Summary: It can't wait until morning. Time to drudge up the past.

Present Day

"Why, Hellooooo~~~ Grumpy~!"

The little miner shuddered, grimacing heavier than he was accustomed to. By instinct, he held up his axe – until he realized that this wasn't his fairy dust-encrusted axe. And even if it was, there wasn't a thing he could do with it.

He slowly turned around, his eyes very familiar to the darkness of the cave. "Show yourself, witch!"

"Is that any way to talk to a lady? Your wife is a fairy, remember?"

"Yeah, she's a fairy. And you're a witch."

She chuckled delightfully, closely, and he jumped, turning back around to see her sitting cross-legged before him. "I know I give you too much credit, sometimes, but Christ, Leroy. Get some help."

She was as he had pictured her, even more beautiful than he imagined. Her black hair looked to glimmer, with the help of the blonde highlights. She sat in front of him, her green eyes enchanting, her smile familiar, and haunting.

"W-what do you want?"

"Your favor. I'm cashing it in."

He dropped the hatchet, staring at her with suspicion. "So the rumors are true? You're the new Dark One, ain't ya?"

"I am. But if you recall, you owed me the favor before this – hell, before I even became The Dark Two. Just because I decided to wait on it, doesn't mean I'm looking for a different price. Pay it up, and we're square. Sound fair?"

"You're the reason I have to dig these tunnels again, after the collapse! " He huffed. "Whaddya want?"

"Oh, you don't have the time to discuss what I want. But you have a point – new life, new me. So, you do me this favor, and we'll talk about what you want."

"I have everything I want."

"Yes, I know, I was there," she gently reminded him, which did nothing but highlight his scowl. "But not everything. You could do with gaining a few precious things."

"I love my job, I love my height, I love my life." He hoisted his pickaxe over his shoulder. "You're barking up the wrong tree, sister."

"So are you." She gestured to the tunnel he was trying to dig. "When have you ever gotten one up on Emma or Regina?"

He looked far from guilty. "I was hoping you wouldn't notice."

"Slim chance, and you knew that." She looked at him expectantly. "Well?"

"Well, what?!"

"Leroy, come on; this is obviously a cry for help, but you don't know why you're crying. How would you like to discover your imagination again? Be happy again?"

"I am happy," he gritted out, and she gave him a knowing look, freezing him in place almost as well as magic could.

"I see you're finally beginning to understand, Grumpy." Holding out her left hand, she began to light up the room, and he saw her out of darkness for the first time. Tiny crystals slipped out of the walls of the tunnel, gathering into her palm. He shielded his eyes at the flash, and when he turned back, he was starstruck.

It wasn't the onyx metallic head that adorned the handle, or the beautifully crafted redwood handle itself, but the name emblazoned on the brand new pickaxe.

"Your renaming is not a life sentence," she whispered, and for the second time in his life, he cried sober.

He knew that there was a price for this – he paid attention more than anyone would have thought. Still, looking at that axe, he had already decided it was a price worth paying.

Emma saw that, and presented the pickaxe. "Don't use this on, or near, my sword. It will break again."

He gulped, holding the tool in his hands with reverence. "O-okay."

"Digging around it will do nothing, either. Spread the word around. Try to get near it from underground, and it will move. Repeat the process, Storybrooke ends up underground. Personally, I have no idea why Snow would ask you to dig under a well. She knows you're not Ariel, right? You'll drown."

"I know," he admitted quietly. "I've been digging around. We have a tunnel plan."

"It won't work," she told him, straight out. "Brute strength isn't gonna move it. Clever tactics won't do it, either. You must be… wor-thy." She mumbled it slowly, languishing in the word. "And before you ask, no, you're not. And there's my favor. Stop trying. Whether you choose to warn anyone or not is up to you." She snapped her fingers, and –

He didn't even have the time to blink, he was back on the surface, in his own home.

He took shallow breaths, spying out the unfamiliar, but mightily comfortable tool on his kitchen table.

