Emma and Regina are sleeping on Emma's bed, as peacefully as though it were just a normal day, girlfriends enjoying each other's company. Emma slowly opens her eyes, the reality of what's about to happen sinking in. She feels badly that she can't help Ruby and the others prepare, but if she's going to have any strength at all, she has to rest. She's petrified, she's exhausted, and she's fully aware she might not live through the night.

Across town, Ruby, Mulan and Merida are gathering supplies. As terrified as Ruby is, she's focused and ready. The prospect of saving her friend's life is oddly gratifying, and though she clearly would have preferred a quiet summer of beaching it, she's feeling brave and useful for the first time in a long time.

They burst through the doors of a massive church, the smell of incense assaulting their nostrils as soon as they walked in. The few people seated in the pews turned abruptly at the racket, and Ruby gives them a tight-lipped smile and quick wave while they filled canteens with holy water.

On the way back to the house, Ruby sifts through the grocery bags. "Does this stuff actually work?"

"I don't know about garlic. It could be a myth, but we have to try everything. No point in being under-prepared. The rest works," Mulan shrugs. Ruby is in amazement at how calm and collected they are. Neither of them seem rattled in the least; if anything, they appear excited for the adventure.

Emma sneaks out of bed, kissing Regina gently on the temple. She walks downstairs, the light fading quickly. Ruby and Merida have filled the bathtub with holy water, and are submerging water guns in it. Mulan pours a pan of chopped garlic into the water, swirling it with her hands. Emma shuts and locks every door, every window, pushes heavy furniture against every entrance to the house. Granny left for her date an hour ago, and Mary Margaret was once again out with Victor. There's no turning back.

At the edge of the ocean, beneath a rocky cliff, darkness seeps in. She awakens, screaming in anger and agony. It's time.

They sit in front of the fireplace, testing out bow and arrows, sharpening stakes, trying to be as prepared as possible for the unknown. The tension is thick.

"Is there any chance that they, maybe, won't come?" Ruby asks, her voice small.

"No chance. They'll be here. And you have to remember when you destroy a vampire, some go quietly, some go screaming. Some explode, some implode. But all will try to take you with them," Merida says.

"This is fucking insane," Emma whispers, looking around at the group of them. Regina places a hand on her thigh.

It's quiet. There's an uncomfortable stillness in the air, like an impending storm. It's full dark now, and everyone is on edge.

The brass fireplace screen rattles, and they all turn to look. At that moment, Zelena explodes from the fireplace, landing on her feet in the center of the room. She's angry and her eyes are blazing yellow. Amid screams, the room goes dark.

Another bang sounds from upstairs, shutters clanging back and forth. Merida and Mulan take the stairs two at a time, confronted by Ursula standing behind the bathroom door. She turns the corner smoothly, smiling.

"You killed Cru," says spits at Merida, reaching for her. Mulan looks down at the bathtub, garlic cloves floating on top. Ursula laughs. "Garlic doesn't work, girls." She grabs Merida by the throat, lifting her off her feet.

"How about holy water?" Mulan yells, grabbing a handful of water and splashing Ursula's face. Ursula drops Merida to the ground and grabs at her face.

"You're fucking dead," she screams, heaving herself at Mulan. Merida grabs her jacket and pulls on her, causing them both to lose their balance. Merida pushes forward, Ursula falling face first into the bathtub. She pushes her down before scrambling off of her, falling to the tile below. The water begins to churn, turning a putrid shade of red as Ursula screams in agony, tearing at her skin. It bubbles and cracks, leaving a floating mess of blood and bone.

Mulan stands over the bathtub, still in shock, before breaking out in peals of laughter. "Who's fucking dead now, asshole?" Merida grabs her from behind, squeezing her into a bear hug. "Another one down!"

Ruby fumbles in the darkness, Emma lying on the ground next to her. "Emma!" she whispers, shaking her. She finds her phone in her back pocket, presses the flashlight with a trembling hand. She turns the light to the open room and stares into the eyes of Zelena.

"Hello, darling," she says sweetly, before baring her fangs. Ruby screams and backs away, but Zelena is too fast for her.

"Zel-ena," Regina calls in a sing-song voice from the other side of the room. "You know, I never did like you."

Zelena turns as Regina's letting the arrow fly from the bow. Zelena falls to the ground in a slump. Ruby flips on a lamp, allowing at least a little light into the room. "Is she dead?" Ruby asks cautiously, walking toward the figure on the ground.

