CHAPTER 3

Emma lifted Regina and put her down on the sofa in the study. Ruby ran to get a wet washcloth. Emma grabbed it from her and ran it over Regina's pulse points. She pulled back her sleeve to gain access to her wrists and sucked in her breath at the bruising she found there.

She looked over at Ruby who wore an identical look of distress. She turned back toward Regina when she let out a low moan. "Regina?" Emma swept back a lock of her hair.

Emma could now see the full extent of the damage on her face and her stomach turned. Half of her entire face looked like someone had taken a mallet to it. Her eye was swollen shut and her cheek was about twice its normal size and badly bruised. Emma looked at Ruby and saw tears in her eyes and horror on her face. Emma blinked hers away knowing that that would be the last thing Regina would want to see.

Regina's good eye opened slowly. She blinked and closed it tight as though the light hurt. Emma looked at Ruby who began turning out the lights.

"It's okay. We've got you," Emma whispered to her as she wrapped her arms around her. She pulled Regina to her chest until her upper torso was resting across Emma.

Regina began sobbing. Emma held and rocked her until the tears subsided. Ruby kneeled on the floor beside them holding Regina's hand. Ruby and Emma also wanted to shed their tears but knew that now was not the time for that.

When her tears stopped Regina took a deep breath in. She pulled away from both women and moved to the other end of the sofa. "Please leave," she curled her body up and wrapped her arms around herself tight once again.

Emma looked at her incredulously and shook her head, "Nuh uh. Not a chance. We're not leaving until you give us some answers so you might as well start talking now."

"Ms. Swan, need I remind you that you just broke into my home. And I'm asking for you to please leave," Regina stood up unsteadily. She grabbed ahold of the sofa until she could stand straight. Then she walked out the room. Neither Ruby nor Emma missed her stiff gait.

Emma caught up to her near the stairs. "Regina," she grabbed her arm to pull her around. Regina let out a cry. Emma pulled her hand away fast. She held her hands up in a supplicating gesture. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry. But – "

"Leave NOW!" Regina shouted then ran upstairs.

Ruby came out of the study sniffing the air. "I know that smell."

"The bleach? Yeah I know it too. I was thinking – "

"No. That smell. The one that's underneath the bleach. I know what- no - who that is." Ruby walked outside and kept going.

Emma watched knowing that her friend had caught onto a scent. She looked back and forth between where Regina had scurried up the stairs and over to Ruby. She figured Regina should be fine until they got back. She shut the door and followed Ruby.

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Ruby walked quickly out the back door until she got to the street. "They must've been in a car. I can't smell them anymore."

"Them? How many?"

"Two that I can be sure of. Emma, I don't even know where to start," Ruby slapped her hands against her thighs as she lowered her arms.

"Well, who are they?"

Ruby gave Emma a sad look, "One is Dr. Whale. The other scent I picked up is – Jefferson."

Emma had a soft spot for Jefferson. After helping him with his daughter and Regina, he had become a friend to her. She knew that he had issues but he also now had his daughter back. Why would he be there?

Emma called David and told him that they needed to bring Jefferson and Dr. Whale in for questioning. Emma thought that it would be best if she wasn't involved in their arrests but interrogated them when they came in. She figured she'd have more patience and a better chance at getting through to Jefferson because she had more experience dealing with his madness when he was in the middle of an episode. And Dr. Whale was a cocky ass who believed himself to be God's gift to women. She'd let his ego do all the talking.

He was going to swing by and pick Ruby up first. Then, the two of them would arrest them. Emma would meet them at the station. But first she wanted to go and talk to Regina some more.

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Emma went back to the house and tried to walk in. The door was locked so she went back to the window that she had entered before. The window had been put back together again.

Emma stood confused and looked around. She saw shards of glass in the snow so it obviously had been broken. Regina must've used magic to put it back together.

She tried the back door but her hand ran into a barrier. Regina had obviously used a protection spell to keep people out.

"You can't keep us out," she yelled. "We're just trying to help you. Why do you have to make everything so difficult?!" When she got no response, she continued, "I know it was Jefferson and Dr. Whale."

When she still received no answer she continued, "David's bringing them into the station right now," Emma sighed. This was the part of her job she hated the most. It's why being a bounty hunter was so easy. She didn't have to interact with people past playing a part to lure some slimeball out of the hole they'd hidden in and then bam! She had them.

Actually talking about pain and feelings just wasn't her. Emma didn't have any of her parent's social graces; talking was just not something she had ever been good at. "I'll be back," she promised when she still couldn't find words to sum up the situation. She trudged to her car and headed back to the station.

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Regina stood inside her study once again watching as Emma retreated. She had no illusions as to what was about to happen. Even if they confessed who in this town would convict them? It was just the Evil Queen getting what she deserved.

She gingerly returned to her seat in the chair. Her entire body hurt and she knew that it would for a while. But it was the ghosts that had been brought to life that tormented her. The past and the present mixed to create a living tableau of horror.

Even though the fire was long gone, the smell of it burning lingered in the air and provided her a small measure of comfort.

She had needed Henry to be somewhere safe so that she could take this time to put herself back together. She didn't think that was going to happen for a long time to come either.

*****A/N: Sorry for this short one but I promise the next one will be up in a day or so and it's going to be a mega one. *******