The women wound their way back through the hidden and not-so-hidden passages. Regina was still in the lead, though they went much faster this time, her memory refreshed by the trip there and buoyed by the end of this terrible day being in sight. It had grown quite late, so there were fewer people roaming the halls, and the ones that were out were also quite drunk and wouldn't pay much attention to a couple of peasant girls, even if one did happen to look an awful lot like the queen.

They took a shorter route through main hallways, Emma's heart skipping a beat as a guard slouched against a wall let out a low whistle. Regina didn't even spare him a glance, moving forward with all the confidence of a queen. Emma couldn't help envision the Evil Queen owning these very halls, her strut alone enough to gain equal fear and wonder from any observer. As they approached the door they came in from though, Regina suddenly stopped and covered her head, draping her shawl around her, and dropping her shoulders into a posture more appropriate for a peasant girl, relieved that she at least had remembered before stepping out into the yard, but more so that no one in the castle had seemed to notice. She couldn't let herself get distracted like that, not when they were so close.

"Everyone out there knows what I look like now. It shouldn't matter, but—"

"I'll stay in front," Emma offered, glad that Regina had somehow managed to keep focused despite everything, feeling more than a little off her game herself.

Regina nodded and pushed the stone away, revealing the courtyard. Despite the hour, there were a good deal of people about, even some villagers engaged in less than appropriate public behavior with members of the guard. Taking some comfort in their fitting in with the surroundings, Emma and Regina started to make their way to the gates when they heard a yell from behind them.

"Hey, you!"

They turned their heads to see Clement push himself off the wall he was leaning on and lope towards them. Sharing an anxious glance and thinking the same thing, the women both sped up without a word, hoping he would just ignore them and go away.

"You…Gina! Stop!"

After that, they didn't have much chance of escaping his attention, and it would hardly help their escaping everyone else's attention to have a drunken guard bellowing after them. Especially one shouting "Gina" at a woman who resembled the queen. They stopped and turned around, and Regina could only manage a brief glance at Emma before Clement had made it over to them and grabbed her by the arm.

"I thought I told ya to wait for me!"

Regina dropped right into character, and Emma was once again surprised by her ability. But she was more shocked that Regina would ever let herself be manhandled like that, no matter the cause.

"But I did, sir! Another guard saw me and said I had to leave!"

Regina's excuse had the exact combination of fear and pout for Clement to let go of her arm, allowing both women to breathe a little more easily.

"Oh. Well…now that I found you, dontcha want a personal escort?"

Once again, Clement was ignoring all standards of personal space, maintaining direct eye contact with Regina's chest, the closeness made all the worse by his 90 proof breath. As good of an actress as Regina was, even she couldn't hide the absolute disgust and distain for the man that had taken up permanent residence in her eyes.

Emma had experienced many similar feelings at many a dive bar, but this guy was clearly a sleaze in the worst way. Though she couldn't help but imagine that if Regina ever were to go to a bar, this sort of thing would likely happen to her all the time. Of course, if they had just been in a bar and not in the midst of trying to escape a realm, she'd probably just break any fingers that tried to touch her. Emma knew it was wrong, but she kind of wanted to see that.

"Sir, I've got to get home. Maybe another time?" Emma thought Regina had put in just the right amount of flirt to get him to agree to another night, but apparently Clement disagreed.

"Nonsense! The night's still young! C'mon, Gina, let's you and me celebrate." He pulled the shawl off her head and ran his fingertips down her shoulder, clutching at her arm. Emma realized that there was no way this would end well. She needed to intervene.

"Hey, Gina," she called over as she ran to the brunette's side, putting some space between her and Clement. "Doesn't that girl look exactly like the queen? Oh my, is she kissing that other woman?"

She pointed out a dark-haired woman in the distance who was in fact making out with a guard on the small end of things, and Clement, bless his heart, dropped his hold and looked right away. Emma grabbed Regina's hand and ran to the side, ducking behind a cart.

"Really, Miss Swan?" Regina whispered incredulously as she watched Clement slowly realize they were missing but was too drunk and distracted to execute a proper search. Instead it seemed he was rather interested in the other woman Emma had pointed out. Emma breathed a sigh of relief as he walked in her direction away from them.

Amused at Regina's reaction, she replied, "Hey, you said he was the dullest. Besides, he was sloshed. And you're not the only one wise to the likes of men." She grinned as she stood up from behind their cover and offered Regina a hand.

Regina didn't take it, but Emma noticed the corners of her mouth tick upward as she muttered a little, rising on her own.

"Thank you."

Emma was surprised to hear the words. Despite everything she had discovered on their adventure, Regina still wasn't much for gratitude or apologies. But she then it hit her just how uncomfortable Regina must have been in that situation, once again powerless in the hands of a man determined to take what he pleased, and Emma accepted the thanks with as much sincerity as she could muster.

"Not a problem, Regina." She added, "We might have had a hard time escaping if you had decided to break his nose. Not that he didn't deserve it." Flashing a smirk at Regina, she was happy to see it returned in full. This, this détente between them felt so natural. But as she regarded the queen, she realized she was entirely too visible.

"You should pull your shawl back up. There's a lot more people out than I would have expected."

Regina quickly rewrapped her head. "Weddings call for celebration. It breaks up the monotony."

"Well, now that they're all googly-eyed over you, they definitely know what you look like." Emma was beginning to notice some stares, and it wasn't just from their confrontation with Clement.

"C'mere." She loosely wrapped her arm around Regina's waist.

Regina instantly reacted, stiffening and trying to push her away. Emma had done it without even thinking, not appreciating how much their civil interaction had dropped her guard, and she recognized she was going to have to do some quick explaining if she wanted to keep her arm.

"What are you doing!"

Emma removed her arm but dropped her voice to keep Regina close. "Look, I know this is beneath you, but can you pretend you're drunk? You can keep your head down and I can tell anybody who asks that I've got it under control. That way, you won't have to try and stay hidden behind me. No one will see your face. And nobody wants to bother with a drunk girl as long as she's got a sober friend."

Regina very reluctantly conceded the merit of this logic as she, too, started to notice the stares and whispers. She scowled as she draped her own arm over Emma's shoulders, dropping her head.

Interpreting the gesture as acceptance, Emma gently put her arm around Regina and resumed their walk to the gates, taking the lead.