STORYBROOKE, Maine

Tired.

That's all Rebekah could describe the way she felt. Just tired.

She let out a soft little groan as the sun peeked through her curtains and a cool breeze from her window woke her up. Rebekah rolled on her side with her hand out to land on the person next to her only to feel her palm hit her mattress, not Jefferson's chest. Her eyes opened and she frowned seeing she was alone in bed. Her fingers curled up as she fisted the material of her bed-sheet and pushed herself up a bit to look around the room to see if Jefferson had gathered his clothes and left already.

Every morning for the past two and a half months, Jefferson would wake her up with a soft kiss to her lips and a whisper in her ear promising he'd see her later that night – but it looked like he had simply left this morning without waking her.

Rebekah groaned as she sat up in her bed while running her fingers through her wavy hair. And then a smile spread across her face as the images of the night before flashed in her mind. It was comforting just how familiar Jefferson seemed to already be with her body; it was like he knew every single inch of her, as if he knew exactly what she liked and when she wanted something done to her. He knew her body more than she knew it, it seemed.

That was nice.

It was nice to feel completely comfortable with someone, and she liked the way her heart felt like it would literally burst every time he looked down at her with those beautiful, blue eyes. Rebekah liked the way her hand fit in Jefferson's and the way his arm would wrap about her middle and pull her closer to him as they slept. She liked the way he would whisper her name and the way his lips felt against her own. She liked everything about Jefferson.

That was scary.

It was nice but it was scary because she had so much to lose now. If Regina actually committed to her threats to keep Rebekah away from Henry unless she stopped seeing Jefferson...it would crush her. Because she really, really, really like Jefferson. A lot.

It had only been two and a half months of them sneaking around together but Rebekah truly did care for him. Her feelings for Jefferson were all-consuming and overwhelming – but she liked that overwhelming feeling. Rebekah liked how her heart would race as she watched the clock on her wall tick down the seconds until he would show up at her place. She liked the way her stomach fluttered whenever she'd hear him knocking on her door. God, she really liked Jefferson.

And God, the time she had been spending with Jefferson was amazing and Rebekah sometimes felt like it was all a dream – because for so long she hadn't felt this kind of happiness in her life. But it was real. Each night she had fallen asleep in Jefferson's arms after a magical evening together and Rebekah felt like she was on cloud nine.

Until about four days ago when she woke up feeling so tired and drained. Her ribs were starting to bother her again and Rebekah knew that she should have gone back to see Dr. Whale and actually attend her physical therapy sessions but technically she was being physical – just...not the way Dr. Whale probably had in mind.

Rebekah got out of bed and picked up her phone from her nightstand. She took slow steps and headed into the bathroom to freshen up. After she had brushed her teeth and hair and washed her face thoroughly, Rebekah dialed Dr. Whale's number and waited for him to answer.

"This is Whale."

"Hi, Dr. Whale, it's Rebekah Mills."

"Rebekah." He said her name in a way that she knew he was smirking. "I haven't heard from you in a while."

She rolled her eyes at his flirtatious tone. "I was wondering if I could see you?"

"I have a lunch break around 2pm – would you like to share a meal at Granny's?"

Rebekah forced down a laugh and closed her eyes. "I uh,"she cleared her throat, "I actually meant that I wanted to see you as a patient." There was a long awkward silence and Rebekah wanted desperately to break it. "My ribs have been bothering me for the last couple of days."

"That's not surprising seeing as you have failed to come in for any physical therapy appointments."

"Yeah, I've been busy." Rebekah lied.

"Yes, I hear you have been renovating a house with Mr. Gold. That sounds...exciting."

That made her laugh. "It actually is."

"Hmm. To each his own."

Rebekah smiled as she shook her head at the slight bitterness in his tone. "Can I come in and see you or not, Whale?"

"I have an opening in forty-five minutes."

"I will see you in forty-five minutes then."

He hung up and Rebekah chuckled again. Either he was angry about her not following through with her physical therapy, or he was pissed that she had called him for an appointment and not for a date. But after he had kissed her that one night, did he honestly think she'd want to go on a date with him? Rebekah thought that she had made it clear to Dr. Whale that she was not interested in him.

On her way out the door, Rebekah received a call from Regina but instead of answering it, she sent it straight to voicemail. She'd deal with whatever Regina was calling to complain about later.

What was the worst she could be calling about?

_________________________________

THE ENCHANTED FOREST

The sun was soothing on her face and the cool breeze on this autumn day was something that Rebekah had longed for during those hot summer days they had been experiencing. But the air was changing and the forest was now a mixture of reds, oranges, and yellows. It was almost sundown and Jefferson still hadn't come back from the woods where he was gathering firewood for their family.

But to keep herself from worrying, Rebekah brought her daughter outside and for the past hour and a half, the two of them had been playing Grace's favorite game. Hide and seek.

"One...two...three...ready or not Grace, here I come!" Rebekah said loudly as she moved out from behind a large tree.

Grace was four years old and the only place she ever hid was behind their home, never straying any further than she was allowed. There were plenty of places for the little girl to hide but Grace always hid in the same place behind the house near the bushes of roses. An hour and a half of doing the same thing over and over again might seem maddening but Rebekah loved the way Grace's face would light up and she'd squeal with happiness when Rebekah jumped around the corner and would shout, "Got you!"

