Won't Someone Save me From Me?

Part Two: You Were the Only One Who Did

Heavy breathing filled the air as a man slumped over by a tree stump held his bleeding side. That man was Rumple, injured by the own knife he was going to use on his past self. His blood ran black which wasn't a good sign. The weapon was designed to hurt him and kill him slowly, but it had been used on the wrong reiteration of him. The past Rumple had run away with the weapon. Which was now another issue to worry over.

He had underestimated his past self, thinking he had the upper hand merely because he was older. He grimaced as pain laced within him. He needed to find himself and quickly so he could neutralize the weapon's magic. And to also stop his past self from using that weapon on anyone else.

With a grunt, he rose up with determination and hobbled in the direction he had last seen himself going.

"Henry!" Hook shouted out, doubling back to help the boy up. Henry had fallen so hard he had split his chin and blood ran down it. But they had been too slow. The troll was almost on them and Hook frantically looked for anything that could be used as a weapon only to see there wasn't anything there.

It was over. They were doomed.

And then a thick branch descended downwards and smacked the troll so hard it went flying back all the way and plopping down into the river.

Hook blinked in wonder at the tree there. It was an enchanted one. He and Henry stood to their wobbling feet.

Henry gaped in wonder. "Guess that troll was barking up the wrong tree."

Hook, in mild wonder, said, "huh, maybe not everything is out to kill you here."

The oak tree leaned down towards them, looking mean. It pounded one branch into the other, like a man pounding a fist into a hand. "I wouldn't be too sure about that. Those daisies you stepped on were my cousins. And I wasn't going to let some troll get the joy of ripping you apart for that."

"Oh shit," Hook cried and began pushing Henry to run again.

The tree let out an angry roar that shook it's branches, leaves storming down, before those branches began sweeping over head. They smacked into the ground with a tremendous crack as the two men ran away.

But just because they were out of the reach of the branches didn't mean they were safe.

The ground erupted under them, making them nearly lose their balance, as thick roots appeared, slithering like snakes around them, trying to snatch them up and capture them.

They hopped around like mad, finally able to escape that too by the skin of their teeth.

Frustrated the tree sent out another roar and began to rip itself out of the ground.

"Why won't it just give up?" Henry whined, tired and out of breath, and not sure he could keep this up.

"I told you everything out here wants to kill you," Hook hollered back as the ground shook with each step the tree took towards them, having uprooted successfully. "This way," Hook lead to a narrow path between trees so the other bigger tree couldn't follow them.

Henry began to tire but adrenaline kept him going just barely. The sun was setting and it was getting darker and harder to see. They needed to find shelter.

Splintered noises were behind them as the bigger tree smashed through the smaller saplings to get to them.

"Tree killer. Don't you care about the environment?" Henry asked in hopes of making a moral arise in the tree. It didn't work. It only growled at them, picking up it's pace and whacking it's branches back and forth in a sweeping motion to get the obstacles out of it's way.

"Let's go there!" Hook suggested, pointing at a colorful hut off to the left. It looked normal if not for the giant chicken feet folded up under it.

"Isn't that Babajaga's hut?" Henry panted, slowing. Hook slowed his pace to match up with Henry. Emma would never forgive him if Henry was captured by a vengeful tree. And he was trying to get on the omega's good side so he could mate with her.

He had been trying to get with her for a while now and he would be damned if he would simply let the queen have her. Hopefully, Regina hadn't mated Emma yet and he still had a chance.

Plus, he kind of liked the kid. Would be a shame.

"Let's hope she's not home," Hook said as they reached the hut and found the door blissfully open. They slammed it shut behind them and not a second too late.

Their harsh and heavy breaths filled the silence of the room.

"I'm never going to look at trees the same way," Henry commented.

They couldn't hear the tree anymore from outside. Had it left?

A knock sounded at the door. Both look at each other. Who could it be? Had Babajaga come back? They slowly opened door to see it was the tree who had knocked, branches folded across it's chest while the smaller twigs tapped on it's wooden arm.

"Eh hem," it cleared it's sappy throat. "We aren't done here."

"If this was a pine tree, I'd say it's really pine-ing after us," Henry joked. Hook shot him a look. "Now is really not the time for joking."

