Thank you all so much for cheering me on this far - you're keeping me motivated! And now, back to our story. And I'm going to say simply this: I had to do it.

"You won't get away with this, you know." Regina sat in her cage, buffing her nails. "Just because you took me down doesn't mean the kingdom is powerless."

The witch glanced up from her crystal ball. "I don't see them breaking down any doors, my dear Regina. And with their Prince and Princess in hiding, they're not likely to be launching a grand campaign."

Regina gave a carefully crafted smirk. "Don't count out the prince and princess so easily. Trust me when I tell you that they just keep coming. They don't give up."

"I'm counting on exactly that, and then their baby will be mine." She closed her eyes, as if savoring a memory. "Now that I've had a taste of that sweet life force, I find myself even more motivated."

"Snow's had her baby?" Regina sat up. "You've found them?"

"Not yet, darling. But soon."

Regina's face was stone. "Don't call me that."

"But we used to be such good friends." The witch said, with a smile that didn't reach her eyes.

"That was before you changed my entire personal guard into flying monkeys." Regina snapped.

"You turned me green!"

"A simple complexion spell. It's not my fault that magic is so tricky in your realm." Regina said with a shrug. "I think the color suits you well."

The witch screeched, grabbing the bars of Regina's cage. "You've had your share of amusement at my expense, dear Regina, and now you'll pay. You'll be all alone up here, just as I have been alone. Unwanted. Unloved. Pitied."

Regina gave her a purely taunting smile. "So if you haven't found Snow, how did you sample her child's life force?"

"I had to use the older child. She was at the castle when I attacked. Not nearly as powerful as a newborn, but she whetted my appetite for more."

Regina stood up. "Emma is here? Was there a child with her?"

The witch made a face. "Yes. He was a scrawny thing. Didn't have the scent of true love, like his mother."

"The parent's relationship was...complicated." Regina said, waving her hand absently. "Were they harmed?" She demanded.

"I took some of the girl's life force before I got blindsided by a giant. That won't be happening again." She laughed at the look on Regina's face. "Ooooh, are they your pets, my dear? Well, rest assured, I didn't hurt them much. A few scratches and bites from my flying friends, that's all. This time."

"Emma's here," Regina said, somewhat under her breath. She smiled a calculated smile. "It's only a matter of time, Evanora."

"She was hardly a threat. If she comes after me, I'll drain her dry." The witch cackled, sitting down at her crystal ball again. "Such a pity that the boy wasn't also born of true love. Two generations of true love would have made him so very, very sweet to drain."

"You can be glad he wasn't." Regina's hands closed around the bars of her cage. "Because if you harm him, it'll be the last thing that you ever do."

The witch gave a laugh. "You don't worry me, my dear."

Regina gave a slow smile. "It's not only me you'll have to worry about now."

###

"How long have we been walking, anyway?" Emma asked. "It hard to tell when it's dark."

Neal stopped a moment, trying to find the moon through the trees. "I don't know - four, maybe five hours."

Emma leaned against a nearby tree. "Can we still see the river?"

"It's just through the trees, there," Hook indicated, pointing. "I've kept my eye on it."

"Gawain said the river forks after the mountain pass," Neal added, between gulps of water from his waterskin. "Then we head east. The beanstalk is another half day's walk from there." He handed Emma the waterskin.

"That sword is quite something," Hook pointed out. "Even in the moonlight, it has a glow about it."

Emma unsheathed Excalibur, and it might as well have been a flashlight. Hook was right, it glowed in the dark.

"That's actually pretty useful. Now I can see the tree roots before they take me down." She leaned the sword against the tree.

"I'm going to head down to the water," Neal said. Maybe I can see the fork from here. It'll at least give us an idea of how close we are."

"Good idea." Emma agreed.

"Give me that waterskin and I'll fill it up for you," Neal said to Emma. He looked at Hook. "Yours, too."

"Thanks, mate." Hook and Emma passed over their skins, and Neal headed down the slope to the riverbank.

Hook reached out, pushing Emma's hair back off her shoulder. "You all right, love?"

"Yeah. What I wouldn't give for a rubber band." She lifted her hair up, letting the night air cool her neck. "And a cold beer."