On this round of hide and seek, Rebekah took her time 'looking' for her daughter. She relished in the cool breeze and enjoyed the view of their home. Rebekah walked slowly knowing that the longer she took, the prouder of herself Grace would be. When she was finally going to the back of their home, she jumped around the corner only to come to a halt at her view or, lack of view. Grace was not there.

She began to panic.

"Grace!" Rebekah shouted, her mind running through every horrifying scenario of something happening to Grace. She was lost. She strayed too far away from their home and crossed the border. Regina had her. "Grace! You come out right now!"

She ran to the magical border only to hear her husband calling her name. "Bex!" He shouted and Rebekah spun on her feet to look in his direction. He had Grace on his hip and their daughter hid her face against his shoulder. "It's okay, I have her." Jefferson told with a cough as Rebekah came running to the two of them.

Once Rebekah was finally standing in front of her husband and daughter, she pulled her Grace out of Jefferson's arms and set her down on the ground. "Where were you?" She asked as she got down on her knees so that she was eye level with Grace, her tone stern and serious.

Grace lowered her head and frowned. "I saw Papa coming back from the woods and I wanted him to play with us." The four-year-old confessed and finally looked back up to her mother. "I'm sorry, Mama."

Rebekah closed her eyes and grabbed hold of her daughter's hands. "You just can't go too far, my love," she told Grace who frowned again. "Not unless you are with me or Papa – it's too dangerous for you to go out on your own." Rebekah looked up at Jefferson briefly who was frowning as well. He looked tired.

"Why is it dangerous?" Grace asked causing Rebekah to look to her daughter again.

"Because you are very little," Rebekah told Grace. It wasn't a lie. "And it would be hard for me and your Papa to find you if you wandered too far."

Grace inhaled sharply through her nose but nodded her head and agreed with her mother. "I won't run off again, Mama. I promise." The four-year-old moved forward and wrapped her small arms around Rebekah's shoulders. Grace then moved Rebekah's hair away from her ears and whispered. "But can we still play hide and seek?"

Rebekah laughed. "Yes, we can still play hide and seek." She smiled and pulled away from Grace and then playfully narrowed her eyes at her in mischief. "In fact, why don't we have your Papa go hide and us girls will find him." Grace grinned at her mother and then spun around to face her father.

"Papa! Hide!" Grace urged her father as Rebekah stood up now and looked to Jefferson with a smile. But he faltered when she got a good look at him. His skin was pale and she could see just how dark the circles under his eyes were. Rebekah took a step closer to him, only now seeing the sweat dripping down the side of his face. "Are you not feeling well?" Rebekah asked him, moving to rest the back of her hand against his forehead. Her eyes widened at the heat radiating from his clammy skin. "Jefferson, you're burning up!" she said in a gasp.

"I'm fine," Jefferson said. "Just a bit tired."

"No, you're not fine." Rebekah argued. His eyes were nearly glazed over and she had been so preoccupied with seeing that Grace was safe that she hadn't took in his appearance or heard the rasp in his voice. He had coughed earlier, too. "Grace, be a big girl and get the kettle ready for Mama." She ordered her daughter.

Grace went running towards the house leaving her mother and father alone. "Bex, honestly, I'm fine." Jefferson tried to tell her again but as he spoke, his body began to sway a little.

"I need to get you in bed," Rebekah said as she slid her arm around his middle and moved him in the direction of the house.

"Bex, my love, you don't have to find an excuse like that to get me into bed with you. I'm always ready and willing if you are." Jefferson flirted but his words were slurred.

She barely made it inside the house before Jefferson fell forward and out of her arms. Rebekah scrambled after him but he landed with a hard thud against the floor of their home. Grace screamed in fear when she came around the corner and witnessed the whole thing.

"Jefferson!" Rebekah shrieked as she quickly got down on her knees to turn him on his side. Jefferson's eyes were closed and each breath he took in was sharp and labored. "Jefferson, sweetheart, open your eyes." Rebekah urged him as she cupped his face in her hands. "Come on, wake up!"

Nothing.

She felt her lower lip tremble as she caressed his face as tears filled her eyes. He was breathing - that was good - but he was sick.

"What's happening to Papa?" Grace cried.

"Gracie girl, I need you to go upstairs and bring down hand mirror under Mama and Papa's bed, okay? Hurry, baby."

Grace pushed her little legs as hard as she could and ran out of the room and Rebekah listened as she heard the sound of tiny little feet hitting the wooden stairs as she ran up them.

"Jefferson," Rebekah whispered as she leaned in close. "Please wake up...I can't do this without you."

It felt like hours before Grace came running down the stairs with the magical mirror that the Blue Fairy had given Jefferson and Rebekah for emergencies so they could get in touch with the palace if anything were to go wrong – or worse; if Regina found them.

Rebekah recited the words as she held the mirror in her hand and watched as the mirror shimmered but just as the Blue Fairy's face showed in the mirror, it disappeared.

"Dammit!" Rebekah cursed.

Her eyes scanned the room and landed on the closet where they kept the hat. They promised they'd never use the hat again – it was too risky and Grace was their priority now. But Rebekah couldn't lose Jefferson. Rebekah pushed herself off the ground and ran for the closet and pulled out the hat.

