Once Upon A Time: The Devil's Journey, Part Thirty-Six

By Rebekkalee Mouri-Hibiki

Emma looked up as Neal walked out of the bedroom. Henry stepped aside so she could look at him. " So... What's the word? " She asked.

" I found a carbut my friend is working, " Neal said. " It's just down the street though so it won't take long for us to go get it. "

" Wait, " Emma frowned. " Us? "

" Yeah. You have to come with me, " Neal said. " I can't get it by myself. "

" Why? " Emma asked.

Neal looked to the side and gave her a nervous half grin, " I just would feel safer if you came along. "

Emma stood up, motioning to Mr. Gold, " I can't leave him here by himself though. "

" He won't be, " Henry said. Emma looked at him, his little face more serious than she had ever seen it before. He looked like he was trying to be brave though his eyes told her he was still scared. " I can stay with him. "

" Oh Henry, " Emma turned to him and put her hands on his shoulders. " I don't know if I want to leave you here. With Hook in the storage room... "

" He's tied up, isn't he? " Henry asked. His hands were shoved in his coat pockets, something that let Emma know he really was unsure about what he was asking to do. It was one of her signature moves when she was determined to do something regardless of how frightened she was.

Emma nodded, " Yeah... With zip ties and an extension cord. "

" And he doesn't know which apartment we're in, right? " Henry prodded.

Emma thought about it then nodded, " Yeah but he could tear this place apart looking for Gold. "

Henry frowned, " And he could just leave, thinking we took him out of here as quickly as we could. "

Neal touched Emma's right shoulder, " He's right you know. Look, we won't be away that long. Ten minutes tops. Come on. "

Emma closed her eyes, " I... I would just feel safer if I knew he had some way to defend himself. "

" I do, " Henry said. Emma opened her eyes to see him walk over to where he had put down Mr. Gold's cane. He picked it up, " I have this. All I really need to do is get in one good shot to his head. "

Emma had handled the cane a few times herself, knowing the weight of it made it a formidable weapon. She recalled how much damage it had done to Moe French. He had suffered a concussion, a fractured arm, a cracked rib and some nerve damage as a result of the beating he had gotten from Mr. Gold. She also knew that Henry was strong so he could wield it well enough to hurt Hook if he needed to.

" So? " Henry raised his eyebrows.

" It's only going to be ten minutes, Emma, " Neal said quietly. " We could have been half way there by now. "

Emma looked to Mr. Gold. He was still slumped against the back of the couch, his eyes closed and pain tainting his features. He was sweating profuselyand it seemedbreathing was taking a lot of effort. She was so scared to leave him alone, not knowing how long the poison would take to work its way through his system.

She knew she would never be able to forgive herself if anything happened to him while they were away. She moved towards him, " Gold... "

" Go, Emma. It needs to be done, " He opened his eyes slightly and looked at her. " The longer you tarry is one less minute I will live. "

Emma nodded, knowing it was true. She took a deep breath, " I promise we'll come back as soon as we can. "

" Henry is a brave boy, " He closed his eyes again. " I know he can protect me. "

Emma looked at Henry, " We'll be right back. "

" Okay, " Henry nodded.

Emma leaned down and kissed his forehead before glancing at Mr. Gold. She wanted to give him a kiss goodbye but thought better of it. He didn't want her touching him, scared it would be enough to poison her as well. She looked at Neal, " Okay. Let's go. "

Neal nodded once and opened the door, ushering her out. They went downstairs quickly, Neal darting ahead of her as they reached the security gate. He opened itand she walked through, stopping at the door as he caught up. He opened the doorand she stepped out onto the sidewalk, turning to him.

The way he had reacted when he found out she was with pregnant with Mr. Gold's children had puzzled herbut she had other things on her mind and couldn't ask them at the time. Neal touched her arm and pointed down the street, " This way. Follow me. "

" Neal, " Emma said as she walked behind him. He seemed agitated and eager to get to the car. She wanted to get there toobut his excitement seemed strange to her.

" Yeah? " He glanced at her.

" About that back at the apartment, " Emma motioned over her shoulder.

Neal put his left hand up, " Let's focus on getting the car, okay? "

Emma rolled her eyes. She was having a hard time talking anyway. Neal was walking fastand she had to practically jog to keep up. " Where are we going anyway? "

Neal looked up at the street signs, " Should be just one more block west. "

" Once we get the car, what do we do about Hook? " She thought of an easier question for him to answer.

