I'M BACK, EVERYBODY!

I'm so sorry for the wait! I can't believe it's been 2 years since I've last posted this story. Time really does fly when you're busy!

I do plan on making it up to you guys by finishing Trials and Tribulations in 2020. It's a goal of mine and you all deserve it :)

Without further ado, here's a new chapter!

-FantasyWriterFoSho

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Summary of the Previous Chapter: Emma escaped into the forest where she soon encountered the Snow Queen, who then took, trapped then paralyzed the former in her lair via a mirror.

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Chapter Eight: Resolution

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It took him nearly an hour to get there, but when he looked up and saw Regina's house, Killian felt the unmistakable surge of adrenaline pump then propel his body forward.

Lightly panting, he quickly made his way to the front door and raised his hook to knock, but stopped when he suddenly found himself hesitating.

Pulled directly from his memory, he could just picture the fury in Regina's eyes as well as hear that all too familiar bite in her voice whenever he and Emma found themselves around her, which wasn't hard to do in a small town like Storybrooke.

Slightly lowering his arm and looking down, he released a sharp groan before mentally shaking those instances away. I know that she isn't exactly pleased with us, he thought, looking back up at the door, his gumption returning. But she's the only option we really have in getting Emma back...

Remembering why he was doing this, Killian inhaled sharply before rapping his hook against the sturdy frame. Within seconds, the door pulled away from him and revealed an unreadable Regina in its wake.

Her eyes roamed over his face before narrowing. "What do you want?" she asked in a clipped tone. Releasing the door, she folded both of her arms over her chest and tilted her head in mild curiosity and unveiled irritation. "The sooner you answer, the more time you have to rethink your decision..."

"We need your help," Killian responded evenly, despite his shaking nerves. He didn't want to say the wrong thing. He couldn't afford to leave empty handed. "Please just listen to me..."

Raising a brow at his answer, Regina waved a hand, prompting him to continue, which he did in an enunciated rush. He told her nearly everything. From Emma questioning the Snow Queen to what happened at the station to his suspicions of Emma wanting to give up her magic to Gold. The only thing he withheld was the dagger situation but since it wasn't exactly at the top of his priority list, he chose to omit it...for now.

He needed Emma to be safe first.

Meeting her eyes, he gestured at her. "You are our best chance at discovering what the crocodile is planning. If you could just—"

"No," Regina interrupted, that masked expression back on her face. "This isn't my problem. It sounds like a situation that you guys brought onto yourselves."

After dropping her arms so she could grab at the back of the door, she continued with a noticeable scowl. "You will have to deal with it on your own. I'm no longer in any sort of a charitable mood, which means that my assistance, or knowledge, about certain things are off the table. So, I suggest that you start padding your magical resume with a few hard days of studying because I'm done."

"Regina," Killian began, his eyes wide. "You can't mean that..."

"I've never meant anything more in my life," she responded, taking a step back, the dark hall behind her emphasizing her foul mood. "Now, if you would excuse me."

"But what about Henry? What if something happens to him?"

"He will be fine," she responded, her tone softening. "In fact, he'll probably be better off without me."

Killian took a step forward. "I know that you're broken and riddled with unbearable pain but you—"

"If I needed advice," she interrupted again, her eyes steely and her voice, once again, firm. "It would not come from you."

Taking another step back, Regina made good on her refusal by slamming the door in his face, the sound blaring past his ears and into his bones. Throat thick, she momentarily leaned against the frame before pushing herself away and heading towards her kitchen table, her eyes scrunched in deep contemplation.

Plopping down onto one of her seats, Regina rested her elbows atop the table then clasped her hands together, her mind mulling over what Killian had just told her in the lonely space she had created for herself. "I'm done," she repeated softly. "I'm done..."

…

"Bloody hell," Killian cursed loudly, disturbing some of his hair when he nervously rubbed at the back of his neck. Examining the door for a second, he took a step back then sighed, feeling every single emotion running through him at a rapid speed.

