Disclaimer: I own nothing.

––

Emma and Regina exited the house with Henry behind them, all of them feeling hopeful and quite satisfied with Henry's results. They could tell he was satisfied too. Operation Mongoose was kicking some ass tonight. Regina wore a genuine smile that lit up her face, and Emma was more than glad to see that smile on her lips after what happened with Robin and Marian. Henry caught up to them at the gate. They were on their way to Granny's to have a celebratory dinner for Henry's work, Emma and Regina started for their respective cars, leaving Henry to pick one of them to drive to Granny's with. Digging out their keys, they noticed Henry wasn't with either of them. They stopped, saw he was still at the gate and exchanged a glance before they walked over to him.

"Kid?" Emma touched his shoulder.

"Who's that?" He nodded to the person across the street.

Regina and Emma followed his gaze to the young girl. She was difficult to see in the dark, but they could make out long hair, a bag of some sort and a map. It was very obvious this girl wasn't from Storybrooke, and they started to call to her when she disappeared into a puff of smoke, very like Regina and Rumple do. They could feel the shift in their moods as their guards rose.

"What the hell?" Emma murmured.

"Who was that?" Henry repeated, knowing they probably didn't know the answer, but somebody had to ask just in case.

"I don't know," Regina crossed her arms, "but I fully intend to find out."

"So much for dinner," Henry sighed, although it wasn't entirely a disappointed sound.

"Why don't we worry about her tomorrow?" Emma suggested to Regina. "She's obviously not used to the town, and she didn't try to attack us, so I doubt she'll destroy it overnight."

"And if she does?" Regina retorted, meeting Ms. Swan's eyes.

"It won't matter. She'll have destroyed the town and us." Emma smirked, but Regina was too concentrated to quip back. "Well, I guess we'll meet you at Granny's then?"

"I'll be along shortly."

"We'll save you a seat. C'mon, kid." Emma gave Henry's shoulder a squeeze then headed toward her car.

"Mom?" Henry could see how fixated his mother was with what just happened and the newcomer. "Mom?"

She moved her eyes down to her son. "Go with Emma. I'll be there soon."

"Do you promise?"

She smiled. "I promise."

He nodded and toddled away, and Regina honestly wondered if she could keep that promise. She had so many questions for this mystery girl. She knew exactly which one to ask first. Right now, she needed to find that girl. She was young and she most likely didn't have much control over her magic, so Regina would have no problem tracking it. She would locate where the girl was staying, cast a minor sleeping curse on her and take her to her vault. She would lock her in a room with magic just to be sure. Then she would join Henry and Emma for dinner. In the morning, they would have a nice little chat.

Approaching the exact spot the young girl had stood moments before magicking herself out, Regina tried to track her magic, but...she couldn't. It was beyond baffling; it was insulting. How in the hell did a child no older than sixteen possess the skill to cloak her magic? And this well? There was no way in hell that child was who she appeared to be. This level of magic was close to Regina's level, and she was far too young to even scratch the surface of this kind of power. No matter how good her mentor was. There was only one person who could have taught this girl, and he was currently—and permanently—out of town. Even then it was implausible. He was far too busy with his own plan to leave to have taught this girl, so this wasn't his work. If she wasn't his and she sure as hell wasn't Regina's, whose was she?

After all that has happened these past few weeks, the last thing she needed right now was some potent and possibly unstable magicks in the hands of a child who was roaming around with a map. A map, for pity's sake. She needed to find this kid and now. She would stop by the diner and explain it to both Henry and Emma. She would go alone, partly so someone was there to celebrate this victory with Henry, but mostly so Emma would be there for the others should trouble arise. She knew how this would play out with Ms. Swan. It's how it always played out.

– – –

"Regina, if this girl can cloak her magic from even you, I should be there," Emma argued after Regina expressed her strategy on how she intended to locate this girl and bring her in for questioning. The exact look, stance and tone that Regina had pictured. If she grew any more predictable, Regina would just start leaving messages on Emma's phone. It would spare her patience, that was for sure. "We work well together, you know we do, so let's go find this girl."

"I can come too," Henry chimed in. "I can try and talk her down. She's about my age." They both gave that face that spelled out No from all angles. "Just a suggestion." He took a drink of his coco.

Regina moved her gaze No to Emma and let out a small breath. "I go alone."

"What? Why?" Emma shifted her weight, her grip on the back of Henry's chair tightening ever so slightly with annoyance. "Regina, we'd have more of a chance of finding and...acquiring this girl if we go together. I already let you go off alone to search for her."

"No, we'd have two people trudging through the town at night, perhaps notifying her that we're after her, and I won't have someone with that powerful of magicks escape." She decided to ignore Me. Swan's statement on "letting" her do anything. "I'm going alone, and if she comes after someone in town—or the whole town—you will be here to stop her. Think of the...big picture, Ms. Swan."

