Thank you Fiend89 for editing!


"This meeting couldn't wait until later. Like after school," Emma watches as Henry hops off his bike, running right past her towards the crappy looking castle playground. Crappy is just putting it lightly. After the storm the other night, the castle playground was destroyed. It was too early in the morning and she has yet to have her coffee. "Nice to see you, too."

"Nooo!" Henry starts digging in the sand, near the playground.

"It's okay – we can fix it. I'll talk to Marco," Emma tries to calm the kid.

"Do you think it's still here?" Henry continues to dig into the sand, not stopping until he sees the red metal box.

"What are you looking for?" Emma wondered, as she observes Henry digging frantically into the sand.

"My book." Henry uncovers the metal box, brushing the sand off its cover. He unlocks it to make sure the fairy tale story book still in good condition.

"Why'd you bury it here?"

"So my mom doesn't find it."

"Hiding it under your mattress wasn't good enough?" Emma asks.

"That's the first place the Evil Queen would look."

"How about leaving it with me?"

"That's the second place."

"Now that hurts," Emma places a hand on her chest, acting hurt.

Flipping through the pages, he ensures that everything was fine. "It's still here. Good."

"So, your mom doesn't know about the castle?" How much has Henry lied to Regina?

"No. This is our secret." Closing and re-locking the box, he starts to rebury it in the sand.

"Does your mother know that you are here with me?" Emma questions the boy. He complains about Regina hiding secrets. He's no better. This entire town feels like it lives on one big secret, one big lie. Just like the curse Henry has told her. It makes her think twice about the fantasy being reality underneath the story telling of it. Just like what Regina eloquently explained to her.

"Henry! Henry! I've looked everywhere for you. You know you have a session with Archie this morning," Regina came walking towards them, looking between the two. "I should have known he was with you. Henry – car. Now." She didn't let any room for questions as Henry runs off, leaving her and Emma alone.

Looking at the destroyed playground. "You let him play here?" Clear anger was heard in her tone.

Emma didn't catch the Regina's furious tone and didn't see it as a big deal. Shrugging, "the storm hit it hard, but we can fix it."

"Well, can you fix a cracked cranium? Because that's what you'll have on your hands if one of these boards collapses under his weight," Regina couldn't believe what the blonde just said. It didn't matter if it could be fixed. Anything broken can be either replaced or fixed. "You're not thinking about Henry or his safety. Just ways around me. Miss Swan, don't let your feelings cloud your judgment. People can get hurt."

This thing or whatever they would call it that's been happening around the two as clearly been clouding Emma's judgment. Not seeing the big picture of Henry's safety and happiness. This is why Regina didn't want Emma breaking her walls. She needs to stop this before someone does get hurt.

That's why she became Evil Queen, because that's all she was ever good at. Destroying everything that's good around her. She needs to break this connection, to put a stop in this whatever Emma and her have pulling to each other.

"What's that supposed to mean?" She can see why Regina was angry, why she is concerned and all. She feels a huge pull from the brunette. The look in her eyes became blank, the mask back on once again.

"You're the Sheriff now – it's time to be responsible."

Emma didn't have a chance to reply back when Regina walks back into her car and drives off. There goes any progress between them. Looking back to the broken down castle, she shakes her head. "Damn it."


"Don't let my feelings cloud my judgment?" Emma angrily bites a piece of cheeseburger, chewing the helpless piece of beef and cheese. "That's all Regina ever does."

Emma couldn't believe what Regina said earlier. It boils her blood, anger clouding her mind. Who died and made Regina Queen?

"Well, she's just upset because you and Henry have a special place and she… She doesn't," Margaret tries to open Emma's mind of where Regina was coming from. That's all Regina wants. Is to have a place in the boy, but clearly raising him for ten years meant nothing. All it took for Emma was the moment they meet.

"How'd she find out about the castle in the first place? Henry said that she didn't know about it. And now I'm thinking clearly, she seemed confused when I brought it up a month ago."

"She knows everything about this town – she's the Mayor."

"Is there anything this town she doesn't have control over?"

"Mr. Gold and you," Margaret replies.

"Of course she doesn't control me. I'm free to do what I want, it's my right."

Margaret wanted to slap sense into Emma. Emma is only seeing whatever everyone is seeing in Regina. "Power means nothing to Regina. It's control. And not controlling people like puppets. I mean of herself." Sometimes Margaret wonders if Emma was 'gay'.

