Emma and Regina were in the conference room, with President David, his wife Mary Margaret, Vice President, and the two President's personal security guards, Unit Manager Robert, Belle and Eric.
"I understand that you have very sensitive information, I realized it's a matter of life and death." The President spoke.
"Yes sir, I have evidence proving a future injury to your family." Emma said with a heavy heart.
The president's face has become white and lifeless.
"I'm sorry to tell you that before I went back in time, your wife died of an intentional car accident and your son Henry was saved from an assassination attempt." She told those around the table. Emma could see the tears running down the First Lady's eyes and the President hugging her tightly and the stunned faces of the other sitting members.
"What can you do? Did you find out who was responsible for these horrible actions?" The President managed to ask before he lost all his power to speak.
"I have partial information about the person behind the letters that threaten you and your family. I don't know yet how to find them. I know he has help inside of the White House and that how he manages to pass the letters on and give inside information." Emma told everyone.
"What?" The President was surprised, "Who is helping the madman scare my family?" He demanded to know, but Emma could not risk Mendel escaping and they had no way to find the offending person.
"I have no name to give you, only the knowledge that information is received from the White House and goes to the harasser." Emma explained and looked at Regina to back her up.
"Yes sir, this is the information we have, but we know who is going to do your wife's accident so we can act to prevent it from happening." Regina explained and tried to change the subject. And it did work, the couple immediately calmed down when they heard her words.
"I will send the staff to bring this person here. I'm not sure he has much information for us but if he has information we will get it out of him." Robert promised the president and immediately picked up the phone to make the call.
"Great, I'm glad to hear some good news."
"I recommend that you and your family stay here until we resolve this matter." Robert said and asked the president to consider the request.
"David, I think you should take the offer. I can fill your place for now. Being with your family is important now." Vice President Derek told him.
"Thank you dear friend."
"Nonsense why I endure you so much." They both laughed together.
"Thanks Robert, we will take this offer."
"Excellent I am glad to hear, I will immediately arrange living rooms for you." The meeting was over and the people in the room were starting to leave, the only ones left were Emma, Regina, Belle and Eric.
"Okay now what do we do?" Eric asked the group of people with him.
"We'll wait for the team to come back with Matteo Sean and get all the information he has."
"Emma, what if we could use this information more effectively for us?" Regina asked and Emma looked at her to hear the idea.
"You say Greg is collaborating with Coulter, maybe we can turn it around for our benefit."
"Okay, how do you suggest we do this?"
"We will leave Matteo with us, take all the information and tell Greg that we released him for lack of evidence."
"How will this help us exactly?"
"Mendel will try to hire his services again and we will pick up the call, but instead of Matteo behind the wheel one of our men will be in his place."
"And so Mendel will think that everything goes according to their plan and we can continue to follow him." Emma added to Regina's words, and Belle and Eric agreed with her.
"But what we do about the first lady, there is no way she will sit in the car and wait for the accident." Belle said, waiting for an answer.
"You're right, she won't be in the car, I'll be in it." Regina answered her.
Emma looked at her in shock, not willing that Regina would be in danger. "What? No, I won't agree with that idea." Regina looked at her in shock; Emma never said anything like that to her.
"You won't agree? I don't ask you, I understand you're worried but that's part of my job."
"No Regina, I won't let you do that. I won't lose you again." Emma said in a loud voice and left the room.
"What the hell happened here now?" Regina asked aloud. She got up and went after Emma. Regina caught Emma waiting for the elevator.
"What happened there now?" Regina asked her. Ema did not answer and kept silent.
"Emma, answer me when I talk to you." Still quiet and the elevator door opened. Emma went inside and Regina immediately followed her.
"Emma talk to me, what's up with you? It is not like you to act like that. Something happened that you didn't tell me?"
Emma looked at Regina sadly but did not answer the question. The elevator doors opened and Emma walked toward her room. Regina continued to follow her unwilling to give up. Emma opened the door and let Regina in first, immediately after that she came in and closed the door. Emma sat down on the bed and told Regina to sit next to her.
"Emma honey please talk to me, what happened?" Regina spoke to her gently, Emma just hugging Regina tightly.
"I can't lose you again." Emma said in a whisper, if Regina wasn't near her she would have missed it.
"Again?" Emma just nodded, Regina lifted Emma's chin and looked her in the eyes.
"Emma Baby, I want the truth." She told her in the same voice.
"Before I went back in time, Greg and Philip tried to stop me from traveling. They thought the best way was through you." Emma looked at her and tears stood in her eyes.
"Theeeyyy took you I don't know how, but I found you in one of the rooms, Greg held a gun to your head and Philip was in the room, somewhere, I didn't see him.
He threatened that if I didn't drop the gun he will shot you, you tried to tell me to shoot him no matter what happened to you everything would be fine but he was aggressive and pushed the gun under your chin, I wanted to drop the gun and protect you but I was afraid he would kill me and take you to this madman who is obsessed with you, I don't know what happened that made you understand my thoughts but you pressed the trigger and you were killed instead, I shot Greg and then all I can remember is that I held you tight and cried a lot." Emma just started crying from the dreadful memory that will remain in her head for good.
"Emma, I'm so sorry it happened, it wasn't okay for me to do so but it made you take action and put things back to normal. I'm fine Emma, I'm here with you, please Emma don't break on me now." Regina took Emma's hand and pressed it to her heart. "You feel it, it's yours and it beats loud just for you, my love." Regina kissed her as hard as she could; she wanted to replace the nightmare running in Emma's head with a much happier thought.
"I don't know how I was able to function and make the return in time, but the thought of you helped me."
"I'm sorry for earlier Emma, I understand why you're worried, but we have to change that fear, what was in the past belong to the past and I won't let that happen again in the future." Regina assured her and kissed her again.
