A/N: Sorry about the (albeit comparatively minor) wait! I was on a week long vacation and with three active WIPs some sacrifices had to made. Hopefully I'm more or less back on track now. We'll see.

On the upside, this chapter is a little longer than usual. Enjoy and thanks for reading :)


When Emma, Regina and Ruby returned to the library, the place was all but deserted. The police tape at the door and ash marks on the ground were the only reminders of the fire from earlier that day.

"And exactly what do you plan to accomplish with this, Miss Swan?" Regina asked, giving Ruby a none too impressed look.

"I figured that there might be some lingering smells still in there," Emma explained. "Maybe something from the culprit that Ruby can sense."

Ruby eyed the library skeptically. "With all the firefighters and everything that have been in there, I doubt I'll be able to pick out anything."

"Actually, I was talking about something else," Emma told her, looking a little smug. Conjuring a small fireball, she nodded towards it. "Can you smell this?"

Ruby's expression only grew more skeptical. "The fire?"

"No, the magic. Since you're a magic being... something, I figured you might be able to sense it. Werewolf senses and all." After all, Granny had sensed the magic in her ring and Emma had noticed the different between her own and Regina's magic, so it wasn't too much of a stretch to guess that Ruby's more sensitive nose would be able to pick up even fainter scents.

Frowning, Ruby tilted her head and regarded the flame for a few moments, then nodded slowly. "I think I do," she said, eyes widening in surprise. "It's... weird. It's not quite a smell, but it's close."

"Awesome. Regina, now you do one."

Regina rolled her eyes but didn't offer any objections, conjuring up a fireball of her own.

"Yeah," Ruby nodded, a burgeoning grin pulling on her lips. "Yeah, that's got a different smell. Cool! You want me to check for that inside?"

"Anything like that. Mine or Regina's or someone else's if you can. Anything can help."

"Sure thing! Be right back," Ruby said and headed over to the library, ducking under the police tape and disappearing inside.

Regina and Emma waited in silence for a while, the mood in the air between them not quite awkward, but not entirely pleasant either. Once again, Emma was reminded of the days before the first curse broke and their – in some ways – much less complicated relationship back then.

Eventually, Regina broke the silence. "How did you know about that? The smell?"

Emma cast a glance at Regina's face, finding her expression oddly blank. "I'm not sure. It was more of a coincidence than anything else." She paused, wondering how much to tell Regina. On one hand, she trusted Regina with her life, yet on the other – at least when it came to her memory – they were essentially on opposite sides again. "I remembered how your magic smelled, actually." She winced and mumbled, "Although that sounds kind of weird now that I say it."

"Indeed it does," Regina muttered, her eyes still fixed on the library.

As much as Emma would have wanted to continue their conversation, while she racked her brain for something more to say, Ruby exited the library and joined them.

"So?" Regina prompted as soon as Ruby was within earshot.

Emma was surprised that Regina wasn't tapping her feet against the ground already. Although when Emma thought about it, it wasn't exactly impatience that Regina's body language spoke of – instead it reminded Emma more of the tense moments after the second curse had brought everyone back to Storybrooke and Regina was once again painted as a villain to no fault of her own. Her jaw was tight, her eyes hard, and her arms protectively wrapped around her midriff. Emma's heart sank at the sight.

"No trace of Regina's magic. I did catch a hint of Emma's, though, and a lot of fairy dust. Pretty sure I recognize it from Ti– from a friend." Ruby chuckled sheepishly and rubbed her nose with the back of her hand. "And uh, all that ash and dust in there made me sneeze a lot, that was why it took so long. Sorry."

"Good." Raising her nose and uncrossing her arms, Regina went from vulnerable and uncomfortable to cold and regal in a heartbeat. "May I leave now? If fairy dust was involved, anyone with rudimentary hand-eye coordination could have done it, Miss Swan. I suggest you speak to the fairies." Regina turned to leave without waiting for an answer but stopped a few steps away and glanced over her shoulder. "Oh, and perhaps ask your parents and the rest of that incompetent horde that runs the city now to add some laws against reckless use of magic. If the fairies can't keep their dust out of the hands of criminals, perhaps the law enforcement should." With that said, she disappeared in a cloud of purple.

"Damn, she's really pissed at you," Ruby mumbled.

"No shit."

"So, what now?"

Emma squinted at the library, deep in thought. "You're sure about what you found in there?"

"Yup, just your magic and the fairy dust. The fairy dust's scent was pretty strong, too."

"That makes sense, seeing how my magic was from a couple of days ago," Emma mused. After a few moments of unproductive thought, she shook her head and took out her phone. "Well, Regina was right about one thing: we should talk to the fairies. If there's a bunch of entry-level magic dust loose in the town, I want to know about it."

Ruby glanced at her own phone and gave Emma an apologetic smile. "Shit. Sorry, as much as I would like to help you, I need to head back to the diner. Granny's going to kill me if I'm not there really soon."

