It wasn't a date. At least neither Alex nor Emily was calling it that. In part because Alex was working her waitressing job at Granny's and Emily was in theory doing her homework. But mostly flirting with Alex. Granny was okay with it mostly because it was a slow night and the customers were being served. Emily helped clean up for the night as payment for not being run off and she offered to walk Alex home.

It was nice. It wasn't a ball or even a high school dance and there weren't any expectations. Alex took her hand as they walked, and they both tested out how that felt, stopping in front of the apartment building that her family lived in. Neither of them had seen the pickup truck following them. Neither of them saw the boys in the back throw two buckets of paint at them.

They both jumped back and looked at themselves covered in green paint while the truck sped away while one of the boys yelled, "Wicked Lesbo!"

The scream brought Ashley coming running out of building only to find the girls in a terrible state. Emily was trying to spit out the paint that had gotten in her mouth and Alex was cursing up a storm. Emily tried leave immediately apologizing and not wanting to meet anyone's eyes.

"No, you are not going anywhere in that state and you are certainly not going anywhere until I call your parents." Soon enough they were in the Herman's loft, Alex in the shower and Emily trying to not drip green paint all over.

They got a hold of Robin first, but the first person to arrive at their door was Zelena who had obviously transported herself there. She rang the door, "I got a text that my daughter had been attacked."

She was the last person Emily wanted to see. Except maybe Alex but that boat was long out of harbor. Still when Zelena stepped in and saw her daughter standing on a pile of spread newspapers covered head to toe in green paint everyone in the room expected her to be angry.

Instead she just stood there quietly, "I'm so sorry... this is my fault."

Emily wanted to say a thousand things. Of course it was your fault. Everything is your fault. But she didn't say any of those things. With a wave of her hand Zelena made the paint, the dirty newspapers and the mess that had dripped on the floor of the Herman's apartment go away. When Ashley came out of the shower Zelena again waved her hand and the green paint she hadn't been able to get out of her own hair was gone.

Robin arrived next, looking alarmed and between the other three adults and the two girls, "What happened."

Ashley folded her arms, "We heard the sound of a truck and shouting and found the girls covered in green paint."

Robin looked over at Zelena who looked embarrassed. Alex was drying her hair, "It was a couple of guys in the back of a pickup truck with buckets of green paint. They must have followed us home from Granny's."

"This is my fault." Emily said quietly.

"No, no this is mine." Zelena shook her head.

But Cinderella held up her hand, "Forgive me for interrupting your pity party ladies but it wasn't either of your fault it was the jackasses who attacked two young girls."

Robin folded his arms, "Do you know who they were?"

Emily shook her head, "I didn't ... I didn't see them."

"I did." Alex said. "Eric and his buddies. He asked me to the town ball the other day and I told him I wanted to go with someone else. He pried and so I told him that he wasn't even in the same league as Emily."

Emily turned her head, "You were going to ask me to the ball?"

"This isn't exactly how I'd planned to do it. But every time I started I kind of just ended up kissing you."

"Kissing?" At least three of the four adults in the room asked at once. Thomas shrugged though, "Her mother's daughter."

"I think..." Zelena said quietly, "That I should have words with this boy's parents."

"I think we both should," Robin agreed.

Emily looked between the two of them, "You guys do remember I put my hand in his chest."

"That was an accident. This was assault." Robin said.

"Dad I'm pretty sure they're both assault. And besides, I ..." She looked at Zelena, "I'm not sure you'll help my problems."

"They called her a wicked lesbian when they threw the paint," Alex said quietly.

Zelena looked stunned for a moment but shook her head, "We have to do something."

"We are," Robin said. "You and I are going to go over to that boy's house and the Herman's are going to call Emma for us and the sheriff is going to join us for this particular chat." He looked over at the Herman's. "Unless one of you would like to join us. Since they attacked your daughter too."

"I'd like a front row seat but you can do the talking," Cinderella said deeply annoyed.

"I'll stay with the girls," Thomas said.

Robin nodded, "Regina is in a school board meeting. She'll come over when she's done."

Zelena looked between them, "I ... didn't take my car."

"There is room for both of you in mine," Robin said and with that he and the two women were gone.

"God help that poor kid's parents," Thomas said before turning to Emily, "Now... I think it's past time I get to know you if my daughter is going to go around kissing you."

"Dad please don't embarrass me."

"That's actually my job, sweetheart," Thomas said.

"Just be glad you only have two parents," Emily sighed.

Regina arrived forty minutes later, thanked Mr. Herman for his help and shook Alex's hand and made sure sue was okay before putting an arm around Emily to take her home. When they were in the car and alone, "She was going to ask me to the ball."

"We're not talking about what happened tonight?"

"She was going to ask me to the ball tonight. That also happened. I'd rather think about that." Emily shrugged, "You didn't join the posy?"

"Your father is in a righteous rage, Ashley once pepper sprayed the Dark One, and Zelena doesn't have to say a word to scare them shitless. Emma went over there with them. The last thing that party is short of is an intimidation factor."

Emily looked out the window, "Do you think they did it because of what I am, or because..."

"If they did it because you are a witch that was supremely stupid. But teenage boys aren't exactly the brightest species on the planet. That's why knights and their quests were such a pain in the ass back home."

"I thought that was supposed to be proof of nobility."

"Or excess testosterone." Regina said as she pulled into the driveway.

"They called me wicked. They've been calling me that for days... or longer just now they're doing it to my face."

Regina tilted her head, "Your mother would tell you that wicked isn't necessarily a bad thing."

"I think she just did." Emily said with a smile. "Zelena looked scared when she arrived."

"You'd been attacked. Of course she looked scared."

"You think I should go see her?" Emily asked.

"I..." Regina hesitated. "I think it's up to you but that hearing that your child was hurt because of something you did. Even years later. That's the worst thing I've ever felt. You don't have to go see her if you don't want to. But I imagine that once the adrenaline passes and she realizes you are safe she's going to be in a dark place."

"Henry says part of being a Charming is finding family when they're lost in dark places."

Regina smiled, "Henry is a wise man."

But Emily still wasn't sure she was ready to face Zelena and the cloud of everything in the past that seemed to be hanging over her own head now.