Chapter 13

                                    

                                          
I have no idea whatsoever about anything. At all.
I don't know where I am, or what has happened. The last thing I remember is saying goodbye to Robin at the town line and watching them drive away. The rest is hazy, but I can vaguely remember, texting Robin, talking to Emma about something and going to see if I got a reply from him.
I can't hear anything apart from the distant ringing echoing around me. All I see now is... well, nothing. Except from darkness, surrounding me like I'm trapped. But there's nothing else, apart from empty space. Complete isolation.
I begin to hear something, my ears just about making out a female voice. It becomes clearer every second, and she's repeating two words, over and over again.
                          
"Wake up." 
                          
It feels almost as if I'm getting closer to reality again.
                          
"Wake up, Regina,"
                          
It continues. I feel two hands touching my face. They're soft and warm against my cold face. I have a sudden reaction and my head moves.
                          
"Hey, it's okay Regina. Just stay calm."
                          
One of the hands drifts from my cheek to my forehead, then gently strokes it. I know who it is. Emma. I take my hands out of whatever is covering me and I put them on hers, and feel them move around my face and on my forehead, stroking whatever they touch.
I open my eyes and I'm instantly hit by the blinding lights of the hospital.
                          
"Emma." I say, barely able to let out the word. I squint and I can just about make out a figure with blonde hair and a red leather jacket."
"You're okay Regina. I've got you." She takes one of my hands and helps me to sit up, her other hand using the remote for the bed to put it in a seated position.
"What happened?" I ask, hoping that perhaps she knows.
"Honestly, Regina? I have no idea." She tells me as she walks to the light switch to dim the lights for me. As she walks back she continues to explain. "I'd left your house and I turned back to get my jacket. I knocked on your door a few times but you weren't opening it, so I just turned the handle and it opened, and I thought you'd just forgotten to lock it after I had left, but when I walked in I saw you lying in a heap at the bottom of your stairs. You must have fallen, your head was pretty banged up."
"Me? I fell down the stairs?"
"Yeah, I know, it seems stupid-"
"No, it's not stupid if I was lying at the bottom. I just... I just don't know how." Then my voice speeds up with worry. "I mean, how did I? I don't even remember and-"
"Shh, Regina, it's alright, stop worrying and calm down, okay?" I nod and lean against the back of the bed. "Oh, and just be careful with your head. You don't want it getting worse, do you?" I shake my head and move my hand to my head, feeling the bandage that was so delicately wrapped around it. "I did that... before I brought you here..."
"Thank you, Miss Swan." I tease and smile.
"You're welcome, Madam Mayor," She says, doing the same. She moves from the chair onto the edge of the bed. I move up to give her some space, and we move around a bit until we're in a comfortable position. She's sat behind me, leaning against the bed, and I'm lying down, with my head resting on her lap as her hands stroke me once more. 
                          
Then the weirdest conversation develops.
"So... if you're my mom's... stepmother..."
"Oh gosh. Where is this going?"
"No... so that means your my... grandmother... I mean step-grandmother..."
"Oh gosh, don't you ever call me that," I tell her. "Makes me sound old."
"Hmm... true. You don't look a day over 20." I smirk. "What?? It's true."
"Okay, keep telling yourself what you want."
Then as I begin to fall asleep, my eyes begin to close. But just before I do sleep, I have to ask her one thing."
"Emma..."
"Yeah?"
"You... you don't think I'm evil... do you?"
"Of course not."
"Okay."
"Sleep, Regina."
"Wait..."
"What?"
"Never mind."
                          
-
                          
"Daniel... should we be doing this?.." I ask him.
"Why not, Regina?" He replies.
"Because my mother. She killed my last instructor because he took me out of the grounds to learn without her permission... right now, we're out of the grounds and we're going out. Imagine what she'll do."
"No.. We have permission. And she won't find out."
"How can you be so sure?"
"Because I love you. Love always wins."
"Daniel... can you promise me? That everything will be okay?"
"I promise." I smile. "Now let's go. We don't have much longer." I get onto my horse and follow him from our tree.
"Now will you tell me where we're going?" But then I realise. I dismount my horse and walk up to him. The hill. I hold his hand and watch the lights with him.
"Surprise." 
Then he grabs me and kisses me. I let him. Then we both sit on the top of the hill, holding hands until I realise what time it is.
"Oh gosh, Daniel, we've got to get back... Mother's going to kill me."
"No she won't. I won't let her."
I give him one more kiss for the night before we ride back.
                          
I stand in front of Mother, still in my riding outfit. Daniel is stood a few feet away.
"Where were you Regina?! You know I hate impracticality."
Luckily we'd already planned what we were going to say.
"I fell off my horse, Mother."
"Oh really?" She asks.
"Yes, see." I reply, showing her my knee, covered in mud.
"Hmm..." she says, sounding suspicious at first, but then instructs Daniel to go home and me to go to bed.
I'm just relieved she believed it. 
                          
-
                          
When I wake up, Emma is gone. I'm alone in the hospital, every light is out.
I look out of the curtains. It's getting brighter outside, so I'm guessing it's around 6am. 
After a while of lying in bed, Emma returns.
"Regina. Sleep okay?" She asks me, walking in with an apple.
"Ish." I reply. 
"Got it off your tree... thought you might fancy one." She tells me, handing me the apple.
"Thanks."
"So... I tried calling Robin for you after you went to sleep,"
"Wait, really? What did he say??"
"No reply."
"Did you try calling Henry?" I ask nervously.
"Yeah, no reply..."
"Oh my gosh. What if something happened to them? I hope they're okay... oh my gosh... I-"
"Calm down. It was late. Maybe they were asleep. Don't worry. They're alright."
"But what if they aren't?"
"Be optimistic."
"I don't know how."
"Think. Happy thoughts."
"Okay. Happy thoughts..."
"That's it."
"I can't."
"Yes you can."
Then I try. And I remember. 
"My phone."
"Your phone? What about your phone?"
"My phone. It's on my bed. Maybe he tried calling me or texted me back."
"I'll go get it."
Then as she departs I stop her for a few seconds.
"Emma..."
"Yeah?"
"Thank you."
"It's okay." She says and runs off to my house.
                          
-
                          
A/N: Okay so I didn't know what to call this chapter so it's just chapter 13 :P also idk how many more chapters there's gonna be yet but there's gonna be a few more at least, I don't want it to be too long/short also might do a sequel depending on how I end it or write another OUAT fanfic but idk yet I'll definitely have an OUAT fanfic whether it's a sequel or not okay :) actually tbh idk why I'm thinking about this cause it's probably a while away yet -_-