"I could go for one of those myself," Hook nodded. "You don't suppose there's a tavern nearby?"

"Why, so you can grope the nearest barmaid?"

"I was getting information, love, and in a very time-honored way. Tavern maids hear everything, and for a coin or two, they're happy to share it."

Emma rolled her eyes. "Oh, I'll just bet that wasn't all she wanted to share with you."

"And you didn't share a moment with Sir Gawain?" Hook pointed out. "And don't think that I don't know you did that on purpose."

"You're right," Emma sighed. "We don't own each other, here. We're two grown adults, not a couple of jealous teenagers."

Hook stepped closer. "And what does that mean, exactly?"

"It means you're free to put a tavern maid on your lap if you want to, that's all." She started to push herself off the tree, but he leaned in, putting an arm on the trunk above her.

"You want me to solicit other women?" He said, more than a little perturbed.

"I'm saying we both have a right to do what we want, that's all." She pushed him off her. "It's no big deal."

"No. Big. Deal." He was good and mad now. "Let me explain something to you, love - "

"I can't see the fork, the river curves too sharply up ahead." Neal said, walking back up the slope. He looked from Emma to Hook and raised his brows. "Did I interrupt something?"

"Nope. Just passing time." Emma said.

"We'll continue our discussion another time," Hook said, his eyes still on Emma.

"Great. We're all on the same page." Neal gave an eyeroll. "Don't forget your sword, Em." He reached down to grab it.

"No!" Emma shouted.

"What?" Neal stepped back.

"It'll burn you to death - she said only I could wield it." Emma replied. "Seriously, don't touch it."

Neal put his hands in the air. "All yours."

Emma picked up the sword and had just sheathed it when the ground shook, and the sound of a cracking tree came from somewhere entirely too nearby.

"What the - " Neal looked around wildly.

"Bloody Hell," Hook exclaimed. "Run!"

They took off down the hillside at a dead run, dodging branches and leaping over rocks.

"Ogres?" Emma asked, panting as she ran.

"Ogres." Hook affirmed, running beside her.

"Great!" Neal said, "Now what?"

Emma didn't have time to answer - Neal and Hook were suddenly scooped up in a net, sprung by a trip-wire between two trees. They were hoisted high into the air just as the ogre broke through the trees.

The creature let out a bone-chilling roar and began advancing directly toward the net. At any second, it was going to walk right into the men and most certainly consider them dinner. Emma jumped to the side, hoping to lead it away.

"Hey!" She shouted. "Over here!"

The ogre turned it's head, swinging around to find her.

"No!" Hook shouted.

"Don't move!" Neal yelled.

Emma pulled Excalibur, getting ready to strike, when the second ogre broke through the trees.

"There's two!" She screamed. "Don't make a sound!"

She began backing up as the ogres advanced, and the one that was closer charged her. She swung Excalibur up in an arc, but the ogre reached out, ripping it from her hand. He let out a roar as he literally incinerated in front of her eyes, burning through from the inside out.

The second ogre was momentarily confused by the noise, but got his bearings pretty quickly. Emma didn't even have time to get her dagger out of her boot. She looked over at the men, who were trying to make enough noise to distract the creature, but it had the scent of her now. It was between her and the sword, and she had no hope of reaching it in time. If she ran, it might turn on the men. She stood her ground, and closed her eyes.

A whistling sound and a gust of air blew past her ear, ruffling her hair. The ogre let out a terrible, tortured sound as an arrow pierced it's eye, burying deep into the socket. It struggled for a moment more, then fell over on the ground at her feet.

Emma turned to see who was behind her and encounted a hooded figure, so close she had no time to react. The stranger slammed her into a tree, whipping out a dagger with lightening speed and holding it to her throat.

"Emma!" Hook shouted, his hand reaching through the net.

The figure staggered back, removing the knife from her throat. Then they threw back their hood.

"Emma? Is it really you?"

Emma looked up, making eye contact, and all the blood drained from her face.

"Oh my God," She whispered, sinking to her knees. The figure knelt down in front of her. She looked up again, but her mind couldn't reconcile what her eyes were showing her.

"Graham?"