It was Regina who insisted Emma return to work the next week. Emma argued the point. Anyone who needed her could call her cell phone. But it was true that a town the size of Storybrooke might need its only officer to make an appearance once in a while.
She regretted her responsibility when it rewarded her with a waiting David. He stood in the middle of the main office and let out a relieved smile when she walked in.
"I don't want to talk." Emma warned as she walked past him and into her office.
Only a few forms had been left on her desk for approval but she pretended to look them over when she sat down. David stood silently in the doorway. Emma refused to meet his gaze.
"Did you need something?" She asked when he didn't move. David sighed. He seemed at a loss.
"I guess I wanted to fix things. Mary Margaret was going to march down here and scold you. I figured you wouldn't want to see her."
"She called my girlfriend the enemy." Emma reminded him.
"Girlfriend. Wow." David said. Emma felt an unwelcome embarrassment at his words. She couldn't bring herself to watch his reaction. She didn't want to care so much about what her parents thought but she couldn't help it. The fear she couldn't push away sparked her anger.
"Is that a problem?" She shot back.
"I didn't mean it that way." David said. "We want you to be happy."
"Could've fooled me." Emma said under her breath. Maybe David didn't notice because he kept talking. His mistake.
"It's Regina. You have no idea-" He tried to say, but Emma felt her anger boil up before he could finish his sentence. She bolted from her chair, pointing a finger at David as she stared him down.
"Don't you dare." She yelled. "I'm so tired of hearing about how much I don't know about Regina. You think you know her, but I know her."
"You may know her here, but you don't know her back home." David corrected. "And none of us know what she'll be like when we get back."
"If we get back." Emma tried to challenge, but David stood by his belief.
"When." He said softly. The pity dripped off of him. Emma's anger calmed slightly when she realized what his look was for.
"She'll be punished." Emma said as she realized what he was thinking. David didn't answer.
"How bad will it be?" She asked. She wasn't sure she wanted to know. But after the option Mother Superior gave her, she needed to know how dire the situation was. If the whole town wanted to go back they would find a way. If she weren't at the front of it, she would have no power to stop their other plans.
"I don't know." David admitted. The way he said it spurred a dark thought in Emma's mind. Execution.
David wasn't vicious. Neither was Mary Margaret, even on her worst day. But Emma had never known them as leaders. She didn't know Snow and Charming. She couldn't trust that they would put her wishes over those of their subjects. Especially when it involved Regina. The others would need a way to feel safe while they rebuilt their world.
"You'd let them take Henry's mother from him?" She asked. David hesitated.
"We won't stop looking for ways to go back." He said softly.
"You need to leave." Emma said, restraining her anger. She knew she couldn't hold back if he stayed.
"I'm so sorry." He said. Emma knew he was by his tone but it wasn't enough. Once again she could only stare down at her desk. As soon as she heard him leave the building she felt her anger take over. A pain grew in her chest and over her ears. Her muscles tensed.
The office door slammed shut with such a force Emma dropped into her chair out of shock. She stared at the closed door, certain and scared that she'd done it herself. She focused on the thought of opening it again. Nothing happened.
She couldn't help thinking about David's words and his confirmation that Regina would be in danger. She stared at the door. It shook slightly in its frame as if wind were pushing against it.
Emma felt herself furrow her brow. She leaned closer to the door until she heard the bolt slide out of place. The door swung slowly open. She kept her focus after it stopped moving and concentrated on swinging it closed again. This time it clicked shut softly.
She was proud of herself. And for once she had someone who could be proud too. Someone she'd much rather be spending her time with. After a few more practices she grabbed her paperwork and left the station.
Regina's office door was closed. Emma guessed it was out of privacy for Regina and not because she was meeting with someone, so she walked in without knocking. Regina was alone but she didn't seem pleased by Emma's presence.
"Weren't you going to work?" She asked, checking her watch. Emma pulled the door shut behind her.
"I did." Emma had to keep herself from whining. "David was there." She said, hoping it would be enough of an explanation. When Regina smirked she knew it was.
"How did that go?" Regina asked without hiding her smile.
"Well it wasn't Mary Margaret but he wasn't very helpful." Emma replied. She didn't want to worry Regina, so she didn't bring up the focus of the argument. "I figured I could waste time with you instead."
"You mean hide out here because most people know not to bother me." Regina replied.
Emma ignored her words. She sat in the chair across from Regina and reached across the desk for her hand. Regina stared down at her paperwork, but Emma intertwined their fingers and pulled her attention away.
"I have actual work to do." Regina insisted. When she looked up at Emma though, she put her pen down. Emma stared down at their hands. It seemed to make Regina uncomfortable. She pulled her hand away and Emma guessed it was too much too soon.
"Is something wrong?" Regina asked. The gesture had given more away than Emma intended.
