Title – Beyond The Rainbow

Setting – Season 4/ After the frozen storyline. No queens of darkness plot. Robin left and that is that, as much as it kills me :(

Chapter 1 Shadows

Regina had survived so much. She had taken hit after hit, almost losing her life at times, but she always came out fighting. She always came out stronger. Nothing could have prepared her for this. The car had cut her off at the intersection, rapidly coming out of nowhere. The driver had been drunk. The idiot.

Even in his state of intoxication, he showed remorse for only about a few seconds until he learned it was the former Evil Queen he had hit. He shrugged his shoulders, the sympathy in his eyes disappearing and turning into a cold kind of cruelness.

"It's about time someone finally put an end to her evil existence. Just didn't think it be me," he slurred so cockily that David had to hold Emma back from punching his face. She backed away, needing to separate herself from the drunk because she might not be able to keep herself from killing him if he even looked at her wrong. David cuffed him and shoved him into the police cruiser while Emma approached the bloody scene.

The car was totaled and Regina was trapped amongst the wreckage. Crushed metal kept her pinned to her seat and as rescuers tried cut to through the metal, the former Queen was barely able to stay conscious. She was deathly pale with blood dripping from a severe head wound. Blood also seeped from her mouth and nose and Emma could already see the forming bruises.

She was shaking.

She looked so small and, God, Emma had almost broke down right there because this was Henry's mother. This was Regina. The woman who survived so much. They've been through so much together and Emma wasn't ashamed to call Regina her friend. She almost lost it right there because a drunk driver shouldn't be the cause of her death.

Medics were working on her. They had an IV hooked up and bundled Regina up with blankets. The paramedic that was looking at the head wound suddenly seemed to notice something because she quickly took out her penlight and started examining Regina's eyes. Emma didn't like the expression on her face. She was concerned and she was muttering curses under her breath for not having noticing before.

"What is it?" Emma asked and the medic looked up at her, her face panicked at her discovery.

"Sheriff Swan, her pupil reactions are slow, almost unresponsive. From the head wound, I think it could be optic nerve damage. We need to get her to the hospital."

"But she's stuck," Emma reminded her, gesturing to the wrecked car.

"We need to get her out faster if we want to avoid permanent damage," she said, getting out of the car. "I'm going to contact the hospital so that they know what to expect." Emma nodded and after encouraging everyone to work faster, she knelt down beside Regina.

"Hold on Regina. We're going to get you out of here," she whispered, reaching out and gently turning her chin so she could see her eyes. The paramedic was right. The size of Regina's pupils was abnormal.

"Emma… mmm cold," Regina slurred her words, barely being to get the words out. Keeping her eyes opened even seemed to take a lot of effort.

"I know, I know," Emma said, her own voice shaking. "Just hold on a bit longer. You're almost out of here. I know it hurts."

"It's getting dark," she whispered and the tears started streaming down Emma's face because the sun was still out. The sky was bright and Regina could barely see it. "My head… it hurts Emma."

She seemed to finally be aware of the pain she was in and the tears were rapidly streaming down her cheeks. Her hands went to her eyes as if rubbing them would clear the sudden shadows that were only existent to her.

"Emma it hurts!" she cried. "Please make it stop!"

"Woh, hey," Emma said, grabbing her hands and pulling them away from her eyes. "Look at me, ok. Just keep looking at me."

"I could barely see you, Emma," she whispered, her voice gurgling from the blood and Emma took one of the medical towels and gently wiped the blood from her chin.

"Just keep looking at me," she repeated. "Don't take your eyes off me. It's just us right here. Don't think about the pain or the shadows, just look at me," Emma soothed her, trying to take her mind off the pain. Trying to distract her from the wreckage she was in.

Chocolate brown eyes held green until the darkness completely took over.

Emma could see the exact moment Regina lost her vision. She could see the sheer terror flashing in her eyes and Emma quickly put both hands on her cheeks, cradling her head in her palms.

"I know you can't see me, but keep your eyes on me. I'm right here Regina. I'm right here," she cried, unable to control her own shuddering sobs. Regina brought up her hands, placing them on Emma's and holding them there.