" I don't know. He made his way to New York. I'm sure he can make his way out of a storage room. You have a problem with leaving him behind? I sure don't, " Neal glanced at her.

" Sure that you've done it before, " Emma said with a slight tone of bitterness.

" Great, " Neal said. " That's taken care of. "

She decided to just go for it and ask the real question that had been nagging at her. " I have to admit... After some of the things you said last night about Mr. Gold, I'm surprised you're rallying to his side like this. "

" That was before I knew that you two were together and I can't let him die... Not if he means as much to you as it looks like he does, " Neal sounded a little hurt towards the end of the sentence. He looked at her, " And if he really is supposed to help you become what you're supposed to be. "

" So you're okay with us being together now after you said he was evil last night? " Emma asked. She recalled how Neal had told her that she needed to get away from Mr. Gold as soon as she could.

" I wouldn't be getting us a car and volunteering to sail a ship to get home if I weren't, " Neal chuckled nervously. He then quirked his mouth, " And I'll get to spend more time with my boy. "

Emma smiled. It seemed Neal had more of a heart than she gave him credit for. She knew it would mean a lot to Henry as well. " Maybe it will be good for him to have you around... Even if it is only for a visit. "

Neal jogged out ahead of her without responding to her words. He motioned to a car parked along the curb, " Here's our car. "

Emma looked at the silver SUV as Neal felt around in the driver's side wheel well. " Please tell me we are not going to hot wire this thing. "

Neal pulled his hand out, dangling a set of keys from his index finger. " Uh, no. It belongs to a friend, " He stammered slightly.

Emma sensed something a little off with his explanation, like he wasn't telling her everything. The car looked really expensiveand she knew the person had to be much more than that. " That's a generous friend, " Emma scoffed.

" Yeah... About that, " Neal looked away then back at her. " We need to finish our conversation... From earlier. There's something you need to know about me before we get on the ship. I was scared to tell you but seeing how things are now... With you and Gold... "

" Neal! " A woman called to him. Emma turned to find a beautiful dark-skinned woman running towards them. She wore a gray sweater coat, a matching sweater, short black skirt, a dark red scarf and black boots. She gasped for air, " Thank God I caught you. "

Emma watched as she reached out and hugged him. She got a little nervous, wondering how much Neal had told her about what was going on. " What are you doing here? " He asked as he returned the hug.

" I don't know, " The woman said. " I got a little worried after talking to you. You can't just say, " She paused as she looked over at Emma like she was a bit surprised to see her standing there. She turned her attention back to Neal, " You're leaving town for a while. "

" Everything's fine, " Neal tried to assure the woman. " Okay? I promise. "

" Alright, sweetie. Just tell me what's going on? " The woman said. She seemed a little suspicious of Emma and the lack of information Neal was giving her.

Emma thought about Mr. Gold and how she had said they would be right back. She knew if Neal took time to talk to the woman, it would make them late and waste time they did not have. She was also concerned that Henry would get worried. Though he had tried to look brave, she knew he was just as scared as she was.

" Neal, " Emma said firmly. Neal and the woman turned to look at her, the woman giving her another strange look. Neal looked at her then at Emma. The woman extended her hand, " Tamara. "

Emma shook her hand and forced a polite smile, " Emma. "

Neal looked at Emma, " My fiancée. "

Emma continued to smile though the news was a bit of a shock to her. She found herself almost saddened by the news that he had moved on. The way he had acted the night before had made her wonder if he still had feelings for her. She was afraid that he did, making it hard for to think of a way to tell him about Mr. Gold and the babies.

It also became painfully clear why Neal had been dodging her questions and changed his attitude about Mr. Gold. He had probably hoped he would not have to introduce her to Tamara at all. " I see, " She nodded once. She glanced at Neal, " I'm an old friend. "

Tamara nodded, " An old friend. Right. So, " She turned to Neal. " What are you doing? "

Emma gave Neal a cautioning lookand he frowned, " I really haven't got time to explain because it's really urgent I get Emma back to where she belongs. Once I do, I will call you and tell you everything. I swear. "

Tamara frowned, " Why all this secrecy, Neal? Just tell me. "

" A... A friend of hers is in a bad situation and we need to get them out of it, " Neal looked at Emma as he carefully picked his words. " It's life or death... Seriously. "

Tamara looked at Emma, " Really? "

Emma nodded, " Yeah and we're wasting time. I really need to get back to him. "

Tamara nodded, " Okay. "

Neal put his hands on her arms, " Look, baby. I'll tell you everything once the situation is resolved. Now, we really have to go. "

Tamara stepped back, " Then I better not stand in your way. But Neal... "

" Yes? " He looked at her.

