Regina finished putting on her boots and stood with a sigh, rubbing at her aching neck as she moved from the bed to the stairs.
Just as she did David and the others hurried in with Henry.

"Oh. Henry!"

"Mom!"

She pulled him into a hug just as there was a loud 'Boom' and the ground shook, making the crockery and glasses rattle.
A plate on the counter fell and shattered on the floor.

They all looked to each other with wide eyes.

"Regina" Emma directed "Was that-"

"Yes. The Diamond was activated" Regina confirmed.

Everyone looked at her shocked.

"So we're all gonna die?" Henry asked, his voice quivering slightly.

"You were born here, so you'll live" Regina told him

Henry looked around him to the others in the room "But..." he looked back to his mother "I'll be alone"

Emma breathed in quietly.

"I'm so sorry, Henry"

"It's not gonna happen. I'm not gonna let it. You did this, now make it stop" Emma pleaded desperately with Regina

"I can't. There's no way"

"Well, figure it out. It's your fault" Emma snapped

"Stop! I already lost my dad I don't wanna lose anyone else. We have to work together"

"From the mouths of babes, I'd say the lad has a point" Hook said as he made his appearance, though his appearance was made all the more dramatic when Charming's fist connected with his face.

"That's for the last time we met"

"Bloody hell" Hook complained.

David removed his gun from its holster and took the safety off before continuing as the women and child looked on in silence.

"And tell us why you're here before I use something else, other than my fist"

Rumplestiltskin re-entered his shop with an exasperated sigh.

He was not having a good day.

Firstly Mary-Margaret and David had burst into his shop demanding that he help them locate Regina.
Then when he'd gone to "spend time with his grandson" the Charming's had turned up, yet again, and had informed him that his son Neil...Baelfire, had died and was sucked through a portal all thanks to Tamara.
Unbeknownst to him, he was to be the receiver of more bad news.

Lacey appeared holding a new bottle.

"Hey, you're back. So, did you do what you set out to do?"

"Unfortunately not. I was forcefully engaged in conversation with Mary-Margaret and her husband" he told her.

"You mean those two that come in this morning?"

He gave a heavy hearted nod, remembering the conversation they had had.
He grabbed the bottle from Lacey's grip and two glasses from a cabinet.

"Did you feel that Earthquake before? Something huh?" Lacey said absentmindedly.

Gold guided her into the back room and sat down at the desk. Seeing the key and envelope, he queried about it.

"Some girl brought it in. Said to make sure you get it"

He picked up the key and examined it. It took him a bit to remember that he'd given it to Watcher. Then he picked up the envelope.
Unfolding the paper within, he read the word "Sorry".

'A bit anti-climactic, I was expecting a longer explanation'

"Did she say anything else, this girl?"

Lacey shook her head and downed the contents of her glass, refilling it quickly.

"Was this the girl that came here yesterday morning?"

She shrugged as she finished her new drink "She looked as if she was leaving town"

"Leaving town? What makes you say that?"

"She had a big bag and was wearing good boots"

There was the sound of feet and shuffling from the main shop.
He motioned for Lacey to keep quiet and moved to the curtain.

"Mr Gold isn't going to like it when he finds out that we-"

He moved out into the main shop, gaining the attention of the room.

"A sure sign of impending doom, looters"

"It ain't looting if the stuff you find is already yours" Grumpy stated after putting down Sneezy's stein on the glass of the counter.
"We need Sneezy's drinking stein. We can bring his memories back"

"Oh, can you?" Gold stated sarcastically with scepticism, looking toward Sneezy who seemed silently say 'Help me. They're crazy!'

"Mother Superior finally figured it out. He needs to drink this out of his old stein, something important to him" Grumpy explained, holing up a vial full of blue liquid.

"So she found a solution to the memory problem, today. In the nick of time before we all die?"

Sneezy looked at everyone in the room, quiet sure that they were all crazy. But Rumplestiltskin's words had seeped through his mind with ease.

