She refused to believe it the moment the name fell upon her ears, but that hadn't stopped her from making a run for it, knowing that Regina and their son was in danger and they weren't even aware of it. But the way back to Regina's house on Mifflin Street was long, miles upon miles, and she couldn't seem to get there fast enough. Every minute that passed was a minute she didn't have to waste, but she didn't trust her magic. Not now. Not after hearing that name trip past his lips.

"Snow White."

Emma gasped as she came to a stop, her body protesting any further movement. She couldn't stop, she knew she couldn't, but she also couldn't continue without pausing long enough to catch her breath that kept slipping past her. She felt a rush of panic, realizing just how far she still had yet to go. She rummaged through her pockets until she found her phone and she quickly dialed a number, jogging along the side of the two-lane road as the line began to ring.

The moment it went to voicemail, Emma hung up and hit three on her speed-dial once again. She gasped as she doubled over, her body telling her in all the vicious ways that it was done. She swallowed heavily, keeling over at the side of the road as the line continued to ring.

"Goddamn it!" Emma yelled as the line clicked to the voicemail for a second time. "Come on, Ruby, answer your phone!"

With a ferocious growl that tore through her body, she hung up and started running again, pushing her body to the limits and beyond. She couldn't get there fast enough, not by running, not when her body protested every last step she took. She wanted to scream, she wanted to cry, she wanted to transport herself to the house, to protect Regina and their son because she had no idea if Snow would go after them.

Emma spun around at the roar of an engine approaching from behind of her and she let out a relieved sigh as she saw the old Ford pickup approaching and the squeal of tires as David hit the breaks. Emma pushed herself to run towards the truck and nearly collapsed as David just barely made it out of the cab in time to catch her before she hit the ground.

"Emma?"

"We need to—"

"I know," David nodded. "Come on. Let's go and stop your mother before she does something she'll regret once she's no longer under Lily's spell."

Emma groaned as she got into the cab with her father's help and she waited until he was in behind the wheel before she reached over and stopped him from putting the truck into drive. "Wait, you know that she's under Lily's spell? How do you know that?"

"I should've picked up on it days ago," David sighed, staring straight ahead as his fingers gripped the steering wheel tight. "She's been acting strangely and I just thought it was because of the stress of everything that's been happening. She left the apartment this morning without checking in on Neal and when I woke, I found her crossbow gone and Neal was in his bed, crying for her."

"There's something else, something you're not telling me."

"Snow let her out."

"Lily is free?"

"Yes."

"What?" Emma yelled as David gingerly slipped the gear into drive. "What the hell are you waiting for? Drive!"

[X]

Regina shuddered as she gently laid Tink down, her breathing shallow, her body heavy and limp. The first thought in her mind was to rush inside, cast a protection spell around her son, but it occurred to her that Snow likely had no idea Henry was alive and there with her. At least that was the best possible outcome she could wish for in that very moment.

"Snow."

"Regina," she quipped with a smirk, her crossbow raised, a second arrow already loaded and ready to fire.

"You let her out."

"I did."

"Why?"

Snow laughed in a way that Regina had never heard her laugh before. It sounded dark, cruel, pure evil and it made her feel sick to her stomach. "I let her out because she instructed me to. She's not finished, Regina, and it's time."

"Time for what?"

"To finish the spell to bring down the barrier of course!"

Regina flinched and she knew in that moment she had to stall her, buy some time. Emma was on her way, she could feel her, Emma's presence growing nearer by the second. She took a moment to really look at Snow and despite the amiable distance between them, she recognized the darkness in her eyes, it was the same darkness that had been in Emma's when she'd been under Lily and Gold's control. She swallowed thickly, unmoving from where she stood on the front porch, her eyes locked on Snow White.

"That's it? You've got nothing to say?"

"Not to you," she said roughly. "But to Snow, maybe."

Snow chuckled dryly. "So you know?"

"I know you're under her control," Regina said carefully and she looked down at Tink, watching as she struggled to hold on to what was left of her life. "And you shot someone who is your friend, which I know when you are no longer under her spell and her control, you will feel immense guilt whether she dies or not."

"I don't feel anything other than satisfaction and the impending joy I am going to get when I kill you too."

"Did she tell you to take my life as well?"

"Tink got in the way. I just happen to have more than one arrow. The first one was meant for you, but it got her instead. This one?" Snow said darkly as she looked at the tip of her bolt and grinned wickedly. "This one is all for you."

Her heart was racing wildly and she knew what borrowed time she had was drawing to a close. She clenched her fists tightly, knowing that whatever move she made next would have to be done quickly, and she also knew she couldn't leave Tink there to die on her front porch either. As the slate grey smoke began to swirl around her feet, she ducked down and pulled Tink's body into her arms before she disappeared from her front porch, the sound of Snow screaming ringing loudly in her ears.

[X]

Emma gripped on to her knees, struggling to control her emotions as the truck roared down the road, still miles away from Mifflin Street. She could feel that it was too late already and she could sense an aura of danger coming from Regina. She could taste her fear. The anxiety was becoming far too much to handle and she turned to look at her father with a frown curling over her lips.