Knowing that standing in front of Regina's house wasn't going to do him any favors, Killian slowly redirected his feet so he could steadily make his way back into town, his pace even and sturdy.

He needed to figure out their next step.

Though it was Emma's life and ultimately her decision on whether or not to keep her powers, he couldn't support the nature of her plan. She was doing it out of fear and wasn't thinking clearly about the possible outcomes, especially since she was deciding to deal with the devil.

The next time he looked up, Killian suddenly found himself in the vicinity of the loft—time a mere illusion in the midst of his consuming thoughts. Quickly entering then climbing up the stairs, he nearly tripped his way to the door before knocking, his legs uncooperative due to his lack of physical concentration.

"Killian?" Elsa asked before greeting him inside with a hand wave. "Any news? Mary Margaret barely had enough time to tell us the plan when she was here earlier..."

"They're tracking Emma down now," he began, his eyes taking in the room the further he entered. Once inside, his gaze immediately fell onto Belle, who was holding Neal and standing beside a worried-looking Henry.

Tell her the truth, he immediately thought. Tell her all of it. She deserves to know…

"I pray that they find her," Elsa said, tearing Killian away from his musings. "But where were you? Why didn't you go with them?"

Turning around to face her, he dismissed the guilt he was feeling over the dagger in order to meet her gaze. "I went to see if Regina would assist us but..." he paused, knowing that Henry would be listening behind him. "...she won't. She's done..."

"Are you sure?" Belle asked, incredulously.

"Those were her exact words."

"My mom said that?" Henry asked, moving to stand next him, sadness tinting his features. "She's done with Emma or with the town?"

Killian faced him and instinctively placed a comforting hand onto the younger boy's shoulder. "At the moment, she's done with it all," he reasoned, his tone low as he searched the other one's eyes.

Henry shook his head and tried to step towards the door. "She...she doesn't mean that. I'll...I'll go talk to her."

Killian then squeezed his shoulder; holding him in place. "I don't think you should. She's battling her emotions and that can take time. For the moment, I believe that she needs to sort that out and to do that, she has to be alone..."

Henry's form slumped and he looked down. "Is that why she doesn't see me when I come over or respond to my calls?"

"It's not that she doesn't wish to see you," he quickly responded, his gaze knowing and sympathetic when he thought back to what Regina had said about him. "She just wishes she could be her best self for you. In a way, she's internally grieving…do you understand what I'm telling you?"

Henry took a moment before responding softly. "Basically, it's a complicated thing..."

"Aye."

"So," Belle softly cut in as she bounced a playful, but exhausted Neal in her arms. "Are you just waiting for Mary Margaret, David and Emma to come back here?"

Killian nodded then gestured about the room with his hook. "They said that they would notify me with a call but I figured that they may just convene here anyway, so, I decided to make things easier on everyone."

"Good thinking," Elsa acknowledged while moving to settle herself beside the kitchen island. "I guess now we wait..."

The other three agreed silently, each one preoccupied with their thoughts.

Henry soon moved away from the group in order to go turn on the TV; Belle continued to lull Neal with her swaying movements while Killian sighed before joining a nervous Elsa, his brain in a perpetual fog because of the day's events.

…

As the pair continued to follow the magical floating scarf, Mary Margaret and David found themselves driving deep into the forest, the already darkened sky disappearing beneath the large branches above. The truck trampled over twigs, leaves and loose bushes before they stumbled onto an offbeat dirt road, which twisted in every angle.

"We're going to find her," David said, sensing his wife's anxiety and fear. "She's fine."

Mary Margaret swallowed hard. "I hope so," she whispered, remembering her daughter's horror-stricken face when she had looked at her. She was so broken.

Keeping a close eye out for the scarf, which was flying directly in their headlights, their mutual silence resumed for a couple of minutes before they noticed something familiar in the distance.

"It's Emma's car!" David exclaimed as he sped forward, his foot heavy on the gas pedal. Observing with growing interest, they watched the scarf hover then twirl around the vehicle in fluid motions, the fabric bending and twisting over itself. Quickly throwing the car in park, but leaving it on, they both hopped out and hastily approached the driver's side, but any excitement they felt melted away when they found it empty.

