The sun was beating down hard on Emma's skin as she ran; sweat dripping down her face and chest. She focused on her breathing, in through her nose, out through her mouth, as she quickened her pace. The feeling of her shoes pounding on the sidewalk was slowly helping her relax from the events of the previous night. The music blasting in her ears brought her thoughts back to dream Regina. So baby, come light me up and maybe I'll let you on it. A little bit dangerous, but baby, that's how I want it. A little less conversation, and a little more touch my body, Cause I'm so into you, into you, into you. Emma groaned, and slowed down to a walking speed, letting her lungs regain their normal function.

Emma didn't know how long she had been running but she knew she had been gone for over an hour. She took a look around and dropped onto the grass pulling off her headphones to take a break. Not only was she exhausted from moving yesterday and not sleeping all night, but now she was good and lost. She had no idea where she had run. Emma realized she forgot her phone in her haste to get out the door.

"Where the hell is my house?" Emma asked herself.

"Emma!" Emma heard a husky voice behind her that sent a shiver down her spine. Regina. Emma spun around internally wincing when she thought about how she must look.

"Hey Regina! What are you doing out here?" Emma felt her face split into a smile that she couldn't hold back whenever she saw or thought about Regina.

"Well I was just out taking my morning walk. I noticed you looking around a little disgruntled and I thought I might see if you needed some help." Regina smirked at Emma. Regina had been standing there for a few minutes before she got Emma's attention. She was admiring the chiseled muscles of Emma's arms and stomach, the sweat dripping down her chest and the reflection of the sun on Emma's golden hair. She recognized the warm feeling in her lower stomach and the heat in her pants immediately. Emma was definitely attractive and Regina was very interested.

"Oh… yeah. I'm a little lost," Emma said, dropping her head in shame. She looked up through her lashes at a smiling Regina and stood up to be on her level.

"Walk with me Emma, I am just heading home now." Regina nodded her head gesturing for Emma to follow her. As they walked down the road, the awkward silence was too much to bear.

"Regina, I—"

"Emma, about—"

The both laughed and blushed. Emma swept her hand in Regina's direction. "You first," she said.

"Emma," Regina began. "About last night, I'm sorry if I was too nosy or made you feel uncomfortable at all. I haven't had many friends since Henry was born. I was thinking selfishly when I asked you to come in. I was lonely and bored and I am very sorry."

"Regina, what the hell are you talking about?" Emma was confused by Regina's apology. "I had a great time last night. A movie, cider and laughter were exactly what I needed. I'm sorry I put all my baggage on you. We should try that again without me crying."

They both laughed again, glad they were on the same page.

"I'd like that," Regina said. "Actually Emma, I was wondering if you would want to come to dinner at my house tonight. I know you just got in and I'm sure you don't feel like cooking today. Henry insists that he meets my new friend. I'd be honored to have you as our dinner guest. What do you say?"

"Yes, I'd love that Regina. Thank you." Emma smiled as she looked over at Regina. She definitely wanted to be more than friends with Regina but this was a good start. She would take it.

After she and Regina finally found their way home, Emma immediately ran inside to shower. Standing under the hot water, she thought about dinner at Regina's tonight. What should she wear? It's not a date, Emma. Get it together.

Reaching for her towel, distracted by her nervousness, Emma slipped on the wet bathroom floor and smacking her face on the sink on the way down. She grabbed her right eye as everything went black.

When she came to, Emma slowly opened her eyes startled to see the very concerned face of Regina standing over her. "Regina?"

"Emma! Are you ok?" Regina was gently brushing back the wet hair from Emma's forehead, assessing the damage to her right eye.

"Regina, what are you doing here? In my house?" Emma was still confused. When had Regina gotten here? What time was it?

"I heard a scream and a loud bang. When you didn't answer the doorbell after the fourth time I got scared. You left the front door unlocked so I let myself in. I'm sorry if I intruded but I am glad I did. You are going to have a black eye. I think you have a concussion as well."

Emma leaned into Regina's warm hands caressing her face and closed her eyes. Yeah, she had a raging headache. It hurt too much for her to be embarrassed that she had passed out on her bathroom floor in nothing but a towel and Regina found her.

"I'm ok. I slipped and I hit my head on the sink. I think I blacked out." Emma tried to sit up but immediately felt dizzy and laid back on the floor.