It was time to go on vacation. He just wanted to get away until all of this died down.

It was time to go out, and live his dreams. He pulled out his phone.

"Hey, baby. Yeah, I'm not underground right now. Listen, do you want to get away for a while? Tour the world like we talked about? Come home, there's something I gotta tell you. Nothing too bad.

"Because something big's coming, and I don't think we should be around for it. I can't tell you over the phone, but…" He took one more look at the name. His name. 'DREAMY'. "Be safe. Love you, too."

~Years Ago, After the Curse Break~

Regina was unimpressed. If they were aiming for a rebellious mutiny, then they didn't plan well at all.

She looked out the window, and what looked to be fifteen people stood outside, led by Grumpy of all people, and he held his pickaxe high in the air as he stood on top of one of the cars parked outside.

She shuddered to think what he would've done to the Mercedes.

Emma, unflappable as she was, seemed to react to all of this with calmness, the lone person standing on the front step as she addressed her people. Well, Snow's people, now. Though she was conspicuously absent, along with her dear husband.

Husband. And just like that, she was taken back to not an hour ago, when she had planned a simple knighting to her Savior, only to knight herself, and Emma had, essentially, knighted herself in return.

Damn Leopold. Despite her reassurances, there were some things that Emma could do to remind her of her grandfather, and really, it was just the one thing.

She would never truly belong to another again. Even as she swore fealty to Emma, and even as she wanted to be hers in all but name, and even as she was willing to say the exact same vows a marriage entailed… she just couldn't do it.

Being Emma's wife… that just would not do. It was more than an act, a promise, a title, that made her ill. In another life, she would have even been perfectly fine with that title. She would have been content. But now, it was just a reminder of what it meant, back then.

Property.

Being Emma's partner, confidante, lover, best friend, and Savior… that was something she could do, easily.

But perhaps doing what was uncomfortable, was sometimes necessary?
She shook herself at the stray thought.

Emma seemed to respect her wish, and even shared the same vehemence to the idea of being wed. Perhaps that was what made them soulmates in the first place, to have the same ideals?

It was funny. In this world, divorce existed. Not only that, it was common. Ludicrously common.

Of course, she understood. People changed, and there should be an escape clause, in case people change for the worse. If that custom had been in the Enchanted Forest…

Well, not much would have changed, admittedly. Cora would have made sure of that.

Would her mother have approved of Emma? It was a valid question, she supposed. Emma was a princess, after all, and –

And that was the crux of it. Political influence. A united kingdom. 'A smart move', she would say.

The damn witch had perverted her mind of the 'benefits' of marriage so much, the idea of being wed to someone for 'love' was preposterous. Once upon a time.

Even now, really. In a sense, marrying Emma in a world post-curse was almost impossible, anyway. What if they went back to their world? What if Cora found her way back one day? What if Snow White decided to disown Emma, so soon after meeting her? In the Enchanted Forest, the parents could reject the marriage no matter what the age, and while true loves could combat it to a degree, there was a matter of leverage and threats. True, she was a Queen, but they were a Queen and King, and Emma was their princess daughter. It would do nothing for the blood feud that would have still persisted.

Unless Emma decided to disown her parents, and lose her birth right altogether. Which Regina refused to give that choice, because a part of her already knew what Emma would do. She had already taken so much from Emma. She couldn't ask for more.

Their relationship was a secret all over again, and it would have to stay that way, in order to keep peace, but a marriage would complicate things, as it does. As it always does.

"Emma!" She heard, muffled, but she remembered the voice clear in her mind. She peeked through the blinds again, and groaned.

God, they even sounded different. Mary Margaret's voice was grating, and pretentious, and sometimes, she couldn't turn the damn teacher voice off when she's explaining to someone twice her age.

Snow White's voice, from a single word, reminded her all over again, as if she was in front of her, promising that she 'would never win' just yesterday.

