A/N: Thank you for waiting so patiently for the next chapter. I've had writer's block like all winter but I was finally able to finish up this chapter this morning. We are nearing the end of the story, and it will be weird to not have it always there waiting to be continued. I've been working on it since before Season Two came out so it feels like its always been there. But I need to finish it eventually for your sake and probably for mine. So thanks for joining me! There will still be a few more chapters before the end. Thanks always for reading and reviewing!

~ Chapter 112 ~

It had been two days since Emma and Regina's surgeries and both ladies were doing well so far. They had eventually been moved out of recovery and back into the same room together, but now it was Emma's day to go home. Regina's transplant team wanted her to stay a few more days just to make sure there were no complications with her recovery, and to make sure her new kidney was working as it should.

Regina woke up in the early hours of the morning, feeling only somewhat rested but better than she had a few days prior. She turned her head to look over at Emma, who was still fast asleep. A small smile formed on her lips, and she sighed softly, closing her eyes again. A few minutes later she had fallen back to sleep. When she next awoke she could tell that a few hours had passed based on the brightness of the daylight that was peaking through the blinds. She could hear soft voices and she turned to see that Snow, David and Henry had arrived.

"Morning Regina." Snow greeted.

"Good morning," Regina replied, greeting everyone. Her eyes met Emma's.

"Hey," The blonde smiled, her eyes sparkling lovingly.

Regina smiled too, closing her eyes. "You're leaving today." She mumbled.

"I know." Emma's voice sounded a little sad. "But don't worry, I'll still be here every day with you."

Regina's smile grew and she opened her eyes again. "This place is starting to feel like our second home isn't it?"

"Third home." Henry said.

Regina took his hand gently. "Yes you're right sweetheart. Our third home."

"Yeah," Emma said, looking around the room. "To be honest though, if it didn't have heated blankets and unlimited pudding and Jello I would probably have ditched it by now." She joked.

Regina hummed in amusement. Her fingers reached up to her neck and gently touched a thin tube that was there.

"Is that bothering you Regina?" David asked.

She shook her head softly. "No not really. I'm just hoping it will be removed today. It would be nice to have one less thing attached to me."

The catheter had been placed in Regina during her surgery and it still remained in order to deliver some of her medications. The catheter entered her body through a vein in her neck and reached down into a large vein above her heart. She was constantly trying not to think about it.

"I'll throw Jello at them if they don't take it out." Emma promised teasingly.

Regina half rolled her eyes. "Hush you. I'm still upset that you're leaving me here."

"Hey, it wasn't my idea." Emma defended lightly.

"I know…" Regina said, closing her eyes to rest a bit more. "I'll just miss you."

Regina's Central Venous Catheter was removed later that day, and she agreed to try walking a little around the hallways. She still didn't feel one hundred percent, but she had been assured that the new kidney was working well so far. She supposed she felt a little different, but she wondered if that was just the medication she was being given to help with the surgical pain.

Regina was accompanied by Emma and a nurse as she walked. Emma had been up on her feet the day after her own surgery, but was still instructed to take it easy.

As they walked, Regina held onto the nurse's arm to keep steady. Emma had offered to walk with Regina just the two of them, but the nurse had advised against it in case Regina needed to be supported at any point. Emma was still not supposed to be lifting anything.

"It seems strange to be leaving here without you." Emma said.

"We've been in this situation before. We'll be fine." Regina responded, sounding as though she was also trying to convince herself.

"Yeah I guess… But I don't have to go back to the apartment tonight. You know, if you don't want to spend the night here by yourself. Maybe I can sleep in your room like when we first got to Boston."

"No," Regina replied softly. "Thank you but I'll be alright Emma. I want you to rest at home tonight. You deserve it. Go spend some time with Henry."

"Okay," Emma responded. "But remember, I'm always just a phone call away."

Regina nodded, smiling. She stopped walking and looked over at the nurse. "Is that enough for now? I think I'd like to sit down."

"Yes of course, you did really well. We can walk some more tomorrow."

Emma placed her hand lightly on Regina's back as they turned around to return to their hospital room. The room was only a few doors away since they had been walking mostly back and forth down the hallway to not go too far.

"We'll both be running marathons in no time Regina," Emma said. "Just you wait."

"Please," Regina scoffed. "I've never ran a marathon in my life."

"It's never too late to start."

"I prefer horseback riding." Regina said, allowing the nurse to help her back into bed.

