Okay so this chapter is practically completely from Emma's point of view, I wanted to add her history and the first meeting of our women, I'm not sure how I feel about this chapter but I wanted to get it over with. I hope it's okay.

I don't know anything about cancer or the medical terms and treatments that go with it as it's just a small element to this story but I hope I covered it okay. I mean no offense with anything that I write.

Things are going to start moving forward with our women and I will be including more MM and David, Emma will eventually have to tell them what's been going on with her but I kind of want to keep it her secret for a while longer.

I will be adding more flashbacks in order for you to understand the friendship these women have (Ruby as well) as well as keeping the present story moving along at a good pace. Let me know if you like what you've read so far and anything you want to be included (characters, scenes, plot lines etc.) all are welcome and if you are on tumblr don't hesitate to give me a follow or message on there, I am chelseadaggz on there like here hope to hear from you and that you enjoy how this story is going.


"Miss Swan?" she looked up from the spot on the desk she'd been studying intently, she just couldn't get her head around it. It felt as though one second she'd been sat in her doctor's office complaining as usual about that week's headache and now after three lots of blood tests and countless other tests she was awaiting the results of a CAT scan…what the hell?

If she wasn't so stubborn she'd probably admit that she was scared, no…she was terrified. She'd not long returned to Storybrooke from Boston, her boss hadn't been happy about giving her paid holiday so early in the year but her doctor had insisted on this trip, there was nothing Emma could do. Her parents had been more than welcoming, in fact they had been none stop trying to convince her to stay but she had been adamant in being in this hum drum town for as little as possible.

The smell that lingers around all hospitals makes her uneasy, it's too clean…it's as though they're trying too hard to cover up any other smells and she definitely doesn't want to think of what they could be – not today.

The room they enter is small but cosy; there is a picture of two children on the doctor's desk, a boy and a girl. "That's Nicholas and Eva." He had seen where her gaze lay and his smile was warm…too kind for her liking but maybe she was just over-analysing. That's what you do in these situations, you try and discover what the news is going to be before the doctor says it, that way you can school your features just in time to avoid the pitiful words and sorrowful gazes that mean nothing but humiliation.

"They're cute." Came the rehearsed reply.

"So Miss Swan, you were referred to us because of some questions regarding your blood work am I correct?" He clearly knew the answer so why was he stalling?

"That's what I was told Doc."

He took her in for an extra moment before continuing on, "Miss Swan, have you noticed any changes in your appetite lately? Any fatigue, fevers?"

She furrowed her brow as she thought about his question, had she? Well she'd been feeling a lot more run down as of late but she'd been working hard…it was winter…it was normal wasn't it? "Not that I've noticed…why?"

He sighed deeply as he continued, "we found some swollen lymph nodes in your neck in the CAT scan and it concerns me."

"Oh?"

There was the pity, oh god.

"I want to send you in for a biopsy." His fingers were interlaced as they rested on his desk, looking every inch the stereotypical worried doctor.

"So…what is it you think I have?"

"I don't want you to panic," well now I'm obviously going to panic! "This can be any number of things..."

She had to ask the biggest question so that he could scoff at her stupidity and rule it out straight away, "is one of them cancer?"

The look on his face said it all. "It could be."

It felt as though her heart had dropped through her chest, how could this be happening to her?

"But we're hoping the biopsy will rule that out." It didn't register with her, the C word had been dropped and it felt as though it was ricocheting from every surface in her head back and forth, round and round, over and over.

She could tell he was still talking, his lips were moving but there was no sound coming from them, it can't be cancer! It just can't! She was too young, she was healthy! She went to the gym at least 4 times a week, sometimes more if her job allowed it. She felt fine! She felt…well, maybe a little overly tired sometimes but that was because of her job…sure she'd lost some of her appetite but she was tired so…she…oh god. What the hell was she going to do? What was she going to tell her parents?! Her mother was such a worrier already; she'd had to tell them she was simply visiting in order to be able to leave the house alone.