" Call me as soon as you can, alright? " Tamara took his hands in hers.

Neal squeezed her hands, " I will. "

Tamara let go of his hands, " I better go. I'm on a fifteen minute breakand I need to get back to work. "

" Thanks again, baby. You won't regret this, " Neal said as Tamara walked away.

Emma waited until Tamara was out of earshot before she turned to Neal, " Is that what you couldn't tell me? "

Neal nodded, " Yeah. "

Emma closed her eyes, " Let's just get back to Mr. Gold now. We can talk about this later. "

" I'm sure we will, " Neal replied as the sound of the car doors unlocking reached Emma's ears.

Emma opened her eyes and walked out in front of the car. She looked both ways before walking to the passenger side and getting in...

Mary-Margret knelt down, patting the dirt of the grave around a freshly planted snowdrop. After she had collected herself, she had David call the dwarves to help bury her friend in the graveyard. They had asked very few questions and worked quickly to put Johanna to rest. The Blue Fairy had even preformed a small service, blessing Johanna's remains before the dwarves had covered her up.

David had even went to Johanna's house and carefully dug up one of the flowers. Not only were they Queen Ava's favorite, Johanna seemed to be fond of them too. She hadn't had the time to ask why but she would have loved to have known. There was so much she had wanted to talk about with her old friend but it would be impossible since she had been snatched so cruelly away.

The dwarves and The Blue Fairy had been gone for a while but Mary-Margret lingered, consumed with sorrow for her handmaid. She stood up, David reaching over and rubbing her back. " It was a beautiful service. I'm sorry. "

" That never should have happened, " Mary-Margret said quietly. She took a breath, " Johanna was an innocent. "

David continued to rub her back, " You can't blame yourself. You did the best you could do in an impossible situation. "

" And yet Regina's family mausoleum has remained untouched, " Mary-Margret stared at it. So many things had happened there. Emma had been held captive and David had told her how Henry had gone there in an attempt to find a way to bring them home. " No one she loves has been buried there since we came here. "

David looked at her, fear coming over his face. " Mary-Margret... " He moved to block her view of the mausoleum.

" I've followed the same rule my entire life. Hold on to goodness, " Mary-Margret looked past him. " That's what my mother taught me. "

She looked towards David but not right at him as she continued to speak. " How many more lives is following that lesson going to take away from me? "

David turned to her more, putting his hand out in a cautioning motion. " You can't let Cora make you lose faith in who you are. Someone who does the right thing. That's exactly what she wants. "

" I made the right decision when I stopped Regina's execution all those years ago, " Mary-Margret recalled how she had stood up for her though David insisted she die. She gasped, something occurring to her, " When it could have saved us all of this heartache. "

She looked up to the sky, " I made the right decision... " She turned to David, " When I sent Emma through the wardrobe alone. And we didn't see her first steps. "

There were so many firsts they had missed, so many special memories unmade. If David's fears were true, they would miss the same things with the twins. She thought again as she continued to speak, " I made the right decision when I let my own mother die from Cora's poison. "

David touched her waist as he moved to look her in the face though she kept her eyes on the sky. " And we keep beating them. "

Mary-Margret shook her head, " At what cost? All I want is our happy ending... It's time... We've earned it... No more lives lost... No more hearts broken. "

David grabbed her, " The dagger. It's useless until Gold returns to Storybrooke. We have time. We'll get it backand when we do, we can bring Cora and Regina to justice. "

Mary-Margret looked at him, " I don't care about justice anymore. "

David shrank back like the words had shocked him but she was past the point of caring. " We keep thinking that people will change. What if that's wrong? What if I'm the one who has to change? "

" Change how? " David asked, sounding confused by her words.

