An entire fortnight had gone by peacefully. Too peacefully. It's that suspicion that stirs within when a mother realizes her child is being awfully quiet; perhaps, too quiet. It usually means they're up to no good; planning something malicious and the mother is waiting not so patiently for a vase to shatter into a million pieces.

And of course, it finally happened. Apparently, something had been off in town for a good while, but the incidents had been so minute that it went unchecked.

David, who was now the sheriff now due to Emma refusing to defend the town any longer, had gotten a frantic call early morning from one of the locals, Mrs. Dowers, that her husband wouldn't respond to her. Afraid he might have had a heart attack or something of the sorts, an ambulance was dispatched immediately.

It wasn't until later that Doctor Whale confirmed that Mr. Dowers was in a coma, but what induced it was unknown. Nothing was coming back from the lab tests. In fact, he was healthier than many at his age. Even though he was checked out of this reality, his brain seemed to be fine. David had searched for break-ins or any signs of struggle back at their house, but came up empty handed.

A few days later a very similar incident happened except this time one of the dwarves had been found face down on the sidewalk. Of all the dwarves, it was Grumpy. Everyone's first thought was that he must have been drunk and tripped during the night, but when the results came back it appeared the man had very little alcohol in his system which was surprising in itself. He was unconscious too like Mr. Dowers and was showing the same healthy signs of brain activity minus being conscious.

"A sleeping curse?" Snow asked, all too familiar with them.

"No, I checked both of their auras and I don't think that was it. It has the taste of darkness and although it seems like their healthy, it felt like something was missing…like something came in and drained an essence out of them and that's what is keeping them asleep."

"Do you know what it could be?" the school teacher inquired.

"I'll have to do some searching in my books."

"You know there's only one explanation for this," David said with a sigh.

When things went haywire in town it was always either Regina or Gold to play the scapegoat. Now that Regina was on their side she was relinquished of all accusations. Did that mean Gold was up to something? They assumed that wasn't the case as Snow had spoken to Belle earlier about his condition. He was awake; that much was a relief to the heartbroken woman, but he was surely in no condition to be causing trouble. Without his powers of the Dark One he was simply a weak, frail man trying to recover from all the karma that had been dumped on him.

"Do you really think she could be involved in this?" Snow asked her husband with a sad, worried look.

"I don't want to think about it," he admitted with a weakness in his voice, for this was their daughter they were talking about after all, "but she is the Dark One now. No one has seen but glimpses of her around town. She won't speak to anyone, not even me."

"You've tried?" Regina chimed in. She had been watching the Charming's discuss their thoughts for the last twenty minutes, her head switching views between them like a tennis match. She hadn't told them about her encounter with Emma and the dinner they shared. She especially didn't tell them how Emma went out of her way to have Regina's company; that night felt special in a way and the brunette wanted to do everything in her power to keep the memory that way. The words spoken between them that night were just a memory now, but she clung onto them. Even in her denial of the strange feelings stirring inside of her, she could at least admit that she had been kept anxiously awake at night, wondering if the woman was suffering in her solitude. She hadn't seen Emma since that night. She had practically disappeared, once again, from everyone like an antisocial introvert.

"The last time I spoke with her was when she threw this," he pointed towards the gold star on his shirt, "at me. She wouldn't even look at me! She was just so mad. I tried to get her to talk to me, but she disappeared."

Emma was always good at fleeing from unwanted situations, especially if they required any sort of connection to her feelings. And with her parents there were plenty of feelings.

"I'm sure she has a lot to be mad about," Regina told him and received a quizzical look from the two idiots, "I don't mean to step on your toes, but Emma probably has a lot of negativity concerning both of you. Don't take it personally, but you did abandon her, attempted to murder an innocent child to secure her destiny. I'm sure I'm forgetting a few. I know how that darkness makes you think. It will swallow any good memories and replace them with a debauched truth."

It was evident she hit a nerve between them, but Regina didn't care. She had lost the ability to care about their feelings long ago. They needed a person like Regina in their life to remind them that everyone wasn't always bright and shining.

"Where are you going?" Snow asked the older brunette as she rose from the couch.

"To find Emma and talk to her."

The Charming's watched in uncertainty as she reached for her jacket hanging on the wall.

"Is that such a good idea?" the Fair Queen asked with warning in her voice.

"Well someone needs to," Regina retorted, "Don't worry about me. I told you before that I can handle myself. Even if she is behind these strange events, I don't believe she'll hurt me."

