The minutes were like agony as they ticked by slowly. Zelena eyed everyone with odd gazes. Smirking at Mary Margaret and her swollen baby. Glaring at Emma. Rolling her eyes at Tinkerbell. And breaking into a wide smile when she met her own gaze. Her chest tightened at that smile. She was looking at her like she was a child, foolish for what she'd attempted, like she should be embarrassed about what had happened, what she'd seen her try to do. But she couldn't be embarrassed, she wouldn't be! And as far as she was concerned, she wasn't the one initiating school yard brawls for attention. She had tried to save the love of her life the only way she knew how, she had nothing to be ashamed of...except for the fact that she'd failed.

So she focused her attention on Rumpelstiltskin, trying to get him to look at her, to focus on her, to take the little amount of comfort that she knew her presence would offer because they had to take what they could get! But he wouldn't. He seemed to be actively avoiding her eyes and the eyes of everyone around him as best he could. For the first time in her life she found herself hoping to see Regina, hoping that her magic was strong. If it was this could all be over. She could take him home with her tonight. If not…she didn't want to think about that possibility. Regina had to be here! She had to-

"Time's up!" Zelena said suddenly, glancing up at the clock tower. Disappointment raced through her. Regina was no one to put her trust in…ever. "Who do you want to kill first Rumple?" Zelena asked as she advanced on him, like they were partners instead of an unwilling pawn in a chess match. And the way she called him Rumple and stepped up next to him, put herself that close to him…it was a terrible time to suddenly feel possessive, but that was exactly what she felt!

"He's not killing anyone!" Emma said stepping forward and addressing Zelena herself. "If you want to fight someone Zelena, fight me!" she insisted. The words were determined enough but her voice betrayed her. She was scared and nervous. Knowing Zelena's reputation she really couldn't blame her.

"Sorry, dear," Zelena said shaking her head and looking at Emma as if she was a joke. "I don't dance with amateurs!"

"I'm not an amateur, I'm the savior."

"Mmm," Zelena piqued looking her over with a sneer, "it appears someone's got an inflated sense of self-worth. Suddenly she turned to Rumple and made a motion with the dagger. Before she knew what had happened his hand had raised and Emma was knocked off her feet, thrown backwards by an invisible force. By magic. His magic. Used like a marionette on strings. Her heart jumped into her throat as she watched Emma's body. What was it? A crushed wind pipe? Broken bones? A stopped heart?

Nothing.

It was nothing. She watched amazed as Tink and David helped Emma to her feet. She looked a bit shaken, but otherwise, perfectly fine. She felt as though she was having a hard time catching her breath in the aftermath. Not because she felt fear or regret or even rage or jealousy. She felt…hope! He could have killed Emma. He could have seriously injured her. But instead he'd simply tossed her back into the air. He'd done something as commanded but something minor. He was fighting back the only way possible! Dark One or not, Rumple was still in there.

"Anybody else want to give it a go?!" Zelena yelled to the crowd holding the dagger up for everyone to see, as if it was a shield. But in her eyes, Zelena was the coward among them. If she were really so strong, such a threat, she would be the one standing there on her own. She wouldn't have to hold Rumple over their heads as protection to make herself stronger!

But despite that fact she watched as Rumple raised his arm again at her command as if in warning. It was cowardly, there was no doubt about that. But cowardly or not she did have the dagger, and that still made her a threat.

"I do!" Regina's voice insisted coolly, rising above the crowd. It was her. Regina! She'd come! She hadn't run! "Didn't anyone tell you?" she questioned striding quickly and confidently to the pair of them. "Black is my color!"

Zelena laughed, a short giggle as if she was genuinely amused and excited, like they really were sisters about to go to dinner instead of attempt to kill each other. "But it looks so much better on me!" she insisted. "I was beginning to think you weren't going to show up."

"I couldn't let my sister off that easily," she said shaking her head.

"Oh," Zelena purred with a smile, "so you've finally accepted me into the family?"

"I've accepted that we shared a mother, yes," Regina corrected. "But I still have one question: what the hell did I ever do to you?"

"Isn't it obvious?" Zelena had a remarkable talent of conveying so many emotions with just a smile. This smile was pure greed and envy. Rage. "You were born!" she growled through gritted teeth with her nose turned up as if the very fact made her sick to her stomach.