Grace was looking down at her curiously as she came back with it. "What's that?" she asked, her voice small and frightened.

"We're going to visit a friend," Rebekah told her. "And he'll fix, Papa."

He had to.

Rebekah dropped the hat on the ground and spun it and watched as the purple smoke appeared. "Take Mama's hand, Gracie girl." She ordered her daughter who was quick to do so. Rebekah then grabbed Jefferson's hand. "On three we're going to jump." She looked down at Grace who was looking up at her with wide eyes full of fear. "It's okay, Grace. One...two...three."

They jumped. Grace held onto Rebekah's hand tightly and Rebekah gripped onto Jefferson's hand, dragging him along with them.

The three landed with a thud against the black marble flooring inside of the hat surrounded by doors to nearly every realm. Grace made a noise of interest upon seeing each door but there was no time for Rebekah to explain what she was seeing. Before Grace even got the chance to speak, Rebekah picked up her daughter and ran towards one of the doors. While still keeping a tight hold on Grace, Rebekah yanked down one of the velvet curtains and ran back to where Jefferson was to roll him onto it.

"What is this place?" Grace asked as she clung onto her mother.

Rebekah grunted as she pulled the curtain her husband's body was on towards one of the doors. She didn't answer Grace until they were walking through one of the doors.

They stepped into a field and all color that once surrounded them had disappeared.

Jefferson needed a doctor. She was going to take him to a damn doctor.

Dr. Victor Frankenstein's large mansion was in sight and Rebekah used all her strength to drag the curtain and Jefferson along the walkway before pounding on the large doors while screaming her friends name.

Victor opened the door and smiled but it soon disappeared when he saw Jefferson's body on the curtain. "Save him," Rebekah said, finally letting the tears fall.

Please, Jefferson...I can't do this without you.

_________________________________

STORYBROOKE, Maine

He needed to find way to break the curse. The Savior, Emma Swan, was taking far too long for Jefferson's liking. After twenty-eight years, one might think that Jefferson would have a little more patience when it came to waiting for Emma Swan to break the curse – but anyone who thought that clearly didn't know just how desperate he was to get his family back. His whole family. He had Rebekah and it was amazing to hold her in his arms again and to wake up to her every morning – but they didn't have their daughter. Rebekah didn't know they had a child and she did not know they were married.

He had Rebekah but he wanted his wife. He wanted her to remember.

"Good morning, Jefferson." Mr. Gold said, eyes downward on an antique that he was currently cleaning as Jefferson walked through the pawn shop. "I was wondering when you'd find your way to my shop." Jefferson glared at the man but walked forward. Mr. Gold continued to look down at the antique in his hands. "Did you come for a reason or are you just admiring my craft?" Gold said when he finally looked up.

"The curse needs to be broken."

"It will," Mr. Gold said with nonchalance.

"When?" he said through gritted teeth.

"When the time comes," the man said, and out of frustration, Jefferson slammed his fist down against the counter but Mr. Gold did not seem fazed by his action at all. "Why are you in a such a rush to have the curse broken, Jefferson? You have Rebekah back –"

"I want my family back. I want my wife and daughter." Jefferson glared.

"And you will." Mr. Gold set down the antique. "You only have to be patient."

"I'm tired of being patient!" Jefferson roared. "I've waited twenty-eight years for the Savior to come. I have stayed away from Rebekah and Grace and watched them from afar knowing they have no memory of our lives for over two decades and I refuse to let it become three decades before they remember who they truly are."

"Miss Swan is here. The curse will be broken and you will have your family back, Jefferson, but if you go on with this erratic behavior, you will no longer have the luxury of sneaking into Rebekah's apartment every night. She will see just how mad you truly are and push you away," Mr. Gold told Jefferson. "So, either be patient or lock yourself away in that big house of yours and spend your days and nights alone trying to recreate one of your magical hats in a world that has no magic."

"Emma Swan has magic – she can make the hat work again."

"And how do you figure you're going to get her to do that? By simply approaching the woman and rave on about magical hats and curses? Force her to make the hat work? Kidnap her? You will lose Rebekah forever because I don't know if you have noticed – those two are quite close."

Jefferson furrowed his brows as his face pinched together in anger.

"And honestly, Jefferson, if you truly love Rebekah, do you want her to remember the years she spent away from you and your daughter as Regina's prisoner? You're not the only one who went mad."

His face softened slightly and Jefferson frowned at Gold's words. He swallowed hard and shook his head. "I just want my family back."

"Be grateful for what you have now because things might not be the same once the curse is broken and they regain their previous memories."

"Don't say that." Jefferson balled his hand into a fist again and his nails dug deeply into his skin causing him to draw blood from his palm.

He didn't say anything else. Jefferson only turned his back on Mr. Gold and left his shop with tears stinging in his eyes as he tried to erase the images that were playing in his head. Grace, waiting and waiting for her father to return. Rebekah in tears as she frantically drew pictures of Jefferson and Grace while locked away in the tower. Both of them waiting for him to return. To save them.

But he hadn't.

He had been stuck in Wonderland until suddenly he was not.

And by then, the curse had already taken place.

It had been too late.

Rebekah sat on the examination bench and waited for Dr. Whale to come inside the room. She twiddled her thumbs for what felt like an hour before the man walked into the room.

