Author's note : Sorry for the long wait. I wasn't feeling like writing and didn't really know where this would be going.

Chapter 5

Emma and David finally succeeded at convincing every curious person to clear the docks' area after many attempts. Some people felt the need to talk about the incident so they gathered at Granny's. They were all coming up with their own explanation of what was going on.

″She will freeze us to death.″

″Or maybe starve us to death. We cannot fish anymore, what if our crops are next?″

″It sure is all about the elements,″ another said. ″She will blow our houses down, bury our children alive and burn down our forests.″

″Hold on everyone,″ Emma said, trying to gain their attention, but it failed. She stepped on a chair. ″I said hold on!″ she tried again, louder.

Conversations gradually stopped and eyes turned her way.

″You're all ready to guilt Regina on that but we don't know for sure who is responsible.″

She didn't have the time to continue her train of thought that people started to shout back at her. Mostly, their minds were set and there seemed to be no way that they could change.

″As the Sheriff, you should already be at her house to arrest her,″ said someone over the loud buzz that was filling the crowded place.

″As the Sheriff,″ Emma marked that last word and paused to make sure she was heard, ″it is my duty to make sure the town is safe, not to arrest people randomly. I will go talk to Regina and no one must attempt anything that could be harmful for either her, Henry, or anyone else. I won't hesitate to arrest anyone who will be in the way of this investigation.″ She looked around and locked eyes with most of them for a few seconds each. She wanted to make sure she had been correctly heard.

″Now, unless you are here to eat or drink, I will ask you to leave the diner.″ She stepped down the chair and left the place, hoping her instructions would be followed.

The next day, after shutting down her inner little voices that were saying how much of a bad idea it was, Emma showed up at the Mayor's front door. She had rehearsed what she wanted to say the night before, but failed to remember any of it now that she was about to knock. She quickly turned around and made her way back to the Sheriff's car.

C'mon you coward, if there is someone in this town that understands duty and responsibilities, it's her.

With an unexpected dose of courage, she went back to the door and knocked right under the 108 sign. She foolishly waited for a quick answer, but clearly none was coming at all. At that moment, she wished nothing more than to just see Regina's face, even if it was wearing the typical annoyance that she was usually greeted with.

As some tension was relieved in a sigh when she understood she wouldn't be answered now, her body tensed right back because she knew she'd still have to deal with all of this later on. There was no easy way out.

As Emma stepped down the porch, she heard some fainted foot-steps coming from inside the house.

″Regina? It's me,″ she said shyly, hoping she had spoken loud enough.

″Go away, Miss Swan.″

″Can we talk?″

″I have nothing to say to you Miss Swan.″

″I'm not here for personal reasons but as the Sheriff,″ she replied back. When she heard unlocking noises, she felt grateful that Regina wasn't too stubborn to let a potential town problem unattended.

″Well, why haven't you said so sooner, Sheriff?″ Regina said while opening the door, saying that last word between her teeth.

Emma's eyes opened wide at the view before her; the Mayor in a crimson silk robe, which was loosely attached around the waist. Her hair was messy by a Regina Mills standard, but still prettier than what most women could achieve in hours of preparation.

Emma had still not spoken a word, her brain unable to process anything besides what was in front of her.

Regina was losing patience at the silence. But as much as she didn't want to talk to Emma, she was glad to finally see someone outside of Henry. Those past two weeks had been very lonely. At first, she received a few calls a day from her secretary so she could work from home, but it didn't last long. She didn't have the energy to deal with the town and her mayoral concerns so she made it clear to not be disturbed anymore.

″What do you want, Miss Swan?″ she asked, but the Sheriff didn't move a muscle. ″Emma?″ she said sharply.

It seemed to get her out of her stupor.

″Uh, hi!″ Emma mentally slapped herself for her lack of concentration – and vocabulary. She shook her head, hopeful that her words would fall back into her mouth eventually.

Regina had forgotten how she was dressed. She finally realised how she looked when she saw that the blonde's eyes were longing a little bit too much.

She cleared her throat and waited for Emma's eyes to lock with hers.

″Can you be professional for one second or is it too much to ask of you, Miss Swan?″

″Uh?″ Emma thought she must have unheard something the Mayor said.

With an eye roll, Regina used her magic to get properly dressed in a matter of seconds.

Emma instantly blushed because she had clearly been caught staring.

″Hum yes,″ she started. ″Something happened yesterday and-″

″And you think I have something to do with it,″ Regina interrupted. It wasn't a question though.

″Well I would never jump to conclusions too fast-″

″Oh no, you never would,″ Regina cut again, in a bitter tone.

They stared at each other for a moment. Emma's mouth opened, as if she was about to reply, but she closed it without a sound.

″I'm tired of all of this, Regina,″ she said softly afterwards, her shoulders dropping low. ″Of us fighting over everything.″

″We don't know anything else,″ Regina replied, crossing her arms on her chest.

Emma's heart hurt a little bit as the words made their way to her.

″It isn't true and you know it Regina. We're able to help each other.″

″Like you're able to get dressed, but it doesn't mean you're good at it.″

″Says the one who answered the door in a very showing robe.″ Emma hid the smile that was trying to make its way to her face. She needed to stay serious, given the situation. There still was a crisis in town that needed to be taken care of.

Regina almost forgot for a moment what the Sheriff was doing on her doorstep. The conversation flipped to a lighter mood in a blink of an eye. She waited for Emma to be the one to bring the subject back though.

″Do you know what happened at the docks recently?″ said Emma, as if on cue.

″I'm about to learn about it I would guess.″

Emma looked deeply into Regina's eyes, hoping for the thousandth time she could really read into her mind. The former Queen has had decades of practice of hiding what she was thinking and letting nothing show that she didn't want people to see.

″It's as if the whole sea froze instantly,″ Emma said without intonation, like how she would have announced that the sky was blue.

Regina stayed put, showing no surprise. In fact, she was mentally trying to determine how something like that could happen and mostly, who could be capable of such an act. She knew Rumple has proven many times to be stronger than she thought but also knew he always had a bigger purpose. She failed to see on what motive he could have achieved a spell this big.

Emma tried to read Regina's reaction, or lack of one. She wasn't denying anything but wasn't acknowledging having something to do with it either.

″So, can you help us understand what is happening?″

″I really can't, dear. Now if you'll excuse me, I have things to attend to.″ Without waiting for an answer, Regina closed the door, leaving a confused Emma behind.

″I'm not saying she has something to do with this spell, but you must admit, Emma, that her reaction is shady,″ David said. ″She habitually defends herself with more passion than Henry ever had while Operation Cobra, and that still is an understatement.″

″I don't understand, David. She seemed genuinely unaware, even without saying anything. Like almost shocked.″

Emma got lost in her thoughts. She had been replaying the scene in her head for the last two hours. She was trying to decode Regina's every moves, without much success. She knew since a long time that the Mayor was not one easy person to read. Her little superpower had mostly failed when confronted to Regina.

″I really don't know how we'll get through this one,″ Emma finally said, more to herself than to David.