"Oh, right. Of course." She couldn't help the twinge of disappointment, even though she knew Ruby had a job of her own. After Emma returned to Storybrooke from New York and reclaimed her job, David decided to split his work between the animal shelter, the city council, and the sheriff's station depending on where he was needed. Despite the fairly low crime rate, the days he wasn't working Emma found herself realizing more and more that she needed a full-time partner. Or three.

"Just call me if you need any more help, okay?" Something flitted over Ruby's expression for a split second, oddly hollow for someone usually so bright and upbeat. "It's a nice change of pace." She opened her mouth as if to say something else, but then the look was gone and she was back to normal. "And come by the diner sometime soon; we haven't hung out in a while."

Emma returned the smile. "Sure thing."


Little over an hour later, Emma led the Blue Fairy into the interrogation room in the police station. She was grasping at straws – she knew that all too well – but it was all she could do. Without any credible suspects or any other leads, she had to go with the one lead she had: the fairy dust.

"Thanks for coming in so quickly." She sat down and gestured to the unoccupied chair. "Have a seat."

Blue sat down across from Emma and put her hands neatly on the table. "Of course. Is this about the library? I heard about the fire. I hope no one was hurt."

"Belle's a little shaken up but everyone else is okay. The reason I wanted to speak with you is that we think the fire was started with magic. We found evidence that someone used fairy dust inside the library."

"Fairy dust?" Blue's eyebrows rose in surprise. "I didn't think it would be used like that," she mumbled to herself, shaking her head. "Someone took fairy dust without permission a little while back. I didn't think they'd use it for something like this, though, of course. The few times it has happened before it has always been used for much less destructive things."

Frowning, Emma found her mood dropping even lower. "Any reason why you didn't report the theft? If we had known earlier–"

"I doubt you would have been able to stop anything," Blue cut her off dismissively. "Even in a town as small as this, your police force isn't exactly imposing. I decided it was better if we dealt with this ourselves instead of bothering the police."

"Dealing with thieves is my job, not yours," Emma retorted sharply. "And you're on the city council, you could have given me a bigger budget already instead of just stalling. It has been months."

Blue let out a exasperated sigh. "I don't run the council, Sheriff. Perhaps you should take this up with your parents and the other council members."

"Maybe I should." Not wanting to be pulled of track, Emma changed the topic. "Do you have any idea on who could have taken the fairy dust?"

"None of my fairies would set fire to the library, if that's what you're implying. And yes, I'm aware that Nova took some a few days ago, but I highly doubt she did this."

"I'm not implying anything, I just want to find who did this." Leaning forward, she looked Blue right in the eyes. She didn't need her superpower to know that Blue was hiding something – her evasive answer was proof enough. "If you know something, you need to tell me."

Blue offered her a vaguely condescending smile. "I've told you everything you need to know. Now, if we're done here–"

"We're not."

The silence that filled the room was almost deafening. Blue didn't seem all that affected by Emma's words, but something about her struck Emma as off – even more off than usual. A tiny shiver went up Emma spine even as she leaned back in her chair and crossed her arms, hoping her growing uneasiness didn't show. It was easy to forget that the woman in front of her was one of the oldest and arguably most powerful magical beings in Storybrooke when she looked so mundane.

"Here's the deal," Emma continued, her voice calmer, yet with an edge to it. "We both know you're hiding something. Maybe one of your fairies was careless with who she gave fairy dust to, or you or someone you know saw something. Honestly, right now, I don't really care how or why someone got hold of the dust; what I want to know is how much dust is left loose in town and who has it."

Blue didn't answer at first, staring back at Emma with a blank expression and a faint smile that didn't reach her eyes. "I'm sorry, Sheriff," she finally said as she pushed her chair back and got to her feet. "This situation requires a certain... finesse. I've seen how you work." Her lips quirked up in a surprisingly genuine show of amusement that made Emma want to punch her. "You are without a doubt very powerful and often quite competent at your work, but you're anything but delicate. We can handle this matter perfectly on our own."

Emma bristled at her words. "That isn't your call to make!"

With another smile, Blue headed for the door. "Good day, Sheriff Swan."

As soon as Blue was out of earshot, Emma let out a string of curses that would have made Hook blanch. Every day, a new wall to run into and more people that wouldn't cooperate. Setback after setback after yet another setback ad nauseam. It was wearing her out.

Standing up, she cracked her neck and stretched her limbs, needing to do something about the frustration that coursed through her mind and body. She needed something to do, some way to blow off steam. Before coming to Storybrooke, she would have used a punching bag or a shooting range, but after learning to use her magic, nothing else came close.

The table and the chairs were all poofed to a corner of the room with a practiced move of Emma's hand, giving her some more space. Another surge of magic and she had covered one of the walls with a large, shimmering (it still pissed Emma off that her magic was pink) barrier, making sure she wouldn't have to rebuild the house when she had gotten her frustration out of her system.

She started with Regina-style fireballs, throwing them at the barrier in rapid succession. They hit it with satisfying blasts, assuring Emma that her magic hadn't weakened during her lost month. She hit the barrier again and again with all kinds of offensive spells, stopping now and then to make sure the barrier wasn't getting too weak. After she shot a particularly strong shock wave against the barrier – causing the whole building to shiver – Emma couldn't hold back a grin. If anything, her magic seemed to have grown in strength.

