Zelena showed Regina their designated sleeping area in one of the corners of the church. Taking off her sweater to use as a pillow, she huddled up next to Robyn and her sister, Robyn was in between them looking up at Regina.
"How many books did you say were in the library, Auntie?"
"Hundreds, maybe even thousands!" Regina emphasized.
Robyn smiled, a sleepy grin on her lips, and Zelena wrapped her arm tighter around her, keeping the little girl warm as she shivered. Regina took her head off of her bundled up sweater, and straightened it out throwing it over them. Zelena looked at her to object but Regina stopped her.
"Don't worry. I have on enough layers. And I will just use this, look." Regina reached back, her rifle leaning up against the wall, as she grabbed for the little bag of snacks. It wasn't big but it has a little cushion to it.
"I'm sure prison bunks aren't comfortable but anything is better than this." Zelena sighed.
Dorothy walked over and Regina went to get up. "No please, don't get up."
Dorothy squatted in front of them, looking over at Robyn and Zelena before turning back to Regina as she sat up.
"Just making sure y'all are alright." Dorothy grinned. "There weren't many blankets when we got here."
"I'm fine. There are more than enough at the prison." Regina nodded, her elbow propped up on her bent knee.
"You really think your people are going to accept all of us? Just like that?" Dorothy sat down on her butt, criss crossing her legs.
"I've always told them about expanding, before you, we brought back two kids Graham and I found hiding out in a storage closet...People may have their opinions about it. 36 is way more than 2. But no one will ever try to harm you or these kids. There's food, and clothes and safety behind those walls and gates." Regina reasoned. "That's all anyone should be worried about..."
"You said you're trying to make it seem like the old world right?"
"The kids have lessons in survival and in education. We even allow the older ones to have little parties if they wish, they decided to throw a Christmas party during the winter." She laughed, "...Alot of the elderly people in the group were teachers or builders, so they are trying to make do with what we can...They even hold church service some days and bible study at night a few times a week."
"Really sounds like y'all are functioning well." Dorothy nodded.
Regina nodded back, "All 36 of you will contribute to keep us functioning well and help us expand our resources and community. There is safety in numbers, this addition will only benefit us."
"That is true."
"And your Uncle Henry used to have a farm correct?" Regina asked.
"Yeah, I stayed with them for a while."
"You and your family can probably help Emma and my father out then. With the garden she plans on building, she's already done really well with the greenhouse." Regina smiled. "We have a few horses that wandered up to the gates during the winter. And we think we've been hearing a few pigs squealing about in the woods."
"Your Emma isn't going to be upset that you didn't go back with your team? What about your little boy?" Dorothy questioned.
Regina sighed, "I expect Emma will definitely not be as happy about it but she will understand. Henry will be fine too. They just need to make sure she doesn't think the worst and everything will be alright."
Dorothy nodded and got back up, telling them good night before walking away to her corner. Regina laid back on the bag and turned to her side, scooting closer to Zelena and Robyn.
"Is this the first night you've been away from them?" Zelena whispered sleepily.
"Is it that obvious." Regina huffed.
"Hopefully we can get you back to her sooner rather than later." Zelena reached out and squeezed her hand.
Regina squeezed back and watched Zelena close her eyes. She didn't close her eyes right away, her gaze drifting off as she thought about the young blonde and her son...their son?
She missed them so much already.
Thinking the worst is exactly what Emma was trying not to do back at the prison. Leaning her hands on the space of the window seal to brace herself, Emma was frantically tapping her foot and wagging her thumb back and forth to thump against the wall.
"Emma, I am sure they are all alright." Big Henry was standing near her.
Emma bit the side of her lip as she looked through the down at the entrance of the prison, looking for any signs of light. They were supposed to be back hours ago, it was dark and cold and wet outside.
Oh God. What if their trucks are turned over? What if the roads were too slick? What if they're trapped somewhere and we're just sitting here? What if-
"Little Swan I would appreciate it if you stopped with the tapping! Huh?" Mallory groaned from her position behind them.
Emma stopped her tapping but didn't turn around, rolling her eyes and flaring her nose. Keeping her eyes out on the road, at the darkness beyond the trees, Emma gripped the window seal until her knuckles turned white. Emma willed her anxiety to stop flaring up inside her, closing her eyes she tried to calm herself.
"Mira, Emma. Look." Big Henry's voice spoke out right next to her.
Emma opened her eyes and looked out, in the distance she could see high beam lights shining through the darkness. She released a deep breath, but willed herself not to get too excited, something could very well be wrong.
They all made their way downstairs and out the door to the courtyard, watching as Felix and Peter opened the gates to let the trucks pass through. Looking at the drivers, Emma saw Ruby in Regina's truck and Kristoff in his truck.