"What do you mean?" Emma looks at her friend in confusion. There is only one kind of control and that's control.

Margaret sighs mentally. She doesn't know Regina in a personal level but she feels like she knows Regina better than Emma at this moment. This is exactly why Regina doesn't see a reason to open up. Nobody ever did before. People just assume it's one thing when deep down, it's another thing.

But pointing that out to Emma isn't going to help calm the blonde. So instead she agrees with her. "Look, if it makes you feel any better, I think you're right. I see the effect she has on Henry."

"I wish everyone else did, too."

"I need to go. We will talk later after you cool down a bit," Margaret puts on her jacket and leaves, just as Sidney sits down into the empty seat next to Emma, placing a new refill glass of whiskey.

"I can grant your wish."

"Wow. Sidney. You want a side of bacon with that whiskey?" Looking at the drunken state of the dark-colored man.

"You want to show this town who the Mayor really is? I can help," Sidney ignores Emma's question.

"That's going to be kind of hard to do from inside her pocket." Sidney and Regina were close. Sidney was Regina's pet in other words. And Sidney is happy to jump off a cliff if the said woman asked him.

Shaking his head, he clenches his fists. "The Mayor and I are done."

That almost made Emma laugh. "Sure you are," not believing a word he's saying.

"I don't think you are understanding me. I want the town to see the evil queen that she is," Sidney points out seriously.

"Sidney, you're drunk. Go home – sleep it off. Be grateful that you don't have to answer to her anymore."

"Why do you think we all fear her except two people? Two people she has no control over." Sidney is going to make his point.

"Because she's a bitch. An ice queen," Emma lists off of what comes to mind. She can do this all day, listing why people hate Regina so much. It was a big task, one that would take a week to get through it. Regina isn't a people person. Besides Kathryn, Regina has no other friends that she knows of.

"That doesn't make you fear her?"

"Well, no."

"Think deeper. Something that doesn't have everyone wrapped around her finger," Sidney hints. "Even though she can look at you with soulless eyes."

Think deeper... "I don't know," Emma came with nothing. After trying to break down her walls, she didn't know Regina at all. How was she supposed to take down her wall if she doesn't know anything about the brunette? Now what Margaret said earlier made sense to her. Damn...she can be 'gay' sometimes.

Regina didn't use fear to run the town. Fear just happens to surface when Regina feels threatened. It promises their downfall. A promise that isn't empty.

"Call me. Storybrooke deserves to know the truth about her," pulling a business card out of his pocket. "She isn't who she acts to be. She once was someone else. Someone else that...cared, loved. Someone with a heart."


Emma slams her car door close, running towards the destroy playground. A construction team tore it down, leaving no pieces behind. "Hey, what happened? I came as soon as I could."

"The castle! She's tearing the whole place down! My book! It-it's gone," Henry cries out. All his happiness gone, just like the Evil Queen liked it.

Seeing Regina talking to one of the construction guys, she storms passes by Henry and straight towards the brunette.

She approaches Regina, wanting to confront her as she stood to the side, while watching the constructors take down their son's most cherished place. "Congratulations, Madam Mayor. You destroyed the thing he loves."

"A dangerous thing that can only hurt Henry and others," Regina points out. "You see me as a villain, Miss Swan, but that's just your perception and you're wrong."

Regina is glad that she's breaking the connection between Emma and herself. Emma knew nothing about her. Just like everyone else. Emma just wanted to make her look like a fool. And she won't stand for it any longer.

No longer able to be near Emma, Regina walks away. Though it breaks her heart to do so, it's for the best. She will not lose control again. Not after what happened before. Her heart will heal. Love was weakness, she kept repeating inside her head.

Clearly her mind was clouded when she pulled out Sidney's business card, and dials the number. Though her gut was telling her not to do it, her heart cried in pain when the words left her mouth. "Sidney? Hi. I'm in. I want everyone to know who she really is."


"I hope you have a good reason you want to meet here. A deserted tunnel far away from town," Emma closes the door of the squad car.

"The town has ears," Sidney appears out of the woods.

"Alright. I'm listening. So, what do you know about her?" Emma just wants to get this over with. This feels like before of what happened between Graham and them. A sensation she thought that she never wants to feel again, but it was stronger. This pull and pushing away from her was pulling her heart in different directions. Yearning for the warmth and electricity that came from just being in the same room of the brunette.