"Good morning, Rebekah," Dr. Whale greeted her. "Finally coming in?" he said with a raised brow and a smile that read: you should have followed the doctor's orders. "Your ribs are bugging you, I assume?"

She rolled her eyes but nodded her head. "Yes."

"Anything else bothering you other than your ribs?" Dr. Whale asked as he wrote in her medical file.

"Just feeling a little drained of energy," Rebekah admitted. "Tired...achy." And then Rebekah remembered a symptom she had a week or two ago. "And I've been having these blinding headaches that are so awful that it makes me nauseous."

Dr. Whale's brows knit together, not liking what she was saying. "Have you taken any more of your pain pills?" he asked her.

"No." Rebekah shook her head. "When I took one, it left me feeling really weird so I figured I'd deal with the pain," she told him honestly. "But it hasn't really been bugging me until recently."

Whale wrote more in her file and then looked back to Rebekah. "Has your daily routine changed since I last saw you? Are you being more physical than you previously have been?"

Rebekah's face flushed in embarrassment. "What?"

"Well, while you worked with Regina I know that the most you might have done was lift a box of old town records, but remodeling a house might require more physical labor."

"Oh," Rebekah said with a little chuckle. "Um, no. Mr. Gold doesn't allow me to do anything heavy lifting like moving furniture. He has workers to do the hard labor."

Dr. Whale nodded again and wrote something else down in her file. "I want to run some labs," he said and walked over to where the medical supplies were kept and pulled out protective gloves. A loud snap echoed through the room when he put them on. "I don't like these symptoms you're having." Dr. Whale pulled out a needle with a small tube attached to it that was used while drawing blood, a tourniquet, cotton swabs and rubbing alcohol along with gauze and medical tape. "The previous medication you were on did not agree with you for some reason and I want to get a good look at your blood before prescribing something else that might cause that sort of reaction again."

Rebekah didn't argue with him, she simply rolled up her sleeve and let Dr. Whale tie the tourniquet on her arm and used two fingers to tap against her skin to find a vein he could draw blood from.

"Make a fist," Dr. Whale ordered Rebekah. She did as he told her and Dr. Whale swabbed at her skin with rubbing alcohol before he grabbed her lower arm. Rebekah watched as the needle pierced her skin and she winced as she watched the blood fill the catheter. She had to look away because the mere sight of the blood was making her feel queasy. "All done," Dr. Whale said after he had removed the tourniquet from her arm and then carefully removed he needle from Rebekah's arm. He swabbed at her arm again before placing a small cotton ball on the little dot of blood and then wrapped medical tape around it.

Dr. Whale stood up and walked over to the table before dropping the used needle into the red container along with his gloves and everything he had used to clean up the blood. He began to write in her file before grabbing something to place on the tube and wrote on it.

"When will I know if I can get a different pain medicine?" Rebekah asked him.

"I'll rush the labs and you should expect a call from me tomorrow morning or evening at the latest." Dr. Whale turned back to look at her. "Until then I am going to sign you up for weekly physical therapy," he told her and Rebekah made a face. "If you want to get back to feeling like yourself, you have to do this, Rebekah. There's no magical cure for this. You need to do the work."

"Fine." Rebekah drew out the word.

"Go out front and talk to Cynthia and she'll give you all the information you'll need about your physical therapy session. You start tomorrow morning and I will be coming down to make sure you show up. So, don't think about not coming."

"Yeah, yeah." Rebekah pulled her sleeve down and got off the medical bench. "I'll be there."

"Good," he said with a smile. "I'll see you tomorrow morning."

He left the room with the tube of her blood and her medical file and Rebekah followed after him shortly and headed to the receptionist to get the information Dr. Whale wanted her to have. Cynthia, a plump woman with curly blonde hair, smiled at Rebekah as she walked up to the desk.

"I just printed out the papers," Cynthia told her and handed over the paperwork. "And your physical therapy appointment is set for tomorrow at 8AM with Dr. Shang."

Rebekah smiled politely and thanked Cynthia as she took the papers from her.

"Have a nice rest of your morning, Rebekah!"

It was still morning? All Rebekah wanted to do was go back home and sleep. But Rebekah had to work today and she doubted Mr. Gold would give her the day off because she was tired.

It would have been nice though.

_________________________________

LAND WITHOUT COLOR

"Can you save him?" Rebekah asked Victor who was examining Jefferson. He was quiet. Too quiet. Victor was chatty; he always had something to say but his focus was entirely on Jefferson and that terrified Rebekah. Because if Victor wasn't talking it meant that this was serious. It meant that he might not know what to do. "Victor..." Her voice was full of pleading and sadness.

"This is unlike any illness I have come across, Rebekah." Victor looked to Rebekah with a grim expression. "I believe it's magic."

She shook her head. "What kind of magic?"

"If I had to guess...dark magic," Victor answered.

Rebekah bit down hard on her tongue before she spat out a name. "Regina."

"What was he doing before he got home? Where had he been?" Victor asked Rebekah.

She shook her head and closed her eyes. "He went to gather firewood." Rebekah then had a thought. "Wait," she said in a whisper as she pushed past Victor. "Regina cursed Snow White once – all Charming had to do to wake her was kiss her."