Sure, Regina was a queen, so she understood the arrogance, and an air of imperiousness was needed sometimes – it's how she was raised, and what was expected of her, as a leader. But there was a distinct lack of discipline in the younger Queen, there. And while she suffered from the same problem most times, she was aware of her own faults. She was evil – why would she care what other people thought of her?

Snow White was supposed to care. She always had a curse of never being able to read a room. She always had a penchant for getting whatever she wanted. And if she didn't, God help them. She had seen enough temper tantrums.

The way that woman tried to make a speech on her front door, making demands in her town, trying to placate her Emma. It infuriated her.

She just had to make that goddamned promise to be good, didn't she? She could have ended it right there and then. She could have merely flicked her finger through the window, and the bitch's head could have been pulled back, and she could have dived in and retrieved her heart through her open neck with the grace of a PEZ dispenser. It would have been a deserving end.

Another point for never getting married – she was already her step-daughter, she did not need Snow White for a mother-in-law as well.

The look of annoyance on Emma's face almost made it worth it, however.

It was incredible, how a mother and daughter did so much to her in such a contrasting way. It was baffling, and a part of her – a small part, the part where the Evil and Good in her were best friends – was thankful that Emma was never raised by Snow White. Entirely selfish of her to think, of course, and Emma would give her an earful if she heard such a thing, but Regina literally couldn't think of a worse fate – other than her own, of course.

When Snow aimed her bow on Emma, again, who had her gun pointing off to her side, presumably because someone had tried to sneak off to the side, she thought that a small part of Emma might agree as well, in the end.

Thinking quickly, she flicked her hand up, and a shield shimmered into existence around the house.

Emma had done her part, and now it was time to do hers.

"Leroy, seriously, get the hell out of here."

His mining tool was raised high, but she didn't consider it enough a threat to pull her gun. "No way, sister! Get out of the way, or give us the Evil Queen!"

"You mean the mayor? Without the proper paperwork? Yeah – that's not how this works, here. You see, if you want to pull a mutiny, get your shit together first. Go home, and come correct."

"You're just giving her time to escape!" he bellowed, not getting her sarcasm.

"You want to get to her, you go through me," she explained, eerily calm, a part of her wishing she knew how to throw a fireball. "The curse is broken. You're all alive and well. You can all go home, now."

"And who the hell are you to tell us what to do?"

She raised an eyebrow. "Besides the Sheriff? You might know me as Emma."

He almost dropped his pickaxe in surprise. If it had been the pointed edge, that probably would have been a death sentence alone. "You – you're – "

"The Savior," she cut him off. "Or so I've been told."

"Princess Emma," he rasped, and she clenched her fists. "You're Snow White's – "

"I'm gonna tell you this one more time, subject. Back off."

He worked his mouth for a few seconds, before looking back at the crowd he had amassed behind him.

It was… abysmal, really. Everyone was too busy reuniting with family anew, and adjusting to the state of awareness they had found themselves in. These people stood united, alone, and reconsidering their options now that her name had been revealed, and Emma could use that to her advantage.

Grumpy slowly lowered his pickaxe, until he heard some rustling feet. He turned, and the biggest, dopiest grin on his face to rival his brother's, appeared.

There was the rest of the town, marching towards them, from the street and around the tall bushes, and they carelessly shuffled onto the front yard, rather rudely, and Emma was silent, partially wishing that the same protections on Regina's tree in the backyard could have extended to the rest of her lawn.

In the front, in a pair of tight faded jeans, black flat-soled slippers and a flowery blouse, was Queen Snow White, her hazel eyes burning a hole into the mansion.

And in some of this, Emma understood.

She lived the cursed life of mediocrity. From a queen to a mere foot soldier, that had to be a shock to a system you didn't even know was there. Toiling away at your life, feeling that you were meant to be something more than this, only to discover the truth…

But in another way, she was still pissed.

Snow White gambled everything, and she went fucking bankrupt.

"Regina! Get out here! Face me, you coward!"

Yeah… 'pissed' was a good word, in that moment.

Leroy snarled, looking back and forth between mother and daughter. "It's some kind of spell, it must be! she was just born!"