"I have to warn you that what we are about to do might push Regina even farther away."

"Then why am I going to do this?" Regina already pushed her away. She doesn't need her pushing her farther to the brick of no return.

"I know Regina better than anyone in this town, besides Mr. Gold. I haven't seen Regina smile in so long. Or care long enough that it shows. If anyone could break Regina's control it will be you," Sidney explains. He still loves her and will always love her. All he wants to see is Regina again. Not the Evil Queen.

"Why me?"

"You are the Savior aren't you?" Sidney knew that was a low blow but he needs Emma to trust him and agree to this. Regina won't be too happy when she finds out but at least Emma will see what people don't see.

If breaking the curse is going to happen, Sidney will make sure that Regina gets what she always deserves. If that's mean watching her being in love with someone else, then so be it.

"Okay. What's the plan?"

"Fifty thousand dollars."

"I'm sorry?" Emma lifts an eyebrow.

"Fifty grand out of the budget is missing and Regina is responsible," Sidney tells her.

He gotta be kidding with her. "That's it? That's what you have on her?" How's that going to help them?

"The money is just the tip of the iceberg. If we figure out what she's doing then it will all fall apart – it all crumbles. And we'll finally learn her secrets. You see what she is. All we need is a crack in the mirror to show everyone. I'm telling you – this is it," Sidney explains his master plan.

He had a lot of time to think through this, ever since he saw Regina fight head to head against Mr. Gold to protect the blonde, despite knowing that she's nowhere capable of fighting against Mr. Gold. If that doesn't shout 'I have feelings for the blond!', then he doesn't know what does.

"Alright. What's your plan?" Emma will go along with this. She has her doubts but it's all she got.

Sidney smiles at the determination in Emma's eyes. "Tap her phone. GPS her car. Hack into her email. Dip into your bail bonds-person bag of tricks."

"No. I'm Sheriff now. I have to be responsible. I want to do this by the book." She has to prove to Regina that she isn't being distracted. That they can work on whatever that's going on between them. Following the rule book is how she's going to do it.

Sidney shakes his head. Regina won't be blinded for long. Regina ain't no fool. "She's going to know that you're on to her – sooner than later. Are you ready for her wrath?"

Prepared for her wrath? No. If there is anything that scares her more than death itself it is Regina's wrath. A wrath that brings trouble and damage. And there is no stopping once Regina releases it. Gulping, she puts on a brave face. "Oh yeah."

Sidney sighs in relief. "Good. Because I wasn't."

"If you thought she was so terrifying, how did you allow yourself to end up in her pocket?"

"She was a different person when we met. A story with a beginning and an end that I became the mirror of companionship in her pocket," Sidney tells her the summary of how they met and how he became her slave in a way.

She tricked him to kill the king and that lead him into being trapped in a mirror. A mirror she spent a lot of time looking into, seeking answers as she looked at her reflection.


Emma and Sidney are sorting through boxes of files and papers, reading and looking through records for information.

"When did that transfer go through? Does three weeks ago sound right?" Reading off a file. She might not be good at math, but the numbers aren't adding up.

"Yeah. Why?"

"Because those records are missing," Emma states.

Before Sidney can comment or say anything, Margaret comes barging into the apartment. "Emma, there's something I'd like to talk to you… Hi, Sidney," Margaret was in need to speak with her roommate. Observing the files all over the kitchen table, she looks at them in confusion.

"Hey. We're just doing some work. I think we may have found something on Regina," Emma explains, noticing the confused look on her face.

Margaret might not know what they were planning but if it involves Regina and Emma was on board, it sounded good to her. "Interesting work. Well, I approve." She just wants to see Emma smile again and to finally to see a smile on Regina's face.

"You want to go by the book? Let's get a warrant," Sidney tells Emma.

"And what judge are we going to find that she doesn't own? We're screwed," Emma points out. Doing the right thing is proving to be hard for this plan, too many bumps on the road. It just proves how much power Regina had.

"Or, there's my way," Sidney points out. They aren't going to get anything done if they play fair. Fair ends up losing.

"I want to do this right, Sidney." She does have to prove Regina wrong.

"Well, what's right is exposing her. Sometimes, doing a bad thing for a good reason is okay, right?" Sidney asks Margaret, asking her opinion.

"Yeah. I mean, maybe you're doing something wrong, but if it's what's meant to be – if it's what's right – does that really make you a bad person?" Margaret replies. She feels like a hypocrite for some strange reason.