"I can't let you do it Regina. What if something happens and I'm not there to help you?"
"Who said you weren't there to help me?" Emma looked at her and smiled a little, at least it would help her relax a bit and keep Regina up close.
SQ
Two days passed and no letters came, not to the president or to Regina. Emma didn't understand why things weren't exactly the same before she went back in time. Something didn't make sense to her. "I don't understand. The letters were supposed to arrive by now." Emma said in anger and frustration, she wanted to catch the guy in charge of this mess.
"Maybe ... maybe he regretted it, even though it doesn't make sense, I don't know, it doesn't make any sense." Belle tried to explain it to those around her.
"Oh, you have to calm down. I don't know why things aren't happening like last time, but that's a good thing, isn't it?" Regina spoke to Emma in a gentle, calm voice.
"No, that's not a good thing. How can there be changes? We can't keep track of a change in there plan." Regina had to admit that this thought scared her; maybe he was planning something far worse.
"Let's try to think about it logically, what could happen to make him change a plan." Regina offered and tried to keep Emma calm.
"It just doesn't make sense. You know I have a bad feeling about it." Regina took Emma to her and hugged her tightly. "The last time I felt that way, you were kidnapped. I'm afraid something will happen to you." Emma said sadly and hugged Regina tightly.
"Everything will be fine, don't worry too much."
"What can we do? We can't sit here and wait for something to happen, how do we catch this shit?" Eric asked, he was just as nervous as Emma.
"We know Greg is working with this guy. We just have to wait for him to take us to him." Belle said and everyone agreed with her.
SQ
On the other side of town in the office building, Mendel entered Coulter's office.
"Why don't you send the letters as we agreed, what are you waiting for?"
"You are really narrow-minded; I have to change the plan because they expect it. You don't understand that after going back in time they know everything, we should surprise them when they don't expect it."
"What did you think about?" Mendel wanted to know what his plan of action was.
"Right now I don't know what we will do about the president but ... about my love, I have a good idea." He said with a big smile.
"What are you planning, I agreed to help you and in return you will help me, this is our agreement."
"I know what we agreed on; you don't need to remind me. Don't worry, I'll think of a plan for you."
"Well, otherwise our partnership will be over." Mendel said in a loud, threatening voice.
"Don't you dare threaten me; don't forget you need me and not the other way around." Daniel told him exactly in the same voice.
"Yes I know, but you need me so I can spy on your little girlfriend."
"Hardly, after implementing the new idea, I won't need you. That's why I suggest you not annoy me." Coulter told him and sat down in the chair.
"What are you planning to do?" Mendel asked again.
"I have a plan but in the meantime it will remain secret with me." He said with a smile and Mendel did not like this answer, he did not like being uninformed.
"Now go back to your work and wait for instructions from me." Greg got up from his chair and nodded, he walked out of the room in anger but had nothing to do, he needed help with his success and Coulter was just the right person for it.
SQ
President David assembled all the important people at the headquarters, he needed answers. Among the people in the room were Robert, Emma, Regina, the first lady and two of the president's bodyguards.
"I understand there is a change of situation, the letters are not coming and we do not know what has changed that could cause the criminal to change his method." David explained to people in the room.
"Exactly sir, we are not sure how this is possible at all. Nobody remembers the return in time except for Emma, it makes no sense." Robert tried to calm those around him.
"Sir, with all due respect, if the situation has changed, it is better that we return to the White House, where it will be safer." Greg suggested the president and Emma and Regina look at each other, they didn't like this idea.
"It's a good idea. We have no reason to stay here. I can better protect my family. We have heavy, tight security."
"Yes, I want to take the kids to a safe place. They don't understand the situation so much and Henry can't stay locked in the headquarters for a long time." First lady Mary Margaret said.
"So it was decided, we will get ready for the departure in the afternoon. I will make sure the team is waiting for us with the car waiting." David concluded and was about to rise from the chair but Emma's voice stopped him.
"Sir, I don't think it's a good idea. Last time your wife was injured in a horrible accident, I don't think you should take that risk."
"I appreciate your thought Emma, but I think it's time we go back to where we belong."
"David, if you're not willing to consider your departure, at least allows me to accompany your team on the drive back to the White House." Emma offered and very much hoped he would agree.
"Very well, I'd love to accept your offer. The vehicle leaves this afternoon, be there."
"Yes sir." He nodded and stood up from his chair.
"That's it people, the meeting adjourned, thank you." David took his wife's hand and they left the conference room.
"Emma, I don't like it, Greg sure is planning something. I don't want you hurt." Regina immediately told her she was scared for Emma's life and the president's family.
"I know you don't like this idea but it has to be done."
"So I want to come with you so you won't be alone. I don't trust him, Emma something doesn't feel right to me." Regina expressed her concern.
"No Regina, I'm not ready for you to come with me, I'm afraid something's going to happen to you, you better stay here and be protected." Emma replied to her and hugged her tightly.
"I guess you're right, but it's not fair that I won't be with you, you need to make up for it and big time." Regina said with a malicious little smile.
"Don't worry; I'll think of something already, something suitable for a Queen, my love." Emma kissed Regina on the forehead and together they walked out of the room, Regina to her room and Emma preparing to leave with the President and his family. They didn't notice the big smile smiling at them from the hiding place. Greg stood from the sidelines watching his plan executed, he decided to act by himself rather than wait for instructions from Coulter, and he could come up with a good enough plan without anyone's help. He did not expect Emma to join them on the trip back, but that only strengthened his plan, when Emma would be out of the picture Greg could catch Regina and hand her over to Daniel and in exchange he would ask for a lot of money and he will enter politics and become the next president.