Cancer.


It hadn't taken long after that for the full diagnosis, many variations of treatments had been suggested but in the end they all led to the big one, chemotherapy. She had been terrified when it had come the time for her first treatment; they had agreed that she would come in every Monday to the hospital to receive it. She had dreamt quite vividly the night before of the medicine running into her body like poison burning through her veins filling every part of her. She had awoken in the night sweaty and shaking, how could it have come to this?

She had told her parents that she would be staying for a while, soon a while had turned into a month, then 6 months and now she was coming close to the year mark. The only people who knew of her condition were her doctors and nurses and of course her old boss. That conversation had been far more than awkward, it had also felt as though he wanted to end the exchange of words as quickly as possible so not to contract the disease himself through the telephone…arsehole.

Luckily her weight hadn't really suffered throughout, she had been able to maintain a semblance of her old self with help from extra layers of clothes and not spending too much time around her mother for fear of her trying to touch Emma or cook unnecessary meals which she would be unable to keep down for long enough to continue to hide her condition. It was made easier however when she was able to find an apartment of her own. Her parents had been so excited that she could be staying for quite some time that they hadn't had chance to ask where it was she disappeared to every Monday and why it seemed her hair had changed somewhat.

Countless hours of searching online and she had finally managed to find a wig that resembled her own hair, the doctor had warned her about hair loss but she hadn't expected it to actually happen. Emma had lay on her bed for hours sobbing into her pillow the first time one of her long golden curls had come out in her hand, it was terrifying and it was her first dose of reality, the reality that she was in fact currently battling cancer.

So her life had changed a lot in the past year, her disease was definitely the worst part of it without a doubt, she also didn't like the fact that she'd had to give up her job. She loved being a bail bondsperson; it was part of what made her Emma. Instead she'd had to settle on picking up shifts at the diner whilst she still could, she needed to work, needed to keep busy in order to stay sane. It was nice being closer to her parents once again, they'd moved to Storybrooke a few years back in order to settle down completely. Emma had been born and grown up in Boston but once she was older and had her own life now Mary Margaret Swan and David Swan had decided enough was enough, that there was too much noise and hustle and bustle in the big city so they needed to move and the town suited them.

Mary Margaret had taken up a post at the school teaching and David had taken over at the animal shelter, they loved the simplicity of their days now and were especially content now that their daughter had returned to them even if she was slightly more distant than usual but sometimes that was part of her charm. They knew to just leave her to her own devices otherwise she could do what she does best and run from them again.


Emma had made a few friends in her time here; working at the diner had certainly helped with this. Granny Lucas, her boss, was a lovely older woman whom the town loved dearly. The diner had been there for as long as anyone could remember and Granny had always been at the helm cooking some of the most delicious home cooked food Emma had ever tasted. The atmosphere was always light and friendly, there was the occasional kick off with Leroy the town drunk having a few too many and having to be taken into the sheriff's station in order to sleep the alcohol off. A nice 'I'm sorry' card always seemed to make it onto the diner's counter the morning after so all would be forgiven.

Ruby Lucas was certainly a force to be reckoned with; she was a tall, leggy, beautiful mess of a girl who had just started her first year residency at the hospital. Emma had almost considered quitting her job until the brunette had pulled her aside and promised to keep her secret as long as it didn't put her health in more danger than it already was; now they simply had an unspoken agreement not to talk of it during working hours, Emma's working hours that was. Ruby came to visit with Emma occasionally but like Regina she was very busy also.

Regina.


Where the hell to start with this woman? They had their banter which both enjoyed immensely but they did also have their moments of simple silence in which they were content to just sit with each other. They shared stories of their pasts and their current lives but nothing too personal, not just yet. Emma remembered their first meeting well.