"Exactly," Sidney likes this version of Snow White.

"You two are doing a lot of rationalizing," Emma narrows her eyes to Margaret, trying to get a read on her. It's not normal for Margaret to break some rules.

"But look what she's done to you, to me, to your son. I mean, she's not going to stop, so whatever you do, you've got to do something," Sidney sums up.

Emma wasn't going to win this. "Okay. Let's start by talking to her."


"And just what are you and the disgraced ex-reporter accusing me of?" Regina says with annoyance. She was in no mood for any bullshit.

"Fifty thousand dollars was transferred out of a city account – by you," Emma states.

"Well, as Mayor, I'm involved in many transactions. Check the public records if you have questions," Regina answers. Common sense would be really handy. Why does she always have to be around idiots? As sheriff, Emma needs to know more when it comes to politics.

"That's the thing – they're missing from three weeks ago. You have any idea what happened to them?" Emma did her research. She's not stupid; she knows how Regina thinks and how she'll play this out.

"Well, if they're missing, I probably checked them out – as my job often requires me to do. And if they were checked out three weeks ago, well, that means they burned. In a fire. In a fire, that, if I recall, got you elected Sheriff." She won't be played as a pawn. She was a queen, not a common peasant. "I have nothing to hide."

Emma leans over Regina's desk and stares into the chocolate eyes, reading through both the lies and walls that Regina has up. She'll give Regina credit; she can pull off a perfect poker face. And if it wasn't the quick spark that lit her eyes, she would've gotten away with telling a lie. In those quick seconds, Emma saw the walls, the control that Regina built. In reality, she wasn't liking the distance that was between the two.

Smirking. "Okay. There's nothing for us to do. Let's go, Sidney."

"Emma," Sidney questions the change of attitude. She can't quit now.

She lets the warmth cloud her heart before pulling away. "No, she's right. We have nothing."

Once the two left, Regina finally lets the breath she was holding go. A breath that she didn't know that she was holding in the first place. Running her hands over her through her dark hair, she tries to gain the control back.


Getting into Emma's squad car, they drive off to the road.

"That was your plan? I thought you were going to do something?" Sidney questions.

"I did. I planted a bug. We're going have to do whatever it takes." She didn't just lean over Regina's desk for just two reason but for a third. A camera pans to a wiretap stuck to the bottom of Regina's desk. Soon they will know what Regina is hiding.


As they continue to drive down the road, they see Regina's car up head, turning on a road leading into the forest. Deciding to get a closer look, she attempts to slow down but the car doesn't stop.

"Emma?"

"It won't stop!" Slamming her foot on the brakes, she tries but does not succeed in stopping the car.

Trying to slow down, the car crashes into a sign along the side of the road. The bug crashes into it with full force. As the huge sign puts the car in a jolting stop, Emma's head connects with the steering wheel. Darkness takes over Emma's vision as her head rest on the steering wheel. Knocked out cold, blood trickles out, covering her face.

"Emma?" A voice echoed in her head. "Sidney what the hell happened?" The voice hissed.

"The brakes weren't working," a male voice echoed, shaking in fear when he replied.

Slowly opening her eyes, she groans in pain as her head throbs. The blurriness starts to clear up, she notices the window was cracked and the steering wheel had blood. "Shit," Emma cursed when she attempted to move her head.

"Emma, are you okay?" A voice asked softly.

"My head hurts," Emma groans, lifting her hand to her head. Feeling wetness on her face, she pulls away to see blood on her hands. As she was about to reach for her head again, a hand stops her.

"Hey, don't touch it. You may make it worse." As the hand holds her hands down at her lap, another hand carefully pulls her hair to the side.

She turns her head more to the side to find Regina squating down at the door. Concern and anger can be seen in her chocolate eyes, as her eyes scan over her face. Clenching her eyes shut as another throbbing pain shot through her head, she bites her lips to keep from groaning out.

"How much longer until the paramedics get here?" Regina demanded, when seeing Emma in pain.

"They said they be here in a few minutes," Sidney tells Regina. "We are at the other side of town."

Emma can see the fear in Sidney as Regina growled at him. Clearly not happy of what happened. "It's not his fault. The brakes didn't work."

"Someone tampered with the brakes," Regina brings Emma up to date. The blonde didn't know this much information of the matter.