"Grumpy! What's going on? Who's the new stooge? Where's the Huntsman?"

"She claims to be Emma, my Queen!"

And right then, the confidence she exuded slipped away, replaced with disbelief. "What? Who said that name?! Who told her?! What have you done?!"

"You kept me a secret from everyone," the blonde realized, August's words coming back to her, and even after his interrogation, and even with her lie detector, she found it hard to believe that she never told anyone her damn name. "You hid me from the world. And it might've been yesterday for you, but it's actually been twenty-eight years. Suffice to say, I'm not a secret anymore."

"Twenty…" she stuttered, her mind short-circuiting, and Emma was of two minds about the situation, remembering Mary Margaret's wish that she could understand the situation.

Emma wished she could, too.

She looked up again, searching her out with amber eyes, and Emma was reminded of Henry when he was in one of his 'truest believer' moods. "Emma!" She screamed suddenly, in such a high pitch she wondered if the birds would simply pick her up and flutter her over. "It's… it's really you? You've – !"

"Ma'am, I'm gonna have to ask you to step down from this porch. You are on private property."

She blinked, and Emma wondered if she was broken again. "Emma?"

"Sheriff Emma Swan. Yes, that's my name. Where I'm from, we have last names."

"Oh, Emma," she breathed, so tenderly. "You're not from here."

"I've lived here my whole life, ma'am." Her words were clipped, eyeing and categorizing the daring heroes in the group. No one really sticking out as a renegade so far. "I don't know any other life. An almost-life isn't something I can go by. The faster you understand this, the easier this will be."

Snow stood dumbly at the front of the anxious riot, unsure how to respond, until she shook her head. "Emma, sweetie, I'm glad you're okay. I really am, and I can't wait to hug you, and just… see you again, but behind you is the person that took you from me." She glanced at the badge on her coat, with some confusion, not seeing the shift in her daughter's posture, the tenseness in her jaw. "Can you please tell me where The Hunts- where Graham is? Are you the Deputy? Did you break the curse somehow?" She snapped her fingers like she had made a great discovery, her eyes widening. "You did, didn't you?"

Her mother looked so fucking proud, and Emma hated to be the one bearing the bad news, but… "No. Because I didn't believe in the curse. I believed in a lot of things, but a curse wasn't one of them."

She frowned. "Oh." She blinked several times, and the people around them looked just as confused. "Oh."

"Sorry I couldn't be the Savior you wanted me to be," she practically sing-songed, and though she had always felt a closeness to the 'Evil Queen', she felt like she was wearing those platform boots and Gothic garb, that smug superiority, that bully-like imperious glee that the Villain became addicted to. She gave a small chuckle. "I guess it just wasn't my destiny. But hey, who could have guessed that the Dark One would lie, am I right?"

That got everyone's attention.

"What?!"

"The prophecy was told by the Dark One?!"

"Is this true, my queen?!"

Frankly, she regretted not bringing popcorn. Though it did raise an interesting question.

She didn't care much for the first half of Rumple's words, but the second half now bothered her – Their true love would conquer all. Well, as he pointed out, 'May' conquer all. 'Might, if allowed to fester,' his exact words. If the first part of the prophecy fell through, what did that say about the rest? Wasn't she supposed to break the curse? Was there another curse she had to break? As a Savior, was there some requirement to break at least one evil curse?

It was discouraging, for sure. She had never been a believer in 'True Love', until the concept of magic became more than a concept. Suddenly, it was real, and who was she to argue against magic?

But… she didn't believe in love at all, until Regina. She was willing to believe that Regina had also lost faith in love after Daniel died, and yet, she was willing to try again with Emma. She couldn't ignore that.

Just an hour ago, they made their own prophecy, one with a one hundred percent success rate, unlike The Dark One. She probably didn't have the authority to claim such a stake, but she dared anyone to try to break their vow to each other.

Their true and real love would last, for as long as they wanted it to. No one could get in between that. Magic, Prophecies, the Savior nonsense, it was all very fantastical, but the only thing that was real in her life was Regina and Henry.

