Author's Note: Spoilers up to 1x11, but it goes decidedly AU after that. Title taken from the Cyndi Lauper song Time After Time. This fic is gearing up to be an epic, so please let me know what you think.

The black Mercedes' turning signal lit up as Regina steered the car onto the access road. Emma flicked the turning signal on in the cruiser and turned the wheel, her foot going to the brake to slow up on the slick road. But when she depressed the pedal, nothing happened. She pushed down harder, but still nothing.

"Emma." Sidney's voice sounded slightly panicked.

Emma continued to pump the pedal, but the car only sped up, its wheels sliding on the wet asphalt.

"It won't stop." She gasped out as she tried to turn the wheel and control the car. But she couldn't control it, and no matter how hard she hit the brake pedal, nothing happened.

In her rear-view mirror, Regina watched as the cruiser skidded on the road. She rolled her eyes. Apparently the girl had never learned how to drive in the rain, along with never learning how to properly tail someone. How she had ever made a living as a bail bonds person, Regina couldn't guess, because it had been obvious that Emma was following her from the minute she set out. The woman was practically tailgating her, for goodness sake.

But the car continued to skid, and Regina tapped her own brakes, suddenly realizing that something was wrong. Even as her car came to a stop, the police cruiser spun out of control, and Regina watched in something akin to horror as it went over the embankment without ever slowing down.

Throwing off her seatbelt, Regina jumped out of her car, rushing over to access the damage. She cursed her high heels as she slipped in her haste, but the words died in her throat as she finally took in the sight below her. Emma's police cruiser was wrapped around a tree, and fire was bursting from the engine. Smoke filled the air.

Before she could fully react to what she was seeing, the passenger door opened and Regina watched as Sidney stumbled out, coughing as he moved away from the car. She noticed that he made no motion to check on the driver and she suddenly saw red.

"Sidney! Where is Emma?" She called to him as he made his way up from the embankment.

He looked at her with a look of utter confusion on his face. "I don't know. Why do you care?"

And before Regina knew what she was doing, she had grabbed him by the lapels of his jacket. "She could be injured."

"Don't you want her out of the way?" Sidney asked, as the fire continued to rage and no movement emerged from the driver's side.

"Call 911," Regina hissed at him, even as she shoved him aside and started making her way down the embankment. She swallowed the rest of the rant that she felt building inside of her.

As she moved closer to the car, the heat hit her face and she flashed back to the fire at Town Hall and how Emma had come back to save her. It seemed that she was going to be returning the favor.

Cautiously, she pulled the driver's door open, trying not to burn herself in the process. The metal was hot and the flames were moving closer and closer to the interior of the car. Emma was slumped over the steering column, not moving.

"Emma," Regina called as she took in the scene, trying to figure out how to get the woman out. "Emma, wake up. You have to get out of the car."

But Emma still remained lifeless. The flames burst higher and Regina knew it wouldn't be much longer until they hit the gas line and the whole car went up. "Damn it, Emma." She cursed as she tugged at the seatbelt holding the younger woman in place.

When it finally released, Regina pushed it off the young woman and caught Emma's body as it tumbled towards her. There was a large gash on her forehead, with blood running steadily from it. Regina cursed again and tried to pull the woman out of the car. It wasn't easy, especially in the rain with her heels sinking in the mud, but finally Regina managed to get Emma's body free of the car.

They both tumbled to the ground, the dead weight of the blonde pinning Regina down. She could hear sirens in the distance and was thankful that Sidney had done what she'd told him to, but she knew that she still needed to get Emma away from the car. With the rest of the strength she could muster, she pushed the blonde off of her and stood up, before grabbing hold of the woman's blue leather jacket and dragging her body across the ground. Emma didn't emit so much as a groan of protest.

Just as she got the woman a safe distance away and the fire trucks and ambulance arrived, the car exploded.

It didn't take long at all for the news to spread around Storybrooke that Emma had been involved in an accident and that Regina was at the scene when the paramedics arrived. By the time Regina had arrived at the hospital with Sidney, Emma had already been brought in and rushed to surgery and half of the town was assembled in the waiting room.

"Madam Mayor, what is going on? What happened?" Mary Margaret demanded as soon as she saw the woman.

Regina said nothing, her eyes scanning the crowd.

"Regina," David moved closer to her, reaching out and placing a hand on her arm, "can you tell us what happened? All that we know is that Emma was in an accident."