"What?" She must hit her head pretty hard because she must have misheard Regina.

"Someone cut the brakes," Regina repeats.

"Who would want to do that?" Emma demanded, looking between Sidney and Regina. "And what are you doing at this time of night?"

"Maybe Regina cut them, now that we are on to her," Sidney saw this as an opportunity.

"Why would I do that?" Regina asks dryly. "I go nothing better to do and get down and dirty to cut the brakes."

"You had someone do it for you," Sidney replies back.

Regina glares at the idiot. "I ask again. Why would I do that?"

"Then explain why are you here in the forest?"

"She was meeting me," a male voice came behind Regina. All eyes look over to find Mr. Gold.

"What are you doing out here with her?" Sidney questions.

Mr. Gold shrugs. "Just a little business transaction."

"What's in the briefcase?" Sidney questions more.

"Everything comes at a price. Land is no different," Mr. Gold answers.

It all made sense. "That's why you're meeting her out here? Regina bought your land?" Emma's eyes quickly look over to Regina's eyes. They were too clouded for to be able to read.

"The very ground you're standing on."

"What do you want it for?" Emma asks the brunette. She wanted to hear the answer from her lips.

Mr. Gold not giving Regina time to answer replies back to Emma "You know, in business, I find it's best not to ask too many questions. Hurts the bottom line. The question is, Emma – why are you out here in the middle of the night with Mr. Glass?"

"Was heading home," Emma answers.

"Of course you were. Be careful – emotional entanglements can lead us down very dangerous paths," Mr. Gold tells the blonde just before the ambulance arrives.

Regina stands to the side as they check Emma. They clean up the blood and bandaged her forehead. At the same time they tow the police car away. She stayed quiet, not sure what to say. So many questions were running her head, and she was sure she won't get the answers from the only person who can answer them.

"I thought you said to never make deals with Mr. Gold?" Emma breaks the silence.

"You should never make deals with him. He is not a man you want to get involved with in business of any kind," Regina agrees.

"Then why did you make a deal to buy land?"

Emma will not back off of this topic. The stubborn blonde will not take a simple answer. "I can handle Mr. Gold. I dealt with Mr. Gold and know to think twice before doing any deal with him. I did my homework and this deal is worth the troubles."

"You aren't answering the question that I'm dying to have answered. What's the land for?"

"It doesn't concern you, Miss. Swan."

"I will find out." Turning her attention back to the paramedic, "am I clear?"


Emma and Sidney pull up outside of the Town Hall. Entering the building, "I don't know who's more stubborn, you or Regina," Sidney tells the blonde. "What are we doing here?"

"We know she bought land from Gold – we don't know why. I'm willing to bet it's for personal reasons, but we have to know for sure. We need documents that officially link her to that land," Emma tells him as they sneak down the hall.

"So, you want to break into her office? It's locked. And she's got a state of the art security system alarm."

"If we don't show this town who Regina really is, who will?"

"Do you think you can crack her code?"

"Yep." Smashes the window of the front with a rock. The alarms were set off. She reaches and unlocks the door.

"Emma!"

"Who does the alarm system alert? The police. I'm the police. Two minutes for her to get a call from the alarm company, one minute to get her coat and keys, three minutes to drive here. We got maybe six minutes." Regina wasn't the only one who thinks ahead.

Entering the Mayor's office, Emma goes over to the computer. Working her magic, she hacks into it. "I just uncovered every file that references the tract of land she bought from Gold." She prints off the records and then starts to go through the drawers of Regina's desk. She discovers a key ring with several 'skeleton' keys attached.

"What the hell do these open?" she looks at the keys in question.

"I don't know," Sidney shrugs, lying. "What are you doing?"

"Looking for Henry's book." After the constructors took down the castle playground, Henry went crazy looking for the book but couldn't find it.

"We didn't come here for Henry. We came here for the files and-"

"It won't kill anyone if I took a quick look." Quickly surveying the room, her search for the book come up empty handed. They start to leave when the lights in the office turns on.

"What are you doing?" Regina demands looking at Emma. "What part you didn't understand when the paramedic told you to take it easy and rest?"

"Some kids broke in. I heard the alarm, so I'm checking it out cause…I'm Sheriff," Emma explains. "Also I feel fine." Regina should be speaking. After being told to stay off her ankle for a week, she defied doctor's orders and the next day, she wore heels and walked as if nothing was wrong.

