The Tales We Tell

Sitting at the kitchen table in the apartment she once shared with Mary Margaret, Emma now finds herself wanting to get some answers from the infamous Snow White seated across from her.

"There's something I've been meaning to ask you. It's about when we were back in, you know, Fairytale land." Emma says with a funny wave of her hands.

"Sure... what about it?" Snow responds giving a sideways glance.

"When Mulan took the compass from me and ran for it. When she was going to try to trade it for Aurora..."

"Uh huh..."

"You... well when you tackled her to the ground and you had that arrow pressed to her neck..."

"Yes?"

"You weren't really going to kill her were you?" She asks with a testy expression.

"Well... yes, that was the plan in that moment. I was going to do whatever it took to get us home. She was... well, quite frankly she was in our way."

"I..." Emma starts, gaping her mouth at her own loss of words, "I... was kind of afraid of you."

"You were afraid of me?" Her eyebrows shoot up in surprise.

"I mean she was trying to call your bluff by baiting you on... I just... I swear I thought I was going to explode in that moment. I was so glad Aurora showed up when she did. I didn't want to watch you kill her."

"I'm sorry. I can't even imagine what you might have been thinking."

"Oh, I can tell you exactly what I was thinking. I was thinking... Holy Crap! Holy Crap! She's going to kill her... and I couldn't make myself look away."

"Truthfully, I don't know if I would have gone through with it." Shaking her head at the thought.

"Well you seemed pretty set on it. Have you ever... killed anyone before? I mean, back in the day?"

"Emma I... No, I have never killed anyone before. I mean I did try to... once... but I was not myself then."

"What do you mean?"

"I was under a spell. I had taken a potion that took a few of my memories from me. I was trying to get over... something..." She was hoping to leave out a few details for Emma's sake, "and somehow with my judgment clouded, feeling like everyone was against me, I lashed out and was going after... someone." Suddenly feeling ashamed she looks around uncomfortably.

"Who?" Her brow wrinkled with worry.

"I was going after Regina." She says with a wave of her hand as if to brush it off.

"Regina?! You were going to kill her?"

"I would have too if your father had not stopped me. He jumped out in front of my arrow. I hit him instead." She made a grim face at her admission.

"Snow White was willing to commit murder for revenge? I did not see that one coming. I guess it's lucky David... I mean James... lucky he stopped you."

"Yes, lucky he found me. I mean I hurt him in the process but he saved me from myself. He stopped me, he said, because he didn't want me to forget who I was. He didn't want me to take a life. That's not who I was before the potion."

"... and you were going to throw that all away by killing Mulan over a compass?" She asks with what appeared to be a grimace. "Not really worth it."

"I'll admit it was a low point. To attempt to take the life of another... to fall into that darkness... It's not something you plan for."

"... and it's not something you come back from either. I mean even with all the anger I have towards someone, Regina even, I don't think I could kill her. That just threw me... seeing you pull back to do the deed. I was just... I was panicking."

"I know. I know... I'm sorry."

"You don't have to apologize. You didn't actually do anything. It's just that... I mean what the hell was running through your mind? What sort of feeling would push you past your limit?"

"Desperation." She answers quickly knowing it was the only answer.

"Desperation?"

"I had almost given up hope. We had gone too far, endured too much to let it all slip away like that. I needed to get to Charming and we both needed to get back to Storybrooke. I just felt like our chances were fading in that moment. I lashed out. I reacted... badly."

"Hang on, hang on... Let's rewind here... what was it that you were trying to forget when you took that potion?" She asks clearly curious.

"I... I don't want to talk about it." Snow says turning to avoid Emma. She suddenly felt put on guard. "Look... I've got some things to do... I should..." she gets up from her seat at the table but Emma gets up to follow.

"Oh no, no, no, you pull stuff out of me all the time." Her tone somewhat accusatory. "I want to know. I never ask you these kinds of questions... come on..."

Suddenly James walks in with a smile on his face. "What are you ladies talking about?"

"Nothing." Snow mutters under her breathe before walking away and out the door.

"Hey!" Emma shouts at Snow which does nothing to stop the woman from leaving.

"What was that all about?" James asks gesturing towards the door.

"She's... I don't know. I guess she's avoiding my question which you know... isn't really fair. You guys have done nothing but ask me countless questions these last few days and I've answered most of them. All I want are a few answers to my questions with this little story and suddenly she's mad at me." Giving him this incredulous look.

"Well, what exactly were you two talking about before I walked in?"

"I was asking her about... something..." Suddenly unsure if she should share the Mulan story with James, "and that reminded her of another story. She said she had taken a potion to forget something and almost killed Regina."

"Oh... that... well that was a bad time for her."

"Well, why don't you tell me about it then. I want to understand and since apparently she's not talking to me..." she sighs not even bothering to finish her sentence.

"It is strange that it would upset her... How about I tell you my side of that same story and we'll figure it out."