She would never let that go. So mote it be.

Snow tried to placate the crowd, and one of the names she said struck a chord within Emma.

"Blue and I decided, after much consideration, that his prophecy was genuine."

Blue. The Blue Fairy. She had seen her at the Miner's Day fair, but she wasn't selling candles, or sitting in a dunk tank, or even watching the concert or enjoying the festivities.

"Spiritual Protection and Support."

Emma blinked, trying to drown out the crowd noise, and the music (that was, honestly, better than expected). "What?"

"I'm sorry, I haven't introduced myself. I forget you're new here."

"Uh… I've been here for two months."

"Yes, well. I'm glad we finally get a chance to meet. Mother Superior, Head Nun of the Storybrooke convent, Order of Saint Lillian's."

Emma blinked, before grinning charmingly. "Oh, yeah. It's awesome to meet you." And it truly was. Regina had warned her of this very person, promising to antagonize her just as much as Mary Margaret on this night, and here she was, coming to her as she held a bundle of large pretzels for 'Gina and the kids. "Sorry, I can't shake your hand right now – "

"Nonsense," she smiled sweetly, and though Emma saw it coming, she couldn't do anything to stop the hug.

"The last Sheriff and I got along well," she admitted, and pulled back, keeping her at arm's length. "If you need anything, please come to me. Anything you want to talk about will be between you, me and God."

"Sure," she muttered, awkwardly. She had rarely gone to church unprompted, and had been baptized at least three different times in the multiple foster homes she had been taken into. She had tried to avoid the super religious families, but beggars couldn't be choosers.

Regina didn't seem to have a religion, and Emma had to wonder if there even was a heaven or hell… where she was from. As she began to uncover the mysteries of her friend's former life, she wasn't sure she wanted that question answered.

"I just had a question, regarding the public records?"

The blonde sheriff nodded wearily, hoping she wasn't going to ask about the new online archive she and Ruby were just starting to put names into, or the… incomplete bio of herself. "Yeah, shoot. Cold pretzels don't taste good."

She gave her an imperious look, probably because she was being rushed. "Spiritual Protection and Support," she repeated ominously, and Emma suddenly remembered Ruby's suggestion when filling out daily reports – on days she picked up Henry, or dropped Regina off at therapy. "That seems to come up a lot. Is everything okay? I've never seen you at the convent. Do you wear a disguise? This will stay between us, I assure you."

Emma shrugged helplessly. "That's kinda personal. I don't have the right to tell you. I'm sure you're bound to your own oaths."

"Yes, of course," she muttered, and Emma could practically see the cogs turning as she tried another angle. "So it's for another person? Not yourself? If Henry's in trouble, I'd be happy to – "

"Sorry," Emma said quickly, blinking. "Wait. Who said anything about Henry? I offer support and protection for groups who need an officer around; you know, like abuse shelters. You can see why that doesn't need a public listing, so I give it a default. Henry doesn't need me in any official capacity, I don't need a gun and a time sheet to protect him or me. Did you talk to his mother about your concerns?"

She huffed. "I thought I was doing that, now."

"Okay, wow. We're done, here."

"You are that boy's birth mother, correct?" she asked, even as Emma maneuvered around her. "You can deny it, but it's the only reason I see that she would let you around him."

The implication that the only reason she hung around Regina was because of Henry, was laughable. Hell, the opposite was true a month ago.

But the blonde did not want to say something that she'd regret, so she kept her lips sealed. 'Think of the pretzels.'

"Is she abusing him?"

She stopped cold, and turned her head. "What did you just say?"

"Not all marks are physical. I can see the signs."

"Yeah, I can, too. I work in law enforcement."

"Yes, yes, I know of your past as a bondsman," she said dismissively, halfway towards a smirk – something awfully strange for a person asking about something so awfully serious. "I noticed he's been wearing long sleeves lately."

"It's the middle of fucking Winter."

