"Shit, Booth, what part of being 'discreet' did you not understand?" Emma snarled as she ran down the wharf, August keeping up with her pace. "Goddamn it!"

"I didn't know they were there, I swear!"

Muted shouting behind them spurred them on even faster, dodging crates and barrels in their way. Emma was glad she had worn her black leather jacket instead of her red one since it would have stuck out like a sore thumb in the sea of greys, blues and whites of the buildings around them. Her boots were killing her though.

She grabbed his arm and dragged into an open warehouse. "Come on!"

They rushed inside and looked around, desperately trying to find a hiding spot. Emma grit her jaw and jerked her head up at a crate stacked atop another. "In there. I'll lead them away. Get outta here while they're distracted."

"Emma, you can't-!"

"Just do it!" she snarled, grabbing his shoulders and pushing him towards it. Seeing the terror in his eyes, she tried to soften her voice. "Look, I'll be okay. There's no point in both of us getting caught and like this, we'll both have chance. Trust me."

He looked uncertain but started climbing anyway. "I do trust you. But I worry, okay? This isn't exactly a good situation."

And whose fault is that, she wanted to snap at him but reined in her temper. They were running out of time and her snapping at him would lessen it further. "Just...keep quiet. Okay?"

He nodded and situated himself inside the crate. After making sure he was actually hidden, Emma ran for the back exit, making as much noise as possible. She yelled out obscenities over her shoulder as she shoved her shoulder against the exit door. It was crass but for the most part, it worked. "Pig Enforcers! Fuck you and your government!"

She could hear them snapping out orders from behind and the consequent heavy footsteps as they began the chase. She led them on a merry chase, weaving in and out of the warehouses, and hoping to god August had the presence of mind to get the hell out. Fifteen minutes later, she finally stopped hearing them. That was both a good and bad thing. They had either given up or were circling her. Either way, she needed to get out.

She stuck as close to the walls as possible, eyes peeled for any movement. It was seriously way too quiet and it was starting to freak her out. The ball of fear she had suppressed since the moment they were sighted, erupted into queasy motion feeding her panic. A tiny clatter made her flinch and she spun around, peering hard at her surroundings. She was between two warehouses, the buildings looming down over her. Wooden crates were leant up against the walls, potentially presenting a hiding place and her gaze lingered a bit longer on them. When nothing else moved or popped out, she relaxed a fraction before spinning around to keep moving.

She felt the tiny pin prick of pain against her neck a split second before she was slammed heavily into the ground, the air in her lungs escaping in a pained and shocked gasp. For a few seconds, she stayed frozen, paralysed from the suddenness of it all before her body heaved in a giant breath, nearly unseating the Enforcer attempting to straddle her.

"Halt! You are under arrest for the theft of classified materials." The voice was muffled from the face mask but she was certain her attacker was a woman. Didn't change anything though.

"Fuck you!" Emma's struggle increased, her body bucking and writhing beneath the other woman's rigid form. She could already feel the effects of the drug, her movements starting to slow. It made her desperate. "Let me go!"

"I suggest you refrain from resisting. You will only harm yourself." The woman's voice became stern, her hands catching Emma's shoulders and shoving her against the concrete ground. "I said stop!"

Emma reared up, her face coming close to the other woman's mask covered face. The glossy surface of the mask reflected her flushed and furious face. "Or what? You'll punish me? You're already doing that."

"I don't make the rules," the other woman snapped, her grip tightening. "I arrest those who break them."

"The rules that turn us into mere experiments for the government? The rules that practically deny us any right to anything?" Emma snarled up at the woman, stilling her struggling for a moment to glare. That, and her body was refusing to work properly, like lead was steadily being poured into her. "We break the rules by merely existing so if you're going to arrest anyone, arrest yourself first!"

Emma had been unaware of the near silent humming but when the Enforcer slammed her again, she caught the flickering darkness from her peripheral. Her jaw dropped as she realised what it was. "You have dark light?"

Regina sucked in a deep breath, shocked. She stared at her hands, still keeping a firm hold on the other woman, but were now pulsating with a power she had tried very hard her entire life to hide. The few people who had ever witnessed it had been both fascinate and fearful, scared of the queer energy that should have glowed but instead seemed to absorb the surrounding light. It was doing the same thing right now, the dark light starting to creep from her hands to cover her captive's shoulders. Her first instinct was to snatch her hands back, knowing how dangerous the result would be, but it was overridden by the duty-bound need to restrain her.

"You're afraid of it, aren't you?" Regina started then mentally berated herself for getting distracted. She stared down at her the face mask a blessing because she didn't want to show any vulnerability. Bright green eyes, starting to glaze from the tranquilizer, stared up at her, defiance and curiosity warring for dominance on her pale face. It seemed like she was debating with herself for a moment and Regina nearly asked what she was thinking about until the ridiculousness of it struck her and she shook herself.

