At precisely 8:59, Regina unlocked the door to her office. Henry had been put on the bus, Granny had supplied her with coffee, and Regina was ready to begin another day as mayor. From Henry's report, Regina was relieved to know that neither Maleficent nor Lily had tried to kill the Charmings on the spot yesterday. She made a mental note to tell her old friend that the Charmings were, surprisingly, a lot harder to kill than they looked. In the meantime, there was a town that needed running. Regina fired up her laptop and began perusing the city budget.

At 9:14, the door swung open and Emma strode into the office, two to-go cups from Granny's in her hand. "As grateful as I am for the free food, Emma, you don't need to bring me a peace offering every time you come in here."

Emma smiled. "Technically, it was Hook's, but he overslept. But free coffee is free coffee. How are you coming on the book…" she trailed off, realizing that for the first time in weeks, Regina wasn't poring over Henry's story book. "What are you doing?" she asked.

"What I'm doing is trying to reallocate funds for our municipal capital improvements. Unfortunately, we didn't budget for the sheriff blowing a hole in the jail last fiscal year."

Emma had the decency to look ashamed for the briefest of moments, then launched right back into it. "Is that really what's important right now? Regina, we have bigger problems."

"Is anyone dead?" Regina replied.

"Well, no. Not yet."

"Then we don't have bigger problems. You're the sheriff, go sheriff something out and tell me if I need to get involved. Until then, let me do my job." Regina's eyes went back to her screen.

"Regina-" Emma's response was interrupted by a cellphone ringing. Regina picked up her Blackberry and saw Robin's name on the caller ID. Without a word, she held the phone out to Emma.

"What? No! He's calling YOU. Answer the phone!"

An icy glare was enough to make Regina's point. Emma took the phone and pressed the button to accept the call. "Emma Swan."

Regina turned back to her screen, trying to pretend that she was focused on the numbers in front of her. "No, she's fine. She's in the middle of something," she heard Emma say. "What's wrong?" Regina could hear his voice, but couldn't make out the words. "Wait, no, you can't do that!" His response was louder. She might not be able to make out the words, but the tone was crystal clear. "Look, I get it. Let me talk to Regina. We can figure something out." At that, Regina lifted her head and made eye contact with Emma. Emma pulled the phone from her ear and pressed a button. The speaker came to life, and she heard "-just put her on the phone."

Regina shook her head. Not going to happen. Not today, and not anytime in the near future.

"Listen," Emma said, "I'll call you back. We'll figure it out."

"Emma. With or without your help, we're coming back to Storybrooke. Tell Regina that." And then the line went dead.

"What did he say?" Regina asked.

"He said that he's not going to sit back and wait for Zelena to make her move. He's coming back, and he wants our help getting control of her."

"Is he an idiot?" Regina spat. "If she comes back now, I can pretty much guarantee that she'll destroy him, Roland and the baby, as long as it means she can ruin me."

"Listen, Regina, I know you're angry-" "I am not angry!" Regina interrupted, but Emma held up a hand to continue. "I know you're angry, and I am too, but he's right. We can't just abandon him. It's not his fault that he's in this situation. It's mine, for bringing her back, and I'm not going to just leave him hanging."

"Emma, what about your parents, and what they're facing right now? What about Henry? What if Zelena decides that Robin isn't enough and she goes after him too? Do you really think you can protect them all?"

"You know I'll never let anything happen to Henry." Emma said levelly, matching Regina's glare with her own.

Regina sighed and snapped her laptop shut. "All right. Fine. What do you propose we do, Savior?"

"I hate it when you say it like that," Emma muttered. "There must be a way to stop her from using her magic. We just need to figure out what that is. Think."

"There are a few options, but all of them require being in control over Zelena before she crosses the town line. If she crosses while in control, she'll no doubt try to bring us all down."

"Any chance Robin would be willing to bash her over the head with a frying pan?" Emma asked, then paused. "Actually, if he won't do it, I wouldn't mind taking a crack at it."

"Tempting. But not helpful." Regina smiled.

"Regina," Emma started. "Listen, I want you to know that I'm on your side in this. I'll help Robin if I can, and Roland too, but whatever YOU need…well, I'm here. I promised you your happy ending."

Regina sighed. "I don't even know what that is anymore. But thank you."

"Well, when you figure it out, let me know." Emma smiled. Moved, but unwilling to show it, Regina nodded.

Emma headed toward the door, stopping and turning when Regina called out, "Emma." Regina took a breath and said, "Emma, it's not your fault. It's Zelena's fault. End of story." Regina ducked her head as she broke into a small grin. "And I have a cast iron skillet at my house. Very heavy. You're welcome to borrow it, if you'd like."

Regina sipped on Hook's second-hand coffee and flipped through the pages of the story book. This time, though, she had no clue what she was hoping to find. A way to stop Zelena? A way to help Snow and David right their wrongs? A way to keep Emma from blackening her heart? Yes, she supposed, all of the above. She sighed at the monumental task in front of her. "Heavy is the head that wears the crown," she said under her breath.

A way to find your happy ending. The thought popped unbidden into her head. That too, she thought. After. Once the heroes had won, and the villains had been vanquished, Regina would go back to her own happy ending. Provided, of course, that she wasn't among the vanquished. Almost as a reflex, she turned to page 23 and stared down at the image of herself running away from true love.

"No," she said, slamming the book shut. "I am not going to be the one who falls. Not this time." This time, she decided, she wasn't leaving it up to an author, or her mother, or Rumpelstiltskin to decide her fate. This time, Regina was going to make her own destiny.