Regina caught sight of Henry, sitting on one of the hard plastic chairs looking lost. She wanted to go to him, but even as she moved forward, he looked up at her with a look so full of contempt it stopped her in her tracks. Of course he was blaming her for this already.

Regina swallowed and refocused on David. "I don't know what happened. I was driving and Em – the sheriff was in the car behind me. I just saw it lose control and go over the embankment. I got to the wreck as quickly as I could. She was unconscious and I pulled her out and dragged her away from the car just before it exploded."

"You dragged her away?" Mary Margaret sounded suspicious.

"Yes." Regina snapped. "Ask Sidney if you don't believe me."

All eyes shifted to Sidney, who nodded. "Regina did pull her out of the car and got her away before it exploded."

"What were you even doing at the scene, Sidney? And why didn't you pull Emma out?" Ruby questioned quickly.

"I was with Regina. She reacted so quickly, I didn't have time to step in. I called 911 while Regina was helping Miss Swan." Sidney lied smoothly. Regina didn't correct him, although her eyes cut over to him angrily.

"What have they said about her?" Regina directed her question at David and Kathryn, the only two in the room who seemed even the least bit hospitable towards her.

"They brought her in before any of us arrived," Kathryn spoke when no one else would. "We've tried talking to the doctors but no one will tell us anything. Emma doesn't have an emergency contact or next of kin listed."

Of course she wouldn't. The woman had never had any family to speak of and moved around so frequently that she didn't have time to form any bonds with anyone. Except that now, here in Storybrooke, she had.

"I'm her next of kin." Henry spoke up for the first time, his voice sounding slightly strained. Everyone turned to look at him.

"Henry," Regina moved toward the boy.

"I'm her son." He said again, staring at Regina as he spoke. "They'll have to tell me."

"Henry," Mary Margaret's voice came from behind Regina, "you're too young to make any medical decisions for her. She's my roommate and my friend. Everyone knows that. I can make those kinds of decisions, okay?"

Henry seemed to acquiesce to this, but Regina was not so quick to allow Mary Margaret to step in. "You are not family," she reminded the woman, "and they won't allow you to make decisions for her if you are not specifically named."

"Dr. Whale will - " Mary Margaret trailed off, not knowing how to finish that sentence, and studiously avoiding David's eyes.

"Dr. Whale will abide by the law." Regina looked pained as she continued. "Henry is correct. He is her only next of kin, and as he is too young to make any medical decisions for her, I – as his mother, legal guardian, and therefore proxy – will make those decisions."

"Like hell you will." Mary Margaret growled, moving into Regina's personal space. For a second, Regina caught a spark of Snow White in the timid teacher's eyes. It almost made her smile. So she was still in there somewhere. That made it even more delicious to realize that she was trapped in such a meek form now. "You'll pull the plug without batting an eyelash."

Regina chuckled mirthlessly. "Really, dear, if I wanted Miss Swan dead, I wouldn't have gone to the trouble of pulling her out of that burning car."

Mary Margaret moved as though to hit or grab Regina, but David caught her and pulled her back. "Mary, now isn't the time."

Kathryn moved to stand by Regina. "Regina, please, not now."

Before more could be said, Marco, Archie, and Michael walked in, their faces looking grim.

"Marco? Archie? What is it?" Ruby asked.

Marco sighed. "Michael just got done looking at the police cruiser – or what was left of it, anyway. And he knows what caused the accident."

"Miss Swan's poor driving skills?" Regina asked, although it was more of a statement than anything.

"No." Michael shook his head. "Someone cut her brakes."

Shocked silence settled over the room. Regina was the first to break it. "Are you sure? The car exploded. Perhaps it was just damage from –"

"No." Michael shook his head. "The car was in bad shape, but it was obvious that someone had cut the brakes."

"Who would do something like that?" Ruby's brow furrowed.

"Someone who wanted Emma out of the way." Mary Margaret's eyes were trained on Regina.

"I don't like what you're implying, Miss Blanchard." If looks could kill, Mary Margaret would be dead. "And I especially don't like that you're implying it in front of my son."

"Who else would have any reason to want Emma harmed?"

"Who says that it was Emma they were targeting?"

"She's the sheriff. It was the sheriff's police cruiser. Who else could they possibly be targeting?"

Before Regina could reply, Dr. Whale approached the group, effectively stopping everyone in their tracks.