"Enough," she said roughly, moving back and hauling the woman up, her hands transferring to slackening arms instead. The drug was certainly doing it's job if the heavy and listing form was anything to go by. She braced herself as the woman started slumping against her. "You need to-"

She broke off, wheezing as her lungs seized up. She dug her fingers into the other woman's arms, knowing, knowing that it was her fault. "What...are you...doing...to me?"

"You have to let go of me. Now." They were both leaning on each other now, one sluggish from being drugged, the other unable to hold herself up. Regina's hands were still grasping her arms but her entire body was pressed up against the other woman's, her head resting unwillingly on her shoulder. Had it been another situation, it would have looked like a lovers' embrace. She could feel the other woman struggling to speak. "Let go…"

"No." It was a gasp of air rather than sound.

"Before you die." There was genuine fear in her voice and it made Regina pause. She was willing to get hurt to catch a quarry but dying? Her years of self-preservation forced her weak body to move and she shoved away as much as possible. The moment she lost contact with the other woman, her lungs eased and she sucked in air like a mad person. She stepped back far enough that should the woman decided to run, it wouldn't be hard to chase her down again but still kept some distance out of her hands' reach.

The woman staggered a few steps, swaying as her body adjusted to losing her crutch. Blonde locks fell in disarray around her face as she shook her head to clear it. Green eyes looked up at her and she could swear a smile had appeared on her lips. If it had been there, it was gone in the next second.

"What are you," she asked, warily. "And what was that?"

"Something that shouldn't have happened."

Regina cocked her head. She didn't sound like she was drugged. In fact, she sounded like she getting better. Something clicked in her head and she stared, wide-eyed. "Did you...do something to me?

The woman grimaced, as if the thought was distasteful to her. "I didn't mean to. It just happened."

Regina stared at her, aghast. "Didn't mean to? It just happened? Why are you even out in public if you can't even control your powers?"

"Maybe I'd have better control of my powers if I had a teacher," the woman snapped back, her posture straightening. She sneered. "But, oh wait, if I wanted to have one, I'd have to agree to sell my soul and rights to the government first. Speaking of which, how's it going for you, Enforcer? Do they give you your daily meals and yearly shots like the good owners they are?"

Regina's temper flared, her hands starting to glow again. She took a deep breath. Control. She needed control. "This is even more reason to arrest you. You're powers are beyond your control. You'll be a threat to the public."

"Please. If you hadn't noticed, my powers only reacted when you grabbed me. And that's after you tranqed me too."

She gritted her jaw. "Regardless, I suggest you surrender yourself into my custody."

"How about no?" Before Regina could react, she had spun around and legged it. She managed to get about twenty yards before Regina drew on her powers and pulled. The woman jerked back like a marionette on a string. She flailed, trying to get out of her grasp.

"How about yes?" Regina walked over to her, peering up at the angry woman. It pricked her pride that she was shorter, even in her boots but she brushed aside the momentary pettiness. "You had your chance."

"Don't do this," the woman pleaded, ceasing her struggling. "Can't you see what's wrong with this? This is like ordering dogs to hunt down other dogs."

"Comparing me to an animal?" Despite her sharp tone, Regina did feel uneasy. Damn the woman but her words were getting to her. "It's out of my hands."

"No, it's not. You have a choice."

"And what? I let you go, I get punished. The only winner in this is you."

"Let me go, and I'll come find you," she said evenly. "I'll show you why what the government is doing is wrong."

Regina regarded the woman for a long moment. "You do realise that sounds even worse?"

She faltered, her ears going pink in embarrassment. "You know what I mean."

"I do. But the answer is still no. I can't allow someone as volatile as you roaming free and likely doing damage. Now." Regina beckoned with her hand and the woman began to float closer to her. She reached for her tranq pen on her belt. "Since I don't want a repeat of that earlier experience…"

The pen was mere inches away from the woman's neck when Regina's hackles rose. She spun around, her hand snapping up and catching a small bag. It was a tiny burlap sack and on closer inspection, she could see seeds poking from behind the fabric. She glanced around, trying to find the culprit. "Announce yourself."

The woman behind her, still restrained, laughed aloud. "I'd drop that if I were you."

Regina kept her eyes peeled for the thrower but she did throw a tiny glare over her shoulder. "What do you mean-"

The sack in her hand shifted and she looked down to see a vine shoot through the fabric to wrap around her wrist. She dropped it immediately but the vine clung, wrapping itself up her arms to her shoulder. Panicking at the suddenness of it, she ripped the vine off and stepped back, away from the sack now bulging and writhing with more vines. They grew at an alarming speed, ripping the measly burlap with ease, and reaching with thickening arms to wrap around Regina's legs and torso. They began weaving over each other, twisting and turning around her struggling body until she was wrapped up from mouth to ankles in the vibrant green vines. Her mask was tugged loose, flicked away carelessly by a smaller vine. She lost balance and fell, her head cracking against the hard ground and dazing her.

Emma gasped in relief as the powers holding her finally disappeared and her feet thudded safely onto the ground. She stared down at the disoriented woman, only glancing up when August stepped up beside her.