She didn't flinch. "I'm just concerned, Sheriff. No need to be vulgar."

"You just baselessly accused my friend of child abuse."

"Your friend? No offense, Sheriff, but I've known her longer."

"I'm sure you have. But by your slander, I'll bet you've never had an honest conversation with her a day in your life." She waited for a rebuttal, and received none. She turned back towards the crowd. "See, that's what an educated guess sounds like. Unless you bring me evidence worth looking into, stay in your lane, or you'll find yourself in court one day. God-willing."

"Have a blessed day, Sheriff Swan," she yelled after her, and she angrily chomped into the salty snack, grimacing.

No one likes cold pretzels.

"Blue decided?"

Snow turned to her daughter with apathy, interrupted from trying to get the crowd back on her side. "Yes, Blue Fairy. One of my best friends. Your Fairy Godmother."

That information was in the book, but hearing it aloud made her uncomfortable. "Do I get three wishes? Because I want all three to be for you all to get the hell out of here."

Snow White faced her completely, her arms folded, her head up. "Not until we talk to Regina."

"Wish denied. Try again later." She felt like yawning. Standoffs weren't supposed to be this anticlimactic; and yet, here they were. No guns were drawn, and Snow's bow was still across her shoulder, but Emma was starting to believe that her mother had no intentions of leaving. "Look, you just woke up. Sleep some more on it, you're good at that. We just saved your life this afternoon, we're tired, and it's almost nighttime."

"You saved my life?"

"You seriously didn't notice…?" Emma paused, confused.

Snow White's skin was unblemished, true to her namesake, the day's activities wiped from her face.

The black eye, the swelling cheek, even the bandages – all gone. If she were to look, it would be a safe bet to say the rope marks had probably vanished as well.

Damn.

Gold was healed, too, his bullet wounds covered up like he was never shot. A self-cleaning shattered prophecy? That would make things difficult.

"As you may be aware, I was never part of this curse. I came here three months ago. My son brought me."

Snow's eyes widened, and Mary Margaret's words, 'I'm absolutely gonna get awkward on you,' echoed in her mind. "Your son?" she whispered breathlessly.

"Yes. Henry. The Mayor's son."

This time, she actually gasped, and Emma rolled her eyes. Really, Henry was the storyteller in the family, not her. "Regina has your son? Is that why you're protecting her? We can help you, Emma, we'll find him! We'll always find – !"

"She has my son. She's raised my son. She's raising my son. I couldn't have picked a better person to raise my son." She didn't pick her personally, of course – anonymous, and all – but her resume spoke for itself, and Snow didn't need all of the fine details. "He turned out far better than I could have hoped. So, no threatening the mother of my child, please."

"Bullshit!" Grumpy yelled, and Emma had honestly forgotten that he was there. "She has you under some spell! You're telling me The Evil Queen has a heart, now?"

"You must have her mistaken for her mother," Emma whispered coldly, and Snow White blinked in surprise, looking at the blonde Sheriff in a new light.

She… may have fucked up. Again.

She shouldn't have mentioned Cora – Regina never talked about Cora. Snow must have already figured out that she must've been really close to her, to know she even had a mother.

"What has she told you?"

Emma stood there, quiet for a long moment. "Who was your first kiss?"

"What?"

"Your first kiss," Emma repeated, smirking. "Tell me who your first kiss was."

She stepped back a little, holding the bow protectively to herself. "What does that have to do with – ?"

"Answer the question, if you ever want to have a chance of a friendship with me, much less a kinship."

She gulped. "Your father. Charming."

She shook her head. "Try again."

"What? Emma – "

"All day. I've got nowhere else to go."

She bristled. "An old friend. Herc."

Emma nodded expectantly. "The book glossed over that. But I knew you were lying, and that's what I'm getting at."

"You… what?"

"It's a superpower I have. My bullshit detector. The closest thing to magic I can accomplish." 'Reliably.' She gave her mother a meaningful look. "The day I met her, I didn't believe a word she said. It was all a crock, and I told her that."

