Getting on with the story…Hope you enjoyed the fluffiness of the other chapter, but we need to make some progress so here we go. Thanks for your reviews, comments, follows and faves. I still own nothing, but I'd be willing to negotiate. I realize that this is taking the Snow Queen in a little bit of a different direction, but I'm hoping you like it.

Emma's breaths were coming in short spurts as she stood just on the other side of the clearing with David. Lowering her hands to her knees, she dropped her head and tried to not sound like she had just ran a marathon. It only lessened her anxiety a little bit to hear David gasp for breath as well. "Where the hell did she go?" she said through a clenched jaw. "She was right there and then…"

"She's playing us," David said, sliding the gun he held back in place. "She just wants us to chase her and then poof."

Emma turned her head to the side to look at him, throwing her blonde hair over the shoulder of her brown jacket. "I'm tired of this," she muttered. "She's toying with us and we are wasting time."

David nodded in agreement. "How's the ankle?" he asked in his best concerned dad tone.

"Fine," she said. "Just a little swelling is all."

David nodded again, knowing that she would not admit to any weakness or pain without good reason. But he'd seen her run without so much as a flinch so he was going to trust her answer at the moment. "Head back?" he asked as a suggestion. "She's probably long gone from here."

Emma held up one finger and pulled herself to a standing position. "I think that sounds like a good idea," she said evenly, pointing toward a clump of trees and underbrush a few feet away. "We might as well."

He realized what she was doing and slowly began to turn. The leaves crunched under his boots, but otherwise they were silent as they walked toward the vegetation. He lifted a branch for her and they stealthily moved in that direction. Emma sensed it first, a coldness in the air that had not been there before. It stung their nostrils with its fervor. She raised an eyebrow and pointed with her chin. He followed.

The Ice Queen stood with her back to them, hands raised and head tilted skyward. She seemed to be almost waiting for them, poised for their approach. "Emma," she breathed out in her sad tone. The woman turned on her heels and faced them. "You don't give up."

Emma took only two steps and stared back the woman questioningly. She searched her face for any recognition, but none came. She saw nothing that could remind her of the missing time in her past. "What is your game?" she finally asked.

"I don't play games," the woman said. "I just want to talk to you."

David touched Emma's shoulder as he closed the distance between them, gesturing to let him take her on. But Emma was stubborn and did not care to hand over the interrogation. "You erased my memories, you've done something with Anna, you've threatened people, trapped us all by disabling Elsa's ability to destroy the ice wall, you've practically murdered Marian, and what? You want to have a conversation."

"Yes."

"I'm going to regret this," Emma said. "About what?"

"Not here," the woman said softly. "Not in front of him." Her eyes finally left Emma and settled on David. "He can't understand."

David grunted and reached out his hand to Emma again. She shook it off. "No," Emma said. "You want to talk. Let's talk. I don't think you have anything worth listening to, but go ahead."

"You are so defensive," the woman said, holding her hands up in a mock surrender. "You've always been that way. So sure that every person you meet is the one that will break you. Some have hurt you, Emma. I know that."

"And some have wiped memories out of my mind," Emma interrupted. "So get on with it."

"I did that to protect you."

"I've heard that before," Emma spat.

"It's true, but you must understand that not everyone is going to hurt you. It's just that people don't really understand you. They don't understand me either." She clasped her hands in front of herself, looking a bit angelic in her white dress and prayerful position. "I am you. You are me."

"What's to understand?" David asked, taking another step toward her. "You're not exactly a complex woman. You freeze things and make things and people so cold so that we all turn on each other. Whether by ice or your words, your goal is pretty clear."

Emma gulped and relaxed back in her position slightly. "Enough," she said, not really directing the comment to either of them. "I'm not here to be analyzed. I'm here to arrest you."

If that surprised the Snow Queen, she did not show it. Her face remained stoic as Emma raised her hands and let the cold steel of the cuffs surround the woman's wrists. She thought for a moment that she heard David gasp, but she was concentrating too much on the woman's surrender. It was too easy, too tranquil. Suddenly a burst shot from the woman and Emma felt the cold pellets of ice brush past her with the sting of needles. She fell backwards, landing with a thud on the soft ground.

