The sound of gulls above and the soft crash of waves against the harbor and boats drowned the heavy breathing of the person standing on the docks. Her body bent over, her hands on her knees, and having a hard time taking in air from her run from the station. She's safe here, for now. No one would think that she'll be here, not even that stinky pirate she even considered calling boyfriend. She winced as she stood straight and stretched. Being locked in a cell is not really healthy and friendly to the joints.

She could move inside the cell and it's not like she can't do some exercise but the feeling of being caged was enough to make her body think that she didn't move an inch before she escaped.

She took a moment to breathe in some air, her chest feeling free than ever. This is the only thing she wanted, to be free.

She glared at the horizon. She doesn't want any of this, this is not who she is. She is Emma Swan, a bail bonds person. She makes her living by catching assholes that thinks they could get away with what they did and not just sitting on a desk and being sheriff that occasionally save cats on trees. She's a freaking badass before, she admits it's lonely but no one's counting her on for something. No one giving their lives to her to keep and save, no breaking curses, no parents that don't even have experience in parenting, no adoptive mother that tried to kill her and making her life a living hell, no kid that thinks she's a knight in shining armor and practically worshiping her.

She doesn't want any of those. Any of it.

She could just skip town, there's a spell that can erase her memories and she won't remember any of it. She could just run away.

Emma clenched her hands, she could feel magic bubbling from inside. The uncontrollable flame inside her fueled by the all the feelings she's going through now. What happened to her was no destiny, it was rigged. Paved by the same people she's living with in this small town. She was supposed to be the savior, she was to break the curse, she has to bring the happy endings.

She's tired of it.

She took deep breaths as she felt her magic trying to burst out, she doesn't care what happens to her, to anyone, but she can't risk to be discovered. She wanted to get even. And she's going to get it.

"Hey, you're that dumb sheriff, aren't ya?" a slurred voice called from behind her and Emma turned around to see a drunk man swaying side by side with a bottle in his hand. He looked like he haven't taken a bath in days and the stench combined with the smell of rum, Emma winced, was a confirmation of that.

"Yeah, I'm that dumb sheriff," she rolled her eyes and he stopped before her, "who are you?"

The drunk man took a swig of his drink before wiping his mouth with the back of her hand. He pointed a finger at her and continued to sway from side to side.

"You... you ruined everything. You poisoned the captain" he said, his accusing finger now hovering over her face.

"Captain?" Emma pondered for a second before realizing that there's only one captain in town.

"Yessss, the captain," he took another swig and threw the bottle in the water, he took a step forward and Emma cringed from the smell of his breath. "You lured him and poisoned him, he will not turn his back on his ship and his crew but look what you did.

He sold his ship for you and he left us here to do... nothing!" he poked her shoulder at the last word. Emma slapped his hand away.

"Don't you dare touch me!" she pushed him away, the man fell on his butt from his lack of balance and continued glaring at her.

"I didn't poison your captain, I didn't lure him. He's the one who came to me and I didn't tell him to sell his stupid boat, he did it himself to show how much he loves me. And you know what, that didn't even prove anything, it just showed that he'll abandon important things and people when there's another superior to them."

"You're not superior in any way, bitch"

"I am. Why would he choose me over his beloved ship and entire crew if I'm not?" she smirked at him. She already won this thing.

"You-" he charged towards her and launching a punch towards her face. Emma was ready for his attack, she averted his punch by pushing his hand away from her face and grabbing the same hand and twisting it to his back. The man groaned and as Emma pushed his arm down to his back he kneeled on one knee to reduce the pain.

"You don't stand a chance. You're drunk and you can't even see clearly." she tightened her grip and pulled his hand back and made him cry out in pain. His other hand holding his pained shoulder.

"You're not the savior, you're just a deceiving bitch who steals what others have and throw it after you're done. You can't even appreciate anything." he winced when Emma pushed her knee on the middle of his back and, at the same time, pull his arm further back. His shoulder popped and he shouted at the top of his lungs.

"I do appreciate things, for example, I'm appreciating your cries of pain right now"

The man started letting the tears fall from his eyes. His arms were bended in an odd angle but Emma continued to inflict pain on the poor soul.

"Ow, what the hell!" Emma pulled her hand from his arm and quickly stepped back when the man pulled a knife from his boot and blindly slashed behind him, he was able to give her a cut on her lower arm.

The man popped his still numb shoulder back to its place and prepared to attack. His inebriation was forgotten as the need for revenge and hate flooded through him.

"You should've died when you were sent here. Should've let the Evil Queen kill you but no, your parents relied on you to save them. They let their only baby live alone so they can be saved." he sniffed and grinned at her, "Without being savior, who are you?"

