Title: The White Knight
Author: OnceEvilRegal
Rating: M
Pairings: Emma/Regina
Summary: What would season 1 have been like if Regina didn't remember being the Evil Queen? More importantly, might her relationship with Emma have progressed...differently?
Warnings: Angst and S1 spoilers
Disclaimer: I don't own these characters, these settings, or Regina's fashion choices. Some of these dialogues are taken directly from the OUaT writers, back when they were actually putting quality stuff on my television.
Author's Notes: I will be loosely following the outline of season 1, especially in the beginning, but for the entire fic you can basically throw canon out the window. However, I'm not going to change the backstory of any of the characters (though I might add to it). Rated M because I will probably include more mature content as I go, and I don't want anyone to start reading and have to stop because they wanted something PG. For now it's pretty PG though. Will let you know when that changes.

Chapter 1

Regina stepped inside, closing the door behind her, and quickly kicked off her heels. Normally she could wear them all day without even a twinge of discomfort, but she was tired from lack of sleep and her body was crying out for the homey comfort of PJs and slippers - not to mention a nice warm blanket. Pleasant summer breezes were now well and truly gone, replaced with icy gusts that carried the distinct smell of winter. Regina didn't mind the cold, but what she liked most about winter was the various ways of keeping the cold at bay: drinking hot chocolate or hot apple cider, cozying up by the fire, or just curling up under her thick winter comforter. She was most certainly not looking forward to dragging herself out of her gloriously warm bed to face the cold morning air and scrape ice off of her windshield. Just as she did every winter, she considered adding that particular chore to her gardener's list - she hired him to clear her walkway of snow in the mornings during the winter months - but once again rejected the idea; she loved that car too much to have that oaf go anywhere near it with a blade.

Deciding a hot shower was in order to help her unwind, Regina slowly climbed the stairs to inform Henry that they would be having leftovers tonight. He would complain, as he always did when she opted not to prepare a fresh meal, but he always dug hungrily into his helping nonetheless. Her food was delicious, leftover or not.

Thinking of her son brought a mix of emotion that Regina was too exhausted to deal with. They had never been close, exactly - Henry was far too independent and free-spirited to be clinging to his mother - but they had a good relationship. They had their daily routine and their nighttime rituals, and they had certainly had glorious moments together which Regina cherished. Lately, though, something had changed drastically. Henry was distant, disobedient, and even cold towards his mother. At first she had attributed the change to him simply growing up, testing his boundaries with the authority figures in his life. Just recently she had discovered that Henry was the poster child of good manners in his classroom, during a brief parent-teacher conference with Miss Blanchard, and something about the discovery made her skin crawl. Just the thought of Henry smiling sweetly at that...that...woman made Regina burn with fury, the source of which still eluded her. The only logical conclusion was jealousy: Regina was jealous of Miss Blanchard and the ease with which she bonded with Henry. That didn't really explain why she'd instantly disliked the woman the moment they met, but Regina tried not to dwell on that. It really didn't matter.

At the top of the stairs Regina headed towards Henry's bedroom. The door was slightly ajar but she knocked anyway. There was no answer, which wasn't unusual given the boy's recent addiction to blasting loud music through his headphones, so Regina carefully eased open the door. "Henry?" she called, a little impatiently. She quickly saw that the room was empty. In no mood to go searching for him, she leaned over the banister and called his name, which echoed in the massive foyer. There was no answer. "Not a good day for this, Henry," she muttered, making her way back down the stairs.

It took about ten minutes of searching for Regina to conclude that Henry wasn't anywhere in the house. He was far too old to be playing hide and seek, after all. Worry fuelled adrenaline began to flow now, making her heart race. She went into the backyard, still barefoot, and called his name again. She looked at her apple tree, where he sometimes perched to clear his head - and get away from his mother, Regina thought bitterly - but he wasn't there. Now she was scared. Back inside she picked up the phone and dialled the number for Doctor Hopper, Henry's therapist. He didn't have a session today but sometimes Henry dropped by to walk the doctor's dog when Regina was working late.

"Dr. Hopper," she heard the man answer.

"Doctor, this is Regina Mills."

"Ah, Madam Mayor. How are you this evening?"

"Is Henry with you?" she asked, in no mood for pleasantries.

"No, I haven't seen him today. Is everything alright?"

"Call me immediately if you see him. Do you understand?"

"Y-yes Madam Mayor, I will."