"Well, that was an awfully quick response time," Regina crosses her arms over her chest, not believing in that bullshit answer. "My office isn't as important as your health."

"You told me to do my job, and I'm doing it," Emma argues back. Secretly smiling at the weariness and concern Regina was displaying before her.

"And you brought him," finally realizing Sidney was there.

"Oh, well, he saw it while he was on a walk. So he's a witness," Emma quickly covers him.

"Hm. And what did you see, Sidney?" Regina tilts her head, waiting to hear this response.

"Some kids with a…" Sidney replies.

"Rock," Emma speaks up.

"A rock," Sidney confirms.

Her forehead must have 'stupid' printed across. "Did they take anything?"

"I don't know. I'd have to do a thorough sweep to, uh, find out," Emma replies.

"It appears to me it's all just a prank," Regina puts an end to these fools attempt of them getting into her stuff.

"You sure you don't want me to take the place apart?"

"Sheriff, your services are neither wanted nor needed," Regina tells the blonde.

"Okay. Well, you know where to find me."

Just as they make their way out of the office, she passes by Regina. "Please take care of yourself," Emma hears Regina softly whispers.


At Sidney's office, Sidney and Emma are sorting through the papers they got from Regina's office.

"Blueprints, bank statements…"

"What are they building out there? A mansion?" Emma wonders.

"Well, whatever it is, it doesn't matter, because these escrow statements have her name all over it. You were right – personal use. She's done – we got her," Sidney couldn't believe that his plan is going to work. "What's wrong? Didn't you hear me?" He shouldn't be the only one happy about this.

"We stooped to her level. That's exactly what I promised I wouldn't do."

"Emma, we got her!"

"It's fruits of the poisonous tree – illegally obtained evidence. It'll get thrown out in court in a heartbeat," Emma argues. This is going to get them back to square one. Which is nowhere.

"No. We don't need her to go to jail."

"At first I thought that this is all it's about. Then, I find this." Regina just proved that she's all about power. Control is just a cover.

"What you wished for – get everyone to see who she is. What she did to Henry, she does to everyone. She destroys what people love. Let me show you something." Sidney pulls out a box of files and photos and puts it on the desk. It was pictures of her and Henry at various places around town. "She made me follow you. She made me tell her everything. She knew about your secret place weeks ago. She just waited to destroy it until it would hurt you and Henry the most. It's all my fault. If you don't do this – I have to."

"The pictures and having me followed is fine with me. It's her son and she worries that I might do something but... Okay."

This has gone far enough. It was supposed to help her to get Regina better but so far it's for the worse. Maybe they should put distance between them but her heart told her that it wouldn't be right.


Regina seats in front of the council staring into every eye of the regular citizens in Storybrooke sitting in the audience. She bangs the gavel to start the meeting.

"This session of the Storybrooke city council will come to order. We will begin by reading the minutes from our last meeting."

Sidney stands up from the audience, taking this as his chance to get this party started. "Uh, excuse me, um, Madam Mayor. I have something I'd like to bring to the council's attention."

Regina fought back an eye roll. "This is not an open forum, Sidney. And no one on this council's interested in hearing the boozy complaints of a disgraced reporter. Now sit down." She doesn't have the patience for anything. She just wants to get this meeting to be over with.

"He's not the only one who has something to say," Emma stands up, holding up a binder. It's time for the people of Storybrooke to see the real Regina.

"Miss Swan, this meeting is to discuss issues facing Storybrooke."

"Like the Mayor stealing thousands of dollars from the city to build herself a second home?" Emma asks loudly.

Gasps could be heard from the audience. Grabbing a hold of the gavel, she bangs it to order silence. "Miss Swan, you will sit down immediately or so help me-" Why couldn't Emma just listen to her for once?

"What? You'll punish me? You'll bully me like everyone else in this town? No. Not today." Emma turns to the audience. "In my hand, I am holding documents proving that this woman, your mayor, stole funds from the city to build herself a lavish home in the woods. And this disgraced reporter – you want to know why he was really fired? Because he stood up to her. Because he questioned her. We all know what happens to people who questions the Mayor." Turning back to Regina. "You claim that you act in the best interest of all of us, but that isn't the truth, is it? The truth is you are a thug that doesn't care about anyone, or anything, but yourself. That is who you really are. And it is time for the people of Storybrooke to know that."