"Dr. Whale, what's going on with Emma?" Mary Margaret surged forward, her eyes wide and concerned.

Dr. Whale frowned. "I really should be speaking to Miss Swan's next of kin, but –"

"I'm her next of kin." Henry moved forward, his head held up high.

"And I am his mother and therefore proxy." Regina moved to stand behind Henry, placing her hands on his shoulders and trying not to show any pain when he quickly shrugged them off. "You can speak to my son and myself."

"We're all here for Emma," David spoke up from behind Regina. "You can talk to all of us."

Dr. Whale looked from face to face before finally relenting. Regina looked ready to kill and he wasn't about to take her on. "She's out of surgery." Everyone sagged with relief. "But she's not out of the woods yet."

"What's wrong with her?" Henry asked.

"Well, she suffered from blunt force trauma to her head, more than likely from hitting the steering wheel when the car hit the tree. She had a large laceration on her forehead, which we've stitched, but there was also some bleeding from the brain, which is why we had to perform surgery."

Everyone seemed unable to process this news properly. "But she's going to be okay, right? You stopped the bleeding?" Henry asked again.

Dr. Whale smiled sadly at the boy. "I hope so Henry. Right now there's still some swelling on the brain. We're hopeful that it will go down now that we've stopped the bleed, but if it doesn't…" He didn't finish the sentence.

"I want to see her."

"Henry –"

"I want to see my mother!" Henry said again, angrily.

"Right now she's still in recovery, Henry. She's unconscious and it's hard to tell how long she'll be that way. I think it'd be best if you waited until she was awake to see her." Dr. Whale spoke kindly to the boy.

Mary Margaret kneeled down beside him. "How about if I go for now, Henry? I'll watch over her and as soon as she wakes up, I'll come and get you."

"You will do no such thing," Regina moved between the teacher and her son. "If anyone will wait for Miss Swan to wake up, it will be me."

"If you think that I'm letting you in Emma's room by yourself, you're crazy." Mary Margaret shook her head.

"Ladies, please." Dr. Whale intervened. "I will not have this in my patient's room. If you cannot be civil, then neither of you will be allowed in."

Regina narrowed her eyes, but allowed a small nod as she turned and stalked off for Emma's room. Mary Margaret got the room number from Dr. Whale and hurried to beat Regina there.

"Henry, I'm sure that Emma will wake up in no time." David assured the small boy.

"Yeah. And we'll all wait with you until then." Ruby smiled at him.

Henry looked down the hallway and sighed. "Thanks."

The only sounds in Emma's room were the beeping of the various machines she was hooked up to and the soft crying coming from Mary Margaret. Emma herself was still and pale, lying in the hospital bed. Her chest was rising and falling, but Regina couldn't even hear her breathing. The heart monitor's steady beeps were the only thing reminding her that Emma really was alive.

It was disconcerting to see the young woman so still. Regina was used to Emma being in constant motion, always moving, always alert. She kept flashing back to Emma's body in the car, how lifeless it had been then and how lifeless it seemed now. That did not jive with the image of Emma Swan that she had in her head.

She and Mary Margaret had not spoken a word since they arrived in the room. The teacher had pulled a chair over to the side of the bed, took hold of Emma's hand, and began crying almost immediately. Regina had stood at the foot of the bed for a long while, just taking in Emma before she'd finally settled in another chair, farther away from the bed.

She had never cared for Emma Swan, that much was true, and she had wished her gone many, many times since the blonde had arrived in Storybrooke, but Regina had never wished it in this way. She'd simply wanted the woman to leave town, like she so often did, to leave Regina in peace with the life that she had built from nothing – the life that would be her happy ending. Be careful what you wish for. The words floated through her mind in a voice that could only belong to Mr. Gold.

Regina shuddered and pushed them away. Emma Swan would be fine and would once again come off looking like the hero, while the whole town vilified Regina for something that she hadn't done. There were ways to deal with the blonde, but cutting her brakes was certainly not one, and Regina planned to make sure Sidney was well aware of that just as soon as Emma woke up. He had done something without her permission, something that burned Regina to no end. He worked for her and no one else. She would see to it that he remembered that fact and his place.

A muffled groan from the bed broke through her thoughts and Regina watched as Mary Margaret's head flew up. "Emma?" She asked, sounding so hopeful that Regina winced.