It took half an hour or so, but eventually she felt like she had worked through most of her emotions; she didn't feel quite as much like she wanted to punch someone in the face anymore. Sure, she was pretty tired and sore and her palms burned a little from all the magic usage, but her mind was much clearer.

She left the room and sat down at her desk and began rifling through the papers there. With her mind focused and Henry staying at Regina's place for the night, working late at the station was not a problem. It was time to get some order and clarity in the library fire case.


It was dark outside the car – a black void that was both endless and oppressively small and constrictive. Emma could barely make out the dimly lit road and glimpses of trees that flew past her. She also hadn't seen a road sign for miles but that didn't really matter. The only place of importance was behind her, getting farther away by the minute.

Music was playing on the radio but she couldn't make out what. Sometimes it sounded like a single note and sometimes the radio host spoke. Hadn't she heard this one before, though?

Something was wrong. She wasn't sure what, but something felt... off. Henry was sleeping in the passenger seat but she couldn't see his face. He looked so young, too young. The car was cramped and she had to sit hunched over the steering wheel to fit yet the pedals seemed impossibly far down, making driving almost impossible. Her palms ached but she couldn't tear them from the steering wheel.

Emma gasped and flinched in her seat as a large truck suddenly rolled past her in the opposite direction, disappearing as quickly and soundlessly as it had appeared. She clenched her hands around the steering wheel, her nails digging mercilessly into her palms. She needed to get off the road.

Pulling over by a roadside motel, she was finally able to let go of the steering wheel. The motel looked okay but she had been there before and everything was far too calm. Shouldn't there be more cars there, even at a night like this?

"Sheriff Swan." Regina walked next to her, her eyes dark and dead, looking past Emma. "You forgot the luggage."

Of course she had forgotten the luggage. It was still in the car, out there in the desolate parking lot where that thing that looked like Henry was still sleeping in the passenger seat. The thought of going back there made her want to throw up.

Where is everyone, she found herself wondering as the coldness came creeping under her clothes and into her skin. Where had Regina gone? Emma couldn't see her anywhere. Had she already found their room?

"Regina," she croaked but her voice cracked and she couldn't make herself heard over the silence. The receptionist at the counter didn't see her and didn't hear her so Emma stumbled away and fled, covering her ears to keep the silence out.

She had to find Regina. Winding corridors and empty hallways passed by in a blur yet she wasn't getting anywhere. Her palms hurt and something wet and warm seemed to drip from them onto the floor. The thing that looked like Henry was just around the corner and she had to get away. "Regina!" she called out again, her voice even weaker than before.

Suddenly the corridors ended and Emma found herself in her car again, darkness everywhere she looked. It wanted in. It wanted to devour her. Emma had to drive away but there was nowhere to go and the car wouldn't start. Looking to the right, she saw the thing that looked like Henry in the passenger seat staring at her with empty eyes.

"Hi, Ma," it screamed, a grotesque grimace on its face as it lunged towards her.


Emma awoke with a jerk, clawing at the table and screaming out in pain and terror. Her palms burned and her mind was filled with the warped images from her dream. The darkness clung to her memory, still looking as if it wanted to push in through the windows and envelop her. Only half-awake, she wasn't sure what had been real and what hadn't.

When her mind finally cleared – at least to an extent – she found herself with her phone in her hand, already dialing Regina. Blinking in confusion, she stared down at it. She must have called Regina on pure instinct, even in her somewhat delirious state. Before she could collect herself enough to cancel the call, the phone crackled to life.

"What is it, Swan."

Still panting from the dream, Emma swallowed and tried to come up with something to say. "I..."

"Since you're calling me this late, I take it this has something to do with the library fire."

Emma winced. "Actually, no."

"Then why are you calling me?" Despite the obvious stiffness to her voice, Emma was a little surprised that Regina had answered at all.

"I, ah... I had a bad dream." She licked her lips and shook her head to herself. "More like one of the worst nightmares I've ever had. I must have called you while I was still only half awake."

There was a short pause. "I see."

Rubbing her forehead, Emma closed her eyes and sighed tiredly. "I honestly didn't mean to call you. I'm sorry." She wanted to say more but even she know that this wasn't the time nor the setting to do it.

"Call Archie next time, Miss Swan." Regina ended the call without waiting for a response.

Emma put the phone away and buried her face in her palms. She hadn't lied when she said it had been one of the worst nightmares she had ever had. The remains of it still lingered in the back of her mind and played at the edges of her vision. It had felt so real, almost as real as her flashbacks. Maybe it had been some kind of reaction to her magical workout earlier, what with the pain in her palms and everything, or a flashback twisted and mangled by too warm clothes and an uncomfortable sleeping position?

Not like it mattered, though, since she couldn't tell what of it had been real anyway.

After a while, when her breathing had gone back to its usual rhythm and the pain in her palms had dissipated almost completely, she sat up and stretched her arms. With the nightmare fresh in her mind, sleeping didn't feel particularly inviting. Pushing the thoughts of it aside, she stared down at the papers in front of her. She did, however, still have plenty of work to do.