"I'm sorry."

"Emma—"

His voice was lost in the whoosh that filled her ears for a splitting second and she blinked past the slate grey smoke as it cleared. There she stood at the foot of the walkway leading up to 108 Mifflin Street and all she saw just beyond the gate was her mother with her crossbow, aimed and ready to fire.

She felt stuck in a tangent as she watched the bolt fire from the bow, cutting through the air the moment Regina bent down and picked Tink up and they disappeared just as the tip of the bolt touched the slate grey smoke that surrounded them. The sound of Snow's scream rang through the air and she spun around, a vicious growl escaping past her lips as she loaded another bolt into the crossbow and aimed it straight at her.

"Stop!" Emma cried out as she held her hands in front of her. "Snow! Stop!"

She narrowly missed dodging out of the way of the flying arrow, her body hitting the sidewalk hard as she used the hedge for cover. Emma barely had a moment to process what was happening and she could hear the solid steps that Snow took down the walkway towards the street, each one making her heart race harder, faster.

Emma was ready to act fast, but the sound of squealing tires and shouting voices stopped her from making a move. She watched in what felt like slow motion, Leroy jump out of the van with the dart gun in hand. He stopped in the middle of the street and took aim, the dart whizzing through the air and it sunk into Snow's shoulder deep, halting her in her tracks.

She emerged from behind the hedge in time to see Snow go down hard on the walkway. Leroy rushed towards her and Emma's eyes went to the pool of blood on the front porch. In a panic, she rushed past her mother and Leroy and into the house.

"Henry?" Emma called out as she ran up the winding staircase. She let out a sigh of relief as she charged into his room and found him lying on his bed with ear buds in his ears. "Hey, Henry?"

"What's up, Mom?"

"Where's—"

"Mom?" Henry asked as he plucked the ear buds out of his ears. "Someone rang the doorbell. She told me to wait her while she went to see who it was. I was just telling her that I swear I heard Grandma when I was—"

"You don't know who was at the door?"

"No," Henry said with a shake of his head and a mask of confusion on his face. "Mom, what's going on?"

"I don't know, but you need to stay here."

"Mom—"

"Henry, please."

Henry shook his head as he scrambled to get up from the bed and put himself between her and the door. "Why can't you just tell me what's going on right now, Mom? Is Lily—"

"Hello, Henry," Lily purred as she suddenly appeared behind him. "Emma."

[X]

Regina groaned as she landed just outside of the hospital with Tink, who was on the very brink of death, in her arms. It took seconds, yet it felt like minutes before a rush of nurses and Dr. Whale came running out of the entrance with a gurney. Regina stumbled back, allowing them to put Tink on the gurney and rush her inside with Dr. Whale running after them, shouting out orders.

"What happened?" A nurse asked Regina as she placed a steadying hand on her arm.

"She was shot."

"How long ago?"

"A handful of minutes ago."

"And you, are you in need of assistance?" The nurse asked as she looked at Regina's blood-soaked blouse. "Ma'am?"

"No, no, I'm fine. I'm fine," Regina said with a slow shake of her head and she stepped back from the nurse, her whole body shaking. "I—I can't stay here. There's somewhere else that I need to be."

"Ma'am?"

Regina closed her teary eyes and focused her magic on bringing her back home. Instead of reappearing inside her home, she ended up on the street. She didn't bother to worry that her magic was off, not when her emotions were at an all-time high and her mind was clouded with worried thoughts about Henry. She took off running, a feat in itself in her heels, but one she'd mastered over time. She barely stopped as she saw David approaching in his truck, the white van already idling by the curb.

"Regina? What happened? Are you okay?" David asked, jumping out of the truck and rushing towards her. "Are you hurt?"

"No, I'm fine," she said quickly and she pushed past him and hurried up the walkway, rushing past Leroy who was disarming an unconscious Snow halfway up the path.

"Emma's inside," Leroy called out to her as she stepped over the pool of Tink's blood and walked in the door that was left ajar.

Regina barely took two steps inside before she realized there was something very wrong. She could feel Emma there in the house, but there was something else, something stronger, something more powerful and she ran towards the stairs, taking two at a time as her mind raced and she tried not to panic. She gasped when she saw Henry's door was open and she came to a stop when she reached his room.

"Henry?" Regina said tearfully as she entered his empty room, the only sound coming from his iPod and ear buds that were lying on his bed. "Henry? Emma?"

She backed out of the bedroom slowly, her hand going to her chest to clutch at her racing heart. She backed right into David who grabbed her arms to keep her from running through the house, searching for her son and Emma.

"Regina?" David tried as her tears streamed down her face. "Regina, hey, it's okay."

"No!" She screamed at him. "It is not okay! They're gone! I told him to stay, I told him to stay and that I'd be right back. I just got him back and now he's gone."

"Regina, we'll find them. I promise you, we will find them and we will bring them home."

"Let me go," Regina growled, her mood instantly shifting from worried and heartbroken to pure, undiluted rage. "Now, David."