"If you could go back…to your land…would you?" Emma asked.
"There's nothing for me there." Regina replied. "No one wants me there anyway."
"So if everyone else went back you would stay?" Emma added.
"I would send the Charmings and their idiot friends out of my life in a heartbeat. But I would never do that to you and Henry. They're your family." Regina said.
"So what if they could just visit?" Emma hinted.
Regina sized Emma up. She looked confused, wary, and intrigued all at once. Like only Regina could.
"What?" She asked.
"What if we could send them back, stay here, and still see them when we wanted?" Emma clarified. Wanted was a strong word for what any family gatherings would be but Regina got the point.
"A… doorway." Regina said slowly. The words drew recognition across her face. She looked away with a confused expression, as if the words gained her brief access to a forgotten memory. She turned sharply back to Emma.
"Who told you about this?" She asked. Her worry was apparent, her disapproval more so. Emma knew her suggestion was about to be shut down so she covered what she could.
"No one." She assured. "I was just wondering if it could work."
"Well it couldn't." Regina replied harshly.
"Fine." Emma put up her hands defensively. She'd come here to avoid fighting. Regina returned to her paperwork. Emma hoped her new skill could lighten the mood.
"That's too bad. I've been practicing." She whispered. Regina looked up with a raised eyebrow.
Emma thought of the closed door and after a few seconds saw Regina's attention move to the office entrance. When no one walked in she turned her gaze back to Emma. Emma thought of the door closing and heard it click shut behind her.
"It's a start right?" She asked with a smile. Regina couldn't hold back her smirk, but it was quickly replaced by a frown of worry.
"You should be careful." Regina warned. Emma rolled her eyes.
"It's just a door." She replied.
"For now." Regina said. "Promise me you won't get ahead of yourself. Stick to the simple things."
Emma nodded but she couldn't agree out loud. If she couldn't do magic the way Regina could, how could she take part in Mother Superior's plan? Without the plan she was just as lost as usual.
It wasn't difficult to find the keys to the vault. By now Emma knew where Regina kept them. As soon as she left Town Hall she retrieved them and rushed out to the crypt. If Regina wouldn't help her she could learn on her own.
It was pitch black when she walked into the vault. When she squinted to avoid running into anything, she noticed several candles on the closest shelves. She focused on them and channeled her need to find anything that could prepare her. The candle closest to her flickered but didn't stay lit.
David's words played through her mind. Images of her worst fears flashed by with them. An execution. The candle next to Emma burst aflame. It brought her attention back to the room, and to the other candles. They flickered, their light slowly growing to a warm glow.
At first Emma was simply worried about getting caught. Now, as she stood in the midst of mystery items and untitled books, she felt bad about her excursion. She didn't know what to do with these things. She was here to learn, but without permission. She suddenly realized how many questions she still had. But she had to start somewhere. She had to know she was doing all she could.
She wandered further into the vault, running hand over a dusty shelf as she passed. She picked a random book off a bookshelf and flipped through it. The pages were covered in symbols she'd never seen. For a moment her task felt overwhelming but she pushed the feeling down.
Emma slid the book back onto the shelf. The dust in front of it had been brushed away. She wondered if Regina would notice. Of course she would. Too late now. She pulled the next book from the shelf.
Dark ink covered the pages with illustrations. That she could handle. A creak from the office side of the vault interrupted her browsing. Emma didn't wait to see if Regina was on her way. She bolted back toward the crypt entrance. As she left the room the candles snuffed out in unison.
When she didn't receive an angry phone call during her walk home, Emma knew that she was in the clear. At least for the afternoon.
Emma sat on her and Regina's bed, her borrowed book open in front of her. She flipped through the pages. The drawings were raised from the heaviness of the ink. They weren't very detailed, but Emma was sure she could figure out what a few meant.
The first to catch her eye was a woman in a simple dress. Her back was turned, her arms reaching to the sky. Above her hovered a wispy cloud. Snow fell from the cloud, floating peacefully down around her.
Emma remembered the ink that helped her and Mary Margaret escape Rumplestiltskin's cell. The cloud in the picture seemed small enough that she could contain any damage. How hard could it be? She lifted the book from the bed and gently blew across it. The ink lifted from the page, turning into green smoke as it rolled toward the ceiling.
Emma stared up at the cloud, but nothing fell from it. She waited. She counted as fifteen, thirty, then forty-five seconds passed. Still nothing. She wondered if the book was too old or if there was something wrong with her.
The cloud started to swirl faster. Maybe she just needed patience. She gazed at the empty page of the book and pictured using the dream catcher in Gold's shop. It made her think of her parents pitting her against Regina. She felt the anger coming back.
Something small hit the top of her head and bounced off. She looked up and something cold struck her forehead. She held up her hand in time to catch whatever it was.
