Oh my gosh why is this story so depressing! I'm so sorry guys! I haven't been over these chapters in so long and man... i'm dragging this out. Tugging on those heart strings. grrr! I'm sorry! If it makes you feel any better, at some point (idk when yet) BUT at some point, things will be more positive. Thank you so much for reading if you are still with me. It means a lot to know that people are actually reading my story! And I love to hear from you guys too so leave comments! (PS: And please excuse my terrible grammar and writing skills. I am not an english major nor did I ever pay attention in english class lol)

Enjoy!

Puzzle Pieces

Henry enthusiastically pointed to the pictures spread out between himself and Regina as they sat on her hospital bed. He was attempting to explain the origins of each one to Regina but as the hour drug on, Emma could tell that his stories were beginning to mush into a jumbled mess and feared that she had sprung too much on Regina at one time. This had been the second day Henry had been in to see Regina. Today he was quite tame compared to the day before when, despite Emma's warnings, lunged himself at the brunette, wrapping his arms around her neck as fast as he could. Emma immediately tried to pull him off of her but Regina took the surprise attack quite well. Not many people know how to respond to a kid throwing himself at them, but even in her memory state, she was still so amazing.

"This one is when we went down to the beach when we were in Tallahassee. My mom took the picture while we were building a sand castle. And then later she acted all "clumsy" and fell on top of it." He gave Emma an angry look.

"Hey, I can't control my clumsiness sometimes. You know that." Emma joked looking over his shoulder at the picture she could so clearly remember taking. One rectangular shoe box containing nearly every good memory they spent together and somehow Emma couldn't face the fact that things were different. It was like everyone was having the same dream and now they had all woken up and were now trying to piece it all together.

"Yeah whatever. This one is from one of my basketball tournaments last year. We got first place so of course we had to take pictures." Henry stuck a couple more out in front of Regina. Some with just him and his team. One slightly blurry one of just the three of them. "My friend Jake took that one and he is kind of clumsy so it's blurry."

Regina reached down and picked it up, tracing the lines of her face in the picture. Emma straightened up a bit and her grip tightened around the edge of the bed and her heart pounded and she felt heavy and there was too much happening at once. Did she remember something? Did she remember taking the picture? Something. Anything.

Henry continued his explanations and after a while Emma could see the exhaustion setting into Regina's eyes. Henry had been at this for over an hour which didn't seem very long to him, but for Regina it felt like days.

"Alright kid. Why don't we take a break, yeah? Let Regina get some rest okay?" She kissed the top of his head and helped him put all of his pictures back inside his shoe box.

"Yeah, okay. Maybe tomorrow I can tell you about that time we all went out for shakes and the car broke down."

Emma laughed. "Alright, kid. Go find your granddad and tell him to take you home. It's almost past your bedtime anyway."

"Mom, I'm thirteen. Do I really have a bed time still?"

"Uh, yes. And don't let your granddad keep you up too late with his war stories okay." Emma kissed him on the forehead one last time and nudged him out the door.

"Okay, mom. Goodnight." Henry yawned. "Bye, Regina! See you tomorrow." At his words he jogged off down the hall to the waiting room where his granddad had said he would be when he was done.

Emma shut the door quietly and heard the whir of the bed as Regina pushed the button and laid the bed back a little bit. It had been a long day for both of them. The doctors had been in and out taking blood and running a few extra tests to make sure she was stable enough to go home. Emma didn't get much sleep last night, and she figured Regina didn't either since Emma laid awake most of the night watching the brunette toss and turn.

"Sorry if he is a little overwhelming. He gets carried away sometimes." Emma scratched the back of her head uncomfortably.

"It's quite alright. I have enjoyed his stories today." Regina responded. "Oops." She said suddenly pulling a picture out from under her covers. "Looks like he forgot one." She laughed a little. The brunette looked at it and then up at Emma. Emma watched her with curious eyes.

"So this was us?" Regina turned the picture around and handed it to Emma. Emma stepped to her and took it, taking a seat on the edge of the bed.

"Oh yeah. This was for your birthday actually last year. We threw a big party at Granny's for you and everyone came out." Emma remembered the moment like it was yesterday.

"Should I know who Granny is?" Regina asked innocently.

Emma smiled. "Um, she is the woman who owns the diner. She's Granny so we all just call it Granny's. That's usually where the town goes for celebrations or anything. She makes the best lasagna on the planet let me tell you." Emma stated matter of factly.

"Oh. Well I'll have to try it sometimes then." Regina said softly. "To be honest this hospital food is not really cutting it." She reached for her water cup but it was just out of reach.

"Oh here, let me get that." Emma dropped the photo on the bed and moved to the other side handing Regina the cup. Regina picked her bed up a little so she would be right up when she drank it.

"Mm… thank you." She said after she swallowed.

"Are you going to sleep here again tonight?" Regina asked through the silence.

"Well I've been doing it for over a month now so I don't see why I wouldn't." Emma joked. I mean she had been there for a month and she figured she would just finish off the last few days until Regina was let out.