"Marry me beautiful." Emma looked up from the magazine she had brought with her to the session, this was her third and she would be damned if she sat another round of treatment with nothing but the beige walls of the hospital to keep her occupied. They were few other patients in the room whenever she was there and so conversing with someone else was out of the question. Today however seemed to be different.

The two stations next to her were unoccupied as was the one directly opposite, the one next to that however was filled by an elderly gentlemen. He was bald, whether that was due to age or his treatment Emma didn't know but it was his eyes that caught her the most, they were full of life, of youth. They sparkled a brilliant blue as he smiled at the woman in front of him, she must be his doctor.

"I'm very sorry Mr Colt but I've already accepted Mr Leiberman's proposal." She replied, her voice was husky and struck a chord within Emma, she was instantly drawn in.

"Oh that sap?" laughed the man, "he wouldn't know what to do with a woman like you my darling! And how many times have I told you to call me Daniel? Mr Colt was my father my dear and I can assure you; he wasn't half as charming as me." He winked for added measure.

The next sound that filled the room was so mesmerizing, the blonde was sure her heart had stopped in that moment – it was the brunette's laughter. It was so melodically perfect Emma never wanted it to stop; the doctor's shoulder shook with the force of it, her tiny frame vibrated with every breath she took. Then she turned and Emma's heart did stop.

She was stunning. Her short brown hair flicked down to her shoulders and swayed with every movement, the artificial lights were bouncing from it emphasizing its silkiness, Emma wondered what it would be like to run her fingers through it, she wondered what it would smell like as she buried her nose in it. Her dark eyes were framed with long, thick, dark lashes. The blonde didn't think she would survive if that gaze fell on her, she could see the laughter dancing through them but also caught a glimpse of the doctor's exhaustion, her worries and anxiety in regards to her job. It was plain to see that the woman cared deeply for her patients, she knew to keep the tone of conversation light but also the fear of a time limit with these people was evident throughout these sessions, it clearly saddened the woman deeply. Emma's heart lifted as she caught the upturn of the doctor's mouth as she finishing settling her patient, he made her laugh that much was clear but Emma could almost feel the kindness and fondness radiating from her as she gently set his legs upon the footstool in front of him.

The blonde couldn't help but laugh at the old man's appreciative glance at the doctor's shapely backside as she helped him into position, he caught Emma's eye and winked causing her chuckling to become more than audible. At this the brunette looked up and found Emma sitting just across the room, their eyes locked and the blonde's laughter stopped abruptly. It felt like an eternity before the brunette looked behind her and found the source of Emma's amusement. She shot into a standing position as fast as lightning and lightly tapped the elderly man on his thin arm whilst giggling wildly.

"Mr Colt!"

"What?" he had taken on as convincing a look of innocence as he could before he broke into a wide grin, "if you got it Doc, flaunt it!" she rolled her eyes as he looked back over to Emma, "am I right?"

Her eyebrows rose as the brunette rolled her eyes and looked back towards the blonde with an indiscernible expression on her face, curiosity? Amusement? Emma wasn't sure but she couldn't help the warmth that filled her body at this woman's attention on her, she decided she had to play along and try using some of her charm to win over this doctor, maybe she could convince her to take over from her leach of a doctor, he was disgusting.

"Man's got a point Doc."

"Oh is that right?" she asked incredulously whilst laughing at Emma's sudden turn of boldness.

Emma merely shrugged and looked back towards her magazine, playing hard to get was her speciality, always leave them wanting more. It didn't take long.

"Okay so that's you set up for the day Daniel, will your daughter be visiting you today?" she asked kindly as she looked down upon her patient.

"No not today my lovely," he sighed, "work was starting to get on top of her so I told her not to worry, besides I've got my favourite Doc right here to keep me company."

Her glorious laugh filled the room once again but Emma refused to look up, she didn't want to seem like a weirdo before the brunette had even tried to get to know her, "well I'll be sure to check in on you again later when I have the time." She had replied and Emma's heart sank as she heard nothing more but the sound of footsteps, damn.