Emma didn't hear what he was saying, her glare was sure to kill him if it was converted into a physical one. She raised her hands to fry him with the fireball spell she was practicing inside the cell, without anyone knowing of course, and just kill him so he would stop. She's not the only one who cannot appreciate things. That one time she wasn't able to control her powers when the

Snow Queen taunted her was like nightmare. It's like all of her good deeds were thrown out the window and all they could see was the monster.

Emma felt something wrong, the power she felt inside was way too strong for a small fire but she didn't mind as long as she can turn this drunk man into a toast. Her magic started running and the fear of conjuring a large lump of magic was gone and replaced by her desire to kill.

She smirked, the idea appealed to her right there.

"You should have ran when you had the chance" she said and magic erupted out of her hands. It was way too powerful than she first imagined and it knocked her back on the ground. She heard a loud thump on the docks and saw the man on all fours on the wooden boards, his head looking over his shoulder. She followed his gaze and saw the cannery on fire.

"You... you're really a monster and you just proved it" he scrambled to his feet and pointed an accusing finger at her, "you should be locked, I'm going to tell Snow about you being here. I'll tell her you wanted to kill me!" he quickly turned and ran away from her.

Emma had the urge to send another fireball behind him but decided against it. She could let them know what she's up to without being near them. She's still not discovered but she needed to get away as fast as she could before the whole town flock in to see what happened. So she started running towards the forest, she should be safe there. Graham, the only one who knows the forest like the back of his hand, was dead and no one in Storybrooke is near to having that familiarity with it, well maybe Robin and his boy scouts. Maybe she should burn their camp for a start then she would have the time to plan what to do with the people of Storybrooke.

They were running towards the docks with the other citizens, who heard the explosion and decided to know what happened, when a scruffy man with a breath that smelled like rum ran smack into Snow. Charming was able to catch Snow before she falls on the ground but the drunk man continued to dive into the asphalt road, face first.

"Hey, watch where you're going, buddy" Charming grabbed his elbow and helped him up. The man mumbled apologies but stopped when he looked up and saw who he ran into.

"Snow!" he exclaimed, his eyes went past her shoulder and also saw Hook behind her. He shoved Snow aside and quickly grabbed the leather jacket of his captain and started babbling about what Emma did to him.

"Captain, this is the savior's fault! She tried to attack me with her magic but it ended up burning the cannery. She tried to kill me, Captain!"

"What did you do to her?" Hook asked and grabbed his shoulders, his breath already gave him away as to what happened. It is also possible that Emma started it and the drunk sailor lost it after.

"She tried to burn me alive, Capt'n"

"Who started it?" he looked at him sharply, telling him to not tell a lie.

The drunk man looked everywhere but him before biting his tongue and letting out a loud grunt. "I did, but all I said was true!

She poisoned you! She lured you in!"

"Where is she?!" he shouted at his face, the man quickly shut his trap. Hook's face was scrunched up, his eyebrows almost touching, and his eyes bore holes in the middle of the other man's forehead.

"I... I don't know, she ran away after... I didn't see her-"

"Which direction did she ran to?"

"Over there," the man pointed towards the small houses on their left but everyone knew that it was the forest he was pointing at, "she... she went in that direction, in the forest"

The five looked at each other and started to run without sparing a second glance at the drunk man behind them. The burning building will be taken care of but first they have to find Emma and quickly contain her. Her magic is already powerful and Regina knew that anger will fuel it more, it will be impossible to control it if ever they get to her too late.

"We need to split up if we want to find her faster" Charming suggested as they stopped in a middle of a small clearing, looking at the open forest and taking just one path would take them time.

"Split up?" Regina echoed, disbelievingly.

"Yes, but-" he raised a hand to stop Regina from uttering another word, "We will not engage her or anything alone. Call everyone then we will talk to her"

Regina gave a good few seconds before nodding. "Henry's with me" she put a hand on his shoulder and Henry placed his on top of it, reassuring the woman that he won't go with anyone else but her.

"Charming and I will go. Hook?"

"I'll be fine on my own, I don't think Emma really wanted to kill anyone" his face was serious but there was sureness in his voice that Regina thought she faintly heard him say 'Especially me'.

After deciding which way they will take, and making sure Hook knew how to use his phone correctly, they parted ways. The way

Regina and Henry took was fairly dry and there's no parted grass or anything that indicated that this path is taken but Regina continued to walk with Henry in front of her. Henry, on the other hand, was pretty confident in his stride, his steps steady and it looks like he knew where he was going, which is ridiculous because Henry doesn't spend that much time in the forest especially this part of the forest as far as Regina knows, and looked over his shoulder form time to time to check on Regina every other minute.

