Vines, Mice, and Other Dangers

Emma

Emma sneezed loudly. She had never been a graceful sneezer, a fact which had irked her to no end growing up. Nothing was more embarrassing than being in a quiet roomful of people and startling them with a sneeze.

"Bless you," Mary Margaret said.

"Thanks," Emma said rubbing her eyes. "I think I'm allergic to something in this place...probably the giant mushrooms."

"Are you going to be okay stopping here for the night?" Mary Margaret asked.

"Yeah, I doubt the pollen count is going to kill me. Plus, I'm exhausted."

"So am I," Snow admitted. "We should be out of this forest by tomorrow, and then we shouldn't be far from the Queen of Heart's castle."

Emma stretched out on the ground, trying to get comfortable. "Hey, isn't the Queen of Hearts the one who's always chopping off people's heads?"

"Probably," Snow said, "but in the Enchanted Forest she was known for something far worse than that."

"What could possibly be worse than having your head chopped off?" Emma asked.

"Having your heart ripped out of your body while you're still alive."

Emma's eyes widened, "And on that note, I'm going to sleep and hope I don't have nightmares."

Snow White smiled at her, "Sweet dreams, then."

"You too," Emma said awkwardly and then rolled on her side. No one had ever said that to her growing up. To Emma, it was one of those phrases that only parents said. It was strange those simple words were enough to awaken old desires and make her heart ache.

As usual, Emma fell quickly and deeply asleep. She didn't have nightmares or dreams that night, but Emma also didn't sleep for long before she was awakened by what felt like whiskers on her face.

"Cheshire," Emma growled and then opened her eyes. It wasn't the Cheshire Cat, but a little white mouse dressed in humble clothing.

"Ah!" Emma pushed him off of her and rolled away. She was not proud of her irrational fear of mice, but Wonderland was not the place she planned on conquering that particular phobia.

The mouse jumped up and down and pointed his paw at Snow White, who to Emma's horror she saw was wrapped tightly in giant vines. They looked like they were strangling her.

"Mary Margaret!" Emma ran over to her friend and shook her. She didn't wake up. "Snow!"

One of the smaller vines started to snake around Emma's hand. She pulled free, which left a giant gash down her arm.

"Agh!" Emma yelped in pain as blood trickled down her hand.

"Fire," the mouse squeaked.

"What?" Emma asked and didn't for a moment stop to consider she was talking to a mouse or that the mouse was talking to her for that matter.

"Fire repels it."

"That's it," Emma thought. "The moment I get back to Storybrooke, I'm getting a freaking lighter."

"Use your magic!" the mouse screamed.

"How do you know I have...oh, never mind. I don't know how do it," Emma cried helplessly.

"It's inside of you, Your Highness. You have to concentrate to bring it out. Clear your mind. Chanel your thoughts and emotions, and will it to happen."

"This is ridiculous! Snow White, wake up!" She didn't move, and Emma was afraid she'd stopped breathing.

"You are not going to kill her," she yelled at the plant and then grabbed a sword and hacked at the tendrils. She didn't make a dent.

Tears of frustration and fear rolled down her face. "Fire," she thought, "I have to start a fire."

A large vine wove around Emma's feet and pulled her to the ground. Emma closed her eyes and placed her hands on the vine. "Concentrate," Emma told herself. Just like before, she felt an uncontrollable, immense rush of energy, but this time she channeled it through her hands. Emma opened her eyes and was shocked to see that her fingers were glowing red. The vine shrieked at her touch and loosened its grip on her legs enough for Emma to slip away.

She scrambled back to Mary Margaret and placed her hands on the vines that were continuing to choke her. Like before, Emma's hands began to glow and the vines started to relax, but then to Emma's dismay, they quickly constricted tighter than before. Snow White groaned.

"Don't worry," Emma said. The tone of her voice was not very convincing. "I'm going to get you out of this."

Emma reached deep inside herself and forced herself to push away her fear. She could do this. She didn't have a choice. Little sparks started to jump from her hands. It was better, but it wasn't enough. "More," she thought. "I have to do more."

Emma pointed her hands away from Mary Margaret towards the base of one of the vines. "Come on!" she shouted and then to her astonishment, flames began to shoot from her hands. Before she knew it every part of her body was producing bursts of fire until Emma looked like a human fireball.

Amazingly, she wasn't burned.

The fire did its work quickly, spreading from vine to vine and then to the underbrush and the towering mushrooms which smoked like chimneys, quickly turning the air black. The vines that had once held Snow White in a death vice had vanished, but now there was a new, bigger problem. Emma might be fireproof, but Mary Margaret was not.

No longer on fire, Emma shook Snow White once more. "Wake up! Come one. You have to wake up!" But she didn't, and to her dismay, Emma still couldn't tell if Snow White was breathing.

Wrapping her arms around her, Emma started to drag Mary Margaret away from the flames, but she wasn't going fast enough. If the fire didn't get them, then the smoke would. Emma silently wished for rain.

As if on cue, there was thunder.

Emma felt herself collapse and begin to lose consciousness but not before feeling cool drops of water fall upon her face and hands.

Blackness overwhelmed her.

[break]

Special Thanks: This chapter wouldn't have been nearly as good had it not been for the great advice of miley-avril. Thanks again! If you're enjoying this story, then you should check out one of hers called "Once Upon a Time, in a Land Far, Far Away".