Zelena jumps up, directly on her feet. "You missed, Regina," she smiles, running her tongue over teeth.

"Only once," Regina smirks, releasing the second arrow. It hits Zelena directly in the chest, propelling her backwards into the wall. She screams in pain, attempting to pull the arrow out, but it's too late. She slumps to the ground in a pool of her own blood. The yellow slowly fades from her eyes leaving a cloudy blue in its place.

Emma finally comes to, rubbing at the back of her head. She finds Regina standing with her bow and arrow, breathing heavily. "What happened? Is it over?"

Merida and Mulan rejoin the others in the living room. They see Zelena on the ground and Mulan claps Regina on the back. "Two down."

"We need to re-group," Ruby says. "The leader hasn't come yet."

"She will," Regina says, looking out the window.

"Quick, go upstairs," Melan urges. "Let her come find us."

They run up the stairs, Emma trailing. Before she can make her way to the top, Mal drops down from the ceiling. "Em-ma," she says, drawing out the syllables, baring her teeth. She pushes, hard, and Emma falls down the stairs with an unceremonious thump. The door to the bedroom that houses the others slams shut, and Emma can hear them jiggling the doorknob to get out. She is thrown back again by an invisible slap to the face. She looks around, seeing nothing. She is pushed from behind.

"Afraid to face me, Mal?" she asks loudly, anger building within her.

She hears laughter. Mal appears on one of the beams that line the top half of the log cabin. She flips her long hair and raises her eyebrows. "I was trying to make you immortal, Emma."

"You were trying to make me a killer."

Emma is thrown back once again, knocked off her feet. She is on all fours, trying to catch her breath. She looks up at Mal, her eyes glowing and fangs threatening.

"You are a killer, Emma."

Emma takes off, colliding with Mal in mid-air. They struggle, clawing and pushing, blood dripping from the open wound under Emma's eye. Mal pushes back fiercely and has Emma pinned against the wall. "I don't want to kill you," she says, so close to Emma's face that their lips are practically brushing. "Join us."

"Never," Emma responds, struggling to breathe with the force against her abdomen.

"It's too late," Mal tells her, running a thumbnail along Emma's jaw line. "My blood is in your veins."

Emma summons her strength, steeling her grip on Mal's upper arms. " .MINE!" she yells, throwing Mal off of her. She is on her before Mal can get back to her feet, and using her panic and ferocity as fuel, she knocks Mal backwards. She stumbles, growling deep within her throat, and falls directly on Granny's stuffed deer, the antler piercing her back. She yells in pain and tries to stand. Emma hurls herself forward, thrusting her shoulder in Mal's stomach. Mal is powerless with something stuck in her chest, and she falls backward even further, impaled.

"Not like this," Mal yelps, tears pouring down her cheeks. She tries to turn her head but can't, and falls back against the antler, lifeless.

"Emma!" Regina yells, taking off down the stairs the second they were freed. She seems Emma standing over Mal's body, and she gasps, holding onto Emma's hand.

"Nothing's changed," Emma tells her, still in vampire form. "She wasn't the head vampire."

"Then who the hell is?" Mulan asks, touching one of Mal's curls very gingerly.

"I don't know, but she's right. I don't feel any different," Regina agrees, rubbing the back of her neck. "Someone else is out there."

"What the hell is going on in here?"

They stand still, eyes wide. Ruby walks toward the front door, seeing Mary Margaret and Victor walking slowly into the living room. She rushes up to her. "Listen, you need to get out of here."

Victor walks away from them to where Mal is lying motionless. He touches her face gently and sighs sadly.

"I'm so sorry, Mary Margaret. This is all my fault," he says, running a hand through his hair.

"What are you talking about? Is that a person?" Mary Margaret asks, more of a squeal than a question, when she spots Zelena in the corner.

"It seems my girls have misbehaved. I'd hoped it would never come to this," he tells her.

"I knew it. You are the head vampire," Ruby says, trying to spot one of the stakes they left on the floor.

"What?!" Mary Margaret asks again, her face a blanket of confusion.

"Mmm," he answers.

"But…you passed the test?" Mulan questions.

"Your test was juvenile, my dear girl. And you," he eyes Ruby, "should never invite a vampire into your house, don't you know that? It renders you powerless."

"Has everyone here lost their minds? What is the matter with all of you?" Mary Margaret is shaking her head, feeling like she is in some parallel universe of insanity.

