Emma was NOT a big fan of needles. Some of her foster siblings had tried introducing her to drugs as a way to escape her misery but she…never saw the point. The misery would still be there when she came down off the high and she'd probably have to deal with even bigger problems if she did…indulge.

So it did not set her mind at ease when the magic addicted imp wanted a vial of her blood and a few strands of her hair with the root attached.

"Why do you want my blood?" Emma demanded as he tied to tourniquet on her arm.

"Well," Rumpelstiltskin secured it. Emma noticed is voice was a lot lower, like he was dropping the act. Emma didn't remember that happening. She wondered when he stopped talking so high pitched and nasally, "You've written the book, and that draws me a map of what WILL happen, but I don't know how yet. I know you're important but I need to find a way to create your magic. I can't do that unless I have something I can compare it to."

"That's perfect then," Emma told him with a smirk, "You have my blood, then I can go home."

"It's a possibility," he noted. He put his hand on the inside of Emma's elbow and Emma felt it go numb.

"Shouldn't you sterilize it?"

"I did sterilize it," he flourished his hand, "You know…magic!"

"Oh yes," she muttered, "How could I forget?"

She watched as he gently slid the needle under her skin. There was no pain. Emma wouldn't have even known it was there unless she was watching it. Emma watched as her reddish brown blood slid through the long tubing and into the vial he had placed on the table.

"Are you alright?" he asked.

"I'm fine," Emma snapped and shivered at the blood…her blood filling up the vial.

They sat in silence for a few moments and Emma looked at him.

"Why are you doing this?"

His gaze darkened a bit and he moved to take off her tourniquet, "That's my business."

"Your business ruined my life," Emma snapped and grabbed his wrist as he healed her arm, "I could've had parents that loved me! I never had that and it's partially your fault! Why. Are. You. Doing. This?"

He sighed and stared at her…as if he was measuring her worth, "I have…a son."

Geez, what did that poor kid look like? Emma tried to imagine a little 'him' running around. Someone was actually attracted to his scaly skin and broken yellow teeth and snake eyes? Maybe they were just attracted to the power.

"I…chose power and I lost him…and everything I've done is to get him back."

Emma waited for that to sink in. She waited…to feel shocked or dismayed or horrified but she didn't. She wondered if she was starting to compartmentalize what she was going through. Or maybe she just expected it. There were times when he hinted that he had a son. Emma had suspected over on the other side that he'd been a father. Why would she be shocked now?

"So…you helped…what? Corrupt Regina into destroying my family?"

"I did not…. 'Corrupt' Regina, she made her own choices. And I did not destroy your family. The curse froze them in time so that they could pick up where they left off."

Emma shot him daggers, "I couldn't!"

He gave her a look that says he sympathized, "And for that, I'm truly sorry."

"You screwed over my family for yours!"

"As if you wouldn't do the same for your son."

Emma didn't even let herself have time to consider it because if she did, she wasn't sure what she would say, "No, I wouldn't, because that's not what good people do! That's not what decent people do."

"Your parents were decent people," he said, "Look where that got all of them."

Emma could punch him in the face, "Would your son want this for you?"

"My son would want his father back," Rumpelstiltskin said.

"And would innocent people pay the price?" she demanded, "These things have a way of coming back to haunt you, you know! Or is that what Regina's for?"

"I am aware that there will be a price," Rumpelstiltskin told her, "And I'm fully aware that I will have to pay it."

He got up to walk out of the room and another thought hit Emma, "What will it mean for my baby?"

Rumpelstiltskin hesitated, "Your child could be very powerful if conditioned right."

Emma felt the hair on the back of her neck stand up, "What do you mean by 'conditioned'?"

"Your daughter could be very powerful if given the chance," Rumpelstiltskin told her, "She has true love's magic in her veins, she has a savior's blood, and she has her father's magic."

Emma shot out of her seat and started towards him in a blind fury, "You don't touch my daughter!"

And then something happened, it was like changing the channel of the television except she was the one in the TV or something. She had been in the castle…surrounded by the things she'd grown accustomed to looking at for the past several days.

Then she wasn't. She was standing outside somewhere. She could smell the greenery surrounding her and it was raining. It was dark with the exception of a few lights that lit up the side of the road. It was old fashioned lamp posts that lined the road.

Where was she?

Did she just…teleport?

What?

Emma took a step forward and her feet brushed against some sort of road.

There was a noise behind her and she turned and stumbled backwards when a carriage nearly hit her. She lost her balance and stumbled on her back. The horses reared back and whinnied. Emma moved backwards to avoid the animals moves.

The carriage door opened and she saw a blonde man step out and he saw her lying in the road, "Good Lord!"

He rushed towards her and helped her up. Emma's eyes widened as the man wrapped a carriage blanket around her.

"Are you alright, miss?"

"I-I'm fine," she didn't take her eyes off him as she recognized his face. This was impossible.

"Wh-," he looked around, "What are you doing in the middle of the road at night? You're soaked to the skin!"

Was it really raining that hard? She shivered as he led her to the carriage, "Th-this isn't the Enchanted Forest."

"Oh no, Miss, you're not in that world anymore. You're not in the Enchanted Forest."

Emma looked at him, he knew about that world? "Who are you?"

"Frankenstein," the man told her and helped her in the carriage, "Victor Frankenstein."