Mary-Margret could only think of one way to keep herself and her family safe. She had to kill the problem at the root and she knew just who that rotten root was. " I'm going to kill Cora. "

Emma sat in the back of the SUV, holding Mr. Gold's right hand as Neal drove to the harbor. After some argument, he agreed to let her do it but only if she wore a glove to protect her from Hook's poison. The thin barrier did little to hinder her ability to feel the coldness of his flesh, the latex slipping against his clammy palm. She looked at Neal in the rear view mirror, " How much further? "

Neal glanced back, " We should be at the harbor in a few minutes. Finding Hook's ship on the other hand might be hard. You said it was cloaked, right? "

Emma frowned, " We'll deal with that when we get there. "

Mr. Gold moved like he was going to sit up but Emma let go of his hand and pushed him gently down. " You need to stay on your left side. It will slow the spread of the poison. "

" This is uncomfortable, Emma, " He whispered as he tried to get up again.

Emma pushed him a little harder, " Deal with it. We need all the time we can get. "

" Perhaps it is already too late, " Mr. Gold muttered.

Emma shook her head, " I told you to trust me. We'll get home and get you healed. "

" What good will that do? " Mr. Gold replied. " It will all be for naught if Cora gets my dagger. "

" David and Mary-Margret will come through for us, I swear. You have to trust them too, " Emma reached up and brushed a lock of hair that had fallen over his face back. " Just have faith in them, okay? "

Mr. Gold narrowed his eyes then closed them without a word. Emma was glad, not wanting to argue with him about anything else. She wanted to keep him calm because getting his heart rate up would make the poison spread faster. Neal pulled to a stop in the parking lot of the harbor, glancing up at Emma in the rear view mirror as he shut off the engine.

" How are we going to do this? " He asked.

" The two of you go find the ship, " Emma said. She looked at Mr. Gold, " I'll stay with him. "

Neal frowned slightly then nodded, " I'll be quick about it. "

" Please, " Emma said. She watched as he got out of the car and Henry got out with him. She kept her eyes on them as they walked down the pier until they were out of sight. She reached down and took off the glove she had been wearing, tossing it aside.

Mr. Gold opened his eyes and frowned, " Why are you taking that off? "

" I've been watching Neal since you warned me about touching you. He's touched you more than I have. He's not sick so I'm pretty sure the poison can't be absorbed through the skin. "

Mr. Gold closed his eyes then sighed, relenting to her hypothesis. " I suppose you're right. He would be in the same shape as myself if it could. "

Emma nodded, " Exactly. "

There was a silence before Mr. Gold opened his eyes again, " Has there been any word from your mother or father? "

Emma shook her head, " No. My phone hasn't gone off at all. "

" Getting the dagger shouldn't have taken this long, " Mr. Gold frowned.

" There's no telling where they were at when I called them, " Emma offered.

Mr. Gold opened his eyes again, " Still... It should not have taken this long. "

" For the last time, Gold. Have faith in them. Please... " Emma said firmly. She then sighed, " For me at least. "

He closed his eyes slowly, " I will try. "

Emma looked up to find Henry and Neal were coming back to the car. Neal walked around to the trunk hatch and opened it. " We found it. It's down at a deserted part of the pier. It's hidden behind a maintenance shed. Emma, it's not cloaked any more. "

" Of course not, " Mr. Gold grunted as Neal pulled the blanket he was laid out on. " There is no magic in this world... Only in Storybrooke. "

Emma scooted out as Neal pulled, her feet touching the ground before she turned to help Mr. Gold into a sitting position. When his feet were on the ground, she retrieved his cane from where she had stowed it. She handed it to him, waiting as he put it on the ground. He took a deep breath and winced in pain.

" Are you okay? " Emma touched his back.

He shook his head, " It hurts to breathe. It aggravates my stab wound. "

" We have to hurry, " Neal said. " I don't know how much longer a pirate ship can go unnoticed here. "

Emma looked at Mr. Gold, " But he can't walk fast. "

Neal looked around, " Where's Henry? He was just here a minute ago. "

Emma looked around to find he had slipped away in the few moments she had taken her eyes off of him. She frowned, " I told you he was slippery. "

Neal stepped away from the car and looked around, " Henry? "

Emma wanted to stand up but she couldn't, Mr. Gold leaning heavily on her for support. If she moved, he would fall and he didn't need to be injured any more than he was. " Go find him, Neal! We haven't got time for this. "

Neal turned and took a step, stopping. " Oh. Here he comes. "

Emma looked around Neal to find Henry was coming back, pushing a wheelchair. When he got close enough, Neal walked towards him. " Where did you go? " Emma heard him ask.

