The second challenge of the day was Killian's idea.

"You will have to come forward ." Killian started to tell them. "Then you will pull out one ticket from this bowl." He continued showing to a bowl in front of him. "Every ticket has a country written on it. Based on that country you'll have to bake a pie traditional for your chosen country. If you don't know one, we'll help you by telling you one." He finished.

Every person started to go and pick a ticket. She heard countries like Ireland, France, Spain and Russia. When her turn came she went in front of the jury and picked a ticket She picked a ticket and fumbled with it nervously before finally opening it and staring at it.

"It's Romania," She said in surprise

"Do you know any pies from Romania?" Killian asked her.

"Um… no." Emma answered to him.

"Okay. You'll have to make a make a pie based on salty cheese and also you'll have to make the layers of the pie really thin." Killian instructed her. "The pie it's called Cheese pie, but you have to be careful, it is not a cheescake as we all know it. This one has cheese between the layers and and there are not more that three layers. Do you understand?"

"Yes," Emma asnwered to him.

"If you need anything else, don't hesitate to ask me!" Killian told her before she could leave.

"Thank you." She told him understanding what she had to do.

After everyone had their countries and their pies, the jury left the room and let them work. They would come back when the time was over to discuss about their pies.

Emma went back to her table and started to take out everything she needed. She had to start with the pastry first. She needed flour, water, oil and salt. She started to mix them and after they were ready she put the mix in a bowl and cover it with a towel after that she started to prepare the filling. While she worked she saw Regina with a cameraman coming to her.

" How's it going , Miss Swan?" Regina asked her.

"Very good. It's not a hard recipe and I like making pies." She answered without stopping.

"What are you doing here, right now?"

"I'm making the filling for the pie."

"Tell us more about yourself , Emma." Regina continued.

"About me?"

"Yes, about you, your past, how did you start to bake ."

"Well" Emma started "The first time I baked something was when I was eight years old. I helped my brother make a cake for our mother's' birthday and I liked it very much. After that I started cooking more, I helped my mother around the kitchen and over the years I started baking from books."

"What made you want to participate in this competition?"

"I wanted to be able to offer more things to my son. It wasn't an easy decision, I had to think a lot but in the end I'm glad I came here."

"Where is your son now?" Regina asked her lifting an eyebrow. She must have known something if she asked her about her son. Henry hadn't come to New York until last night and yesterday she had told to Regina that he was in Boston. So Emma decided to lie and see what happened .

"He is in Boston with my brother."

"Do you have a husband Emma?"

"Um no."

"Boyfriend?"

"What is this Regina?" Emma asked her stopping working, knowing that they would cut her question when they edited the episode. Regina looked at her and told to the guy to stop the camera.

"Just answer Emma. People will want to know such things about the participants, especially about the ones that are amazing."

"And I'm one of them?"

"To your surprise, yes, you are. So stop asking questions, answer to mine and make your pie." She then told to the guy to start the camera again. Emma looked at the mix for the pie. It was almost ready. She had to put everything in the oven in time or her pie wouldn't be ready for the judgment. Emma thought that if she answered Regina's question quickly she would have enough time.

"No, I don't have a boyfriend." Emma answered.

"Then where is the father of the child?"

"He's gone."

"Like in…?" Regina must have realized that this story wasn't what she expected because she started to back off of a little.

"Not dead." Emma answered to the unspoken question. She knew that if this wasn't be cut during editing, there was a big chance that Neal would see it and yet, somehow, she wasn't scared. So she just continued. "He's just not around."

"What happened?"

"We had a story together." Was all she said and she hoped that it was enough for Regina.

"So it's just you and your son."

"Well I also have my brother and my friends. And Granny!"

"Who is she?"

"Granny is the owner of the diner where I worked before the contest. She offered me a job as a baker at her diner in Boston and that's where I learned to bake everything."

"Your story is really something unexpected , Emma." Regina told her.

"You have no idea" Emma said in her mind.

With that Regina and the man left her alone. She looked at the clock and realized that she still had enough time to finish her work. In the last 40 minutes she arranged the pie and put it in the oven then waited for 20 minutes and when the big clock signaled the end of the test her pie was already put on a plate, waiting to be tasted .

Soon after that Killian, Mary Margaret and Gold entered the room again and they started looking, tasting and commenting about the pies. Since everyone had to make a different pie there were 30 pies all of them with different ingredients , some were with fruits, some with meat and some with vegetables. She was surprised to see that her pie was one of the easiest.

After the jury tasted all the pies they went to the front of the room, with Regina, to decide who was the 'Baker of the Week' and who the three people who entered the last test were. After a few minutes of talking, Regina, Killian, Mary Margaret and Gold turned to face them.

"The jury decided, based on the first and second round, who will be the 'Baker of the Week' today." Regina told them.