"Come Emma, we are going to the hospital. Let's get you dressed."

"No Regina, really, I'm fine. It's just a bump on the head. I've had concussions before, I'm fine." Emma tried to argue her point but she still couldn't get up off the floor without feeling like she was going to vomit.

"Emma I am getting you clothes and we are going to the hospital. I will not take no for an answer." Emma resigned and allowed Regina to help her stand. She dressed slowly in leggings and a baggy cropped t-shirt. On the way to the hospital, Emma remembered her plans to tour the town with her mother.

"Regina, can you do me a favor when we get there?" Emma asked.

"Of course Emma, what do you need?" Regina looked over at Emma, concerned again at the way Emma's words slurred slightly.

"I was supposed to meet with my mom, can you tell her I can't make it? But don't let her worry, I'm fine," Emma said as her eyes slowly started to slip shut.

"Emma sweetie," Regina reached over the console and grabbed Emma's hand. "You have to stay awake until the doctors check you out. Come on, open those pretty eyes of yours."

Emma winced in pain again as she opened her eyes, the right one nearly swollen shut now. They made it to the hospital and Regina ran inside for help. A nurse helped Regina get Emma into a wheelchair and bring her inside. After promising Emma that she wouldn't leave, Regina parked her car and walked inside, pulling her cellphone out of her purse and dialing Mary Margaret.

"Hello? Regina?" Mary Margaret answered her phone, confusion reflecting blatantly in her tone.

"Yes Mary Margaret, it's me. I am calling to inform you that Emma had an accident today. She slipped and fell in her bathroom and blacked out. I brought her to the hospital and we are just waiting for the doctors to confirm that she is ok. Emma asked me to call you and let you know." Regina tried to reassure Mary Margaret that Emma was fine. She did not want that woman to come running into the building all disheveled and asking questions. Regina realized that is was a strange situation, Regina finding Emma naked on her bathroom floor in her upstairs bedroom.

"Oh Emma! I've been trying to call her for hours. She never has her phone! Are you sure she is ok? I should come down there. David!" Regina pulled the phone away from her ear to quiet the yelling on the other end. "David! We need to go to the hospital now! Get your keys!"

"No, Mary Margaret, she is fine. It's just a concussion. I will have her call you as soon as she is feeling better. Don't worry. I can take care of her." Regina wasn't sure why she was so adamant about taking care of Emma on her own, but she simply wanted to be the one to watch the blonde and take her home.

After they got off the phone, Regina found the nurse that had brought Emma in and asked her where the woman's room was. When she walked in the door, she was instantly hit with how adorable Emma looked, laying on the hospital bed in a gown, a frown and puppy dog eyes illustrating her face. Regina suppressed the giggle that threatened to escape her lips. Emma saw the look on her face and groaned.

"This is so not funny Regina. Why do I have to wear this stupid gown? It's just a black eye, I'm fine!" Just as Emma got done whining to Regina, Dr. Whale walked into the room.

"Actually Emma," he exclaimed. "You do have quite the concussion. You will need to take it easy for a few weeks and take this medicine. Your eye will stay black for some time but besides the bruise, it is relatively untouched. Ice it twenty minutes on, twenty minutes off for the next few days. You shouldn't have any vision problems in the future. Now, you absolutely are not allowed to drive until I clear you and for the next 24 hours, you will need to be monitored. Someone will need to wake you every hour that you are sleeping to ensure that you don't have a more serious problem. Understand?"

Emma nodded her head like a child being scolded. She had no intention of waking herself every hour tonight. She had plans with Regina and her kid and she was looking forward to that.

"I will look after her Dr. Whale," Regina said. Dr. Whale nodded at Regina, handing her the packet of instructions and Emma's medication. He said goodbye to Emma and left them alone.

"Regina, you don't have to do that. I can take care of myself. I'm sorry I ruined our plans for tonight though." Emma frowned and slowly made her way off the bed to put her clothes back on. Regina blushed as she looked away, giving Emma a bit of privacy.

"Emma I'd like to. There are plenty of extra rooms in my house. You are more than welcome to stay as long as you'd like. I will make sure you wake every hour. And I'm sure Henry will be fine with a quiet evening. Maybe another movie? Or a bonfire in the yard?" Regina asked Emma gently, hoping not to sound too eager.