She saw the look in their eyes. How was she so sure? If Emma had anyone to hate, shouldn't it have been the former Evil Queen? She had been the cause of all of this strife if you went far enough into the past.

"Alright, fine," Snow dejectedly sighed, "In the meantime, I'll go talk to the Blue Fairies and see if they can offer us any help on the situation."

Regina felt her stomach churn as her fist connected with the wooden door. The unfamiliarity of the place didn't help but add an even more emotions to the situation. Even though she knew intrinsically that Emma wasn't the culprit, fear still hung in the air. What if Emma had played her for a fool? What if the blonde she saw that night was just a trick to gain her trust? Regina had suffered countless reminders in the past of the Dark One's deceit; Rumpelstiltskin had been a mastermind twisting reality to his needs. Emma was clever, something Regina feigned ignorance to for a long time; she had a lot of street smarts from the life she had been handed and now she had all the powers that Rumpelstiltskin once reigned with. It was a deadly combination.

A conflicted gasp left red painted lips when the door opened. Emma stood before her not having changed much in appearance; it was then that Regina realized how much she loathed the tight bun her blonde hair now fashioned these days. It wasn't right; it wasn't Emma. It's as if her hatred had transfered from that awful red leather to this uptight hairstyle. She actually missed the red jacket she swore she would burn. The Dark One's face was stoic, but her ghostly green eyes still reflected internal torment. It wasn't something anyone ordinary would have noticed, but the fallen Evil Queen knew that look all too well.

"Regina," Emma spoke flatly, as if unsurprised to see her on her doorstep, "Are you here on behalf of my father to take me into custody?"

This surprised the brunette and she narrowed her eyes.

"Into custody?"

"You're not here to accuse me of foul play going on in this town?"

"No…I…," Regina stuttered, "I mean, I'm hear about that, but not to accuse you. Can I…can I come in?"

It was frustrating to the brunette that her social skills seemed unable to aid her. Why was she stumbling with her words so much?

"I suppose," the blonde said and moved to the side, her arm making a regal motion of invitation inside.

As soon as she entered she saw stairs that led up to a balcony and wondered how many bedrooms there were. Regina had never stepped foot in this house before. She knew that Emma had been getting tired of living with her parents. It was a wonder, to Regina, how she survived so long with those two idiots. Was this a home that Emma had looked at purchasing with Killian? It was odd for Emma to want all this space by herself; it's not like the mighty savior had come in with a truckload when she moved to Storybrooke.

It wasn't as big as Regina's, but it felt empty. Very similar to the emptiness in her own home when Henry was taken away from her. And why was it so cold? Regret filled her for leaving her jacket in the car and she wrapped her arms around herself.

No wonder you feel so lonely, dear.

Emma didn't lead her anywhere, so it seemed this discussion would be taking place in the foyer. Her posture was rigid, yet she emanated a dominance equivalent of Regina back when they had first met one another.

"I've known about it for some time," the blonde declared, shattering the silence between them, "I felt its energy the moment it was unleashed. It has the residual essence of a dark ritual."

Had Regina felt it as well but been too absorbed in herself to notice?

"And you didn't think to alert anyone about it?"

"I didn't think it was a threat. To me at least," she shrugged, "Besides, the town's wellbeing isn't my priority anymore. That's my father's ordeal now."

The coldness in which she spoke sent chilling daggers towards Regina. She had once been this way too. She understood that she wasn't seeing the Emma she once knew, but a new form; a bitterly damaged and broken version hiding behind walls so high and thick.

It was like an old asian tradition of ceramic repair called kintsugi; when a glass object broke, it would then be repaired by gluing the pieces back together with gold. In this instance it was Emma who had been shattered into a million pieces, but it wasn't gold that made her whole again. In its place was darkness. The cracks were still very visible, but they made her strong. And if Regina had to admit to herself, it made her powerfully beautiful.

This was why dark magic was so illusively dangerous. It would break you, shatter your soul, but it could also make you strong in ways unimaginable. Regina remembered those days; she had reveled in the chaos of watching thousands be slaughtered in her name.

"So you had nothing to do with it?" the brunette asked.

Emma frowned, staring at her nails with disinterest, "Ah, you are here to accuse me."

"No. I'm here because I'm asking for your help. You know most people are going to be pointing fingers at you."

"And why is that? I'm suddenly the villain now?"

A frustrated huff fell from the brunette's lips.