"Emma's my Ma. It's a genetic thing," he argued as they both decided to slam the door just before the tree could wrap it's branches around them.

Heavy branches knocked into the door, Henry and Hook pressed against it to keep it on it's hinges. Each thump vibrated their teeth nastily.

Smaller branches broke their way through the two windows on either side of the door, trying to reach for them. One scratched Hook across the cheek.

All this ruckus woke up the hut. With a ferocious squawk it rose to it's feet and began to run away. Now Hook and Henry found themselves sliding from left to right with each footstep of the chicken. At it's full height the tree could no longer reach them and neither could it keep up with a chicken hut. It was left behind, angrily shaking it's branches at them as they were taken far, far, away.

The furniture inside slid back and forth and Henry narrowly avoided getting crushed by the table. "Where is this going to take us?" Henry cried out.

"I don't know," Hook said as they held on for life, unable to do anything to stop this.

"Daniella isn't our only mate," Regina spoke in a slightly trembling voice. She tried to keep calm, to come off as strong and unafraid but without her magic, she was at the mercy of the queen and her temper.

"You lie!" the queen screamed in Regina's face, hand on Regina's neck, pressing and pressing. "Daniella is and was my only mate. How dare you desecrate her memory by finding yourself some other omega whore! How dare you! I will find this new mate of yours and I will destroy them for ever daring to take Daniella's place." The hand tightened. Regina was beginning to go light headed from little air.

"Please," she gasped out. "Don't."

"You beg for this whore's life?" the queen shook Regina a little, making her teeth clack together.

"Don't you dare hurt Emma. She is good and kind and the best thing to happen to us," she wheezed out.

"Daniella was the best to happen to us. And she was taken away. I will not let her love be poisoned by some meaningless affair you have chosen to partake in. If this is the future that awaits me, than I chose to destroy it," the queen sneered and dread filled Regina.

"No," she begged. This was the worst possible outcome.

"Yes," the queen hissed. "And you'll rot in my dungeons while I revenge myself upon her."

The queen didn't even know where this Emma was or how she looked liked. The woman could be back in the present for all the queen knew. But she didn't give up easily. She always got her revenge.

She poofed Regina off into a holding cell and still shaking with rage, she stormed off to plan her course of action.

Dawn broke over the bandit camp and they readied themselves for their mission. The dwarfs were going to go find Henry and Hook, though Emma had no idea how they would do it without tracking devices, while Ruby and David along with the three bandits Mary had lent them- Joe, Abel and Shade- were going to hunt down Rumple.

Before they left, Ruby had tentatively approached Emma. The blonde knew what this was going to be about as soon as she saw Ruby's shifting eyes and guilty mouth.

"Emma-"

"Ruby," Emma greeted, stiffly as she pulled on some animal pelts to blend in more with this world. Her bandages had come off and while her head was still a bit sore and the stitches had yet to come out, she felt better and able to think clearer. What ever herbs she had been given had helped greatly though they tasted terribly.

"Look, I just wanted you to know how terribly sorry I am for the way I treated you. I'm normally not like that. I don't know what came over me. You're omega side just...it was like it had hypnotized me and all I cared about was..." she trailed off, noticing Emma's hard jaw line.

"I know you probably don't believe me and think me terrible for doing such a thing. But I honestly swear to you I had no control over my own actions or thoughts. I just ran on autopilot and I never meant to violate your trust. I hope one day you can forgive me." Ruby looked so downtrodden that Emma couldn't keep being this mad.

"I know you didn't mean it but at the time it happened it was scary and concerning. I just need some more time before I'm comfortable around you like before," Emma said.

"I understand," Ruby nodded her head sharply and walked off, for there was not much more they could discuss to move this topic onward.

While the teams moved on the Henry and Rumple front, Snow, Emma and Mary were still debating over what to do with Regina. No one had ever made it into the queen's castle due to protective spells over it. So like Snow had mentioned before, the queen would need to be drawn out. "We either barter with her, or threaten her," Mary concluded. "And neither option sounds like it's going to go well."

"What about trying to reason with her?" Emma suggested and both moms shook their head no.

