Henry called it Operation Lighthouse. In the beginning, they were unstoppable. Between Regina and Snow White and Prince Charming, they were all a force to be reckoned with. No one dared to stand in their way, no matter how reckless their methods may have been. The only person who could have stopped them no longer had magic. The heroes had all but taken residence in Gold's Pawn Shop; it's where they'd originally set up camp. Although Regina's crypt felt more like home to her, Gold's store contained many powerful tokens and helpful resources.

At first, it was only the four of them. While she ran herself ragged searching all of the books in Gold's shop, Regina had given David and Snow a list of names to contact; people whose combined powers with hers could possibly help them bring Emma back. David and Snow shuddered at some of the folks that Regina had thought of, but if there was any chance that they could help find their daughter, they were willing to take the risk.

A week went by and nothing happened. There was no sign of Emma anywhere. Regina had gone through three spell books and two potions manuals, and still, her efforts were futile. Not only had her own magic failed her, but none of the people on the list she'd given the Charmings were willing to help. Either Regina or Rumplestiltskin had screwed them over too many times before and none of them were able to find any good in their hearts, not even for Emma. The hole that these evil ones had dug themselves would have to be mended on their own.

Another week passed, and once again, they were met with disappointment. Regina had immersed herself in this work, making time for little else. She snapped at anyone and everyone, she never listened to Henry or the Charmings, and she could have sworn, she felt a piece of her heart turn black as she did whatever was necessary to locate Emma. Regina hadn't gone on such a power-binge in months; her system wasn't used to being so exhausted. With every spell she enacted and every charm she attempted, her energy depleted a little more. Bags began to form under her eyes and her cheeks became gaunt and pale. Regina was buried knee deep in her desperation; the more magic she used, the deeper she dug her own grave.

When two months had gone by and the Savior was still God-knows-where, Regina was no longer Regina. She never slept. She never ate. She never said a word of English unless it was written in a book four centuries ago. Every day that came to an end and Emma still wasn't there, Regina couldn't breathe. It was as if there were two hands clamped around her lungs and another holding her heart, squeezing it, crushing it. She was slowly dying inside, withering away. There was a fire in her eyes, the kind that everyone ran from; the kind that everyone had feared back in the Enchanted Forest. It was as if the Evil Queen had returned. No one wanted to be around her. Some days, even Regina didn't want to be around her. She no longer recognized the woman she was, only the woman she had once been.

David and Snow had taken to watching for Henry while his mother spent every waking second searching in agony for his other mother. As much as they wanted Emma back, someone had to be looking out for Henry. Just like the boy, they'd heard what Emma had said to Regina before she'd been taken away. It was the last thing she'd said to anyone. And while they didn't understand it, they also didn't question it. They could only cross one bridge at a time. Whatever was going on, David and Snow only knew one thing: they trusted Regina now more than ever. They had to trust that she would bring Emma back to them. There was no one else who could.


"She needs help," Snow said as she lifted Neal from his booster seat and rested him on her hip. "She's going to kill herself looking for answers. We can't keep putting it all on her."

David and Henry sat at the dining room table with their heads in their hands, helpless. For David, his daughter was missing and there was nothing he could do about it. For Henry, both of his mothers were basically gone and he didn't have the power to bring them back. They weren't pouting, per se, but they weren't exactly jumping for joy.

"Regina can handle it," David dismissed dryly. "She's Regina." As if that were reason enough, he got up from his chair, practically kicking it over, and made a bee-line for the door. However, not without checking for his badge and gun before.

Juggling Neal in one arm and lunch with the other, Snow huffed impatiently and yelled out to Charming across the room. "And just where do you think you're going?"

Checking to see how many rounds he had loaded, David clicked the barrel and stuffed his revolver in his holster. "Where do you think?" he asked tersely. "To find our daughter."

Slamming the door behind him, David disappeared just as quickly as Emma had. The sudden noise sent Neal into a panic and the baby began bawling. Henry witnessed as his grandmother did her best to tend to his uncle, all the while keeping a stiff upper lip herself. "Want me to go after him?" he offered boldly.

"No, no," Snow shook her head, dabbing her corner of her eye with the back of her hand. "He won't get very far. I put blanks in his gun when he wasn't looking," she whispered. Soon, Neal began to settle down, even going so far as to fall asleep. Careful of his head, Snow set him in his cradle, thankful to have both hands back at her disposal. "He's just scared, you know," she started, still thinking about David. "He doesn't like it when he can't charm his way out of something. He likes— he needs to feel useful."

Henry could hear the quavering in Snow's voice and he could see that she was swallowing the tears that wanted to escape. He knew what that felt like to try and act brave. He knew what it was like to try and act normal, like your world wasn't crashing down around you. Hell, Henry was doing it right then. "I miss her too," he said quietly. "But you know my mom. She's strong. She'll make it."

"I know," Snow said, mostly to reassure herself than Henry. With a final sigh, the pixie-haired woman wrapped up the sandwich she'd made in a napkin, placed it in a plastic bag, and fetched a bottle of water out from the refrigerator. "Henry, will you watch Neal for a little bit? I'll be right back."


