mind to settle.
It was strange not being in the hospital, and even though she was glad to be away, she didn't like the feeling of being alone. Henry and Emma had spent most, but not all of her nights at the hospital with her, but even when they were not there, she'd still had people checking on her all night. She wasn't afraid exactly, but she felt a little vulnerable here by herself, despite the fact that Emma was only a few rooms away.
She checked the time around two-thirty in the morning and breathed a heavy sigh. Slipping lightly out of bed, she reached for the throw blanket she'd worn earlier and wrapped it around herself again as she left her room. She made her way to Emma's room and softly knocked on the door that had been left open a few inches.
"Emma?" She whispered into the dark.
She heard a sharp intake of breath and then heard the blankets rustling as Emma turned over. "Jesus Regina you scared me."
"I'm sorry." Regina whispered, entering the room.
"Are you alright?" Emma asked, sitting up and turning on the light, wincing a little at the sudden brightness.
Regina shook her head once to the side. "I can't sleep, I just thought I would see if you were awake too."
"I had a feeling you might be up still." Emma said sheepishly. "I couldn't sleep because I could sense that you couldn't sleep… if that makes any sense."
Regina's gaze dropped a little guiltily. She considered Emma's double sized bed. She wanted to curl up in Emma's embrace like they had the night before at the hospital, but she didn't know how to initiate it. Emma had gotten into bed with her several times before, but there had always been a reason, such as Regina having a headache, or Emma being too tired to move Henry out of her own room after her parents had decided to put him in there to rest. Regina had never been the one to get into bed with anyone before, and the concept seemed rather foreign despite the action being a fairly simple one.
"What's wrong?" Emma asked.
Regina briefly met Emma's gaze again before forcing herself to breathe a soft laugh. "This is going to sound ridiculous but I have a bit of a headache… I was wondering if you could rub my head for a bit?"
Emma's expression changed. She smiled, studying Regina for a few moments in an almost amused way. "That doesn't sound ridiculous to me at all Regina." She replied softly. "Come on, let's go back to your room."
Emma slid out of bed and wrapped her arms around herself to fend off the sudden coldness. She hadn't failed to notice the way Regina's skin had flushed a little at Emma's response. And Emma smiled in adoration as she followed Regina's blanket-clad form.
When they got back to Regina's room, Emma waited for Regina to get into bed first, and then she slipped under the covers after her. Emma laid down against one of the pillows. "You know, you could have just said that you didn't want to be alone." She said softly.
"What do you mean?" Regina feigned confusion.
"Regina… I can tell when you're lying. You don't really have a headache do you?"
Regina dropped her gaze away again. "Maybe I don't…" She admitted.
"Mhmm… thought so." Emma grinned. She reached up and pulled Regina gently down beside her. "You don't have to make up some excuse Regina…" She said softly. "Next time you want me here just tell me."
Regina was glad for the darkness of her room as she was sure she was blushing. "I'll admit I feel a bit foolish." She confessed with a smile, settling into Emma's protective embrace.
"Don't. I thought it was kind of adorable." The blonde replied, pressing a loving kiss to the top of Regina's head.
"Adorable…" Regina grumbled at the word. All the same, she gave a contented sigh as she felt her body beginning to relax again. She closed her eyes happily, enjoying the feeling of having Emma near.
After a time, she heard Emma's soft voice ask, "are you still awake?"
"Mhmm." Regina replied tiredly.
"Can you tell me what was upsetting you earlier? You know… after the movie? I could tell something was wrong."
Regina blinked her eyes open but remained silent.
"Come on, please tell me. What were you thinking about?" Emma asked softly as she brushed her fingers through Regina's hair.
Regina gave a small sigh, running a hand over Emma's arm lightly. "Back when I was still in the ICU, not long after I first got to the hospital, one of my doctors told me I was lucky I didn't have any broken bones." Regina let go of her arm and raised a little to look up at Emma. "You know, because of what Whale did to me?"
Emma nodded. "Montgomery said the same thing to me the night we first got there. You were still unconscious and Henry and I hadn't gotten to see you yet… She said it was a 'miracle'."
Regina gave a heavy sigh. "If they only knew…" She mumbled.
Emma's brow furrowed as she thought about what Regina had said to her weeks ago, that it felt as though Whale had broken nearly half of the bones in her body before Blue had come to heal them by magic.
"I never knew a person could feel pain like that." Regina whispered. "It was so intense that I thought surely my body would give up, that it wouldn't be able to handle any more. But… alive I remained." Regina shook her head at the memory. "I couldn't move… I was so scared that if I did, my own bones would pierce me from the inside," Regina's voice quivered a little as she looked away from Emma again but huddled closer to her.
"I'm sorry Regina…" Was all Emma could say. "What brought this on? It wasn't the movies we watched was it?"
Regina shook her head gently. "No. I dreamt about it while I was asleep on the couch… I'm not sure I'll ever quite forget what it felt like."
"I'm sorry I brought it up Regina." Emma said quietly.
"It's okay… I was already thinking about it anyways."
Emma felt the anger boiling up inside her again. She hated that Regina was still being tortured, even if only by her own memories. "If I ever find myself alone in a room with Whale I think I'll break all of his bones." Emma grumbled darkly.
Regina gave a small smile at that. She reached for Emma's hand and pressed a soft kiss to it. "Let's not discuss this any more tonight… Come on, let's just try to get some sleep. We have a big day tomorrow."
"Do we?"
"Mm… we're telling Henry tomorrow right? Telling him about us?"
"Oh, right…" Emma responded, feeling a little nervous.
"I thought maybe we could go out and spend the day together, the three of us. And then maybe we could tell him afterwards?"
"Sounds good." Emma answered softly. "I'll do whatever you want to do."
Regina hummed through a smile as she closed her eyes and rested into Emma's embrace. "Goodnight Emma…" She whispered. "I love you."
"I love you too." Emma whispered, pressing another kiss to Regina's head, she closed her eyes too.