"Everyone was perfect today" Mary Margaret started. "I wanted to congratulate you for your cupcakes and you pies. But sadly, three people will have to go in the last round." She ended.

"Emma." Killian looked at her. He had a hint of sadness in his eyes and Emma had the feeling that this was it. This is the day she goes home. She made a step forward and waited for Killian to continue. "Your cupcakes were amazing. Not many people add alcohol in cakes and even fewer succeed in making something good after they put the alcohol. Your pie was also good. I liked the layers because they weren't burned, they were soft and had a good taste while the filling was even better, it didn't had too much salt and it had enough cheese. I liked it."

"I have to agree with him." Gold started to talk. "And we all know I don't say this lightly . Your pie was good Miss Swan."

"Thank you." Was all Emma could say. Since her first time here Gold had something to criticize about her cakes and now he was finally pleased.

"They are right, Emma. You did very well today and for this you are The Baker of the Week!" Mary Margaret announced happy for her. "Come." She made a sign for her to go to her.

Mary Margaret put a little pin into Emma's apron and congratulated her. After that Emma went back to her place and waited to see who were the other three.

"Now the persons who will be in the last round." Killian started to talk. "Zelena Green, Ashley Boyd and Abigail Prince. We'll see you back here in 30 minutes."

With that the three of them left the room. Emma was beyond happy for her status from today. She already had a plan of going into the city and take Henry and David out. The other participants come to her to congratulate her including Zelena, Ashley and Abigail. Ashley and Abigail congratulated her but Zelena had other plans.

"You must be into something with Killian Jones." She told her.

"Excuse me?" Emma looked at her.

"Did you know what we'd have to do this round? Did you make Killian give you the easiest pie?" Zelena continued.

"What are you insinuating, Zelena?"

"I saw you and Killian talking after the first round. You two looked really into the conversation and then you receive the easiest pie to do and you win."

"Don't be jealous, Zelena. It's not my fault you had to make a pie with spinach!" Emma told her.

"Come on, Zelena. Emma was really good today." Belle said from behind her.

"Shut up pretty girl. Or I'll start saying something about you and Mr. Gold."

"Hey!" Emma intervened. "Leave her alone."

"Oh, you made a new friend today? Maybe you are good for each other, you have Killian Jones and she has Mr. Gold. I bet you'll be really good friends."

"You know what, Zelena?" Emma started to tell her. "Why don't you go and prepare for your test? Who knows, maybe it will be your last one here."

"What are you saying?"

"You'd like to know, wouldn't you?" And with that Emma exited the room nervous.

She hated the whole situation. She knew that she really talked with Killian but Zelena didn't know and neither did the others and she knew that Zelena could and probably would make the others believe what she believed.

"Uh!"

She entered her room, threw her apron on a chair and entered the bathroom. She toke a shower mostly with cold water to calm her, wrapped a towel around herself and sat on the bed. She sendt a message to David to met her where they meet last night in an hour and then opened her laptop.


An hour and a half later Emma was in the city with Henry and David. Belle tried to talk with her on her way out of the building but she said that she has to be somewhere really soon so she escaped. Now she was l looking for a place to stay with her boys for a place to stay and enjoy the night together..

"What about this place?" David said stopping in front of an Irish Pub.

"Since when do you like Irish things?" Emma said.

"Since I want to drink a Guinness."

"Ok. Are you okay with it, kid?"

"Sure!"

They entered the pub and found a table. David ordered a Guinness for him, Emma an Irish coffee and Henry a juice. They stayed there together and talked about what Emma did that day and about winning the new title. Henry was excited to hear that Emma won and he made her promise that after the competition ended she would make him the same pie.

"Look!" Henry said looking at the entrance of the pub.

Emma turned to look and she was surprised to see Mary Margaret and Killian enter.

"Oh."

"Hey Killian!" Henry said when they were close to their table . Both Killian and Mary Margaret turned into their direction.

"Hello, lad. Emma." Killian said smiling at them.

"Henry this is Mary Margaret." Emma presented her to her son. "Mary Margaret this is Henry, my son."

"Hello, Henry." Mary Margaret smiled at him. "What are you doing in New York?"

"My uncle bought me here for my break from the school, to enjoy this week of vacation and since my mother is here too we decided to spend some time together ." Henry said the lie they agreed on just in case something like this happens.

"That's nice."

"Want to sit?" Emma asked them.

"Sure!" Mary Margaret took a look at them and the sit beside Henry where it was a bigger place, leaving place for David and Killian sat beside Emma.

"I expected to see you there before the last round." Killian told her.

"I had to leave and meet Henry and David." She lied to him. She knew Killian saw the lie behind her eyes and also she knew that they would surely talk about it.

"Oh."

David, who was coming from the bathroom, seemed surprised to see the new addition. He sat beside Mary Margaret after their introduction. They hit it off very quickly to Emma's surprise because they started to talk more and more with each other and at a moment they even went together at the bar for another round of drinks leaving Emma, Killian and Henry together at the table.