The first pang of fear in her chest, Regina didn't let anyone else drive her truck unless something was wrong. The trucks pulled into the courtyard and the second pang of fear went off in her chest, she did not see Regina amongst the people getting out of those trucks.
Ruby looked at her and quickly smiled and rushed out of the truck, hurriedly leaning back in and turning it off. Emma and Big Henry both stepped over to the trucks, Henry put his hand on the hood.
"Ruby..." Emma looked through the windows to make sure Regina was just laying down in the back.
"Hi! Okay no panicking! It is imperative that you do not panic." Ruby turned and shut the door.
Emma just kept quiet and narrowed her eyes at the woman.
"Why are we not panicking, Ruby? Where is my daughter? Why is she not with you?" Henry fired questions at her.
"Regina is perfectly fine. She is safe! On our run we ran into some people on the road and of course Regina wanted to stop and speak to them. So there was this tall dude with an axe, and this really pretty woman and these other two guys, so they knew who-"
"Ruby." Emma looked at her her gaze still uncertain, "Where is Regina?"
"I was getting to that part." Ruby sucked her teeth. "She's with her sister!" she smiled and looked to Big Henry. "She found Zelena and Robyn!" then back to Emma, "She is with them now. And she is safe. I promise nothing is wrong."
Emma closed her eyes and released another long calming breath. Regina was ok.
"My daughters are together? Zelena and Robyn alright?" Henry looked to Ruby shocked and relieved by this news.
Emma felt two bodies at her sides, Mulan to her right and Graham to her left. Mulan bumped her shoulder and smiled, while Graham put his arm around her shoulder and she sagged against him, taking small shaking breaths. Graham smiled at her and she returned it as if saying she was ok.
"Ruby, Cap clearly said to make sure she didn't have a mini heartache." Graham rolled his eyes.
"She told me to tell them what happened. I was gettin to it!" Ruby shrugged.
"Again as I mentioned earlier. Quickness. You're lacking there of. Apparently the cold weather has affected you in that area." Mulan snickered.
Ruby rolled her eyes and murmured some insult, as she turned back to Big Henry and Emma, telling them both the story of what happened today, as they all stood outside. Philip went back inside, while Kristoff and Jefferson and Graham unloaded the meat from the beds of the trucks.
"In the morning I will speak to Gus and Jaq. See how far he's gotten on getting the bus up and running again. Regina told me once we have that, to come back and get everyone." Ruby finished.
"Well Gus wasn't very far on it before we got snowed in. That could take days or weeks..." Emma huffed. "Is she going to stay there that entire time?"
"The church is over an hour away from the prison, we don't have much fuel to keep making those trips Em." Ruby sighed. "At least not everyday."
Emma sighed and nodded, "So we'll find more. Or make more. The bus can't be our only option, you need a plan B."
"Make fuel?" Big Henry questioned.
"Yes, there a lot of alternatives to gas but given we have very limited resources...I just don't know what we can use. Yet." Emma bit the inside of her lip, thinking on it.
"We will figure it out." Ruby rubbed her arm. "If anything we will go out and syphon any and every car we find."
Emma nodded her head and they all finally went inside away from the cold nights air. Making her way back to D Block, Emma walked into her cell, finding August rubbing Henry's stomach as he laid back sleeping. August was on his side, his head propped up on his palm. He looked back and saw Emma walk in and quickly moved to sit up.
"Hey. Are they back? Is she here?" August asked.
"They're back, but Regina isn't with them-"
"What?! Why?!"
"She's with her sister and her niece about an hour's ride away from here at a church." Emma quickly explained.
"Her sister?...They found them?"
"Yes, so she is safe. Regina wanted to stay with them and their group. There's 36 of them in total and majority of them are kids. She wants to bring them all here but we have to find a way to get them here."
"An hour? What's that like 40 miles?" August questioned.
"53 according to Mulan." Emma sighed.
August winced, "I was going to suggest walking but yeah no never mind."
"I don't know what they'll decide on. Regina mentioned the bus out in the big garage. Ruby will speak to Gus and his guys tomorrow."
"And Regina is going stay there? Until the bus is running?"
"That's what she said." Emma nodded.
"Does that...bother you?" August looked up at her.
Emma sighed and walked over to sit next to him, reaching out and pulling Henry's shirt down over his little belly.
"Honestly...a bit yes but I am very happy she finally found her family...Her birthday is tomorrow so I know this is greater than anything she could've asked for."
"Well...maybe she'll come back before the bus is working. You know show her face to everyone let them know she's alright."
"Yeah. Maybe." Emma replied lowly.