The doubt of Henry knowing the path they are taking was thrown out the window when they reached a fork at the middle. It wasn't obvious but the large tree in the middle of their path suggest that they take another way, and since there is no visible pathway on the ground, that can be any direction as long as it is open.

"This way" Henry turned left, he pulled the vines obstructing the way and Regina, being the protective mother she is, warned him about splinters and thorns.

"Henry, be careful-"

"Shhhhh!" Henry quickly crouched down and looked at Regina, who was surprised that his son just shushed her, and grabbed her down to his level when Regina just stared at him.

"Look!" he whispered at her and moved a little to the side so Regina can see what he was seeing. With her clothing, her usual pencil skirt, silk blouse under her black trench coat, and heeled boots, a simple 'moving forward while crouching' seems like a hard task to do. But she was able to do it eventually.

"Emma" Regina whispered as the familiar jacket's color is like a neon sign in the middle of the dull color of the trees. Her blonde curls cascading down her shoulders and the top of her head a little messy. She was pacing back and forth while shaking her hands that are obviously shinning with magic, powerful magic, as Regina can faintly feel it from their location, a little higher ground than where Emma's pacing and they were covered with a few more vines in front of them.

Looks like they're at the wilder side of the forest and how Henry knew, she's wishing it was only a coincidence, that Emma was going there will be a long talk after they return everything back to normal, or as normal as it can be.

"Let's call Grams and Gramps and Hook then we can-"

A loud rustle of leaves below caught their attention and Henry stopped for a second. Emma was on guard that instant and quickly jumped back, her hands ready in front of her and she looked like she's ready to pounce or just blast the person to kingdom come.

More rustling and from the crowding bushes and trees emerged the one handed pirate. Great. Expect the pirate to ignore the plan and just do whatever he wants.

"Hook?" Henry's eyebrow raised but it wasn't confusion on his face, just a plain 'Really?' He pulled out his phone from his coat's pocket. "I'll just call Gram and Gramps, they need to know where we are and what's happening"

While Henry was dialing Snow and Charming, Regina kept her eyes on the two below. Emma was still on her fighting stance and she showed no clue that the words the pirate are telling her are working. She wanted to sneak closer just so she can hear what they are talking about. The way Emma's face is crunched up and every back step she takes every time Hook steps closer to her tells her that this will not end well. She knew that she should interfere on what will happen as she felt the air around them shift and Emma's magic starting to get wild.

She grabbed Henry's shoulder to boost her up to standing position as her heels are digging on the ground. Henry stopped talking to his grandparents to look up at Regina.

"Stay here, Henry, don't come down until they are here" she started to walk away to find a good inclination, where she won't roll down the small hill after tripping on a branch or a vine, where there are plenty of hanging vines or branches to hold on to.

"Mom, don't" Henry called and Regina looked back, "she might hurt you"

He looked worried and Regina sent him a reassuring smile.

"I won't let her" she replied, she knew that it was said to tell him that she'll stay safe but they both knew what it was really about. Regina continued her trek down the slope, still covered by the thick trunks and the shadows it cast.

She was able to close the distance just enough to hear them and prevent any sudden moves made by Emma if she ever decided to blast him away. Even though Regina disliked Hook she won't let anyone die and she will not let Emma kill anyone, not on her watch.

"Swan, I'm here to help" she heard Hook say, she could see his desperation from where she was hiding. His good hand reaching up, trying to reach for Emma but the woman just ignores his advance and kept her distance.

"I don't need your help, what do you know about having magic anyway? You know nothing, you don't know how terrifying having something you don't want and you can't even control it. Then the moment you release it, that one moment you don't even want to, it makes you the monster. The monster that even your parents can't stand." Emma's voice cracked and Regina knew that she's preventing herself from crying. Regina tried to move a little more closer but her boots are not really for walking in the woods and the heel sunk in one of the small mud puddles, Regina lost her balance for a second but was able to steady herself by leaning to the trunk beside her.

She quickly looked at the two and she sighed in relief when they seem to continue talking. She felt her phone vibrate and quickly fished it out of her coat's pocket, it was Henry, and answered it.

"Henry, are you with Snow and Charming?" she kept her eyes on the two, Emma was shouting now and Hook doesn't seem to get what she's saying and kept his steady advance.

"Yeah" some shuffling was heard and it was Snow's voice who answered next.

"Regina, we see them. Where are you?"

"I'm near them, behind Emma"

"What are we going to do? Hook didn't wait for us and we can tell that Emma's starting to loose control" Snow's voice sounded calm but there was a small waver and Regina can tell she's frowning from worry.