" I didn't think Mr. Gold could walk that far so I grabbed this. I spotted it on the way back and thought I'd grab it. We can leave it once we got on the ship, " Henry replied.

Neal patted him on the shoulder, " Great thinking, kid. Come on. "

Emma watched as Neal hustled Henry back to the car. " Come on, Gold. "

He opened his eyes and cracked a ghost of a smile, " Clever boy. "

" Yeah, " Emma smiled gently. " He is. "

Henry parked the wheelchair close enough to the car, Neal reaching down and locking the brakes. Emma wrapped her arm around Mr. Gold's waist, helping him off the ledge of the trunk. Neal reached for him, steadying him as Emma eased him down into the chair. She helped him lift his feet onto the footrests before releasing the brakes.

Emma moved behind the chair, Neal and Henry moving to get the bags out of the trunk. Once they were out, Neal closed the trunk and got out his cell phone. " One second. I have to let Tamara know where her car is. "

Emma gripped her handles of the wheelchair tightly as Neal texted her. When he was finished, he took the keys out of his pocket and walked around to the front of the car. He placed them back in the same place he had gotten them less than half an hour before. He came back and picked up Emma's bags as well as Mr. Gold's suitcase, " We're good to go. "

" Good, " Emma nodded once. She looked at Henry, who had his own bags and Mr. Gold's garment bag. " Ready, kid? "

" Yeah, " He nodded. " I want to go home. "

" That's where we're headed, " Emma said.

Neal stepped out in front, " Follow me. I'll show you the way. "

Emma nodded, following Neal and Henry as they led the way to the ship. After a few minutes of walking, Emma could see the maintenance shed in the distance. The boat slips around it were empty, some of the piers in bad repair. She had to slow and be careful as she pushed Mr. Gold over the uneven aged boards, each little bump making him gasp in pain.

Some of the boards wobbled under her feet like they were missing nails. She could see why Hook had picked to dock the boat in such a place. It seemed that the part of the harbor they were in had been untouched for years. She was starting to worry just how safe the pier was when they reached the maintenance building.

" It's just around the corner, " Neal looked over his shoulder at her.

" I hope so, " Emma replied. She followed them as they turned to walk down the side of the building. She stopped when she saw the ship. It swayed with the motion of the water, the masts stretching skyward and the gathered sails whiter than anything she had ever seen.

Neal and Henry walked up to the side of the ship, Emma following. She stopped at a set of steps leading onto it, looking down at Mr. Gold then at Neal. Neal turned, " He's going to have to walk from here. "

" I can do it, " Mr. Gold replied as he moved to stand. Emma quickly set the brakes, moving the help him up. She stepped around the wheelchair to get her arm around his waist. He put his arm around her and they walked carefully walked up the steps.

When they reached the top, Emma paused as he tried to catch his breath. " Let's finish this, " Mr. Gold muttered.

Emma nodded, helping him down the stairs that led to the deck. She looked around, wondering just where to take him so he could lay down. Henry darted ahead of them, pointing to the back of the ship. " We learned about ships at school. The sleeping quarters should be that way. "

" Yes, " Mr. Gold nodded. " It's called the quarterdeck for a reason. "

Emma moved in the direction Henry pointed, looking up to see Neal pondering the wheel. " So you think you can do it? "

He ran his finger over a space next to the wheel, " It looks like someone scratched some directions into the wood here. They're scratched through but I think I can read it. With the map, I'll be able to figure it out. "

" Give me a hand getting him below deck and I'll help, " Emma said. She didn't know anything about ships either but she could read maps and was good at figuring things out.

Neal walked down the steps that led to the wheel. He went to Mr. Gold's left side. " Sure. Henry. "

" Yeah? " Henry asked.

" Help me and your mom, " Neal motioned to the door. " Get the door. "

" Right, " Henry opened the door.

Emma frowned when she saw more stairs before she looked Mr. Gold, " Can you handle this? "

" Stop treating me like I'm made of glass, Emma. Of course I can, " He sounded like he was getting annoyed with her concern.