"Dammit!" Regina hissed, stamping her foot against the ground, dissatisfied at the latest failed attempt. She slammed the spell book shut and coughed as millions of dust particles clustered around her nose. That was the seventh incantation in just two hours. So far, Regina was batting zero.

Tossing the last text onto the floor, Regina picked up the next in the pile she'd gathered. None-too-gently, she thumbed through the brown, water-damaged pages and skimmed the contents. Very few spells existed to serve the needs she currently had, but they were worth the try. The worst that could happen would just be that it didn't work.

"Regina? Regina, are you here?"

Coming out from the back room with her nose in a book, the older woman never bothered to look up. "Snow?" she greeted distractedly. "I can't talk right now, I'm busy."

Walking up to her former-step-mother, Snow White apprehensively set a brown paper bag on top of the counter and folded her hands in front of her, her chin hovering over her chest. "I just thought you might be hungry." Glancing up at the offering before her, Regina cocked an eyebrow at the princess. "It's just a sandwich, Regina. There aren't any poisonous apples or anything."

"No thanks," the mayor refused brusquely, diving back into her reading material. "I have to keep working."

"Please, Snow begged. "Just a bite. I'm worried; you haven't eaten anything."

Lowering the book and exhaling loudly, Regina said, "If I eat it, will you leave me alone?" Snow nodded solemnly, which meant Regina only had one choice. Setting the text face-down on the surface, Regina fumbled in the bag for the home-made lunch Snow had so politely, and strangely, brought her. She delicately tore away the saran wrap from the bread, took one bite out of the corner and put it back in the bag. "There. Now you can go." Much to Regina's dismay, Snow never turned for the door. Instead, she lifted the only in the store stool over the counter and put it right where she was standing. Regina tossed her head back in annoyance as Snow made herself comfortable. "I thought we had a deal."

"You know," Snow began quietly, "I... I've been at home going over all of this in my head. I've been trying to think of reasons why you would so willingly leave the man you were destined to be with in order to do all of this- lock yourself in Gold's shop and use all of the magic you have to bring Emma back, especially when she's our daughter. And it's taken me a while, but then I realized that the answer was staring me right in the face."

Acting as though Snow hadn't said anything, Regina swept the floor with her feet as she carried on with her business. "If you've come here just to deliver some riddles, I'm afraid you've wasted your time, much like you're wasting mine."

"It's because of what she said," Snow replied without missing a beat. "Isn't it?" There was a break in Regina's rhythm and for Snow, that was all she needed. Pulling her yellow cardigan closed, she crossed her ankles timidly. "You're not the only one who lost her, you know."

"Excuse me?" Regina retorted.

"We're all struggling. We all want her back. But, Henry is already missing one mother. He can't lose you too."

"He hasn't lost me!" the mayor snarled ferociously. "If Henry needs me, he knows where I am."

Shaking her head, Snow folded her arms over her chest defensively, although she wanted nothing more than to curl up into a ball and turn off all of the lights. "It's not the same. You won't talk to any of us. You won't let us help you."

"Because there's nothing you can do!" Regina pointed out. "I am the only person in this town who was the power to bring Emma back. You and your Prince can ride around together and beg and plead, use your royal lineage, but that won't fix this. I have to fix this!"

Sliding off of the stool and onto the floor, Snow planted herself firmly in front of Regina. The last time they were this close was back in the Forest when Snow had caught Regina burying her heart. "I know Emma. I know how hard it is for her to trust someone, to let someone in. What she told you that night- it wasn't some spur of the moment confession. And, I think you know that. You know her almost as well as I do because you two are a lot alike. You understand each other." Keeping her eyes locked on Regina's, Snow tapped into her inner bandit and showed no signs of weakness. She observed how haggard Regina looked and how drained she was and she just knew. "My daughter is missing, and the last thing she said was that she loved you." Snow tried not to react when Regina blushed and hid her face with her hair. "We're all relying on you, Regina. Emma is relying on you."

"I know that!" Regina barked uncontrollably. "Don't you think I know that?!"

Snow blinked slowly in an effort to get rid of the tears. "We need her back. David, Neal, Henry and I. We need Emma to come back to us. But I also think," she began when she saw Regina's nostrils flaring, "you need her too." Snow considered the history she shared with Regina; she went over it in her head time and time again. Their story was infamous. Their secrets weren't secrets, but common knowledge amongst this world. Snow White and the Evil Queen, they had a past so full and so twisted, they never imagined they'd end up where they were right now. Sliding off of the stool, Snow planted her feet firmly on the ground. "David and I ruined another family so that we could save our own and it nearly cost us everything we worked for. We would do anything to protect Emma, and we have— at her expense. I would give my life for hers. But you… you don't have to. You don't have to prove anyth-"

"Are you done?" Regina asked sharply, her patience having run out. "Because if so, I have a sheriff a to save."