"Rebekah, I don't think-"

Rebekah ignored Victor and softly pressed her lips against Jefferson's.

Nothing.

She pulled away and looked down at him. He was still asleep. Rebekah moved her face down again and kissed Jefferson once more. "Come back to me," she whispered against his mouth.

But his eyes didn't open.

True Love's Kiss always worked! Why wasn't it working now?

"Please." Rebekah whispered brokenly as she pressed her hand against Jefferson's cheek as she looked down at him, tears falling from her cheeks down onto his. "Wake up...don't leave me." There was a hand on her shoulder and Rebekah pressed her forehead against Jefferson's as more tears fell. "I can't lose him, Victor."

"Maybe..." Victor's words trailed away and Rebekah stood up to look at him. His face was pinched and his hand dropped from her shoulder.

"What?"

"You once said that your sister never does anything without having a reason behind it," Victor reminded Rebekah. "That she always has some sort of ulterior motive. Maybe using magic against Jefferson was a way to send you a message?"

Rebekah looked down at the ground as she licked at her lips. "She wants me to come to her to cure him." She closed her eyes tightly and shook her head. "I...I can't leave Grace," Rebekah said as her voice broke. "Who's to say Regina would even cure Jefferson? Once I show up to her palace she can just lock me away again...and if she did that then Grace would be without her mother and father – I can't." A sob escaped as Rebekah weighed out each option.

She had three options.

Go to Regina and beg for a cure and hope that she would be true to her word and heal Jefferson before she took Rebekah prisoner.

Go to Regina and before she even got the chance to beg for Jefferson's life, Regina would lock Rebekah away leaving Jefferson to die anyway and Grace would be without both of her parents.

Or...do nothing and watch helplessly as Jefferson died.

Each scenario had one thing in common. She was going to lose Jefferson.

"Don't let Papa die, Mama."

Rebekah looked to the door and saw Grace standing in doorway holding onto her father's coat. Her big, brown eyes were filled with tears as her lower lip trembled.

"I won't," Rebekah swore to Grace. The decision was made now. Rebekah would go to Regina for the cure and pray that there was some good left in the woman that she would let Jefferson live. Rebekah walked over to Grace and got down on her knees. "I won't let your Papa die, Gracie girl. I promise. But I need you to be a big girl and help Uncle Victor while I'm gone."

"Where are you going?" Grace asked, her eyes now wide with fear.

Rebekah pressed her lips into a thin line and pressed her hand to Grace's cheek. "I'm going to go get some medicine to help your Papa wake up," she told Grace while using her thumb to wipe away one of her daughter's tears.

"I want to come."

Rebekah shook her head, "I'm sorry, baby, you can't. This is something Mama has to do on her own."

"What if you get sick, too?" Grace cried.

"I won't." Rebekah assured her daughter. "Don't tell Papa this but Mama is a lot stronger than he is." She tried to be playful but Grace continued to cry. Rebekah pushed aside her guilt for leaving Grace and moved both of her hands to her cheeks and pressed a kiss to her daughters' forehead. "I love you so much, Gracie girl."

"I love you, too, Mama." Grace said with a sniffle.

"Now you go on and be Uncle Victor's helper, okay?"

"Okay," she said quietly but didn't move. Instead, Grace jumped forward and wrapped her arms around Rebekah. She hugged her daughter back and pressed another kiss to her head before pulling away from the four-year-old.

Rebekah walked over to Victor and pulled him far enough away that Grace wouldn't be able to hear them speaking. "If I don't come back and Jefferson doesn't wake I want you to find a way back to the Enchanted Forest and take Grace to Snow White and Prince Charming and then go to Rumpelstiltskin for his help in waking Jefferson."

"Rebekah," Victor shook his head but Rebekah wouldn't allow him to argue.

"But if Jefferson does wake up and I haven't returned...tell him that I love him...so much." Her voice broke again as tears fell. "And that he changed my life...tell him to raise our daughter and to not try and rescue me."

"I..."

"Promise me, Victor."

She watched as tears filled his eyes but Victor nodded his head in a promise.

Rebekah looked over at Grace who was sitting next to her father, her small head resting against his arm as she held onto it tightly. She took in a deep breath before turning away and walking out of the room. The hat was where she left it and Rebekah held onto it tightly before she dropped it on the ground and kicked it into a spin.

"I love you, Jefferson," Rebekah whispered before she jumped into the hat.

_________________________________

STORYBROOKE, Maine

It was too early. But Jefferson had kissed her softly before he left her apartment this morning and whispered his promise that he'd be back later that night so Rebekah was quite as grouchy as she might have been the day before.

Regina had commented on her mood when the woman called to complain about Emma Swan and Rebekah lost her temper on her older sister for blaming all her problems on Henry's birth mother.

Yesterday morning, Henry had gotten into some trouble at the local drug store after the clerk searched his backpack and found stolen items in the bag. Only, Henry hadn't been the one to steal them. Two young children had stolen them and Henry called Rebekah so upset later that night after learning that the boy and girl had no parents. And then this morning, Rebekah received a phone call from Emma who was seething after finding out that Regina had contacted social services and that the boy and girl would be put into the foster system – and separated. Emma had asked Rebekah to try and reason with her sister but when Regina made her mind up there was no changing it. So, Rebekah told Emma to do everything in her power to try and find the boy and girl's father before Regina made her drive the siblings to Boston to be placed in their separate boy's and girl's foster care homes.

