Author's Notes: A special thank you goes out to BizarreBard. She has been helping me by Betaing this story and giving suggestions on where to take things. I'm very appreciative of her help.

Chapter 15: Desperate Souls Pt. 2

Emma enters Regina's office at the Town Hall with the newspaper in hand. "This was a juvie record. This was sealed by court order. I don't know how you got it, but that's abuse of power and illegal."

"Oh, I'm sorry. You didn't want people to know you cut his cord with a shiv?" Regina says.

"I don't care what people know, but this hurts Henry." Emma says.

"He would've learned eventually. We all lose our heroes at some point." Regina says as she and Emma exit the office and walk through the building.

"He doesn't need to lose anything more. He's depressed, Madam Mayor. He doesn't have any… Any hope. Don't you see that?" Emma says.

Regina smiles, "He's fine."

Emma shakes her head, "He's not fine. I mean, think about it. Watching his adoptive mother throw an illegal smear campaign against his birth mother? You don't think that would be upsetting?"

"All I did was expose him to the truth. And as for the legality – I did nothing wrong. But you and Sidney will have a chance to get into all that at the debate."

"Debate?" Emma asks.

Regina nods, "Yes, Miss Swan, there's a debate. You two can talk about jail time and juvie records and maybe even your new association with Mr. Gold. He's a snake, Miss Swan. You need to be careful who you get into bed with."

"I'm not getting into bed with anyone. I'm just fighting fire with-" Emma says.

Regina opens the door and an explosion is set off, setting the next room on fire. Emma and Regina are thrown back from the blast. Regina's ankle is crushed by a piece of debris and is immobilized. Emma frees Regina.

"Alright, come on – let's go! We got to get out of here." Emma says.

"I can't move! You have to get me out. Help me!" Regina says as Emma goes to leave, but Regina grabs her arm and stops her. "You're going to leave me, aren't you?"

Emma breaks free of Regina's grasp and leaves into the next room that's on fire. Regina tries to get up on her own, but Emma comes back with a fire extinguisher. She gets the fire under control and clears the way to the exit. Regina puts her arm around Emma's shoulder and the two leave the building. Outside, a reporter takes a picture of them leaving and sirens are heard in the background.

"Oh, ow, ow! My ankle! Set me down gently!" Regina says.

"Seriously? You're complaining about how I saved your life?" Emma asks.

"The firemen are here. It's not like we were really in danger." Regina says.

Emma sighs, "Fine. Next time I'll just… I'll just… Ah, you know what? Next time, I'll do the same thing. And the time after that because that is what decent human beings do. That's what good people do." She Emma walks away from Regina.

By the fire truck, Henry is talking with a firefighter. "Did Emma really rescue my mom?"

Regina is on a stretcher with an oxygen mask. She overhears Henry and throws off the mask in anger. "Enough!"

"Regina." Paramedic says.

"I'm fine." Regina says.

Sidney runs up to Regina with a camera and takes a picture. "Nice shot of the victim?"

"Sidney? What the hell are you doing? Are you trying to hand this election to her?" Regina

"But it's news." Sidney says.

"She's the competition, you fool." Regina says.

Emma, Buffy and various people from town are talking in a group.

"Did you really rescue Regina?" Mary Margaret asks.

Henry nods, "She did! The fireman said it. They saw it."

"You are a hero." Ruby says.

"We should see if they have a picture of the rescue." Mary Margaret says.

Granny nods, "We could make campaign posters."

"Oh, people would love that! That's a great idea. Wait, so…" Archie says as the group walks away, leaving Buffy, Emma and Henry alone.

"This is how good wins. You do something good and people see it, and then they want to help you." Buffy says.

Henry nods, "Maybe you're right, Aunt Elizabeth."

"You see, Henry? We don't have to fight dirty." Emma says.

In the pile of debris, Emma notices the same fabric that Mr. Gold was preparing in his shop when she spoke with him.

