Because I'm a horrible, horrible person. I'm super sorry guys for taking so long to update. But please forgive me and after i have this paper to turn in on Thursday and spring break next week I will try to update more. Sorry also for hte mistakes. If you want to be my Beta just shoot me a message and we'll converse.

Thanks.

Own Nothing.

Five.

Hermione walked into town, it was late at night and she was exhausted from flying across the ocean. She walked down the street, wanting to get something to eat when Marry Margret stopped her. "Hello, we've missed you." She smiled.

Hermione returned the smiled. "Yes, I have other business to attend to, how has everything been?"

Marry Margret frowned slightly. "I guess you didn't keep in touch with Emma or Mr. Gold?" Hermione shook her head. "Well Sheriff Graham had a heart attack and passed away and Emma had won the election to become sheriff."

"Who was the competitor?" Hermione asked, confused.

"Mr. Glass, Madam Mayor's office caught on fire and Emma stood up to Mr. Gold and won."

Hermione nodded, getting the picture. "More people are scared of Mr. Gold than of the Mayor." She whispered.

Marry Margret nodded. "Yes, you'll have to get the full story from Emma, I would tell you but I have to go home and grade papers. Emma is still at the station if you want to talk to her."

"I will. Thank you." Hermione smiled and waved goodbye before walking to the station. She entered the building and went straight for Emma. "So I hear that you're the new sheriff?"

Emma looked up from her paperwork and her eyes widened. "Hey, where have you been? I would've called but you didn't leave any contact information."

"I went home to visit Teddy. Missed him." Hermione smiled and sat in the chair across from Emma. "So how did you win, if you don't mind me asking?"

Emma sighed and leaned back in her chair, closing the file of paperwork. "Mr. Gold set the Mayor's offices on fire and he used it to help gain me an advantage and when I exposed him, people voted for me."

Hermione thought about it, scrunching her eyebrows together. "It seems to me that he used you exposing him to get you elected in. Like he knew that you wouldn't keep it a secret." She saw Emma's face and frowned. "He did didn't, but you didn't know about it, or else you would have withdrawn from the race completely, not giving the town a chance to vote for you."

Emma sighed and nodded. "You seem to know a lot about me."

Hermione shrugged. "I observe and I notice what kind of person you are. What are you going to do now? Because you did win by Mr. Gold's help, you do owe him something."

"That's what he said." Emma said. "I just wish to know what he wants."

"He wants to be on your side when you win, he thinks that he wouldn't get in trouble if you're the winner." Hermione whispered, thinking about it. She glanced at her watched; it was only nine at night. "I plan on seeing him before I go to bed. Would you like to meet up for dinner afterwards?"

Emma smiled. "I'd like that. Thank you. About half a hour?"

Hermione nodded and stood up. "Meet you at the diner then in thirty minutes." She turned to walk away; she looked back before she reached the door. "Emma?" Emma looked up at her. "I'm sorry about Sheriff Graham, he was a good man."

"Thank you, it's big shoes to fill." Emma smiled meekly.

"You'll do great." Hermione stated before leaving the station.

Hermione opened the door to the pawnshop and locked it behind her, flipping the sign to close. "Gold, we need to exchange words." She stated, as he walked up into the front.

"Ah, it's been a while since we've seen each other." He smiled. "What can I do for you this late?"

Hermione walked up closer and stared at him. "It was clever of you to make Emma expose you, to get her elected still." She stated.

He smiled sharply and nodded. "I knew that she would be elected if the town knew that she wasn't afraid of me, there for not afraid of Regina."

"They knew that she wasn't afraid of Regina, but now Regina has some control over her, she is one of her employees."

"We shall see how it all goes." He replied. "How was our trip?"

"Good, I fixed a few problems, saw some family." She replied quickly, crossing her arms.

"We've missed you here, it's been…" He thought of the word. "Quiet in a way."

"I find that hard to believe, with Emma here, stirring things with the curse."

"It isn't always about the curse Missy, sometimes you need to find your own fairytale." He stated, shifting his cane to his other hand.

"Fairytales don't always have a happy ending. The ones now that we tell children are tarnished and faked by Disney and cartoons. But the original ones, they're brutal and cruel, not happily ever after in the least."

He smirked and shook his head at her. "Happiness is whatever you make of it. It could be the most simplest things like love or the most complicated things like friendships."

"I think you have the two of them mixed." She stated, burrowing her eyebrows.

He chuckled and shook his head again. "Our friendship, it is complicating isn't it? The town talks about it all the time, they are confused about how close we are."

She remained quiet at she thought about it, she was friends or at least on first names basis with most of the town. "But Miss. Swan's love, or even Regina's love for the boy, Henry, that is simple, it is human nature." He finished.

"It is human nature to want someone near you, to be close to someone." Hermione replied with a shrug. "Regina just wants to be love, the hole in her heart that was taken by the curse, she just wants Henry to love her, and Emma wants to protect Henry, to know that he is safe."

"Love is simple, friendship is complicated, because you can love someone and not like them, or you could like someone but not love them." He stated. "You could be allies, or friends but not want to give your life to save them, Miss Swan would do anything for Henry, but would you wont break the curse for her, even if she asks."

Hermione frowned and remained quiet, staring at him, before nodding. "You have an interesting point Mr. Gold. We would need to discuss this further."

"Perhaps over dinner?" He asked, checking his watch. "The diner is still open.

She smiled lightly at him. "Thank you, but Emma and I have plans to meet up for a late dinner. We're meeting after I was finish talking to you."

"Well don't let me keep you, perhaps another time then." He nodded.

She took a step back to the door, unlocking it; she turned to look at her. "You lost someone, you created the curse to protect them, to do anything for them and you still lost them." Her eyes showed sadness. "I'm sorry."

He smiled lightly, his smile quivering. "Another time Miss, another fairytale."

She nodded and closed the door behind her, walking down the street to the diner to meet up with Emma.

She had gotten there fifteen minutes early than Emma, and she sat there thinking. "What's up?" Emma asked whens he sat across from her.

"I was thinking about something Mr. Gold said." Hermione stated as Ruby took their order and left.

"What about?" Emma asked as she sipped her coke.

"The simplicity of love and the complication of friendship." Hermione sighed and stared at Emma, her friend's eyes showed confusion. "It's something to think about."