A/N: Hello, I'm back with another update! This chapter was originally going to have a lot more stuff happening, but it started getting too long to only be 1 chapter. At least for me, that is. I hope you all enjoy it! As always, reviews and critiques are welcome.

Regina POV

Heat. It was boiling just underneath her skin, ready to jump out at any given moment. It made her tongue loose and her fists quicker. Regina was not known to be a patient woman. That was made doubly true when she had gotten no sleep

The trek through this new realm caused time to stretch. One second was distinctly different from the next as her eyes burned and her irritation pushed to come out.

Robin, per usual, was walking close to her. Every so often his arm would brush hers, and normally she wouldn't care. But as of late, it seemed everything he did annoyed her. Her pain and anger at the things he'd done hadn't faded enough. Every time they touched, she just wanted to push him away. I'm probably just too tired, Regina mused, uncomfortable with the way she couldn't just be happy with him. Why?

So instead, she focused on the other source of her rising irritation. Jamie. The strange man, who rambled endlessly about anything and everything, seemed determined to test Regina's self control. Sure, some of the things he said were mildly helpful. But most of what he said was obscure and useless. They did not need to know about the cost of livestock nowadays, or how much grain it took to feed a sufficient farm. A few times she managed to get information from him about his religion. But like the rest of him, it was virtually useless to them.

"There's a paradise waiting for us, when our goddess returns and rids the world of the unworthy." He had said, then rambled more about the types of housing her loyal followers will receive, the magic they will gain. He made sure to emphasize the goddess was a completely different person than The Lady, "She's nothing like that vile sorceress!"

It was enough to make Regina want to set his shirt on fire. If only to scare him into muteness. By the glares Emma gave Jamie, it would seem she was not the only one.

Now she was curious. Could she even make a fireball right now? Sure, she had used magic a few times in this realm, but it would only affect her own body. She made herself stronger and faster for a few seconds, only to then experience the same amount of exhaustion she would normally get after using magic for hours.

Closing her eyes, Regina focused on her hand. Heat. She worked to push it out from underneath her skin. Hotter. It needed to be hotter.

Something brushed against her palm, and she heard a yelp.

Opening her eyes, Regina turned to see Robin, holding his right hand in his left.

"Gods! Regina!" He cried out, "Why is your hand so hot!"

Everyone else had stopped by now, drawn to the situation playing out before them.

Regina jerked forward, hesitated, then stopped. "Robin, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to burn you." Behind her, she could swear she heard a soft laugh (she could take a strong guess at who it was, but that would take too much energy). She continued, "I was just practicing magic. It acts different here."

Robin nodded, half-listening, and more focused on his hand, "Great, now can you practice healing me?" Regina did not make a move to grab his hand already knowing there was little she could actually do, and was about to tell him so when Jamie interrupted, "It doesn't work like that."

One thing Regina hated more than useless chatter was someone who told her what she already knew. She gave Jamie a glare, "How does it work then?" She practically sneered at him.

"You can only affect yourself. Nobody can use magic on another person. Well, expect the goddess." He wilted a bit under her gaze. Maybe I could just burn him with my hand, Regina thought. The others seemed to read her thoughts, and quickly acted to avoid a confrontation. It was decided that they take a break and rest for a few hours.

Snow quickly patched up Robin, then rationed out the food supplies amount the group. Henry, who had been trudging along, fell asleep almost immediately. Regina felt her inner mother sigh, glad he was getting some rest.

After two hours, everyone got a little bit of sleep in, they started their walk again. Instead of waking Henry up, Emma opted to carry him on her back.

This time Jamie stopped talking as much.

The nap and newfound silence made it easier to focus for Regina, easier to see how David, Snow, Ruby, and Robin could barely keep their eyes open; how Emma would murmur under her breath once in a while, constantly looking around; and how Henry was drooling on Emma's shoulder. Emma's murmuring set Regina on edge. The time between 'episodes' was getting shorter and shorter. How long until she hurts one of us? Regina wondered. How long until she hurts Hen— No. Regina refused to believe Emma would do that. Emma was strong willed, she loved Henry.

Even when Emma was Not-Quite-Emma, and possibly even someone else, she didn't hurt Regina. Worried her? Yes. But not much else.

Regina wondered how much of Emma was Emma still. When was she herself, and when was she someone else? The murmuring could show she was herself fighting on invisible force, or it could show something wildly different. Regina worried that one day she wouldn't be able to tell, and then something terrible would happen. But for now, all she could do was keep a close eye on her

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As they got closer to the 'community' the atmosphere seemed to get thicker, the air a bit colder. Regina watched cautiously as Emma's posture got stiffer and stiffer in correspondence with the change. Even Henry noticed the change, and woke up from his deep slumber, still tired but also on-edge.

Eventually, they saw the town in the distance. It was quaint, and reminded Regina of one of the small villages in the Enchanted Forest. What was different from those villages, however, were the soldiers that met them just outside the town.

"Jamie!" The lead soldier called out, "Who are these people you have brought here?"

Jamie jogged the last few yards to stand in front of the man, "Hey Ron! Remember how I was stationed in Stamburgh?" Ron nodded, understanding coming on his face, "So you finally found some new recruits?" He laughed and slapped Jamie on the back, "Took you long enough! I'd thought you had maybe got caught by the Order."

Jamie chuckled nervously, "Yeah, well, I'm here now. Do ya know where Elder Junili is?"

Regina could barely contain her impatience, or her growing suspicion at the terminology they were using. "Stationed" and "recruits" were not normally words used for religious purposes. Or, at least, not the ones that weren't extremist.

Ron looked at the group then back to Jamie, "You know she doesn't really deal with new people." Jamie nodded, "I know. But trust me, she'll want to meet these ones."

Ron gave Jamie some directions, and then they were off, weaving their way through the buildings and people. Many of them waved, wide smiles on their face, their eyes tired yet holding a flame of eagerness.

"They seem nice," Snow said softly. Ruby huffed in disagreement, "They smell weird." Snow looked at her curiously, "It's not like showers here. At least, I don't think so, so of course they'll smell bad."

Ruby shook her head at Snow, her eyes narrowed, "I don't mean like that. It's like…" Ruby thought for a few seconds, "I want to say they smell like a really, really, old person, but it's also something else, something gross. I don't like it."

Regina turned to Ruby then, taking notice of how on-edge the younger woman looked, "Do you think it could be a sign of something deeper?" She asked, remembering how magic can leave a scent (at least in the Enchanted Forest. While there may be differences in magic between realms, certain things tend to stay the same, like how magic always has a price): the darker the magic, the worse the smell, and the lighter the better.

Ruby shrugged, "I'm not sure, but wherever we're going, it's getting stronger."

They followed in uneasy silence for a couple more minutes, before coming to a stop in front of an over-embellished house.