Mary Margaret looked around, her gaze jumping over the dark shapes. "Emma! Emma!"

"Why would she leave her car here?" David questioned, his brows furrowed. "Why would she go anywhere, out here, on foot? Did she think she would be throwing off our trail by doing that?" More questions continued to pile up, in his mind, but he didn't give them a voice. Instead, he went back to his truck to grab a spare flashlight. When he found it, he flipped on, immediately spilling the needed light onto the greenery that surrounded them.

Whipping it back and forth, David and Mary Margaret thoroughly began to survey the nearby grounds and didn't stop until they were sure that Emma was nowhere in their vicinity.

"Where can she be?" Mary Margaret asked, nimbly grabbing the floating scarf then following her husband back to their truck, its doors still open wide in the dark. The headlights of their car were focused on Emma's, casting the yellow vehicle and the trees in a hot amber glow. Mary Margaret shook her head and stood in-between the passenger's seat and the door. "Maybe the batch Gold made was faulty? We were rushing him..."

David absentmindedly shrugged his shoulders. Moving slowly to his own door, he then pointed his flashlight up, the beam traveling only so far in the encompassing airy black mass. "Perhaps, but either way...it's getting darker and we should start heading back."

Mary Margaret raised a brow before pulling out her phone and looking at its illuminated screen. "It's only 5:13pm..."

"Tell that to our dense surroundings and the setting sun."

"We can't just give up!"

"We're not," David said, meeting her hot gaze. "But there's not much we can do at this point, Snow. The tracking potion led us to Emma's car, which we didn't find her in. We also searched the perimeter and had no luck. Besides, the lack of sun doesn't exactly help our predicament. Just imagine how it'll look in a couple of minutes. In any case," he paused, giving her a small smile. "We need to get our rest. We're no good to Emma in this state..."

Mary Margaret weighed his words, even though she knew that he was right. They had to go back and regroup. Sighing, she tapped her fingers on the hood of the car. "I feel horrible not knowing where she is or who she's possibly with. I feel like we're deserting her."

"We're not," David sympathized. "This isn't the end. We'll resume bright and early the next morning and we won't stop until she's found."

"Ok," she finally relented, bending down in order to sit inside the truck. "Let's go back to the loft."

David immediately clambered in and closed his door before unparking, then driving, the car forward. He circled around Emma's deserted vehicle; both of their eyes wandering over its form when they curved past it. As they sped back into the main part of town, their tires squeaking under their rushed protest, their minds were muddled with worrying scenarios and frightening images when they thought about their daughter's safety.

During the journey, Mary Margaret had called Killian, who immediately informed her of his whereabouts, when prompted, and told him their news before he shared his with them, both of which were equally distressing.

With a ragged sigh, she hung up, Regina now occupying her thoughts after what she had just been told about her. She understood that she was upset and that it would take some time for her to heal, but for her to refuse when they needed her the most was really irksome.

No human life was sacrificial.

Upon arrival, Mary Margaret patiently waited for her husband to park the car before they both spilled out of it and closed their doors, Emma's scarf securely in her possession. Hurrying inside, they practically ran up the steps and pounded on the wooden frame, too frazzled to use their own key.

"So, what's the plan?" Elsa immediately asked after she ran over to answer their knocks. Killian had informed the room the moment he got off the phone and she had been worried ever since. Not only was Anna missing, but now, her new friend was too and that was more than she could honestly take. "How are we going to find Emma?"

"We're not entirely sure," David answered, shutting the door behind him. After removing his jacket then his wife's, he hung them up before continuing, his eyes meeting everybody's in the room. "We're running out of options but we're not giving up. Emma's out there and we're going to find her."

"Of course we are," Belle affirmed while handing the baby over to the approaching mother. "And Neal was an absolute delight."

"I'm glad to hear that," Mary Margaret said, latching onto him lovingly. "Again, I apologize for just leaving you guys earlier. I was too jumpy to stay behind and wait..."