"While I admire the enthusiasm ladies," the nurse said, "neither of you should be thinking of running for at least a few weeks alright?" She said kindly. "And absolutely no heavy lifting."

"What about horseback riding?" Emma asked, not entirely serious.

"A few months at least." The nurse replied. "You need to give yourselves time to recover."

"Don't worry," Regina said. "I'm sure walking is all I'll be doing for the time being."

A few weeks later

It had now been some time since the operation, and Emma was starting to worry about Regina. The doctors remained adamant that Regina's new kidney was working, but Regina seemed to have less spirit and lower energy with each passing day. Emma had spoken to her parents about it to make sure she wasn't imagining it, but they agreed that they had noticed it too.

At first Emma had thought Regina was just happy to be home. At first all the brunette seemed to want to do was to cuddle with Henry or Emma. She would sit with Henry in her arms and silently watch as he played video games, or she would rest in Emma's arms for hours at a time.

It wasn't until about a month after the surgery that Emma began to really worry.

Regina had seemed particularly upset but wouldn't talk about it. Whenever Regina noticed that Emma was staring at her teary eyes, Regina would quickly flee the room without an explanation.

Emma was standing in the kitchen with her parents. Henry was sitting on the couch with headphones on, moodily pretending to do his homework. He was upset because his adoptive mother wouldn't let him near her.

Emma's eyes were sad as she watched him from the other room. "I don't understand what's up with her today. Was she like this yesterday?"

"Not this bad." David said.

"What do you think is wrong?" Emma asked.

"We haven't done anything differently." Snow responded. "Has she been having trouble sleeping?"

"I don't think so." Emma folded her arms in worry. "I want to take her to the hospital. What if something is medically wrong? This could be a bad reaction to one of her medications. The doctors warned us about potential side effects."

"But she's been taking them for weeks." Snow said. "Wouldn't we have noticed this sooner?"

"Maybe it's always been there but we missed the signs and now it's getting worse." Emma frowned. "I'm going to try talking to her again."

Her parents nodded.

"We'll be right here if you need us." David said.

Emma smiled her thanks before leaving the kitchen. As she passed through the living room she brushed a gentle hand through Henry's hair. He looked up and gave her a tiny smile but it did not meet his eyes.

Once Emma reached her and Regina's bedroom, she knocked softly on the closed door.

"Regina? It's me… I just came to see if you're alright."

There was no response from inside the room.

"Regina?" Emma tried again.

Emma listened intently, and she felt a wave of relief when she heard Regina getting up from where she must have been resting in bed. A few second later however, Emma's heart sank as she heard the door to the ensuite close.

She opened the bedroom door a crack and peaked inside the room. The bedclothes were pushed back and the giraffe plushie that Emma had given Regina was on the floor. Emma couldn't tell if it had been dropped or if it had fallen. She went over to it and picked it up, placing it near Regina's pillow. Her hand rested on the bed for a moment and she closed her eyes as she felt the still-warm sheets.

Emma took a deep breath as she approached the bathroom door. She knocked again, even more gently than last time.

"Regina? Please talk to me. Did I do something wrong?"

Emma waited a few moments, listening. There was nothing but silence coming from the other side of the door.

"Please let me in." Emma said in a broken voice.

After a pause there was a quiet, "Emma… can you please ask David to come see me?"

"David?" Emma asked, confused and a little hurt. "Umm, yeah… sure…"

…

Inside the bathroom, Regina didn't hear anything further and she assumed Emma had left to get her father.

A minute or so later there was another knock at the door. "Regina? It's me," David's voice said. "Emma told me you wanted to talk to me. Are you alright? Do you need my help?"

The bathroom door opened a crack and Regina peaked out, glancing at David with scared and tear-filled eyes, and then searching the room behind him. When she saw that it was just him she opened the door further. "Can you close the bedroom door please?" She asked.

"Yeah, of course." David replied, but he looked concerned.

Regina stayed where she was as she watched him go and close the door. He expected her to come out to talk to him, but when she didn't, he went back towards the bathroom.

"Regina what's wrong? Do you want to go to the hospital?"

"I think…" She whispered, before glancing towards the bedroom door and then taking his arm and pulling him gently into the bathroom. She closed the door. "I think I've made a mistake." She whispered.

"About what?"

"The transplant." She admitted. "Ever since I've had it. I don't feel like myself anymore."

"What do you mean? You've been feeling better haven't you?"

Regina nodded a little.

"Regina why did you want to talk to me about this?" David asked gently. "Why not the others?"