"She's not exactly the reasonable woman you know. She's highly irrational right now," Mary added.

Emma slumped down in her seat, feeling defeated. "Then what the hell can we do? I have magic, can't I use it to break past her defenses?"

"Let's scout the place first. Maybe we'll find something there. A sort of weak point that you can use your magic on," Snow suggested.

So that's what they did, finding a perch on a cliff overlooking the castle. It was dark and brooding and adorned with spikes and high spires.

"Home sweet home," Emma murmured. How could Regina have lived in such a cold place? They lay flat on their stomachs, watching the coming and goings of the castle and the employees of it.

"How about that?" Emma suggested, growing antsy with waiting. She was pointing to a cart that was brought in by merchants and let in through a back gate. "We could sneak a ride in one of those."

"Such a cliché but let's do it," Mary agreed and the three of them hurried to do just that. With correct timing they were able to hop into a wagon full of sheep skins and cow hides and bury themselves under the thick pelts. It was hot in here and they all were drenched in sweat by the time they got to the gate.

A quick exchange between guards and merchants and then they were inside, jumping out as soon as the wagon was parked. They found themselves in a sort of underbelly of the castle, full of stocked goods and merchants and their carts. They snuck around it all, finding a staircase to go up. Emma went first, magic crackling between her fingers in case they came across anyone.

They surprisingly met no one in such a huge castle, coming straight up to the lobby. From here, stairs and more passageways greeted them.

"We should split up."

"No." Emma shook her head at Mary's suggestion. "Too risky."

"But we won't cover enough ground like this, and the longer we stay in here the more risk there is of us getting caught."

Before they could continue arguing, a door opened to their left. Weapons went up but there was no need, for Regina stumbled out.

They were as shocked as she was.

"Two Snow White's?" Regina declared, lips turning down into a scowl but before she could continue, Emma was grabbing her arm and tugging her. "We need to get out of here. You lived in this castle in the past. You have to know some short cuts out. Lead the way."

"Right," Regina swiftly nodded her head, eyes taking a long time to leave the two Snow's forms. She seemed to shake herself awake and then hurried off, keeping to the walls and dark shadows of her castle.

"I have a secret exit I use when in need of some privacy from even my guards. It's not far," she said as they followed her quietly and quickly.

It didn't take long and they exited in a back part of the castle, leading them into some gardens. From there it was just an easy journey to the woods, Regina magicking any guards into sleep with her spells.

"We were so worried it was going to be impossible to find you," Emma admitted, releasing a long breath and hugging Regina once they were safe. It was a miracle how smooth and seamless this had all gone. They would have never expected it.

Regina stiffened in her embrace before awkwardly returning the hug. Emma took a deep breath of her mate's scent, finding it comfortingly the same, though it was tinged with irritation. No doubt from having to deal with the Evil Queen.

"How did you get away?"

Regina pulled away from the embrace. "Magic, dearie," she proclaimed, sending a fireball zooming up from her palm. "And outsmarting her. I think I know me better than anyone else."

"And she didn't hurt you?" Emma fretted. She looked Regina over but other than some scorch marks on her clothes and a bruise around her neck that looked like fingers, she was okay.

"No. Not at all, given her standards," Regina replied.

"Wait, so your friend Regina...is the same woman as the Evil Queen?" Snow asked with a wide look of confusion mixed with fear. Even the resemblance was stunningly the same, which meant Regina from the future was the same as the Evil Queen?

"No, not the same," Emma rushed to defend. "She's changed for the better. She's a really amazing person and she's done much good for the town. Without her, we would have been lost or overcome by villains."

Snow smiled at this. "I knew there was good in her. Even in her darkest moments."

Regina furrowed her brows at this, her bottom lip quivering a bit from some intense emotion she was holding back. "And I forgot how infuriatingly sappy you are."

"Quickly, let us make haste before the Evil Queen finds out you escaped," Mary said and they moved on.

Somehow, through all the moving and clanking of the house, Hook and Henry were able to make way to the bedroom and fall asleep there. The chicken's wild running had slowed down until they finally awoke at dawn to it crowing before it settled down once more.