"You've been here for a month? Why?" Regina asked puzzled.

"Uh," Emma nervously rubbed the back of her neck as she tried to figure out what would be the right thing to say in this moment. "well, I wanted to stay here to make sure you were okay." Emma admitted. She fingered the picture on the bed and then looked up with a small smile on her face.

"Were we, uh, together before this?" Regina asked.

Emma could help but smile at the innocence of the question. "Yes we were." She laughed a little. "Do remember anything about that?" She asked casually, hoping that maybe something had come through.

"Were we married?" Regina asked again. Trying hard to remember.

Emma's mind went immediately to the ring that was sitting in the room closet near the couch she had been sleeping on. She hadn't let it out of her site since the day of the accident. "Uh, no. Not yet anyway."

"Not yet?" Regina asked puzzled. "Were we engaged?"

Emma's smile drifted downward. "No." She said looking down at the sheets.

"Oh." Regina answered, understanding where this had headed.

"But we were living together so I guess you could say it was getting serious." Emma mentioned shrugging her shoulders.

Regina laughed a little. "Was it my place or your place?"

"Definitely your place." Emma answered, and they both laughed. "Everything down to the white picket fence." Emma smiled. This was turning out to be a nice moment. She was happy to answer Regina's questions though it still stung every time Regina asked about their relationship. She just wished that something would spark her memory and then they could just go home as one big happy family.

"I'm sorry I can't remember anything." Regina apologized as she picked at the thick white bracelets around her wrist. "I wish I could, honestly. It sucks to not remember anything. I feel like a walking white board and everything has just been erased."

"There is absolutely no reason for you to be sorry. I just hope that I can do a good enough job to help you remember." Emma hesitated to reach for Regina's hand but then second guessed it, figuring that the woman wasn't really sure of herself yet.

"Well I truly appreciate your help." Regina smiled at Emma. She couldn't help but find the blonde very beautiful and was sure there was something inside of her that was supposed to love her. She just had to find it.

"Maybe you should go home and get some rest?" Regina offered quietly.

"Really it's fine. I've gotten used to this dusty old couch." Emma defended herself, patting the thin leather next to her.

"Well I assure you I am well taken care of here. Surely you can get better rest at.. um… our house. Please, for me?" Regina pleaded. Emma really had no intention to leave Regina here.

"Did Graham talk to you or something? I swear he has been trying to get me out of here for weeks now. Don't let him scare you. Really, I'm fine." Emma protested.

"Emma." Regina stated. "You don't need to stay here with me. Please, give yourself a break. I'm asking you to do this for me. I want you to get some sleep. I'd feel much better if I knew you were sleeping in a real bed." Regina stated again. She really wasn't asking anymore, and Emma could tell she was serious.

"Well… um… I guess I could go for one night. I'll… uh… make sure I'm back first thing in the morning." Emma couldn't hide her disappointment. "If something happens you can call me, or you don't have to, it really doesn't matter, but I'll have my phone on just in case, and I'll tell them to call me or something if you need anything or…" Emma took a deep breath. This was not happening very well. She didn't want to leave.

"Emma, really, it's going to be fine. Don't rush up here in the morning okay? Just take it easy." Regina tried to comfort her, but the shaking blonde couldn't hide her nervousness.

Emma tried to hide the struggle but it was too much to contain. "Oh, and I'll take that picture back to Henry I guess. I'm sure he hadn't even noticed it missing." Emma smiled shortly reaching for it after awkwardly grabbing her jacket only for Regina to reach for it at the same time.

"Actually can you leave it?" She asked picking it up from next to her. "I'd like to keep it. At least for now. Maybe it will help me remember." She looked down at it for a moment and then back up at Emma.

Emma felt the tears burning in her eyes and she sniffed quickly and swallowed the emotions. "Yeah. Yeah, absolutely, you keep it as long as you want. Like I said Henry probably wouldn't even notice." As she turned to walk toward the door she stopped and looked back one last time at Regina. The brunette was looking down at the picture and then glanced back up at her after noticing the blonde hadn't left.

"Bye, Emma." Regina half whispered.

Emma couldn't even say the words without crying so she quickly stepped out and shut the door behind her. She pushed herself into a slight jog, so as to make it harder for her to turn around. Everything inside of her wanted her to turn around, but she realized that maybe Regina just needed some time alone. It was easy to stick around while she was asleep for so long, but now she was awake and aware of everything around her. She had been given a lot of information since she woke up two days ago, and Emma knew she needed time to absorb it all.

The icy air outside met Emma's skin like a ton of bricks. She shivered and pulled her coat over her shoulders wrapping it around her as tightly as she could. Her car was no longer in the parking lot and she kicked herself when she remembered she had told Red to take it home and drive it every now and then a couple of weeks ago so the battery wouldn't die. She didn't feel like calling anyone to come pick her up either and she figured the couple of blocks to Regina's house wouldn't be that bad. She looked up at the windows of the hospital above her, wondering what Regina could be doing, but then turned and headed off into the cold Maine air.