"You were supposed to disappear."

He shrugged and looked pointedly down at the Enforcer. "You should be glad I didn't."

Giving him a look, she turned back to the recovering woman and crouched down beside her, a hand reaching out to brush away a curl of dark brown hair. The eyes that stared up at her were icy and furious and she winced internally. Yeah, if they weren't enemies before, they definitely were now. If looks could kill, Emma would be mush.

She sighed, bracing her arms on her knees. "Look, I'm sorry it ended this way but you know I can't let you take me."

"Come on, Emma, we gotta go. The others are still floating around." August looked around warily, completely missing the annoyed look on Emma's face until she pinched his thigh. He flinched, scowling down at her. "The hell was that for?"

She gave him a 'duh' look. "Thanks, bud. It's not like she needed my name or anything. Or, you know, if her friends were around. Really?"

He looked embarrassed by his slip up, deciding to leave her alone with a mutter of, "Hurry up" and "I'm gonna go on lookout."

Emma rolled her eyes and turned her attention back to the silently glaring woman. "Alright, I'm gonna, uh, ungag you so don't yell or scream or anything, okay?"

Nothing but a black look.

She sighed. "Seriously, I'm trying to be gracious here. You could maybe go along with it."

There was a furious twitch under the woman's eye before she nodded, curtly. Jeez, it was like pulling teeth. Emma grabbed one of the vines covering her mouth and tugged, silently cursing the stubborn things when they refused to budge. She rolled her eyes after a final attempt before taking out her pocket knife and carefully cutting the vine off. It didn't take her long to voice her displeasure.

"How dare you tie me up like this, you vagrant little-"

"Whoa now. How about you don't finish that sentence?" Emma frowned down at her, seeing traces of blood near her temple. "What's your name?"

"None of your concern," the woman said, her voice a low growl. "Now get the rest of these...things off me."

Emma shook her head. "No can do. Can't let you try to tranq me again or do you really want a repeat performance of before?"

"Regina," the woman finally said, irritated. "Now release me."

"No." Emma brushed lightly at Regina's temple, concerned at the sticky blood she found. "You're hurt."

"Wonderful deduction," Regina said, jerking her head away. "It's your fault."

"Hey, hold still. You're making it worse." Emma grabbed her chin and turned her head gently to the side, exposing the slightly bleeding gash just above and behind her ear. "Also, it was not my fault you fell."

"Well, I certainly didn't decide to -"

"Emma! We gotta go. Now." August suddenly appeared by their side, slightly out of breath. His eyes were wide. "They haven't spotted us yet but they're getting close. We need to leave now before they see us."

"Damn. Okay." Regina was watching her with a narrowed look and she met her gaze. "Do me a favour? Don't call out or anything, okay?"

"And why should I do that?" Regina asked in disbelief at the audacity of her words.

"Because in the time I ungagged you, you could've screamed for help," she said softly. "But you didn't. So I'm asking and trusting you not to call out."

Regina curled her lips in disgust but there was a flicker of undefinable emotion in her eyes. Emma suddenly wanted to know and she was about to ask when Augusts' frantic warning stopped her. She reached down and pressed her hand gently against the other woman's cheek, her eyes pleading. "Please."

Regina's lips thinned but after a few precious seconds, she nodded curtly. "I suggest you run while you have the chance."

"Thank you," she murmured, standing up. "I owe you one."

With that, she and August legged it in the opposite direction, eventually disappearing around the corner. Regina watched them leave before she took a deep breath and counted out the seconds.

Seventeen…

Eighteen…

Nineteen…

Twenty.

She released her breath, sucked in another and started shouting for her colleagues, twisting and flailing within her bonds so it would look like she had just been caught. The ensuing chaos afterwards was a mere blur to her. She did everything by rote and when questioned, she lied through her teeth even when she had planned on telling them Emma's name. They held her for a few more hours before she was allowed to leave.

When she got back to her apartment, she flopped on her bed and stared at the ceiling. Her actions today confused her and her mind was a maelstrom of questions and doubts. She rolled over, groaning. It should have been a simple track and capture mission but it had gone to hell the moment she had come into contact with that Emma woman. Speaking of contact…

She flipped her hand over and stared hard at her fingertips. What the hell had happened? One moment she had been restraining the woman, the next she felt like she was in a vacuum. It had been a terrifying experience. Her eyes trailed down from her fingers to her wrist where there was a black smudge. She frowned, rubbing at it, but it remained. Squinting, she leaned in closer to peer at it. The smudge looked like it was tattooed in her skin but there weren't any scars to indicate that and it baffled her.

"One thing after another," she muttered, shutting her eyes. She'd deal with it in the morning. After the day she'd just had, she was not in the mood for anything else. Growling in irritation, she got up and prepared for bed, shoving everything worrisome from her mind.

A/N: Hey guys, this is my first SQ fic and an AU to boot. So please forgive me for any mistakes since this is also unbeta-ed. I hope you enjoy the story and give it a chance. I look forward to any reviews and comments!