A/N: Hey. This week has been so weird. I joined Cross Country last week, but this Monday I ended up getting a knee injury. It's literally the freaking first week of the season and I CAN'T RUN!!! So sad ;(

I also went shopping and found some pretty cool clothes tho.

Otherwise, between that and school I actually didn't even start working on a buffer. But oh well, I'll make it somehow. I will finish this book even if I have to come back from the dead and possess someone. GOALS!!!!!!

Emma's POV

It was silent in the police station. Not many people got arrested in StoryBrooke. Not many people wanted to go against the person who defeated several powerful villains.

If those powerful mages were cut down, then surely the average person would be chopped into little pieces going against her.

She wouldn't literally do that of course. But people were quite certainly doubting that now.

Shuddering slightly, Emma finally glanced up from her position and looked at Regina's face, trying to glean any information on what the woman was thinking. Her face was carefully positioned to look blank, but if Emma looked hard enough she could see her eyes were just a little too wide, her mouth slightly offset downward. Regina was not happy, that much Emma knew.

A different kind of burning rose up in her chest and face, making her look back down in shame. She was The Savior. She wasn't supposed to give in to base urges, to dark thoughts; she was supposed to be the antithesis to those things. Too many people saw her for what she was today: a fraud.

"Who cares what the rabble think? They are nothing but pebbles in your way." Nadie said from the left of the cell. Was her voice louder now? Or was that just Emma's emotions making her sensitive?

Regina shuffled and cleared her throat, "Emma… What happened earlier, was it you or the curse?"

Emma shook her head, as if it was that easy. "I don't know."

Leaning forward, Regina laid a hand against the bars, "I need a better answer Emma."

"I can't give you one."

Emma wasn't looking up, but she could guess Regina's face was either blank still, or scrunched up in irritation.

"Close enough," Nadie snarked, moving closer to Emma. Tension rippled through Emma as the woman sat down on the cot, barely two feet away.

"Emma, please. I need to know, was it like what you mentioned a few days ago? Where it put a thought in your head?" Regina asked, softer than before.

Emma almost explained how it felt; how the thought was pushed into her head, that it was a disgusting feeling, but once it was there it felt like her own; how her body moved and she didn't choose to stop it, because it almost felt nice to lose control; she almost explained how Nadie had been provoking her all day, needling the growing anger in Emma until it grew out of her control. But she didn't: she was the Saviour and needed to be strong on her own, not make everyone guilty that she was too weak. Her love for them had to be enough, after all, that was where she drew her power from.

(She didn't want to think about what failing meant.)

"Yeah, I guess it was kinda like that."

Regina relaxed, head nodding in acknowledgment, "Ok, we can work with that." She whispered. Emma let her believe in that small victory.

(Even if it made her a bad person)

"Emma, don't worry, we're going to find a way to help you resist this. You're not in this alone, I promise."

Emma nodded obligingly, the words brought a comforting warmth to her heart. A part of her (she won't think of how big) wanted to reach out and grab Regina's hand for a small comfort. But she ended up hesitating too long.

"I have to go back to the mansion right now. Henry is waiting for me. But I promise that I will be back in a few hours. David is going to stay here with you until then. You won't be alone, I'll make sure of it." Regina said, slight guilt coloring her voice.

A beat of silence passed between them. Tangible and thick. Emma still didn't look up.

Just as Regina was beginning to turn around, Emma thought of something, "Will you… will you make sure Henry hears what happened from you first? I don't want him to hear it from someone else… He might… think we were lying to him or something—- I don't know." Her throat closed up with unshed tears.

"Of course." Regina hesitated a few seconds, then walked away, likely to go talk to David.

A hand ran through Emma's hair, "I thought she'd never leave." Nadie drawled sarcastically. Quickly, Emma stood up and walked away, trying to distance herself from Nadie's touch. "Shut up."

"You know, I'm surprised you didn't tell her the truth— the full truth. She wouldn't have understood, though. No matter what she claims."

Emma felt a hand brush her back. "Shut up! Stop touching me!"