"Hi, I'm Doctor Mills," Emma's head snapped up at the husky voice, she was here standing in front of the blonde like some kind of goddess. "all my patients call me Regina though." She smiled kindly as Emma took her hand, it was so soft and her name? Oh Jesus, it was almost as beautiful as her. She didn't know how long she had been staring until Regina spoke again, "you got a name?"

"Oh uhm, yeah I'm Emma…Emma Swan." She was glad to find no nervousness in her voice, by some miracle she had managed to keep it steady as she lost herself in deep brown eyes. She wasn't sure but she could've sworn she found the same level of curiosity and possibly want within the dark orbs that studied her but, no that was ridiculous, she was just being an absolute idiot with a crush on the hot doctor. Regina's hand stayed within Emma's for a while though before she withdrew it slowly and looked to the linoleum floor. "So…you worked here long?" Nice Emma, such an insightful question, idiot.

Regina looked glad for the enquiry however, "around 4 years I think, wow. I didn't realize it had been that long." Emma patted the seat next to her own for Regina to sit down, she took the offering gladly.

"Do you enjoy it?" Emma asked in earnest, she was entranced by this woman after just a few minutes and she wanted more.

Regina considered this for a second before answering, "It can be dull especially since the town is so small but…it has its perks." The last part was said with what could pass as a smirk in Emma's direction…was she flirting?

Emma hadn't had much time to work that out before Regina's beeper went off signalling the brunette's need to be somewhere else, "I'm sorry Miss Swan…"

"Please, call me Emma." She didn't know why but she could feel a deep blush spreading across her cheeks so she quickly diverted her gaze downwards hoping Regina wouldn't notice.

"Okay…Emma, I'm sorry but I have to get going." Regina smiled apologetically before beginning to back away from the room but not before adding, "I'll come and visit with you again soon."


And she had, almost every session she had managed to steal away some time to visit with the blonde much to Emma's immense pleasure. They mainly sat in a comfortable silence, Regina filling in paperwork and Emma reading through that week's gossip magazine or that day's newspaper. It was nice and Emma knew she wouldn't have been able to stay sane without Regina, she was so thankful for the woman and now she could finally pay her back, could finally show her how much she had come to mean to the blonde.

She had returned to her apartment the night before last after receiving the good news and was due to work that morning, she brushed her hair from her tearful green eyes as she stood in front of her mirror. It was the first time she had truly been able to look at herself again without seeing the sharpness of her bones stretching her sallow skin due to treatment, her wig resembled her own hair more than she thought and she was beginning to look like Emma again – it was amazing. This was the first Monday she had ever been able to cover at the diner and she hoped there would be many more from now on.

Emma glanced down at her watch seeing that it was almost time to take over from Sarah, the other waitress that usually worked the night shift but for once Emma was able to relieve her of it. She flattened out the creases in her apron before heading out into the cold early evening air. The smell of the afternoon rain caressed her senses and she was finally able to appreciate it, she took in the sounds of the birds chirping happily without feeling bitterness for their freedom. She passed a few citizens whom she had met a couple of times upon serving them in the diner; they smiled politely as they passed confused slightly by her overly-friendly grin. 'Get used to it people cause this chicks sticking around.'

Okay, so maybe she had been too happy or optimistic about this shift…it felt as though she had been working for around 6 hours…it had only been half that. It was 9 o'clock on a Monday night, not exactly rush hour but surely more people were around. Perhaps not, Granny had taken the lull in service to carry out some inventory in the back leaving Emma leaning casually on the counter with nothing to do but twiddle her thumbs. She should be grateful for the slow service considering her condition but now that she was on the mend she was worried about the level of job satisfaction she was going to get from this place. Sure she loved working here and was grateful for Granny's understand when over the last few months she hadn't been able to make it to work for various reasons, the woman never asked questions but only wished Emma well and asked her to let her know when she would be back in work. Emma on many an occasion had wondered if Ruby had let her secret spill to the older woman but either way nothing had been said to her about it.

