Regina opened her eyes slowly, blinking against white lights that seemed far too bright. Her eyelids felt heavy and it was hard to keep them open, much less focus on anything specific. Everything looked like blurry blobs of solid colour against the brightness and she couldn't figure out exactly where she was.

She heard herself let out a small groan, and only became aware that someone was holding her hand when they suddenly squeezed it.

"Regina? Are you awake?"

Regina blinked again. It was Emma's voice, but she sounded muffled and far away.

"Emmm… Emmm…" Regina could hear her own voice trying to form Emma's name, though she couldn't really feel her mouth moving. It was all so surreal.

"I'm right here, Regina, I'm right here."

Regina felt that squeeze on her hand again, and another hand come to rest gently on her cheek, and though Emma's voice still sounded miles away, Regina breathed a sigh of relief realizing that must be who was touching her. Emma was right there.

"Emmm…"

"Shh, it's okay, don't try to move," Emma said, stroking her cheek. Regina hadn't even been aware that she was trying to move. "Just relax. You were in an accident, and you're hurt, but you're gonna be okay, alright? Just relax. You're in the hospital and you're not alone. I'm right here."

Her eyelids were so heavy, and Regina gave up on trying to focus, and closed her eyes again.

Regina's eyes fluttered open slowly. It only took a moment for her dream to come back to her, and she realized, for once, that she hadn't woken up in a panic after a dream about her accident. She furrowed her brow slightly, contemplating it, and wondered if she felt calm and safe because Emma had been there.

"Emma," she whispered aloud, turning to tell her about this latest returned memory. So far, all the memories she'd gotten back had been about the hospital or the accident itself, but still that meant more things were slowly coming back, and she wondered if that was the beginning to getting all of her memories back, eventually.

To her disappointment, Emma's side of the bed was empty. She sighed and glanced at the clock, noting that it was well after eleven in the morning, and Emma had likely been up at the crack of dawn with Hailey, as she usually was.

Regina had never been one for sleeping in so late, but that seemed to be the norm for her lately, and she supposed she also had her head injury to thank for that. Without fail, she'd always woken up before her alarm for as long as she'd been in this realm. It was to the point where she didn't think she really even needed it, her internal clock just knew when to wake her up.

Now, however, time didn't seem to function the same as it used to. Days seemed shorter than they ever had, though she wasn't really doing much, and she found herself quite often surprised to realize how late it already was, just as she was this morning.

Regina stretched and turned to grab her notebook from her nightstand, reminding herself that things would return to normal eventually. Perhaps once she was back to work and her normal routine, time would slow down to the right pace again. She hoped it would, at least.

She opened the book. If she hadn't lost any time, it should be Friday. She smiled to herself as she flipped the notebook open, remembering how she'd written about kissing Emma in there the night before.

"Monday," Regina said with a frown. So she'd lost two days. She let out a frustrated sigh as she started flipping back to read what she'd forgotten.

It only took Regina a moment to realize that she had to go back further than two entries to find the last one she remembered making. She hadn't lost two days, she'd lost a week and two days. She felt sick as she finally made it back to the Thursday she'd asked Emma to kiss her, and started reading the entries that followed.

Saturday

I've been seeing a new side of Emma since yesterday. I thought letting her kiss me would help me remember, but it seems to have helped her even more. She's so cheeky and playful, and much more vibrant than I've seen her since… well, ever, really. She seems so truly happy and comfortable, like she's let all of her walls down. It's refreshing to see, but I wish I could remember how she got to this place.

I've noticed that she never mentions Hook, and I suppose that's because he's ancient history to her now, but today I couldn't help but think of how defeated she always seemed when she was with him. That seems so recent to me; I can remember it perfectly. She never seemed truly happy, and now… well, is it possible that I have had the opposite effect on her? Could this relationship be the reason for this change? She says she loves me…

Sunday

This infernal beeping is getting the better of me today, and I wish I could fully convey to Emma how this sound grates on my very last nerve. I'm trying hard not to let it show because things are going well and I don't want to dampen that by acting irritable, but it's hard to take. I just don't want her to think I'm frustrated with her when that's so far from the case.

Today, I did some research on tinnitus, and I don't care what Whale says, that's not what this is. The man's a quack but Emma says she's had no luck trying to get me in to a doctor outside of Storybrooke.