"Regina—"

"I know where they are."

"Regina—"

His voice faded as she appeared in the clearing in the woods and her heart dropped when she saw the scene that was unfolding in front of her very eyes. Lily held tight on to Henry, a knife pressed to his throat while Emma was being forced to kneel on the ground in front of them with Hook standing behind her, forcing her down, his hook on her shoulder with the tip pressing in where a small river of blood ran down the front of her jacket.

"You bastard," Regina muttered under her breath. She knew they couldn't trust the pirate, she knew he'd been leading them on the whole time they were in the cabin. She knew she should've killed him while she had the chance.

"Look who decided to join the party!" Lily laughed as she pointed over at Regina as she approached them. "Didn't take you long, did it?"

"I'm smarter than one would think."

"Yet not smart enough to try and take me out before I saw you first," Lily said and she clicked her tongue against her teeth with a sharp shake of her head. "Pity Snow didn't put you down like she was instructed to. I guess I'll have to do the job myself."

"Mom!" Henry yelled and he winced loudly as Lily grabbed on to the back of his hair and forced the knife against his throat a little harder. "Please…" He trembled, his voice sounding like that of a child, not a teenager growing into a man. "Please, don't kill me, please."

"Let him go," Regina said through clenched teeth.

"Regina…" Emma whimpered as she looked up at her with watery eyes.

"Would you get on with it, love?" Hook asked with a leer as he looked at Lily the way he'd once looked at Emma when he followed after her like a sad, lost little puppy. "We've already wasted so much time. I thought the barrier would've been down by now."

"Soon, my pet," Lily chuckled and she blew a kiss at the pirate before she let go of Henry's hair and flicked a wrist towards Regina, flinging her through the air backwards. "You'll stay out of the way if you want to stay alive, Regina!" Lily called out as she crashed to the ground, just barely managing to soften the blow with burst of magic.

Regina laid on the grown, her heart heavy and feeling defeated as her body protested any sudden movement just yet. She could only watch as Hook forced Emma to her feet, his hook still imbedded in her shoulder. She could faintly hear the whimpering cry escape past Emma's lips across the distance as Hook forced her to the tree line and the boundary that circled the entire town. And she could do nothing but watch helplessly as Emma raised her hands towards the barrier, the shimmer rippling in the air as she touched it.

"Emma, no," Regina groaned weakly as she turned on her side and struggled to get up. "Don't do it, Emma, please."

Just as she got to her feet, what unfolded next caught her by surprise. Emma and Hook just gave each other a subtle nod before they charged towards Lily together, Emma pulling Henry from her as they caught her off-guard. She stumbled forward as she watched Hook grab a hold of Lily and with a low growl he sunk his hook into her neck deep.

He pushed her back, his hook dripping with a mixture of blood and something black on the tip. Regina reached for Henry and Emma, pulling them into her arms as they watched in horror as Hook grappled with Lily, wrapping his arm around her neck to squeeze the life out of her before she could bleed out.

"Emma, what the hell?" Regina asked, unable to look away even as she forced Henry to do just that, not wanting her son to have more nightmares on top of the ones he would undoubtedly have already. "Emma? I thought he was on her side, he had his hook in you!"

"I thought he was too, until he whispered to me to follow his lead and to grab Henry."

"And you trusted him?"

"Well, yeah!" Emma sighed and they looked over at Hook as he let Lily's now lifeless body drop to the ground. "Killian, what the hell?!" Emma yelled at him, tearing herself away from Henry and Regina as she charged towards him and thrust her fists into his chest.

"I had to let her believe I was still working with her, love. For the greater good," he said with a nonchalant shrug.

"You ruined my jacket!"

"Savior blood. It's like poison to her."

"And you know this how?" Emma was enraged beyond belief. "You know what? No, don't tell me right now because I can't deal with this yet."

Regina turned her attention to Henry, running her hands over his head and face. "Henry, are you all right?"

"I'm fine, Mom. You—you're covered in blood and you're asking me if I'm okay?"

"It's not mine."

"Who?" Emma asked as she joined the two where they stood. "Who is it? Who did she shoot?"

"Who shot who?"

"Snow," Regina sighed and she stared at her son for a moment before looking over at Emma. "She shot Tink. She came to warn me that Lily was free."

"She shot Tink?"

"Grandma is a villain now?" Henry looked confused and the worry sounded clear in his voice.

"She was coming after me," Regina said softly. "Fortunately, she missed her mark the second time."

"And Tink?"

"I—I don't know," she frowned. "I managed to transport her to the hospital. I—I came right back as soon as she was in the hands of the doctors and nurses there and found you two gone."

"Tink got shot?" Hook asked as he ran a hand over his hair. "By Snow White?"

"Moms?" Henry groaned tiredly. "Can we go home now?"

"Yes, dear," Regina sighed as she reached out for Emma's hand. "We can go home now. It's been a rather eventful day, hasn't it?"

Emma rolled her eyes as Henry groaned and Regina just smiled before she wrapped her arms around her family and took them home.