Emma sat up off the floor, trying to ignore how close she was to Regina. "What the hell was that?"

Regina stood up and dusted off her blazer. "That, Ms. Swan, is the real threat to Storybrooke, Rumplestilskin with his full power restored."

"Magic is back." Emma flexed her fingers, tempted to put a hand on her gun, but she guessed that wouldn't be much help against Regina if she chose to use her magic. Another idea came to mind. "Is he more powerful than you?"

Regina lifted one well formed eyebrow. "He taught me magic. That said, the student frequently out does the master."

Not really a glowing statement of superiority. Storybrooke changed a lot with the curse broken, more than she understood. Henry was her main source of fairy tale knowledge, but now she needed some better information. She stood up. "You want me to send someone over to block up that doorway?"

Regina glanced at the mess. "That won't be necessary. I have my own resources."

That didn't sound good either. How many evil minions did an evil queen need to make a mess out of her town? "Okay then. I need to go and see what state the town is in."

"Ms. Swan, take my advice and stay clear of Mr. Gold for now. And get some rest."

Emma did feel drained, but did it show that much? She just nodded and stepped out of the remnants of Regina's front door. Gold wasn't on her list just yet. Her first visit would be to check up on Henry. Then she needed to have a good long talk with her parents. If she could stay awake that long.

#

Regina tossed a spell at the doorway to seal it for the night. Then she sank back into her sofa to think. The scent of Emma's perfume lingered on the pillow. Regina tossed it to the other chair. It was a distraction she could not afford at the moment. The first phase of the curse was broken and that meant the second phase was already in motion. The question was, how much did Gold know, and what would he do about it?

Then there was the enigma of Emma Swan. Regina's wasn't the only power used to deflect Gold's spell. On some instinctual level, Emma joined with her to protect them both. "Ever the Savior."

Emma had magic. Worse than that, Gold knew. How he would twist that knowledge was anyone's guess. Regina brushed a stray lock of hair from her eyes. She was as tired as Emma must be, but at least she knew why. Still, there was Gold to deal with before she could rest. She needed a distraction. A cold smile lifted her lips.

She reached for the phone and punched in a number. "Hello. You and I need to talk. I have a little job in mind for you that I think you'll find most interesting."