Snow bit her lip. "And you shouldn't. You should never believe what she tells you."

"But then, the most amazing thing happened. She told the truth." She waved away Snow's protests. "If you don't trust her on that, trust me. And if you can't trust me… you're shit out of luck, cause that's all you got. She's my friend, now. I know she won't get a fair trial, or a jury of her own peers, but I want to give her a chance to talk to all of you."

"Your friend?" she whined pathetically, and Emma wondered yet again why they didn't leave this town behind. "Emma, you don't know her like I do! She's manipulated you!"

"That sounds familiar," she muttered, before shaking her head. "Doesn't matter. She's the Mayor. I'm the Sheriff. You're outranked. Look, I said I could do this all day, but it's been a long day, alright?"

"Look me in the eyes, Emma, and listen to my truth." Her bow slipped down her arm and into her hand. "I don't want to attack you, but you need to move aside. I'm not leaving here without Regina. I will do whatever it takes to capture her. I missed twenty-eight years of my life, your life, Charming's life! Because of her! Because of her stupid curse!" She pulled an arrow from her quiver. "I saw the Huntsman do terrible things, and you're standing where he should be. Why are you protecting her so much?" Her brows furrowed. "Did she do something to you? Does she – ?" She gasped suddenly, and Emma knew the question before it was even asked. "Did she get a hold of your heart?"

It was a loaded question, out of context, but she had a firm answer for Snow White. "No. She had his heart. She was squeezing it in her hand, threatening to crush it; you could see the pain in his eyes whenever he did something he didn't want to do. If she had my heart, I would've let you hug me by this point, and… well, you can guess the rest. I'm doing this willingly, and you can check for mine, if you want. Here in the real world, we have this thing called a pulse – "

"Emma," she gave her a reproachful look, acting like the disappointed mother she never got the chance to become. "Stand by me or stand aside, I don't care. We just want to talk to Regina, that's all. We won't hurt her."

She snorted in disbelief, and even when her head tilted back, she kept her eyes firmly on the crowd. "Sure. Put the weapons down and I'll start to believe you."

"Emma, she's going to get away. You really don't understand what's going on right now! This war is between me and her."

"Then why is half the town here? This hardly seems like a fair war. I'm here to help even the odds. And you've literally said nothing so far to dissuade me from this spot." She shook her head. "And that won't work, dwarf."

Faster than anyone could see, the blonde sheriff turned and slipped out her gun, aimed to the side of the house, where Leroy had been quietly shuffling to the basement window.

"Leroy!" Snow cried in alarm, before she raised her bow. "Drop the gun!"

If there was one thing she was grateful for, it was that common knowledge had followed them. She was a tiny bit grateful that she didn't have to explain what a gun was, and how it could obviously kick a bow's ass. "Tell your merry little man to back up. This is between you and her, remember?"

"Emma don't be ridiculous! Stand down, please!"

"No, you stand down! You keep spouting this bullshit about what Regina did to you, how Regina ruined your life! Take some fucking responsibility, try being the Queen you were supposed to be!"

She took a step back, hurt and confused at Emma's outburst. "Is that what she told you?"

"It's what I found out. And to believe I forgave you!" She sneered, pulling back the hammer on her revolver. "I'm not firing a warning shot, Leroy. Waste of taxpayer dollars. Get back!"

"Emma," she slowly warned, shaking herself off, before aiming carefully at the gun, pulling back. "Please, don't make me do this."

She bit her lip, hesitation in her eyes. "Just answer me one question, mom."

"Anything," she sniffed, her lip quivering. "Anything, my baby girl."

"… Where did you get that bow?"

Emma never got her question answered. Snow didn't have the chance.

She felt the magic around her, ineffective, a cool breeze floating through her very body while Leroy was flown backwards, the pickaxe flying out of his hands.

Snow quickly released her shot, aimed straight for Emma's gun, but the arrow bounced harmlessly off the shield.

