Short update! I'll miss these two on my screen and the BTS pics! Hope to see Josh in his next project soon!

Maleficent is coming next chapter and Tink probably in the one after. Let me know where you want to see this story go. I have a few ideas but since I'm literally writing snapshots, I can write pretty much any scene in.

Gift

The night had been quieter than he had expected. Regina had slept until mid-morning when the nurse came to wake her for some breakfast. She ate most of what was on her tray to Whale's satisfaction. He was now running additional tests on her and David used the time to go down to the hospital's gift shop to buy some toiletries and a clean shirt for Regina. As he was about to pay for the items, his eyes caught a small teddy bear wearing a 'Get Well Soon' t-shirt. David smiled and picked the toy up. "Can you add this too?" He asked the cashier.

"Of course." She replied cheerfully.

As David was walking back toward Regina's room, he ran into Dr. Whale. "How is she?" The sheriff asked immediately.

"Much better." The doctor answered with a smile. "We ran some blood tests last night. Her liver and pancreatic values are within normal range and she gained about 2lbs over the past week, which is excellent. She also seems more rested and less jittery. She's cleared to go whenever she is ready."

David breathed out a sigh of relief. "I got her a shirt and some toiletries." He showed the doctor the bag. "Can she stay up today or do I need to get her back to Granny's immediately?"

The doctor frowned. "Medically, I would encourage her to start going outside. Her ribs are healing and getting some fresh air might actually help."

"But…" David supplied.

"But she still hasn't talked to Dr. Hopper."

David sighed. This had been a sore subject. Regina didn't want to talk about Leopold and her life. "I won't force her."

"She needs to. She needs to come to terms with what's happened to her."

David closed his eyes. "I know. And I think she understands that too. But I also think we should give her a little bit of space. Regina doesn't really know who she is and I think we owe her some time to figure that out for herself."

Whale agreed reluctantly. "She also needs to start rebuilding her life. Away from her husband. It won't be easy… to become independent again."

"I think she'll surprise us. She's learning to trust and she is also becoming more assertive."

Whale smiled. "Where are you planning to take her?"

David sighed. "To the mansion first. Leopold hired Mr. Gold as his lawyer. There is a new bail hearing scheduled for tomorrow. If Leopold makes bail, I want Regina to be able to pick up her personal items before he gets back to the house."

"These are my two cents but she might want to start over completely and not get anything from the house."

David hadn't really considered this. "I'll ask her. It should be her choice and not Leopold's." Whale nodded. "Then Granny and I were thinking about taking her shopping. She might enjoy choosing something for herself." He suspected that Leopold controlled her wardrobe as much as he controlled the menus.

"I'm sure she'll enjoy being outside. And it will do her some good to focus on more normal activities." He smiled before taking his leave. "If you'll excuse me, I have a few patients to see."

"Of course!" David moved out of the doctor's way. "Thank you for your help."

"No. Thank you for helping her." The two men awkwardly said their goodbyes and David resumed walking toward Regina's room.

He found her sitting up on the bed, watching TV. "Hey. Just talked to Whale, who gave you a clean bill of health." He announced as he entered the room.

Regina jumped at the voice but smiled as soon as she recognized David. "Yeah… he also gave me a prescription for my stomach." She watched as David placed the bag on the armchair he had spent most of the night in. "I'm sorry." She felt guilty from taking him away from his family.

The sheriff looked at the broken woman on the bed. He made his way to her and sat at the foot. "You don't have to apologize for being sick, Regina." He took her hand. "I shouldn't have left last night. I'm sorry."

Regina looked away. "I was afraid…" She whispered.

David rubbed the back of her hand with his thumb. "You don't have to explain and if you want me to stay with you, you just need to ask me. Ok?"

"You have a child and a wife…"

"And you're part of this family." He argued. "Mary-Margaret understands." Regina cringed at the name. "She wants to help you."

"She's done enough."

David didn't push her further on the subject. "Do you want me to stay with you tonight?" Regina nodded slowly. David smiled at her. "I still haven't won a game of Monopoly against you." He teased. They had been playing while she was recovering and David had let her won most games.

Regina finally looked at him, afraid to have offended him. "I'm...I'm sorry. You seemed to enjoy the games."

David's heart broke at her reaction. He scooted closer to her on the bed, tucking her long black hair behind her ear. He cupped her cheek and caressed her skin softly, waiting for her eyes to settle on his own again. Once she did, he spoke to her reassuringly. "I enjoy spending time with you." She smiled softly. "Tell you what: you choose what we're going tonight."

Regina's eyes widened in shock. She was never asked to choose. Her mother had her evenings planned with after-school lessons and the best she had hoped with Leopold was that he would be too busy or drunk to pay any attention to her. On these rare occasions, she would go to bed early, finally getting some rest before he would join her in the middle of the night. After he was done, she never went back to sleep.

David smiled at her encouragingly. Whale was right: Regina would have to learn to become independent again and having her make even the smallest decisions was a step in the right direction. Besides, he was curious and somewhat excited about what she would come up with.

He got up from the bed and walked back toward the bag. "I got you some toiletries." He placed the travel bag on the chair. "And a clean shirt." He turned around, proudly displaying the shirt with 'I love Maine' written across the front. "I know it's not the latest fashion but it will do until we can get you more clothes."

"It's fine." Regina sat on the edge of the bed, ready for a shower. Her throat was still bothering her but she was looking forward to be able to brush her teeth.

"And a 'get well wish'". David brandished the small teddy bear. Regina's eyes filled up with tears at the sight of the plushed toy.

"Are you alright?" David asked her, suddenly concerned he had done something wrong. He sat next to her on the bed. "Regina?"

Regina grabbed the teddy bear from David and held it against her heart. The sheriff let go of the small toy, not understanding Regina's reaction.

Regina knew that she was overreacting but the teddy bear meant more to her than she could have possibly imagined. She had received gifts before: Leopold had made sure to shower her with expensive clothes and jewelry not because she might enjoy them but because they were a clear mark of his status. He couldn't care less about pleasing her. They were another way to own her. But this bear was truly given as a gift, a small gesture meant to make her feel better without waiting for anything in return. Regina snuggled the bear and let herself cry. David just wrapped his arms around her and held her close. Whale was right: she needed to talk about her past. Most importantly, she needed to come to terms with it and start looking toward her future.