Taking off her sweater and boots, picking Henry up from August's bed and placing him up in theirs. Emma climbed up and pulled Henry over to her, cuddling him into her chest. This was the first night in weeks that Regina wasn't by her side at night. She tried not to think too much on it, and be happy about this whole thing.
Emma, Graham, Ruby, Kristoff, and Big Henry all sat down with Gus and his brother Jaq, and discussed the status of the bus.
"We cleaned out the tank, managed to fix the spark plug, we patched up a hole in the cylinder but it needs new exhaust valves. It's not sealing properly so there's a lack of compression, uuh we need more oil for the piston to move better in the cylinder or else it's just gone keep freezing up. Plus it needs a new drive belt and then on top of that you need fuel." Gus shrugged.
"That's just stuff we ain't managed to fix. Everything else was a miracle." Jaq spoke up.
"So basically we can't get it to work?" Kristoff sighed.
"Now I didn't say that. You find those parts and that oil I can get it up and running real good. It's got a diesel engine so...just gotta find it." Gus shrugged again.
"Yeah, you say that like we can just go out and get some diesel from the gas station." Ruby narrowed her eyes.
"Would Biodiesel work?" Emma finally spoke up and asked.
"What you know about biodiesel, Little Swan?" Jaq snickered and licked his lips.
"I know enough Jacques." Emma squinted her eyes, Gus and Jaq were the same age as her but they acted like teenagers.
"Yeah biodiesel would work. But without those parts, she aint gone run." Jaq shrugged.
"So we go out and find the parts." Ruby nodded once and looked to Kristoff.
"Can you find us pictures of what they look like?" Kristoff asked Gus and the two brothers nodded.
"Why don't they just walk? 50 miles ain't nothing." Gus snickered. "My daddy walked for hours a day to get to where he wanted to go."
"It's cold Octavius, there's snow. They are children. And there are dead people walking around, eating peoples flesh." Ruby scuffed. "That's like a 20 hour walk with minimal stops. It isn't safe for them to be out there on that road like that at night."
"Let's get started as soon as possible." Kristoff sent them off to go find the pictures.
"When do you want to go?" Ruby looked at Kristoff.
"We can go today the sooner we look for stuff the better." Kristoff ran his hand through his hair.
"Graham where's the nearest hardware store?" Emma asked from across the table.
"Let's see." Graham pulled out his map and looked over all the places they'd circled. "Oh there's one just up the road near that Supercenter we went to all those weeks ago. Says Lehman's."
"Why do you ask?" Ruby looked at her.
"Because I'm coming with you." Emma stated simply.
"No." Graham, Ruby and Kristoff all said at the same time.
"What do you mean no?!" Emma scuffed. "I lived out there for months before I came to this place."
"You're not going out there, you haven't left the prison since you got here." Kristoff shook his head.
"That isn't my fault." Emma tutted.
"You've been using gardening tools and playing with dirt for months. When was the last time you even shot a gun?" Ruby questioned.
"A few days before you found us, we used our knifes to save bullets remember?" Emma crossed her arms. "There isn't one good reason why I can't come. I'm the only one who knows what I need to make the biodiesel, we have supplies here but I need an oil compressor and a few other things."
"That doesn't mean you'll find it out there." Ruby reasoned.
"It means I will have a better chance at finding it than you." Emma scuffed.
"Emma...August isn't going to like this. Neither will Regina." Kristoff sighed.
"Regina isn't here. August doesn't have to like it. And don't even try to pull the 'you have a kid to worry about' card... I'm not asking to go alone, I'm asking to come with you. The faster we get this done the quicker we can fix the bus and get everyone here." Emma stated point blank. "Regina isn't with us, and Philip can't go back out so soon. You're down two members...guys I just want to help."
Ruby, Graham and Kristoff all looked at each other, looking to Big Henry too for any reason they could tell her no. Big Henry just shook his head and smiled, getting up he kissed Emma on the forehead. Ruby sighed and they all got up too.
"Fine." She relented. "But if something happens, I expect to be reimbursed and consulted for whatever your crazy girlfriend does to me for agreeing to this."
"I'm not an invalid Ruby. Have some faith in me alright." Emma rolled her eyes.
"It's not you I'm worried about, it's the outside world. Graham almost died all those weeks ago. If you get hurt on my watch...I just will be really upset." Ruby sighed.
Emma smiled and went in for a hug. From the stories Granny told them, she and Ruby are practically cousins.
"I care about you too Ruby."
Graham put his map away and aww'd at the moment as he wrapped his arms around the two women. Ruby cringed groaning, as she tried to push him off.
"Graham! Let go! Your fat ass!"
Graham just chuckled and held on tighter.