The groan came again, along with a fluttering of dark lashes and Mary Margaret was up out of her seat, rushing for Dr. Whale.

Regina stood and moved closer to the bed, watching as Emma forced her eyes open and moaned at the light. Her hand came up to her forehead and she swore as it came in contact with the bandage that covered the gash. "Shit."

Regina rolled her eyes. "Lovely language, Miss Swan."

Emma's eyes opened again and she took in the sight of Regina. Her brow furrowed, causing her to wince and frown deeper. "Ugh, damn. I feel like I got hit in the head with a…" she trailed off, her eyes going wide.

Mary Margaret strode back into the room, Dr. Whale at her heels.

"Oh, man, he didn't really hit me with that 2 by 4, did he?" She asked.

"What?" Mary Margaret moved over to the side of the bed, confusion and worry on her face.

"The guy. What was his name? Will something. William… William… something. I never thought he'd actually hit me, though."

"Emma, what are you talking about?" Mary Margaret asked.

"The guy that hit me. That's why I'm here right? My head is killing me."

"Emma, do you know where you are?" Dr. Whale asked.

"In the hospital." Emma rolled her eyes.

"Why do you think you're in the hospital?"

Emma sighed in frustration. "I was chasing this guy, William. He grabbed a 2 by 4 and threatened to swing it at me. I assumed he was just bluffing, but apparently not."

"Where did this happen, Emma?" Dr. Whale asked, pulling out a small pocket flashlight.

"Boston, of course." Emma blinked against the light that Dr. Whale was shining into her eyes.

Mary Margaret looked concerned, but Regina just rolled her eyes. "Enough with the game playing, Miss Swan."

Emma looked over at Regina. "What game playing? Who are you?"

"Emma, do you know who I am?" Mary Margaret asked, ignoring Regina.

"A nurse, I guess."

"Emma, it's me. Mary Margaret." Emma's face was blank as she looked at her roommate.

"I – do I know you?"

"Oh for god's sake." Regina sighed. "That's quite enough, Miss Swan."

Emma turned over to glare at Regina. "What is your problem?"

Before Regina could answer, the door burst open and Henry rushed in, followed closely by David. "Emma!" He grinned widely, flinging himself on her bed and hugging her tightly.

"Whoa, whoa, kid, slow down." Emma pushed him back away from her.

"You see. She might play games with us, but with Henry –" Regina waved her hand at the scene, but she stopped cold as she took in the scene before her. Emma was looking at Henry with absolutely no recognition.

"Emma, I knew you'd be okay. You had to be." Henry grinned, still not noticing that Emma appeared not to recognize him.

"I'm sorry, kid, but – do I know you?"

Henry's face scrunched as he looked at her. "Emma, it's me, Henry."

Regina moved over to stand beside Henry. "I'm serious, Miss Swan. You need to stop this, now. Whatever anger you have toward me, whatever you believe about me and what I've done, we can deal with it later. But I will not allow you to upset my son with your little game."

"I'm not your son." Henry pulled away. "I'm Emma's!"

"Wait – what?" Emma's eyes were wide. "I – I don't have a kid."

"Emma, what month and year do you think it is?" Dr. Whale cut in.

"January 2011." Emma rattled off easily, her eyes still focused on Henry. "What do you mean you're my son?"

"Emma, don't you remember?" Henry's lip was quivering.

"Enough, Miss Swan!" Regina was practically screaming.

"Look, lady, I don't know who the fuck you are," Emma snapped, "I don't know who any of you are, or who you think I am, but I've never seen any of you before, and I certainly don't have a kid."

"Alright," Dr. Whale said loudly, "everyone needs to leave the room, right now."

"Emma?" Henry moved towards her, still unable to comprehend what was happening.

"Henry, come on." Regina reached from him, but he pulled away from her.

"Emma, please." He was practically begging.

"Henry," Mary Margaret tried, gently grasping his shoulders and moving him away, "I'm sure that Emma's just confused right now. She's still waking up. Let's just give her a minute."

Regina stared at Emma, trying to read her. There was absolutely no recognition on her face, and while she knew that Emma might try to punish her, even at Mary Margaret's expense, the sheriff would never do anything to hurt Henry. As much as she could point out Emma's flaws, she had never doubted Emma's love for Henry. The woman honestly didn't remember her son. She turned on her heel and marched out of the room, feelings swirling inside of her that she couldn't get under control.