Rebekah pulled into the hospital parking lot and ran inside. She was already running fifteen minutes late and Dr. Shang had already called her asking if she was going to be able to make it to the appointment. Rebekah had apologized profusely and threw her hair up in a bun, brushed her teeth and threw on something simple to wear so she didn't run into the appointment looking like a mad woman. Rebekah had slept through the two alarms she set this morning to remind her of the appointment. Hopefully, Dr. Shang would have some tips on ways to make her more awake and alert throughout the day.

"You're late," Dr. Whale said as Rebekah ran through the hospital to get to the PT floor. He was leaning against the main reception area flirting with some of the nurses and Rebekah had to roll her eyes at the smirk plastered on his lips.

"Bite me, Whale!" she shouted while still running.

Jefferson had looked worried when Rebekah told him she went to see Dr. Whale yesterday morning. He seemed even more worried when she told him that Whale had done some blood work but she assured him it was only to check to see if she'd have another bad reaction to any sort of pain killers he might prescribe her again. That didn't seem to ease Jefferson's worry. In fact, he had pulled her closer to him on the couch until she was practically on his lap and he held onto her tightly. Jefferson made her promise not to take any pain pills unless he was around to make sure she would be alright.

It was sweet how protective Jefferson had become of her, but it made her feel as though maybe Jefferson knew something that she didn't. The way he looked at her sometimes and the way he'd hold her – God, it felt so damn familiar. The intensity of his gaze and the longing in his kisses made Rebekah's heart skip a few beats at times.

When Rebekah got to the PT floor, Dr. Shang was waiting for her in the waiting area. "I'm so sorry!" Rebekah apologized as she ran over to him. "I slept through my alarms and I swear, I've never been late to anything before! I mean, my sister is the Mayor and anyone who knows her knows that she's completely anal about people being late."

Dr. Shang smiled, his teeth big and white as she rambled on. "It's okay, Rebekah. My next appointment isn't until 11 AM. We have plenty of time."

Rebekah sighed in relief but still felt guilty that Dr. Shang had come into work early only to have her be - she looked down at her watch - twenty minutes late.

For the first thirty minutes Rebekah discussed her injury and the pain (or lack of energy) she had been feeling lately. Dr. Shang asked the same questions Dr. Whale had but was a bit more direct.

"Are you being physical?"

"I work for Mr. Gold and he doesn't let me do any of the heavy lifting – or lifting at all. I just point and the workers move everything."

"That's not what I meant, Rebekah." Dr. Shang said to her. "Are you physical with anyone? Sexually?"

She blinked in surprise. "Um..." Rebekah licked at her lower lip. "Why?"

"Sex is quite physical, Rebekah, and if you are having sex regularly--"

"I get it." Rebekah said, her skin three shades redder. "Yes."

"You're sexually active?"

She closed her eyes and bit down on her lower lip to stop herself from getting any more embarrassed. "Yes."

"Well, that explains a lot." Dr. Shang told her. "You haven't done any rehab for your ribs and on top of being sexually active – it's no surprise to me why you're feeling pain again. The tiredness is a bit troubling to me though. Perhaps you should...take a break for a bit?"

Rebekah looked up at the ceiling in embarrassment as she whispered, "Oh my God," completely mortified.

"Regular PT and taking a break from sexual activity should have you feeling more like your old self in a few weeks," Dr. Shang said and Rebekah refused to look away from the ceiling. He chuckled and continued on. "I want to see you three times a week and you need to be doing these exercises every single day. Not just the days you come here."

"Mmhm." Rebekah agreed, still not looking at Dr. Shang.

"Alright, let's get working on your exercises," Rebekah heard Dr. Shang say as he got up and walked away from her.

The rehab was hell. But Rebekah was determined to heal and the fact that she couldn't be intimate with Jefferson until she was better was a really big motivator, as ridiculous as that might sound to some. Of course, she wasn't going to tell Jefferson that she would be working so hard to get better for that reason. Rebekah could already imagine his reaction: all smirks and his brow cocked up.

"How's she doing?"

Rebekah looked over her shoulder to see Dr. Whale standing in the doorway of the room and playfully glared at him. "Excelling!" she told him.

"If only you had done this right after your accident." Dr. Whale smirked.

Rebekah scoffed and rolled her eyes.

"Dr. Shang – can I speak with you for a moment?" Dr. Whale asked the man who was helping Rebekah with a certain stretch.

"Of course," Dr. Shang said and let go of Rebekah. "Continue working. I'll be back in a second."

Dr. Shang didn't return for another ten minutes and when he did, he told Rebekah that they were done for the day and to take it easy.

"Take it easy?" She laughed. "I thought you wanted me to heal?"

"I want you to heal, but I also want you to not push yourself too hard and cause irreversible damage." Dr. Shang said slowly.

She furrowed her brows at his words but agreed with him that she wouldn't push herself too hard. "Do I make my next two appointments with your receptionist?" Rebekah asked him.

"Just one." Dr. Shang told her. "We'll see how you do this week and continue on from there."

What was going on?

"Okay."

