DISCLAIMER:: do not own

A/N:: so this chapter is all more flashback. i hope everyone is enjoying a little emma time. we really haven't seen too much of her but i do promise that will change, and not just flashbacks either *hint hint*. enjoy and review.

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Finally, they were giving her freedom. She'd been kept on such a tight leash ever since she'd asked her parents about Regina. The look on Snow's face when she'd begged to be with the Evil Queen had broken her heart. But Regina had always been her choice. Regina, and Henry, they were the only family she'd ever known. They were everything.

They'd agreed after that trick to let her spend one hour at the lake everyday. And she spent that hour with Regina, or at least with her image. She rememorized every curve of her fingers, every bat of her eyelashes, every curl in her hair. She talked to her reflection as if she were there. There were times she thought she may be going crazy, but what difference was this from those old widows who kept that creased old photograph of their deceased lovers? This was her photograph. This gave her sanity and peace of mind. She could bear her prison as long as she knew Regina existed. That single hour was the one time in the day that she felt truly alive.

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"Do you like boats?"

Emma looked over her shoulder. "Why?"

Snow leaned in the doorway. "You always seem so happy when you leave for the lake."

Emma shrugged. "It's peaceful there; I can think."

Snow sighed and came into the room. "It's not all bad here Emma, you'll see."

"Maybe I would be able to see if I wasn't followed everywhere."

Snow bit her lip. "The royals in the land where you grew up, didn't they have guards?"

Emma nodded. "Yes, they did. But the guards took the orders; they didn't give them."

Snow sighed. "Fair enough." She sat down on the other side of the bed. "I don't want to see you unhappy Emma. I'm not blind. This hour of freedom you get is the only time I see a smile on your face. So, if you will swear an oath not to seek out the Evil Queen or anyone else who will take you to her, then you will have your freedom."

Emma regarded her mother suspiciously. "You'd let me go wherever I wanted, whenever I wanted? No guards?"

Snow nodded. "You may go wherever you wish, except to her."

Emma grinned and pulled her mother into a hug. It wasn't exactly what she wanted, but it was definitely something she could work with.

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"You're an oracle, right?" Emma sat at the edge of the water as she did everyday.

The face regarded her with a frown. "To an extent. I cannot tell you the future, only the present."

"Is there anyway around this magic? Is there anyway I can be with her?"

Sidney was quiet for a long moment. Then, "Seek out the Exiled Wolf. He is the leader of a guild of assassins known as the Green Cloaks. He can help you."

"How can I find him?"

"Go to the village of Gotstow. There is a man there, a tailor. Tell him you have services to offer the Exiled Wolf. He'll know where to find the man you seek."

"Why are you helping me?" Emma stared at him curiously. Back in Storybrooke, Sidney Glass hadn't exactly been her greatest fan. He'd never seemed to hate her, but he also was not one to offer her any favors. Why would he here?

"It is not you I help, but her. Even after all this time, I still can't bear to see her suffer."

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"Are you sure you're ready for a trip of this magnitude on your own? Gotstow is on the edge of Mount Larene. It's nearly half a day's ride one way and you aren't familiar with the landscape."

Emma held up a hand to cut her mother off. "I'm not going alone. Your sending Luca and Cohmree with me. They'll protect me and be my guides until I get there. I want to explore, get out and see more of this land. Now that the treaty is in place, I can do so without fear. You've done everything you can to protect me, mom, it's time to loosen the leash a little."

Snow White had to admit that Emma was right. Gotstow was nowhere near the boundary line set by the treaty. She wasn't going to meet Regina. It was an odd selection. Of all the villages in their half of the realm, why Gotstow? But she knew the more she pressed for an answer, the less likely her daughter was to offer one. She had agreed easily enough to having Luca and Cohmree accompany her on the journey, so long as they left her to her business once there. It was more than she could have hoped for. Plus, Emma seemed excited for the first time since the treaty and Snow didn't want to take that from her. "You'll be careful?"

Emma rolled her eyes. "Of course."

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"This is Gotstow?" Emma raised an eyebrow as she looked around.

"Not what you expected Princess?" Cohmree, a beefy guard with a scrunched up face that looked as if he was always thinking hard, tried to look amused, failing slightly.

"Not really, no." It wasn't like any of the more prosperous cities anywhere near the palace. This was the first she'd seen of poverty. The huts, for that's what the buildings could only be described as, were spread out. They were crudely made, obviously the handiwork of those individuals who now resided in them.

She slid down off her horse and handed the reins to Cohmree. "I don't know how long I'll be. Why don't you both go water the horses at that stream we saw about half a mile back?"

Luca, a tall and handsome young man two years her junior, seemed hesitant. "What if you need us Princess?"

"I'll be fine. I can handle myself."

He still seemed reluctant, but Cohmree cleared his throat and they departed back up the way they'd come. Once they had rounded a bend back up the road a ways, she turned and set about finding the tailor.

It was rather easy. The village was a fair size but the first villager she asked was able to point her to a cabin near the far side of town. It looked much like the other buildings around it, but there was a wooden sign hanging loosely from a metal pole above the door, depicting a needle and a spool of thread. She knocked, not really sure whether it was customary to just walk into establishments here.

A man who appeared to be just a few years older than herself answered the door. He wasn't bad looking. She wasn't sure why, but she had expected someone who looked a little more like Benjamin Franklin, colonial clothes and all, but this man was actually attractive.