"I'm sorry, Mary Margaret. It was you who I was after all along. Once I found out who Emma was, I thought that maybe we could be one big happy family. I told Mal to take it easy on her, let her be the one to want it. You ruined that, I presume?" he asked, turning to Regina with yellow eyes.

"No one invited you in this time, Victor," Emma growls, still in feral mode. She lunges at him, but he flings her off like she's a toddler. Regina picks up the bow, but he's on her before she can even get an arrow on to it. He throws her to the ground easily.

"You're no match for me. Any of you. Come on Mary Margaret," he says, showing her his razor-like teeth. "Don't fight. It's so much easier if you don't fight. We can be happy together." He extends his hand to her.

Mary Margaret looks around, her eyes like saucers. Emma is slumped against the wall, Regina is lying in the middle of the floor, Ruby is cowering next to the fireplace. Even Mulan and Merida are standing near the door, ready to make a break for it. Knowing she has nowhere to turn, no escape, she puts her hand in his and begins to cry.

Victor's about to sink his teeth into the soft flesh of her neck when a car horn loudly interrupts the sadistic ceremony. They all look up to see Granny plow through the front door with her shotgun aimed. Mary Margaret dashes to the side, giving her a straight shot. She pulls the trigger, sending Victor flying backwards and into the fireplace. He screeches violently. Regina scrambles for Mulan's sharpened stake and crawls toward him, plunging it deep into Victor's chest. He screams, again, and the fireplace ignites in a burst of flame. Regina jumps away from it, landing at Mary Margaret's feet.

They all stare, watching the body consumed by the fire, nobody daring to say a word. Emma is the first to break the silence, letting out a half laugh, half sob. "It's over," she says, touching her flattened teeth. Regina rushes over to her, wrapping her arms around Emma's neck.

Granny walks to the kitchen wordlessly, opens a Pepsi and gulps about half of it down. They all just stare at her. "One thing about living in Santa Carla I never could stomach. All the damn vampires."

"How did you…know?" Mary Margaret asks, her face covered in soot.

"I looked in the window and saw this one," she motions to Emma, "sailing across the room. Had to do something." Granny shrugs and finishes off her Pepsi.

Emma packs the last of her things into the moving truck and closes the sliding door. Ruby is standing next to her, kicking at a rock.

"You do know that I'd be dead if not for you, right? If not dead, I'd be ripping the throat out of some poor tourist. Either way, I don't know if I can ever thank you enough."

Ruby smiles at her friend. "You definitely can never thank me enough. That's a given. But really, what were my options? Do nothing? Stake you myself? You're the level-headed one of the group. Imagine the things I'd do if you weren't around to stop me."

Emma chuckles. "When are you coming home?"

"I'll be home for Thanksgiving. You know I can't leave Granny to deal all of this herself, plus I kinda like the idea of working with those two weirdos. And, if this situation ever comes up, we know how to deal with it. I'm like the female Van Helsing and shit."

"Yeah, you are," Emma laughs. "Thanks for driving Mary Margaret to the airport. I don't think she would have lasted on another road trip, you know, considering."

"Yeah. The fact that her boyfriend tried to make her one of the undead and then burned to a crisp right in front of her eyes. Heavy."

Emma pulls her in for a tight hug. "I love you. Be careful. Call me every day."

Ruby squeezes back. "I will. I love you too. Can you maybe try to not get her turned into a werewolf or a zombie or something, please? I don't think I can go through this again." she says, looking at Regina who's throwing a pair of sandals into the front seat.

"I'll do my best," Regina replies, giving Ruby a quick hug. "Thank you," she says, taking Ruby's hands in her own. "You saved our lives."

"Yeah, yeah, I'm the savior, I get it. You two go," she says, kicking the tire of the truck. "I'll see you in a couple months."

They wave as Ruby walks back to the house. Regina gets into the front seat, Emma behind the steering wheel. "You know, Maine is really beautiful in autumn. I think you'll like it."

Regina leans forward, Emma takes the hint. She kisses her softly on the lips, running her tongue slowly against Regina's bottom lip.

"Mmm," Emma groans. "We won't make it three miles if you keep this up."

Regina pulls back, satisfied with herself. "So what is there to do in Storybrooke, Maine anyway?"

"It's just an average, run-of-the-mill, boring little town. You know, the usual. Witches, dragons, fairies, demons…"

"Oh, shut up, Emma. I'm looking forward to going somewhere normal." Regina smiles, and intertwines her fingers with Emma. Emma throws on her sunglasses and backs out of the driveway.