She left the room and walked over to reception to find Dr. Whale there flirting with one of the PT Aides. When he saw she was there he turned his attention on her. "Ms. Mills, how was your first day of rehab?"

"It was okay," Rebekah said. He sounded more concerned than interested. "Why?"

"You're my patient. I like to know my patients are doing well."

She made a face at that and walked over to the receptionist. "Don't you have lives to save?" Rebekah asked Dr. Whale when she felt him hovering behind her. "Or, perhaps, getting my blood results back? You said I'd hear from you by now," Rebekah said to him while the receptionist was printing out her appointment information along with instructions for the exercises she would be doing while at home.

"I actually came down here for a reason," Dr. Whale said causing Rebekah to turn and face him. She raised her brow at him, waiting for him to speak again. "I may have labeled your blood work wrong and it got mixed up."

"Are you serious?" she said with a huff.

"I need to take a bit more so I can run the test."

Rebekah looked down at her watch and sighed. She had another hour before she had to meet Mr. Gold. "Fine. But we're doing this now because I have to get to work."

Dr. Whale apologized again and as irritated as she was with the doctor, she could tell that he felt bad for mixing everything up. They went to the E.R and Dr. Whale was quick to set everything up and take her blood.

"Don't mix this one up," Rebekah told him as he wrote down all her information. Dr. Whale chuckled and shook his head at her words.

He cleaned up her little wound and Rebekah left the hospital with about forty-five minutes to spare. She decided that she'd go grab something to eat seeing as she didn't have time to grab anything this morning after sleeping through her alarm. Rebekah could hear her stomach was screaming at her to put some food in it.

On her drive the Granny's diner, Rebekah went over just what she would say to Jefferson about them no longer being able to be 'physical' with one another. It wasn't like they spent every single day for the last two and a half months having sex! But she did enjoy it and she knew Jefferson did as well – but they had to stop until her ribs were healed. Because apparently the times they have had sex only made her ribs worse.

God, what an embarrassing conversation to have.

_________________________________

ENCHANTED FOREST

"I'd say I'm surprised to see you but who would I be fooling?" Regina smirked as the guards threw Rebekah down at her feet. "Hello, little sister."

Rebekah pushed herself off of the ground and stood in front of the Evil Queen. But she didn't speak, she only looked right into the eyes of someone she once loved more than anyone in the world.

"Are you mute now?" Regina laughed.

"Whatever dark curse you cast on Jefferson, I want it reversed," Rebekah demanded.

Regina pinched her lips together. "Oh no, did True Love's Kiss not work this time?" She smirked and narrowed her eyes at Rebekah in boredom. "That's because it's not a curse. You and I both know that anyone who entered your room would die – Rumpelstiltskin may have been able to use his magic to help Jefferson take you, but it didn't break the spell. It was only delayed. It may have taken a few years but Jefferson is finally being punished for taking you from me."

Rebekah inhaled through her nose sharply as she tried to keep calm. "Reverse the magic."

"I can't." Regina shrugged her shoulders innocently as she looked down at her nails. "What's done is done."

"Regina, please!" Rebekah begged. "I know how powerful you are! I know you can save him!" Her voice broke into a sob. "He is my husband! He is the father of my child! Your niece!" She continued on, "You can't be that heartless, Regina! Please – I will do whatever you want! I'll be your prisoner again just save him! I'm begging you!" She got down on her knees.

Regina clicked her tongue as she looked down at Rebekah. "Love has made you soft, Rebekah."

She took in a shaky breath and looked up at her sister, tears streaming down her face. "Please."

Regina crossed her arms over her chest and pursed her lips. "How old is my niece?"

"She's four, her name is Grace and she's the kindest little girl--"

"I will save your husband and I will even allow you to go home to my niece," Regina said causing Rebekah to gasp in shock. She smiled and stood up and moved to hug her sister. Regina accept her hug and moved to wrap her arms around Rebekah. "But only for two years."

Rebekah slowly pulled away from Regina, her lower lip trembling. She should have known Regina would have never done anything out of the kindness of her heart because she didn't have one. Not anymore.

"In two years, I will come and collect you and bring you back to our home. Now, let me make it clear to you, Rebekah. If you and your little family try to run by jumping into different realms, the spell on Jefferson will go into effect again. And he will die." Regina threatened Rebekah.

She swallowed hard and nodded her head in agreement.

"I will see you in two years, little sister."

Rebekah closed her eyes and didn't fight against the guard who took her away from Regina. She just let him drag her out of the throne room.

"Why did you do that?!" A familiar accent caused Rebekah to turn and face the guard who was gripping onto her arm tightly.

"Huntsman?"

"Why did you even come?!" He said in anger, ignoring her question. "You got away! You were free!"

"I couldn't let my husband die!" Rebekah argued with the Huntsman. "I love him!"

"Well, hold onto that love you feel for him now because I can't guarantee you'll feel it in two years when Regina rips out your heart. You won't be able to feel anything ever again," he hissed while they walked through the large castle doors that took them into the courtyard.

The Huntsman let go of her arm and Rebekah rubbed at the spot he had been holding so tightly. "I...Regina may be evil but...she'd never take my heart."

The Huntsman took off his mask and looked at Rebekah. "I understand that you love your husband, but you made a mistake in coming here, Rebekah. And if he loves you as much as you love him – he's going to tell you the same thing."