"I can't see!"

"I got you," Emma told her, holding her head against her chest as much as she could. The sounds of the rescue crew cutting through metal became louder and Regina flinched at the assault to her ears. Everything, from the voices of the people, to the machines, and to Emma's soft breathing brushing against her hair, sounded louder. Her heart started to pound in her chest, the fear of not being able to see becoming stronger within each second. Her grip tightened on Emma's jacket.

"Emma, they're ready to pull her out now." David's voice came from nowhere. She couldn't see him and she flinched in Emma's arms. He must have seen the tears on Emma's face because she could hear his footsteps shuffling closer and she suddenly couldn't breathe.

She was blind. She was weak, and she didn't trust anyone but the woman holding her.

"What's wrong?" His voice sounded panicked and Emma's grip loosened on Regina to keep him back.

"Wait. Tell them to wait. I need a minute," she said because Regina was in the midst of hyperventilating. David started to protest, not understanding why Emma was delaying this.

"Emma, we can't wait. We need to pull her out now."

"She can't see!" she suddenly yelled and David went silent. Regina didn't have to see to know there was a look of shock on the prince's face.

"She's blind?" he asked shakily and god did that word hurt.

Blind. She's blind.

Regina's breathing became heavier. Her chest was heaving and she tightened her grip on Emma. Anchoring herself to Emma.

"She's starting to hyperventilate. Pulling her out now will make her panic. Just give me a few minutes," Emma explained, pleading with him to understand. David looked at Regina, his eyes full of grief for the woman that become an ally to him. Perhaps even a friend of some sort.

"Ok," he whispered, his hand patting Emma's shoulder before walking back to the rescue team. Her focus was back on Regina, on those unseeing dark brown eyes.

She was having trouble breathing and Emma knew she needed to calm her enough so that they could get her out of this damn car.

"Breathe," she told her softly, finally getting a handle on her emotions so that she could focus on Regina. She held her head close to her chest so that Regina could feel the beat of her heart. "Follow my breathing. You could do it."

Regina followed Emma's rhythmic breathing and after a while she was able to catch her breath. She was suddenly exhausted, even more than before and she sagged against Emma. She closed her eyes and all she saw was more darkness.

"No, no… Don't fall asleep," Emma told her, pulling away and gently pushing Regina back against the blood stained seat. She reached out, caressing Regina's cheek. The brunette opened her eyes, her gaze unseeingly passing Emma.

"The rescue team is going to pull you out. I'm going to be near you the entire time."

Her eyes widened in fear at the thought of Emma leaving her at the hands of these people. She knew they were trying to help her, but she was the Evil Queen. She had cursed them and she was still hated even after everything she's done to redeem herself.

"Emma no! Please, don't. I can't see. I have to see what they're doing. I don't trust them," she cried, her voice shaking from a mixture of pain and fear.

"Do you trust me?" Emma asked, taking one of Regina's trembling hands, her thumb rubbing soothing circles into her skin.

"Yes," Regina whispered and for some reason that made Emma's heart soar.

"I'm going to step away for a little while, but I'm not leaving and I won't let anything happen to you."

Regina hesitated but then she agreed and Emma was no longer near her. The blankets and the IV were removed and Regina shivered from the draft and that was when she started to hear Emma. As the rescuers prepared to pull her out, Emma was talking. She was explaining every single thing they were doing. The fear had lessoned as Emma's voice flowed through her ears. Now she just focused on the sudden searing pain as she was pulled away from her metal prison. She cried in agony, her body violently shuddering as she was placed on what she could guess was a gurney.

A blanket was placed back on top of her. Hands were all over. Someone was putting pressure on her head wound while another was checking her eyes. She guessed they were the paramedics and Emma's voice never left as she felt the gurney moving. Even as she felt herself being lifted into the ambulance, Emma's voice stayed with her and somehow she knew the warm hand that was suddenly squeezing hers belonged to the savior.

So I don't know much about the medical field but I'll try my best. So what did you think?