THANK YOU GUYS FOR ALL OF YOUR SUPPORT AND KIND WORDS! YOU'RE THE BEST. I JUST WANT TO SAY THAT I'VE STICKEN WITH SOME OF THE DIALOGUE, CHANGED SOME OF IT, AND ADDED MY OWN STUFF.

DON'T OWN IT.

The sun is low in the sky when they finally stop walking.

"We'll set up camp here for tonight." Mulan says in her usual monotone voice.

"In a big, empty clearing? Aren't we supposed to be hiding from the ogres?" Emma asks sarcastically.

"Ogres hunt by sound. It's best if we're away from leaves that we could crunch under our feet." Snow answers with a sureness Emma still gets surprised at.

"You and Aurora stay here while." Mulan nods towards the blonde. "The rest of us will get firewood."

"In the big, empty clearing?" The brunette clarifies.

"It's the safest place."

Emma protests, "I'm not six years old."

"Emma…" Snow tugs her daughter to the side. "I know you're out of your element here, and that's hard for you, but you just have to trust me."

"I'm fine."

"Please." Snow pleads. "For me."

"I–" Emma looks toward Graham. "Can I go with him?"

"Then Aurora might feel–"

"You guys take her. I'm compromising, Mary Margaret. You know Graham will protect me." She rolls her eyes. Snow thinks this over for a moment before nodding slowly.

"Alright. Thank you for being cooperative." She smiles. Emma laughs a little. "Change of plans. Graham and Emma will go together and we three will be a group."

"Wait, I didn't say this was okay." Mulan says.

"And I highly doubt you're the oldest one here." Emma takes the knife out of her boot, just in case a wild evil unicorn pops up. At this point, she's not putting anything past this land. "See you in a while." She stomps off in a random direction, and Graham follows with an apologetic shrug to the rest of the group.

"We'll get the branches, you guys get the kindling!" He calls, following the blonde. "Where are you going?"

"Away from them."

"Emma, wait. Hold on for a second." She stops and turns around, smiling at him.

"I missed you more than words can describe." She's never been one for poetics, but Graham is totally worth it.

"I missed you, too." He hugs her. "Life here has been so dull without you to color it."

"I wish I could say the same." She sighs, then returns to walking.

"What happened?" Graham asks.

"I don't wanna talk about it."

"Emma…"

"Fine." She sits on a log. "I don't even know where to start."

"From the beginning." He suggests, taking a seat next to her. And it was just –H

"Well, I became Sheriff."

"I bet you're a great one." He smiles.

"Not as good as you." Emma says sadly. "Gold almost killed someone. A mysterious man named August W. Booth came to town. The W's for Wayne." She laughs as she remembers their conversation. "He almost killed Gold. Kathryn Nolan was kidnapped by… well, I never figured out who, but it was probably Gold as well. At first, everyone thought it was David–"

"Your father."

"Yeah. But then the evidence turned against Mary Margaret for a while there. It was a murder charge, Graham." Her voice broke, for the first time telling someone just how scared and hurt she was at the time. "I thought I was going to lose my best friend –the only and first friend I've ever had." Snow had heard Emma talking and followed the sound. She stands behind the two a ways' away so she can't be seen, but she catches every word of the conversation. "That's why I can't… why I'm having such a hard time letting her in now. I don't want to lose my best friend." Snow puts a hand over her mouth to muffle the gasp.

"Shh, Em." Graham took a chance at using the nickname. He rocks her back and forth as her breathing rate increases in an effort to not cry. "She's here now, it's okay."

"And the worst part is is that I don't know if I want her or my mother." Emma grits out, squeezing her eyes shut against the tears and nausea.

"Why don't you take your mind off of it and tell me the rest of the story?"

"Okay." She takes a few calming breaths. "Okay. Um, she got acquitted when Kathryn reappeared. After that, things were okay. I mean, Regina and I were still having our rift or whatever, but it was kind of okay. Oh, and before that she and I got kidnapped by Jefferson."

"Remind me to have a word with him when we get back." Graham temporarily fumes.

"I hit him on the head with a telescope and Mary Margaret kicked him out of a third story window, so I think he's taken care of." She smiles, then frowns. "And Henry died."

"He what!?"

"He's fine now, I saved him with true love's kiss or something." She shrugs. "Anyway, we should find the wood." She gets up and swipes at a stray tear. "We're looking for big sticks, right?"

"In your terms, yes." Graham chuckles. "Big sticks."


The group reconvenes twenty minutes later. Snow lays the stones on the grass for the fire pit while Mulan searches for bigger rocks to start the fire with.

"What can I do?" Aurora asks.

"Nothing." The Asian answers.

"We should probably take watches." Snow says.

"I'll go first." The princess volunteers. "I think I've slept enough for a long time."

"I'll take second." Emma offers.

"Third." Graham actually wants to stay up with Emma, but knows everyone will get more rest if the watch time is less. At least they'll overlap and be able to say hi.

"Fourth." Mulan says.

"I guess I'll last, then." Snow smiles.

"Let's set up the tents."

"Graham and I will take one." Emma can't think the words through before they come flying out. "It makes the most sense." Snow ignores the way her heart clenches. She had been hoping for some alone time with her daughter.

"That's fine with me." He agrees.

"Oh, crap." Mulan mutters.

"What?"

"One of the tent poles is missing. We'll have to go find a stick. Why doesn't Aurora and Snow stay here to get the fire going?"

"Okay." Aurora chirps, happy to be doing something helpful. At least, that's what she thinks. In reality, Snow is just babysitting her.

"You're looking for a branch like this." Mulan holds up one of the poles, about five feet high. "You and Graham can go together if you want."

"You'll be okay by yourself?" He asks. It's a genuine question and he really cares, but Mulan gives him an oh please look.

"Alrighty, then." Emma heads off in the same direction as earlier. Graham walks by her side.


Graham and Emma approach the clearing, but she holds up a hand to stop him. It's eerily quiet. Slowly, she creeps forward, and the sight in front of her nearly stops her heart. Aurora has a knife at Snow's throat, and Mulan is just joining the women. Snow flips Aurora, and for a moment Emma smiles before remembering the dire situation at hand. Mulan pulls out a sword, and she doesn't know what their plan is. So, she takes out her gun and fires a round into the air. Then she points it at them.

"Stop!"

"Emma!" Graham hisses.

"What did you do?" For the first time since they got there, Snow looks scared. This in itself scares Emma, and then a low grumbling resonates through the clearing.

"I was protecting you." Emma says as they approach the three. More grumbling.

"Ogres! Run!" Snow shrieks. She takes off sprinting, and Emma follows her, followed by Graham. Because of the crashing of the ogre's footsteps, the blonde's companions don't hear her when she trips. She shoots at the beast, but it doesn't even scratch it. This at least alerts Snow and Graham. Just when she thinks she's a goner, Snow appears. "Hey! Step away from my daughter!" With that, she shoots an arrow and the ogre falls. Graham helps her to her feet. She scrambles up, speechless. "You okay?"

"Yeah." Emma nods breathlessly. "Yeah, I— I'm sorry. I was just trying to protect you, and—"

"Next time, listen to me." Snow doesn't sound mad or scolding, just concerned and slightly amused. "I know about this kind of stuff." The blonde doesn't know how to respond, so she changes the subject.

"How'd you know you'd hit it?"

"I didn't. I guess it's like riding a bike."

"We should probably teach you." Graham holds out his own bow and arrows. Emma picks up her broken gun.

"I guess, since this is broken." Snow and Graham share a smile.

SO, AS PROMISED, THERE'S CHAPTER TWO! NEXT UP: ARCHERY LESSONS.