Emma released a defeated sigh, seeing Regina had a point. They clearly couldn't just let this girl wander around town, but they couldn't just leave the townspeople unprotected while they hunted her down. Regina was capable and could take the girl on herself. Regina was also very elusive, so she could disappear and try again. If this girl was going for a preemptive strike on the town and Regina was elsewhere trying to locate her, Emma and Snow and David and Killian would be here to stop the kid. Emma might just slow Regina down. She had a lot to learn, she knew that. This was a one woman job for now. Well in a way, they were working together. Regina was hunting, and Emma was waiting.

"Just...call me when you find her," Emma requested. "Keep me posted with this."

Regina nodded. "You'll be the second person I call regarding this girl."

"Who's the first?"

A smile appeared before Regina turned and sauntered out of the diner, leaving the question unanswered. Emma and Henry exchanged slightly worried glances, but Emma shook it off. She needed to make a few calls herself. She needed to make sure her parents knew about this uninvited newcomer, and she needed them to take precautions. After everything, it was time they got a small moment's rest. And for all they knew this girl wasn't a threat, but just in case she was, they would be ready. They would always be ready.

––

Since magic wouldn't work, she had to resort to something more practical and less ideal. She went to the second option as Ruby was busy doing whatever it was Ruby did. Moreover Pongo gave a lot less lip. She explained why she needed to borrow the dog to Archie, who understood and even offered to come along. Regina declined and headed out. She had to do this alone. There was something about this girl—something that called out to Regina. It made her uneasy, and she didn't like that. She would find this child and get all of her questions answered. She just hoped this girl cooperated. She didn't want to hurt a child. She never could or would be able to hurt a child.

Regina took Pongo back to the spot where they first spotted the newcomer, letting him pick up on whatever scent he could find. Luckily—or perhaps unluckily—Pongo found an item the girl had dropped. He jerked Regina off toward a direction before she could even see the damn thing, and the next thing she knew, he was dragging her through town and toward the woods. She felt her throat tighten a bit. Why did everything have to find refuge in the damn woods? She made a note to adjust the curse so that the next time it was used, there would be no woods.

Pongo stopped pulling her finally, Regina clenched her jaw and moved hair out of her face, giving the dog a bitter glare, earning only panting and his tail swatting the air happily. She huffed and looked around, not seeing anything or anyone that stuck out. It was just the woods, dark and deep.

"This is it?" She scanned the area once more, but nothing stood out to her.

Pongo just sat down then dropped, resting his head on his paws, looking sadly up at her, begging for some type of reward.

"I chose the wrong dog, it seems." She rested her hands on her hips, and Pongo whined. "There's nothing out here, so I'm not giving you anything. I don't even have anything to give, so go beg and make those sad puppy eyes at someone else."

Pongo stood up, barked and ran off into the trees.

She groaned. She was so tempted to leave the little flee bag, but he meant something to Archie who meant something to Henry. She had to take the dog home. "I hate pets." She started after him, seeing the trail he left, and she heard giggling. A girl's giggling. She picked up her pace and found an opening; it was Robin Hood and his merry men's old camp. The men had moved as their leader was gone, and they were somewhere else, perhaps catching rabbits with their teeth. They might actually catch something that way. Their aim was disgraceful. Well, not all of them. Her chest ached. Damn these woods.

Moving into the glen, Regina saw the young girl and drank her in. She was older than Henry by a few years, likely fifteen or sixteen. Her long brown hair fell in curls down her back, her skin was pale in the moonlight, and she wore jeans and a long-sleeved, blue plaid shirt. It was evident the girl was made to look as if she belonged here, but Regina knew the truth. This girl wasn't from here. She could feel it. The magicks that brought her here were primal, potent and dangerous. It tainted this girl like a scar, but she wore it with pride and determination. This young girl was more than she seemed, and Regina readied herself for whatever fight she put up. Regina would not lose and would not go easy on the girl, but she would keep her as uninjured as possible.

The girl stood up, having given Pongo enough affection for the moment, and she turned to Regina, who planted her feet, preparing herself for the battle that would ensue. The girl approached her, Regina could begin to make out her features, and the girl eyed her, taking her in as Regina took her in. Her brown eyes were guarded well, very like Regina's eyes. Those brown orbs held so much for a girl of such a young age, and even guarded Regina could make that out. This girl had a strong jaw, a chin similar to Regina's as well, but features like her nose and brow shaped belonged to someone else. Someone who Regina happened to part with only hours ago. Who was this girl? What magicks did she use on herself? Was this some sick joke? What the hell was going on here?

Yet Regina's skin did not crawl, nor did her magic want to cooperate and subdue this child. No, her magic...was reaching for this girl. It was the most indescribable feeling. It was intense yet cradling and gentle, like caressing a baby. It was reaching through more than just air, and Regina could feel the shift in the space around them as the girl stopped eyeing her. There was something else going on here, but Regina wasn't sure what.

The young girl, who was once proud and guarded, let out this pitiful half-cry that held anguish and relief, her guard gone instantly. "Is that—really you?" A smile. "Mom." She ran over and hugged Regina tightly. "It is really you!"