Emma cursed. How could Regina be so stupid? Sacrificing herself like she was replaceable... They would have found a way if she just had stayed a little longer. But whenever it came to someone she loved being in danger she seemed to forget that she usually was a smart person. Now, Emma could only hope Regina was safe because that thing that growled at her from the other side of the portal sure as hell would kill her if she would look away for just one second.

Suddenly she regretted not paying attention when they spoke about mythology in history. Maybe then she would have known what she was facing and how she could protect herself from it. At the moment Emma just stood there shaking in fear but trying not to show it.

The thing however didn't make a move. It just watched her through burning red eyes as if it was studying her, trying to make out her weakness.

"Just go back wherever you came from and everything's fine. Nobody gets hurt." Emma tried to overplay her fear but when the thing responded with a growl that almost sounded like a laugh she was sure she was going to die in here.

The blonde tried hard to remember what Regina had taught her but when she thought about her, the fear only got worse. Regina could be dead by now. If that would have been the only way to protect Henry she would have done it, Emma was sure. And Henry… what if he got hurt trying to protect her? What if the people she loved most in her life were gone? What if she was alone again?

Suddenly Emma snapped out of this state. She wasn't sure what it was that woke her but it saved her life. She jumped aside the moment the creature landed where she was standing a moment ago. Without thinking Emma shot a magic blast at it that threw it against the wall opposite her. Red eyes started at her and Emma felt the doubts and the fear creeping back in again. Then realization hit her like a train -the creature made her feel all of that. Somehow its presence was enough to got her hands shaking.

"Fuck off" she shouted getting angry. She was wasting her time here while Henry and Regina needed her. She shot at it again. It easily jumped aside.

Then a second howl resonated in the cave and when Emma quickly looked aside another monster observed her through the swirling golden circle.

"Are you kidding me?!", she totally was going to strangle Gold when she was getting out of here. As if he had heard her, the portals suddenly started to close. But now there was the problem of getting the thing on her side of the portal back to it's.

"C'mon buddy, don't you wanna go back home? I imagine it being warm in there, not as cold as Storybrooke. You know, it's not that great here anyway. Just a boring small town in Maine that you cant leave cause there's no magic on the other side of the city border. I'm sure you'll miss your friends too if … things like you have them" Emma rambled.

The creature just growled deeply.

"Okay so no peaceful departure then" the blonde noted. She began walking towards the edge when the monster suddenly started chasing her. She threw herself on the ground shooting in the air above where the creature was, ready to slit her throat.

The next moment there was nothing, just dust that trickled down on a heavily breathing Emma.

She got up coughing, turning to the closing portals directing her words towards the other creature that was still watching her,

"See? That's what you get when you mess with me."

Emma left the cave as soon as the portals were closed. She tried to teleport herself but she couldn't really concentrate on it, so she just ran and climbed and ran till she had a phone connection again and called Regina.

"Emma?" Regina picked up the call and the blonde couldn't answer at first as tears were welling up in her eyes when she heard the brunette sounding well and not in danger at all.

"Emma, are you alright?" Regina asked concerned.

"Yeah. Yes. Are you?" Emma managed to answer.

"I am. Belle helped me. She and Henry found a way to cure the people. I was going to call you just now actually. Ruby told me the portals are closed already."

"They are" Emma confirmed. "Is Henry okay? Where are you? I'm coming over."

"At the town hall. See you in a minute?"

"Probably half an hour. I'm still in the mines."

"Where exactly?" Regina asked.

"The abyss. I just climbed the wall."

"Oh Emma" Regina sighed sounding just slightly annoyed. Seconds later a cloud of purple smoked appeared a few meters ways from the blonde.

"Oh hi" she stumbled surprised.

"I thought you knew how to teleport yourself by now" Regina teased, grabbing Emma's arm.

Moments later she found herself again in the town hall.

"I do, I just couldn't concentrate" Emma defended herself.

Regina looked her up and down. She noticed the dirt and the dust and her eyes went soft "Let's get you under a shower. You had a long day. I'm going to ask Gold if we can already use the water again. He's working on a spell to extract the magic."

"Is that the way you cured the people too? Extracting the magic from them?"

Regina nodded, "We have a smart son."

"That we do" Emma smiled.

While the brunette was leaving the hall, Mary Margret and David entered it running over to their daughter.

"Emma!" her mother exclaimed coming in for a hug but the blonde quickly took a step back and got a look full of hurt from her.

"Dirty" she explained brushing off some former monster particles from her chest. She couldn't tell them the real reason why she didn't wanted to hug, why she couldn't even look them in their faces without getting angry.

They were under a curse, Emma. They're not responsible for their actions.

But somehow they were. And somehow Emma couldn't forgive them as easily as it seemed Regina had done. Whenever she looked at her mother she just found herself back in the moment were that arrow had hit Regina. Her face full of surprise before she fell. How could they call theirselves heroes when it just needed some magic water for them to become leaders of a killer mob?

"Are you okay, Emma?" David asked putting an arm around his wife. The blonde wanted to say something like "I'm okay," and leave them till the anger bubbling inside her started to fade but she couldn't help herself and snapped, "It was not my son you threatened to hurt to make Regina surrender. Oh wait, it was."

Her parents looked at her in shock not really knowing what to say.

"We never would have hurt Henry, Emma" Snow said sincerely. Her voice was quiet like she was embarrassed to even have to say such a thing out loud.

"Then why would you think Regina had surrendered if she didn't think you had it in you?"

"Is everything alright?" somebody interrupted them and without looking Emma recognized the husky voice. She turned around to find the brunette standing 5 feet away from them, Henry at her side.

"All good" Emma obviously lied. "Let's go home."

She put a hand on Regina's back guiding her and Henry away. Partly because she wanted to hurt her parents by making clear that she didn't need them to feel home but mostly because she couldn't stand seeing Regina looking so vulnerable around them. Maybe she too hadn't forgiven Mary Margret and David just yet.