The walk back was slow and silent. The town was usually a dead zone after eight and she figured the odds of running into someone she knew was slim to none. Her boots felt heavy as she walked and she felt like the further she got from the hospital, the heavier the air surrounded her. Every fiber of her being was pulling her back to Regina. The fresh air stung at her lungs seeing as she hadn't really gotten any for weeks. Everything about being away from Regina made her feel dirty and sick to her stomach.

The sight of the large white house in front of her made her stop at the end of the walkway and stare up at the place she called home. Could she really call it home now? It was only a home when her and Regina shared it together. Family dinner, movie nights, date nights, the constant busy noise of life that was once theirs was now silent like the darkness had sucked it all away in the month she had been gone. It's a wonderful feeling when a house becomes a home, but what is it called when a home becomes just another house? The words escaped her, and the feeling were numb in the cold air swirling around her, stiring the leaves at her feet. Desolate. That was what it felt like to have a home become just another house on the block.

She followed the brick walkway up to the front door and contemplated if going inside would make her feel colder than being outside. The emptiness of the darkness inside was something she was not ready to face alone. It was something no one should have to face alone. Yet here she was meeting the darkness like an old friend from her dreams that had been stalking her in the shadows.

"Here we go." She took a deep breath as she put the key in the door and turned the lock. The door squeaked open, allowing Emma to enter. The lingering smell of apples and cinnamon surrounded her in a blanket of familiarity. Nothing had been touched since she left the morning of the accident. There was a pile of mail sitting on the dining room table, probably from Ruby. Emma pushed a few of them aside glancing at what was there but eventually moved her attention to other things. The kitchen was spotless just like it always had been, unless it was Emma's turn to cook, which then it was left in utter destruction.

She looked around the rooms like she was in a museum. Her fingers passing ever so gently over everything she could touch and her senses in overdrive to feel any remaining piece of Regina that may be still lingering inside the house. She opened one of the cabinets and pulled down a wine glass and then found a half empty bottle of Sangria on top of the fridge. She opened it and poured the glass almost completely full. It took her two tries but she finally gulped it all down and took another swig from the bottle before filling her glass again and replacing the bottle back up on the fridge. The living room was dark from the lack of light coming in through the windows. She flicked on a light and looked around. It was like life there had been completely frozen for a month. On the small table next to one of the arm chairs was a book that Regina had been trying to finish before the movie came out. It was some mystery novel that Emma was not nearly interested in. She was more of the mythological creatures type girl.

On top of the book was a pair of glasses that Regina always looked extra sexy in. For some reason a principal in glasses was Emma's weakness. She remembered watching Regina the night before everything changed, her eyes studying the words of her book, and the slight smile that played across her own face as the brunette devoured page after page. Emma loved watching Regina do random things. It was like watching her in her element, like there wasn't a care in the world. Like seeing someone so innocent, someone who didn't have to put up a front to try and look good or be the best. She was just normal. She was perfect. She was Emma's everything.

She headed up stairs as slowly as she could, tracing her hands on the wooden railings, touching anything and everything that Regina may have touch on the day of the accident. She passed Henry's room and looked in, not really expecting to find anything but curious as to if it had been frozen in time as well. Reluctantly it wasn't, knowing he had probably been in and out to get things while he was staying at Emma's foster parents house. Emma's foster parents lived in town. They had moved their shortly after Emma had moved there. She was their only child since they couldn't have any naturally. She had been with them for two years until she turned 18 and was off on her own. They had treated her much better than the previous home she was in with August. She felt especially lucky to find parents that loved her as their own, and not just another mouth to feed and a weekly check. Not many kids have that advantage. And she was happy to know that Henry was welcome at their house whenever he needed.

When she made it to the door of her and Regina's room she stopped to collect her thoughts. Her skin burned on the cold doorknob but she forced herself to turn it and opened the door. A rush of air blew past her skin like a breath escaping from the empty room. She stepped in, and without turning on the lights, she stood there for a moment. Alone. She felt like she had been away from this place for so long and it was like finding that familiar place again, except now it had turned dark and empty. There was obviously something missing. She did not like the feeling of being alone. She didn't want to be here.

Nevertheless she forced her way to the bed. Whether she wanted to or not, sleeping in a real bed might actually help her clear her head. She shed her jacket and boots and her jeans, finding a pair of Regina's shorts in one of her drawers, her tank top barely covering the band of her shorts, and she crawled in, holding onto Regina's scent that lingered on everything. Her shampoo on her pillow. Her perfume in the sheets. She pulled the brunettes pillow over to her body and held onto it tightly, breathing in the woman she missed so much. By then, the tears had begun to burn and fall down her cheeks. There was no security in any of this. Nothing to convince her that things would ever be normal. To convince her that it was even possible for Regina to love her again. If anything, this entire house was just a slap in the face of what could have been. So she cried. She cried the same old tears that she had been crying for a month. They felt like old friends to Emma. The only thing that had been stable in her life for so many weeks. Their warmth covered her cheeks and carried her off to her dreams.

Find me, Emma.