"Because… I didn't want either Snow or Emma to be put out by what I have to say."

"Put out?"

"Yes. They were both potential donors. I thought I wanted Emma to be there with me, and I wanted to protect Snow. I was worried that if the barrier went back up around Storybrooke she wouldn't be able to get to the hospital if she needed to."

"Regina are you saying you wish you had taken the donation from Snow?" David asked. There was a look of pity in his eyes and Regina wished he would stop.

"Yes. In a way. I love Emma for what she did for me, for what she sacrificed. But because of me she gave up a part of herself to a complete stranger." Regina gave a troubled sigh, wrapping her arms around herself. "And I now have a part of someone else living inside me. An organ from someone I don't even know."

"But you knew that when you chose the paired donation. What's changed now?" David asked, sitting down on the edge of the bathtub.

Regina looked down. "I didn't know it would make me feel like this."

"Feel like what?"

Regina shook her head, trying to find the words. "I don't feel like myself. I feel… contaminated somehow."

"But why? You need the kidney to survive. It's helping to keep you healthy, there's nothing negative about that."

"I don't know… I guess… I guess it's just because the only experience I've had with organs being given to other people in order to help them… it's only ever backfired."

"What are you talking about?"

Regina bowed her head. "I haven't spoken about this to many people but… I was once in love with a man… well, a boy really, named Daniel."

David nodded. "He was the man you were going to marry. Before Snow's father."

Regina felt her face flush a little.

"What about him Regina?" David asked gently.

Regina sighed, not meeting his gaze. "I tried to bring him back to life once. I had learned a little magic and shortly after he died I preserved his body. I sought the help of a… doctor." Regina closed her eyes, clearly finding it difficult to talk about. "Whale." She clarified. "He promised me he could bring Daniel back to life. I gave him a heart, from my mother's vault." Regina closed her eyes. "The procedure didn't work, but I later saw it work for others who tried it. The people who came back were… well they weren't the same."

"Not the same in what way?" David asked.

"They were… evil."

"That sounds horrible. But why are you telling me this?"

"This new organ…" She pointed to herself. "It doesn't belong to me. It's not a part of me. These bad feelings I'm having… I don't want to hurt any of you."

"You're not going to hurt any of us Regina." David assured her.

"You don't know that. This person… my donor. We don't know anything about them." Regina said.

"I know that they're the type of person who would give up something irreplaceable in order to save the life of someone they love." David responded. "And whoever they are, they were willing to give up a part of themselves in order to save a complete stranger's life as well. Your life Regina. Someone like that can't possibly be a bad person now can they?"

Regina frowned, looking up to meet his eyes. "I suppose you have a point. Maybe it won't… I don't know, revert me to my old ways."

"That's what you're afraid of?" David asked softly.

Regina nodded grimly.

"Regina if you hold on to the love that you have for Henry, for Emma… the darkness will never consume you again."

Regina looked at him dubiously. "How can you be certain?"

"Because I know the type of person you are beyond The Evil Queen. You allowed yourself to become her in order to protect yourself. But now you have something better."

Regina looked at him uncertainty.

"You have the love of your family." He clarified.

"You think that's enough to keep a person from giving in to the darkness?" She asked.

"I know it is."

Regina nodded. She was quiet for a few moments. "Thank you." She whispered.

David gave her a supportive smile and rubbed her arm gently.

Regina took in a deep breath. "David?"

"Yeah?"

"Can you please ask Emma to sleep on the couch tonight? Tell her I'm sorry, but I need to be alone."

David looked sad. "I'll tell her." He stood up and raised his arms, silently asking if she would like a hug.

Regina surprised herself by accepting the hug, but she felt very reassured by it.

"Get some rest Regina. You'll feel much better in the morning, I know it."

"I hope you're right." Regina responded softly.

David studied her for a moment, trying to make sure she was alright. "Regina, I don't think I need to tell you this, but Emma's been having nearly as difficult a time lately as you have. This illness, this transplant… they are things that are happening to you but they are also happening to everyone who cares about you. Emma's just gone though surgery for you. If you're ashamed because you think you're not the same person she fell in love with, then think again You're still the most important person in her life. Well, you and Henry."

Regina wrapped her arms around herself, dropping her gaze. She didn't respond.

"If they ask me… is it okay if I tell Emma and Snow what you just told me?" David asked.

Regina thought about it for a moment, before giving a silent nod.

"Do you need me to get anything for you?"

"No. Thank you David."

...

A/N: Thank you so much for reading. Please leave a review if you can!