"Is it not obvious? Everyone fears you. You presented yourself as the antagonist the moment you chose to appear in front of everyone and declare this town yours. You're just feigning arrogance and you know it. I know how it feels to be feared. It puts you in control," she grinned, knowing her words were ringing true as she stared down the blonde, "Look Emma, I know you're not the villain here, but it doesn't matter what I think when I'm outnumbered by everyone else."

Regina couldn't read the emotions splaying across the blonde's face, but she knew they were conflicting. There had never been a more desperate moment between them. Regina had needed to expose the giant elephant in the room, but she needed Emma to understand that Regina was on her side.

"If you knew the thoughts in my mind you wouldn't so kindly extend your hand to me, your Majesty. But you're absolutely right; I like this feeling of being feared. I'm the reason those people cornered you because you're associated with me. They blame you. But it's not your fault. I chose to save you and I have no regrets. I've never felt so empowered than when I watched them run from me. But you know what was so hard about that day?" she took a step closer to the brunette, "it took everything I had not to cut them all down where they stood. I wanted to pick them off one by one as they fled from me, rip their skulls from their spine, watch them bleed.

"You want to know why I refuse to help this town? Why I refuse to go back to my daily life as sheriff? Because all I want to do is destroy everything in my path. I've been laying my life on the line for these people for damned too long! And you know what? I'm tired. I'm so tired of caring. I just hate everything."

"But you don't hate me."

"What?"

"I would think that after everything you've gone through, you'd blame me. I was the one who cursed this town. In the end, I am the reason you're here."

"It would be logical to hate you, wouldn't it? But it's just not there. Maybe it's because I spent so much time hating you in the beginning," The words stung like a ghostly wound. Regina remembered the hatred she too had for the other woman, "It wasn't you who sent me away in some magical tree declaring that my destiny would be to be filtered through the system, battered and bruised, just so I could one day become everyone's savior. Everyone here is so weak. They rely on the backbones of others but you…"

The blonde trailed off and took another step in the older woman's direction, the space between them growing deathly small. Regina wanted to speak, but was too hung up on the woman's close proximity. That's when a scent of familiarity hit her. Emma seemed almost like a stranger to Regina, but there was one thing that hadn't changed. Her scent. It's not like she had ever purposely smelled the woman, but she recognized it the moment Emma got close to her. It was silly, but it gave her some sense of hope that this Emma was still the Emma that was before.

"You're not weak at all," the blonde whispered so softly that it was almost missed, "I know you're just like me, Regina. I know you want the power back. I know you miss it." The brunette remained quiet, breaking their gaze, which elicited an annoyed sneer from the blonde. "Is it not true?"

"…I do miss it at times," Regina admitted, regretfully, watching Emma grin from the corner of her eyes. What was she getting at? This is not what she came here for. "But it's wrong. It's wrong to wish for a past where I made everyone else miserable. You know what I did. You may not have been there to see me but I did treacherous things. That's where we're different, Emma."

The smile on the blonde's face faded.

"We're not the same," Regina continued, "You're so much stronger than I ever was. You may have this itch to desecrate all you see, but you haven't. You've kept control."

"And you told me when we were in New York that you were on the fence of light and dark, so do you really want to try and argue this?"

Shaking her head, Regina finally mustered up the strength to meet the penetrating orbs. Why was this woman so ungodly frustrating? There's another thing that hadn't changed between them.

"Emma, this is not what I came here for. Can we get back to the matter?"

"I told you I'm not helping."

"And what about our son? Aren't you worried about him?"

"No, actually I'm not. I've already made sure it won't come after Henry."

Emma shot her a look as if hurt. Henry would always be her first concern.

"You've already done something about it?"

"No, I've merely read the magic. Do you really have no idea what you're dealing with?" the blonde laughed, "You really need to stop slacking, Regina. How can I trust you to take care of our son if you can't even decipher a simple trail of a spectre?"

Trust. Hearing the admittance of trust would have had more of an impact on the brunette if Emma hadn't just declared she knew what was causing the issues in town.

"A spectre? You've known this entire time and you haven't spoken up?"

"And give you a reason to accuse me of summoning it?"

Regina growled and took a step back, irritated with the situation at hand. A voice in her mind wanted to make her believe Emma was the cause, yet her intuition told her otherwise. As it was clear that the Dark One wouldn't be offering any aid, she assumed she had gotten enough information from her trip here.

She approached the door, but stopped dead in her tracks when Emma spoke up.

"I'll help you get rid of it in exchange for my dagger."