Later Mr. Gold is wiping off his hands with a rag when Emma enters the pawn shop. She has the fabric from the fire with her.

"Loads of visitors today. Do hope you're not going to break my little bell." Mr. Gold says.

"You set the fire." Emma says.

"I've been right here, Miss Swan." Mr. Gold says.

Emma shakes her head as she shows him the fabric, "Take a whiff. It smells like your sheep crap oil. Turns out it's flammable."

"Oh. Are you sure? There's some construction working on at City Hall at the moment. There are loads of flammable solvents used in construction." Mr. Gold says.

"Why did you do it?" Emma asks.

"'If' I did it. If I did it, that would be because you cannot win without something big. Something like, uh… Oh, I don't know. Being the hero in a fire?" Mr. Gold says.

Emma shakes her head, "How could you even know I'd be there at the right time?"

"Maybe Regina's not the only one with eyes and ears in this town. Or maybe…I'm just intuitive – were I involved." Mr. Gold says.

"I could've run and left her there." Emma says.

Mr. Gold shakes his head, "You like Buffy Summers are not the type."

"I can't go along with this." Emma says.

Mr. Gold smiles, "You just did. This is just the price of election, Miss Swan."

"A price I'm not willing to pay. Find another sucker." Emma says.

"Okay, go ahead – expose me. But if you do, just think about what you'll be exposing and what you'll be walking away from." Mr. Gold says as Emma heads for the door. "Oh, yes. And, um… Who you might be disappointing."

Later at the debate Emma is waiting at the podium. Mary Margaret comes up to her and hands her a piece of paper and a bottle of water. "I'm not going to win."

"What are you talking about? Everyone's talking about what you did in the fire." Mary Margaret says.

"No, Henry's right – I can't beat Regina at this. Not the way she fights. Watch and see." Emma says.

"Is this really just about beating Regina." Buffy says as she walks up to podium.

"It's just…" Emma says.

"Henry." Mary Margaret and Buffy says.

"I want to show him that good can actually win." Emma says. "And not just in your stories either, Buffy."

"When you believe then you will know my stories are real." Buffy says. "Till then…"

"Anyways that is why you want to win it for him, but why do you want to win the election for yourself?" Mary Margaret says.

"That is why. I want to show him that a hero can win. And if I'm not… If I'm not a hero and I'm not the savior, then what part do I have in his life? Okay. There it is." Emma says.

"There it is." Mary Margaret says.

Moments later Archie is giving his opening speech to the audience. Emma and Sidney are sitting on either side of him. "Tragedy has brought us here, but we are faced with this decision. And now, we ask only that you listen with an open mind and to please vote your conscience. So, without further ado, I'd like to introduce you to the candidates – Sidney Glass and Emma Swan. Glass. Swan. Sounds like something that a decorator would make you buy. Wow, crickets. Okay, uh… Uh, Mr. Glass – your opening statement."

Sidney walks up to the podium. "I just want to say, that if elected, I want to serve as a reflection of the best qualities of Storybrooke. Honesty, neighborliness, and strength. Thank you." He sits back down and Archie calls upon Emma.

"And Emma Swan." Archie says.

Emma walks up to the podium. "You guys all know I have what they call a, uh… Troubled past. But, you've been able to overlook it because of the, um… Hero thing. But here's the thing – the fire was a setup. Mr. Gold agreed to support me in this race, but I didn't know that that meant he was going to set a fire. I don't have definitive evidence, but I'm sure. And the worst part of all this was – the worst part of all this is – I let you all think it was real. And I can't win that way. I'm sorry."

Mr. Gold gets up from the audience and leaves.

Later Emma is finishing off a drink at Granny's Dinner.

Ruby is behind the counter. "Another?"

"Oh, hell yes." Emma says.

Ruby goes to get another drink as Dawn and Henry enters the dinner. Henry sits next to Emma as Dawn sits opposite them.