Her eyes opened slowly, consciousness coming at a sluggish rate compared to the darkness that had enveloped her. Rolling to her left, she searched for any sign of them, but found nothing in the woods that would give her a clue. David was gone. So was the Snow Queen.

***AAA***

Her shoes slapped on the floor of the loft's landing and the barreled through the door without thinking of her noise or waking her baby brother. Mary Margaret's face was one of shock as she saw her daughter's disheveled and panicked appearance. "Emma? What is it?"

"Is Dad here?" Emma said between breaths. "Tell me that you've heard from him."

Mary Margaret took a step forward with her hand grasping the back of a chair. "No, Emma, what's happened?" The woman's pale skin lost every hint of color and her body shook with suppressed fear.

Emma held her folded arms over her stomach and explained how she had woken up without any sign of her father. Her mother's face growing more agitated as she continued, she screamed out for their houseguest and clutched the other woman's wrist with her hand. "We have to find them," Emma said. "We have to go."

Elsa had only heard parts of the conversation, but quickly followed her friend down the stairs and called out to Mary Margaret that they would call to check in later. The passenger door of the yellow bug had barely shut when Emma jammed the car into gear and was accelerating down the main street. The water of melting slush sprayed up from the tires.

"We've got to find him," Emma said, keeping her eyes trained on the road in front of her. "If she does anything to him…"

Elsa nodded, her own thoughts swimming in her head. "Maybe Belle," she finally said. "I know that your Mr. Gold said he can't help us track her, but Belle. She seemed to know something more."

Emma nodded sharply and yanked the steering wheel with a violent jerk. The car tires clipped the curb as she drove toward the pawn shop. "He's going to help us," she said stubbornly. "I will make him."

Not bothering to point out that nobody could make the man do anything, Elsa clutched the door handle. "He's not usually willing, but…"

"But what?"

"Killian," Elsa said. "He knows something or said something to Rumpelstiltskin that forced him to help us when we wanted to find the Snow Queen. I don't know what it is, but something that Killian said made him use his magic to help us." The woman related her version of the tale, including following magical snowflakes through the forest.

Emma blanched. "Killian blackmailed him?"

"That seems too strong," Elsa responded. "I wish I knew more. I was in the store, but they were talking very low and all of a sudden he was helping. I just wanted to find her so I could find my sister."

Emma swallowed. "We need to know what it is that Killian said," she muttered. "If it makes Rumple cooperate?"

The two jumped out of the car and rushed into the store with the sound of the bell still ringing through the air. "Where's Rumple?" Emma called out to Belle. "I need to see him."

Henry looked up to see his mother's angry face and despite the fact that she rarely yelled and never threatened him, he looked truly frightened. "Mom?" he said, taking a step back toward a wall of books. "What are you doing here?"

Palms down, Emma slammed her hands on the display case and leaned toward Belle. "Where is he?"

Belle's eyes dropped and she gently set a porcelain vase on the cabinet. "I'll get him," she said. Hurriedly, she scooted behind a curtained off area after shooting Henry and apologetic look.

"Henry, go home," Emma sputtered. "You don't need to be here." She looked at her son, his eyes flashing with confusion and insult. Finally, he dropped the rag he was holding and shuffled to the door. Muttering a goodbye, she heard the bell ring again as he left.

Elsa placed a hand on her upper arm and squeezed. "It's going to be fine. I'm sure you can convince him to help."

A few minutes later Rumple appeared with his cool and calm look. Using both hands, he smoothed the lapels of his suit and smiled at here with his gold tooth shining. "Miss Swan," he said with sickeningly sweet mocking. "Always a pleasure."

Emma was about to slather on her own response when she saw Belle emerge from the same area, a darkly dressed man behind her. "Killian?" she questioned, her stone expression melting. "What the hell?"

His eyes met her briefly, but then he looked away. She shook her head in disbelief, words failing to convey what she needed at the moment.

"Miss Swan," Rumple said again. "Would you kindly tell me what you're here about?"

I hope you enjoyed this chapter. I've got some homework to complete, but should have the next one up soon.