"We just need to knock her out so we can bring her back in the station"

"But how are-"

"GET AWAY FROM ME!" Emma shouted, interrupting their conversation. Regina saw a large bolt of light escape from Emma's hand and hit Hook, he was thrown on a tree trunk and he landed on the ground with a loud grunt.

Snow was shouting something but Regina ignored her as she ended the call and decided to reveal herself. Emma was posed to strike for the second time but Regina immobilized her. Emma was shouting curses at her and it surprised Regina that Emma knew it was her.

"Regina, let me go, you won't be able to keep me like this forever" Regina knew that she's trying to use her magic to escape her invisible bonds but her control is still not enough to free her.

"Regina!" Snow, Charming, and Henry emerged from the forest and approached them. Snow's fidgeting and Charming's grim face told Regina that something else happened before they got here.

"Emma..." Henry's whisper did not go unnoticed and Regina quickly encircled an arm around Henry's shoulder to hold him close.

She turned to Snow who looked sadly at Emma but the latter kept on giving them glares and shouting curses, blaming them for their decisions and for being selfish.

"The Merry men's camp... it's destroyed" Charming was the one to break the news, "most of the men are sent to the hospital, and some of them received minor injuries but..." Charming looked at Snow seriously, she held his hand that's on her shoulder for comfort.

"Most of them were hurt badly, and two of them are... are-" Snow wasn't able to finish her sentence and Regina felt something heavy in her stomach, dread bubbling and slowly creeping up on her.

"They're not dead, Mom" Henry said and Regina turned to him, his eyes looked tired but obviously not ready for a rest, "Grams said that when they arrived the two were bleeding profusely from the head and other parts of their body. They're in danger but they're not dead"

Even though it wasn't really that relieving to hear that two of them 'might' die, it was still better. It's already difficult that they have casualties with Emma blasting anyone but it's even harder after Emma comes to and learns that she killed someone.

"I hope they die, they're not important anyway" Emma said.

"You don't know what you're saying, you will regret everything after we find a cure" Henry replied, his voice stern but Regina knew that he's keeping his shit together with effort as his hand gripped Regina's as hard as he could but Regina didn't mind.

"Oh I know what I'm saying, and the only thing I regret is that I wasn't able to finish those campers. I should have stayed to make sure that I finished the job" she taunted and Henry stiffen in Regina's embrace.

"Enough, I'll just magic Emma into her cell" Regina flicked her wrist and purple cloud surrounded Emma before it scattered away from her, a faint white shine pushed Regina's magic away, Emma's magic rejecting to be dominated.

"Maybe I can't escape this but you will not bring me anywhere, if I stay here, you should too" she glared at Regina, the only thing she could do to show her defiance.

"Emma, please..." Snow started.

"Snow" Regina shook her head at the woman and Snow quickly stopped. Her eyes gathered moisture and she clamped her right hand over her mouth to prevent the sobs. Charming tightened his hold on her and threw a gloomy glance at Emma.

Regina just wanted it all to end, she wanted them to go back to their routine, defeating and blasting villains that tries to harm anyone in Storybrooke. Even though she doesn't show it, they're not the only one who wanted to help Emma so bad. She'd trade her new light magic just to snap Emma out of the curse.

"Maybe we should just try that true love's kiss..." Snow whispered, looking at the ground.

"You know it won't work if the other doesn't feel what they're supposed to feel" Charming reminded her.

"I know" Snow admitted, "But it's the only thing we have now, there's no harm in trying"

"It would work if Hook is awake and not sleeping on the forest floor" Regina said looking at the body of Hook comfortably lying on the pile of dried leaves that scattered a little when he fell.

Charming and Snow also looked at him and they went to him to wake him up. Henry followed them though he just stood behind them while they propped Hook into a sitting position.

Regina felt a headache coming and just realized how much of a mess this was than she first thought. They're running out of options, they can't keep Emma in a cell forever and they can't keep her like that much longer. The moment Emma controls her magic will be their undoing. She's too powerful for her own good.

She started too run all of their options in her head: True love's kiss not so sure, killing Snow Queen out of the picture, brewing an antidote is impossible without an object infected with the curse, a forgetting potion is good but not the greatest of ideas and Emma forgetting everything is more painful than this, locking her up is just temporary.

They need to remove the shards from her eyes and ordinary science won't stand a chance. They need magic.

An idea sprung from nowhere, it was a sure way to remove the curse.

'Just like...'

No. There is probably another way.

There is another way.

A/N: One more chapter to go. Thanks for reading!