Suddenly Regina slapped the witch and there was a gasp through the crowd as she reeled, collected herself, then went back to smiling again as if it is nothing, and wiped a bit of blood from her lip.

"I've been waiting to do that all day!" Regina smiled as if the action had relieved her.

"Rumpelstiltskin can't save you this time!" Zelena warned advancing on her again.

This time it was Regina that burst into laughter. "What does Rumpelstiltskin have to do with any of this?! With you or me?!"

"Everything," Zelena growled again. She glanced over at him, trying to see if he'd give her some explanation, something to help her understand that remark, but he wasn't paying attention to her. He like everyone else was watching the sisters.

"You'll have to be more specific than that, dear," she mocked. Zelena paced back and forth like a restless animal, like a caged beast, furious about…something! "For the last time," Regina raised her voice. "What. Is. Your. Problem!"

Zelena strode over to her again, facing her head on, looking her dead in the eye. "He should have chosen me!"

"Who?!" Regina questioned.

"Rumpelstiltskin!" she clarified, as if it wasn't obvious. She knew who they were talking about she just didn't know what they were talking about.

"That's what this is about?" Regina questioned, sounding more and more like a mother trying to soothe her child on the verge of a tantrum than a sister. "You're jealous of me?" she asked in a way that only rubbed salt into whatever wound Zelena believed she bore. Zelena was quiet, she said nothing, but even she had to admit. For a grown woman, she was acting childish.

She expected Regina to taunt more, to draw the answers out of her further, but instead she took advantage of the witch's stunned silence. Suddenly she stepped back and made a quick motion. The traffic light above them immediately appeared to have been cut from its wires and plunged downward, toward the witch until she made a motion of her own and sent it flying toward…Emma! Mary Margaret pulled her away just in time as it fell to the ground and sparks jumped around it dangerously. Rumple looked around as if he didn't know what to do, as if he was torn between wanting to help and not getting in the way, obeying orders. She knew that if he had it his way he'd reach forward, sweep her up, and take them into the woods for her own safety. But he just couldn't. The only good thing that came from the action was that the crowd seemed to suddenly understand that this wasn't the best place to be, that they never should have come! Some stepped back farther, but others ran away from the imminent danger completely.

"You still don't realize what you had!" Zelena accused, as the witches circled each other like vultures, each one waiting for the other to make a move, to show a weakness. "You never did! You got everything I ever wanted and you didn't even deserve it!" she screamed. She was having a child's temper tantrum. But unlike a child, she had the power to force her lover to kill everyone around her if she got too worked up. Regina needed to calm her down not stir her into a frenzy! "But I'm going to take it all from you!

And, predictably, with another gesture, Regina was in the air, crashing into a car, landing on her belly. Her bones should have been broken but Regina must have cast some spell or taken a potion, because she got right back up again and she couldn't help but stare flabbergasted at the action, at its simplicity. A shove? A shove?! A magical push! Was that all she'd done? Just as Rumple had done to Emma? Shove her sister?!

Regina walked forward, angrily, proudly, a ball of fire suddenly coming to life in her hand…but just as she was about to throw the flames, it disappeared into nothing but green smoke. The witch. Zelena reached forward then, quickly, and began to choke Regina. No. Not really, magically. Her hands weren't even on her, but it was clear that Regina was struggling to breathe as she was lifted off her feet and into the air. She fought, she fought hard, but she was simply no match. The Evil Queen was powerless against the Wicked Witch of the West, against her sister.

"Everything Rumpelstiltskin taught you," Zelena snarled, "he taught me too! But I was the better student!" And with that Zelena threw Regina. Up, up into the air she went, and she watched as the Evil Queen crashed through the clock tower face! She turned just in time to see Zelena disappear in a fog of green smoke.


Again odd chapters and even odder commercial breaks. I did my best to fill in the blanks and make things look reasonable, because when you really do take a step back and look at everything you seen just how odd these conversations are.

Thank you to Meredith Pechta, Grace5231973, Onlyinyourdreams77, Raizen Yusuke, LaurieAHancock, Deweymay, and Magicklibra for your reviews and for understanding that sometimes things need to be short. Again my apologies! Peace and Happy Reading!