"Or else what?" Nadie grinned darkly.

"Or I'll make you regret it." Emma growled.

Nadie mockingly shivered, "I'm just shaking in my boots."

Emma lunged forward with a growl, intending to tackle the black-haired woman. Her body passed through air. Whipping around, Emma saw that Nadie was now on the other side of the cell. Without much thought Emma lunged again, and ended up hitting the wall with a loud growl.

"Emma?"

David's voice rang out, concern and confusion obvious in his tone. Emma had to take in several deep breaths just to calm down.

"Emma, what's going on? How are you… feeling?" David's voice lifted at the end of his sentence, making it sound like he almost didn't know what he even wanted to ask.

"Just dandy."

He sat down on a bench across from the cell, sorrow coloring his face. He was silent for a few moments before he spoke once more, "I'm always here if you need to talk. I won't judge you, Emma." He shifted to lean back against the wall, still watching her intently.

"Thank you, David."

She should tell him, it was the right thing to do— he really wouldn't judge her: and maybe that was what she had a problem with. She had done something wrong, even if nobody else thought so. She hadn't resisted, and it caused someone a lot of pain.

However, she was the 'impeccable' Saviour. People might be afraid of her at the moment, but soon they'll figure out a way to justify her actions. David would try to comfort her if she told him, tell her it 'wasn't really her fault' and she knew she didn't deserve that.

So she didn't say anything at all, choosing to wallow in self-deprecation.

After that time flowed like molasses: it didn't want to go anywhere anytime soon. That would be just fine with Emma, since she didn't want to face the world yet, if she wasn't stuck with David and Nadie. David's worry filled the room like a balloon, ready to burst at any given moment. Meanwhile Nadie constantly moved and talked.

All of it made Emma's skin crawl and not feel right. Her head throbbed and her heart ached whenever she thought of what happened earlier.

Regina's arrival was heralded by purple smoke filling the air, startling both Emma and David.

Nadie's sarcastic voice sounded out, "Looks like the royal bitch is back." Emma just groaned internally and laid still on the cot.

David stood up and greeted Regina sleepily, and then they exchanged some words Emma didn't care enough to listen to. Several moments passed. It was the clang of the metal door to the cell that made her focus.

"Emma, get up. You're coming with me." Regina spoke loudly, likely thinking Emma was asleep.

Confused, Emma sat up and glanced over at David and Regina, "What're you talking about?"

David, who was holding open the door, answered, "Me and Regina both believe it would be better if you were to go back to her place and help research with everyone else, than to be stuck here by yourself."

"But I assaulted someone, you can't just let me go free." She still didn't move.

"So? Who cares? He deserved it." Nadie moved into Emma's line of sight, brushing Emma's shoulder, and Emma felt a strange feeling of vindication rise in her chest at those words. He did deserve it, right? Why did she feel bad about it then?

"We're not just letting you go free. Someone will be accompanying you at all times. In essence, you will be under house arrest." Regina responded this time, all business. Emma nodded and stood up, "I guess I'll see you later than David." He gave her a soft smile.

Regina waved her hand and purple smoke surrounded the two women, teleporting them to the mansion. They ended up in the guest room Emma had taken to using. Everything looked exactly as it did yesterday, creating a strange dissonance in Emma.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Regina move. "I thought you'd like to get cleaned up before going downstairs and seeing everyone." Emma turned and nodded gratefully to her, "Thanks."

Without much thought, she grabbed some clothes hanging off the end of the bed and headed toward the en suite bathroom. As the water started and Emma stepped in, she finally allowed herself to relax a little.

Water is good. Water washes away (almost) everything, water is relaxing. But Emma could only stay in it's warm embrace for so long. Scrubbing off the blood on her hands and arms wasn't easy, but in the end she succeeded. Next was her face.

Watching the blood wash down the drain brought satisfaction to her heart, making it warm and light. It felt so much like a rush that Emma had to close her eyes and lean against the wall, taking deep breaths.

That probably wasn't good.