"Really? Are you sure? I don't want to be a bother to anyone." Emma didn't dislike the idea of spending another evening with Regina, or having her take care of her. It had been a long time since anyone had offered to help Emma when she was sick.

"Yes Emma, I insist. Now come on, let's get you home and resting." Regina took Emma straight to her house, helping her in the door and onto one of those comfy couches in the living room again. "Get some rest Emma, I'll be back soon to wake you up." Regina placed a warm blanket on top of Emma and gently caressed her forehead before walking quietly into the kitchen to start the teapot.

Emma stirred, hearing quiet voices coming from another room. The voices sounded familiar but she couldn't figure out who it was at the moment. Her head was hurting even more now and she was exhausted. The couch was so comfortable that Emma allowed her body to sink further into the cushions as she squeezed her eyes shut.

"MOM! SHE'S AWAKE!" Emma grabbed her head and pulled the blankets over her face, startled by the yelling next to her head.

"Ouch, kid, please be quiet." She still didn't open her eyes until she heard Regina's footsteps coming quickly into the room.

"Henry!" She scolded. "I told you to keep your voice down. Emma needs her rest and loud noises are not good for her concussion."

"Sorry mom," Henry said, hanging his head. "I'm sorry Emma."

Emma glanced up and gave Henry a weak smile. "It's ok kid. You must be Henry." Henry's face lit up when Emma started to talk.

"Yeah and you're Emma! Mom has been talking about you all day! And your mom is here too. She's pretty cool. She brought cookies!" At the mention of her mom, Emma let her eyes wander the room, smiling softly at Henry's energy.

"Hey Henry, why don't you run upstairs and grab some of your favorite movies for us to put on while Mrs. Nolan and I talk to Emma?" Regina ushered the ten-year-old off and up the stairs before she came and sat on the couch next to Emma. "How are you feeling? Do you want some of your pain medication?" Emma nodded and then winced at the pounding in her head.

"Yes please," she practically whispered. Regina opened the plastic bottle on the table and handed Emma a glass of water. "Hey mom," Emma said after she swallowed down the pills.

"Hi honey! Regina told me she was taking you here, and as much as I trust Regina, I needed to see that you were ok myself. What were you two doing when this happened?" Regina and Emma looked at each other awkwardly, not knowing how to answer. Emma sat up a bit and looked past Mary Margaret into the kitchen.

"Hey, did Henry mention something about cookies?" Mary Margaret, easily distracted, clapped her hands together and excitedly went to grab Emma a few. Regina laughed at Emma's distraction techniques. She ran her hand gently through Emma's hair.

"Is the medicine helping?" Regina asked quietly. Emma leaned into Regina's touch and closed her eyes again.

"It will. Thank you," she whispered. Emma couldn't deny how good Regina's fingers running through her hair felt. She melted into the touch.

"Oh, am I interrupting something?" Mary Margaret asked, smirking in delight at how gentle Regina was being and the content look painted across Emma's bruised face.

"No mom, Regina was just ensuring that the medicine was helping. Can I have one of those cookies now?" Emma ate one quickly before realizing that she was still nauseous and couldn't finish the second one. After another half hour of reassuring her that Emma was fine, Mary Margaret took her leave letting Emma know she would check up on her later

"Dinner is nearly finished Emma. Why don't you go back to sleep and I'll wake you when it's ready?" Emma nodded even though she didn't want Regina to leave her. She fell asleep quickly and when Regina woke her up again, she was feeling much better.

Henry chatted animatedly throughout the whole dinner, enjoying having a new friend to tell his stories to. He talked about his favorite book filled with fairy tales and his impressive stack of comic books on his bookshelf. After dinner, the dishes were cleaned up and the three of them headed to living room, choosing to watch a movie. This time they watched The Minion movie. Emma snuggled up on the couch, her head resting on a pillow in Regina's lap with Henry spread out across the other couch. At some point, Emma had fallen asleep and woke to Regina calling her name.

"Come on Emma, let's get you to bed." Regina helped Emma upstairs and directed her to her room. Emma remembered Regina saying she could stay in one of the guest rooms. Reading the confusion on her face Regina started, "I figured it would be easier to wake you every hour if you were right next to me. If you're uncomfortable, I can stay in the guest room."