" Fine, " She muttered. It was a tight fit in the narrow passage, but they made it to the bottom. Henry moved ahead of them as soon as he was able, getting the next door that stood in their way. He opened it, stepping into the room as Neal and Emma followed.

" Wow, " He said as he looked around. " This must be Hook's quarters. "

Emma looked around as well. It was decorated like she had always expected a pirate's bedroom to be except for one thing. There was a crib close to the bed, a shelf of handmade stuffed animals above it. To the side, she spied what looked like a trunk filled with baby clothes.

She then remembered how Hook had told her about his child that had died. She could see it had affected him deeply if he still held onto her things. For only living a day, she had a lot of belongings. That told Emma he had probably welcomed the idea of being a father.

" Let's put him down here, " Neal nodded towards the bed.

" Right, " Emma said and they moved that way. When they reached it, they eased Mr. Gold down.

" I want to sit up, " He said as they started to let him go. " I'm tired of lying down. "

" You need to lay on your left side, " Emma started.

" Set me up or I'll do it myself as soon as you leave the room, " Mr. Gold cut her off.

Emma frowned, knowing he would do exactly that. The effort it would take would push the poison through his system, cutting moments from his life he did not have to spare. " Fine. Fine. "

Neal looked at Emma, " I'll hold him. "

" Thanks, " Emma sighed. He did as he said he would as she gathered all the pillows from the bed so he could be propped up. Once they were piled up, she nodded and Neal laid him back. " Good? "

" Yes, " Mr. Gold sighed as he closed his eyes.

Emma turned to see where Henry was. He was surveying the things on Hook's desk. She was about to tell him to stop when the sound of footsteps overhead made her catch her breath. They were heavy, like the person was wearing boots.

Neal heard it too, his face going pale as he looked at Emma. " Do you think... "

" Shh, " Emma shushed him as Henry came back to them. " It could be but I don't know. We can't leave Gold unprotected if it is. "

Henry looked to the door then bolted back over to the desk. Above it hung a rack with three swords. He quickly pulled them down, handing one to Emma and one to Neal. " These should help. "

Emma frowned, " I hope so. "

The footsteps grew louder, like the person was coming downstairs. Emma put her arms out, nudging Neal and Henry closer to the bed then readied herself as the person appeared in the doorway. He gave a terse smile, " Oh. Here you are. "

Emma stepped forward, not sure if she could believe what she was seeing. " Baelfire? " She gasped.

" Bae? " Mr. Gold sounded surprised as well. " You... You came back? "

Baelfire walked into the room and stopped in front of them, Neal moving aside so Mr. Gold could see him too. He shrugged off the backpack he had slung over his right shoulder and set it down. He nodded, " Yeah. I'm back. "

" You came back to me, " Mr. Gold sounded like he was about to start crying.

Baelfire glared at him, " I'm not doing it for you. I'm doing because of you. "

" Because of me? " Mr. Gold sounded puzzled. " What do you mean? "

" You mean you don't know? " Baelfire scoffed. " I could have stayed away but that would have made me a coward... That would have made me just like you. I don't want a bunch of innocent people to die because of me. I don't think I could live with myself if that happened but it will if Emma doesn't make it back to Storybrooke. "

" Oh Bae, " Mr. Gold sobbed.

" Save it, " Baelfire said. " I have a ship to sail. "

Emma watched as Baelfire walked back to the stairs, his gaze settling on Neal and Henry as he passed them. He stopped and motioned to the stairs, " I could use some help up top for a few minutes. I'll tell you what we need to do once we get up there. "

Neal looked at Henry, " Wanna go learn how to sail a pirate ship? "

Henry smiled, " Yeah. "

Neal slapped Henry's shoulder, " Then let's go. "

Emma shook her head as they ran up the stairs together then looked at Mr. Gold. He had his right hand over his eyes and he looked like he was crying. She sighed and sat down next to him, " We're going home. If it's the only thing he does for us, I'll still be grateful. "

Mr. Gold sniffled, " Go. I want to be alone right now. "

" Gold, " Emma reached for his left hand. She startled when he jerked it away. She could tell that Baelfire calling him a coward had hurt him deeply. She wanted to tell him that she didn't think he was one but the way he jerked his hand away made her hold her tongue.

" I said go! " He said loudly.

Emma stood up, clenching her fists at her sides but couldn't think of anything to say. Instead, she turned and ran up the stairs as tears came to her eyes...