"I think it's time to go," Hook nudged Henry awake and the young boy rubbed the sleep from his eyes as they got up. They exited the house cautiously, wondering where they were now. The hut was resting on a cliff over looking the sea. "Should we go down to the water, or take the woods?"

"Let's go down the shore. Might be easier to navigate than the woods. Plus, if we find a sea worthy vessel I can steer us anywhere safely."

They decided to go in just that direction, climbing delicately down the steep cliff. Hopefully it would bring them better fortunes.

The sun was dipping behind the horizon once more, marking the Storybrooke's residents second day in the past. Ruby got up from where she had been crouched over a splotch of red against some trees. "Rumple was definitely here. And he was hurt."

"But where is he now?" David asked.

"He went that way," Ruby pointed in a direction towards some craggy rocks.

"Do you think we'll make it in time to stop whatever he's planning?" asked Shade, rubbing his beard.

All three bandits wore black and had hoods over their heads. It gave them dangerous and yet camouflage like appearances.

"Hopefully. And if he tries anything, we'll stop him," David promised, hand on his hilt. "Ruby, lead the way."

Ruby nodded her head and began tracking once more, sniffing the air high and low, keeping her eyes and ears on high alert. "Do you even know why he's here?"

"Emma said Regina sounded like she knew why, but unfortunately they didn't get to talk much about it before Regina got taken by the queen."

"Do you think she's alright?"

David shook his head. "If anyone could be okay in the queen's clutches it would be Regina. She's smart."

"But so is past her," Ruby pointed out.

"She has to be okay," David suddenly growled out. Ruby didn't normally hear the beta man sound so fierce. It clued her in that there was something else to this.

"Why do you care so much about her? Don't get me wrong, she's a good guy now, but you've never been this worried before about her."

He sighed heavily at this, but decided to tell her. He needed someone to confide in. And his wife was on a different page from him. "While Emma was in heat, she mated. With Regina."

Ruby's eyes went wide at this. "For real?" She had never expected Regina to willingly mate with anyone ever since Daniella. Why had that changed? Why had Emma mattered enough to be mated by her?

"And I don't want harm befalling Emma. When there is a mated couple and one of them gets hurt seriously, or dies, that can really mess up the other one. And I don't want Emma getting hurt like that. We all saw what it did to Regina."

"Emma would never go down that darkened path. She's stronger than that," Ruby assured the beta.

He considered her words. "I hope. But still, if I can avoid it happening I would rather it didn't."

"I'm sure they'll find a way to get to Regina sooner or later."

Her words were empty because they had no real proof it could happen. They all knew how impenetrable the queen's fortress was with magic. It would take real skill to enter it, surely.

How shocked they would be to find out that it had barely taken an hour to get in and out safely.

"Alright," Happy announced, holding in his palm the bracelet Emma had lent him. "Emma said Henry gave her this and because of the locator spell she placed on it, it should lead us to Henry." There was of course, no surety it would work properly since Emma's magic work was shoddy at best, but they didn't have much else to go on. The dwarfs watched as he tossed it up into the air. It floated before going rod straight and pointing in the east direction.

"That's our path. Let us go," Doc said and they all fell into a line, marching and whistling as they went, following the bracelet as it lead the way.

Travel was long and the woods held their usual danger. However, together they weren't scared and arrived at a spot where an angry tree stood, huffing and muttering to itself. "I can't believe those two rude humans," he mumbled.

Two rude humans could be a clue. So they needed to ask.

"Excuse us, did those two humans happen to be a young boy and a man with a hook?" asked Dopey.

The tree glared down at him. "And why do you care?"

"We're looking for them," Grumpy said.

"I hope it's to hurt them. They killed my cousins!"

"Yea, sure," Grumpy rolled his eyes. "Just tell us where they went."

"Last I'd seen of them they took off in a chicken hut. I've been waiting for them to come back but they haven't yet."

Now that the tree mentioned it, there were giant chicken claw marks in the grass. It lead away from this place and to the horizon.

"Thanks," Happy said and together the seven dwarfs were off again, letting the bracelet guide them once more. They noticed the magic was beginning to wear off, already, so they hoped wherever Hook and Henry were, wasn't too far away.