"No, no, Regina. This is just fine. Thank you for doing this." Emma slid into the bed as Regina turned off the lights. She ran through her bedtime routine in the master bathroom before joining Emma in the bed.

Emma had already fallen asleep and Regina took the opportunity to study Emma's facial features. Emma was beautiful, with high cheekbones and soft bow shaped lips. She had naturally long lashes and her skin was nearly flawless. Regina sighed. She too had the tendency to fall quickly, which is why she refrained from dating since Henry was young. She didn't want to introduce anyone to him that he might become attached to. They always leave and it wasn't fair to subject her son to that kind of hurt so earlier in life. Regina fell asleep on her side, facing Emma, an alarm set for every hour that night.

When the first alarm went off, Regina woke to find Emma wrapped firmly around her middle, a hand up her tank top. She gasped feeling Emma's warm hand pressed gently against her stomach. She rolled over slowly, running the back of her hand against Emma's cheek. "Emma wake up," she said. Emma grunted and inched closer to Regina. "Emma, come on, you have to wake up. Just real quick and then you can go back to sleep." Emma groaned as she opened her eyes. She realized how close she was to Regina's face but didn't have the energy to care.

"I'm awake. I can sleep now, yes?" Regina smiled at Emma's grumpy tone and nodded.

"Yes Emma, you can sleep now. I'll wake you again in an hour." Emma hummed and snuggled further into the comfy pillow under her head.

"Night Gina," Emma said. Regina didn't know how to feel about the nickname. Her heart skipped a beat at the thought of having Emma in her bed and the shortened name. She could get used to this.

The hours passed quickly, each hour more difficult to wake a grumpy Emma. Finally, Regina allowed them to sleep for a little more than an hour, enjoying the feeling of Emma's arms. Somehow they had ended up spooning, Emma behind Regina, one hand back up her tank top and her lips so close to Regina's neck that every subtle move Emma made caused her lips to brush against Regina's skin.

Emma had woken up just a few minutes before Regina did. She was surprised that she had cuddled with Regina. She didn't cuddle with anyone. But she wasn't uncomfortable. Actually she was more than content to hold Regina and rub circles on her stomach with the tips of her fingers. She breathed in the scent that was purely Regina and didn't move when her lips brushed Regina's neck again. Regina stirred slightly, humming in pleasure at the feeling of Emma's fingers on her stomach. Regina too did not share her bed or snuggle easily. This was new to her, scary, but comforting at the same time. After basking in the warmth that Emma provided, she turned in her arms to face Emma.

"Good morning Emma," she said, smiling as Emma's charming expression. "How are you feeling? It's almost time for more medicine." Emma had moved her hand to settle on Regina's hip.

"I feel great Regina. Thank you for taking care of me." Emma blushed a bit and the feel of Regina's prominent hip under her hand. The room suddenly felt overly warm and a throbbing was starting between her legs.

"Anytime Emma," Regina replied feeling that same sensation between her legs. Needing a distraction, she sat up. "Let's make some breakfast. How do you feel about pancakes?" Emma's eyes automatically focused on the hard nubs peaking through Regina's tight tank top. Noticing the direction of Emma's eyes, Regina embarrassingly crossed her arms across her chest. She awkwardly hopped out of bed, throwing on her robe and guided Emma to the kitchen to make breakfast.

Henry joined them about an hour later and started rambling on about all the things he wanted to do today. Regina reminded him that Emma needed to take it easy but that they would still have fun. Happy with her response, the three of them enjoyed breakfast together, pancakes with orange juice and a cup of coffee for Regina. Emma groaned when Regina told her she wasn't allowed caffeine for a few weeks. Regina smiled at Emma's childlike behavior.

Emma and Regina shared several looks over the kitchen table. They knew that it should be weird to be sleeping in each other's arms two days after they met. But for some reason, they were drawn to each other and that mutual attraction was enough to settle their thoughts. From the outside the three of them at the table eating breakfast and making plans for the day looked completely normal: a small but loving family enjoying each other's company.

Emma would never have guessed that she would have already met people she wanted to spend time with after just two days of life in Storybrooke. I guess moving was the right decision, Emma thought to herself, happy with her newfound companions.