"Die, whose dying?" his nasally voice questioned, though no-one would answer him.

"She's been working on it all along. Then when she had to transform August back to Pinocchio she found the ingredient she needed. A hair from Pinocchio's head. Someone who returned to who he should be. Someone who wasn't cursed" Grumpy told him.

"So you're gonna wake your friend up to tell him he's about to die?"

"I don't want that-"

"Shut it, Clark"

Grumpy turned back to Gold

"He wants to know who he is and be with his family no matter how much time he has left"

Sneezy scoffed "Not if I'm gonna die"

Gold made a motion as if to say 'See'

Grumpy turned back to his brothers "Let's take him back to Granny's and do it there"

The others gently took hold of Sneezy.

"Hey!" Sneezy scoffed again "Hey, guys. If I don't have a family, will I still die?"

Gold watched as they dragged Sneezy from his shop as the Dwarf continued to protest.

"I really don't think it's necessary-"

Grumpy hung back and approached Rumplestiltskin

"I asked her to make a second dose" he held out a second vial to the twisted Imp.

"This is for you"

"And what am I supposed to do with that?" Gold asked him

"Belle once helped remind me of who I was. I've never forgotten. I wanna return the favour. Don't let her die as Lacey"

Rumplestiltskin took it carefully from the others fingers, staring down at it.

As Grumpy turned to leave, Gold spoke again "Master Dwarf, I need you to do a favour for me"

"And why would I?"

"Think of it as part of an unwritten contract. My favour, for the stein"

Grumpy hesitated "So what's this favour?"

"I think Watcher may be leaving Storybrooke. I need you to ensure that she doesn't"

Grumpy stared at him "She has a chance to escape death and you want me to drag her back into its waiting jaws"

"I think she wants to leave because she knows we'll survive and I think her involvement will be crucial for what happens next"

"You think?"

Gold swallowed his pride "Please, just get her back"

Grumpy stared open mouthed at Rumplestiltskin, The Dark One, begging to him, a Dwarf.

Grumpy scoffed and shook his head with a smile "Of all the people...fine. I'll find her and bring her back"

"Think before you do. She, like Emma and Henry, can cross the town line and retain herself. You'll have to act quickly"

Grumpy nodded determinedly and he ran out of the shop, after his brothers, who were already halfway down the street to the Diner.

Rumplestiltskin stared down at the vial in his hand, contemplating his next move.

Underground, almost to the Town Line, Emma and Regina were walking the tracks in the Mine, looking for the source of their destruction.

"I can feel it. It's like the oxygen is being sucked out of the air" said Emma, using the light from her torch to make sure none of Tamara or Mendell's friends were hanging around.

"Not the oxygen" said Regina from behind her "The magic"

They wandered further until Regina saw the blue light of the Diamond on its magical pedestal.

"There it is"

Emma turned off her torch, the Diamond being bright enough to light the tunnel.

"Once it stops glowing, its destruction is achieved" Regina explained "And then, well, then, we'll see the real carnage"

The Trigger hummed as they moved closer to examine it.

"I'll try to contain its energy as long as I can" Regina stated

"It won't be long. They'll have the bean soon then we can get the hell out of here" Emma told her

Regina took a second and then gave Emma a sad look.

"Slowing the device, it's going to require all the strength I have"

They stared at each other seriously, almost as if they were reading the others thoughts.

"You're not going with us, are you?"

Regina looked as if she were about to cry.
She was thinking about Henry now, and Watcher. She was disappointed with her sister.
Disappointed, that she hadn't stuck around or even said goodbye.
Disappointed that she was just like her mother and her big sister and running away when she should've been sticking around. Regina thought her sister would've been standing by her side right now, telling her it would all turn out fine.
But Regina was more disappointed in herself. She didn't want her baby sister to die, she loved her. And if Watcher had the chance to escape the butchery, then she was happy for it.

Now Regina needed to stop running. Now she needed to do something right.