Regina hung up the phone, hands shaking. She was already worn down from a stressful day and this was too much. Anger and worry and terror were all rising, mixing together in a monstrous tidal wave threatening to sweep her away. She let out a scream of frustration, hurling the phone at the wall with all her strength, where it scattered in pieces across the floor. Fighting back tears, she pulled her cell phone out of her pocket and dialed the familiar number of the sheriff's station.

"Sheriff Graham," he greeted.

"Graham, it's me," she said, voice no longer strong and short but quiet and shaky.

"Regina?" Graham's confusion was to be expected - she always called him on his personal phone, never the station line.

"Henry's missing," she said, steadying her voice. Graham may have seen her more...vulnerable side, but she would not let him listen to her fall to pieces over the phone.

"I'll be right over. Just stay put and try to keep the phone free in case he calls." He hung up before Regina could respond. She looked over at the shattered hand held, momentarily horrified, before she remembered there was a base unit on the kitchen wall that still worked perfectly fine. She went into the kitchen to wait for Graham, her whole body trembling now. 'Please let him be alright,' she thought, resting her forehead against the cool marble countertop, tears pooling on its surface.

It took only a few short minutes for Graham to arrive, but it might as well have been a lifetime. When he stepped inside - he let himself in - he opened his arms to embrace Regina but she pushed him away, annoyed. "I called Doctor Hopper but he isn't there. I don't know where he could have gone."

"Have you called his friends?" Graham asked, wincing at the venomous look he got in response. The suggestion had been almost automatic, but Graham knew perfectly well that Henry had a difficult time making friends; Regina worried about it constantly. "Stay here in case he comes back. I'll go look for him."

Night had fallen when Graham finally returned, empty handed. Regina was a complete mess, no longer caring about her appearance or her dignity. She wouldn't admit it - couldn't say the words out loud - but the fact that she had no idea where he might have gone made her feel like a complete failure. She'd been racking her brain all night trying to think of where he might have gone, but she was no closer to finding an answer than she had been when Graham left. The only option she'd really considered was that he may have gone to Miss Blanchard's house. The thought made her sick, but the idea of calling Henry's teacher and admitting the boy was missing was too painful for words. She reasoned that if he were with Miss Blanchard, she would have called to inform Regina right away, though she continued to glance at the phone every so often wondering if her logic was truly sound. Graham, thankfully, saved her the trouble of making the phone call: he had visited Miss Blanchard and informed her that a child was missing, and asked if she'd seen a child roaming around town alone. Regina knew his discretion was simply due to her position as mayor and her need to keep up appearances in Storybrooke, but she was grateful nonetheless.

"You can't just let him stay out there alone all night!" Regina sobbed when Graham informed her that he would resume his search at first light.

"There's no point in searching in the dark. Henry's a smart boy; he'll find a safe place to spend the night."

"But what if he's hurt?!"

"We're still not going to find him in the dark. It's not cold, and it looks like the rain has stopped for-" Graham paused, straining to hear something. Regina swallowed a sob and listened, too. At first she heard nothing, and was about to say as much, but then she heard the unmistakable sound of a car door slamming. "Are you expecting company?"

Regina shook her head. She heard footsteps coming up the walkway and made her way over to the front door. She glanced through a small side window, saw the outline of a child, and wrenched open the door. "Henry? Henry!" Regina raced down the steps, throwing her arms out to wrap them tightly around her son. Part of her wanted to scream at him for terrifying her like that, but her relief was stronger in that moment. "Are you okay? Where have you been? What happened?" She took in every inch of his appearance, assuring herself that he was indeed okay. She spared a glance for the woman standing next to her but barely registered her presence.

That is, until Henry shouted, "I found my real mom!" and raced into the house.

Now the woman had Regina's full attention. Eyes still red with tears, mascara smudged, she was too stunned to take in much about the woman before her besides a tacky red leather jacket and a lot of blonde hair. "You're Henry's birth mother?" she asked, incredulous.

"Hi," the blonde said, clearly feeling awkward.

Regina's first instinct was to grab the woman's arm and drag her forcefully back to her car, making loud, colourful threats along the way. Then she reminded herself that Henry most likely sought her out - which, she had to admit, really stung - meaning she was probably just as eager to leave as Regina was to see her go. She could handle a brief, cordial conversation before allowing the woman to disappear forever. "How would you like a glass of the best apple cider you ever tasted?" she offered kindly, struggling not to grit her teeth.

"Got anything stronger?"

'Most definitely,' Regina thought, leading the way into her study.