"Killian." Henry started "I was wondering if you could tell me more about your ship? It sounds really amazing!"

"Sure, lad. What do you want to know?"

"Does she have a name?"

"Well, of course she has."

"What is it?" Henry asked excited.

"The Jolly Roger."

Emma couldn't stop herself when she heard the name and started to laugh.

"It's bad form to laugh at a man's ship, Swan."

"Sorry, sorry. But really? The Jolly Roger?" Emma asked trying to calm herself.

"I was a big fan of Peter Pan when I was a child." Killian started to explain. "I almost got a tattoo with a ship on my back. Luckily my brother stopped me."

"Wow. You are really invested in this thing. Henry hates the story."

"Why, lad?"

"I don't know, I just don't like it. I mean, Captain Hook is awesome because he's a pirate but I hate the rest."

"I like Captain Hook, too. I always went dressed as him on Halloween."

"We should have a test about Disney in the competition." Mary Margaret said coming behind them.

"Maybe we should." Killian said looking at Emma.

She looked at him, in his eyes more exactly and remembered what Zelena said. She hated that after a few hours in the company of her son, her brother and Mary Margaret and Killian, Zelena's words were still in her mind.

"I don't know what to say about it." Emma told them.

"Well, I hate to tell you this, but I have to go home. We have another long day tomorrow and I'd like to have some rest before." Mary Margaret said.

"Yeah. I should leave too, Henry." Emma said to him.

"It's okay. I guess it's already past bed time, right?"

"Right and I adore you for remembering."

They took their things and exited .

"We have to go in this direction for the hotel." David said to Emma.

"Oh… Okay. Come here kid." Emma hugged Henry, kissed his temple and wished him a good night.

"My home is in the same direction." Mary Margaret announced them. "Bye Emma, bye Killian. See you tomorrow." She told them.

"Bye Mary Margaret, good night. Bye guys!" Emma told to all of them.

"I guess it's just us, love."

"In which direction is your house?" Emma asked him when they started to walk.

"Oh, I'm sleeping with you and the rest of the participants in the same building."

"Really? How? Can't you go to your own houses during the night?"

"Well, Regina let us choose where we want to sleep. If our homes were close to the studio, we could have spent the nights in our homes but if they weren't we could have spent the nights in the same building as you. My apartment is in another part of the city so I chose to sleep in the same building."

"I see."

"May I ask you something, Emma?" Killian asked her.

"You already did." She told him smiling. "But ok, you can ask something else."

"What was the real reason you left the studio earlier?" Emma thought about her response. She could lie again or she could tell him the truth about Zelena but somehow she knew that if she told him a lie he would know.

"Zelena told me some things that made me angry so I couldn't stay there anymore."

"What things?"

Emma took a deep breath and looked at him. There was something in his eyes that made her continue.

"She saw us talking before the second round. She didn't know what we were talking about but she decided that you told me what the second round was about and that you gave me the easiest pie on purpose ."

"She said what?"

"Yeah. She also said that this is why I won today."

"Your pie was amazing, Swan. And I would never do that. I gave you that pie because that's what people do in Romania."

"I know. But I got angry and I just couldn't see her face anymore."

"Now I regret that I didn't eliminate her." Killian said without looking at her.

"She's still in the contest?"

"Yeah. At the end we had to choose between her and Ashley, and when it came down to my vote , I had to chose Ashley because I think the stress of the competition was too much for a pregnant girl. I thought about her well being and about her child."

"You're telling me." Emma said thoughtful. "I'm glad you did it. Ashley was good but she needed to rest."

"You were in the same position as she is now?"

Emma knew Ashley's story because the girl told them how she got pregnant. Her mother hated it, the father of her boyfriend hated the idea, they wanted to baby gone but Ashley and Sean decided to keep it. Her mother threw her out of the house and Sean's dad did the same but both Ashley and Sean had enough savings to rent a room for the two of them. Ashley wanted to win the contest so they could have a future for their child. Emma's story wasn't like that.

"Mine is nothing like hers. The father of her child is still with them."

"What happened with Henry's father?"

"Wouldn't you like to know?"

"Perhaps I would."

Emma looked in his eyes. The intensity of his sincerity hit her hard.

"That's… that's a story for another time." She told him.

They continued to walk together but when they were close to the building Emma stopped and when Killian realized he stopped too.

"What's wrong?"

"We shouldn't go together inside. Someone might see us together and then what happened with Zelena might happen again."

"You're right. You should go first Emma. I'll wait five minutes, take a walk around the building or something."

"Thank you. Good night, Killian."

"Night. Sweet dreams, love.

"You too." Emma smiled at him and e ntered the building .

"You have no idea, love." Killian said to himself.