Despite the fact that my head wounds seem to be nearly healed on the outside, this pounding headache also still comes and goes. I can't recall ever taking a pain killer, not even once, so it makes no sense. Further to that, Emma has told me, on several occasions, that I take something to sleep, but I don't remember taking any pills. This is so strange.

Is it possible I'm losing small bits of time even on the days I can remember?

Regina paused, rereading the last sentence again, and then glanced at the clock. It was nearly noon. How long had it been since she woke up?

She shook her head, wondering how she could possibly keep track of the minutes and hours when she could barely keep up with the days. She sighed and flipped over the page, but to her surprise, the writing she saw on the next page wasn't hers; it was Emma's.

Regina frowned. How had she not noticed this when she was flipping back through the pages? Emma hadn't even wrote in the same colour ink and she'd been using. She chalked it up to the stress of realizing she had lost more time, and began to read what Emma had written.

Regina…

Please, just come back to us. I'm not giving up, and neither is Henry, so guess what? You don't get to either, because we need you. And we miss you. You're a fighter Regina, nothing keeps you down. Remember that, okay? You're stronger than this, and… well, I can't do it without you. I don't know how to be a mother all by myself. I need you. We all do.

Regina's frown deepened. What did Emma mean, 'I don't know how to be a mother all by myself'? She may not remember the last few years, but Regina certainly remembered how to be a mother.

She wondered if perhaps Emma had written this before. Perhaps when she was still in the hospital and they weren't sure she was going to make it? Regina had assumed the notebook was blank when she'd picked it out of the drawer, but she hadn't really checked. She wondered if she'd noticed this entry before, in the time she'd forgotten. Perhaps she'd even asked Emma about it already.

Her head was spinning just thinking about it.

Halfheartedly, Regina read the rest of the entries. She learned that Hailey had started school the previous Monday, and her heart sank realizing that she'd lost an important day. Even if she didn't really know the little girl well yet, it still hurt.

She continued on to learn that Emma had started back to work the next day, though she really hadn't wanted to and thought it was too soon to be leaving Regina alone, the station was far too understaffed and she'd had no choice.

The rest of the entries talked about headaches and ringing and trying to adjust to another new schedule. Regina put the book down and got up to walk over to the bedroom window. She pushed the curtains back and peered down to the driveway. Sure enough, Emma's bug was absent and she guessed she was already off to work for the day. Even if she'd wanted to ask Emma about what she'd written in the book, it would have to wait now, so she decided to try to put it out of her mind for now.

Sighing, Regina reached up to wipe away the few tears that had escaped while she'd been reading. It was so unfair that this was happening, and she couldn't help but think it was some sort of karma for her past misdeeds. Afterall, she'd taken away everyone's memories for years, so wasn't it fitting that the same thing would happen to her when she was finally happy?

She shook the thought from her head. Wallowing wasn't going to help anything, and she figured she might as well just get on with her day.

After showering and getting dressed, Regina headed down to the kitchen to make some lunch. The clock said it was nearly one thirty by the time she got the leftover chicken parmesan in the microwave, and she shook her head in disbelief.

The microwave dinged moments later, and as she took the plate out, Regina realized she couldn't remember the last time she'd reheated something this way. Perhaps right after the curse broke, when she was heartbroken over losing Henry? She couldn't really remember, but she also knew she couldn't be bothered reheating it in the oven as she'd normally do. She just didn't seem to have the willpower.

Though she was hungry, Regina just picked at her food as she sat at the table and stared out the window. She was too anxious to really eat, and now that she thought about it, a little too lonely.

It was strange to her, since she'd spend decades alone, and even spent ample time on her own once she'd gotten Henry. She'd always been able to cope when he left for school for the day, but today she just couldn't deal with the empty house. Maybe it was because she'd gotten so used to having a whole family around, or maybe…

It hit her then. She missed Emma.

Swallowing back the lump in her throat, Regina got up, completely forgetting about the barely touched food on her plate as she made her way to the door. She wasn't even fully thinking it through, she just knew she needed to get to the station and see Emma. Her shoes were barely on before she was out the door, and moments later she stood, staring at the empty driveway.

"Shit," she mumbled to herself, remembering that she no longer had a vehicle. "There goes that idea."

