A few days later Emma is marking up papers at her desk. "Emma can you take me to belle's house later for a little bit, since I cant go by myself." She says shaking her chained wrist. Emma sighs as much as she doesn't want to go to Rumpelstilskins house she would rather be there then home. She hasn't talked to Snow since the jail incident. "Emma?" Nicole asks and Emma feels bad, she shouldn't stop her from having friends, She's young and just starting to find her place. "Yeah we can go" Nicole smiles brightly and hugs her "hey…hey…keep your happy over there." Emma says gruffly, but Nicole keeps smiling. "I'll call Snow and tell her, I guess it will be just them and Henry tonight." "Henry!" Emma mentally curses "I have to get him after school and take him to Regina. What time is it?" she looks at her phone "four, crap we will be late come on!" they go out to the bug and Nicole calls snow.
The yellow bug flies down the dark road. "Thanks again for taking me." Nicole's says and Emma smiles "your welcome." The bug hits a patch of water and it slides down the road and off. Emma swerves and hits a ditch flipping the car and sliding it into a tree. "Agh!" Emma try's to move but her seatbelt is holding her in and upside down. "Nicole!" no answer "Nicole talk to me!" Emma yells, "Stop shouting!" Nicole growls sleepily "are you ok? Is anything broken?" Emma asks, "I don't know, but I feel really tired." Nicole yawns, "No do not go to sleep!" "But I'm tired Emma" Nicole whines. Emma feels her body making sure no part of her was trapped. One two three, snap. She unhooked the buckle and lands on her head. "Ow!" she slides out of the car "Nicole stay awake!" she undoes Nicole's buckle and slides her out carefully. Emma lays her on the road and looks her over "Nicole come on stay awake!" Emma spots a nasty cut on her forehead. "Where is your cell phone?" Emma asks "I…i…don't know…" "Forget this!" Emma picks her up awkwardly and starts walking to the hospital. "Emma what in the world!" Red pulls over "get in the car!" Emma climbs in holding Nicole on her lap. "Hospital…now!" Emma gasps, red floors it and peels into the hospital parking lot. Emma climbs out and carries Nicole in. Dr. Whale runs over and grabs Nicole before Emma passes out on the ground.
Beep, Beep, Beep, Emma opens her eyes and looks around trying to recall what happened. "Agh!" the head ach reminds her, she looks over at Nicole on the bed next to her. The blasted handcuffs are gone. Emma coughs "mom you're awake!" Henry exclaims smiling "hey kid" Emma croaks. "I'm going to go get grandma and grandpa!" she nods as he skips off, "hey" Emma looks over at Nicole "your awake." She smiles "yeah I guess so…" "Emma!" was all she heard before Snow began attacking every part of her body making sure she was ok and kissing her head. "Cool it, chill!" Emma manages as James pulls Snow off. "We thought we were going to lose you again!" Snow cried, Emma ignores her mother still angry. "How long was I out?" Emma asks "three days" James says smiling but keeping his distance. Dr Whale comes in and checks her vitals "why is there a bandage on my wrist?" Emma asks, "Because it got cut open from the hand cuffs." He replies nonchalantly, Emma raises her eyebrow at Snow. Snow bows her head in silence "so Nicole is he out of your head?" Emma looks over at her "yeah I'm pretty sure he is." Emma smiles "then it was worth it. Now doc when can I get out of here?" he looks at her eyes "tomorrow" she nods. "I'm hungry." Henry says "come on kid" James takes Snow's hand "we will check on you later." James says pulling snow out of the room. Emma nods and closes her eyes.
A couple of hour's later James walks up behind his wife and looks at what she is watching intently. They look through the glass at Nicole who is sitting on Emma's bed talking and laughing with her. "What are you thinking?" he asks quietly "there was a time when she would do that with me." snow says wiping a tear away "she can talk to someone she hardly knows like that, but she wont even look at me." James sighs and wraps his arms around her waist "well they do know each other pretty well after the handcuffing stunt you pulled." He laughs lightly and snow swipes away a tear. He turns her to face him and kisses her head.
"Emma how can you talk to me like this but not snow? Its like you don't even make an effort." Nicole asks timidly, emma sighs deeply "Its hard to talk to snow because she is in the body of someone well the only person I knew I could trust in the world. And now a totally different person is in the body of this person I loved. And she is not even close to the same as her. Snow is stubborn and strong willed, impulsive and Mary Margaret wasn't." Nicole thinks for a secound "so she is exactly like you…" emma laughs humorlessly. "And you are yourself in your body its just hard to explain." Emma looks away "I get it… I think." "So do you think they are going to come in or just stare at us?" Emma asks nodding at the parents behind the glass. Nicole looks and smiles "do you want them to come in?" Emma shakes her head "I don't know! I don't know what I want." Nicole giggles, "Well that's a first."