She looked down at the ground as tears filled her eyes again. Rebekah heard the Huntsman sigh and then felt him grab a hold of her hand softly.

"Go to them," he told her. "Cherish them."

Rebekah looked back up at him and gave him a watery smile. "It was good seeing you," she said with a little chuckle causing the Huntsman to smile.

The Huntsman smiled softly at Rebekah and motioned for her to get going. "...I'll see you, Rebekah."

She inhaled sharply one more time before she walked away from the Huntsman and away from the castle to the place where she had hidden the hat in the woods.

On her walk to the hat, Rebekah decided that she would not tell Jefferson about the deal she made with Regina. Because if he knew what she had done – that she had traded her freedom for his life -- Jefferson would go to Regina and would offer his life for Rebekah's freedom. For the next two years, Rebekah would need to stress to Jefferson just how important their family was and how much Grace needed him in her life. Because Rebekah didn't see Regina ever letting her go. Jefferson needed to be there for Grace; he needed to put her first.

And she would drill that into his head every single hour for the next two years.

Grace comes first.

Always.

_________________________________

STORYBROOKE, Maine

Jefferson had made her tea and they sat on the couch as Rebekah explained to Jefferson what the doctor had said. He had chuckled at the way her cheeks reddened and how she had covered her face in embarrassment. He kissed her embarrassment away and Rebekah was so grateful with how understanding Jefferson was. But he did look worried when Rebekah told him that Dr. Whale was running yet another blood test. But he didn't press the subject.

Around ten at night, Jefferson lingered in the kitchen as Rebekah did the dishes. She could tell that he had something on his mind but knew that if he wanted to talk about whatever it was that he would bring it up – and he finally did.

"Bex?" he said causing her to turn around and face him with her dish towel still in her hand.

"Yeah?" she said and slung the towel over her shoulder.

He looked down at the ground for a moment before looking back at her and asked, "I can still stay with you tonight, though...right?"

Rebekah smiled at him cheekily. "I'd be offended if you didn't."

He let out a breath of relief and grinned at Rebekah. "Good."

She smiled and looked at him for a long moment, capturing this moment in her mind as she took in every single detail of Jefferson's face. His beautiful blue eyes, his nose, the curves of his mouth, his sharp jawline and dimpled chin. Everything.

Because in that moment she knew it.

She had wondered before.

She had thought it.

But now she knew.

She was in love with Jefferson.

And they had only been together for two and a half months. She was keenly aware of that but... she was in love with him.

And Rebekah didn't think there would ever be a day that she didn't love him.

Or, she hoped.

_________________________________

The sound of her ice clinking against her crystal glass was somewhat soothing to Regina Mills.

After the last two days, Regina wanted nothing more than to drink all her anger away – all her frustrations with Emma Swan and how no matter how hard Regina tried to stop her from her little 'missions', the woman always ended up the hero in the end.

The Sheriff's election first and now she was hailed as the town hero for reuniting two 'orphaned' children with their father.

She cringed at the image of the two little brats and took another sip of her drink.

She relished in the taste of the alcohol but that little bit of happiness it gave her was soon gone when a loud ringing filled the room. Regina looked at the clock on her wall and saw that it was nearly midnight. Who the hell would be calling her so late?

Regina frowned when she saw that it was Dr. Whale calling her. Setting down the glass of scotch that she had been nursing over the last hour, Regina answered the phone. "Yes?"

"Mayor Mills," Dr. Whale addressed her. "I'm calling because you asked me to keep you updated on Rebekah's appointments."

It had been nearly four months and Rebekah had yet to attend physical therapy like she had told Dr. Whale and Regina she would. Regina couldn't help but wonder why now she was finally attending her PT appointments? "She finally came in for physical therapy?"

Dr. Whale gave into a hesitant sigh. "Rebekah complained of being tired and wanted to know what kind of exercises might help her to get her body back to the way it once was."

"And?" Regina said when he didn't give her any more information. "Have her ribs gotten worse?" He cleared his throat awkwardly and Regina rolled her eyes at his behavior. "I told you already, Whale – you won't get in trouble for sharing her medical records with me. However, if you don't tell me what's going on I will make sure that you lose your license."

"Her ribs haven't gotten worse." Dr. Whale told Regina. "The reason why her body is tired is not because of the injury. It is because Rebekah is pregnant."

Regina felt rage fill her. The first thing she wanted to do was confront Rebekah and then go to Jefferson and strangle him with his scarf – but she needed Dr. Whale to answer questions before she did anything.

"Does Rebekah know?"

"She does not. I tested her blood twice saying I wanted to make sure any pain medication I might prescribe would not affect her the way her previous medicine did. She agreed to the bloodwork but Rebekah is unaware of the pregnancy." Regina let out a little sigh of relief about that. "But I plan on calling her in the morning with her results."

"No," Regina said sharply. "Rebekah needs to hear this from me. She will be completely overwhelmed and I need to make sure that I am there for her."

They hung up and Regina went over her plan.

Regina was not going to tell Rebekah that she was pregnant and she most definitely was not going to tell Jefferson. Regina would find a way to fix this little situation her little sister got herself into. Rebekah just wouldn't know anything about it.

And neither would Jefferson.

They wouldn't even get the chance.