"How may I be of service, Mi'lady?"

She shook her head to clear her thoughts and remember her purpose for coming here and then looked around to make sure no one was nearby. She leaned in and lowered her voice to a near whisper. "I was told to come to you for help with finding the Exil…"

The man held up a hand and gestured her inside, closing and locking the door behind her. The second the door was secure, he whirled on her. "Who are you? Who sent you? Where did you hear that name?"

"My name is Emma. I was sent here by a friend, the same friend who provided me with that name."

"What makes you think I can help you with what you seek?" He still regarded her with suspicion.

"I have services to offer the Exiled Wolf. I can help him with his mission. I just need to meet with him."

The young man raised an eyebrow and circled her slowly. "You expect to help the Exiled Wolf on his mission? What skills could you possibly possess?"

Emma waited until he had come nearly around back to her front and her leg swiped out, catching him behind the knees and knocking him on his ass. She swung down in a flash, wrapping him in a chokehold. "Well, first of all, I'm often underestimated. It's an advantage I welcome." She let him out of the hold.

He glared at her. "Point taken."

"Now, can you take me to him or not?" She got up and dusted her skirt off before holding her hand out to help him up.

He shook his head. "That's not how it works. Return to the palace Princess. I shall offer him your services and if he wishes to accept, the Exiled Wolf will find you."

"That's not good enough!"

The man shrugged. "Well that is all I can offer."

Emma sighed. She wouldn't win this. "Fine. But tell your wolf friend to consider fast. This offer has an expiration date." She stormed out of the shop and back towards the road that would return her to the guards and the horses.

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It was almost two weeks later before he chose to seek her out.

She stared lovingly down at the reflection. Sadly, she had become used to this. She was in love with a reflection. After she'd pried Sidney's, or rather, the Genie's, story from him one afternoon, she realized they ironically had much in common. Everyday they both found solace in the reflection of the same woman, although he was quick to point out that Regina had never spared a tear for him.

Today, Regina looked more sad than any other time she'd seen the older woman. Her hair was once again up; Emma still had yet to see it down. She was tense and there was an air of… defeat around her that Emma had never seen before. Emma ached to let her know that she was here, that she was trying her hardest to find a way to her, that she would never ever give up on her. They'd been through so much in the time they'd known each other. They'd sacrificed so much! She'd lost her son, twice! Regina was all she had left in her world now. If she didn't have her… she had nothing.

A reflection fell across the vision of Regina on the surface of the water. The figure wore a heavy green cloak that hid the face. Emma's spine went rigid and she spun fast, punching him in the stomach. She jumped back, searching her surroundings for a weapon of some sort. The best she found was a fallen tree branch. She brandished it as one would a sword.

The figure, just recovered from her first blow, stumbled forward. She took a swing, but a gloved hand caught the branch and snapped it as if it were nothing more than a twig. She lunged forward and tackled the hooded stranger, knocking them both to the ground.

"Just as feisty as I remember." The stranger managed to choke out as they both warred to get the upper hand.

Emma froze, straddled across the former Sheriff's torso, her skirts billowing around them. She pushed back his hood. "Graham? You're alive?"

"Not if you have anything to say about it, it seems." He chuckled and grinned.

Emma narrowed her eyes. "I saw you die."

Graham raised an eyebrow. "And you haven't encountered the unbelievable before?" He gestured around them.

Emma had to admit that he did have a point. Her entire life had become one unbelievable event after another. Could she really question anything anymore?

"Why are you here Graham?"

He frowned.

Realizing how she sounded, Emma shook her head. "I didn't mean that how it sounded. I just… how did you find me?"

"You asked me to come. As for how, you aren't exactly covering your tracks. Your life as a Princess has become rather routine Emma. It's not hard."

Emma frowned. "You're the Exiled Wolf?" She felt stupid for not having realized it before. "Of course. It makes perfect sense now."

"What business could you possibly have with the lead of a guild of assassins?"

"I was told by… a friend that you could help me."

"Help you what?"

"Graham, after you died, back in Storybrooke… I… Regina and I…" She sighed. "I love her."

"But, let me guess, the treaty is keeping you apart?"

Emma sighed. "She doesn't even know I survived the breaking of the curse."

"She stole my heart from my chest Emma. And when I'd served her purpose, she destroyed it. She banished me, here, believing none of you would ever return. She cursed me to be alone. What makes you think I'd ever help you bring her happiness?"

Emma finally got up from her position and helped pull him up. "You cared about me, and my happiness, once."

"I still do."

"Her happiness and mine are intertwined. One can't be achieved without also achieving the other." She frowned. "My friend must have been mistaken in believing we could be helpful to each other."

Graham seemed taken aback for a moment and then his face lit up and he turned away. "That's it!"

"What's it?"

Graham turned back to her. "You're the missing piece!"

"You're not making any sense!" Emma grabbed his arm.

He looked for a moment at the lake. Though Sidney's face was no longer there, he still studied it suspiciously. He grabbed her hand and led her into the cover of the trees. "There is something I've been trying to do for a while now. I think you may just be the key to my plan, the thing he'll never see coming. If you help me, I'll make sure you and Regina can meet, face to face."

Emma's heart beat just a little faster. "What do you need from me? I'll do anything."

"I need you to help me kill Rumplestiltskin."

Emma's joy instantly dissipated. "Kill Rumplestiltskin? How can I help?"

Graham grinned. "You just need to make one little deal…"