The front door opened, and with a spectacular grin, the guest of honor strode forward, gleeful as she could be, her hands in front of her.

With cuffs on.

Snow was baffled.

"For as long as I deem fit, The Queen will remain under house arrest. I seem to be the only one here familiar with due process, and trials, so I guess it's up to literally just me to maintain law and order here. If anyone wishes to speak to her, take a number, and take a seat. But for now, legally, she is not allowed to step off this property, and none of you are allowed on this property. Are we clear?"

After her first sentence, the gathering had not accepted the statement in silence. They screamed. They argued. They came closer, until the shield blocked them. Meanwhile, Emma began to speak louder and louder, until the invisible dome around them began to sound like a giant loudspeaker.

Their small attacks did nothing, but Emma noticed something curious.

The rest of the dwarves were using their pickaxes, to no effect. Some were using store-bought guns, kitchen knives, and baseball bats. Brooms, mops, and chains.

And yet, Snow White was completely out of place, her bow in hand.

Emma had been joking to Henry before, about if Mary Margaret suddenly grabbed a bow. How the hell did she get access to an actual bow and arrow? And even a quiver? It wasn't even modern – it looked exactly like the pictures she had seen in the book. She certainly wasn't hiding it in the apartment.

It didn't add up. But she would figure it out.

"I won't say I have plenty to apologize for," the woman known as the Evil Queen began, her voice soft, her head high. "Because that, simply put, is a lie. This speech is not for apologies. I could tell you exactly what you want to hear, or I could tell you the truth. For the past twenty-eight years, I have protected Storybrooke, and ruled fairly. You will only remember me as the Evil Queen, and I commiserate with that view." She looked out onto the gathering of fifty or so miffed townspeople. "Some of these faces were friendly, once. I saw some of you for the first time today, and you greeted me with a smile. You may not remember, and this might not be reassuring right now, but I promise you that you will remember me again."

"The Dark One, Mister Gold, will be imprisoned," Emma announced, "in an undisclosed location. The interim Mayor will be assigned shortly, I already have someone in mind. We'll meet at Town Hall soon to discuss everything. Now hiring Deputies."

They began asking questions. Shouting angrily. A few even began poking the barrier again.

"Something the book probably hasn't told you," Regina whispered, the world's voices fading around them, "what neither book will tell you. I never took a vacation; in this world, or the last. But when I wanted to be alone, I managed to 'disappear' for months at a time. Take myself completely out of the narrative, at my discretion." She raised her arms, still cuffed together, and closed her eyes.

The signature, terrifyingly familiar purple smoke burst upwards, while the bubble around them began to darken. Emma saw Snow White's panicked face disappearing behind the opaque cloud of purple swirling about them. Leroy let out a yelp as he found himself on the inside of the mass of blockade. Snow gave her old friend a look of despair, before getting one final look at her daughter, watching her being taken away by the Evil Queen, yet again.

She waved back.

Author's Notes: This was meant to be a flashback to a much larger chapter, but then I would've had to do a flashback within a flashback, and I'm already guilty of too many flashbacks, so let's keep it somewhat linear this time. Cool?

Emma and Regina have willingly gone into quarantine, due to the sickness of stupidity. Art imitates life, no? I haven't left the house in months, and have no intention to! Hope you're all doing well.

So you know, I'm working on another OUAT story, based off of Ficlet #7: Family, rsfics dot com / iRL4M and the first chapter is basically that ficlet heavily revised, so prepare to see that… someday. I don't know how big that story is going to get, there's a lot to unpack.

Thank you for reading, and please, take the time to review. A review is always the highlight of my day, and while social distancing is important, communication is also healthy! Please don't make me go crazy! A massive thank you to LauratheChef, Mollymooch45, and Ship_Wrecked for your reviews! A big thank you to my Patrons – Joseph P Hawley, Alexander S, AtomicStryker, and Ken W Warner.

OH! And I just built my first Gaming PC! Read here [rsfics dot com / 9Yps5] for more!

Next chapter coming to Patr/e/on on July 20th!