"Hey, Henry… Hey, Dawn." Emma says.

Henry pulls a walkie talkie out of his book bag and hands it to Emma.

"What's this for?" Emma asks.

Henry smiles, "You stood up to Mr. Gold. It's pretty amazing."

"Well, he did something illegal." Emma says.

Dawn nods, "That's what heroes do – expose stuff like that."

Henry nods, "I shouldn't have given up on Operation Cobra."

Regina and Sidney enter the dinner.

"I thought I might find you here. With a drink. And my son." Regina says. She glares at Dawn and thinks to herself, 'And my youngest daughter. Trying to corrupt my whole family are you Miss Swan?'

"Here to card me, officer?" Emma asks.

Sidney shakes his head, "Well, not at all. In fact, I think I'll join you."

"Here? I don't know. I think they're setting up a back room for the victory party." Emma says.

"Oh, well, you'll have to tell me what that's like." Sidney says.

"Congratulations. …Sheriff Swan." Regina says as she pulls out the Sheriff's badge and places it on the counter.

"Wait, what?" Henry asks.

Dawn looks at the badge and then smiles.

The people from Storybrooke start to file into the dinner.

"It was a very close vote, but people really seem to like the idea of a Sheriff brave enough to stand up to Mr. Gold." Regina says.

"Are you joking?" Emma asks.

Sidney shakes his head, "She doesn't joke."

"You didn't pick a great friend in Mr. Gold, Miss Swan, but he does make a superlative enemy. Enjoy that." Regina says.

Later Emma is at the station. She enters the Sheriff's office and notices a jacket hanging on the coat rack.

Mr. Gold then walks in. "The Sheriff's jacket – I thought you might want it after all."

"You do know I'm armed, right?" Emma asks.

Mr. Gold nods, "It's all part of the act, my dear. Political theatre in an actual theatre. I knew no one was going to vote for you unless we gave you some kind of extraordinary quality, and I'm afraid saving old Regina's arse from the fire just wasn't going to do that. We had to give you a higher form of bravery. They had to see you defy me – and they did."

"No way. There's no way you planned that." Emma says.

"Everyone's afraid of Regina, but they're more afraid of me. By standing up to me, you won them over. It was the only way. " Mr. Gold says.

"You knew I'd agree." Emma says.

Mr. Gold nods, "Oh, yeah. I know how to recognize a desperate soul."

"Why did you do this?" Emma asks.

Mr. Gold smiles, "You, Miss Summers and I made a deal some time back, Miss Swan. We established that you owed me a favor. I know that can be a bad feeling – owing someone. Now that you're Sheriff, I'm sure we'll find some way for you to pay back what you owe me. Congratulations. Now I want you to do one thing. Your choice as this is not the favor I'm asking for… Buffy Summers.

Emma nods, "I already intend to ask her to be my deputy."

"Good. Good." Mr. Gold said. "With her as your deputy maybe she and I can find a way to pay back that favor she owes me."

Later that evening at the Summers/Lehane mansion there is a knock on the door. Faith goes to answer it and finds Emma waiting, "Hello Em."

"Faith." Emma says. "Is Buffy in?"

Faith nods and motions for Emma to enter. "B! Em's here." She shows Emma into the living room as Buffy enters from another door.

"Hey Emma." Buffy says.

Emma smiles, "Buffy I have a favor to ask."

"Shoot." Buffy says.

"I want you to be my deputy." Emma says.

"Wow, B!" Faith says.

Buffy shakes her head, "I'm not sure, Emma."

Emma nods, "I may not believe you're this mystical Slayer. But I saw the way you sparred. And I feel you're the best person for the job."

Buffy thinks it over for a moment and then nods, "Alright. I'll do it."

Emma reaches into her jacket pocket and hands Buffy a badge.

"One thing though. I won't carry a gun." Buffy says.

Emma nods, "Alright."