Emma had just started making spirals in a pile of sugar on the counter with her finger when she heard the bell above the diner sound letting her know a customer had arrived. Standing straight and looking up she let herself slouch again when she found it to be Ruby on her way back from the hospital.

"Oh, it's you."

"Gee, thanks. I see your customer service skills are just as sharp as always." Ruby replied sarcastically before pulling Emma into an embrace squeezing as tightly as she dared.

Emma soon relaxed into the hug but it wasn't long before she was pulling back with curiosity in her eyes, "and that was for?"

"Oh, I don't know. Can't one friend hug another healthy friend without reason?" Ruby's grin widened as she saw the sparkle of mischief in the waitresses eyes as she let slip the reason for her joy.

Emma laughed and nudged her friend playfully in the ribs, "Okay, who told you?"

"Your girlfriend, who do you think?" Emma rolled her eyes at this before walking to the back to prepare their usual hot chocolates. Whenever Emma was working the brunette would always stop by for a catch up over a drink, today was different, Emma was finally on the road to recovery and so this called for extra whipped cream and chocolate sprinkles for good measure.

"She is not my girlfriend." Emma stated as she placed the cups on the counter, she used a finger to scoop some of the cream from the mountain covering her drink. She thought of what it would be like though, to call someone as magnificent as Regina her girlfriend. The brunette hadn't said no to Emma's reminder of the date she was owed, she smiled even. The blonde's heart fluttered at this, what if Ruby's teasing could become a reality? She hadn't even realized her companion was talking until she heard the brunette's name.

"I'm sorry what?"

Ruby rolled her eyes; she knew the blonde hadn't been listening. "I said that since the hospital isn't buys tonight, Whale," a look of disgust crossed her features, "said that Regina could leave early…in fact," she looked at the clock above Emma's head, "she should be arriving any minute."

Emma's face paled, "WHAT!?"

Ruby laughed openly at this, "dude, you seriously need to calm the fuck down when it comes to that woman. You've already done the hard part."

"And that would be?" Emma's heart was pounding against her ribs now as she looked at Ruby with panic lacing her features, Regina couldn't see her like this, she wasn't ready, she looked a mess.

"You got her to fall for you."

The waitresses breath caught in her throat as she took in Ruby's words, the brunette hadn't fallen for her…she was just doing her job...she was just taking pity on a lonely patient…

Ruby had apparently caught onto Emma's confusion and continued her reassurances. "Emma, you seriously don't think that she sat with you all those times cause she had to?" the blonde's silence and aversion of eyes caused Ruby to scoff loudly, "girl, you are far more clueless than I first thought."

"Hey!"

She ignored Emma's shouts of protest, "you think she has to give up her lunchtimes and breaks to come sit with your sorry ass? You think she has to stay on after her shift sometimes with no assurance of overtime to keep you company?" at the blonde's look of shock she leaned back slightly out of confusion, "you didn't know she did that?"

Emma shook her head from side to side slowly for words would not come to her, had Regina really done that for her? Sure they were friends…well, it felt like more to Emma but she hadn't thought for one second that Regina would feel the same. They spent every Monday for the past year sat together for as long as possible and spoke about almost everything getting to know each other as much as they could but…oh god, she really was an idiot.

"whoops, well uh…do me a favour?" as she spoke the door to the diner opened revealing the woman in question looking as breath taking as per usual, "shit…don't tell her I told you. She's very skilled with a scalpel but I do not want to find out just how skilled."

But Ruby's words were lost on Emma as her eyes locked with Regina's, this time the look of adoration shining in bright brown eyes did not go unnoticed, the unrestrained smile directed at her was not missed and she knew now what she had been so stupid to have missed in the last few months.

She had most definitely fallen for Regina but…Regina had fallen just as hard.