As He Came Into The Window
It Was The Sound Of A Crescendo
He Came Into Her Apartment
He Left The Bloodstains On The Carpet
She Ran Underneath The Table
He Could See She Was Unable
So She Ran Into The Bedroom
She Was Struck Down, It Was Her Doom

~ "Smooth Criminal" by Michael Jackson.


Emma held Regina in a bride hold, the woman's head resting on her shoulder. The brunette had fallen asleep during the walk back to the cabs and somehow, despite the loud traffic, stayed asleep in the blonde's lap. The young woman just held the mob boss close. She had been through a lot tonight; her mother finding out she was alive, being kidnapped, and locked and trapped in a grave for god knows how long. No wonder she was in a dead sleep. When the cab arrived back at the office, Emma carried Regina in, closing the door behind her quietly, as not to wake Henry, who's room was right above.

The guys rushed from the game room at the sound of footsteps. "Savior!" They yelled almost in unison. The blonde shushed them, motioning to the Evil Queen in her arms.

"What the hell happened?!" Frosty yelled in a loud whisper.

"Cora, that's what."

"Queen of Hearts knows she and Henry are alive?" Luca asked, his voice on the verge of cracking. The men bore panicked expression, looking amongst the small group as if one of them would have an answer to a question no one asked.

Emma quietly explained the story as she brought Regina into the game room, laying her down onto the couch. Her hand unconsciously running through brunette curls, thanking god over and over Cora had only locked her in that horrible place, and not put a bullet between her eyes. Of course now she was supposed to do it. The Queen of Hearts was now not only trying to kill her own daughter, but Savior herself. For killing her true love would kill her inside and damn her heart for the rest of her days.

"We need to get them to safety." Spinner suggested.

Jumper quickly left the room, rushing down the hallway. His footsteps echoing from the stairs and then to the floor above.

"We don't have much time. We have to get them out of the city. New York isn't safe as long as Cora is alive." Shepard chimed in from his spot in the back. "I guess our raid on the Card Knights is being moved up."

Savior and the other mens' gazes moving to Jumper, who returning to the room with Henry in his arms; the young boy still half asleep in his Superman pajamas. "I didn't want him by himself." He confessed in a soft tone, moving to lay him next to his mother.

Emma just sat and listened to each man spew out ideas on how to take her down; blowing up their headquarters, snipers, the brakes on their cars "failing" and what not. But she tuned them out, never taking her eyes off the mob boss. Her fingertips ghosting against tan skin, twirling free strands of dark brown hair, wiping away stray tears that still lingered on her cheek. She knew what she had to do.

"Shut it!" She yelled, standing up in a flash. "Look, this is my fault and I'm going to be the one to kill Cora!"

"Savior ... what do you mean it's 'your fault'?" Frosty asked, moving to the front of the pack.

Emma rubbed her neck slowly, thinking of a way to explain her sins to men trained to kill whilst in a room full of guns and knifes.

"I ... talked to Regina over an insecure phone line about the plan. It was tapped; Cora repeated the entire conversation back to me. If I had been more careful Henry and Regina wouldn't be in danger."

"YOU HAD ONE JOB SAVIOR! ONE. FUCKING. JOB!" Lucas yelled, only to then have both Spinner and Jumper slam their hands over his mouth; everyone watching both mother and son slightly move on the couch before drifting back to sleep.

Emma stood up, laying a blanket over them slowly. She ushered the group out of the room. Complying, the men and Savior walking into the hallway. "Look ... we're taking them down Saturday."

"Three days?! Emma we need more time!" "We need to strike now!" "THEIR LIVES ARE AT STAKE!" The men argued, running their mouths as if they were part of a 5k run.

"THREE DAYS. Is all we need. We can shoot, we can climb walls, we can fight; all we need is to set up a time and place of the raid, get enough ammo and armor, etc. We can do this." Emma ran a shaky hand through her hair. "First piece of business is to get Regina and Henry to safety. We can't use the safe-house on Monroe anymore. We need a completely new one."

Suddenly a smile broke out across Luca's face. "I have just the place."


After making it out of the secret tunnel and out to the cars to avoid Cora's detection, the group piled into the van; a sleeping Regina in Emma's lap and son to match in Jumper's. The car sped in and out of alleyways, ducking cars near Times Square, before making it's way down 7th Avenue. The mob boss slept peacefully in Emma's arms, the Savior holding her close. Jumper chuckled and looked down at the floor.

"What?" She questioned in a soft voice.

"You're in love with her."

Emma's eyes widened, glancing around; making sure the other guys were out of ear shot. "What do you-"

"Daniel used to look at me that way. I know love when I see it. To be honest I'm happy. Regina's had trouble finding a girlfriend 'cause of the whole mafia thing. So when you came along, all the guys placed bets on how long it would take for y'all to get together."

"That's terrible!"

"Hey, I might win. I said no more than two months."

"I just ... yeah. Okay, I'll just admit it. I love her. When I saw her in that mausoleum, hands bloody, crying, unable to take from screaming ... something in me snapped. It was that moment where all I could picture was-"

"Her straddling you?"

"NO! Cora with one of my bullet's between her eyes. I love Regina and Henry and I won't let anything or anyone hurt them." Even though I'M the one supposed to kill her.


The van made it's way into a dark loading dock. A few lights projecting an orange hue were the only visual relief. Regina stirred in Emma's arms for the first time since she had fallen asleep.

"Emma?" She mumbled groggily. "Where are we going?"

"Someplace safe. Somewhere Cora won't find you or your son."

The van came to a sharp stop, followed by the opening and slamming of doors. The hatch opened, Regina instantly shielding her eyes from the sudden bright light. Emma held the woman in a bridal hold once again, slipping out of the van, followed by Jumper.

Frosty, Shepard, and Spinner each had a machine gun in their hands along with a pistol holster on their hips. "Okay Al Capones' let's get them inside. Where's Lucas?"

"Lucas!" Another female voice called out.

Everyone turned to see a young woman emerge from the alleged safe house. She wore a floral print dress, adorned with a brown belt and matching shoes.

Lucas smiled and motioned for the group to follow them; they carried Regina and Henry in, weaving through endless stairwells and hallways, the young woman and Lucas practically glued to each other. Finally after what seemed to be hours, they walked into a gated room sealed with a key pad. The brown haired stranger punched in a few numbers, met with then a small beep and a little green light.

"Bring them in here." She whispered, opening the door slowly.

As Emma held her beauty close to her chest, she glanced around the room; crate after wooden crate filled the room, except for a little bare spot at the end where she assumed the mob boss and son would be staying.

"Oh god damn it." She whispered, looking upon the black stenciled wording of the boxes.

"PROPERTY OF THE NEW YORK PUBLIC LIBRARY."


A/N Big chapter! Hope you guys like it! My production of Wizard of Oz is over and even though I begin Robin Hood rehearsals tomorrow, I will be able to update more due to it going back to only have theater twice a week! Please review and thanks for reading!

ALSO if anyone can guess what the name of this chapter is from, you might get something special ;)