Ice, she thought just as hail started to shower down on her. She leapt off the end of the bed to get away from the pebbles but the cloud came with her. The sound of the ice bouncing off the floor filled the room with a dull rumble. Collecting piles pinched the bottoms of her bare feet.
Emma covered her head with her arms and tried to steady her heartbeat. She thought of her process with the door but it was hard to focus on the cloud when she felt the hail getting bigger.
She squeezed her eyes shut. She tried to think of snow but could only think about how dumb she'd been to do this in the house. The hail abruptly stopped. She opened one eye and peered up at the ceiling. The cloud was gone. The melting ice on the floor dried up in seconds. Close call.
"What the hell is going on?" Regina asked loudly from the doorway. Emma hadn't heard the front door. She hadn't prepared an excuse either. She turned slowly to face Regina.
"I may have gotten ahead of myself." Emma said. She tried to force an innocent smile but Regina's eyes had already traveled to the book.
"Were you in my vault?" Regina accused. She seemed more hurt than angry.
"Look, I had questions and you clearly didn't want to help."
"You said you would let this go." Regina's voice was harsher. Now she was angry.
"Well, I'm tired of being one step behind. For once we're going to be prepared." Emma said.
"Prepared for what?" Regina questioned.
"Who knows!" Emma shouted. She wanted to tell Regina everything she'd learned recently, but she knew it wouldn't help. It would only scare her and remind her she still had enemies. That was exactly what Emma was trying to avoid.
"Threats always sneak up on us." Emma added.
"And when there's a new one, I'll handle it." Regina said.
"No. I'll handle it." Emma shot back.
"You need to stop this." Regina scolded. "You could get hurt, Henry could get hurt. This is more than you're ready for."
"You don't know that." Emma said softly. She was scared it was true but wouldn't let that show.
"This ends now." Regina demanded.
"Is this how it's going to work? You lay down rules and I follow them?" Emma challenged.
"What will I tell Henry when something goes wrong?" Regina asked.
"That I'm not you, and that I did it for his own good." Emma yelled.
Regina was struck speechless. She turned and rushed out of the room. Emma grabbed the book and followed her down the stairs.
"Wait." She called out. Regina stopped in the foyer and turned back with tears in her eyes.
"I just mean that I can handle it." Emma explained.
"You think you can." Regina corrected. "But you have no idea."
Emma didn't have to explain herself. She could prove how capable she was. She thrust the book into Regina's arms.
"Here's your damn book." She spat.
The force was harder than she'd meant it to be and it pushed Regina back a step. She wanted to apologize but knew no words would make it past the pressure in her throat. Emma stormed for the door. The tears were on her cheeks before she reached it.
The pressure in her head kept most thoughts at bay as she walked. She could only focus on the feel of pavement beneath her boots and the wind that bit through her jacket. It didn't take long to reach Gold's, but she was shaking by the time she got there.
As usual, the store was dark and the door locked. Emma didn't slow down. With a flick of her wrist the lock clicked open and she pushed her way into the shop.
She bee lined for a cabinet behind one of the counters. She'd seen books in it on one of her visits. If anyone had a place for her to start, it was Gold. She pulled books from the cabinet and piled them on the counter.
When she turned back towards the cabinet, a glowing vial caught her eye. The writing on the label was too small for her to read. She reached for it but before it was in her grasp-
"Can I help you, Sherriff?" Emma jumped at Gold's voice and spun to face him.
"I didn't know you were…" Emma started. She was struck by how frail he looked. His gaze was a little warmer; he leaned on his cane more.
"Alive?" Gold offered. It was a valid option. No one had seen him for weeks. Only Belle had come looking.
"Awake. Around." Emma corrected.
"I'm always around. And the door was locked." Gold said with a hint of amusement. He'd reached the counter and slid the top book from her stack to face him.
"I wasn't gonna take it. I would have read it here." Emma tried to explain. Gold didn't seem to be listening. His eyes were brighter than a minute before. He flipped through the book, a smile pulling at the corner of his mouth.
"What, exactly, are you up to?" He asked her. Though when he didn't look up she guessed he already knew. This was her chance. The chance Mother Superior told her would come. It had to be. She couldn't shake her worry and she was tired of feeling helpless.
"Can you help me with something?" She asked.
"I'm not really in the business of helping." Gold replied. He turned and headed for the back room. Emma felt herself start to panic. She couldn't lose both of the people Mother Superior named. She had to prove herself to her parents and her son, and especially Regina. It was time.
"Even if it has to do with portals?" Emma called to Gold. Her words stopped him.
He turned slowly back around, his gaze on the floor as he walked closer, as if he were choosing his words incredibly carefully. She felt her heart speed up when he leaned on the counter. Was someone really giving her a chance? He seemed intrigued and that was enough to feel like she had an ally. When Gold gestured for Emma to continue, she swallowed back her tears and began her story.