Regina took one last look into the hazel eyes. "You are right, Miss Swan. I am building a house –" Regina confuses, "a playhouse." She pulls up the image of a playground on the screen behind her.

Standing tall, not showing any weakness. "The accusations are true – I did take city funds. I wanted to build a playground so my son, Henry, and all the children of Storybrooke, could have a special place to play. Safely." Regina explains, "as for the sketch in your hands, it was inspired by a drawing I found in one of Henry's books." She stares into the hazel eyes that judged her for false reasons. "So, there you have it, Miss Swan. You've exposed me for who I really am. I hope you're satisfied."

Emma can see the hurt behind the blank mask. The disappointment that she just proved to Regina that they will never figure out what's going on between them. She felt like an ass, a jerk that she was like everyone else. Judging the brunette for her wrongs instead of the rights she has done.

It's like a tug-a-war between the town's eyes and Regina. Just like how Henry sees his mom as the Evil Queen.

After the council meeting was over, outside the Town Hall, Regina speaks to a group of people. Emma watches her from a distance, hoping Regina would look over to her. To see the look in her eyes that she was sorry.

"Look at her – queen of the castle," Mr. Gold comes up to Emma. "You know, what you did in there was commendable, Miss Swan. But if you really want to bring her down, you're going to need a strong ally."

"Like yourself? Thanks, but I'm still not interested." Emma already screwed up bad enough. She doesn't want to make it worst. Working with Mr. Gold will make matters much worse.

"Oh, one can wish," Mr. Gold tells her. She'll come to him sooner or later. She did owe him a debt.

Regina could feel the hazel eyes staring at her. She wants her to look over to her but she will not give in. What Emma just proved to her was that she can't be trusted with the truth. Taking a quick glance, she sees Mr. Gold talking to the blonde. She curses to herself, why can't Emma just stay away from that damn man?

She slowly approaches them, "Miss Swan. A word? Alone." She made sure that her tone didn't leave room of questioning her demand.

Not wanting to get farther on top of Regina's shit list, Emma pushes away from Sidney and Mr. Gold to follow the brunette away from ears drop.

"I don't know what you were hoping to accomplish in there. But now, I hope you'll go back to your job, which is upholding the law – not breaking it. You don't think I know you broke into my office?"

"I just wanted to prove that I'll push hard, to play fire with fire to prove that I want to get to know you more. Yes, I went a little bit too far and I'm sorry for that."

"Well, until you have something more substantial than disdain to throw my way, you're going to stay away from me. And, more importantly, from Henry." She won't play this chess game any longer.

"Let me explain -" Emma starts to argue.

"I let you make me look like a villain long enough. You've lost the high ground, Sheriff. If I wanted to, there's not a judge in the world that would deny me a restraining order after what you've done. You don't get to see my son unless I say so. And right now? I don't say so." Regina leaves a dumbfounded blonde behind.


At the new playground, Emma watches Henry from her car, keeping her distance between the two. She was lucky that Regina didn't release her wrath earlier.

Henry notices her and waves. He takes out his walkie-talkie. "Why are you so far away? Come out here!"

Lucky for her Margaret did her a favor to give them a way to communicate. Regina didn't say she couldn't keep in touch from a distance. Just to stay away from him. Even though she knows it's still pushing her luck but she can't keep away from both at the same time. "Sorry, kid. I can't today."

"You're undercover, aren't you? For Operation Cobra?"

"No, Henry. I'm not undercover. Your mom – she doesn't want us seeing each other for a while."

"You don't have to listen to her," Henry told her.

"Actually, this time, I do. I screwed up, Henry. I got mad at your mom about you and the book and everything and… Well, we're just going to have to be apart for a little while," Emma explains.

"I don't want to be apart," Henry tells her sadly.

"Neither do I. But, right now, we have to. Don't worry – I'll find a way back in. And hey. If it's out there, Henry – I will find your book."

"Good luck. It's probably gone and it's probably never coming back."

"I won't quit. It didn't grow legs and walked away."

"What if you give mom flowers? It worked before," Henry brings up.

"You're the one who gave me flowers under your mom's name?"

Henry shrugs, "yeah. So?"

"Why?"

"I didn't like the lost look on her. I seen a lot of mom's emotional outbursts but lost, guilty and true happiness. You did that just by one night of misunderstanding. I knew that I had to do something." Even though his mom is the Evil Queen, she still took care of him as her own. He was liking the new Regina.