Episode 4x11 "Shattered Sight"

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Takes place at on the outskirts of town, after Ingrid's sacrifice. Then, at Granny's Diner

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Walking back into the town with Elsa and Anna, Emma glanced up as the first of the snowfall started. Suddenly feeling very child-like, she spread her arms and smiled as the flakes touched her outstretched fingertips.

Anna seemed likewise delighted. "Snow!" She held out her arms as well and started spinning around. Both Elsa and Emma watched her, very amused.

"Elsa look! Look! We did it!" Anna stopped spinning long enough to throw her arms around her big sister.

Elsa hugged back. "Yes, yes we did."

Once again, Emma felt her heart touched as she watched the sisters embrace. Now she understood, really understood, why Elsa wanted to find Anna so badly. All these months Elsa had been her friend and she had known that Anna was important to her, but now she could see on a higher lever just how significant this relationship was. It was clear that they both treasured each other above everything else and Anna really brought out another, more-relaxed, side to Elsa that Emma had rarely seen.

Loathed as she was to end the two of them hugging, she knew they had to get back into town and make sure everyone was alright. "Come on you two; we should probably check on my parents and baby brother."

The Arendelle queen and princess nodded in agreement.

As the trio entered the town borders, they were immediately swarmed by congratulators and admirers. Emma smiled appreciatively but tried hard not to flinch when people kept congratulating her on "defeating" the evil Snow Queen. Elsa and Anna seemed to share her discomfort, although Elsa was doing a better job at hiding it.

Later that evening, the inside of Granny's diner was closed to customers, something that happened very rarely in this town given Granny's sentiments towards running a business. Granny and Red had thrown the place into a huge celebratory mode. People gathered in small groups everywhere, mostly chatting happily but also taking the occasional sips out of cradled mugs of beer and glasses of mead. It was a celebration of the town being saved, once again, by the Savior.

Emma smiled and nodded and tried to act as best as she could through all of it, but after a while she really needed some air. When no one was looking, she slipped outside. The back of Granny's was darker, the only light coming from the string of twinkling Christmas lights along the back porch. Along with the crickets, she could still hear the occasional laughter and chatter drifting from the diner. Everyone was so happy to celebrate the breaking of the curse and the death of the Snow Queen.

But all Emma could think about now was Ingrid, the woman she had known.

Emma sighed heavily and leaned against the fence bordering the back patio of the diner. She knew she should be inside celebrating with her family but she still could not get over a sense of regret which made a party seem somewhat inappropriate. Ingrid had been a good person, a wonderful person actually, just someone who had made wrong decisions with her life. She had been the only one in Emma's years in the foster system that had shown her kindness and compassion. She had even offered the one thing Emma wanted more than anything in the world, a loving family.

The sound of the back door opening along with a slight chill in the night's air interrupted her musings and she turned her head, knowing already who she would see.

Elsa was walking slowly towards her, smiling sheepishly.

"Hello," she said tentatively, "I thought I might find you out here."

"Crowds getting to you too?" Emma chuckled lightly.

"Not exactly." Elsa stepped forward to lean against the fence next to Emma. "But I thought you could use some like company."

Emma smiled gratefully and the two of them silently stood together for a moment, taking in the sight of the stars overhead and the quaint little town of Storybrooke. Each was lost in their thoughts.

Elsa finally spoke up. "I know you feel bad about what happened to Ingrid."

Emma sighed and found herself opening up, surprisingly easily, to her friend. "I just…I wish it didn't not have to end for her like that. All she wanted was a family, people to love and care for her. I wish I could take back all those horrible things I said to her."

Soft understanding sparkled in Elsa's icy blue eyes.

"I know, believe me, I understood her too," she said gently. "But I think it best we honor her for the woman she was by living out her dream: being together with family. I understand about feeling guilty for something you said or did." She gave a small dry laugh "I sent an evil snowman to chase my little sister away. But right now, we have so many amazing people that are a part of our lives and we are both so very lucky to have them. We should honor Ingrid by celebrating that."

Emma smiled and found herself agreeing wholeheartedly. She took a deep breath to clear the regret and guilt out of her system and, strangely enough, she started feeling much better. She turned to her best friend.

"Thank you," she said with a genuine smile and a stronger voice than before.

"You're very welcome Emma," Elsa said with the upmost sincerity. Then, the Ice Queen nodded her head to the diner's back door. "Now, shall we rejoin your parents and my sister?"

"Only if you chill my warmed-up beer for me."

"Absolutely."

There was much hugging and laughter as everyone welcomed the Savior and the Ice Queen back into the diner. Emma laughed sincerely as she took it all in. Home again, with her family.

Sometime later, the crowds had diminished to where it was only the Charming family, the Arendelle gang, and a few of the closer-knit friends that remained in the diner.

Snow had asked Elsa to help relieve her arms and now the Ice Queen was cradling Baby Neal, his little arms waving enthusiastically around.

"Elsa! You look so nice. I've never seen you with a baby before. And look! He likes your dress!" Anna pointed to Neal who was staring enchanted at the sparkling material of the Ice Queen's outfit.

Elsa smiled lovingly down at the baby. The first few times Snow had allowed her to hold him had been terrifying; she was so fearful of losing control of her powers and endangering him. But after a while she had learned to relax and now thoroughly enjoyed cradling Baby Neal as much as anyone.

Emma handed another beer to Kristoff. "So an ice harvester huh?" She had taken a liking to the sturdy, very plain-speaking ice harvester/fiancé.

"Yep," Kristoff replied as he took a hearty sip. He gave a sigh of gratitude at the taste. One thing that was universal in the worlds of Arendelle, the Enchanted Forest, and Storybrooke was an appreciation for good beer. "I've been working with Sven for years now."

"Sven?"

"My reindeer," he answered.

"More like his brother from another mother." Anna had slid next to her fiancé and placed her arm around his. "They're so cute together: finishing each other's sentences, sticking together through thick and thin, it's amazing."

"Wow. Never knew a human that could speak reindeer." Rain chuckled as she took another drink of ale.

"Well, he's the exception," Anna said smiling. Then, she seemed to study Rain's face closer. "Is there something wrong with your eyes?" She seemed quickly to realize how that sounded. "Not that it looks like there is anything wrong with your eyes…"

Emma could not help but snort into her beer as she tried to stifle a laugh. She had ceased to notice because she was so used to it, but Rain's eyes with the same golden-hue and dark outline only seen on a wolf. Even without a light shining on them, they very clearly were animal eyes.

Rain just laughed, such was her usual good-nature. "It's alright. I know us wolves take some getting used to for you humans."

Anna instantly went rigid. "Wait, what?"

Emma thought it best to quickly change the subject. Clearly wolves made the young princess nervous. "Uh, why don't we all go get some of that delicious cake Granny made for everyone?" She smiled as Elsa joined the group, Baby Neal fast asleep in her arms. "Elsa told me chocolate was your favorite."

"This world has chocolate in it?!" Anna exclaimed excitedly, her earlier nervousness gone in an instant.

Elsa laughed. "Yes. Yes it does."

"Thank goodness! I have really needed some chocolate after all of this."

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Review it please. I have only one more chapter to go!

My apologies for this delay. This chapter was hard and I just got inspiration to write a few days ago!

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