"It's fine. We all could see how much you wanted to go search for her."

"Thanks...and how was Henry? I see that he's not down here…"

"He's as well as could be expected," Belle answered honestly. She then gestured upstairs with a head inclination. "He's been in his room for a while now. He was going to wait up for you two but I figured it would be best if he tried to get some sort of rest." She then paused. "The toll of one mom distancing herself while not knowing where the other one is would heavily weigh on anyone..."

Mary Margaret sadly nodded her head while David and the others looked away.

Flicking her gaze down to the scarf that the other woman was still holding, Belle remembered something. "Killian also mentioned that the batch Rumple made was possibly faulty. Are you sure? He's normally great at making potions."

"It just circled around Emma's empty car," Mary Margaret explained lowly, brushing a loose piece of hair from Neal's face on her way to his crib. Slowly leaning in, she gently settled him down onto the blanketed mattress before continuing in a softer voice. "It didn't take us in another direction after that. It just stopped there."

Belle furrowed her brows and tilted her head. "That's bizarre." She then stretched her hand out to a returning Mary Margaret. "Could I borrow it? I'll have Rumple analyze it before having him make another one."

"That would be lovely," Mary Margaret said, instantly giving the item over to her friend. "Thank you so much."

"No worries," Belle replied with a smile. "I'll see you in the morning. Call me with the details." Bunching the scarf up in one hand, she then made her way to the door before stopping to look at Elsa. "Oh, I planned on doing some research at the library tonight. Do you want to join me? We can try to look deeper into your past or into Arendelle, if you want..."

"I would greatly appreciate it," Elsa said, clasping her hands together in front of her chest. After giving the remaining people a quick, polite nod, she left the loft on Belle's heels, eager to find relevant information and to keep her hands busy.

Killian, who had been listening and sitting quietly over by the kitchen island, twisted and fiddled with his hook. He didn't like how he was feeling. He absolutely despised being helpless. "I've been wondering about our next move ever since I left Regina's house," he admitted, his eyes downcast. "...but I honestly don't know how we can go about this. We can't trust the crocodile, Her Majesty has abdicated and I doubt that anybody else would know more than those two in regards to this situation..."

"We'll figure it out," David repeated, desperately needing to believe in his own words. He moved over to where the other man was and took a seat beside him. "We have to for Emma's sake..."

Killian barely managed to nod over the loud thundering of his heart. "Aye..."

At the sight, Mary Margaret bit the inside of her cheek before decidedly walking over to her now hanging jacket. Reaching deep into a pocket, she tugged out her phone and opened it. Clicking on her contact list, she found the person she was looking for and selected it, her phone blackening as the number dialed, but when she was about to put the cell up to her ear, the connection was suddenly interrupted by another call...

...and by the same person she was trying to talk to.

Blinking wildly, Mary Margaret instantly answered it, practically throwing the phone against the side of her head. "Hello?...Regina?"

The two men's ears perked up at the name and they quickly moved to stand beside her.

"I was just about to call you," she said with a nervous laugh. "Regina, I know that you don't want to talk to me, or to my family, but we really need you to change your mind. Please, we really—"

"Stop talking."

Mary Margaret's voice died in her throat.

"I've...I've decided to help..."

"Really?" Mary Margaret said, her eyes widening with joy. "Thank you so much, Regina! We—"

"But...things are going to be different," Regina's stated, her voice overriding the other woman's. "I'll only help you on my terms. If you can't accept them, then you're on your own..."

Mary Margaret glanced at the hopeful faces of her husband and Killian before clearing her suddenly restricted throat. She didn't like where this was going but she didn't exactly have a choice.

She needed her daughter to come back home.

Slightly turning around for some more space, she exhaled then licked her lips. "Tell me."

Regina didn't waste any time.

She immediately dove in and recounted her demands, laying each one out in a professional and dictatorial manner and when she was finished, she hung up; leaving Mary Margaret relatively speechless at the fair, but altering, conditions.

…

More to come! Stay tuned and thanks!