Briefly, Regina considered just walking to the station, but decided against it, for fear that she'd be stricken with another headache along the way. Instead, she went back inside and grabbed a photo album off of the bookshelf before settling in on the couch. She may have to wait a few more hours to actually spend time with Emma, but in the meantime, she decided pictures were the next best thing.

She curled up, tucking her legs underneath her as she opened the album. It was a different one from the one Emma had shown her before, apparently from a vacation they'd taken. There were pictures from a beach, and Henry was there, though he looked much younger than he did now, and much more the way Regina had remembered him. She didn't see Hailey in any of them, and she decided this must have been from a time before they'd adopted her.

Regina smiled as she took in the photos before her. She might not be able to remember, but she could see how happy they looked. There were photos of Emma burying Henry up to the neck in sand, photos of Emma and Henry splashing each other in the water. Regina guessed she must have been the one taking the pictures, since she hadn't seen any of herself yet.

Finally, on the fifth page, there was a photo of the three of them. Regina was in the middle, Henry hugging her from one side, and Emma on the other, one arm around her and one arm outstretched, apparently taking the photo. Emma was grinning widely, the skin on her cheeks and nose a little pink from the sun. Regina wondered if she had to pester her about sunscreen the way she'd always had to with Henry.

Henry looked like he was mid-laugh, and there was sand on his arms and shoulders, and Regina guessed this photo was taken shortly after he'd escaped being buried in the sand.

But the face that drew her in most was her own. She was beaming, and though she could tell the sun was her her eyes by the way she was squinting, her smile was genuine. She couldn't remember the last time she'd felt as happy as she looked in that picture, and it made her think back to what she'd written about Emma.

Maybe this relationship had brought out the best in both of them?

Before she really had time to think on that, she heard the click of the front door opening, and her heart skipped a beat. It had to be Emma.

Sure enough, moments later, Emma breezed into the living room with a "hey, babe!"

"Hey," Regina breathed out, staring up at her.

"Whatcha doing?" Emma asked, nodding toward the photo album in Regina's hand.

"I just, uh…" Regina stammered, suddenly feeling like it would be silly to admit she'd been looking at pictures because she'd missed her.

"You okay?" Emma asked, moving to sit next to next to Regina and take the photo album from her hands.

Regina watched as Emma placed the album, still open, behind her on the couch.

"Babe?"

"Kiss me," Regina said, suddenly. She hadn't even had a chance to think about what she'd said, she just knew she needed to be closer to Emma. Right now.

Emma grinned and complied, leaning in to close the short distance between them, pressing her lips hard against Regina's. The spark when their lips made contact was electric, and Regina thought she might just be able to get lost in this feeling forever.

Regina felt Emma's fingers lacing through her hair, bringing her closer as her tongue entered her mouth, and Regina gasped as she felt herself starting to get wet.

Pulling back for a moment, Emma looked seriously into her eyes. "You okay?"

Regina nodded emphatically. "Very okay," Regina replied, surprising herself with how low and sultry her own voice sounded.

Emma smiled. "Okay," she said, leaning in to kiss her again.

Momentarily, it occurred to Regina that maybe they could take it further. Surely, Emma would agree if she asked, though she wasn't completely sure she was ready. Part of her wanted to just give in and go for it, but another part was still guarded and unsure.

Either way, the opportunity slipped away as Emma pulled back again, and pushed a few strands of Regina's hair away from her face. "I've gotta get Hailey from school soon," she said, and Regina nodded. "You wanna come with me?"

Regina smiled. "Yes."

"Great." Emma continued to look into her eyes and smile for a moment, her fingers still in Regina's hair. "I love you."

Regina swallowed, and though she desperately wanted to say it back, she couldn't seem to make herself say the words.

For her part, Emma seemed to notice the internal struggle going on, and she said, "it's okay. We should go."

"Yes," Regina said quietly, and she allowed Emma to take her hand and help her stand back up. She squeezed Emma's hand the way she'd remembered Emma doing in her dream, and tried to reconcile the thoughts and feelings swirling inside her right now.

A big part of her felt like these feelings were being awoken for the first time, but her logical brain knew that these feelings must already exist, and she'd just forgotten them. It was such an odd thing, feeling like she was in a brand new relationship when they were already five years in. It was new and familiar at the same time, and though she liked this exciting feeling, she wished, more desperately than ever, that she could just remember.